Chapter 55 - Chapter 5.10 - Outsider

I leaned against the railing of the ship's upper deck. The ocean breeze ruffled my hair as I stared out into the dark horizon."This deck's more deserted than I expected,"Suddenly, Horikita said while approaching. This meeting place was isolated and away from the other students. Unlike in the original, she seemed to be taking the secrecy route this time."You picked the location," I responded.Horikita didn't respond. She crossed her arms and silently walked to stand beside me... "What are your expectations for the results?""You tell me." I tilted my head slightly. "You seem very confident.""I am," she replied. "Dragon group handled the exam perfectly. Kushida-san played her part, Hirata-kun handled the environment, and I made sure there were no leaks. Ryuen-kun or the others shouldn't have anything to work with.""Bold claim." I remarked."I trust my group."I glanced sideways before looking back at the water. "...Fair enough."Horikita's eyes slightly twitched at that response."What? Am I not catching something I should?"The obvious thing... Yes."What do you make of those three emails sent that we received moments before the submission period?" I clarified."Three emails?" Her composure faltered for a second."Exactly a minute before the deadline... Three retirement emails." I held out three fingers in front of her face. "Horse, Rooster, Pig."Horikita went silent for a minute, trying to see the pattern of the group names before realizing, "Those are... Class A's groups.""Yes," I nodded."They must've lost a significant number of points." Horikita tightened the grip on her skirt. "Even so, that doesn't mean it was Ryuen-kun. It's reckless to assume—""...Hm?"Well, I didn't even interrupt her. I just faintly curved my eyebrow. That must have given her enough hints; enough that she stopped mid-sentence."You think Ryuen-kun planned this?" she narrowed her eyes."That guy probably doesn't leave things to chance." I said. "...If those emails went out, exactly a minute before the safe zone, then that only means one thing."That he was purposefully taunting us.Horikita's lips thinned into a line, but she didn't reply. And exactly at that moment...Bling!Before she could gather her thoughts, a sharp ping notification rang from all the smartphones throughout the ship. The ping that'd ring even if the phone was muted. A school announcement.Horikita instinctively reached for her phone. I didn't bother retrieving mine. Instead, I leaned slightly toward her to catch a glimpse of the screen.The subject of the email was: "Results"Her fingers dragged across the screen as she opened the email through the notification panel. She speed-read the entire email. As soon as she was done, her eyes widened."H-how could this be...?" she muttered.I studied her expression closely. It rapidly shifted from confusion to disbelief, and finally to something close to frustration. Feeling intrigued, I also dragged my gaze towards the screen, even though I already knew what the likely result of this exam was.Let me simplify the results of the First Year Zodiac Special Exam in a way that it's easy for anyone to understand:Outcome #1 (Pacifist Win):Rat (C), Dragon (C).Outcome #2 (Undiscovered VIP):Tiger (D), Snake (D), Sheep (D), Dog (B).Outcome #3 (Traitor Win):Horse (A), Pig (A), Rooster (A), Monkey (B).Outcome #4 (Traitor Loss):Cow (B), Rabbit (C).VIP from A:Horse, Rooster, PigVIP from B:Cow, Monkey, DogVIP from C:Rat, Dragon, RabbitVIP from D:Tiger, Snake, SheepClass A: - 200 C¶; + 3.5 million ¶¶Class B: No Change C¶; + 3 million ¶¶Class C: + 50 C¶; + 3.5 million ¶¶Class D: + 100 C¶; + 5.5 million ¶¶"Class D came out on top, it seems," I muttered nonchalantly beside Horikita.She looked at me with a conflicted expression. "How can you be so calm about this?"Ignoring her growing frustration, I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed. "Why do you think Ryuen spared Class B?""That's not an answer to my question." she protested."Maybe not, but it's a better question," I responded.Horikita's lips pressed into a thin line, but her analytical side soon took over. "Good question. If Ryuen-kun really knew the VIPs as he claimed, why did he not attack the other classes? Why Class A specifically?"On the surface, Ryuen seemed like a reckless guy, or, metaphorically, a wild Dragon, that refuses to be restricted by rules. However, in reality, there were many ways to put a leash on the dragon. For example... Memorandum."Memorandum?" she repeated confusedly. "Are you trying to imply that Ichinose-san made a deal with Ryuen-kun?""Class B did with Class D, that's for sure.""That.. doesn't make any sense though?""... It does."It wasn't Ichinose, but possibly Kanzaki who made that deal. Because of Kouenji's escapades with Monkey group, class B was under panic as they were down 50 points according to Outcome #3. Kanzaki was panicking. Ryuen saw this as an opportunity and decided to publicly offer cooperation with class B. Even though Ichinose declined the offer in consideration to our cooperative relationship, Kanzaki begged to differ.I could guess the contents of the deal from the results. In exchange of compromising the VIP names, Class D would recuperate the gaping wound of 50 class points which was left by the one and only Kouenji; and absolute ceasefire as an added bonus.The group Sakura was part of, Cow group's VIP belonged to class B, and class D received penalty according to the results. This perfectly explains why the group retired the very next day."Hmm... I see," Horikita's fingers drummed against her phone as she processed this. "A defensive move. Whoever they were, they prioritized stability over aggression.""A tactical sacrifice to secure their position." I added.Of course, I didn't tell her about Kanzaki's involvement. And this entire plan... was but a theoretical hypothesis from my side."I understand that," said Horikita before crossing her arms. "However, that only explains Class B. Ryuen-kun should have no reason to hold back against us. So, why did he spare Class C?"I didn't respond immediately. Instead, I slowly pushed off the railing, took a step back, and began walking down the deck."Huh? Wait! Levent-kun!" she called out, hurrying to catch up. "Are you ignoring me?""...By any chance, do you like birds?" I asked without even looking at her."What?" Her eyes narrowed, completely thrown off by the question. "Birds?""Yeah," I nodded. "Have you ever watched them?""I'm... not sure what you're getting at,""Fascinating creatures. The way they flock together. The way they fly in formations. Can you think of a reason why they do that?""Hmph... Not when I'm trying to figure out why Class C was spared," she deadpanned. Clearly, she wasn't the least bit interested in my birdwatching skills. Even so, I continued, ignoring her protests."It's an attempt to make them collectively seem like a large creature. And to accomplish that, they have to be perfectly synchronized. Pretty impressive, don't you agree?""Levent-kun," She stopped in her tracks. "Are you dodging the question on purpose?""Is it that obvious?" I tilted my head, directly meeting her sharp gaze before saying, "Who's to say he spared us at all?"Her expression hardened. "Don't be so secretive. If Ryuen-kun really had the VIP lists like you implied, then there's no way he simply chose not to target us without a reason. What was it?""You're assuming Ryuen had full freedom to act. What if he didn't?""Didn't?" Her brow furrowed. "Are you saying he was restricted from attacking class C as well?""Hypothetically," I replied. "What would you do if you were in his position? A position where exploiting our class might come at the cost of something bigger?"Like Albert's expulsion."Another agreement, is it?" Horikita concluded. "Are you saying someone negotiated with him?"I shrugged and raised my shoulders slightly. It was neither a confirmation, nor declination."Hah~" She exhaled sharply, clearly dissatisfied by my lack of cooperation.Her eyes narrowed as she tried to piece all the vague information together. I could see wrinkles appearing on her forehead because of her frown. Then suddenly her eyes widened for a second."You..." Her gaze slowly shifted from a random spot on the wall, to my eyes."...It was you, wasn't it?"I raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think that?""You're too calm. You've been one step ahead this entire time, but you keep sidestepping my questions relating to this." Her fingers tightened around her phone. "You negotiated with Ryuen-kun, didn't you?""..." I didn't reply."You knew what Ryuen-kun was planning all along," she continued with her tone getting further on the edge. "Not only did you choose not to warn me, but you might have even played a part in his plan.""You give me too much credit, Horikita." I calmly replied. "Ryuen isn't exactly someone you can bargain with. What makes you think I'd have the leverage to do something like signing a contract?""Stop playing dumb." Horikita clenched her teeth in anger. "If anyone could've done it, it's Levent-kun. So, tell me, what deal did you make?"I looked her in the eyes. "Even if I did, why would I tell you?""Because this involves our entire class!" she shot back. "If you're making decisions on your own, the least you could do is—""Suppose, I told you everything." I stopped walking, and fully turned toward her. "Let's say, I gave you all the answers you need. Now. tell me, would you have made the same decisions? Would you have done stuff that has strengthened your social bonds and your leadership skills?"She opened her mouth to retort, but her words couldn't leave her throat. So, I spoke coldly..."...Or, do you intend to just keep relying on me, like a parasite?""I...!" Horikita flinched as soon as she heard my words.I was being too harsh on her. Why? Is it because she was nagging me too much?No, that's not correct... I know why...Calm down, Levent.I closed my eyes and sighed."Listen Horikita... I'm not saying you're wrong in holding me accountable. But you always seem to forget... This isn't about me spoon-feeding you the details."A faint breeze swept past, ruffling my hair."I did what I thought was necessary." I spoke up. "Think of it this way. Sometimes, to win a bigger piece in the long run, you have to let go of a few pawns. Not every move should be about immediate results.""Was that a Chess reference?" Horikita slightly recovered."Something like that." I nodded."I see..." Horikita acknowledged the answer and exhaled softly, relaxing a little. "I just want to understand why you are so adamant on hiding important details."I didn't answer immediately, because I was trying to find proper words to explain without actually explaining it in detail. A metaphor."Do you remember the thing I said earlier... about bird flying in flocks.""Yes?" she asked in a confused tone. "What does that have to do with this... or, anything at all?""Everything," I seriously replied. "When birds flock together, they share responsibility. They fly in formations to make them look bigger to scare off the predators. As a flock, they're stronger, safer. But what happens when one of them strays...?" I asked."It gets lost?""...It becomes a target." I corrected.Eagles don't hunt flocks. They hunt the strays. The flock survives because it moves as one. But a single bird, no matter how strong or fast, is vulnerable the moment it's alone.This metaphor has multiple meanings... directed at multiple people out there, but mainly..."Are you perhaps talking about, me?" She softly muttered."I'm talking about our classmates." I answered."Class C?""Class C is... complicated." I spoke. "If I had to describe it... it's like a flock that doesn't realize it's a flock. We're a bunch of idiots pretending we don't need each other and it's the very thing that's causing us damage. The ignorance, the selfishness, the laziness... Everything."I closed my distance. Her eyes widened slightly. But before she could avert her gaze again, I reached out and gently tapped her forehead up to make her see my eyes directly."Huh?" she let out, clearly caught off guard."We no longer have unity, nor the sense of coordination we had back in the island. That's the main reason we lost this one. And it's the reason we'll lose again if nothing changes." I declared with due seriousness. "I intend to change that."The next challenge we'll have in the next semester, the sports festival arc. Though it's not officially a special exam, it directly impacts the class points. The entire event would require the highest form of teamwork and cooperation. In my eyes, it's not only a challenge, but also an opportunity. To bring the entire class together.Horikita stared at me with an unreadable expression. But the slight blush on her cheeks didn't escape my notice. For a moment, she seemed to weigh my words carefully."What are you trying to do, Levent-kun?" she asked."Whatever is necessary"Silence hung between us until she spoke again... "You're really not going to give me a straight answer, are you?""No." I admitted.Her cheeks puffed. "Why go to these lengths just to keep everything vague?"How would you react if I told you that I had sent Kikyou to use Ryuen as a means to set a trap for you?Second day of the exam... I'd sent Kikyou to meet Ryuen to offer him a contract, almost exactly how it happened in the original story, with a bit of personal touch.I offered him all the VIP names of our class, But in exchange, he would be forbidden from submitting those names.Of course, Ryuen would never agree to that, which is why I also sent him the appetizers.["Tell him that you'll need his help in expelling Horikita."]["What? Are you serious right now?"]Even Kikyou was shocked to hear that from me. However, I had a feeling that much like the original Ryuen did, the Ryuen from this time axis would do the same if given the same intriguing deal. Besides, he may have a bit of a grudge remaining, that may blind his judgment when he's presented with an opportunity of revenge."Sometimes, knowing less is better," I pulled my finger back from her forehead. "Focus on what's in front of you.""I see," she murmured.I turned my gaze back to the sea. The distant horizon where the night sky meets the earth. There's probably the harbor waiting for us. Starting tomorrow, we'll no longer be sleeping in this luxury cruiser, and be pushed back to our day-to-day life that we had before our dreamy summer 'vacation'."I don't like it," said Horikita, finally breaking the silence. "The way you handle things... Always keeping everyone else in the dark. Always a step ahead of everyone. Always alone.""It's not about what we like, Horikita," I replied flatly. "This is just how things work best."There was nothing more to say..."It's getting late. I'll be heading back first." I turned and began walking toward the staircase."Levent-kun." Her voice called out once more. I considered ignoring her, but her voice sounded a little bit different. "Do you ever trust anyone?"I paused on my track, turning slightly to see her. The expression on her face was serious, and unreadable, as usual. But there was a hint of something deeper in her eyes.Desperation.I guess I can at least be honest about this."Not often," I replied. "And... it doesn't always end well.""You can't do everything alone forever," she said in a soft tone. "Isn't that what you've always told me?"I let out a quiet breath, neither agreeing nor denying her words.But my answer didn't matter. Because deep down, I knew very well of what kind of person I truly was.I'm a hypocrite, after all."Goodnight, Horikita," I said before turning and descending the steps, leaving her standing in the cold night alone.