Vol. 4: Chapter 12 - How Did He?

(11:12) [That's true. Things will most likely escalate in "that" direction, so I doubt you'd be able to do what she expects you to.]

(11:12) [Yeah.]

(11:12) [This should've been my role, but I can't fight a war for anyone.]

(11:12) [If violence or anything related is expected of me, then I'd rather be uninvolved.]

(11:12) [I'm sure she'll lash out if I refuse to do what she wants.]

(11:12) [Well, it's understandable given her past experiences.]

(11:13) [Alright, I'll be taking care of her troubles from here on out.]

(11:13) [I know I asked you to do this, but is it really okay with you?]

(11:13) [Of course.]

(11:13) [Since Horikita will be the one who's preoccupied with the exam, I'm very free to use my mind somewhere else.]

(11:13) [I'll trust your methods, but please don't do anything to harm yourself like before.]

(11:14) [Don't worry, I won't do that again.]

"Hm...? Kiyotaka-kun?"

"Airi? What are you doing here?"

I split up with the other three and continued treading the hallways. I was checking a certain online conversation when I coincidentally stumbled upon my friend, Sakura Airi.

"Ah, I was actually headed towards the Rabbit Group's room. Azuma-san gave me the okay for the photo that I took of her, so I thought I'd ask Sotomura-kun to recommend some good edits for it," she said, taking out a small memory card from her breast pocket.

"Oh, you and Haruka mentioned that during lunch, right— the Photo Contest?"

"Yes... Haruka-chan suggested that I take part in that small competition before summer. At first, I was hesitant, but I made up my mind after seeing everyone else around me work their hardest."

"I'm happy for you. You're slowly opening up to more people. I can't believe you asked Azuma to be your subject."

"Mn..." Airi sheepishly nodded. "Azuma-san is really cute and her smile is perfect for the theme... but part of it is because I want her and Ichihashi-san to get along with Haruka-chan."

I see. I've heard Haruka briefly talk about it a long time ago. She didn't seem to have the best impression of them, much like how she did with Karuizawa and her group.

"You're such a good friend, Airi." I reflexively reached my arms and patted her head.

"K-Kiyotaka-kun... We're still out in the hallway, you know...?" Airi panicked as she fossicked around to see if people were looking at us, but my actions made her visibly happy.

I'm proud of her, to say the least. She's even going so far as to ask for advice from Professor, an unfamiliar male classmate. Well, compared to Yamauchi and the other guys, he's the most approachable one despite his strange way of speaking.

The two of us continued walking towards the Rabbit Room and saw Professor walking out with Yukimura.

"Ayanokouji and Sakura? What are you doing here?" asked Yukimura.

"It seems like Airi has some business with Professor. Do you mind?"

"Ohh, Sakura-dono, you're here." Professor didn't look surprised at all. "It's about the contest, correct? I was already contacted beforehand and I gotta say, I'm quite honored to be of use. Please pass my thanks to Miyake-dono for recommending my personage."

"T-Thank you very much, Sotomura-kun... I'm looking forward to your evaluation."

"I'm not too well-versed with the intricacies of professional photography, but as someone who critiques 2D and 2.5D art with absolute precision, I will surely provide you with some useful advice."

Miyake recommended the right man for the job. He's probably the only person who can give Airi solid advice on what to actually do given his knowledge in things like photo and video editing.

While they talked about their own business, I barely managed to catch Karuizawa's figure walking out from the other door.

"Airi, you guys, I have to talk to someone right now."

Since I suddenly decided to see myself out, it's natural for them to look surprised.

Professor and Yukimura cocked their heads to the side, looking puzzled.

"E-Eh? Uh, okay. See you later, Kiyotaka-kun." Airi looked puzzled too, but she saw me off, regardless.

As my hastened footsteps drew nearer, Karuizawa turned around to see who came up behind her.

"Ayanokouji-kun?" she asks, slightly surprised by my appearance.

"Hey, Karuizawa."

The two of us looked forward as we walked side by side. We hurried towards the elevator without talking. It would be quite bad if Machida sees us acting all buddy-buddy right now.

"This is about Manabe and her friends, isn't it?" Karuizawa started the conversation as soon as we got far enough. She predicted my business with her without much difficulty.

"Yeah, I wanted to talk to you about them," I replied.

Karuizawa responded with silence. There was a lot to take in from my sudden involvement. As things stood, Hirata was in charge of "protecting" her. We were very close friends, but while I knew about her secret past, I didn't really have any special connection with Karuizawa other than the relationship between the class leader and the girls' leader. I was able to control the girls to some degree because of her. 

That said, if she had any personal troubles, she would run straight to her boyfriend. Did Hirata send me here, or did I approach her voluntarily? Either way, what was the desired outcome? Karuizawa must've been thinking about those things.

"Hmm... On second thought, I don't think it's necessary for us to talk just yet. It's not like you're in trouble or anything, right?"

"Not really. Yukimura-kun and the other guy are useless, so Manabe and her group grew some balls to confront me. But I'm fine even during discussions. You don't have to worry about anything," she shrugged.

Karuizawa's calculated denial forced me to expose her lie— or in her perspective; reveal the truth.

"You're lying. You've given Hirata the SOS call, haven't you?"

"Ahh, so you spilled it, after all. Hirata-kun sent you here, huh?"

The two of us entered the elevator and headed for the upper decks.

"Yeah, I already know that things aren't going to stay fine. Even if Machida can stave off their persistent hounding, you'll be in trouble if their patience runs out."

Karuizawa clicked her tongue as she thought about the potential events.

I also noticed that she wasn't surprised about my knowledge of Machida. It seems like she realized it when I played along with her initial silent treatment. Her observation skills are keen.

"That's why I'm always finding the best timings to get out of the room. I'm doing what I can to avoid them. If things get out of hand... Hirata-kun will..."

"You know he won't. If Manabe and her friends cross the line, Hirata won't do anything other than tell them to stop harassing you. You already know what his principles are. That's why you've been behaving very well during the discussions. If Yukimura and Sotomura gave a damn about you, they would've noticed your strange behavior."

Her face distorted heavily after envisioning a dead end.

"Then... are you saying that you will help me?"

"It depends on what kind of help you need. Your role in class is extremely important. I won't let you get in trouble."

"I see..." Karuizawa looked a little relieved.

"If things get out of hand, you can contact me any time. Of course, I can't come to your aid when the group discussions are ongoing. So be sure to hold on to your shield until then," I said.

And by "shield", of course, I meant Machida.

I got off the elevator and began walking along the 3rd deck's hallway.

"It's not like I'm doing this because I want to..." Karuizawa mumbled under her breath.

The elevator door closed by itself and brought the anxious Karuizawa to the upper decks.

Well, you brought this onto yourself, Karuizawa. Don't worry, though. You'll realize the mistakes you've made soon enough.

It was just past 4 o'clock when Ryuuen Kakeru arrived at their meeting place.

"Why do you keep calling me out to some weird place, Katsuragi? Do you wanna see me that often?" Ryuuen snickered at Katsuragi's waiting appearance.

"I overheard your conversation with Horikita Suzune earlier. What's the deal, Ryuuen? Have you really figured out the code?" Katsuragi ignored his childish entrance and got straight to the point.

"Woah, impatient, aren't we?" chuckled Ryuuen. "Well, well, well. It seems like my price on the market just skyrocketed."

"Is it true then? Do you have the names of all the VIPs?" Katsuragi pressed him, but he sounded cautious.

"Why would you ever doubt me, Katsuragi? Of course, I do." Ryuuen was purposely acting like he wasn't convincing, but Katsuragi couldn't ignore his words.

"I'm prepared to give you the money. What I need are class points."

"Alright, alright. I get it already. It's not like I care that much about class points anyway... But things have changed Katsuragi. I want 200,000 private points on top of the 500,000. If you can do that, I'd be willing to give you one name."

"That's fine," Katsuragi replied without much thought.

Ryuuen's grin widened.

"Kobashi Yume, Class C. She's the VIP from the Cow Group." His eyes turned sharp, similar to that of a snake that caught its prey. "We've already talked about the details of the contract. There wouldn't be any merit in me betraying you. If I give you the wrong name, two things will happen. First, I would be helping Class B and C indirectly, which I wouldn't do. And second, I'd be required to pay you 1,000,000 private points in exchange for the 50 class points that you'd lose."

It was almost a death sentence. The condition against Ryuuen would've been disastrous if he chose to mislead Katsuragi into triggering Outcome #4. Even if the VIP turned out to be from Class D and Ryuuen gets the 500,000 private points from the person, he would still need to pay another 500,000 from his own pocket to make the million.

Normally, a contract with such specific conditions wouldn't be validated by the school. However, they weren't doing anything to manipulate the results and force a winning outcome for one or two classes.

If Ryuuen was right, it could be passed off as a lucky guess. If Ryuuen was wrong and the VIP was another student from Class B or C, they wouldn't know. And if the VIP was from Class D, it means Katsuragi was deceived but Ryuuen would have to pay the price.

"Hmph. 700,000 private points, is it? If that's the only change that you wish for, then so be it. I'll have the contract ready soon." Katsuragi nodded lightly before asking another question. "I'm curious about the VIPs from Class B."

"Don't bother. They're mine."

"Then how about Class A's VIPs? If you really figured it out... then, of course, you'd know who they are, right?" Katsuragi's voice was stern and powerful. It was the question that plagued his mind ever since Ryuuen made him believe that the VIPs' names were in his hands.

"Kukuku... Don't be scared now. It's true that I could easily steal 150 points from your class and use the money to pay the fine for misleading you with the Cow Group, but I won't do that." Ryuuen shrugged with his arms relaxed to the side. "You don't have to worry about me turning on you, Katsuragi. I have no intention of submitting any names from Class A. I can assure you that."

Ryuuen turned around and began walking away.

How did Ryuuen figure everything out in the first place? That was the main question earlier, but it hardly mattered now. Katsuragi's mind was clouded with new sets of questions. If he was in Ryuuen's position, he wouldn't hesitate to put the names of every VIP from the other classes. He also knew that Ryuuen wasn't the kind of person who'd pass up on that chance.

In other words, his decision to leave Class A out was illogical.

"Why? You're planning something, aren't you?" Katsuragi asked with a slight glare.

Ryuuen turned around to give him a side glance.

"Oh, please. Learn how to trust your allies sometimes, Katsuragi. I'm not scheming anything against you this time. I gave you a name and you'll give me the money after you trigger Outcome #3. That's it. And with me ignoring Class A's VIPs? Let's just say that I'm feeling a bit merciful."

As Katsuragi looked at Ryuuen's fading figure, all he could do was hope that he was telling the truth. He was already busy monitoring the potential traitors within Class A. Even with his great intellect, Katsuragi hasn't figured out what the pattern was. With only 3 names to work with, he's just as behind as the other classes.

If so... just how did Ryuuen figure out the code...?