All or Nothing
By : rainy26541
...
V1 Chapter 3
Chapter 3: Suspicions and Dates?
Intro
The next day arrived quickly and the students of Class B frolicked their way into the classrooms, ready to begin their first lesson of the day. Although they all weren't eager, the students showed an intention to study and listen during classes. They looked confident and ready to begin the day.
...At least that was the plan.
As soon as Chabashira entered the classroom, every student turned towards her only to see an expression not as familiar to them as her previous cold nature or her recent smiling attorney. Instead, plastered on her face was an expression that showed unease, or even fear.
This unease transferred to the students as only one reason came to their mind for their uneasy teacher - a new special exam. Despite this, however, a few students felt that a special exam wasn't the exact reason. This was likely due to the schedule for the next couple of weeks. Coming up in a few weeks was the sports festival which, if following how it was handled last year, was likely going to be close to a special exam. And then, after that, the cultural festival which they had already been planning and prepping for.
They were soon in for a surprise.
"Good morning, everyone. I have an announcement to make before we begin registration. Before the sports festival in October, you will have to undergo a new special exam," Chabashira started, destroying some of the students' confidence and making them upset.
Around this time in their previous year, everybody was preparing for the sports festival. No special exams were in the way of this. They focused all their attention setting up a training regime and partaking in such. But it appeared that this year was different. The sports festival was announced nearly 3 weeks ago, and yet they haven't begun planning a training regime, nor have they heard the little "twist" for the sports festival.
"Huh!? I just got through the gruelling deserted island exam and now I've got to take another special exam...!?"
Understandably, and something that appeared to become the norm, Ike projected his frustration way before anyone else could respond to Chabashira's announcement. His girlfriend, Shinohara Satsuki, had barely overcome the fear of being expelled in the uninhabited island thanks to following a plan laid by Kiyotaka. They were able to begin their relationship due to that.
However, even though they just started their relationship, another special exam was around the corner, one which likely involved expulsions either sudden or normal. Their chance at diving deeper into their newfound relationship was now at risk due to this upcoming special exam.
It wasn't just Ike and Shinohara who were at risk though. Students who held low overall OAA performances were undoubtedly at particular risk of expulsion in this upcoming special exam.
"What the hell guys!? We'll just have to get through a few extra exams before we get to the sports festival."
Sudou, who had absolute confidence in his athleticism, pumped his fist. He seemed to not enjoy the uneasy atmosphere and tried to fire the students up.
"Please don't get carried away, Sudou-kun."
"Oh..."
Immediately, Sudou was shut down by Horikita's warning. He became a little sullen, and fell silent.
"In the last few years of this school, there have been few cases of special exams at this time of year. In fact, to be brutally honest with you all, there is no special exam for the first-year or third-year students."
"Does that mean that only us second years will have to face a special exam before the sports festival?" Satou asked, leaning back in her chair. Chabashira nodded without objection.
"The school is giving you the recognition you deserve. You second years have performed very well."
"Isn't that a bit strange? You're giving us a special exam because you've evaluated us positively?"
"It's true that special exams come with risks that you need to be wary of. Some students may lose class points, private points, or even be expelled. However, on the other hand, they also provide you many opportunities to live a more fulfilling school life. The more special exams you undergo, the more chances you have of being promoted to Class A, which we believe is the most important thing."
The students were in the right to be a little suspicious. In the recent uninhabited island exam, and in the recent Talent Show, two second year classes (three if you factor in the uninhabited island special exam which allowed cross class teams) had come out on top. It appeared that the school was paying close attention to that and providing more special exam experiences for the second year students. Whether that was a good thing or not, the students weren't exactly sure.
However, such a feat actually provided the second year classes, particularly those below Class A with an opportunity to ascend higher. When no special exams were being held, class points would not rise. In fact, depending on student and class behaviour, it was possible for them to be lowered. Class B knew that all too well.
But there was one student who wasn't paying as much attention to that as the rest of the class. Kiyotaka, who had been silently listening to the announcement and his classmates' whisperings, narrowed his eyes as he watched Chabashira and listened to discussion.
He had been paying particular attention to Chabashira's body language, as well as her expressions. She had entered the room looking uneasy and scared, something which he hadn't seen since a particular day on a cruise ship not too long ago. And to add another fact, just yesterday Chabashira had requested to speak with him when she was ready.
[Could all these be linked? Chabashira's sadness, hesitation and fearfulness back on the cruise ship, her seriousness just yesterday, and now her unease... Does it have to do with this new special exam?] He thought as he silently continued listening with his suspicions growing.
"Happiness and sadness are two sides of the same coin. So the risk is the benefit, right?"
Horikita, who listened from beside Chabashira-sensei at the front of the classroom, calmly accepted the situation.
"Yes. You are right, Horikita. That's how it is."
"There's nothing to be afraid of. We're definitely closing in on Class A now. We've managed to escape from the three-way battle and attain Class B status. If we keep going, we can definitely reach Class A."
"That's true... And I guess complaining isn't going to stop the special exams."
The more opportunities there were, the better. That was what it meant to rise above the rest of the masses, both in ANHS and in the outside world. Horikita's words were met with approval by Satou and the rest of the class.
As one of the two main leaders of the class, Horikita had been growing her pillar of support, which had left a positive impact on her classmates. Probably realising this fact, Chabashira wore a happy smile that only Kiyotaka noticed since she hadn't actually projected it on her face. He could only tell because the air around her slightly changed.
But that air immediately changed back to its uneasy nature, her serious expression adorning her mature yet cute face. She turned on the monitor and began her explanation.
"For this special exam, you'll be taking part in what's known as the 'Unanimous Voting Exam'. I will be taking questions from you if you have any concerns at any time, but this special exam is very simple and will be held the day after tomorrow."
"The day after tomorrow? That's quite sudden."
Horikita's concerns were quite minimal. There appeared to be barely any time for preparation, something which most of the students were used to for special exams that take place in the school. They couldn't grab an advantage, but at the same time, they weren't at a disadvantage either since every class shared equal conditions.
"There is no need to spend a lot of time discussing it beforehand. As I said before, this test is simple. And the school sees no problem in doing it the day after tomorrow. If anything, I think you all should consider yourselves lucky because this special exam could have been held tomorrow instead."
Some of the students visibly shivered as they thought of the possibility of doing a special exam literally the day after it was announced. Partaking in one just 2 days after it was announced wasn't all that much better, but they did at least have a little more time to ascertain their confidence, preparation and ability to do well.
"Now, for the exam itself, like I said, it's straightforward if you just consider the name. The exam will consist of a series of multiple-choice questions which you will have to vote on and repeat until you reach a unanimous decision as a class."
The screen changed and showed exactly what Chabashira explained. Repeat the vote in class until it is unanimous. As she said, it sounded very straightforward.
"Will we be competing against another class?"
Seeking a little more clarification, Hirata raised his hand and asked said question.
"No. You will not be competing against students from other classes this time, as this is a special exam that will only be conducted within each class. On the day of the exam, the school will give you five questions to complete. The questions are the same for all classes, so there is no imbalance."
Receiving the answer he wanted, Hirata nodded and lowered his hand. Chabashira looked around the room for a few seconds before deeming it okay to continue as no one else raised their hand to ask a question.
"Let me provide you with a practical example to help you all understand this a little better."
Chabashira messed around with her tablet and after a few seconds, the screen at the front of the classroom changed to show:
Example Vote
You lose 5 class points, but all your classmates gain 10,000 private points. You can vote for or against.
"Eh? What is this? We'll lose 5 class points, but gain 10,000 private points instead... What kind of question is this? Is it a gain? Is it a loss?" Shinohara said aloud, folding her arms trying to calculate the gain and loss in her head.
The content was simple and looked straightforward. All they needed to do now was come to a decision.
"In response to this question, all thirty-nine of you will vote from the options presented in full anonymity. A hundred questions are as good as one answer, so let's give this a go without any discussion. We can ask questions after this taster. You can vote for or against from your tablets."
While the rest of the students began making their choices, Kiyotaka threw his suspicions to the back of his mind for the time being and took the decision a little more seriously, despite it being an example.
One class point equated to 100 private points, which meant that the value of 5 class points equaled 500 private points and 10 class points equaled 10,000. While the 10,000 private points looked far more valuable, class points themselves had great value. In one month, 5 class points are only worth 500 private points, but over the course of a year, just 5 class points become 6,000 private points.
[The option to gain 10,000 is slightly more profitable in terms of private points alone. But if we chose to lose five class points here, and missed out on Class A at the end of the race by that margin, we would have made the worst possible choice here, and would look back on it that way. This isn't a simple choice.] He thought.
Kiyotaka then looked at everyone else to see what they were doing. It appeared that most of them had already voted, probably not thinking about the choice too much. Seeing that, Kiyotaka decided to just wing the choice and choose "for" to see what would happen. This was a taster choice after all.
Results of the first round of voting:
3 in favour
36 opposed.
A few seconds after Kiyotaka made his vote, the results of the vote displayed themselves on the monitor at the front of the classroom. It seemed that almost every student opposed the idea of losing even just 5 class points for 10,000 private points.
"Huh, what? We'd get more for 10,000 private points than we'd get for 5 class points, right? Did I do the math wrong? Why did so many people vote for the other option?" Ike asked the others curiously. It seemed he voted in favour of the proposal compared to the rest.
"It's true that the 10,000 private points are more valuable than the 5 class points. However, class points are essential to achieve Class A. If the difference is only 1,000 points, why bother to reduce your precious class points? In the unlikely event that a difference of five class points makes the difference between winning and losing, you wouldn't be able to stop regretting it."
Horikita, who voted against losing 5 class points to gain 10,000 private points, gave an explanation to her choice.
Many of the Class B students were worried about the "just in case" risk. It was also important to remember that three other classes will be taking on the same challenge. While Class B was already ahead of Class C and Class D by 50-100 points, if they were unanimous in their choice of class points, this class would likely take a step backwards if some of the other choices went against theirs.
"Each of you has your own opinion, but let's hold them off for now. There are 36 votes against this question, which is a huge margin, but it's not unanimous, so we'll have to do this vote again. In the actual exam, there will be a fixed 10-minute interval before the next vote. During this interval, you will be allowed to talk freely, as you are now, and sometimes leave your seats and exchange views. To save time, we will skip this and commence the second voting."
[To pass this question, the votes needed to be unanimous. If not, it becomes invalid, and a 10-minute interval between that vote and the next will be enforced. Depending on how the discussions go and how many of our classmates vote for one option or the other, a great amount of time could be lost.]
Kiyotaka noted that there will probably be a time limit. If the disagreement continued, there would be a possibility that the time would run out and consequences would occur. Keeping this in mind, Kiyotaka decided to vote "for" again just like he had the first time.
It would be smart to just vote "against" the option without even thinking about it since everyone agreed that it was better to just keep class points. But there could be certain aspects that still prevent certain students from voting unanimously like the rest. He needed the rest of his classmates to realise these things. By voting "for" again, Class B would get a better understanding of this special exam.
Result of the second round of voting:
2 in favour
37 opposed.
"Oi! Who's still voting yes after what you just said, Suzune?"
"I'm sorry. One of them is me, Sudou-kun. I tried to avoid being unanimous for the sake of getting us to understand what happens if we continue to do so. It seems that there is someone else who had the same idea as me, but..."
Although she didn't directly say who the person was, Kiyotaka was sure she knew he was the one who voted with her. A few other students, who appeared to be Kei, Hirata, Matsushita and even Sudou himself, also seemed to come to that conclusion.
"Well, the vote for the second round was almost completely against, but there were still two votes in favour. In this situation, there will be a further 10 minute interval before voting resumes. Remember, you must reach a final unanimous vote of 39 in favour or 39 against. Whichever is chosen will not matter. In this case, if the vote is 39 in favour, you will all receive 10,000 private points, but you will lose 5 class points. On the other hand, if 39 votes are cast against the proposal, then nothing will happen as there is no other option available."
Students nodded in understanding, finally wrapping their heads around the whole premise of this Unanimous Vote special exam.
"The vote is not unanimous, but to save even more time we'll move on to the next example."
The screen changed to show a new example.
Example Vote:
1 million private points will be given to one person in the class. (In the event of a unanimous vote in favour, the pupil who will be awarded points will be voted on.) You can vote for or against.
"Just to let you all know, in the real exam, we forbid private conversations before the first vote. You all have to genuinely face the question and vote first anonymously. You can discuss who voted what during the 10 minute interval as we have been earlier."
This made sense. Chabashira had mentioned earlier that everyone was voting with anonymity, so discussion of who was going to vote what in the first round would break that rule. Everyone nodded and quietly voted on this new example vote.
Results of the first round of voting:
39 in favour
0 opposed
An unanimous vote for being in favour of awarding 1 million private points to someone in the class was made. If only one of the 39 students gets private points, there was almost no reason to choose the latter. This was the thought on everyone's minds making this decision. Even if one would be disappointed that they weren't chosen as the one to get them, it would be difficult to achieve unanimity in opposition.
"So we've achieved unanimity. Now, if the question is to select a particular individual, the first step is the same as in the first example: to get a unanimous vote in favour or against. If the vote is unanimously against, the question ends, but if the vote is unanimous in favour, the question will move onto the next step. After an interval, you will be asked to discuss who you would nominate. The tablet will show the names of all your classmates except yourself."
The students switched to their tablets, opened up the school and special exam app. As soon as they did, sure enough all names other than their own were laid out in a list. Kiyotaka noted that they were not in alphabetical order. Rather, they were randomised.
"To ensure anonymity, the position of each student's name on each student's tablet will be changed each time a vote is taken. This includes options such as yes or no, for or against, you get the idea. They will be randomised for everyone to prevent people from spying on the students next to them and guessing which one they voted for from the position of where their finger tapped the screen."
With the students nodding their heads in understanding, Chabashira then raised her own tablet and gestured at everyone.
"Once the discussion is underway, each student can vote at their own pace, simply by tapping on the student they wish to nominate. At the end of the 10 minutes, the student who has received the majority of the votes will be considered as the 'specific student'. Suppose Ike is chosen by a majority of votes-"
"Huh? Me? Yes!"
"...The right to vote will be temporarily removed from Ike, the person in question, and the vote will be casted by the other 38 people. Let's try out that example now."
Example Vote:
Ike Kanji is awarded 1 million private points. You can vote for or against.
The example question that Chabashira gave appeared on both the front screen and the students' tablets, minus Ike's. Said students began their vote and just after 10 seconds, the results revealed themselves.
Results of the 2nd round of voting:
0 in favour
38 opposed
"What? Wait, why hasn't anyone voted in favour of this!? Not even one person!?"
"No ones gonna give you a million private points, dude."
Surprisingly, it was Ike's own closest friend, Sudou, who spoke for everyone in the class. Also surprisingly, although it probably wasn't, what he said was what they all were thinking.
"In the event of a unanimous vote against awarding the points to Ike, it will be passed that 'no points will be awarded to Ike', but that only removes Ike from the list of options and still leaves the one million points up in the air. So, from the remaining 38 students, we will select another student to continue the question. However, if you are unable to reach a unanimous decision on who to award the points to before time runs out, you will fail the exam. Furthermore, note that the one million points will not be awarded to anyone in that situation."
"What? Does that mean my chances of getting them are now zero?"
"Unfortunately for you, yes. You wouldn't have been removed from the list if there had been even one vote in favour, though," Chabashira explained, pausing for a moment before continuing. "We also invite candidates to nominate themselves. If they do so during the interval, they will be accepted as the 'specific student' on a first come, first served basis. Keep in mind that only one candidate can be allowed per voting round."
"So what happens if we don't get a majority of nomination votes for a particular student in 10 minutes, or if there are no candidates? I'm sure those cases could be considered."
"In that case, they will be randomly selected from within the class."
Horikita's question was answered with a simple answer. She gave a nod, looking deep in thought with a frown on her face. She then turned her head to the rest of the class and spoke.
"Let's all keep our heads up. This special exam may turn out to be harder than we thought..."
As she said that, Kiyotaka brought his suspicions back to his mind. He just noted that while explaining Chabashira was trying her best to not look suspicious. She was doing well with the other students, but Kiyotaka still noticed it. Based on that, and based on the explanation and practical experience they had all gotten during this time, Kiyotaka realised that there was likely a good chance that they would be forced to make decisions on stuff that they would never compromise on.
It was especially the case if one considered the consequences of many special exams, which were...
"I think you all get the idea now, but I'll give you one more example just in case. This time, I'll have you do it based on a real-life format to its completion."
Example:
It has been decided to build an additional facility in the Keyaki Mall. Which of the following would you prefer?
Restaurants
General shops
Recreational facilities
Medical facilities
"Now, there may be questions that will affect the school like in this example. In such a case, the unanimous choice is simply the one chosen by the class, but keep in mind that option may not fully be granted by the school even if it's chosen by you all. To give an example, if this class is unanimous on the restaurant option, but the other three classes are unanimous on the recreational option, then the recreational option with three votes will be chosen."
In other words, even if Class B spent some time to unanimously decide on one option that came to improving the school or school related facilities or activities, if the other classes didn't agree, that meant nothing.
To conclude, there were two types of voting questions: those that take immediate effect like ones related to giving private points and those that are presented as a class vote like a petition to build a new facility. Both would need to be carefully discussed and unanimously agreed upon.
Results of the first round of voting:
20 for restaurants.
4 for general shops.
15 for recreational facilities.
0 for medical facilities.
"As this was not an unanimous vote, we would have a 10-minute interval. For time constraints, we'll only have a 2 minute interval. In the actual exam, you can get out of your seats and discuss your options with the rest of your classmates. However, just before the end of the interval, you will be asked to return to your seat and prepare to vote. You will be given a maximum of 60 seconds to vote. If everyone votes quickly, we can move on to announcing the results without waiting for the time limit."
Chabashira stopped explaining, intending to let the 2 minutes pass quietly. However, upon realising something else, she continued speaking again.
"Students who do not complete their vote within 60 seconds will be penalised with an overtime penalty. Any student who allows 90 seconds of overtime in total to elapse before completing the five questions will be expelled."
This rule was to ensure every student voted. If there is a student who refuses to vote, they will be forced to leave the school. Alongside that, if one delayed their vote every time, they would lose valuable time if they didn't finish their vote within 59 seconds, so it was unlikely that any student would bother to do so - including Kouenji.
Soon, two minutes passed without anyone giving any particular instructions, just waiting for the time to pass. The voting appeared on everyone's tablets and everyone took their vote within the 60 second time limit.
Results of the second round of voting:
23 for restaurants
2 for general shops
14 votes for recreational facilities
0 votes for medical facilities
Since there was no discussion over the options, the result remained similar to the first one. Unless the vote was an obvious decision, it is not easy to bring it to unanimity on the first vote. Furthermore, it is not so difficult to get 39 votes for a particular option once the students reach an agreement after a discussion. But that was only if the questions were predictable. There would be some things that would require a considerable and lengthy discussion.
"I won't repeat this again since you get the gist. This concludes the practical example. In order to pass this special exam, you must unanimously complete five questions within five hours. If you fail to do so, you will be penalised heavily. The penalty loss for failure is 300 class points."
"Three hundred?!"
The class erupted in terror. For them, that would be terrible. Of course, it would be terrible for any class, but for a class that managed to raise their status from Class D at the start of the year to Class B, this would be a huge loss for them. Their ticket towards Class A for the rest of the year likely depended on this special exam.
"But if you can finish it in time, you get 50 class points."
The rewards and penalties were unbalanced, but if one considered the difficulty of the special exam, they seemed reasonable. What they needed to get out of this was that this special exam needed to be cleared as soon as possible and as carefully as possible.
"There's no need to panic. We don't have to fight with anyone this time, we just have to be united in our views. We can rerun the vote as many times as time permits, with an interval in between."
Horikita spoke up for the rest in order to waver the concern being portrayed in many of the students. It seemed to have worked as most calmed down just a bit. Seeing that, Chabashira continued explaining, holding and tapping on her own tablet as she spoke.
"I am sending you all a rough outline of this special exam to your tablets. You will see a summary of the rules we just discussed and the process of how it works like we just partook in the practical. Those of you who feel the need to save it may take a screenshot to use as reference."
Overview of the Unanimous Voting exam
Rules explanation:
All classmates have to vote on a set of options in response to a question posed by the school. (There are a total of five questions with a maximum of four options.)
Unless one of the choices is unanimous, the same question will be repeated.
If you run out of time in the middle of a question, it will not be approved at all, regardless of the progress of the question.
Unanimously approved proposals are actually adopted, regardless of whether the class passes or fails the special examination.
Earn 50 class points for completing all questions.
If you do not complete all questions within 5 hours you will lose 300 class points.
Special examination process:
You will be presented with a challenge and you will cast your first vote (within 60 seconds).
If there is unanimous agreement, move on to the next question (1). If it is not unanimous, go to (3).
10-minute interval, during which time students are free to move about and discuss within the classroom.
60 seconds voting time (you can't discuss, only vote.) (Students who do not complete their vote within 60 seconds will receive an overtime penalty.) (If the accumulated penalty exceeds 90 seconds, the student will be expelled.)
If the results are unanimous, proceed to the next question and go to (1). If unanimous agreement is not reached, return to (3).
"We teachers do not know what kind of questions will be asked of you. Some of you may be optimistic, but I would advise you not to be complacent. In addition, it is strictly forbidden to make any agreements with other students that bind them to vote for a particular option in this exam. It is also forbidden to exchange money with other students to bind them to a particular choice. This applies equally to your own class as it does to other classes."
In other words, no contracts were allowed to be made. This was likely a good thing as contracts targeted specifically for this special exam would make it possible to carry out vicious attacks against other classes. For example, if there was a contract that says a person could only vote for option 1, and one person signed such a contract, that could make the exam dysfunctional.
"Thorough monitoring of the rules will be carried out by the school. If it is found that a third party outside the class has been involved and is able to continue to make unilateral choices, there will be no mercy and expulsion for anyone involved. Please be prepared for this. I also assure you that if anyone is approached about any wrongdoing, they should report it immediately to the school and we will do our best to resolve it."
That meant if time ran out in the special exam, the school would undoubtedly carry out an investigation. The mere mention of a contract would probably incur a heavy penalty, so even people like Ryuuen would be unlikely to make any overt moves. Until the end of the special exam, it is advisable to refrain from getting involved with students from other classes.
"In addition, during this special exam, the use of protection points will be temporarily disabled. The reason for this is that it is impossible to have a fair exam if only one student is protected. If the holder of a protection point is expelled in any way, the protection point cannot be used to reverse the expulsion. However, the expulsion can be avoided if the individual or the class as a whole pays 20 million private points."
Unfortunately, there was currently no sum of private points within this class that could do that. Even if the entire class grounded up all the private points at their disposal, the total probably wouldn't even reach 5 million, which was a quarter of the total needed to save someone. This meant that students who were expelled were certain to be expelled.
Furthermore, in any other special exam, temporarily disabling the use of protection points would lead to complaints. However, in this case, the action was likely more reasonable. That didn't, however, exactly mean that complaints would not arise in this case. The only one with a protection point in Class B was Kouenji and he did not seem concerned or even bothered in the slightest.
"Finally, during the special exam, all communication devices such as mobile phones will be collected. This is because of the possibility of interference from external sources. In the unlikely event that you are found to be carrying a concealed device... well you can already assume what would happen. That's everything you need to know. If you have any further questions, you can come talk to me before the day after tomorrow and I'll try to answer them as best I can."
By the time Chabashira finished, the time had reached the beginning of the lesson, so she conducted a quick register and began the history lesson. In the middle of her registration, she gave a slight glance to Kiyotaka, as if giving him a message. He received it and noted that she probably wanted to talk to him at some point today.
He could probably try to confirm his suspicions that way too, as this entire homeroom session had only increased it. But that was for later. He needed to stick around to hear what the entire class thought before doing anything else. After all... this special exam was going to be a large rollercoaster ride to win.
.
.
.
Part 1
Lessons passed by without trouble, but the unanimous special exam was still present in Class B's mind. They had not discussed anything about the exam since Chabashira explained the premise. That was why when it was time for lunch, Hirata immediately left his seat and walked up to the podium, gaining the attention of every Class B student.
"Hey, before we all go for our lunch break, I would like to hear everyones opinion on this special exam. I think doing it now rather than later will be best for everyone. What do you all think?"
"I agree, Hirata-kun."
"Good idea, let's discuss it now."
"Yeah yeah."
"Oh ho ho. I'm the perfect human being. I do not need to be here for your discussion. But I shall humour you all and stay."
Swathes of support for Hirata's suggestion rang throughout the classroom. Surprisingly, even Kouenji agreed to the idea and stayed in his seat.
"Thanks everyone. Now, does anyone have any thoughts they want to share on the special exam?"
The first person to raise her hand to answer was none other than Kushida.
"Um, this special exam means that there are going to be separate opinions on things that could be presented as part of a vote. And that's going to cause trouble, right?"
"Yes, unfortunately. I don't think it would be a special exam if there wouldn't be even a little bit of trouble."
Nodding her head in understanding, Kushida continued with her idea.
"Then I think it would be better to have a clear leader in case there's a situation where our choices don't match each others. I think if we follow the options that the leader eventually decides on, we can pass this special exam without any problems."
If there were more options in one of the voting questions, it was likely that opinions would be more divided than if there were only a "for" and "against". This in turn would cause more debates over why certain people didn't support one option.
What Kushida was proposing was a way to mitigate that risk by having someone politically take charge. Like a communist leader who would force people to choose one option if arguments occurred.
"That is a good idea. I agree with you, Kushida-san. But it's going to be a big responsibility for the leader. Unless someone here is willing to nominate themselves for that position, do you have any idea who that person should be?"
However, while Kushida's idea was a welcoming plan, who the person that was going to take charge was a little difficult to decide on. The position of leader for this special exam would need not only someone who was capable of organising the entire class but someone who was really ready to take such a huge responsibility.
Some of the students, including Hirata, were asking themselves if there really was someone like that.
"Well... If you don't mind, could I suggest it be you... Horikita-san?"
"Me?"
Slightly surprised to hear her name be thrown at the suggestion by Kushida, Horikita raised her eyebrows as she looked at Kushida. The girl under such a gaze only nodded with a smile as she replied.
"Yes. You've been our leader many times in many special exams before. And more importantly, I thought you would be the best person who could bring everyone together so that there would be no unfairness. Of course, it's a big responsibility, as Hirata-kun said, and if Horikita-san says it's okay, then..."
Horikita had taken many leadership roles for the class and almost every time they were under her leadership, things had gone pretty well. From that, the class had been putting their trust in her more times than they could count. It was not a surprise that Kushida had proposed Horikita as the leader for this special exam based on that.
Realising this fact, Horikita gave a thoughtful look before nodding and responding with her answer.
"Yeah... Kushida-san is right. It's possible that other classes will have similar strategies too. I shall take on the role as leader for this special exam then. If you don't feel comfortable following my instructions when the time comes, you can let me know now."
No one objected to the idea. And so, Kushida's proposal was easily accepted and passed through. Horikita would be the leader to make decisions in case of any uncalled for situations.
When that was over, Kouenji immediately left the classroom to go who knew where, prompting other students to begin to head out for lunch. Kiyotaka stood up and was immediately greeted by Kei, the Ayanokouji group and his new set of friends in the new friend group.
"Kiyotaka! Cafe. Lunch. Let's go."
"Kei-chan. Wait. Wait for us. We're all going together."
"Kiyopon. We're all going too. Don't forget us."
Kei, Mori and Haruka raised their intentions as soon as they got close. Whether Kiyotaka wanted to actually go or not, he wasn't given much of a choice as the girls completely surrounded him. Akito and Yukimura, who were watching nearby, simply gave amusing smiles to Kiyotaka as they somehow found enjoyment in seeing Kiyotaka in this situation.
Without much of a word of refusal, the larger group left the classroom and began making their way towards pallet cafe. Upon arrival, they ordered their food and sat down at the same table they had previously sat at when they discussed the maid cafe cultural festival idea.
"Oh man... This special exam sounds easy and difficult at the same time..."
Once they sat down with their meals, Mori started up the conversation with a complaint over the unanimous vote special exam. She garnered support from Shinohara, Satou, Maezono, Matsushita and Kei, who were nodding their heads at Mori's statement.
"Yeah yeah. If the questions are like the ones Sensei showed off, then it's going to be difficult to get everybody on board. Luckily, we got Horikita-san. She'll get us through this no problem."
Shinohara gave her view of the situation, which prompted Akito to point out something that caught his interest for whatever reason.
"But Shinohara-san, on the note of the questions Sensei showed us, there's something I've been wondering. Isn't Ike your boyfriend? How come you didn't vote to give him a protection point?"
"Yeah. Come to think, everyone voted no to him, even you. Is there something you're not telling us Shinohara-san?"
Maezono pitched in questioning her friend, resulting in said friend giving a slight blush as the realisation probably hit her. She gave a reply, although rather embarrassed.
"Well... As much as I l-like K-Kanji, I can't justify giving him of all people a protection point. How should I say this... I don't think he would be able to use that protection point effectively? It's best to give it to someone who could use it best... I guess."
Shinohara rubbed her shoulders a bit with a blush. Matsushita, Mori, Maezono and even Haruka gave knowing smirks - the kind that only girls who knew everything would. Kiyotaka, who had his girlfriend Kei around his side 90% of the time, and Akito, who had gained a certain ability to understand Haruka and some of her expressions, understood what the girls were thinking. But it was a different story for the last boy in their group.
"I will never understand lovestruck people..." he muttered quietly. But that part was still heard by Haruka as she immediately retorted.
"It's because you don't have a girlfriend, Yukimuu. Get yourself one and you can understand everything... You definitely need one to stop yourself from focusing on exams and studying ninety nine percent of the time..."
"I don't study ninety nine percent of the time... Most of the time... Ah you know what... forget it."
Haruka wore a smug smile as Yukimura realised he couldn't come up with a comeback to shut her down. He sighed before focusing on what Shinohara had more importantly mentioned earlier.
"But I do agree with Shinohara-san that Horikita-san can likely get us through all this. She's managed to get us through those other exams after all."
Everyone else nodded at Yukimura's point. However, there was a certain someone that hadn't spoken a word since they got together in pallet cafe. Realising this fact, Satou turned to this person.
"Ayanokouji-kun. What do you think about this special exam?"
As the discussion ended there, everyone around the table turned to face Kiyotaka like Satou had done.
"Ah. That's right. Ayanokouji-kun has been around Horikita-san a lot since we first started here and a lot of the times being part of her plans. You two seem pretty close. Plus, you destroyed everyone in the maths exam by getting a hundred. And you've managed to handle our... idea pretty well too."
As Matsushita mentioned that Kiyotaka and Horikita appeared to be close, Kei's eyebrows twitched a little bit. She tried to not make it noticeable but everyone saw it happen. It was likely Matsushita said that part intentionally to tease Kei, but that wasn't important.
"Kiyopon. What do you think? And don't even try to dodge the question like you would usually try to. I know that's what you're thinking."
Haruka immediately shut down Kiyotaka's escape route, leaving him only with the option of just answering honestly. Kiyotaka sighed before giving his answer.
"Horikita has done a lot for the class as a leader, so I do agree that putting her in charge would be for the best since she should be able to keep us all in check. However..."
Kiyotaka became silent and he narrowed his eyes a little. He didn't even attempt to finish what appeared to be his comparative answer. The group around him all wore confused expressions as he didn't continue his answer.
"Kiyotaka?"
"Kiyopon?"
"Kiyotaka-kun?"
"Ayanokouji-kun?"
Sensing something wrong, Kei, Haruka, Airi and Satou tried to question him. Kiyotaka shook his head and spoke again.
"No... It's nothing. Don't worry about it. Horikita should be able to lead us through the exam."
He shook his head again and eased the worry the group had. Although not fully satisfied with his answer, the group decided to honour Kiyotaka's wishes and dropped the subject. They continued their conversation throughout lunchtime.
.
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Part 2
As soon as the day ended, two students, male and female, were seen leaving the school building walking hand in hand. Quite a number of students watched these two walk past, as if witnessing a king and queen in their field of vision.
"Kiyotaka? Can we go to that new nice looking restaurant in Keyaki Mall?"
The blonde haired gyaru questioned her chestnut haired boyfriend. A blushing expectant smile was present on her face, making her beautiful features more prominent than normal. Whether she was embarrassed or just really happy, Kiyotaka didn't know.
"Sure. I've been wanting to try out that restaurant with you at some point."
Kiyotaka and Kei sauntered their way through the campus, heading towards Keyaki Mall to begin their long awaited date. They stood out a lot not only as a couple but as leaders of the KiyoKei band who won the Talent Show.
Even though Kiyotaka disliked this type of attention, he appeared to be fine with it, likely because he was around Kei. But it was also likely that Kiyotaka just didn't care any more as he had the third years' eyes on him at all times.
Soon, the couple entered Keyaki Mall and arrived at the certain restaurant that they were looking to have their date in. They read the sign that portrayed the name of the restaurant: Akiusha.
"So this is the new building that Acting Director Tsukishiro approved before second year."
Akiusha was not an existing restaurant in Keyaki Mall. Rather, it was a restaurant that was only recently added to the plans for the mall's extension and built within a short time. The one who gave such an approval was Acting Director Tsukishiro.
Whether it was fortunate or not, Kiyotaka had borne witness to Tsukishiro taking a tour around Keyaki Mall to approve of such a new building. At the time, Kiyotaka didn't care about that as the meeting between him and Tsukishiro ended up steering towards Kiyotaka's resignation from the school.
"Akiusha... If I remember, this is kind of a well known family restaurant in Miyagi prefecture."
"You know about it Kei?"
"Well, I've never been to it before. But I overheard my mother talking to one of her friends about it over the phone once. Apparently, one of the owners is a well known online content creator for audiences outside Japan."
"I see... Well let's go and try it out for ourselves now."
When Kei nodded, the two entered Akiusha and were immediately greeted with a sight neither had likely seen before. The usual smell of restaurant wooden flooring was replaced with a more outdoor smell, like being in a forest. Standard factory made chairs and tables were replaced with hand crafted oak wood furniture. There was greenery around as many places as possible and ornaments were placed around the walls, ceiling and counter.
Compared to Pallet Cafe, the Karaoke Bar, and one of the two other restaurants available on campus, Akiusha screamed vibes of a family restaurant in the rural countryside. That was exactly what this restaurant was aiming for.
Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School was always known as a heavily government funded and rich high school located directly around the centre of Tokyo. Because of that, shops, accommodation buildings and the inside of the school were made to replicate this message.
Family owned businesses were not like that and mostly tended to be around the rural and suburban areas of a city like Tokyo. Being such a restaurant business, Akiusha looked like it wouldn't fit in such an environment like this.
However, in this case, it was quite the opposite. It was different to many of the other stores in Keyaki Mall, and it didn't scream "expensive" and "rich", but it seemed to fit really well within Keyaki Mall. Kiyotaka silently thanked the content creator who owned this restaurant and, unfortunately, Tsukishiro for allowing this to be built on the campus.
"Welcome to Akiusha Tokyo. Please take a seat and have a look at our menu. I'll come by and take your order when you're ready."
A woman who appeared to be in his late 30s approached the couple and welcomed them into the restaurant with a slight bow. Kiyotaka and Kei gave a slight bow back and took the closest table for two.
Being the gentleman he was, at least what he believed and from what he saw on the internet, Kiyotaka pulled out the chair opposite to him and beckoned Kei to sit down on it. Kei was a little surprised for a moment, but smiled with a blush and sat down on the chair with a "thank you". He moved over to his own seat opposite her and sat down.
The restaurant's menu was already placed on their table. Kiyotaka and Kei took one each and began reviewing the options they had.
Unlike the casual city-like and generic options that were available in Pallet Cafe and one of the other restaurants accessible on the campus, Akiusha's menu was filled more with local and greener dishes found in the Miyagi prefecture. For Kiyotaka, this was a welcome as he felt curious about the different prefectures of Japan.
"What do you think, Kiyotaka?"
"About the restaurant?"
"Well, yeah. Also, what are you thinking of ordering?"
"It's definitely a different environment. It feels like I'm not even in the school anymore and I'm out in the rural sights of the north. It's quite nice."
Kei gave a happy smile when Kiyotaka gave his opinion. It seemed she was enjoying seeing her boyfriend enjoy the experience of this new restaurant even before they had the food.
"What about you, Kei?"
"I feel the same as you Kiyotaka. It feels different... It kind of feels like I'm back at home again."
"You lived in Miyagi prefecture?"
"Well yeah. I'm actually from around Kyoto, but my family moved to Sendai quite a few years ago after... that day... Basically, scenery and atmosphere like this is not new to me."
"I see... That does explain you being quite knowledgeable about the place."
Although impressed by Kei's knowledge of the place she lived in for a number of years, Kiyotaka did not fail to notice that she sounded a little sad and angry, and that her fists clenched a bit. He wanted to question her about it but he also knew now wasn't the time to do so. He turned back to the menu, wanting to quickly make a decision on what he should order and change the subject.
"Well I guess I'll go for the Akiu-sha lunch. I would like to try these homemade harvested ingredients. What about you?"
He took a good look at Kei, seeing her calm down a little or two to finally decide and then looked back at Kei.
"Oh. That is a nice choice. It seems to be a traditional and a popular dish. In that case, I'll go for the other one. The Akiu-Sha Bowl in the Field. Oh and the smoothie too."
Having made their decisions, Kiyotaka gestured his gaze toward the woman who welcomed them. Catching onto the message, the waitress moved over to Kiyotaka's table with a notepad in hand.
"Made your order yet?"
Kiyotaka nodded and responded.
"Yes. Could I get the Akiu-sha Lunch and my girlfriend here will have the Akiu-sha Bowl in the Field please."
"Sure. Would you like any drinks?"
"We'll both have the Yamamoto Strawberry and Mixed Berry Smoothie."
"Any deserts?"
Kiyotaka looked at Kei, beckoning her to answer the waitress's question. Kei looked at the menu before giving her answer.
"One Akiu-sha Software please."
"And you sir?"
"...Could I try the Akiu Quarry Chocolate?"
"All good. We shall get your orders ready."
The waitress then bowed and made her way to the kitchen to hand the orders over to the jobs of the restaurant's chefs. While they waited for their meals to arrive, Kiyotaka and Kei continued their discussion about Miyagi prefecture, which then also moved to talk about Sendai and even what the two knew about Kyoto and Tokyo.
Soon, their first meals arrived. On Kiyotaka's plate were fresh vegetables which were seemingly harvested from Akiu, some roasted and some normal, mixed with chicken slowly roasted in a steam cooker. A bit of sauce was sprinkled onto it, and to add the finishing touches was a bowl of miso soup. To Kiyotaka, it looked like a well thought out dish that appeared delicious.
Meanwhile, Kei's plate was a little more creative to replicate a growing farm field. The "ground soil" was made of spicy taco rice while the leafy vegetables of chard and kale were the supposed "growing crops" of the field. Such creativity to make an interesting dish, so much so that Kei's mouth almost watered. All of it was complimented with miso soup, like Kiyotaka's dish.
The smoothies were also placed on the desk before the waitress bowed again and walked away, leaving them with an "enjoy your meal". With a clap of their hands and a "itadakimasu", Kiyotaka and Kei dug into their respective meals.
"Mmm. This is good. What about yours Kiyotaka?"
"I like mine a lot too."
"Hey hey. Want to try a bit of mine? Let me try yours too."
"I don't see why not."
"Say 'ahh' then, Kiyotaka."
"Eh..."
Kei held her spoon, which was actually a small shovel, holding the rice and vegetables in front of Kiyotaka. She seemed intent on feeding him herself, despite the blush present on her face.
"Not 'eh'. Say 'ah'."
Since she wasn't going to back down from feeding him, Kiyotaka decided to just honour her wish. He leaned forward and opened his mouth for the "shovel" to dump the food in.
"Ahh."
Once the food finally entered his taste buds, Kiyotaka chewed and swallowed. Although barely noticeable, his eyes seemed to sparkle a bit, indicating to Kei that he liked the dish she ordered.
"L-like it?"
"Yeah, it's really good."
"Right?"
"But now it's your turn, Kei. Say 'ah'."
"Tauwa!"
Looking to romanticise their date further, and for a little bit of revenge teasing, Kiyotaka performed the same trick on Kei. Even though she had previously used it on him, it seemed she wasn't expecting an uno reverse card. Her face flushed the usual embarrassed tomato red, but she placed herself in this position so she wasn't going to back down.
She leaned forward and wrapped her lips around the spoon. The chicken and vegetables covered with sauce entered her sweet mouth and she chewed before swallowing it. Just like Kiyotaka had done with her own dish, Kei's eyes sparkled with stars, indicating she really enjoyed the food.
"This really is good. Kiyotaka. We need to come here more often for our dates!"
"I'm glad you like it. But, we can't come here too often you know. Going to the same place all the time for dates wouldn't really be that special, wouldn't it?"
Although she didn't like the idea, Kei knew Kiyotaka was right. They could definitely go back to Akiusha once in a while, but they couldn't exactly go all the time.
The two continued digging into their meals until there was nothing left on the plates. They also completely finished their smoothies around the same time. Seeing them finished, the waitress came by and picked up the empty dishes, soon replacing them with the desert trays.
On Kiyotaka's tray was a square rock-like chocolate with a small mallet next to it, supposedly used to help break the chocolate apart. He had noted that on the menu, this desert was meant to resemble the Akiho stone that used to be mined at a now closed quarry a century before.
Kei's tray was more traditional as it was an ice cream glass containing vanilla soft topped with chocolate and coffee powder and coffee jelly too. Compared to Kiyotaka's stone chocolate, Kei's vanilla soft appeared more like a desert.
Kiyotaka noticed that as soon as the Akiu-sha software arrived in front of Kei, her eyes sparkled again with starry stars. She was really looking forward to the desert it seemed.
"You seem excited."
"I am. I chose this desert because it looked absolutely mouthwatering on the menu. Now that it's in front of me, I really can't stop myself from wanting to eat it straight away. I'm digging in. Itadakimasu!"
Not wanting to wait any longer to enjoy her wonderland of sweet treats, Kei grabbed her spoon and scooped up a piece of the soft. As soon as the cream mixed with the taste of chocolate and coffee entered her taste buds, Kei gave a moan of delight, placing her other free hand on her cheek and swaying in her chair.
It almost reminded Kiyotaka of the girl he could consider his closest friend/best friend from the White Room - Suzuki Shizuku.
"Mmmmm. This is really good. Hey, Kiyotaka. You need to try some of this. It's really good."
"Well if you're that entranced by it, I guess I should assume it's good and give it a taste."
Before Kei could even think (although not realise this) of scooping up a piece to feed him with, Kiyotaka grabbed the extra spoon given with Kei's desert and scooped up his own piece. Although he didn't give the same reaction as Kei, Kiyotaka felt ecstatic after having just a small bite of the soft. He hadn't even had a piece of his own stone chocolate yet.
"That is really good."
"Right? Right?"
"Hold on Kei. If you keep showing that smile over the desert, I'll start thinking that you love the desert more than you love me."
Immediately after Kiyotaka said that, Kei stopped herself from taking another scoop. How many times had her face turned red today? Kei herself didn't know, but Kiyotaka had counted around 4 today.
"E-eh...!? Y-you know that's not true. I love you more than anything... Wait... I mean... Ah..."
Kiyotaka gave a small snort, something that was unlike him. As soon as Kei heard that, she immediately realised the reason for it. Kiyotaka shook his head and gave what would be considered a small smile in his terms, even though his lips only curled the tiniest bit upwards.
"Sorry. Kei was just too cute that I couldn't help but tease a bit."
"Mouuuuuuu. Kiyobaka!"
With an adorable pout of annoyance, Kei went back to scooping up her desert, leading to Kiyotaka finally deciding to dig into his own. He grabbed the mallet and broke the stone chocolate into pieces. He decided that they should mix the chocolate and the soft together to create an even better combined desert, something which Kei welcomed.
Soon, the two finished their meal, allowing the waitress to come and pick up the empty dishes. Being the gentlemen that he considered himself to be (again), Kiyotaka offered to pay the 5350 points they owed for their date and after, the two left the restaurant, eager to head back to the dorms and relax after their delightful date.
"What did you think of the restaurant, Kiyotaka?"
"It was definitely a change in both scenery and food. I really enjoyed it. Especially with you."
"Eh... Hehehehe..."
"...Why are you giggling?"
"I'm sorry... I'm just still not used to you being this... loving I guess?"
"I see..."
They continued their conversation as they kept walking back to the second year dorms.
"Hey... Isn't that Kushida-san heading towards the first year dorms?"
On their way back, Kei pointed towards a familiar dirty-blonde short haired girl - Kushida Kikyou. She still had her school bag strapped on her shoulder, indicating that she hadn't yet returned to her dorm room yet.
Before they left and went on their date together, Kiyotaka and Kei had watched Kushida leave with Mei-Yu Weng, Inogashira Kokoro, and a few other of her friends. That group likely went to their favourite spot in pallet cafe.
However, no one else in that group was in sight. Only Kushida herself was heading towards the first year dorms. The others likely were heading back to their own dorms to relax for the rest of the afternoon.
"I wonder why Kushida-san is heading into the first year dorms."
Curious of the revelation, Kei asked her boyfriend. She was not expecting him to have an answer as she only asked to start up a new topic of wonders. However, she was not expecting to hear silence. When she turned to him to see what was up, she saw something even more unexpected.
Kiyotaka wasn't just staying silent. He was staring at Kushida with narrowed, almost glaring, eyes. Kei noticed that it was almost similar to the expression he made at lunch with the rest of their group. She could tell something was up, as someone who knew a tiny bit about his fight with Kushida after being an accomplice in stopping her in the paper shuffle exam.
"Kiyotaka?"
Calling out his name returned him back to reality as he blinked and then looked at Kei's slightly worried but curious expression.
"It's nothing. Don't worry about it, Kei. Let's just head back," he sighed while replying before walking off with Kei in tow.
She was not completely satisfied with that answer, but she didn't want to completely question him. It was better to wait for him to tell her since she was confident that he would.
.
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Part 3
After the date at Akiusha, Kei spent some time with Kiyotaka in his room, allowing their date to continue towards an indoor one. Whether it was doing a little bit of studying or watching a small comedy show on the TV together, the continuation of the date had been fun for the two.
Sadly, dates could not last forever. Kei soon had to leave after she received a text from Shinohara requesting for her presence, leaving Kiyotaka on his own again in his room for the rest of the night.
At least that's what was going to happen.
Unexpectedly, a knock was heard at the front door to room 401. Kiyotaka turned towards the door with raised eyebrows. He was not expecting any visitors and Kei said she was going to sleep in her dorm room for a few nights before sleeping with him again.
So who was it knocking at Kiyotaka's door?
Judging it was best to just find out immediately and not let this "guest" standing outside for too long, Kiyotaka got up from his seat at the eating table and walked towards the door. He took a peep through the small peephole just to get a glimpse of who it was before opening the door.
"Ayanokouji-kun. It's me. Can we talk?"
In all honesty, he was expecting to see that red-haired devil kouhai, Amasawa Ichika, through the peephole like the last time she visited him like this. Luckily, that didn't appear to be the case as instead of Amasawa being at the door, Kiyotaka heard the voice of a familiar girl.
Not needing to look through the peephole anymore, Kiyotaka removed the lock and opened the door to reveal his short black haired classmate - Horikita Suzune.
"This is a little bit of a surprise. Normally if you want to talk to me about something this late, you'd just drop me a phone call."
"You're right. Normally I would. But this conversation is not something I want to talk about on the phone, so I wanted to talk to you in person. I would have done it earlier, but I was also quite a bit busy. So can you let me in?"
"Sure sure."
Kiyotaka stepped aside to let Horikita in before closing the door behind her. The two walked towards the table that Kiyotaka was just sitting at.
"Would you like something to drink while you're here?"
"Hmm... Just some black tea will do if you're willing to make something."
Nodding, he made his way to the kitchen and turned on the kettle to make black tea for his visitor and coffee for himself. A few minutes later, he returned to the table with two mugs, placing one in front of Horikita and the other in front of his seat.
"So? You wanted to talk to me about something?"
"Yes. It's about the special exam. There's something I want to talk to only you about and your thoughts on it. Okay?"
"Yeah, no problem."
"Huh?"
Unexpectedly, Horikita gave a surprised expression as if she never expected an answer from him. Realising this, Kiyotaka decided to question her.
"What's with that reaction?"
"I was honestly expecting you to refuse to listen to me over the special exam even after coming here and sitting down. You usually want to avoid talks like this, don't you?"
"Well, when you put it like that. I guess that is true. But it's not like you're asking me to help you, right?"
"I don't know about that... In the meantime, if you'll listen to me, I'll let you proceed."
Wanting to get to the discussion as quickly as possible, Horikita stopped questioning Kiyotaka's willingness to listen to her. Perhaps she thought she would be rejected if the provocation and questioning continued on longer.
"If we want to make sure that we clear this special exam, I was thinking about preparing as much as possible for the exam. The problem, though, is that it seems difficult to do that. It seems impossible to unite our class if we don't know what the questions will be. Don't you think so too?"
"Yes. That is true, though I'm sure we'll inevitably have to use different options depending on the situation. But... You've thought of the means in your own way, haven't you, Horikita? So? How do you think we can get through this special exam?"
Horikita nodded and took a larger sip of her black tea before answering.
"I think that the easiest way to solidly pass the special exam is for someone to have the final say. No matter how many options there are, no matter how the vote splits, you have to promise that you will follow the predetermined leader's judgement and will."
Essentially, Horikita agreed with Kushida's suggestion. Even if people were unhappy with the option, they couldn't argue with the leader's choice on the matter. For their class, who wasn't that well united, it would be much easier if that arrangement could be reached.
"I do hope that really brings everyone together."
"Yes. I hope so too. There will always be students who don't agree with some of the questions... If this had been a dictatorial class like the one led by Ryuuen-kun, it might have been easier for us."
In terms of coercive power, Ryuuen was someone who was able to exert it on Class D with impunity. But he wasn't the only one. Although not on the same scale as him, Sakayanagi was able to wield such power with Class A. Such a thing was non-existent in Horikita's Class B and Ichinose's Class C.
Kiyotaka and Horikita wondered if they wielded coercive power to control their class, would it work for them in the special exam? Neither of them knew and neither were really willing to try that out. Kiyotaka took a sip of his coffee before speaking up again to give his answer.
"The fact that all voting is anonymous means that students who are unhappy with Ryuuen can vote against his option. There is no guarantee that a mere command will be enough to clear it."
"If a student is unhappy with the methods, they may rebel. But there's nothing to be gained by doing so. After all, if the vote is split and time runs out, the whole class will be damaged. In the end they'll just leave it alone and come together."
"I get what you mean, but you're contradicting yourself by saying that. No one wants to fail the special exam. That's why the votes will always come together. If that basic premise always holds, then there's no need for a strategy in the first place, is there?"
"That's..."
"No student wants to run out of time and be the detriment of the class. But don't expect them to complete the five questions if they are left to their own devices. If that were possible, it would defeat the purpose of the school calling it a special exam."
"You're right."
"What you can do now is to prepare your mind to be flexible. For example, what would you do if you were faced with an issue where 38 people were in favour and one was against?"
"Of course we will try to bring the one person who is against it to the side in favour."
"Right. Then what if that one person opposing you never gave in?"
"Well..."
"It's not always the 38 people who agree with you who win. In the process of persuading the opposition, some of the 38 students who were in favour may even change their opinions."
"Even if just one person's ideas are detrimental to the class at large?"
"It all depends on the content, I guess."
Kiyotaka slightly narrowed his eyes at that. But Horikita did not notice this as she was looking down at her black tea.
"I feel a bit uneasy. Don't you?"
"No. Why do you feel uneasy?"
"Because you gave me advice without hesitation. That's not normally like you. I don't think it has anything to do with... the fact that you started dating Karuizawa-san, but..."
"It's not much advice. I'm sure in some small corner of your mind you've already started to think about that possibility."
"Yes. I guess that is true... Then I'll tell you the main reason why I'm here. I have a proposal for the special exam. I could ask someone else, but I want to ask someone who understands me."
"Do you want people to always vote separately on the first round of voting, or what?"
As soon as Kiyotaka tried to guess what she was likely going to propose to him, Horikita pointed a tiny glare at him.
"Can you please not preempt my thoughts?"
Seeing irritation in her eyes, Kiyotaka quickly gave an excuse that he could think of while drinking his coffee.
"It was something I was going to suggest, if no one else had proposed it. I didn't think we were on the same page."
"...Really?"
The irritation in Horikita's eyes quickly dissipated. She apparently appeared convinced a tiny bit by Kiyotaka's ill-thought yet adequate excuse. Though, the proposal that Kiyotaka mentioned was something that should have been considered from the beginning. After all, It was better to avoid the risk of making an unexpected choice as a result of bias caused by the momentum of the situation.
"Even if it's a question that you agree or disagree with 99% of the time, or if you're confused about an option that has advantages and disadvantages for both sides, coincidences can be a bit scary."
"Ah. If a vote is passed due to a lopsided vote as a result of a proper vote, it can't be undone. But the strategy of always using the interval at least once is not always a good one. You have to bear that in mind. There is always the risk that what would have been unanimous in the spur of the moment may become inconclusive when the votes are split. You have to take that into account."
"Right. Of course."
To argue is to plunge one's hand into the deepest darkness. This can consume a huge amount of time if it results in an unexpected darkness being dragged out.
"Due to the rules of this special test, there is no way to determine with certainty who voted which way, no matter how much we discuss it. Even if you get a statement, it may not be 100% true."
"Does that mean you can lie constantly?"
"In some cases, yes. Because right now, in the situation we're in, it's hard to say that the class is still united as one."
It was no shock to the two of them that the class was not united as one, though they were much closer to being united than ever before. Having said that, though, there were two people specifically that Kiyotaka had in mind when he made that statement. Horikita immediately knew what that meant.
"You're talking about Kushida-san and Kouenji-kun, aren't you?"
"Yes. For the former, I'm sure she'll lie about everything, and as for the latter, he might even dare to vote for someone different from his classmates if his vicious nature shows through. That's about it."
Although Kiyotaka said that latter part about Kouenji, he knew that Kouenji wouldn't do it without some specific reason. In fact, it was more likely that Kouenji would be more tame for this special exam, not trying anything that could harm their success in passing.
The same could not be said for Kushida in his personal opinion.
Horikita stayed silent in her seat for a moment, looking down at her black tea before raising her head back up again to look at Kiyotaka.
"Hey, why did you tell me all the details? It's weird. It's not every day that you give me a warning like this."
It wasn't a surprise that Horikita sensed something weird over this conversation. Kiyotaka never gave as much advice to Horikita as he did now. In fact, he rarely ever gave out advice and direct help to her. It seemed that there were a few changes in Kiyotaka that caused him to do what he would usually never do.
"I decided that the current Horikita would be flexible enough to listen to me and understand what I was saying."
"Am I right in saying that that's a compliment...?"
"Who knows?"
"Grrr... Hah... I'm feeling a bit restless..."
She sighed before turning silent again. During that small silence, there was a small vibration sound that could be heard. Kiyotaka noticed it was the sound of a phone vibrating after getting a notification and it was coming from Horikita's pocket.
Said girl took her phone out of her pocket and turned it on, intending to just check the notification and then focus back on the meeting in front of her. However, instead of just swiping the notification away, she just kept staring at it.
"I'm sorry, but please give me a minute. I got a message and I need to reply back otherwise they may get a wrong idea."
As she began typing on her phone, Kiyotaka watched her with curiosity. Horikita was not someone who texted a lot of people, and if she did, it was most likely business related. There were only so many people she could message with that in mind. With her being in front of him, that took himself off the list, which meant the other options either included Hirata, Ichinose, Chabashira or even the student council members.
Despite that curiosity, Kiyotaka decided to just keep silent and wait for Horikita to finish messaging. It took her about two minutes to compose a long reply message. Once she finished, she put her phone back into her pocket, finished her black tea and stood up.
"Thanks. Well, I got what I wanted so thank you for your time. I'll do my best to direct everyone through the exam the day after tomorrow, but I'm hoping you also do your bit too."
"I'll do what I can."
"That's just like you... Well anyway, thanks again."
Just as Horikita was about to touch the handle to leave, Kiyotaka stood up and called out to her again.
"Wait, Horikita. Before you go, I want to ask you something."
"What is it?"
Not expecting to be stopped, Horikita turned back with a confused expression present on her face.
"If you don't mind, it's about Kushida."
"...Go on..."
Horikita looked slightly annoyed, but she displayed her full attention to Kiyotaka at this point.
"Frankly speaking, there hasn't been much of a change since we had this talk during the spring break. The contract we have is still slightly ongoing so I'm still safe from her, and she has pretty much still been contributing to class as much as she can handle. However, I feel that might not last much longer. I just want to know if your stance on keeping Kushida right now is still in effect, considering I left the decision with you."
Part of his explanation was a lie. He kept to himself that Kushida had already breached the contract more than once and tried to expel him through any school rule means. The truth was the contract had technically ended, even though Kiyotaka still paid her a bit of points on the cruise ship.
But that wasn't important right now. What was important was understanding Horikita's current stance on Kushida. Horikita gave a thoughtful expression before answering.
"Kushida-san is still contributing a bit like you said and you may be right that she may not contribute as much any longer, especially since she really does want to expel the two of us. But I am going to keep trying to change her. I will mend our relationship with her so that she can become a valuable ally to class B."
"And if she doesn't? If she continues to hinder us completely with no intentions of changing?"
"...Then of course, we will have to get rid of her."
Her answer was a little shaky, but she still spat it out nonetheless. Kiyotaka raised his eyebrows and then nodded.
"I see..."
He paused before nodding again.
"That's all I have to ask."
"I see. Then I shall take my leave. Good night, Ayanokouji-kun."
When she left his room with the doors closing behind her, Kiyotaka stared at the door for a few more seconds before he began narrowing his eyes.
"I have a bad feeling about this..."
As soon as he said that, he brought out his phone and began scrolling through his contacts. His finger tapped a certain contact and the phone began dialling as he brought it to his ear.
A few seconds later the call connected and a voice was heard from the other line.
"Yes, it's me. Sorry to call you around this time since I know you might be a little bit busy, but there's something important I wish to discuss with you... Kouenji."
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Part 4
"Your appointment with me to catch you up on history is at 7pm. Because I was a little bit too busy today, I can't personally tutor you at the school so I'll tutor you in my room in the teachers dorms. Just ring the bell at the front of the teachers dorms that has my name on it and I'll let you in."
This was a text message that Kiyotaka had received not too long ago. The sender was none other than Chabashira Sae, his homeroom teacher. Kiyotaka knew better than to ignore it and at around twenty to 7, Kiyotaka left his dorm room with the teachers' dorms as his destination.
Private tutorship from teachers was nothing new. There were a lot of cases where if a student was falling too far behind on a certain subject or even more than one, tutors would set up private sessions with that student so they could improve their grades. ANHS should have been no different.
However, in Kiyotaka's case, he was not falling behind on any subject, not even history which was listed in the text message. To put it frankly, ever since Kiyotaka scored 100% on the math test back around the start of second year, he has been a top contender in the class academics, making private tutorship unneeded for him.
So, why did he get that message from Chabashira?
The answer was simply that there was a hidden message in the text that only he and Chabashira knew. Using his deduction, the contents that the actual message said was:
"I have something I wish to discuss with you privately. Since I can't meet with you in the school because I was busy, I can only discuss with you in my room in the teachers dorms at 7pm. For safety, ring the bell at the front of the dorms that has my name on it and I'll let you in without problems."
The reason this actual message wasn't sent to Kiyotaka's phone was simply that it would raise too many suspicions. A student meeting with a teacher in their dorm around the evening to talk over something was not normal. The first thing someone would think if they saw a message like that is if they had a secret relationship behind the scenes.
In other words, the message he received was an excuse to use if he got caught by someone, like another teacher.
After 10 minutes, Kiyotaka arrived at the teachers dorms. The building did not look all that different to the students dorms on the outside, but the inside would probably be quite different.
Seeing the massive array of apartment doorbells in front of him, Kiyotaka kept his eye out for Chabashira's nameplate. When he finally caught his eye on Chabashira's nameplate, he pressed the doorbell, letting it buzz to let the occupant know he was visiting.
"Who is it?"
Chabashira's voice was heard through the intercom. Kiyotaka could see a separate camera to the usual security cameras, which indicated that they were used as "peepholes" for the dorm occupants. It was likely that Chabashira could see him on the camera, but she still asked who was at the door.
"It's Ayanokouji. We have a tutorship at 7pm, Chabashira-sensei."
Sensing that she wanted him to keep up the act they have, Kiyotaka replied back with the excuse that he had on his phone.
"Door is unlocked now. Come in, Ayanokouji."
As soon as she gave her response, the sound of the building's entrance interlock unlocking was heard from Kiyotaka's side, telling him that he could enter the building. Silently thanking Chabashira, Kiyotaka opened the door and entered the teachers dorms.
His destination was room 204 on the second floor. Since that was only 2 floors above him, he made his decision to take the stairs. Around 2 minutes later, he arrived at the second floor and traversed through the corridors before arriving at room 204.
Before knocking on his homeroom teacher's dorm, he took a quick look around his surroundings, as if looking out for something. The "thing" that he was looking out for was a certain homeroom teacher of Ichinose's class. In other words, Hoshinomiya Chie.
Luckily, he didn't see Hoshinomiya anywhere, which meant he was safe... for now. Sighing, Kiyotaka knocked at Chabashira's door and waited for an answer. A few seconds later, the door opened and revealed the brown haired teacher.
"Come in, Ayanokouji."
Kiyotaka entered Chabashira's room, allowing her to close the door behind her and prevent anything terrible from happening, i.e. Hoshinomiya witnessing a feat and causing her usual trouble.
"Take a seat on the couch over there and we'll talk. Would you like a drink since I brought you all the way from your dorms?"
Showing great hospitality, Chabashira offered refreshments for her guest. Not wanting to feel rude, Kiyotaka gave his answer.
"...Do you have black coffee?"
Chabashira gave a snort at her student's question before replying.
"Of course I do. I'm a teacher who needs it alot too. That does make my life easier since I was going to make some for myself too. Just wait on the couch and I'll bring us our cups."
She left for the kitchen, leaving Kiyotaka to just sit and wait in her living room. He took a look around the room and noted it really did feel like an adults room. There were a few pictures, a small wine/alcohol container, and a bookshelf filled with books. Compared to his somewhat empty room, it felt refreshing.
Soon after, Chabashira returned from the kitchen with a tray of two mugs filled with black coffee. She lowered the tray and allowed Kiyotaka to take one of the mugs before taking the tray to her own space on the couch to sit down.
"You have a nice room, Sensei."
Not knowing how to start this meeting, Kiyotaka tried to compliment Chabashira's room after looking around it.
"Should you really be complimenting your teacher like that, Ayanokouji? But thanks either way."
Chabashira gave a short laugh, understanding what Kiyotaka was trying to do.
"You wanted to talk with me, Sensei. I'm not sure how to start the conversation if you're not going to do it yourself."
"Yes yes. You are right. Please just bear with me a moment."
She took a couple sips from her coffee before finally seeming to come up with a direction for their meeting to go.
"Let me ask you this first. What do you think about the special exam for Friday?"
Kiyotaka was expecting the conversation to lead in this direction. He wanted to give her an answer but decided it was best for now to confirm some things before doing so.
"Should you be questioning me over my thoughts for the special exam? Aren't teachers not allowed to do so?"
He understood from the announcement and Chabashira's body language this morning that there was something about the special exam that bothered her a lot. And back during the cruise ship, she showed similar actions. He deduced that she wanted to talk to him specifically about this exam probably because she knew about it alot. But he wasn't sure if he could do so.
"Technically, we are not allowed to talk about it with students. But god forbid, I'm sure every teacher except Mashima will probably try to discuss even just a little bit with their students. Chie especially will probably try."
He couldn't argue with that since Hishinomiya was kind of a loudmouth and even tried to conduct wild tactics in order to help her class. He also agreed that Sakagami, the homeroom teacher of Ryuuen's class, would likely try to talk with Ryuuen about the exam since he was very supportive of his class.
"So? What do you think about the special exam?"
She asked the question again, prompting Kiyotaka to actually give an answer.
"Well, the exam does sound more difficult than it looks. Just from the examples that you gave us, it will be hard for us to achieve unanimity over certain questions because of how divided our class is. If we were more united, like Ichinose's class, then it would be a lot easier to complete, though I'm sure we would still have a lot of our differences."
Playing it safe for now, Kiyotaka recalled what he discussed with Horikita mere hours ago. Chabashira nodded at the explanation, but she still didn't seem satisfied with Kiyotaka's answer.
"Anything else you noticed? What else do you think?"
It was clear that she was trying to probe a certain point out of Kiyotaka. He could already guess what that likely was, so he decided not to hide it anymore and put through his suspicions.
"Well, knowing how this school is, they wouldn't just announce this type of special exam without any more twists. Expulsion from not answering the questions within the given timeframe wouldn't be the only thing the school would come up with. Since this exam feels similar to the class vote exam, I feel that one of the 5 questions we will have is whether we want to expel a certain student in our class for class points."
"I see. That is some good deduction."
Chabashira gave a small smile that appeared sad. It was at this point that Kiyotaka had confirmed his suspicions. If that wasn't enough, what Chabashira said next would 100% confirm it all.
"You're correct. One of the questions will definitely be a question of expulsion in return for class points. I'm definitely sure of it."
"Why do you think so, Sensei?"
In order to further confirm another part of his suspicions, he asked this question. He now knew to expect an expulsion question, like he thought, but he wanted to understand Chabashira's situation.
"...Because I had once done this special exam when I was a student at this school 10 years ago..."
She raised her head to look at the ceiling, eyes appearing to be distant as she seemed to be recalling the past.
"I remember that day quite well, at least I'd like to believe so. Class 3B was on the verge of catching up with Class A before the graduation exam. The difference in class points between us and Class A was only 73 points. Quite close, so much so that we were in a position to turn the tables with just one special exam. I'm sure Class A didn't think they had the advantage with a margin like that."
She gave a small laugh before continuing.
"Sorry. Off topic for a moment. Anyway, our second to last special exam was none other than the very same unanimous vote special exam that you all will partake in on Friday. Five questions. Unanimous voting. 5 hour time limit. Our class managed to come together and make it through 4 questions with unanimous decisions. However..."
"However?"
"The last question showed something slightly unexpected to us. A question asking us whether we wanted to sacrifice a classmate in order to gain 100 class points. To expel to get points or keep everyone and continue moving forward. Ayanokouji, ignore that you're going to get it in this exam for the moment and give me an answer to such a question. What option would you pick?"
She gave an expectant look to Kiyotaka, waiting for him to give an answer. In his opinion, there was only one true answer.
"Even with a value like that, I wouldn't sacrifice a classmate just for class points."
There was just no reason to sacrifice a student's career just to earn more class points. A person's life did not have monetary value to it, so you couldn't bargain money with it. Agreeing with him, Chabashira nodded and replied.
"Yes. That would be the logical answer. But for our class, which was getting closer to graduation and losing opportunities to rise up to Class A, not sacrificing anyone for class points was not the correct answer. When the question first showed up, instead of unanimity against the idea, there were a few who actually voted in favour of the idea. And as the debate continued, the situation began to change dramatically. If Class A voted unanimously in favour, the margin would have grown to 173 points."
"You didn't know what the last special exam before graduation would be at that point, did you?"
"No. Even if we managed to make it through the exam better than Class A, the difference in class points may not have been that big. Class A could have decided not to drop anyone out allowing us to take the lead if we voted in favour of the question. Or we could have just decided not to expel and there would be a chance in the final special exam. There were all kinds of scenarios we discussed. But there was just no knowing what would happen if we didn't take the chance to close that gap as early as possible."
Desperation was the keyword that she was trying to portray here. They were desperate in order to get Class A before the end of their time at school. Since they didn't have all the information needed to help them make an informed decision, some were desperate just to take the earliest opportunity to rise above the rest, even if that meant sacrifice.
"Through our discussion, we never came to a right answer. In fact, I don't think there even was one at the time. Eventually, my classmates slowly began to lean towards the idea that Class A would make the sacrifice to get the 100 class points. As the conversation started to progress on that assumption, the opposition slowly began to shift in favour of the idea and after, we unanimously voted in favour."
Chabashira had been slowly drinking her black coffee, looking distant while she drank. However, now she didn't so much as touch the drink, letting it cool in her hands. Her eyes seemed close to tearing as far as Kiyotaka could notice. It was likely now she was about to tell him about the thing that haunted her about this special exam.
"There was a certain boy in my class. He was... well, I guess the best way to describe him would be to say that he was a combination of Hirata and Ike."
"Yousuke and Ike?"
"I'm not sure how to put it together, but it's hard to imagine. He was both a leader and a mood maker for the class. We had been struggling on the last question until he finally decided to speak up. He decided that he would have himself expelled as it fell under his job as leader."
Kiyotaka noted that he really seemed a lot like Hirata after all, since the somewhat current Hirata and definitely the older Hirata would have done the same - self sacrifice for the sake of his friends and classmates.
"The only special exam left was the final graduation exam. It must be painful to be without a leader, and that's one option... but not the only one."
Of course, it is difficult to say that it is a wise choice. But if all the classmates were on equal footing, it would be extremely difficult to choose one. Chabashira paused for a moment, indicating she had more to say. The forming tears looked ready to drop.
"Though, then again, it was never unanimous."
This slightly surprised Kiyotaka. He was already guessing that the reason Chabashira was kind of like this was because the boy, who he was guessing was her "partner" like Kei was to him, had been expelled. His face was conveying a question that said "why was that the case when everyone followed the leader's decision"?
Seeing that question presented on his face, Chabashira continued with the answer.
"Even though it was decided by him that he would sacrifice himself for the sake of the class, there was one person who didn't agree with it. When the voting came round, instead of a unanimous vote in favour of the expulsion there was always one against vote that prevented the decision. That person kept voting against the student's expulsion until the very end of the exam. And that person was none other than I."
Chabashira lightly chuckled and closed her eyes before slowly opening them again. Then she looked up towards the ceiling.
"I know you're wondering about my relationship with him. He meant everything to me. He wasn't just a leader and a friend... he was also a lover and more important than anyone else. I just couldn't let him go. I guess you could say I was blinded by love."
The two of them overcame many hardships and likely came to understand each other. The future was supposed to be about grabbing the most happiness out of the remaining school life and aiming for Class A. It was understandable that she didn't want to let go of that.
"If I continued to vote against it, my classmates would naturally be confused and angry. In the end, some of them naturally turned their opposition towards me."
"But Sensei was still in school after that exam, right? If you didn't drop out of school, then that means..."
"That's right. I protected him from the vote and he protected me as well. Because of that, we couldn't finish the special exam on time, so our class lost 300 class points. And if that wasn't enough, Class A had chosen to expel a student so the difference between our classes was raised by 450 points to a total of 523 points. In an instant, the closing distance between us and Class A became a dream again."
"If it's any consolation, nothing happened to your partner, right?"
"Well, not exactly. Blinded by my feelings, I achieved my goal in protecting him. But after the exam ended, so did our relationship. I never saw him again. I don't even know where he is now. He was everything to me back then. Heh... it sounds dumb now that I think about it. If you think about it, over the course of a long life, three years of high school is only a small part of it. Even if we didn't make it to Class A, we should have fought to the end with no regrets."
It was becoming more apparent to Kiyotaka that Chabashira had been the way she was on the cruise ship, in the classroom today and right now because she had been regretting the choice she made for more than 10 years. He could guess what was going to come soon. Why he had been called by Chabashira to have this meeting.
"I was not qualified to graduate from Class A. But what else was I supposed to do? Should I have strongly convinced him to drop out? Or should I have cut myself off when he told me he was leaving? I still don't know what the correct answer was."
"So you want me to try and find what the correct answer is in this exam? Is that why you wanted to talk with me?"
"Well that is one thing I would like you to do. No. Actually, I don't think there even is a right answer. But I would like to see if there is an answer better than what I did. There's that and I just wanted someone to hear my story if I'm being really honest."
Chabashira gave a sad smile as she wiped the small tears in her eyes and went back to sipping her now cold coffee.
"Ayanokouji. I became the teacher I am now after the cruise ship thanks to you. It sounds sappy and weird to admit, but it's the truth. I will continue to support the class and aim for Class A with you all as your teacher, but I want you to make it through this exam without any regrets like me. That's what I wanted to tell you. Can you do that?"
Chabashira gave a determined and expectant stare to Kiyotaka who was silently finishing his own coffee from his mug. He lowered his cup and gave an answer.
"Horikita will be leading the exam, but I guess I do have my own part to play in this exam. I will try to ensure we get the best possible result."
At his answer, she gave a smile that looked a little happier. She finished her coffee before placing it on the coffee table in front of her.
"Thanks. Well, I feel a little better now from that. Do you actually happen to need any tutoring on a subject?" She teasingly asked which sounded slightly different from her mocking tone. It sounded more soft and concise.
"No. I'm all good now."
"I see. Ayanokouji, before you go, can you agree to meet with me again after the unanimous vote special exam ends?"
"...I don't mind. Is it just to discuss the results?"
Surprised for a moment as he was just about to reach the front door, Kiyotaka turned back to Chabashira with raised eyebrows.
"You can say that."
"I see. Well then yeah, if you send me the details of when and where then I can show up."
"I'll do that. Thanks. You better head back to the dorms now. It's getting late. Be careful of Chie on your way out."
Kiyotaka nodded before leaving the room, carefully watching his surroundings. He successfully managed to escape the teachers dorms without bumping into the she-devil teacher of Ichinose's class. As he exited through the door and began walking away, he stopped and turned around to face the building.
[The correct answer... Without regrets... I'm sorry sensei. As much as I want that from this exam too, I don't think we will get that. But I believe I will do what I can to get what is best for everyone.] He thought while narrowing his eyes at the building.
With that, he walked away and made his way back towards the dorms.
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Part 5
Upon reaching his room and sitting down on the bed again to relax after such a day, Kiyotaka was immediately disrupted from his meditation from the sound and vibration of an incoming phone call from his smartphone.
He immediately grabbed the device and found a not saved 11-digit number on the call screen. Despite it being a number he hadn't saved to on his phone, Kiyotaka recognised the number. Not wasting any time, he swiped on the answer call button and put the phone to his ear.
"Hello?"
"Hello, Kiyotaka-kun. I'm sorry that I'm calling this late at night, but can I have a moment of your time now?"
"It's alright. I'm not doing much on my end. It's been a long time since I've heard from you, Chairman Sakayanagi."
The very director of the school known as Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School, and father of the leader of second year Class A, Chairman Sakayanagi was the owner of the voice behind the digital curtains. It had been a while since that voice had reached Kiyotaka's ears.
"I'm sure I've caused you a lot of anxiety too over everything that has happened and my silence since being admitted again, but everything's okay now."
"I see. I'm glad to hear you're doing well."
"It must have been tough for you too. But I must say that I'm amazed that you've been able to stay in this school without any problems in unfavourable conditions."
"Thanks, I guess. Though, it just so happens if he had been serious, I wouldn't still be here right now."
Kiyotaka and Chairman Sakayanagi didn't even need to mention Tsukishiro's name to understand that they were talking about the same person.
"With all that he did as the Acting Director from what I heard, I do have a few questions about his behaviour... But let's not talk about that today since that isn't important. I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to be following up with you in the future."
Even though he knew the Chairman couldn't see it happening, Kiyotaka raised his eyebrows to show his confusion and interest.
"I'm sure you've heard about the unusual cultural festival by now, right? Government officials, school alumni and their families have been invited to be part of the festival. I'm sure you know what it means right? Unfortunately, this was all confirmed before I could stop it. Once I approached them, it was too late since the invites had gone out and I had already received the acceptance letters."
Tokyo Metropolitan High School, which was very well known for its isolation from the world around them, was now opening its gates for visitors of the school's very first cultural festival. This was the work of Tsukishiro who had a conversation about a cultural festival with Kiyotaka back during the spring break.
It was unfortunate for Chairman Sakayanagi, who always wanted to stick to the original outline of school isolation, that he couldn't stop the festival from moving further ahead. He could only go along with the festival and allow teachers to announce it.
"It's nothing for the Chairman to apologise for since it was unfortunately beyond his power at the time and too late now. But I'm sure the students are looking forward to it."
From the rules alone, it definitely felt like a special exam. However, cultural festivals were built to be fun, both for the students hosting it and the visitors partaking in it. However, from the news of visitors appearing, and the likely possibility of Professor Ayanokouji appearing, whether the cultural festival will feel like one for Kiyotaka was another story.
"You are right. When something like a cultural festival is announced, students of any school tend to feel excited for it. This school is no exception. But... Well, there is something that hasn't been announced yet since it was meant to be for a later time. But with the situation you're currently in, I'm going to tell you about it first."
"What is it?"
"It's not just the cultural festival where the school will be open to certain visitors. The sports festival next month will actually allow certain invited guests to watch too. Unfortunately, this was on an extremely short notice so compared to the cultural festival, I didn't even have the chance to try and stop this."
"Guests at the sports festival?"
Like Chairman Sakayanagi had said, this was something that he hadn't exactly heard about from the school yet. Chabashira had not announced this when she was discussing a bit of the sports festival during a previous homeroom session.
However, Sakayanagi Arisu had mentioned to him that guests were likely going to be part of the sports festival based on deductions she got from Mashima's announcement before the Talent Show. She also said that her father would likely contact him to talk about this. It seemed that ended up coming true.
"Sports festivals are generally for the parents of the students to come and watch. In that sense, the stance of welcoming guests itself is not dissimilar..."
"I see."
"This is an unprecedented event, and we are concerned about the security implications of allowing guests to come and go as they please at our school's festivals."
For a school that prided itself for its isolation from the world and its security in keeping that possible, it was understandable that they would be worried over large numbers of guests showing up, let alone just one. Like China and Russia, ANHS would likely do anything and everything in order to manage these guests.
"The selection of people is entirely up to the higher-ups. I'm sure you already understand by now, but the teachers in charge can't rule out the possibility that... your father, Ayanokouji-sensei, may be involved and likely attend as one of the guests. So, in view of the danger to you, I would like to assign a few observers by your side for your protection."
"That's very kind of you, but I'm just one of the students at this school. I don't want any special treatment."
"I understand that you don't really want to stand out much. But may I ask how you are going to cope without the protection when you encounter the people that Sensei sent or Sensei himself?"
"I know very well how difficult that would be. But there always is a way around something, however small it is."
Due to how many people were around him at school, Kiyotaka couldn't just use the Ryuuen and Housen tactics of violence out and about the school grounds, whether it was his classmates, friends, school personnel or anything. If it was a more secluded area, then it would be possible that he could use it.
But there was also the case of what he could and could not say around everyone. "You are invaders. You are his assassins, aren't you?" He couldn't ask that without drawing suspicion to himself.
He would need to find other ways to deal with the situation. Based on what he had gone through with Class B and the start of second year, Kiyotaka had always found ways around something that would otherwise be small. To him, even though this was his father they were talking about, he felt the same could happen again.
"I already understand that you are someone who can make that happen. But remember, this is Ayanokouji-sensei we are talking about so things will be more difficult than you think. And if you are expelled from this school in any way... I am sure I will regret it. I want to avoid the regret of not doing what I could to prevent it."
"Even if I were to follow Chairman Sakayanagi's instructions, it would be unnatural for a student to have a monitoring officer."
This was especially so when the student who would be having one was Kiyotaka, someone who didn't have too much of a presence and was only starting to build up a reputation among his class and the school.
"Indeed. Which is why I'm going to mention another option you should take. You can sit out of the sports festival completely and be absent."
"Be absent?"
Along with raised eyebrows, invisible question marks floated above Kiyotaka's head, indicating he was not expecting such an option to be presented to him.
"Exams and special events can only be held on certain days and can't be moved without great reason. Of course, it is inevitable that some students may need to be absent due to illnesses. As a school, we understand that the most. In your case, you will stay in your dormitory on sick leave on the assumption that you've had a medical check. Then I will place my trusted observer outside the dormitory to watch over you."
Students were responsible for their own health. There would always be cases where someone may turn in ill and not be able to attend an important event, such as the upcoming sports festival. The Chairman was looking to use that to Kiyotaka's advantage by allowing him to have a reasonable absence without raising suspicions.
And even if there was a watchman wandering around the dormitory, the other students wouldn't feel too suspicious over it.
"By doing this, you might be able to escape the hands of that man. Of course, doing this also means that your class will be at a disadvantage during the sports festival since they will lose one very capable student. But I feel dealing with your father is more important."
This was quite a change in Chairman Sakayanagi. Originally, when Kiyotaka had first spoken with him, he declared that he wouldn't give any special treatment to Kiyotaka because he was a special kind of student. However, in this situation, he was willing to lie to his higher ups, the teachers below and even the visitors over a student's "sick" absence.
It was worth noting that Chairman Sakayanagi wasn't trying to go too far with offering support. There was not too much favouritism here, perhaps any at all. He was still trying to be the fair and levelheaded Chairman of Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School that he was. Kiyotaka was thankful for that.
[However, with all that's going on right now, the deals I have with certain people, and what my own values and goals are directing me to do... I have to say no. But at the same time, the offer is giving me a slight idea... The only thing I can do for now is...]
"Can you give me some time to think about it before I give you my answer?"
"Of course. I can't force you to do anything, so I'll leave the final decision to you. But..."
"I know. I'll seriously consider the option of accepting sick absence from the sports festival. When do you want an answer by?"
"You can have as much time to think about it as we have our own preparations to make before the festival too. I'll call you again a week before the sports festival to ask for an answer. Please do consider taking the offer though."
"Yes, I will. Thank you, Chairman Sakayanagi."
The call ended and Kiyotaka placed his phone back onto the bedside table. The length of time he was given to decide was reasonable as it would take that long for Chairman Sakayanagi to arrange the personnel.
[The possibility of our class having a sports festival without me, huh...] He thought.
It was quite likely a few other students from other classes and even other years would be absent for illness reasons or similar. In fact, it is not easy to get every single student to sit every exam. There were bound to be a few students who would not take it on the same day as everyone else.
"I shouldn't focus on that right now... Currently, the upcoming unanimous special exam is more important. Though maybe..."
As he shook his head to bring himself back to reality, a thought crossed his mind. His eyebrows lowered and his eyes narrowed. This thought seemed to stick out in his mind a lot that it had him concentrating on it a lot.
"It will be a gamble... But with how everything is going right now, it's becoming more likely that I'll need to use it..."
With that, Kiyotaka moved back to the kitchen to make himself another drink for the night. He still had the night to relax and plan. Tomorrow would be another day at school, which meant he would have more time for reckoning. And as for Friday, the unanimous special exam would take place.
Would he be able to find the correct answer the Chabashira is searching for? Will his class rise again? Or will they face the same fate that Chabashira had faced 10 years ago? They could only find out on the day the exam happens...
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Part 6
The next day flowed without too much trouble. Students were a little nervous about tomorrow and some even asked Horikita if she had any plans so far, to which she replied that they were all good for tomorrow.
Thanks to that small reply from Horikita, a few of the students' worries dissipated into dust. There were still a few who harboured worries, Kiyotaka included, but they didn't let that cloud their mind right now. If they did, it wouldn't let them be ready for the exam tomorrow.
Soon, the evening arrived and at 6pm Kiyotaka was sitting at the desk chair by his table. He was on his computer scrolling through a few random websites. They were a mix of forums, explainer sites and a bit of social media.
Knock knock.
The sound of someone knocking at the door distracted Kiyotaka from scrolling on a forum page. He got up from his seat at his desk and walked to the door.
"Hey."
When he opened the door, Hirata Yousuke appeared behind it. Clubs had finished at least 2 hours ago, allowing him to change into more comfortable clothing, however he was still clad in his school uniform. However, he wasn't the only one doing so as Kiyotaka hadn't so much as change out of his shirt and trousers either, only going as far as to take just the blazer off.
"Come in."
Kiyotaka made way for Hirata to enter and the two made their way over to where he had been earlier. Kiyotaka sat down at his desk again while Hirata sat on the bed. When he thought about it, this was the first time Kiyotaka had invited Hirata to his room like this. The last time Hirata was in his room was more Hirata asking to talk with him in his room.
"How did your club go?"
"Oh. We just practised a lot as per usual. Training actually seems to be increasing a bit more because of the upcoming sports festival. And apparently after the sports festival, we'll be playing against another large school in Tokyo on a weekend. So our training is picking up for that too."
"That so?"
"Yeah. There's also a chance that I could be made the next captain of the club too. I'm not too sure how to take it but..."
Hirata was a really good football player, since he played for his junior high school's team. He most likely was a key player for their team as his reputation in ANHS's football club was also quite high. Kiyotaka wasn't surprised that he was likely going to be offered the role of captain in due time.
"Yahallo!"
The door opened again and revealed Kei. Just like the boys, Kei was also still wearing her school uniform, though she did not have the blazer on. She entered the room with ease and gave a weird greeting that made Kiyotaka have to revert to his memory banks as it somehow sounded quite familiar.
But he didn't have enough time to think about it as Hirata gave him a small glance as if asking "how did she get in easily?"
"Kei has a spare key to my room so she can come by. I have one to hers too."
Being satisfied with his answer, Hirata nodded. Although, it occurred to Kiyotaka's mind that while Kei had a spare key to his room, she wasn't the only one who had one. Ike, Sudou, Yamauchi (when he was still at ANHS) and Kushida also had spare keys to his room which were made without his consent.
None of them had returned it to him, even after all this time and Kiyotaka didn't even bother to ask them for it. He had bought a U-lock in order to prevent them from coming in randomly with those keys, which had been unlocked now to allow Kei and Hirata to enter. He made a mental note to probably get those keys back at some point now.
"You know. It's kind of unusual for us to get together alone like this, isn't it? We haven't done so since... The cruise ship."
As she sat down on the bed next to Hirata, Kei made this observation. It was true that they had never really gotten together alone like this as all the times they were together, there was always another companion. For example, Horikita when they were discussing class matters. Satou when they were out on a Christmas double date.
And like Kei had mentioned, the only time they had gotten together like this was when they had inexplicably and unintentionally met together during a night on the cruise ship. Although, for the three of them, it was not exactly a good memory to have, especially in Kei's case.
"Maybe so."
"We should go out together like this more often. Just the three of us. Me, Kiyotaka and Yousuke-kun. It would be a blast to go together."
Surprisingly, it was Kei who made this suggestion. Both Kiyotaka and Hirata were surprised, and it was especially so for Hirata whose next point made sense to everyone.
"Are you sure? I wouldn't be disrupting any chances of you two being together and having your dates, right? Plus, there's the fact that everyone else in the school still believes that we dated before you two got together. It would be slightly problematic for us, right?"
Kiyotaka agreed with Hirata. The students of ANHS really enjoyed talking about rumours. If one rumour spread, it would be the main topic for a while. Since he, Kei and Hirata had high reputations now, there was no doubt that rumours were going to spread. Plus, there was no doubt that Hirata was looking out for Kei since this very thing was what brought her to fake-date him in the first place.
"Who cares what they think now. Kiyotaka and I hid from everyone that we were dating and as soon as we revealed it all, rumours about us went around. It was quite similar when everyone thought you and I were dating Yousuke-kun. Rumours about us are already going round and may increase, but they are soon to die. Why should they stop us? As for you disrupting us, Kiyotaka and I have all the time in the world, especially in the late evenings. And we hang out with Satou-san, Shinohara-san, Nene-chan and even Kiyotaka's friends."
"Well... You're right. I'm not opposed to it. I would like to hang out with you guys a lot more."
After being convinced by Kei's reasons, Hirata pledged his support for the idea of hanging out as a trio more often. Kiyotaka wanted it to happen anyway but he was on Hirata's side specifically because he wasn't sure. Seeing that the two of them were onboard, he too felt onboard with hanging out often. It would allow them to deepen the relationship they had as close beings too.
"But we should probably get to why we're here. It's not everyday that you call us out of nowhere to meet up with you in your room, Kiyotaka-kun. I'm guessing that it must be quite important, right?"
Kiyotaka had called them earlier on during the day to meet him here, but he hadn't told them the reason why. Even though Hirata asked such a question, it was likely he already guessed what it was for and he would only be partly correct.
"You are correct, Yousuke. I wanted to discuss tomorrow's special exam with you two. I thought I'd prepare some measures."
"Measures? Kiyotaka-kun. You're trying to make the test unanimous, aren't you?"
"Just from the outline, and before we got any more explanations, it certainly didn't sound like a very difficult exam, did it? The special exams that have been held in the past have had much more difficult rules."
"Well... At that point in time I wasn't too sure what to make of it. But now, with all the information we have now, this special exam will not be straightforward. The issue is ensuring our class is united to make unanimous decisions on each vote. We still aren't that well united."
"I think so too. And the fact that it looks easy means that there's a good chance that we'll be presented with a question that will divide opinions."
Kei pitched in with her point of view, causing Kiyotaka to nod his head, somewhat proud at how observative these two had become since their first year. What Hirata and Kei said was true.
"But, you know, I have to wonder what kind of questions are difficult to get unanimous agreement on?"
"I'm not too sure either. Though, I think..."
What kind of question would their classmates struggle on? Hirata and Kei couldn't quite put their finger on it. Seeing the two of them struggling, Kiyotaka got up from his seat at his desk and walked into the kitchen, confusing the two sitting on the bed.
Shortly after, he returned to the main room holding items in each of his hands. In his left hand was a loaf of bread in a bag while his other hand contained a closed bowl of raw rice. He held the two items in front of him, as if telling them to focus their attention on the items.
"From now until graduation, you will only be able to eat one of these two carbohydrates. Would you choose rice? Or bread? Make your choice."
"Oh, what's with that question?"
"The question sounds dumb. I know. If you were to ask me about rice and bread, I would probably laugh. But the reality is that this is a difficult choice to make if it were serious. Make your choice now, Kei and Yousuke."
"I would definitely choose bread. I wouldn't be able to live until graduation without bread."
Seeing that Kiyotaka had some sort of intention with the question, Kei gave her answer. A bread fanatic she appeared to be. Her and Kiyotaka then turned to Hirata, awaiting for his answer.
"I'd probably go for rice. I only need bread once a week or so."
Hirata gave an answer opposing Kei's bread faction. Getting the answers he wanted, Kiyotaka nodded and placed the two items of food on his desk before sitting down and speaking up again.
"I'm actually more of a rice man myself," he said, trying his best to ignore the adorable annoyed pouting face of Kei. "From the three of us, it seems we have different opinions, don't we? It won't be easy to turn the vote around when some could be stubborn on something like this. Kei. If there were 30 of us in the Rice camp, would you follow us in order to reach an unanimous decision?"
"No, I wouldn't. Because it's a ban of one of the foods until graduation. I would rather have the one I like more, so I'll keep voting for bread."
"There you have it. Kei and a few others will continue to resist because they can't stand for the option they didn't choose. Problem is that they would need to bend if the majority is on the other side. Using a more realistic comparison, all future special examinations will be based on 'academic' or 'physical' ability alone. What would be the outcome of such a question?"
Hirata and Kei looked at each other, as if stating with their eyes that they didn't know which of the two to choose. Fortunately for them, Kiyotaka wasn't actually expecting an answer as he continued speaking.
"If you're an athletic student like Sudou, you're definitely going to choose physical ability, and if you're like Keisei who's not very good at sports, you're going to have to bring your academic ability to a unanimous decision no matter what."
Starting to get a better understanding of the situation, both Kei and Hirata stiffened. They had gone through this exact example situation with the demonstration yesterday, but probably due to the fact that they were wrapping their heads around the whole exam, they didn't think about the issues too much.
"If a question is passed unanimously, it's completed, right? So does that mean that in some cases you have to be prepared to lose 300 class points in penalty for not choosing an option?"
"We have to be prepared for anything. There will obviously be some difficult choices, but losing 300 class points could mean giving up your ticket to Class A. Our first priority should be to clear it without too much trouble."
"I'm starting to think this special exam is more difficult than we thought..."
"Is that why you invited us here, Kiyotaka-kun?"
It seemed that Hirata and Kei were finally understanding why they were here.
"As we've observed and deduced from earlier, this special exam will require a great deal of unity among our classmates. We're going to have a few disagreements, that's natural. But if it's constant, then I'm sure it's going to cause a mess and prevent us from moving forward ASAP. This is why we have a leader for this exam which is Horikita."
"Yes, you're right. But then in that case, shouldn't Horikita-san also be included in this conversation?"
"I've already talked with Horikita about this. She knows what she needs to do, but it won't be enough with just her alone. Even though she's led the class well through special exams, she still doesn't have such a good reputation. There will be people who will still try to disagree with her even as the leader. In the event that this happens, the two main figures of the class will need to be on top of things to get the vote to go the right way. Those two main figures are you two. You will support Horikita from the shadows without letting everyone easily know."
"Why? Well, as for me, I don't like following Horikita-san's instructions."
Understandably, Kei was slightly annoyed that she had to agree with what Horikita said. Kiyotaka couldn't exactly deny that he didn't like the idea of it either, but he decided to keep that to himself for now.
"Both you and Yousuke have the ability to read the atmosphere better than the average student. It's an ability that's more important than ever, so you need to be more flexible with it and develop it further. In this situation, if you can sense what Horikita is thinking and what she wants to do and match it, the class will be much stronger and be more likely to pass this exam better."
"But Kiyotaka. Why can't you just do it? Your reputation in class has been increasing and more of our friends are starting to trust you more. I feel that's a better solution."
It was true that ever since the class vote, the 100 score in maths, the announcement of him and Kei dating, and the Talent Show, Kiyotaka's reputation was growing higher and better. The option Kei provided was a good one, but Kiyotaka had to disagree with it.
"To be frank with you, it's not always possible for me to make a move when I want to. You have to be prepared for the unexpected, for when I may not be able to help you guys. Plus, there is something else that I'm focusing on for this exam."
He was implying that there could be a sudden expulsion of himself, or that he could become ill. Anything was possible. Kei seemed to understand without him needing to explain it, but that didn't mean she liked the idea.
"I see. Well I understand. All we have to do is follow Horikita-san well and make sure the special exam goes smoothly, right?"
"Yes. That's all. I'm going to set some instructions and cues that only you two will know so that we can all communicate with each other when we need to without letting the others know."
"That's all good and well Kiyotaka-kun. But I'm a little more worried about what you said earlier. You said there's something else that you're focusing on for this exam?"
Kiyotaka had said that line quieter than the others, but it still seemed that Hirata caught onto it. He gave a slightly concerned look which caused Kei to do the same.
"Yeah. To be honest with you two, there's something that's been bothering me about this special exam. Over the last day, I've managed to come to a conclusion that said thing that's bothering me may end up happening. So I wanted to prepare for that too."
"Does it have anything to do with us? Do you need us to do something else?"
"No. You guys still have your own roles, but there is something else that I want you to hear. Something that could actually become dastardly. But, the thing is, you two aren't the only ones who need to hear this and you two weren't the only ones I called here. There's one more person that's coming."
"One more person?"
At that moment, some banging was heard from the front door, indicating that someone was knocking on the door. Kei and Hirata turned to each other then turned to the door.
"That should be that person now," he said as he got up from his seat and walked to the door and opened it. "You're just in time. Come in..."
The silhouette walked past Kiyotaka and caused Kei and Hirata to raise their eyebrows as they were shocked, surprised and confused altogether.
End of Chapter 3...