I noticed a change as soon as I set foot inside the classroom. Sakura, who usually made it to school just in the nick of time, was already sitting at her desk. Had she come here early for any specific reason?
Horikita also looked shocked to see Sakura. Moreover, Sakura's body language itself... Well, she looked the same as usual, but I felt like she was sitting up straight, as if ready for something. It was such a subtle difference that you couldn't really call it a change. It was so minuscule that if you told me I was imagining it, I would say you were right and drop it.
"I've always sensed something...off about him. Maybe this is what it was? He really does subconsciously analyse people, just like that second-year said. Horikita-kun was also so interested in him as well, but would he really hold him in such high regard based on that possibility? No, he wouldn't do that, so there must have been a reason" Tachibana thought, engrossed in finding out more about Ayanokoji.
Just as we were about to pass Sakura's seat, she looked up. Instead of a proper greeting, she meekly raised her hand. For someone like Sakura, that seemed an appropriate response.
That's what I thought, until—
"Um... Good morning, Ayanokouji-kun. Horikita-san."
"G-good morning..."
That was the first time Sakura had given a morning greeting. I was so shocked that my response stuck in my throat. Our eyes didn't meet, but she still desperately tried to squeeze out the words.
"Looks like you really had an effect on her, Kiyotaka," Akito said with a grin.
"I'm not the one who deserves the praise," I said. Really, I hadn't done much at all. I had also been surprised by Airi's determination.
"What's with her?" Horikita muttered.
"Maybe because of what happened yesterday, she took a step forward on the path to adulthood?"
Sakura, who rarely spoke in front of others, had boldly given testimony in a tense environment. She'd likely taken the opportunity for some self-reflection.
"That trial was really tough," Airi admitted with a sigh.
"You were incredible, though, Airi!" Haruka praised her, "Without you, Horikita-san couldn't have done anything,"
"No, you heard what they said," Airi shook her head, "M-my testimony wasn't really that helpful..."
"Maybe it didn't help win the trial, but it was enough to cause doubt. If you hadn't come forward, we may have lost without being able to put up a fight. Right, Kiyotaka?" Keisei turned to me.
"Airi's testimony gave us a platform. Without it, it would have been much harder to save Sudo," I agreed. Of course, there were other ways around the issue, but the doubt caused by Airi coming forward piled the pressure on the Class C students.
"So, whatever you and Horikita-san did, Airi helped by coming forward, then?" Haruka asked.
"Yeah, that's right,"
"See, Airi. You helped a lot!"
"R-really...?" She didn't look convinced.
"Just watch, you'll see," I said.
"People don't change so easily. Trying to change yourself is virtually impossible."
Horikita's brief but realistic statement shattered the lovely image I'd created. As I was no idealist myself, I thought Horikita was mostly correct. There was no truly major difference between today's Sakura and yesterday's.
"Well, maybe not, but most people take small steps to change themselves, right?" Asahina said.
"I agree. There's no need to push yourself too hard, otherwise, you'll just end up wearing yourself out," Ichinose said.
However, it certainly wouldn't be true to say she was exactly the same. In order to change, first, she had to think about changing herself. She had to want to change. There was no mistaking that.
"I-I do..." Airi muttered softly. Her confession was barely audible to even me who was sitting nearby her.
"As long as she doesn't overdo it, I think it'll be fine," Horikita said.
"Overdo it?"
"If she tries to do what isn't possible for someone like her yet, she'll just set herself up to fail."
There was a mysterious yet convincing power to Horikita's words, almost as if she were speaking from experience.
"Well, as a loner who loves her solitude, you're very persuasive on this topic."
"Do you want to die for good?"
Perhaps she didn't come from solitude, but rather from hell...
Laughs resounded around the hall, as was becoming customary when these verbal exchanges between Horikita and I were shown.
"Despite what you two say about disliking each other, it seems to me like you actually got on pretty well," Matsushita said.
"Yeah, at first I thought they were really insulting each other but I think it was more like they were joking around," Sato agreed.
"That's not entirely true," Horikita shook her head, "It's more like neither of us had a problem with pointing out the other's failings. We weren't 'joking around', rather we both just had enough confidence in ourselves that we weren't insulted by the other's point of view,"
"Right, I see...I think," Sato frowned as if she really had no clue what Horikita was talking about.
"It's interesting you say that Horikita-san, because from what we've seen so far, Ayanokoji doesn't have much confidence in himself at all," Katsuragi pointed out.
"That...well, perhaps I was slightly mistaken in my opinion of him," Horikita glanced at me. Her face showed clear confusion which was entirely understandable. She knew me to be confident in myself and, based on what we'd seen here, that perception was wrong.
I observed Sakura from a distance. She wasn't yet in a state where she could easily greet other students. Just as I'd expected, she didn't spontaneously become sociable. Would it be better if she didn't force herself? Certainly. She didn't usually talk to anyone, but she gave us a greeting. What another would consider a trivial action was a tremendous mental and physical strain on Sakura.
It was hard to think that this wouldn't have an effect on her. Then again, she might split at the seams if she tried to force herself to change too much. We should take care with how we executed our strategy.
"You understand her so well, Kiyopon. Although, seeing this makes me feel bad...I feel like I don't pay enough attention," Haruka muttered.
"H-huh? No, you don't need to feel bad about anything, Haruka-chan," Airi pleaded.
"But...Kiyopon did his best to understand you..." Haruka sighed.
"Actually, she's right," I cut in before Airi could respond, "There's nothing for you to feel bad about. You say I did my best to understand her but that's not quite true. Being friends with her is enough if you truly want to learn more about her,"
Effort had nothing to do with my understanding of Airi's situation. I hadn't 'tried my best' to get to know her and my friendship with her couldn't honestly be called close. The gap between my and Haruka's ability to read other people was the fundamental difference in why I knew Airi better than she did. While simply understanding someone's position was enough to create a bond between two people, if it ended there, it meant little to nothing.
Besides, this wasn't the time for the two of them to have this conversation. They'd both come to realise the differences between themselves and me.
"If you want to know her better then I suggest having a private conversation after school," I finished.
"Okay, I guess you're right," Haruka still looked sad, but she resisted the urge to continue the conversation.
It took approximately 30 minutes for the discussion to start. I stood and began to leave the classroom, heading to meet someone at a certain rendezvous spot. Before I left, I decided to have a word with Sakura.
"Sakura. Are you heading back now?" I asked as she prepared to leave.
"Ayanokouji-kun... We're having the trial today."
"I'm not participating," I told her that I had to do some trivial work behind the scenes.
"Trivial, eh?" Ryuuen chuckled.
"Heh, that 'trivial work' was the reason we managed to stop Class C," Ichinose smiled, "But, come to think of it, hasn't Ayanokoji-kun always done stuff like this? He and Horikita-san have always worked together but he never got any of the praise for it...which seems odd. And there was also the midterms and Sudo-kun's expulsion that he didn't take any responsibility for. As well as all that, he's...helped me a lot. Perhaps I don't understand him very well at all,"
"I see..." she murmured.
Sakura cast her eyes down as if she had something on her mind. She looked a little odd like she was nervous. It was as if she couldn't settle down.
"What's wrong?"
"Huh?"
"Sakura, you don't really need to testify today. There's no need for you to be so worked up, right?"
Sakura looked like she was sweating.
"She looks anxious about something. If she isn't testifying, I wonder what it could be?" Amikura said.
"It's because everyone's doing their best. I thought I'd do my best, too." It felt like she was saying that to herself, rather than to me.
"What are you thinking about?" I asked.
"Well, if there's something I need to move forward... I'll do it."
Even though I'd asked what she was thinking, Sakura wouldn't give a clear answer. I wanted to ask why she looked uneasy, but the cell phone in my pocket vibrated. My alarm told me the time. I couldn't stay any longer.
"That's weird. She was so open with Ayanokoji-kun before this..." Kobashi noticed.
"Sakura-san, what did you mean?" Sato asked.
"U-um, well..."
There was very little chance Airi would be able to answer that question.
"Oh, could it be that..." Ichinose thought.
"Well, we'll probably find out later, right?" Ichinose interrupted, "Think of it as a movie, we just have to wait for the reveal!"
"R-right, a movie..." Sato looked somewhat confused but didn't push Airi to respond.
"See you later, Ayanokouji-kun."
Sakura's words and bright smile seemed so unlike her. They left me with an unpleasant feeling.
"Why is that, Ayanokoji-kun?" Mii-chan asked, "Didn't you just say that she might want to change herself? Isn't she just doing that?"
"Well, that could have been the case," I said, "However, it was more like she was forcing a smile so I wouldn't worry rather than to help herself,"
"I see, but...you can tell the difference?"
"Not exactly...maybe it was just intuition,"
It wasn't her smile itself that caused my feeling of unease but the sudden change in character. Trying too hard to persuade another party often causes the opposite effect.
"Hey, Sakura. Do you have any time later? I wanted to talk to you about something."
The words felt like they were being squeezed out of me. Sakura gently shook her head.
"I have plans today. Maybe tomorrow?"
If she assured me that she was fine, I couldn't exactly keep contradicting her. I really had to be going. I turned my back on Sakura and headed off.
"That whole thing makes me feel nervous for some reason..." Haruka muttered, "Um, were you really okay, Airi?"
She seemed hesitant as to whether or not she should ask the question. Perhaps that was because Ichinose had suggested letting everything play out. Or maybe the guilt she felt at not truly understanding her best friend was the reason.
"Everything's fine now," Airi smiled and responded in a more confident tone. She probably felt this was necessary to convince Haruka.
It was past 3:40. With classes over for the day, I went to the special building. This place had become increasingly hot and humid as the summer wore on. If things proceeded as planned, then the person I was expecting should arrive soon. Shortly thereafter, three guys showed up, all grumbling about how unbearably hot it was. They appeared happy, though, wearing optimistic expressions.
"Woah, what's going on?" Asahina frowned, "Those are the Class C guys from the trial, right? You're meeting with them? Also, why do they look so happy...?"
Asahina's flood of questions likely summed up the thoughts of everybody in the room.
"If I remember correctly, shortly after this, Class C retracted their complaint. So, he really did do something, just like Horikita-kun thought," Tachibana realised.
"Currently, the situation doesn't look to be going in the direction that Class D wants. While that girl's testimony and the pictures she provided make it unlikely that they will be punished too severely, Horikita has already made it apparent that she wishes to prevent even a minor punishment. In that case, I think it's obvious that this meeting is to negotiate with Class C, correct?" Katsuragi summarised the situation concisely, "But shouldn't Horikita be present for something so important?"
"As Class D's representative, I had no choice but to attend the trial that was taking place soon after this time," Horikita explained, "However, Ayanokouji-kun didn't meet with them alone. You'll see what I mean,"
Horikita had long accepted that she had no way of hiding our actions. She probably thought it best to be transparent so as to get this over with quickly.
That was because the three of them had received emails from the class sweetheart, Kushida. Had the message contained an invitation to go on a date? Or perhaps, even more insane, a romantic confession? They were probably dreaming of such things. When they saw me, their fantasies were crushed.
"What's going on? Why are you here?"
"I'm a little confused..." Satou frowned and looked at me, hoping for an explanation.
"You'll understand shortly,"
Apparently, they remembered me from the student council room. Ishizaki, the group's leader, stepped forward as if to intimidate me. He was rather forceful when no one was around to see.
"Jeez, I'm so glad I wasn't made to regret that..." Ishizaki murmured before sighing.
"Horikita said you had someone with you, right?" Akito seemed worried, "It would be dangerous to meet with them alone, especially after what happened with Sudou,"
"It's fine, as Horikita said, I had someone with me," I explained, "Plus, it wouldn't be a good idea to use the same strategy twice and I doubt they are stupid enough to resort to violence for no reason,"
"Kushida won't be here. I asked her to send an email to compel you all to come."
"Oh, I get it now!" Satou exclaimed.
"You three were trapped by something stupid like that?" Ibuki snickered, seemingly not caring that this caused Ryuuen's strategy to fail.
"Oh, shut it! It's not like you're any better, right?" Ishizaki shot back.
"What does that mean?" Ibuki stopped laughing and glared at him.
"Be quiet," Ryuuen didn't even raise his voice but his words stopped the two of them from arguing. It didn't, however, stop them from throwing looks of contempt at each other.
Ishizaki looked incredibly ill-tempered as he closed the distance between us. "This isn't funny. What did you do this for, huh?"
"I'm wondering the same thing. It's unlikely they'd agree to back off easily and you should have very little to offer them," Katsuragi said.
"If I hadn't used an underhanded method, you would've just ignored me, right? I wanted to talk to you."
"Talk to us? Why would we want to do that? Has the heat scrambled your brain or something?"
Ishizaki, who clearly was affected by the heat, grabbed his shirt and flapped it.
"No matter what you do, you can't hide the truth. Sudou called us over here and beat us up. That's our answer. Now he needs to quietly accept his punishment."
"I have no intention of arguing. That would be a waste of time. I fully understand that neither Class C nor Class D will retract what they claimed yesterday."
"Isn't it pointless to talk to them then?" Shinohara said, "Isn't the only way to persuade the teachers?"
"As said previously, they'd need evidence that doesn't exist if they wanted to do that," Keisei sighed.
"Oh yeah! Can't they just, like, fake evidence or something?" Satou suggested, guessing incredibly close to our real strategy.
"That might be one way of doing it, if they can pull it off," Ichinose grinned.
"But wouldn't that be incredibly risky? If they were found out then it wouldn't just be Sudou receiving punishment," Keisei said.
"Hehe! Just wait and see," Ichinose was enjoying herself.
"So why do this? Are you going to abduct us so we miss the trial? Or are you going to have a bunch of people surround us and threaten us with violence? It'll be just like that time with Sudou."
Oh. That was a rather interesting idea, but it would only work as a stopgap measure. Such threats wouldn't work against these people. Quite the contrary; they looked like they'd welcome it. If they were the victims of another attack, they'd probably find a way to make their situation even more favourable.
"Y-you were actually considering that?" Ishizaki was startled.
"Not seriously," I shrugged, "It wasn't the best option,"
"You're saying you would have done it if it had been?" Kobashi asked, frowning.
"Probably not,"
"O-okay..."
"He wouldn't do something like that...right? I mean, he's always pretty passive so I doubt he'd ever genuinely consider violence as an option," Ichinose thought.
"If they started it, then why shouldn't he consider it an option?" Hashimoto asked.
"Then Class D would just be as bad as the Class C guys!" Amikura retorted.
"Well, put it this way then - would you rather get expelled or use a dirty way of surviving?" Hashimoto questioned her.
"Huh? W-well, I don't know, I've never had to make that choice,"
"Hey, Ichinose, you've proven that you will protect your classmates against expulsion, right? What if you had to use violence to save one of your classmates?" Hashimoto turned his attention to the Class B leader.
"I can't imagine any scenario where violence would be the only option," Ichinose shook her head, "Also, that option isn't available to many at this school, right?"
While this school seemed to have a higher percentage of capable fighters than you'd find at an average school, Ichinose was correct in saying that many wouldn't be able to consider it an option. However, everyone in this school was attempting to play to their own strengths and using violence was a viable, although dangerous, strategy.
"Just give up. See ya later." Understanding that Kushida would not be coming, the three turned and tried to leave, but one other person stood in their way.
"I think you guys might want to consider that idea, actually."
"Honami?" Kobashi asked, surprised, "Why were you there?"
"I mentioned I helped them out a bit, didn't I?" Ichinose had a smile like a kid on Christmas Day. She really seemed to be enjoying this.
"Having you on their side is sure to increase their chances, but..." Shibata looked confused, "If this was supposed to be a negotiation between classes C and D, why were you there?"
"Oh, it wasn't a negotiation," Ichinose giggled.
Ichinose, who'd been waiting for all of the players in this drama to appear, quietly stepped forward.
"I-Ichinose?! What are you doing here?!"
"If nothing else her presence adds a psychological burden to the Class C members," Utomiya commented, "But that doesn't seem like the point here,"
"They certainly wouldn't expect it..." Yagami agreed, "Hmm, perhaps that's the point,"
"Huh, what do you mean?" Amikura asked.
"There's little point explaining it now, senpai. We are about to see what it was all about after all," Yagami answered with a pleasant smile.
The Class C boys were shocked. Given the unexpected appearance of someone from Class B, their shock was reasonable.
"What do you mean? What if I said that I'm here because I'm involved in this case?"
"Ichinose, you're a celebrity."
"Haha. Well, I guess I'm well known among the members of Class C."
"Why was Ichinose-senpai known specifically by Class C?" Utomiya asked.
"Oh, before this incident, our class had some run-ins with Class C as well. That's actually part of why I agreed to help Horikita-san and Ayanokouji-kun," Ichinose recalled.
"It seems Ryuuen's class was rather active straight away," Nagumo observed, "You must have organised your class extremely quickly, Ryuuen,"
Ryuuen didn't reply but gave a slight smirk. It wasn't likely that he had managed to assert full control over Class C that early but he had certainly identified which of his classmates could be used for his schemes. We only know of the attacks against Class B and D, but I guessed that he had similarly tested Class A. To do this, he wouldn't need his whole class, only a select few.
Since the Class C students hadn't expected her to be involved, it looked like tension was rising between them. They were clearly starting to lose their composure.
"This incident had nothing to do with Class B, right? So butt out..."
But unlike when they'd spoken to me, their threats sounded weak. They sounded desperate to get away.
"Scared of lil' old Honami?" Asahina teased them while stifling a chuckle. None of the three boys in question answered, instead opting to act like Asahina had said nothing.
"You're certainly right that Class B has nothing to do with this. But how do you feel about involving so many people in your lies?"
"We didn't lie. We're the victims. We are. Sudou called us out here and beat us up. That's the truth."
"So evildoers remain obstinate until the very end. It's about time for you to pay the piper!" Ichinose declared, making a wide-sweeping gesture with her right arm as she did so. "You lied. We can all see through you. You got violent in the end. If you don't want that fact to become public knowledge, withdraw your claim right away."
"You certainly look like you're enjoying yourself, Ichinose-san," Shibata laughed, to which Ichinose responded with a smile of mild embarrassment.
Even though I hadn't explained every detail, I felt that things would be fine in Ichinose's capable hands.
"Honami is the dependable type, but do you really think it was smart to leave your fate in the hands of another class's leader?" Nagumo asked.
"Ichinose-san had proven herself to be trustworthy from an early stage. Also her participation wasn't the deciding factor in our plan, so there was really no reason to worry about it," Horikita dismissed Nagumo's concerns.
"Also, creating a partnership between our two classes was beneficial for both sides," Yousuke added, "There's no reason to fight each other if it's mutually beneficial to cooperate,"
"True enough," Nagumo conceded.
While it may look like Ichinose had a leading role in our strategy, she acted more like a figurehead than a true leader. Horikita wouldn't have allowed her to help us if her position had been any more than that. Despite Ichinose being trustworthy, she was still in another class. However, Nagumo understood the intricacies of inter-class deals better than anybody else at this school. I'm sure it wasn't lost on him the benefits that this deal held for both parties.
"Huh? Withdraw? Don't make me laugh. What, were you half asleep when you came up with that argument? You can't just claim something and make it true. Sudou started the fight. Right?"
"Hmm, putting aside Ichinose's participation, your goal appears to be to get Class C to withdraw their complaint," Katsuragi noted, "Seeing as the incident was indeed resolved, you must have succeeded in this?"
"Yes, that's right," Horikita nodded, "With no way to win the trial, this was the best method left,"
"That may be true, but how did you manage to get them to withdraw?" Hashimoto frowned, "They had the upper hand, why would they concede?"
"Actually, the correct answer to that has already been voiced," Sakayanagi chuckled, "Let me ask you - how could you fake evidence without any threat of negative consequences?"
"Wha-?"
"Oh, I see," Tsubaki finally understood.
Some others shared her realisation while the vast majority didn't understand Sakayanagi's question.
Ishizaki looked to his two accomplices, who immediately answered, "That's right! That's right!"
"Did you know that this school is one of the leading government sanctioned institutions in Japan?"
"Of course we do. That's why we tried to enroll here."
"In that case, you should try using your heads a bit more. Your aims were obvious right from the start, wouldn't you say?" Ichinose grinned and talked with greater animation, as if relishing this. She walked slowly towards the three as she spoke, like she was a famous detective revealing the true culprit in an investigation.
Ichinose bowed her head slightly to avoid the eyes on her. Some giggling came from various spots in the room but most were focused on the screen.
"Didn't you think that the school's response to this incident was rather strange?"
"It was?"
"Isn't it normal to try and figure out who the victims were?"
"Huh?"
"When you raised the issue with the school, why wasn't Sudou punished immediately? Why give an opportunity to escape by granting a grace period of several days? What do you think was the reason?"
Everyone's eyes were fixed on the screen. I'd made the comparison before, but it really was reminiscent of watching a movie at the theatre. In this case, we were currently sitting through an engaging thriller.
"Because he lied to the school and cried for mercy. If they hadn't given him the time as a formality, we, the victims, would have won."
"Is that really true? I wonder if you had a different aim, a different purpose."
The windows in the hallway were all closed. The sun, still high in the sky, glared down upon us, increasing the heat and humidity.
"I've got no idea what you're talking about. Ah, damn it. It's so hot!"
One's ability to think, that is to say, to concentrate, decreases as heat increases. One cannot exhibit sufficient logical, creative thinking outside of a comfortable environment. The more content you cram into your head, the more your brain will overload.
"Hang on a minute, you mentioned the heat in the special building before, right?" Hashimoto remembered, "So you called them to this spot on purpose?"
"The heat was useful but it wasn't the main reason," Horikita explained, "I believe you are about to learn why we called them there,"
"Faking evidence, inability to concentrate..." Katsuragi was deep in thought, "I think I see where you're going with this, but I still can't figure out the specific method,"
"Whatever, I'm out of here. I'm going to boil alive if I stay."
"Is that really okay, though? If you leave this place, you might regret it for the rest of your life."
"What do you want, Ichinose?"
They didn't seem to understand what she was getting at.
"Don't you understand? The school knows that you're lying, Class C. They've known from the beginning."
This statement caused a sudden raise in volume.
"What? Really? Then why hold the trial?"
"What's the point of this whole thing then?"
"Everyone calm down," Mashima spoke up, "I can tell you that the school had no knowledge of which party was at fault. If we are to punish a student, it must be with sufficient evidence to support their guilt. As you have seen in the past videos, there was no such thing in this case. I don't know if this statement was a bluff or whether she was simply mistaken, but I can assure you that it is false,"
Mashima's explanation settled things down. Based on past events, it wasn't inconceivable that the school would have more knowledge than they let on. That's what allowed the lie to work. Thinking logically, Ichinose's statement had many holes. Why would the school allow violence to go unpunished if they knew the whole situation? Why waste both students' and teachers' time on a pointless trail? The school system had been proven to be harsh to those who stepped outside of it, so why was it different in this case? By creating a situation in which Ishizaki and the other boys couldn't process these issues, even if we couldn't fully convince them, doubt would push them in the direction we wanted.
"So it was a bluff?" Satou asked.
"That's right! Well, of course, we didn't know for sure that the school didn't know everything but it was logical to assume they didn't," Ichinose said.
"So you tried to convince them to withdraw their complaint based on that?" Shibata asked.
"Kinda. I think it's best to watch and see,"
This statement probably came as a surprise to them. None of them had imagined such an outcome. Ishizaki and the others looked at each other for a few seconds, then snorted with laughter.
"Don't make me laugh. We lied? And the school knows it?"
"Ha ha ha ha. You guys are so funny," Ichinose said. "You've been dancing to my tune all this time."
"That's a nice try, Ichinose. But we're calling your bluff!"
"I have actual evidence," Ichinose continued, unfazed by Ishizaki's threats.
"Oh?" Utomiya frowned, looking quite intrigued.
"Wha- but how can there be evidence if you were lying?" Shinohara exclaimed.
"They said they faked evidence, right?" Matsushita cut in, "It's probably to do with that. Am I right, Ayanokouji-kun?"
"Yeah, that's right," I nodded.
"Oh? Well, let's see it. Show me what evidence you—"
They thought there was no way we had any evidence, of course. Even after what Ichinose had said, they weren't shaking. However, when she began to speak, their defeat was decided.
"Woah, pretty confident there, Ayanokouji," Nagumo smirked.
"Everything went to plan, senpai," I shrugged.
"Did you know that there are security cameras installed everywhere around the school? It's a measure they've taken in order to monitor what we do every day."
"The security cameras again? Haven't we already gone over the fact that there aren't any in that area of the special building?" Morishige looked sceptical.
"Surely most should have worked it out by now? He's leading them to the answer and none of them are following. No, perhaps some have worked it out. This farce of a recording is useful for one thing at least. Perhaps everyone's level will show itself here," Yagami thought.
"Yeah. So what?"
They seemed to have already known about the security cameras. Ishizaki and the others appeared unconcerned.
"Well, then. Did you not see that?"
Ichinose looked to a spot near the ceiling a little further down the hall. Ishizaki and the others tracked her gaze.
"Huh?"
They voiced complete disbelief. A security camera hung in the hallway and occasionally swung from left to right, capturing everything.
A confused silence fell over the hall.
"But that really wasn't there before, right?" Ike, just as confused as everyone else, sought to make sure he wasn't seeing things. His question must have been on the minds of many people because those involved in the incident had many eyes on them. Unfortunately, I was included.
"Um, Kiyopon...you did say there weren't cameras there, didn't you?" Haruka asked.
At this point, our strategy needed explaining.
"That's right, there were never any cameras operating in that section of the building," I responded.
"Then how do you explain those!" Ike yelled and pointed at the screen, which clearly showed that there were indeed cameras.
"We put them there,"
"Hmm?"
"I said, we put them there," I repeated myself, clearly pronouncing every syllable.
Rather than a loud outburst of surprise, my statement merely caused more confusion. Ichinose decided to explain on my behalf.
"Most of you probably already know but there are many electronic devices you can buy on campus. Well, you can buy cameras, as well. Outside of situations like these, cameras can be used as educational tools, right? All we had to do was make it look like they were always installed there,"
"So you did fake evidence...but rather than risk being found out by the school, you used it to force Class C to withdraw their complaint themselves," Kanzaki summarised.
"Exactly!" Ichinose gave a thumbs up, "It was Horikita-san's idea. She realised that they could win against Class C's accusations when they had nothing to defend themselves with. However, if Class C believed that their defeat was certain, of course, they'd pull out of the trial. It was quite the ingenious plan,"
"Surely the Class C students checked the areas thoroughly before they called Sudou out, though? Could they really be beaten by such a bluff?" Katsuragi had doubts.
"Ordinarily, no," Horikita took over, "It wouldn't take long to explain but I believe it would be easier to see how it played out,"
"That's true. Shall we continue then?"
Despite the general idea being explained, some were still interested in the finer points.
"That's too bad, isn't it? If you want to set a trap for someone, you'd need to do it in a place without any cameras."
"Buh, wh-what camera?! You're lying! But, there weren't any cameras in the other hallways, were there?! It's weird that there's only one installed here! Right?!"
Ishizaki looked back at his two accomplices, seeking their opinion. They nodded, confirming that yes, Ishizaki was right. They wiped sweat off their faces as they answered.
"You can't trick us like that. You guys installed that camera yourselves!"
"You're right that, by and large, cameras aren't installed in most of this building's hallways. However, there are exceptions, and several places in which security cameras have been installed, like in front of the faculty room and the science lab. Obviously, there are many valuables stored in the faculty room, you know? Additionally, the science lab has many chemical products. Since the science lab is on this level, it's only natural that a camera would be installed here."
"Huh? All of that makes sense actually, so why aren't there cameras installed there?" Shibata asked.
"Both the faculty office and the science lab have cameras located inside of the rooms. Also, the chemical products in the science lab are prohibited from use unless directly supervised by a teacher. No student is getting in there easily," Mashima explained.
For the first time, Ishizaki and the other seemed to be at a loss for words. Ichinose did not fail to notice how they faltered.
"Have you looked back there, behind you? There's one there too, right?"
Ishizaki and the others looked down the hall as instructed, and saw a camera. Of course, that camera was monitoring the hall's opposite end.
"So if we'd installed a camera as you said, would we have prepared one on that side, too? Besides, how exactly would we have prepared surveillance cameras when we can't even leave campus in the first place?"
We were cutting off their escape routes one by one.
"Th-that's impossible... That... I mean, we...checked back then... We should have..."
"This is the third floor, but did you really check? Maybe you only looked at the second or the fourth? Perhaps the cameras were truly set up here as a trap?"
The three were holding their heads and sweating far more than normal.
"Also, you realize that you just destroyed yourselves, right? Normal people wouldn't think to check whether there were security cameras, right? That's basically admitting your guilt." Ichinose delivered the finishing blow.
"That was kinda brutal," Nagumo snickered, enjoying the spectacle, "I had no idea you were up for those sort of psychological attacks, Honami,"
"Eh he, all we did was make them uncomfortable. It wasn't that bad, right?" Ichinose grinned awkwardly.
"Regardless, I think it's obvious how their strategy worked now," Manabu said.
"Indeed it is. I have to admit, it was definitely a good way to go about it, and it was all your sister's plan, by the looks of it," Nagumo brought the focus onto the younger Horikita.
"Hmm, so it appears,"
Despite saying that, Manabu looked to have no intention of complimenting his sister. Of course, this wasn't due to any friction between the two, rather he probably suspected my involvement in the matter.
"So that's what happened?" Sudou finally knew the details of how we'd saved him.
"You really didn't have any idea, Ken?" Ike asked.
"No, I just knew that Suzune did something to help me, that's all,"
"Still, I can't believe you confronted those guys from Ryuuen's class, Ayanokouji-kun," Satou looked at me with an expression of admiration.
"Well, it was mostly Ichinose. I don't think I can really take much credit,"
"In any case, it's obvious in this situation why nobody said anything about what happened," Keisei said.
"Yeah, that would have defeated the point entirely," Akito agreed.
"You must think you're pretty cool, eh, Kiyopon," Haruka grinned, "Taking on all these secret missions for Horikita-san and all,"
"I don't think it's all that impressive really,"
"Of course it is! You think so too, right, Airi?"
"Yes, it is. I would never have been able to do anything like that," Airi shuddered at the prospect.
While we discussed what had transpired, words replaced the video on the screen.
After this, Class C agree to withdraw their complaint. Ichinose and Ayanokouji's bluff worked due to the pressure on the opposition.
However, that was not all that happened that day. Ichinose and Ayanokouji had one more person to save.
"Somebody else?" Satou tilted her head.
"What happened after that?" Amikura asked.
"W-well..." Ichinose appeared to be unsure what to say.
"It looks like we'll be watching what happened," I interrupted, "It's best you just watch,"
"Okay...something bad didn't happen, right?" Amikura looked anxious because of my and Ichinose's hesitance to answer.
"No, as it says on the screen, we managed to help before anything happened,"
As for the girl who would soon be the focus, she was currently doing her best to maintain her composure. While it would be tough for her to relive those events, we'd managed to step in before things escalated, so hopefully, her mental burden would be minimal.
Let's begin.
"Whew! I feel so much better! Thanks so much! Thanks for giving me such a huge role! I was so happy!" Ichinose cried.
"Well, it was more like you just did as you pleased, Ichinose."
"Now that you mention it, why were you so motivated to help out a rival class?" Utomiya asked, "I realise that you said it was purely due to your personal feelings on the matter, but you can't lead a class if you only consider your own thoughts,"
"Ah ah, you are right about that. Actually, I really did want to help because I didn't approve of what was happening to them, but Class B had also come into contact with Ryuuen-kun's class by that time," Ichinose explained.
"So, you were united against a common enemy, then?"
"Yeah, I guess it was like that,"
"Ha ha ha, yeah. I guess so. But the case is closed, eh?"
Yeah, it really was.
"I was wondering what you were up to when you asked me to lend you some points yesterday."
We returned to the hot and humid special building and set up a stepladder.
"I couldn't believe you wanted to install security cameras."
Yes, that's right. The school hadn't actually installed those security cameras. Ichinose and Kanzaki bought them, and together with the Professor, installed them during our lunch break. Ishizaki and the other two students were terrified of leaked footage from the cameras, but those cameras were fakes.
"Wait, you were involved in this, Professor?" Ike looked shocked.
"Ah, well, I didn't have a clue what they wanted them for," the Professor shrugged. He'd had no reason to refuse when we'd asked him to help. Also, it may have had something to do with Horikita and Ichinose's presence.
I was surprised at first that the school sold such equipment. Then again, while you wouldn't think of using them for crime prevention, they could be useful in measurement and recording. In other words, study tools. Perhaps calling them network rather than security cameras would make it easier to comprehend.
"I knew you could buy cameras, but I would never have thought to use them like that," Satou admitted.
"Well, it's not like these things happen every day, right?" Kei pointed out, "I mean, most people would never be in that position to begin with,"
"True, it's normally up to people like Horikita-san to think about stuff like that," Shinohara said.
If you were never put in situations where creative thinking was necessary, you'd never consider any possibility beyond the expected scope.
The heat had compromised the Class C students' ability to think. They'd been in crisis mode, without a chance to relax. In addition, they'd felt psychologically threatened during that standoff. There was no way that they would have figured out we were bluffing. Even if they'd doubted it, they had no time to investigate.
"To turn around a hopeless situation like that with such a foolproof plan...I guess it's no wonder that your class is in a much better position now," Katsuragi said.
Horikita nodded but didn't look entirely pleased with his compliment.
"When the day comes, you guys will probably become formidable rivals for Class C, Ayanokouji-kun."
"If such a day ever comes, I guess."
"Heh, that's right! Look who's Class C now!" Sudou cheered, goading the students of the current Class D.
"Yes, yes, congratulation," Ryuuen clapped his hands, looking thoroughly bored.
"What's with that face, Ryuuen? Are you upset that you're the defectives now?"
"Do I really look dissatisfied with where I am?" Ryuuen presented his hands, displaying himself for Sudou's observation.
"Hide it all you like, you're still at the bottom," Sudou laughed. He must have been quite fed up with the constant abuse he'd been receiving earlier.
"It's miraculous you've survived this long..." Ryuuen sighed.
However, Ichinose might well be in Class A by then.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Ayanokouji-kun..." Ichinose gave a self-deprecating laugh.
"Hey, we'll get there eventually!" Kobashi pumped her fist in the air.
"If Horikita-san were in Class B, we might have gotten to Class A right away."
"Probably."
I removed the camera and handed it down to Ichinose, who steadied the stepladder.
"I'll definitely return the points I borrowed. Just tell me when you want them."
"Sure. As long as you pay me back by graduation, it's fine. So what are you going to do now? Wait in front of the student council room?"
"Probably..."
I suddenly remembered seeing Sakura. She'd said that she had plans today, but what in the world was she doing? Earlier, when she'd been waiting for me after class, what had she wanted to tell me? She seemed like she'd resolved to do something, judging by her expression. Right? She'd said she had courage. But what for?
The feeling plagued me as if the back of my head were going numb while my thoughts swirled.
"This video was about saving someone, wasn't it? Nothing happened to you, right, Airi?" Haruka looked worried. Airi didn't respond.
"She was acting pretty weird," Mori added.
"But how would Sakura even get into any trouble? It's not like she'd many any enemies, had she?" Hashimoto frowned.
Everyone's focus had suddenly turned to Airi.
"There's no need to worry about it now, let's just continue," Ichinose said, looking worried herself.
"Oh, yeah, that reminds me. There was one thing I wanted to tell you, Ayanokouji-kun."
Before Ichinose could say anything, though, I was already running away. Whatever she wanted to tell me, it was going to have to wait.
"Huh?! W-wait a minute!"
Even though she couldn't understand what was happening, for some reason Ichinose followed me.
"Huh? What's going on?" Ike looked perplexed.
"That was very sudden. Why on earth did you just run off like that, Ayanokouji-kun?" Matsushita asked me.
"I realised something and, in this case, I didn't have much time to explain things to Ichinose," I replied.
"So something bad really was going on with Sakura-san?" Matsushita asked hesitantly.
"Yes, but you needn't worry about her now,"
"Woah, hey, what happened?" Haruka was frantically looking between Airi and me, desperate for an answer.
"D-don't worry about it, Haruka-chan!" Airi assured her but then dropped her voice to almost a whisper, "Why are they showing this though..."
I had the same thought. From one point of view, I could view this as the person behind this targeting those close to me. Unlike Kushida, Airi had little impact on the class as a whole, meaning this was the first time that someone was having their privacy invaded just for being my friend. However, there wasn't enough evidence yet to confirm malicious intent.
My phone's tracking data displayed the entrance of the electronics store. Not to be put off, Ichinose came running after me and stuck close. As we approached our destination, I was incredibly winded. I had to stop and catch my breath. Just as a precaution, I signalled Ichinose to be quiet.
"Tracking data? I almost forgot that existed," Ryuuen said. Almost everyone had turned that feature off as soon as they knew about it. It doesn't take much explaining to understand why.
"You went all the way to Keyaki Mall? That's where Sakura-san was?" Amikura asked.
I nodded.
"Please don't contact me anymore!"
"Why would you say something like that? You're my treasure... Ever since I first saw you in a magazine, I've loved you. Meeting you again here, I felt like it was destiny. I love you... I can't stop feeling this way about you!"
"Hey, hey, what's going on here?" Shinohara looked repulsed.
The atmosphere grew tense in an instance.
"Airi? What's going on?" Haruka's voice was panicked.
"Stop... Please, stop it!" Sakura shouted. She took something out of her bag. Letters. It looked like dozens...no, hundreds of letters. I wondered how many this man had sent.
"I see, she was dealing with a stalker, then," Sakayanagi didn't appear to share the discomfort of the students around her.
"Oh my god," Haruka was the most stressed out of everyone.
While I understood her feelings, it was probably best for her to remain calm for Airi's sake. I tapped Akito on the shoulder and nodded my head toward Haruka, signalling him to keep her calm. He was probably worried himself but was able to stay level-headed.
"All those letters were sent by that guy? Who is he?" Kobashi asked.
"He was a store clerk who used to work in the electronic store we were outside of in the video," I answered, "Of course, he doesn't work here anymore,"
"How do you know my room number? Why do you keep sending these?"
"Why? Of course I would know your room number and send you letters. It's because our hearts are connected."
"Jeez, that guy's a mega creep..." Kei's scrunched her face up in revulsion.
"I can't believe there was someone like that going after Sakura-san," Satou said weakly.
"T-this is because she was an idol, isn't it?" Matsushita surmised.
"Yeah,"
Even if she wasn't particularly well known, her photos were still out there for anybody to find. It was pure bad luck that this person was a member of staff at the school she'd decided to enrol in.
Sakura had probably been suffering ever since she started school here. Her fan knew her identity, and she had to deal with his attention every day. However, Sakura had had enough and, thanks to her newfound courage, was going to break away. She'd decided to free herself from him here and now. Her resolve made sense now.
"She went through this for over a month? Why didn't you say anything, Sakura-san?" Satou asked.
"I-I don't know..." Airi struggled to answer.
"I believe it should be quite obvious, senpai," Yagami apparently had his own thoughts on the matter, "From what we've watched so far, Sakura-senpai doesn't seem too skilled in dealing with people, right? In fact, she's afraid of it. I think we can assume that part of the fear is due to people exactly like the person she's confronting right here. To use a popular saying, she was stuck between a rock and a hard place,"
"Another issue is with her self-confidence. Her online personality was likely constructed to be someone she could be proud of - a personality completely different to her real one. Most people who post such photos online are looking for some sort of attention or self-assurance, especially if they lack it in real life. Usually, this confidence is provided by flattering comments or fan mail. Unfortunately, for Sakura, she drew the wrong kind of attention. Whether her fear of people originated from incidents such as these or whether they existed before doesn't matter all too much." Yagami decided not to voice these thoughts.
"Please stop it. It's bothering me!"
She tossed the bundle of letters to the floor, rejecting the man's unrequited love.
"Why... Why would you do something like that? Even after I wrote out my feelings to you!"
"D-don't come any closer!"
The man closed the distance between him and Sakura. He walked with an intensity that made it look as though he were about to attack. Latching onto Sakura's arm, he shoved her up against the store's shuttered door.
"Oh, no!"
"You two did something, right?"
A sense of panic swept the room as Airi's situation worsened.
"I'll show you just how much I love you now... If I do that, then you'll understand, Sakura."
"No, let me go!"
"Hurry up!"
"C'mon you gotta help her now!"
Students cried out as they watched.
Ichinose tugged on my sleeve. Apparently, we couldn't leave things alone any longer. I'd wanted to wait until we could catch him in the act with something definitive, but it looks like I had no choice. Taking Ichinose's arm, we strutted out like a delinquent couple. While walking by, we took pictures with our phones, our cameras clicking repeatedly.
"Ah, looks like we caught them! That old guy's doing something naughty!"
"What?"
Suddenly there was a shift from panic to confusion.
"Huh?!"
Sakura was completely dumbfounded after hearing me speak in the unfamiliar tone of a delinquent. It was incredibly embarrassing, but I dealt with it.
"Jeez, it's so difficult not to laugh...you can do it, hold it in..." Kei, while initially worried about Sakura, realised she was in little danger while Kiyotaka was there. Thus, she was more focussed on her boyfriend's uncharacteristically brash tone.
"This is the way you chose to deal with it?" Ryuuen shook his head, "All these videos are doing is reminding me of how difficult this bastard was to find..."
"It's quite elegant in a way, don't you think?" Sakayanagi giggled.
"In what way can this be- are we seeing completely different things?" Kamuro frowned in disbelief at Sakayanagi's suggestion.
Sakayanagi failed to respond choosing to keep watching the spectacle.
Disregarding others' thoughts on the matter, I'd decided on this course of action purely through necessity. On one hand, if I'd taken a picture of the scene but portrayed myself as someone with a weak will, the store clerk probably would have kept up his aggressive attitude. After all, we were merely school children and he was an adult. However, I couldn't stop him forcefully unless it looked like I was acting. With both Airi and Ichinose present, I couldn't afford to look too confident. Acting like a delinquent solved both of my problems.
"I don't care what he sounds like as long as it helps Airi," Haruka seemed to feel a mild degree of anger that most people were focussing on my behaviour than Airi's predicament.
"Ooh, 'Adult harasses high school girl.' I can just see the headlines tomorrow; it'll be a huge scandal!"
"N-no! That's wrong. You're wrong!"
"Hmm, it certainly doesn't sound wrong. Does it? It kind of looks that way, don't you think?"
Ichinose tried to match my performance, but her tone was cruel. The man, now flustered, hurriedly pulled away from Sakura. But we were prepared with our cameras.
"Thank goodness," Mii-chan sighed deeply.
It wasn't just her. The collective stress of the room seemed to ease when Airi was freed from the clerk's grasp. It would have been worse going in blind, but even after being told that everything turned out fine, it wasn't a pleasant viewing experience.
"Wrong? I don't think so. Whoa, look at all those letters! Gross. Are you a stalker?"
She pinched her nose as she picked up the letters as if grabbing someone else's socks. She picked them up by their corners, using only her index finger and thumb.
"Goodness, how many of them are there?" Hiyori wore a rare disgusted expression.
"This can't have been a recent thing," Matsushita said, "This started before you came to this school, didn't it, Sakura-san?"
"Yeah..." Airi nodded.
"What terrible luck," Hashimoto shook his head, "What are the chances of picking to attend a school a guy like this worked at?"
"You're wrong. It's just...yeah, that. She said she wanted someone to teach her how to use a digital camera, so I said I'd teach her one-on-one. That's all."
"Tch, he really thought an excuse like that would work?" Ibuki sneered.
"Pathetic," Ryuuen spat, "Can't even accept defeat without crying,"
"Hmmm."
I drew closer to the man, pressing him up against the shutter.
"Me and my girlfriend saw everything. So we took pictures. If you show your face to that girl again, or send her any more disgusting letters, we'll expose you. Got it?"
"Ha ha, you're acting pretty scary there, Ayanokouji," Ike laughed.
"Ha ha ha ha! What are you talking about? I really don't...know what you're talking about."
"You don't know what I'm talking about? You're not weaselling out of this, old man. If you so much as raise a hand at or even just ogle this idol, that'll be the end for you. I'll beat the shit out of you. Got it?"
"Oh wow, you really are scary..." Ike's laughter suddenly stopped.
"That was amazing, Kiyopon!" Haruka's spirits had finally lifted, "Although I think you should have got a hit or two in,"
"If I'd have done that it may have put Airi in more danger,"
"I guess so," She appeared frustrated, "But still..."
"Hey, the main point is that he saved Airi, right?" Akito said, "I understand what you're talking about, trust me, but responding with violence isn't the way to go,"
It felt like he was talking about his past experience again.
"Alright, alright, you two win," Haruka put up her hands in surrender.
"Hehe,"
"What's the matter, Airi? Why are you laughing?" Haruka asked.
"I'm just happy you're worried about me, Haruka-chan," Airi smiled brightly, "But I think you are too quick to resort to violence,"
"N-not you too! I get it already,"
"Hahaha,"
Akito and Keisei joined in Airi's laughter. The girl everyone had been worried about moments before looked surprisingly happy. It looked like reliving this moment hadn't affected her as much as I thought it might. Perhaps she'd reached a point where she felt safe with the people around her?
"That was quite aggressive, Ayanokouji-senpai," Tsubaki observed.
"Well, I couldn't allow myself to look weak in that situation, right?" I reasoned.
"Very true. I just found it worth commenting on seeing as all we've seen of your behaviour so far is very passive, wouldn't you say?"
She wasn't off in the slightest. All I'd done during my early days was follow others' lead. I wasn't proactive in my social life or my schoolwork. The only thing I did that I can say was my own initiative was retrieving the test result from our upperclassmen. An outlier in a life of monotony. However, even that I'd done to maintain the status quo. If a large number of my classmates had been expelled in our first test...well, I couldn't live my ordinary school life in those conditions.
"Eek!"
After he completely lost his will to fight, I deliberately gave him some time to escape.
"G-goodbye! I won't do that ever again!"
The store clerk raced back inside the store to get away from us. With the source of her terror gone, Sakura suddenly looked exhausted. She looked like she was going to topple over and collapse, so I hurriedly grabbed her arms and held her up.
"You did really well."
"I think so too, Sakura-san!" Satou agreed happily, then suddenly shuddered, "I don't know what I would have done in your situation. Definitely not confront them, that's for sure!"
"That was definitely impressive, but...I can't say it was the smartest thing to do," Matsushita offered a slightly different opinion.
"How was a man like that allowed into the school in the first place?" Nanase asked.
"The school conducts extensive background checks. However, it can't be helped that some faults slip through the cracks. If he'd begun to exhibit this behaviour after he began working here, it would be much more difficult to uncover," Mashima explained.
This school probably conducted much more detailed background checks than you'd experience if you applied to work at an ordinary school. We, the students, were constantly placed in unique situations, completely unlike those you'd find in the real world. While the purpose was to test our abilities and educate us, it was also true that we may find ourselves in vulnerable positions. The clearest example of this is our tests on the uninhabited islands. If we weren't closely supervised by trustworthy staff, we'd be in an unnecessary amount of danger.
"You said he's not here anymore, right?" Amikura looked a bit worried.
"He resigned shortly after this," I confirmed.
I'd preached at her a lot, but that was probably unnecessary now. She'd been trying to vanquish the suffering she'd faced on her own. I had to consider her feelings.
"I think that's commendable Sakura-san," Yousuke smiled at her, "But I hope that you know that you can come to people in our class for help. I know you're close to Kiyotaka but many others would be willing to help you too, myself included,"
He never let an opportunity to reach out to someone pass him. The likelihood of Airi ever taking him up on his offer was low, a fact that Yousuke himself probably understood, but feeling like she had people behind her would help her regardless of whether or not she actively reached out for assistance. Plus, Airi wasn't the same person she was at the time of these videos. There was a chance she'd surprise us and approach Yousuke, as unlikely as it may be.
For now, though, Airi simply gave a small smile and stayed quiet.
"Ayanokouji... kun. Why are you here?"
"I'm really glad that I exchanged contact information with you." I took out my phone, which showed Sakura's location.
"I guess I'm no good after all... I couldn't do anything by myself in the end."
"That's not true. It was really cool when you threw those letters to the ground." I pointed to the mess of multicoloured paper scattered everywhere.
"Hey, hey. Who's this mystery person you mentioned? Some idol?" Ichinose tossed one of the disgusting letters to the ground, tilting her head in confusion.
"That's..."
Although I didn't want to hide anything from Ichinose, I hesitated to speak without Sakura's permission. However, Sakura met my eyes and gave me a slight nod.
"Sakura over here was an idol when she was in junior high. Her name was Shizuku."
"Huh?! Idol?! That's amazing! She's an entertainer! Ooh, shake my hand, shake my hand!" Ichinose was filled with childlike excitement.
"Don't you think that's a bit of an overreaction, Ichinose?" Kanzaki eyed the Class B leader with scepticism.
"Hey, don't give me that, it was my first time meeting any kind of idol!" Ichinose complained, puffing out her cheeks. The spectacle made most of the room laugh, throwing off any lingering feeling of nervousness that the video had given us.
"But I never appeared on TV or anything..."
"Even so, that's so amazing! I've never thought about becoming an idol or anything."
I didn't know about that. I thought that Ichinose had the face and figure for it... No, rather, I thought she had the necessary qualities.
"It's true, it's true, Honami-chan!" Amikura poked Ichinose excitably, "Even Ayanokouji-kun thinks so!"
It sounded like this topic had come up among the Class B girls before.
"The face...the figure...hmm, looks like Ayanokouji-kun has you all figured out, Honami," Kobashi grinned at me, clearly up to no good.
"Stop that, Yume!" Ichinose clearly couldn't deal with Kobashi's implications and put a hand over her mouth to shut her up.
I sighed. I was glad that the Class B girls had lifted the mood but why did they have to do it like this?
"When did you realize, Ayanokouji-kun?" Sakura asked.
"A little while ago. Sorry. Several other people in class realized, too." Since she was going to find out eventually, I decided to just tell her.
"I think I'm actually glad about this, though... It's been hard to lie."
If this situation had given Sakura the ability to finally remove her mask, then it was a good thing.
"At any rate, you were way too brave. I was going to have to step in if something happened."
"Ha ha... Yeah, you're probably right. I was so scared."
The girl who had openly cried in front of me yesterday was now laughing in a rather peculiar way. She laughed while seemingly on the verge of tears.
"Ayanokouji-kun... Don't look at me with such strange eyes."
"Strange eyes?"
"Huh? What does that mean?" Shinohara asked, just as confused as I was.
"Never mind, it's nothing." Sakura didn't clarify, but she wore a slightly happy smile on her face.
"But now I'm interested though! What did you mean, Airi?" Haruka asked.
"U-um, nothing at all...I didn't mean anything by it," Airi shook her head somewhat violently.
"You don't just say that to someone and not mean anything by it, do you?" Haruka grinned.
"Well, it just doesn't matter..." Airi said, suddenly downcast.
"Hmm...I'll get it out of you later then,"
"Do you think everyone would notice if I came to class without my glasses, and changed my hairstyle?"
"I think there's a possibility that people at school might panic when they notice...but I think it'll be fine."
I suddenly pictured a beautiful girl, with tons of spectators rushing forward to catch a glimpse of her. She had a gentle disposition and qualities that would make boys naturally crowd around her.
"Obviously!" Shinohara sounded annoyed for some reason.
"Based on what we saw in those photos, I'd say he's 100% correct. Could Sakura-san have rivalled Kushida-san in terms of popularity if she just had a bit more confidence?" Matsushita wondered.
"Sounds like you have a crush on her, eh, Ayanokouji?" Okitani laughed.
"Just because he complimented her appearance? Ha, don't make me laugh, not every boy is as shallow as you," Kei mocked him. She was backed up by the other girls.
Apparently, I'd gained a good reputation among the girls thanks to these videos. Although, Kei's infrequent comments may have something to do with that.
"Whoa... You're so amazingly cute! You make a completely different impression without your glasses!"
It seemed as though Ichinose had looked up Shizuku on her phone. She seemed excited by what she found. Even though the incident with Sudou might have endangered our class and highlighted our lack of unity, at least it had given Sakura a chance to grow. Maybe it was all worth it, in the end.
Wait. I really wasn't the type of person to think like that. Or, perhaps, I should say that I didn't know what kind of person I was in the first place. Was this the real me? I felt a bit confused.
"Hmm, what do you mean by that, Ayanokouji-kun?" Ichinose asked.
I felt eyes on me from every direction. It wasn't surprising after what I'd just said- well, thought. It's true that people's teenage years are a very formative stage in their lives. If you asked a large number of teens what kind of person they were, they'd probably be able to give you a satisfactory answer. However, if you asked the same people years, or even months later, their answers may have changed completely. In my case, though, despite being a teenager, I didn't have enough life experience to even formulate a view of myself. Rather than changing and evolving my mindset, I was building one from scratch.
Of course, that's not to say I didn't understand myself. My personality had been shaped for me before I joined this school. This new mindset I was creating for myself was one that didn't rely on the education I'd received ever since I was born.
"Ayanokouji-kun?"
After I stayed quiet, Satou frowned and gave me an inquisitive look.
"Ah, it's nothing," I said, "You'll probably find out more later,"
Despite saying that, my words were nothing more than a means of stalling this conversation. Perhaps my best option was simply to stay silent. If all of my thoughts and all of my memories were being broadcast for everyone to see, was there any point in trying to mitigate the damage? Right now, I could only see two outcomes. Either I'd be forced to drop out of my own accord, or I'd be forced out by the people around me.
Even though I could see the outcomes, there was a part of me still interested in seeing how others viewed the truest version of me.
"That's a pretty weird thing to say Kiyopon," Haruka looked worried, "I get being confused about who you are, I guess..."
"Yeah, I get that too," Satou said.
"I think it's normal to be a bit confused about who you are," Yousuke smiled, "Isn't that what our teenage years are all about? But by the looks of it, Kiyotaka, it looks like you are someone who likes to see people improve and mature,"
"Maybe,"
"Urgh, can we move on, please?" Kei sighed, appearing bored by the conversation.
"I wonder what that means? Wait, he's always dodging questions when I try and ask him about himself, right? Huh? Does that mean he wasn't avoiding them because he didn't want to answer but because he couldn't?" Kei agonised over this possibility in her mind.
"I'm curious about what Ayanokouji-kun means...but why is Karuizawa-san acting like this? When we spoke alone, it felt like she really liked him, but with everyone else around she acts like she doesn't care at all? I know they are keeping it a secret but how can she act like this?" Satou had mixed feelings about her friend and her crush.
"I see. I was always a little curious about what state of mind he was in when he left the White Room. However, this is predictable, I suppose. Without life experience, a person's personality is still a blank slate. Anything he believed was because he was taught to believe it. Experiences everyday life for the first time at fifteen years of age...I doubt anybody could endure it without a little confusion," Sakayanagi thought.
"Any normal high schooler will feel confusion about themselves at least once in their life. I suppose I should expect the same from Ayanokouji. Still, something doesn't seem right. His actions and thoughts don't match up with what I know of him. Perhaps something changed between then and when I came into regular contact with him? Or maybe he truly is unreadable?" Manabu struggled to form a conclusion.
After it became obvious that I had no intention of answering any questions, everyone turned back to the video.
"Sorry. For being quiet for so long."
"It's nothing you have to apologize for. We don't have to talk about it. However, I think that now we have the type of relationship where we can talk about things. If you're suffering or if you feel lost, you can talk to me. You should consult Horikita and Kushida, too."
Behind me, Ichinose purposefully flopped over in an exaggerated manner.
"So, you're telling her 'You can talk to me.' I wonder what you mean?"
I had no answer for that.
"I was just trying to give her someone she could be comfortable talking with," I sighed and cleared up any pointless theories before they surfaced.
"That's nice of you, Ayanokouji-kun," Yousuke gave me a thankful smile.
"Okay. I understand," Sakura murmured.
"Ah, I'll help out too." Though Ichinose didn't know her too well, she still smiled at Sakura.
"I'm Ichinose, from Class B. It's nice to meet you, Sakura-san."
Sakura looked a little hesitant but shook Ichinose's outstretched hand.
"By the way, didn't you want to tell me something in the special building a little while ago?" I asked, thinking back to my conversation with Ichinose.
"Ah yeah, that's right. There was something important I wanted to talk to you about."
Ichinose took a moment to catch her breath, and then adopted a serious look.
"I probably shouldn't be saying this right now, but...there was someone pulling the strings behind this whole Sudou incident."
"That person was Ryuuen, right?" Hashimoto asked.
"Yeah,"
"Pulling the strings?"
Because Ichinose looked so deadly serious, I didn't think this was just a hunch of hers.
"To tell the truth, there was a dispute between Class B and Class C students before. That time, though, the school didn't get involved. Someone named Ryuuen-kun masterminded that one."
"Damn, he really didn't take long to start pulling dirty tricks," Akito muttered to himself.
Overhearing him, Haruka sighed, "Yeah, there was a time when I didn't know what he was gonna do to us next..."
"It isn't like that time has passed," Keisei frowned.
"You mean he could strike again at any time?"
"Exactly. It's even more likely now we have established ourselves in the battle,"
"Urgh, maybe we should have just laid down arms and lived peacefully," Haruka mimed waving a flag.
"Even if that was an option, it's Ryuuen," Keisei said, "There's no telling if he would have stopped harassing us simply because we posed no threat to him,"
That thought depressed Haruka, Airi and even Akito, who was capable of defending himself.
"Ryuuen? I don't recognize the name."
"Oh, that sounds like paradise..." Kobashi sighed and voiced her thoughts a little too loudly.
Ryuuen chuckled loud enough to reach Class B's ears. Kobashi instantly shrunk into her seat.
"That's because he hasn't seen any reason to reveal himself just yet. There's no reason that you'd know him."
Ichinose, who always looked so bright, now appeared somber and grim.
"I'm the most vigilant of all the first-years here. I think he set up Sudou-kun to look like a liar, and instigated the dispute with Class B. This was all his handiwork. He doesn't hesitate to hurt other people for the sake of his own interests. He's a formidable opponent."
"When Class B had trouble, did you manage a peaceful resolution?"
"Somehow, yeah. However, if you looked at it as a game, I can't say whether I won or lost... Anyway, I think because what he devised was easier to see through this time, I've started to understand how this school is structured. You should be careful."
I didn't know who this Ryuuen was, but he was undoubtedly a very dangerous opponent. Someone who developed merciless strategies that could lead to our expulsion if we missed a single step.
"So if anything ever happens, you can come to me for help. Talk to me whenever you need it."
"Yeah. I'll keep that in mind."
"That's where this video ends," Mashima announced.
"Whew, that was a wild ride!" Hashimoto laughed.
"Hey, what are you laughing at?" Sudou's voice wasn't raised but still had force behind it, "A girl in our class was attacked and you're laughing?"
"She's okay now, though," Hashimoto shrugged, "Besides, I'm more interested in the strategy that Horikita's class came up with."
"Very true," Nagumo said, "Suzune managed to come up with a plan that prevented her classmate from being punished while creating a cooperative relationship with another class. It was very well done,"
His words didn't seem insincere. Apparently, he truly thought Horikita's plan had been commendable.
"If all your strategies were that efficient then it's no wonder your class made the unlikely climb up the ranks," Nagumo applauded, "However, it seems your brother didn't see you as a worthy individual. So, I wonder, was this a fluke or are the current second-years just inferior to us third-years?"
"If I may, student council president, I don't believe that our improvement was due to one person," Horikita wasn't affected by Nagumo's taunts, "It was a collective effort that required everyone's best. To attribute all of our success to me is a disservice to the rest of my class,"
"Is the little Horikita trying to sound like her big brother?" Nagumo smirked.
"If I was, I don't think that would be the worst plan,"
Manabu was a force to be reckoned with when he attended this school. Nobody matched up. Horikita Suzune could find worse people to idolize that her older brother.
It was also true that Horikita Manabu never sacrificed his classmates. If his younger sister wanted to follow in his footsteps in this way, she had a long road ahead of her.
So the mystery is finally solved. Or is it?
"Huh? What now? There's more?!" Ike was understandably bewildered.
"Horikita, do you know what this means?" Keisei asked.
"I'm not sure," Horikita pondered the words onscreen, "Perhaps, because..."
Horikita side-eyed me. I didn't know what she was thinking exactly, but I could make a pretty good guess.
"Quit wasting time," Ryuuen snapped, "What's the point in jabbering on if we're just gonna be shown it anyway?"
"In that case, I will now begin the next video," Mashima said.
"Hey, before you do that, I just realised something!" Amasawa started waving her hand above her head to draw attention her way.
"What?"
"Ichinose-senpai finally got her wish granted to act like Ayanokouji-senpai's boyfriend!"
"That's-" Ichinose was left speechless by Amasawa's take on what had happened.
Laughs came from the girls in Class B, while the boys in my own class, and others for that matter, looked thoroughly displeased with me.
"If that's all then please let us continue," Mashima shook his head at the nonsensical scene before him.