'...': Writing
'...': Sign language
"...": Text to speech
We assembled in a cafe, except for Akito, who was headed off to his club. Hasabe started the conversation.
"So, what do you think is the truth behind that little farce between Yamauchi-kun and Sakayanagi-san earlier?"
"Can we call it a farce though?" Keisei asked.
"That's- I mean, right, Airi?"
"I... I think that was, umm, that..." Airi timidly said while blushing.
"Ehh? But I mean, wasn't that a bit sly?"
"Yeah, her gestures looked that way, but... like Keisei-kun said, maybe she's trying to investigate Class C so she can do something bad."
"What's that thing where you make someone think that."
"Kiyopon, Gumi-bear, and Yukimu~, what do you think? Do you think romance is a possibility?" Hasabe asked.
"I'm not very well-versed in that area. Please don't ask me that so many times," Keisei didn't want to talk about romance anymore.
Inevitably enough, Hasabe and Airi turned to Ayanokouji.
"Yamauchi and Sakayanagi haven't interacted until now; it's too abrupt. Isn't it too much to call it romance?"
"That's a rational opinion, Kiyopon. Romance does require a foundation, but it'd be a different case for someone like Hirata-kun. Of course, the same doesn't hold for Yamauchi-kun."
Air and Hasabe turned to me.
I shrugged.
Eventually, the topic changed from Yamauchi and Sakayanagi's romance to the situation in Class C.
"Ahh, speaking of Hirata-kun... He broke up with Karuizawa-san, right?"
"I'm not surprised, or maybe I should say I always thought they'd break up one day."
"Ehh, r-really?"
"You might call it appropriate for the boys' and girls' leaders to be a couple, but they don't go well together, do they? How should I put it? Hirata-kun seems like he'd appreciate a quiet, beautiful girl more."
"Karuizawa-san is also cute... Don't you think so, Kiyotaka-kun?" Airi asked Ayanokouji.
"I'm not sure. I've never really paid attention to Karuizawa, after all."
Why do I have a hard time believing that?
"Well, I suppose that's true~ Anyways, Karuizawa-san aside, the problem is that Hirata-kun is now free," Hasabe deliberately changed the topic back to Hirata.
"Quite a lot of girls in our class like Hirata-kun. I wonder what's going to happen."
"Really?"
"Ehh- You didn't notice? For example, Mii-chan likes him."
"Ahh... Now that you mention it, she looks over at Hirata-kun from time to time."
"Right, right?"
Keisei took out his notebook, perhaps because he'd grown tired of the romance talk, "I'll study."
"Ahh, it's almost our end-of-year exam... I just remembered something depressing."
"I need to come up with something for Haruka and the others to use," Hasabe lowered her head.
Chabashira did not provide any specific explanation about the end-of-year examination. Therefore, it can be assumed that it will be a written exam as usual. If a student fails the examination, they will be immediately expelled. This will likely be the case.
"Around when do we start up our study group?"
"Let's see... Let's start as soon as the practice test on the 15th is over. If we start there, we'll have roughly ten days until the end-of-year exam. We should be fine if we focus on past problems and trends."
"As expected of Yukimu~, perfect plan. I agree, I agree."
"Gumi-bear," Hasabe said, "Are you going to join our study group?"
I shook my head, causing Hasabe to pout.
"The last special exam of the school year will probably be held after the end-of-the-year exam in March."
"Last special exam of the school year... I see, the 1st year is almost over."
"A lot of things happened, but when it's all over, it seems like time flew by."
Airi and Hasabe both look back on the past year.
"It's still too early to be reminiscing. If you fail the end-of-school-year exam, it's expulsion for you. And it still depends on the contents of the special exam," Keisei brought them back to reality.
"Ahh," Hasabe noticed something.
She was with a group of boys and girls, all Class B students. They seem to be gathering for the same reason we are, but their expressions look tense. They seem to be trying to protect Ichinose from the rumors and criticism she is receiving.
However, Ichinose herself probably doesn't want to be in this situation. She's behaving normally, chatting with her friends and greeting people cheerfully as she goes along. But the fact that Kanzaki is absent is concerning.
As Ichinose's second-in-command, I imagine them frequently being together.
"Quite the problem now, isn't it?" Hasabe coldly said.
Haruka looked at Ichinose coldly.
"Weird rumors is what it seems to be. I don't know who's spreading them, but that's awful..."
"It's not that unusual. It went too far this time, but similar things happen occasionally, don't they? I guess that's the burden popular girls have to bear?"
"Really?" Airi looked perplexed, as though she had no idea about that.
"If Airi were the aggressive type like Ichinose, I'm sure there'd be people envious of you right now, though?"
It doesn't look like Airi can even imagine herself as the aggressive type.
"Well, isn't it best to not worry about it?"
I got up from my seat.
"Where are you going, Gumi-bear?"
'A walk.'
~Timeskip~
As I was going for my walk, I saw Kanzaki and Hashimoto talking. The conversation didn't seem friendly, and Hashimoto had a pleasant attitude, while Kanzaki had a severe expression.
What surprised me more was I saw the Ayanokouji group except for Keisei. They seemed to focus on the two and didn't notice me except for Ayanokouji. We made eye contact, and he shrugged his shoulders.
"Hey, Kanzaki. This thing going on with Ichinose... are you sure they're just rumors?" Hashimoto asked.
"What?"
"You can't have smoke without a fire. That's probably what most students are thinking," Hashimoto said.
"Rumors can create smoke without a fire as long as there's malicious intent."
Hashimoto leaned against the nearby wall, "Indeed. Rumors and fire are indeed entirely separate things."
"However, can you confidently tell me that Ichinose has no dark past, Kanzaki?"
"Approximately one year. That's how long I've been going through thick and thin together with Class B. That's why I'm certain."
"Oh, give it up, Kanzaki. Responses like that stink so much that I can't even look you in the eyes."
After saying so, Hashimoto dropped eye contact.
"Of course, I've also asked Ichinose directly."
"Hoh? And what did she say?"
"She said, ' I hope any of those rumors don't entrance you. Don't take them to heart.'"
"That is to say, she neither affirmed nor denied them?"
"That's right. That's why I decided to believe in her."
"Oi oi, are you being serious? How much of a softie can you be?"
Hashimoto let out a laugh of contempt before immediately continuing, "Not wanting to talk about your dark past is just a part of human nature. Just because you're friends doesn't guarantee that she told the truth. That's also why she didn't tell her classmates the truth. Or, are you saying that just because Ichinose is a good person now, she has to have been a good person in the past as well?"
Hashimoto tried to undermine Kanzaki's confidence, but he appeared unfazed. His eyes conveyed complete trust in Ichinose.
"You think she will tell you the truth because you're her right-hand man? How sweet of you."
Hashimoto doesn't mask his surprise at Kanzaki's blind faith.
"I didn't confront you to listen to something like this in the first place. I want the details of what you've been doing today."
"Then I'll tell you. I've been spreading rumors about Ichinose."
Hashimoto admitted to it.
"Hey, Kanzaki. You're a smart, caring guy. However, that's precisely why I suggest you avoid getting too involved in things like this. All you can do is blindly believe in the other person."
"In other words, you have no intention of retracting those rumors."
"Aren't you misunderstanding something here? There's no way to 'take back' rumors. Rumors flow from one way to the next, spreading out however they please. I just caught wind of them and helped pass them along."
"These last few days, I've thoroughly investigated you guys in Class A."
"And?"
"I determined that the source of the rumors all came from various students from the first-year Class A. Then, when we asked those people where they heard it, they would give vague responses like 'I don't remember' or 'I heard it from someone else.' Mighty, similar to the response that you gave me just now. What is the true meaning behind this? You should already understand, Hashimoto," Kanzaki said.
Someone had given instructions to everyone from Class A. I can only think of one person... Arisu.
"I'm sorry, Kanzaki, but I have no idea what you're talking about. If you don't mind, please explain it to me?"
"The rumors about Ichinose were almost certainly propagated by your Class A."
"Eh-"
"I don't intend on listening to your excuses. I didn't just ask first-years. I also consulted second and third-year students who claimed to have heard the rumors from you. If necessary, I can ask them to come out and confirm the facts in person."
"I see. So that's why you've been stalking me all day today as well."
"Was it Sakayanagi who gave you instructions to spread the rumors?"
"Uh, no?"
I made my way over to them, causing them to look in my direction.
"Kagurazaka..." Kanzaki said.
"Hey, Kagurazaka!" Hashimoto chirped, but my presence seemed to bother him.
I took a glance at Ayanokouji and his group. Akito seemed surprised to see me here but nodded.
"Gumi-bear..."
'You deny that Arisu is the source, after all... But I don't believe you. It's obvious that she's the one to give the instructions.'
"It almost seems like you're taking Kanzaki's side?"
I shrugged.
"Hashimoto, it's obvious... As Kagurazaka said, she's the only one who can give instructions to you guys in Class A other than Katsuragi," Kanzaki said.
"Who knows? I'm just the same as any other student. I heard these rumors from someone else. Even if you're so confident that the rumors were started by Class A, I still don't even know what you're talking about. Maybe it's the handiwork of Ryuuen, and he's just pretending to have retired?"
Kanzaki didn't have any proof that Arisu was behind this.
"So you've all blindly accepted a rumor which may or may not be the truth and spread it around?" Kanzaki asked.
"The world is overflowing with people doing that exact thing. It doesn't matter if it's true or not. If it's interesting, people will want to share it with others. Don't you think that, due to their experience, girls participate in things like that much more than guys do?"
While saying so, Hashimoto turned his gaze towards Hasabe and Airi.
"Well... I do like rumors, but..." Hasabe stopped.
"The sad thing is, the juicier a piece of gossip is, the more enthusiastic people are to discuss it. Think about it a little bit more objectively, Kanzaki. When you asked Ichinose, she didn't confirm or deny anything and isn't asking for help. Don't you think that's strange? If it's all just a lie, she would seek cooperation to catch the perpetrator instead."
"Ichinose hates..." I placed a hand on Kanzaki's shoulder.
'Continuing this would be useless... You can continue to press him and switch tactics, but he isn't going to admit it.'
Kanzaki stayed silent before looking at Hashimoto, who had a smirk. Kanzaki sighed and started walking away, "This conversation isn't over."
~Timeskip~
It was another day after school as I prepared to return to my dorm.
"Kagurazaka-kun," I turned to see Horikita with her bag, "I want to have that discussion."
Horikita's room
We were in Horikita's room, drinking tea.
"Tell me, Kagurazaka-kun," Horikita set her teacup down, "What happened with my brother?"
Great... I'm getting interrogated.
'Horokita, stop being afraid and ask your brother.'
"This isn't about me," she shot me a cold glare, "Why did you do it?"
She's proud of her brother, but she has an obsession problem. She can't continue following in his shadow.
'I wasn't helping your brother because I knew he would win the bet.'
Horikita furrowed her brow, looking at me with slight confusion, "Then why did you step in?"
'It would have been either you or Tachibana being targeted.'
"Why would he target me?"
For someone who thinks highly of themselves, she's not using her head well.
"Were you thinking of something rude?" Horikita glared.
I nodded, 'Use your head. Why would Nagumo target you?'
Horikita seemed to be thinking, "Because I'm his sister."
I nodded, 'Tachibana is a different story, though. She's the closest to Manabu, and she is his secretary.'
'I disregarded the idea that you would be a target because you may be Manabu's sister, but you aren't close.'
Horikita looked frustrated by the words, "It doesn't explain why you helped my brother."
'I'm trying to get your brother and Tachibana together.'
"What?!" She yelled and stood up.
'I already told Tachibana to invite me to the wedding.'
Horikita sat and cleared her throat, "I'm having a hard time believing that."
'It is one of the reasons.'
"What are the others?"
'Do you expect me to tell you?'
Horikita clicked her tongue and took a sip of her tea.
Ayanokouji's POV
When the clock showed five minutes until seven, I left, headed toward Horikita's room.
Almost as soon as I got off the elevator, Ichinose arrived in the elevator beside me.
"Ah! Good evening, Ayanokouji-kun."
I lightly raised my hand in response to her greeting.
"I'm sorry to intrude."
"Ahaha. But I'm also the one who's intruding upon you here, so it's fine."
After saying so, Ichinose took the lead as we went to Horikita's room and rang the doorbell. We immediately heard the lock on the door turning from the inside.
"Please come in."
We saw Kagurazaka sleeping on Horikita's bed as we entered the room. Horikita seemed annoyed by this, "He decided to nap."
But you didn't stop him...?
Kagurazaka's POV
I felt someone shaking me and opened my eyes to see Horikita with a severe expression. I stared back with a blank expression.
"I'm sorry for this scene with this idiot, Ichinose-san," Horikita apologized.
But you let me sleep on your bed.
"I'm sorry for asking to meet with you on a weekday night, Ichinose-san."
"But aren't you doing this out of consideration for me in the first place? You don't need to apologize."
The forced smile on Ichinose's face... the rumors are slowly getting to her.
"Though... If this goes on too late, it'll affect things tomorrow, so I hope you're not looking to chat for too long... To start things off, there have been various rumors about me recently."
"Yes. Do you know who has been spreading those rumors?" Without beating around the bush, Horikita directly asked Ichinose.
"I can't speak with certainty here, but if I had to guess, I'd say it's Sakayanagi-san."
It is Arisu...
"Sakayanagi-san... What makes you think it might be her?"
"Simply put, I guess it's because she declared war on Class B. Do I need to give you any other reason?"
What if one of those rumors were true? How did Arisu get the information? Unless... Ichinose told someone her secret.
"No. That reason alone is more than enough."
I'm not convinced because there's more to this story than what meets the eye. I know that Horikita won't pry any more profoundly.
"So she's circulating these baseless rumors, forcing you to bear responsibility for the damage?"
"Um... How do I put it..."
"Are you not going to deny the rumors?"
"Sorry, Horikita-san. I'm not able to tell you anything about that. Horikita-san, Ayanokouji-kun, and Kagurazaka-kum are friends, but you're still students from another class. We may be in a cooperative relationship right now, but sooner or later, we're destined to fight against each other."
"I don't mean to force you to say anything here, but you know that silence can be interpreted as though you're saying the rumors are true, right?"
"That's at the liberty of Horikita-san and everyone else to decide for themselves after hearing the rumors. However, I do not intend to give this matter excessive energy. Sakayanagi-san's strategy is to stir up Class B; I think the correct solution for dealing with it is to stay silent simply."
"I had thought to meet with Horikita-san today and tell you this so that you'd avoid carelessly getting involved. If I stay silent, yet the people around me start attracting more attention, the situation will take longer. Most importantly, there's no need for Class C to get involved with Sakayanagi-san to help me. I'll be fine."
Ichinose nodded firmly, her smile entirely unchanged.
"I understand that your will is strong. Anyone caught up in such despicable rumors would undoubtedly take damage from them, regardless of whether they're true. Nevertheless, you're not just thinking of yourself, but everyone around you."
"I am not that noble a person," looking a little embarrassed, Ichinose continued, "So, Horikita-san and the rest of Class C can continue doing things as usual. I will clean up my mess."
After saying this, Ichinose stood up.
"Do you know about what's been going on with Kanzaki and the others?"
"Kanzaki-kun?"
"A few days ago, he confronted Hashimoto from Class A and earnestly asked him to stop spreading the rumors. No, it may have gone past simply asking earnestly."
"I see... Kanzaki-kun is very gentle. I told him I was alright. I didn't think I needed to say anything more to him."
"It's probably not just Kanzaki-kun. Many of your classmates are probably struggling to find some way to help you, for your sake."
Even though this should've been the first time Horikita had heard of the situation with Kanzaki, her speculation should be accurate.
"Then I'll just have to go speak with my classmates again. If you don't mind, could we stop our conversation here?"
"Are you really okay with this?"
Just to be sure, Horikita asked Ichinose a final time.
"Of course," Ichinose answered without hesitation.
After she left, Horikita spoke, "I wonder if there's truly nothing we need to do."
"Well, it's hard to say," Ayanokouji said.
"What do you think I should do?" Horikita asked.
Ayanokouji and I exchanged a glance.
"You're asking for Kagurazaka's opinion, right?" Ayanokouji said.
"I'm asking both of you," Horikita said.
"In that case, you shouldn't do anything."
"For what reason?"
"If Sakayanagi is the source of the rumors like Ichinose says she is, getting involved in this situation may prompt her to set her sights on Class C."
'I don't think it doesn't matter if we get involved. Arisu would set her sights on us either way.'
"That makes sense..." Horikita muttered.
"It is possible that, sooner or later, our class will end up being targeted. But when that time comes, Class B's troublesome leader will also have been dealt with. That's something to be thankful for in its way."
"So you're saying it doesn't matter what happens to Ichinose-san? You're being quite cold-hearted."
"Cold-hearted? Isn't that a good term to describe how you acted when you first enrolled here? It's different when it comes to helping a classmate, but Ichinose is a student from another class. She's an opponent who we'll eventually have to fight and defeat. If she's defeated by someone else, as long as there's an upside for us, we don't have any reason to worry about it."
"We have a beneficial relationship with her. Until Sakayanagi-san and the others fall from Class A, getting into a one-on-one conflict with Class B-"
"Aren't you just being idealistic?"
"You should leave it alone."
"That... makes sense..."
I should leave.
Kagurazaka's room
There was a knock at the door. Getting up, I went to answer it. Opening the door, I wasn't expecting to see Tachibana with Manabu.
I walked back, and I heard the door close. Both of them entered my room and started looking around.
'You can sit. Do you want something to drink?'
They both sat at the table and asked for tea. After making the tea, I gave them their drinks.
"Thank you," Tachibana said.
Manabu nodded in appreciation, "I'm surprised you texted me first to talk, but it gave me a good reason to come over because I need to discuss something with you."
'We can start with your discussion, then.'
"Tachibana told me what happened," Manabu said, "I know you didn't want to attract Nagumo's attention, but you still stepped in. Why did you take the risk?"
'Tachibana already told you, right?'
Tachibana shyly nodded.
"You respect me, huh?"
'Don't get me wrong. There are other factors to consider.'
"You want our private points before we graduate so we could be in debt for you, right?" Manabu's eyes narrowed.
I waved a dismissive hand, 'At least half.'
'But did she not tell you?'
Manabu raised an eyebrow, "What? Was there more?"
I watched Tachibana's eyes widen slightly as she clenched her cup. A hint of pink started to appear on her face.
'I'm trying to get you and Tachibana together.'
Manabu seemed to understand what I was getting at, "Please don't try to force people together."
I'm hearing that you like her but can't convey your feelings to her.
"Enough about this topic," Manabu adjusted his glasses, "You wanted to talk to me about something."
'Is it true that you rejected Katsuragi and Ichinose from being part of the student council?'
Manabu and Tachibana started to seem severe, "Yes, we didn't want Nagumo to influence the first-years."
'But it failed... Ichinose managed to get onto the student council.'
"Yes, because of Nagumo."
Nagumo went behind Manabu's back and interacted with Ichinose.
I don't think it's possible that Nagumo would accept Ichinose unless she had to do something.
"You're thinking hard about something," Tachibana commented.
'Have you heard about rumors going around?'
"Why?"
'I have a theory... Ichinose told Nagumo something confidential. There's a chance that Nagumo and Arisu met secretly, and he gave away Ichinose's secret.'
"Meddling in other people's business, huh?" Manabu had a slight smile.