The First Signs of a Class Transfer / The Gambler's Mindset

There was no other way; after all, it was his sister's heartfelt gift, and considering that the first two might be useful in the future, Kitagawa Ryo ultimately chose to accept them all. He could only be thankful that he acquired these talents after meeting Ichinose Maki, otherwise, who knows what kind of accident might have occurred.

After reminding Hotaru not to turn on the automatic simulation without his permission, Kitagawa Ryo left the room to meet the students of Class A, whom he had arranged to meet in advance.

Looking at the students passing by, chatting and laughing, some from the same grade and some from higher grades, Kitagawa Ryo felt as if he had been tricked by Hotaru again.

Good news: He's still in First Year.

Bad news: In seven months, new First Year students will be starting school.

Chapter 279: The Outpost Before Class Transfer (5k)

Even though the Leader Class 1-A Ichinose Honami to Karuizawa Kei, the overall atmosphere of the class and the feeling that Kitagawa Ryo had was very similar. It was a harmonious class in every sense.

In this respect, they are the most suitable to stay in Class B, which is in the middle to upper range. Because whether they move up to Class A or fall back to Class C, it will inevitably cause subtle changes in the psychology of the students in the class, thereby destroying the sense of collective help and support that the whole class is most proud of.

That's the current situation.

For those currently in Class A, the joy of being promoted to Class A probably faded on the cruise ship. Those who were a little slow to realize it would have been a little late in the summer. The relief and joy of finally being able to breathe a sigh of relief after achieving their goal would instantly turn back into anxiety and tension. But the forced energy and spirit they had mustered was not enough to tighten their relaxed nerves again in a short period of time.

At this crucial moment when class Leader need to step in and resolve things, class president Karuizawa Kei clashed with Hoshinomiya Chie. In fact, not only Megumi, but many students in Class A also found it difficult to understand their homeroom teacher's implication that they should abandon cooperation with their obviously powerful ally, Class D, in this Sports Festival. This inevitably led to disagreements and confusion.

As if things weren't bad enough, rumors circulated that Kitagawa Ryo from Class B might be contacting Class First Year to replicate the Uninhabited Island Special Exam and drag Class A down. Naturally, many students in Class A were somewhat panicked and even lost their composure.

After all, it's obvious to anyone with eyes that Class A became Class A because they had a high initial Class Points and got a good deal. If Class B hadn't started from zero, they would have surpassed them and become Class A long ago after the Uninhabited Island Exam.

So it's not just the other three classes that feel the "A" in Class A's name is a bit undeserved; even some students in Class A themselves feel that their class's current strength doesn't match that of Class A.

Hoshinomiya Chie made it sound so easy, but when it really comes down to it, their Class A might not be as competitive as Class D in the Sports Festival. The boys' side had two leading players like Kito Hayato and Hirata Yosuke, and there were also many outstanding students like Hashimoto Masayoshi. Apart from the athletic star Shibata and the slightly less talented Kanzaki, their class really didn't have any outstanding athletes. The same was true for the girls.

It was under the influence of these factors that Kanzaki Ryuji chose to invite him out. Although ostensibly it was for shopping and fun, they probably also wanted to sound out his opinion and attitude towards the Sports Festival and Class A.

Standing at the entrance of the Keyaki Mall, Kitagawa Ryo briefly reviewed the various details related to Class A in his mind while observing the students coming and going.

Because it's the weekend, there were quite a few people at the Keyaki Mall. Actually, it makes sense. Many students are willing to exercise on the playground during class time because they are used to doing so with their classmates after school. But if you really ask them to get out of their dorms on a weekend to exercise on the playground, it really tests their willpower.

Good morning, Kitagawa-kun.

After waiting a short while, a voice greeted him from behind. Kitagawa Ryo turned around and saw a group of three from Class A: one boy and two girls.

The person greeting him was Kanzaki Ryuji, the vice-class president of Class A. Beside him were two girls: one was Himeno Yuki, who had invited him out, and the other was Amikura Mako, whom he had met on the Uninhabited Island and who was in the same group as Kanzaki. Kitagawa Ryo remembered that this girl was close to Megumi; perhaps it was because they both liked to wear high ponytails?

"Good morning, Kanzaki, and also Amikura and Himeno."

After exchanging good morning greetings with the three students from Class A, Kitagawa Ryo heard Kanzaki Ryuji suggest somewhat eagerly:

"I have something very important to ask you, Kitagawa. How about going to karaoke?"

"Oh, no problem."

Before, when he was having a small meeting with the girls in his room, he thought that if there were too many people, they would have to go to a karaoke room. He didn't expect that he would actually be invited there after only a few days. Kitagawa Ryo nodded in agreement and then followed the Class A students who seemed to be regulars at the karaoke room and were therefore very familiar with the operation. Before long, they had booked a room and headed to their destination.

"... Although I don't know if you, Kitagawa, expected things to turn out this way, I'm sorry."

Just as Kitagawa Ryo was leisurely looking around the karaoke room, which he was not very familiar with since he had hardly ever been there before, Himeno Yuki, who was walking in front of him, suddenly slowed down and quietly apologized to him.

After all, when she asked Kitagawa Ryo out, she didn't mention that Kanzaki and Amikura were also there, nor did she say that she wanted to meet him to discuss business. In Himeno Yuki's eyes, this was probably a kind of deception, which is why she said such a thing.

"It's alright, after all, Himeno helped me twice on the cruise ship."

Kitagawa Ryo was a little surprised that this withdrawn girl, who seemed out of place in Class A, would suddenly apologize to him. He paused for a moment before replying with this sentence.

"Actually, it was just Kanzaki and me at first, but we ran into Amikura on the way. She heard we were coming to see you, so she came along too."

After briefly explaining why Amikura Mako was also there, Himeno Yuki quickened her pace and stepped forward, returning Kitagawa Ryo to their original distance, as if she had already used up all of her communication quota for the day.

After everyone had entered the private room, Kanzaki Ryuji didn't even glance at the microphone on the table and went straight to the point:

"First of all, I've already discussed the topics we're going to discuss with Himeno beforehand, so Amikura, can you guarantee that anything you hear or say here today won't be leaked?"

"No problem."

Amikura Mako readily agreed:

"And I also happen to have something I want to ask Kitagawa."

"Okay, before we get to the main topic, I have a question. This is a rumor that most of the class, including Amikura and the others, have heard: Kitagawa and Karuizawa have broken up. Is this rumor true?"

Although Kanzaki Ryuji maintained his usual calm and composed expression, the question he posed seemed strangely comical.

"Hui and I are still dating."

Kitagawa Ryo himself didn't know where the rumor started. It seemed that some people saw him exercising with Sakayanagi Arisu, while others caught a glimpse of him and Horikita Suzune Matoba, the sources were quite complicated, and eventually they came together to form this rumor.

"Hui and I have always met privately, for example, at the gym."

To bolster his argument, Kitagawa Ryo added this statement, immediately sensing a softening in the gazes of Kanzaki Ryuji and Amikura Mako. The latter, resting her chin on her hands, smiled and said:

"Right? I told you there was nothing to worry about."

Kanzaki Ryuji seemed to breathe a sigh of relief before sitting back down on the sofa, gathering his thoughts as he began to speak again:

"Since Karuizawa hasn't been in a particularly good mental state lately, and it's not a problem on your side, Kitagawa, then it must be due to a conflict with Hoshinomiya."

"I've heard Hui mention this to me briefly, but I think you students in your class know more about the inside story and details, right? Tell me about it?"

Kitagawa Ryo nodded, unconsciously regaining control of the conversation.

"Well, I'm not good at expressing myself, could you please ask Amikura for help?"

Aside from discussions about a certain couple, Kanzaki Ryuji doesn't seem to be very good at expressing his thoughts appropriately. After hesitating for a moment, he chose to ask Amikura Mako for help.

"Huh? Does Hoshinomiya -sensei and Megumi have some kind of conflict? I feel like Hoshinomiya- sensei is a really good homeroom teacher, almost like an older sister."

After Amikura Mako blurted out those words without thinking, Kanzaki Ryuji, with a forced smile, was too lazy to explain and could only look at Himeno Yuki, who was idly playing with the ends of her hair.

Although the other person reluctantly pursed their lips, they eventually mustered their spirits, but still seemed unwilling to make eye contact. Therefore, while fiddling with their nails, they explained to Kitagawa Ryo:

"In my opinion, this trend should have started as early as after the Uninhabited Island Special Exam. Amikura should still remember the celebration party we held immediately after the exam... Actually, many students were not in the mood for it at that time. They were too tired and sleepy. If the class monitor hadn't told us to disperse, we don't know how late it would have gone on."

"But Hoshinomiya teacher just held that celebration party on a whim because she was happy. After all, we were promoted to Class A, and isn't that her usual personality?"

It's clear that Hoshinomiya Chie is very popular in Class B as their homeroom teacher. As soon as Himeno Yuki finished speaking, Amikura Mako almost instinctively retorted.

"You can't just brush everything off with things like being easygoing or approachable. How many times last semester did she come to class drunk? If you think that's because she's easygoing, then that's fine, but that's not something a qualified homeroom teacher or a qualified instructor would do."

At this point, Kitagawa Ryo noticed that Himeno Yuki's voice had become noticeably louder and her emotions were much more intense, showing that the psychological trauma Hoshinomiya Chie had left on the cruise ship was indeed quite significant.

"Furthermore, I did a special investigation afterward. Hoshinomiya's homeroom teacher and Chabashira's homeroom teacher from the original Class A were classmates who graduated from the same class here. I think there might be some personal grudges between them. After all, at that time, Hoshinomiya teacher was not so much happy that we were promoted from Class B to Class A, but rather simply happy that Class A was demoted to Class D."

After calming her slightly agitated emotions, Himeno Yuki spoke again in a composed manner:

"You could tell from what she said to us at the Sports Festival that she clearly has a conflict with Chabashira teacher of Class D. Otherwise, she would never have hinted that we should keep an eye on Class D, who are also in the Red Team."

"And this is the root of the conflict between Karuizawa and Hoshinomiya. They are pursuing completely different things, but they cooperated without interfering with each other because they had the common goal of being in Class A."

That's all I have to say.

Now that she felt like she'd used up her year's quota, after saying all that, Himeno Yuki picked up the song request board from the table and glanced at it haphazardly, giving me a look that said, "Don't bother me anymore."

That's about it.

Seemingly finding Himeno Yuki's explanation sufficiently detailed, Kanzaki Ryuji offered no further explanation and nodded to Kitagawa Ryo.

"As far as I know, among the four First Year classes, even the most violent and rule-ignoring Class C has not shown any intention of going against the homeroom teacher. This is the problem that is troubling everyone in the class."

"It is indeed a very troublesome matter."

Kitagawa Ryo also wore a thoughtful expression.

In this Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School, the close cooperation between the homeroom teacher and the students is the most crucial cornerstone for the class's advancement. Just as the entire Class B cannot erase Mashima Tomoya the previous semester, even Kitagawa Ryo himself can feel how valuable a homeroom teacher who is willing to help and guide the class forward is. Otherwise, he would not have implemented the change of homeroom teacher before the start of the school year.

Theoretically, his plan was successful. Chabashira Sae, who was transferred to Class A, is now leading the team to charge down into Class D. But who knew that they would all go completely mad together, along with Hoshinomiya Chie from Class B, and fall into an emotional competition and attrition that is even more intense than in the past few years. They don't even want to act anymore.

Simply put, Hoshinomiya Chie's logic was to make Chabashira Sae repeatedly experience despair, destroying her dream of advancing to Class A to avenge the past.

When Chabashira Sae was leading Class A, this operational logic was indeed aligned with that of her Class B. Over the past semester and summer vacation, the other side had indeed spared no effort in cooperating with his and Karuizawa Kei's plans.

But now that Chabashira Sae has been demoted to Class D, Hoshinomiya Chie's logic of action is somewhat inconsistent with the overall interests of the class.

Class A should be focused on consolidating their current position. Their biggest rival should be Class B, which is only 51 Class Points behind them. However, Hoshinomiya Chie seems determined to attack Class D. Judging from her willingness to violate the rules of the Red and White Group competition at the Sports Festival, she is indeed a bit obsessed.

But as Kanzaki Ryuji said, there has never been a precedent of a student and homeroom teacher having a violent conflict since the establishment of Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School. Moreover, Hoshinomiya Chie herself is not so unpopular in Class A as to be universally disliked. On the contrary, she is quite popular, as can be seen from Amikura Mako's reaction.

"There's definitely no good solution right now. As a temporary measure, let's try to distract her from this Sports Festival."

After thinking for a moment, Kitagawa Ryo took the initiative to speak to Kanzaki and the others:

"Just think of it as helping Hui relieve some stress. I'll do it, you don't need to worry."

Seemingly quite satisfied with his answer, Kanzaki Ryuji showed no intention of asking him about his plans, simply nodding and moving on to the next topic.

"Since Kitagawa and Karuizawa's relationship is still like this, it means the rumor about the other Class 3 conspiring is also false, right?"

"Oh, that's a secret for now."

Kitagawa Ryo leaned back, burying himself in the soft sofa, and replied in a slightly unsteady tone:

"A close relationship with an individual does not necessarily mean a close relationship with the group they belong to; the scope of 'love me, love my dog' isn't that broad."

Then, Kitagawa Ryo, showing great interest, took the initiative to ask:

"In your opinion, is the reason for supporting Hui and opposing Hoshinomiya because you feel that the former is acting for the class, while the latter is only acting out of personal feelings and desires?"

Although they didn't know why Kitagawa Ryo suddenly asked such a question, Kanzaki three of them exchanged glances and nodded together.

They had all witnessed how responsible Karuizawa Kei was as the class representative of Class A. The fact that she was willing to choose to work alone on Uninhabited Island for the benefit of the class was the best proof of that.

Not surprised by the three people's reaction, Kitagawa Ryo smiled and continued to ask:

"So, if one day Hui also wants to act for her own selfish desires, will you still come here to discuss similar topics with others?"

Before the three could react, Kitagawa Ryo shook his head again:

"Of course, you don't need to answer this question now, since it's not time yet, but it doesn't hurt to think about it sooner. Besides, the answer to this question is easy to change, and maybe after this Sports Festival your thoughts will be completely different from when you first heard it."

After briefly laying the groundwork for something to come, Kitagawa Ryo leaned forward to grab the microphone that Kanzaki Ryuji had pushed to the corner of the table, and casually greeted him:

"Alright, alright, we should have finished discussing the important matters, and Private Points for the private room. Let's sing some songs; we might need them for the Uninhabited Island Special Exam next year."

His words eased the tense atmosphere in the karaoke room. However, since Kanzaki Ryuji and Himeno Yuki were not used to it, Amikura Mako generously sang two songs to kill time before the group left the karaoke room.

"It's only ten o'clock--"

Perhaps because he arrived too early, Kitagawa Ryo checked his phone as he left the private room and saw that it was only 10 a. m.

"If it's not lunchtime yet, I'll go wander around the playground for a bit. Bye!"

"Oh, goodbye Kitagawa."

"Goodbye."

Watching Kitagawa Ryo hurry towards the playground, Kanzaki Ryuji stroked his chin and asked somewhat uncertainly:

"I remember Shibata mentioning that today is the Soccer Club's training day, right?"

"Um."

Amikura Mako nodded, but she seemed a little absent-minded, as if she was still thinking about the question Kitagawa Ryo had asked earlier:

"Hey, Kanzaki, what's your answer to that question Kitagawa asked...?"

"I believe in Karuizawa."

Kanzaki Ryuji gave his answer quite readily.

"I believe in Hui too, but what will we do if that day really comes?"

When confronted with Amikura Mako's persistent questioning, it was Himeno Yuki, who had been following behind and hadn't said much, who answered her.

"Then let's put it that she's acting for the class."

Chapter 280: The Gambler's Mentality (5k)

Although it was past 10 a. m., the sun had gradually moved to its zenith, and the temperature had risen noticeably, there were actually more students on the playground than in the morning, creating a lively and bustling scene.

Kitagawa Ryo's gaze swept across the field and found the Soccer Club members who had already started training. There were quite a few students watching from the sidelines, some of whom were girls who simply wanted to come and see the handsome soccer boys, while others wanted to take this opportunity to assess the Soccer Club members' footwork and speed in preparation for the Sports Festival predictions later.

"I haven't seen Nagumo... By the way, is he really coming here?"

Katsuragi Kohei stood beside him with his arms crossed, but he seemed a little anxious and couldn't help but ask Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, who had come with him.

"Let's wait and see. After all, Hirata specifically said that he comes here every weekend."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka gave a brief reply while turning his gaze with interest to the center of the court. The group training had started three minutes ago, but Miyabi Nagumo was nowhere to be seen, which explained Katsuragi Kohei's anxiety.

Seemingly somewhat dissatisfied with Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's attitude, Totsuka Yahiko was also following behind Katsuragi Kohei, clicked his tongue and almost couldn't help but say a few more words.

Unfortunately, ever since he was blamed for failing the Uninhabited Island Special Exam, Totsuka Yahiko had no choice but to keep his head down and had to restrain his temper considerably.