After Kushida and Yagami left, I approached the convenience store.
I wanted to bring a little something for when I met with Keisei and the others later.
I also wanted to give the person who had been tailing me a chance to contact me.
So I decided to buy some snacks and drinks.
âUmmâ¦â
I heard a long, drawn-out voice.
As I was about to pay, Tsubaki from Class 1-C who was standing behind me called out to me. She grabbed a lollipop, probably to bump into me under the guise of âbuying somethingâ.
âHello Tsubaki. What can I do for you?â
I asked without mentioning that she was at the cafe.
âIâd like to talk to you about something. Could you wait outside for me?â
She looked a little deflated and paid for the candy in her hand.
It was true that it wouldnât be easy to talk to her in front of the cash register, so I waited outside the store.
After waiting for a bit, I didnât notice any signs of her coming out, so I turned around and saw that she was talking to someone on her phone.
Keeping someone waiting like that, how brazen of her.
âSorry to keep you waiting.â
Tsubaki peeled off the wrapper with her slim fingers, and walked over in the direction of the dormitory.
âSo, what did you want to say?â
âThere is something that we wanted to tell you, thatâs why I approached you.â
What was it that she wanted to tell me?
I thought sheâd say it right away, but she just licked her lollipop and didnât say anything.
Instead of being interested in me it seemed like she was focusing on what was in front.
âIs it Utomiya?â
As I spoke the name of the student I could think of, Tsubaki stopped licking her lollipop.
âLooks like I was right.â
âHe said heâd be right over.â
The person she was talking to on the phone at the cafe was her classmate, Utomiya, after all.
As soon as Tsubaki said that, Utomiya came this way.
After he saw me, he nodded slightly, and joined us.
âSorry. For having to talk to you like this.â
âWhat did you want to say?â
Was it about Yagami, or the special exam?
âItâs about Housen Kazuomi.â
But from his mouth came the name of the student I wasnât expecting.
âAyanokouji-senpai. In the April special exam, you teamed up with Housen.â
Tsubaki was looking for a 2nd year to partner up with.
She had asked me, but I had turned her down.
âI never wouldâve thought that you had a previous arrangement with Housen.â
âWhatâs so surprising about that?â
âBy now you must know that getting Class 1-D to cooperate with anyone is a hard task. Even for this island exam theyâre showing a non-cooperative attitude until the end.â
Housen should know by now that there was nothing to gain in this exam by isolating themselves from the other classes.
However, Housen didnât seem to be shaken by this fact, and had maintained his unyielding attitude.
âSo what?â
âWe want to take Housen by surprise on the uninhabited island exam.â
His originally polite tone became sharp, as he tightly clenched his lips.
âHowever, neither the contents nor the complete rules of the exams have been made clear to usâ
âWell⦠Thatâs true, thereâs no guarantee that weâll be allowed to attack or ambush the other groups. However, since itâs confirmed that weâll be competing with each other, then we should be able to plan something in advance.â
There was no problem with that line of thought.
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Itâs a sure thing that the groups will fight each other.
âHousen doesnât have many private points right now. In other words, if he withdraws from the exam. Even as a first year student who gets a lighter penalty, he wonât be able to pay for his relief.â
In which case, Housen Kazuomi would have to drop out from Class 1-D.
âAre you trying to force Housen out of the school?â
âYes. Right, thatâs it.â
Although he was mixing up his honorific language, Utomiya replied without hesitation.
âCan you tell me the reason for this?â
âIn Class C, a boy named Hatano was expelled from the school. I think Housen had something to do with it.â
If he could give out names, he must have gathered sufficient evidence.
âSo this is revenge?â
âOf course, Iâd be lying if I said I didnât hate him. Nonetheless, whatâs most important is to prevent another unprepared person from being expelled.â
âYes. Thanks to him, our class lost 100 points.â
Tsubaki put the candy in her mouth and mumbled that.
âI guess I know the reason now, but what does it have to do with me?â
âHousen hasnât formed any alliances with people outside his class. However, he has formed a partnership with you, Ayanokouji-senpai.â
So he thought there was a way to take advantage of Housenâs weakness and came into contact with me.
From Utomiyaâs attitude, it really did seem like he wanted to obliterate Housen.
Tsubaki didnât seem to possess such an attitude, but she would probably help Utomiya.
If that hadnât been the case, she wouldnât have helped Utomiya contact me.
âPlease lend me your hand.â
âI canât give you an answer when we donât even know whatâs going to be on the exam.â
âThen, could you keep this in mind? Weâre willing to pay you a large sum of points if youâre able to get Housen expelled from this school.â
He offered to buy my cooperation, but there are more than just a few aspects that made it difficult to accept.
âDid you ever consider that I might be Housenâs comrade? Since we worked together itâs only natural to assume that we have some sort of relationship. Donât you think I might just tell him what you told me right now?â
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In any case, he had unguardedly revealed too much of his plans.
âThat.â
At that moment, Utomiya turned his attention to Tsubaki for the first time.
The lollipop was getting smaller, and Tsubaki had a lonely look on her face.
She kept staring at the lollipop. I donât know if she noticed that the two of us were looking at her.
After a short while, she said.
âDidnât you get that injury on your left hand after you fought with Housen?â
She licked the lollipop with the top of her tongue and said that.
âWhat makes you think that?â
âBecause we were also aiming for the 20 million point bounty.â
She admitted this without hesitation.
âI see. Youâre also participants in that special test, huh? Thatâs why you previously approached me as if you were looking for a partner.â
Even though Yagami had already informed me on this matter, I pretended not to know about it.
On the other hand, Tsubaki also didnât mention my contact with Yagami.
âThatâs right.â
âBut, even if I had partnered up with Tsubaki, you still wouldnât have been able to force me out of the school.â
While itâs true that I wouldâve been expelled if Tsubaki gave up on the exam, but so would she.
âWe canât answer that.â
Up till now, Iâve thought that Utomiya was the one who came up with the idea.
As things stand now, it doesnât seem to be that way.
âI apologize for that. Weâve already given up on the bounty.â
âWhy is that?â
âIf we get you expelled, news of thatâll spread throughout the school. Weâll be enemies with the 2nd year Class D. Them hating the people who got their classmate expelled is to be expected.â
Utomiya only realised this after his friend Hatano had been forced to drop out due to Housenâs actions.
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âThen wouldnât it be the same if Housen was expelled?â
âNo. The reason for that is because all the Class 1-D students are afraid of Housen. Rather, thereâre a lot of students who wish that he be expelled.â
If you werenât worried about being hated by the others, you could do whatever you wanted.
âAnyway, remember. Please remember this. The only thing we care about is defeating Housen.â
After emphasizing that part again, Utomiya and Tsubaki left, walking in the direction of the dormitory.
Although Iâve met them twice by now, the 1st year Class C didnât let me grasp anything.
But their relationship with the White Room Student is still opaque.
For the time being, Iâll stay vigilant, and keep in mind what they said about Housen.