Chapter VI: Definitively, Matsumoto Manabu Is Not a Secret Agent (1/2)

The sentence she has just proclaimed leaves me in a state of shock. Worse, I have no time to think about how I should react.

How does she know this? Did I let something slip?

Damn, I can't let my expressions give me away. Maybe she's just trying to provoke a confession.

For now, I'll pretend to misunderstand.

"Me? How did you come to such a conclusion?"

"I see you do not plan to admit it openly. Then, what do you have to say about this?"

She retrieves something from the drawer and slowly extends it toward me.

An envelope? It's pretty crumpled, too.

I take it in my hands and look back at her.

"Well? What are you waiting for? Open it."

"What is this? A love letter?"

She continues to look at me coldly; my joke has no effect. I realize the time for humor has passed.

I glance at the paper in my hands, resisting the anxiety creeping in.

I open the envelope and notice something written, but it's hard to read because the handwriting is atrocious.

As I decipher it, I find an accusation that I am one of the players.

Was I reported? By whom? The only ones who should know this are the three idiots. Judging by the handwriting… if I'm not mistaken, Shou has terrible handwriting. Considering his behavior toward the players, it's not impossible.

Wait.

This must be a joke. My heightened nerves made me defensive, but there's no reason. This doesn't count as evidence.

"Who made the report?" I ask.

"It was anonymous, and even if we knew, for confidentiality reasons, we would not tell you. That said, do you have any comments regarding the accusation in your defense?"

She must know as well as I do how little weight this would carry legally. So why pursue this?

"There's not much to say other than that it's obviously false."

"Are you certain this will be your response to the accusation?" she asks, narrowing her eyes.

"Yes, what else can I say? It's their word against mine. Besides, they didn't even bother providing evidence to support the claim."

She's trying to corner me into confessing. I'll just deny everything to the end.

Now that I think about it… this is stupidly weak. Why wasn't a false claim fabricated with more details?

"Good grief…" she sighs, placing a hand on her face in disappointment. "You would need to live two thousand years to get better at lying to me."

"I've only told the truth."

How long is she going to persist in this? The burden of proof still rests on her.

"If you insist on playing dumb, then I will need to take more direct measures," she sighs. "Tell me, Johann-kun, you saw it—did you not?" She stares at me.

Did I see it? What is she talking about?

A sudden chill runs down my spine. I think back to the scene I witnessed, that horrendous sight I believe only a 'player' could see.

Could she mean the embodiment of Death that claimed the teacher? It must be. What else could it be?

As she speaks indirectly about it, my surprise is evident. She has caught me. But how does she know about Death? Could she see it, too? Is she giving herself away just like I am?

"Yukihara-san?! You shouldn't bring this up!" Takashi exclaims, shocked by her words.

"Do not interfere. I am the one speaking with him. Unless you have been promoted to a position higher than mine, do not question my actions," she snaps at him, her tone sharp. "And besides, this was necessary."

Now that my reaction has betrayed me, the best I can do is continue the conversation, ideally in a way that puts us on equal footing information-wise. Given Takashi's reaction, it's obvious, but it doesn't hurt to confirm.

"You saw it too?" I ask.

"Yes. As you can see, I hold the same role as you in this game."

So, she is a player, too. For now, I should avoid showing any signs of hostility so I'm not perceived as a threat.

"Perhaps the vice president is right. Are you sure it was a wise decision to tell someone else? Doesn't it mean losing a certain advantage?"

"I had no choice, did I? Apparently, you were going to deny being a player to the end, and I needed you to confess."

Where is she going with this? Does she intend to sacrifice me to escape the game? With her influence, if she claims I am a player, most students would believe her.

"And now? What will you do with me?"

"Is it not obvious? You will fulfill the role of a martyr so everyone can leave this dimension unharmed. That way, everyone will remember you as a hero. I am sure you will be pleased with that," she smiles.

I lower my head, thinking about my accurate prediction.

Right on target. I'm genuinely in trouble. Looking on the bright side, at least I won't have to deal with this anymore. I can simply rest in peace.

A soft laugh draws my gaze back to the president.

"Relax, I was only joking. Actually, I would like to propose an alliance with you. Think about it: if it is two against one, we might have a better chance of winning."

An alliance? In a way, I feel relieved. But let's be honest—it was a terrible joke.

Takashi twists his face at her words and speaks up.

"But Yukihara-san?! Did it not occur to you that he might be the killer?" When she glares at him, he adds, "I'm not criticizing, just cautioning you about that."

"You are absolutely right. However, you know very well we are in a delicate situation and cannot allow another death. And I have a strange intuition telling me I can trust Johann."

Now that she's mentioned it, I feel something similar to what I felt when speaking with Ailiss. Although it wasn't as evident since she wasn't a complete stranger, the way she talks doesn't feel like we've only spoken once before.

Takashi doesn't seem pleased with her response; he likely doesn't want anyone getting close to his queen. Sorry, Takashi, but I don't have many choices.

She looks at me, waiting for my response.

"Very well. I accept your proposal for an alliance, President."

"You do not need to be so formal by calling me 'President.' Now that we are allies, feel free to be more casual."

And how exactly should I address her? Because of my habit of calling people by their first names, I naturally go with Mikoto. However, I doubt she would find that agreeable, and Takashi even less so.

"Yukihara-senpai?"

That seems like a good choice—the most appropriate I can think of. I imagine Takashi won't object since I'm being conservative and even using an honorific.

"Hmmm?" She looks at me, puzzled. "Since I am calling you by your first name, I assumed you would call me by mine as well."

"Huh?!" Takashi reacts, surprised.

"Why such astonishment? Is there a problem with that, Tanaka-kun?" she asks, narrowing her eyes mockingly.

"No, forgive me for the disturbance," he adjusts his glasses.

What was she expecting by saying something like that? There's no way she didn't anticipate his reaction; her smile indicates she knew precisely what would happen. Is she trying to create discord between us on purpose? She might be more sadistic than I imagined. This is going to be troublesome.

"To avoid any misunderstandings, I'll call you Yukihara-senpai for now."

"I understand. I am not complaining. Please, call me as you prefer," she replies with a small smile.

"And now? With that settled, what are my instructions?" I try to steer the conversation back to the matter at hand.

"We will get to that," she says, looking at Takashi. "Tanaka-kun, could you leave us alone for a moment? Take the opportunity to watch the hallway."

She's definitely doing this on purpose…

"Do you not think it is risky to stay alone with him? I still do not fully trust him," Takashi says, still irritated.

We're not getting anywhere. Actually, we're heading toward my assassination by Takashi. Perhaps the proposal to serve as a martyr wasn't so problematic after all.

"Are you suggesting that I was wrong in my judgment? Is that what I just heard?" she retorts, her gaze icy.

"Forgive me, I wasn't suggesting anything. Like my earlier comment, it was just a precaution. Please, do not take it as an offense."

"Tanaka-kun, when I do not ask for your opinion, please stay silent and simply do what I say. I believe this is not a difficult order to follow."

He nods and leaves the room, avoiding any eye contact.

"Look, I think he has a point. Aren't you being careless by intending to tell me something not even your most loyal subordinate should know?" I ask.

"If I lacked caution, I would not be in the position I am. By the way, he knows about the matter we will discuss. I just asked him to leave to ensure an equal environment for two allies. Do you not think it will be more comfortable this way?"

"Fine, please proceed."

"Hasegawa-kun. Could you tell me what you think about him?"

Oh, so Haruki's behavior intrigues more than just me. The council itself suspects him… It's interesting to hear her perspective first without revealing my prior doubts.

"An exemplary and very sociable student? I presume."

"In a way, you are correct. I believe this is the impression anyone observing the council from the outside would have. However, as you must have noticed, the killer is always one step ahead of the council's decisions. For instance, when it was decided that no one could leave the dormitory, they had already planted their trap in the water fountain and killed without breaking the established rule," she explains while adjusting her hair.

Is she implying that the killer has infiltrated the council? But why do her suspicions fall specifically on Haruki?

"Well, and what does this have to do with him?"

"After such incidents, we could only conclude that information is being leaked. Besides me and Tanaka-kun, only he and Nakamura-san knew what had been decided so far in advance."

That is an interesting assumption... In a way, her reasoning makes a lot of sense and even aligns with my intuition.

"And you concluded by elimination that he is the only possible suspect?"

"Not necessarily as the killer. However, it is possible that he is an accomplice. But of course, we cannot take these speculations as truth. That is precisely why I am discussing the case with you and asking for your point of view."

"I do not have much contact with him, so I can only say that his confidence in testing the food in the cafeteria impressed me. That is all. So, what would you like me to do? Investigate him?"

"Exactly, I see that I made a perfect choice in selecting you as an ally," she smiles, pauses, and then becomes serious again. "I will still better inform Tanaka-kun of the details, but I am already letting you know that I would like you to keep an eye on him."