The mornings in Class B were lively. Everything seemed normal to everyone, and as far as they were concerned, the only thing that they needed to worry about was the upcoming final exam. After that, all of us will enjoy an extravagant summer vacation on an island paradise. Or at least, that's what Chabashira-sensei told us before.
After another normal day had passed, I decided to make my move. As usual, it's convenient that Chabashira-sensei has the tendency to leave earlier once everything is settled in the afternoon homeroom.
"Alright, that's all. Goodbye."
"Chabashira-sensei, I have something that I would like to announce. Is it alright if you stay a little longer?" I stood up and walked to the front.
"Ayanokouji? Hmm. Alright, make it quick," she answered.
Hirata and Kikyou were surprised, just like the rest of the class. They sat straight, waiting for me to say my piece. Horikita was the only one waiting for my signal. After all, I explained everything to her during our meeting. At the same time, Akito, Sakura, and Haruka also seemed to guess what was going to happen. I called them up to vouch for my words in Horikita's presence last night.
"Firstly, I would like to confirm something. Do all of you recognize me as Class B's leader?" I asked.
Well, before I make the announcement of stepping down, I should at least confirm if most of them even think of me as the leader. It would be pretentious to suddenly get to it without considering the others' opinions.
"Yes, Ayanokouji-kun. I think there's no other person in this room that's fit to lead the class more than you do," said Hirata.
"Yeah! You're the one who brought us this far, Kiyotaka-kun!" followed Kikyou.
"I know right? Like, you're the smartest guy in school. Of course, you're our leader." Karuizawa shrugged as if she just said something obvious.
"That's right!"
"I know you'll lead us to Class A, Ayanokouji!"
Eventually, almost all of my classmates parroted their words.
"I see. Then, I have a proposal. I've talked about this with Hirata, Horikita, and Kikyou, but I didn't tell them that I'd announce it today." I turned to look at each of them. "If possible, I'd like your help in explaining."
Chabashira-sensei didn't seem to know where I was getting at. She continued listening to my words in silence.
Hirata and the two girls stood up and proceeded to the front.
"I was surprised at first, but now I understand," started Hirata. "To put everything simply, Ayanokouji-kun will be stepping down as the class's leader."
Everyone's shocked reactions instantly became apparent.
"What?"
"What does that mean?"
"Why is Ayanokouji-kun stepping down?"
Some had concerned and anxious expressions. Of course, their confusion was understandable.
"Everyone, please let us explain." Kikyou got their attention with ease. "I can't break down the exact details, but one thing is clear: This is part of Kiyotaka-kun's plan so we can rise to Class A."
Muffled murmurs followed Kikyou's words.
"Kushida-san, allow me to elaborate." Horikita stepped in to help.
"Ah, yes. Please do, Horikita-san," replied Kikyou.
"Everyone, I don't think any of us have noticed it yet, but one class has started to move." Horikita turned to Sudou. "Sudou-kun, you almost got into a fight with three boys from Class D, am I right?"
"What the?" Ken was confused about how that came to light, but he calmed down when he realized that no one was reprimanding him or any of the sort. "Yeah... Komiya and Kondou called me to the special building. I went with them and saw a guy named Ishizaki, waiting. That bastard Komiya punched me, but I dodged. It would've been a full-blown fight, but my friend, Airi, called out to me. Everything ended there since they just left after that, for some reason."
Our classmates listened intently. Their attention was divided between Ken and Airi. Of course, this made Airi a little jittery.
"Thank you for giving us some context." Horikita shifted everyone's attention back to herself. "Now then, most of you might think that the fight was something normal or natural given Sudou-kun's nature, but according to Ayanokouji-kun, something else was going on."
Apart from my friends, everyone was nervous and confused, including Kikyou and Hirata.
"It was an attack by Class D," she continued.
"An attack?"
"How does that even work?"
"Huh?"
"What the heck?"
Of course, you wouldn't normally use the word "attack" in the context of a competition between two high school classes.
"We'll just give everyone a detailed explanation in the group chat later on. I've already made a document containing Ayanokouji-kun's investigation. His friends; Hasebe-san, Miyake-kun, and Sakura-san, were all with him during this investigation. They all vouched for him and his words," she said.
"Hmph."
At that moment, Kouenji stood up haughtily and left the room. Of course, most of us didn't mind him, even Chabashira-sensei.
"There's another piece of evidence that might help with Ayanokouji-kun's claim. According to Ichinose-san of Class C, they've also been 'attacked' by Class D. I'm sure some of you have noticed how big the decrease in their class points was in June."
Her words caused another uproar.
"E-Even Class C?"
"Is Class D getting desperate?"
"I'll end my piece here since we don't have much time," Horikita said as she looked at me.
Once again, I stood before everyone.
"We still don't know who the mastermind is, that's why I plan to investigate further. I would like to appoint Horikita as the temporary leader of Class B," I said.
Of course, my sudden proclamation garnered some mixed reactions. Even the person in question was confused.
"Ayanokouji-kun... I didn't hear about this," she said.
"I'm sure most of us can agree on how capable Horikita is. With Hirata and Kikyou acting as her supports, they can easily lead Class B forward. While I'm scouting out the potential dangers to our class, I'll still try my best to help the three of them from a more passive position," I explained. "I'll return to the position once I make sure everything's in order."
"I'm not against the idea." Hirata accepted it with a smile.
"I'm the same." I don't know how Kikyou really felt, but she happily followed Hirata's undertaking.
"I'm not sure if I got it right, but are saying that you're going to hide for a while?" Ike asked.
"That's basically the gist of it," I answered.
"So you're still, like, our leader... But from the shadows?" Satou mused.
"Probably...?"
"T-That so cool!"
"Doesn't that mean... Ayanokouji-kun will be like a secret weapon?"
"Or like a trump card!"
I expected more opposing opinions. I thought some of them might interpret it differently-- like how I might be using Horikita and the others as a scapegoat, but it seems like that wasn't the case. My reputation and credibility were a lot firmer than I expected.
"Ayanokouji-kun, can I explain my personal take on this plan?" Hirata approached the center.
"Sure. I'm just about done, anyway."
"Everyone, I want to make things clear. This plan was made because Ayanokouji-kun predicted that classes would start going after each other this way once the concept of class points was revealed. And with our quick rise to Class B, it's inevitable for the attention of other classes to be on us," he started.
"Wait, wait, wait. So you're saying that Ayanokouji anticipated this even before May?"
"Wow..."
"How is that even..."
Hirata continued despite the clamor.
"When the four of us talked about this, I didn't know why Ayanokouji-kun created this plan. But the more I listened to him, the more I was convinced." Hirata put his hands on the podium, cementing his demand for everyone's attention to his next words. "Ayanokouji-kun's goal is to protect everyone."
"Hirata... You didn't need to say that much..." I said.
I didn't even know the expression I made. Seriously, he's such a good guy.
"Ahaha, I'm sorry if I made you feel a little embarrassed, Ayanokouji-kun. However, I think everyone needs to know that your intentions are not just for your class's sake, but also for your classmates' sake," he said, before facing everyone with a serious expression.
"Class C's points suffered quite a bit. And as you've already heard, Sudou-kun just got targeted by Class D. We'll do our best to act as decoys so Ayanokouji-kun can intercept any schemes more effectively," explained Hirata. "And lastly, I'd like to advise everyone... Please be careful."
Our classmates were used to Hirata's princely demeanor, so everyone was on edge during the entirety of his stalwart speech.
At that moment, the dismissal bell finally rang.
"Horikita, send your regards to the class," I whispered.
"Do I really need to?" Horikita whispered back.
"Yeah, I'll be frank, apart from the great results of your tutees from the midterms, you haven't really shown anything to gain the class's trust. It's the best move to make if you want them to know that you're on their side."
With an exasperated sigh, Horikita moved forward after Hirata finished speaking. She glared at me before turning her face back towards everyone.
"Everyone, as per Ayanokouji-kun's instruction, I'll be looking forward to working with you. Please take care of me."
What a serious girl. If the entire class didn't already know her personality, they would probably brush her words off as insincere.
"Let's do our best, Horikita-san," cheered Kikyou.
"Horikita-san is super smart too, right? I think she'll be a neat leader," said Karuizawa.
"Woohoo! Go Horikita-chan!" yelled Ike.
I looked at Chabashira-sensei, indicating that the show was over.
"Hoh? It seems like the class has been functioning well for the last three months. It's great to see how unified the class is under the most capable students' leadership. You're almost as tight as Class C in terms of unity." Chabashira-sensei praised the class, to everyone's surprise.
Leaving us with those parting remarks, Chabashira-sensei exited the room.
Everything went back to normal, and Akito, who was sitting ahead, turned to face me.
"Kiyotaka-"
"Sorry, Akito. I'll head out for a bit. I have some questions for Chabashira-sensei." I stood up, leaving my bag behind.
The entire class watched me hasten my pace before finally disappearing from sight.
I trailed Chabashira-sensei from a certain distance. The moment we reached a hallway with little to no students, I approached her.
"Sensei."
"Oh, Ayanokouji? You did something amusing back there, but I don't get why I needed to hear it. Well, I have some ideas, but nothing is clear to me."
She instantly got to the point.
"I'm not asking for anything that's beyond a teacher's abilities, but if possible, I'd like your help in lowering my chances of standing out," I said. "That's the reason why I wanted you to hear my so-called plan; to give you some context."
"Hmm... Interesting. Alright, since it's you, I'll do what I can," Chabashira-sensei answered with a smirk.
"I see, thank you," I bowed lightly.
This plan won't last long. Once my enemies start to investigate our class, they'll eventually find out about my athletic abilities through the swimming records. And of course, my academic abilities will come to light once they look over the results for the midterm exams and final exams. However, I don't think it will matter too much. After all, I just need to buy some time.