Moonpeak's Considerations

The days passed at an unhurried pace, and the brief stir caused by the exams seemed to have died down.

But Moonpeak knew that beneath the calm surface, the currents had never stopped churning.

He didn't squander the 50,000 S Points he'd received as a reward.

He cautiously divided them into several portions: one for daily expenses and emergencies, another to buy some practical reference books and short-term access to online databases.

With the small amount left over, he made an "investment."

Through a reliable anonymous channel, he purchased a confidential report titled "Analysis of Ryuen Kakeru's Behavioral Patterns Before Enrollment and Recent Conduct on Campus."

It had cost him a painful amount, but it was worth it.

The report showed that Ryuen had been known for violence and controlling small cliques since middle school.

After entering Advanced Nurturing High School, he quickly brought together the Class C students who likewise admired strength or were easily intimidated, establishing absolute control.

His goal was clear: raise Class C's standing and points by any means necessary, even if that meant resorting to violence, threats, or... cheating.

At the same time, the report noted that Ryuen wasn't a mindless thug.

He had some strategic vision and the ability to read a situation. He was willing to tolerate people who were genuinely "useful"—as long as they remained under his control.

"Useful pieces..." Moonpeak mused as he read the report's conclusion.

By earning extra points for his class through the exam, he had probably gone from "a somewhat unusual transfer student" to "a potentially useful piece" in Ryuen's eyes.

That small "promotion" was soon confirmed.

During a break one day, Ishizaki came over again, wearing his trademark unpleasant grin.

But this time, he didn't bring up the exam or pick a fight. Instead, he spoke in an almost "consultative" tone. "Hey, Ayanokoji. The grade's Sports Festival is next month, and every class has to enter a team event.

The boss says you've got quick reflexes and seem to have good balance, so you're in the Obstacle Relay."

It wasn't an order so much as a "notification" and an "assignment."

Clearly, the "value" Moonpeak had displayed in the exam—something Ryuen could make use of—had earned him a tiny bit of participation in "class affairs," or rather, the "privilege" of being exploited for his labor.

Moonpeak rolled his eyes inwardly. The Obstacle Relay? It sounded exhausting and easy to get injured in, and it was bound to be a stage for Ryuen to show off Class C's "unity" and "strength."

But he had no room to refuse. In Class C, openly defying one of Ryuen's "assignments" had serious consequences.

"Sure. Got it," Moonpeak replied expressionlessly.

Ishizaki seemed satisfied with his attitude and walked away, humming to himself. A few Class C boys nearby watched Moonpeak with complicated expressions—some envious, others sympathetic.

Moonpeak didn't care. There was still some time before the Sports Festival. He'd figure things out when the time came.

For now, his attention was more focused on the special course Advanced Logic and Game Theory.

He'd followed his "father's" suggestion—or, more accurately, instruction—and chosen the course.

It met twice a week in a dedicated seminar room. The students came from different classes, and there were very few of them, only about a dozen.

Moonpeak saw quite a few "familiar faces" there: Katsuragi Kohei from Class A, Ichinose Honami from Class B, Hiyori Shiina from Class C, and even Horikita Suzune from Class D.

Moonpeak was a little surprised to see Hiyori Shiina, but then it made sense.

Given her intelligence and interest in knowledge, it wasn't strange for her to have chosen the course.

Hiyori seemed surprised to find Moonpeak there, too. When their eyes met,

she paused briefly, then gave him a faint, slightly bashful smile and a light nod.

The course was extremely difficult. The professor was a stern old academic, almost rigid in his manner, and the material was abstract and profound, making extensive use of mathematical logic symbols and complex game-theory models.

The discussions were even more intense. Katsuragi's rigorous logic, Ichinose's broad perspective and concern for people, and Horikita's sharp questions and insistence on finding the optimal solution all opened Moonpeak's eyes and increased the pressure on him.

The knowledge he'd picked up in his "last-minute exam prep" was clearly not enough here.

He had to concentrate fully and work hard to keep up, sometimes even relying on his unstable "Slow Motion" perception to quickly break down complicated chains of logic.

After a few classes, he felt as if he'd lost a horrifying number of brain cells, but the rewards were substantial.

This intense mental training gave him a deeper understanding of "strategy," "choice," and "consequences."

He even had a vague sense that it might subtly help him analyze and deal with the complicated situations on campus.

Hiyori Shiina's performance in the course impressed Moonpeak all over again.

She didn't speak often, but whenever she did, her points were exceptionally clear and precise. She often approached things from an unexpected angle and got right to the heart of the matter.

She seemed to have a natural feel for logic and philosophy. From time to time, Moonpeak caught a glimpse of a tranquil light in her light brown eyes as she thought, utterly unlike her usual shyness.

After a group case analysis, the professor assigned an open-ended question to consider after class. It concerned a practical dilemma involving a classic game-theory model.

Moonpeak thought about it for a long time, but felt there was something missing.

As he left the seminar room, Hiyori Shiina happened to be walking behind him. There weren't many people in the hallway.

"Moonpeak," Hiyori Shiina called softly. She hurried a couple of steps to walk beside him. Her voice was still gentle, but when she discussed academic topics, there was a natural fluency to it. "About that variation on the 'Cake-Cutting Game' from earlier.

When you were considering how incomplete information affected the definition of fairness, did you overlook the cumulative effect of 'Iterative Trust' in repeated games?"

Moonpeak paused, then suddenly understood. That was the missing piece he'd been looking for! "Iterative Trust"... Indeed, in long-term, repeated interactions, even when information was incomplete,

trust built up through past behavior could profoundly affect the participants' choices of strategy, thereby changing the very meaning of "fairness."

"You're right!" Moonpeak's eyes lit up as he looked at Hiyori Shiina. "You always notice what matters, Shiina."

Hiyori's cheeks turned faintly red. She lowered her head and said softly, "It's just... I happened to be reading some related materials recently.

Moonpeak, you have a solid foundation. It's just that the model itself assumes a one-shot game, so it's easy to overlook the long-term context."

They walked along, quietly discussing the topic and branching out from game theory into related philosophical questions.

Moonpeak found that it was pleasant to discuss things with Hiyori Shiina. She was quick-witted and articulate, and never confrontational. She was more interested in exchanging ideas and adding to them.

Before they knew it, they had reached the area near the library.

"Um..." Hiyori Shiina suddenly stopped. Her fingers absently twirled a lock of hair, and her voice grew quieter. "If you don't mind, Moonpeak... I have a few papers about 'Incomplete Information Dynamic Games.'

The professor recommended them to me before. They might help you understand today's case. I could... lend them to you."

She was sharing her materials again.

Moonpeak looked at her flushed cheeks and expectant eyes. The gloom brought on by his "father" and Kiyotaka seemed to lift a little.

In an environment full of scheming and competition, it was rare to find someone with whom he could simply exchange knowledge, let alone someone willing to share their resources.

"Really? I'd appreciate that, Shiina," Moonpeak said sincerely.

Hiyori Shiina seemed relieved, and her smile grew more pronounced. "Then... should I bring them for you after class tomorrow?"

"Sure."

Just as they had made their plans and the atmosphere between them had grown warm, someone came around the corner of the library, holding a tablet and apparently checking something on it.

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji.

He raised his head and calmly glanced at Moonpeak and Hiyori Shiina as they talked. His face remained expressionless, and he didn't even slow his pace, as if they were just two strangers passing by.

But Moonpeak clearly saw Kiyotaka's gaze fall on Hiyori Shiina's face.

More precisely, his eyes lingered for barely half a second on her cheeks, where the blush hadn't quite faded and a faint smile remained.

Then, as if he hadn't seen anything, he walked right past them and disappeared down another path.

Moonpeak: "..."

Hiyori Shiina seemed a little flustered by Kiyotaka's sudden appearance, too. The blush on her face deepened, and she murmured, "Then... see you tomorrow, Moonpeak." Afterward, she hurried off as well.

Moonpeak stood where he was, watching the direction Kiyotaka had disappeared in and thinking back to that half-second glance, so brief it was almost impossible to notice.

Kiyotaka... What had he seen? And what had he "analyzed"?

Moonpeak shook his head and decided not to dwell on it. Thinking too much about anything related to Kiyotaka was liable to give him a headache.

However, the calm on campus was ultimately fragile.

A few days later, one evening, Moonpeak had just left the library and was heading to the cafeteria when he heard a heated argument up ahead on the elevated walkway connecting the main building and the Gymnasium. Ishizaki's coarse voice was among those raised.

"You piece of trash from Class D! I haven't settled the score with you over the last exam! Quit getting in the way!"

"This is a public walkway, Ishizaki," came the calm reply, in a voice Moonpeak already knew well.

It was Kiyotaka. Along with Ishizaki, there seemed to be someone else there, too.

Moonpeak's heart tightened, and he hurried over. In the middle of the walkway, Ishizaki and two or three of his lackeys had blocked Kiyotaka, who was walking alone.

Ishizaki was furious, clearly still brooding over how Kiyotaka had used the school rules to scare him off during the last exam.

Kiyotaka, meanwhile, remained as calm as ever, holding what looked like a book borrowed from the library.

"Public? I don't like the look of you, so this walkway isn't public anymore!

You stuck your nose where it didn't belong last time. There aren't so many rules to hide behind this time, are there? Huh?" Ishizaki stepped forward and reached out to shove Kiyotaka's shoulder.

One of the lackeys behind him was cracking his knuckles, eager to join in.

Moonpeak's heart jumped into his throat. Was Ishizaki about to get physical? Here, in a semi-public corridor?

There probably weren't any blind spots in the cameras like there had been before, but it was still risky.

What would Kiyotaka do? With his physical abilities, he might be able to handle Ishizaki alone, but with the lackeys...

Just as Ishizaki's hand was about to touch Kiyotaka's shoulder, Kiyotaka suddenly shifted half a step to the side, moving extremely quickly and barely at all.

Ishizaki's shove met empty air. His momentum carried through, and he stumbled forward.

"You!" Ishizaki was even angrier. He regained his balance and glared viciously at Kiyotaka, his fists already clenched.

Kiyotaka acted as though he didn't see Ishizaki's raised fist. Looking calmly over Ishizaki's shoulder toward Moonpeak, he said in his steady, emotionless voice:

"Moonpeak, you're just in time. Chapter Three, Article Five of the Student Handbook, about conduct in public areas on campus—I can't quite remember the wording.

Does it prohibit 'any kind of provocation or physical altercation,' or only 'violent acts that cause actual injury'?"

He suddenly turned the question over to Moonpeak, speaking as naturally as if they were discussing an exercise.

Ishizaki and his lackeys whipped around, only then noticing Moonpeak standing a short distance away.

Ishizaki's expression darkened further.

Moonpeak was stunned, too. Was Kiyotaka... dragging him into this? Or...?

But there was no time to think it through. Ishizaki was clearly on the verge of exploding, and a fight could break out at any moment. Moonpeak had to take a position.

Moonpeak walked a few steps closer, stopping several paces from the two sides. His gaze passed over Ishizaki and the lackeys behind him before settling on Kiyotaka's still-expressionless face.

"Chapter Three, Article Five of the Student Handbook says, 'All provocative words or actions that could cause conflict, as well as physical altercations of any kind, are prohibited, whether or not they cause actual injury.'

"Furthermore, under the supplementary regulations, if something like this happens in a public area,

all parties involved will be investigated regardless of the cause, and it may affect their class's daily conduct evaluation score."

He put slightly more emphasis on "all parties involved" and "class evaluation score."

Ishizaki's fist clenched with a crack. His eyes were fixed on Moonpeak, then Kiyotaka.

He knew perfectly well what would happen if he threw a punch. Kiyotaka had already "reminded" him last time.

But he couldn't stomach just letting Kiyotaka go, especially in front of his underlings.

Kiyotaka seemed unsurprised by Moonpeak's "invocation of the school rules." He nodded, as if he'd resolved some minor question. "I see. Thanks, Moonpeak."

Then he turned to Ishizaki and said in that infuriatingly calm voice, "Ishizaki, if you're done, please stop blocking the way. You seem to be in the way of the people behind you."

Ishizaki whipped around, only then noticing that a few onlookers had gathered at both ends of the walkway without him realizing it. They were pointing and whispering.

A few of them seemed to be from Class B and Class A.

With everyone watching, starting a fight was even less of an option.

Ishizaki's face turned beet-red. He glared at Kiyotaka, then shot Moonpeak an even more vicious look, and ground out, "You... just wait!"

With that, he shoved through the crowd of onlookers and stalked off with his lackeys.

The students watching gradually dispersed when they realized there wouldn't be a fight.

Only Moonpeak and Kiyotaka remained in the corridor.

Kiyotaka switched the book, Modern Social Structural Changes, to his other hand and looked at Moonpeak, his tone as calm as ever. "Thanks for earlier."

Moonpeak forced a smile. "I was just reciting the school rules." He didn't want Kiyotaka to think of him as an "ally."

"Sometimes, the school rules are more useful than fists," Kiyotaka said. Then he looked at Moonpeak and added something that made his heart skip a beat:

"Class C seems to be getting more and more 'interesting.' Ishizaki seems particularly interested in a 'certain someone' from Class D, too."

He'd said "a certain someone," but Moonpeak immediately understood that Kiyotaka meant him.

Ishizaki's hostility toward Kiyotaka stemmed largely from the incident during the last exam, and that incident had also involved Moonpeak.

"Maybe," Moonpeak replied vaguely, not wanting to pursue the topic.

Kiyotaka didn't press him. He only said, "The Sports Festival is coming up. You're taking part in Class C's Obstacle Relay."

"...Yeah." Moonpeak could only admit it.

"Be careful," Kiyotaka said abruptly. Then, before Moonpeak could respond, he walked away.

His figure soon disappeared at the end of the corridor, as if that minor conflict and his cryptic "be careful" had never happened.

Moonpeak stood alone in the dimming corridor as the evening breeze blew past, carrying a chill.

Was Kiyotaka's final "be careful" a warning that Ishizaki might try to trip him up during the Sports Festival? Or did he mean something else?

Ishizaki's hostility, Ryuen's inscrutable attitude, Kiyotaka's elusive "interest," and his "father" watching from behind the scenes...

Moonpeak suddenly felt that the seemingly peaceful life on campus was like the sea before a storm: calm on the surface, but already churning beneath, waiting for a chance to unleash towering waves.

And that chance might be the upcoming Sports Festival.

He touched the preliminary schedule for Class C's Obstacle Relay, which he'd just received and tucked into his pocket. His name had been placed in a leg that seemed both crucial and prone to trouble.

"Looks like I'll have to prepare in advance," Moonpeak murmured, a grave look flashing in his eyes.

Whether for his own safety or for the pitiful value of his "contribution to the class," he couldn't let anyone use him as a stepping stone at the Sports Festival.

Night gradually enveloped the campus.