Ishizaki's Gambit

The week after swimming class, Kanzaki Toru noticed something that seemed off.

A boy from Class C had been hanging around Sudo.

He had dyed his hair a sandy blond. He was on the tall side for a boy, and his shoulders swayed as he walked. He always looked at people from the corners of his eyes. Kanzaki had seen him twice in the hallway. The first time, during a break, he was loitering outside Class D. After Sudo stepped out, the two of them talked for a while. The second time was after school. He came out through the gym's rear entrance, with Sudo and Yoshida following behind him. All three looked unhappy.

Kanzaki didn't know his name. But the Class C emblem on his uniform made it clear he wasn't from Class D, and he didn't look like either of the two second-years who had cornered Yoshida behind the gym before.

At lunch on Wednesday, Kanzaki went up to the rooftop.

Ever since he'd found the door pried open, he'd been coming up once or twice a week. The rooftop offered a clear view of the sports field, the Shopping Center entrance, and the Old School Building. The rusty folding chair was still where it had been. There was no dust on it lately, and a faint shoeprint had appeared beneath the armrest. It was from a sneaker, and the size was small.

Someone had been there recently. It wasn't Ishizaki; his feet were bigger. Nor was it one of the second-years. The buzz-cut and the bald one hadn't shown up since the incident at the Old School Building. Most likely, the owner of this shoeprint was someone else.

He filed the information away and walked to the railing to look down.

On the sports field, Sudo and Yoshida were playing soccer. The sandy-haired boy from Class C stood at the edge of the field with his arms crossed, his gaze following Sudo's every move. He wasn't watching casually. He was staring at him intently, as if sizing him up. After a while, Sudo scored and turned to wave at the boy, calling something out. The boy grinned and gave him a thumbs-up.

Kanzaki opened his terminal and typed a line into his notes: "Sandy-haired boy from Class C. Approaching Sudo. Need to confirm his name."

Before Friday's class meeting, Chabashira stood at the front of the classroom and scanned the room. In her usual businesslike tone, she announced that new study groups would be revealed next Monday. Some groups would include students from different classes, and the specific assignments would be posted on the bulletin board on the first floor of the Academic Building.

Cross-class groups. The words landed in the quiet classroom like a small stone dropped into water. A few girls in the front began whispering to each other, while Sudo and Kanji Ike exchanged a glance in the back. Horikita Suzune didn't turn around, but the tip of her pen paused over her notebook.

Kanzaki noticed something else: when Horikita heard the words "cross-class," her eyebrow twitched almost imperceptibly. Horikita was acting strangely today. Ever since she'd walked into the classroom that morning, she'd sat with her back straighter than usual. After taking her seat, she'd clasped her hands on the desk and hadn't turned a single page. She was like a tightly strung bow. When Chabashira mentioned the cross-class groups, the tension seemed to tighten another notch.

After school, he went to the gym.

Sudo was there, as expected. He was lying beneath the bench press, with two large weight plates on the barbell—considerably less weight than last time. Two people were nearby. Yoshida leaned against the wall, drinking water, while the other was the sandy-haired boy from Class C. Up close, he looked even leaner than he had from a distance. A metal chain bracelet circled his wrist, and his expression was somewhat cocky.

"One more!" the boy said, clapping beside the bench.

Sudo gritted his teeth and pushed the barbell up. His arms trembled slightly, but after completing the final rep, he slammed the bar back onto the rack. He sat up, breathing heavily, and wiped the sweat from his face with a towel.

"Not bad, Sudo. You've got some serious stamina!"

"Of course." Sudo grinned. "But why'd you suddenly get interested in working out today?"

"I'm here to learn from you. The Basketball Club's been getting more and more intense with the conditioning." The boy stood up and rolled his shoulders. "By the way, have you made up your mind about that thing yet?"

Sudo's expression changed. It wasn't anger, but an excited uncertainty. "...I'm still thinking about it."

The boy laughed and patted Sudo on the shoulder. Then he turned and spotted Kanzaki at the entrance. His gaze paused on Kanzaki for a moment. It wasn't an ordinary glance; he quickly and precisely sized him up from head to toe. Then he nodded to Sudo and brushed past Kanzaki, coming close enough that their shoulders nearly touched.

Yoshida walked over and said quietly, "That guy's name is Kondo. He's from Class C, and he's been coming around to play ball with Sudo a lot lately."

Kanzaki nodded.

Over the next few days, he used his spare moments between classes to watch the flow of people around the Class C classroom. He needed a name and a definite face to confirm the suspicion that was becoming clearer by the day.

On Tuesday afternoon, he ran into Horikita in the hallway. She was carrying a coffee and walking faster than usual. She nearly bumped into his shoulder, then paused. Kanzaki asked her about Kondo. After thinking it over, she said she'd need to check a few things herself, and that they could compare notes later.

That night, Kanzaki received a brief message from Horikita on his terminal, with a screenshot of the student directory attached. The boy in the photo was the sandy-haired student. His name was Kondo Reion, Class 1-C. A brief note in the remarks column read: "In the same group as Ishizaki Daichi. Outer circle of Ryuen Kakeru."

Ryuen Kakeru. The de facto leader of Class C. In the few exchanges of information he'd had with Horikita, she'd marked that name twice. The first time had been while analyzing the potential risks facing Class D; the second, while compiling a list of the key figures in each class. Ryuen didn't favor direct attacks, but he was exceptionally good at setting traps—using information gaps and human weaknesses to break through his opponents' defenses.

On the third day, Kanzaki met Horikita behind the Academic Building. The setting sun stretched their shadows long across the dusty concrete path. Leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, she pieced together everything she'd learned about Sudo and worked through what it meant. Kondo was responsible for approaching Sudo and probing his limits. Ishizaki handled coordination and relayed messages. The two second-years behind the gym last term hadn't appeared by chance; they were most likely the first pieces Ryuen had sent out to test Class D's response. Kondo was also in the Basketball Club, the same club as Sudo. Ryuen had chosen him to approach Sudo with precise calculation: members of the same club naturally trusted each other.

"If Sudo goes down, Class D will lose its most important source of muscle in competitive events. Kondo isn't acting alone. Ishizaki is behind him, and Ryuen is behind Ishizaki. Ryuen is laying the groundwork. His target was never Yoshida."

By the time Horikita finished speaking, dusk had deepened until only a glint in her eyes was visible. Her assessment matched his own exactly: Class C wasn't interested in winning an individual confrontation. Its goal was to dismantle Class D's fighting strength from within.

If someone from Class D was expelled, the entire class would lose Class Points. And Sudo was the person in Class D most likely to cause trouble—and the easiest to lure into a trap.

Kanzaki looked up toward the rooftop.

Ryuen's name sank into the darkness like a hidden reef that had yet to break the surface.