Chapter 6: Matsushita’s Suspicions

Chapter 6: Matsushita’s Suspicions

Chapter 6:

Matsushita’s Suspicions

O N APRIL 3 , the end of spring vacation, I, Matsushita Chiaki, have made up my mind.

“Yeah, it’s definitely nagging at me.”

Ever since the year-end exam until today, there’s been this feeling that’s just continued to nag at me, deep down. Something about my classmate, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka. I just can’t seem to stop thinking about him lately. I’m sure that if I told anyone else that, they’d probably tease me and say that it’s love or infatuation or something.

But that’s not it. I can, unequivocally, declare right here and now that I am not feeling anything romantic for him or anything like that. I’ve started to feel very wary of Ayanokouji-kun. Even if I talked to other students about this, I’m sure they’d probably just give me a confused look. But I’m in the process of getting an answer, in my own way.

I suppose that for you to understand these feelings, first, you’ll have to know me as a person. I was born into a fairly affluent family, and I was blessed with kind parents who raised me quite well, and who didn’t really restrict any of my freedoms. They bought me anything I wanted, and in return, I’ve always studied hard and gotten excellent grades in regular classes and in cram school, becoming accomplished in all subjects.

Parents are grateful for their child’s excellence, and children are grateful for their parents’ excellence. We have an extremely blessed relationship. On top of that, I think that I’ve been blessed with fairly good looks, if I do say so myself. I’m guessing that many people would probably envy me, if they learned about those things. I will grow up, fall in love, eventually marry a man with means.

My life probably isn’t the best or anything, but I can say that I’ve been blessed with a solid plan for my life. Also, I can see that I have some nice prospects for the future. Although there are several options I’ve been considering, I thought that working as a flight attendant for an international airline or getting hired at a major company wouldn’t be so bad.

But now that I’ve been attending this school, I’ve started to dream a little bigger. Getting accepted to a top-notch college abroad, and then in the future, going to work for the embassy, and later going on to the United Nations… That’s the path I’ve been envisioning. My life had been smooth sailing, and there was a path for me that all I had to do was follow. I’ve never stumbled in my life before.

However, my first miscalculation came after I had enrolled in this school. It was only by graduating from Class A that my dreams of going on to college and getting a job would be fulfilled. Meaning that I wouldn’t see any value in graduating from Class B or below. Of course, I am confident that I’m capable of securing my desired future path on my own to some extent.

But…graduating from Class B or lower will probably be a hindrance to me. I would probably get stuck with the distressing label of “student who couldn’t manage to graduate from Class A.” The significant difference between the advantages that I’d get when I achieve my goal vs. the disadvantages of missing out was a negative for me, as someone who wants stability.

And then I was assigned to Class D, not Class A. That meant I had been given a very painful setback. However, when I first enrolled here, I wasn’t really panicking yet. That carelessness was my downfall. In just a month, we had quickly run out of Class Points, and we sank all the way to the bottom of the rankings.

“If you think about it calmly…we did have a chance to win then, didn’t we?”

That’s right. Even though we had started in Class D, we actually started side-by-side with the other classes, in a way. If we had really gotten a good grasp on the situation in that first month, we would have been able to move up in the class rankings. Though we had the worst possible start, we have managed to get some Class Points back after the year has passed. We even briefly moved up to Class C for a time. We can still aim for the higher classes in the future, too…

“No, that’s impossible, isn’t it?”

Even if we had realized it early on, the gap in basic ability between us and the other classes is bigger than we imagined. They probably would’ve pulled away from us sooner or later anyway. It just so happens that this year went well for us, but when you consider the difference in talent between classes in terms of students as individuals, we’re sorely lacking. As long as we don’t do anything to overturn those facts, then my chances of making it to Class A are close to zero.

I really don’t like to say this, but I am proud of the fact that I’m one of the best students in my grade. I am close to certain that if I applied myself, I could place within the top ten percent. However, the reason why I haven’t gotten toward the top and instead have been staying somewhere in the middle of the class hierarchy is that I’ve been holding back. Of course, I try not to drag anybody down when it’s something important, but I really don’t like standing out too much.

Besides, the group of girls that I’ve gotten to be friends with is full of people who are at a rather low level academically. About half of the students in Class D fall into the bottom ten or twenty percent of our grade level. If I thoughtlessly displayed my true abilities in such an environment, I could either make the other students jealous, or they’d end up relying on me heavily, which would put me in an awkward situation. I wanted to avoid that.

Still though, even if I had applied myself seriously, the situation probably wouldn’t have changed all that much. For better or worse, I’m just an excellent student at most, not a genius or anything. More than anything else though, I’m not the type of person to take the initiative. It’s just…

Well, it’s not like I was thinking I’d rely on others to take care of everything for me, but personally, I do want to graduate from Class A. If I could make that happen, then I’d want to follow along an easy route, which would lead me in a direction of stabilizing my future. To do that, I needed to make our entire class work hard, but…

After seeing everything that happened this past year, I felt like that was impossible, and halfway gave up. It’s certainly true that there are some outstanding people in our class. There’s Horikita-san, Hirata-kun, and Kushida-san. There are also smart students like Yukimura-kun and Wang-san. But we still don’t have enough pieces. The reality of the situation is that many people are dragging their feet.

Even if you subtracted those students from the equation, we were still in the negative. If only two or three more people could stand up and hang with those exceptional students I had listed… Ugh, so frustrating.

That’s right…

I was tormented by those thoughts, until Ayanokouji-kun had caught my attention. This is just a complete guess on my part, but I think that Ayanokouji-kun is the same type of person as me. He came to this school because he wanted to live his own life, for some reason. He seemed to be far less ambitious than me, regarding making some success in life, and he seemed like he couldn’t care less about Class A or Class D.

And yet, he has significant ability. If my interpretation of things is on the mark, that is. He and I would be two more cards that Class D can add to its hand. If that happened, then we might be able to aim for the higher-level classes, depending on our efforts. That thought had been popping up in my mind lately. Why did I come to think of him as that type of person? Well, that’s because of the evidence that I’ve found so far, or rather, the concerns that I’ve had, I suppose.

Karuizawa-san’s occasional gazes at Ayanokouji-kun. And the fact that there’s this sense of closeness between them, somehow. At first, I thought it was just a misunderstanding, but when she and Hirata-kun broke up, deep down, I was convinced. She’s attracted to him. Karuizawa-san, who usually feels like dating a good guy is a sign of status, has chosen Ayanokouji-kun.

Why? Because he was good-looking? No, I couldn’t imagine that was all there was to it. If that were the case, it would’ve been more convenient for her to simply have continued dating Hirata-kun, who is also quite popular. In that case…

I think that it’s probably because Ayanokouji-kun has a level of ability high enough to make up for a lack of popularity. That’s what I’ve concluded. If that was true, then a great number of pieces fell into place almost frighteningly well. Just look at how Horikita-san, who acts as the leader of our class engages with him, and also how Hirata-kun engages with him. There isn’t a doubt in my mind that both of them think very highly of Ayanokouji-kun.

Then there’s the fact that he’s quite close with Ichinose-san, too. Even when I think back on it now, I can’t help but feel like there’s something strange about his intense race against the former student council president during the sports festival. On top of that, there was also the time when Sakayanagi had mobilized the entirety of Class A and he was awarded a Protection Point.

I had thought that he had just happened to have been selected by Yamauchi-kun as a student to get expelled back during the class vote, just by coincidence. But the fact that he had later went on to fight as our commander in the exam made it seem too far simple for me to dismiss it as mere coincidence. I’m sure that anyone could feel like Ayanokouji-kun was such a complete mystery, given the situation.

But most of the students haven’t noticed anything. That’s right. I suppose that’s because he hardly ever took action while he was in the public eye. Even though his speed was certainly outstanding, that alone would probably only place him near the top of the hierarchy up until elementary school, at best. High school students… Well, no, it’s more like: the closer that you get to adulthood, the more your communication skills will be tested.

Many of the students who reign up on high at the top of the hierarchy have outstanding abilities, as well as communication skills. Lacking just one of these aspects led to people getting a different impression. He’s fast, but he doesn’t make much of an impact. That’s the impression that many people have of Ayanokouji-kun.

If he had communication skills too, then his position in the hierarchy would be considerably higher. Depending on what his personality is like too, he might have even been in the same position as Hirata-kun, equal to him. But that was all just armchair theory, or rather, me just overthinking things, talking about something impossible. It would be like saying something totally unbelievable, like what if Sudou-kun were smarter and more sociable, or what if Yukimura-kun were great at sports.

The top priorities our class needed to satisfy right now were academic ability, followed by physical prowess. And it was highly likely that Ayanokouji-kun could satisfy both of those needs. Moreover, he might even surpass Hirata-kun in both of those areas. He’s quite the find. Of course, these assumptions of mine contain a bit of wishful thinking, I suppose. Because if that were the case and he was that exceptional, then he would be a great help in improving our class’s situation.

In fact, I’d honestly have no complaints if he was at least as capable as I am. It was what happened during the final exam that made me pay so much attention to Ayanokouji-kun. He had correctly solved a problem during the Flash Mental Arithmetic event that he shouldn’t have been able to. That was one of the few decisive moments that led to my decision. His unknown abilities. I wanted to know all about them. And, if he was the real thing, then there was no way I wouldn’t take advantage of it. I am almost certain that he’s quite close to me in academic and physical ability.

Considering the fact that he had been keeping his head down and keeping quiet for this past year, he probably isn’t the sort of person that I’d be able to entice into helping so easily. But I am confident in my interpretation of the facts. I was confident when it came to psychological warfare. In that regard, I am superior.

I could make him think that I was getting in touch with him simply out of curiosity, and then I could discern his true nature and get him to cooperate. That will become the starting signal that heralds our class’s counterattack next year.

“…Yeah, right.”

Getting up to Class A was certainly appealing. But that wasn’t the only thing that was driving me right now. There was boredom, too. I didn’t just want to steadily walk straight ahead along the path of my life, I wanted some thrills, too. I wanted to pursue this mysterious element, which my other classmates didn’t have. That was the main reason why I wanted to get in touch with Ayanokouji-kun.

After I had finished getting changed, I headed out toward Keyaki Mall, since I had promised that I’d meet up with my friends today. Lately, I’d spend my days searching for Ayanokouji-kun amongst the crowd. But the odds of a chance encounter weren’t exactly that high, even on school grounds.

I didn’t see him once during the first half of spring break. It was a complete waste of time. I wanted to find some kind of clue, a lead. My curiosity and desire were selfishly directing my gaze, day after day.

6.1

“M ATSUSHITA-SAN! Hey, over here!”

“’Morning!”

It was just after eleven in the morning. I met up with my usual group of friends, Shinohara-san and Satou-san. During spring break, we got together just about every day, for no reason at all really, and spend the day indulging in silly chit-chat. I didn’t necessarily hate it or anything, but it was kind of boring.

I had been playing the part of the good girl for about a year, but right now, I was looking for some stimulation. So, I decided to dive into this conversation and press my classmates a little, for something juicy.

“Shinohara-san, have you made any progress with Ike-kun?” I asked.

I try to overcome my burden with whatever meager stimulation I can get.

“H-huh, what?! Wh-why would you ask that? Ugh, with him ?! No way!” shouted Shinohara-san, panicked, denying that anything was going on.

But judging from how she was acting, she couldn’t hide the fact that she was really shaken by my question. Satou-san’s eyes went wide with amazement. The look in her eyes seemed to both show surprise and excitement, as if she were asking me: Are you seriously going to bring that up? That was interesting.

The fact that Ike-kun and Shinohara-san had quickly become more and more intimate with one another over the past several months had already become public knowledge. I’m sure that they’re both trying to hide it, but this is a small school. No matter how they try to hide it, if a guy and a girl start dating, people will notice.

“I was just thinking it was about time you came out with it and told us already. You know?” I asked.

“L-look, I told you, it’s not like that… Besides, ugh, him ? Ike? He’s like the epitome of a lousy jerk boy!” she replied.

Shinohara-san denied it. The wording she used when doing so was appropriate, though. It was certainly true that if you looked at him based on his qualifications alone, he was certainly at the bottom of the barrel. He’s short. He’s not capable academically. And he’s not exactly a smooth talker, either. There wasn’t any limit to the number of things that you could find fault with when it came to Ike-kun. But you couldn’t measure something like love with that alone.

It’s true that sometimes, people can be attracted to those no-good loser types. It’s kind of like a sudden traffic accident, in some sense. And besides, when you think about what level Shinohara-san is at, they could actually be considered a good match. It’s not like they’re a mismatch at all.

“Come on, it’s all right, isn’t it? I mean, it’s not like we know who has a crush on who exactly, in this situation,” said Satou-san.

For some reason, Satou-san’s eyes lit up at talk of romance. She turned toward Shinohara-san with a smile on her face.

“I told you, it’s not like that,” huffed Shinohara-san.

Since Shinohara-san had refused to admit it, I decided to speak up, so that I could spur Satou-san on to keep pressing.

“Hey, you don’t have to deny it. Personally, I’d really like to hear how you really feel is all. Y’know?” I added.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m really curious, too! Come on, tell us, tell us!” said Satou-san.

It was really quite easy to get Satou-san to obediently do what I wanted her to with just a little bit of instruction at times like this. She’s the type of person who can’t think about things too deeply. I couldn’t help but think that this also had quite a negative effect on her academic abilities, too, actually.

Even though I’ve given her such a scathing evaluation, it’s not like I dislike her as a person at all. Both Shinohara-san and Satou-san were open, honest friends who I could let my guard down around. They’re invaluable female friends in my private life.

If they were ever having trouble, I’d want to listen to what they had to say and help them out. Of course, if they had enough ability to keep up with me, I don’t even need to say how great that would be. Just then, Shinohara-san, who had no clue that I was just thinking those kinds of things, started to talk about her relationship with Ike-kun.

“Well, to be honest, we’ve been fighting for no reason all the time lately. So, it doesn’t especially feel like we’re really making much progress,” she said, letting out a sigh and shaking her head.

It wasn’t like she was denying the idea that they were making at least some progress though, from the sounds of it.

“It kind of feels like you both have a similar personality type, where you can’t be honest with how you feel. I’m sure that’ll change after a little while though.”

Although they were a good match, I had the impression that they pushed back against one another in some weird ways. I felt like if they got the right push, the right opportunity, the distance between them would quickly shrink.

“Enough about me though, what about you, Matsushita-san? Is there anyone that you have a crush on?” asked Shinohara-san.

“Me?” I asked.

I had expected her to reply to me in such a way. Actually, if anything, I had guided her into doing just that.

“I think you said something before to us, like that if you were to date someone, it’d be an upperclassman,” added Satou-san, jumping into the conversation. It seemed like she had remembered something after hearing Shinohara-san bring it up. No matter whose story of romance it was, if it was exciting and juicy, then it was welcome. That’s just what girls were like.

“Yeah, that’s right. But…as long as whoever it is meets certain conditions, then I wouldn’t limit myself to looking only at upperclassmen, I suppose.”

I took control of their thought processes, and slowly guided the conversation in the direction that I had wanted it to go. It’s not like that’s something all that special though, really. It’s something that everyone does in their everyday lives, nonchalantly. The only difference is whether you’re aware you’re doing it or not.

“Oh? So does that mean you’ve changed your mind?” asked Satou-san, taking the bait, as if it was the natural thing to do.

“I mean, a guy’s qualifications are something you can’t compromise about, sure. I do want someone good-looking, who is also a good person on the inside. And also…a good family background is a necessity. I’d also want someone whose parents are educated and accomplished,” I replied.

No matter how miraculously good their child’s accomplishments might be, if their parents were worthless, then they wouldn’t meet my standards.

“Someone with good qualifications, who has a good family background… Do you mean someone like Kouenji-kun then, by any chance?” asked Shinohara-san, somewhat skeptically.

“Huh? I mean, sure, in terms of looks, he might be good, but isn’t he kind of, you know?” said Satou-san, seemingly taken slightly aback after hearing Kouenji-kun’s name.

Kouenji-kun’s reputation in our class is unimaginably bad. The reason for that is plain and simple: he’s a strange person who constantly causes nothing but trouble for our class. However, I suppose you could say that the difference in how he’s regarded inside our class vs. outside our class is significant.

At a glance, he has no shortcomings whatsoever when it comes to things like his appearance or his family background. And he also seems to have quite a gentlemanly side to him, in his interactions with women. Which is why it’s completely understandable that he’s fawned over by girls across grade levels.

In regard to his academic prowess, I can see that he hides nigh-limitless ability, though he never usually brings out his full potential. You could see that he’s a rare breed, someone who meets nearly all of the qualifications I’m looking for in a guy. If I were going by ability alone, I think that Kouenji-kun would be the number-one pick. But there are some other things that I can understand about him, without even needing to check.

He’s not the kind of person who could be persuaded to do anything by a normal person. He was a weirdo, unimaginably so. You can tell right from the very beginning that he wasn’t worth the time or effort. Trying to do anything with him would be pointless. In that sense, compared to Sudou-kun or Ike-kun, he’s even worse… Well, no, actually, you could say that he’s the biggest burden on our class.

“No, not Kouenji-kun. If anything, I’m not even sure he’s even human.”

After hearing my evaluation of him, the two other girls suddenly burst into laughter.

“If he ever took things seriously, he would definitely become even more popular than Hirata-kun. But there’s no way he’ll ever take anything seriously,” I added.

That was my evaluation. And it was something that Shinohara-san and Satou-san both vigorously agreed with. I was grateful to him, because he was a rare breed of person who taught me that even a single flaw could make someone go from a full one hundred points to zero points. We had started with the topic of Shinohara-san and Ike-kun’s romance, and then went on to my idea of an ideal partner. Then, we were on to the next part of our conversation.

“Oh, that reminds me, Satou-san. What ever happened with Ayanokouji-kun?” I asked.

“Huh…? Wh-why are you asking me that?” she replied, stiffening up after hearing my abrupt question.

Then, Shinohara-san also looked over at her, as if she had just remembered something as well. It was what happened during winter break. Something that Satou-san had told us about. She had confided in us that she was interested in Ayanokouji-kun, and she was agonizing over whether she should tell him how she felt. At the time, Shinohara-san and I had just intended to enjoy watching the situation unfold from afar, while cheering them on, just like what Satou-san and I were doing with Shinohara-san and Ike-kun today.

“W-well, I didn’t really…”

Satou-san seemed like she was going to deny anything had happened at first, but then she suddenly stopped speaking. I noticed that she had come to a complete stop when Ayanokouji-kun became the subject of the conversation. Of course, both Shinohara-san and I understood what that meant, but we didn’t make mention of it. Did she tell him how she felt and get rejected? Or, perhaps, did she have a change of heart?

Anyway, out of consideration for her, I decided I wouldn’t touch on that unless Satou-san herself talked about it. But it was a path I couldn’t avoid going down, if I wanted to know about Ayanokouji-kun in greater detail.

“…I-is it okay if we keep it secret, just between us?” she asked.

That’s how we’d get on the topic. Shinohara-san and I, both convinced that we were about to hear something very interesting, gently tapped Satou-san on the shoulder.

“Of course.”

6.2

A ND SO , we headed over to the café, to listen to what was bothering Satou-san. We were beginning to start the process of listening to her concerns and then repeatedly expressing agreement. A time by girls, for girls. Unlike guys, who go straight for a solution, girls first begin by seeking affirmation. That wasn’t always a bad thing.

“Well, to be honest, I… I-I told Ayanokouji-kun how I feel about him…”

Shinohara-san and I nearly spat out our tea simultaneously when we heard those words pass by Satou-san’s lips.

“Huh? Huh?! S-seriously? When?!” shouted Shinohara-san.

Since she thought she was the furthest along in our group when it came to having a relationship with a guy, she couldn’t help but jump on the topic. I knew that there was something going on between the two of them, but I didn’t realize that she had gotten that far. But on the other hand, I suppose that the result was actually obvious. If they had ended up deciding to start dating, I’m sure she would have told us about it. Even if she were hiding the relationship out of embarrassment, I surely would have noticed. But since that wasn’t the case, that meant…

“I got rejected.”

From the sounds of it, some time had passed since she had talked to him, then. I couldn’t sense any sign that she was upset or anxious in her voice. I’m sure that she had cried over it many times over, and now was just trying to move on. And considering all that… then she might have told him how she felt during winter break. If that happened because we had inadvertently pushed her into rushing things and telling him right away, then we might have really done her a disservice and let her down.

“No way, you’re kidding me! Is Ayanokouji-kun stupid or something?!” huffed Shinohara-san.

Having a girl tell you that she has feelings for you—and a girl like Satou-san, no less, who is certainly nothing to scoff at in terms of physical appearance—was very unusual. Shinohara-san sounded both shocked and angry that she had gotten rejected.

“Why, though? Why did you get rejected?” she added.

“…He said it was simply a problem with his feelings. He told me that since he didn’t like me that way, he couldn’t go out with me,” said Satou-san.

Shinohara-san brought her hand to her forehead, muttering a disgruntled “Ugh, he’s unbelievable,” under her breath.

“Maybe it’s simply that there’s someone else he likes already? Like Horikita-san, for example,” I replied, in order to confirm with Satou-san whether that might have been the case.

But she shook her head. It was certainly true that whenever Ayanokouji-kun’s name popped up, Horikita-san’s seemed to follow shortly afterward.

Recently, Ayanokouji-kun’s presence could be felt more and more within our class, he was becoming harder to ignore. There had been a little bit of gossip going around that Ayanokouji-kun and Horikita-san might be getting together. But in the end, nothing really seemed to come from it, so talk died down.

“He said it would’ve been the same even if it was Horikita-san or Kushida-san ,” added Satou-san.

Sure enough, it seemed unlikely that those two were actually that close after all.

“No way! Really?! Like, for real?!” shouted Shinohara-san.

Saying nothing about the mention of Horikita-san’s name, Shinohara-san’s passion seemed to hit its peak when she heard Kushida-san’s name mentioned.

“Okay, so that just proves it. He’s this weird antisocial loner with no interest in romance. And he’s a little bit creepy. Like, ugh.”

I could understand why she’d arrive at that conclusion. However, Satou-san, the person of interest in this conversation, didn’t seem to share her opinion.

“If he doesn’t even want to get to know a cute girl… Then maybe that means he already has a true love?” I asked, cutting into the conversation, looking over at Satou-san.

When I looked at her, she averted her eyes, but still nodded in response. People tend to observe the person they like more than they do anyone else. The person who would be able to best sense who Ayanokouji-kun is interested in would be Satou-san.

“I think that Ayanokouji-kun probably…likes Karuizawa-san,” she replied, while directing her gaze elsewhere.

“No way! Wait, wait, hold on. Really? Like, what? WHAT? Seriously, for real, Karuizawa-san?!” shouted Shinohara-san.

Shinohara-san and I exchanged glances once again. I supposed that if someone didn’t already know, they would come off sounding like an incredibly unexpected pair. But I only pretended to be surprised. Deep down, I was quite convinced already. Because my reading of the situation seemed to be in complete agreement with Satou-san’s opinion about who Ayanokouji-kun liked.

“Yeah. And also… I think that most likely, Karuizawa-san…likes him back, actually,” replied Satou-san.

“Is it possible that had something to do with her breakup with Hirata-kun then?” I asked.

After hearing my question, Satou-san, though seemingly still skeptical, nodded in response.

“Okay, hold on, switching over from Hirata-kun to Ayanokouji-kun? Okay, I’m sorry, but I just don’t get it,” said Shinohara-san.

I supposed that wasn’t really something that Shinohara-san, who was trying to choose Ike-kun as her partner, should be saying, though.

“I don’t think it’s weird at all. I…I also think Ayanokouji-kun is the better pick of the two, actually,” said Satou-san.

“You still like him…?” replied Shinohara-san.

“I’m trying to forget how I feel about him, but I just keep finding myself drawn toward him…” answered Satou-san.

She had realized the truth of the matter, since she had been following Ayanokouji-kun with her eyes day after day now . I’m sorry, Satou- san , but you’ve been a very helpful point of reference.

“Anyway though…I do feel like I’ve been hearing Ayanokouji-kun’s name a lot recently, for some reason,” said Shinohara-san, casually expressing the suspicions that had come to mind.

“Like when he was the commander? Oh, and then also when he got that Protection Point from Sakayanagi-san?” added Satou-san, who also felt that his name had been coming up a lot lately, mentioning the instances when Ayanokouji-kun was a hot topic.

“It’s so strange. Why did it have to be Ayanokouji-kun, anyway? Horikita-san said it was all just coincidence and all, but…well,” said Shinohara-san .

I had thought that was strange, too. But there wasn’t really any point in having a serious discussion with these two.

“Well, thinking back on it now, I actually think what she did was a super good move. If you gave someone a Protection Point, then they basically would have been put into a position where they would have had to become a sacrifice for the final exam, right? If you think that Sakayanagi-san had all that in mind from the very beginning, then it all makes sense,” I replied.

I decided to bring that part of the conversation to an end by giving them an explanation that was at least somewhat convincing.

“Ah, okay…!”

If Ike-kun had been put in that position instead of Ayanokouji-kun, then Sakayanagi-san would have won more easily, though. Of course, she might have chosen Ayanokouji-kun for the sake of picking someone unexpected. At any rate, I figured that I would save those thoughts for later. The fact that Karuizawa-san liked Ayanokouji-kun, and vice versa, might very well be true. I could say that just finding out that much was a substantial gain for me today. I could probably use that as a starting point, to make contact.

“I thought that Karuizawa-san was the kind of person who put a lot of importance on a person’s qualifications, like me,” I stated.

“Well, you know, Ayanokouji-kun is like, super amazing, isn’t he?” replied Satou-san.

“Just for being fast? Isn’t that all he’s got?” replied Shinohara-san.

“But he’s also really clever! Or like, doesn’t it feel like he seems to know just about everything?” replied Satou-san, asking us if we felt the same way.

“No way,” replied Shinohara-san immediately.

Since she had disagreed with what Satou-san had said, I decided I’d align myself with Satou-san.

“I do definitely get the impression that he’s cleverer and more capable than the weird guys in class,” I replied.

Since Shinohara-san wasn’t showing any sign of aligning with Satou-san here, I wanted to make sure I was taking Satou-san’s side.

“I know, right?!” replied Satou-san.

Even though she had gotten turned down by him, her eyes sparkled when she heard me compliment Ayanokouji-kun. She seemed really happy about it. I suppose that she still had romantic feelings for him after all, huh?

“Maybe he just looks like that, because he doesn’t really say that much though?” said Shinohara-san.

“He’s the complete opposite of Ike-kun. He’s always talking, isn’t he?”

“Yeah, totally. Even when I tell him to be quiet, he just keeps going,” said Shinohara-san. Even though she sounded disgruntled when she said that, she didn’t seem like she was actually all that bothered by him.

“So anyway, I—”

Just as Satou-san was about to keep going, I happened to catch sight of Ayanokouji-kun out of the corner of my eye. The other girls were too absorbed in the conversation and didn’t notice.

“Oh, hey, sorry. Do you mind if I go make a quick call?” I asked.

When I asked them that question, they both responded cheerfully, saying that they didn’t mind.

“It might take kind of a long time, so if anything happens, let me know,” I told them.

After telling them that, I got up from my seat and acted like I was going to make a call. As soon as I followed Ayanokouji-kun’s trail, I caught sight of him from behind. Strike while the iron is hot, they always say. I made sure not to panic, not straying out of Shinohara-san and Satou-san’s line of sight. I pretended like I was on my phone while following Ayanokouji-kun.

I did feel a tinge of anxiety, trying to shadow someone without them noticing me. How much distance between us would be safe to keep? What distance wouldn’t be safe? If I was careless with how I tailed him, he’d become wary of me. That was exactly why I would want to pretend that it was just a coincidence if we did bump into each other.

If I miss this opportunity during spring break, then the only time I’d be able to meet him would probably be after we’ve started our second year here. I’d like to make contact with him before then, if possible. And moreover, Ayanokouji-kun wasn’t accompanied by any of his companions at present, fortunately.

Now would probably be a good time to try to talk to him. That’s what I had thought anyway, but…I quickly hid from view. Because I noticed someone else approaching Ayanokouji-kun.

“That person is…the new acting director…if I recall,” I muttered to myself.

For some reason, he appeared to be talking with Ayanokouji-kun. What an interesting pair. I might be able to get my hands on some new information. If anything about his abilities happened to come up in the conversation, then I might be able to get something straight from their own mouths.

“He’s been engaged in conversation with the director for quite a long time now…”

It had been close to ten minutes. I think that was probably too long a time for them to simply be making small talk. Could Ayanokouji-kun and the director already be acquainted with one another, by chance? The director was talking to him as if they were close. But Ayanokouji-kun, on the other hand, had the same blank expression on his face as usual.

“…I don’t understand.”

While it did seem like they had already been acquainted with one another, at same time, it seemed like they were saying lots of things that would typically come up when meeting someone for the first time. Their behavior revealed nothing about their respective backgrounds. If I could get a little bit closer, I might be able to hear their conversation. But that would be dangerous.

I could pretend that I was just a passerby, but if I did that, I wouldn’t have anywhere to hide. I think I should just stay here and keep watching them for a little bit longer…

Then, their long conversation suddenly came to an abrupt end. The director seemed to have gone over to meet up with some other adults who were waiting for him near the entrance to the pharmacy, a little way away.

What was Ayanokouji-kun going to do, I wondered… Then, he moved. He started to walk away somewhere, as if nothing had even happened.

I had been hoping that I could have gotten some information from his conversation with the director, but I struck out, I guess…

I was planning on calling out to Ayanokouji-kun, but then I started to feel like I should withdraw the idea. Maybe I should get better prepared after all, get some backup. As I tailed Ayanokouji-kun after he just turned the corner, I thought to myself: I’ll follow him a little bit longer, and if nothing happens, I’d go back and join Shinohara-san and Satou-san .

6.3

O N THAT DAY , I came to do some shopping at Keyaki Mall by myself. Spring break was ending, and the new semester was just about to begin, so I thought I’d like to go looking for some new clothes and such. That’s all that I had planned to do today originally, but things started to change. And the first change came from behind me. Then, the next change came from directly in front of me. Changes for the worse.

“May I have a moment?”

It all started when four adults approached me, just as I was thinking about where I’d start my shopping trip. Three of them were dressed like they were construction workers or something, with clipboards in hand. However, one of them was empty-handed and dressed in a slick suit. That was Tsukishiro. Once I had stopped walking, Tsukishiro briefly turned back to look at the three others.

“Please continue to handle the construction work just as we’ve planned,” he told them.

After Tsukishiro gave the others those instructions, they walked on ahead.

“My, Ayanokouji-kun, you seem to be enjoying your spring break quite a bit. Just like a real, honest-to-goodness student.”

I was wondering what he was going to say to me in that gentle tone of his, but his words were dripping with sarcasm.

“Do you have some business with me, Acting Director Tsukishiro?” I asked.

“Oh, my. You don’t seem to welcome me here,” he replied.

Even though he knew this, Tsukishiro deliberately raised his voice a little louder when he said that. Although it was only loud enough where people who just happened to stop nearby would barely be able to hear it, it was meant to show that it was very intentional.

“Well, that’s because talking with the director would attract a lot of unwanted attention, after all. I think that students with no ability should probably hide in the shadows at this school, you know,” I answered.

I wanted to settle whatever business he had with me as soon as possible. I was also worried about Matsushita tailing me.

“So, I’ll ask you once again. What is it that you want?” I asked.

Matsushita was far enough away from us where she probably wouldn’t be able to hear our conversation, but it would probably lead to a lot of unnecessary speculation.

“I will tell you my business when I want to tell you. I know that must seem agonizing to you, but you will endure it. Are you displeased?” he asked.

I supposed there was no way that Tsukishiro would show me any consideration. Rather, he worked only based on his convenience, and deliberately started talking to me at length in a place where people would be coming and going.

“I understand. In that case, please take your time,” I replied.

“I intend to do just that. First, how about we talk about the weather?” he proposed.

He clapped his hands together as he said that, with a smack . He squinted his eyes right after, appearing to be smiling with his whole face. If he was doing this just because he wanted to enjoy seeing how I’d react, then that was really shallow and superficial. There was no way that he could make my emotions rise and fall in my mind with something like that.

“I’m joking. I actually have plans later, so how about we get right down to business, hm?” said Tsukishiro.

Tsukishiro seemed to know that too, as a matter of course. Even though he knew, he still wanted to act like he was trying to provoke me in such a manner, apparently. But it did seem like there was something he wanted to say. The school and the student. No matter what happened, those positions could never be reversed.

As long as I was a student, there was a power dynamic that I couldn’t do anything about.

“How about this?” said Tsukishiro. “Think of this spring vacation as your last holiday and then return to your father.”

Tsukishiro didn’t care at all about where we were. He was speaking openly, being rather explicit about the content of this conversation. Well, I supposed that even if other students happened to overhear, it wasn’t like this would be a problem he couldn’t deal with. Even though I was at a disadvantage here, he probably wouldn’t suffer any damage. Having said that…

“I’m sure you’ll want to ignore me and walk away. However, it would be best if you didn’t do that. I do have my position here as director, after all. If a student happened to treat me harshly, well, I’d have to act accordingly,” he added.

Tsukishiro smiled, as though he could see right through me and what I was thinking.

“I’m sorry, but unfortunately, I have no intention of voluntarily dropping out of this school,” I replied.

“Do you hate the thought of going back to the White Room that much?” he asked.

“I like this school. I just thought I’d like to graduate here, like a regular student would. I don’t have any reason other than that,” I replied.

“It certainly is quite a nice school. They built all this, even this shopping mall, using the ample funding that they receive from the government. If this became well known, though, I’m sure that people would lament, calling it a waste of taxpayer money. Hundreds of millions spent every year, down the drain. But even so, the majority of citizens in this country are idiots. After simply hearing the gist of the idea, that these funds are going to be used for raising their children, they were convinced, without even knowing anything about it.”

Tsukishiro scanned his eyes over the interior of the mall, letting out a sigh as he did so.

“Which is precisely why there are countless things that need to be done. I am also the director of this school now. It’s because I care about this school that I’m working here now, like this,” he added.

So, he was probably talking about what was just going on with those people who looked like construction workers, then. He had to, at least on the surface, play the part of a capable director. So, I’m sure that it was true that he did have a lot to do.

“By the way…that girl following you. That’s Matsushita Chiaki-san, from your class, no?” muttered Tsukishiro, without moving his gaze away from me.

“It was only for a moment, but I saw her hiding on the other side of that wall. You seem quite popular,” he added.

I was sure that Tsukishiro wasn’t looking directly at me most of the time, but I supposed he was still observing me closely. I guess that meant that he was always paying attention to his surroundings, even while he was conversing with other adults.

“Wow, you’ve even completely memorized the names of the students in my class,” I told him.

“It’s a good idea to at least know about your classmates,” he replied.

It seemed like his method of attack was trying to go after my mind, trying to get in my head and shake me up.

“She knew the answer you gave during the Flash Mental Arithmetic event. Well, I suppose that’s just the way things are going for you lately, isn’t it? The walls are closing in more and more, you’re feeling trapped, no? You want to spend your time here like a normal student, but it’s getting more difficult,” said Tsukishiro.

It felt like he was trying to plant a bad impression of the school in my mind.

“If this is all there is to deal with, I’ll put up with it.”

“To be completely honest, I couldn’t really care less about you. If anything, I’m quite peeved that I have to devote precious time dealing with you,” said Tsukishiro.

“In that case, why not just stop this now? It’s not like this is something that is being forced on you,” I replied.

“Your father would never allow that. If I went against him, I wouldn’t be able to live in the world that I’m currently in. I’m still a person who wants to aim higher, after all,” he answered.

He showed no sign that he was going to leave yet. Tsukishiro continued speaking at length.

“Come now, don’t eye me up so suspiciously. I could make any number of excuses, anyway. Isn’t that right?”

“Well, yes, I suppose you’re right,” I replied.

“I’ve looked over your records in the White Room. I will readily admit that you are indeed a remarkable child. At just a little over sixteen years of age, you have a combination of abilities that could be described as abnormal. An ordinary adult would lag far, far behind you in all respects, mind, technique, and body,” said Tsukishiro.

He closed the distance between us, beaming, a wide grin on his face.

“For what it’s worth, you did manage to make it through one year here safely. So why don’t we just settle things here? That’s what being mature is all about,” he added.

He was basically telling me to return to the White Room and keep this past year as a memory.

“I’m still a kid, you know. I don’t have any intention of settling anything.”

“Hmph. You think you can get away from me?” he asked.

“I’m planning to resist, until the bitter end,” I replied.

“There’s a saying, you know. ‘The frog in the well knows nothing of the great ocean.’ You tend to think of yourself too highly, apparently. I can imagine that’s why you can act so tough, like you’re bigger than you actually are,” said Tsukishiro.

Tsukishiro spread his arms out, showing his hands.

“Although I don’t know where things stand for you within this school, you are certainly not number one, by any stretch. There are already a number of students created in the White Room who are equal to or better than you, who came after you did. You really ought to be aware of the fact that you’re nothing more than one of the mass-produced units,” said Tsukishiro.

“If that’s true, then there’s really no need to care about me, is there?” I asked.

“If you weren’t his son, then no, there wouldn’t be. Your father must have a strong desire to take you to even greater heights. That means that he is your father, no matter how hardheaded he might seem. He won’t stop believing that you are someone who can become an example and lead the masses,” said Tsukishiro.

Tsukishiro didn’t hide the discontent he felt toward that man; he showed it. It was as if he was doing so to show me the power and status of his position.

“What do you think of the White Room, Acting Director Tsukishiro?” I asked.

“What do you mean, what do I think of it?” he asked in return.

“I mean how do you feel about its existence? Do you think it’s necessary or unnecessary?” I asked.

Since I wasn’t in any position to just take this lying down, I figured that I’d kindly ask him to explain it to me.

“There is absolutely no reason for me to answer that question,” he replied.

“Depending on what answer I hear, I might change my mind right now,” I answered.

“You know that talk is cheap. But fine. If it’s something that might change how you feel, Ayanokouji-kun, then I suppose it’s a small price to pay.” Even though Tsukishiro knew that I was most likely lying, he still accepted my request. “If we’re going to talk about that facility though, we need to look back at its history. The White Room was built about twenty years ago now. You know that, right?”

“Of course. I was part of the ‘fourth generation.’”

“Yes. As you know, the White Room has created a new group every year, starting with the first generation in its first year. Each individual group is trained under its own individual mentor. Then, we make our inspections, checking to see which group can be cultivated most effectively. Due to the suspension of operations last year, only nineteen generations have been cultivated, but… Hundreds of children have already been through the education program, being raised in the White Room,” said Tsukishiro.

Children of different ages never once saw each other. Even though everyone was in the same facility, none of us knew anyone’s face or name.

“You certainly know a lot about the White Room. You’re well informed,” I told him.

“More or less.”

It was easy for me to understand through having this conversation now just how close Tsukishiro was to my father. He must have said all of that in order to make me understand that point. Depending on how you looked at him, he could simply look like a small fry. However, if you looked at him from a different angle, you could see that he looked like he was the opposite. He could change himself, from time to time. It was precisely because of that that he was entrusted with handling espionage activities.

“Every child can show a certain degree of growth, up to a certain standard. However, they can’t really go beyond that standard level. As a result, in the nearly twenty years that the facility had been in operation, not a single child has been born who has successfully managed to reach the goals that we have set. Except for you, that is. Well, that was only true until two years ago, though,” said Tsukishiro.

Just how much money has been invested into the White Room? Not even hundreds of millions would probably be enough. And in the end, I was the only one to reach the target they set. Once again, I couldn’t help but feel like it was such a futile endeavor.

“What about the best and the brightest, those exceptional students? They’re still out there, right? What are those children doing now?” I asked.

That part was something I didn’t know anything about. I couldn’t even begin to imagine what my peers—the ones from my same generation, who I had left behind—were doing right now. Tsukishiro seemed a little bit surprised, but he understood immediately what I was asking.

“I suppose there’s no way you could know where the children who fell by the wayside and were removed from the facility ended up. They are maturing splendidly, contributing to society… Well, it would bring some solace if that were true, wouldn’t it? In reality, most of the children raised in the facility proved to have a number of issues. In many cases, they turned out to be useless. They’re unable to withstand the environment, and their spirits break as a result.”

Tsukishiro, looking exasperated, continued speaking.

“Thorough management and education of a person, from the moment of their birth. If this could be realized, Japan will be able to attain incredible, unprecedented growth, the likes of which the world hasn’t seen. However, things aren’t that simple. Strangely enough, each person’s manner of development varies wildly In the end, we cannot achieve success in nurturing everyone in the same manner. Nevertheless, we are continuing to produce solid results. Speaking of which, regarding the generations that came after you, the fifth and the sixth, some of the surviving children have blossomed into truly outstanding, talented individuals. If that system is perfected, then in the decades to come, the facility’s status might be elevated, with the White Room considered an indispensable asset. Your father’s plans are excessively grandiose and ridiculous… and also quite terrifying,” he explained, rather eloquently. “So, those are my thoughts regarding the White Room. It’s ridiculous and terrifying.”

“Thank you very much for the detailed explanation. I’ve learned quite a bit,” I replied.

“Your group was referred to as the demonic fourth generation. Students dropped out of the program one after another, due to the incredibly harsh nature of their education, until only one single child remained and went on to complete the final curriculum without any difficulty. I consider you a valuable sample, too. You’d best go back home before that shining record of yours is sullied,” said Tsukishiro.

Then, he pulled out his cell phone and held it out toward me.

“Contact your father right now and tell him that you are dropping out of school. That’s an easy way for you to be able to both keep your pride intact and repay your father’s love,” he added.

“Acting Director Tsukishiro. It’s certainly true that absolutely nothing of what you said contains anything that could remotely be considered a lie. It seems to me like you have told me the full truth, completely,” I replied.

Not just about the White Room, but about me as well.

Tsukishiro replied with a broad smile, as if to say, Of course, you’re absolutely right.

“The way I envision you, Acting Director Tsukishiro, is like you’re wearing an iron mask, so as to not let others read your emotions. But in our conversation today, it looked as though you have removed that mask,” I answered.

In other words, he had been deliberately manipulating the impression he gave off, to make what he had been saying during this conversation seem more truthful. Thus, everything he said felt like it was false, rather than coming off as credible. I supposed that for a man as capable as him, there wasn’t any need for him to weave together aspects of truth and lies into what he said.

He probably had complete mastery of those skills, able to make black seem like white and white seem like black. In other words, it was possible for him to say something that was completely one hundred percent pure fiction and pass it off as if it were true.

“It doesn’t seem like I can get you to trust me,” said Tsukishiro.

“Unfortunately,” I replied.

“My word…” said Tsukishiro.

“Acting Director Tsukishiro, isn’t it actually better if you stop this now and back off? If you’re unable to force me into dropping out of school, you will lose my father’s trust. I think that it would be wiser for you to simply back off at this stage, even if you might suffer some reprimand. You’re going to get embarrassed,” I replied.

“I thank you very much for your concern. However, that is entirely pointless. I will not fail.”

Tsukishiro flashed an uncanny smile, but I didn’t really know how much he had really meant of what he said.

“Besides, I’m an adult. I’m not afraid of making one mistake. Even in the unlikely event that you are able to evade me, then so be it. I’ll just go on to the next job. Embarrassment isn’t that big a deal,” said Tsukishiro.

“In spite of the fact that you’re afraid of my father and are cooperating with him, you seem like you’re unusually accepting of failure. What are your true intentions?” I asked.

“Who can say?” he replied.

Tsukishiro had probably been fighting on the front lines for decades. That iron mask of his that I had hypothesized about earlier might actually be even more significant than I had imagined. I understood that if Tsukishiro had been sent by that man, then he wasn’t someone who did things half-cocked.

“If there’s no convincing you, then I suppose you leave me with no other choice. We’ll have to compete with another,” said Tsukishiro.

“Yes, I suppose so,” I replied.

At this point, Tsukishiro finally seemed like he was satisfied, because he started to move away from me.

“I’ll be going now. It would be rude to keep them waiting any longer, after all,” said Tsukishiro.

He must have been referring to the other people he had been talking with earlier, who had gone on ahead.

“However, I will say, if you don’t drop out voluntarily, your life here at this school will become rather difficult later,” he added.

“I would like to spend my days peacefully, but I suppose I don’t have any choice. I’m prepared.”

Tsukishiro continued to look at me with a broad smile on his face. Just as he was about to turn and leave, he made a proposal.

“How about we play a game? One where you’ll have a rather one-sided advantage,” said Tsukishiro.

“A game?”

“At the start of the new term, I will be inviting one person from the White Room to come enroll in this school, as a new student,” he replied.

I was wondering what he might say. It turned out to be something rather unexpected.

“Are you sure it’s all right for you to be telling me this?” I asked.

“There’s no problem in me doing so. I’m sure that the possibility of something like that happening was already in your mind already. We were thinking of giving the role of dealing with you to this child. When this student realizes who you are, they’ll work on the process of getting you expelled.”

So, he decided that he didn’t need to even make a move himself, then. My sense of wariness was neither becoming increasingly heightened nor was it waning. I committed what Tsukishiro said to memory, but I didn’t believe a word of it.

“You don’t seem to believe me. You think that I’d send four or five in? The school isn’t so lax that I’d be able to send in any number of people in the first place, you know. That’s just nonsense,” said Tsukishiro.

“Whether you said one person or a hundred people, I still wouldn’t believe a single word you say,” I replied.

If he wanted to squeeze people in, I’m sure this man would put in as many people as he wanted to. I understood things well enough to know that he was that type of person.

“Well, you might be right about that.”

“But how do I actually win this game?” I asked.

“There will be one hundred and sixty-four incoming students starting here in the new term, as first-years. If you can find out which among them is the student from the White Room before the end of April, I’ll happily withdraw. How about it? Isn’t that quite an extraordinary offer?” said Tsukishiro.

If that was true, then that certainly was quite an extraordinary offer. If the troublesome Tsukishiro leaves, then that means there will be less of a burden for me to deal with.

“I find that very hard to believe,” I told him.

“I don’t mind you taking what I say with a grain of salt, but really, it’s fine, isn’t it? After all, there’s no risk for you at all,” said Tsukishiro.

Aside from the psychological harm, it certainly seemed as though there wasn’t any actual risk. It seemed like there wouldn’t be any harm in me accepting this offer.

“All right. I’ll play your game, even if you’re offering it simply as a formality. However, while I’m sure you’re quite confident in the abilities that this student from the White Room has, there’s also one thing that I’m quite confident in myself,” I replied.

“Oh? And what would that be?” he asked.

“Even though the frog in the well knows nothing of the great ocean, he does know the depths of the sky,” I replied.

“Meaning…since you have been in the confined world of the White Room for so long, you understand the depths of that world better than anyone else, is that it?” answered Tsukishiro.

It was that unmistakable education that I had received from the White Room that had granted me the kind of confidence to never waver. No matter how many other children have been given the same education, none of them would ever reach those same heights. It doesn’t matter if it was someone from the third generation or from someone younger than me, from the fifth generation, the idea was the same. I continued speaking to Tsukishiro, who continued looking at me, as though he were sizing me up.

“Of course, there are people in this world who are superior to me. There are nearly seven billion people on this planet, after all. However, in the White Room, it’s a different story,” I replied.

There was no one in that world who was better than me. That was the only thing that I could answer with certainty.

“Those eyes… They’re just like your father’s. Eerie eyes that have a deep darkness in them. That depth in your eyes is the one thing no other student of the White Room can imitate, no matter how exceptional they are,” said Tsukishiro.

Perhaps it was because he had realized that trying to continue this conversation any further would be pointless, but Tsukishiro turned and walked away.

6.4

A FTER I PARTED WAYS with Tsukishiro, I wandered around Keyaki Mall for a while. It would probably be fine if I forgot about Tsukishiro for the time being. The problem was Matsushita, who had been staying out of sight and keeping her presence hidden for some time now. Even though I could just leave things be, it would be a hassle if word got around about me and the director.

After I had confirmed that Matsushita was still following me, I decided to ambush her. I needed to find out the reason why she was tailing me. Although I didn’t think it was likely, I did consider the possibility that she had something to do with Tsukishiro. I didn’t know if she had been following me around ever since the beginning, or if she had just started to do so sometime along the way. That point alone made it clear that I needed to do something.

The problem was where I should try to talk to her. Today, we were near the end of our spring vacation, and it was just before noon. The mall was absolutely packed with people. If I was careless with how I approached her, I would attract unwanted attention. In that case, I figured I’d find the right time, and then try to settle things early on. The only saving grace is that Matsushita was a student in my same class.

Even if we were seen talking with one another, other people would probably only think that it was simply casual, everyday conversation. I had turned the corner somewhat quickly and got ready to ambush Matsushita. If she didn’t follow after me, then I could use Key as a way to make my move. A little over ten seconds later, Matsushita turned the corner, following after me.

“Wagh?!”

Matsushita must not have been expecting me to have been waiting for her, because she let out a surprised yelp. If she hadn’t actually been following me, she probably wouldn’t have been so completely shocked like that.

“Do you need something from me?” I asked.

When I had calmly asked her that question, Matsushita placed her hand to her chest, as if she were trying to calm down her quickening heartbeat.

“Something? What do you mean? …Well, that’s what I’d like to say, but it feels like I’ve been found out, I guess,” she replied.

It seemed as though she had decided that a lame excuse wouldn’t work to explain her behavior and the apparent blunder she just made. But why was she following me? That was the important part. Normally, if you just wanted to talk with someone, there wasn’t any need to hide and tail them.

“Yeah. So, um, I have been following you a little, actually, Ayanokouji,” said Matsushita, admitting that she had been following me, after first confirming that there wasn’t anyone else nearby.

There wasn’t any deep connection between Matsushita and me. We hadn’t ever really talked. But by carefully observing Matsushita’s behavior, I could sense that she was quite cautious. And I could see that she was trying to probe me, while at the same time she didn’t want me to see through her mind.

“Why do you think I was following you?” she asked.

That wasn’t just a simple question. It was clearly a psychological attack. I was sure that she was planning to try to draw some information from me.

“No idea. Seriously, I have no clue. More importantly though, when did you start following me, anyway?” I asked in return.

I wasn’t going to tell her when I had noticed that she was following me. Even though I had answered her question, I responded to hers with my own.

“Well, just a little while ago. Yeah—”

“A little while ago?” I asked.

I interrupted Matsushita in order to prevent her from turning things around and asking me more questions, hitting her with another question instead. If I gave her an opening, she would probably ask me, When did you notice me, Ayanokouji-kun?

“Who was it now…? Oh, that’s right, when you were in the middle of talking with the new director, I think,” she replied.

Matsushita admitted that she had seen me talking with the director, but she also mixed a lie in there. But immediately afterward, Matsushita lowered the corners of her mouth slightly. It seemed that she had realized her error in judgment. I’d pause here and give an opening. If she had any doubts about the relationship between the director and I, Matsushita would inevitably ask a question about it.

“So, yeah, I saw you talking with the director. Did something happen?” she asked.

“They’re going to remodel Keyaki Mall apparently, and he just happened to spot me and asked me for my opinion. He asked me lots of questions, about what kinds of facilities I would like to see here and such,” I replied.

“Oh, I see, so that’s what it was…” said Matsushita.

Matsushita had lied about having seen me when I was already in conversation with Tsukishiro. She might have been trying to use any information she had gotten from following me before then to her advantage, but it actually worked against her. As long as she had seen the workers who were there together with the director earlier, she would recognize that what I just said seemed highly credible.

“So, what’s up?” I asked.

“Oh, it’s nothing, really. It’s just…I was a little curious about something,” said Matsushita.

After saying that, Matsushita got the point and started talking about why she had been following me.

“Well, during the year-end final exam… Ayanokouji-kun, you were the commander, weren’t you?” she asked.

That was it. With just that one brief question, I understand why Matsushita had contacted me.

“During the Flash Mental Arithmetic event, the answer you gave me and the answer Kouenji had said were the same,” she added.

It would be difficult to dismiss that as mere coincidence, I supposed.

“I used to do those kinds of quizzes when I was in junior high, so I’m relatively good at them,” I replied.

“I did too. But you’re not on the kind of level that I’d describe as relatively good. I think you’re good enough to do national competitions,” said Matsushita, immediately after I had given her my response.

Apparently, she didn’t like that I had cut her off before, about the whole tailing-me thing.

“It was just an event I’m genuinely good at is all. To be honest, I have actually competed in national competitions,” I told her.

“…Really?” she asked.

“Yeah. There just so happened to be an event that I was good at. I think that’s probably what’s given you the wrong idea, Matsushita.”

“But in that case, shouldn’t you have said so earlier?” she replied.

“Yeah, I suppose you’re right. But you know what I’m like, right? I’m not really the kind of person who can stand up and assert himself openly in class. I was just a makeshift commander anyway, who just so happened to have gotten a Protection Point, by sheer coincidence. More importantly, we were up against Class A, Sakayanagi. Even though I said I’m good at flash mental arithmetic, I was worried, because I didn’t know how far that’d take me.”

No self-confidence = lacking communication skills. That was the impression that my classmates had of me.

“That’s… Well, I suppose you might be right,” said Matsushita.

Although she felt that what I said had some degree of credibility, Matsushita couldn’t just accept that’s the way things were, and she made another move.

“You know, I…saw you, actually. You and Hirata-kun. I saw you talking with him on the bench, Ayanokouji-kun.”

She was probably talking about the time I’d spoken to Hirata when he was isolated and alone during the class vote. It’s not like I had eyes in the back of my head. I didn’t know there was anyone watching. But that didn’t mean this was something worth panicking over. It wouldn’t have been surprising if someone had seen us from a distance.

“I stayed far away because I thought that you’d notice me if I got in too close. But I kind of got the feeling that he was crying,” said Matsushita.

So, from seeing us back then, and from what happened during the Flash Mental Arithmetic event, she had gained a number of insights, from the sounds of it. Matsushita’s intentions had started to come into focus. Even considering her behavior and her manner of speaking, it seemed safe for me to conclude that she had nothing at all to do with Tsukishiro.

“It wasn’t just a simple coincidence that Hirata-kun came back the very next day, is it?” she asked.

I thought she was just a normal student, but she was surprisingly perceptive. What was bothering me was that she came to tell me those things. It didn’t seem like it was just like she couldn’t keep these things to herself or something. It did seem like maybe she had approached me simply because she was feeling curious, but…

I could tell without a doubt that she was bluffing, from certain subtle gestures and actions. Meaning, she had another goal. When I considered that Matsushita seemed to be operating with her own sense of logic even in what she was doing today, then this wasn’t some spur-of-the-moment whim. She had decided beforehand to make contact with me and talk with me. The reason she did so today was probably because she found me here all alone in Keyaki Mall.

“Considering that you’re skilled enough to do mental math at the national level and your running speed during the sports festival, and on top of that, the fact that you had managed to get Hirata-kun back on his feet… When I put all of those things together, it looks like you’re holding back. Aren’t you, Ayanokouji-kun? You really are much more capable when it comes to academics and sports, aren’t you?” said Matsushita.

She had gone so far as to make contact with me, and was trying to draw things from me, even though our relationship was tenuous at best. She had her suspicions about my abilities, and she came here to confirm the facts. She was completely different from the image of Matsushita the classmate that I had in my mind during this past year. I had come to this conclusion early on and decided to get straight to the heart of the matter.

“You want me to help you because you want to get to Class A, right?” I asked.

“…So, you admit it?” she replied.

Matsushita seemed somewhat creeped out, in the fact that I had so readily admitted her hunch was right.

“I suppose you could say I might be holding back, yeah,” I told her.

“Why? It’s better to keep your grades up at this school, isn’t it?” she asked in reply.

Matsushita, who had thought she had gained an advantage, began to assault me with questions.

“I guess…it’s because I just don’t like standing out. I mean, even if you’re only decently capable when it comes to book smarts, you’ll probably end up having to tutor other students, right? I’m not good at dealing with that kind of thing. I feel the same way about sports,” I replied.

“I see, hm.”

Matsushita seemed to have some hidden ability as well, like me. Perhaps there was some part of her that felt like she and I were alike in that regard, and that had made her feel deeply convinced. She believed what I was telling her.

“I want you to contribute to the class from now on. If you’ve got the skills for the job, I want you to show them. So that our class can keep winning from here on out. If your abilities are the real thing and you have the qualities to be a leader, then I have absolutely no qualms about vouching for you, Ayanokouji-kun.”

In short, she wanted the same thing as Horikita. They both said that if you have the ability, then you should actually use it.

“Well, I was actually thinking I was going to do just that,” I replied.

“Huh?”

I guess she must not have thought I would’ve accepted her request to cooperate so openly, since she let that “huh” slip out.

“But I want you to not get your hopes up too high. I’m already showing about seventy or eighty percent of what I can do. To be honest, even if I did give it my all, I still wouldn’t be as capable as Hirata when it comes to academics or sports,” I replied.

For the moment, I’ll put aside the question of how I’m going to be living my life here at this school from here on out. Right now, I should probably try to convince Matsushita, to some degree. By telling her that I’ve been hiding my ability, it would give her the impression that I don’t have any more secrets. Also, I’m not going to make any mention whatsoever that I’ve guessed that she has hidden abilities. Naturally, she’ll feel that she’s gained the upper hand in our psychological warfare, and she’ll tentatively calculate what kind of ability I have from there.

“Wait. Earlier, you just said seventy or eighty percent, but… Is that true?” she asked.

Matsushita should have very little information on that, to know for sure whether or not I was at or above Hirata’s level. But, she asked that question, to see if what I said was the truth.

“Yeah,” I replied.

She nodded once again when she heard me say that, but it didn’t seem as though she had accepted it as the truth.

“And what about the thing with Karuizawa-san ?” she asked.

“What are you talking about?” I asked in return.

“…About you having some connection with her breakup with Hirata-kun, or something like that, Ayanokouji-kun.”

“And where did that information come from?” I asked.

“It’s just a hunch, something that I’ve sensed myself… I think there’s definitely some kind of connection.”

Apparently, she seems to have done quite a bit of investigating. So, she wouldn’t be so easily convinced of anything. That clear confidence that Matsushita had kept slipping in and out of view during our conversation.

“Why does Karuizawa-san think you’re so special…? So much so that she’d even break up with Hirata-kun? Tell me the reason why.”

“The reason why, huh…”

Basically, if I were worse than Hirata, then Matsushita wasn’t convinced about what Karuizawa’s motives were.

“Are you going to say that she doesn’t see you as someone special?” she asked.

“…I suppose she might,” I replied.

When I said that, she responded with a small nod, as if she were somewhat satisfied.

“I knew it. You really are much more—”

“Well, no… I’m not sure how to put this, but I think you have a really huge misunderstanding here, Matsushita.”

“A misunderstanding? I’m asking you these questions because I have conclusive proof.”

“Well, I think it’s certainly true that Karuizawa and I… have an unusual relationship.”

“That’s what I want to know about. Your true abilities, Ayanokouji-kun.”

“Well, that’s—”

“You’re not going to tell me, even after telling me everything else so far?” she asked.

“It’s not like that. How do I put this? It’s just difficult to say.”

I held back my words several times, hemming and hawing a bit, as I let my gaze slip away and looked off far in the other direction. With Matsushita trying to press me further though, I had no choice but to use my words.

“It’s hard to explain, well, I suppose maybe it’s not that difficult actually, but… Well, I think that it’s simply because I have some feelings for Karuizawa, and I told her that. So, I think it’s probably just that she’s oddly aware of me being around, rather than her actually thinking I’m like, special or anything,” I replied.

“Huh…?”

“…Huh?”

We exchanged looks.

“So, Karuizawa-san didn’t see your true abilities and think of you as special because of that, Ayanokouji-kun?” she asked.

“It has nothing to do with that.”

“But… Even so, I can’t imagine that she would think that you’re that special just because you have feelings for her,” she replied.

I closed the distance between myself and Matsushita and placed my hands on her shoulders. She must not have expected that I would grab her, so her eyes had reflexively widened in shock. I looked deep into her eyes and said something.

“I like you, Matsushita. I want to go out with you.”

“Huh?!”

Matsushita must have been in a complete panic deep down, for a moment. I immediately let go of her shoulders.

“If someone told you that they had feelings for you like that, wouldn’t it stick in your mind afterward, whether it was good or bad?” I asked.

“Y-you were joking. I see. Okay…”

If you made her experience that firsthand, directly, then she would fill in the rest of the gaps on her own, after that experience. If someone of the opposite sex had seriously told you that they liked you, it was only natural that you would become more aware of that person, at as long as it wasn’t from someone that you extremely disliked or anything, at the very least.

“I think that it was just a coincidence that she and Hirata broke up. I told her how I felt about her after that happened,” I told her.

Since I actually hadn’t ever told Karuizawa anything like that before in the first place, Matsushita had no way to confirm the order the events took place.

“…I see. So that’s what happened. I’m sorry for following you.”

“I do have one request. About Karuizawa—”

“I understand. I’m not going to go around telling anyone about it.”

I couldn’t say for certain that she had completely accepted what I told her, one hundred percent. But for the time being, we would leave things at that. I had intended to provide her with only that much to work with. I don’t think she’d casually mention things about Kei and me to anyone. It would be more disadvantageous for Matsushita anyway, if she had put me in a bad mood and made me uncooperative by doing so.