Chapter 11: The Angel and the Devil
Mankind is poised midway between the gods and the beasts.
—Plotinus
Eventually, the next few weeks of studying passed. Although Class D was often ridiculed for its record-breaking -600 class points, no major incident occurred.
The students of our class slowly grew accustomed to the name-calling. My group and I continued studying in the library and made ample progress, and on the days that we didn't have a study group, I read books with Hiyori. I hung out with the group including Matsushita at Keyaki Mall often, although they couldn't purchase anything because they were poor.
That was right. I understood inequality perfectly well. They couldn't purchase anything because they were poor; I didn't purchase anything because I was rich.
Recently, I had pushed off Fūka's advances in favor of having Kushida visit my room. I hoped that with my presence, she could eventually overturn her trauma. She seemed to be getting better, though there were still flashes here and there. Soon enough, it was the day before the midterms. Of course, Fūka wasn't happy about it, but there was nothing she could do, since it was ultimately my room.
Just as I made the decision to get up from the bed and begin my morning routine, there was a knock on the door. I opened it to find Kushida again.
"Do you have tea?" she asked brightly.
That was right. Recently, the blonde-haired girl had begun liking my tea more and more after the first time she tasted it, and she often came over in the morning for some. You could say that she was drawn to the flavor. After Kushida and I finished our tea, I handed her the test sheets that I had printed out using Sotomura's printer the night before. There were printers at the convenience store, the library, and the electronics store, but Sotomura's was still more accessible.
"Thanks, Kiyotaka-kun."
"It's no problem," I waved her off. We headed to class together, but once we were in the classroom, we separated to greet other people. I stared out the window for the majority of class.
"Everyone, could you please listen to me for a moment?" When everyone stopped chatting, she continued. "I know that you've all been studying a lot in preparation for the midterm tomorrow. I have something to help you. I'm going to hand out some papers."
Kushida distributed the question and answer sheets to the students in the first row, who handed them backward, and so on.
"Test… questions? Did you make these, Kushida-san?" Okitani was visibly surprised by this sudden turn of events.
"Actually, these are the old test problems that will be on the midterms tomorrow. I got them from a third-year student last night, along with Kiyotaka-kun."
This statement, combined with the use of my first name, caused the entire class to turn their gazes on me. I resisted the urge to clench my fist in anger at Kushida. She winked at me and stuck her tongue out at that moment when no one was looking at her.
"Wait, so these questions will be on the tests tomorrow? Are you sure about that?"
"Yes. To tell you the truth, I heard that the midterm test from the year before last had almost exactly the same problems as this one. So, if we study what's on this test, it'll surely come in handy."
"Whoa! Seriously? Thank you, Kushida-chan!" Hondō hugged his test paper. None of the other students could suppress their elation, either.
"What the hell? If we had these, then wasn't it pointless to study so hard?" another boy complained, even as he laughed. It looked like I'd been right.
"Sudō-kun, please do your best when you study today!"
"Yeah, thanks, you really helped me out." Sudō happily accepted the test papers.
"Let's keep this a secret from the other classes," Okitani pointed out. "Don't be scared, everyone! Do your best and aim for a high score!" That was right. We didn't need to send supplies to the enemy. With this, most people wouldn't have trouble scoring over 50. Everyone left class in high spirits, some to Keyaki Mall, others to the student dormitories.
I was invited to Keyaki Mall by Matsushita, but I told her to go ahead with the group and that I would catch up with them later. This left only me, Kushida, and Hoirkita in the room.
"Kushida-san. Ayanokōji-kun. Excellent work." Horikita gave Kushida genuine praise, which was unusual for her character, to say the least.
"Eh, really?"
"I'd never even considered trying to use the old tests. I'm also grateful that you verified that the questions were still useful.
That was true. The always-solitary Horikita hadn't come up with that idea. She didn't hang out with others at all, so her social skills were probably even worse than mine.
"I just did it for my friends. It was nothing special," the blonde-haired girl replied.
"Also, I think you were correct to announce that you had it today after class," Horikita paused, "Or was that Ayanokōji-kun's idea? Either way, if you'd carelessly let word get out about this test, it's entirely possible that everyone would have lost their motivation to study."
"That was only because we received the test papers so late," Kushida lied flawlessly. "If many of the same problems are featured on the test tomorrow, then everyone will probably manage to get pretty high test scores."
"Yes. It also means that the last two weeks we spent studying weren't for nothing."
The past two weeks had likely seemed tremendously long for Sudō and the other failing students. Hopefully, they'd gotten more into the habit of studying now. Well, we'd done as much as we could. The next step for the failing students simply came down to effort.
"I just pray that I don't draw a complete blank during the actual test," Kushida laughed. Well, I couldn't do anything about that part. No matter how much they were taught and what they demonstrated during the study group, everything came down to their performance on the actual test. At least the previous questions were one crucial bit of help.
"Well, should we head back?" Kushida asked me. However, I noticed Horikita quietly looking over at her as she put her textbook into her book bag.
"Kushida-san."
The blonde-haired girl turned around, that dazzling smile still plastered across her face. "Hmm?"
"Sorry, there's just one thing I want to confirm."
"Confirm?"
"You hate me, don't you?" I'd wondered what Horikita wanted to ask, but that was ridiculously unexpected. Why would Kushida hate her? Unless…
"Hey, hey… why do you think that?" Kushida asked.
Horikita soldiered on. "You're not answering my question because it's true. Right?"
"Ha ha, you got me." Kushida shouldered her book bag and lowered her hands, then faced Horikita without losing her smile. "That's right. I really hate you." She answered her question clearly, making no attempt to hide it. She was direct. In front of me, who knew part of her secret, there was no need to hide it.
"Do you want me to tell you the reason?" she suggested, that saccharine smile still plastered on her face.
"No," Horikita swiftly declined, "That's unnecessary. Knowing that is good enough. I can continue working with you without hesitation." Despite what she'd just been told, Horikita spoke calmly.
The black-haired girl left the room abruptly.
"Kiyotaka-kun, I really hate her," my endearing classmate muttered in a low tone. "I don't think anyone genuinely likes that girl."
Talking like this in a public place such as the classroom was somewhat dangerous. But the halls were empty, and it was just the two of us in the room, the door closed. As long as we weren't loud, it would be fine.
"You may be right about that," I said. "She's certainly a loner."
"Would you refuse to sacrifice her if it came to it?"
The unspoken question of 'like me' hung in the air.
"She remains an asset to our class. But I wouldn't hesitate. Does that satisfy you?"
"Mmm," the blonde-haired girl hummed a bit, skipping up to me. She suddenly propelled herself into my chest, which caused my arms to reflexively wrap around her small body.
"It does."
-o-o-o-
It was the Friday—the day of the midterms. Once again, Kushida came over for some tea. It was routine at this point. Also, since tea had some caffeine, it was important for her to stay alert during the midterms that would take place today. Moreover, I was happy that my brewing skills were becoming more polished over time. I nodded, stepping aside so that she could come in, and I brewed her some tea while we chatted about the upcoming midterm and I quizzed her on some subjects. Afterward, we left together for the classroom.
"There are no absences today. It appears everyone is present." Chabashira-sensei strode through the classroom with a bold smile on her face. "That's the first hurdle for you leftovers. Are there any questions?"
"We've studied diligently these past few weeks. I don't think that anyone will fail."
"Oh my. You sound quite confident, Hirata."
Everyone wore a confident look. Chabashira-sensei promptly took up the test papers in her arms and began passing them out. Coincidentally, the first test was English, which was generally the most difficult test for Japanese students. Even if everyone had the answer sheets from yesterday, it was hard for many students to remember all the correct answers since it was in a different language.
"If anyone stumbles here, the other tests will be an uphill battle, quite frankly," she noted. "You'll take this midterm and the final exam in July. If no one fails either test, you'll be rewarded with a vacation during your summer break."
It sounded too good to be true. In this school, nothing came for free. However, evidently, my classmates hadn't entirely learned their lesson. Murmurs broke out at Chabashira's enticing statement.
"A vacation?"
"That's right. A dream vacation on an island surrounded by the brilliant blue sea."
Needless to say, the beach in the summer meant that we'd be able to see the girls in their swimsuits…
"What is this strange pressure…" one of the boys muttered. Chabashira-sensei stepped back from the obvious tension that the students exuded… mostly the boys.
"Everyone. Let's do our best!"
"Yeah!" The boys howled joyfully.
Before long, everyone had their test papers. On the teacher's signal, we began. I held off on starting for a moment and glanced around at the others. How many could avoid failing? No one seemed flustered or confused, so I assumed that many of them had engaged in some last-minute studying, which was good news. Then, I dove into the test. Of course, I didn't look at the answer sheet last night, since I had to compete with Kōenji.
First off, how many of this test's questions were the same questions as the ones from the old exam? I needed to check that first.
All right.
I discreetly clenched my fist in triumph. Despite my fears, the questions here were the same as the old ones. I hadn't looked them over in any detail, but I saw no great difference.
I went through and answered all the questions. The other exams were routine, and after we had completed four of them, the break came.
"Kikyō, are you okay?" During the first test, the English test, I noticed that her posture had suffered like she was sleepy and that she seemed distraught later on in the other tests. Occasionally, she had stopped writing, staring at her paper in shock.
"Huh? Yeah… I might have failed my English test, Kiyotaka-kun…" Kushida cried, clearly distressed. "I was so tired for some reason, even though I swear I got eight hours of sleep…"
Sympathetic classmates gathered around her desk, offering their hopes and condolences.
Hopefully, Kushida wouldn't actually fail her English test, but no one would know until the final scores actually came out.
Eventually, we completed our final test, social studies, and I went out with a few friends to Keyaki Mall, where we could enjoy ourselves.
-o-o-o-
Damn it… I couldn't believe it. I probably failed my English test—no, I definitely failed it. Fuck, fuck…
All of that studying just for something like this to happen. What a fucking joke. It couldn't be possible—I couldn't have failed like that. I had a sharp memory. I was academically gifted—not on the level of people like Kiyotaka, but enough so that even if I didn't remember all the answers, I could have solved them. I wasn't stupid, I memorized all those answers. How did I just draw a blank like that?
This was supposed to be a new beginning for me, where I would be everyone's favorite person. A superior individual, the angel adored and loved by everyone. It was the only thing that I wanted, that I craved indescribably.
I was sure that I would succeed this time. This time would be different from junior high, in a good way. I was determined. But… it was going to be a disaster. I was going to be expelled.
It was going to be over. It didn't make sense, it didn't make sense… make it make sense!
Even though this school had its fair share of tricks, it was impossible to do anything with regards to grades. If you failed, you were expelled. That was it.
Damn it. I knew I had slept eight hours. How could I be so stupid to fall asleep during a test? At that time, it was like a wave of exhaustion suddenly hit me, and I couldn't keep my eyes open no matter how much I tried. That was for sure, but—
"Kushida-chan, are you alright?"
"Huh? Oh, I'm fine, don't worry about me."
"You don't seem fine, though, you're not eating… is it because of the English test?" Yeah, I probably wasn't eating the dressing-less salad with no fucking meat, no shit, you cow. The disgusting bitch, Shinohara, pulled closer to me. She was so close that I could smell her ugly perfume, but I kept a friendly smile. "I assure you, I'm fine…"
"Don't worry, you can tell us, you know?" Karuizawa added on. I barely stamped down the urge to grit my teeth. Here I was, the most popular girl in the class, being pitied by two ugly, stupid cows. No, actually, the fact that I was here meant that I was just as ugly as them.
"I'm rooting for you, Kushida-chan! I'm sure you'll pass!" Mi-chan piped up. Inogashira nodded along with her. At that, I retracted my statement. Karuizawa and Shinohara were disgusting cows, but Mi-chan and Inogashira were actually nice girls that I could say were my friends.
"Thank you, everyone! Let's toast to the future!" I smiled, the five of us raising our porcelain cups to clink together. I took a sip from the tea; it was bitter, far worse than Kiyotaka's.
My stomach almost growled as I looked down at the four pieces of dry spinach on my plate the size of a phone. If it was lettuce with some dressing I would have eaten it.
What the fuck was this? Why was I starving myself because Karuizawa and Shinohara were? They were poor, I wasn't nearly as poor.
My eyes drifted enviously toward Mi-chan and Inogashira, who had ordered without a care in the world. Maybe I should take a page from Kiyotaka's book and just eat at a convenience store or make dinner myself… I should visit him more and see if he would be willing to make dinner for me since his tea was so good…
After dinner, I went straight to Kiyotaka's room. He opened the door, looking at me with those golden orbs of his.
I braced myself for the same reaction that would inevitably come. No matter how many times I saw those luminous, golden orbs, I trembled under his gaze. I was reminded of the monster that he was. I even forgot that I was hungry.
But he was the only monster that would protect me.
"Kiyotaka… please…" My voice was so pitiful, so small that anyone would have helped me.
He quickly stepped aside to let me in and shut the door behind him. I felt myself collapse on the couch and chuckled. I was weak.
"I think I really might have failed, Kiyotaka…" My hands clutched at the white fabric of his shirt, balling into fists. I really fucked up, didn't I?
I had bottled it up all day, from the first exam to the dinner. I didn't feel weak, I didn't want to be weak… But I was going to be expelled. I really was.
Feeling the tears beginning to pour out, I wrapped my arms around his large back. He was big and strong, like a tree trunk. I could feel his heart thumping, his heat and warmth, the way his hands rested themselves, one on the small of my back rubbing small circles with his thumb, the other curled around my waist, the way I buried my nose into his chest, that unique, pleasing scent of his…
My mind slipped into a contented haze as I felt his fingers begin to tangle in my hair. It felt so fucking good. Like it was right. The tension drained out of my body, and I clung to him like he was my rock. He was the only thing I ever knew.
And even though he didn't say anything, it was like he was saying that he'd save me, no matter what happened.
We must have looked like lovers at that point, that tearful embrace we kept ourselves in. By the time I drew backward, the fabric of his shirt was wet. Fuck, this was pathetic.
But, deep inside, I didn't care. He'd already seen my weakness; I had prostrated myself before him, so this was nothing.
"Sorry about the shirt, Kiyotaka-kun. I'll buy you a new one…"
"Don't worry about it."
"…You'll save me right?" My words hung in the air like those of a person without direction. Right now, I didn't know where to go. I didn't know what to do.
Deprived of all options, I went to the natural place. Kiyotaka-kun.
Kiyotaka-kun was my savior. He would save me.
I knew that, of course. But I needed confirmation, even though I knew his answer in the back of my head. That small, ever-growing voice that assured me that he would save me, his precious Queen… I desperately needed to hear it from him.
Only then would I be complete.
"Of course. You're my Queen."
My lips curled upward at that. I was his ueen, not just his pawn anymore. The Queen was the most important piece on the chessboard, the most powerful piece. I loved it, it was everything to me—he was everything to me!
I buried my cheek into the curve of his neck. We fit together perfectly, like a jigsaw puzzle.
"I'll do anything to save you," he murmured into my blonde tresses. "You're my Queen."
Even though he could have been lying, I didn't really care. There was no doubting it. It was like saying the sun would rise the next day, or that someone was going to die eventually. He showed how much he cared for me. He had saved me before, and given me gifts, anyone would be blind to ignore how much he cherished me. He loved me.
I knew it.
I knew Kiyotaka would save me.
He always would.
Because I was everyone's angel, I was invaluable, indispensable, priceless, the best thing he could have because he always saved me, and made sure I was safe, even if he had hurt me at first.
But it was for my own good; I didn't have to rant with risks anymore, I could just talk to him, who would always listen with an open mind. I was irrefutably, undoubtedly the best and most important piece that he had. I used to be his pawn, but now…
I was his Queen. And I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.
A smile began to spread across my lips at the very thought.
-o-o-o-
The next day, Chabashira-sensei strode into the classroom, looking around at the students in surprise. Everyone was clearly anxious, holding their breath in anticipation of the test results. No one wanted to be expelled, after all.
"Sensei. We were told that the results would be announced today, but when?"
"There's no need for you to get so worked up, Okitani. You should have passed quite easily."
"So, when will the results be released?" another boy asked.
"Well, if you'd like, now is as good a time as any. If we waited to do it after class, we wouldn't have enough time for other procedures."
"Other procedures?" Some students visibly reacted to the phrase in fear. No one wanted to be expelled. But Kushida was calm.
"Wait, wait… what do you mean by that?"
"Don't get flustered. I'll tell you now."
As usual, she revealed the details simultaneously and collectively. She stuck a large, white sheet of paper with everyone's names and test scores onto the blackboard using magnets.
"Honestly, I'm quite impressed. I didn't think that you'd score so well. Many students tied with perfect scores in mathematics, Japanese, and social studies. More than ten of you, actually."
Some of the students shouted in joy and delight, nearly jumping out of their seats when their eyes landed on the 100s lined up on the results sheet. However, some weren't smiling. The only grade that truly mattered was Kushida's score in English. Sudō had passed. For once, he wasn't the lowest scorer in the class.
Then—
We saw her test scores. She had scored sixty points in mathematics, the test after English. Then it kept increasing for each of the next tests: seventy-five points in Japanese, eighty-five points in science, and ninety-nine points in social studies. However, she had scored a mere thirty-five points in English.
Chabashira-sensei took out a red pen and drew a red line right above Kushida's name. "Unfortunately, you failed, Kushida. The average grade for English was eighty. Divide that by two, and you get forty, which is five points above your mark."
The entire classroom erupted.
"No, Kushida-chan, Kushida-chan!"
"Kushida-san!"
"No, no, no way! Don't screw with us right now!"
"Kushida, you failed the English exam, and are therefore in the process of being expelled from the academy. Everyone else passed. That's all."
"S-Sensei. Is Kushida-san really being expelled? Is there no way to save her?" Hirata asked quickly.
"She's being expelled. She got a failing grade," Chabashira-sensei stated coldly, in a matter-of-fact way.
"Could we possibly see Kushida-san's answer sheet?"
"Even if you look it over, you won't find any grading mistakes. I was expecting that you'd protest." She took out Kushida's English answer sheet and handed it to Hirata. Everyone crowded around his desk, but there were no mistakes to be found. His expression turned dark.
"Well, if you're all in agreement, homeroom is over."
Chabashira-sensei had heartlessly announced Kushida's expulsion without offering her a second chance or the faintest bit of sympathy. Everyone remained silent in shock, not offering any words of sympathy, either. What could they say?
The blonde-haired girl had her head in her hands, her fists clenched.
But this moment would determine whether Kushida Kikyō's trust in me was veritable. Would she fold and curl into a fetal position, or would she believe in the devil? I watched her posture carefully.
She was tense. Nervous, naturally, but not dejected or frustrated. She was waiting for something to happen, even if her heart sunk deeper into her stomach with every passing second.
"Kushida-san. Come to the faculty room after class. That is all."
That sentence left her on the edge of desperation. Her fists were now clenched so hard that her fingers turned white; her lower lip was bleeding from how hard she was biting it. And yet she still held on, clung to that trust and hope.
Will he really save me? Kiyotaka-kun?
I'm valuable to him, right? He's going to save me, right?
Then why isn't he doing anything right now? When I'm about to be expelled?
Can I really trust him? He'll save me?
These were the thoughts that were running through her mind. In this moment of profound vulnerability, her thoughts were a tumultuous sea, and she was adrift, searching for any anchor to hold onto.
When someone was entirely crushed in spirit and soul, they become vulnerable, a raw nerve exposed to the harsh elements of doubt and fear. In moments like these, when hope hung by the thinnest of threads, the once solid ground of certainty crumbled into quicksand, and every fleeting second felt like an eternity of anguish.
Desperation sharpened the senses but dulled the judgment—an internally produced narcotic. People in this state grasped at any semblance of assurance, even if it came from a place of deceit.
The walls of skepticism that usually guarded their hearts were now breached, leaving them open to influence and persuasion. They yearned for a savior, a hero, anyone who promised to pull them from the abyss.
A broken spirit writhing in deep waters would cling to any lifeline, no matter how precarious. The desperate soul was too weary to see through the lies.
For her, I was that lifeline. A beacon of hope.
That was why I decided to become her savior.
I would be both her angel and her devil; already for her, it was impossible to say which was which.
"Chabashira-sensei. May I have a moment of your time?"
Though I'd stayed silent until that moment, I raised my arm in the air and spoke. At that same moment, even though it was subtle, my blonde-haired classmate relaxed.
"Why do you ask?" my beautiful teacher raised an eyebrow expectantly. Her left hand was on her hip, and it seemed like she was trying hard to hold back a small smile.
"Chabashira-sensei, I'd like to purchase one point for Kushida-san's test."
-o-o-o-
This morning, I received a message from an unknown person earlier today, just before class started.
[8:29:23 AM] [Unknown] For your midterm.
Attached to this message was the sum of 100,000 points. I had tried contacting them, sending them several text messages and even calling them, but there was no response. It only went to voicemail. It was strange that anyone would receive any sum of points like this without an adequate explanation.
What was the purpose of these points? The midterm had already been taken, and besides, private points couldn't be used to do anything; I also doubted that Kushida-san would fail any test.
Unexpectedly, even though she was a tutor, Kushida-san had scored a thirty-five on her English midterm—five points short of the cutoff. Did the unknown student know that Kushida-san was going to fail?
Kushida Kikyō had attended the same junior high school as I had. I wasn't close to her, but at some point, she became the center of a massive controversy, where the school was forced to separate the students in her class, reallocating them to different classes. It was an intense incident, but I had been focused on my grades at the time, so I didn't pay any attention to what had actually happened. Either way, she had played a central role in that class and continued to play a central role in this class, Class D.
Everyone loved her. She was a pillar of the class, a social network; Kushida-san outshined me in the social department which I took no value in. If she were to be expelled, it would create trouble for Class D.
But what could we do with 100,000 private points? I racked my head and came up with nothing. And, just as it seemed like Kushida-san would be expelled…
Ayanokōji-kun abruptly stood up from his seat. "Chabashira-sensei, I'd like to purchase one point for Kushida-san's test."
Chabashira-sensei's eyes widened, and then she laughed rather loudly. "Ha ha ha ha! That's a rather interesting idea. You're very interesting, Ayanokōji-kun."
The class, knowing that this school was strange, held their breath in anticipation. However, their hopes were soon dashed, once our teacher had stopped laughing.
"That would cost 100,000 points." That was an exorbitant amount for one test point, and since our class was exceedingly poor, it wouldn't be able to muster 500,000 points without the help of Ayanokōji-kun, who had negotiated with my brother. I shot him a glance, silently urging him to contribute, but he didn't look in my direction at all. Instead, he was looking downward at his palm, as if he didn't have the points.
But the unknown person had provided me with points. But not for this… no, somehow they had to know that it was enough for Kushida's test. But how? How? Unless… there was a different way to help Kushida pass this exam.
"What about changing an answer on her test?" I tried, as all eyes switched from Ayanokōji-kun to me.
"That would be 200,000 points," our teacher replied promptly. So that wasn't possible. Then…
"What about transferring a point from my test to her test?" That should be cheaper than creating a point out of thin air.
"50,000 points." That was progress.
"What about transferring a point from her mathematics test to her English test?"
"30,000 points."
That was 150,000 points in total. I still didn't have enough points for that. It seemed like all was lost…
However, at that moment, Matsushita chimed in. "What about transferring a point from her Japanese test to her English test?"
I didn't get how that was different from transferring a point from the mathematics test, except… technically, English and Japanese were closer subjects than English and mathematics. Since English and Japanese required a certain skill set, that being a grasp of grammar and other concepts, it meant that these points were closer in value than English and mathematics, theoretically. But the question remained if the school would really recognize this vague idea…
A sly smirk appeared on our teacher's face, seemingly pleased with Matsushita's deduction. "10,000 points."
I had enough. "Chabashira-sensei, I'll pay for five points on Kushida-san's English test."
"I'll chime in as well!" "Me too!" "Me three!"
Since it was Kushida-san, who was loved by the entire class, everyone began adding in small amounts of their private points. I didn't even need to use many points myself.
After tallying all of the private points, Chabashira-sensei offered us a smile. "You have exactly 50,000 private points. Consider it done, then. Kushida's expulsion is annulled."
The class began cheering and shouting in jubilation at having avoided yet another expulsion.
"Thank you, Horikita-san, Matsushita-san!" Kushida beamed happily.
Something of a proud expression overcame our teacher's face, and she nodded, as I strode up to her to make the transaction. "Well, Kushida, your expulsion is canceled. You remain as a student in this school."
The class was both elated and relieved to hear that Kushida, the angel of their class, wasn't expelled. I cast a glance at my brown-haired seatmate, but he continued to refuse to smile. Ayanokōji-kun was apathetic as always.
"Kushida's expulsion is annulled," Chabashira-sensei announced. "Next time, there won't be such an easy, fail-safe method. Study hard, kids." She left the room.
-o-o-o
Everything ended well. When everyone was released from class, I once again got many invites to Keyaki Mall and some other places, but I declined in order to stay behind. That left just the three of us again: Horikita, Kushida, and I.
"Why did you save me, Horikita?"
"Like I said. I'm serious about working with you for the good of the class," Horikita explained. Kushida only gritted her teeth. When the black-haired girl realized that she had nothing else to say, Horikita swiftly exited the room.
With that, the two of us began making our way to the door. However, just as I reached to open it, it opened by itself, revealing Chabashira-sensei, who had pushed it open.
"Ah, you two. I hope you're happy being saved by Ayanokōji, Kushida."
Since I was the one who had interjected and raised the question of buying points, I had the role of setting everything in motion for Horikita and Matsushita to capitalize on. However, Chabashira-sensei's tone was a double entendre. She seemed to try to convey to Kushida that she too had been saved by me. Our eyes met for a second, and Chabashira appeared to smile, if only through her eyes. She would not jeopardize her only chance of reaching Class A. I was her lifeline.
"Thanks by the way, Kiyotaka-kun. I really mean it. I know you didn't pay for it, but you saved me, you really did. Thank you so much." That tone of voice told me that her grateful words were authentic, although her mask remained in place. She grasped one of my hands, enfolding it in both of her small palms, which were oddly warm. And then, she smiled. It was neither her fake smile nor the one she showed while privately belittling people. It was some combination of them.
That was twice now, that I had saved her from expulsion. That wasn't something to be overlooked by anyone, including the fallen angel.
"It's no problem."
-o-o-o-
I furrowed my eyebrows, staring at the messages between myself and the unknown student. ID: 68656C706572. It wasn't even the right format for most student IDs, so it had to be a fake ID. The question remained who owned this ID.
Ayanokōji-kun was the first one to propose the idea of buying a test point using private points. Afterward, Horikita-san jumped in. I had only assisted when Horikita-san's line of reasoning had stagnated.
Did this mean that this unknown person had also sent messages to Ayanokōji-kun and Horikita-san? Or was someone else also assisting them? No, they seemed to be disjoint, so could it be that three separate people had contacted the three of us? Or, could it be that Ayanokōji-kun and Horikita-san had simply come up with this idea of purchasing test points on each of their own?
The possibilities were making me doubt what was going on. Was someone from one of the other classes trying to control us?
I had about 170,000 private points after the ordeal of saving Kushida-san. After classes ended for the day, I followed Chabashira-sensei to the rooftop of the building. When I opened the door, it seemed like she had already been expecting me.
Her brown ponytail flying behind her in the wind, Chabashira-sensei turned toward me, one cigarette present in her hand. She brought it up to her lips as I approached, taking another puff of the harmful substance.
"Can I purchase points for the identity of an anonymous student ID?"
"You can," she answered. "It would cost 500,000 private points."
I didn't have that. "Then, what about which class the anonymous student ID is in?"
"That would be 100,000 private points."
Perfect! I had 170,000 private points, and I could easily live on 70,000 private points for a while.
"Then I would like to purchase this student ID," I showed my phone screen to her. The instructor nodded, and after transferring the points to her, she revealed the answer.
"Class B. I'll give you another hint: you can decipher the ID using hexadecimal."
"Okay, thank you Sensei." I bowed quickly and then left the rooftop to process my thoughts.
Class… B…? Were they trying to manipulate Class D to do their bidding? No, perhaps they thought they could build trust with me, and then control Class D that way.
I wouldn't let them do that. No, I wasn't enough. I wasn't sure if Okitani-kun, Ayanokōji-kun, or Horikita-san were being manipulated by this person, either.
After returning to my dorm and deciphering the code by converting it to base 16, I realized that the unknown student ID 68656C706572 translated to "Helper". The Class B student who had chosen this ID was incredibly suspicious.
I didn't know much about Class B, but I was sure that this person was directed by Ichinose-san, or perhaps Ichinose herself. Maybe it was Kanzaki-kun. There weren't many recognizable faces in Class B, but everyone in there was suspect.
Class B was a tight-knit class, the most tight-knit in the entire first year. If their leaders gave a command, their classmates would obey without hesitation through the power of friendship.
Class B was our enemy. I decided to keep this to myself in the meantime because I didn't know if the other leaders of our class had been influenced by them yet. One thing remained certain, however.
I needed to stop Class B while pretending to trust this "Helper". I couldn't trust Okitani-kun with everything.
At first, I had planned to conceal my ability, but Ayanokōji-kun had changed that ploy entirely. Even though we were dead last in class points, we could still catch up with enough exceptional ability, possessed by individuals such as Okitani-kun, Ayanokōji-kun, Horikita-san, and even Kōenji-kun if he decided to cooperate.
So if I had to take leadership of the class to protect it from the threat of Class B, then I would.
-o-o-o-
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Next Chapter: November 15th
-thann