"Maybe it's class C's plan from start. " Ichinose said with worried.
"I think so. " Horikita agreed. "Class C maybe hire that 5 witnesses to lurk in the group of real witnesses. Despite five people, we already lost our credit."
We were in the Palette. After we finished the trial. Sudo was very angry so Horikita told him to go back to the dorm. Therefore, There were just me, Horkita, Ichinose, and Kanzaki.
"If this's really their plan, I have to tell, this really works. " Kanzaki said. "The others witnesses afraid they'll be punished, so they all withdraw."
"This means there were only the witnesses who told the school that we're lying. " Hoikira spoke with a serious tone. "The only evidence, in this case, is class C's wound and the testimony that makes us difficult."
"But, are you sure this is class C's plan? How can high school students scheme something like that?" I said, but everyone looked at me like I lost my mind.
"We're in Classroom of The Elite, Ayanokouji. " Kanzaki said. "We don't ask about it here."
Understable, Have a nice day.
I saw Ichinose lowered her head. I felt like she had something in her mind.
"What's wrong, Ichinose?" I asked her.
"I think about the rumors I heard. " She replied. "I heard that in class C, there is a guy name Ryuen Kakeru. Only in the first week, everyone in class C obeys him like a dog. "
Kanzaki nodded.
"That's strange, the rumors use the words "obey", not trust. How can you make the whole class obey you in a week?" He said. "You can be nice to people and show you leadership to be trusted, but being obeyed is different. Ryuen must be a scary guy. Maybe, he is the one who plans this from the beginning."
"Do you know him?" Horikita asked Ichinose.
"No." Ichinose shook her head. "Maybe Kushida-Chan knew him."
I never met Ryuen before. But I thought I knew who he was.
I thought he was the guy who threatened me to give him the paper. That means Kanzaki maybe met him once.
"Sounded like Ryuen is scary people, but I'm not afraid of him," Horikita said bravely. "Because we have 2 geniuses here."
Horikita stared at me.
Oi, there was only one genius, I wasn't genius!
But think twice, if Horikita didn't realize I was just a lucky man, Maybe, there was no genius around here.
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That night, I was in front of my laptop. This was my first and only gift from that man. It didn't even literally from him. It was the last step of the experiment. So that man allowed me to sent the letter for the lottery prize. I won the first prize, this laptop.
I looked at the folder on the screen.
Kaxxxa's file.
Kaxxxa sent this to me, two days before he died from a heart attack on the way back to the White Room. He told me it would make me adapt myself to society.
There were many flies that I found interesting like; Queen and Slave, How to be the man of culture, H.A.R.E.M.
There was some kind of interesting file that I hadn't explore yet, like Imouto or Gravure Model.
Sometimes when I was very worried, I would sit before my laptop, and enjoyed Kaxxxa's flies.
Maybe this time, it was my biggest worry since I tried to run away from that man. Ryuen wasn't a normal person. He could change the situation and fight with my luck.
More than that, I felt contradict.
I sicked of class C because of their lying without fear of sin. But I was lying every day. I hid the fact that I was dating Ichinose from everyone. Luckily, although class B had already known about this. No one in class D knew.
What was the difference?
I sighed.
I was thinking about which file I would enjoy today when someone called me. My phone rang very loud until I accidentally clicked on Gravure's file.
I sighed and answered the phone.
"Good evening. " I said.
The other side didn't answer immediately. For a moment, I heard the low voice from another side.
"Good evening, Ayanokouji-Kun." It wasn't a familiar voice.
"Who's there?" I asked.
"Sakura Airi. Do you remember me?" I felt a little bit neglected in her tone.
"Sure, why not?" I spoke immediately. "I just didn't often hear your voice."
"T--true." She stuttered.
"So you feel more comfortable speaking through phone, huh?"
"It's more like, feeling less uncomfortable." She said.
"That's good. And why did you call me? Something wrong or just want to chit-chat?"
"Eh---Can you help me something?" Sakura said.
"Sure. What's the matter?"
Sakura stopped for a while, then, said with a voice that was no louder than the whisper.
"I dropped my camera, so it's broken. I have to go to the electronic center.---Can you go with me?"
I understood why she want me to go with her. Sakura Airi had a communication disorder. She couldn't speak with people easily, especially, strangers. If I went with her, I could help her very much.
"Sure. What about this Saturday? I'm free that day." I had a meeting with Hirata and the girls on Friday, and thanks to Chihiro, I had to go on date with Ichinose Sunday.
"Ok, thank you, very much. Ayanokouji-Kun." She stopped her word for a moment. "Good night."
Sakura hung up before I could say anything.
"Good night," I said to myself. Then, I turned my eyes back to my laptop's screen.
I almost screamed out loud.
Sakura was on my screen.
Not "Clark Kent" Sakura with the glasses, but "Superman" Sakura without glasses.
In Gravure's file, there were many pictures of Sakura. She wore pretty clothes, swimsuits, or sexy wearings. She smiled as bright as that days. As Yamauchi said, she had a great figure.
Something was rising, and it wasn't Shield hero,
and it wasn't any part of my body too.
But it was my suspect. My suspect was rising. I told you it was my suspect.
Because in this file, Kazuma named all of the pictures with the model's name. But Sakura's picture was named Shizuku.
Shizuku?
I looked at one of Sakura's pictures. It was her in the bikini.
Our bold idol's summer! Shizuku-Chan is here!
Sounded like some kind of those gravure idols. Unfortunately, I didn't know much about them, this was the first time I explored this file.
If I wanted to know something, I had to ask the professional.
I called our class's pervert professional.
"Hey! Yamauchi, are you free now?"
"Oh, Ayanokouji. I'm free. I just finished my date. It's wonderful!"
Uso De Aru. I ignored it.
"I want to ask you something."
"If I can answer you, I will."
"Thank you. Do you know the gravure idol named Shizuku-Chan?"
"Hell yeah! She's one of my favorites! 93-49-80! She won the 5th prize of the summer swimsuit's idol last year. She debuted when she was a second-year middle schooler in Gravure Idol vol. 62, April 12th, 2013. Then, she was in IdolSummer, Magic of night, and PlayBoi. Total 8 issues. 43 pictures. She uploaded her pictures in her own blog too! The first picture was uploaded on January 5th, 2014. Upload average rate is a picture per 2.3 days. The last upload is on March 25th,2015. She didn't upload any pictures until now."
This man was real! At least he was good at something else but lying.
"She's quite popular so."
"Yes, although she isn't as popular as Shino akiHabaRa she's still popular," Yamauchi said.
"Wait. Who's she?"
"Gravure Idol, top of them," Yamauchi spoke. "Oh, do you interested in them? I had many textbooks about it, if you want, I can lend you---"
"No, thanks. I just suspect something. Thank you very much, Yamauchi." I hung up.
I looked at Shizuku-Chan. Is this really Sakura? I felt something different and something the same in Her and Shizuku.
Shizuku was bright but Sakura was dark.
Why the girl with a communication disorder could model for some sexy wearing?
And why she had to hide something that can make her more popular?
I didn't understand at all. Kaxxxa, help me.
I had to know more.
I searched for Shizuku's blog. But when I tried to grab the mouse, my hand bounced with the glass of water on the side----wait, How it came? I was sure I didn't push something on the table.
The glass of water was fell and it splashed on the laptop. Suddenly, the screen went out.
Yes, my laptop broke. I was sure in the commercial, they said it was more durable than this.
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That Saturday, I walked out of the dorm with the laptop in my bag. I thought I would let the electronic center fixed it with Sakura's camera.
I decided to not say something about Shizuku. If Sakura didn't tell anybody, I was sure she would have a reason.
I waited in front of the Palette since she told me to wait there. I had been waiting for a half-hour when I decided to call her.
"Where're you, Sakura?"
"I'm behind you, Ayanokouji-Kun." She said through the phone. I flinched and turned back. There was a girl with a sunglasses and mask behind me. When she took her mask off, I just realized she was Sakura.
"S---Sorry, Sakura. I didn't realize you're here." I stuttered.
Sakura wrote in her notebook.
No need to apologize, it's my fault to dress like this.
She was dressing like tried to make everyone couldn't remember her. Since I knew who she was, it was understandable. Maybe she didn't want her Fanclub to figure it out.
Maybe she hid behind her glasses because of that.
"Let's go to the electronic center," I said.
Sakura nodded, she trembled a bit. But she still walked with me into the mall.
"Can you make any friends else but me?" I asked her. Sakura nodded.
Kushida-San, Came to greet me and try talking with me. Can I consider her as my friend?
"Sure. Kushida was everyone's friend." I answered her. I decided to forget that devil's form. She didn't show me that side again.
"I can introduce you to someone," I said. "Inogashira is a shy girl likes you, maybe you can get along with her."
Or we won't say anything because each other is too shy.
"There is that risk too." I nodded. "Um. Horikita was too cold. Sato's group was too----." I shrugged my shoulder.
I will do my best to get along with them.
She nodded like a puppy, I almost rubbed her head. "Don't too hard. A friend never ran away. We have 3 years to make 100 friends. It's more thane enough."
I felt like I was lying.
Sudo might be expelled next week.
More than that, I and Horikita might be expelled too. Without me, I was afraid that Sakura won't find any friends.
But I couldn't tell Sakura. Because if Sakura knew, she would try to do something that she couldn't and it would hurt her in the end.
Something you couldn't rush it.
When we reached the electronics center. Sakura and I walked to the counter, the guy behind the counter looked at Sakura with flirtatious eyes. I understood why Sakura seemed to be scared.
I walked close to Sakura and coughed a little bit. That employee flinched and looked at me. Maybe my dead eyes were too scary. He turned his face away immediately.
The electronic center employee checked Sakura's camera and my laptop for a while. I didn't understand the technical vocabulary he use that much, but I guess it took a week to fixed it.
Sakura's camera was bought in this store so it had insurance and she no need to pay. Otherwise, I had to pay for fixing this tablet bought outside the school. Luckily, I had enough money to pay.
"Please fill out your name and address in this form ." He said and handed the form to Sakura and ignoring me.
Oi, I was here too, you know?
Because I was annoyed him, so I took that form before Sakura got it and filled in my name.
"Young boy! You can't---" He shouted.
"Why can't I? I'm a customer too, you know?" I said. "If you finished fixing it, contact me, okay? Both of them."
I knew Sakura would feel uncomfortable contacting a stranger so this should be very helpful for her.
Sakura looked at me, I didn't know how the eyes behind those sunglasses felt.
But when we walked out of the electric center, she wrote in the notebook.
Thank you so much, Ayanokouji-Kun, thank you so much.
"Why you thanks me? I didn't do anything." I told her. But Sakura still pointed at that words again and again.
I sighed.
"Anyway, let's go back to the dorm."
Sakura nodded and followed me.
But when we walked out of the mall, Sakura grabbed my hand.
I turned my face to her, she blushed and unclasped immediately.
"What's wrong Sakura?"
She raised her eyes to saw my face.
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Same place, the same characters.
It was a special building, on the fourth floor.
But it was noon. The scene of school through the glass wall wasn't as beautiful as twilight.
I and Sakura were still looking at it.
I didn't know why Sakura took me here.
And I didn't want to ask her.
After a long moment of silence. I heard something flew in the air.
"A---Ayanokouji-Kun."
"Sakura?" Sakura was talking?
"I've heard about Sudo-Kun's case." She whispered. "Is it real you might be expelled?"
"No, it's just a rumor."
Uso De Aru. I was lying.
"Is it real that all of your witnesses withdraw from this case?
"No."
I was lying.
"Is it real that----"
"Nothing is real, Sakura, everything is a lie."
I was lying.
Sakura turned her face at me, she took off her sunglasses, that pretty face appear to me.
"You're lying." She said.
"I'm telling a truth."
"You're lying." She repeated her words. "And I know it because I've been lying for a long time."
Sakura closed her eyes and breath in, it seemed like she could speak when she didn't see my face.
"I was an idol when I was a middle schooler. Maybe strange, but I was an idol because I want to improve myself, I want to talk to other people, want to smile at other people, want to befriend other people. But I only wore the mask." She said. "I didn't smile, I just lied to the camera that I was smiling. It wasn't a smile at all. When I became a high schooler, I was afraid I will revealed my identity, so I lied again. I'm afraid I will be pulled into chaos, so I lied Horikita-San that I didn't see anything that day. But in the end, it caused my first and only friend to be expelled."
Sakura opened her eyes and looked at me.
"I---I will tell them the t---truth." She stuttered.
"I won't let you do that," I said. "Even I and Horikita couldn't deal with this, no one believes us---"
"I---I'm stronger than you think, Ayanokouji-Kun!" Sakura said out loud. "At least, please let me help you something! Let me tell you the truth."
Another moment of silence.
A few students walked past the narrow valley.
"Tell me the truth, Sakura. " I said.
I just realized Sakura never told me what she saw.
"I----I saw the guys from class C tried to attack Sudo-----Sudo-Kun just protected himself."
I nodded.
She wasn't lying.
It liked the first time I heard the truth.
"That's all I want to hear," I said tenderly.
"But it's not all I want to say. " Sakura said with a very low sound.
Sakura took something off of her cloth and gave it to me.
I received it, it was a picture.
The selfie picture of Sakura.
There was Sudo and 3 class C guys in the background.