"That shop clerk has already memorized what I look like, so I'm not the right person to go and gather information."
"Then leave it to me—"
"No."
I rejected Ichinose's decision.
"Why?"
"Ichinose, I think there's something simple you need to understand.
I'm not going to ask you to carry out these tasks because you're Ichinose, the leader of Class B. Everything you do represents not just you, but all of Class B.
You're always surrounded by people, so you can't do this. And to be blunt, considering your past record, I don't trust your abilities. I don't think you're capable of completing this task the way I require.
Your good intentions could end up causing Sakura even more serious harm."
If I wanted to destroy Sakura and Ichinose, I'd have no hesitation about sending Ichinose to investigate this incident herself.
Ichinose's popularity and friendliness would draw students from Class B into the investigation of their own accord. And there was no way this would escape Kushida's notice, which meant some students from Class D would get involved too.
Once too many people got involved, chaos would follow. Amid the confusion, the shop clerk would panic and lash out, Sakura would be humiliated and voluntarily withdraw from school, and Ichinose would take another hit, perhaps even withdrawing herself. What an amusing picture that would make.
"B-but—"
After I rejected her again and again, Ichinose grew confused and dejected. As someone who knew what had happened, she had no idea how she could help.
"Everyone has their own strengths. I told you Sakura's story because I believe that, in this school, you're the only one who can truly lead her out of her predicament."
Ichinose didn't need to know the specific plan or how it would be carried out. She only had to handle the aftermath.
"Only I can do it?"
Ichinose pointed to herself and turned to look at Sakura.
"I wasn't exaggerating when I told you that there are social tiers at this school. This is something that has always been happening.
Even if we help Sakura, who's at the very bottom, get through this crisis, what about the next one? If we let her waste three years at this school like this, what will we do when she reaches university, or starts working after entering society, and her introverted personality causes her trouble again?
We can't change society. All we can do is help Sakura, so that at least on the surface, she can fit in with it. Then she'll be able to make more of her life.
The students in Class D have too many problems. I don't think they're willing or able to help Sakura, and I can't think of anyone suitable in Class C.
As for Class A, most of its students look down on others. To put it bluntly, they look down on lower-ranked classes like Class C and Class D, and they'll look down on the students in those classes too.
After thinking it over, the only one with the ability to do this is you, Ichinose."
Even I didn't believe what I was saying. But as long as I didn't make a fundamental mistake, Ichinose would agree to help no matter what.
"Class A... I suppose that's true. Totsuka Yahiko got into an argument with Yamauchi Haruki from Class D in the library today. They almost came to blows.
Totsuka was extremely hostile toward the Class D students, and his words were full of mockery. The other Class A students with him didn't say anything, but you could tell they looked down on the students from Class D too.
But Hirata and Kushida should help their own classmates, shouldn't they? Even if they gave false testimony in Sudo's case last time, that was because they were helping someone from their own class, right?"
Ichinose followed my reasoning, first ruling out the possibility of Class A, then suggesting Hirata and Kushida. It seemed she still had some faith in those two.
"Ichinose, didn't your homeroom teacher, Hoshinomiya-sensei, tell you the truth about how students are assigned to classes at the beginning of this month?"
Giving her the answer outright would be a poor move. I needed to lead her to a guess close to the truth first, then use the answer to confirm her own theory. That way, she'd believe she'd arrived at the correct answer herself.
"Hoshinomiya-sensei said the school assigns students to classes according to how outstanding they are. The best students go to Class A, and the worst go to Class D."
At least Hoshinomiya had handled this properly. She hadn't misled Class B.
"Then, Ichinose, what do you think the school uses to determine whether a student is outstanding? Or, more generally, what makes a student outstanding?"
"Academic performance? No, that's not it. It's not just grades. Maybe athletic ability? Moral character?"
As Ichinose thought about Hirata and Kushida, she kept adding new criteria and then rejecting them.
In her mind, Hirata and Kushida from Class D would be rated highly in every area—moral, intellectual, physical, aesthetic, and practical. There was no way they should have ended up in Class D.
"Someone may seem outstanding on the surface, but if they're involved in shameful dealings behind the scenes, people who don't know their past won't see the whole picture. When this school invites students to enroll, it investigates them thoroughly. That's how people who look bright and polished on the surface but are vicious and rotten underneath get exposed.
Hirata Yosuke has excellent grades, and he's physically fit and athletic too. Unfortunately, he did something major in middle school. If Ryuen managed to take over this school through violence, the harm and impact he'd cause would be comparable to what Hirata did back then.
As for Kushida Kikyo, she's a special case. Hirata used physical strength to commit physical violence, while she used her connections to gather information and hurt others psychologically. The harm they caused affected entire middle schools. It was reported in the Japanese news, and I did extensive research on it while traveling here to gather material."
That was the caliber of Class D. I could achieve my goal just by telling the truth. Could any other class do the same?
"Why would the school invite them if they committed such serious offenses in middle school?"
Ichinose's worldview had taken a serious hit, but she still tried to fight back, hoping to refute me by appealing to the school's natural role as a protective institution.
"Have you learned about control groups in biology class? There's one more thing I haven't said because it might offend you, Ichinose. Do you want to hear it?"
I was ready to deliver the finishing blow.
"I'm ready. Go ahead, Masaryu."
Ichinose's determined gaze made it seem as if she'd steeled herself for something.
"If I hadn't made that choice back then, and had waited a little longer before stepping in—until you made a mistake—then you would have ended up in Class D too, Ichinose."
Anyway, the school never told students how it assigned them to classes. When you're out in the world, your mouth is your own, and you get to make up your own story.
Before you continue