November 5th, Friday.
Haruka will be sleeping over at Airi's place tonight, while the guys of the Ayanokouji Group will go home.
"Your birthdays are so near to each other. I feel like we're celebrating once a week," said Akito.
"Your birthday's on the 13th of July, right, Akito?" I asked.
"Yep. I'm the outlier," he shrugged.
"It's my first time spendin' this many points in a short while. Not that I'm complainin' though, since it's for my friends," said Ken.
"It's fine. We're filthy rich, thanks to how much class points we have..." Akito laughed, almost sounding guilty.
After the third study session, the Ayanokouji Group decided to celebrate Haruka's birthday in Airi's room. We decided to splurge by ordering high-end restaurant food instead of going for homemade ones. Well, it's mostly because we didn't have that much time to prepare considering our current schedule.
"See ya', Kiyotaka."
"Let's talk about our plans for tomorrow in the chat later."
"Sure. See you tomorrow," I replied.
When the two of them left, I went inside my room and called a certain person.
"Hello? Ayanokouji?"
"Ah, Chabashira-sensei. I'm just here to check up on everything."
"Oh, about that. Rest assured. The chairman has done what you asked for. You can check their website right now. The changes were made without any issues, and all other devices except for the ones in this school have restricted access to that page."
"Alright. Just as planned," I replied. "What about him?"
"He just bought the information from me a little while ago... Well, at this point, I can't even tell if your timing is just perfect, or if you predicted him to buy it on this exact day."
"I just got lucky. I figured he'd make his move soon, anyway."
"Is that so? Well, it doesn't really matter. Just be sure to give me the date when the time comes. Sakuragaoka Academy's higher-ups weren't happy with how sudden the request was. But because of Chairman Sakayanagi's position and that school's relation to their former student, they can't just decline the request, even if they don't know the details."
"It's vague, but I'm surprised they didn't buy the reason. It's not like we were lying."
"Saying that it's 'vital for making a promising student like Kushida Kikyou overcome her past', wouldn't be enough."
"But they still accepted in the end. The higher-ups were most likely delighted with the fact that the chairman himself seemed to favor Kikyou. If someone like her becomes a prominent figure in this school, Sakuragaoka would gain more prestige."
"Exactly."
I figured that much. That's why I wasn't worried about the chairman's "request" getting declined.
"For now, I'm just glad they're being cooperative. This shouldn't last too long. We'll reach the climax soon, and after that, everything will be back to normal for that school," I said. "How about you, Sensei? Aren't you curious about what this plan entails?"
"Well, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious, but you don't have to worry about me doing anything unnecessary. If possible, you can tell me about it after everything's over."
"I'm grateful. It's nice to have one less person to worry about."
"We're on the same side. And it's the least I could do to help. Besides, even if I don't know the details of your plan, I can at least understand that the whole class will benefit in the long run if you succeed."
"I guess that's true."
The stage is nearly complete. Unless this is dealt with, I don't think I can move on to the next phase of my plan without unnecessary risks.
"By the way, it's not just her that's getting targeted. It seems like the existence of the ID holder has been found out."
"It was only a matter of time. The traitor must've leaked it."
"Student #1100, huh? Well, since he's just getting hunted, that means his identity is still unknown to the traitor."
"They probably think it's me."
"Not that it would make a difference even if it is you, right?"
"You overestimate me. Even I would give in if too much trouble piled up on me."
"Is that so? Then I guess I can't really blame you for stepping down."
If only things were that easy.
"Say, Ayanokouji... What do you plan to do with the traitor?"
"If they drop out or get expelled, the class will pay dearly. I won't let that happen if that's what you're worried about."
"I can't really deny that I'm worried about that. But as a teacher, it's not like I'm entirely enthusiastic about getting my student intentionally expelled."
"I guess you have a point."
"That said, I also don't plan on telling you what to do. If you deem the traitor's expulsion necessary, then you're free to do so. For your methods... Well, it's better if I don't have to get involved."
"I know. Don't worry."
After a brief silence, Chabashira-sensei sighed and ended the conversation.
"Alright. Do tell me if any changes occur. I'll do the same if anything happens on my end."
"Thank you for your cooperation."
"You sound like a tech support service employee."
"I get that a lot."
And then she hung up.
To be honest, I'm still impressed that the chairman managed to fulfill my request.
"I wonder what he'll ask of me in the future... Just thinking about it is giving me a headache..."
Anyway, the wild goose chase I've prepared should be over by now. It won't take too long before everything comes together for the finale.
Character Notes:
Name of Student: Kikuchi Eita
Class Representative: Horikita Suzune
Gender: Male
Birthday: May 7th
Height: 171 cm (5'6")
Hair Color: Platinum Silver
Eye Color: Vermilion
Year 1 Evaluation:
Academic Ability: C-
Intelligence: C
Decision-Making: C
Physical Ability: C
Cooperativeness: B
Personality: Kikuchi is an amiable and approachable person. He managed to make many friends because of this. He is also described as mature by most of his classmates, and some girls secretly admire him for this. A lot of the guys also ask for his advice when it comes to relationships due to his past relationship experience during middle school, which became known in his circle thanks to his friend, Onizuka Kiyoshi's blabbering. Most girls feel comfortable with him due to his nonchalance and relaxed demeanor around them.
Hobbies: Kikuchi generally keeps to himself as he likes to read classic Japanese novels-- a hobby he got from his grandfather. He started listening to rock music during middle school. He also likes teasing his friends, regardless if they are boys or girls.
Abilities: Despite his lack of academic and physical abilities, Kikuchi's intellect isn't to be underestimated. On a good day, he is able to read everyone's thought processes by simply observing their words and facial expressions. Kikuchi is also capable of complex thought processes with the condition of being very invested and interested in whatever he is thinking about. The condition of this ability is similar to Professor's memorization ability. His intelligence, decision-making skills, and tactical prowess can be on par with the likes of Ryuuen Kakeru or Katsuragi Kouhei if he takes things seriously. That said, even he isn't aware of his own potential yet.
Gallery:
(Kikuchi's looks are based on Nagisa Kaworu from Evangelion.)