"Hey, Kamukura. We're barging into Class D, so come with me."
One afternoon after school, with winter break right around the corner, Ryuuen-kun suddenly said that out of nowhere.
Behind him, Albert led the way, followed by his elite trio of Ishizaki-kun and Komiya-kun.
On top of that, unusually, a short distance away stood Ibuki-san, looking somewhat languid.
"Is today the day we're doing it?"
"Nope, the execution of X is going ahead as planned during the closing ceremony. Today is the final adjustment."
Having no reason to refuse, I quickly got ready and left the classroom with him.
Ryuuen-kun had continued his attacks on X up until today, but since this was the final adjustment, preparations were nearly complete.
In other words, the start of Ayanokouji-kun's execution was close at hand.
What the result would be, we'd verify the details from here.
My intuition told me this battle was a turning point for Ryuuen-kun.
That was exactly why I would make an accurate prediction and solidify the future I saw.
Whether the future I saw accurately would change or not.
Whether Ryuuen-kun, who never stopped growing, could make Ayanokouji-kun break a sweat.
Or whether Ayanokouji-kun, with his unknown true strength, could crush Ryuuen-kun.
Either way, expecting an unpredictable outcome, I planned to make an accurate prediction this time.
"Why are you bringing me along today?"
"I'm giving you a role to play. That's why I called you today."
Ryuuen-kun continued his explanation.
"Today's targets are Kouenji and Hirata. Once we barge into Class D, first have everyone but Kamukura chase down Kouenji. But the real prize isn't here. After all, Kouenji is almost definitely not X. His personality would be a stretch to be a fake."
"...So the real target is Kamukura-san!"
"Fifty points, Ishizaki. The real goal is to identify the fools we can hook in the meantime. If someone close to the X I'm marking gets reeled in, we'll call them out at the closing ceremony and crush them. And if they don't show, Kamukura will keep an eye on whoever's left in the classroom."
Once Ryuuen-kun finished speaking, we arrived in front of Class D's classroom.
Class D still seemed to be in the middle of homeroom.
"Kamukura, you know who I'm marking, right? If that guy stays in the classroom, monitor him thoroughly. Give him the terror of being pursued by you."
"What if he doesn't stay?"
"Then monitor Hirata. Feel free to threaten him using Karuizawa's stuff. But don't go too far. If he breaks, it'll lose its appeal."
As soon as he finished relaying the plan, the door to Class D's classroom opened at the perfect time, and Chabashira-sensei stepped out.
We swapped places and invaded Class D.
The classroom grew noisy.
The gazes of the Class D students focused on us.
Chabashira-sensei glanced over for a moment but quickly walked down the hallway.
She would probably intervene if a full-blown brawl broke out right away, but it seemed there was no punishment for students from other classes visiting the classroom.
Even so, no matter how you looked at it, today's strategy was nothing but a warning to Ayanokouji-kun.
Ryuuen-kun's way of instilling the fear of being targeted.
By narrowing down the candidates one by one and gradually closing in on X, he was trying to propagate the terror.
I wondered whether this strategy was having any effect on Ayanokouji-kun.
"What the hell? This is Class D, you know."
The first to react to our entry was Sudō-kun.
He immediately stood up and marched straight toward Ryuuen-kun.
However, Hirata-kun, wary of violence, hurriedly stepped between them.
"What do you want, Ryuuen-kun?"
To Hirata-kun, who couldn't grasp the situation, Ryuuen-kun replied with the corners of his mouth upturned.
"Nothing much. I've just got some business with someone. I came straight here so they couldn't escape."
"Is that your real business?"
"Hey now, that's harsh, Hirata. Do I look like the type who'd lie?"
Hirata-kun, wanting to settle things quickly, tried to cut to the main point, but Ryuuen-kun saw through his attitude and provoked him to drag out the conversation.
"...The person you have business with is the hidden strategist from Class D that you've all been frantically searching for recently, right?"
"Kuku, that's the spirit, Hirata. If you can, I'd love for you to teach me his true identity too."
Ryuuen-kun spoke in a belittling manner, but Hirata-kun's expression remained unchanged.
He didn't seem bothered in the slightest.
Ryuuen-kun disclosed some information as a test.
"I've got hold of info that you're connected with X. During the uninhabited island exam, it looks like you cooperated with X and copied my strategy, didn't you?"
"It's true we took reference from your plan, no question about it. But that plan was one that Horikita-san and I devised. It absolutely wasn't the plan of the hidden strategist you're searching for."
"With Suzune, huh. Kuku, when you factor in the cruise ship exam results, it's not impossible. On the cruise ship exam, we lost points because of Suzune's actions. I don't doubt her abilities either. In fact, it's fair to say I hold her in high regard."
Ryuuen-kun directed an intense gaze at Horikita-san, but received a cold one in return.
"Being praised by you doesn't make me happy. And knowing my abilities, I still can't understand why you'd do something so ridiculous."
"It'll be interesting to see how long you can keep up that attitude."
Ryuuen-kun and Horikita-san's glares clashed fiercely.
An uneasy atmosphere began to spread through the class, halting the students who had been getting ready to leave.
However, there was one man who moved without paying any heed to it.
Completely ignoring Ryuuen-kun's arrival or the domineering attitudes of his lackeys, he stood up and walked out of the classroom.
"That saves us some effort."
The man who exited the classroom was none other than the target, Rokusuke Kouenji.
He was the only person in this school capable of facing me properly, and simultaneously the greatest eccentric in the school.
After watching his action, Ryuuen-kun signaled his underlings with his eyes and promptly left the classroom.
I stayed in front of the teacher's podium as instructed.
"Hey, hey, Ryuuen's about to do something crazy! Shouldn't we go after him!?"
"...Calm down, Yamauchi. I want to follow too, but..."
"What, Ike? You're killing the vibe~. Why the serious face... Huh!?"
The boy called Yamauchi began letting his imagination run wild on his own.
A clown, mood maker. The view was too narrow to call him that.
If the boy called Ike hadn't been on guard against me, he probably wouldn't have noticed my presence.
"H-hey, you! Why aren't you following Ryuuen!?"
The voice of the student called Yamauchi rang out in the now quiet classroom.
In the taut atmosphere braced for secondary fallout, he announced it cheerfully.
To answer his question, I glanced at him.
He immediately shuddered violently across his whole body and fell back onto his rear.
It appeared to be an act of foolhardy courage.
"That's because my purpose is here."
"What is that purpose?"
Hirata-kun, taking over the conversation baton, asked me.
"Is that alright? At this rate, Ryuuen-kun will go after Kouenji-kun."
To advance Ryuuen-kun's plan, I prompted them to stay alert.
After making a bitter face, Hirata-kun looked toward Horikita-san.
Following his gaze, I could confirm five students including Horikita-san.
Ayanokouji-kun, Miyake-kun, Yukimura-kun, Sudō-kun.
Students who had once all been placed as possible X candidates.
After a brief exchange between Horikita-san and Ayanokouji-kun, they took action, taking the other three with them.
"...Hirata-kun, I'll leave that to you."
After glaring at me for a moment, Horikita-san said that and led the four boys out into the hallway.
At the same time, my target was decided as well.
Since Ayanokouji-kun had gone toward Ryuuen-kun, my mark would be Hirata-kun.
With my course of action decided, all that was left was to carry it out.
"...Let's continue our talk, Kamukura-kun. What is your purpose in coming here?"
He asked, looking quite cornered.
"I was instructed to monitor you and determine if you are X or not."
Upon hearing the reason, he looked utterly surprised.
It seemed he hadn't expected me to answer so honestly.
"I-I see. So that's why you stayed behind."
"But..."
"...Hold on a second!"
A high-pitched voice from a female student stopped me firmly.
The girl's name was Kei Karuizawa.
With her blonde ponytail and classic gyaru appearance, her gifted looks were skillfully accentuated by fashion that made the most of her proportions.
From the effort she put into her appearance and this domineering attitude, the information that she reigned at the top of the girls' caste in Class D was accurate.
However, it clashed with the information that she was a bullying victim.
"Are you planning to do something horrible to Hirata-kun like Ryuuen-kun!? The school won't stay silent if you do that!"
Karuizawa-san accused me with a fierce glare.
That single action slightly changed the atmosphere in the class.
The Class D students began thinking that if a powerful third party like the school intervened, even I wouldn't be able to act freely.
The frozen air gradually shifted in her favor.
The power to dominate the situation—an ability worthy of the name.
She was trying to resolve the situation by leveraging her strong position.
It was impressive. However, that action was premature.
"I won't. I'm simply told to monitor him. Besides, I'm already bored, so I intend to head back."
I replied that way.
Honestly, I wasn't in the mood today.
Since I already knew who X was, investigating Hirata Yōsuke was nothing but a waste of time.
It was true that there were things I wanted to ask Hirata-kun about.
It concerned the collective bullying of Karuizawa-san by Manabe-san and the others after the cruise ship exam.
Because I wanted to predict the future that Ryuuen-kun and Ayanokouji-kun were creating in greater detail, I wanted to look into the related events. That's why I was also interested in what happened after the cruise ship exam.
However, even if I asked Hirata-kun or Karuizawa-san, they wouldn't tell me. More importantly, if I asked Manabe-san, she should tell me.
So after this, I had been planning to visit Manabe-san to hear the story, but now this situation had arisen.
I had no choice but to go along with his game for now, but honestly, it was boring.
On top of that, quickly pulling back would implicitly signal that Hirata Yōsuke was not X... so for me, that option was more interesting.
"Eh… Eh?"
"You didn't understand? I'm bored, so I want to go home now."
My statement silenced Class D.
Every single person looked at me with stunned expressions.
No, there was one bad-natured blonde girl looking this way and holding back her laughter.
"…Th-there's no way I can trust that!"
That was reasonable, and her reaction was natural.
"Well then, I'm heading out."
"Eh… Ehhh!? W-wait a second! You're really leaving!?"
"I really am leaving. What is it with you?"
"That's my line!!"
It seemed she was confused by how the situation kept flipping back and forth.
Resolving her confusion would be troublesome, so I'd leave it to Hirata-kun.
"Is it okay for you not to do the monitoring? Won't Ryuuen-kun punish you or something if you leave now?"
"There won't be any. Rather, why are you worrying about me? If you're going to worry, worry about yourself."
I was fed up with his excessive kindness.
It was to the point that I unintentionally asked a pointless question.
"Y-yeah, that's true. Sorry."
"No need for an apology."
With those words as the last, I left the classroom.
There wasn't anyone particularly of interest, so I'd quickly finish my own business.
I sent one message to arrange a meeting with Manabe-san.
...
Just what have I done?
Holding my phone after ending the call, I swung one hand idly as I sat in the rest area of Keyaki Mall, sinking into despair.
It was after school with winter break approaching—just another ordinary day out of 365 spent hanging out with friends.
On such a normal day, I received one phone call.
It happened while I was looking at clothes at Keyaki Mall with my classmates Yabu Nanami and Yamashita Saki.
The name displayed on the screen belonged to a boy from my own class.
When the call came in, my two friends teased me asking if it was my boyfriend, but I was so internally panicked that I couldn't respond properly.
The boy's name was Izuru Kamukura.
He held the position of vice-leader in Class C.
To be frank, he was even more difficult to deal with than Ryuuen-kun.
Ryuuen-kun, who used violence without hesitation, was very scary and hard to approach, but he was even more terrifying.
If I had to say why, it was those eyes.
Cold eyes that seemed to see through everything. When looked at by them, my instincts flashed danger signals.
Even though he'd helped me multiple times during the sports festival and the Paper Shuffle, giving us chances to talk, I still couldn't get used to them.
"…What is he going to do to me?"
Sitting in the rest area as casually as if I were relaxing at home, I muttered.
Since I had temporarily separated from my friends, the words floated alone in the air.
It made me even more anxious about what was to come.
The call was about the cruise ship exam, something that also involved my two friends, but only I had been summoned.
It was possible that I was now going to pay for what I did during the sports festival.
Just thinking that made my body tremble, and even if it was for a different reason, it was depressing.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Manabe-san."
An emotionless voice called out to me.
His most noticeable feature was his long black hair that swayed mysteriously.
His next most distinctive feature—eyes red like blood—were looking at me.
"Wh-what is it for today, K-Kamukura-kun!"
Overcome with terror, I sprang up like a startled cat and immediately bowed my head.
"…I've told you many times already, but please try to get used to it a little."
"I-I'm sorry! I'm really sorry! I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, Kamukura-kun…"
"I don't find your behavior uncomfortable at all. Also, let me say this upfront: I didn't come today to impose any punishment on you."
Hearing there would be no punishment, I breathed a sigh of relief.
That said, my tension didn't drop to zero, but it eased a little.
"Th-then, what exactly is this about today? You said you wanted details about the cruise ship exam, but I already told Ryuuen-kun everything that happened back then."
"Yes, I'm somewhat aware. However, I wanted to hear the story one more time from you, who actually experienced it on the scene.
That's why I called you here today."
Understanding the reason for his visit, I felt relieved again.
No punishment. Just knowing that was enough to put me at ease.
Physical punishment like Ryuuen-kun's was scary, but still better.
If someone like Kamukura-kun started a psychological assault with words, I would probably resign myself to death.
"There are too many people here, so let's move. Is that café fine?"
"Y-yes."
The place he pointed to was a café with an adult atmosphere.
It was a bit expensive, but its other qualities were perfect, making it a popular shop.
I silently followed behind him and entered the store.
Once we sat at a table in the back, he glanced around before handing me the menu.
"Order whatever you like. It's thanks for taking time away from your friends."
"N-no, I can't let you treat me… I still have plenty of points, so I'm fine!"
"In that case, show your true self. It's rude to brush off someone's kindness."
"Th-then… I'll take you up on that…"
I chose milk tea.
He also said I could order a side item, but since I had no appetite due to the tension, I politely declined.
Once our two drinks were quickly served, he began to speak.
"Let's use our time efficiently. Please tell me what happened back then right away."
He interlaced his fingers and waited for my reply.
The oppressive attitude made fear well up again, but a certain interest took priority and calmed it down.
My interest was in his hands.
Large and masculine, yet slender and feminine—my eyes were drawn to his beautiful, androgynous hands without a single blemish.
Those hands that looked as if they had been crafted by a precision machine made it impossible for me to concentrate on the conversation.
"Is there something on my hand?"
"Ah, um… I was just thinking how beautiful your hands are."
"I see."
I like being fashionable. And lately, I've been hooked on doing my nails, so I was utterly captivated the moment I laid eyes on such exquisite materials.
If possible, I wanted to ask how she maintained hands like those, but I rationally decided to wrap up our conversation first.
"Um, first of all... "
With that opener, I started recounting the events from the cruise ship special exam.
It began with the incident between my friend Morofuji Rika and Karuizawa Kei, and how we attempted to bully Karuizawa twice in retaliation.
And how, instead, we ended up having our own weakness seized.
I laid everything out without holding back, exactly as I'd reported to Ryuuen-kun.
Kamukura-kun organized his thoughts as he verbally confirmed them.
"When the first bullying took place, there were four witnesses: Hirata-kun, Ayanokouji-kun, Matsushita-san, and Satō-san.
That's most likely when X made his move. Then, to achieve some goal, he deliberately engineered the second bullying scene. The result... was grasping a weakness in Class C and rescuing Karuizawa-san from her crisis."
He repositioned his clasped hands as if to hide his nose.
When he opened his eyes again after briefly closing them, he didn't seem entirely convinced.
"Eh, what do you think X's objective is? Something like keeping Class C in check?"
"No. If his aim was merely restraint, X would have exploited this incident far more effectively."
"Then why..."
"It's to turn Karuizawa-san into his pawn. From what was exposed during the sports festival, we know X has a personality that treats people like tools, don't we?"
After taking a sip of the coffee he'd ordered, he replied.
The way he'd abandoned Horikita Suzune during the sports festival certainly fit that impression.
Seeing how skillfully he used Karuizawa-san as an external tool to trap us in the cruise ship special exam also made his bad character clear.
On top of that, if the whole thing was a setup—a problem created just to solve it—in order to make Karuizawa-san his servant, then it was as bad as it gets.
"Well, there appear to be other goals besides that one."
"Wh-what are those goals?"
I asked out of pure curiosity, but immediately realized I'd said something unnecessary and involuntarily held my breath.
Kamukura-kun stared straight at me, deep in thought.
Unable to endure even that brief silence, I instinctively reached for my cup and brought the milk tea to my lips.
Halfway through the motion, Kamukura-kun spoke once more.
"... What if it's to crush Ryuuen-kun?"
"...Eh?"
The involuntary sound escaped me along with the milk tea that nearly spilled from my mouth.
Since there wasn't much in my mouth, it didn't dribble out like saliva.
But that was beside the point—it was what Kamukura-kun had just said.
I couldn't comprehend that conclusion at all.
I had no idea how he'd arrived at it either.
"Considering all the information up to now, X hates showing himself in public more than anything.
Despite that, he involved all of you and Karuizawa-san. Even if one reason was to make her his pawn, I can't help but feel something's off about him leaving behind such obvious traces of his involvement."
Sensing my confusion, he provided an explanation.
As expected of his reasoning ability; it reaffirmed just how brilliant he was.
"Th-that's true. If he really dislikes being in the spotlight, it does feel a little strange."
I only noticed it after he pointed it out, but honestly, I still couldn't help thinking that maybe he just wanted to use Karuizawa as a pawn that badly.
Once you have a hold on the weakness of someone who's been bullied like her, you can do whatever you please.
I don't know if X is a guy or a girl, but if it's a man, something like making perverted demands wouldn't be out of the question.
"Furthermore, during the sports festival, he had Horikita Suzune carry a recording to keep us in check. In other words, he was implicitly telling Class D that someone there is monitoring Class C's movements.
Doing so would make it crystal clear that Ryuuen-kun would launch a manhunt for the perpetrator. As the dictator he is, he'd force his way to uncovering your connection with Karuizawa-san and start searching for the person behind it all... X."
"...When you put it that way, it really does sound like he's leading Ryuuen-kun around by the nose... doesn't it?"
"Hmm, I figured just following my explanation would be your limit, but you're sharper than I thought.
I agree completely. And if this is indeed a setup to guide him, it means X fully understands Ryuuen-kun's way of thinking and acting.
So tell me, Manabe-san. Once X has been found by him, what do you think he'll do?"
Kamukura-kun threw the question at me like a test.
Not wanting to make a mistake and anger him, I racked my brains desperately.
But the answer came to me right away.
Ryuuen-kun's behavioral pattern.
It was something every single person in this class knew.
The way he threatened violence to force Class C into submission—in other words...
"...He'd call X out and beat him senseless."
"Precisely."
Just as he does when ruling the class, he'd crush the target without the school ever finding out.
It was the method he excelled at most.
"B-but X has grasped everything and is still guiding Ryuuen-kun, right?
Even knowing he'll get beaten if discovered, wh-why set up something like that..."
I tried to reason it out but couldn't reach the answer.
However, it came back immediately.
"Didn't I say it? To crush Ryuuen-kun.
By deliberately allowing himself to be hunted, when Ryuuen-kun summons either Karuizawa-san or X himself, he'll crush him on his home ground."
The conclusion had already been reached.
Thanks to Kamukura-kun, my head had gotten a little better, but it seemed I was still as much of an idiot as ever.
If I had to make an excuse, it'd be that I couldn't possibly imagine a world where multiple people solve problems with violence like Ryuuen-kun does.
"This can be considered X's objective. Manabe-san, after hearing all that, do you have any questions?"
He said this while carefully observing me.
It had been such a sudden barrage of information that I still hadn't finished processing it all.
But there was one thing that stood out to me immediately.
"Wh-why is it that even though you understand this much, Kamukura-kun, you're talking about Ryuuen-kun getting crushed like it's none of your business?"
It felt like a simple enough question.
Why wouldn't he, as Class C's vice-leader, try to help Ryuuen-kun?
"Because I want to witness the unknown."
"I-is that so?"
I was thrown off by the non-answer.
But it certainly felt very much in character for Kamukura-kun...
"Um, and why did you tell me all of this?"
"Because you're not the type to get any more involved in this affair, and I wanted to predict how you'd act once the matter with X is settled."
"After the X situation is resolved?"
This answer was also completely beyond my grasp.
"Manabe-san, if after dealing with X, Ryuuen-kun announced he'd step down as this class's leader, what would you do?"
"I-I don't know. I couldn't say until it actually happens..."
"A perfectly ordinary answer. How boring."
He practically spat the words out.
That habitual phrase was usually one of the triggers for fear, but strangely, I didn't feel any terror right now.
If anything, his expressionless face looked slightly disappointed, and watching him take another sip of coffee—combined with his usual monstrous presence—made him seem almost human.
"How about we make one promise, Manabe-san?"
"...A-a promise?"
Kamukura-kun quietly set down his now-empty cup.
I braced myself at both his words and his actions.
"Yes. Though it's really nothing more than a casual verbal agreement.
Going forward, make a conscious effort to think hard—with only your own mind—about your actions within the class and the various questions that will come up in the future."
"Huh? Wh-what do you me... !!"
Before I could finish my question, I hastily swallowed my words.
Somehow, I understood what he was getting at.
"It's a promise to try correcting that part of yourself a little... or rather, consider it an assignment from me."
"...An assignment."
"Yes. You seem to have forgotten, but you're the one who caused this problem to begin with.
In Class C, right after Ryuuen-kun, you have quite a low likability rating, you know."
He hit me where it hurt, and I had no comeback.
It was true that the social standing I'd built since enrollment had crumbled badly due to the aftermath of the cruise ship special exam and my betrayal at the sports festival.
The looks I got from the class were harsh.
But I couldn't help wondering why he was bringing this up now.
"Wh-why are you telling me something like this?"
It might be the opening move in some larger scheme.
Or maybe he was planning to use me as a pawn like Karuizawa-san, in a way I just couldn't predict yet.
"For the same reason as before. I want to know the unknown, you see.
Predicting your future in your current state would be boring. That's why I offered some advice for growth.
I want to see how you change as a result."
"I-I see?"
I could only grasp it vaguely, but essentially, he planned to experiment on me somehow.
To observe how I evolve within this class.
"By the way, if things stay this way, will I end up..."
"You'll remain a boring person, below even the level of an ordinary human."
Wh-what a merciless comment.
Anyone would seem below ordinary next to Kamukura-kun.
"With that in mind, please try putting my assignment into practice.
That's all. Keep what we discussed today strictly to yourself."
Having finished all his business, he picked up the check and stood from his seat.
He swiftly handled the payment and walked out of the store at a brisk pace.
What a fast-moving person.
"Haaah, it's finally over."
Exhaustion suddenly came crashing down on me.
The tension had eased off partway through, but facing him still required intense concentration, so I was completely drained.
"W-well, maybe I'll give it a little try."
I checked my reflection on my phone screen and tidied my hair.
He'd said it was for the sake of his unknown, but he probably doesn't have these kinds of conversations with just anyone.
Which meant there was a high chance he only said such things to people he had expectations for.
Being expected of. Just thinking that put me in a really good mood.
I left the cafe feeling quite cheerful.
***
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