Class had ended for the day. Hirata stood at the podium, using the blackboard to prepare for our big discussion. Because of Hirata’s powerful charisma, almost everyone in our class had shown, with the exception of a few like Horikita and Sudou. When I looked around, I noticed that they’d already left the room. I decided to leave before the discussion got into full swing, as well.
“Ayanokouji!”
Yamauchi suddenly appeared from under my desk, his expression deathlike.
“Whoa! Wh-what? What’s wrong?”
“Hey, buy this from me for 20,000 points. I can’t buy anything!” he cried.
Yamauchi placed the game console he’d purchased the other day on my desk. Frankly, I didn’t even want the thing.
“But if you sell that to me, who am I supposed to play with?” I asked.
“How the heck should I know? Come on, it’s good, right? It’s special, so it’s a good deal.”
“I’ll buy it from you for 1,000 points.”
“Ayanokouji! Come on, you’re my only hope!”
“Why am I the only one? I can’t afford it, anyway.”
Yamauchi looked at me all teary-eyed, which grossed me out. I looked the other way. He must have realized I wasn’t biting, so he immediately switched to a new target.
“Professor! Your best buddy has a favor to ask! Buy this game system for 22,000 points!”
He was trying to get the Professor to buy it and had shamelessly increased the price.
“Things must be really tough for the people who used up their points,” remarked Kushida as she observed Yamauchi.
“What about you, Kushida? Do you have enough points? Girls have a lot of necessities, after all.”
“I’m okay. For now, anyway. I’ve used up about half of my points. I kind of lost control the first month and overspent, so it’ll be a little difficult to hold myself back. What about you, Ayanokouji-kun? Are you okay?”
“It’s got to be hard not to spend money when you’re so popular. I’ve barely used any of my points, to be honest. I haven’t really needed to buy anything.”
“Because you don’t have friends?” she asked.
“Hey…”
“Ah, sorry, sorry. I didn’t mean to offend,” Kushida apologized with a giggle. She was too cute when she did that.
“Hey, Kushida-san, do you have a minute?” Karuizawa asked.
“What’s up, Karuizawa-san?”
“Honestly, I’ve spent way too many points, and I’m seriously running low. Some of the other girls in class have lent me a few points, but I was wondering if you could help me out, too. We’re friends, right? I only need, like, 2,000 points from you.”
Karuizawa didn’t seem all that earnest, laughing breezily while she hit up Kushida. In such a case, rejection should be the knee-jerk reaction.
“Okay, sure.”
Sure?! I repeated silently, but it wasn’t my business. This was a problem for the friends in question. Kushida had decided to help Karuizawa without even a hint of reluctance.
“Thank you! This is really what friends are for, huh? By the way, here’s my number. Okay, see you later. Ah, Inogashira-san! Hey, to tell you the truth, I used up too many of my points…” Karuizawa turned away just like that and went in pursuit of her next target.
“Are you sure? You know you probably won’t get those points back, right?” I asked.
“I can’t just ignore a friend in need. Karuizawa-san has a lot of friends, too, so I think it’s probably hard for her not to have any points.”
“I think using up 100,000 points is kind of her own fault, though.”
“Wait, how do you transfer points?” Kushida asked.
“Karuizawa gave you her phone number, didn’t she? You should be able to do it with your cell phone.”
“This school really does take great care of its students. It even has a way to help students like Karuizawa-san.”
True, transferring points was a lifesaver for Karuizawa, but was it really necessary to give her the money? If anything, it seemed a recipe for disaster.
The loudspeaker came alive with a soothing sound effect, and a robotic voice issued an announcement.
“Ayanokouji-kun, from first-year Class D. Please come see Chiyabashira-sensei in the faculty office.”
“Looks like the teacher wants to see you.”
“Yeah… Sorry, Kushida. Gotta go.”
I was sure I hadn’t done anything to get me called to the office. Exiting the classroom, I could feel my classmates’ stares drilling a hole into the back of my head. Timid as a rabbit, I found the faculty office and entered. I looked all around, but I didn’t find Chiyabashira-sensei anywhere. Baffled, I called out to a teacher inspecting her appearance in a mirror.
“Excuse me, is Chiyabashira-sensei here?”
“Hmm? Sae-chan? Oh, she was just here a moment ago.”
The teacher had wavy, shoulder-length hair, which made her look mature. The way she said Chiyabashira-sensei’s name made them sound close. They were near in age and probably friends.
“She must have stepped away for a minute. Do you want to wait here?”
“No, thank you. I’ll wait in the hall.”
I didn’t like being in the faculty office. I hated attention, so the hall would do just as well. However, the young teacher unexpectedly followed me.
“I’m Hoshinomiya Chie, in charge of Class B. Sae and I have been best friends since high school. That’s why we call each other Sae-chan and Chie- chan.”
That information seemed kind of superfluous.
“Hey, why did Sae-chan call you? Huh? Huh? Why?” she asked.
“No idea.”
“I don’t understand. You were called to the office without a reason? Hmm? What’s your name?”
An onslaught of questions. She scanned me from top to bottom, as if sizing me up.
“My name’s Ayanokouji,” I said.
“Ayanokouji-kun, huh? Oh, wow, that’s a cool name. You’re pretty popular, aren’t you?”
What was with this overly friendly teacher? She acted more like a student. If this were an all-boy school, she would have immediately captured every student’s heart.
“Hey, do you already have a girlfriend?” she asked.
“No… I’m, uh, not especially popular.”
I tried to seem reluctant, but Hoshinomiya-sensei kept pushing herself onto me. She grabbed my arms with slender, delicate hands.
“Hmm? How unexpected. If we were in the same class, I’d never leave you alone. Perhaps because you’re so innocent? Or do you like playing hard to get?”
She caressed my cheeks. I had no idea what to do. She’d probably stop if I licked her fingers, but I had a feeling that’d get me expelled.
“What are you doing, Hoshinomiya?”
Chiyabashira-sensei appeared out of nowhere. With a loud thud, she smacked Hoshinomiya-sensei on the head with her clipboard. Hoshinomiya-sensei crouched and gripped her skull in apparent pain.
“Ouch! What was that for?” she cried.
“For getting involved with one of my students.”
“I was only keeping him company while he waited for you, Sae-chan.”
“It would have been better if you just left him alone. Thanks for waiting, Ayanokouji. Let’s go into the office.”
“The guidance office?” I asked. “Did I do something wrong? I’ve been trying to keep a low profile here.”
“A good answer. Come.”
While I wondered what this was all about, I followed Chiyabashira-sensei. Hoshinomiya-sensei remained by my side, smiling widely. Chiyabashira-sensei noticed and turned, her face much like a demon’s.
“You stay,” she ordered.
“Come on, don’t be so cold! It won’t be the end of the world if I listen, right? Besides Sae-chan, you’re definitely not the type to give one-on-one guidance. Pulling a new student like Ayanokouji-kun into the guidance room out of nowhere… Are you after something, I wonder?”
Grinning, Hoshinomiya-sensei scooted behind me and placed her hands on my shoulders. I sensed a storm brewing.
“So, Sae-chan, are you looking to be dominated by a younger man?”
Dominated by a younger man? What did that mean?
“Don’t say such stupid things. That wouldn’t be possible.”
“Hee, you’re certainly right. It wouldn’t be possible for you, Sae-chan,” Hoshinomiya-sensei muttered, her words laced with a double meaning.
“Why are you following us? This is a Class D matter.”
“Huh? I can’t go to the guidance room? That’s not okay? Come on, I can give advice, too.”
As Hoshinomiya-sensei continued to follow, a female student came up to us, a beautiful girl with light-pink hair. I’d never seen her before.
“Hoshinomiya-sensei, do you have a moment? The student council wishes to discuss something with you.” She glanced at me, but quickly returned her attention to Hoshinomiya-sensei.
“All right, you have someone who needs you. Get to it.” Slap!
Chiyabashira-sensei smacked Hoshinomiya-sensei on the butt with her clipboard.
“Aw! She’ll get mad at me if I hang around any longer. See you later, Ayanokouji-kun! All right, Ichinose-san. Let’s go to the faculty office.”
With that, she turned on her heel and left with the beautiful Ichinose.
Chiyabashira-sensei lightly scratched her head while she watched Hoshinomiya-sensei leave. Soon after, we entered the guidance room, which stood beside the faculty office.
“So. Why did you call me here?” I asked.
“Well, about that… Before we begin, please come here.”
She briefly glanced at a clock hanging on the wall, which gave the time as nine o’clock, and opened the door. Inside was a small office kitchenette. She placed a kettle on top of a stove.
“I’m going to make tea. Is roasted green okay?” she asked.
I picked up the container with the tea powder.
“Don’t make any unnecessary moves. Shut up and get in here. Understand? Don’t make a sound and stay until I tell you it’s okay to come out. If you don’t do as I say, you’ll be expelled,” she said.
“Huh? What do you mean by—”
She closed the door to the kitchenette without explanation, leaving me in there. What in the world was she scheming? I did as I was told and waited. Soon after, I heard the outer door to the guidance room open.
“Ah, come in. So, what did you want to talk to me about, Horikita?” I heard Chiyabashira-sensei say.
Apparently Horikita was in need of guidance.
“I will be frank. Why was I sorted into Class D?”
“That’s quite frank.”
“Today, you told us that the school sorted superior students into Class A. You said that Class D was filled with the leftovers, the last bastion of delinquents.”
“That’s true. You must consider yourself to be a superior person.”
I wondered how Horikita would respond. I’d bet she’d confidently object.
“I solved nearly every problem on the entrance examination. I made no substantial mistakes on the interview, either. At the very least, I shouldn’t have been sorted into Class D.”
Looks like I would have won that bet. Horikita was definitely the type to think herself superior. She wasn’t excessively self-conscious, either. She’d tied for first place on the test, as shown in the morning’s results.
“You solved nearly all of the problems on the entrance examination, hmm? Normally I couldn’t show the examination results to individual students, but I’ll make an exception in this case. I just so happen to have your answer sheet here.”
“You’re incredibly prepared. It’s…almost as if you knew I’d come here to protest.”
“I’m an instructor. I understand the mind of a student, at least to some degree, Horikita Suzune. Just as you said, you did well on the entrance examination. You had the third-highest test score among the first-year students and were close to the highest- and second-highest-scoring students. You did exceedingly well. And you’re right: We found no particular problems in your interview. On the contrary, we evaluated you quite highly.”
“Thank you very much. So then…why?”
“Before I answer, why are you dissatisfied with Class D?”
“Who could be happy with an incorrect evaluation? Furthermore, the class rankings greatly impact our future prospects. Of course I’m dissatisfied.”
“Incorrect evaluation? Perhaps your self-evaluation is far too high.”
Chiyabashira-sensei snickered, or rather, laughed outright. “I acknowledge that your academic ability is excellent. You’re certainly very smart. However, who decided that smart people are categorically superior? We never said that.”
“But…that’s just common sense.”
“Common sense? Didn’t common sense create our current, flawed society? Before, Japan relied solely on test scores to separate the superior and inferior. As a result, the incompetents at the top tried desperately to kick down the truly superior students. In the end, we settled on a system of hereditary succession.”
A system of hereditary succession meant that things like social standing, prestige, and employment were passed down to future generations. At those words, I groaned unintentionally. My chest hurt.
“You’re a capable student. I don’t deny that. However, this school’s goal is to produce superior people. If you believe academics alone place you into a higher class, you are mistaken. That was the very first thing we explained to you. Besides, think rationally. Would we have admitted someone like Sudou if we decided superiority based solely on academic merit?”
“Tch…”
Despite the fact that this was one of the country’s leading preparatory schools, this place allowed students to enroll for purposes other than academics.
“Furthermore, you may be too hasty in proclaiming that no one would be happy to be incorrectly evaluated. Take Class A, for instance. They are under incredible pressure from the school, and also the target of extreme envy from the lower classes. Competing every day with that kind of pressure bearing down upon you is far more difficult than you might imagine. There are some students who are happy to be incorrectly evaluated at a lower level.”
“You’re joking, right? I can’t understand such a person.”
“Is that so? I think that Class D boasts some of those people. Strange students who would happily be set at a low level.”
It was almost as if she were talking to me.
“You still haven’t given me an explanation. Was I honestly sorted into Class D? Did anything go wrong with the grading? Please double-check,” Horikita said.
“I’m sorry, but you weren’t sorted by mistake. You are definitely in Class D. You are at that level.”
“Is that so? Then I will ask the school again, at another time.”
Apparently, she wasn’t going to give up. Horikita had merely determined that her homeroom teacher was the wrong person to ask.
“You’ll get the same answer from anyone in a higher position. Besides, there’s no need to be disappointed. As I told you this morning, it’s possible for one class to overtake another. You could conceivably reach Class A before you graduate.”
“I can’t imagine it will be easy, though. Forget overtaking Class A; how in the world could those immature Class D misfits gain more points? I can’t see how it’s possible.” Horikita spoke the truth. The difference in points was overwhelming.
“I don’t know. You alone get to decide how you head down that path. At any rate, Horikita, do you need to be in Class A for any special reason?”
“Well…I suppose that’s enough for now. Excuse me. But know that I’m not yet convinced I was sorted correctly.”
“Understood. I will keep that in mind.”
A chair squeaked against the floor, signaling that the discussion was over.
“Oh, that reminds me. I’ve summoned another person to the guidance room. It’s someone relevant to you.”
“Relevant to me? No, you can’t mean… bro—”
“Come on out, Ayanokouji,” the teacher said.
This was a bad time to reveal myself. Maybe I just wouldn’t go.
“If you don’t come out, I’ll have you expelled.”
Jeez. A teacher shouldn’t casually wield expulsion like a weapon.
“How long do you intend to keep me waiting?”
With a sigh, I entered the room. Naturally, Horikita appeared surprised and perplexed.
“Were you listening to our conversation?” she asked me.
“Listening? I know you guys were talking, but I didn’t really hear anything. The walls are surprisingly thick.”
“That’s not true. Voices carry pretty well into the kitchen.” Apparently, Chiyabashira-sensei wanted to drag me into the action.
“Sensei, why would you do this?” Horikita noticed that this had all been planned and was clearly angry.
“Because I deemed it necessary. Now then, Ayanokouji, I’ll explain why I called you here.” Chiyabashira-sensei dismissed Horikita’s concerns and shifted her attention to me.
“Well then, if you’ll excuse me…” Horikita muttered.
“Wait, Horikita. It would be in your best interest to stay and listen. It may provide you with a hint on how to reach Class A.”
Horikita stopped dead in her tracks and sat back down.
“Please keep it brief,” she said.
Chiyabashira-sensei chuckled as she glanced over her clipboard.
“You’re an interesting student, Ayanokouji.”
“Not at all. I’m certainly not as interesting as a teacher with a strange surname like Chiyabashira.”
“Would you speak like that to every Chiyabashira in the nation? Hmm?”
If you looked all over the country for another person with the surname of Chiyabashira, you probably wouldn’t find one.
“Well, when I read over the entrance exam’s results, your scores piqued my interest. I was shocked.”
On her clipboard, I saw a rather familiar answer sheet.
“Fifty points in Japanese. Fifty points in mathematics. Fifty points in English. Fifty points in social studies. Fifty points in science. You even scored Fifty points on the recent short test. Do you know what this means?”
A stunned Horikita looked over my test paper and then shifted her focus to me. “This is a rather frightening coincidence,” she said.
“Oh? You believe that getting 50s all across the board was a coincidence? He did it intentionally.”
“It’s a coincidence. There’s no evidence that it’s not. Besides, what would I gain by manipulating my scores in the first place? If I were intelligent enough to achieve high marks, I would’ve tried to get perfect scores.”
As I feigned innocence, Chiyabashira-sensei sighed in exasperation.
“You really do seem like an odious student. Listen. Only 3 percent of students solved the fifth math problem successfully. However, you solved it perfectly, and used a complex formula to do so. However, the tenth problem on the test had a completion rate of 76 percent. Did you make a mistake on it? Is that normal?”
“I don’t know what normal is. It was a coincidence, I tell you. A coincidence.”
“For crying out loud! I respect your frank attitude, but it’ll cause problems for you in the future,” the teacher said.
“I’ll think about that when the time comes.”
Chiyabashira-sensei shot Horikita a glance that seemed to say, What do you think?
“Why do you pretend not to know?” she asked.
“Like I said, it was a coincidence. It’s not like I’m hiding that I’m a genius or anything.”
“I wonder. He may be even more intelligent than you, Horikita.”
Horikita flinched. Please don’t say anything unnecessary, Chiyabashira-sensei.
“I don’t like studying, and I don’t plan to try hard. That’s why I get those scores.”
“A student who chose this school wouldn’t say something like that. However, some students may have different reasons for getting in. You, for example, and Kouenji as well. I think you’re fine with being in either D or A.”
This school wasn’t the only abnormal thing. The teachers were weird, too. Moments earlier, Chiyabashira-sensei had upset Horikita with just her words. It was almost as if the teachers knew every student’s secrets.
“What other reasons do you have?” Horikita asked.
“You want me to explain it to you in detail?”
I noticed the sharp gleam in Chiyabashira-sensei’s eyes. It was almost as if she wanted to provoke Horikita.
“No, we’d best stop here. Any more, and I might go mad and destroy all the furniture in here,” I said.
“If you did that, Ayanokouji, I would demote you to E Class.”
“Wait, there’s an E Class?”
“Certainly. Of course, the ‘E’ stands for ‘expelled.’ As in, you’d be kicked out of school. Well, I suppose our conversation has ended. Enjoy your lives.” What incredible sarcasm.
“I’m leaving, too. It’s almost time for the faculty meeting. I’m going to close the door, so please step outside.”
She pushed us into the hallway. Why had Chiyabashira-sensei called both of us in together? She didn’t seem like the type to do meaningless things.
“Well. Should we head back?” I asked.
Horikita didn’t respond, and I walked away. Probably best if we weren’t together right now.
“Wait.” Horikita called out, but I didn’t stop. If I managed to keep away from her until I got to the dorms, I’d be home free.
“Was your score…really just a coincidence?” she asked.
“I already said so, didn’t I? Or do you have any proof that I got that score on purpose?”
“I don’t, but…I also don’t understand, Ayanokouji-kun. You said that you like to avoid trouble, but you don’t seem to be interested in Class A.”
“You have an extraordinary fixation on Class A.”
“Should I not? I’m simply striving to improve my future prospects.”
“Oh, absolutely. You should. It’s perfectly natural.”
“When I entered this school, I thought graduation was my only goal. But the reality is different. I’m not even at the starting line.”
Horikita sped up and started walking next to me.
“So, why are you aiming for Class A?”
“First, I want to ascertain this school’s true motives. Why was I put into Class D? Chiyabashira-sensei said I’d been deemed a Class D student, but why? When I discover the answer, I’ll aim for A. No, I will definitely make it to A.”
“That’s going to be difficult. You’ll have to rehabilitate the problem children. You have Sudou’s continued tardiness and class cutting, everyone else talking in class, and, of course, the test scores. Even if you manage all of that, you’re still at zero points.”
“I know that. I still think the school made a mistake with my placement.”
Anxiety had replaced Horikita’s previously overflowing confidence. Did she really know that was the case? The only conclusion I could draw from today was that “despair” was a two-syllable word. If you followed the fundamental school rules, you could avoid losing points. However, it was still unclear how to turn those losses into gains. Class A had had only had a small number of points subtracted.
Even if we somehow found an efficient way to increase our points, the other classes might also find a way to do the same. Since we’d started out with such a substantial difference in points, we’d have to compete hard against the other classes in a limited amount of time.
“I can understand your thoughts, but I don’t think the school will continue supervising us so carefully. If they did, there’d be no meaning in competition,” Horikita said.
“I see. I suppose you could think that. So, you’ll try to take care of this situation by yourself?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Don’t act so proud.”
A hand chopped my side. Horikita ignored my pained expression.
“Ow. Look, I understand how you feel, but you can’t solve this by yourself. Think about Sudou. Even if you improve, the rest of the class will drag you down.”
“No. You’re right that no lone individual can solve this problem. We won’t even make it to the starting line without everyone’s help.”
“Well, it sounds like we’ve got a huge problem on our hands.”
“We have three major, immediate issues. Tardiness and talking during class are the first two. Third, we must make sure no one fails the midterm exam.”
“I think we’ll manage those first two issues, but the midterms…”
The short test we’d taken had contained a few difficult questions, but overall it had been pretty easy. Even at that level, some students had failed. Honestly, their chances of passing the midterm exam were slim.
“I need your help, Ayanokouji-kun.”
“Help?”
Horikita glared at me.
“What if I refuse? Like how you refused Hirata this morning.”
“Do you want to refuse?” she asked.
“What if I said I’d gladly help?”
“I never would’ve thought you’d do it gladly, but I doubt you’d refuse. If you did refuse to work with me, then that would be the end of it. No matter what I said about our future, I’d be powerless if you refused. So, will you help me or not?”
I wanted to say what she’d said before, when she’d silenced Hirata… What was it, again? Well, it wasn’t as though I would just bluntly refuse someone who asked for my help. Then again, if I told her I would help, she’d probably run me into the ground until graduation. I needed the heart of a demon.
“I refuse,” I said.
“I always knew you’d help, Ayanokouji-kun. I’m grateful.”
“I didn’t say that! I turned you down!”
“No, I heard the voice inside your head. You said you’d help.”
Terrifying! It was like she could read my thoughts.
“I don’t even know how I could help you, though.” Besides being an exemplary student, Horikita was incredibly quick-witted. She probably didn’t need my skills.
“Don’t worry. I don’t require your brain power, Ayanokouji-kun. Leave the planning to me, and act as I tell you.”
“Huh? What do you mean by act?”
“Doesn’t our lack of points trouble you, Ayanokouji-kun? If you follow my instructions, I promise you we’ll see a point increase. I would never lie.”
“I don’t know what you’re cooking up, but there are other people you could count on. If you made friends, they’d cooperate with you.”
“Unfortunately, no one else in Class D is nearly as easy to manipulate as you.”
“No, there are several people. Hirata, for example. He’s popular and smart, so he’d be perfect. Besides, he’s worried that you’re all alone, Horikita.”
If she reached out to him, they’d probably become good friends.
“He’s no good. Even if he has some talent and ability, I can’t use him. To use an analogy, think about the pieces in shogi. Right now, I don’t need a gold or silver general. I want a pawn.”
So, you just called me a pawn? That’s what you called me?
“So, if a pawn were to cooperate, he could become a gold general?”
“An interesting answer, but you don’t seem like the type to make that effort, Ayanokouji-kun. Besides, haven’t you been thinking, ‘I’ve always been a pawn, I don’t want to advance,’ all along?”
She’d shot me down with precisely the right brand of ammunition. If I were a normal person, my feelings would’ve been hurt.
“Sorry, but I can’t help you. I’m not suitable for this,” I said.
“Well, contact me once you’ve given it some thought. I look forward to hearing from you.”
Horikita wasn’t paying attention to what I’d said in the slightest.
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