cote react to

part 20

"You're in a dangerous position yourself, aren't you? If Class C loses collective points for this exam, isn't that bad?"

"Yep. With this stroke of luck, your class probably has a chance of being promoted to C," said Ryuuen.

"Class C?!" Ike gasped.

"We've come that far already?!" Hirata even looked surprised, but proud nonetheless.

"I don't want to be demoted to D!" Komiya lamented.

"Huh, really?" Hiyori looked surprised but calm.

"How does it feel to be knocked down a peg by the 'defectives' in Class D?"

"I feel like I don't have a care in the world right now. Whether it's Class A or D, we're only scratching the surface of our battle," said Ryuuen.

"What do you mean?"

Of course, Ryuuen couldn't answer her. However, his objective hadn't changed one bit since he'd started at the school. While there had been moments when he stumbled, his preparations to reach Class A were still progressing smoothly.

"What is really your goal?" Ibuki asked him suspicious.

"I told you didn't? I'll take our class to A." Ryuuen said.

"Preparation. Smoothly?" Hashimoto muttered.

"You have an idea, Princess?" Hashimoto asked her.

"A couple. But nothing more than an speculation." Sakayanagi answered.

"Do your absolute best," said Ryuuen, turning and starting to walk away.

"Wait—the cheat sheet! Something's not right here!"

"Heh."

"What's this all about? Tell me, Ryuuen!"

"You noticed?"

"Why did someone in Class D have these test questions? Only you and I should have them."

"Because I gave them to X, I suppose," said Ryuuen.

"You gave them to Ayanokoji-kun?" Matsushita said surprised.

"Who even said that I was the X person he's talking about?" Ayanokoji asked them.

"Uh... Who else if not you?" Karuizawa looked at him deadpanned.

"Why would he even give it to Ayanokoji-kun?" Yukimura asked no one.

"So, you betrayed me?"

"No. It was a necessary deal."

Ryuuen's eyes lowered to his cell phone. On it were pictures of the questions and answers before he'd changed them. He had sent those pictures to an unidentified email address.

"However, X understands me very well," he added.

He'd received a message from X with the word "Transaction" in the subject line.

The message read as follows: Provide me with the questions and answers that Class C devised for our final exam, or make significant changes to the questions you gave Kushida Kikyou.

"Your class was the one who devised our final exam?!" Nishikawa shrieked.

"Huh? Is that even approved?" Shibata asked.

"Unless it's a special exam." Ichinose noted.

"Huh? What do you mean, Honami-chan?" Yume asked her.

"Devising the final exam tests are not possible, unless it's a special exam. If what I heard is correct, then Class C is against Class D while we are facing Class A. Each class will create questionnaires for the other class to answer." Ichinose explained.

Normally, Ryuuen wouldn't dignify that with a response. However, moments earlier, X had freely given him information beneficial to Class C with no strings attached, by warning him that Horikita Suzune had seen through Ryuuen's plans and taken preemptive action to get her questions approved instead of Kushida's.

That had come as quite the shock to Ryuuen, whose whole strategy depended on the questions he thought Kushida had X's warning, the Class C students who didn't study enough might've failed.

"Why even warned him?" Horikita sighed exasperated.

"You mean, some of us might have been expelled?" Ishizaki flinched.

"Expelled? I don't want to be expelled!" Komiya exclaimed.

"That's why Ryuuen-kun headed Ayanokoji-kun's warning." Hiyori said. "Ryuuen-kun, not wanting us, his classmates to be expelled sent Ayanokoji-kun the questionnaires."

"Ryuuen-san didn't want us to be expelled?" Ishizaki looked touched.

"I think I'm gonna cry." Komiya fanned his eyes.

"You're disgusting." Ibuki groaned.

Knowing that, Ryuuen had had three options.

The first was to defy X and give Kushida the correct questions for the math test, letting her win her bet against Horikita. However, Ryuuen wanted to avoid Horikita being expelled at all costs.

The second was to leave the test questions as they were and let Kushida's cheating be exposed, so she'd get kicked out of school. However, Ryuuen didn't want to give X exactly what he wanted. Playing into X's ideal scenario was no fun.

"You were saying?" Ibuki raised a brow at the Class C's version of three idiots.

"Still!" Ishizaki argued.

"I'll follow you forever, Ryuuen-san!" Kondo cried out.

"What the hell are you babbling about?" Ryuuen glared at them.

"Is Class C okay?" Mei-Yu pointed at the group of students who's either crying loudly, looked exasperated and annoyed, or laughing, finding the situation funny.

"Leave them be, Mei-chan." Sato advised her.

The final option, and the one Ryuuen eventually chose, was to give Kushida the wrong questions and let Horikita win.

"So, X protected Suzune while managing to keep you in check, Kikyou," said Ryuuen. When he'd realized that X turned his strategy to use Kushida against him, he'd barely held back his laughter.

"But I'm about to drive him into a corner. If he doesn't reveal his identity—"

Ryuuen pulled up an image on his phone—the same image he'd sent the mysterious mastermind. The person in the photograph would be instrumental to discovering X's identity.

"Then I'm going to destroy her."

"Karuizawa-san?!" Shinohara exclaimed.

Ryuuen grinned, "Oho? Am I planning what I think I'll do?"

"What the hell are you planning to do with her, bastard!" Sudo growled at Ryuuen.

"Stop grinning! It's not funny or amusing!" Sato scowled at him.

Karuizawa froze, but calmed herself because no matter the situation. Ayanokoji promised her that he will always protect her.