Classroom of the Elite

Chapter 7

The Group of Failures

It's the first weekend of May. Ike and the others started listening to the teachers silently. Only Sudou kept sleeping through class, but no one tried to stop him. Because no one find a reliable way of increasing our points, Sudou's habits were not fixed.

However, Sudou still received the ire of a lot of the classmates every day.

… I'm sleepy too. Because it's the period right before lunch, it's hard to stay awake. I also stayed up late watching a movie. It'd be great if I could fall asleep now…

"W-whoah!?"

As I was nodding off, my right arm experienced some severe pain.

"What is it, Ayanokouji? You suddenly shouted. Is this your rebellious age?"

"N-no. Sorry, Chiyabashira-sensei. Some dust entered my eye…"

Normally, the students would've started whispering, but they stayed quiet and sent me glances instead, still being wary of the points. Rubbing the sore part of my arm, I glared at my neighbor. In my line of sight, I saw Horikita holding a compass needle in her hand.

This isn't a normal situation. Why does she even have compasses on hand? I don't even think there's a reason to use them during class. As soon as class ended, I went up to Horikita.

"There are things that are OK to do and things that are not ok! Compasses are dangerous!"

"Are you mad at me?"

"You made a hole in my arm! A hole!"

"What are you talking about? When did I poke Ayanokouji-kun with a compass needle?"

"You're holding a dangerous weapon in your hand."

"Are you saying I stabbed you just because I'm holding something in my hand?"

I woke up not because of the class, but from the pain.

"Be careful. If they saw you dozing off, our points would be subtracted."

Horikita started being wary of such things in order to get us out of class D. Protesting to the school resulted in nothing for her. Ah, it hurts. Dammit, if Horikita dozes off during class, I'll do the same thing to her.

"The test that Chiyabashira-sensei mentioned is coming up soon. Everyone understands that they'll have to drop out of school if they receive failing marks. So, I think that it would be best if we form study groups."

It looks like the hero of class D decided to start a charity project.

"If you neglect your studies, you'll immediately receive failing grades and drop out. I want to avoid that situation. Studying isn't solely for avoiding that situation, because there is also a high possibility that our test scores are reflected on our points. If we get high grades, the assessment of our class would probably go up. I asked some of the people who got good grades to help out. So, I would like people who are worried about their grades to come participate in the study group. Of course, everyone is welcome to join."

Hirata stared at Sudou while he made his speech.

"… Tch."

Sudou averted his eyes, crossed his arms, then closed his eyes.

Every since Sudou rejected Hirata's invitation to do a self-introduction, their relationship has been bad.

"From 5 o'clock today until the day of the test, I plan to study every day for 2 hours in this classroom. If you have any thoughts of participating, please come. Of course, it's fine if you have to leave halfway. That's all."

As soon as he said that, several of the students with failing marks stood up and went to Hirata.

Sudou, Ike, and Yamauchi were the only ones that didn't go up to Hirata. Ike and Yamauchi hesitated for a moment, but in the end, they didn't approach him.

I wasn't sure whether they were afraid of Sudou's bad mood, or if they were simply jealous of his popularity.

1

"Are you free during lunch? Do you want to eat together?"

During break-time, Horikita came up to me asked.

"An invitation from you is unusual. I feel scared for some reason."

"It's nothing to be scared about. I can buy you the vegetable set, if you're fine with it."

Isn't that the free meal…?

"Just kidding. I'll seriously buy you whatever you want to eat."

"Definitely scary. Is there some kind of catch?"

Seeing as how Horikita invited me to eat with her, I can't help but feel suspicious.

I would be suspicious if I was invited out of the blue. I remember Horikita saying that before.

"If we always doubted everyone else's true intentions, human society wouldn't function, right?"

"Well, that's true, but…"

I didn't have anything planned, so I followed Horikita to the cafeteria.

I chose one of the more expensive meals, found a seat, and sat down with Horikita.

"Well then, itadakimasu?"

Horikita was staring at me as if she was waiting for me to eat.

"What's wrong, Ayanokouji-kun? Why aren't you eating?"

"O-oh."

Scary. There's definitely a catch somewhere. There's no way that this is for free. Nevertheless, I can't stall forever. It'd be wasteful if I let it go cold. I hesitantly took one bite of my croquette.

"It's sudden, but listen to me."

"I have a bad feeling about this…"

As I thought of getting up and running away, my hand was grabbed.

"Ayanokouji-kun, I'll say it again. Won't you listen to me?"

"Fua…"

"Ever since Chiyabashira-sensei's advice, the number of infractions during class has certainly decreased. It wouldn't be wrong to say that more than half the reason for our deducted points has been erased."

"Yea, that's true. It wasn't a really hard problem to solve, though."

It may not last very long, but at least the last few days are much better than before.

"Now, the next thing we have to do is to improve the test scores for the midterm in two weeks. Earlier, Hirata-kun also started to take some action."

"Study groups, huh. Well… I guess it would help. However—"

"However, what? Sounds like you're implying something. Do you have any problems with study groups?"

"No, don't worry about it. It's strange to see you worried about other people, though."

"Originally, I couldn't even imagine getting a failing score. However, it is true that there are students in the world that inevitably fail their tests."

"Are you talking about Sudou and his friends? Ruthless words as always, I see."

"I'm only saying the truth."

"Since none of the students could leave school grounds, contact anyone on the outside, or attend cram school, there was no other option but to be taught by other students."

"I'm somewhat relieved because Hirata-kun proactively started up a study group. However, Sudou-kun, Ike-kun, and Yamauchi-kun didn't join, right? I still feel uneasy."

"Oh, those guys. They're not on very good terms with Hirata. They wouldn't participate."

"In other words, those guys will probably fail. And in order to get up to class A, we have to avoid getting negative points and focus on staying positive, right? I also think there's a high possibility that good test scores are related to getting positive points."

It's natural to think that the students would get a reward proportional to the effort they put in.

"What if—you also hold a study group like Hirata? So that we can help out Sudou, Ike, and Yamauchi."

"Yea. I have no objections to that. You probably think that's surprising, huh?"

"Your whole attitude is surprising for me."

I'm not really surprised, though. She's still doing this for herself, and I never thought she was particularly cold either.

"Well, I got that you want to move up to class A. However, I honestly never thought that you would use such an ordinary method as teaching them. After all, those kind of people hate studying. You also stayed away from the other students on the first day, right? It's commendable that someone like you who doesn't want friends would offer to teach them."

"That's why I'm talking to you, isn't it? Fortunately, they're people close to you, right?"

"Ha? … Hey, are you really—"

"It'll be faster if you talk to them. There's no problem since they're your friends, right? Here, just bring them to the library. I can help them study."

"You say some unreasonable things. Do you even think that someone like me, who is leading a harmless and inoffensive life, could do that?"

"It's not a matter of 'can do' or 'can't do'. Just do it."

Am I your dog or something?

"It's your freedom to aim for class A, but don't involve me in your plans."

"You ate, right? My treat. Lunch. That wonderful, tasty special meal."

"All I got was the honest good will of another human."

"Too bad, but that wasn't out of kindness."

"I can't hear you… Here, I'll give you some points. We're even now."

"I won't stoop as low as to receive gifts from other people. I will turn down your offer."

"I'm starting to feel angry at you for the first time…"

"How is it? Will you cooperate with me? Or are you going to make an enemy of me?"

"It's like you're pointing a gun at my head and threatening me…"

"It's not 'like', I really am threatening you."

Is this the power of violence? It's very effective.

Well… If it's only gathering them, I guess there's no problem cooperating, right?

Horikita's weakest point is that she won't make any friends.

Also, Sudou, Ike, and the other are all people that I became friends with after much trouble. I can't have them drop out of school this quickly.

When I was hesitating, Horikita pressed me even further.

"You also don't think that I would forgive you for colluding with Kushida-san to call me out, right?"

"You said you wouldn't blame for that. Bringing that up now is unfair."

"I said that to Kushida-san, but I don't remember saying that to you."

"Wow, you dirty…"

"If you want me to forgive you, work together with me."

Looks like there was no escape route for me since the very beginning.

I thought that she would just drop the subject, but I guess it's only possible by listening to her request now.

"There's no guarantee that they'll come. Are you fine with that?"

"I believe that you can gather everyone. Here, this is my phone number. If something happens, contact me."

Although it was in a unusual way, for the first time in my high school life, I got the contact info of a girl.

It's Horikita's, though… Well, I'm not particularly happy about it.

2

I looked around the classroom. Well then, what is it that I'm looking for?

If I asked "Do you want to study together after school?", would anyone come?

Me, Sudou, and Ike were only close enough to occasionally eat together. However, they stayed far away from studying.

… I have nothing to lose. I'll just try asking them once.

"Sudou, you free?"

I talked to Sudou, who was walking back to the classroom during the lunch break. He was sweaty and breathing heavily.

He probably went to go play basketball during the lunch break.

"What are you planning on doing for the midterms?"

"That, huh… I got no idea. I've never studied seriously before."

"Oh, really? I got something just right for you. I was thinking of studying after school starting from today. You wanna join?"

Sudou thought about it for a while, his mouth slightly open.

"Are you asking seriously? If school lessons are troublesome for me, I don't think I could study after school. Also, I have club activities. It's impossible, impossible. Are you going to be teaching? Your scores weren't good either, you know."

"Nah, Horikita will be teaching."

"Horikita? I don't know much about her. Sounds suspicious, so I refuse. I'll manage by cramming before the test. You can go now."

As I thought, Sudou rejected my invitation. He didn't get the point.

Dammit, it was no good. If I pressed any further, he might actually punch me. Well, it can't be helped. Let's start with someone that's easier. I called out to Ike, who was playing with his phone by himself.

"Hey Ike—"

"Pass! I overheard you talking to Sudou. Study group? Nah, not my thing."

"You know you'll have to drop out if you fail, right?"

"I did get red marks before, but now I'm better. I'll do my best while cramming the night before with Sudou."

Is he really saying that he'll be fine with that? He doesn't even sense the impending danger.

"If that last short test wasn't a surprise, I would've gotten at least 40 points."

"I know what you mean to say. But, there are some things that are left to chance, you know?"

"After school is a precious time for high school students. I won't spend my time studying."

He waved his hands, telling me to leave already. Chatting with a girl over text, he was overly excited. Ever since Hirata started going out with someone, Ike was also desperate to get a girlfriend. I dropped my shoulders and went back to my seat. Appealing to Horikita, I tried to get her to give up.

"No use."

"… I heard you, but what are you saying?"

"I said, 'no use'. You're don't think that you're off the hook with that, are you?"

Dammit. How brazen of her to refuse my appeal.

"No, of course not. I still have 425 more tactics left."

I looked around the classroom again. Far from being nervous, the whole classroom had a relaxed atmosphere.

A method to make students who hate studying study. Also, a way to make students use up their free time, instead of class time to study. Normally, I would refuse too, but since they're in danger of failing…

I thought Sudou, who rejected my offer, would participate in studying at the first chance he got.

I have no choice but to set up some kind of incentive. Make him believe that there will be a reward if they study. And if possible, make it easy to understand; then, the plan would be a success.

—I got it!

Receiving a divine revelation from the gods, I turned to Horikita with widened eyes.

"Even though it's your role to help them study, it's not easy to invite them to study. I need your power for that, though—can you help?"

"What power? I'll listen… but what should I do?"

"How about something like this? You'll be their girlfriend if they get a perfect score on the test. They'll surely bite if we add that incentive. The motivation for boys is always girls."

"You want to die?"

"No, I'd like to live."

"I listened because I thought you seriously came up something. I'm stupid for believing that."

No, I really thought it would work. It would probably become their biggest motivation to study. However, Horikita clearly doesn't understand boys' hearts.

"Fine, then. A kiss. You'll give them a kiss if they get a perfect score."

"You really want to die, huh?"

"Well, I'd like to live for a bit longer."

A hand quickly hit the back of my neck. Dammit, Horikita is showing no signs of agreeing to my proposed reward. It would be exceptionally effective. Guess I'm back to square one.

As I thought that, I noticed a conspicuous presence in the middle of the classroom. Not Hirata, but another person who was popular in the class. It was Kushida Kikyou.

She looks bright and lively, like always. A sociable figure that both boys and girls can freely talk to. Indeed, Ike was madly in love with Kushida, whereas Sudou and the others didn't have a bad impression of her. Also, her test scores would be relatively high. She's important to my plan.

"Hey—"

As soon as I called out to her to invite her, I reconsidered and gave up.

"What is it?"

"No… it's nothing."

She doesn't like being involved with other people. Last time, when I worked with Kushida during Operation Become Friends, Horikita got mad.

For this study group, Horikita probably wouldn't accept Kushida, who didn't get any red marks.

For now, I'll wait until Horikita returns to the dorms before putting my plan to action.

3

Just like that, it was after school. Horikita quickly left the classroom and returned to the dorms, like always. Time to put my plan to action. I have to get Kushida on board.

"Are you free?"

I called out to Kushida, who was preparing to go home. At the unexpected voice, she turned her head.

"It's unusual for Ayanokouji-kun to talk to me. Do you need me to do something?"

"Yea. If it's fine with you, I want to talk to you outside."

"I'm going to go hang out with my friends, so I don't have much time but… sure."

Without any negative feelings, she followed me with a smile.

Arriving at a corner of a hallway, Kushida waited for me to talk.

"Congratulations, Kushida. You have been selected as an ambassador. Please provide your assistance for the good of the class."

"E-eto? Sorry, what do you mean?"

I explained to her about the study group we wanted to make to help Sudou.

Of course, I also mentioned the fact that Horikita would be teaching.

"I was thinking you could use this study group to get closer to Horikita."

"I want to get closer to her… but I'm not worrying about that right now, you know? After all, it's natural to help out a friend. So I'll help."

This girl, she's too nice… It looks like she wanted to prevent Ike, Sudou, and the others from being expelled.

"Are you really ok with it? If you don't want to, I don't want to force you."

(Ill.u.s.tration: imgur.com/7H7OQ0N)

"Ah, sorry. I didn't pause because I don't want to help. Rather… I was happy."

Kushida leaned against the wall and lightly kicked the hallway.

"It's cruel to kick people out because of bad grades. After everyone became friends at great pains, isn't it sad that we have to say goodbye? When Hirata-kun decided to start a study group, I felt great admiration. But Horikita-san has been observing her surroundings better than I have. She saw Sudou-kun and his friends, after all. It looks like Horikita-san is starting to see the class as her friends. I'll do anything to help everyone!"

Holding my hand, Kushida sent me smile. Uwa, she's way too cute!

But it's not a situation where I should be happy. Trying to look normal, I pretend to be calm.

"Then, I will rely on you. You are a very big help."

There's no one that wouldn't fall for her after seeing her smile.

"Oh, but can I also ask for a favor? I want to participate in the study group too."

"Ha? You really want to?"

"Un. I also want to study together with everyone."

Everything worked out as I wanted it to. If Kushida's there, the study group would probably be comforted by her presence. However, since Kushida has good grades, she has no reason to be there.

"Well then, when do we start?"

"Planning on starting tomorrow, more or less."

I added "Horikita is, at least" in my minded.

"Is that so? Then I guess I have to talk to everyone by the end of today. I'll contact you later, ok?"

"Oh, should I tell you the contact addresses of Sudou and the others?"

"It's ok~. I already have their contacts. The only ones I don't have are Horikita-san's and your contact address…"

I didn't know that… I mean the second part.

"Are you two already dating?"

"W-where'd that question come from. Horikita and I are friends… no, just neighbors."

"It's become a big rumor among the girls, you know? Horikita's always alone, right? But only Ayanokouji-kun gets along with her. You two also eat together, after all."

Umu, so the girls that saw us together have started rumors about us, I see.

"It's too bad, but that kind of sweet story between me and Horikita doesn't exist."

"Then there's no problem, right? Please exchange contact addresses with me."

"Sure."

With that, I got the contact address of another girl.

4

At midnight, as I was lazing around in my room, I received a text message. It was from Kushida.

"Yamauchi-kun and Ike-kun said OK~ (^・ω・^)b "

"Quick!"

Ike instantly rejected me with a wave of his hand when I asked him… The presence of a girl is clearly a big factor concerning boys. It's like they hold infinite power.

"I just contacted Sudou-kun too, and I think he'll agree too (＾ω＾)"

I received another mail. Oh~. At this pace, everyone will really meet up tomorrow.

At this faster than expected development, I contacted Horikita with the news. I sent her a mail about how I was working with Kushida, that Ike and Yamauchi agreed to come, and how Kushida would also be participating in the study group.

"Well, time to take a bath."

As soon as I got up from my bed, I got a call from Horikita.

"Moshi moshi?"

"… I don't understand your text."

"What do you mean, you don't understand. Isn't it concise and simple? It looks like all three will come tomorrow."

"Not that. The part where you said Kushida-san was helping. This is my first time hearing that."

"I asked her earlier. For someone like Kushida who puts great effort in helping her classmates, she'd want to participate regardless of whether or not I invited her. In short, Sudou, Ike, and Yamauchi are coming. Ok?"

"I don't remember allowing that. She didn't even get a failing score either."

"Hey—by introducing Kushida into our plan, the chances of success go way up. I just took the simplest measure of increasing the probability of success."

"… I'm still not pleased with it. Shouldn't you have done that after asking for my approval?"

"I know that you hate someone as proactive as Kushida is. However, it's to make sure that no one fails. Or do you want to try gathering all students who failed by yourself?"

"That's…"

Looks like Horikita understood that getting Kushida on board was a good thing.

Because she has too much pride in herself, it's difficult for her to simply agree.

"We also don't have much time until the test. Is it not ok?"

Speaking of which, Horikita doesn't have much breathing room for her plan to work. But still, she was caught up on something and didn't say anything. It was silent for a while.

"… Fine. We can't do anything without making a sacrifice. However, Kushida-san will only help gather the students that failed. I can't agree to her participating in the study group."

"… No, why is that? That was her condition for helping out. You're being unreasonable."

"I won't accept her participating in the study group. That won't change."

"Is this about that? Are you trying to get back at her for when we deceived you?"

"That's unrelated. She didn't fail her mock test. Having extra people will only result in extra effort and confusion."

Her explanations are pretty reasonable, but I don't understand the reason as to why she refuses to let Kushida join the study group.

"Do you just hate Kushida?"

"Do you not feel uncomfortable when you are next to someone you hate?"

"Huh?"

I didn't understand what she meant.

Kushida tried to understand and get to know Horikita more than anyone, and tries to become her friend.

I never thought that Horikita actually hated Kushida.

"What if they decide to not come because Kushida's not coming?"

"… Sorry, reviewing the test material is taking longer than I thought it would. I'm going to end the phone call because it's taking so long. Well, good night."

"H-hey!"

She quickly cut the call. A misanthrope would probably do the same. However, in order to rise up to class A, it's necessary to compromise.

I plugged in my phone, put it on the table, then lied down on my bed.

I thought back on the days since the entrance ceremony.

"Defective products, huh."

On the first day of school, that's what the second-year senpais said to us.

In English, that would be "Defective product".

That's what they used to ridicule the students of class D. The flawless Horikita probably has some problems too. I could somehow understand what she was saying today.

"What should I do…"

Should I try to force her? However, Horikita might leave in the worst case.

If Horikita didn't teach, everyone's time would go to naught.

Feeling heavy, I called Kushida's number.

"Moshi moshi~"

At first, I could hear the strong wind in the background. It quickly died away though.

"By any chance, were you drying your hair?"

"Oh, did you hear that? I just finished, so it's fine."

Kushida just got out of the bath, huh… wait, it's not the time to be having these delusions.

"No, uh, I have some bad news… Can you make it so that I never asked you to gather the failed students?"

"… Um, why?"

She answered after a short pause. It seems like she wants to know the reason, rather than getting mad immediately.

"Sorry. I can't talk about it at length. Anyway, it got a bit difficult."

"Is that so… I see that Horikita-san really doesn't like me."

I didn't think I implied that at all, but it seems like Kushida picked up on it over the phone.

"It's not related to her. It's my mistake."

"It's fine if you don't try to hide it~. I won't get mad. I thought she would reject me because it looks like she doesn't like me. It just happened as I thought it would."

I guess you can call it woman's intuition.

"Anyway, it's my bad that I asked you to help."

"Uun, there's no need for you to apologize. But… ? I don't think that Horikita-san can gather Sudou and the others by herself."

I couldn't deny that.

"Hey, what did Horikita-san say, though? Was she against me gathering the others? Or was she against me participating in the study group?"

She got it perfectly right, as if she was listening to the conversation too.

"… The latter. Sorry for spoiling the mood."

"Ahahaha, yea. There's no need for you to apologize, though. She has a 'Don't get close to me' kind aura. So I expected it to happen anyway."

Even so, you're really perceptive.

"But everyone agreed to join because I said I would also participate… Before inviting me, couldn't you have lied that I wouldn't be able to participate? If you told them now, everyone would probably hate Horikita-san…"

I feel a bit frightened towards Kushida. She understands everything.

"Can you leave this one to me?"

"Leave this one to you?"

"Tomorrow, I'll take everyone to Horikita-san. Of course, I'll go too."

"That's—"

"It's fine, right? Or can you solve the problem? Is there a way to gather everyone without me, or a way to convince Horikita?"

It's too bad, but that's impossible.

"… I got it. I'll leave it to you. I won't know what will happen, though."

"That's fine. You won't be responsible for any of it, after all. Well, see you tomorrow then."

The phone call ended. I never thought that I'd get more tired than I was after the phone call with Horikita. She said that it was fine, but is it really?

Horikita will insult and taunt anything she's not pleased with, no matter who is on the receiving end. It's clear that this precarious situation will end up in flames. Feeling anxious, I headed towards the bathroom.

Let's stop thinking about tomorrow—it'll only make me more depressed.

No matter how worried I get, tomorrow will come and go. Things will work out somehow.

5

Horikita was sullen in the morning. It would be great if she cutely puffed up her cheeks and cutely hit a boy's c.h.e.s.t when she pouted.

I say that, but she's completely expressionless and silent. She doesn't even acknowledge my existence.

But if I turned my back to her, she might take out her compass… School ended and then it was after school.

"Did everyone gather for the study group?"

The first words she said to me were about the study group. She also spoke in a way that heavily implied something.

"… Kushida will bring them. I wonder if they'll participate."

"Kushida's bringing them, huh. Did you tell her properly that she's not allowed to participate?"

Horikita headed to the library with those confident words. As I was about to walk out of the classroom, I looked at Kushida, who returned a cute wink.

Securing a corner of a long table near the edge of the library, we waited for the students.

"I brought them~!" Kushida came to where we were waiting. Behind her was—

"We heard about the study group from Kushida-chan. I don't want to drop out that quickly after school. Please take care of us."

Ike, Yamauchi, and Sudou. However, there was one unexpected visitor. A boy named Okitani.

"Okitani, you also got a red mark?"

"Ah, uh, no. I was worried because I was right on the border… am I… not allowed to join? It's a bit difficult to join Hirata-kun's group…"

Okitani looked up at me with slightly red cheeks. Slender frame, blue hair, and a short-bob hairstyle. A boy weak to girls would immediately shout "I'm in love~!" If he wasn't a boy, it would be dangerous.

"It's fine if Okitani-kun joins, right?"

Kushida asked Horikita. His score was a 39 after all, so it's natural for him to be worried.

"If it's a student worried about getting red marks, then it's fine. But you have to be diligent."

"O-ok."

Okitani sat down happily. Kushida tried to sit down next to him, but Horikita noticed.

"Kushida-san. Did Ayanokouji-kun not tell you? You're—"

"To be honest, I'm also worried about getting bad grades."

"You… you didn't get bad tests on that last test."

"Well, that was luck. There were a lot of multiple choice questions. So for about half of them, I guessed. In truth, I barely passed."

Kushida cutely scratched her cheek while saying "Ehehe".

"I think I'm about the same level as Okitani-kun, if not worse. So I want to participate in the study group to avoid a bad grade. That's fine, right?"

I couldn't hide my surprise at Kushida's bold and unexpected plan. After confirming that Okitani could join, she turned the tables. Horikita couldn't help but to let her join.

"… Fine."

"Thanks!"

Kushida bowed to Horikita with a smile. Bringing Okitani was probably a part of her plan too. She used him as justification for her to join.

"Below 32 is a red mark. Then is 32 points also a failing grade?"

"If it's 'below', then 32 points is safe. Sudou, can you even make that?"

Even Ike is worried about Sudou. Of course these guys would like to know if it's "below" or "up to".

"It doesn't matter either way. My goal is to make everyone here get at least 50 points."

"Geh, isn't that too hard for us?"

"It's dangerous to just aim for the b.a.r.e minimum. You guys, who aren't even at the mark, are really troubling."

At Horikita's sound argument, the group of failures reluctantly agreed.

"I was able to summarize most of the topics that will be covered on this test. I plan to thoroughly cover these topics in the next two weeks. If you have any questions that you don't know, ask me."

"… Hey, I don't even understand the first problem."

Sudou scowled at Horikita. I also read the question.

"A, B, and C have 2150 yen collectively. A has 120 yen more than B does. After C gives B 2/5ths of his money, B now has 220 yen more than A. How much money did A originally have?"

A problem involving system of equations. For a high school student, it should be a free point.

"Try using your brain. If you give up from the very beginning, you won't get anywhere."

"Even if you say that… I don't even know how to study."

"Everyone else in the school passed."

The school doesn't decide on admissions solely based on scores. Sudou was probably accepted because of his high physical ability. If you think about it, wouldn't he get kicked out immediately because of his bad grades?

"Ugh, I don't know either…"

Ike was also puzzled as he scratched his head.

"Okitani-kun, do you know how to do this question?"

"Um… A+B+C equals 2150 yen, and A equals B+120…"

Okitani, who somehow avoided failing the last test, started writing down the equations.

Kushida was looking over his shoulder.

"Un un, that's right, that's right. And then?"

Kushida is certainly bold. Even though she said she was worried about getting a failing mark, she was teaching Okitani.

"Honestly speaking, this problem can be easily solved by first-year and second-year middle school students. If you fail here, you won't be able to do anything."

"Are we elementary school students then…?"

"As Horikita-san said, it's pretty bad if you can't solve these problems. The first few math problems on the test were about this hard, but even I didn't know how to do the last problem."

"I can teach you how to do systems of equations if you want."

Horikita picked up her pen without hesitating. It's pitiful, but the only ones who understood how to do the problem were Kushida and Okitani.

"In the first place, what even is this 'system of equations' thing…?"

"… Are you serious?"

Wow, these guys really live without studying at all. Sudou threw his mechanical pencil at his desk.

"No, stop. This isn't going to work."

Before even starting, Sudou already gave up.

Looking at his pitiful state, Horikita was fuming.

"E-everyone, wait. Let's try our best. If you learn how to solve these problems, you can apply your knowledge to the questions on the test. Ok?"

"… Well, if Kushida-chan says so, we'll try our best, but… If Kushida-chan taught it to us, I would probably work even harder."

"U-um…"

Horikita stayed silent when Kushida was about to ask her. It was troubling that she didn't say anything. However, if she stayed silent, the others might give up on studying. Kushida made up her mind and picked up the mechanical pencil.

"This is, as Horikita-san said, a problem that uses systems of equations. I'll write down what I said as expressions."

As she said that, she wrote down the three equations. It looks like they're trying their best, but even if she wrote down the equations and showed it to the them, they probably don't understand. Rather than a study group, this is more like detention. They don't get her explanation.

"So, the answer is 710 yen. Do you get it?"

Feeling satisfied, Kushida smiled and looked at Sudou.

"… Uh, then can you answer this question? Why?"

"Uu…"

She finally realized. They didn't follow her explanation.

"I'm not trying to deny you, but you guys are way too stupid and incompetent."

The silent Horikita spoke up.

"I'm scared for the future if you can't solve this problem."

"So what. This has nothing to do with you."

Feeling irritated at Horikita's words, Sudou hit the desk.

"It has nothing to do with me. No matter how much you suffer, it doesn't affect me. It's just that I feel pity for you. I guess I've been running away from painful things all my life."

"Say what you want to say clearly. Studying's useless in the future anyway."

"Studying is useless in the future? An interesting argument. What makes you say that?"

"Even if I don't know how to solve this kind of problem, I won't have any trouble. Studying is unnecessary. Rather than sticking to a textbook, aiming to become a basketball pro is much more useful for the future."

"That's wrong. If you learn how to solve that problem, your whole life will be changed. In other words, if you study, you'll have less trouble. It's the same thing for basketball. I wonder if you've been playing basketball to your own convenient rules. Do you run away from difficult things just like you do while studying? From the looks of it, it doesn't seem like you practice seriously. That's the kind of personality you have. If I was the advisor of the club, I wouldn't let you be a regular."

"Tsu!"

Sudou stood up and grabbed Horikita by her collar.

"Sudou-kun!"

Even faster than I could react, Kushida stood up and grabbed Sudou's arm.

Horikita raised her eyebrows and stayed calm.

"I have no interest in you, but I can understand what kind of person you are. You want to become a basketball pro? Do you think that kind of childish wish can simply become true in this society? A half-hearted person like you who gives up easily can never become a pro. Furthermore, even if you become a pro, I don't think you'd be able to get a sufficient annual income. You're a fool for setting your sights on such a idealized job."

"You…!"

It's clear that Sudou is on the brink of losing his control. If he raised his fist, I'll also have to jump out and hold him back.

"Can you just give up on studying, no, school? And then you can give up on your dreams to become a basketball pro and live a pitiful life working a part time job."

"Ha… that's just fine. I'm giving up. It's not because it's too difficult for me. I took a day off from my club activities, but it was a complete waste of time. Bye!"

"You're saying some strange things. Studying is difficult."

Horikita shot him a final blow. If Kushida weren't there, Sudou probably would've hit Horikita. Not hiding his irritation, he stuffed his textbook into his bag.

"Hey, is this ok?"

"Doesn't matter. For someone who's indifferent… it's pointless to care about someone like that. Even though expulsion is at stake. He doesn't have an ounce of determination to stay in school."

"I thought it was strange for someone like you who has no friends to invite people to a study group. At best, you brought us over here to call us stupid. If you weren't a girl, I'd hit you."

"You just don't have the courage to hit me, right? Don't use my gender as a reason."

The study group started moments ago, but it was already crumbling.

"I also quit. Even though a small part of it is because I can't study… most of it's because I'm irritated. Horikita-san may be smart, but that doesn't mean you're above us."

Losing his patience, Ike also gave up.

"I don't care whether or not you drop out of school, so do as you like."

"Well, I'll pull an all-nighter for that."

"Interesting. Aren't you here because you can't study?"

"Tsu…"

Even for the usually upbeat Ike, Horikita's thorny words made him stiffen. And then Yamauchi also started packing up. Finally, the worried Okitani also stood up, unable to go against the flow.

"E-everyone… Is this really ok?"

"Let's go, Okitani."

Ike left the library with the hesitant Okitani.

The only ones remaining were me and Kushida. Even Kushida would probably leave soon.

"… Horikita-san, why didn't you stop anyone from leaving…?"

"I was mistaken. Even if I got these guys to barely pass, this situation would repeat. And then they'd give up again. I finally realized that this was a waste of time and effort."

"What do you mean by that…?"

"I'm saying that it's good to throw away all unnecessary trash now."

If the students with low grades weren't here, then there would be no labor needed to teach them, and the average would also increase. She came to that conclusion.

"So that was it… H-hey, Ayanokouji-kun. Do you also think the same way?"

"If Horikita concluded that, then isn't it fine?"

"A-ayanokouji-kun, do you think that?"

"Well, I don't want them to quit, but since I'm not the one teaching them, I can't do anything about it. In the end, I have a similar opinion to Horikita."

"… I see."

With a dark expression, Kushida got her bag and stood up.

"I'm going to do something about this. I don't want everyone to separate so quickly."

"Kushida-san. Are those your true intentions?"

"… Is that bad? I can't just abandon Sudou-kun, Ike-kun, and Yamauchi-kun."

"It doesn't matter whether or not you say those are your true intentions. I don't think that you truly want to help them."

"What are you talking about? I don't know what you mean. Why do you make enemies with your cold words without hesitation? That's… That's sad."

Kushida hung her head.

"… See you two tomorrow."

After those short words, Kushida also left. In a flash, we were back to the two of us. The library was completely silent.

"That was troubling. With that, the study group is over."

"Looks that way."

The library's silence felt ominous.

"Only you understood me. I guess you're a bit better than those worthless fools. If you need me to teach you something right now, I can do it."

"I'll decline."

"Are you returning home?"

"Sudou and the others are heading there. I'll go chat with them."

"There's no worth in talking to people who will drop out soon like them."

"I'm just simply trying to talk to my friends."

"How selfish. Calling them friends while you sit back and watch them get kicked out. From my point of view, that looks like the most cruel thing you can do."

Well, I can't deny that. She didn't say anything wrong.

In the end, studying is all about how well someone can motivate themselves.

"I'm not going to say you're wrong. I also understand why you'd call someone who doesn't like to study like Sudou stupid. But Horikita, isn't it also important to imagine Sudou's circ.u.mstances? If he was only aiming to become a basketball pro, then there's not much for him at this school. Don't you want to see why he chose this school?"

"… Not interested."

Brushing away my words, Horikita continued to look down at her textbook.

6

Leaving the library, I chased after Kushida. I wanted to thank her and apologize to her about the study group. Besides, I want to get along with cute girls, you know?

Taking out my phone enthusiastically, I looked through my address book for Kushida's name. It's only my second time, so I'm nervous to contact her. I heard the phone ring two, three times.

However, there's no sign that she's picking up. Did she not notice? Or is she ignoring me?

She wasn't in sight, so I ran around, looking for her. Inside the school building, I saw someone that looked like Kushida from the back. It was around 6 o'clock, so there was no one other than club members. Well, there's also the possibility that Kushida is meeting one of her friends that's in a club.

I'll chase after her; if she's meeting up with someone, I can talk to her at a later date. Time to go inside.

Getting my indoor shoes from the rack, I headed for the hallway, but didn't see Kushida. Did I lose sight of her? I thought that, but I heard the faint sounds of someone's shoes.

I arrived at the stairs leading to the second floor. Still following her. I heard the footsteps above me, going to the third floor. The next floor is the rooftop, no? It's open during lunchtime, but I believe that it's locked after school. Feeling curious, I went up the stairs. I hid my presence in case she was meeting with someone. And then I stopped in the middle of the stairs.

I could see the outline of someone up there.

Leaning against the handrail, I peeked through the crack in the door. As I looked through the opening, I saw Kushida's figure. There was no one else. Is she waiting for someone here?

If she's waiting for someone in the deserted place… perhaps, is Kushida meeting up a boyfriend? In that case, there's a possibility that I would be cornered from both sides. As I was wondering whether or not I should leave, Kushida put down her bag on the floor.

And then—

"Ah— so annoying."

Her voice was so low that I didn't think that it was Kushida.

"It's really annoying, irritating. It'd be fine if she just died…"

She was grumbling to herself as if she was saying some kind of spell or curse.

"I hate those kind of stuck-up girls that think they're cute. Why is she such a bitch? A girl like her can't possibly teach me how to study."

Is Kushida annoyed with… Horikita?

"Ah— the worst. She's really the worst, the worst, the worst. Horikita's annoying, annoying, so annoying!"

I feel like the image of the class' most popular girl has been burned down. It was a figure that she didn't want seen by anyone else. My brain told me that it was dangerous to stay here.

However, a question arose. Regardless of the fact that she was hiding her true feelings, why did she agree to help me if she hates Horikita? I thought that she would know enough about Horikita's personality and character. She could've refused to help, leave the study group to Horikita, or have done countless other actions to take her hands off the issue.

Why would she force herself to participate in the study group? Did she want to get along with Horikita? Or did she want to get closer to someone participating?

None of those make sense. With that much stress, if there isn't a different reason as to why she participated, I can't explain it.

No… She might've showed signs of this from the very beginning.

I never thought much about it, but looking at the state she's in right now, I had a thought. By any chance, are Kushida and Horikita—

Anyway, I should get away from here. Kushida probably wouldn't want anyone else to see her like this. Hiding my presence, I tried to quickly leave.

Thump!

In the school at dusk, the sound of kicking the door was louder than I thought. Unexpectedly loud. Kushida, also hearing the sound, immediately tensed up and stopped breathing. As if someone called out to her, Kushida turned around and spotted me.

"… What are you… doing here?"

After a brief silence, Kushida asked in a cold voice.

"I lost my way, My bad, my bad. I'll leave now."

Kushida kept looking at me, seeing through my obvious lie. She had an intense gaze I'd never seen before.

"Did you hear…?"

"Will you believe me if I said I didn't?"

"I see…"

Kushida briskly walked down the stairs. She put her left forearm against my neck and pushed me against the wall.

Her tone of voice and behavior wasn't the Kushida I knew.

The Kushida now had a scary look that I couldn't help but compare to Horikita's.

"What you heard just now… if you speak a word of it to anyone, I won't forgive you."

That sounded like a threat.

"And if I did?"

"Then I'll spread a rumor that you r.a.p.ed me up here."

"That's a false charge, you know."

"That's ok, since it's not a false charge."

There was a strong impact to her words.

Kushida then grabbed my left wrist and slowly opened the palm of my hand. She held the back of my hand and put my palm on her b.r.e.a.s.t.

The feeling of her soft b.r.e.a.s.ts was transmitted throughout my whole palm.

"… What are you doing?"

At her unexpected behavior, I tried to pull away, but she pushed back on my hand.

"Your fingerprints are on my clothes. There's evidence. I'm being serious. Get it?"

"… I understand. I got it, so let go of my hand."

"I'm going to leave this uniform in my room without washing it. If you tell anyone, I'm going to give this to the police."

For a while, I glared at Kushida as she kept my hand on her b.r.e.a.s.ts.

(Ill.u.s.tration: imgur.com/cdk5rYU)

"Don't forget."

Making sure that I understood, Kushida stepped away from me.

I somehow couldn't remember the feeling even though it was my first time touching a girl's b.r.e.a.s.ts.

"Hey, Kushida. Which one is the 'real' you?"

"… That has nothing to do with you."

"Is that so… However, watching you made me realize something. If you hate Horikita, then there's no need to involve yourself with her, right?"

I didn't mean to ask that. I knew that she probably wouldn't answer. But I was curious as to why she went so far to befriend her.

"Is it bad to try to be liked by everyone? Do you understand how hard that is? You don't, right?"

"I don't have too many friends, so no, I can't say I do."

Ever since the first day, Kushida certainly made an effort to talk to, exchange contact addresses with, and invite a pessimistic and negative girl. Anyone can imagine how time-consuming and hard that would be.

"Like Horikita… I wanted to at least look like I got along with Horikita-san."

"But you were stressed, huh."

"Yea. That's my way of life. That way, I can feel my own real significance."

She answered without hesitation. Kushida has feelings and rules that only she herself knows. That's what she was saying. Following her own rules, she frantically tried over and over to get along with Horikita.

"I'm telling you this because of the circ.u.mstances, but I really hate gloomy and plain boys like you."

My image of the cute Kushida has been shattered, but I'm not really shocked. People tend to have both public and private images, after all.

However, Kushida's answer felt like it had both truths and lies.

"This is just my intuition, but were you and Horikita acquaintances? Before coming to this school."

When I said that, Kushida's shoulder flinched for a split second.

"What the… I don't know what you mean. Did Horikita-san say something about me?"

"No, I thought that it was your first time meeting her. It's funny, though."

"… Funny?"

I remembered the first time Kushida talked to me.

"When I was introducing myself, you instantly remembered my name, no?"

Kushida asked in reply, "So what?"

"Where did you hear Horikita's name from? At that time, she hadn't told her name to anybody. The only one who knew was Sudou, but I doubt you met Sudou then."

In other words, she shouldn't have had the chance to learn her name.

"Also, you probably got close to me so you could keep tabs on her, right?"

"Just shut up. I'm getting irritated from listening to you talk. I only want to say one thing. Do you swear that you won't say a word of what you learned here?"

"I promise. Even if I told anyone, no one would believe me, right?"

Kushida is really trusted by the class. A difference of heaven and earth between us.

"… Ok. I believe you."

Although she didn't change her expression, Kushida closed her eyes and exhaled deeply.

"Is there anyone that would even believe me?"

I accidently blurted out those words.

"Horikita-san's kind of unusual, right?"

"Well, I'd say she's really unusual."

"She's not affected by anyone, nor does she involve herself with other people. The exact opposite of me."

Kushida and Horikita are really two opposite poles.

"You know, she only opens herself up to you."

"Wait. Let me make a quick revision. She doesn't open herself up. Absolutely not."

"… Probably. Even so, she trusts you the most. Out of everyone I know, she has the most confidence in herself and the most wariness towards others. She wouldn't trust anyone who's worthless and stupid."

"You're saying she has a good eye for people, right?"

"That's the reason I said I believed you. After all, you're pretty apathetic towards others, right?"

I don't remember showing Kushida that kind of behavior, but she seemed to have confidence in her words.

"It's not like it's that strange to say. You showed absolutely no signs of giving your seat up to the old woman, right?"

I see, that's what she's talking about. She noticed us on the bus. And then she realized that we weren't even thinking of giving up our seats.

"If you believed me, then don't spread pointless rumors like that."

"If you had that much confidence before, you wouldn't have had the chance to feel my b.r.e.a.s.ts."

"Thats—I was really confused there. I panicked…"

Her facial expression softened, and changed to one of impatience.

"So, can I think of you as a bitch that would let boys touch your b.r.e.a.s.ts without any hesitation?"

She kicked my t.h.i.g.h with all her strength. In a panic, I took hold of the railing.

"Dangerous! I could've gotten injured!"

"That's because you said something stupid!"

With a flushed face (from anger, not bashfulness), Kushida snapped at me.

"Hey, wait for a bit."

I gave her a small nod.

Going back up the stairs, Kushida quickly got her bag and came back. She had a wide grin on her face.

"Shall we go back together?"

"S-sure."

I wondered whether this was a bad dream as her attitude did a complete 180. It was the usual Kushida. In the end, I couldn't tell which one was the real her.

7

I wonder how class D will be starting from tomorrow. It felt like I was watching some kind of variety show. A message from the group chat came.

It read, "Satou has joined the group." She's one of the hyper girls in our class.

"Yahoo~ Ike-kun invited me while I was talking to him earlier."

Having nothing to say, I did nothing and kept looking at the chat.

"I heard about what happened today~. Isn't Horikita really annoying?"

"I was pissed off at her. Sudou was really angry at her too. Looked like he would hit her."

"If I see her tomorrow, I'm going to hit her. I was really angry today."

"Ahahaha, it'll become a big problem if you hit her LOL that's just overkill"

"Hey, while we're on the topic. Wanna ignore her starting from tomorrow?"

"Nah, we've always ignored her (lol)"

"I need to get back at her somehow. We can bully her and make her cry. Like hiding her shoes."

"I would laugh if I was a kid, but I really want to see her suffer."

Somehow, Horikita became the main topic of the group chat.

"Ayanakouji-kun, wanna join too? In bullying her haha"

"Nah, he's fallen too hard for her."

"Hey, whose side are you on?"

It was pretty obvious that everyone would be irritated at Horikita. Their experiences with her have always been negative. However, I can't agree with hitting or bullying her. Both would be equally devoid of any good intentions.

"You're reading this, right? Hey, I asked you a question: which side are you on?"

"I'm not on anyone's side. I won't really stop you guys."

"Staying neutral. The most sly answer possible lol"

"You can think of it however you want, but it's your loss if you think about it. If the school learns of this problem, it'll become trouble for you. Just keep that in mind."

"Are you trying to protect her? Haha"

Because I can't see their faces over chat, it makes them more aggressive than usual. If Ike was in front of me, he probably wouldn't have said those words.

However, everyone just wants a sense of security and solidarity using Horikita.

It would only be a waste of time if I continued chatting. Time to finish this conversation.

"If Kushida knew of this, she'd hate you. lol"

After sending that message, I closed my phone. It rang, but I left it alone. They probably won't do anything stupid. Satou wouldn't do anything stupid without the cooperation of the others.

Moving over to the side of the room, I opened the window. I could hear the insects from the nearby trees. Is it the Kubikirigisu that are making that noise? The night breeze shook the window back and forth.

I met Horikita on the first day of school, was put in the same class, and got the seat next to her. I became friends with Sudou and Ike. Furthermore, I fell for the school's trap and our class was labeled as the worst. Horikita, who tried to fix our situation, earned the ire of the other students because of her personality.

I'm the closest one to this situation, but I feel like I'm floating instead.

No, that's a bad choice of words. It's not a comfortable feeling. However, I feel like I'm observing from the outside. Because I didn't feel the same urgency as Sudou and the others did, I thought that the current situation didn't relate to me and ignored it instead.

"Only a fool would not use power that they have."

I didn't want to remember his words, but they were stuck in my head.

"A fool… I wonder if that's what I am."

Closing the window, I could hear the harsh laughter coming from the television.

8

I couldn't seem to fall asleep, so I got up and exited my room.

In the lobby, I bought some juice from the vending machine and went back to the elevator.

"Hmm?"

The elevator was on the 7th floor. Feeling curious, I looked at the CCTV monitor of the inside of the elevator. It was Horikita in her school uniform.

"… Well, there's no need to hide myself, but…"

I didn't want to particularly face her, so I hid myself behind the vending machine. The elevator reached the first floor.

While being wary of her surroundings, Horikita exited the building. After she disappeared into the dark, I chased after her.

However, I involuntarily hid myself again after turning the corner.

Horikita stopped moving. There was another person's figure.

"Suzune. I didn't think you'd follow me all the way here."

Did she leave at this hour to meet with a boy?

"Mou, I'm different from the useless me that you know. I've come here to catch up to you."

"Catch up to me, huh."

Nii-san? I couldn't see the person she was talking to, but it looks like it's Horikita's older brother.

"I heard that you are in class D; it doesn't seem like anything's changed in the last 3 years. Because you've always been looking at my back, you've never been able to see your own flaws. Choosing to come to this school was another one of your mistakes."

"That's—that's wrong. I'm going to rise up to class A. And then—"

"That's impossible. You'll never reach class A. Rather, your class will crumble before that. This school isn't as easy as you think it is."

"I will absolutely, absolutely reach class A…"

"I already said it's impossible. You're a really unreasonable younger sister."

Horikita's older brother takes a step forward. From my hiding spot, I could see his form more clearly.

It was the student council president.

There was no emotion in his expression, as if he was looking at an existence that didn't interest him at all.

He grabbed his younger sister's wrist and pushed her against the wall.

"No matter how much I avoided you, you are still my younger sister. If people start to learn about you, it is me who will be disgraced. Leave this school immediately."

"N-no… tsu. I will, I will absolutely rise up to class A…!"

"Foolish, really. Do you want to relive the painful experiences of the past?"

"Nii-san—I will—"

"You have neither the power nor the qualifications to aim for class A. Understand that."

Horikita's body drew forward, as if he was about to take action. The situation looks dangerous.

Resigning myself to her anger, I stepped out from my corner and approached the older brother.

Before I realized, I grabbed his right arm.

"—What? Who are you?"

Looking at his own arm, he looked at me with a sharp glint in his eyes.

"A-ayanokouji-kun!?"

"You, you were trying to throw her to the ground, right? It's concrete here, you know. Just because you're siblings doesn't mean you can do anything you want."

"It's not admirable to eavesdrop."

"Just let go of her hand."

"That's what I should be saying."

It was silent while we glared at each other.

"Stop, Ayanokouji-kun…"

She said with a strained voice. I've never seen her like that before.

Reluctantly, I let go of his arm. At that moment, he aimed for my face with a quick backhand.

Feeling danger, I instinctively leaned backwards. A nasty attack with a thin body. Furthermore, he aimed for my vitals with a sharp kick.

(Ill.u.s.tration: imgur.com/kAv9bTm)

"Ha!"

I understood that it had power to make me lose consciousness in one hit. With a confused look, he let out a breath and extended his right arm towards me.

If I grabbed his hand, he would probably throw me onto the ground. Instead, I slapped his arm away with left hand.

"Good reflexes. I didn't think you would avoid every single one. You also understood what I was trying to do. Were you taught in some way?"

Finally stopping his attacks, he asked me a question.

"Yea, I did piano and calligraphy. In elementary school, I even got the championship in a music competition."

"Are you also class D? What a unique boy. Suzune."

Letting go of her arm, he slowly faced me.

"Suzune, you have a friend? I'm honestly surprised."

"He's… he's not my friend. He's only a classmate."

Denying his words, she looked up to her brother.

"As always, you're mistaking solitude with isolation. And you, Ayanokouji. With you, it looks like things are going to become interesting."

Walking past me, he disappeared into the night. The confident student council president. It seems like Horikita was acting strange because she met her brother.

"I'm going to crawl my way to class A even if I die. That's the only way."

After he left, the night was engulfed in silence. Horikita sat down against the wall, her head hanging in shame. I wonder if I did anything unnecessary. As I turned to return to the dorms, Horikita called out to me.

"Did you hear everything…? Or was it coincidence?"

"No, it was like 50% luck. I saw you while I went to go buy juice from the vending machine. I followed you simply because I was curious. However, I really didn't mean to intrude."

Horikita sank into silence once again.

"Your older brother is quite strong. He didn't hesitate to attack."

"He's… 5th dan in karate and 4th dan in aikido."[4]

Oho, so he's that strong. If I didn't pull back it would've been a disaster.

"Ayanokouji-kun, you also do something, right? You're also a rank holder."

"I already said it, didn't I? I played piano and performed tea ceremonies."

"You said calligraphy before."

"… I also did calligraphy."

"You purposely got low scores on your test, and you say you did piano and calligraphy. I still don't understand you very well."

"Getting those scores were only a coincidence, and I really did piano, tea ceremony, and calligraphy."

If there was a piano here, I could play Fur Elise at least.

"I let you see a strange side of me."

"Rather, I always thought that you were a normal girl—not."

She scowled at me.

"Let's go back. If anyone sees us here, there will surely be a misunderstanding."

Certainly. There would absolutely be strange rumors about a girl and a boy all by themselves in the dead of night.

Not to mention, our relationship was still iffy to begin with.

Slowly getting up, Horikita walked towards the entrance of the dorms.

"Hey… Are you really ok with how the study group went?"

Thinking that I wouldn't get another chance, I called out to her resolutely.

"Why are you asking that? I proposed the study group in the first place. It's not like you cared about it in the first place. Am I wrong?"

"I have a bad feeling. Or should I say, the other students seem to be planning something."

"I don't mind. I'm already used to it. Also, most of the students with red marks are with Hirata-kun. He's good at studying, gets along with people, and can teach other people well, unlike me. This time, they should be able to barely clear the borderline. However, I judged it to be a waste of time to help them out myself. Until graduation, they'll have to repeatedly try to not fail. It'd be really stupid to keep trying to cover for their failing marks every single time."

"Sudou and his group took some distance from Hirata. I don't think they'll participate in his study group."

"That's what they decided to do; that has nothing to do with me. If they don't approach Hirata-kun, they'll just drop out soon enough. Of course, my goal is to get up to class A. However, that's for my own sake, and not for anyone else. I don't care what anyone else does. Rather, if cut down on people on this next midterm, only people who are necessary are left. It'll be easier to get to class A. A win-win situation."

I don't think she's wrong. In the first place, this crisis is bad for students who got red marks. However, I couldn't help but continue the conversation with Horikita, who was strangely talkative.

"Horikita, isn't that way of thinking incorrect?"

"Incorrect? Tell me which part is wrong. You're not trying to say that there is no future for a person who abandons their classmates, right?"

"Calm down. I know you well enough that you wouldn't understand what I'm saying."

"Then why? There's no merit in saving failures."

"Certainly there isn't much merit.However, it helps prevent demerits."

"… Demerits?"

"Do you think that the school hasn't already thought of that? They're students who rack up negative points from talking during class or always being late. Say they drop out because no one helped them. How many negative points do you think we'll get?"

"That's—"

"Of course, before we get any information, nothing is certain. However, don't you think that there's a fairly high possibility? A hundred? A thousand? There's even a chance that 10,000 or 100,000 points are deducted. If that's the case, you'll have a hard time getting to class A."

"Our negative points from being late and talking during class can't go below 0 right now. While we're at 0 points, it'd be best to remove all the students who can't study. Isn't it the same as receiving no damage?"

"There's no guarantee that that'll be the case. There might be some negative points that we don't know about yet. Do you really think it's alright to ignore such a dangerous risk? Well… for someone as smart as you, there's no way that you wouldn't have thought of that. If that wasn't the case, there's no reason for you to do a study group. You would've abandoned them from the very start."

I was starting to get worked up. That might be because I started to regard her as a friend. I didn't want her to regret her decision.

"Even if there are unseen minuses, it's better for the class if we get rid of the failures. When we start to increase our points, it'll be bad if we regret not cutting them out. At this time, this is a risk that should be taken."

"Do you really think that?"

"Yes, really. Rather, I am worried about you, who is trying to desperately save them."

I grabbed Horikita's wrist as she was about to get on the elevator.

"What? Do you have a rebuttal? This problem isn't something that can be solved by the two of us. The only ones who know the answer are the school, so we'll be left here arguing forever. I'll interpret it as I like, and you'll do the same. It'll only amount to that, no?"

"You're really talkative. I never thought you were the type of person to talk this much."

"That's… that's because you're being insistent."

The normal Horikita would never listen to me.

If I stopped her like this, it wouldn't be strange to receive a sharp blow. However, by not doing so, it's evidence that Horikita also thinks the same way. That's why she didn't shake off my hand. Of course, she herself probably doesn't notice.

"The day we met. Do you remember what happened on the bus?"

"You mean the time we refused to give our seat up to the old woman?"

"Yea. At that time, I thought of the meaning behind giving up my seat. To give up my seat, or not to give up my seat. Which one is the right answer?"

"I already gave my answer. I didn't give up my seat because I felt it was useless. There's no merit to giving her my seat, but rather a waste of time and effort."

"Merit? All you think about is profit and loss to the very end."

"Is that bad? Humans are calculating creatures. If you sell goods, you get money, and if you do someone a favor, it'll be returned. I'll receive this thing called 'joy' from my contribution to society if I give up my seat. No?"

"No, that's not wrong. I also think that's natural."

"Then—"

"With that mindset, make sure to have a broad outlook on life. Right now, you're too blinded by anger and unhappiness that you can't see anything."

"Are you someone important? Do you even have the ability to find faults about me?"

"Whatever my ability, I can only see one thing that you cannot see. This is the only fault in the otherwise perfect-looking person known as Horikita Suzune."

She snorted, as if she was saying "Tell me if you have a bone to pick with me."

"Let me tell me you your faults. You find other people a hindrance and you don't let anyone come close to you. Aren't you in class D because you always think of yourself as superior over everyone else?"

"… It seems like you're trying to say that I'm equal to Sudou-kun and his group."

"Then, are you trying to say that you're superior to those guys?"

"It's obvious if you look at the test scores. Those are clear evidence that they're just heavy baggage for the class."

"Certainly, if you measure by scores, they're two, three times below your level. Even if they tried really hard, they wouldn't be able to surpass you. However, that's only true on top of the desk. The school doesn't only look at intelligence. This time, if the school did some kind of physical examination, the results wouldn't be the same. Is that wrong?"

"That's—"

"Your physical ability is also good. After watching you swim, you're definitely one of the better girls. However, both you and I know that Sudou's physical abilities surpass yours. Ike has communication skills that you don't have. If there was a test based on communication skills, Ike would certainly be helpful. Rather, you would've probably dragged down the class. Well then, are you incompetent? No, that's not it. Everyone has their strong and weak points. That's what a human is."

Horikita tried to retort, but she wasn't able to say anything.

"… You have no basis to your words. All of your words are just pure guesses."

"If there is no foundation, then we have to come up with a guess from what we do have. Think about Chiyabashira-sensei's words carefully. In the guidance room, she said, "Who decided that smart people are the ones who get into superior classes?". So, the conclusion is that there is some factor other than academic ability that affects rankings."

I swiftly cut off Horikita's exit path as she looked left and right to weasel herself out of the argument. If I didn't do that, our argument would've been ridiculous.

"You say that you wouldn't regret abandoning the students who failed, but that's not true. There will be plenty of days where you feel regret if they drop out."

I looked straight into Horikita's eyes. She was not only grasping the reality of the situation, but also tied it with her consciousness. I got that impression from her.

"You're really talkative today too. Doesn't suit your principle of avoiding trouble."

"Yea, probably."

"It's really frustrating, but your words are right. You had enough persuasive power to make me think that. I'll recognize that. However, I still can't understand one thing. That is, your true intentions. What is this school to you? Why are you desperately trying to persuade me?"

"… I see, that's what you're thinking."

"If someone doesn't have any persuasive power, their theories won't be believed."

She wants to know why I'm trying to persuade her that letting Sudou and the others drop out is a bad thing.

"Without any facades, I want to know the true reason. For points? To rise up to class A? Or, to help your friends?"

"Because I want to know. What is 'a person with merit'? What is equality?"

"Merit, equality…"

"I came to this school to seek out answers to these questions."

Although it wasn't well organized in my head, it came out clearly in words.

"Your hand, can you let go?"

"Ah, my bad."

After I released my hand, Horikita turned around and looked at me.

"I couldn't have fallen for your smooth talking, right?"

Saying that, Horikita extended her arm towards me.

"I will take care of Sudou-kun and the others for my own sake. From now on, I'll make sure to make sure they don't drop out as an investment for the future. Is that fine?"

"Don't worry. I don't think you'll act differently. That's the kind of person you are."

"That's a promise, then."

I took Horikita's hand.

However, it wasn't until later that I learned that this was a contract with the devil.