Once lunch time came, our small group ended up seated in the cafeteria together. There were probably more inconspicuous locations to meet, and since we were waging a small war against another class hiding would have been beneficial, but since no one else suggested it I left it as it is.
In the corner of my eye I could see a couple of Class C students watching us, probably tasked with finding out how we would respond to the incident. Smart, to keep an eye out and be able to adapt to our plans, but I suspect nothing of importance will be deduced or decided today.
"You seem to get yourself into trouble time and time again, Sudou-kun." Horikita gave an exasperated sigh. She had been dragged here virtually against her will, unable to turn down Kushida in front of the class.
"Well, guess we don't have much choice. As your classmates, we'll help you out, Sudou." Hirata was again offering his support to Sudou, promising to give his assistance. As expected from him.
Not wanting to upset Horikita more than she already was, Sudou apologised, possibly for the first time since the incident began.
"I'm sorry, Horikita. I've caused trouble for you again. But it really wasn't my fault this time. All I did was blow up those Class C jerks' plans."
Sudou spoke to Horikita with indifference, almost as if he were describing someone else's problems.
"Sorry, but I don't feel like helping you this time." Horikita flatly refused Sudou's pleas for help. "For Class D to rise through the ranks, it's important to recover the class points we lost as quickly as possible. However, we probably won't get any more points now, thanks to you. You hindered those plans."
"Wait. You might be right about that, but I'm not the one at fault here! Those guys picked a fight with me! What part of that is my fault?"
"You keep focusing on who started the fight, but that's a trivial detail. Did you never consider that?"
"What's trivial about it? It makes all the difference! I didn't do anything wrong!"
"Is that so? Well, best of luck to you." Horikita picked up her untouched tray and stood.
"So you're not gonna help? I thought we were friends!"
"Don't make me laugh. I've never once considered you a friend. Nothing makes me more uncomfortable than being around someone who doesn't recognize his own stupidity. Goodbye."
Horikita appeared more exasperated than angry. She let out a deep sigh and left.
"What the hell is her deal?! Goddamn it!"
Unable to direct his rage anywhere else, Sudou slammed his fists on the cafeteria table, spilling a nearby student's miso soup. The student glared, but when he saw how scary Sudou looked, he remained silent.
But it was fairly obvious why Horikita had that opinion. In her mind, helping Sudou was an exercise in futility. Despite saving him on the midterms, he had gone again and caused more problems. This situation would likely repeat over and over again, which was something Horikita didn't want to deal with every time. She likely believed that letting him be punished here and taking a small blow to the class points would be enough to fix his mentality.
In any case, Horikita had no intention of helping out. And I was done prompting her to do so.
"I guess it's just up to us, then."
Kushida got us back on track after Horikita's sudden departure, refocusing our attention back onto who could actually help, and the situation at hand.
"Well, I can ask some senpai's about the situation. I have some friends in the soccer club that might have some ideas, so I guess I can ask them for help."
That was actually a useful suggestion from Hirata. It was likely that upper grades had also had dealings with similar situations, since this sort of plan wasn't overly complex to think of and execute, so getting advice would be helpful.
"Way to go, Hirata-kun, great idea! I can also ask some of my senpai's about this, they might know something too."
"Kushida. Ask the rest of the grade for help. Class B especially."
"Wait, why do you say that Ayanokouji-kun?" Kushida gave a very cute tilt of her head.
"It's likely our class isn't the only one to be targeted. It would make more sense for Ryuuen to go after all three other classes. They may have some experience dealing with him."
"But why Class B?" Sudou didn't seem to understand why them specifically.
"If you had to pick one class who would be kind and helpful, which one would you name." He seemed to understand after that.
"Wait, wait Ayanokouji-kun. Are we sure this is Ryuuen's work? I don't want to arbitrarily target someone without first being sure it was him. It could just as likely have been a plot by the three boys by themselves."
It was fair for Hirata to think this way, trying to avoid blaming an innocent, since we had no evidence, yet that Ryuuen was involved, but I was confident only he in Class C would think and execute such a plan.
"No, I'm almost certain it's him. None of those three, from what I've heard at least, would be smart or bold enough to execute such a plot. This is definitely Ryuuen's work."
"Fair enough. For now, at least, I can work under the assumption that it's his plan behind the scenes."
"Yeah! With all of us working together, we're definitely gonna prove I'm innocent! Ayanokouji, you're the best!"
A very enthusiastic Sudou gave me a rough punch in the shoulder. It ached a little, but it wasn't hard or done maliciously so I let it go.
"Calm down Sudou, we don't have any evidence yet."
"Wait what about the GPS system!"
Huh?
"Hirata. Explain."
"Didn't you know this Ayanokouji-kun? Everyone who has the contact of another person can see their location on a map."
Pulling out his phone, he showed me said system. Countless dots littered the school grounds and cafeteria, showing the location of everyone he had the contact of.
"Wait that's a thing?!"
It seemed Kushida also hadn't realised that existed.
"Neither of you knew? Well, I assume the school tracks this, so maybe we could see where everyone was during the time of the incident, see if anyone was nearby or acting suspicious."
It was a good plan, but that would never happen. Despite claiming points can buy anything, the location of every student on campus over a few days was not something they would legally be able to share with just anyone. I was surprised that was a feature in the first place.
"You can turn it off, but I suspect the school still records everything, it's just other students can't see you for privacy."
Why wasn't it off by default?
"It won't work. The school wouldn't give out that information, I suspect, so you can ask, but work under the assumption we don't have it available."
I also didn't want anyone figuring out that Sakura had been nearby as a witness, until I could figure out how to use the information.
"Oh. I'll still try, but that's a good point Ayanokouji. Hmm, so what can we do?"
"For now, nothing. Lunch is almost over, so there's no sense trying to force ideas without more information."
"You want to go see the special building, Ayanokouji-kun?" Kushida caught on fast.
"Yeah. You and I can go look this afternoon, try and find some clues. Hirata can talk to his soccer senpai's and Sudou... stay out of trouble."
It wasn't necessary to add that last bit, but I figured the extra warning couldn't hurt.
"I get it, it get it ok? I'll stay out of trouble, don't worry. I don't wanna cause more problems." A very mature response from Sudou.
"This is great, guys. At this rate, we'll clear Sudou's name in no time!"
Yes, it seemed likely that something would turn up. Whether we would clear Sudou's name as Kushida proclaimed however, was a different matter entirely.
Ryuuen had executed a good strategy. There was no real evidence that we would find, I suspected, so some sort of bluff would be necessary in order to win.
This sort of excitement, this competition was what I had been hoping to find here.
I'm coming for you Ryuuen.
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Once class had ended for the day, I made my way over to the special building with Kushida.
It had taken us a bit longer to get going than I had hoped, due to her fruitless attempts to engage Horikita.
"Horikita-san, I really want you to help us with Sudou's case. Is that possible?"
"I thought I already declined? Earlier today too, no less" Horikita shrugged, as if expressing how idiotic she found her.
"I know you did, but... don't you think it will be necessary to help Sudou-kun to reach class A?" I have to give it to Kushida, she really could read a person. To know that Horikita care about class A was not a complex feat, but to connect it to her actions with the midterms and figure out what made her tick so quickly was impressive.
"You aren't wrong about that."
"So you'll he—"
"I never said that. I just think assisting Sudou to be a waste of time, so don't expect my assistance. I have an important daily routine, so I need my alone time. It's unpleasant to have that time stolen from me."
Just the answer I would expect from an unabashed misanthrope. If she'd simply said she didn't like spending time with other people, that would've sounded like an excuse.
"You're cruel Horikita-san. To leave a classmate to fight alone. I hope you make some friends, so this doesn't happen to you as karma." A few tears filled up Kushida's eyes as she said this, but after having spent enough time around her, it was clear her words were vicious, hiding anger and threats behind them.
Horikita also seemed to notice this, her eyes narrowing. Interesting. Even with her exceptional observational skills, there should have been no way for her to notice the secret face Kushida had. Perhaps...
"Why was he dragged into the fight? This problem will persist until we understand that fundamental question. Got it? And until it is solved, I have no interest in helping out"
We were almost at the building when Kushida finally spoke up again.
"Hey, Ayanokouji-kun, what did Horikita-san mean? He was dragged into the fight by a setup, right?"
"While that's true, it's not the part of the issue she's focusing on."
"Eh? But that's what the whole problem is about, Sudou getting framed by the Class C students! What else could she focus on?"
It seemed that the hints weren't quite enough for Kushida to put together, or perhaps she just didn't want to admit to the truth. This surprised me. As someone who made it her mission to understand and get along with everyone, she should know why Sudou was the one called out.
"If you were to pick one person from the class to antagonise to frame, who would it be?"
She pondered my question for a moment.
"Hmm, well the best option would be... Oh. That's why."
"Exactly. He's the type who gets angry easily, right? Whenever he's faced with someone he doesn't like, he lashes out, and speaks and acts in an aggressive, domineering way. When I heard he was being considered for a regular spot on the basketball team, I was both surprised and impressed. No one disagrees that he's an incredible player, but if he acts so arrogant and prideful, some people will come to hate him. Those who work incredibly hard for their spot would probably see Sudou as a rather disagreeable person. Then there are the rumors, right? People say that Sudou's been fighting people since junior high. I haven't met anyone who knew Sudou at his previous school, but considering how many people are talking about it, there might be something to the rumor."
People didn't hold a very good impression of Sudou.
"This was bound to happen eventually."
"So...his typical behavior, plus his repeated actions, led to this situation, then?" Kushida asked.
"Yeah. As long as he continues to antagonize those around him, trouble will inevitably follow. Also, if there's no proof, then people will use his image against him. In other words, they'll judge him based on their impressions. For example, let's say there was a murder case. There are two suspects. One of them has committed murder in the past, while the other is a good, upstanding citizen. Based on that information, who would you believe?"
If asked, nearly everyone would give the same response.
"Well...I'd pick the upstanding citizen, of course."
"The truth might be different. However, the less information you have upon which to base your judgment, the more you have to rely on whatever meager information you have at hand. That's what's happening here. Horikita cannot overlook the fact that Sudou doesn't recognize his flaws."
I didn't think this was exactly a "you reap what you sow" situation, though.
"I see. So that's what she meant..." Kushida gave a small nod. "So Horikita-san isn't going to save Sudou-kun because she wants to teach him a lesson?"
"I guess so, yeah. By punishing him, she wants him to understand himself better."
Kushida, who had been looking around continuously for the last few minutes, finally let her face shift into a savage grin.
"Poor bastard. Maybe if he wasn't such a shithead all the time, he would have more people trying to help him."
It seemed Kushida had deemed us alone enough to risk acting like herself.
"For once, I have to agree with Horikita. Wow, I never thought I would say that, but she's not wrong to try and teach him a lesson. Hahaha I actually agree with the bitch, what a strange situation!"
This was even more aggressive than usual. It seemed that having to constantly be trying to help Sudou, someone she despised, had been grating on Kushida all day, and had let go of all restraint at the first chance.
This was a problem, because my second goal was to try and meet another person here.
"Well, here we are."
We had reached the corridor where the fight had occurred, according to what Sudou had told us.
"Huh, it's empty."
That may have seemed like a redundant statement, but it truly was the only way to describe the corridor we were standing in.
"No cameras at all. That seems unusual." The entire school was wired with cameras, yet there wasn't a single one in here. Perhaps the school expected fights to happen and gave students a place for them. In any case, the lack of them was what provided the opportunity.
"This is so weird. There's nothing here, at all." Even Kushida was struck by the unnatural area.
"Notice the temperature? With the way the building is designed, heat gets trapped, and the hallways are incredibly stuffy."
"I know, we've barely been here and I'm already so fucking hot. Ew, I'm sweating too, this is disgusting."
"That's not the point. Try having a clear head here. It's impossible, there's no way to focus properly. Without being able to rationalise it's even easier to get aggressive."
"Ryuuen-kun picked a good spot, is what you're saying."
"Exactly. There's nothing here useful. No evidence no support no clue on where to go. Sudou's case is almost hopeless."
"So there's no point trying then?"
"I didn't say that."
Kushida seemed confused at my response, before asking a question I hadn't expected her to ask so soon.
"Ayanokouji-kun, why are you helping Sudou-kun? All he's done is cause problems, and you aren't one to care about other people."
It was perplexing. My actions had gone against most of the things I claimed to believe, looking for fun and excitement, which would be easily found in Sudou's punishment. But the answer was rather obvious.
"How could I not?"
"Huh?"
"Our backs against the wall. No evidence to support us, overwhelming evidence against us, one witness and no other leads. What could be more fun than digging the class out of this hole. What could be more incredible than when I come out on top despite the situation completely against us."
"You think we can win? That's really confident Ayanokouji-kun." But then her mind processed what I had said properly. "Wait! One witness! I thought there wasn't anyone who saw the fight!"
"You weren't paying attention. When Chabashira asked for witnesses, one person reacted differently."
"Who was it? Someone in our class saw the fight?"
"I'm pretty sure. Sakura avoided eye contact with everyone, even more than normal. And the last two days she's been hiding her class presence better than ever. She's clearly hiding something."
"Wow. I never would have noticed."
She was right about that.
"That's the problem with being popular, you can't notice all the details around you properly. It's an interesting trade off."
Of course, whether Kushida would have been perceptive enough to notice Sakura was something I doubted. It would take a high level of attention to detail to notice her changes in behaviour, and probably only Kouenji, and maybe Horikita, had noticed.
"That plain bitch saw the fight, then didn't say anything? Making us do all the work just so she can slack off, fucking bullshit!"
This had gone too far. Clearly it was a mark of how confident and relaxed Kushida was around me that she could express herself in this manner right now, but with so much potential risk I couldn't have her exposed by being herself.
"I'd reform that iron mask of yours. It seems likely Sakura will be coming here this afternoon."
That stopped her. Immediately freezing in shock before reforming her cute angel face she questioned what I had said.
"Didn't think to mention it before?" I had never heard such danger in such sweet words in my life.
"I mentioned rather loudly what our plans were this afternoon at the end of class. I also asked about witnesses, before catching Sakura's eye. Hopefully she can get the courage to come talk to us outside of class without too many people around." And as I said that I could hear the quiet tap of a person slowly getting close to us.
"Do you think she picked up on it though? Sakura-san seems to be a quiet person who doesn't want to talk with people."
But as if just to contradict Kushida's opinion, the pink hair of Sakura poked around the corner of the hall.
"A-ayanokouji-kun..."
"Hello, Sakura. Nice of you to join us."
It was important to act delicately with such a girl. Rushing or pressing her would just result in a breakdown, and we wouldn't be able to gain anything from this conversation.
"I-I need to t-tell you something, Ayanokouji-kun..."
She was extremely nervous, probably not having spoken to many people at all since enrolling this school. Based on my social skills, that could have ended up being me. What a terrifying thought.
"What is it Sakura-san? Do you know something about the fight?" At least Kushida had the tact to not flat out ask if she was the witness, but I suspected this was still too much for Sakura to handle.
"O-oh Kushida-san. Yes, I-I need to tell you both. I-I saw the f-fight. I was h-hiding here, and s-saw what happened."
Her stutter was ridiculous. Sakura wasn't just bad at social interaction, but absolutely terrified of it. This was likely the reasoning behind her placement in class D.
"So you did see it? That means you're a witness! You can testify and prove Sudou-kun's innocence!" That overdid it. In her excitement to find a break in the case, Kushida didn't use gloves when handling Sakura and treated her like anyone else.
It was obvious she was flustered and overwhelmed by the whole situation and turned to try to leave. As she did so, however, Kushida grabbed her arm to keep her here, making Sakura drop her digital camera.
"Ah!"
Sakura's digital camera tumbled to the floor with a loud clack.
Sakura, flustered, rushed to pick up her camera.
"No way. There's nothing on the screen..."
Sakura put her hand over her mouth in total shock. The camera seemed to have broken on impact. She pushed the power button over and over, tried taking out the batteries and putting them back in, but the power indicator never came on.
"I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have grabbed you, it's because of that..." Kushida began.
"No, that's not it. I was just careless, that's all... Anyway, goodbye."
Kushida, unable to stop the despondent Sakura, could only watch her leave with regret. Once Sakura was out of earshot, she whirled on me.
"That's our witness? The case is doomed, we have no hope! Sakura is useless! She can't even speak in private to trusted people, let alone to teachers about a crime. God, we just wasted so much fucking time."
It would be very easy to agree with Kushida then and there, but that would be tantamount to giving up.
"No, it's fine. All I wanted was to confirm that she was the witness. This doesn't change anything, the result is still inevitable."
"Huh? You still think you can win?"
"Of course. I don't think there will ever be a situation where I can lose at this school."
"I'm a little scared by the fact that I believe you."
"In any case, I still have to work out the last details of the plan."
"So you do have a plan then?"
"Parts of one."
As we spoke, we moved to leave the special building. It was getting hotter and hotter every second and I had no intention of staying there any longer.
"Can you fill me in?" It was natural for Kushida to be curious but for the moment I would let her sit in darkness. It would suit my plan better this way too.
"Not yet. For the moment just keep making inquiries, act like we still know nothing. It wouldn't do for Class C to know we have a witness. They might do something to Sakura to silence her."
"Hmm, I guess I'll trust you for now. But you owe me an explanation."
A bold request from someone who had no choice but to obey, but I would acquiesce. There wasn't any benefit in hiding things from Kushida. The more she trusted me to be open with her, the more she would let her guard down.
Who knows, perhaps one day she could become my first friend.