Kikyo's figure disappeared around the corner of the hallway. The afternoon sun stretched Shimiya Kuki's shadow long across the polished floor. He turned and walked back to the B Class classroom. The soft click of the door closing seemed to shut away the brief ripples stirred by the incident in D Class.
The atmosphere in the classroom had eased somewhat, though the discussion's lingering echoes remained in the air. Ichinose Honami didn't immediately return to her seat. She stood where she was, her clear gaze thoughtfully following Shimiya. When he reached his seat by the window, Ichinose walked over, her voice gentle but edged with curiosity.
"Kuki-kun," she said, leaning casually against the windowsill. The afternoon sun gilded her strawberry-blond hair with a warm glow. "What do you think about Sudo?"
Shimiya Kuki had just picked up the book on his desk. He paused at her words and looked up at Ichinose. His expression remained placid, as if the interruption had been no more than a bookmark in a book he'd just turned the page on. He was silent for two seconds before speaking in his usual steady, even tone.
"The confrontation was deliberately set in the Gym Back Warehouse—a corner without surveillance cameras." His fingers absently rubbed the book's spine. "That alone suggests that at least one side went there intending to engineer an outcome, rather than getting caught up in a spontaneous clash."
He paused, his gaze shifting to the lush trees outside, as if sorting through his thoughts. "The School Administration's preliminary judgment currently favors D Class. The evidence seems to support C Class's account. So, statistically speaking, it's more likely that C Class deliberately steered the confrontation toward this outcome."
"Really?" Ichinose tilted her head slightly, listening intently. "More likely? Then... is there another possibility?"
"Mm." Shimiya turned his gaze back from the window to Ichinose, his tone as matter-of-fact as if he were describing the weather. "The reverse is possible. If D Class was steering things, then it depends on how the situation develops from here."
He continued his analysis in a clear, orderly way. "There are only two possible outcomes. First, D Class can make C Class pay for this without harming its own core interests—for example, by costing them Points or damaging their reputation. Second..." Shimiya's voice remained completely level, yet carried a Cold Sense of Reality. "D Class chooses to sacrifice one of its students, but aims to make C Class pay a heavier price—even one just as devastating."
"A heavier price?" Ichinose repeated, her delicate brows drawing together. The ruthless possibility clearly made her uncomfortable.
"For example," Shimiya said, meeting her gaze as he calmly posed the hypothetical, "if Sudo's expulsion could result in three C Class students being expelled—or even just one. Then, from the perspective of D Class's overall strategy, it might not be an option they could rule out." There was no attempt to persuade or pass judgment in his voice. He was simply laying out a cold logic.
"Sacrificing a student who already has strong violent impulses and is like a 'ticking time bomb' for his class," Shimiya continued, still as unruffled as if he were evaluating an object, "in exchange for the expulsion of a key C Class member. And from what we know, Sudo's short temper makes him 'extremely easy to manipulate and exploit.'" He paused, his gaze calm as he looked at Ichinose. "So it's not entirely impossible that someone in D Class thought of this and took advantage of it."
"What?!" This time, Ichinose was genuinely taken aback. She instinctively stepped back half a pace, disbelief and a trace of reluctance filling her clear eyes. "Th-that's such a dark way of thinking! Kuki-kun..." She shook her head slightly, as if trying to dispel the unpleasant possibility. Her voice held a hint of confusion and curiosity. "Then... who do you think is more likely to be behind this, C Class or D Class?"
Shimiya showed no reaction to Ichinose's shock and simply continued his analysis. "How much do you know about Sudo?" he asked, his gaze probing.
Ichinose recovered from the "dark possibility" he'd raised and tried to remember. "Um... I think I heard that Sudo has a really impulsive, hotheaded personality? There are rumors that he was involved in several violent incidents in Junior High. And... when we ran into him in the library before, he almost got into a fight with someone, too... Looking at it that way, the rumors are probably true." Her voice grew heavier.
"So it's possible D Class would sacrifice a student like that to strike at C Class."
"Then which class do you think is behind it, Kuki-kun?"
Shimiya gently set his book back on the desk. It made a soft tap as he reached his conclusion. "My guess is C Class."
"C Class?" Ichinose's gaze sharpened, and she seemed more convinced by this answer.
"Yes." Shimiya's voice remained steady, but his certainty was unmistakable. "The central figures in D Class right now, whether it's Kushida Kikyo or Hirata Yosuke, don't seem like the type to deliberately sacrifice their classmates. On the other hand..." He paused slightly, as if choosing his words. "The main figure in C Class is Ryuen Sho. He rules C Class almost like a 'tyrant,' using fear and force to control them. Framing someone this way to suppress a potential rival like D Class fits his way of doing things and his usual style. It's highly likely."
"Ryuen from C Class..." Ichinose repeated the name under her breath. Her expression grew serious; she had clearly heard the rumors about Ryuen.
Just then, a bright, resolute light flashed in Ichinose's eyes. She straightened her back, her voice clear and forceful, brimming with a leader's decisiveness. "Kuki-kun, then let's get involved, too!"
"Get involved, too?" Shimiya finally showed a hint of surprise, his brow lifting almost imperceptibly. He hadn't expected Ichinose to suggest getting involved in another class's affairs so directly.
"That's right!" Ichinose nodded firmly, her face alight with enthusiasm. "I also believe this is probably C Class's plot against D Class. So our B Class will help D Class!"
She leaned forward, placing both hands on the windowsill, and began laying out her strategic reasoning in a clear, brisk, and forceful manner. "Kuki-kun, think about where B Class stands right now. Class A is far above us, with an overwhelming advantage in Points, naturally holding us down. Ryuen from C Class is aggressive and unscrupulous, and he'll definitely target us in the future. If things go on like this, we could end up in a bad 'two-against-one' situation, with Class A suppressing us and C Class targeting us."
Her bright eyes met Shimiya's, shining with intelligence. "Our ultimate goal has to be challenging Class A, so an alliance with them is out of the question for now. That leaves us with only C Class or D Class as potential allies. If this incident proves to be C Class's despicable scheme, I don't want an 'ally' like that!" Her words carried a clear moral conviction.
Ichinose continued, her reasoning crystal clear. "So I've decided to help D Class. On the one hand, we can help a student who may have been framed. On the other, we can use this as an opportunity to try to influence Class A or C Class and create a balance of power. At the same time, it's an excellent chance to observe D Class's true strength and potential up close." Her voice held a hint of anticipation and curiosity.
"Besides," she added, lowering her voice a little and taking a practical tone, "D Class's Points are much lower than ours right now, so they're relatively little threat to B Class. That actually gives us more room to cooperate." She paused, her expression turning serious as her voice filled with strong disapproval. "More importantly, I really hate this kind of underhanded competition from C Class! If they'll frame D Class for a violent incident today, who's to say they won't use even more insidious methods against B Class tomorrow?" At the end, she gave Shimiya a playful wink, wearing a confident smile that seemed to say, "Well? Wasn't my analysis spot-on?" Her sunlit mischief lightened the heaviness of the subject.
Shimiya Kuki listened quietly to Ichinose's long, clearly reasoned explanation, which weighed both moral concerns and practical interests. He watched the resolute light in her eyes and her confident smile, then fell silent for a moment. Even the leaves rustling outside seemed to quiet. At last, he gave a slight nod, his expression still placid. His voice carried a faint, almost yielding note.
"All right," he said simply. "Since you've decided... let's get involved and give it a try."
"Hehe!" Ichinose's face immediately lit up with a radiant smile, like sunlight breaking through the clouds. Joy at reaching an agreement and excitement at the prospect of taking action shone through as she nodded vigorously.
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