Capítulo 9: Chapter 7 - Finale
That night Kamuro-san came over to my room for a visit. Strangely, she was still in uniform. It was a very unexpected visit so I was cautious of her, but none the less, I welcomed her. She took a seat on my bed then looked around my room.
"Hmm."
"What? You don't like my room?"
I asked her.
"No, it's not that. I know you said you like books and all, but.... This is too much."
What's too much? I looked around my room and my manga, light novel and foreign novels had filled up my shelves. There even some books piling up on the floor somewhere. Even on my bed, there was a light novel left open because she interrupted me while I was reading. There's no way this was too much. Back at the mansion I had an entire study, 1/3rd the size of the school's library dedicated to me, so this was really nothing.
"I don't get you."
".... Nevermind."
She closed her eyes and smiled as if she were giving up.
"Oh. That's right. I'm supposed to serve my guest some sort of beverage when they come."
I rushed to the kitchen and looked through my drawers and refrigerator. I groaned in disappointment as I realised that I didnt have any. And I forgot to buy the roasted green tea. My first visitor and i was going to leave a bad impression.
No. I wouldn't allow it. I just needed to grab something from a vending machine and be right back, right?
"Kamuro, I'm going out for a while. I'll be back in 5 minutes."
"W-wait-!"
As soon as I closed the door behind me I couldn't hear her anymore. I wore a blue hoodie over red soft tank top, with a pair of black high waisted leggings.
I took the stair case down. I felt like waiting for the elevator to come up from the first floor was a waste of time, so I ran down quickly.
As soon as I got to the lobby, I saw Ayanokoji quickly running into the corner. Out of sheer curiosity I followed him. I would get the drink as soon as i found out what he was doing. Lucky for me, the direction in which he was headed had a vending machine there so there was no need for me to stay hidden.
As I got closer, he turned his head to face mine.
"Tatsumaki-san?"
He asked. He probably couldn't make me out because my hood was over my head and it was dark. So I removed my hood and let him see my face.
"Yo!"
I said. He then put his finger to his lips, signalling for me to be quiet, then he beckoned me over with a wave of his hand. I was curious so I went. As I got closer I could hear voices.
"Niisan, I'm different from the useless me that you know. I've come here to catch up to you."
It was Horikita's voice. And it seemed like she was talking to someone. Niisan? She had a brother in this school? There was only one person I could think of that could be her brother and even I wouldn't believe that they were related.
"Catch up to me, huh."
I came closer and took a look from the edge. Sadly I was right. The student there was the Student Council President, Horikita Manabu.
"I heard that you are in Class D; it doesn't seem like anything's changed in the last 3 years. Because you've always been looking at my back, you've never been able to see your own flaws. Choosing to come to this school was another one of your mistakes."
"That's- That's wrong. I'm going to rise up to class A. And then-"
"That's impossible. You'll never reach Class A. Rather, your class will crumble before that. This school isn't as easy as you think it is."
"I will absolutely, absolutely reach class A..."
"I already said it's impossible. You're a really unreasonable younger sister."
The student council president took a step forward. With no expression whatsoever, he grabbed his little sister's wrist and pinned her against the wall.
"No matter how much I avoided you, you are still my younger sister. If people start to learn about you, it is me who will be disgraced. Leave this school immediately."
"N-no... tsu. I will, I will absolutely rise up to class A....!"
"Foolish, really. Do you want to relive the painful experiences in the past?"
Painful experiences? He's been bullying her? Oh oh oh, I believe as a student I am supposed to report such issues. But this issue can be said to be a lie without any conclusive proof. Luckily we were all given phones that could take videos.
I jabbed Ayanokoji in the stomach, signalling for him to go do something. He looked at me as if he were saying, 'I know, I know'
"Nii-san- I will-"
"You have neither the lower nor the qualifications yo aim for class A. Understand that."
The Council president drew forward, about take action and that's when Ayanokoji stepped in, grabbing his right arm.
I then took out my phone and begun recording every single moment of it.
"-What? Who are you?"
"A-ayanokoji-kun!?"
"You were going to drive that in, werent you? Just because you're siblings doesn't mean you can do anything you want."
"Its not admirable to eavesdrop."
"Just let go of her hand."
"That's what I should be saying."
I felt like squealing at that moment. This was like a shounen manga where the MC came in the nick of time to save the female protagonist. The dialogue alone sounded like a prelude to an epic fight. I was anticipating some good stuff from these two.
"Stop, Ayanokoji-kun...."
Horikita looked so weak and defenseless. That was good stuff so I made sure to get a good look at her.
Ayanokoji let go of the student council president's arm and at the moment, a quick backhand was sent flying towards Ayanokoji's face. He leaned backwards, avoiding the blow, even after he dodged that, a sharp kick was thrown at him. Ayanokoji couldn't make it in time so the impact landed. Strangely enough he was still standing.
*sigh*
All that talk about his physical prowess was no joke. I was certain a kick like that would knock me out. Just what kind of monster is he.
The president looked confused, but he let out a breath and extended his right arm towards Ayanokoji. He slapped away the arm with his left hand.
"Good reflexes. I didnt think you would about every single one. You also understood what I was trying to do. Were you taught in some way?"
The president stopped his assaults and asked.
"Yea, Piano and Calligraphy."
"Are you also in class D? What a unique boy. Suzune. I'm surprised you have a friend."
"He's... he's not my friend. He's only a classmate."
She denied his words
"As always, you're mistaking solitude with isolation. And you, Ayanokoji. With you, it looks like things are going to become interesting."
The president then walked past him towards my direction. I guess fun time is over. I wasn't interested in trying to run away before he saw me. So instead, I walked over to the vending machine and ordered for two coffees.
I picked them up and shivered. I couldn't handle holding cold things for two long. Sure I like eating or drinking cold things, but winter was not my thing.
He walked past me, and before he left, both our eyes met and I could see him smiling at me. I replied in kind. That look in his eyes was like he had found something interesting. Same could be said for me. I raised my hood and walked back to my dorms.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
As soon as I arrived, I saw that Kamuro had passed out on my bed. I looked at the time and about an hour had passed since I left. How was that possible? Well, it's sort of a funny story.
"Meow."
Hyouka meowed. I looked down into my arms and was met with blue and yellow pupils with cat irises. Just so you know, Hyouka is a kitten I found. I named him Hyouka because of his snowy white fur like snow. I instantly thought about ice cream when I saw him, hence the name Hyouka.
There were no regulations against keeping pets, but i doubted the school would allow it. So i just needed to keep him in my room for sometime then I would let him go. I spent about an hour chasing this little guy around the school.
I eventually caught it and snuck back into the dorms. I had a soft spot for cats. I just wasn't given one back at the mansion. Something about pets being a distraction. So I set Hyouka on the ground and let him move. I would give him a bath later. Right now, I was exhausted after running around and I just wanted to sleep. I was tempted to kick Kamuro of my bed but decided against it. In the end I took a quick bath and slept on the floor with an extra blanket I had.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"e-eh?!"
Morning came and I was woken up by the loud yell of a girl. Kamuro had a confused look on her face and she was blushing as she looked at me.
"Shut it. You're too noisy."
I told her. I was not ready to wake up and her yelling was annoying. I closed my eyes and tried to sleep, facing the other direction. For a moment I thought I was going to have a quiet sleep, then she knocked me on the head.
"Ow!"
I jolted up as soon as I received the knock. My head was tingling with pain and I was rubbing at it.
"What was that for?"
I said, tears in my eyes.
"Why the hell are we sleeping in the same bed!?"
"Don't blame me. You passed out on my bed. I tried sleeping on the floor but it was so cold and I figured lowering the AC might not be to your liking, so I decided to sleep next to you on my bed for warmth."
"....Still, you could have woken me up!"
"But you looked so peaceful and i didnt want to be rude."
She let out a sigh as she got up from my bed. She was still in her uniform, but it was a bit messed up.
"What did you do to my uniform?!"
"Don't ask me. You're the genius who decided to sleep in their uniform."
Her face flushed red when I said that. I let out a yawn and looked at the time. It was 6:50 am. What the hell?! She woke me up to early.
"I'm going back to sleep. You can use the bathroom if you want!"
I covered myself with my sheets and tried to sleep but she pulled them down, exposing my delicate skin to the cold of the AC.
"What now?!"
I barked.
"Sorry. I just remembered why I came to your room last night. You have to listen to me."
I sat at the edge of my bed and let my feet touch the ground. I looked at her, signalling for her to go on.
"You remember Arisu Sakayanagi?"
"Hmmm. Yeah. You said she was sort of like your class leader. Alongside Katsuragi Kohei-kun?"
She nodded to my response. I looked at my feet as I saw a snowy white figure approach me. A bundle of cuteness, Hyouka. He came to my feet and started licking my toes.
"What. Is that?"
Kamuro asked. I picked up Hyouka and placed him in my laps.
"This is Hyouka."
I decided to leave out the part about me leaving her alone because I was chasing this little guy.
"Nevermind. Anyway, she says she wants to talk with you."
"Talk? With me? But why? I'm just a student from Class D."
I said, while playing with Hyouka.
"Yeah, a student from Class D with the nest scores in our grade."
I let out a sigh.
"What if I refuse to meet her?"
"I dont know. She said you wouldn't refuse her."
A smile broke on my face. I wouldn't refuse her? Should I prove her wrong? Yeah. I'll just prove her wrong.
"Tell her I refuse. Now can I go back to sleep."
Strangely enough Kamuro had a pleased expression on her face.
"Why are you happy? Won't she be angry when you tell her that I refused her?"
"No. It's not that. I just had a feeling you would refuse her."
"Then I guess Kamuro-chan knows me so well. Anyway, you can use the shower and theres a can of coffee in the refrigerator if you want. Just remember to lock the door on your way out."
I set Hyouka on the ground and wrapped myself up in my blanket.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
At the end of it all, I didnt get any sleep after Kamuro woke me up. I just kept getting calls from a certain somebody sitting to me. She explained to me that she was getting the study group back together and she wanted me to help out. I was wondering how it would go so I decided to check it out. They hit it off pretty well.
After the reunion, the trio changed their ways and begun taking the classes seriously. They would always ve solving problems on the blackboard and trying to understand them. I wondered what the trick was, but I was surely disappointed when I was told they were promised a date with Kushida.
As soon as it was lunch time, the stupid trio ran out the door as if it were a matter of life and death. I wondered why that was. Maybe it had to do with the fact that we had agreed to meet at the library to study for 20 minutes. Still, Lunch was 45 minutes. There was no need to be in a hurry.
Although I was wondering why she chose the library and not the class. I shrugged of the question and prepared to go for lunch, when Ayanokoji came to me.
"Tatsumaki-san. You want to go to lunch with me?"
This was odd. Why was he asking me out for lunch. I couldn't help but to be suspicious.
What are you planning, is what I wanted to say.
"Hmmm? Sure. Ok."
I stood up from my desk and walked along side Ayanokoji. It didnt take long for both of us to reach the cafeteria.
As soon as we got there, he looked around the place for a while, as if he were searching for something.
"Why did you call me out for lunch?"
I asked him.
"I'll tell you in a minute, let's go."
I followed his gaze and it was fixed on an upperclassman. We followed the upperclassman and Ayanokoji still hadn't answered my question.
The upperclassman sat on a table some distance away. We approached him and I could guess that Ayanokoji wanted to talk to him. An acquaintance of his?
"Excuse me, but are you an upperclassman?"
"Uh?"
He looked confused, but we took our seats next to him.
"I'm Kiyotaka Ayanokoji from Class 1 D. You must be in the Class D for your grade too."
I looked at his tray and his choice of food was pitiable. No. I couldn't say it was his choice of food. It was probably free lunch. He must have been lacking in points. So was this our fate?
"Well yeah."
"Free food selection is pretty abysmal, isnt it?"
"What do you want from me?"
The senior sounded very annoyed.
"I wanna consult with you about something."
The senior didnt amused
"Don't worry I'll make it worth your while."
The senior sighed, then asked,
"About what?"
"You still have any of your classes mid term questions? From two years ago?"
The senior looked surprised at his question. Same goes for me. I could tell where he was headed and could guess a reason why he asked me to follow him. I was asked by mere chance.
"I want you to hand them over to me."
"Why are you asking me and not the other upperclassmen?"
"Is it that hard to see? People like you who are lacking in class points are way more likely to see the benefits of striking a deal with us. Dont think I didnt notice how hard you are struggling to eat that wild vegetable lunch combo."
"Hmmmm"
The senior looked at his food, then glanced at Ayanokoji.
"How much will you pay?"
"10,000 points."
I was a but stunned. 10,000 points was a bit much. He still had enough points to spare? I was still only barely 80,000 points. I couldn't imagine giving away 10,000 points for question papers I didnt need.
"That's as high as I'll go."
"I'd be taking a bug risk here too. I would need 30,000 at the very least."
Risk? Theres a risk when interacting with the juniors? The S- system is even more interesting than I thought.
"I'm afraid that won't work. Sorry to disappoint."
"Then you can forget making a deal with me-"
There was my cue to intervene.
"Senpai! Please could you lower the amount of points he has to pay. We are also struggling with points."
I looked him straight in the eyes and wore a pleading expression. I guess even acting lessons are very useful. He looked a bit uncomfortable.
"10,000."
Ayanokoji coldly stated.
"25."
"Senpai. Please. Some of my classmates will be expelled and I dont want to see that happen. Please lower it."
"20,000."
"10,000, that's it."
"Uggg. 15,000. I cant go any lower."
"I can live with that. You got a deal. That is if you include the questions from your first quizzes as a bonus."
"...ok."
"Thank you so much senpai."
I say, with a gentle smile.
Ayanokoji is a very shrewd fellow. Using women to get what he wants. I realised he had used me. Although I was annoyed, it was I who decided to go along with his plan so i could live with that.
Afterwards, Ayanokoji and I walked out of the cafeteria towards the school and we sat on a bench next to the fountain.
".... I will be honest. I didn't expect you to be such the business man."
I lied.
"Me? Business? I'm terrible at that."
"Then what do you call what just happened."
"It was the devil's luck. If I didnt have you there I shudder to think of how many points I would have lost."
"Still, you knew to call a girl to go along with you just in case."
"....."
He remained silent.
"What do you think he meant by risk?"
I asked. It seemed like Ayanokoji might have had a better grasp on the S-system more than I did.
"I don't know. What we did was well within school rules."
"... I suppose."
Still, why was he so scared?
After a while, his phone ringed. He checked it out and it turned out that the senior had sent the questions. He compared them and it turned out that they were exactly the same.
"Why doesn't the school change the questions every year?"
I asked as I looked.
"They probably thought that the students wouldn't ask the upperclassman for it."
I looked at him closely. It was clearly not what he was thinking. He was just playing dumb right now. I sighed as I acknowledged that there was no breaking his poker face.
"So what are you going to do now?"
I asked him.
"Well, I am going to do nothing. You on the other hand will share the test papers on the day before the exams."
"Why me? And why the day before the exams?"
"Well if you gave the students the question papers now, what do you think they'll do?"
"Its obvious they'll just learn the answers to these questions instead of studying."
"Exactly. And I need you to do it because I don't want any trouble."
I listened to his reason and it sounded acceptable. Still,
"Sorry, but find someone else to do your dirty work. I have no interest in claiming trophies that arent mine."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The day before the midterm exams, after school, Kushida went up front holding a bunch of sheets. I could guess what those papers were. It seemed like he asked her to do it in the end.
"Sorry, but can you guys listen to me before going out?"
Everyone looked at her with curious gazes. She then began passing out the sheets and as the students looked at them they were confused.
"More test questions?"
"Did you make these up or something?"
Kei asked. I grabbed one of the questions and I was right. Exactly the questions Ayanokoji had shown to me earlier.
"Actually they're questions that were in the mid term a couple of years ago. I got them last night from one of the third years."
She replied.
"Seriously?"
"Hmhm. He told me that the tests were pretty much identical the last couple of years. So I bet they'll be helpful in studying for tomorrow's test too."
Kushida smiled like an angel. I was sure in the eyes of these people she was their saviour. I then glanced at Ayanokoji who carried his usual bored expression on his face.
If it were him up front would he receive the same reaction? Would the class members even pay attention to what he had to say? I highly doubted it. They would most likely think he was wasting their time and ignore him. Once again, society is very disgusting.
While the students were celebrating, Koenji begun to leave the classroom. Kushida offered him a sheet, but
"I beg your pardon, but I dont need to resort to such tactics. And I've got a hit date tonight so excuse me. Have fun with your studying."
I myself was getting ready to leave alongside Airi, but it seemed like she had something she wanted to do in school. I offered to wait for her, but she told me to leave. I reluctantly left and took one of the sheets from Kushida. I didn't need it though so I crumpled it and stuffed it into my bag when I was some distance away from the school.
Horikita called my name and came up from behind me.
"Tatsumaki-san."
"Yea?"
"I want to ask you to do something for me."
".... If its within my means, sure."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
We had finished the tests. Now today was the day when the results would be released. Today was also my birthday. I doubted anyone knew it though.
Yeah, that's right. I was born on the 24th of May. Strangely enough I was a bit saddened by the fact that no one had wished me. I was used to not receiving any special treatment on this day. Why did I think today was any different? I feel like I've become too lax in this school.
Chabashira-sensei walked into the class, holding a rolled up paper. She looked surprised. It was probably because of the unnaturally tensed atmosphere in the classroom today.
"Sensei. I heard that the results will be released today, but when exactly?"
"Theres no need for you to be that excited about it, Hirata. You probably passed."
".... when will they be released?"
"Well, now is a good time. There isnt much time for certain procedures if we did it after school."
Hmmm? My ears perked up at the mention of "certain procedures". Did somebody actually fail? It seems like I wasnt the only one who was curious, because other students showed visible reactions.
"What.... what do you mean?"
"Don't be confused. I'll explain it now."
After all, this school likes to explain the details all at once.
She stuck the paper with everyone's names and scores on the board.
"Honestly, good job. I didnt think this class would do this well. In math, Japanese and social studies, there were over 10 perfects."
I looked at my name which was at the top of every single subject except for english. I scored a 60. Yay me, I sarcastically thought.
Yukimura-kun gave me a smug grin. If he realised how nasty it looked I was certain he wouldnt try it again.
I was curious about the group I used I time to help out. They got barely passing grades. Sudou got 60 in 4 of the subjects, his english score however was a 39. He made it.
"Woohooo!!"
He stood up and shouted gleefully. Ike and Yamauchi did the same.
I looked at Horikita to see if there was any reaction. There was none, but I could tell she was relieved. I placed my head on the table, exhausted. The past few weeks had been troublesome ones. Now i could rest easy and return to my very boring afterschool life.
"You saw it right Sensei? When we put our minds to it, we can do it!"
Ike boasted.
"Yea, I recognise that. You did well. However-"
I raised my head when I heard that. She was drawing a red line right above Sudou's name. What happened?
"Huh...?"
Sudou let out a confused voice.
"W-what the hell? What does this mean?"
"You failed, Sudou."
"What? That's a lie, right? Don't bullshit me, why did I fail?"
Sudou wasn't the only angry student. The others were confused and enraged.
"Sudou. You failed on the English exam."
"Dont lie to me, the passing grade is a 32! I passed!"
"When did anyone say that the passing grade is a 32?"
Then it dawned on me that that was something we just thought of. Sensei never said that the passing grade for every exam was 32.
"No no, Sensei said so! Right, everyone!?"
I will admit, it was honorable that Ike Ike fighting this much for his friend.
"Nothing you will say will help. This is the unmistakable truth. On this midterm, the passing grade was a 40. In other words, you were a point short. Almost, but not quite."
"F-forty!? I never heard of this! I can't agree to this!"
"Then should I tell you how we decide what is a passing grade?"
She then wrote a formula on the board. "79.6/2 = 39.8".
"Last test, and this test as well, each class has set a passing grade. And that grade was half the average."
So Sudou's failure was due to the class's success? That was sad.
"Well then, that shows how you failed. You got a lower score."
"Impossible.... Does... does that mean, I am expelled?"
"Although it was a short time, you did well. After school, you will be asked to full out a dropout form, but you will need a legal guardian. I'll contact them for you afterwards."
"The rest of you, good job for passing. On the final, please work hard to do the same and pass the test. Well then, onto the next topic-"
"S-sensei. Is Sudou-kun really dropping out? Is there no way to save him?"
Hirata asked. Was he really that selfless? Even after all the insults and hate Sudou threw at him? He and Kushida were beings beyond my understanding.
"Its the truth. He got a failing grade, so he will have UK drop out."
".... Can we see Sudou-kun's answer sheet?"
"Even if you look at it, you won't find any mistakes in the grading. Well, I expected you guys to make a fuss about it."
She gave Hirata the sheet and Hirata looked pale as he read it.
"There are.... no mistakes."
"Well, if that's all, homeroom is over now."
The classroom was silent, but it was divided into t
3 factions. Those who were sad that Sudou-kun was getting expelled and those who were happy that a hindrance was going. I was of the 'I really couldn't care' faction, me being the only member.
"Sudou, come to the staff room after school."
".... Chabashira-sensei. Do you have some time?"
I gasped in shock. This girl rarely ever talked in class, let alone raise her hand. Everyone was surprised by this development.
"That's unusual, Horikita. You're raising your hand. What's your question?"
"Earlier, Sensei said that the previous test had a passing grade of 32 points, which was calculated by the formula you wrote earlier. Is there no mistake in calculating he last year's passing grade?"
"Yea, no mistake."
"Then, I have one more question. I calculated the mock test's average to be a 64.4. Dividing that by two, you get 32.2. In other words, higher than 32. Despite that, the passing grade was a 32 by truncating the decimal point. That's contradictory from this time."
"Y-yea. The passing grade should be 39 then!"
If so, then Sudou should have barely passed.
"I see. You anticipated Sudou's grade to barely pass. I was wondering why both you and Tatsumaki's english grades were low."
Damnit. Did she have to mention my name? I let out a sigh and put my head down. I wasnt feeling good today.
"You guys, you...."
The other students finally noticed it. They looked on the board saw that our scores werent really impressive compared to the other subjects.
"You really-"
Yes. Horikita asked me to purposefullyower my score so that Sudou would barely pass. I wanted to refuse, saying that it was too risky but she kept on bothering me so I gave in.
"If you think my opinion is wrong, please tell me why the calculation differs between the last test and this test."
Horikita was really trying for this. She wasnt going to give up. And she better not, cause I had to lower my score for this.
"I see. Well then, let me tell you one more thing. Sadly, theres one error in your formula. Rather than truncating, we rounded the tests. Last test rounded down to 32, this test rounded up to 40."
This is what I feared.
"Tsk..."
"In your mind, you probably noticed that the score was rounded. But holding onto that possibility.... Well, that's too bad. First period will start soon, so I will leave no."
Horikita stayed silent. Sensei left the classroom and the class was just silent.
".... Tatsumaki-san. I'm sorry for involving you in my plan even after you warned me of this risk. If only I dropped my points even further."
I started rubbing my temple as I got up.
"Don't worry about it."
I begun walking towards the door.
"Where are you going?"
"The school nurse's office. I'm having a migraine."
With that, I shut the door behind me. I then walked towards the staff room. It was time to test one of my theories.
As I got closer I saw sensei looking out the window standing still in the hallway. She then noticed my presence.
"Tatsumaki, class will start soon."
"I know. I just wanted to check something out."
"Hmmm? But you have never reached out to me ever since the day that I called you to the guidance room. Horikita as will. What is happening?"
"Sensei, do you believe in a meritocratic system? An unfair system?"
"I will admit I'm not a fan of that kind of system. Was that your question? Get back to class if so."
"Sensei, does that mean you are a hypocrite?"
I asked
"Excuse me?"
"Sensei, you just said that you're not a fan, yet you are a part of this school's meritocracy. You treat class D like trash, because we are at the very bottom of this school's meritocracy."
"....."
Sensei remained silent.
"Anyway, that's a part of what I really wanted to ask. I was curious about something you said on the first day of school."
"Hmm?"
"You said we can buy anything with points, am I right?"
"Yes. Except for the life of a teacher or another student we can permit it."
"Are those the only exceptions?"
She didnt respond and I could take it as they werent the only exceptions. She just didnt want to tell me. And I didnt give her any real reason to tell me, so I moved along.
"I believe you are seeing where I'm going with this?"
"You want to buy a point for Sudou's test?"
"How much will it be?"
Sensei smirked.
"Will you even have the required funds?"
"I just need to know the price for a point."
"Hmmm.... you would be the first to ask to buy a point. Let's see..... I'll give you a point for 100,000 points."
I let out a sigh. Theres absolutely no one with 100,000 points that I know of. And I was certain no one would help pay. Even I wasn't ready to pay. I just wanted to know if I could buy a point.
"You win Sensei. Looks like Sudou-kun is getting expelled."
As we were talking I noticed some people coming from behind me. I turned my neck and saw Horikita and Ayanokoji coming together. What did they want?
"-we will also pay."
Horikita announced.
"What are you two doing here?"
I asked.
"I could say the same for you. This isnt the nurse's office, you know."
Horikita responded. A small grin formed on my face. Maybe I wouldnt need to pay after all.
"Kuku. As I thought, you three are interesting. Your student cards please."
She stretched out her hand, waiting for the cards. Mine wasnt in my pocket. I had left it in the classroom because I never had the intention of buying a point for Sudou. I just wanted to find out.
"Uwa. I forgot mine in the dorms today. But I'm sure these two would love to help their friend Sudou-kun. Horikita you owe me for me dropping my points and seeing as how one point is 100,000 private points I'll cut you a deal and let you pay 50,000 points on my behalf."
I patted both of them on the shoulders.
"Kuku. That girl is very interesting."
I heard Chabashira-sensei say as I walked away towards the nurse's office for a quick check up.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
After the results were released and Sudou was told h e wasn't going to get expelled, the study group members gathered in Ayanokoji's room to celebrate. Everyone with the exception of Tatsumaki, had decided to celebrate it in Ayanokoji's room.
"Cheers!"
Ike screamed in excitement, holding a can of juice.
".... What's with that gloomy face? Sudou wasn't kicked out, so everything's over, right?"
He asked Ayanokoji, who wore his usual passive expression.
"I don't mind the celebration, but why is it in my room?"
"My room's dirty and so is Sudou's and Yamauchi's. We also can't go to the girl's rooms, right? No of course, I'd love it if we were in Kushida's room. That's why your wonderful and completely empty room is the best, Ayanokoji."
"Its only been two months since the start of school. Its stranger to have so much stuff, rather."
That was his mentality. If it's not necessary, there's no need to get it.
"What do you think, Kushida-chan?"
Ike asked.
"I think it's fine. It feels clean, fresh and simple."
"Right? It must be nice to be praised by Kushida-chan. Hahahahaha."
Ike was actually not happy that Ayanokoji received praise, but he put up a front.
"All things considered, though, this mid term was pretty dangerous. If we didnt do the study group, Ike and Sudou were definitely out."
Yamauchi mused, forgetting that he was also in dire straits.
"Ha? You were pretty much on the edge too you know."
"No no, I would be able to get a perfect score if i tried. Seriously."
"Everything's thanks to Horikita-san and Tatsumaki-san's efforts. After all, they taught you guys."
Horikita lifted up her head as soon as she heard her name. She was deep into a novel and wasn't interested in their conversation, but her name popping up did pick her curiosity.
"I'm just acting for myself. If someone dropped out, class D's points would drop as well. And for Tatsumaki-san I'm not so sure. I just asked her for help. As to why she helped me, I dont know."
"Eveen if it's a lie, say that you did it for us. We'll think better of you."
"It's fine if you dont think better of me."
Came her remark. No one was surprised by her response in the slightest. Still, they were surprised that she decided to even join them.
"Well, but.... Horikita's surprisingly nice."
It seemed that Sudou had changed his perspective on Horikita.
"Hey, where is Tatsumaki-san?"
"Hmmmm. She said she wasn't feeling well tonight so she couldn't make it."
Kushida responded.
What they didn't know was that she was planning on sleeping quietly. She was so exhausted because of the practice tests she had been marking for the class. One could say that she personally oversaw everyone's progress and pointed out their problems on the sheets. It was perfectly reasonable for her to be tired.
"Hmmm? Yeah, she did go to the nurse's this morning."
Ike pointed out.
"I hope she's ok."
Kushida said.
"Anyway, why did Sensei decide to cancel Sudou's expulsion?"
"I was also wondering about that. What sorcery did you use Horikita-chan?"
"Eh, don't remember."
"Uwa, a secret!?"
"Maybe Ayanokoji-kun had something to do with it?"
All of them looked at Ayanokoji with expectant eyes but he wasnt comfortable with it.
"Don't look at me. I was going to the washroom when I saw Tatsumaki-san talking to sensei this morning, then Horikita joined in as well. I'm sure both of them managed to convince sensei."
He said and they were all surprised.
"Tatsumaki-san did that? So she didnt go to the nurse's office?"
"It was all a lie to leave the classroom without many questions?"
"No, she went to the nurse's office afterwards. She had a serious migraine."
Horikita said
"Wow. So even when she wasn't feeling well she tried to help Sudou-kun?"
Kushida said
Then Ike and Yamauchi started playfully pushing Sudou while teasing him.
"Hey hey, you've got two of the class' beauties protecting ya. Ain't ya the lucky fella."
"Yea yea, you're so lucky."
Horikita sighed and jumped in. She wanted to plan out their academic term. All problems to face she wanted to have plans for them. So for now, she would plan with these guys.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
After school, Ayanokoji and co invited me to his room to celebrate Sudou not getting expelled, but I had no interest whatsoever so I just went to my room.
I was trying to reading a manga when I received a phone call. It was coming from Kamuro and she said that she needed me to get something from the convenience store for her.
"I'm not getting you a can of beer."
"I told you it's not like that. I just wanted you to buy somethings for me at the convenience store."
"Then just say it already. Stop wasting time."
"Before I do. I want to make certain you will go."
"Kamuro, you are making me uncertain about this. I said I'll do it. I've got nothing to do anyways."
"Ok good. So when you get to the convenience store give me a quick call."
"Wait! What about...."
She cut the call before I could finish my sentence
"...the items."
I let out a sigh and dressed up. I looked at my little Hyouka and patted him on the head.
"Hyouka, you're in charge while I'm gone so don't do anything foolish, ok?"
Hyouka just purred as I stroked his head. I wanted to leave but he jumped at me.
"You want to go out with me?"
He looked at me with his large adorable eyes that warmed me up.
"Meow."
"Ok, let's go."
I put in my hoodie and walked left my room. I knew the risks involved but for some reason I didnt care.
I snuck out of the dorms with Hyouka and hurriedly walked towards the convenience store. As soon as I got there, I placed Hyouka at the side of the building away from the security cameras, and gave him a stress ball to play with. Hopefully I would be back before he got bored of playing with it.
I walked into the convenience store and called Kamuro.
"Yo, Kamuro. I'm here."
"... Hey, dont put it there. Put it over here like this."
She sounded like she was talking to some people over the phone.
"Kamuro?"
"... Yea yea. Shiro?"
"Yea, I'm here at the convenience store. What's going on? You sound busy."
"Oh no no. One of the people I know was doing something in my room."
"Oh. Who?"
"Ugh... Nevermind about that. What's going on with you?"
"Um.... You said you wanted me to buy somethings from the convenience store for you?"
"Oh, um. Yes. Yes. The convenience store. Ok ok. So you just need to buy some toilet paper, contraceptives, sanitary pads...."
Kamuro gave me a long list of items she wanted me to buy. My face flushed as she kept on mentioning them.
"Um... Kamuro?"
"Hmm. Oh let's not forget the-"
"Kamuro! Why the hell do I have to buy those?!"
I cut her off. I now understood why she was being so persistent on me buying thse items. I let out a sigh and begun picking up the items.
It took a while but after 10 minutes of searching I found everything she asked for, and I set it on the counter. The clerk blushed a little when he saw the contraceptives and I couldn't even face him.
Just then, I received a call from my phone. It was Kamuro so I picked up the phone call.
"Hello?"
"So are you done buying the items?"
"No. I just put them down on the counter. I'm about to buy them."
"Kukukuku. You actually bought those?!"
Eh?
"Eh?"
"Kukukufufufu. You fell for my prank hook line and sinker."
Blood rushed to my face. I was feeling very angry at the moment.
"T-that will be 7,000 points."
I looked at the innocent clerk who had nothing to do with this, with eyes of pure rage and malice, then smiled at him.
"I'm sorry sir. It seems like I wont be buying all of these. I'll just go grab Hyouka and go back to my dorm."
"Hahaha. You got pranked?"
He nervously asked.
I ignored him and was walking out of the store.
"Wait, madam. Didn't you say you were getting some ice cream?"
He asked. I scrolled through my memory to find out when I said that and I realised why he thought so. Hyouka meant Ice cream. Well, ice cream didnt sound bad so I grabbed one and left. I kind of felt sorry for the clerk who had to put all those things back.
I went to side of the store and couldn't see Hyouka there anymore. He left the stress ball I had given to him and ran off somewhere. I looked around, trying to find him and I could see a white figure running off somewhere.
Was it Hyouka? I didn't know. I just chased it. I was going to be as silent as I possibly could, because i didnt want to startle the little guy. When I got closer I called out to it.
"Hyouka."
The cat turned around and met me with its Yellow and Blue eyes. It opened its mouth and run off again. This time I chased it at full speed and managed to close the distance pretty quickly. I grabbed him trying to run into a bush with my two arms and while crouching lifted him up.
"Come on, Hyouka. Don't let me run around like that."
The cat just looked at me again with its adorable eyes.
"Ah- So annoying."
I heard a voice. I raised my head slightly above the bush to see who it was. Surprisingly enough, it was Kushida. What was going on?
"It's really annoying, irritating. Itd be fine if she just died...."
She grumbled. Was this the Kushida from class D? She was saying some concerning things.
"I hate her, hate her, hate her, hate her. Ah- the worst. She's really the worst, the worst, the worst. Horikita's annoying, annoying, so annoying."
Oh my. Kushida had some sort of deep hatred for Horikita. But why? The only possible reason I could think of was that Horkita was really rude to everyone. Was that enough reason for Kushida of all people to get angry? Of course not. Nit the Kushida everyone in class D knew. This. This is the real Kushida. The one who stays hidden.
A devilish thought popped up in my head as I took out my phone and begun recording the incident.
ZZZZZZ
Suddenly, I heard a noise. It seemed Kushida heard it as well, because she walked towards the direction of the noise
"Who's there?! Come out now!"
"Its me. Ayanokoji."
Surprisingly, it was Ayanokoji who walked out.
You forgot your cell pho--"
He was handing it out to her but she snatched it from him
"Did you hear?"
"If I said I didnt, would you believe me?"
Kushida went up to him and looked him straight in the eye. Oh I wanted to see her real eyes. What would they look like?
"If you tell anyone about this, you'll pay."
"How exactly?"
"I'll tell everyone you tried to rape me."
I felt like I was watching some sort of drama play out.
"That would be false accusation."
"Oh no. It's not false accusation."
Kushida then grabbed his arm and put it against her breast
"Your finger prints are right there. See? Theres proof. I'm serious."
"I understand. Let me go, please."
She let go of his hand and took a step back.
"You understand? If you betray me, you'll pay."
Hyouka meowed, then they both looked towards my direction. Under the night sky it wouldnt be easy for them to see me. Either way, my location has been compromised.
I cut the video and disappeared into the darkness before they could see me. I grabbed Hyouka and ran back to the dorms.
"It would seem I owe Kamuro and apology. Her prank just gave me the best birthday present."
When i got back to the dorms I tried unlocking the door but it was already unlocked. I was certain I had locked it before leaving. And the lights were out. I left them on. Someone snuck into my room.
Who could it have been? The person did so without breaking my door handle. To do that, the person would have needed my room key or a copy of my room key. And only 2 people have that. Airi and ... Kamuro. Did she lure me out of my room so that she could steal something? Anyway I'll have to look through my items and find out what was stolen.
I opened the door and turned on the lights.
POP!
POP!
"SURPRISE!!!"
I was startled by all the confetti falling and making a mess, but then I saw my girls, all gathered around.
I let out a sigh, because it meant that Kamuro hadn't tried to steal from me. Then I looked at everyone's faces.
Airi, Maya, Kei, Chihiro, Mii-chan, Shinohara, Kamuro. Tears started to fill up my eyes and I didnt know why. Was this as a result of me being happy? Maybe. Yea. If that's the reason, I think I'll accept it.
"How'd you like my birthday prank?"
Kamuro said, sticking out her tongue. I didnt expect her to talk to the girls in my class about my birthday.
"Y-you girls!!"
I screamed as I ran towards them and they hugged me, all of them smiling.
"B-but How? When?"
"Well, Sakura-chan called all of us a week ago and told us that today was your birthday. Not like we forgot or anything, so we all organized this birthday for you."
I looked at Airi. That was very uncharacteristic of her. Why did she do it? How did she muster up the courage to go talk to them all?
"Aaaiiiirrrriiiiiii-chwwaaann!!!"
I grabbed her and locked her in a bear hug.
"O-ow, th-that hurts."
I eased up on my grip. For the first time in my life, I was genuinely happy. Happy for the friends I had made. Happy at the fact that they werent expelled. Happy at the fact that I had 2 and a half more years to spend with them. I would cherish every single moment of it and I wouldnt let any of them get expelled.
"Meow."
Hyouka, who had been in my hoodie popped his head out.
"Shiro-san. When did you get a kitten?"
"Awww, hes so cute."
"Have you named him?"
"Where did you get him?"
The girls assaulted me with questions on the bundle of cuteness.
"Now now, you can harass the girl later. Let's cut the cake and find out her age."
I looked at the cake. It was a small cake with vanilla icing around it and 5 candles on it. It said Happy birthday. It must have costed quite a bit but I was grateful that they bought it for me.
"Make a wish."
A wish, huh? I couldn't think of a wish at the moment. Wait... There is that. Yeah I'll wish for that, even though its impossible. I closed my eyes and blew the candles out.
About a month had passed since I came go this school. I had found out that there was no white room student in class D. Neither neither there any white room proxies stationed at the school. And I was fairly certain that Ayanokoji was not assigned to this school like I was. It was more like he ran away to this school.
That didnt change my goal. I will bury you, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.
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