Chapter 5: A Curious Feeling That Something Is Out of Place

Chapter 5: A Curious Feeling That Something Is Out of Place

Chapter 5:

A Curious Feeling That Something Is Out of Place

T HE MORNING OF THE SECOND DAY. It was still before six o’clock in the morning. It was just starting to get light outside, but it was hard to say that visibility was great yet. I moved to a space a little further away from the building so as not to be seen. There wasn’t anything to worry about though, as I didn’t think that there would be many people who would bother coming outside at this time of day. Shortly afterward, Horikita and Ibuki showed up, as promised.

“Aaaaah… So sleepy.” Ibuki yawned and stretched, her body shivering. “Also, jeez, it’s cold.”

“If you don’t like it, you can feel free to head on back to your room, okay?” replied Horikita.

“You’ve gotta be kidding. There’s no way I’m gonna let you be the only one to get revenge,” replied Ibuki.

It sounded like the main driving force behind Ibuki being here was not wanting to let Horikita have her way, rather than her issue with Amasawa.

“It seems like Amasawa has graciously accepted your challenge,” I observed.

“Yes. She immediately agreed to it. I was met with some resistance on a surprising point, though,” said Horikita.

“A surprising point?”

“I had asked her to do it on the morning of the fourth day, just as I had promised you, but she tried to negotiate with me on that, saying she wanted to change it to the morning of the third day.”

“She wanted to move things forward a day?” I asked.

“Of course, since the conditions for your cooperation included holding our fight on the morning of the fourth day, I told her that I could not compromise on that. She backed down, but even so, it seems like it didn’t resolve the fact that it was inconvenient for her. I wonder if she has plans or something.”

“Early in the morning? It’s hard to say. Anyway, it’s probably best not to worry about it if she accepted, right?”

If Amasawa didn’t like to get up early in the morning, it wouldn’t make much of a difference whether it was the third day or the fourth.

“At any rate, I have a request of you, in that regard,” Horikita said. “I didn’t press her on it because it’s a private matter, but there are some issues specific to women. If you’ll take that into consideration, I was wondering if I could get your permission to change it to the third day.”

It was certainly true that, with respect to the physical makeup of our bodies, there did come periods of time where women could be put at a disadvantage. But that would apply to Horikita and Ibuki too, so I couldn’t imagine that Amasawa would use that as an excuse.

“If she’s accepted the offer even though it’s inconvenient for her, then you should just continue with the arrangement as is. You shouldn’t reduce the number of times you’ll be training,” I replied.

“You’re quite merciless,” said Horikita.

“The match is going to be on the morning of the fourth day. If you can’t abide by that, then I can’t help you with the training.”

“…I understand. I’ll stick with the current plan, even if I feel a little guilty. Are we good, then?”

“Don’t even think about holding back against your opponent, understand?”

Horikita gave me a difficult expression, like she was still hung up on something.

“I understand that. I’m sure that she doesn’t think it’s even remotely possible that she would lose to us. So much so that she was even worried about our health,” said Horikita.

Horikita didn’t seem to like that, but since she was on the side asking for a revenge match, there was nothing to be said.

“I am gonna beat the ever-loving crap out of her,” huffed Ibuki.

Ibuki, standing beside Horikita, was raring to go, her desire for vengeance blazing hot. Personally, I didn’t care how fired up she might get, but it would be a problem if she overdid things.

“Don’t wound her face, okay? It’ll be trouble if people find out that you got into a fight,” I cautioned.

“Say what? If an opponent has a weak point, I’ll aim there, no matter where it is. In fact, I think the very first thing I ought to do is drive my foot right into Amasawa’s face,” said Ibuki.

It sounded like she was going to kick her without mercy when the time came, regardless of any warnings I could give now.

“It’s good that you’re motivated,” I said.

I decided to just end the topic there, praising her proactiveness, since we were here to train.

“I’ll get straight to it. Would you please tell me your additional conditions for accepting my request?” asked Horikita.

“Ah, yeah. There’s just one more condition. Promise that, if you determine that it’ll be difficult to win against her, you will not hesitate to fight her two-on-one, instead of one-on-one,” I replied.

I told them that other condition that I had decided upon beforehand, but both of them seemed to have trouble grasping it.

“I’m sorry. When you say two-on-one, you’re saying—”

“You and Ibuki would be the ‘two’ in that scenario, yes,” I answered, cutting her off. “If you can’t accept that, then I have no intention of helping you.”

At my clarification, Ibuki kicked the ground and clenched her fist at me.

“Huh?! A two-on-one revenge match?! What the hell is up with that? That’s so freakin’ lame. It’s unbelievable,” she huffed.

“I didn’t say ‘don’t fight one-on-one.’ I said if you find that it’s difficult,” I replied.

“Which sounds exactly like you’re saying that we don’t have any chance at winning,” replied Ibuki.

“I wanted to put it to you delicately, but, yeah, that’s true. I’m sorry, but the chances of you winning in a one-on-one fight against Amasawa are pretty much nil. I don’t intend to play along with something that’s just a waste of time.”

To be honest, even if they went against Amasawa two to one, chances were high that it would just be a repeat of their previous encounter.

“I don’t like it. That is not a condition I can accept,” said Ibuki.

“I certainly don’t like it either,” said Horikita. “To begin with, judging from the way you talk about it, I can interpret that to indicate that you actually know quite a lot about Amasawa-san’s abilities, right?”

“Yeah. Though to be honest, I haven’t fought her myself, but I have seen enough to know what she can do,” I answered.

“…And you think that there’s that much of a difference between her and us?” said Horikita.

I nodded, and it seemed to put Ibuki in an even worse mood.

“Forget it.” She clicked her tongue and averted her eyes. “I don’t need Ayanokouji’s help; I’ll do this alone. Horikita, you should just forget about him too.”

“I agree that…we’ve been offered a condition that is very hard to swallow,” said Horikita.

The previous conditions had all been met with immediate approval. I understood their resistance to this one, but meaningless training would just waste everyone’s time.

“If that’s the case, that’s fine with me. It’d be much easier for me not to help with this, anyway,” I replied.

“Let me ask you once again. You have an understanding of Amasawa-san’s abilities, right?” asked Horikita.

“I believe I understand her better than you and Ibuki do, at least. And while I will only do so as reference for you, I can also fight at a level similar to Amasawa’s strength,” I answered.

I think that Horikita had merely been hoping for a hand-to-hand match, but she couldn’t help but feel attracted to the idea of sparring with someone at the same ability as her target opponent.

“…Very well. I’m fine with accepting your condition. But what if Ibuki-san refuses?” asked Horikita.

“Then the discussion is over. My help is contingent on the premise that the two of you cooperate,” I replied.

“Can you make your judgment after you’ve seen how strong I’ve become?” asked Ibuki.

“Sure, okay. In that case, let’s test it out.” Slowly pulling my foot back, I proceeded to draw a circle roughly a meter in diameter with it. Then, I stood in the center of the circle and put my left hand out in front of me, putting right hand behind my back. “I won’t step outside the circle. And I’ll only attack with my left hand.”

“Say what?” huffed Ibuki.

“If you can make me struggle in this situation,” I said, “then you should be able to put up a good fight against Amasawa.”

“Are you makin’ fun of me?” answered Ibuki.

“You’re free to interpret this however you want, but you’re the one who said you wanted to show me first, remember?”

“That’s a laugh. Okay,” said Ibuki, “I’ll start by burning that hubris of yours to nothing.”

What an interesting choice of phrasing. The style she was using was primarily focused on footwork, the same as when we had faced each other previously. Her movements may have been more swift and precise than before, but the difference was negligible, well within margin of error. I quickly determined where her feet would land and avoided her kicks.

“Don’t get cocky! If I get your left arm, you’re mine!” shouted Ibuki.

Apparently, Ibuki intended to grab my left arm to cut off my means of attacking. If that was what she wanted, I’d let her grab me as much as she wanted. When I deliberately brought my left hand into a position where it would be easy for her to reach, she took advantage of what looked like a perfect opportunity and grabbed my wrist.

Once she did, I extended the five fingers of my left hand and took a large step with my left foot, planting it past Ibuki. As I pulled my hand away in an arc from left to right and broke free of Ibuki’s grip, I opened my left leg and separated from her. After brushing Ibuki off, she was defenseless and had her back completely open to me before she even realized it.

“Huh?!” blinked Ibuki.

I thrust outward with my clenched left fist, lightly driving it into Ibuki’s back before she could wrap her head around what had just happened.

“H how…?!” she stammered.

“It’s a type of aikido. No matter how many times you try that, the results will be the same,” I replied.

In a situation where it was certain that you’d be facing an opponent with established techniques in a one-on-one match, you couldn’t overcome a difference in ability no matter how many times you fought. To do so in this case, they would need to accept attacking two-on-one to throw more moves than their opponent.

“May I switch in, Ibuki-san?” asked Horikita.

“I guess you have to experience it firsthand to really understand, huh?” replied Ibuki.

“It’s not that. Even in that short sequence, I could recognize full well your fear. That’s why I want you to look at it objectively, Ibuki-san. You can’t make any progress if you don’t know what you experienced,” said Horikita.

It sounded like Horikita had wanted to let Ibuki gain experience fighting me of her own free will.

“I’m going to block your left hand, just like she did. But I don’t plan to let you do to me what you did to her,” said Horikita.

“That’s good,” I replied. “It’d be stupid to just come in and get worked over the same way she did on purpose.”

I let Ibuki back off, and now Horikita stood before me.

“You can start anytime,” I told her.

“I intend to.”

I thought she might’ve paused for a moment to take a breath, but apparently not. She immediately tried to grab my left forearm, further up from my wrist. I supposed that she was trying to make me act on instinct without even considering what I just said. However, I forced her to take hold of my wrist by adjusting and pulling my arm back.

“Urk…!”

Horikita hadn’t caught me; she had been caught. Even though Horikita had realized this, she couldn’t stop the momentum of her own movements. And even though she understood intellectually that she was in a disadvantageous position, she was moved in exactly the same way Ibuki had been. Instead of letting her grab me, I deliberately made her grab the location that she did not want to.

The human mind is a strange thing. Even though one understands that they shouldn’t grab in that situation, their brain decides that it’s better than not grabbing at all. That was because they haven’t experienced a situation in which not grabbing hold is actually more advantageous.

“So, I got worked over too, in that sequence just now…” remarked Horikita.

“That’s what I told you,” I replied.

“Even though I didn’t intend to let you do the same thing to me, I found myself being forced into it before I even realized…” said Horikita. As frustration welled up within her, she stared at me with a powerful intensity in her eyes. “And that’s the difference in ability between Amasawa-san and us right now, yes?”

“Yeah. I can’t see you having any chance of winning whatsoever unless you can at least make me give up on the rules that I imposed on myself here,” I answered.

Either they forced me to take even one step outside the circle or they made me use my right arm. If they couldn’t do either of those things but still tried to take their revenge now, then all that would happen is they would get scornfully laughed at.

“So, does this convince you? How reckless it would be for you to fight Amasawa one-on-one?” I asked.

While Horikita’s facial expression was still subdued, Ibuki’s showed her frustration clearly and plainly. Since she wasn’t talking big about how she would defeat Amasawa anymore, I supposed that meant she saw the light.

“How much is it…?” asked Ibuki.

“How much is what?” I asked in return.

“The difference between Amasawa and me. Can’t you give me like a number or something, to make it easier to understand?” replied Ibuki.

It was true that just having a vague sense of it intuitively wouldn’t be enough to maintain her motivation into the future.

“In terms of physical ability, if we treat you and Horikita as having about the same level, we could say fifty for you both, then Amasawa would be sixty, with a difference of about ten between you.” At that answer, Horikita and Ibuki exchanged looks, perhaps surprised that there wasn’t as much of a difference as they had expected. “However, it’s a different story if we factor in technical skill. You two each focus on a single martial art, whereas Amasawa has practiced an extraordinary number of them. If you take that into account, the gap widens further,” I explained.

Even though I expressed it in numerical terms, those numbers were nothing more than an overall guide. Who won or lost could vary greatly depending on the conditions that day, unpredictable events, misreading, or luck. However, a greater difference in skill meant a greater number of required attempts.

“From here on,” I added, “you’ll be fighting together, two-on-one.”

“I don’t like this,” replied Ibuki.

“I feel the same way, Ibuki-san,” answered Horikita, “but you can understand that necessity calls for it, right?”

“We’re definitely gonna make him use both hands. Got it?” said Ibuki.

“I’m not so sure about that. Personally, I think it would be easier to force him out of the circle. Don’t you?” said Horikita.

“I don’t care,” snapped Ibuki, “You’re gonna go along with my plan.”

Before they could even start fighting, the two quickly started quarreling about how they would fight. Horikita and Ibuki were oil and water. They probably hadn’t even considered the notion of working together this whole time. For now, I would stay out of it and let them do as they pleased.

“It’s impossible for us to be in sync with each other. Fine. Let’s just each attack however we like,” said Horikita.

“Agreed,” replied Ibuki.

Apparently, neither side was going to compromise. Instead, they were going to attack individually but at the same time.

5.1

“L ET’S CALL IT A DAY,” I announced.

The both of them had greatly depleted their stamina, partly due to the fact that they were forced to work together and coordinate, which they weren’t used to. When I announced that we were done, they both dropped to sit on the ground right on the spot, at almost the same time.

“Even if we do another day of this, it won’t change the fact that it’s just hasty last-minute preparations. Even so, it’ll make things somewhat better,” I added.

If they tried taking their revenge on Amasawa without any guidance, they wouldn’t have the slightest hope. They wouldn’t have any hope whatsoever if they tried to get revenge without guidance.

“Where did you get to be so strong?” huffed Horikita.

“I’ve studied a whole bunch of martial arts since I was little, that’s all,” I replied.

“But I have too, just focusing on karate. At least, I’ve been trying to get good enough so that I won’t lose to people around me,” said Horikita.

That might have been a little too much stimulation. Did I damage that confidence that Horikita had built up through experience? I thought about hastily injecting some emotional comfort, but apparently there was no need.

“But I’m just going to assume that you are outside the norm. The fact that my brother acknowledges you is a source of support for me, now,” said Horikita.

“Hmph…”

Unlike Horikita, Ibuki was still incredibly frustrated. She stood up and turned her back to me.

“Tomorrow, I am definitely gonna make you use your hands,” spat Ibuki.

After leaving us with that, Ibuki forcefully stomped her way back toward the camp building.

“No matter where or when, she sure hates to lose,” I remarked.

That wasn’t a bad thing, but it was a shame to narrow her vision because of it. I doubted whether she managed to properly absorb the movements and fighting style.

“Don’t worry,” said Horikita, “I’ll talk to her later and have her reflect on today’s experiences—even if I have to force it out of her.”

Hearing that put me at ease. Horikita and I walked back to the camp building side by side.

“I never thought you would be this cooperative. I had thought that you would’ve…I don’t know, cut corners, or done things in a noncommittal way,” said Horikita.

There were several reasons, but the core factor in my not often showing my cards was that I had determined that doing so would make the future excessively hard on Horikita.

“I do charity work on occasion,” I replied.

“That’s kind of fishy. It makes me want to suspect that there’s something behind it.”

“I guess I’ll just have to let you be prepared for it when the time comes then.”

Horikita’s eyes narrowed in dismay at my deliberately implying that there was something going on.

“I see,” said Horikita. “In that case, I suppose let’s just consider this mutually beneficial.”

I parted ways with Horikita, who had interpreted what I said in that way, and we each decided to head to our individual rooms separately. It would have been better if we didn’t let Amasawa know that I was coaching Horikita and Ibuki. By the time I got back to my shared room, it was just before seven o’clock. I had come in at just the exact time to see Hashimoto wake up and sit up in bed. While Hashimoto and I were conversing quietly, the first-year students roused from their shallow sleep, and soon all the inhabitants of the room were up.

“All righty. Think I’m gonna go take a bath this mornin’. What about you fellas?” asked Hashimoto.

I decided that I’d tag along with Hashimoto and enjoy myself a morning bath.

“A-Ayanokouji-senpai, are you going too?”

“Yeah, I’m planning—”

“Yanagi, Obokata, Kosumi, let’s go!”

“Huh? Uh, wait, we’re—”

“Come on, just come! Ayanokouji-senpai’s telling us to come along!”

No, I didn’t tell anyone that, at all. I would really like for you not to say anything that could be mistaken as harassment from a position of power on my part, I thought.

5.2

A FTER OUR MORNING BATH, the entire group gathered at Hashimoto’s command and exchanged opinions about the day’s Social Group over breakfast. However, Hashimoto took over the bulk of the conversation, and the rest was a little bit from each of the other students.

“I do not quite understand what is going on, but the boys’ bizarre excitement is…rather unsettling,” said Morishita, who whispered it to me casually, despite the venom.

Hiyori seemed to have a completely different opinion, saying, “Really? Personally, I thought it was kind of cute.”

Morishita once again stared at the first-year boys. Even leaving aside assessments of cuteness, they were definitely unusually excited. Whenever the group gathered yesterday, they had a strong tendency to wither away in the face of their upperclassmen, but that tendency has since vanished. Actually, they were exchanging gestures that I didn’t quite understand, even making each other laugh out loud hysterically.

“Is that cute?” asked Morishita.

“I think so,” said Hiyori.

“I apologize, but it is rather creepy after all. You sure are strange, Shiina Hiyori,” said Morishita.

“Really?” asked Hiyori.

Watching the two of them interact up close, I felt like Hiyori had changed quite a lot since we first met. I had held the impression of her as a student who kept her heart hidden, whose emotions had few ups and downs. Or rather, perhaps it would be more accurate to say that she’d finally laid her true self bare, rather than that her personality had fundamentally changed.

“Is something the matter, Ayanokouji-kun?” asked Hiyori.

It turned out that my unreserved observation had resulted in Hiyori noticing my gaze.

“Nothing. Don’t worry about it,” I replied.

“Oh, really?” she answered, with a very slight tilt of her head and a smile that held not a trace of suspicion.

“Ayanokouji-senpai! May we join you in the bath again tonight too?!”

“Huh? O-oh, yeah, sure. That’s fine,” I answered.

Despite the strange sense of coercion I was feeling, I didn’t feel at all bothered by that level of intimidation, and so I agreed. Then, just like that, the first-years were spurred into an excited frenzy again.

“Never imagined you could win over the first-years so well, and in less than a day at that. What kind of magic did you use?” asked Kiryuuin after she finished her meal, her voice full of genuine interest and her arms laid flat on the table.

“To be honest, I’m puzzled too. I didn’t do anything special,” I answered.

“Are you trying to hide things from me now, as well?” said Kiryuuin.

Apparently, she thought I was keeping secrets, but I honestly didn’t know.

“You really don’t get it? Why you’ve got the respect of your juniors?” Hashimoto perked up as he interjected. While it might’ve been rude to say as much, perhaps he had been eavesdropping on my conversation. “I may not know myself exactly why, but I also admire… Well, no, that’s not it. There’s part of me that’s in sheer awe of you.”

“Awe?” I repeated.

Awe meant that you trembled with fear in the face of something with overwhelming power. I was sorry to say that I didn’t remember once ever using threats like Ryuuen and Housen, but…

“Really, I was shocked. Or like, I feel like you’re a real man among men… It ain’t surprising that first-years would start acting like this when they found out about that ,” said Hashimoto.

“Oh ho?” Kiryuuin chimed in, “I don’t really understand, but I am very, very interested. What do you mean, that ?”

“Oh, nothing, forget it,” said Hashimoto, “It’s a secret between dudes. Can’t tell ya. Sorry!”

“Hmm. A secret between men, eh? That’s not so bad, either,” replied Kiryuuin.

Kiryuuin was somehow satisfied with that explanation, and she rose from her seat. Just as she was about to pick up the tray with the empty dishes on it, Hashimoto stopped her.

“We’ll take care of the cleanup, so you don’t gotta worry about it, senpai,” said Hashimoto.

“I appreciate the sentiment, but I’ll take care of my own dishes, at least. See you again for Social Group,” said Kiryuuin.

With that, Kiryuuin lifted her tray with both hands and headed for the tray return drop-off.

“It’s hard to tell if she’s a senpai that’s easy or hard to work with,” said Hashimoto, offering his honest thoughts about Kiryuuin now that she was gone.

When it came to choosing people, he was probably exactly right.

5.3

“G OOD MORNING to you, Ayanokouji-kun.”

After finishing my meal and passing through the lobby, I saw Sakayanagi sitting alone on a sofa.

“Morning. You seem a little sleepy, for some reason,” I replied.

I thought I’d mention that, since she seemed a little dazed, and she nodded, not denying it.

“Yes,” she said. “Sharing a room is not my cup of tea, shall we say, and I couldn’t sleep well. So I thought I’d have a short rest after finishing my meal.”

Even if it’s only a short nap, closing your eyes for even a little bit can help to make you feel better, after all.

“I see. And there’s no guarantee you’ll be able to settle even if you head back to your room,” I added.

“I usually get eight hours of sleep a day. These next few days will likely be a struggle for me,” she lamented.

Considering her personality, it seemed possible that she could calculate so that she slept for exactly eight hours on the dot.

“Have you and the others in your group been able to open up to each other?” I asked.

“I do not think there is any particular need for us to become accustomed to one another. At any rate, I oversee Class A. They come to me without me even having to do anything, really, so I am not having any difficulty in engaging in dialogue,” said Sakayanagi.

Well, I guess I could say it was good to hear that she didn’t seem to be having any trouble in that regard.

“What about you? Do you not have any problems sharing a room with unfamiliar people?” asked Sakayanagi.

“Nope, all good. I’m having a good time, in my own way,” I replied.

“You are in the group together with Hashimoto-kun and Morishita-san if I remember correctly, Ayanokouji-kun. How is Hashimoto-kun doing?”

“He’s acting the same as always, but he seems to be scared of something.”

“Speaking of which, I hear that there are some rather strange rumors going around about him. Something about betraying the class. I would really appreciate it if you could give him some advice, to watch his back,” said Sakayanagi.

“I can’t imagine any advice would actually help though,” I replied.

“Heh heh.”

Sakayanagi let out a little chuckle, but she really didn’t seem as tough and composed as usual.

“Do you feel pretty comfortable with your group?” I asked.

“This is not a special exam; it is merely a social event. We haven’t done anything in particular.”

“That seems a little at odds with the information I’ve heard before. Hashimoto said that you would always go for the win, no matter what form it takes.”

“It isn’t like you to simply take everything at face value without question, is it, Ayanokouji-kun? Perhaps this is one possible pretext that someone could use to investigate me, wouldn’t you say?”

While it was true that Hashimoto might have been a little over the top in expressing it, he wasn’t necessarily wrong.

“Yes, there was some unexpected damage in the immediate wake of Masumi-san’s departure. You know that as well, Ayanokouji-kun. However, that will not drag on for long.” Sakayanagi spoke with composed confidence. She continued, “If I were pressed to give a firm reason for why I am not doing anything in this Social Group event, it would be because I am focusing my energies into identifying someone to be my new servant, to be at my beck and call.”

Kamuro’s presence as Sakayanagi’s assistant until now had been significant, and her sudden absence would in fact make it more difficult for Sakayanagi to take action.

“Someone you keep so close must be as trustworthy as possible, you see,” she concluded.

“What about Kitou?” I asked.

“When it comes to loyalty he certainly is the most loyal in the class, but I do have some aversion to the idea of having someone of the opposite sex, as you can imagine. However, if I were to only choose from the girls, there is no one suitable at the present moment.”

Basically, the only girls from Class A that I interacted with were Yamamura and Morishita. They each had their areas of competency, but neither was suited for the role of Sakayanagi’s assistant.

“So, are you ready to make a decision? On her replacement?” I asked.

“Not yet, so it appears that I will be working solo for a while. I am content to accept this as another situation brought about by my error in judgment,” said Sakayanagi.

It felt less like she couldn’t find someone suitable and more like she wasn’t really looking very hard. It would be an exaggeration to say that Sakayanagi was showing some kind of penitence over Kamuro, but she probably intended to choose a life of inconvenience for a while, as a sort of ritual purification. That was Sakayanagi’s choice too, but there was another problem that needed to be solved.

Suddenly, I sensed a presence behind me, and turned to find Kitou glaring at me with a terrifying look on his face as he drew closer.

“Good morning,” I offered.

“… It looks as though you are not having any problems,” he remarked, directing his statement at Sakayanagi while completely ignoring my greeting.

“No, no problems whatsoever,” she said, “but thank you very much for your consideration.”

The interaction made it obvious that Kitou had approached us out of concern for Sakayanagi, which I supposed was understandable. During this unstable time after the loss of Kamuro, it made sense that he would be on high alert not just for Hashimoto, but for any foreign contaminants from other classes.

“Please do not take this in a bad way, Ayanokouji-kun,” said Sakayanagi.

“I get it. I’d say that you’re just as doubtful as you all should be right now,” I answered.

“Gooood morning!” exclaimed Amasawa, announcing her arrival.

As I stood facing Sakayanagi and Kitou, Amasawa slid in as though she were wedging herself between us.

“Good morning to you, Amasawa-san. You seem to be in good spirits this morning,” said Sakayanagi.

“Well, bein’ spunky is my strong point, after all,” explained Amasawa.

Kitou took a step away from Sakayanagi and closed his mouth so as not to interrupt the conversation.

“Just thought I might give ya a little pep talk before the second day of Social Group begins,” said Amasawa. “Looks like Ayanokouji-senpai is doing super and winning all his games, but…you lost three times on the first day, Arisu-senpai. I got worried, thinkin’ that you might already be in trouble or something.”

“Unfortunately, I am in no way involved whatsoever in directing the group today. I have entrusted matters entirely to the third-year student,” replied Sakayanagi.

“Hmmm? So you’re basically saying it’s whatever then, even if you lose? Personally, since this is a precious opportunity to do stuff with other grade levels, I was kinda hoping for something to happen,” said Amasawa.

“There is no need to set any sort of restrictions of any kind, you know,” said Sakayanagi. “If you wish to have a confrontation with me, then please rest assured, I will accept at any time.”

So Sakayanagi wanted her to just ignore Social Group and things like it, and to bring a challenge whenever she wanted. However, when Amasawa heard this, instead of showing enthusiasm or even interest, she just laughed it off.

“Aww, you’re acting tough. I heard that you lost in the previous special exam and came in last place,” said Amasawa.

Amasawa appeared to be well-informed about the goings on with the second-years. She threw that fact in Sakayanagi’s face, certainly not out of concern, and then reached out to touch her as another way of teasing. But in that exact same moment, Kitou demonstrated his role as Sakayanagi’s shield, and grabbed Amasawa’s wrist mercilessly.

“What are you doing, Kitou-senpai? Isn’t that the kinda thing that Ryuuen-senpai would do?” asked Amasawa.

Amasawa played up being a weak girl to appeal to Kitou, but he didn’t loosen his grip on her.

“I will act if it is necessary, whether it is against Ryuuen or whomever. Naturally, I will use any means at my disposal. Keep that in mind,” said Kitou, directing his comment at Amasawa as she smiled at him through the feeling of animosity she was exuding.

“Well, that doesn’t exactly feel like a knight protecting his princess, but it’s still interesting. I’m not against the idea of being violent with anyone, even if that someone is a girl, but…I guess maybe I was taking the pranks a little bit too far,” said Amasawa.

Amasawa apologized, saying that she had no intention of doing anything serious, and backed off as soon as Kitou relaxed his grip.

“I’ll deal with you some other time, then. Please make sure you can really give it your all, properly, okay, Arisu-senpaaaaai?” said Amasawa.

As Amasawa bounded away, hopping up and down, she turned back several times to wave at us.

“We managed to keep things civil,” said Sakayanagi.

“Maybe so,” I replied.

After briefly exchanging glances, I decided to walk away, since I would have felt bad if I stuck around for too long and drew attention to Sakayanagi for nothing.