Sora and Shiro had spent the next three days observing the students of their class during their occupations outside of class. It was kind of like spying but they had no choice, it was for the public interest, the state used to break the law for the public interest so why not them? That was the excuse Sora had made in his head.
During these three days, they had gathered much more information about the remaining disruptive students. Here was the situation of the class as Sora and Shiro had analyzed it: as soon as the truth was revealed, a good part of the class had decided to calm down and follow the rules until May 1. Among the disruptive students who didn't believe it, some were convinced by Kushida's and Hirata's words in private, while others continued to cause problems.
Among those who were still a problem, there was still the group of Sudou and his friends, namely Ike and Yamauchi. There were also students who had not been convinced by Kushida and Hirata but naturally gave in because of the pressure of the class, who started to judge them secretly, the group of the 3 idiots was the last group left to be corrected because they did not give in to any influence.
Them and ... Kouenji. Simply Kouenji seemed to be a person disconnected from reality and living in his own world, Sora had observed him, but he didn't have enough data to know what to do with him yet so he decided with Shiro to focus his efforts on Sudou's group.
Sora was convinced that Sudou was not a totally stupid person, he was clearly not the intelligent type but he didn't seem to be a person who would hide from the truth. He just needed to be convinced somehow.
Sora and Shiro were now sitting inside the walls of the gym, watching Sudou play a practice game during his basketball practice hours. He didn't seem to have any interest in classes but clearly had one for Basketball, it was his passion, what drove him, therefore it was also his weakness.
"She's late..."
Shiro, who was having fun doing calculations on the trajectory of the ball to pass the time, began to talk to Sora, who was immersed in his thoughts.
"She'll come eventually, I'm sure."
"She doesn't seem to like us or the class.
"Indeed, however she has goals too and if she wants to achieve them, she will need the others, she is smart enough to understand that, even if it will take time."
Shiro didn't answer anymore after that, she noticed in the distance the arrival of the said person who was late. It was Horikita Suzune.
"Offering me a meeting in a place filled with unpleasant smells is anything but motivating."
"There is a reason for that."
Sora replied with his arrogant little smile.
"You want to move up to Class A without having to deal with those who slow you down and I have a solution for that."
He added. Seeing Sora accept Horikita's way of doing things was reason enough to have a conversation with him, she decided to sit on the floor next to them and continued the conversation while watching the game.
"You finally realized that it was better not to waste our time with them?"
"Not quite. I still think they will be useful in our class. I can also understand that from your point of view this is not the case, that's why I decided to do two things. First, I will tell you why I consider them useful, and second, I will propose an arrangement."
Horikita did not answer right away, she was thinking about Sora's proposal, there was no reason to say no to him right away. He seemed to have understood what she wanted so she was curious to know what his idea was.
"I'm listening."
"First of all, I'd like you to look at this."
Sora handed Horikita his cell phone, she took it and noticed the presence of a video.
"What is it?"
"Play the video, you'll understand."
Horikita played the video, she saw a video of a classroom but did not recognize its students. Her eyes widened.
"Is this ...?"
"Precisely. This is a recording of Class C from the security camera installed in their classroom and the person who provided me with this recording is our classroom teacher."
"What? How is that even possible?"
"In this school you can buy everything with points, I wanted to check the reality of this system and this video confirms to me that indeed, you can buy everything with points."
"I don't believe it..."
She continued to watch the video however noticing its length she understood that it was useless to go further.
"Why show me this?"
"First of all, it's to give you concrete proof of the difference between this school and a normal school. You who were so convinced that they wouldn't dare to do certain things."
"Tss..."
Her ego was hitting her hard, it was difficult for her to admit that she was starting to have doubts.
"On a second note, this is to tell you about the C class. We've analyzed the whole video and it turns out that their class is a dictatorship."
"A ... dictatorship?"
"Their leader uses force to gain control of the class, I'll show you what I'm getting at later, just remember that their leader is a violent man."
"How is that possible within this school?"
"Just like in society, if you get assaulted, your attacker will only be prosecuted and punished if you decide to press charges."
"In other words, he intimidates them to the point where they don't talk."
"It's a theory, we can't completely guarantee you that their system works that way, simply our observations allow us to at least say that this person runs the class through violence."
"So what? What does that have to do with us?"
"If he leads his class by violence, it is because violence is his strength, he is proud of his physical power. He will use this same strength to beat the other classes as soon as the other classes become his enemies. If he uses violence to attack us, we may have to use violence to at least defend ourselves. We will need powerful people like Ken Sudou to protect us."
"Don't you think you're overthinking this a little? This school is one of the most heavily guarded institutions I know of."
"He was able to use his strength to silence his entire class, do you think he won't be able to use it to manipulate students in other classes?"
"That's..."
Horikita didn't know what to answer, in order to avoid a scenario again in which her ego pushes her out of the discussion, Sora continued the conversation right away.
"I am telling you these details just to show you an example of how useful someone like Sudou can be. Now I would like to tell you something else. I would like you to help us convince Sudou to help us unite the class."
She immediately looked at him with an irritated expression.
" Have you not understood everything I've told you so far?"
"Yes, I know very well that you don't want to waste your time helping losers, that's why I called you. If you decide to help us execute a certain plan today, I'll make sure they don't give you any more trouble in your journey."
"How will you do that?"
"I would take it upon myself to direct them to the right path."
"Why don't you do it today?"
"Because of time constraints, the more they continue to disrespect the rules, the more class points we lose."
"I don't understand why you think I would be useful to your plan? I have no connection with Sudou Ken."
"To be honest, there is a very strong connection between you."
"What? Do you want me to hit you?"
"I'm serious. After seeing him play for the past few days, I am convinced that Sudou dreams of becoming a professional athlete, he doesn't play basketball just to pass the time, he has a real passion for it. Just like you do to surpass that person you didn't name."
Horikita's reaction changed when he heard Sora talk about that certain person who was her brother. Sora knew that her brother was her weak point.
"I still don't see a connection between us."
"As long as you stay in class D, both you and Sudou will never achieve your respective goals. And the only way to move up from D class to A class is to face the other classes as one."
"Why don't you tell Sudou all this?"
"You have many reasons to follow the rules and stick to your guns, but Sudou, who doesn't realize it yet, has none. We will give him reasons to comply."
Horikita thought about this for a few moments, but a person as stubborn as she was could not give in to such arguments so simply. She was convinced that dealing with disruptive students was a waste of time.
"You're offering to help me today to deal with them so I don't have to do it the rest of the year because you're going to do it right?"
"Precisely."
"I'm sorry but I have a better solution, both you and your sister are good students who will help us push the class up so I'd hate to see you waste time with students like them."
"Meaning?"
"I will let them dig their hole during this month of April, the majority of the class hardly talks to them anymore, I am sure they are at their wits end mentally. All it takes is for them to do one too many stupid things and an expulsion will happen."
"So you want to let them drown in their problems until they disappear from the school?"
"Precisely, in the end they'll only face the consequences of their actions. That will teach them."
"You won't make it up there without making allies you know."
"I don't cause anyone any trouble and I'm a good student, whether it's my grades or my behavior, people might not want to befriend me but they'll recognize that I'm a good fit for the class. I'll know how to work with those who want to make an effort."
"If you always have to rely on other people's goodwill to get ahead, you will be dependent on their choices, that will be a huge weakness."
"The people who came to this school all want to build a future, don't let a few troublemakers tell you otherwise, you're overthinking it Sora-kun. You should accept the fact that some people don't deserve to be here and put your energy and ideas forward for those who are worth it."
Horikita decided to get up and leave, no longer finding any use in this conversation. Sora sighed and the two continued to watch the game.
"She doesn't break easily."
Shiro replied.
"It seems so. I can't believe it's come to this."
Sora added.
They watched the rest of the game in silence, then decided to enjoy the evening playing the console until the next day's classes arrived.
.
.
.
Everyone was present except for teacher Chabashira-sensei. Sora and Shiro arrived last. Sora walked to the middle of the class and then turned his gaze to Horikita.
"Hahh. It's that Horikita-san again, say Shiro don't you want to change places with me? I wouldn't like to stand next to such a silly girl."
Surprised looks were directed towards Sora, even Shiro looked at him, she didn't expect such words but kept her calm, thinking that her brother had a plan.
"Those are the rules, Nii."
"Sometimes I wonder if these rules are useful my little sister, look at Sudou, he's a fine idiot who never abides by them yet he's still with us. This school really accepts anyone."
Some students started talking among themselves, not being able to believe what Sora was saying. Sudou slammed his hands on his table and stood up with a gloomy look on his face.
" Say that again ?!"
"It's true isn't it?! You're just an idiot who doesn't even know how to behave in society. If the school took a moron like you, it must really accept anyone!"
"You bastard...!"
He left his chair and approached Sora with his fists clenched. Shiro started to panic and decided to stand in front of his brother so that Sudou wouldn't get any closer.
"To tell you the truth you would make a great pair with the other stupid one over there, you are both stubborn idiots who don't think about others and only think about themselves! The class would be much better off without you!"
Sora shouted while pointing at Horikita. Seeing Sudou approaching at full speed, Kushida decided to take Shiro in her arms and pull her away, even though she resisted. Sudou couldn't help but drive his punch into Sora's face who fell to the ground.
"Sudou-kun!"
Hirata got up from his chair and shouted at Sudou.
"What's wrong with you? Do you want me to hit you too? You think I'm going to let that idiot talk to me like that?!"
Sudou shouted. Hirata gritted his teeth and wanted to approach Sudou but his intervention was interrupted by that of Chabashira-sensei who had arrived in the classroom and was witnessing an injured Sora on the ground and Sudou with his fist in the air.
"What the hell is this?"
Sudou's anger and tension only rose, not only had he been insulted but the teacher was now witnessing the act of violence he had displayed.
"I can't take this school anymore, I can't take it anymore! Damn it!"
Sudou walked to his desk thinking that everything was over for him. He kicked his chair and decided to pick up his bag and leave. Chabashira-sensei blocked his way out.
"First of all I want to understand what happened."
She asked Sudou who did not answer and looked at the ground. She sighed and turned to the class.
" Is any of you going to tell me what happened? Sora?"
Sora looked towards the floor, rubbing his cheek.
"It's..."
A student named Karuizawa Kei, who in the meantime had become Hirata's girlfriend, raised her hand.
"Sudou hit Sora, sensei."
Chabashira-sensei looked around the class.
"Is that true everyone?"
Students nodded shyly from all sides. Sudou continued to grit his teeth. He was strongly restraining himself from pushing the teacher and leaving.
"Why, Sudou?"
For a manly person like Sudou, it was inconceivable to snitch on what had happened to the teacher, for him it was a story to be settled between men, he refused to play the role of the snitch.
"Can someone explain the whole story to me, yes or no? Karuizawa?"
The class was suddenly silent, eyes were on Kei, who scratched the back of her head and spoke awkwardly.
"Well... I'm not sure... we were all doing our own thing so we didn't see the whole scene... did we everyone?"
Kei looked at the rest of the class, some were avoiding her gaze and others were nodding. At that very moment, there was an example of the real feelings of the class. They were ready to defend Sora by denouncing Sudou but they did not want to denounce Sora's words. Because they did not want Sora to be punished. Simply because Sora had only said out loud what most people were thinking.
Chabashira sensei then decided to turn his gaze to Sudou's friends.
"Ike? Yamauchi? Did you see something?"
All eyes turned to them, the two didn't know what to do. They cared about their friend but faced with the incessant stares from the class they were hesitant to say anything, if they spilled the beans here then no one would talk to them for the rest of the year. Moreover, the fact that Sudou himself did not say anything did not motivate them to speak for him, they decided to remain silent, ignoring the teacher's question.
The teacher sighed and looked at Sudou.
"Sudou, if you don't tell me what happened, then I will be forced to punish only you..."
Sudou gritted his teeth, in his head his high school life was already ruined so he decided that nothing was worth it anymore and he just wanted to get it over with as soon as possible. He didn't answer the teacher.
"In that case... follow me, Sudou."
The teacher opened the classroom door and was about to leave, however...
"Wait!"
Hearing someone call her name, the teacher turned back to the classroom, moreover the students themselves turned their heads in the direction of the voice.
"I saw everything."
It was Horikita Suzune who stood up to defend Sudou. Some students looked at her with irritation but she decided to ignore them and continued to look in the teacher's direction. Sudou looked at her with a very surprised look, the whole class was against him so to see a person like her defending him, she who didn't seem to like him very much, was a nice surprise.
"Ken Sudou hit Sora-kun because Sora-kun publicly called him an idiot."
She explained simply. Chabashira-sensei looked at Sora with a surprised look, she didn't know what he had in mind but she knew he wasn't that dumb.
"I see, in that case, Sora and Sudou, I'll have to write a report on you two to the Student Council. You will be judged."
Sora who was on the floor until now decided to stand up slowly. Now that his pain was gone, he decided to speak up.
"Sensei, I don't consider Sudou's act as an act of violence, we were just joking."
Sora's words surprised everyone, including Sudou who looked at him with a startled expression. Chabashira-sensei had a small smile on her face.
"If you don't have any concerns to report to the administration about Sudou then there will be no report about him. However, does Sudou feel the same way?"
This time she looked towards Sudou, who didn't know what to answer. If he answered that Sora had indeed insulted him then Sora could very well correct himself and say that Sudou had hit him. He knew why Sora had said that publicly, he had said publicly that Sudou had not done anything to him because he wanted to send a message to Sudou. He wanted to tell Sudou that he wasn't going to report it to the administration if Sudou didn't report it either.
Sudou, who clearly didn't want to report him, was happy to see that there was a way out without consequences.
"We were only joking."
He said in a small voice, filled with some regret, he knew that if he refused to blame Sora then he was making Horikita look like a liar, however he had no choice. He couldn't take the chance of being expelled when he had a way out.
"In that case, return to your seats, the class will begin."
They each returned to their seats, Shiro who was more relaxed breathed again and walked behind Sora, Kushida also returned to her desk.
"Sorry Horikita-san, our little joke was misinterpreted, I do however appreciate your honesty towards your classmate, it's very kind of you!"
It was Sora who publicly apologized to Horikita, he had done so in order to protect Horikita's reputation. She was not supposed to look like a liar in the eyes of the teacher and the few students who were not involved in the situation.
Because indeed this whole situation was planned by Sora and the majority of the class was involved.
The class went on as normal and nothing much happened for the next few hours, until the lunch break. Kushida and Hirata headed to Sora's desk.
"Sora-kun, can we talk to you?"
Sora who was half eating nodded and the three of them headed down the corridors, until they found a quiet space at some stairs.
"What is it?"
Sora asked with food in his mouth, Kushida and Hirata looked rather irritated.
"What the hell was that?! We helped you set up the scene but we didn't expect that!"
"Oh yeah? Well, everything went well."
He continued to eat.
"We told the whole class that we had to be on your side today and defend you to the very end, we even explained to them that all this was planned and discussed in order to unite the class, we just didn't expect this!"
Hirata insisted.
"Yes, we thought you were going to make a speech or create a debate to stir things up, but create a fight? Besides, you were clearly at fault, so how can you ask us to defend you when you were at fault?"
Kushida added.
"Sora-kun, I even asked Kei to play the role of the person who would defend you, because she was curious about this project, simply... you made Kei look like a liar, I don't like that."
Sora watched them, obviously ignoring their questions wasn't going to be to his advantage, Sora knew that both Hirata and Kushida were people with strong morals, therefore he knew that the best thing was to give them an explanation.
"If I did it, it was instead to rally Sudou and Horikita to the class."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"To begin with, I insulted Sudou and Horikita in order to make everyone understand how selfish the two of them were in their ways. Insulting them had two purposes: to tell them the truth in person and to make them the two enemies of the class. I knew that provoking Sudou was simple, insulting him in front of a whole class was the easiest way to make him violent and make him hit me. The reason I did it was to trap him."
"Trap him? But that's horrible!"
Kushida couldn't help speaking up, but Sora ignored her.
"Chabashira-sensei arrives every day at a specific time. With good timing, I could make Sudou hit me just before she arrived. Therefore Chabashira-sensei was witnessing the fact that I was on the floor and that Sudou was in front of me, so all it took was a testimony in my favor to create huge problems for Sudou."
"Kei didn't know about the plan, simply she knew that at some point she had to defend you, when she saw Chabashira-sensei asking for testimonies in your favor, she knew that it was the right time."
Hirata pointed out. Basically it was a role that Hirata had to take on, however Sora had understood that somehow Kei had gotten involved and asked to do it, although he didn't know precisely why.
"I still don't understand the logic of this plan, all you did was create huge trouble! For what purpose though?"
Kushida was confused, she still didn't see the point of it all, not only had Sora made Kei and Horikita look like liars, but he had created more problems for Sudou and lowered his reputation with the class.
"The class hates Sudou, they are all pretty much convinced of the existence of the S-system so they know how much Sudou is costing them points for the rankings in May. I was confident that they would all more or less agree that Sudou was an idiot and I was certain that they would not like the way Sudou responded to the truth with violence. It was then obvious that they would not take Sudou's side when it came to smearing me as the triggerman of the provocation. Kei's refusal to rat on me was an added force in my favor, if Kei wasn't going to rat on me then neither were her friends. That put one part of the class in my side so the rest of the class who didn't like Sudou would easily ally with me too. The majority of the class knew that today something was going to happen but they didn't know much about it so the safest thing to do for them was to do like Kei and not say anything. No one was going to intervene at that time without knowing what the plan was, they wouldn't risk ruining it."
Sora continued his explanation as if he had planned everything.
"What about the students we don't have contact with? We told you that we couldn't communicate with the whole class yet."
"In a situation where no one says anything in class, it was obvious that those who were in their corners were clearly not going to draw attention to themselves by wanting to defend a violent student who was only causing them trouble. I also asked you not to say anything to Ike and Yamauchi because I knew that they would crack under the pressure. Ike and Yamauchi feel strong as long as Sudou is on their side except that here they had to make a decision on their own and they clearly didn't have the ability to do so."
"So we come to Horikita..."
Hirata was beginning to understand.
"Precisely. Horikita was the only remaining student who didn't submit to class pressure and had principles, even though she was the first to hate Sudou, I was sure that a person like her would never let such an injustice take place. Especially since she had enough evidence to understand that this was all a setup, all the more reason for her not to keep quiet."
"You did all this because you wanted... Horikita to defend Sudou-kun?"
"Precisely. She was the only one capable of defending him in such a situation. Kushida. Hirata. You said I made Sudou's situation worse, but I did the opposite. Sudou was already hated by the whole class, which was one of the reasons he didn't want to make an effort, because he wasn't welcome. It didn't make sense to make efforts to help people who didn't like us."
"So you wanted to push Horikita to defend him to make him understand that he was not alone..."
Kushida had understood Sora's plan.
"Don't you think he will eventually realize that she doesn't care for him?"
Hirata asked worriedly.
"No I don't think so."
Sora smiled but didn't elaborate further, Hirata didn't insist, he already had some ideas himself of how the situation would unfold.
"By the way Hirata, tell Kei that within a short time her reputation will be restored."
"Sora, if you're still going to make one of your foolish plans, I can't..."
"Nothing of the sort. I promise you. I won't jeopardize her reputation, I promise, it will all be over soon."
Hirata sighed, Kei's reputation wasn't that tainted but she still couldn't leave that image of a liar in people's minds. Sora knew that and would soon fix it, it was obvious that someone like Kei who was friends with many girls in the class shouldn't risk her reputation, it would destroy the unity of the class.
"And so what do we do now?"
Kushida asked curiously.
"Tomorrow I'll go apologize to Sudou."
"Is that a good idea? You're probably his worst enemy right now."
"Trust me!"
Kushida and Hirata sighed, Sora always gave them lots of explanations and then ended up giving them vague answers. They were swimming in doubt and didn't know if they could continue to support him in his foolish plans.
"Sora-kun. I've talked it over with Hirata-kun. We have decided to support you until the results arrive in May, however..."
"If the results turn out to be negative, we won't be able to offer you any support."
"We're already having trouble accepting your current plans, you say it's for the good of the class but..."
"A fight... false accusations... you went too far."
Sora continued to smile, it was normal that his way of doing things didn't fit with their morals. He had expected this.
"You're right, I guess this ranking thing has gone to my head. I'm sorry! I will do better!"
He apologized, not really meaning his words. He just wanted to tell them what they wanted to hear.
"In that case..."
They both greeted him and decided to leave to eat in turn.
Shiro who was further away approached Sora. She looked at him for a long time and Sora looked at her too. Suddenly they jumped onto each other and hugged a lot while crying.
"Nii, it was too hard to see! Never again!"
Shiro cried out in tears.
"Sorry my little sister, your brother will never expose you to this kind of cruelty again!"
He apologized in tears.
Shiro didn't know about the plan but she knew that her brother didn't react like this by coincidence, she knew he had a plan but didn't know what it was.
Sora had decided not to tell her because he needed to push Shiro to react as naturally as possible. Shiro was not a good actress so the best way to make her believable was to keep her in the dark. Therefore the emotions she showed were her genuine emotions.
After the two of them calmed down, Shiro decided to sit next to Sora.
"Say Shiro, do you think in this world we can successfully beat others without tricks?"
"If you were to run a race in which the first person to run 5 laps of the field wins and your opponent cheats by going through the middle of the field to shorten the distance, you will never be able to win."
"Right."
Sora completely agreed. That was the reason why Kushida and Hirata's words made no sense to him. He had promised them that he wouldn't do any more shenanigans, but that simply meant that he wouldn't expose his plans publicly.
It was impossible to win in such a system without messing with the rules.
In video games, Sora and Shiro hated cheating. They thought it was ridiculous. But that didn't mean they didn't abuse the systems and loopholes they found in every game. Because a loophole was a developer's mistake, therefore it was not the player's fault if he exploited it.
In the same way, if people were able to dominate a class through violence in this school, it was because there were flaws in the administration system that the students exploited. It was the school's fault.
Finding the loopholes, using them, strategizing, that was the whole hidden world of this school that Kushida and Hirata did not understand. That most people didn't understand.
But it didn't matter. Sora and Shiro were going to take on that role, so that their class could move forward and they could move up to Class A.
"Yesterday, you had told Horikita-tan that Sudou needed reasons to help the class."
"Yes and?"
Sora resumed his eating.
"Sudou still didn't have reasons to help Horikita yesterday, so even if you had convinced her to talk to him, it would have been useless. So your plan wouldn't have worked unless you knew in advance that Horikita-tan wasn't going to be convinced."
"Interesting, continue my little sister."
"So yesterday's conversation was just to tell Horikita-tan how Sudou was useful to the class."
"Bingo!"
Shiro had immediately filled in the logical holes that had formed in her head since yesterday. Her reasoning skills allowed her to see subtleties in Sora's plans that no one else could see.
"Now let's see how things play out."
.
.
.
Horikita was eating at her table when Sudou approached, he had his hand behind his neck and looked embarrassed.
"What do you want?"
Horikita asked him, her tone as icy as usual.
"Why did you help me?"
Sudou asked her in an equally icy tone, though a slight embarrassment could be heard in his voice.
"Funny question."
She replied.
"I know very well that you don't like me so why? You could have taken the opportunity to get rid of me."
Sudou asked with a laugh, a laugh for no reason, which only showed more of another side of Ken Sudou's character, a softer nature.
Horikita looked at him for long seconds. The reason she had helped him was purely personal. It was a matter of pride. If she wanted to follow in her older brother's footsteps then she couldn't afford to remain silent in the face of such injustice. She was convinced that her older brother would have done the same thing, he was a righteous man, who she could not dishonor.
"Tell me Sudou, do you have any players who inspire you in basketball?
Sudou was surprised, the question came out of nowhere.
"Well, yes of course..."
"I also have someone who inspires me, someone I definitely want to make proud. That's the reason why I give so much of myself in this school."
"Look..."
"That's why!"
Horikita interrupted him.
"That's why I understand you, you want to reach your dreams, I want to reach mine. I know that you don't believe yet that there is a hidden system at this school and I don't have any proof to bring to you at the moment. Simply, Sudou, I ask you to trust me."
Horikita continued. Once she had made the decision to defend him she could not go back, it would be stupid of her to defend him and then continue hating him, so she decided to give him a chance, just one.
She had no proof of the existence of the hidden system, but she knew that Sudou had to feel indebted to her, in Sudou's eyes it was a matter of pride. If she had decided to stand up to the class to defend him, then he could make an effort too.
He sighed and looked towards the ceiling.
"All right, all right. I'm going to trust you. What can I do?"
"I'd like you and your group of friends to be exemplary during the two and a half weeks left before May. No talking, no sleeping in class, make an effort to listen carefully and take notes."
Sudou sighed.
"Okay I agree, on one condition!"
"Hm? That's bold."
Sudou smiled and asked her.
"I would like to be able to call you Suzune if it works!"
Horikita became slightly irritated but eventually sighed, she couldn't understand the point of this request and found it slightly out of place.
"If I see positive results after two and a half weeks, I will allow you to call me by my first name. Be careful, I'll be watching you."
Sudou suddenly felt a surge of motivation.
"Yosh! Deal?"
He held out his hand to her. Horikita looked at it for a few seconds and sighed before shaking it.
"Deal."
"Well I'm off, I have to eat with Ike and Yamauchi!"
He said with a big smile on his face before taking his bag and leaving.
"It was that simple, hm?"
Horikita muttered to herself. She in turn decided to go and sort something out, the last thing left to settle in order to put this story behind her.
She left the classroom and wandered down the hallways until she found them. The two young gamers eating at the stairs. She stood in front of Sora who stopped chewing, a feeling of discomfort enveloping his body.
"Get up."
Horikita asked him with a threatening look. He looked at Shiro and didn't know what to do, but Horikita's icy stare quickly changed his mind. He stood up, swallowing what food he had left, continuing to stare at her, anxious.
Horikita gave him a nice punch in the belly that almost made him spit out all his food, fortunately it hadn't happened. She put her hands on her hips and sighed.
"I'm not naive, I know very well why you did all that in the classroom."
She replied, showing that she understood Sora's goal, even if she didn't understand his entire plan.
"Then w-what was that punch for?!"
Sora said half-heartedly as he coughed, wrapping his arms around his stomach.
"That was for calling me an idiot. Now we're even."
"I see... Ouch..."
Sora was having a hard time talking, for someone like him who never exercised, a sporty person like Horikita was hard to take, plus she was the second person to hit him today.
"I talked to Sudou. He agreed to trust me."
A smile appeared on Sora's face as he looked at Horikita, one hand still resting on his stomach.
"All's well that ends well then?"
"You played with my morals to get me to react, I don't like that."
"You're overestimating me, I just wanted to vent my frustration."
"You think I'm stupid enough to believe you? Should I hit you again?"
"Uh... no ma'am."
Sora replied in a robotic voice.
"At least it showed me that you're just as motivated as I am to get into class A Sora-kun. That's the main reason why I don't hold it against you. You're quite useful."
Horikita was almost talking to him as if he was an object, it was probably her way of taking revenge on the insults she had received, Sora thought.
" Then prepare yourself, because the most dangerous part is coming soon."
Sora answered her with his arrogant smile. Indeed, all this was just a bunch of preparations, when the system was going to be announced to all the new students, that's when the real war will start.
"I am more ready than ever."
Horikita closed her eyes and replied with a confident look. Without saying another word, she turned to the other side and went to finish her meal.
"That turned out better than I thought."
Shiro replied.
"Yeah, I expected more severity from her, it seems she has a pretty easy time swallowing her negative feelings when they don't benefit her. I underestimated her."
"I understand better why you want to make her a leader."
Shiro added. Sora laughed and put his hand on Shiro's head. With a confident look, he replied.
"Yosh, let's wait for the game to start now."
The two gamers were excited. The preparations were over. From now on, the whole school would witness the genius strategist that is Blank.
A/N : 6.4k words ! Ain't that cool ? I really wanted to cover the whole final of this Sudou situation in one go. I hope you enjoyed Sora's small manipulation trick to get Sudou and Horikita to be closer. At first I was going to make Sora convince Horikita through words but that seemed too simple ? It's something that Ayanokouji did in the main volume but I didn't find it effective and found it kinda forcing.
So I decided to give actual reasons to Horikita's change of heart, by playing with her morals. Also wanted to have fun pushing Sudou to the edge only to give him the more reasons to like Horikita for what she did for him, ain't she cool in this version ?!
Either way, the reason why Kei got involved will be explained later on. One thing I'd like you to keep in mind is that next chapter we will have the CLASS RESULTS !
Which also will make the first volume basically end ! It took me 17 chapters but that was the most natural way I found to unify the class. At first I wanted to have several little arcs of different students that Sora and Shiro had to bring to the class unity but that'd be too long and boring I think ? It would be too many arcs within one. So I decided to simply focus on Sudou and Horikita.
What did you think of this scenario ? Of course Sora is capable of much greater manipulating tricks, plus he didn't even play with Shiro here, the reason is that from Sora's perspective this was too easy to handle and far off from his real abilities.
Either way I hope you still enjoyed it.
Do you like Sora's lengthy explanations ? Do you find them logical ? Should I detail them further ? I always have all details covered so I do wonder if I should explain all the details fully.
I'd like for you to answer me through reviews if you feel like doing so ! Either way I hope the read was enjoyable !