After Horikita Manabu left, Kitahara and the others sat down nearby.
Thump. Horikita took the drink Ayanokoji handed her and spoke:
"Sorry you had to see that."
"If anything, I'm glad to know that even Horikita is just an ordinary girl..." Before Ayanokoji could finish, Horikita stopped him with a glare.
"I didn't say anything."
"Are you really as Kitahara described?"
"I told you, it was just a coincidence."
"Forget it. Everyone has their own secrets. Whether it's you or Kitahara, whom I haven't gotten to know, I don't really understand either of you."
"Do you really think there's no need to hold any more study sessions?"
"Yes. I don't think there's any point wasting time on people who can only fail their exams. There's nothing to gain from it."
"Then Sudo and the others will be expelled."
"What happens to the others has nothing to do with me. Besides, the ones who remain will be better students than them, which will make it easier to rise to a higher class. That's exactly what I want."
"Isn't that way of thinking wrong? Your biggest flaw is that you assume everyone else is in your way, and you even push them away from the start. Isn't your contempt for others the reason you were placed in Class D?"
"I..."
Watching the scene, Kitahara Seiichi more or less understood what had happened that day. It seemed she had wanted to organize a study session, but in the end, it had come to nothing.
"Ayanokoji is right. That really is your biggest flaw. You'll only truly grow once you understand what your brother meant by being proud and being lonely."
Horikita Suzune shot Kitahara a cold look and said, "Who said you could speak in my brother's voice?"
Kitahara's mouth twitched slightly. He hadn't expected Horikita to be such a brother-complex girl.
Although Horikita didn't hold any more study sessions, it was clear that something about her had changed.
The exams were fast approaching, but some of the students in Class D still went about their business with no sense of impending danger.
[But if I remember right, Ayanokoji came up with the idea of having Kushida buy upperclassmen's test papers, which helped most of the class pass. That was how Kushida's reputation in class shot ahead of everyone else's.]
[But I have to get involved this time. It's another chance to earn a large number of points.]
[Still, if I go about it the way I have in mind, the school will probably take a dim view of me. So I need to find a like-minded partner.]
[Heh, sorry, Sakayanagi. You're the Chairman's daughter, after all.]
Kitahara grew more and more pleased with himself, completely unaware that Kushida Kikyo had been watching him the whole time.
Soon, school let out for the afternoon. Just as Kitahara was about to get up and look for Sakayanagi, Kushida was suddenly standing in front of him.
"Um, Kitahara, are you free this afternoon? There's something I'd like to talk to you about."
"Sorry..." Before Kitahara could finish, the classroom suddenly erupted in a commotion.
A beautiful girl with flowing purple hair and long, shapely legs was standing at the classroom door: Kamuro Masumi.
"Hey, are you looking for someone?" asked the conceited Kanji Ike.
"I'm looking for Kitahara Seiichi."
Kamuro walked over to Kitahara, but didn't dare meet his eyes.
"Let's go. Sakayanagi already told you, right?"
He nodded. "Let's go. Lead the way, Miss Kamuro." He put particular emphasis on the last few words.
Maybe she was a little embarrassed, because she grabbed him by the arm and led him out of the classroom.
The students inside groaned one after another:
"Why would a gorgeous girl like that come looking for Kitahara?"
"What does Kitahara have that I don't?"
"And he's not the only one getting approached by beautiful girls!"
"Sakayanagi has a heart condition, but she's still really cute."
"..."
Watching this, Horikita asked Ayanokoji, "She's from Class A, right? And the Sakayanagi they just mentioned seems to be one of the key figures in Class A. How did he get involved with Class A?"
"I'm not sure either."
As they walked down the corridor, Kitahara asked Kamuro, "How much longer are you going to hold on to me?"
Kamuro quickly realized what he meant and let go.
Perhaps because the situation had been so awkward, Kamuro Masumi's face was flushed. Looking at her, Kitahara thought, I didn't expect her to get embarrassed too.
"Why are you staring at me?" Kamuro's face turned even redder as she said it.
"Oh, this? I'm looking at the mastermind behind all this."
"You..."
Before she could finish, Kitahara continued, "Didn't I tell you to stop doing things like that? How did Sakayanagi get leverage over you?"
"Well... how should I put it? I just couldn't hold back at the time."
Hearing her concise, straightforward explanation, Kitahara fell silent for a moment.
"Forget it. Do you know if Sakayanagi has anything else in mind besides asking me to play chess?"
One look at Kamuro's clueless expression told him everything.
"I can't believe you've been by her side for so long and still don't know what she's planning. Should I call you naive or innocent?"
"You..."
"You, you... What about me? I don't want to talk about this anymore."
"Hmph..."
Kamuro led Kitahara to the meeting room. When he pushed the door open, he saw the same outfit as before: petite legs wrapped in white thigh-high stockings, and a beret atop her hair. A chessboard had already been set up in front of her.
"Good afternoon, Kitahara," Sakayanagi said, standing up from her seat and bowing as he entered.
But...