Part 3
After the date at Akiusha, Kei spent some time with Kiyotaka in his room, allowing their date to continue towards an indoor one. Whether it was doing a little bit of studying or watching a small comedy show on the TV together, the continuation of the date had been fun for the two.
Sadly, dates could not last forever. Kei soon had to leave after she received a text from Shinohara requesting for her presence, leaving Kiyotaka on his own again in his room for the rest of the night.
At least that's what was going to happen.
Unexpectedly, a knock was heard at the front door to room 401. Kiyotaka turned towards the door with raised eyebrows. He was not expecting any visitors and Kei said she was going to sleep in her dorm room for a few nights before sleeping with him again.
So who was it knocking at Kiyotaka's door?
Judging it was best to just find out immediately and not let this "guest" standing outside for too long, Kiyotaka got up from his seat at the eating table and walked towards the door. He took a peep through the small peephole just to get a glimpse of who it was before opening the door.
"Ayanokouji-kun. It's me. Can we talk?"
In all honesty, he was expecting to see that red-haired devil kouhai, Amasawa Ichika, through the peephole like the last time she visited him like this. Luckily, that didn't appear to be the case as instead of Amasawa being at the door, Kiyotaka heard the voice of a familiar girl.
Not needing to look through the peephole anymore, Kiyotaka removed the lock and opened the door to reveal his short black haired classmate - Horikita Suzune.
"This is a little bit of a surprise. Normally if you want to talk to me about something this late, you'd just drop me a phone call."
"You're right. Normally I would. But this conversation is not something I want to talk about on the phone, so I wanted to talk to you in person. I would have done it earlier, but I was also quite a bit busy. So can you let me in?"
"Sure sure."
Kiyotaka stepped aside to let Horikita in before closing the door behind her. The two walked towards the table that Kiyotaka was just sitting at.
"Would you like something to drink while you're here?"
"Hmm... Just some black tea will do if you're willing to make something."
Nodding, he made his way to the kitchen and turned on the kettle to make black tea for his visitor and coffee for himself. A few minutes later, he returned to the table with two mugs, placing one in front of Horikita and the other in front of his seat.
"So? You wanted to talk to me about something?"
"Yes. It's about the special exam. There's something I want to talk to only you about and your thoughts on it. Okay?"
"Yeah, no problem."
"Huh?"
Unexpectedly, Horikita gave a surprised expression as if she never expected an answer from him. Realising this, Kiyotaka decided to question her.
"What's with that reaction?"
"I was honestly expecting you to refuse to listen to me over the special exam even after coming here and sitting down. You usually want to avoid talks like this, don't you?"
"Well, when you put it like that. I guess that is true. But it's not like you're asking me to help you, right?"
"I don't know about that... In the meantime, if you'll listen to me, I'll let you proceed."
Wanting to get to the discussion as quickly as possible, Horikita stopped questioning Kiyotaka's willingness to listen to her. Perhaps she thought she would be rejected if the provocation and questioning continued on longer.
"If we want to make sure that we clear this special exam, I was thinking about preparing as much as possible for the exam. The problem, though, is that it seems difficult to do that. It seems impossible to unite our class if we don't know what the questions will be. Don't you think so too?"
"Yes. That is true, though I'm sure we'll inevitably have to use different options depending on the situation. But... You've thought of the means in your own way, haven't you, Horikita? So? How do you think we can get through this special exam?"
Horikita nodded and took a larger sip of her black tea before answering.
"I think that the easiest way to solidly pass the special exam is for someone to have the final say. No matter how many options there are, no matter how the vote splits, you have to promise that you will follow the predetermined leader's judgement and will."
Essentially, Horikita agreed with Kushida's suggestion. Even if people were unhappy with the option, they couldn't argue with the leader's choice on the matter. For their class, who wasn't that well united, it would be much easier if that arrangement could be reached.
"I do hope that really brings everyone together."
"Yes. I hope so too. There will always be students who don't agree with some of the questions... If this had been a dictatorial class like the one led by Ryuuen-kun, it might have been easier for us."
In terms of coercive power, Ryuuen was someone who was able to exert it on Class D with impunity. But he wasn't the only one. Although not on the same scale as him, Sakayanagi was able to wield such power with Class A. Such a thing was non-existent in Horikita's Class B and Ichinose's Class C.
Kiyotaka and Horikita wondered if they wielded coercive power to control their class, would it work for them in the special exam? Neither of them knew and neither were really willing to try that out. Kiyotaka took a sip of his coffee before speaking up again to give his answer.
"The fact that all voting is anonymous means that students who are unhappy with Ryuuen can vote against his option. There is no guarantee that a mere command will be enough to clear it."
"If a student is unhappy with the methods, they may rebel. But there's nothing to be gained by doing so. After all, if the vote is split and time runs out, the whole class will be damaged. In the end they'll just leave it alone and come together."
"I get what you mean, but you're contradicting yourself by saying that. No one wants to fail the special exam. That's why the votes will always come together. If that basic premise always holds, then there's no need for a strategy in the first place, is there?"
"That's..."
"No student wants to run out of time and be the detriment of the class. But don't expect them to complete the five questions if they are left to their own devices. If that were possible, it would defeat the purpose of the school calling it a special exam."
"You're right."
"What you can do now is to prepare your mind to be flexible. For example, what would you do if you were faced with an issue where 38 people were in favour and one was against?"
"Of course we will try to bring the one person who is against it to the side in favour."
"Right. Then what if that one person opposing you never gave in?"
"Well..."
"It's not always the 38 people who agree with you who win. In the process of persuading the opposition, some of the 38 students who were in favour may even change their opinions."
"Even if just one person's ideas are detrimental to the class at large?"
"It all depends on the content, I guess."
Kiyotaka slightly narrowed his eyes at that. But Horikita did not notice this as she was looking down at her black tea.
"I feel a bit uneasy. Don't you?"
"No. Why do you feel uneasy?"
"Because you gave me advice without hesitation. That's not normally like you. I don't think it has anything to do with... the fact that you started dating Karuizawa-san, but..."
"It's not much advice. I'm sure in some small corner of your mind you've already started to think about that possibility."
"Yes. I guess that is true... Then I'll tell you the main reason why I'm here. I have a proposal for the special exam. I could ask someone else, but I want to ask someone who understands me."
"Do you want people to always vote separately on the first round of voting, or what?"
As soon as Kiyotaka tried to guess what she was likely going to propose to him, Horikita pointed a tiny glare at him.
"Can you please not preempt my thoughts?"
Seeing irritation in her eyes, Kiyotaka quickly gave an excuse that he could think of while drinking his coffee.
"It was something I was going to suggest, if no one else had proposed it. I didn't think we were on the same page."
"...Really?"
The irritation in Horikita's eyes quickly dissipated. She apparently appeared convinced a tiny bit by Kiyotaka's ill-thought yet adequate excuse. Though, the proposal that Kiyotaka mentioned was something that should have been considered from the beginning. After all, It was better to avoid the risk of making an unexpected choice as a result of bias caused by the momentum of the situation.
"Even if it's a question that you agree or disagree with 99% of the time, or if you're confused about an option that has advantages and disadvantages for both sides, coincidences can be a bit scary."
"Ah. If a vote is passed due to a lopsided vote as a result of a proper vote, it can't be undone. But the strategy of always using the interval at least once is not always a good one. You have to bear that in mind. There is always the risk that what would have been unanimous in the spur of the moment may become inconclusive when the votes are split. You have to take that into account."
"Right. Of course."
To argue is to plunge one's hand into the deepest darkness. This can consume a huge amount of time if it results in an unexpected darkness being dragged out.
"Due to the rules of this special test, there is no way to determine with certainty who voted which way, no matter how much we discuss it. Even if you get a statement, it may not be 100% true."
"Does that mean you can lie constantly?"
"In some cases, yes. Because right now, in the situation we're in, it's hard to say that the class is still united as one."
It was no shock to the two of them that the class was not united as one, though they were much closer to being united than ever before. Having said that, though, there were two people specifically that Kiyotaka had in mind when he made that statement. Horikita immediately knew what that meant.
"You're talking about Kushida-san and Kouenji-kun, aren't you?"
"Yes. For the former, I'm sure she'll lie about everything, and as for the latter, he might even dare to vote for someone different from his classmates if his vicious nature shows through. That's about it."
Although Kiyotaka said that latter part about Kouenji, he knew that Kouenji wouldn't do it without some specific reason. In fact, it was more likely that Kouenji would be more tame for this special exam, not trying anything that could harm their success in passing.
The same could not be said for Kushida in his personal opinion.
Horikita stayed silent in her seat for a moment, looking down at her black tea before raising her head back up again to look at Kiyotaka.
"Hey, why did you tell me all the details? It's weird. It's not every day that you give me a warning like this."
It wasn't a surprise that Horikita sensed something weird over this conversation. Kiyotaka never gave as much advice to Horikita as he did now. In fact, he rarely ever gave out advice and direct help to her. It seemed that there were a few changes in Kiyotaka that caused him to do what he would usually never do.
"I decided that the current Horikita would be flexible enough to listen to me and understand what I was saying."
"Am I right in saying that that's a compliment...?"
"Who knows?"
"Grrr... Hah... I'm feeling a bit restless..."
She sighed before turning silent again. During that small silence, there was a small vibration sound that could be heard. Kiyotaka noticed it was the sound of a phone vibrating after getting a notification and it was coming from Horikita's pocket.
Said girl took her phone out of her pocket and turned it on, intending to just check the notification and then focus back on the meeting in front of her. However, instead of just swiping the notification away, she just kept staring at it.
"I'm sorry, but please give me a minute. I got a message and I need to reply back otherwise they may get a wrong idea."
As she began typing on her phone, Kiyotaka watched her with curiosity. Horikita was not someone who texted a lot of people, and if she did, it was most likely business related. There were only so many people she could message with that in mind. With her being in front of him, that took himself off the list, which meant the other options either included Hirata, Ichinose, Chabashira or even the student council members.
Despite that curiosity, Kiyotaka decided to just keep silent and wait for Horikita to finish messaging. It took her about two minutes to compose a long reply message. Once she finished, she put her phone back into her pocket, finished her black tea and stood up.
"Thanks. Well, I got what I wanted so thank you for your time. I'll do my best to direct everyone through the exam the day after tomorrow, but I'm hoping you also do your bit too."
"I'll do what I can."
"That's just like you... Well anyway, thanks again."
Just as Horikita was about to touch the handle to leave, Kiyotaka stood up and called out to her again.
"Wait, Horikita. Before you go, I want to ask you something."
"What is it?"
Not expecting to be stopped, Horikita turned back with a confused expression present on her face.
"If you don't mind, it's about Kushida."
"...Go on..."
Horikita looked slightly annoyed, but she displayed her full attention to Kiyotaka at this point.
"Frankly speaking, there hasn't been much of a change since we had this talk during the spring break. The contract we have is still slightly ongoing so I'm still safe from her, and she has pretty much still been contributing to class as much as she can handle. However, I feel that might not last much longer. I just want to know if your stance on keeping Kushida right now is still in effect, considering I left the decision with you."
Part of his explanation was a lie. He kept to himself that Kushida had already breached the contract more than once and tried to expel him through any school rule means. The truth was the contract had technically ended, even though Kiyotaka still paid her a bit of points on the cruise ship.
But that wasn't important right now. What was important was understanding Horikita's current stance on Kushida. Horikita gave a thoughtful expression before answering.
"Kushida-san is still contributing a bit like you said and you may be right that she may not contribute as much any longer, especially since she really does want to expel the two of us. But I am going to keep trying to change her. I will mend our relationship with her so that she can become a valuable ally to class B."
"And if she doesn't? If she continues to hinder us completely with no intentions of changing?"
"...Then of course, we will have to get rid of her."
Her answer was a little shaky, but she still spat it out nonetheless. Kiyotaka raised his eyebrows and then nodded.
"I see..."
He paused before nodding again.
"That's all I have to ask."
"I see. Then I shall take my leave. Good night, Ayanokouji-kun."
When she left his room with the doors closing behind her, Kiyotaka stared at the door for a few more seconds before he began narrowing his eyes.
"I have a bad feeling about this..."
As soon as he said that, he brought out his phone and began scrolling through his contacts. His finger tapped a certain contact and the phone began dialling as he brought it to his ear.
A few seconds later the call connected and a voice was heard from the other line.
"Yes, it's me. Sorry to call you around this time since I know you might be a little bit busy, but there's something important I wish to discuss with you... Kouenji."
A/N:
Kiyotaka calling Kouenji!? What could this mean? What does Kiyotaka want with Kouenji? What will Kouenji do? Is G-String the most amazing thing in the world to the point that Chairman Sakayanagi or whoever the other board of directors are approved it to be part of the girls uniform? Find out next time! Ok, I'm kinda running out of reasons to write these Authors Notes to be honest, LOL.
- rainy26541 (G-String)