บท 144: Chapter 3 Part I
In the afternoon, I once again went to the discussion room of the (Rabbit) group. But even in the same place and the same space, depending on who you're with the atmosphere will also inevitably change. I arrived in the room ten minutes before the start of the discussion and the one who arrived right after me was Karuizawa. When she saw me, her expression changed into a disgusted one and she immediately averted her eyes away from me. She then sat in a corner of the room (the corner furthest away from me) and started fiddling with her phone. It's not like we had a fight or anything, or that we don't get along. I'm just simply put, hated by her. But that's the worst type of relationship to have.
If there is a reason behind the hate, there is room for reconciliation. However if there is only an ambiguous dislike of me, I cannot make any breakthrough with her. Currently, my standing with her is quite bad. I could have left the room and spent time out in the hallway until Ichinose and the others arrive. But I can't just leave because the atmosphere is getting awkward in here.
I quickly corrected my stance in a manner befitting a dignified person like a man. In any case, this type of exam is particularly bad for me. Especially since it revolves around the concept of 'dialogue' which is a weakness for me. After spending the entire semester as a loner, it's not like I can suddenly start cultivating a chatty image. But Karuizawa seems to have no intention of keeping quiet since she placed the phone near her ear and started speaking.
"Ahh, Rinocchi? How're things over there? Here? Things are awful here" she spoke to her friend through the phone. Since we were the only people in the room, naturally I could hear every bit of her conversation. The worst part is that once she ends her call, an awkward silence descended upon the room. Then she spoke to me "Aah...speaking of which are you the "target"? It seems Yukimura-kun and Soto.....something-kun aren't" she asks me. At least remember Sotomura's name, I thought. Since there was no one else in the room, it seems she's picked me to talk to.
It was a question Yukimura also asked me just a while ago. It can't be helped that everyone would want to check this with me. "No" I reply to her. "I see, then that's fine". But unlike Yukimura, she didn't ask again to confirm. "Do you trust me?" I ask her. "Ha? You said you're not the "target" right?" she replies to me. I was surprised that she would so easily trust in my words. It's not like we ever got along or anything. But I suppose there's no real need to confirm that anyways, because what I'm really aiming for in this exam aren't the points. What I want to confirm is whether this person known as "Karuizawa Kei" is truly a useful existence or not. "You're both early". It seems the three students from Class B have arrived at the same time. "Let's get along today as well" I reply to Ichinose. Ichinose also called out to Karuizawa with those words but Karuizawa ignored her and continued fiddling with her phone.
And as it was yesterday, the members gathered together prior to the discussion. It seems the situation still hasn't changed at all from the previous discussions.
Class A quickly took its distance and only the remaining three classes gathered to form a circle. Seeing that, Karuizawa stood up and went over to join Class A and sat down next to Machida of Class A. That action was probably taken as a defensive measure against Manabe. Machida did not actively take part in the discussions, but his 'presence' was still very strong and his voice was influential in the group still. And there is still the difference in strength between a male and a female student which leaves Manabe and the Class C girls unable to do anything to Karuizawa with Machida around.
If Karuizawa had decided to depend on the unreliable me or Sotomura instead, Manabe and her group would not have hesitated to attack her. Thinking that way, Karuizawa's decision to choose Machida is correct.
"It's ok, if anything happens, I'll definitely save you" Machida promises Karuizawa. "Thank you, Machida-kun" Karuizawa says in reply. It seems that by being relied on, Machida has become overly conscious of Karuizawa. Since she is a cute girl on the outside, it can't be helped even if feelings to protect her are born inside Machida. Leaving aside this new love story, the real problem right now is the exam. Just like us, the other classes probably understand as well. They must have already talked about it like we have, and must know whether the "target" is in their class or not.
"Now, I've been thinking about it since last night. But, I think we should now discuss with each other a way to find out who the "target" is" Ichinose says. "That again? I've already told you there are people you cannot negotiate with. And without us participating, there's no way you can discover the "target" right?" words that mock Ichinose like that came from Class A. "I don't think so, I think it's a matter of trust here. And that's why today, we will be playing cards with everyone. Of course I won't make it compulsory so only willing people should join" Ichinose then continues while taking out a deck of cards with a smile.
"Hahahahaha, building trust with a card game? That's stupid" Class A continues their mockery. "You may think that, but if you try it it's surprisingly fun. It's going to be a long hour to be spending alone in silence. It's fine if you won't feel bored though" Ichinose says in reply and as usual, Class B all voices their consent to Ichinose. "I shall also participate. I'm free anyways" Sotomura adds. But of course it seems nobody else is willing to consent to Ichinose's plan so I raise my hand lightly and offer my consent to her.
"So it's the five of us then. For now I'm thinking of playing Daifugo. Is there anyone who doesn't understand the rules here?" Ichinose asks us.
Of course, to a certain extent, I do understand the rules of card games too. Daifugo included. There seemed to be no problems with everyone else too and so the game smoothly started. The others not involved in the game are either disinterested in us or sending us glances from time to time. Ichinose then proceeded to shuffle the cards which were evenly divided up between the five of us. I have a Joker, 2 and 3 of Clubs. It seems a pretty intense hand has formed. My hand would currently overwhelm most other players but in Daifugo, you can't say for sure the stronger hand always wins. A revolution can occur and weaken your hand and send you spiraling into a loss.
But there's no denying the fact my hand currently gives me an advantage. I should come up with a solid strategy to utilize this hand. I have to admit, playing cards is a much deeper experience than I ever imagined. Not to mention each player's personality is highlighted in the game. Ichinose, for instance, is not fighting with her own hand only but also carefully analyzing the other players and using their pace to her advantage. Hamaguchi is betting everything on the endgame. It seems their strategies each reflect their personalities. "One more time!" Sotomura shouted. Sotomura, who is usually very knowledgeable with otaku related topics, I had expected to exhibit a much calmer personality. But it seems he's the time to get angry when he starts losing. But he also seems to be the type to quickly cool off since he returned to normal once the game ended.
I think this is probably what Ichinose was hoping for. To scout out the personalities and characteristics of the players. Of course it only helped a bit, and the dialogue with the rest of the group is still not occurring. But that would mean not only Sotomura, but she could have also been scouting my behaviour.
From Ichinose's perspective, I wonder how I would be seen. From an objective standpoint...I'm sure as a truly dull man. Active with a good hand yet passive with a bad one. I must seem like a very common sort of man. This approach is better than adapting to the game and throwing Ichinose's observations into disarray. And so we continued to play cards, starting from Daifugo and by the end we had even played Old Maid. And by the time we finished, an hour had already passed. Neither Class A nor Class C joined in, and by the end of it all, only the five of us had participated in the games from start to finish.
"That was fun, sometimes it is good to play it the old-fashioned way" Sotomura said, seemingly more happy from playing cards than having to sit through an hour of discussion.
But just by repeating these games like some sort of psychological warfare tactic, I still cannot see what Class B's true aims are here. I'm sure that's something only Ichinose knows.
"Then...I'll be taking my leave". "Where are you going?". "I can't allow Class A to get away like this after all". "So you're heading off to go see Katsuragi-kun?". It looks like Ichinose is planning on making direct contact with the man who planned Class A's closed fortress strategy. Even though I normally am not the social type of person, I should take advantage of this flow. "If it's ok with you, can I tag along with you?" I ask her.
"Of course I'm completely fine with it, perhaps Ayanokouji-kun is also interested in Katsuragi-kun?" Ichinose asks me. It's not like she was being cautious of me, but genuinely curious as she tilted her head while asking me. "That's not the case, it's just Horikita is also in the same group as Katsuragi" I answer her.
"I see, I see. Then let's go together, shall we? See you later, Hamaguchi-kun" Ichinose said goodbye as she left with me, nodding as if convinced of my reasoning. Hamaguchi sees her off. Despite seeing Ichinose as their leader, it seems Hamaguchi is also capable of taking individual action. This is very different from the king-subject relationship Katsuragi and Ryuuen take with their class.
As long as the discussions are ongoing at the same time, the time of dissolution should also be the same. Ichinose quickened her pace through the corridor to arrive before the (Dragon) group dissolved their meeting. "Let's hurry, ok?" she tells me. And with that declaration, Ichinose quickly walks to the destination in a slight hurry. Since the rooms are all located on the same floor, it is possible to quickly traverse the distance between one group's room to another. It is only one or two minutes since the discussion period ended, and the students on the floor are still sparse. And soon I arrived in front of the (Dragon) group's room.
Of course we could not hear the voices of the people inside, but we could still feel their presence and so we stopped in front of the room.
Perhaps the fact that no one is coming out means that there is a lengthy discussion ongoing in there. I did send her a chat, but it was still not marked as 'read' by Horikita. "It looks like they're taking their time". "Hard to imagine Ryuuen and Katsuragi holding a discussion with each other. Or perhaps this is Class B's power showing itself?". "I wonder, Kanzaki-kun isn't the type to take the spotlight like that though...and speaking of which Horikita-san and the others are Class D right? It seems Class D also has a considerably remarkable lineup there" Ichinose says to me in reply.
It's not only Horikita, there's also Hirata and Kushida, I thought. And about 10 minutes after the allocated time, the door of the (Dragon) group's room finally opened. The first person who came out of the room was the one Ichinose was looking for, Katsuragi. Several students from Class A followed behind him. Having noticed Ichinose, Katsuragi turned to face her.
"Ichinose, what are you doing here? This isn't a coincidence right?". "There's something I'd like to discuss with Katsuragi-kun. Do you have some time?" she asks him. "The exam's interval is a long one. There's nothing for me to do anyways so there's more than enough time" he tells her. As expected, he did not ignore Ichinose, Class B's leader, and was responsive to her questions. Having understood Katsuragi's intent, the students at his back went ahead and left without him. "There's no problem if only I stay behind right?" he asks Ichinose.
Nodding, Ichinose quickly moves aside towards the walls so as to not disturb the passerbys. Having managed to join into the conversation, I stand by Ichinose's side. And from Katsuragi's perspective, having just me as the sole observer seemed to be acceptable and he did not say anything.
"Judging from our discussions, I can more or less understand Katsuragi-kun's strategy. You forbade all the Class A students in the groups from talking, right? If so, would you reconsider that decision of yours? This current exam revolves around dialogue, doesn't it?" Ichinose asks Katsuragi. Three times now in our discussions, Class A stubbornly kept their silence. And that sort of fortress isn't something Ichinose can break apart in one stroke. To Ichinose, this must be an opportunity to break down that defense. Now, let's see Katsuragi's response. "A reasonable request. But that's something I've tired many times over since yesterday, to the point I think you're late in asking me this, Ichinose" he replies.
It seems Katsuragi's strategy has received far more attention than expected. "I had my own circumstances to consider, in any case Katsuragi-kun, would you reconsider your strategy of keeping silent?" Ichinose asks him. Katsuragi seemed to be considering the complaints raised against him by the other three classes. "The answer's the same no matter who asks, this is a strategy I made to win. And there is a reasoning behind it as well. You say this exam revolves around dialogue. But if there's something I disagree with, it's that. This exam tests 'thinking'. It would be problematic if you misunderstood that aspect of the exam. That's why considering the exam, I decided to prohibit discussion. There's no problem there" Katsuragi responds to Ichinose. "But Katsuragi-kun, that's like saying you reject the exam itself" Ichinose replies.
"My words may be blunt, but they're not wrong. Not just this exam, but the ones to come as well. I'll be looking for ways to achieve results without doing anything. I'll be playing for keeps for Class A's current position. I believe there's nothing wrong with that" he tells her.
"Yes if this were a direct competition between classes, Katsuragi-kun has the right idea but in a mixed class exam like this, is this really the right way to do things?" Ichinose asks him. Ichinose contacted Katsuragi to attempt to change his opinion but this time it seems Katsuragi has made the right call. There are only four possible outcomes to this exam. Students can opt to clear the exam through any one of those outcomes. Not interested in the struggle between classes, Katsuragi seems to be focusing only on leading Class A through this exam. "Further discussion is pointless, Ichinose. You should know I'm not changing my decision" he tells her.
"To break a mountain without moving an inch, is that it?" Ichinose remarked with a bitter smile. Having seen no sign of him giving up, it seems she has understood Katsuragi won't be on board with our idea. I did expect this sort of outcome from the start somewhat. "Are you still going to struggle?". "Of course, that's the point of this exam". Ichinose and Katsuragi. Two powerful elites clashing with each other directly. "I'm sorry but I can already see the results of this exam. As long as we of Class A refuse to cooperate, your actions will be severely limited. There will be no chance of you winning". Indeed, even with three classes perfectly united, this exam is not an easy thing to clear. As soon as the identity of the "target" is revealed, somebody is bound to turn traitor. As long as the traitor stands to gain something from it, cooperation will be difficult to maintain to the end.
If the reward is not evenly and fairly distributed, there would also be no point in cooperating as well after all.
"Tell me something. If you were the leader of Class A, wouldn't you have used the same strategy as I did?" Katsuragi asks Ichinose. "I wonder, I still haven't seen things from the perspective of Class A after all. If you're in a position to be hunted like that, shouldn't it be after you've had lots of experience being hunted? Running from the start's a difficult thing".
As if hearing nonsense, Katsuragi closed his eyes and crossed his arms and then finally crossed eyes with Ichinose once again. "This is just my personal image, but I think if we were in the same position, you too would have foregone dialogue and chose the same strategy I did. If it's to protect my class, I do no mind receiving criticism from other classes at all" Katsuragi says with the assumption Ichinose shares the same conviction as him.
And Ichinose simply smiles softly in response to his assessment of her. "Sorry for taking up your time, I think I understand now. Your feelings and your way of thinking" she tells him. "Good to hear. Excuse me". Ichinose did not move an inch as she saw off Katsuragi. "This exam, it's really easy when you play defense, huh? I shouldn't have done something unnecessary" Ichinose says. On that front, only the classes in desperate need of points would have to desperately uncover hints. But even then there is a huge risk. Removing the "target" could cause trouble to the class as well.
"Even so, Kanzaki-kun and the others aren't coming out yet". Even though Katsuragi and Class A left first, the others aside from them have yet to show themselves. 1 hour was the minimum amoount of time required for discussion, but discussion beyond that point is not prohibited after all. "Are you going to wait for Kanzaki?" I ask Ichinose.
"Ayanokouji-kun's also waiting for Horikita-san, right? I'd like to hear what they have to say too, let's wait together". She can talk to Kanzaki whenever she wants, but my opportunity to talk with Horikita is limited. Since Katsuragi brushed her off, she might also want to hear the opinions of the other classes too. But from the start, I don't think there is a way to break through Katsuragi's strategy in the first place. And from that point onwards, we waited for around 30 minutes and the door to the (Dragon) group's room finally opened. The ones that came out where the students of Class C except for Ryuuen, there was also Kushida and Hirata.
"Hmm? Ayanokouji-kun, what are you doing here? Are you waiting for Horikita-san?". Having seen me, Kushida approached me strangely. The memory of what happened with her yesterday came up in my mind and my body stiffened immediately. But it seems Kushida is still the same as usual and hasn't shown any signs of change. It's a bit unfortunate. "Hello, Kushida-san". "Uwaa, it's Ichinose-san. Hello. This was unexpected, and a strange combination". It seems like Kushida doesn't know we were acquainted and couldn't quite hide her surprise.
"I'm waiting for Horikita-san and Kanzaki-kun but are they still talking inside?" she asks Kushida. "Those two are still talking with Ryuuen-kun it seems like. You could enter". Kushida gestures towards the door as if inviting us in. "It's ok, it's ok. I can wait if they're still in the middle of discussion". "Isn't it fine? The exam's limit is only 1 hour. Anything beyond that you're free to enter and leave as you please. Besides, you don't know if they're still taking about the exam or not". And with a slightly pushy attitude, Kushida opens the door and forces us in. Since I was forced in and with no reason to refuse, I entered together with Ichinose. My eyes met Hirata's for a moment.
And in the room, three people were sitting slightly apart from each other. It almost seemed like a three states situation. But it was not a tense atmosphere I felt but a more relaxed one. The moment we intruders set foot in the room, their gazes immediately turned towards us. Horikita and Kanzaki did not show much of a change in their expressions, but Ryuuen seemed to have found something funny as he laughed. And then he raises his hand and called to Ichinose.
"Yo. Did you come all the way here for some reconnaissance? Don't be shy, have a seat". "This is certainly an interesting combination. I'm very intereseted to hear what you've been talking about after the required hour". "Kuku, of course. Originally, you must've thought you'd be in Kanzaki's place. But the fact of it is, you belong to a different group. And a small team with the bare essentials at that. Or perhaps that's just the sort of person you are" he tells Ichinose.
"Come on, Ryuuen-kun. The placements were decided by the school, how could I have known? We're just fighting based on the information and the situation we've been given. The way you're saying it sounds like it's reversed and the school intentionally grouped us?".
Ichinose acts as if she hasn't realized or noticed anything, but Ryuuen isn't the type of man to believe in something like that. While laughing, he quickly moves and closes the distance between himself and Ichinose. And it seems he hasn't even realized my presence. But, personally I liked it better that way. "If you haven't realized it yet then I'll tell you. In this exam, those bunch of teachers intentionally decided on the groups. That much is obvious. That also means that there is a reason you were excluded from this group despite being the leader of B" Ryuuen tells Ichinose.
"Hmm. So it's not random but predetermined grouping huh? I knew Ryuuen-kun's group was made up entirely of extremely gifted people, but it seems other groups are also decided like that. Thanks for your information. But, is it ok? Giving me information like that?" she asks him. Ichinose's reply like that should have been expected, but I did not miss the change in Ryuuen's facial expression. Normally, upon hearing facts one should not have known about, there would be surprise, anxiety or doubt. But without missing a beat, Ichinose had thanked him for his information. That was not a natural response. Of course, looking at it from the perspective of the other party, Ichinose's reaction must have made it seem as though she had known this truth all along but was merely hiding the fact. Even if he does not know this for a fact, the possibility that he's gleamed this information off her by instinct alone is also high. It was only a brief conversation, but both parties seemed to have gleamed quite a bit of information off each other.
In this case, whether Ichinose noticed the intentional groupings by the school's side is unimportant. What's important is 'why', if she realized, she decided to keep silent on the matter. That's what a struggle to read each other's moves means. "But even so...". And with an exasperated face, Ryuuen finally turned to face me. "I too, like to chase after a woman's ass. But you're even worse than that aren't you? First Suzune, and now Ichinose. You're always hanging off a woman's ass" he tells me. Of course that was not my intention, but now that I think about it, he's not wrong either and I cannot deny that.
It's not like Ryuuen's being particularly interested in me, since he doesn't say anything more after that.
"You've come at a good time, Ichinose. I have an interesting proposal to make to you". "Proposal? In any case I'll hear you out. But what is it?". "It's pointless talk. A waste of time to even lend him your ear". Seemingly having already heard that proposal, Horikita quickly cut in as if to prevent it. "It's a proposal to work together and crush Class A together. But it seems Suzune and Kanzaki have rejected me" he says. "What do you mean?". "I've told Suzune about it earlier, but I already know the identities of all the Class C "targets" you see". And just like how Katsuragi had Katsuragi's own strategy. Now it seems to be Ryuuen's turn to speak of his own strategy.
It seems we've evolved beyond the stage we were at in the morning already.
"Three classes will combine forces and share information, that includes the identities of all the "targets" as well and bypass the school's rules for this exam". So that's what the three classes alliance would mean. "That's quite a bold idea. But how realistic it is is a completely different matter. In the first place, how can we trust that Ryuuen-kun already knows the "targets" for Class C?". "You can't trust me and that's only natural. Then we don't we make a contract in this case? A pledge to share the "target" identities between us and gang up on A. That way, leaving A aside, three classes would have effectively formed a siege against it".
But this is a strategy that seems likely to collapse if Class A refuses to play along. "Even if we write up a contract, without knowing who's going to betray you, it's still meaningless. It's all over if Class C betrays us". Horikita's statement like that was the natural follow up to such a proposal. From the information I've gathered myself, it seems Ryuuen's already formed an alliance with Class A for quite some time. And during the island test, Ryuuen has shown his propensity for betrayal. The fact that Katsuragi did not raise a single complaint against it shows how well this guy does his job.
The strategy itself is not such a bad one, however, the fact that Ryuuen is the one who proposed it is the problem. "What Horikita-san says is reasonable, but unless we also know the identities of the "targets" like Ryuuen-kun, this is a meaningless proposal". "No point in playing dumb, there's no way you haven't been analyzing the classes as well" Ryuuen retorts to Ichinose. Both of them had smiles on their faces, but the atmosphere between them had changed slightly like needles pricking your skin all over.
"You're overestimating me. I've done no such thing, and besides, this proposal is very high-risk low-return. I'm afraid I cannot accept it" Ichinose tells Ryuuen. "There's a time for secrets, and there's a time for actions". "It may be so from your point of view, but now that you're gathering information so aggressively. Is it not your dream to rise up to Class B that way?". "Horikita-san from Class D also opposes it. From the start, there was no way this proposal would be accepted". "That can't be helped, Suzune has a reason to decline the proposal after all".
"What's that supposed to mean" Horikita asks Ryuuen. "You understand, don't you? For this strategy to work, you'd need to perfectly understand your own class firstly. And for Class D which has no teamwork at all, that's an impossible task. Right? And it's also impossible for Class A which is currently split into two factions" he replies. The atmosphere changes once again, and now it feels like a cloudy atmosphere had descended upon the room.
"But for me, who rules the class and the incredibly popular Ichinose, this strategy is possible. Right now I proposed a three class alliance, but even if it's just two classes it's still possible. The probability of seeing through the rules of the exam may decrease slightly, but if it's me I can certainly pull it off. If I can do it, both A and D might as well be stripped nude" Ryuuen says. To discover the "targets" of Class A and Class D by working together as two classes. That was Ryuuen's proposal.
The fact that Ryuuen boldly proposed this strategy to Class B asking for their cooperation in front of Horikita, me, Kushida and Class D itself is incomprehensible and disturbing. Even if this strategy is not perfect, it seems Ryuuen would be able to gain something by knowing the identities of the class's "targets" and would reach that point in just a step further. If so, this will be a vital moment for Class D. "This might be unnecessary words, but doesn't that mean your strategy is still imperfect?". I had thought she would simply observe here but right now Horikita's stance seems to be one marking him as an enemy. Even if Ichinose decides to ally with Class D instead, we still don't know how far we can trust her.
And considering that, it would be an extremely fatal mistake to allow Ichinose to form a connection with Ryuuen here. "Do you understand the situation now, orbiter?" Ryuuen laughs at me as if attempting to mock me, but I decided against keeping quiet and replied with my honest opinion.
"If Class B and C form an alliance here, naturally this time Class A and D would form an alliance too, wouldn't you say? I admit Class D is fractured right now, but once the possibility of losing becomes a reality, I believe it'll come together. It's the same for Class A too". "It's not like I'm allying with Ichinose at this moment anyways. So unless you can ascertain the fact that such an alliance has formed, I doubt Katsuragi would cooperate with you" Ryuuen replies to me. Admittedly, Katsuragi is a cautious man who will not accept such ambiguous negotiations. However, since he had also suffered at the hands of Ryuuen, there is still room to reason with him. After what I said, it seems Horikita has also realized that this proposal would not work. "There's no point in this dialogue. We'll eventually be at each other's throats anyways" she said. "What might you mean by that, Suzune?". "All I mean is that he has a point. If you intend on continuing this discussion like a strategy meeting. I'll have to assume 'this is reality' and act accordingly as well" Horikita says in reply. "As you wish, I'm anxious to see whether you manage to form a cooperative relationship or not, eh?" Ryuuen says that as he randomly spouts hostility towards his enemies while at the same time, brazenly extending an offer of cooperation towards them as well.
Horikita responds with a determination to fight in response to that. This is certainly a deterrence aimed towards Ichinose. If she betrays Class D now, she will be viewed as a traitor by all the other classes as well. A person who betrays even her allies at the drop of a hat for the sake of points. If such a reputation were to be stuck to Ichinose now, it will pull her leg for the rest of her long high school life.
"I'm sorry Ryuuen-kun, but there were also people in Class B who were hurt by your actions. Even if it's for the sake of gaining points, I cannot cooperate that easily with you". "I see, that's unfortunate" Ryuuen tells Ichinose. But his face shows he expected this outcome from the start and was not disappointed in the least. Ryuuen then stood to leave the room and passed by us. As he left, Ryuuen turned around just once to look at me. Perhaps he did it unconsciously, but his gaze landed on my face. "...it can't be" he whispered and left. I, of course, did not react to those words of his.
As Ryuuen shook his head and left, Kushida also spoke up. "I have to leave now too, my friend is calling me". Apologizing like that, Kushida quickly left the room after Ryuuen. "It looks like he saw through us there". Ichinose slightly sighed. "This is going to be troublesome, being targeted by someone like that". "Even though he has the kanji for dragon in his name, he's a snake through and through. Once he's set his sights on his prey, he'll go to any lengths to devour said prey. But rather than me right now, it's Horikita-san he's set his sights on. Right now Ryuuen is most wary of Class A, and he should be aware of the fact that Class B would also be his enemies one day too" Ichinose says.
That is true, Class D had only risen up from the depths it had sunk into after the recent island test. Perhaps it is a result of that, but none of the other classes are seeing Class D as that severe of a threat yet. "It should be fine, Horikita is not the type to crumble under pressure" I tell her. "Of course". I did say that, but there is still the possibility that Horikita may yet evolve from the pressure put on her here. This much I am certain of. Whether it's now or ten years from now, if you are going to evolve as a person, generally you need to be broken down first.
"Horikita-san, Ayanokouji-kun. Since people now know about the alliance between our classes so I'll ask just in case, but do you believe in this exam, an alliance that transcends classes can truly be formed?" Ichinose asks us. "There's no real need for hostility here, but asking for cooperation might just be a bit difficult. The exam itself is set up so that two classes cooperating perfectly would be impossible. That's why absolute, unwavering cooperation between Class B and Class D is a necessity. I don't think such an alliance could be formed". "Umm. As expected of Horikita-san. You understand the exam perfectly it seems. Ryuuen-kun's idea was infeasible from the start. It was a good move allying with you" Ichinose tells Horikita, seemingly happy that their ideas seem to have matched perfectly.
"Yes. Ryuuen-kun's strategy will end in failure. There's no need to even worry about that. The problem is the strategy set up by Katsuragi-kun. Having spoken to him yourself, what do you think?" Ichinose asks Kanzaki and Horikita regarding Katsuragi. "As I reported to you yesterday, there's no room for the other groups to talk to them. He doesn't respond to us and refuses to participate in discussions as well. I don't believe he'll change his stance before the exam ends. Is the stance the same even without Katsuragi present?" Kanzaki asks Ichinose. "Yeah. It's hopeless on my end as well. Looks like we'll have to compromise in this situation with a different approach". The number of discussion periods left is three. And after that each group will have to submit their answers individually.
That's when we'll have to make a choice. For the class or for the group? Or perhaps only for yourself?. "I'll be returning to my room then". Since everyone from the (Dragon) group had left the room, Horikita also moves to return to her room. At that moment, Ichinose met up with Hamaguchi who seemed to have been waiting outside for her. Ichinose glanced briefly at the departing back of Horikita, and then turned back to look at me. "If it's ok with you, would you accompany me for a bit?" Ichinose asks me. "Sure. That's fine". Right now it's not just Ichinose but also two other students from Class B with me so it felt slightly cramped.
Then upon parting ways with Kanzaki and arriving on the deck, we were suddenly greeted with the figures of students who had already switched into a fun mood. "Horikita-san may have said that, but I still believe we can all work together and there's still room for cooperation" Ichinose finally tells me.
"Room for cooperation?". "Yes, Class A suddenly took that stance and I was surprised but there's still room for cooperation. That's why we need to expose everything, don't you agree?" she asks me. "All?". "At the end of the day, this exam is mainly about finding the "target". So that means all we'd have to do is figure out as many non-"targets" as possible to narrow down the possibility. That's why I'll tell you...I'm not the "target". But I will find them, and I'll bring our 'group' to victory" Ichinose clearly tells me while looking deep into my eyes. And added this. "If you still doubt that I'm the "target" and I'm simply hiding, even if you ask me that my response to that is simple...I'm doing everything I can for Class B". Those words pierced me with a mysterious aura I couldn't seem to quite figure out.
Having observed Ichinose's behaviour so far, there's only one thing left to question her about. If she truly wanted to ask my cooperation here and now and wish to gain absolute trust from me she should have gone one step further. That is to say, reveal the contents of her phone to me to ascertain that she is not the "target". But Ichinose is showing no signs of doing so, I didn't even notice any signs of her attempting to take out her phone. So should I take her statement as the ramblings of a mentally ill woman? Or as a story that still has a hidden side to it? That was the reason for the mysterious aura. It may yet be the wise decision to honestly accept her offer here now.
"...is it absurd?" Ichinose anxiously asks me after receiving only silence from me. "No, sorry. It's not that absurd of a proposition. I was just surprised that you would be so honest with me. Normally, one would not attempt to bring the entire 'group' to victory if they truly were the "target" after all". "I won't use lies in a place like this. I would have if I needed to during the exam, but as much as I can, I try to be honest" she tells me. "Everything I've told you so far, I intend to do to allow my class to win fair-and-square. I just thought to find the "target" to see if they share the same idea. Ah, Ayanokouji-kun doesn't need to answer if you don't want to. I just wanted to let you know my feelings. I thought it would be easier if we were on the same page" she says. "Although perfect cooperative relationships might be impossible, it's still a good idea to maintain good relations. If I don't answer you honestly here, this relationship might crumble down the line" I answer her. "No, no. No such thing". She tried to stop me from answering her in a panic, but this isn't something I should conceal here.
What Ichinose says is undoubtedly true, the price she gains from betraying me here is small. There's no point in deceiving Class D which had already sunken to the bottom and is barely rising again now. Of course, I cannot say for certain she is being 100% honest just like how one cannot be 100% certain they won't get hit by an asteroid and die. But I think I can afford to be honest with her here too. "I'm not the "target". Neither is Yukimura. I'm certain about Yukimura. But I don't know about Karuizawa and Sotomura. And personally, I agree with you Ichinose. No objections" I tell her.
I did hear from Yukimura that neither Sotomura and Karuizawa seem to be the "target" as well, but I'd best leave such uncertain statements out of this conversation. I still cannot say they are not "targets" with confidence. And judging from his attitude and his behaviour, what Yukimura confided in me is certainly true. Yukimura is not the "target". "S-sorry. I seem to have forced you to talk". Ichinose then lowers her head before me as if overcome by guilt. But there's no need to apologize. Because one day, it's 'I' who should be apologizing to her for what I'm about to do. "Hamaguchi-kun, could you come here for a moment?".
"What's the matter, Ichinose-san?". When Hamaguchi approached, Ichinose began informing him of the current situation. After listening to her, he seemed surprised that Ichinose managed to build a cooperative relationship with Class D. I thought Ichinose's personality alone would've gotten her the approval of the class. "If he's confirmed it himself too, there's no reason for me to refuse it. I'm also not the "target". It's ok to trust me" Hamaguchi tells me. And considering his relationship with Ichinose, his credibility is also pretty high. There's very little merit in lying here because it could ruin her relationship with Horikita if exposed after all. "So you haven't checked your class yet" I asked her. If it's the Ichinose who's burning with popularity, she could have gotten the information from her class even without using a reign of terror like Ryuuen did.
"I try to let my classmates take individual action. That sort of thing. There are those that just want points for themselves. It's not like I can just decide the "target" amongst them of my own accord anyways" Ichinose says. "It might be hard but I'll check the remaining one. If they answer honestly, I'll let Ayanokouji-kun know of it afterwards". "I'm grateful for that. But it's not like I'll tell you everything about Class D. We still can't say we've established a positive relationship just yet and there's still no guarantee that what you've just told me is the truth" I tell Ichinose. "That's fine. As long as Ayanokouji-kun alone cooperates with me I'll be satisfied with just that".
And with this, the three of us discussed the exam from a neutral standpoint and cooperation within the (Rabbit) group has suddenly become a possibility. Me, Ichinose, Hamaguchi and Yukimura. The four of us are certainly not the "target". I can be sure of Yukimura at least by observing his behaviour and attitude. That leaves 10 other people aside from us. The "target" is undoubtedly hiding amongst those 10. In any case it's bound to be a more difficult task than finding the leader during the island test. That is precisely why this is an exam. The "target" will also feel the pressure on them and as long as they avoid taking open action, they can keep themselves concealed. It seemed unfair at first but the school did make sure to balance out the exam.
"So? How do you intend to find the "target" from here on out? Even if we ask directly, I doubt they would name themselves honestly. It's not like they can be persuaded with words alone like the three of us" Hamaguchi says to us. "The point of this exam is to do something about that, right?". Exactly, this is an exam of the highest caliber. To extract information from a person desperately attempting to keep it hidden. Now with Ichinose making her move, a change in the current situation will inevitably occur.
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