Chapter 9 - Volume 12 Chapter 6: The Sound of Expulsion

(Introduction)

Sunday evening. The time was nearing 8:30 PM; The designated day had finally arrived.

The upcoming discussion would most likely determine whether or not we could join hands with Class 1-D.

Or rather, we needed to make certain that we did.

The majority of students outside of Class 1-D and Class 2-D had already found partners.

If this discussion doesn't bring about the desired results, we might be forced to make multiple large concessions in order to avoid facing any penalties.

Horikita and I would be joined by Sudō, who had strongly insisted on accompanying us.

While it was probably somewhat related to his desire to be together with Horikita, I was pretty sure it was mostly because he was wary of Hōsen. Hōsen was the type of person who, depending on how the discussion went, might very well raise his hand against a girl. Sudō wanted to be there to protect her from that. Of course, Horikita turned him down, saying that his presence was unnecessary, but Sudō refused to back down. However, no matter how much he begged, Horikita maintained her stance and refused to let him join us. She believed that the upcoming discussion would be very serious, and had judged that Sudō's presence would only hold us back. Ultimately, I ended up intervening on Sudō's behalf.

This was because, just in case things went south, I could have Sudō take action instead of me.

Sudō's abilities should probably be more than enough to keep Hōsen in check.

In the end, Horikita allowed him to join us on the condition that he wouldn't interrupt the discussion or make any threats.

"Hey man!"

I went down to the dorm's lobby early to meet up with them, only to find that Sudō had already arrived, waiting on one of the couches.

Furthermore, he looked at me with a bright, energetic smile on his face.

It looks like I need to correct what I said earlier.

It wasn't only 'somewhat related' to his desire to be together with Horikita; He really wanted to be with her.

"Have you been studying for the exam?"

"Of course. Sorry, but I'm gonna get at least 250 points this time."

Given his current Academic Ability rating of an E, if he really were to score more than 250 points, that'd be a huge achievement.

It would be enough to bump his Academic Ability rating all the way up to a C during next month's assessment.

This wasn't just him spouting off empty words. He had apparently worked hard enough to muster up the confidence to back them up.

He was rarely ever late for class anymore, and his attitude during lessons was exceedingly serious and diligent.

"You've changed a lot… Seems like you've started to enjoy studying."

"It ain't like I enjoy it man. But I'll tell ya, it sure feels good to solve those problems. And when Suzune praises me, I get so pumped up that it feels like I can study forever!"

That thorny attitude of his from back when we first came here had gradually started to die down. A rash temper didn't seem like the easiest habit to break, but if Suzune's presence was enough to help him stay on his feet, that was good enough for me.

Unable to contain his excitement, Sudō stood up and went to look at the video feed of the inside of the elevator.

After which, he sat back down and began fiddling with his phone and running his hand through his hair. Before long, he was getting up again.

He seemed somewhat like a young boy who was about to go on his very first date.

"Hey, Ayanokōji."

Realizing that I had been looking at him, Sudō quietly muttered to me, his eyes still locked onto the camera feed on the wall.

"If I confess to her right now, d'ya think Suzune would accept it?"

Before I knew it, the expression peeking out from the profile of his face had completely hardened up.

Given how serious he was, I probably couldn't just dodge the question by giving him a half-baked response.

"Probably not."

While it may have been discouraging, that was my honest, objective opinion from a third-party perspective.

I was almost certain that he wouldn't be satisfied with my answer, but…

"Right?"

Sudō agreed without batting an eye, as if to say he had already known the answer deep within.

"I know Suzune's not the kinda girl to go for love and romance and all that. But like, it's not just that… There's no way that'd she be attracted to me as I am right now. How many times has my arrogance caused trouble for her by now? For the whole class?"

As a result, he didn't think there was any way that Horikita would want to date him right now.

"I'm workin' hard these days aight? But I'm not gonna pretend that it cancels out the burden I've put on everyone else. These next two years, I'mma do my best to improve my strengths and make up for my weaknesses, little by little. That way, by the time we graduate, I'll definitely be useful to the class."

"That so? It's definitely possible."

Sudō was quickly becoming a valuable asset due to his unparalleled physical abilities.

He probably had the potential to develop into somebody indispensable, just like Yōsuke or Kushida.

He's also come to be able to take a more objective look at himself.

In the face of his extensive growth, I felt like I wanted to ask him something.

"Say you put in all the effort and become the most distinguished student in our class… and yet, Horikita still doesn't look at you. What would you do then? Would you stop studying?"

There is always the chance that one might regress to their former self upon learning that all their efforts have been for naught.

This was particularly true as Sudō was working hard for Horikita.

"'Course I'd wanna stop. Hell, I'd prolly wanna die. There's even a chance I might end up punchin' someone. But the thing is, Suzune would prolly be disappointed in me if I did, right? It'd be super lame if I gave up on my studies or went on a rampage or somethin'. So yeah, I'll pass on that."

A splendid response. And to top that off, I felt certain that his intentions were genuine. That said, there was no way to know for sure until the worst comes to pass. No matter how much one resolves themself ahead of time, once they experience the pain, that resolve all but crumbles.

At any rate, if he's this confident now, then I guess I don't need to worry for the time being.

"Oh, looks like she's coming."

We could see Horikita board the elevator through the camera. Sudō stood up and turned his back to the elevator, seemingly restless as he began taking deep breaths and stretching out his arms in some show of radio calisthenics to calm himself down.

Before long, the elevator arrived on the first floor as Sudō continued with his breathing exercises.

"Sorry I kept you waiting. What is Sudō-kun doing?"

"Taking deep breaths it seems."

Horikita looked slightly curious for a moment, but she quickly returned to her usual stiff expression.

We set off to the designated meeting place. That is, the Karaoke parlor in the Keyaki Mall. It was an extremely popular spot for late-night hangouts as it was open until 10:00 PM seven days a week.

This goes without saying, but Karaoke was one of the many recreational facilities on campus. It was a place primarily used to relieve stress and chat with friends, but at this school, it had yet another vitally important draw to it.

And that was its high degree of privacy. It was an ideal place for holding detailed discussions outside of the realm of the public eye.

Out of any place on campus, it was the most convenient location to meet without being noticed by others.

Of course, in terms of privacy alone, there was no place better than one's own room at the dormitory, but that wasn't suitable for specific people.

With the special exam coming up next week, it didn't seem like there were very many people around at this time of day.

Given that, one might say that this was the best time to hold a secret discussion with Hōsen.

"Hey. You guys really think we can get that shitty first-year brat to work with us?"

"If I didn't think we could cooperate with them, I wouldn't have spent so much time trying in the first place."

That's all there was to it. We had set out today precisely because we believed that it was possible.

"The majority of the academically capable students have already been taken by Sakayanagi-san and Ryūen-kun. On the other hand, Ichinose-san has become a beacon of hope for the weak. At this point, if we want to change tactics, we'd have no choice but to fight with points or with trust."

"Right… We ain't beating Sakayanagi and Ryūen in points, and we ain't no match for Ichinose when it comes to trust…"

"Exactly. That is why Hōsen-kun's existence provides us with both a crisis and an opportunity."

Hōsen didn't care about the allure of the Class A brand or some half-baked sum of private points.

Furthermore, he didn't so much as glance at Ichinose's offer of assistance.

And that was why we, Class D, had a chance.

"So we just gotta see just how much we can get 'em to agree to without giving anything up."

"Indeed. As time runs out, the ones at stake will be us second-year students. Since many students have already found a partner, we won't be able to avoid being put at a disadvantage."

If we decline the terms Hōsen presents us with, he would simply let our partners be decided at random without giving it a second thought. He wouldn't care at all about the fact that his own classmates would be penalized as well.

I was interested in seeing how Horikita would confront him.

(Introduction End)

(Part 1)

"By the way… The meeting's at 9, right? Aren't we way too early?"

There was still about half an hour until the promised time.

"It's fine. I want to get there early."

Sudō couldn't quite understand Horikita's reasoning, but he kept his mouth shut and followed along.

Perhaps she wanted to be on the lookout for some sort of foul play, or maybe she just wanted some time to compose herself.

Either way, Sudō only thought of our opponent as a first-year student, whereas Horikita didn't seem to be lowering her guard in the slightest.

It might even seem like she was being excessively cautious, but since our opponent was Hōsen himself, there was no such thing as being too careful.

After receiving a slip of paper with the room number and the receipt from an employee, the three of us headed off to our designated Karaoke room.

"Could you let Nanase-san know we're here for me?"

"Alright."

I sent a message to Nanase, telling her that we had already arrived, along with our room number.

She replied not long after, saying that they should be here by the scheduled time.

"Let's go ahead and order our own drinks first then."

"Shouldn't we wait for them?"

"It's fine."

After we each picked out a drink from the drink menu, she directed our attention to the food menu.

"You can order something if you want. What would you like?"

"Then I'd like me some fries. That alright?"

"That's fine with me."

With that, Horikita went to the landline telephone that came furnished in every Karaoke room and placed the order.

Feeling somewhat relieved by the fact that food was on the way, Sudō went and nervously picked up the microphone from the table.

"Ehm, well, we've got some spare time and all so how 'bout singing a song or two? Eh Suzune?"

"I'm not interested."

"Not interested?"

Horikita made the three of us arrive early, and then asked us if we'd like to order food and drinks.

For Sudō, singing a couple of songs probably felt like the next logical step, and had it been someone else, they most likely would've agreed.

The feeling of disappointment was written all over his face, probably because he wanted to hear Horikita's singing voice.

"Sudō-kun. Just to remind you again, absolutely do not say anything unnecessary, okay?"

"I-I understand, but like, shouldn't you be tellin' Ayanokōji that too?"

"He's not the type of person to talk when it isn't needed. Rather, he doesn't even talk when he ought to."

Instead of praising me, Horikita took this opportunity to vent her complaints.

Sudō pouted his lip, seemingly displeased with Horikita's answer.

After a while, once the appointed time arrived, Nanase showed up at the room's entrance.

"Sorry to keep you all waiting."

"Outta the way Nanase."

A voice rang out from behind her, forcing her a step further inside as Hōsen Kazuomi finally made his appearance.

"So you came on time. I was nearly certain that you'd be late."

Horikita was saying that she wouldn't have been surprised if Hōsen had arrived late on purpose just to irritate her, much like how Miyamoto Musashi had arrived late for his duel against Sasaki Kojirō on Ganryūjima.

"I'mma punctual guy when I wanna be. I don't like chumps who try'n make shit difficult just cuz you're a little late. That aside, seems to me like you got here mighty early… Were ya really that afraid of keepin' me waitin' for ya? Don't be such a pussy."

"What a selfish interpretation. We were just taking advantage of this rare opportunity to enjoy ourselves."

With that, Horikita motioned for Hōsen to take a look at the state of the room.

There were several drinks, some empty, on the table along with some half-eaten food.

All of it set up to look as though we had been enjoying a Karaoke session only moments earlier.

"Looks like it."

Albeit informally, the battle between the two of them had already begun.

"Well whatever. We'll find out whether yer lyin' or not soon enough."

Hōsen slouched down on one of the sofas and spread out his legs, taking up about three peoples' worth of space all for himself.

He sat in a way that one would expect from a bigshot, making it difficult to imagine that the man in front of us was actually a first-year student.

"So? From what Nanase's told me, sounds like you lot want my class to help ya out."

From the sound of it, he seemed to think that Class 1-D was already completely under his control, his property.

It had only been about two weeks since he came to this school, and yet he spoke without even the slightest hint of uncertainty in his voice.

"It's slightly different from that. We're looking to have our two classes collaborate with each other. There would be no difference in status between us, a relationship of equality so to speak."

"Oh really? So you aren't gonna bring up the fact that you're one grade up on us, eh? Ain't lettin' yer seniority get to yer head. Smart move."

As Hōsen spoke, Nanase quietly observed without expressing any of her own thoughts on the matter.

Given that she had taken up the crucial role of a mediator and that she was the only person that Hōsen had brought with him to the discussion, it was probably safe to assume that Nanase was someone that Hōsen acknowledged.

I found myself wondering if he was impressed with her courageous ability to state that she wouldn't yield to his threats of violence or if it was something else entirely. Either way, there was still a way to force her hand and pull Nanase over to our side.

"I'm well aware that a certain number of first-year students don't care very much about their classmates being in trouble. However, if you take a look at us, at our class, I'm sure you'll understand that sooner or later there will come a time when you'll need the assistance of your peers."

"So, yer sayin' we should work together and avoid havin' anyone flunk out? That right?"

"If you really do possess so much authority over your class that you've come to see your classmates as your own property, then that only makes this whole process that much more convenient. All it should take is one command and you'd have most of your classmates ready to follow, right?"

Instead of answering, Hōsen thrust his left pinky finger into his ear and started twisting it around for a bit.

And then, once he was done, he held it up and blew on it in Horikita's direction.

Sudō's expression hardened immediately, but he kept in line with Horikita's warning and did his best to put up with it.

His clenched fists were shaking, pressed up against his thighs.

However, Horikita simply accepted Hōsen's blatantly vulgar conduct head-on.

"Would you stop?"

"In the first place…"

It wasn't clear if Hōsen completely ignored Horikita's question or not, as he began to speak with what seemed like a different topic in mind.

"You're the leader of Class 2-D, yeah?"

He finally got down to business, verifying that Horikita was somebody worth speaking with.

"You could say that."

"I don't think there's anything out of place about Horikita-senpai being the leader, given her abilities."

For the first time since they arrived, Nanase opened her mouth and directly addressed Hōsen.

"Then I'll give this 'leader' here a warning. I ain't got any intention of cooperating with this retarded 'equality' shit of yours."

It didn't seem like he was going to make this easy for us after all.

It was inevitable that there would be some sort of contrast between us, who wanted to protect our classmates at any cost, and Hōsen, who didn't particularly care about his.

Not to mention, between expulsion and three months without private points, there was far too much of a difference in our respective penalties for failing the exam.

"Is that right? Well I suppose that is the type of person you are."

"If you can figure out that much, then why don'tcha stop being so fuckin' stingy then? I'm all ears."

"All ears? What are you expecting? Do you really think we'll pay you in order to get you to help us?"

Despite the fact that we were in a less than favorable position, Horikita didn't back down, refusing to concede an inch.

"You'll pay. I'm sure you will. There ain't jack shit you can do without spendin' at this point. Nanase. Water."

Hōsen voiced his demands to Nanase as he skimmed over the Karaoke menu.

To this, Nanase nodded and placed an order for some water over the phone.

"I know that I'm repeating myself here, but our proposal for you is based on equality. It has nothing to do with either of us handing over points, goods, or any other form of compensation."

"If you're gonna keep spoutin' off that shit, then I guess I don't gotta stick around waitin' for the water to get here."

There wasn't a shred of hesitation on his face as he began making a show of brushing nonexistent dust off his thighs, implying that he would soon stand up and leave.

"Please hold on a moment, Hōsen-kun. I think you should wait for Horikita-senpai to finish first."

Nanase, who had been quietly listening off to the side, prompted him to stop.

"Let her finish? That shit ain't necessary."

"No, it is. If we continue as things are now, our class will never be able to come together."

Horikita stoically observed as the two first-years made their exchange.

"Who gives a fuck? Disobedient trash should be left to rot. It ain't much of a problem if we lose some nobodies anyway."

"That's not right."

"Nanase, are you an idiot?"

Hōsen exhaled loudly, seemingly more so out of exasperation than anger.

"I don't get anythin' from accepting their conditions like some little bitch. What's in it for me?"

"I understand what you're saying, Hōsen-kun, I do. It's certainly true that Horikita-senpai and the other second-year students are more desperate to protect their classmates than we are. In fact, there's even a reason as to why they have no choice but to protect them. If we don't lend them a hand, their classmates run the risk of being expelled. Even if they're pretending to be tough right now, at some point they'll have to concede, and that's exactly what you're waiting for, isn't it?"

Based on her words, it seemed like Nanase had chosen to speak because she knew exactly what Hōsen was trying to do.

"I don't think there's anything necessarily wrong with your strategy, Hōsen-kun. While the other classes were scrambling to search for partners, you stayed firm, intentionally foregoing the early stages of inter-class negotiations. All of it done for the sake of securing yourself the upper hand later on."

As the deadline inched closer and closer, the remaining second-year students who hadn't found partners would begin to feel more and more impatient.

And as a result, even students who weren't originally worth spending any points on would suddenly find themselves going for a decent rate.

"Since you're so clear on it already, how 'bout you try'n tell me why I should throw this Horikita chick a bone then?"

"A relationship of mutual trust."

Nanase turned and looked toward Horikita for a moment, to which Horikita nodded in response.

"Don't make me laugh. Mutual trust? That's some good-for-nothin' shit right there. Fuckin' useless."

"Are you sure about that?"

Nanase took Hōsen head-on, challenging him as she proceeded to speak once again.

"It's true that we may not need to give up very much for this special exam. However, the same might not be true for future exams, right? If you end up making enemies out of all of the second-years now, then it's possible that you might not be able to find yourself a partner later, regardless of how many points you offer them. While you'd be fine if you just had to deal with taking the 5% penalty, what do you think would happen if the person you end up together with intentionally flunks the exam? You wouldn't be able to avoid being expelled. That's what."

"Ha! You really think some chump has the balls to sacrifice themself like that?"

"I'll have you know that I've heard that this school has something known as protection points."

At that, Nanase shifted her gaze away from Hōsen and locked eyes with Horikita for the first time.

Protection points. The very thing that I had mentioned at the end of our conversation in the library on Friday.

Although Horikita was slightly surprised to hear Nanase talk about them, she immediately grasped what Nanase was going for and nodded along in agreement.

"Nanase-san is correct. They are a special type of point that can waive one single instance of an expulsion penalty."

From the look on Hōsen's face, there was no doubt that this was also the first time he had heard of them.

"It's understandable that you've never heard of them before, given that you only just enrolled here. That's why you should keep them in mind. If there happens to be some sort of similar exam to this one in the future, if the person you partner with is in possession of a protection point, then… well, depending on the situation, you might end up being forcibly expelled all by yourself."

If you're one to make enemies with others, the more you make, the more likely you are to receive the shorter end of the stick.

It follows that, the more someone hated Hōsen, the more likely they'd be to use whatever means necessary to get him expelled.

"That's why it's important to start building up trust with others, wouldn't you agree?"

"I see. So you two retards had a few stupid tricks up your sleeves to try'n deal with me, eh?"

"I am a first-year student, so naturally my top priority is Class 1-D. Plus, Hōsen-kun, I believe that you're vital for the wellbeing of our class, so I don't want you to make the mistake of being shortsighted."

Horikita had put in the effort to understand Hōsen before turning her focus over to Nanase.

She had managed to get Nanase to cooperate with her, and together, they delivered the final blow.

The tides had started to turn ever so slightly.

All that remained was to wait and see if Hōsen would accept our proposal once he fully understood everything.

To see if he'd still ask for some sort of compensation, resolved to face the disadvantages that would come later.

"I get that the two of ya went through the trouble of comin' up with all this, but─ I ain't gonna cooperate on equal footing."

Horikita and Nanase had gone through the effort laying out all of the groundwork to get him to agree.

And yet, Hōsen turned the two of them down without even pretending to think about it.

"Oi Hōsen. You seriously sure you're prepared to make an enemy out of us second-ye─"

Sudō's temper began to flare, but Horikita held him back before he could finish.

"Stop. He still hasn't left the negotiating table just yet."

"The girl's right. Don't go jumpin' to conclusions."

Hōsen was still slouched back on the couch, showing no signs of leaving any time soon, his attitude as bullish and arrogant as ever.

"Then what's next? We have no intention of forming a non-equal relationship."

"No shit. You've made that fuckin' clear already. You've got guts, I'll tell ya that."

He slowly clapped his hands in applause, seemingly praising Horikita for her strenuous efforts.

"That said, this shitty relationship idea of yours ain't even 'equal' in the first place."

"So you're saying that if we can prove that our offer is equal, you'll cooperate with us?"

"Eh, you could say that."

"Well now I'm confused. Why don't you think it'd be equal? We'd both be under the same conditions."

"You've got some nerve to try'n play up this trusting relationship crap, but that shits gotta go both ways. And that ain't enough for me, either. It's real nice of ya to tell us about how we might end up in a similar situation at some point. Brings fuckin' tears to my eyes. But that's just you comin' up with shit, nothin' you can say for sure, isn't it?"

Hōsen certainly had a point here.

At a fundamental level, Horikita's proposal was based on the premise that our classes would support one another. However, we were the ones who really needed the help right now. The deal would only truly become equal once Class 1-D needed our help at some point in the future.

It was an insurance policy, so to speak, and there was a good chance they wouldn't be able to make use of it.

"So I see. Well, since you're at it, how about you tell us what exactly it is you want then? Just as a reference."

"Fork over a million private points as collateral. If we ever come cryin' to you guys for help, I'll gladly pay ya back in full."

The amount was quite reasonable compared to how much it would cost us to strike a deal with the other classes.

However, if they never ended up making use of the insurance policy, they'd essentially just be getting a million points for free.

In short, every last point would end up directly in Hōsen's pocket.

"If this trusting relationship shit of yours is really all that important, then what's the big deal?"

If they really ended up needing our help later on down the line, then the deposit would definitely find its way back to us at some point.

"If yer worried, how 'bout I put it in writing?"

While a written contract would be recognized and enforced by the school, that was based on the premise that Hōsen actually asked for our help in the first place.

There was a chance that he might resort to using it if he found himself at risk of expulsion, but it didn't seem very likely that he'd give up so many points just to help his classmates.

In other words, it would be far more dangerous than simply handing over some points and signing a contract.

Hōsen wasn't just some cocksure musclehead. He had made his move with the utmost skill and precision.

A calculating, formidable opponent, just like Ryūen.

"It's true that what you're saying isn't completely unreasonable. That said, I still cannot agree to your terms."

"That so? What a pity. I went through the effort of showin' you a way outta this, and yet here you are makin' shit difficult still."

"Indeed."

It didn't seem like Horikita intended to compromise if it meant letting Hōsen line his own pockets. But with the way things were headed, it seemed like we might end up having to let our partners be decided at random. In which case, we'd have no choice but to have our classmates with low Academic Ability ratings flee to the other classes, even if it meant burning the necessary funds to do so.

"Ha!"

After forcing out a short laugh, Hōsen leaned forward from his slouched position on the couch for the first time since he sat down.

And then, he reached out at Horikita and grabbed the collar of her shirt.

The first one to react to this was Sudō, who had been attentively keeping watch from right beside her.

With a seething glare in his eyes, he grabbed the brawny first-year student's arm.

"Oi, bastard… Don't raise your hand against a girl."

"Oho, so the biggest retard here's finally taken center stage?"

"Cool it Sudō-kun."

"But─!"

"No buts. Negotiations aren't over yet."

While it seemed as though negotiations had broken down, Hōsen hadn't yet explicitly stated so himself.

"You've got eyes fulla confidence there. You really think I won't beat the shit outta a girl? Or maybe you're try'nna abuse the fact that yer a lowly bitch so you can beat me?"

"What an inappropriate thing to say in this day and age. How about dialing back on the misogyny to avoid turning the women of the world against you?"

"Well then how 'bout I give you a better option. If you can beat me in a fight, I'll agree to yer little proposal. How's that?"

At that, Hōsen presented us with a rather childish offer.

"How 'bout I take you up on that then? Got a problem with that?"

"It can be you, that dull-lookin' Ayanokōji guy over there, or even this bitch. Fuck it, why not all three of you at once?"

Hōsen spoke brazenly.

"It's fine, right Suzune? If I win, we'll be done with all this crap. Besides, I'm really, really fuckin' fed up with this bastard already."

Sudō was reaching the limits of his patience with Hōsen, whose hand was still clutched onto Horikita's collar.

"Deciding the outcome of this negotiation with a fight is far too absurd. Even if it's the only card we have left to play, we still shouldn't agree to it."

"Why not? The bastard said he was fine with it, I don't see a problem."

Ignoring Sudō's objections, Horikita calmly put her thoughts into words.

"I really thought you'd be a little smarter than this, Hōsen-kun. Not too long ago, back when you first showed up outside of the second-year classrooms, the things you said gave me the impression that you wanted our classes to work together. I felt the same. I felt like it'd be wonderful if we could cooperate as fellow Class D students."

"Well, I mighta said somethin' like that."

"But─ It seems like that was just a misunderstanding on my part. You didn't actually think that at all."

Horikita closed her eyes for a moment and calmed herself before continuing.

"This discussion is over."

In the end, it was not Hōsen who ended up calling off the negotiations, but Horikita herself.

The moment the words crossed her lips, slight traces of anger peeked through Hōsen's previously untroubled expression.

Then, Hōsen released his grip on Horikita's shirt, and seeing this, Sudō swallowed his anger, let go of Hōsen's arm, and began to resituate himself in his seat.

But less than a split second later─

Splash! Droplets of water scattered throughout the Karaoke room.

Hōsen had picked up his cup of water and had splashed it on Horikita's face.

There was probably no way that Horikita could've seen it coming before it happened.

But, before she could make even a single sound, Sudō was already up on the table, moments away from throwing himself at Hōsen.

"You motherfucker!!!"

Sudō had already been doing whatever he could to keep his temper in check before this, but he finally lost all sense of reason due to what had just taken place.

Nobody could blame him for losing his cool, after all, the girl he liked had just been humiliated before his very eyes.

Hōsen, on the other hand, remained as smug and contemptuous as ever.

"Stop!"

As Sudō charged at him, bellowing with rage, Horikita called out with a stern voice, drawing him to a stop.

If she had called out even one second later, Sudō's fist would've smashed directly into Hōsen's cheek.

"Sudō-kun… Don't fall into his trap so carelessly."

"I know dammit, but still!"

Horikita locked eyes with Hōsen without even bothering to dry her wet hair.

"If you're displeased with the fact that negotiations have broken down, then perhaps you should've conducted yourself a little better."

Horikita had wanted to establish a cooperative relationship with Hōsen no matter the cost.

And yet, at this point, even she understood the futility of any further discussion.

After a short staredown between the two of them, Horikita turned and looked away, as if to say she had seen everything she needed to.

"Let's go."

"R-really?"

Although Sudō was frustrated, he asked Horikita again, just to make sure.

"Are you sure, Hōsen-kun?"

Nanase asked Hōsen the same question at nearly the same time.

"Yeah?"

"I personally think we should've cooperated with Horikita-senpai."

"Hah! They're the ones who called it off. You want me to go over there and stop 'em?"

And so, the discussion ended without Hōsen saying anything further, and just like that the two parties dissolved.

I discreetly cast a sidelong glance over at Horikita. After all, today's failure would undoubtedly create a lot of problems moving forward.

But from where I stood, Horikita's expression didn't seem discouraged at all.

Judging by the look on her face, it didn't seem like this was over just yet.

(Part 1 End)

(Part 2)

Once Horikita had paid our tab, the three of us left the Karaoke parlor together. While it seemed like this was the end of the entire ordeal, Hōsen and Nanase followed us from behind. As we walked, Sudō occasionally looked over his shoulder to glare at them menacingly, but didn't go so far as to voice his complaints since they had the same route back.

Hōsen, having noticed what Sudō was doing, called out to us somewhat suspiciously.

"Hold it!"

"There's no reason for us to wait for you. We're done talking."

Horikita turned a deaf ear to him, but Hōsen didn't show any signs of backing down.

It seemed that Horikita's all-or-nothing gamble was moving in the right direction.

"Aight, I admit it. You were right Horikita. That day, I went out lookin' to meet up with Class 2-D. After I got here, it didn't take me all that long to realize that Class D was the wimpiest bunch in the school. Instead of bein' treated like a joke by the rest of the classes, I figured it'd be fastest to just go'n work with you guys, bein' fellow D classers an' all."

Looks like Hōsen had indeed been sending signals to Class 2-D back then, just as Horikita had predicted.

That said, whether or not his goal had been to form that same cooperative, equal relationship with Horikita was a different matter altogether.

"So?"

"So? You sure ya don't wanna continue the discussion? You and I are similar, comrades even. Two leaders who thought'a the same thing."

"As long as you intend to keep making ridiculous demands, nothing is going to change."

"What, you really just gonna go in blind? Takin' the penalty and lettin' yer shit get figured out randomly?"

"Yep. I'm fully prepared to take the penalty if we have to."

While it was certainly a painful position to be in, it wasn't anything we wouldn't be able to overcome.

Thanks to the efforts of Kushida and the others, many of those with D and E ratings had already found partners, pretty much guaranteeing their safety.

"I see. Then how 'bout I propose you somethin' like this?"

Horikita hadn't agreed to reopen negotiations, and yet Hōsen began talking all on his own.

"I'll order the chumps from my class to pair up with ya, so fork over the points. Two mill."

Instead of conceding, Hōsen forced the discussion back open and jacked up the price even higher.

"Two million? Seems you've finally gone off the deep end, hmm?"

"You're free to say whatever you want, but this is your only way to guarantee that none of ya flunk out. Most of the guys from the other classes have found partners already. You won't end up with jack shit by bein' stingy. Or perhaps you actually want me to flatten you?"

At this point, we arrived at the junction of the two paths for the first and second-year dormitories.

Horikita came to a stop before turning around to respond to him.

"Flatten? And just how do you plan on doing that? By intentionally tanking your scores? You wouldn't be brave enough to do that. You couldn't. After all, you have to comply with the rules just like everybody else. That being said, all that my classmates and I need to do is focus on securing at least 501 points no matter what random combinations end up happening."

"Ain't no need to go with somethin' so complicated. I'll flatten ya with this thing right here."

With a fearless grin, Hōsen held up his fist.

"Rule by violence, huh? People like you are a dime a dozen, it seems."

"I don't give a fuck what you think 'bout it. This is how I do things."

"How nice. In that case, it doesn't seem like we'll ever see eye-to-eye then."

At that, Horikita began walking once more.

It didn't seem like she had any intention of backing down until the very end.

Or, perhaps I should say that she couldn't afford to show weakness to an opponent like Hōsen.

If she did, she would never be treated as an equal ever again.

"Hold it."

"What now?"

"I get it. I'll think about what you've said."

At the last moment possible, Hōsen said something I hadn't expected him to say.

"What are you trying to say?"

"Try'nna keep the upper hand 'til the very last minute, shit like that's only natural in a negotiation, yeah?"

By that, Hōsen was saying that all of this had just been a part of his strategy to try and force a concession out of Horikita.

"Then in other words, you're agreeing to enter into a completely equal relationship with us?"

"Think of it like our discussion goin' into overtime. There's prolly people watchin' here though, so how 'bout we go someplace else?"

It was around 10:00 PM on a Sunday night. While most students should be back home by now, if somebody did show up, they'd definitely be able to overhear our conversation.

"Even so, we can't bring you into the dormitories with us."

Given the curfew, there was no longer anywhere suitable enough to continue the discussion.

However, time was running short and neither party wanted to drag this out any longer than they had to.

"Wherever is fine. Behind the dorm, someplace else, don't matter to me. Won't take long."

Hōsen was brimming with confidence, so Horikita didn't have much of a reason to turn him down.

After all, despite having pushed him away at first, having Hōsen chase after her like this was exactly what she had been hoping for.

"…Fine. I'll give you ten minutes."

"Over there then."

Hōsen led us to the first-year dorms which had belonged to the third-year students last year.

And then, we circled around the front of the building and headed over to the back.

It was a dark, quiet area that didn't serve any particular use other than being a place to dispose of trash, so it seemed safe to assume that we wouldn't run into anybody given how late it was.

"Then let's continue this, shall we? Our conditions haven't changed at all. You're fine with that, right?"

"Well…"

As a gesture to highlight his consideration, Hōsen crossed his arms for a moment.

Shortly thereafter, he uncrossed his arms and extended his right hand with three fingers raised into the air.

"Three mill. You fork over that much, an' I'll save all your retarded classmates right away."

Everybody present, myself included, was absolutely stunned at his ridiculous proposal.

"What the heck are you even saying?"

It was wholly, completely dumbfounding. Even Horikita couldn't help but sigh a few times.

Hōsen was supposed to be trying to salvage the discussion, not jacking up the price even further.

It seemed as though he had gone beyond the realm of common sense at this point.

"Are you fuckin' deaf, bitch? I said you fork over three mill, and we'll work shit out."

"What, are you fuckin' with us? Suzune's already told ya that we ain't handin' over a single point!"

"I ain't jokin'. After all, I went through all the effort of givin' you lot another chance here, didn't I?"

He spoke as though he was the one who had arranged all of this in the first place.

"I tried to give you another chance, but it seems like that was a lapse of judgment after all…"

The chance that Hōsen might make a forthright decision had been a lasting glimmer of hope, but in the end, that faith had been misplaced.

"Stop right there! You really think you can just leave?"

Hōsen lightly slammed his fist against the wall beside him, putting his intimidating attitude on full display.

"Oh, so just because we're behind the dorms, you want to solve this with one of your signature violent outbursts, is that it? Do you really think you're going to get away with that?"

"At the very least, I'll get to beat the livin' shit outta you fuckheads. How's that?"

"Fine, do as you please."

Shaking her head, Horikita began to make her exit.

She probably didn't think that Hōsen would actually make things physical.

However─

Nanase, who had been standing off to the side, turned and looked away.

Almost as though she had foreseen what was going to happen next.

Hōsen made his move.

"Suzune!!"

Sudō frantically shouted out as he rushed toward her and pulled her back.

Hōsen's foot swiftly swept through the very same spot where Horikita had been standing only moments before.

And then, just like that, the huge first-year proceeded to charge straight at her.

"?! What the─!"

At this point, Horikita finally realized that Hōsen was serious, but her body was frozen and wouldn't move as she wanted it to.

To protect her, Sudō forced himself between the two of them, catching the blow with his body.

"Guh!"

"Hahaha! Let's see just how much you can take!"

"Bring it on! I won't show any mercy to a bastard who raises his hand against Suzune!"

Laughing happily, Hōsen launched an attack on Sudō.

And, having reached the limit of his patience long ago, Sudō responded in full.

"Wha, what the hell is this guy thinking…!?"

It was understandable that Horikita would feel shaken by the commencement of an all-out brawl before her very eyes.

No matter how unmonitored this location truly was, it would still be quite problematic if they were caught.

It might not be enough for an outright expulsion, but suspension surely wouldn't be off the table.

"Horikita-senpai, could it be that, perhaps this school is a little different from how it was before?"

Nanase, who had been watching this inexplicable turn of events go down with a somewhat cold look on her face, asked Horikita a question.

"Just as you upperclassmen are more familiar with the events of last year, we first-year students have a greater understanding of the current systems in place."

"What do you mean…?"

"Shortly after enrollment, several first-years representatives were called to the student council room to receive a personal explanation from President Nagumo. He said that, from this year onward, the students would be allowed certain freedoms in order to make the school into more of a meritocracy."

"Are you telling me that fighting is one of those freedoms?"

"I wouldn't say that. Although, from what Hōsen-kun has confirmed, the President has stated that a certain amount of in-fighting amongst students is unavoidable, and therefore promised that it wouldn't be judged as harshly as it was in the past."

Compared to Horikita's older brother Manabu, Nagumo had a more tolerant mindset when it came to fighting.

Since the student council acted as an arbitrator in disputes between students, if it were true that they were now tolerant of a certain amount of fighting, then it would certainly be difficult for this to lead to proper recourse.

As the conversation between Horikita and Nanase progressed, the fight between Sudō and Hōsen had already started to tilt in one direction.

"Oraa!"

Even when compared to Sudō's naturally high strength and quick reflexes, Hōsen's were on yet another level as he proceeded to slam Sudō up against the wall.

Hōsen then went on to grab Sudō by the collar with both hands and forced him upward, causing both his legs to lift up into the air.

"B-bastard!"

Having lost his ground in more ways than one, Sudō put forward a desperate show of resistance, but given his position, there wasn't much he could do.

With his target completely immobilized, Hōsen began applying pressure on his hold, as if trying to cram him into the wall itself.

"Kh! S-son of a bitch!"

Sudō latched onto Hōsen's arms and, despite his limited space, struck a blow with his knee, causing Hōsen to stagger slightly.

He then took advantage of the opportunity to free himself from Hōsen's grasp, only for Hōsen to land a direct kick moments later. While Sudō had prepared himself to withstand the blow, the sheer force of it sent him smashing into the wall behind.

The two had appeared to be an equal match for one another before the fight began, but after seeing the way it had been progressing, the difference between them was considerable.

Given his tendency to constantly make enemies out of others, Sudō had most likely been involved in several fights before this.

His athletic skill and physique had been honed throughout years of playing basketball, so he had probably never met somebody who could match up to him before.

Hōsen, however, was even more exceptional. Compared to Sudō, Hōsen had probably taken part in an inconceivable number of fights and braved his way through countless other dangerous situations. The difference in experience was as clear as day. His large build and strong arms felt out-of-place given that there was only a one year age gap between them. And yet, despite his massive size, he was still remarkably quick on his feet. His natural talent was certainly a sight to behold.

This was the reason why even Ryūen of all people had restrained himself from fighting him.

Ryūen knew that he simply wasn't an opponent that could be beaten in straightforward hand-to-hand combat.

But even so, Sudō wouldn't go down that easily. After all, his sheer strength went nearly unparalleled out of everyone in our school year. However, that simply meant that he'd be Hōsen's punching bag until he did.

Hōsen proceeded to unleash an unrelenting barrage of punches down on Sudō.

Even though Sudō wanted to seize any opportunity he could to strike back, he already had his hands full with parrying Hōsen's attacks.

Every time he tried to shift onto the offensive, even if only slightly, another blow would come and instantly pierce through his defenses.

"None of us have anything to gain from doing things like this!"

Horikita shouted out, but Hōsen wasn't listening. At this point, it'd be impossible to stop Hōsen with words alone.

Her voice did, however, reach Sudō, who glanced in her direction for a split second.

Horikita's voice, the voice of the girl that he had to protect, somehow ignited a flame within him.

"Graaaah!!!"

With the resolve to sacrifice himself if need be, he lunged at Hōsen and pushed him away from the wall, trying what he could to knock over his opponent.

"Oho. So you wanna try'n come at me with raw power, eh?"

Hōsen took the impact of Sudō's large frame head-on, sneering as he grabbed hold of Sudō's body and lifted him up again.

"W-woaah!?"

He then spun around in a half-circle before dropping Sudō back down and pushing him away with his left hand, effectively swapping places with him.

"Was bein' up against the wall too much for ya? This should be enough of a handicap, so fuckin' man up and come at me!"

"Stop fucking with me!"

Sudō roared out, his engine running at full-throttle.

He readied himself to charge at Hōsen, fully committed to taking the upper hand, but before he could─

"Oi Sudō, take a look at Horikita's face. She's glarin' at you somethin' fierce, ah?"

As he spoke, Hōsen unclenched his fists and pointed at Horikita, who was standing behind Sudō.

Just as their fight was reaching its peak, Hōsen dropped his guard. At this point, Sudō suddenly realized that he had lost his cool and had gotten himself wrapped up in a full-on brawl. Worried about how angry Horikita must be with him for breaking his promise, he turned his back on the formidable enemy standing in front of him.

Of course, it wasn't like Horikita was pleased with Sudō fighting like this.

However, her expression was not one of anger, but one of worry and distress over not knowing what she needed to do.

She could only scream out to him, begging for him to turn back around. Only watch as he let show this one fatal moment of carelessness.

By the time he realized that he had screwed up, it was already too late.

With a fiendish grin on his face, Hōsen smashed his fist straight into Sudō's cheek while his back was turned.

A scathing blow that had seemingly come out of nowhere.

Although Sudō was more than capable of taking a punch, he had probably never experienced a blow like this before.

If he had been an ordinary student without any neck training, then this punch might have had very serious consequences.

He flew backward with such force that he slid across the ground after he landed, unable to so much as even attempt to cushion the fall.

"Guh─!?"

Sudō cried out with an almost inaudible voice, nearly fainting from the onset of pain.

Even though he had been winning without the use of underhanded tricks, Hōsen had deliberately chosen to end it by setting up this simple trap instead.

He had wanted to hurt him, not only physically, but mentally as well. It didn't seem like Sudō had lost consciousness though, as he was writhing about on the ground in pure agony.

After witnessing everything I had seen today, I found myself re-evaluating just what kind of person Hōsen Kazuomi truly was.

What was he thinking? What was he feeling? What had driven him to come to today's negotiations in the first place? Horikita was right when she said that he sounded like he wanted to join up with our class back when we first met him. Furthermore, he had even admitted earlier that he saw the value in having the two D Classes work together. Up until just recently, he had been making full use of his advantageous position in order to pressure us, and that hadn't exactly been that bad of an approach to take.

However, once he saw just how unwilling to bend Horikita truly was, he probably figured out that his approach wasn't going to work.

He had realized that, if nothing changed, Horikita would give up on trying to work together. But even then, instead of looking to compromise, he chose to dial up the aggression even further, eventually leading to some insanely belligerent behavior.

He had dumped water on Horikita earlier, and now he had gone so far as to force a serious confrontation with Sudō.

Just how could he maintain such a cocky, violent attitude when there were suspension and expulsion on the line?

I had been wondering this very question for a long time now.

Did he really just think he could decide everything with violence alone?

That didn't seem right either. It didn't seem reasonable to think he was that stupid.

In which case, what was he after? What in the world was Hōsen getting out of forcing a fight like this?

"Aight, seems that your trusty bodyguard's eatin' the dirt. Who's next?"

Hōsen began to approach, alternating his gaze between Horikita and me as he did.

Despite the fact that he had only just been fighting Sudō, his breathing wasn't labored in the slightest.

"Do… Do you really think we will submit to violence?"

"If not, then I'mma beat the shit outta you, get you to cry a bit n' have you write out a couple of them binding agreements. An' if you say no to that, then I'mma keep comin' back, chasin' you fuckheads down 'til you're dead on the floor."

No matter how tolerant the student council may be when it comes to fighting, there would still be problems if it went too far. Besides, if he forced her to sign some sort of written agreement under these circumstances, there was no way that it would hold up later on. It was also possible for us to pretend to obey him in order to get out of this, but Horikita probably wouldn't do that. After all, yielding to Hōsen's way of doing things simply wasn't an option.

"…So be it. I'll be the one to stop you then."

Horikita steeled her resolve and took up a fighting stance.

"Ooh, interesting. If you wanna throw down, then I'd be glad to take ya up on that."

Hōsen probably didn't expect Horikita to have any fighting or martial arts experience whatsoever.

But he wasn't an opponent who would fall for a cheap trick like this either, something that Horikita still hadn't managed to understand just yet.

All of a sudden, without any prior warning, Hōsen lurched out his arm.

Horikita nimbly slipped past his reach and proceeded to go for a knockout blow with a strike aimed at his jaw.

She had bet everything on settling this with a single, instantaneous strike.

"Oh?"

However, before the strike could make contact, Hōsen grabbed hold of her delicate wrist without so much as batting an eye.

"Damn bitch, that was a pretty good move there. But─"

Hōsen lifted his other hand high up into the air and swung down hard, slapping Horikita across the face.

Horikita tried what she could to dodge or protect herself, but in the face of Hōsen's overwhelming speed and power, there was simply nothing she could do but take a direct hit. Her body was blown away as if she had been struck with a fist instead. She tumbled over onto the ground, cushioning herself as she fell.

"S-Suzune!"

Sudō cried out as he tried his best to get back on his feet, his teeth clenched in pain.

But his legs wouldn't move how he wanted, so he couldn't stand up properly.

"Yo Horikita. Let's make a fuckin' deal already."

Horikita looked up at Hōsen from where she was on the ground as the first-year student closed in on her, voicing his demands.

"Five million points. That much, and all your problems'll go away. How 'bout it?"

The asking price had skyrocketed even further. So high, in fact, that we couldn't afford to pay it even if we wanted to.

"W-what kind of sick joke is this…? Ayanokōji-kun… Call someone, call the teachers…"

Adult intervention was probably the only way left to contain the situation at this point.

Alternatively, if a large number of people were to gather, even Hōsen would have no choice but to rein in his fist.

"So this is what you've been reduced to…? Well, I guess it makes sense. But are you sure you wanna nark on me? Even though none of you did jack shit, what do you fuckers plan on doin' 'bout the fact that you two tried throwin' punches as well? You really wanna get suspended along with me?"

Even if we appealed that we had only acted out of self-defense, we would inevitably face some kind of repercussions as well.

That being said, we'd still be much better off having a third party intervene than we would letting things continue going like this.

"You son of a bitch!!"

"Stay down retard!"

Back up on his feet, Sudō threw himself at Hōsen once again, only to be mercilessly kicked back down to the ground. Afterwhich, the first-year finally set his sights on me.

"How long you plan on watchin' there fucker?"

"R-run away… Ayanokōji… Kun…"

"Run away? Don't even think about it. You pussy out here, an' I'll see to it that these two doormats are in for a whole new world of pain!"

Even now, I kept thinking.

What exactly did Hōsen want out of this?

Was he really trying to force us to meet demands that had no chance of ever being accepted?

No, that was just far too unrealistic.

"Horikita. I'll give ya one last chance."

"…Last?"

"If you submit to me right here, right now, an' fork over the points─ I'll let Ayanokōji live."

With that, Hōsen stuck his hand into his pocket and pulled something out. It had gotten fairly dark outside, so for a moment it was hard to tell what exactly it was, but once he unveiled its pointed edge, a silver shine glimmered in the moonlight.

"W-what are you, that…!?"

"Somethin' wrong with your eyes? It's a knife, plain an' simple!"

From the way the blade sparkled, it was clearly different from one of those retractable toy blades that were often used for party tricks and the like.

"If you turn me down again, I'll stab Ayanokōji with this."

"Stop fooling around!"

"I ain't fuckin' with you, tho? I'll gladly stab this punk if it means gettin' my hands on the points."

Wielding the knife in his right hand, Hōsen slowly turned to face me.

"Still, even after all this I still can't wrap my damn head around it. What makes a punk like you so fuckin' special?"

With his eyes locked on mine, Hōsen spoke, his voice laced with exasperation.

"Fuck it, maybe I didn't even need to go an' do all this risky shit in the first place!"

From the way he was talking, it seemed like the ridiculous chain of events that he had orchestrated so far had all been done because he was wary of something. Expecting something.

He drew closer to me, one step at a time.

However, Nanase, his very own classmate, jammed herself in between the two of us, stopping him in his tracks.

"Please don't go any further! I can't approve of your methods after all… I can't!"

ILLUSTRATION :

She spread out her arms in an attempt to block his path.

"Outta the way, Nanase. Your ass is only here to keep 'em from escapin', so know your fuckin' place."

"I made the decision to lend you my strength until the very end, telling myself that it was for the good of the class. No matter how deplorable your strategy was, I thought I'd be willing to accept it. But I see now that I was mistaken."

With her feet firmly planted between Hōsen and I, she shifted her gaze over to Horikita.

"Horikita-senpai, working together with Hōsen-kun has been impossible from the very beginning. You were inspired to cooperate with us after hearing him mention Class 2-D back when we came to meet with you in front of the second-year classrooms, but… That was just a ploy to get things to progress to this point. Even if you pay the outrageous fee he's been asking of you, you'd still be subjected to this same fate."

Naturally, Horikita's distress compiled even further upon hearing Nanase lay out such a shocking revelation.

No matter how hard she tried to negotiate, Hōsen never would've accepted anyway. And this wasn't her fault either. None of us could've predicted that things would turn out like this.

All things considered, this incomprehensible series of events probably came down to an imbalance of information. Hōsen and Nanase had been given intel that we hadn't. That being the case, there was no way we could've had a proper negotiation in the first place.

"All your yammering is pissin' me off. You're the one who asked me to deal with this shit to begin with. Our class'll rake in shitloads of money if we take out this Ayanokōji guy. Just think of the advantage it'd give us."

"That is true. However, I just can't figure out the reason why we need to target him like this."

"That shit ain't got nothing to do with me. If you're gonna get in my way, then you can fuck off as well!"

Hōsen readied a wide swing and swept Nanase aside with the palm of his hand, just as he had done to Horikita earlier.

As I stood alone, watching this scene play out in front of me, I arrived at one, single conclusion. And with it, everything fit into place.

"Prepare yourself, Ayanokōji!"

He came at me, lethal weapon in hand. Naturally, everybody present was fully expecting him to try and stab me with it.

Laughing, he raised the knife up above his head.

I could feel my mind begin to clear as I lowered my stance.

"Ayanokōji-kun─!"

While most people would've tried to escape, I rushed at him instead.

And as I did, everyone watching must've thought that I'd gone mad.

After all, running head-first into an opponent with a knife wasn't really a mark of sanity.

Especially when said opponent was somebody as formidable as Hōsen. Hōsen's smile widened even further as I did so. He probably thought that I was a fool for jumping at him.

But I wasn't trying to prevent myself from being stabbed at all.

As I drew closer, Hōsen swung his arm, bringing the knife down, slicing through the air.

The target of that knife, what its blade sought─ was not my body.

It was his very own.

I used my left hand to stop the descending blade from reaching its desired target.

I wasn't trying to grab Hōsen's hand or avoid it, but instead let the blade pierce through my palm.

ILLUSTRATION :

"Wha─!?"

This was clearly not what Hōsen had expected of me. It would've been nearly impossible to predict my actions beforehand.

After all, who would've thought that someone would deliberately let themself be stabbed?

The arm driving the blade froze to a halt, and with it, Hōsen's smile vanished as well.

"You… Ayanokōji!"

He was confused. Anyone in their right mind would've been after seeing what I had done to myself.

In most cases, my actions here would be seen as hazardous, self-destructive even.

Fresh, bright blood soon began spurting out from the wound on my palm.

"That knife, or to be more accurate, that petty knife, it's the one I bought, isn't it?"

"The fuck are you on about…?"

"You were going to stab yourself in the thigh with my own knife. After that, you'd raise a fuss to the school about your injury, and use that as evidence to get me expelled. That was your plan, wasn't it?"

From the way he gripped the knife in his hand, it was obvious that it wasn't meant to stab an opponent. He had faced the blade upward to make it look like someone else had stabbed him. Furthermore, he had taken hold of the handle in reverse, so as to allow himself to drive the blade into his leg more effectively.

"Ha! So even though you managed to piece it all together, you still came an' got stabbed yourself? You outta your mind?"

Hōsen looked a bit shaken as he let out a dry laugh.

"This was the best way to completely shut you down. Besides, I don't think we're that different. After all, you came here fully prepared to sustain a major wound as well."

Even if they knew that it was the correct course of action, most people wouldn't be willing to follow through with such a dangerous act of self-harm like this. This was the primary reason why he would've been able to stab himself and frame me for it.

"It seems like there's some sort of pseudo-special exam in effect that was only given to a limited number of you first-years. And based on your conversation with Nanase, it sounds like the premise of that exam is to have me expelled. So to that end, you began to spin up a plan. It'd start with you luring us out here and forcing us into a fight. Then, after smacking Sudō and Horikita around a bit, you'd say that I pulled out a knife that I carried with me in case of an emergency and stabbed you with it in a fit of rage, eventually leading to my expulsion. That's the absurd narrative you were trying to build this time."

Even if the student council was going to be more tolerant, wielding a knife in a fight wouldn't be excused with just a suspension.

It would warrant an expulsion, or it could even end up resulting in criminal charges.

"I'd heard you were hot shit, but you seemed pretty fuckin' wimpy to me, so I didn't really think all that much of ya. To think you'd come an' let yourself get stabbed… How'd you know the knife was yours?"

"I've done some investigating of my own. As of yesterday, I was still the only one to have bought that model of Petty knife. So it's only natural that I'd put the pieces together upon seeing you pull out the exact same one."

I could've easily slipped past the knife and grabbed hold of Hōsen's arm. But doing that wouldn't have solved the fundamental issue at hand here. All he would've had to do is create some distance and start his plan all over again. In order to prevent him from doing that, I had no other choice but to get stabbed myself.

Hōsen tried to let go of the knife, but I used my own hand to lock his fist in place.

"…The hell…? Who the fuck are you…?"

Having witnessed my strength firsthand, the composure Hōsen had maintained so far was completely blown away.

"Now then, what's next? Even though I'm the owner of the knife, you're the one who stabbed me with it. Moreover, an investigation will reveal that you tried to buy the same model of knife before. If you can't find a way to talk your way out of this, you'll be expelled, Hōsen."

While my fingerprints were on the knife's handle, Hōsen's were as well. And the fact that the knife was now pierced through my palm wasn't something that could be explained away very easily. His very own strategy had ended up backfiring on him.

"So you thought this far ahead…!?"

After glowering at me for a moment, Hōsen released his grip and took his distance, leaving the knife pierced through my palm.

And with that, the tables had completely turned on him.

Meanwhile, Horikita and Sudō had slowly gotten back on their feet and were now recovering their strength.

"A-are you okay, Ayanokōji-kun?"

"Ayanokōji…"

"Don't worry about me."

It wasn't unreasonable for them to be concerned about my condition, but this wasn't the time to be worrying about that.

The most important thing now was to make sure that Hōsen wasn't given another opening.

"How much info do you bastards even have…? Wait, Nanase, did you fuckin' nark to 'em?"

"I didn't tell them anything."

"I first felt like something was out of place back when Amasawa and I went shopping at the Keyaki Mall together."

Surprised to hear me drop Amasawa's name, Horikita spoke up herself.

"Amasawa-san? Are you saying that she's mixed up in all this…?"

"Yeah. According to the store clerk, just as Hōsen was about to finish paying for the knife, she reached out and stopped him from going through with the purchase."

After responding to Horikita, I turned back to Hōsen.

"You're the one who came up with this ridiculous strategy, but Amasawa is the one who helped refine it to perfection. After all, if you stabbed yourself with your own knife, it would naturally lead to problems once the school investigated what happened. However, if you could somehow get me to buy the knife instead, then that would have the potential to change everything."

The reason why Amasawa and Hōsen had chosen to use this expensive Petty knife because it was the only one that came bundled together with a sheath, making it the most convenient option available.

Of course, while there were a variety of other ways to conceal a naked blade, it would've been faster and easier to just buy one with a sheath given the added portability.

Back when I went shopping with Amasawa, she had managed to locate and pick out this exact knife without searching for it at all, even though that should've been the first time she had been in that store. And this was only the first thing that stuck with me. On Friday, she had shown up at my room saying that she had lost her hair tie, but that had been nothing more than an excuse to recover the knife. It's natural to assume that she had planted it there beforehand or simply lied about leaving it there at all. Furthermore, since there was a possibility that I might notice that it was missing if she recovered it too soon, she waited, delaying her move until the last possible moment. After that, she just needed to get the knife out of my room without getting any fingerprints on it and hand it over to Hōsen.

If she hadn't been able to retrieve the knife, then they probably would've chosen to postpone the plan.

"Tch, I never shouldda trusted that random chick in the first place."

"No, it was thanks to Amasawa that this plan took shape at all. Without her help, everything would've fallen apart."

"Whatever. Seems to me like you've got the upper hand now. Ain't that right Sempai? So what now?"

On top of everything else that had happened, the blood from my hand had stained Hōsen's clothes. There was no way he could talk his way out of this now.

Even if he took back the knife and stabbed himself in the thigh, it simply wasn't possible for him to come out on top anymore.

Of course, even if he tried to do that, I'd just use my full strength to stop him.

Chances were that Hōsen had already discerned that for himself as well.

The important part is what would happen next.

"Horikita, Sudō, and I can all promise to keep quiet about what happened tonight. How's that?"

"What are you sayin'? You really gonna throw away your chance to get me kicked outta here?"

"In exchange for not doing that, I have two conditions."

"Two?"

He probably knew the first without me even having to say it.

"The first is that you agree to form an equal, cooperative relationship between our two classes."

"Well it ain't like I got much of a choice between that an' expulsion. So what's the second?"

"I want you to partner up with me for this special exam."

From the time I first laid eyes on Hōsen, I found myself thinking that if I was in any position to select whoever I wanted, then he'd be my first choice by far. While there were several reasons for this, the biggest was that he didn't care about attracting attention due to his problematic behavior. If I were in Tsukishiro's shoes, I probably would've instructed my enforcer to avoid standing out as much as possible. I had been considering the option of privately reaching out to him to discuss the idea of working together if Horikita's discussion ended up falling through. So in that sense, this series of events had turned out to be quite convenient for me.

"…Are you serious?"

"You've only just enrolled here, so I'm sure there are plenty of things you haven't gotten a chance to do yet. If you get expelled now, it'll all be over before you can enjoy doing any of them. I don't know how things went back when you were in middle school, but the rumors saying that you're an equal match for Ryūen will end up staying that way. And that's all anybody will remember you for. At least, from what I've seen of Ryūen over the past year he's been here, you can't even really compare to him as you are right now."

"You motherfucker…!"

Obviously, the young man known as Hōsen Kazuomi had an unshakable sense of pride.

It came from an egotistical, habitual belief that he was one of the strongest people around.

Even though he was probably a step above Ryūen in terms of physical strength, the fact that I had said that Ryūen was better was unacceptable for him.

But most of all, there was no way he'd manage to tolerate the fact that I had outsmarted him.

He had a B+ Academic Ability rating, so if he were to hold back and flunk the exam, he would definitely get expelled.

That said, it didn't seem reasonable to think that he'd choose to sacrifice himself to take revenge on me. While Hōsen was about as close to innocent as one could get, the fact of the matter was that there was really no way for me to be 100% certain that he wasn't from the White Room. In that respect, no matter how much I tried, I wouldn't be able to clear him from all suspicion. However, after what happened here tonight, things were different. Even if Hōsen held back on the exam, the fact that I had been stabbed would still remain.

As long as I made it painfully clear that something unusual had gone on behind the scenes, even Tsukishiro wouldn't be able to force my expulsion immediately.

The school would set up an investigation to find out exactly what had happened, and Hōsen's decision to take a zero on the exam would be put up for deliberation.

Whatever tricks Tsukishiro might try to pull, I'd stay firm as a rock until expulsion was no longer on the table.

"Fuckin' good shit there, Ayanokōji-sempai! You're the first opponent who's gotten my blood boilin' like this. Just forcin' you to surrender won't be enough for me anymore. I'm gonna beat you to death instead, so I hope you're lookin' forward to it."

The faint traces of shakiness that he had shown earlier were a thing of the past. By now, Hōsen had already shifted his focus to preparing for his next fight.

"I will remain here. There's something I feel I should explain to Ayanokōji-senpai."

"Huh? What're you gonna tell 'em, Nanase?"

"Something that I've decided will be useful to Class 1-D as a whole. Ayanokōji-senpai and Horikita-senpai are already very wary of us. That being the case, wouldn't it be better if we had them stay vigilant of the other classes as well?"

"Suit yourself."

While the details of what she was saying were unclear, Hōsen accepted Nanase's proposal.

In the end, Hōsen was the first person to leave and head back to the dormitory.

(Part 2 End)

(Part 3)

It was now just the three of us and the first-year Nanase.

While there were a couple of things to discuss given what had happened, one matter took precedence over any of that.

And that was calming down Horikita, who had lost her cool upon seeing the knife pierced through my left hand.

"W-what should we do…? Should we, uhm, p-pull the knife out?"

The usually level-headed Horikita had probably never been in a situation like this one before.

"No. I know it isn't exactly pleasant to look at, but it's better to leave the knife where it is for now."

If the knife wasn't pulled out properly, I'd run a very real risk of hemorrhaging blood.

"More importantly, are you two okay?"

"Compared to you, I'm practically unscathed…"

"Yeah… I'm fine too."

Sudō came closer to get a better look and grimaced upon seeing the grotesque state of my hand.

"Dude, how can you stay so calm with your hand like that?"

"Hmm, I don't know."

I was just doing things as I usually did, there wasn't really anything special to it.

"But, man… I didn't know you were like, so strong…"

"I just tried what I could to block the knife."

"…That's not what it looked like to me though."

He voiced his honest impression of my confrontation with Hōsen earlier.

Sudō had braved his way through a fair number of fights in his time, so it didn't seem like I'd be able to deceive him, or Horikita as well for that matter.

With my right hand, I took out my cell phone and called Chabashira.

"Something's happened that I need a bit of help with. Could you quickly come meet me behind the first-year dorms? Alone, of course. Also, please bring a bath towel with you."

Although Chabashira seemed confused by my sudden call, she managed to sense the urgency of the situation and promised to head over immediately. In the meantime, it was for the best that we stay put and wait for her to arrive.

It would be dangerous if other students saw the state of my hand while we changed locations.

At any rate… even after seeing the aftermath up close, Nanase didn't seem phased in the slightest.

Despite the fact that there was a knife pierced through my palm and blood scattered around, she was perfectly calm and composed.

The visually intense, graphic nature of the scene didn't affect her at all.

"Could you explain what happened here for us, Nanase?"

"If I don't, then it seems that Class 1-D will be placed in quite a tough position, so I will."

"You were aware that the negotiations were going to turn out like this… Is that correct?"

"Correct. The plan was to have Hōsen-kun stab himself in the thigh to get Ayanokōji-senpai expelled."

She spoke without reserve, explaining their plan in the same polite tone as always.

"Are you saying that the kindness you've shown us was all just part of an act meant to fulfill that goal?"

"No, nothing of the sort, Horikita-senpai. I truly did want to join hands with you and establish a supportive relationship between our two classes. It's just… targeting Ayanokōji-senpai had been our top priority, that's all."

The reason why both Hōsen and Nanase had been so fixated on Class 2-D was simply because I was a member of it.

"Why was that your goal? I don't remember pardoning you for what happened here tonight, those were Ayanokōji-kun's words, not mine. Depending on your explanation, I might just end up reporting this to the school straight away."

Horikita pressed Nanase for answers, unable to fathom why I was getting targeted.

"While I do agree that there was a problem with our method, the school actually condones the notion of taking action to get Ayanokōji-senpai expelled. Only a select few first-year students currently know about this, but it's possible to receive a tremendous number of private points just for forcing his expulsion."

At last, the reason why Hōsen had gone after me had finally come to light.

"We were told that the student who manages to expel Ayanokōji Kiyotaka of Class 2-D will receive a bulk sum of 20 million private points. That's the special exam that was given to us."

"I don't understand what you're saying. That doesn't make any sense. Who on earth would come up with such an outrageous, stupid special exam?"

Nanase held her tongue, unwilling to respond to Horikita's inquiry.

"…For now, I've said everything I needed to say. With this, you should realize just how cautious you need to be of the other first-year classes, right Ayanokōji-senpai?"

She didn't go into it very deeply, revealing only the bare minimum required to convey the idea. Needless to say, if Hōsen and Nanase knew about this 'special exam', then Amasawa probably did as well. Extending that logic, it only made sense that students in Classes 1-B and 1-C were also in on it.

"You don't really expect me to accept such an answer, do you? The fact of the matter is that Ayanokōji-kun received a grievous injur─"

Horikita began hounding Nanase with questions for my sake, so I cut in to stop her.

"It's alright Horikita. A general understanding of the situation is more than enough. I appreciate the help, Nanase."

"For the sake of my class, of Class 1-D, I chose to cooperate with Hōsen-kun knowing full well just how awful his methods truly were. Because, if the 20 million point bounty were to fall into the hands of another class, it would bring about serious ramifications for us moving forward."

With 20 million points, you would only have enough to buy a single ticket to Class A.

But given the utility during special exams such as this one, the more financial clout your class had, the better off you'd be.

"However, that was not the only reason why I cooperated with Hōsen-kun."

Nanase's tone was soft and calm, and yet there was something about the way she looked at me, a sharp but subtle glint in her eyes.

"I*… simply didn't believe a person like you would be suitable for this school, Ayanokōji-senpai."

This was the first time that Nanase had ever directed these apparent feelings of hatred toward me.

Yet, I couldn't figure out why.

Shortly thereafter, Nanase bowed her head and left this place behind.

(Chapter 6 End)

TLN (From third party, not Okayest):

So I usually don't like writing out notes like this, but in this case I have to make an exception. For those that don't know, Japanese has multiple first-person pronouns. English only uses 'I' or 'me' for this purpose, but Japanese has more than 10, all used for different purposes, ages, and genders. Every character in the series (so far), has only ever used one of these to refer to themselves, and used it consistently thereafter. Apart from one time where she slipped up in a previous chapter, Nanase has exclusively used 私 or 'watashi'. This is a typically gender-neutral, maybe a little feminine, pronoun that Horikita and most serious respectful female characters (and Koenji) also use. In the last spoken line of this part, Nanase says:

"I*… simply didn't believe a person like you would be suitable for this school, Ayanokōji-senpai."

The asterisk I put here is my way of conveying that the first-person pronoun that she uses here is ボク or 'boku', which is a first-person pronoun primarily used by younger males. Now, Hirata and Ike both also use boku, but they use 僕 (the kanji) to say it instead of writing it in the stylized, katakana form (ボク) that Nanase has used it in. The important part about this is that, with this, Nanase is now only the second character in the series to use their first-person pronoun written in katakana. The first character is Kiyotaka, with his use of オレ or 'ore', which is even more of a masculine pronoun than boku. Hosen, Ryuen, Sudo, and most of the more manly characters all use 'ore' as well, but they use the kanji (俺) to do it, not the katakana, making Kiyotaka a special case. By having Nanase's boku written in katakana as well, the author is highlighting or emphasizing some sort of connection between Kiyotaka and herself. (Which is, unfortunately, untranslatable into the English language.)

Therefore, there are two key things to note here that are hard (or impossible) to convey in an English translation. The first is that she is using a different, more masculine pronoun for some unknown reason, and the second is that she's also using the pronoun in its katakana form instead of it's kanji form, just as Kiyotaka uses when referring to himself with his own pronoun.

I hope this information has helped you to understand the sheer impact of this final line of Nanase's on a better level than you would have without knowing this.