AN UNUSUAL SPECTACLE presented itself early one morning in Class
C. A circle of girls seemed to have formed around Karuizawa Kei, all making so much noise that it bordered on total pandemonium.
"You're awfully late today, Ayanokouji-kun," said Horikita Suzune, my neighbor. We had only about five minutes left until the morning bell rang to signal the start of class.
"I overslept."
"Hm," replied Horikita, disinterested.
Compared to our totally emotionless conversation, Kei's group was practically on fire.
"It sounds like Karuizawa-san broke up with Hirata-kun," said Horikita.
"Is that why they're all riled up today? A well-known couple broke it
off?"
"They were polite enough to talk so loud the whole class could hear.
So the information's been drilled into my head, whether or not I wanted it." She let out a heavy sigh, sounding annoyed. "You seem to be close with Hirata-kun and Karuizawa-san. Didn't you know?"
"It's not like I knew anything. It's their private business."
It hadn't seemed like she'd broached the topic yet back at the school camp, but I guess she'd gone ahead and done it after all. They'd been a well- known couple all through the whole school, so the news had really made some waves. Any third party hearing about it had to have been shocked.
Still, all this really meant was that Kei's and Hirata's connection had ostensibly severed. It didn't necessarily mean Kei had lost her position as the queen bee of the girls–though that might happen if someone else won Hirata's heart and became his one true love. Even then, I couldn't see Kei being pushed out of her position. If the other girls tried to disrespect her,
Hirata himself would be the first person to put a stop to it. If not, there would have been no point in him going so far to save Kei as entering into a fake relationship with her.
"So who dumped who?" I asked Horikita. I didn't know the answer to that myself, so there was nothing for Horikita to be suspicious about.
"Seems like Karuizawa-san was the one who did the dumping." "That's unexpected. She always seemed like the sort who'd want to
date a good guy, like as a status thing."
"I suppose. That's what I thought, at the very least…" Horikita eyed me for a moment like she was suspicious of me, but looked away a moment later. She couldn't read my poker face, and the fact that she'd looked away was proof she was beginning to understand that, too.
Still…Kei broke up with Hirata, huh? Made sense, considering she'd started the whole fake relationship in the first place, and it didn't really matter who dumped who. It was probably Hirata who'd suggested that this arrangement would be better for Kei. If he'd been the one to dump Kei, it might've posed a danger to her status, suggesting there was something wrong with her.
Regardless, just looking around me made it obvious what a huge shock their breakup had been for Class C. What I really found incredible, though, was how openly the girls were discussing romantic affairs.
"Huh, what? You broke up with him, and you don't even have a new boyfriend lined up, Karuizawa-san?!" asked Shinohara, her words carrying loud and clear across the room.
Even though Ike, Sudou, and the other guys were chatting amongst themselves, they were clearly listening in on the girls' conversation.
"I don't know. I just think I need to step things up and move on. It would be easy to just let Yousuke-kun pamper me, but I've got a lot I want to think about on my own, you know?"
The catastrophic breakup of the couple obviously had an impact on Class C, but it might've had an impact on the other classes, too. If nothing else, the girls would certainly be fighting over who got Hirata next.
"I wonder how they can even think about things like romance.
Considering the rules of this school, you'd think there'd be no guarantee what tomorrow brings."
"Maybe it's exactly because there's no guarantees that they're enjoying the present as much as they can."
"I have no reason to deny that, as long as they're not robbing someone else of their future…"
Hirata Yousuke, the other subject of this conversation, sat surrounded by guys and girls from our class, wearing his usual gentle expression. Even though he'd supposedly just been dumped by his girlfriend, he didn't look miserable at all. The clearest proof of that was that Ike and Sudou weren't heading on over to tease him.
No… It might be more accurate to say they'd graduated from that sort of behavior. They did look interested in the conversation, but didn't seem to be whispering gossip. Actually, if anything, it was Horikita and I who were having a tasteless conversation.
After all the special exams and the training camp, those immature guys were starting to change, little by little. Of course, it wasn't as though everyone was maturing at the same rate.
"Yo, Hirata! I heard you got dumped by Karuizawa? Don't stress over it, dude! It's all good!"
I'd thought they were all capable of reading the room, but apparently, Yamauchi was the exception. He approached Hirata, all smiles, smacking him on the shoulder. The sight clearly made Ike and Sudou a bit uncomfortable, because they approached, flanking Yamauchi and grabbing him from the sides.
"Hey, what's the big deal? Come on, dudes, let's all console Hirata together!" said Yamauchi. "Even pretty boys can get dumped!"
"That's not cool, man," said Sudou. "Knock it off."
"Huh? But we're talking about the big heartthrob getting dumped.
Extra spicy, extra rare!" Yamauchi just argued back, ignoring Sudou's attempt to chastise him.
"Sorry, Hirata. I'll get him outta here," said Sudou. "It's okay," said Hirata. "It's the truth, isn't it?"
He would have been well within his rights to look displeased, but he didn't seem to mind at all.
From her seat beside me, Horikita spoke up suddenly. "That reminds me…what do you know about Ichinose-san? I've been hearing some things about her that sound like slander lately."
A question about Class B, out of the blue? Hmm.
"Maybe someone's spreading rumors because they're jealous of her? She's popular. Or maybe it's part of a strategy to bring down Class B. What do these slanderous rumors say?" I asked.
"I'm…" Horikita glanced around. "a little hesitant to say them out
loud."
She passed me her notebook under the desk. Scrawled on the was
a whole list of things. Things like "She has a history of violent outbursts," "She's engaged in paid dating," "She's committed theft and robbery," and "She has a history of drug usage." Even the delinquents over there hadn't checked off all the items on this list.
"Those are some terrible rumors," I said.
"She doesn't seem like that kind of person at all, though…" "Well, even if someone is starting rumors, I suppose they can't be
charged with a crime."
"That's not true. Regardless of whether or not the defamatory statements are true or false, if they're spread publicly, and to enough people… it's defamation of character. You could sue," said Horikita.
"Sure, out in the real world." But this was high school. This was a self- contained space filled with students who were minors. It wasn't like these rumors were posted on the internet for the whole world to see.
"You're saying that it doesn't count as a crime at all, then?"
Well, even if it couldn't be punished through legal action, the school might still choose to issue some form of punishment at its own discretion. But it would probably be difficult to pinpoint precisely who had started the rumors. You could simply claim that you'd heard it from someone else, and that would be the end of it. The school's attempts to investigate would only go so far, and in the end, the problem would remain unresolved. All the
school could really do was warn students not to thoughtlessly spread more rumors.
At any rate, it was clear that someone had been working to crush Ichinose for a while now. It was most likely Sakayanagi pulling the strings here, but barely anyone seemed to realize that.
"What has Ichinose been doing in response?" I asked.
"No idea. It's not like we're close. And if I carelessly step forward, suspicion might fall on us."
"Well, it's true that watching closely from the sidelines is the wisest option," I told her.
"Still…I have to wonder if a strategy this cliched will really work against Ichinose-san," mused Horikita.
"What do you mean?"
"No matter how bad the rumors are, the damage they can do is limited.
Even I know what kind of reputation Ichinose-san has in this school. This kind of harassment is too vicious to be about something as everyday as envy, like you suggested."
"You're saying the culprit messed up?"
"I suppose. But, as the saying goes, 'where there's smoke, there's fire,'" she replied.
"So, you're saying that Ichinose has a history of violence, or did drugs, or something?" I asked.
"Even if the rumors are mostly baseless, maybe there's one in the mix that's true?" said Horikita, before adding, "Well, it's extremely unlikely, of course, but…"
Hmm. I guess there was no way to know yet whether everything was lies or nothing more than rumors, just as Horikita said. And Sakayanagi had hinted that there might be some truth to the rumors, even if just a shred of it.
"Well… it's not like we'll come up with answers just sitting here thinking about it. Enough about that. It seems the school has released updated class rankings based on the results of the school camp . Care to take a look?" asked Horikita.
"Meh, I don't really—"
"Yes, I'm aware you don't really care. But you really should know, just in case."
"Fine, fine."
I flipped through the s of the notebook she'd forced me to look at.
3.1
THE UPROAR SURROUNDING Hirata and Kei's breakup that morning was still fresh in everyone's minds when Class C was rocked by yet more romantic drama. Classes had come to an end for the day, and some students were heading off to their clubs, while others went back to their dorms. In the midst of all that came an extremely unexpected visitor.
"Please excuse me," said the visitor. "Would Yamauchi Haruki-kun happen to be here?"
The students still in the classroom turned toward Yamauchi in unison, shock plain on their faces. As for Yamauchi, he'd probably been planning to head back to the dorm with Ike and play a game, because he'd just cracked open a strategy guide.
"Huh. Yeah, that's me," said Yamauchi, "but…what do you want?" He usually got excited when he saw a cute girl, but this time? He seemed completely thrown.
The visitor was Sakayanagi, leader of the first-year Class A. And here she was, asking for Yamauchi by name. "Would you mind giving me a moment of your time?"
"O-of course! Uh, I don't mind. I'm free."
"Hm. But you know, I'm afraid that this isn't quite the place for this conversation. Why don't you meet me in the hallway by the stairs?"
Perhaps she was concerned about the looks she was getting from other students. Sakayanagi disappeared into the hall, her eyes cast downward.
Silence fell upon Class C once more.
"No, no, no, no! This can't be happening!"
It was Ike—standing next to Yamauchi—who broke the silence. If Sudou were here, there probably would've been an even greater uproar, but he'd already left for basketball practice. Everyone in the room, including Yamauchi himself, struggled to wrap their heads around Sakayanagi's bold entrance and invitation.
Suddenly, as if moving purely on instinct, Yamauchi snatched up his bag. "Sorry! Got a little something to take care of!"
"Y-yeah, sure…"
But just as he was about to bolt from the classroom, Horikita blocked the exit, as if telling him to stop and think. "Wait, Yamauchi-kun—"
"Wh-what is it, Horikita?"
"Maybe she's trying to bring Class C down." "Huh? Why do ya think that?"
"I could say that the fact that you're the one being invited out is abnormal, in and of itself." Horikita's face was serious, and her words were as pointed as knives. This was taking bluntness a bit too far. You couldn't blame someone for thinking she was insulting them.
But, on the contrary, Yamauchi was rather positive about the whole
thing.
"You know that whole thing where you, like…fall in love with the
transfer student after crashing into her at the street corner, and she falls over all cute, and she's holding toast corners in her mouth? Yeah. You know, right?"
"Toast…corners?" repeated Horikita. She furrowed her brow, confused. Who wouldn't be confused, with just Yamauchi's words to go on? But I'd seen him crash into Sakayanagi back at the school camp, so I figured that was the incident he was referring to.
"I'm going. Because Sakayanagi-chan is waiting for me."
Nothing Horikita could say was going to stop him. Yamauchi began walking off.
"What do you plan to do if this does happen to be a trap?" she asked. "Nah, no way." He wasn't even considering the possibility. "I'm
definitely our class's ultimate weapon, but that's why it's all going to be fine. If it's a trap—and that's a one-in-a-million chance—I'll just handle it, okay?"
He'd "handle it," huh? Handle it how? I bet he didn't even have a plan. "…I understand," said Horikita. "I can't stop you. But please, don't get
careless and leak any valuable information related to our class's internal
affairs."
"Don't worry 'bout it. I know." And with that, Yamauchi left the classroom with a huge grin on his face. Some of the students, Ike included amongst them, hurriedly followed.
"We should go too," said Haruka, glancing not just at me, but at Keisei and Airi, who'd been sitting with her. I couldn't think of a reason not to go, so I nodded and got up from my seat.
Out in the hallway, we immediately ran into Ike and a few of the boys. "Ah, stop, stop! Over here!" The Professor called out to us before we
could move on. "Those two are talking over there, right now."
"Huh? What's up with the way he's talking?" Haruka muttered, noticing the Professor no longer spoke in the bizarre, archaic way that he used to.
"Seems like he got straightened out at the school camp," I answered, offering an explanation for the Professor's newly serious manner of speaking.
"It just feels like…I don't know, he's just less interesting. Ehh, who cares," said Haruka, almost immediately losing interest. We all focused our attention on Yamauchi and Sakayanagi.
"Umm, so. Uh. What did you wanna…talk about?" asked Yamauchi nervously.
As for Sakayanagi, she was running her left hand through her hair, looking somewhat embarrassed. If I had to analyze this situation from a psychological perspective, I'd say the hair thing was probably unconscious, meant to make her more attractive to the member of the opposite sex whom she was interested in.
"Wait," muttered Ike, sounding frustrated, "maybe Sakayanagi seriously does have a thing for Haruki?" He'd probably instinctively sensed that from Sakayanagi's expressions and gestures.
In this particular instance, however, I should probably assume that Sakayanagi was deliberately trying to give off that impression.
In contrast to my calm, collected analysis—
"No, no, this is way too stupid," Haruka spat. She looked sick to her stomach. "She's playing him. No way in hell that she could like Yamauchi- kun." A woman's intuition, maybe?
"Y-yeah, I think you're right," said Airi, perhaps because she could sense the same thing.
"Come on! Men are so simple. How could someone be fooled by that obvious act?"
"Is she…really acting?" asked Keisei uncertainly. I guess I wouldn't have noticed either if I hadn't looked carefully…
"Definitely an act," said Haruka, with absolute certainty. "Maybe she's trying to get information about Class C, just like
Horikita-san said?" said Ike.
"I don't know, seems a bit obvious," said Keisei. "You'd think there's a better way to do that. If she'd met up with Yamauchi in secret, it wouldn't put us on our guard like we are now. It would've made things way easier for her."
"Yeah, I suppose that's true…"
Keisei was exactly right. Even if she were planning to lure Yamauchi into a trap, there were plenty of ways to make contact with him without raising our suspicions. Deliberately making the entirety of Class C aware of her actions would do her more harm than good, implicating her in any problems that arose as a result.
So maybe she actually did have a thing for Yamauchi, just like Keisei and Ike had said. That would make more sense. But then again, Sakayanagi was aggressive and bold in general, so it really could be either one.
"To tell you the truth," said Sakayanagi, "I've been wanting to talk to
you for a while now."
"F-f-f-for real?" sputtered Yamauchi. "Like, for real for real?"
"Well, I don't exactly have the kind of free time to lie about something like this, do I?" she replied.
I watched them carefully as they talked, conducting my own analysis. "I'm afraid I can't quite calm myself down here, Yamauchi. Maybe we
should…go somewhere else?"
"I-I see! Yeah, okay. Sure, let's!" "Well, then, come along now, please."
The two of them walked side by side, Yamauchi trying to match Sakayanagi's slow pace. It seemed like he was capable of showing the bare minimum of consideration. The other students watched the pair walk away— they probably knew that trying to follow any longer would be difficult.
3.2
ALL OF THE MEMBERS of the Ayanokouji Group had assembled in the café except for Akito, who'd headed to his club activities.
Haruka kicked things off at once. "Okay, so what do you think is really going on with that whole farce earlier? What're Yamauchi-kun and Sakayanagi-san doing?"
"Can we really say that it was a farce for certain though?" asked Keisei.
"That's…of course it was! Anyone would know. Right, Airi?"
"Well, um." Airi blushed. "I suppose. I think maybe it could…" "Huh? But come on, it was so obviously put on, right? As a show?
Right?" said Haruka.
"Yeah, I suppose that the gestures she made did make it look one way… but like as Keisei-kun said, do you really think she'd come right out and do something bad by coming to visit Class C?"
"Come on," said Haruka, "use your head. That's part of the play; she wants to get us all mixed up with reverse psychology."
Hmm. So Haruka thought that by being so overt, Sakayanagi would make us think that it was way too obvious to be a trap in the first place. It was possible.
"What do you think, Kiyopon? Yukimuu? Do you seriously think there could be…romance?" asked Haruka.
"This is a topic that I'm not very well versed in," said Keisei. "I'll pass on further questions, thank you." He clearly didn't want to talk about romance any further.
Of course, now Haruka and Airi turned their gazes toward me. "To be honest," I said, "Yamauchi and Sakayanagi haven't really
interacted at all until now. This is way too sudden for something so basic to
turn into romance, don't you think?"
"Quite the level-headed opinion, Kiyopon," said Haruka. "But falling in love doesn't always follow the same pattern or pace. People like Hirata- kun are one thing, I guess, but I doubt Yamauchi-kun is the kind who needs a while to fall for someone."
In the end, the conversation stalled out due to our lack of further information. Eventually, the topic changed from Yamauchi and Sakayanagi's romance to what was going on within Class C.
"Oh, speaking of Hirata-kun," said Airi, "didn't he break up with Karuizawa-san?"
"I can't really say I'm surprised," said Haruka. "Honestly, it seemed like they'd break up for sure someday."
"R-really, Haruka?" sputtered Airi.
"I guess if you look at it as the leader of the boys going out with the leader of the girls, then they make sense as a couple. But they're not really a good match for one another, y'know? It's just like, how do I put it…? Hirata- kun seems like he'd like a cute, gentle girl."
"But I think that Karuizawa-san is really cute," said Airi. "Don't you think so, Kiyotaka-kun?"
She was asking me? It was a difficult question. Perhaps she asked me that because she specifically wanted to hear my thoughts on that matter.
"Dunno," I said. "I've never really paid much attention to Karuizawa."
I didn't know how Airi felt about that, but it was the only answer I could give.
"Hmm, well, I suppose that's true." said Haruka. "Anyhow, Karuizawa-san aside, the problem is that Hirata-kun has become a free agent." Thankfully, she was shifting the topic of conversation back to Hirata. "It seems like there are quite a few girls in class who like Hirata-kun. I wonder what'll happen."
"Really?" asked Airi.
"Huh? You mean you never noticed? I mean…for example, Mii-chan definitely has a thing for him."
"Well… now that you mention it, she certainly does look over at
Hirata-kun now and again." "I know, right?"
Keisei took out his notebook, perhaps because he was getting fed up with all this talk of romance. "I'd like to study for a bit, I think."
"Oh, that's right, the year-end exam's coming up soon… Well, that's a depressing thought," said Haruka.
"I'll need to put together some study guides for you guys too," said Keisei.
Haruka let out a little laugh before lowering her head down on the table, like she was trying to make a full bowing motion. Chabashira hadn't given us any special instructions about the year-end exam, so it was probably going to be your standard written test. If a student got a failing grade, they'll be expelled at once. That was my guess, anyway.
"So when are we going to start our study group?"
"Let's see," said Keisei. "Hmm…how about after we've finished with the practice test on the 15th? That'll leave us about ten days until the final. If we focus on questions that have cropped up in the past and the trends we've been seeing in class, we should be good."
"Oh, ho!" Just like that, Haruka's mood seemed to lift, probably because this meant she could put off studying a little longer. "Just what I'd expect from you, Yukimuu! A perfect plan. Completely agree, let's roll with it."
"The last special exam of the school year will probably be held after the year-end final. In March, I expect," said Keisei.
"The last special exam of the year…" Airi echoed. "Wow, so our first year is already almost over, huh?"
"We've certainly been through a lot," said Haruka, "but it's really gone by so fast, hasn't it?"
Airi and Haruka both reflected back on the year for a moment…but Keisei brought them out of their reverie at once.
"It's way too early to be reminiscing. If you fail the year-end final exam, you'll get expelled. Not to mention what's in the special exam, too…"
He probably didn't want them to lose focus.
Soon enough, Keisei was nose-deep in studying…and Haruka noticed something.
"Oh!"
I followed her line of sight, spotting Ichinose with what looked like several guys and girls, all Class B students. Unlike our own gathering, they all looked stiff and tense.
If I had to guess, they were trying to come up with ways to protect Ichinose from the defamation and slander currently directed her way.
Ichinose herself, however, probably didn't want anything of the sort. She was behaving exactly the same as she always did: chatting with her friends, engaging cheerfully with people everywhere she went.
What concerned me was that Kanzaki wasn't around. He was Ichinose's close confidant, so I got the idea that they were together pretty frequently…
"It looks like she's in quite a bit of trouble right now," said Haruka, watching Ichinose with mild indifference, "doesn't it?"
"Some strange rumors are going around, I hear," said Airi. "I don't know who is spreading them, but they really are awful…"
"It's not really all that unusual though, is it?" asked Haruka. "I mean, yeah, this time things have gone a little too far, but I've seen similar stuff pretty often. You could say popular girls are just doomed to that fate, right?"
"You think so?" said Airi, a puzzled look on her face. "I didn't know that at all…"
"Sure. If you were more assertive and positive like Ichinose-san, you'd probably have a ton of people getting jealous of you. Don't you think, Airi?"
It was certainly possible. That being said, it didn't seem like Airi was even capable of picturing herself as the assertive type, no matter how hard she tried to envision it.
"Ehh, probably best not to worry about it," Haruka continued. "I bet Ichinose understands that too."
I just listened to them talk, not really participating in the conversation
myself.
3.3
ABOUT TWO HOURS LATER, the girls were chatting amongst themselves while Keisei pored over his notebook. I dipped in and out of the girls' conversation while I fiddled with my phone. And then, Haruka's phone vibrated where it sat on the table.
"Oh, it's from Miyacchi."
Haruka fiddled with the touchscreen options and answered the call on speaker phone.
"You finished with club stuff?" she asked.
"Sorry, think I'll be a little late." It was Miyake Akito, and he sounded nervous.
"Huh? Is practice running late or something?" "No…no, I think some trouble's about to go down."
"Wait, trouble? What kind of trouble? Explain it to me so I can
understand what's going on."
"Class A and Class B are going at it. If the worst-case scenario happens and a fight breaks out, I'll probably need to step in and stop it."
Sounded like Akito hadn't really gotten involved yet, but…Class A and Class B? The faces of the core members of Class B flashed through my mind. Would Ichinose really be so careless as to let a fight break out?
"Probably better to just leave it be," said Haruka. "It doesn't have anything to do with our class."
"Could be our problem tomorrow though," said Akito, before ending the call. Although normally a man of few words, he had a surprisingly passionate side to him. Like when he'd welcomed Ryuuen into our group at the school camp, despite no one else wanting anything to do with him.
"I wonder who's fighting…?" said Airi, sounding concerned. "It's usually that class always starting fights. But not this time, I
guess," said Haruka. She was referring, of course, to Ryuuen's class, now
demoted to D.
"Me neither, now that I think about it," said Airi.
The two girls titled their heads to the side in apparent contemplation, thinking about this unexpected confrontation between Class A and Class B.
"Hey, Airi, Kiyopon, how about we head out and look for Miyacchi?" asked Haruka.
"B-But won't that be dangerous?" asked Airi.
"Well, sure, if things start to go down, our class might wind up getting dragged in as collateral damage," said Haruka with a teasing grin.
Airi shrunk back, looking a little frightened.
"But don't worry!" Haruka added. "Look, if something happens, I'm sure Miyacchi will do something, right? He used to be a pretty bad dude in the past, they say."
"B-bad? Really?"
"Well…by 'they say,' I pretty much just mean he says."
Hmm. Maybe that was why he didn't fear dealing with someone like Ryuuen—because he was confident in his own skills.
"Anyway, Airi," said Haruka, "if you get in trouble, I'm sure that Kiyopon will come save you. Right?"
"…I'll do the best I can," I said. "But I'd really rather not be in any fights."
"Aha ha ha! Well, no worries, right? It's not like things are going to ever get that violent here at this school. Uh. Probably…" Haruka trailed off vaguely, remembering the several instances of violence that had happened so far this school year.
Still, there wasn't really any reason to not look for Akito, so we decided to do just that.
3.4
WE DIDN'T SEE any sign of Akito as headed for the archery club. "Huuuh? Where is Miyacchi, anyway?"
We were certain he'd been heading to the café, meaning he'd probably changed direction once he saw a fight brewing. We kept looking, and a few minutes later, we got some reliable information from a classmate who was heading back to the dorms from club activities.
And so we arrived at a spot by the side of the gym, a short distance from the school building, where we found two male students facing off against one another. Neither of them appeared to be the people whom Haruka and Airi had been expecting.
One of them was Hashimoto, from first-year Class A. The other was Kanzaki, from first-year Class B. Akito stood between them, as if trying to keep a handle on the situation.
"You guys aren't really going to fight, are you?" asked Akito. "You're real persistent, Miyake. Besides, I wasn't the one trying to
pick a fight here in the first place. Kanzaki dragged me into this," said
Hashimoto. At that, my eyes met his. "Looks like your friends have arrived, huh?"
When he said that, Akito and Kanzaki looked over in our direction at almost the exact same time.
"…You guys came?" Akito didn't sound thrilled to have us sticking our noses in this. Well, I suppose there wasn't anything to be gained by getting the girls involved in this mess.
But Haruka spoke up, snapping back at Akito. "You're the one who stuck your nose into something weird, Miyacchi. We just came to save you."
"Save me…" Akito looked to the sky regretfully. "Of course." "So, what's up? These two fighting?" asked Haruka.
Realizing there was no point arguing, Akito changed gears. "I was
wrong about that. But it does seem like the situation is rather hostile." "Kanzaki is the only hostile one," said Hashimoto.
It was certainly true that Hashimoto didn't seem to be acting any differently than usual. But Akito wasn't taking Hashimoto's word for it. "I sure hope you're right about that."
Akito didn't seem like he was about to leave. Was a fight going to break out? He didn't seem sure either. Kanzaki, on the other hand, looked embarrassed to see us here, which suggested he didn't want anyone butting in.
Of course, he also knew he couldn't exactly just ask us to leave. In the end, he didn't say a word to us, but he turned back to Hashimoto once again.
"Picking up from where we left off before, Hashimoto," said Kanzaki. "What have you been doing after class? You're not in any clubs. Why are you hanging around so late?"
"Does not being in a club mean I gotta head back to the dorm right away? I'm free to do whatever I like after class. Besides, I think the only person present here who actually belongs to a club is Miyake. Right?" replied Hashimoto.
He assertively roped us into the situation, using us to poke a hole in Kanzaki's argument. Unlike Kanzaki, it seemed Hashimoto found our presence quite convenient.
We, the members of Ayanokouji Group, briefly exchanged looks.
We couldn't really say we were allies of Class A or Class B. Still, if we had to choose a side, it would inevitably be Class B because of the truce between Horikita and Ichinose.
Hashimoto grinned. "Ha! Can't give me an answer, Kanzaki, can
you?"
"It's not as though you're here to meet with anyone," said Kanzaki.
Though his expression remained as calm as ever, you could feel the force of personality behind his words. "You're just trying to grab random people and spread those rumors around, aren't you?"
So he'd been pressing Hashimoto about the Ichinose rumors, and it had made Akito worry they were going to come to blows. And now here we were.
Hashimoto seemed to sense that Kanzaki knew what he was up to, because he nodded. "Rumors? Oh, you mean the ones about Ichinose doing all kinds of bad stuff? What do those have to do with me?"
"Playing dumb is just a waste of time," said Kanzaki. "I'd like to make something clear to you, here and now: your actions are so underhanded that I see little difference between them and Ryuuen's."
"Okay, but even if you say that, I don't really know how I can answer
you."
Hashimoto was being slippery and evasive in the face of Kanzaki's
attempts to corner him. Akito, apparently having determined that they weren't immediately about to start throwing punches, came over to stand with us.
"Hey, what do we do now?" asked Haruka, directing her question to Akito in a low voice.
"Nothing. For the time being, we watch. If they go their separate ways without anything coming of it, that'll be that."
"But… Is it okay for us to listen to this?" asked Airi anxiously. I got where she was coming from; Class C had nothing to do with this discussion, and Kanzaki didn't seem happy that we were here.
"What do you think, Kiyotaka?" Akito asked me.
"Hmm. It's probably fine if we listen until they tell us to go, right? If it turns into a fight later, a third party like us could assert the legitimacy of the situation. Which should help Kanzaki, if he needs it," I reasoned.
Akito nodded in response, seemingly convinced.
But Hashimoto went on about the rumors, taking it a step further. "Hey, Kanzaki. These rumors about Ichinose…are you really sure they're just that? Just…rumors?"
"What?"
"You know how it goes: 'Where there's smoke, there's fire.' You can't blame somebody for looking for the fire, can you?"
"Rumors don't need a fire. Not if there's some sneak blowing smoke all over the place."
Hashimoto leaned back against a nearby wall. "I see. Well, it's certainly true that fires and rumors are separate things." Proverbs didn't always hold true in the real world. "But can you say with absolute certainty that Ichinose doesn't have a dark past, Kanzaki?"
"One year, Hashimoto. We've struggled together in Class B for about one year, through thick and thin. So…yes, I am certain."
"Oh, please! Enough already, Kanzaki. You're so corny, I can't even look you in the eye." At that, Hashimoto lowered his gaze mockingly.
"Of course, I've also asked Ichinose directly." "Oh? And what did she say?"
"She told me not to worry, and not to be misled by all these rumors."
"In other words, that means she neither confirmed nor denied anything?"
"That's true. That's why I decided to believe her."
"Dude, come on. Seriously? How much of a bleeding heart can you possibly be?" sneered Hashimoto. He kept going. "No one wants to talk about their own dark past, and nobody's going to tell the whole truth just because a friend asks. Of course she wouldn't tell her classmates the truth. Or what, do you think that just because she's a good person now, she was a good person in the past?"
Kanzaki didn't appear to be shaken at all by his words. No, the look in his eyes was of complete trust in Ichinose.
Hashimoto didn't stop. "Just because you're Ichinose's right-hand man, you think she's gonna tell you everything? Come on, how naïve can you be?"
Undisguised disgust at Kanzaki's blind faith dripped from every word.
That, or he'd decided that there was no point in dragging out this confrontation.
"I'm not talking about that," said Kanzaki. "I want you to tell me about yourself. About what you've been doing today."
"All right, fine. I'll tell you. Yeah, I've been spreading rumors about Ichinose," Hashimoto admitted. "Look, Kanzaki…you're smart. You're a
caring guy. But that's why you shouldn't get so involved in this. You can only blindly believe others, you know? This just…isn't your place."
"You're saying you have no intention of retracting those rumors, then." "Retract the rumors? C'mon, don't you think you're getting it twisted?
There's no retracting rumors. They spread wherever they will. I just
happened to encounter them along the way and help pass them on," said Hashimoto.
So he admitted to spreading the rumors but flatly denied being their source. Still, Kanzaki wasn't backing down.
No…he seemed to already know that Hashimoto wasn't the source. "I've been conducting a thorough investigation of the students of Class
A over the last few days." "And?"
"I've traced the source of all of the rumors back to a number of guys and girls from first-year Class A. When I pressed those students about where they'd heard the rumors, they responded with vague answers like 'I don't remember' or 'I heard them from somewhere.' Much like the answer you just gave me right now. Every one of them. I'm sure that you, of all people, must understand what that means, Hashimoto."
Someone had given instructions to those students.
"Sorry, Kanzaki," said Hashimoto, "but I haven't got the faintest clue.
If you don't mind, why don't you say it outright?"
"The rumors meant to defame Ichinose were almost certainly spread by first-year Class A."
"Huh."
"Don't try to weasel out of it. I didn't just ask the first-year students—I asked the second-years and third-years too. They said they heard the rumors from your class. Exactly where I'd traced them back to. If necessary, I can call those students and have them confirm the facts in person."
Apparently, Kanzaki and the rest of Class B had thoroughly investigated the source of the rumors. He was convinced first-year Class A had spearheaded their creation, which was why he was now confronting
Hashimoto. The fact that he was working alone probably meant that he was trying to avoid causing trouble for Ichinose. If a large number of students caused a commotion, it would get the attention of students who hadn't initially been interested in the rumors.
Then again, it was entirely possible that Kanzaki was just handling this case entirely on his own.
"I see. So that's why you've been stalking me again today." Hashimoto shrugged and let out a sigh.
"Again," huh? So he'd noticed Kanzaki tailing him some time ago.
Although it didn't seem like he really cared about being followed, probably because he didn't see it as a real threat.
"Was it Sakayanagi who told you to spread those rumors?" asked Kanzaki.
"Uh, no?"
"Okay, then who? The only other person who could give out orders to Class A would be Katsuragi."
"Who knows? I've just been hanging out with other students. I picked up the rumors somewhere along the way. Even if you say that the rumors came from Class A, what am I supposed to do with that? Maybe it's Ryuuen's handiwork. Maybe he's just been pretending to be in retirement?"
After hearing that, Kanzaki changed his approach. "So you took stories without knowing whether or not they were actually true, accepted them at face value, and just…spread them around?"
"That's just how people work, isn't it? It doesn't matter if they're true or made-up; if the rumor is interesting, people are going to talk. Besides, us guys are nothing compared to the girls in that department, eh?" Hashimoto directed his gaze over at Haruka and Airi.
"Well… I certainly do like rumors, but…"
"And sadly, the juicier the rumors, the more exciting they become. Try to think this through a little more objectively, Kanzaki. Ichinose neither confirmed nor denied the rumors. And she's not asking anyone to help her, either. Don't you think that's strange? If they're a complete fabrication, then you'd think she'd be asking for help finding their source, right?" said
Hashimoto.
"Ichinose has an extreme aversion to conflict," said Kanzaki. "I believe she could find it in her heart to show compassion to everyone…even those who spread vicious rumors about her."
Since she wasn't taking a stance of her own on the subject, Kanzaki couldn't do anything but choose to believe in her.
"God, you Class-B people…"
In any case, Hashimoto's words and behavior had led me to one conclusion: the rumors being circulated about Ichinose…weren't all lies, after all.
I put aside my position as a student for a moment, examining this case from a social perspective. Ichinose could probably sue the person(s) who'd started the rumor for defamation of character. Regardless of whether the rumors were true, they'd damaged her reputation, which gave her grounds to sue.
…Unless, of course, the rumors involved facts that were already public knowledge. If this was Sakayanagi's handiwork, then it was all going according to plan. Ichinose's silence was proof it was working as intended.
After giving Kanzaki a pat on the shoulder, Hashimoto thrust his hands into his pocket and tried to walk off.
"We aren't done talking," said Kanzaki.
"Come on, man, isn't this enough? Even if we continue this conversation, it's not like we're going to see eye-to-eye," said Hashimoto.
He gave Haruka and Airi a gentle wave, then headed off in the direction of the school building. Something was off, here. My gut told me Hashimoto was acting differently around me than he had when we were at the school camp.
It was nothing more than a hunch, though. I couldn't put a finger on what, specifically, had changed.
"Please excuse me." Kanzaki offered us a slight bow, and then walked back toward the dorms rather than the school building.
"Wow, okay," said Haruka. "That right there? That was awesome."
"What on earth," said Akito, "was awesome about that?"
Haruka stuck out her tongue. "Come on! It's like, you know, we were on the verge of things getting exciting. Besides, even in the off chance that we got attacked, you could've totally taken the dude, right, Miyacchi?" She made a few quick jabbing motions in the air to demonstrate.
"I hear you used to be a delinquent?" I asked, following the flow of the conversation.
Akito let out a heavy sigh. "Don't tell people that, Haruka. I don't really want it getting around."
"Come on, what's the big deal?" she asked. "You're different now, anyway. You were really strong then, huh?"
"I…I wasn't some famous delinquent or anything, okay? Someone else was top dog at the junior high I went to. That guy was way stronger than me."
"Huh. Was it a pretty rough school?"
"Well yeah. That's just how people were in my hometown. I mean, the adults, too. And when they had kids, they'd raise 'em to be the same. Oh, by the way, Ryuuen from Class D? He used to go to a junior high next to mine," said Akito.
"Whoa, seriously?!"
"Yep. We ran into each other a few times when fights broke out between the schools. I don't think the guy really paid me any mind, though."
Akito probably knew how to handle those kinds of situations because he'd had experience brawling.
"Okay," he said, "the conversation ends here. And don't spread this outside the group, okay?"
"Okay, okay, I get it," said Haruka. "How about we head back to the café? Yukimuu is waitin' for us."
"Gotcha."
At the end of the day, this was Akito's business, after all. If I was sure of anything, it was that it was best not to dig any deeper.