Chapter 6: Intersecting Thoughts

ROUGHLY TWO HOURS before Karuizawa left to see Ryuuen, Chabashira-sensei lectured us about important things to remember during the upcoming winter vacation.

"Parts of the school will undergo renovations, so those areas will be off-limits. Also, all clubs will take the day off after the closing ceremony. Be sure to head back as soon as you can."

For some reason, our teacher gazed soundlessly around the classroom after she was done speaking. We waited, but she showed no sign of dismissing us.

Ike, clearly itching to leave, raised his hand. "What's the matter, Sensei?"

"I'm sure that many of you are already aware of this, but your promotion to Class C is almost guaranteed. Well done."

"W-wow. Sensei just praised us. This is rare." Ike wasn't the only one who felt that way. I was sure the rest of the class was equally amazed.

"However, don't get sloppy. If you get in trouble over the break, it might affect your class points. Don't forget, even during the holidays, you represent this school." With that, Chabashira-sensei dismissed us, bringing the second semester to a close.

"This really is unusual," said Ike. "Chabashira-sensei being nice and giving us a warning, I mean."

"Yeah, you might be right," I replied.

As I put my textbooks in my bag, I glanced over at Karuizawa, who was talking with some other girls. She turned and looked back at me.

That morning, I'd received a text from Karuizawa at the email address I reserved for emergencies. The message said that Ryuuen had asked to meet her on the roof at two o'clock today, and that it had something to do with Manabe and her friends.

Having already gotten a message from Ryuuen about the meeting, I was unsurprised. Ryuuen didn't care if Karuizawa tattled on him. His only goal was to lure me in.

I didn't reply to Karuizawa's text. And yet, she left the room with her friends looking satisfied, perhaps because she felt confident that I'd gotten her message. Maybe she intended to leave the classroom and then come back. An hour later, though, almost all the students had left the school building.

"Hey, we were talking about going over to Keyaki Mall. What do you think? Want to come?" asked Keisei.

"Sure," I said. "I don't have anything planned. I'll head over after I finish getting ready."

"We'll wait in the hall."

Maybe I should take some textbooks back to the dorm with me, just in case? I might need them over break.

"Hey. Are you busy today, by any chance?" Satou called, sounding rather sheepish.

"Yeah. I just promised Yukimura and the others I'd go hang out with them," I replied.

"I-I see. Bad luck, I guess," said Satou, her shoulders slumping. "…Today's no good, but are you free over the winter break?" I asked. "Huh?"

"I mean, I feel bad for turning you down twice now. If you're okay with it, Satou, I just thought…"

"R-really?!"

"Y-yeah."

Satou hugged me without warning, leaving me a little overwhelmed. "I-It's a date!" she said, hopping up and down while blushing.

Why in the world was she so interested in me? I wasn't complaining, exactly, but there were still people in the classroom. This was kind of embarrassing.

"Anytime tomorrow or after is good," I said. "I'll send you a message

with more details."

"Got it! See you later, Ayanokouji-kun!"

Beaming, Satou rejoined Shinohara and her group, who eyed me suspiciously before leaving. I went over to Keisei and the others, who were gathered in the hallway, chatting among themselves. I could guess what they were discussing, based on Haruka's creepy grin and Airi's downhearted expression. Haruka seemed ready to start trouble as we began walking, so I beat her to the punch.

"Nothing's going on," I told them.

"I haven't even asked you anything," said Haruka. "What's up?" "Nothing's up. You were about to ask something, that's all."

"I mean, yeah. Just looking at Satou-san, it's not hard to imagine that

something's going on, right?"

"You're such a playboy, Kiyotaka. First Horikita, now Satou?" said Keisei. For some reason, he sounded kind of angry.

I decided I'd better offer some clarification. "She just invited me to hang out with her, that's all."

"A girl inviting a boy out is rare, though. There must be something to it, don't you think?" asked Haruka.

"Y-y-you don't think that S-Satou-san is interested in Kiyotaka-kun, do you?!" asked Airi frantically. We'd already been through this.

"I don't know how to answer that…" I said.

"A last-ditch effort to find romance just in time for Christmas? Oh, my," added Haruka. "What an amazing turn of events!"

"At any rate, where are we going? The mall's probably pretty crowded today. Since break starts tomorrow, there should be quite a few students hanging out until late tonight," said Keisei, pressing us to make a decision.

"Well, can't we just kinda wander? We don't have to rush," replied Haruka.

As we talked, Akito walked along silently, his expression stern. He seemed to be concentrating on whatever was behind us, as if searching for someone.

"No sign of anyone tailing us," he mumbled, sounding relieved.

It seemed that Ryuuen planned on settling things once and for all today. He must've decided that following us was no longer necessary.

"Hey, you know, even though Keyaki Mall's got pretty much everything, I think I wanna go off campus after all," said Haruka, looking into the distance at the main entrance. "I really want to go to Shibuya or Harajuku, or see the lights in Omotesando, you know?"

"I suppose campus isn't a good substitute for either of those places, other than the inside of Keyaki Mall…" The school hadn't really decorated the campus roads for the occasion, so everything looked the same as usual.

"I'm okay with staying here…" said Airi. "Plus, the campus has almost everything we need. Do you feel the same as Haruka, Kiyotaka-kun? About going off campus?"

Unlike Haruka, Airi definitely didn't strike me as the kind of person who liked to hit the town at night. I supposed it would be okay if I didn't force myself to be carried along for once.

"I'm happy to stay here, Airi. But I get why people want to go off campus," I replied.

"I know that it's in the school rules, but isn't saying that we can't contact our families for three years kind of extreme? I mean, you'd think people would be concerned about their kids, right?" Maybe this was a tender subject for Akito, because he was glowering. "My mom's a worrywart. She's probably really anxious," he added.

"I've heard that the school takes care of that. Apparently, they regularly send out report cards and stuff."

"That…might worry her even more. Guess I should study a little harder," Akito said.

"Parents probably worry more about girls than boys, though."

"Ah, no worries. That's not the case with me. My family's fine," said Haruka, smoothly dodging the topic. It seemed there might be something that she didn't want to touch on. "So, are we heading over to karaoke? It might be a bit crowded."

"We're not going to play that punishment game again, are we?" asked

Keisei.

"Of course we are. So Yukimuu can have his revenge."

As everyone chatted about where we were going next, I stopped in my tracks.

"What's the matter, Kiyotaka-kun?" "Sorry," I said. "I'm heading back."

"But it's only two," Akito said, checking the time on his phone.

"To tell you the truth, I pulled an all-nighter, and I'm kind of beat.

Let's hang out again over the winter break," I told them.

Airi looked disappointed, but I trusted Haruka to make sure that she had a good time, even without me around. I said my goodbyes to the group and left, pulling out my phone to call Chabashira-sensei once I was a safe distance away.

"Hello. I need to talk to you about something. Do you have a moment?" I asked.

"What are you planning? Didn't you wash your hands of me?" replied Chabashira-sensei.

"Yes, but there're still a few loose ends that need tying up. I'd like to discuss this in person. Can we meet at school?"

"I'll wait in the classroom," she replied. "Understood. I'll be there in a few minutes."

I returned to our classroom, which was now empty of students.

Chabashira-sensei stood near my seat, looking out the window. "If this is like previous years, it'll probably snow," she said. "Do you like snow?"

"I used to. Then I grew up and came to hate it." Chabashira-sensei pulled the curtains shut and turned around. "You said that you have something to discuss. What do you want with me?"

"I was just wondering. Why do you want to make it to Class A so badly that you'd go so far as to use me to do it?" You'd think a teacher might hesitate to lie and manipulate a student unless she had good reason for it.

"This school's designed to make teachers, as well as students, compete with one another. It's only natural that everyone wants to rise up the ranks."

"I can't imagine that's all there is to it. If you really aimed for Class A from the very beginning, you'd never have put Class D at a disadvantage the way you did." During our first midterm exam, Chabashira-sensei had deliberately withheld critical information from us.

"That's different. It was personal. I have nothing to say to you," she replied.

"You hesitated, right? You weren't sure this class really had the ability to aim for Class A. You weren't sure it was even worth trying." I didn't really care what her secret feelings were. The important thing was whether she could be of use to me.

"It seems that this is a waste of time. I'm going back to work."

I spoke up again as Chabashira-sensei turned to leave. "If you won't answer, then you might as well give up on trying to use me."

"Is that what this is about? I thought you already wriggled free of my grasp, didn't you?"

"This is crucial. If you don't take action now, Class D will never make it to Class A. If anything, it's unlikely we'll even reach Class C."

"What are you talking about?"

I looked at the clock on the wall, making it obvious that I was checking the time. "It's already two p.m. Ryuuen is putting on a very interesting show right about now, after calling Karuizawa to the roof."

"Ryuuen called Karuizawa?"

"So, even you don't know, Sensei? Karuizawa was horribly bullied in the past."

"This is the first I'm hearing of it."

"That information will probably be all over the school tomorrow.

When that happens, Karuizawa will retreat into her shell, and maybe even voluntarily drop out of school. If we can prove Class C was responsible, we might be able to retaliate, but the damage done to each class will be unfathomable," I told her.

I didn't know what the penalty to Class D would be for someone dropping out, but it was probably bad. I could tell that much just from looking at Chabashira-sensei's face.

However, she immediately regained her composure and fixed me with her usual intense gaze. "I see your ulterior motive. You can't resolve this situation on your own, but a teacher has powers you don't, and I could help conceal your involvement. A perfect resolution, yes?"

"So, you'll help me?" I asked.

"Don't get carried away, Ayanokouji. I have no intention of cooperating with you," she said.

"Naturally."

"The school doesn't exactly look kindly on teachers intervening in problems between students."

True enough. A teacher going up to the rooftop alone, not just to stop Ryuuen from bullying Karuizawa, but also to prevent word of Karuizawa's past from getting out…it was a dream scenario, too perfect to ever come true.

"Can you really afford to turn me down?" I replied. "There's no guarantee that I won't do anything to sabotage Class D in the future, is there? I'm more than capable of ensuring we never rise through the ranks."

"To think that a student would threaten a teacher. The tables have certainly turned."

"If you do this for me, I promise I'll do nothing to hinder or sabotage Class D going forward. I think that's significant, don't you?" I asked.

"If refusing to help you with this means that we never make it to Class A, then so be it."

Well, then. It looked like Chabashira-sensei wasn't going to budge.

Fortunately, relying on a teacher for help never once factored into my calculations.

"Relax," I said. "I had no intention of recruiting your assistance." "What?"

"I was just testing you, that's all. So, why not come observe this little drama's conclusion?"

6.1

IF ALL WAS GOING in accordance with my predictions, about thirty minutes should've passed since Karuizawa went to the roof. Chabashira- sensei and I waited a safe distance from where Yamada Albert stood guard, watching as Ishizaki came downstairs looking panicked and went back up with buckets of water. Judging by the amount of water spilled on the floor, he must've done this several times. Probably part of Ryuuen's scheme to force Karuizawa to relive her past trauma in order to get her to confess.

However, Karuizawa must not have spilled the beans right away, because neither she nor the Class C students showed any sin of coming back down. It was possible things were going slightly differently from how I'd envisioned. Still, putting my initial assumptions aside, this was a change for the better.

"What are you planning, Ayanokouji? How long do you intend to wait?" asked Chabashira-sensei.

Just a little longer. I'd come this far; I didn't need to rush to take action. The further I let the situation on the roof develop, the more likely it became that things would go my way. Being late carried its own risk, but a necessary one.

"Let's chat," I said.

"Right now?" Chabashira-sensei asked, incredulous.

I ignored her response. "I'd like to discuss something that happened shortly after we started school, back when we wanted you to sell us one point for Sudou's test."

"Yes, I remember. You and Horikita together paid a hundred thousand points for that."

It'd been over six months since then. Time sure did fly.

"There's nothing you cannot buy with private points. That's what you said, right?" I asked.

"That's true. Sudou wasn't expelled, was he?"

"If purchasing points was permissible, there would never be any expulsions, would there? Any time someone got a failing grade, someone else could cover for them the way we did."

"It's not that easy to get private points. This year's Class D has managed to accumulate a decent number, but that's a departure from normal. Most years, Class D has about half that amount. Besides, not every student in the class gets along. At least not enough to use their private points to save a classmate, even if that means accepting a drop in class points," she countered.

"True. But that's a flaw in the system, isn't it? If salvation through private points is always an option, it dramatically lowers the danger of expulsion based on test performance," I reasoned.

"That might be true." Chabashira-sensei didn't deny it, but she didn't look me in the eye, either.

"Back when I asked you to sell us that single point, you added a value to it, Chabashira-sensei."

"Do you think it was too expensive?" she asked.

"No, that's not what I mean. I'm asking whether exchanging one test point for one hundred thousand private points was something you came up with on the spot, or if you had some basis for attaching that price to it. At the time, I thought you sounded like you came up with it off the top of your head, but since then, I've come to doubt you arbitrarily decided that on your own without consulting the school."

"What are you trying to say, Ayanokouji?"

"This school has taken great care to legislate, in writing, all matters related to points, hasn't it? It's not far-fetched to think that it might've anticipated someone trying to purchase a test score increase. I would believe it."

"In other words, you're asking whether the price I named you and Horikita was something that the school decided on in advance?" she asked.

"That's right. If you can answer, please do."

There was a pause. Chabashira-sensei, who'd had a ready reply to my every query thus far, was silent.

"It's not like I can answer any question you ask of me," she said.

"Should I interpret that to mean you can't answer?" I asked. "Think whatever you want."

"Very well. I'll happily draw my own conclusions. The school prepared a manual to consult in every conceivable situation. It was determined in advance that it cost one hundred thousand private points to purchase one test point. If we go from there, it begs the question: can we can purchase one test point for a hundred thousand private points on more than one occasion?"

"Speculate as you wish, but this is an odd conversation, given the circumstances. Karuizawa is—"

I cut Chabashira-sensei off. "Is the hundred thousand points per test point rate only available for a limited time after we've enrolled? Does the price go up every time we make a purchase? Or are we only allowed to make such a purchase once? The more I think about it, the more questions I have. Please tell me if I'm correct."

"Enough. Do you think I can answer those questions? Even if I were able to, there's no way you could confirm the truth."

"There is. I just need to ask you directly, Sensei." She tried to avert her eyes, but I wasn't budging. "How many points would I need to buy one test point on the next midterm right now?"

"...…" Chabashira-sensei went completely silent.

"As a teacher, you're obligated to answer that question, right? If you won't, I'll go ahead and ask another teacher. And if they answer me, I'll report to the school that Class D's homeroom teacher is discriminating against us. Don't forget that I can do that," I told her.

Of course, it was possible that the other teachers would be similarly prevented from answering, in which case I could imagine several possibilities. There might be a rule that stated they could only sell us points once, or that they could only do so if someone would otherwise get a failing grade.

Even so, her inability to answer was an answer in and of itself. It told me there was established procedure to be followed in situations like these.

"Are you trying to find a gap in the rules?" Chabashira-sensei asked

me.

"A few students are already doing just that, aren't they? Look at

Ichinose and Ryuuen, both accumulating private points." They were each trying to find a strategy that benefited their respective classes, undergoing a process of trial and error every day.

"Understood. Very well, I'll answer your question. It's true that the key to beating the system lies in understanding the actual rules surrounding private point use. Students from previous years have approached the problem from various perspectives, as you're doing now. Even Class D, the collection of 'defective products', is no exception. Some students have been quicker than others on the uptake, though. Additionally, the school has established thousands of detailed rules to cover every possible scenario. Buying and selling points, sweeping violent incidents under the rug, preventing expulsion

—there's a point value attached to every single one of those. However, teachers are very limited in what we're allowed to reveal or allude to. In fact, we're prohibited from revealing most of this information. There might even be rules the teachers aren't aware of yet."

"So, you truly can't answer my question?" "Correct."

One mystery solved. Our teachers could only reveal the private points'

special uses to us when certain conditions were met. In other words, the price of buying a point for the next midterm had already been set; I just hadn't met the conditions necessary for Chabashira-sensei to disclose that information to me. Now that I knew that, I could begin to devise countermeasures, though the ambiguity would keep us from being too reckless.

"Does this conversation have anything to do with what's happening now?" asked Chabashira-sensei.

"Not at all. I was just having a friendly chat," I replied. Chabashira- sensei had no idea what my real intentions were. "I suppose it's time, wouldn't you say? Time for this game to be over."

I checked my phone and saw that it was past 2:40 p.m. I sent a certain person a message instructing them to come here immediately.

"I don't fully understand what's happening, but I do know that Karuizawa is suffering terribly at Class C's hands. If you have no intention of

stepping up, you should call someone else," said Chabashira-sensei. "I'm heading to the roof," I replied.

Chabashira-sensei couldn't hide her surprise. "Are you insane? If you do, the entire school will know your identity."

"It doesn't matter. Even if Ryuuen learns that I orchestrated all Class D's strategies so far, he now gains nothing. If anything, he might assume I'm involved next time, and end up sabotaging himself."

"If you do this, you'll be the talk of the school. You'll destroy all possibility of leading a quiet life here."

I could guess at the thought smoldering within her mind. Chabashira- sensei was probably thinking that as long as my identity remained hidden, she had leverage to make me cooperate. But if I revealed myself to Class C, Ryuuen would know for certain that I was X. Even if he didn't know for sure, it would all be over as soon as he decided I was his prime suspect.

Chabashira-sensei looked away. "Perhaps I was mistaken," she said. "Mistaken?"

"Chairman Sakayanagi told me about you before you enrolled. He said

that you were an extremely special student. A superior one. And that you were a student we must protect. That you were raised in an environment that was far from loving. The chairman and I concluded, after much discussion, that we wanted you to feel attached to this school, and to want to stay here. Then I told you that your father wanted you expelled. It wasn't true at the time, but it appears to be now," she explained.

"I see. Well, you were certainly correct that it's easier for people to become attached to something if they have a goal to strive for. But you needn't worry. I choose to stay here. I have no intention of going back to being under that man's control."

"So, my mistake was in trying to use you so carelessly, hmm? I suppose I got carried away, chasing my pipe dream of Class D overtaking Class A." Chabashira-sensei spat those words with resignation. Ironic how quickly she was giving up on her ambitions.

"It's not a pipe dream. Class D is about to rise to Class C. Soon, Horikita will unite our class. I'm sure of it," I replied.

"I suppose. You've already achieved what past classes haven't. Do you really think Horikita can do that, though?"

"Such skepticism is unbecoming of a teacher. Horikita is more than capable of leading Class D."

It seemed Chabashira-sensei only saw Horikita as a means to manipulate me, no more.

"Ultimately," I said. "Horikita is starting to mature. The same goes for many of our classmates. Continue to guide them as their teacher, and our position as Class C will be secure…and so might our path to Class A." Of course, we'd need some very different skills to get that far.

"Are you really planning to step back?" "Yes."

Teachers were almost certainly forbidden from trying to manipulate students' emotions to gratify their own. Chabashira-sensei had to be well aware of that. I hadn't brought her here to act as insurance; I'd done it so I could prove to her once and for all that I was stepping back from actively participating in inter-class competition.

"Back to the topic at hand. You're free to make your grand entrance and expose your identity. But will that really resolve the problem?" she asked.

"I can't guarantee it. At most, I can say I'll deal with the situation based on my evaluation of Ryuuen's personality and behavior." I caught sight of the person I'd texted approaching us. Chabashira-sensei was free to leave if she wanted, now. It would no longer hinder me. "Well then, thank you very much for accompanying me this far."

As I said that, the person I'd texted joined us.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting, Ayanokouji," said Horikita Manabu, the former student council president.

Chabashira-sensei looked shocked to see him. "What's going on?" "He's here as a witness. After all, Ryuuen will try to win by any means

necessary, and I'd like to avoid this becoming violent."

Having a teacher stand witness was the ultimate trump card, of course,

but not as feasible to implement. I'd chosen to use the next best thing. "Are you planning to have Horikita go to the rooftop in your place?"

"Does the former student council president look like someone who'd ever do that sort of thing?"

Chabashira-sensei looked over the elder Horikita for a moment, and immediately arrived at the conclusion that it was impossible.

"There will be a person on the rooftop who will witness what happens there. As long as that holds true, then we'll be fine," I concluded.

It was for that purpose that I'd come to an agreement with Horikita's brother. Not that that was relevant right now.

I turned to the elder Horikita. "A few minutes after I head up, I'd like you to stop halfway up the stairs. There's no need for you to talk to the students who come back down from the roof, nor is it necessary to punish them. Just make sure they see you on their way down. I need them to be aware you were here."

"That's fine, but don't forget our arrangement, Ayanokouji," he replied.

"Of course. If I go back on my word, you may choose to forget what happens here today," I said.

"As long as you understand. Try to wrap this up quickly."

"Wait, Ayanokouji. What would you have done if Horikita didn't agree to help?" asked Chabashira-sensei as I started down the hallway that led to the rooftop.

"Hmm. Who knows?"

I probably would've used Sakayanagi instead, since she knew about me. And if that weren't possible, then… Well, there was no point in thinking about plans I no longer needed to be.

"I'll be back in ten or twenty minutes."

6.2

I CLIMBED THE STAIRS step by step. A shadow loomed in front of me, blocking the path to the roof. It was Yamada Albert, the perfect gatekeeper for the task. I didn't know much about him, other than the fact that he was one of Ryuuen's underlings.

He looked me over as if sizing me up. "May I pass?" I asked.

He continued watching me, not moving a muscle. Did his silence imply refusal, or did he not understand? His large hands swiftly withdrew his phone.

"Don't panic. I'm the one you want," I said to him in English. Albert stopped moving, but said nothing,

"I'm ending this today. No one else will interfere," I added.

Albert seemed to give this some thought. He stood aside and silently signaled me to pass, apparently having acknowledged me, but I needed him on the roof for what was to come.

"I intend to crush Ryuuen. He doesn't stand a chance without your help," I told him, switching back to Japanese.

Albert looked downstairs once more. After he confirmed that there wasn't anyone else around, he followed me to the roof, stopping by the door and watching me from behind.

The gray clouds hanging in the sky threatened rain. I saw Karuizawa near the fence, cowering away from the door. Having noticed the door open and close, Ishizaki and Ibuki looked over at me, as did Ryuuen. I checked the area for surveillance cameras, noting that the sole camera's lens was painted black. He'd covered it with spray paint, huh?

I turned my gaze back toward Ryuuen.

"Ayano…kouji?" asked Ibuki incredulously. She was the first to speak.

Karuizawa had noticed me. She said nothing, but I could tell that she was shocked and wondering why I'd come.

"Sorry I'm late," I told her.

"Why…why did you come?" asked Karuizawa, barely squeezing out the words.

"What do you mean, 'why'? I made a promise, didn't I? I promised that I'd save you."

"R-Ryuuen-san, does this mean Ayanokouji is X?!" Ishizaki panicked. "There's no way. It definitely can't be him," Ibuki denied before

Ryuuen could say anything. "X is just using Ayanokouji. Don't be fooled,

Ryuuen. X probably told Karuizawa in advance that he'd send someone to come and save her!"

"Shut up, Ibuki."

Ryuuen laughed, putting distance between himself and Karuizawa as he drew closer to me. He stopped about five meters away, clearly wary.

"Well, well. Who do we have here? It's that guy who clings to Suzune all the time. Ayanokouji, huh? What brings you all alone to the rooftop on this fine first day of winter vacation?"

"Karuizawa emailed me. She said she wanted me to save her." I deliberately failed to mention that Ryuuen himself also contacted me. As for why I was here…it was because Ryuuen, thinking himself the hunter, had foolishly invited me to the hunting ground to turn him into prey instead.

"Oh?"

"It's obviously a lie," said Ibuki. "You came here on someone else's orders, Ayanokouji."

"What's the matter, Ibuki?" asked Ryuuen. "It seems you want to believe that Ayanokouji isn't X."

"It's not about what I want to believe. I'm telling you; he can't be.

He's… This guy's stupidly good-natured. He's a softie. Besides, he probably doesn't even know about Karuizawa, and X, and everything—don't you think?"

"Good-natured? What makes you say that?" asked Ryuuen.

"When we were on the island, I hid Karuizawa's underwear in a boy's bag to sabotage Class D. Everyone went straight to suspecting me, since I'm

from Class C—except Ayanokouji. He even told me straight out that he didn't think I'd done it."

"Did that make you happy?"

"Quit joking around. Of course it didn't make me happy; I was actually guilty of the crime. It just told me that he's an incompetent student who doesn't know how to doubt someone clearly suspicious." In other words, she couldn't imagine someone like that being able to manipulate Class D from the shadows.

"Do you believe it, Ryuuen-san? That Ayanokouji's X?" asked Ishizaki.

"I've had my eye on Ayanokouji from the start. He's always clinging to Horikita, who's reputed to be quite exceptional herself."

"But that's so obvious… isn't that way too out in the open for someone trying to hide their identity?"

"Certainly. I understand what you're trying to say, Ishizaki. That's why I made sure to very carefully narrow down my list of suspects. After I learned about the incident with Manabe and her friends, certain candidates resurfaced as my primary suspects. When I considered the speed and means by which Karuizawa's bullying incident had been dealt with, I thought it had to be either Ayanokouji or Hirata."

"Stop trying to make yourself look cool. You didn't even target Ayanokouji or Hirata until well after that, did you?" demanded Ibuki.

Well, this was a strange situation. I'd admitted to being X, but Class C was divided on whether they believed me.

"It's precisely because I was the most suspicious that I did things that way. Or perhaps it was because I had no other method available to me other than using Horikita?" I told them.

"But—!"

I decided to throw out a vague yet helpful statement to stir them up. "I'm the person you've been searching for."

"Hah! Isn't that suspicious?" Ibuki added. "Would X really just come right out and say that?"

An understandable response. It made sense they wouldn't jump to believe me, considering that I had been keeping my identity hidden until now.

"I think this is fishy, too. He might've been told to step forward and claim he's the mastermind as part of a ploy," said Ishizaki.

"You predicted that X wouldn't show up, right?" continued Ibuki, joining Ishizaki in urging Ryuuen to question the certainty he exhibited moments ago.

"Yes, I certainly did," replied Ryuuen. "This looks like a bad move on your part, Ayanokouji. Your best option would've been to abandon Karuizawa Kei, not walk into an obvious trap. I suppose I understand why Ibuki and Ishizaki don't believe you. If you're really X, tell me how you plan on getting out of this dilemma."

"Am I in a dilemma?" I asked.

Ryuuen and his lackeys looked completely unamused by my foolish question.

"I only came here because Karuizawa asked for help. If you want proof that I'm X, you could just wait until the next exam and see what I do," I added.

"That's not true. We know your identity. We also know Karuizawa's secret. Awful things will happen tomorrow if you leave here without doing as we say," replied Ryuuen.

"Awful things?"

"Enough already. Stop playing dumb and show me what you'll do." "What I'll do? There's nothing I can do."

"I bet Sudou and those other guys are waiting nearby," said Ishizaki,

glancing at the half-open door. "Nope," Ryuuen said flatly. "I-Is that so?" Ishizaki asked.

"If her classmates knew about Karuizawa's miserable past, her social life would be dead without me having to say a word. Try and use your head a little."

"I-I see."

"Still, I gotta say, you must think you're a real big deal if you're still trying to play dumb."

"That's enough, Ryuuen. There's absolutely no way X would just stroll up here alone," said Ibuki.

"Man, oh man. Now this is a problem. Ibuki and Ishizaki don't seem to believe that you're X," said Ryuuen.

He shrugged, appearing exasperated, as he looked over at Ibuki and Ishizaki.

"You say there's nothing you can do, Ayanokouji? But I need to ascertain the truth of the matter here. For that to happen, I think you need to let these two know what's going on and make everything clear. Is that all right with you?" he asked, looking over at me with a broad smile on his face.

"I've already admitted to it. But if you won't believe me, then allow me to explain, Ibuki," I said, turning my gaze on the person who wouldn't stop doubting me. "The island exam. You were instructed to take pictures of our leader's keycard, but your digital camera got damaged somehow. Am I wrong?"

"H-how did you know that?!"

"It was me. I used water to short-circuit the camera without causing visible damage. When I met you in the forest, Ibuki, your fingers were covered in dirt. There were signs that you were digging nearby. When I returned to the spot later that night, I found a wireless transceiver. That was so you could communicate with Ryuuen, right?"

Even within Class C, not many people could have known they had a digital camera. The only people who could have seen Ibuki's hands covered in dirt at the time were me, Yamauchi, and Airi. In other words, this was definitive proof of my claims.

"You have to admit it now, Ibuki," said Ryuuen. "Ayanokouji is X." "Wait—wait a second. Yeah, he might be really clever, but that isn't

enough to say for sure that he's X, right?"

"Seriously, is there any reason to debate this further?" Ryuuen looked even more exasperated than before.

"It just doesn't make sense! If Ayanokouji really is X, the mastermind, why would he just show up here?! He wrecked all your plans so far, didn't he?!"

"He probably has a trick up his sleeve. A miracle beyond our imagination. If he doesn't, then…well, he's an idiot."

"Trick?" I said. "There's no trick I can pull in a situation like this. You already know Karuizawa's big secret. I understand what'll happen if I get

careless here. You took plenty of precautions to corner me. Right?"

"Exactly. So, what're you gonna do about it? I can reveal your identity whenever I want. And I still have the threat of exposing Karuizawa's past to use against you. You're powerless."

"Indeed. I can't exactly report what you just did to Karuizawa to the school, either," I said.

Instances of violence between students during exams were punished by expulsion, but the same wasn't necessarily true of spats that occurred at other times. Even if I could give the school real proof of what they'd done, it was unlikely I'd be able to deal Ryuuen and Class C any real damage.

"And if you try to tell the school what we did up here, we'll leave Karuizawa high and dry in retaliation," said Ryuuen.

So, we'd both go down in flames if I tried anything, and Class D would probably be the one going down hardest. Ryuuen had switched from using his knowledge of Karuizawa's past to attack her, to using it to defend against me.

"No matter how you slice it, I win," he said.

"Okay. Well, are you satisfied? If so, I'll be taking Karuizawa back with me," I said.

"Come now, don't be so anticlimactic. You came all the way here. We might as well take our time." Ryuuen grabbed Karuizawa's arm and yanked her up.

"Ack!" she squealed.

"You wouldn't expose your identity without a reason. What're you planning?" Ryuuen extended his hand to me, as if challenging me.

"Sorry, Ryuuen. I can't fulfil your expectations." "Huh?"

"I was just dancing in the palm of your hand. That's all."

No one present could've imagined that X would say something like that. They'd anticipated either a cruel man who would abandon Karuizawa to protect his identity, or a clever student who would swoop in and save her while keeping his identity secret.

For the first time since I stepped onto the rooftop, Ryuuen's smile

began to fade.

"All this time spent hyping up the mysterious 'X,' and he's nothing but talk. What a disappointment. Maybe the digital-camera thing was just dumb luck," said Ibuki.

Even though they were allies, Ibuki had always distrusted Ryuuen, which was precisely why she dared question him so openly. Seeing an opportunity, I made my next move.

"I may have revealed myself to you, but that doesn't mean I'm in trouble. Only Horikita and Karuizawa from Class D know who I am, so if this information makes its way to other classes, I'll know one of you leaked it."

"So what?" Ibuki demanded.

"If you spread word of my actions, I'll report everything that happened here to the school," I said.

"We just established that we have you cornered because you can't do

that."

"I can. All I have to do is sacrifice Karuizawa." "Huh?"

"You assumed from the start that I'd abandon Karuizawa. But when I

showed up here, you started talking as though you thought I wasn't going to. Am I wrong?" I asked.

"Now, hold on, that doesn't make sense," said Ryuuen. "You could've kept yourself hidden if you sacrificed her to start with. You came all the way here precisely because you couldn't sacrifice her. Don't try to trick me."

"Fine. If they already know about you, Kiyotaka, they can go ahead and tell everyone they like about my past," said Karuizawa, looking over at me as she slowly picked herself off the floor.

I kept my eyes fixed on Ryuuen. "You heard her. Believe what you like, but if you spill the beans about me to the other classes, it'll be war," I said.

"Um…" stuttered Ishizaki. "Well, we know X's identity now. Maybe that's enough?"

"I agree. Ayanokouji might actually sacrifice her," Ibuki said. Clearly, neither of them wanted to pursue things any further. They'd smoked X out, and were content with that.

"Heh heh heh!" Ryuuen suddenly clutched his head and laughed. "Well, you've got that right. If either side spills the beans, it'll be open war."

Both classes would be wounded in the ensuing conflict, whether those wounds were shallow or deep. Further, there was no guarantee Karuizawa would be destroyed by it. The image of a girl who held her head high despite being bullied was a compelling one.

If Ryuuen declared this to be the end, we'd be done. But he'd never choose that option.

"Man, this is anticlimactic. Not only did you give up your identity so easily, but you have no choice but to leave the decision up to me, your opponent! Even then, there's no doubt in my mind that Ayanokouji is X, the one who's been keeping me entertained. Which means I'd be missing out if I don't have you entertain me to the very end. Isn't that right, Ishizaki?"

"Y-yes."

"See, everything is a game to me. Not just getting to Class A, but crushing Ichinose; crushing Suzune; crushing classes D and B; even finally crushing Sakayanagi, whom I've been saving as a special treat for last… It's all just my way of staving off boredom."

Still chuckling, Ryuuen grabbed Karuizawa's hair. Her face twisted in agony, but there was no fear in her eyes.

"Heh. You were so full of despair moments ago, but now your eyes tell me that you have absolute faith in Ayanokouji. I bet you'd tell everyone about your past yourself if it'd protect him, wouldn't you? Relax. Your role here has ended," said Ryuuen.

Seeming to lose interest in Karuizawa, he let go of her hair and shoved her away.

"You really have entertained me, Ayanokouji. You might be just another Class D defect, but you saw through my plans time and time again. Even more than that, you think like me. How could I help but want to draw you out of hiding? I didn't think about what would come next. I thought I'd

choose that once I met you." His tone was almost pleasant. "Now I've decided."

"…What are you planning to do, Ayanokouji?" asked Ibuki. "Why do you sound so irritated, Ibuki?"

Ibuki drew level with Ryuuen, and looked him right in the eyes,

without fear. "What you're about to do puts Class C at risk," she said.

"Heh. You, the eternal lone wolf who never tried to cooperate with her classmates, talking about risk to Class C? Don't make me laugh," said Ryuuen.

"I cooperated with you because I thought you were acting for the class's sake. But this is a step too far. Ayanokouji clearly has nothing up his sleeve." Ibuki sounded as if she was releasing months of pent-up anger and frustration. "Iwon't be a part of what you're about to do."

"You think you know what I'm going to do?" asked Ryuuen.

"Yes, because I've watched you since April. You're going to hurt him, aren't you?"

As Ibuki said those words, Ishizaki's body went rigid.

"Ishizaki. Komiya. Kondou. Even Albert. You beat every single one of them until they were ready to obey you at all times," Ibuki continued.

"Violence best demonstrates the power difference between us." "Isn't that difference already plain to see?"

"Ayanokouji has been a thorn in our side. We have to return the favor."

"I'm telling you, that kind of thinking is going to endanger our class!" Ibuki cried.

Smack! Ryuuen struck her across the face, and she fell silent immediately.

"As long as I'm having fun, I don't care," he said. "Violence is easy to understand."

As illustrated by what he'd just done. So, that was his answer, huh? I supposed the outcome was inevitable once we passed the point where we could continue to delude ourselves.

"Listen, what matters right now is what each side will do with the information they've gained. Ayanokouji wants to wrap things up here without anyone else finding out what happened, including his identity and Karuizawa's past. It's also true that we blackmailed Karuizawa and dumped freezing water on her. If that gets out, we'll be punished. To put it simply, as long as both sides keep what happened here secret, no one needs to know."

A logical conclusion, considering what had happened so far.

"No matter what happens, both sides have no choice but to grit our teeth and accept it."

And yet, not everyone C Class thought so.

"I think I understand why you revealed your identity so late in the game," Ryuuen told me. "It's so we can't take this fight somewhere else. Shut the door, Albert."

Albert closed the door that led from the stairwell to the roof.

"But, in the end, it was still a bad move," continued Ryuuen. "You might've thought that fight would end here, but I'm not letting things go."

Everyone present could feel in their bones what was about to happen.

Ryuuen wasn't about to change his methods.

"My escape route's gone, huh? Well, I guess you got what you wanted," I told him.

"First, I'm going to wipe that calm look off your face and replace it with fear. You're underestimating me, aren't you? You think I won't do it."

"Are you really going to resort to violence?"

"War isn't just a battle of wits, you know. You can win just as well by assassinating an army's leader as by outsmarting its tactician. Violence is the most powerful force in the world. It doesn't matter how crafty you are— violence will bring you to heel."

Even now, with a brawl moments from breaking out, I momentarily glanced over at Ryuuen, Ibuki, Ishizaki, and then Albert.

"I'm going to burn the image of your gangly, beaten body into my eyes. Then, starting next semester, I'll take a bite out of Ichinose," said Ryuuen.

"Violence is a powerful tool. I can't argue with that. However, you have to be stronger than your opponent for that to work to your advantage. Understand?" I asked.

"Huh?"

"The four of you won't be enough to stop me." "Wha…?" Ibuki raised an incredulous eyebrow.

"Heh heh heh. Ha ha ha ha ha!" Ryuuen clutched his sides in raucous laughter. "Oh? I think Ayanokouji's saying he's not to yield to violence from the likes of us. Then show me what you've got. Ishizaki."

"A-are you sure?" Ishizaki hesitated. It would've been one thing if his opponent were someone like Sudou, who was known for getting into fights, but I was a regular student. His resistance was understandable.

"Don't hold back. Take him out." "But—"

"If we give Ayanokouji a thorough beating, there won't be anything

more to worry about."

"Wait!" cried Karuizawa as Ishizaki approached me. "Why are you doing something so stupid?! You have nothing to gain by beating up Kiyotaka!"

"Hey, hey. Stay out of this, Karuizawa. You served your purpose here. Thanks to Ayanokouji's sacrifice, your secret is safe. Show some gratitude." Ryuuen grabbed Karuizawa's hair once again.

"Guh!"

He shoved her away. "Stay out of it."

Even so, Karuizawa bared her teeth at Ryuuen for my sake. She got back up and tried to leap at him.

"Don't worry, Karuizawa," I said, stopping her in her tracks. "B-but—"

"There's nothing to be anxious about."

"That's right. You're the one who oughta worry," Ishizaki told me, stepping forward. "I'm not a bad guy, Ayanokouji. I'm just following

Ryuuen-san's orders."

"I don't really care," I told him.

This was all going according to plan.

Ishizaki casually threw a punch at me—no, it was more like the swat you might give a naughty child. A slow, monotonous motion that even a junior high or elementary school student could have avoided. His right fist came at me in a wide arc, and I caught it with my hand.

"Huh…?"

"If you're going to do this, you better take it seriously," I warned him.

He didn't seem to take the hint, even though I'd completely blocked his blow, perhaps because it had been such a lazy blow to start. So, I squeezed his fist. My right hand still clamped down on his, I applied more and more pressure.

"Huh? Ah…ugh…huh?!" Ishizaki's face went taut, and his knees trembled.

"What's the matter, Ishizaki?" asked Ibuki, sensing something was wrong.

"Ah…ngh…ah! T-time out… Stop!" Ishizaki buckled at the knees and fell. Unable to take it any longer, he grabbed my arm and tried to free himself, but it was futile.

Albert was the first to grasp the reality of the situation. He didn't wait for Ryuuen's order, but swung at me with his thick arm, which was the width of an electrical pole. He attacked from my left even though I was free on that side, probably anticipating that I would take a defensive stance after Ishizaki freed himself. He was wrong. I could've dodged the attack, but instead, I steeled myself and caught Albert's punch with my left hand, prepared to take a little damage.

SMACK! An almost-electric jolt traveled from my elbow all the way to my shoulder.

"Just as I thought. That hurts," I mumbled.

It was difficult to read Albert's expression behind his sunglasses, but he was probably catching on.

"No way. Y-you're not messing around, are you? Albert? Ishizaki?" Ibuki asked incredulously.

Maybe she couldn't tell Albert really had swung at me with all his might, or that Ishizaki was in pain. Or maybe she just didn't want to believe her eyes. I released Ishizaki, who crouched and clutched his arm.

"Do it, Albert," Ryuuen ordered.

Albert charged at me, his powerful fists swinging. I'd intentionally let him land the first blow, but I couldn't take too many more hits of that caliber, so I dodged under his swing and went in for a frontal attack, punching him in the gut. I didn't hold back, either. It wouldn't be wise to underestimate an opponent whose abilities were still largely unknown to me.

Based on the slight change in Albert's flat expression, and how hard his body had felt against my fist, I judged that I'd dealt minimal damage.

He'd clearly trained his body well—but it still had all the weaknesses human bodies did. All this meant was that I would have to work a bit harder to crush him. The human body had numerous weaknesses—the solar plexus, for instance, was a part you couldn't strengthen through training. At best, you could accustom yourself to pain so it was easier to endure.

He must've realized that I was going for his solar plexus with my next strike, because he twisted away to evade it. However, I'd been feinting in anticipation of just that, and quickly jabbed his throat with my palm like a sword.

"Ghh!" Albert gurgled in pain.

"Ayanokouji!" shouted Ishizaki, charging at me.

"If you're going to come at me, don't shout," I said exasperatedly. At least he'd saved me some trouble. I kicked Ishizaki's left knee,

sending him to the ground. He was so easy to read. Albert had also fallen to

his knees, so I spun and delivered a kick to his face, using my momentum to punch Ishizaki in the jaw on the return. He collapsed, and all was silent on the rooftop.

Ryuuen, Ibuki, and Karuizawa stared, burning that unbelievable spectacle into their eyes.

"Well, I guess we underestimated him. He acted so tough because he

was confident in his skills, huh? I didn't expect this," said Ryuuen.

"S-so, you're saying that Ayanokouji turned the tables on you?" Ibuki stammered.

"Are you serious, Ibuki?" I asked. "Huh?"

"Ryuuen's always been the sort to use violence. Do you think I'd voluntarily allow him to engineer a situation where he could rampage without repercussion?"

"Hmm?" Ibuki tilted her head in confusion.

Ryuuen seemed to have doubts as well. "Wait a minute, Ayanokouji.

Now even I'm not following. I set up this meeting."

"You still don't get it, do you?" I sighed deeply. "Our confrontation here was determined long in advance. I knew that, when faced with a stalemate, Ryuuen Kakeru would resort to violence to settle things."

Ryuuen thought that everything that had happened so far was his doing. He couldn't have been more wrong.

"If I never intended to reveal my identity, I wouldn't have used Manabe during the sports festival. I knew you'd identify her as the obvious culprit once you heard that recording. That is what led you here, right? I anticipated that you'd question them, and learn that I was blackmailing them for bullying Karuizawa," I explained.

Ryuuen couldn't deny a single thing I'd said so far, naturally.

"You were convinced that a link existed between Karuizawa and me. You had Ishizaki, Komiya, and the others tail Class D students, and moved openly against Kouenji yourself, thinking that it would put pressure on X. I imagine you genuinely enjoyed yourself, but you actually gave me some time to think."

"Heh. My, now you're saying some pretty interesting stuff. So, you purposefully made it look like I had you in the palm of my hand?"

"To be more precise, you were dancing in mine," I replied. "Allow me to apologize, Ayanokouji. You really are clever. The

advantage I thought I had is gone, and now I'm in trouble. What should we

do, Ibuki?" Ryuuen smiled happily.

"Seriously, what's the deal with you two?!" Ibuki seethed.

Something seemed to snap within her, leaving her frustration free to spill forth. She launched a kick at me, apparently unconcerned that I could see her underwear. Well, it was probably more than it hadn't even occurred to her in her fury. I took a step back and calmly evaded her kick.

It was like a switch had been flipped inside of her. Ibuki took a couple steps toward me, closing the distance between us, then kicked again, leaving me little room to dodge. She was good. Even if Horikita had been in the pink of health during their fight on the island, Ibuki would've beaten her.

And yet, I evaded all her kicks. Ibuki stopped attacking and clicked her tongue in apparent frustration. "Seriously, what are you…?"

"You really don't know?" I replied.

"You honestly make me mad. I'm not sure why, but you piss me off!"

She leapt at me once more. This time, rather than dodge, I immediately closed the distance between us.

"…?!"

I wasn't averse to playing with Ibuki, but I didn't want to drag this out much further, either. I grabbed her by the neck and slammed her to the ground, giving her no chance to dodge or guard. Her eyes went wide, and she stopped moving entirely. Slamming her head would've been even more effective, but this wasn't a fight to the death.

"Violence isn't a tool only you and your goons possess," I said to Ryuuen.

Ibuki, Ishizaki, and Albert—all of Ryuuen's right-hand men—lay collapsed on the ground. Karuizawa was unable to utter a word.

"I'm impressed you're still keeping your cool after seeing that play out," I added.

"You're not just clever, but also capable of dishing out violence when called upon. I underestimated you." Ryuuen clapped in genuine respect as he walked up to me. "Do you know what I'd like to say now, Ayanokouji?"

"Nope."

He sounded calm, as if he didn't register the weight of his predicament at all. It probably wasn't a bluff. This was something characteristic of Ryuuen; something he excelled at. It was what had enabled him to move so confidently for so long.

"Physical strength alone doesn't determine victory or defeat. You gotta be tough on the inside, too!" said Ryuuen.

He adjusted his stance so that he was lower to the ground, then thrust his left fist toward me, aiming not for my face but my abdomen. I leapt backward to evade, and he followed in hot pursuit, jabbing with his right arm.

"Sorry, but I won't let you hit me," I told him.

I evaded him once more, then grabbed his hair with my left hand. He reacted instantly, pushing my arm away. The moment I had his attention focused on my arm—I kicked him hard in the side.

"Gah!" Ryuuen immediately put some distance between us to avoid my follow-up attacks.

"Not bad, Ryuuen." He far surpassed Ishizaki in overall strength. I was honestly impressed. He'd taken a serious hit, but showed no sign of being about to collapse. I still had trouble picturing him being a match for Albert, though.

"This is so much fun!" Ryuuen laughed louder than before. "Turning the tables even after being brought to the pits of despair! This isn't enough for me. I need more, Ayanokouji."

He charged at me once more, holding nothing back. His movements weren't those of a trained martial artist, but clearly self-taught, a style shaped by countless brawls. I couldn't dodge all his attacks forever.

"Why don't you show off your fighting skills more often?" Ryuuen demanded.

"I have my reasons."

"That so? After I beat you, how about you tell me them?" "Do you think you're going to win?"

"Do you think you can't lose?"

"Can't really imagine it, sorry."

"Sure, you might win this time. But what about tomorrow? The day after?"

"So, you're saying if we keep doing this over and over, you'll win eventually?" I asked.

"What about when you're in the middle of pissing? When you're taking a shit? I'll come after you when you least expect it," Ryuuen said.

"Aren't you afraid of losing?"

"I don't get afraid. Never felt fear once in my life."

"No fear, huh?" Now that was interesting. This was probably the source of his confidence.

"You'll understand once you know pain," Ryuuen said. "Pain gives way to fear for ordinary people."

"Teach me about pain, then."

"With pleasure!" Ryuuen grabbed my shoulders and kneed me in the stomach.

"Kiyotaka!" Karuizawa screamed. But I'd taken the attack head-on on purpose. Nothing to worry about.

"Just a few more hits and you'll get it!"

Ryuuen moved forward to kick me, aiming for the same spot he'd just hit. He closed the distance between us, and I guarded my face with my left hand. He lashed out with his right arm, and when he pulled it back, struck me again with his right knee. It was his strongest blow yet. I staggered back, feeling pain shoot through my entire body.

"How about it? You get it now?"

"Unfortunately, I don't 'get' anything," I said. "This is just pain." "Are you trying to say you're the same as me? That you don't feel

fear?"

"That's not it, Ryuuen. That's not what I'm saying."

I knew all about fear born through pain. I knew the terror and misery of

being a loser. I'd seen people destroyed by it before my eyes, time and time again. But eventually, I stopped feeling fear. Instead, I just felt cold, because

I'd come to realize that no matter how much suffering or despair others experienced, the same would never happen to me.

If you have the means to protect yourself, that's all you need. If you can keep yourself safe from all harm, you win.

"Then let's play some more!" Ryuuen showered me with blows, concentrating attacks on my abdomen. I lowered my hips, intercepting his kick. "Tch! Saw through that, huh?"

I would deal with this by dodging his attacks and keeping my cool. I absolutely would not take any critical injuries.

"What's the matter? Aren't you gonna play, Ayanokouji? Why didn't you dodge those easy blows at first, huh?"

"I was testing a hypothesis. I wanted to see whether I could feel that fear you talked about," I replied.

"You've got some nerve with that condescension, you freak!" He'd sensed the gulf in power between us, but he was unfazed.

Usually, the more confident a fighter was in their skill, the deeper the despair

that overcame them when they discovered themselves outmatched. But I didn't get that feeling from Ryuuen. He wasn't in a reckless rage that blinded him to the truth, either.

I'd let him think he held all the cards, then flipped the table in an attempt to break his spirit, but I'd underestimated his resilience. That was a miscalculation on my part. Of course, misreading his upper limits was a trivial error. It just meant this would take longer than anticipated. Ryuuen would just have to suffer that much more pain.

"Where'd you get this kind of strength? This isn't normal, Ayanokouji."

True enough. You didn't get skills like mine just through brawling. I said nothing, but closed the distance to Ryuuen, who was clearly waiting to strike back, his sharp gaze fixed on me.

"You've got all this power, but you keep it hidden?" he asked. "Do you get off on looking down on mere mortals? Does that turn you on? Make you feel good?"

"I've never looked down on anyone. Whether other people succeed or

fail has nothing to do with me."

Ryuuen didn't seem to like that answer. He pushed his hair back and laughed, as if rejecting the very notion that a person could be that apathetic. "Impossible. Humans are made of greed."

Of course I experienced greed, among many other things. But that was beside the point. Indulging Ryuuen's games wasn't going to change his mind. I readied my stance again, getting in position.

"All right, then. I'll just keep pounding you until you do feel fear!" he barked.

That's enough, Ryuuen.

As he shifted, preparing to drive his knee into my head, I grabbed his left arm and forcefully pulled him in close. Then I delivered a vicious right hook directly to his face.

"Gah!" he cried.

The blow would have rendered another person unconscious, but Ryuuen just went flying backward. I had no intention of knocking him out with a single blow, anyway. He hit the concrete and I was on top of him in a moment, raining punches on his unprotected torso.

"You said you've never felt fear, didn't you, Ryuuen?" I asked.

"Ah…ah…heh, that's right. I don't know fear. I've never known it."

His face bruised, his eyes nearly swollen shut, Ryuuen still fought back. But his strength was all but gone, and it was all he could do to swing weakly at the air. I responded with a powerful but precise blow to his solar plexus, and his expression turned rigid.

"Ugh…ugh! I'm a confident fighter, but it's not like I've never lost before. No, it's precisely because I've been beaten more times than other people that—gah!"

I punched him again and again, alternating left and right fists in quick succession. Blood trickled from Ryuuen's mouth.

"Gah! …Ah, damn it, it's getting hard to talk again." And yet, he showed no signs of fear.

"Violence shows you who people really are. The ones doing the

beating, and the ones being beaten." He closed his eyes and chuckled weakly. It was like he was provoking me, daring me to hit him as much as I wanted. "Ah, ahh…heh. Ha…this is probably fun, huh, Ayanokouji? You can afford to be cocky, with strength like that. You're free. You can do whatever you want. Show me, Ayanokouji…"

He opened his eyes. I hit him again, aiming for his already-swollen face. He was bleeding freely now, both internally and externally, and yet, I saw no fear in him. What should've been an intrinsic emotion was nowhere to be seen.

"Isn't this enough, Ryuuen?" I proposed. But he wouldn't accept that, of course.

"Heh. What's the matter, Ayanokouji? I haven't given up yet. Come on, choke the life out of me."

He was goading me. All but handing his life to me on a silver platter. I took another swing, and his face contorted into an expression of pain for an instant.

"Ow…that hurts. But that's all…just pain."

His eyes hadn't changed. He believed in losing the battle but winning the war. He had no doubts.

"Even if you win today, I'll keep coming at you, no matter how times it takes," he taunted. "No matter where you are at school, I'll find an opening and attack. And eventually, I'll win."

He'd probably survived this long by making those sorts of comebacks.

Even the strongest opponent wasn't invincible. Ryuuen's self-confidence seemed to be rooted in his ability to strike back at his opponents and find openings to hit them where it hurt. He used violence to fill their hearts with fear.

The fear that, once you'd made him your enemy, you'd never know when he'd attack again or how badly he might hurt you.

"Go ahead. Enjoy this temporary delight. Your victory's right in front of you, Ayanokouji," he taunted. "This feels good, doesn't it? It feels good to face off against a weaker opponent, doesn't it? And lurking underneath that pleasure is…fear!"

Fear? Lurking underneath?

"Do you want to win? Do you want to lose? What are you feeling, Ayanokouji?"

Do I want to win? Do I want to lose?

"Are you laughing at me now that you're on top? Are you angry?

Excited, overjoyed? Maybe frustrated? Tell me!"

I had no idea what he was talking about. I couldn't see my own face or read my own expression, but I was certain of one thing. Something this insignificant would never shake me. I felt no emotions, and definitely not fear.

I hit Ryuuen in the face again. I'd lost count of how many times I'd struck him at this point, but I kept going, punching him over and over as his face twisted in pain. Yes, that's it, Ryuuen. Now you see, don't you?

He had to see, now, that the feeling known as fear certainly existed within him.

I landed one last blow, more powerful than any before, and Ryuuen finally lost consciousness. He wanted to toy with my emotions. Unfortunately for him, there was nothing there. I had no heart for him to manipulate

I slowly got off his limp body and stood. I couldn't afford to leave Karuizawa out in the cold any longer.

"Sorry. I put you in a really difficult situation. Are you hurt?" I asked

her.

"I'm…fine. I'm just cold. I've kind of lost feeling in some places…"

I extended my hand toward Karuizawa, who'd sat there the whole time,

watching the scene from beginning to end. When she took it, her fingers felt like ice.

"Are you disillusioned with me now?" I asked.

"Of course I am. You betrayed me from the very beginning." "Yeah, I suppose you're right. So why didn't you sell me out to

Ryuuen?"

"For my own sake. That's all there is to it," she replied before collapsing into my arms, trembling. "I was scared. I was so scared!"

"Don't think about it anymore. What happened today, what's happened so far. You can think about that stuff later. The only thing that's for certain right now, in this moment, is that your curse has been lifted. Manabe…no, no one will dig up your past again. As for what's to come, well, you can just keep going the way you always have," I told her.

Karuizawa was depending on me to hold her body upright, perhaps because she lacked the strength to support herself right now. If I looked at things from her perspective, these had been a disastrous few months. She'd been bullied by Manabe and her friend through a stroke of bad luck, then been intentionally targeted for bullying as well. Finally, Ryuuen had dug up the scars of her past, and she'd realized it was all because of me.

Her spirit had to be shattered. She must be emotionally unstable, exhausted.

"You've managed to overcome your past and create an identity as the person you are now," I told her. "Starting tomorrow, you can just pick up where you left off."

This was Karuizawa Kei we were talking. She could do it. I'd been sure of that from the moment I met her on the rooftop.

"I hurt you. I won't ask you to forgive me. But please remember just one thing. If something like what happened today happens again, I will come save you."

"Kiyo…taka…"

Despite everything she'd been through, Karuizawa couldn't bring herself to stop clinging to me like a parasite. She'd reached a point where she couldn't survive at this school without me around. No matter what happened, as long as I was here, she would endure.

I wondered what would have happened if I'd showed up to save her earlier. I felt quite certain that if I'd fulfilled my promise more speedily, her dependency on me would only have grown stronger. Conversely, if I had never showed up at all, abandoning her to being bullied once more like she had in the past, it would have intensified her despair.

By delaying my arrival and still ultimately showing up, though, I'd strengthened her belief that she could hold onto her faith in me till that last possible moment. At the same time, it had allowed me to ascertain that she wouldn't easily betray me.

Of course, if she had given Ryuuen my name, she would feel guilty, and I could manipulate that guilt in my favor. After getting my hands on a pawn like Karuizawa, letting her go would be a waste. How necessary she was to my plans was secondary; what mattered most was ensuring she stayed under my control.

"A few steps below us, the student council president—well, the former student council president—and Chabashira-sensei are waiting. They know the circumstances to a certain degree, so they should be able to handle things, including taking care of your soaked uniform," I told Karuizawa.

"O-okay. What about you, Kiyotaka?"

"I've still got a few things to tidy up here. Besides, we don't want to be seen together. It's best if you go first."

I lightly pushed her back. Karuizawa left the roof, heading back down the stairs, and I assessed my next move.

"All right then…" I muttered.

I couldn't just leave the four unconscious people spread across the

rooftop where they were. Chabashira-sensei aside, it'd be bad if another teacher found them. Starting with Ishizaki, I gently slapped their cheeks to wake them up, saving Ryuuen for last.

"Tch…" "Awake, huh?"

"Do you think this…is over, Ayanokouji?"

"It's over," I said. No matter how you looked at it, this fight had been decided. "Surely you're not about to say you want to keep going?"

"I'll use any means necessary…to win," said Ryuuen, slowly sitting up. "Even if it means…all-out war."

"Are you going to report me to the school?"

"Heh. That would be really, really lame…but it is an option. What if I made it look like you set a trap for us?" he asked.

"Let me give you some advice. I don't recommend it. The former student council president is waiting on the stairs as we speak. He may not know all the details of what happened here, but it's obvious you were the one setting a trap, Ryuuen…especially since you were caught on video spray- painting the surveillance camera. I, on the other hand, was at Keyaki Mall when you did that. I can produce many alibis as I need to prove it."

It was smart to have as much insurance as possible, after all. "So, you could've had a third-party witness everything…but you

didn't?" Ryuuen demanded.

"Yes. I knew you wouldn't stop attacking me until I struck you at least once."

"You seriously think I'm just gonna lay down and accept defeat?" "Yeah, I do. There's a reason I defeated you, Ryuuen. You made a

mistake choosing the order of your foes. If you'd cut your teeth fighting Ichinose, and then Katsuragi and Sakayanagi, you might've been closer to my level by the time you chose to challenge me. But your curiosity got the better of you. You overplayed your hand." I didn't sugarcoat my words.

Ryuuen wore a bitter smile. "You sure are direct."

"I'd like to say I'd be happy to have a rematch, but I'm done drawing

attention from here on out. Target someone else," I told him.

I'd expected him to lash back at that, but instead, Ryuuen silently contemplated what I'd said.

"Since you deliberately had a witness keep his distance, that means you're keeping that card in play to use against us in the future if you have to," he said. "Even if it means admitting your identity and Karuizawa's past."

"I'd like to avoid that, but yes."

"And I wouldn't be the only one going down if that happened. So would Ishizaki, Ibuki, and Albert, huh?"

Probably so. I wasn't sure exactly what would happen to them, but it was safe to say it would involve a suitably harsh punishment.

"Your overconfidence in relying on my identity and Karuizawa's past was your undoing. If you'd been less reckless, you would've either mounted a larger-scale attack or posted more lookouts," I told him.

"In other words, Class C's in trouble as long as I'm in charge, huh?" he

asked.

"Not necessarily. As long as you make no further attempts to attack us,

I won't use this incident to advance myself."

"I'm not naïve enough to take you at your word on that. If Class C ever corners you again, you'll report what happened today to the school. Am I right?"

"Maybe," I said. It was certainly true that I couldn't promise him that. Who knew if Class C was even capable of functioning normally if they were forced to keep their heads down? "But what are you going to do? You can't undo what happened, Ryuuen."

"Shut up. My fight with you is finished. My own battle's over, too."

Ryuuen looked at Ibuki and the others, then took out his phone and typed something. He slid the phone across the roof, where it stopped by Ibuki's feet.

"What?" Ibuki, who had been listening quietly to our conversation, glared at both of us.

"I take responsibility for everything," said Ryuuen. "Before I do, I'm

transferring all my points to you."

"Huh? Ryuuen, what are you saying? Are you nuts?" Ibuki cried. "Y-yeah, Ryuuen-san! It's not like anyone's gonna blab about this,"

Ishizaki babbled. "You don't have to take responsibility!"

Neither side could talk publicly about what'd happened here today, but Class D held an overwhelmingly advantageous position. Ryuuen realized that. There was only one way to cut his losses.

"Ayanokouji, I'm the sole perpetrator of this incident. My expulsion should be enough, don't you think?"

"Oh? That sounds serious. Taking responsibility and all."

"Don't be dumb," snapped Ryuuen, wiping some more blood from his mouth. "A tyrant can only reign as long as his power holds meaning. If I've lost after coming this far, no one's gonna follow me anymore."

Class C had permitted his tyrannical behavior so far because he produced results. Ryuuen's methods were aggressive and heavy-handed, but once beaten, he realized that he was no longer qualified to rule. I had to give him credit for that.

It would seem I'd made the right decision by choosing to set this stage and let him go on a rampage.

"Stop screwing around! Why would you entrust your points to me?!" demanded Ibuki.

"Because you hate me. Divide the remaining points among everyone.

Once the school expels me, I bet Katsuragi and Sakayanagi will void our contract, but there's nothing to be done about that," replied Ryuuen. If the person named in the contract dropped out of school, that was probably exactly what would happen, too.

"Ryuuen-san, are you serious?!" exclaimed Ishizaki sorrowfully. "Shut it. No need to shout, I can hear you just fine." Ryuuen chuckled.

"I'll leave the rest to you. Later."

It seemed his mind was made up. He stood, and approached the stairs, deaf to both Ibuki and Ishizaki's final words to him.

"Are you sure? I think you'll come to regret this," I said, stopping him

in his tracks.

"Why do you care?" he shot back.

"If you leave without knowing why you lost, you won't grow," I told

him.

"Huh?"

"Are you really fine with not knowing why you lost to me?"

"Let it go. There's no point trying to save me. You've got nothing to

gain by sparing me now that I know about you and Karuizawa. I could expose you at any time."

"True enough. If I must name a reason for sparing you…it'll work to Class D's advantage to have you crush Sakayanagi and Ichinose for us.

Besides, if your contract with Katsuragi remains in place, Class A will continue to hemorrhage points. Most importantly, though, if you suddenly drop out of school, Sakayanagi and Ichinose will assume that X beat you. That spells trouble for me down the line," I said to Ryuuen. "So, trust me, this is to my benefit. Even if word of what happened up here gets out, I took no noticeable injuries. It would just look like you guys fought among yourselves, wouldn't it?"

Ryuuen ignored me.

"This is what happened here," he told Ibuki, instead. "I tried to punish the four of you for your failings, but you turned the tables and beat me up instead, then forced me to withdraw. I'll leave it at that."

"Are…are you really okay with that?" she asked.

"Allow me to add just one thing," I said. "You are free to drop out of school of your own volition and you're free to doubt me. But I have absolutely no intention of telling anyone about today unless you force my hand. The former student council president has similarly promised to keep it to himself. Nothing about this situation is forcing you to withdraw—but if you do, I won't stop you."

"Then don't stop me. I don't trust you," snapped Ryuuen.

With those words, he opened the door and vanished from sight.

Ishizaki and Ibuki, left behind, looked like they didn't agree with his actions in the slightest.