Chapter 6: Good and Evil

Chapter 6:
Good and Evil

 

THE MOMENT I SET FOOT in the classroom the next morning, many pairs of eyes fell on me all at once. But those students quickly looked away from me, in all directions. Then several gazes fell upon me once again, from all over the room. This process began to repeat itself, over and over again.

I was going to be expelled. The reality was that they had already begun taking action to get me expelled. This was precisely what I had sensed just yesterday—the feeling that something was out of place.

Akito, Keisei, and the rest of the Ayanokouji Group seemed no different today, though. The four of them weren’t such incredibly gifted actors that I wouldn’t be able to notice anything out of place about them. Since they were in the same group as me, I was sure the mastermind had naturally made sure no information was leaked to them. Of course, I didn’t intend to make the four of them worry about me. If I carelessly let something slip, then Kei’s involvement in my situation could be brought to light. I had no choice but to deal with this myself.

“Good morning, Ayanokouji-kun.”

“Oh. Morning.”

Horikita, who had just arrived, didn’t seem to notice anything either.

“Sup.”

Apparently, Sudou must have tagged along with her, since his greeting came at almost the exact same time.

“Just so you are aware, this is a coincidence,” said Horikita.

“I didn’t ask,” I replied.

For some reason, Sudou had his nose in the air, looking proud as he headed toward his seat. He probably had nothing to do with my current situation. Sure, he might want me expelled, but if he did go along with what Yamauchi was planning, then it would greatly impact Horikita’s opinion of him. Besides, he wasn’t a skilled enough actor to put up a good poker face.

“…By the way,” said Horikita in a quiet voice, once it was just the two of us.

“What?”

“What did you do?” she asked.

“Is it just me, or am I missing something? Can you explain whatever it is you’re talking about?”

“Regarding me. What did you do?” she asked.

That was a rather abstract question.

“I don’t know what you’re trying to say, but I’m not doing anything. I don’t exactly have enough free time to worry about you.”

“You don’t have the time to worry about me? What do you mean?” she replied.

“Look, don’t worry about it,” I told her.

Class was just about to begin. Considering how Horikita was acting, she probably hadn’t gotten in touch with her brother yet. It seemed like the action was going to happen this afternoon.

6.1

 

IT WAS LUNCHTIME on Friday. The test was happening tomorrow. I, Horikita Suzune, thought back on what happened last night.

Just as I’d been thinking it was time to go to bed, I’d received a text message. I remember feeling like my heart was going to jump out of my chest when I saw the sender’s name. It was a message from my brother. He had written one single sentence.

“Do you have any regrets?”

He’d sent me just that one question. I read his message over and over, thinking deeply, thrown completely for a loop.

What should I do? This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that had just fallen into my lap. If I let this chance slip away… Then the next time I’d be able to hear my brother’s voice would be his graduation ceremony.

After making up my mind, I wrote a message back to him.

“Would you be willing to speak with me?”

Even though all I had to do after typing that message was hit send, my fingers felt heavy. I couldn’t press the button.

“Ah…”

I took a deep breath and hit the send button. All that was remained was to wait for my brother’s response. Just as I began to be consumed by anxiety, wondering if he’d actually respond, I heard from him. In the form of a phone call.

If anything, I felt relieved. I was glad that he called. It saved me from having to watch my hands shake while I texted back.

“…It’s me. Suzune,” I said aloud.

“You said you wanted to talk?” he asked.

“Yes…”

“What did you want to talk about?”

“…Um, well, why did you send me a message like that…?” I asked.

“Is that really important right now? Is that what you wanted to talk to me about on the phone?” he asked in return.

“N-No, that’s not it.” I had a feeling that he was about to end the call, so I frantically denied it, trying to stop him from hanging up. “Actually, if you’re okay with it, would you…mind meeting me, in person?”

“In person?”

“Y-Yes.”

“When you enrolled in this school and rejected my proposal that you drop out, our relationship was over. You do understand that, don’t you?” he asked.

That was the harsh reality of the situation. I couldn’t help but think that he had called me like this only on a whim. That was how distant my brother and I were now.

Honestly, I wanted to talk to my brother about lots of things. About everything that had happened. About everything that was going to happen. But…my brother would never ask me about those things.

“There’s something I want to ask you in person,” I told him.

My brother went silent. I slowly continued speaking.

“This will be the last time… I will not involve myself with you ever again,” I told him.

That was the only thing I could offer him.

“I see. Very well.”

That was the conversation that I had last night.

I was now on my way to meet with my brother. We had decided to meet in the special building to avoid being seen by anyone else, since no one usually went there.

When I arrived at my destination, I saw he was already there.

6.2

 

“SORRY TO HAVE kept you waiting…” said Suzune.

Manabu just stood there quietly. From Suzune’s point of view, her brother hadn’t changed at all. He was still the goal that she’d been chasing all this time.

“I wonder how long it’s been since we’ve talked like this. Just the two of us.”

“…If we’re not counting that time right after enrollment, then it’s been about three years,” said Suzune.

“That sounds about right. So, it’s been that long, hm?” said Manabu.

He thought back to when Suzune was in her first year of junior high. When Suzune had decided that she would enroll in the Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing School, he’d pushed her away. At the time, he’d never thought his little sister would follow the

same path as him. But now here she was, standing before him.

“You said you wanted to talk to me. I’m listening.”

If she came right out and said she wanted to reconcile with her brother, then the conversation would be over right now. Manabu would walk away without a moment’s hesitation. The old Suzune might well have answered that way.

“It’s about the supplementary special exam. I’m sure you already know what the first-years are dealing with,” said Suzune.

“Yes. Classes are being forced to expel students in this exam.”

“That’s correct.”

“And?” Manabu urged her to keep speaking.

Suzune, who had been speaking relatively eloquently and easily thus far, stammered a bit.

“If you’re asking about my personal balance of private points, then I need to tell you that I used nearly all of them during the school camp. If that’s what you’re after, then you’re wasting both our time.”

“That’s not it. I’m not asking you…for that kind of support,” said Suzune.

She steeled herself, as if trying to cut through the hesitation she was feeling.

“Well, what I wanted to talk to you about today is… I… Please, give me courage.”

Having managed to get that out, she continued speaking.

“I want to face this exam head-on. Other people are forming groups and trying to control the vote in order to keep themselves from getting expelled. But I’m sure that they’ll come to regret that down the road. That’s why, I… I want to stand up to them,” said Suzune.

Manabu just looked silently back at her, meeting her eyes as she spoke. As he listened, he thought back to what Ayanokouji had said yesterday. What his little sister was trying to do was not the easy path. But she was trying to do something with her own two hands—something that others couldn’t do. And so, to bolster her resolve, she’d come to meet with her brother.

“Do you have time now?” he asked.

“I didn’t really have any plans after this…”

“I see.”

Suzune was a little taken aback by her brother’s unexpected question.

“Then, before we get into the specifics of your situation, I’d like to ask you something. How’s school been for you?” he asked.

“Huh?”

“Has it been fun?”

“Uh, well… O-Okay,” said Suzune, obviously thrown off. She hadn’t been expecting to be asked a question like that. “I-I’m sorry, but well, uh…”

Even though she seemed unable to answer the question, Manabu didn’t scold her for it.

“Well, if the question is…whether or not I’m having fun, then, I honestly don’t know. But it’s not boring,” said Suzune.

“Is that so?”

Suzune couldn’t begin to understand the intent behind of Manabu’s question. After all, it had been such a long time since she’d had a normal conversation with her brother.

“It seems as though you’ve conquered one of your weaknesses,” said Manabu.

“One of my…weaknesses?” asked Suzune.

“That’s right. You were so focused on yourself that you couldn’t see what was going on around you. Now that you’ve broadened your horizons, you’ve managed to break free of spending your days in boredom,” said Manabu.

“Somehow, you don’t…sound like yourself,” said Suzune.

The Manabu that Suzune knew was a serious, dedicated person, someone who never let others see him smile. Someone who never stopped trying to improve himself. She’d never thought he might conceive of school as something to be enjoyed.

“You’ve only ever seen me as a number. You were fixated on getting high scores on tests,” said Manabu.

“That’s because… Well, that’s because to me, you’ve always been the goal I’m chasing.”

Suzune had said that her brother was her goal many, many times now. And every time Manabu heard her say that, he got a stern look on his face.

“Your goal, huh?” said Manabu.

“…I know. It’s absolutely impossible for me to catch up to you. But even so, I think that trying my hardest to get as close to you as I possibly can shouldn’t be a bad thing,” said Suzune.

Even though she was ashamed of her own arrogance, she still wanted her brother to see just how hard she was trying to catch up to him. Manabu didn’t respond to her feelings, but instead, quietly closed his eyes.

“What does Ayanokouji look like, in your eyes?”

“…What does he look like to me?” she repeated.

“Just tell me your honest thoughts about him,” said Manabu.

“I don’t like him. I don’t like the fact that he’s capable enough to be acknowledged by you, but doesn’t even attempt to make use of his abilities. However, I do think of him as someone that I want to catch up to and surpass someday,” said Suzune.

“Unfortunately, you are not going to catch up to Ayanokouji,” said Manabu.

“Tch…”

“But there’s absolutely no need for you to catch up to him. It’s fine if you just grow in your own way.”

“In my own way…”

Manabu moved a little closer to his little sister. If Suzune closed the distance a little more, then they’d be close enough to touch one another. However, she was unable to take that step.

“Are you scared?”

“…Yes, I am…” replied Suzune.

Ever since she was little, she’d been unable to close that distance. The short distance between them was hopelessly far.

“To close the distance, you need to take that step forward,” said Manabu.

“But what can I… How can I close this distance?”

“You’re inexperienced. But I’ll help you find the answer. So, talk. What are you planning to ask of your class?”

Suzune nodded, and after carefully choosing her words, slowly began to speak.

6.3

 

IT WAS THE DAY before the vote, and class had ended for the day. Tomorrow, each class would be deciding who would get expelled, and that person’s seat would be empty. Even though everyone was anxious, deep down, there was a sense of relief, since they believed that they would be okay.

That was right. Because someone had been chosen to be the sacrifice.

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka was going to be expelled.

Half of the students in class were on board with that plan. Many of my classmates were probably feeling some degree of guilt about it right now, but that guilt was a small price to pay if it meant saving themselves. Those feelings would fade over time. A year from now, they’d only remember that I’d once been a student in their class.

I wasn’t going to hold a grudge against them for it, of course. Everyone was desperately racking their brains to figure out a way to avoid getting expelled. I just happened to be the one who got targeted, is all.

Yamauchi had successfully drawn Kushida into his plan by appealing to her emotions, and talked her into voting for his sake, out of sympathy. Then, Kushida approached others to request they vote as Yamauchi wanted. Since Kushida was trusted by her friends, who’d confided their secrets to her, they couldn’t turn her down.

Yamauchi’s strategy wasn’t a bad one. As the mastermind, he’d taken some risks, and handled things well. It was just a shame that he’d targeted me. If his goal was to avoid getting expelled, then he should have gone after Ike or Sudou, who weren’t capable of fighting back. Well, since Sakayanagi was the one pulling his strings from the shadows, I supposed that was impossible.

Regardless, since it seemed I was about to get kicked out, I had no choice but to make sure someone else got kicked out instead. But this time, I wasn’t going to be the one to make it happen. I was just a student who didn’t stand out. A student who was being targeted by Yamauchi. I wasn’t the kind of student who could defuse a situation like this. Someone else was going to be responsible for doing so.

The expression of the girl sitting next to me was much, much different from what I had expected. She had a completely different aura about her. It was almost as if she’d been touched by something magical.

“All right then, homeroom is done for the day. Tomorrow is Saturday, but it’s also exam day. Don’t oversleep,” said Chabashira.

And with that, the school day was at an end. In that moment, everyone started to get ready to head on back to their dorm rooms. A moment of complete silence.

Okay… Make your move, Horikita. As you are now, you should be able to do it.

My neighbor pushed back her chair and stood up.

“Excuse me, could I have a minute of your time?” asked Horikita, raising her voice to call out to every student in the classroom.

Naturally, that got everyone’s attention, making them wonder what was going on.

“I’m sorry, everyone. But I’d like to ask that you all wait here for a little while longer,” said Horikita.

Even Chabashira stopped in her tracks. Perhaps she was also curious about what Horikita was up to.

“What’s up, Horikita-san?” replied Hirata, responding before anyone else. He was, after all, more sensitive than anyone else when it came to changes in our class.

“There’s something I need to talk to you all about, regarding tomorrow’s special exam.”

“Regarding tomorrow’s exam?”

“O-Oh hey, uh. I’ve got plans to go hang out with Kanji after class, so, y’know.”

“Th-that’s right.”

Yamauchi and Ike spoke up, trying to signal that they didn’t have the time for this.

“You two seem awfully relaxed. Making plans to go out even though someone might get expelled tomorrow?” replied Horikita. When her gaze fell upon Yamauchi, he averted his eyes in a panic.

“That’s… Well, that’s ’cause it’s like, you know, we can’t really do anything about it, so we might as well just prepare ourselves,” he said.

“That’s right. That’s quite an admirable mindset. Unfortunately, not everyone is as admirable as you. What I’m about to say is meaningless unless everyone in class stays. Will you help me out?” asked Horikita.

“What in the heck are you talking about?” asked Yamauchi.

“It’s about tomorrow’s test. About who will be expelled. I’d like to have a serious discussion about this.”

Horikita walked up to the front of the class and stood at the podium, taking up a position where she could scan the room and see everyone’s faces.

“About who will be expelled…? Huh? The heck?”

Yamauchi began speaking noticeably faster than usual. It was probably an unconscious expression of his own guilt, as well as a hint that something was off.

“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking over these past few days. Who should remain? Who should be expelled? How should we arrive at our answer? And today, I was able to come to a clear decision. So please, allow me to go over it with you right here,” said Horikita.

“Please wait a minute, Horikita-san.” The person who stopped Horikita wasn’t Yamauchi, but Hirata. “No one in our class should be expelled.”

“Is that true? Isn’t it possible that there might be someone who should be expelled?”

“B-But, that…”

“Ever since we’ve been informed of this test, I’ve had some significant concerns. Even though we should be evaluating the students in our class and using the results of our discussion to determine who will be getting expelled, the school hasn’t even left us time to do so. That means this is just going to turn into a battle where people will form groups to try and control the vote. As a result, there’s a danger that excellent students who should remain in our class may be expelled. This can’t even be called an ‘exam,’ really,” said Horikita.

The first person to look impressed by what Horikita said was Chabashira. Then, Kouenji spoke up.

“I have no idea what has happened to you, but it’s almost as though you’re a completely different person. Still, I must say, what you’re saying is quite on point,” said Kouenji, clapping. “Let’s hear it, then. What would you like to do?”

“Well, originally, we should have had a discussion and narrowed down the list of candidates for expulsion. But realistically speaking, I understand that would be quite difficult to do now. So, that’s why… I would like to name someone who should be expelled,” said Horikita.

“W-Wait just a minute, Horikita-san,” stammered Hirata.

“I’m sorry, but I’m speaking right now. I’ll provide a proper explanation of the reasoning behind my nomination later.” Horikita continued pushing the conversation forward, wasting no time.

“No, this is not okay. I am completely against doing something that would throw everyone into chaos,” said Hirata, holding his ground. He had his own way of doing things.

“She’s at least got the right to speak, man. Raise your objections after she’s done,” Sudou interjected, trying to get Hirata to stop interfering.

“Yes, yes, it’s just as Red Hair-kun says. This is cutting into my valuable afterschool time, and it will just be a further waste of my time if you continue to be an obstruction,” said Kouenji, speaking up in support of Horikita. He was interested in this discussion, too.

“B-But…” stammered Hirata.

Taking advantage of the opportunity to take the floor, Horikita opened her mouth to speak once more.

“For this special exam… I have decided that Yamauchi Haruki-kun ought to be expelled,” she said.

With all of her classmates’ eyes on her, Horikita clearly uttered the name of the student she was nominating out loud. A number of students had become potential targets for criticism votes through secret conversations, so far. However, Horikita was the first to directly and publicly nominate someone whom we should vote on.

Why had no one else done so, you might ask? The reason was, of course, that whoever did so would naturally earn the resentment of whoever they nominated. Above all else though, if the student failed in their attempt to sway the vote, it was highly likely that they would become a target themselves.

“Wh-Why me, Horikita?!” shouted Yamauchi.

Naturally, the first person to object to this was none other than Yamauchi, growing frantic. If Horikita’s outburst went unchallenged, he’d be a target for criticism.

“There’s a very good reason behind it. First of all, your contributions to the class over the past year have been extremely few,” said Horikita.

“Th-That’s not true though! I’ve always done better than Ken on tests!” shouted Yamauchi.

“He outscored you this time, though,” said Horikita.

“But come on, that’s just been this one time!”

“Okay, let’s say for the sake of argument that your academic performance is superior to Sudou-kun’s. That’s fine. Even so, you are far behind him in terms of physical prowess,” said Horikita.

“Okay, then shouldn’t Kanji be in the running too?! He’s at the bottom of the barrel!” shouted Yamauchi.

It was only to be expected that he’d fight back this desperately. Any student would become desperate if they were singled out like this.

“That’s true. I’m sure there are a certain number of students who are on a similar level. You are correct on that point,” said Horikita.

“S-see? Come on guys, seriously? Nominating me? Give me a break…” huffed Yamauchi.

“But even if we compare you to the rest of them, you’re still a half-step behind. If we evaluate everyone’s value to the class based on the attitude you’ve shown in class so far, number of days you’ve been tardy or absent, as well as strengths and weaknesses, you would be at the bottom of the list. Ike-kun is next in line after you, followed by Sudou-kun,” said Horikita.

“I-I’m a candidate for expulsion too?!” said Sudou, panicking.

“You’ve certainly improved both academically and mentally of late. That much is true. However, that doesn’t undo the number of times you’ve been a burden to the class. Does it?”

“…No. You’re right,” said Sudou.

Confronted with the truth, he accepted it plainly. Ike also wore a serious look on his face, having accepted it as well.

“Come on, you’re just saying whatever the hell you feel like right now! I’m gettin’ pissed, dude! Come on, you are too, right? Kanji? Ken?!”

Yamauchi tried to bring the other two students who were nominated as candidates for expulsion to his side, but they just didn’t have the wherewithal to argue with Horikita.

“Plus, I mean, come on, I’m kinda cute and all, right? Not like a certain problem child, like Kouenji, who cuts class even during special exams!” shouted Yamauchi.

“It is true that Kouenji-kun has some major work to do regarding his behavioral issues. However, he did understand the importance of this discussion. And in terms of skill, the difference between you two is so vast that we can’t even begin to compare. At the very least, he is not a student who should be expelled in this exam,” said Horikita.

Kouenji crossed his arms, a satisfied, audacious smile on his face.

“Well, I ain’t buyin’ it! No! I ain’t buyin’ this at all!”

“Then shall I tell you exactly why you were specifically chosen out of everyone?” said Horikita, calmly zeroing in on him as he continued to throw a tantrum.

“E-exactly why?” stammered Yamauchi.

The strange aura emanating from Horikita made him flinch for a moment.

“There’s definitely something you feel guilty about. Something you haven’t told anyone about, where this exam is concerned. Am I wrong?” asked Horikita.

Yamauchi was overpowered by Horikita’s confident words.

“I don’t got anything to feel guilty about…” he muttered.

“If you don’t feel like saying it yourself, I’ll go ahead and say it for you. You were using Kushida-san as a mediator to bring several students over to your cause, all for the sake of getting Ayanokouji-kun expelled. Weren’t you?”

“Huh?!”

The classroom exploded into noise. Even though half of the students in class knew the vote was being manipulated, they wouldn’t have known that Yamauchi was the one behind it.

“You were trying to get Ayanokouji-kun expelled…?” said Hirata.

He was the person who looked the most shocked, apart from the Ayanokouji Group. There was no way that Hirata, who always remained neutral in class and was close to everyone, would have gone along with this.

“Yes. That is the undeniable truth. Isn’t that right, everyone?”

Kushida had approached many students at the request of Yamauchi, the mastermind. They didn’t make eye contact now, but they were clearly upset if they knew what was going on. This was enough to make Hirata understand that half of the students in class were part of Yamauchi’s group.

“Still… everyone seems much calmer than I had imagined…”

“Your plan started with a small group. Then it steadily expanded outward. If you could concentrate the majority of criticism votes on someone, then that person would most definitely get expelled. Isn’t that right?” said Horikita.

“I-It wasn’t me!” Yamauchi denied it, but didn’t go on to explain further.

“Okay, who was behind it, then?” asked Horikita.

“I-I dunno, man! It’s just, well… I was just told to put my criticism vote in for Ayanokouji!” shouted Yamauchi.

Lying out of desperation typically didn’t end well.

“If you don’t know, then why don’t you tell me who told you to cast your criticism vote for Ayanokouji-kun?” asked Horikita.

“That’s, uh… well…”

“You heard it from someone else, right? Then you have to know who told you,” said Horikita.

Yamauchi raked his eyes around the room, looking as though he was on the verge of a breakdown.

“…Kanji! I heard it from Kanji! Right?!” He threw out the name of his closest friend.

“Huh? Wait, what? I didn’t!” Naturally, Ike denied it.

“Is that true, Ike-kun?” asked Horikita.

“No, no, no, really, I didn’t! I…” stammered Ike.

He was at a loss for words. I supposed that was understandable, though. The person who’d approached him was none other than Kushida. There was no way he could just sell her out.

“Judging by the fact that you can’t seem to give an answer, I trust that means you are the mastermind, just as Yamauchi-kun says?” asked Horikita.

“No, no, I’m not! It’s, uh… Well, it’s just, that Kikyou-chan came to me asking for help… She said that there was someone in trouble and to cast my criticism vote for Ayanokouji,” said Ike.

Now Ike had passed the buck over to Kushida. Of course, there was no way Kushida was just going to sit there and take this situation lying down. She feared the idea of being targeted for criticism votes more than anyone else here, after all.

“Really? You’re the mastermind, Kushida-san? I can’t believe it,” said Horikita.

Horikita was going to go down the list, one by one, until she arrived at the answer. In a situation like this, where one specific person was being targeted, it didn’t even matter if she didn’t know who the mastermind was. The truth would eventually come out if she just continued to confront each person one by one.

“I… Well, someone came to me asking for my help… I couldn’t just refuse them…” said Kushida.

“And who is this someone?” asked Horikita.

Even though Yamauchi had gone so far as to throw someone else under the bus to save his own skin, it came back around to bite him. Still panicking, he tried frantically to pass the blame once more.

“Y-Yeah! I got asked by Kikyou-chan! She asked me to help get Ayanokouji expelled!” shouted Yamauchi.

There was no telling when this chain reaction, which started with a single lie, was going to end.

“M…Me?!” said Kushida.

“Yeah, I’m sure everyone heard it from Kikyou-chan, right? Right? Right?” said Yamauchi.

It was certainly true that Kushida had been entrusted with the role of mediator and go-between. But there was something that many of our classmates knew for certain, and it was that Kushida Kikyou was a student who did things for the sake of her friends. She wasn’t a person who was out to get anyone or put anyone in a tight spot. There was a difference in the amount of trust that Kushida and Yamauchi had earned from those around them.

“I-I can’t believe you’d say something so awful, Yamauchi-kun… You came to me asking for help, and even though I really didn’t want to abandon Ayanokouji-kun, you… So, I tried my best despite that, and still…” said Kushida in anguish, burying her face in her desk.

That was probably all our classmates could have pictured in the first place—a vision of Yamauchi coming to Kushida, practically begging her for her help.

Yamauchi’s situation was rapidly worsening. I was sure he’d felt bad for Kushida, of course, but he had to avoid being the target of criticism votes. The absolute worst-case scenario for him would be getting expelled from school.

“…Kushida-san.”

Horikita called out to Kushida, who was still hiding her face. Everyone probably thought that she was going to offer her a few words of comfort.

“You made a big mistake, too,” she said, reprimanding Kushida with a firm tone. “You probably have the same level of influence in our class as Hirata-kun and Karuizawa-san, and—no, actually, you probably have even more influence than they do. If you call for students to use their criticism votes on someone, many people will follow you.”

“B-But, I would never… I just wanted to help Yamauchi-kun…” stammered Kushida.

“Enough with the sophistry. You’re not that stupid. You should have been able to see from the very beginning what would happen if you helped Yamauchi.”

As Horikita continued to criticize her, Kushida stood up, crying.

“I hadn’t thought that far ahead! It’s just, well, I couldn’t just leave Yamauchi-kun while he was in trouble… while he was suffering… I just wanted to do something…!”

“No, you did see that far ahead. You knew what was going to happen and you just ignored the problem,” said Horikita.

“I…”

Horikita was grilling Kushida almost too harshly, causing her to recoil. Even if Kushida wanted to snap back at her, she couldn’t. It was simply impossible for her to remove her angelic mask right here and right now, and Horikita had to know that.

“You made an error in judgment in this instance. You should have done something at an earlier stage,” said Horikita.

“But I… What am I supposed to do…?”

“Use this as an opportunity to reflect, and try to take actions that will benefit the class in the future,” concluded Horikita, disinterested in listening to Kushida’s excuses. “That being said, the undeniable truth of the matter is that Yamauchi-kun is the main offender.”

She turned her attention away from Kushida, whom she’d temporarily excoriated, and locked on to Yamauchi once again.

“W-Wait a second, Horikita. I already told you, it wasn’t me…” said Yamauchi.

“My, my, this is quite an interesting discussion, I must say. Though I suppose the act of trying to get someone else expelled isn’t all that odd. This exam, all attempts at niceties aside, is really just a battle for survival for those at the bottom of the barrel, after all. Or is there a particular reason why he’s the one being condemned with such fervor?” announced Kouenji.

Apparently, he intended to remain perfectly neutral to the very end. However, everything he’d just said lead right into Horikita’s next pronouncement.

“You’re right. The act of forming a group and trying to force someone out, while certainly not the most admirable, can be thought as necessary for survival—if that were all there was to it, that is.”

“Oh?” replied Kouenji.

“Yamauchi-kun. You haven’t been trying to get Ayanokouji-kun expelled just for the sake of protecting yourself,” said Horikita.

“W-Wait! Look, I’m telling you, I’m not the guy!”

“How unsightly. Everyone in this classroom already believes this is your handiwork,” said Kouenji, before turning to Horikita. “So then, let’s hear it. Why did he target Ayanokouji Boy?”

Horikita nodded her head in response.

“He—that is, Yamauchi-kun—was working with Sakayanagi-san behind the scenes. He’s been acting on her orders,” she said.

The truth of what Yamauchi did was exposed for all to hear.

“My, now that is quite curious. One of our own with connections to Class A? How unsettling,” said Kouenji.

There was probably a reason why Kouenji was really sinking his teeth into Yamauchi like this. Being a target for expulsion himself, he was probably trying to piggyback on what Horikita was doing for safety’s sake. And what she was doing was trying to bring the unnecessary student out into the open and put them on trial before the whole class. Even if Yamauchi hadn’t been working with Sakayanagi and hadn’t targeted anyone in particular in this exam, there was still no changing the fact that he was the most unnecessary student in our class.

Things would probably have turned out like this in the end, regardless. However, it was safe to say that it was thanks to Sakayanagi inviting Yamauchi to work with her that we’d been able to skip a fair number of steps in the process of capturing him.

“Hey, Haruki, were you really working with Sakayanagi-chan? Like, what the hell, man…”

Not only had Yamauchi been hiding that he was the mastermind behind this, but now his connection with Class A had been brought to light as well. Even Ike couldn’t stay calm about this.

“Th-this is total bullshit! Come on, where’s your proof?!” shouted Yamauchi.

“In that case, may I see your phone right now? You should have Sakayanagi-san registered in your Contacts,” said Horikita.

“But that’s… that’s because we’re friends! That’s nothing weird about that!” Yamauchi protested.

It wouldn’t be strange for them to really be friends. However, Ike and the others now remembered that Sakayanagi had blatantly made contact with Yamauchi out in the open. Horikita had probably asked to see Yamauchi’s phone precisely because it would remind everyone of that.

“Dude, are you seriously working with Sakayanagi-chan?” said Ike. Yamauchi’s best friend’s words were filled with scorn.

“L-Look, come on, I already said… I mean, like hell I’d join up with Class A! I’d never betray my friends! I have no clue what you’re talkin’ about! Cut me a break already, jeez…!” shouted Yamauchi, at his wits’ end, pretending to be the victim.

“No. You must have been instructed by her to rally the students in our class and get them to target Ayanokouji-kun. She is significantly cleverer than you are. She gave you precise instructions on how to get Ayanokouji-kun expelled.”

“N-No! No, NO!”

“I’m sure there was something else she mentioned that made Yamauchi-kun more than willing to cooperate. For example, perhaps she said something about a relationship?” said Horikita.

“Ugh!”

Bullseye.

Yamauchi reached a new level of agitation after Horikita pointed out the truth that he’d wanted to keep hidden, Horikita had probably figured that last part out through complete guesswork. But given Yamauchi’s reaction, it seemed her guess was right on the money.

“We couldn’t possibly expel a student far superior to you for such a stupid reason. This is precisely why I am nominating you for expulsion,” said Horikita.

Horikita wasn’t just directing her comment at Yamauchi, but making sure the rest of the class heard, too.

“No one wants to kick one of their own friends out of class. But they hate the idea of betraying your own classmates and colluding with the enemy even more. And you tried to target one of your friends… It’s precisely for that reason that you are someone we don’t need in this class,” said Horikita.

“B-But, I…” Yamauchi was frantically trying to come up with something, anything, to turn his situation around. “Even if… Even if what you’re saying right now is true… Why am I the only one getting blamed for it?! I mean, even if I’m working with another class, trying to defend yourself is just legitimate self-defense, right?! I don’t wanna get expelled!”

“I see. So, what you’re trying to say is, ‘What’s wrong with protecting yourself?’, right?”

It was a pitiful excuse, but Yamauchi stubbornly refused to admit to anything.

“Protecting yourself is certainly important, yes. However, I cannot see any value in a student who would throw one of his friends to the wolves to protect himself, and, moreover, would sell his soul to the enemy,” said Horikita.

No matter how much Yamauchi resisted, Horikita wasn’t letting up.

“Y-You’re just trying to stick up for Ayanokouji because you two are so close!” said Yamauchi.

“No, you’re wrong. This is the result of objective, dispassionate judgment. You and Ayanokouji-kun started from the same place. If we examine how the two of you have progressed since then, the difference in the degree that you’ve contributed to the class is clear. Furthermore, considering your connection with Class A, there’s no longer any room for debate,” said Horikita.

“I have no objections. I’ve concluded that it is preferable that we adopt Horikita Girl’s idea. I certainly can’t be around a student who might betray the class. I say we support her,” said Kouenji, the first to voice support for Horikita’s proposal.

“Wait! I haven’t betrayed anyone! I swear it on my life!” shouted Yamauchi in a last-ditch effort. It was hard to say what effect it had on the rest of the class. “Besides, why the hell would it be Ayanokouji in the first place, anyway?”

“What do you mean?” asked Horikita.

“If I really were working together with Sakayanagi-chan, wouldn’t she have me get rid of someone who spelled more trouble for her? Rather than Ayanokouji?” reasoned Yamauchi.

This was probably something Yamauchi had had his own doubts about, back when Sakayanagi approached him. Why Ayanokouji, and not Hirata or Karuizawa, the people most vital to the class, he’d probably wondered?

“I suspect that the answer is, for better or worse, that he doesn’t stand out. Even if she wanted to get one of the superior students expelled, she couldn’t do so as easily. That’s why, quite appropriately, she chose someone inconspicuous. Perhaps the question of who would get expelled from Class C wasn’t even that important to Sakayanagi-san. Maybe what she really wanted was to have a spy that she could manipulate at will, as her pawn,” said Horikita.

There was no way someone like Yamauchi could counter such a cunning verbal strategy.

“I’m sure some of you might not like what I’m saying right now. If so, those of you who wish to vote against me may do so. Or if you wish to vote against Yamauchi-kun, do that. Or against Ayanokouji-kun. or anyone else whom you’d rather use your criticism votes on. I just thought that I should give you all my personal opinion on the matter. Please take what I’ve said into consideration when you make your own decisions,” added Horikita, showing that she was fighting with a readiness to be axed herself.

Her strategy was probably going to work. However, Sudou spoke up.

“Wait a minute, Suzune… I understand what you’ve been sayin’ so far. And yeah, I get that Haruki’s done some bad stuff.” He had a sad expression on his face. This was a desperate show of resistance from Sudou, who always followed Horikita’s orders. “But I’m against having Haruki expelled.”

“He is your friend, after all. I understand very well how much you care for him,” said Horikita.

She’d already figured that Sudou would support Yamauchi. But he wasn’t going to back down so easily.

“You gotta speak up for your friends. I mean, that’s just obvious, isn’t it? I mean, I know all that stuff with him workin’ with Class A is really bad, but… but he doesn’t have to get expelled for that. Isn’t it okay if he just takes a hard look at what he did and works hard to contribute to the class from here?” asked Sudou.

“In that case, then there’s no reason for Ayanokouji-kun to be expelled, either. He didn’t do anything,” said Horikita.

“Y-Yeah, but—”

“You know that’s not how this works, Sudou-kun,” said Horikita.

Horikita let out a deep breath and dug deep, summoning all the courage that she had been saving up. She steeled herself, prepared to be hated by all of her classmates.

“By protecting one person, you’re abandoning someone else. That’s why this exam cannot be dealt with by using arguments based in emotion. It’s something that requires an analytical approach,” said Horikita.

“I…”

Sudou went silent. His desire to help Yamauchi was palpable, but to save him, someone else needed to be expelled. The act of forming a group and controlling the vote was wrong. Up until today, the day before the exam, everyone in class had been acting according to their own desires. Their minds were filled with negative thoughts, like, They should be expelled or Well, it’s fine even if that person is expelled.

That was exactly why Horikita said hit so close to home, and why Sudou understood it. Sudou realized that you couldn’t serve the class’s best interests if you just wanted to save yourself. If Horikita had made this appeal to the class on the same day the exam was announced, it probably wouldn’t have been as effective. More importantly, if Horikita had made her appeal before she was ready to confront this test head-on, then her words wouldn’t have resonated with the class at all.

But now, everyone in class should understand. They should understand how difficult and how scary it was to take the initiative to expel a classmate.

“Sorry, Haruki… I can’t do anythin’ for ya…” said Sudou.

To be completely honest, I was amazed at how much Sudou had matured. He still had a tendency to get easily provoked and lose his temper, but he’d been gradually broadening his horizons. Even when forced to choose between a very close friend, Yamauchi, and Horikita and I, someone he wasn’t as close to, he remained calm and rational.

“Seems like it’s settled, then,” said Kouenji. He and the other spectators were ready to render their judgment.

“Wait! Wait! Wait a second!” shouted Yamauchi, trying to stop them from passing their verdict. “It’d just be stupid to use your criticism votes on me!!”

“I’ve already made up my mind. There is no one more deserving of criticism votes than you,” said Horikita.

“Yeah, but that’s just you! Everyone else has already promised they were gonna vote for Ayanokouji anyway!” shouted Yamauchi.

“…I take it back…” muttered Kushida quietly, still hanging her head low.

“Huh…?” stammered Yamauchi.

“I made a mistake… I didn’t see what was happening because I wanted to help Yamauchi-kun. So I take back asking everyone to help…” said Kushida quietly.

At this point, Kushida had no choice but to take Horikita’s side if she wanted to keep her reputation intact.

“Wait. What the hell?! You’re breaking your promise! How low can you get?!” shouted Yamauchi.

“You should talk, Yamauchi-kun… I mean, really… betraying your own classmates…” said Kushida.

And now, Yamauchi was completely alone. He finally understood what it felt like to have the whole class turn against you.

“You are the least competent person in class. Also, you’re a traitor,” stated Horikita, calmly and diffidently. “That’s all I have to say. That’s my opinion on the matter,” she added, trying to end the discussion there.

No one seemed able to resist her judgment.

“Finally, I would like to hear the opinions of everyone present. What do you all think?” asked Horikita.

But…

“I would like you to wait just a moment, Horikita-san.” A solitary male student raised his hand and stood from his seat.

“…What is it?” asked Horikita.

If there was a single thing that Horikita hadn’t factored into her calculations, it was the boy named Hirata Yousuke.

“Although I sat and listened quietly to everything you had to say without interrupting, I must say that I object to inciting everyone to vote this way. Friends taking swipes at each other like this is just wrong,” said Hirata.

His statement wasn’t sentimental, like Sudou’s. But it wasn’t based in detached theory like Horikita’s, either. This was an expression of Hirata’s painful resistance, born of his inability to arrive at an answer.

“There is no other way. There are no loopholes. This is an outrageous exam that requires someone in class to be sacrificed. You still haven’t accepted that?” asked Horikita.

“There’s no way I can accept that. I… I don’t want anyone to lose anyone. If it were an expulsion that someone wanted, that would be one thing. But neither Yamauchi-kun nor Ayanokouji-kun want this.”

“An expulsion that someone wanted? No one wants to get expelled. Okay, then, allow me to go ahead and ask the class a completely pointless question. Would anyone in class please raise their hand if they are okay with getting expelled? If anyone comes forward, we’ll have no reason to bicker. We’ll just focus all our criticism votes on that person and that’ll be the end of it,” snapped Horikita.

No one raised their hand. If there actually was such a person, they would’ve stepped forward already.

“Do you understand now?” added Horikita.

“Still not good enough. There is no way I could accept something so awful,” replied Hirata.

The perfect honors student. Someone accomplished both in academics and in sports. And a truly good person. But Hirata Yousuke’s weakness was now plain to see. When placed in a situation where he was forced to make a difficult choice, he became overwhelmed and couldn’t do anything.

“Regardless of whatever you may think, I will fight for what I believe in. So let’s put it to a vote, right here and now,” said Horikita.

“There’s no point in asking everyone to do that. Even if there’s a show of hands right now, there’s no guarantee people will actually vote that way tomorrow,” replied Hirata.

“That’s not true. It’s important in the sense that it would help us confirm the voting trends of our classmates,” argued Horikita.

“No. Everyone… Everyone is trying to get someone expelled, and I just…!”

Hirata was probably afraid that what Horikita was doing right now would cause friction and infighting, laying bare things existing enmities in the class.

“All right, everyone, let’s take the vote,” said Horikita, ignoring him to call for a show of hands. No one could stop her now. It was the moment of truth.

“Horikita-san!”

Thud! The loud sound of something toppling over reverberated through the classroom. No one could have anticipated what had just happened: Hirata had unceremoniously kicked his desk over, sending it tumbling forward.

“Hey, wh—H-Hirata-kun?”

Girls cried out in disbelief. I couldn’t believe it, either. I wanted to think he’d just happened to get carried away in his movements and caught his foot on the desk. Chabashira felt the same way, too. This behavior was both completely unexpected and just impossible to believe, coming from him.

“Would you please stop, Horikita-san?” snapped Hirata. He lowered his voice, as if trying to scare Horikita into backing off.

“…What do you want me to stop, exactly?” she replied, brushing her bangs aside to hide how shaken she was.

“I’m telling you to stop the vote.”

“You have no right…” replied Horikita, her voice trembling slightly at his intimidating words. That was the kind of intensity he was radiating right now.

“This discussion is wrong,” said Hirata.

“If it’s wrong, then what in the world is the right thing for us to do? You don’t know that, either. You’ve been going about your life like normal, doing nothing about this test until today, haven’t you?”

“…So what?”

“…So I’m telling you, that’s a problem. You’re not making a fair assessment.”

“Be quiet…” said Hirata.

“No, I will not be quiet. I—” retorted Horikita.

“Horikita… Just shut up for a second,” Hirata snapped.

Those were the coldest and most intense words that we had ever heard come out of his mouth. Horikita stopped talking. It was almost like the air itself had frozen, after that.

“Everyone, listen.” Hirata changed his tone of voice once again, sounding like an entirely different person as he addressed his classmates. “It doesn’t matter whether everything that’s been said so far is true or not.”

“…It’s not true! They’re lies, Hirata! I’m the victim here!” shouted Yamauchi, who felt nothing but overbearing pressure in this situation.

“Victim?” Hirata repeated.

“Err…”

Hirata’s deep, piercing gaze cut right through Yamauchi. “After everything that’s been revealed, there’s no way you’re blameless.”

“But, that’s, I mean…”

“The way you think nothing of throwing your friends to the wolves is nauseating.” Hirata’s anger wasn’t just directed at Yamauchi. He was angry at the whole class.

“It’s an exam. It’s inevitable,” argued Horikita.

“Even so, it’s wrong to manipulate the vote.”

“The exam’s tomorrow. If we take this text without a plan in place, that’s the same thing as giving our tacit consent to Yamauchi-kun’s betrayal.”

“And what’s wrong with not having a plan for this? We have no right to judge our classmates,” said Hirata.

“What are you even saying…? That’s what this special exam is asking of us, isn’t it? And right now, it’s what many students want,” said Horikita.

She could see this for herself precisely because she stood up at the podium, under the watchful gaze of the other students in class. But Hirata wasn’t going to even try and accept it.

“…Maybe you’re the one that shouldn’t be here anymore?”

His low, intense words carried throughout the classroom. Even now, my brain still refused to register that this cold voice belonged to Hirata.

“It’s true that this exam is incredibly cruel and heartless. I’ll never be able to accept it. But even if I could somehow come to tolerate it, it would only be in the form of a natural class vote. Not what’s happening here, trying to sway others into voting how you want, and dragging each other down,” said Hirata.

“That’s hopelessly optimistic. Almost everyone in class has already gone behind each other’s backs, formed their own groups, and repeatedly discussed who they want to expel and who they want to protect. And Ayanokouji-kun was going to take the brunt of that,” said Horikita.

“You’re right. That’s absolutely awful, too. Still, it’s not the same as blatantly calling out everyone in class like this,” said Hirata.

“It is the same. There’s no difference at all. If you’re going to be a hypocrite about this, you should have tried to stop them from doing that, too,” argued Horikita.

No one could get in the middle of their argument. Hirata was overcome with despair, and Horikita was the only one who could engage with him right now

“Besides, even if we don’t take a show of hands right now, I’ve already shared my thoughts with the class. This ‘natural’ vote you want is never going to happen. You understand that, right?”

“Yes, you’re right… The die has already been cast. You can’t take back what’s been done.”

Hirata took a deep breath and then continued. He’d regained a little bit of his composure, but still seemed as cold as before.

“That’s why, I’m going to write your name on the ballot tomorrow, Horikita-san. I will not tolerate you going against the wishes of the class.”

He had to be aware of the contradictions inherent in what he was saying. But he was still hurting, because he liked all our classmates and because he valued peace above all else.

“Fine. Do what you will.” Horikita didn’t seem entirely dissatisfied, as if was saying she’d accept it if people agreed with Hirata. Chabashira, having watched the two of them clash, quietly approached the podium.

“Are you finished, Horikita?” she asked.

“Yes.”

Horikita offered the podium to Chabashira, and then returned to her seat. Class had already ended for the day, leaving no role for a teacher to play in this. Even so, she daringly stepped forward to address her students.

“You probably hate the school right now. You probably think this exam is completely outrageous. But when you go out into the world, there will most certainly come a time when you must cut someone loose. And when that time comes, it will be those at the top or in management positions who have to bring down the hammer. You, the students of this school, are being groomed to become meaningful contributors to this country. And you won’t grow as long as you see the exams being held here as nothing more than school officials trying to harass you,” said Chabashira.

In the real world, people who brought everyone else down would be cut loose to protect the rest of the group. Naturally, this often involved backroom dealings, verbal abuse, and slander of the kind we’d seen here today. It was certainly true that this special exam contained aspects designed to help us mature as people.

But to force students, many of whom were still children in both mind and body, to make that judgment was far from kind. This test might cause lasting emotional damage.

“I have absolutely no intention of taking a side in your discussion today. I believe everyone’s comments have been valuable. Moreover, I hope that you think carefully before you cast your votes,” she added.

Having listened to our entire discussion and given us those words of advice, Chabashira left the classroom.

So, would it be me? Yamauchi? Horikita? Or Hirata? Or perhaps another student? It wasn’t clear at all who’d be voting for whom in tomorrow’s poll, which meant people might still change their minds at the very last minute.

You couldn’t blame anyone for that, though. That was just the kind of special exam this was.

6.4

 

HARUKA AND THE REST of the Ayanokouji Group came up to me right away. Horikita and Yamauchi had left the classroom immediately after the discussion.

“Hey, are you free right now?” asked Haruka.

“Hm? Oh, yeah, I am,” I replied.

I had actually wanted to talk with Hirata a little bit, but…he’d quietly vacated his seat and left the classroom alone, his face blank. But now that word of what was happening had gotten around, I supposed it wouldn’t be a good idea for me to ignore the Ayanokouji Group.

“Let’s head over to the café,” said Haruka.

Accepting Haruka’s invitation, our group exited the classroom, openly clustered together. Even once we were in the hallway, none of us seemed to want to break away and go off on their own.

“Hey, are you okay with this? If you guys aren’t careful, you could be targeted by Yamauchi’s group,” I said aloud.

“Well, if they’re comin’ after one of us, then I say bring it. I’m never going to let someone from our group get expelled.” Haruka sounded angry, and she was showing no signs of calming down, unlike usual.

“I agree. There isn’t a single reason why Kiyotaka should be expelled,” said Keisei, sharing Haruka’s thoughts on the matter.

Akito and Airi nodded emphatically to signal their agreement.

“I was just thinking how it was weird we never got any information at all. But I guess it all makes sense now, since it was someone in our group being targeted,” said Keisei.

No matter how hard we tried to dig for information, we wouldn’t have turned up even a whisper about the target’s identity. Now that he’d learned why, Keisei seemed convinced.

Once we arrived at the café and each got our drinks, Haruka spoke up once again.

“I think Yamauchi-kun is a good choice for us to use our criticism votes on. Or rather, I think that’s what we should do,” she said.

“I have no objections, but what about our other two votes?”

“Can’t we just pick the people who’re still on Yamauchi-kun’s side?”

“But there was a drastic decrease in such people after everyone found out about his connection with Sakayanagi, right? Even Ike and Sudou openly said that they can’t support him.”

“Yeah, but they’re friends. I think they’ll still give him a praise vote out of pity,” said Haruka.

Her prediction was probably correct. Even though Yamauchi had betrayed everyone, he’d really only acted to save his own skin. To look at the situation from another perspective, you might also say he was just being used by Sakayanagi. There was room for sympathy here.

I suppose it was Horikita who’d incited all of this hate for Yamauchi… Well, no. Actually, it was me. I’d told Horikita’s brother the truth about what was going on. That Yamauchi was the one behind it, but Sakayanagi was pulling his strings. And then I’d had him give that information to his sister. In the unlikely event that Horikita did nothing, I would have done the same thing she did myself.

“I wonder how many criticism votes Kiyotaka will actually get, though? I would think that out of the boys in class, there’s Yamauchi, of course. Then there’s Ike and Sudou. Then there’s Hondou, Ijuuin, Miyamoto, and Sotomura. They’re all fairly close to Yamauchi; I think there’s a good chance they’ll vote in line with him.”

That made only seven criticism votes from the guys in class.

“What about the girls?”

“Horikita-san will give Ayanokouji-kun a praise vote, without a doubt, and Yamauchi-kun a criticism vote. But I’m not really sure what the other girls are gonna do… Do you have any ideas, Airi?” asked Haruka.

“…I think Satou-san and Karuizawa-san probably won’t give a criticism vote…” said Airi.

“Why do you say that?” asked Akito.

“I dunno, it’s just a feeling, I suppose…”

“A woman’s intuition,” said Haruka.

“We can’t rely on that,” said Keisei, no doubt thinking these estimates weren’t certain.

“No, really, don’t be like that. I think she’s right on the money. Besides, the fact of the matter is if Airi says it, it’s probably true,” said Haruka.

“What do you mean, the fact of the matter? Satou aside, what could she know about Karuizawa?” Keisei looked puzzled, his head cocked to one side.

“Come on, just stop questioning it. The point is, I’d say it’s safe to rule out those two as people for criticism votes,” said Haruka.

“I don’t get it…” muttered Keisei.

“But those three aside, we don’t really know about the other girls.”

“Yeah. But there are a lot of girls who don’t really like Yamauchi-kun. Even if they keep their promise to use one vote for Kiyopon, they might still use another criticism vote on Yamauchi-kun.”

“Psychologically speaking, that seems likely. The people who want to protect themselves will probably list the students most likely to get expelled and vote for those people, trying to make sure they’ll be okay no matter who gets expelled They probably see this as a one-on-one battle between Kiyotaka and Yamauchi. The rest of the votes will probably be scattered,” reasoned Keisei, presenting his conclusions.

Kouenji had seemed like the prime target for criticism votes before, but he’d probably gone down a few notches now. To vote against him would be to ignore his abilities. Since there were several other students dragging the class down, Kouenji had probably moved to either the fourth or fifth most likely target.

“I’m sure you’ll definitely be okay, Kiyotaka-kun,” said Airi.

“Thanks.”

I was sure that deep down, Airi was still worried people might use their remaining criticism votes for her. But she offered me heartfelt words of encouragement all the same, not letting her anxiety show.

“Though I gotta say, you seem like you’re the calmest one here, Kiyopon,” said Haruka.

“It’s just that there’s nothing I can really do about this, is all. I’m freaking out on the inside.”

“Don’t worry. Thanks to Horikita, things don’t seem too bad. If anything, it’s like she saved you.”

If it weren’t for what Horikita said, a lot of students would’ve shown up on the day of the vote oblivious to the true goings-on. And they would’ve put my name on their ballots without thinking too deeply about it, concerned only with saving themselves. It was pretty easy to imagine such a scenario.

“But… Where did Horikita-san hear about Yamauchi-kun’s betrayal, I wonder?” said Airi, the question suddenly spilling from her lips. “We’re all close friends with Kiyotaka-kun, so it makes sense that word never reached us, right? I would’ve thought that Horikita-san would’ve been in a similar position, but…”

“Yeah, you’ve got a good point there… Horikita didn’t really seem like she tried to form a group herself.”

Yamauchi was probably pretty pissed about that right now too, thinking someone in the group he’d worked to put together had betrayed him to Horikita. Not that he had the time or composure to realize that and point it out back then, of course.

“I don’t know who, but I’m guessing this means there’s someone out there who doesn’t want Kiyopon to get expelled, right?” said Haruka.

“Yeah. Can’t all be bad apples in our class, then.”

They didn’t notice that the someone they were talking about was, in fact, Kei and me.

6.5

 

ON OUR WAY BACK, we saw Hirata sitting on a bench, a totally blank expression on his face. If anyone else saw him looking like this, they’d probably hesitate to approach him—because no one had ever seen him in such a state before.

“He seems so defeated.”

“Yeah. He doesn’t even look like himself.”

Both Haruka and Akito understood the abnormality of the situation immediately.

“I think I’m going to try talking to him a little,” I said aloud.

“I’d think twice about that, Kiyotaka. Don’t you think it’s probably best if we just leave him alone right now?”

“Maybe. But there’s something that’s been bothering me.”

“Something bothering you?”

“Sorry. You guys head on back. I have a feeling he won’t be too receptive right now if we try to talk to him as a big group. On the off chance he does get angry, I’d rather it just be at me.”

“…All right. But remember, the vote’s tomorrow. It’s probably a good idea not to get him riled up. To be honest, Hirata’s the hardest for me to get a read on right now. I have no clue who he’s going to be using his criticism votes on,” said Akito.

I nodded in response to Akito’s warning and broke away from the group, grateful that everyone in the group understood what I was getting at. They headed on back, but I didn’t go over to Hirata right away. Instead, I took a picture of him looking completely depressed and dispirited from a distance, then sent the picture to Kei along with a short text.

“Hirata.” Not letting this chance slip by, I called out to Hirata right after.

“…Ayanokouji-kun.”

“You got a minute?”

“Yes, I do have time now. Well, um, actually, I wanted to talk to you too anyway.”

Hirata might have been waiting for me. If not, there’d be no point in him sitting out in the cold in a place like this. He wasn’t sitting in the middle of the bench, but near the edge, which could be taken as a sign that he was leaving a space open for someone.

I sat down in the open space beside him.

“The spring thaw will be here soon,” said Hirata.

“Yeah.”

“I…was sure we’d all make it to spring together. Well, no. Even now, I still believe that deep in my heart,” said Hirata, even though what happened today had nearly brought the whole class down.

Despite exposing the most foolish and unsightly parts of himself in class earlier, he remained unchanged at his core.

“I hate having to lose someone,” said Hirata.

“It’s a problem we can’t solve, though. Whether it’s me, Yamauchi, or someone else, a student has to be sacrificed,” I told him.

There wasn’t any emotion on Hirata’s profile.

“Can I leave it to you?” he said.

“Leave what?”

“Class C. I want you to lead the class from here on out instead of me,” said Hirata.

“Don’t be absurd. I can’t do something that big. If you want to protect the people in our class, do it yourself, Hirata.”

“It’s impossible. I just… It’s impossible,” he replied.

I was guessing he hated himself for not being able to make a decision. That was almost certainly what was going through his head right now, but it wasn’t all there was.

“I made the same mistake again. I was so remorseful, spent so much time reflecting on what happened back then, but still…” said Hirata, his voice trailing off.

I could see his regret in the tears welling up in his eyes. How much was this exam hurting him?

“I feel like I can rest easy and entrust everything to someone as amazing as you,” said Hirata.

He let out a sigh, his white breath visible in the cold air. Looking at him now, I saw no trace of the dazzling and enviable leader of our class.

“Hey, for this special exam, it’s okay if you use one vote for me, one for Yamauchi, and then one for Horikita,” I told him.

“So you’re saying to leave the decision to the other students?”

There was no need for Hirata to choose one of the three of us. The other 39 students would do that themselves.

“You really are amazing, Ayanokouji-kun,” said Hirata.

“Not really.”

“As I was sitting here, I was approached by both Horikita-san and Yamauchi-kun. Horikita-san told me to vote for Yamauchi-kun. Yamauchi-kun told me to vote for you. They each had their own way of arguing their case. But you’re the only one not trying to throw someone else to the wolves. That’s not something just anyone can do,” said Hirata.

That was precisely what my strategy was. I’d simply come to the decision that wasn’t a good idea to force Hirata to vote for someone.

“I’m glad we were able to talk. I feel like I might be able to find my answer soon.”

“Is that so?”

Hirata stood up. Perhaps he’d found his own way to get through this exam—not that I was going to allow it, though.

“Should we head back?” he suggested.

The two of us headed back to the dormitory, without saying another word.