Chapter 4 - Bare King
"Your classmate, Yamauchi Haruki, was expelled. He left the school's premises around an hour ago."
This bombshell was dropped on us during homeroom of the next day. The whole class was immediately silenced because of it. Some of the smarter students already assumed that he might have been expelled after he didn't show up before class started, but this was the final confirmation that the student named Yamauchi Haruki was no more. The most revealing fact was, however, that his desk was gone, which nobody seemed to have processed just yet.
Hirata shook visibly upon hearing those words. His hands clenched into fists and his face would surely look similar to yesterday. Every single student was affected by this news, except for Kouenji, who apparently couldn't care less. As expected of someone who only paid attention to himself, he admired his reflection in the mirror while the rest of the class kept quiet due to the overwhelming nature of this statement.
The lessons passed quickly.
It was the first time that my classmates were silent and listened to Chabashira-sensei and the other instructors during their lectures. At least they seemed as if they were listening. Most of them were still processing that they had just lost one of their companions. My pieces started taking this school more seriously, even if they weren't aware of it yet. Just like they noted that the teachers wouldn't care about phone usage or sleeping during classes, they realized that students will be expelled without mercy if the schools deemed this as proper punishment.
I wondered how long this 'self-reflection' would hold up.
Due to the shock, I'd say about a week until a few students would drift back into their usual behavioral pattern of sleeping and phone usage. This was enough time for most people to suppress this bad memory and realize that it was no use in behaving differently to before, since nothing had changed for them.
The closest friends of Yamauchi, Ike and Sudou were the most affected by this sudden announcement. During class, Sudou seemed in thought, probably reflecting about the way he had acted, the outbursts, and his violent behavior. He might try to change himself, but will without a doubt fail hundreds of times before finding the right path. Ike was as pale as a sheet of paper. 'This could have been me,' was the likeliest thought to twist and turn around in his head, as he was the one who behaved most similar to the classmate we had lost.
As our math lesson ended, I took a quick peek towards my neighbor. She was calm as expected, almost happy even. If I were to ask what cheered her up so much, she'd likely answer something like 'Yamauchi is gone, that makes one useless person less in class, so why wouldn't I be delighted?'
The girls surrounded Hirata and tried to invite him to the cafeteria, but he rejected all of their invitations and told them to leave him alone for a while. He wasn't rude in his wording, but every girl realized that he needed some time to figure things out for himself.
It was a good decision that I told him my thoughts about Yamauchi's punishment yesterday. Even if he had noticed the fact himself, he wasn't brave enough to voice or even think about it. Due to my words, he somehow managed to come to terms with the fact that we'd lose Yamauchi today, which lessened the impact to a considerable degree.
His fan club was understandably saddened, but they soon decided that they would leave him alone for today and cheer him up even more tomorrow. He was and would be an integral part of this class, since he was one of the few people who could ensure that Class D ran smoothly.
Those were some great friends, huh? I wondered if I would have this much luck with my future friends. I had some already, of course, but I didn't plan on stopping with them. I wanted to get to know as many people as I could and become friends with them, if possible.
"Ayanokouji-kun, you comin?"
Karuizawa's delicate voice woke me up from my trance. The usual suspects, meaning she, Matsushita and Satou, glanced at me with questioning expressions. They already had the bags in their hands and were ready to run off any time.
"Yeah, sure. Just give me a second."
I started packing up my stuff while they began to chat about clothes and stuff like that. Their conversation drifted into the hallway until I couldn't hear them anymore. After I was done grabbing my materials and stashing them inside my bag, I turned towards my lovely seatmate.
Once again, I was sure that I was going to regret what I was about to do.
"Horikita, do you want to join us for lunch as well?"
She glanced at me, completely taken aback, before rummaging through her bag. Her hand was wrapped around something sharp when it came back into view.
Was that a compass?!
"Who are you, and what did you do to Ayanokouji-kun?"
Was she seriously stealing my jokes now?
"Uh. I was just trying to be nice, you know?"
"If you wanted to be nice to me, you would leave me alone with such foolish questions. You are asking because you want to get on my nerves. Am I wrong?"
No, you are not.
"Yes, totally. I just feel bad every time I see you alone."
"There is no need to. As I've repeatedly stated, I'm perfectly happy on my own."
"Suit yourself then."
I shrugged, grabbed my bag and moved towards the door. Before I left the room, Kushida ran up to Horikita and asked her if she wanted to join their group for lunch. The ice queen, as expected, replied in a cold and apathetic voice. I felt that there was something going on between them, but I wasn't sure what it was.
Kushida was extremely fixated on Horikita to a degree where it almost bordered on obsession. For the latter, it was the total opposite. She was colder to Class D's sweetheart than anyone else who tried talking to her, even if that was mostly me. Sudou, whom she despised, didn't get this much of a cold shoulder from Horikita if they talked due to my presence.
Her blatant disregard for Kushida wasn't a gradual process either, but an immediate one. It was as if —
Wait... am I the friend to make Sudou and Horikita friends of friends? I wasn't friends with either of them, but they were sometimes talking because of me, which made me the middle-man, just like Person B in the friends of a friend analogy. I felt my horizon of social relations widen ever so slightly.
"You're late Ayanokouji-kun. Come on, hurry. We are hungry."
Satou's nagging voice reached my ears. As I turned my head, I could see a cute pout on her face while Karuizawa and Matsushita nodded in agreement.
I felt glad that Hirata asked me to join them that day. Thanks to him, I got to know people I could refer to as friends. The concept was still alien to me, but the more time I spent with these people, the more pleasant it felt to be around them.
"Sorry about that. How about you go first and save us a spot? I just remembered that I wanted to ask Chabashira-sensei something about our lesson."
"Boo. You could've told us that sooner."
"You serious?"
"We'll save you a seat, Ayanokouji-kun."
Matsushita threw me a charming smile before the three of them walked to the cafeteria. My gaze lingered for a few seconds before I went towards the faculty rooms to find Chabashira-sensei.
My eyes alternated between the cost of the cafeteria meals and my current balance. It took around thirty seconds before I decided on one of the cheaper meals, which brought my balance down to 56.969 private points. I swiftly took my tray and headed for the table with the empty seat that the others had saved for me. While we were eating and chatting about this and that, Satou started a rather serious topic.
"So what do you all think about Yamauchi's expulsion?"
"Well, he had it coming, didn't he? I'm honestly glad he's gone. The way he had ogled us was disgusting."
Karuizawa was the first to voice her opinion, and she held nothing back. Even though her words were harsh, they should be the consensus amidst most, if not all, of the girls. I was just glad that they said nothing during our lessons. It probably wasn't out of consideration, but shock that the school went through with such a harsh punishment. If either the girls or the boys expressed their conflicting opinions about the incident, a civil war would break out without a doubt.
"I agree. It's good that it happened now as well. The other boys will be far more careful before they do anything weird. It might even be possible to join everyone the next time we have swimming lessons."
Matsushita approached that topic from a practical standpoint, rather than the emotional one which Karuizawa's remark represented. The boys would be much more vigilant with their words and actions from now on, even though I doubted that one of them would have done something like this.
"Mhm. You're right. Attending swim classes would be super nice during the warm weather."
"Yeah, maybe..."
While Matsushita and Satou were genuinely looking forward to swimming lessons, Karuizawa wasn't as excited. I couldn't understand why, however, as her physical appearance was charming and her estimated sizes were nothing to scoff at either.
Maybe she disliked the attention when she was wearing swimwear? I could understand her sentiments after yesterday. It was a massive compliment to my appearance that Kushida, Horikita and Matsushita were all interested in how I had attained my physique. And those were only the ones I had talked to. Being stared and examined by other people felt weird, however, even if I was used to similar procedures from the White Room.
After their exchange, three gazes turned towards my direction. I finished chewing and swallowed my food before answering in my trademark monotone voice.
"It was the likeliest outcome considering the gravity of his offence, so I guess he got what he deserved, just like Karuizawa said."
My opinion was in line with their sentiments, even though I believed that only Matsushita understood that something was off about the whole ordeal. Since she hadn't voiced her opinion in front of them, I decided to follow her lead. I was kind of glad that she hadn't informed them about her findings either, since I wasn't the only one she kept out of the loop. This meant that she wasn't distrustful towards me in particular, but careful overall.
Which reminded me, Kouenji called her princess yesterday. What was that all about?
"How many points do you all have left? I'm curious if I am the only one with bad spending habits."
The other two laughed upon hearing Matsushita's question. The bracelet on Karuizawa's arm jingled as her fingers formed a peace sign. She had some cute straps hanging from her bag as well, which must've cost quite a lot. A bright, cheerful smile formed on her face, one that you would expect from a gyaru, as she winked at us.
"I have around 17.000 left."
"It's 28.302 for me."
Satou stuck out her tongue. She playfully teased Karuizawa, who had fewer points. Her grin was mischievous yet charming and radiated a youthful atmosphere.
"Well, I told you yesterday that I still have around 90.000, so there wasn't much change to that."
Since I had already lied to her yesterday, I should keep up appearances and stay true to the number I had given her. If there were huge fluctuations in my story, she'd only suspect me.
"What?"
"Ayanokouji-kun, you serious?"
Both Satou and Karuizawa looked aghast. Their smiles and the peace sign faded into obscurity as they revealed surprised expressions. Even their accessories stopped chinking as their momentum halted.
I didn't understand why, however. According to their points, I should be the shocked party at this table. Just what did they buy to spend almost all their points in around a week? Ike and cohorts weren't any better, so I guess I might be the oddity after all. I wondered how they'd fare next month since I didn't believe that we would get 100.000 points. Even half would be a generous estimate.
"Wow, you are horrible spenders! I thought I was bad, having spent around half my points already."
"Huh? You too Matsushita-san? What the hell?!"
The two of them seemed lost. They glanced at each other with worried expressions before falling into a fit of laughter.
"Well anyway, it like just a few more weeks, right? I have enough points to survive until we get our next 100.000!"
"Dayone?"
Karuizawa posed proudly, whereupon Satou nodded as well. The two slurped on their drinks and talked about what to spend their money on in the coming months. Matsushita forced a wry smile, but said nothing about their horrible spending habits.
Would she have warned them if they had more points? She advised me, so it wouldn't be weird if she cautioned her other friends as well. This behavior would also fit into the profile I had created for Matsushita.
I glanced at the vultures of bankruptcy and their cheerful faces and shook my head, a thin smile on my face.
They wouldn't have listened anyway, I guess.
"Hirata-kun looks kinda down. Don't you think?"
Our gazes followed Karuizawa's line of sight until we found him sitting alone at a nearby table. He poked into his meal without eating and just moved the food around on the tray with an exhausted expression. He seemed hopeless, tired, and desperate.
I felt horrible that I couldn't do anything to cheer him up, especially after he gifted me people I could call friends. But there wasn't anything I could do in the current situation other than cheer him on with my thoughts.
"Should we go talk to him?"
Karuizawa nodded upon hearing Satou's suggestion, ready to stand up. Matsushita held both of them back, however.
"Wait. We should leave him be for today. Ever since he heard that Yamauchi was expelled, he's been feeling down. Let's give him some time and talk to him tomorrow. You haven't forgotten that he asked us to be left alone today, right?"
With somewhat pained expressions, the two girls sat back down.
"Huuh. Fine. I guess you are right. He wouldn't have said this if he didn't mean it, I guess." Karuizawa switched the topic to something more uplifting after glancing at me. "Ayanokouji-kun, say. What's up with that Horikita? Are you guys close or something? You keep talking to her even though she keeps messing with you."
Close, huh? I wouldn't call us close, but compared to the rest of the class, I was certainly quite comfortable with her. She wasn't the easiest to deal with, but I enjoyed the time I spent with her.
Most of the time.
Karuizawa must've seen me talk to Horikita again, even though she told me to just ignore her yesterday. She wouldn't insist on avoiding her, but she'd be curious why I was still starting conversations with the ice queen after she kept hurting me with my non-existent friends.
"Not particularly. She prefers being alone. We just mess with each other for fun, I guess."
I shook my drink, which had been delicious but was now empty, and placed it on my tray with a disappointed look.
"Hmm. Really? You are the only one that's really talking to her. And quite a lot at that." Satou said, glancing at me with suspicion.
Somehow, I had a bad feeling about this conversation.
"Well, she talked to Sudou before, so I'm not the only one."
"Really? What did they talk about?"
"Uhh. Well.."
I averted my gaze, catching sight of Matsushita's drink, which had around one fourth left, according to the shade of the liquid inside. The three of them found this reaction funny, or so it seemed, as their laughs rang through the cafeteria soon after.
"See? You are basically the only one she talks to."
"I guess if you put it that way. But it's not like we are close or anything."
"We should head back to class. But Ayanokouji-kun..."
Satou's smirk scared me.
"...our interrogation is not over yet."
Matsushita sent me a look full of pity upon hearing Karuizawa's and Satou's combined announcement. The four of us stood and disposed of our meal trays. The two vultures in our group talked about the newest gossip and their plans for today, while Matsushita peeked at me.
"Do you want the rest?"
She shook her drink, which was the same flavor as mine, and threw me a questioning gaze. The liquid splashed around inside with a satisfying sound, and I couldn't help but acknowledge her goodwill with a thin smile.
"If you don't mind. Thanks, Matsushita."
Grateful for her generous offer, I took the drink and put the straw into my mouth before taking a sip.
"Eh... This..." Her cheeks turned into a light pink as she averted her eyes.
"Mh?" I glanced at her with the straw still in my mouth.
Did I do something wrong? Wasn't I supposed to take it? I didn't fail some weird test, did I? I thought she noticed that I wanted more and offered me the rest of hers because of it.
"No- nothing."
I tilted my head, confused by her weird yet adorable reactions.
"Oh! Ayanokouji-kun, I was looking for you."
Every boy would be happy to hear a sentence like this, especially if the one saying it was the angel of our class, Kushida Kikyou. Even if I had a hunch that something was wrong with her, I couldn't help but feel elated that she was waiting for me with such a lovely expression.
Her short, straight, dyed-brown hair framed her cute face perfectly. She was almost prettier in her school uniform than in the swimsuit, which was a testament to how incredible she looked. Her skirt was extremely short, though. One gust of wind and everyone could see what she was wearing underneath.
I wondered why the school thought it was a good idea to approve such short skirts. Did they want all the perverts to drop out in the first week? How cruel!
Matsushita, Karuizawa and Satou went ahead into the room as I strolled over to Kushida. They glanced at me and discussed something in hushed voices, but I couldn't understand them due to the distance between us.
"Do you need something from me?"
It was weird that she was talking to me, since she never really sought me out on her own volition. If I had to guess, then there was only one reason she would look for me. My ice cold neighbor, Horikita Suzune.
"Um." She nodded, while making a cute sound. Girls should really be prohibited from using this technique. "The thing is, I'm kind of worried about Horikita-san. You are a friend of hers, right?"
"I wouldn't say we are friends. According to her, she doesn't want any. We are casual acquaintances at most. Why?"
"Well, in our introductions on the first day, I said that I wanted to be friends with everyone. Now, with all that has happened with Yamauchi-kun, I feel like she shouldn't be alone. You know?"
"That's good and all, but isn't that her decision to make? If she wants to be alone, I think it's better to leave her be and respect her wishes."
"Hmm, maybe, but I won't give up in trying to befriend her! She just doesn't know how great it is to have lots of friends. Especially during sad times." A bright smile followed her words, which reinforced every single sound that had previously left her supple, red lips.
It was a fact that close relationships were helpful for people when they were going through a rough patch. Not only would the person in question have someone to lean on and talk to, but they would also be eternally grateful and remember such times fondly, even if they were brought on by something bad.
But I really doubted that Horikita, of all people, was having a hard time because of Yamauchi's expulsion.
"Still, you seem to be on rather good terms with her. Do you guys know each other from before, perhaps?"
Kushida kept the conversation that I had already finished in my mind alive. This question was rather out of the blue and left a weird aftertaste. It almost felt like she was fishing for information.
"Nothing like that. We just coincidentally met a few times after coming here. We are not really friends."
"Mhh. Can I have your number, Ayanokouji-kun?"
Stop beating so fast, heart. You are embarrassing me. What if she heard? Please stop!
I calmed my frenzied muscle and nodded as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.
"Yeah, sure."
Since the bell was about to ring, we exchanged our contact information in a hurry and entered the class before the teacher walked in. Horikita wanted to say something upon noticing me, but left her questions for later, as the instructor in question arrived and began his lesson.
Even though the lecture was boring, the room was quiet, and everyone seemed more or less focused on the subject. It didn't take long until the bell rang once again, and the teacher left. The demon beside me spoke up without turning her head.
"I couldn't help but notice that you were talking with Kushida-san."
"Is there a deeper meaning behind that statement?"
"I had that uneasy feeling that she was talking about me."
Wow, she's good.
"She was, actually."
"Did she ask you something stupid, like helping her to make me a friend or something?"
"Uhm, no. How'd you get that idea?"
"Just a feeling. If she ever does, tell her no. I'll be taking my leave now. I have a book to finish. Goodbye, Ayanokouji-kun."
"Oh, sure. Bye Horikita."
She then packed up her things and left without another word. Our chats were always similar. Most of the time, she didn't even glance at me while we were talking. The people in this school I had the most conversations with would be her and Matsushita, without a doubt.
Oddly enough, I enjoyed conversing with both of them, even though Horikita was cold like the bleak midwinter. Compared to her, Matsushita was like a summer breeze that swept through the room. A nice fragrance, and a warm, welcoming attitude.
Speaking of Matsushita, she and the other two girls were going to visit the karaoke stalls with a few of our classmates. They invited me as well, but I declined, saying that I had something to take care of. It wasn't a lie, but I also didn't want to sing if I was being honest.
Aside from that, they mentioned that some Class B students would join as well. If it's them, Ichinose would likely be part of the group. I already had a revenge plan mapped out, but I could only implement it under specific circumstances. It wasn't the only one I came up with, but I'd like to try that specific one because I could learn a lot during its execution.
I gathered my materials and strolled out of the classroom with a clear goal in mind. To my surprise, Kushida stood near a window with her bag in hand, waiting for me.
Beautiful...
"Ayanokouji-kun!" She waved with a bright smile, which was strangely contagious.
It didn't take long for me to realize that she wanted to keep talking about Horikita. Her guilt-ridden face betrayed her thoughts without the need to voice them.
"So, about what we were discussing earlier..."
Her tone softened as her small hands flashed forward, grasping one of mine. I could have naturally dodged her attack, but I chose not to. Her palms were smaller than mine and incredibly warm. They weren't moist or anything, just very pleasant to hold, and I wished that she wouldn't let go.
"Won't you help me make friends with Horikita-san?"
She showed off the full might of her arsenal in quick succession. Her small, delicate hands caressed mine while slowly leading them towards her brea.. cough, heart. She looked like a puppy asking for forgiveness from her owner. Her sweet fragrance tingled my nose and her cute voice soothed my mind just by hearing it.
Those were two more attacks I couldn't dodge.
Or rather, I didn't want to.
These simple motions were used to perfection to accomplish her goal. If not for the reservations I had in my mind, I might have fallen captive for this angel before me. That is how much play the girl known as Kushida Kikyou had. Her forceful yet charming gestures, beautiful voice, innocent actions and positive words were nothing short of mesmerizing.
"Uh... I don't think I should."
"So that means... you can't help me?"
I couldn't deny that I was tempted to pat her head because of the adorable way she turned up her eyes at me. Her current attitude, however, threw me between a rock and a hard place. On one side, there was the sweet angelic Kushida that wanted to make Horikita her friend, no matter the cost. On the other was the cold and honestly quite scary Horikita, that wanted nothing but to be left alone.
That I disliked trouble wasn't a lie. But no matter what I decided, trouble would eventually brew. If I declined now and Kushida faced her friends in a saddened state, I would have committed social suicide. If I accepted and somehow tricked Horikita into giving Kushida another chance, I would likely be beaten to death at that point. In the end, everything considered, the choice was quite simple.
"I'll help you once. If Horikita still declines, then there is nothing I can do for you."
"Really? Thank you so much, Ayanokouji-kun."
She was so happy that she jumped up a few times. The bright expression on her face was overshadowed by certain other parts of her body. Her assets bounced around hypnotically, and I couldn't help but avert my eyes to keep myself in check.
I needed a distraction.
"So, how do you want to go about this?"
"Mhmmm."
The cute sound she made rang through the silent hallway. She put her index finger on her chin and glanced at me with upturned eyes while thinking about her next move. Kushida's lips throbbed ever so slightly when she finished the first step of her plan.
"You heard about Palate, right? I'm going there often with my friends, so it wouldn't be weird if we coincidentally met there. Do you think you could invite her?"
Palate was the name of one of the most popular cafes on campus. If I knew that, even Horikita should. It's a famous hotspot for girls after class. If a boy were to show up there alone, it would be extremely weird. Only the social elite gathered there. Someone like me, and in extension to this, someone like Horikita would be completely out of place in such a high traffic establishment.
"I can certainly try, but I'm not sure if she would meet up with me. We are not exactly friends after all. We met by coincidence and somehow ended up like this, so it wouldn't be weird if she just declined."
"I have faith in you, Ayanokouji-kun! Every first meeting is a coincidence, is it not? Those chance meetings might then evolve into friends, best friends or even lovers."
I wouldn't be going that far with your hopes. Horikita and I being lovers?
Before that happened, the sun would start orbiting around earth. But somehow she was right. It was a very positive outlook, of course, but there was a tiny chance that something like love would bloom from such a chance meeting. Horikita was, however, the girl with the lowest possible chance to end up with me, solely because of her cold, uncaring attitude.
I also doubted that she would change much, so our relationship as acquaintances was set in stone. For Kushida, it would be just as unlikely. A person who was friends with everyone had no chance to love someone. Taking Ike as an example, if Kushida were to go out with someone else, he would be furious. Kushida's goal of being friends with everyone would end at that point.
"I'll try. Would the day after tomorrow be alright with you? Classes already ended for today and I'm meeting with some friends tomorrow."
I had nothing arranged with friends tomorrow, but there were two reasons it would be a bad day. One: Horikita had just told me that I shouldn't help Kushida. If I immediately were to set her up tomorrow, she would never forgive me. And two: I wanted to monitor Hirata. If he kept spiraling downward further, I needed to catch him before he hit the ground and self-destructed.
Now that I thought about it, wasn't Horikita like damn scary? She already knew what Kushida was planning before she even talked to me. How could she be so insightful and yet so ignorant of the important issues?
"Mh, sure. That's alright. Thank you, Ayanokouji-kun."
After my talk with Kushida, I headed to the library. I wanted to visit this place sooner, but due to everything that had happened the past few days, I hadn't found the time. The school boasted about how large and complete their selection of books was and I really wanted to see for myself if those words were just empty promises or the real deal.
On my way over, a girl from my class, Sakura Airi, wandered past me. She clasped her camera in both hands and ran somewhere in a hurry. She hadn't noticed me, as she was habitually gazing at the ground, which was clear evidence of her insecurity.
I knew little about her, but she seemed to like photography. Besides that, she was the girl rumored to have the second largest breasts in class, falling short to Hasebe Haruka. On another note, her glasses were fake. There was no distortion, and the lenses were far too thin to help in any capacity. I didn't know why she wore them, but I assumed it was some kind of fashion trend that went past me.
I could pick Matsushita's brain about it, but she would wonder why I was asking such a weird question and I might have to explain myself. It was already plenty dangerous when she told me that Karuizawa had nothing to do with gravimetry. Like at all.
A moment later, I ran into yet another person. Her eyes lit up when she noticed me between the other students and she raised her arm to wave at me. It was always pleasant to see her, but she and I were on a path straight to war.
"Ayanokouji-kun~."
Ichinose Honami called out to me, which forced all the attention of the surrounding students towards us. She closed in with quick steps and bend forward before turning her head towards me.
"Where are you headed?"
"Just on my way to visit the library. Nothing too exciting."
I examined her gentle expression while taking a step forward.
"Mhm, studying it is, huh? Are you good in school?"
No reaction, huh?
"I wouldn't say I'm particularly good or bad. Just average."
"We are doing study groups with our class. Or rather, we are planning to hold a few next week. If you have problems understanding something, just ask me. You can always come over as well."
She pat her chest with a proud bearing and looked up at me. Her smile was vibrant and genuine, as always. I wondered if it was hard keeping such a lively attitude up day after day. Asking such a question would be rude, however. I had seen her multiple times in the cafeteria or stroll around with friends, and she always wore the same lovely expression.
"I think I would feel a little out of place barging into Class B's study session."
"Hmm, you might be right, but our class is really outgoing and friendly, so I don't think they would mistreat you or anything."
"That's probably due to your influence, Ichinose. You're always in a good mood and set a positive example for the other students in your class. With someone else at the forefront, this might be entirely different."
"You are talking about Class C, right? I heard Ryuuen-kun is a delinquent, and the class seems to behave quite bad as well. Most of them don't even want to talk to me." She scratched her chin with a shy laugh.
Class C and Ryuuen, huh?
I never heard about him or his class, since I hadn't branched out from mine yet. As expected, Ichinose was a good source for information. As long as she thought that I was harmless, her guard would be lowered. I could extract any relevant information and move on without revealing the fact that I was interrogating her.
"As expected of you. You know your way around the people in the first year."
She let out an adorable chuckle, which betrayed her embarrassment about the compliment.
"I just like getting to know people. I don't think they are a bad bunch per se. They just need some time to acclimate to the changes this school brings. Are you doing fine so far?"
"I'm managing. It is indeed different from what I was used to before. But I think it's a nice change of pace. What about you, Ichinose?"
She didn't know about Yamauchi yet, which was to be expected seeing how he was just expelled this morning. Ichinose should have been on her way to the karaoke parlor, which meant that she'll meet up with at least six Class D students.
Matsushita was sharp enough to keep this information to herself, but I wasn't sure about Karuizawa and Satou. Even less about the rest of them, since I didn't know who they were. If Karuizawa behaved the way she was in class, she'd definitely complain about him before mentioning that he got expelled. Satou was another wildcard, but wouldn't disclose such information without being prompted by someone first.
"I miss my mother and sister, but I'm overjoyed to be here." Ichinose was about to elaborate further, but her phone vibrated. "Ah, sorry. But I need to get this real quick."
I nodded, to which she bowed before turning around to take the call. Ichinose apologized about being late with a laugh, saying that she ran into a friend. The other side was understanding but told her to hurry, according to her answer.
This warmed my heart. It seemed rather easy to do so now that I thought about it. Whenever someone called me friend, I felt happy. Or maybe something more...? I couldn't quite put it into words. It was a nice and warm feeling that wouldn't let up.
Ichinose told the person on the other end that she was coming and ended the call before turning back to me with an apologetic expression.
"I'm so sorry Ayanokouji-kun, but I'll have to go. I was just reprimanded for being late." She faced me with a wry, yet bright smile. "Do you perhaps want to join us? We are meeting up with some Class D students at the karaoke parlor, so you wouldn't feel out of place."
What a sly girl. Not even mentioning that all the Class D 'students' were females. The same probably went for her classmates. Did she do that on purpose, by chance?
"No worries, sorry for holding you up. I still have my date with the school materials, unfortunately. See you later, Ichinose."
"Oh, you didn't hold me up or anything. Ahh, wait a second."
She said as I was about to turn. Ichinose held out her phone with a gaze full of expectation. All I could do was stare at it in confusion.
Did she want me to grab it? Was this some kind of test? I failed one already, but they just kept coming, huh? What should I do?
She seemed to have noticed my bewilderment as a brilliant smile spread over her face.
"Don't you want to exchange numbers?"
Oh, that.
Her actions made sense after receiving this crucial piece of information. We exchanged numbers before she once again apologized for having to leave and ran off while waving goodbye.
I reviewed the contact list in my phone and recognized a glaring flaw. The people saved in my phone... they were only girls. The sole exception to this was Hirata. I also had the numbers of a few other boys in class due to the group chat Ike invited me to, but I never got their numbers privately, so they didn't count.
I made my way over to the library while ruminating about this problem. Was it a problem, though? I should try to make some male friends since only being friends with girls could be interpreted in a wrong way from someone like Ike. I was agonizing over asking Matsushita, but I didn't want to rely on her all the time.
Sometimes I had to figure things out for myself. And after the Karuizawa fiasco, I wasn't sure if I could keep picking her brain without feeling bad about my stupidity with certain topics. There was still a long way to go for the so-called demon of the fourth generation, but I wouldn't give up to learn everything there is to learn about being a decent human being.
After a short trip, I reached the library building and stepped inside. Rows upon rows of books were stacked on the shelves ordered by genre. Most students in the library seemed to be second years, judging by their behavior. They knew their way around, quickly finding what they were looking for. Tables were placed all around the library to study in a group or read stories together. A considerable amount of people were studying here, likely second and third years, reviewing what they had learned so far.
I wasn't able to recognize anyone. The chance was pretty slim to begin with, but there was still a possibility that I'd run into someone I knew. I strolled over to the history section and grabbed a Japanese history book which contained more information about the lesson we had today. I quickly found myself a seat in the corner as well, which gave me a perfect view of the library.
While I was pretending to read the book, I observed the surrounding people. The students who walked in as well as the ones who walked out. The ones who learned, and the ones who read a novel to submerge themselves into a foreign, unfamiliar world. I evaluated all of them based on their body language, pose and conversations, if they had any.
A few moments later, my ears picked up a snide remark from the side.
"Everywhere I go, I see your face."
"You miss me that much, huh?"
I lifted my head to greet the ice queen, who had lowered herself to my level in order to speak with me. She once again rummaged through her bag and soon pulled out her trusty compass. It was weird how the two of us were running into each other all the time.
Was I cursed, perhaps?
"You give yourself too much credit. It's more like seeing one of those annoying movie posters on every corner, you know?"
"You don't like movies? I thought someone who doesn't need friends would have a lot of time enjoying such entertainment."
Her face contorted in what seemed to be disappointment.
"Movies might be entertainment for someone like you, but they aren't for me. I prefer books, which reminds me about my reason of being here."
She looked around the library, searching for something.
Horikita must have finished 'Crime and Punishment'. I could have given her a few recommendations. I might have even shown her the way to the genre she most likely wanted to read. But I chose not to. She wasn't very kind to me, so I didn't see any reason to help her if it didn't benefit me.
As I was thinking about that, her gaze turned towards the book in my hand.
"Why are you reading about something we have learned today? Didn't you listen?"
"I had trouble understanding some things, so I grabbed this book to clarify. Didn't you see me talk to Chabashira-sensei? I asked her about some recommendations and this is what she came up with."
I needed a suitable reason to sit here and observe the surrounding people, which is why I began to set everything into place before coming here. Even if someone investigated my movements for whatever reason, they would only conclude that I told them the truth and leave it at that.
"Hmph. At least you know that you are an idiot, which is much better than the likes of Ike and Sudou. I'd offer to help you, but you might think that I'm trying to befriend you or something ridiculous like that."
"I would never think something that scandalous. Am I right in my assumption that you would teach me now?"
She kept gazing around while we were bantering. Her eyes flickered for a moment.
"You wish. I found what I was looking for, so that's goodbye for now, Ayanokouji-kun."
"Goodbye Horikita. Have a nice day."
A short moment later, I saw her walk out of the library, book in hand. Unfortunately, I couldn't tell which one since she was grabbing it in a way that made it impossible to read the title or author. More time passed, and I roughly sorted every student to a specific class. I couldn't know for certain which year they were in, but the classes themselves were definitely doable.
There was a group of people being looked down upon by the surrounding ones, which should make them Class 2- or 3-D. The other classes were aware of the hierarchy in this school, so it was easy to sort them just by the glances and similar actions. Most of the students seemed to be in the C and D classes, while some A and B students were present as well.
Seeing them act all high and mighty, I wondered about Class 1-A.
Had they already figured out the truth about this school? Or were they on the same level as Ichinose? She realized that something was off and was careful for now. Would she change once everything was revealed?
What about Class 1-C? Ryuuen could be a run-of-the-mill delinquent without a clue what was happening around him. Or he might just test the waters to see what exactly he could get away with before our competition started.
Did he set up Yamauchi?
This was a possibility, but I couldn't be certain. There were simply too many unknown variables to reach a definite conclusion. Our seniors could also have an interest in the first-years, depending on the rules of this school. It was possible that one of them acted before the first-years could.
Maybe it was an introduction, a proof of concept, of sorts.
As I was about to return the book where it belonged, a silver-haired girl entered the area. It was beautifully tied with two black ribbons, one right and one left, respectively. She curiously gazed around the library, which immediately betrayed her as a first-year student. The newcomer ambled around and kept reading the labels until she stopped in front of the mystery section.
Wow...
The beauty started reading the book's title's one by one until she grabbed a novel with a slightly confused expression. She then moved further down the shelf, took another volume and placed the first book on the now vacant spot. This went on for around three minutes until she nodded to herself in a satisfied manner. After grabbing yet another three novels, the girl placed them all on a double table and began to read.
... she's gorgeous.
I stood and placed the history book back on the shelf from which I had grabbed it before and made my way outside.
With any luck, I found exactly what I was looking for. This girl was neither in Class B nor D, since I remembered every student in both classes, at least from their appearance. This lead me to the conclusion that she was a Class A or C student.
It would be great if she were in Class A, which would make her a perfect candidate to gather some information from. If she turned out to be in Class C, I needed to be careful about the person called Ryuuen who, at the moment, seemed to be the most fun to play with according to the tidbits I had gathered.
But if I was being honest with myself, I wanted to get to know her for the books she had decided on.
After reaching my room, I prepared something to eat and took a shower. It was refreshing to do these things whenever I wanted. Eat whenever I felt hungry, drink whenever I got thirsty... The list went on. It was different to the White Room. Almost like another life altogether. It seemed weird to appreciate such mundane, 'normal' things, but I couldn't help myself.
They were natural for everyone, but special for me. Even this new routine would only last for the next three years. Of course, I would try to keep my freedom for longer than that, but I was not sure if I would be able to, with him on my back. He was powerful, and I was nothing but a specimen. A successful one, according to the doctors and researchers, but in the end I was nothing more than a collection of numbers, statistics and data for that man to impress the investors with.
Heaving a small sigh, I made my way over to the board in the room's corner. My fingers slid over the green pieces one by one until they reached the king. I grabbed him and positioned the figure on the board in his initial spot on the right. This wasn't the final move of today, however.
The queens, rooks, bishops, knights and pawns of the different colors. There were so many pieces I knew nothing about. This thought alone made me excited. Like a fog of war, my unawareness of the key figures in this game kept me from moving my pieces.
No, even if I knew all their hands, I couldn't use my pieces as I pleased since I currently held only one that I could operate freely. And that was...
My fingers once again moved, once again stopped above a certain piece. This time, however, it was a red one. The single piece that I currently had full control over. I grabbed the figure and placed him on his initial spot on the chessboard. Just like I was standing all alone in this world, the red king stood alone while towering over the other pieces.
Different from the other players, I had already lost one piece. One simple pawn, which would be the sole reason that others would soon follow.