219 7.2
One by one, students began to support Kushida's expulsion from the school, but one student stood up for her.
"Don't go any further, Kushida-san. You won't be able to turn back."
"Huh? It's just starting to get interesting, isn't it? Don't interrupt me, Horikita-san."
"Not so fast. I can't listen to any more ugly stories."
"Is the truth about me so ugly?"
I think she took it as a compliment and looked at Horikita with the most cheerful face of the day.
"Yes. At least I don't think these revelations are beautiful. But it's not only you that I find ugly, but also the people who are now calling for you to be expelled from the school for leaking their secrets."
The unexpected scolding and reprimanding of the classmates was unbearable.
"Why us? We've done nothing wrong!"
"You guys told Kushida-san a secret you didn't want anyone to know. Why is that?"
"Well, that's because I thought I could trust Kushida-san! And yet..."
"Yes. Kushida-san was trusted more than anyone else in the class.
Usually, it's not easy to gain the trust of people. And there are probably only a few people in your life with whom you can share a secret that you can't even tell anyone. Of course, I don't admire Kushida-san for leaking your secrets. It's understandable that you're surprised that there's more to her than meets the eye. But we all have two sides to our story, don't we?"
It would be a rare person who lives a life of honesty and truth.
"Hey, but it doesn't matter; she kept voting in favour. That's unacceptable, isn't it?"
"Right. As for what you did to get myself and Ayanokōji-kun expelled, you made a choice that was too selfish. You must bear a heavy weight of responsibility. But instead of making her pay for it with expulsion, you can use her skills to pay us back many times over in the future."
Here, Horikita's point would have been understood by her classmates.
"Are you saying that you won't expel Kushida-san?"
"Yes, you're right. I think... I think I want to keep Kushida-san in this class."
"Huh? What selfish thing are you saying when you thought I dropped the conversation?"
The choice was not to expel Kushida. It was Kushida herself who was the first to object to this.
"Why are you defending me? You're not going to vote for another girl from here, are you? Or are you just going to have fun beating me to death?
You've got good taste, you know that?"
"I don't like to make jokes, unfortunately. I'm serious."
"If you're serious, I'll make you change your mind. Let's resume the continuation of hell."
"I didn't think it looked much like 'hell' when I saw it."
"Heh. Then what would you say it looked like? Tell me."
"It wasn't dumb, it wasn't funny, it was just plain ugly. I saw nothing but a mere foolish idiot."
"What?"
"Sure, you can study better than most people. But you are fundamentally stupid to the point of being fatal. In the first place, when you were in junior high school, your classmates found out who you really are, and you broke the class by revealing all their secrets. You came to this school to make amends for that, but unfortunately you met me again, who attended the same junior high school as you. And as soon as you started school, Ayanokōji-kun saw your true face? That makes me laugh. Not only that, he wasn't even interested in your past, but you couldn't stand his existence on your own and kept insisting on expelling him from school by telling us every detail. After all, you thought you were being clever by making a deal with Ayanokōji-kun, but you just ended up being taken advantage of. And this is the end result? You were so focused on the fact that we were in favour of expelling a student that you lost your footing."
Horikita sighed unsparingly and insultingly.
Kushida, who had been smiling and laughing with a sly smile on her face, was now transformed into an angry young girl.
"You don't know how I feel, and you don't know how I like it! I want to be the best! I want to be happy, even when I'm stressed as shit! What's wrong with trying to get rid of you when you're in the way?"
Kushida clasps her hands together. Her hands are so tightly clenched that the blood vessels seem to bulge out of them.
"You have some personality problems, but that's the same for me. But you're a much harder worker than I am."
"Don't lie, you're making me laugh. You always have to say things that make me mad, don't you?"
"I'm not lying, I'm just telling you the truth, which you love. I am honestly amazed and envious of your effort and talent to get to know so many people, both boys and girls."
When told this, the pupils, enraged by Kushida, retort.
"What's so great about us being harassed by Kushida-san now?"
"Be kind with lies. Faking kindness. That's terrible? That's just frivolous. Think again how difficult it is to be kind. Do you have the talent to smile at everyone, to reach out to everyone, to help everyone?"
How stressful it must have been for her to deal with all her friends on a daily basis.
Many of us would like to be like Kushida, but we know we can't be.
Listening to other people's unimportant stories, cutting through all this, cannot be continued by an ordinary person. She has done this with a gentle smile and has supported many people from the shadows.
"Stop. I don't want to hear any more of this bullshit from you."
"Why? You're good at looking into people's minds, don't you know? I don't mean to make fun of you, I don't mean to insult you, but I really appreciate you."
Horikita blocked the students who tried to refute this story as if she were ahead of them.
"She has a talent that no one else has, and to expel her is a huge loss to the class."
"Shut the fuck up!"
"Therefore I cannot agree with Kushida-san's withdrawal from the school. I'm going to put my own money on it and do everything I can to make sure we make the best of her. No, I will definitely make the most of her."
"I told you to stop!!!"
"You never know. It's only when I knew everything about you that I developed a great liking for you."
For some reason, Kushida did not hide the details of her past, which she wanted to keep to herself. Maybe it wasn't an act to get me expelled, but because deep down she wanted me to know everything and really wanted to share it.
Kushida's face was covered with large tears. And then, like a child, she cried, unable to connect her words and unable to hide her frustration.
I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
These words were repeated sparingly.
It's no wonder. Anyone who knows Kushida's true nature will stay away. I have.
Yet, for some reason, Horikita, who had been keeping her distance, closed that distance to Kushida.
Kushida had no such idea.
Horikita, whom she hated so much, was the first person who could understand her. It is still too early to tell whether this will be accepted, but it has certainly brought about a change in Kushida. I had decided that it would be impossible to win Kushida over and had devised a strategy to get rid of her.
Horikita, on the other hand, decided not to exclude but to protect. But then it is inevitable that the next problem will erupt.
"We're in the middle of a conversation, but it's almost the end of the interval. What do we do?"
What to do, of course, is to volunteer as the specific student, or to nominate a candidate, for who gets the vote.
"We're running out of time. The people who are voting for Kushida-san, please vote for me. I'll explain later."
She appealed to her classmates to nominate her, as she could not use her already used one-time candidacy.
"Jeez, don't be silly! I'm the one who's going to get expelled! Just nominate me and vote me out!"
"I'm not joking. I'm telling you, you're the one who created this situation and you're going to be held accountable until the very end. And I'm not going to expel you as a penalty. If you do, I will make fun of you for the rest of your life. I will make you a laughing stock forever."
I know that some students were not sure who to nominate in the end, but that is not the point.
"It's time. Voting will now begin for Horikita, who had the majority of the votes for the nomination."
Even if Kushida were to be chosen by recommendation, it would be meaningless as long as Horikita votes against her expulsion. There was a vote for and against Horikita's expulsion, but of course it was not unanimous. The cheap provocation must have worked well enough for Kushida. Everyone has less than 60 seconds to complete their votes.
[Student Selection:]
Expel Horikita Suzune from the school.
[Results of the twentieth round of voting:]
1 in favour
37 against
"Now that we are in the interval, I will say it again. I'm going to express my opposition to Kushida-san's expulsion."
Kushida was ranting and raving in inarticulate language, but Horikita was no longer paying attention. This hurt Kushida's pride again, but also succeeded in silencing her. If she were to be expelled from the school here, she would have no way to fight Horikita.
But it was unexpected. I was planning to screw them over, whoever they were. The inside of my head gets hot. It's not just a joke that she wanted to protect Kushida. She said she was confident that she could use her strengths to overcome her major weaknesses.
So, Horikita has taken her foot off the gas a stage earlier than I'd expected.
Of course, this is not to say that there is no material to refute from here.
Many students are still determined to expel Kushida, who has now been reduced to absolute evil.
It's not that they can't force their way through, but now that Horikita has raised her voice, it's hard to assume that she will simply quit. There is no denying the possibility that, if time runs out, the school may choose to keep the number of students who drop out to zero. I'm sorry, but that is unacceptable.
"But, Horikita-san. I wonder if protecting Kushida-san means choosing to run out of time."
Yōsuke asked about the points that need to be checked right now.
"I know that protecting Kushida-san is not the end of the story. I've got my own answers."
I don't think so - no, that's not what you mean, Horikita.
"We must avoid failing this special exam. It's an absolute must that someone is expelled."
It meant that she was not only prepared to rescue Kushida, but also to cut someone else at the same time. Even though I could feel Horikita's growth, I took action before she could speak.
There is no need for Horikita to take on the cruel role of announcing the expulsion of a student.
"Wait a minute."
I forcefully interrupted Horikita's attempt to continue. The judges here are mentally overloaded, no matter how much justification they may have for their actions.
It is easy to say that it is also an important experience, but it is too much for Horikita at the moment. Above all, if you make even a single mistake, you are bound to run out of time.
I am the only person who can create a unanimous decision to expel somebody from the school.
Wait, no. You're looking at me like that. And I understand. It's obvious that the person that Horikita and I have in mind is the same person.
"Kushida, the only student who kept voting in favour of expelling a student, deserves to be expelled. But she's also a capable student, as Horikita says. Then we'll have to think of a different approach."
"Well, wait a minute, Ayanokōji. The people in the class voted in favour of you because you're not a traitor. Now you're telling me you're going to do away with that and choose someone else to expel? I'm not convinced!"
"It's not just Ike who is unhappy, I'm sure it's all of us. But we still have to make a decision. We have to lead in a way that is as fair as possible."
"Fairness is... There's no way to do that."
"The option of gaining class points by expelling someone. The expulsion part is often seen as a negative, but if certain conditions are met, it can be a positive, as in the case of the traitor who voted in favour of the expulsion and was supported by many. If the class points gained are worth more than the student being expelled, then it is a decision well worth choosing. In other words, the only people who should be expelled are those who are currently unwanted in the class. So what is the criteria for this? It is the sum of all their parts. Someone who has academic ability, physical ability, or any ability that doesn't fall into those two categories. To put it simply, students who have the ability to lead, such as Horikita, or the ability to organize a group, such as Yōsuke and Kei. Those are the ones you can exclude. Of course, if you think I'm being patronizing, you're free to argue."
As the time is about to expire, the classmates were silent, not wanting to interfere.
"And this story should not include the future, or their prospects. It is difficult and speculative to objectively assess who will actually grow and by how much. In the final analysis, the OAA is the impartial arbiter."
It is the school's quantification of the student's ability, without the student's emotions. As of September 1st, the lowest score in this class was 36 points overall.
Many students check their rank and score, but not many know who is at the bottom each time.
"The student in this class who currently has the lowest OAA is...
Sakura Airi."
I replied, not looking at Airi in particular, but looking around at the whole scene.
"What about... What are you talking about? Don't joke around at a time like this." Haruka stood up and glared at me with a furious glare.
"I'm just giving an objective opinion. It's up to the class to decide if they agree."
I'm not going to listen to personal opinions and continue talking.
"Objective"? What's objective? The OAA rankings are what? Does that make it OKAY to expel Airi? And why would... Kiyopon say that!"
"Then who do you think should be expelled?"
"Well, that's...!"
"People who are not prepared to name names directly have no right or entitlement to choose who to expel."
"Oh, Ike-kun! He's not that different from Airi in terms of academic and physical ability!"
It is true that on the OAA, he was once tied for last place with Airi.
But now he has added one point to his tally to 37. He's one step ahead.
"Then let's simply ask here. All those opposed to Airi leaving the school, please raise your hands."
Haruka immediately raised her hand. Almost at the same time. Akito and Keisei also raise their hands.
Of course, this would be natural for the Ayanokōji Group.
"Three, huh? Next, which students are opposed to Ike leaving school?"
A number of boys, including Sudō, and girls, including Shinohara and Mori, who owed a debt of gratitude to Shinohara, put their hands up, and there were 11 clear objections.
"Why are you..."
"Building friendships is also a fine skill. I must say that Airi is inferior to Ike in that respect."
"Can you look Airi in the eye and say that?"
"Is that what you want?"
"Huh? Stop it!"
When I was about to look into Airi's frightened eyes, Haruka stopped me.
"We can have hand-raise votes for Hondō, Okitani, or another student, but it will not be less than three votes for Airi."
"What is that... you're seriously kidding. We don't have many friends, that's for sure. But that doesn't mean you can expel Airi in this way!"
If I had any other choice, I would do it. But we're past that stage now.
"If we're being... honest... losing 300 class points is critical."
One of the Ayanokōji Group, Airi's friend Keisei, quietly lets that slip.
"Yukimū, you can't be serious! Don't tell me you agree with Airi's expulsion too!?"
"No, no! I'm not in favour of it yet!"
"Not yet? You mean you're going to agree to it? Huh? You've got to be kidding me!"
"Well, no but...!"
As if realising everything, Haruka bit her lip and made a decision.
"It's disgusting. It can't be. What is this... I thought we were friends?"
The cold voice is directed at me, and also at Keisei, whose true feelings have leaked out.
"And so are the others. No one wants to protect her. That's right, you guys don't care what happens to Airi, or who you don't get along with, as long as you save yourselves. You put Kushida-chan first just because you have a little use for her? You're going to abandon a girl who's trying her best to keep up with the class and not cause trouble? Oh yeah, oh yeah, this is the best class ever."
Keisei's unintentional comment proved to be an offence to Haruka.
No one wanted to make eye contact and they delegitimised themselves so as not to get involved.
"Enough. I'm not going to expel Airi. If you want, you can vote for me.
I'll happily be expelled from the school."
Haruka tries to protect Airi by bringing up her voluntary withdrawal from school.
It's all part of the plan. In fact, that statement only strangles itself.
"Wait, wait, Haruka-chan! I can't expel Haruka-chan either!"
"It's okay, Airi. You have to stay in this school. I didn't like this class in the first place. But after I got to know you, and Kiyopon, Yukimū and Miyacchi, every day was fun. Even though Yamauchi-kun left the school, I thought that it wouldn't happen again, and I thought that I can do well with everyone here..."
Staring at Chabashira-sensei, Haruka makes a formal statement.
"I'm the candidate for expulsion. It's almost time, isn't it?"
As I predicted, the declaration would take precedence, and Haruka would step up to the guillotine.
"OK? Airi, you must definitely vote in favour. The others don't have any problem with it, right? You can protect yourselves, so there's no reason to vote against it."
"That's not... I can't vote in favour of that..!"
Airi shouts that she can't vote in favour of Haruka's expulsion.
"It's okay, I have nothing to regret if I have to leave school to protect you."
"But...!"
"That's enough discussion. We will now start the voting."
On the basis of Haruka's strong will, a vote is taken in favour and against.
The results are shown on the monitor...
[Student Selection:]
Expel Hasebe Haruka from the school.
[Results of the twenty-first round of voting:]
35 in favour
3 against
Almost all the students voted in favour of the proposal, but three voted against it.
The three of them must have been an easy guess for Haruka.
"Airi!"
Of course, it is clear from the vote that Airi definitely voted against.
"I can't do it, I can't! I can't let Haruka be expelled!"
"He said he was trying to protect you! And don't even get me started on Miyacchi and Yukimū!"
Haruka was ready to be expelled from the school, but it turns out that some students don't want her to be expelled.
"I don't want you to be expelled from school... I can't vote yes."
While showing a bitter and agonizing expression, Akito and I look each other in the eye and answer clearly.
"Then why Airi?"
"I wouldn't say that... but if you're asking me to take one or the other I'm..."
"I'm so sorry!"
Suddenly, Keisei shouted and interrupted the two boys. He stood up and bowed his head.
"I voted in favour of... and if we don't, the class won't be able to reach Class A..."
He answered, confessing the whereabouts of a vote that would not be revealed if he'd kept quiet.
"What? Then who is the other one? The one who put the other against in this situation!"
"That vote was mine."
"Ah! Kiyopon, what's wrong with you?! You don't have to defend me!"
"I told you. I have a new policy that I will cut the least able students in this class. Whether it's you who wants to drop out, or Kushida who tried to drop out, I'm not going to change this policy, no matter what new students come forward. I can't change it."
If we take a step back here, there will be no unanimity in favour.
"It is a fact that Sakura is the lowest ranked in OAA, and cutting the students who have not contributed much to the class is not so bad. It's not that bad, is it..?"
I am prepared to take the risk of speaking out in this situation and I will give my opinion.
"Don't be silly. Think about it in your own surroundings. If one of your dearest friends were to drop out of school, would you be able to laugh about it afterwards? I wouldn't. I would never!"
"It is Airi who should be expelled. There is no other choice anymore."
"No no, Kiyopon! No matter who agrees with you, only Kiyopon has to be on Airi's side!"
I know. And because I know that, I'm going to speak.
"I'm not going to change my mind. If Haruka continues to disagree with Airi's expulsion, then this class will have to end here."
"Then why don't you do what you want? I will continue to oppose Airi's expulsion from school until the very end!"
Only one. If you continue to oppose us until the end, she will not be expelled.
That law is absolute. The most efficient way to break that law is to...
"Thank you, Haruka... It's all right now."
In a trembling voice, Airi laughs as if she has realised everything.
"Ai...ri...?"
"If there is one student in the class who deserve it... maybe it's me.
There's nothing wrong with what Kiyotaka-kun is saying, Haruka."
"Airi!"
"You're right about everything. If someone has to drop out, then I, the biggest drag on the class, should disappear."
Directly stop the person who is voting against it using the person who's going to be expelled from the school.
"I can't! I would never let Airi be expelled from school! Never!!! I don't care if this class doesn't move up to Class A, I'm going to make sure that we all graduate together with Airi!"
"No, you can't. Even if I do, I'm sure I'll regret it a lot. I'm sure I'll regret it for a long, long time, that it was my fault we didn't make it to Class A."
"It's all right! There's nothing wrong with you! I'm just protecting you because I'm selfish!"
"Thank you... But there's no way I can put that kind of responsibility on Haruka-chan."
"What, what's that... There's no such thing as..!"
Preventing students from dropping out is not always in their best interests.
If this happens, a vote against will only make Airi suffer.
"Self-sacrifice sounds good. It sounds good to the ears. I'm sure the people in our class are deeply relieved to have someone like Haruka in their lives. If the class is really running smoothly, it might be a good choice to make. So, Sudō, are you willing to sacrifice yourself for the sake of the class?"
"No, no... I'm that-"
"Satō, what about you?"
"Wow, me? I'm not really like that-"
"How about you, Onodera?"
"Probably can't-"
"If you ask anyone else any more, the answer would be the same.
Basically, no one wants to sacrifice themselves."
"I'd really like to be expelled. Then you wouldn't have any problems."
"We rely on students who are willing to sacrifice themselves. Once they learn that easy way, when they are put in a similar situation in the future, they will repeatedly ask for volunteers voluntarily. It's too late to try to make a fair decision."
"I don't know... I don't understand that logic! I want to protect Airi! That's all I want!"
"Even if Haruka defended her by expelling herself from school, Airi could get expelled the very next day."
"Don't talk to me in terms of an indeterminate future."
"There is no definite future anywhere. So, you have to make the best of it."
No matter how many words I put in front of her, she doesn't seem to be able to hear me.
But Airi's ears have definitely heard. That's the important thing.
"It's okay, it's okay, Airi. I'll keep voting against. No matter who else votes in favour...!"
"Everyone... me... please vote for me..." In a muffled voice, but one that everyone could hear, Airi said.
Haruka grabbed both of Airi's arms and resisted desperately.
"I hate it. Absolutely not... I had such, such a good time yesterday...
This morning was just like any other morning. I met up with Airi before coming to school. We chatted and chatted and chatted about the cultural festival and talked about... Even today, you were going to call Kiyopon after school and surprise him! You can't just take that away from me!"
There are less than ten minutes left. This means that this is practically the last vote. Whoever is going to leave the school, there is no one who can easily vote against it. That is the weight of the final vote.
Shaking her head from side to side, Airi does not accept the helping hand extended by Haruka.
"I don't like it, I don't like it, I don't like it!"
Like a child, she refused, denied and screamed.
Each time, Airi expresses her gratitude to Haruka, but still persuades her to accept it.
It can no longer be changed.
Realising everything, Haruka sat there as if collapsing.
"A person with no ability has accepted it and stepped forward. We owe it to them to respond. It's easy for you to vote against on the next ballot. But even if you vote against, Airi will not be able to stay in this school. She will leave the school with a strong sense of responsibility for what she has done to her classmates and will not be able to look forward. The only way to save your best friend Airi is for you to vote in favour of her expulsion."
"I-I... agree..."
Airi embraced Haruka from the front as she was collapsing.
"Thank you, Haruka... Thank you for all the help you've given me. I couldn't give anything back to you, but... listen to my last selfish request."
"I don't like it, Airi... this kind of..."
"Vote in favour of me."
She thanked her, gently stroked the hair of a weeping Haruka, and raised her voice towards Chabashira-sensei.
"I'm volunteering as candidate. Please vote for me. "
She asked Haruka to stand up and take a seat, and Airi returned to her seat to take it all in.
But even after the vote has been declared, voting time is not over.
Voting continued past 60 seconds and past 70 seconds.
The students have 90 seconds. In the next 70 seconds or so, Haruka will be expelled from the school.
If my best friend Airi disappears, I will disappear too. It's not hard to see why this thought crossed her mind.
If you choose to make that weak choice here, so be it.
As the 100 second mark ticked by, the clock was ticking down to 40
seconds. She just kept crying and showed no sign of reaching for her tablet.
"HARUKA-CHAN!"
It was anger from Airi like I had never heard before. The loudest voice I had ever heard.
As if slapped in the face, she looked up in surprise, and at Haruka's crying face, Airi smiled and nodded.
If we don't make a decision and vote here, it will be a denial of everything Airi is.
"The voting is now closed. I will announce the results."
[Student Selection:]
Expel Sakura Airi from the school.
[Results of the twenty-second round of voting:]
38 in favour
0 against
Chabashira-sensei, who had been watching the fierce exchange, forgot to report the end of the exam and just looked at Airi and Haruka.
After being expelled from school, Airi stared straight ahead, as if she had accepted everything. On the other hand, Haruka, who couldn't protect her, tried her best to hold back her sobs, but she couldn't hide them from the speechless class.
"Ah, ah, Chabashira-sensei. Please proceed."
The invigilator, who had so far been silent and calm, except for the minimum of cautions and warnings, seemed to have forgotten to remind us about the signal for the end of the special examination.
"With regard to the expulsion of Sakura Airi from the school by a unanimous vote in favour, the last task is completed. The choice is accepted and 100 class points will be awarded. Just to be clear, there is only one way to undo this expulsion. Only if you have 20 million private points at this moment and use them..."
It was Chabashira-sensei who tried to continue the explanation, as obligated, but stopped halfway.
"I don't think I need to explain any further."
Even if we collected all the private points of all the students in our class, we would never reach 20 million points.
"The other three classes have already finished their special exams, but I'm going to ask you to go home right away today. As for Sakura, you will have to come with me to the staff room afterwards, so stay in the classroom."
"Yes."
Airi replies to Chabashira-sensei in a quiet voice, but without hesitation.
"That's all. Everyone please leave your seats. Follow the instructions and leave the room."
We were informed and we all left our seats, although at different times.
Airi was told to stay where she was. And Haruka, who can't even stand up, tried her best to stand on her trembling knees, but she couldn't seem to get her legs up.
Her breathing had become ragged and she was beginning to experience symptoms similar to hyperventilation.
Akito and I, unable to see this, rushed over to her and forced her to stand up so that Haruka could hug her.
Because nothing good will come from leaving it here.
As soon as we stepped into the corridor, our phones were returned to us.
And Keisei followed soon after.
"You're something else, aren't you? I'm not going to tell you that you did anything wrong. It's just that I'm still not sure if I can say you did the right thing. No, there's no point in talking about this. Just... forget it."
While having a desire to spit it out, Keisei turned his back on me and started walking down the corridor.
It would be pointless to wait here for Haruka or Akito.
Legitimacy is irrelevant. It's not like I don't think about the fact that I've taken the initiative to cut off an important member of my group. Kei approached me. I noticed that she was upset, but I stopped her with my eyes.
For today, it is better to let Kei be quiet, as if she is also in mourning.
There is no need to buy hate with unnecessary things. As I recall, Chabashira-sensei wanted to meet me after the special examination was over.
When I looked at my phone I saw that I had received a message and the meeting was at 6pm. I've got some time.
Deciding that it was best not to stay, I decided to leave.
If I headed straight for the front door, I would bump into Keisei and the other students.
I've got an appointment with Chabashira-sensei, so I think I'll just wander around the school, where there's not a lot of people around.
"Ayanokōji-kun."
I knew she was following me, and when I couldn't see anyone anymore, she called out to me.
"What's the matter? Didn't you say something to Kushida?"
"No. She's not going to answer any questions now. I just warned her not to get desperate."
She had many friends around her, but at the end of the exam no one said anything to her.
Immediately after showing her true nature, it is understandable that she is difficult to get close to.
"Sorry."
As her hair, which was a little longer than before, swayed, Horikita bowed deeply.
"This special exam... I was not good enough... I was not good enough."
"Not enough? You did the best you could, didn't you? This was a much tougher competition than last year's Class Poll exam."
"No matter how tough the fight was, I put a big shackle on you... and you had to take all the responsibility that should have been spread out."
It was inevitable that a student would be expelled. That's why Horikita wanted to show her intentions.
"I'm the one who told you to keep quiet. That's fine."
"It's not good. It's left a big scar on your precious group. It doesn't seem very... like it can be repaired in the future."
"It's okay. In fact, there may come a day when this is more convenient."
If she had been involved, the blame could certainly have been divided equally between the two of us.
But that's not what I wanted.
"Convenient..? What do you mean?"
"No, don't worry about it, it's a small thing."
Of course, I don't think I'll be able to change my mind and convince myself of that any time soon, but I don't want this special exam to be the way I carry on next time.
"Look on the bright side. We've gained 100 valuable class points to move closer to Class A. These points are not to be scoffed at."
"But we've lost... Sakura-san."
"As a result, the class average was raised to a higher level, which is a positive thing. It's a perfect end point."
"Don't. You don't have to force yourself to act so ruthless."
"Ruthless?"
I was going to deny it, but I decided to go along with it.
"Yes, you're right. Maybe you're trying to push away the painful feelings."
"Kiyotaka-kun!"
From the end of the corridor came a familiar, gentle voice.
At the sound of her voice, Horikita turns around and is surprised to see her.
"You... Sakura-san...?"
The physically weak Airi walked towards us, out of breath.
"I'm going..."
"Yeah."
Horikita hesitated to speak to Airi when they passed each other, but was unable to do so.
She couldn't think of any words to say to those who were leaving.
"I really wanted to show you, Kiyotaka-kun, at the end. How about...?"
On the verge of voting, Haruka was saying Airi was going to surprise me, was this what she meant?
"You look different. No wonder Horikita didn't recognize you for a moment."
"It's a bit... late to be brave, though... hehe."
Airi, who had taken off her glasses and dressed up her hair, smiles wryly.
"It's not for me to say, but please take care of... Haruka-chan."
"I understand."
"Bye-bye, Kiyotaka-kun."
She smiled the biggest smile I've ever seen on her face and turned away.
She started to walk, but then her steps slowed down and she almost stopped.
Still, she put her best foot forward and never looked back.
I can hear her voice in the empty corridor. Sniffling noises and stifled crying. Such a scene reminds me of one I used to see myself.
The losers always look back on their inability, and regret it when it is far too late.
Whether it's in the White Room or this school, that fact remains the same.
