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Chapter 6: The Sound of Expulsion

Intro

Sunday evening. The time was nearing 8:30 PM; The designated day had finally arrived. 
The upcoming discussion would most likely determine whether or not we could join hands with Class 1-D. 
Or rather, we needed to make certain that we did. 
The majority of students outside of Class 1-D and Class 2-D had already found partners. 
If this discussion doesn’t bring about the desired results, we might be forced to make multiple large concessions in order to avoid facing any penalties. 
Horikita and I would be joined by Sud?, who had strongly insisted on accompanying us. 
While it was probably somewhat related to his desire to be together with Horikita, I was pretty sure it was mostly because he was wary of H?sen. H?sen was the type of person who, depending on how the discussion went,  might very well raise his hand against a girl. Sud? wanted to be there to protect her from that. Of course, Horikita turned him down, saying that his presence was unnecessary, but Sud? refused to back down. However, no matter how much he begged, Horikita maintained her stance and refused to let him join us. She believed that the upcoming discussion would be very serious, and had judged that Sud?’s presence would only hold us back. Ultimately, I ended up intervening on Sud?’s behalf. 
This was because, just in case things went south, I could have Sud? take action instead of me. 
Sud?’s abilities should probably be more than enough to keep H?sen in check. 
In the end, Horikita allowed him to join us on the condition that he wouldn’t interrupt the discussion or make any threats. 
“Hey man!” 
I went down to the dorm’s lobby early to meet up with them, only to find that Sud? had already arrived, waiting on one of the couches. 
Furthermore, he looked at me with a bright, energetic smile on his face. 
It looks like I need to correct what I said earlier. 
It wasn’t only ‘somewhat related’ to his desire to be together with Horikita; He really wanted to be with her. 
“Have you been studying for the exam?” 
“Of course. Sorry, but I’m gonna get at least 250 points this time.” 
Given his current Academic Ability rating of an E, if he really were to score more than 250 points, that’d be a huge achievement. 
It would be enough to bump his Academic Ability rating all the way up to a C during next month’s assessment. 
This wasn’t just him spouting off empty words. He had apparently worked hard enough to muster up the confidence to back them up. 
He was rarely ever late for class anymore, and his attitude during lessons was exceedingly serious and diligent. 
“You’ve changed a lot… Seems like you’ve started to enjoy studying.” 
“It ain’t like I enjoy it man. But I’ll tell ya, it sure feels good to solve those problems. And when Suzune praises me, I get so pumped up that it feels like I can study forever!” 
That thorny attitude of his from back when we first came here had gradually started to die down. A rash temper didn’t seem like the easiest habit to break, but if Suzune’s presence was enough to help him stay on his feet, that was good enough for me. 
Unable to contain his excitement, Sud? stood up and went to look at the video feed of the inside of the elevator. 
After which, he sat back down and began fiddling with his phone and running his hand through his hair. Before long, he was getting up again. 
He seemed somewhat like a young boy who was about to go on his very first date. 
“Hey, Ayanok?ji.” 
Realizing that I had been looking at him, Sud? quietly muttered to me, his eyes still locked onto the camera feed on the wall. 
“If I confess to her right now, d’ya think Suzune would accept it?” 
Before I knew it, the expression peeking out from the profile of his face had completely hardened up. 
Given how serious he was, I probably couldn’t just dodge the question by giving him a half-baked response. 
“Probably not.” 
While it may have been discouraging, that was my honest, objective opinion from a third party perspective. 
I was almost certain that he wouldn’t be satisfied with my answer, but… 
“Right?” 
Sud? agreed without batting an eye, as if to say he had already known the answer deep within. 
“I know Suzune’s not the kinda girl to go for love and romance and all that. But like, it’s not just that… There’s no way that’d she be attracted to me as I am right now. How many times has my arrogance caused trouble for her by now? For the whole class?” 
As a result, he didn’t think there was any way that Horikita would want to date him right now. 
“I’m workin’ hard these days aight? But I’m not gonna pretend that it cancels out the burden I’ve put on everyone else. These next two years, I’mma do my best to improve my strengths and make up for my weaknesses, little by little. That way, by the time we graduate, I’ll definitely be useful to the class.” 
“That so? It’s definitely possible.” 
Sud? was quickly becoming a valuable asset due to his unparalleled physical abilities. 
He probably had the potential to develop into somebody indispensable, just like Y?suke or Kushida. 
He’s also come to be able to take a more objective look at himself. 
In the face of his extensive growth, I felt like I wanted to ask him something. 
“Say you put in all the effort and become the most distinguished student in our class… and yet, Horikita still doesn’t look at you. What would you do then? Would you stop studying?” 
There is always the chance that one might regress to their former self upon learning that all their efforts have been for naught. 
This was particularly true as Sud? was working hard for Horikita. 
“‘Course I’d wanna stop. Hell, I’d prolly wanna die. There’s even a chance I might end up punchin’ someone. But the thing is, Suzune would prolly be disappointed in me if I did, right? It’d be super lame if I gave up on my studies or went on a rampage or somethin’. So yeah, I’ll pass on that.” 
A splendid response. And to top that off, I felt certain that his intentions were genuine. That said, there was no way to know for sure until the worst comes to pass. No matter how much one resolves themself ahead of time, once they experience the pain, that resolve all but crumbles. 
At any rate, if he’s this confident now, then I guess I don’t need to worry for the time being. 
“Oh, looks like she’s coming.” 
We could see Horikita board the elevator through the camera. Sud? stood up and turned his back to the elevator, seemingly restless as he began taking deep breaths and stretching out his arms in some show of radio calisthenics to calm himself down. 
Before long, the elevator arrived on the first floor as Sud? continued with his breathing exercises. 
“Sorry I kept you waiting. What is Sud?-kun doing?” 
“Taking deep breaths it seems.” 
Horikita looked slightly curious for a moment, but she quickly returned to her usual stiff expression. 
We set off to the designated meeting place. That is, the Karaoke parlor in the Keyaki Mall. It was an extremely popular spot for late-night hangouts as it was open until 10:00 PM seven days a week. 
This goes without saying, but Karaoke was one of the many recreational facilities on campus. It was a place primarily used to relieve stress and chat with friends, but at this school, it had yet another vitally important draw to it. 
And that was its high degree of privacy. It was an ideal place for holding detailed discussions outside of the realm of the public eye. 
Out of any place on campus, it was the most convenient location to meet without being noticed by others. 
Of course, in terms of privacy alone, there was no place better than one’s own room at the dormitory, but that wasn’t suitable for specific people. 
With the special exam coming up next week, it didn’t seem like there were very many people around at this time of day. 
Given that, one might say that this was the best time to hold a secret discussion with H?sen. 
“Hey. You guys really think we can get that shitty first-year brat to work with us?” 
“If I didn’t think we could cooperate with them, I wouldn’t have spent so much time trying in the first place.” 
That’s all there was to it. We had set out today precisely because we believed that it was possible. 
“The majority of the academically capable students have already been taken by Sakayanagi-san and Ry?en-kun. On the other hand, Ichinose-san has become a beacon of hope for the weak. At this point, if we want to change tactics, we’d have no choice but to fight with points or with trust.” 
“Right… We ain’t beating Sakayanagi and Ry?en in points, and we ain’t no match for Ichinose when it comes to trust…” 
“Exactly. That is why H?sen-kun’s existence provides us with both a crisis and an opportunity.” 
H?sen didn’t care about the allure of the Class A brand or some half-baked sum of private points. 
Furthermore, he didn’t so much as glance at Ichinose’s offer of assistance. 
And that was why we, Class D, had a chance. 
“So we just gotta see just how much we can get ‘em to agree to without giving anything up.” 
“Indeed. As time runs out, the ones at stake will be us second-year students. Since many students have already found a partner, we won’t be able to avoid being put at a disadvantage.” 
If we decline the terms H?sen presents us with, he would simply let our partners be decided at random without giving it a second thought. He wouldn’t care at all about the fact that his own classmates would be penalized as well. 
I was interested in seeing how Horikita would confront him. 



Part 1 
“By the way… The meeting’s at 9, right? Aren’t we way too early?” 
There was still about half an hour until the promised time. 
“It’s fine. I want to get there early.” 
Sud? couldn’t quite understand Horikita’s reasoning, but he kept his mouth shut and followed along. 
Perhaps she wanted to be on the lookout for some sort of foul play, or maybe she just wanted some time to compose herself. 
Either way, Sud? only thought of our opponent as a first-year student, whereas Horikita didn’t seem to be lowering her guard in the slightest. 
It might even seem like she was being excessively cautious, but since our opponent was H?sen himself, there was no such thing as being too careful. 
After receiving a slip of paper with the room number and the receipt from an employee, the three of us headed off to our designated Karaoke room. 
“Could you let Nanase-san know we’re here for me?” 
“Alright.” 
I sent a message to Nanase, telling her that we had already arrived, along with our room number. 
She replied not long after, saying that they should be here by the scheduled time. 
“Let’s go ahead and order our own drinks first then.” 
“Shouldn’t we wait for them?” 
“It’s fine.” 
After we each picked out a drink from the drink menu, she directed our attention to the food menu. 
“You can order something if you want. What would you like?” 
“Then I’d like me some fries. That alright?” 
“That’s fine with me.” 
With that, Horikita went to the landline telephone that came furnished in every Karaoke room and placed the order. 
Feeling somewhat relieved by the fact that food was on the way, Sud? went and nervously picked up the microphone from the table. 
“Ehm, well, we’ve got some spare time and all so how ‘bout singing a song or two? Eh Suzune?” 
“I’m not interested.” 
“Not interested?” 
Horikita made the three of us arrive early, and then asked us if we’d like to order food and drinks. 
For Sud?, singing a couple of songs probably felt like the next logical step, and had it been someone else, they most likely would’ve agreed. 
The feeling of disappointment was written all over his face, probably because he wanted to hear Horikita’s singing voice. 
“Sud?-kun. Just to remind you again, absolutely do not say anything unnecessary, okay?” 
“I-I understand, but like, shouldn’t you be tellin’ Ayanok?ji that too?” 
“He’s not the type of person to talk when it isn’t needed. Rather, he doesn’t even talk when he ought to.” 
Instead of praising me, Horikita took this opportunity to vent her complaints. 
Sud? pouted his lip, seemingly displeased with Horikita’s answer. 
After a while, once the appointed time arrived, Nanase showed up at the room’s entrance. 
“Sorry to keep you all waiting.” 
“Outta the way Nanase.” 
A voice rang out from behind her, forcing her a step further inside as H?sen Kazuomi finally made his appearance. 
“So you came on time. I was nearly certain that you’d be late.” 
Horikita was saying that she wouldn’t have been surprised if H?sen had arrived late on purpose just to irritate her, much like how Miyamoto Musashi had arrived late for his duel against Sasaki Kojir? on Ganry?jima. 
“I’mma punctual guy when I wanna be. I don’t like chumps who try’n make shit difficult just cuz you’re a little late. That aside, seems to me like you got here mighty early… Were ya really that afraid of keepin’ me waitin’ for ya? Don’t be such a pussy.” 
“What a selfish interpretation. We were just taking advantage of this rare opportunity to enjoy ourselves.” 
With that, Horikita motioned for H?sen to take a look at the state of the room. 
There were several drinks, some empty, on the table along with some half-eaten food. 
All of it set up to look as though we had been enjoying a Karaoke session only moments earlier. 
“Looks like it.” 
Albeit informally, the battle between the two of them had already begun. 
“Well whatever. We’ll find out whether yer lyin’ or not soon enough.” 
H?sen slouched down on one of the sofas and spread out his legs, taking up about three peoples’ worth of space all for himself. 
He sat in a way that one would expect from a bigshot, making it difficult to imagine that the man in front of us was actually a first-year student. 
“So? From what Nanase’s told me, sounds like you lot want my class to help ya out.” 
From the sound of it, he seemed to think that Class 1-D was already completely under his control, his property. 
It had only been about two weeks since he came to this school, and yet he spoke without even the slightest hint of uncertainty in his voice. 
“It’s slightly different from that. We’re looking to have our two classes collaborate with each other. There would be no difference in status between us, a relationship of equality so to speak.” 
“Oh really? So you aren’t gonna bring up the fact that you’re one grade up on us, eh? Ain’t lettin’ yer seniority get to yer head. Smart move.” 
As H?sen spoke, Nanase quietly observed without expressing any of her own thoughts on the matter. 
Given that she had taken up the crucial role of a mediator and that she was the only person that H?sen had brought with him to the discussion, it was probably safe to assume that Nanase was someone that H?sen acknowledged. 
I found myself wondering if he was impressed with her courageous ability to state that she wouldn’t yield to his threats of violence or if it was something else entirely. Either way, there was still a way to force her hand and pull Nanase over to our side. 
“I’m well aware that a certain number of first-year students don’t care very much about their classmates being in trouble. However, if you take a look at us, at our class, I’m sure you’ll understand that sooner or later there will come a time when you’ll need the assistance of your peers.” 
“So, yer sayin’ we should work together and avoid havin’ anyone flunk out? That right?” 
“If you really do possess so much authority over your class that you’ve come to see your classmates as your own property, then that only makes this whole process that much more convenient. All it should take is one command and you’d have most of your classmates ready to follow, right?” 
Instead of answering, H?sen thrust his left pinky finger into his ear and started twisting it around for a bit. 
And then, once he was done, he held it up and blew on it in Horikita’s direction. 
Sud?’s expression hardened immediately, but he kept in line with Horikita’s warning and did his best to put up with it. 
His clenched fists were shaking, pressed up against his thighs. 
However, Horikita simply accepted H?sen’s blatantly vulgar conduct head-on. 
“Would you stop?” 
“In the first place…” 
It wasn’t clear if H?sen completely ignored Horikita’s question or not, as he began to speak with what seemed like a different topic in mind. 
“You’re the leader of Class 2-D, yeah?” 
He finally got down to business, verifying that Horikita was somebody worth speaking with. 
“You could say that.” 
“I don’t think there’s anything out of place about Horikita-senpai being the leader, given her abilities.” 
For the first time since they arrived, Nanase opened her mouth and directly addressed H?sen. 
“Then I’ll give this ‘leader’ here a warning. I ain’t got any intention of cooperating with this retarded ‘equality’ shit of yours.” 
It didn’t seem like he was going to make this easy for us after all. 
It was inevitable that there would be some sort of contrast between us, who wanted to protect our classmates at any cost, and H?sen, who didn’t particularly care about his. 
Not to mention, between expulsion and three months without private points, there was far too much of a difference in our respective penalties for failing the exam. 
“Is that right? Well I suppose that is the type of person you are.” 
“If you can figure out that much, then why don’tcha stop being so fuckin’ stingy then? I’m all ears.” 
“All ears? What are you expecting? Do you really think we’ll pay you in order to get you to help us?” 
Despite the fact that we were in a less than favorable position, Horikita didn’t back down, refusing to concede an inch. 
“You’ll pay. I’m sure you will. There ain’t jack shit you can do without spendin’ at this point. Nanase. Water.” 
H?sen voiced his demands to Nanase as he skimmed over the Karaoke menu. 
To this, Nanase nodded and placed an order for some water over the phone. 
“I know that I’m repeating myself here, but our proposal for you is based on equality. It has nothing to do with either of us handing over points, goods, or any other form of compensation.” 
“If you’re gonna keep spoutin’ off that shit, then I guess I don’t gotta stick around waitin’ for the water to get here.” 
There wasn’t a shred of hesitation on his face as he began making a show of brushing nonexistent dust off his thighs, implying that he would soon stand up and leave. 
“Please hold on a moment, H?sen-kun. I think you should wait for Horikita-senpai to finish first.” 
Nanase, who had been quietly listening off to the side, prompted him to stop. 
“Let her finish? That shit ain’t necessary.” 
“No, it is. If we continue as things are now, our class will never be able to come together.” 
Horikita stoically observed as the two first-years made their exchange. 
“Who gives a fuck? Disobedient trash should be left to rot. It ain’t much of a problem if we lose some nobodies anyway.” 
“That’s not right.” 
“Nanase, are you an idiot?” 
H?sen exhaled loudly, seemingly more so out of exasperation than anger. 
“I don’t get anythin’ from accepting their conditions like some little bitch. What’s in it for me?” 
“I understand what you’re saying, H?sen-kun, I do. It’s certainly true that Horikita-senpai and the other second-year students are more desperate to protect their classmates than we are. In fact, there’s even a reason as to why they have no choice but to protect them. If we don’t lend them a hand, their classmates run the risk of being expelled. Even if they’re pretending to be tough right now, at some point they’ll have to concede, and that’s exactly what you’re waiting for, isn’t it?” 
Based on her words, it seemed like Nanase had chosen to speak because she knew exactly what H?sen was trying to do. 
“I don’t think there’s anything necessarily wrong with your strategy, H?sen-kun. While the other classes were scrambling to search for partners, you stayed firm, intentionally foregoing the early stages of inter-class negotiations. All of it done for the sake of securing yourself the upper hand later on.” 
As the deadline inched closer and closer, the remaining second-year students who hadn’t found partners would begin to feel more and more impatient. 
And as a result, even students who weren’t originally worth spending any points on would suddenly find themselves going for a decent rate. 
“Since you’re so clear on it already, how ‘bout you try’n tell me why I should throw this Horikita chick a bone then?” 
“A relationship of mutual trust.” 
Nanase turned and looked toward Horikita for a moment, to which Horikita nodded in response. 
“Don’t make me laugh. Mutual trust? That’s some good-for-nothin’ shit right there. Fuckin’ useless.” 
“Are you sure about that?” 
Nanase took H?sen head-on, challenging him as she proceeded to speak once again. 
“It’s true that we may not need to give up very much for this special exam. However, the same might not be true for future exams, right? If you end up making enemies out of all of the second-years now, then it’s possible that you might not be able to find yourself a partner later, regardless of how many points you offer them. While you’d be fine if you just had to deal with taking the 5% penalty, what do you think would happen if the person you end up together with intentionally flunks the exam? You wouldn’t be able to avoid being expelled. That’s what.” 
“Ha! You really think some chump has the balls to sacrifice themself like that?” 
“I’ll have you know that I’ve heard that this school has something known as protection points.” 
At that, Nanase shifted her gaze away from H?sen and locked eyes with Horikita for the first time. 
Protection points. The very thing that I had mentioned at the end of our conversation in the library on Friday. 
Although Horikita was slightly surprised to hear Nanase talk about them, she immediately grasped what Nanase was going for and nodded along in agreement. 
“Nanase-san is correct. They are a special type of point that can waive one single instance of an expulsion penalty.” 
From the look on H?sen’s face, there was no doubting that this was also the first time he had heard of them. 
“It’s understandable that you’ve never heard of them before, given that you only just enrolled here. That’s why you should keep them in mind. If there happens to be some sort of similar exam to this one in the future, if the person you partner with is in possession of a protection point, then… well, depending on the situation, you might end up being forcibly expelled all by yourself.” 
If you’re one to make enemies with others, the more you make, the more likely you are to receive the shorter end of the stick. 
It follows that, the more someone hated H?sen, the more likely they’d be to use whatever means necessary to get him expelled. 
“That’s why it’s important to start building up trust with others, wouldn’t you agree?” 
“I see. So you two retards had a few stupid tricks up your sleeves to try’n deal with me, eh?” 
“I am a first-year student, so naturally my top priority is Class 1-D. Plus, H?sen-kun, I believe that you’re vital for the wellbeing of our class, so I don’t want you to make the mistake of being shortsighted.” 
Horikita had put in the effort to understand H?sen before turning her focus over to Nanase. 
She had managed to get Nanase to cooperate with her, and together, they delivered the final blow. 
The tides had started to turn ever so slightly. 
All that remained was to wait and see if H?sen would accept our proposal once he fully understood everything. 
To see if he’d still ask for some sort of compensation, resolved to face the disadvantages that would come later.


“I get that the two of ya went through the trouble of comin’ up with all this, but? I ain’t gonna cooperate on equal footing.”


Horikita and Nanase had gone through the effort laying out all of the groundwork to get him to agree. 
And yet, H?sen turned the two of them down without even pretending to think about it. 
“Oi H?sen. You seriously sure you’re prepared to make an enemy out of us second-ye?” 
Sud?’s temper began to flare, but Horikita held him back before he could finish. 
“Stop. He still hasn’t left the negotiating table just yet.” 
“The girl’s right. Don’t go jumpin’ to conclusions.” 
H?sen was still slouched back on the couch, showing no signs of leaving any time soon, his attitude as bullish and arrogant as ever. 
“Then what’s next? We have no intention of forming a non-equal relationship.” 
“No shit. You’ve made that fuckin’ clear already. You’ve got guts, I’ll tell ya that.” 
He slowly clapped his hands in applause, seemingly praising Horikita for her strenuous efforts. 
“That said, this shitty relationship idea of yours ain’t even ‘equal’ in the first place.” 
“So you’re saying that if we can prove that our offer is equal, you’ll cooperate with us?” 
“Eh, you could say that.” 
“Well now I’m confused. Why don’t you think it’d be equal? We’d both be under the same conditions.” 
“You’ve got some nerve to try’n play up this trusting relationship crap, but that shit’s gotta go both ways. And that ain’t enough for me, either. It’s real nice of ya to tell us about how we might end up in a similar situation at some point. Brings fuckin’ tears to my eyes. But that’s just you comin’ up with shit, nothin’ you can say for sure, isn’t it?” 
H?sen certainly had a point here. 
At a fundamental level, Horikita’s proposal was based on the premise that our classes would support one another. However, we were the ones who really needed the help right now. The deal would only truly become equal once Class 1-D needed our help at some point in the future. 
It was an insurance policy, so to speak, and there was a good chance they wouldn’t be able to make use of it. 
“So I see. Well, since you’re at it, how about you tell us what exactly it is you want then? Just as a reference.” 
“Fork over a million private points as collateral. If we ever come cryin’ to you guys for help, I’ll gladly pay ya back in full.” 
The amount was quite reasonable compared to how much it would cost us to strike a deal with the other classes. 
However, if they never ended up making use of the insurance policy, they’d essentially just be getting a million points for free. 
In short, every last point would end up directly in H?sen’s pocket. 
“If this trusting relationship shit of yours is really all that important, then what’s the big deal?” 
If they really ended up needing our help later on down the line, then the deposit would definitely find its way back to us at some point. 
“If yer worried, how ‘bout I put it in writing?” 
While a written contract would be recognized and enforced by the school, that was based on the premise that H?sen actually asked for our help in the first place. 
There was a chance that he might resort to using it if he found himself at risk of expulsion, but it didn’t seem very likely that he’d give up so many points just to help his classmates. 
In other words, it would be far more dangerous than simply handing over some points and signing a contract. 
H?sen wasn’t just some cocksure musclehead. He had made his move with the utmost skill and precision. 
A calculating, formidable opponent, just like Ry?en. 
“It’s true that what you’re saying isn’t completely unreasonable. That said, I still cannot agree to your terms.” 
“That so? What a pity. I went through the effort of showin’ you a way outta this, and yet here you are makin’ shit difficult still.” 
“Indeed.” 
It didn’t seem like Horikita intended to compromise if it meant letting H?sen line his own pockets. But with the way things were headed, it seemed like we might end up having to let our partners be decided at random. In which case, we’d have no choice but to have our classmates with low Academic Ability ratings flee to the other classes, even if it meant burning the necessary funds to do so. 
“Ha!” 
After forcing out a short laugh, H?sen leaned forward from his slouched position on the couch for the first time since he sat down. 
And then, he reached out at Horikita and grabbed the collar of her shirt. 
The first one to react to this was Sud?, who had been attentively keeping watch from right beside her. 
With a seething glare in his eyes, he grabbed the brawny first-year student’s arm. 
“Oi, bastard… Don’t raise your hand against a girl.” 
“Oho, so the biggest retard here’s finally taken center stage?” 
“Cool it Sud?-kun.” 
“But?!” 
“No buts. Negotiations aren’t over yet.” 
While it seemed as though negotiations had broken down, H?sen hadn’t yet explicitly stated so himself. 
“You’ve got eyes fulla confidence there. You really think I won’t beat the shit outta a girl? Or maybe you’re try’nna abuse the fact that yer a lowly bitch so you can beat me?” 
“What an inappropriate thing to say in this day and age. How about dialing back on the misogyny to avoid turning the women of the world against you?” 
“Well then how ‘bout I give you a better option. If you can beat me in a fight, I’ll agree to yer little proposal. How’s that?” 
At that, H?sen presented us with a rather childish offer. 
“How ‘bout I take you up on that then? Got a problem with that?” 
“It can be you, that dull-lookin’ Ayanok?ji guy over there, or even this bitch. Fuck it, why not all three of you at once?” 
H?sen spoke brazenly. 
“It’s fine, right Suzune? If I win, we’ll be done with all this crap. Besides, I’m really, really fuckin’ fed up with this bastard already.” 
Sud? was reaching the limits of his patience with H?sen, whose hand was still clutched onto Horikita’s collar. 
“Deciding the outcome of this negotiation with a fight is far too absurd. Even if it’s the only card we have left to play, we still shouldn’t agree to it.” 
“Why not? The bastard said he was fine with it, I don’t see a problem.” 
Ignoring Sud?’s objections, Horikita calmly put her thoughts into words. 
“I really thought you’d be a little smarter than this, H?sen-kun. Not too long ago, back when you first showed up outside of the second-year classrooms, the things you said gave me the impression that you wanted our classes to work together. I felt the same. I felt like it’d be wonderful if we could cooperate as fellow Class D students.” 
“Well, I mighta said somethin’ like that.” 
“But? It seems like that was just a misunderstanding on my part. You didn’t actually think that at all.” 
Horikita closed her eyes for a moment and calmed herself before continuing. 
“This discussion is over.” 
In the end, it was not H?sen who ended up calling off the negotiations, but Horikita herself. 
The moment the words crossed her lips, slight traces of anger peeked through H?sen’s previously untroubled expression. 
Then, H?sen released his grip on Horikita’s shirt, and seeing this, Sud? swallowed his anger, let go of H?sen’s arm, and began to resituate himself in his seat. 
But less than a split second later?


Splash! Droplets of water scattered throughout the Karaoke room.


H?sen had picked up his cup of water and had splashed it on Horikita’s face. 
There was probably no way that Horikita could’ve seen it coming before it happened. 
But, before she could make even a single sound, Sud? was already up on the table, moments away from throwing himself at H?sen. 
“You motherfucker!!!” 
Sud? had already been doing whatever he could to keep his temper in check before this, but he finally lost all sense of reason due to what had just taken place. 
Nobody could blame him for losing his cool, after all, the girl he liked had just been humiliated before his very eyes. 
H?sen, on the other hand, remained as smug and contemptuous as ever. 
“Stop!” 
As Sud? charged at him, bellowing with rage, Horikita called out with a stern voice, drawing him to a stop. 
If she had called out even one second later, Sud?’s fist would’ve smashed directly into H?sen’s cheek. 
“Sud?-kun… Don’t fall into his trap so carelessly.” 
“I know dammit, but still!” 
Horikita locked eyes with H?sen without even bothering to dry her wet hair. 
“If you’re displeased with the fact that negotiations have broken down, then perhaps you should’ve conducted yourself a little better.” 
Horikita had wanted to establish a cooperative relationship with H?sen no matter the cost. 
And yet, at this point, even she understood the futility of any further discussion. 
After a short staredown between the two of them, Horikita turned and looked away, as if to say she had seen everything she needed to. 
“Let’s go.” 
“R-really?” 
Although Sud? was frustrated, he asked Horikita again, just to make sure. 
“Are you sure, H?sen-kun?” 
Nanase asked H?sen the same question at nearly the same time. 
“Yeah?” 
“I personally think we should’ve cooperated with Horikita-senpai.” 
“Hah! They’re the ones who called it off. You want me to go over there and stop ‘em?” 
And so, the discussion ended without H?sen saying anything further, and just like that the two parties dissolved. 
I discreetly cast a sidelong glance over at Horikita. After all, today’s failure would undoubtedly create a lot of problems moving forward. 
But from where I stood, Horikita’s expression didn’t seem discouraged at all. 
Judging by the look on her face, it didn’t seem like this was over just yet. 

TL Notes: 
Okay I’m going to educate you guys now. Kiyotaka makes a cultural reference about Miyamoto Musashi and his duel on a Japanese island. This happened around 1600, and is, as far as I can tell, something that literally happened. I think this was back in samurai times, but I’m no Japanese historian so I only know what the Wikipedia article tells me. Should you want to understand the story for yourself, I’ll provide you a link here. I can tell you that this isn’t some super-abstract reference and is something most, if not every Japanese person would know about. 
Another important note is that the Karaoke employee provided them with the receipt before they went to the room. In Japanese this is very typical. You go in, stay a while, and then when you leave you make your payment. You’ll see this in one of the lines of the next part where they pay before leaving.





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