章 39: Chapter 39 : Dedicated Thought
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(A/N: Congratzzz!! We just hit our first milestone in day 2!!!! Here's the bonus chapter today. Thanks for the support!)
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When I arrived at school, the poor air quality was immediately apparent, and even now, after school, the atmosphere remained unchanged. After the homeroom session ended and I headed towards the dormitory, Koenji was sitting cross-legged in the lobby.
"Oh? Isn't it Rich Boy? What a coincidence," he said.
"Koenji, why are you sitting there as usual doing nothing?"
I replied with a wry smile, looking in his direction. He brushed his hair back and said,
"I can make even sitting here look good, Rich Boy. Were you captivated by my beauty?"
"It's not you..." I began.
"Hahaha, you're quite straightforward. By the way, Rich Boy, what do you think about this exam?"
He asked loudly, laughing, seemingly wanting to know my opinion on the details of the exam. Perhaps Koenji himself wanted to hear my opinion to avoid potential criticism.
"It's just another test to eliminate useless people, isn't it?" I replied.
Koenji applauded enthusiastically. "You seem to understand. Many classmates don't seem to grasp this, like Red Hair. He said he didn't need me."
"Well, personally, I don't want you to drop out. You're someone valuable. You definitely shouldn't quit... or maybe you should."
"You're flattering me, Rich Boy. But I appreciate it. Anyway, let's both do our best... although, do we really need to? Well, see you," I said.
"Hehe, see you," he replied.
As we took the elevator to our rooms, Koenji seemed convinced that he would never drop out. Well, I do like Koenji, so I hope he stays.
...…
Around 11 PM, I invited Ichinose into my room. Normally, I'd be cautious, but she showed no resistance.
"Horagasaki-kun, what's up?" Ichinose asked.
"I heard from Asahina-senpai," he continued.
"Oh... I see. Well, if you heard it from Asahina-senpai, then it's okay. This deal was supposed to be confidential."
Ichinose tried to maintain her composure, but it was obvious she was forcing it.
"What do you think, Horagasaki-kun?" Ichinose asked.
"About this deal?"
"Yeah, it sounds ridiculous, doesn't it? But it's the only way to help Class B."
"In a way, I think Ichinose's plan is also correct."
"I see..."
"By the way, how much is the shortfall?"
"About 4 million yen..."
It's about time. I showed Ichinose my terminal.
"Horagasaki-kun? Why do you have so much..." he started to say.
"I have nearly 10 million here. It's what I've saved since my first year. This should be more than enough to cover the shortfall," I explained.
"But, but..."
"Of course, you'll have to repay it. The condition is to pay back 50,000 yen per month and transfer the private points of all Class B students for two months."
There are 40 students in Class B, so that's 200,000 yen per month, totaling 400,000 yen for two months. This way, I can cover my costs. However, Ichinose might hesitate to impose a burden of 50,000 yen on all classmates due to his concern for them.
"What are you going to do?" Ichinose asked.
"Well... let me think about it," I replied.
"We still have time until the deadline,"
"Hey, I feel a little better now. Thanks, Horagasaki-kun. You're amazing... Well then, good night," Ichinose said.
This feeling... It feels nostalgic. I decided to stop Ichinose as she was about to leave the room, feeling like I needed to confirm something. She turned to me with a puzzled expression.
"...Wait a minute!"
"What's up, Horagasaki-kun?"
"Um, well... about this morning, can I ask you something?"
"Hmm, what is it?"
"Where did you go to middle school, Ichinose?"
"Huh? Why do you want to know that?"
I understood that she might not want to talk about her past much, but I couldn't help but be curious. I couldn't forget this morning's words; for some reason, the girl at that time seemed to match Ichinose.
"I went to XX Middle School."
When I heard about her middle school, I got goosebumps. It was because it was the same as my hometown, a nearby middle school.
"Back in third year... Did you ever get involved with troublemakers?"
"Um... there were quite a few of them around the neighborhood, so I don't remember, but there's one thing I do recall."
As if recalling it, Ichinose spoke of the most memorable event.
"When I was in third year, I was in a bit of trouble with some bad people. I was scared, but someone came to help me. He was really strong and cool, and he defeated the bad guys... but he was so brutal that I got a little angry. Looking back, I can't believe I did that. I think he was from the neighboring middle school, though. Haha."
Ichinose laughed with an embarrassed air. It all made sense now. The girl from that time was Ichinose. She was the girl who had taught me strength, and I found myself hugging her without thinking.
"...Thank you, Ichinose."
"Huh?! W-What's wrong all of a sudden!?"
Ichinose seemed flustered, unable to keep calm. Well, it's no wonder, considering I suddenly hugged her. Am I being creepy?
"I told you earlier, the person who came to help you back then... was me."
"...Huh?"
Ichinose looked at me with eyes as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing.
"I remember it vividly. At that time, I thought violence was strength because I was in a rough phase, but you showed me what real strength is."
"Really... Horagasaki-kun, you?"
"Heh, I know it's hard to believe, but it's true."
"But back then, you had rough language, brown hair, and you didn't have such gentle eyes..."
"Well, I've been through some things..."
"I see... Well, it's a relief. You showed me what real strength is. You even saved me when I was feeling down the other day. So, you're not weak at all. You're a truly strong person."
Ichinose enveloped me with the same gentle smile as a year and a half ago. I must be completely red-faced by now.
"...I... can't thank you enough."
"No, it's because you found that strength that you're the truly strong one. By the way, it's surprising that we're from the same hometown and might have met before. Haha, unexpected, right?"
After that conversation, Ichinose left my room. I'm glad I made this proposal today. If I hadn't, She would have probably chosen to go out with Nagumo gracefully. I never would have imagined having such a touching reunion here. Why didn't I realize it sooner?
...
The next day, on the third morning after the exam results were announced, when I entered Class C with Kiyotaka, I felt a different atmosphere from yesterday. It was strange to see friends chatting and chatting, unlike yesterday. I sat down and looked at Kiyotaka. This atmosphere was no longer about protecting someone but about agreeing on who to push down. There were only 11 students in the classroom now. If we exclude Hirata, there are 10. If these 10 students band together and cast criticism votes against someone, that person would be in dangerous territory. The people in that group are mostly from the group centered around Karuizawa and Matsushita, such as Ike and Yamauchi.
"Hey, Kiyotaka... about this," I said.
"Yeah... I felt it too," he replied.
"It feels uncomfortable, though," I added.
Among the students who came in one after another, some felt uneasy while others didn't sense anything unusual. Keisei seemed to have picked up on the atmosphere, and because he arrived early, he informed us through the chat group of the Kiyopon Group that there was a sense of a large group forming. By the way, it was revealed that none of the members of the Ayanokoji Group were invited to this large group.
Presumably, with this exam, someone within the Kiyopon Group had been decided upon as the target. If they narrowed down their focus to a specific person, the members of the large group could assure themselves that they wouldn't be the one targeted for elimination.
During lunch break, the Kiyopon Group began chatting. Of course, the topic was about the atmosphere this morning. This large group is just a hypothesis; it's uncertain whether it actually exists, but the atmosphere seems to suggest it might.
"...Certainly, today felt brighter compared to yesterday," someone said.
"But it's still just speculation, right?" another replied.
"Yeah, we still don't know for sure. But the possibility is high," a third voice chimed in.
"Should we try to probe someone?" someone suggested.
"I'm not sure about that. If we make a mistake in selecting someone, it might come back to the group leader that we've been snooping around. And if that happens, there's a risk that someone from our group might become the target," Keisei pointed out.
"We must have a good reason for not being invited," someone else added.
If a large group is indeed formed, in an ideal scenario, they would only talk to people other than the target. Surrounding one person with 39 others to corner them is the ideal outcome. However, in reality, it's not so straightforward.
"Maybe someone among us is close to the target...?" Haruka murmured, casting a glance at me, Kiyotaka, Akito, Keisei, and Airi.
"Or perhaps, someone among us is the target," I added.
"Stop it, Haruka-chan...!" Airi protested.
Airi was scared, but the likelihood of that scenario was high. Probably, the movement to create the group had been decided from the first day. And gradually, they had expanded their circle of trusted allies, leading to today's revelation.
"If they're still trying to gather allies, someone among us might get approached today," Akito speculated.
"If it turns out that one of us is the target... and they threaten to expel you unless we cooperate... what would you do?" Akito casually threw a significant challenge our way.
"That's obvious. This group takes priority," I said.
"For example, what if, as a result, Haruka ends up being targeted?" Kiyotaka asked.
"Well... but I wouldn't want to stay at the school at the expense of betraying my friends," I replied.
"Me too, I'd never betray anyone!" Airi added emphatically.
Keisei, who had been silent, expressed his honest feelings a bit late.
"What about you, Keisei?" I asked.
"I'm basically in agreement with Haruka and Airi's opinions. But realistically, it's not that simple. If it comes down to being targeted, avoiding it in this exam would be nearly impossible. While it may sound good to say I'd stay to protect you and avoid expulsion, it'll likely be a tough situation," Keisei explained.
"What do you think, Kiyopon?" I asked.
"I'm against Haruka's way of complaining. Cooperating with the other group to bring down our friends is out of the question. It's better to pretend to comply on the surface," Kiyotaka replied.
"...Indeed. And Jinjin?" I inquired, turning to Akito.
All eyes were on him.
"I think I agree with Kiyotaka. It's necessary to gather information on how many people are planning to put in criticism votes and who they plan to invite next," Akito suggested.
"...That's true," I nodded.
Haruka, who had been restless, gradually regained her composure. If they had gathered a considerable number of people by the third day, the mastermind must be reasonably sharp. Of course, Horikita was a given, and the pacifist Hirata wouldn't be involved in that group.
The group chat ended, and I returned to my seat. Subtly, I messaged Matsushita. She was also in the large group, so I thought I'd try asking her.
Me: Matsushita, have you decided who to put criticism votes on?
After sending it, there was a read receipt, but no response came. Probably because there's someone from the large group who wouldn't want to mess up due to Matsushita's involvement.
Me: Is Ayanokoji the one being targeted? If yes, look this way. If not, keep looking in the direction you are now.
I sent it and noticed Matsushita glance in our direction slightly.
As expected. I suspected it was someone from the Kiyopon Group, but I didn't expect it to be Kiyotaka. Well, if it's Kiyotaka, things should be fine. He'll probably use Horikita and Karuizawa skillfully... I'm sure he's aware that there's definitely a mastermind behind this plan. Even though I can tell from the timing. Just to be sure, I messaged Kamuro.
Me: Was that thing Sakayanagi called Yamauchi about related to this exam?
Kamuro immediately read it, and the reply came back.
Kamuro Masumi: Yeah.
That's enough. Thanks, Kamuro. At the same time, I messaged Kiyotaka personally.
Me: Kiyotaka, be careful.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka: It's okay, I won't be expelled.
Me: Do you know about it?
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka: No, this is news to me. Thanks, Jin. I didn't expect you to help me like this.
Me: It's natural, we're classmates, right?
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka: Sorry about that. Thanks to you acting so quickly, I can move right away.
Me: If you have that kind of leeway, that's good. Do you have a plan?
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka: Yeah, I want to entrust it to Horikita. But if she can't act on the day, I'd like to rely on you.
Me: Understood. And after that, just focus on what you need to do.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka: That's the plan.
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