Wanting to confirm the state of Ryūen's class, which should be in high spirits, I went close to Class D and found Hiyori.
She seemed to be looking down at the floor from the window.
Her expression was not the soft smile she usually showed, but a stern one. Noticing this incongruity, I quietly approached and copied her, looking down from the window.
What I saw was Ryūen and a few of his entourage.
A noticeable figure was Ishizaki, who was gesticulating in joy while jumping about.
There was also Katsuragi's figure, walking majestically towards Keyaki Mall, even with his gaudy movements.
His side profile which was briefly visible, as always, was stern as usual.
"Just about time to taste the wine of victory, huh?"
I wouldn't be surprised if they splurged at Keyaki Mall today.
"That seems to be the case."
Hiyori responded to my words in her natural tone.
(Illustration)
"Aren't you going?"
"Although I was invited, I declined today."
"Why?"
"Maybe because I just couldn't feel like celebrating."
Among the jubilant students, the only one without a smile might have been Hiyori.
"I felt uneasy seeing Ryūen-kun's way of thinking and offensive approach today."
"He achieved first place against the odds. I think it was an excellent result."
"We can say so if we only look at the result. However…"
After hesitating a bit, Hiyori continued speaking.
"I have doubts if we can continue winning without incident using these methods."
"It wasn't a conventional approach. Rather, it was more like treading carefully when it came to the class's strengths."
The ability to gamble on unique strategies was Ryūen's forte, but that was all.
"We somehow managed this time, but we're not going to be able to build upon this victory next time. I'm not saying we should lose, but we've lost a valuable opportunity for growth."
"You could be right."
However, to achieve that, they might need some fresh perspectives.
"The parts necessary for us to rise to class A also serve as obstacles. It's troubling."
Hiyori could see a clear weakness in her class.
The strength laid in Ryūen's existence.
But on the flip side, the weaknesses were due to his presence too.
"If there's a student who realizes this, there's still hope for the class."
I wanted to briefly hear what the winners would say, but I had no intention of interrupting.
Hiyori, who looked concerned, seemed to be going to the library and invited me to join, but I decided to decline.
I also wanted to see how Ichinose's and Sakayanagi's classes were doing.
About Ichinose's class, for better or for worse, it was the same as usual. While avoiding the lowest position, they provided insurance by keeping the number of eliminations to zero. Fighting without abandoning anyone carried risks, but in the end, they finished in second place.
Horikita determined her goal and deliberately orchestrated the strategy in the first half of the battle to push five students to the brink of elimination. In the second half, she allied with Ryūen, who appeared to have initiated negotiations early on, achieving an elimination count of zero. Furthermore, she assisted Horikita, relegating Sakayanagi's position to the very bottom.
It could be said that they made the best possible moves for a class caught in the middle.