456 E.1

I went on a small walk, finally arriving near the bench where I had met Morishita about a week ago.

No one else was around and there were no signs of anyone either. I sat down on the bench alone.

Then, about ten minutes must've passed.

The person I was waiting for appeared, walking at a much slower pace than usual.

She usually would have a much wider field of view, but Sakayanagi hadn't noticed me.

"It took you quite a while to get ready, didn't it?"

When I called out to her, she was slightly surprised, but quickly hid it.

"Could it be... you were waiting for me?"

"I had forgotten to ask about your current thoughts too."

"I see. Opportunities to witness the defeat of Class A don't come by often."

"You weren't outmatched in the standoff. You saw the other classes' weaknesses and accurately exploited them; your defense was excellent. I would say you clearly outdid the three leaders."

"Though, I can't laugh since I was the one who lost."

"Indeed."

"But it's unfortunate. I don't think my feelings have changed at all. If the cause of defeat was my lack of skill, the story would be different."

"That might be your conclusion, however, it's not the same when it comes to the expelled students, right?"

"If there are eliminations in the defeated class, someone gets expelled—we knew this from the start."

Sakayanagi stubbornly refused to acknowledge it, but I continued.

"Even so, for you, the defeat… No, Kamuro's expulsion must have been unexpected."

"Please don't underestimate me. Sure, Masumi-san worked by my side for two years, but she wasn't an extraordinarily excellent student, nor was she particularly obedient. Her expulsion has virtually no impact on the class."

She responded with a laugh, indicating a misunderstanding.

"This doesn't seem like you, Sakayanagi. You appear far from your usual composure."

"You think this doesn't seem like me? I don't think so."

"You should've figured that out given that I'm here questioning you."

If Kamuro's expulsion hadn't affected Sakayanagi at all, I wouldn't be waiting here.

I wouldn't be bothering to shake her up out of the blue.

"Certainly, you have exceptionally high insight, but aren't you too confident?"

"I wonder."

Showing that I wasn't changing my mind, at last, Sakayanagi also seemed slightly troubled.

"Masumi-san's expulsion affected my feelings—is that what you want to say?"

"To put it plainly, that's exactly what I'm saying."

"I don't agree."

"I understand your reluctance to admit it. If you admit that, you'd also have to acknowledge that you made the wrong choice."

If she believed that she should've chosen someone other than Kamuro from among the eliminations, regret is born.

"You know you're strong. That's why you don't have much empathy for other's weaknesses. You tend to fail to support their weaknesses."

"That's a line I don't want to hear from you, Ayanokōji-kun."

"Sure, it applies to me too, but you're half-hearted and not fully committed. Because you have the sensibility of a normal person, you unconsciously understand part of it."

Although we had a lot in common, we also had a lot of differences.

"I don't understand. What are you trying to say, Ayanokōji-kun? Are you suggesting that it would be better if I were weaker? Should I have been selfish and wished to keep Masumi-san?"

"Normally, leaders cannot be selfish. But if you want to win from here on out, that's what you should've done. To be strong, you should've kept Kamuro. You should've compiled reasons to expel the others, whether by referencing the OAA or otherwise."

But her pride got in the way.

In her unexpected failure, she made the wrong decision, pretending to be calm and deciding that anyone among the eliminated could leave.

Once lost, the part of her that was gone couldn't return.

Sakayanagi had to continue fighting in this deficient state from now on.

"Don't worry. Her presence doesn't affect anything. I won't lose anymore."

"You probably will. If you challenge the year-end exam as it is, it'll be a repeat of this time."

Sakayanagi just didn't want to admit that the situation was significantly changing.

"I see, I understand your aim now. You need me to take damage. That's why you want me to think I'm weakened by this event. Are you trying to disturb me mentally? Am I wrong?"

"Why would I need you to be weakened?"

"It's inconvenient if Class A stands out, isn't it? In order to create the ideal development you desire, you want to enter the third year with the four classes in a competitive condition. That's the purpose, right?"

"You're not wrong, but that's not enough."

"How is it wrong?"

"Whether Class A is leading at this point in time isn't a big deal. My aim is to bring out each class's maximum potential. To do this, I will meddle with Ryūen, Ichinose, Sakayanagi, whomever."

"I don't like it. I don't like the idea of being assisted by you."

"But that's why I'm here. I'm standing here to help you."

Sakayanagi, who had been annoyingly verbose, finally stopped speaking.

Sakayanagi was shrewd from the beginning. She knew this all along. She was just pretending not to know.

"Your miscalculation was that Kamuro's presence was larger than you thought at face value. You made the decision to draw lots because you wanted to think that Kamuro was no different from the rest."

Hindsight is always 20/20. She should've been true to herself, even if it meant garnering resentment.

Of course, the pride and negligence when she thought she wouldn't lose could be the cause of this poor decision.

"I..."

Sakayanagi couldn't look into my eyes any longer, her gaze wandered away.

She stared into the distance, exhaling quietly.

"I haven't made any friends throughout my time in primary and secondary school. I couldn't blend in with immature people of a lower intellectual level."

She reflected on herself from her childhood days.

"It hasn't changed even at this school. Masumi-san, Hashimoto-kun, and Kitō-kun were the same. They were close to me, but only to be used as tools. Nothing more, nothing less. I saw them as strangers."

Sakayanagi had spent her school life without recognizing the people around her as friends.

But the line between acquaintanceship and friendship often blurred. It was impossible for anyone to determine exactly where that line was.

"So I thought it wouldn't matter who disappeared..."

Her words halted there.

Surely by now, even Sakayanagi couldn't deny the true answer she could see.

"It seems that, somewhere along the line, Masumi-san became a friend to me."

Even if she had been using the term 'friend' before, the weight it carried now was vastly different.

The meaning shifted greatly depending on whether she truly accepted this fact or not.

She had merely fooled herself into believing that being smart meant she wouldn't be swayed by others.

"...Either way, it's not like me, is it?"

"Maybe so. At least you now realize that losing Kamuro made you weaker, but it can also make you stronger."

It would be a problem if she stumbled and couldn't get back up with just this much.

"So you've always been behind the scenes, giving advice like this to various people. No wonder everyone is growing."

"They're far from done yet."

Sakayanagi had nothing more to say. She just slowly and politely bowed her head.

I sensed that she couldn't stay with me any longer.

I saw her small figure off and sat back down on the bench.

"In the end, Kamuro's expulsion has become a boon."

No other variables had influenced Sakayanagi's emotions as much as this did now.

Without needing to control the situation, their class points had also been reduced.

It was evidence that each class was gaining strength and becoming more capable of fighting.

From here on out, Sakayanagi herself needed to think hard, realize things, and significantly grow.

And thus, her journey to confront her never-experienced emotions began.

Ryūen had shed a layer and started moving forward.

Not changing his previous tactics, but rather, refining them even further.

From now on, he would mercilessly expand his power into his surroundings.

There were about two months left until the year-end exam.

"I guess I should quietly press on with preparations."

About Karuizawa Kei.

About Ichinose Honami.

And about the class.

With the remaining time I had left in school, I began taking action to become a memorable presence to those around me.