ON FRIDAY AFTER SCHOOL, the atmosphere at Keyaki Mall was notably different compared to other weekdays.
After five days of studying, everyone was gearing up to enjoy the weekend.
However, this week, the scenery looked slightly different from usual.
It was probably because there were visibly fewer students visiting the mall.
When I arrived at the appointed café, Horikita, who had left the classroom earlier, was already seated and waiting.
Upon noticing me, she gestured that she was going to order a drink and headed to the register.
I bought a hot cup of coffee and joined Horikita.
Horikita, seated in front of me, seemed restless, fidgeting a bit.
"Is something wrong?"
"...What do you mean?"
"I just felt like you might be worried about something. I hope I'm mistaken."
"Is it that obvious?"
"It is."
"I see. No, I was just thinking about next week's exam. Sorry if it bothered you."
"Are you nervous about it already?"
"It can't be helped, right? The fluctuation in class points will be significant. It's a major turning point whether our class moves up or down."
As a leader, her sense of responsibility must have grown, and she probably had more on her mind than usual.
It isn't unreasonable, but a moderate amount of stress isn't all that bad.
"By the way... have you noticed there are fewer first years around?"
Perhaps wanting to change the subject, she asked while averting her gaze.
"Yeah. It seems the first years are finally facing the challenges of the end-of-year special exams."
Even just looking around the café, it was clear to see that the number of first-year students was indeed unusually low.
If the situation is like this even on a weekend, they must have been facing a particularly tough special exam.
"Time seems to pass slowly, yet flies by so quickly. It's already been a year since they enrolled in this school."
The second-year student, who is only a year older, said something rather philosophical and took a sip of her drink.
"That sounds like something an old person would say."
"Calling me old is a bit rude. Couldn't you have phrased that differently?"
Horikita spoke disapprovingly, a sweet scent of tea wafting from her direction.
"That's unusual. Milk tea?"
"I felt like I needed some sugar since I've been thinking about a lot of things."
As the class leader, she had to strategize more than anyone else.
"I wonder what kind of exam the first years are having."
"Who knows? If you're curious, why not catch a first year and ask?"
"I can't be turning my focus to the other years to the point of going out to ask someone. Besides, it's not really appropriate for a senpai to be meddling in the special exams of other years purely out of curiosity, right?"
That wasn't the case when seeking advice, but Horikita was right.
Generally, issues should be resolved within the same year. Of course, there were rare instances where someone found a way out by relying on their senpai or kōhai.
"Regardless of the exam content, do you know how the first-year classes are doing?"
"The rankings for Class A through Class D haven't changed since enrollment."
What we could do, while having an unspoken agreement not to interfere with others too deeply, was to look at the information disclosed by the school and share it.
"Yes. When Yagami-kun from Class B dropped out due to reasons unrelated to the special exam, they incurred a significant penalty, however, the gap between Class C and D was too large for any changes in the ranking. Moreover, the gap with Class A has widened, and they are slowly starting to pull away on their own."
Having said that, instead of using her phone, Horikita turned the screen towards me.
Class points as of March 1:
Class 1-A: 991 points
Class 1-B: 697 points
Class 1-C: 532 points
Class 1-D: 510 points
She seemed to have done her research on the first years during her free time while waiting for me.
"Last year, our situation wasn't much different, but the bottom three classes were quite close, and depending on the end-of-year special exam, a major shift in class rankings was possible."
It depended on the rewards and the method of competition, but there was a possibility that Class A and Class D could completely swap places. I didn't remember the exact numbers, but both Horikita's class and Ryūen's class were hovering around 350 points. Moreover, this year's first years started with 800 class points, and even Class D currently has over 500 points, which is to say that they are doing quite well.
"Looking at the class points alone, they looked much better compared to us last year. It's to the point that I'm curious as to how the first years managed to unify their classes together."
I gave this as an honest assessment after looking at the rankings and points.
Class A had well-defined leaders like Takahashi or Ishigami, and Class D had Hōsen, but it seemed like there were currently no clear leaders in Classes B and C. Students like Tsubaki and Utomiya from Class C were relatively memorable, but there were few signs of them actively leading their classes.
As for Class B, Yagami was their leader, but with his expulsion, it became unclear how the class had changed.
"Their class points might be high, but that doesn't necessarily mean they're doing great, right? The special exams they're given are different from the ones last year. Since our environments are different, we can't easily judge them based on just the point values."
Perhaps Horikita felt slightly dissatisfied with the praise given to the kōhai, as she retorted quite a bit.
"True, abilities are a different matter. Maybe our year just had more dead weight, like Sudō from back when we first enrolled, when compared to others."
"...I wouldn't go that far. You sure can say some mean things."
Horikita brought up the topic of the first years, but she didn't seem to intent on continuing any further. After turning off her phone screen, she took another sip from her cup.
"I'd like to move on to the main topic, but should I listen to what you have to say first? Or shall we talk about the end-of-year special exam?"
Bringing up the topic of the first years seemed to have relaxed her a little.
"It's fine to start with the exam. Actually, I was planning to talk about that too."
"I was hoping you'd say that, so I'm grateful."
Horikita narrowed her eyes happily.
She seemed to take kindly to the fact that I'd contacted her about the special exam myself.
"So... first off, do you think there are any measures we can take now to gain an advantage in the upcoming special exam?"
Horikita asked, but then quickly shook her head slightly from side to side as if to correct herself.
"Let me ask you more directly. Do you have any winning strategies in mind?"
She changed her question.
This time, I appreciated being asked directly rather than in a roundabout way.
"Honestly, it's tough. The information that the school has given us about the content of the exam is so broad that it's hard to narrow it down. And without being able to narrow it down, it's impossible to come up with a strategy that could lead us to victory."
Guessing the exam content, which could be one of hundreds or thousands of patterns, was frankly a waste of resources.
"...Right. Even Chabashira-sensei doesn't know the details of the exam. It's impossible to prepare any countermeasures."
If she was expecting some advice from me, normally she'd be disappointed.
However, for some reason, Horikita put on an expression that made her seem just a little bit pleased.
"You look pleased. I thought I'd get the opposite reaction."
"Really? Of course it would make me pleased. I thought you might say you had figured out a way to win in such a special exam where it's impossible to know what'll be thrown at you. Rather than hopeful, I would be more disappointed. So I'm a bit relieved."
She explained why she seemed happy and then added another comment.
"You have an aura that suggests you might come up with something outrageous."
I didn't recall giving off such an aura, but I didn't interject.
"Since the content of the exam is unknown, everyone is in the same situation. Sakayanagi and Ryūen are no different."
"Right. So there's nothing we can do until the details are announced on the day of... right?"
"The best we can do is carefully select three representatives who seem likely to produce solid results, regardless of the content."
Choosing students with the fewest weaknesses from within the class would be the best approach.
"Or we could gamble by sneaking in students with clear strengths and weaknesses."
"That's... a bit scary."
"Yeah, it is. That's why most classes will likely focus on reliable members."
"It's fair, but it feels frustrating."
At this stage, there wasn't much to do, and it seemed like there would be a lot of time spent seeking answers when there weren't any.
"The more you try to deduce the test and find a way out, the more you get bogged down. So sometimes, it might be interesting to change your perspective a bit."
"What do you mean?"
"Even if we don't know the content of the exam, we can imagine who our opponents might be. If I were to be a student from an opposing class, you would naturally be general, and the vanguard and middle guard would be Yōsuke and Kushida. Expected choices like these could easily be guessed."
"...That makes sense."
Indeed, the names I just mentioned would likely be among Horikita's choices.
"Then, who is in Ichinose's class? The leader is undoubtedly Ichinose, but who else?"
"I suppose Kanzaki-kun would be a safe bet. I can't think of anyone else who stands out. However, Hatsukawa-san, Hamaguchi-kun, and Niiura-kun could also be likely candidates. But..."
What does that tell us? She showed such an expression.
"If we can narrow down our opponents, we can at least look for their weaknesses. This is just a hypothetical, but let's say Hatsukawa, whose name just came up, has a strong affection for Miyake Akito. If that were the case, selecting Miyake with that in mind could impair Hatsukawa's ability to make sound judgements."
"So, it's about 'compatibility'?"
"That's right."
"But I can't imagine how compatibility can easily sway the outcome of the test—"
"I'm not saying it's easy. When breakthroughs are difficult, the first step is to change your perspective. Whether it's a good or bad idea can be considered later."
I taught Horikita that this was important.
A slight change in perspective could easily reveal new insights.
"I'll keep that in mind."
Her words were honest, but something seemed to displease her as her eyes appeared slightly dissatisfied.
"Since you're quick-witted, I have a question. You mentioned me, Hirata-kun, and Kushida-san. Do you think the three of us would make good representatives?"
"That's something for you, as the class leader, to decide."
"I thought I'd start by listening to those around me. That's my current line of thinking."
She spoke in a slightly twisted, witty manner.
If that's the case, I might as well answer.
"The class representatives are set to compete in a one-on-one format. It's better to choose students who can perform individually rather than those who excel in a group setting. Students specialized in physical abilities like Sudō or Onodera should be avoided. Yōsuke and Kushida can perform in a group but also have the skills to adapt individually. They would be safe choices."
"Your answer sounds like something out of a textbook, lacking any flair. I'd like a bit more personality."
"You've probably already decided on your strategy without relying on my opinion, right?"
The deadline to decide our representatives was at the end of Sunday.
Even at this point, if we hadn't narrowed down the candidates, it wasn't even worth discussing.
"Well, that's true. But there aren't many people I can trust. Your opinion is almost the same as mine. Hirata-kun and Kushida-san being the top candidates is inevitable. However, that might not truly be the best choice."
"Then what's your idea of the best lineup?"
I asked, and she looked at me with a piercing gaze.
"If you and Kōenji-kun would participate, I'd be relieved."
There were three representatives that Horikita envisioned: Horikita, Ayanokōji, Kōenji, huh?
Indeed, if it were possible to choose representatives regardless of their will, that might be ideal.
"Even if we set aside your case, I still wish Kōenji-kun would simply cooperate when it comes to times like this."
"If he took it seriously, his natural instincts might just cut through everything."
That's right, Horikita strongly agreed.
As the vanguard, he might take the general's head just like that. Even such a scenario might be possible.
Of course, forcefully nominating Kōenji could lead to him conceding defeat without a fight, a high-risk move.
In fact, I couldn't see any other outcome.
"I know it's unlikely. I've resigned myself to just observing Kōenji-kun until graduation. Unless he volunteers to be a representative, it's not realistic to ask him."
It seemed she hadn't even attempted to ask him, thinking that the chances were slim.
Of course, that was the right choice, and hopeful invitations should be avoided.
With Kōenji, it wouldn't be surprising if he claimed that it was a breach of contract and made unreasonable demands.
"Even if he's a long shot, if at least you'd accept, I could safely entrust it in your hands."
She glanced at me as if gauging my reaction.
"Do you think I'd participate?"
"I don't think so."
"Not really? I wouldn't mind participating if you want."
"That's right, you wouldn't just say yes that easi— Eh?"
She started to say something, then froze with her mouth open.
"What did you just say?"
"I said I wouldn't mind participating if you want."
I repeated, but it seemed her brain couldn't catch up immediately as her mouth flapped open and closed.
"Really? You're not just joking?"
"I wouldn't make such a boring joke. It would only be troublesome if you took it seriously."
"But... if you would take on this role as the representative, it wouldn't just be me, but it would be a great strength for the class. Are you really okay with this?"
Horikita kept asking for confirmation, but her eyes shone brightly. I knew it might cloud that brightness, but I decided to add something important.
"It's true. However, there are several conditions."
Conditions. Naturally, Horikita would be wary of such a word.
"What kind of conditions? Are they difficult?"
"It depends. It also involves whether your pride can accept it."
"My pride? Can you explain more?"
Even though I mentioned conditions, Horikita seemed very willing to consider me as the representative, so I decided to proceed with the discussion.
"Almost 100% of the leaders from each class will face the exam as the general."
"That makes sense. The general has the most lives. Having more chances to make mistakes means that being the vanguard or the middle guard would just be giving up those advantages. It's almost certain."
Understanding that, I moved on to talk about pride.
"The current undeniable leader of this class is you, Horikita. One of the conditions for me to take on this role is that you would be the middle guard and I would be the general."
"You as the general...?"
It was clear what this implied. The real leader of the class might be seen not as Horikita but as me, Ayanokōji.
"As I said earlier, other classes will—nine times out of ten, no, with close to a 100% certainty—have Ichinose, Ryūen, and Sakayanagi as their generals. They'd want to fight with as many lives as possible."
Horikita nodded in agreement.
"If I become the general, some students in our class and other classes might garner some thoughts towards me. Some might even start to see you as an unreliable leader."
"You're putting it quite mildly, but you're right. In this special exam, it's inevitable that the class's most capable student would become the general."
"Yes. So, whether you can accept that is the premise for this discussion."
Of course, I respected Horikita's decision. If she wished to remain the general herself, I would be rather happy that she's beginning to feel a strong self-awareness about her role as the leader.
"What if I said I can't give up being the general?"
"I'd just refuse."
But if Horikita were to reject the premise, naturally, I wouldn't become the representative.
"Pride, I see. Honestly, as long as we can win, I don't care much whether I'm the general or not. But it's not like it doesn't bother me at all."
"That's right. No, it wouldn't make sense otherwise."
Pride itself wasn't valuable. However, having a leader with pride did have value.
"Can you tell me why you won't take it if you don't become the general? Simply because you're more capable than I am?"
"No? It's a simpler matter. I just don't want you to give me a turn to compete."
"So you're okay with being the representative, but you'd rather not fight?"
"That's right."
Horikita frowned as she tried to understand my reasoning for joining as a representative.
"That is… How beneficial is that for me? If you become the general, I'll probably be the middle guard. If I have to fight without giving you a turn, it's going to be a tough battle."
"Indeed, it would be a disadvantage. The number of mistakes you're allowed would decrease, which is a significant handicap. And winning as the middle guard means you have to reduce the opponent's lives quickly and in large quantities."
It was understandable that Horikita had doubts after hearing all this.
Saying I would be the general while also asking not to be given a turn was a hard pill to swallow. Of course, it would be easier if Horikita could win it all, but it wasn't that simple.
"By the way, judging from your tone earlier, it seems there are still more conditions?"
Horikita, still unable to come to a conclusion, wanted to confirm what else there was. Either way, I had no plans of rushing her.
"Let's put the general matter on hold and move forward. In exchange for taking on the representative role, I want a reward."
"Private points?"
"No, I'm not asking for that. What I want is the same thing as Kōenji. From now on, I won't contribute anything else to the class. I won't cooperate at all. I want you to acknowledge that."
"…That is…"
Unexpected… No, I thought it was a conversation she didn't even want to consider. Horikita must have been prepared to accept some sort of compensation, but her words faltered.
"You're asking for quite the unreasonable demand. Do you want me to let you run wild like Kōenji-kun too?"
It wasn't anger, but rather astonishment that Horikita brought to the forefront.
"Recently, you've been willing to give advice and even started contributing a bit to the class. And now you say you won't cooperate anymore..."
"I understand you're displeased. But I have my own reasons for this proposal."
"Will you share what you're thinking?"
"First of all, I'm not fixated on moving up to Class A. I don't mind graduating from Class C or D. I don't see the need to desperately cooperate to move up to Class A, do you understand?"
"...Indeed, I do."
"Moreover, I'm not as concerned about private points as Kōenji. I think the current class points are sufficient, and even if they were halved, it wouldn't bother me."
I conveyed that even if we lost due to my non-cooperation, it was a situation I could accept.
"Why have you occasionally helped out until now?"
"If the class stabilizes, that's all the better. You and our classmates have grown. I've just judged that you all have reached a point where all of you can manage on your own."
"I honestly don't know which part of what you say I should believe… But I understand what you want to say. You want to help out in this final special exam of the school year, and then you want to enjoy a relaxed school life?"
"That's right. However, I don't intend to demand the current conditions just because I took on the role of the general. If I become the general, I promise not to ask for anything in return as long as we win with the middle guards without needing me."
"So, you're saying you'll only make those demands if you're dragged out as the general and you lead the class to victory?"
"Yes. But even if you have Ichinose, who will be the general, down to just one life point, if my turn then comes and I win, you will still have to keep your promise."
Fisherman's profit—I had to make sure Horikita considered such a scenario, where I could reap the benefits without having to barely do any work myself.
(TL NOTE: Fisherman's profit, (漁夫の利), profiting while others fight.)
It was a proposal that could easily be refused under normal circumstances.
That was why I touched on an important part here.
"And, if I come out as the general and we still lose the exam, as long as I remain your classmate, I promise to cooperate next time… no, for the next six months."
I promised assistance for the next six months in exchange for defeat.
This should be a favorable deal for Horikita.
"Even if we lose, I'll have your cooperation for a while—you really are asking for the same conditions as Kōenji-kun."
"If you compare it to Kōenji, I think it's more than just that. Unless I drop out or something else takes me out of your class, I'll continue to cooperate for the next six months."
"Why not until graduation instead of just six months?"
"That's impossible."
"Well... even if I refuse your proposal here, there's no guarantee that you will continue to cooperate devotedly in the future, right?"
"Of course. I don't mind not graduating from Class A."
"How typical of you. It's a rather troublesome proposal."
Asking for some time to think, Horikita crossed her arms and closed her eyes.
It seemed she was going to come to a conclusion here without delay.
I could've waited until evening, but I didn't want to disturb her thoughts, so I waited for her answer.
If Horikita, as a middle guard, were to defeat the opposing class's general, our relationship would remain unchanged.
If Horikita lost, but I won, we would still gain the class points from the end-of-year special exam.
However, as a risk, my cooperation would no longer be available. If Horikita lost and I also lost, unless there was an unexpected problem, my cooperation could be secured for the next six months.
Now, these three futures were presented to Horikita.
"What if our vanguard and I team up to lose on purpose to put you at a disadvantage in the match?"
"I don't mind. Whatever the situation, if I lose, I'll keep my promise."
"...I see."
After pondering for a few dozen seconds, Horikita unfolded her arms.
"Well, actually planning to lose on purpose is out of the question. Alright, I've decided."
After discussing it this far, she seemed to have reached a decision on which future to aim for.
"Honestly, I was prepared to serve as the general myself. There were no other candidates, and I thought I would have to fight as the leader."
"That makes sense."
"However, if you're willing to serve as the general… everything else is trivial. The class winning is the top priority. I'll adopt the strategy with the highest chance of winning."
"So you're willing to give up being the general?"
"Yes. I will fight with all my might. It gives me peace of mind and simultaneously heightens the tension. In an unavoidable tough battle, I must think about winning while giving up on being the general."
Horikita felt that even if she lost, I would somehow take care of things, giving her a sense of security and assurance.
However, using that insurance meant she wouldn't be able to get cooperation in the future.
Therefore, it was most ideal for her, who was the middle guard, to lead the class to victory.
"That's why I formally accept your proposal. I'll leave the role of the general in this special exam to you."
After saying that, she then continued.
"Is that okay? To see you as a potential asset."
"Of course, I don't intend to hold you back. It's a deal."
I extended my hand, and Horikita shook it.
I'm determined to snatch victory by any means necessary.
That sense of urgency must have been growing stronger inside Horikita.
"Ah, right. There's something I need you to do beforehand. I don't know how the others will feel about me sitting in as the general. It wouldn't be strange if some classmates think it's not right to entrust such an important battle to me, considering what happened last year."
"I don't think many people would object, but it's not impossible."
"That's why I want you to get the consent of the entire class."
"Everyone, including Kōenji-kun?"
Is that necessary? That question was implied in her response.
"Yes, including Kōenji."
"What if he opposes? There's a good chance he might act on a whim."
"I don't think he's the type to oppose if there's no disadvantage, but I can't guarantee it. If he does oppose it, let me know right away. I'll handle it myself."
"You will? Well, that's reassuring... I'll get on it right away."
"Thanks. Just be sure to proceed with caution."
"Proceed with caution? Ah, of course, I'll keep it under wraps that your participation is based on the assumption that you won't cooperate with the class in the future. That's okay with you, right?"
If the students knew that my participation was just to slack off, naturally, they wouldn't look favorably upon it. It was something that should be kept confidential.
"Of course, that's fine. I said 'proceed with caution' because I want you to keep it a secret from Ichinose's class that I'm taking on the role of the general. To increase our chances of winning even slightly, it's essential to surprise and unsettle the opponent. So please announce to everyone in the class not to leak anything outside."
"Even without that, there shouldn't be any students who would do something like leaking secrets to other classes."
"But still, even if there's no intention to leak, there's a risk of conversations about it being overheard. It's also a reminder to be vigilant."
That makes sense, Horikita thought and readily agreed.
"I'll let you know whether everyone agrees or if there are any objections. I plan to finish this by tonight since we don't have much time."
I nodded and decided to wait for Horikita's report.