Soon the details of the first round of the exchange meeting were announced and the game began.
Before that, I decided to tell Hashimoto, who was fiddling with his cell phone in the same room, about this matter.
Hashimoto would notice the unnatural situation even if I kept silent about participating in all the games. It was a waste to probe and be probed among groupmates, and it was best to avoid that.
I'm going to have some with Nagumo.
I told him a little about the contents of our match, but it was still a confrontation with the former student council president, and Hashimoto couldn't hide his surprise throughout.
And when he finished listening to the story, he sighed repeatedly, showing his understanding of the situation.
"You always do things that are beyond my imagination. You know that, right?"
"It's not the development I wanted."
"Even so, it's incredible that you're competing with Nagumo-senpai. And it's not about the results of this group battle, but about your individual performance. That's amazing. You're being asked to win 17 out of 19 games."
He expected this situation to be tough, but Hashimoto seemed oddly happy.
"That just means he's interested in you. I knew my eyes were right."
"Even if it's an informal exchange meeting, it's still selfish. It's an act that disrupts the group's dynamic. That's why I asked to speak with you—to keep the group's cooperation intact."
"So that's where I come in. I understand what you want to say, but I don't think you need to worry."
"What do you mean?"
"Think about it. If this was a fun game, everyone might compete for a spot to participate, but do you think all high school students would want to make oshibana[4] and embroidering to compete? No."
[TL/N: Oshibana (押し花) refers to the traditional Japanese art of pressing flowers to preserve their beauty and create decorative designs]
I was very interested, but it seemed that other students weren't.
"So it should be a welcome thing for you to participate in everything."
If things went as planned, I would be grateful.
"Are you going to win the exchange meeting itself? I wonder how Kiryūin-senpai feels about it. I suppose it's okay to assume that you know because of the circumstances?"
"Ah, I'm not sure. I don't think she's completely uninterested, but I don't think she's as excited as Nagumo. She might even throw the whole thing to her kōhais."
Kiryūin was only interested in the match with Nagumo because of my record.
Just enjoying the extra entertainment before graduation, that was all.
"Even if the private points I earned this time can only be used for pocket money, I can use the private points I have now for a more effective use. I honestly want to aim for a higher ranking and get the prize money."
For Hashimoto, who has made enemies both inside and outside, his battle funds were indeed important.
"Anyway, Ayanokōji, you should get along with the first-year students."
"Get along... huh?"
"Do you think it's difficult to spend friendly time with the first-year students?"
After thinking for a moment, I nodded, and Hashimoto stood up, slapping his knee.
"All right, then, let's make the best of it. First, I'll loosen up the first-year students and try to get along with them by tonight."
Hashimoto immediately declared that he had no problem getting closer to the first-year students.
"I'll also try to extract as much information as possible at that time, but if Kiryūin-senpai doesn't make a move, your power is indispensable. So when it gets dark, you'll have to cooperate to get along with the first-year students, okay?"
I couldn't just make demands without giving anything in return, and it was only fair to help.
It seemed better to support Hashimoto, who was aiming for a win in the group.
"Right... Of course, if I could do it, I would."
But it would be better to let him know sooner rather than later that I'm not confident.
That's what I thought, but Hashimoto could see right through it.
"Leave it to me. I'm pretty good at this kind of thing. I'm grateful to be able to act as your hands and feet. It will also serve as a check on the princess, and it's not something Ryūen can ignore."
He was cooperating with me, while at the same time promoting his own interests as well.
Having a calculating mindset wasn't bad.
Rather, if there was a clear conflict of interest, that mindset would be much better than having the situation resolved out of goodwill.
"By the way, how much would you get for beating Nagumo-senpai?"
"I don't know. I didn't ask for the exact number."
"Considering that he's a third-year representative, it's not just a few thousand or tens of thousands, right?"
What he wanted to know was not the amount, but where the reward money would go afterward.
"I understand. If we win, I'll distribute it evenly to the rest of the group, so you can rest assured."
"I'm relieved to hear that. However, I'd be happy if you could give us different amounts based on our performance, not uniformly."
He made it clear that he wanted to be paid more for taking the initiative, though it wasn't mandatory.
"Well then, I'll leave for a bit. I should be able to have a talk or two during my free time."
As if cherishing every second, Hashimoto quickly left the shared room.