Grand Ambition

"Stop trying to tough it out." Kazami waved a hand and offered generously, "If you're not confident and you're a little worried, I can tutor you for free."

Kamuro looked him up and down, her face full of suspicion. "You?"

That look clearly said she didn't believe him.

"Could you not underestimate me?" Kazami said calmly. "I got full marks on the last pop quiz."

Kamuro revised her opinion of Kazami. She hadn't expected this guy, who spent all day courting death, to actually be a top student.

She agonized over it for two seconds before her tsundere nature kicked in, and she said awkwardly, "Since you've gone out of your way to offer, refusing would make me look terribly ungracious. Fine, then. I suppose I can reluctantly agree to your tutoring for now."

What a tsundere, Kazami marveled.

Monday, sunny.

It was another sunny day, without a single cloud in the clear sky. Even with Class D at zero points, some people still did whatever they pleased, though they had reined themselves in somewhat compared to before.

Everything in class carried on as usual, and the same went for me, its former "king-to-be."

During breaks between the day's lessons, Kushida went through her usual routine-checking in with Horikita right on schedule.

Uh, I had to admit, Miss Kushida was truly persistent, grinding away at Horikita like she was an NPC. Whenever she had a moment, Miss Kushida would be the first to sidle up to Horikita, asking after her and striking up conversations. Even when Horikita remained stony-faced throughout, cold and utterly unappreciative, she wasn't discouraged in the slightest. She continued hovering around Horikita, gentle, considerate, and endlessly patient.

After watching them for so long, I was now even more certain that she had romantic feelings for Horikita, not ordinary sisterly affection, much less a simple desire for friendly mutual support between classmates.

That kind of favoritism, with her heart and eyes full of nothing but the other person, giving willingly without expecting anything in return, unwilling to distance herself even when given the cold shoulder, simply wasn't something ordinary friends had.

Although it went somewhat against the usual ways of the world, there was nothing for it. Kushida was my best friend, after all. As her best friend, there wasn't much I could do. I wouldn't expose her secret feelings or spread gossip and make a fuss. All I could do was guard her secret, quietly watch her pursue her love, and offer my blessings in silence.

Kushida, this is all I can do. Be brave and pursue your happiness. You can do it.

Of course, ultimately, these were all trivial matters. Other people's love, hatred, and private feelings were hardly worth mentioning compared to my current grand undertaking.

What had truly left me depressed for so long was my grand ambition, which had utterly collapsed halfway through, dying before its time.

I carefully reviewed the whole affair, growing angrier the more I thought about it. I, Kazami Saku, had devoted myself wholeheartedly to Class D, racking my brains to plan a way forward and proposing three grand plans in succession to turn things around. Even if my schemes were bold and unconventional, my intention had absolutely been to lead the entire class out of the mire of last place and charge toward a comeback. And what had happened? Not a single person in the entire class understood or supported me. Every last one of them had voted down my brilliant plans, dragging me straight down just as I was about to ascend the throne.

It was one thing for my classmates to be shortsighted and fail to understand long-term strategy, but even Chabashira-sensei, who should have been the best at distinguishing right from wrong and recognizing her students' potential, had turned out to be a terrible judge of character with utterly muddled judgment. Women really couldn't be allowed to govern. Their vision was too narrow.

She had actually entrusted full authority over coordinating the class to that tsundere woman, Horikita.

Foolish! Utterly foolish! Chabashira-sensei's move was an obvious blunder. She had completely misread the situation and chosen the wrong person to lead.

I genuinely couldn't understand it. What exactly qualified Horikita to take charge of Class D? She had no money, no provisions, nothing but "I'm right." She could even sell grand promises, so how could anyone possibly follow her?

She now had two followers under her command, one of whom was me, with my treacherous ambitions... ahem, my commitment to upholding the righteous cause.

But she shouldn't think mere force could make me obediently submit and become her working lackey. Only I knew that I was merely lying low for now, biding my time and building my strength. Obediently working for her and bowing in submission? Not a chance. I was enduring hardship and hiding in the enemy camp, all to turn the tables in one fell swoop someday. My treacherous ambitions... ahem, my lofty aspirations had never died out. Sooner or later, I would make Horikita understand who the true king of Class D was.

Judging by the current situation, Horikita's rule definitely wouldn't last. Sooner or later, she would run it into the ground.

Besides, Class D was already riddled with factions and disunity, with various warlords staking out their own territories and no one truly united. Sudo, Ike, and Yamauchi formed their own faction, and then there were the Gyaru Group, the Kushida Angel Army, the Hirata Squad...

The various forces refused to cooperate, each fighting its own battles in a complete shambles. It wouldn't matter who led them. Thinking about it that way, Class D was a wreck of a ship, full of holes and on the verge of sinking. It was doomed sooner or later. A king like me would have to find another way forward.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find a better escape route just then, so I could only keep lying low for the time being, staying alive and building my strength while waiting for the perfect moment to stab her in the back.

My grand undertaking remained unfinished, the road ahead fraught with hardship; mediocrities held power while a great talent lay hidden.

Over the past few days, whenever Kushida went to see Horikita, she noticed that the way Kazami looked at her was growing increasingly strange, with a kindly warmth like an old father's.

But remembering Kazami's past behavior, strangeness was normal enough. After all, a normal person couldn't fathom the meaning behind his actions. She stopped thinking about Kazami and continued trying to win Horikita over.

This damn woman really doesn't have a soft spot anywhere, not a trace of human warmth. I've already humbled myself enough lately, showing her consideration at every turn. And what does she do? She's still ice-cold, without the slightest sign of appreciation.

With the midterms drawing ever closer, the ever-obliging Hirata kindly took the initiative to organize tutoring for the entire class, hoping to help everyone improve together and avoid expulsion for failing. Unfortunately, it had so little effect that his efforts were practically wasted.

At first, the only two who willingly agreed to help with tutoring and cooperated seriously were Kushida and Yukimura. The rest only reluctantly agreed to participate after Hirata went around humbly pleading with and persuading them one by one.

The classmates dragged into tutoring were no different, hardly taking it seriously at all. Kazami thought these people really had no idea what mattered. Class D was now dead last with zero points, and they also faced the risk of expulsion. If anyone bombed the midterms, it would be a devastating blow. Yet this lot still muddled along, unable to see how dire the situation was.

Fortunately, Hirata and Kushida were holding things together. Otherwise, pretty much half the class would have been done for in the midterms.

Aside from that, some people refused to take part in any tutoring at all. Chief among them were Sudo, Ike, and Yamauchi, who had rejected Hirata's invitations several times without the slightest sense of urgency about preparing for the exams. Their reasons were laughable: they felt it was charity from Hirata, and there was jealousy involved too.

Their carefree attitude really was something. They weren't remotely afraid of being expelled for failing. Their courage was commendable, and their stupidity was almost adorable.