Chapter 13: Friends
Curiosity is the lust of the mind.
—Thomas Hobbes
"Did you hear the news? About Class A and Class B?" Sudō seemed oddly excited and nervous at the same time, for some reason, as he dribbled the basketball between his legs. The date was June 1st. I had gone with him to the indoor basketball court inside of the gym to play around for a bit.
"Is this about the trial?"
"Yeah. There's this Class A guy, Yahiko Totsuka, I think that was his name. They're saying he attacked a Class C kid and called him a defect, then beat him up."
"I don't know him."
"Ha, yeah. I don't know anything about that guy either, but…" Sudō trailed off.
"What about Class B?" I hoped Ichinose wasn't dealing with anything like Class A and Sakayanagi were. However, my hopes were soon dashed.
"Apparently, this guy, Shibata Sō, also jumped a Class C kid. He's in the soccer club and pretty athletic, so it's believable."
Just as I had surmised, Ryūen had made a move on both Ichinose and Sakayanagi. The man had a vice-like grip on his class, which was impressive. A few moments later, I received a text message from Kushida, which coincidentally outlined the incident between all three classes.
The two claims by Class C were as follows:
Komiya Kyōgo was attacked by Yahiko Totsuka of Class A after he insulted Yahiko, saying that he didn't deserve his place in Class A.
Kondō Reo was attacked by Shibata Sō of Class B after he questioned if he should be in the soccer club. Apparently, Kondō had tried out, and was rejected, and hence insulted Shibata out of anger. Shibata retaliated and attacked Kondō.
Due to this incident, all first-years didn't receive any private points. But that didn't affect us at all, since we had negative class points, anyway.
Speaking of which, I received a text message. It was Ichinose.
[8:45:00 PM] [Ichinose Honami] Could you come to my room? It's about the trial, which I assume you've heard of.
[8:45:31 PM] [Ayanokōji Kiyotaka] Are you sure that it's alright for me to come to your room?
The implication was that a meeting between a boy and girl late at night might be taken seriously by the school. It was true that they had done nothing to stop Fūka's frequent visits to my room; however, that was because she had avoided being caught.
[8:45:47 PM] [Ichinose Honami] I think it's fine. It's a long time from curfew, anyway.
[8:45:51 PM] [Ayanokōji Kiyotaka] I'll head over, then.
She gave me her room number. "Sorry, I have to meet someone," I apologized to Sudō, but he waved me off, saying it was fine.
Leaving the gym, I soon arrived at the elevators and hit the button for the thirteenth floor.
"Fourth floor, Demon-boy." Kōenji was in the elevator, too, and I obliged. He seemed to be back from a workout, as he was not wearing a shirt and was sweating a bit.
"Enjoying your time here, Kōenji?" I tried making small talk.
"Indeed. I just got back from a couple of gym dates."
So that was why he had been sweating. What an interesting man. Soon, the elevator stopped at the fourth floor, for the boy's dormitory, and Rokusuke got off, leaving me alone. I had to wait another five seconds until it reached the thirteenth floor. After making my way to Ichinose's door, I knocked on the wood. Within a few seconds, it opened, and she stepped aside to let me in.
"Would you like tea, Ayanokōji-kun?"
"That would be appreciated, thank you."
It took her a few minutes to brew the tea. While she was brewing, I took the opportunity to look around her room. She had a few stuffed animals and a laptop, along with several decorations and pictures of what seemed like her family. However, her room was still neat. It could be described as having a cozy and homely feel to it, even though no one lived there except her. A girl's room was significantly different from a boy's, it seemed.
"Here you go, Ayanokōji-kun. Be careful please, it's hot." She served the porcelain cup on a small coaster-like plate, sliding it in front of me, and then sat down at the table facing me, with her own cup in front of her.
"So, what did you want to discuss?"
"First of all, thank you for the hint, Ayanokōji-kun. It helped me realize that we should keep our behavior more in check, which was why we were able to retain so many class points," Ichinose bowed her head somewhat. "Although I feel bad for your class."
"It's no issue. We'll be fine without private points for a few months." I engineered that situation, after all.
"Still, there's a different issue. I'm sure you've heard that Shibata-kun was accused of attacking a Class C student."
"I'm guessing that you called me here because he didn't do that, right?"
Ichinose nodded her head. "He's not the type to do anything like that. Even if he is athletic, Shibata-kun is always level-headed and even-tempered."
"It's hard to prove anything without video or audio evidence. Does Class C have a valid argument?"
"They're using evidence of bruises from an infirmary visit to say that Shibata assaulted him." Ichinose, for all her good, did not believe that Class C had the best intentions in this case. She took the side of her classmate over Class C.
"That makes it even more difficult. Since it was a one-on-one altercation, you can't make an argument that the assault was physically implausible for Shibata to perform. You don't have any witnesses, either?"
Ichinose shook her head somberly. It looked like Class B was going to lose this one.
"What do you want me to do, then? Do you want me to help in your case?" I offered. However, Ichinose shook her head again.
"We're in different classes, so it wouldn't be a good idea to ask you to help. I just wanted to ask you to help us search for any witnesses who might have seen it."
"I see."
"Unless you wanted to form an alliance with Class B?" Ichinose suggested. The intention of her sentences had turned around in a heartbeat, as her quick mind formulated a way to bring our classes' firing power together. Since they were Class B and so far ahead of Class D, there wasn't any need for them to antagonize us, and vice versa. Therefore, it would only be inefficient if we didn't team up.
"I'm not the leader of the class, but it sounds like a good idea to me. I'll bring it up to Okitani."
"Thanks, Ayanokōji-kun. Really," she showed me a brilliant smile.
"No worries," I replied, taking a sip of the tea.
"Still, I don't want to ask you to help us out too much, other than looking for witnesses and such. I think this is a Class B issue that should be solved on its own."
Ichinose's independence wasn't to be mistaken for solitude. She didn't look down on Class D but instead believed that, at the core, the system was designed so that classes could solve their issues on their own, using only the resources and materials provided by the class.
If that were to fail, then another approach could be reaching out to others for help. Class D was the best resource in this case because it was the only class not involved in these two trials. Therefore, we could be trusted to be unbiased.
"Okay. We won't interfere, then."
"That's reassuring to hear. Thank you, Ayanokōji-kun," she said again, as we both stood from our seats. She grasped one of my hands and shook it firmly like she was a businesswoman who had just made a great deal. Even though Class D was quite literally in the trenches in terms of class points.
"This is beneficial for us, too, to have a class alliance with a strong class like Class B." A light tint of red appeared on Ichinose's cheeks at the compliment. "Thanks, Ayanokōji-kun, but there's no need to praise Class B like that."
"Either way, I better get going," I said, sensing that the conversation had stalled somewhat.
"Bye, Ayanokōji-kun." She guided me to the door and opened it for me, waving her goodbyes. After I had left her dorm, I approached the elevators.
I could only wait to see whether Ichinose was enough for this case.
-o-o-o-
After heading back from Ichinose's dorm, I went down to the convenience store for some groceries, since I planned to cook something quick later. There, I saw Manabu at the front of the store.
"Manabu. What are you doing here at this hour?"
"I'm buying groceries. I assume you're doing the same." I nodded, and both of us grabbed a shopping basket. I decided to pick up some noodles and seasonings.
"Kiyotaka. I wanted to ask you something."
"What is it?" I replied, as I finally decided on this brand of garlic seasoning. Now, for the black pepper…
"You baited my little sister today, right?" That halted my choice of seasoning, and I glanced at him.
"How do you know that? And what do you mean by baiting?"
"I have my sources." Though he didn't show it, the dictator was essentially smirking with his eyes. How did he know? Was it a spy in class, or did he buy the information from Chabashira-sensei? No, he wouldn't do such a thing, right? Or… I shook my head slightly. There was no point in agonizing over it.
"I suppose I did. What of it?"
"She's changed under the limited time that she's interacted with you."
"That's…" I thought back to the anti-social ice queen that she was at the beginning of the year. It had only been slightly over a month, but…
"It's remarkable, the influence you've had on her. You've done in one month what I could not do over several years. Though you ignored her at first, right?"
I finally settled on my decision of black pepper and placed it in the cart. "You're right. I chose someone else to carry the mantle of class leader. Are you saying I should have had her play the role?"
"Nothing like that. I trust your judgment for Okitani Kyōsuke. However…" he paused, forming his next words. "If Suzune stops chasing my shadow and becomes independent, and can move forward being true to herself… she could surpass me, and become impossible for you to ignore. Only if she can change, however."
"Don't you think she will? She's already displaying signs. Though it will take time. No, rather, I'm going to change her. You don't need to worry about such a thing."
"That's comforting to hear from you."
We changed aisles, reaching the vegetable section. There were almost no people in the store.
"Horikita, Nagumo, Ayanokōji," Manabu peered at me with his piercing violet eyes. "I hope you will leave your mark on this school, Kiyotaka. These three names will be engraved for the years to come, whether for the better or the worse."
"What do you mean?"
"You will have the opportunity to perform something historic soon. As the worst Class D in history. Is that enough?"
"I suppose."
"You're an interesting man, Kiyotaka."
I didn't know whether to take that as an insult or a compliment. However, coming from a man like Manabu, I took it as the latter.
-o-o-o-
We received only 90 class points in total progress from both the midterms and our behavior, whereas all of the other classes received 100 points or more. The class rankings looked like this:
Class A: 1111
Class B: 1089
Class C: 817
Class D: -510
We had more than 1,600 class points to cover if we wished to become Class A, excluding any class points that Class A would earn. That would be a long and difficult journey. Right now, we weren't even in the neighborhood of positive class points. However, under Hirata and Okitani's guidance, everyone believed their words, and class morale was kept high, somehow.
Sometime during class, I went to use the restroom. However, there were two other people using it coincidentally—Kanzaki Ryūji, from Class B, and Katsuragi Kōhei, from Class A. Kanzaki was on the far left, and Katsuragi took the middle, so, naturally, I went to the far right. It obeyed the fundamental Laws of Men—that we were to distance ourselves accordingly during piss time.
But a new presence disrupted this carefully crafted harmony.
Ryūen Kakeru entered the vicinity of the men's restroom. He took a quick glance around, and, with a malicious, unsettling grin on his face, strode towards me. No, this, this was impossible, he couldn't do this! It was against the Laws, no, he should occupy a urinal at least two away from me. It appeared that he was aware of the code as well, but he paid it no heed. He occupied the urinal right next to me.
I shied away from him, but alas, my efforts were in vain. He leaned towards me, peeking over the divider that protected my pride, my weapon. His magenta eyes widened in shock. What was it? Could it be that my flag had surprised him?
"Hey, nice cock. Now I see why you got put on the Student Council as vice president. Probably dwarfs that Nagumo dude's cock."
"Ryūen, please refrain from making crude remarks in the bathroom," Katsuragi said, rolling his eyes.
"What? Bleh. We're all pissing so it's fine."
"Both of you should shut up." Kanzaki snapped, as he went to the sink to wash his hands.
"Oh, I'm so scared of someone who has been conquered by Ichinose's idea of friendship beats everything!" Ryūen exclaimed.
Kanzaki clenched his fist, but there was nothing he could do. Ryūen's physicality was the most dominating one in the bathroom, and although Katsuragi might have matched him in raw strength at first glance, you could never tell with someone as belligerent as the Class C tyrant. Ryūen seemed like a former delinquent, the type that had brawled it out on the street over the years so that he'd accumulated a bag of dirty tricks and moves to use.
However, Kanzaki seemed trained in martial arts himself, the way that he tensed at Ryūen and dropped his stance an indescribable amount. Ryūen must have seen it, too.
"No please, please, by all means. Come at me." Ryūen spread his arms out, grinning wildly. He had just finished washing his hands; they were wet, even now. "I can guarantee you'll have a good time."
Ryūen didn't back down to anyone. His bravery or bluff must have convinced Kanzaki, who knew nothing about his opponent's fighting style.
"Tch." Angry as Kanzaki was, he didn't dare to do something so reckless, especially in an environment like this one. "You'll pay for that, Ryūen."
At this point, Katsuragi had already left the restroom, leaving the three of us. However, Ryūen and Kanzaki were still squaring off.
"I don't think so. What do you think, Ayanokōji?" Ryūen prodded at me. "You're a member of the worst class in this school's history." I didn't understand why he was asking me, but I answered matter-of-factly.
"This doesn't concern me. Whether you have a brawl or not, I won't be here to see it." I made to exit the bathroom, and Kanzaki followed. Ryūen only smirked at us as we left.
"Don't move." Once we were outside, Kanzaki commanded me to stop. I did so, with my back facing him. However, if he made a move, I would be able to incapacitate him immediately.
"What do you want?"
"To wait until Ryūen is gone. No, that's too dangerous, let's move to a different corridor." He stepped in front of me and took a right, then two lefts. Kanzaki was someone who was highly suspicious and paranoid about everything around him.
"What do you want? I need to get back to class."
"I know Ichinose asked you for help." Kanzaki's purple bangs waved slightly as he raised his head to look at me. His eyes were yellow, but a different shade from mine. Strangely, his gaze was piercing. I couldn't help but compare it to that of Horikita Manabu. No, that wasn't quite right. He wasn't as fierce or powerful as Manabu.
"I don't trust you. Not at all."
"Not even when we are Class D, the worst in school history?"
"You're not the one driving a sinking ship. But you're a first mate, at least. And yet, you are one of the vice presidents of the Student Council. It doesn't add up. Why?" He glared at me, demanding answers.
"I don't know. President Horikita saw something within me, I guess."
At my lackluster statement, Kanzaki only narrowed his eyes. "I'll be watching you, from now on. I'm warning you not to do anything to Ichinose or Class B."
"I won't."
With that, I watched as the boy left the vicinity. He sure was paranoid. He didn't seem to fit in Class B but had instead bowed to its ideals of friendship and unity. That friendship was weak, something that was easily exploited. However, that unity, born out of altruism and friendship, was incredibly powerful, the likes that couldn't be obtained in any other class in all three years.
If Ichinose became more cunning and more willing to sacrifice arbitrary notions such as morals and ethics, Class B could be a force to be reckoned with in the coming years.
-o-o-o-
Who was the unknown person who had messaged me and saved Kushida-san?
I could count on my fingers the number of people who had my contact information: Ayanokōji-kun, Kushida-san, Matsushita-san, and Okitani-kun. That was it. But I knew that it couldn't be any of the first three.
Ayanokōji-kun wouldn't make sense, since he was the first one to come up with the idea of buying the test point using private points. He wouldn't do such a convoluted thing for no reason. I hadn't even done anything with the private points gifted to me from the unknown student ID.
Kushida-san didn't make sense for obvious reasons, since she was the one who had nearly failed her English exam.
But…Matsushita-san chimed in after my thought process had gone stagnant.
Could she be the mastermind?
No, concluding so was too fast. But she was the prime suspect.
However… no… could they have purchased my student ID contact information? Chabashira-sensei had said that anything on school premises was able to be purchased within reason. This meant that I couldn't narrow down the suspect.
Moreover, this student ID had to be fake. It was a generated ID that was likely bought by the school. 68656C706572.
After one day of looking over the numbers, I noticed that it translated into 'Helper' in hexadecimal. However, that discovery didn't really help me in my search.
So, after class, I asked the teacher.
"Chabashira-sensei, how much does it cost to purchase this student ID?"
"500,000 points."
"I see. Thank you." That was a number far too high for me since I had conserved only around 160,000 points. I could ask Ayanokōji-kun to lend me private points, but I didn't particularly like being in someone's debt.
But…
I agonized over it. Eventually, I decided to ask him. I could only hope that he wouldn't instantly turn me away at the request.
-o-o-o-
"Thank you all for coming to this meeting. To kick things off, I would like to discuss some current changes we are looking to make to the school. First and foremost, Vice President Nagumo has proposed the Overall Abilities App, or the OAA App, for short. Nagumo, I will allow you to present your case."
"Thank you President Horikita," Nagumo replied smoothly, rising from his own mahogany desk. "The OAA app consists of four values to determine a student's overall ability. These factors consist of academic ability, physical ability, adaptability, social contribution, and overall ability." He slid each of us one sheet of paper on our desks so that we could read his proposal.
Academic ability: Primarily calculated based on your written exam scores conducted throughout the school year.
Physical Ability: Calculated based on your performance in physical education classes, club activities, special exams, and other physical endeavors.
Adaptability: Calculated based on your capacity to adapt to the world around you. This includes but is not limited to, whether or not you consistently demonstrate the ability to think on your feet, your communication skills, the size of your social circle, and whether or not you act in a way befitting of your social standing amongst said circle.
Social Contribution: Calculated based on a variety of factors, such as your general attitude during class, your attendance record, the presence of any potentially problematic behavior, or your contribution to the school through programs like the Student Council.
Overall Ability: A student's comprehensive ability is derived from each of the four values calculated above. However, the effect that social contribution has on the overall score is reduced by half compared to the other three values.
The Formula: [Academic Ability Physical Ability Adaptability Social Contribution * 0.5/3.5.
"Ichinose, what are your thoughts on this as a first-year of the school?" Nagumo asked.
Ichinose didn't seem to be paying attention to the sheet in front of her; instead, she seemed to be examining a spot on our desk. No, that wasn't accurate. Her eyes were on the desk, but her mind seemed elsewhere.
After Manabu gave the both of us a glance, I decided to do something about it. I stretched my arm out and grasped her side as hard as I could.
"Eek! Ah! Hyah?" Ichinose cried out. However, since she hadn't regained her sanity, I grabbed her more forcefully and tickled her.
"W-Wait. S-Stop, stop!" No matter how upset or dazed a person was, if you stimulated the body enough, they would come back to their senses. Even if they didn't like it. Manabu seemed somewhat taken aback by my actions, but he was the one who asked me to do this in the first place. Fūka and Nagumo only grinned. When I believed that I had roused her enough, I let go. Ichinose looked at me with a pitiful face, and I mouthed her an apology, which she seemed to take.
"Um… I think that the OAA app might promote too much individuality and not enough collaboration between classes." Ichinose's analysis corroborated with my own.
"Nagumo, why do you think we should implement this? Overall ability?" the dictator pushed his glasses up on his nose. "Traditionally, the school has always kept the system of classes. What do you intend to do with this overall ability app?"
The tension between the two upperclassmen was clear for everyone in the room to see.
"It's simple," Nagumo spread his arms wide. "An excellent person with incredible ability in Class D should not be denied the way to Class A simply because they are being dragged down by their classmates. Take Ayanokōji, for example."
Of course, he didn't need to elaborate, since I was in what could be considered the worst class in the entire history of the school. This was another ploy to bring me to his side by mentioning me by name.
"Your system promotes rigid individuality and negates the need for a class system. It rids the school of cooperation, the very concept required to function in society."
"While that's undeniably true, it is also important to recognize the benefits of individualism. Under the OAA App and my leadership, excellent students in Class D could rise to Class A. Subpar students in Class A would fall to Class D."
"You must understand that there are different skill sets required for certain classes. One person may specialize in strategy for Class A but have subpar scores in other metrics. By your logic, that person would fall to Class D."
Instead of preaching collaboration and cooperation as he had previously done, Manabu now tried a different approach: appealing to Nagumo's own logic.
"Then that person wasn't worthy of Class A. Their strategic focus in one metric wasn't enough to outweigh their lack of ability in other metrics."
The two of them were stuck at this fundamental crossroads, a clash of ideals. Although Nagumo was challenging Manabu, it wasn't like Manabu could simply remove Nagumo from the Student Council.
I doubted he wanted to do that, anyway. Instead, it seemed like Manabu had recruited Nagumo because he saw potential, but once again, he had cultivated that potential incorrectly. Just like he had done so with his little sister, Horikita Suzune.
"What is the Student Council's opinion on the OAA app?" the dictator decided to siphon opinions from the council instead of attempting to argue. Arguing with Nagumo was like arguing with a wall.
"I agree with Horikita-san." Tachibana—no, Loli-senpai said.
"I'm staunchly against the proposal. As the second-year representative, I agree with Horikita-senpai on the concept of collaboration and cooperation," Kiriyama said.
"I guess I'm with Miyabi… I don't think someone exceptional like Ayanokōji-kun should be bogged down in Class D…" Asahina-senpai shrugged. That made it three against two in favor of Manabu's faction. However, that left four deciding votes.
Kikyō glanced at me. It seemed like she would be fine with whatever decision I made. Ichinose was deep in thought—whether it be about the OAA app or the trial that her class was currently facing.
"I'll abstain," Fūka said. A scowl came across Nagumo's face at that. He probably wasn't pleased that someone in his year had defied him time and time again. But Fūka appeared skilled enough to defend herself against Nagumo. That or Nagumo had never bothered making a move against her in the first place.
"Kiyotaka, what is your opinion?"
I was fine with the concept of the app in order to judge student's abilities in general. It would allow at least a surface representation of each student's ability.
However, if this proposal was approved, it might lead to Nagumo's presidency, where no one could stop him. For example, if he wanted to implement an idea where classes were rearranged based on OAA, with Class A being comprised entirely of students who had an A in overall ability, Class B being comprised entirely of students who had a B in overall ability, and so on, no one could stop him except the school administration. That meant that it was in my best interest to vote against Nagumo's proposals so that he wouldn't become an actual dictator.
"Nagumo's proposal has merit. That's undeniable."
"However?" Manabu prodded expectantly.
"However? There is no however. I'm in favor of Nagumo's OAA app."
Nagumo smiled widely. Manabu peered at me, confused. He seemed to be trying to decipher the logic behind my reasoning.
"I vote for Nagumo-senpai's proposal as well," Kikyō said.
"Then it seems that my proposal has passed four against three. Unless you would like to veto this, President Horikita."
Nagumo offered Manabu the chance to veto the proposal. However, this was a false maneuver, since Nagumo and I retained the ability to cancel the veto of the President in sync. In truth, the dictator had no choice but to allow Nagumo's proposal to be implemented.
"It's no issue," Manabu agreed. "You can bring this to the school administration. If they finish their deliberations and approve, it might be implemented after the summer break."
"Thank you, President Horikita. Then, our next issue to discuss is the first-years' trials, involving three classes. One between Class B and C, and one between Class A and C."
-o-o-o-
If you would like to support my writing or read six chapters ahead, please join the link below!
P a treon . com (slash) thannwriting
Thanks for reading! Happy Holidays!
Next Chapter: January 15th
-thann