Chapter 10: Setting the Stage
-o-o-o-
Nagumo Miyabi's SS: He Who Squeezes Water From Stone
"Welcome to my humble abode."
I greeted the two individuals at my door, bowing my head slightly. Ayanokōji and Horikita-senpai stepped inside.
Horikita-senpai and Ayanokōji. It felt like they were closer than expected as if the black-haired boy had already convinced his underclassman to his side. Status quo over progress, caution over ambition. His style was never my style. I didn't want Ayanokōji to emulate his style, either.
This kōhai was still unknown to me. What kind of abilities did he possess? Just how strong was he? I strongly felt that I would face him in the future, whether it be out of necessity or out of my own, sheer boredom. If I ignored him now, that action may cause me trouble in the future.
Pride is the sin of man.
I had invited the two of them to my apartment for a friendly wager in chess, knowing that both of them were interested in the game. I had studied it myself, but not to their extent.
In order to ensure that everyone was serious, we would each wager points and sign a memorandum upon arrival.
Of course, it would be strange to solely extend this invitation to Ayanokōji. That's precisely why I chose to welcome Horikita-senpai as well. It wasn't to say that I was not interested in Horikita-senpai, but that my current interest in Ayanokōji had risen higher than that of the student council president. The entire second year was boring, even Kiryūin Fūka. I required new challengers.
Humans were enamored by novelty, and I was no exception.
"I believe the conditions are that each of us wagers one million private points on a ten-minute blitz match, is that correct?" Horikita regarded me. There were four printed-out memorandums on the table for examination.
"You may amend the private points if you so desire. I left one of the places blank. Ayanokōji, would you be willing to allow me a game with Horikita-senpai first?"
"That's fine."
Horikita and I quickly filled out the copies of the memorandum, and after making sure that they matched, each of us kept one for ourselves. The official contract was only insurance; I doubted either of them would renege on our deal so easily. Connections were important in this school, after all.
"Ayanokōji, please flip this coin to determine who will be playing white. Horikita-senpai, choose a side," I said.
"Tails."
Ayanokōji placed the flat of the coin on his thumb and flipped it. The metal coin landed on the Horikita-senpai's side, and so he played white.
Horikita-senpai and I began our match, with Ayanokōji watching from the side.
From the start, it was clear that I was no match for Horikita-senpai. I was outmaneuvered in the early game, in the midgame, and in the end game. I resigned and transferred one million points to Horikita-senpai, who confirmed that he received them.
Next, it was Ayanokōji's turn. Even at the prospect of such an easy opponent and what should have been free points, he showed no signs of excitement.
"Ayanokōji, how about we make this a little more high-stakes? The level of our wager, I mean. How many private points do you have?"
"Seven million."
When he said that, Horikita's facial expression did not change in the slightest. Could that mean that he wasn't lying? No, I shouldn't rely on his facial expression—senpai had the ability to hold a perfect poker face.
But I felt a strong suspicion that the brown-haired boy was lying, although I had no evidence. It was like he was lying about only having seven million.
Of course, that many points is a preposterous amount for a kōhai to possess, but if anyone could accumulate that many, it would be this kōhai.
"Wow, seven million, that's quite a lot for a kōhai," I laughed. "May I see your balance? I would like to make sure that you are able to pay out that much."
However—
"I never said I would wager all of my points."
He swiftly countered my point without being too defensive. If he had provided another argument, such as "the memorandum never included this aspect", then he might have even drawn Horikita-senpai's suspicion. This short, succinct argument was able to divert my attack.
"Then, how about this? I can wager you fourteen million points for your seven million on one condition. I will be allowed to use my phone." As I finished my sentence, his golden eyes slid to the device in my right hand.
Horikita-senpai cast me a disapproving eye but did not say anything. Maybe he thought that the wager was unfair, but I wasn't forcing Ayanokōji to take the bet.
The reason for the discrepancy between Horikita-senpai's bet and Ayanokōji's bet was clear to all three of us: I wanted Ayanokōji to take this seriously, like an exam. If he won this game against me, he would have at least twenty-one million points—enough to guarantee Class A.
Of course, someone like him, possessing natural talent, could reach Class A on their own. But this greatly expanded his options.
I hoped he would take me up on the wager.
"I accept, then."
He seemed confident in beating the engine on my phone. I caught Horikita-senpai glancing at him uncertainly.
"Naturally, we should show each other our balances in order to confirm."
He willingly showed me his balance.
So he wasn't lying. It was around seven million points. But even so, I felt a strange sensation from his words.
That was wrong. What I was seeing was his balance, not necessarily his entire point accumulation. Maybe he had points in other places, points with his subordinates being one possible case.
In any case, there was no reason to continue speculating about it. I showed my balance in turn.
We wrote down the numbers: fourteen million points for my part, and seven million points on his part. Each of us signed the memorandum, once for each copy.
Yes, it was fine to wager this amount of private points. Even though some might consider it a lot, it wasn't a lot to me.
As the emperor of the second year, I had too many points to spare. Expending some here in order to deduce this kōhai's fighting ability was entirely worth it.
"Heads or tails, Ayanokōji? Horikita-senpai, please do the honors this time."
"Heads."
The student council president flipped the coin. The result was tails. This time, I was playing white.
I played a book move, and Ayanokōji responded with the standard book move. As the early game went underway, I copied the moves from the board onto the engine on my phone, and we even made some small talk.
"Ayanokōji. How is your classroom situation, now that the class rankings have been revealed?"
"It's better than you would expect, at least," he said. "Leadership has really helped."
"Hm, is that so?" I moved my knight to a new square. "Your classmates are the defects of the school year, perhaps the most in history." I ignored Horikita-senpai's rather piercing gaze.
"Yes, for now."
"In fact, I heard there were two expulsions early on, within just the first week. You really are unlucky to be placed there."
As always, my kōhai's poker face didn't falter in the slightest. "I guess so."
"Did you perhaps have something to do with it? Those expulsions."
"Why would I do that?" he moved his bishop.
"A little bit of hunger is always good," I replied. "If you're never hungry, you will never feel the full joy of a feast."
"Wise words from Nagumo-senpai. But I did not do such a thing."
"What if I had been recording? That audio would surely demoralize your classmates. Being called defective."
He gave me another noncommittal answer, not caring to call me out on the blatant lie. "Perhaps."
Noncommittal answers like his would do nothing for a voice recording.
I turned my attention solely onto the game. We were evenly matched in the beginning, at least by my metrics. As the game moved into the midgame, discrepancies began to appear.
As much as I didn't want to admit it, playing against someone like him was unsettling. Even when I was playing against Horikita-senpai, it didn't feel like this. The gap in skill level between Horikita-senpai and me was palpable; yet, playing against Ayanokōji with a chess engine aiding me felt staggering in a different way.
Every time I used the engine to move, he replied almost instantaneously. He was faster than the engine.
I picked the most optimal move on the engine most of the time; sometimes, I would attempt to mix it up, picking the second-best or third-best moves. Once or twice, I picked the fourth-best.
It didn't matter.
I knew that the engine was not top-notch by any means; browser engines didn't have too much depth and breadth using nodes, especially in a ten-minute blitz game like this. Furthermore, I just chose a free one online.
But for a human being to achieve this level of strength…
Move by move, second by second, I found myself in a precarious position. It did not catch me unaware, and the maneuver wasn't sudden at all; rather, his attack was similar to a looming fate that I couldn't escape from. Like a prophecy.
I see. So this is how it feels to fight against him.
Even though this was not a real exam, I felt increasingly uneasy with the situation. There were too many points of attack and strategies; I was overwhelmed.
This unsettling feeling…
Somehow, he squeezes water from stone.
A snake-fighting style, winding and gripping and constricting…
A wispy, black hand; elongated fingers wound tightly around the neck of my white king.
In the endgame, I put up a futile struggle. Perhaps a dozen moves later, I resigned. I transferred the private points to him shortly after.
"Good game, Ayanokōji. I hope you put these fourteen million points to good use."
"I will. Thank you for this gift, senpai."
My eye twitched. Horikita stifled a laugh. This kid…
As Horikita-senpai and Ayanokōji left my apartment, my gaze lingered on their backs.
The unfamiliar feeling of loss began to set in, but I was able to disregard it.
I have never lost, not even once.
Throughout elementary school, middle school, junior high school, and now high school. There had never been someone to challenge me before.
No, that was incorrect. I quickly amended my statement.
I had never remembered a single significant loss in my life.
Ayanokōji Kiyotaka was the first one to hand me that kind of loss.
For months, I had ruled over the school with an iron fist, my every move calculated, my every decision strategic. I had never known defeat, never tasted failure. And yet, here I was, staring it squarely in the face.
As the shock began to wear off, I realized that this defeat was more than just a loss in a game of chess. It was exactly what I had been looking for: to lose. That thrill, that adrenaline, that anticipation of whether or not I would come out on top. It was addictive, powerful like a drug. But even ruling over my fellow classmates did nothing for me. Ruling over the school did nothing. I craved that balance, that fine line between coming out victorious and hanging my head low in defeat.
Now that I had his fighting style down, I wanted to crush him in a real exam. But I held myself back for now.
We second-years had our first special exam of the year soon. Besides, it wouldn't be fair to attack him so early when he hadn't even experienced a special exam yet. But, in any case, I had two years to play with him.
I will make sure to have some fun with you, Ayanokōji.
-o-o-o-
When lunchtime came, I jumped to my feet and headed to the cafeteria with purposeful strides, ignoring the calls of my name from several groups inviting me out. Maybe I was being a bit inconsiderate by ignoring them, but they would soon get over it.
As we had arranged previously, Kushida followed me, and we headed to the cafeteria together. We navigated our way through the crowd and finally reached the meal ticket machine. We each bought tickets for our portions, but we didn't line up at the counter. Instead, I went to the side of the vending machine and looked at students perusing the menu.
Although people knew that Ayanokōji Kiyotaka was a vice president of the Student Council, most people didn't recognize his face. That was why I could remain incognito, at least at this moment.
Kushida didn't speak when she was with me, instead staying to my side, like a loyal animal. Her pink eyes flitted about, trying to decipher what move I was going to make next.
I continued observing students as they bought lunch sets from the meal ticket machine. It took several dozen students, but my target finally appeared. He purchased his meal ticket without a point transfer and walked to the counter with heavy, plodding steps, his posture drawn forward in defeat. That only confirmed that he was my target.
"Okay, let's go," I said. We quickly exchanged our tickets for our meals and sat down in front of the worn-out male student.
"Excuse me, are you an upperclassman?" I asked.
"Hmm? Who are you? Oh, wait, you're Ayanokōji." The student had recognized us rather quickly, given my position on the Student Council. That also meant that he knew I was in perhaps the worst class D in the history of the school. However, he didn't have any desire to mock us, given that he had purchased the free vegetable meal set.
"Are you a second-year student? Third-year? In Class D?"
"Third-year," he answered, side-eyeing me.
"It's not very tasty, is it?" I pointed to the meal set. Kushida quickly caught on, courtesy of her rapid thinking.
"What do you want? You're really annoying." He took his tray and made to stand, but I stopped him.
"I want to ask you something. If you listen, I'll show you my gratitude."
"Gratitude?"
The cafeteria's hustle and bustle drowned out my voice. The students were all engrossed in chatting pleasantly with their friends. I leaned closer to the student so that he could hear me.
"Do you still have the problems from the midterm test from the first semester of your first year? Or, if not, do you happen to know someone from your class who does?"
"Do you even understand what you're asking?" he retorted. "Are you trying to cheat or something? You know that's illegal, right? Jesus, you're a vice president of the Student Council, aren't you?" his eyes widened.
It appeared that I had been recognized.
"It's not particularly strange, is it?" I replied. "I didn't think it was against school rules to study using old test problems."
"Why are you asking me?" he crossed his arms standoffishly as he leaned back in his seat. His earlier shock at my position seemed to have disappeared.
"That's simple. I believed I'd have the highest chance of success if I worked with someone who didn't have any points. Honestly, that free vegetable meal set doesn't look good," I said pointedly. "Naturally, things would be quite different if you actually liked eating the vegetable set. What do you think?"
The student grunted, accepting my explanation. "Whatever. How much are you going to pay?"
"10,000 points. That's as high as I'll go."
"I don't have the old test problems, but I know someone who does. If you want him to help you, though, you're going to need to offer at least 30,000 points. If you've got that, you're fine."
I nudged Kushida, who leaned forward, putting on a cute face. "Senpai~ please, we don't have a lot of money…"
"I, uh—well…" she grasped one of his hands with her own, which caused him to flush. "Please help us out, senpai…"
"Ah, well, I guess I could do 20,000," he said somewhat reluctantly.
"Please, senpai~" she increased her act. He leaned backward slightly.
"Fine, fine, 10,000, and I won't go any lower." My endearing classmate peeked at me for confirmation, and I discreetly nodded my head. In truth, I had been prepared to pay up to 50,000 for the papers.
"I see. I understand. I'll pay you 10,000 points."
"Then we have a deal. Of course, I'll have to ask you to transfer the points in advance," the upperclassman pointed out.
"That's fine with me. But if you renege on our deal I won't forgive you. Even if you're an upperclassman, I'll do anything and everything to make sure you're expelled."
The weight of my words was backed by my position on the Student Council as vice president. Though we were the worst Class D in the history of the school, this only meant I was chosen to be on the Student Council because my abilities far outweighed the class ranking.
"Tch. You're a freak. Fine, I get it. Besides, when you transfer points, there's always a record of it. If rumor spreads that some first-years ripped me off, it'd look bad."
"All right then. Since I'm paying you 10,000 points, can you toss in a little bonus? I want to see the answers to the surprise test that we took after being admitted."
"Okay," he agreed. "I'll toss that in, too. I think that your concerns are pointless, though." It seemed that he understood what I was after.
"Thank you."
After we made our deal, he quickly left the cafeteria. He probably didn't want to be noticed.
"Hey, Kiyotaka-kun? Was that okay? What you did just now?" Kushida asked uncertainly.
"It's not a problem. School rules allow point transfers, so there was no violation."
"Isn't it still cheating?" At the end of her question, the blonde-haired girl mustered up the courage to look me in the eyes. She must have been honestly concerned that Class D may be caught cheating and violating the rules. However, she quickly looked away again.
"No. If the school didn't allow it, they would have outlined it in the rules to begin with. Did you see the behavior of that third-year student? That is to say, it's not unusual for students to barter points like this."
My endearing classmate was reasonably smart, and she had noticed it somewhat.
"My request didn't particularly surprise him, and he accepted it quickly. This likely isn't the first time that he's negotiated like this. Not only did he have the answer sheet for the first-year midterm exam, but he also had the answer sheet for the mock test we took after being admitted. If he saved those, it's clear why."
"What you did was daring, Kiyotaka-kun. Although I've come to expect that from you."
My endearing classmate had warmed up to me over the past few weeks, especially with what had happened last night. However, I could still see the way she trembled slightly whenever our eyes met.
"It's just some insurance to prevent Sudō and the others from getting expelled."
"But, if the old test answers are useless, then it will have been for nothing. I mean, the past test questions are old, aren't they? They might be completely unrelated to what's featured on this year's test."
"The problems may not be exactly the same, but there will definitely be similarities. I noticed a hint on that last mock exam we took."
"Those hard problems." As expected, Kushida caught my line of thinking. If she hadn't challenged me or any giants at this school, she might have had a free life.
"Yes. Those final three questions. I did some investigating, and I found that those questions were on the second-year and third-year students' tests. In other words, a first-year student generally wouldn't understand how to solve them. Wouldn't it be pointless for the school to purposefully throw us problems we can't solve?"
"Right," she nodded in agreement.
"In other words, those questions aren't there simply to measure our academic ability. They were a hint. Suppose that the problems on the mock test we took were exactly the same as the problems on the old mock test that the upperclassmen took. What would happen?"
"Well, if I'd seen the old test, I'd memorize all the answers and be able to answer every question.
The same thing would likely apply to the midterm exam as well. Shortly thereafter, that third-year student sent me a message with two files attached: the mock test and the midterm exam. It was the old test questions.
First, I checked the mock test. The key was whether or not the last three problems were the same. Kushida seemed to be curious as well, as she drew closer and tried to peek at my phone.
"Well? Well?" she asked excitedly.
"They're the same. Every single word is identical. The test from that year and this year are exactly the same, in every way."
"That's amazing!" she exclaimed. "So, if we show this to everyone in class, that would mean an easy victory! We should show this to all of our other friends in Class D, not just Sudō-kun!"
"No, we'll hold off. We won't show it to them yet."
The blonde-haired girl paused, glancing at me. She must have been trying to decipher my thoughts at that moment. "Why? You went through all of this trouble of using your points for this."
"If they learn that the old test questions would be effective, their motivation to study would go up in smoke. We need to be wary of overconfidence. After all, even though the mock tests were identical, it remains possible that the questions featured on the midterm this year might not be the same as last year's."
In other words, these old test papers were only insurance. Kushida understood.
"Okay, then how should we use them?"
"We can print them out and hand them out the day before the test. That night, everyone will be hunched over their desks, trying to frantically memorize all of the problems. Even if they don't, they can fall back on what they've studied in the past few weeks."
"Kiyotaka-kun… you really are a genius. When did you come up with the idea to get the old tests?" she asked.
"I had a hunch back when they first told us about the midterm exam."
"Huh?! Way back then!?"
"There was something very peculiar about the way Chabashira-sensei told us about the test," I explained. "As our homeroom teacher, she had a clear comprehension of everyone's grades and academic performance. Despite that, she seemed absolutely certain when she told us that there was a way for us to pass this test. In other words, she indicated that there was a surefire way for us to save everyone."
"And that's the old test papers."
"This was why Sudō Hondō, Yamauchi, and Ike were admitted to this school despite being academically poor. Even if they couldn't get good grades by studying ahead, perhaps there were other means of addressing the problem, a backup plan they could use to avoid expulsion for the first time. This meant that it was possible for anyone to get a near-perfect score if they could get their hands on the old test papers. That's what I took from the situation, anyway."
My endearing classmate tilted her head. The corners of her lips were upturned. "Kiyotaka, to be honest, I don't know how anyone could defeat you."
"I have one more gift for you. Kikyō, you should tell everyone that you got the old test papers from a third-year student that you're close to."
The blonde-haired girl paused briefly, the gears turning in her head. Of course, she instantly realized the benefits of receiving the class's attention and gratitude.
"You want me to get all of the attention. You want to make me even more popular than I already am!" she whispered furiously, her knees bouncing up and down at the notion. Her face was heated.
"Exactly. I only want the best for my queen. Is that so hard to understand?"
"No, no, not at all," she giggled. "Thanks, Kiyotaka-kun."
-o-o-o-
Had I made the wrong decision? Had I picked the wrong person?
The feeling of my own teeth. Once again, I found myself chewing on my lower lip.
I've never been strong. Not even once. Every time I've tried to be strong, it always turned out to be just a facade. A "fake it till you make it" kind of thing.
I couldn't stand on my own. That was the honest truth.
When I entered this school, my only goal was to find a pillar. Someone reliable, who I could lean on to boost my popularity. That way, no one would ever hurt me again. No one dared to attack the top of the food chain. No one was moronic and stupid enough to do that kind of thing.
Being in Class D, I quickly narrowed my candidates down to two people: Hirata Yōsuke and Ayanokōji Kiyotaka. Hirata-kun was more kind and sociable compared to Ayanokōji-kun, who seemed more gloomy. That was why I chose the former. Really, there wasn't another big reason.
But, with the recent announcement, things changed.
Ayanokōji-kun became a vice president of the Student Council. A sudden rise to popularity, and the Student Council President Horikita Manabu even allowed him to bring on two secretaries, those being Ichinose Honami from Class 1-B and Kiryūin Fūka, a second-year senpai. He even recruited Kushida-san from our class to be the first-year representative.
Those were three girls with top-tier looks in the Student Council because of Ayanokōji-kun. I should've been among them.
I'd made a terrible mistake. Watching that scenario happen in front of my eyes, it was like out of fiction. I couldn't stand it.
How had I gotten so unlucky? Who was Ayanokōji-kun to be so coveted by the student council president? It didn't make sense at all.
I should've been one of them. If I was a secretary on the Student Council, my popularity would undoubtedly explode. Instead, I had to watch the others become part of the Student Council. Especially Kushida.
That was the worst part about all this. When people thought of the most important girl in Class D, they thought of Karuizawa as the voice, and maybe Matsushita as someone on the Strategy Committee. Now, they wouldn't think about Karuizawa anymore, but Kushida.
Kushida this, Kushida that, it was all so aggravating! The point was that Kushida's new appointment as secretary had harmed my position. I could even see it with my own eyes! That drove me crazy.
"Karuizawa-san, are you okay?"
"Huh? O-Oh, yeah."
Hirata-kun smiled. We were seated inside the Pallet, so I needed to avoid making faces. Otherwise, rumors might start circulating.
"By the way, you should probably call me Kei-chan. Not Karuizawa-san. I'll call you Yōsuke-kun too," I said. "We should be closer than how we are right now. That's what people in relationships do."
To tell the truth, I had no clue what being in a real relationship was like. I was just fake-dating Hirata, and I had even chosen the wrong fake boyfriend. Not even a few months into my high school career, and I had messed up.
"A-Ah, okay," Hirata smiled, scratching the back of his head. "I understand, Karuizawa—no, Kei-chan."
"Good job, Yōsuke-kun," I praised him.
We continued our conversation, making an effort to appear closer, but my mind was elsewhere. I watched Hirata-kun's face, noting the genuine warmth in his eyes. He was too good for this. Too kind, too honest.
He never crossed the boundaries that we had set. It was like he was a true gentleman, and there was nothing else beneath that. No double-sided face, no interior personality.
Even Ayanokōji-kun, who had seemed so bland at first, now seemed cooler than Hirata-kun. There was a saying that the grass was greener on the other side, but I felt like ignoring it.
Ayanokōji-kun was a genius. He had scored full marks on the mock exam. Now that I had come to terms with it, I realized that Hirata was just a perfect model boy, but average in other aspects. He wasn't a star.
Ayanokōji-kun was a star.
Of course, I was grateful to Hirata-kun for helping me. I instantly became the coveted top spot of girls in the class at the time that we announced we were dating. He promised to protect me. He was my shining knight in armor. But Ayanokōji-kun had dug his claws into the Student Council and brought three attractive girls with him. The worst of all was Kushida.
It should have been me, not that blonde harlot! Thinking of it, I couldn't help but clench my fist.
"Kei-chan, you seem distracted," Hirata-kun said softly, concern evident in his voice. "Is something bothering you?"
I hesitated, the weight of my thoughts pressing down on me. Should I confide in him? Tell him about my regrets and fears? Instead, I forced a smile, shaking my head.
"It's nothing, Yōsuke-kun. Just tired, I guess."
He nodded, accepting my answer without question. He was someone who would save me in times of need, yes. But he didn't seem like he was willing to help me unconditionally.
What if, when he promised to save me, he insisted on not hurting anyone else? He was a prince, he was someone who would do that kind of ridiculous thing.
If I got hurt, he would help me, but wouldn't hurt the one who did it in the first place, right? That question must have hung in the back of my mind for some time.
I could attach myself to Ayanokōji-kun and become his girlfriend in secret, then break up with Hirata. After that, I would just have to wait a few weeks to a month to announce my new relationship with Ayanokōji-kun.
But wait…
If I left Hirata-kun and got with Ayanokōji-kun, I might draw the ire of those three girls in the Student Council. I would draw the entire grade's ire, probably. I would be a blonde whore, just like Kushida, and everyone would set their sights on me, especially for having dated Hirata-kun and Ayanokōji-kun, right?
It was like having too much publicity would paint a target the size of Japan on my back. So what should I do, then?
I could involve myself with Ayanokōji, but unless there was an official relationship, it wasn't like I could assert any form of status with that. The Student Council seats were filled, and I had a boyfriend in Hirata.
I needed him to protect me, somehow. Maybe what I needed was… yes, I needed the status and protection from Ayanokōji-kun, but Hirata-kun's status would suffice. As long as Ayanokōji-kun could protect me absolutely, more than Hirata-kun ever could.
Two was better than one, right?
I just needed to think of a way to get him into my grasp. Then my life would never be threatened for the rest of these three years.
-o-o-o-
"Hey, watch it, you defects." One of the students who seemed to be from Class A bumped into Sudō's shoulder, even though the force from the contact flung the boy further back than Sudō. Sudō barely even moved. There were two of them.
These days, the name-calling had reached an all-time high. We were branded as the worst class in the history of the school, having descended into negative class points. It had gotten to the point where Class D always went out in groups to protect each other.
Of course, social elites like Kushida and Hirata were free from this abuse, but the leaders of Class D like Matsushita and Okitani were being targeted more than ever. I didn't consider myself a social elite, but I was somehow exempt from the bullying, probably because of my status as a vice president of the Student Council.
But Sudō wasn't exempt, far from it. He was actually the main target because he was so easy to provoke. That was why I was with him right now. We were going to the gym to have him let off some steam.
"Who the fuck are you calling defects?" Spittle flew from the red-haired boy's mouth, and I grabbed his wrist to prevent him from reaching for the other boy's collar.
"That's exactly what I said," the boy laughed. "You should just obey your master, like the pathetic dog you are. Otherwise, you might lose class points and fall into an even deeper hole."
The other boy slapped him on the shoulder, "You're right!
Sudō put on a sudden burst of strength, which nearly caused me to lose my grip on his wrist. If it was a normal situation, I might have let him off his leash.
But this time, it wouldn't do. My beautiful teacher might get mad if I let Class D fall into a deeper hole. I didn't want to disappoint Chabashira-sensei, of course.
Having made my decision, my right forearm muscle bulged like a python as I held him back with all of my strength, planting my feet into the ground. Sudō was a starter on the basketball team and trained with me often, so he was no weakling. He was around 183 cm or six feet and probably weighed close to two hundred pounds, so it was hard for my forearm muscles to clench onto his wrist.
The two boys from Class A stared at us, their eyes wide and horrified with rife.
"Holy fuck, is that really his forearm?"
"T-They're not faking it, right? Let's go!"
They quickly turned around and left us alone, and Sudō stopped struggling. But, after a few meters, one of them turned around and yelled something.
"You won't get away with this!" He proceeded to run away. The way he ran was kind of funny, like a cartoon character.
"The fuck is he talking about…" the red-haired boy grumbled. "Damn them. Kōji, why won't you let me pummel them, just once! They're so arrogant and shit. Pisses me off."
"I mean, who do they think they are? Some kinda hotshots?" Sudō scoffed.
The red-haired boy still needed work. That was why I accompanied him. He needed to be able to think and act with restraint.
Right now, the only thing holding him back was the leash that I held.
"Sudō, we're here."
"Ahh, finally. Get to let off some steam," Sudō laughed, as we scanned our student IDs to get in. "So, what are we doing today? Chest day, back day? Arms?"
When he didn't get a response, he nearly quivered in place, as he stared at me with those broken eyes. "N-No, don't tell me we're doing leg day."
"We're not."
"Phew. Thank god. So what are we doing then?"
"We're doing some mixed martial arts. Let's have a light spar, Sudō."
The last time that we had sparred, it had ended in disaster for the red-haired boy. I had accidentally hit him too hard on one of his vulnerable spots, and he ended up on the floor and shaking.
"U-Um, can we not do that?"
"We're doing it. You're a big, strong basketball player, so you should be able to handle it."
"Tch. Whatever. I'll win against you, guaranteed! Whatever it takes!" he pumped his chest out. That was Sudō's puzzling ability, to easily swing his mood whenever he felt like it.
We entered the training room, the smell of sweat and rubber mats filling the air. Sudō immediately started stretching, his movements a bit stiff but purposeful. I watched him for a moment, noting the tension in his muscles and the fire in his eyes.
"Alright, let's warm up first," I said, rolling my shoulders and loosening my joints. "We'll start with some basic drills before we spar."
Sudō nodded, his jaw set in determination. "Fine. But I still think you're going down today."
I clapped my hands, not taking his words too seriously. Sudō had spirit, but he often let his emotions get the better of him. That was what I needed to help him control.
We began with some light jogging around the perimeter of the room and then transitioned into some light shadowboxing. Sudō's punches were powerful but lacked precision. I corrected his form, showing him how to rotate his hips and extend his reach for maximum impact. As an aspiring professional athlete, he was able to absorb the instructions quickly, his competitive nature driving him to improve.
"You're getting better," I said, genuinely impressed. "Keep that up, and you might actually land a hit on me today."
"Ha! Don't underestimate me, Kōji," Sudō replied, sweat dripping down his forehead. "I'm not the same guy you beat up last time. I've been training."
After a solid warm-up, we moved to the center of the mat.
"Alright, let's spar," I said, raising my hands in a defensive stance. "Remember, control your emotions. Use your head, not just your fists."
Sudō nodded, his expression serious. He mirrored my stance, and we began to circle each other. I threw a few testing jabs, which he blocked with ease. Then he countered with a powerful hook that I dodged just in time.
"Good, but don't telegraph your punches," I advised, slipping back to create distance. "Keep your movements fluid."
"Got it," he grunted.
We continued to spar, our movements becoming faster and more intense. Sudō's punches were strong and aggressive, but he still struggled with control. He lunged at me with a wild swing, and I sidestepped, grabbing his arm and using his momentum to throw him off balance. He stumbled but quickly regained his footing.
"Calm down, Sudō," I said, my voice steady. "You're too tense. Relax and focus."
He growled in frustration but nodded, taking a deep breath and steadying himself somewhat. This time, he approached more cautiously, his eyes locked on mine. He feinted with his left and struck with his right, a tactic I hadn't expected. I barely managed to block it, and the impact sent a shockwave through my arm.
"Nice one," I admitted, feeling a sense of pride for his progress. "Keep it up."
We continued sparring, our movements a dance of punches, blocks, and counters. Sudō's improvement was evident, and I could see the determination in his eyes. He was learning to harness his anger, channeling it into controlled aggression.
Suddenly, he landed a solid hit on my shoulder, making me stagger back. The impact was strong, and for a moment, I felt a surge of pain.
"Not bad," I said, rubbing my shoulder. "You've got power, no doubt about it."
Sudō grinned, his confidence growing. "Told you I'd get you."
We took a moment to catch our breath, both of us panting from the exertion. I could see the satisfaction in Sudō's eyes, the sense of accomplishment from having landed a clean hit. This was the progress I had hoped for.
"Alright, let's call it a day," I said, patting him on the back. "You did great, Sudō. Keep working on your control, and you'll be unstoppable."
He nodded, a look of determination on his face. "Thanks, Kōji. I won't let you down."
Sudō was growing, not just as a fighter but as a person. If he could learn to control his emotions and think strategically, he would be a powerful ally for Class D. And maybe, just maybe, we could rise above our current status and prove everyone wrong.
"Demon-boy. Care for a spar? In the main ring, of course."
Sparring Rokusuke in the main ring might cause some unwanted attention. But there weren't many people around at this hour either way, and I wanted to be able to gauge the blond boy's strength. He was slightly taller than me, with a longer reach and a well-built body.
"Sure. Sudō, you can go take a shower—"
"I'll watch," he interrupted, sitting down on a nearby bench. "Maybe I can pick up a thing or two."
Kōenji raised his eyebrows, smirking. "So the monkey wants to watch? I'm impressed with your work, Kiyotaka-boy."
"You!" Sudō clenched his fist, but I placed my hand on his chest and pushed him back. He was tired from the sparring, so he couldn't resist the force.
"Don't fall for his cheap provocation, Sudō. In fact, if you don't cause any trouble like falling for taunting for the entire week… If you can do that, I'll buy you the next volume of the light novel you're reading right now from Sotomura."
"R-Really?!" Sudō saluted me with his right arm. "Thank you, sir! I promise I won't let you down!"
It was amusing to see how fired up Sudō could get about anime, manga, and light novels. Same with Sotomura and Okitani. But that was how teenage boys operated, I guess. However, I can't deny that those stories have also drawn me in.
Rokusuke and I climbed into the main ring. At this point, it was around dinnertime, so this area of the gym was completely empty. In other words, I would be unhindered in the spar with Kōenji.
"Demon-boy, let's begin."
We didn't start, actually. Instead, we began circling each other, throwing experimental jabs here and there.
"The seats are empty. The theater is dark. Why do you keep acting?"
"What do you mean?"
The blond boy's next jab contained more power in it, and I was forced backward to avoid it. This was his way of warning me.
Answer the question, his eyes insisted. Of course, that kind of thing was hard to read, especially for Kōenji. But I saw it.
"Your recent moves have stunned the school. Is that your wish? Are you truly cognizant of your desires?"
His words not only referred to the debacle of bringing three people into the Student Council but also the incident with Kushida. I weighed the pros and cons of discussing things with him here. Sudō was the only person present; he wasn't the brightest of students. He probably didn't understand the kind of wordplay that Rokusuke and I would create.
Kōenji dropped into a wide stance, his fists upward, hovering to protect his chin. It seemed like he wasn't going to make the first move.
Moving toward him, I lashed out with an experimental hook, and he instantly blocked it. He sent a front push kick, a teep, that landed square in my abdominal region and pushed me backward. The impact left a mark on me. He sure was strong.
"What if I said I wanted to do it?"
"So, you are claiming that it was your wish?"
"That's right. I did it on a mere whim."
"Ha ha ha!" a roar of laughter belted from Kōenji. "That's the spirit, Kiyotaka-boy! o everything according to your whims!"
I didn't understand this guy in the slightest. He was eccentric, to say the least. Why did he ask me these questions? Why was he doing this? I didn't get any of that.
Roksuke darted forward, unleashing a series of punches and jabs. Left, right, high, roundhouse, left, they came in a flurry. His long limbs allowed him to reach me without me reaching him, and as a consequence, I was forced into pure defense.
"That's the only way to live life! Not because you're obligated to, but because you wish to. Entertain me then, Demon-boy! Because the theater is no longer empty. I have purchased a front-row seat!"
Entertain him, huh? That seemed… interesting. Then I quickly decided that I would do so. Using my maximum speed, I closed the distance between us and feinted a right hook, followed by the actual strike, a left jab. He was able to just barely avoid it, but my knuckle grazed the side of his face. It drew blood.
Instinctively, Rokusuke whirled to retaliate with a fist, but I sensed that it was a feint. He tried a combination of punches, which I was able to evade. The next strike that he threw contained an extraordinary amount of power.
Curious, I decided to bear the brunt of the attack by blocking it. The tendons and bones in my arm rattled at the strength.
"Kōenji, you are an exceptional fighter."
He didn't reply, as he darted forward, trying to land another hit on me. I dodged his attack without warning and struck the bridge of his nose.
Kōenji grunted, trying to defend. But I evaded his counterattacks and jabbed again and again, lightly with speed. The power of each shot was only slight because I concentrated on that small area, needing to be accurate. As I repeatedly hit him on the bridge of his nose, tears were induced in Rokusuke's eyes, blurring his vision.
Every human being induces tears when they are knocked on the nose. The tears overflow before the pain and take away visibility, which is crucial. It doesn't matter if you are an adult or a child, young or old, experienced or inexperienced. It's just how the human body operates.
Rokusuke's eyes watered up, and he backed away. But I moved into his space again and swung my fist in an uppercut toward his chin.
To my surprise, he avoided my attack and launched a devastating counterattack on my solar plexus. His longer reach allowed him to place more force into it, and I found myself reeling from the strike.
"Aghh!" Judging by the motion of his cheek, he bit his tongue, and some blood spurted out of his mouth. He lashed out with a wild kick, but I caught his foot.
That should have been the end of it. However, even blinded, his balance was superior, and he used his powerful leg muscles to wrench his leg away from me. He brought the back of his hand up to his eyes, wiping it. There was a little bit of crimson color leaking out from his nose due to the blunt trauma I had induced there. The sun was getting low in the sky, and from the western beach, we had a perfect view of how it set.
"You're impressive, Demon-boy. But I shall still win."
He charged at me with full force, his long limbs granting him the advantage. I evaded his full-power strikes. No sooner had I turned away one fist strike did he come at me with another one from the side.
Rokusuke was incredibly fast and powerful. He was no ordinary opponent. Having experienced a number of exchanges with him, I now understood that Kōenji didn't use a specific martial arts style, but rather, a blend of them, adapting each technique for his long and powerful limbs. If I wasn't here, he would undoubtedly be the most skilled and physically gifted fighter of the first-years, and perhaps even of the entire school.
After a dozen swings and attempts and having still not landed one, he paused momentarily to catch his breath. His guard around his face was still up after I had attacked his chin and nose, though. However, he made a fatal mistake.
I took advantage of the lull in fighting and sent a low kick against his knee. Kōenji recognized my movement and attempted to bring his leg up to check it, but he was not quick enough. I struck true, and his left knee nearly buckled under the intense pressure.
I slammed my fist into his solar plexus, but this wasn't enough to send him to the ground. He was strong enough to absorb it and recenter himself. Wavering on his feet, he tried to counterattack using the heel of his left foot. I blocked using my right forearm and shot the distance between us.
Using my fingers, I precisely targeted his nose again, then backed up outside of the distance. I continued this strategy, attempting to make him yield, but he didn't utter a single word. He was like someone infallible to pain. Rokusuke panted heavily, entirely focused on the fight.
Sudō rose from his seat, worried. "Hey guys, I think you should—"
On the tenth strike, I broke his nose. However, the blond-haired boy didn't have any reaction other than resetting his own nose and grinning. He looked like someone who had taken a hard fall from the top of a hill, whereas I was unscratched.
I tried another low right kick, and Rokusuke brought up his left leg to check the kick. But it was a feint. Instead, I rapidly brought my right leg up, around, and down, striking the inner left thigh. This was an area that was usually not exposed to blunt force, and that resulted in excruciating, unusual pain.
Usually, this maneuver was highly difficult to execute, but because Kōenji wasn't expecting it, I was able to take full advantage. What had been a relatively equal fight was now one-sided.
His focus wavered, and I immediately exploited that. Even though his hands were still protecting his face, I slammed my fist through the gaps and into his skull. He must have been experiencing an overwhelming, reverberating pain throughout his head and body.
"Yield."
I pushed him down and pinned him to the ground using my legs, then began laying fist after fist into his skull. He brought his hands up to block, then when it wasn't working, he pulled my shoulder down to try to prevent me from punching. Using his hips, he tried to roll over to regain control.
But I had already anticipated this, and my own balance prevented him from carrying out his plan.
"Alright, that's enough!" Sudō pulled me off Kōenji, pushing both of us away.
"Red-haired-kun must have been scared for his master. Hmph." Standing straight up from the mat, Kōenji brushed his blond hair back with one hand. "Well, a dog must always obey its owner."
Sudō gritted his teeth and clenched his fist, but didn't do anything. Good.
"See you later, Kiyotaka-boy."
"Let's go, Sudō."
Sudō was exhibiting signs of rapid growth, but I had to be next to him to see it. Despite Rokusuke's… rather distasteful way of putting things, that was how it was. If I wasn't next to Sudō at all times, we might lose even more class points. I had to keep him on a leash, either with my physical strength or with the promise of reward, like the light novel.
I hoped that, in the future, he would become more useful.
-o-o-o-
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