Ryūen used his traitor rights, and a representative interrogation took place.
"This feels kind of bad, doesn't it?"
Hashimoto, who'd arrived earlier, muttered this with a laugh as Sakayanagi showed up in the room.
"The moment my group was chosen, Ryūen used his traitor rights. The timing was bad."
Saying this, Hashimoto leaned back deeply in his chair.
Sakayanagi walked in with a cane and took a seat in front of him.
"I can't ask about the representative battle, but this looks like the climax either way."
"How so. Unfortunately, I can't answer that here."
He had expected a development where Ryūen was gaining the upper hand—that was the answer Hashimoto had hoped for.
However, the Sakayanagi seated across from him seemed to give off a calm air.
"Well, that's fine. We won't know the details until it's over anyway. But why did you select my group, Sakayanagi?"
As if running away from the reality of that answer, he slightly tried to shift the conversation.
"Oh. Now that you see me as an enemy, you've decided to drop the honorifics?"
"We're alone in here, after all. I have no intention of putting on airs."
"Very well. I understand that you've prepared accordingly."
Hashimoto kept a cool front, but his heartbeat was far faster than usual.
Desperately moistening his dry throat, he pretended that everything was normal.
"You chose to team up with Ryūen-kun. It's a pity that the special exam turned out to be one where you can't make a move."
"Exactly. I was hoping to turn the tables by backstabbing you, but it ended up being quite the opposite."
He exaggerated his disappointment due to the almost opposite outcome.
"Why did you select my group? Even if I can't interfere in this exam, you wouldn't show any openings. You never know what might happen in this world."
There were no advantages to using Hashimoto's group, only disadvantages.
"That's right. As you might've expected, I wasn't planning on selecting your group for this special exam."
"Then why? What's the purpose of this interrogation? You're not going to say you plan to expel me here, right?"
That was absolutely impossible. Hashimoto was naturally convinced.
"I won't be able to meet your expectations, so shall I quickly confess? I'm the traitor."
"That would be rather troublesome. I have no interest in your confession. I called you here to find out about the message you heard from Ayanokōji-kun."
"...Message?"
"Since it's just you and me here, there's no need to hide it, right?"
"Wait a minute. I don't understand what you're talking about."
Showing confusion, Hashimoto crossed his arms and thought.
"Didn't you meet Ayanokōji-kun before the special exam started?"
"I did meet Ayanokōji, but I didn't receive any message for you."
"Time is limited. If you were entrusted with his message, I don't see the need to meaninglessly keep me in suspense."
"No, no, I seriously have no idea. Just wait, I'll remember."
Hashimoto had indeed met Ayanokōji. However, he truly had no recollection of being asked to pass a message to Sakayanagi. He desperately dug through his memory.
"Ah, no... could it be... that?"
"It seems you do recall something."
"No, that definitely wasn't a message. It's just..."
Just as he was beginning to speak, he then closed his mouth.
"What is it?"
"I was only given one piece of advice when facing this special exam—don't lie to yourself."
"You are a liar, after all. Perhaps that was what his advice was about."
However, considering that Hashimoto had hesitated to say, it certainly wasn't the message meant for Sakayanagi.
"See? Honestly, there's nothing else. There is no message."
Sakayanagi thought it over. It didn't seem like he was lying about this matter. On the other hand, it also didn't seem like Ryūen was lying. The fact that he'd given up on the exam was clear since he hadn't even attempted to watch over the discussion. Thus, there was only one answer left.
"You were entrusted with a message from Ayanokōji-kun. However, you were not informed that it was a message. That's why you can't find the answer even if you search your memory."
"What's that supposed to mean? If that's the case, there's nothing I can do about it. I really have no clue."
"Don't worry. I will find that message for you."
To do that, she would need to make the most of their interrogation time.
"Examiner, I'll inform you first. I will ask him now whether he is a traitor, but at this stage, I'll only listen to what he was to say. Please do not take his words as a confession."
After telling the examiner not to seek a confession just yet, Sakayanagi faced Hashimoto.
"Could you tell me if you're a traitor or not?"
Hashimoto glanced at the examiner and they slightly nodded, promising that whatever Hashimoto said next wouldn't be taken as a confession, whether it was true or false.
"What do you mean by that?"
"I thought we should talk. You said earlier, didn't you? Ayanokōji-kun told you not to lie to yourself. I want to verify if that's true. If you're siding with Ryūen-kun, then there should only be one right answer here."
"Even if you've notified the examiner, I won't trust you so carelessly. So let me put it this way. If I were asked to confess now, I might answer that I am not a traitor."
By deliberately being ambiguous, he had also insured himself. This way, it wouldn't be taken as a confession.
"I see. So you were just called here while having a different role, right?"
"Yes. I'll speak my mind."
"Then for now, that stance is fine. If you can speak honestly, I feel like we will arrive at the message eventually.. Let's talk a bit before the confession."
A direct, one-on-one conversation between Sakayanagi and Hashimoto that had nothing to do with the exam began.
"So, what do you want to ask me about?"
"Please tell me about things that I couldn't ask before. Usually, I wouldn't have been interested in others' histories, but I think your personality and thoughts are based on past experiences."
"Well, maybe, maybe not."
"Even if you're not lying, can't you just answer honestly?"
"We're not in a relationship where we can freely share our pasts."
"Then let me delve a bit deeper. I've thoroughly investigated both friends and foes. I know you have a strange habit. When you're troubled or worried, you tend to hide in a toilet stall, don't you?"
As she pointed this out, he instinctively twitched his shoulder. He hadn't intended for anyone to notice that habit, but Sakayanagi knew about it.
"No, that was really surprising... How and when did you find out?"
"You must have realized by now, but I had Yamamura-san investigate various things for a long time. Since you were regularly in contact with Ryūen-kun, she also spent time watching you."
"If that's the case, did you let Yamamura enter the men's restroom too?"
"Looking back, I did impose quite a harsh task on her."
Without denying it, Sakayanagi nodded, acknowledging the fact.
"Using the toilet stall without needing to, whether it was a place to seek time alone to think or to escape from reality—I think it's the latter."
Despite not having many clues, Sakayanagi was slowly finding the keys to unlock his hidden heart.
"Whether it was in elementary or middle school, there must've been an incident that caused this behavior. Considering your personality—there are things that become visible."
Hashimoto clapped his hands nonchalantly and, laughing, he spoke.
"It's not an unusual story. Back in the day, I was often chased around by people who didn't like me. There was this dirty, deserted restroom on the school grounds, so I would often hole up in there and think about various things by myself. I just haven't been able to shake off that habit."
Hashimoto could've lied, but he figured this much truth was okay.
After all, he'd been warned by Ayanokōji. He didn't want to mess up and spoil her mood.
"You're speaking very positively, but it must've been a tough past, wasn't it?"
"...Maybe."
Hashimoto evaded the question. Answering it would naturally bring back unpleasant memories.
"You realized something through those experiences, didn't you? You believed that betraying before being betrayed was right, and that lying was a way to survive and win. That's you, Hashimoto Masayoshi."
"Don't talk like you know me. People who've never seen hell won't be able to understand."
A slight anger welled up, and Hashimoto unconsciously slapped his knee.
"I don't care if it's a message from Ayanokōji or whatever, it's none of my business. I have to graduate from Class A. I need results to prove to those who think I'm nothing but trash wrong."
Whether it was Sakayanagi, Ryūen, or Ayanokōji, he didn't care.
I will graduate from Class A. That was the only goal Hashimoto continued to fight for.
"Enough already. Let's get on with the confession."
"What will you do after shifting to the confession? You were told not to lie to yourself, yet you plan to confess, betraying Ryūen-kun?"
"Of course. If I even as a joke tried saying I'm not a traitor here, you'll declare me as one like you've caught a demon and expel me from school. I won't let that happen..."
"That's right. I'm not going to say something like 'I absolutely won't declare you as a traitor' either. The answer regarding your fate is already determined."
"Then that's it, this conversation is over. I am—"
Hashimoto, in an attempt to end this interrogation, lost his words when he looked into Sakayanagi's eyes.
"What... Why are you making that face?"
Sakayanagi had a calm expression that she had never shown before.
It showed no signs of mocking him, rather, it was a warm smile like a mother watching over her child.
"Maybe I've come to understand you better, Hashimoto-kun. I promised Masumi-san I would expel you. But... I might reconsider that now."
"Huh? There's no way I can believe that."
"I'm not saying I'll take it back. If you continue to betray the class, the outcome won't change. But if you trust and follow me, it won't necessarily be the same."
"...You think I'd believe that? It's obvious I'll be betrayed."
"What do you think?"
"You're trying to deceive me and take revenge, aren't you?"
"That's for you to think about, Hashimoto-kun."
"I'm definitely going to be betrayed... I have to... defeat you..."
Suddenly, a tear rolled down Hashimoto's cheek.
"What...?"
[ILLUSTRATION]
Hashimoto didn't understand what was happening.
It was only when he wiped it away that he realized it was his tears.
"What's this? There's absolutely no reason to cry... What's going on?"
Hashimoto couldn't help but laugh at his body's current abnormal state.
"Until now, no one understood you. You thought there would be no one else like that in the future either. But maybe your instincts realized that it was wrong?"
Looking at Hashimoto in front of her, Sakayanagi also reflected on herself.
Thinking back, she'd never trusted anyone.
She'd only believed in her own thoughts and pushed others away.
But as a result, she lost Kamuro due to her immature heart.
The darkness that Hashimoto carried.
The past that must've made him resort to any means necessary to survive.
Maybe if she closed the distance between them further, perhaps he would talk about it one day.
Sakayanagi had thought so.
It was hard to forgive him, but she herself was also largely responsible for Kamuro's expulsion.
Maybe it's okay to give him a chance.
Maybe it's okay to win this special exam and bring Hashimoto back into the fold.
Such thoughts circled in her head.
Hashimoto confessed and admitted to being a traitor.
If so, all that remained was for Sakayanagi to make the decision, and with that, this conversation would end. Hashimoto would just lose his reward.
She would return to the discussion, find the student with the executive role, and deplete Ryūen's lives, thus closing this special exam.
However...
Sakayanagi stopped.
…What did Ayanokōji want to convey?
What was the message he said he had passed on to Hashimoto?
Was it a message to forgive the man before me?
While reaching her answer, Sakayanagi still felt a strong sense of discomfort.
Sakayanagi quietly closed her eyes.
This was different from the message she should've gotten from Ayanokōji.
Whether to forgive Hashimoto or not wasn't necessary in this special exam.
It could've been answered even after Ryūen's expulsion was confirmed, not in this ambiguous situation.
Therefore, you couldn't say that it was a message that carried meaning only now.
In this situation, what he wanted to convey...
With her superior thinking that others did not possess, she probed.
Think. Think. Think. Think. Think.
"Ah..."
And finally, Sakayanagi's thoughts reached the hidden message, her final answer.
"Is that what it is...?"
No. She didn't want to admit it.
She didn't want to acknowledge such a message.
That was why she added a question mark.
Despite questioning it, her mind was convinced it was the correct answer.
What was the message that Ayanokōji had sent to her?
This message was something that neither Ryūen nor Hashimoto could ever hear.
Ayanokōji's true intention, visible only after fighting Ryūen.
It was a message too cruel for Sakayanagi to bear.
"He's also... a liar, isn't he?"
A battle staking the expulsions of Sakayanagi and Ryuen.
The true purpose of such a battle was to fight Ayanokōji to her heart's content.
Thus, a match was established in order to eliminate those who could interfere.
And knowing this, Ayanokōji decided not to take sides with either student.
Despite deciding so, he had an answer when asked as to whom he wanted to remain.
The person Ayanokōji was waiting for was Ryūen Kakeru.
Of course, he had no intention of interfering in this match. He hinted he would give advice to repay a debt, but it was a mere formality, as it was obvious that Sakayanagi would refuse.
The entire sequence of events was his way of modestly helping someone who was in for a likely defeat, turning the tables for Ryūen.
Sakayanagi had always been waiting for the real battle with Ayanokōji that awaited her.
But what was Ayanokōji thinking?
She knew he was acting with the balance of the four classes in mind.
She had interfered with Ayanokōji's plans, wanting to see his troubled face.
But at its core, she knew it was because Ayanokōji was waiting for the time of the final battle.
Sakayanagi believed and hoped that she was that worthy opponent.
After all, it was merely Sakayanagi's one-sided feelings.
A certain future visible only to Sakayanagi, who possessed superior thinking.
Ayanokōji intended to continue watching Ryūen's growth closely and wanted to accept his challenge.
Just as Sakayanagi felt she wanted to enjoy the match with Ryūen even more in this battle.
It was easy to deliver the final blow to Ryūen.
Just one more push and her victory would be assured.
And then she could say she had interfered with his plans again and request a battle.
But… what a ridiculous sight that would be.
Sakayanagi Arisu is not desired by Ayanokōji Kiyotaka from now on.
The reality that even if Sakayanagi won, Ayanokōji wouldn't be pleased. She could see far beyond what anyone else could, and for the first time in her life, she even hated this thought process of hers.
She wanted to remain unaware, not realizing how ridiculous she was.
If she thought about her class, then she must prioritize winning here.
Images of Yamamura and her classmates flashed through her mind. Maybe there was a future where she'd fulfill her promise with Kamuro, or join hands with Hashimoto again.
Continuing school life wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
But what 'Sakayanagi desires' wasn't waiting ahead.
For Sakayanagi, it was an irreplaceably harsh reality.
'Please lose here.'
That was the message from Ayanokōji.
Sakayanagi definitely received the message that no one else could notice.
Even to the cruel words from her beloved, Sakayanagi smiled faintly and closed her eyes.
Otherwise, she felt that tears would naturally start flowing like they did with Hashimoto.
'It's time now. Please confess, Hashimoto-kun.'
The examiner signaled the end of the interrogation.
Until now, Hashimoto had been honest with Sakayanagi.
The answer he was asked for.
"Ah... The traitor's—"
Sakayanagi quietly stopped Hashimoto as he tried to voice what shouldn't be said.
"Is that so? The traitor's not you. Right, you are not a traitor."
Hashimoto's eyes widened.
"Hey, Sakayanagi...? What do you mean—"
At that point, it was unclear what Hashimoto had intended to say next.
He might've admitted to being a traitor to avoid his own expulsion, or he might've remained honest to the end, continuing to side with Ryūen and denying being a traitor.
But none of that mattered anymore.
'...Whether Hashimoto-kun's confession is one way or the other, the judgment will—'
As the announcement about their suspicion was about to be made, Sakayanagi stopped it.
"How tactless. He clearly said he is not a traitor. Checking again would yield the same result. And I will not change my answer either. Right? Hashimoto-kun."
"Why, you... why..."
"...Because this is a message from Ayanokōji-kun. That's all there is to it."
Sakayanagi concluded.
Even if the announcement asked again, her thoughts wouldn't change.
Eventually, the judgment was made.
'...Sakayanagi-san will lose five lives for failing to identify the traitor.'
New departures from the school emerged as the end-of-year special exam concluded.
Ryūen Kakeru lost.
And Sakayanagi Arisu also lost.
Within that contradiction, there were indeed winners and losers.