Chapter 7: Other Classes' Ideas

Chapter 7:
Other Classes’ Ideas

 

ON THE SURFACE, Class D had seemed no different than usual all through this exam. That was because about ninety percent of the class had been unified in opinion ever since the supplementary special exam was announced. And that hadn’t changed as of Friday, the day before the exam.

Ryuuen Kakeru would be expelled.

A great many of Class D’s students had made up their minds about that without even needing to discuss it, or to conspire beforehand. Ryuuen had been a dictator, and no matter how much you tried to sugarcoat it, his leadership hadn’t yielded good results. In fact, they’d been demoted from their position as Class C, and were now at the bottom.

More importantly, though, many students had suffered under the violence and intimidation of his rule. He took advantage of the weak-willed, creating a situation where they couldn’t talk back to him. He was the root of all evil. If Ryuuen weren’t around, then they at least wouldn’t have been demoted to Class D, even if they couldn’t rise to Class B, either—or so many students thought.

By the time we made it to the third day of the special exam period, many of the students in Class D had already decided to write Ryuuen’s name for one of their criticism votes. The remaining two votes should be scattered around so they weren’t concentrated on one person. That was the only way to ensure that Ryuuen would get expelled.

Ishizaki didn’t really want Ryuuen to be expelled. But matters were complicated by the fact that he was being held up by his peers as a savior—the one who’d supposedly knocked Ryuuen off his pedestal. This left him playing the role of the class’s leader, forced to gather criticism votes against Ryuuen.

Ryuuen understood both what Ishizaki was going through and what stance his class was going to take as soon as he heard the rules of the exam. He made the decision not to resist being expelled.

Which was precisely why he intended to enjoy what little time he had left until the supplementary special exam ended. He also needed to think about where he’d go and what he’d do after leaving school. There was no greater waste of his time right now than to just sit around in the classroom, so Ryuuen immediately left when class ended.

Ibuki watched him go, quietly thinking about how to kill time after class. Ryuuen often invited her to join him, but he hadn’t been doing so of late.

Then, a figure appeared before Ibuki.

“Well, don’t you look sad. What, do you hate the idea of Ryuuen getting expelled that badly?”

“Sigh… You again? Do you enjoy messing with me that much?” Ibuki replied.

“Not really. I’m talking to you because I’ve been worried, is all. Since Ryuuen-kun’s been gone, it seems like you’ve become more and more invisible in class, you know?”

The speaker—the one currently provoking Ibuki—was her classmate: Manabe Shiho. She was the person the rest of the girls in class followed, and she and Ibuki had never gotten along ever since they started school here. They’d clashed more than a few times, but since Ibuki had Ryuuen’s support, Manabe couldn’t really complain about her out loud.

It had to have made her really upset, deep down. What she was doing now, provoking Ibuki, was her way of finally releasing all the anger she’d been holding onto.

“You’re going to use a criticism vote on me, aren’t you, Ibuki-san?” asked Manabe.

“Dunno.”

“Go ahead. I’m going to vote for you. It’d be mutual.”

“…Is that so?”

Ibuki’s unenthusiastic reply irritated Manabe. She wanted to see Ibuki angrier and more upset.

“Aren’t you just relieved that you’re not going to be expelled, Ibuki-san? Even if a few people give Ryuuen praise votes, it still looks like he’s going to get thirty or more criticism votes,” she said.

Manabe might have been acting tough because Ryuuen wasn’t around, but she was far from the only one doing so. The supplementary special exam was tomorrow. Once it started, there was nothing more they could do.

Ishizaki rose from his seat.

“Hey Ibuki, come with me for a sec,” he said, approaching the two girls, who were glaring at one another.

“…Sure, whatever.”

Though Ibuki looked depressed, she took Ishizaki’s suggestion and left the classroom with him. If it meant being able to get away from Manabe, then going with him was a good idea.

“You can go ahead and act all cool and composed, fine. But once Ryuuen-kun is expelled, you’re next,” Manabe said, a strongly worded parting shot. It was almost as if she was implying Ibuki was another person the class needed to be concerned about.

“Okay, so where are we going?” asked Ibuki, once she and Ishizaki were in the hall and out of Manabe’s sight.

“Nowhere, really. I just wanted to chat with you a bit, is all… about the private points Ryuuen-san has. What happened to ’em?” asked Ishizaki.

“What do you mean what happened to them? He’s still got them,” said Ibuki.

“You still haven’t collected them? The exam’s tomorrow, remember? If he gets expelled, they’re all gone,” said Ishizaki.

“Oh, and who was the one who got all worked up and said we weren’t going to take those points, earlier?”

“Well, that’s… At the time, I wasn’t really thinkin’ much about private points and all, and…”

“If you want to get those points so badly, why don’t you just go beg him for them in person? Collect them yourself?” said Ibuki.

“I can’t do that,” said Ishizaki.

Ibuki knew that already, which was precisely why she’d said something so cruel.

“Look, as far as the rest of our class is concerned, you’re the guy who took Ryuuen down. So if they catch you talking to him, they’ll get suspicious. And then they’ll wonder if you’re going to betray them,” she said.

That was exactly what Ishizaki wanted, though, considering his desire to stop Ryuuen’s expulsion. But if he did that, he’d risk getting expelled himself next time. More importantly, the truth that Ishizaki was only pretending to be the person who’d brought Ryuuen down would be exposed. There was no way he could go through with it.

He wanted to save Ryuuen, but he also wanted to save himself. He was stuck between those two conflicting desires.

“I… Ugh, damn it! What do I do…?”

“The best thing is for Ryuuen to get expelled. You know that too, don’t you?” said Ibuki.

“Is that really what’s best? Do you really think we can win at all in the future without Ryuuen-san?”

“He had us put him up on a pedestal, even though he never really produced results. And his behavior was totally incomprehensible. Honestly, the future wasn’t looking bright with him around, anyway,” said Ibuki.

“It’s definitely a gamble, having him around. But without him, Class A might as well be a pipe dream for us,” said Ishizaki.

There was Sakayanagi in Class A, who wielded such complete and total power that even Ryuuen was wary of her. Then there was Ichinose in Class B, with superior team unity at her disposal and consistently good grades. And there was Ayanokouji in Class C, who not only had the kind of physical strength capable of overwhelming Ryuuen, but also possessed unfathomable ingenuity.

The difference in power between their class and the others was clear. Ishizaki was solidly convinced that if they intended to compete with such monsters, Class D needed a monster of their own to match them. Ryuuen Kakeru wasn’t the student they should be losing right now.

“Well, I do admit that Ryuuen’s not exactly normal,” replied Ibuki.

She had her own thoughts on the matter. Strangely enough, her opinion of Ryuuen hadn’t been affected by his defeat at Ayanokouji’s hands. There was something that only Ryuuen possessed, something that Sakayanagi and Ichinose didn’t. It might even be something that could reach Ayanokouji. She found herself thinking about that.

“Damn it…” huffed Ishizaki, irritated.

Ibuki gave Ishizaki a sidelong glance, wondering what she could do, herself. Even Ishizaki, a hothead, was trying his hardest to push through this exam. And here Ibuki was, thinking about saving herself by letting Ryuuen fall.

That was right. Ibuki didn’t have the kind of leeway Ishizaki did.

She was very aware that she was, without a doubt, someone the rest of her class hated. In fact, if Ryuuen disappeared, Ibuki would be the next target. Manabe’s parting words hadn’t been mere harassment.

Still, if Ibuki just stayed quiet, she’d survive this time. She might even find a different path in the days ahead. That was the main thing stopping her from doing anything.

Ibuki thought back to what that guy had said.

“This exam isn’t easy enough that you can save someone just because you want to.”

That guy understood what Ibuki was feeling, the way she thought. That was why she hadn’t seriously considered doing this.

“Hey, Ishizaki.”

“What…?”

“You don’t want Ryuuen to get expelled. Is that really how you feel, deep down?”

“…Yeah. I ain’t lyin’.”

“I see.”

There was absolutely no way anyone would get more criticism votes than Ryuuen.

“I don’t want to admit it, but I feel the same way. Just remember this, though. When Ryuuen’s gone, I’m the next to go,” said Ibuki.

Once Ryuuen was out of the picture, she was next. She laid out that truth for Ishizaki to see.

“I’m going to go meet with Ryuuen tonight and recover those private points. I’m probably the only one who can,” she added.

That way, they’d keep those points around to be used in Class D’s best interests. They would inherit Ryuuen’s regrets and use them to sustain the class.

“So there’s really no other way, is there…?”

“It’s just about all we can do,” said Ibuki.

She had come to a decision. She would take all the remaining private points from Ryuuen. If it was for the good of Class D, then they were assets that needed to be seized.

7.1

 

IBUKI PAID RYUUEN a visit in the middle of the night and without asking him first. The dry sound of her fist knocking lightly against his door resounded through the cold hallway. Moments later, the door opened.

“So, it’s you, huh?” Ryuuen answered the door half-naked, wearing only a pair of boxers.

“…What are you doing?” asked Ibuki.

“If it was something indecent, would that scare you off?”

“I’d just kick you square in the balls and head back to my room.”

“Heh heh. I just got out of the bath. Come on in,” said Ryuuen.

His hair was definitely still wet, so it looked like he was telling the truth about having just finished bathing. Though still wary of Ryuuen’s teasing and his word games, Ibuki entered his room. It was the first time she’d been here this whole year. There were more knick-knacks scattered around the room than she had expected. It felt different from that guy’s room.

“You’re not here because you wanted to spend the night with me before I get expelled, are you?”

Ibuki had no intention of drawing this out by playing games with Ryuuen. She cut straight to the heart of the matter.

“Your private points. Give them to me. All of them,” said Ibuki.

“Huh? Didn’t you turn me down before? Said you didn’t need ’em?”

Drying his hair with a bath towel, Ryuuen took a plastic bottle from the refrigerator. He opened the cap and started pouring the contents of the bottle down his throat without offering any to Ibuki.

“You have no way out of this exam. Which means that money is going to go to waste,” said Ibuki.

“Yeah, that’s right. If I get booted out while holding onto those points, they’ll just vanish into thin air,” said Ryuuen. His secret contract with Class A would be null and void, leaving Class D with nothing.

“So I’ll take them and put them to good use,” said Ibuki.

“That’s pretty audacious of you.”

“This is what you wanted, isn’t it? If you didn’t want to hand them over, you might’ve wound up squandering them all before the end. But there’s no sign you did anything of the sort. It’s like you’ve been telling us to come and get them from you,” said Ibuki.

Ryuuen had been keeping pretty quiet over the past few days. It was clear he’d only used a few hundred or a few thousand points, at most.

“Heh heh. Well now, that is interesting. Okay, fine, take ’em. They’re useless to me anyway,” said Ryuuen, smiling at Ibuki.

He took out his cell phone and started fiddling with it. A minute later, all of Ryuuen’s assets were transferred over to Ibuki.

“Okay, I’ve got them. That means our business is settled, Ryuuen,” said Ibuki.

Just as she moved to put her phone back into her pocket, Ryuuen grabbed her arm. Then, he slammed Ibuki against the wall.

“Hey, what’re you doing?!”

Ibuki immediately tried to kick him, but he grabbed her leg with his other arm and stopped her without much effort.

“You know, I never disliked your belligerent personality,” said Ryuuen.

“Huh?!”

Ibuki looked back at him with hostility, as if ready to retaliate. But Ryuuen quickly smiled and let go of her. It was his way of giving her a final farewell.

“You’re strong. But if you ask me, you leave yourself wide open. You can’t win against Suzune,” he said.

“That’s none of your business,” said Ibuki.

“See ya later, Ibuki.”

Ryuuen looked away from Ibuki, disinterested. He walked over to the front door, as if he were trying to get her to leave. There was a short silence as Ibuki put on her shoes.

“Did you have fun, being here at this school?” asked Ibuki, with her back still to Ryuuen.

“Huh?”

“Nothing.”

If you knew what Ryuuen was normally like, then you knew he couldn’t be satisfied by this. He was going to quietly leave the school, still dissatisfied. When Ibuki stood up and opened the door, a cold wind blew in.

“Goodbye,” she said, leaving behind those parting words as she closed the door behind her.

Ibuki stood in an empty hallway in the middle of the night. A huge number of private points was reflected in her balance on her phone’s screen, but all she felt was empty. She exited the screen.

She immediately placed a call as she began walking down the hallway. The person she was calling might have already been asleep, in which case she planned to leave a voicemail. But the person on the other end picked up just before the second ring.

“It’s me. I’ve collected all of Ryuuen’s private points.”

Once she’d given her report to the person she was supposed to contact, Ibuki’s work was done. Over the phone, that guy had said he wanted to meet with her in person.

“Sure. That’s fine, I guess…”

She was already out, anyway. Agreeing to his request, Ibuki headed toward his room.

7.2

 

IT WAS FRIDAY, the day before the supplementary special exam, and the students of Class B were still hanging around in the classroom after school. Every single student was there. Not a single one was missing. The person standing up at the podium wasn’t their homeroom instructor, Hoshinomiya, but rather, Ichinose Honami.

“Hello, everyone. Thank you all for carrying on as usual this week. I’m honestly really grateful to you for indulging my selfish request,” said Ichinose.

After the supplementary special exam was announced, Ichinose had said just one thing to her classmates.

“I want you all to continue as normal, and get along, until after class on the day before the exam.”

That was all. That was all she’d said—no mention of more detailed strategies. The fact that someone would have to be expelled in this exam was clear, but they would gain nothing from being on edge or getting into heated arguments with each other. You might have expected the students of Class B to be anxious nonetheless, but they had faith in Ichinose, who had proved to them over the past year that whatever she did, she did for the good of their class. They did as she had said.

Their homeroom teacher, Hoshinomiya, felt a hint of uneasiness as she listened to Ichinose speak. As one of the instructors who found this special exam entirely outrageous, she felt incredibly sorry for Class B, who was being forced to suffer through it. The class was strong precisely because they had managed to become a united front, without anyone getting expelled. They were dazzling. And if they were to lose anyone now, it would surely dim their light.

“I know I’ve worried you all… a lot. But I want you to rest easy. I won’t let anyone from our class get expelled,” Ichinose asserted forcefully, reassuring them despite the anxiety apparent in their eyes. What she said was good news, but also raised some questions.

“Is that really okay, Ichinose? To say that for sure?” asked Kanzaki.

This was his way of extending her his consideration, suggesting that she needn’t lie for the sake of her classmates.

“It’s okay, Ichinose. We can prepare ourselves for this,” said Shibata, implying that he wouldn’t blame Ichinose, even if she didn’t come up with a plan.

But Ichinose spoke up once more, still sounding certain.

“Don’t worry. Kanzaki-kun, you taught me something. You told me that only a fool holds power but doesn’t use it. That’s exactly why I’ve been thinking long and hard on this, until I could come up with a solution myself,” said Ichinose.

No one here was going to get expelled. She was sure of it.

“…Okay then, please tell us. How do we stop someone from getting expelled?”

But if she couldn’t present her classmates with proof of her plan, it might be nothing more than her fantasy.

“You know there’s only one way for everyone to survive this supplementary exam, right?” asked Ichinose.

“Yeah. The only way to do it is to nullify the expulsion by using twenty million points.”

“Which is why I want everyone here to entrust me with all of the points you currently have. You won’t have any points to use until April, but that way, we can make sure everyone is safe,” said Ichinose.

“I thought it still wouldn’t add up to twenty million, even if we pool all of our points together?” said Shibata, surveying everyone else in class as he spoke.

They’d already discussed this at length, but it wasn’t like you could use what you didn’t have. They were still millions of points short, a gap that couldn’t be bridged.

“So what? Honami-chan is the one asking. I’ll hand mine over,” said one of the girls in class.

Some of the girls immediately began to transfer their points over to Ichinose, not asking for any further details. Since the whole class sent her points every month anyway, the process felt familiar.

“Well, yeah, I suppose you’re right,” replied Shibata, immediately feeling convinced himself.

He took out his phone, too. Ichinose, whom her classmates trusted implicitly, had been given the responsibility of guarding all the private points that they had on hand. The final balance displayed on her phone was just a little shy of 16 million points.

“Okay. We’re basically 4 million points short, just as I calculated,” said Ichinose.

“How are you going to make up those points? I can’t imagine that the other classes in our grade level or the ones above will give us that kind of money,” said Kanzaki, prompting Ichinose for more details as he calmly sent over his points.

When Nagumo made the offer to lend private points to Ichinose, she promised not to say anything about it to anyone. But she couldn’t keep it from her friends after coming this far. Which was why Ichinose had gotten permission from Nagumo before today to reveal the details of the deal—except the part where dating him was one of his conditions.

“Student Council President Nagumo is going to help. I talked to him about our situation, and he said he would help me cover what we’re short,” said Ichinose.

“The student council president? Can he even give us that many points?”

“Yes. In fact, he even went ahead and showed me how many points he has.” She’d gotten proof that what he’d showed here was correct, later. “We’ll have to pay him back eventually, of course.”

“What is the repayment plan like? And how much interest will President Nagumo be charging us?” asked Kanzaki.

“Would the answer to that question affect what we’re going to do?” asked Ichinose.

“No, I suppose not. No matter how high the interest rate, I don’t think we can ever replace one of our friends,” said Kanzaki, who was of the same mind as Ichinose on that point.

He still considered it important to understand the details of this deal, which was why he was taking the responsibility of asking the questions that other students couldn’t. Ichinose was very grateful for that. Kanzaki was a valuable partner, aiding her by speaking for the rest of the class to represent their feelings.

“The repayment period is three months, and there is no interest,” said Ichinose.

“Wait, he’s okay with us not paying interest, even though we’re borrowing that much…?”

Given the complexity of the situation, no one would have been surprised if Nagumo had imposed an interest rate on the loan. The president, who was willing to lend Class B money without interest, seemed like their savior.

“I’m sure this will inconvenience you all for a while, but… Are you okay with this plan?” asked Ichinose.

“Amazi—I knew you could do it, Ichinose! Heck yeah, we’re all for it!”

Her classmates were all on board.

This was exactly why Ichinose Honami would never let anyone get expelled. This was the reason for her resolve to protect her friends.

7.3

 

THAT NIGHT, Ichinose called Nagumo on the phone to finally confirm the arrangements for tomorrow’s exam.

“Nagumo-senpai. It’s Ichinose.”

“Oh, Ichinose? If you’re calling me, I’m guessing it must be about our deal, right?”

“Yes. I talked to everyone in Class B today. So, I thought I’d check with you just one more time and confirm everything.”

“My conditions haven’t changed. Gather as many private points from your classmates as you possibly can. Don’t leave even a single point unaccounted for. We can’t have you getting off the hook without each member of your class sharing in the pain and suffering, after all,” said Nagumo.

“I suppose so. I think so, too.”

Nagumo wasn’t going to hand over the points necessary for Ichinose to save everyone while the other students in her class still had pocket money left over. That was one of his conditions. He had a massive number of private points saved up—nearly ten million, in fact—but obviously couldn’t lend out all of them.

Even if Nagumo hadn’t said anything, though, Ichinose would have done all she could to reduce the amount she needed to borrow. Even if it was just by one point.

“How many points are you short?” asked Nagumo.

“Four million, forty-three thousand and nineteen points.”

“I see. Welp, I can cover that. That’s keeping the strain on my account to a minimum, really. Still, there’s no getting around the fact I’ll be at a considerable disadvantage in the upcoming exams.”

“Yes…”

The burden that Nagumo was taking on was significant. If anyone from his own class were to get expelled in the next exam, he’d have to take action to compensate for that. When that time came, it was possible he might fall short because of the four million points he was lending out now. Ichinose was painfully aware of how fortunate she was to be offered this.

“I’m terribly sorry for making such a selfish request,” she said.

“Nah, it’s fine. Not leaving anyone behind is definitely a ‘you’ kind of plan, I gotta say. Oh, just one more thing. You do remember the other condition I have for lending you those points, right?” asked Nagumo.

“…Yes. You mean that I, um, that we would start going out, right…?”

“Yep. I’m prepared to transfer you those private points right now, if you agree to those terms,” said Nagumo.

“…The deadline to decide is at midnight, right?” asked Ichinose.

“You’re still hesitating? Isn’t having someone from your class be sacrificed the thing you want to avoid most?”

“Yes, of course I want to avoid that. It’s just, well, I’m feeling a little anxious.”

“Anxious?”

The words were almost painful to get out. Ichinose swallowed them, but then strained once more to get them out.

“Senpai, do you… Well, um, do you like me?” she asked.

“What?”

“O-oh, nothing. I’m sorry. That was a rude thing to ask… It’s just that, well, I thought that was what dating was all about. That it stemmed from those feelings…” said Ichinose.

“If I disliked you, I wouldn’t have put that condition on our deal,” answered Nagumo without missing a beat.

Ichinose was happy to hear him say that, but still couldn’t hide her anxiety.

“If you accept that, then I’ll send you the points right now,” said Nagumo.

“Please wait. I…want to keep trying my best. Until the last minute.”

“Haven’t you been doing just that these past few days?”

With every second that passed, Nagumo’s deadline was getting closer and closer.

“You couldn’t borrow any points from the other second-years, or from the third-years, right? And it’s even less likely that you’d be able to get any from other first-years, since they’re your enemies,” he said.

Nagumo was well aware he was the only person who could afford to lend her over four million points. Still, he didn’t press Ichinose too harshly. After all, it was clear it was only a matter of time before she came to him for help.

“Be careful. I’m the kind of guy who is very picky about his time.”

“I understand. I will most definitely contact you later.”

Ichinose ended the call. She leaned up against the wall, letting out a deep sigh.

Protecting her classmates was her first and foremost priority. And if Nagumo could help her do that, then she felt like she should accept his conditions. However, Ichinose had no experience when it came to romance. She couldn’t imagine it was normal to start a relationship with someone this way.

More importantly, though…her heart told her this would be a mistake. That there was no point to dating someone unless you both liked each other. If the feelings were one-sided, it was meaningless. And once you did start dating, you couldn’t break up that easily.

“Sigh… I should have already made up my mind about this, but…”

It was a little after nine at night. Ichinose would have to give her answer in less than three hours.

She let out another heavy sigh. If she persevered, she could save her classmates. If that was the best and only option available, then…

But even so, even at the very last possible moment, her heart was telling her to pump the brakes. She had an ominous premonition that she would cease to be herself if she accepted such a condition.

“No. Come on, Ichinose,” she said to herself.

Why bother trying to change your mind once again after coming this far? If she didn’t reach an agreement with Nagumo right here and now, someone from Class B would get expelled.

“…All right,” said Ichinose, lightly smacking both of her cheeks at once to psych herself up. “I’m… going to protect everyone.”

Having found her resolve once more, she smiled quietly to herself.

7.4

 

LET’S REWIND to a few days before Ichinose came to a decision about accepting Nagumo’s conditions. Back to the day the supplementary special exam was announced.

Class A, unlike the other classes, had welcomed this exam with open arms. This was because they’d come to a clear conclusion faster than any other class.

“The rest is for you to discuss among yourselves. Please come to a conclusion on the day of the exam,” said their homeroom instructor, Mashima, once he was done explaining the rules.

He gave them the rest of the period to discuss. Sakayanagi began to speak, still seated.

“I think I would like Katsuragi-kun to make his exit in this exam,” she said, nominating Katsuragi without hesitation.

Katsuragi, eyes closed and arms crossed, remained completely still.

“Wh-What the heck is that?! That’s totally unfair!” Totsuka Yahiko, loyal to Katsuragi, was the only person to show any resistance to Sakayanagi’s proposal.

“Stop, Yahiko.” However, Katsuragi flatly brushed Yahiko aside, asking him to stand down.

“B-But, Katsuragi-san!”

“I intend to accept whatever happens,” said Katsuragi.

“It would appear there are no objections. Or rather, that there’s no room for any objections,” said Sakayanagi.

The majority of Class A was already part of Sakayanagi’s faction. Some students were uncomfortable with the situation, but not enough so to rebel. In the interests of making sure they could graduate safely and securely, they still fell in line with Sakayanagi. The only person who resisted was Totsuka, who had blind faith in Katsuragi. But Katsuragi himself understood better than anyone how pointless resistance was.

“Well then, let’s decide via a show of hands. Those of you who don’t mind having Katsuragi-kun be the one we sacrifice in this supplementary special exam, kindly raise your hands,” said Sakayanagi.

All their classmates raised their hands at once. Excluding Totsuka, Katsuragi, and Sakayanagi, all 37 other students agreed with the motion. Mashima quietly averted his eyes, as if he had expected things were going to turn out this way.

“Well then, it would appear that discussion of this test is at an end,” he said.

“Are you really going to take this?!” shouted Yahiko.

“It’s fine, Yahiko.”

Totsuka resisted until the very end, but Katsuragi didn’t even try to argue with Sakayanagi.

“The contract I entered into is still valid, even now. It’s because of that contract that Class A has been pointlessly funneling private points to Ryuuen in Class D. I accept full responsibility,” said Katsuragi.

“B-But we got Class Points because of it, right?! It’s not like we’re really losing anything, then! Besides, if anyone’s getting expelled from Class D, chances are it’ll be Ryuuen! If that happens, the contract will become null and void even without your expulsion, Katsuragi-san!” yelled Totsuka, frantically doing his best to piece together an argument. “Don’t think you can do anything you want just because you’re the class leader!” he added, snapping at Sakayanagi.

“Enough, Yahiko.”

Totsuka was the only one getting heated, so Katsuragi once again reeled him back in. He spoke in a much firmer tone than before.

“Katsuragi-san…!”

Even though this situation had to be hitting Katsuragi harder than anyone else, he worked hard to maintain composure. Totsuka, moved, sat back down in his chair and hung his head low.

“Well, personally speaking, I wouldn’t have minded if he kept going. It was a rather interesting speech,” said Sakayanagi.

“It’s fine. I have no objections to the plan to expel me.”

“Is that so? I suppose we should act in accordance with your wishes then, Katsuragi-kun,” said Sakayanagi.

With less than five minutes of discussion, Class A had reached a decision about the supplementary exam. The students resumed their normal activities, passing the time as if there had never been a test at all. Katsuragi got up from his seat and walked out into the hallway to be alone. Naturally, Totsuka came running after him.

“Katsuragi-san, do you really not have any objections to being expelled?!”

“…There’s nothing that can be done. Students with influence have an overwhelming advantage in this test. No matter how hard I fight back, there is no way I can counter the number of criticism votes Sakayanagi’s faction wields,” said Katsuragi.

“B-But, I’m sure there are students out there who aren’t happy with Sakayanagi. If we get them together, then—”

“You’ve helped me many, many times before today, and I am grateful for that,” said Katsuragi.

“Katsuragi-san…”

“But, after I’ve been expelled, follow Sakayanagi. If you foolishly oppose her, then you will be her next target, Yahiko.”

It was precisely because Katsuragi knew that that he’d wanted to avoid letting Totsuka clash with Sakayanagi earlier.

“Those are my final instructions for you,” said Katsuragi.

“…D-damn…!”

His face contorted with frustration, Totsuka could only manage to nod in response.

7.5

 

“SHALL WE BE GOING, Masumi-san?” said Sakayanagi after class, that same day, calling over to Kamuro as she stood up from her seat.

“…Sure,” replied Kamuro.

“I’ve heard there’s a new drink being served at the café in Keyaki Mall. How about we go get one on our way?”

This weekend, one of their classmates would be expelled. A student whom Sakayanagi had nominated herself, no less. And yet, even so, she was acting the same as usual.

“Hey.”

“What is it?”

“…Nothing.”

Kamuro changed her mind, deciding it would be pointless to even ask. Sakayanagi’s cold-blooded decision

might seem inhuman, but Kamuro was a similar kind of person, which was precisely why she felt it might be absurd for her to point that out.

A phone call broke the silence between the two of them. Sakayanagi took her phone out of her pocket and answered it with a thin, happy smile on her lips. “Good day to you, Yamauchi-kun. I was hoping that I would get a call from you about now.”

“You’ve sure got strange taste in guys…” muttered Kamuro.

Seeing Sakayanagi talking to Yamauchi wasn’t exactly an unusual sight these days. They would call each other on the phone almost daily, chatting away about trivial things.

“Today? Not at all, I don’t mind. Let’s meet. I’m afraid that I do have a minor prior engagement first, so I’ll have to meet you after that,” said Sakayanagi.

Based on the content of their conversation, Kamuro immediately understood that this was yet another lovey-dovey phone call from Yamauchi.

“I’m walking right now, though, so I’ll have to get back to you later,” she added, ending her call just a few seconds later. “Well, then. It’s been decided that I’ll be meeting with Yamauchi-kun tonight.”

“Seems like you’ve been talking to him a lot lately. What are you planning?” asked Kamuro.

“He’s caught my interest,” said Sakayanagi.

“Caught your interest? Meaning you like him?”

“Would it be strange if I did?”

Kamuro pictured Yamauchi and just shook her head. “You’re joking, right?”

“Yes. I’m joking.”

“Jeez…”

“I’m training him. To see if I can use him to spy on Class C,” said Sakayanagi.

“Training him…? It can’t be that simple, can it?”

“Actually, in his case, it is that simple. Also, since a rather interesting exam has just been announced, I was thinking of using him as a test subject,” said Sakayanagi.

Her words were half-true, half-lies. Even though Kamuro was part of her entourage, Sakayanagi didn’t trust her completely, so she hid what she needed to when she spoke to her.

“Let’s meet with him today. You’ll have some idea of what my goals are, after that.”

Sakayanagi smiled happily as she imagined what was about to happen.

7.6

 

THAT NIGHT, Sakayanagi and Kamuro met up with Yamauchi at the Keyaki Mall. They used the karaoke room as their meeting spot, so they wouldn’t be seen by anyone else.

“So, uh… I see Kamuro-chan is with you again today,” said Yamauchi.

“I’m sorry. I’m still kind of shy about going out on a date with just the two of us…” replied Sakayanagi.

“N-No, it’s fine! Totally fine! Seriously, I’m just happy to be able to even go on a date like this!”

Yamauchi, who wanted desperately to be liked, did his best to put on a smile. In truth, if it’d just been the two of them alone tonight, he would’ve confessed his feelings and asked her out. He wanted to make things official, be her boyfriend for real—but he pushed that down, trying as hard as he could to just grin and bear it.

“Yamauchi-kun. Will you be all right in this special exam?”

“Huh?”

“If you’re going to be all right, then it’s fine. I was just…” said Sakayanagi, intentionally leaving a pause before speaking again. “If you do get expelled, we won’t be able to meet like this anymore, Yamauchi-kun. That’s…the last thing I want to happen.”

Even though Sakayanagi’s cute and innocent act made Kamuro feel sick to her stomach, she didn’t let it show on her face. This was, at best, Sakayanagi just toying with him. Besides, Kamuro thought, if she let every single thing Sakayanagi did get to her, she’d have a breakdown before long.

“I-I don’t want that, either!” shouted Yamauchi.

“So we both feel the same?” Sakayanagi patted her chest lightly and breathed a sigh of relief. “If there’s something troubling you, you can talk to me.”

“But—”

“It’s true that you and I are technically enemies, Yamauchi-kun. But this test is a different matter. There’s no reason to compete with the other classes, is there?” said Sakayanagi.

“Yeah, you’ve got a point there…”

“It might be possible for us to cooperate, instead.”

“Cooperate…?”

That was an idea that had crossed Yamauchi’s mind, as well.

“This is just an example, but…I could use my praise vote for you, Yamauchi-kun,” said Sakayanagi.

Hearing that, Yamauchi gulped. People wanted as many praise votes as they could get from the other classes. Students at real risk of expulsion needed them so desperately they could practically taste it.

“Y-you’re seriously going to help me?” he said.

“If you are in trouble, I will gladly cooperate,” said Sakayanagi.

Although Yamauchi looked calm and composed on the outside, internally, he was jumping for joy. Her kind words left him elated. He’d never had such a warm conversation with a girl in his life. It would have been mortifying for him if Sakayanagi found out how inexperienced he was when it came to love.

“I… To tell you the truth, people in my class seem like they’re kinda jealous of me. So, uh, well, I’m worried that those people are gonna use their criticism votes on me,” said Yamauchi.

“Jealous?”

“Because I’m the only one who can meet with you like this, Sakayanagi-chan.”

“I see. I have absolutely no interest in other boys.”

He couldn’t possibly, under any circumstance, bring himself to say he was a potential candidate for expulsion because his grades were bad. Yamauchi wanted to make himself look good, so that Sakayanagi would like him.

“But I understand. So I’m going to teach you a secret plan to save you, Yamauchi-kun.”

“S-Secret plan?”

“Yes. Please find and persuade potential allies to join you. Roughly half of the people in your class. Then, target one specific person and have that person expelled,” said Sakayanagi.

“Wait… But, if I do that, then they might come after me…!” said Yamauchi.

“Yes, you’re right. Anyone would be afraid of being seen as a ringleader, in this situation. After all, if you end up carelessly hurting the wrong person as a result, you might end up getting criticism votes instead.”

Yamauchi nodded.

“Which is why I’ll help you.”

“H-how?”

“I have about 20 allies in Class A who follow me. I will call on all of them to use their praise votes on you, Yamauchi-kun.”

“Huh?!”

“Besides, I’m sure you have more than few classmates who are going to give you praise votes too, right, Yamauchi-kun? If you include those people, then supposing even if you do get thirty criticism votes or more, we’ll be able to offset those votes. It is unlikely that you will be expelled,” said Sakayanagi.

“A-Are you being serious?”

“Of course. But, even if you do gather 20 votes, we cannot say for certain that you will be absolutely safe. Which is precisely why I’d like you to take the lead and go after one specific student,” said Sakayanagi.

“…Who?”

“Yes, that is a good question… Obviously, we cannot eliminate anyone who would be useful to Class C. Masumi-san, can you think of any suitable candidates?”

“…What about someone like Ayanokouji?”

“Ayanokouji-kun, hm? I’ve heard that name before, but…”

“Oh, uh, well, he’s the kinda guy who just blends into the background. How do I explain it…?” said Yamauchi.

“That’s quite all right. No need for details. It sounds as though he might be the perfect candidate. You’re not particularly close with him though, are you?”

“Oh no, not at all! We’re just classmates!”

“In that case, let’s make him the sacrifice,” said Sakayanagi.

“But…”

Yamauchi’s desire to save himself clashed with his inability to sacrifice one of his classmates. But it went without saying that his desire to protect himself was far, far stronger.

“I think it would be truly painful to cut ties with a classmate, no matter what kind of relationship you have. So let’s not dwell on that too much, hm? I think we’ve chosen an appropriate target. All we need to do is follow through,” said Sakayanagi.

Her smile seemed to say that if it wouldn’t hurt as much if they did that.

“Next week on Monday, after the exam is over, would you meet with me? Just the two of us? There’s something I’d like to tell you then, Yamauchi-kun. Something very important,” said Sakayanagi.

“Wha—?!”

Sakayanagi had delivered the final coup de grâce, ensuring that Yamauchi was hooked. His delusional fantasies ran wild, interpreting what she said as a sign of a confession of love. Yamauchi would do whatever he could to prevent his expulsion, no matter the cost, if it could turn those fantasies into reality.

More importantly, if he didn’t successfully carry out the strategy Sakayanagi had proposed, it might sour her opinion of him. That thought, too, had occurred to him.

“Then let’s begin by identifying the people who seem to be close to Ayanokouji-kun. It would be best if we can get him expelled quietly, without him hearing anything about it.”

“G-got it.”

“However, before that, a word of warning, Yamauchi-kun.”

“Warning…”

“Please do not tell anyone that I and the other students in Class A will be using our praise votes on you. If we carelessly let that slip, then we run the risk of you being resented by your classmates.”

“Oh yeah, that’s true…” It was clear as day that the other students would grow jealous and hostile if they found out Yamauchi was the only one home safe. “Got it. I promise I won’t say anything.”

“Thank you.”

“But… u-um, well…”

“What is it?”

“Well, it’s not like I’m, you know, doubting you at all or anything, but… Are you really going to use your praise votes on me?”

“Are you saying you’d like it in writing, then?”

“It’s just that I’m really worried, and…”

Yamauchi’s anxiety was to be expected. A verbal promise wasn’t iron-clad.

“Do you think I’ll betray you, Yamauchi-kun? There’d be no benefit to me, even if I did that. But if you’re saying you can’t believe me, then…let’s just pretend this conversation didn’t happen. If you can’t trust my word on this, then I suppose I need to reconsider meeting with you next week, too,” said Sakayanagi.

“W-wait! I believe you, I do!” As Sakayanagi attempted to pull out, Yamauchi frantically tried to keep things together. “I’m sorry for doubting you…”

“It’s all right. I understand you’re feeling anxious.”

Sakayanagi, smiling gently, gave Yamauchi one final warning.

“And also… Yamauchi-kun, if you ever happen to do something like secretly record our conversations or take pictures on the sly, our relationship will be over that very instant. You and I will become enemies.”

“D-don’t worry. I’d never do anything like that!”

“Good. Well then, Masumi-san, please perform a body search.”

“Wait, me?”

“If you please.”

“…Fine.”

Despite sounding reluctant, Kamuro proceeded to pat Yamauchi-kun down.

“Things are getting quite interesting,” said Sakayanagi.

This was nothing more than a game to her. As far as she was concerned, the outcome had already been decided long ago.

After Yamauchi left, Sakayanagi stayed behind in the karaoke room with Kamuro.

“You’re still not headed back?”

It was now a little after eight o’clock. Students could only come in until nine. Stores were going to close soon.

“What do you think of my strategy, Masumi-san?”

“What do I think…?”

“Ayanokouji-kun is no ordinary person. You understand that too, don’t you?”

“Well, I know that you’re extremely interested in him,” said Kamuro.

“But that’s not all, right? You’ve seen him up close before, Masumi-san. I’m sure you sensed it.”

Kamuro couldn’t put her finger on it, exactly. The impression she had of him was of someone enigmatic, but also unpleasant.

“Don’t you think he’s strong?” asked Sakayanagi.

“…How strong?” asked Kamuro in return.

“The likes of Katsuragi-kun, Ryuuen-kun, and Ichinose-san are no match for him,” said Sakayanagi.

“Huh? Wait, then what about you?”

“Who can say? I have to wonder.”

“…You sound like you’re serious. I can’t believe you’re saying this.”

Kamuro was shocked. She’d been sure Sakayanagi would immediately say she could beat Ayanokouji.

“I can beat him, of course. But it’s also true that I can’t see the full extent of his abilities. Well… No, I suppose that’s not quite right. Maybe there’s a part of me that wants Ayanokouji-kun to be an opponent even I can’t hope to compete with.”

A mysterious feeling, that. One she’d never felt before.

“I hope to see him get serious before he is expelled by my hand,” she added.

That was what she wished for, from the bottom of her heart.

7.7

 

SAKAYANAGI AND YAMAUCHI came to their agreement on Tuesday. Starting the next day, Sakayanagi continued to receive reports from Yamauchi. While moving around chess pieces that she had placed on the board before her in her room, she kindly instructed Yamauchi on what to do and how to make it through this exam.

“I see. That many people will be using their criticism votes on Ayanokouji-kun then, hm?” asked Sakayanagi.

Twenty-one people, in total. Yamauchi had gathered more supporters than Sakayanagi had expected. She was impressed. Things probably wouldn’t have gone so well if he’d been acting alone, though.

“Yamauchi-kun.”

“Wh-What is it?”

“It looks as though asking Kushida-san to act as the intermediary was the correct decision after all,” said Sakayanagi. Kushida was the kind of person who kept her classmates in mind when choosing her next move.

“Well, yeah. It’s just like you said, Sakayanagi-chan.”

Sakayanagi had determined that if Kushida couldn’t easily turn down Yamauchi if he went to help. More importantly, she’d also learned a few interesting tidbits of information regarding Kushida.

“When you asked her to help you, did you cry your eyes out to persuade her?” asked Sakayanagi.

“I-I didn’t do anything that uncool!” shouted Yamauchi.

Sakayanagi and Kamuro had a conversation with just their eyes, both of them concluding that yes, Yamauchi had probably begun bawling to convince Kushida to help him.

“It would appear that your negotiation skills are exemplary, then,” said Sakayanagi.

“Well, yeah…”

“At any rate, I’ll contact you again tomorrow regarding who you should draw in.”

“Got it.”

Crucially, tomorrow was Thursday. Sakayanagi decided the real question, now, was how Yamauchi could expand his reach to win more of his classmates to his side. When she ended the call, Kamuro spoke up.

“Do you really think Kushida would help get someone kicked out of school?”

“If someone comes crying to her, there’s no way she won’t try to help them. And you have to be a good talker if you’re going to draw in this many students. This student, Kushida-san, appears to have quite the silver tongue.”

Sakayanagi, holding her queen, looked at Kamuro.

“What do you think will happen next?” she asked.

“At this rate, Ayanokouji will get enough criticism votes to be expelled… But, if he’s as powerful a foe as you say, won’t he try and do something about it?”

“Even if he doesn’t know that he’s being targeted?” asked Sakayanagi.

“He doesn’t know the method, though.”

“He is always wary. Even if he doesn’t know that he’s being targeted now, considering the nature of the exam, he won’t rule out the possibility of getting some criticism votes. Given that, he’ll think of countermeasures ahead of time.”

“…What kind of countermeasures?”

“Like proving in front of everyone that there’s a student who’s holding the class back. It could be for any reason, but the more incompetent the student, the more immediately effective the method would be.”

Sakayanagi could imagine a scenario that might play out in Class C a little further into the future.

“Take for example, Yamauchi-kun. He’s working with me to eliminate a friend, Ayanokouji-kun. If something like that were to come to light, then he’d be the ideal candidate for such a countermeasure.”

“So, you’re saying that it doesn’t matter to you whether it’s Ayanokouji or Yamauchi who gets expelled.”

Sakayanagi took the opposing king with her free hand.

“No. You need to save the king for last,” she said.

She controlled every single move made in this game.

7.8

 

IT WAS FRIDAY NIGHT, the day before the exam, and Sakayanagi was in the karaoke room, preparing for tomorrow’s test.

“What’s the situation?”

There was a total of four people there, including Sakayanagi. The other three were Kamuro, Hashimoto, and Kitou.

“It would appear everything was brought into the open today. Horikita-san got wind of what was going on and revealed that I was working with Yamauchi-kun. I wonder where in the world this leak could have been?” said Sakayanagi, grabbing a single French fry and popping it into her mouth.

One of the students watching spoke up. “Sakayanagi, the leak came from Karuizawa. I said it before, didn’t I? I said that if you really wanted to make sure that Ayanokouji would get kicked outta school, Karuizawa shouldn’t be brought into Yamauchi’s group.”

Hashimoto Masayoshi. He was one of Sakayanagi’s close followers, and a student who had developed suspicions about Ayanokouji completely on his own. While in the process of tailing Ayanokouji, he’d seen him meet with Karuizawa in secret. And so, Hashimoto had advised Sakayanagi not to include Karuizawa in Yamauchi’s group. At first, Sakayanagi had agreed. But on Thursday, she changed her mind. And now, the truth had gotten out.

“Wouldn’t the best strategy be to make sure Ayanokouji didn’t know he was being targeted until the exam was over? Didn’t I say that?” said Hashimoto.

“Yes. I remember your advice quite well. You said that Ayanokouji-kun and Karuizawa-san might have some kind of unusual relationship. In other words, if she found out, chances were high that word would inevitably reach Ayanokouji-kun.”

That was exactly why Sakayanagi had decided to postpone putting Karuizawa in Yamauchi’s group. She purposefully waited until Tuesday and Wednesday had passed, and then did so on Thursday. Given what had happened today, she could conclude it was highly likely Karuizawa had leaked information to Ayanokouji.

“You made a bad move, huh, Sakayanagi?” said Kamuro, who had been listening to the conversation so far.

Hashimoto offered his analysis of why Sakayanagi had made such a poor move.

“If we managed to rope in Karuizawa, the leader of the girls in her class, we could have rained down criticism votes on Ayanokouji from all sides. It’s possible we could’ve exceeded our goal of 20 votes and gotten closer to 30. You got a little greedy,” he said.

“I knew they were going to have a class trial. It was only a matter of time.”

“But if this hadn’t come to light, Yamauchi might have had a way out.”

Having heard all their theories, Sakayanagi couldn’t help but be amused.

“Herbivores will make one final show of resistance when they know they’re about to fall prey to a predator. But that’s exactly why I find it interesting. Don’t you want to see what he’ll do with the time he has left? How he’ll struggle?”

“Is that why you deliberately gave this information to Karuizawa? Because you wanted to see that?”

“It also let me confirm that your tip was correct.”

“But Ayanokouji consulted with Horikita about it, and in the process, she revealed that information to their classmates. Now we don’t know what’s going on. Even if Yamauchi doesn’t get expelled because of the praise votes he’ll be getting from us, there’s no way that Ayanokouji will be getting expelled, either. I don’t even know who’s going to get expelled anymore,” said Hashimoto.

“Also, wasn’t it a mistake to limit things to spoken promises, rather than written contracts, when it came to people casting criticism votes for Ayanokouji? I have to wonder how many are going to change their minds after learning what came out today…” said Kamuro.

Criticism votes for Ayanokouji would fall dramatically, while criticism votes for Yamauchi would increase. However, Yamauchi would be getting 20 praise votes from Class A, so he’d make it out of this. Given that, it was hard to tell who’d be getting the most criticism votes in the end.

Hearing Hashimoto and Kamuro’s analyses, Sakayanagi smiled. She could already see the outcome, she thought. The outcome that still wasn’t visible to Kamuro, Hashimoto, Yamauchi, or the others.

She took out her cell phone, which had been turned off. When she turned it back on, she found innumerable missed calls and messages from Yamauchi. He was wondering where the many praise votes from Class A would be going to. He wondered if they were really going to vote for him.

Well, it was only to be expected that he’d be this anxious.

“Oh, there’s something I forgot to tell you, everyone. Something very important regarding Yamauchi-kun,” said Sakayanagi, who then proceeded to tell everyone what she had apparently not felt bad about forgetting whatsoever.