We had a meeting at Pallette. I, Horikita, Sudo, Hirata, Kushida, and Karuizawa. I didn't know what happened while I was sleeping. But now, Sudo was like Horikita's bodyguard. He stuck with Horikita and she seemed to be not bothered at all.
I stopped asking why I should be there. Horikita still believed that I was the hiding genius and ignore my truthful word like "It's just a coincidence".
After a long meeting. We got some conclusions.
First, the pair-up couldn't be random. It might have some rules about it and we had to find that rule. Horikita believed that the rule might relate to next week's quiz. Since Chabashira-Sensei told us that this test happened every year. We might ask it from the upperclassman.
Second, we decided to attack class D. We needed to destroy them until they couldn't fight us back. And if we didn't choose class D, we had to choose class A instead. And everyone knew that class A was filled with genius. Our test would be made by Hirata, Horikita, Yukimura, and Mii-chan.
"Finally!! Yousuke-Kun! Let's go to the game center!" Karuizawa said with the high pitch voice, clinging to Hirata's arm. She turned her glance at me and stopped doing it immediately.
Say, I felt a little bit weird. In many bunches of gifts I got, there was no note or gift from Nakano K. as always. And in this meeting, Karuizawa didn't interact with me at all.
"Sorry. Karuizawa-San. I have something to talk about with Horikita and Ayanokouji-Kun. You can go first."
Although pouting, Karuizawa nodded and walked out of Palette cafe. Horikita seemed to know Hirata's purpose. She told Sudo to go out. He did it without resistance.
"I want to know more about Kushida-San. " Hirata went straight to the topic.
"Ok. But I want you to keep it secret. Kushida is trusted by our classmates. She is our core now. While we're facing this special test. The last thing we want is to break our harmony"
Hirata nodded as a promise. Therefore, Horikita started telling.
"When I was in the mid-schooler, one of the class in my grade---their students suddenly stopped to go to school. It's completely destroyed. On the graduation day, every class had the last photograph after the ceremony. But that class---everyone just went back home and didn't even talk to each other"
It was easy to guess that the class lost their trust in each other.
"Rumor has it, Kushida Kikyo is the destroyer of her class. But how she did it. I don't know" Horikita said. "But I'm very sure this is the reason that she wants to expel me. She wants to keep her secret."
"It's just because she wants to keep her secret, she can even expel someone?" Hirata asked with curiosity.
"To makes them have a good role in society. Someone can do anything for it." I mumbled.
Hirata and Horikita turned their head to me. "Hm?"
"Kushida said this to me in the first month". I said. "Maybe this is the best explanation."
Each person appraised everything differently.
For someone like me, Freedom is priceless and everything is worth reaching it. How everyone looked at me was no problem.
But for someone, this could cause everything in her life.
...
I head back to the dorm after that. Today, I felt like wherever I went, everyone would look at me. Maybe it was an effect because of my fame from the sports festival.
I wonder why this fame continued this long. Since I woke up from a coma, many sports asked me if I want to joy them. And I got the confession letter twenty times. Five of them were from men. It started to be trouble.
It should be good for me if I want to find a girlfriend. But they liked me with their heart, I felt disrespect to date them without any love interest.
This was the reason that I didn't tell anyone about my situation. A kind girl like Matsushita or Honami would offer their help immediately.
Ah. For god sake, while I walked past the teacher's dorm. A group of teachers drinking Sake in front of the dorm looked at me until I went out of their sight.
This was bad. My charm affects even my teachers. You were too lucky, Kiyotaka.
"Should we tell that boy that the zip of his trousers is opening?"
"No. Although he doesn't show any expression. I feel like he is satisfied with himself very much. I don't want to hurt his feeling."
"Wow. His is big."
"What do you mean, Hoshinomiya-Sensei?"
"His necktie. Maybe he bought the wrong size."
In front of year one's dorm. I saw someone sitting in the lobby.
"Good evening, Sato. " I greeted her.
Sato flinched and looked at me.
"A--Ayanokouji-K-Kun!" She cried out. "I don't know anything about your disappeared underwear! So don't take me to the police!"
"I don't---Wait? My underwear?"
"Nothing. So are you going back to your room?" Sato asked me.
"Yes. What about you?"
"Oh. I'm waiting for Mori-San and Karuizawa-San. They're in the toilet. We just come back from the game center!"
"I see..." I mumbled but I didn't give any attention to my word.
I was glaring at Sato's face, considering it carefully.
"A--Ayanokouji-Kun. Why do you look at my face like that?"
"Sato," I said. "I have a question for you."
...
Five minutes pass. Mori and Karuizawa walked to the lobby. I and Sato finished our conversation.
"Hello, Ayanokouji-Kun. " Mori Nene greeted me with her soft smile while Karuizawa just glared at me for a second as it was enough for realizing my existence.
"So let's go to your room!" Sato said and smiled. Mori didn't realize her friend's different emotions from before.
The girls walked to the elevator. Since I had to go to my room either, I walked following them.
When we reached the elevator, it was filled with many people. And when four of us came into it. The alarm sounded as it was overweight.
Since I was the only man and I was heavies. I stepped out of the elevator. But the alarm still sounded.
Three girls looked at each other.
"Who is the heaviest here?" Mori asked.
"Don't talk about the weight in front of Ayanokouji-Kun!" Sato warned. But Karuizawa didn't care.
"Not me. I've been dieting for two weeks and if there is someone slowest in here, it's me."
"Hey! Not fair!" Sato protested.
"I think our weight is close to each other". Mori said. "Do you know what is the heaviest part of a woman?"
"What is it?"
"Breast". Mori said with an unbelievable straight face. "So the one with the biggest breast has to go out and wait for the next round."
"But how do we know it?" Sato said.
Mori thought for a while and used her phone to call someone.
"Hideo-Kun. I heard that you made a list about a girl's breast size...Oh, don't panic. I just need your help. Can you tell me who is the biggest one among me, Karuizawa-San, and Sato-San?"
Doc might be searching in his list. Then, he answered.
"Oh. Ok. Thank you. " Mori hung up and turned her face to her friends. "I'm two inches bigger than Sato-San. But I lost Karuizawa-San for a half-inch."
"So I'm the smallest! I stay! Yay! Yay...Do I suppose to glad?" Sato mumbled and suddenly died inside.
Karuizawa sighed tiredly and walked out of the elevator.
"See ya at my room". Mori waved to her friend.
The elevator's door shut, leaving me alone with Karuizawa.
Then, it was the gap of awkwardness.
Finally, Karuizawa spoke out first.
"Did Sato-san do it?"
"What do you mean?" I replied.
"So she didn't do it yet". Karuizawa sighed.
"Please tell me already."
"Huh. Sato-San wants to confess her love to you!"
I had to wait for a while until my brain could understand her words.
"Is it necessary? Even you're blind, you can tell that Sato likes me."
"Tch. What with that confidence? However, it's necessary. Look. Almost everyone crushes on Yousuke-Kun. right?"
"Yeah, me too."
"So---What--forget it---But why can I get him? Because no one confesses to him. So he's free. When your friend confesses or wants to confess to someone. That means she's serious about him. And you shouldn't steal her crush!"
I scratched my head. It wasn't too hard to understand, but it also wasn't easy. Confession was like officially sealing their crush from others.
"OH...I see". I shook my head. "That's the reason why you act weird toward me."
Karuizawa blushed. "Act weird toward you!?"
"Well. When we're at Palette. You didn't talk with me at all. And I didn't find your greeting letter while I'm in the nursing room too". I said. "You don't want to make Sato feel like you're trying to hit on me, right?"
"Moe! It's not about Sato-san!"
"So what's it about?"
Karuizawa pouted and looked away.
"I just..." She mumbled. "I just think since you're popular. The gifts and letters from your fan are enough for you..."
"It isn't though. I'm given many chocolates but since it might be something scary mix with it like that waffles. I decided to avoid all of it for my safety."
Karuizawa giggled.
"The girl who sends those waffles must be insane".
"She even threatens to eat your thigh".
"At least, she has good taste".
Without any realizing, we started to talk normally again. We almost ignored it when the elevator came.
We stepped into the elevator and let it lift us up to our floor.
"Hey, Kiyotaka". She called me before I went out when it was my floor. "Not just Sato-San. From now on---there will be many girls confessing to you. Did you have someone in your mind?"
I lean against the elevator door that was closing and thought for a while.
"Um. Yamauchi said love is the spice of youth. He also says peaking the girls' changing room, and trying to hit on the teacher is the spice of youth though. But this time. it kinda makes sense. So It gonna be a lie if I say I have no one in my mind."
"So who is in your mind?"
"Many. Don't think I want to make a harem or something. I know many good girls ---Matsushita is beautiful and kind, as same as Honami. If I can ignore Horikita's waffle addiction, dating her might be attractive. Sato is cute and always acts kind to me too."
I walked out of the door, it continued closing.
"Oh. Karuizawa is also a very interesting choice".
"I see--Wait what did you---"
Karuizawa couldn't finish her lines because the door was closed and the elevator started going to the higher floor.
I shrugged satisfied. Teasing a girl could be fun sometimes. I thought like that, walking back to my room.
...
A week until the quiz day was filled with stress. Since the midterm test was quite easy. Our classmates started to worry that the quiz would be harder. Although Horikita tried to tell them that it didn't make sense that they would make the midterm test easier just to emphasize the quiz.
However, all the stress disappeared.
Three days before the quiz. Horikita announced before her classmates that she could figure out the rule.
"Really!? How can you do that!?" Ike cried out.
"A can of beer to Chabashira-Sensei and she evolved everything. " Horikita answered emotionlessly.
What a lovely teacher we had.
"So what is the rule, Horikita-San?" Matsushita asked.
Horikita nodded and wrote the text on the blackboard.
The Pair-UP Rule
Considering the whole class's score from the quiz and pairing up the student with the most score with the least score.
Then, pair up the second place from the top with the second place from the bottom, the third with the third from the bottom. Same as the rest of it in order.
"For example. The student with 100 scores will pair up with the student with 0 scores. The student with 99 scores will pair up with the student with 1 score. " Hirata helped Horikita to explain.
"Oh! So we can be helped by the academic students!" Yamauchi yelled.
"Yes. But the luck is uncertain ---" Not for me. "So we need the strategy to make sure that we can save everyone. We have to make the group with the highest score pair up with the group of the lowest score."
She planned to separate the class of forty into 4 groups of ten according to the midterm test result.
The first group was built from the students with 85 scores or more. They would be paired with the group of ten students who got the least scores.
Another twenty were the students who were in the middle. So Horikita put ten most scores students in the third group, the rest of them were in the fourth. These two groups would pair up with each other.
And how to get this expecting result?
The first group had to make at least 85 scores. While the second group had to write nothing in the answer sheet to make sure that they would get a 0 score. It shouldn't be a problem since Chabashira-Sensei insisted that it didn't affect our grade. The top and the bottom would be paired up automatically.
The third group's job was to get more than 1 score but less than 80 scores. The fourth group needed to answer only the question, giving them a 1 score.
This was the most stable strategy. However, there was a risk among the third and fourth groups.
So the best thing was to improve everyone's academic skills.
Horikita and Hirata would make a tutoring group for a student lacking academic skills. There would be two rounds for the tutoring groups. One would be arranged in the evening, Horikita would teach in this group. Another was for the students that couldn't join the evening group. It would be arranged around 8-9 p.m. by Hirata. Kushida also had help for both groups.
However, we had to prove that our theory was true.
I could feel that our classmates didn't believe Horikita with their whole hearts. But her strategy was the best thing they got.
But on the quiz day. As soon as we read the first question. We decided that Horikita was right.
Q.1
1+1 = ?
Q.2
Wich country that Tokyo place on?
Q.3
Which direction that the sun rises?
Q.4
Who births first? Oda Nobunaga or Shinso Abe?
Q.5
Write your name with Romanji.
Q.6
What is "I love you" mean in Japanese?
Q.7
Do you think Chabashira Sae-Sensei is pretty?
This hilarious easy test was the trap for someone who didn't know about the rule before. They would smile and got the full score without realizing it. In the end, they might be forced to pair up with the student who studied as badly as them and weighted each other into the bottom of the ocean.
On the other hand, this was a great tool for us. You could even determine your score before you did the test. It was our idealistic situation.
But when we walked out of the classroom after finishing it. I saw Yamauchi make a bad expression in front of the room.
"What's wrong, Haruki?" Ike asked his friend. He was happy because this was the easiest test in his life. Just write nothing.
"I'm worried about my class right now?"
Everyone there opened their eyes wide and looked at Yamauchi unbelievably.
Yamauchi Haruki who never did anything good to the class started being worried about our situation.
Damn. Horikita was changed. Even Yamauchi too. If this man could change. Everyone could. And I was sure, Class A wasn't far from our palm...
"I doubt if the first group can even reach 50 scores. Even I, who got 5000 scores in TOIEC, can't answer any question."
First, TOEIC's full score is 990.
Second, forget what I said about reaching class A. It was still a long way road.
...
The result was announced next Monday, as same as the pair's list. Despite half of the class could get only 0 and 1 scores. Chabashira-Sensei didn't mad at all. She just grinned...proudly.
"You did great. I think some of you can guess the rule and shared that secret with your classmates. " She said. "I didn't think it's necessary to tell you about the rule for the final exam's pairing-up. But since they hire me to do this jobs. I have to tell you anyway."
Chabashira-Sensei shrugged her shoulder.
"The rule is considering the whole class's score from the quiz and pairing up the student with the most score with the least score. Then, pair up the second place from the top with the second place from the bottom, the third with the third from the bottom. Same as the rest of it in order---"
Chabashira-Sensei bogged down and turned around to the blackboard that still had Horikita's text with the exact same words she just said appearing.
"Shit". Horikita exclaimed. "Who is a genius who writes something in the wall and doesn't erase it."
"You. " I answered silently.
Suddenly, the teacher turned her face to Horikita with tears in her eyes.
"I---It's your plan all along?"
"Teacher. I'm sorry---"
"You should!" She cried. "You trick me with that beer. I think you're different from other students! No one asked me to drink in their room before!! I think---I think we can befriend!!!"
"Teacher. I have to do it for my class. " Hoirikita stuttered. "I believe we can be best friends after this. So please, don't be mad at me."
"Mad? I'm not mad at you. I'm disappointed. " Chabashira-Sensei said with tears. "The broken glass can't be fixed, Suzune. Uwaaa!!!!"
She suddenly ran out of the classroom, crying "I'm tricked by my student! I should be the one who tricks them."
Koenji nodded and whispered to me.
"The broken glass can't be fixed. Wow! I'm six and this is deep!"
I didn't understand or give any attention to this betrayal. I just wanted to know if my luck worked this time.
I stood up and walked to the blackboard on which the list of pairs was pinned.
Then, I looked at my name and sighed with relief.
Ayanokouji Kiyotak - Sato Maya
It was still work.
I got what I wanted.
I turned my glare to Sato and raised my hand to her. She answered with a smile and red face. It reminded me of that expression that she showed me when I said I wanted to ask her a question.
"What is your question?" She asked shyly back then.
"Do you happen to have an older brother?"
Sato looked at me with surprise.
"How do you know that? Yes, I have a brother!"
"Can I know his name?"
"Sure!" She replied happily. She might think I wanted to know about my brother-in-law. "His name is Sato Kaxxxa!"
Author's note:
I feel like these three chapters were very lacked humor. I will try to improve it in the next chapter. I promise