Youkoso Jitsuryoku Shijou Shugi no Kyoushitsu e - Volume 22 - Chapter Ep

Epilogue

Who is the Challenger?

WITH THE END OF the exchange meeting, an event that brought changes in relationships, our usual school life resumed.

Recently, it had become customary for me to meet up with Kei in my room or lobby every morning and go to school together, but today was different. I left on my own this time, about 20 minutes earlier than usual.

I got off the elevator, arrived at the lobby, and went outside.

It was unusually cold today, perhaps because of the strong wind.

Soon, February would be over.

Next month would be busier than ever.

First, I had to deal with the issue concerning Karuizawa Kei.

Nothing special was needed for this.

I just needed to proceed with the process as originally planned.

Next, the issue concerning Ichinose Honami.

The leader of a class that was struggling to compete with the other three, with nothing special among the four classes.

My prediction was correct—Class D was in decline as the end of the second-year approached.

However... unlike Kei's problem, some adjustments might’ve been needed.

I could decide after the end-of-year exam results came out.

No matter how much Ichinose grew, there would be no major changes.

I thought I just needed to proceed with the plan as I originally intended.

But…

One problem arose that wasn’t in the plan.

That forced me to, in turn, make changes.

There would be some negative effects as a result, but not all changes would be bad.

As soon as I started walking to school, I stopped.

“You're early.”

In my field of vision, I spotted the person I was meeting up with.

There was still some time until the scheduled appointment, but they were already waiting.

They didn't notice me and occasionally breathed out white clouds as if they were cold, but they soon noticed my gaze.

“Good morning, Ayanokōji-kun.”

As I approached, a morning greeting came flying.

“Good morning. Sorry for calling you out so early.”

“It's okay. So, what do you want to talk to me about? Something hard to say over the phone?”

As classmates, we knew each other's contact information. Normally, we could communicate using our phones.

She questioned why I didn't do that.

“In a way, maybe.”

Horikita lined up next to me and soon started walking by my side.

“In a way? That's a scary way to put it.”

“There's nothing to be wary of.”

“Really?”

She looked at me with doubt in her eyes, but there was no prickliness like when we first met.

It was a natural friendship, with a tenderness that could be described as such.

“I often talk to you about special exams and class-related matters, but sometimes I want to talk about things that have nothing to do with that.”

“Huh? Sorry, I don't understand. What do you mean?”

I regretted that my words were clumsier than I’d imagined.

I had thought of a more casual way to say it, but I decided against it because it might bother her depending on how she took it.

“I wanted to have a meaningless conversation with you, unrelated to our interests. Does that make sense to you?”

“...I see?”

She seemed to be in thought for a moment, but apparently, she didn't understand.

“We’ve been classmates for a while. It's not like we'll have the opportunity to talk forever.”

“Forever is an exaggeration. Sure, that's true, but we still have over a year until graduation, right? We don't have to arrange meetings like this, I can chat anytime.”

“What if I were to be expelled at the end-of-year exam?”

“That's a jump. I don't think you'll be expelled. But seeing how easily you get common sense questions wrong, maybe there's a possibility...”

After giving a serious answer, she laughed a little, finding her own words amusing.

“Are you really worried that you might be expelled? Is that why you wanted to talk so early in the morning...?”

“The last special exam has become a bit of a trauma for me.”

“Then why don't you try to remember more common sense questions? You're good at studying.”

She retorted, expressing that I was aware of my weak points.

“So, can you memorize game and anime terms as effectively as studying for other subjects?”

“Huh…? I wonder. When Onizuka tried pushing me to play a game before, they were talking about DP... something, DEF something, cooldown something, but my brain refused to remember those words and their meanings...”

“It's a similar feeling. I just can't seem to want to remember it.”

I wanted to absorb as much information as I could, but I also had such preferences.

“Don't worry. From a class perspective, your existence is essential. Even if you struggle with common sense questions, I'll always back you up. In other words, you won't be expelled.”

Horikita made that clear.

“That's reassuring.”

I tapped Horikita’s shoulder with a gentle chop from my left hand. She was taking this conversation seriously.

“Do you really worry about your own expulsion? It doesn't seem like it. What's the real issue?”

“Actually, I'm not worried about myself, but about the possibility of your expulsion.”

“In reality, that seems more likely.”

She showed a slightly annoyed expression, but it didn't seem serious, and she quickly returned to normal.

Compared to when she first entered, Horikita's emotions had become much more varied.

“The last special exam resulted in only Kamuro’s expulsion. However, next time, there might be more.”

“...You're expecting new dropouts.”

“Yeah. At least one from our year. Depending on the exam content and its developments, we could lose several people.”

“...That many?”

“It's better to think that way. The school has said it before—second-year students are progressing through school life with few to no dropouts.”

“So they're going to force an exam to increase the number of dropouts? That's... a bit extreme. Our year didn't have that many weak spots. It should’ve been a good thing.”

If you looked at it positively, it was true.

But sometimes, a sieve was needed.

“It depends on how it looks from the outside. For example, the government is also involved in the school’s operation. If the goal is to drop ten people a year, and we second-year students do not meet that standard, then it would be nice if they simply saw us as exceptional, but it's unknown how much the people at the top are aware of and acknowledge the finer details of those numbers.”

“To comply with the government's policy, they'll make the rules more strict?”

“Last year, because there were no dropouts, it was forcibly changed from zero to one expulsion. I wouldn't be surprised if several people will get expelled in the upcoming end-of-year exam.”

The third-year’s advice from winter break—that might not have been just for the survival and elimination special exam. But in reality, the third-years probably didn't know about the second-year students’ future.

“Aren’t you overthinking...?”

“Of course, it's just speculation. I just feel that way based on what I can see right now. I can't provide any concrete evidence.”

“In that case, I guess so. I'd like you to work hard too.”

She requested cooperation half-seriously, half-jokingly.

My answer to that was already decided.

“If there's a situation at the end of the school year where I can help, I intend to cooperate as much as possible.”

“That's a rather unusual answer for you. Between the special training and now, you've been a bit too cooperative lately. Even with the Amasawa-san situation, you didn't look displeased even once.”

“I’ve left many things to others so far. I have to lend a hand at least a little.”

“That's a noble reason, but... it's still not like you to become so cooperative.”

“I wonder. There might be a catch.”

“I'd rather not have that, if possible.”

At that point in the conversation, Horikita and I made eye contact.

We probably both thought of the same thing simultaneously.

“Haha, you invited me to chat, but in the end, we're talking about the exam.”

“Right. There's no point in calling you here if it's like this. Alright, let's end the discussion about the exam.”

With that, I put an end to this topic.

“I heard about the results from Kushida, it seems you fought well, but you lost.”

“She's really strong, isn't she? Even if we fought two against one, we still couldn't win in the end.”

However, I heard that Amasawa, after being hit a few times, was able to analyze them.

“You should be able to have a better fight next time.”

“Two against one?”

“Do you dislike it?”

“Well, yes. Ibuki-san said she wouldn't team up with me again.”

“It's fine. She forgets things quickly.”

Horikita laughed at my exaggeration.

“By the way, it looked like Amasawa-san noticed your influence right after the fight started. But she seemed very happy. What's your relationship with her?”

“She's my ex-girlfriend.”

“Are you serious? Or was that a joke?”

“It was a bad joke.”

“If that's the case, it wasn’t funny at all.”

A harsh response came back.

“Someday, I want to hear the truth from your own mouth, Ayanokōji-kun.”

“I'll think about it. But don't expect—”

“I'm not.”

Horikita narrowed her eyes and smiled in response.

At that moment, Horikita, who was changing colors, showed a smile.

I guess I was also learning a lot from Horikita.

This relationship between us would end soon.

Horikita would have some tough experiences in the future.

But there is no need to keep worrying.

Her growth and the support of her classmates should guide her.