Chapter 33

Leading the pack was the Hirata harem—no, the support group. "You must be Kitazawa Minya, right!? Horikita-san said you're the culprit!" Karuizawa pointed at me, looking fierce. "Are you guys bored or something? If you're looking for trouble, we aren't afraid of Class D," Oda countered. "Takumi, be a gentleman to the ladies. Let's hear what they have to say first." I, on the other hand, stepped forward with a fearless smile. "I am indeed Kitazawa Minya. What can I do for you?" "You still have the nerve to smile! It's all your fault that Yosuke-kun ended up like that!" "Wait a second, who is Yosuke? I don't even know the guy, so how could I have harmed him?" I asked, feigning innocence. "Hirata Yosuke-kun is the leader of our study group!" Shinohara, standing nearby, interjected. "Because of the fake exam papers you gave him, he's now drowning in self-reproach and guilt for almost causing our classmates to drop out!" "I see. So this Hirata fellow made a mistake, and since you couldn't find the real culprit, you decided to frame me. Is that it?" "You are the culprit! Horikita-san said that only Class C would have the motive and the ability to do this! Plus, Ichinose-san from Class B also said you had edited similar review materials before, which included questions similar to the ones on this exam!" Karuizawa said, hands on her hips. "So... that just proves my review materials were accurate. Is that a crime? Please, can someone who speaks Japanese step up and explain the whole story from start to finish? OK?" I was speechless at the communication skills of these girls, but out of curiosity about the current state of their class, I listened patiently. "You!" Karuizawa looked like she wanted to hit me but didn't dare. "Sorry, Kitazawa-kun. It's like this..." A girl named Matsushita stepped forward to explain the situation in Class D over the past few days. It turned out that two days before the exam, Hirata had distributed past exam papers he obtained from a senior in the soccer club, which eased the tense atmosphere in the class. However, behind the scenes, Kushida had obtained a completely different set of past papers from a third-year senior. Hirata had released his papers early, leaving Kushida—who had planned to release hers on the final day—at a complete loss. Eventually, after consulting with Horikita, Kushida and the others secretly met with Hirata that night to present the papers they had. But the answers had already been distributed, and many had started memorizing them, even relaxing. Moreover, no one could confirm which set of answers was real. Both Hirata and Kushida called their respective seniors, but it was useless, as both seniors insisted that their provided papers were the correct ones. In a moment of crisis, Horikita proposed that they memorize both sets of answers, and the plan was carried out. This was undoubtedly difficult and caused a great deal of confusion and anxiety. The most terrifying part was that this meant either Kushida or Hirata was definitely a traitor who had brought fake answers. So, after the exam results came out, everyone's anger naturally focused on Hirata. Fortunately, they realized which set was correct after the first subject, so Class D's scores in the afternoon subjects were relatively good. In the end, only the "Three Idiots" failed. Horikita and Kushida mobilized the class to pool their points, buying grades from Chabashira-sensei at the cost of 100,000 points per point to save the three of them. The cost was heavy; Kushida and Hirata had to borrow a lot of points from everywhere. Naturally, mostly from the wealthy Ichinose. Hirata also became insecure and withdrawn due to his mistake. Fortunately, Horikita spoke up for Hirata-kun, explaining that this was likely a conspiracy by Kitazawa of Class C, which finally allowed the members of Class D to unite again. After hearing the whole story, I asked, "So, how did Horikita deduce that I was the mastermind?" "Listen up!" Karuizawa repeated, acting tough on someone else's authority. "First, you provoked her a week ago, which was exactly when Yosuke-kun received the fake test papers from the soccer club senior. Second, you possess a large amount of points of unknown origin, giving you the means to bribe upperclassmen. Third, Ichinose-san said you had edited similar questions. Horikita-san looked at those questions and saw modified exam problems, and combined with Class C's calm reaction upon learning that Class D had past papers..." It turned out the questions I gave Kobashi last time had leaked to Class D. How naughty; I'll have to ask Kobashi what that's about. "So that means I had the real past papers all along?" I followed up. "Exactly. And that senior who tricked Yosuke-kun specifically instructed him to release the papers two or three days before the exam, which was meant to block any other real past papers. You have nothing to say now, do you?" "Then, where is the evidence, Miss Karuizawa? Besides, even if I had the past papers early, that doesn't mean I was the one who created the fake ones. It could have been one of Hirata's enemies, like that senior in his club who doesn't like him. Furthermore, I don't even know Hirata!" "You still have the nerve to say that! Kushida-san has already confessed! You asked her to find you a girlfriend in our class! You only framed Yosuke-kun because you were jealous of his popularity! That's why we're here to confront you, you scum!" Hey, hey! Kushida, you're a piece of work! Did she find out I was bad-mouthing her behind her back? What a scary girl... "That's just Kushida's own judgment, isn't it? I never said any such thing. You're just going to believe her one-sided story? What if Kushida said Ichinose was the one behind this? Would you put Ichinose on trial too? You know, it could have been her who intentionally created a situation where you had to rely on her for relief!" I laughed. "Kushida-san wouldn't lie! She's much more reliable than you! Let me tell you, we would never be interested in a despicable person like you! I've already put the word out: any girl in Class D who dares to date you will be ostracized by all of us!" Karuizawa said triumphantly. "Clap, clap, clap," I applauded a few times. "It seems it's not just Kushida and Horikita—you have a persecution complex too! Think whatever you want, but you're declaring war on me, aren't you? If you want to avenge your boyfriend, you'll need the strength to back it up. Accusing me without evidence—I have a temper, you know!" "Hmph, if we look, we'll definitely find evidence soon! You won't be smug for much longer!" "Then let's make a bet. Within half a year, if you find evidence that I did this, I'll kneel and apologize to Hirata. Of course, deductions and verbal testimonies from your own Class D people don't count." "Fine!" Karuizawa agreed without a second thought. "I'm not done yet! If you can't find it, you'll date me! A real date! The kind where we can do anything..." "I don't want to date a sleazebag like you! Even if you're rich, no way!" Karuizawa actually seemed to have some backbone. "If you don't want to, any other girl from Class D will do, as long as I'm satisfied. Do you dare? If you're the leader of the girls' group, you should be able to make that call, right? Or are you just all talk? Should we call Horikita out to discuss this? What you and your Hirata say in class doesn't count here, does it?" Matsushita, standing to the side, hurriedly tugged at Karuizawa, signaling her not to be impulsive. "Fine! I accept! You're dead!" But as the leader of the girls, having been bullied to her face, Karuizawa couldn't take a step back now, even knowing this was a clumsy provocation. "Everyone present is a witness! See you later, Karuizawa-san."