I was about to head to breakfast to eat but as luck would have it my path was impeded. Before I could say anything, Satou and Shinohara had grabbed both of my arms and stopped me in my tracks.
It would have been easy to overpower them but I'm not one to physically deal with women so I simply allowed them to stop me and change our trajectory.
"Not this time, Ayanokouji-kun! You went to sleep before any of us could get an explanation. Matsuo-kun's orders, you're coming with us." Satou said firmly.
"Is that right?" I asked in amusement.
"That's right, you won't stop us either," Shinohara said with determination.
O'kawaii koto.
"You do realize that I could get out of this hold rather easily, right?"
"Matsuo-kun said you'd say that and he said to say 'If you try and get away, I'll start sending spoilers for I tripped over a vine, fell off a cliff and now I'm engaged to a water sprite volume two.'"
Joke's on him, I've already read up to volume three.
We descended down to the lower decks where there was a Japanese Restaurant that I'd never been to before, it wasn't really frequented by the rest of the school. Most people either ate at the Ocean Cafe because of the view of the water or they'd eat in the buffet because of the selection. This place was rather formal normally, I'd actually planned to take Honami on a date here before we got back to the school.
When we arrived, both of the hostesses bowed before opening the double doors and suddenly the sounds of eating had died out instantly and the sounds of chopsticks being put down on plates clattered throughout the restaurant. Ignoring them all, I took a seat next to Eiichiro who continued to flick through his phone as though I wasn't even there.
Slowly but surely when they realized I wasn't going to say anything, they all started to eat again. The chatter was subdued though, most talked simply to fill the uncomfortable silence but tried to remain quiet enough either to not be a hindrance or to eavesdrop on the eventual expected explanation.
"Anything good here?"
"Salmon Nigiri's good, the miso soup is tasty too," Eiichiro said absentmindedly, continuing to look through his phone.
I decided to go with his recommendation and placed my order before taking out my own phone and having a look at the school boards. It was everywhere, people discussing how the Zodiac Exam had already concluded and varying theories on how it had happened.
Curiously, that meddlesome sister of mine had liked and upvoted every theory that had me involved as the reason behind the win. Posts praising Manabu for finding a gem in the rough in Class D, posts that I'd been hiding my intelligence by pretending to be lazy. Some of them were utterly ridiculous but if they praised me, there was a notification underneath that said 'liked by Sakayanagi Arisu'.
"Well?" Horikita cut through the ambience of the table suddenly.
I looked up at her with confusion as I sipped on the tea that the waitress generously poured for me.
At our table Horikita, Matsushita, Kushida, Hirata and Eiichiro all stopped what they were doing and feigned as though they weren't listening intently. The chatter started to die down around the room again and it descended into silence once again.
"Well, what?"
"Well... how did you do it?" Horikita said with gritted teeth, attempting not to lose her patience.
"How did I do what?"
"Are you purposefully trying to make me throw my tea at you?"
"Is it working?"
"Would you stop provoking her already? I'm trying to eat here," Eiichiro scolded me calmly.
I shrugged and started to eat while ignoring the stares coming from the rest of the room. At the end of the day, just like on the island, none of them wanted to be the reason to break the silence. They waited impatiently for someone to make me say something but none of them had the guts to be the first one off the ranks.
"Thank you, Ayanokouji-kun." Matsushita said quietly. "If you hadn't done whatever it is that you did... Still, are you okay?"
"Of course," I said with a smile. "Thank you for asking, I'm fine now. I heard we're all going to be getting a lot of points, what are you going to spend it on?"
"You're really not going to tell us how you did it?" Horikita cut in, ignoring my attempt at a segway.
"Does it matter how he did it? The exam's over and we got points. We should just be grateful that he did something." Eiichiro said.
"This again with you, what is wrong with you? There are lessons in success and failure yet you refuse to consult with him even after the island. Aren't you curious? Don't you want to improve and see what we missed?"
"What is there to consult about? How can you improve on what just happened? We won before the test even started. He obviously didn't tell us when we asked and if you know anything about him, you'll know that he only ever says something when he wants to. Forcing him like this achieves nothing."
"You're okay with that?"
"Of course I'm not,"
"So you're just going to roll over and let him have his way again." Yukimura finally chimed in.
"Didn't you hear what Matsuo-kun said, he won't tell us even if we ask. Like Matsushita said, we should just be grateful for whatever he did, we have a chance now!" Shinohara said back.
"Why now all of a sudden?"
"Don't you think that if I could tell you how I did it, I would have done so already?" I said before the conversation could run away any further.
At the sound of my voice, everyone died down again, eager to hear what I had to say. They wouldn't be getting an explanation out of me and I didn't owe them one. Regardless of the fact that Arisu had successfully forced me into acting, she must have forgotten who she was dealing with. If she truly wanted to drag me kicking and screaming into the light, she would learn that I could bite and thrash while she was doing so.
"Why wouldn't you be able to tell us?"
"If I could tell you that, I would have already. It completely defeats the purpose of not telling you how I did it."
"Is it because you don't trust us?" Kushida asked sadly.
I didn't trust her as far as I could throw her. Probably not the best analogy, I think I could throw her pretty far but still...
"Not with this I can't,"
"What if we promise that we won't reveal anything that you say?" Horikita offered diplomatically.
I looked around the room, everyone looked as though they wanted to make that promise. Unable to satiate their curiosity, they'd agree to just about anything to get their explanation. I was dangling Pandora's Box right in front of their eyes, they desperately wanted to open it like a child that was told they shouldn't play with a power point.
"I don't know... promises can be broken." I hesitated. "I can't risk this getting out, it's complicated."
"You can trust us, Ayanokouji-kun. We promise. We won't tell anyone, right guys?" Kushida said enthusiastically.
"I really can't... It's not that simple."
"Whatever the reason is Ayanokouji-kun, I promise you that I will not tell a soul." Horikita said. "The rest of us won't either, you really came through for us. We won't betray your trust."
There was a collective nod throughout the room as one by one they all agreed and sat a little straighter. Now was the time, it wouldn't be believable if I just came out with my made up scenario. I needed to appear hesitant, I needed to make them work for it. Otherwise they would chalk it up to simply being a lie.
"I wasn't the one who figured out who the VIP's were. Someone else gave me the names." I said reluctantly.
Silence... It stretched almost for an eternity but realistically it wasn't that long. Silence always seems to feel like it stretches longer than it lasts in reality.
"Are you fucking kidding me? We submitted names that you weren't even sure were right?" Yamauchi exclaimed angrily.
"No way, there's no way."
"We're screwed... what if the names are wrong?"
"Who gave you the names?" Yukimura asked.
"Oh my God... it was Sakayanagi-san wasn't it?" Horikita said suddenly as the epiphany hit her.
Eiichiro looked at me with a bit of annoyed awe, he was basically being given a real life masterclass on manipulation. Be ambiguous and let them fill in the blanks. I was sure he didn't like it, especially since he knew the truth. This was necessary, he needed to see. This is what it took, you have to deceive. At times it was just as important to lie to your allies just as much as it was to deceive your foes.
"Why would she be the one to sell out her class?" Matsushita frowned.
Matsushita knew it wasn't what happened but she wasn't about to sell me out. This wasn't what she had in mind when I reluctantly agreed to tell them how I found the right names.
"Class A is in a civil war, Sakayanagi-san wants to lead the class. If she would be able to give Katsuragi a substantial loss, it would help her case. She'd be the one who benefits the most from selling out Class A..."
"That doesn't make any sense though, why would she sabotage herself? If she did do it, she'd be losing a hundred and fifty class points. It doesn't make any sense," Miyake frowned.
"Because she loves Ayanokouji-kun! I told you it wasn't a bad bet!" Hasebe exclaimed, slapping his arm.
"Well I agree with that but not that way! How many times do I have to remind you that they're siblings?"
I continued to eat in silence as the class continued to argue on the merits of the possibility that Arisu had given me the names. As long as they weren't asking me if I was the one who figured everything out then they could tell themselves whatever they wanted. This was just a slight test run to see whether others would find it plausible that Arisu had given me the names.
"Is that really what happened, Ayanokouji? Tell us the truth. Did Sakayanagi give you the names?" Yukimura asked.
"What do you think is a more plausible scenario? That I'm some secret genius that managed to figure out every name after one meeting when all I've ever scored is fifty in every exam? Or that my known genius sister took pity on the fact that I'm still scraping the bottom of the barrel?"
"That's not what I asked you,"
"Well, that's all I'm going to say. The special test is over, we'll find out if the names I was given were right in a few days."
When I left after finishing my food, most of the class was continuing to debate amongst themselves on whether or not we were screwed. The majority of them were disheartened, too beaten with the results on the island and the fact that we were at zero class points for so long that they didn't dare to hope.
It was something that I myself was hoping for, if they had thought that we lost it would be fortunate for me. When the results were announced and we won, they'd be too excited and relieved to ask anymore questions. After that I'd just have to lay low for the rest of summer vacation and hope that it wouldn't be the flavor of the month anymore.
It wasn't the ideal situation, ideally I wouldn't be questioned at all but this was the only way I could think of to salvage it. I was hopeful that someone in Class D would leak the information, I wanted everyone to think Arisu had given me the names. She may have put me in check but it wasn't checkmate until the king was taken.
I was barely even past the corridor when Eiichiro rushed after me and fell into step as I continued towards my dorm.
"Where are you heading?"
"I want to go to the pool, I'm going to change and head out there. Want to come with?"
"I have some things I want to take care of first, maybe later."
We walked in silence for a bit, Class A and B students continually watched me as I passed with contemplative eyes. Some were wary, others were friendly but none of them gave me their usual greetings. When we passed Hashimoto on the way to the stairs, he gave a small smile but didn't make eye contact and continued to pass us as though we weren't even there.
"Why did you lie to them?" Eiichiro asked when we were alone.
"If I hadn't then they'd be fighting to have me take over the class. I thought you'd be happy about this, we're probably Class C now and we have a significant win under our belts. You have momentum you can ride and you managed them flawlessly."
"You left me in the dark to fend for myself. You didn't fill me in on what you were planning or what you did and left me to pick up the pieces. I had no idea what I was doing." Eiichiro said angrily.
"Are you mad at me?" I asked dumbfounded.
It didn't take long for me to change but once I was done I sat on the bed while Eiichiro continued to pace.
"I'm frustrated, Kiyotaka! I'm happy that you did this for us because you're right, we won and it'll be huge for morale but you carried me. How is this any different from you buying me a seat at Class A? I want to learn from you, I don't want to be dragged like I'm useless!"
"You're not useless."
"So why do I feel like I am?" Eiichiro said quietly.
I never gave credence to how difficult it must have been for him to be my friend. When we were younger, Eiichiro used to do martial arts. One day we had a spar when he had come over, excited to show me what he had learned. Unaware of the consequences, I beat him easily and not long after, Eiichiro stopped with his lessons and never went back again.
He was from a poor family, his father was old and continued to work so that he could provide for Eiichiro. His mother was dead and all of his achievements both academically and extracurricularly were overshadowed by my natural gifts. Despite all of that, he always treated me kindly and he was my best friend.
That didn't mean that I was good for him, I was the reason that he had such a low opinion of himself. Perhaps he didn't feel like he brought anything positive to our friendship even if he did on so many levels.
"Eiichiro, I'm very sorry that I haven't taken you seriously. I promise you that I will support you from now on with whatever you want to do. I promise that I will start teaching you anything you want to learn from now on. No more excuses, no more procrastinating."
It was hurtful that he didn't look like he was convinced. Eiichiro simply nodded as though it was just a natural reflex before he left without saying anything else.
I couldn't help but sigh in defeat, words weren't going to be enough. I'd have to prove it with my actions.
The short walk to the pool with a towel around my neck was fairly uneventful. While walking there and mulling over how best to help Eiichiro, I decided to do a little bit of shopping. I scrolled through BUDDY and came up with quite the selection of literature on leadership and tactics. Eiichiro would have my full and unwavering support and I wouldn't make excuses anymore. If this is what he wanted and he was willing to do the work, I'd be willing to help him.
I also knew that from now on I'd help the class, I wouldn't be taking the mantle of leading the class but I would participate. If he asked me to do something reasonable, regardless of whether or not I agreed with his course of action, I would assist.
One of the things that was integrated with BUDDY when it came to buying books was that the purchases of hardcover books also allowed you to download a digital copy as long as it was available. I had all of the download codes ready and I planned to have Eiichiro download them all, by the time I was finished with him he'd be begging me for Light Novel sessions again. Let us see if Matsuo Eiichiro would be happy when he gets what he wished for.
I was so distracted with my shopping spree, lying on my sunbed in a button up Hawaiian shirt and swimming trunks that I hadn't even noticed my girlfriend followed by Amikura Mako from Class B. Wearing a multicolored bikini top that tied around her neck and a pale blue sarong that covered her bottom half, a small bag that carried her necessities hanging from the crook of her arm as she stood there looking down at me.
I have seen many different types of Honami. School uniform Honami, casual clothes Honami, gym gear Honami. Swimsuit Honami was...
I've become a complete pervert. What is happening to me?
Thank you to whoever the man was who invented sunglasses that allowed me to inconspicuously watch and take in every inch of her without anyone knowing what I was doing. From the creamy exposed skin of those heavenly thighs all the way up to her neckline and clea-
What the hell was this girl doing to me? I'm Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, I will not be reduced to an ogling pervert. This was beneath me.
All that went out the window as Honami leaned down and placed her bag at my feet on my sunbed before her hand carefully reached towards my chin. Her slender fingers pushed my jaw up, closing my mouth which was apparently open like a fish in surprise at the gorgeous form of my girlfriend.
"You'll catch flies," Honami said teasingly.
I was caught... Send me back to that place, I need a refresher course.
"I was seeing what it was like to breathe through my mouth instead of my nose."
"Of course, my dear. I wasn't trying to insinuate anything," Honami giggled.
"Argh, you two are going to give me diabetes." Mako said, rolling her eyes as she followed behind and dropped a bag of her own at the sunbed next to me.
Well that was a new experience, I've never been called a pet name before. Strangely, I quite liked it when Honami called me that. She was looking quite proud of herself for catching me off guard. I was a little bit annoyed when I looked over her shoulder and saw some guys trying and failing to discreetly catch glances at Honami.
Rather than start a confrontation, I unbuttoned my Hawaiian shirt before putting it over her shoulders and covering her up. At first she looked confused and then she huffed in annoyance.
"Really Kiyotaka?"
"People are looking at you..."
"Yes, they are. Now girls are looking at you," Honami huffed, motioning to a few of Arisu's classmates who were now doing the same as the boys had previously been doing with Honami. "Does that mean that I need to go get you a rashguard?"
"Well, no... it's not the same thing,"
"How is it not?" Honami asked with a raised eyebrow and crossing her arms.
I will not allow this woman to distract me with her feminine ways. Even if the way that she was standing was incredibly hot, or the way that her crossed arms seemed to naturally highlight all of her god given gifts. The worst part about it all was that it wasn't even intentional on her part, all of this was purely natural for her.
This woman lets her guard down far too easily, she has no idea what she's doing.
"It just isn't," I said stubbornly before laying down on my sunbed again.
Honami rolled her eyes but didn't take the shirt off, instead she put both hands under her hair before fanning it back out over the back of the shirt and sitting at my feet. Mako watched the exchange with mischievousness before humming in playful thought.
"So possessive, Ayanokouji-kun. Should I be worried about my friend?"
"I'm not possessive, I'm just... protective."
Honami rolled her eyes but didn't say anything, continuing to rummage through her bag for whatever she was looking for.
"I'll let this one slide just because we have you to thank for this extra free time. I won't forgive you so easily though, you managed to weasel your way out of me scrutinizing you for the next few days in the meetings," Mako said teasingly.
"What makes you think I had anything to do with that?"
Mako snorted before taking out her phone and lying down on her own sunbed.
"Class A have been talking, apparently you went to their meeting and scared the pants off them. Everyone's talking about the fact that you're a genius who's been hiding in plain sight. Now I don't get to confirm it with my own eyes, how annoying."
Honami's flinch was barely noticeable as she paused for a moment in her search through her bag. I could see her lose focus in concern before she played it off and continued until she pulled out her sunscreen and turned to me.
"Am I allowed to take this off so I can put on my sunscreen?" Honami asked sarcastically, pointing at the shirt.
"That depends, can I put the sunscreen on for you?" I asked mockingly.
"Get a room, honestly." Mako said without taking her eyes off her phone.
Honami huffed but took the shirt off and handed me the bottle before turning so her back was facing me. It was only a sarcastic rebuttal but apparently I had just volunteered for sunscreen duty. I opened the sunscreen before putting some on her shoulders and continuing to talk to Mako.
"Maybe I was just afraid that the great and powerful Amikura Mako would be able to figure out that I was just an idiot that managed to trick her friend into dating me."
"Sure, sure. Try and butter me up but you'll crack one day. I know there's something you're hiding and I'm going to figure it out," Mako said confidently.
"What could I possibly be hiding?"
"All I know is that Honami was never interested in dating anyone. If she confessed to you, there's something special about you. I'm going to figure it out."
"You're not suggesting that Honami would only be dating me if I were a genius, are you?"
So it wasn't that she had suspicions about me, it was that she had faith in Honami's abilities at seeing different qualities in people. What a fascinating girl...
My attempt to try to catch her off guard did little, instead it just made her grin widen at my sudden attempt to throw it back in her face.
"How about you make it easier on both of us and you just tell me how you did it?" Mako continued.
I was distracted with the conversation with Mako, robotically continuing to apply sunscreen to Honami that I wasn't even aware of where my hands were. I was already done with her back and my hands had trailed to her front, my arms surrounding her. When my hands grazed over her ribs, Honami tensed and gasped suddenly as though she wasn't expecting it. With her back turned to me, all I could see was the tips of her ears glowing bright red before she snatched the bottle of sunscreen out of my hand.
"I-I can do the rest. Thank you, Kiyotaka."
Her hands were shaking as she squeezed the bottle and a torrent of sunscreen squirted all over her hands and the deck. Honami clumsily tried to catch it as more dropped onto the ground, lathering the abundance of cream as though it were all according to her plan. She looked like she was taking a shower in the stuff.
Mako snorted at the flustered Honami before looking at me expectantly.
"What's in it for me?"
"Brownie points with your girlfriends best friend,"
"I thought I was your best friend," I said to Honami with a frown.
"Don't drag me into this," Honami said over her shoulder, shaking her head.
She huffed in frustration at the absurd amount of sunscreen that was just being smeared at this point before taking her towel out and wiping the excess. Mako wasn't going to let this go as she took out her own sunscreen, I was so distracted by Honami that I hadn't even noticed her own cute polkadot swimsuit that suited her quite nicely.
"I have all day, Vice President Ayanokouji. You owe me after all, just give in and accept your fate."
Tearing my eyes away from Honami, I looked at Mako in confusion. Since when did I owe her?
"The points that I ended up paying when Honami missed class. I covered it because SOMEONE was all sleepy and stubbornly overworking themselves." Mako said teasingly.
"I offered to pay, you said you had it covered."
"I still paid, cough up the goods Ayanokouji-kun. You're not winning this one."
Honami finished cleaning up her mess before lying down next to me on her side and draping her arm and leg over me with her eyes closed. I would normally tease her about this but the sunbed next to us on the other side was already taken and I quite enjoyed this so I decided to stay quiet. She wasn't one for public displays of affection and this seemed to be rather difficult for her so I let it slide this time. She was trying.
"Let's just say I had a little bit of help from a guardian angel," I said ambiguously.
Honami's eyes snapped open at that as she looked at me, registering what I was insinuating. Mako was not stupid, she didn't need to be spoonfed. She knew exactly what I was alluding to the moment I inferred that Arisu had given me the names.
Mako's mouth opened and then closed a few times, seemingly dumbfounded on what to say next. It wasn't an outright admission, I didn't exactly flat out say that Arisu had helped me. I did the same with her as what I did with Class D, threw out a possibility and let her connect the dots.
I noticed from my peripheral vision that Machida had suddenly left the pool area. Apparently he was behind me the entire time.
It's not like I planned this. It's not like I made Mako work to try to get an answer from me. It's not like I said that just loud enough, knowing that Machida was behind me and listening in to what I was saying. It's not like I was trying to deceive Class A into thinking that I was just acting and that I was actually stupid and Arisu had actually been the one to crack the code and give me the names so that Katsuragi could lose...
I couldn't do something like that.
Mako continued to stare at me, the gears turning in her head as she continued to observe and analyze. I just continued to lay there, running my hand absentmindedly through Honami's hair while enjoying the sun glaring down on my skin. Honami's electric blue eyes were unblinking, staring up at me as she continued to wonder if she really did hear what I'd said.
After a few more moments of deliberation, Mako stood and stretched before turning to me and regarding me once more.
"How about we just pretend that I believe you and you can pretend that you're not a big fat liar," Mako grinned.
"I have single digit body fat, it's going to be a hard sell," I joked back.
Mako chuckled to herself as she walked to the edge of the pool before diving in.
As I looked back down at Honami, she still hadn't moved or taken her eyes off me. For the first time, she didn't look at me with unwavering trust. She looked at me as though she couldn't believe what she'd just heard and what I'd insinuated.
"You know," Honami started. "The only reason why she didn't believe you is because she doesn't know the extent of how close the power struggle is in Class A. If she did, she would have believed you."
"What do you mean? What did I say?"
Honami pulled me closer and lowered her voice to barely a whisper. To everyone else it looked like a private moment between a couple but I knew it was because she didn't want to be overheard.
"You all but said that Sakayanagi-san figured out how the VIP's are selected and gave you the names. You said just enough to let her connect the dots. If I didn't already know that you're a genius I would have believed you, knowing what I know about Class A.
"I didn't think that you were so good at lying. It's worrying. How can I know that you won't lie to me like that?" Honami whispered with concern all over her face.
It took a bit of effort and required careful contortion not to hurt her as I carefully maneuvered myself so I could take her face in my hands, her arm and leg still draped over me. When I kissed her, her eyes fluttered closed and the rest of the people at the pool faded away. When I pulled away and rested my forehead on hers, her eyes opened slowly, slightly dazed from the sudden affection.
I looked back, unblinking before opening my mouth and lying as easily as I could breathe.
"I would never lie to you, Honami."
A/N: Thank you to Zook who helped me out with this chapter with proof reading and making suggestions.
On a side note, there are a lot of stories that don't get read as much because for whatever reason they're hard to search and find on WattPad. A lot of these stories are really good and many of them I find to be more interesting and written better than even this story. I think that a lot of this stories success has to do with being blessed by the algorithm Gods.
For that reason, I decided to share any good stories that I find or I get recommended and if you guys are hungry for new things that you may not have found, perhaps check it out and give them some support :)
I really enjoy reading Sweet Citrus (Has had a number of name changes) It's been an interesting read, one that was suggested in the comments on an earlier chapter.
Also, please check out The World is your Oyster by HundredBlossoms. Just by the prologue it looks pretty interesting, looking forward to seeing how that ends up unfolding.
https://www.wattpad.com/story/316991701-the-world-is-your-oyster?utm_source=ios&utm_medium=link&utm_content=story_info&wp_page=story_details&wp_uname=HundredBlossoms&wp_originator=TET3JoNdd7K5TlhzesJzwxvIYSMLbUCFldXKuEi%2BoPPMXWnF7W1UPZv6DRBcYWooFguLPCw3VU8%2FmeoqK9NhQpBbN%2F%2BQOBoBo8C4LcRAl6uY%2BqfVKOgJP5uBwUS%2F1qNV
Hope you enjoyed the chapter. They can't all be adrenaline filled bangers, I'll end up having a heart attack. xP