Chapter 3 - Harry's Gambit
"Good morning, Yamauchi!"
"Good morning, Ike!"
For some unknown reason, the two of them were in an extremely good mood. I wasn't sure why, but it couldn't be something important. Glancing at the clock, I noted that they arrived around 10 minutes earlier than they usually were in the morning, which was already plenty surprising.
"I barely slept last night. Today is going to be great!"
"This school is amazing. I can't believe it's already time for our swimming lessons. And when I say swimming, I mean girls. And when I say girls, I mean girls in swimsuits!"
Ohh, that's what they were on about. I had to admit that I was curious as well, but I would never scream my interest from the rooftops like they did. It's no wonder that none of the girls could stand their presence.
The two of them were rather loud, so most of the students that were occupying the classroom heard them. This, of course, included the girls, who were everything but happy after listening to their distinct fantasies, which they lived out in vivid detail.
These two dangerous individuals glanced at me without warning. My entire body shook, and I had a terrible feeling, even though I couldn't explain why. They were like rabid dogs, ready to pounce on the girls.
Then why would they be glancing at me? They were not confusing me with a girl, right? No. Not even Ike and Yamauchi would be this stupid.
"Hey Professor! Come here for a sec!"
The Professor, also known as Sotomura Hideo, trudged towards them. I made my way over as well. Since Sudou wasn't my friend, I could try making friends with them. If I had any alternatives, I would have used them, but desperate times called for desperate measures. I just needed to make at least some kind of progress in the friends' department or else I would be doomed.
"Can you record the girls wearing swimsuits for us?"
Ike asked the Professor, and I already regretted walking over. His voice wasn't lowered, so I was sure the girls heard him yet again. Since I was approaching the three at a rapid pace, I didn't want to turn around and see their disgusted gazes towards us. It wasn't hard to envision Karuizawa and the rest frowning in revulsion. I really couldn't have made my way over to them with worse timing.
"Leave it to me. I'll pretend to be sick to skip the class."
Sotomura, seemingly much smarter than Ike and Yamauchi, softened his voice. He knew that he'd fall from grace if the girls heard about their plan and acted according to these circumstances.
"What are you guys planning?"
Ike and Yamauchi both gawked at me before nodding towards each other with suspicious peeks in between. The Professor watched their exchange with interest, but didn't know what they were on about either, according to his quizzical look.
Should I turn around and go back to my seat? This would be my last chance. Once the three of us talked, I wouldn't have any shot to befriend even one of the girls, except maybe Kushida, who hadn't even talked to me ever since school had started. I was so intent on making friends, however, that I decided that Ike and Yamauchi would be good enough for me.
"The Professor is going to rank the girl's breast sizes. If we are lucky, we are even getting some pictures. Are you interested, Ayanokouji?"
Both of them stared at me with high expectations. Sudou, who just strolled into the room as Ike made his statement, drew back in response to the boy's plan. Even though he had a clear aversion towards his proposal, the delinquent's eyes were glued to my person.
Was he perhaps trying to warn me not to associate with them before it was too late? Since Sudou was close with them, he might have realized that his already low standing in class sunk even more due to their continued friendship the past few days.
If I was being honest, I was interested. I couldn't deny that. But I felt that saying 'yes' right now would lead to trouble in the future. Since the girls already overheard what Yamauchi, Ike and the Professor were talking about, they turned their murderous gazes towards me in anticipation of my social suicide.
Once I agreed with him or confirmed my interest in these things, I would forever be one of them in anyone's eyes. If only Horikita had mentioned that they were bad, I might have agreed with him now, but even Matsushita, who was outgoing and friendly towards most of our classmates, referred to talking to them as punishment.
"I'm not really, I think."
I took two steps back to widen the distance between them.
Even if the girls were not my friends, it should be possible to turn friends of friends into genuine friends if I spend enough time with them. How I would go about doing that, however, I didn't know. I just had a feeling that it would be bad to associate with Yamauchi and Ike after listening to their intentions. Sudou would be fine as he was just quick to lash out, but didn't seem like a bad person.
The three, excluding the Professor, stared at each other. Their faces paled somewhat upon hearing my reply. They were aware of something I wasn't and whispered to each other with strained expressions while peeking over.
Did I say something wrong? Had I broken some sacred code I was not informed of?
"Wait, Ayanokouji, let me get this straight. You are not interested in seeing the girl's beautiful assets in swimsuits?"
"Can you record the girls wearing swimsuits for us?"
One of the perverts asked the chubbier pervert with glistening eyes. I couldn't believe that they could just say something like this outright without a hint of shame. My face turned into a disgusted frown. Satou had an appalled expression as well and moved her chair away from them as far as she could.
"Those guys are the worst."
She nodded in agreement.
"They really are. This is just disturbing. I was looking forward to today... but I guess I'll pass as well. I feel sick only thinking about it."
"Well, most of the girls won't join the swimming classes, anyway. Even though I totally wanted to have a dip."
Matsushita inserted herself into the conversation and exhaled in disappointment upon thinking of the missed opportunity to have some fun in the water.
"Ah. Yeah, swimming would have been really nice..."
I enjoyed swimming, so it wasn't a lie. I just couldn't go, even if the girls had an area of their own. Which we didn't, so there was no use thinking about it. But swimming, huh... how long has it been?
"What are you guys planning?"
Ayanokouji's voice cut through the air. Satou, Matsushita and I turned around upon hearing him.
"Hey, shouldn't we like... do something?"
Satou asked while watching the boy who had just joined their group with a sympathetic expression.
"Isn't it fine? It's his decision with whom he hangs out with. It's not like he wouldn't know that they had bad reputations."
It was like impossible that he didn't. Even the most clueless person on this planet should know that those guys were a bad influence. I get that he was homeschooled, but even considering that...
"I wonder about that."
"What do you mean, Matsushita-san?"
Satou turned to Matsushita with a quizzical look.
"Well, he told us he was being homeschooled, right? He also said he's bad at social interactions. Maybe he really does not know that those guys are bad people for him to mix with. Or he might have just figured it out."
Her gaze changed subtly as she peered at Ayanokouji.
"I'm not really, I think."
The boy in question withdrew a few steps, widening the distance between him and those three disgusting perverts.
He may not have been as good looking or popular as Hirata, but objectively speaking, he wasn't that bad. His personality was kinda non-existent, but he wasn't a weirdo like those morons.
"Let's make sure that he's fine, at least, I guess."
Since both Matsushita and Satou were worried, I decided that it would be fine to help him out this time. I would not babysit him for three years, though. So he'll better be thankful to me in the future for doing him this favor now.
I was interested, but this wasn't a question I should answer in the middle of a classroom with twenty girls present. Even though I wasn't the lost bet in a punishment game just yet, I would definitely be just that once I agreed with them on this topic.
As I was about to deny once again, a pleasant voice rang through my ears.
"Ayanokouji, can you come over for a sec? Satou-san wanted to ask you something."
"Ehhh?! Karuizawa!" Satou yelped, surprised about the fact that she wanted to ask me something.
This was a weird thing to be surprised about, wasn't it?
All the attention turned towards me. Not only the four guys I was just speaking to, but even classmates I hadn't engaged with prior to today stared at me with widened eyes.
Wow, this was uncomfortable. Please stop staring at me? Was it this weird that she called out to me? Damn, was anyone aware that I had no friends? This school was getting worse by the minute.
In my attempt to flee this situation, my gaze swayed over to my seatmate. I didn't know why this was my first instinct, but even Horikita was surprised that Karuizawa had called out to me. The faces of Yamauchi, Ike and Sudou couldn't be explained. They contained nothing but deeply rooted shock.
"Ah. Sure, I guess."
"SEE? Isn't that proof enough four you? Sudou!"
Yamauchi grabbed me by my shoulder and pulled me close. He was screaming and whispering at the same time. It was a rather uncomfortable feeling.
"I agree, with Yamauchi. This behavior is more than just suspicious."
Ike joined in, eyeing Ayanokouji with a murderous gaze.
"What are you guys talking about?"
The Professor seemed confused, and I was as well.
"What do you mean, proof enough? They are just talking."
I was more surprised that he managed to become friends with Karuizawa, of all people. She was hella annoying to deal with.
"Damn it Sudou! Don't you get it? Which girl in their right mind would choose to talk to some boring guy like Ayanokouji instead of us?"
Those three, apparently. If I were one of them, I would rather talk to the quiet guy instead of the three perverted ones as well, so I didn't understand their point.
"Yeah, it's obvious. They are friends with him because they don't have to fear him going for them."
"Fear him going for them?"
The Professor was still confused.
"Shhh, Professor. I'll tell you a huge secret only the three of us know. But you can't tell anyone, alright? Are you ready?"
Ike nodded to Yamauchi question. I had my reservations but telling the Professor should be fine. He was trustworthy enough to keep this to himself.
"We think Ayanokouji is gay."
"AYANOKOUJI-DONO IS WHAT?"
The Professor screamed through the room. Sudou immediately hit him on the head while Ike and Yamauchi kept covering his mouth with pale faces. They kept whispering among each other while gawking at me.
What were they up to now? And what did I do to deserve their unwelcome attention?
"Yo, Karuizawa, Satou, Matsushita. What did you want?"
I turned my question to Satou, the one who wanted to ask me something but was, for whatever reason, surprised by said fact. She averted her eyes somewhat awkwardly, which was out of character for her. From what I could tell so far, she was popular with both boys and girls alike, yet somewhat hard to approach. She was on a first-name basis with Karuizawa after a few days, which showed how close they were.
"Ehh... Uhh... How are you?"
It sounded like a question. But not the sort you would ask someone else, since it seemed like she wasn't sure whether she was even asking the right one. Shouldn't she know best what she wanted to ask me? What's wrong with everyone today? Are they all excited because of the swimming lessons? Was this such a special occasion?
"I'm good. Thanks? Is that all you wanted to ask?"
"Ehh. Umm."
She exchanged glances with Karuizawa, as if she was at a loss. Matsushita's curious expression indicated that she was amused by the situation taking place before her, but she did nothing to help her friend, which fit into her character.
Since she was more mature than most of the girls in class, she gave off a heavy older sister vibe, which was rather attractive. She was cute overall, too. But maybe I was just easy to please? Matsushita always took great care of her appearance and the way she treated the people in our class, yet didn't have any close friends like Karuizawa or Satou were, despite hanging out with them fairly often. She kept her distance from people, but not to such an extensive degree as Horikita.
"We just wondered why you were wasting your time with those idiots."
Karuizawa was rather harsh. She didn't seem to mind if she ticked them off. Both Satou and Matsushita nodded to her question. All three of them agreed that they were jerks. I wasn't sure about the Professor, but I could see why Yamauchi and Ike would top such a list.
"Oh that. I just thought it would be nice to make some friends, you know?"
"Huh?"
Wow, that face was scary. Did I say something wrong? What did I do? Did I displease her somehow?
"Aren't we good enough for you or what?"
Even though I was talking to Karuizawa, the other two were also staring at me with a quizzical, almost angered expression. Matsushita narrowed her eyes, as if she was trying to read my mind, while Satou frowned.
Huh? Wait, wait, wait. Back up. Did she insinuate that we were friends? According to their reactions, all three of them think that way. I was confused.
"Wait. You mean we are friends?"
It seemed I said something weird again. And I might have messed up even worse than with my introduction.
They glanced at each other with vacant looks, before Karuizawa turned to me with an angry expression.
"Of course we are, you moron. Why did you think we weren't?"
We were friends... I was friends with them, or so it seemed. I hadn't known. What Horikita said, however, made perfect sense. But friends... huh? That made me kind of happy.
Why were they blushing now?
"Why are you smiling like that? Gross."
Karuizawa said, face flushed, and turned away. The gross part was whispered, but I still heard her and it kind of hurt. Satou and Matsushita also averted their eyes with unreadable expressions.
Did I just smile? Was it that bad? Horikita said nothing when I smiled at her on our first day. Was this time different, perhaps? Should I apologize? I guess I should. If it's so bad that they have to look away...
"I'm sorry about that."
"You, what? Huuuh." She heaved a loud sigh. "A-anyway. Why would you think we weren't friends?"
"Oh, about that. You know, Horikita said that you are only friends of a friend, which wouldn't make you my friends. Technically."
Matsushita lowered her head and facepalmed herself. I've never seen one and just read about them, but it looked quite amusing. Satou's eyes were wide open, as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing. And Karuizawa was fuming in irritation.
"Ayanokouji-kun. We are your friends. Please don't listen to Horikita. If you have questions, you can ask me instead of her."
As expected, Matsushita answered in a calm voice, like a perfect older sister would after her little brother did something stupid. She wore a pleasant smile while conveying her worry for me. Satou just nodded, unable to utter a single word, while Karuizawa... well. She clearly had it in for Horikita.
"What's wrong with that stuck-up, arrogant bitch, huh? Ayanokouji-kun, seriously. Stop listening to her. She's a bad influence."
The other two just nodded in response to her accusation.
According to their reactions, Horikita did not know what she was talking about. Should I have asked them instead of Sudou that night? I wasn't sure. There was still a question lingering on my mind, however. But I didn't know if it was the right one to ask them. Matsushita would be the best choice, since I had the feeling that she was the smartest out of the group. But Karuizawa was the subject in question.
"Okay, I'll keep it in mind then. Thank you. Matsushita, can I ask you something then?"
In the end, I went with the safest option and asked the older sister type. She'd surely not disappoint me.
"Of course! Leave it to me!"
Matsushita pat her chest. She was like Horikita, yet completely different. It was a strange sight.
"Alright then. Yamauchi and Ike called Karuizawa a gyaru, which seems to be a gal. But I don't understand what Karuizawa has to do with gravimetry. At first I thought it's because she's cute and is attractive in their eyes, but that seemed to have been wrong according to the two."
I shouldn't tell them that those three said that her breasts were too small, or else someone would probably die today. Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned the last part at all...
Karuizawa perked up upon hearing her name. Her eyes sparked with interest at first, but fell into total confusion just a moment later. At the end of her thought process, she averted her eyes once again.
"Gravi- what? Cute?"
Luckily, her brain shut down before hearing that the two denied this.
Satou was perplexed as well. She stared at me as if I was some kind of alien being. I guess it was the right decision to ask Matsushita, since neither of the others seemed to know. Contrary to my initial thoughts, however, she was baffled by my question. The adorable girl blinked twice before taking some notes on a slip of paper.
"I'll get back to you on that. Is that alright with you?"
"Ah, yeah. Sure."
It seemed it was quite a complex explanation if two of them were confused and the smartest of them needed some time to figure things out. Maybe I had a wrong impression of Ike and Yamauchi because they were plain stupid most of the time.
As the beginning of our first lesson drew nearer, I excused myself and went to my seat. They waved me goodbye, which made me happy. I thought they could be good friends. On my way back, I noticed the three perverts and Sudou hustle around some piece of paper. They seemed to make bets on something. I was kind of curious, so I craned my neck somewhat to read the headline.
'Class D's chest sizes. Who has the biggest?'
I was glad — no, elated that Karuizawa had called out to me. I dodged a bullet there.
From all the girls that were written, Hasebe was in the lead, with Kushida and Sakura coming in third and second, respectively.
As they were talking about tits and asses in an ever-increasing volume, I backed up. The other boys flew to them like moths to a flame and started betting and weighing in their own opinions. Not all of them did, of course, but a large majority.
My neighbor turned towards me and nodded towards them after I sat down beside her.
"Don't you want to join them? I think you could make some connections there."
"I don't think I should. I'm quite happy how it is now. Also, just so you know: Karuizawa, Satou, and Matsushita are my friends and not friends of a friend."
"Is that so? Did you ask them?"
"Something like that."
"Pathetic."
"Let's go! The pool!"
After lunch, it was time for swim class and Ike couldn't contain his excitement. He, Yamauchi, Sudou and the Professor kept whispering to each other. They turned to me as one, completely in sync.
"Come on Ayanokouji. We're going to be late!"
"Ah. Sure."
I trotted behind them until we reached the locker room. It was quite spacious, it seemed, as most of the guys were gazing around in amazement. Sudou promptly changed. This was the first time I could ascertain his physique without his uniform in the way. It was no surprise that I was pretty much on point with how I had evaluated him. Leaving aside Kouenji and myself, he should be in the best shape out of all the Class D guys, followed by Hirata.
"You are pretty athletic, Sudou. But aren't you nervous changing around other people?"
He stopped and covered his chest with a towel. Yamauchi, who was just about to wear his swim trunks, fell over. Ike turned around and gazed at Sudou and me while a loud crash informed us that Yamauchi struck the ground.
It couldn't be. Did I say something weird again?
Looking around, it seemed unlikely. The other guys, including Hirata, kept changing and talking among themselves as if nothing happened, which meant that I hadn't made a serious social blunder. Which begged the question: what did I do?
"O-oh, thanks. Ayanokouji."
Did he just stutter? Sudou?
"Why would I be nervous? It's just us guys, right? Not like anyone would be overly interested in me. Right?"
It's a fact that there was a rather small chance that one of the guys here was gay and into Sudou, so I got his reasoning. Besides, his physique was quite something, so it wasn't like he had anything to be ashamed of, even if girls were around or one of the guys was into him.
"Yeah. Guess you're right."
He nodded twice before leaving the locker room with quick steps. After his abrupt exit, I finished changing and noticed a slight problem with a certain persons swimwear.
"Uh, Yamauchi? I think you should get some new trunks."
"Huh? Why's that?"
"Doesn't it feel... cold? Breezy, perhaps?"
I averted my gaze.
"Mh. Now that you mention it, it's somewhat breezy, yeah."
He turned his head and kept touching the back of his swimwear, only to find that it had ripped during his previous fall.
"What the hell! What kind of cheap material is that?!"
He changed back into his school uniform with lightning speed and ran out of the locker room, likely to get a new swimsuit.
"Wait for me, girls in swimsuits!"
His raging voice grew quieter with every step he took. It was like a scene in those comics where the bad guy runs away, telling the hero that he'd be back only to mess up somewhere along the way.
Hirata chuckled wryly while scratching his chin. Some others shook their heads or just ignored him. I felt bad for the guy, but I couldn't do anything, even if I wanted to. Ike was still laughing about Yamauchi's misfortune as he walked out into the pool area.
Since I was done changing myself, I followed him inside.
"Wow, it's huge! It's even bigger than the one in the city!"
Ike sniffed the air like a crazed dog. Some guys, myself included, took a few steps back since we didn't want to have anything to do with him while he was behaving like this. Hirata glanced around the indoor pool, mouthing a surprised 'wow'.
"Where are the girls? Why aren't they here yet?"
"They take their time to change. They are probably not ready yet."
"Hey, what do you think would happen if I 'accidentally' walked into their locker room?"
"They'd gang up on you and beat the hell out of you before they'd beat the hell out of you again, and then file charges, probably."
"Don't be like that Ayanokouji! Wouldn't you want to do that as well?"
His eyes sparkled as he stared at me. He was interested in hearing my answer but had asked none of the other guys that were around, but I couldn't figure out why.
"I currently have no particular urge to get beaten, so no thanks."
"So you won't even take a good look at them if they walk out?"
I shouldn't do that or I'll end up like you, was what I'd liked to say. But I didn't want to alienate him too much. Since there were no girls around and the other boys were busy looking around, I could answer him truthfully.
"I might take a peek, but not stare like you probably would. They wouldn't like that very much."
He gave a thumb up to someone behind me. As I turned, I noticed Sudou, relieved.
What was that about? Must have been some kind of secret friend code which I couldn't understand just yet. I would though... someday. Maybe.
"I can't wait for Kushida and Hasebe! Damn it, what should I do if I get a boner?"
Would they notice? I doubted that. Even though girls seem to pick up the smallest changes for some unknown reason. They were scary sometimes.
"Run away as fast as possible, probably."
These were my true thoughts. I doubted anything else would help.
"Wow, it's so spacious! It's so much bigger than I thought."
A few minutes later, a girl's voice could be heard.
"T-they are here!"
Ike, full of vigor, stumbled over his own words.
To be completely transparent, I was curious as well. I didn't prefer any size in particular, but I just kept wondering how they'd look in their swimsuits. Since they are tight, their curves should be better to notice. I needed to make sure not to stare too much, however, as that could spill my downfall. A little peek wouldn't harm anyone, as long as it wasn't overly aggressive.
Unfortunately for the boys, their dreams were crushed in an instant.
"Hasebe isn't here! P-professor, what's going on?"
"I don't know. I can't see them anywhere."
Sotomura stood atop the observation deck. No matter how much he gazed around the giant pool, he couldn't find what he was looking for.
"Behind you, Professor!"
Ike screamed, as if danger was approaching. The Professor turned around while taking a few steps back. He muttered something with a look of horror etched into his face, but I couldn't make it out. It must've been something like —
"Impossible," Ike said, reading my mind.
The boy's knees weakened, and he slumped to the ground. His entire world was crushed right in front of his eyes. It couldn't have been easy to deal with such an unexpected shock. The broken youth paled, and his entire body quivered. Ike seemed to give into his depression and eventually lost it.
"NOOOOOOO! I wanted to see tits! Big tits! Where are my big tits?!"
All the girls, including Hasebe especially, had an air of contempt swirling around them as they were glaring down at the pervert in question from their elevated position. The Professor sneaked into an empty corner and ducked down in fear of their retaliation.
I could understand their thoughts, however. Similar to guys, they couldn't choose their size. For them, it was even worse, since their assets could be seen at all times. There was no easy way to hide their breasts after all. Even if they weren't big ones, there were bound to be certain contours which could excite the male population. Ike would feel the same way as them if they'd make such a fuss about his combat sting.
"Gross."
"Disgusting."
"Go die."
The girls muttered among themselves, and I couldn't even fault them for that.
"Ike-kun, what's wrong?"
While going through his very own cycle of hell, an angel's voice reached out to him. Her warm expression seemed to soothe his breaking heart. His eyes shot open, locating the source of his miracle worker.
"Kushida-chaaaaan."
She was clad in the school-issued swimwear, which looked, frankly, phenomenal. It accentuated her voluptuous figure, drawing the gazes of every boy present towards her. Her cup size must have been D or E. This was just an estimate, as I couldn't put a measuring tape around her. I expected much from Kushida's body, but she really hid a lot under her uniform. Her butt and thighs were even more appealing than I could have imagined. She was captivating.
Just like that, I failed to keep my eyes off the first girl that ran into the pool area in her swimsuit. If I didn't know any better, I would fault myself for being the same as Ike and Yamauchi. I was not, though. Definitely.
I averted my gaze as a second female voice reached my ears.
"Why the pained expression?"
"I'm currently in the midst of an internal battle."
Horikita examined my expression with interest. Little did she know that it was always the same. Her eyes moved away from my face and started checking me out all over. Since she was doing it, I deemed it fine to do the same.
Her breasts were smaller than Kushida's, but they looked superb. She looked fantastic. I couldn't help but think that. She was slimmer than Kushida and, just like her, dangerously captivating in her own way.
If her behavior was even a fraction of Kushida's, she would be popular as well. Both of them had their pros and cons. Certain people would choose one over the other, depending on their preferences. Since I didn't have any special inclinations, I was quite afflicted by both of them.
"Ayanokouji-kun, do you exercise?"
Her question snapped me out of my rude thoughts. I was lucky that she was occupied with studying me, or I would have earned another karate-chop due to her esper-senses.
"Not really. I must be blessed with good genes."
"I don't think a body could be this developed by genes alone."
Her eyes narrowed. She had a hard time believing me.
"What do you care, anyway? Do you have a muscle fetish?"
"Nothing like that."
She seemed rather dissatisfied, but that wasn't my problem. After I was done with the conversation, I checked the students that were here. Yamauchi was still missing, and so were over half of the girls. I was a little disappointed that Matsushita wasn't down here but watched over us from the observation deck. I was rather interested in how she would look in a swimsuit.
From what I could tell, she had a similar stature to Horikita, but her kind nature would give her bonus points. I compared the two from what I knew about them and Matsushita came out on top. Horikita was just too cold for her own good. They would be more evenly matched if her personality wasn't as twisted.
"Are you a good swimmer, Horikita-san?"
The ice queen seemed overly bothered being asked a question by Kushida. I wondered if she would make the same expression if I had inquired about this, but quickly denied that.
"I wouldn't say I'm particularly good or bad."
Hey, that's my line!
"Mh, I was terrible at swimming before. But I gave it my all and practiced really hard! Now I'm pretty good, I think!"
Kushida said with a bright smile. Her energy was similar to Ichinose's. Similar being the keyword here. I still couldn't help but think that something was off about her. Aside from the red flag from the bus, she didn't make a single move to get to know me, even though she was talking big about being everyone's friend.
Contrary to this, I had seen how she tried to talk to Horikita on multiple occasions. She's conversing fine with the likes of Ike and Yamauchi, but I believed the only reason she did so was because they went to her and not the other way around.
Even if I went out with Hirata and his group from time to time, she had enough chances to talk to me if she wanted to, which begged the question why she was so focused on Horikita, of all people.
"Oh! Ayanokouji-kun, right? Are you perhaps not feeling well? You seem pale."
Speaking of the devil, Kushida suddenly stood before me. She was bending forward, which didn't help to hide her generous assets at all. She seemed worried, however.
I averted my gaze. If I didn't, those mounds would trap me for eternity.
Did I really look pale, though? I knew I messed up the cake that I tried to bake yesterday, but it shouldn't have been this bad. I wasn't feeling unwell either, so maybe she was just imagining things.
Before I could answer, she turned around to the teacher, who just walked into the pool area.
"Sensei! My friend seems shaky. Would it be alright if I accompany him to get some fresh air?"
When did I become her friend? Was it this easy to make her my friend? It's not like I'm happy when you say that or anything. But wait, no! Don't say this out loud.
A cold shiver ran down my spine. Ike glared at me as if I was his mortal enemy. I was lucky that Yamauchi wasn't here as well, or they would have ganged up on me before Kushida finished her sentence.
"He isn't feeling well? Yeah, sure, he can get some fresh air, but you stay here." The teacher said before turning towards the observation deck. "Since you up there don't seem to do anything worthwhile anyway, could one of you accompany him?"
Wow, this was embarrassing. Please, just anyone say 'I'll go', or something like that. How sad would it be if none of them would go with me? Not that I need someone to accompany me, but Horikita wouldn't forget this in a thousand years. She'd be like 'Wow, Ayanokouji-kun. You have such great friends.' in her cold, monotone voice and mock me with a cruel expression.
"I'll go with him, sensei."
I was glad that someone volunteered, and even more so when I recognized her voice. The teacher told me to get some air, so I left the pool area and went back through the locker rooms. I threw a sports jacket over my body and made my way towards the door. Just on time, Matsushita stepped down the stairs, greeting me with a smile.
"Sorry for the trouble." I bowed slightly.
There was a high chance that she had better things to do than babysit me, so I felt sorry since she wasn't really needed. I didn't feel bad, but I also didn't have the heart to tell Kushida that I was fine while she was gazing at me with those worried eyes.
"It's no trouble. I volunteered, after all. You certainly seem pale, though. Are you feeling alright?"
Matsushita closed in on me and examined my face with a sympathetic expression. She was so close that I could smell the shampoo that she had used today. There was also a light hint of apple in the air, which must've been her perfume or something.
Too close, too close!
Her eyes moved from my face towards my neck and down to my chest, which was still visible since I hadn't zipped up the jacket.
Oh no.
"Do you work out?"
With no warning of any kind, she caressed over my body. Her small hands were incredibly soft as she traced along the lines my muscles drew. I felt the warmth of her palms on my chest and abdomen as she moved them downward, mesmerized by the firmness.
It didn't feel bad at all, but I wasn't ready for such an unexpected attack.
"Uhm. Good genes, I guess. Could you not do that, please?"
I gently grasped her fingers to make her let go. She was so soft that I couldn't help but trace mine over the back of her hand for a short moment. After realizing what I had done, I averted my eyes.
"S-sorry! I shouldn't have done that. Ah! You're feeling unwell. Let's get some fresh air."
She was faster and spun around in a hurry to open the door for me, trying to hide her beet-red face. There was no reason to do so, but it was a kind gesture. As expected, Matsushita Chiaki was a nice girl.
We sat on the stairs which led inside and talked about trivial things as I let the cool air blow into my face. Even though I was half-naked, it wasn't cold or anything. The sunrays were resting on my skin with a comfortable temperature. Thanks to my company, the atmosphere outside was pleasant as well. Due to our previous moment, there was a wider gap between us than usual and she still had a healthy, rosy blush on her cheeks.
"Why didn't you join the swim class?"
I already knew the answer, but I wanted to make sure. Additionally, I could loosen up this weird atmosphere with a casual question. It was a shame, though. Her rosy cheeks looked rather adorable.
"Ah, that. The boys would stare too much, especially Ike and Yamauchi. It's uncomfortable, or rather plain eerie. I'm surprised so many girls are taking part, to be honest. I figured Onodera would, since she loves swimming, but the others were unexpected."
Onodera Kayano, joined the swimming club during the fair a few days ago. I also heard that she competed in tournaments before coming here. She, similar to Sudou, was a valuable resource. Knowledge could be ingrained into a person quickly depending on the process, but physical abilities were more time-consuming. Students like them were worth a lot in such a strange school where I didn't know what to expect.
Matsushita leaned her head on her arms, which were wrapped around her knees. The sun was shining onto her face, emphasizing the dazzling smile she was wearing. My heart couldn't help but skip a few beats. The view was quite extraordinary. There was nothing overly sexual about the way she sat or the clothes she was wearing, but I couldn't help but feel moved by her beauty.
Was this one of those scenes where a sudden confession could take place? I banished those wishful thoughts from my mind and continued our conversation.
"I'm sorry that you have to deal with something like that. It just feels kind of sad, you know? That you can't join out of fear of being ogled at. You girls are really brave for putting up with this."
"Thank you. But it's not your fault. If it only were Hirata, you and maybe Miyake and Yukimura, I wouldn't even mind much. Most of the girls wouldn't, since the four of you seem rather mature. The rest is... well."
Yukimura Teruhiko and Miyake Akito. I knew little about them. They seemed rather low-key, just like me. Miyake joined the archery club, or at least I can remember seeing him walk towards their representative at the fair. Yukimura was more of the academical type. From what I had gathered during my observations, he was a light-version of Horikita. He looked down on most of the people in class, but wasn't hostile toward them.
What interested me more, however, was that she had realized this as well. Usually people like them and I wouldn't wind up on the radar of someone like Matsushita. If it weren't for Hirata, we likely wouldn't be talking. This supported my assumption that she was rather observational.
"I'm honored that you think of me that way. Thanks Matsushita. I'm feeling a lot better already. Should we head back inside?"
I stood and reached out my hand towards her.
"Mh."
She nodded with a cute hum, stretched her arms and took my hand. I gently pulled her up and walked up towards the entrance. This time, it was my turn to hold the door open for her. She thanked me with a rather gracious bow and giggled before walking up the stairs.
"You're back! Are you feeling better?"
"Yes. Thank you, sensei." I turned to the girl responsible for my absence. "And thank you, Kushida, for taking care of me."
"No worries! That's what friends are for, right?"
I nodded and went over to Horikita, who sat alone in a corner of the pool. I wasn't at all surprised by this sight, since I was the only one this girl talked to frequently.
"Did I miss anything?"
"Only Ike being overly disgusting. And the girls fawning over Hirata-kun."
Nothing then. Basically, just the usual. Why wasn't I surprised?
"Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, right?" The teacher walked towards me.
"Yes, sensei."
"You are going to swim with them. I want to make sure that you can swim at least. I don't want to be held responsible if you drown. The rules are simple: 5000 points if you win the race and extra tuition if your time is higher than one minute. Don't be the first one to win the supplementary lessons, you hear me?"
That's quite an overstatement. I didn't believe anyone could drown in the pool, even if they were trying to. Since I didn't want to stand out, I wondered what a good time would be.
After glancing at the teacher's notes from the exercises before, I decided to finish with something around 36 seconds to make sure that I wouldn't be one of the faster students.
The race ended with Koenji coming in first and Sudou getting second place. Third was Hirata, who got even more applause than the others, even though he was slower.
I would never understand popular people.
Kouenji, narcissistic as always, swept his hair back and started doing push-ups as if the race just now wasn't anything to him. Sudou and Ike started cursing the man. They didn't like being beaten by the likes of Koenji, apparently. When the lesson was about to come to a close, Yamauchi opened the pool area's door with a loud bang.
"TITS AND ASSES!"
I shook my head in disbelief. Ike immediately walked up to him as Yamauchi collapsed.
The teacher was on his way to the emergency patient as well, but when he heard him weeping, "Where are the tits and asses? Ike! Tell me! Where are they?" he just turned around and left.
Following this, Yamauchi had to swim. The self-proclaimed 'flying-fish', which he had just called himself, earned a full course of supplementary lessons because he was too slow.
The girls on the observation platform couldn't stop laughing, and even Kushida had to hold herself back with all her might. The teacher went to Kouenji and Onodera and handed out the prize money. It seemed like she was the winner on the girl's side. As expected of someone in the swimming club.
I wondered where Horikita placed, but I couldn't help but think asking would be a mistake. I resolved myself to ask Hirata later, since he was the safest bet to gather innocent information from.
It seemed important that we knew how to swim, which begged the question why the ones on the observational deck were not required to swim at least one lap.
Kushida closed in on me and asked once again if I was alright. I thanked her for her help and we kept talking about health and things of that nature, as she seemed to be impressed by my body as well. I once again put the blame on my good genes, but Kushida seemed rather disappointed by this.
Ike and Yamauchi threatened me from afar, but I didn't understand why. They wanted me to think about doing perverted things to the girls all day long, but when I was normally conversing with one, it was bad? My confusion grew. I might need to look that up as well. After thinking about it for a second, I decided to seek Matsushita's advice when I had the time.
After the lesson, we were heading back into the locker room to change back into our uniforms. We kept talking among each other, or rather, they kept talking and I listened in. As I was changing, I noticed Yamauchi acting weird. He opened his bag before all color left his face. The boy took a few glances around and stuffed a sports jacket inside before zipping the bag.
That was the calm before the storm. Because just a moment later, all hell broke loose.
The door to the locker room swung open with a loud thud.
"YOU DISGUSTING PERVERTS!"
This was not the only remark that was thrown at us by approximately eighteen girls that rushed inside the room. I couldn't tell who said what, as almost all of them screamed in anger. Even the cold Horikita seemed disgusted and agitated beyond words. Satou, Karuizawa and the others were furious. I couldn't see Kushida, however.
Hirata, being the hero he is, stepped up and tried to control the situation.
"Everyone, please calm down! Can one of you please calmly tell me what happened?"
The one who stepped forward was none other than the cold beauty.
"Alright. I will tell you what happened. When we got back to our bags, we noticed that our underwear was missing."
Hirata looked taken aback. My glance wandered to Yamauchi, quivering in freight while hiding behind a row of lockers.
He didn't, right? I didn't believe it, not even Yamauchi would be stupid enough to do something like this.
"I might overstep a line here, but may I know whose underwear went missing?"
Hirata stayed calm and polite. The girls behind Horikita seemed ready to tear each and every one of us apart. I believed that the only reason that they said nothing is that they were too angry to think.
"All of them." Horikita stared with a razor sharp gaze towards the boys.
Hirata's face paled at this revelation.
Even he wouldn't be able to maneuver the boys out of this situation, no matter how talented he was regarding social relations. We didn't know each other that well in the first place since school had barely started, which meant that the shallow bonds that formed broke apart in mere seconds.
He turned around with a complex expression.
"Guys, please listen. If anyone of —"
"What is going on here?"
The teacher, who must have heard the commotion, stepped inside the locker room with 38 teenagers present. Once again, a verbal war broke out.
"They stole..."
"They barged in here while..."
"Those perverts..."
"The girls just..."
There I stood, amidst the chaos and did nothing.
What was I supposed to do, anyway? This wasn't a scenario where someone like me could interfere, much less be of any help.
I glanced around and observed every single student in the room. Only three were as calm as I was, at least from an outward appearance. Kouenji, which wasn't weird at all. He was the guy who wouldn't care if a bomb exploded right next to him as long as he didn't get any dirt on himself. Horikita, who seemed calm but was seething in anger. And Matsushita, who, just like me, glanced around the room observing the reactions of our classmates.
Our eyes briefly met. She didn't seem at all appalled or angry. She either had a perfect poker face or cared little about this situation. I wondered what Horikita meant with 'all of them', as it would have been impossible to steal the underwear of the ones on the observation deck.
"Quiet!"
The teacher said in a calm, yet heavy and commanding voice. The whole room silenced in an instant.
"You." He turned to Horikita. "Explain what happened."
Our instructor was quite sharp. He must've realized that Horikita was a good person to ask, given the circumstances. She kept calm, even though she was likely one of the girls who had their underwear taken.
Horikita took a deep breath before replying in a calm, yet cold, voice.
"We went back to change to our school uniforms and noticed that every girl who went to the pool had her underwear stolen. Someone started to cry. Kushida-san is taking care of her right now. The rest came here to take the boys to task."
"I understand. So, who of you guys took their underwear?"
The teacher asked, turning towards us. His intimidating aura skyrocketed as he glanced behind me.
"You. Tits and asses, was it?"
The teacher seemed to seethe, while Yamauchi was sweating profoundly, pale like a corpse. He was already back in his school uniform. He must've found the underwear in his bag, which is why he paled before. From his point of view, the best course of action was likely to change as fast as possible and bolt out of the area to get rid of the female lingerie in his bag.
"S-sensei I... I s-swear I... I didn't... didn't do a-anything."
The girls turned towards Yamauchi. They concluded that he was the culprit, just from his behavior alone. Even the boys took one glance at him and knew that he was in big trouble. Hirata seemed to rack his brains. He clenched his fists and bit his lip until both started bleeding.
"If you did nothing, you wouldn't mind showing me your bag, would you?"
Yamauchi shook his head. "S-sensei I... this... I swear, I didn't..."
He couldn't even finish his sentence as the teacher drew closer to him step by step. He snatched the bag out of his arms, opened it, and dumped the contents on the ground. What lay there shocked everyone, even though all those present already knew what would be in his bag. Thus, a decent amount of bras, panties and a single jacket lay on the ground in the boys' locker room.
I doubted that they would ever be used again. What a shame.
The girls once again lashed out. This time, however, the brunt was aimed at one person: Yamauchi Haruki.
Frankly, I was feeling conflicted. On one hand, I was disappointed in my class, on the other I was relieved that they seemed to consist of idiots. He was being set up. This much should have been clear for everyone.
There was no way a person could be this stupid, even they should know that. But not a single one of them spoke up. I didn't know if the current situation clouded their judgment, or if they really believed that he did something he could never get away with.
Whatever the case may have been, I was glad. Not because Yamauchi would get into serious trouble or might even be expelled due to this, but that no one stopped to think. Because if they did, I could be the one in danger. The only people who had the chance to steal the underwear and dump them here were two people: Yamauchi Haruki and I, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.
Horikita and Matsushita both glanced at me as if they realized this as well.
I determined that the two of them were level-headed enough to see that something was wrong. But neither spoke up and I couldn't understand why. There were only two conclusions the two of them could reach: one, Yamauchi Haruki was an idiot, stole the girls' underwear and was caught red-handed. Two, I framed Yamauchi when I was outside the pool area.
Apart from that, there was no other conclusion they could reach at the current moment due to their narrow view and limited information. But aside from those two possibilities, there was another one which two students in this room and the teacher should be able to come up with: we were being attacked by another class.
"You are coming with me. We are going to have a little chat." Our instructor said to Yamauchi before turning towards the girls. "Rest assured that the school will take care of this. We are taking offenses like these very serious. Get your things and let the boys change. Your homeroom teacher will inform you about everything tomorrow."
With no complaints, the girls quieted down, gathered their belongings and left the boys' locker room. The teacher escorted Yamauchi outside as soon as he was done talking. The whole area was silent. None of the boys said anything, none of them moved a muscle. Everyone was shocked, confused, or angry.
"Guys, let's please just finish changing. We are going to talk to Chabashira-sensei and sort all of this out."
Hirata, as always, tried to keep anyone calm, but Sudou wouldn't have any of it.
"The fuck made you the boss here, huh? Fuck."
He punched into one of the lockers, creating a deep indentation on the door. The boy grabbed his bag and stomped outside since he was already done changing.
Hirata once again clenched his fists and lowered his head. One by one, the students left the room. Soon, only he and I were left.
"Sudou didn't mean what he said. He's just bad with words."
"I know... I know that. But Yamauchi-kun, he wouldn't do something like this."
"I agree. But we have no proof, we can't help him even if we wanted to."
This was the sad truth about the current situation. If no one else took the fall for him, he would be labeled as the responsible party.
"If this keeps going, the class will..."
He drifted off, not being able to finish his sentence.
Hirata Yosuke was good in everything he did. He didn't excel in anything specific, but he was a jack of all trades. This time, however, he couldn't do a thing to save his classmate from ostracization.
"You'll have to keep the class together then. We will need you."
"I couldn't even help one classmate that was in trouble. How am I supposed to keep a class together that will soon fracture? The girls won't take this lying down and the boys will be furious because of the girls. And Yamauchi... he will be completely alienated by the girls from this point onwards."
He held his head and stared towards the ground, denying the possibility that Yamauchi wouldn't be with us from tomorrow onwards, even though the probability for this happening was high. The boys and girls clashing was possible, but the chance was slim since he would most likely be expelled. Our classmates would be too shocked to get into a fight. But Hirata had rejected the prospect of this happening because he didn't want to realize that it was over.
"Hirata. You are good in what you do. If anyone can keep the class together, then it's you. Even if it will be hard, you won't be on your own. I'm sure Kushida would be on board with everything you try to do. That's just how she is. Giving up would be the wrong path. You might not be able to help Yamauchi right now, but you can help the class if you don't lose your focus. In this situation, you simply can't save everyone."
I believed that I glimpsed at the defect that Hirata Yosuke carried. One immediate flaw that sprung to mind was that he couldn't work under pressure. Even now he was probably trying to figure out what he could have done differently or how he could have protected Yamauchi, but at the decisive moment, he couldn't do anything but watch. I would need to observe him from now on, much closer than before. Especially after what will most likely happen to Yamauchi.
If Hirata caved in now, the class would be doomed.
"Ayanokouji-kun, what do you think will happen? To Yamauchi, I mean."
He wanted me to assure him that he would be fine, but I couldn't do him this favor. I didn't know who attacked us, but I could use the chance this person had given me to work on Hirata.
"He will most likely be expelled by tomorrow. Stealing girls' underwear is a serious offense, after all."
A loud bang echoed through the room as Hirata punched the wooden bench he was sitting on.
"Is there really nothing I could do to help him?"
This was a rhetorical question. He didn't expect an answer from me. He was talking to himself, trying to voice his thoughts. But I had other ideas.
"There is one way, probably."
A sliver of hope could be seen in his reddened eyes as he glanced at me. Unfortunately for him, it would crash down like the meteorite that annihilated the dinosaurs.
"How?"
I sat down beside him, leaned my head against the wall behind us, and said the words he didn't want to hear.
"You could go to Chabashira-sensei and tell her that you were the one who placed the underwear in Yamauchi's bag."
I peered towards him.
Shock covered his face, and his eyes lost all signs of life. They dimmed as if someone had turned off the light, or killed something inside of him. Deep inside his heart, he knew that Yamauchi was set up. His reasoning was flawed, but the result he arrived on was the correct one. But this knowledge made the situation so much worse.
"W-what?"
Hirata couldn't say anything other than this. The revelation that he could save Yamauchi by sacrificing himself or, in extension, someone else, caught him off guard. There was no perfect solution. Someone would need to shoulder the blame, as well as the associated consequences.
"I'm not sure, of course, but if you tell the school that you were the culprit, they probably wouldn't punish Yamauchi and expel you instead."
He was quiet for a rather long time. We sat there for five minutes, maybe more. His eyes darted around, trying to find a solution that would save everyone. It was almost painful to watch while knowing that no matter how hard he tried, his wish would never come true.
"Then I'll —"
"Are you really planning to do that?"
I cut him off without mercy. The picture of Hirata's flaw grew clearer. It didn't matter whether Yamauchi did this or was set up, Hirata was ready to bite the bullet for him. I didn't understand why. It must have been something that happened in his past, but I understood that he could not walk forward or even survive at this school, let alone the real world, with this mindset. A messiah wasn't needed in the current society. He would only hurt himself.
"I —"
"You can't save him, Hirata. This is not your burden to carry. Your burden, your priority, should be the people you will spend the next three years with from tomorrow onward. Be it with or without Yamauchi. You are the only one who can keep this class together right now. I truly believe that. You need to prioritize your classmates that will attend this school until graduation."
"You sure are cruel, Ayanokouji-kun." He forced a wry smile and glanced at me with eyes void of any emotion.
I sighed and tilted my head to look at him.
"I'm not cruel. I'm just being realistic. You can't save anyone when you're gone. Sure, you could just say, 'It wouldn't be my problem when I'm expelled', but you would only run away from the issue at hand. This class, these people. They need you, Hirata. You can still save them, but it's too late for Yamauchi. Are you going to leave them to their own devices?" to fulfill your own selfish desire?
Before he could say anything, I stood up and grabbed my bag.
"I don't need an answer from you. You should think things over for the rest of the day. There is no single good or bad solution. There is a bad, and an even worse one. You should choose wisely, because there are still people that need and depend on you here."
With this, I left Hirata alone in the boys' locker room.
I didn't know where everyone went after what had transpired after our lesson, but since I got out rather late due to my conversation with Hirata, I strolled back to the dorms where I met Horikita, who was just finishing up shopping.
"Yo."
"What kind of weird greeting is that?"
"Isn't it hip or something?"
"How old are you, 65?"
I wasn't even surprised that she was as cold as ever. More so relieved that she was behaving like the usual Horikita around me. I couldn't help but wonder what she was wearing underneath her uniform. I doubted that she put on the panties and bra that Yamauchi had in his hands.
"Horikita. Why —"
"Didn't I say anything about you being a potential culprit?"
I nodded.
"I had three reasons. First, you dislike trouble. This seemed like a lot of trouble to me, so you were out of the equation."
This was unexpected. Did she just readily believe what people told her without question? I denied that, however. Maybe her second reason was a valid one.
"Second, I objectively evaluated you and deemed you incapable of such an act."
Ouch... or was that supposed to be a compliment? Since it could have been both, I noted it down as one.
"Before you ask, that was not a compliment." She clarified without missing a beat.
...
"You are pretty mean, you know that?"
"Really? I'm only stating facts, though. Speaking of which, reason number three was your new friend, Matsushita-san. She went with you outside and mentioned nothing of you being a potential suspect, which is why I concluded that you didn't have enough time to pull something like this off, even if you wanted to."
Wasn't that the only reason that made sense? She just wanted to torture me with the other two, didn't she? That reminded me...
"One of the guys mentioned something in the group chat. Could you be what they call a tsundere?"
Horikita stopped dead in her tracks and glared at me.
"Which would mean you didn't tell sensei because you like me."
I followed up with that to annoy her a bit more.
"This is nonsense. How did you get that idea? I recommend that you leave this weird group chat at once. They don't know what they are talking about and keep planting weird thoughts in your head."
"Really? I was pretty sure you considered me your friend and are just too shy to admit it. It's okay, really. We can keep it a secret."
Upon hearing that, Horikita turned around without saying another word.
"Uh. Horikita? Where are you going?"
"To the teacher's office. I'll tell the instructor what I know."
"What? Wait, Horikita."
...
...
...
"Hey? Horikita?"
I ran after her.
In the end, she was just kidding. I knew that already; I was just playing along to amuse her. After the heart attack that I suffered, I bought myself a quick dinner and sat on one of the benches near a small park area.
[06:54:23 PM] Can we talk?
[06:56:10 PM][Matsushita] Ayanokouji-kun? Sure. Do you have another question?
[06:56:59 PM] Something like that. Can you come to the small park near the boutique?
[06:57:22 PM][Matsushita] Sure. Give me 10 minutes.
I put my phone away and finished my dinner just in time before Matsushita arrived.
"It feels pretty unusual to get an invitation from you, Ayanokouji-kun. I thought you would just ask me via chat."
She greeted me with a smile and sat down beside me. The gap from before had lessened again. Asking her via chat was indeed a possibility, but I didn't want parts of this conversation in her hands at all times. But I couldn't tell her that.
"I guess it's unusual. It's just that I'd like to see your face when we are talking."
"Huh?"
She made a cute noise while blushing. I wondered what I had said to warrant this. I wanted to see her facial reactions to my questions, which was not possible when texting.
"Did I say something weird again? I'm sorry about that."
"Ah, no. Not at all, just a little unexpected."
She laughed it off, but I felt that I unintentionally did something I didn't mean to do.
"A-anyway, what were you about to ask me, Ayanokouji-kun?"
"About that... Today was really scary, huh?"
"You mean swim class? Yeah, it was pretty heated. It was understandable, however."
"You were pretty calm, Matsushita, weren't you? Aside from Horikita, you seemed to be the only one who was cool-headed."
"Hmm. Guess I was. I mean my stuff wasn't stolen, so it's easier to keep calm, I think? I was still upset, though. Talking about cool-headed, however, you were also pretty calm back then."
She gave me a sideway glance, one that indicated playful suspicion.
"Did I seem calm to you? I was overwhelmed, honestly. As you know, I'm not very good in social situations. A large group makes this even worse. Additionally, everyone was aggressive, so I felt more like a deer staring at headlights. I couldn't think properly. Maybe that's why I seemed calm."
"So that's what it was, huh? I guess large groups can intimidate if you are not used to them." She nodded her head as if understanding my point.
Matsushita was easy to connect to, even if she didn't seem like it from an outsider's perspective. I was glad that I took Hirata's invitation that day. Otherwise, I wouldn't have gotten to know her this soon, or at all. If I could have helped him with his problem concerning Yamauchi, I would have. But there was nothing I could do outside of endangering myself, which I was not willing to do.
"What I really wanted to ask though," I pacified myself through playing with my fingers, "why didn't you mention that I could have been the culprit as well?"
My gestures revealed that I was nervous. From Matsushita's point of view, this was a stupid question which could get me in trouble. But it also showed that I trusted her enough to voice my doubts regarding her actions, which I couldn't understand.
From my standpoint, it was entirely safe to ask her, since she had mentioned nothing before. If she had planned to, she would have already done so, which meant that she saw my innocence due to the time constraints or a similar reason I wasn't aware of. No one aside from her knew that I wouldn't have had the time to execute such a strategy.
I could only have been the culprit if Matsushita and I had worked together to get rid of him.
"Because I didn't believe you were. Even if I did, the time you would have had to pull this off was miniscule since I was with you almost the entire time you weren't in the pool area. It's physically impossible that it was you, hence I mentioned nothing."
"Do you believe Yamauchi is the culprit?"
"Honestly? I don't think he would be this stupid. Someone must have set him up, but I don't know who or why."
"You think someone from our class would do something like that?"
I probed her with an innocent sounding question. I wanted to know just how much Matsushita knew or was suspicious about. Contrary to Horikita, she wasn't arrogant, which was her biggest advantage.
Had I asked Horikita if she believed Yamauchi was the culprit, she would have said yes ten out of ten times because she thought of him as nothing but an idiot. Matsushita was different. She noted that he was an idiot, but not to this degree. She could perceive that he was likely set up and she might grasp onto what was going on.
"I'm not sure. I wouldn't say anyone of the girls would pull this off, but..."
"But?"
"Maybe one of the other classes?"
She was unsure about her statement, even though she was on the right track. I pushed her a little further to see where her thoughts would end up.
"But why would the other classes care whether we lost someone?"
"They shouldn't. Unless..."
She went quiet after that. I could see her eyes light up from time to time, as if she had grasped onto something. I stayed silent and observed the thought process of the young woman beside me. I was optimistic that she began to piece the puzzle together and could soon gleam into the truth.
"Unless?" I asked, after she kept quiet for almost a minute.
"N-nothing. I was just zoning out. Sorry about that."
She laughed it off like that and asked me a question in return. Matsushita was unwilling to share her findings with me, but I couldn't tell why.
"How many points do you have at the moment?"
"Me? Around 90.000 I think, why?"
"Ahh, just wondering if you are a big spender like most of our other classmates, but that doesn't seem to be the case. You should probably keep it that way. It's a good habit to be more frugal."
A clear warning that I should be mindful of my points. But why won't you state your thoughts, Matsushita?
"Oh. Yeah, guess you're right. I'll keep it in mind."
She nodded before standing up and stretching.
"Uwaaah, so tired..." She made a cute yawn that made her eyes water a little. "I'll head back to the dorms. You coming?"
"Oh, no. I'll stay here for a moment longer."
"Alright. See you tomorrow, Ayanokouji-kun."
"Mh. See you Matsushita."
We waved each other goodbye before she vanished between the stores. She was quite intelligent, but hid herself for a still unfamiliar reason. I couldn't judge her academical knowledge, but she shouldn't have any problems to attain good grades from what I had gathered so far. Would she tell anyone in our class what she had surmised? I had an inkling that she wouldn't, but it was enough for me to know that she saw through some mysteries this school hid.
I kept savouring the fresh air for a couple of minutes before wandering towards the dorms as well. On my way to the elevator, I noticed Kouenji, who also made his way over.
"If it isn't Ayanokouji-boy."
"Good evening, Kouenji."
I wasn't sure how I was supposed to talk to him. He had a unique attitude, so I judged it was better to just keep quiet. He, however, had other plans.
"You were quite calm before Ayanokouji-boy." His eyes narrowed somewhat.
"Oh, that. I was just —"
"Overwhelmed, yes? I overheard your little talk with the Princess-girl. You might have fooled her, but don't think your little lies would work on me, ordinary-student-kun."
Yes, Kouenji Rokusuke was a pain to deal with. I couldn't get a good read on him other than that he excelled in almost everything he did. He should have the same problem, however. Due to his flippant attitude and his general disinterest in anything other than himself, he wasn't a threat or someone I should worry about just yet.
"You were quite calm yourself, Kouenji."
"Naturally, a perfect existence such as myself doesn't need to steal underwear of young maidens. They will throw them my way on their own volition."
I wasn't sure if I should believe what he said, but I hoped the elevator would move faster. Listening to him was rather exhausting. But I was curious...
"You don't seem to believe me that I was overwhelmed. Do you think that I had something to do with this as well?"
He glanced at me with disinterest. "I don't doubt your innocence due to the time constraints. But you are quite the mystery."
This somewhat confirmed my assumption that he also thought that another class could have set us up.
Ding!
Just as I'd hoped, the elevator stopped on the fourth floor.
"Goodbye. Ayanokouji-boy."
I said my farewells to Kouenji and went into my room. I checked my phone, but I didn't receive any messages. It was a rough day for sure, and tomorrow would be on the same level. Yamauchi's expulsion would leave a deep mark on the students who would remain. I was certain that Hirata wouldn't sacrifice himself. He and Kushida would need to keep the class together for the foreseeable future.
I moved over to the board on the table and gazed at the three pieces currently placed. I swapped the red pawn on h4 with a freshly placed green one before throwing the former into the trash can.