[6th October]
[Third Person Pov]
"Kurushima-kun, you were really great! You're definitely on the level of a Top-Athlete." Hirata said, complementing him.
"I wouldn't go that far, Hirata... haha..." Kurushima, painfully laughed it off.
"Anyway, where is Horikita-san? I don't see her at all."
"She's searching for Sudo-kun, I believe." Hirata replied.
"Ah, I see. So he's still not back, huh? We certainly need him, if we want to win. But we should think of getting substitutes for him, if he doesn't participate."
"You're right..." Hirata said, looking depressed on the ground.
"I already participate in every Recommended Only Competition, so I can't be his substitute. As for you, Hirata, the only competition you could participate in his stead is the Scavenger Hunt."
He gave a small nod. "Yes, that's true. If those two can't participate, it'll mean that we have to cover the Recommended Only Competitions in which they're participating."
Kurushima nods. "I'll also go helping with the search for Sudo."
Hirata seemed to think a bit, but ultimately he shook his head.
"Kurushima-kun, how about you trust Horikita-san a bit? You should rather let the nurse see your injuries and then eat lunch. We only have fifty Minutes, and you'll be our last Trump card if Sudo doesn't appear. Sending you into the competitions exhausted, is a terrible idea."
"The nurse, huh? I guess, I should let myself at least get bandaged a bit."
"Please do that. I speak for everyone; if I say that, you shouldn't overexert yourself. Your health has priority."
People in the class agreed with Hirata, and he relentlessly agreed to his proposal.
"Okay, I'll do so."
While walking to the infirmary, he saw Horikita midway along his way, looking frustrated and clenching her hands.
"Is something wrong, Horikita-san?"
"No, it's nothing. Do you perhaps know where Sudo could be, Kurushima-kun?"
"Hm, I think either in the dorms or in the Sports Hall. I know that he calms himself down, by playing basketball, so he might be there."
She gave a small nod. "Thank you, Kurushima-kun. Also, where are you heading?"
"To the infirmary. I have to treat my injuries."
"Injuries?"
"I guess, you weren't there, when I showed them."
He lifted his shirt up, showing the stains and bruises he had.
She was startled for a second, until she realized he was showing it to her.
"So many bruises and stains..." Ironically, she had the same reply as Yukimura.
"It's nothing much, but Hirata and the other's insisted that I should visit the infirmary for the treatment of my injuries."
He felt a slight uncomfortable feeling in his right ribs, and held his right hand against it. "Is everything, okay, Kurushima-kun?"
"Don't worry, I'm fine. I'm just a bit exhausted from the prior race."
She nods. "I'll be searching Sudo, then. Good luck for the later competitions, Kurushima-kun."
"Thank you. And I wish you good luck with your search for Sudo."
Both of them moved in opposite directions. Kurushima towards the infirmary, Horikita towards the Gym Hall, then afterward, to the Dorms.
After five minutes of walking, Kurushima arrived at the infirmary.
"Kurushima, what are you doing here? Did Horikita send you here? Or are you checking for Hiyori?" Ryūen, who was outside the infirmary, asked him.
"That too, but I am injured, so I want to get bandaged by the nurse."
"Hahaha, so she did effectively injure you, didn't she? That little girl."
"Seems like to be the case."
Surprisingly, Ryūen didn't move away. He seemed to wait until Kurushima was finished, to converse further with him.
Heading into the infirmary, he saw Hiyori lying on a bed.
"How do you feel, Hiyori? Do you need anything?"
She shakes her head. "I feel a bit better, Kaoru. It hurts a bit when moving, but aside from that, everything is fine. But I probably can hardly go to the library with a injured ankle," she muttered under her breath.
"For that, you have me, Hiyori. I can give you the books you'd like to have."
She gives me a small nod. "We can read together, in my room then, can't we?"
"Sure, we can do that. And I'll make sure to cook you something very good."
The nurse suddenly looked at Kurushima. "Ahahaha, sorry...."
Painfully laughing, he approached the nurse, who was at the opposite end of where Hiyori's bed was, waiting for him.
Hiyori was slightly giggling.
"What appears to be the problem?" she asked.
"I got a couple of bruises and stains here. Could you please bandage it?"
Lifting his shirt up, he showed it to her. "Of course."
She took the First-Aid Kit, while Kurushima was looking at Hiyori.
"Could you please take your shirt off?" she asked.
"Ah, yes, of course."
He thought he would be bandaging myself, but it didn't seem like that.
Awkwardly, he stood there, while the nurse was bandaging me.
"Mmh," Kurushima winced in pain.
The nurse looked at him, angrily. "Did you keep quiet about something? You should tell me about your condition, truthfully."
She continued. "Do you feel pain when I touch here?"
"Yes," he nodded, already knowing his condition.
"It's more serious than I thought. You might have a rip fracture."
Hiyori, who was looking until a couple of moments happily, had a change of expression. It seemed like she wasn't the only one who was injured among the two. Both of them were injured, and he was definitely worse injured.
Yet he was constantly participating, while she wasn't at all.
The nurse continued to check whether her hypothesis was true, touching his ribs at the precise locations. "You only feel pain around the upper area of the right ribs. Everything else feels fine, right?"
She asks him, and he nods. He didn't try to keep quiet about his condition.
"Yes, it's just there."
"Good to know. Unfortunately, I have bad news, for you, too. I believe you might have gotten a rip fracture. You should immediately let the doctor check it out."
"Once you're there, the doctor will prescribe you painkillers after looking at your condition. I'm not allowed to hand them over, so you have to withstand that pain, for at least half an hour."
"Also, it should be clear, but you're not allowed to participate anymore in the Sports Festival. The fact that you were participating, until now, is quite a miracle in itself. Under any circumstances, do not participate further."
"Yes, don't worry..."
"Also, I'll be removing the bandage now. It's not recommended to have you bandaged, when you have a rib fracture."
The nurse continued. "Try to breathe slowly. You should surely have trouble on breathing properly, don't you?"
Kurushima nods. "Kind of."
"Make sure to breathe steadily and slowly. Once you arrive at the doctor, he'll tell you more information."
He nods, as the nurse moves away.
Hiyori, who had listened, spoke up. "Kaoru, I didn't know it was so bad."
"It's nothing serious. Don't worry, Hiyori."
"Nothing serious? You have a rip fracture! That's not something to joke with. It's a serious injury. You shouldn't take broken ribs as a joke."
"I'm not. Besides, it's not entirely sure whether it is a rip fracture."
Since they didn't have a CPR, they couldn't control here whether it was a rip fracture or not. For that, he had to move to the doctor, who had that equipment.
"That's true. But nonetheless..."
"Don't worry, I'll head out to the doctor."
'Just not yet. While the loss for the Red Team would be ideal, as both Sakayanagi and Kanzaki lose, it doesn't mean I want that. I want to bury Sakayanagi to the ground, so I'm ideally seeking Team Red's win.'
'But if it doesn't work, I guess, it won't be so bad, as currently Ryuen is first place among the first-year. If they win, Ichinose's class will lose 100 Class Points, Sakayanagi 100, and our class, despite being third, would lose 150 Class Points.'
'Among the classes, only Ryūen would win. And if they do, they'll be in Class A. Of course, Sakayanagi has to at least get 2nd place to gain no losses, but they're unable to defeat Ichinose's class. As for our class, if I don't participate anymore, we will likely be in 4th Place, thus losing 200 Class Points.'
Kurushima normally would have listened to his girlfriend's advice, but today, he wouldn't be doing that.
'Hiyori, I'm sorry, but I'll have to make sure that Sakayanagi's Class stays under any circumstances at the 4th Place. Currently, we're at the 4th, slightly below her. If I were to withdraw, my class would undeniably lose.' Kurushima thought.
"Thank you," she exclaimed.
"Well then, I'll be going then, Hiyori."
"Yeah, please do that. Until later, Kaoru."
Leaving the infirmary, he saw Ryūen.
"You waited for me? What a surprise!"
"Let's talk, Kurushima."
"Sure, let's do it on our way."
Walking a bit further from the infirmary away, Ryūen spoke up.
"Are you not curious what I wanted from Suzune?"
"Horikita?"
"Don't act stupid. You already realized it, didn't you?"
Kurushima gave a nod. "I have a couple of suspicions. But if she decides not to tell me anything, she's able to handle it. And if she does need help, she can ask me."
"You certainly seem to have trust in her. Why?"
"There is no apparent reason. I trust her, as someone who has the best interest for her class. She knows what she's doing. Don't you trust your classmates, too?"
"A selected few."
"But that isn't the reason why you wanted to talk with me, isn't that so?"
"That's right. You know who the mastermind behind your classes' victory in the Island Exam is, right, Kurushima?"
"I have someone in mind."
"Hahaha, as I thought. But you aren't doing anything against them. Why?"
"As long as they don't do anything detrimental for the class, I have no reason to do something against them."
"And if they do?"
"Then, I might have to think what to do against them. Are you satisfied with the answer now, Ryuen?"
"Not precisely. But I'll accept that for now."
Ryuen walked away, while Kurushima was heading back, to eat his lunch.
"Kurushima-kun, what did the nurse say?"
"That's nothing serious. I got myself bandaged, though."
"I'm glad."
For the remaining time of their break, they were either eating, or conversing. As for the possibility of a traitor, Kurushima answered that he had no clue who it could be.
It was a satisfying answer to Ayanokoji, since he didn't know whether Kurushima had seen Kushida make a picture of the lists or not.
Everyone was focused on different things at that time, so he naturally can't be sure.
As for Kurushima, why would he reveal Kushida as the traitor? After all, he can entirely control Kushida if he wants, so she had quite the value. That was his reasoning for protecting her.
Then, within no time, the next competition was about to begin.
"Sudo-kun isn't back yet." Hirata murmured.
"Then we'll have to choose one substitution." Kurushima said.
"That's true. We should choose either Ike-kun or Yamauchi-kun. It would be the better choice to choose one of them, since they could gain Extra Marks in the next exam. But, seeing our situation..."
"Yes, we're in quite the difficult spot. But the Scavenger Hunt isn't that dependent on athleticism, but rather on luck. Besides, I'm the final runner, Hirata. I'll make sure to even out our position, if we're a bit late. That's why I was chosen to participate, despite our agreement to let the academic weaker students to partake, so we have a chance of getting the 1st Place, nonetheless."
"You're right, Kurushima-kun. I'm worrying too much...."
Yukimura joined the conversation.
"However, looking at the score, it's really dire for us to win here. If we win this, we'll be in the 3rd Place and Class B becomes the 4th Place. We can't let the distance between us grow further."
"That's also true," Kurushima exclaimed, agreeing with Yukimura.
Meanwhile, Ike and Yamauchi were fire and flame. If one of them were to get 1st Place, it meant 3 extra marks for the next exam.
"Haruki, are you ready?"
"I'm always ready."
"Don't try on acting cool. These three Extra Marks are mine!"
"No, they're mine!"
"Rock-Paper-Scissor!" These two shouted simultaneously.
"Impossible.... I lost!"
Yamauchi said, falling with his knees on the ground.
"Haha, Haruki, I won! Look from afar how I'm getting the 1st Place."
"Well then, Ike-kun will be Sudo's substitution then," Kurushima exclaimed, informing the class who didn't listen to their idiotic contest who won.
"Ayanokoji, are you ready? We'll win this thing." Ike said enthusiastically.
"Ah... uhm... sure," he responded.
In fact, however, they did not win.
Ayanokoji, in a kind of sense, was one of the reasons the class was placed so low in the end, as the 3rd Place in the scavenger hunt.
Kurushima could just barely overtake the 3rd Place, since it was for the final runner at the end, a race of 500 Meters. Luckily, the Class he overtook was Class B. But the other two classes were by long in the finish line.
"Good work, Kurushima-kun." Hirata complimented."
"Haah..." He felt that it became a bit painful to breathe.
He held his left hand against his right ribs.
"Is everything okay, Kurushima?"
"I'm simply just exhausted."
'It's quite uncomfortable, truthfully. I guess, I do have a rib fracture. I was thinking that it might be just a couple of bruised ribs, but that doesn't seem to be the case.' he thought.
It also happens to be the first time he has had a rib fracture. Despite training so much in the past, that kind of injury never occurred to him, so he couldn't accurately assess his condition.
Of course, the pain was nothing great, but it did reduce his running capabilities a bit, as he felt pain, when he moved.
It's not because of him, but rather because of the structure of the human body, that was leading him to become slower.
'In situations with injuries like these, the brain receives signals from pain receptors, known as nociceptors, located in the injured area. These signals are transmitted through the nervous system to the brain, where they are interpreted as pain. In response, the brain initiates a series of protective measures to prevent further injury and promote healing.'
'As a result, it modulates muscle activation and joint movements to avoid putting unnecessary strain on the injured area. This modification is not a disruption of muscle memory per se but rather a real-time adjustment influenced by the brain's perception of potential harm.'
'My brain signaled changes in my gait and posture to minimize discomfort and reduce the risk of exacerbating the injury. This conscious adjustment, guided by the brain's protective mechanisms, can lead to a deviation from the usual automaticity of well-trained muscle memory.'
'In other words, not my fault.' Kurushima thought, explaining the reason for his slower pace, despite going fairly almost all-out.
Meanwhile, at the same time, Ayanokoji was getting confronted.
"Ayanokoji, what the hell?!" Ike shouted.
"What things were written for you to have to change it four times?"
Confronted by the situation, seeing how everyone was staring at him, he answered. "Bring 10 Friends...." he murmured.
Ike patted his shoulder.
"And?" Someone else however questioned Ayanokoji's shoulder.
"The person you love..."
This time, Yamauchi patted his shoulder.
"And?"
"A table clock..."
No one patted his shoulder anymore.
'Why am I even questioned? I was simply unlucky to draw it.' Ayanokoji thought.
"The fourth one worked in the end, though..." he responded.
"Ayanokoji-kun, don't worry. We'll just have to win the next competition."
"Thanks, Kurushima."
"No worries."
After a couple of minutes later, Kurushima paid for both Sudo and Horikita, who did not appear. By now, the amount they have lost is 300,000 Private Points. If they don't appear in the next competition, it'll be 500,000.
Since Horikita in general could not participate, they'd just lose 400,000 Private Points, if Sudo were to appear.
"Koenji, you'll participate, won't you?"
"Certainly. I'm an individual who upholds my word, after all."
After a bit of waiting, the four-way Tug of War began.
"With Koenji here, we should have it a bit easier."
"Let's win this!"
An enthusiastic response came from everyone.
"One... Two... Three... Pull... One... Two… Three... Pull... One... Pull..."
It seemed like the tactic worked.
Confusing the opponent by making them believe they'd pull it at a constant pace, they were able to slightly get a hold of them.
In the end, they did win. Koenji, for one, was a great help. However, since it was a four-way Tug of War, Class D, Ichinose's Class, was a great help, too.
"500 Team Points. Hooray." Ike celebrated.
"With that, our deal is upheld, Kurushima-boy. I'll be going back into my room."
"You were a great help."
"Hahaha, beautiful. I'm simply beautiful."
Laughing further, Koenji walked away.
Just when they arrived at the Tent, Chabashira was there, waiting for them. She looked slightly angry.
"Sensei, what's wrong?" Hirata asked for elaboration.
"I'm just a bit angry, at one student."
Gulping his throat, Kurushima tried to play it off. Perhaps, she wasn't going to talk about him, but rather about Sudo?
"Kurushima, I just got a call from the school nurse."
'Ah... Shit... That isn't good,' he thought.
"I can't believe that you're still participating in such a state."
"Sensei, is something wrong with Kurushima?" Hirata asked.
"So he did not tell you anything about his condition, did he? Haah... what a troublesome student."
"Kurushima Kaoru has a rib fracture and was told by the nurse not to participate under any circumstances. Yet, he does. And if I didn't get the call, he'd probably participate in the following two competitions, too."
"Hahaha..."
Painfully laughing, he tried to play it off.
But it didn't work.
"Kurushima, you will accompany me to the doctor. As for the rest of you, good luck. You will have to find someone who takes his place in the next two competition's."
With that, Kurushima got taken out of the game.
--
"A rib fracture?! And he was still running as the final runner the 500-Meter Dash in the Scavenger Hunt?"
Normally, everyone was just having a distance of 150 Meter to run, but the final runner had to run more than thrice that distance. Certainly, it was quite the burden. The placement of an athletic student as the final runner was very logical.
If it wasn't for Class A's weak academic performance, Hirata Yosuke would have participated in this race, too. But as the majority of the students were academically weak, the priority was to let them participate.
Sudo, was also one of the weaker academically students, which is why he was able to participate in this competition. It was one of those, where everyone had an equal chance, of getting Extra Marks, as it relies on luck.
But because of Ayanokoji being so late, they all placed last, and in total, only were in the 3rd Place, with hard efforts, of an injured Kurushima.
You could say, that his reputation and popularity skyrocket in the class, once again, even among student's that did not know him good, like Akito Miyake, Haruka Hasebe, or Sakura Airi.
As for Ayanokoji, he was quite surprised, that Kurushima was so pain resilient.
He knew how uncomfortable a broken rib was, since it did affect how he sleeps, breathes, walks, fights, runs, so it was generally a kind of injury he liked to prevent. Of course, there wasn't any confirmation of it being a broken rip, since the school infirmary has no CPR, which also means, they cannot diagnose it, without a doctor.
'But Kurushima Kaoru, he's certainly someone very special.' Ayanokoji thought.
A bit later, he recommended himself for partaking as the last runner in the 100 Meter Dash, and partaking in Sudo's step with Kushida, at the three-legged race. As for Kurushima, there was someone else who took his position.
All in all, it was 500,000 additional Private Points they had to pay. If Sudo were not to appear at the 1200 Meter Joint Relay, it'd be 900,000, in total.
In short, just for substitutions alone, they paid nearly an amount of 1,000,000 Private Points, for just four competitions.
For Kurushima it was 200,000 Private Points, Horikita, 300,000, and for Sudo, also 300,000 Private Points, as of now. If he were not to appear, it'd be 400,000.
--
After the three-legged race was over, Nagumo Miyabi approached Horikita Manabu, who was preparing himself for the last competition.
"Apparently, neither of us will be victorious in this Sports Festival, Horikita-senpai."
Even if they were to win, they wouldn't able to catch up to Team White.
This competition gave for the 1st Place, 150 Points, 2nd Place 90, and so the list goes on, with each Class getting less. They had a difference of 280 Points, so even if they were to place 1st and 2nd, it still meant a deduction of Points.
The Class 3-D, was the only class without a number of 1.000 Points, which is why Team Red was hold back, by having higher Points.
"It's just a deduction of 50 Class Points, isn't it? I don't think it'll give you that much of an head break, Nagumo."
"Hahaha, fair enough. 50 Class Points are truly nothing. But don't you think this Sports Festival shows exactly where your ideology is completely wrong?"
"How so?"
"Let's take Kurushima as an example."
"Despite his clear superior ability, his class is holding him back, and in the end, because of them, he'll get a deduction of either 150 or 200 Class Points. In a class, where his abilities aren't being dragged down, don't you think he could achieve much more and have a growth as a person."
"Talented people like him, should have the possibility of not being dragged down by their entire class. Wouldn't you agree with me, Horikita-senpai?"
"The other people in his class are doing nothing, yet reap the benefits of what he does. Your little sister, included. Your system, that hinders to empower the growth of talented people, and give them the chance they deserve is what I want to change within this school."
"How far do they want to rely under one single leader, who has to endure all their responsibilities and failures until you're satisfied. Your collective ideology, where students are dependent on those with capabilities is what's wrong."
"I happen to think otherwise, Nagumo. If you're in the same class...."
"You share the same burden. I heard that saying more than enough, already, Horikita-senpai. I still remember, in the 1st Year, that you were trying on teaching me that ideology, constantly."
"I simply just don't happen to agree with you. Not now, nor in the past. As for your plan, I don't think you have enough Power of making Kurushima the Student Council President."
"Soon enough, you'll see."
The election for the next Student Council President happened to be a few days after the Sports Festival, a Friday, which was the October 10th.
It was 10 Days before his birthday, but he never really celebrated it anymore. His own birthday was a painful reminder for him, so Kurushima had stopped on celebrating it.
"Yes, we'll see."
Both Nagumo and Manabu had different thoughts. Since almost everyone happened to be a Third-Year in the Student Council, the only two who could participate were Nagumo and Kurushima.
Manabu had observed his progress the whole time, and was making sure he could become the duties of the President justly, as he had let Tachibana prepare the upcoming duties of the President to Kurushima.
While he hoped his little sister could one day take this seat, he wasn't going to deny a person who was suited for it, even for her.
--
"So this is the final event.....even for this one we'll have to prepare a substitute---". "Hah, hah. Sorry, kept you waiting! What's going on?".
A breathless Sudo came back, with Horikita arriving soon after.
"Sudo-kun, you came back".
".....sorry, it took me some time to take a dump".
He had a bright and cheerful look on his face. However, quite a lot of students turned to look at Sudo coldly. Sudo took their stares head-on.
"Sorry. All because I snapped, I ended up hitting Hirata and caused morale to plummet. It's also my fault that Class D is in such dire straits".
Before anyone could blame him, Sudo said that and gave a deep bow.
If Sudo had been the way he was just a while ago, he wouldn't have done such a thing even as an act. Hirata, after a brief moment of surprise, laughed happily.
"Where's Kurushima? I'd like to apologize to him, personally..."
He looked down. After he run of, he must have held the class together, and bare the whole burden of the class, by himself. He asked him to be the leader during the Sports Festival, and he had agreed, because he trusted him.
Sudo wanted to benefit the class once, too, but looking at it now, he'd never surpass Kurushima, not even in Sports, where he thought he was the best.
"....Chabashira-sensei said, he had a rib fracture, so he got taken out....."
"When did that happen?" Horikita asked.
"....Twenty minutes ago. He seemed to have a rip fracture quite long, but he hide it, from both Sensei and us. He told us, everything was fine, and the injuries were nothing, but just bruises and stains.... I wonder.... when that happened? How long had Kurushima pain, and was hiding it from us?" Hirata looked down on the ground, slightly depressed.
Sudo remember suddenly something.
Once they scored, he saw Kurushima, panting heavily.
"Bro, is everything fine?" Sudo asked.
"Yeah, I'm just slightly exhausted," Kurushima said, holding with his left hand his right ribs.
Realizing what truly happened to be the case, he spoke up. "..... It must have happened at the Pole Dappling. At that time, he was holding his left hand against his right ribs...."
"That was more than five hours ago!" Someone shouted.
".... Impossible. When I saw him, Kurushima-kun looked perfectly fine. Did he hide the pain in his ribs so long?"
"With Painkillers, it might be possible..." Hirata exclaimed, seeing how far he was going, for the sake of his class.
Horikita shakes her head. "You can't get painkiller's from the school nurse.... Only the doctor prescribes them. I can't believe that he still achieved afterward, several competitions as the 1st Place. Especially, the 200-Meter Dash..."
Horikita knew how fast he ran. Despite the pain, he still achieved such a time, and was able to get Koenji help the class.
As someone who practiced Martial Arts, there was one time a situation where she had a rib fracture, so she knew how much it hurts, and how much it restricts your movements. She couldn't properly move, let alone run.
How was someone able to endure this for so long, and still keep topping the competitions. It was unknown to her, but she realized, the Gap she thought there was between them, had just grown multiple times more.
Ayanokoji and Kurushima, no matter what she does, they don't seem to be reachable to her. Is that the difference between her and them?
".... He's truly unbelievable....." Horikita murmured.
"I agree...." Hirata exclaimed, agreeing with her.
He was under the impression he took Painkiller's, to hide his pain, but the fact that he didn't, and did it through sheer willpower alone amazes him completely.
Although, there was pain, it wasn't strong enough to shake him off. In comparison to his emotional pain throughout these years, this was a matter of child's work.
Besides, the more pain he feels, the more is his hatred running through his body. Hatred was a source that empowered him. Without it, he never would have been able to reach this much.
For him, it was both a curse and a blessing.
That was all there was to it.
--
Once the Sports Festival ended, the school sent E-Mails to the respective classes, as for what their new Class Ranking is.
[Subject: Sports Festival]
[Team Red: 9.351 Points (-100 CP)]
[Team White: 9.520 (+0 CP)]
[Ranking:]
[Class 1-A: 3rd Place, 1.488 Points]
[Class 1-B: 4th Place, 1.408 Points]
[Class 1-C: 1st Place, 1.711 Points]
[Class 1-D: 2nd Place, 1.592 Points]
---
[Class 1-A: 1.027 (-150 CP)] - Kurushima
[Class 1-B: 924 (-100 CP)] - Sakayanagi
[Class 1-C: 872 (+50 CP)] - Ryūen
[Class 1-D: 645 (-100 CP)] - Ichinose
--
[New Ranking:]
[This Ranking will be applied at November 1st:]
[Class A: 922] - Ryūen
[Class B: 877] - Kurushima
[Class C: 824] - Sakayanagi
[Class D: 545] - Ichinose
--
[MVP: Shibata Sou]
--
[Overall Ranking:]
[Class 2-A: 1st Place, 1.936 Points (-50 CP)]
[Class 3-A: 2nd Place, 1.904 Points (-50 CP)]
[Class 3-B: 3rd Place, 1.812 Points (-0 CP)]
[Class 1-C: 4th Place, 1.711 Points (+50 CP)]
[Class 2-B: 5th Place, 1.651 Points (-0 CP)]
[Class 2-D: 6th Place, 1.632 Points (-150 CP)]
[Class 1-D: 7th Place, 1.612 Points (-100 CP)]
[Class 3-C: 8th Place, 1.552 Points (-50 CP)]
[Class 1-A: 9th Place, 1.488 Points (-150 CP)]
[Class: 1-B: 10th Place, 1.408 Points (-100 CP)]
[Class 2-C: 11th Place, 1.386 Points (-100 CP)]
[Class 3-D: 12th Place, 779 Points, (-200 CP)]
--
[1 Hour Later, After the Sports Festival]
[Ryūen Pov]
Looking at the phone and reading the Email, I couldn't help but laugh.
"Hahahaha, Class A, huh? I didn't expect it to be this easy. Well, Kikyo, thanks to you, my class is in A, now."
"Congratulations, Ryūen-kun. That's great, isn't it?"
"You can stop your friendly act. I already know your true personality, Kikyo."
"That's so mean. Really mean, Ryūen-kun. But..."
"Now that I helped you get into Class A, you'll have to make sure to help me expel Horikita." She exclaimed, suddenly changing her voice.
"Haha, fine, whatever."
"Kikyo, you sure you want to help me in the next Special Exam? Don't you think Kurushima will notice anything?"
"Notice what? That I am a spy? If it ever comes to this case, I'll simply state that you're blackmailing me into helping you. I'm not stupid, after all. I know, already, that he's one of the few people I shouldn't mess with."
"Smart girl. But who are the other people?"
"Manabu Horikita, Nagumo Miyabi, and... no, never mind."
"You seem to have your own problems here, too? But, well, I don't care."
"Hehe, Ryūen-kun, now that you're in Class A, you'll be targeted by everyone. Is it fine with you?"
"Haha, I'm good. Even if we lose and go one or two classes lower, my leadership around the Class is completely solidified now. There's no one who would... betray me, certainly, nor object me."
"As long as the Tyrant delivers results, no one will object to you, for sure."
"Hahaha, that's right. Nobody wants a Tyrant, if he can't do any shit. But if he does, it certainly is a different matter."
"Spoken like a true Tyrant." Kushida giggled.
"I heard Kurushima got injured. What does he have?"
"Apparently, a rib fracture. Or that's at least what Sensei told us."
"That crazy bastard! He was acting like everything was fine, but in fact, it wasn't."
"You saw him?"
"I saw him entering the Infirmary."
"You didn't tell him anything, did you?" She got slightly startled.
"Kikyo, I'm not stupid. But he did realize that there's a traitor, so you have to be careful around him."
"You don't have to tell me."
A couple of minutes later, Horikita appeared, and these two had an interesting talk.
--
As both Kikyo and I left, leaving Suzune behind, with the realization X anticipated everything, I looked into my phone, once again.
[Emails:]
[Inbox:]
[X: No Subject; Audio File]
[Ichizaki Daichi: Class A!]
[Shiina Hiyori: Class Results]
[Albert Yamada: Class A, Boss!]
[Ibuki Mio: Tch....]
I scrolled a bit further, until I reached the last Email Y sent me during the Cruise Ship.
Y has been really quiet lately.
He helped me once, at the Island Exam, by pointing out that you can change the leader, which also made my Zero-Point Strategy completely perfect.
The Bonus Points were only added in the end, so you could have claimed spots the whole time, claiming Bonus Points, but nothing would happen if you retired. By changing the leader, no one would be able to pinpoint you afterward, as the leader of the Class.
Even X couldn't, as one could simply switch, and then, switch once again.
The paper I left there, was to observe who would take it, as I had instructed Shiina, Albert, and Ichizaki to look out for it, by looking at our camp location with the Telescope in the Cruise Ship.
It was Hiyori's suggestion, actually. If Y was speaking in fact the truth, why not trap X and observe if he sees the paper in the Island Exam. It was a good-plan, since I'd have figured his identity out...
But that damned Ship was rotating around the Island, so they couldn't observe the beach and see who took the paper, and figure out X's identity, in case, Y, who left me hints, was speaking the truth, that there was a Mastermind.
That was the only reason we left it there, in the first place. If I had known that beforehand, I wouldn't have left the paper there.
But in the end, it confirmed to me that the Mastermind is in Class D, because Kurushima could not be the leader, as he forcefully had to retire on Day 5.
Suzune was still the leader, when Ibuki brought her keycard, one day later, but it changed, to the name of X, who had Suzune retire.
If it wasn't for Y, I wouldn't have noticed the rule of changing one's leader and lost.
Hahaha, that crazy bastard.
He's making me fight X, so he doesn't have to do it.
He left me a stupid email where he confirmed being Y, since only Hiyori, Kaneda, Ibuki, Ichizaki, and Albert knew about the phrases.
Nobody else does, even to this day.
But I could tell from the tone he was using that he thinks of himself as invincible. Hahaha, what an amusing bastard!
But unlike X, he hasn't contacted me. He intends to keep quiet, probably.
It should be someone from Ichinose's class....
Right now, that's the issue of identifying him.
Everyone looks fucking boring in that class...
No, not everyone.
There's Kanzaki...
If someone has both the intellectual capabilities and physical capabilities of being Y in Ichinose's Class, it'd be Kanzaki, certainly.
He's the one who suggested me the deal in the Zodiac Exam, too.
If he is, then he made himself stand out, so I don't suspect anything.
Perhaps, X uses the same tactic, too?
By being someone who stands out, he might try to fool me.
Hahaha... How amusing.
I'll crush you, two.
--
A/N: And this concludes the chapter.
Here's a bit of retconning why they left the paper on the Island. While Ryūen certainly wanted to see whether there's truly a Mastermind, he also wanted to confirm who it was, in case that there is, someone.
They simply didn't know that the Cruise Ship is moving, while it's in the ocean, so they couldn't take the Telescope to their advantage of observing their camp spot.
Also, Kurushima intentionally wants Ryūen and Ayanokoji believe Y is Kanzaki, since with a high probability these two do think it's someone from Ichinose's class. Indirectly, he's making his move, letting these two deal with him, as well as sabotaging the Sports Festival slightly, by expelling someone, in September and not October, as he demoted them back to Class D, suddenly.
The rankings are applied at the 1st of Each Month, so if he had done that in October, with expelling that person, they wouldn't be in their Team regardless.
He wants to crush both Sakayanagi and Kanzaki, while he doesn't care about his class ranking, quite honestly. Having both Ayanokoji and Ryūen deal with him too, aids him enormously.
In short, he was open for both outcomes, but these two aid him. Sakayanagi and Kanzaki are in Class C and D, and he'll target them even further.
As for Ryūen, unlike the Novels, he has benefited his class enormously. He has not lost once yet, in the Exams.
Although it's only through the help of Kurushima, because both for the Sports Festival and the Island Exam were in fact manipulated by him, behind the scenes.
Class 3-D didn't really participate, which was in the end, the reason Team Red lost, unlike the Novels.
Also, I decided on rewriting the Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7 from Volume 1, so it's quite different now.
If you could, please leave me a comment there of what you think about them now? I'll rewrite a couple of chapters perhaps too, but that's it, for now.
The next Chapter could be perhaps Kurushima's SS, I guess.
Technically, I want them always in the end of the Volume, but it's perfect, right now, after the Sports Festival.