Chapter 4: Double Question

Chapter 4: Double Question

Chapter 4:

Double Question

“Y ou’re joking, right?”

The first thing out of Horikita’s mouth sounded very accusatory.

“Unfortunately, it’s the truth. Kouenji just ended the test for his group,” I said.

“Are you an idiot? Why didn’t you stop him? Wasn’t that your responsibility as his roommate?” she asked.

“That’s an impossible task. Besides, there’s nothing I can do about it now. No use crying over spilt milk.”

Kouenji’s treasonous act had circulated around the ship, and naturally the classes were in an uproar. Even though we’d chatted yesterday, Horikita wanted to meet face-to-face today. She seemed unconvinced by my words, because she was still shaking her head.

“When I see him next time, I’ll reprimand him myself. I’ll make him beg for mercy.”

“You already know that’s pointless, right? He won’t listen. He’ll just confuse you and waste your time. It’ll be a headache. For the time being, we should concentrate on our own groups.”

She’d keep blaming me for Kouenji because he was my roommate. I decided to change the subject.

“It’s true that my group is filled with troublesome opponents, but I’ve no intention of falling behind,” said Horikita.

She certainly had an iron will. Well, I supposed I would have to leave the matter to her. I had problems of my own, specifically with Ichinose and the others who’d been secretly sent by Hoshinomiya-sensei to spy on me.

“I was thinking. You’re a girl, more or less. I wanted to ask you something,” I said.

“I really don’t like the way you said that. ‘More or less’? I am a girl.”

Horikita had misunderstood what I’d meant. She looked disgruntled, and turned away from me.

“Oh, uh, that’s not really what I meant. I meant there was something I wanted to ask you, as a girl.” Since she’d probably get angrier no matter what I did, I cut to the chase. “I want information on Karuizawa.”

I’d planned to contact Karuizawa, but had never talked to her before. If Karuizawa ranked the boys in our class, I likely would’ve been last.

“You want to talk to me about Karuizawa?”

“Yes, exactly.” I nodded. “I’d like to know more about the people in my group, but it’s not easy. I should be able find out whatever I need to about the Professor and Yukimura, but I’m at a complete loss with Karuizawa. After the test on the island ended, Karuizawa invited you out to lunch. Right?”

“I turned her down, though. You know that. I have no interest in Karuizawa-san. If you want information on her, why not talk to Hirata-kun? If he’s helping you, you’ll be able to contact her easily.”

That was certainly true. Unfortunately, prior to the test, I had also passed on the opportunity to have lunch with Karuizawa. Hirata probably remembered that, so I wanted to avoid asking him about this.

“Do you think she’s the VIP? Is that what you’re worried about?” Horikita asked.

“There’s that. But more than that, I can’t understand Karuizawa’s behavior. That’s why I’m worried.”

“Well, isn’t that none of your business? Besides, her behavior isn’t logical. I think it’s a waste of time,” she countered.

“Horikita, I don’t think it’s good to write people off like that.”

“Write them off? What are you talking about?”

“You and Karuizawa don’t get along at all because you’re both willful, so you see her as nothing more than a nuisance. You understand that she may also have strong points, too?”

“ She has strong points? I can’t really imagine any. Isn’t she just flawed?”

In terms of cooperativeness, Horikita was probably at the same level or even worse than Karuizawa.

“When you first see someone, you make judgments based on their appearance. You might determine if someone is cool or cute, for instance. Basically, you read people. Call it your first impression; that’s simple enough. Next, you learn about their inner self through conversation and seeing them in action. You’ll see whether they’re sociable, belligerent, passive, etc.”

Horikita crossed her arms, acting like my words were obvious. She waited for me to continue.

“But that’s still just as superficial as their outside appearance. Their innermost thoughts aren’t going to be immediately apparent from that. For example, take Kushida, Ibuki, or even me. There’s a difference between a person’s outer and inner selves.”

“So Karuizawa has some secret self?”

“Almost everyone does. They may not be aware of it themselves. You do, too.” Whenever she came face to face with her older brother, she exposed her fragility.

“I’m still not entirely convinced. However, I imagine you’ll learn more about her by spending time together,” she said.

Of course, that was easier said than done.

“So, what are Karuizawa-san’s good points?” Horikita asked.

“I still can’t really describe it, but so far I’d say it’s her ability to assume control. She can take the initiative. In fact, her position in Class D is unshakeable.”

However, in the Rabbit group, that part of her stayed hidden, which exactly why I needed to uncover Karuizawa’s true nature as quickly as possible.

“Okay. Let’s say for the sake of argument that you’re right, and she has that ability. What do you intend to do? Are you thinking of making her your ally, too?” asked Horikita.

“Hmm, I have to think about that.”

While I thought about how to answer, Ryuuen approached us. “Hey, you two. Having yourselves a nice date in the shade? Let me in on the fun.”

He wasn’t with Ibuki, apparently. He drew closer to us, wearing a creepy smile.

“It seems like you have an awful lot of free time. Not that I care, but there’s nothing for you here,” said Horikita.

“That’s for me to decide. Well then, have you decided how to find the VIP?” he asked. Ryuuen sat down without bothering to ask permission.

“Whatever my plans may be, I’ve no intention of telling you,” said Horikita.

“That’s too bad. I wanted to get your opinion. However, it looks like you haven’t made any progress at all in your search.”

“That’s an interesting thing to say. Are you saying that you know who the VIP is?”

Ryuuen smirked slightly at Horikita, as if expecting her to express disbelief. “I’ve already started to discover the VIP’s identity. Would you believe me if I told you that?”

“No, I wouldn’t. You don’t have any support like Ichinose-san and Katsuragi-kun do. You only have enemies. I can’t imagine you have reliable information,” she countered.

“Well, you’re right that I’m not a professional friend-collector, but making friends has nothing to do with whether or not I can gather information.” He spoke like a teacher rebuking his student for not getting the correct answer. “Unfortunately for you, I’ve already gotten a handle on the fundamentals of this test. Depending on how things go, Class C will win by an overwhelming majority.”

“No, you can’t be…”

No, what he was saying was probably true. The school always created tests with fundamental laws or rules at their core. That was true of our midterms, final exams, and even the test on the island. If you understood the logic behind those rules, it would be possible to win. This test was likely no different. He must have noticed that.

“It’s an extremely simple matter. All you need to do is find out what class the VIP is from. Then, your next move is to analyze the group,” said Ryuuen.

“I see. Anyone could think of that. But are they going to answer honestly? If the school has a rule that guarantees your anonymity, all they need to do is lie and gain 500,000 points, right?” Horikita countered.

Ryuuen appeared calm in the face of Horikita’s doubts. “You just have to make sure it’s a situation where someone can’t lie,” he said.

“Where someone can’t lie?”

“I take everyone’s cell phones. So if someone lies to me, all I have to do is check everyone’s email, one by one,” said Ryuuen.

“Are you insane? The school doesn’t allow that. If you were discovered, you’d be expelled,” snapped Horikita.

“It’s not really a problem at all, actually. I’m here because it’s not a problem. Do you get what I mean?”

It was a brute-force method that only he could pull off, because he was an absolute tyrant. If he forcibly looked at another student’s phone, then Ryuuen would be punished. However, even if Ryuuen rampaged through Class C, he believed no one would lodge a complaint against him. And if no one complained to the school, that meant they were practically giving him consent.

Ryuuen’s calm proved that what he said was true—that he was operating within the rules. His strategy was to forcibly lay bare all of Class C’s secrets. At any rate, if what he was saying was true, Ryuuen had identified three of the VIPs. That was a huge step toward completing this test.

It was comparable to a quiz where you could turn the page over and find the answer written on the back. If you didn’t flip the page, no one would know the answer, but if you flipped it just a little, you could spy the answer. In other words, Ryuuen probably knew the identities of every class’s VIP.

“Looks like you finally understand.”

“Yes. But you haven’t got the answer yet. If you had, you would’ve sent an email to the school immediately,” answered Horikita.

“Maybe I’m just playing around?”

“You don’t know when someone else is going to figure it out. You shouldn’t be so laid-back,” Horikita snapped.

She didn’t have any proof, but Horikita was probably correct. If he already knew the answer, there’d be no benefit to delaying the result. He should have ended it.

“Now, then. Suppose I’m about to reach checkmate?” he said.

“Ryuuen-kun. While you’re here, I’d like to ask you something. The test ended for the Monkey group yesterday. What do you think about that?” she asked.

“I don’t think about it at all. I don’t really care about small fry. See you again, Suzune.”

Ryuuen left. His parting words made me wonder if he planned on reporting back regularly. I flipped him off, and Horikita made a face.

“I don’t know how much of what he said is true,” she said.

While we kept silent, we peeked underneath the chair that Ryuuen had been sitting in. Under the chair was a single cell phone set to record audio. A single chat message had been sent to that phone. There was no sound because the phone had been set to silent. I couldn’t see everything on the screen because of the angle, but I instantly made out the words “Sorry for yesterday!”

Perhaps there was some kind of drama in their class? I didn’t want to court disaster by continuing to look, so I sat back up. Horikita quickly understood, took out her own phone, and sent me a short message:

If that phone is his, we probably shouldn’t say anything careless.

Well, she wasn’t wrong, but who knew what the correct answer was? This was difficult, but it would also be suspicious for us to just go silent.

“Do you think what Ryuuen said was true? About finding out the VIPs from every class,” I said.

Horikita looked perplexed for a moment. However, she seemed to quickly pick up on what I was getting at.

“I have to wonder. I can’t say I’m 100% sure. But…there’s a possibility. I don’t think we can keep up this test much longer, though.”

“Sounds like things are rough for you, too,” I said.

“I’ve got a lot of work for you to do. I need you to find the group’s VIP as soon as possible,” said Horikita.

“Easy for you to say. It’s not like I can find them.”

“I won’t expect too much from you. I just want information about the Rabbit group.”

Our conversation only highlighted Horikita’s capability and my incompetence. That way, suspicion would probably be directed away from me. At any rate, Ryuuen was using his own phone to try and find out more. He was looking for anything he could get.

“If you’re not expecting too much, I’ll do what I can,” I answered.

Without saying anything else, Horikita got up, walked to the elevator, and left. Should I head back to my own room? Or should I come up with a strategy to win the test? I left Ryuuen’s phone alone and walked away. Eventually, I decided to head back to my own room. I could learn more detailed information about Horikita’s group from Hirata, more or less. Also, Hirata would likely approach this test from a different perspective than Horikita.

However, Hirata wasn’t in the room when I came in. I only saw Yukimura. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking grave.

“What’s the matter?” I asked.

He was my roommate, after all, so I couldn’t just ignore him. Yukimura noticed me, but he didn’t respond. He sighed quietly and muttered something to himself.

“For crying out loud, why did we get stuck with this group? Why am I partnered with Karuizawa and Sotomura? We can’t win,” he mumbled.

“What’s with you all of a sudden?” I asked.

“Didn’t you hear? There’s a rumor going around saying that they use guidelines to create the groups. When I heard that all the superior students got grouped into the Dragon group, I knew it was true,” he answered.

So that’s what he was agonizing over. It was certainly true that the Dragon group did seem to feature the best of the best. Considering the conversation I’d overheard between the teachers and what Ryuuen had said, there wasn’t any doubt. Based on pure academic ability, Yukimura certainly wasn’t inferior to Hirata or Horikita. He was probably dissatisfied at being placed in the Rabbit group, which was stuck somewhere in the middle.

Yukimura didn’t use a certain person’s name, but when he looked at me it was clear he was thinking about Horikita. Unfortunately, I couldn’t help him. While I continued listening to him, I returned to my bed and laid down on my side. I thought I’d take a nap until Hirata returned.

Unfortunately, I felt a disagreeable gaze on me. Yukimura stared at me suspiciously.

“Ayanokouji. You aren’t the VIP, are you?” he asked.

“Even if I did deny it and said you’re wrong, what’s the point in checking?”

“Cooperation is vital in this test. We need to adhere to that. If we cooperate, we won’t lose.”

“I see. Unfortunately, I’m not the VIP.”

“Are you sure? You’re not being selfish and trying to hoard points, are you?” Yukimura seemed to doubt everyone as a rule, so this didn’t surprise me.

“I’m not the VIP. Can I believe that you’re not the VIP, Yukimura?”

“Yes, of course you can. I’m not the VIP. Neither is Sotomura, by the way.”

That was sort of like a secret handshake, a magic contract between allies.

“I checked with Karuizawa, too. She said that she’s not the VIP, but whether I believe her is another issue.”

Yukimura normally showed disdain for Karuizawa, so he tended not to believe what she said. He’d know the truth for sure if he checked her phone, but given that they had a tenuous relationship, that would be difficult. You could say their relationship was the embodiment of “good fences make good neighbors.” They liked to keep their distance. They wouldn’t flaunt their good fortune to one another.

Yukimura seemed satisfied for the time being, because he didn’t press the matter any further. I laid my head on my pillow and closed my eyes. I couldn’t really relax with someone else in the room, but it wasn’t too unpleasant. When I really focused on trying to make friends, I could be as adaptive as a chameleon, and it seemed even Yukimura was starting to warm up to me.

I fell into a light sleep, punctuated by Yukimura’s occasional sighs.

4.1

I n the afternoon, I went to the Rabbit group’s discussion room. Despite the fact that it was a bright, sunny day, the atmosphere could completely change depending on the company. I arrived ten minutes before the discussion was set to begin and appeared to be the first one there. The next to arrive was Karuizawa. When she saw me, her expression changed to one of apparent disgust, and she quickly averted her eyes. After that, she moved as far away from me as she could and sat down. She took out her phone and started fiddling with it.

We didn’t exactly get along. We didn’t really fight, though. She simply disliked me. But that was actually the most bothersome kind of relationship. If she disliked me for a reason, there was room for improvement. However, if she just instinctively hated me, then there was no chance of a breakthrough.

I could’ve killed time out in the hall until Ichinose and the others arrived, but since I was here first, it would look awkward if I left. I decided to adjust my posture to look more manly and dignified. What a bother this test was. Because it centered around conversation, you had to participate no matter what, which was difficult for me. Even after the first semester ended, I still couldn’t bring myself to strike up a conversation.

Karuizawa didn’t seem like she planned to pass the time quietly. She put her phone to her ear and started talking. “Oh hi, Rinocchi? How are things with you right now? Me? Ah, things here suck so bad. Like, I’m seriously fed up with everything,” said Karuizawa.

Since we were the only two people in the room, I could naturally overhear every bit of Karuizawa’s conversation, including how she skillfully wove together expressions of both joy and melancholy. It was an incredibly awkward situation with only two people in the room. Immediately after her call ended, there came a moment of silence.

“That reminds me. So, are you the VIP? It seems like…Yukimura-kun and that Soto…kun aren’t,” said Karuizawa.

Wow, she was talking to me. At least she could remember Sotomura’s name. Yukimura had asked me that same question a little while ago. I suppose it made sense that everyone wanted to check.

“Nope,” I answered.

“Ah, okay. That’s fine.”

However, unlike Yukimura, she didn’t double-check. “Do you believe me?” I asked.

“Huh? You said you’re not, didn’t you?”

Even though we didn’t get along well, she seemed to believe what I said. Well, there really wasn’t any need to press the issue. I wasn’t looking to get more points in this test. What was important was ascertaining whether Karuizawa could be useful to me.

“You two sure are early,” said Ichinose. The three Class B students had arrived together.

“Nice to see you,” I said. I raised my hand slightly. Ichinose spoke to Karuizawa as well, but Karuizawa was so busy on her phone, she didn’t respond.

Everyone in our group showed up before the start time. However, the situation hadn’t changed at all from yesterday.

Class A kept its distance from the rest of us, so the rest of us formed a circle. Then, Karuizawa got up and sat down next to Machida from Class A. Probably a defensive measure against Manabe. Machida didn’t participate in the discussion, but we felt his presence very strongly. There was also a power imbalance, and Class C, which only had girls like Manabe, didn’t really have any charismatic members who could go up against Machida.

Had Karuizawa instead gone to someone weak, like me or the Professor, for support, Manabe and the others could have hounded her. Karuizawa had definitely made the correct decision.

“Don’t worry. If anything happens, I’ll help you,” said Machida.

“Thank you, Machida-kun,” she replied.

Since Karuizawa had started depending on Machida, he seemed very conscious of her. I mean, she was a really cute girl, so it was understandable that he’d want to protect her. Even if they were from different classes.

Leaving aside their new (and dangerous) affections, the test was the problem. We all understood that. We understood that what separated victory from defeat was finding out whether your class had the VIP.

“Now then. I’m sure we all discussed this amongst ourselves last night, but I think we should try and find the VIPs after all,” said Ichinose.

“This again? Don’t you get that some people here won’t go along with it? If we don’t all participate, there’s no way you’ll find the VIP,” said one of the Class A students mockingly.

“I don’t think that’s true, though. It’s a problem of trust. That’s why today, I’d like us all to play cards together. Of course, I won’t force anyone to participate. Only jump in if you want to,” said Ichinose.

She brought out a deck of cards, all while smiling.

“Ha ha ha ha! Building trust through playing cards? That’s so stupid!”

“You can say it’s stupid, but if you give it a try you might like it. Besides, spending an hour in complete silence sounds awfully boring. Why not kill some time?”

Of course, all the other Class B students agreed to participate.

“I shall play as well. I am currently at liberty,” said the Professor.

Well, the Professor was right. We didn’t have anything else to do right now. No one else was joining, so I slowly raised my hand.

“Five people, then. Well, I thought we could play Daifugō , but does anyone here not know the rules?” asked Ichinose.

I had a grasp on the rules, to a certain extent. I knew about Daifugō . No one seemed to have a problem, so we got into a small circle and started playing. The people not playing either chatted amongst themselves, or occasionally shot us an indifferent glance. Ichinose shuffled the deck and divided the cards evenly among the five of us.

I had a Joker, a pair of twos, and three other cards. Considering the hand I’d been dealt, I could’ve seemingly overwhelmed the others, but the winner isn’t always the one with the strongest hand. The smallest upset could weaken your hand, and then you’d be defeated.

However, I clearly had the superior hand. I needed a solid strategy to make use of the cards. This game was more profound than I’d expected. Also, everyone’s idiosyncrasies were on clear display. Ichinose didn’t just concentrate on her own hand; she played her opponents’ as well. Hamaguchi focused on the endgame. He also got rather worked up at times, like the Professor.

“Once more!”

I would’ve thought that the Professor, who was a huge otaku, would be relatively calm. But when it came to games, he was the type to get fired up easily. At least he was also the type to cool off quickly, since he calmed down as soon as the game ended.

This was probably what Ichinose wanted to see. By learning the unique characteristics of our group, she would know how to talk to them. It wasn’t much, but considering that talking was useless at present, it was effective. It also meant that Ichinose was observing my behavior, just as I’d observed the Professor.

I wondered how I looked from Ichinose’s perspective. From an objective perspective, I probably looked dull. I pushed ahead when I had a good hand, but turned passive when the situation went downhill. A common kind of person. However, rather than forcibly changing the way I played and confusing Ichinose, it was probably better for me to be consistent. I continued the game as I normally would. We started off playing Daifugō , and played about five games before switching to Old Maid. The hour passed. In the end, neither Class A nor Class C joined in, so the five of us played from beginning to end.

“Heh, my my, that was quite enjoyable. Playing a traditional game on occasion is no bad thing,” said the Professor. He seemed to have enjoyed spending the hour playing games rather than talking. However, even after this session of psychological revelation, I still couldn’t understand Class B’s true plan. Only Ichinose had that information.

“Well, I suppose I’ll be going now,” said Ichinose.

“Where are you going?” asked Hamaguchi.

“I can’t let Class A just get away from us like this.”

“You’re going to see Katsuragi-kun, then?”

So. Ichinose intended to confront the man who’d devised Class A’s “castle gate” strategy. Even though I wasn’t a fundamentally social person, I knew I should take advantage of this.

“If you don’t mind, can I go along with you?” I asked.

“Hmm? Sure, that’s fine with me. Do you want to talk to Katsuragi-kun, too, Ayanokouji?” asked Ichinose. She didn’t seem wary of me. Rather, she looked simply curious. She tilted her head.

“No, that’s not it. Horikita’s in the same group as Katsuragi.”

“Ah, okay. Well then, let’s go together. See you later, Hamaguchi-kun,” said Ichinose.

Hamaguchi nodded and watched us walk off. Even though Ichinose had taken the lead, they all seemed to respect one another. That wasn’t at all the type of relationship that Katsuragi and Ryuuen had with their subjects.

If the group discussions were happening at the same time, then each group would be breaking up at about the same time, too. Ichinose walked quickly, hoping to arrive before the Dragon group dispersed.

“Let’s hurry,” she said.

Ichinose picked up the pace. At least the rooms were all on the same deck, so it wasn’t too long a walk. Since the discussion had only just ended, there was a scattering of students in the hall. Soon, we arrived at the Dragon group’s room.

We couldn’t hear any voices, but we got the sense that people were still in the room. We stopped right outside the door. They might still be talking in there. I sent Horikita an instant message, but I didn’t think she read it.

“Looks like they’re really taking their time,” said Ichinose.

“I can’t imagine Ryuuen and Katsuragi holding a discussion. Maybe Class B is showing off their power?”

“I’m not sure about that. Kanzaki-kun isn’t the type to take the spotlight. On that note, you have Horikita-san in there with some others from your class, right? She’s a star player in the Class D line-up.”

Horikita, Hirata, and Kushida were all star players. Ten minutes passed until, finally, the door opened. The first person to exit the room was Ichinose’s target, Katsuragi. Other Class A students trailed behind him. Katsuragi immediately noticed Ichinose.

“Ichinose? What are you doing here?”

“I’d like to talk to you, Katsuragi-kun. Do you have a minute?”

“Well, the testing period is three days long. I have several minutes available.”

He didn’t ignore Ichinose. Rather, he looked happy to engage with her. The other Class A students understood and continued on their way.

“It’s fine if I stay behind alone, yes?” he asked.

Ichinose nodded. They moved out of the way of passersby. I somehow managed to remain in the conversation, so I stood close to Ichinose. From Katsuragi’s perspective, I was nothing more than a single spectator. He didn’t say anything about me being there.

“I think I know what you’re planning, Katsuragi-kun. You ordered your classmates to refuse to participate in discussions, yes? Would you possibly reconsider? We need communication to get through this test, after all.”

In the three discussions we’d had so far, the Class A students had passed the time in complete silence. Ichinose couldn’t break down those walls on her own. She needed someone to lower the castle gate and let her in. Now, what would be Katsuragi’s response?

“That’s extremely reasonable. But I’ve heard this question so many times that I feel like my ears are going to fall off. Unfortunately, Ichinose, you’ve wasted your time,” said Katsuragi.

Apparently Katsuragi’s strategy had gotten a lot of attention.

“I have my own situation to deal with. Katsuragi-kun. I don’t think forcing people to be quiet is a good strategy. Would you reconsider?”

Katsuragi, who’d probably been answering the same questions to multiple classes over and over, went straight to the heart of the matter.

“The answer will always be the same. I developed that strategy to win. My reasons are good. You think this test requires communication. That’s why you don’t agree with me, but you’re wrong. This test is about thinking . If you miss that, it’s a big problem. So, in keeping with the theme of the test, I’ve decided to stifle discussion.”

“But, Katsuragi-kun, your idea is basically a rejection of the test itself,” countered Ichinose.

“What I’ve said might sound bad, but it’s not. I’m looking out for my class, looking for ways to not only preserve our standing in this test, but in tests to come. Do you agree that there’s nothing wrong with me protecting my class?”

“If this test were a direct competition between the classes, sure. I’d agree. But in this test, when all the classes are blended together, do you really think that’s right?” asked Ichinose.

But Katsuragi’s opinion was correct. There were four possible outcomes in this test. As long as you chose one of those outcomes, it was legitimate. Katsuragi wasn’t interested in small intergroup competitions; he was solely focused on maintaining Class A’s lead.

“Any further discussion is meaningless, Ichinose. You can’t change my mind,” he said.

“So. Like the old saying goes, an immovable object meets an irresistible force?” Ichinose wore a wry, pained smile as she rubbed the back of her head. She didn’t appear disappointed, but she probably understood there was no budging Katsuragi.

“Do you still intend to fight?” asked Katsuragi.

“Of course. This is a test,” answered Ichinose.

Ichinose and Katsuragi—two powerful, influential forces—were facing off against each other.

“I’m sorry, but the result’s a foregone conclusion. If Class A doesn’t participate, there’s not much you can do. There shouldn’t be any way for you to win,” said Katsuragi.

Even if the three other classes were united, winning wouldn’t be easy. If they discovered the identity of the VIP, anyone could become a traitor. As long as the potential traitor stood to gain something, it’d be difficult to maintain cooperation until the bitter end. If the reward wasn’t distributed evenly, there’d be no reason to cooperate.

“I want to ask you one thing. If you were Class A’s leader, what would you do? Wouldn’t you implement the same strategy?” asked Katsuragi.

“Hmm…I wonder. Well, I can’t really consider things from Class A’s perspective. If you’re being chased, I imagine it would be better to have experience with chasing. Always running is pretty tough, isn’t it?” asked Ichinose.

Katsuragi closed his eyes and crossed his arms, as if dismissing her words. He then met Ichinose’s gaze once again.

“In my opinion, if you were standing in my position, you would’ve come up with the same strategy I did. If it’s to protect my class, I don’t particularly mind being criticized by others.” Katsuragi locked eyes with Ichinose.

In response, Ichinose smiled softly. “I’m sorry for taking up your time. I think I understand now. Understand your thoughts and ideas, I mean,” she said.

“I’m glad to hear that. Well, if you’ll excuse me.”

Ichinose watched Katsuragi leave.

“This test is easier if you’re playing defense. I guess I’ll have to do even more,” she mused.

The lower classes were frantically fumbling around for hints, but that was risky. If you missed the VIP, you’d let down the rest of the class.

“Anyway, Kanzaki-kun and the others haven’t come out yet,” she said.

Only Katsuragi and the other Class A students had shown themselves. So far, no one else had left the room. One hour was the minimum requirement, but it was okay to discuss things further.

“Are you going to wait for Kanzaki?” I asked.

“You’re waiting for Horikita-san, right? I wanted to ask her something, too. Let’s wait together.”

She could talk to Kanzaki whenever, but her chances to speak with Horikita were probably limited. Since Katsuragi had brushed her off, Ichinose probably wanted to gather opinions from the other classes. But I couldn’t see how she was planning to break through Katsuragi’s strategy.

We waited for nearly thirty minutes until, finally, the door opened. All of the Class C students left, except for Ryuuen. Kushida and Hirata came out next.

“Huh? Ayanokouji-kun, what are you doing here? Are you waiting for Horikita-san?” asked Kushida.

Kushida approached me, looking puzzled. I remembered the scene from yesterday and quickly stiffened. Unfortunately, Kushida seemed to have gone back to her usual self, as though nothing had changed.

“Hello, Kushida-san.”

“Oh! Ichinose-san! Hello. Now, this is odd. Well, I should say I didn’t expect to see the two of you together,” said Kushida.

Apparently Kushida didn’t know that Ichinose and I knew one another. She couldn’t hide her surprise.

“We’re waiting for Horikita-san and Kanzaki-kun. Are they still talking?” asked Ichinose.

“Oh, those two. They’re still discussing things with Ryuuen-kun right now. Maybe you could step inside?” Kushida gestured toward the door, as if inviting us in.

“Oh no, it’s all right. If they’re still in the middle of something, we can wait.”

“Oh, I think it’s fine. Besides, the test period is only one hour. Any time after that, we’re free to come and go as we please. Besides, they may not be talking about the test.”

Kushida opened the door and called us in. Ichinose and I couldn’t refuse her invitation, so we entered. Hirata and I briefly exchanged looks as we passed each other. Inside, Horikita, Kanzaki, and Ryuuen were sitting slightly apart from one another. It was a three-way deadlock.

Although the mood wasn’t necessarily tense, it wasn’t relaxed, either. As we entered, everyone turned their attention toward us. Horikita and Kanzaki didn’t change their expressions, but Ryuuen chuckled, as if we amused him. Then, he raised his hand to Ichinose.

“Yo. Did you come all the way here to do some reconnaissance? Don’t be shy. Take a seat.”

“This is a rather interesting group. I want to know what you’re all talking about, especially since the required hour is up,” said Ichinose.

“Heh. Ah, of course you do. Originally, I thought you would have taken Kanzaki’s place in here. But you ended up in a different group. What’s more, you got shoved into a completely hopeless, hapless group. Or maybe you are a hopeless, hapless kind of person,” said Ryuuen.

“Come on, Ryuuen-kun. You know that we can’t understand the school’s strategies. We’re just doing our best with the information we have and the situation we were placed into. But it sounds like you think there’s a reasoning behind the group formations. Do you think the school had some kind of plan in mind?” asked Ichinose.

Ichinose pretended she hadn’t noticed anything, but Ryuuen wasn’t the type to believe a woman so easily. Chuckling slightly, he drew closer to Ichinose. He didn’t pay any attention to me. Well, that was okay by me.

“If you haven’t realized it yet, I’ll explain it to you. The teachers intentionally decided how the groups would be divided. It’s obvious, don’t you think? If so, that means you were put into the losers’ group despite being at the head of Class B,” Ryuuen said. “There has to be a reason.”

“Hmm. So it wasn’t random? They deliberately chose how to split us up? I noticed that your group is full of exceptionally gifted people, Ryuuen, but I suppose the other groups were all made for a reason as well. Thank you for the helpful advice. But should you really give me so much information?” asked Ichinose.

She responded as promptly as expected. I noticed Ryuuen’s face change, though. Normally, when confronted with surprising new information, a person expresses shock, confusion, or perhaps even doubt. However, Ichinose looked completely calm, and thanked Ryuuen for the advice. Not a normal response.

Of course, she might have been purposefully hiding something. Considering how bright and lively Ichinose normally was, you might think she was incapable of deception. I didn’t know how intuitive Ryuuen might be, but he likely recognized that something was going on. It was a brief conversation, but both parties seemed to gain quite a bit of information.

In any case, what Ichinose did or didn’t know about the school’s plans wasn’t really important. What was important was that she was staying quiet about it. Ichinose and Ryuuen were trying to get a read on each other.

“Even so…” Ryuuen, looking exasperated, turned to me. “You know, I love chasing skirts, but you’re on another level. First Suzune, now Ichinose. You’re always sniffing around some chick, aren’t you?” he said.

I couldn’t exactly deny what he was saying. Besides, Ryuuen probably wasn’t all that interested in me, since he didn’t say anything more.

“Well, you’ve come at a good time, Ichinose. I have an interesting proposal for you,” said Ryuuen.

“A proposal? I suppose I’ll hear you out. What is it?”

“It’s completely stupid. Listening to him would just be a waste of time.” Horikita must have already heard this proposal, because she was quick to urge Ichinose to reject it.

“A proposal to crush Class A. I don’t think that’s such a bad plan. Suzune and Kanzaki seem to disagree, though,” said Ryuuen.

“What do you mean?” asked Ichinose.

“I told Suzune this earlier, but I already know all of the identities of the VIPs from Class C.”

There it was. Just as Katsuragi had his own strategy, Ryuuen had come up with a very Ryuuen-like plan. And it seemed like things were evolving beyond where they’d been this morning.

“Three classes will share information about all the VIPs. That way, we’ll bypass the school’s rules,” said Ryuuen.

So, he wanted the three of us to join forces.

“It sounds like a pretty bold idea, but I don’t think it’s realistic. How do we know for sure that you have all the Class C VIPs, Ryuuen-kun?” asked Ichinose.

“It’s natural that you wouldn’t trust me. In that case, why don’t we make a contract? We’ll pledge to share the identities of our three VIPs and go after Class A. That way, our three classes will benefit, but Class A won’t.”

If Class A’s refusal to engage with us was difficult, this proposal only increased potential school-wide enmity.

“A contract is meaningless, since we won’t know who might betray whom. If Class C betrays us, it’ll all be over,” replied Horikita.

Her flat rejection was completely expected. It seemed that Ryuuen had already been allied with Class A for a while. Also, during the test on the island, Ryuuen had been quick to betray others. That alone was all the proof we needed as to how devious he was. His strategy wasn’t necessarily a bad one, but Ryuuen himself was the issue.

“Your thinking is solid, Horikita-san. If we don’t have a guarantee that Ryuuen-kun is telling the truth, then this is meaningless,” said Ichinose.

“There’s no point in playing a part anymore, is there? It’s not like you don’t have a handle on all of Class B’s goings-on,” said Ryuuen.

The two were all smiles, but the mood changed. It grew tense, and it felt like we were all on tenterhooks.

“You’re giving me far too much credit. People don’t have that much trust in me. Besides, your proposal is high risk, low return. I can’t agree to it,” said Ichinose.

“Being secretive is prudent, but sometimes you need to act.”

“Maybe from your perspective. You’re casting a wide net right now, and gathering information. Haven’t you ever dreamed of rising up to Class B?” asked Kanzaki.

“Horikita-san rejected your proposal. Therefore, this plan is off to a bad start,” added Ichinose.

“Well, there’s no denying that. Even if Suzune wanted to agree, there’s a reason why she can’t,” said Ryuuen.

“What do you mean by that?” asked Horikita.

“You already know what I’m getting at, don’t you? For this strategy to work, you need to understand your own class perfectly. For Class D, which lacks any spirit of teamwork, this is an impossible undertaking. Right? It’s also impossible for Class A, since they’re split into two factions.”

The atmosphere in the room changed again. This time, the air felt heavy, like before a storm.

“But I can make this strategy work, since I rule my class. And it’s smart for Ichinose, since she’s incredibly popular within her class. I originally pitched the idea of a three-class alliance, but it’s also possible with just two classes. The chances of a perfect outcome might be lowered, but since it’s me we’re talking about, I can see it through. If we pull this off, Classes A and D will be stripped bare and left with nothing,” Ryuuen said.

He was willing to leave both Class A and D in the dust.

“You really overestimate me.”

The fact that Ryuuen had openly shared his idea and asked Class B to double-cross us right in front of Horikita, myself, and Kushida was very unsettling. Even if his proposal wasn’t perfect, Ryuuen was actively working to discover each class’ VIPs, and he could get there without too much trouble.

If so, then this was a crucial point for Class D.

“I might be overstepping here, but I doubt you’ll be able to pull this off,” Horikita said.

I thought it’d be smart to sit and observe silently, but apparently Horikita thought otherwise. Even if Ichinose decided to ally with Class D, we had no idea how much we could trust her. The possibility of Ichinose and Ryuuen teaming up was extremely dangerous.

“So do you understand the situation now, tagalong?” Ryuuen mocked me, but I didn’t fall for his cheap tricks. Instead, I offered my honest opinion.

“Suppose Classes B and C did become allies. Wouldn’t that mean that Classes A and D would become allies as well? I admit that Class D is fractured, but if faced with certain defeat, I think we’d come together. I believe Class A would do the same.”

“Ichinose and I haven’t entered into an alliance yet, so you have no way of knowing. Are you sure Katsuragi will cooperate with you?” asked Ryuuen.

Katsuragi was most definitely cautious. He probably wouldn’t make any moves without evidence. However, since he’d also suffered losses on Ryuuen’s account, there’d be some room for negotiation. After listening to me, Horikita had also realized that we couldn’t afford to let Class B and Class C’s alliance form.

“There’s no point continuing this discussion any further. In the end, both parties would just crush each other,” she said.

“What do you mean, Suzune?” asked Ryuuen.

“I mean exactly what Ayanokouji said earlier. If you insist on continuing to act as if this were a strategy meeting, we’ll just have to assume that this is your intent and respond accordingly.”

“As you wish. I’m looking forward to seeing whether you or not you can get your class to come together,” replied Ryuuen.

Despite his open hostility, Ryuuen shamelessly extended his hand to ask us to work together. Horikita, meanwhile, was exhibiting her determination to fight to the bitter end. This would also be a determent to Ichinose. If she betrayed Class D right here, right now, she would probably be branded a traitor by all the classes. She’d be seen as someone who’d betray her allies whenever convenient, for the sake of a few points.

If Ichinose got saddled with that kind of reputation, it would weigh her down for a long time, probably for the rest of her high school days.

“I’m sorry, Ryuuen-kun. But you’ve hurt people in Class B with your actions. Even if it’s possible for us to get more points, I can’t ally with you on that reason alone,” said Ichinose.

“Well, that’s unfortunate,” answered Ryuuen.

He didn’t look the least bit disappointed, but rather like he’d guessed that his plan wouldn’t fly from the get-go. Ryuuen got up and left the room, passing us by. As he left, Ryuuen glanced at me one more time. Our eyes happened to meet.

“It can’t be,” he muttered.

Of course, I didn’t respond. Ryuuen lightly shook his head.

“Ah, I should be going. My friends are calling me,” said Kushida.

She quickly retreated from the room. In the end, I was left with my usual partners in crime.

“Whew. I guess he saw through me,” said Ichinose. Even though Ichinose didn’t look particularly flustered, she sighed deeply.

“This will be tough. He’s gunning for us,” Horikita said.

“Ryuuen might think himself a dragon, but he’s really a snake. He’s so tenacious that when he finds his prey, he’ll go to any lengths to bring it down. But don’t you have it worse than me right now, Horikita-san? Ryuuen-kun is naturally wary of Class A, after all. He probably thinks that Class B will one day be his enemy, too. But right now, he’s got you in his sights,” said Ichinose.

Well, that was true. Class D had been stuck at the bottom, but the island test had allowed us to climb up a bit. Because of that, Class D might evolve into real competition.

“Don’t worry. Horikita isn’t the type to crack under pressure. Isn’t that right?” I said.

“Naturally,” Horikita replied.

Well, she appeared that way from the outside. But even if she were just putting on a brave face, it was possible she’d reveal her true, hidden self. I just didn’t know when she would. Maybe today, or maybe in ten years’ time. Most people fall short of becoming the people they were meant to be.

“Horikita-san, Ayanokouji-kun. I wanted to ask you something. Do you think this test will create trust between people of different classes?”

“No one’s looking to make enemies, but bringing people together like that will always be difficult. Even if two classes could become friendlier, it won’t be enough. We’d need unwavering cooperation between everyone in Classes D and B, and I don’t know how we’ll make such an alliance,” said Horikita.

“Yeah. Just like I’d expect of you, Horikita-san. You understand this test very well. Ryuuen-kun’s just full of hot air. I was right to choose your side.” Ichinose seemed happy to be standing with Horikita. “Yes. Ryuuen-kun’s plan will fail. It’s probably best not to worry about it. The real problem is Katsuragi-kun’s iron fortress strategy. What do you think about it now that you’ve spoken to him?”

“I said this yesterday, but Katsuragi is completely unapproachable. He’ll talk to you, but he won’t give an inch. I doubt he’ll change his mind before the exam ends. At this point, I think all of Class A is taking the same stance. Don’t you?” asked Kanzaki.

“Yeah. I think it’s hopeless, too. We have no choice but to find a different way,” said Ichinose.

We had three discussion periods left. After that, each individual group would have to submit their answers. Did we work in favor of our class, or our group? Or should we take action for our own sake?

“Well, I’m going to head back to my room,” Horikita said flatly.

Since everyone else from the Dragon group had left, Horikita walked away without another word. As she made her way out, she met up with Hamaguchi, who appeared to be waiting for her. Ichinose watched Horikita’s back as she left, then turned toward me.

“Would you walk with me for a little bit?” she asked.

“Sure. I don’t mind.”

I strolled out with Ichinose and two other students from Class B. It felt a little crowded. After we split from Kanzaki and reached the ship’s deck, we slipped into a large crowd of students. Everyone looked as though they’d shaken off the test and were in the mood to have fun.

“I understand what Horikita-san said earlier, but I think there’s still room for cooperation,” said Ichinose.

“Cooperation?”

“Yes. I was surprised when Class A distanced themselves, but I think we have a chance. But to pull it off, we might have to reveal everything.”

“Everything?”

“This entire test boils down to finding the VIP. That’s the point, right? So if we play things by the book, we increase our chances by narrowing down the list and finding out who isn’t the target. So, I’ll tell you right now: I’m not the VIP. But I intend to find them and lead my group to victory.”

Ichinose said that with confidence as she looked me square in the eye. She continued.

“You might think that if I’m the target, I could just be hiding my identity. But Ayanokouji-kun, the reason I’m not is simple. Everything I do is for the sake of Class B,” she said.

Her words held a mystery that was hard to explain. Considering Ichinose’s behavior until now, there was only a fraction of doubt left in my mind. If she wanted my full cooperation, then she needed to take things a step further. If she showed me her phone voluntarily, right now, she would gain all of my trust.

However, she didn’t display any signs of doing that. She didn’t even try to take her phone out. Should I accept her statements as the simple, thoughtless pledge of an ordinary girl? Or did I detect a layer of intrigue? I couldn’t tell, and that was why I felt what she said was mysterious. It was probably safer to just accept what she said.

“It must sound strange,” said Ichinose, seemingly a little dissatisfied with my silence.

“Ah, no. Sorry. I don’t think it’s strange at all, really. I was just a little surprised that you came straight out, that’s all. You said that if you were the VIP, you’d choose to lead your class to victory,” I answered.

“I’m not lying. I think that lying might be necessary in competition, but I like to be honest as much as possible. I do want my class to win, fair and square. I thought the road to victory lay in narrowing down who the VIP is. Ah, you don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to, Ayanokouji-kun. I just wanted to explain my feelings. I thought if I told you, things might be easier.”

“Even if perfect cooperation is impossible, trying to form solid relationships is no bad thing. If I don’t answer now, it might hurt our relationship down the line.”

“No, no, I don’t think so.” She sounded flustered, but this wasn’t the time to hide.

What Ichinose was saying was true. Even if she fooled me and lured me into a trap, her reward would be rather small. Breaking the truce with Horikita and exploiting Class D would be nonsensical. Sure, I couldn’t be 100% certain she wouldn’t betray us, but I couldn’t be 100% certain I wouldn’t be killed by a meteor, either. No one should spend their time worrying about all the things that could possibly happen. I decided to be honest with her.

“I’m not the VIP. Neither is Yukimura, I can say that with absolutely certainty. Unfortunately, I don’t really know about Karuizawa or the Professor…err, I mean, Sotomura. It’s not clear yet. Personally, I agree with you on principle.”

I’d heard from Yukimura that Karuizawa and the Professor weren’t VIPs, but I thought it’d be best to leave that part unsaid. If I was careless and one of them turned out to be the VIP, I’d only lose Ichinose’s trust. I’d determined that Yukimura wasn’t the VIP through his actions and attitude.

“S-sorry. It seems like I forced your answer,” said Ichinose.

Ichinose lowered her head, as if burdened by feelings of guilt. She didn’t need to apologize, though. I’m the one who will need to apologize to you someday, I thought.

“Hey, Hamaguchi-kun. Got a minute?” asked Ichinose.

“What is it, Ichinose-san?”

Hamaguchi approached us, looking relaxed. Ichinose filled him in on the current situation. Surprisingly, she concealed her cooperative relationship with Class D. Considering Ichinose’s character, I would have guessed she’d get her class’ approval.

“If Ayanokouji’s confirmed it, there’s no reason for me to refuse. I’m not the VIP,” said Hamaguchi.

When I considered his relationship with Ichinose, I believed him. There’d be little merit in lying. That just risked fracturing the truce with Horikita. However, if we wanted to adopt a strategy without the risk of being exposed, we could do better than this.

“You haven’t checked with your own class yet,” I observed. Ichinose should have been able to get everyone in her class on board without having to resort to scare tactics like Ryuuen.

“I prefer to let my classmates act autonomously. There are people in my class who want points. It’s not like I can arbitrarily transfer the VIP’s rights to myself,” said Ichinose. “This might sound impertinent, but I’ll check with the remaining person myself. If that person answers me honestly, I’ll tell you later, Ayanokouji-kun,” she said.

“That’s nice of you, but it’s not like I’ve told you everything about Class D. We still haven’t really established an open and honest relationship yet, and there’s no guarantee I’ve told you the iron-clad truth.”

“Oh, don’t worry. As long as I just have your cooperation, Ayanokouji-kun, I’m happy,” answered Ichinose.

With that, real cooperation in the Rabbit group began. I was sure that neither Ichinose, Hamaguchi, nor I were the VIP. After considering his behavior and attitude, we were convinced that Yukimura wasn’t the VIP, either. Excluding us four, that meant there were ten suspects remaining. One of them was the VIP.

It’d be just as hard as finding the leader on the deserted island, or perhaps an even more difficult task. The VIP would certainly feel the pressure, so he or she would naturally try concealing themselves. Though the test had seemed unreasonable at first, the school found a way to make it balanced.

“How do you plan on finding the VIP? Even if we try asking people directly, I can’t imagine that they’ll openly admit to anything. It’ll probably be difficult to persuade them with words alone,” said Hamaguchi.

“Well, isn’t the point of this test for us to figure it out?” asked Ichinose.

She was right. This was an exceptionally difficult exam. You needed to extract information from someone who wanted to conceal the truth. With Ichinose making her move, the once-hopeless situation was starting to change.

4.2

U nless you were psychic, finding the VIP wasn’t going to be easy. People are born liars. If a person ever claims to live their life without telling a lie, their life itself is probably a lie. Lies are inescapable parts of us. A kind lie is no exception; it’s still a lie.

Somewhere in this group of students was the VIP. We still had time until the discussion period began. Like last time, I was the first to arrive. I’d come early to observe everyone’s behavior.

A group of Class C girls were the first people to enter. They were chatting loudly, looking like they were enjoying their conversation quite a bit. However, when they saw me, they instantly lowered their voices and sounded disgusted. They made sure to sit a good distance away from me. Next in was Yukimura, who was grinning. We briefly exchanged glances, and then he sat near me. He didn’t seem particularly different from his usual self.

Next came the Class A group, Machida and Takemoto. Morishige came in by himself. Since they’d decided not to discuss anything, they once again sat at the far end of the room, close to the Class C girls.

“Hey, Machida-kun. After we’re done here, do you want to hang out with us? The three of us were looking to have some fun.”

“I see,” replied Machida.

Even though Machida wouldn’t participate, all the girls noticed him. Apart from Ichinose and Ibuki, they seemed interested in Machida. I wasn’t especially jealous or anything… Okay, I might’ve been a little jealous. The girls were probably inviting Machida to hang out because they’d given up on finding the VIP. Or maybe that was part of their plan. Was this how men and women formed relationships? Machida didn’t seem perturbed by this. In fact, he looked pleased.

Next came the other Class D students: the Professor and Karuizawa. Rather than coming here together, it looked like they’d arrived at the same time by sheer coincidence. Karuizawa appeared openly disgusted by the Professor’s presence. After they entered, she quickly moved toward the back of the room.

“Hey, aren’t you sitting in my seat?” asked Karuizawa. Despite being late, she glared at the Class C girls. After seeing them being so friendly with Machida, she seemed even more frustrated.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. What do you mean, your seat? Just sit anywhere. Any spot should be fine.”

“Well, that’s the seat I want. That’s my spot. Move,” urged Karuizawa.

“Huh? I’m talking to Machida-kun right now. He promised to hang out with me tonight,” said Manabe.

“Hey, Machida-kun. Could you please tell her that you want me next to you?”

Machida looked a little troubled by the situation, hesitating over which girl he should pick. However, Karuizawa quickly inserted herself between Manabe and Machida, and grabbed his hand.

“How about we spend some time together, just the two of us? Or have you promised that girl you’ll go with her? I hate two-timers. If you’re going to mess around with that girl then that’ll be the end of it, I guess,” said Karuizawa.

Whoa. I was amazed she could say that with a straight face, given that she was already dating Hirata.

The “just the two of us” part really seemed to strike a chord with Machida. It appeared he’d made his decision.

“Excuse me, but would you please move? That’s the seat Karuizawa’s been sitting in,” said Machida.

“Huh? What the hell? Ugh, this is bull,” Manabe whined.

The girls, looking upset, promptly got up and left. Karuizawa moved into the empty seat. Actually, she scooted so close that she was practically glued to Machida. Seriously, they were right next to each other, their bodies pressed together. Karuizawa’s actions didn’t seem petty or frivolous to me, but that was probably because I already knew what kind of person she was.

Karuizawa was dating Hirata. Whether or not Machida knew that, it looked like he’d started to fall for her. Appearance-wise, she was most definitely cute. Also, from the perspective of someone with a crush, it made sense that he’d want to protect her.

The interesting thing was that, despite how recently our group had formed, we’d already developed our own unique hierarchy, including power dynamics. The loners were loners, and the popular kids were popular. The organizers were organizers. However, not everything was business as usual. For example, if there were two organizers in the same place, one would take charge, and the other would be dropped. It was like a microcosm of the jungle, survival of the fittest.

The person who lost that battle was demoted in terms of social status. In some cases, he or she might drop all the way to the lowest rung on the ladder. They’d be so low that their presence wouldn’t matter to those around them. You could say I was such a person.

The interesting thing about this exam was that it made people who would normally be wary of one another come together and join hands. Ichinose might have been incredibly popular among her friends in her class, but among people who were obviously her enemies, she had a low level of influence. Would Hirata have been able to get us a little more organized?

“Hello, everyone!”

Speak of the devil. Ichinose arrived, bringing life into the depressing room. I found the air in the room especially heavy today, but thought it best not to speak carelessly. Even so, Karuizawa’s actions seemed overbearing and a little baffling. Even if she really wanted to get to know Machida better, she didn’t need to openly antagonize the Class C girls.

However, that weird situation didn’t seem all that important to the exam itself.

As someone who knew what Karuizawa was like, I could already see how her personality informed her actions. I wondered if Karuizawa always wanted to be at the very top, whether it was in class or this group. Of course, it wasn’t an easy thing for a girl to stand at the top. I mean, if it was an extremely charismatic girl like Ichinose, that was one thing. But if you didn’t naturally excel, it was impossible.

However, in our school lives, relationships determined whether someone placed high or low in the caste system. Through her overbearing behavior, Karuizawa had become a leader for the Class D girls. She’d also gained a lot of influence over both guys and girls by becoming Hirata’s girlfriend.

So if you applied what you knew about Karuizawa’s behavior to how she was acting now, the truth was clear. She’d forcibly pushed herself onto the most confident man, Machida, and with him in the palm of her hand, she’d taken control of the room. That was why the Class C students couldn’t go against Machida, and had reluctantly left their seats.

If you didn’t mind being hated, what did you gain by dominating the field? A sense of superiority? Self-satisfaction? The spotlight? I still couldn’t understand the root cause of her behavior.

“This isn’t good.”

“Yeah. If things continue like this, the VIP will get away.”

Yukimura sat next to me and muttered his concerns. I opted to just roll with it.

“Now then. Will Class A not participate this time, either?” asked Ichinose.

“Of course we won’t. Feel free to talk amongst yourselves, though. We haven’t changed our policy,” answered Machida.

Beside him sat Morishige, who had erased all semblance of human emotion from his expression. I had seen him around before this test. According to rumor, Class A was divided into two different factions, one led by Katsuragi and one by Sakayanagi. Morishige was one of those who’d turned against Katsuragi during the test on the island.

Under normal circumstances, he probably wouldn’t have followed Katsuragi’s orders, but Sakayanagi was sick and thus absent from the trip. Without the presence of his leader, Morishige had no choice but to do as he was told.

I’d thought that Katsuragi would’ve lost influence, considering the damage he incurred by failing the island test. However, it looked like he wasn’t going to crumble that easily. Since Morishige had remained silent for two days now, it looked as though even he had no choice but to follow orders.

“Since it would be a waste to spend an hour in complete silence, how about we play cards again?” asked Ichinose.

Ichinose took out her cards immediately. How you approached your goal was a major aspect of this test. She wanted to narrow down the list of suspects through open, honest conversation. On the other hand, Katsuragi aimed for stability by suppressing all conversation. Then there was Ryuuen, who wanted to turn everyone into his enemy while taking complete control of his class. He said that he’d found the secret logic underlying the test. However, I wasn’t sure.

In the end, we became absorbed in playing cards for the hour, and then disbanded. Yukimura frantically searched the area for something, but unfortunately it didn’t seem like he’d gotten any clues as to the VIP’s identity. I’m sure it was the same for all the other students.

Even if we did talk, it wasn’t as though the VIP was just going to step forward. I watched the order in which all the students left. The Class C students were usually the first out the door, but they hadn’t moved. Meanwhile, the Class A students, typically the last to leave, were the first out the door. Well, not everyone in Class A had left yet. Machida and Karuizawa were exchanging contact information. Yukimura and the Professor got up.

“I think it’s time to head back. You coming, Ayanokouji?” Yukimura asked.

“Yeah.”

While we spoke, Karuizawa answered her phone and stood. She exited the room, chatting away on the phone, seemingly talking about something funny or interesting. As she walked away, the three Class C girls brushed past me and made their way out.

“Hey. Did you get a weird vibe from those three just now?” asked Yukimura. He turned to me with a slightly puzzled look.

“You think so? I can’t say that I noticed anything of the sort,” answered the Professor.

The Professor’s tone was ridiculously pompous. However, I thought Yukimura’s feelings were right on the money. The Class C girls had looked considerably angry. Yukimura and I peered into the hallway to see what was going on. We saw the three girls closely following Karuizawa. Being alone, she was at a disadvantage. The situation had me worried. Also, Ibuki, who might’ve mitigated the other three, wasn’t around.

“You think they have a bone to pick with her?” asked Yukimura.

“Let’s follow them. I don’t think there’ll be violence, but it could lead to an uproar.”

“Damn Karuizawa. She’s always making people hate her. I wanted us to spend our precious time finding the VIP,” Yukimura grumbled.

While the Professor headed back to his room, Yukimura and I quietly chased the four girls. When we turned the corner, I heard the ka-chack sound of an emergency exit door slamming shut. The elevators weren’t even crowded, so it wasn’t like there was any reason to use the stairs. There had to be another reason why they’d gone in there. I opened the door and heard voices.

“Hey. why’d you bring me to a place like this?!”

“Stop playing dumb! You did push Rika, didn’t you? Start talking.”

“H-huh? I already told you, you’ve got the wrong person!”

The three girls surrounded Karuizawa, forcing her up against the wall. They were preventing her from escaping. However, even surrounded, Karuizawa offered no apologies. She continued to deny what they were saying. Maybe she really was innocent.

“Look, I have plans later. Can you please move?” asked Karuizawa.

“Okay, let’s confirm it right now. I’m going to call Rika. If it wasn’t you, we’ll forgive you.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’ll call the teacher.”

“And what will you tell the teacher, exactly? It’s not like we’re being violent with you or anything. Besides, if you talk to the teacher, we’ll tell on you, too. We’ll say you pushed Rika. You’ll also get in trouble.”

Neither side intended to back down. Karuizawa tried to escape, but the girls grabbed her arm and pushed her up against the wall. One of the girls took out her phone, probably to call Rika.

“W-wait!” Karuizawa pleaded with them to not call.

“What? Why should we wait?”

“I just remembered something. I bumped into that girl before.”

“You’re a total liar. You remembered her from the very beginning, didn’t you? Well, whatever. So, are you going to apologize to Rika properly?”

“No way. She was in the wrong. She’s a complete airhead.”

I would’ve thought Karuizawa would take responsibility for her actions, but instead, she refused. She refused despite knowing it would upset them.

“You’re seriously pissing us off. We might’ve forgiven you if you’d actually apologized to Rika. But now, we definitely won’t forgive you.”

The girl pressed down against Karuizawa’s shoulder.

“Whatever. You probably never planned on forgiving me.”

After Karuizawa spat out those words, one of the girls, Yamashita, lost her patience. “Shiho-chan. I’ve had enough. Karuizawa’s unforgivable.”

“I know, right? She should understand exactly how Rika felt. Why don’t we bully her for real?”

She struck Karuizawa’s shoulder with a little extra force. Yukimura started to throw the door open, but I grabbed his arm. Even if we stepped in now, Karuizawa would be threatened again at some point. However, if they got even a little violent while we were watching them, it’d be a deterrent for later. Also, depending on how violent they got, we could possibly threaten them, telling them we’d report them to the school.

More importantly, Karuizawa Kei looked like she was starting to change.

“Ahh…ahh…” She panted as if she were having a hard time breathing. She held her head in her hands as if she were in pain. When Manabe and the others saw her suffering, they weren’t sympathetic. The opposite, actually. It irritated them.

“Act as girly as you want, we’re still not going to forgive you.”

They grabbed Karuizawa’s hair and forcefully yanked her head up.

“I’ve always hated your face, Karuizawa. I mean, don’t you girls think she’s just butt-ugly?”

“Yeah, for sure. Don’t you just want to cut her face?”

“St-stop. Stop it.”

“‘St-stop it’, she says. What happened to your big attitude?”

The more you envied your enemy, the more you hated them, to the point where you wanted to strip away their advantages. If we were talking looks, then Karuizawa had them all beat. But Manabe, Yamashita, and Yabu wouldn’t be satisfied until they’d verbally torn Karuizawa’s pretty face apart. Karuizawa trembled, frightened. She was on the verge of tears, still unable to move.

People show their true colors when they’re in jeopardy. A little more pressure, and I’d know who Karuizawa Kei really was. However, Yukimura couldn’t stand by any longer. He threw open the door. The three girls were naturally shocked by his sudden appearance. Karuizawa, on the other hand, looked like he’d saved her life.

“What are you doing?!” Yukimura shouted.

“What? Nothing. Right? We were just talking to Karuizawa-san. Yeah?”

Manabe glared at Karuizawa, as if telling her not to say another word. But Karuizawa wasn’t the sort to shy away.

“Yukimura-kun, these girls just abducted me and started getting all violent. They’re seriously the worst, aren’t they? They were being, like, super annoying, so I told them to get lost,” said Karuizawa.

She’d normally never talk to Yukimura, but she was probably grateful to him now. Meanwhile, the Class C girls glared at Yukimura. Their eyes seemed to say, “This has nothing to do with you.”

“Well, I’m just talking with Karuizawa about her problem, what she did to Rika. You heard how Karuizawa slammed into her, right?”

“Don’t you think it’s better to just let things go? They bumped into each other. It’s not like Karuizawa was at fault,” Yukimura said.

“You shut up. This has nothing to do with you.”

“…”

Under the weight of their glares, he fell silent. Karuizawa shot a look at Yukimura, like she thought he was pathetic. She quietly took out her phone.

“Just leave me alone. If you don’t, I’ll call someone.”

“Who are you going to call? Hirata-kun? Machida-kun? I mean, I guess a slut like you has a hundred guys on speed dial, right?”

Fights between girls often got dirty, and unlike with men, violence wasn’t really an option. This was painful to watch.

“A teacher was just here. I think it’d be better if you left,” I said.

I had no other choice but to step in and break this up. Class C probably didn’t want to cause a scene.

“You better bow your head and apologize to Rika.”

The Class C girls kept intimidating Karuizawa, who desperately tried to keep a brave face. But it was obvious that she’d lost her confidence. The other girls seemed to know that. They continued their hostility.

“Are you okay?” asked Yukimura, who seemed unable to leave Karuizawa to their mercy. She was hyperventilating.

“Just leave me alone!” As Yukimura drew nearer, Karuizawa slapped his hand away.

“Hey, what the hell? I only came to check on you because I was worried!”

“God, shut up! Nobody asked you!”

Karuizawa’s breathing grew even more ragged. Yukimura stepped back, overpowered. I decided to let sleeping dogs lie and stepped back, too. Karuizawa glared at me as she opened the emergency stairwell door and slammed it as hard as she could after she left.

“Jeez, what’s with her? She’s always, always causing trouble for people!”

I understood Yukimura’s feelings of resentment. Karuizawa was certainly a troublemaker. Yukimura, seemingly exhausted from the ordeal, left without saying another word. I stood alone in the emergency stairwell and thought about Karuizawa. The leader of the Class D girls had shown her vulnerable side. However, the threats hadn’t frightened her; she’d been terrified for another reason.

4.3

I t was the middle of the night on the second day. The pool, which was crowded during the daytime, had once again grown silent. There was no one around. I took out my phone to make a call. Because the phones already had teachers’ contact information stored in them, getting in touch with Chabashira-sensei was a relatively simple task.

Though it was the middle of summer, we were still on the ocean, and the night wind that passed over the ship’s deck was quite chilly.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Ayanokouji.”

“It’s okay. I’m sorry for calling you so late.”

“An instructor is obligated to consult with a student. It’s nothing out of the ordinary. Besides, for better or worse, this is the first time you’ve actually called me.”

Chabashira-sensei didn’t exactly treat Class D with love. She wasn’t well-liked by the students. Even if someone was having trouble, they probably wouldn’t have gone to her.

“There’s something I wanted to ask you, sensei, but… You know, you look pale.”

At first I hadn’t noticed because it was dark, but Chabashira-sensei looked so pale that I thought she might be deathly ill.

“Don’t worry about it. Adult issues. Anyway, what did you want to ask?”

Considering I could smell the alcohol on her breath, I thought I had the situation well figured out. “You told me that we can use our points to buy anything, but there are still some exceptions to that rule. Right?”

“Yes. Exceptions exist, naturally. For example, if you request to buy the life of a teacher or student, we cannot honor that request.”

“So I was wondering. What’s the most expensive thing that someone has bought with their points?”

Right as I was speaking, I felt the presence of someone else nearby.

“Yoohoo, Sae-chan! How you feeling?”

Hoshinomiya-sensei arrived. Was it just a coincidence? Unlikely. She’d probably followed Chabashira-sensei.

“You’re drunk, aren’t you?” Chabashira-sensei said.

“Hmm? Oh no, of course I’m not, I’m not drunk. I was just acting all sleepy, you know?”

“Jeez. You can really hold your liquor. You handled yourself today, and you’re fine now, too.”

Apparently, Hoshinomiya-sensei had an iron liver.

“Good evening, Ayanokouji-kun. How are you doing?”

Hoshinomiya-sensei was acting a little overly familiar with me. She placed her hand on my shoulders, and then hugged me so tight I could smell the alcohol on her body and breath. Of course, a minor such as myself would have no clue, but was alcohol really that delicious? Just the smell of it made me not want to drink it.

“I’m fine. If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t be here,” I said.

“That answer was so not-cute that I’m impressed! So, Ayanokouji-kun, do you love the tsuntsun older sister types, like Sae-chan?” asked Hoshinomiya-sensei.

“Don’t wrap yourself around a student. You’re getting in the way of my work.”

Thankfully, Chabashira-sensei grabbed Hoshinomiya-sensei by the nape of her neck and dragged her off. I recalled the teachers’ conversation I’d overheard the other day. Even the instructors were wary of each other, competing with and deceiving others as they aimed for the top class. I didn’t know if it was because getting to a higher class meant an increase in their salaries, or if there was a longstanding rivalry between Chabashira-sensei and Hoshinomiya-sensei from their school days.

I had no doubt that the school and the teachers kept things fair. Leaking answers to students would be a huge problem. That meant it was likely that Ichinose had been placed into the Rabbit group without knowing why. She had keen insight and sharp observation skills, though. Sooner or later, she’d probably think something was off. She’d wonder why she was in the Rabbit group.

It’d be nice to write it all off as sheer coincidence, but Hoshinomiya-sensei was bad at hiding her emotions. Ichinose might soon discover that she’d been put into the group to find out about Ayanokouji Kiyotaka. If that happened, how should I respond? While I thought about that, I began to choose my next actions.

“So what were you two talking about in the middle of the night? Isn’t that in itself a really big problem?” asked Hoshinomiya-sensei.

“A big problem? As a teacher, it’s only natural for me to consult my students and soothe their anxieties,” answered Chabashira-sensei.

“If that’s true, wouldn’t it be better for you to do it with more people around? If you look like you’re sneaking around, I can’t help but think it’s suspicious.”

Even though Hoshinomiya-sensei was trying to unsettle her, Chabashira-sensei remained calm and collected. “Ayanokouji requested this location. He wanted to consult me in private,” Chabashira-sensei stated matter-of-factly.

“Hmm. Well, I suppose you’re not violating any rules,” muttered Hoshinomiya-sensei.

“Good. Now hurry up and leave already. I’ll head back soon myself.”

“Okay, okay. But remember, no sexy times,” teased Hoshinomiya-sensei.

She left, with that very unnecessary comment as her parting shot.

“Sorry. She’s troublesome.”

“’S all right.”

Chabashira-sensei didn’t say anything about being investigated. Well, maybe it was just a personal problem. I didn’t know what there was between them, but it had nothing to do with me.

“Anyway, picking up where we left off. I was wondering, what’s the largest amount of points someone spent in the past?”

Chabashira-sensei nodded, looking like she was lost in thought. “Well, I can only speak from my own experience, but it was when someone wanted to change the school rules. Of course, you’re limited to a certain realistic scope. For example, you could change the class start time in order to avoid being late to class,” she answered.

Chabashira didn’t provide facts, only hypotheticals.

“Can you give me examples?”

“Are you dissatisfied with my answer?”

“Nah, I don’t really mind. I understand how the school’s systems operate,” I answered.

Depending on how you used your points, you could make changes to the system in even the most trivial of ways. In other words, the possibilities were endless. Private points were of incredible significance.

“You could have just emailed me that question. I don’t understand why you wanted me to meet you.”

“If I sent you an email, there would be a record. I wanted to avoid that.”

I decided to leave it at that. I walked away, in a different direction from the way Hoshinomiya-sensei had exited. While I still had more questions, this was good enough for the time being.

“I’ll ask you for a favor in the near future,” I called.

When I looked back over my shoulder, I saw Chabashira-sensei eyeing me with suspicion.

4.4

I t was around two in the morning when my roommate quietly woke up. Taking extreme consideration as to not wake the other three people in the room, Hirata slipped out of bed. Since students were required to sleep in their jerseys, he stole out of the room while still wearing it.

After I’d confirmed he wasn’t going to the men’s room, I grabbed my keycard and got out of bed myself. There was no guarantee he’d make a move today, but it seemed like my labors had begun to bear fruit. Once he realized that I was awake, we exchanged glances without speaking a word.

Without looking away, I told him there was something I needed to talk to him about. He said he’d be waiting in the hall. Then, he stepped out. I found him in the hallway, wearing a troubled look.

“Did I wake you? Or were you already awake?” he asked.

“The latter. I thought you might be leaving the room tonight,” I said.

“Why would you think that? This was the first time I’ve left the room at night.”

Trying to deceive him would have a detrimental effect, so I thought it best to just be honest. “Karuizawa contacted you, didn’t she?”

Hirata seemed to understand what I was getting at, just as I’d expect. His comprehension skills were flawless. “Do you happen to know something about it?” he asked.

“Well, I’m in her group. I don’t know how much she’s told you, but I get the situation.”

Hirata waited for me to continue. Well, considering I’d chased him down in the middle of the night, it had to appear urgent.

“You said you wanted to act as a bridge between Horikita and the rest of the class, right? This has to do with that,” I said.

“I see. So Horikita-san told you to talk to me, Ayanokouji-kun?”

He’d saved me a lot of trouble. Now I didn’t have to bother with a lengthy explanation.

“She asked me to report on everything that happens in the Rabbit group, including Karuizawa’s situation. Once I heard about what happened with Karuizawa, Horikita told me to keep an eye on you, too, Hirata. She told me to follow you. But you said you wanted to be a bridge for her, so I thought this might be the chance to finally make that happen.”

“What kind of information does she want?” he asked.

“Everything you know about Karuizawa. Also, whatever it was you talked to her about.”

Hirata probably didn’t see why I needed information about Karuizawa. However, he seemed to understand the impact this could potentially have.

“I don’t know what I can tell you, honestly. I have to consider Karuizawa-san’s feelings.”

With that, Hirata started walking away. I decided to just follow him at a slow, unhurried pace.

Even though I’d been in bed for about two hours, I didn’t have bedhead. I didn’t really worry about personal grooming most of the time, but I knew I had to take it into consideration when I was with other people. I didn’t want to make them uncomfortable when they looked at me.

“Ayanokouji-kun, I’m sure you won’t say anything unnecessary, but what I’m about to tell you is extremely delicate. Also, Karuizawa-san might refuse to talk and head back to her room. Please understand that first,” he said.

I could always eavesdrop on them, but Hirata probably wouldn’t like that. Since this was something Karuizawa didn’t want others to hear, she’d called for him in the middle of the night. He’d never approve of me listening in from the shadows. My best bet was to just give him a straight, honest answer.

The meeting place was in front of the vending machine near the second-level lounge area. Being in the center of the hallway, it was easy for people to see us, but its placement also meant that we could see them. Its location made eavesdropping difficult.

Karuizawa was already waiting for Hirata, clad in her jersey and sitting on the sofa. When Karuizawa saw Hirata coming, she instantly smiled, but when she noticed me trailing slightly behind, her joy was replaced with anger. She stood and shouted at me.

“What’re you doing here, Ayanokouji-kun?!”

“I asked him to come,” said Hirata.

“You did, Hirata-kun? Why? I told you I wanted to talk alone.”

“I know. But Karuizawa-san, I was worried about what you told me earlier. That’s why I thought it might be a good idea to bring Ayanokouji-kun, since he seems to understand the situation. I’m sorry for not telling you first.”

Karuizawa looked upset, but it didn’t seem like she’d snap at Hirata. “But…I said I wanted to talk alone, just the two of us,” she repeated.

“If you want, we can be alone. But when we spoke earlier, you never said anything about it having to be just the two of us.”

I already assumed this was related to the trouble she’d had with the Class C girls, but I wondered how Karuizawa would approach the topic. If she just wanted to vent her anger, there’d be no reason for it to be just the two of them. Karuizawa had wanted to talk about something without any third parties present. That meant she wouldn’t talk about it if I were here.

Perhaps because he was impatient, or perhaps because he thought silence was pointless, Hirata started talking about their earlier phone call.

“You were telling me about a fight with Manabe-san from Class C. Is it true?” he asked.

Karuizawa opened her mouth slightly to answer, but said nothing, perhaps because she was still wary of my presence. Hirata once again broke the silence.

“Ayanokouji-kun, did you know about the fight with Manabe-san and the others?” he asked.

“Sort of.”

Since this wasn’t working, Hirata attempted to shift the conversation. It looked like he intended to ask me questions. Karuizawa seemed dissatisfied, but she continued to listen.

“From what Karuizawa-san has told me, it seems like the girls were making false accusations. They took her to a deserted spot and started hounding her for answers. They were on the verge of using violence,” Hirata said.

“Yeah. That’s all true. I saw it myself. Yukimura saw it, too.”

“I see.”

Hirata looked momentarily lost in thought and closed his eyes. I wondered what he’d do. Would he call Manabe and her friends out and reprimand them? Or would he report them to the school?

“If Manabe-san and her friends got violent with you, we definitely need to take action. I absolutely cannot allow violence,” he continued.

When Karuizawa heard Hirata’s just words, she momentarily broke into a smile. But when she saw me looking at her, her expression changed back to anger.

“Karuizawa-san, they were so cruel that you were completely overwhelmed, and couldn’t stand it. Right?” I asked.

“No.”

Karuizawa tried to answer, but seemingly couldn’t. She just glared at me without saying anything more. I couldn’t lie, so I just told Hirata what I’d seen. Apparently, Karuizawa and some girl named Rika had some trouble in the past. Manabe and her friends wanted to make Karuizawa apologize. But then they’d almost gotten violent with Karuizawa. Hirata, after hearing the whole story, nodded as if I’d filled in some gaps.

“I see. So that’s why you told me,” he said.

“Told you what?” I asked.

“Karuizawa-san asked me to take revenge on Manabe-san and her friends.”

I hadn’t expected such unsettling words. Then again, from the perspective of someone who’d been physically threatened, it must’ve looked like a kill-or-be-killed situation. After Hirata spoke, Karuizawa finally broke her silence.

“Why did you tell him?” she asked.

“Because this isn’t like you, Karuizawa-san. You aren’t a violent person,” Hirata answered.

“But your girlfriend’s suffering, right? You should want to help me.”

“Yes, I do. But I don’t believe in an eye for an eye. You know that, don’t you?”

Their core differences were starting to clash.

“Let’s think this through. If possible, let’s find a way to get along with Manabe-san and her friends,” he said.

“That’s impossible, isn’t it? I mean, they absolutely hate me for practically no reason. Please, you have to understand!” she begged.

“No reason? Didn’t this start because you had an issue with Morofuji-san, Karuizawa?”

Hirata said Morofuji, but he probably meant Rika. That must’ve been her last name. It was amazing how much information he had.

“But that’s… I didn’t have any choice! Shinohara and the others were there, and—”

“So because Shinohara was there, you had no choice? What does that mean?” I asked.

“You shut your mouth!” she screamed. Her voice carried all the way down the hallway.

“Please, I’m begging you. Help me. Hirata-kun. You said you’d protect me, didn’t you?”

“Of course I’ll protect you. But I can’t just hurt Manabe-san and her friends for no real reason. Let’s try to find a way to resolve things peacefully, through discussion.”

“I’m telling you, it’s not possible! If I could do that, I wouldn’t need your help!”

What she said might have sounded absurd, but I understood how she felt. Karuizawa’s position was more dangerous than I expected. Things might very well end violently. For example, students here weren’t allowed to smoke, much like many other schools around the world. But there were many students worldwide who smoked and got away with it. Not everything could be bound by law or governed by rules, and bullying was one of those things.

Hirata did seem to be worried about Karuizawa, but he was also worried about Manabe and her friends. Hirata wanted to think of a way to resolve things peacefully for all parties. He wasn’t treating Karuizawa like his treasured girlfriend, but as another friend.

“It doesn’t matter what the reason is. I can’t do what you want. You’re one of my classmates, Karuizawa-san. If you’re in trouble, I’ll help you, protect you. But I can’t hurt someone else to do that, even if they’re from Class C,” he said.

“You liar! You said you’d protect me!” she shouted.

“‘Liar’? You’ve known this was my stance since the beginning.” He stood up. The next words out of his mouth would’ve taken all the Class D students by surprise. “I’ve told you from the start that we aren’t really boyfriend and girlfriend. I don’t mind pretending to go out with you, but I definitely won’t fight a war for you.”

Apparently, their relationship was a huge lie.

“What?! Wh-why are you saying all of this now?!” Karuizawa was horrified by what she’d just heard.

I understood Hirata’s intentions. He was using Karuizawa to extract information as a tribute to Horikita. That was what it looked like, anyway.

“Because we need a new option now. I want to help you,” he said.

He wasn’t abandoning Karuizawa at all. He was seriously trying to help her, in his own way. He approached Karuizawa, who now looked really upset, but didn’t even try to touch her slender, delicate shoulder. I would’ve expected him to do that much.

“So are you saying…it’s better for me to get violent with them?” she asked.

“That’s not what I’m saying. I’ll do what I can to help you. When morning comes, I intend to speak with Manabe-san and her friends. I’ll tell them to stop harassing you, Karuizawa-san. You probably won’t like this, but I’ll tell them that you’ll apologize.”

“I don’t want to!” Karuizawa had come to Hirata in order to take revenge on Manabe and her friends, and that spoke to her true personality—her real self. More than anything else, Karuizawa was afraid.

“If that’s the case, then I can’t help you. I’m sorry.”

Hirata was calm. Even now, he was composed. But he was also extremely reliable, and for someone like Karuizawa who needed that reliability, losing it was basically a death sentence.

“Ayanokouji-kun, do you have any ideas?” asked Hirata. It seemed like he was trying to make me take a more active role in this.

“Whatever! If you’re not going to listen to me, then I don’t need you!” Karuizawa threw the can of juice she was holding down the hall. The contents spilled all over the place, and the sound echoed down the hall.

“Our relationship is over. It’s over!” she shouted.

With that, Karuizawa abandoned us and fled. Hirata seemed annoyed not because the truth of their sham relationship had been revealed, but because he couldn’t help her. He showed no signs of running after her. She wasn’t his priority.

“Ayanokouji-kun. I have my limits. I can’t do everything. Please understand that,” he said.

I’d planned to use Hirata to extract information about Karuizawa. However, it appeared that Hirata had used me instead, and used this opportunity to task me with saving Karuizawa from her troubles.

“You said that you wanted to be a bridge to connect people, but that’s a lie, isn’t it? You’re everyone’s ally.”

“Yes. I’m Karuizawa-san’s ally, and I’m your ally as well, Ayanokouji-kun. However, my priorities might change depending on the situation. You’re far more capable than everyone thinks,” Hirata observed.

“You think way too highly of me.”

“Really? I’m good at reading other people. That’s why I understand.”

I wanted to ask more about this supposed skill but decided that we should resolve this problem first. “Your relationship with Karuizawa sounds like it was all for show. Is that really true?” I asked.

“When you put it that way, it sounds like you already suspected as much.”

“You and Karuizawa have been dating for almost four months, but your relationship with her hadn’t progressed much. Of course, I considered the possibility that you were maintaining a pure and platonic kind of relationship, but even then, you’ve always kept yourself distant from her. You still call each other by your last names.”

Even if they hadn’t gotten closer physically, they should’ve grown nearer emotionally. But Hirata and Karuizawa’s relationship had showed absolutely no signs of change, for better or for worse. In a romantic relationship, such stagnation was exceptionally odd.

“You’re exactly right. We weren’t really dating. We were going out because we both felt that it was necessary. I suppose you consider that contradictory,” he answered.

In other words, theirs had been a mutually beneficial relationship. In that case, which one of them had proposed the idea, and which had agreed to it? Well, I suppose that was obvious. Karuizawa had asked Hirata to pretend to go out with her, and Hirata had simply honored her request. With that in mind, her actions made more and more sense.

“The rumors started roughly three weeks after school began. From that point onward, Karuizawa’s popularity soared by leaps and bounds,” I observed.

A similar phenomenon had occurred in Rabbit Group. By attaching herself to Machida, Karuizawa could assert herself more aggressively than normal, and her level of influence had increased. To Karuizawa, Hirata was basically a host, and she was his parasite. He’d been a tool to enhance her social standing.

“You played the part of Karuizawa’s boyfriend so that her social standing would improve.”

I’d arrived at the truth. In response, Hirata simply smiled. I’d thought that was the entire truth, but then I realized that it didn’t explain everything. Besides, Hirata hadn’t admitted that I was right. Karuizawa had used Hirata and Machida to place herself at the top of the school’s caste system? No, that alone wasn’t enough.

After all, why would Hirata have accepted her request so easily? That was a tall order for him. Karuizawa’s aggressive attitude was getting more and more out of hand every day. She was behaving more like a bully.

Why would Hirata approve of this and not criticize her at all? Besides, did Karuizawa really just want to use Hirata and the others to get to the top? I was doubtful. I couldn’t say she’d used Machida just to increase her influence. If anything, she showed no interest in the group. More often than not, she just sat in silence. Maybe she hadn’t planned to use Machida at first.

In that case, what had triggered her to establish contact with Machida? I felt like I was starting to discover Karuizawa Kei’s true self.

“It’s to protect herself?” I asked. That was the only remaining answer. There was no mistaking it.

“So, you understand. Honestly, when I heard you say it, I got goosebumps,” Hirata said.

“I heard about it from Horikita; that’s all. She said Karuizawa had her reasons for clinging to you and to others.”

But Hirata wasn’t simple enough to fall for my deception. “Ayanokouji-kun. I have to be very honest, but… Well, this is going to sound very rude, but I honestly find you a little weird. You kind of creep me out. I’m sorry if that offends you.”

“Creep you out? Why do you think that?”

“I’ve been watching you since school started. The Ayanokouji-kun back then and the Ayanokouji-kun now are like two different people. Your presence, the words you use… It’s like you have two different personalities.”

Hirata was frighteningly observant. It was only natural that he would think something was off.

“I’ve already told you, it’s all because of Horikita’s advice. I already gave her a detailed report about my group. I’m only following her orders. It’s just like back on the island. Horikita made the right calls and led Class D to victory. She’s why we got so many points. I mean, that’s good for me, too. She’s just so awful at communicating with others that she’s afraid to try, you know? She told me to talk to you and report back.”

I spent a lot of time with Horikita. Because of that, Hirata probably wouldn’t doubt my words.

“Well. I suppose Horikita-san must’ve determined that saving Karuizawa-san will give our class a lead,” he reasoned.

“Yeah.”

“But I do think you’re amazing, Ayanokouji-kun. You’re different from Ike-kun and Yamauchi-kun.”

“I’m worse than them.”

“Even if you’re just following Horikita-san’s orders, you’re still the one talking to me right now, Ayanokouji-kun. It isn’t as though Horikita gave you a list of prepared responses. I think that you show clear, well-reasoned logic. That’s not something you can pretend to have.”

Hirata was smarter than I’d imagined. Although I had some concerns about his desire to constantly save everyone, he had extraordinary abilities.

“You’ve already said as much, but I agreed to act like Karuizawa-san’s boyfriend so she could protect herself. That’s what she wanted. She said she wanted me to save her. It might be a little difficult for you to imagine, but throughout her elementary and junior high years, she was viciously bullied.”

“Is that really the truth?” I asked.

So Karuizawa’s hyperventilation had been triggered by memories of her past. If she had suffered such deep trauma, it explained why she couldn’t shake off the earlier encounter.

“Of course, I only met Karuizawa-san after she started school here. But I understood. People who are bullied give off a unique vibe. That’s why I agreed to go out with her. That way, Karuizawa-san would free herself from her past by using her position as my girlfriend. I don’t think that Karuizawa-san has been showing us her real personality. I think she’s just desperately trying to act tough.”

That was why she couldn’t control her emotions very well. Many people who’ve been bullied tended to have very meek and timid personalities, like Sakura. On the other hand, people who were confident, aggressive, and selfish—those who acted like Karuizawa—were typically the ones doing the bullying.

So Karuizawa’s personality was a façade. A front. That’s why she needed people like Hirata and Machida. With them, she was able to get that assertive personality.

“Wait a minute. What was in it for you?” I asked. High school is one of the prime romantic times of a student’s life. Hirata was popular with girls. If he pretended to go out with Karuizawa, he couldn’t pursue a relationship with anyone else.

“What was in it for me? Karuizawa-san wasn’t being bullied. That’s all I needed.”

It wasn’t hypocrisy or love. He didn’t have any selfish impulses.

“I know you’re not convinced, but that’s the reason I did it,” he continued.

“I believe you. But is there some deeper reason as well?” I asked. Hirata wouldn’t hesitate to save a friend, but he considered Manabe and the others friends, too. His concern for others was downright pathological.

Since he’d told me this much, Hirata probably felt like he had to see the story through. He bought a couple of drinks from the vending machine and handed one to me, which I gratefully accepted.

“Until my second year of junior high I was, for lack of a better word, a nobody. I didn’t stand out at all.”

“You, Hirata? I have a hard time imagining that.”

“Well, I wouldn’t say that I was completely invisible. I did have friends. I had this one friend ever since I was little, a guy named Sugimura-kun. We were in the same class together for six years, throughout elementary school. We were neighbors, too. We walked to and from school together every day.” Hirata spoke like he was recalling some fleeting memory.

“When we started junior high, we were put into separate classes for the first time. At first, we kept going to school together just like we always had. Gradually, we walked together less and less. I started to only hang out with other guys from my new class. That story probably sounds normal enough, I suppose.”

It was perfectly normal to make new friends in a new environment. Nothing odd about that.

“But you see, while I had my new friends, Sugimura-kun was getting bullied.” Hirata squeezed the can he was holding. I understood where this was going. “Sugimura-kun sent me SOSs over and over. He’d show up with cuts on his face, or with bruises. But I cared more about hanging out with my friends, and never took him seriously. Sugimura-kun was always headstrong, quick to get into fights. I didn’t think too deeply about what was happening. But when we entered our second year, we reunited. By then, Sugimura-kun’s spirit had shattered. His bright, cheerful personality was gone. That was only natural after being beaten down so much. He’d been punched and kicked so many times. They hounded him so much that he couldn’t even go the bathroom; he ended up having accidents during class.”

“So you saw that, and…”

“Yeah. I didn’t do anything. I couldn’t . I was afraid I’d become their next target. I was afraid that my new, fun life would be destroyed. So I pretended not to see Sugimura-kun, my oldest friend. I came up with convenient excuses for myself. I thought someday the bullies would just stop. Maybe once Sugimura-kun stopped going to school, they’d leave him alone. Or maybe someone else would step in to help him.”

“So, what happened to Sugimura?”

“That day’s burned into my memory, even now. After morning soccer practice, I returned to the classroom. When I got near the room, I saw that Sugimura-kun was already there, his face swollen. I decided to wait a bit before going in. To be honest, I felt uncomfortable. We’d been friends who played together ever since we were little, but right then, it felt like were complete strangers. I thought, ‘If I get involved with him, I’ll get bullied, too.’ Perhaps Sugimura-kun saw how ugly my heart was. He didn’t say a word, but it was almost like he was sending out a plea for help. That day, he jumped out of the classroom window,” said Hirata.

“He jumped ? Did he die?”

“He was declared brain dead. But even now, Sugimura-kun’s parents believe he’ll recover. They’re waiting for him. That day was so surreal, I still wonder if it was a hallucination. I couldn’t believe it. When Sugimura-kun jumped, I realized something. By selfishly focusing so much on my own desires, I helped drive a treasured friend to his death.”

That incident had given birth to the man named Hirata Yousuke.

“I don’t think Sugimura-kun can be saved, but I wanted to atone. I figure the only way for me to do that is to save others,” Hirata said.

“I understand what you’re feeling, but the world isn’t that simple, right? At this very moment, there’s someone being bullied somewhere. And they might try to take their own life, just like Sugimura-kun. You can’t stop them.”

“Of course I know that. I’m not a hero or anything. But I want to save the people close to me, at the very least. I must help them. That’s my penance for the sin I committed,” he said.

“So what are you going to do, then? You want to save both Karuizawa and Manabe, but that’s not possible.”

“I understand that. It’s probably why you’re here with me right now,” he answered.

Apparently, Hirata knew that he was abnormal himself. At any rate, he was a man on a mission.

“I never thought I’d ever tell this story to anyone. Nobody here knows the truth. That’s why I chose this school,” said Hirata. He tossed his empty juice can into the trash. “Will you and Horikita-san keep this confidential?” he asked.

“If you promise not to get yourself involved, I’m sure Horikita will stay silent,” I answered.

“Then I’ll believe in you two. Our philosophies are similar.”

Hirata had pledged not to involve himself in the Karuizawa issue. From this point onward, Hirata would probably come to me for help whenever he was in trouble. I had successfully gained Hirata’s cooperation, a power I’d always wanted. I’m sure he felt he’d gained something as well.

“Hirata. Since you have a large social network, I have a favor to ask.” I handed Hirata a piece of paper. He read it and accepted my request without so much as a displeased look.

“Oh, Ayanokouji-kun. There is one more thing I’ve been hiding from you. I know the identity of the last VIP from Class D.”

4.5

T he next day, I decided to make a move, but rather unexpectedly, Sakura called for me. I decided to go talk to her.

“Looks like the test is over for the Cow group,” I said.

“Yeah…” she replied.

I checked the email that Sakura, along with the other students, had received from the school.

“The test has now ended for the Cow group. Those in the Cow group are no longer required to participate any further. Please be careful not to disturb the other students.”

It was exactly the same kind of email we got after the Monkey group finished. It was a brief message, devoid of context. Sakura looked at me with unease in her eyes.

“Have I done something wrong?” she asked.

“No, you haven’t. This just means that someone in the Cow group reported to the school who they think the VIP is.”

Leaving aside the time Kouenji got carried away and ended the test for his group, right now it seemed that people were betraying each other for two very different reasons. They were either betraying with certainty, or betraying because they felt impatient.

“Sakura, were you the VIP? Or was it someone else?”

Sakura quickly shook her head. “No, I’m not the VIP. But I’m not sure about Sudou-kun or, um, the others,” she answered. She didn’t seem to have any idea whatsoever.

“Don’t overthink it. I don’t know the identity of the VIP in my group, either.”

“Okay. Thank you, Ayanokouji-kun. I’m happy you told me that.”

“How are things with Class A? I heard rumors that none of them are participating in the discussions.”

“Yeah, it’s just like what the others have been saying. None of them have talked at all,” said Sakura.

Katsuragi had been rather thorough in carrying out his plan. If that was true, then Class C had to have been the ones to trigger this new turn of events. But I was still left with doubts. Ryuuen claimed he understood the school’s rules, and I had my own ideas. However, it was still impossible to know whether I was correct or not.

If I accidentally misread the rules, the class would self-destruct and take massive damage as a result. So far, the test hadn’t ended for anyone other than the Cow group—proof that Ryuuen still didn’t have a sure answer either. As we neared the end of this mysterious exam, many students were probably feeling perplexed.

“If there’s anything else, please let me know. You can talk to me anytime,” I told Sakura.

“Thank you, Ayanokouji-kun. See you later.”

I bid farewell to Sakura, who waved her hands adorably. Then I headed toward the ship’s lower levels. I proceeded down to the lowest level, where people didn’t generally go. Although we were prohibited from going there, the area wasn’t locked. The crew was probably using it. Although people could enter areas like the switchboard room if it was necessary, generally speaking, no one went in there.

There was no one to come if you called, no matter how loud you shouted. Including the regular entrance, there were only two ways in or out of the room. The other way was a door that led to the emergency staircase, but the workers didn’t appear to use that. Judging from the dust, I knew that it hadn’t been used in a long time. If I just kept an eye on the regular entrance, I could monitor the situation completely.

Another convenient thing was that phones had almost no reception here. Though you could occasionally get a little signal, sending emails or chatting was a pain in the neck, and it was next to impossible to make a call.

“All the pieces are in place,” I muttered.

All I had to do was make sure everything happened in the proper order. First, I would contact Hirata, and then he would call Karuizawa. Since I wanted to postpone things a little bit, I’d probably need to have him call Karuizawa an hour or so earlier. I returned to the upper decks to make the call.

After our conversation last night, I thought Hirata might be especially on his guard. But I knew if Hirata called Karuizawa and said he wanted to speak with her alone, she’d respond. Karuizawa had said she was breaking up with Hirata, but she’d be the one to suffer if that happened. With Manabe and her friends on the attack, Karuizawa absolutely needed Hirata to protect her at school.

I got a message from Hirata. I’ve promised to meet Karuizawa-san at 4:00 p.m. I’ll send you Manabe-san’s info .

As expected, Hirata had fulfilled his role admirably. As a bonus, he even had Manabe’s contact information, never mind that she was from another class. If he hadn’t known it, I would’ve had to risk asking Kushida. That saved me an extraordinary amount of trouble.

He sent me another message. I have to tell you, I don’t want to make Karuizawa-san sad.

“You don’t want to make her sad, huh?” If he knew what I was about to do, Hirata would’ve been furious. But that wasn’t my problem. Even if she were to break here, I’d be fine so long as he didn’t find out. This is a rather extreme example, but even if you committed murder, you couldn’t be convicted without proof.

I quickly typed a message and hit send.

Hey, you got a minute?

The message was short and sweet, completely harmless. As a rule, chat apps are one account per phone. However, there was a way around that. By creating another primary SNS account, your device could hold another. Of course, not many students split their account into a main and a sub. The benefits of switching between accounts were marginal at best. However, by creating a new account, I was able to contact a third party without revealing my identity.

I needed to proceed delicately. If I didn’t mess up, everything should be fine. Despite the fact that Manabe had received an anonymous message, she immediately responded.

Who is this?

Only natural she’d ask that question.

Is there anyone with you right now?

I’m alone, but who are you?

Don’t show this to anyone. For your own sake.

Look, who are you?

Let’s just say that I hate the same person you do.

Although I saw that she’d read my message, Manabe took some time to respond. Do you have the wrong number?

This isn’t a mistake, Manabe-san. I want to talk about Karuizawa-san, the person you hate. I thought I might be able to talk to you about it.

I don’t know what you’re talking about. Please stop sending me messages.

She seemed wary, as if she imagined I might be an enemy. That was natural. First, I needed to win her trust.

I’m a classmate of hers, and it’s been difficult dealing with her for a long time now. I want to get revenge on her, so I thought we could work together. Since I’m in Class D with her, I can’t go after Karuizawa-san directly. That’s why I want your help.

I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m going to ignore you.

Even though she was suspicious, she still hadn’t cut off contact. That proved how much Karuizawa made her blood boil. That was why she wanted revenge on behalf of her friend, Rika. From the way Manabe had dragged Karuizawa into the emergency stairwell, her hatred was clear.

Rika-chan is still scared of Karuizawa-san, even now. Don’t you want to help her? Your desire for revenge is written all over your face. But you couldn’t do it even if you wanted to, right? Karuizawa-san is really cautious after what happened yesterday. I’m sure she won’t leave Hirata-kun’s or Machida-kun’s side for a while. And she’ll always be with other girls, so she won’t be alone.

I don’t need your help. I just need Karuizawa-san to talk to Rika. Then we’ll know the truth.

I wonder if it’ll be that simple, though? I can’t imagine she’ll admit that she lied. On the contrary, it would probably just hurt Rika-chan if Karuizawa-san says something awful. Oh, and that’s not all. If Karuizawa-san’s holding a grudge, she might bully Rika further.

What should I do? Are you saying there’s a way?

Manabe’s intense desire to settle things was evident.

If you and I work together, we can safely get our revenge.

What guarantee do I have? It feels like you’re trying to lure me into a trap, and then you’ll tattle to the school. This smells like a sub account.

If you think I’m trying to sell you out, Manabe-san, then go ahead and show this chat log to the teachers. You can only register accounts on school phones. I’m risking being identified by saying I want revenge on Karuizawa-san. I’m the one risking my neck here. Am I wrong?

I’m sure Manabe understood. Even a sub account wasn’t perfectly safe. If I were exposed, I would obviously receive the harshest punishment.

So if I show this chat log to the school, what then? It’ll be all over for you.

I don’t think you’re the kind of person to do that, Manabe-san. You have to show trust to be trusted.

I understand. I’ll hear you out, at least.

After that, I repeated some familiar-sounding stories. Stuff about how much I hated Karuizawa. How I wanted to do something about it but couldn’t. How I’d heard about Manabe’s confrontation with Karuizawa by chance, and that I’d tried to make contact. I played the victim thoroughly.

Once we returned to land, it would be difficult for me to contact Karuizawa directly. The school buildings and dorms were equipped with security cameras. Even if you tried to bring her into a private area, it was still highly likely that someone would spot you. This ship gave Manabe the perfect opportunity. I made her understand that revenge was only possible while they were here. I slowly but surely roused her anger.

So, what should I do?

Now that Manabe understood, I finally started to reveal my plan. I’ll call Karuizawa-san. Then, you take your time talking with her, and settle things.

After I sent that message, I followed it up by sending a map of the ship’s lowest level.

Since you can’t get any reception down there, she can’t call for help. No one comes down there.

I see, I see. So since you’re her classmate, you can call Karuizawa-san?

I’d like you to tell me right now if you’re going along with my plan. After I call Karuizawa-san, you can decide whether you’ll take your revenge. There won’t be any problems that way, right?

She took a long time to respond, the longest for any response thus far. Finally, I saw her response, and was sure that my plan would succeed. If my attempts to convince her via chat had failed, I had another plan prepared, just in case.

It would have been dangerous, but I would’ve made direct contact with Manabe in person. I had taken pictures when she was threatening Karuizawa in the emergency stairwell; I could’ve blackmailed her with those. However, the risks were great. I wanted to avoid drawing attention to myself as much as humanly possible.

“Now. Let’s see what Manabe and her friends are capable of.”

4.6

S ometimes a deep, heavy noise echoed throughout the dark level. Perhaps it was the sound of the ship changing course, or maybe it was because the ship had bumped into something. I wasn’t entirely sure. But a lone girl came here, a place where all you could hear was the sound of machines.

“What’s going on? I can’t connect to… There’s no signal.”

There were still over ten minutes left before her arranged meeting with Hirata. Maybe she’d arrived a little early to calm herself down. After she realized that she couldn’t use her phone, she put it back in her pocket and leaned against the wall, apparently bored. She closed her eyes and opened her mouth slightly, muttering something to herself.

With how quietly she was muttering, I couldn’t hear her at all. What was she talking about? Unfortunately, Hirata wasn’t going to hear it. Once four o’clock rolled around, the door opened. I heard the dull sound of it. Three girls from Class C stepped through—Manabe and her friends. Wait…there was one other person with them.

She seemed meek, rather like Sakura. This was probably Rika. “It’s all right,” said Manabe. Then she saw Karuizawa. Naturally, Karuizawa noticed them, too.

“Wh-what are you doing here?!” she asked, trembling.

The passageways inside the ship were narrow, so there weren’t many escape routes. Running away would be difficult.

“I just happened to see you come in here, that’s all. Well, I suppose this is the perfect opportunity. Let me introduce you. This is Rika. Do you remember her, Karuizawa-san?” asked Manabe.

Manabe grabbed Rika, who was hiding behind her, and pulled her forward. She and Karuizawa were now facing each other. Karuizawa averted her eyes, pretending like she didn’t know her, but judging from her behavior it was obvious she remembered.

“Hey, Rika. Karuizawa-san was the one who shoved you, right?” asked Manabe.

“Yeah, she’s the one,” said Rika.

After hearing such a clear answer, Manabe smiled, looking happy as could be. Karuizawa, on the other hand, appeared increasingly anxious and confused. All I could do now was stay quiet and observe the miserable events that were about to unfold. Even if Karuizawa were subjected to an even more wretched ordeal than I could imagine, I had no intention of saving her.

“Apologize to Rika,” demanded Manabe.

“H-huh? Who’s apologizing? I haven’t done anything wrong,” said Karuizawa.

“Still acting tough. You’re a real piece of work, aren’t you? But I think I understand now, more or less,” snapped Manabe.

“Understand what?” asked Karuizawa.

“Your behavior. You’re unusually fearful. Karuizawa-san, you were bullied, weren’t you?”

“Wha—?!”

She had been trying to hide the truth, but her past had caught up with her.

“I hit the nail on the head, didn’t I? I knew it. I could feel it right from the start,” Manabe continued.

“No, you’re wrong!” Karuizawa denied it, but her words were weak. Even if she’d been an excellent actress, there wasn’t any point. It wasn’t as though Manabe was highly perceptive or anything. She knew because I’d told her everything beforehand. I’d told her that Karuizawa had been cruelly bullied ever since childhood. That she harbored deep trauma.

“If you get down on your knees and beg right now, I might forgive you. How about it? I mean, you’re good at groveling, right? Being on your knees?” Manabe mocked Karuizawa.

“N-no, I won’t! I’ve never done that kind of thing before!” Karuizawa shouted.

Karuizawa tried to slip past Manabe, but Manabe snatched her long hair and pulled her back, slamming her into the wall. Manabe was assured that the stage had been set for her revenge, so I couldn’t control her here. I’d only promised that she would “meet” with Karuizawa, after all.

She should have agonized over whether to use violence. However, when she finally had the chance to be alone with Karuizawa, she let go of all other concerns. Because her friends were expecting her to get back at Karuizawa, I couldn’t imagine that this would end until Manabe had dished out a great deal of punishment. That’s what I’d been aiming for, anyway.

It was like the Milgram experiment, a psychological study conducted in the 1960s. The test, also referred to as the Eichmann experiment, had been conducted by two groups of people in an isolated facility. Members of these two groups played the role of either the teacher or the student. First, the person playing the role of teacher—the subject of the experiment—would administer a low electric shock to the student so that they would remember the pain and fear associated with it. The student would be separated from the teacher and placed on the other side of the glass. Then a device was installed on the student’s side, one that would transmit the electric shock, while the switch to administer the shock was entrusted to the teacher.

At that point, the proctor overseeing the experiment instructed the teacher to give the student a series of problems. If the student made a mistake, the teacher was instructed to turn on the electric current. The teacher was told to increase the voltage every time the student answered incorrectly. The switch could administer shocks exceeding 450 volts, powerful enough to prove fatal. On the other hand, though, the shock administered for the first wrong question was only forty-five volts, which amounted to mild itching.

The subject could hear the student’s voice, which meant every time a shock was administered, the teacher could hear the student’s agonizing screams. However, unknown to the subject, the electric shock device installed on the student’s side was a fake. The student only pretended to be electrocuted. The teacher could hear the student’s suffering, though. At first, there wasn’t much of a reaction. As the voltage increased, the agonizing screams of the student grew louder. Eventually, the student fell silent.

The subject, the teacher, wasn’t threatened. They were only told they’d be rewarded and were free to do as they liked. In other words, even if the teacher asked to quit the test, they would be fine. Despite that, nearly 66% of subjects increased the voltage until they administered electric shocks powerful enough to kill someone. The experiment demonstrated that, depending on the circumstances, anyone was capable of incredible cruelty and brutality.

“Ow, ow! It hurts! Let me go!” screamed Karuizawa.

Karuizawa wept at having her hair pulled, and pleaded, but Manabe only laughed like she was enjoying it. Right now, they were on the lowest level of the ship, a closed environment. Manabe was the subject, and Karuizawa the student. I’d successfully set the stage for a situation like the Milgram experiment. Even though you could say the conditions weren’t exactly the same, considering the relationship these two had cultivated, the situation was rather like the original experiment. Seeing Karuizawa suffer, especially after her proud behavior, probably felt great to them.

“Agh!” Karuizawa shouted.

“Whoa, Shiho. Don’t you think you’re hitting her a little too much? Wow, you’re harsh.”

Manabe continued to drive her knee into Karuizawa’s stomach. Of course, Manabe wasn’t used to hitting someone like that, so her movements were sluggish. It shouldn’t have hurt much. But Karuizawa’s pain was Manabe’s greatest reward.

Seemingly in a great mood, she invited Rika to join in. Rika had been standing some distance away, watching anxiously.

“Come on Rika. You give it a try, too,” urged Manabe.

“N-no. I’m okay,” answered Rika.

“We’re doing this for your sake, right? Come on, there’s no one around,” replied Manabe.

Rika wanted to refuse taking revenge, but that wasn’t allowed right now. If your friend coaxed and cajoled you to join in the fun, it’d be difficult to keep refusing. Rika knew that if Manabe’s anger were redirected at her, she could become the next victim.

“O-okay. I’ll try.”

There was the sound of a pathetically light slap. Pap .

“L-Like that?” asked Rika.

“No, no, that’s no good at all. You need to put more force into it, like this.”

Whap ! The sound echoed through the room. Karuizawa looked like she was in pain after that hit. Rika slapped Karuizawa again and again, just as she was instructed. Her slaps gradually grew more forceful.

“S-s-s-stop it!” pleaded Karuizawa.

“Ha ha. This is fun! Ha ha!”

Well, maybe it was more appropriate to think of Rika as the subject of the Milgram experiment.

“Please, forgive me!” Karuizawa pleaded. Though she put on a brave face, she was clearly in pain.

Seeing her like that must have felt euphoric for Manabe and the others. Rika started to punch and kick rather strongly, to the point where I couldn’t believe she’d ever been scared. Also, even though she left some marks on easy-to-spot places like Karuizawa’s cheeks, Rika focused on hitting places you wouldn’t be able to see normally, like under her uniform or beneath her hair.

Karuizawa collapsed in fear, tears streaming down her face. I moved without making a sound. I quietly opened the door, taking care that Manabe and her friends wouldn’t see. They would all continue to take out their frustrations on Karuizawa a little longer. I didn’t particularly mind.

After all, if something has been thoroughly destroyed, it saves me time and effort when I need to build it back up. I quietly closed the door and was no longer able to hear Karuizawa’s screams.

4.7

A fter I confirmed that Manabe and her friends were gone, I entered the room. Karuizawa should’ve heard the door open, but she continued to cower and cry on the ground. Perhaps she didn’t notice me coming in because she was so overcome by fear. So this was how the leader of the girls, so arrogant and headstrong, really was?

Perhaps thanks to the advice I’d given to Manabe and her friends, Karuizawa’s uniform and the parts of her body that you could normally see appeared undamaged. If her uniform had been ripped, or if they’d cut her hair, it would’ve been difficult for the Class C girls to go unpunished. While bullying is common, our school’s unique setup made bullying much more difficult to get away with.

If anything might have been a cause for concern, it was her cheeks, reddened from being slapped over and over. The marks would fade by tomorrow, though.

“Karuizawa.”

When I called her, she finally noticed me. She lifted her head. “Wh-why are…” she stammered.

I wasn’t supposed to be here. She panicked at being seen like that, but couldn’t just stop crying and act as though nothing had happened.

She would eventually stop crying. She would eventually calm down. If I left right now, what I wanted to happen wouldn’t take place. I continued to wait quietly, without trying to talk to her. After some time passed, Karuizawa gradually stopped bawling, and she started to calm down.

If two people were alone together in a dark, closed room, a sort of natural intimacy occurred. Even if the people normally hated each other, the psychological distance between them would lessen.

“Have you calmed down a bit?”

“A little.”

Karuizawa still didn’t stand. She wiped the tears away with her uniform sleeve. I reached out to help her up, but she didn’t move to take my hand.

“Where’s Hirata-kun?” she asked.

“Sounds like he was supposed to meet you here. I would guess that a teacher called him away. I just happened to be with him when he mentioned you, so I came here in his place.”

That explanation should have been enough to satisfy her and save me the trouble of further questions. There wasn’t any need to tell her the truth right now. First, I needed to get her to relax, and then fill in the cracks of her heart.

“Why were you crying?” I asked.

“Manabe and her friends… I absolutely will not let them get away with that.”

Karuizawa started trembling as she recalled what they’d done to her. Even if she didn’t want to reveal this pathetic side of herself, the trauma was buried so deep that her pain wasn’t easily hidden.

“You have to keep this a secret. If anyone finds out, I’ll never forgive you,” she warned me.

Karuizawa’s weakness was that she couldn’t stand being seen as a victim by the rest of the school. If people found out that Manabe and her friends had used violence, then the school would inevitably expose the details of what had happened and why. To protect her social standing, Karuizawa couldn’t afford to let that happen. That was why she’d planned to use Hirata to stop Manabe and her friends.

“You know, you could get back at Manabe and the others. Since they’re girls, even someone like you could win,” she suggested to me.

“That’s an insane request,” I answered flatly.

“What, are you scared of getting even with Manabe and her friends? And you’re supposed to be a guy,” she chided.

“If you attack them, it’ll all be over. You should know from what happened with Sudou that this isn’t a simple matter. Don’t you get it? An eye for an eye won’t solve anything. Things will only get further out of hand. The school will carry out an investigation and conduct interviews. You don’t want that, right, Karuizawa?”

“So you’ll just lie down and take it?” she asked.

I knew how to respond, but decided to stay silent.

“But they would… They’ll continue to do awful things to me,” muttered Karuizawa.

She started shaking again. In truth, there was no guarantee that Manabe and her friends would stop. Karuizawa could find many ways to escape back at school, but she couldn’t continue playing hide-and-seek with Manabe forever. Her classmates would eventually notice a change in Karuizawa’s behavior.

Karuizawa was caught between a rock and a hard place, desperate to get out of this situation. I’d been waiting for that desperation.

“It would be terrible if things went back to how they were back in the old days. I understand that you want to prevent it,” I told her.

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

Karuizawa should be putting things together by now. Even if it was clear how I knew that Manabe and her friends had bullied her, she should wonder how I knew about her past.

“I meant exactly what I said. You’ve managed to escape by getting into this prestigious school and rising through the ranks to reign supreme at the head of Class D. But in the end, you haven’t really changed at all. You’re still that bullied little girl.”

“Wh-who are you talking about?!” she shouted.

“You, Karuizawa.”

I grabbed her arm and forced her up.

“H-hey, what are you doing?!”

I pinned her up against the wall and forced her to look me in the eye. “Manabe tormented you just now, yes? She and her friends pulled your hair and slapped your face. They kicked you in the chest, in your stomach, didn’t they? That’s why you ended up like this: miserable, pathetic, crying on the ground.”

“Wha—”

Our eyes met. We stared as if we were being sucked into one another. Of course, there wasn’t any hint of love there. Only darkness.

“You were bullied ever since you were little. You were a victim throughout elementary school and junior high. You wanted to act tough so you could stop being bullied. Am I right?”

“D-did you hear this…from Hirata-kun?”

“Hirata is everyone’s ally, for better or worse. He’ll help you, like he’ll help anyone. Even if you got your position in Class D by pretending to be Hirata’s girlfriend, he won’t be of any use to you in situations like this. He isn’t a good enough host for a parasite like you.”

Karuizawa was much smarter than other people thought. She had taken care not to overdo it in the Rabbit group precisely because she understood Hirata’s neutral stance. That was probably why she was so reserved at first. However, as a display of her status, she’d started trouble with Rika, which led to this current predicament.

“What are you… Why are you doing this, huh?!”

“Why? It’s obvious, isn’t it? You need to understand your situation. Don’t you know who’s standing in front of you right now? It’s not Hirata; it’s me. I know everything. I know about your past. I know about your fake relationship with Hirata. I even know that Manabe and her friends tortured you to the point where you started bawling.”

I knew everything that Karuizawa Kei wanted to hide.

I had her heart in my hands. Right now, I would decide whether she lived or died.

“If you don’t do as I say, I can expose you,” I added.

Karuizawa understood better than anyone how terrifying that was. “D-don’t screw with me! Who the hell do you think you are?!” she shouted.

“Someone who knows the truth. Nothing more, nothing less.”

I moved in so close to her that our faces almost touched. When she turned her face away and tried to avert her eyes, I grabbed her chin and forced her to look at me. She wanted to look away, but with a man’s strength bearing down on her, she couldn’t move. She closed her eyes, as if trying to escape my gaze.

“What, what do you want with me?! You’re just after my body, aren’t you?” she screamed.

“Your body, huh? You know, that doesn’t sound too bad.”

I ran my fingertips across Karuizawa’s thighs. She felt so incredibly soft that I couldn’t even imagine that she was a person like me. Her skin was silky smooth. The feel of it was incredibly different from my own.

“Eek!”

She tried to escape my touch. I held her tighter and forced her to look straight at me. “Don’t run. If you try it again, I’ll tell everyone at school what I know about you.”

Those words were like a magic spell. She stiffened.

“You… Grr…” She sputtered.

Rage, panic, fear, despair: How many negative feelings had Karuizawa been carrying? She now realized that I was completely different from the meek person she knew from school. She probably found it terrifying.

“Spread your legs,” I commanded.

Karuizawa slowly opened her legs, tears streaming down her face as she did so. Even if she knew that she was about to be violated, she still wanted to protect her position. The pain she felt from her years of being bullied had won out. I placed my hand on my belt buckle and pretended to rattle it. Even so, Karuizawa didn’t run. She was trying to accept this. She looked at me with empty eyes.

There was no doubt about it. Karuizawa Kei had become a perfect tool for me. I didn’t actually care about her body; I just needed to threaten her to see how far she was willing to go, how much she would do. She probably understood that.

Revealing my true self to her was a big risk. If Karuizawa reported me to the school, I’d be in enormous trouble. However, she feared her past and losing her current social status more than anything else. That was why she’d go so far as to offer up her body if someone requested it, if it would protect her secret.

“I’ll never bow to you. I won’t be bullied by the likes of you. You just want to mess with me! You think you can do whatever you want, you pervert?!” she shouted.

Karuizawa roared with anger, as if it was welling up from deep within her heart.

"Well, whatever. It’s not like this is the first time someone’s used force against me. So. Did you know about that, too? How do you think I should act in an impossible situation?” She laughed coldly, then looked me right in the eyes with a thin smile. She was still trembling, and there was an intense darkness in her gaze.

“After a while, I gave up trying to resist. That’s right; I was everyone’s victim. I became cold, robotic. I could cry, scream, or thrash around, but it didn’t matter. I couldn’t do anything. All I could do was take it.”

Karuizawa, as if accepting it all, lifted her skirt and touched her panties. I grabbed her slender arm and pushed her up against the wall.

“What happened to you?” I asked.

“What happened? All sorts of things. Everything and anything. They’d put tacks in my shoes or stuff my desk full of roadkill. When I went to the bathroom, I’d get splashed with dirty water. They wrote words like ‘whore’ on my uniform. They pulled my hair and punched and kicked me. Anything you could imagine, basically. I was bullied in every way. Countless times. What I’ve just told you was just a fraction of what I’ve experienced. Those were the ‘gentler’ ways I’ve been bullied, too. It makes me want to laugh. So, why aren’t you laughing? Why don’t you laugh at the pitiful loser who’s been bullied all her life?”

Even after everything she’d suffered, she still got back up. She seemed ready to fight again. Her resilience had motivated her to enroll in this school. Still…the experiences she’d recounted weren’t enough to explain everything.

“What else have you suffered?” I asked.

“Huh?”

“Have you told me the whole truth?”

I believed that something critical had shattered her spirit before this. There had to be some other reason behind her abnormal fearfulness, something that Karuizawa wanted to hide so much that it was worth giving up her body.

“What are you hiding?”

“Wh-what?”

Karuizawa turned her head from me and lowered her eyes to look down at her left side. I noticed that, of course. I reached over and touched that part of her body, over her uniform.

“S-stop!” she shouted.

Her shouts echoed within the enclosed walls of the room. I grabbed her uniform and pulled it up. There, on her beautiful skin, was an ugly scar. A deep scar, one that had been created by a sharp blade.

“This is it? This is your darkness?”

“U-ugh!”

This wasn’t the result of simple bullying. A serious scar like this had come from a life-threatening attack. Even though she was burdened with that horrible past, she remained tough. She got back on her feet.

Over the past few days, I’d keenly observed Karuizawa Kei. To protect herself, she forced people to become her allies. She protected her status, even if that meant being disliked.

“Despair comes in many forms. And you’ve experienced despair. Haven’t you?” I asked.

Karuizawa’s dark eyes met with mine. People who carry darkness within are attracted to one another. Slowly, they erode each other. Those who conceal a deep darkness will readily embrace the darkness of others.

“Wh-what are you…you…” she stammered.

If her past held her captive, then I had to forcefully free her from her shackles. Even if we weren’t close, I could feel the darkness from her, through her skin. Yes.

There were profoundly dark things left in this world that even Karuizawa didn’t yet know about.

“I promise you one thing. From now on, I will protect you from bullying. I will be much more reliable than Hirata or Machida,” I told her.

“Wait. You meant that you can stop Manabe and her friends?” she asked.

“Right now, you should understand what I’m saying. If the wind blows, a tiny flame goes out. However, a larger flame only grows bigger. It becomes so strong that it won’t go out, not even in the face of wild winds or pouring rain. You will help me, and I will help you. Kindness has nothing to do with it. Do you have any problems with this arrangement?”

“First things first. I’ll get rid of your anxieties for you,” I added.

I pulled out my phone.

“I have a way to stop Manabe and her friends.”

I showed her phone. On the screen was a photo of Karuizawa being bullied in the emergency stairway.

“That’s—” she began.

“If I send this picture to them, they won’t get carried away anymore. If they still decide to harass you, perhaps by spreading rumors, then I will step in and put a stop to it. With this.”

As far as Manabe and her friends were concerned, this incident should have been enough to satisfy them. If they got carried away and tried to hurt Karuizawa further, they would end up causing trouble for Ryuuen. Then they would be in jeopardy themselves. I let go of Karuizawa’s chin, and spoke in a flat, emotionless tone.

“All I want is for people to cooperate with me. I want you to assist me in the future, doing whatever I need.”

“What? Assist? What do you want me to do?”

“If things continue as they are, Class D will never overtake Class A. While the individual students within Class D certainly aren’t incapable, we lack a sense of unity. Our class is scattered. However, if you control the girls for me, the situation will gradually improve.”

Her social pull made her an even more valuable ally than Horikita.

“What are you trying to…”

Up until now, she’d only ever seen as me as a lowly, unobtrusive guy. Seeing my true self must’ve terrified her. But I was done explaining. Besides, the less I talked, the more terrifying I would appear. The less she would resist.

“Now, the first thing I need. We must guide our group to victory in this exam.”

“How am I supposed to help lead them to—”

“You can, because you’re… Right?”

Though I didn’t articulate the key word in that sentence, Karuizawa seemed to know what it was. She looked me in the eyes. The truth resonated deep within her, in her heart.

She tried to look puzzled, but that was just an act. After all, a parasite couldn’t live without a host. By finding a new host, Karuizawa only had one way to go on living: with me.