novel volume 8-10

by flametornadohd

this is volumes 8 - 10 of y1 picks up after season 3 of the anime

26. Chapter 26

NATURALLY, THE MALL on a Saturday was positively packed with students,

particularly ones who'd already confirmed their partnerships for the special

exam. Since they had no need to panic in that regard anymore, they were just

studying with their friends in preparation for the written exam next week, and

having fun, to relax a bit. I hadn't come into contact with any first-year students

yet, but even so, I felt like if there was a White Room agent nearby, I would've

encountered them.

Still, I didn't have a gut feeling that anyone I had met was the agent. If I had to

pick one example of such a feeling, I'd have to say it was the feeling I got back

when I was talking with Nanase in the library. Most likely, Tsukishiro or

someone else close to them had thoroughly taught the agent how to really act

like a "student." The problem wasn't whether they had a personality with some

quirks or not. The problem was whether they could completely mask the scent

that betrayed them as someone from the White Room.

I'd been in a comparable situation myself a year ago, when I first came to this

school. There were disadvantages and drawbacks of being raised without any

knowledge of the world. Namely, I didn't know what it was like to be a student

at all. That was naturally something we weren't taught in the White Room, as

they had never intended for us to be sent to school.

Which was why, after coming here, I had briefly tried coming up with a

character that I could "act out" appropriately. I tried various things, like being

more talkative than I usually was and changing my tone of voice. Being a

somewhat cocky student with a kind of cynical, shrewd view of the world.

Well…

In the end, I found it kind of tedious to put on an act, so I quickly went back to

being my regular self. Because I had come to realize that I could still be a

"student" here without hiding my original self.

But the person the White Room had sent in now was different. They were

putting up a front, camouflaging themselves as a student to prevent me from

finding out their true identity. I had no idea if they were playing the part of a

quirky student or if they were playing a blank slate. Either way, I probably

wasn't going to see through their act all that easily. Anyone who had managed

to survive in that world could not be underestimated, regardless of their

gender.

Even though I was confident I could win when it came to individual skill, I was

in an overwhelmingly disadvantageous position due to essentially being forced

to go on the defensive. My opponent could get me expelled in any way they

chose, while the only thing I could do was defend myself by trying to detect

what they were planning.

After I finished dropping into Humming and was on my way back, I happened

to bump into Sakayanagi.

"My, it seems you're being quite proactive in engaging with the new students,

hm? Ayanokouji-kun?"

"Well, that's because this exam leaves students with low scores no choice but

to fight desperately for their lives. I'm just helping Horikita find partners for

Sudou and Ike."

"I see. It's certainly true that if either of those two drew the short straw, so to

speak, and ended up with a poor excuse for a partner, expulsion would be

imminent." Sakayanagi seemed to accept what I'd said, but our conversation

didn't end there. "But is that really all there is to it?"

"Meaning what?" I asked in return.

"Well, I was wondering if perhaps…the White Room, or something similar to

it, had sent in an assassin among the first-year students to get you expelled,

Ayanokouji-kun? Even if you were to get a perfect score on the exam, if your

partner got zero points, then both you and your partner would be expelled. I

hope you don't mind my saying this, but I just happened to let my imagination

run wild about this special exam, and came to the conclusion it might be

particularly troublesome for you," said Sakayanagi.

I tried to play dumb, but this sounded like it was more than just an idea that

had popped into Sakayanagi's head as a mere possibility. She spoke as if she

had known from the very beginning that such a scenario was inevitable.

"You can't possibly continue to live a quiet life here at this school forever, can

you? If your opponent were so inclined, they certainly wouldn't mind making

your true abilities known to everyone, Ayanokouji-kun. Though I suppose if you

can maintain an enjoyable life here at school regardless, this will all prove to be

needless apprehension on my part," she added.

"Well, you don't have to worry about that."

"May I inquire as to your reasoning for saying so?"

"I'm going to abandon my old way of thinking. The way I've been thinking

until now. I'm not planning on holding back anymore."

Right now, continuing my life here at this school was my top priority. If I kept

doing things halfway, I might find the rug pulled out right from under me.

"I see. Well, I suppose you've shown some of your abilities to Mashimasensei, so it might be more convenient for you to boldly go ahead and lay

everything bare now," replied Sakayanagi, apparently quite thrilled to hear this.

"Well then, I'll get right to the point. If you haven't settled on a partner for

yourself as of yet, may I lend you my assistance to save you the trouble? I have

only a vague idea, mind you, but there are certainly some first-year students

still available who come to mind. They are children who will not adversely affect

you, should they offer to partner with you, Ayanokouji-kun."

It sounded as though Sakayanagi had gone to the trouble of doing some

digging herself, trying to determine which students were safe choices for me.

"That's very generous of you. But I'll have to decline your offer," I replied.

"Do you not trust my judgment?" she asked in return.

She had already seen right through me quite some time ago. She knew I

needed to come to a decision soon.

"I acknowledge your abilities. But I'll be the one to decide my own fate."

If I failed after entrusting my fate to someone else, I'd have nothing left but

regret.

"Besides, I have a pretty good idea of how I'm going to fight this," I added.

"Oh, is that so? Well then, I will refrain from saying anything uncouth. I will

watch you from afar to see how you acquit yourself in this battle, Ayanokoujikun. And I look forward to the day we can fight again in the near future," said

Sakayanagi, bowing to me before walking off somewhere.

She didn't even consider me getting expelled a possibility. In that sense, I

supposed she had immense faith in me, huh?

6.8

WHILE I WAS ON MY WAY BACK to the dorms from Keyaki Mall, I heard a

somewhat slow, strained voice call out to me from behind.

"Excuse me, do you have a minute?"

When I turned around, I saw a boy and a girl staring back at me. The girl

seemed to be alternating looking at me and looking at her phone. She was

Tsubaki Sakurako, from Class 1-C. Her companion was from the same class. His

name was Utomiya Riku.

"You're…Ayanokouji-senpai, from Class 2-D, right?"

I couldn't see the screen of the girl's phone because of the angle, but she

most likely had the OAA app open.

"My name is Utomiya, and her name is Tsubaki. May we talk with you about a

partnership?" asked Utomiya.

"About a partnership?" I repeated.

"Yes. We're going around looking for senpai with Cs or higher in academic

ability, to see if anyone can help us," he replied.

Since I had been out and about looking for a partner myself, this felt too good

to be true. It was almost like they were waiting for me to show up. Should I see

someone who blatantly walked up to me as dangerous? Or conversely, should I

see them as safe? Well, no—the most dangerous thing would be for me to

make a judgment based on the issue of their timing alone.

"I've been having a pretty tough time finding a partner myself. Can you tell

me a little bit more?" I asked.

With the app, you could understand what a student looked like and what

their name was, as well as what grades they had. But you couldn't get a sense

of their personality, which was precisely why it was necessary to meet face-toface, so that each party could determine if the other was trustworthy.

Incidentally, Utomiya had already found a partner, but Tsubaki had yet to find

one for herself. Her academic ability certainly wasn't high. Only a C-. I was sure

she wanted to be partnered up with someone who had a C or better. It seemed

these two were out together looking for someone from my grade level with a C

or higher, but were they looking to help Tsubaki find a partner? Or were they

looking for someone for another classmate?

"I'd prefer not to stand around here and chat though. How about we talk at

the café?" Utomiya took the lead in the conversation, speaking to me quite

respectfully and suggesting we talk somewhere else.

This definitely wasn't something that could be decided upon in a minute or

two, so I accepted his proposal to change venues.

It was crowded, but we found an empty space in the corner of the café and

sat down there.

"I apologize for being hasty, but we'd like to get right into it, if you don't

mind," said Utomiya. He then looked over at Tsubaki and motioned for her to

speak up.

"I don't like having to owe anyone anything, and I don't like anyone having to

owe me anything. I'm not a fan of debts. So, I want a relationship that won't

come back to bite me," said Tsubaki, looking at her nails as she spoke. She

sounded both laid-back and candid.

It was true there was little difference between a C-and a C, meaning the

person with the higher ranking couldn't really feel superior in such a situation.

"Can I ask you something that's been bothering me?" I asked in return.

"Yes, go ahead," said Utomiya.

"The majority of students are around C rank. Why didn't she find a partner

sooner, then?"

Sure, you wouldn't get a high score that way, but you could avoid getting

expelled. I was sure some second-years would have gladly partnered with

Tsubaki. The fact that she remained available all this time, through the first half

of the exam period, was worrisome.

"Well—"

Utomiya started to speak, but then went silent for a moment, the words

getting stuck in his throat. Upon noticing him struggling, Tsubaki turned and

looked at me, actually making eye contact for the first time during this entire

conversation.

"That's my bad. I never said anything," said Tsubaki.

Utomiya used what she said as a starting point and supplemented it with his

own explanation. "Tsubaki didn't talk to anyone about finding a partner. I'm

guessing she got impatient once Friday rolled around, because she came up to

me for the first time and asked me what she should do…"

So, Tsubaki's classmate Utomiya had begun helping her find a partner in a

race against the clock. It seemed most of the students in their class had already

found partners. Even though there was still a week left in the exam period, it

was understandable that they'd be panicking.

"Considering Tsubaki's academic ability, the five percent penalty could be a

problem," said Utomiya.

That seemed to be why they had approached me, a student with a C ranking.

If this were a normal situation, I might have readily agreed to their request.

However, there was a reason I couldn't just make a snap judgment and say yes

to them right off the bat. That was because what was happening here was

strikingly similar to a scenario I had imagined when the special exam had just

begun. Namely, the fact that the students I had the highest probability of

getting partnered with were people with the same academic ability ranking as

me.

And now Tsubaki, a student with a C-ranking, had come to me in search of a

partner. I had only just met Tsubaki and Utomiya for the first time. So, the first

thing I needed to do was get a feel for what they were like.

"I wanted to ask you something. You said you were going around looking for a

partner. How many people did you talk to before you came up to me?" I asked.

I thought I'd start with finding that one. But the response I got from Utomiya

was rather unexpected.

"I'm sorry. I suppose it might have been a bit underhanded of me to say that.

To tell you the truth, you're the first person we've talked to, Ayanokoujisenpai," said Utomiya, apologizing to me directly, as jumping ahead of what I

might be speculating. "If that means you're not willing to partner with her,

Ayanokouji-senpai, we'll just look for someone else."

"Oh, okay. You're saying that I just happened to be the first person you talked

to, is all."

"It was a coincidence that we approached you, but there is a reason you're

the first, Ayanokouji-senpai. We thought if we asked a student from Class 2-A or

2-C, we might need to strike a deal using Private Points," said Utomiya.

I see. It was certainly true that first-year students were being bought up by

second-year students right now. In a situation like this, if they were to request

that someone partner with Tsubaki, it wouldn't be surprising if a certain

number of points were involved in the transaction.

But she wasn't requesting to be partnered with a student with excellent

grades or anything. There were still quite a few students remaining, so there

was probably a good chance she could easily team up with someone. It was

unlikely they hadn't already considered all of that.

That being said, it would probably sound a little strange if I responded to

them by saying something like, "I think it'll be okay, so why don't you try Class

2-A or Class C?" Objectively speaking, there wasn't a single reason for me to be

reluctant to accept the offer to partner with Tsubaki. The options available to

me were limited.

"I don't currently have a partner, but I have found a potential candidate.

We've discussed things a few times to see if we can actually work together," I

told them.

What I said was only half true, but there was no way the two of them could

know that for sure. Furthermore, if saying that was enough to make them back

off, it was highly likely that Tsubaki was a safe choice as a partner.

"Oh, so you have… I see," replied Utomiya, sounding somewhat troubled,

casting a glance over at Tsubaki.

"In that case, guess there's nothing we can do, right? It'll probably be faster to

just start looking for someone else," said Tsubaki, deciding to back off as soon

as she heard I already had a candidate in mind.

"Just for reference… What first-year student are you planning on teaming up

with?" asked Utomiya, somewhat insistently, though Tsubaki herself had

already disengaged from the conversation.

"Can't say. The one thing I can say for sure is it's not someone in Class 1-C," I

answered.

Though I didn't go into detail about the reason I couldn't tell them, I was sure

they could hazard a guess. Namely that if I were dealing with someone from a

rival class, I couldn't exactly give out any information about the student I was

working with to a potential enemy of theirs.

"Let's go, Utomiya-kun. We shouldn't take up any more of Ayanokoujisenpai's time," said Tsubaki.

"…Yes, I suppose so."

I was grateful they had approached me, but I couldn't make a snap decision. I

just had far too little data on Sakurako.

"Just in case, here's my contact info," said Utomiya, handing over a piece of

paper with his information written on it, which he must have prepared ahead of

time.

"This might be kind of self-serving of me, but if the person I'm talking with

turns down my offer for partnership, I might call you. If she's still okay with

partnering up with me at that time, I'd be happy to work something out," I told

them.

"I understand. Let's go, Tsubaki," said Utomiya.

Tsubaki uncrossed her arms and stood up from her seat. She gave me a gentle

bow before leaving with Utomiya, probably in search of other candidates

besides me.

"Tsubaki Sakurako and Utomiya Riku. I'll have to remember them," I told

myself.

Now that I had thrown away my chance of securing a partnership right here

and now, my actions from this point onward would be quite important. It

wouldn't be a laughing matter if I ended up getting partnered with a different

student who proved to be the wrong choice.

6.9

TWO GIRLS from Class 2-D walked together, side by side. Me, Karuizawa Kei,

and my friend Satou Maya-san.

Until a few months ago, we used to hang out a lot. But lately, we'd been

seeing each other less and less frequently. Much less frequently. It wasn't like

we'd quarreled or anything, though. It was just that, subconsciously, I'd started

to feel guilty as of late. Which made it really hard for me to reach out to her.

"Sorry for calling you out of the blue, Karuizawa-san."

"Oh, no, it's totally fine, don't worry. I was just thinking I wanted to hang out

with you too, Satou-san. Besides, it's been a long time since we went out and

did anything together, hasn't it?" I replied.

"Yeah, definitely, it has! I felt like when we first started here, we were

hanging out like all the time."

I was walking a little bit ahead of Satou-san. I turned to look at her and asked

what we were going to do today. "So, what's up? What do you wanna do? I

think it's kinda early for lunch right now."

It was only a little after eleven in the morning right now. Satou-san had called

me and suggested we take a walk together around Keyaki Mall. However, just

as we approached the mall entrance, she quickly spoke up, sounding kind of

flustered.

"Oh, um, hey."

"What's up?"

"Can we, um…go this way?" she asked, pointing to the path that continued on

to the school building, in the exact opposite direction from the mall.

"Wait, toward school? Is there something you need? But we've got the day

off today, and I'm pretty sure you can't go in wearing casual clothes, right?"

"I don't have anything I need at school, but… I just wanted to go somewhere

where there aren't other people around right now," said Satou-san.

I furrowed my brow in confusion, not really understanding what it was she

was trying to say. Well, no, actually. I had an idea of what this might be about.

But I pushed it to the back of my mind, trying to convince myself that that

couldn't be it. I kept pretending I didn't notice anything.

"What's up, Satou-san? This doesn't really sound like you. You feeling okay?" I

asked.

"…I just wanted to talk a little bit is all," she answered.

I had a bad feeling about this, but I couldn't really turn her down right now.

So I agreed to her request, and the two of us headed away from the mall and

toward the school building.

There wasn't really anyone around, as you would expect. No one who might

hear our conversation.

"All right, out with it. We are friends, right?" I said, getting straight to the

point.

What I'd just said wasn't gentle at all. It was cruel. But even though I was

aware of that, I couldn't stop myself from saying it. Because I was Karuizawa

Kei. The leader of the girls in my class. A self-centered person who didn't think

about how anyone else felt, just herself. If I didn't act that part, everything I've

done would fall apart.

I was guessing Satou-san's mental image of me lined up with the way I was

talking to her now. That was why she didn't appear dejected or angry. She

would draw her own conclusions from my behavior, seeing Karuizawa Kei as

someone who didn't care and wouldn't see what she wanted to talk about as

anything worth paying attention to.

I hoped that maybe, just maybe, she'd be satisfied with that and this

conversation wouldn't keep going. I hoped that if I acted mean, it would make

her want to avoid potentially souring our relationship, and so she wouldn't

bring the topic up after all. But Satou-san didn't back down.

"Karuizawa-san… Why did you break up with Hirata-kun?" she asked.

"Huh? Didn't I already tell you the reason?"

Even though her question wasn't directly related to the subject of Kiyotaka, it

was close enough to make my heart jump in my chest. Even so, I managed to

keep those feelings from showing, thanks to everything I'd gone through until

now.

"I mean, yeah, I've heard the reason, more or less. It's just…something about

it doesn't feel right to me."

"Really? Y'know, I was thinkin' it was kinda a waste, how it went down and all.

Hey, do you maybe have your sights set on trying to become Hirata-kun's

girlfriend or something?" I asked her.

Satou-san was no longer interested in Kiyotaka. That was what I was hoping

to hear, which was why I said what I did, like I was trying to confirm that she

was now after someone else. But Satou-san didn't respond to that. Instead, she

came back at me with a question that felt like a surprise attack.

"I was thinking… Is it possible you broke up with Hirata-kun because you

actually had a different goal in mind?"

Oh, so she had noticed, after all. She knows that I've fallen in love with

Kiyotaka, and that our relationship is changing…

"What're you talking about? I have no clue what you're trying to say."

Even now, I was forcing myself into a box. Trying to force myself to be the

"normal" persona I'd created. Sooner or later, the day would come when I had

to reveal my relationship with Kiyotaka. And when that day came, I'd have no

choice but to run away, because I had decided I needed to keep all of it secret.

No matter what Satou-san might say to me, I was determined to, at least on

the surface, smooth things completely over.

Well, no. I supposed I should say I thought I was determined to do so.

"…Karuizawa-san… Are you dating Ayanokouji-kun?"

"Huh…?"

Because I got hit with an entirely unexpected gut punch. My reaction was

delayed, like I'd just gotten smacked from behind. If I had been talking to any

other girl, it would've been different. But since I was talking to Satou-san, that

delayed reaction was basically a fatal blow. She saw right through me, as if my

answer was totally obvious.

If she'd asked me if I liked him or something, I could have handled it. But what

Satou-san said went further than that.

"…So, I was right after all, huh?"

"Hey, wait, uh, no, no, why would you even think that?!" I wailed.

I denied it, of course. Whether I actually intended to deny it or not, I did it

anyway. Because there was no way I could admit what was going on to her right

now.

"Why would you, I mean, I, uh…" I stammered.

I kept trying to deny it, but I just got lost in Satou-san's eyes. She looked like

she was about to cry, but she looked angry, too. That was totally fair. She'd

trusted me and come to me asking for advice on how to get Kiyotaka into a

relationship. And I'd cooperated with her, while hiding the fact that I was

attracted to him.

If I were in Satou-san's shoes, I would've slapped me in the face for going out

with Kiyotaka after all of that. Even if I didn't come out and admit to it, I was

sure it was already becoming a certainty in Satou-san's mind.

"Did you already have your eye on Ayanokouji-kun when I said I wanted to get

to know him better and asked you to help? Or did you like him before then?"

"H-hey, wait, hold on a second. I…"

I had no other choice but to stand there and take everything that Satou-san

was throwing at me.

"I… I said the same thing to Matsushita-san and the others, too. That I think

that you broke up with Hirata-kun because you like Ayanokouji-kun. But it's not

like I was just throwing that out there randomly, you know? I've felt fairly sure

about it… So, yeah, that's why I brought it up," said Satou-san.

I had already heard Matsushita-san had some suspicions about my

relationship with Kiyotaka. I couldn't talk my way out of this situation anymore.

"Please tell me the truth. If you don't, I… I don't think I could see you as my

friend anymore, Karuizawa-san," she added.

The intensity of her emotions could be heard in her words. If anything, it felt

like she was trying her hardest to keep being my friend, until the very end.

"I…" I stammered.

Seeing how serious that look in her eyes was, I just couldn't bring myself to lie

to her anymore. Where should I even start? Well, I supposed there was no point

in hiding anything. The least I could do was apologize to Satou-san by opening

up and telling her everything.

"I'm… Ayano… Well, it's just like you guessed, Satou-san. I'm going out with

Kiyotaka," I told her.

Naturally, she reacted quite strongly when she heard me say that. Even

though she'd been rejected when she told him how she felt, she still liked

Kiyotaka. It was because I'd fallen for the same person that I understood how

she felt.

"So, you call him Kiyotaka, huh," said Satou-san.

I wanted to run from her somewhat cold stare, but I couldn't.

"We started going out at the end of spring break. Really not very long ago," I

replied.

"What I want to know most is when you started liking him," said Satou-san.

"…To tell you the truth, I'm not sure exactly when. But when you came to me

earlier, talking about how you wanted to go out with him, I was starting to think

of Kiyotaka as more than a classmate," I answered.

"I see…"

I didn't think she was very satisfied with my answer.

"You're mad at me, aren't you?" I asked.

Satou-san had been looking me in the eye until moments ago, but now I

couldn't seem to return the favor.

"Well, I don't exactly feel good about it. You knew how I felt, but you went

behind my back and started to get closer to Ayanokouji-kun yourself."

There wasn't a single thing I could say back to her about that.

"But still, Ayanokouji-kun did turn me down after I told him how I felt about

him, so… I'm not really in a position where I could be mad at you. But it's just…"

A spring breeze gently blew past us. I was startled by a sudden, dull sound.

The next moment, I realized I'd been slapped on the left cheek.

"Okay, so I guess that means we're square… Can we forget all of this ever

happened and go on being friends, Karuizawa-san?" asked Satou-san.

Honestly, the fact that she had slapped me was a little unexpected. I guessed

that was just how hard to forgive my actions were, in her mind.

"You want to give me one more shot?" I replied in a friendly way, offering my

right cheek to her.

After all, the pain she'd felt was a lot greater than what I was dealing with

right now.

"No, I don't, I mean… I really don't think I could do that. I'm sorry for hitting

you…" said Satou-san.

"No, I'm the one who's sorry. I mean, falling for the same guy as you. Satousan, and…" I replied, trailing off.

"Hey, I don't blame you for that. Ayanokouji-kun is really cool, and he's way

hotter than Hirata-kun," she replied, teasing a little.

Without even thinking, I spread both my arms wide and hugged Satou-san

tight.

"Whoa, hey, Karuizawa-san, what are you doing?!"

"…I'm so sorry!"

"R-really, it's okay, you don't…"

Although I felt so sorry about everything that happened, I was overjoyed, too.

I hugged her tight, unable to hold back my emotions anymore. Falling for the

same person was really tough, but I guessed this meant that we both

understood his charms. This wasn't a situation where we could talk about who

won and who lost. I mean, I was sure that from here on out, the number of

people who discovered Kiyotaka's charms would only keep increasing.

And I had to keep fighting to make sure I didn't lose to any of them. If I didn't

take being his girlfriend seriously, I was sure someone would swoop in and

snatch him away from me. Satou-san might even end up being that rival for me.

"Wanna go grab a bite?" I asked her.

Satou-san, still in my arms, nodded in response to my self-serving request.

Chapter 7:

Expulsion Approaches

IT WAS NOW just after eight thirty in the evening on Sunday. The day Nanase

had chosen was finally here, and it was highly likely that the discussion we

would have tonight would determine whether we could work with Class 1-D.

Well, no. We needed to make sure we could work together. Most students

outside both our classes had already found partners. If we couldn't come to an

agreement, we might be forced into making some rather major compromises to

avoid being hit with penalties.

It was decided that me and Horikita would handle this discussion, with Sudou

accompanying Horikita after he strongly requested to join her. I was sure he did

just want to be around Horikita, but also that a big part of his reason for doing

so was that he was wary of Housen. Depending on how things played out,

Housen might very well raise his hand against a woman without batting an eye.

So Sudou was there to be Horikita's bodyguard, to protect her.

Horikita protested of course, saying she didn't need him there, but Sudou

insisted. This time around, though, Horikita didn't actually give Sudou

permission herself, no matter how many times he asked. These negotiations

were expected to be just that serious, and she had decided Sudou's presence

would be a hindrance.

However, I made her reverse her decision. The reason I gave was that Sudou

could act on my behalf, in the unlikely event something unforeseen occurred

and things got dicey. Sudou's abilities should be more than enough to keep the

situation in check. In the end, Horikita gave Sudou permission to accompany

her, on the condition that he absolutely not lose his temper during the

discussion and not threaten anyone.

When I went down to the dormitory lobby to meet up with him, Sudou was

already there, sitting down on the sofa, waiting. He smiled cheerfully and

happily at me.

"Yo!" he shouted.

Actually, I should make one small correction to what I said before. It seemed

like he didn't just want to be with Horikita. He really wanted to be with her.

"Are your studies going pretty well? For the test?" I asked.

"Course, man. Still won't be great, but I'm thinkin' I should at least get twohundred-and-fifty points this time 'round," said Sudou.

If Sudou, who currently had an academic ability ranking of E, got two hundred

and fifty points or more on this text, that would be a fantastic achievement. I

was sure his rating in the OAA app would probably jump up to somewhere

around C starting next month. Sudou wasn't just all talk, either. He was putting

in enough effort that his claims were backed by confidence. He was arriving at

class late far, far less frequently, and demonstrating a good attitude in class,

taking his studies seriously.

"Seems like you've changed a lot… It's like you enjoy studying now or

something," I told him.

"Well, it ain't really like I like it or anythin'. But it is pretty fun solving

problems. On top of that, when Suzune compliments me, I feel like I get so

amped up that I could just study and study all the time."

The prickly, snappy attitude he had when he first started school here seemed

to have calmed down. It did seem like his tendency to quickly lose his temper

wasn't going to be so easy to fix, but if Horikita's presence was enough to keep

him grounded, that was good enough.

Sudou stood up and looked at the screen showing footage from the camera

inside the elevator, as if he couldn't contain his excitement. Then he sat back

down on the sofa, fiddling with his phone and with his hair. Shortly afterward,

he stood back up again. He kind of looked like a young man who was about to

go out on his first date.

"Hey, Ayanokouji," muttered Sudou, still looking at the camera footage.

Maybe he had realized that I had been looking at him. "If I were to tell Suzune

how I feel about her today, do you think she'd be, well, okay with me?"

The expression on his face was visible, even as I looked at his side profile. He

looked serious. Seeing Sudou look that way, there was no way I couldn't give

him an honest answer.

"Probably not," I told him.

While that might have left him feeling dejected, those were my honest

thoughts, looking at it as a third party. I had thought for sure he wouldn't have

been satisfied hearing that answer from me, but…

"Yeah, you're right."

Sudou agreed with me without batting an eye, almost like he already knew

the answer himself.

"I know that Suzune ain't the type of person to talk 'bout stuff like love and

romance and all that. But it's not just that, either… I mean, there's no way she'd

be attracted to me right now. How much trouble has my cockiness made for

her? How many times? No, not just her—how many times have I made trouble

for everyone in our class?" said Sudou.

He seemed to be saying that there was no way Horikita would date him after

taking all that into account.

"And yeah, I'm really tryin' my best now and all, sure. But I don't think that

cancels out all the burdens I put on our class or anythin', of course. So over the

next two years, I'm gonna work on improvin' my strengths, and also on fixin' my

weaknesses, little by little. If I do all that, then I'm sure that by the time we

graduate, I'll have been useful to our class," said Sudou.

"I see. Yeah, you might be right about that."

Sudou could definitely become a valuable asset to our class, thanks to his

exceptional physical abilities. I was sure he could come to be an essential part

of our team, like Yousuke and Kushida. He'd also grown to be able to look at

himself calmly and objectively, which was precisely why a question came to

mind that I wanted to ask him.

"Hey, so what if you put in a lot of effort and become the most admirable,

exemplary person in our class…but even then, Horikita still doesn't look your

way. What would you do then? Would you start to hate stuff like studying?" I

asked.

There was the possibility someone could fall apart when they learned all their

efforts had been for naught. That was particularly possible in Sudou's case,

since he was putting in all this effort for Horikita.

"Well, yeah, I'm sure I'd wanna just stop everything, y'know? I mean, I'd

probably even feel like I wanna die. Maybe I'd even want to go out and punch

somebody. But if I actually went out and did any of that stuff, I'm sure Suzune

would be real disappointed in me. I mean, givin' up on studying, going on a

rampage? That'd be super lame. I definitely don't wanna do any of that, no

thanks," said Sudou.

An excellent response. I was sure he really believed it, too. Of course, the real

truth of his words would be tested when that situation became a reality. No

matter how much you claimed you were resolved to handle being faced with a

negative outcome, chances were good you'd feel differently once the pain

actually hit.

But that being said, if he was able to say all that right now, at this point in

time, then there probably wasn't anything for me to worry about for the time

being.

"Oh, looks like she's here!" said Sudou.

The camera showed Horikita getting on the elevator. Sudou must have been

feeling restless or something, because he walked away, turned his back to the

elevator door, and started taking deep breaths while stretching his arms out in

an effort to calm himself down, like he was doing warm-up calisthenics or

something.

Shortly afterward, the elevator arrived at the first floor. Sudou was still taking

deep breaths.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting. What is Sudou-kun doing?" asked Horikita.

"Looks like he's taking deep breaths," I replied.

Horikita had a puzzled look on her face for a moment, but she quickly went

back to her usual stiff expression.

We were going to meet up in one of the karaoke rooms in the Keyaki Mall

today. On both regular weekdays and on weekends, these were popular places

for people to hang out late into the night, since we were allowed to use those

rooms until 10 p.m. Karaoke was, of course, one of the recreational facilities we

had on campus. It was often used for things like stress relief or to chat with

friends.

But at this school, it had another major purpose. The rooms were private,

which made them terrific locations to have detailed discussions, without

running the risk of being seen or heard by others. They were the easiest places

to have secret meetings on campus without being noticed. Of course, in terms

of confidentiality alone, nothing beat the privacy of one's personal room in the

dormitory. But you were inevitably limited to only being able to meet certain

people that way.

With the exam coming up next week, there didn't seem to be that many

people around at this time of day. So you could say this was the best time to

meet with Housen in secret and have a discussion.

"Hey, are you really sure we can get that cocky new kid to help us out?" asked

Sudou.

"I wouldn't have spent so much time on this if I didn't think we could make a

cooperative relationship work," said Horikita.

Exactly. It was precisely because we had determined it was possible that we

were here today.

"At this current point in time, many of the gifted first-year students have been

taken by Sakayanagi-san and Ryuuen-kun. And Ichinose-san has offered herself

up, providing salvation for the weak. The only weapons in our arsenal are points

or trust," said Horikita.

"Guess you're right, yeah… We ain't gonna beat Sakayanagi or Ryuuen in

points, and we ain't beatin' Ichinose when it comes to trust," said Sudou.

"Precisely. Which is exactly why Housen-kun presents both an opportunity

and a problem for us."

Housen wouldn't be swayed by the appeal of Class A's reputation, nor by

some paltry sum of Private Points. And he wouldn't so much as even notice

Ichinose's offer of salvation. Which was why we, Class D, had a chance.

"So, the point is seein' how much we can push them into makin' a deal with

us, without havin' to make too many compromises on our end," said Sudou.

"Right. The more time that passes, the more it'll be us second-years who start

to panic. With so many students having already found partners, we'll be at an

unavoidable disadvantage."

If we declined the terms Housen presented us with, he'd show no mercy. He'd

simply change plans and let us end up getting paired with people at random. He

didn't care whatsoever about his own classmates being penalized.

I was interested to see how Horikita intended to challenge him.

7.1

"HEY, UH, come to think of it, ain't the meetin' at nine? Aren't we kinda

early?" said Sudou.

It was still well before nine now. We had about thirty minutes until we were

scheduled to meet.

"It's all right. I just wanted to get there ahead of time," said Horikita.

Sudou didn't quite understand Horikita's reasoning on that, but he kept quiet,

and followed along. I wondered if Horikita wanted to come early to have time

to calm herself, or because she was wary there might be some kind of trap?

While Sudou seemed to think of our opponent as just a new kid, Horikita

showed no signs of dropping her guard. It might seem like she was being

cautious to the point of excess but considering that this was Housen we were

dealing with, I supposed you couldn't criticize her for being careful.

We got a slip of paper with a room number and reservation information from

the employee at the reception desk, then went on inside.

"Could you please let Nanase-san know that we're here?" said Horikita.

"Got it," I replied.

I sent Nanase a message, basically telling her that we had already arrived. As

expected, she replied saying they would arrive at the time we had planned on.

"Let's go ahead and order our own drinks, then," said Horikita.

"Shouldn't we wait for 'em?" said Sudou.

"It's fine."

After each deciding what we wanted to drink, we looked at the food menu

next.

"You can go ahead and order, if you'd like anything. What do you want?"

asked Horikita.

"Well, fries, I guess. Is that okay?" said Sudou.

"Sure."

Horikita, using the landline phone installed in the room, ordered the food and

drinks that we had wanted. After we placed our orders, Sudou seemed to be a

little less tense. He picked up the microphone.

"So, um, well, I think we got some time until we're supposed to meet. How

about a song or two?" he said.

"I'm not going to sing," said Horikita.

"Wait, really, you're not?"

We had arrived at the karaoke room early, before the meeting, and had

ordered food and drinks. I supposed Sudou had assumed the next step would

be to start singing, since that was typically how things went at a place like this.

He looked disappointed now, probably because he'd wanted to hear Horikita's

singing voice.

"Sudou-kun. I'm warning you once again. Do not say anything unnecessary,"

said Horikita.

"I-I got it, yeah. But hey, shouldn't you tell that to Ayanokouji, too?"

"He doesn't speak more than necessary. Actually, if anything, he's the sort of

person who doesn't speak even when he should," said Horikita.

Well, that was far from a compliment. She was just airing her grievances

about me. Sudou pouted, seemingly not too happy with the answer Horikita

had given him.

When it was time for our meeting, the first to arrive was Nanase.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting," said Nanase.

"Outta the way, Nanase," huffed Housen Kazuomi from behind her, forcing

her to walk further inside.

"Oh, you're right on time. And here I was sure you'd be really late," said

Horikita, suggesting she wouldn't have been surprised if he'd arrived late on

purpose, just to irritate her. Rather like how Miyamoto Musashi had arrived late

to his duel on Ganryu-jima.

"Hey, I'm always on time when I decide I'm gonna go somewhere. And I don't

like folks who give me a hard time just because I'm a little late. Anyway, looks

like you got here pretty damn early… What, did you really hate the thought of

waitin' for me that much? Come on, don't be so nervous," teased Housen.

"Can you please not let your imagination get the better of you? Don't

misunderstand. We were simply enjoying ourselves, since we came all the way

to karaoke. Understand?" said Horikita, telling Housen that he needed to

broaden his mind.

Upon the table were some partially consumed drinks, and half-eaten food.

She had staged the scene to look as though we'd been having fun at karaoke

right up until the last minute.

"Looks that way," said Housen.

Which meant that the negotiating had already begun.

"Well, whatever. I'll find out whether you're bluffin' soon enough, when we

get to talkin'," said Housen.

He plopped down hard on the couch, as if he were some kind of big shot, so

much so that it was difficult to imagine he was a new student. He spread his

legs wide, taking up enough space for three people all by himself.

"Okay, so? Nanase explained everythin' to me. She said you wanted my class

to help you out," said Housen.

My class, he said. From the sound of it, Class D was already completely under

Housen's control, then. It had only been a couple of weeks since school had

started, but I sensed no weakness in his statement.

"Not exactly. What I'm saying is that our two classes will work together. No

one will be above or below the other. We'll be on equal footing," said Horikita.

"That so? So, you're not bringin' up the fact that you're one grade level above

us then, huh. Gotta say, not patronizin' us, that's a wise choice."

Nanase quietly observed what Housen was saying and doing. She didn't speak

up or refute any point in particular. Considering she'd been playing the role of

mediator, and the fact that she was the sole person he'd brought here with

him, we could probably be certain Nanase was someone Housen valued. I

wasn't sure if that was because he admired how she had the guts to say she

wouldn't give in to Housen's threats of violence, or if there was something else.

In any case, there was a way for us to cut right through and force Nanase over

to our side.

"I understand there are still a certain number of students in your grade who

don't feel an intense sense of commitment to their peers, and wouldn't think

anything of it if their classmates got in trouble. However, you should begin to

understand how things are after seeing us. There will most certainly come a

time in the future when you will need the help of your classmates," said

Horikita.

"So…you're sayin' we gotta together to get through school without anyone

gettin' kicked out, huh?" said Housen.

"If you really do have so much authority over your class that you view it as

your private property, that's actually rather convenient to this arrangement.

With just one command, a substantial number of your classmates will follow,

right?" said Horikita.

Housen brought his left pinky up, stuck it inside his left ear and started

twisting it around a bit. Then he removed his finger and held it up, pointed it at

Horikita, and blew off what was on it in her direction. Sudou's face tensed up,

but he remembered Horikita's warning, and kept himself in check. His clenched

fists were shaking as he held them down on his lap.

Horikita simply endured Housen's openly vulgar conduct, without turning

away. "Can you please stop?"

"Okay, so, in the first place," said Housen.

It seemed what she'd said just went in one ear and out the other, because he

started speaking as though he were talking to himself.

"It's fair to say that you're the leader of Class 2-D, right?" said Housen. He was

now rewinding to check for weaknesses in the very premise of this discussion.

"You could interpret it that way," replied Horikita.

"I don't think there's anything strange about Horikita-senpai being the leader,

considering her abilities," said Nanase, addressing Housen. That was the first

time she had opened her mouth during this entire conversation.

"All right, then, I'll give the leader here a warning. I sure as hell ain't planning

on working with you under this so-called 'equal footing' garbage or whatever,"

said Housen.

It seemed he wasn't going to make things that easy, after all. I supposed there

was no avoiding the disparity between us. We wanted to protect our classmates

no matter what, whereas Housen didn't really care one way or another about

tossing his to the wolves. The relative severity of the penalties we faced were

also worlds apart, with us facing expulsion and them losing out on three

months' worth of Private Points.

"That sounds about right. You are that kind of person, I suppose," said

Horikita.

"If you know that already, then out with it. Stop being such a penny pincher.

I'll hear you out if you've got a good offer for me," said Housen.

"You'll hear me out? What exactly are you expecting? Do you seriously think

we're going to pay you to get you to help us?"

Even though we were in a disadvantageous position, Horikita didn't budge an

inch nor make any compromises.

"Yeah, you'll pay. You will. Because hell, you can't really not pay, can you?

Nanase, water," barked Housen, ordering Nanase around while he looked over

the karaoke menu.

Nanase nodded, picked up the phone, and ordered some water from the

reception desk.

"I realize that I'm repeating myself here, but our proposal is one of equal

partnership. In any case, we're absolutely not going to hand over money, goods,

or any other form of compensation to you in return for this," said Horikita.

"In that case, guess that means I'll be headin' on back without gettin' my

drink of water then, huh?" said Housen.

Without any hesitation at all, he slapped his thighs once, indicating to us that

he was leaving.

"Please wait, Housen-kun. I think we really ought to hear what Horikita-senpai

has to say." Nanase, who was still standing next to Housen and listening in on

the conversation, stopped him.

"Hear what she has to say? Yeah, ain't no need," said Housen.

"No, we do need to. At this rate, our class will never be able to come together

as one," said Nanase.

Horikita examined Housen and Nanase as they had their brief exchange of

words, not moving.

"Yeah, and who cares? Anyone who can't follow orders might as well be

tossed out with the trash. I ain't exactly gonna shed a tear if we get rid of the

wimps," said Housen.

"That is not okay," said Nanase.

"Nanase. You a total moron or somethin'?" replied Housen, letting out a deep

sigh. He sounded more exasperated than angry. "There just ain't any advantage

to us acceptin' their terms outright."

"I understand what you're trying to say, Housen-kun. It is certainly true that

Horikita-senpai and her friends are desperate to protect their classmates, and

I'm sure they have good reasons for doing so. If we don't offer them a helping

hand, students will be in danger of being expelled. Even if they're putting up a

strong front right now, eventually, they'll have to make some concessions.

That's what you're waiting for, isn't it?" said Nanase.

It didn't sound at all like Nanase had interrupted the conversation because

she didn't know what Housen was doing. She knew.

Then, she continued speaking. "I don't think your strategy is a bad one,

Housen-kun. While the other classes looked for partners, you deliberately chose

not to make a move, deciding to forego the early initial negotiations. All to put

yourself in a more advantageous position, to give yourself more bargaining

power."

As the deadline loomed closer and closer, the more impatient the secondyear students would become. Even students who normally wouldn't be worth

paying for would come to be valuable.

"If you get what I'm doin' here, then how about you try explainin' to me the

advantage of throwin' Horikita a bone? What's in it for me?" said Housen.

"That would be a relationship built on trust," said Nanase.

She looked over at Horikita, who nodded back to her in response.

"Come on, don't make me laugh. A relationship built on trust? That's useless

bullshit. Just flowery words."

"Are you really sure about that?" Nanase directly rebutted Housen's response

to the idea of a relationship built on trust. "It's certainly true that we may not

need to make many concessions ourselves in this special exam. However, we

cannot be sure the same will hold true in the future. If you make all the secondyear students your enemies, Housen-kun, you may end up in the unfortunate

situation of not being able to find a partner yourself, no matter how many

points you have. And while you might be fine if the only penalty was points,

what do you think would happen if the person you were partnered up with

intentionally scored poorly? Expulsion would be unavoidable."

"Hah. You seriously think there's somebody out there who'd go that far to

take me out?" said Housen.

"You know, I've heard this school apparently has something called Protection

Points," said Nanase.

She looked away from Horikita and shifted her gaze towards Housen for the

first time that evening. She'd brought up the very thing that I had mentioned to

her back in the library during our conversation on Friday. Although Horikita was

a little surprised, she quickly grasped what was going on, and nodded.

"Yes, that's right. They're a unique kind of point that can cancel out an

expulsion, just one time," she said.

Judging from the look on Housen's face, there was no doubt this was the first

time he'd heard of it.

"It's no wonder you don't know about them, since you only just enrolled.

Which is why you should really make a point of remembering them. When a

test similar to this comes up in the future, if the person you're partnered with

happens to have a Protection Point, then… Well, depending on how things play

out, you could most definitely, unavoidably, be expelled," said Horikita.

The more enemies you made, the more likely that scenario would become.

And the more someone hated Housen, the more forceful they would become in

their attempts to get Housen expelled.

"Which is precisely why I think we need to work on building a relationship

based on trust, starting now," said Nanase.

"I see. Looks like you came prepared to try and boss me around with this

stupid bullshit, huh?" said Housen.

"I am a first-year student. So naturally, my top priority is Class 1-D. And

because I recognize that you are a necessary component of our class, Housenkun, I don't want to see you make the error of looking only at the short term,"

said Nanase.

Horikita had made sure she had the measure of Housen before she set her

sights on Nanase. Then, after getting Nanase to cooperate with her in splendid

fashion, they delivered a blow to Housen. We'd been in a tough situation, but

things were starting to turn around for us.

All that remained was to see how Housen would respond, now that he

understood. Namely, to see if he'd still try to wring some compensation out of

us, resolved to face whatever consequences it might spell for him later.

"Sounds like you really racked your brains on this one, whoo boy. But, sorry to

say… I still ain't planning on any kind of equal partnership," said Housen.

Nanase and Horikita had laid out our argument to get him to say yes. But

Housen shook his head and declined without even pretending to give it any

thought.

"Hey, Housen! Dude, are you seriously ready to just go ahead and make

enemies out of all us—"

Sudou was just about to lash out, but Horikita held out her arm, stopping him.

"He hasn't left the negotiating table yet," she said.

"Yeah, she's right. Don't go jumpin' to conclusions now," said Housen,

replying to Sudou. He remained planted firmly in his seat, cocksure and

bullheaded as ever, making no pretense of leaving.

"But what do you intend to do, then? We aren't going to change our stance.

We're asking for an equal partnership," said Horikita.

"Yeah, I've seen enough to know that. I'll give you credit, you got guts, lady."

Housen clapped his hands five times, apparently in a show of admiration of

Horikita's tireless efforts. "But that bein' said, this whole equal footing thing… I

can't really believe it's all that equal."

"So if we can offer you proof that it is, you'll work with us?" said Horikita.

"Well, somethin' like that, maybe," said Housen.

"I'm afraid that doesn't quite add up. We would both be operating under the

same conditions. What reason do you have to feel that it wouldn't be equal?"

said Horikita.

"You're sayin' all this stuff about a relationship built on trust, but trust goes

both ways, don't it? That don't mean I should just be grateful and take

whatever you're dishin' out. The fact that you're suggestin' that our class could

be in a similar situation next year? That we could be in trouble? Yeah, that's

somethin' I should be so grateful for, honey. I'm tearin' up over here. But that's

just a self-serving prediction for your benefit. It ain't an absolute certainty of

somethin' to come in the future," said Housen.

Housen certainly had a point. Horikita's proposal was built on the

fundamental premise that we would be supporting one another. However, our

class was the one that was looking for help right now. The idea was that in

exchange for their help, when the time came that they needed something, we'd

help them out. In that sense, it was like an insurance policy, so to speak. And

there was a good chance they'd never actually have to use it.

"I suppose. Well, if you're going to go that route, why don't you tell me what

you'd like, then? Just for reference," said Horikita.

"Hand over a million Private Points to me as collateral. Then, if we ever are in

trouble and come to you guys for help, I'll gladly pay you back in full," said

Housen.

That was actually a fairly reasonable sum, considering the number of points

we'd spend dealing with other classes. However, if his class never actually used

the insurance policy, that meant we'd basically be handing over a million points

for nothing. In short, that meant all those points would end up in Housen's

pocket.

"I mean, if this whole relationship built on trust or whatever is going to be so

important in the future, like you say it is, then that ain't too steep a price, no?"

said Housen.

But if his class really did come seeking our help sometime, we'd get the

million points back.

"If ya need, I can put it in writing. How 'bout it?" said Housen.

If we put the agreement in writing, the legitimacy of the deal would be

recognized by the school, who could enforce it. But this was all built on the

premise that Housen would come looking for our help eventually. It was

possible Housen might invoke the agreement if he were in danger of being

expelled himself, but I doubted he'd give up those points to help out his

classmates. Which made this more dangerous than handing over points and

signing contracts on an individual basis.

Housen had hit us with a good counter. Apparently, simply being good in a

fight wasn't the only thing he could boast about. He was a skilled negotiator, a

formidable foe who could be quite conniving, just like Ryuuen.

"It's true that what you're saying isn't entirely unreasonable. However, I

cannot accept your terms," said Horikita.

"I see, I see. Well, that's too bad. Here I gave you a nice, easy way for us to

resolve all these issues, and you go back to playing hardball," said Housen.

"It seems that way."

Apparently, Horikita had no intention of giving in and agreeing to a

cooperative relationship if that meant letting Housen reap all the rewards

himself. But that meant that we'd end up having partners decided at random,

which, in turn, meant we'd have to do our best to mitigate risk by getting our

poorer students partnered with the other classes, even if that meant throwing

money at the problem.

Housen let out a short laugh.

"Ha!"

He leaned forward on the sofa, moving from his seated position for the first

time since he sat down. Then, he reached his large arm out and grabbed

Horikita by the collar of her shirt. The first to react to this was Sudou, who had

been standing watch right beside Horikita. He grabbed Housen's thick arm

forcefully and give him an intense glare.

"Hey… Don't you think about layin' a hand on a girl," snarled Sudou.

"Oh ho. What, now it's the idiot's turn, huh?" said Housen.

"Calm down, Sudou-kun," said Horikita.

"But…!"

"It's all right. The negotiations aren't over yet."

It might have appeared like negotiations had broken down, but it was also

true that the words "I'm done negotiating" hadn't actually passed Housen's lips

yet.

"Man, you got a confident look in your eye. Do you seriously think I won't

raise a hand against a chick? Or do you think that you can beat me, by using

your social standin' as a woman or somethin'?" said Housen.

"To think that someone would actually talk that way in this day and age, my

goodness. Why don't you try to rein in that misogyny a little?" said Horikita.

"Well then, how's about I give you a better option. If you can really work me

over in a fight and get me to say uncle, I'll agree to your offer for an equal

partnership, no strings attached. Whaddya say?" replied Housen, making a

rather ridiculous proposal.

"'Kay, then. In that case, I'll step up and fight you. You ain't got a problem

with that, do ya?" said Sudou.

"Hell, sure, Sudou can fight me. Even that weirdo Ayanokouji over there,

lookin' at me with this blank face and all—he can, too. Or even you, Horikita. I'd

welcome fightin' you with open arms," said Housen. "Actually, if you want, I'll

take on all three of ya at once."

"Sounds good to me, Horikita. If I win, we'll get that contract made… And

besides, I'm already sick to my stomach dealin' with this guy." Sudou was

clearly reaching the limit of his patience with Housen, who still had his hands on

Horikita's collar and hadn't let her go.

"Determining whether or not we enter into a cooperative relationship based

on a fight? That's completely absurd. Even if that was the only bargaining chip

we had in this negotiation, we still shouldn't take it," said Horikita.

"Why not though? I mean, if this Housen guy says he's fine with it, then there

ain't no problem," said Sudou.

Horikita ignored Sudou, and then quietly spoke her mind, telling us her

thoughts on the matter.

"I really thought you'd be a little smarter than this, Housen-kun. That time

you first showed your face on our floor, I picked up your intentions from what

you said. You said you were willing to join forces with our class, and I agreed

with that sentiment. I thought it would be wonderful if we could work together,

forming a partnership, class to class," said Horikita.

"Well, yeah, guess I might have said somethin' like that," he replied.

"But… That was just a misunderstanding on my part. You weren't actually

thinking anything of the sort at all," said Horikita. She briefly closed her eyes

and let out a deep breath, before continuing, "These negotiations are over."

It wasn't Housen who signaled the end of these talks, but rather Horikita

herself. Up until this point, Housen had seemed to be enjoying himself quite a

bit, but the moment Horikita said we were finished, anger flashed across his

face. He let go of his grip on Horikita's collar. Seeing that, Sudou went to sit

back down, holding in his anger.

And in that next moment…

Splash! Water flew across the room. Housen had picked up a cup in his large

hand and splashed its contents right in Horikita's face.

Horikita could never have predicted this happening. Before she could even

utter a single word, Sudou lunged at Housen, almost jumping over the table.

"Son of a bitch!" snarled Sudou.

He'd already been pushed to his limits, desperately trying to keep his feelings

in check. But when Horikita got splashed with water, that completely overrode

any rationality he possessed. It seemed Housen was going to carry on behaving

the way he always did, making fun of other people right to the very end. No one

could blame Sudou for getting angry after seeing the girl he liked be humiliated.

"Stop!"

It was none other than Horikita who stopped Sudou in his tracks, the instant

after he bellowed loudly with rage. If she had been even a single second later,

Sudou's fist would have collided with Housen's cheek.

"Sudou-kun… Don't thoughtlessly play into his hands," said Horikita.

"Yeah, I know, but still!" he shouted.

Horikita looked at Housen, not even bothering to dry her wet hair. "If you're

upset about the fact that negotiations have broken down, then perhaps you

should have conducted yourself a little better."

She'd wanted to establish a cooperative relationship with Housen, no matter

the cost, for the sake of our class. Had she determined pressing the matter any

further was ultimately not worth it, then?

Housen kept his eyes locked on Horikita, but she looked away, as if to say that

she had seen enough.

"Let's go," she said.

"A-are you sure?" Though clearly frustrated, Sudou asked to make sure.

"Are you really okay with this, Housen-kun?" asked Nanase, checking with

Housen at almost the exact same time that Sudou asked his question.

"Huh?" replied Housen.

"I think we should have agreed to work with Horikita-senpai," said Nanase.

"Ha! Hey, they're the ones who walked away from the negotiatin' table. I ain't

gonna meet them halfway," said Housen.

Housen and Nanase didn't protest Horikita bringing the negotiations to a

close, but accepted that we would be going our separate ways.

I shot a sidelong glance at Horikita to see how she was doing. The fact that

our negotiations had failed was a great setback, but from what I could tell of

Horikita's expression from her side profile, she didn't seem disappointed yet. If

anything, she looked like she wasn't done. Like we were still in the middle of

negotiations.

7.2

THE THREE OF US left the karaoke place after Horikita took care of the bill. It

seemed that would be the end of it, but Housen and Nanase followed us. Sudou

turned back to glare at them menacingly from time to time, but since we had to

take the same route back to the dorms, it wasn't like we could really complain

about it.

Perhaps because he understood the situation now, Housen called out to us in

a somewhat odd fashion. "Hang on."

"There's no reason for us to wait. We're already finished talking."

Horikita gave him the cold shoulder. But Housen showed no sign of backing

down. Apparently, Horikita's all-or-nothing gamble had turned out to be a good

move.

"Okay, it's just like you said, Horikita. That day, I went out to meet your class.

'Cause I knew right away that at this school, Class D is the bottom of the barrel,

the lowest of the low. And rather than let the other classes treat us like a joke,

the quickest way to deal with 'em would be for us to work together, Class D to

Class D," said Housen.

He'd sent us a signal back then, just as Horikita had interpreted. However,

whether he wanted to form the same kind of equal, cooperative partnership

that was thinking of was an entirely different question.

"So?" said Horikita.

"So? Whaddya mean, so? Come on. What, you really okay with just lettin'

negotiations fall apart? You and I are alike, y'know. We're leaders who thought

up the same kinda thing. You get me?" said Housen.

"As you intend to keep making ridiculous demands, nothing is going to

change," said Horikita.

"So, you're plannin' on goin' into this special exam as is, then? Leave things as

they are, get partnered up at random, and get hit with the penalty?"

"That's right. We are prepared to be penalized, if necessary," said Horikita.

It would be painful, for sure, but it wasn't like this test was insurmountable.

Thanks to the efforts of Kushida and some other people, we'd already started to

secure the safety of the students in our class who were near E-rank and D-rank

in academic ability.

"All right, I gotcha. In that case, how about this idea?"

Though Horikita had said nothing about restarting negotiations, House just

carried on by himself.

"I'll order everybody in my class to team up with ya. And you'll hand over your

points. Two million," said Housen.

That was far from a compromise. He'd reopened negotiations in aggressive

fashion, demanding an even higher number of points than before.

"Two million? Well, I suppose you've shown your true colors now," said

Horikita.

"Yeah, yeah, you can say whatever you want. But it's the only way you guys

can be sure to avoid gettin' expelled. Most of the people in other classes have

already settled on their partners and all. Come on, there ain't nothin' for you to

gain by being a tightwad who won't pay up. Or maybe you wanna be crushed by

yours truly?" said Housen.

At this point, we had arrived at the junction where the path branched off in

two separate directions for the first-year and second-year dormitories.

Horikita stopped and turned around to respond to Housen's question.

"Crushed? And how exactly do you plan to do that? You can't intentionally

score poorly on the test because of the rules, so you can't get us expelled that

way. Rules that you must follow, by the way. You don't exactly have the

courage to break those rules, do you? In that case, all we have to do is make

sure teams get at least five hundred and one points, no matter the combination

of students," said Horikita.

"Yeah, I ain't gonna do it in such a roundabout way. I'll crush you with this,"

said Housen, brandishing his fist with a menacing smile.

"Control through violence… I suppose there really are people everywhere

who think like you do," said Horikita.

"I don't care if you don't like it. This is how I do things," said Housen.

"I suppose so. In that case, it seems we may never be able to understand each

other."

Horikita started walking once more. Even at the very end—at the last possible

minute—she wasn't giving in. Or rather, I supposed I should say, Housen was

the kind of opponent she couldn't give in to. Because if she did, we'd never get

the partnership she wanted.

"Hold it."

"What is it now?" asked Horikita.

"I got it. I'll keep what you just said in mind." At the last minute, Housen said

something we hadn't expected.

"What are you talking about?" asked Horikita.

"I mean, it's only natural that you'll try holdin' onto the advantage in a

negotiation as long as you possibly can, right?" He was basically admitting that

he'd been trying to get Horikita to give in and compromise.

"In that case, are you saying that you're agreeing to a completely equal

partnership?" said Horikita.

"Think of it more like our little chat's about to go into overtime. Anyway,

there's a chance people might spot us talkin' here. Let's have ourselves a

change of venue," said Housen.

It was almost ten at night on a Sunday now. Most students should have gone

back to their dorm rooms, but even so, I supposed there was no escaping the

fact that if someone did happen to come by, they'd be able to hear our

conversation.

"Even so, we can't exactly take this inside the dorms," replied Horikita.

In consideration of curfew, there were probably no suitable meeting places

left for us tonight. But with time running out for both groups right now, this was

a problem we didn't want to put off any longer.

"Anywhere's fine. Back at the dorms, anywhere, wherever. If we just have a

little time, we can talk things out," said Housen.

He looked so completely confident that Horikita wasn't going to turn him

down. She'd been hoping he would come chasing after her, even though she

gave him the cold shoulder earlier.

"…Very well. You have ten minutes," said Horikita.

"C'mon, over here," said Housen.

He led us over to the dormitory building used by the third-year students last

year, which was now being used by the first-years. We went around to the back

of the building, a remarkably dark and quiet place that was used for no other

purpose other than disposing of trash. It was unlikely anyone would see us

here.

"All right, let's continue where we left off, then. The terms we've set haven't

changed. Is that clear?" said Horikita.

"Yeah, let's see…"

Housen, after appearing lost in thought for a minute, briefly folded his arms.

Then he immediately uncrossed them and held up the index, middle, and ring

fingers on his right hand.

"Three million. You guys pay me, and I'll save all those friggin' idiots you got

right now," said Housen.

After hearing his suggestion, everyone present, myself included, could only

respond with stunned silence.

"What are you talking about?" said Horikita.

Was this what it was like to feel completely exasperated? Even Horikita

couldn't help but let out a couple of sighs. We were supposed to be getting the

negotiations back on track after they broke down earlier. But now Housen was

asking for even more points than before. This defied all logic.

"What, don't you get it? I said I'll work with ya for three million," said Housen.

"Dude, stop screwin' with us. We already told ya before that we ain't handin'

over a single point!" shouted Sudou.

"I ain't screwin' with anybody. I mean, I gave you another opportunity to

negotiate with me, didn't I?" He spoke as though he were the one who'd set up

everything about these negotiations.

"It would appear…I made an error in judgment in deciding to listen to you,"

said Horikita.

The chance that Housen would make a reasonable decision had been a faint

ray of hope for Horikita. But in the end, her wish wasn't granted.

"Wait. You really think ya can just leave?" snarled Housen.

He smacked his fist lightly against the wall, putting on a threatening display.

"What? You think that because we're in a secluded location, you can solve

things with violence? Your usual go-to?" said Horikita.

"At the very least, I can beat you half to death. How 'bout that?" said Housen.

"Go ahead, do whatever you please," said Horikita.

She shook her head and moved to leave, probably because she didn't think

Housen would actually resort to getting physical. But Nanase, who had been

standing next to him, turned her face away slightly, almost as if she anticipated

what was about to happen next.

Housen moved.

"Suzune!" shouted Sudou frantically, rushing over to Horikita and pulling her

out of the way.

Housen's foot whipped by the very spot Horikita had been standing in just

moments ago. And then, suddenly, his gigantic form barreled down on her.

"Wait, wha—!"

Horikita realized Housen was seriously trying to hurt her, but she still couldn't

get her body out of the way. Sudou stepped in to protect her, catching Housen's

repeated blows.

"Grh!"

"Ha ha! C'mon, show me how much you can take!" shouted Housen.

"Fine by me! Bring it, chump! Any jerk who raises a hand against Suzune will

get no mercy from me!" shouted Sudou.

Housen, laughing like he was having the time of his life, launched an attack on

Sudou. And Sudou, already well past the limits of his patience, responded in

kind.

"Wh-what are you thinking…?!" shouted Horikita.

It wasn't surprising she was so upset about the fight that had just suddenly

broken out in earnest. No matter how unmonitored this place might be, it

would definitely be a problem if we were found. Forget suspension—we could

very well be expelled.

"Horikita-senpai, perhaps the circumstances at this school have changed a

little from how they were before?" said Nanase, watching this

incomprehensible turn of events with a cold look on her face. "Similar to how

you are intimately familiar with how things were last year, we new students

understand the current situation better than you do."

"What do you mean…?" asked Horikita.

"A few representatives of the first-years were summoned to the student

council room by Student Council President Nagumo, who explained the state of

things to us in person. He told us that starting this year, this school was going to

be more meritocratic. And therefore, the students would be given a greater

degree of freedom," said Nanase.

"Are you saying fighting is one of those freedoms?" said Horikita.

"That's not what I'm saying. However, as far as Housen-kun was able to

confirm, a certain amount of fighting between students is considered inevitable.

And President Nagumo has promised he won't be as harsh in his judgment as

he was last year," said Nanase.

Unlike Horikita's older brother, Manabu, Nagumo had a much more

permissive mindset when it came to fighting. The student council acted to

mediate disputes between students, so if it was true they intended to allow a

certain degree of fighting, this incident was much less likely to cause trouble.

While Horikita and Nanase talked, the match between Housen and Sudou was

quickly coming to a head, with the victor starting to become clear.

"Orah!"

Even though Sudou had been blessed with an impressive physique, Housen

managed to shove him against the wall with more force than Sudou could

muster. He then grabbed Sudou by the collar with both hands, raising him high

enough into the air that Sudou's legs no longer touched the ground.

"H-hey!"

Even though he was on the ropes, Sudou tried desperately to fight back. But

suspended in the air, all he could do was defend himself, not attack. Housen

was exerting so much pressure on him, it was almost like he was trying to force

him physically into the wall.

"Ngh! Y-you ass!" shouted Sudou.

He grabbed both of Housen's arms, and despite being held in place with a

limited range of movement, struck Housen with his knee. Housen staggered

slightly, and Sudou managed to break free of his grip. But immediately

afterward, Housen hit him with a repeated series of kicks. While Sudou didn't

flinch, the force of the blows slammed him back into the wall.

Before the fight broke out, they'd seemed a match for one another. But now

that they'd really gotten going, the difference was considerable. Sudou made

enemies rather easily and had probably been in quite a few fights himself.

Thanks to his athleticism and his physique, which had been honed through

playing basketball, almost no one had been a match for him in his life.

However, Housen was in a different league. He'd probably been in many,

many more fights than Sudou. A countless number of them, in fact. And he'd

probably survived some extremely violent, dangerous situations. The difference

in their experience was obvious.

Additionally, his arms were so strong and thick that it was hard to believe he

and Sudou were only a year apart. And yet, despite his size, his movements

were quick and nimble, demonstrating a kind of innate agility.

There was a reason that even Ryuuen, of all people, had stopped himself from

fighting Housen. Namely, he knew that Housen wasn't the kind of opponent

you could beat in a straight hand-to-hand fight.

Even so, Sudou wouldn't go down so easily. He was one of the strongest

students in the entire school—head and shoulders above most of the rest. But

that only meant he would end up taking Housen's blows for a much, much

longer time.

Housen continued to whale on him, barraging him with blows from left and

right. Much as Sudou wanted to break through and find an opening, the best he

could do was simply take Housen's furious punches. If he tried to counter in any

way, his guard would be broken in an instant, and Housen would put him down.

"No one stands to gain from this!" shouted Horikita.

Her words didn't reach Housen. At this point, it was impossible to stop

Housen with words alone.

However, they did reach Sudou's ears. Though for only a brief instant, Sudou

glanced at Horikita. Hearing the voice of the girl he had to protect somehow lit

a great fire within him.

"Oraaaah!"

Sudou tackled Housen with the determination of someone ready to put his

life on the line, pushing him away from the wall and trying to force him to the

ground.

"Oh ho, you wanna do a test of pure strength, huh?" said Housen.

He caught Sudou's large frame, smiling, latched onto him and lifted him into

the air again.

"Wh-whoa?!"

Housen flipped Sudou around so he was now up against the wall. He pushed

him away, and then taunted him, beckoning him to come over with his left

hand.

"Oh, poor baby, was it hard being all cramped up against the wall? Hey, that's

just the right kinda handicap for me, though. Bring it."

"I've had enough of you!" howled Sudou, his engines now running at full

throttle.

He was about to launch another all-out attack against Housen, when—

"Hey, Sudou, check out Horikita over there. Man, she's glarin' at you

something fierce, dude, she's pissed. Dontcha think?" said Housen, unclenching

his fists and pointing a finger at Horikita, behind Sudou.

In the middle of their fight, Housen had done something that left him

completely defenseless. Sudou realized he had completely lost his temper and

gotten himself into a full-on brawl. In a panic, he looked away from the

powerful foe in front of him and back at Horikita.

Of course, Horikita wasn't thrilled about Sudou getting in a fight. But she

wasn't glaring at him, either. Her expression was one of worry, agonizing over

what she should do, unable to do anything but shout at them to stop.

The moment that Sudou turned to look back at Horikita, he was distracted. He

left himself open. By the time he realized what had happened, it was already

too late. Housen, a wicked grin on his face, landed a furious blow on Sudou's

cheek while Sudou was still looking the other way. A hard blow that took him

completely by surprise.

Even though Sudou was most certainly a strong fighter who could take a lot of

punishment, the smack he'd just taken was probably the most painful thing

he'd ever experienced. If he'd been an ordinary student with an ordinary neck,

it might have been more than just painful—it could've seriously hurt him.

Sudou's large body was sent flying backward. He skidded along the ground,

unable to catch himself.

"Nghh…?!"

He let out an almost inaudible groan, all but passing out in agony from the

pain. Housen, who had controlled the whole fight so far without using any dirty

tricks, had deliberately lured Sudou into a simple trap. To hurt him not just

physically but mentally as well.

Although Sudou didn't seem to have lost consciousness, he was writhing in

agony on the ground. I found myself wondering again what kind of person

Housen Kazuomi was. I wondered what Housen was thinking about, what was

going through his mind, what had brought him to the negotiating table today.

It was true—just as Horikita had said before—that it had sounded like he

wanted something from our class back when we first met. And as Housen

himself had admitted earlier, he'd thought it would be useful to team up with

another Class D. Until this point, he had just been using his superior position as

a bargaining chip in our talks, and there wasn't anything particularly wrong with

that. However, once he saw how hard a line Horikita was taking, he realized

that trying to keep pressuring us was going to be difficult.

He realized that if he continued to be this pushy in our negotiations, Horikita

would just give up on the idea of working together. But even so, instead of

trying to compromise and meet us halfway, he just grew even more aggressive,

violent and belligerent. He threw water in a woman's face and was still seriously

attacking Sudou, right now.

How could he be so violent and aggressive when he risked being suspended

or expelled? That was what I'd been thinking about all this time. Did Housen

really think he could turn the tides in his favor by sheer force? No, I couldn't

imagine someone like him would be that foolish. In that case, what was he

looking for? What exactly was Housen hoping to gain from this fight?

"Well, all right, all right. Your faithful bodyguard is eating dirt. Who's next?"

said Housen.

He drew closer, taking turns looking at Horikita and me. Even though he had

just finished fighting with Sudou, he didn't even seem out of breath.

"Do you think we… Do you think we will submit to your acts of violence?"

asked Horikita.

"I'll just keep pounding you into the ground. Maybe even make you sign a

binding pledge or two while you're cryin' your eyes out. And if you refuse to do

any of that, then I'll just keep comin' after you relentlessly, till I drive you to

your death," said Housen.

No matter how tolerant they claimed the student council intended to be of

fighting, there would be consequences if this went too far. Besides, if Housen

forced Horikita to sign something under these circumstances, there was no way

it could actually hold up as legitimate. Horikita could pretend to obey his

command and play along to defuse the situation, but I didn't think she would do

that. Because she simply couldn't give in to Housen's way of doing things.

"…Very well. I'll stop you," said Horikita.

She steeled herself and took up a fighting stance.

"Hoo boy, now ain't this somethin'. Well, now, if you wanna do this, then I'm

more than happy to take you on," said Housen.

Housen probably wasn't expecting Horikita to have any kind of martial arts

experience. However, he wasn't the kind of opponent who'd fall for cheap

tricks. That was something Horikita still didn't understand.

Suddenly, without warning, Housen thrust out his large arm. Horikita nimbly

dodged and launched an attack of her own, aiming straight for Housen's chin.

She was hoping to settle things with one sudden, decisive knockout right out of

the gate.

"Oh ho?"

However, Housen caught hold of Horikita's delicate fist with almost alarming

ease.

"Hey, now, that was a pretty good move, lady. But too bad."

He took a wide swing, repeatedly slapping Horikita across the face. Horikita

tried to defend herself or dodge the attacks, of course, but in the face of

Housen's overwhelming speed, there was nothing she could do but take the

hits. She was sent flying backward, almost as if she'd been punched with a

closed fist instead, and tumbled along the ground but then caught herself.

"S-Suzune!" shouted Sudou, gritting his teeth, trying to stand back up. But his

legs just wouldn't cooperate, and he couldn't do it.

"Hey, Horikita. Sign the contract," Housen threatened Horikita, who had

collapsed on the ground and was looking up at him while struggling through the

pain. "Five million. Five million, and everything will be all right. Okay?"

The price had skyrocketed. It had jumped so high as to be impossible to pay.

"Y-you must be joking… Ayanokouji-kun, call… call the teachers…" said

Horikita.

At this point, adult intervention was probably the only way this situation

could be contained. Alternatively, if a crowd gathered, even Housen would have

no choice but to stop.

"Pft, so after figurin' out you're no match for me, you go and say that…? Well,

whatever. You sure you wanna go that route? Even if not all of you tried to take

me on, fact is, some of you threw punches back, didn't you? What about that?

You sure you wanna get suspended right alongside me?" said Housen.

Even if we appealed to the school and tried to make the case that we were

justified in fighting back, it was inevitable we'd also come under fire.

Nevertheless, if we wanted to avoid any further tragedy, we really should get a

third party to intervene.

"You asshole!" shouted Sudou.

"Stay down!"

Sudou had managed to get back up and launched himself at Housen once

again. But Housen took him down with a merciless kick, and then he finally set

his sights on me.

"How long are you just gonna stand there and watch, huh?" he said.

"R-run… Ayanokouji…kun…"

"Run? Yeah, don't do that. If you run away, Horikita and Sudou's injuries are

about to get way, way worse," said Housen.

Even now, I kept thinking. What did Housen want to do here exactly? Was he

really going to try using violence to advance a demand that was never going to

be met? No. That was just illogical.

"Horikita. I'll give ya one last chance."

"…Last?"

"Submit to me right here and now, and fork over your points. Do that, and…I

won't kill Ayanokouji."

As Housen said that, he put his hand into his pocket and took something out.

For a moment, I couldn't tell what it was because of the cover of darkness. But

when he removed what was covering it and revealed the pointed edge, I saw

something shining silver.