Chapter 7: A Difference in Determination

Time ticked away as we continued to cram for the upcoming exams. Students' spirits dipped under the onslaught of grueling, endless work they had to do. December arrived, and the final exam was less than three days away. Tomorrow, we'd be off for the weekend, the final exam waiting for us on Monday.

To be honest, the exam itself wasn't too dangerous. As far as the Class D students were concerned, we were more united than ever. Even Sudou and the other slackers did their best. The issues were Ryuuen and Kushida.

Ryuuen's two goals were to beat Class D, and to smoke out the puppet master hiding behind Horikita. If he wanted to win in overall points, that limited his tactics. The best he could do was get Class C to study extra hard, or come up with extremely difficult test problems, both of which were relatively ordinary strategies.

I didn't know how fully Class C had united, or if they'd studied extensively. We hadn't seen them in the café, the library, the classrooms, or anywhere else. Was it simple coincidence? Or were the Class C students working somewhere in secret? Even if they did study extra hard, as long as they didn't surpass Class D, we'd be fine. At any rate, though, I had no idea what their strategy was.

"Thinking about something?" asked Horikita. "Oh, sorry," I replied.

Horikita looked up at me from the base of the stairs. I hurried down after her. She held a large manila envelope stuffed full of the questions she and Hirata had slaved over for the past month. That envelope held Class D's fate, which was exactly why Horikita kept it as confidential as possible. She wouldn't even let me see the questions. Ultimately, she was the only one who knew all of them.

"What are our chances?" I asked.

"Hard to say. Don't expect too much. The school made many

adjustments. However, there's no doubt that we've completed the most difficult part of the exam so far," said Horikita.

She exuded confidence, so she'd probably done a solid job. The issue was what came next. How would we protect these questions?

While making our way to the staff room, Horikita and I bumped into Ryuuen in the hallway.

"Yo, Suzune." Ryuuen wore a bold smile on his face. He also held a manila envelope.

"Is this a coincidence? Or an ambush, perhaps?" asked Horikita. "It's inevitable. I was waiting for you."

"An ambush, then." Horikita let out an exasperated sigh and walked past Ryuuen.

"You're submitting your test problems at the last minute too, huh?

Let's go together," said Ryuuen, holding out his manila envelope. "Anyone might try and sneak a peek at this, so I understand your caution."

"You're not worried about any traitors in your own class?" asked Horikita somewhat mockingly.

"Ha. There's no way anyone would be stupid enough to betray me," said Ryuuen.

"Yet you waited until the last minute to submit your questions," said Horikita.

Ryuuen probably couldn't help but enjoy her ire. Horikita and I walked on, and he followed us.

"I really hope that whatever intelligence you squeezed out of those defective pieces of garbage in your class works in Class C's favor," he said.

Horikita ignored him. "Ayanokouji-kun, have you been studying properly? How are things with you and your partner?" she asked me.

"I think we should be safe," I replied.

"Thinking isn't enough. We can't afford to have a single student drop out. Don't get complacent, even though I'm sure we can handle whatever Class C throws at us," said Horikita.

Ryuuen responded to that verbal jab. "Oh ho! That's an interesting remark. You sound pretty arrogant."

"Hmm, who knows? Maybe it was simply cheap provocation? Just your style," said Horikita.

"Maybe so," Ryuuen replied.

As soon as we arrived at the staff room, Horikita called Chabashira- sensei. Similarly, Ryuuen called Sakagami-sensei, who appeared first and took the manila envelope from Ryuuen.

Moments later, Chabashira-sensei showed up and took Sakagami- sensei's place. She already seemed to know what we were there for, and her gaze focused only on the manila envelope. She paid no attention to Ryuuen, off to the side.

"These are the final questions, Chabashira-sensei," said Horikita. "I'll hold on to them," said Chabashira-sensei.

Ryuuen watched with a creepy smile. As Chabashira-sensei reached for the envelope, Horikita paused.

"I'd like to ask you one thing, if I may," Horikita said to Chabashira- sensei.

"Yes?"

"These questions are linked to either Class D's victory or defeat.

They're two sides of the same coin. We must avoid a leak at all costs. After I hand these papers over to you, could you please not show them to anyone else? Myself included."

"You want me to turn down absolutely anyone who asks to see them?" Chabashira-sensei asked.

"Would that be a problem?"

"That's not the issue. I understand that you're afraid of information leaking, and the school has no right to refuse your request. However, there are conditions," said Chabashira-sensei.

"Conditions, you say?"

"The entire class needs to agree to this. Has everyone approved this measure?"

"I didn't receive permission from every individual student, but…I don't think they'd object. No one wants their class to lose," said Horikita.

"You can't say that for sure. Some students might very well want to lose," said Chabashira-sensei.

"That's—"

Chabashira-sensei continued. "On that note, can you guarantee that these are the exam questions your class wishes to use? Not everyone in class saw and agreed to all of them, right?"

"Are you asking me to prove that? You want me to show the questions to everyone in class and confirm that they're okay with them?"

"I'm saying that it's not that simple. I can't be entirely sure that you, Horikita Suzune, are acting for your class's sake. That said, I'll honor your request. If any student asks, I absolutely won't disclose the questions and answers you created," said Chabashira-sensei.

"Thank you very much. Now I can face the exam in peace." "However, I will say this—generally, it's not ideal to restrict

information in this manner. It proves that the class isn't united," said

Chabashira-sensei.

"A painful lesson to learn. I'll work harder to bring the class together," answered Horikita confidently.

Chabashira-sensei smiled a bit. "You've changed, Horikita." "Some things can't stay the same."

"As I said, I'll honor your request. In case of unforeseen circumstances, though, I'd like to add one provision to our arrangement. As long as they have your permission, Horikita, I'll disclose information to those asking to see the questions. Is that okay?" asked Chabashira-sensei.

"Yes, as long as I'm present at the time," said Horikita.

"Of course. Someone might lie about having your permission, after all. In the event that someone comes looking for the questions, well, I'll tell them everything you said. As a teacher, I can't lie," said Chabashira-sensei.

Horikita breathed a sigh of relief. Something had finally gone right.

This plan was foolproof, and should've precluded the possibility of

underhanded tricks like the kind we saw in the sports festival. Even if someone tried to pay to see the questions, it wouldn't be allowed.

However, something still felt off to me.

Everything was going smoothly. The test questions that Horikita and Hirata had devised were undoubtedly very difficult, and Horikita had put preventative measures in place to ensure that they didn't leak. Even if Kushida tried to obtain the answers for Ryuuen, she'd need Horikita's presence and approval. Everything was rock solid. No holes anywhere.

Chabashira-sensei solemnly accepted the test questions and motioned for us to leave. Still, Ryuuen's resolute attitude felt off—something about the fact that he didn't seem flustered at all.

"Let's head on back, Ayanokouji-kun. Our business here is finished." I ignored Horikita and looked into Chabashira-sensei's eyes instead.

She stared at me in return.

See it, Horikita. Before it's too late.

I couldn't say anything in front of Ryuuen. Horikita started to walk away, then immediately stopped dead in her tracks.

"Chabashira-sensei. You said that you wouldn't lie, didn't you?" "That's right. That's required of me, as a teacher," she replied.

"In that case, will the school accept the questions I just submitted to

you?"

Horikita had noticed. She'd figured it out herself.

"Not until we confirm that there isn't anything abnormal about them,"

replied Chabashira-sensei.

"What's the matter, Horikita?" I asked.

Horikita didn't pay any attention to me. "Let me rephrase that. Have you already accepted other test questions?"

Our teacher became quiet. "What do you mean by that?"

"I'd like to hear the answer from your own lips, Chabashira-sensei." "My response is that the school already accepted and finished

reviewing questions from Class D."

Our reality imploded.

"So…does that mean someone else already submitted test questions and answers?" asked Horikita. She couldn't seem to process what was happening.

"Correct. The school won't use the questions you just handed me," said Chabashira-sensei.

"Please cancel acceptance of the previously submitted test questions. I have the correct ones here," said Horikita, pointing to the manila envelope.

"Unfortunately, Horikita, I already finished reviewing another student's questions. That student shared similar concerns. They wanted me to keep the questions secret, too. This student said that, in the event that another student selfishly showed up and asked to change the problems, I should merely accept the new questions and hold on to them. They also wanted me to tell them who asked to swap those questions afterward," said Chabashira- sensei.

"What in the world?" The fight drained out of Horikita, and she slumped over. This was far too cruel. "What student? Please tell me."

"Kushida Kikyou."

The answer was obvious. Horikita had thought that she would prevent Kushida's betrayal. However, Kushida had struck first. Our knowledge of her past made her take bold, drastic measures.

"But under the right circumstances, Class D can change the questions the school already accepted, yes?"

"Yes. However, the deadline is the end of today. If you wish to change the test questions, please bring Kushida here," said Chabashira-sensei.

"That…"

It was hopeless. Kushida wouldn't agree to that. Even if we started looking for her now, there was a 100 percent chance that she'd turned her phone off and holed up in her dorm room—or somewhere else, even.

"I can only speculate about which one of you is lying, Horikita. I don't know the truth. I also acknowledge that an unknown third party might be pulling the strings here. If you don't resolve this dispute within your class, it'll be bad," said Chabashira-sensei.

"How much time do we have left to correct the questions?" "Until 6 p.m."

I checked my phone. It was a little before four. We only had about two hours left.

"Ha ha ha ha ha! What are you even doing, Suzune?" Ryuuen sneered. The guy had undoubtedly known about this situation from the very start; he laughed raucously at our despair. "This is already checkmate, don't you see? The questions that you struggled so hard to come up with are completely meaningless!"

"Were you behind this? Did you instruct Kushida-san to do this?" asked Horikita.

"Hmm, who can say? I mean, it's not like I know anything about Class D, right?"

Horikita raised her voice. "I'm not going to tolerate this outsider eavesdropping on the conversation any further!"

"Oh ho, how scary. Guess I'll just head back to my dorm like a good boy. I sure am looking forward to the exam's results," said Ryuuen.

"Aren't you going to look for Kushida, Horikita?" Chabashira-sensei

asked.

"I dislike futile gestures." Even if we did manage to find Kushida,

there was no way she'd comply. The game was already over. "Did Kushida- san instruct you not to show the questions to anyone?"

"No, I received no such instructions," said Chabashira-sensei. "Please show them to me, then."

Chabashira-sensei showed Horikita the test questions that Kushida submitted. After only a brief glance, one thing became apparent.

"These are incredibly difficult," Horikita said. "Yeah. They definitely are," I replied.

Kushida's questions didn't appear any easier than those Horikita and Hirata had prepared. These were excellently constructed problems. In fact, they were so well-structured that you'd never guess that Horikita herself didn't come up with them. Since Ryuuen was involved, chances were high

that Kaneda made them.

If Kushida's problems had been so easy that even Sudou could have solved them, she would have been suspected of sabotage. These questions made things much, much more complicated. If you knew the answers ahead of time, it didn't matter how difficult the problems were. As long as all of Class C shared the answers with one another, they would get high scores.

Horikita had promised that she wouldn't expose Kushida's past. Hirata, afraid of internal class conflict, probably wouldn't say anything. That meant that the student who struck first won the day. If Class D lost, Horikita, who'd assumed leadership, would unavoidably take the blame. Kushida would siphon away Horikita's power while simultaneously using Ryuuen to drive her into a corner.

None of this was as dire, however, as Horikita's bet with Kushida. If Kushida and Ryuuen had colluded, there was no doubt that Kushida received Class C's test questions in exchange for her cooperation. If that had happened, Kushida would most likely score a perfect one hundred points on her math exam. If Horikita answered even one question incorrectly, she would have to drop out of school.

"So, is there nothing more to be done?" asked Horikita.

It looked as if she was out of options. This all came down to the naivete of her plans. If it'd been me, then…

"It's all right, Horikita. Ryuuen left," said Chabashira-sensei to Horikita, who still hung her head. What was going on? Chabashira-sensei didn't look shaken in the least.

"Sorry. I wanted to take extra precautions just in case, so I kept up the act," said Horikita, lifting her head. She didn't look depressed at all.

Then, I understood.

"You knew this was coming?" I asked.

"Yes. I couldn't allow myself to be defeated the same way I was at the sports festival. When the final exam's details were announced, I immediately consulted Chabashira-sensei. I had two requests. One, that I alone submit Class D's usable test questions, and two, that Chabashira-sensei pretend to accept any other questions submitted," said Horikita.

In other words, Horikita had tricked Kushida into thinking that her test questions were accepted.

"Now that they definitely believe that Kushida's test problems were used, if any Class C students aren't studying for the test, they may just fail," said Horikita. I would never have imagined that she'd devise such a wonderful counterattack. I couldn't even have come up with anything like this myself. Ryuuen had to be completely unaware of the damage Horikita was about to do.

"At any rate, this is a difficult situation," said Chabashira-sensei, a rare look of genuine concern on her face. "I've never had a request like this in all the time I've managed Class D. I didn't expect such caution and deception.

However, you won't always take the day, Horikita. If there are traitors like this among your classmates, you're doomed to fail."

Chabashira-sensei was right. Even Class A, currently divided between Sakayanagi's and Katsuragi's factions, would never have done something like this.

This meant we needed to be careful in dealing with Kushida. "I understand. However, this ends with the final exam." I felt

Horikita's determination.

"Really? In that case, I look forward to it."

Horikita sighed in relief as she watched Chabashira-sensei go back inside with the manila envelope. Once the two of us were alone, she bowed her head and apologized to me.

"Sorry for keeping quiet about this."

"No, that's all right. To be honest, I had no idea." I'd underestimated Horikita.

"Ryuuen's knocked me down so many times now. I thought that it was about time I learned," said Horikita.

This had not only crushed Class C's decisive victory, it had put Class D a step in the lead. However, Horikita's final challenge remained.

"All that's left now is to beat Kushida-san's exam score."

7.1

The first part of the final exam was here. The minimum overall score each pair needed to pass was 692 points, which was lower than expected, but we couldn't afford to be careless. The first day covered four subjects: social studies, English, Japanese, and mathematics. That meant that the outcome of Horikita and Kushida's battle would be revealed very soon.

As I walked into the hall on my way to the classroom, I met up with Satou. For better or worse, she seemed to have been waiting for me.

"Good morning, Ayanokouji-kun. It's almost time for the test, isn't it?" "Yeah. Did you sleep well last night?"

"I studied until about one o'clock. I feel a little nervous," said Satou, putting her hand to her chest and taking a deep breath.

"Well, I can't say it's going to be easy, but let's do our best. You should do well if you just apply everything you've learned," I told her.

"Okay!"

No matter what, we were partners in this. I couldn't deny our shared destiny. If either of us failed, so did the other. Each of us could drag the other into the abyss with them.

"Good morning, Satou-san."

"Oh, good morning, Karuizawa-san."

"Did you already have plans with Ayanokouji-kun? It's rare to see the two of you together," said Karuizawa.

"N-no, we met up by chance."

"Is that so? Well, how about we go get a drink at Pallet before class?" asked Karuizawa.

"Okay. Well, see you later, Ayanokouji-kun," said Satou, turning away bashfully. Karuizawa looked at me for an instant before heading away.

"Those two are close, huh?" I muttered to myself.

"I think Karuizawa-san is a surprisingly jealous person," Hirata said, walking over.

"Huh?" I said. "Good morning."

"Good morning. What did you mean?"

"I've pretended to be Karuizawa-san's boyfriend for a while now. I noticed that she's been paying more attention to you lately, Ayanokouji-kun."

"I don't think that's right." Karuizawa had been forced to remove herself from Hirata and attach herself to me, kind of like a remora with a shark.

"Really? Well, I'm glad. I don't think it's healthy to be in a fake relationship. That's probably selfish of me to say, though," Hirata replied as we made our way to the classroom. "Horikita-san's questions will definitely sting Class C. I don't think it should be that difficult for Class D to win, provided that everyone handles the exam well."

Hirata overflowed with self-confidence. Despite one unforeseen matchup, everything else had gone according to plan.

"To tell you the truth, there was something I wanted to talk to you about, Ayanokouji-kun," Hirata added. "Do you know Shiina Hiyori-san?"

"She's in Class C. We met the other day when she showed up at Keisei's study group," I replied.

"She came by my study group, too. It seems that Class C is looking for the mastermind hiding in Horikita-san's shadow."

"Seems like it."

"You're the one pulling Horikita's strings, Ayanokouji-kun," said Hirata. It wasn't a question, just a statement of fact. "I wouldn't tell anyone else, of course. I'm sure that you have something planned. Besides, you've saved Class D many times over."

"I see. I'm grateful to hear you say that." "So, you don't deny it?"

"Even if I did, you wouldn't believe me."

him.

"I suppose I wouldn't."

"I'm not some kind of hero. I just don't want to draw attention," I told

"I assume that you had a reason for what you did at the sports festival.

Still, are you okay? Class C is on the offense. If required, I've got your back," said Hirata.

Although I appreciated Hirata's offer, it wasn't necessary. "I'm good.

I'll come to you if I need to, though." "I understand."

We arrived at the classroom. I observed Sudou and the other guys from

a distance, noticing that they looked quite different from how they had during previous exams. Instead of huddling and cramming in a panic, they calmly used their time to review final details. Nearly half the students were seriously concentrating on the material.

"Quite a difference, huh?" Hirata said.

"Definitely." If you'd told me months ago that this was what Class D would look like now, I wouldn't have believed you.

Horikita was reading a book instead of studying. "Are you prepared?" "You're reading just before the test?" I asked. "What're you reading?" "And Then There Were None," replied Horikita.

"Agatha Christie, huh? Well, let's hope there're more than 'none' left when this is over," I joked.

Horikita closed her book and shot down my dark humor. "Nobody is leaving the school. It goes without saying that neither you nor I will disappear, either."

"The look on your face says that you're going to win no matter what," I told her.

"Of course. That's because I prepared to take first place in our grade this time around," she replied.

"If the questions Class C set turn out to be really simple, that's going to be tricky."

"Even so, I'll win. That'll only motivate me more," she replied.

Well, now I really looked forward to this. Come on, Horikita. Show me your stuff.

7.2

As the bell rang to signal that the test was going to begin, everyone started to pack up their study materials. We had to store any and all objects unnecessary for the exam in the lockers at the back of the classroom. The only things we were allowed to have were writing utensils. If our pencils broke, we ran out of lead, or we used our erasers up, we had to request additional supplies from Chabashira-sensei.

"We will now start your final exam. Your first test subject is contemporary Japanese. You are forbidden from turning your papers over before I give you the signal to begin," said Chabashira-sensei.

Rather than have the students at the front of each row pass the test papers back, Chabashira-sensei placed the papers on each student's desk herself.

"The exam will be fifty minutes long. Please try to avoid leaving sick or using the restroom. In the event that you aren't able to wait, please raise your hand and let me know. You won't be allowed to leave the room during the exam for any other reason," she continued.

Chabashira-sensei finished handing out test papers. Not a single student was talking by this point. Everyone focused on their papers. Shortly afterward, the next bell rang, signaling the official start of the exam.

"Begin."

We all flipped our test sheets over at the same time.

If everything went as Keisei had predicted, I thought the countermeasures we'd developed should be enough. I quickly skimmed the questions from start to finish, trying to judge whether my classmates could solve them. It was a cruel lineup, but they weren't impossible. We'd predicted quite a few questions with near-pinpoint accuracy, so if we just stayed calm, we had this. Keisei's plans were right on the money.

Moreover, the school had altered several test questions significantly. I could see traces of where Class C had attempted to trick us, but the school had made edits.

This test would be hardest for Class D's most average students, like Haruka and Akito. They needed to do the best they could and ace the humanities like their lives depended on it.

Horikita, sitting next to me, immediately picked up her pen and answered the first question. I twirled my pen in circles as I meditated on what I should do. Satou had been relatively more enthusiastic than the other students when it came to participating in the study sessions, and I anticipated that she'd score higher than Ike or Yamauchi. However, I needed to complement her score with an appropriate score of my own.

Considering what was to come in future, I decided to aim for a sixty- point baseline. More than that, the important thing was that I wanted to see how Kushida Kikyou reacted to the test.

I raised my head.

So far, Kushida appeared to be checking something as she scanned the test sheet over and over. She stayed still for about two or three minutes.

Finally, she started answering questions.

The exam continued in tense silence.

There was a minor incident in the fourth period during the math portion. That section, of course, would decide Horikita and Kushida's competition. The incident happened immediately after we flipped our exams over.

"Why?" squeaked Kushida.

"What's the matter, Kushida?" asked Chabashira-sensei. "N-no, it's nothing. I'm sorry," she replied.

Kushida's audible slipup must have concerned our classmates, but she

immediately started answering the questions regardless. Kushida, normally so calm and composed, was in an agitated state we'd never seen before. She was shaken.

Horikita continued working steadily, undistracted by Kushida's unrest.

This was a true, fair battle now, powerful in its simplicity.

With my troubles rapidly fading, I concentrated on the exam.

7.3

"Whew." Horikita sighed and quickly glanced up at the classroom ceiling.

"Looks like you're all finished," I said.

"I've never considered studying particularly stressful, but I studied harder for this exam than ever before in my life," she replied.

"What score would you say you got for the math portion?"

"A hundred. Or, at least, that's what I'd like to say. Since there was one part where the question seemed ambiguous, I can probably only say I got ninety-eight points for certain. A few reasonably difficult questions were mixed in."

"It's possible that you might've written something incorrectly or missed an answer, though. Is there a chance that your score is any lower than ninety-eight?" I asked.

"None. I'm certain that I overcame this test. I think I managed to get near-perfect scores in the other three areas as well."

"Well, that's amazing."

"I made this bet with Kushida-san assuming that she'd score a hundred points. I was incredibly thorough in my preparations so I wouldn't suffer even a trivial mistake. Still, it's a shame that I might've missed two points in the end," Horikita continued.

The questions Kaneda had set were by no means easy. I didn't know whether even someone like Keisei had managed to score above ninety. If Horikita had truly gotten ninety-eight points or more, the top spot in our class was hers. Despite tutoring so many students, she'd pushed through thanks to her own willpower and

spirit.

"Suzune, there's something I want to tell you. Can I head back to the dorm with you?" asked Sudou. He approached Horikita with his bag in hand, looking somewhat drained.

"Something you want to tell me? Sorry, but can't you just tell me here?"

"About today's test… I'm not sure if I hit the forty-point mark in every subject. I wanted to apologize. I'm sorry," said Sudou. He seemed sincere.

"That's not terrible. Considering what was on the test, you did well," Horikita said. True, the exam had been more difficult than usual. "I have a little something to take care of, so head on back with your friends."

"You're staying, Ayanokouji? Or are you two going back together?" Sudou gave me a skeptical look.

"My business has nothing to do with him. I'm meeting Kushida-san. Is there a problem?" asked Horikita.

"Kushida? Then no, none," said Sudou. Once he knew Horikita was meeting a girl, he didn't care. "Well then, I'm gonna head back and study."

"All right. But, considering what's coming tomorrow, make sure to go to bed early," said Horikita.

"I know. Come on, Kanji, Haruki. Let's go back," said Sudou. He didn't sound perturbed in the least.

"By the way, what are your plans with Kushida?" I asked Horikita.

"It's not a big deal. Since we can estimate our respective scores, I just want to confirm something with her," said Horikita.

It would be some time until we received our test results, but I was convinced Horikita Suzune won. That was clear just from looking at Kushida, who got up and quickly left the classroom.

"What's the matter with her, I wonder?" said Horikita.

"She probably assumes that her score is lower than she expected, don't you think?"

"I hope so. Ryuuen can be rather tenacious." "Are you worried about him?" I asked.

"If he gave her the answers, she likely would've gotten a perfect score.

If that happened, then you and I would've had to drop out."

"So, if that time came, would you have prostrated yourself before

Kushida and begged for forgiveness?" I asked. "Was that sarcasm?"

"What?"

"Nothing, forget it."

Horikita pursued Kushida. I decided to follow.

She walked into the hallway and called Kushida's name. "Kushida-

san."

Kushida slowly came to a stop. "What is it, Horikita-san?" she asked.

Fatigue and exhaustion were written on her face.

"Do you have a moment? I'd like to confirm something with you. But there are people around, so how about we go somewhere else?" asked Horikita.

"That depends on what you want to talk about," said Kushida. "Ayanokouji-kun will come along, since he's involved in this matter.

You don't mind, do you?" asked Horikita.

Kushida didn't answer, but she didn't refuse, either. She checked the time on her phone and nodded. She had probably arranged to meet someone else afterward.

Since there were still quite a few students left in the school, we decided to head to the special building.

"You want to discuss our bet on the final exam. Right?"

"Yes. Though the results haven't been announced yet, we should be able to estimate our scores well enough ourselves," said Horikita. "I'm confident that I scored a ninety-eight or higher. What about you?"

Kushida didn't look surprised to hear this. Rather, it was like she already knew.

"We don't have to wait for the official results," muttered Kushida. "I couldn't have scored any higher than eighty. No, I probably didn't even get eighty. You won the bet, Horikita-san."

"I see." Horikita seemed slightly puzzled by Kushida's low score. "I thought you would have scored higher."

"This is what I am," said Kushida, sounding disappointed.

"I suppose it won't be confirmed until the results are official, though." "There's no need for that. You won the bet. Are you satisfied,

Horikita-san?"

"So, can I trust that you won't get in my way from this point on?" "I'll keep my promise, no matter how much I hate it. Do you want that

in writing?"

"No need. Let's just start by trusting each other," said Horikita. She held out her hand.

Kushida stared at Horikita's outstretched hand, her eyes blank. "I hate you, Horikita-san."

"I know. But I think I can work hard to change that," said Horikita. "I feel like I'm growing to hate you more and more," said Kushida. She walked right past Horikita without taking her hand.

"I won't do anything to impede you. But I'll never cooperate with you.

Don't forget that," said Kushida.

"I see. That's a shame," said Horikita.

"Remember, Horikita-san, the terms of the bet were that I wouldn't get in your way. That's all," said Kushida. The darkness lingering in her eyes seemed to latch on to me.

"That's—"

Kushida left immediately. It was as if she didn't want to face Horikita for even one more second. She no longer had her sights on Horikita, but it might be my turn next. There hadn't been anything in the bet's terms about leaving me alone.

"I should've thought this through more carefully," said Horikita.

Kushida wouldn't keep her promise forever. Our presence destroyed her hope for a peaceful future. The most I could expect for the time being was a temporary ceasefire.

7.4

After Horikita headed back to the dorm, I thought about what was to come. Ryuuen Kakeru wasn't the type to leave unfinished business. Horikita had certainly handled things well this time around, containing Ryuuen and manipulating Kushida with a preemptive strike. In a healthy class, her strategy probably wouldn't have been very useful, but it was effective for dealing with a traitor.

My phone vibrated.

What are you planning? the message read.

I wasn't the only schemer here. You're planning something too, aren't you, Ryuuen?

Another message showed up. I'm definitely going to make you pay.

An image file was attached to the last message. When I opened it, I found a single photograph that spoke a thousand words.

"So, Manabe and her friends spilled the beans, huh?" I muttered.

Of course, I'd known that when I ran into Ryuuen and Hiyori. Ryuuen had probably threatened the girls to reveal who might've seen them attack Karuizawa, and now my name and Keisei's name were running through his mind. However, he had no evidence. That was why he was trying to corner me. That was what he was thinking by sending me this photograph.

The fact that Ryuuen had the photo meant that he knew the circumstances surrounding it. Depending how things played out, Ryuuen would probably go after the person in the picture. If anything, this was a declaration of war.

Did he enjoy the hunt that much? Enough. I was fed up with his obsessive persistence.

I closed my phone and steeled myself. Half-measures wouldn't do here. If Ryuuen was dead serious about picking a fight, I'd return the favor in kind.

"Come at me with everything you've got. I'll play your game," I said

aloud.

Despite myself, I couldn't help but feel a little excited.

7.5

"You're late, Kikyou. What, couldn't slip past your classmates?" asked Ryuuen.

"What are you plotting, Ryuuen-kun?" Kushida demanded. She drew closer to Ryuuen on the isolated rooftop.

"Huh?" said Ryuuen.

"The questions and answers you gave me were completely different than the ones on the exam."

"Oh, yeah. I switched 'em out before the deadline. What about it?" Ryuuen snorted derisively, then took a sip of bottled water.

"I told you, didn't I? I will get Horikita expelled, no matter what. I betrayed my classmates and switched out our questions on the condition that you gave me the math test answers. If you kept your promise, Horikita

would've dropped out of school. But you betrayed me," said Kushida. "What? You mad about something so trivial?"

"Trivial? You want to win against Class D and give us nothing in return?"

"You're mistaken, Kikyou. Your questions weren't used on the exam," replied Ryuuen.

"Huh? What are you even talking about? I turned them in right away, just as you instructed me to. I even confirmed everything with Chabashira- sensei."

"You really haven't noticed? Suzune acted ahead of time to stop the school from formally accepting your questions. Thanks to that, not only did we lose, we just barely avoided catastrophe. Everyone in my class depended on that strategy," said Ryuuen.

"Wait. Ahead of time? That's… No way."

"Go ahead and wait for the results if you doubt me. In all likelihood, Class C lost to Class D. That rendered our agreement invalid. I'm not giving

you the correct test questions if I get nothing in return," said Ryuuen.

"Grrr!"

"How about showing me some gratitude instead?"

"Gratitude? I just lost to Horikita! What should I be grateful for?!" Kushida recalled the humiliation she'd felt at admitting defeat in front of Horikita. She was so enraged that she felt her blood boiling.

"So trusting, to get snared without even knowing it," taunted Ryuuen. Grabbing Kushida's uniform, he forcefully unfastened a button on her blazer and reached inside.

"Hey, what are you doing?!" shouted Kushida, backing away to put some distance between herself and Ryuuen. Ryuuen smiled.

"Come on. I'm not doing anything. Go ahead, look in your pocket," he

said.

"In my pocket?" Still on her guard, Kushida slowly reached into her

blazer. She felt paper, which she didn't expect. "What is this?"

Ryuuen couldn't have had enough time to put something in her pocket just then. That meant he'd placed the paper there beforehand. When Kushida unfolded it, she found a list of questions and answers for the math test.

However, they weren't the questions that were actually on the exam in the end. They were the ones Ryuuen had supposedly given her.

"Why were these in my uniform?"

"That's probably not all there is. I assume that several pieces of evidence of cheating are scattered throughout your belongings. I'm sure you'll see them if you go digging later," said Ryuuen.

"I don't understand," said Kushida.

"Someone in Class D was prepared to go in for the kill. What if I had still given you the right questions? Come on. Say you scored really high on the exam and then someone accused you of cheating, and they found those papers? What do you think would happen then?"

"Wait, you mean I'd be expelled?! Even though I didn't cheat? That's stupid!" Kushida balked.

"If you were innocent, it would be stupid. But you got your hands on the questions beforehand by working with me. There'd be nothing you could do about it," said Ryuuen.

Of course, Kushida could have claimed she was framed. Even if she pulled through, however, it would've tainted her reputation. It wasn't against the rules for someone to offer their class's questions to another class, but it was considered disgraceful. That probably would've invalidated Kushida's test results and threatened her position in Class D, even if she avoided expulsion. Class C would have been in grave danger, too.

"When did this cheat sheet get in my—?"

"You really don't have any clue? Have you noticed any strange people around?"

"No way, it can't… No, wait. I went to our final test meeting at a karaoke room last week with Horikita and the others. A girl got angry and poured her juice on me. Afterward, she asked if she could take my blazer to the cleaners. It was understandable, given that situation, but…for some reason, it keeps nagging at me," said Kushida.

"Let me guess who that girl was. Karuizawa Kei," said Ryuuen. "H-how did you know? Don't tell me you saw?"

"How could I have seen? It's simple deduction," said Ryuuen. He tapped his finger against the side of his head. "Explain what happened from the beginning."

Though Kushida felt disoriented, she told Ryuuen everything. She explained that Horikita and Hirata had invited everyone, and that Ayanokouji, Sudou, and Karuizawa all sat together. In the middle of their meeting, Karuizawa started a fight and poured juice on her.

After quietly listening, Ryuuen took his deduction a step further. "No doubt in my mind. Someone set a trap for you."

"That's not possible. It's true that my blazer went to the cleaners, but I checked my pockets when I got it back. Besides, the clerk would've told me if there was something inside it!"

"That's not what Karuizawa was going for. Did someone want to know whether you had a spare uniform?"

"A spare? That's impossible," said Kushida. "What makes you say that with such certainty?"

"Are you trying to say that everyone there set a trap for me, and I couldn't see right through it? I'm not an idiot. I observe everyone's behavior. If they were lying to me, I definitely would've noticed."

"Well, you're probably right about that. However, only one or two people at most lied to you," said Ryuuen.

"Huh? How would—"

"If someone there read the situation perfectly, then it's likely that person deceived you. Someone who could figure out everyone's thought processes, behavioral tics, and habits. Someone who guessed what kind of remarks they'd make. Someone who could read all those things perfectly. Someone who wrote the script, so that you'd act your part in their play," said Ryuuen.

Kushida denied it, but then thought back on what had happened. Hirata was consistently a pacifist. He would worry about Kushida's blazer being stained, and would want to placate Karuizawa's unreasonable anger. And, because the meeting took place right before the test, he would definitely ask how many blazers Kushida had.

"Once they learned that you had one blazer, the only thing left to do was plant the cheat sheet on you during gym class. The real question is, who came up with the idea? It wasn't Suzune or Karuizawa. They aren't the kind of girls who could do something like that," said Ryuuen.

"So, you're saying I was tricked? By who?"

"Shortly before the test, a letter accusing Ichinose of doing something illegal went out, right?"

"Yeah, the letter you tried to trap her with, Ryuuen. Why did you do

that?"

"It was part of the mastermind's strategy," said Ryuuen. "Huh?"

"I wasn't the one who sent that letter. The person from Class D who set

you up did it."

"I don't understand."

"Do you really think I'd put a letter accusing Ichinose of fraud in every single first-year student's mailbox and deliberately add my own name to it?

Well, putting my own personality aside, it was only natural that everyone thought that I did it," said Ryuuen.

"If it wasn't you, then you should've just denied it." "Do you really think I would do that?"

"No." Kushida understood immediately. Ryuuen tended to pursue things that excited him. If someone sent out letters and put Ryuuen's name on them, Ryuuen would find it tantalizing. Furthermore, because he hadn't heard any rumors of Ichinose's supposed fraudulent activities before, he'd be tempted to learn more.

Then why had someone deliberately put down Ryuuen's name as the sender? Because an anonymous message had less credibility.

"But what was the letter's point? To put you on your guard?" said Kushida.

"Who knows? I've thought about it at length, but it's still unclear. Did the culprit simply want to know whether Ichinose had a lot of points? Or maybe… No, that's impossible. Couldn't be something that stupid," said Ryuuen. Whatever he'd considered was just far too removed from reality.

Either way, the strategy had been well prepared and flawlessly executed. Ryuuen's interest in the person he called "X" had only increased.

"Hey, Kikyou. I don't know anything about your past, and I'm not interested. However, if you keep trying to get Horikita kicked out of school, you're going to disappear. Get it?"

"You're in a dangerous position yourself, aren't you? If Class C loses collective points for this exam, isn't that bad?"

"Yep. With this stroke of luck, your class probably has a chance of being promoted to C," said Ryuuen.

"How does it feel to be knocked down a peg by the 'defectives' in Class D?"

"I feel like I don't have a care in the world right now. Whether it's

Class A or D, we're only scratching the surface of our battle," said Ryuuen. "What do you mean?"

Of course, Ryuuen couldn't answer her. However, his objective hadn't changed one bit since he'd started at the school. While there had been moments when he stumbled, his preparations to reach Class A were still progressing smoothly.

"Do your absolute best," said Ryuuen, turning and starting to walk

away.

"Wait—the cheat sheet! Something's not right here!" "Heh."

"What's this all about? Tell me, Ryuuen!" "You noticed?"

"Why did someone in Class D have these test questions? Only you and

I should have them."

"Because I gave them to X, I suppose," said Ryuuen. "So, you betrayed me?"

"No. It was a necessary deal."

Ryuuen's eyes lowered to his cell phone. On it were pictures of the questions and answers before he'd changed them. He had sent those pictures to an unidentified email address.

"However, X understands me very well," he added.

He'd received a message from X with the word "Transaction" in the subject line. The message read as follows: Provide me with the questions and answers that Class C devised for our final exam, or make significant changes to the questions you gave Kushida Kikyou.

Normally, Ryuuen wouldn't dignify that with a response. However, moments earlier, X had freely given him information beneficial to Class C with no strings attached, by warning him that Horikita Suzune had seen through Ryuuen's plans and taken preemptive action to get her questions approved instead of Kushida's. That had come as quite the shock to Ryuuen, whose whole strategy depended on the questions he thought Kushida had submitted. Without X's warning, the Class C students who didn't study

enough might've failed.

Knowing that, Ryuuen had had three options.

The first was to defy X and give Kushida the correct questions for the math test, letting her win her bet against Horikita. However, Ryuuen wanted to avoid Horikita being expelled at all costs.

The second was to leave the test questions as they were and let Kushida's cheating be exposed, so she'd get kicked out of school. However, Ryuuen didn't want to give X exactly what he wanted. Playing into X's ideal scenario was no fun.

The final option, and the one Ryuuen eventually chose, was to give Kushida the wrong questions and let Horikita win.

"So, X protected Suzune while managing to keep you in check, Kikyou," said Ryuuen. When he'd realized that X turned his strategy to use Kushida against him, he'd barely held back his laughter. "But I'm about to drive him into a corner. If he doesn't reveal his identity—"

Ryuuen pulled up an image on his phone—the same image he'd sent the mysterious mastermind. The person in the photograph would be instrumental to discovering X's identity.

"Then I'm going to destroy her."