It is now around 11:00 a.m., and I can faintly hear the sound of cheers coming from outside the closed windows.
It seems that the sports festival has been very exciting.
Not everything went smoothly, but the class still is working hard to win.
We can compete well with other classes and grades.
It was precisely because I was able to make such a judgment that I was able to choose not to participate in the sports festival without hesitation.
Since all the arrangements have been made, I will leave the rest to Director Sakayanagi.
Although I don't necessarily have complete confidence in him, if he were to betray me, it would be practically impossible for me to remain at this school, so it's easier for me to make my own decision.
Now all that remains is to see how the second-year students will battle it out at the sports festival and what kind of results they will achieve.
What about the participation or non-participation of Sakayanagi, did it have a major impact on the outcome of the tournament?
I looked at the front door.
I'm not sure if the strategy to contain her has worked, but if it's ..., it's a little late to see the effect of that strategy.
There are many things to be concerned about, but we will just have to wait and see, including the situation with the sports festival.
It's time to start preparing for lunch. Just when I was beginning to think so, the doorbell rang in my room.
Now, should I welcome this visitor or not?
I would have to answer the doorbell to find out.
"Hello, Ayanokoji-kun."
As I kept my distance from the entranceway, I heard a voice that must have been anticipating my wariness.
I lowered my guard somewhat and put my hand on the front door.
I tried to assume various situations, but the moment they entered the dormitory, it was like we had lost.
The only person on the other side of the door was Sakayanagi in casual clothes, who looked up at me with a smile.
"I was wondering if you wouldn't mind if I came in for a little while? Even though we are only forbidden to leave the dormitory, visiting a man's room during the sports festival is a bit of a problem."
"Coming inside is more of a problem, though."
I was not going to turn Sakayanagi away, but instead welcome her.
"Excuse me for disturbing you."
With slow movements, the physically handicapped Sakayanagi takes off her shoes and walks up to the room.
"I must say, this is the first time you've been in my room."
"I don't usually have the luxury of visiting you. I'm sure you've already had lunch."
"I was just getting ready to prepare lunch actually."
"I see. That's good to hear. Here is a souvenir."
She handed me a small plastic bag.
"I bought it early this morning at the convenience store. It seems to be a new product and I thought I'd like to share it with you."
I looked into the plastic bag from above and saw two small Mont Blancs.
"You'd rather be on the bed than on the floor, wouldn't you? Sit on the bed if you like."
"Thank you for your consideration."
After sitting Sakayanagi down on the bed, I stood in the kitchen, turned on the faucet, and began to pour water into the pot.
"It seems you didn't come here on a moment's notice." Sakayanagi, behind me, laughs a little.
"I don't know who is usually in the dormitories. As the leader of Class A, it would be unthinkable for me to visit Ayanokoji's room by myself."
Anyone would be surprised and suspicious to see Sakayanagi like this.
That's why Sakayanagi usually never contacted me in the dormitories. Until this moment.
"The most important thing to remember is that you can't be too careful with what you put on. I'm sure this is a strategy of Ayanokoji-kun, right?"
" Strategy? What do you mean?"
"No need for small talk. I'm sure that you might have anticipated me coming here today. No, I stand corrected. You were sure about that, weren't you?"
For Sakayanagi, it seems that she saw through my trap without even having to think about it.
"We class A students were at a disadvantage in the starting line for this sports festival because of our small number. We have some promising students such as Kito and Hashimoto, but our averages in terms of physical ability are not as good as Horikita's class. What we need to do in order to win the competition is to manage our schedule down to the second to find out who will be participating in which events and who our rivals will be competing against us in the competition."
The water in the pot began to boil.
I took the jar of coffee powder from the cupboard and prepared the cups and filters.
"If I participate, you never know how things will turn out."
"Your self-esteem is as high as ever."
"The best way to ensure that the other classes can beat class A to keep me out of the gymnasium."
Athletic festivals must be carefully scheduled.
The best way to do this is to have a good understanding of the needs of the
students, and to be able to give them the right advice and direction. She should also be able to coordinate the competition with students from
other grades.
"I was told by your father last night that he had asked Ayanokoji-kun to be absent from the competition. He said that he wanted to have a security guard stationed at the dormitory to prevent him from coming in contact with the guest of honor who will be sent from the White Room."
"I asked Director Sakayanagi to forgo my participation in the athletic festival, but I didn't think he would tell his daughter about it."
"You've got to be kidding me. I'm sure it was youwho instructed him to tell me what you just heard, right?"
Even though she is his own daughter, Director Sakayanagi would never do anything like mixing his private and public affairs.
So I asked him to tell me what was really going on, instead of telling him himself.
I asked him to explain the situation in advance because I didn't want him to get involved in any trouble between me and the white room.
Sakayanagi was willing to participate as the leader of Class A, but it was unlikely that the board chairman would know about it.
Even if he did know, it would be safer to let him know on the day of the festival that it would be okay if she had to take a sudden leave of absence.
I am sure he knew that if it were his daughter, she might get involved. However, there is a part of the story that even Director Sakayanagi has not
fully understood.
That is that Sakayanagi's instincts and curiosity cannot be easily suppressed.
If I am absent, it would not be surprising if she thinks it is a good opportunity to talk with me and be uninterrupted.
In fact, this is how she showed up in my room, which is a dangerous place to go to.
"Did you choose a time before noon to make me nervous?"
"I tried to be a little mean. I wanted to make you think that maybe I was ignoring your strategy and participating in the sports festival instead."
"Is that so."
"By the way, everyone except for me and you will be is attending the sports festival."
With the information network that Sakayanagi has, it seems that someone is confirming who is participating in each class and reporting the details via cell phone before the sports festival.
It seems that she is not slacking on this point either.
"I was a little bit mean-spirited, but I actually planned to visit a little earlier."
Sakayanagi says so. Just then, the pot of water begins to boil and make a gurgling sound.
"I just came down to the lobby to check on the situation outside." Ostensibly on sick leave, I am strictly forbidden to leave my room.
On the other hand, Sakyanagi is also not allowed to leave the dormitory, but she is not absent in the form of sick notice.
Even if she is warned for walking out, it does not violate the reason for her absence.
"So how was the first floor?"
"There were three security guards. They are not only stationed in this dormitory, but throughout the school, so it shouldn't look particularly unnatural."
While the purpose is to protect me, the guards are disguised as government officials.
"The biggest contributor to my defeat is not given to Horikita for her cooperation with Ryuuen-kun, nor to Ryuuen-kun for accepting her offer. I give it to you Ayanokoji-kun who made sure I was absent from the event. I am very proud of you because that was the only way I could decide the winner."
"We don't know how this will end yet, do we?"
"There are certainly upsets possible, but you can't count on them. I am sure that class A is at the mercy of Horikita-san's class, who is fighting head-on, and Ryuuen-kun's class, who is trying everything they can think of. Even if you have excellent arms and legs, you are nothing without a head. That is the class I am building."
The same can be said of Ryuuen, but the problem is that the top management is too powerful.
The fact that the leader solves all problems means, on the other hand, that nothing can be solved in the absence of the leader.
"Well, that's all right. I'll pay you 150 points and enjoy my time with Ayanokoji-kun."
She doesn't seem to be concerned about the damage done to Class A. "You don't seem to mind losing class points, do you?"
"The school system is just a game to me. As long as I can maintain my Class A standing to some extent, I have no problem with it."
I took the Mont Blanc out of the packet, transferred it to a plate, and placed two of them on the table.
Then I poured hot water from a pot into a filter filled with coffee powder.
"You're good at what you do."
"It's no big deal."
"For Ayanokoji-kun, each of these preparations is a new and fun experience, isn't it?"
Sakayanagi must understand that this is something I would never do in the white room.
"It's the same with everything at school, just wanted to do something normal."
Nevertheless, Sakayanagi's earlier words are still bothering me.
"You mentioned that you want to maintain your class A standing. Is that part of your pride?"
I ask about this while placing milk and sugar sticks on the table.
"At first, I didn't have any commitment to Class A at first, but when I found out that Ayankoji-kun was in this school, I changed my mind. When Ayanokoji-kun eventually leads his class and moves up to Class B, we may have a real fight on our hands."
In other words, she was waiting on the throne.
"In the first semester of last year, Class D gave up all of its class points in the beginning. However, at some point, they began to increase their class points and eventually rose to the level of Class B. The reason, of course, was the presence of you, Ayanokoji-kun."
She speaks eloquently and happily, as if she is bragging about herself.
She took a plate from the table and placed the Mont Blanc on her lap.
"Let's eat together, Ayanokoji-kun."
She asked me to sit down next to her, so I sat down on the bed without particularly refusing.
She was so excited that she decided to take a fork and stab and scoop up a piece of Mont Blanc and held it out to me.
"Here you go."
"....What do you mean 'here you go.'"
"Don't you see what I'm holding? Please eat."
"No, I don't think I should do this."
"It'll be fine. It's just me and you right now. No one will get in our way."
I thought there might be something else behind this, but it didn't seem to be the case.
When I put a fork in my mouth, the sweet aroma started to spread. Surprisingly, this was my first time eating Mont Blanc.
"Is it good?"
To be honest, I don't really like the taste.
Personally, I thought that a simple shortcake had a more pleasing taste. However, I don't want to be stingy with a souvenir.
"Ah!"
When I simply told her it was delicious, Sakayanagi smiled lightly. "Then I'll have some too."
She scooped up my portion and put it in her mouth, not caring that it was the same fork she fed me with.
"It's not as good as the ones at the café, but it's a good convenience store sweet."
She nodded her head in satisfaction, and then offered me her fork again.
The first Mont Blanc was easily consumed, as the two of us ate one cake at a time.
"Next time, I will bring you another cake instead." "Eh?"
"I could tell by your reaction was that you didn't think the food was good for your taste."
"I would've responded ... that I didn't like it, but..."
"I'm proud to say that I have great insight, especially when it comes to Ayanokoji-kun."
I had no idea that they could see through what I felt was not good enough.
"I never show any signs of weakness when I am engaged in a serious thought contest, but in my personal life, I can't always hide my feelings."
"Maybe it's because I'm not used to it."
"Fufu, that's one of the things I like about you."
I can't tell if she is serious or joking, and Sakayanagi continues.
"I'd like to have my revenge next time. If I find a delicious cake, I will bring it to you."
"I wish there was a time when I could be sure of getting away from the public eye like this."
It is nearly impossible, regardless of weekdays or holidays, unless people are out of the dormitories.
Or, there is also the possibility of early mornings and late nights, but that would pose a problem as well.
"However, what is strange is the change in the state of mind of Ayanokoji- kun. How is it that you have started aiming for the A level instead of just helping out occasionally in school life, which you were originally doing?"
"I am not God, but I know the circumstances of Ayanokoji-kun, even still I am not able to understand what you're fully thinking. Can you tell me more?"
A genius, driven by a quest for the unknown, wanting answers.
The main reason Sakayanagi is not interested in the A or D classes is that she will not benefit from them after graduation.
As the daughter of the school's director and a gifted student herself, Sakayanagi can reach almost anything.
She does not need to use her A-class privilege to do something, so she does not persist.
This is also true for me, as I know I will be returning to the white room after graduation.
Although we are going in different directions, we know very well that the privilege of Class A does not mean anything us.
"It might be strange."
"It's not because you want to play hardball with a lot of private points like Koenji-kun, is it?"
"He's in a similar position as we are, I'm sure."
He is the type of person who will grab hold of power only through his parents' power and his own talents.
Koenji occasionally contributes to the class on a whim for class points.
"Why are you still aiming for class A despite having no problems to willingly falling into my trap and losing 150 class points?"
There is no future if you risk losing 150 points and gain nothing.
But if I give them a bait, I leave a chance that they will come back with the same strategy again.
"If I give you an answer to your question, I will come back here the next time the same thing happens again."
"Don't say what I was just thinking."
"Fufufu"
"Basically, Sakayanagi, I'm trying to prove in my own way that education in the white room is not this outrageously perfect."
Surprise was not felt by Sakayanagi. It is evident that he had assumed this line of thinking, even if she had no proof.
"Are you saying you are trying to build the most powerful class with your own hands, Ayanokouji-kun?"
I nodded in agreement. Sakayanagi put her index finger on her lip. "It's not like I didn't think of this before but... I have a few doubts." "Of course."
"This Sports Festival. No matter the circumstances, it was entirely possible for you to participate, Ayanokouji-kun. Directly calling the shots on the scenes would've been far more efficient. It's not like you had to worry about my participation, after all."
"I spent this festival with one theme in mind."
"How interesting. What theme was it?"
"Waiting and watching. I decided it would be a great opportunity to see how far the other students could fight without me. That you were also taking rest was a by product."
"It's not like I directly did anything with the sports festival just by visiting you while you were watching. ... I see"
As we were talking, Sakayanagi arrived at the conclusion one step ahead of time.
"You mean───"
Sakayanagi was about to put her answer to words. Before she could, I lightly
pushed her away.
No, it wasn't even like I pushed her away. I held her shoulders lightly and pushed her slightly. With just that, the infirm Sakyanagi fell backwards.
Bofutto, the sound of the mattress mixed with a light sound of metal.
Even Sakayanagi, who considered herself a genius, did not think of this action as a possibility.
Before she could understand what had happened, I looked down on her as if to cover her.
"U, Umm?"
Sakayanagi, who was always calm and collected, couldn't keep up with the situation.
"I have been spending my school life on the basis of my plan. That you would come to visit me today, that you would show interest in my plan and that there was a possibility and a route for you to arrive at the conclusion."
Sakayangi, anxious and stressed from the first time a man had loomed over her, cleared her throat.
"If you told others about this plan now, it would be an obstruction." "You think... I would tell others?"
"It is not impossible. If you threatened me to fight you or else you would reveal it, I would have no choice but to accept."
"I see. Certainly... that's right. But, if I wanted to force you into a challenge like that... couldn't I just reveal the truth about the White Room?"
"No, that would not work. Nobody would understand the existence of such an institution. Further, it wouldn't hurt me at all."
I was raised in the White Room institution.
Most people would just nod their heads when they hear such a story.
There is nothing to be found about it on the Internet.
Sakayanagi's appeal may cause some confusion, but would naturally do nothing.
"But the plan I am trying to execute right now, cannot be revealed to the world at this stage. You can certainly threaten me with revealing it."
I closed the distance with Sakayanagi, casting a dark shadow on her as I came in the way of the ceiling light.
"So I accidentally found out. ... what do you plan to do?"
"A secret is a secret. A threat is a threat. Right now, this dorm is empty save for the two of us. In short, whatever happens, nobody will come to help you. Even if you scream, at most it would reach as far as the corridor."
"No way, are you going to protect that plan, even if it means committing a crime?"
"Crime? You and I are going to agree to share a secret." I took out my phone and opened the camera.
"If you want to reject that, you have to get up and run away with your own strength."
With her disability... no, even if both her legs were fine, she would not have a
way to escape.
How would she respond in this hopeless situation?
"─── Do you think you can win against me?"
"Win?"
"Even if everything here goes as you want it to, will you really have an advantage... that's what I mean."
"I'm sorry, but you have no chance of winning."
"You can catch up with a small difference in experience, and even get ahead, with a way of learning. In fact, I may even find out that you've been learning the wrong way?"
Even when she was trapped, Sakayanagi continued to think as calmly as possible.
She should've been anxious, but I admired how she was able to suppress it.
I threw my phone to the bottom of the bed and slowly moved my hands towards Sakayanagi.
I held her shoulders, and the moved my hands to her collar. Even then, Sakayanagi only averted her gaze.
"Shall we start our special lesson?"
Sakayanagi laughed bravely, and quietly closed her eyes.
1
"You really are a mean person, aren't you?"
"Maybe."
About an hour had passed since Sakayanagi came to my room.
"I'm so excited that I now have a secret I can't tell anyone about between me and Ayanokoji-kun."
"That's a very misleading way of putting it."
"You were the one who made this understanding first weren't you?"
"Indeed."
"But then again, this is the first time I've been on a man's bed."
"I got out in ten seconds, so I guess that counts as a no-count."
I show Sakayanagi the screen of my cell phone while I select and dispose of the necessary items.
I'm not sure if it's because I slid it too far forward, but it shows a picture of me and Kei.
It's a picture of the two of us at Keyaki Mall.
"It seems your relationship with Kei Karuizawa is going well." "Yeah it is."
Sakayanagi looks at the picture of Kei smiling happily and continues.
"Her appearance, voice and personality are what attracted you to her. ... That would be the normal explanation, but there are a few things that don't quite add up."
After that, Sakayanagi looked up at me and her eyes were sharp, as if she was fighting me.
"I've looked into her as much as I could. From how she spends her time after school to how she spends her days off. It's easy to follow Ayanokoji-kun now."
Since the entire third year is watching us, we don't pay attention to every little detail.
It is difficult to distinguish between Sakayanagi's agents and the others.
Even if Hashimoto or someone else had noticed the tail before, it would not be possible to distinguish them.
"The truth of why you chose to go out with her was not entirely clear, but we were able to see some things. Her strong trust and love for you is like a delusion. Is he using her for some kind of experiment, or is he trying to rescue her? We have deduced something along those lines."
I don't recall giving them any extra information.
I don't think she has as much information about Kei as Ryuuen does. I am amazed that they were able to make such a close estimate of the truth.
"I wonder if that's what your special class for me was about?"
"I'm getting tired of saying the word "brilliant," but it's the right word." Unlike Kei, Sakayanagi and I are able to communicate without words. Ding-dong.
A dull, tensionless doorbell suddenly rang in the room.
It was half past noon, and the students were about to finish their meal.
A visitor suddenly appeared in the dormitory where no one was supposed to be left.
Sakayangai and I look at each other, then simultaneously stare at the front door.
There should be three bodyguards waiting in the lobby, but did they force their way in?
No, even if they were to use their great strength to suppress the situation with force, the problem would not be limited to that.
They would've at least try to step in without taking their time to ring the doorbell.
The doorbell rang once more.
It would be strange to ring the chime again, since it is assumed that the student is resting in his room.
Although it is unlikely, it could be someone from the school.
"Who is it?"
"Stay where you are and listen."
The man answered, perhaps recognizing from my voice that I was sitting far from the front door.
A young voice. Not an adult, but near the same age as me. "Your voice sounds familiar."
However, no figure came to mind. It was a voice that sounded like a student, and although I did not recognize it, the voice was familiar to me.
Of course, I have heard a lot of voices in my daily life at school. However, I immediately recognize the owner of this voice.
"You called me once, didn't you?"
When I asked back, the person on the other side of the doorway fell silent for a moment.
"I'm impressed. You remember my voice that you heard only once?"
The fact that it was after my father's visit to the school also made a deep impression on me.
"You didn't tell me what you needed me to do that time."
"It was a good thing that I called, but something inconvenient happened shortly afterwards. I haven't heard from him since. ... I know you're probably wondering, but it doesn't matter who I am. Because I am neither friend nor foe to you."
"Then what are you doing here?"
"You must think that once you get rid of Tsukishiro and the White Room students, peace and quiet will return. I thought you might be under that misconception, so I came here to advise you."
"This sounds like a very enjoyable story. I wonder if I can be a part of it?" "Arisu Sakayanagi, huh?"
The man on the other side of the door shows no sign of being perturbed by Sakayanagi's unexpected response.
Rather, they can instantly tell who you are just by hearing your voice.
Did they narrow down today's absentees, or did they know each other and recognize each other's voices?
"In any case, if you want to stay in school until graduation, be on the lookout."
"You've got a shoulder to lean on, for a person that claims to be a neutral party."
"Your presence is having a negative impact. I'm just trying to prevent more of it."
He replied, his voice trailing off.
The voice answered in a distant tone, apparently not intending to stay long, so it was safe to assume that they had left.
"That voice ... somewhere ...."
"Do you have any idea who the voice is?"
"I can't answer that as clearly as Ayanokoji-kun can, but I somehow remember the voice that came through the door."
"It's not recent. It's an old memory, five or ten years old ... anyway."
"If that's the case, then the chances of them being the White Room student doesn't seem too likely."
It was somewhat understandable why he reacted the way he did when he heard Sakayanagi's voice.
In addition to the lack of surprise, they reacted as if they had met someone they knew.
However, whether it was Amasawa or that man, that's not what I'm concerned about.
As long as there is no harm done to me at this point, I can't do anything about it.
2
The festival ended in an almost ideal manner due to the absence of
Sakayanagi.
The final result was unimaginable in the past year and a half, and the class was excited.
The gap between Horikita and Class A narrowed, and the fact that Horikita's class was able to increase class points through the uninhabited island test, the unanimous special exam, and the sports festival was undeniably a great asset.
A few days later, around the middle of October, the class was in the middle of the month.
The rankings for the gymnastic festival were:
1st Horikita's class 2nd Ryuuen's class 3rd Ichinose's class 4th Sakayanagi's class
Of course, the reason for this was not due to just one person, but to the will and strength of the entire class.
In the individual competitions, Sudo and Onodera won first place respectively.
Koenji also achieved first place in all 10 events, but finished in second place in all individual competitions.
He seemed to do just fine, and there were no problems.
Instead of choosing the class change ticket, Sudo and Onodera chose the Private Point option without hesitation.
Although he was showing signs of instability, he was definitely on the way to becoming a class A student.
Kei had an appointment with a friend, but she decided to stop by Keyaki Mall
before heading home.
As I was heading home alone, I was approached by Horikita.
"I want to talk with you for a while, is that all right?"
"I'd be happy to do it while I'm on my way home."
"That's fine."
Since she went out of her way to call out to me on her way home, she probably didn't have much to say that would be heard by many people.
"I learned a great deal from my last unanimous special exam."
"Shall we hear it?"
The sports festival is over, but there are still problems that are unresolved, and the class has begun to move forward while leaving some uncertainties behind.
"I was not wrong. I was able to recognize once again that I made the right decision in choosing to leave Kushida behind."
In a situation where results are demanded, Kushida contributed by increasing their points at the sports festival.
Although she returned to being a diligent honor student in her daily school life, her social contribution on the OAA was lowered at the beginning of October, it is probably only a matter of time before she regains her level of social contribution previously.
If we are to make an unforgiving comparison, she has contributed far more as a classmate than Airi.
Of course, it's not all advantages.
"I know that there are still some uncertainties. I still don't know what to do about Hasebe-san in particular. But if there is another special exam like this, I
think I will be able to handle it better next time." "And what makes you say that?"
"In that exam, I made an ill-advised promise in order to get unanimous approval. I had said I would expel the traitor and then backed down on that. It was an easy shortcut to unanimity, but I didn't realize the risk involved. I knew that Kushida was the traitor. And I had not yet made up my mind to expel her from the school when I made that decision. That was a mistake."
It was a desperate measure with time running out, but if we had been able to make a unanimous decision at that stage while leaving open the possibility that Airi or someone with similar abilities might be cut off, the aftereffects would not have been as severe as they are now.
What do we give up and what do we take?
"We gained class points, but we also lost a lot of things. That special exam has taught me a lot. I'm seeing both sides of success and failure."
"It's always better not to fail, though."
Horikita closes her eyes, exhales, and then opens them again.
"I'm still in my second year of high school. I'm still a child. It doesn't matter if I fail."
"You've started to open up."
"It;s not like me to brood. I'm going to be myself. I may not be able to do as well as other leaders. But Hirata-kun, Karuizawa-san, Sudo-kun, Onodera- san, Kushida-san and Koenji-kun are there. With their support, we are moving forward. I decided to think that Class A would be waiting for me after that."
"I see."
"Of course, you are one of them. I don't know what you're thinking, and there's a lot of uncooperative stuff going on. ... You are indispensable to the
class and to me."
My existence is similar to that of a bicycle's training wheels.
Even though it's a necessity at first, you will take it off, fall, shake again and again.
Eventually, you are able to ride without difficulty.
The bicycle you start pedaling isn't supported by a single person. You will literally be supported by all your classmates.
After I have witnessed your growth--- I will leave your class.
I won't put it into words now, but one day you, Horikita will know the truth.
And then--- You will understand.
That there will come a time, when the class you thought was invincible, will be met by a reality that you cannot defeat. I will teach you that.
I'm not doing it for anyone else but myself. I-, as long as I win in the end.
Once I decide to become your enemy and defeat you, Horikita, everything will be set in stone.
But, I am leaving because I want to be defeated.
There is this uncertain future that I wish for. It's a contradiction. I have the answer, but I wish for it to be wrong.