Cote: Heartless Masterpiece? [Discontinued]

Part 34

Even when we had returned Sudo still hadn't calmed down and rather than get into a confrontation with him I tried moving away to speak with Haruka and Sakura to check on their stamina and results so far, but Karuizawa called out to us.

"This is bad news isn't it Kiyotaka?" she asked approaching us.

"Huh? What?" I asked confused as to what had just happened and why.

""What?"" Both Hirata and Karuizawa asked with blank faces.

"You used my first name. Why?" From what I can tell we aren't close. In fact I can guarantee that she hates me, so then why use my first name?

"Oh....Well I call Yousuke-kun by his first name and saying Ayanokouji-kun is too long so I thought I would use your first name as well. Why is there a problem?" She asked, looking at me innocently despite knowingly dropping the honorific twice.

"No, none at all"

"Anyways I was talking about Horikita-san. Hasn't she been up against some tough competition and she is in bad shape. The cavalry battle didn't help either"

"Yeah..." I replied taking a pause for a drink of water before replying to Karuizawa. "She is being targeted after all"

""Targeted?!"" Both of them exclaimed and I just nodded.

"So that's why she keeps going against high level students" Hirata mumbled to himself while Karuizawa gave me a knowing look, her eyes showed hints of both amazement and fear.

I guess it is natural since I indirectly told her someone would betray the class just one day after the Festival was announced.

Maybe she was right about me being a God?

"So it's Ryuuen right?" Karuizawa asked, looking for confirmation and I simply nodded again.

Ryuuen Kakeru had vowed on the ship that he was going to destroy Horikita, attacking her with everything he had to draw out the cowardly mastermind hiding behind her and he was doing exactly that and more.

"But it's not just that. Haven't you noticed anything about the other races?" Hirata asked, prompting Karuizawa to strike a thinking pose as she tapped her index finger on her chin.

"We have managed to avoid his heavy hitters"

"Yes. There table in terms of ability is eerily similar to class A's meaning thanks to Horikita-san's strategy we have been able to target both the weakest of classes A and D, but that also means our table was leaked" Once again Karuizawa threw me an uneasy look before feigning ignorance and acting shocked.

"So our table got leaked? Does that mean the traitors main goal was to destroy Horikita-san?"

"Most likely yes"

"Do you have any idea who would want to betray the class and target Horikita-san, Ayanokouji-kun?" Hirata asked.

"Sadly I don't"

"Realistically our table leaving wasn't a bad thing but Horikita-san is getting targeted because of it" Karuizawa said and she wasn't wrong as the table leak was what has carried us so far but the fact that Horikita and Horikita alone had to pay for that didn't sit well with neither of them.

Well Horikita isn't technically the only one being 'targeted' by Ryuuen.

My first race he and Albro *cough* Albert sandwiched me in an attempt to throw me off and gauge my reactions.

Miyake was also in the same group as Ryuuen for the hurdles and Hirata had been hurt by class C students in Capture the Flag. Also Sotomura had been visited by Ryuuen but given his foul mood as a result of the Sports Festival I doubt Ryuuen got anything but a headache from speaking to him.