Hidden Transaction

"About Tetsuya Hamaguchi?" Ayanokoji sat down and ordered a black coffee.

"Yeah." Ichinose gripped her cup. "After the tug-of-war at the Sports Festival, Hamaguchi-kun took leave. He locked himself in his room and refused to see anyone. I finally managed to get in touch with him yesterday, and he said... Class A was still threatening him."

"What were they threatening him with?"

"They got hold of his younger brother's medical records." Ichinose's voice trembled. "His brother was born with a heart condition and underwent major surgery last year. The operation was very expensive, and the Hamaguchis went into a lot of debt because of it. Class A told him that if he didn't keep 'cooperating,' they would 'appropriately disclose' the information and hint that the source of the surgical expenses was suspicious."

It was a thoroughly underhanded tactic: using a student's family's privacy and suffering to threaten them.

"Does Sakayanagi Arisu know about this?" Ayanokoji asked.

"I'm not sure." Ichinose shook her head. "But Hamaguchi said the person who'd been in contact with him was Hashimoto Masayoshi. And Hashimoto... he explicitly said, 'This is a strategy within Classmate Sakayanagi's permitted limits.'"

Within her permitted limits. In other words, Sakayanagi had at least tacitly approved of this behavior.

"What's the mood within Class B now?"

Ichinose smiled bitterly. "We're divided. Some people think Hamaguchi was forced into it and that we should protect him. Others think he betrayed the class, and that even if he was being threatened, he shouldn't have deliberately thrown the match. And a few people... have started questioning our alliance with Class D."

She looked up and met Ayanokoji's gaze. "That's why I asked to meet you today. Ayanokoji-kun, can the alliance between Class D and Class B continue?"

"Why wouldn't it?"

"Because Class A has proven that they can use tactics like this to divide us," Ichinose said. "Today it's Hamaguchi; tomorrow it could be someone else in our class. Everyone has a weakness, someone or something they care about. If Class A picks us off one by one like this..."

"Then we make sure they can't pick us off," Ayanokoji said calmly.

Ichinose froze.

"Ichinose, why do you think Class A chose to target Hamaguchi?" Ayanokoji asked. "Because he had an obvious weakness—his sick younger brother. But more importantly, they chose to apply pressure through a 'mistake' at a public event like the Sports Festival."

He paused. "They're testing us. Testing Class B's limits, testing how resilient our alliance is, and testing the school's response. If they truly had no scruples, they could use more direct methods."

"You mean..."

"This incident is both a threat and an information-gathering exercise," Ayanokoji said. "They're observing how Class B handles an internal crisis, how Class D responds, and how much pressure the trust between our classes can withstand. The results will inform the strategies they use in the future."

Ichinose's frown gradually eased. "So the way we respond now will determine the strength and direction of their next attack."

"Exactly." Ayanokoji nodded. "If you publicly cut ties with Class D now, or punish Hamaguchi harshly, you'll be telling Class A, 'This tactic works. Keep it up.'"

"Then what should we do?"

"First, protect Hamaguchi," Ayanokoji said. "Arrange for trustworthy classmates to take turns staying with him, and make sure he doesn't meet with anyone from Class A alone again. Second, get everyone in the class on the same page: Hamaguchi made an accidental mistake during the competition; he didn't deliberately throw the match. And finally, most importantly—"

He looked at Ichinose. "We need to strike back."

"Strike back?"

"Class A used his family to threaten him. That's their line in the sand." Ayanokoji's voice was cold. "But everyone has a line they won't cross. Sakayanagi Arisu, Kohei Katsuragi, Hashimoto Masayoshi... they all have things they care about, too. We need to find out what those things are and make them understand that if the rules of the game are broken to this extent, no one will come out a winner."

Ichinose was silent for a long time.

At last, she took a deep breath, her expression firming again. "I understand. Thank you, Ayanokoji-kun. The alliance between Class B and Class D... will continue. And it'll be stronger than before."

"Good," Ayanokoji said. "Also, I suggest reporting the leak of Hamaguchi's brother's medical records to the school."

"Reporting it?"

"An anonymous report," Ayanokoji said. "Say that a student may have obtained someone else's private information through improper means. You don't need to name anyone, but you should make the school aware that this happened. That should at least put some constraints on Class A."

Ichinose made a note of it. "I will."

The coffee arrived. They each took a sip, and the mood lightened a little.

"By the way," Ichinose said, as if something had just occurred to her, "have you heard anything about the upcoming Special Exam?"

"Sakayanagi mentioned the 'VIP Exam.'"

"I've heard about that, too." Ichinose lowered her voice. "But I found out from a senpai that this exam might be different from previous years. Apparently, the Student Council and the school are discussing introducing a 'cross-grade cooperation' system."

Cross-grade cooperation. That meant first-years might be teamed up with second-years or even third-years to compete.

If it was true, the situation would become much more complicated.

"Is your source reliable?"

"It's Asahina-senpai from Class 2-B. She's a good person, so I doubt she'd lie to me," Ichinose said. "She also said that several second-year classes have already started forming private alliances."

That was new information. If the exam involved students from different grades, the conflicts among the first-years could escalate to encompass the whole school.

"We need more information," Ayanokoji said. "If possible, arrange for me to speak with that senpai in detail."

"I'll arrange it."

As the conversation drew to a close, Ayanokoji's phone buzzed.

It was a message from Yosuke Hirata:

"Emergency. Kushida posted a strange message in the class group chat, then suddenly left the group. Karuizawa says she packed her things and seems to be moving out of the dorm."

Ayanokoji's pupils contracted.

Already?

He looked at Ichinose. "Sorry, something urgent has come up with Class D. I have to go."

"Do you need help?"

"Not for now." Ayanokoji stood up. "But remember what we discussed. Protect Hamaguchi and make sure everyone's on the same page. Contact me if anything happens."

He strode out of the café.

The afternoon sun was glaring, and students strolled leisurely all around campus. But Ayanokoji knew that beneath the calm surface, the first hidden reef had already emerged.

Kushida Kikyo was finally making her move.

And he had to stop her before she caused irreparable damage.

[Side Quest Updated: Hidden Transaction Progress 35%]

[New Quest Triggered: Internal Purge]

[Quest Description: Kushida Kikyo has begun her defection. Discover her objective and prevent her from causing substantial damage to Class D.]

[Quest Reward: Class Cohesion +20, Unlock Special Ability "Crisis Prediction" (Beginner)]

[Failure Penalty: Trust within Class D collapses, Class Points -300, Key Characters Kei Karuizawa/Airi Sakura may be expelled]

The system's warning glowed an alarming red.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka crossed the campus toward the Class D dormitory, his steps growing faster and faster.