I headed toward the nurse's office alone, feeling battered and bruised after Ayanokouji-kun's verbal beatdown. Since he usually followed his so- called policy of noninterference, I never would've imagined he would speak to me like that. I'd been so shocked, I couldn't give him a satisfactory answer.
"No, that's not it," I said to myself.
Ayanokouji-kun had been absolutely right, and I'd had nothing to say in reply.
"Tch."
At any rate, if I would be chasing after Sudou-kun, I had to take care of my leg, which still wouldn't move as well as I wanted. Emergency medical treatment was available on the field, but I wanted to avoid standing out as much as possible. Instead, I headed to the nurse's office at the school.
When I got to the infirmary, I saw that someone else was already there. Of the three available beds, one was curtained off. I couldn't see who was in it.
"How's it look, sensei?" I asked.
During our brief break before lunch, I'd had an emergency first aid staff member tape my leg, but that only had a minimal effect.
After inspecting my leg, the nurse looked up. "I already said this, but participating in more competitions will be difficult."
The nurse had diagnosed me with a sprain, and it didn't seem to be getting any better or worse. At this point, I could only barely run, but at least I could run. I just couldn't summon up enough strength to win a race. I'd desperately fought to make it through the individual competitions, but the events for recommended participants would likely be even more difficult. If I took part, I'd never win. I couldn't let that happen.
"Do you plan to take part in the recommended-participant events?" "I was planning to, but I think I've changed my mind. If I tried to
participate with my leg like this, I'd only drag the rest of my class down," I said.
"That's a wise decision."
Fortunately, I'd obtained numerous points during previous exams.
Even if I withdrew, I could compensate for my absence. If I prepared a substitute participant to take my place for all three competitions, the total cost would come out to 300,000 points. That was no small expense, but if it would raise our class's chances of victory even a little, then I had to pay it. My dream of running alongside my brother would end, though.
Well, worrying about personal issues was meaningless. What mattered was who my substitute would be.
"Thank you very much."
With that, I left the infirmary. I headed toward the main entrance to make my way back to the field. In the window, I saw my limping reflection. Feeling pathetic, I bit my lip. I did suspect Kinoshita-san of tripping me, but I was to blame for falling and getting injured. There was no changing that.
I tried my hardest to appear calm and collected, so that others wouldn't notice my pain. When I was just about to go back outside, Kushida-san ran up to me in a panic.
"I'm so glad I found you, Horikita-san! I need to talk to you about something," she said.
"What is it? I have some business I need to take care of."
"Okay. This isn't a good place to talk, though. Sorry. Would you mind coming with me? Things are going to get difficult," said Kushida.
"Can't you explain here? I'll decide after hearing how difficult this is," I answered.
After Kushida-san looked around, she whispered in my ear. "It sounds as though Kinoshita-san actually suffered a serious injury. It's bad enough that she can't even get up right now. So, that's why…well, Kinoshita-san wants to talk to you, Horikita-san."
I couldn't hide my surprise. "Where is she?" "This way."
Kushida led me back to the nurse's office.
7.1
When I returned to the infirmary, Chabashira-sensei was there. "Good. I was just saying that you'd barely missed Horikita-san," the
nurse said to her.
"I had Kushida fetch you. Looks like she was quick about it," said Chabashira-sensei. Kushida-san listened to the adults talk, appearing uneasy.
"What in the world is going on?" I asked.
Behind that closed-off curtain I'd noticed earlier, I could hear someone sobbing. Chabashira-sensei pulled the curtain open, giving me a glimpse of Kinoshita-san, who lay in the bed. Then she let the curtain fall back into place and gestured me into the hallway.
"Kinoshita fell on the obstacle course this morning. Do you remember
that?"
"Of course. She bumped into me," I replied.
"Well, Kinoshita says that you deliberately knocked her down,
Horikita."
For an instant, I couldn't understand what Chabashira-sensei was saying.
"That's not true at all. It was completely by accident. If anything, it—" "'If anything, it' what?"
I'd been about to say that it was part of Ryuuen-kun's strategy, as Ayanokouji-kun stated. I believed that Ayanokouji-kun was completely right, but we had no proof.
"Never mind. It was just a coincidence, that's all."
"I'd like to believe that, but the situation isn't good. Kinoshita claims that, during the race, you repeatedly looked back at her. We checked the video footage, and you certainly did look back twice," said Chabashira- sensei.
"That's because she called my name," I replied.
"She called your name? I see. Even if that's true, though, she claims you kicked her. In fact, she's been absent from all the subsequent competitions. We had a teacher inspect her injuries, which appear rather severe. They believe those were caused intentionally."
"Even if she's badly injured, she's still lying. I didn't do anything," I replied.
"I believe you're innocent, but as long as we have no proof one way or the other, we must consider the matter," said Chabashira-sensei.
"That's idiotic."
"That's not all. The other teachers already know about this, of course. But, if this drags on, the student council will hear of it. You haven't forgotten what happened to Sudou after his fight, have you?"
If this continued, my brother would hear about the incident. He'd feel irritated and ashamed of his idiotic little sister. However, since I was innocent, I had no choice but to plead that innocence. Whether this was Ryuuen-kun's strategy or just an unfortunate accident, I couldn't lie.
"If you called me here to ask what happened, I told you the truth. I didn't do anything. Now, I have some business to take care of, so if you'd excuse me?"
I needed to find Sudou-kun as quickly as possible and bring him back.
But, as I turned to leave, Chabashira-sensei spoke.
"Under the circumstances, it would probably be easy for the school to believe that the incident was intentional rather than accidental. Kinoshita-san has been absent from festival events ever since the obstacle course. If we prove that you committed foul play, that will invalidate the scores you've acquired thus far, and you won't take part in the recommended-participant events. Well, with your leg in that condition, I suppose participating would be impossible anyway, but… Kinoshita is an athletic student. In terms of speed, she's as good or better than you. It's hard to believe that her injuries are a mere coincidence."
"I was going to withdraw from the recommended-participant events, anyway. I don't mind being marked absent for those events, like Kinoshita- san. However, I didn't intentionally cause her to fall and get injured."
I wondered whether that would be enough.
"Kinoshita won't accept that," Chabashira-sensei replied. "She says she'll report this incident to the school. Her testimony, and the footage, make this fairly damning. From her perspective, she's suffered a massive loss.
Class C is also in a tough spot due to Kinoshita's absence, and it seems unlikely that they'd sabotage themselves like that on purpose. You understand what this means, right?"
"It's a case of the Devil's Proof, isn't it?"
A logical dilemma as old as time. To prove that aliens existed, all you had to do was capture one alien. But to conclusively prove that aliens didn't
exist, you'd have to search every inch of the entire planet and of outer space itself, which would frankly be an impossible task. That was the definition of the Devil's Proof.
Chabashira-sensei was saying that, if it was impossible to prove my innocence, I'd need to prepare myself.
"How did you hear about this, Chabashira-sensei? Who else knows?" I
asked.
"Kushida consulted me on the matter. She said she didn't want it to
blow up, but didn't know what else to do."
"Sorry, Horikita-san. Kinoshita-san asked me to talk to a teacher," said Kushida.
"I appreciate your concern. If a teacher from another class heard about Kinoshita-san's claim, this might have escalated quickly. However, I have some questions. Why exactly did you hear about this from Kinoshita-san?" I pressed Kushida-san.
She anxiously looked toward the infirmary. "I'm good friends with Kinoshita-san. When I went to check on her during our break, she told me."
"I see."
It was a believable reason, considering that Kushida-san had a vast social network. At any rate, the only ones who knew about the accusation right now were Kinoshita-san, Kushida-san, Chabashira-sensei, and me. I wanted to resolve this here and now.
"May I speak with Kinoshita-san?" I asked.
"I'm not sure about that. She seems frightened, and might be emotionally unstable," replied Kushida.
"Please. I don't want to aggravate things," I said.
I bowed, and Kushida-san bowed her head in return. "Please allow me to do this, sensei," I said.
"Okay. I'll let you try," replied Chabashira-sensei.
At that moment, I heard the sound of footsteps in the hallway.
Someone was walking straight toward the nurse's office. He had both hands in his pockets, strutting around as if he owned the place.
"Looks like things have gotten really serious." "Ryuuen-kun…"
Why was he here? I did my best to shake off any confusion, trying to appear calm and collected. However, Ryuuen-kun sneered and stopped right in front of us. He saw through my act.
"I rushed over after Kinoshita asked for me. To think someone did this on purpose…" He passed us and entered the nurse's office.
We followed him in a panic. Ryuuen-kun ignored the nurse's attempts to stop him and opened the curtain to Kinoshita-san's bed.
"Hey, Kinoshita. You all right? Looks like you've had a rough time," he said.
Kinoshita-san looked startled upon seeing Ryuuen-kun. She trembled in fear.
"I heard your leg was injured. Show me." He pulled Kinoshita-san's leg out from beneath the sheets. "Whoa, this looks bad. I'm impressed you've held up, considering all you're dealing with."
Kinoshita-san's right leg was bandaged tightly. Her injury looked painful.
hng!"
"Sorry. I tried my best, but…my leg just won't listen. That's why—
"Don't blame yourself, Kinoshita. I know you wanted to participate in
the three-legged race," said Ryuuen.
"We ran into each other by accident, Kinoshita-san. Why are you saying that I made you fall?" I interrupted.
Kinoshita averted her eyes. Ryuuen-kun stood in front of me. "You really did this on purpose, didn't you?" he asked me.
"Stop joking around. You think I'd do something like this?"
"You can never really know someone, can you? Convenient, isn't it? Kinoshita-san, who just so happens to be better at sports than you, suffers a serious injury and has to withdraw. She was going to compete in all the recommended-participant events, too. Meanwhile, you continue taking part despite your injuries. I'm not supposed to find that suspicious?" he said.
I understood all too well the significance of losing a teammate. But, after hearing the eloquent speech Ryuuen had prepared, my doubts about him only grew. Had Kinoshita-san purposefully run into me on his orders? Had he chosen her specifically to collide with me, since she was more athletic than I, and Ryuuen could deflect any suspicion?
But what did he stand to gain from having Kinoshita-san run into me, when she had a higher chance of winning the race to begin with?
Furthermore, if she'd planned to take part in all the recommended-participant events, Class C would lose about 400,000 points paying for her substitute competitors. Would Ryuuen make such a sacrifice simply to defeat me and bask in his superiority?
No matter how hard I thought, I couldn't find any benefits in such an ineffective plan.
"What are you thinking?" Ryuuen-kun asked. He leaned toward me, hands in his pockets, looking as though he saw right through me. "We can keep going back and forth on this, but it won't settle anything. Isn't that right, Kinoshita?"
"Horikita-san…" Kinoshita hesitated. "When I fell, you said…that I definitely wouldn't win."
"I said no such thing. Why are you lying?" I asked.
"Horikita, you only looked behind you when you raced with Kinoshita.
Why did you do that?" Chabashira-sensei asked me again.
"Because she kept calling my name when she was behind me. At first I
ignored her, but then I thought something was strange, turned, and looked back."
"Is that true, Kinoshita?"
"I never called her name," Kinoshita said.
"She denies it, sensei. Besides, even if Kinoshita did call Suzune's name, what's the big deal? That doesn't constitute foul play. It was probably a cry of desperation, born from a desire to win. I mean, Kinoshita has way more spirit than anyone else. She's strong-willed and hates to lose. That's not a crime," said Ryuuen.
This argument would go on forever. Besides, I was positive that Ryuuen and Kinoshita had rehearsed this whole act in secret.
"Um…Kinoshita-san, Ryuuen-kun, I think this is all just bad luck. I can't imagine that Horikita-san would deliberately hurt her opponent." Kushida-san spoke up quietly in my defense.
"But Horikita-san said that she definitely wouldn't let me win! She said that!"
"Don't you think your desire not to lose just got to you? I mean, I think that Horikita-san was really upset when she fell. I think she was just trying her best," said Kushida.
I didn't say anything. I endured in silence. However, Kinoshita-san spoke again.
"I can't forgive Horikita-san for this. Now I have to take a break from track and field practice," she said.
"Don't you feel any shame at all?" I asked. "Is lying like this to entrap someone fun for you? Or did Ryuuen-kun devise all this? I can't imagine it was coincidental that he just happened to show up right now." Kinoshita-san was lying. I needed to wrangle control of the conversation before things got worse.
"So, you're saying it's my fault that Kinoshita got hurt?" Ryuuen asked me. "You really are a piece of work, aren't you?"
"Please. You messed with Sudou-kun earlier. Don't pretend you forgot about that. You're just trying to use the same trick this time around."
"I had nothing to do with that. It's ridiculous to try and tie those things together, anyway." Ryuuen wasn't about to admit anything. "It's clear you did this, isn't it? You bumped into Kinoshita deliberately. It's an open-and- shut case. There's no room for any further debate, so let's report this to the higher-ups right away."
"That's… Would you let me talk things over a little more with Horikita-san, please?" Kushida begged Ryuuen-kun. I wanted to tell her that concern was unnecessary, but I didn't want this issue to get more out of hand. I was trapped in a spider's web, and all I could do was struggle.
Ryuuen-kun appeared to consider her request, then made a proposal. "I don't have the time to drag this out," he said. "The recommended-
participant competitions are coming up right after lunch. I'll be competing in those, so I'd like to finish this. It'd be easiest to leave the judgment to the higher-ups."
Looking at me, Kushida-san, and Kinoshita-san, Ryuuen-kun continued. "We can strike a quick deal, though."
"Strike a deal?" I asked.
"You should compensate Kinoshita and Class C for any losses."
"This isn't a joke. I don't have to listen to this," I replied. If he wanted that, the cost wouldn't be cheap. Besides, it would mean accepting their lie as truth.
"You won't strike a deal, and you don't want us to report this to the higher-ups? Then we're done here."
"What exactly do you want, then?" Kushida-san asked Ryuuen-kun. "At least one of you has a good grasp of things. Let's see. If you hand
over a million points, I'll have Kinoshita withdraw her complaint. That way, we can prepare a substitute for the recommended-participant events, and Kinoshita will receive some incidental income. Simple, right?"
"Don't be ridiculous," I said. "I haven't done anything wrong. I don't need to pay one single point."
"Then go ahead and prove that, Suzune. Lay it all out in black and white for us."
"You two sound sure of yourselves. You think your lies won't be exposed?"
"We can prove that we aren't lying. Let's hurry up and have the student council president render his judgment," said Ryuuen.
Ryuuen-kun knew about my relationship with the president, my older brother, and was provoking me. I absolutely couldn't do anything to trouble my brother. If the rumor spread that his little sister deliberately hurt someone, it would do immeasurable damage to his reputation.
It was a dirty trick, but there was no way out of it. Back when the boys from the basketball club had attacked Sudou-kun, they lied and pretended to
be victims. Their mistake had been thinking that no one else was watching. However, this was different.
This time, the entire student body was a witness. Ryuuen had the advantage. Kinoshita-san was just as athletic as I was, if not more so, and there was video evidence that showed me looking back. Also, Kinoshita-san had planned to take part in all the recommended-participant events. She'd sustained injuries severe enough to prevent her from competing. There was nothing I could do to save myself.
Worst of all was the timing with which they'd sprung their trap. They hadn't done it right after Kinoshita-san was injured. Instead, Ryuuen had her lay low, so that her performance would be more convincing. By having her stoically bear the pain, they made their plot look like the truth.
Everything they'd done had been meant to trap me, as though they were weaving a net to catch me in.
The situation had already passed the point of no return. They'd been plotting since the moment I entered the festival. I understood the full extent of my mistake now, although I still felt baffled by the many remaining mysteries.
"Um…could I use my points, Ryuuen-kun?" Kushida-san asked. "Huh?"
"I don't believe Horikita-san would do something like this on purpose.
That's why I don't want this to turn into a big deal. But…I don't think Kinoshita-san would lie, either. Couldn't it just be an unfortunate accident?"
"Oh, that's quaint. Sorry—using your points is a no-go. I believe Suzune did this out of malicious intent, to hurt Class C. This apology is meaningless unless we get money out of her. Of course, I won't stop you if you're willing to pay up, too," said Ryuuen.
The longer this went on, the worse things would get. But I couldn't
break.
"Very well. Kinoshita, we're going to report this to the teachers, then
to the student council." Ryuuen-kun ordered. Kinoshita, her face twisted in pain, sat up. "The school officials should understand how serious this is," he added. "They certainly wouldn't stand for something so mean-spirited and vicious."
I had to choose. I could pursue the truth, disputing Ryuuen-kun and his lackey's claims. Or I could compromise right here. I wanted to do the former, but I had no evidence to prove the truth. I would only be wasting time and
everyone's trust.
I had to strike a deal with Ryuuen-kun right here. "Wait." I squeezed out the word.
Ryuuen-kun and Kinoshita-san stopped walking. "What is it, Suzune?" he asked. "Have anything to contribute?"
"If I pay you, you'll make it so this issue never happened, right?" "You're admitting to foul play?"
"No, because I'm not a liar."
"Well then, why exactly are you paying us?"
"Your strategy beat mine. That's why," I said. It was humiliating, but it was true.
"Did you hear that, Kinoshita? She doesn't think she's in the wrong.
Can you forgive her?"
"No, I can't," Kinoshita-san replied. "Well, there you go." he told me. "Grr…" I growled.
"Still, I know that you have your pride, too," he added. "I understand that you don't want to admit you're the bad guy in front of your teacher and your friend. That's why I'll accept your offer. I have a kind heart, after all. However, whether Kinoshita will accept your apology is another story."
He flashed me a wicked grin. I wanted to be free of this.
"If I pay you a million points, you'll act like nothing ever happened.
That's what you said. No other conditions, right?" I asked.
"That was certainly the previous offer. You declined it once, right? If we're going into a second round of negotiations, I have more conditions."
Just how much did Ryuuen-kun intend to torture me?
"How about you get down on your knees and beg? Maybe then my feelings, and Kinoshita's, will change."
"Ryuuen. This is going too far." Chabashira-sensei finally spoke up. "Teachers should stay out of this. It's a problem between students,"
Ryuuen-kun replied. He showed no fear at all. "Well, I won't force you to decide right away," he told me. "The teachers are watching us, too. I'll wait to hear your answer when the sports festival ends. Will you kneel before me and offer a million points, or will you let the school deliberate? Which will you choose?"
He added, "Don't think that this ends with the sports festival, either.
I'm not done with you. Kushida, bring Suzune to me after the festival."
Ryuuen-kun and Kinoshita-san both left. I stood there, at a loss. "Are you okay? Horikita-san?" Kushida-san asked.
"I'm okay. More importantly, how long has it been? Sensei, how much time is left for our lunch break?" I asked.
"You still have about twenty minutes. You haven't eaten yet, right?
You should hurry up," said Chabashira-sensei.
I didn't have the time to sit down and eat now. I had to find Sudou-kun as soon as possible.
"Excuse me."
I left the two of them behind and ran from the nurse's office.
7.2
This was all due to my carelessness. I'd only thought of myself. I hadn't anticipated that Ryuuen-kun would get hold of our participation table with the primary intention of taking me down. I wasn't prepared.
I was miserable. My stride felt heavier than before. "I'm so pathetic."
As I approached the school entrance, I saw two people walk inside. I ordinarily would have ignored them, but these two were different.
"Big brother…" I barely whispered it, my words quickly disappearing into the ether. The school's student council president, my older brother. With him was a girl from the student council, Secretary Tachibana.
Tachibana noticed me, but my brother didn't even glance my way. I was used to that treatment from him. Honestly, I wanted to talk to him, but as a Class D disgrace, I didn't have the right. I cast my eyes downward. My brother wasn't going to stop for me, anyway.
At least, that was what I thought. But then…
"Do you understand Class D's situation right now?" He was speaking to me.
"I'm starting to," I responded.
It was an honest answer. I'd done everything wrong, made every mistake. In every possible way, Class C had outsmarted me.
"Don't worry. I won't bother you, big brother."
I'd do what I had to do. Ryuuen wanted me to kneel before him and offer up a million points. Considering that Chabashira-sensei had witnessed that whole thing, he probably wouldn't change his mind at the eleventh hour. I was all right with that, as long as it meant I wasn't causing trouble for my big brother. But I wanted to have a proper conversation, not something like this. I'd hoped to have that chance during the final relay.
That dream had vanished when I injured my leg. I couldn't expect any sympathy from my brother, and I had nothing left to lose. Besides, there was still one last thing I could do.
"Please excuse me," I said.
I rushed through the entranceway and headed outside. Despite the pain in my leg, I ran everywhere, looking for Sudou-kun. However, it would take more time than I had to scout a campus this large. When only ten minutes
remained, I returned to the field. Maybe Sudou-kun had come back after all. He'd been trying his hardest to take first place out of the entire school. I hoped he still wanted that.
But it was no use. He wasn't on the field. "So, he didn't come back."
Then, he…Ayanokouji-kun…appeared right before me. "You sound like you're out of breath," he said.
"I'm looking for Sudou-kun. He hasn't shown up, has he?" "Nope. Does this mean you want to talk to him?"
"Yes. He's a valuable asset. I accept it, even though I don't like it," I replied.
"And that means?" Ayanokouji-kun seemed to notice how poorly I was doing, but there was no use telling him about Ryuuen-kun. What could he have done, anyway? I wanted to keep that embarrassment between Kushida- san, Chabashira-sensei, and myself.
Our break was nearly over, but no one had seen any sign of Sudou-kun.
Class D was in dire straits already, but in Sudou-kun's absence, our defeat became a certainty.
"Do you have any idea where Sudou might be?" Ayanokouji-kun asked me. "Time is almost up."
"No, I don't. But there're only so many places he can go. If he wants privacy, he probably returned to his dorm room," I replied.
"Is your leg all right?"
"No, but I can run. Are you coming?"
"I'll pass. I'd only end up getting in your way." "I see." I swallowed the pain and started walking.