"Then we'll be going."
Kamuro said goodbye and left with Sakayanagi, looking as though they had something urgent to take care of.
"Makoto, do you have anything to do later?"
Kei was already eager to start studying.
"We just ate, so let's wait a bit first."
Makoto lightly tapped Kei on the head.
"Your blood is all gathered around your stomach right now. Don't rush. Besides, I have something to take care of."
As he spoke, Makoto turned his head toward Kushida.
His meaning was obvious: Why are you still here?
Kushida's smile faltered. Was she really that annoying? Was he already trying to get rid of her...?
"How about I help Kei study with you tonight?"
Honami noticed that Kushida's expression seemed a little off, so she offered.
"Sure, sure! I've always wanted to help my classmates!"
Kushida readily agreed. Now she had a perfectly good reason to stay.
This time, Kei was the one whose composure cracked. Would she still get to spend time with Makoto now?
Two people with excellent academic abilities were already going to tutor her, and one of them had even ranked first on the entrance exam.
Of course, Kei didn't know that. She was simply pessimistic about how her evening would turn out.
"By the way, where's Ayanokoji's dorm room?"
Makoto asked Kushida. When it came to Class D, Kushida was the right person to ask. She could even answer questions about the other classes.
"Room 401. Are you going to see him now?"
Kushida asked without much curiosity, thinking that she wished the secret were as easy to understand as this.
But then there wouldn't be any point in digging it up.
"Yeah."
Makoto gave a brief reply.
The sun had already sunk below the horizon, leaving the sky's red glow to shine down on them.
"Feel free to use my room."
With that, Makoto headed for the stairs.
Room 401 was directly above Room 301. They were surprisingly close.
He knocked lightly, but the door didn't open as he'd expected.
Makoto furrowed his brow and knocked again, as if refusing to give up.
At last, the door opened. Ayanokoji stood behind it with an expression that said, "I knew it."
"You came by this early. Is it that urgent?"
His face remained as impassive as ever as he looked straight at Makoto.
"Actually, I have something to do tonight, so the sooner we settle this, the better."
"I see... Come in."
Ayanokoji stepped aside without changing his expression. It was hard to tell whether he believed Makoto's explanation.
Makoto decided to take it as a yes. After all, everything he'd said was true.
Ayanokoji closed the door after Makoto entered.
"Would you like something to drink? I only have tea, though."
"No, thanks. I just ate, and honestly, I'm quite full."
Politely declining Ayanokoji's hospitality, Makoto got straight to the point.
"What do you want me to do?"
"That's something you should be thinking about."
Ayanokoji tossed the question back to Makoto, since he couldn't think of any brilliant ideas himself.
As long as he was caught up in the whirlpool that was Class D, he couldn't stay out of it.
He was absolutely certain of that.
"Then I'll tell you one thing first."
Makoto smiled. This was probably the information Ayanokoji most wanted to know right now.
"The homeroom teacher doesn't have as much power as you might think."
"Are you sure?"
Ayanokoji remained cautiously skeptical.
"The homeroom teachers in the other classes aren't like the one in Class D. They don't have as many unpleasant quirks," Makoto explained patiently. "I assume Chabashira-sensei used the threat of expulsion to make you act, right?"
Ayanokoji said nothing, but Makoto saw his gaze flicker for an instant.
"I'll assume that's the case. But it's a complete lie. There's no such thing."
"I've seen that you're sincere. But how do you expect me to keep trusting you in the future?"
Makoto's expression turned helpless.
"Do you want me to sign a contract with you?"
"A contract?" Ayanokoji repeated the familiar yet unfamiliar word. "This school has something like that?"
"Otherwise, why would everyone outside call this school different from the rest? So, what do you think? Want to sign a contract with me?"
That said, Makoto wasn't particularly eager to sign one.
Especially when the other party was named Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.
"Judging by your expression, you don't seem too keen on signing."
Ayanokoji had noticed and said so plainly. Even he was surprised by how directly he'd spoken.
Was this really the kind of person he was?
"Do you know who your father is?"
In response to Ayanokoji's perceptiveness, Makoto asked that instead. Before Ayanokoji could answer, he continued as if talking to himself.
"Ayanokoji Atsuomi. He has considerable influence in politics. Do you really think he can't affect this place?"
"Are you trying to say...?"
"Agreements are just toys for adults. What I want is something called trust. What do you think?"
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, are you capable of that?
That was what Makoto thought.
Would someone who lacked emotions choose an option that amounted to taking a gamble?
"Then let me ask you: do you think society today is equal?"
He didn't get the response he'd expected. Instead of choosing to "accept" or "refuse," Ayanokoji had gone with a third option—
a counter-question.
"You probably already have an answer in mind if you're asking me that. Why bother asking?"
Makoto gave a wry smile.
"Do you feel that society is equal?"
"You really are... unusual."
Ayanokoji's mouth twitched slightly, but he'd gotten one of the answers he wanted.
"So, what do you think true strength is?"
"You're not going to keep asking about equality?"
"That doesn't matter. It only takes a little thought to see that equality is impossible."
Ayanokoji put his hands in his pockets, his expression unusually relaxed.
"Well, what's your answer?"
"I've never thought about it," Makoto said, shaking his head. "That's an answer you have to seek for yourself."
"I see."
Ayanokoji seemed a little disappointed, but he didn't press Makoto for an answer.
"If I had to say, I'd call it 'salvation'—saving people who are trapped in suffering."
Preferably, they'd be beautiful girls, too.
Makoto silently added that to himself.
"Understood. So that's your own answer?"
Thoughtful, Ayanokoji slightly raised his head to look at the man in front of him.
"I agree to the deal you mentioned earlier."
I wrote a little, thought it didn't feel right, and hurriedly took it back.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka enrolled at Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School to find out what "equality" and "strength" meant. He also wanted to experience "emotions," something he lacked.
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