Chapter 48

"Sounds good, but a scheme like this can only be used during the next exam. Like I said, that guy Katsuragi's a turtle. He won't make the first move." Ryuen wore a smug look, as if he knew exactly what he was talking about.

"A turtle, huh? Then let's set fire to his backside and see if he reacts... Sakayanagi's always wanted to toy with Katsuragi, hasn't she? Why don't we give her a little present? Satoru, do we still have the materials from the last exam?"

Kaneda adjusted his glasses. "Of course. I collected them all and kept them together."

"Good. Give me the math materials... It'll only take a few phone calls, anyway."

"Brilliant! Minya, Karuizawa and the others in Class D have been investigating this lately. Diverting the blame like this is a masterstroke." Kaneda clapped in approval.

"It's not a bad idea..." Ryuen swirled his glass. "But how do we let Class D find out?"

"We don't need to tell Class D outright. Actually, it'd be best if they stumbled upon it by accident. We just need someone from Sakayanagi's faction to slip this into the review materials for one of Katsuragi's underlings, then have someone from her faction happen to discover it. There's no need to make a big fuss, or it'll look less believable. Katsuragi himself doesn't know what was on the fake exam, and he won't care about something this trivial unless Class D finds out."

"What about the second-years? Shouldn't we give them a heads-up too?"

"Right. Have Nagumo's side let something slip. If they get asked again, they should act annoyed. Then tell Class D we're short on points and ask for around three hundred thousand. We'll say one of Katsuragi's underlings did it. As for evidence, we can just give them this original copy. The handwriting isn't mine. And the pen went down with that fake surveillance camera..." I sat up straight and slowly laid out my plan.

"Minya, can't you just act like a decent person for once? You're still after Class D's points..." Shiina rolled her eyes.

"Can't help it. Some things don't sell unless they're expensive. People are just like that—cheap."

"But what if this ruins our relationship with the Katsuragi Faction? Wouldn't that do more harm than good? Is it really wise to make so many enemies?" Ibuki, who had been listening quietly, voiced her objection.

"No. First, Katsuragi will suspect Sakayanagi was behind this. Second, if our relationship goes bad, so be it. He's a minor character compared to Sakayanagi, anyway. And putting pressure on other classes benefits Class A. Whether it's Sakayanagi's faction or Katsuragi's, once they hear about this, they'll all publicly support him."

"So Katsuragi might use this chance to gain more support in Class A? You've even thought of that?" Ibuki wasn't stupid. She got it with just a little prompting.

"Pretty clever, huh!" I proudly raised my eyebrows. "Otherwise, there'd be no point going to all this trouble to set a turtle on fire. I'm betting that between keeping his support and being misunderstood by Karuizawa and the others, Katsuragi will choose the former."

"True. That bald guy looks like he doesn't touch a drop of alcohol or go near women... He'd take the blame for this little exam paper, let alone anything worse, if it meant graduating from Class A. For the sake of keeping up appearances and maintaining class unity, he has no choice." Ryuen nodded in agreement.

"And once he mistakenly believes he's earned widespread support and taken control of the class, it'll be even easier for us and Sakayanagi to take him down. Add in winning the friendship of Sakayanagi's faction, and that's three birds with one stone... No, more than that. I also won my bet with Karuizawa and dealt a huge blow to Class D's core structure." I counted on my fingers, realizing there were too many benefits to keep track of.

"It's a good plan, but what if Horikita jumps in again?" Sonoda reminded me.

"That won't happen, right? If even Katsuragi lets it go, why would Horikita keep coming after me? Then I really would have no way to clear myself of suspicion." Though I really was guilty.

"Don't be so sure. It's possible. People in Class D say Horikita's stubborn. You want to distance yourself from this, but she might not let you. Especially after you almost got Sudo expelled just now..." Kaneda patted my shoulder sympathetically.

"Is Horikita really that impressive?" Nishino asked curiously.

"She's a really strange girl, with mysterious abilities. She keeps falling for our schemes, only to save her class by the skin of her teeth at the last moment... If it were me, wouldn't it be better to solve the problem right at the start?"

"What do you mean?" Ryuen perked up at the mention of Horikita.

"In the fake exam paper incident, she could've bought the papers early and handed them out to her class, but she was stupid enough not to buy any at all... Kushida has a terrible relationship with her, and Hirata was someone we gave them, so neither of them bought the papers for her."

"True. What about the Sudo Incident?"

"That one was even more ridiculous. The way she lost her composure at the hearing, then later coldly and decisively sacrificed one of her own subordinates, made her seem like two different people."

"Could it be... the legendary split personality!?"

"Ibuki, do you watch too much TV? If she really had that kind of mental illness, Class D would've been in an uproar already. Do you think that bunch of monkeys could keep a story like that quiet for days? Not even half a day..."

"What an interesting woman. I like her... Honor student, leave her to me. I'll handle her personally in the next exam!" Ryuen declared.

"I'm starting to feel sorry for Horikita, having a disgusting guy like Ryuen set his sights on her." Ibuki didn't spare Ryuen a shred of courtesy. She was clearly getting into the spirit of it.

"Then I wish you the best of luck..." I'd be more than happy to enjoy some peace and quiet for a while. Stirring up trouble and then watching from the sidelines—that was the true art of a strategist. Next, I'd find myself a VIP seat and watch the BD Alliance and Class A battle it out!

A woman who can think for herself is truly a being of infinite power.

—Honoré de Balzac

Of course, I still had to contact Sakayanagi's faction myself, since I was an old acquaintance. To be honest, I had absolutely no desire to see Sakayanagi, but for the good of the class, I'd just have to grit my teeth and go.

I didn't know if she'd pulled strings through her father, but Sakayanagi had been monopolizing a corner of the library. Every day, she did terrifying things like play chess against herself, read all sorts of strange books, and lure in unsuspecting students who happened to pass by. But it was only the start of the school year. After a while, hardly anyone dared go near her corner.

That's right—just like me, she didn't have many friends. She sat quietly in the library, flipping through books. It was no wonder people who didn't know her mistook her for a serene literary girl... I certainly wasn't the only one to make that mistake.

"Min-Min?" When she saw me, she set down her book without bothering to hide how delighted she was. She even seemed to forget to use a bookmark. Well, with her freakish memory, she probably didn't need one.

"Could you not call me that, Miss Alice?"

"I thought you liked that cute little nickname!" Sakayanagi smiled just like a fox.

"Isn't 'cute' an insult in this context? Do you like people calling you cute?"

"I don't know. Why don't you try it and see?"

Ugh, I'd really shot myself in the foot... Whatever. I was here to ask her for a favor, so I'd better humble myself!