217 Chapter 7 : Horikita Suzune’s Choice
"I WILL NOW announce the results of the vote."
[Results of the tenth round of voting:]
1 in favour
38 against
It was a scene we'd all seen before, repeated once again. Appeals for people to come forward will change nothing. No amount of discussion will change anything. The number of votes in favour will neither increase nor decrease. The results make one wonder if there is really no real fair voting going on, just the same screen being shown over and over again.
"As it was not unanimous, we will now start the interval."
Even Chabashira-sensei, who announced the standard phrases, showed signs of fatigue.
Now that she had told us about her past, all she could do is watch this issue play out as a teacher.
"Why is that? Is there really anyone who's voting in favour?"
It was not hard to see why Keisei would want to ask the question. At this point, the debate had already been exhausted in all its forms. How many times had Horikita and Yōsuke try to persuade them?
"If you placed your vote against... please raise your hand."
If calling on those in favour of the motion was futile, Yōsuke requested that students who are against the motion raise their hands. He was determined to find a way through, even if it meant proposing meaningless reverse patterns.
One hand on either side of me stretched out in a line upwards. Of course, I raised my hand too. It is clear from this that 38 people, including Yōsuke, voted 'against' without hesitation.
The only one who didn't raise his hand was Kōenji.
"I won't raise my hand, but don't worry, I'm voting against."
Kōenji replied to Yōsuke, who looked at him anxiously.
"Can I trust you, Kōenji? In fact, I think you're still voting in favour of it."
"How many times have we had this discussion? You never get tired of it."
Sudō, there is no further reason to poke at Kōenji. It is not unreasonable to believe that there are people in this class who continue to lie and lie.
There was a student who proudly raised their hand to say they are voting against, and yet they are voting in favour.
"I don't want to think that any of the people who have just raised their hands are telling lies. But I'm going to go through it again, and this time I'm going to look each one of you in the eye and ask you directly. If any of you are voting in favour, please tell me honestly. No, I want you to vote against in the next vote."
Ten minutes of scratching feet. Horikita took the time and effort to work with each person. I was sure they're as tired as the rest of the students, but I couldn't say the same for me.
Haruka, Airi, Keisei and Akito too. Ike, Sudō, Mii-chan, Matsushita, all of them. Whether it was Kushida, Onodera, Okitani, or Mori, everyone answered by looking straight into Horikita's eyes.
"I am voting against," They said.
Eventually, Horikita reached the end of the class, the last one beside the door.
Her eyes were a mixture of impatience and anxiety, but they were still filled with fire.
"What about you, Ayanokōji-kun?"
"Of course I'm voting against."
"Right..."
This means that we have once again completed a round of interrogation with each individual. There is no change in the declaration that all the classmates are casting their votes against.
The only thing left to do is to try to appeal to their remaining pangs of conscience and get them to vote against...
"It's almost ten minutes. Go back to your seat, Horikita, and start voting."
You've tried everything, and now it's time to vote again. The answer;
[Results of the eleventh round of voting:]
1 in favour
38 against
The result is the same. There are no more words to add. Only the same, same, same results will be shown.
"Oh my God! I'm going out of my mind! I don't know what's going on!" Scratching his head wildly, Sudō slammed his elbow down hard on the desk.
"Hey, but what are we really going to do? We're running out of time, aren't we?"
Until now, the students had been convinced that the one in favour who persisted would eventually break. Horikita and the rest of the group knew that there was no way they could allow time to run out.
Absolutely, almost, surely, probably, maybe, the in favuor voter will vote against for fear of running out of time.
And just in time, unanimously against, we pass the special exam. She must have been painting such a picture, as she started to work towards the next sports and cultural festivals.
However...
The vote in favour persists.
Waiting another ten minutes, half an hour or an hour will not change that fact. The only thing that lies ahead of us is the worst possible route: running out of time.
Nine minutes to go until the next vote. These nine minutes are no longer just nine minutes. Once past this point, we would be under the two-hour threshold. For the past three hours, Horikita had been fighting to meet this final challenge.
It's not that Horikita's strategy was naive. Even if I had done everything in my power to get a unanimous vote in opposition, it would have been impossible.
What is it all about? What is the underlying reason?
This is because all forms of persuasion, all forms of negotiation, all forms of action are meaningless.
The protester is fighting to avoid a unanimous vote.
What is most frightening is that the person who voted in favour of the task does not see running out of time as the biggest negative. Normally, this would not be possible in this particular test. When we look at this task objectively, the priorities of the three choices are fixed and determined.
Oppose ≥ agree > time out.
This is an absolute inequality that is shared by all four classes and all students. It is this solidification of priorities that makes the special examination possible, the basic premise, so to speak. But... what happens when there is even one student with a different inequality order?
Agree > time out > oppose.
If such a distorting and irreconcilable preference is established, the task is no longer possible. That's why the school has strict monitoring and rules to prevent any intervention from other classes. In order to prevent them from signing contracts with people like Sakayanagi and Ryūen, who will invite them into their classes if they let the time run out, or give them large amounts of private points.
The special examinations became chaotic and confusing when students who did not get it right were thrown into the mix. If you continue to be stubborn, you will only run out of time.
So what should we do? With two hours to go, I had only one thing to do.
Unanimity in favour.
That is the best solution. There is no other way to pave the way for this task. The same idea is probably already in Horikita's head.
However, I have not been able to take the plunge. When it comes to cutting out classmates, it's not an easy thing to do. It is more difficult than unanimous opposition to select one person for expulsion. Once you've taken the first step, there's no turning back.
This is because it is not acceptable to say, "Well, we can't send any students out, so we'll go back to the other side."
I was still hesitant to go ahead with the plan when it came time to vote.
What a disaster. The ideal route has become impossible, and we are already running out of time to do the things we need to do in order to get to our destination.
The extra time will hinder the chance of unanimity in favour of the task and the subsequent selection of the one who will be expelled from the school.
But still, I would like to try one more time for unanimity by opposition, even if it means losing precious time.
A feeling of irrationality that I had never felt before washed over my mind.
What decision would you have made in this situation? I asked Horikita Manabu in my mind.
There was no answer in sight, but I decided to modify my plan. I decided to give it one last chance without changing my strategy.
"Then we will announce the..." After tallying up the results, Chabashira-sensei was momentarily at a loss for words. "Results of the vote."
[Results of the twelfth round of voting:]
2 in favour
37 against
"No, no, no! Why? There's more votes for it!"
After a long period of time, one person turned in favour, from the 38 who had been consistently opposed to this task. It would have had enough of an impact to crack the united opposition.
"It's like I'm having a bad dream..."
This vote was cast by me.
It's not just one vote. It was a strong vote in favour of the motion by one of the 37 people who were united, with the exception of Kōenji.
Horikita, who no longer thinks such thoughts out of the blue, goes into thinking mode again. What should be done if it is not possible to bring the number of votes in favour to zero?
Horikita immediately understands that this is a vote that has to be passed to avoid running out of time. Whichever way this last task is unanimous, there is always an option worse than that.
Time running out. Even without the expulsions, our class would lose 300 class points, which means that assuming that all the other classes had cleared the exam, the difference would be 350, and if any class had approved the last task unanimously, the difference would be up to 450 class points.
With such a huge gap between us, there is no guarantee that we will be able to catch up even if we have more than a year of school left. No, it's hopeless. It's no laughing matter that we avoided expulsions but had to give up Class A too.
And once this notion becomes widespread, it is inevitable that people begin to question the point of continuing to vote against it. It would be easier to mobilise a united opposition than an immovable supporter.
We can move forward half a step from the rigid status quo, even if the biggest hurdle awaits us: who will be expelled?
"Hey, hey. I guess we'll just have to vote in favour, won't we?"
"What are you talking about? If we do that, someone will have to be expelled, won't they?"
"But, you know, if time runs out, we're all finished, right?"
The gradual erosion of the opposition. The first candidates for the move are students who are confident that they will not be expelled.
On the other hand, students who continue to vote against tend to be those who think they might be expelled.
An ever-increasing number of internal votes in favour.
However, it is unlikely that a single student will come forward to say they voted in favour. Of course. If it is known that you are in favour of the task, you may be targeted for expulsion.
Only when the vote is unanimous in favour can we move on to the selection of a dropout on equal footing.
[Results of the thirteenth round of voting:]
5 in favour
34 against
Three votes turn in favour.
Who voted in favour of it? Their voices are still strong, but that's as far as it goes.
[Results of the fourteenth round of voting:]
12 in favour
27 against
The steadily increasing flow of approval does not stop, and the numbers keep growing.
Finally, for the first time, the vote in favour swelled to double figures, nearly a third of the class.
In the next round of voting there will be even more votes in favour.
With only an hour and a half to go, the deadline was looming over us.
"Well, I want you to wait. If you think it's really a good idea to lean in favour of it here, you're wrong!"
Undeterred by the crisis, Yōsuke waited for the students to speak up in agreement with him.
"I understand that we have to avoid running out of time. But that doesn't mean that making it unanimous in favour is the solution the problem, you know?"
"Yes... Going forward, we have to get 39 individuals to be unanimous.
It's even harder to get unanimity for than it is to get unanimity against it. We only have an hour and a half left. Do you realise that?"
In order to end this task, we have to decide who will leave the school.
"It's not too late. We should pitch against it, in my opinion."
"I agree. We can't get carried away."
A group of classmates who keep getting emotional.
It's about the time we were no longer able to make rational judgements about whether we were right to agree or not.
"Above all, you know you shouldn't vote in favour of it; twelve people have voted in favour of it, and not one of them has come forward. Isn't that right?"
Even if we repeat the vote and the number of votes in favour increases, we will not be able to achieve the ideal unanimity without a major intervention to force it. Originally, I would have moved for unanimity in the next vote, but I decided that now was the time, ahead of schedule.
"Can I give you my opinion?"
"Eh?"
Horikita was surprised to hear me speak up, as if she hadn't expected me to say anything.
"Horikita, I voted in favour on the 14th round just now."
This is a lie. I had already voted in favour of it on the 12th round of voting.
But nobody can prove that.
"How come Ayanokōji-kun is..."
"There is nothing to be done, and time is running out if we continue to stick to our opposition. There is no other way but to vote for it. I think we all know that by now."
In order to increase the number of people in favour of the task, someone has to take on this role.
From the seat beside me, Satō looked anxiously toward me.
No, it's not just Satō. It's everyone who is concerned about this situation.
"It's not going to solve the root of the problem. In the end, you're going to get into trouble over who to expel."
"Yes. But we can break out of the rigidity of the situation. Even if we find out who has been voting in favour of the task all along, I don't think they will vote against it. In other words, we can't hope for unanimity in the end.
But now it is possible to achieve unanimity in favour. And we can bring the only defector to justice, the 38 of us. It's a forceful way to bring about unanimity."
There's one person in common between me and Horikita.
Of course, there is no guarantee that it is that person, but you know what I mean.
"It is-"
"Justice? Do you think we have the right to judge a student who is just voting in favour?"
Yōsuke caught me at the end of my sentence and countered.
"I do. If we can't make this unanimous, we won't move up to Class A.
I don't think anyone thinks that the students who know that and continue to vote in favour are completely blameless."
"But, but, but that's... closer to the end of the time limit, I'm sure it will be the other way around..."
"More? There are only a few more opportunities to vote. Are we going to involve all our classmates in that slim possibility? The less time you have, the more you close off even the way to escape in favour of it. That would mean nipping unanimity in the bud altogether."
It didn't have to be said, but Yōsuke and his classmates knew it. But the biggest hurdle for many students is the fact that they don't want to take the first step.
"It is true that there are many students who are hesitant to vote in favour. That is why we would like to identify the one who continued to vote in favour of the task from the beginning and arrange for them to be expelled from the school. In other words, we will guarantee the safety of the students who are currently voting against it."
Satō, who had been listening to me more than anyone else, raised her small hand.
"I'm glad to hear that, but it doesn't matter if we don't know who's voting... in favour of it. In the end, when the time is up, we'll just have to come up with a random candidate for expulsion. I'm scared."
"If we can't narrow down the expulsions, once again we have the possibility of a time-out. What we need to avoid now is staying here and not taking any steps forward when there is a chance that we can clear the exam."
To encourage students who are unsure, I dropped more information on them to help them make a decision.
"As Horikita said a little bit ago, I know who's been voting in favour."
"Then why don't you just say it here and now? But Horikita refused to tell us their name for a long time. Doesn't that mean she doesn't really have any idea? I mean, she's bluffing, or she thought that if she threatened you, you'd vote against her, right?"
Miyamoto's reasoning is not correct, but it is certainly not unreasonable to think so.
"If you've really got your eye on them, you know, let's all try to convince them."
"I can't do that, which is why I'm doing this now. The mention of this person's name will never move a vote in favour of it. They'd rather be stubborn and carry it through to the end. We want to avoid that."
This was both an invitation to agree and a last-minute plea from me.
Because if you've been told this much, you certainly know that the only person who can decide is you. If they are afraid of being exposed, only one person may vote against them in the next vote.
"Be prepared, Horikita. Your opponent is trying to defeat you. There is no other way but to fight a battle of hunt or be hunted."
Aside from the silent Horikita, I also looked at another person.
"And Yōsuke. I understand that you don't want anyone to drop out of the class. But if you don't want them to drop out, then you've got to do something about it before the time runs out. Do you understand?"
The day before the exam started, I had warned Yōsuke about this. I could see from the sidelines that he was struggling to get to his feet. I don't understand why you want to keep resisting.
"But I-"
"The next vote will be the difference between us and our destiny."
"I'm..."
It's a hard decision, but Yōsuke has changed compared to before. He has grown since the uninhabited island exams and last year's class poll when he was stuck at a standstill.
"Yes, you're right. It's... no good troubling the whole class with just my thoughts..."
With his head hanging down, he decided to act on his own initiative.
"I'm going to vote in favour. And as Ayanokōji has said, I think we should adjust to expel the one who has been voting in favour all along."
The decision of Yōsuke, the heart of the class, would have changed the situation even further.
"All that's left is you, Horikita. It's time for you to be ready to avoid running out of time."
Time is running out before the next round of voting begins.
"Please. Please, just one more time, one more chance to make it unanimous against. If we don't achieve unanimity in opposition at the next vote... I'll be ready."
There is no next time. We've succeeded in creating that situation.
The final vote for unanimity by opposition began.
However, things can sometimes diverge greatly between the ideal and the reality.
[Results of the fifteenth round of voting:]
1 in favour
38 against
"Damn it! I knew it was a bad idea!"
This is a dangerous way of pushing the vote that had begun to flow in favour of the vote back into opposition. With the time limit looming, even that last strategy to make it unanimous was unsuccessful.
But now everyone has understood.
The student who continued to vote in favour of this is prepared to run out of time.
"Horikita, Yōsuke. Okay?"
I have succeeded in confirming my decision to both of them and clearly obtaining their approval.
At any rate, the necessary preparations have been made for the struggle to expel the student.
Now that the two main players, Horikita and Yōsuke, have made their intentions clear, the majority of votes will be in favour. However, it is easy to imagine that students who are worried that they might be expelled will be hesitant to vote in favour.
That is why those who are prepared to throw in their lot with the opposition must also be prepared to do the opposite.
"If the vote remains against in the next round of voting, we need them to say exactly why, and you already know how painful it is to consume 10
minutes of your time with one vote."
With time to spare, it was no wonder some students were still complaining.
However, with barely an hour left on the clock, the road out was completely cut off. It's a challenge to force students who don't have the ability to make decisions to do so.
"Now that it's come to this... we have no choice but to pick and choose who gets expelled."
"Are you seriously going to do this?"
"I don't want to lose any of my classmates either. I don't want to lose anyone, but if I don't expel someone here, the damage to the class will be enormous. I have to avoid that."
If you look at the class points tally so far, the pain of losing nearly 300 class points here is well known.
Intervals are compulsory for 10 minutes.
We must be willing to resist the urge to run away and vote against it.
[Results of the sixteenth round of voting:]
39 in favour
0 against
It was unanimous. With this result came a sense of fear and anxiety among all.
"Unanimous in favour, or..."
Chabashira-sensei muttered to herself as if she were prepared for everything and continued on her way.
When you make this decision, the only choice left is to either expel a student from the school or run out of time. The latter, of course, could mean a losing battle for this class to graduation.
This means that within these 39 students, there was someone who will be expelled within an hour or so.
Of course, I knew who should be expelled.
"Individuals will be identified either by candidacy, which will be allowed only once, or by selecting the name of the student displayed on the tablet and casting a vote of nomination. However, in the absence of a candidate, and if at the end of the interval there is not a majority of nominations, the vote will be taken by random selection as previously explained."
Naturally, there are many students who look at Horikita and I as we decide who will be expelled from the school.
I can't wait to hear your name, the pressure is on.
An important and precious interval, incomparable to anything we have seen so far. For the same amount of 10 minutes, you will be additionally asked to choose who you would like to nominate.
"Unanimity by approval has been decided... I would like to at least let them adopt a policy of waiting for this one interval to confess themselves.
Depending on the circumstances and the case, I could choose to run out the clock and help that student."
Of course, such a suggestion would not stifle criticism. I would never accept such a choice, losing class points. But Horikita kept silent from there and began to listen and bear the complaints.
I need to know when the time is right, so I'll be silent on the idea. It was a dark and difficult time, with complaints directed at us, and each of us observing each other. Of course, it was not possible to select a specific dropout, and the time for the interval approached us.
When you see your name on the monitor, you feel your heart being grabbed. Especially when it's your first vote, you can't deny that the momentum is strong and the vote could be unanimous.
"Sensei, you don't mind if I nominate myself, do you?"
"Of course."
"Then please vote for me."
With that said, Yōsuke came forward as the specific student just before the time was up.
[Student Selection:]
Expel Hirata Yōsuke from the school.
[Choices:]
For
Against
This vote had a different weight to the previous ones.
If there are students who vote in favour, they are directly telling Yōsuke that they don't care if he disappears, and that they want him to disappear.
[Results of the seventeenth round of voting:]
6 in favour
32 against
The silence was such that you could hear students gasp and exhale.
"What are we going to do? Are we really going to be able to expel one of us from here?"
"Time is running out, let me ask you both. Who was the student who voted in favour all along?"
Keisei can't wait to hear the answer.
"Of course I will give you the name of the student I have in mind. But I know it's not as simple as that."
"Isn't it simple? We don't have a choice anymore. Because once we've decided to expel someone, we have to find out who they are as soon as possible, even if it's just one second."
There are still many students who regret and are anxious about having chosen to vote in favour. I'm sure they're also feeling the mental strain of having wasted 10 minutes earlier. That's why I wanted something to make me think that I'm not making a mistake by choosing to vote in favour.
"The next vote, if time goes on like this, someone will be chosen at random, right..?"
It's no wonder Sudō is unsettled. Even Yōsuke got six votes in favour.
"Don't worry, Ken. I'll vote against for you... so you can definitely protect me too, okay?"
"Naturally, Kanji. That's right. If we protect each other, we'll be absolutely fine, won't we...?"
"Aah~"
The students were losing their cool. A faint cry escaped from one of them.
She held her mouth and hid her eyes, but it is clear what the voice was saying.
"Kikyō-chan... are you okay?"
Mii-chan rushed over and put her hand on Kushida's back.
"Hmm, I'm sorry... I don't know how I got into this mess. I started thinking about that and I couldn't stop feeling regret..."
"That's true for me, too. But if someone doesn't drop out... we're not going to..."
Most of the students do not have such a feeling. We were made to do something somewhat unrealistic.
"I regret my choice so much now, I should have kept voting against until the end, no matter what..."
"That's what we wanted to do. But we don't have a choice. If we run out of time, it's minus 300 class points."
To justify his vote in favour, Keisei said that this was inevitable.
"But that doesn't erase the regret I feel for voting in favour of when I was told to do so..!"
Unanimous in favour, she confessed that he regretted having played a part in it. The same feeling, but not in words, began to show itself more strongly in the students.
"Don't be so hard on yourself, Kushida-chan. Because they're all the same... aren't they?"
Sudō and Ike also comforted her.
"I'm so frustrated... I'm so frustrated..."
Tears rolled down her cheeks. Wiping them away, she looked up, her body trembling.
"I think we actually had a chance to make it unanimous in opposition. If we had persisted and kept trying to persuade them, I think those who were voting in favour would have understood in the end..."
"Maybe, but time was-"
"I certainly understand what Horikita and Ayanokōji were saying. We just have to avoid running out of time, don't we? Yeah, I know that. But even if we were to be penalized, we should have been a class where no one was left out, shouldn't we?"
Kushida let out feelings that'd been building up for a long time.
"No, but he said it was still the guy's fault for voting in favour. Absolutely."
"No one should be expelled. No one should be expelled from school because of their academic or athletic ability, it's a small thing. You can't decide who should be expelled just because of that."
Kushida is even willing to cover up for those who are in favour of the situation that led to it.
"But, if that's the case, how do you decide who to expel?"
"Then why don't we just... have a raffle?"
"No, you can't. If you expel anyone because of that... I'm sure everyone won't all be happy."
Wiping away another flood of tears with her fingertips, she continued.
"I, for one, am prepared to take criticism."
Putting her hand to her chest, Kushida appealed to her classmates.
"I think... and I think Ayanokōji, who was the leader of this special exam, Horikita-san... who urged people to vote in favour, should take responsibility for that."
I knew it would happen. The first move was from Kushida.
These words are those of the intense desire of an anonymous person who has unmistakably voted in favour of the proposal.
"I feel so bad about mentioning their names that I almost hate myself. But I can't let time run out. Someone has to carry the weight of this... So, I'll take the role of the hated one..."
We don't want anyone to be expelled.
Nevertheless, as long as someone has to be expelled, selection is inevitable. Those who sentence us to restructuring suffer just as much as those who are restructured.
This is a role that Kushida has taken upon herself. It takes a lot of determination and a lot of reason to name names. With the right wording, she was able to make her classmates aware of our names, which was the purpose of the initiative, without making them feel she was the anonymous supporter.
Kushida is much smarter than I thought. Normally, in Kushida's position, you could stay silent until the end and not be expelled. She has a lot of friends who trust her, and there are plenty of students who will vote against her expulsion. However, Horikita and I already know that Kushida is the anonymous supporter. If one of us were to raise a fist and blow the whistle on her, it could lead to unforeseen consequences. In the event that you've got a lot more than one person in your corner, you'll be able to use them as a defense.
By mentioning my own and Horikita's names ahead of time, if anyone says anything to discredit her, she can make it sound like it's because of resentment over the decision to expel someone.
"You've got to be kidding me!"
It was Kei, not Horikita or me, who was the first to object to Kushida's idea.
"Why should Kiyotaka have to be expelled? You were about to run out of time, so you just said let's put it in the same disgusting way and agree.
Where's the responsibility in that?"
"Yeah. Yes, I agree. I know exactly what you mean, Karuizawa. I honestly think it's wrong to even name names now... but you can't move forward if you don't."
"I'm not going to vote for Kiyotaka's expulsion. At that point, you know he's never going to be expelled, right?"
"Wait, Karuizawa. That's a bit selfish."
"Huh? Didn't Hondō-kun just promise to vote against you and Onizuka-kun? It's the same thing."
"Erm, but I never said let's make it unanimous in favour of it..."
"You're so selfish. If I don't declare my intentions, how am I going to avoid being expelled? You won't be able to go to Class A because your time is up? So what? Kiyotaka is everything to me, I don't care if I'm in Class B or Class D."
Kei has been venting her anger relentlessly, but it was time to stop.
"Stop it, Kei. What Kushida is saying is correct."
"But... but!"
This is where Kei stopped, glaring at Kushida with a frustrated and annoyed look on her face.
"If you let your emotions get the better of you here and continue to argue, the person who should be most responsible for what Kushida said will blur, and the subject will shift from me and Horikita. You know that much."
"Yeah..."
If I hadn't lost my cool, I would have gone for it, but I didn't. If I give a strong enough order, she has enough reason to restrain herself.
As a result, it's not bad to be forced to speak for what your classmates have in their hearts.
"I'll tell you, I won't support Suzune's expulsion. It may not be ideal with the whole unanimous thing, but it's not Suzune's fault. I blame the bastard who sat on his hands and knees and didn't come forward. Do you think that we can go up to Class A without Suzune in the future? Never."
"Certainly... decided that Horikita should be given protection. But in the end, if we fail this special test, the action itself will be meaningless; wouldn't it be the same if we lost 350 class points?"
Keisei answers, holding his glasses.
"I'm sure you can reel them in with Suzune!"
"This school is not that sweet. The 300 class points that Kōenji got in the desert island exam was a miracle. If you exclude that, how long did it take us to finally reach the class points we have now? It's not very realistic, is it? Horikita is a big hole to fill, but it's not worth losing 350 class points to keep her."
Will he be able to cover the 350-point handicap with Horikita, or will he be able to fight as an equal without her?
It's hard to put a simple value on this, but what Keisei said is generally true.
"I can't agree with Kiyopon or Horikita's expulsion from the school right now. Because I think they should be listened to first, not because of my personal relationship. Because the worst person is the person who kept voting in favour of it, as Sudō-kun said, right?"
At the intervention of Haruka, Kushida looked up as if she had been caught off guard.
The explanation was not to protect me because I was one of them, but in a way that said it was too early to decide.
"Yes, you're right. I think I may have lost my cool a little... But if Ayanokōji got the name of the person who voted for it wrong... well, even if he didn't get it wrong, if he said the name, it would probably destroy the whole relationship."
Don't say the wrong name by mistake. I couldn't help but feel that kind of pressure. Anyway, the baton is now passed to me again.
"You're in the middle of a conversation, but I'll stop you there. You have ten minutes to decide who you want to vote out of the school. If you can't do that, we'll have to have a random vote."
"Right. We're running out of time to vote. You have to do it. Please nominate me for expulsion."
"Oi, hey Suzune! What do you think you're doing?"
"If I'm going to put one vote between us anyway, I want to make sure it's the right one. Because I want to see how many of my classmates want me to leave the school."
If the vote is unanimous in favour, the student is expelled. On the other hand, if the vote is unanimous in the opposite direction, the student will be exempted from expulsion. And if the vote is not unanimous in either direction, we will have to start all over again, including Horikita.
"In the following event, we will start a 60-second poll for Horikita Suzune."
A vote for or against expulsion began for Horikita.
How many students will vote in favour of Horikita's expulsion? It seemed that all the votes had been cast in about 30 seconds, and Chabashira-sensei displayed the results on a monitor.
[Student Selection:]
Expel Horikita Suzune from the school.
[Results of the eighteenth round of voting:]
16 in favour
22 against
Am I the only one who thinks this is an interesting result?
The only person who is likely to vote clearly against Horikita is, objectively speaking, Sudō. And then there's Kōenji, who doesn't want to let go of his only ally, Horikita.
On the flip side, the rest of the students were asked to vote purely on whether they agreed or disagreed with Horikita's disappearance. For the 16 anonymous students, Horikita's presence is not that important.
Or is there a segment of the class who would be happy with anyone leaving as long as they themselves didn't have to leave school?
"You're all idiots! All those who voted in favour, raise your hands or I'll kill you!"
Sudō stood up irritated, as if he thought that only a few votes at most would be in favour.
"Stop it, Sudō-kun."
"I can't stop!"
"You're only wasting our time with your fussing. Let's talk more constructively."
"Horikita-san is right, Sudō-kun. Unanimity is the ironclad rule for this special exam. Even if there are thirty-seven votes in favour, as long as you keep opposing it, Horikita-san won't be expelled."
Yōsuke convinced him that there was no need to vent his anger anywhere. Exactly as he just said, it only takes one person to stay on your side if you are unhappy.
It is also the only way to absolutely prevent expulsion from the exam.
Only one vote. With an unshakeable defensive vote against, you can avoid the fate of expulsion.
On the flip side, if you lose that last vote, there is nothing you can do to prevent being expelled.
"We really don't have much time left. It's time for you to give me the name of the students you think was voting in favour."
"I know. But before I answer, I just want to make a suggestion."
"A suggestion?"
"Ah. I'm going to give you a name now, because I don't think this is going to be just a statement. Because if I say the wrong person, reputational damage won't be the end of the story."
"That's... for sure."
"That's why it's not a proper statement, and on the flip side, if it turns out that I said the wrong person, then I'll take the blame and I'll be expelled."
"Hey, Kiyotaka!
I'll take responsibility. Hearing these words, the class is in an uproar.
"Oh, are you sure you're okay? Ayanokōji-kun... I don't want any of my classmates to be expelled and Ayanokōji is one of them..."
"Thanks for your concern, Kushida. But I'm fine."
"You say you're going to leave school, but Karuizawa-san is against Ayanokōji-kun's vote, right? That would mean..."
"I won't let that happen. Taking responsibility also means stopping those opposing votes. If the time comes, I will make Kei vote yes. Do you understand?"
"Wow, I get it, but I believe it's never going to happen."
"I understand and accept to a certain extent what Kushida said. I was the one who led the vote to the choice of expelling someone, so of course, I should take some of the blame. However, someone has been stubbornly voting in favour since the very start and I feel that person should take the blame in it's entirety."
"Let's face it, there's a student in this class who tried to sneak in a good deal of anonymity by having someone drop out, isn't there?"
This is where Kei joined in to protect me.
"Yeah, I agree with you...! That's the person who should take responsibility for..."
"Yes, that's what I mean. It's the student who voted in favour who's at fault."
Airi and Haruka, and even Akito followed this trend to provide support.
"You've prepared yourselves... haven't you?"
A last word of advice: Kushida's anxious eyes stare at me.
"As long as you are naming names, you have to be prepared to pay for it. Above all, I can speak out and risk my own expulsion because I believe I am as close to 100 percent certain as I can be."
"Wow, okay. Then I'll believe Ayanokōji-kun."
With the word "believe", the intense eyes from Kushida kept on looking at me.
The timing of the reveal has been pulled back, which has further increased the interest of the students. Apart from the one who actually voted in favour, the rest of the students are inherently less anxious. That is why we are waiting for the name of the person who has been secretly voting in favour to force an expulsion all along.
They want a good reason to slap you, and they are waiting for the right moment to shout abuse down your throat.
"The person's name is..."
Who I am going to expel and who I have decided to expel.
I'm going to reveal it all here.
"Kushida. It's you."
Silence. Not even the ringing in your ears can reach you, a world where sound has completely disappeared.
I know, Horikita. While you conclude that you have to go in favour of this, I understand why you can't take the plunge.
But Kushida did not back down. She was determined to get Horikita or I kicked out of the school for this task, and she kept voting for it. Whether or not she realizes that this is a bad move is no longer a small matter.
I've decided that Kushida can't be rehabilitated, but you wanted to see her through to the end.
The sacrifice of the class, and the possibility of that sacrifice, how could I not have mentioned the name so far? You may not have been able to save Kushida, but you don't have to sacrifice her yourself. I didn't know what Horikita was thinking at this moment, but I could clearly see that she was looking at me more calmly than I expected.
If Kushida has chosen to stand in the way of our efforts, then we have to fight.
I'm the one who has to beat this person.
"What...?"
A voice leaked out, incomprehensible.
This was probably a sentiment shared by almost all the students, not just Kushida.
"W-What?"
She still didn't feel her name had been called and pointed to herself. Or maybe they'll tell you their name, you've already guessed that. That's why I also came prepared for it, setting it up ahead of time. But even so, I think I couldn't really decide to sell Kushida. It's even more so because I think I have some weaknesses against me.
"Yes, you did. It was you who, when urged to vote against it, stubbornly continued to vote for it."
Even my classmates, who were ready to slap me, didn't say a word.
"Or, could it be because... I said that Horikita-san and Ayanokōji-kun should take responsibility?"
Seeing Kushida's tears welling up with grief, Hondō hurried to follow up.
"No, I don't care how many times you say it, Ayanokōji, it can't be Kushida-chan..! You're just saying it because of a grudge."
"It has nothing to do with that. I've been thinking about it since before you named me, or even since the first vote on the fifth task."
"An accusation, eh? Well, of course it would seem so in the circumstances."
It's just a random excuse to make up for almost being expelled. It's obvious to everyone that it looks that way.
"There's no evidence anywhere that they kept voting against it. Of course not, because this is an anonymous vote. But I'm going to show you that you're the one who kept voting in favour. Do you have any objections?"
"I can't tell you how awful it is. I was the first one to name you two...
but I was prepared for it. I've decided to sacrifice myself to protect my class, even if I have to face lies and slander."
Whatever they are going to say, they are all lies. By putting up that line of defence, you ensure that your supporters do not leave you.
"First of all, I would like to tell you why I thought that Kushida was the one who kept voting in favour. It is because there is a student in this class that she really wants to expel. Of course, you won't believe me, but hear me out. The person she wants to expel is Horikita and myself, who she herself mentioned by name."
Many people are confused as to what the hell I am talking about. This is a debate in which not a single mistake can be made.
"I gave you those two names, so that's how it's going to be, huh..."
"No, you don't. From the very first day she entered this school, Kushida has always recognized Horikita as a hindrance more than anyone else."
Kushida will understand, even if she doesn't like it. I'm going to disclose all the information I know about Kushida here and now.
There is no way to stop her as she continues to play the role of a pretty, pitiful girl.
"Kushida. You have something in common with Horikita that your other classmates don't, don't you?"
"What? You mean, common ground...?"
Even though you know it, you have to adopt an attitude of not knowing anything.
I could interrupt the performance, but I dare not to.
The defensive instinct to protect yourself will make you suffer even more in the future.
"Um... Oh! Are you saying that we're from the same middle school?"
No one would have ever heard of such a story before. My classmates were surprised to hear the information at first hand. The only way is to reveal the cards that Kushida has been hiding.
"Yes. I don't think a single one of these students knew about that, did they?"
The person in question, Horikita, is now staring straight at the podium, her face expressionless.
But on the other hand, it is easy to see the eyes of her classmates.
"Well, wait? It's true that I never told anyone about it, but I just never had the chance to talk about it. It was a reasonably big school, and we never even had the same class. It took me a long time to confirm with Horikita-san that we went to the same school..."
Kushida claimed there was no way she would have wanted to expel her from the start.
At this point, some of the students, unable to see the situation with Kushida, took action.
"Come on, Ayanokōji. You said you could tell who voted in favour, so I just shut up and listened. That's impossible."
It was Ike who denied it. And his voice soon spread.
"That's right. What Ayanokōji-kun is saying is ruinous and bitterly unfair."
"What's with the habit of leading people to agree with you, and then only mentioning Kushida-san's name when you're pissed off?"
"In the first place, why are we talking about wanting to expel her just because they were in the same middle school? I mean, if that's the case, did Ayanokōji also go to the same junior high school as the two of you?"
The usual questions popped up from classmates. The grievances that erupt multiply from one to two, two to three. One friend after another appears without asking.
There can be no doubt that this is a powerful weapon in the hands of Kushida.
"Kushida, are you really that kind of a character? There's something wrong with you, Ayanokōji."
"Yeah, I know, I know. I'd say it's kind of scary. I've always had a quiet image..."
Not only do they protect her, but some of them begin to distrust me for my unusual behaviour.
"Don't blame him, guys. I'm sure Ayanokōji-kun doesn't want to talk about it either. I know what it's like to be in a situation like this and want to blame someone else..."
She picked up the words of her classmates exquisitely and pretended to protect me while setting me up.
"You're too kind, Kikyō. You can't let him say whatever he wants."
Automatically, when the spokespersons of Kushida go berserk, I felt that my right to speak was being revoked.
But I also have weapons to fight back.
"It's Ayanokōji-kun who is having an important conversation right now. We shouldn't interfere halfway."
So said Yōsuke, giving a warning to any student who tries to interfere with my words.
"Yo yo, Hirata. It's no use listening to Ayanokōji's lies anymore."
"We should only comment on truth or falsehood when we have all the information. Of course, if it turns out to be false, I won't condone it either."
"Is it really worth listening to?"
"Yes, it's something you have to listen to. It's not just Kushida-san who's been named, it's Ayanokōji-kun's own future that's at stake. Isn't that right?"
I had told Yōsuke that I may control the vote when there is no time left.
But there was no way of knowing in advance what the task would be, and of course he hadn't heard about Kushida.
As a purely neutral person, he must judge without error.
"I have nothing to do with where they come from. I don't have anything to do with where they're from, and it doesn't mean much that they went to the same secondary school. But it's true that Kushida had a big secret in secondary school."
"Stop it, Ayanokōji-kun... Don't pile on any more lies..."
Tears stream down her cheeks and she begins to cry on the spot.
"Hey Kiyopon, I'm on your side... but even Kikyō-chan is with you. What can I say, is this really a story that needs to continue?"
As I said, the Ayanokōji Group is a group of people who have been involved in activities in the past. Although she doesn't have a lot of friends, she gets on well with Kushida outside of the group.
If you care about both sides, it is only natural that you should also try to stop this conflict.
"Haruka. You've been waiting for the existence of the anonymous student to come to light, haven't you? Then you need to hear this story out."
"But, because Kikyō-chan is..."
"No. I know you think so, but Kushida is not who you think she is. I'm sorry, but I have to go on. Kushida's secret lies in the true nature she keeps hidden."
"Kikyō-chan's... true nature..?"
"Yes. On surface, Kushida appears to everyone to be a good person.
She is kind, caring, good at her studies, good at sports, a perfect student. But what if the truth is that she is more jealous than anyone else, and is only satisfied if she is first? What if, as a result, she has a history of destroying her class when her true nature was revealed in junior high school?"
"I honestly can't believe this story. But even if it were true, it doesn't add up. It is true that the same junior high school student, Horikita, may know about her past. But how does Ayanokōji-kun know about it? I don't think Horikita-san would tell anyone."
"It wasn't long after I started school that I had the accidental opportunity to see Kushida's true nature. She was not the mild-mannered person she usually was, but she was a person who let her negative emotions out."
Even after all this, Kushida doesn't make any attempt to glare at me.
She continued to play the role of the sweet girl who looked at the poor student who was telling lies. It is because of the strong pride that she believes she'll be absolutely fine if she does so.
Of course, having bad things said about you, whether true or false, was a bad factor that would cast a shadow over the rest of your school life.
However, it was also a sign that she was determined to get Horikita expelled from the school.
"I want to be seen as a kind person, but I don't want my true nature to become known. On the other hand, she can't stand the situation in which Horikita and I are holding her weakness. Why, because she always wants to be on top of the caste."
"One... more minute or so and the interval will be over."
We were in the middle of a conversation, but just to make sure, Chabashira-sensei informed us of the time.
"So, what are we going to do, next vote?"
"That's the only way to get a vote on... for now, Ayanokōji."
In the current situation, I would of course be the next in line.
"Don't..."
But it was not Kei, nor Haruka, but Kushida who stopped him.
"Enough is enough... I can't take it anymore, my heart can't take it any more..."
"K-Kushida-san?"
"If I only said what I really meant, it would be the same all the time, I don't want Horikita-san or Ayanokōji-kun to be expelled. I even made Ayanokōji-kun lie about me by mentioning two names... I don't want to have to go through this bitter, painful argument anymore! So... I'll drop out... and then we'll all be back to normal again, right?"
A student who volunteers to be a candidate for expulsion.
This special test, one of the criteria for selecting individual names, will be accepted if only one person comes forward voluntarily, without taking a vote, as Horikita and Yōsuke have just shown.
"Are you sure, Kushida? Once you say it, you can't take it back."
"Yes, it's fine... Do you all agree that I should be expelled? Please..."
When Kushida's name was selected with the word, the task is displayed on the tablet.
The class was upset by her unexpected candidacy.
[Student Selection:]
Expel Kushida Kikyō from the school.
[Results of the nineteenth round of voting:]
5 in favour
33 against
In due time, the vote was cast on Kushida, and while the result wasn't unanimous, it held overwhelming opposition.
"Huh... why?"
"There's no way they're going to expel you for this. See?"
The 33 pupils who voted against responded with a nod of the heads to show their solidarity.
"Ayanokōji. I honestly think it's disgusting that you're attacking Kushida-chan just so you don't get expelled yourself."
Apart from my vote in favour, only four people voted in favour of Kushida's expulsion.
I'm tempted to say "only", but I'm rather surprised that there were five votes.
"Next is Ayanokōji-kun's turn, right?"
If things go on as they are, there will be a vote to expel me.
That would be the best chance of unanimity in favour in the current situation.
But only if I allow them to make that decision 10 minutes later.
"Ayanokōji-kun, you say that Kushida-san's true nature is something else, but I won't just suddenly believe it."
"That's right. In the first place, has there ever been any attempt by Kushida-san to expel Horikita-san? If she really wanted to expel her, she would have taken action long ago, wouldn't she?"
If you wait for the right opportunity, you will naturally find a voice that demands what you have to say.
"It's not easy to get a classmate expelled from school. However, I have been a target of Kushida at least once before, in a special exam similar to this unanimous special exam."
By avoiding direct expression, I allowed my classmates to dig up their memories.
"Ah, the Class Poll exam... I'm pretty sure that's when Yamauchi-kun and Kushida-san..."
Yes. Last year, for the first time, we had a vote in our class that resulted in a student being expelled from our class. In the end, Yamauchi was expelled from the school, but one of the people who used Yamauchi to try and push the class to expel me was Kushida. I'm sure it was still fresh in everyone's mind.
"Coincidence? We've had two similar exams and both times I've been a target of expulsion, and both times it's Kushida who's involved. It's too good to be true."
If you remember those days, you will understand that it was strange for Kushida.
"It's true that sometimes I think it's just a coincidence. But Ayanokōji, if Kikyō-chan is deliberately trying to get Ayanokōji expelled, would she try it at such a coincidental time?"
It's not as simple as that.
"Kushida thought I was on her side. You didn't think I would expose your whole school life like this, did you?"
"An ally?"
"Oh. Am I saying that wrong? Kushida."
"I'm the one, what should I do, Ayanokōji-kun...? What is the right way to answer?"
Basically, Kushida can only deny or ask back.
As long as I can't affirm it, the initiative is always with me.
"Give me proof, Ayanokōji. If you're going to blame Kushida-chan any more, you're going to need it."
It was Hondō who came out in force. It seemed that he had extraordinarily strong feelings for Kushida.
"That's true. It may be pointless to continue this story without evidence. I'll tell you why Kushida was trusting me from now on."
Don't panic, just make sure the water soaks in.
"It was a long time ago. Kushida threatened to expel me from school, and I made a deal with her which involved me giving her half of my monthly private points in exchange for her not expelling me."
No one had ever imagined that such a story would be told, and it came as a slight surprise to Kushida's defenders.
"Isn't that right?"
"What...?"
Maybe she hadn't expected this to come up, or maybe it had been in the back of her mind but she hadn't decided how to respond. Either way, Kushida was at a loss for words.
She can't honestly admit that she's been given private points.
On the other hand, it is difficult to deny that you have received them.
Even if she can falsely claim that she hasn't received any in this moment, the truth will come out when it's confirmed later when we get our phones back.
This is because the fact of who transferred how much and to whom will remain in the transaction history.
"How is it? Can you tell me that you haven't received a single point?"
"That's..."
I'm not going to let you take your time.
Just as I was about to turn my gaze to Chabashira-sensei, Kushida's lips quivered as she replied.
"S-sure... I receive private points every month from Ayanokōji-kun..."
Kushida, who has denied most of what I have said, had to admit it.
If I were to get a confirmation from Chabashira-sensei, I can say that I know the flow of points at this moment, and you can't avoid that the situation will be bad at once.
There is some skepticism as to whether the teacher, Chabashira, is aware of the transfer of points between individuals at any time, and whether she would leak personal information, but Kushida is not willing to take that risk.
"But, but the... reason is totally different! Ayanokōji-kun asked me to keep them for him, so I didn't even use... one point, of course?"
There are only one or two ways to justify the fact that you receive half of your classmates' private points every month: either because they asked you to keep them, as Kushida said, or because they gave them to you for free.
If you say that it was given to you unilaterally, as in the case of the latter, you will have to make up for it, so they almost asked you to keep it.
That's how it goes.
"I didn't give them to her to hold for me. I was paying the price, the condition that I wouldn't be expelled."
"That's a lie."
I offered her half of my private points for the deal. I'm sure Kushida remembers it well. I even took the time to record the day. But such a thing can be sealed off without being used, depending on the circumstances.
No, rather the opposite. It is a double-edged sword.
"Lies, huh? But, Kushida, when you signed this contract with me, you said you recorded it for your own insurance, didn't you? If that recording comes out of your phone or something, you won't be able to get away with it."
"R-recording? I don't know anything about that..."
She denied it once, despite being overwhelmed. The recording is probably saved somewhere, but apparently not on her phone. You don't carry around a risky recording directly with you, do you? That would have made this quicker, but no matter.
"It's the same thing if you're hiding the recordings somewhere unknown. We signed this contract in February this year, and I was also recording the conversations we had. I recorded it so I can use it as a weapon if something goes wrong."
She looked at me with her eyes opened wide. I don't think she could have imagined that.
"I've listened to the recording several times and I remember every word. "I'm going to give you half of my private points moving forward." I think that's how I started."
"That's a lie. I've never heard of such a thing."
"That's certainly not a bad offer. But I'm sorry, I'm not in need of private points. I guess more money is better than less, but I have enough." So replied Kushida."
"I don't know..."
"If you want, I can ask Chabashira-sensei to bring my phone now."
"I don't mind. But you can't do it, we're in the middle of a special exam, remember?"
"If you use your mobile phone, it can lead to cheating, so it must be confiscated. However, you can leave all the operation of the phone to Chabashira-sensei and just ask her to play back the recorded data. Because this way there is no room for cheating."
Of course, I do not believe that such exceptions are granted unconditionally during special examinations.
However, Kushida's anxiety was so great that she could not help but look at Chabashira-sensei in front of her.
"You wouldn't like it if I had Chabashira-sensei bring in mobile phones. All the hard work you've done to cover it up will be for naught. But you already know, don't you? I'm not going to stop."
What is Kushida thinking now, with fewer and fewer voices in the room?
She turned her back to me and stopped moving, as if she had gone rigid, and kept her eyes focused on the front.
Kushida, of course, remembers that day and, being a cautious person, she would have made sure that the recording was in working order. In other words, she heard it repeatedly. By saying the whole exchange, some words must have matched the audio data in her memory.
"You may have enough to spend as pocket money, but you can never have too much in the case of an emergency."
There has definitely been a big change in Kushida, who used to be all about being a victim.
She has reached the point where it is impossible for her to continue pretending to be an angel in this class.
"Oh, shut up already..."
A classmate gulped. They'd heard a voice that they couldn't understand, wondering who had just said that.
The only way to stop her from saying any more is to show her true colours. But if she reveals her true nature, everything will be destroyed.
"You know what Chabashira-sensei said. Private points are for your own protection-"
"Shut up, shut up, shut up!"
The words of rejection and obstruction reach me, but I do not care, I will continue to the end.
"That proposal. No matter how you look at it, Ayanokōji-kun is at a disadvantage. If you're saying that this is a crisis where Ayanokōji-kun is going to drop out of school, I can still understand that, can't you?" I don't know. This was the conversation between me and Kushida before the deal. If you can listen to the same audio that I just said here in front of everyone, it should solve everything."
It doesn't matter if I really have the recording or not, it's not important. The only thing that is necessary and important is the fact that the lines match the actual exchange.
"That's enough!!!"
Kushida shouted to silence me.
The whole thing started in the first-year, when Ichinose Honami had become vulnerable, and I knew Kushida would have plenty of dirt on her classmates. When I'd asked her for help, I'd offered to give up my private points. No doubt the conversation that preceded the offer, wherein Horikita and I were demanded to drop out of the school, will remain intact.
You'd thought you'd have a convenient hand, but you were wrong.
You've left yourself a trail of evidence that will lead to your own downfall.
"Please tell me exactly where in the conversation you want me to leave it. So that myself and the whole class can understand."
The others, hoping that there was a mistake, just watched Kushida anxiously.
"Sorry..." Briefly, Kushida muttered an apology.
"To what?"
"Indeed, I promised not to fight with Ayanokōji-kun in exchange for half of his private points. That's true, so..."
Not an apology to me, but an apology to my classmates for lying to them.
"And now I don't think about it anymore! I really want to be friends with Horikita-san and Ayanokōji-kun. I've never voted in favour of expelling someone...!"
Kushida stopped and raised her voice in an attempt to hang onto the complete anonymity of the name.
The way her classmates looked at her was very different from the warmth they had shown her in the past.
Even if I didn't have all the students completely in my favour, it was no longer possible for her to go about her daily life as before. She seems to understand that completely.
"I wonder if the truth is that Ayanokōji-kun kept voting in favour?"
"What does that mean?"
"Ayanokōji-kun wanted to expel me from school. So he took action to force the vote to be unanimous in favour of it. Because it's strange... that he's always quiet and unassertive, but spontaneously moves to expel people from school now."
Kushida, who is as close to black as it gets, tries to shift the blackness from herself to me.
I'm sorry, but I've already predicted that you were going to use that strategy.
"Hey, Karuizawa-san."
Brushing her hair, she turns her gaze towards Kei.
"What?"
"It seems like you're dating Ayanokōji, but did you know that when we first started school, Ayanokōji was desperately trying to get me to go out with him?"
"What is that, what are you talking about?"
Kei is more calm and objective than most people, but even she has her weaknesses.
It's when love is involved that uncontrollable emotions explode.
When it was mentioned that I was a candidate for expulsion earlier, she aggressively defended me at her own risk. This is why Kushida must have been able to see the flaws in Kei's heart.
"You even touched my breasts in the dark when I didn't want you to, didn't you?"
"Ha... breasts! What do you mean, "breasts"?
"I knew you didn't know. He did such a terrible thing to me as soon as we started school."
A feeling of disgust begins to spread among the girls, including the boys who have taken a liking to Kushida.
"I tried to gently tell him to stop right then and there, but I was... too scared to do anything about it..."
"I know it sounds self-serving, but there is no such thing as a fact that I touched her breasts."
"Well, that's what Kiyotaka says!"
"That's true, you have to say that. But really, Ayanokōji-kun touched my breasts."
"Kushida. I hate to say this, but isn't that unsightly?"
"It's not the same as the recording you made, but I have proof too. I have a uniform with Ayanokōji-kun's fingerprints all over it, and I've kept it as it was at the time. You know what will happen if I submit it to...?"
Just as I said I had a recording on my phone, she pulled the same stunt on me.
If this proves to be true later, it will be me who will be in the deep end.
"Explain to me what you mean by that."
From the point of view of a woman who is being told the story objectively, it is understandable that she would want to ask for an explanation.
"There is no such fact at all. It's more a matter of whether it's true or false. You speak of clothes with fingerprints on them, but how well preserved are they? If it was just after she entered the school, it has been a year and a half. It's not easy to get a print from a piece of clothing, and if it's not preserved well, it's not in good condition. I don't think it would be possible to get fingerprints."
Even the surface of clothing is bumpy due to knitting, making it difficult to see fingerprint lines. Considering factors such as UV rays, moisture and dryness, we can say that it is 100% impossible.
"..."
Just like the recording data, none of the cards you have are usable.
It doesn't matter how many other cards you have in your hand. There is no excuse that anyone can think of. I won't allow it.
"If there had really been such damage in the first place, I should have been pursued immediately."
"Why... why... why... why..! "
Kushida stormed over to me, grabbed me by the collar and glared at me intensely.
In the face of a furious Kushida, I proceeded to talk to her in an amicable manner.
"At one time, you were working with Ryūen to get me and Horikita expelled. Isn't that right?"
One after the other, Kushida's secrets were exposed for everybody to witness. At this point, it won't have much of an effect on me if I provide new information that is partly wrong.
"Why, why, why!!!"
The hand that grasped my uniform became stronger.
"Why are you betraying me?! You promised not to be hostile, remember?"
"Of course, I didn't want to antagonise you. I wasn't interested in the fact that you have two sides to your face. That's why I wanted to make it a unanimous decision without naming myself or Horikita until the end. But when someone's expulsion is at stake, there's no choice. I have to protect my classmates."
For the past year and a half, Kushida has been steadily building up bonds with her friends.
And now it all came crashing down.
With no words coming from anyone, Kushida began to slow down.
"Ah... ah... no, hey. Not anymore."
Kushida's face contorted in disgust at her own disgrace, and she looked resigned, as if she had realised everything.
But she soon regained her composure and, with a smile on her face, released her hand from my chest.
"Fufu... I've been a fool, haven't I? That deal was a mistake..."
The angry demeanour disappeared at once, and words of indifference came out of Kushida.
"I thought I knew that Ayanokōji-kun was a tough opponent, but I still didn't think he would betray me here. It's unexpected, it's unexpected."
"Wait it's, lies Kikyō-chan... what Ayanokōji-kun just told us... he's lying, right?"
"Lies? I'm sorry, but it's all true."
"Such a... Why...?"
"Some things have to be protected at all costs. Don't you understand? How could you possibly know? Oh, my God, I'm done with everything."
She shrugged her shoulders, unconcerned with her own predicament.
"Yes. I couldn't stand Horikita-san and Ayanokōji-kun. I just couldn't forgive the two of them for knowing my secret that I kept hidden. I've been trying to get the chance to expel them for a long time."
"I'm certainly surprised at the last task, but still, you knew you couldn't push it too much, didn't you? You knew what would happen if you tried to force it."
Even if she hated us, there were plenty of times when she could have stepped aside. Nevertheless, Kushida continued to vote in favour of the proposal and repeatedly acted in a manner that could be described as half-crazy. This is something I always felt was out of character with Kushida during the exam. For a moment her eyes wavered, and she looked perturbed, but this soon faded away. Before the special exam, she had asked Horikita to be our leader. It seems that she was expecting this kind of task...
"Apart from that I couldn't stand the situation where people kept knowing about my past. I knew it would be extremely difficult to get Horikita to drop out of school, but I couldn't resist the urge."
The students who had been protecting her would have been at a loss for words. The fact that she was planning to expel Horikita does not mean that her friends are to blame.
Of course, she was guilty of forcing the class to choose the route of expulsion by continuously voting in favour of it, but it is still difficult to say that we could win a unanimous vote in favour of Kushida's expulsion. We need more damage to be done to this class in order to make sure she is expelled.
"You can't make Horikita or I leave school. That's too bad."
"In the next vote I will be expelled. This class will get class points because of my sacrifice, huh? Good for you guys. I think you can move up to Class B now."
It's hard to believe that those words were spoken to a group of people who had been friends up until this afternoon.
"There's nothing left for you to turn around."
"Fufu, you're probably right. But..."
Bringing her face close to my neck, she whispered coldly, "I'm sorry."
"You can at least show a little resistance, can't you?"
It was a whisper, but more than enough for the class to pick up on. It's safe to say that Kushida had been preparing for this in private, without the need for us to rile her up.
"You can't. You don't have any more friends who will vote against your expulsion."
"No, I don't. If I'm going to be expelled anyway, I'm going to have to destroy the whole..."
The true nature that led to the collapse of her class in middle school begins to show its face.
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"Don't you know? The secret of this class that only I have. I still have time until the end of the interval, so I'll tell you everything."
"There's nothing in it for you is there?"
"And there's no loss. Ayanokōji-kun is going to get in trouble, so it's time to get started."
Yes, that's it. Let out the truth and the stress you've been accumulating for so long. That way, everyone will be amazed and awed by your twistedness.
Only then does any room for sympathy disappear and unanimity is achieved.
"Other than Karuizawa-san just now - yes, Shinohara Satsuki consulted me about various things, right?"
Shinohara Satsuki was the first target of the myriad of spears aimed at the large number of girls.
"What, what, what!"
"Shinohara-san is not particularly cute or pretty, or rather a bit ugly, isn't she? Maybe that's why it's so amusing that only ugly boys like Ike-kun and Komiya-kun come on to her. Did you know that Karuizawa, Matsushita, Mori and others laughed at such a thing?"
A single pike instantly fractured into countless pieces, and one by one the names were called, and the targets were distributed.
"No, don't do that! I didn't say that! Don't you lie to her!"
Mori immediately denied this, but Kushida had no intention of letting the matter rest.
"Huh? You laughed at them, saying they were the most perfect match for each other. Don't worry, I laughed and said, "Don't do that!" but I felt the same way. Is that right... Nene...?"
"No, no... I was just, you know..."
"Shinohara, it seems that Ike-kun confessed to you on the boat and you went out with him, but it was a pretty easy choice, even though you were wavering between him and Komiya-kun until just before that. Or are you planning to go out with Ike-kun on a trial basis and then go with Komiya-kun, who was closer to your true love?"
"Oh, hey, Satsuki!"
For Kushida, there was flammable material lying around all over the class. As soon as a fire started in one place starts to spread, the words fly to new material.
"Speaking of romantic connections, Wang-san has been asking me for advice."
"No, please don't!"
"Don't? By don't, do you mean stop talking about Wang-san's love for Hirata-kun?"
"Huh!"
Mii-chan was forced to suddenly look at the person she has a crush on in the middle of the classroom.
In an instant, her face turned red and she started to cry when she saw Yōsuke looking at her.
"Stop for a second. It's only the beginning. That's not the only secret I've heard from everyone. Do you want to try something a bit more serious for the next time? Let's see, for a start, we could try Hasebe-san."
"Kikyō-chan..."
"Oh, stop calling me by that familiar name. You can't even make friends, and you call people by their nicknames just so you can feel closer to them. I'm sure it's annoying to people who hear you call them that."
In the meantime, Shinohara and Mori and Ike and others continued to force each other to lie about what they had said or didn't say, while Kushida shifted her focus to Haruka.
The interval will soon be over, but the unanimous decision to expel Kushida will be imminent. If we drag our feet here, Kushida will continue to reveal more and more secrets.
