『VOLUME 7』
『Start』
『』『』『』『』『』
It was already halfway through December, and it was suddenly freezing cold.
More and more students had begun wearing scarves, gloves, and long socks. Thick clouds hung low in the sky, making it look like it was going to snow at any moment. Well, to be fair, the weather had already started getting colder a month ago, so it wouldn't be surprising if today ended up being the day the first snow of winter finally fell.
『Kikyou-chan. Aren't you going a little overboard? 』
"Who are you calling Kikyou, huh?"
『Well, isn't your name Kushida Kikyou, though? 』
"Yes... no, I mean... yes... but that's not what I'm talking about..."
Kushida gave him a sidelong glance and was met with his usual empty, dubious smile plastered across his face.
『Now, now, don't be like that. 』 He said. 『Hasn't it been almost a year since we know each other? And the rumor that we're childhood friends is already firmly rooted in everyone's minds. So isn't it strange that we're still not on a first-name basis? 』
Has it really been almost a year?
Well, the school year had started back in April. Now that it was already December, Kushida supposed he wasn't entirely wrong. There were only one more month left until a full year had passed anyway.
『Despite how I look, I'm actually pretty fragile-hearted, you know? 』
"You have a fragile heart?"
『No matter how much of a Minus I am, I care about my personal relationships too.』
"Oh? Is that so?"
Even though it was an obvious lie, Kushida could still see some logic in what he was saying, especially now that almost everyone in the school believed they were childhood friends.
Even if that relationship was completely fabricated.
Not particularly caring either way, Kushida simply shrugged her shoulders in response.
『Well, now that that's official, aren't you supposed to cut back a little? 』
"What are you talking about, Kumagawa-kun? Isn't this a fair form of compensation after all of your boasting?"
『I wouldn't exactly call it boasting, since I never expected to win in the first place. 』 Kumagawa replied.
"See? That's exactly why you can consider it fair compensation after everything I did and got nothing in return."
Kushida glanced at the countless clothes displayed in front of her.
Kumagawa and Kushida were currently on a shopping spree. Well, to be more accurate, Kushida was the one on a shopping spree, while Kumagawa was simply accompanying her for the sake of it.
It seemed she still harbored some dissatisfaction over what had happened during the last exam, which was why she had dragged Kumagawa out shopping using his money, of course. It was a little shameless, and even Kushida had to admit that. Still, Kumagawa didn't seem to have any problem with it, so there was that.
『But still, even if Ayanokouji-kun has some evidence of you cheating, it's already been three days since the exam ended before he revealed it, right? Even if he reports it to the school, it's not like they can punish you for it now, right? 』 Kumagawa asked.
The timing of the reveal was important in this case.
If Ayanokouji had revealed it immediately after the math exam, the school could have probably expelled Kushida on the spot. But since he only brought it up after the entire exam period had ended, even if the school investigated it now, it would be difficult to treat it as solid evidence. At that point, it could easily be argued that the evidence had been fabricated.
"That may be true, but you know I can't really take that chance, right?" Kushida replied as she looked through another rack of clothes.
『Ahaha, I didn't know you had such a weak heart despite your rotten personality, Kikyou-chan.』
Kushida tilted her head in confusion.
『To think that even you harbor feelings for Ayanokouji-kun. You're going to break my brain at this rate. 』
"No! How did you even arrive at that conclusion?!"
Kushida looked at him incredulously.
At this point, wasn't he the only person who knew what kind of person she really was? He knew exactly how rotten her personality was, so Kushida was certain he was only messing with her for the sake of it. After all, he was that kind of person. The type who intentionally, while somehow unintentionally at the same time, managed to make people hate him.
『Then why don't you tell me? If you don't give me a proper answer, I'm going to squeeze your boobs as compensation. Ah, but if you're embarrassed, I can settle for half the compensation instead. 』
"...What do you mean by half?"
It was probably a question she didn't need to ask since the answer was fairly obvious given his personality, but she intentionally voiced the thought anyway.
『I'm going to squeeze only one of your boobs. Since I'm right-handed, I'll go with the left one. 』
"....."
How was it that this person still hadn't been arrested with a personality like that?
That was a blunt demand and obvious sexual harassment in broad daylight. There was probably no phrase that screamed sexual harassment more clearly than that sentence. And judging by his tone, he sounded completely genuine about it too.
It wasn't exactly the good kind of genuine, though. If anything, the fact that he sounded genuine made it even more ominous.
To think that even the word "genuine" could sound this ominous when associated with him...
"...I just can't take the risk of my image being ruined by being known as someone who might have cheated on an exam. Even if I don't get expelled, my whole image could be ruined, you know?"
『Is that so...? 』
Kumagawa tilted his head.
If Kushida had truly set her mind to it, she could have dragged Ayanokouji down with her back then. However, her own reputation was also on the line, so she simply didn't want to take that risk.
Between Ayanokouji's immediate expulsion and the satisfaction that would come with it, and her reputation, it was obvious which one Kushida would prioritize. Her reputation was her greatest shield, especially in the long run.
Besides, now that Ayanokouji knew about the video recording, Kushida was confident he couldn't take any drastic measures against her anymore, so it wasn't exactly a loss. Of course, it wasn't a win either. In the end, it was just an empty gamble that produced neither consequences nor results.
The only good thing that came out of it was probably that.
Honestly, even if it was the only good thing that came from the whole situation, Kushida thought it was worth it. She didn't want to call herself petty, but considering how satisfied she felt about it, she couldn't really deny that she was being a little petty.
『Anyway, speaking of your image, you do realize we're being stalked again, right?』
"...."
Setting aside the fact that he had completely ignored her answer despite being the one who asked the question in the first place, Kushida glanced toward the entrance of the store and spotted two girls from Class C watching them from a distance.
Again.
It had been happening ever since the last exam concluded. Ryuen's class, which had fallen back to its original position, had begun keeping tabs on Kushida whenever they had the chance.
And not just Kushida. Every student in Class D was being watched by someone from Class C. Whether they were eating in the cafeteria, hanging out with friends, or attending club activities, Class C had been relentlessly monitoring them.
Well, anyone unaware of the situation would probably assume it was because Class D had beaten Class C in the exam's overall score. Even though the margin had been small, a win was still a win. Class D had gained one hundred class points, while Class C had lost one hundred as a penalty.
In the end, it mostly came down to luck. Class D and Class C were fairly similar when it came to academic ability. And since Kumagawa had interfered and pushed Class C to actually study instead of relying entirely on Kushida's plan, the final result ended up being extremely close. It wouldn't have been strange if either class had come out on top.
Though with Kumagawa siding with Ryuen this time, Class C's defeat had been all but inevitable.
It was simply the most natural outcome.
But that aside, Kushida knew the real reason behind Class C's behavior.
Still, despite following them around, the students from Class C never approached them. Just like before, they simply watched from afar.
『Kikyou-chan, Kikyou-chan, do you think I'm starting to become more popular? 』
"...."
Ignoring his delusional nonsense, Kushida continued her shopping spree.
Even though she was spending someone else's money, or rather someone else's points, she was still surprisingly restrained. She avoided the obviously expensive items while also steering clear of the cheapest ones. Somewhere deep down, she still had a conscience.
Unlike a certain person.
After finishing her shopping, Kushida stepped out of the store with a satisfied smile on her face, quietly humming to herself.
『Despite your personality, you have a pretty cute fashion sense, don't you?』 Kumagawa said as he glanced at the contents of her shopping bags.
"Just shut up, will you? Are you the kind of person who can't stand seeing someone satisfied with something?"
『Ahaha. Don't get mad, Kikyou-chan. It's not like I hate seeing you happy. I just think it'd be lonely if only one person got to enjoy themselves. You like seeing Horikita-chan suffer, right? That's why you're having fun now. I enjoy seeing you have fun for all the wrong reasons. Isn't that nice? Everyone gets what they want. You get your satisfaction, and I get mine. What a wonderfully unhealthy relationship. 』
"...."
It's hopeless.
There was no fixing someone with such a twisted and perverted mentality.
How had that Medaka person even managed to partially fix someone like him? Kushida had given up trying to understand that a long time ago. At this point, all she could do was endure whatever harassment he threw at her head-on, without anything to shield her from it.
That Medaka person must have been a different kind of monster to accomplish something like that.
Or maybe an even bigger pervert.
『Huh? 』
"Hmm? What's wrong, Kumagawa-kun?"
Kumagawa suddenly stopped walking and looked off into the distance.
Feeling curious, Kushida followed his gaze, but she couldn't see anything unusual.
As much as she hated to admit it, Kumagawa really did have exceptionally good eyesight. In fact, it was probably better than average. For some reason, though, that ability seemed to come and go whenever it pleased, which honestly made no sense to her.
But that wasn't important right now.
Without saying anything, Kumagawa began walking toward whatever had caught his attention. Growing more curious by the second, Kushida followed after him.
Soon enough, Kushida came across someone who, in her opinion, really shouldn't have been doing this again... Yet somehow, she found herself looking at the exact same person doing the exact same thing as last time.
『Hey there, Masumi-chan. Who are you stalking this time around? 』
"Geh."
Sitting at an outdoor café table in one of the many shops around Keyaki Mall and pretending to be occupied with her phone, Masumi Kamuro from the newly promoted Class B let out a sound as if she had just stepped on something dirty.
『So? Have you improved your stalking skills? Did you level up, perhaps? 』
"Tsk. Don't make it sound like I enjoy doing this kind of thing."
Her face twisted into a scowl.
『Huh? You don't enjoy it!? What's happened to Masumi-chan the stalker, who always looked so passionate about it? You must be an impostor. Someone wearing the skin of Masumi-chan the stalker! 』
"....."
Rather than a scowl, Kamuro's face now displayed pure, unfiltered hatred as she stared at Kumagawa.
Kushida couldn't say she didn't understand.
As someone who had to deal with this kind of thing on a daily basis, she could at least sympathize with Kamuro in situations like this.
Still, Kamuro was probably acting under Sakayanagi's orders considering her position.
At this point, even Kushida was starting to think that what Kamuro was doing looked less like an assignment and more like a hobby.
Though, if that were the case, she was pretty bad at it.
"Now get out of here. I don't have time to entertain you." as she said that, she went back to her job as a stalker.
"But Kamuro-san, who are you even stalking?" Kushida asked as she looked in the same direction Kamuro had been watching.
"I'm not stalking!"
Ignoring her response, both she and Kumagawa were curious about who Kamuro's target was this time. Last time, it had been the two of them. Now they wondered who had caught her attention.
『Huh? Isn't that Hasebe-san? Who are those people beside her, though? 』
Kushida followed his gaze and saw Haruka Hasebe chatting and laughing together with several other students.
"That's your classmate. Do you seriously not recognize their faces? Look, even Ayanokouji-kun is there."
The group consisted of Ayanokouji's study group from the previous exam: Ayanokouji, Haruka, Miyake, and Yukimura. Judging from the atmosphere around them, they seemed to have grown fairly close.
『Ah, I tend to forget people's faces whenever there's a cute girl like Hasebe-san in the group. 』
"...."
"...."
Both Kamuro and Kushida looked at Kumagawa with expressions of disgust, as though they had just come across a piece of human trash after a long time.
It was painfully obvious what he was implying.
As a result, neither of them could stop themselves from making that face as they stared at him.
Kushida then turned toward Kamuro, "Are you stalking Ayanokouji-kun, by any chance?"
"I told you I'm not stalking anyone," Kamuro replied with annoyance.
"I see... In that case, is Sakayanagi-san interested in Ayanokouji-kun by any chance?"
Out of everyone in that group, the only person Kushida knew who was hiding his abilities while still being impressive in his own right was Ayanokouji. Based on that alone, it wasn't difficult to deduce that he had caught Sakayanagi's attention. And since Kamuro worked directly under Sakayanagi, it wasn't hard to figure out why she was keeping an eye on him.
"Huh? Why would Sakayanagi be interested in him?"
"You're pretty bad at lying too, huh..."
"W-what are you—"
『Oh, look. Ayanokouji-kun is coming this way. 』
"Crap!"
Kamuro immediately turned toward the group.
Sure enough, Ayanokouji had separated from his friends and was now walking in their direction.
But before Kamuro could get away or come up with some kind of excuse, Ayanokouji arrived surprisingly quickly and stopped in front of them.
『Hey there, Ayanokouji-kun.』
"Uhm... what are you doing here, Kumagawa?" Ayanokouji glanced at the strange group consisting of Kumagawa, Kushida, and Kamuro.
『Uhh, give me a second. I'll think of a reason that could satisfy you. 』
"...You don't have to."
From the look of it, rather than thinking of a reason that would satisfy him, Kumagawa was probably trying to come up with one that would annoy him instead.
In that case, Ayanokouji would rather not hear it.
His gaze then shifted toward the girl sitting beside Kumagawa. For some reason, she was trying to diminish her presence, though it wasn't working very well.
Ayanokouji pulled out a chair and sat across from them.
"You've been following me. What do you want?" Ayanokouji asked.
"Hmm? What're you talking abo—"
『Ahaha, you got found out, Masumi-chan. 』
"....."
The girl immediately turned her gaze away and shot Kumagawa a look filled with frustration.
From what he could tell, Kumagawa wasn't involved in whatever she was doing. If anything, she seemed more annoyed by Kumagawa's presence than by being caught.
Ayanokouji looked at her once more.
She was one of Sakayanagi's subordinates. Masumi Kamuro, if he remembered her name correctly.
After giving Kumagawa a scornful look, Kamuro turned back toward Ayanokouji.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Even after Kumagawa's comment earlier, Kamuro still intended to play dumb.
"I saw you after class yesterday. Two days ago at Keyaki Mall. Four days ago at Keyaki Mall. Six days ago after class. Seven days ago after class. You were always there. That's quite a string of coincidences, isn't it?" As he spoke, Ayanokouji held up his phone and showed her several photos he had taken of her spying on him.
"That's... But when...?"
『Hahahaha, 』Kumagawa laughed cheerfully.『I wasn't planning on getting involved in your situation, Masumi-chan, but even so, you've been carrying out your secret activities all this time and still ended up getting caught red-handed. I'm disappointed. My disappointment is on par with the Three Great Disappointing Landmarks of Japan. 』
"Pfft."
It was Kushida.
Naturally, everyone's gaze shifted toward her. Especially Kamuro's, whose expression was already filled with annoyance.
"A-ah, sorry. I think a mosquito flew into my throat."
It was such an obvious lie that nobody could possibly believe it, but Kushida didn't seem to care.
"It can't be that bad. And what the hell are you even talking about?"
『Famous landmarks that aren't as disappointing as you expect them to be, which is itself a disappointment. 』
"...."
『I was already drafting the bestseller. "Masumi-chan the Stalker: A Love Story," but it ended as soon as I arrived. Now my plan to sell this story to the public for an astronomical sum is ruined. 』
"You were going to spread around that I was a stalker?!"
The thought alone was terrifying.
『Well, that plan is ruined now. So you can do whatever you want from here on. 』
"....."
What a close call.
Kamuro let out a sigh.
"So what if I'm following you? Do you have a problem with that?" Kamuro turned back toward Ayanokouji. Rather than looking flustered or continuing to deny it, her tone had become noticeably more condescending despite the fact that she had already been caught.
It seemed her exchange with Kumagawa had helped her regain her composure somewhat, though judging by her expression, she looked far more annoyed than calm.
"Not especially," Ayanokouji replied. "It's not hurting me or anything. I'm not going to tell you to stop either, but having him around while the same thing is happening makes it difficult to ignore."
Ayanokouji slowly turned his attention toward the other male present.
『Huh? Me? Hey, hey, don't be so alarmed. What do you take me for? 』
"...."
What was he talking about?
His existence alone already gave Ayanokouji plenty of reasons to be alarmed.
Originally, Ayanokouji had planned to ignore Kamuro after observing her for a few more days. She hadn't crossed any boundaries yet, nor had she done anything that could put him in a difficult position. However, the moment he noticed that Kumagawa was involved, Ayanokouji decided it would be better to confront them directly.
From experience, pretending not to notice rarely led to anything good whenever Kumagawa was involved.
As for Kushida, Ayanokouji tried not to provoke her after everything that had happened between them.
"Anyway," Ayanokouji continued, "stalking aside, what do you think your boss will say when she finds out about this?"
"Boss? What're you talking about? You've been watching way too many movies."
"Then I suppose I'll report this to Sakayanagi. I'll tell her you're not very good at tailing people."
"Wait a minute."
Kamuro grabbed Ayanokouji's arm as he tried to stand up.
"You're quite devoted lackey, aren't you?" Ayanokouji said. "Sakayanagi must've asked you to tail me day after day, and here you are, still doing your job. You must be close to her."
"Don't give me that. I'm nobody's lackey."
Hearing that, Kushida couldn't help but give Kamuro a pitiful look.
It wasn't obvious from Kushida's expression, but Kamuro noticed it immediately.
"D-don't give me that look. I'm really nobody's lackey. I'd honestly never speak to her again if I could," Kamuro spat.
『Don't worry, Masumi-chan. I believe you! 』
"....."
Honestly, hearing that from Kumagawa of all people didn't make Kamuro feel any better.
"Does it matter?" Ayanokouji said. "Whether you're lying or not, if you're not doing this out of goodwill, then she must have some kind of leverage over you."
『Ah! 』
Kumagawa suddenly make a sound.
"Do you know something, Kumagawa?" Ayanokouji looked at him.
Kamuro also turned toward him, a troubled look appearing on her face.
Both Ayanokouji and Kushida noticed that reaction immediately, which clearly suggested that whatever Sakayanagi was holding over her had something to do with Kumagawa.
Why did every problem somehow seem connected to him?
『Hmm... after what happened between us and what she did to me, I obviously wanted to return the favor. 』
At those words, Kamuro began sweating slightly.
Unlike Kumagawa, whose reputation had already sunk somewhere below rock bottom, Kamuro still cared about hers. Even if she wasn't particularly concerned about what people thought of her, this was one thing she absolutely didn't want getting out. It would completely destroy her social life.
And she had already seen what happened to someone whose reputation reached that point.
『But it would be ungentlemanly of me to go around exposing a lady's secrets like that. So to answer your question, Ayanokouji-kun, I don't have the slightest clue what you're talking about. 』
"...Is that so."
Ayanokouji hadn't expected Kumagawa to give him any useful information in the first place, so he wasn't particularly bothered by the answer.
He then turned his attention back to Kamuro.
"Anyway, I'll report your clumsy attempts at tailing me to Sakayanagi. I'll expose how ineffective you've been. Then whatever weakness she's exploiting will probably come back to haunt you."
"So you're threatening me too?"
"Well, that depends."
Kamuro narrowed her eyes.
"You... You're the Class D student Ryuen's looking for, aren't you?"
Rather than answering Ayanokouji's question, she chose to ask one of her own.
"...What are you going to do about it?" Ayanokouji chose not to deny it.
If Sakayanagi already knew about him and what he had been doing, there was little point in pretending otherwise. Besides, everyone sitting at this table seemed to have a general idea of what was going on, especially Kumagawa and Kushida, who had both played important roles in the matter one way or another.
"You're trying to threaten me, but I could always give Ryuen some friendly advice if I felt like it," Kamuro said.
"So you're threatening me in return, huh? In that case, how about this?" Ayanokouji decided to make a proposal. "Feel free to tail me as much as you like. I won't say a word, and I won't report you to Sakayanagi. In exchange, I want you to keep quiet. Don't tell anyone other than Sakayanagi what you know about me."
"So those are your conditions?"
"I don't think it's a bad deal."
"You're right. I have no real interest in helping Ryuuen either." Kamuro nodded and stood from her seat. "I'm going home. I'm tired."
With that, she headed toward the exit.
That left only three people at the table.
"Are you okay with that, Ayanokouji-kun?" Kushida suddenly asked.
"Huh? With what?"
"About Kamuro-san." Kushida glanced at Kamuro's departing figure as she disappeared further into Keyaki Mall. "Isn't it a little risky to offer her such a lackluster deal? Even if you sold her out, there's no guarantee Sakayanagi-san would actually do anything to her, right?"
"I wonder..."
What she said was completely reasonable.
The deal itself was rather loose, and there was nothing particularly compelling about it. Even so, Ayanokouji didn't have much of a problem with it. Considering his situation with Sakayanagi, whether Kamuro kept her promise or not wouldn't really change anything.
More importantly...
"Then what about you?" Ayanokouji asked.
"Huh?"
"Why didn't you tell Ryuen who the real mastermind behind Class D is? After everything that happened, you should know that I'm the one supporting Horikita from behind the scenes, right?"
Compared to Kamuro or Sakayanagi's suspicions, Kushida's position was what confused Ayanokouji the most.
If this were the old Kushida, Ryuen should have already confronted him by now. With everything she knew, especially the recording from the cruise ship incident, there was more than enough information for her to point Ryuen in his direction
Yet judging from Class C's recent behavior, Ryuen was still only in the stage of suspicion. The fact that he had students following Class D instead of acting directly suggested that he still hadn't identified the person he was looking for.
Which meant Kushida hadn't told him anything.
That was the part Ayanokouji couldn't quite understand.
It was as if she hated him, yet at the same time didn't care enough to actively do anything about him. The two feelings seemed contradictory, but that was the impression Kushida's recent behavior gave him.
"Ah, that...? As you can see, I'm a rational girl, right?"
"I'm not sure that's the word I'd use."
"Really? Then let me rephrase it. I know exactly who I dislike." Kushida admitted it easily. "Because of that, I'd rather see Ryuen-kun put in some effort instead of me giving him an easy way out. If things continue like this, maybe somewhere down the line he'll trip up and run into some trouble while trying to find you. And honestly, he probably already has his suspicions, so it's better if the two of you get caught up in your little game, end up causing each other problems, and both get expelled because of it."
"....."
She said all of that with a cheerful tone and a beautiful smile on her face. There wasn't even the slightest hint of hesitation.
Rather, she sounded genuinely pleased by the idea.
"That's a pretty terrible reason."
"Really? I think it's a wonderful reason."
"....."
Hearing that, Ayanokouji couldn't possibly bring up about the recording they had on the cruise ship.
That would just be asking for trouble.
"Well anyway, enjoy the rest of your time, Ayanokouji-kun."
With that, both Kumagawa and Kushida stood up from their seats and headed toward the exit. Just like Kamuro earlier, they left him sitting alone.
After the two of them disappeared from sight, Ayanokouji also rose from his seat and made his way back to where his friends were waiting for him.
There was no point dwelling on the situation. At the moment, there wasn't much he could do about it anyway.
For now, it was best to enjoy the ordinary school life he had always claimed to want.
『』『』『』『』『』
It was already past curfew, and the sun was beginning to set.
After spending the day like a normal student with normal friends such as Hasebe, Miyake, and Yukimura, Ayanokouji had chosen not to return to the dormitory right away. Instead, he sat alone in the park near the dorms.
It had been almost a year since he enrolled at this school, and a lot had happened during that time.
There were many things that had gone exactly as he expected, and just as many that had gone beyond his expectations. It would be a lie to say that he hadn't enjoyed it. After all, this was the kind of life he had wanted ever since he was a child. However, there were also a few things that had gone so far beyond his expectations that they entered the realm of the incomprehensible.
Unfortunately, those were things beyond his control.
There was nothing he could do about them except adapt, as he always had.
Ayanokouji checked the time on his phone.
The person he had called out should have arrived by now.
Just as that thought crossed his mind, he heard footsteps approaching from behind.
"What's the reason you called me out here, Ayanokouji-kun?"
Ayanokouji turned his head and saw a girl walking toward him in casual but tidy clothes.
Despite everything that had happened, she looked mostly the same on the surface. However, that was only her outward appearance. Judging by the slightly haggard look on her face, Ayanokouji doubted she had recovered as well as she appeared.
"We need to talk, Horikita." As he spoke, Ayanokouji gestured toward the empty space beside him on the bench.
"I... refuse."
Horikita looked away.
"I have something to do, so if you'll excuse me."
Without waiting for a response, she turned around and began to walk away as though she wanted to escape from this conversation more than anything. Ayanokouji, of course, noticed that. However, the thing he wanted to talk about was precisely her current situation, so he couldn't let her leave now.
Especially not in her current state.
"Are you planning to avoid this forever?"
Horikita stopped.
"I thought you'd changed after the sports festival. You were willing to confront your weaknesses back then. That's why I'm surprised to see you avoiding them now."
Slowly, Horikita turned around.
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
She returned and stopped directly in front of him. Her expression was clearly displeased.
"Why don't you sit down first?" Once again, Ayanokouji gestured toward the bench.
"...."
After a brief silence, Horikita reluctantly took a seat beside him.
"You've been avoiding people lately."
"I haven't."
"You skipped lunch several times, you leave as soon as class ends, and you've been unusually quiet lately. Even Hirata noticed something was wrong."
Though Horikita had always been a quiet person, to the point that some students secretly referred to her as the Ice Queen, her recent behavior had begun to worry those around her. Hirata and Sudou in particular seemed concerned.
"Then perhaps Hirata should focus more on himself."
Ayanokouji wasn't surprised by the response. Horikita had always been stubborn. If anything, this was far more familiar than the defeated look she had been carrying since the exam.
"Do you think you failed?"
"Isn't the answer obvious?" Horikita replied immediately.
"It isn't really an answer."
"What do you want me to say? The bet ended the way it did. Even though we won the exam, I feel like I suffered a complete loss. If not for circumstances outside my control and your interference, the result would have been much worse."
"So because of that, you think you failed?"
"Yes."
Her answer came without hesitation.
"I prepared for it. I thought through every possibility I could think of. I relied on my own abilities and even sought help from others when necessary. And yet, when it actually mattered, I accomplished nothing. Whether it was Ryuen-kun, Kushida-san, or Kumagawa-kun, I couldn't overcome any of them. Even in your case, Ayanokouji-kun, if you hadn't stepped in, I might have been expelled already. So what exactly am I supposed to call that if not failure?"
"....."
While her response wasn't surprising, Ayanokouji hadn't expected such a strong reaction.
If Horikita were the type to cry, she might have broken down long ago. However, she wasn't. She was the type of person who bottled everything up and carried it herself.
Still, what had happened during the Paper Shuffle exam had clearly dealt a heavy blow to her confidence.
To be fair, even though Ayanokouji had helped in some respects, her opponents had been Kushida and Ryuen, and not to mention.... Kumagawa. Kushida and Ryuen was troublesome enough on their own, but Kumagawa was the real problem.
Considering the circumstances, it was almost a miracle things hadn't spiraled completely out of control once he became involved. Even Ayanokouji couldn't say with certainty that he would come away unscathed if he ever found himself directly opposing Kumagawa.
However, that was probably not what Horikita needed to hear right now.
Given her current state, saying something like that would likely do more harm than good. It would sound as though he was telling her that her defeat had been inevitable from the start, and that all of her efforts had been meaningless.
If anything, Ayanokouji needed to avoid dealing another blow to her already damaged confidence. With that in mind, he decided to approach the matter from a different angle.
"If you failed, then what exactly were you trying to accomplish?"
"What kind of question is that?" Horikita frowned.
"You said that you failed, but what were you trying to achieve in the first place? Your defeat against Kushida was simply the result. I won't deny that you failed. Spectacularly, even. But that wasn't what you were trying to accomplish, was it?"
"Are you criticizing me right now?"
"Maybe a little."
Horikita looked away with clear displeasure.
In any case, Ayanokouji couldn't stay silent forever. He had been hoping things would resolve themselves over the past few days, but Horikita's behavior hadn't changed in the slightest. That wasn't a good sign for Class D, especially now that the class was gradually beginning to unite under the leadership of both Horikita and Hirata.
"In any case," Ayanokouji returned to the topic, "I'm trying to understand why you're so fixated on the result."
"Isn't that obvious? Results are all that matter."
"Maybe. But if your goal was simply to defeat Kushida, then yes, you failed. However, that wasn't your actual goal, was it?"
Horikita's expression stiffened slightly.
"....."
"Defeating Kushida was only a means to an end. Things didn't turn out the way you wanted, but if you look at the situation objectively, not much has actually changed. Of course the outcome of the bet wasn't ideal, but it didn't fundamentally alter your position."
"So you're saying the result doesn't matter?"
"No. I'm saying you're treating the result as though it defines everything." Ayanokouji paused before continuing. "You keep calling yourself a failure, but every time you do, you only talk about the outcome. You seem surprisingly vague about what exactly you failed at.
"...What exactly are you trying to say?"
"It's simple. You lost the bet. I agree with that. You failed to make Kushida cooperate. I agree with that too. But when you talk about your failure, you immediately jump to the conclusion that everything you've done up until now was meaningless."
"Because it was."
"...."
Now Ayanokouji was certain he had found the root of the problem.
Horikita had been hit harder than he initially thought by the fact that she had nearly been expelled and completely outplayed by her opponents. Because of that, she had become fixated on the result alone.
If he wanted to get through to her, he would have to change the way she was looking at the situation.
"If the only thing that mattered was the result, then Sudou would've remained the same person he was when we first enrolled. He wouldn't have changed even after you spoke to him during the Sports Festival. And in turn, the class wouldn't have changed as a result of that."
"Those things have nothing to do with this. In the end, isn't that because the result went well, not the opposite? You're just affirming the importance of results more and more than anything, Ayanokouji-kun. What exactly are you trying to convey here other than my failure?"
"Perhaps you're right."
"...."
Horikita looked at him suspiciously, as though she hadn't expected him to agree so easily.
"Results are important," Ayanokouji continued. "I don't intend to deny that. If results didn't matter, there wouldn't have been any point in competing in the first place."
"Then what are you trying to say?"
"I'm saying that you're only looking at one result. You keep talking about your bet with Kushida as though it was the only thing that happened during the exam."
"That was the most important part."
"To you, perhaps. But not to everyone else. The exam was structured so that everyone could only rely on themselves. Even if you and Hirata organized study groups, the final result still depended on each student's own efforts." Ayanokouji turned his gaze toward the evening sky. "From the class's perspective, we won the exam. From Sudou's perspective, he avoided failing. The same goes for several other students."
"...."
"Yet you've decided that because the one result you cared about didn't go your way, everything else has become meaningless."
"T-that's not what I'm saying."
"Is it? Because from my perspective, that's exactly what you're doing."
Horikita fell silent.
Ayanokouji wasn't trying to say that her frustration was wrong. If anything, her disappointment was understandable. It would have been stranger if someone like Horikita wasn't frustrated after what had happened.
After all, she had risked everything on that bet and lost.
However, because of that loss, she seemed to have developed a kind of tunnel vision. Her confidence had been crushed by the result, allowing that single defeat to define her entire evaluation of herself.
"Let me ask you something, Horikita."
"What?"
"Let's forget about the bet for a moment," Ayanokouji said. "If Kushida had accepted your offer and agreed to cooperate with the class, would you suddenly consider everything you've done until now a success?"
"Of course."
"Then what about Sakura's expulsion?"
"Sakura...?"
The name caused Horikita's expression to stiffen slightly.
It was the name of the classmate they had chosen to sacrifice in order to save Sudou.
"Wasn't that a loss no matter how you look at it?" Ayanokouji asked. "Sakura was expelled, and the class lost a considerable number of points in the process. Do you think it was the wrong decision?"
Horikita immediately shook her head.
"Because there wasn't a better option." Horikita continued, "Between Sakura-san and Sudou-kun, keeping Sudou-kun in the class is the better option for class D in the long run."
"Exactly. You lost Sakura. That fact doesn't change. No matter how you look at it, the class suffered a loss. Yet you don't consider that decision a mistake because you understand why it was made."
Horikita remained silent.
"Keeping Sudou was the more beneficial choice for the class. The Sports Festival proved that much."
If Horikita had chosen Sakura over Sudou back then, the Sports Festival would likely have ended very differently. Class D's current position would have been even worse than it already was.
"At the time, you accepted that there were things worth losing in order to achieve something greater."
Ayanokouji turned toward her.
"So why are you treating the case with Kushida differently?"
"....."
"You lost the bet. That's true. But does losing automatically mean everything you did leading up to it was wrong?"
For the first time since the conversation began, Horikita had no immediate response.
Ayanokouji wasn't trying to claim that she had done everything perfectly.
She had made mistakes.
She had been naive at times.
However, that wasn't the same thing as saying she had accomplished nothing.
The real problem was that Horikita had become fixated on a single defeat.
If a person spent all their time looking down, watching their own feet so they wouldn't trip, then they might succeed in avoiding the next stumble. But they would also fail to see where they were headed.
Life could be like that.
No, life was like that.
If all Horikita saw was her defeat against Kushida, then she would eventually lose sight of everything else she had achieved along the way.
"Horikita."
"...What?"
"It's okay to be frustrated. It's okay to feel disappointed. But if all you do is stare at that one loss, then you'll never see anything else."
The two sat in silence.
The sun had already begun to disappear beyond the horizon, casting long shadows across the park.
After a while, Horikita finally spoke.
"...You're surprisingly bad at encouraging people, aren't you?"
"That's because I wasn't trying to encourage you."
"Then what were you trying to do?"
Ayanokouji thought about it for a moment.
"Who knows."
For the first time that evening, a small trace of exasperation appeared on Horikita's face. Though it probably wouldn't completely erase the doubts and frustration gnawing at her mind overnight, it should at least serve as some kind of guide for her moving forward.
At least that is what Ayanokouji hoped.
In any case, he found this expression far more familiar than the defeated look she had been carrying for the past several days. Compared to that, a slightly irritated Horikita felt much closer to normal.
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Sup. I'm back.
Don't really have much to say, so I'll keep this one short.
Anyway, that's it for the first chapter of Volume 7.
[Thanks for reading]