Classroom of the Elite: The 100 Elites Who Really, Really, Really Love

by legalinmybooks

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka has been cursed (blessed) by The God of Love who accidentally linked Ayanokouji and 100 different girls/women. They are to become soulmates bounded by love and fate. If their relationship with Ayanokouji fails, the girls are fated to die in an accident. It's a matter of life or death. Will Ayanokouji survive ANHS with 100 potential soulmates waiting for him? Wil

26. Chapter 25: Dorm Life

"Wow! That smells and looks amazing, Ayanokouji-kun!" said Satou, looking at their dinner hungrily.

"Thanks. Let's see if I can pass the taste test." said Ayanokouji. "Itadakimasu!" said the duo.

Ayanokouji made a standard Japanese dinner with grilled mackerel, pickled vegetables, miso soup, a side of karrage, and a bowl of rice. He didn't want to try anything fancy and stuck with things that were easy to make and things that he can replicate easily. He didn't know Satou's taste in food and preferred food, so he stuck with something simple and didn't overdo it.

"Delicious! I won't mind if I eat dinner with you every day!" said Satou, taking a bite of a piece of karrage before taking some rice.

"Let's not get to ahead of ourselves. I might not have the time to cook every day, but I'll try my best to cook as often as possible." said Ayanokouji, trying his food for the first time. Every time that he cooked something, he tried to find some flaws or any improvement, so the next time that he cooks it will be better than before.

The duo enjoyed the rest of their dinner and Satou was making small talk. It was the usual talk between classmates since they aren't very close.

"Thanks for the meal! It was delicious!" said Satou, setting down her chopsticks. Ayanokouji began gathering all of the empty tableware. but Satou stopped him.

"Let me wash the dishes. That's the least I can." said Satou, grabbing the dishes and stacking them on top of each other.

"But..." said Ayanokouji.

"Stop complaining! I'm not taking no for an answer!"

Ayanokouji decided to let Satou do it and figured that there's no point in arguing on who should do the dishes. The only thing that matters is that the dishes are going to be washed and it doesn't really matter who's doing it.

"Okay. You win, Satou." said Ayanokouji. Satou thanked him and she headed into the kitchen to wash the dishes. Ayanokouji sat down on the couch and decided to check his phone. He found a few messages from some of his soulmates, talking about the new mini special exam and their partners.

Shinohara Satsuki

Shinohara: I can't believe the school would do something like this! What were they thinking?! Letting a boy and girl sleep under the same roof?!

Ayanokouji: Yeah... That might explain why the school was taking so long for the construction.

Shinohara: The rooms are better than our dorms! It's bigger and have more space!

Shinohara: Hmph... I would've like being paired with you, but I guess Miayke- kun is better than those perverts, Ike and Yamauchi. I feel bad for Kushida-chan.

Ayanokouji: Ahh... how is it so far?

Shinohara: So far, so good. I guess Miyake-kun is kind of quiet and gloomy. He's been in his room for the entire time, but to be honest, it's better because he doesn't actually care that he's sleeping under the same room with a girl.

Ayanokouji: I see... How are going to arrange our study session?

Shinohara: Honestly, I feel better if I go to your room. I don't want to bother Miyake-kun and Satou-san probably doesn't mind. It will be like our usual hang-out.

Ayanokouji: Okay. I'm fine with that. I'll guess I'll see you tomorrow.

Shinohara: Yeah. One more thing, Ayanokouji-kun...

Ayanokouji: Yeah?

Shinohara: You better not try anything with Satou-san. Ayanokouji: I won't.

Shinohara: Good. Good night, Ayanokouji-kun. Ayanokouji: Good night, Shinohara.

Kushida Kikyou

Kushida: What the fuck?! This shitty school! Not only that I got the worse fucking luck of the century: seeing that bitch Horikita and now getting paired with that pervert, Ike!

Kushida: That fucking pervert has been staring at me every time I leave my room! I can hear him talking to his shitty ass friends and whispering so excitedly. Kushida-chan... Kushida-chan! Fuck off!

Ayanokouji: Has Ike tried anything with you?

Kushida: He tried to ask me out for dinner, but I told him I was meeting with some friends. I was trying so hard not to scream at him.

Kushida: Fucking smiling and pretending that I didn't hear him talking about me. I'm going to lose my shit! One day, I can't avoid him and I'm gonna have to spend some time with that fucking pervert!

Ayanokouji: Looks like you're not going to have any luck in venting out your frustrations with Ike living with you.

Kushida: No shit, Sherlock. I'm fucking pissed off and I can't do anything because of that pervert.

Ayanokouji: Why don't you come to my room instead?

Kushida: Eh?! With that ugly bitch, Shinohara. Fuck, no! Are you trying to get me exposed?!

Ayanokouji: I meant my other room. Our original meeting spot. Kushida: I can?! Wait... is that allowed?!

Ayanokouji: The exam is for us to sleep and dorm with our pairs, but it didn't say that we can stay at our rooms. As long as we don't sleep in our first year rooms, then we should be find. Besides, there's no problem with that and the first year dorms are going to be empty because of the mini special exam.

Kushida: I'm in. I don't worry to deal with that shithead every hour. Ayanokouji: Okay. Same time?

Kushida: Sure. I'll let you know.

Kushida: Fuck! That fucking pervert is calling for me. Good night, Ayanokouji- kun.

Ayanokouji: Good night, Kushida. Hang in there. Kushida: I'll need it…

Horikita Suzune

Horikita: Ayanokouji-kun? Are you still up? Ayanokouji: Yeah. What's up?

Horikita: Just checking up on you. The school has thrown quite an odd exam at us. I was wondering if they have more in store for us.

Ayanokouji: Maybe. How are your accommodations?

Horikita: Sotomura-kun has been his usual self, talking in his own unique way, but otherwise he's been in his room most of the time.

Ayanokouji: At least he's bothering you.

Horikita: Yes, but I can't shake the feeling that the school has something in store for us. A month of dorming is too much.

Ayanokouji: Hmm... you may be right. Expect the worse, huh? Horikita: Unfortunately... How are things with Satou-san?

Ayanokouji: It could be worse, but everything is fine.

Horikita: I must remind you that the school has a strict rule regarding misconduct between pairs. Of course, I'm trusting you that you will not try anything, but I was merely reminding you of the consequences of the actions that you might take due to teenage hormonal urges.

Ayanokouji: I know, Horikita. I won't try anything.

Horikita: Hearing it from you doesn't put me to ease, but I suppose I can take what I can get.

Ayanokouji: Did you really have to write a paragraph? Horikita: It's not a paragraph. It was merely a statement.

Ayanokouji: Of course. The queen of sociability has grace me with her presence.

Horikita: Out of everything, humor is the last thing that I expect from you, Ayanokouji-kun.

Ayanokouji: I hope that's not everything that you expect out of me. Horikita: No. I expect more.

Ayanokouji: I see...

Horikita: Good night, Ayanokouji-kun. I'm off to get into a bath before getting some rest.

Ayanokouji: Good night, Horikita.

Ayanokouji set down his phone as he went on the soulmates group chat which included all of his soulmates from his class and Tachibana with exception of Sakura and Inogashira, who were quite shy and didn't offered their contact information. They haven't added Manabe, Nanami, Morofuji, and any of the other soulmates from different classes, but Ayanokouji could see that the group chat is quite active. They were talking about their pairs and Ayanokouji found out their pairing.

Azuma Sana and Ijuin Wataru (Plaza 1, Room 105) Onodera Kayano and Sudou Ken (Plaza 1, Room 303) Mori Nene and Okitani Kyosuke (Plaza 1, Room 510) Ichihashi Ruri and Yukimura Teruhiko (Plaza 1, Room 404)

Ayanokouji was a little surprised that Sotomura, Okitani, and Ijuin were all paired with his soulmates and as he looked through the messages, they were chatting about some of the pairs such as Yamauchi and Karuizawa which was a surprising pairing. Apparently, Karuizawa literally mark off a section of the dorm and forbade Yamauchi from entering otherwise she would hit the panic button. Ayanokouji figured that setting up boundaries is necessary given Yamauchi's perverted nature.

After scrolling through a couple of messages, Ayanokouji set down his phone and went to get a cup of water. As he entered the kitchen, he saw Satou wiping her wet hands on a towel.

"Are you done?" asked Ayanokouji, grabbing his mug and pouring himself a cup of water.

"Yep. Just have to set them on the drying rack." said Satou, placing the dishes on the drying rack by the sink.

"By the way, I'm not sure if I can make breakfast and lunch sometimes because I might be busy. I will try my best to make dinner and meals if I have the time."

"That's fine. Honestly, I think I got lucky and got someone that can actually cook."

"Thanks. I'll try to leave some food in the fridge if I've made some food and already gone."

"Wait! How about we exchange phone number, so we can keep in touch?" "Okay."

Satou pulled out her phone and the duo exchanged contact information and before Ayanokouji received a message from Satou, confirming that they have successfully shared contact information.

"Cool. I'll finish up the dishes. You can take a shower first." said Satou.

"Okay. I won't take long." said Ayanokouji, taking a sip of water and walking into the hallway and towards his bedroom. He entered his room, placed his cup of water on his desk, and went to his wardrobe to fetch a change of clothes and towel.

Ayanokouji walked into the bathroom, changed his clothes, and placed his old clothes into a basket before stepping into the shower.

*Timeskip (15 minutes later)*

Ayanokouji placed the basket with his old clothes in the laundry room and he had a spare school uniform and blazer in his wardrobe. His brown hair was still glistening from the shower that he took and most of his hair was dried, but some of the edges are somewhat wet.

We need to discuss a laundry and cleaning schedule. It's better that we're organized and avoid running into trouble since we will be living together for a month.

As Ayanokouji was thinking about it, he heard the water running from the bathroom and knew that Satou was in the bathroom, taking a shower.

Ayanokouji was in his room and lounging on his bed and looking at one of his textbooks from one of his classes. He was waiting for Satou to finish before asking her about laundry and cleaning duties. Ayanokouji has unpacked most of his belongings that he has brought with him, but some of the things are a little out of place as he didn't have time to fully unpack. After a few minutes of waiting, Ayanokouji heard the bathroom open and Satou walking out.

"Satou, can we talk?" asked Ayanokouji, speaking loud enough that Satou can hear him through the doors.

"Yeah. Let me drop off my things at the room." said Satou. "Okay. I'll meet you in the living room."

Ayanokouji left his room and made his way into the living room, sitting down on the couch. After about a minute, Satou came out of the hallway. She was wearing a set of pink pajamas and Ayanokouji could smell the faint scent of shampoo coming from her freshly washed hair.

"Satou, it's about cleaning and laundry duties. I was thinking that we do our own laundry and take turns cleaning the dorms." said Ayanokouji.

"Yeah. I'm fine with it, but I can do most of the cleaning. It's the least I can do if you're the one cooking dinner." said Satou.

"Yeah. You don't need to do each other's rooms. We can clean our own room."

Satou nodded her head in agreement and with that, the duo had came to an agreement without any issues. Ayanokouji hoped that this arrangement would be beneficial and help maintain the cleanliness of their dorms and lighten the burden off Ayanokouji's shoulders. He wondered if the other pairs have came with arrangements like this, but he knew that this mini special exam are going to change the relationship between each pairs.

*Timeskip (next day)*

Ayanokouji entered the classroom with Ichihashi and Mii-chan. They have met in the elevator and went to school together. Satou has left for school earlier and she said that she was meeting with some friends, leaving Ayanokouji alone for breakfast.

As Ayanokouji said his goodbyes to Mii-chan and Ichihashi and was making his way to his desk, he noticed that a decent amount of girls were complaining about the mini special exam and their partners. The most vocal was Karuizawa, who was talking about her unfortunate pairing with Yamauchi.

"C'mon! Out of every guy in the classroom, I got him! At least pair me up with Hirata-kun or Ayanokouji-kun!" said Karuizawa. Yamauchi, Ike, and Sudou were on the opposite side of the classroom and heard Karuizawa talking about him. Yamauchi started to get up from his seat, but Sudou grabbed him and shook his head. Yamauchi scowled at Karuizawa, who was going off on him.

"Oi, Haruki! Don't tell me that you're making a move on Hirata's girl?!" asked Ike.

"Don't be fucking stupid! Karuizawa is cute and all, but I'm after Sakura-chan! Damn! It should've been me, but I'm stuck with that bitch." said Yamauchi.

"Oi, Ken! You're feeling jealous that the Professor is getting a taste of Horikita?" "Watch your mouth, Kanji. Shut up!"

Sudou put Ike in a headlock and Ike cried out in pain and tried to break out, but Sudou's strength was superior and he wasn't able to. Ike clapped his hands and tapped on Sudou's shoulders in a sign of surrender. Sudou held on for a few more seconds until he was satisfied and let Ike go. Ike groaned and messaged the back of his neck, checking to see if it's not broken.

"The Professor has basically betrayed us, right? He stopped hanging out with us!" said Yamauchi, glancing over at Sotomura who was chatting with Okitani and Ijuin.

"Yeah! He fucked up with Operation Delta." said Ike, nodding his head. Sudou just nodded his head, but he seemed distracted and thinking about something as he glanced over at Horikita, who has just recently arrived.

"Anyways! We need a new operation!"

"Another Operation Delta? Not sure if we have time for that." "There's always time for tits and ass!"

"Amen, brother!"

As Ike and Yamauchi were chatting excitedly with each other, Sudou was tapping his fingers on the desk absentmindedly and didn't seemed to be in the mood to celebrate. Some of the girls that are nearby heard their commotion and gave them a disgusted look, fearing that the Idiot Trio was planning something stupid again.

Before Ike or Yamauchi could continue, Chabashira-sensei entered the classroom with her clipboard and roll of paper. Some of people in the classroom gave each nervous glances and feared that Chabashira-sensei have something else to announce again.

"Good morning, class. Everyone seems to be rowdier than usual. Are there any questions before I continue?" asked Chabashira-sensei.

"Sensei! I'm totally done with this mini special exam. Why do we have to pair with boys? Why not with other girls?! They can't be trusted!" asked Karuizawa. She was one of the first to voiced their opinions and distaste for the whole concept of the current mini special exam. Some of the girls especially the girls that follow her voiced their agreement too and didn't seemed pleased that they were paired with boys since it's their first time dorming with a boy. With some opposition from the girls, some of the boys began to speak up.

"C'mon! What's wrong with you?!"

"It's just like the island exam! We're not gonna steal your panties!" "I'm not gonna get expelled just for peeking at you guys!" "Society!"

The boys and girls of Class D began giving each other hostile looks and glares as distrust and hostility increased. Hirata and Kushida tried their best to calm everyone down, but it seemed that some of the girls felt uncomfortable about this whole mini special exam and was still nervous about the whole stolen panties situation that occurred on the island exam.

Even if it was Ibuki's fault, the potential of having your underwear being stolen and the lack of privacy is still the issue and could happen. It's not like some of

the boys in the classroom is not thinking about it or having perverted thoughts about dorming with another girl. On the other hand, the boys were outraged that they were being discriminated against and categorize as perverts without actually doing anything. It seemed the unease from both sides has caused quite a distrust and resent.

"Please, everyone. Calm down! I know it's hard for everyone to accept this mini special exam, but we can do this if we work together." said Hirata, pleading.

Hirata is fulfilling his role as being the class mediator and his words seemed to have a huge deal of influence on the girls as it calmed the hostilities of some of the girls, but not all of them.

"If anyone has any issues, please talk to me or Hirata-kun. Let's resolve it as a class!" said Kushida, adding on. With both Hirata and Kushida's interference, the class seemed to have calm down significantly, but there were some glares from both sides..

"To answer your question Karuizawa, the school has deemed that it's necessary for this mini special exam to be mixed gender. Life is unpredictable and you wouldn't know what kind of environment you'll live in. Some of you may live by yourself in the future, but you must be prepared for any situation. You may find yourself living with others, same or mixed gender, and you might not like it, but sometimes you may not have any other choice. The school is simulating a dorming experience for that purpose." explained Chabashira-sensei. That explanation explained the motive of the school, but it didn't make some of the people happy about it.

"So, we're basically doing some stupid experiment?" "Aren't we basically doing it by living by ourselves?"

"Idiot! Sae-chan-sensei said that it's the dorming experience!"

Chabashira-sensei waited for everyone to be quiet before speaking and she was shuffling some papers around.

"Starting today, classes begin again. However, from September to the beginning of October, we will be holding more physical education classes to prepare for the school sports festival. We'll distribute new weekly schedules, so please review them carefully. In addition to the new schedules, we'll also distribute materials

related to the festival. Students seated at the front, please pass handouts to those behind you, and so on." said Chabashira-sensei. Ayanokouji received his handout and began glancing over the paper. The moment Chabashira-sensei uttered the words "sports festival," the class erupted in an uproar. Some students were undoubtedly excited by the prospect, but just as many loathed the idea of anything focused on physical exertion.

"The details on the printed handouts can be found on the school homepage as well. Please refer to them if necessary." said Chabashira-sensei.

"Sensei, is this festival another of the special exams?" asked Hirata.

"You're free to interpret this however you wish. In any case, this event will massively impact each and every class."

The students who loathed exercise continued grumbling. At an ordinary school, you could find a way to sit out or skip a sports festival. If this festival affected the entire class's fate, however, then even the least athletic people had to participate. On the other hand, some students were really fired up about this especially Sudou. Every performance matters now and will affect the entire class.

"Flip over to the next page and you'll see the overview of the entire sports festival." said Chabashira-sensei.

"Some people have noticed this already, but for this year's festival, we're going to divide all the students across all grade levels into two groups and have them compete against each other. You in Class D are assigned to the Red Team. Class A is also assigned to the Red Team, so they will

compete alongside you." continued Chabashira-sensei. "Whoa! Seriously?! We're really doing that?" shouted Ike.

Ayanokouji found it interesting since this sports festival required a different strategy and demanded cooperation between students from different years. Ayanokouji glanced over at Horikita, who appeared calm and composed on the outside, but he was sure she was panicking internally. Her older brother, Horikita Manabu, was a third-year student from Class A. Depending on the circumstances, Class D might have to work with him and Horikita haven't seen or talk to her brother after their little incident during their first month of school.

"First, let's review the sports festival's potential outcomes. I don't want to have to explain them to you repeatedly, so please listen carefully." said Chabashira- sensei. Ayanokouji looked over at the exam rules.

Sports Festival Rules and Team Division

-The sports festival divides all students, across all grade levels, into two teams: Red and White. The breakdown goes as follows: Classes A and D are on the Red Team, Classes B and C are on the White Team.

Point Allocation for All Competitors (Individual Competitions)

-Points will be allocated as follows: first place will be awarded fifteen points, second place will be awarded twelve points, third place will be awarded ten points, and fourth place will be awarded eight points.

-One point will be deducted for coming in fifth place, and one additional point will be subtracted for each place below that. (During a team competition, the winning team will be awarded 500 points.)

Point Allocation for Recommended Competitors

-Points will be allocated as follows: first place will be awarded fifty points, second place will be awarded thirty points, third place will be awarded fifteen points, and fourth place will be awarded ten points.

-Two points will be deducted for coming in fifth place, and two additional points will be subtracted for each place below that. (The final competition, the relay race, will offer three times the point values.)

Red Team vs. White Team Outcome

-After reviewing the combined overall scores for each class, 100 class points will be deducted from the first-, second, and third-year batches of the two classes on the losing team.

The Effect of Ranking by Grade Level

-Fifty class points will be awarded to the class that scores highest in each of the

three grade levels. Classes that achieve second place in their grade level will not see any changes to their class point totals. Classes that achieve third place in their grade level will have fifty class points deducted, and classes that achieve fourth place will have 100 class points deducted.

"Sensei, how many points does the winning team get? That doesn't appear to be written anywhere." asked Hirata.

"None. Their reward will be not having any points deducted." said Chabashira- sensei. Cries of agony sprang up all over the classroom as it was a huge risk of losing points and no chance of getting points.

"Please keep in mind that points are awarded and subtracted, not just by team, but on a class-by-class basis. So, even if the Red Team wins, you'll still be hit by the 100-point penalty if Class D holds the lowest combined overall score." added Chabashira-sensei.

So, we didn't just need to worry about our team winning. Supposing we scored highest among the first-year classes, and received fifty points? If we lost to the White Team, we'd still get a 100-point penalty. If we ended up taking fourth place among the first-year classes on top of being on the losing team, we'd be penalized 200 points in total. Class D needs to be the best of the best if they wanted to come out on top without losing any points.

There was a section that caught Ayanokouji's attention and it was something that changes on how to approach this sports festival.

Individual Competition Rewards (may be applied to the next midterm exam)

-Students who achieve first place in an individual competition will be awarded either 5000 private points, or the score equivalent of three points on a written test. (In the event that a student accepts the test points, they will not be allowed to give those test points to another student.)

-Students who achieve second place in an individual competition will be

awarded either 3000 private points, or the score equivalent of two points on a written test. (In the event that a student accepts the test points, they will not be allowed to give those test points to another student.)

-Students who achieve third place in an individual competition will be awarded either 1000 private points, or the score equivalent of one point on a written test. (In the event that a student accepts the test points, they will not be allowed to give those test points to another student.)

-Students who score lowest in an individual competition will have 1000 private points deducted from their total. (In the event that a student has less than 1000 points, they will instead receive a one-point penalty on a written exam.)

Regarding Rule Violations/Foul Play

-Read and comply with every competition's rules. Those who violate the rules will be disqualified. Anyone engaging in foul play may be forced to withdraw from the festival. In such cases, the school may render all previously awarded points invalid.

MVP Reward

-The student who receives the highest total score across all competitions will be awarded 100,000 private points.

MVP Rewards for Each Individual Grade Level

-The three students from each grade level who receive their grade's highest total score across all competitions will be awarded 10,000 private points.

"S-sensei, sensei! What are the perks you get for first or second place or whatever? What does it mean that we can receive points for written tests?" shouted Ike.

"It's exactly what you think it is, Ike. In the sports festival, you can earn test points as a prize, which you can then apply to a written exam. You struggle with English and mathematics, right? Extra points would prove incredibly useful for you in the next test." said Chabashira-sensei.

The most athletic students among us looked especially excited about that especially Sudou. Those extra points could mean life or death in this school and could save them in a pinch.

"After all competitions end, the school will calculate each student's point total and assign penalties to the ten lowest-scoring students in each year. The exact nature of the penalties will vary depending on grade level, so please consult the homeroom instructor in charge." said Chabashira-sensei, adding on.

"Sensei, what kind of penalty would we get?" asked Hirata.

"For you first-year students, the penalty would be a point deduction on your next written exam. The ten students with the lowest overall scores will each receive a deduction of ten points."

"Whaaa...?! Seriously?!" yelped Ike.

Ayanokouji noticed that that they were two categories: all participants and recommended participants. All participants is an event that literally all the students in a class participated in. Individual events like the 100-meter dash fell into that category, as did group events like the tug-of-war. Meanwhile, only certain select students would participate in recommended participant events. The word "recommended" implied that a person was nominated, but a student could put themselves forward if the rest of their class agreed. A single person could also participate in a competition meant for multiple people. Events in the "recommended participants" category included the scavenger hunt, the mixed- gender three-legged race, and the 1200-meter relay race.

Point gains and losses were determined purely by the event results, but the combination of team competitions and individual competitions made the festival tricky. We had to be wary of our enemies, Classes B and C, but also mindful of our allies, Class A. Class D and Class A would be helping each other, but to get first place in the combined scores across every grade level,

our own class needed to take the top spots in multiple competitions.

"Details of the events are noted in your handouts. There will be no changes whatsoever." said Chabashira-sensei.

"Ugh, this is crazy hard, though! This is on a completely different level than junior high!" grumbled Hondo.

Events for All Participants

-100-Meter Dash

-Hurdle Race

-Capture the Flag (boys only)

-Ball Toss (girls only)

-Tug-of-War (separate events for boys and girls)

-Obstacle Course Race

-Three-Legged Race

-Cavalry Battle

-200-Meter Dash

Events for Recommended Participants

-Scavenger Hunt

-Four-Way Tug-of-War

-Three-Legged Race (mixed boys and girls)

-1200-Meter Relay Race (mixed grade level, all three years)

"There would normally be, like, three or four events for a single person! Besides, is it even possible to do all these in one day?" asked Ike, concerned about the huge number of events. Some of Ayanokouji's classmates echoed the same concerns.

"I appreciate your concern, but the school already considered that. No events require specific skills, such as cheerleading, dancing, or coordinated group gymnastics. The sports festival will be a thorough test of your general physical ability and stamina." said Chabashira-sensei. Some of the less athletic people in the classroom complained and groaned.

"Another important thing to note is the participation table. Fill it out with the order you'll participate in, and I will submit it to the school on your behalf. I don't imagine any junior high has adopted a system like this, so do be extra careful not to make any mistakes." said Chabashira-sensei, tapping a piece of paper on the blackboard.

"Wait. So, we can decide the order in which we'll participate? Exactly how much freedom do we have?" asked Hirata.

"Your class must come to a consensus on everything to do with the sports festival, such as which students will participate in which events. No changes will be allowed once the deadline passes, no matter the reason. The submission window opens one week prior to the festival and ends at 5:00 pm on the day before it begins. If by some chance you miss the submission window, you will be assigned randomly. So, be careful."

"Excuse me, but I have a question. Is that all right, Chabashira-sensei?" asked Horikita.

"Feel free." replied Chabashira-sensei, with a thin smile. Ayanokouji could swear that she was glancing at him too when she was looking at Horikita.

"I realize that no further changes will be accepted once the submission window closes. However, in the event of someone's absence, what do we do? In the case of an individual competition, I assume that would be treated as an absence, but for group competitions? Especially in games like the cavalry battle and the three- legged race, we might not be able to compete at all if one

important person is missing."

"Should you fall short of the minimum required number of people for competitions for all participants, you will be deemed unable to continue and disqualified. For recommended-participant events, however, you are permitted to arrange a substitute—for a price. To

establish a substitute, you must offer points as compensation."

"While we're on the subject...if an athlete's health suffers, or they're severely injured, will it be possible for that person to continue participating if they wish? Or will they have to stop and see a doctor?"

"We leave that to the students to decide for themselves. Knowing your own limits will be an indispensable skill in the working world. For instance, you can't simply take a day off just because you have a fever on the date of an extremely important conference... However, if someone's health gets truly poor, then they'll have to drop out."

"I understand. Well, how many points are needed to assign a substitute?"

"A substitute requires 100,000 private points per competition. That's expensive or cheap, depending on your resources."

"I see. Thank you very much."

"If there are no more questions, we'll wrap up," said Chabashira-sensei. She looked around the classroom. Students glanced at one another doubtfully and whispered, but made no effort to speak up.

"Next period's location will move to Gymnasium 1, where you'll meet with students from other classes and grade levels. That is all. You have twenty minutes of homeroom remaining. You're free to use that time however you wish." said Chabashira-sensei, leaving the classroom. With the teacher's permission, the silent classroom exploded into chaos. Groups formed, all chattering about the sports festival on their own. Sudou, Ike, and Yamauchi gathered around Horikita.

"Let's figure this out, Horikita," said Sudou, earnestly. "Yeah, yeah, let's think of a way to win!" added Ike.

"Why do only guys like these come to me?" asked Horikita. "Because you're the one that won us the island exam!" said Sudou. "Fine. I'll hear you out."

"Yes! Yes! I'd like to have fun and win!" said Ike, immediately raised his hand.

"That's not a valid opinion."

"Class D can win this." said Sudou, confidently.

"I'm not really expecting you to dazzle with your logic, but I'll listen to what you have to say." said Horikita.

"I'm not sure about the 'all participant' stuff, but you know I'll enter the recommended-participant competitions. If I do that, we'll win. Onodera can do the same thing and we'll win on the boys and girls side!"

"There is some merit to that suggestion. Within our class, you stand out as someone with superior athletic skill. It certainly wouldn't be a bad idea for you and Onodera-san to participate in all the recommended-participant competitions."

"We want to have a chance, too! Come on. If we place in the top three, we can get some points." said Ike. Yamauchi nodded along and they both wanted to gain some extra points.

"So, you'd advance your personal agendas, even if that lessened Class D's likelihood of winning?" said Horikita.

"Well, that's a good point, but...it's just, like, we want a chance to win something!"

"When it comes to the recommended-participant competitions, you want people who are good at sports. You're not, Kanji." said Sudou.

"Hey, you don't know that for sure! I mean, miracles happen all the time, right? 'Sides, this should be fair!" protested Ike.

"I suppose bringing the entire class into this discussion will complicate matters even further." said Horikita. The likelihood of other students agreeing with Ike and wanting the potential rewards of winning were very attractive to poorly performing students.

"Sudou-kun, I sympathize with your desire to participate in all the events. However, that doesn't mean I can support throwing caution to the wind by entering you in every competition." said Horikita.

"Whaddya mean?" asked Sudou, troubled by Horikita's lack in confidence in his physical abilities.

"Stamina isn't an unlimited resource. If you participate in one event after another, you will naturally become exhausted."

"But it's better to leave it to me than put forward someone unathletic, right? Even if I get tired out, I can still move better than those guys."

"We're not coming to any decisions right now. Let's talk more in our next homeroom period." said Horikita, quickly bringing their discussion to an end.

*Timeskip (30 minutes later)*

A crowd of over four hundred people, including instructors and students, gathered together in the gymnasium and it seemed to be a general assembly. Horikita looked restless and scanned her surroundings restlessly. Ayanokouji knew who she was looking for, but with this many people around, she wouldn't be able to spot him easily. Several students came forward and everyone focused their attention on them.

"I'm Fujimaki, from the third-year Class A. It's been decided that I will assume command of Red Team. I'd like to give the first-year students one piece of advice. The sports festival is extremely important. Your experiences here will most certainly be applicable to real life. In fact, many of your future exams may look like games at first glance. However, each and every one of them is a crucial battle in which you stake your survival at this school." said Fujimaki.

"You may not feel motivated right now, but we're going to try and win this thing. I want you to hold on to that feeling. The only competition which all classes from all grade levels will

participate in together is the final event—the 1200-meter relay race. Aside from that, all the other events are divided up by grade level. So, please, feel free to gather and discuss your strategies, starting now." continued Fujimaki.

In response to Fujimaki's words, the first-year students from Class A, led by Katsuragi, began to assemble in droves. On the other hand, the first-year Class D students hesitatingly followed them. Class A and D met on one side of the gym. Katsuragi stepped up and Hirata did as well, both representatives of their class stood ready.

"Well, the circumstances may be rather bizarre, but I'm looking forward to working with you. I hope we can join forces without any problems." said Katsuragi.

"I feel the same way, Katsuragi-kun. I look forward to working with you." replied Hirata.

"Hey, check out that girl." whispered Ike, nodding at Sakayanagi, who was quietly sitting on a chair.

"Every individual class has its own strategies, but—" said Katsuragi. Before he could speak, a voice called out and cut through their side of the gym.

"So, you don't intend to hold a discussion?" said Ichinose. Everyone's attention turned towards the direction of Ichinose's voice and saw her and her class facing Ryuuen and his class. Ryuuen's class seemed to be leaving the gym.

"You understand that I'm leaving out of goodwill, right? Even if I offered to cooperate with you, I can't imagine that you'd believe me. In the end, you'd just probe me for information to see whether I can be trusted, right? It's a waste of time." said Ryuuen, with his hands in his pocket.

"I see. So, you're just saving us the hassle, then." replied Ichinose. "Yep, that's it. You should be grateful."

"Hey, Ryuuen-kun. You really think you can win without cooperating?" asked Ichinose.

"Heh. Hmm, I wonder."

Ryuuen sneered and walked out of the gym, leading the Class C students away. The spectacle merely confirmed Class C's status as a dictatorship. Ichinose watched on for a brief moment before turning back to her class.

"Class B seems to have it really rough, getting paired with Class C and all." "Sucks to be them."

"Honestly, I'm glad that Ryuuen is gone..."

"Since we'll be allies from here on out, I should warn you. Don't underestimate Ryuuen. He'll laugh while he attacks you in the same instant. Don't let your guard down." said Katsuragi, offering Horikita some advice.

"I appreciate the warning, but I wonder if you're speaking from personal experience." replied Horikita, making a verbal jab at Katsuragi's past failure.

"I've warned you."

Katsuragi turned towards Sakayanagi and introduced her to the rest of Class D.

"This is Sakayanagi Arisu. She's disabled. Please be sensitive about that." said Katsuragi.

"Dude, she's super cute!" "Ah! She's my type!"

Ayanokouji wasn't surprised that the Class D boys would be smitten by Sakayanagi. She had a dreamlike quality that made people instinctively want to protect her. Yet none of the

boys made a move to hit on her or crack jokes like they normally would have. Though she appeared weak, you could sense her great strength of will and Ayanokouji has experienced in first hand. Sakayanagi, who noticed that everyone's attention was on her, smiled at them, but Ayanokouji had a feeling that she was trying her best to hide her disgust when she overheard some of the comments given by Ayanokouji's classmates.

"Unfortunately, I won't be very useful in this competition. I'm afraid I'll be consistently absent. Please accept my humblest apologies." said Sakayanagi.

"You have nothing to apologize for. No one's going to give you a hard time over that." said Hirata.

"Your kindness overwhelms me."

Katsuragi watched her quietly. Ayanokouji could see from the way the Class A students arranged

themselves that there was a clear line between Katsuragi's and Sakayanagi's followers, showing off the two factions. Ayanokouji studied each faction and

realized that most of the Class A students are with Sakayanagi and it would seem that the past exams must've damaged Katsuragi's popularity and support. After apologizing for her shortcomings, Sakayanagi showed no sign of wanting to speak further and she seemed to be quietly observed Katsuragi, Hirata, and the others.

"I was thinking that it'd be best if we just keep out of each other's way. You don't mind, do you?" said Katsuragi.

"So, you won't share any details about the competitions you're participating in?" asked Hirata.

"Right. Letting that information slip might lead to unnecessary conflict down the road. Besides, constantly comparing ourselves to each other will only increase the divide between us."

"Yes, I suppose you're right. It's pretty hard to trust other people in this school, Katsuragi-kun. Also, even though we're allies in a way, I suppose there's no changing the fact that we're still competing with one another."

"At any rate, we'll need to meet sometime soon to discuss the group competitions. Is that all right with you?" said Hirata.

"Yes, that should be fine. I'll consult with everyone else." replied Katsuragi. "Thanks. I'm counting on you."

With that, it seemed that everything between Class A and Class D went smoothly. Ayanokouji was not only thinking about the alliance between Class A and D, but what Ryuuen has in mind. That public spectacle shows that Class C had no intentions in working with Class B, but with Ryuuen, anything is possible.

*Timeskip (next day)

It was early in the morning and Ayanokouji was taking a light jog before breakfast. He woke quite early and made sure not to make too much noise to not wake up Satou. He decided to take a jog in a different route and as he was jogging, he stopped by a nearby bench and took a sip of water. Ayanokouji decided to sit down for a quick break and as he was sipping on his water and

enjoying the sunrise, he heard someone jogging towards him.

"Whew! I'm beat..." muttered the girl. She seemed to be quite fatigue and bending over and hands on her knees to catch her breath. Then, she looked up and tried to sit on the bench and noticed Ayanokouji. She was wearing a white tank top and black running shorts.

"Ayanokouji-kun?! When did you get here?!" said Kinoshita, surprised by his presence.

"Good morning, Kinoshita. I was taking a break." said Ayanokouji. "You were taking a jog too?"

"Yeah. Nothing beats taking a morning jog to start your day."

"Yeah! Tell that to Yajima! She's probably sleeping in until the last moment before she gets to class. She's always almost late every day!"

"I'm not surprised at this point."

Ayanokouji scooted from his bench and allowed some room for Kinoshita to sit down on the bench next to him. Kinoshita thanked him and sat down next to him, taking a sip from her water bottle. The duo fell into silence as they were catching their breath from their exercise and taking sips of their water. They also didn't know what to say to each other as they barely know each other and only met briefly once.

"Say... You don't strike me as the athletic type." said Kinoshita.

"I'm not like a gym freak, but I see the benefit of exercising your body. Besides, it helps clear my head." said Ayanokouji.

"Yeah! Are you sure?! You think just like me!" "Perhaps we're more like-minded than you think." "Eh? Are you making a move on me?!"

"No. Just an observation. How long have you been out jogging?"

"Since a hour ago. Gotta practice for the sports festival." "I see. Should you be telling me that?"

"Nah. It's probably fine. It's not like Ryuuen-kun could tell anyways. Besides, I'm not gonna tell you which event I'm participating in!"

"I suppose you're right."

"Man! I can't wait to show off my hard work and training in the sports festival!"

Kinoshita took another swig of water from her water bottle before standing up. The duo had spent a few minutes talking and taking a break and it seemed that Kinoshita is ready to go.

"I gotta take a run again. Wanna come?" asked Kinoshita. "Sure." replied Ayanokouji, getting up as well.

"Try to keep up!" "I'll try my best."

Kinoshita began running and Ayanokouji followed behind her. As the duo began jogging down a trail, Ayanokouji silently observed and judged her physical abilities, making sure that he's not too far behind her.

Kinoshita seemed to be a distance runner. She's not increasing speed and going at full speed like a short distance runner and seemed to be staying at own her pace throughout the entire time which means she's a distance runner in the track team.

Her physical abilities are quite high, but it's not on the same level as Onodera. She could probably beat Onodera in distance running such as a mile run or marathon, but Onodera would still win in the other races.

As Ayanokouji was thinking and judging Kinoshita's physical ability, he has failed to notice that Kinoshita has stopped in front of him and he ran into her at almost full force.

"Whoa! Watch it!" yelped Kinoshita, managing to catch herself before she can hit the ground.

Ayanokouji managed to ground himself to the ground by dropping one of his knees to the ground and preventing himself from falling on top of Kinoshita. Ayanokouji could almost see her half-naked body since the tank top that Kinoshita was wearing has almost slipped off her shoulders due to Ayanokouji accidentally bumping into her and Ayanokouji could see her neck and part of her upper back which was glistening with sweat. Ayanokouji quickly averted his eyes and didn't want to get seen looking at Kinoshita's vulnerable self.

"Sorry. Why did you stop?" asked Ayanokouji.

"There's a path here. If we go to the left, it should take us along the river side, but it will take us farther away from the dorm. If we head to the right, it'll take us around one of the parks and we can eventually find the main road." said Kinoshita, pointing at the different paths.

"I'm just asking on where you wanna to go."

"Honestly, I'm fine with whichever. You can pick and I'll be right behind you."

"Are you sure? I'm going on the left side. There's a nice view up ahead and I get to run more."

"It's okay. I actually never been down here, so it's not a bad idea to explore." "Okay! And away we go!"

With that, Kinoshita and Ayanokouji both started going down the left path and it took them along the riverside where Ayanokouji was at during the festival during the Toro Nagashi and it seemed to be farther downstream as Ayanokouji could barely see the park on where they released their boats. The morning view was beautiful as the sun rose and light was reflecting off the water's surface, making a glistening and simmering effect on the water. Ayanokouji could hear the birds chirping from the nearby trees as the duo continued down the river. He could see why Kinoshita liked this spot.

After about 15 more minutes of running, Kinoshita changed directions and headed down a different path which led away from the river. It seemed that they

are wrapping back around and Ayanokouji could see the main road, signaling that they are approaching the general area. Ayanokouji pulled out his phone and caught a glimpse of his time and realized that it's getting to the time where most students are waking up and getting breakfast.

The duo finally made their way back to the main road and headed back towards the direction of their dorms, Plaza 1. Ayanokouji could tell that Kinoshita is slightly slowing down, probably because of the past hour of constant running with little breaks. After about 5 more minutes, the duo arrived at the lobby of their dorms and they stopped outside as they took their last break. Some students were already leaving the dorms and the duo was standing by the wall, taking sips of water and catching their breath.

"Wow! I thought that I lost you! I was so focused on what's ahead of me that I totally forgot you were behind me." said Kinoshita.

"Man, you are pretty fast. I'm glad that I was right behind you." said Ayanokouji. "You're pretty fast too, Ayanokouji-kun."

"Thanks, but you're faster." "Hee hee~ Thanks."

Kinoshita's face began serious as she raised her right hand and made a fist.

"If I'm gonna get the top spot, I'm gonna have to try harder and be faster." said Kinoshita, announcing and set on her goals.

"Are you really trying to get the first place?" asked Ayanokouji.

"Yeah. I'm getting fired up by thinking about it. Or maybe second place." "Good luck."

"Thanks."

The duo fell into silence as they finished drinking all of their waters from the bottles and after a brief moment, Kinoshita spoke up.

"Hey, Ayanokouji-kun... Let's run again sometime." said Kinoshita. "Yeah." replied Ayanokouji.

*Timeskip (4 hours later)*

"All right, next!" said Katsuragi.

Due to the increase of physical education classes, the school allowed this time for students to practice and do whatever they want to prepare for the sports festival. Katsuragi suggested that both classes should get together to measure their abilities before deciding on their matchups. Horikita was skeptical and believed that it might be a way for Class A to gage Class D's abilities, but she could do the same thing to Class A and hesitantly agreed. There were some devices and equipment in the gym that both classes had arranged from the school.

Ayanokouji was waiting in the line with a bunch of boys from his own class and Class A. Hirata had a clipboard with Katsuragi nearby and they were measuring grip strength of everyone's dominant hand. The girls were at the other side of the gym and was getting their grip strength measured by Horikita and Kushida.

"Full power! Uraaah!" said Sudou, with a suitable bellow. His shoulders shook while he tightly gripped the device in his right hand. The numbers on the digital readout shot up rapidly. In an instant they climbed to 50, then 60, then over 70.

In the end, the number on the digital

display was 82.4 kilograms. Everyone went crazy and couldn't believe what they saw.

"What the heck, dude? You're stupidly strong!" "That red-headed!"

"I could barely even get 69!"

"Heh. It's just 'cause I train all the time. Only natural. Hey, come on. You do it, Koenji." said Sudou, displaying his score as if trying to provoke him.

"I'll pass. Ignore me." said Koenji, polishing his fingernails and blew on them.

"What? You scared of losing to me or something? Guess that's understandable. Heh!"

It was an obvious jab, but Koenji didn't respond which left Sudou frustrated.

"Tch. Oh, hey. Ayanokouji." said Sudou, shoving the device into Ayanokouji's hand. Ayanokouji griped the device and studied the device before pressing onto it.

Grip strength wasn't simply proportional to your arm's thickness, though of course, it wasn't completely unrelated, either. A bunch of muscles known as the "flexor carpi radialis" and the "brachioradialis" in your forearm were most important. The forearm muscles contracted, pulling on the tendons, and thus bending the fingers. The idea was to improve grip strength by training those muscles. If you had a certain amount of muscle mass, depending on your degree of training, you could exceed a grip strength of 100 kilograms. Of course, you would need to spend a lot of time training to achieve that.

I saw the people's grip strength before me and Sudou and what the average boy's grip strength is. I just need to need hit around that limit and don't need to go too overboard.

Ayanokouji gripped the lever, slowly applying force. Once he got towards 35,

Ayanokouji started

to make minute adjustments to his grip strength and slowly stopped applying force and released.

"That's it. I can't go any further." said Ayanokouji. Hirata glanced over at the device before writing it down.

"Your grip strength is 49.8. Good job." said Hirata. "Thanks, but I hit around the average mark."

"Did you?"

Hirata gave Ayanokouji a second glance as if he knew that Ayanokouji was holding back or hiding something, but Ayanokouji blankly stared back and nodded his head.

"Hirataaaa. I got a 42.6. Can you give me a few tiny bonus points and make it 50?" asked Ike. Hirata, smiling wryly, wrote down 42.6 in his notebook.

Ayanokouji watched as most of the boys got around 40-50 and a few even got close to 55, but nobody topped Sudou's score.

"Impressive. For the four-way tug-of-war, we should definitely include Sudou and the top scores for grip strength." said Katsuargi.

"I agree, Katsuragi-kun. What about mixed tug of war? I'm assuming that you want to apply the same logic." said Hirata, circling the people with the highest grip strength.

"Yes. We will have to check in with the girls."

The boys have done a few measurements already and the grip strength was the last test before the boys and girls meet up again and compare their data.

Everybody scattered and Ayanokouji followed Hirata and Katsuragi as they met Horikita and Kushida in the middle of the gym. Ayanokouji saw Sakayanagi sit off at the right side of the gym and seemed to be quietly observing everything which Ayanokouji found strange and thought that Sakayanagi would get involved with this. But Ayanokouji saw the same purple-haired girl with a bored expression walk up to her and it seemed that she seems to be serving Sakayanagi.

Hirata and Katusargi presented their data to Horikita, who took a quick glance over it.

"For the mixed tug of war, I recommend that we keep Sudou-kun, Miyake-kun, and Hashimoto-kun, but we need to add at least 2 girls into the line as stated by the school rules. I recommend myself and Onodera-san." said Horikita.

Katsuragi frowned and looked over at the girl's data before speaking.

"I agree with your logic, Horikita. However unlike in a normal game of tug-of- war, where you could just rely on your strength, some tactics would be necessary." said Katsuragi.

"Cautious as always, huh?"

"Don't underestimate, Ryuuen. Taking precautions is necessary."

"Hmph. Let's move onto the next events."

As the group went through the events, they organized and put the most athletic people into events that required events. Of course, they tried to put everyone in their strong points such as placing track and field members into races. Horikita prioritized one's stamina and tried to limit the amount of events they can be in. Katsuragi agreed and they couldn't decided to the limit as Horikita wanted to do more than less while Katsuragi was thinking the opposite.

"If we can't agree, then there's no point to this partnership?" said Horikita.

"If we signed someone for too many events, what would happen if they run out of stamina and perform subpar? We will lose our placement. What will happen if they get sick and need a substitute? Surely, you see the risk and if you did, then you'll be the one to pay the 100,000 points for a replacement." countered Katsuragi.

"Tch..."

Horikita couldn't find a flaw in Katsuragi's argument and Katsuragi's safe and conversative mindset was good to maintain order and control of one's placement. But Ayanokouji knew that this kind of mindset is not really helpful in this exam because when you're trying to reach 1st place out of every class in the school, you'll need a strong backbone and rooster of students with physical abilities, but you also need to take risks. Leaving the weakest students is surely a way to forfeit placement in those events and could hurt the class's overall placement.

"Hey, Hirata, are we not getting any more chances to enter events? Like luck- based events or events that don't involve too much athleticism?" asked Ayanokouji, breaking the silence.

"Yeah. We have some like the scavenger hunt." said Hirata, looking at the list of events.

"We can put the lower performing students there." said Horikita. Katsuragi nodded as they both have the same idea and the two class representatives were writing on their notebooks. They were taking notes on their own individual class events and also their joint events, but they were all keeping a secret on their own class roster for the individual class events and only sharing the roster for the team events.

"We need to discuss on how to separate our strongest students. We won't get anywhere if we don't decide." said Horikita.

The group launched back into a conversation and Ayanokouji decided that it was time to leave as he glanced over at Hirata's notebook and saw that he filled up most of the roster for their class events, but there were some blank spaces with the team events.

Ayanokouji was walking towards a water station that was set up by the school and got a cup of water. As he was taking a sip, he stopped against the wall and he heard someone groaned and scoffed. Ayanokouji turned towards the direction of the sound and saw Koharu Yano, sitting on the ground with her back against the wall. Her beautiful wavy blonde hair was tied to a high-style ponytail and her usual pink-colored nail polished nails was the same along with usual glare that she usually gave Ayanokouji. He haven't met Koharu that much, but every time that he ran into her, she gave him a disgusted glare.

"Ugh... you're here again." grumbled Koharu.

"It's a public area and I didn't know that you were here." replied Ayanokouji. "Shut up..."

"Why do you hate me? I'm barely know you."

"Defects like you shouldn't even be here in this elite school."

"Seems like your class haven't taken quite the beating. Who knows? Maybe the defective class is closing the gap."

"Look at you be smart." "Just an observation."

"Honestly, I hate it and there's no decent guy expect Hirata-kun from your class. Look at those disgusting perverts. Always giving me the stares."

It seemed that Koharu seemed to be under the impression that Class D are always going to be defective and have defects thus being on the bottom hierarchy compared to the superior and elite Class A. It was probably the

impression of some of the people in Class A since they have been told that they were the best of the best and due to the their huge class points lead, they probably think they have the advantage and have their future secured.

"Hmm... Ike and Yamauchi?" said Ayanokouji.

"Those are those pervert's name? Yuck! Even their names sound disgusting. I wish I didn't even know... Amazki-kun?" said Koharu.

"Ayanokouji." "Whatever."

At least get my name right...

The duo fell into silence and as they didn't know what to say to each other, but Ayanokouji could see that Koharu is trying her best to hide her disgust and slowly scotted away from him. It was like she didn't want to be seen with Ayanokouji.

"So... are you waiting for your friends?" asked Ayanokouji. He was wondering on why Koharu was alone.

"Obviously! It's not like I like hanging out by myself all the time." said Koharu, snorting.

"Can you please stop trying to talk to me?" added Koharu. Ayanokouji remained silent and wondered what the big deal with this girl was. After a few more moments of silence, Ayanokouji heard footsteps approaching the duo and he assumed that it was Koharu's friends, but he was wrong.

"Hi, Ayanokouji-kun!" said Nishikawa. "Sup!" said Tamiya.

"Hey, Nishikawa, Tamiya." said Ayanokouji, nodding to them.

"Ugh... not you guys. I'm out of here." said Koharu. She quickly left the group without giving them a second glance.

"What's her deal? Just because she doesn't like Class D doesn't mean she can treat you like that." said Tamiya, clearly with a dislike for Koharu and her attitude.

"I hope she didn't bother you that much, Ayanokouji-kun." said Nishikawa.

"Nah. It was fine. Where's Nishi and Tsukaji?" asked Ayanokouji, waving off their concerns.

"They went to the bathroom and we were kind of bored just waiting and we saw you with Konharu-san."

"Really bad luck running into her, huh?"

"It's fine. Besides... have you guys signed up for some events yet?" asked Ayanokouji. His innocent question is hiding his true goal and he was trying to discretely trying to figure out Class A's rosters for the individual events.

"Yeah! I've signed for the-" said Tamiya, looking excited about her participation in sports festival. But Nishikawa spoke up before Tamiya could continue speaking.

"Hey!" said Nishikawa. "What's the big idea?"

"Aren't you sneaky one, Ayanokouji-kun?!~"

Nishikawa had a slight smile on her face as she realized what Ayanokouji was up to, but Tamiya was slightly confused by Nishikawa's interruption. Nishikawa leaned in and whispered something to Tamiya's ears and while they were doing that, the two girls were glancing at Ayanokouji. Tamiya's eyes widened as she stared at Ayanokouji with astonishment.

"You're lucky that I stopped you." said Nishikawa.

"Oh! Thanks for that. Ayanokouji-kun... you almost me got me with that one." said Tamiya.

"I guess I have to try again later."

"There won't be a next time." said Nishikawa, in a teasing manner. The two girls chuckled at it as they knew that they have to be a little more careful around Ayanokouji.

"Hey. Ayanokouji-kun!" said Tanihara. Nakajima was with her as well and the duo approached the group.

"Ayanokouji-kun strikes again! And we thought that you were a playboy, but now he has his hands on Tanihara-san and Nakajima-san!" said Tamiya, in a dramatic fashion as she narrated about Ayanokouji.

"Wait what?!"

"Hmm... what are you talking about?"

"I would like to report a case of slander to the school." said Ayanokouji, bluntly as he reached into his pocket to pull out his phone.

"Wait! I-I'm sorry!" yelped Tamiya. The other girls chuckled at this scene, and it reminded of a comedy scene. Ayanokouji's blunt and dry sense of humor seemed to be going well with Tamiya's playful and sarcastic nature.

"Wait... so how did you meet, Ayanokouji-kun?" asked Tamiya, turning her attention to Tanihara and Nakajima.

"I'm actually curious on that too." said Nishikawa.

"Well, it all started when I was playing my guitar like usual. Drawing up a crowd with my sick performance and when I finished, Ayanokouji-kun came up to me and got to his knees, begging me to join his band. And I had no choice but to-" said Tanihara, with a wicked smile.

"She forced me to join her band and that's how we met." said Ayanokouji, interrupting Tanihara's fabricated story.

"Yeah. That totally happen." said Nakajima, nodding her head in agreement.

"Hey! You're supposed to be on my side, Nakajima." said Tanihara, pouting. The other girls began to laugh and Ayanokouji spke up when the laughter died down.

"Actually, I'm more of the band manager or coach?" said Ayanokouji, looking over at Tanihara and Nakajima. They shrugged and agreed with him since he's part in the band is more of an advisor.

"I thought you were gonna say that you happen to be in the area or something like that! You always say it when we ask you about the crazy amount of girls you know!" said Tamiya.

"Actually, I did happen to be in the area when Tanihara recruited me." said Ayanokouji.

"Gah! It's like your catchphrase or something!"

"Who knows? At this point, this might as well be my catchphrase."

"Tanihara-san, you made a band?!" asked Nishikawa, in awe by this discovery. Tanihara nodded her head shyly.

"I kinda of want to see you play!"

"Hee hee~ We're not that good though." said Tanihara, scratching her head. "Please don't watch us play." begged Nakajima.

"What kind of instrument do you play?" asked Nishikawa. "Guitar for me." said Tanihara, bowing in a graceful manner. "I play bass." replied Nakajima.

"Is it just the three of you?" asked Tamiya.

"No. There's two more people for keyboard and drums."

"Damn! You're actually a band. Did you play in front of anyone?" "No..."

"The summer festival was a perfect time to do it." said Ayanokouji.

"Damn! We didn't we think about that!" said Tamiya, slapping her forehead.

"Because we aren't ready for it! And besides the school announced it last minute!" scolded Nakajima.

"All right! Next time for a big event, we'll play there!" "Don't make decisions without the band's consent!"

As the group engaged in a conversation about Tanihara's band, two more people approached them.

"What's up? There's so many people here." said Nishi.

"It's Ayanokouji-kun again. He has the kind of effect on girls." said Tsukaji, greeting him.

"Hello, Nishi, Tsukaji." said Ayanokouji. "The Ayanokouji effect?!" muttered Tamiya.

"Why are you making this sound like a curse? Or some kind of medical condition?" asked Ayanokouji.

I mean in a way, it is.

"Is it not?"

"I think it is." "Totally!"

"I feel like I'm being ganged up on." said Ayanokouji. The other girls began chuckling at Ayanokouji's expense, but he was secretly observing the girls.

Tamiya, Nishikawa, Nishi, and Tsukaji were all in the Sakayanagi's faction according to Sakayanagi. Tanihara and Nakajima are in Katsuragi's faction, but it seemed that their loyalty seems to be shifting due to recent events.

I'm a little surprised that they got along. It's like saying Totsuka got along with Sakayanagi. Even since I've met more and more Class A members, I've noticed that they were some hostilities and tension between them which is abnormal for classmates. Of course, they don't want other people from different class to find

out, but I've encountered multiple situations that showed their divide before it became common knowledge about the two factions in Class A.

As Ayanokouji was thinking about their relationship, he saw Sakayanagi giving him an amused look on her face. Ayanokouji gave a quick glance before turning his attention back to his group, not wanting to be caught giving Sakayanagi longing glances.

As Ayanokouji was engaging with his group, he noticed that some of his soulmates were giving him glances as they were unaware or not use to him being with girls from different classes especially those in Class A. He also noticed that a few other Class A students were glancing at him as well and a blonde-hair student with a ponytail walked by, smirking at Ayanokouji.

I would call this a success. Let's see what Ryuuen has in store for us.

*Timeskip (after school)*

"Thank you and come back soon!" said the cashier.

Ayanokouji picked up some plastic bags before heading towards the exit of the supermarket. He was buying some ingredients for tonight's dinner and they will be having a guest tonight. Shinohara was staying over for a bit to study and Ayanokouji is cooking for three people including Satou. As Ayanokouji was thinking about he should cook, he heard someone running up to him.

"Hey! Are you the one?!" called out a voice. Ayanokouji turned around and realized that it was Asahina, the upperclassman that made it to the finale in the beauty pageant during the summer festival. She was quite beautiful with her long brown hair caught the sunlight and her sunflower hairpin seems to be glowing.

"Asahina-senpai? What do you mean?" asked Ayanokouji. "How did you know my name?"

"I was at the beauty pageant and saw you there."

"Oh! I totally forgot about it. I meant are you the kohai that played the piano with amazing skill!"

"How do you know that?"

"My friend was at the music store and she said that an amazing kohai was playing the piano and that it was the most beautiful piece of music she heard from a pianist."

"She did? I'm flattered by it."

"She also said that a certain brown-haired kohai with a blank face rejected her offer in joining the music club."

"Is there anything you want from me, senpai? I already told her that I have no interest in joining the music club."

"Oh no... I don't want to force you to join. You could join if you want, but I'm just curious on your performance. I wanna to hear you play. How long have you played the piano?"

"I started when I was a child and I enjoy it as a hobby." "Cool. Sorry, but what's your name? I forgot to ask." "Ayanokouji Kiyotaka from Class 1-D."

"Nice to meet you, Ayanokouji-kun." "Likewise, Asahina-senpai."

"I would like to hear you play, but it looks like you're busy, so I'll let you off the hook for now.~ See you later, Ayanokouji-kun."

"Bye, Asahina-senpai."

With that, Asahina left and headed off deeper into the Keyaki Mall. Ayanokouji watched her retreating figure disappeared around the corner and out of view before he headed towards the exit of the Keyaki Mall.

This is the second upperclassmen that I met directly. The last time that happen... it ended up with another soulmate. It might happen again, so I must tread carefully...

*Timeskip (2 hours later)*

"Itadakimasu!"

Ayanokouji, Satou, and Shinohara were sitting at the dining table with a spread of food on the table. Ayanokouji has prepared fried rice with some pork and vegetables along with a side of salad, miso soup, and some yakitori skewers.

"Delicious! No matter how much eat, I can't get enough." said Shinohara.

"I know right! Ayanokouji-kun always cook chicken perfectly!" said Satou, picking up a yakitori skewer.

"I'm jealous that you're going to be eating good all month."

"I didn't know that you already tried Ayanokouji-kun's food, Shinohara-san. You also are studying with Ayanokouji-kun too?"

"U-Uhh... you know I just wanna do good and improve to not get expelled." "Is Ayanokouji-kun good at teaching?"

"He's pretty good! Look at my results!"

"Wow... I might ask Ayanokouji-kun for some help."

"I think you're giving me too much credit." said Ayanokouji. "Ahh... there he goes again with that." muttered Shinohara. "What again?" asked Satou.

"It's nothing..."

As the trio continued eating, the dinner conversation changed from Ayanokouji to the mini special exam and Shinohara's roommate.

"By the way, you're roommate is Miyake-kun?" asked Satou.

"Yeah. He's a bit gloomy, but at least, he keeps his distance." said Shinohara.

"Looks like you got luck, huh? Me and Mii-chan did."

"Yeah. I feel bad for the rest of the girls especially Kushida-san and Karuizawa- san. Ugh... just thinking about sleeping in the same dorms with those two..."

"Don't remind me. Is that why you decline Karuizawa-san's offer to hang out at the mall tonight?"

"Yeah. What about you?"

Shinohara gave Satou a suspicious glance and Satou just chuckled and stared at her chopsticks.

"Well... I just wanna get some good food and... i-it's nothing." said Satou.

Ayanokouji could tell that there was something in her mind, but she didn't want to say it. He doubted that Satou would just want to spend her evening to hang out with him even though he can cook quite well. Shinohara's suspicious gaze didn't stop from Satou as she glanced over at Ayanokouji as well, but she didn't force Satou to speak more.

"Well... here's to a good end of this mini special exam." said Shinohara, sighing and raising her glass. Satou and Ayanokouji raised their glass and said a toast before clinking their glass together.

The trio finished the dinner and Satou and Shinohara both told Ayanokouji that they will be washing the dishes since Ayanokouji cooked them the meal. He didn't argue with it and he sat down on the couch as he received a text from Horikita.

Horikita: Ayanokouji-kun... I'm almost done with the roster for Class D. Ayanokouji: Did Hirata's intel helped?

Horikita: Of course. I'm sending it over to you first before I reveal it to the class tomorrow. Hirata-kun and I are making the finishing touches.

Ayanokouji: I'll let you know once I get a good look.

As Ayanokouji was messaging Horikita, he heard Shinohara and Satou finishing the last of the dishes and he could hear them chatting with each other. After a few more moments, they exited the kitchen and took a seat on the couch.

Shinohara sat back on the ground where the coffee table and her notes and textbooks were. She was continuing her studies while Satou pulled out her phone.

"Texting someone, Ayanokouji-kun?" asked Satou.

"Yeah. Horikita was telling me that she's finishing the roster for the class and she's going to post it tomorrow." replied Ayanokouji.

"Horikita-san sure works hard, huh?" said Shinohara.

"I'm sure Horikita-san and Hirata-kun got it all figured out." said Satou. "I wonder which event am I in."

"Hopefully, it's something not too hard. I hate running!"

As the two girls began discussing about the sports festival, Ayanokouji felt a vibration in his pocket and he glanced over at his phone while Satou and Shinohara were busy in their conversation. It was a message from Horikita and she has sent over an image containing the roster of the class. Ayanokouji scanned through it quickly and found his name in a few events, but he detected a trend on where certain students are placed in.

Ayanokouji: Interesting.

Horikita: I'm prioritizing one's abilities above anything else. Ayanokouji: I have no complaints.

Horikita: Good. I'll get ready for tomorrow.

With that, Horikita stopped sending messages and Ayanokouji assumed that she placed her phone down. Ayanokouji slipped his phone back into his pocket and tried to get back into the conversation between Shinohara and Satou.

"You should continue with your studies, Shinohara. Is there anything that you're stuck in?" asked Ayanokouji. Shinohara nodded her head and she tapped her pencil on her notebook.

"This problem. Math is not my strong point." said Shinohara, pointing at a problem in her textbook.

Ayanokouji got up and sat next to her, but due to the limited space of the coffee table, the duo ended up being quite close together and their shoulders are basically touching and pressed together. Shinohara's face turned slightly red due to their close proximity as she got a close-up view of Ayanokouji's handsome face. Ayanokouji could basically smell her shampoo that she used, but he pushed that aside as he looked at the problem that Shinohara asked for help.

"Ahh... this problem. Do you remember the formula for it?" said Ayanokouji.

"N-No. Which one is it again?" asked Shinohara, clearing her throat and trying to stay on topic and not get distracted by her fantasies.

"Hang on. It should be on the previous page."

Ayanokouji flipped the page and found the formula that he had in mind, and he pointed at it.

"Okay. You'll have to take this formula and take what you know from the problem. Plug in the values and solve for x. After finding x, you have to..." said Ayanokouji, launching into an explanation.

"I think I got it. Let me try." said Shinohara. She began writing on her notebook under Ayanokouji's supervision.

"Wait... you forgot to factor this part out for a reduced value." "Oh yeah! So, it changes what x is."

"..."

"Is this right?"

"Yeah. That's the right answer." "Yes! I finally got it!"

Satou watched in silence at Ayanokouji's and Shinohara's actions and she was surprised by Ayanokouji's teaching abilities. She thought he was around average and around her level when it comes to academics, but he seemed quite good at teaching others.

'I wonder if Ayanokouji-kun can help me out with my studies. I haven't been hitting the books as hard as Shinohara-san.' thought Satou.

"I'll leave you to it. Just ask me if you need any more help." said Ayanokouji. Shinohara nodded and she began working on more math problems while Ayanokouji backed off and sat down at the couch. He noticed that Satou was staring at him.

"Is there a problem, Satou?" asked Ayanokouji.

"No. It's just that... Wow! You're good. You don't mind me asking for help?" said Satou.

"Sure. I'm not that good at everything, but I'll try to give you a hand." "Hee hee~ Don't mind if I do."

The trio spent about another 2 hours together as Shinohara was studying with a few breaks even once in a while. Satou just sat on her couch and was either on her phone or chatting with Shinohara about trivial topics as they were usually be doing when they hung out. Ayanokouji remained silent and only helped Shinohara when she need it or when Satou asked him questions or was talking to him.

"Let's call it a night here, Shinohara. You did well." said Ayanokouji, glancing over at the clock and realizing that he might be late for his appointment.

"Okay. Sorry for taking too much of your time." said Shinohara, who began packing up her textbooks and notes.

"It's all right. I'll walk you back to your room." "Really? Thanks."

"Satou, you can take a shower first. I'll be back shortly."

"Thanks, Ayanokouji-kun. I promise not to use all of the hot water." said Satou. "Much appreciated." replied Ayanokouji.

'Ahhh! I forgot about that. I really really hope that Ayanokouji-kun doesn't do anything perverted. I mean he's not that guy, but it might happen. What if Ayanokouji-kun and Satou-san accidently run into each other in the bath?!

Ahh... I'm so dirty-minded... I can't believe that I'm acting like Ike...' thought Shinohara.

Ayanokouji and Shinohara exited his dorm and headed towards the elevator where Shinohara selected her floor. As the duo was having a quiet ride on the elevator, Shinohara spoke up.

"Thanks for helping me, Ayanokouji-kun. I've been changing because of you. My grades have been improving and I feel more happier." said Shinohara.

"It's all because of your effort." replied Ayanokouji. "You always do this. Not taking any credit for yourself."

"I might have played a minor role, but it was your decision to change which is something I admire from you Shinohara. Your ability to change. It might be hard for you to change yourself, but ultimately, you decided that it was necessary and is willing to do it and put in the work."

"Y-Yeah. Hey, remember what I asked you before?" "Before?"

"About liking the person that you are? And changing yourself?"

"Yeah. Don't take my word on it, but I think changing yourself is necessary. The current yourself is not perfect and you're a fool if you think that. I believe that

once you accepted that, you will strive to become better than previous self. You realized that, didn't you? Become a better version of yourself to who you were yesterday, not who you are today."

Shinohara fell into silence as she digested Ayanokouji's words and as the silence grew, it was interrupted when the elevator opened up to Shinohara's floor. The duo got out and Ayanokouji let Shinohara think about his words, but Ayanokouji's words left him thinking about himself.

In a way, this applies to me. The White Room. I had no choice, but to be the best of the best. Improve and become better than who I was the day before. In a way, I haven't grown if we're talking about as a person...

As the duo was silently in thought, they arrived at Shinohara's dorm and stopped in front of the door.

"Good night, Ayanokouji-kun. Thanks for helping me." said Shinohara.

"Good night, Shinohara." replied Ayanokouji. Shinohara gave him one last smile before entering her dorm and closing the door. Ayanokouji began heading back towards the elevator, but he selected the ground floor and headed down rather than back to his dorms.

Let's see what changes Shinohara will go through. I'm quite curious and my words should be the final push.

*Timeskip (10 minutes later)*

"What the fuck took you so long?!" snapped Kushida, tapping her feet impatiently.

"Sorry. I was preoccupied. You didn't wait too long, did you?" asked Ayanokouji, unlocking his room door and opening it for Kushida.

"Tch... It's been like 15 minutes. I feel like you're doing this shit on purpose."

Kushida and Ayanokouji entered Ayanokouji's room and they closed the door behind them, locking it. He hoped that there's no people on his floor because they might have seen Kushida waiting at Ayanokouji's door, but due to the mini special exam, it's the perfect spot for Kushida to vent out her built-up frustration.

Kushida took a seat at the couch and took a deep breath before unleashing her rage. Ayanokouji, who was used to it, went into the kitchen to get some refreshments as he listened to her rants.

"Kushdia-chan this! Kushida-chan that! Oh my fucking God! Does that fucking pervert not shut the fuck up?! Why me?! Why me?! Put that disgusting pervert with that ugly bitch, Shinohara-san! I can't even walk around my fucking dorm or touch anything with that pervert! That fucking pervert doesn't wash his hands after jerking off. Ugh! I can't even take a shower with that pervert living under the same roof!" said Kushida. She was first targeting Ike and the mini special exam. Ayanokouji listened on as he prepared some glasses and snacks on a tray and he looked inside his fridge for something to drink.

"Also, fuck that bitch, Horikita! Every time I see that bitch, I just wanna deck the shit out of her. Look at her, thinking she's so high and mighty. Taking charge of the sports festival." continued Kushida, taking her frustrations on Horikita and Ayanokouji listened as she launched into further detail about Horikita, cursing on Horikita's entire existence. Kushida's frustration seemed to be going from person to person.

"That fucking bitch Karuizawa! Thinks she's the queen because she's dating fucking Hirata. Don't get me started on that fucking 'I'm so perfect' asshole. He's- " said Kushida.

"Here's your juice." said Ayanokouji, interrupting and placing a glass on the coffee table.

"Thanks!"

Kushida took the glass of juice and chugged it down to clench her thirst since she's been running her mouth nonstop. Then, she slammed the empty glass back down and continued on her rant while Ayanokouji poured her another glass. He sat back and listen quietly while enjoying the refreshments that he got.

Ayanokouji knew better to not interrupt Kushida when she's like this and decided to let her continue with her rants. Ayanokouji is the only person that she'll ever let see herself like this and he wasn't going to say anything to jeopardize it.

After about 10 more minutes of Kushida's rant, she finally stopped and took a couple of deep breaths before grabbing taking another sip of her juice. Kushida

looks like she's finally done and Ayanokouji could tell that she was relieved that she got some things off her chest.

"Ahh! That felt better. Couldn't fucking do that shit in front of that pervert." said Kushida.

"It seems that we may have to meet up like this for a month before this mini special exam is over." said Ayanokouji.

"Tch... this is going to be a long month. I can't stand that you're going to be with that bitch, Satou."

"Hmm... don't tell that you're missed me, Kushida?"

"I-Idiot! I just fucking hate that bitch clinging onto you! Seeing shit like that is disgusting!"

Kushida gave Ayanokouji a glare, but deep down, Kushida was hiding the truth and wanted to be in that position rather than Satou.

'Fuck! Why couldn't it be me instead of that bitch?! Wait... why the fuck am I thinking like this? I can't such a desperate bitch like those other bitches!' thought Kushida.

"Okay. Although it wasn't that bad for me." said Ayanokouji, giving his honest opinion on his arrangement with Satou. Nobody was crossing the line and maintaining their boundaries, which was good for the both of them, so they could get through this mini special exam without any problem.

"Don't tell me that you're happy with the bitch." snarled Kushida.

"No. Things are going smoothly and I like it where there's no problem." "Fucking liar... Admit it. You're kind of happy that you're paired up with her." "I mean.. yeah."

"Fucking bastard... I knew it!" "But being with you is better."

Ayanokouji's sudden line left Kushida flabbergasted and the glare that she was giving Ayanokouji suddenly vanished and replaced by a sense of embarrassment as Kushida averted her eyes. His line came out of nowhere and caught Kushida off guard as she went from hating him to total embarrassment. Ayanokouji watched as Kushida's face grew more red as she seemed to be taken aback and didn't know how to respond.

"Feel any better?" asked Ayanokouji.

"Fucking bastard! Don't tell me that you said it on purpose!" said Kushida. "Who knows?"

"Not with that shit again!" "Kushida... I meant what I said." "E-Eh?!"

Kushida wouldn't be my first pick because of all the attention and drama that I'll get if I got partnered up with her. Ike was getting some jealous looks because of it. Actually, all of my soulmates wouldn't be so bad. A popular girl like Kushida would definitely lead to even more attention, but at this point, I'm used to be ostracized by most of the boys in my class.

"Y-You're fucking with me, right?" stammered Kushida, trying to maintain her attitude. She was fighting the urge to collapse on the couch and cover her face with the one of the cushions to hide her red, flustered face.

"No. It's the truth. I wouldn't mind if it was you, Kushida. I did say that I like everything about Kushida Kikyou and even the real you." said Ayanokouji.

Kushida fell into silence and averted her eyes. Ayanokouji noticed that she was tapping her fingers on her thighs rapidly which is a sign of panic and nervousness as her face grew into a deeper shade of red. Ayanokouji's words has yet again invaded her mind and replayed itself in her mind, confusing and causing mass panic for Kushida as she tried to rationalize it.

'Don't make me fall in love with you, Ayanokouji-kun! I can't... He's too good at this. I... I'm not sure about this. Nobody has ever make me feel like this. All of

those sweet and flattering words people have said to me throughout the years mean jack shit to me, but this is different. I-I'm feeling something... and I don't like it!' thought Kushida.

"Hee hee~ Y-You really have a way of words, don't you?" said Kushida, after a deafening silence. Kushida had to use a lot of her willpower to act normal and not act like a hopeless maiden in love.

"I wouldn't say that. I just stated the truth." said Ayanokouji. That made Kushida pause before she gave her fake angelic smile and laugh.

"That's funny, Ayanokouji-kun. I would say the opposite. By the way, did Horikita-san say anything about the roster for the sports festival?"

Kushida immediately changed the topic and clearly didn't want to continue this conversation as she knew that she's going to keep getting embarrassed by Ayanokouji's words, but there was another motive behind it.

"Yeah. She said that she's going to release the roster tomorrow." said Ayanokouji.

"Wow! Horikita-san sure works hard, doesn't she? That's why she's our leader." replied Kushida.

"Yeah."

"A responsibility as the leader, huh?"

Ayanokouji was puzzled by this since Kushida was cursing at Horikita a few minutes ago, but now she's praising her. It was fake since she was using her fake persona, but Ayanokouji had a feeling that Kushida was planning something and when Kushida said the word, responsibility, her eyes twinkled like a spotlight illuminating on someone.

Let's see what will happen between Kushida and Horikita.

*Timeskip (next day)*

Ayanokouji was walking by himself to school. He observed the weather as it is slowly changing from summer to fall as the temperature has gotten a little bit

colder and the skies are often becoming gray rather than sunny. It's the perfect time of year for a sports festival where it's not too cold or sunny. As Ayanokouji is walking, he noticed a certain girl in front of him with headphones and seemed to be lost in thought. He decided to approach her.

"Tanihara." said Ayanokouji, but she didn't hear him and seemed to be in a trance as Ayanokouji could faintly hear music coming from her headphones. Tanihara was bobbing her head as she was listening to music and had a little notepad and pencil. Ayanokouji tried calling her name, but to no avail. Then, he decided to try something else and gently tap on her. Tanihara reacted in surprise and turned towards Ayanokouji with a surprised look.

"Ayanokouji-kun! When did you get here?!" yelped Tanihara. She pulled out her phone and tapped on the screen before removing one side of her headphones off her ear.

"I was calling your name and you were busy. What are you doing?" asked Ayanokouji, curious on what Tanihara was doing.

"Well... I was trying to write lyrics to a song."

"A song? Are you trying to write your own song?"

"Yeah, but please don't tell the others yet. I wanna play our own song."

"That might explain why during practice you keep trying to do something new and asking them to try new things."

"Y-Yeah. I think Nakajima is catching on, but I really wanna play our own music."

"Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me. How's progress?"

"I've been listening to all types of music and trying to get ideas on what theme and topic for the lyrics."

"Do you have a tune or structure of a song? I will be easier to write something based on what kind song you guys made."

"N-No. I'm must trying to get ideas first on what type of music we should make

and the lyrics for the song. I got some few lines down, but i-it's really bad." "Can I have a look?"

"N-No! I'm not ready yet!"

Tanihara quickly closed her notebook and slipped it in her coat pocket with an embarrassed smile on her face. It seemed that Tanihara was quite embarrassed on what she wrote and wasn't ready to show it to anyone yet.

"Don't worry. Take your time." said Ayanokouji. Tanihara thanked him and she began tapping her chin with her pencil and seemed to be thinking about ideas.

As the duo approached towards the school building, Ayanokouji heard someone approaching them and calling Tanihara's name.

"Tanihara!" called out a girl. Ayanokouji turned around and saw a girl with shoulder-length sea green hair with a fringe covering the left side of her face. She was also wearing a white hairband along with a little green sweater on top of her school uniform.

"Fukuyama!" said Tanihara, greeting her. Fukuyama glanced over at Ayanokouji, not expecting to see him with Tanihara.

"Oh! You're the boy that was with Tanihara, Tamiya-san, and the others from yesterday." said Fukuyama, recognizing him from the ordeal the gym.

"That's me." said Ayanokouji.

"The boy with the harem!" said Fukuyama. "What?"

Ayanokouji was confused by what Fukuyama meant and it seemed that Tanihara was also confused as the duo gave Fukuyama a questioning look.

"Well, I wasn't the only one in Class A surprised that Tanihara and the others are hanging out with a boy in Class D." said Fukuyama.

"It wasn't really anything. I just happen to know them." said Ayanokouji, trying his hard to downplay it. The last thing he wanted is to be dubbed the Harem

King by people.

"Talk about a dark horse candidate." "Candidate?"

"I mean Hirata-kun and Satonaka-kun might be getting of the attention, but you seemed be the underdog, huh? Wait... Sorry, but what's your name again?"

"Ayanokouji Kiyotaka."

"Nice to meet you! I'm Fukuyama Shinobu."

"Pleasure is all mine. Do I really seem to be the type of guy to compete with Hirata?"

"I mean... maybe. I don't know, but a lot of people from Class A saw you with Tanihara and the others which is surprising. Like being a guy surrounded by girls."

"I suppose Hirata is always like that, but I'm not like that."

Hopefully, not...

Fukuyama gave Ayanokouji a suspicious and doubtful look as if she didn't believe him after what she saw. Ayanokouji didn't want to say that it may be the case since there's a chance that any of those girls from Class A could fall in love with him and become his soulmates any time. There was a brief silence between the trio as the topic about Ayanokouji slowly died and as they entered the school and began traversing the hallway, Fukuyama's eyes drifted to Tanihara's notebook.

"What'cha doing over there?" asked Fukuyama, gesturing at Tanihara's notebook.

"N-Nothing! It's just something that I'm writing." said Tanihara, clutching the notebook tightly and slipping it into her blazar's pocket.

Fukuyama just nodded and didn't push any further, but she had a curious glance. Tanihara and Ayanokouji locked eyes for a moment, and she gave him a

pleading look to not tell anyone about her plans. Ayanokouji nodded in response and Tanihara looked relieved. After a few more minutes of walking, they arrived at a pivotal location where Ayanokouji had to split up from the group and to head towards the direction of Class D which is in the different direction of Class A.

"See ya, Ayanokouji-kun." said Tanihara, giving him a wave. "Nice to meet you, Ayanokouji-kun. Later." said Fukayama.

"Goodbye, Tanihara, Fukayama." said Ayanokouji. With that, Ayanokouji headed off towards Class D by himself.

*Timeskip (10 minutes later)*

It's the first homeroom period and Chabashira-sensei gave them time to discuss about the sports festival. Before Horikita can reveal the roster, Kushida suggested that they talk about the order of participation for each events. Horikita had a sour expression on her face as Kushida interrupted her and delayed her reveal.

"I have already discussed it with some people in the class. I would like to get a consensus on the entire class before we reveal our roster." said Hirata. It seemed that Hirata wanted to know everyone's opinions and accommodate everyone rather Horikita's direct approach on one's abilities. Horikita's face darkened as she realized that all of the work she did might be a waste if a majority of the class didn't support or agree with her views.

Rushing in like that and not being mindful and aware of your classmate's intentions and opinions is one of your major flaws, Horikita. Of course, you're slowly improving, but you still have much to learn if you wanted to grow as a person and leader.

Hirata stood up and headed over to the whiteboard, picking up a piece of chalk. He put two headings on the board: "Raising Hands" and "Ability".

"This is a rough outline, but I think that everything boils down to these two approaches. The 'raising hands' system lets people nominate themselves to participate in competitions. The 'ability' system identifies everyone's individual talents and seeks to assign them to maximize efficiency." said Hirata. It seemed

that Hirata has spoken to quite a few people in the class as he highlighted the two approaches for the sports festival that Class D can take.

"Both approaches have their pros and cons, of course. The strength of the raising hands system is, naturally, that everyone gets to voice their wishes. The downside is that, if people's choices contradict each other, well, not everyone is going to get what they want. The strength of

the ability system is that we can expect a higher chance of victory than we would with the raising-hands system. However, because the ability system favors the most athletic people in the class, it reduces the other students' chances of winning at something. That's the gist of what I've come up with so far, but if you happen to have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them." said Hirata, explaining and breaking down main points behind each approach.

"We should obviously decide based on ability, shouldn't we? I mean, the only one who knows a person best is himself, right? If I win, then it's more likely our class wins. That puts us way ahead." said Sudou.

"Well, it makes me kinda mad, but I suppose you're right." said Shinohara.

"I'm really not that great at sports. If Sudou's okay handling the recommended- participant events single-handedly, I'm fine with that."

"Yeah. Sudou is about to carry us."

It seemed that a majority of the boys and some of the girls agreed with Sudou, but there seemed to be some opposition towards Sudou and the others who were in favored of the ability system.

"Then it's decided, right? I'll do all the events for recommended participants." declared Sudou, who looked confident in his abilities.

"Wait. I've got a supplementary proposal and something that I've been working on." said Horikita, interrupting. The other students turned to look at her.

"If we have to choose between these two approaches, then I agree that we should go with the ability system. However, that single tactic isn't guaranteed to carry us to victory." explained Horikita.

"Sure, that's true." said Hirata.

"I agree that the most athletic students should take part in events for recommended participants. But, even in events for all participants, we should group the people who have the best chance of winning. That way, we maximize everyone's potential. Put simply, the strongest, fastest students should be grouped together."

"Hold on a minute. Won't that leave slower people high and dry? Privileges only go down to third place. I don't want to throw away my shot." said Shinohara. It seemed some of the students agreed with Shinohara's point and wanted to win some rewards for themselves especially those who were academically weak.

"Your personal feelings are irrelevant. It's for the sake of the class." replied Horikita.

"I know it's for the class's sake, but I don't want to lose out on private points." "I don't want to miss out on individual rewards, like earning test points."

"I understand your desire. However, your logic confuses me. If you just studied ahead of time, before an exam, you wouldn't need to rely on those privileges."

"That's true... I just want to have some assurance that I don't get expelled because of some stupid exam."

"Hey, excuse me? I object to this, too. You're okay with sentencing the unathletic students to lose, like Shinohara said? You think we can all come together in a situation like this?" said Karuizawa, supporting Shinohara.

"I've said as much. Do you understand my logic?" said Horikita. "No. I don't get it at all. Hey, what do you think, Kushida-san?"

"It's tough. I've been thinking about how both sides feel. Like Horikita-san, I want us to succeed as a class. But, just like Shinohara-san said, everyone should have a chance to win. If

there were some kind of middle-ground solution, that would be ideal. A strategy we could all get behind." said Kushida, who had been strangely quiet during the meeting. Once Kushida was done, there were a lot of noises of assent. Horikita seemed to have anticipated this idea and sighed in annoyance.

"Of course. I have a compromise that should be agreeable to both sides. Students who place at the top, and don't need to boost their test scores, will use the private points they win to boost the test scores of students who place at the bottom. The entire class will share in the gains and losses of private points from the festival. I trust there will be no complaints?" asked Horikita.

"Oh, yeah, that'd be fine," said Sudou, with a disdainful snort.

"But that's just for points. We're still losing out on chances to win the big prize. What does everyone think about that?" said Karuizawa.

"If Karuizawa-san objects, then so do I, I guess." "Yeah. Me too."

"I guess I'll do it."

One after another, the girls followed her lead. Ayanokouji noticed that it was mostly people that was friends or followed Karuizawa who agreed with her. He noticed that Ichihashi, Mori, Onodera, and Azuma seemed to have abstained in following Karuizawa.

"If we can't agree, then we've got to have a majority vote." said Hirata. "If Hirata-kun says so, then I agree." said Karuizawa. Horikita nodded.

"Fine. This isn't the time to fight amongst ourselves. At any rate, I've offered my opinion. I hope you'll all make the right decision." said Horikita, sighing in annoyance as she glared at the selfish and self-centered Karuizawa.

"Now then. We have Horikita-san's proposal, which focuses on ability, and Karuizawa-san's, which prioritizes the individual. How about we decide which plan we prefer by a show of hands? If anyone finds choosing a side difficult, they can abstain." said Hirata.

Horikita wanted to win, while Karuizawa wanted everyone to feel valued. The class's future would depend on whether people used their heads or their hearts. Of course, I myself had zero interest in the outcome and here to see what will happen next.

"All right. All those in favor of Horikita-san's plan?" said Hirata.

"Yeah. I agree with Horikita's plan, of course. It's about winning. When winners win, we all win. Ain't that a good thing?" said Sudou, raising his hand.

Those who had no confidence whatsoever in their athletic abilities, like Yukimura and Sakura, followed his lead. Ayanokouji noticed that most of his soulmates raised their hands in support of Horikita's notion and Horikita was surprised by the overwhelming support as she believed that Karuizawa had a tight grip on the girls in the class, but it seemed that some of them were actually supporting her. On the other hand, Karuizawa's face turned pale for a moment, but she gritted her teeth in annoyance and frustration. Shinohara looked around and looked like she wanted to raise her hands, but for some reason, she didn't. It took a moment for Hirata to count the number of hands raised.

"Wait a minute, Ayanokouji-kun. Don't tell me you agree with Karuizawa-san's plan?" said Horikita, who realized that Ayanokouji hadn't raised his hand.

"Relax. It's my policy to abstain from voting." said Ayanokouji. "In that case, you could just have voted for my plan."

"Your plan isn't necessarily right, is it?"

"I can't understand you. Giving the class the best-possible chance of winning will ultimately result in netting a lot of private points. Even if we only won a few matches here and there, the points would be significant. If you say that's wrong, perhaps you can give me a clear reason why?"

"I didn't say you were wrong. I'm just saying it's not the only answer."

And besides that's not the only thing that is going on. Some other hands are making their moves right now.

"All right. Next, we have Karuizawa-san's plan. Anyone in favor of this plan, to win when we need to and have fun when we want to, please raise your hand." said Hirata. Along with Karuizawa's group, other students began raising their hands, but Horikita gained the majority due to Ayanokouji's soulmates siding with her.

All according to the plan. My soulmates are becoming an indispensable allies for Horikita. Horikita will eventually get used to our classmates and she will start changing, seeing them as her allies rather than enemies and useless individuals. Introducing them slowly to her and because of my soulmates power, it's inevitable that they will all meet and interact with each other. It's not only Horikita that will be changing, but every other soulmate as well.

I'm quite curious on what Horikita-senpai meant by those words during that night. I'm looking forward to see what will happen to Horikita and what her older brother meant. I wonder if he will tell me or Horikita will tell me.

Sotomura would say that I must clear a huge event to get her backstory.

"And the results of the majority vote are for Horikita-san's plan. It's safe to say that everyone else abstained from voting?" said Hirata, glancing at Ayanokouji and Koenji, who were the only people that abstained from voting.

"Then it's decided." said Horikita. With that out of the way, Horikita pulled out a notebook from her school bag and made her way to the front of the classroom.

She placed the notebook at the front desk.

"I've created a roster, a suggestion based on one's abilities and it's temporary. Depending on how practice went, and what we learned about other classes, we could still make changes. This information is top secret, so everyone, please only make note of your events and your partners. No photographs." said Horikita.

One careless picture of the notebook, and there was no telling how far that information could spread.

Horikita gave the notebook to the front row and as Horikita's notebook was passed from person to person. Ayanokouji watched on as some people were whispering to each other and glancing at their partners. There were some complaints, but Ayanokouji was focused on Kushida, who was eerily quiet during the whole discussion. He thought she would speak up and compromise like Hirata, but she remained mostly silent and didn't take any sides.

Interseting...

*Timeskip (3 hours later)*

Ayanokouji was outside and was watching Class C practice on the track. Class D

was practicing in one of the gyms and Ayanokouji stepped out for a quick break and noticed that Class C seemed to be practicing for the sports festivial. As Ayanokouji was watching, he heard someone calling out to him.

"Oi! Nice for you to spy on us." called out Ryuuen. He was with Ishizaki and Albert, who were flanking him and Ayanokouji calmly stared at the newly arrived trio.

"Or are you checking out girls? Always chasing skirts, I see. Now, you're going for the girls in my class?" asked Ryuuen, with a coy smile.

"Who knows? Maybe I am."

"Just leave Suzune to me. I can't wait to squeeze that plump ass of hers."

Ayanokouji could tell that Ryuuen was trying to get a reaction out of him, but he maintained his stoic and blank face.

"It doesn't matter. Look at those chicks you want. If you don't mind me, I'm gonna go do some shit." said Ryuuen, casually walking by Ayanokouji.

Albert followed Ryuuen without giving Ayanokouji a second glance, but Ishizaki gave Ayanokouji one last glance before leaving. Ayanokouji noticed that Ryuuen seemed quite lax and carefree for someone that is potentially spying and gathering information about his class. As Ayanokouji watched Ryuuen's retreating figure, he quickly turned his attention back to the rest of Class C, who seemed to be practicing as some of them were running on the track while others seemed to be practicing for the other events. Ayanokouji found that Ryuuen's carefree attitude for Ayanokouji and his refusal to cooperate with Ichinose along is quite peculiar and similar to his zero point strategy during the island exam. He knew that Ryuuen had something in store for Class D. As Ayanokouji was busy in thought and observing Class C, he heard someone softly calling his name from behind.

"A-Ayanokouji-kun?" called out Morofuji. Ayanokouji turned around and saw Morofuji wearing her standard school gym uniform.

"Morofuji? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with the others?" asked Ayanokouji.

"I could say the same thing to you."

"Well, I was taking a break and I saw your class practicing." "I guess we're both taking a break. C-Can we have a chat?" "Sure. I mean we're taking a break after all."

Ayanokouji observed Morofuji and noticed that she's quite nervous and seemed to be quiet tired judging from the dark circles from under her eyes. It was an indication that she has not been sleeping properly lately.

"Morofuji, are you sleeping okay? You seem kind of tired and not your usual self." said Ayanokouji. Morofuji's eyes widened in shock and a look of surprise flashed for a brief second before Morofuji denied it.

"N-No. It's fine! I'm just having a hard time adjusting." said Morofuji, who seemed to be flustered by Ayanokouji's accurate observation.

"Adjusting? Are you talking about the mini special exam?"

"Y-Yeah. I-I'm not used to it to be honest. I don't like sleeping under the same roof as a boy. I-I'm not used to any guy except..."

Morofuji froze and didn't continue on what she was going to say next, but Ayanokouji noticed that her face was slightly turning red.

"Except?" said Ayanokouji.

"Y-You... except you." said Morofuji, shyly. She averted her eyes from Ayanokouji and it made sense to Ayanokouji.

Morofuji is one of my soulmates, so she must have a degree of trust for me since I've helped with her skirmish with Karuizawa. I still don't know about her past and her aversion and uneasiness towards any male. A exam like this is definitely terrifying for someone like Morofuji, who's afraid of the opposite gender and has a shy and reserved attitude.

"Are you okay?" asked Ayanokouji.

"I-I'm fine. I'm just nervous and anxious when I'm in my dorm now." said Morofuji.

"Is that why you're not getting enough sleep?"

"Y-Yeah... It's really tough when you're scared and nervous, you know?"

"Yeah, I get it. Is there anything I can do to help? I heard that there are some tea that has a calming and soothing effect."

"N-No. It's sweet that you're thinking about m-me, but I think I just need to get use to it."

"By the way, who's your partner?" "It's Kondo-kun."

"Ahh..."

Ayanokouji remembered him from Sudou's case and he was one of the boys that got beaten by Sudou, but he could understand why Morofuji was nervous about him. He was one of Ryuuen's underlings which is not helping Morofuji, who was nervous around every boy.

"It's okay, Morofuji. You can talk to me whenever." said Ayanokouji, reminding Morofuji of what he promise to her during the cruise ship.

"T-Thank you... I feel a little better. If you don't mind, I'll tell you a bit of myself." said Morofuji, hesitantly. She took a deep breath like she's preparing herself.

"Are you sure? You don't have to force you to do anything."

"Y-Yeah. Well, I was a little girl and something bad happened to me. I-It was something that I don't want to go into detail with, but I was scared and helpless by someone that was going to take advatange of me."

Morofuji's voice cracked as she went into detail about her past, but Ayanokouji had a feeling that it was only the part of the her past and the full story. He could that Morofuji was genuinely terrified and scared as she recalled the past.

That's quite the traumatic experience. Children always get a long lasting impression during traumatic events during childhood. An event like this obviously had some long lasting impact on Morofuji and may explain her fear and aversion towards men.

"You don't have to go further." said Ayanokouji. Judging from the extreme fear in Morofuji's face and her shaking body and hands, it seemed that Morofuji is pushing herself by recounting about her past. He didn't want to make Morofuji cry and espically in public.

"I-I..." stammered Morofuji, who's unable to speak.

Ayanokouji advanced towards Morofuji and put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him. He could feel Morofuji's shaking and she snuggled up closely to Ayanokouji's body as she tightened her grip on his arm and buried her face on his chest.

"It's okay, Morofuji. Thanks for trusting and telling me." said Ayanokouji.

Ayanokouji began petting her gently on her head in an attempt to calm her. He was glad that no one was around otherwise it would've been quite the scene and he knew that it would eventually lead to his soulmates finding out. After a few moments of staying closely together, Morofuji gently tapped on Ayanokouji's arm, a signal to let go. Ayanokouji obeyed and Morofuji took a few steps back and he could see that Morofuji has calmly down significantly. She took a deep breath before speaking.

"T-Thank you, Ayanokouji-kun. I feel a little better now." said Morofuji. "It's not a problem. I'm glad that you're feeling better." said Ayanokouji. Morofuji nodded shyly and averted her eyes from Ayanokouji.

"I hope you can get over it, Morofuji. I truly believe you can." said Ayanokouji. "T-Thank you, Ayanokouji-kun. You're too kind." said Morofuji.

"If you need any help or anything from me, please don't hesitate to ask me." "O-Okay."

The duo fell into silence as they shared their peaceful silence together and they both seemed to be lost in thought.

'Ayanokouji-kun is the first boy that I told about my past. I have told Nanami, Shiho, and Saki, but nobody else. I must really trust him, huh? Maybe Ayanokouji-kun could be the one to really help me get over the fear of men. No! What am I thinking?! Ayanokouji-kun has already helped me enough. I can't really be that selfish in asking for more help from him!' thought Morofuji.

After about a minute, Morofuji cleared her throat, breaking the peaceful silence.

"I-I better be going. Shiho and the others are probably wondering where I am." said Morofuji.

"Yes. My classmates are probably wondering that to." said Ayanokouji. "See you later, Ayanokouji-kun. Thanks for listening to me."

"Bye, Morofuji."

Morofuji gave Ayanokouji one last wave and shy smile before entering the track and field area and as Ayanokouji watched her retreating figure through the chain-linked fence, he wondered about Morofuji's past. It answered some of his questions and concerns, but there are still unanswered questions left, but pressing Morofuji about it would have the opposite effect and will cause her to clamp up defensively.

Ayanokouji decided that it's time for him to return back to his class before there's any suspicions of him being gone for too long. He began making his way back towards the gym and he was not in a hurry to return back to chaotic and social practice rather he enjoyed the quiet moments by himself, knowing that he rarely gets a quiet and peaceful moment for himself.

*Timeskip (after school)*

As the bell rang, Ayanokouji watched some people got up from their seats and exited the classroom immediately. Some met up with their usual groups and chatted while others remained at their seat. Ayanokouji was gathering his belongings and planning to leave the classroom, but he heard some footsteps approaching him.

"Ayanokouji-dono. Are you busy at this moment?" asked Sotomura. Okitani and Ijuin were behind him.

"No." replied Ayanokouji.

"Good. We're heading to Keyaki Mall. Would you like to accompany us?" "Sure, I have nothing better to do."

Ayanokouji got up and followed the group, but before they left the classroom, they stopped somewhere. It was at a classmate's desk.

"Yo, Susumu! Wanna come to the arcade with us?" asked Ijuin. Susumu had his eyes on the game console screen and seemed to be in an intense match.

"Wait. I'm about to win." said Susumu, speaking without paying them any attention and his focus is only on the screen in front of him. Ayanokouji heard some faintly shooting and some voice lines coming from the speaker of his game console before he heard a cry of victory.

"Easy. What did you say?" said Susumu, putting his device down and facing his visitors.

"I said wanna come to the arcade with us?" said Ijuin, repeating himself. "Sure. I can use a change in scenery."

With that, Susumu got up and the group left the classroom together, heading towards the Keyaki Mall.

"Hey, Susumu. What rank are you in?" asked Okitani. Apparently, he recognized what Susumu was playing.

"I'm in mythic rank. I'm about to reach legendary." said Susumu. "Damn. I'm only in silver league. I might need you to carry me." "Hmph... it's too easy. Are you not at least in gold?"

"FPS is not my game, okay?! And you're such a sweat."

"We can form a squad. Ijuin, Sotomura. Are you in?"

"Honestly, that game is so ass! I'm not playing it again." said Ijuin. "Skill issue." said Susumu, bluntly.

"I'm in, but we need one more player." said Sotomura. He suddenly glanced over at Ayanokouji.

"Ayanokouji-dono! Have you ever play FPS before?" asked Sotomura. "No. FPS?" said Ayanokouji, confused by what FPS is.

"First person shooter."

"You haven't heard of it?"

"I'm not a huge gamer, but I guess I can give it a try." replied Ayanokouji. "So, we have two noobs." said Susumu, sighing.

"Hey! I'm not that bad! I just don't play that much." protested Okitani. "What rank are you, Sotomura?" asked Susumu.

"I'm gold." said Sotomura.

"Well... I'm screwed. I can't wait to use my elo over this." said Susumu, sighing. The other guys protested that they are that bad at the game, but Ayanokouji have nothing to say since he never played the game that they were taking about. As the group was discussing about their potential team up, they entered the Keyaki Mall and arrived at the arcade.

As the group entered the arcade, they made their way upstairs where there was multiple game consoles, couches, and a front desk where there was an employee. Ayanokouji could also see computers on the right side of the wall and he could see a snack bar on the left side. The lighting on this floor is quite dim. but with RGB LED lights as lighting. Ayanokouji have not been on that floor of the arcade from his first time with Mori.

The duo went to the computers and sat down before turning on the computers.

Apparently, you have to pay with private points for usage and Ayanokouji scanned the prices which is for each hour. Ayanokouji selected a hour which cost 4000 points. Ayanokouji entered his student ID and his phone pinged him, asking confirmation for his purchase and noting that he will be charged after the hour is over. Ayanokouji confirmed it and he logged onto the computer where he found a blank desktop with applications everywhere.

"C'mon. Let's play. Ayanokouji, you probably need to make an account." said Susumu. he instructed Ayanokouji on how to access the game and Ayanokouji managed to make an account before playing a training match with bots where they went over all of the basics. Ayanokouji played through the match and he was slowly getting use to playing a FPS game. As he was playing, the others were waiting for him and watching him play his match.

"Watch out. The bot is around the corner." said Susumu.

"Ayanokouji-dono, you have to rush quick before the they plant the bomb." said Sotomura.

Ayanokouji tried his best to follow their advice and managed to win, but after beating the match, he was free to do whatever he wanted, and Susumu sent him an invite and Ayanokouji joined the team. Everyone was playing except Ijuin, who was on the nearby computer and seemed to be watching videos and checking something online.

"Let's ready up!" said Susumu. Everyone readied up and they entered matchmaking and waiting for a match. After about a minute, they found a match and entered the game. Ayanokouji spawned in and began looking around, selecting which guns he wanted.

"Hey, Susumu,. Isn't that your alt?" asked Okitani.

"Yeah. I don't want to lose my elo because of you guys, so I'm using my alt. Don't worry. He's in silver." said Susumu.

"Damn! That means we'll be going against players around our league."

Susumu nodded and Ayanokouji moved to the closed and locked door and waited for the round to start. Susumu decided to give Ayanokouji some advice.

"Ayanokouji, Sotomura, go on the left side. I'll cover the right side with Okitani." said Susumu. Ayanokouji watched the timer finally turned to 0 and the doors opened for the players. Ayanokouji began moving and as he moved, he saw someone shooting at him. He took a bullet before taking cover and returning fire.

"Ayanokouji-dono! I got a smoke. Get ready." said Sotomura. "Go ahead!" said Ayanokouji.

Sotomura threw a smoke grenade and Ayanokouji could see that his vision was blocked and all he could see was the gray smoke. He took the opportunity to sneak closer using the smoke as cover. He narrowly dodged a hail of bullets from people shooting blindly into the smoke and he suspected that there was two people.

Ayanokouji decided to stay behind cover since rushing in blindly as well is quite dangerous and could go either way: Ayanokouji could kill them or died trying.

He didn't want to leave Sotomura by himself fighting two people. Ayanokouji used his grenade and threw it in the general direction of the bullets, hoping that the smoke can provide some cover for his grenade. After a few seconds, Ayanokouji got a message and it confirmed that he got the kill. Ayanokouji glanced over at the chat and noticed that Susumu has already taken down the other two players which meant he and Sotomura are facing the last player.

"Rush in!" said Sotomura. With that, Sotomura and Ayanokouji moved in together and just as the smoke was clearing up, Ayanokouji got killed before he could get the final few shots on the last player. Sotomura managed to finish the player and they won the first match.

"That was easy. Just need to win about 10 more times." said Okitani. Ayanokouji saw a green check mark on the top of his screen and there was used to be 11 circles, but one of them was marked. It seemed that there was 11 rounds per match and the winner is whoever wins the most matches.

"Let's not throw." said Susumu.

*Timeskip (2 hours later)*

Ayanokouji wasn't expecting to play for about 3 hours, but time seemed to have

gone fast when he was playing games. In those 3 hours, Ayanokouji reached gold rank and he realized on how good Susumu was good at the game. During the earlier games, they won their games really quickly and Susumu was usually the MVP with the most kills out of everyone in the team. Ayanokouji died a decent amount of times at the beginning, but later adapted and gotten a little better. At least, he wasn't the first one to die in a match and could put up a decent fight against players. Players who was around his level and league.

The group has logged off after playing for 3 hours and they decided to grab a snack and drinks at the nearby snack bar on the floor. Ayanokouji noticed on how comfy and convenient everything was on this floor. There was computers and game consoles along with couches and chairs for people to play games. A bathroom and snack bar to provide the basic necessities. Everything is designed to ease people and make them stay longer and spend more points at the arcade.

The group was sitting at one of the tables and were snacking on their snacks. Ayanokouji was going to cook later on, so he only bought a juice for himself. The others seemed to not care and bought some snacks and drinks for themselves. They were chatting about their games and matches together.

"Ayanokouji, you gotta work on your aim a little more. Make sure to trace their movement." said Susumu.

"Okay. I'll try to work on it." said Ayanokouji.

"There's a sandbox mode where you can practice your aim and movement. There's even practice matches against bots."

"Oh really? You have to show it to me later." "Got it. Okitani... you-"

Susumu provided everyone with feedback and their areas for improvement. Since Susumu was their best player out of the group and seemed to have good game sense, he was qualified to provide experience and advice to the less experience players. They chatted about the game and their favorite maps and preferred guns and characters to play. After a bit of talking about the game, the topic went over to the mini special exam.

"Hey, Sotomura. Doesn't this mini special exam reminds you of that anime?"

asked Ijuin.

"Oh yeah... which one? I watch a lot of anime." said Sotomura.

"That's an understatement." said Okitani. Even Ayanokouji didn't know the real number of anime that Sotomura has watched.

"The one anime that you keep telling me to watch. The one with the school that makes their students live together like a married couple?"

"Oh! You mean More Than a Married Couple, But Not Lovers?!" said Sotomura.

"Is that why it's called? Sheesh! That's a long name!"

"There are longer titles. Don't get me started on light novel titles!"

"You do have a point. Isekai trash are always everywhere and they have the longest title known to existence." said Ijuin.

"Wait! The school is not telling us to be a married couple, right?!" asked Susumu.

Everybody scratched their heads in confusion as the whole concept of this mini special exam is quite out of ordinary and putting hormonal high schoolers with the opposite gender might lead to issues or at least puts up a bad image of the school if word of this mini special exam got out.

"No way!"

"That would way too far!"

"I won't betray Ayanokouji-dono. He's the main protagonist after all."

Ayanokouji hadn't watched the anime, but it seemed that Okitani, Ijuin, and Sotomura had and seemed to have recognized some aspect of it with the mini special exam. He guessed that the anime paired students of the opposite gender to live in dorms as a "married couple" based on the title of the anime. He was glad that he didn't have to do it because it will cause quite a stir within his soulmates and he didn't want to accidently end up with Satou being his soulmate.

"Ayanokouji-dono, have you watched it?" asked Sotomura. "No. Should I?" replied Ayanokouji.

"Watch it if you have the time, but..."

"The manga is better." said Ijuin, speaking up. Sotomura and Okitani chuckled at Ijuin's words.

"So, you're that guy, aren't you?" said Okitani. "True..." muttered Sotomura, agreeing with Ijuin.

The group spent a bit of time chatting about the mini special exam. It seemed that Okitani, Ijuin, and Sotomura all didn't seem to be interested in the fact that they were dorming with a girl and seemed to be reluctant and on edge. They were talking about how they don't have much privacy and watch anime without any peace or at their own leisure of their own private space. Ayanokouji glanced over at the clock and realized that he needs to go.

"Hey. I have to go. See you guys later." said Ayanokouji. "Later, Ayanokouji."

"Bye, Ayanokouji."

"Those were some good games."

"I wish you luck, Ayanokouji-dono."

Sotomura gave Ayanokouji an approving look and gave him a nod which left Ayanokouji confused on why Sotomura was giving him the look, but he nodded back. Then, Ayanokouji left the arcade and headed towards the direction of Plaza 1.

*Timeskip (15 minutes later)*

Ayanokouji is almost back to his dorms and was on the hallway. He approached his dorm's door and unlocked it, but before he could open it, he heard someone opening and closing a door right next to him. He glanced over and saw Amikura,

who was a few feet to his right, and it seemed that Amikura is one of his neighbors.

"Ayanokouji-kun?" said Amikura, noticing him. "Amikura, it looks like we're neighbors." said Ayanokouji.

"Wow! I didn't noticed that you were here. Who's your partner?" "Satou."

"Satou-san? Hmm... I don't think I know her. My partner is Shibata-kun."

Ayanokouji vaguely remembers Shibata from their time during the island exam where he and Horikita were at Class B's camp.

"I see... Where are you going?" asked Ayanokouji.

"I'm going off to hang out with some friends for dinner. What about you?" asked Amikura.

"I'm cooking some dinner for myself and Satou." "Oh? You can cook too? That's a keeper!" "Keeper?"

"You don't what that means?! Are you messing with me?!" "Uhh... should I know?"

Amikura scratched her chin and mimed thinking intensely before a smirk broke onto her face.

"How about you ask Honami-chan about that instead of me?" suggested Amikura.

"Wouldn't it be better if you tell me? I mean you're here anyways." said Ayanokouji.

"Oh! Well, look at the time. I gotta go! See you later, Ayanokouji-kun. Make

sure to ask Honami-chan about it later!"

Amikura shot Ayanokouji and mischievous smile and quickly left him. Her retreating figure disappeared down the hallway and Ayanokouji was more confused on what Amikura meant by it and figured that someone can probably tell him about it later. He sighed and opened the door and entered his dorm.

Ayanokouji found Satou watching TV and chilling out on the couch. "Ayanokouji-kun, are you cooking today?" asked Satou.

"Yeah. Sorry, I'm late. I was hanging out with some people." replied Ayanokouji, placing his school bag on the ground and by the couch.

"No worries. By the way, I feel bad for making you do most of the cooking. How about I give you a hand?"

"Can you cook?"

"Uh... No, but I can help you."

"Sure. I can use an extra pair of hands."

With that, the duo headed into the kitchen where they washed their hands and Ayanokouji loaned Satou his apron which was a little too big for Satou, but she managed to fold and tied it together to secure it on her body. Ayanokouji looked inside of the fridge and pulled out some ingredients that he had prepared for tonight's dinner.

"We're making some curry." said Ayanokouji, placing some potatoes and carrot on a chopping board.

"Yum! Do you want me to peel and cut them?" asked Satou, rolling up her sleeves.

"Yeah. I'll get started on the rice first. Make sure to cut them to an appropriate size."

Ayanokouji began washing and preparing the rice for the rice cooker while Satou began peeling the carrots and potatoes. Ayanokouji had some boxed curry mix and a few other spices ready and on the kitchen counter, waiting to be used

for tonight's dinner. Ayanokouji began boiling some water and pulled out a bottle of coconut milk for the curry. He pulled out some chicken breasts and began slicing them into small chunks and glanced over at Satou, who began cutting the vegetables.

"Satou, be careful. Make sure that the knife is facing and moving away from you, not towards you." said Ayanokouji, noticing the poor knife technique that Satou is using. He was concerned that Satou was going to cut herself and quickly stepped in. Satou stopped and was confused on what Ayanokouji meant. He quickly demonstrated what he meant.

"If you make a mistake or accident, the blade won't be facing you and won't hurt you." said Ayanokouji. He placed the knife back down and watched Satou begin cutting again.

"Still, doing it wrong. You need to get a better grip." said Ayanokouji. "Can you show me?" asked Satou.

"Okay."

Ayanokouji went behind Satou and placed his hands directly on his hands onto her hands. Their hands overlap and Ayanokouji could smell the shampoo that Satou used and the feeling of warmth as he rested his hand onto Satou's warm hand.

"A-Ayanokouji-kun?" yelped Satou, surprised by his bold actions. Her face turned slightly red, but she cleared her throat and tried to push those intrusive thoughts out of her head.

"Okay. Make sure to pinch the blade with your thumb and index finger for better grip. Don't worry, it won't cut you." said Ayanokouji, tapping gently on Satou's thumb and index finger. Satou nodded and followed Ayanokouji's advice.

"Okay. Make sure to curl and rest your fingers on the thing that you're trying to cut to prevent it from moving on the cutting board. It's better to place the ingredient where the flattest side is on the bottom for better stability." continued Ayanokouji, placing the potato that was sliced in half where the flat bottom is on the cutting board.

"Give it a try." said Ayanokouji, releasing himself from Satou and decided to let her do it and watch from the sidelines. After about a minute of watching, he spoke up.

"Good. You're doing better already. Don't worry about the speed. You'll get better and faster the more you do it." said Ayanokouji, noticing that Satou was following his advice, but SAtou was moving slower and still need to get used to it.

"Thanks for the help, Ayanokouji-kun. I'm not much help, am I?" said Satou, with an embarrassed smile.

"At least you're willing to help. That's honestly all I can ask for someone that doesn't know how to really cook and you're really saving me some time."

"Really? I should be done in a few more minutes." "Good. I'll get started on the curry."

Ayanokouji went over to the recently sliced chicken and began sauteing it. His plan was to cook it for a bit before adding it to the curry along with the potatoes and carrot. He added oil to the heated pan and as he was sauteing the chicken, he added some diced onions to add some sweetness. After a few minutes, he turned off the stove and went over to a pot where he added some boiled water and a whole bottle of coconut milk. He began boiling and get it to simmer before he added the curry mix.

"Satou, are the vegetables ready?" asked Ayanokouji.

"Yeah." said Satou, carrying the whole cutting board over to the pot. Ayanokouji held the cutting board above the pot and told Satou to push the potatoes and carrots into the pot. Satou obeyed, but a few piece of potatoes and carrots missed the pot and either bounced onto the kitchen counter or floor.

"Oops! I really need to work on my aim." said Sato, taking the pieces that landed on the kitchen counter and placing it into the pot.

Ayanokouji placed the cutting board onto the kitchen counter and Ayanokouji added the sauté chicken and onions into the pot. All they have to do is wait until the curry simmers. He began helping Satou to pick up the fallen ingredients off

the floor and after the mess was finished, they began cleaning the various used kitchenware. It was a nice and peaceful silence, but Ayanokouji's mind was thinking about something that someone said before and it applied to this situation that he was in.

"You know... it feels like we're a married couple." said Ayanokouji.

"Eh?! You think so?" asked Satou, taken aback by Ayanokouji's unexpected comment.

"You don't think so?"

"I-I guess that's something that you expect from married couples."

Satou's face was a little red by Ayanokouji's implication, but Ayanokouji's mind accidently went there because of Sotomura's previous comments about an anime that is eerily similar to this mini special exam and cooking with Satou reminded him of that and the idea of being a married couple. He internally cursed at Sotomura for accidentally making this into a fresh memory and didn't want Satou to have the wrong idea.

"Sorry for saying something so random like that." said Ayanokouji. "It's okay... I mean... it just came out of nowhere." said Satou.

"Yeah... I guess I have a habit of saying things like that randomly. It's something that I should work on."

Satou giggled and the duo finished up cleaning the rest of their kitchenware and Ayanokouji was waiting for the curry while Satou was setting up the table for dinner.

After about 10 more minutes of waiting, the rice finished cooking and Satou began scooping some rice onto a plate while Ayanokouji opened the lid of the pot. The smell of curry hit his nostrils and Ayanokouji knew that curry was done. He began scooping some curry onto each plate before bringing it to the dining table.

"Itadakimasu!" said the duo. They began eating and Satou complimenting Ayanokouji's skills as a chef and she jokingly said that her skills of cutting and

preparing the vegetables were essential to the dish and said that maybe Ayanokouji could learn a thing from her.

"You know... I can teach you a few things about cooking if you want." offered Ayanokouji.

"I might take you on that offer." said Satou.

As the duo continued eating, the topic of the sports festival was brought up and as Satou was chatting about her events that she was signed up in, Ayanokouji was silently thinking about it.

This sports festival is going to be interesting. Something tells me that Ryuuen has something in store for us. I hope Horikita has some sort of counterplan to it.

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Soulmates

1) Horikita Suzune

2) Kushida Kikyou

3) Mii-chan

4) Tachibana Akane

5) Azuma Sana

6) Shinohara Satsuki

7) Onodera Kayano

8) Mori Nene

9) Hoshinomiya Chie

10) Ichihashi Ruri

11) Andou Sayo

12) Shiranami Chihiro

13) Yabu Nanami

14) Sakura Airi

15) Inogashira Kokoro

16) Morofuji Rika

17) Manabe Shiho

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Author's Note:

Hello, everyone! Here marks the beginning of the Satou arc. I didn't want this entire chapter to be all about Satou, but I decided to add the sports festival to help spice it up. Note to everyone: Satou won't be falling in love with Ayanokouji after the race, but I'm building up something. Let me cook.

I've been introducing quite a lot of girls (Koharu and Asahina), but I'm working on how to integrate them into the story and Ayanokouji's life. Lastly, I'm working on the rest of Morofuji's backstory, but it's still incomplete, so that's why I had Morofuji slowly revealed little pieces out of time.

I also want to hold a poll right here: for the next soulmate that you want to see next (maybe be coming soon). I haven't forgot the other soulmates (mostly the main girls) because I'm waiting for the perfect time for them to be introduced or fall for Ayanokouji.

Ninomiya Yui

Minamikata Kozue

Isoyama Nagisa

Kinoshita Minori

With that, I take my leave and to get a good rest.

Until next time, my dear readers.

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