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

by legalinmybooks

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

24. Chapter 23: Summertime

Manabe stumbled against the door with a horrified and shocked expression on her face as if she didn't believe what's happening. Ayanokouji's mind was running as he was processing what just happened.

'Another soulmate. That's 3 out of 4 from Manabe's group. The only one left is Yamashita. Speaking of 3 out of 4, the only class without a single soulmate is Class A, Sakayanagi's class. I wonder if the divide between the Sakayanagi's and Katsuragi's faction is causing me to have any soulmates in Class A. However, the number of encounters and girls from Class A has increased exponentially and is almost on par with the rest of the classes.' thought Ayanokouji.

"What's wrong, Manabe? Don't tell me that you're growing soft on me because I said I'll hear you out." said Ayanokouji, deciding to quickly say something before the silence gets awkward.

"W-What?! What the fuck are you saying?" snapped Manabe, shaking her head, but her face was still red.

"It doesn't help that your face is all red."

Manabe glared at Ayanokouji before gently slapping the side of her face, which left a faint red handprint on each side of her face.

"What'cha talking about?! Don't tell me that you're thinking that I like you because you helped me once." said Manabe, snorting. She was trying to throw Ayanokouji off with another question.

"Who knows? It looks like it's the opposite way around." said Ayanokouji.

"S-Shut up! I was caught off-guard!"

"Off-guard?"

"Y-Yeah. By your handsome-"

Manabe quickly shut her mouth and covered it before averting her eyes. Ayanokouji studied her before he noticed something. The door that Manabe was leaning on was opening slowly and she wasn't aware of it. As the door opened, Manabe's body fell backward due to the change in position of the door. Her eyes widened as the door swung fully open and banged against the wall and Manabe began falling, but Ayanokouji lunged forward and managed to grab her arms.

"W-What are you doing?" yelped Manabe, who instinctively pushed Ayanokouji away, but it was too late and she hit the floor.

Ayanokouji managed to soften Manabe's fall. In the end, Ayanokouji was on top of Manabe with one arm on her back, acting as a cushion for her body and the other arm was firmly placed on the floor in a kabedon position against the floor.

Manabe's face became ever more red as their faces were inches away from each other. Ayanokouji could see her olive-colored hair which was a little bit ruffled and ran over her shoulder with a scent of rosemary. Her beautiful dark-colored eyes averted from Ayanokouji's gaze.

"Hey! Is everything okay?" called out a voice. A girl rounded the corner and Ayanokouji recognized her. It was Nishino, who was wearing pajamas and she had a flabbergasted expression as the scene of Ayanokouji on top of Manabe was unfolding in front of her.

"Sorry. Am I interrupting something?" asked Nishino, clearing her throat. Ayanokouji quickly backed off and Manabe scrambled to her feet.

"I-It's not what it looks like." snapped Manabe. Her face still flustered and she shot Nishino a glare.

"Okay... your face is telling a whole different story."

"S-Shut up!"

With Manabe preoccupied with Nishino and trying her best to hide her blushing face and emotions, Ayanokouji decided that it was the perfect time to leave.

Staying and trying to explain might make things harder for him because Manabe is here and is in quite the blushing mess. There's also the possibility of the rest of Manabe's roommates coming back and the last thing that Ayanokouji wanted is to be seen inside of a girl's room near the end of curfew.

"I'll be going." said Ayanokouji, saying his goodbyes before leaving Manabe's room.

Nishino shot him a curious look that basically told him that he'll need to explain later to her when they meet again. Manabe was too busy and flustered to reply back and just dismissively waved at Ayanokouji, who shut the door and disappeared quickly down the hallway and back towards the elevator. As Manabe took a deep breath, the door closed and locked itself.

"What?!" demanded Manabe, noticing that Nishino was staring at her.

"Nothing." said Nishino, shrugging before walking away. Manabe just sighed as she tried to organize her feelings about Ayanokouji and everything.

'What the fuck?! Why did everything change? I can't believe that I am falling in love with Ayanokouji! That's way too much. Ahhh! I must be feeling tired after dealing with Karuizawa. I'm going to take a shower and get some sleep! That's it... a nice rest should help clear my mind.' thought Manabe.

She grabbed a change of clothes and stepped into the bathroom before locking it. Manabe took off her clothes, entered the shower, and turned it on. As the water hit Manabe's head, she began having shower thoughts and her mind recalled what happened a few hours ago with Karuizawa and her recent conversation with Ayanokouji, where everything changed. As Manabe was thinking about it, she couldn't help herself, but to think about her past.

'Shit! Why am I thinking about it?! it's all in the past and it's fucking useless!' thought Manabe, trying to rid herself from thinking about the past, but it was too late. Manabe remembered it like it happened recently and knew how much it changed her.

*Manabe POV*

*Flashback (11 years ago)*

'My life is shit. It really was. As far back as I remembered, my good for nothing father is a scumbag that abandoned his family. I don't remember much about that bastard, but I remembered the smell of alcohol in my house. Not even the scent of fresh air in the house. It was all alcohol and my father loved it. All he did was drink and I only see him a few times per week and it's usually in the early mornings when his lazy ass is passed out on the couch. My mom did all the work in the house and paid the bills. Honestly, it was a good thing, but it didn't last long.' thought Manabe.

"Mom?" called out Manabe, who was a 5 year-old girl. She exited out of her bedroom which was a mess. Her mother didn't have time to clean her room because she was doing an overnight shift. Manabe was wearing her school uniform and was clutching her school bag. It was strange because she didn't hear any noise coming from the kitchen that indicates someone is cooking, but heard some yelling from the living room.

"Listen, you deadbeat! The least you can do is make your own food!" yelled Manabe's mom.

"Listen, woman! The only thing you're good at is cooking. That's the least you can do!" yelled Manabe's father, his words were somewhat slurred which meant he had a bit to drink already.

"Ironic coming from someone that doesn't even work! Is this what a man looks like to you? Where's your sense of duty? I just came back from an all-nighter!"

"Shut the fuck up! Are you gonna cook or not?!"

"No. Do it yourself."

"Then, I'll take that plate over there."

"That's Shiho's plate, you deadbeat. Don't you forget that you have a daughter?!"

"Calm down, woman! She's not here and she can have your plate. Just make your own!"

"Screw you! I'm tired of this! I just want to eat, shower, and get some sleep. Unlike you, I actually have work to do!"

"Shut your mouth, you bitch!"

Manabe's father advanced towards Manabe's mother, who flicked and backed away a little. Her figure is tiny compared to his alcoholic-addicted and obsessed body. Manabe watched on in horror as her father struck her mother, who collapsed on the ground. Then, he grabbed her by the bangs and pulled it closer to him as he leaned down and glared at her.

"Listen, you bitch. Your bitching is annoying the shit out of me. I just lost big on the poker table last night and I can't deal with your bitching. You understand the consequences of your actions and who's in charge here." snarled Manabe's father.

"What happened to you?! It's all because you met that bastard!" yelped Manabe's mother, gasping in pain. Her eyes are full of pain, physically and mentally. She was looking at the husk of her husband, who has drastically changed during the few past years.

"Don't you talk to him like that!"

Manabe's father slapped her with a decent amount of force and let her hair go. Manabe's mother cried out in pain and fell onto the ground as he sat down on the chair and began eating Manabe's breakfast. Manabe realized that this isn't the first time that her father has laid his hands on her mother. It had been happening when she wasn't in the house or hadn't noticed. Manabe's eyes widened in horror and fear as the revelation and the truth was out. She was shaking out of fear, anger, and disbelief as her family was falling apart in front of her.

"S-Shiho?!" called out Manabe's mother, weakly. She noticed her daughter at the doorway. She had a mixture of horror and shock as she didn't want her daughter to see this scene.

"So, you're awake?" said Manabe's father, burping. He seemed to be indifferent that his young daughter had witnessed them fighting and him being abusive towards his wife.

"D-Dad?!" stammered Manabe.

"Shiho, get out of here. I'll give you some money for the convenience store for breakfast." said Manabe's mom as she got up and made her way to the kitchen counter. She reached her purse and pulled out some money, but Manabe's father set down his chopsticks, got up, and snatched it from her hands.

"I'll be taking that. Daddy's gonna make bank from this." said Manabe's father, counting money before slipping it in his pocket.

"Hey! That's for Shiho's breakfast. You can't take it!"

"I just did. Now shut up and let me finish breakfast."

He popped open another can of beer and chugged it before picking up his chopsticks again.

"You always do this shit! You always take and never return anything back. All of the money you took from me never came back! You're just losing all of our money!" yelled Manabe's mother.

"Shut up! You're killing my mood!" snarled Manabe's father.

"No! Enough is enough. Give me back the money. Shiho needs it for breakfast."

"Shut up, woman. Go and do some laundry or some shit. Leave me alone!"

Before Manabe's mother could say anything, Manabe's father grabbed the plate and threw it against the wall. The plate shattered against the wall and the force sent shrapnel of glass and pieces of food everywhere.

"I lost my appetite thanks to your bitching. I'm off." snarled Manabe's father. He grabbed his unfinished can of beer and stormed out of the apartment, slamming the door. Manabe's mother picked up a broom from a nearby closet and began sweeping up the mess. After a few moments, she began to mutter to herself and increasingly got louder.

"Why?! Why?! Why is this happening?! What happened to our family? That fucking bastard! Always drinking and gambling with his friends. Shouldn't he know that he has a family to look after?! That fucking bastard!" muttered Manabe's mother.

The longer she talked to herself, the louder she became and the more frustrated she was. She began slamming the broom on the ground out of frustration and Manabe watched on silently in horror at her mother's frustration. This is the first time that Manabe truly saw her father and mother like this, arguing and seemingly not happy. Before Manabe could speak up, her mother turned towards

her and gave a small smile. It was a hopeful, but pained smile like her mother is trying to hide the pain and put up a front to calm Manabe down.

"Here, Shiho. Take my leftover money and get some breakfast at the convenience store. You don't want to be late, do you?" said Manabe's mother, pulling out the last of her money that she saved up.

"T-Thanks, Mom." said Manabe, accepting the money. She wanted to ask her mom about her dad, but hesitated after seeing what happened. Her mom was also right since Manabe realized that she's leaving the house late now.

"Bye, Mom! See you after school!" said Manabe, running and putting her shoes on.

"Bye, Shiho. See you soon." said Manabe's mother, giving her a wave before Manabe closed the door and headed towards school. Manabe had walked to school by herself for a while already since her mother mostly had overnight shifts and had to get some sleep. Her father is busy with his own pleasures, but Manabe was used to it and knew how to get there and back safely.

*Timeskip (several hours later)*

Manabe opened the front door of her apartment after asking the person at the front desk for a spare key. They followed Manabe and opened the door to the apartment with a master key before leaving. Manabe was wondering why her mother was not answering the door and as she entered the living room, the familiar scent of alcohol hit her nostril and she found the living room still a mess. There were beer cans lined up on the dining table and couch with trash everywhere.

Manabe found it strange since her mother usually cleans the house after she gets some rest and the house is usually a little more clean when she gets home after school.

"Mom?" called out Manabe.

Manabe didn't get a response back and got a little nervous. She wondered if her mother was out doing some errands. As Manabe made her way to her room, she noticed that her mother's bedroom door was open and she peeked inside. She found her mother lying on the bed with a pile of beer cans on the table. Manabe dropped her school bag in shock and didn't expect that kind of behavior from her mother. It was the same irresponsible behavior as her father. She entered the

room and noticed that her mother seemed to be in a very deep sleep.

"Mom?! Wake up!" said Manabe, loudly. When her mother didn't respond, Manabe panicked and began shaking her rapidly and yelling for her. After a few moments, Manabe's mother began stirring and seemed to be waking up.

"Shiho? What's wrong?" asked Manabe's mother, sleepily and she rubbed her eyes. She tried sitting up, but was too drunk and remained lying down.

"My head hurts..."

"Mom! Are you okay?!"

"I'm fine, Shiho. Just my head hurts a lot."

"Do you want me to call the doctor?"

"No... I'm fine. Just a glass of water will be helpful."

Manabe quickly ran to the kitchen and retrieved a glass of water for her mother, who thanked her and took a long sip of water.

"Mom. What happened?" asked Manabe, slightly panicked about her mother's strange and unusual behavior.

"I-It's nothing, Shiho. It's nothing." said Manabe's mother, smiling.

"It doesn't look like anything."

"..."

Manabe's mother expression quickly morphed to one of anger, rage, and frustration before morphing to a small and hesitant smile.

"Shiho... Daddy is not coming back." said Manabe's mother.

"Not coming back? Why not?!" asked Manabe.

"..."

"Mom! Why is Daddy not coming back?! Tell me please!"

"Daddy is getting some milk. He'll be back soon."

"Really?"

"Yeah. He'll be back."

That was a lie. One of the many lies that Manabe's mother had told her daughter and the worst is yet to come for Manabe Shiho.

*Timeskip (2 weeks later)*

"Mom! Are you awake now?" asked Manabe, shaking her mother awake again. Manabe has noticed that ever since she has last seen her father, her mother has gotten out of control and seemed to be drinking more alcohol and sleeping all day. She has slowly stopped cleaning the house, cooking meals, and taking care of her which resulted in Manabe going hungry during some days.

"Shiho... you gotta stop bothering me." mumbled Manabe's mother, half-asleep.

"Sleeping again? What's for dinner? I'm getting hungry and the house is a mess."

"Hmm... how about you make something for yourself? There might be some groceries for you in the fridge, I think."

"Mom. When's Daddy coming back?! You said he'll be back! Where is he?!"

"Don't worry about it, Shiho."

"I'm worried about it, Mom! Where's Daddy?!"

After all of Manabe's persistence during the past 2 weeks, Manabe's mother has reached her limits and finally snapped at her daughter.

"He's gone! Okay! He's gone and will never come back!" snapped Manabe's mother. After the confirmation and sudden news, Manabe stopped shaking her mother and fell down to her knees.

"W-What do you mean? Y-You said D-Daddy is coming back with the milk?" asked Manabe, her voice shaking.

"No, Shiho! He's not coming back! Never! He's gone and out of your life! Like the man that I loved!"

"N-No! Y-You're lying! Daddy wouldn't leave us!"

"Does it look like I'm lying?"

Manabe looked over at her mother, who had a broken smile and it was filled with hopelessness and depression. It was like she has given hope and any form of happiness already. Manabe wondered if her mother had felt like this ever since her father had left.

"Your good-for-nothing father left us. Left you and me because of his gambling. His fucking 'friends' are fucking bastards and I told him that they're shady and not his friends, but since I'm just a woman, I don't know anything and I should just shut up and cook." said Manabe's mother, launching in a furious rant. It was unlike anything that Manabe has seen, her mother losing control.

"W-What do you mean?" asked Manabe, not understanding what her mother was talking about.

"But no... He had to borrow more money from his 'friends' to make it big. Fucking good job! Go into crippling debt and run away, leaving your family behind! Fucking genius!"

Manabe's mother grabbed one of the half-finished cans of beer and chugged it before crumpling the can and tossing it against the wall. The crumpled can sprayed some liquid out before it bounced off the wall and hit the floor. Manabe may not have understood what's happening, but one thing is certain: her father is not coming back and her mother is changing.

*Timeskip (5 years later)*

"Shit. Gotta get some groceries." grumbled Manabe.

Manabe is about 10 years old and is pretty much taking care of herself now. Her mother has become a shut-in alcoholic that doesn't work anymore and gets checks every month from the government for child support. Of course, most of the money is being used for alcohol and Manabe is barely scraping by.

Manabe learned that her father had borrowed a lot of money from his friends, but they were a shady bunch of people that demanded him to pay back. Unfortunately, Manabe's father is an alcoholic and gambling addict as he borrowed money from pretty much everyone and insisted that he'll win big and pay everyone back. That did not work out and he ended up losing all of it, with no money to pay back his debts. Being a good father, he abandoned his family and fled, leaving his family behind and the debts unpaid. This left Manabe and her mother behind with all of the debt.

The realization of being betrayed and abandoned by her husband, Manabe's mother has broken down and fallen into a depression. That depression later became one of hatred and anger as she quickly slipped into the role of an alcoholic dead- beat parent like her ex-husband, drinking away her problems and not trying to get out of this terrible financial decision. All of this: an abusive and alcoholic husband, a crippling amount of debt, and being a single parent has transformed Manabe's mother from a hard-working mother to an alcoholic, rage-induced deadbeat mother who just sleeps and stays at home at all times.

Manabe has gotten her full independence and pretty much did whatever she wants, but she doesn't have the money to spend for herself since her budget is tight. She tried her best to not go home and stay out as long as possible. She didn't want to go back to that terrible place known as home and would rather spend as much time away from there. Manabe also didn't have many friends because of her behavior and attitude towards others. Due to her terrible and tense home environment, Manabe had developed a short temper and snapped back at almost everyone including teachers which resulted in not too many friends. She also got some bad habits from her mother like her nasty glare and cussing which is abnormal for a 10-year old child.

As Manabe was counting the money she had, she entered the supermarket and luckily there was a sale on meat and eggs which meant the budget wouldn't be too tight. Her mother asked her to get some more beer for her which Manabe responded with a middle finger. That resulted in a heated yelling match between mother and daughter. Manabe remembered that one of the debt collectors came yesterday and told her to pay off for this month which is pretty much all of their money that Manabe has saved up. Realizing that they are just going to scrap by for this week, Manabe quickly headed towards the supermarket since she saw there's an ongoing sale.

Manabe quickly grabbed some meat and a cartoon of a dozen eggs that was discounted. Then, she grabbed some vegetables, but it was only a few carrots and a lettuce. It wasn't much, but Manabe is really stretching the remaining money that she has left. She knew that her mother probably has more money somewhere, but she refuses to share it and it was reserved for her beers. Manabe sighed discontentedly as she looked at the total when she finished checking out. The cashier gave Manabe a concerned look as she saw an elementary-schooler shopping by herself and without her parents. Manabe was used to it and tried her best to ignore it.

'I'm always by myself. I don't some fucking pity from strangers. People that can't help me.' thought Manabe.

Manabe picked up the bags of groceries and began making her way back home. She wanted to get home, drop off her groceries, and leave the house for a bit.

Manabe hated cooking since she's not good at it and she also didn't want to spend that much time in the house. As Manabe was walking, she heard some noise coming from an alleyway that she was approaching. Out of curiosity, Manabe peeked and found a group of 4 girls kicking at a younger girl on the ground, laughing and taunting her.

Manabe hesitated and was not sure whether or not to help. She noticed the girls were in middle school and she wasn't sure that she could even stand up to them. But as Manabe looked at the younger girl, she saw her shaking in fear and covering herself, making herself smaller. Manabe could see a bit of a younger self when witnessing this scene. She saw a scared and helpless young girl that is powerless to protect and look out for herself. She sighed before making her decision.

"Hey! What the fuck are you doing?" snarled Manabe, walking to the alleyway. The girls had a look of surprise before they realized that they outnumbered Manabe and were bigger than her. The younger girl had a hopeful expression on her face and silently pleaded for Manabe's help.

"Oh? Look who's here. Another loser to be taken out by the trash." sneered one of the other girls. The other girls laughed at Manabe and one of them even gave the younger girl a hard kick on the side.

"Screw you!"

Manabe lunged at one of the girls and managed to tackle her to the ground which

was surprising since Manabe was much smaller than her. This is the first time that Manabe has gotten into a fight and she impulsively went on the offensive. Manabe began punching at the girl, channeling all of her built up anger and frustration. She managed to get some good punches before one of the other girls, who was the biggest one out of the group, managed to pull Manabe off the other girl and the rest of the girls began punching and kicking at her.

Manabe tried to get up or fight back, but the punches and kicks were too much for her and Manabe was helpless. She clenched her teeth as she received another hard kick to the side and she could hear the girls laughing and taunting her.

Manabe could see the girl that she was trying to save struggling to get to her feet and Manabe wished that she would quickly run since she's getting all of the attention.

'What the fuck am I thinking?! I am some hero, huh? I really can't do shit. God, I'm so pathetic.' thought Manabe. One of the girls grabbed Manabe by her bangs and lifted her face upwards and towards her.

"Some hero, huh? Did you seriously think you had a chance against us?" said one of the girls, laughing as she gave Manabe a slap to the face. The slap connected near Manabe's ears and her eardrums were ringing from the slap which overwhelmed hearing from her right ear. Manabe clutched her right ear as the white noise grew louder in that ear.

"Hey. Do you think she's a part of Taniguchi's gang?" asked another girl.

"Doesn't look like it, but she might. Why the fuck will she save that loser?"

Manabe didn't know what they meant by this and didn't care since she wanted to get out of this situation. She gathered her spit and spat at the girl that was holding her bangs. It was a direct hit and the girl slapped Manabe and kneed her in the stomach which almost caused Manabe to throw up her lunch and black out. She tried blinking all of the spots of her eyes and the girls dropped her as she rubbed the spit of her face.

"You fucked up, bitch. Congrats for making it worse for yourself." snarled the girl. Manabe closed her eyes and put her arms to protect her face for incoming retribution, but before anything could happen, she heard a loud voice coming from the entrance of the alleyway.

"What's up, fuckers?!" called out a voice.

"You idiot! Don't say that you're ruining our perfect entrance." said another voice.

"Oops. My bad. Can we redo that please?"

"Too late for that... Anyways... Oi! What the fuck are you guys doing?"

Manabe glanced over and saw a group of girls by the alleyway. Their ages range from late middle school to late elementary school. The girls standing over Manabe turned to face the new group and realized that they were outnumbered and weren't expecting more people to show up.

"Taniguchi... you fucker." snarled one of the girls as she recognized one of the girls from the group. The other girls were on guard and glared at the newcomers.

"Oi, Ohashi. You're still alive and kicking?" asked Taniguchi, ignoring the rest of the girls and directed her question to the younger girl, who had a relieved expression on her face.

"Y-Yeah. All good." said Ohashi.

"Anywho... who wants to fight now? We'll take you on."

Taniguchi cracked her knuckles and the rest of the girls behind her stood ready and the girls tensed up. Tension ran high in the air as the two groups glared at each other. Another fight looks like it's going to break out, but after a few moments, the girls that beat up Manabe scowled and turned their backs on Taniguchi and the group.

"Tch... We'll let you off the hook, Taniguchi. Next time, tell your lackeys to fuck off our territory." said one of the girls.

"Stop being a hero, kid. Stop being something you're not." said another girl. Before they left, one of them gave Manabe another kick to the side which she groaned in response. The group of girls left and Manabe was getting comfortable with the cold pavement of the alley's floor. She tried to get up, but was unable to. Her body silently protested and ached as she could already tell that she got bruises from where she got kicked.

"Whoa! Slow it down, kiddo. You've taken quite the beating." said another girl.

She grabbed Manabe by the arms and helped her stand up. Manabe staggered before the girl offered her shoulders for support and Manabe leaned on her for support. The girl was a few years older than Manabe and she had a more friendly and immature aura like she acted more like Manabe's classmates despite her looking like she's about to enter high school. She had dark-violet hair in a short ponytail and she was wearing some jeans and a dark-green long-sleeved T-shirt.

"Who are you?" asked Manabe.

"I'm Yamazaki Hitmoi and you're welcome." said Yamazaki. "T-Thanks, I guess."

One of the girls handed Manabe her groceries which she left on the ground before getting into the fight. Manabe thanked her and checked the bag, making sure that everything was there.

"I gotta say. Thanks for looking out for one of our own. You could've walked away, but you tried to help her. You have some humongous balls for taking them on by yourself." said Taniguchi. She had shoulder-length brown hair with numerous ear piercings on each ear. She was wearing an old T-shirt with a leather jacket and black skinny jeans with holes. Manabe scratched her head in embarrassment as she felt like she didn't do anything besides being a distraction and getting beat up.

"T-Thanks for doing that for me." said Ohashi, giving Manabe a small smile.

"What's your name, kiddo?" asked Taniguchi.

"Manabe Shiho." replied Manabe.

"Manabe... You have my thanks."

"I don't need it."

"Oh?"

"Being thankful means jack shit for me. It doesn't help me at all."

"Then, why did you try to save Ohashi?"

"Maybe I was feeling like it, but that feeling quickly ran out."

"Hahaha! You're quite something, Manabe. Reminds me of myself when I was younger."

"I don't give a fuck. I'm gonna go home now. Later."

Manabe turned her back and began heading out of the alleyway, but Taniguchi said something that made her stop.

"Manabe... you don't really have a place you called home, do you?" called out Taniguchi. Manabe stopped and spoke without facing Taniguchi.

"What do you mean? Don't tell me that you're a fucking shrink." replied Manabe.

"You seemed carefree despite the fact that you have bruises and evidence of a fight. It's like your folks at home don't give a shit about you."

"..."

"Am I right?"

"Fuck you. I don't need some random person to tell me that I have shitty parents."

"You're right, but they don't actually give a shit, do they?"

"Of course not. I have a sorry excuse of a dad that pussied out and a deadbeat alcoholic mom, so... yeah."

"Is that it?"

"What? You have parents worse than mine?"

"My father is a well-known pedophile with a fetish for children's panties that likes scopes out multiple elementary schools and my mother is a deadbeat that sniffs and eats glue."

Manabe turned towards her in disbelief and Taniguchi cracked a smile at Manabe's response.

"Gotcha. That got your attention?" taunted Taniguchi.

"Screw you!" snarled Manabe.

"But seriously... suck to be you. I know that shit hurts. Trust me... some of us know."

"What do you want? I don't want your sympathies."

"I know... I know... How about you join my crew?"

Manabe fell into silence as she didn't expect this offer and she glanced over at Taniguchi, who looked serious and not joking.

"Are you serious?" asked Manabe.

"Yeah. Seriously." replied Taniguchi.

"And why should I accept your offer?"

"Think about it... You don't have much to do anyways and you don't want to go home to your shitty parents. Why not hang out with us?"

"Hmm... you do have a point."

"You also could learn how to do some things like sneak out of the house and go to our secret meetup." added Yamazaki.

Manabe paused for a few moments before responding after thinking about Taniguchi's offer.

"You know what... screw it. I'm in. It's not like I have anything to lose." said Manabe.

"Ha! Welcome to my crew. There's a few things you should know when joining. What's yours is ours and protect your own." said Taniguchi.

"Uhh... okay?" said Manabe, not exactly sure what it entails. Manabe wasn't sure what she had gotten herself into, but it sounded interesting and she wasn't going to spend more time at home with her mom.

'Ahh... I can't believe that I'm thinking about it again. Joining Taniguchi's crew was probably the best decision that I made. I would've probably lost my mind if I had nobody else except for my shitty mom. It was a crazy couple of years with me doing some things that I wished I hadn't, but that's what you expect from someone born from trash. A trashy set of parents means that someone trashy is going to be born right? That's what you expect and it's the truth. There's no change. How can you change something worthless and basically trash into something valuable?' thought Manabe.

'But... Ayanokouji's words stick with me. Why is this happening? Not only are his words from yesterday stuck in my mind, I can picture him with his blank ass face and speaking it to me again. Fuck me. Why am I still thinking about him when I'm trying to forget about this?!' thought Manabe.

Manabe sighed discontentedly before turning off the shower and grabbing her towel which was hanging right outside of the shower. As she was drying her body, she tried her best to not think about Ayanokouji, but the more she tried to forget, the less effective it was as the image of Ayanokouji's blank face was her mind.

* Ayanokouji POV:

Ayanokouji ended up somewhere that he had never been before on the ship. The elevator that he called took to a different floor and the person that called the elevator was Hoshinomiya-sensei, who reeks of alcohol.

"Ara~ Ayanokouji-kun!" said Hoshinomiya-sensei, stepping into the elevator and she looked a bit tipsy. Ayanokouji wanted to bolt out of the elevator, but it quickly shut on him, sealing his fate. Ayanokouji prayed to the elevator gods that the elevator will not break down. He could not handle being trapped in a broken-down and cramped elevator with a drunk Hoshinomiya-sensei. It didn't matter if she's drunk and her being sober would still be a huge problem.

"Hoshinomiya-sensei." said Ayanokouji, greeting her. Before he could select a floor, Hoshinomiya-sensei stopped him and clicked a button.

"How lucky I am to run into my favorite student."

"You flatter me, sensei. Although, I think senseis shouldn't have favorites." "Let's keep that a secret between the two of us, okay?~"

Hoshinomiya-sensei placed one of her fingers on Ayanokouji's lips and leaned in closer to him. Ayanokouji blankly stared at her and knew that it was quite the compromising situation because Hoshinomiya-sensei's blouse is slowly slipping and it revealed a bit of her bare shoulders and collarbone.

"I see. I have no intention in telling anyone." replied Ayanokouji, doing his best to not stare at Hoshinomiya-sensei for too long.

"Hee hee~ That's why you're my favorite student. Actually, I like Honami-chan too. Let's say you're my favorite male student." giggled Hoshinomiya.

"Please don't phrase it like that. That sounds wrong if anyone misinterprets it."

"Oh? Don't tell me Ayanokouji-kun is thinking about those kinds of things?"

"What do you mean?"

"Never mind. I can't tell that you're playing innocent or hard to get."

"Sensei, where are you taking me?"

"Of course. Somewhere to get more drunk!"

"I can't drink. I'm a minor."

"I know! I know! That sucks. At least keep your sensei company while she drinks her soul away."

"Isn't bringing a minor to a bar even allowed?"

"Only if you're under adult supervision and don't drink."

"I don't think you count as an adult."

Hoshinomiya-sensei pouted at Ayanokouji's words and playfully slapped his side.

"How mean, Ayanokouji-kun!" said Hoshinomiya-sensei, with a pout and it looked a little childish as she was trying to make herself look cuter and younger than she actually looked.

"So, you're not really that drunk then?" replied Ayanokouji.

"I can handle myself. That's why I want to drink more."

The elevator opened up and Hoshinomiya-sensei led Ayanokouji, who hesitantly followed. After a few minutes of walking, they arrived at a snazzy bar that played soft jazz music. The duo sat at the bar counter and the bartender raised her eyebrows when he noticed Ayanokouji, but he didn't say anything.

Hoshinomiya-sensei ordered a drink and Ayanokouji ordered a glass of water. After a few moments, the bartender placed their drinks down before he made his way to the other end of the bar. Hoshinomiya-sensei took a sip of the drink before taking a deep breath.

"Ahh! That hits the spot." said Hoshinomiya-sensei.

"Why did you bring me here, sensei?" asked Ayanokouji, getting straight to the point.

"What do you mean? I just wanted to talk to my favorite student."

"That may be partially true, but I think there's something more to it."

"Hee hee... So, you thought that far ahead. You don't claim to be normal, Ayanokouji-kun. Not someone from Class D.'"

"I just have a bad feeling when it involves you."

"Ara~ So, you do have feelings for me! Mind telling me more."

Hoshinomiya-sensei was acting a little overly familiar with Ayanokouji. She placed her hand on his shoulders, and then hugged him so tight Ayanokouji could smell the alcohol on her body and breath. The bartender noticed the scene and had a horrified and shocked expression as the scene of a student and teacher getting very close and intimate together is quite scandalous and illegal.

"I do not. Please stop this. You're getting very close to losing your career as a teacher." said Ayanokouji. He noticed that the bartender was reaching for the dial of his phone.

"That answer was so not-cute that I'm impressed! So, Ayanokouji-kun, do you love the tsuntsun older sister types, like Sae-chan?" asked Hoshinomiya-sensei.

"What does Chabashira-sensei have to do with this?"

"Hee hee~ Just wondering which one is your type. Me or Sae-chan?"

"Who knows?"

"Nee nee~ Tell me~"

Ayanokouji managed to separate himself from Hoshinomiya-sensei, but she began poking at Ayanokouji's cheeks playfully. Ayanokouji refused and only repeated his signature phrase.

"Who knows?" replied Ayanokouji, repeating himself.

"Gah! You're so hard to get!" said Hoshinomiya-sensei.

'It's between a teacher that blackmails her own student or a teacher that is trying to make a move on her own student. Both teachers have a hidden agenda with that student.' thought Ayanokouji.

"Sensei... you got Ichinose to join my group." said Ayanokouji, still being direct as usual. As soon as Ayanokouji said that, Hoshinomiya-sensei's playful smile dissipated and was replaced with a slightly serious expression.

"Did Sae-chan tell you this, Ayanokouji-kun? She seems to have a soft spot for you." said Hoshinomiya-sensei. She seemed to have a hint of jealousy in her voice.

"Maybe, but you're not exactly denying it."

"Hee hee. A little detective work wouldn't hurt anyone."

"Ichinose is an important figure in Class B and its leader. Why is she placed in my own group when the Dragon group had all of the class leaders and representatives. I figure her homeroom teacher probably played a role in her placement in the Rabbit group."

Hoshinomiya-sensei showed a coy smile when she heard Ayanokouji's explanation and began to clap.

"Are you sure Sae-chan didn't tell you any of this?" asked Hoshinomiya-sensei.

"Who knows? You should ask her about it when you see her again." replied Ayanokouji.

"I knew you were special, Ayanokouji-kun. Not only with your looks and innocent, dense personality, but your smarts."

"You're really making me more competent and better. I don't hold a candle compared to the other leaders."

"You're right. You're a bigger threat compared to them."

Hoshinomiya-sensei looked over at Ayanokouji and he could see that she's nervous and viewing him more of an enemy than her student. Under all of that flirty and friendly personality was a strong desire to win. It's like she's one of the students trying her best to get to Class A and joining the class competition even though she's a teacher.

"So, Ichinose is a spy." said Ayanokouji.

"That's a little mean, Ayanokouji-kun. Let's just say Honami-chan is keeping an eye on you and maintaining the Class B and D alliance." said Hoshinomiya- sensei, with another coy smile. Ayanokouji wondered if Chabashira-sensei knew of this and knew that she probably won't appreciate Hoshinomiya- sensei with the student's affair and especially when it has to do with Ayanokouji.

"I'll take that as a yes."

"Think what you want."

'Interesting. That explains the formation of the Dragon group and why Ichinose was there. I suppose you can get your homeroom teacher to have some control on their students and exams such as their placement. I wonder how far a teacher could go. It's not like Chabashira-sensei would do anything if I asked her too, but it's good to know that homeroom teachers can change some factors of an exam. Actually, I have some ideas for this exam. Let's just hope that Chabashira- sensei can answer a few questions I have for her.' thought Ayanokouji.

"Ara~ Is Ayanokouji-kun thinking about something?" asked Hoshinomiya- sensei, noticing Ayanokouji's expression.

"No." replied Ayanokouji.

"How about we talk about something else? It's a little boring talking about some boring class competitions when you're spending some nice, quality time with your teacher."

'I don't want the bartender to hit the dial if he sees another mishap with Hoshinomiya-sensei.' thought Ayanokouji.

Ayanokouji and Hoshinomiya-sensei spent a little bit chatting about trivial things and he noticed that she was acting more like a student than a teacher. She was asking and talking about spicy topics such as romance. After a bit, Ayanokouji noticed how hammered Hoshinomiya-sensei is getting and figured that it might be a bad idea to stay with her because the more she got drunk, the more flirty and friendlier Hoshinomiya-sensei got. He didn't want the bartender to hit the dial and wanted to avoid as much trouble as possible.

"Sensei. I think you have enough to drink." said Ayanokouji.

"C'mon! Don't be like Sae-chan, Ayanokouji-kun. I still have a long way to go." said Hoshinomiya-sensei, chugging another glass and ordering more. The bartender hesitatingly served her another drink and before she could take another sip.

"What are you doing here, Chie?" called out a voice. Ayanokouji turned and saw Mashima-sensei and Chabashira-sensei. They were both surprised to see Ayanokouji in a bar.

"Ayanokouji... what are you doing here?" asked Mashima-sensei. Chabashira- sensei gave him a suspicious glance.

"Hoshinomiya-sensei brought me here." replied Ayanokouji. Mashima-sensei gave her a hard look.

"What are you thinking, Chie?! Bringing a minor to a bar. This is unacceptable." said Mashima-sensei.

"Don't be like that Mashima-kun! I was having a friendly chat with Ayanokouji- kun. And besides he didn't even drink any alcohol, so it's fine!" said Hoshinomiya-sensei.

"That's besides the point, Chie. Bringing a student here especially during the night alone is already suspicious and unprofessional. I believe I told you to stop messing around with my student." said Chabashira-sensei.

"Being a little overprotective and emotional again, I see... Reminds me of old times, huh?"

Chabashira-sensei's face tightened up after hearing Hoshinomiya-sensei's retort and Mashima-sensei just sighed and rubbed his forehead as if he's used to this.

"Mashima-kun! Stop being like that. Always by-the-books and serious. But, you're totally different from your romantic life. You were on a date the other day, weren't you? You've got a new girlfriend, huh? Mashima-kun, you're quite the playboy. And here I'd thought you were the quiet, unsociable type." said Hoshinomiya-sensei, turning her attention to Mashima-sensei.

"Chie, what happened to the man you were with?" replied Mashima-sensei.

"Ah ha ha! We broke up two weeks ago. I'm the type of girl who breaks it off once the relationship starts getting serious. It's just like, see ya later!"

"That's what you'd usually hear from the guy."

"Ah, but I'd never do that to you, Mashima-kun. You're my best friend, after all. I'd hate to ruin our friendship."

"Relax. I'm not worried about that."

"What a shocker."

Ayanokouji watched in silence as he observed the chemistry between the 3 teachers and it seemed that they knew each other from a long time. He wouldn't be surprised that they went to school together based on their familiarity.

"Oh! Don't worry, Ayanokouji-kun. I wouldn't do that to you." said Hoshinomiya-sensei, giving him a playful wink.

'I may be slightly drunk... okay! Very drunk, but I'm not lying and playing around Ayanokouji-kun. I won't leave you like that like I did to everybody else.' thought Hoshinomiya-sensei.

"Chie!" said Chabashira-sensei and Mashima-sensei. Mashima-sensei gestured to Ayanokouji to leave and that he would handle this. Ayanokouji silently thanked him and gave him a look of gratitude before making his escape. He looked at his phone and realized that he's been with Hoshinomiya-sensei for about 30 minutes. As Ayanokouji was walking towards the elevator, he saw the beautiful night sky that revealed the stars and he could hear the gentle sound of water hitting the boat. Ayanokouji stopped as he recognized a familiar figure that was standing out on the deck and staring at the night, starry skies alone. Ayanokouji decided to approach her.

"Kushida?" said Ayanokouji.

"Ayanokouji-kun?" said Kushida, turning around with an expression of shock.

"Are you alone?"

"Yeah, I am. I just couldn't seem to sleep."

"I see."

Kushida approached Ayanokouji and he saw that she was wearing a jersey. Ayanokouji could smell the scent of shampoo and guessed that she must have just gotten out of the bath.

"Aren't you cold?" asked Ayanokouji.

"I'm fine. What about you, Ayanokouji-kun? Are you all alone?" said Kushida.

"So we're both alone? I admit, I felt a little ashamed being alone. This makes me feel better."

"Maybe. Being alone in a place like this is good for you to vent, right?"

Kushida had a shocked expression before she glanced around to see if anyone heard, but there were some people, but they were at a fair distance away so they couldn't hear the duo's conversation. Then, Kushida's expression began tense and slightly pissed off as she lightly punched Ayanokouji's arm.

"Oi, dumbass. Don't spout shit like that when people can hear you! Dumbass!" said Kushida, with her usual angelic smile, but he could hear a hint of anger and unease in her voice.

"Oops. I guess I should've seen that one coming." said Ayanokouji.

"Luckily, there's no stupid cunt around to hear. Imagine those fucking perverts Ike and Yamauchi around here. They won't leave me the fuck alone!"

"Yeah... They probably won't leave me too. I mean we're in a spot where couples usually are, looking at the night sky and the stars."

As soon as Ayanokouji said that, Kushida blushed a little bit as she was now thinking about the situation by herself and looked around.

"I-Idiot! Why are you saying shit like that?!" demanded Kushida.

"Just a keen observation. Anyone can make a misunderstanding out of this. A girl and boy in a place like this." replied Ayanokouji.

'Well, I'm used to it since this happened quite a few times.' thought Ayanokouji.

Unexpectedly, Kushida wrapped her arms around Ayanokouji's chest and pulled herself closer to him. He could feel the warmth of her body through her jersey and the soft sensation of Kushida's breasts pressed against his body. He couldn't believe that Kushida is doing something so bold like that and knew that rumors will spread if they are seen.

"Kushida? What are you doing?" asked Ayanokouji, completely puzzled.

"..."

But Kushida didn't answer right away. She finally responded in a small voice.

"I'm sorry. I... I was just thinking about something stupid, you know" whispered Kushida. Ayanokouji was confused by it and it didn't look like Kushida was going to elaborate further. Kushida buried her face in Ayanokouji's chest for a few seconds longer, without saying a word.

'Fuck! What am I doing?! Just thinking about his words of being a couple makes me do this kind of lovey-dovey bullshit! Ahhh... There's something wrong with me. I just... just want to be with him for just a little longer.' Just like this. Just like this. thought Kushida.

After a few more moments in this compromising position, Kushida pulled away, flustered, as if breaking from a spell.

"S-sorry. I, um...I just hugged you so suddenly, Ayanokouji-kun. Good night!" stammered Kushida. She was unable to look at Ayanokouji anymore and scurried away before he could do anything. As Ayanokouji stood there confused, Kushida rounded the corner and leaned against the wall, covering her face in embarrassment and shame and couldn't believe that she did something like that.

'I can't believe it... He doesn't know. He doesn't know. That the outcome of this exam is already over. There's one thing that I value more than ever is my secret and its secrecy. I'll do whatever to protect that even if it means losing.' thought Kushida.

Meanwhile, Ayanokouji decided that he had too much action for the day and sent a message to Chabashira-sensei before making his way back to his room.

*Timeskip (next day, morning)*

Ayanokouji was waiting at an empty theater and as he waited for a certain person, he was messaging Horikita, who seemed to be concerned about the outcome of the exam. She expected Ryuuen to make his move and had suspicions that it would happen on the last day. Ayanokouji heard the theater's door open and footsteps approaching him.

"Ayanokouji." said Chabashira-sensei.

"Chabashira-sensei." replied Ayanokouji. There were not any greetings and pleasantries as Ayanokouji was wary of Chabashira-sensei especially after her blackmail. He had no choice, but to rely on her.

"What do you want?"

"I have a few questions, sensei. It's about the SIM cards in each student's phone." "Go ahead."

"Can they be removed and switched out?"

"No. They cannot. They are already locked to their respective devices and cannot be switched out."

"I see... Second question, how much does it cost to remove the lock?"

Chabashira-sensei's eyes widened at Ayanokouji's question and after a brief moment of silence, she began chuckling.

"Hahaha! Of course you can buy it, it will cost some points. Let's say... 3000 points." said Chabashira-sensei.

"I'll buy it." replied Ayanokouji, pulling out his phone and transferring the points.

"Excellent. You paid 6000 points?"

"I would like to unlock someone else's phone."

"Very well."

*Timeskip (20 minutes later)*

Ayanokouji entered the discussion room earlier after finishing his meeting with Chabashira-sensei and his final preparation for the exam. He found one person in the room and was surprised that they got there so early like him. It was Ichinose, who slept soundly on the floor. Since Ichinose was lying on her side, Ayanokouji could see her thighs more clearly and tried to not stare at her. As Ayanokouji was having an internal battle, he scanned Ichinose's body and knew that most boys would like to be in this situation. They could get a free look at

Ichinose's body with no repercussions since she's asleep, but something caught his attention. It was Ichinose's cell phone which was by her side.

'Our assigned phones held quite a bit of information such as one's points and other vital information. Of course, in order to confirm this, you needed an individual's ID and password. But in order to avoid the hassle of having to log in each and every time, some students just saved their information. Ichinose saved her ID and password on her device. If I looked, I could see Class B's situation and other important information.' thought Ayanokouji.

Ayanokouji approached cautiously and carefully, one step at a time and as he got closer, Ichinose stirred slightly and sifted around before her breathing relaxed as she resumed sleeping. Ayanokouji stared at Ichinose and wondered what he was doing. He didn't want to jeopardize their alliance with Class B and he also didn't want anyone to walk in and see this. They would assume that he's a pervert or just some creepy guy that likes watching people sleep. Ayanokouji decided to just give up and sat down on the opposite side of the room where Ichinose is and on the couch. After a few more minutes, some cute-sounding music played throughout the room. It came from Ichinose's phone.

"Mmm..." mumbled Ichinose as she grabbed her phone and stopped the music. Ichinose,

sat up, yawned a few times, and rubbed her eyes. Then, she noticed Ayanokouji.

"Oh, good... morning, Ayanokouji-kun." said Ichinose.

"Oh, no. Looks like you slept well." replied Ayanokouji.

"Ha ha ha, sorry about that. I just passed out; I slept like a log. You're here early, though."

"I should be asking you the same thing. When did you get here?"

"An hour ago, I think. I wanted some peace and quiet. Since my friends are going in and out of my room, it's kinda noisy... Besides, I wanted to gather my thoughts."

"Any results?" "More or less."

Ichinose stood up, walked over, and sat down next to Ayanokouji. The space between them were shrinking as Ichinose gazed at him.

"There's still some time left until the discussion starts. Why don't we have a little chat? If it's not a bother, that is." said Ichinose.

"Oh no, it's not a bother. I don't mind." replied Ayanokouji.

"Okay. To tell you the truth, Ayanokouji-kun, I want to ask you something. I've asked all my classmates this question, including the boys. But I've been thinking about asking the other classes for a while now. I've just been kind of curious. Ayanokouji-kun, do you want to ascend to Class A?"

"Well, yeah. Of course I do. I've thought about getting up to Class A. No, wait...I guess it'd probably be more accurate to say that I must aim for Class A."

"Because of the guarantee of college or a career?"

"Nowadays, you can't just enter college or get a job that easily. Jobs, especially."

"I think so, too. But don't you think placing too much trust in the system could be dangerous? There's something about that 99.9% percent they're not telling us.

Something dangerous."

"You may be right. But this school... Well, it does have an incredible amount of influence, right? Most people who get anywhere in life succeed because someone influential helps them. Or are you not interested in that, Ichinose?"

"No, I'm not saying that. I want to graduate from Class A. I have a dream I want to make real."

"A dream?"

Even though Ichinose was smiling, her eyes were unwavering and serious which was quite contradictory for the usually happy and cheerful Ichinose. Ayanokouji tilted his head in curiosity.

"The school system's all well and good, but if you can't graduate from Class A, it's a mark of failure. This school is all about ability, and if your abilities can't carry you here, it's unlikely you'll ever be labeled an elite. Students are ranked based on perceived superiority or inferiority. Right now, between the two of us, Ayanokouji-kun, only one can achieve their dream. But then again, we could both lose out on our goals." said Ichinose.

"You've heard there are exceptions to the rules, though." replied Ayanokouji.

"Hmm? You mean when someone manages to accumulate twenty million points?"

"Yeah. There hasn't been a single student in the school's history who's successfully pulled that off, but it is theoretically possible."

"Oh yeah, for sure. I suppose if we factor that in, it's possible for both of us to graduate from Class A."

"Be that as it may, whether or not you can really earn twenty million points is another problem. Even if you score well on the exams and save your points, it probably wouldn't be enough."

"That's true. Even if you're extremely economical, it's unlikely someone could manage to save even half that amount."

As the duo's conversation slowly died off, Ichinose stared at Ayanokouji silently and as he looked into her beautiful blue eyes, he could see a level of competence as if she's drawing him in.

"Ayanokouji-kun." said Ichinose.

"Hmm?" replied Ayanokouji.

"It seems like you saw it, a while back."

"Sorry. I just happened to look at the screen. I was a little curious, so I was thinking of asking you about it."

"Ha ha, you don't need to feel guilty or anything. It's not like I'm blaming you. I mean, it certainly has a lot of points, right?"

"But I can't really give you any details. Sorry."

"No need to apologize."

"Of course, if you did manage to obtain that information, Ayanokouji-kun, and even if you shared it with Horikita-san, you wouldn't go blabbing to everyone, would you? I mean, even though you saw my phone, if someone else decided to ask about it, you wouldn't tell, right?"

"I don't plan on telling anyone else. I won't pry."

"Thank you."

Ichinose seemed to be relieved with Ayanokouji's answer and there was a comfortable silence between the two. Ayanokouji glanced at the clock and noticed that they had about 10 minutes before the meeting.

"Hey, Ayanokouji-kun. Can I ask you something?" asked Ichinose.

"Go ahead." replied Ayanokouji.

"It's about Chihro-chan. I thought that she was going to avoid me or feel kind of awkward around me. Jeez... I feel like a bad friend talking behind her back."

"She's growing and not the same person that she used to be."

"Yeah, I noticed. Our relationship is back to what it was used to, but I don't know. I feel like she's fallen in love with somebody else and it's a little too soon for that, right? I don't know, but I don't want her to be hurt again."

"You're a really good person, Ichinose."

"How so?"

"Even though you rejected her feelings, you still care about her and didn't want to see her experience the same pain and feelings of rejection. You truly care for your friends, Ichinose."

"You flatter me, Ayanokouji-kun. Chihiro-chan really seems to trust you. I hope you can be there for her."

"Of course. I only give mediocre advice, but I'll try my best."

"That's not true! You really helped out when Chihiro-chan confessed to me and I'm sure Chihiro-chan appreciated all of the advice and help you gave her."

"I'll try, but don't expect too much from me."

"Just helping is enough. I'm sure Chihro-chan would appreciate it even if you can't really help her."

Ayanokouji nodded and Ichinose glanced at him and seemed to be studying him.

"Is there something wrong, Ichinose?" asked Ayanokouji.

"Nothing is wrong. It's just that Andou-san and Chihro-chan spoke highly of you and I can see why." said Ichinose. It was the 2 soulmates from Class B and he wondered what they said about him and if he's going to get more attention from the girls of Class B.

"Hopefully, it wasn't bad things."

"No, silly. Of course not. But..."

Ichinose hesitated and studied Ayanokouji, but didn't say anything. Ayanokouji wondered what Ichinose was thinking.

'This may sound stupid and far-fetched, but I think Chihiro-chan and Andou-san both like Ayanokouji-kun. It sounds stupid because I didn't really see them together that often and not sure if there's any time for their relationship to blossom. I won't worry too much about it and shouldn't interfere with their love life.' thought Ichinose, remembering what Shiranami and Andou said about Ayanokouji.

'Class B has a very strong bond with each other and prioritizes friendship. I wonder if their relationship will change if I was introduced and became their soulmate. How will their relationship change? I'm quite curious about it.' thought Ayanokouji.

Before the conversation could continue, the door opened and members of the group arrived. Sotomura raised his eyebrows at Ayanokouji while Nanami and Manabe both looked horrified. Manabe gave him a slight glare and Ayanokouji said his goodbyes to Ichinose before making his way back to his group.

"All alone with Ichinose-dono? My word, how suspicious. A clandestine rendezvous, wouldn't you say?" said Sotomura, giving him a thumbs up.

"I got it all set up, Ayanokouji." said Yukimura. Ayanokouji nodded and the trio sat down. Karuizawa entered the room and immediately sat down as far away as from Manabe and tried to not look near her direction.

"Good morning. Nice to see you all." said Ichinose, warmly. That smile looked like the usual smile that Ichinose gave, but Ayanokouji could see that it wasn't just that and she was planning something.

"For the past three days, I've been thinking of how we could achieve Outcome #1. There is a way for everyone here to achieve Outcome #1." continued Ichinose. That got the attention of everyone, who glanced over at her.

"I can't believe it. There's no way we can arrive at Outcome #1 without discussion." said Machida.

"I'm going to show you all my phone and the email that the school sent us. We're prohibited from tampering with or misrepresenting the emails we've received in any way, there's no way to deceive one another. That's why the answer is simple. We show each other our emails, and then we find out who the VIP is. That's how we'll discover the truth."

"This is dumb. Why would anyone show their phone just because you told us to? Someone could betray us all the moment we show our emails. No one would do this."

"It's certainly true that if the VIP knows they could be betrayed, they wouldn't show their phone. However, from the perspective of someone who isn't a VIP, there's no risk in exposing your identity. The test will be over soon. If we don't make a move, we lose our chance of winning. Suppose there's a class working together to cover for the VIP. It's true that none of them would show their phones. But this way, it's possible to narrow down the list of candidates."

"Even if you find out the VIP's identity or the class they belong to, the moment someone decides to betray you, it's over. The problem hasn't been resolved. Or are you suggesting that the first to betray us wins?"

"In that case, please be quiet and just watch. If you don't participate, Machida-kun, it'll still be fine."

"I agree with Ichinose-san. I'll show mine, too." said Hamaguchi, showing his phone. Beppu from Class B followed suit. Ayanokouji observed before taking action.

"You're serious about this, huh? Well, if you're all going to bet on that, I think I'll join in, too." said Ayanokouji, taking out his phone.

"Ayanokouji-kun...are you okay with this?" asked Ichinose.

"Sure. After hearing you out, I honestly don't think we have another option. I'm really bad at communicating, so all I can do is show you the truth."

"Wait, Ayanokouji. There's no way this kind of strategy is going to work." said Yukimura. He tried to stop Ayanokouji, but he showed everyone the email on his phone. After doing it, some people who initially were against the idea began pulling out their phones.

"Yeah. Okay. So you're not the VIP, Ayanokouji-kun." said Ichinose.

"Okay. I'll show mine, too." replied Ibuki.

"Are you nuts? We don't get anything out of this!" shouted Manabe.

"Anyone who isn't the VIP or who's not in the same class as a VIP gains nothing if things keep going like this. Class B understands that. If we sit around, we won't catch up to the classes above us. That's why they're showing everyone their phones. I agree with their idea."

"That's—"

"Or maybe you're the VIP." "N-no. I..."

"In that case, show everyone your phone."

"Shiho, I think you should do it." said Nanami. Yamashita nodded in agreement and they showed their phones which the emails said that they are not the VIP. Manabe scowled and reluctantly agreed. Karuizawa sighed and took out her phone, which had a strap attached, and handed it over.

"Wait. It's not just Ayanokouji-kun? You're going along with this, Karuizawa? You agree with this?" asked Yukimura, puzzled.

"I'm doing this for my own sake. I want those private points." said Karuizawa. Her email said she wasn't the VIP. Karuizawa was in the clear.

"Um, so what should I do?" muttered Sotomura.

"Think for yourself, Sotomura. This is voluntary." said Yukimura.

"Uh...well, I don't want to get wrapped up in this, so I'll just get it over with."

"Do you really think that showing everyone your phone is the right move?"

"You know, you've been really jumpy. You're not the VIP, are you?" asked Ibuki. Yukimura's expression stiffened.

"Whoa, seriously?" muttered Manabe. By now, everyone except the Class A students and Yukimura had proven themselves to not be the VIP. Everybody was staring at Yukimura. After a long silence, Yukimura finally cracked from the pressure.

"Fine. I'll show you. All I have to do is show you, right?" muttered Yukimura, pulling out his phone.

"Before I do so, I want you to promise me one thing." said Yukimura, still not showing his phone.

"Promise? What do you mean, Yukimura-kun?" asked Ichinose.

"I don't want anyone here to turn traitor. Especially you, Class A. I want you to take out your phones and put them in front of you. That goes for everybody. Everyone, put your phones where I can see them."

"What are you talking about?" asked Machida.

"Exactly what I said. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Well, fine. Whatever. If you want to see my phone, here."

The Class A students placed their phones on the table. After they did that, Yukimura made his move, looking downcast. He pulled his phone out, turned it on, and entered the six-digit password, and logged in. Yukimura opened the school's email and lifted it up so we all could see.

"I'm sorry for lying to you, Ayanokouji. I'm the VIP." muttered Yukimura.

"Wha— Y-Yukimura-dono, you're the VIP?!" stammered Sotomura. Karuizawa looked genuinely shocked and uneasy. Ayanokouji calmly nodded his head.

Machida stood and peered at Yukimura's phone.

"The email seems authentic. All of the other personal emails are Yukimura's, so there's no room for error." said Machida, after checking Yukimura's private email and chat logs.

"There's no way it could be fake. After all, the school explained the rules, right? Copying and transferring the email is forbidden. As long as the email was sent from the school's email address, there's a 0% chance it's a fake." said Ichinose.

"So that means it's definitely Yukimura-kun."

"Well, now everyone knows the answer. It's me." said Yukimura.

'If we all cleared the test together, everyone in our group would receive 500,000 points. Outcome #1, which at first had seemed impossible to achieve, now appeared to be in our grasp.' thought Ayanokouji.

"Please. Cooperate with us. Don't let Yukimura-kun's courage go to waste. I don't want you to betray us." said Ichinose.

"We've been acting on Katsuragi-san's instructions from the very beginning. We won't do anything on our own." answered Machida.

"I want to believe... No, I do believe in everyone." begged Yukimura. Ayanokouji could tell that he's trying his best to not laugh and to show any joy. Before anyone could say anything, his phone started vibrating with an incoming call. Panicking, Yukimura lunged forward to snatch the phone, but dropped it. By sheer coincidence, the phone fell face-up and the caller ID said "Ichinose."

"What are you doing, Ichinose? There's no point in calling Yukimura's phone at a time like this." said Machida, looking suspicious. Ichinose hung up the call and placed her phone on the table.

"The school said that altering or copying the emails is forbidden, that's true. That's why the email we saw was the real thing. However, there's no rule saying that you can't trick people with the phone itself. Do you understand what I'm getting at?" said Ichinose. Ichinose picked up the phone and handed it to Ayanokouji.

"The person this phone belongs to, the real VIP...that's you, isn't it? Ayanokouji- kun? I called you just now, not Yukimura-kun." explained Ichinose.

"B-but isn't that odd? Yukimura unlocked the phone right in front of us. I checked his private email history just to be sure." said Machida.

"That was all fake. He could've easily gotten the password ahead of time by simply asking Ayanokouji-kun. Besides, it's possible to replicate call history, email, apps, and so on, though it would take a bit of effort."

"It's not easy for people to lie like that, especially when the goal is within reach. In those last moments, either through negligence or nervousness, they'll leave some kind of opening. Yukimura-kun lied, and his gestures and behavior seemed different from the way he normally acts." said Ichinose. Yukimura turned pale as she spoke and Machida's face reddened with anger as he snatched the phone out of Ayanokouji's hand.

"We've been thinking about this for a while now, too. If the VIP was in your class, one option would be to swap phones. You could mislead people by showing off the password to unlock the phone. But you see, there's a weak point to that strategy: a phone number. Even if you perfectly duplicate everything from call history to apps, you can't change the number. Hamaguchi-kun and I had tried swapping SIM cards once to see what would happen, but the SIM cards are locked to their designated phones. If you'd swapped them, I wouldn't have been able to call you. It doesn't matter who switches with whom: Once I hear the phone ring, I can find the owner. If I couldn't do that, I wouldn't have proposed this idea in the first place." said Ichinose. With the explanation, everyone looked over at Yukimura with distrust.

An announcement came through the speakers, telling the group that they had five minutes left before the discussion period was over.

"Damn it!" shouted Yukimura.

"Too bad, Yukimura. It was a surprisingly good try, though." said Machida. The Class A students laughed at him and Ayanokouji. Yukimura was still visibly upset and shaking.

"Anyway, we've confirmed that Ayanokouji-kun is the VIP. Machida-kun, promise me that we'll aim for Outcome #1, and no one will betray anyone else." said Ichinose.

"Yes, of course. You can trust me. Let's go." said Machida, mockingly and chuckled. The 3 Class A students left the room right away, before anyone else.

"There's so much to gain by working together. That's why we'll never turn traitors. That's why I want you in Class C to do the same. Please, just bear with it for thirty minutes." said Ichinose. Manabe and her group nodded and left the room. They all glanced at Ayanokouji with pity and shocked as they didn't expect him to be the VIP.

"I was wrong to go along with your plan. This sucks." grumbled Yukimura. One by one, everyone left the room, leaving Ayanokouji alone with Ichinose.

"Now all we can do is to trust everyone." said Ichinose.

"Yeah. Guess so." replied Ayanokouji, shrugging.

"You're really calm, Ayanokouji-kun. Aren't you worried?"

"Not especially. I can't do anything but believe, anyway. I'm heading to my room."

"Hey, wait a sec. Who came up with the idea of swapping phones?"

"Horikita, of course."

"I see. Please tell Horikita-san something for me. Tell her that her plan was a huge success."

"A huge success? Don't you mean a crushing defeat? We failed, hard. You saw through everything."

"Ha ha ha. You didn't expect us to have come up with the same plan, did you?"

"I'm sorry. Sorry for trying to deceive you like that, especially after I agreed to be your ally. Are you angry?"

"Of course not. We went ahead with our own plan without telling you, so we're even."

"It's true that the SIM cards are locked to their respective devices. But there is a way to release that lock. Isn't that right? I checked with Hoshinomiya-sensei to confirm. She said that with enough points, you can unlock the device right away." said Ichinose. Ayanokouji stared at Ichinose, surprised by her resourcefulness.

"After a falsehood comes to light, most people will take the answer that comes after it to be the truth. Yukimura-kun was determined not to be the VIP, even after he showed everyone how he unlocked your phone using the password. The moment that lie was revealed, the truth that you're the VIP came to the surface. The SIM card was the deciding factor. No one would

suspect anyone else as the VIP now. But that was the trap. I said the idea of swapping phones was an imperfect strategy, but that was a lie. That's because swapping phones is extremely effective. Of course, it must be a double- layered trap in order to work. In that case, the truth will remain in the darkness. There wouldn't be any way for anyone to determine, with 100% accuracy, the real VIP's identity." said Ichinose, looking at Ayanokouji for confirmation.

'Ichinose had seen through my plan. She realized the truth I'd kept hidden even from Yukimura. First, she knew I was not the VIP, but that I'd approached Yukimura under the pretense of being exactly that. As proof, I used the real VIP's phone to contact him. But the real target was the real VIP and the owner of that phone was Karuizawa. She'd hidden that fact very well. The only person she'd secretly told was Hirata. Hirata kept that from both me and Yukimura at first. I told Hirata to take Karuizawa's phone when I said that I would help him with the Manabe and Karuizawa problem. Hirata already knew her password and gave it to me. Then, I bought the exact same strap, so Hirata can switch his phone with hers before he gave her phone to me. I even had to replicate all of Karuizawa's messages on Hirata's phone to make sure that she didn't know that it was her phone.' thought Ayanokouji.

'I replicated the email and call history, just as I did with Yukimura's phone. Naturally, I then used my points to do a SIM lock release. Doing so wasn't illegal and could be done free of charge at any major retailer. We may have been on a ship at sea, but I'd been positive that the school would have something prepared to replace or repair our phones should they be damaged. That's why, while using Karuizawa's phone, I was able to transfer my number to her phone. Then, I swapped that phone with Yukimura's. Of course, I had told him it was my phone, and he believed me. If my deception were revealed, he'd be extremely angry. A simple person would have never noticed that Yukimura and I switched phones. A clever person would have noticed the swap and accused me of being the VIP. But they never would have come to the conclusion that Karuizawa was the real VIP.' thought Ayanokouji.

"If the VIP wasn't in Class D, what would you have done?" asked Ichinose.

"The same as you. I would've tried to find out who the VIP was, borrowed that person's phone, and had another one ready. Then, I'd step forward and claim to be the VIP myself." replied Ayanokouji.

"The real VIP is Karuizawa-san. Am I right?"

'Ichinose called Karuizawa's number and claimed it was my number in order to deceive the other students, especially Class A. Her goal was to get someone to be a traitor.' thought Ayanokouji.

"Yes. How did you know?" asked Ayanokouji. Before Ichinose could reply, Ayanokouji and Ichinose's phone rang at the same time.

"The test has now ended for the Rabbit group. Please wait for the results announcement." muttered Ichinose, looking at her phone.

"Ahh, I guess someone turned traitor, huh? I wonder, was it Class A or Class C?" said Ayanokouji.

"To answer the question, Ayanokouji-kun, Karuizawa-san has been behaving unusually throughout the exam."

"Why didn't you say anything? At the very least, you could have exposed my lie."

"That's obvious. If either Class A or Class C makes a mistake, that's a win for us. From the very beginning, I never intended to clear Outcome #1, or to turn traitor and get Outcome #3. The moment I knew the VIP wasn't in Class B, I knew I would let another class betray us. I think the traitor was probably from Class A."

"Machida?"

"No, no. Morishige-kun. He's a member of Sakayanagi's faction. I doubt he'd just quietly go along with Katsuragi's plan. He probably figured that, if anything, it was better for him to betray the group and take the points. Don't you think so?"

Ichinose laughed and turned her back to Ayanokouji with a smile.

"Ayanokouji-kun, you're amazing. You know that? Our conversation just now proves how cunning you really are, doesn't it?" said Ichinose.

"You ought to praise Horikita. She just gave me directions, that's all." replied Ayanokouji.

"Well, I'll be leaving then. It would be bad if we broke the rules and stayed here for too long, wouldn't you say?"

However, the moment Ichinose said that, both of their phones buzzed again and Ichinose looked at her phone. Her expression was completely shocking as it was a mixture of shock, horror, and disbelief.

"Wh-what does this mean?" asked Ichinose, showing Ayanokouji her phone.

*Timeskip (20 minutes later)*

"Here you go. Sorry for all the trouble." said Ayanokouji, handing Hirata a phone. It was Karuizawa's phone and he asked Hirata if he could return it to her. Hirata already retrieved his phone back from Karuizawa and was waiting for the

phones to return back to their rightful owners. Ayanokouji already gave Yukimura his phone back.

"Thank you, Ayanokouji-kun. It was no trouble at all. By the way... thank you for helping me , Karuizawa-san and Manabe-san." replied Hirata.

"My plan worked, but it was thanks to your help. If Karuizawa asks, tell her that it's all part of Horikita's plan."

"The results of the exam are quite shocking, right?"

"Yeah. Let's hurry. I don't want to be late for the meeting."

Ayanokouji and Hirata made their way to a cafe where Horikita called for a meeting. Class D was shocked by the results of the exam and Horikita called for a meeting with some certain members of her class. When the duo arrived, they found Horikita sitting down with Sudou sitting across from her. Ayanokouji was surprised that Sudou would come out of his way to attend the meeting and it didn't seem that Horikita asked him to come based on her sour expression. Horikita pulled out the email that was sent at the end of the discussion period.

Rat: Outcome #3. The traitor answered correctly. Cow: Outcome #4. The traitor answered incorrectly.

Tiger: Outcome #2. The VIP's identity was not discovered. Rabbit: Outcome #4. The traitor answered incorrectly.

Dragon: Outcome #1. The entire group answered correctly at the end of the test. Snake: Outcome #2. The VIP's identity was not discovered.

Horse: Outcome #3. The traitor answered correctly. Sheep: Outcome #2. The VIP's identity was not discovered. Monkey: Outcome #3. The traitor answered correctly.

Rooster: Outcome #3. The traitor answered correctly. Dog: Outcome #2. The VIP's identity was not discovered. Pig: Outcome 3. #The traitor answered correctly.

Based on those results, the increase or decrease in class and private points are as follows. "Cl" and "Pr" are used to denote "class points" and "private points," respectively.

Class A: Minus 200 cl; Plus 2 Million pr

Class B: No Change cl; Plus 2.5 Million pr Class C: Plus 150 cl; Plus 5.5 Million pr Class D: Plus 50 cl; Plus 3 Million pr

"So, Class C came out on top." said Horikita.

"Minami was the Horse group VIP, right?" asked Ayanokouji.

"Yeah. Someone discovered his identity." said Hirata.

"Did one of us send an email for the other groups?" asked Horikita.

"I was a little apprehensive about that, so I went around and asked people in the individual groups earlier. None of the guys said they turned traitor." replied Hirata. Ayanokouji predicted that it was someone else from Class D that must have turned traitor and revealed the Class D's VIP names and he had a feeling on who it was.

"This exam was all about testing our thinking. It's not like every single question would have an answer." muttered Horikita, tapping her fingers on the table.

"What I'm worried about is that those four emails came in at almost the exact same time. The school said we had a timeframe of thirty minutes at the end of the test to betray someone, but all the emails came almost immediately as if someone planned it." continued Horikita.

"Isn't that just a coincidence?" asked Sudou.

"When Koenji-kun sent the email to betray his group, the school responded without delay. If you think about how fast it was, it must have been automated."

"So it's likely that all of the emails were sent together. In other words, the betrayal emails all came from one class. They might have sent the emails at the exact same time as a way of

showing off their supremacy." said Hirata.

"Yeah. And there's only one person I can imagine who'd do such a thing." said Horikita. Her expression soured and turned around as if she's expecting someone.

"So. You're all here after all, huh?" said Ryuuen, casually making his way to the group with his hands in his pocket.

"Ryuuen!" snarled Sudou, after noticing Ryuuen, stood up as if to threaten him, but

Ryuuen didn't pay any mind. He simply grabbed a vacant chair, forcefully slamming it next to Horikita before taking a seat.

"I thought I'd enjoy finding out the results with you all. Thanks so much for gathering in such an easy-to-find place." said Ryuuen mockingly.

"Yes. I chose this space because even an idiot like you would be able to find it quite easily. You should be grateful." answered Horikita.

"Anyway, Suzune, you've got a rather large group with you. Have you grown more sociable?" muttered Ryuuen.

"I disliked your persistent harassment. I was talking to them about it." said Horikita flatly.

"Pretty interesting result, don't you say?"

"How did you know the VIP for the dragon group?"

"I've known Kushida was the VIP since the second day of the test."

"You're joking, right? If that's true, you would have turned traitor and sent an email. But the test didn't end like that. That must mean you realized that fact after the exam had ended. There's no other way. Am I wrong?"

"I just felt so sorry for you. You were oh-so-incredibly confident in your victory that you looked down on others. You were desperate to get your stories straight, assuming no one would get the answer right. That's why I went along with it until the end."

"How did you figure it out?" asked Hirata.

"Unfortunately, the answer to that... Well, it involves you, Suzune," answered Ryuuen.

"Me?" asked Horikita, dumbfounded.

"I figured it out because of your body. The movements of your eyes and mouth. Your breathing. Your behavior. Your tone. Everything about you told me that you were lying."

"Stop with the jokes!"

"Jokes? If it's a joke, then how do I know the truth?"

"That's... I'm sure you could've just heard it from someone else."

"I understand how you feel. You don't want to admit that you're the most incompetent person in the group. But don't beat yourself up, Suzune. You merely chose the wrong opponent. Besides, this exam was supposed to be pure chaos.

At any rate, Class A is in for an especially rude awakening and shit's about to get wild in the future and I'm all for it!"

Horikita was dumbfounded by Ryuuen's words and didn't seem to understand how he got the names of the VIPs.

"Looks like you have no idea on how I pulled it off. If you want to know so bad, then beg for it and I'll consider it." said Ryuuen, taunting them further. Sudou's face reddened in anger and tried to stand up, but Hirata stopped him. Horikita glared at him and didn't reply.

"All of this went according to my plan. I made some adjustments and arrived at the root of the test. Then, I just focused on the Class A students. I just wanted to show that I'm not fucking around. It doesn't matter what class you're from, you're screwed no matter what. Don't worry Suzune, you're my next target. I'm going after you with everything I've got. I won't stop until I tear you to shreds, both in mind and body." said Ryuuen.

'After obtaining such a huge number of points, Class C had gained an overwhelming lead. Looking over the results, it became clear that Koenji saved the class, even though we thought he'd been screwing around. If he hadn't done what he did, this victory would have belonged exclusively to Class C. Of course, Koenji 's actions had ended up causing stray bullets to go flying at other VIPs.' thought Ayanokouji.

"One piece of advice, Suzune: be careful who's truly your ally. Well... I'm looking forward to the second semester." said Ryuuen, with a wicked smile before walking away with satisfaction. The rest of the group weren't in a celebratory mood.

"I understand that Ryuuen-kun managed to discover the VIPs in Class A, sure, but I'm not convinced he has some kind of preternatural talent. Still, how did Dragon Group end up with that result?" asked Hirata.

"Putting aside how Ryuuen found out the VIPs' identities, all he had to do was tell everyone 'Kushida is the VIP' before the end of the test, right? Of course, no one would believe what someone like Ryuuen says. Especially a group of such intelligent, gifted people. However, the final half hour was different. Even if you answered incorrectly, there wasn't any risk to class points. As such, even someone who'd been playing defensively like Katsuragi could vote, right? If there was even a 1% chance that Kushida was really the VIP, then they would've gotten Outcome #1, which was the most convenient for everyone involved." said Ayanokouji.

The mood soured as Class C has gotten a huge advantage in the near future with an increase in class and private points. After Ryuuen's visit, the meeting was adjourned and Ayanokouji and Horikita went off to a private area.

"I can't believe Ryuuen-kun got the upper hand. Our momentum from the island exam has been lost. Class C has gained more power." said Horikita.

"Have you figured it out? How did Ryuuen guess the VIP for the Dragon group?" asked Ayanokouji.

"No..."

"Allow me to explain. Kushida was the traitor. She told Ryuuen that she's the VIP."

"What?! Kushida-san?"

"Yes. She made a deal with Ryuuen and she gave the names of Class D's VIP." "Kushida-san must really hate me if she wanted to sabotage her own class."

'I realized what's happening after my nighttime meeting with Kushida yesterday. She must be thinking about it and that hug came out of nowhere, but Kushida is one of the only few people that knew all of the VIPs except for Karuizawa. That's why the Horse and Dragon group were guessed.' thought Ayanokouji.

"That explains it, but how did Ryuuen-kun know all of Class A's VIPs?" asked Horikita.

"Remember what Ichinose and I talked about the pattern for selecting the VIP." said Ayanokouji.

"Yes... I was having trouble in finding out the pattern, but I believe that it has something to do with the zodiac animals and which student is picked."

"Correct. The ordering of the exam is as follows: the zodiac animal is numbered from who finished the race first and everyone in each group is listed alphabetically from last names. The VIP is the person whose position is the number of the zodiac group in that alphabetical order. For example, Dragon is the 5th zodiac and Kushida is the 5th person in alphabetical order thus she's the VIP."

Ayanokouji's explanation stunned Horikita, who didn't account for the alphabetical order of each member in a group.

"That's... too simple." stammered Horikita.

"Sometimes simplicity is key. Ryuuen figured it out when he got his class's VIP and our VIPs. That's how he figured out Class A's VIP." said Ayanokouji.

"Why didn't he go for Class B?"

"I don't know. Perhaps he made a deal with Ichinose or just wanted to target Class A exclusively."

"..."

"I should've put more thought into this exam. I didn't expect Ryuuen-kun to figure it out so quickly and Kushida-san as a traitor." said Horikita.

"What are you going to do with Kushida?" replied Ayanokouji.

"Don't worry. It's my fault and responsibility to take care of Kushida-san. I'm the one that she wants and it's my duty to make sure she's properly dealt with or more damage and losses will be incurred on the class."

Ayanokouji nodded as he watched Horikita, who had a very determined expression on her face. He was curious on how she will deal with Kushida and knew that this won't be the last time that Kushida will conspire with Ryuuen.

*Timeskip (8 days later)*

"So much work..." muttered Ayanokouji. He was sitting upon someone else's bed and looking at a laptop.

"Yeah! We gotta rush! We have like a month left before the deadline!" said Yamashita.

"Damn! I hate this! I suck under pressure!" said Suzuki.

"The dark lord is approaching us with a deadline! If we do not complete our task, we shall be slain!" said Nishimura, rapidly typing on her laptop.

Ayanokouji is sitting in Yamashita's room with Yamashita, Suzuki, and Nishimura as they were hard at work on developing their game. It has only been 2 days since they got back from the cruise ship and Yamashita asked Ayanokouji if he could meet up in her room for a meeting. Apparently, they have a hard deadline and must finish developing their game. Ayanokouji was the tester, so he was playing through with the current version of the game and seeing if there's any bugs.

'So far, so good. The beginning part works perfectly and I'm now working on the different routes for each girl. The story is not complete yet according to Yamashita.' thought Ayanokouji.

"How's the story coming along, Yamashita?" asked Suzuki.

"Ahh! I'm almost done with the Ako route, but I'm struggling to get it down. Running out of ideas!" said Yamashita, scratching her head.

"Well, you gotta finish. I'm pretty much done with the art there."

"Nishimura, there's a bug on the Ako route. The scenery wasn't supposed to change yet and it's the wrong scenery." said Ayanokouji.

"Gah! The lord of darkness sent his minions to hack upon my device. I shall fight back now!" said Nishimura, rapidly typing on her laptop. Her fingers flying across the keyboard and the sound of keys clacking took over the room. After a few moments, Nishimura stopped.

"Done!"

"Let me see..."

"Nope. It still didn't work."

"Gah! The lord of darkness has formidable minions. Time to use my full power!" "You're looking at the guidebook again, aren't you?"

"It's a gospel passed down through generations and it will help me defeat the dark lord's minions!"

"Okay..."

Ayanokouji has spent most of his afternoon and evening there already with the group ordering for delivery and takeout for their dinner. He and Yamashita were on Yamashita's bed while Nishimura was sitting at a desk and Suzuki was at the dining table. Since Ayanokouji had a minimal and less intensive job compared to the others, he occasionally went outside to buy some snacks and drinks for the others, who are busy and hard at work.

Ayanokouji was a little impressed by what they had managed to create. He expected worse from something made from high schoolers with no experience in making games. The art style wasn't that bad, but if you have a good eye for art, you can tell that it's been made by a rookie artist. Suzuki also has a habit in adding some lewd expressions on the heroines 'faces or in compromising positions such as angles where you can see their panties. Yamashita was the writer of the game and was in charge of the storytelling. Nishimura was the programmer of the game. All 3 girls were beginners and it was the first time for them.

The game was the usual visual novel high-school dating sim with a rhythm

minigame. There were some bugs with it such as the game reading the wrong inputs or not properly reading the inputs on time with some delay. There were 4 heroines with 5 routes, one of them being the harem route.

After about another hour of finishing, Ayanokouji looked up from the laptop and realized how late it had gotten. He has tested most of the game already and they are making progress as more and more of the game is being slowed tested by the hour.

"We should call it a day." said Yamashita, yawning.

"What time is it?" asked Nishimura, looking up from her computer. Ayanokouji could see the black circles under her eyes.

"Mhmmm..." said Suzuki, concentrating on her art. She was working with a tablet and a digital pen. Ayanokouji glanced over and saw an incomplete sketch of one of the heroines.

"The Ako and Miyako route is complete, story-wise. How's the art, Suzuki?" asked Yamashita.

"Uhh... Let's say 75% done. I gotta do some shading and coloring first before it's done. I'm also doing the character design for Hana." replied Suzuki.

"I'm trying something new. I wanna add RGB circles to the rhythm section, so I can change the dark lord with my bright lights." said Nishimura.

"So far... everything seems to be running smoothly. Besides the few issues with the rhythm sections, everything seems to be good. If I may, I have a suggestion to help improve the game." said Ayanokouji. Yamashita looked over at Ayanokouji, who was sitting right across from him.

"Go on." said Yamashita.

"The game is missing music. Most games from this genre have at least some music playing in the background." said Ayanokouji.

"Ahh! An OST! I totally forgot about it." said Yamashita. Everybody looked up from their work and panicked.

"I don't suppose you know anyone that knows music." said Suzuki. Everybody shook their heads and Ayanokouji paused for a bit and didn't answer which got everyone's attention.

"Ayanokouji-kun?" "Ayanokouji-kun?" "Ayanokouji-kun?"

Ayanokouji found himself being stared at 3 girls who looked at him expectantly.

"I may know someone. There's no guarantee that she can help you guys, but I can ask them." replied Ayanokouji.

"Who?!"

"She can?!" "Please do it!"

"Okay. I'll message her and ask if she can meet up tomorrow, but you guys have to convince her." said Ayanokouji, pulling out his phone and sending a message to a certain someone.

"Thank you, Ayanokouji-kun!" "You're actually a life-saver."

"I was correct in choosing you as one of my companions. We shall take down the lord of darkness!"

"Let's get back to work!" said Yamashita. "Yeah!"

*Timeskip (2 hours later)*

It was a dark room as all of the lights were shut off except the lamps and small light source in the room. Ayanokouji was still awake as he clicked and played through the game. The game has evolved and became better, but he could feel

his eyes getting heavier and exhaustion taking over. Suzuki already fell asleep and was sleeping on top of the beanbag. Yamashita and Nishimura were still working, but he noticed that Nishimura was slowing down and the intensity and speed of her typing had slowed down significantly. Ayanokouji finished the current version that he was sent and made a few notes before closing his laptop. He looked at the clock and realized that it's a little past midnight and they basically agreed to break the curfew rules and stay in Yamashita's room, working. Ayanokouji did not want to leave the room because he's quite exhausted and wanted to sleep. There was also the risk of being spotted which would end up badly for him.

"Ayanokouji-kun. You can sleep." said Yamashita, noticing that Ayanokouji has stopped working.

"Thanks. What about you?" asked Ayanokouji.

"I can handle more." said Yamashita, yawning.

"Okay. I'll take the couch."

"Ahh... it's fine. Get some shut-eye and I'll wake you when I'm ready to go to sleep, so you can move."

"Okay. Don't push yourself too much."

"Got it. Good night, Ayanokouji-kun."

"Good night, Yamashita."

Ayanokouji placed the laptop on the bedside table before laying down and closed his eyes. The exhaustion that was built up after hours of work caught up to him and staring at a computer screen for so long made his vision slightly blurry. He almost instantly fell asleep as he listened to the sound of a clacking keyboard.

*Timeskip (next morning)*

Ayanokouji woke up and looked up to a ceiling that didn't belong to his dorm room. He was in a state of confusion and then realized that he slept over in Yamashita's room with yesterday's events reminding him. He tried to sit up and

realized that someone was hugging his side. Ayanokouji glanced over and saw Yamashita, hugging and brushing up to his body. There was a blanket over them and he realized that Yamashita must've gotten too tired to wake him up and ended up falling asleep. Ayanokouji looked over and saw Suzuki still asleep on the beanbag and Nishimura on the couch.

'Oh no. I technically slept with Yamashita. If any of my soulmates ever heard about this, I'll be a dead man.' thought Ayanokouji.

As Ayanokouji was thinking about how to get out of this situation, Yamashita shifted in her sleep and began mumbling her sleep.

"I gotta go... Almost done with the game." muttered Yamashita. Ayanokouji noticed that she has a cute sleeping face and he cursed at himself for being a creep and watching a girl sleep. Ayanokouji managed to get out of Yamashita's bed without waking Yamashita up. He didn't know when Yamashita fell asleep, but he decided to give her some rest. Ayanokouji grabbed his phone and found a message from 10 minutes ago. The person asking when they are going to be there. He replied and told them that they are going to be late and apologize.

Ayanokouji grabbed a bottle of water and took a sip as he waited for the others to wake up. After about 10 minutes, he heard Suzuki waking up.

"Good morning, Suzuki." said Ayanokouji.

"Uhh... Ayanokouji-kun. Good morning..." said Suzuki.

"How's the sleep?"

"Terrible. Remind me to never sleep on a beanbag."

"Noted."

"Are the others awake yet?"

"No. I just got up."

"We should probably be quiet and let them sleep for some more."

Suzuki gestured to Ayanokouji to sit down next to her and Ayanokouji nodded

his head. He sat down next to Suzuki with another beanbag chair and she showed Ayanokouji some sketches and incomplete drawings of the heroines and scenery.

"I'm mostly done with the scenery, but I need some help in coloring and filling up the scenery." said Suzuki.

"I don't know how to use the software that you're using." said Ayanokouji.

"Don't worry. I'll give you a quick crash course."

Suzuki opened another tablet and pulled up a half-finished scenery that she drew. It was the background scenery of a park at night. Some of the parks are colored, but it was mostly not colored.

"Can you please finish coloring this background for me? I colored some of it and you just gotta finish for me while I'm working on something else." said Suzuki.

"I'll try. Is there anything you want me to do specifically, like a specific color." replied Ayanokouji.

"Nah. Just do your best. I'll do the shading and other stuff when you finish with the basic coloring."

"Okay. Don't expect much from me."

The duo got to work and Ayanokouji ended up using some reference pictures to help him and after about 45 more minutes of working in silence, Ayanokouji had finished coloring a few scenes and he heard Yamashita and Nishimura waking up. He did his best to color the scenes and it looked complete, but it didn't have any depth or shading. It looked rather basic, and he hoped that Suzuki could polish it up for him.

"Good morning, Yamashita, Nishimura." said Ayanokouji, closing the tablet and placing down the stylus pen.

"Oh! Good morning, Ayanokouji-kun." said Yamashita.

"You're working already?! Good job. The lord of darkness can strike at any moment, so preparations and training are necessary to defeat him!" said Nishimura.

"By the way Ayanokouji-kun, when is the person that you said can help us meeting us?" asked Yamashita.

"I told her in about an hour." said Ayanokouji.

"We have time to get ready and get breakfast."

Everyone began packing their belongings and decided to get some breakfast together before their meeting. They left Yamashita's room together, but Yamashita stayed behind and told them that she wanted to freshen up and take a shower since they didn't shower yesterday because they were all working. The rest of the group agreed to meet in the dorm's lobby in 20 minutes and Ayanokouji headed to his room. He quickly showered and got a change of clothes before leaving. As he arrived at the lobby, he found Nishimura already there.

"Ah Ayanokouji-kun! So glad you can join me. Let's be on our guard in case the lord of darkness ambushes us." said Nishimura, wearing her usual eyepatch.

"Okay. I'll keep that in mind, Nishimura." replied Ayanokouji, still unsure about Nishimura's imagination and who's the lord of darkness. He only interacted with Nishimura a couple of times and he still doesn't know how to interact with her and her wild imagination. It was similar to Tsukabe and her perverted nature.

"Have you decided what to get for breakfast?" asked Ayanokouji.

"Hmm... Substance is required to keep my demigod form activated. Pancakes will suffice." said Nishimura.

"I'm not sure any food can provide you substance." "Nah. I just want pancakes."

"I see..."

Before they could say anything else, Ayanokouji heard someone call their names and found Yamashita and Suzuki approaching them.

"Sorry for being late!" said Yamashita.

"Where are we going? I'm starving." said Suzuki.

"Nishimura wants pancakes, but I'm fine with whatever." said Ayanokouji. Nishimura nodded and Suzuki pulled out her phone and began fiddling with it. After a few moments, Suzuki spoke up.

"There's a family restaurant not far from there. How about it?" asked Suzuki.

"Are there pancakes?" asked Nishimura.

"Yeah."

"I'm down."

Yamashita and Ayanokouji looked at each other and shrugged. The group came to an agreement and left the dorm as a group.

*Timeskip (45 minutes later)*

"C'mon! We're gonna be late!"

"The dark lord has sent his minions to delay us again!" "I think she's right there."

Ayanokouji led the group back to the dorm's lobby after they quickly left the restaurant. They were delayed because Nishimura was busy eating pancakes and ordered too many, so Ayanokouji and Suzuki had to help her out and ate some. The person that they were waiting for was Tsube. She was sitting by one of the couches and had her guitar case right next to her. When she noticed Ayanokouji, she waved at him and called.

"Ayanokouji-kun!" called out Tsube.

"Tsube. Thank you for meeting us. Sorry for being late." said Ayanokouji. "It's okay. What's wrong? You brought quite a group with you."

Tsube looked over at the rest of the girls with Ayanokouji, puzzled by it.

Ayanokouji hasn't explained what's going on and only asked if she could meet him. Ayanokouji introduced Tsube to the rest of the group and everyone introduced themselves.

"We could use your help. Yamashita, Suzuki, Nishimura, and I are making a game and we need someone to make some music for it. You're one of the only people that I know that can play music, so I thought I should ask you first." explained Ayanokouji.

"M-Me?! Out of everyone? Why not ask Nakajima-san?" asked Tsube, clearly taken back by Ayanokouji's offer.

"Well, we're looking for guitar instrumentals and Ayanokouji-kun said you're one." said Yamashita.

"I-I'm just a beginner. Nakajima-san would be better, to be honest."

"Please, Tsube-san. We really need your help." said Yamashita, bowing her head. Everyone else bowed their heads except Ayanokouji, who looked at Tsube. Tsube was stunned and flabbergasted by people that she just met, bowing their heads to her.

"This might be your chance to practice with your music and improve. Your music is something to not scoff at and you'll get better every time." said Ayanokouji. Tsube paused and was seriously thinking about it before hesitantly speaking.

"W-Well... I'll do it." said Tsube.

"Really?!"

"No way! Thank you so much!"

"Another comrade to take on the lord of darkness!"

Yamashita and the rest of the group looked relieved by it and it seems like a weight is being lifted off their shoulders. Ayanokouji knows that it's going to be a tight schedule and a lot of work ahead for them as their days are numbered.

*Timeskip (2 weeks later)*

"Ayanokouji-dono, it's time." said Sotomura.

"That's unfortunate. You got me covered, right?" asked Ayanokouji.

"Of course. The team is in place. I wish you the best, Ayanokouji-dono."

"Keep in touch."

Sotomura nodded and headed off before Ayanokouji sat down at one of the dorm lobby's couches. He was waiting for a certain group. After a few minutes of waiting, he heard a group of people approaching him.

During the 2 weeks, Ayanokouji has spent time with most of his soulmates except Tachibana, who seemingly was busy with student council. He also continued to work with Yamashita and the group in developing the game. Thanks to Tsube's contribution, they managed to add some background music to the game, but Tsube was still frustrated by it. She seemingly wanted everything to be perfect but had troubles. Ayanokouji also helped by adding some piano instrumentals for some of the scenes which helped improve the game and take some of the burden off Tsube. Ayanokouji also attended band meetings with Tanihara and the rest of the band. At this rate, Ayanokouji believed that he's on Hirata's level with the sheer number of girls that he's meeting every day during summer vacation which included girls that are not his soulmates.

"Good morning, Ayanokouji-kun!" called out Ichinose, smiling and waving at him. She was with Andou, Minamikata, Andou, Shiranami, and Amikura.

"Good morning, Ayanokouji-kun!" said Kushida.

"Hello, Ayanokouji-kun." said Horikita.

"G-Good morning, Ayanokouji-kun." said Sakura.

Everyone exchanged greetings before making their way to the pool.

'This is going to be a chaotic time at the pool. I expect the number of soulmates to be at the pool to be growing. This is just the beginning.' thought Ayanokouji.

*Timeskip (20 minutes later)*

Ayanokouji was the only one out of the group waiting by the pool and dressed in swim trunks and a rash guard. Ayanokouji scanned the large pool facility and saw a huge number of students crowded the area, but various food stalls were also everywhere. There were also waterslides, diving boards, and other pool- related facilities. However, Ayanokouji heard a few whispers and murmurs around the crowd, and it seemed that everyone was looking at him. Ayanokouji realized that they were looking at him, but at the person that was approaching him.

"Whew. This sure is a huge crowd, isn't it?" said Ichinose, oblivious to everyone looking at her. Ichinose was wearing a yellow front-tie bikini top with a red flower ornament on her head. The swimsuit highlighted her feminine figure and her monstrous breasts and thighs. Ayanokouji could see why most of the guys in the crowd were staring and attracted by Ichinose. She had a commanding presence and figure.

"Yeah... You changed pretty quickly. The others are not here yet." replied Ayanokouji, trying his best to not stare at Ichinose as much.

"Ah ha ha! I'm pretty confident in my quick-change abilities." said Ichinose, chuckling. "Oh! Ayanokouji-kun, you're wearing a rash guard?"

"This might be strange for a guy, but I don't really like showing skin in front of people. I heard that it was okay to wear this when we aren't in class."

"I see. I think that's fine. It doesn't violate the rules, after all."

Ichinose studied Ayanokouji's body and began to poke at his vest-covered stomach with her index finger.

"You're pretty hard. Also, you're slender. You have the ideal amount of muscle, without being too muscular." said Ichinose. She kept touching Ayanokouji's body, from his arms to his shoulders as if she's in trance by Ayanokouji's muscles.

"Do you work out?" asked Ichinose.

"No. It's probably just the material. I don't exercise daily or anything." said Ayanokouji.

"Hmm."

Ichinose squatted down and lowered her eyes to look at Ayanokouji's legs, but at least stopped asking questions. This made Ayanokouji hyper-conscious of her monstrous breasts since he's basically looking down at them and the very close distance between the two.

"Ara~ Is Honami-chan checking out her boyfriend?" asked Amikura, in a teasing manner. Ayanokouji saw Amikura with the rest of the Class B group looking at the duo. Shiranami and Andou both had shocked and horrified expressions on their faces as they saw Ichinose basically checking out Ayanokouji.

'How can I compete with that body?! There's no way. It's a slaughter if it's me vs Ichinose-san!' thought Andou.

'Eh?! Ichinose-san is really going for Ayanokouji-kun, isn't she?! I can't go against her. I just can't...' thought Shiranami.

At the same time, Horikita, Kushida, and Sakura also showed up and now everyone is looking at Ichinose and Ayanokouji.

'This is very bad timing…' thought Ayanokouji.

"Hello there." said Ayanokouji, blankly.

"Are we interrupting something?" asked Amikura with a mischievous smile.

"N-No. I was..." said Ichinose, hesitating because she doesn't know what to say. She couldn't flat out admit she was checking out Ayanokouji's body.

"Checking out Ayanokouji's body?" asked Amikura. "Sexual harassing my classmate?" asked Horikita.

"Giving Ayanokouji-kun a blowjob?" asked Tsukabe, who suddenly came out of nowhere.

"How bold of you, Ichinose-san! Doing something in front of everyone. I guess you like doing that kind of stuff in front of everyone!~" said Tsukabe, with a perverted expression and locked her eyes with Ayanokouji. Everyone looked over at Tsukabe with a mixed expression of shock, surprise, and confusion at what she said.

"Tsukabe-san! You left so quickly! What's wrong?" asked Ninomiya, appearing as well.

"Oh hi, Ayanokouji-kun. Everyone." said Ninomiya, noticing everyone.

"Hello you two." replied Ayanokouji. He couldn't believe this was happening and he heard a buzzing noise in his pocket and realized that he need to get out of here to answer the call.

"Excuse me for a moment, everyone. I forgot something in the locker room. I'll be right back." said Ayanokouji.

"W-We'll secure you a spot." said Ichinose. Ayanokouji nodded and as soon as he left the scene, he saw that the girls from Class B basically surrounded and pounced on Ichinose, asking questions and whispering to her. Ayanokouji gave Ichinose a quick prayer before making his way to a quiet area.

"Mr 1. How's progress?" asked Ayanokouji, pulling out a walkie-talkie from his pocket.

"It went according to plan. Targets have left the girl's locker rooms. Over." replied Sotomura.

"Good. Mr 2 and Mr 3, commence the operations in the girl's locker room."

"Roger that." replied Ijuin.

"Understood." said Okitani.

"Mr 1. Continue in following the targets. I already spotted them in the crowd." said Ayanokouji.

"Roger that. I wish you luck, Ayanokouji-dono." replied Sotomura.

Ayanokouji slipped his walkie-talkie in a bag that he had brought with him and made his way back to the pool. He spent a few minutes looking for the group and eventually found them. All of the girls were wearing swimsuits: with various types, colors, and patterns. He noticed that a decent amount of people were looking at this group since there were a lot of beauties in swimsuits. Ayanokouji noticed his targets were staring at them and did his best to ignore them.

"Ayanokouji-kun." said Ichinose, waving him over. Ayanokouji approached and placed his bag in an empty and unoccupied chair. The group began to split up with some of them heading into the pool while others headed to water slides and other facilities. Ayanokouji was alone with Sakura.

"Ah. Thank you." whispered Sakura.

"Why are you thanking me?" asked Ayanokouji.

"Well... For inviting me out today."

"Huh? It's normal, after all. We're friends. Right? So, you don't need to thank me."

"Still, thank you. I would have ever have done this without your invitation and I'm slowly changing. It's because of you. I would have never dreamt of going out during summer vacations with friends or classmates."

"Yeah... It may be slow, but you're different from when I first met you. A change is still a change."

Sakura smiled shyly and nodded her head as Ayanokouji sat down and stared at the glistening blue water of the pool.

"Sakura... do you want to swim?" asked Ayanokouji. "O-Okay." said Sakura.

*Timeskip (few hours later)*

Ayanokouji has spent a few hours at the pool: swimming, riding the water slides, checking out the food stalls and other facilities that the pool has to offer. Of course, he didn't go alone and spent some time with some of his soulmates or people in the group. Ironically, it was all girls and Ayanokouji was getting some glares and jealous looks as he was constantly with a bunch of girls especially those that are viewed as beauties.

At one point, Ayanokouji met up with Manabe, Yamashita, Nanami, and Morofuji. They spent some time checking out the food stalls and Yamashita was quite talkative with Ayanokouji, talking about the game. That didn't make Manabe, Nanami, and Morofuji feel any better as Ayanokouji was paying more attention to Yamashita than them. As Ayanokouji was talking to Yamashita, he realized that their schedule was going to be very tight as they have about a week left before their deadline. He sighed as he knew that he might have to pull an all- nighter in Yamashita's room again.

As Ayanokouji was spending time with various different girls, he was also getting longing and jealous looks from some of his soulmates as they wished that it was them.

After a tired afternoon at the pool, Ayanokouji changed out of his swim trunks and rash guard and into casual clothes. As he was waiting outside of the pool for the rest of the group to finish changing, Ayanokouji received a call from his walkie-talkie.

"Ayanokouji-dono. The mission is complete." said Sotomura.

"Are you sure? Mr 2, report." said Ayanokouji.

"It's done. Successfully infiltrated the girl's locker room." replied Ijuin.

"Good work, everyone. Mr 1, please meet up at the vending machines with the goods." said Ayanokouji.

"Understood."

Ayanokouji shut off his walkie-talkie and slipped it into his bag before entering into the building and headed towards the vending machine. It was the perfect isolated place for a secret meeting. Waiting for him was Sotomura, Ijuin, and Okitani.

"Where is it?" asked Ayanokouji. Sotomura handed him a memory card.

"Did anyone see you?" asked Ayanokouji.

"Nope. Their plan worked and the locker room was cleared, so it made it easier to go in and take it." said Ijuin.

"To be honest, Class A and Class C showed up right outside, but we managed to sneak by them." said Okitani.

"Good. Did you follow my plan?" asked Ayanokouji.

"Without a hitch. Looks like your information was right, Sotomura."

"Thanks for doing this for me, guys." said Ayanokouji.

"No problem."

"All good. You owe me one now."

"I can't let them ruin your day as the main protagonist. You're getting onto the summer arc, but there's more to it. So be prepared, Ayanokouji-dono!"

'Sotomura had told me that Sudou, Ike, and Yamauchi were planning something to peep on the girls via the locker room of the pool. He told me that it was going to be on the same date that I scheduled with Ichinose, Horikita, and the others. So, I came up with a countermeasure.' thought Ayanokouji.

'According to Sotomura, Ike asked him if he could get a memory card and was planning to use a RC car as a camera by hiding it inside of a vent. They were planning to use the vents connected to the boy's and girl's locker room to drive the RC to the vents of the girl's locker room. Of course, since it's a locker room, they might be caught unscrewing the vents, so Sudou was the enforcer and to scare off anyone. According to Sotomura, Sudou was hesitant in committing a crime, but was goaded by Ike and Yamauchi until he reluctantly agreed.' thought Ayanokouji.

'After getting a days' worth of footage, they would plant a maintenance sign at the girl's locker room and wait until the coast is clear before retrieving the RC car from the vent. The others will be on the lookout for anyone trying to enter the locker room. It wasn't a bad plan, but there were some serious flaws. Nevertheless, Sotomura told me and I hatched a counterplan. First, I gathered a team and managed to get Ijuin and Okitani to help me. They were in charge of retrieving the memory card and replacing it with an empty and corrupted memory card that Sotomura had on him. Ayanokouji ordered them to place a maintenance sign in front of the girl's locker room and wait. Sotomura had access to the RC car and used it to see if there's anyone in the locker room, but once he determined there's no one in the locker room, Ijuin and Okitani quickly rushed in, unscrewed the vents, and replaced the memory card before leaving.' thought Ayanokouji.

'Sotomura was in charge of following and the surveillance of Sudou, Ike, and Yamauchi during the entire time they were at the pool. Keeping an eye on their movements and reporting in. He was also responsible in pretending that he's still working with Ike and the others. Now that I'm holding incriminating evidence, I can easily expel Sudou, Ike, and Yamauchi, but it's almost too easy. Too easy to expel them over their insatiable sex drive. It would be a shame to lose someone athletic like Sudou. That's why…' thought Ayanokouji.

Ayanokouji clenched his fingers into a fist and felt the memory card bend and crack under the pressure. After a few precious seconds, the memory card was broken into little pieces. Ayanokouji casually walked over to the trash can and dumped the pieces into it.

"Wow. So strong." "With one hand..."

"Like a shonen protagonist!"

"Good work, everyone. I won't expel anyone from Class D. It's about time for me to get back to the group." said Ayanokouji. Everybody said their goodbyes as Ayanokouji left the group. As the group watched Ayanokouji's retreating figure, they began thinking about why they helped Ayanokouji.

'You're the main protagonist after all, Ayanokouji-dono. I won't let them get in your way at all.' thought Sotomura.

'Honestly, I know that I don't stand much of a chance with any girls, so you would think that I would go with Ike's plan in peeping on the girls. But, it looked like Ayanokouji had a plan and was probably going to come out on top, so I chose the winning side.' thought Ijuin.

'Ayanokouji is probably going to end up more popular than Hirata, so him owing me a favor will be good.' thought Okitani.

Ayanokouji exited the building and found Horikita, Kushida, Sakura, Ichinose, and some of her friends waiting for him. The group has gotten smaller as he noticed that some of them have already left. The group began making their way back towards the dorms and as they are approaching a convenience store,

Amikura spoke up.

"Hey, Honami-chan. I think I want ice cream. How about you?" asked Amikura.

"Yeah. Sounds good." replied Ichinose. "How about we take a little detour before heading

back?"

There were no objections. The group entered the convenience store, and everyone rushed to the ice cream. Horikita looked conflicted over whether she wanted something to drink or ice cream before choosing ice cream. Ichinose chose a popsicle while Kushida chose shaved ice. Even in a standard convenience store, the group's individual quirks and tastes were clear. On the other hand, Ayanokouji and Sakura were much slower and stared at their options.

"What are you getting?" asked Ayanokouji.

"Um, I-I... Wh-what do I pick, I wonder?" muttered Sakura. The duo were staring at their options before Ayanokouji chose the soft-serve ice cream and he selected chocolate. Sakura hesitated before choosing it as well.

"Good choice. It's delicious." said Sakura. Ayanokouji wondered if he forced Sakura to choose that, but he tried not to let it bother him too much. The group paid and left the store where they gathered in front of the store and began to eat. Ayanokouji opened the package and scooped some ice cream, letting it melt into his mouth.

"This is...really good." muttered Ayanokouji. It was his second time eating ice cream, but he hasn't grown tired of it and still enjoyed it,

"Whoa, you sure are enjoying that. It's almost like it's your first time eating ice cream." observed Ichinose.

"Anyone would think it's delicious. Especially in this heat." replied Ayanokouji.

Ayanokouji looked around and saw that Horikita, Kushida, Shiranami, Andou, and Sakura were staring at him. Ayanokouji's face shifted a little bit and it looked softer and more content as he was eating ice cream. It was the first time that they saw a shift in Ayanokouji's stoic expression and they found it intriguing

and attractive. But for Ayanokouji, it was just him simply enjoying something that he rarely ate and was a new experience for him.

As the group finished their ice cream, all of their phones buzzed as if they got a notification from the same time. Most of the people in the group pulled out their phones including Ayanokouji and he found an email sent by the school.

Attention all students:

This is an announcement for the school's first annual summer festival. The festival will begin within 3 days throughout the campus. Please enjoy your summer youth to your heart's content.

Soulmates

1) Horikita Suzune

2) Kushida Kikyou

3) Mii-chan

4) Tachibana Akane

5) Azuma Sana

6) Shinohara Satsuki

7) Onodera Kayano

8) Mori Nene

9) Hoshinomiya Chie

10) Ichihashi Ruri

11) Andou Sayo

12) Shiranami Chihiro

13) Yabu Nanami

14) Sakura Airi

15) Inogashira Kokoro

16) Morofuji Rika

17) Manabe Shiho

Author's Note:

Summer festival baby! I always wanted to add this to COTE for a long time and it's the perfect time to do it. After all, I did say it's the summer of love for Ayanokouji.

For Manabe's backstory, I haven't gone over all gang activities and will leave it blank for now until I develop more of her character, but I'll start small and reveal it slowly. How was Manabe's backstory?

In other news, I'm planning something after the summer festival and it has to do with a mini special exam. The exams that I haven't used quite yet, but I figure now is the great time to do it. I'm also going to use it for a different purpose (it's time for Ayanokouji to meet a different girl).

For now, I'll be getting some sleep because my brain is not working properly.

Until next time, my dear readers.