It was the perfect weather for any student to relax by the Sun Deck's pool. The refreshing feel of the water in contrast to the searing rays of the sun-- such combination will make anyone embody the season that is summer.
While most of the first-year students of the Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School immersed themselves in fun and relaxation, a group of exemplary students had other plans.
"Oh, it looks like my invitation didn't fall on deaf ears. Come, have a seat."
The one who spoke those words was none other than Class D's tyrannical leader, Ryuuen Kakeru. He smiled after seeing the arrival of four key students from his zodiac group: Kanzaki Ryuuji, Ichinose Honami, Horikita Suzune, and of course, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.
"Why did you call us here, Ryuuen?" asked Kanzaki.
"You don't have to sound so stiff, Kanzaki. I just wanted to have a little chat," he replied with a smirk.
"Do you seriously think we'll believe your bluff, Ryuuen-kun?" followed Horikita.
Her eyebrows twitched as she said those words. After all, she felt like Ryuuen's confidence didn't stem from a stupid bluff. However, Horikita's internal uncertainty didn't show outside.
"Sure. If you want to have a chat, then I'm down. It seems like the group discussions aren't enough for you, huh?" said Ichinose.
"Heh. It seems like everyone's doubting me in terms of how much I currently control the situation, but that's okay. I haven't really started the show yet. That said, how about you, Ichinose? Does Class C even have a plan?"
"Who knows? Even if we do have a plan, you can't possibly expect me to say anything, right?"
"Sure, sure."
"Can you get on with it, Ryuuen? I don't really get why I'm even here, but I think you should get straight to the point." Ayanokouji Kiyotaka finally joined the conversation. It would make sense that Horikita was called, but he wasn't participating as much in this exam, so choosing to call him over Hirata or Kushida was indeed strange.
He eyed the corners of the pathway, sensing that other people were hiding their presence.
"Oh? Are you uncomfortable, Ayanokouji? Don't worry about those guys. Those are just Ibuki, Ishizaki, and my other classmates. Cameras are scattered around the ship, so we'd be in trouble if I let them in on the discussion, right?"
Since talking with students who aren't part of your class and your assigned group for an extended period of time is forbidden, Ryuuen stationed his classmates away from their meeting place. It was also the reason why Ayanokouji and Hashimoto talked in a very inconspicuous place with no cameras.
"What's with those looks? I'd rather have us meet up in a place filled with cameras but with seats than somewhere unmonitored but we have to stand like idiots. Can't you see how considerate I'm being?" Ryuuen spread his arms as he leaned back in his chair.
"Fine. Let's get this over with, shall we?" said Horikita. "What do you want to tell us, Ryuuen-kun?"
"Ohh! Finally feel like listening, Suzune?"
"We wouldn't have come here if that wasn't our intention."
"Alright then. To be honest, this is just me doing some charity work." Ryuuen relaxed as he narrowed his eyes. "I'd rather see your shocked reactions when everything gets in place tomorrow, but I guess there's no way around it."
"What are you getting at, Ryuuen?" asked Kanzaki.
Horikita and Ichinose's expressions turned serious. They felt like something catastrophic dwelled behind Ryuuen's words.
"The Monkey Group and the Rabbit Group-- I'm sure you're familiar with those two, right?"
"They're the first two groups to finish the exam," answered Horikita.
"But what about the Cow Group?" Ryuuen turned towards Ichinose.
"What about the Cow Group, Ryuuen-kun?" she returned his question with a perfectly straight face.
"Oh...? Then what about the Horse Group?" he continued, locking eyes with the seemingly unperturbed Ichinose.
"Like I asked you before; what about them?" she replied.
"Kukuku, oh man... This is so amusing! Ahahaha!" Ryuuen's small chuckle evolved into a laugh. "Now now. There's no need to panic. I know your minds are in turmoil at the moment, but you guys will have to wait for tomorrow. I know I kinda spoiled it a bit, I'm sure you'll still love my surprise."
Ryuuen seemed to be done with his piece. It was so short that from an outsider's perspective, the meeting was nothing but a waste of time. Of course, the leaders of Class B and C didn't think that at all. What he said gave them nothing but ominous feelings.
It should've been time for the others to talk, but they were interrupted by a sudden commotion.
"W-Wait, Ibuki-san..."
"You can't be here..."
A familiar voice could be heard by the corner of the walkway. Ibuki restrained a lone female student who seemed to have stumbled upon the place. Some of the Class D guys who were on standby surrounded them as well.
"Kushida-san...?"
"Kikyou-chan?"
Horikita, Ichinose, and Kanzaki were confused. The five of them stood up from their seats, including Ryuuen himself.
"Oh? What do we have here?"
Horikita cast a glare towards Ayanokouji, who stood beside her.
"What? I just happened to tell her about this meeting when we were hanging out earlier," he pre-emptively spoke out.
"Why did you tell her the time and location?"
"Well, she was curious enough to ask."
"Telling her that much shouldn't be such a big deal, you know?" he thought with a sigh.
Ibuki restrained her movements with a conflicted expression. Kushida's kind actions during the island exam still remained in her mind, but she needed to follow Ryuuen's orders.
"U-Ugh..." Kushida received the treatment with a slightly pained look.
"Now, now. I don't think you need to hold her down like that anymore, Ibuki-san," said Ichinose.
Ibuki turned to Ryuuen for confirmation. Ryuuen snuck a glance towards Ayanokouji before responding.
"It's alright, Ibuki. Eavesdropping is a bad practice, but Kikyou doesn't deserve such rough treatment," he smiled.
After Ibuki let go, Kushida held her left elbow with a bitter smile.
"I'm sorry, I didn't really mean to eavesdrop. As you can probably tell, I just got here when Ibuki-san and the rest spotted me. I knew the meeting would be held in secret, so I tried to sneak around while walking through the hallways. However, I planned to show myself to everyone once I reached the place," she bowed. "That's the truth, I promise."
Kushida apologized instead of acting upset. Such actions amplified the little guilt that Ibuki felt.
"Normally, barging in without an invitation would result in punishment." Ryuuen approached Kushida with a sinister smile. "However, I can make an exception just for you."
He held Kushida's chin and drew his face close.
Everyone sensed that Ryuuen was really going for it.
"H-Huh? Ryuuen-kun-?" Kushida pushed Ryuuen away without dropping her act.
"Hey, Ryuuen."
The Class D guys stiffened seeing Ryuuen's bold move. Ichinose and Horikita panicked momentarily while Kanzaki called out to him. Ibuki was the only one who stayed composed.
Meanwhile, Ayanokouji didn't even move an inch to stop Ryuuen. However, his gaze wandered off to the blue ocean. Ibuki saw this as she was observing him secretly.
"Wow! You're quite forward, aren't you, Ryuuen-kun? Too bad your advances got rejected," commented Ichinose.
Ryuuen pulled himself away with a satisfied snort.
"Hehh... I usually go for the fierce ones, but a shy maiden ain't too bad." Ryuuen gave the audience a side-eye.
"That wasn't funny just now, Ryuuen-kun, even as a joke," Kushida scolded, still using her angelic persona.
Since no one really knew her true nature unlike Ayanokouji did, everyone felt like her kind and unoffended reaction was perfectly normal.
"Pack it up, you oafs. We're done here," said Ryuuen.
He left with his classmates in tow as if nothing happened. Seeing how nonchalant their enemy was, Horikita and Ichinose immediately whipped up their own meeting schedule.
"Do you want to continue talking here, or should we meet up at a later date," Ichinose asked with a smile.
"I think taking this conversation later is best," answered Horikita.
"Alright~! Let's talk about the specifics in due time. See you later, Horikita-san. See ya, Ayanokouji-kun, Kikyou-chan!" Ichinose joyfully waved at them. "Let's go, Kanzaki-kun."
"See you later." Kanzaki gave them a slight nod before following Ichinose.
The Class B students were left on the scene with an air of awkward silence.
"Um, sorry, Horikita-san. I guess I shouldn't have come here." Kushida apologized once again.
"I don't think it matters whether you were here or not. Ryuuen-kun didn't have much to say, to begin with." Horikita elegantly brushed her hair aside.
"You're gonna have your meeting with Ichinose later, right? Do I need to be there?" asked Ayanokouji.
"Hmm... To be honest, your presence should help my judgment. I would like to have a classmate's opinion."
"That's unlike you, Horikita. Are you not confident about making the best possible decision?"
"If it was the old me, then I'd never ask for help. However, we've already talked about this. It would've been fine if I was sure that Ryuuen-kun was just bluffing. However, with how that conversation went earlier, it's best to stay on guard."
"Well, to be fair, you've been focusing on the offense-- trying to find the pattern and all. Thinking about defending against Ryuuen might be too much, even for you."
Horikita pursed her lips in frustration. She recognized her weakness, but of course, she found it hard to admit out loud.
"Would you mind taking Hirata?"
"Hirata-kun?"
"Hirata Yousuke. He's our classmate," Ayanokouji replied sarcastically.
"Are you dumb? I know who Hirata-kun is. I didn't forget about him." Horikita gazed down, narrowing her eyes. "Actually, I might have forgotten about him for a moment."
Her tone was filled with seriousness and innocence. She wasn't joking at all.
"Oi..." Ayanokouji sighed with shrug. As he expected, it seems like Horikita Suzune has yet to recognize anyone as a reliable ally apart from him. "You two are going to be the backbone of the class in the future. You can't expect me to be there all the time. Take this exam as an example. I'm borderline useless because I don't really know how you're planning to move things forward. I did nothing but relax starting on the second day."
"So you didn't relax on the first day?" Horikita raised an eyebrow.
"I helped you guys for a bit, right? I'd feel bad if I literally did nothing," answered Ayanokouji.
"Didn't you help us during the second day, too? Striking a deal with Ichinose-san and solving Karuizawa-san's problem is considered 'relaxing', huh?" she thought.
"For the time being, I will meet up with Hirata-kun and try to get his help."
"Don't just try-- do it. Hirata would happily give his assistance." Ayanokouji bantered lazily. "Well, that would be ideal, but I understand that you can't do it instantly. Take your time if you need it, but if Ryuuen really has something up his sleeve, you might want to speed things up."
"Thank you for your advice." Horikita turned around to leave. "Well then."
Ayanokouji and Kushida saw her off with bitter smiles.
"Are you sure about leaving this to her?" Kushida asked curiously. It's not that she didn't trust Horikita. However, Kushida believed that she was still outmatched when pitted against someone like Ryuuen. After all, he's not afraid to use underhanded tactics.
"She'll deliver, I know it."
"Well, isn't that nice? You trust Horikita-san so much."
"You should, too. Apart from yourself, she's the one protecting your identity from Ryuuen, you know? We'd be lucky if Horikita can mislead the enemies."
"I suppose you're right..." Kushida turned to Ayanokouji with a grumpy grimace. "I haven't forgotten, Kiyotaka-kun."
"Hm?"
The two of them started walking back to the cabins.
"Why didn't you stop Ryuuen-kun earlier? He almost kissed me, you know?!" she pouted.
"That would be uncharacteristic of me. There's no way I can act affected. If I did something, wouldn't Ryuuen target you even more?"
"How cold..." Kushida shrugged with a sigh.
She can only smile bitterly as she fully expected his answer. Kushida thought that Ayanokouji wouldn't act without a purpose. Besides, he still thought about her future well-being by restraining himself.
However, she still felt quite upset.
"You owe me an ice cream," she murmured.
"Then, do you wanna go grab some?"
"Huh...? W-Why do I feel like you're much more excited now...?"
"What are you talking about...?"
"Hmmph...!" Kushida pouted cutely as they went up to the upper decks.