Chapter 37

"Think it over some more. It's only just begun, isn't it? If you want to recruit me, you'll at least have to show me what you're capable of, right?" Ayanokoji had finally agreed to consider it. That was a good sign. "Haha! I was worried Class D didn't have what it takes. We might've taken you down the moment we made a move. Then we wouldn't need you to join us at all. The best time to join is now. You'll have money and beautiful women—pick whoever you like from Class D. Doesn't that sound good?" "Horikita would kill me for that... Uh... Hopefully that won't happen, like you said... All right, let's leave it at that. I'll be in touch." "Sure." I wasn't going to pressure him. It was enough to plant a seed in Ayanokoji's mind for now. After seeing Ayanokoji off, I arranged to meet Kobashi Yume from Class B. I wanted to learn more about how her class was doing. "I'm really sorry about last time, Kitazawa. I showed Ichinose-san those materials without asking your permission." Kobashi's first reaction when she saw me was to apologize. I wasn't sure what to make of it. Wasn't she basically admitting that they'd conspired with Class D? Apparently, she wasn't very good at lying. "It's fine, it's fine. They were just some simple review materials. Ichinose-san is top of the year, so I'm sure she could've put them together herself." When someone was unexpectedly nice, they usually had an ulterior motive. I wanted to see what Class B was up to. "That's not all. Class B allied with your opponents, Kitazawa, so we've betrayed your trust. Ichinose-san asked me to apologize to you, too!" Kobashi bowed again as she spoke. Apologize? A little late for that! I'd already sold your plump, lovely Ichinose to Nagumo-senpai as a concubine. Go apologize to him instead! "It's all right. Class competition is one thing, but it doesn't stop us from being friends outside of class. Please, sit down. Order whatever you like." "Okay!" Kobashi Yume hesitated, then finally gathered the courage to ask, "What do you think about the rumors going around lately, Kitazawa?" "What rumors?" "The one saying Ichinose-san... that Ichinose-san embezzled class funds to help Class D's bottom of the barrel." Kobashi Yume brought it up reluctantly. She clearly disliked the whole business. "Even if it's true, I imagine Ichinose-san got everyone in Class B's permission first, didn't she?" I replied with a smile, cutting off Kobashi before she could say anything else. That rumor was one Ryuen and I had spread to get under meddlesome Ichinose's skin and drive a wedge through Class B! She'd come to the right person to ask. "Huh? How did you know, Kitazawa?" "Because I know everything. I even know what you and Ichinose discussed before you came to meet me today." I smiled. Kobashi Yume had arrived more than twenty minutes later than she had the last time we met. They'd left the dorm at the same time, and she hadn't been taking a shower or anything, so she must have been talking things over with Ichinose. A master at reading people like me could figure that much out. "...You really are good at predicting things, Kitazawa! Then I'll ask you directly. Did you spread that rumor?" "No. I have no reason to spread a rumor that no one in Class B would believe. It'd be more damaging to say Ichinose helped Class D because she likes Hirata from Class D." "..." Kobashi thought for a moment, then nodded. "Then could you lend Class D some points to help them out? We're all students at the same school, after all." "I am helping them, but I charge interest. And it's not as if they'll suffer without points. The school provides free meals and lodging. If you feel sorry for Class D, Kobashi-san, you shouldn't help them." "Why not?" "Because it's better to teach someone how to fish than to give them a fish. People have to grow up, and you can't help them forever. There's no such thing as a free lunch." "All right. I'll tell Ichinose-san. To be honest, I personally really admire you, Kitazawa. I wish we didn't have this class competition system..." "Actually, society is full of cooperation and competition. There's nothing wrong with competition, and the relationship between cooperation and competition is always changing. Just because we're in different classes, does that mean we can't cooperate?" "But we've already teamed up with Class D..." "Class B teamed up with Class D. You can team up with me! Individuals and groups are interdependent, but also independent of each other." "You're so mean, Kitazawa! You barely said a few words before trying to coax me into betraying my class... If I were going to betray my class, I wouldn't have asked Ichinose-san what to do before coming to meet you." Kobashi wasn't a fool. She'd obviously picked up on what I was implying. "That's true. But shouldn't you make your own choices in life, instead of leaving them to Ichinose? Ichinose can choose to work with Class D. Why can't you choose to work with me? I'm not Class C. I'm just me. I'm not at war with Class D personally, and I couldn't fight an entire class on my own anyway. Right?" "I don't understand." "I think you do, Yume-san. You're a smart girl. Working hard as a member of Class B doesn't conflict with saving up twenty million personal points to transfer to another class. Maybe Ichinose herself has considered it. If she saved up twenty million points, would she leave the class?" "I... I won't let you slander Ichinose-san!" Kobashi clearly trusted Ichinose and wasn't swayed by my attempt to drive a wedge between them. "I'm not slandering her. It's just a hypothetical. Anything is possible. Is there even a one-in-ten-thousand chance that Ichinose is a partner of Class A? Think about it: she's so exceptional, so why was she assigned to Class B? You might think I'm a despicable person, but I was correctly judged to belong in Class C! That proves I'm at least exactly what I seem." "You're really devious, Kitazawa... If that's how you see things, doesn't that mean the people in Class D are even worse?" Kobashi sighed, seeming to want to argue with me. "No. At least Sudo, Horikita, Kushida, and Hirata all fit Class D's reputation. The only person I've met so far who doesn't fit her class's initial assessment is Ichinose." "Honestly, how can you distrust Ichinose-san so much? She's such a good person..." "Good people don't always do good things. If someone tried to save one person and accidentally caused the deaths of many others, would you still think they did the right thing? Especially if you were one of the people they harmed... Our Class C is different. We have the same class funds, but under Ryuen-san's leadership, rewards and punishments are fair. We only help our own. Think it over, Yume-san." Kobashi couldn't argue with me. She slowly shook her head. "I understand, Minya-kun. By the way, your Class C really doesn't hold back at all. We've barely gotten back from the weekend, and you're at it again. Isn't it still too early for exams?" "You mean the recent fight? Class D was the one looking for trouble. Sudo can't go a day without causing a scene." "Minya-kun, I don't think he'd be that reckless after nearly getting expelled just now." Kobashi looked at me skeptically. "I don't know. I'm not a muscle-bound, empty-headed guy like him. How would I know what goes on in his head? The stupid things he gets up to might surprise everyone." "So, Minya-kun, you weren't involved in this?"