Chapter 5 Part XI

I had hoped that the discussion would end with this, but things seldom turn out the way you want them to.

"I have a favor to ask of you, Ayanokōji-kun. You did eat my food, after all."

"Don't you think it's cowardly to pull the same trick over and over again?"

We were around halfway through our meal when the devil reared her head a second time.

It seemed that she had more in store for me than just the notebook from earlier.

"Cowardly? Given the way you go about doing things, shouldn't I be the one saying that?"

"What are you talking about?"

"During The Class Vote exam the other day. You were the one who lured me into taking action behind the scenes, weren't you? Answer me."

"Wait. I didn't-"

"Back then, my older brother may have been the one who helped guide me, but you were the one who was really behind it."

It didn't seem like she was just making a random guess.

That being said, it was also unlikely that the elder Horikita had leaked the information.

"I didn't notice it at first, but I connected the dots after thinking it over carefully."

In other words, she had managed to reach this conclusion on her own.

"You predicted how I would act every step of the way."

"Even if I denied it, I don't think you'd believe me."

"That's right. Of course, I don't have any conclusive evidence. Even if I asked my brother, he wouldn't say anything that'd even hint at your involvement anyway. But at this point, I'm almost certain of it."

Little by little, Horikita had matured over the course of this past year.

That was a fact that her brother and I could both agree on.

However, Horikita's talent had only truly begun to present itself once the discord with her brother softened.

Given that her big brother has known her for much longer than I have, he must've been well aware of just how high Horikita's potential really is. Chances are that's exactly why he's so dissatisfied with her always trying to follow in his footsteps.

"You look awfully uncomfortable."

"That's because it feels like I'm in the middle of being interrogated."

"Just forget it then. Your attitude makes it clear that I won't be getting anything out of you."

With that, she cut the conversation short. It seems that it's going to be harder to manipulate Horikita from behind the scenes from now on.

"I've got one more thing to ask you, but feel free not to answer."

The powerful look in her eyes seemed to draw me in, unwilling to let me get away.

"Do you think we can win against Sakayanagi-san?"

"I don't think it's impossible. That's the impression I get after seeing these notes of yours."

"…Very well. I'll do my best to get the class to the place it needs to be."

"You've been doing great so far."

In Hirata's absence, almost all of our classmates have been following Horikita's instructions.

She was fully prepared to take leadership of the class and pave the way to victory.

Honestly, I wanted to thank her for taking the initiative and doing the things I wasn't capable of doing myself.

"I'll leave the rest to you as well. I'm fully prepared to follow your judgement."

"I understand. But still, wouldn't it be better for you to make the decisions on rules for the commander?"

"You can take care of that too."

"…Are you really saying that you're going to fight with just the information I've prepared for you?"

"I don't really know all that much about our class anyway."

"Good grief… If you think you can beat Class A with that, you're just being naive."

"Maybe."

The two of us walked to the front door and I stepped out of her room.

"For the time being, I'll thank you for today's meal, but… please don't use a method like this next time."

I could already imagine myself being suspicious every time somebody offers me a meal from now on.

"Alright, I'll come up with something else."

No, that's not what I meant.