Chapter 36: Chapter 1: Sport´s Festival Announcement
[Third Person Pov]
[14th August, 23.32]
As the Zodiac Exam has concluded in favor of Kurushima's class, Hashimoto immediately contacted Arisu Sakayanagi.
"Princess, did you see it already?" he asked.
"Yes, it seems like we've been denounced to Class B. These class competitions might not get as boring as I initially thought, fufu."
"I'm glad to see you enjoying this situation, Princess."
"Fufu, how could I not, Hashimoto-kun. Finally, something interesting has happened. For the first time ever since I'm in this school, I've not been feeling any ounce of boredom."
"The situation here doesn't look good, among our classmates."
"Well, then they have plenty to complain to Katsuragi-kun. It's not me who lost our class position, after all."
"True enough. Princess, I need to hang off now."
"That's fine. I'll be calling you when I need something. However, before I hang up, Hashimoto-kun, do you know if Kurushima-kun is available for a small little telephone call?"
"I doubt that, Princess. From what I heard, Kurushima-kun has rented the whole pool area for his class and won't take up your phone call. I'm sure I also saw some fireworks coming from the pool location. I didn't know you could buy fireworks here. Ah, how envious I am."
"Fufu, I see. I'll be contacting him tomorrow. For now, let him enjoy this small little celebration."
Saying that, she hung up the phone.
--
Back to the pool area again, Kurushima could currently be seen going to the bar, ordering a drink.
"Kurushima-kun," someone said.
"Ah, Matsushita-san, how can I help?" he asked.
"I wanted to talk with you. Can we talk in private?" she asked, as there were a handful of people gathered around the bar.
Both of them gained the attention of everyone present, not only because their class suddenly descended up to Class A, but rather about their appearance-wise factor.
Unlike any other students present there, the two of them were covered wet, full of water, while wearing swimsuits.
There wasn't a single other student who celebrated or wore swimsuits aside from them.
"Sure," he said.
"Follow me."
She walked in front of him, leading the way. Kurushima, who was in his thoughts, could potentially think what she wanted to talk about. No, he was quite sure about what she wanted to talk about.
After walking for a few minutes, we finally arrived at a location where no one else was.
"Matsushita-san, what did you want to talk about?" he asked, in a curious tone.
"You see, I always thought that you were cool and handsome since the beginning of the school year. But ever since you saved me at the swimming pool that day, I thought more and more about you. At first, I wasn't sure if I was just feeling gratitude or something more, but over time, I have gotten my answer. Kurushima-kun, I have fallen in love with you. Please go out with me!"
Matsushita confessed, her voice carrying a mix of nervousness and sincerity.
He knew her feelings for him, but he couldn't return them.
"Matsushita-san, thank you for being honest with me. I'm honored about your feelings and appreciate that you see me that way..."
"However, I can not return those feelings," he said, making it immediately clear without talking too much.
"Ah...I see," exclaimed Matsushita, who couldn't really hold herself to hide her disappointment and sadness.
Kurushima's expression softened, and he reached out to gently hold her hand. "You're an amazing person, and anyone would be lucky to have you. It's just that my heart doesn't feel the same way."
Matsushita managed a faint smile, though her eyes glistened with unshed tears. "Thank you, Kurushima-kun. I appreciate your honesty. I didn't mean to burden you with my feelings."
Kurushima shook his head, his grip on her hand remaining gentle. "You're not a burden at all. It takes a lot of courage to share your feelings, and I respect you for that. I hope we can still be friends and support each other."
She nodded, blinking away the moisture in her eyes. "Yes, of course. I value our friendship a lot."
Kurushima's smile brightened, and he released her hand. "That's great to hear. Well, I think I should head back. My presence might become a bit uncomfortable for you," Kurushima said.
"Yeah... I think I might still need some time alone currently. But Kurushima-kun, before you go, can I ask you a small question."
"Sure," he replied.
"Are you currently in love with someone?" Matsushita asked.
Perhaps it was because there was a glimmer glimpse of hope for her that if he were not in love, she might still have a chance. But it could also be because she wanted to know which girl was able to make Kurushima fall for her.
No, it wasn't because of any of those reasons. She simply wanted to know that Kurushima was in love so that she would have an easier time moving on from him.
If he wasn't, she might make herself hopes again.
"No... I don't think so..." he replied, answering honestly.
But for her, it was clear. He was probably in love with someone. He wouldn't have taken so long to reply and would have been so insecure with his reply if he wasn't in love.
Kurushima, however, most likely didn't realize it. He was in the process of falling in love with that certain person but hasn't noticed it yet.
In the end, that information caused her simply to shed more tears than she had already.
"Goodbye, Matsushita-san," he said, leaving the location, as he noticed it was now the time she would need time alone.
While Kurushima was on his way, another person seemed to confront him. This time, it wasn't a girl, however.
"Ryūen-kun."
"Kurushima."
"What do you want?" he asked.
"Nothing. I just saw you breaking that poor girl's heart."
"Did you spy on me?"
"Spy on you? No, not at all. You two simply came at the location I happened to sleep at currently. When I woke up, I heard the conversation between you two."
"Aha, I see. Well, if that is all, I'll be leaving."
"Sure, sure, heartbreaker."
Kurushima simply ignored Ryūen and walked away. In the meanwhile, Matsushita would remain for twenty additional minutes alone until she decided to head back to celebrate with her class and her friends.
--
[15th August]
A phone was ringing. It was that of Kurushima. The one who was calling him was Sakayanagi Arisu, of Class B.
"Yes, Sakayanagi-san, how can I help?" he asked, hardly keeping the disgust he held for her in himself.
"Fufu, I'm just calling you to congratulate you. Isn't that what friends are supposed to be doing?" she asked, slightly amused.
Inside of his thoughts, he wanted to say, 'Are you mocking me? Friends? I'd rather go to hell than be your friend.'
But he couldn't possibly say that. "Ah, yes, of course, I suppose. Thank you, Sakayanagi-san."
"Fufu, no problem, Kurushima-kun. You really did a great job. And I suppose I should also thank you. You have eliminated any possibility that Katsuragi will ever be in charge of the class affairs or any special exams."
Although Katsuragi wasn't any great problem, she expressed her gratitude nonetheless.
"That's what friends are there for," Kurushima replied in a slight sarcastic voice.
"Yes, that was a rather great present," Sakayanagi, who obviously knew what he was getting at, replied also sarcastically.
"I agree. I'd love to make you far better presents in the future, Sakayanagi-san. Just watch!"
"Fufu, I'm sure I'll also have some presents ready for you, nearby."
"I had my doubts at the beginning, whether you would be like Ichinose, Kurushima-kun. But now my doubts are cleared. You'll make a great toy."
"I wouldn't be that confident, Sakayanagi. I'm not that easy to break, you know?"
"I hope so. Because breaking you wouldn't make any fun otherwise. We're at war, officially now, Kurushima-kun. I expect great things from you."
Saying that, she ended the phone call.
You'll be more than surprised enough, Sakayanagi. Just watch. I'll make you experience a living hell.
--
[16th August]
All students arrived back at the school yesterday at noon, having one day to rest, before school starts on Tuesday.
Despite Horikita's attempts to get an answer out of Kurushima, he was always accompanied by other people, so she didn't have the chance to ask how he had figured out the pattern behind the VIPs
Neither on the bus nor anywhere else she had the possibility. It was as if Kurushima purposely avoided her.
However, now, the VIPs pattern method will be revealed. Most of the students didn't care. All that mattered to them was that they won. Horikita did care. She, Karuizawa, and some of the other students.
Most of them didn't ask, reason why they didn't get a reply from Kurushima. And once they came back, Horikita nor anyone else asked, as they would be getting an explanation.
However, one did they know Chabashira-sensei wouldn't explain anything at all. Once they noticed that Yukimura, Hirata, Horikita, Karuizawa, and several other students began to watch Kurushima intensely.
The moment the break came, Kurushima couldn't help but gulp his throat by the intense stares of his classmates.
Horikita appeared to be the first one to speak up. "Kurushima-kun, how did you figure the VIP selection pattern out?" asked Horikita, who finally has gotten the chance to ask the question.
"It wasn't that hard. I figured it out after some intense thinking about the exam..." though that was a complete lie.
Kurushima was straight up lying to them. He really didn't want to announce that it took him ten minutes after he had gotten the identities of the three VIPs in his class.
"So? Care to elaborate more?" she asked, doubtful about whether Kurushima would be pretty vague with his answer or not.
"Well...if you look at the member list of the groups where our three VIPs were in, what do you see in common with all of them?" Kurushima asked Horikita, giving her the member list from their three VIPs groups.
She took each one of them and analyzed them for a few minutes. Behind her, several other people stood by watching her.
"Ah, I get it now. The surnames of the students divided up in order of the zodiac animals were the key to figuring out the VIP."
"The rabbit group is the 4th in Zodiac, so if we follow that principle, Karuizawa-san would have been the VIP. Likewise, with the Dragon Group, which is the fifth in the Zodiac, where Kushida-san would have been the fifth surname."
Horikita explained, realizing the simple pattern behind this exam.
"I can't believe that I didn't think about something as simple as that," she added.
"However, to arrive at this conclusion during the middle of the exam isn't simple at all. Especially if you only have three VIPs in your class that aren't enough to confirm that. You'd at least need the identities of six VIPs so that you could confirm that each group runs past by this pattern."
"That is certainly true," added Yukimura.
"How did you do it, Kurushima-kun?" Horikita asked.
"Well, I just sat at the cafeteria, listened on repeat the recordings of each group and intensely observed those students that might seem like the VIPs, until I noticed that those who I suspected, share something in common. I didn't do anything more than that, honestly."
"If that's all, I need to go now. I have a meeting at the student council room with Nagumo-senpai and Manabu-senpai."
Kurushima said, walking away, wishing the students that were at the class during break his farewell.
There were only eight students who listened to Kurushima. The rest simply didn't care and left the room the moment the break was announced.
"Kurushima-kun sure is amazing," exclaimed Hirata in a happy tone.
"Yeah, he sure is," added Kushida.
"I didn't expect that, honestly. I'm ashamed that I wasn't able to figure this out," Yukimura commented.
"No one aside from Ryūen-kun and Kurushima-kun did."
"Yeah," he replied.
"Ah, come on, Kurushima. I thought we would play basketball. Why didn't you tell me that you had a meeting with the student council," Sūdo said, slightly infuriated by his friend's behavior.
Everyone left the classroom, aside from Horikita and Ayanokoji.
"Why do you think Kurushima-kun didn't submit Ryūen-kun's VIPs?" Horikita asked Ayanokoji.
"If I had to say, it'd be probably because of Sakayanagi. Neither Ryūen nor Kurushima submitted the opposite because both of them wanted to message Sakayanagi that they are in the same regards to attack her class first. Ryūen, didn't want to advance up to Class A because that would make him Sakayanagi'a next target, while Kurushima seems to be quite confident that we can defeat her."
"So I guess they did some kind of agreement that both of them wouldn't attack the opposite class temporarily. As to why Ryūen didn't submit Ichinose's class, it is probable that one of her classmates told him their VIPs identities in exchange that he would not submit them, so that he could figure out this selection pattern."
"Kurushima should have figured that out too and proposed that offer to Ryūen, because of that initial idea, that even if our two classes submitted the opposite ones, we would stay at the end with the same Class Points there. And if Kurushima was right with his initial idea that Ryūen didn't want to be the target of Sakayanagi, this would definitely give him the confidence that Ryūen would not even think of submitting our VIPs."
"When that issue was solved, the issue that Ryūen would submit our three VIPs at the last seconds before the exam concluded was also automatically solved. The goal was to convey a message and put Sakayanagi in a very difficult position. Our classes will be targeting her, and she'll need to defend while annually expected by her classmates to gain their initial class position back."
"But why wouldn't Kurushima tell us that?" she asked.
"Do I really have to tell you that? I'm sure you know the reason. While I'm sure a few individuals would understand his reasoning, many wouldn't and complain about his decision. After all, now that we are in Class A, many of our classmates have gotten quite arrogant, despite the fact that no one really seemed to have contributed much to our class position, aside from Kurushima. "
"Yeah, you're right, Ayanokoji-kun, I didn't think of that," Horikita said, one thing still lingering in her mind.
"There's still something in your mind. Mind telling me that?" Ayanokoji asked.
"I guess it wouldn't hurt..."
"Well, I have been wondering about this ever since the first two months, but if Class D is the class of the defectives, why was Kurushima advocated to Class D?" Horikita frowned.
"That's a good question. However, I also don't have an answer for that. It could be from traumatic experiences to antisocial behavior or whatever. There's no use in theorizing. If Kurushima doesn't intend to tell us about something of his past, that is completely justified."
"It seems like I overstepped my boundaries once again..." Horikita frowned, realizing her boundaries.
"Well, if that'll be all, I'll be leaving," Ayanokoji said.
"Fine by me. I also intended to leave. Goodbye, Ayanokoji-kun."
Both of them walked away.
--
[Third Person Pov]
Meanwhile, the class meet up again, at the afternoon class, which, however, now had become a 2 hour long homeroom.
When Chabashira-sensei arrived, she began with her explanation.
"From today, the classes will resume again. However, in the 2nd semester, from September to the start of October for a period of one month, in anticipation of the sports festival, there will be increased physical education classes."
"Keep that in mind for the distribution of the new timetables. Also, along with the timetables, material regarding the sports festival will also be distributed. The students from the front will distribute the printouts to the back."
The moment they heard the word sports festival, screams rose up from a part of the class. Of course, there are students who are anticipating the arrival of the event, but there are also plenty of students who feel antipathy towards an event that is focused mainly on sports.
"Once again, the school's HP will be presenting the same details as the printouts. If necessary, remember to use it as a reference."
"Sensei, is this also one of the special exams?".
As one of the class representative, after raising his hand, Hirata asked that question.
'Obviously, that's the case' was the reply everyone had thought would come back, but.....
"You lot are free to interpret it however you want. Either way, there's no mistaking the fact that it will have a massive influence on each and every class."
Saying that, Chabashira-sensei opted for a vague answer that was neither an affirmation nor a repudiation. From the unathletic students, a further scream arose.
If this were a normal school, it would have been possible for them to hold back on or skip it entirely as they wish, but since this is an event on which the fate of the class rests even if they happened to be unathletic they simply avoid it.
"Sha!"
On the other hand, a portion of students who had confidence in their athleticism like Sudou were in high spirits as though saying 'this is it'.
It could be said that for them, this is the first exam in which they can contribute to the class other than intellectually.
"Ayanokouji-kun, here---".
In the midst of the surroundings that were becoming restless, Horikita, who had been reading the material bit by bit, noticed something and pointed to the printout.
"There are probably already those who have seen through it and noticed, but this sports festival has adopted the method of dividing all school years into two separate groups and have them compete against each other. You lot in Class A have been assigned to the Red Team. Class D, too, will be competing in the same Red Team. For the duration of this sports festival, it means Class D will be your allies."
Class B and Class C were part of the White Team, and the sports festival will be the Red Team vs. the White Team.
"Woah, seriously? It'll actually be something like that!?"
It couldn't be helped that Ike would be surprised. Regardless of whether it was a written exam or a special exam, the basic idea was that it was a fight between separate classes. He must have assumed this stance wouldn't break.
By the way, what would a complete team battle be? It would be a different form of cooperation than the previous shipboard special exam.
On top of that, it would be a cooperative battle that goes beyond school years. The dweller beside Ayanokoji was pretending to be calm, but inside, she must have been happy to tell him the news about our class advancement.
Her brother, Horikita Manabu, belongs to Class A of the 3rd years. Depending on the circumstances, we may have to hold talks with him.
"At last, it's an opportunity for you to make contact with him, huh?"
"...don't talk about that here. Not now."
Just by lightly touching the topic, she seemed to get emotional. While she did achieve the goal that she promised her brother to achieve Class A, it wasn't because of her efforts at all.
It was because of Kurushima and Ayanokoji.
Horikita was aware of that. But could she able to still regardless confront her brother, even though she didn't contribute much to their class advancement.
She probably didn't know. That was why she was unsure and bothered if she should confront her brother or not.
Horikita, who seemed in thought right now, was interrupted by Chabashira-sensei's explanation.
"First of all, look over the outcomes that can come of the sports festival. I don't feel like explaining many times over, so make sure to listen up well this once."
Chabashira-sensei taps the printout while explaining the vital checkpoints.What was written there is as follows.
[Basic Rules:]
[The sports festival's competitive system is built upon dividing all school years between the Red Team and the White Team.]
[Class A and Class D will be on the Red Team.]
[Class B and Class C will be on the White Team.]
[Allocation of points for all participants in the competitions (Individual Contests):]
[1st placer gets 15 points]
[2nd placer gets 12 points]
[3rd placer gets 10 points]
[4th placer gets 8 points]
[1 point each will be deducted for placing lower than 5th place.]
[In the case of team competitions, the winning team will be allocated 500 points.]
[Allocation of points for participants of recommended competitions:]
[1st placer gets 50 points]
[2nd placer gets 30 points]
[3rd placer gets 15 points]
[4th placer gets 10 points]
[2 points each will be deducted for placing lower than 5th place.]
[The relay, which will be the final contest, will be awarding 3 times the points.]
[The impact of the outcome of Red Team vs. White Team:]
[From the totality of all the school years, the losing team will have 100 points equally subtracted from their class points across all school years.]
[The impact of separate ordering of school years]
[The class that takes 1st place will be awarded 50 class points.]
[The class that takes 2nd place will not have any change to their class points.]
[The class that takes 3rd place will have 50 class points deducted.]
[The class that takes 4th place will have 100 class points deducted.]
Alongside that, she immediately gave the students another additional manual about the rewards of students in individual competitions.
The rewards weren't that much of a big deal, but for bad students, they were definitely alluring. Sūdo definitely was one of the few that was encouraged the most amongst the class.
The explanation was at that point over, but classes like PE would increase because of the sports festival.
While Ayanokoji was now set to enjoy his peaceful life, Kurushima only started with his plans.
A few days later, after his arrival, on the 19th of August, he contacted Kushida Kikyo with the false e-mail of whom she thinks is the disgusting blackmailer that is after her body.
It was the victim of a previous bullying case that was bullied by the leader of 3-C, who was a martial artist alongside his two henchmen, that Kurushima expelled.
For now, he didn't request all too much. He knew that Kushida would spread rumors about that person and that the bullying would continue on him.
He didn't need to get involved with expelling that person himself.
He was definitely a threat to him, and he couldn't be allowed to attend the school further.
However, he wondered if he should really do that?
It's not like he was feeling regret in particular about that person.
It was just that Kurushima himself would voluntarily drop out of the school soon when he is finished with the affairs here he has come for.
But in the end, Kurushima was so self-focused on his revenge that he did not care about that person's future.
What was even the reason that Kurushima had brought the whole third year into chaos and made plans to expel many of them?
It definitely wasn't because he held a grudge against them or something.
It was quite simple.
When he decided that he would confront Chairman Sakayanagi, he wanted to demonstrate that he could ruin the school and have him drop off from his position.
In order to prevent that from happening, he'd only need to answer a few of his questions.
If he, despite that, did not think of answering, then he would use his second plan to threaten the person he loves the most, with a certain something he was able to get in the Deserted Island Exam, which didn't need to many substances to make it lethal for her.
Before Kurushima came to the school, he had obviously checked these targets of his out. When checking Chairman Sakayanagi out, he also checked his daughter out.
Only when he did that was he able to figure out the frail heart condition she was born with.
He definitely knew the risk she was opposed to if she ever were to take in what he was creating. He was able to neutralize the taste and tested a few amounts on his own to be completely sure she wouldn't puke it down if she were to take it.
Kurushima was prepared...
He wanted to know everything...
And he would definitely bring Chairman Sakayanagi to tell him everything...
No matter what happens...
--
A/N: Well, this concludes the chapter.
Ryūen and Sakayanagi, vs Kurushima and Ichinose, this will be perhaps a bit more interesting.
Well, anyway, that'll be all. Have a good day. Please leave a comment there. It'd be appreciated.
Also, I wanted to announce that I have written the first chapter of the Sao x Cote fic.
I'm not entirely sure whether I'll be writing this further, but I really got amused by the idea how Ayanokoji and the rest of the cote cast would act in the Sao world.
If some of you might be interested, I'd truly appreciate it if you could give me feedback regarding that fic.
Well, that'll be all. Have a good day. Please leave a comment there. It'd be appreciated.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone