The school announced the results of the conflict between Ken Sudō and Kinoshita Masayoshi of Class C two days later. The outcome surprised most of the students in Class D, but seemed to have been exactly what Fūki Ran expected.
Both sides were punished equally. Ken Sudō was given a severe warning for getting physical and suspended from Basketball Club activities for two weeks. Kinoshita Masayoshi was likewise warned for provoking him. On the surface, both sides seemed at fault, and the matter had been handled fairly. But on closer inspection, Class D had taken a hidden loss—Sudō was a key player on the Basketball Club, and missing two weeks would undoubtedly affect his form and the team's results, while Kinoshita was not indispensable to Class C. More importantly, the incident further cemented Class D's negative image as "impulsive" and "easy to provoke."
When the news reached him, Sudō was naturally furious. He believed he had acted to defend the class's dignity, only to be treated so unfairly. Hirata Yousuke and Kushida Kikyo tried to comfort him and the other disheartened students, emphasizing "the importance of following school rules," but it had little effect. Class morale took another hit.
Horikita Suzune was reading in the library when she heard the outcome. Her fingers paused on the page for several seconds. Her face remained expressionless, but if Feng Qi had been beside her, he would surely have noticed the brief chill in her eyes. The outcome seemed to confirm Feng Qi's earlier analysis: because of its internal instability, Class D had fallen easily into someone else's trap and paid the price. This only strengthened her conviction that staying out of things was no guarantee of safety; the group's foolishness really could affect the individual.
She didn't seek Feng Qi out, but he knew the seed of "cooperation" had taken even deeper root in her mind.
At the same time, Kushida Kikyo had keenly noticed the brief, unusual contact between Feng Qi and Horikita. She didn't know what they had discussed, but the fact that Feng Qi had approached Horikita at all was enough to set off alarm bells in her mind. An indescribable sense of crisis began to spread through her.
That evening, she arrived at Dorm 129 earlier than usual, her face showing clear unease and a hint of barely concealed hurt.
"Feng Qi... you—you went to see Horikita today?" she asked tentatively, nervously twirling a lock of hair around her finger.
"Yeah." Feng Qi didn't deny it. He glanced at her calmly. "There were some things about the Sudo Incident I needed to analyze with her."
"Analyze? With her?" A trace of bitterness slipped into Kushida's voice. "What constructive opinions could someone like her possibly have... And why her?" She felt her position as the "only one in the know" and "only collaborator" was under threat. She had been gathering information for him and carrying out his tasks all along, so why had he suddenly gone to that antisocial Horikita?
Feng Qi set down his pen and looked at Kushida's uneasy face. He needed to reassure this important piece, but couldn't let her think she had any say in his decisions.
"Kikyo," he said, using the familiar name, though his voice remained calm. "You and she are different. You're my eyes and ears hidden in the crowd, and the key to controlling my information network. As for Horikita..." He paused, as if choosing his words. "She's a potentially sharp blade, but one that could just as easily cut its wielder. I need to judge whether she's worth using and, if so, how. That requires contact and observation. And the information you've given me about her is the foundation for all of it."
He cast Kushida as the "foundation" and "key," while describing Horikita as a "tool" to be "evaluated." His words neatly appealed to Kushida's vanity and need for security without dismissing Horikita's potential value outright.
Kushida's expression softened a little, but the thorn in her heart didn't disappear. She lowered her head and murmured, "But... I can help you analyze things, too..."
"Of course you can." Feng Qi went along with her. "So, what do you think about the Sudo Incident? What do you think Ryuen Kakeru was after?"
Asked about something in her field, Kushida immediately perked up and shared her observations and analysis. "Ryuen definitely ordered it! He's a despicable jerk! He wants to throw our class into chaos and weaken us before the Special Exam! Maybe he knew how easy it is to provoke Sudō..."
Her analysis largely matched Feng Qi's earlier judgment, though it was colored by her personal feelings. He listened patiently, nodding now and then. Kushida felt that he valued her input, and gradually calmed down.
After reassuring Kushida, Feng Qi set about verifying his suspicions about Ryuen Kakeru's intentions. He didn't approach anyone from Class C directly; that would have drawn too much attention. Instead, he discreetly gathered information through some "channels" he had established earlier—mainly Class C students outside Ryuen's inner circle with whom he'd had indirect contact through the Club Undercurrent or previous answer trades. He asked carefully framed questions, not about the conflict itself, but about the recent atmosphere in Class C and whether Ryuen had given any special instructions.
From the scattered bits of information, he could be fairly certain that even if Ryuen hadn't directly ordered Kinoshita to provoke Sudō, he had at least approved of it, if not encouraged it. Ryuen was indeed probing Class D, gathering information, and looking for weaknesses. Sudō's impulsiveness had undoubtedly sent him a clear signal: Class D had a flashpoint waiting to catch fire.
Feng Qi organized and recorded the information. He realized that Ryuen Kakeru was an opponent who defied convention and excelled at exploiting chaos. Unlike Katsuragi of Class A, who was steady, or Ichinose of Class B, who was upright, Ryuen posed a more direct and devious threat. In future Special Exams, Class C was likely to become a major wildcard.
As for Class D, it was currently like a leaky old ship, riddled with internal conflicts and watched by hostile eyes from outside. Hirata and Kushida's efforts could barely keep it afloat, let alone steer it anywhere.
"We need to pick up the pace..." Feng Qi murmured, gazing out at the dark night beyond the window. He needed to bring together the forces at his disposal as soon as possible—whether Kushida, his foundation, Horikita, a potential blade, or even... Ayanokoji, still hidden in the fog. Before the storm of the Special Exam arrived, he had to find this leaky ship at least one reliable helmsman—or prepare his own lifeboat.
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