Really, all the spying served little purpose. The key to victory ultimately lay, not in the opponent's strength, but in the composition of the group-event teams. If you didn't know the names listed in their participation table, you couldn't attack other classes strategically.
Of course, the other classes wouldn't just share that information. If we managed to acquire a participation table, our odds would improve dramatically.
There was one exception, and it was the bomb waiting to go off inside Class D.
Two weeks before the sports festival, I made my move immediately after school ended for the day. I called to Horikita, who was gathering her things next to me.
"Hang out with me today." "And if I say I don't want to?"
"You can say whatever you like, but then it won't be my fault if Class D gets in trouble."
"Okay. Fine. What do you want?"
"You'll understand better if you come with me." Saying that, I walked away from Horikita and called out to yet another target. "Kushida, do you have a minute?"
Kushida was happily chatting with some other girls from our class. "Hmm? What is it, Ayanokouji-kun?" she asked. She glanced at Horikita, who seemed slightly uncomfortable.
"Do you have any plans for tomorrow?" I asked. Saturday would be a day off for Kushida.
"I don't really have any right now. I was just thinking of cleaning my room," Kushida said.
"If it's okay with you, would you mind giving me some time in the morning?" I cut right to the chase. If Kushida looked as though she disliked the idea, I wouldn't press her.
"Okay," said Kushida. She smiled, as if to dispel my anxieties. "You know, it's really unusual for you to invite me out, Ayanokouji-kun."
"Yeah, I suppose it is. By the way, Horikita will be coming, too."
"Wait a second," Horikita started. I motioned to her to stay quiet. "Okay. I don't mind, but…why in the morning?" asked Kushida.
"I was just thinking that I wanted to spy on the enemy again, but with you along—you know, as someone who knows a lot about other classes.
Horikita asked me to help her, but there are lots of things I don't know."
I was being mostly honest, though the part about Horikita was completely made up. I knew Kushida wouldn't come unless I told her the truth about what I wanted. Also, I needed her to understand her role.
Kushida nodded. "Yes, I suppose I might be the right person for the job. Okay. What time were you thinking? The earlier the better, right?"
"Yeah. I was thinking sometime like ten o'clock. Would that be okay?" "Completely okay. We'll meet in the dorm lobby tomorrow morning,
then?"
"Sure. Thanks," I answered.
As she left, Kushida waved at some girls waiting in the hallway, and they walked together toward the dorms. As I started to head back myself, Horikita grabbed me.
"What are you planning?"
"Doing a little reconnaissance isn't a bad thing, wouldn't you agree?" I replied.
"I don't understand the reason for inviting me. If all you're doing is spying, then you and Kushida should be enough."
"Do you really think that?"
"I wouldn't say something like that as a joke." "We're too visible here. Let's talk while we walk."
I took the lead, leaving Horikita behind, and eventually, she followed. "You remember what happened to your team on the cruise ship?"
"Of course. Everyone discovered our VIP's identity. A humiliating outcome," said Horikita.
"That's right. It shouldn't have happened. There is most definitely a reason why it did," I replied.
"Yes, but I don't know why. No matter how hard I try, I just can't find the answer. I assume Ryuuen-kun was involved somehow," mused Horikita. It sounded as though she'd come to a dead end. Doubts and incomplete theories, unending and irritating, were probably flooding her mind.
"Well, I don't have proof, but I have a theory."
Horikita looked at me as though she were genuinely shocked. "Are you
saying you've figured out Ryuuen-kun's strategy?"
"Yeah. To be more accurate, it's not just Ryuuen. One other person was significantly involved in the outcome on the cruise ship," I told her.
We reached the main entrance and retrieved our shoes from the rack.
Walking outside, we continued our conversation.
"If you think about it, there was no way the VIP's identity could have been discovered. You and Hirata never told anyone else that Kushida was the VIP. Correct?"
"Of course."
"But what about Kushida herself? What if she intentionally exposed her identity?"
"That's impossible, right? She'd have nothing to gain from that at all," answered Horikita.
"You can't say that for certain. For example, what about making a deal under the table, in which she tells another party that she's the VIP in exchange for private points?"
"Even if that's possible, it would hurt Class D. And it would be very risky," replied Horikita.
"That risk depends on the timing, though. There are many ways to establish trust," I answered.
"So, you're saying that Kushida would betray her allies to gain a few measly points?"
"Maybe, maybe not. Only Kushida knows."
That was why I'd invited Kushida. To learn the truth.
"So, you want Kushida and me to come with you to…uncover the truth?" Horikita finally seemed to suspect that Kushida might have turned traitor.
"You and Kushida seem to have some kind of connection. A shared fate, maybe."
Horikita awkwardly averted her eyes. "Kushida-san and I have no bond whatsoever," she replied.
"In that case, can you say with 100 percent confidence that she wouldn't betray the class and you?"
"That's…"
"If you're uncertain, you should confirm it. If we don't make sure, it'll all be over, won't it? No matter what the exam, our class has no chance of winning if there's a traitor in our midst," I said.
Before we knew it, we were at the dormitory. We entered the first-floor elevator and hit the buttons for our floors.
"You're free to choose whether or not you come tomorrow, but if you want to lead the class, think about it."
I got off on the fourth floor, leaving Horikita with those parting words.
5.1
Saturday morning came, and I was in my room, having a fun time talking about stupid stuff with three other people. Of course, I mostly just listened to the conversation, only occasionally interjecting to show that I was following along. Because the basketball club couldn't use the gymnasium, Sudou was getting a little R&R today. Me aside, the three idiots were having a good time. They'd all brought along cups of noodles, and proceeded to pour hot water in the cups and wait for three minutes.
"Hey, Ayanokouji. What flavor did you get?" Sudou asked.
"Extra-spicy tom yum goong. I didn't really know what it was like, so I thought I'd try it."
"Man, that sounds good. Trade with me, please? I'll give you my salty ramen." He extended his hand toward me, offering me his noodle cup. It had an illustration of a salted squid on it.
"No thanks." Why did he buy such unappetizing ramen? "Hey, Ken. Do you plan on telling Horikita?"
"Huh? The hell is this about?"
"Nothin'. Just curious, dude. That's all. Right, Haruki?"
"Y-yeah." Yamauchi gave a forced smile. He'd suffered an honorable defeat after confessing his love for Sakura over the summer.
"That depends on how the festival goes. If I win, then maybe I can make a move."
"Oh. You mean how you wanted to use her first name, right?"
Sudou, determined to take first place across every grade level at any cost, flexed his biceps. "I mean, there ain't none of the first years better than me at sports," he said.
"Your only real competition's Kouenji, and he probably won't take this seriously."
I decided to cut in and ask about something that had been on my mind. "Hey, there's some student in Class A named Sakayanagi, right? The disabled girl. Remember her?"
"Oh, that beautiful girl? Yeah, dude, of course I remember her." Ike smiled as he rubbed his nose.
"Have you heard rumors about her?"
"Rumors? Like guys she's been with? Dunno. It's like…how do I say
this? She doesn't really put it out there, you know? I don't think there's much going on that way," said Ike.
Yamauchi agreed. "From what I've heard, people say that she's the class leader. She's really, like, mature, isn't she?"
Well, it didn't look as though I would get any valuable information about Sakayanagi from those two. My phone buzzed, indicating that I'd received a message. As I checked it, I could feel Ike and Yamauchi's eyes upon me. They seemed mistrustful.
"You know, dude, you've been getting lots of messages lately. Haven't you?" asked Ike.
"Huh? Nah, not really. I mean, isn't this normal?" I answered nonchalantly.
The truth of the matter was that I actually had gotten more messages lately, so the suspicious glint in their eyes only became more pronounced.
"You don't have a girlfriend, do you?" Yamauchi pressed harder. "Absolutely not, so relax. Besides, there's no way I could get a
girlfriend before you guys. Right?"
"I guess that's true," Yamauchi replied.
"Look, nobody cares about Ayanokouji being unpopular. Let's talk about my future with Suzune," said Sudou.
"That reminds me. You're partnering with Horikita in the mixed boy- and-girl three-legged race, right, Ken?"
"Yeah. And, when we win, we'll start getting closer. Intimately
closer."
Just as Sudou launched into a discussion I really couldn't have cared less about, my phone buzzed yet again. This time, it was an alarm.
"Sorry, guys. I've got plans," I said.
"Wait, what? We were just getting to the good stuff. Well, fine. I got Kanji and Haruki here to listen to every single detail," said Sudou.
I'd been hinting for them to get out of my room…but oh well. Rather than press the issue, I decided to leave the three idiots where they were, and go on my way.
5.2
It was just before ten in the morning, the time I'd promised to meet Kushida. She was already in the lobby.
"Good morning, Ayanokouji-kun," said Kushida warmly.
"G-good morning, Kushida." Summer was almost over, so I'd only be able to see Kushida in her summer clothes for a little while longer. My heart beat faster at the sight. "Sorry for making such a strange request yesterday."
"Oh, no, it's okay. Really. I didn't have anything planned today.
Besides, this feels kind of nostalgic," she answered. "Nostalgic?"
"Well, remember how, during the first semester exams, you asked a senior student for the previous test questions? I just thought this felt kind of similar, is all," she answered.
"Is that so?" "Yeah."
I hadn't considered that memory anything special, but Kushida seemed pleased by the thought. Honestly, I felt as though this would've been easier if I'd brought Karuizawa or Sakura along, but if you want a job done right, find the right person to do it. Kushida was absolutely the best person for the job.
More importantly, there was Horikita to deal with. It was almost ten o'clock, and there still wasn't any sign of her. Was she backing down from having to meet with Kushida? Just as I wondered that, though, Horikita showed up.
"Sorry to have kept you waiting." "Good morning, Horikita-san."
Kushida welcomed Horikita with an unwavering smile. However, Horikita was apparently in a bad mood. She seemed to be trying to hide that fact, but it was plain to see. Kushida had to have noticed, but she acted exactly the same way as she always did.
The three of us left the dormitory and headed toward the athletic grounds. By ten, the grounds were already filled with students.
"Wow, they're really going at it!"
Out on the grounds, the thock sound of someone kicking a ball echoed through the air. The ball curved toward the goalpost. It moved in a beautiful arc, but was perhaps a bit easy to see coming. The goalie, showing sharp
reflexes, repelled it with a punch. Hirata was among those playing. Since the teams consisted of a mixture of students from first year through third year, I didn't know everyone.
"I feel kind of like a secret agent, spying on clubs to gain information about other classes. It's so exciting, my heart is pounding!" said Kushida.
"It's not that big a deal. The information we can get here doesn't amount to much," I said.
"But Horikita-san doesn't think that. Right?"
"Information is invaluable. We don't know what might be the key to our victory," said Horikita.
"That's true. But it was really kind of you to do this for Horikita-san's sake, Ayanokouji-kun," said Kushida.
"Well, I didn't exactly have a choice. She would've given me grief if I hadn't," I replied.
"I'm impressed that you have the nerve to say that when I'm standing right here," said Horikita.
I ignored her terrifying comment and focused my attention on the sports grounds. It looked as though the players were setting up a corner kick. The soccer teams casually walked onto the field and got into position before resuming. We could feel that the game was about to start.
As Kushida grinned, I felt uncomfortable about the three of us hanging out together like this. Surprisingly enough, the highly agreeable Kushida decided to drop the pretense first.
"Ayanokouji-kun, you were the one who decided to invite me out today, weren't you?"
"Why do you think that?"
"Well, I can't imagine that Horikita-san would invite me," replied Kushida. Still smiling, she briefly looked over at Horikita, then returned her gaze to me.
"Why can't you imagine that Horikita would invite you?" I asked. "Ha ha! You know, you're kind of an awful person, Ayanokouji-kun.
You understand that things aren't good between Horikita-san and me, don't you?" Kushida spoke frankly. Horikita listened quietly, not attempting to deny anything.
"To be completely honest, it's not that I don't understand it. Rather, it's like I half believe it, and half don't."
The player in the corner kicked the ball, sending it toward a teammate
waiting near the goalpost. Hirata skillfully caught it. Seeing that he couldn't score a goal if he tried for a shot from right there, he passed the ball to a teammate, a Class B student we already knew.
The ball sailed into the goal in a brilliant arc. "So, Shibata's in the soccer club."
"Yeah. Hirata-kun says that Shibata-kun is better than he is. It seems like they're close," answered Kushida. As expected, she was especially well- informed. As the game started back up, Shibata got the ball and quickly wove through the opposing team.
"He's fast." He seemed even faster than Hirata, in terms of speed.
Hirata hadn't been lying.
"Wow, they're really going at it! They're all fired up! This is the best!" A tall guy in a soccer uniform walked past us.
"Good morning, Nagumo-senpai!" said Kushida.
Apparently, she knew him. Horikita, meanwhile, had a small, nearly imperceptible reaction. Nagumo was a candidate to become the next student council president, his abilities on par with her older brother's.
"Oh? Right, you're Kikyou-chan. I see you're on a date. Nice," said Nagumo.
"Ha ha! No, it's not like that. I was just curious, so I came here to watch," she replied.
"Great. Enjoy. We don't really hold back here, so I think this is a good way to measure our players' strengths," said Nagumo.
He winked at Kushida and headed down to meet up with the others.
Apparently, he'd guessed what we were doing. The soccer club seemed excited when Nagumo joined them.
"Is it okay for someone to be on the student council and in a club?" I
asked.
"It looks like he's not really in the club anymore," Kushida replied.
"But even though he quit, he's still the best player. He shows up to practice from time to time, to help guide the rest of the team."
"So, you all set, Nagumo?" asked one of the students.
"Yeah, dude. I overslept, but after running some laps, I'm all warmed up," Nagumo replied.
He swapped places with another student, and the game resumed. Both the ball and other players moved toward Nagumo immediately. He seemed like a reliable teammate and a dangerous opponent.
Hirata challenged Nagumo and tried to steal the ball. His movements were as sharp as before, but Nagumo handled him with ease. Shibata charged at Nagumo, too, but Nagumo feinted several times before slipping past. I'd thought that both Hirata and Shibata were skilled, but Nagumo was in a different league.
After running past yet another person, Nagumo took a powerful shot from midfield. The ball curved past the goalie, and Nagumo scored.
"So, the title of student council president isn't just for show, huh?" "He's just really athletic, that's all." Horikita did not intend to
acknowledge Nagumo's obvious skill.
As I spoke to Horikita, I snuck a glance at Kushida. She was all smiles; not even a hint of her dark side could be seen.
"When you stare at me like that, it's embarrassing," said Kushida. Her eyes met mine, and she laughed, as though she guessed what I was thinking.
"If I promise not to ask more questions, would you please tell me one thing?" I asked. Despite Horikita's presence, I decided to go for it. "Why don't you and Horikita like each other?"
"Asking me to tell you something by saying you won't ask anything else is unfair," said Kushida. Maybe my request was psychological manipulation, but Kushida understood both my tactic and my question. "If I tell you, that's it, right?"
"Yeah. I promise."
"It's me," she replied, still watching the game.
I hadn't expected that. So, even though she was at fault for their bad relationship, she still hated Horikita? That was kind of a contradiction. When someone hated someone else, they'd normally claim the other person was wholly at fault.
I was relatively good at observing people, but couldn't quite read Kushida. I was starting to think that I understood Horikita a little less, too. She had known that Kushida hated her from the very beginning, but she never talked to me about it. However, based on Kushida's answer, Horikita might know the cause of the girl's hatred.
Of course, if I asked, Horikita probably wouldn't tell me. Why is that?
I wondered. Was there something that they each didn't want the other to know?
"I get the feeling that just thinking about this is a waste of time," I huffed.
"Yeah. I suppose so. Our priority right now is to spy and gather information anyway, right?" asked Kushida.
"I guess." I shrugged.
"The player handling the ball right now is Sonoda-kun from Class C. He's quite fast, isn't he?" mused Kushida.
All the students in the soccer club were nimble. The only ones from our class who could probably hold their own were Sudou and Hirata, but even they'd be hard-pressed to keep up.
"But Horikita-san is thinking about our class as a whole. That makes me happy," said Kushida.
"I aim to do whatever is necessary to reach Class C, so I've no other choice," replied Horikita.
After a while, the soccer players took a break. Nagumo called to Hirata. Then, perhaps because he realized we'd been watching, Hirata approached us.
"Good morning. It's unusual to see you here," he said.
Shibata, who'd seen us all from a distance, came running over as well.
That created a rather unusual little five-person group.
"Good morning, Kikyou-chan. Oh, and…Ayanokouji and Horikita- chan, right? Ayanokouji, are you on a date with these two beautiful girls?" asked Shibata.
"No, it's not like that."
Shibata and I were acquainted, but I hadn't known that he remembered
my name. That made me kind of happy, though I kept from grinning. "So, what's up? This is an odd gathering," Hirata said.
I boldly decided to tell him the truth. "We're spying. We've come to identify students from other classes whom we think we should watch out for."
"Ah. So, that means you've noticed Shibata Man already, huh?"
Shibata had made no attempt to hide his true athletic abilities. I wondered if that was because he was in Class B, under Ichinose's leadership, or just because that was his personality.
"Shibata-kun really is fast, just like the rumors say," replied Kushida. "Ayanokouji-kun and I were shocked."
At being complimented by a cute girl, Shibata bashfully rubbed his nose with his index finger.
"We need to be especially wary of Shibata-kun. He's the fastest in Class B. Personally, I'd rather not compete against him," said Hirata.
"Don't sell yourself short, Yousuke. You're really fast, too. How about you, Ayanokouji?" Shibata asked.
"I'm a member of the go-home-and-do-nothing club," I replied. Shibata crossed his arms and laughed.
We left soon afterward, on the pretext of checking out other club activities; that was just a cover. There was something else I wanted to know, and I had set the stage for it. How it would play out…well, that was up to the two girls.
"You bore me, Kushida-san," said Horikita. "Wow, that's pretty harsh," Kushida replied.
"But I have to ask you something," Horikita continued.
"Between you and Ayanokouji-kun, I'm getting a lot of questions.
Okay, what is it?"
"During the cruise ship exam, did you tell Ryuuen-kun or Katsuragi- kun that you were the VIP?"
I'd expected Horikita to ask in a straightforward way, but she really cut straight to the heart of the matter. Kushida looked shocked, but Horikita kept talking.
"It's fine if you don't answer. It's meaningless to dig up the past.
That's why there's only one question I find important. Can I trust you to be our class's ally from this point on?" asked Horikita.
"Of course. I want to get to Class A, alongside everyone from Class D.
That's what I've said from the very beginning," said Kushida. "I don't know why you'd ask something like that, but I want you to trust me."
Though Kushida smiled at Horikita, she looked very serious.
"Well then, I'm heading back. I'll leave the rest of the reconnaissance to you two," I said.
"Huh? What are you saying, Ayanokouji-kun?"
"Horikita came up with this strategy in the first place. If you have Kushida's extensive network and connections at your disposal, you should be fine. Right?" I asked.
With that, I left.
5.3
With everyone working hard, the days passed quickly. Finally, only one week was left until the sports festival. We needed to decide who would participate in each competition and submit our participation table before the day finished. While Hirata stood at the podium, Kushida faced the blackboard with chalk in hand to record the preparations.
"Without further ado, let's decide on the entries," said Hirata.
To choose the order for our winning strategy, Hirata consulted his notes, which contained aggregate results of our entire class's daily records. We had written down the order, everyone's roles, and the competitions they'd enter. Not a single student objected to Hirata's results, which were based on hard data and clear testing of people's abilities. Everything proceeded without a hitch.
"Okay. For the final event, the 1200-meter relay, Sudou will be our anchor."
"That seems fair."
I was impressed by how Hirata managed to respect everybody's individual wishes while also taking everyone's abilities into account. In the relay, the final event, the star players would be the fastest students, like Horikita. No one could have come up with a more ideal lineup.
However, Horikita—who sat next to me—continued to stare at the blackboard with an unconvinced expression. Immediately after the discussion ended, she stood up. While I wondered where this was going, she went right to Sudou.
"What's up?" he asked.
"I want to talk to you about something. Can you come with me?" Horikita replied.
"S-sure." Sudou hurriedly stood straight up at Horikita's command. "Oh, Hirata-kun. Can I also have a moment of your time?"
Sudou, whose heart must have been pounding for a moment, immediately looked disappointed.
"I want to discuss the participation table we decided on earlier. I'd like you to give me the anchor position in the 1200-meter relay at the end of the festival," said Horikita.
Sudou looked confused. "But, well…the anchor position is normally
for the fastest person, right? Do ya feel uneasy having me as the anchor?" "No, that's not it. I know your abilities from seeing you practice," said
Horikita.
"Okay. So, I can handle it, right? I mean, if the anchor is the fifth runner, then—"
"I have my reasons. You're good with the starting dash, right, Sudou- kun? I think that having you breeze past our opponents as the first runner is a viable strategy. Starting with the second runner, we'll allow everyone to take the lane they like on a first-come-first-served basis. In the event that we're overtaken, the rules state that, from the second runner onward, we're allowed to use the outer lanes to overtake other runners," Horikita explained.
"But…" Sudou didn't appear convinced.
It was certainly true that, if Sudou did well at the starting dash, the rest of our relay team from the second runner onward would have an easier time. However, if we used up Sudou's turn right at the start of the relay, our later runners would be under pressure if the competition closed the gap. On the other hand, Sudou could provide a burst of power in the relay's final leg as the anchor. If there were targets for him to chase, he'd be all the more spurred on to win.
"It's just, y'know, the anchor position goes to the fastest team member."
"This school is a meritocracy. Let's not make choices based on assumptions or preconceived notions. The other classes will be coming up with various strategies as well," Horikita reasoned.
I understood her logic, but I felt as though she was pushing a bit too hard. It didn't make much difference who the anchor was; both she and Sudou were sure to perform well. That meant there was another reason Horikita wanted to be anchor.
"I'll definitely produce better results than I've gotten in practice," Horikita asserted.
"I ain't convinced. This ain't like you, Horikita," said Sudou.
"Excuse me. Is it okay for me to chime in?" Kushida hesitantly entered the conversation. "Uh, I'm sorry. I just think maybe there's some other reason Horikita-san wants to be anchor."
"That's—"
"In that case, Horikita, would you mind telling us why? If you have a request, Sudou and I will take that very seriously. But if we're changing the
order that everyone decided as a class, I need more information," said Hirata. "I agree with Hirata. We need a reason," said Sudou.
Horikita wore a complicated expression. "It's because I think my brother…is an anchor," she said quietly.
"Your brother? The student council president?" "Yes. That's my brother."
Everyone knew the student council president, but not everyone had made the connection that he and Horikita were related. Theirs was by no means an uncommon family name. They also didn't really look that much alike. Everybody seemed surprised by Horikita's statement.
"So, you want to be an anchor with your brother? Is that it?" Kushida didn't seem as though she fully understood. I decided to cut in and give Horikita a little help.
"Some stuff happened. I guess Horikita and her brother aren't really on speaking terms. She probably wants this opportunity to patch things up with him," I offered.
It wasn't exactly the truth, but it wasn't a lie, either. Horikita glared at me for an instant, since I had eavesdropped on her conversation, but immediately looked back to Sudou and the others.
"I was wondering what the matter was. So, that's it, huh? Well, to be honest, I do still want the anchor position. But if that's the way you feel, then I don't mind handin' it over to you," said Sudou.
"I think it's fine, too. If Sudou-kun is satisfied, then everyone else will be too, right?" Kushida added.
"Right. Sounds good. Well, I'll submit our list after I swap Horikita- san and Sudou-kun's places. Is that okay?" asked Hirata.
"Thank you," said Horikita quietly.