COTE Year 2 Reimagined

Volume 8:Part 11

"Is she targeting me? I was attacked ten times. There's no way that's a coincidence!!"

As soon as our break started, Karuizawa-san got up in frustration.

"Maybe Sakayanagi-san is also sick of you."

Kushida-san was, of course, not helping the situation whatsoever.

"Huh?! You're one to talk after everything you've done!"

I had hoped this break would be enough for me to gather my thoughts and make a plan, but it was looking hopeless.

"Kushida-san, please don't provoke others. we're all trying to win here, so let's work together."

Hirata-kun was as reliable as ever.

"Hey Suzune, what do we do now? You can't protect Karuizawa anymore."

Sudo-kun, who had been quiet so far, decided to finally join the chaotic conversation.

"Everyone, please calm down. Even if Karuizawa-san can't be protected anymore, it's highly unlikely that Kanzaki-kun would attack her 5 times unless he's planned it with Sakayanagi-san, which may I remind you is against the rules. We're currently in second place, so let's focus on keeping the lead and winning this."

The room grew quieter as everyone nodded and accepted my words except for Kushida-san, who seemed bored.

"What should we do now, Horikita-san?"

Hirata-kun was the one to ask, but Sudo-kun also came up to me and waited for an answer.

"Kanzaki-kun is different from Ichinose-san. During the first ten rounds, he didn't even try to protect the vulnerable students even as I relentlessly attacked them. It's clear that he's doing everything in his power to win this game even if it may cost him a classmate."

Hirata-kun's expression darkened at the mention of expulsion, but he nodded along.

"What about you, Horikita-san? Are you willing to sacrifice a classmate to win?"

Kushida-san was trying to irritate me once more.

"If it's necessary, then I'll have to do it. But during this exam, it's not only possible but quite simple to pass while protecting everyone. I don't need to take extreme measures like Kanzaki-kun and put my classmates at risk."

She sighed and looked away from me without saying another word.

"Back to what I was saying. Judging by Kanzaki-kun's behaviour so far, he'll definitely target students in the top 50% in our class at the very least. If he attacks anyone below that his chances of winning decrease since he'll earn significantly fewer points. Since we can narrow it down to the top 50%, I'll have to choose 5 out of 19 people rather than 5 out of 38, which means my chances of protecting the students he attacks are significantly higher."

Hirata-kun was still nodding along while listening to me.

"I'm sorry, Suzune. I didn't understand half of what you just said."

Sudo-kun, on the other hand, didn't seem to understand anything.

"It's okay Sudo-kun you're just here for moral support."

Despite the fact that my words could've been taken as an insult, Sudo-kun seemed thoroughly satisfied.

"What if that's just what he wants you to think?"

Karuizawa-san surprisingly kept up with my explanation and decided to join in.

"What do you mean?"

I didn't quite understand her point, so I asked her to elaborate.

"No, maybe I'm overthinking it."

I nodded and decided to let it go for now.

"What about Sakayanagi-san?"

Hirata-kun was right. I still needed a plan to attack Sakayanagi-san.

"If I understand Ryuen-kun correctly, then he most likely attacked Sakayanagi-san's closest allies to try and eliminate them. Meaning that 3 or 4 of her most trusted classmates are on the verge of elimination, which would force her to protect them."

I took a deep breath and kept going.

"If that's the case, then I can attack 5 high-ranking students who aren't her closest allies and my attacks will go through since she'll be using her protection slots on people like Hashimoto-kun and Kamuro-san who are close to getting eliminated due to Ryuen-kun. Despite the fact that Sakayanagi-san doesn't value friendships, she absolutely does value having useful allies whom she could trust. She will definitely protect them."

Hirata-kun and Sudo-kun nodded in agreement, although I doubt Sudo-kun understood most of that. Karuizawa-san also nodded, but Kushida-san looked uneasy for some reason.

"Your thinking is too shallow. Sakayanagi-san knows you'll think this way so she probably won't protect them and instead protect the other students that you'll be targeting."

Kushida-san decided to help out for once.

"What makes you say that?"

She clicked her tongue as if it was obvious and started talking.

"Because she's way too smart. She probably knows exactly what you're thinking and will do the opposite of that. Trying to outsmart a genius is the same as asking to lose. If you want to fight her, then do it another way."

She was right in a way, Sakayanagi-san was definitely a genius, and she'd beat me in terms of intelligence, but what choice did I have?

"What other way?"

Kushida-san simply shrugged and looked away from me. I wanted to ask her more, but unfortunately, our break came to an end, and we were about to start the next 10 rounds.