Kapitel 19: Chapter 19: The Feud Between the Two
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(A/N: because powerstones have been reset every week, on this first day I will return to the same as before by uploading 1 chapter per day if you want to get a bonus chapter up to 2 bonus chapters like last week, you only need to give the power stone in this novel!)
As soon as they arrived at the palette, Karuizawa glared at Horikita and complained.
In this situation, Ayanokoji and I, Horikita, Hirata, Karuizawa, and Sudou and Kushida gathered. There was no time to spare before the club activities started, and the one who should be most anxious was soccer boy Hirata, but he continued to show a smile and remained calm. I wish I had this refreshing attitude if I were reborn.
Horikita started talking about the upcoming quiz. The teacher mentioned that only one or two students drop out each year. This means there is no complicated pattern, and it's simply a competition of academic abilities.
When Horikita conveyed this, Hirata was the first to understand.
Hirata: "If the reason for the quiz is not to check our academic abilities, there's only one meaning. The quiz results will affect the selection of pairs, right?"
However, Sudo next to him had a stern expression, showing that he was not catching up with the conversation.
Sudo: "... What do you mean, Horikita?"
Sudo whispered to Horikita. Perhaps he didn't directly ask her to keep the conversation from escalating. I thought he had become considerate... I ended up thinking that.
Horikita: "In simple terms, the quiz is the minimum requirement for clearing the semester."
Sudo: "I see, I thought so."
Jin: "You absolutely don't get it..."
Are you not getting it at all? Based on this discussion, it became clear that the rule is that "students who scored high and low in the quiz will form pairs." It seems to be for the sake of balance.
For example, if Horikita is 100 and Sudou is 0, it's Horikita and Sudo pair. If I am 50 and Ayakoji is 50, it's me and Ayakoji pair. Such results will be determined.
Horikita is aiming for Class C, which has lower academic abilities among the four classes. However, if there is a mistake or if they end up in Class A, it will be quite a tough match. As the time has come, I prepare to leave, but I have something to talk to Horikita about, so I decide to call her.
Jin: "Horikita, hey. I have something to discuss, is that okay?"
Horikita: "A discussion? What about?"
Because it's not suitable to talk here, I decided to ask what I wanted to know on the way back.
Jin: "I've been thinking about it for a while. Why are you and Kushida against each other? She's certainly suspicious, but..."
When I mentioned that, Horikita's expression became unusually stiff.
Horikita: "Where should I start?"
It seems she has no intention of talking, but I can sense that she will reveal something based on the flow.
Jin: "From the beginning, or rather, you and others have been unfriendly since the scouting mission..."
Our first contact with Kushida was on the bus, but we didn't talk. At that time, I thought she seemed to be the center of the class.
Horikita: "I first met her not on that bus where you were, but on the bus where you weren't. It's not that I didn't know, but I didn't remember."
Does she know that I was on that bus? But what bothers me is her way of saying it. It seems that Horikita knows something about Kushida's past. There seems to have been some contact in the past.
Horikita: "She and I went to the same middle school. We didn't think there would be someone from the same hometown in a different prefecture like this."
Well, I don't know. It's something only the two of them can understand.
Horikita: "I remembered her after the first-term study session. My middle school was a mammoth school with over 1000 students, and it's understandable that I don't remember, right?"
Don't remember? Isn't it more like not knowing... That's what bothers me, so I decided to ask Horikita.
Jin: "You don't seem to have many friends, and yet you not only don't know but also don't remember Kushida?"
There may be a bit of my sarcasm in it, but Horikita makes a slightly annoyed face and nods subtly.
Horikita: "Yes, that's right. I was in the third year of middle school, about to graduate, at the end of February. One day, a whole class was absent as a group."
It seems that there was an incident where a female student triggered the collapse of the class, and the situation did not recover until graduation.
Jin: "I see... So that's Kushida?"
Horikita: "Yes, probably. Right after the incident happened, there were students in the same class who talked about it. The classroom was a mess with a storm of slander on the blackboard and desks. Whether it's true or not, there were countless rumors circulating."
But the rumors disappeared in an instant, and no one mentioned it anymore. It's probably due to pressure from the school. If it gets touched by the media, it will be troublesome for the school's image.
Horikita: "If you were in her position, how would you cause the class to collapse? I shared this with Ayanokouji-kun, too."
I take a moment to think. And the answer that came out was this.
Jin: "Violence. Isn't that what people fear? Like that Ryuen guy. But based on what I've seen of Kushida so far, she doesn't seem to be good at violence..."
Causing the collapse of a whole class with a large number of people is incredible. Perhaps the reason why Hirata was assigned to Class D is something like that.
Horikita: "I see. The conclusion is still uncertain. However, I bear some responsibility for not facing the fact that we were hostile to each other until now. I intend to have a dialogue with Kushida. I will make her understand."
I never expected such words to come from Horikita. But going any further would probably lead to nothing.
Jin: "Okay, if Horikita says so, I won't pursue it."
Horikita: "Yes, I would appreciate it if you could do that."
What Kushida wants to do is erase Horikita, who knows her secrets, to hide her past. She probably wanted to reign as the idol-like figure in Class D, but she didn't expect Horikita to be there.
Horikita wants to have her on his side, but it's currently impossible. She would certainly be reliable if she were on her side, but as long as Horikita is there, it's safe to say that that will never happen.
Seriously, there are troublesome girls.
....
After school on the same day, the atmosphere in a certain classroom was unusually tense. The cause was evident – a sense of intimidation emanating from a man sitting on the C-class teacher's desk, looking down at his classmates.
Ryuen: "As I reflect on the past exams, there were several unnatural points. Whether it's on a deserted island or during the sports festival, there are people in Class D who think similarly to me."
The members of Class C were astonished. It was understandable; after all, there were no individuals publicly known to be similar to Ryuen.
Ryuen had been wondering about the smooth progress of things, and he reached the conclusion that there was a spy infiltrated into Class C.
Ryuen checked the mobile phones of all his classmates, finishing in about 20 minutes. For the spy, those few seconds of confirmation must have felt uneasy.
Ryuen: "I see, no suspicious records."
Ryuen had been noticing an invisible presence behind Horikita since the deserted island incident, but there was no confirmation of a mastermind. In fact, other classes were paying attention to Suzune Horikita.
Ryuen: "Actions speak louder than words; let me show you the evidence."
He played the audio file sent by X earlier. It was the recording of Ryuen discussing strategies with Class C.
Ryuen: "Heh, so you have no intention of revealing yourself, huh?"
If Ryuen pursued the file sent to him, he would eventually expose X from Class D.
Ryuen: "Now, let's get back to the point. We know there's a spy in this class. Moreover, X is contacting this class's spy while keeping his own existence hidden. I welcome the confession of the traitor even now. But this is the last chance. If you follow me, I'll bring you up to Class A. If you admit honestly here. But, you know?"
Ryuen descended from the lectern and made eye contact with each individual, though it felt more like addressing the entire class.
Ryuen: "Do you understand what it means to provoke me?"
One by one, he made eye contact. It was the quickest way for Ryuen to expose the traitor.
Finally, he walked up to a female student and stopped. Ryuen had been keeping an eye on her from the beginning.
Ryuen: "What's wrong? Can't make eye contact?"
??: "Ah... um... well..."
Her breathing became erratic, and her expression showed fear to the point of almost crying.
Ryuen: "Heh, it's you, right, Manabe? The spy in this class."
Most of the classmates had not caught up with the unexpected suspicion of a spy among them.
Ryuen: "Don't be scared; I already knew. You can't keep secrets with your personality, right?"
Ryuen brushed the hair covering Manabe's ears and touched her face. Manabe trembled as if in extreme cold.
Ryuen: "Sorry, I'll forgive you. So, let me hear it. The true identity of X, who manipulated you all to betray me."
Ryuen sharply focused his eyes on the other three friends of Manabe.
Ryuen: "A question. Do you understand the invitation from the one who gave you instructions?"
To that question, the three shook their heads, denying it.
Ryuen: "Then next, tell me the reason you betrayed me. Let me hear it."
Despite her fear, Manabe told Ryuen about the mistreatment that Horikita and the others received in Karuizawa. She revealed that she had seen Karuizawa being bullied, how Ryuen had noticed it, and the truth of those actions.
Ryuen: "Now, the crucial part begins. Was anyone there when you were bullying Karuizawa?"
To that question, Manabe and the others slowly opened their mouths.
Manabe: "At that time, we were seen... by the two from Class D, Yukimura and Ayanokoji."
The names of the two surfaced. Ryuen felt displeased at the too straightforward connection. If there was a mastermind, manipulating Horikita from the beginning was not the right approach. If the situation was this clear, there was no doubt that the final push was imminent.
To take further action, Ryuen sent a message to the person registered on his mobile phone.
Ryuen: "Who are you?"
...…
After the sixth-period homeroom, Chabashira-sensei immediately left the classroom.
Hirata: "I want to hold a strategy meeting for tomorrow's quiz after today's homeroom. First, Horikita-san, is that okay?"
Whether she was waiting for Hirata's statement or not, Horikita quietly stood up and leaped to the next seat. The unbeatable D-class duo, 'Hirata' and 'Horikita,' which had never seemed possible before. While Horikita had once accepted the gate opened by Hirata, she had never embraced it.
Always fighting alone and believing she could win, Horikita seemed to have reached the limit of fighting alone during the sports festival.
Horikita: "... First of all, I want to apologize for the disappointing results in the sports festival."
The entire class was unsettled as Horikita deeply bowed. Onodera, who had become distant from Horikita since the three-legged race, hastily tried to support her.
Onodera: "I-It's not just Horikita's fault, and it's not proper to bow down like that."
Certainly true. The two individuals named now were glaring at Sudo with frustration, but they couldn't argue.
Horikita: "At least I have very few points to be appreciated. However, I want to put in my full effort for the next quiz and final exam. I believe we need to fight together as a class to overcome this."
Hirata: "I can understand that, but do you have any strategies? Do you know how to choose pairs? "
Horikita: "No, the pair rule is almost like a solved problem. If handled well, it's possible to pair everyone in this class with their ideal partners."
Hirata, now acting as a support, received a signal and began writing the pair rule on the whiteboard.
Pair Rule:
When viewed across the entire class, the holders of the highest and lowest scores form a pair. Next, the second-highest and second-lowest performers, and so on.
Example: A student with 100 points is paired with a student with 0 points, a student with 99 points is paired with a student with 1 point, and a student with 50 points is paired with another student with 50 points.
Horikita: "This is the rule, simple, right? But exceptions can occur. So, to ensure a reliable pairing, I'll explain the strategy now."
Considering that there are many students with scores below 60, it's a reality that not everyone can have an ideal pair—high scorers paired together. Therefore, Horikita aims to stabilize this by forcibly pairing the top and bottom 10 students.
It seems that only the names of the 10 students listed now need to be written. Conversely, students with good grades must score 85 points or higher in the quiz to achieve a balanced result.
However, with this "forced pair" approach, getting a low score is not an option. While the probability is low, depending on the partner's performance, even scoring full marks may lead to disqualification.
Here lies the problem: the school's biggest free spirit, Koenji, and how he will respond to this situation is uncertain.
Horikita: "Koenji-kun, do you have any objections?"
Koenji: "There are none. It's a nonsense question. I naturally understand the test content."
Horikita: "Well then, can you guarantee that you'll score 80 points or higher?"
Koenji: "Who knows? That will depend on the test content."
If he intentionally scores 0 points, there's a potential risk of upsetting the balance. In other words, if a high-performing pair like Horikita and Koenji emerges, it could disrupt the balance, and that's what they want to avoid.
Koenji: "Carefully consider it, Girl."
It's a very Koenji-like response, but there's nothing more that can be done at the moment.
...…
The next day, the time for the quiz came quickly. The nominated class for the final exam was Class C, and first, they had to pass the first gate.
Chabashira: "Begin."
The quiz started with the signal. It wasn't just me who was surprised; the difficulty was too low, and even upper-grade elementary school students could probably solve most of the answers. However, this was a sweet trap. If one were to jump in carelessly, a disaster could occur.
The quiz ended without any issues, and the return date arrived the next day.
Chabashira: "Now, from here on, I will announce the pairs for the final exam."
The results were posted, and
Horikita-Sudo Pair
Hirata-Yamauchi Pair
Kushida-Honjo Pair
Yukimura-Tonogami Pair
Ayanokoji-Sato Maya Pair
Miyake-Hasebe Haruka Pair
Horagasaki - Chiaki MatsushitaPair
Ayanokoji, you're amazing.
I became paired with Matsushita, and by becoming a pair, she turned towards me and waved her hand shyly. Although they were classmates, the relationship had crossed a line, making me blush. As I timidly waved back, Matsushita smiled and winked at me.
Sigh... sexy.
As for Koenji, he apparently scored high and was paired with Okitani.
I glanced at Koenji, and he was smiling mysteriously with his arms crossed.
What does this guy really want?
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