Finally, the lunchtime argument came to an end.
About a third of the students, mostly those with below-average academic ability and members of the Katsuragi Faction, lined up at Katsuragi Kouhei's desk to sign up for the Study Group.
The other two-thirds packed up and left the classroom in small groups, as if the argument had never happened.
Class A had been divided for some time, but now, a month after the start of school, it had officially split in two.
Kazehara Tetsu had taken it all in without surprise. His true target lay elsewhere.
After school, Kazehara Tetsu didn't return to the Dormitory Building or accept anyone's invitation.
He went straight to the Library.
He found a quiet reading table by the window and sat down. A stack of books was already piled on the table.
With his Eidetic Memory, he absorbed the knowledge in the books like a high-speed scanner.
"Hmm..."
When he decided to take a break and rest his eyes, his gaze fell on another figure not far away.
Horikita Suzune.
She was here too.
Her long black hair, cool profile, and immaculate posture stood out.
A thick stack of reference books sat in front of her as well. The pen in her hand flew across her Notes, making a soft scratching sound.
Her concentration was astonishing, as if nothing around her had anything to do with her.
Kazehara Tetsu closed the book in his hands with a faint snap.
Then he stood, carrying a few books, and headed toward Horikita Suzune. His footsteps sounded oddly loud in the quiet Reading Area.
He stopped at the bookshelf beside Horikita Suzune and returned the books to their places one by one.
"You're really hardworking, Horikita."
A sudden voice sounded beside Horikita Suzune.
Her writing hand froze.
She looked up at the unexpected visitor standing beside her table.
"Is there something you want?" Her voice was as cold as her expression.
"Nothing. I just found it a little surprising to see a Class D student working so hard." Kazehara Tetsu leaned against the bookshelf, arms crossed.
"That has nothing to do with you." Horikita Suzune lowered her head, ready to continue working through her problem. She clearly had no intention of carrying on the conversation.
"True. It has nothing to do with me."
Kazehara Tetsu's tone remained casual. "But what about you, flawed products of Class D? Your class has plenty of 'geniuses.'"
"..." The tip of Horikita Suzune's pen stopped on the paper.
Kazehara Tetsu continued as if speaking to himself. "It's interesting. Anything short of Class A counts as failure. The school's rules are like a brutal elimination contest. For Class D, that must feel like a sword hanging over your heads, right?"
"What are you trying to say?" Horikita Suzune finally looked up again.
"Nothing. As a Class A student, I'm just expressing a little sympathy for the losers from the winners' perspective." Kazehara Tetsu shrugged, but every word struck a nerve.
"After all, your class has zero points! Your class is full of students the school has judged to be 'flawed products.' Do you think you can get this whole rabble above the Passing Score through your own efforts alone, without any outside help?"
"Shut up!"
A hint of unrestrained anger entered Horikita Suzune's voice. "You're an Outsider. You have no right to judge what happens in our class!"
"I'm stating a fact."
"Horikita Suzune, you're smart, and you work hard. But your biggest problem is putting your hopes in a group of hopeless failures. Do you think the other classes are your enemies?"
"You're wrong. Your real enemies are right there in your own class: the idiots who still haven't realized how serious the situation is. The Midterm Exam isn't the greatest danger facing Class D. What happens after you get through one Midterm Exam? There'll be another one. And what makes you think you can change other people's minds? You can't stop them from sleeping in class or recklessly wasting points... All your efforts, your dream of catching up to your brother, will vanish in an instant."
Horikita Suzune's fingers turned white as she gripped her pen.
Every word Kazehara Tetsu said touched on what she feared deep down.
The chaos in Class D, those useless teammates—they were the source of her anxiety.
But more important than all that was the fact that she couldn't make it to Class A... couldn't earn her brother's recognition.
"Did you investigate me?" Her voice was full of ice.
"Believe whatever you want... Class D is a bomb right now. Some students hate the ones who break the rules, blaming them for the lack of points. And some students are on the verge of exploding. They'd never admit they were wrong. If someone accused them of causing the class to end up like this, they wouldn't be able to tolerate it... That's how the class will fall apart from within."
He spread his hands. "That's all I have to say. Good luck, Horikita. I hope I'll still see you at school after the Midterm Exam, chasing after your brother."
With that, he left without another word and headed for the Library exit, never looking back.
Horikita Suzune remained seated upright, but the pen in her hand had already slipped onto her notebook.
She stared at the rows of mathematical formulas in front of her, unable to take in a single one.
Kazehara Tetsu's words echoed over and over in her mind.
Falling apart from within...
Yes. That was the most frightening possibility.
An uncontrollable bomb was buried in her own ranks, liable to explode at any moment.
Kazehara Tetsu walked out of the Library. Only a thin strip of red remained in the sky, and night seemed close.
The cool evening breeze blew against him, refreshing his brain, which had grown warm from reading for so long.
Just as he reached the steps by the entrance, he happened to come face-to-face with another group.
Katsuragi Kouhei was at the front, followed by a dozen or so Class A students, both boys and girls.
Katsuragi Kouhei paused, and his gaze briefly met Kazehara Tetsu's.
Kazehara Tetsu showed no particular expression. He gave a slight nod in greeting, then brushed past them.
Katsuragi Kouhei said nothing either, leading his group into the Library.
Back at the Dormitory Building, Kazehara Tetsu took out his key card and unlocked his Room Door.
The room was pitch-black. He casually pressed the switch on the wall, and the lights instantly illuminated the space.
He took off his jacket and tossed it onto a chair, then went straight to the fridge and took out a bottle of cold water.
The icy liquid slid down his throat, making him feel much more alert.
Just as he screwed the cap back on and turned around, he noticed a lump under the blanket on his bed. Kazehara Tetsu could clearly tell there was someone underneath it.
He walked over and yanked off the blanket.
Kamuro Masumi.
She was lying there wrapped in a bath towel.
"You're back." Her voice was languid and husky, her gaze fixed on Kazehara Tetsu.
After Kamuro Masumi had visited Kazehara Tetsu's room several times, he'd used the excuse that he'd lost his key card to get a replacement.
With the key card, Kamuro Masumi kept coming to his room again and again.
"Want some more?"
"Mm..."
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