Volume 5, Epilogue: Beginning of a New Era Part 3

Volume 5, Epilogue: Beginning of a New Era Part 3

"Yo. So you didn't run away after all, Suzune".

"I'll be damned if I run away here. Of course I'd come".

"Your heart's in the right place. You've become a finer woman than you were before".

I'm not pleased one bit even if he praises me in such a manner.

"But before I talk with you...let's put an end to this farce already, shall we? Kushida-san".

"Ehh? Farce? What do you mean by that?".

In the school building bathed in evening light, I stared straight at Kushida-san.

"I don't really mind you playing the good guy here but that's not what you're after right? This sports festival. You leaked the information. That's why Class C was able to pull it off so brilliantly. The fact that I'm here like this now with Ryuuen-kun is also for that sake...am I wrong?".

"...come on, where did you hear something like that from? Hirata-kun? Ayanokouji-kun?".

"No. These are my own thoughts. I couldn't shake off that sense of unease. He's the only one here right now. Isn't it about time we confront one another?".

"Confront each other? What do you mean?".

"At the very beginning, I saw you on that bus trying to convince Kouenji-kun to give up his seat. To be honest with you, I didn't recognize you back then. But I immediately remembered you afterwards.....".

I looked Kushida-san in the eye. If she is indeed colluding with Ryuuen-kun, then she'll interfere.

Up until now, she hadn't done so because she didn't see a need to.

"Kushida Kikyo-san. I remembered that a student like you had attended my 'middle school'".

Even she wouldn't be able to keep up her constant smile if I revealed something like that.

Right in front of my eyes, for the first time, I saw her change expressions.

But that led to yet another smile.

"Of course you'd remember immediately. I was quite a 'problem child'".

After saying that, Kushida-san stopped speaking and simply lowered her eyes in silence.

"I don't believe that phrase is quite accurate. You were not a problem child, just like how you are in Class D right now, you were a student everybody trusted in. But---".

"Can you cut it out? Stop reminiscing about the past".

"That's right. No point in talking about the past now".

Ryuuen-kun listened to our conversation with a smile as though he were enjoying it.

"If we're on the same page then you understand, don't you? What I'm thinking about doing?".

"Yes. I've already realized it. That you want me out of this school. But aren't you also taking a big risk? If I reveal the truth, you'll lose your current standing, no?".

"Me. Or Horikita-san. It's clear who's trusted more. I guess it's what you'd call hedging risk".

"But if it were revealed, wouldn't you be in trouble too? For instance, even if no one believes what I have to say, they will still harbor doubts. At the very least, you cannot deny the fact that we did attend the same middle school".

"You're right. But...if by any chance, you happen to tell someone else about me, I will thoroughly hunt you down. That is to say, I'll drag the brother you love so dearly into this".

Those words caused me to tense up.

It's precisely because I've heard about the past of the student named Kushida Kikyo that I know there's a danger that she'll really get Nii-san involved if I incur her wrath.

You could almost say that's the perfect defense against me, without so much as a single opening in it.

But it's not like it's easy for Kushida-san to take action either. Because there's a danger in the notion that if she blatantly gets my brother involved, I might then resort to desperate measures.

That's why she's devised this strategy to chase me out openly without letting it get to that.

"Then wouldn't it have been just fine to ignore me? You know full well I don't involve myself with other people and that I don't stick my nose where it doesn't belong, don't you?".

"For now. But there's no guarantee that'll still be the case in the future. In order for me to be me, I need to make everyone who knows about my past disappear".

"In that case, now that I'm privy to this, does that mean I'm also your prey?".

"Depending on the circumstances, that may be so".

Even as she colluded with him, Kushida-san still said so boldly.

"Kuku. You're a foxy woman. Well, it's precisely because I like that part of you that I decided to cooperate though".

"Let me just say this, Horikita-san. I will expel you. To do so, I'll collude with even the devil himself".

Kushida-san said so as she left my side to stand alongside Ryuuen-kun.

"What a shame, Suzune. Betrayed by a promising ally".

"You were a step ahead of me this time, Ryuuen-kun. No.....I suppose it's been this way for a while now. During the exam on the cruise, on the uninhabited island, during Sudou-kun's incident too. I've only kept on losing".

By acknowledging that once, the words came out easily.

"Let's wrap this up then. Points and the kowtow, I mean. That's what you 'two' are after".

"I'll go ahead and clear this up but Kinoshita running into you was a complete accident. There were no ulterior motives or malicious intentions behind that. It's the way the world works, right? If there's an accident sometimes you just settle it out of court. It's something like that".

"...yes. There's no evidence after all, it's obvious I'll be framed as the culprit".

To prove your innocence, you'll need a fair amount of resolve and power. In this case, I just need to admit it honestly.

"But I'll also add this. That this incident was something you masterminded. You instructed Kinoshita-san to ensure I collapsed. I'm sure of that".

"That's your persecution complex speaking".

"I don't care even if it's just my delusion. But I'd at least like to hear about it. What kind of trap did you set for this sports festival?".

"You're going out of your way to kowtow, if I had to imagine what your delusions are like it'd be something like this".

Ryuuen-kun laughed enjoyingly as he began talking about it as though it were a delusion.

"Before the sports festival, I had Kushida get her hands on Class D's participation table, and I acquired it that way. Then I simply put the right people in the right places and won. Of course, that's not all, I had also thoroughly researched Class D on top of that too".

"Brilliant leadership. As a matter of fact, you lot did win against Class D and Class A".

Although they didn't measure up to Class B in terms of overall strength, there's no doubt that they fought well.

"But couldn't you have won more efficiently? In order to crush me, you utilized two of your aces and one of them even had to withdraw after being injured. That's baffling".

"Kuku. To crush you. That's reason enough. I had no interest in winning in terms of overall points from the beginning this time around".

"But your strategy relied on luck. Good for you, when you ordered Kinoshita-san to make me fall and she acted on it, you were saved by two coincidences. That I was too injured to continue and that Kinoshita-san was severely injured after she fell on her own. Both of those aren't things you can simply aim to pull off".

What caused the gears to fall apart inside me was that part.

Because if she had only received a light injury, then things wouldn't have gotten this serious.

"Certainly the extent of your injury was a product of coincidence. It would've been obvious if I had aimed to injure you. If she messes up while making contact with you, it's Kinoshita who'll suffer a painful experience. That's why I had Kinoshita thoroughly practice a single thing. To make contact with her opponent and make the fall look natural".

If one were to be given such an order, they'd normally rebel against it. What exactly needed to be done to make her so obedient?

"Also...about Kinoshita's injury...do you really think it was an accident?".

"Ehh....".

"Sure, she fell down. But of course, serious injuries aren't so easily sustained. That's why I had her pretend to be in pain and drop out of the sports festival. After that, it's a simple matter. Before she received treatment, I injured her myself. Like this".

He said that as he stomped on the floor of the corridor with all his strength.

Ban! A terrifying, eerie sound echoed through the corridor.

"You did it......? To her.....?".

"She gave her consent when I offered to give her 500,000 points, you know? It sure is scary, the power of money".

It meant then that from the very start, it was also determined that she'd be sustaining serious injuries.....

From the bottom of my heart, I found his thoughts and his execution of them to be terrifying. If it's for the sake of winning, then there's nothing he wouldn't do.

But, I didn't expect him to be this frank with me.

"Is it fine to go on and on about this just because I asked?".

"What?".

"If I happened to be recording your confession, what would you do then?".

I said so as I brought out my phone.

"You thought about that just now, didn't you?".

"As my final gambit, I'll try to manipulate you at least. But I'm shocked that you'd unexpectedly tell me all that".

I fiddled with my phone and played it back from a specific point.

"Before the sports festival, I had Kushida get her hands on Class D's---".

"If you file a complaint against me, or demand points and a kowtow, then I'll fight back with this evidence. If that happens, I wonder which one of us will be in trouble?".

"Ku....!".

For the first time, Ryuuen-kun's smile disappeared and he stopped speaking as well.

"Suzune...you.....".

"I'm not looking for trouble either. That's why let's settle it with---".

"Kukuku.....kuhahaha!".

Suddenly, Ryuuen-kun burst out in laughter again.

"You really are an entertaining woman. I said so at the very start, didn't I? That the contents of our discussion are, at most, fictitious. I was only humoring your persecution complex. I only imagined the made up story you onesidedly crafted inside your head".

"Even so, is there even a way to ascertain whether or not that delusion is real? I could delete only the part where you said it's a delusion and edit the recording, you know?".

If the first half of it gets cut out, there's no way to ascertain if it's a lie or not.

"Of course, in that case, I'll just have to hand in the original. No problem".

Laughing fearlessly, Ryuuen retrieved his phone from his pocket.

"Do you know what this is? The full recording......no, it's visual footage".

He said so as he pointed the camera on the back of the phone at me. Insurance that's more reliable than audio.

It means Ryuuen-kun's already assumed I'd attempt a final gambit.

It means things won't go that easily....is what it is.

If I submitted the audio data to the school with the inconvenient first half of it cut out then there'll be an investigation.

And Ryuuen-kun and the others would be under suspicion.

But it's impossible to declare them guilty with just that.

If I tried to pass off his words, which he spoke on the premise that it's a delusion, as truth then I'd be condemned for it.

"Do you admit it, Suzune? The reality of your utter defeat, that is".

Kushida-san is also laughing boldly.

I realize keenly all the more that I was a fool.

He's not the type of enemy on who the strategies I could think of would work. The last resistance I had also misfired.

"Throw away that pride of yours and give me a kowtow, Suzune".

Having received that death sentence, I decided to quietly get down on my knees.

"I understand---I admit---".

Piron. A sound unbecoming of this place rang out. It's because Ryuuen-kun's phone rang right in front of my eyes.

I don't think he himself paid that much attention to it. But for some reason or another, he lowered his eyes to the screen to figure out the source of the sound.

However, Ryuuen-kun's expression hardened for a moment despite him having kept a constant smile all this time.

He started to fiddle with his phone without sparing me a glance.

And from that phone, I could hear what seemed like a recording made somewhere with a variety of noises mixed up in it.

"Listen up, you lot. To set a trap for Class D's Horikita Suzune. What we need to do to crush her. I'm going to offer you that strategy. I'll show you something interesting".

It was Ryuuen-kun's voice.

Is it a conversation from back when he was planning the strategy he would execute in the sports festival?

He was explaining in detail what he had so proudly told me a while ago.

"I don't plan on going against your strategy but give me a chance to fight against Horikita---".

In the middle of that, as though interrupting him, Ibuki-san's voice came up.

"In the obstacle course race, you run against Suzune and make contact with her. Do whatever it takes to make her fall. Afterwards, I'll take responsibility for your injury and plunder some money for you".

That voice was saying that. I have no idea what exactly is going on.

"What is the meaning of this, Ryuuen-kun? What's up with that audio?".

Kushida-san too, seemed unable to comprehend the situation and so she requested an explanation from Ryuuen-kun.

"I see, I see, I see. I see now. Kuku, now isn't this interesting? Do you know what this means? It means there's a traitor in Class C as well. And they made not only you guys, but also me, dance in the palm of their hand. Kikyo's betrayal as well as the fact that Suzune would fall apart before me. They had it all calculated. Kuhahaha! This is interesting! Interesting, I say! The one pulling the strings behind you is awesome!".

Calling it a masterpiece, Ryuuen-kun swept his hair back and gave a belly laugh.

"You got played, Kikyo. They'd already predicted that you'd turn traitor and hand over the information on the participation table's list to us. They had already predicted each and every little thing".

"The betrayal was already assumed from the start.....? Who could possibly be capable of something like that? Could it be Ayanokouji-kun? I didn't know he was that fast after all.....".

"Well, he's one of the candidates. But I won't draw that conclusion. It's a different story whether or not someone capable of pulling off a recording like this would leave behind a trace this easily. Suzune, and also Ayanokouji and depending on the circumstances, even Hirata may have someone pulling their strings. I'm going to slowly take my time smoking them out. I've failed to get the points and the kowtow from Suzune but I'll satisfy myself with just this outcome".

There's no mistaking it. I don't know how he did it, but he used someone from Class C in order to record Ryuuen-kun's strategy. That alone, I'm sure of.

During the relay, him competing against my brother is also extremely inexplicable. It's unlike him since he prefers to remain inconspicuous.

But it's precisely because I know this that the only person who came to mind was Ayanokouji Kiyotaka-kun.

In a situation where he's already being investigated, he still daringly acted conspicuously.

If the man who had been ruling over the class from behind the scenes up until now suddenly took to the front, then naturally it'd be suspicious. He'd be suspected of being an impostor.

Seeing how Ryuuen-kun was unable to narrow it down to Ayanokouji-kun alone, it would mean he's been setting traps behind my back.

"This is it for now then. The sender of this mail probably won't hound us any further".

"Is that really fine? What if they threaten you with the recording?".

"If they had intended on submitting it to the school, then they would've done so later. Doing so after we've already filed our complaint would be most effective. I wasn't able to make her kowtow but as for me, I've accomplished half of my objectives. Not bad".

***

After changing into my uniform I went to the front gate as promised and just as she said she would, the girl was waiting for me.

"You said you had something to tell me.....?".

"Follow me".

"Follow, where exactly.....".

"A special building".

That too, turned out to be quite the bizarre place.

The girl, without offering me a detailed explanation, started walking off and so we reached the 3rd floor of the special building.

This floor is one of the few places in the school where there are no surveillance cameras installed.

"---What exactly---".

When I tried to ask her, the girl told me to wait and then walked off alone.

She then went over to a corner in the corridor and quietly whispered.

"Can I go back already?".

"Yes. You did well, Masumi-san. I'll be counting on you again".

".....sure".

The girl named Masumi quietly nodded and left.

The person behind the voice slowly revealed herself.

Carrying a cane in one hand, she looked at me with a cold smile.

1st year. Class A. Sakayanagi.

"You called me?".

I asked Sakayanagi but she did not reply.

Then for a brief while, Sakayanagi and I ended up staring at one another.

In a school building at dusk, the lone girl stood before my eyes with a cane in her hand.

"That last relay drew quite a bit of attention, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka-kun".

Just when I had thought she'd finally opened her mouth, it ended up being merely that.

"Yeah sorry but can I send a mail first? I've got someone waiting".

"Please go ahead".

Sakayanagi did not react with displeasure but rather, she smiled at me.

I sent what I had prepared.

"So.....may I assume that it's you? The one who called me out here, that is".

"Yes".

An immediate reply, eh?.

"So what's the matter? If at all possible I'd like to wrap this up quickly".

"After seeing you run, I remembered something. I called you here so I can share with you the shock I felt at that moment. It's almost like this is the lead up to a confession, don't you think so?".

"I have no idea what you're talking about......".

Clonk. Clonk. Propping herself up with a cane, Sakayanagi stood right next to me.

"It's been a long time, Ayanokouji-kun. Approximately 8 years and 243 days".

"You're kidding, right? I don't know you".

"Fufu. I suppose so. After all, our acquaintance isn't a mutual one".

Clonk.

Clonk.

The tapping receded bit by bit.

What exactly is this about?

I decided to wrap things up and started to walk in the opposite direction.

"White Room".

When those words pierced through my ears and reached my brain I unconsciously stopped walking.

It chipped away at my rationality and I started questioning 'why' and 'how'.

"It's unpleasant, isn't it? To be swept about by information that only the enemy possesses".

"...you...".

"This is a nostalgic reunion and so I thought I just had to greet you".

Reunion?

I looked back at Sakayanagi while still keeping my back turned on her. I definitely haven't seen her before, she truly is a girl who doesn't have a place in my memories.

I haven't lost any memories in the past either.

I met this girl, Sakayanagi, at this school.

There's no mistaking that fact.

"Understandable. Because you don't know me after all. But I do know you. This must be a strange twist of fate. To be reunited with you in a place like this. To be honest, I never thought I'd see you again. But with this, all mysteries have been solved. The uninhabited island, the cruise and Class D's brush with expulsion. I just couldn't bring myself to believe all of those were Horikita Suzune's strategies. So you were pulling the strings behind the scenes during all that".

"Whatever do you mean by that? We have quite a few strategists, you know".

First of all, analysis. I need to stay composed without panicking. I can afford to think about it later.

"By strategist, would you happen to mean Horikita Suzune-san? Or perhaps you meant Hirata Yousuke-kun? Either way, now that your existence has come to light, it doesn't matter who it is anymore".

.....she's not lying. Apparently she really knows me.

"Please relax. First of all, I have no intention of telling anyone else about you".

"Wouldn't it be easier if you did?".

"I don't want to be interrupted. I'm the only one worthy of burying the false genius".

Clonk. The thin cane tapped on the floor.

"I've found some slight enjoyment in this boring school life".

"Can I ask you one thing?".

"I'm honored to be questioned by you. Please ask away. If you'd like to know why I know you then I don't mind giving you an answer, you know?".

"No, I'm not interested in that. I just want to know one thing".

Sakayanagi and I make eye contact.

"Can you bury me?".

Was what I asked.

".....fufu".

Sakayanagi laughed a bit and then laughed yet again.

"Fufufu. I apologize for laughing. But I did not intend on insulting the statement you made. I know very well just how awe-inspiring a person you are. I've just begun to enjoy this. Beacuse I will be fulfilling my life's wish by destroying the greatest masterpiece your father has made".

I'd like to wish for that.

My defeat would mean that man's defeat too after all.

I thought from the bottom of my heart that I wanted this sad contradiction I carry to be destroyed.