Classroom of the Elite V17: Ch 4 Agreement

 

I CAME TO HEAR the rest of yesterday’s story at a karaoke bar in the Keyaki Mall. Indeed, this is one of the best places to have a private conversation except for the dormitory. When I stepped into the room, there was no one in sight except for me and Horikita.

“If we’re just going to talk, we don’t have to come all the way to the karaoke bar, do we?”

Since we have a history of going into each other’s rooms, we have no problem talking to each other in one of our rooms.

In other words, the fact that she chose this location means that there are going to be other people joining us. I don’t go too deep and just leave it to Horikita’s initiative.

“We have a little time before our scheduled time, so... do you want to sing something?” She takes the microphone that was on the table and holds it out to me.

“No, I’ll pass. Why don’t you sing, Horikita? I’ll at least give you a hand to go with it.”

“No.”

Immediate denial. You encourage people to do things you don’t want to do...

“I’m studying.” Saying so, she silently took out her notebook and took out her own reference book and began to study.

At school, tablets and other equipment are now used in many of the classes, but I guess independent study is still easier to learn by directly opening a book and notebook.

The room is quite quiet when no songs are playing. The strange atmosphere was caused by the odd and bizarre exchange, but I decided to sit quietly on the sofa and wait for the time to come.

It was after 5:10 p.m.

Horikita, who had been checking the time on her cell phone every few minutes since before 5:00, looked up with a sigh.

“I’m sorry. This may turn out to be a longer game than I thought.”

I didn’t ask who she was meeting with, but I can assume that they were confirmed to come late, although the meeting time was 5:00. The lack of communication suggests that there are compelling reasons for the delay, that the person is a bit loose, or that the person is late on purpose.

I thought of various students and repeatedly checked them off, then waited for about 15 minutes.

The door to the room, which had not moved an inch for a while, was slowly opened by an outsider. The person who appeared there was... someone

I had not expected. The second year Class D student, Katsuragi Kōhei.

At first glance, he seemed to be a stickler for punctuality, but I was surprised.

“Sorry I’m late.”

“No, I don’t mind. You must have gone through a lot of trouble yourself, Katsuragi.”

“Somewhat...”

Muttering this, Katsuragi urged the figure lurking behind him to enter the room. Another person appears.

“Yo, Suzune, I appreciate that you want to have a date with me, but it looks like you have a lot of extra people.”

It was Ryūen Kakeru, the man who pulled Katsuragi, once the leader of Class A, out of his own class.

“Even if I met with you alone, it would be difficult to have a constructive conversation.”

Despite his wry smile, Ryūen shows no sign of relaxing his keen observation of Horikita.

With the Kushida incident settled and the distractions removed, Horikita has regained her conventional composure, and since there has been little direct interaction since moving up to second grade, it is not surprising that he senses a change in Horikita even at this stage.

“I wonder if you were intentionally late and trying to take mental advantage?”

“I wonder, I wonder.”

Even before they came together, they have already begun to explore each other, to check each other, to fight each other.

I can only assume that Ryūen’s side has not yet been told the reason why they were summoned here.

“You have something to tell us... let’s hear the details.”

“Can you have a seat? I wouldn’t bother to call you out if it was something that would take a minute or two.”

Ryūen gave me a quick glance, but sat down proudly on the sofa, grabbed the charging tablet and began to operate it, completing his order in a familiar manner, and then tossing it messily onto the table. Horikita, seeing this, reaches for the tablet and picks it up.

“Katsuragi-kun, what will you be having?”

“Can I have some oolong tea, please?”

After listening to his wishes and completing the order on the tablet, she carefully returned it to the charging position.

“I’ll tell you why I called you here...”

She was about to start, but Ryūen stopped her with a hand, as if to discourage her from starting.

“Before that, I wanted to ask you something. How does it feel to get class points for cutting off someone who is slowing you down? Does it feel good?”

He asks in a matter-of-fact way what might be damaging to us. It would also be a way of trying to gain the upper hand in a situation where he doesn’t even know what we are going to say yet. I have no doubt that Ryūen is using his underlings to get to the bottom of the situation.

It was a trick based on the assumption that the internal affairs problem had not been cleared up, but Horikita beside him was unmoved.

“It’s certainly true that the issue didn’t erupt. But too bad, it won’t turn out the way you want it to. Most of the big problems have already been resolved.”

That’s a lie. At least the wave regarding the Kushida issue has subsided, but it is uncertain when the bomb will explode.

“You’re pretty brazen for a liar, aren’t you?”

In the sense of playing coy, Ryūen also asserts that it is a lie, but Horikita does not care.

“If you think I’m lying, do what you want. You’re not the kind of person who easily believes anything I say in the first place, isn’t that right?”

“Well, I don’t know. Maybe I trust you more than you think, huh?” “It’s not funny, whether you mean it or whether you’re joking.” Horikita dodges provocation.

Katsuragi slowly crosses his arms, looking at Horikita as if analyzing her.

“What was the matter with you? I thought you were going to expel someone.”

“Aren’t you worried about not having your friends around? Because you’re probably the only one who made the wrong choice.” Three out of four classes protected their classmates.

He tries to create the impression that it was only Horikita who committed the atrocious, negligent mistake.

“It’s too bad we were the only ones who chose the right answer, because we did get a step ahead in the Class A competition.”

“That’s enough for the moment.”

As Katsuragi restrained Ryūen, there was a light knock at the door of the room. The waiter showed up and brought out the oolong tea and orange juice that Katsuragi had ordered. The drinks were placed in front of Ryūen. Horikita and Katsuragi’s gazes were caught by the discomfort of the combination. Incidentally, so did I. Ryūen and orange juice... don’t match each other.

What is the meaning of this call? While everyone was poking around in their minds, Katsuragi encouraged Horikita to start the conversation.

Horikita nodded, then began to speak, looking at Ryūen and Katsuragi respectively.

“In order to defeat Sakayanagi’s class, I propose a cooperative relationship at the next sports festival.”

Katsuragi reacts with a slight shoulder reaction, indicating surprise.

Immediately after, he returned to his usual demeanor and asked a question.

“What do you mean by... cooperative relationship?”

Cooperation, however, can vary greatly depending on how it is perceived.

It is only natural that he would want to hear the details, but he had no intention of denying the proposal carelessly. Ryūen, on the other hand, was not surprised, nor did he seem impressed. He was just observing with a smirk on his face.

“This special test has aspects of both competition among all students and by grade. I’m trying to make the most of a system that allows you to score equally if you win a group competition played by multiple people.”

“Why our class? Do you mind if I ask why?”

The class leader, Ryūen, is all ears, and isn’t making a move to interrupt at all.

“First of all, it goes without saying that Class A is out of the question. It’s not worth it if we’re giving points to the target class that we should be catching up with. The two choices that remain are Ichinose’s class or Ryūenkun and Katsuragi-kun’s class. I would say that Ichinose-san is the most trustworthy, but it’s hard to say that many of her students have excellent physical abilities.

“So you’re saying you chose us by process of elimination.”

“If it were a simple process of elimination, I wouldn’t have teamed up with any class in the first place. The one person I don’t trust more than

Sakayanagi is you, Ryūen-kun.”

It would certainly not be an easy partner to team up with.

As if sympathizing, Katsuragi also nodded deeply.

“Indeed. Even I, who has become a member of the class, think so.

There is no one I am more afraid to entrust my back to. Then why did you take such a big risk to propose a cooperative relationship?”

“Of course it’s about winning; we can’t win without stopping Class A’s solo run.”

“But what’s the point if those expectations are subverted? This man will go to any lengths because that is the type of person he is. I know this because I’ve been there myself. I wouldn’t recommend it.”

He expresses harsh opinions about his classmates to the extent that he does not seem to be the chief strategist of Ryūen’s class. If we join forces improperly, we will be swallowed up by Ryūen’s class, rather than beating Class A.

He warns us of the dangers.

“In today’s discussion, I wasn’t going to cut to the chase straight away. The most important thing to remember is that you can’t trust someone who is late nonchalantly. However, I changed my mind when I saw Katsuragi-kun apologizing for being late. At least I can trust you.”

 

“You are very naive. Don’t you think this attitude of mine is also a ploy by Ryūen?”

“If I can’t seem to see past the trustworthiness, then sooner or later I’m just going to get swallowed up.”

This is probably the best bet for Horikita here.

If you put Ryūen and Katsuragi side by side, Katsuragi would appear to be a relatively sensible and good person.

But if Ryūen has already come here with a plan in mind, Katsuragi has no choice but to accept it.

“You look a little different from before, Horikita. You’re growing up.”           Katsuragi senses a change in Horikita, a growth, and is once again ready to resume the conversation.

“I understand your side of the story. Let me give you my personal view from here.”

Daring to add ‘personal,’ he states that Ryūen’s intentions and thoughts are not taken into account at all.

“I had also envisioned a plan to join forces with your class this time and take down Class A.”

“You want this too?”

“Yes. Your class has talented players beyond our grade level, such as Sudō and Kōenji, who are at the top of the physical ability and athletic depth in the four classes of the second year. There is no need to worry about them being dragged down by their peers. You’re not someone we can trust unconditionally, but we’re also not a class you can easily betray, which isn’t a bad factor either.”

Next to Katsuragi, Ryūen’s eyes turn to me, but his mouth remains closed.

Until now, Ryūen has always taken the lead in dialogue, as no one else was available to conduct negotiations. However, with the addition of Katsuragi, the need for this has diminished and the option to wait and see has been created. This is a very big positive factor.

It is eerie not knowing what Ryūen will think and what he will propose and when.

While it is easy to talk to Katsuragi, Horikita is probably becoming more aware of such concerns.

But it is a path that cannot be avoided if discussions are to be brought up regularly over the next 18 months.

“But in practice, it was 50/50 whether Ryūen would approach with a proposal for cooperation.”

It has been more than a week since the details of the sports festival were announced. If they were to move on the basis of cooperation, it would not be surprising if such talk had already reached the ears of Horikita. In other words, the other half of Katsuragi’s priority was not to join hands.         “When it comes to cooperation, we will naturally have to secure first and second place in our class. When that happens, inevitably the overall strength of the class is what decides the winner. If we just look at simple probabilities, we are willing to accept the possibility that Horikita’s class will come first and ours will come second.”

Outsmarting Sakayanagi and Ichinose classes by cooperating with each other is in effect creating a Horikita class versus Ryūen class scenario.          That is why Katsuragi answered that it was 50-50; because he could foresee it.

Even with the talkative Katsuragi, it doesn’t mean he’ll give his approval to a co-operative relationship in two words. Negotiations with

Ryūen can only begin if the hurdles in front of us are overcome.   What will Horikita do?

“So our class is seen as a threat to you.”

“Of course, things are very different from a year ago. Unlike a year ago, when you were being ridiculed as a bunch of defectives, you are now in Class B. And that’s after once dropping to zero class points. Most recently, in addition to Kōenji’s solo victory in the deserted island test, you made the harsh choice to cut off one of your classmates in the unanimous special test and earned 100 points. There is no doubt that you are undeniably strong opponents.”

“It’s not my achievement, but I don’t feel bad that you rate me that way. But if we don’t co-operate and we go to the sports festival separately, the worst case scenario is that Sakayanagi-san’s class will win first place. The important thing is to defeat Sakayanagi-san’s class. Am I wrong?”

“Indeed. That is also true. Ryūen, what do you think?”

Here, for the first time, Katsuragi asked Ryūen for his opinion.

“If you want my help, you’ll give me something in return, yeah?”          “I wonder if you’ve misunderstood something. It is true that I was the one who suggested the idea, but that doesn’t mean I have to pay for it. Rather, you should understand that you are in a position where you can enter into a cooperative relationship with the class of first-place candidates.”

“Don’t make me laugh. I’m in a position where I could win without your help, but if you ask me to help you, I have no choice but to lend you a hand? If you don’t like it, you can leave.”

“Do you know how to get home? Go out that door, turn left and you’ll be heading the right way.”

Without needing to consider any kind of concession, Horikita urges

Ryūen and Katsuragi to leave.

This attitude is the essence of bargaining, but at the same time, there is an atmosphere from Horikita that she is not betting everything on this strategy. In other words, negotiations will break down when Ryūen leaves the table. The proposal to defeat Sakayanagi together will stand.

The position is then reversed if Ryūen again says it is willing to join forces.

“You’ve got some balls for a bluff.”

“What are you saying? As Katsuragi-kun said, our class is a reasonably competent class in the sports festival. Do you think you can beat Sudō-kun and Kōenji-kun in a head-to-head competition?”

“Maybe if we faced it head-on and honestly you’d pull ahead. But there are so many ways to go about it, you know? You haven’t forgotten what happened last year, have you?”

The very trick of staging an accident, which we fear is exactly what will happen.

It is clear that the statement reeks of this.

“This year there will be a guest of honor, and the rules of the sports festival, by their very nature, will be closely monitored. Let’s see how sneaky you can be this time.”

“There are plenty of blind spots. And it isn’t only limited to during competitions.”

This means places that are unsupervised, such as changing rooms and toilets.

Undiscouraged, Horikita slammed the notebook shut.

 

“Ayanokōji-kun. Thank you for accompanying me today. It seems that this case is too risky for me to question your judgment. I think I’ll call it a night here.”

“If you’re okay with that, then there’s no problem.”

That’s where Horikita left it and started to put the notebook away.

Ryūen saw this and made no response, but Katsuragi made a move.

“Ryūen. Apparently, Horikita is even more different than we imagined so far. If we don’t get to the negotiating table properly, it’s us who will be cut off.”

Having calmly analyzed the situation, Katsuragi turns his gaze once again to Horikita.

“You didn’t approach me because you prioritized the disadvantages of joining forces, did you?”

“We never suggested it. But if Horikita had talked to us, the situation would have changed. Besides, I had a feeling that it would exceed my expectations.”

The updated data they attained has resulted in a slight increase in Horikita’s class’ evaluation.

In other words, the class was re-evaluated to one that was suitable for cooperation.

“I’m bluffing, but that’s all fake from my point of view. It’s natural to try to spin things to your advantage. I’ve become a bit more articulate, but the only reason it seems to be working is because Ayanokōji is by my side.”   After she said so, Ryūen picked up a glass filled to the brim with orange juice in front of him, and without hesitation, aimed it at me and splashed all of its contents. I immediately evaded the attack by sidestepping from my seated position and avoided being hit. A large yellow stain spreads and fragrances the place where I had been sitting until just before.      “You’ve noticed how crazy this guy is, haven’t you? I wonder if you could have dodged that one?”          “I don’t think... I could have.”

“Yeah. A normal person would be soaking wet before they could even react. Most people can’t avoid it, but this one just looks at you like he’s a normal person.”

“It’s a hell of a reflex, sure, but... what does that have to do with this discussion?”

“Don’t you get it? Ayanokōji is your potential spearhead. It’s no wonder you’ve got a big mouth when you’re showing off her gun to an unarmed opponent.

“Did you go out of your way to ask for orange juice to try that? Give me a break.”

I also thought it was odd, but he’s the guy who does the most outrageous things.

It was right to remain conscious of the untouched drink.

“Why did you dodge? If you had taken it all from the front, we could have silenced his retort.”

“Don’t say anything nonsensical. I don’t want to be covered in juice.”   It smells awful, it’s sticky and it doesn’t come off. It is a hassle to deal with.

If this had been oolong tea, I could have perhaps been tolerant.     Orange juice is probably one of the best drinks to spray on someone for harassment.

“If you want to negotiate straight, first remove Ayanokōji from the room. Then we can talk.”

Offer to continue negotiations on condition that I am removed from the scene.

“That sounds like something you’d say. But I’m going to have to decline. He’s my classmate. He has the right to be present and I asked him to be present. I don’t see what’s wrong with using the weapons you have to negotiate.”

“You’ve really got some nerve. Above all, you’re also coming up with ideas that you haven’t had before.”

Another thought was that Horikita has obtained information about

Ryūen and I without our knowledge. Ryūen also sensed this.

The extent is unknown, but it would not be surprising if she heard about the rooftop incident involving Kei.

Horikita had told me that she doesn’t need my help, only for me to be present. I can’t complain because she is just using me while keeping her promise.

 

“My class, which is in an advantageous position, is offering to enter into a cooperation. If that doesn’t convince you, then you can pretend that this whole thing never really happened.”

Ryūen will never cooperate with Sakayanagi. Even if they approached Ichinose, it is unclear how much helpful power they would be able to obtain.

A wrong decision here will inevitably have an impact on the future for Ryūen. It is even possible, although unlikely, that a Horikita-Sakayanagi coalition could be formed.

This is because it is not a bad outcome if Horikita’s class comes first and Sakayanagi’s class comes second in the results.

But allowing this to happen would make it more difficult to pursue Sakayanagi.

“Depending on the discussion, I would be willing to join forces with your class. Now, may I hear your response, take it or leave it?”

The next response was left to the leader, Ryūen, rather than Katsuragi.            After a few seconds of silence, Ryūen makes a decision.

“Fine, I’ll take you up on that offer.” He replied, but Ryūen’s words did not stop there. “But I will put a condition. Because the relationship between us should be stronger and more equal. If either my class or yours, in no particular order, achieves the goal of first or second place, there will be a 100-point difference in class points earned. To make up the difference, the one who takes first place will compensate the other with private points, which will be awarded by March 1, before graduation. Add that commitment.”

He is trying to do the same thing as last year’s uninhabited island test when Ryūen signed a contract with Kasturagi for private points.

If one side gets more class points, the difference should be made up with private points.

Ryūen must be aware that he is at a disadvantage. He knows this and is trying to emphasize it to get an added advantage, but Horikita also notices this.

“Surely those terms themselves are equal. But I refuse. It is a serious competition as to who will take first or second place. We will only settle it after a fair fight.”

If they were equal, with or without conditions, there would be no conditions as long as they were judged to have a good chance of winning.

“Kuku. I’m not going to let you suck me dry so easily, am I? But that doesn’t make it any better for us.”

“It is difficult to extract consensus from Horikita. I think we’re about to tie our hands on a firm deal.”

Katsuragi shows a flexible attitude toward Ryūen, who is not yet ready to formally sign a contract.

“That’s not enough. If you’re going to ask me to help you, you’re going to have to show me more sincerity.”

“Sincerity? Isn’t it the same for me? If the strategy brings us to the top of the table and brings Sakasakayanagi’s Class A to the bottom, it will be minus 150 points. There is plenty of room to consider this strategy of tying hands. But, we’re taking a risk here, too.” As if to rebut, Horikita continues.

“The doubt that has been swirling around me all along. It’s whether or not I can trust you guys. If you focus your main forces on team competitions in order to form strong team, it is inevitable that the individual competitions will be neglected.”

It is quite possible that Ryūen will instruct his class to betray and cut corners in the competition, or even not show up for the promised competition in the first place.

It is doubtful that all the competitions will be monitored, as Horikita and other leaders will be at the mercy of the competitions on the day of the event.

They cannot bring in cell phones or other devices, so they cannot coordinate from afar.

“Trusting you, who is untrustworthy. Taking that risk is the maximum concession and cooperation we can offer. We will not concede a single millimeter more.”

This is all a bit of an earful for Ryūen.

Even if there is an attractive competitive force in the class, Ryūen cannot be trusted, and that is the basic premise of the project.

Horikita accepts that, so she tells them to shut up and cooperate.

“It’s a good argument. I didn’t trust you the way you did. I guess we’ll just have to accept it here.”

“I never wanted you to trust me.”

While laughing it off, Ryūen still relaxed his shoulders, as if he was convinced by Horikita’s words.

“Can you really trust me?”

“The enemy of my enemy is my friend. I’ll take your word for it, a handy phrase invented by our forefathers.”

It is difficult to be in your element if you form a coalition with doubt. In some cases, they will turn their attention more to their backs than to fighting their enemies.

“I don’t approve of everything you say, but one thing is for sure, it’s not a good idea to keep letting the Sakayanagi class take the lead.”

To Ryūen’s remark, both Katsuragi and Horikita agreed, nodding their heads without hesitation.

To let Class A win. That is an act that cannot be tolerated any longer, no matter what.

“Even though we have a direct confrontation with them coming up at the end of the school year, we won’t be able to overturn the class points with just one of those.”

In the meantime, they want to capture it within range. The idea seems believable.

“I’ve had you listen to me in silence, but it’s time for me to hear your opinion, Ayanokōji-kun.”

Horikita’s idea, it’s risky.

“Objectively, do you accept this strategy or not?”

“Cooperation in interest is not a bad story. There will be some objections, but everyone understands that the target to defeat is Sakayanagi. I’m sure Yōsuke and Kei will follow up on this.”

Horikita is once again confident in her idea. But Ryūen waits for her.

“I’d like to make a contract, but it’s not ready yet.”

“Still? Do you think you can extract any more concessions?”

“Let me check one last thing. Was it you, Suzune, who brought up this proposal? Or was it Ayanokōji who was observing the situation with a clear face? Which is it?”

Cooperation with the Ryūen class. He strongly inquires which one is the initiator of this idea.

“If it was not initiated by Ayanokōji-kun, would you accept this talk?

There seems to be a relationship between you and Ayanokōji-kun that you can’t let anyone else hear about.”

So Horikita says with implication.

“I know firsthand that we recognize each other’s abilities as enemies.

And that I’m out of place.”

“Did I say one word about that? I’m just asking you to answer which is which.” Ryūen, somewhat irritated, hurried his words to Horikita in the form of a glare.

“It’s me. I only asked Ayanokōji-kun to be present this time, and I didn’t even let him hear about it until we talked about it here.”

If he knew I was leading the charge, Ryūen might refuse. When Horikita, embracing this resolve, speaks honestly, Ryūen laughs.

“I see. I’m relieved to hear that. If that’s the case, I’ll accept your proposal.”

That was the deciding factor, and Ryūen formally accepted to join forces.

“Why?”

“Why? I don’t know. You’ll have to figure out why yourself.” Then he brushed off the answer. “It would be better for both of us to have a proper contract in place, just in case. No, especially for you.”

“Of course I will. I’m going to have Chabashira-sensei, and Sakagamisensei in between.”

The contract is based on the involvement of the faculty. It would naturally include consequences of breach of contract in it. Even if it is Ryūen, there is nothing that can be done if it is bound by rules that cannot be broken. “Then, I will leave the preparation of the documents to Horikita. Is that alright with you?”

“Yes. Can I have you and I look it over together a few times,

Katsuragi-kun?”

When Katsuragi checks Ryūen with a glance, he gets such a response as, “Do as you please.”

Katsuragi’s presence is really significant in Ryūen’s class, where trust is important. He is smart, trustworthy, and able to express his opinions to Ryūen without any hesitation.

The degree to which Ryūen entrusted Katsuragi with his job and the way he selected him, was nothing short of brilliant.

It was truly worth the large sum of money that was spent to bring him in.

“Okay. Let’s formally exchange a written agreement and then work together in the gymnasium.”

Thus, it was decided that Horikita’s class and Ryūen’s class would fight together in the gymnasium.

The top priority is the victory of the classes, and the aim is to work together within that context.

However, this was not the end of the story, and Katsuragi changed the subject.

“It is good that we have reached an agreement to cooperate with each other, but then there are some things we should think about. It is quite conceivable that Sakayanagi and Ichinose could join forces, but what do you intend to do about that?”

A coalition against a coalition. That development would be quite possible.

“No problem. Even if Ichinose cooperates with Sakayanagi in the sports festival, our unity is better. Besides, Sakayanagi would have to give up even the third place. Just as you feared second place when you teamed up with Suzune, Ichinose would have the advantage if they teamed up as well. Sakayanagi’s class has 38 members due to the withdrawal of Yahiko and the transfer of Katsuragi. With Sakayanagi’s non-participation also confirmed, there are 37 members in the class. Ichinose’s class has 40 students, a surprisingly large difference of 3 students.”

The athletic ability values as a class are almost even. If this is the case, the difference in the number of three classmates may determine the winner.            “But it’s Sakayanagi, she’ll come up with a strategy to just cover the number of people.”

“Didn’t you see the rules this time? When you don’t participate in the festival, you’re on standby at your dormitory. And since you can’t even use your cell phone, that means your A-class head is completely nonfunctional.”        “Of course I read the rules. Yeah, it’s true Sakayanagi can’t exercise satisfactorily because physical condition. However, she can participate in the event and earn a total of 10 points, including five points for the five points she has and five points for the participation prize. As long as she meets the minimum requirements, she will be able to stay outside and continue to send instructions.”

“I don’t want to see Sakayanagi acting like she’s hopeless.”

As long as she wishes to succeed, it is inevitable that Sakayanagi will stand out.

“It’s not that convenient. The right to abstain from competition is a given right. If you participate formally and abstain, you won’t be shamed.”

“Does this fall under a compelling reason? If you’re participating with an understanding of your own physical condition, you’re required to justify it. I have to finish the 100-meter race with a cane in my hand when everyone else has finished running. I don’t think she’d make such a spectacle of it.”

“Certainly, normally she would not participate because of her personality. However, if she knew that we had teamed up with each other, Sakayanagi would consider the risk of losing. I’m saying that it’s a problem to assume her absence will be a sure thing. I am saying this lightly, but I see a percentage chance that she will not participate. Give me a serious answer.” “Ninety percent.”

“90% based on your unfounded and unfettered assessment. If that’s the case, the appropriate value is even lower. 70% to 80% at best.”

You should be happy with that number.”

I can’t do it. If I want to be sure, it needs to be 95%. Forgetting about us, Ryūen and Katsuragi engaged in a debate.

“That’s nonsense. But if you want to be more sure, there is a way. I’ll thoroughly hang up Sakayanagi before the sports festival. If she participates, the whole class will expose her during the competition. That way we can reach the 95% you’re talking about.”

They should succumb to the threat of trampling on personal dignity,

Ryūen says.

“That’s not an acceptable story from an ethical standpoint.” “I agree. I don’t think the school will stand idly by and watch.”

But both Horikita and Katsuragi denied that they would accept the practice.

“If by any chance Sakayanagi joins in, I’m going to smash her to pieces, man.”

“Remember, we are sinking in the lower classes because it’s not easy to overthrow Sakayanagi-san.”

If Sakayanagi functions as a command center, it is certainly impossible to read what kind of moves they will come up with. Whether she participates or not will have a great deal to do with the victory or defeat of this athletic festival.

If we can ensure the absence of Sakayanagi, on the contrary, it means that victory is at hand.

“Horikita. Are you including my contribution to the class victory?”

“Basically, I try not to think about it. You’re the only one who remains in a special position.” She tells me.

“That’s convenient to hear. If the presence or absence of Sakayanagi’s participation is casting a shadow over this cooperation, I may be able to help.”

“What do you mean?” Interested, Katsuragi stopped talking to Ryūen and turned around.

“If you leave it to me, I’ll make sure Sakayanagi doesn’t participate in the sports festival.”

“What......?”

“Huh?”

Horikita shows surprise, and Ryūen is impressed. And Katsuragi listens in silence.

“However, for making sure Sakayanagi does not participate, I don’t want you to rely on a single point from me at the sports festival. Not just Horikita, but Ryūen too.”

“I didn’t include you in my calculations from the beginning. If you want to seal up Sakayanagi, it will save us a lot of trouble.”

“I can’t even imagine what kind of a move he will use, but if Ryūen and Horikita believe in what Ayanokōji has said and leave it to him, I have no intention of saying anything more about this matter. If Sakayanagi is not participating, it won’t be hard to sink Class A to the bottom of the list.”

“But can you really do that?”

“Oh. There’s a good chance you’ll get some rest without me doing anything, but you can leave it to me. And I’ve been thinking, it’s not every day that Horikita and Ryūen get together and cooperate with each other like this, is it? There’s something else I need to talk to you about, okay?”

I was thinking a little differently than the three of them during this discussion.

“I wonder.”

As I begin to utter my suggestions, Horikita and Katsuragi look at each other and Ryūen listens in silence.

As soon as I finished my explanation, the ice in Katsuragi’s glass melted and clinked.

“That’s an interesting idea, though...” Horikita looks at Ryūen, perplexed, unsure whether to accept that.

“It’s certainly not impossible according to the rules. But...”

“You don’t like my proposal?”

Even for the agreement related to the sports festival, if it had been a proposal from me, there is a possibility that they would have refused.

“Yeah, I don’t like it. I reject it.” Ryūen had denied it, but Katsuragi interrupted.

“Your personal feelings can wait. It’s honestly not a bad idea. We may have to go over the details and the rules again, but no, it’s Ayanokōji’s plan.

I’m sure he’s made sure of that.”

“There is no problem with the rules. We can make a more powerful development if we have students from Ryūen’s class cooperate with us rather than just our class. Don’t you agree?”

“Yeah, sure.”

Horikita herself is well aware of the problems we have at the moment.

If we can procure assistance from elsewhere, we can alleviate some of the anxiety.

“Take it on, Ryūen. We should now proceed with preparations for a direct confrontation with Sakayanagi.”

“Listen, Ayanokōji. After crushing Sakayanagi, you’re next.” “If you reach that point, it’s inevitable.”

Perhaps those words were decisive, as Ryūen also accepted my proposal.

“Katsuragi, you should organize that as well.”

“That’s exactly what the Class A siege is all about.”

“First, however, the top priority is to keep Sakayanagi out of the gymnasium. Because neither the cooperation at the gymnasium nor the proposal from Ayanokōji can begin without clearing this preliminary step.” “I know. Just leave it to me on that score.”

I have a strategy for containing Sakayanagi that neither Ryūen, Katsuragi, nor Horikita can do.