Chapter 8 - 8

"So, the test begins once we find out the rules? In that case, not learning what they are could be disastrous," said Hirata. He was probably imagining a scenario in which the school expelled half the class. "This is all just hypothetical, but if we don't discover the process behind the pairing, the results could be devastating. Chabashira-sensei said this is the first time that Class D has made it this far without anyone being expelled. She also said that, in previous years, only one or two pairs were typically expelled, right? Isn't that strange?" asked Horikita. "Nope," said Sudou. He banged his forehead against the table in resignation. "I see what you mean," Hirata said. "Horikita-san is trying to say that, if we understand how this all works, we might not suffer any serious harm. Right?" "Correct." "Why do you say that?" asked Karuizawa. "Because we're taking the final exam in pairs." "Yeah," added Hirata. "If two failing students were paired up, it'd be pretty bad." "Again, Chabashira-sensei said that only one or two pairs were expelled in past years. That's far too few, isn't it? If the school partnered our class's weaker students together, it'd probably force close to ten people to drop out," said Horikita. "Yousuke-kun, what does this mean?" asked Karuizawa. "I'm getting a little confused." "Forget trying to figure out the rules for a moment. Imagine if we took the exam without knowing that these rules even existed. What do you think would happen?" asked Hirata. "Umm, it'd be bad? If the dumber students got paired, we'd probably see the school expel a lot of people," said Karuizawa. "Yeah, I think so, too. But, in past years, only one or two pairs from Class D were expelled." "Isn't that kinda weird?" Sudou seemed to realize what we were 45 | saying. "The pairs seem balanced," Hirata said. Indeed. That seemed to be the trick. "The pairs are made up of a high-scoring student and a low-scoring student," said Horikita. "It can't be any other way. So, if I scored a hundred points, and Sudou-kun scored zero points, we'd be the pair with the most significant difference between our scores. That means we'd produce balanced results on the test, because our scores would even out." Karuizawa seemed basically convinced. "I see. But doesn't that mean the average students are the most at risk?" "Yes. The more average someone's grades are, the greater the danger," said Horikita. "We need to confirm this with upperclassmen. Then we can plan our next steps. Hirata-kun, Kushida-san, would you please talk to some senior students?" "Of course," said Kushida. "I'll check with the upperclassmen in my soccer club," said Hirata. "I'd also like to ask one more thing," said Karuizawa. "Go ahead." "They said we're being paired up, but what if there's an odd number of students?" "I doubt we need to worry about that right now. At the time of enrollment, all classes from A to D had an even number of students. No one's been expelled yet, so our class sizes haven't changed. However...if someone were expelled, it might place their class as a whole in an excruciating situation." "Really? Wouldn't it suck to suffer just because one person was absent?" Apparently, Kushida thought that the school should be gentler. "We started the year with an even number of students. If someone is expelled or withdraws due to unforeseen circumstances, their class will have to bear the consequences," said Horikita. During the test on the island and the sports festival, the school imposed merciless penalties on nonparticipants. Horikita might've been right that, if 46 | even one student were kicked out, we'd likely suffer serious disadvantages in future exams. She was probably realizing just how important it had been to save Sudou. "Do you understand?" Horikita asked. "Yeah, I guess so. I just feel like thinking about it is a waste of time," said Karuizawa. "Now that we've discussed the short test's importance, we can move on. But there's one more thing. Which class do we nominate as our opponent? In my mind, we should be going after Class C," said Horikita. "Their collective academic ability is their big weakness. Class C is inferior to Classes A and B in academics. Looking at the class points so far, that's plain to see." She wasn't wrong. Deliberately challenging an academically superior class would be nearly suicidal. However, Hirata offered his own two cents. "I agree, Horikita-san. But Classes A and B will naturally think the same way. If Class C is so inferior when it comes to academics, then multiple classes will likely go after them. That might be bad news for us." Hirata wrote down the imaginary situation in his notebook. Class A nominates Class D à No conflicts with other classes à Class D is the target Class B nominates Class C à Wins the lottery à Class C is the target Class C nominates Class B à No conflicts with other classes à Class B is the target Class D nominates Class C à Loses the lottery à Class A becomes the target by default "Although this is a worst-case scenario, it could happen," said Hirata. "Whoa, that'd be awful. We'd have to solve problems the smart kids made, and we'd have to make problems for them to solve, right? There's no way we could win," said Karuizawa. 47 | "Yes, you're right, the other classes will probably target Class C. But there's no reason we shouldn't pick Class C too, don't you think? We have to do anything we can to try to win." Horikita didn't care that we might lose the lottery. "There's a clear academic gap between Classes A and B, isn't there? I'm curious how different we are from Class C," I said. "There's no doubt Class A is better academically. But I don't think the difference is that extreme. There does seem to be quite a stark difference between B and C, I think. Hmm, I'll have to investigate this," said Horikita. Truthfully, we didn't know too much about the other classes. We only knew the difference in points, and based solely on that, we couldn't gauge how smart each class was. Maybe that was the reason for these tests. Still, I shifted my attention to Sudou. Horikita did the same. "You're awfully quiet, Sudou-kun. Usually, you'd be complaining by now." "I just don't get this conversation. Besides, if I started complainin', it'd disturb you," he replied. We all fell silent. "What? Did I say somethin' weird?" asked Sudou. "No, it's just...what you said was so observant and restrained, I was surprised." "Well, we just gotta defeat our opponents one-on-one, right? We can't immediately jump up to Class A in one shot. So, attacking the class we're closest to—C—makes the most sense," said Sudou. "I see what you mean," said Horikita. "If our combined score wins against theirs, then the point gap between their class and ours will go down dramatically." "Okay, but wouldn't it be a good thing if Class A attacked C? I mean, Class A would have no problem beating them. Then Class C would definitely lose points. Wouldn't that be good for us?" "That depends." If the goal was to reduce Class C's points, then it might be better for us 48 | to let Class A or B attack them. However, Class D also wanted to gain points. To increase the chances of that happening, it would be better to compete against a weaker opponent. Avoiding Class C would mean having to defeat a stronger enemy. "It seems like everyone agrees with Horikita-san's plan. So, I'll go along with it, too," said Hirata. "Thank you. I think we can move on to the next stage." We disbanded a little after 4 p.m. Hirata and Sudou both left for their respective clubs. Karuizawa followed Hirata. "Well, I'll go ask the senior students about the exam and report back," Kushida said as she left. "We're counting on you." Horikita turned to me. "What are you planning to do, Ayanokouji-kun?" "Nothing. It should be fine if I leave the plans to you and Hirata, right? Honestly, you've handled everything so far almost perfectly." "So far. But to ace the final exam, we need to be able to tackle it head on," said Horikita. "Yeah. If Class D doesn't study and improve, we'll get nowhere. If necessary, I can adjust my score in order to team up with a specific person," I said. "So, I can count on you?" "If it's within my power, sure. I can join your study meetings if needed. But I won't be a leader." "Because you plan to act the mediocre student as long as possible, right?" "I prefer doing whatever is the least hassle." I thought it was a fair compromise. However, Horikita was the furthest thing from undemanding. "Let me think about it. You're a member of Class D, after all, and I'd like to give you an appropriate role. I want us to win," she said. "I'll consider it." 49 | 50 | Chapter 4: Class C Makes Its Move Meanwhile, in a different classroom, the atmosphere was quite cold and strained. The assembled Class C students appeared greatly intimidated by the person standing at the podium before them. "There've been many unnatural goings-on, wouldn't you say?" he asked. Ryuuen Kakeru was Class C's leader and dictator. Yamada Albert, Ishizaki, and other students adept in martial arts stood next to him. They were willing to dispense punishment with their fists, should someone oppose Ryuuen. "First there was that test on the uninhabited island, and then the sports festival. Someone lurking in Class D knows how to think like me." "Someone thinks like you, Ryuuen-san? I can't imagine someone like that in Class D, though," said Ishizaki. To him, Ryuuen was a strange, incomprehensible being who commanded both respect and contempt. Ryuuen smiled at Ishizaki. "I thought so, too. But not anymore." "So, are the events on the island and at the sports festival connected somehow?" "Yes, exactly. But don't worry. I'm starting to see how this person handles things. Listen up, all of you! From here on out, we're going to hit Class D with everything we've got. We'll put Classes A and B aside for the time being. I'll smoke out the person working in Class D's shadows," said Ryuuen. 51 | 52 | No one objected to his plan. Even if they wanted to, they couldn't. They'd already made a deal with the devil himself. "Ryuuen-san, is there really anyone competent in Class D, besides Horikita or Hirata?" "Yes. And someone in Class C can expose the puppet master's true identity." "What are you trying to say, Ryuuen?" asked Ibuki, crossing her arms. She stood near the window, her posture defiant. "Heh. Ibuki, can't you even listen quietly?" asked Ryuuen. "I don't have that luxury. Besides, you're just trying to intimidate the entire class. I gain nothing from silence, right?" "You know, someone with no authority shouldn't be talking. Besides, you made a rather disgraceful blunder, didn't you?" said Ryuuen. "That's..." Ibuki's failure in the sports festival had been significant. She'd requested to challenge Horikita directly, but been narrowly defeated. "Like you, then?" said Ibuki, glaring at Ryuuen. "I mean, you also failed to crush Horikita in the sports festival, or to get the private points you expected. You're the same as me." "The same as you? Don't make me laugh. My strategy was perfect," said Ryuuen. "So, how do you explain the results? You never explain anything. You seriously expect to convince us that Class D has some master strategist?" said Ibuki. Hearing Ibuki's comeback, the other students trembled in fear. They wanted to avoid incurring Ryuuen's wrath. However, Ryuuen only smiled thinly. "Don't you think that a perfect strategy is meaningless if someone leaks information?" "Leaks information?" "Class D's success is due to the maneuverings of a mysterious person I'll refer to as 'X.' X has an ally in Class C—my class. There's a spy among 53 | us," said Ryuuen. Everyone looked slightly confused. Ibuki's eyes widened in shock. "Wait, are you serious?" she asked. "It's true. It seems that my control over you isn't strong enough. It's extremely unfortunate," said Ryuuen. He smiled as if he enjoyed the possibility of being spied upon. Everyone in the room started praying that this would be over quickly. "This nonsense is coming to an end right this instant," said Ryuuen. He slammed the top of the podium, silencing everyone. "First, I'll ask directly. The person who betrayed me, raise your hand." Of course, none of his classmates put up their hands. Some averted their eyes and feigned ignorance, while others looked around to see whether anyone came forward. Some stayed completely still to avoid drawing attention to themselves. "If you just step forward now, I'll forgive you," said Ryuuen. The continuing silence seemed to delight him. "Yes. I knew that a spy would plan to stay hidden. Don't come forward. In fact, stay hidden at all costs." "Wait, what? You're not seriously going to accept that Class C has a traitor, are you?" "Shut up, Ibuki. Don't get in the way of my fun. I'll bury you if you do." Ryuuen had been all smiles before, but his face twisted as he glared at Ibuki. "I've actually tried not to get too violent so far. You may think I'm lying, but it's true. I've taken it easy on my opponents." He slammed the podium twice. BAM! BAM! It was the class's death knell. "But maybe that was foolish. I mean, now we have a traitor among us." Ryuuen struck the podium once more. BAM! The sound reverberated through the room. The timid students shook. "So, we're going to play a little game. A silly, childish little game where we try to find the spy. For most students, there's really no need to be afraid. This shouldn't take long at all; just thirty minutes," said Ryuuen. Despite his words, it was obvious that everyone was terrified. Even 54 | Ibuki started to feel apprehensive. "First things first. Take your phones out, and place them on your desks. I'll come by and check personally. Are there any idiots who didn't bring their phones? They should step forward immediately. One of them is the culprit," said Ryuuen. The students immediately put their phones on their desks. Ishizaki went around the room and collected them, attaching a label with the owner's name to each phone. The labels seemed to have been prepared ahead of time. Ibuki handed her phone over to Ishizaki, looking dissatisfied. "Ryuuen-san, I collected everyone's phones," said Ishizaki. "Good work. Well, I think it's time for a thorough investigation, don't you?" "What should we check? The call histories?" "Come now, as if someone trying to hide their identity would make an incriminating call! Look at the email histories. Then look at the texts. Read all of them, even if it's just a minor conversation. The traitor might have used an alias." "W-wait a minute! There are lots of really private messages on my phone, though!" shouted one girl, her desire not to have Ryuuen see her personal information outweighing the risk of him suspecting her. "You really don't want me to read what's on your phone, Nishino?" "Of course I don't! Even if it's just you, Ryuuen-kun!" "Don't be ridiculous, Nishino. You gave Ryuuen your phone on the cruise ship, didn't you?" said Ishizaki. "Why are you so—?" "Th-this is different from back then! All he did on the cruise ship was check the email I received from the school!" Ryuuen listened to Nishino's appeal with cold indifference. "You know that this will make you a prime suspect, Nishino?" "I-I will obey you, Ryuuen-kun, but there are some things I can't accept!" Nishino wasn't the type to argue, but in this case, it looked like she was dead serious. She'd loudly announced that she had something on her phone 55 | that she didn't want other people to see. "Are you the spy, Nishino?" asked Oda. "No, I'm not the spy!" "But the fact that you're hiding something is pretty suspicious." "I just want to protect my privacy!" Ryuuen showed no interest at all in the current conversation. He grabbed one of the phones. "This is your phone, Nishino?" "Hey!" Nishino panicked, sure that he'd start reading her messages. However, Ryuuen handed Nishino's phone to Ishizaki. "Give this back to her." "I-Is that okay? You didn't check the contents." "I told you to give it to her." Ishizaki quietly returned Nishino's phone. She and the other students shook. "Really, it's not such a mystery. I confirmed your innocence, so I returned your phone. That's only natural, right? If it's not the traitor's phone, then looking at it would be a waste of time and effort," said Ryuuen. "If anyone here thinks that what I'm doing is unacceptable, like Nishino said, raise your hand," he added. "However, prepare to come under even more suspicion than she did." Faced with those two options, four girls and two boys raised their hands, despite their fear. "Six people are standing up to Ryuuen-san. The spy is definitely among them, I'm sure of it! Nomura-san, you were the last one to raise your hand. You're not jumping on the bandwagon to save your own skin, are you?" said Ishizaki. "N-no, that's not it! I'm not doing that!" said Nomura. While Ishizaki hurled accusations, Ryuuen wore an eerie smile. "Gather their phones." "Yes, sir." 56 | Ishizaki collected six phones and immediately handed them to Ryuuen. "So, you're okay with being my prime suspects as long as I don't look through your phones?" asked Ryuuen. All six students agreed. "You took quite a bit of time before you raised your hand, Nomura." "Huh? No, I didn't—" "You've been looking around all shifty-eyed. And you're sweating, hmm?" "Huh?!" Nomura had a very timid personality, and he seemed on the verge of fainting. Ryuuen let out an amused chuckle before turning to Ishizaki once more. "Ishizaki. These six are all innocent. Return their phones," he ordered. A second shock. No one other than Ryuuen himself could understand this reasoning. "Will you explain what's going on here?" asked Ibuki. "Later." Ryuuen ran his hand through his hair and picked up Ibuki's phone. "Well then, let's investigate the rest of the phones. I'll start with yours, Ibuki." "Do whatever you want." 57 | 4.1 Ryuuen checked everyone's phones himself. The whole process took about twenty minutes, no more than one minute per phone. He couldn't have checked all of them thoroughly. Even though the students had their doubts, no one said anything. For the spy, every second must have been agonizingly stressful. "I see. No information seems to be recorded on these phones." "So, one of the people you thought were innocent—like Nishino—is a traitor after all," said Ibuki. "No," said Ryuuen. "What are you doing here? Is there really even a spy?" asked Ibuki. In her heart of hearts, she wondered whether Ryuuen had come up with a story about a traitor to hide his own failure. Ryuuen had believed some shadowy figure was puppeteering Horikita since the island test. So far, however, there hadn't been one shred of evidence that this mastermind even existed. In fact, everyone else had focused on Horikita Suzune. "Evidence trumps theory," said Ryuuen. "Listen. I assume this is something you all know quite well, hmm?" He replayed an audio file that X had sent. The voice on the recording was Ryuuen's, explaining his strategy to Class C. "I received this recording when I was about to force Suzune to kneel," Ryuuen continued. "Never mind the points—because of this, I didn't get to see Suzune beg. Do you understand now?" "Wait a minute. Even if we assume that you didn't just record that file yourself, there are still questions that you need to answer. We never discussed the details of getting Horikita to kneel before you. This other person managed to anticipate everything, including the time you were meeting her? That's impossible," said Ibuki. "It was a coincidence. The best time for this other person to strike was immediately after the festival ended. Besides, I don't think he was interested 58 | in saving Suzune," said Ryuuen. "X, Class D's mastermind, had this audio file. X clearly understood the details of the strategy I came up with. If he knew all my plans, including leaking the participation table, he could have foiled my attacks on Suzune at the sports festival. He could have prevented Suzune from being crushed and having to beg for forgiveness. But he didn't. Even though X knew about my strategy, he allowed me to go about my business and let Suzune suffer. She was injured, unable to keep competing, and she had to suffer the guilt of injuring someone else as well." "So, by letting you get that far, this person turned the audio file into incriminating material?" Kaneda asked. He was a bespectacled boy with a mushroom cut. "How very clever you are, Kaneda," said Ryuuen. "This X person's thought process is so cruel. I mean, he just let his friend get hurt." "Yes. X wasn't bothered by me having Suzune kneel. That's why there wasn't any text in his message. I think he couldn't have cared less whether Suzune's pride was hurt or not," said Ryuuen. "I can't understand that," said Ibuki. "If they're from the same class, shouldn't he have protected Horikita from the start?" Other students probably shared Ibuki's feelings. X had had several options available, including altering Class D's participation table to prepare for Class C's strategy, or sending the audio file to Ryuuen in advance. "Wouldn't X have thought to submit the audio file to the school?" If X had given the audio file to the school after Class C carried out their plans, it would've hurt Class C badly. If the school found out that Class C had intentionally targeted Horikita and tried to extort points from her, it probably would've kicked Ryuuen out. With October already half over, however, that possibility had practically vanished. Why would X do all this? "X's naivete accidentally saved us. Or perhaps he isn't taking full advantage of his assets. If Horikita-shi had finished transferring private points over to Ryuuen-shi, then X would've been defeated," concluded Kaneda. "No, that's not quite right," said Ryuuen. "Even if Suzune had given 59 | up her private points, X probably could've recovered them by presenting the audio. He could have threatened us with exposure, and that would've been it." "So, he deliberately chose not to threaten us?" "Yes. X allowed me to make Suzune kneel. That's different from winning or losing points. It's not something a person can undo, right? I'm saying that X is letting me torment Suzune." "I don't get it. So, X has been helping Class C?" Ibuki said. Unlike Ibuki, Ryuuen understood what X had done. "Heh. So, you really don't intend to reveal yourself, all the way to the bitter end, eh?" he said to Class C. If Ryuuen kept digging for the audio file's source, he'd eventually force X to reveal himself. He could even contact the school and request that they provide him with email and call records. After thorough investigation, he'd probably arrive at X's identity. In addition, Ryuuen didn't get the feeling that X was fixated on moving up to Class A at all. Gaining assets didn't matter to X. "I'm not sure what method X employed, but I'm certain that he thinks like me, and that someone here is spying for him. If the spy knew X's identity, it'd be game over for X the moment I found them out. Therefore, I'm certain that X used email or similar tactics to remain anonymous," said Ryuuen. "But there wasn't any proof on anyone's phone," said Ibuki. "You didn't even look at them carefully." "Of course I didn't. That was just for show." "Huh? But you said you'd know the spy's identity if you looked at our phones." "Apply some common sense here. If you were the spy, would you intentionally leave a suspicious email on your phone?" "Well, no, I wouldn't. That's why I thought that checking our phones was a waste of time." "Right. It was obvious how investigating everyone's phones would 60 | turn out. The spy is someone who thought that they could look innocent just by giving me their phone. Therefore, those who didn't show me their phones are innocent, whereas the spy wouldn't have taken that chance," said Ryuuen. So, it had all been a stunt. Ryuuen hadn't actually been looking for an incriminating message on Class C's phones. Rather, he was evaluating how much the class feared him, and how much influence X had over the spy. And his conclusion was... "I'm going to ask the spy to show himself again." Ryuuen looked at each individual in the class, studying their body language. "Are you scared of this mysterious X? Or are you scared of me? Which one should you truly fear? Are you sure you're not making a big mistake? Remember what happened after the entrance ceremony? You saw what terrible fate befalls those who oppose me. Right, Ishizaki?" "Y-yes..." Ishizaki started trembling. Albert, who stood quietly by Ryuuen's side, also reacted slightly. Both Ishizaki and Albert had resisted Ryuuen at first, but the violence he wielded had ultimately brought them to their knees. "Violence is the most powerful force in the world. I will not yield to authority. Even if the school tries to expel me, I'll kill the traitor before they kick me out. Do you understand? If I end up getting expelled because of this, I will stomp the life out of the spy, like crushing a bug." This wasn't former-president Horikita or current-president Nagumo's style of authority. Ryuuen wielded his insane violence like a sword. "I'll welcome the traitor's confession even now. However, this is your last chance. If you step forward and honestly admit what you've done, I promise to forgive and forget. I also swear that I won't let your classmates harass you. As I said from the very start, if you believe in me, I'll raise us all to Class A. As long as you follow me, I will protect you." Ryuuen stepped down from the podium, gazing over every one of his classmates. "Do you understand what it means to make me angry?" He looked them in the eye, one by one. Ryuuen stopped beside a 61 | female student, standing right in front of her. Of course, it wasn't random. He'd been targeting her since the start. "What's wrong? Can't look me in the eye?" "Ah...ah...I..." Her breathing was ragged. She appeared so terrified that she seemed on the verge of tears. "Heh. It's you, isn't it, Manabe? You're the traitor." Most of the students were dumbfounded. "Don't be afraid, Manabe. Although you didn't come forward and tell me, I knew you were the spy from the very beginning. You've looked sick, like it was written on your face. There was no way you could hide." Ryuuen brushed aside Manabe's hair and caressed her face. Manabe began trembling. "I-I'm...I'm sorry. I-I—" "Don't worry. I forgive you. I will handle this with tolerance and magnanimity. Tell me about it, hmm? Tell me about who this X really is." Ryuuen turned from Manabe Shiho, fixing his sharp gaze upon her friends, Yabu Nanami and Yamashita Saki. 62 | 4.2 After Ryuuen finished grilling everyone, he released Class C and cleared the room. Only Ryuuen himself, Ishizaki, Kaneda, Ibuki, and the three spies remained. "Do you know who gave you instructions?" Manabe and her friends denied it. "Next question. Why did you betray Class C? Tell me." "That's—" "There's no point in hiding. If you choose to stay quiet right now, then tomorrow I won't treat you as classmates anymore. You'll all be treated like worms, forever." Manabe and her friends had no choice but to tell the truth. "Do...do you know a girl named Karuizawa Kei, from Class D?" "Just her name and face. She's Hirata's girl, isn't she?" "She, um, well, she acts all tough, but...it seems she was bullied long ago." "Oh?" "Well, Karuizawa treated Rika horribly, so we thought we'd give her some payback..." Manabe explained to Ryuuen what'd happened on the cruise ship. She told him the truth about everything, including how they were in the same group as Karuizawa, and about Karuizawa's past. The spies even told Ryuuen about what they'd done to Karuizawa. Manabe said that she began spying because she'd received threats promising to expose her and her friends for what they did. If the truth came to light, Manabe and her friends would be suspended, or worse. "I see. Well, it sounds like you've been having quite a wild time." "What?" said Ibuki. "If they're being threatened by someone they don't know, that hardly seems 'wild.'" 63 | "Come on, Ibuki. When humans are cornered, they become such weak creatures." Ryuuen didn't chastise the spies any further. "Here's the big question. Was anyone else there while you were bullying Karuizawa?" Manabe and her friends nodded. "At the time, Yukimura-kun and Ayanokouji-kun from Class D saw us." "Someone sent us a picture after. It was a photo of us with Karuizawa." "I see," said Ryuuen. "I expected that there was some kind of evidence. So, someone took your picture, huh? Where is it?" "I-I deleted it. If someone saw it, then we..." "I understand completely." "So, that means it's either Yukimura-shi or Ayanokouji-shi, right?" said Kaneda, who'd been quietly listening. "Hold on, Ryuuen. I don't know much about this Yukimura guy, but I can't really imagine that Ayanokouji is the one pulling the strings. Can you? I've met him, and I don't see him as the type." "Well, I suppose that Yukimura does look a little suspicious. He seems pretty smart," added Ishizaki. "Can we really say that for sure, though? Ayanokouji-shi is always with Horikita-shi, isn't he? Moreover, Ayanokouji-shi hid his athletic abilities until the sports festival. I think he's the more suspicious of the two," said Kaneda. "I think they're both irrelevant. Ayanokouji is just quick on his feet, and Yukimura is only good at studying, right? The mastermind would need more than that." "Who else could it be?" "There are other capable people in Class D. People like Hirata." "Him? I can't imagine he's this type of person." Ryuuen wore a thin smile while his classmates talked on and on. Then, SLAM! He pounded his fist against the podium. "Shut up." A terrified silence enveloped the entire room. 64 | "Did I ask for your opinions? I will find Class D's puppet master. You are nothing more than my pawns. Right now, the facts state that only Yukimura or Ayanokouji could have taken that picture. However, concluding that one of them is the mastermind merely because of that? No. They, too, might be mere pawns acting under someone else's orders," said Ryuuen. That was where things got complicated. "But, Ryuuen-shi, shouldn't we be especially suspicious of Ayanokouji-shi?" Kaneda dared to speak up. "I agree," said Ryuuen. With regard to Ayanokouji, he had felt something was fishy from the beginning, primarily because of Ayanokouji's connection to Horikita Suzune. However, if Ayanokouji were the mastermind, and had been close to Horikita Suzune from the beginning, he would never have let her be hurt. "So, you're saying that the real mastermind's hiding right under our noses? I find that hard to swallow." The situation felt hopeless. "How about we try using him?" said Ryuuen. They'd come this far; it made sense to go further. Ryuuen made his next move and sent a text message. 65 | 66 | Chapter 5: A Means of Escape After homeroom began at 6 p.m., Chabashira-sensei left the classroom. Hirata, glancing sideways at the perplexed students, stood and went up to the podium. No more time for games. We were about to have a serious discussion. "During homeroom today, I'd like to discuss our strategy for the short quiz tomorrow. I've received Chabashira-sensei's permission. First, Horikita- san, would you please come up?" Horikita stood and went to Hirata. Some students probably felt it was weird to see the two in solidarity. Hirata had always welcomed a partnership with Horikita, but until now, she never took him up on the offer. Horikita had always fought alone. The Swiss biologist A. Portmann said it best. He said that human beings are born physiologically premature. He argued that, from a zoological point of view, humans are born about a year early in comparison to other mammals' developmental states. When a human baby is born, its sensory organs are developed, but its motor skills are not. On the other hand, many large animals, like deer, are capable of moving on their own soon after birth. Horikita might have been reborn, but she was still underdeveloped. However, she contained limitless possibilities. Perhaps she still felt conflicted, deep down. She was probably struggling. The best course of action would be for her to change and accept it. I thought Horikita would immediately start discussing the final exam, but she didn't. "First, there's something I'd like to say. Please allow me to apologize." Something appeared to have festered inside her heart for several weeks now. "My performance during the sports festival was disappointing. Though I act tough in front of you all, in the end, I didn't do anything for Class D. For that, I apologize." Horikita bowed her head deeply. Naturally, this display shook many 67 | students. Onodera, who had become a little distant with Horikita after the three-legged race, spoke up in response. "B-but it's not like it's only your fault we lost, Horikita-san. Please, don't bow to us. You don't have to," she said. "That's right, Suzune. I mean, Haruki and the Professor weren't really much help, either." Sudou's words were sad but true. Yamauchi and Sotomura shot vexed glares at him. "Regardless of whether you win or lose, a humble attitude makes it easier to move on. But that's not what I'm talking about here. I contributed almost nothing to any area of the festival," said Horikita. She looked over at Sudou for an instant. By giving him that look, she implied that the one thing she'd gained was becoming Sudou's ally. Sudou couldn't have missed that message. While he scratched his cheek in embarrassment, he smiled quietly. "But now, I'm finished apologizing. Next, I'd like to use my energy to take on the upcoming short quiz. Unless we all come together as a class, we won't get through this challenge." "I can understand that, but do you have a plan? Like, we don't even know how they choose the pairs yet." "Actually, the partner selection process has already been made clear. If we handle things right, each student could feasibly end up with their ideal partner. Hirata-kun, if you would." Hirata, now playing the role of Horikita's support, wrote out the rules on the blackboard. Deciding How Pairs Are Formed: After the school looks at the class as a whole, it will pair the highest- scoring and lowest-scoring students. This process will continue with the second-highest and second-lowest- scoring students pairing up, and then the third-highest and lowest, and so on. For example, the student with one hundred points will pair with the student with zero points. The student with ninety-nine points will pair with the student with one point. 68 | "Simple, right?" Horikita said. "Wh-whoa! You cracked the code, Horikita! Awesome!" "It's fairly obvious. However, remember this: though students who earn lower grades will almost automatically partner with students with higher grades, there are always exceptions. I'm going to explain a strategy that we can use to end up with reliable, appropriate pairs," said Horikita. She walked to Hirata and faced the classroom. Horikita was shy about public speaking; it had to be taking all she had to keep facing forward. "I'd like to have the students who worry about their grades partner up with high scorers. However, looking at our grades so far, the truth of the matter is that we can't cover everyone," said Horikita. Eleven students had an average score of eighty points or higher. Only six students had an average of ninety points or more. Meanwhile, the number of students with an average of sixty points or below made up more than half the class. In other words, it would be impossible to pair every low-scoring student with a high-scoring counterpart. Instead, therefore, Horikita aimed to create stability by forcing the top ten and bottom ten students into specific partnerships. Hirata listed the lowest-scoring students' names on the blackboard, one by one. "Um, I don't really get it. What are we supposed to do?" asked Yamauchi. "It's okay for the ten lowest-scoring students, whose names are written here, to simply score zero points on this test. Since your final grades won't reflect your scores, that'll do you no harm. Conversely, the ten highest- scoring students should definitely try to score eighty-five points or above. Similarly, we'll divide the remaining twenty students in the class into two groups of ten. The higher-scoring of those two groups should aim to score a maximum of eighty points, while the lower-scoring group only needs to score one point. By doing things this way, we automatically achieve a good balance in our pairings," said Horikita. The important thing was to ensure that the students who scored zero points and those who scored one point weren't paired. We needed to ensure that the school partnered the students with the most significant differences in academic ability. 69 | "I think this is a great plan." Hirata didn't dissent. He wanted to create a harmonious atmosphere. Kouenji usually refused to participate in anything, but he didn't appear to either support or reject the plan. Actually, it was more like he didn't seem interested whatsoever. His social skills were even worse than Horikita's, but for once, it didn't matter that he was up to his usual tricks. Kouenji had avoided the kind of results that would get him kicked out of school so far. However, this time, it was possible that you could still fail the final exam even if you got a perfect score, depending on how well your partner did. That said, if we got Kouenji into a preselected pairing, he'd probably be fine. In other words, while he might not be interested, he basically seemed willing to cooperate. Actually, we didn't know how Kouenji would react, in some ways. He might be unpredictable. "Do you have any objections, Kouenji-kun?" "No. What a nonsensical question. Naturally, I fully grasp the situation." He rested his long legs across his desk and started combing his hair, like always. "Then would it be appropriate for me to expect you to score eighty points or higher?" "Well, I'm not too sure about that. Wouldn't that depend on the test's contents?" "If you intentionally scored a zero, and got matched with one of the higher-scoring students, you'd destroy the balance we're trying to achieve. Do you understand that?" The only thing to fear from this test was someone getting an irregular score. If an academically gifted student like Kouenji deliberately held back, he could throw off the class's balance. We needed to avoid having highly gifted students like Horikita and Kouenji paired together. "I will consider the matter carefully, girl." Even though Kouenji's response was suspicious, Horikita couldn't pursue the matter any further. 70 | 5.1 The day of the short quiz arrived, and though I expected us to start immediately, Chabashira-sensei had something to discuss first. "We will begin shortly, but I'd like to say something. You nominated Class C as the class you wanted to attack for this test. Since there was no conflict with any other class, your nomination was approved," said Chabashira-sensei. "Did Classes A and B both nominate Class D, then?" It seemed we'd managed to overcome our first obstacle, and Horikita was relieved. "Class C will attack Class D. They also had no competing nominations that conflicted with that decision." So, the battle was going to be Class D versus Class C, and Class B versus Class A. "That's an ideal match-up," said Horikita. "Seems that way." Sakayanagi had likely chosen Class A's nomination. Katsuragi probably would've nominated Class D, as that would give Class A the highest chance of winning. You could sense that Katsuragi's influence was on the decline. Class C was our challenger, just as Horikita had hoped it would be. "At any rate, you look like you're doing quite well, Ike. Yamauchi, you usually have dark circles under your eyes right before you take a test. Did you happen to come up with some secret strategy?" "Heh heh heh. Watch and learn, sensei." Ike was completely self- confident, as expected. He hadn't needed to study at all. He could just write down his name and turn in a blank sheet of paper. If he seriously tried to take this unique exam, it would only increase the risks we'd face. Chabashira-sensei had to see what was happening. "Don't do something you'll regret later. It would be better if you took this quiz seriously." 71 | "Wh-what do you mean? This isn't going to have an effect on my grades, right?" "Right. Your final grade won't reflect your score on this at all." "In that case, I don't need a good score," said Ike. "Sure. If things go the way you expect them to go, that is." What Chabashira-sensei said stirred our class's anxiety. "Should we try to get good scores after all?" muttered Sudou. "Don't get flustered. There are no problems with our plan," said Horikita. Her calm, collected response managed to settle the students. Sudou regained his composure instantly. "Yeah. All I have to do is believe in Suzune." Chabashira-sensei produced the quiz papers. "Well then, let's begin. I needn't remind you that no form of cheating is allowed. If someone gets caught cheating, then there will be no mercy." The teacher handed stacks of paper to the students in the front row and had them pass the tests back. Because we had to keep the paper facedown until the test started, I immediately flipped mine upside down when I received it. "Aren't you worried that you're wrong about how the pairs are selected?" asked Chabashira-sensei. "Not at all. I'm confident that I'm right," said Horikita. She was unfazed by what Chabashira-sensei said. Ike and the others could stand tall because of their leader's confidence. Class D was changing. "Begin." Chabashira-sensei gave the signal, and the test started. I slowly turned the papers over. "Oh..." I couldn't help but make a noise. I probably wasn't the only one who was surprised. Though we'd expected that the difficulty level would be rather low, it really was extremely easy. Even small children could have completed this test. Of course, there were a few difficult questions in there, but even someone like Ike could easily score around sixty or higher if he didn't panic. 72 | It was a very tempting trap. If we'd gone rushing into this test thoughtlessly, it could have been a disaster. However, that was exactly why Horikita came up with her strategy. 73 | 5.2 The short quiz ended without incident. The results were announced the very next day. Class D had previously sat all its exams while lacking any kind of cohesion, but we were so united this time that it felt almost too good to be true. "The best part is that it looks like I didn't need to get involved," I muttered. I really was grateful for that. "Well, I will now announce the pairings for the final exam," said Chabashira-sensei. The short quiz's results were as follows: Horikita Suzune and Sudou Ken, Hirata Yousuke and Yamauchi Haruki, Kushida Kikyou and Ike Kanji, Yukimura Teruhiko and Inogashira Kokoro. The pairs were almost perfectly in line with what we'd predicted. My partner was...Satou Maya. "God really does have a bad sense of humor." How had it ended up like this? Satou noticed that she was paired with me, and looked in my direction with a smile. I raised my hand to let her know I'd noticed, too. "It looks like Kouenji-kun acted just as we hoped he would this time." Kouenji was partners with Okiya. It seemed he'd gotten a sufficiently high score. Well, he'd scored highly on every test thus far, so it was more like business as usual. Kouenji crossed his arms, grinned, and let out a laugh. "The results indicate that some among you understood this short quiz's purpose," said Chabashira-sensei, sounding quite impressed as she glanced over the list of partners. "Students were to be paired based on the difference in points, with the highest scorer partnered with the lowest, and so on. If students had the same scores, the pairings would have been determined at random. It's probably not necessary for me to explain the system, but I thought I would anyway." Knowing that we'd been right on the money was a relief. "There don't 74 | appear to be any blatant problems with the pairings," I said to Horikita. "Yeah. Everything's been going so smoothly it's almost scary. But the real challenge starts now. How will we come up with our exam questions, and how will we overcome the final? You're paired up with Satou-san. You should be fine." I hadn't intentionally chosen Satou or anything. And I wasn't entirely safe—she might fail the exam. I needed to keep my scores high from this point onward. "I'll hold study groups until the final exam to raise our class's average scores," Horikita said. "If Hirata-kun and Kushida-san agree, I'd like to hold two study sessions per day. There will be a two-hour session beginning at 4 p.m., right after classes end, until 6 p.m. The other two-hour session will be held from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. We'll each lead a session in turn. I'll be counting on you, Hirata-kun," said Horikita. "Because of my club activities, I'll take the second study group. Let's all work together and do our best," Hirata replied. Things were certainly moving forward. Horikita and Hirata discussed the study sessions' format until they nailed down the finer details. Kushida would attend both sessions and adopt a unique role, tutoring the students who were worried about whether they could reach fifty points. That being said, this plan wasn't free of problems. Compared to the first-semester study group, significantly more students wanted a tutor, and only three could handle being tutors. Naturally, the more students there were per teacher, the lower the quality of instruction would be. When lunch came, Horikita met with Hirata and Sudou. "Dang it! Suzune's not leading the second group? There goes my motivation, man." Sudou couldn't attend the first session due to his club activities, and was clearly unhappy to miss Horikita. Then again, the old Sudou probably would've lashed out by now. "No matter who's teaching, it'll bother me if you don't try. Okay?" said Horikita. "Okay. We're a team, after all," he replied. Horikita had excellent 75 | control over the untamed stallion that was Sudou. "Your efforts reflect on me," she added. "I'd appreciate it if you understand that. Besides, I'll try to make appearances at the evening sessions as often as I can." "Yeah! All right, I'm ready for this! I'm countin' on you, Hirata." "Likewise. Let's do our best together, Sudou-kun." "Excuse me, may I talk to you?" Miyake Akito asked, approaching Horikita. I hadn't ever really spoken to him before. He looked apologetic. "What's the matter, Miyake-kun?" asked Horikita. Miyake was with Hasebe, a beautiful girl who was a frequent topic of discussion amongst the boys. These two normally kept quiet and rarely interacted with anyone. It was unexpected for them to approach Horikita. "Wait, you two are paired together for the final exam, right?" asked Hirata. "Well, yes. We're partners, but we're equally good and bad at all the same subjects. We're a little nervous about how we'll perform in the final, so we wanted to ask for your advice." Miyake handed Hirata their completed answer sheets for both the short test and the midterm. Their scores on the short test stood in stark contrast, with Miyake getting seventy-nine points and Hasebe getting one point, as intended. However, their midterm scores were sixty-five and sixty-three, respectively. There was almost no difference in academic ability between them. They were both exceptionally average, but they'd still been split between the upper and lower groups. At first glance, it looked as though they could probably score high enough to pass the final, but there was a problem. Miyaki and Hasebe got the exact same kinds of questions wrong. To pass, they needed a score of at least sixty points for every subject. This would be a perilous bridge to cross. "I see," said Hirata. "This is a little unexpected. Let's make sure to check the other pairs later." "I'm sorry to bother you, Hirata, really," replied Miyake. "I'm always causing trouble for you, between the cruise ship and the sports festival." 76 | That made me think back to the sports festival. Miyake withdrew from the final relay because he hurt his leg. It looked like he moved without any problems now, so his injury must have completely healed. "Please, don't apologize," said Hirata. "If I had trouble, I'm sure you'd do the same for me." The answers that Miyake and Hasebe got right and wrong on their sheets were extraordinarily similar. In fact, they were so similar you might think the same person took both tests. "This is really unfortunate," added Miyake. "I don't want to complicate your plans or mess up the study groups." You could tell that the two were by no means unintelligent. The problem was that they were too similar. Because of that, group tutoring was going to be insufficient. One-on-one tutoring was necessary. "Kushida-san, could I ask you to take on additional students? These two should have a pretty strong foundation that won't bring down the group's overall cohesion," said Horikita. "Sure," replied Kushida. "If you're all right with that, Miyake-kun and Hasebe-san, I'll do it." Miyake didn't appear to accept or reject Kushida's offer, but Hasebe spoke up. "I'm going to pass, I think. I don't get along too well with Ichihashi-san and the others." Fortunately, Ichihashi and the other girls weren't in the classroom and didn't hear that remark. "Besides, I'm not really good at studying in a group with a lot of people." It seemed Miyake was the one who had wanted to come to Hirata for help, while Hasebe hadn't been too keen on it. "But if you take the final exam as is, even if you clear the overall score requirement, you might score under sixty points somewhere," Horikita said. "Yeah, I know," replied Hasebe. She averted her eyes from Horikita and started walking away. "Where are you going?" "Miyacchi, I'm sorry to have wasted your time, but I guess this just isn't the right fit for me," said Hasebe. With that, she left the classroom. 77 | "Sorry, Horikita," Miyake muttered. "I don't mind. Well, even if it's just you, would you mind studying with Kushida-san?" asked Horikita. If Miyake improved his weakest subjects, he could effectively cover for Hasebe, too. "I'll pass. I don't really feel like I could study with a group of just girls. I'll try and do it on my own," he replied. He got up, grabbed his bag, and left. Horikita couldn't force anyone to study. If a student didn't participate of their own free will, it would be nearly impossible to get any results. It would probably lower the serious students' morale to boot. "What now?" asked Hirata. "I think we should follow up with those two." "Yeah. If only we had another tutor," said Horikita. She glanced at me, so with my own eyes, I sent her a message saying "absolutely not." Putting aside whether I could even do the tutoring, I wasn't sure I could communicate with Miyake and Hasebe. "I'll see if I can make time," Horikita muttered. "I don't think that's a good idea. You'll overwork yourself. If you do that, you won't be an effective tutor. Besides, Horikita-san, you also have to create Class C's test problems," said Hirata. "But what other choice do I have?" "In that case, I'll take care of tutoring them," said Yukimura, inserting himself casually into our conversation. "We'd be glad to have you aboard, Yukimura-kun. You're diligent and academically gifted. But are you all right with this? I thought you didn't really like this kind of thing?" "If I don't help out where I can, we won't be able to pass the test," Yukimura said. "Same goes for you, Horikita. You can't do everything yourself. There's just one problem. I can teach Miyake and Hasebe how to study, but I'm not friendly with them. After seeing what happened here earlier, I get the feeling that talking to them will be tricky. I was hoping you could do the work of convincing them to study with me." 78 | That was a small price to pay, under the circumstances. Horikita was overjoyed. Yukimura was like the cavalry in a movie—the sort who arrives in the nick of time, charging over the hill to save the cornered protagonists. "I'll think of something," Horikita promised. Yukimura left the classroom, and she turned to me. "Is it okay to be optimistic for now?" "Not necessarily. You don't know how to talk to those two, either," I told her. "Hirata-kun, do you think Miyake and Hasebe will listen to Yukimura- kun?" she asked. "I'm not sure. All three of them are loners," said Hirata. Horikita turned to me after a moment of thought. "Hey, Ayanokouji- kun. Would you manage Yukimura-kun and the others?" "Manage?" "You were Yukimura-kun's roommate on the cruise ship, so I thought you might have broken the ice with him. Miyake-kun and Hasebe-san could be difficult, but with you as the middleman, I think it'll be easier for us to communicate with them," said Horikita. Well, it was probably as good a plan as we had. Still, why me? I'd been happy not getting involved for once. "All you need to do is help corral them into studying with Yukimura. I didn't say I wanted you to teach them." Although that was true, just managing Miyake and Hasebe likely wouldn't be an easy task. "Can I count on you?" Horikita asked. Her request was morphing into a threat. All I could do was nod. I just didn't want to have to do anything truly exhausting, like tutoring or preparing test questions. "I'll do what I can." I sighed, but made sure that Horikita didn't notice. 79 | 5.3 I started preparing immediately. I spoke to Yukimura, then got in touch with Miyake. We talked about holding a study session later. Unfortunately, it wasn't going to be so easy. As soon as class ended, Hasebe vanished from the room. "Huh? Where's Hasebe?" "Did she run away?" muttered Yukimura. "Hasebe isn't like that," said Miyake. "Maybe she just went on ahead of us?" "Why would she need to?" "A bunch of different reasons." Miyake seemed to understand Hasebe quite well, and wasn't especially worried. We decided to head toward Pallet, our designated study hangout. En route to the café, we saw Hasebe in the hallway. "Why did you rush out?" pressed Yukimura. "What? Maybe I just don't like standing around. Hanging out in a group is a little awkward," she replied. Yukimura seemed to take this as a personal attack. "So, you hate being seen talking to us?" he asked. "That's not it at all. There are a lot of reasons." "Don't sweat it, Yukimura. Hasebe's just like this," said Miyake. "Well, all the seats at Pallet will probably be taken while we stand around talking. Let's keep moving," I suggested. I understood how Yukimura felt, but we needed to stay on target. "Yeah, you're right. Let's go," replied Yukimura, regaining his composure and taking the lead. "You should be a little more careful about what you say," Miyake told Hasebe. 80 | "Was it that annoying? I'll think about it, I guess," she replied. 81 | 82 | We managed to secure four seats at Pallet. Yukimura sat next to me, while Hasebe sat across from us. Miyake was beside Hasebe. The four of us clearly felt incredibly uncomfortable and out of place. "Um, I guess I'm counting on you, or whatever," said Hasebe. "Well, if you have any questions, feel free to ask," I told everyone. Hasebe raised her hand. "So, you can talk, Ayanokouji-kun?" "Is that really the question you're going to ask?" Hasebe looked as if her interest was piqued. "I guess I don't have any impression of you at all. Do people even notice when you're not there?" she continued. Well...I mean, I didn't talk to Hasebe on a regular basis, or at all. So, maybe it was understandable that she had that kind of impression. Miyake brought up the sports festival. "But Ayanokouji was awesome in the relay." "Seems that way. But I went to the bathroom during that race, so I missed seeing it. It all feels kinda bizarre to me. Didn't you compete against the former student council president? That's what everyone was buzzing about right after the festival ended," said Hasebe. "Did you do track and field back in junior high, Ayanokouji? After seeing you run, a talent scout from the track and field club came looking for you," said Miyake. "Ah, yeah. I got some offers. But I refused," I replied. The track and field club's enthusiasm was only temporary. They couldn't keep trying to recruit me forever. The people in the club probably weren't talking about me anymore. "To be honest, I've never been in a club before. I don't really know much about that stuff." "Oh, really? What a shame," said Miyake. Yukimura just listened, never speaking once. Hasebe, disinterested, switched the conversation's topic to Miyake. "Miyacchi is in the archery club. Is it fun shooting bows every day?" "I wouldn't do it if it wasn't fun. By the way, you don't shoot the bow, just arrows," he replied. 83 | "I'm just not interested in clubs, I guess. I'm fine with spending time by myself," said Hasebe. My current impression of these two was quite different from what I'd previously imagined. They were far more talkative than I thought. "Hey, Miyacchi. Is it okay for you to miss your club stuff?" asked Hasebe. "I took time off." "Wow. You shouldn't do that." "When something takes priority, I focus on it. Besides, my club's pretty lenient." "Excuse me? I'd like to say something before we begin," said Yukimura. Finally, he'd spoken up. He focused not on Miyake or Hasebe, but on me. "No hiding anything, Ayanokouji." "Huh? What do you mean?" "Studying. Horikita says you're quite capable." "Ugh, Horikita," I muttered. What a blabbermouth. I needed to give Yukimura something if I wanted to earn his trust. "Well, I'm relatively good at memorizing things. I think I can get a pretty high score if I concentrate." "Are you the type to hide his abilities?" "Well, I can't hold a candle to you, Yukimura. Please don't expect too much of me. I'm not very good at teaching," I replied. "You should take this study group seriously, then. With me tutoring you, you'll definitely score higher than you did on the midterm." Yukimura turned to Hasebe and Miyake. "Did you bring your answer sheets from the midterm and first semester exams like I asked?" "Yeah," said Hasebe. Miyake nodded as well. They took their test papers from their bags and handed them over. I glanced at their papers and scores. "Both of you excel in the sciences. Your humanities scores are a complete disaster," said Yukimura. Miyake and Hasebe had scored relatively high in math, earning around 84 | seventy points. But they only got about forty points in language and world history. It was obvious why the two of them were worried. "I didn't know you two were so close," added Yukimura. "Well, Hasebe came and talked to me when I was studying in the library one day," said Miyake. "Miyacchi and I are both independent people. We don't really fit in with everyone else," Hasebe added. "I feel the same, in a way," said Miyake. "Even in this group, I feel awkward and distant." "So, why did you agree to join us?" asked Yukimura. "Because this isn't really a club, I guess. It's just a study group. Besides, it'll be quiet, right? When I study by myself, nothing bothers me or gets in the way." Suddenly, I felt as if someone was watching me. I turned around. Several male students, each on the phone with somebody, were in fact eyeing us. I recognized three of them; all were from Class C. I only recalled the name of the one in the middle, Ishizaki. Hopefully, they weren't about to drag me into another troublesome mess. It didn't seem like Ishizaki and the others were picking a fight. Although they looked at me now and again, they walked over to the display case next to the register. The case was lined with various cakes, which you could either order to go or enjoy there in the café. The strawberry shortcake and blancmange appeared especially popular, but I wasn't exactly knowledgeable about that stuff. The cashier seemed to be having some difficulty hearing what the Class C students wanted to order. Before long, she looked anxious and apologetic. "There's no way you can do it?!" roared Ishizaki. The lively café quieted at once. "Sir, we need to have at least one week's advance notice for any special-order cakes," the cashier replied. "I'm afraid it's not possible to prepare something on the same day." After hearing the cashier's response, people began chatting in the café 85 | once again. "What's that all about?" asked Hasebe. She twirled her pen around and looked at Ishizaki and his friends with disgust. "Who knows? Doesn't have anything to do with us," replied Yukimura. He was writing something down on Hasebe and Miyake's test papers, probably figuring out which subjects they were having trouble in and coming up with a plan. "Cake, huh?" I wasn't the least bit interested in what Ishizaki was talking to the cashier about, but the topic of cake reminded me that it was my birthday tomorrow. Honestly, I didn't know how to spend a birthday like a normal person. My birthday always meant that I was simply another year older. I knew that a birthday was often celebrated with family, a lover, or friends. I just didn't understand what I should feel. "What's the matter, Ayanokouji-kun?" "Nothing." Tomorrow was October 20. Some other students or teachers might share my birthday. The only difference between those people and me was that I didn't have anybody to celebrate with. I wondered whether someone would acknowledge my birthday next year. 86 | 5.4 "I'm going to get another coffee," said Hasebe. "Me too," said Miyake. More than thirty minutes had passed, and Yukimura still hadn't looked up from their papers. Hasebe and Miyake went to the counter with their empty cups. Pallet had a policy that, if you brought your receipt, you could get another cup for half price. The coffee was inexpensive and delicious, and the café offered the perfect amount, so it was becoming quite popular amongst the first-year students. Hasebe and Miyake were already on their third cups. Yukimura, still focused, had half of his first coffee remaining. "Seems like hard work," I said. "I've never really taught someone else how to study before. I mean, a long time ago, I taught this one junior-high idiot to pull an all-nighter, but I couldn't stand it. I wasn't able to concentrate on the material, because he didn't have the fundamentals down," said Yukimura. He briefly set down his pen and looked up at the ceiling. "Even now, I can't forget the time I wasted. I thought it was so stupid, trying to teach people how to study. When you and Horikita rounded up those guys who were about to fail, and held those study sessions, honestly, I was laughing at you. The same goes for Hirata's group. I mean, doesn't it seem like a waste? Nearly everyone who hates studying just can't study in the first place. I felt like teaching them to cram for a couple days was useless, since they'd just go back to how they were before." "So, why did you decide to help tutor?" I asked. This test was unlike anything in junior high. Yukimura was taking on some significant responsibility. If Hasebe and Miyake did get expelled, he might blame himself. That was the kind of person he was. "I was useless in the sports festival. I got tripped up by the thing I dismissed as unimportant. Just being able to study isn't enough for this 87 | school. Just being athletic isn't enough. If you combine those two things, that still isn't enough. Even people like Horikita and Hirata, who are gifted both academically and athletically, definitely can't make it through the challenges ahead with just those skills alone. Intuition, insight, and taste. We have to rely on those traits, which are essential for living in society. Working as a team is vital. That's the only way we win," said Yukimura. "So, I decided to help. Also, I was self-centered. I thought I'd be fine as long as I could study. All I worried about was myself. I was just like my selfish mother. That's why I took a good hard look at myself, and... Ah, that's not important. Forget it." He looked down. "If I had to tutor Ike and the other guys, I'd probably have a much worse time of it. Miyake and Hasebe both take their studies seriously, so it might be easy. Besides, they're already good at science. It shouldn't be too hard to cover the rest. I don't know much I'll be able to help, but we'll probably see at least some improvement." Such positive thinking. Well, Yukimura probably realized that this was where he could do the most good. "I'm going to the bathroom," I said. Hasebe and Miyake hadn't returned. Since it seemed like it'd be a little while yet before our study session started, I got up to leave. The real reason was that I felt Ishizaki and his friends gazing at me. Also...I felt someone else's presence. Someone was secretly watching me, so I walked straight over and sat next to my new stalker. She didn't seem to notice me stroll up. "What are you doing out here, Sakura?" I asked. "Hyaaah?!" Sakura practically jumped out of her seat in fear. "I-It's just a coincidence, Ayanokouji-kun!" "A coincidence, huh?" "Yes, a coincidence." "Well, I thought you were looking over at me from time to time." "Well, that's... I mean... I'm sorry." Sakura immediately apologized. "Is there anything you want to talk to me about?" If it wasn't urgent, she could just have called or sent an email. She wasn't the type to hang out at 88 | Pallet with friends. "Did you want to join the study group?" "Wh-wh-why do you say that?!" "Well, I see study materials in your bag." That was odd, because Sakura would never choose to study in such a crowded place. "Ah...um!" Sakura panicked and tried to close her bag, but it was too late. The way she was acting screamed that she wanted to participate. "Well, why not sit with us? I'll ask everyone else." "B-but I...I've hardly ever spoken to them before." Sakura wasn't good at interacting with people. I understood that much. "Well, you probably came here for a specific reason. I mean, the Sakura I know likely wouldn't come all the way to Pallet and risk bumping into people pointlessly," I told her. Being in public still wasn't easy for Sakura. She'd probably been tempted to leave or run back to her dorm, but managed to keep herself here. That meant something was going on in her mind. "Well, you decide, Sakura. It's not totally up to me. We have to consider how Yukimura, Hasebe, and Miyake would feel," I said. Sakura might be dejected to hear me say that, but her passivity could be bad for her. If I wanted her to step up and grow, the best plan of action was to keep my distance and watch over her. Then again, I felt as though communicating with Miyake and Hasebe was relatively easy, compared to the rest of our classmates. I'm sure Sakura felt the same. "It's okay if you want to think about it. We'll probably be here for another hour," I told her. Though it might have been a little cold of me, I left Sakura and returned to my seat. Yukimura glanced at me and said nothing. After about two minutes, Miyake and Hasebe returned. "Did you finish checking everything?" Miyake asked. "Just a little longer," replied Yukimura. "Ah, that reminds me. There's something I want to ask you, Ayanokouji-kun," said Hasebe. "Knock it off, Hasebe," said Miyake. Well, this sounded ominous. 89 | "Come on, it's fine. It's not like it's the end of the world if someone hears," said Hasebe. "That's not the problem. There's a time and place for this," he replied. Very ominous. "Well, classes are done for the day. Isn't right now the absolute best time to talk?" Hasebe countered. Miyake shook his head, as if he didn't know what to do. What in the world was Hasebe up to? "Ayanokouji-kun, are you going out with Horikita-san?" she asked. "Nope." "Whoa. Not even a pause to think about it? I'd say it sounded like that answer was pretty well-rehearsed. Kinda suspicious, don't you think?" "Several people already asked, that's why. It's not like Horikita and I are always together or anything," I answered. "I suppose. But you know what they say—rumors about love are half truths, half lies." For a solitary girl, Hasebe really seemed interested in romance. I suppose a sensible man in this situation would see whether Hasebe had a boyfriend. Of course, I wasn't going to do that. "Okay." Yukimura suddenly lifted his head. It seemed he'd finished checking everything. "I feel like I've figured out where you two struggle. I'd like to propose a detailed study plan." He handed Miyake the test papers, his comments written in the margins. "I tried coming up with some sample questions for you to solve. I'll have Hasebe work on the same problems later, so don't write your answers directly into my notebook. The time limit is ten minutes. There are ten questions in total," said Yukimura. Miyake took the notebook. After he'd struggled for ten minutes, he passed it to Hasebe so she could do the same. When the twenty-minute testing period ended, Yukimura immediately began writing down their scores. 90 | "Seriously, you two..." He returned their answer sheets, letting out an exasperated sigh. Miyake and Hasebe had each gotten only three answers correct and six incorrect, and each scored half points on one question. What was really surprising was that they managed to get the exact same questions right and wrong. "You don't just have similar strengths. You also tend to memorize things in exactly the same way," said Yukimura. "Wow! Doesn't it feel as if this is kind of like fate, Miyacchi?" Hasebe asked. "No, it doesn't." "Oh, come on. You never play along. But, uh, isn't this kind of a problem?" she asked Yukimura. "Actually, this situation is convenient. It'll only take half the effort to solve." If Hasebe and Miyake's academic skills and tendencies were that much in sync, then Yukimura could basically think of it as actually teaching one person. Of course, there'd be at least a few minor differences between them, but everything would proceed more smoothly than expected. "Do you think this is going to be easy?" Mikaye asked. "Well, that depends on how much effort you'll put in. Even though the questions I came up with were kind of basic, your scores weren't good. I'd like us to meet up seven or eight times before the final. Rather than tutoring constantly, it'll be good to give you some time for self-study, too. Are you three okay with that? Miyake, you might have conflicts with club activities, right?" "Since the final exam is getting closer, we'll probably take a break from club activities, but let me ask for the time off," replied Miyake. Yukimura nodded. That just left Hasebe. "Okay, so let me just ask one thing," she said. "Won't this just feel like typical studying? I mean, I don't like studying or anything, but if this is just reviewing stuff, I think I can do it on my own. So, how does a group help? Obviously, I understand that having a smart person tutor me is good and all. 91 | But I came here because Miyacchi recommended it, and I'm still on the fence." "This isn't a normal study group. If this were a regular test, the school would prepare the questions. But this time, another class will write them. These questions won't be standardized and easy to study for. With other students making problems, there are unknown variables. It'll be difficult to anticipate them. That's exactly why studying's necessary," said Yukimura. Miyake was convinced. "Yeah, you're right. I'm sure Class C will try to trip us up." "Yeah," Yukimura said. "Well, the questions might seem impossible for us to imagine right now, but what if we identify the people coming up with them? Personally, I think Kaneda will do it." I'd heard that name before. "He's that one creepy weirdo with the glasses, right?" asked Hasebe. "I don't know if I'd put it like that, but yeah. He's the best student in Class C," said Yukimura. It was reasonable to assume that the best student would make the questions. "But if Class C is trying to trick us, won't Ryuuen or maybe Ishizaki come up with some, too?" "No way. Without a thorough understanding of the subject, they won't be able to come up with anything. Take you two, for example. Think about subjects you're poor at, like the humanities. Do you really think you'd be able to create a tricky question?" asked Yukimura. "No. I wouldn't even be able to think of a question." "Yeah. Besides, what kind of social studies problems would even be on the test?" "Exactly. At best, you'd think of the most obvious problems. Even if you scoured the textbook for the really difficult parts, if you didn't establish the problem properly, the school would probably turn it down," said Yukimura. "It's ultimately up to the school to decide whether to use a question, right?" I interjected. 92 | "True," said Yukimura. "So, if Class D deliberately submits a number of extreme questions that border on going too far, that would give us a better sense of what's acceptable?" I asked. "That's certainly a good idea," said Miyake. "You're really smart, Ayanokouji-kun," said Hasebe. "We'll probably need to come up with provisional questions as soon as possible so we can identify the school's standards. I'll try to create questions myself, but would Horikita and Hirata be willing to help out?" Yukimura asked. "I dunno. I'm just spitballing here." "You're the only person who can get in touch with them, Ayanokouji," Yukimura said. Miyake and Hasebe nodded. "Well, I'll do whatever I can. Just don't expect too much of me," I replied. Did Horikita and Yukimura both intend to make me their middleman? "Yeah. Okay." Hasebe smiled, her doubts about the study group gone. "Well, I'm not in any clubs, so I'm good. Let's decide when to meet based on what works for Miyacchi." Miyake looked over at Hasebe in surprise. "I thought you were going to back out, Hasebe. This is unusual. You don't normally want to get involved in anything." "If it were just me getting expelled, I wouldn't care. But I don't want to drag you down with me, Miyacchi. You know?" "Well, I suppose this is enough for today. The first study session is the day after tomorrow." Yukimura brought things to a close. As we got up to leave, I realized Sakura still hadn't come over to talk to us. 93 | 5.5 After I returned to my dorm, I immediately contacted Horikita for instructions. "This is good. We'll definitely want to test the school," she said. "Hirata and I are already making progress coming up with questions, but I'd like to know just how far we can go. I'm glad that everything seems to be going well, but are we really sure that Kaneda-kun will be the person in Class C creating questions?" "There's no way to be sure," I replied. "But trying to anticipate the kinds of questions Kaneda would come up with is certainly one way we can handle these study sessions." "I suppose. If we imagine that this test will be full of difficult questions, we might need to try to get eighty or ninety points," said Horikita. "By the way, how did the study group go?" I told her what had happened, though I did exaggerate a little. I tried to make it sound as though I'd managed to make friends. Horikita didn't touch on that subject at all. She only cared about Hasebe and Miyake's academic abilities. "It's quite the coincidence," she mused. "I know, right? For the time being, I'll see what I can do. They seem easy enough to supervise, anyway," I said. "Thank you. Also, there's one more thing. On the days when Yukimura-kun's study group doesn't meet, would you please come to mine?" "That's not what we agreed." "You don't have to tutor. I just want you to manage everyone," Horikita replied. The word "manage" was vague, so vague that I had absolutely no clue what she meant. I understood it as much as I understood the expression "more than friends, less than lovers." Which was to say, not at all. "What do you mean, 'manage'?" I asked. 94 | She sighed heavily. "Too many people need tutoring, compared to the number who can teach. I can't keep my eye on everyone, no matter how hard I try. I'd like you to make sure everybody studies properly," said Horikita. "The teachers manage to teach dozens of students all by themselves, right?" "At the risk of sounding self-aggrandizing, it's not as though even our teachers can watch everyone by themselves. That's why you have some students, like Ike-kun, who fall behind. Even if they fool the teacher into thinking they understood, in the end, they struggle to keep up," said Horikita. "Yukimura-kun isn't accustomed to tutoring, and I'm having trouble with the sheer number of people I have to teach. Ike-kun and Yamauchi-kun are especially problematic. They have shorter attention spans than a kindergartener. Any objections?" "None." "Excellent." "It's okay if I don't go to the night sessions, right?" "That's fine. The nighttime study sessions are significantly better than the daytime ones, anyway, though some of the girls in that group can be troublesome," said Horikita. I guessed that some girls only showed up at the sessions to be around Hirata and didn't mind that Karuizawa was there. That had to be an interesting dynamic. I realized that Horikita didn't mention Sudou among those causing issues. "Has Sudou been behaving?" "Yes. He's taking this seriously, though he still hasn't reached junior high level yet." "I'm counting on you." I still didn't have a good feeling about this. "Oh, yeah. While we're on the subject of the study groups, what about Kushida?" "What do you mean?" "Has nothing changed with her?" 95 | "Of course not. I do think that she'll help. She also promised to attend the study sessions every day," said Horikita. I supposed that, as far as Horikita was concerned, there wasn't much to worry over. After all, it was just the very first day of the study sessions. From my point of view, though, we simply couldn't kick back and casually watch this problem develop. "Have you started creating test questions?" "Of course I have. Mine, Hirata-kun's, and Yukimura-kun's will form the fundamental basis. I wanted more people to help, but the more classmates I involve, the greater the risk that the problems will leak to Class C," said Horikita. "It'd certainly be difficult to rule out any possibility of leaks if we factored in Kushida. Wait, aren't you and her both participating in the evening study sessions?" "Yes, but as long as we don't ask for her help with the test questions, it should be okay." This was pure speculation on both our parts. "Our test questions and answers are Class D's lifeline. If that information leaks, we're doomed," I said. "I'll keep things locked down. But that alone won't solve the issue, will it?" "I'm not worried about the 'creating questions' part. If anything, I fear what comes after we submit them to the school. If you give the final questions and answers to Chabashira-sensei the day before the test, then they'll be out there, ready to be stolen," I told Horikita. Kushida had employed a similar tactic with the participation table during the sports festival. It was more than likely that Ryuuen would make a similar request of her again. "So, the only way we can deal with this is by talking it out with Kushida," said Horikita. "But what do we do if she leaks our questions to Class C?" I countered. "I don't want to think about it," she said. 96