A few minutes later, a series of gasps echoed from the hospital ward.
...
Late at night, Hirata Yōsuke sat in his room, unable to sleep as he reflected on every moment since middle school.
*"I said I'd protect everyone... but I failed completely..."*
Hirata sighed deeply.
Just then, a voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
*"Check your social media."*
"Why did I just think that?"
Hirata rubbed his head, confused, but still sat at his computer and opened his old social media account.
At school, students were strictly forbidden from communicating with the outside world, but their old social media accounts could still receive messages, like Sakura Airi's blog, which still got daily fan comments.
*"Someone like me wouldn't have friends messaging me... Back in middle school, others only feared me."*
Hirata chuckled bitterly, then glanced at his friend list—
"Huh?"
He noticed a profile picture that should've been grayed out was now active, and the user had messaged him.
Sugimura: Hirata, I... I'm out of the hospital.
Sugimura: I don't remember much... Was I in a coma for two years? Wow, it's like a drama! My family and the doctors were shocked! They're giving me a final checkup soon.
Sugimura: I forgot a lot, but I still remember you, Hirata! We were supposed to play soccer together! But in the blink of an eye, you've already graduated... My family just told me you're at a special school now! Can't you reply for a while?
Sugimura: I don't remember how I ended up in a coma, and my family won't let me contact you. Weird... Anyway, I'm off to my checkup. Maybe I'll be discharged soon! Recovery will take time, but once you graduate, we can play soccer again!
*"What? How is this possible?!"*
Hirata froze, stunned. This Sugimura was the friend who'd jumped off a building and become a vegetative state.
*"Sugimura, Sugimura, he's awake!"*
Hirata's heart raced with excitement. He desperately wanted to reply, but the school's system blocked outgoing messages.
Yet, this gave Hirata hope. The last barrier in his heart crumbled.
Tears streamed down his face, and he wept silently.
*"Yare yare."*
In another dorm room nearby, Saiki Kusuo used his clairvoyance to observe Hirata's actions.
He removed his hairpin and used his restoration ability to revert Sugimura's brain to its state seven years ago, reviving him from brain death.
Saiki also transferred some of Hirata's memories into Sugimura's mind.
Sugimura had forgotten the bullying he'd endured but remembered having a friend named Hirata Yōsuke.
*"Yare yare, reverting his brain to seven years ago might affect his intelligence, but after implanting the memories, he should recover faster."*
Saiki stopped his clairvoyance, lay down, and thought,
*"This should settle things for good."*
...
The next day, everything seemed normal.
Hirata entered the classroom.
He walked to the podium and bowed deeply to the students.
"Everyone, I'm sorry for worrying you. Apologizing now might be too late... but if you don't mind, I want to contribute to the class starting today!"
Hirata spoke earnestly.
"It's okay, Hirata!"
"As long as you're back on your feet, that's great!"
"We'll always support you, Hirata!"
The unease in the classroom vanished. Students rushed to Hirata, chatting with him.
Horikita Suzune crossed her arms, glancing at Saiki.
*"Saiki, what did you do?"*
*No one could convince Hirata before, not even Wang tried. But Saiki changed him in just a day. What did Saiki do?*
"I did nothing," Saiki replied honestly.
During the day, he'd simply sat beside Hirata. Hirata had pulled himself out of his slump on his own.
"Everyone recovers differently. Even after a big fight, most people act like nothing happened the next day," Ayanokōji Kiyotaka added.
Though he spoke, he wondered:
*What did Saiki do to change Hirata so completely? Words? Something else?*
"Good morning, Horikita," Hirata smiled, approaching her.
"Did you hit your head? Your mindset's completely different from yesterday. Though you don't seem fake..."
"Yesterday, I talked a lot with Saiki. I resolved some inner conflicts and solved a problem that's been bothering me."
Hirata smiled, his eyes clear.
"To regain lost trust, I'll do my best. Please tell me about the special exam later."
Horikita nodded, thinking.
*It's definitely related to Saiki.*
"Understood. But I'll need to monitor your progress and test your usefulness. Is that okay?"
"Of course."
Hirata extended his hand, and Horikita shook it. Their conflict was gone.
...
Days passed, and the day to finalize exam subjects arrived.
Early morning, in the classroom, Horikita made final preparations.
She'd been coordinating, and the revived Hirata assisted her.
"Our ten subjects are English, basketball, archery, swimming, tennis, table tennis, typing, soccer, piano, and rock-paper-scissors. Class A's subjects have been announced."
Horikita listed them:
Chess, mental arithmetic, Go, modern literature, social studies, volleyball, math, English, group jump rope, and dodgeball. Group jump rope required over 20 participants, and most subjects had large teams. Only chess was solo.
Under Class A's rules, the command center could intervene minimally in all subjects—except one.
Chess.
One player, one-hour time limit (exceeding means defeat).
Rules: Standard chess rules. After move 41, no additional time.
Command center: Can intervene for up to 30 minutes at any point.
*Chess is definitely Sakayanagi's choice,* Ayanokōji thought.
*We can't slack on any subject since we don't know which will be chosen. Many require large teams, so practice and lineup planning will take time. We can't use the gym openly or Class A might spy on us.*
*But if we practice extensively and the subjects aren't chosen, our efforts are wasted. Yet, not practicing isn't an option.*
"Anyone know Go or chess?" Horikita asked.
"I do," Ayanokōji raised his hand.
"I remember chess rules but know nothing about Go. I've never played it."
*I learned Go in the White Room, but I'll pretend I don't to avoid being assigned to it.*
"Saiki?" Horikita asked, knowing the command center's influence on chess made it a battle between leaders.
She thought it was just Sakayanagi's specialty.
"I know a bit," Saiki replied after a moment.
"Got it. I'll survey everyone's strengths," Horikita nodded, starting the survey.
Ten minutes later, the basic survey was done.
Just then, Yukimura Teruhiko approached Horikita.
"Horikita, I have an idea."
"What?"
"We might get intel on Class A by recruiting Katsuragi. His subordinate, Totsuka, was expelled by Sakayanagi. Katsuragi must resent him. I've noticed Katsuragi's changed lately."
"Do you think he'd betray his class just to surprise Sakayanagi?"
Yukimura adjusted his glasses.
"If we offer him a class transfer if we reach Class A, he might accept. It'd make him our ally. We're close to Class A, and this could tempt him."
"Your point is valid, but I can't agree," Horikita said seriously.
"Why?"
"Katsuragi's in a tough spot, but I doubt he'd accept and betray his class. We can't offer 20 million points, and a future promise isn't convincing."
"I think it's worth trying," Saiki spoke up.
"Huh?" Horikita frowned.
"Saiki, you know it's hard to convince Katsuragi. We lack bargaining chips. Just using his hatred for Sakayanagi isn't enough."
"True, but we might get some Class A intel this way," Saiki replied.
Though Horikita's point was valid, Saiki, as a psychic, saw no issue.
He simply wanted to use this chance to contact Class A students and learn Sakayanagi's true plans.