A classic spot for students, perfect for secret meetings, the karaoke room.
I followed the number according to the message I had received and visited the room. As I opened the door, a student sitting cross-legged in the silent room slightly turned his gaze towards me.
"None of your lackeys are around today, huh?"
"Well, ain't that a surprise. You wanted things to get lively up in here or something?"
"I was just thinking that if Ibuki or Ishizaki were here, then they would've been able to do something about this tense atmosphere."
I joked in response, but Ryūen just snorted.
"You sure are spewing quite a lot of shit being the one who called me out here."
"Well, you're right."
"Well, it's fine. I was thinking of contacting you myself this time. I'll let it slide."
Ryūen said, faintly smiling.
"If that's the case, it seems we'll be discussing similar topics."
"Then you go ahead and start."
Prompted to speak first, I began while still standing at the entrance.
"I heard about your bet with Sakayanagi."
"Oh?"
Ryūen must have guessed it was about the special exam, but whether he expected this topic to come up first was fifty-fifty.
"It seems the loser will be expelled. Since one of us might not meet again, I thought I'd at least see your face."
"Then you should meet Sakayanagi before it's too late."
"That's the plan, but I'm sure Sakayanagi will say something similar."
'It might be better for you to meet with Ryūen before having to say your farewells' is something she'd say.
Neither of them considered losing at all. This was as I'd anticipated.
"Don't be shy, sit down."
We met because we both had things to discuss, but it seemed he already had the initiative.
"I'd prefer to refrain if possible. Are you planning on pouring grape juice on me this time?"
Ryūen, sitting in front of me, extended his right hand towards a suspicious purple glass within reach. I couldn't picture him usually drinking something like this; the drink also looked untouched.
"You're reading too much into it. Besides, you could avoid it anytime if you wanted, right?"
"Don't treat me like some kind of psychic. There are plenty of situations where avoiding it isn't an option."
"For example?"
"For example… well…"
I was urged by Ryūen to sit near the entrance.
"If something happens when the staff brings something, there's only one way to escape. It would be impossible to avoid it completely."
Ryūen, planning his next move, aimed to cover a wide area.
"I can tell you're quite the skeptic."
"Even so, you don't seem to find it amusing."
Well, I decided to follow Ryūen's lead and sit down.
It was surreal, the two of us facing each other in a spacious karaoke room.
"You took quite a gamble. If the next special exam was centered around academic ability, you would have almost certainly lost. Even if you took risks and tried to manipulate things behind the scenes, unlike the good-natured Ichinose, Sakayanagi would've thoroughly prevented that."
"It's the once a year do-or-die-battle. You'd think that it'd be the type of fight where even those who aren't academically inclined could have a chance to win. If the school lacked any entertainment value like that, I'd have turned it down myself."
Ryūen laughed as he responded, but it seemed he hadn't considered it a mere gamble. Looking at the trends of the end-of-year special exams from the generation of the graduated Horikita Manabu, Nagumo's generation, and our own, it was clear that the required skills weren't limited to academic ability.
He must've been confident that a contest suitable for our classes would be chosen.
"Are you prepared for the special exam? I hope you're not planning any foolish schemes like the ones you tried on Ichinose's class last year."
In the end-of-year special exams, absences on the day could lead to penalties. Therefore, weakening the opponent beforehand could be a viable strategy.
"I hope you remember what you told me back then. 'Try to mature more effectively.' You said something like that, right?"
"That's true. That's why I said it."
Ryūen snorted through his nose at my blunt words, his gaze sharpening.
"I'll show you and Sakayanagi what I'm really capable of. It's not like me, but I'll crush her fair and square."
"That's a bold statement. If it's a bluff, you're talking to the wrong person. Even if you were to ensure fairness, I don't trust a word you say. I won't even mention it to Sakayanagi."
I firmly stated that it wouldn't serve as a ploy to catch her off guard.
"That's right. That's why it means something."
"I see. In other words, it could also lend credibility to your claim of fighting fairly."
It was a good example of how perspectives can change things.
"There's no need to tell anyone else about this. It's enough that you know."
"Understood."
Whether Ryūen would engage in underhanded tactics was his choice, but this statement would determine how he would be viewed and judged by me in the future.
"You don't seem to be feeling any pressure or anxiety."
There's no way I would, Ryūen communicated with a light wave of his hand.
"Then let's see it. How you'll fare going head-to-head with Sakayanagi."
I stood up and turned my back to Ryūen.
"Ayanokōji, aren't you participating in the exam as a representative?"
"Are you concerned about that? Whatever I do this time doesn't matter."
"Normally, there's no need to go out of your way against someone like Ichinose. But that woman is getting a wild scent about her. Horikita might just get torn apart."
It seemed like a serious comment rather than a joke.
"Even so, as of now, it's not my turn according to our class's strategy."
I conveyed this, and Ryūen snorted in disinterest.
"Well, good. It's more convenient for us if your class loses."
Fortunately, it seemed like I wouldn't end up having juice thrown at me, and I was relieved.