The man called Ryuuen had his hands in his pockets, a fearless smirk on his face as he looked at me.
As I stared at him with a look of skepticism, Ichinose, with a light sweat on her cheek, began to speak next to me.
"The mastermind behind this whole incident... he's the C-Class leader."
"Mastermind? What are you talking about?"
"Ryuuen-san! W-what should we do... I didn't know there'd be a camera! I don't want to get expelled!"
Ishizaki cried out desperately. He was playing dumb, but Ichinose's words about him being the mastermind of this incident were probably correct.
"Don't say another word. From here on out, I'll talk to these guys."
"Y-yes..."
The fact that even Ishizaki was this obedient to him... I needed to be on alert.
Ryuuen turned back to me once more, closing the distance. His height was the same as mine, or a little taller, and his slightly distinctive long hairstyle looked quite hot.
"I haven't heard your name yet."
"Ayanokouji."
"Then, let me ask you one thing, Ayanokouji. Did you plan this?"
"...Plan? What are you talking about?"
There was no need to answer honestly, so I played dumb, but Ryuuen had a look of certainty on his face.
"You're going to keep playing dumb... Fine. Even if this camera was set up, our loss is confirmed."
"W-was it really!? Then we won, right!?"
"Yeah. If you didn't say anything extra."
Ryuuen glanced at my pocket and said this... I messed up. I should have acted a little more flustered.
...So this is the C-Class leader. It seems Japan's top prep school is no joke. I don't know about A-Class yet, but it seems each class has people who we need to be wary of.
However, the three of them didn't seem to understand the meaning, as they just stood there with a dumbfounded look on their faces.
"Hey, you guys, if you don't want to get expelled, withdraw the complaint. I can't stand being in a hot place like this."
"N-no way! Please explain, Ryuuen-san!"
Ignoring Ishizaki, who was shouting behind him, Ryuuen came closer step by step. After stopping right next to me, he whispered softly.
"Tell the bastard who came up with this plan. I'm going to crush you, no matter what."
"..."
Without waiting for my reply, Ryuuen left the special building.
"Ah! Wait for me!"
Ishizaki and the others who were left behind hurriedly chased after him. In an instant, only Ichinose and I were left in the corridor, and a deserted atmosphere returned.
"Is this... a success?"
"Yeah. Ryuuen's appearance was unexpected, though. It was a big help that Tsugumi had a backup plan."
There was a device in my pocket that was recording. I thought C-Class would withdraw the complaint, but just in case, I sent the data to Horikita.
"Saitou-kun is, well, he's amazing, isn't he? First the thing the other day, and now this plan... I would have never thought of it."
"Yeah. He's a friend I'm proud of."
That's what I said with my chest puffed out, but the truth is, Tsugumi's ability is inexplicably high.
His physical ability in swimming and other P.E. classes is on par with or even surpasses Kouenji's, and his academic ability is top-class. His personality isn't as uncooperative as Horikita's was at the beginning of the school year, and at first glance, he's definitely someone who deserves to be in A-Class based on his stats.
--- So, what's the reason Tsugumi was assigned to D-Class?
"How did he get the points, too? This camera must have cost a fortune."
"...I don't know. Maybe he was saving up?"
I couldn't exactly tell her about the rental boyfriend thing.
"What do you want to do? Wait in front of the student council room?"
"Yeah..."
Suddenly, I remembered the sight of Sakura a little while ago. She said she had something to do today, but what was it?
What was she trying to say to me when she called me before, and at the entrance after school? Didn't she look like she had made up her mind about something?
What did she mean by 'plucking up the courage'?
A tingling sensation went through my head, and I started thinking hard.
"Let's go out to eat sometime soon with Kanzaki-kun and the others to thank you and celebrate! It's on me!"
Before I could come to a conclusion, I started running. Ichinose's suggestion was a good one, but I'd have to put it on hold for now.
"Eh!? W-wait a minute!"
Ichinose, not knowing what was happening, inexplicably started chasing after me.
I pulled out my phone as I ran. If I had permission to view a person's location, I could find my friends. It's ironic that Ike's cleverness would come in handy in a situation like this.
I immediately checked my phone's current location and searched for Sakura. After that, I called a certain person.
"Oh! Ayanokouji-kun~ Did it go well?"
"Sakura's in danger! Go to the Keyaki Mall loading dock immediately!"
I was grateful that my friend answered on the first ring, and I gave him the bare minimum of an explanation. I didn't consult him about the stalker before because I wasn't sure, but I didn't have time to regret that now.
"Got it. I'll head there right away."
"I'm counting on you."
It was closer to get there from the dorm than from the school, so even including the time it took to prepare, Tsugumi would probably get there faster.
"I was on the track team in middle school, so I'm pretty confident in my speed and endurance."
She said that with a happy smile.
"I'm sorry, but I don't plan on waiting for you. I'm in a hurry."
"Ahahaha, it's fine."
Sakura's location hadn't moved for a while. That was making me feel uneasy.
--- I don't think for a moment that my choice was wrong.
Because if I hadn't called Tsugumi, it might have been too late.
But... the sight in front of me was too shocking for me to be able to just celebrate what happened.
"What's love? You don't understand that she's suffering, and you think your self-serving, garbage-like obsession is love?"
The sight we saw when we arrived late was Tsugumi, showing an anger I had never seen before.
He was quietly angry when he was with Chabashira-sensei, but this was nothing compared to that.
"It's not self-serving! I love Sakura, and Sakura loves me!"
"Can't you see the terrified look on her face? Your 'love' will never reach her. Just wait here until a security guard comes."
Tsugumi was standing between the man and Sakura, trying to talk to him. Ichinose looked like she wanted to go help, but I told her to hold her breath.
I was just too curious about what Tsugumi would do.
"D-don't come any closer...!"
However, the moment Sakura's look of disgust and fear was directed at the man, he started screaming like he had gone crazy.
"You...! You, Sakura's...!! Aaaaaaah!"
"Look out!"
The man took out a box cutter from the pouch on his waist and ran towards Tsugumi.
Ichinose, who had been holding her breath next to me, cried out. Damn it, will I make it!?
"...Hopeless."
"Eek! Aaaaah!"
Tsugumi accurately dodged the box cutter and pressed the man's hand holding it against the wall.
A loud crack came from the man's fist, and the box cutter fell to the floor from the impact.
"Ah, whoops."
Although he said that, Tsugumi accurately kicked the fallen box cutter far away with his foot.
The way he handled the situation, it was clear that he was used to this kind of thing. ...This isn't something a normal high school student who just learned some martial arts can do, unlike someone with a special upbringing like me.
"Are you okay!? Saitou-kun!"
"Ichinose-san... I'm fine. Please check on Sakura-san."
Tsugumi, wrapping the man's legs with his uniform belt, replied to Ichinose who came running over.
"No way!? What if you got hurt!?"
...It seems she's not going to listen to me. I guess I'll check on Sakura.
"Are you okay?"
"Y-yeah. Saitou-kun saved me."
If I hadn't called Tsugumi, it could have been a disaster. It was a really close call.
"O-oh... I can't stand up."
"Are you alright?"
Her legs had gone weak, so I offered my hand to the kneeling Sakura.
"T-thank you... Kya!"
"Whoa."
Perhaps because she stood up suddenly, Sakura lost her balance and fell into me.
When I caught her, a soft sensation came through. I thought this kind of lucky perverted scene only happened in anime, but it seems it happens in real life, too.
"I-I'm sorry! I'll get off right away."
"It's fine."
Once I had calmed down a bit, I started to think about how Tsugumi had just acted.
"Are you really okay?"
"I'm fine, you worry too much. You're like a big sister."
Nearby, Ichinose was nagging Tsugumi. ...Not a mother, huh.
While I was thinking about that, what seemed to be a security guard that Tsugumi mentioned came running over.
"Is everyone okay?"
"Ah, they seem to be here. You three can go. I have something to talk about."
"Okay."
I took Sakura and Ichinose and left.
It was a pretty intense day, but as a reward, I was able to gain one certainty.
"I'm looking forward to this weekend."
"Oh! Sounds good, Ayanokouji-kun!"
...That fact wasn't a good one for me, though.
---------
"May I leave, Chabashira-sensei?"
The plan seemed to have gone well, and the C-Class students withdrew their complaint. ...Now I can finally relax.
"Wait a minute. I have something to talk about with Horikita. The rest of you, get out first."
Chabashira-sensei chased out my brother and Tachibana-san... the student council members who had presided over the hearing, and then, with her arms crossed on the table, she asked me a question with an interested look on her face.
"So, what kind of trick did you use, Horikita?"
Chabashira-sensei asked with her arms crossed on the table, a look of interest on her face.
"What are you talking about?"
"Don't play dumb. They wouldn't have withdrawn the complaint without a reason."
"Then I'll leave it to your imagination."
What we did was a lie. If she presses me further, we'll be in trouble.
"So it's a secret, huh. Then let me change the question. Who came up with the plan to drive off C-Class?"
"...Why are you so curious about that?"
"I'm a little concerned about the two students who aren't here."
Most likely, those two students are Ayanokouji-kun and Saitou-kun. Chabashira-sensei has been concerned about these two since the beginning of the school year.
Saitou-kun was always excellent, but Ayanokouji-kun is the one I don't understand.
"...I'm not sure yet, but Ayanokouji-kun... he might be excellent."
To be honest, the only reason I've come to that conclusion is because of this plan. However, if Ayanokouji-kun also came up with that plan, he's not just some ordinary student.
"Tsugumi came up with this plan. I was just in charge of relaying it."
The image of Ayanokouji-kun saying that came to my mind. What's baffling is the cast of characters.
Based on the content of the plan, I thought it would be better for Saitou-kun to go to the hearing and for me to deceive the C-Class students. However, according to Ayanokouji-kun, Saitou-kun was the one who specified the roles. The important role was given to Ayanokouji-kun, not me.
--- That fact was incredibly frustrating.
"I see, so you've acknowledged it."
"...Isn't that surprising? You were the one who first introduced him to me. It was an action based on you seeing his high potential, wasn't it?"
"High potential, huh..."
"He's taking some mysterious actions, like hiding his abilities and acting like an idiot."
Yes, it's truly incomprehensible. I don't think there's any meaning to that. However, as long as there is the fact that Ayanokouji-kun is more trusted than me, I can't deny it.
"You must have a lot on your mind, but if you're aiming to move up to A-Class, I'll give you a piece of advice."
To my questioning look, Chabashira-sensei continued to speak.
"D-Class is a place where people with flaws, with elements of being 'defective,' gather."
"...I've accepted that. My flaws, too."
The old me wouldn't have accepted my flaws... But after I cried so pathetically in front of Saitou-kun that night, a weight was lifted off my shoulders. I'm not going to compromise or be spoiled anymore.
"Then, what do you think Ayanokouji and Saitou's flaws are?"
Ayanokouji-kun's flaw... The first thing that came to my mind was this.
"I've already figured that out. He seems to understand his flaw himself."
"Oh? And that is?"
"He's a 'fence-sitter.'"
He was revealed to have unexpected abilities in this incident, but the fact that he doesn't show them is enough to call him a defective product.
"A fence-sitter, huh. Is that what you felt when you saw Ayanokouji's usual self?"
"No... He said so himself."
"I see. Then let's change the subject. What do you think is the flaw of the student you're close to, Saitou?"
Honestly, I can't think of anything besides his womanizing.
"...I don't know. Honestly, I'm sure he's a person worthy of A-Class in every aspect."
"Your assessment is correct. Saitou was originally supposed to be assigned to A-Class. He had a huge lead in his overall evaluation compared to other students."
"Then why?"
Unlike me, it seems he was truly given an unfair evaluation.
Chabashira-sensei made a face like she had bitten into a bitter bug and muttered.
"I don't know."
"Huh?"
I thought I misheard, but that didn't seem to be the case. Chabashira-sensei operated the tablet in her hand and showed me a certain screen.
"What is this?"
"This is Saitou's past record. He took two national mock exams and got first place on both. He only got one question wrong on the history arrangement on this school's entrance exam, and scored 498 points. Not to mention his athleticism, he has placed high in many national competitions. Why do you think a student of this level was dropped to D-Class?"
"...Because his behavior was bad?"
He said he spent his elementary and middle school years playing around, so I can't think of anything else.
"That's right. On the surface, things like late-night roaming, impure relationships involving money, and gambling like pachinko and horse racing are said to be the cause."
"...Shouldn't he have been assigned to D-Class because of that?"
It was more than I expected. Saitou-kun, you were really playing around, huh.
"You'd think so, but these actions haven't been confirmed since he was warned once. If you consider that he has this much ability and was well-regarded by the students and teachers around him, C-Class would have been a fair judgment at worst. This decision was made because of a suggestion from Sakayanagi's father, the chairman of the board."
"Sakayanagi..."
She's the childhood friend that Saitou-kun often talks about. She's probably another victim who was deceived by Saitou-kun.
"And his daughter, Sakayanagi Arisu, and Saitou Tsugumi have had a deep relationship since they were children. It's up to you whether you consider this a coincidence."
"...Why did you tell me this? What do you want me to do with them?"
This question came to my mind. I wanted to know the reason why Chabashira-sensei, who has little self-awareness as a homeroom teacher and doesn't care what happens to the class, would go out of her way to tell me this.
"You don't need to know that right now. I have the situation under control for now... but."
Leaving that cryptic message, Chabashira-sensei left the room.
============
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