Chapter 240: Chapter 2 Part I
"I'm going to start a eting, Ayanokōji-kun. Can you get Hirata-kun over here for ?"
Horikita stood up and said this imdiately after the special test was announced.
"I understand."
I answered briefly, then approached Hirata. Horikita went to Sudō at the sa ti. As of now, Class D has gradually started receiving attention from the other classes.
There have been changes for
as well.
I had been able to stick in the background before, but now I've made a na for myself by running in the relay race in the sports festival. I'll undoubtedly be in the sights of Ryūen or Ichinose as they look for the presence behind Horikita.
So, what should I do about that?
Keep my distance away from Horikita? Suddenly straying away from her would obviously raise suspicions.
In that case, should I wait around as usual for the situation to pass? As long as I'm around Horikita, I'm bound to be suspected.
I guess in the end nothing will change even if I do sothing.
The other side will probably be ignorant of my true thoughts and over-interpret my actions on their own.
Then, I shall aim to return to how things were at the start of the year.
Horikita has only made a few friends so far, so there were many situations where getting involved with her was inevitable. However, that should be different in the future. Starting with Sudō, her contact with people such as Hirata and Karuizawa should gradually increase.
And as that happens, I can slowly fade into the background.
I do want to get on better terms with her, but I do not intend to be at the rcy Chabashira-sensei.
If they can go about handling the class on their own, my burden will naturally be lessened.
That's how I see it. Chabashira-sensei shouldn't be particularly attached to
being the one to cause Class D to rise. Logically, she should be satisfied with any student willing to take on the task.
As for why she did not hesitate to threaten
to reach Class A, I'm not interested in Chabashira-sensei's intentions.
However, now is not the ti to let go of Horikita.
If I let go of the reins here, Class D will spiral out of control and even potentially collapse altogether. I'm going to gather people around Horikita before quietly fading out of the picture.
The important thing is the procedure, followed by preparation and results.
"It seems he will be coming soon."
I called out to Hirata, who was talking to a classmate, and then went back to my seat.
"Sa thing on my end."
Sudō left to go to the bathroom. He was the first person out the door.
"So, what should we think of this test?"
Horikita asked prematurely before people would start to gather.
"We just need to listen to the words of Chabashira-sensei to understand it. This should be a more difficult test than previous ones. The standard that needs to be t to avoid failing is easy, but if our goal is to beat other classes, our total score will have to be pretty high. Plus, the pairing system is tricky. Add to that the fact that another class is going to write the test for us, and we can predict that the degree of difficulty will effectively double. It will be particularly challenging if we're up against a class that makes their questions more challenging than they need to be. Depending on how a question is phrased, even if the answers are the sa, the response rate can change significantly."
"Yeah... this ti it's not just about reading strategies, it's also about testing our ability to create problems."
It is impossible to co out ahead in this exam if we only teach students who are worried about failing, as we had with the midterms. Ideally, we would look to grasp the weaknesses of other classes, but it's doubtful that they would readily reveal those to us.
However, many of the things we have to do are the sa as what we had to do for the midterms.
In that sense, this test could be considered less difficult than either of the sumr special exams. Just as the sports festival tests the class's physical strength, this test can be said to be a test of the class's academic knowledge.
"If you can do sothing, you should do it. After all, we've been given hints."
"Well, I'm aware of that."
Horikita answered calmly and continued:
"You always pay attention to what the other person says and does. This school loves to hide hints in everything they tell us. The key facts that should be picked out from what Chabashira-sensei told us are that the results of these quizzes will not affect our grades, that the criteria for failing the overall grade has yet to be determined, and that who is chosen as our partner will be determined after the quizzes end.
I couldn't help but smile in the face of this perfect and delightful understanding.
Soon after, Hirata, who had been called over, ca to et with us.
"Thanks for waiting. This is to discuss our plans for the final exam, correct?"
He then calls over Karuizawa. Karuizawa stares at us with annoyance, but ultimately responds to his request and approaches Horikita.
"I'm sorry, I thought it would be better if we discussed this right away."
At the beginning of the school year, anyone would have been surprised to hear Horikita ask for anyone, but now that Horikita acted as a representative for the class, students had begun to take it naturally.
"If it's alright with you, I'd like to start right away."
"What, here? I object. Since we're just going to be talking, let's go to Pallet. Shall we, Yōsuke?"
Karuizawa clasped Hirata's arm and pulled to indicate her presence. When I first t Karuizawa, she would often do things like this and act like a spoiled brat. Pallet, by the way, is a cafe on campus. It's a vibrant place where many female students gather during lunch break and after school. When I looked at Karuizawa, our eyes t for a mont. I don't rember saying anything in particular, but Karuizawa quickly detached from Hirata's arm, although she remained visibly irritated.
"We don't know where the enemy's eyes will be, but... oh well."
It would be easier for Horikita to move with the group than for her to challenge Karuizawa here. Although Horikita herself is not self-conscious, this part of her has grown.
"Well, can I join you?"
The one who said that was our classmate - Kushida Kikyō.
"Will it cause you any trouble...?"
"I'm fine with it. Kushida-san knows everything about the class. And considering the type of test the final exam is, I'd like to hear everyone's opinions on the matter first."
Karuizawa's position was that everything was OK, and answered first. So, what will Horikita do?
"Sure, Kushida-san. I was going to call for you sooner or later anyway."
Horikita agreed at once, as if she was agreeing with Karuizawa to avoid trouble.
"Could you three please head over there first? I'll settle my affairs here and then join you."
The three of them agreed without any particular objection, and left to the cafe.
"Is it alright to let her join us?"
Kushida is a valuable fighting force for Class D, but her relationship with Horikita is complicated. Although the details are only known by the two of them, it is difficult to guarantee that Kushida will not attempt to obstruct what we do.
Moreover, Class D was put into a crisis during the sports festival because of Kushida's betrayal.
"Wouldn't it be strange to refuse in a scene like that?"
That is true. Did Horikita really accept this though?
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Suzune."
"Never mind that. The venue for the discussion has changed. They're waiting for us at Pallet."
"Oh, so uh. I'm sorry, can I go to the club just to show my face? I just rembered that my seniors asked for
to attend. I think it'll be over in twenty or thirty minutes."
"I don't mind. Co and et
as soon as you're done."
Sudō grinned, grabbed his backpack and hurried out of the classroom.
As she was late for the discussion, Horikita picked up her bag. I decided to head out as well.
"Then I'm going back ho. Best of luck with everything."
"Wait a minute. You're invited to this as well. As an interdiary between Hirata-kun and Karuizawa-san, you are indispensable. I don't have very much influence on them right now."
"...Of course it would be like this. Although you say you don't have very much influence, I think you can control the class smoothly to so extent. Besides, the final exam is the accumulation of these upcoming quizzes. You handled the midterm exam without my help with your study group."
As a matter of fact, she handled that entire situation on her own accord. These quizzes are just one step away from that.
"If you only look at that point, maybe so. But if Kushida is there, it's a different story. This is an exception. And I have sothing to tell you first. Can I at least ask you to participate in today's discussion? Or, are you not interested in what she's up to?"
That statent was very sly. Honesty is the best way to answer sothing like this.
"It would be a lie to say I'm not interested."
She treats everyone in the class the sa, so why is it that she's so hostile to Horikita?
For , that is a very puzzling thing. I'm kind of interested in the situation.
"If you can accept that and attend today's discussion, then I'll tell you."
Horikita asserted. She seed to have a reason for bringing it up at this mont.
"To be honest, I don't want to make a fuss about her past, but I think it's necessary to tell you first, so let
talk. Because I think the results should be useful to . "
"I thought you weren't going to tell
about Kushida."
"On what basis do you think that?"
"You haven't said anything about Kushida so far, have you? It's probably better to say that I can't imagine you of all people getting involved in a hostile relationship with sobody. When did you beco involved with Kushida?"
I squinted to confirm Horikita's expression. She was stiffer than I thought.
"I can't tell you here. Do you understand?"
Though no one was paying attention to our conversation, there are countless eyes and ears in the classroom.
"...I see. I guess I'll accompany you then."
I'm looking forward to a story worthy of this effort.
After we got out of the corridor and passed through the crowd, Horikita whispered:
"Where do you want
to start from?"
"From the beginning. Because all I know is that the two of you are not on good terms with one another."
And the dark side of Kushida. I want to know more about that. However, I have deliberately neglected to ntion this because I don't know what Horikita knows or plans to say.
"Let
tell you first, I don't know much about Kushida Kikyō. Where did you and Kushida-san et in the first place?"
This is probably a matter of confirmation. Let
reply earnestly:
"On the bus."
"That's right. Like you, the first ti I saw Kushida-san was on the bus on the day of admission."
I rember that matter now. There was an old woman who had to stand because there were no open seats. Kushida reached out to the old woman and tried to get other passengers to give up their seats. It was a good deed in itself, a kindness that no one would reproach. But unfortunately, I rember that nobody had decided to give up their seat until Kushida had put in quite a bit of effort in convincing soone to give theirs up. I also had had no intention to give my seat up, so the entire situation had a lasting impression on .
"It would have had to be then if she had begun to hate you... but if it was that interaction, it would be needless to say that Kōenji, who had refused to give up his own seat even after a direct confrontation, would be a far better target for her hatred than soone who simply watched the situation go down. This isn't even considering that she would also hate
if that were the reason."
I didn't an to say that Kushida liked , but she only showed this unusually strong hostility to Horikita.
"I didn't know Kushida-san at the ti. No, I did not rember it exactly."
"Does that an that you and Kushida interacted before you t on the bus?"
"Well, she and I are from the sa middle school. That school is in a totally different prefecture, and this is a very special high school. She probably never dread that there would be people from the sa place as her."
"I see."
As I heard this, it solved a great mystery. Before I t them, the bond between Horikita and Kushida had already begun.
In that case, I can understand. That I couldn't understand before hearing this was inevitable.
"I thought of this after we held the study group in the first sester. My middle school was a big school with over one thousand students, and I don't rember ever being in the sa class as Kushida-san."
I would not at all be surprised to learn that Horikita was also like this in her middle school days.
She should have made no friends, spending every day quietly indulging herself in her schoolwork.
"What kind of student was Kushida during middle school?"
We didn't go straight to Pallet. Because we judged that the conversation might take so ti, we walked around the school for a bit. The farther away from the cafe that you get, the less populated the area is.
"Who knows. Like I just said, she and I didn't interact with each other. However, I can say that she was just as popular there as she is here, if not more so. In retrospect, she was certainly the centerpiece of her class during all kinds of events back then. She was a popular person, who was kind to everyone and always left a good impression. I don't think that she joined the student council, but she would definitely have been invited to join."
If she had held a position, Horikita would probably have rembered that she was in the sa grade. Indeed, the Kushida I know has never held any position at all.
Perhaps, as Horikita testified, the perfect personality that Kushida demonstrates in high school is the sa as the one she had in middle school.
The two seed to have crossed paths, but in fact, they didn't. I can't solve the mystery of why Kushida was so disgusted by Horikita. The answer is probably hidden in the follow-up to this topic.
"I don't think she hates you because she can't be your friend."
It's not just a question of whether or not she can make one hundred friends. Even if it's Kushida, nobody had the ans to beco friends with the entire school population.
"Well, the key is what I'm going to say next. But you have to rember that this is just a rumor. The full truth is sothing only Kushida-san knows."
Horikita got to the point and began to speak seriously.
"Sothing happened as graduation was approaching near the end of February where a class broke apart."
"It wasn't the flu, was it?"
"Well, the rumors reached
imdiately -- it was said that a certain school girl had caused a class breakdown, and that class did not return to its original condition until after I had already graduated."
"I don't even need to ask who that schoolgirl is, right?"
"It was Kushida-san. But I do not know the details as to how the class was driven to the point of collapse. I'm afraid the school is completely hiding the news as well. If the truth was made public, the credibility of the school would be reduced. Also, it would likely have an impact on the education process and the employnt of faculty. Even so, the school couldn't contain the fire. Rumors inevitably began spreading among the students based on all kinds of speculations."
"Do you rember anything, even if it's just a rumor?"
I wanted to know what kind of situation it was. Horikita spoke as if rembering the past.
"As soon as the incident ca to light, so students from my class were talking about it. They had said that the classroom was completely ruined and the blackboard and tables were covered with slanderous graffiti."
"To be covered with slanderous graffiti... Is it possible to conclude that Kushida was being bullied?"
"I don't know, there were too many rumors. Things like soone from the class was doing the bullying, or that she was bullying soone in the class herself. I also recall there being rumors of serious acts of violence, but those are not as clear."
In short, there seed to be countless rumors going around.
"But I stopped hearing those rumors in the blink of an eye. It beca impossible to talk about it. There was a class that had been disbanded, but it was treated as if nothing had happened in the first place."
There had to have been so form of external pressure.
"In any case, if the information is this limited, you not knowing that Kushida was the cause of the class's collapse can be excused. I doubt you were very interested in things like that at the ti."
"Exactly. At the ti I was focused on the entrance exam for this school. I was certain about the academic ability required for the examination, so I did not pay very much attention to what was happening."
To be expected. Even if her school's ratings dropped, she would have been confident enough in her ability to get in.
An event, thought to have been caused by Kushida, had caused a class to collapse. I'm certain that is a serious matter that would have an impact on further education or employnt. I can't imagine the Kushida I know now doing anything like this. If the rumors are accurate, it would be understandable that she could not spare anyone who knew the truth. If this were to co to light, I have no doubt that Kushida's current position in the school will co to an end.
"If we put things in order, there was an incident caused by Kushida, and we don't know the specifics of what happened. But Kushida herself doesn't know that you don't know the specifics. She thinks that since you are from the sa middle school, you should know the details to a certain extent. Is that everything?"
"Actually, she isn't exactly wrong because I do know that she was responsible for the incident."
She sighed. I began to see under what conditions Horikita had been placed.
In short, Kushida's one-sided misunderstanding and hostility is the cause for all of this. For Kushida, keeping her past hidden is important enough to her that she is willing to go to all of this effort to hide it completely.
Even if Horikita said she didn't know about the incident, Kushida wouldn't believe her. For Kushida, exactly how much Horikita knows may be trivial. The fact that we're speaking about this in the first place is evidence that Horikita knows about her past. It's very tricky.
"Then again, I don't understand."
"Are you referring to the content of the incident?"
"Well, it's all a mystery, and it's even unpleasant. Do you think it's simple for a class that doesn't have any problems to suddenly collapse?"
Horikita shook her head.
"Kushida was the trigger, which ans that she may have caused the class to collapse on her own. How serious a thing does a student have to do to cause that?"
If it was simply a matter of bullying, it wouldn't be able to cause an event of that magnitude. If that were the case, I would only be able to remove one or two people from the class, at most.
"I think so too. To be honest, I can't imagine what would need to happen to cause sothing like that."
Even if I wanted the current Class D to disintegrate, it wouldn't be so easy to do.
"Powerful weapons would be required if the class is to disintegrate."
"Yeah..."
The weapons referred to here are not purely physical in aning, but also include a variety of thods.
"If you were going to break up the class, which tactics would you use?"
"I'm sorry to answer your question with another question, but I feel like this one will get us to the point faster. Do you know what the strongest weapon in the world is? Let's limit the question to things that can be manipulated by Kushida. Think about it."
"I think I told you before. I think 'violence' is the most powerful weapon a person has. To be honest, 'violence' has a unique intensity. No matter how clever a scholar or exalted a politician, in the end, they will fall in the face of powerful violence. As long as the conditions are t, it's not impossible to disintegrate a class, because it's just a matter of sending everyone to the hospital."
Though dangerous, Horikita's example isn't incorrect. The class would ultimately be broken up.
"Yes, I do not dispute that violence is one of the strongest weapons. That said, it's impossible for Kushida to force everyone into desperation with violence. That would be an incredibly huge event."
If Kushida ca to school rushing around everywhere with a chainsaw, the school wouldn't have been able to keep quiet about it. It would have caused a lot of drama and controversy on TV.
"What if there's sothing else that doesn't lose out to the unique intensity of violence and can instead compete with it?"
"Did you think of sothing? How she disintegrated the class?"
"If, as a premise, it was up to
to execute it. My answer would have to be..."
"Wait a minute."
Horikita interrupted , she thought once again and said:
"I would like to say 'authority', but that's difficult to implent in campus life..."
Though she thought of the answer, she seed to have no confidence in it.
"Authority is a very capable thing if it can be exercised, except in this case. Even the student president of this school can't help it. There is no way to break up a class with authority."
"Then what is it? The tool that anyone can manipulate and use as a weapon to disintegrate an entire class."
"It's not limited to Kushida, what kind of weapon can be manipulated by anyone? The answer would be a 'lie'. Humans are inherently liars, so anyone can manipulate them. But depending on the ti and place, a lie can even have the power to devour violence."
Statistics clearly show that people lie two or three tis a day. At first glance, it may seem impossible, but the definition of a lie is broad. "I'm just tired
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