Chapter 7:
A Difference in Determination
TIME TICKED AWAY as we continued to cram for the upcoming exams. Students’ spirits dipped under the onslaught of grueling, endless work they had to do. December arrived, and the final exam was less than three days away. Tomorrow, we’d be off for the weekend, the final exam waiting for us on Monday.
To be honest, the exam itself wasn’t too dangerous. As far as the Class D students were concerned, we were more united than ever. The study groups were producing amazing results. Even Sudou and the other slackers did their best. The issues were Ryuuen and Kushida. They’d been making their moves behind the scenes, without a doubt. However, I could read them pretty easily.
Ryuuen’s two goals were to beat Class D, and to smoke out the puppet master hiding behind Horikita. If he wanted to win in overall points, that limited his tactics. The best he could do was get Class C to study extra hard, or come up with extremely difficult test problems, both of which were relatively ordinary strategies.
I didn’t know how fully Class C had united, or if they’d studied extensively. We hadn’t seen them in the café, the library, the classrooms, or anywhere else. Was it simple coincidence? Or were the Class C students working somewhere in secret? Even if they did study extra hard, as long as they didn’t surpass Class D, we’d be fine. At any rate, though, I had no idea what their strategy was. I’d be able to figure it out if I thought about it from a different perspective.
“Thinking about something?” asked Horikita.
“Oh, sorry,” I replied.
Horikita looked up at me from the base of the stairs. I hurried down after her. She held a large manila envelope stuffed full of the questions she and Hirata had slaved over for the past month. That envelope held Class D’s fate, which was exactly why Horikita kept it as confidential as possible. She wouldn’t even let me see the questions. Ultimately, she was the only one who knew all of them.
“What are our chances?” I asked.
“Hard to say. Don’t expect too much. The school made many adjustments. However, there’s no doubt that we’ve completed the most difficult part of the exam so far,” said Horikita.
She exuded confidence, so she’d probably done a solid job. The issue was what came next. How would we protect these questions?
While making our way to the staff room, Horikita and I bumped into Ryuuen in the hallway.
“Yo, Suzune.” Ryuuen wore a bold smile on his face. He also held a manila envelope.
“Is this a coincidence? Or an ambush, perhaps?” asked Horikita.
“It’s inevitable. I was waiting for you.”
“An ambush, then.” Horikita let out an exasperated sigh and walked past Ryuuen.
“You’re submitting your test problems at the last minute too, huh? Let’s go together,” said Ryuuen, holding out his manila envelope. “Anyone might try and sneak a peek at this, so I understand your caution.”
“You’re not worried about any traitors in your own class?” asked Horikita somewhat mockingly.
“Ha. There’s no way anyone would be stupid enough to betray me,” said Ryuuen.
“Yet you waited until the last minute to submit your questions,” countered Horikita.
Ryuuen probably couldn’t help but enjoy her ire. Horikita and I walked on, and he followed us.
“I really hope that whatever intelligence you squeezed out of those defective pieces of garbage in your class works in Class C’s favor,” he said.
Horikita ignored him. “Ayanokouji-kun, have you been studying properly? How are things with you and your partner?” she asked me.
“I think we should be safe,” I replied.
“Thinking isn’t enough. We can’t afford to have a single student drop out. Don’t get complacent, even though I’m sure we can handle whatever Class C throws at us,” said Horikita.
Not one to be silenced, Ryuuen responded to that verbal jab. “Oh ho! That’s an interesting remark. You sound pretty arrogant.”
“Hmm, who knows? Maybe it was simply cheap provocation? Just your style,” said Horikita.
“Maybe so,” Ryuuen replied.
As soon as we arrived at the staff room, Horikita called Chabashira-sensei. Similarly, Ryuuen called Sakagami-sensei, who appeared first and took the manila envelope from Ryuuen.
“Would you please accept this?”
“Yes. I’ll talk to you later.”
After their short exchange, Chabashira-sensei showed up and took Sakagami-sensei’s place. She already seemed to know what we were there for, and her gaze was focused only on the manila envelope.
“So, there it is,” she said. She paid no attention to Ryuuen, off to the side.
“These are the final questions, Chabashira-sensei,” said Horikita.
“I’ll hold on to them,” said Chabashira-sensei.
Ryuuen watched with a creepy smile. As Chabashira-sensei reached for the envelope, Horikita paused.
“I’d like to ask you one thing, if I may,” Horikita said to Chabashira-sensei.
“Yes?”
“These questions are linked to either Class D’s victory or defeat. They’re two sides of the same coin. We must avoid a leak at all costs. After I hand these papers over to you, could you please not show them to anyone else? Myself included.”
Horikita had negotiated those terms based on her failure at the sports festival. I didn’t know if Chabashira-sensei would understand, though.
“You want me to turn down absolutely anyone who asks to see them?” Chabashira-sensei asked.
“Would that be a problem?”
“That’s not the issue. I understand that you’re afraid of information leaking, and the school has no right to refuse your request. However, there are conditions,” said Chabashira-sensei.
“Conditions, you say?”
“The entire class needs to agree to this. Has everyone approved this measure?”
“I didn’t receive permission from every individual student, but…I don’t think they’d object. No one wants their class to lose,” said Horikita.
“You can’t say that for sure. As I may have mentioned before, people are full of surprises. Some students might very well want to lose,” said Chabashira-sensei.
“That’s—”
Chabashira-sensei continued. “On that note, can you guarantee that these are the exam questions your class wishes to use? Not everyone in class saw and agreed to all of them, right?”
“Are you asking me to prove that? You want me to show the questions to everyone in class and confirm that they’re okay with them?”
“Not quite. I’m saying that it’s not that simple. I can’t be entirely sure that you, Horikita Suzune, are acting for your class’s sake. That said, I’ll honor your request. If any student asks, I absolutely won’t disclose the questions and answers you created,” said Chabashira-sensei.
“Thank you very much. Now I can face the exam in peace.”
“However, I will say this—generally, it’s not ideal to restrict information in this manner. It proves that the class isn’t united,” said Chabashira-sensei.
She wasn’t wrong. If everyone on our class was on the up-and-up, then we wouldn’t have had to worry about protecting the information from leaks. Selfishly, I thought that this kind of thing would’ve never happened with Class B.
“A painful lesson to learn. I’ll work harder to bring the class together,” answered Horikita confidently.
Chabashira-sensei smiled a bit. “You’ve changed, Horikita.”
“Some things can’t stay the same.”
“As I said, I’ll honor your request. In case of unforeseen circumstances, though, I’d like to add one provision to our arrangement. As long as they have your permission, Horikita, I’ll disclose information to those asking to see the questions. Is that okay? If I didn’t show them to absolutely anyone, that could be a problem for you too, right?” asked Chabashira-sensei.
In short, 100 percent confidentiality wasn’t really possible. Our teacher wanted at least some means of disclosing it if necessary.
“Yes, as long as I’m present at the time,” said Horikita.
“Of course. Someone might lie about having your permission, after all. In the event that someone comes looking for the questions, well, I’ll tell them everything you said. As a teacher, I can’t lie,” said Chabashira-sensei.
“That’s all right.” Horikita breathed a sigh of relief. Something had finally gone right. This plan was foolproof, and should’ve precluded the possibility of underhanded tricks like the kind we saw in the sports festival. Even if someone tried to pay to see the questions, it wouldn’t be allowed.
However, something still felt off to me, though I couldn’t put my finger on what.
Everything was going smoothly. The test questions that Horikita and Hirata had devised were undoubtedly very difficult, and Horikita had put preventative measures in place to ensure that they didn’t leak. So far, so good. Even if Kushida tried to obtain the answers for Ryuuen, she’d need Horikita’s presence and approval. Everything was rock solid. No holes anywhere. I see, I see.
Horikita had negotiated flawlessly, but there was definitely something up with our homeroom teacher. You wouldn’t have been able to tell by her body language, though. Chabashira-sensei solemnly accepted the test questions and motioned for us to leave. Still, Ryuuen’s resolute attitude felt off—something about the fact that he didn’t seem flustered at all.
“Let’s head on back, Ayanokouji-kun. Our business here is finished.”
I ignored Horikita and looked into Chabashira-sensei’s eyes instead. She stared at me in return.
See it, Horikita. Before it’s too late.
I couldn’t say anything in front of Ryuuen, nor could I stare for too long. Even if we made it through this, our hands might be tied afterward. Horikita started to walk away from the staff room, then immediately stopped dead in her tracks.
“Chabashira-sensei. You said that you wouldn’t lie, didn’t you?”
“That’s right. That’s required of me, as a teacher,” she replied.
“In that case, will the school accept the questions I just submitted to you?”
Horikita had noticed after all. She’d figured it out herself.
“Not until we confirm that there isn’t anything abnormal about them,” replied Chabashira-sensei.
“What’s the matter, Horikita?” I asked.
Horikita didn’t pay any attention to me. “Let me rephrase that. Have you already accepted other test questions?”
Our teacher became quiet. “What do you mean by that?”
“I’d like to hear the answer from your own lips, Chabashira-sensei.”
“My response is that the school already accepted and finished reviewing questions from Class D.”
Our reality imploded.
“So…does that mean someone else already submitted test questions and answers?” asked Horikita. She couldn’t seem to process what was happening.
“Correct. The school won’t use the questions you just handed me,” said Chabashira-sensei.
“Please cancel acceptance of the previously submitted test questions. I have the correct ones here,” said Horikita, pointing to the manila envelope.
However, from my understanding of the conversation so far, I knew that wasn’t going to be a simple matter.
“Unfortunately, Horikita, I cannot indulge your ego. I already finished reviewing another student’s questions. That student shared similar concerns. They wanted me to keep the questions secret, too. This student said that, in the event that another student selfishly showed up and asked to change the problems, I should merely accept the new questions and hold on to them. They also wanted me to tell them who asked to swap those questions afterward,” said Chabashira-sensei.
“What in the world?” The fight drained out of Horikita, and she slumped over. This was far too cruel. “What student? Please tell me.”
“Kushida Kikyou.”
The answer was obvious. Horikita had thought that she would prevent Kushida’s betrayal. However, Kushida had struck first. Our knowledge of her past made her take bold, drastic measures.
“But under the right circumstances, Class D can change the questions the school already accepted, yes?”
“Yes. However, the deadline is the end of today. If you wish to change the test questions, please bring Kushida here,” said Chabashira-sensei.
“That…”
It was hopeless. Kushida wouldn’t agree to that. Even if we started looking for her now, there was a 100 percent chance that she’d turned her phone off and holed up in her dorm room—or somewhere else, even. We couldn’t possibly get a hold of her before the end of the day.
“I can only speculate about which one of you is lying, Horikita. I don’t know the truth. I also acknowledge that an unknown third party might be pulling the strings here. If you don’t resolve this dispute within your class, it’ll be bad,” said Chabashira-sensei.
“How much time do we have left to correct the questions?”
“Until 6 p.m.”
I checked my phone. It was a little before four. We only had about two hours left.
“Ha ha ha ha ha! What are you even doing, Suzune?” Ryuuen sneered. The guy had undoubtedly known about this situation from the very start; he laughed raucously at our despair. “This is already checkmate, don’t you see? The questions that you struggled so hard to come up with are completely meaningless!”
“Were you behind this? Did you instruct Kushida-san to do this?” asked Horikita.
“Hmm, who can say? I mean, it’s not like I know anything about Class D, right?”
Horikita raised her voice. “I’m not going to tolerate this outsider eavesdropping on the conversation any further!”
“Oh ho, how scary. Guess I’ll just head back to my dorm like a good boy. I sure am looking forward to the exam’s results,” said Ryuuen.
“Aren’t you going to look for Kushida, Horikita?” Chabashira-sensei asked.
“I dislike futile gestures.” Even if we did manage to find Kushida, there was no way she’d comply. The game was already over. “Did Kushida-san instruct you not to show the questions to anyone?”
“No, I received no such instructions,” said Chabashira-sensei.
That was hardly surprising; it only confirmed our suspicions.
“Please show them to me, then.”
Chabashira-sensei showed Horikita the test questions that Kushida submitted. After only a brief glance, one thing became apparent.
“These are incredibly difficult,” Horikita said.
“Yeah. They definitely are,” I replied.
Kushida’s questions didn’t appear any easier than those Horikita and Hirata had prepared. These were excellently constructed problems. In fact, they were so well-structured that you’d never guess that Horikita herself didn’t come up with them. Since Ryuuen was involved, chances were high that Kaneda made them. While Kushida had attended the study sessions and accepted Horikita’s challenge, she had slipped through with a terribly clever plan.
No third parties would know the truth. If Kushida’s problems had been so easy that even Sudou could have solved them, she would have been suspected of sabotage. However, if they were similar enough, then she would fly under the radar. These questions made things much, much more complicated. If you knew the answers ahead of time, it didn’t matter how difficult the problems were. As long as all of Class C shared the answers with one another, they would get high scores.
Horikita had promised that she wouldn’t expose Kushida’s past. Hirata, afraid of internal class conflict, probably wouldn’t say anything. That meant that the student who struck first won the day. If Class D lost, Horikita, who’d assumed leadership, would unavoidably take the blame. Kushida would siphon away Horikita’s power while simultaneously using Ryuuen to drive her into a corner.
None of this was as dire, however, as Horikita’s bet with Kushida. If Kushida and Ryuuen had colluded, there was no doubt that Kushida received Class C’s test questions in exchange for her cooperation. If that had happened, Kushida would most likely score a perfect one hundred points on her math exam. If Horikita answered even one question incorrectly, she would have to drop out of school. Horikita wouldn’t dare break her promise.
“So, is there nothing more to be done?” asked Horikita.
Kushida’s preemptive strike had put Horikita between a rock and a hard place. It looked as if she was out of options. This all came down to the naivete of her plans. If it’d been me, then…
“It’s all right, Horikita. Ryuuen left,” said Chabashira-sensei to Horikita, who still hung her head. What was going on? Chabashira-sensei didn’t look shaken in the least.
“Sorry. I wanted to take extra precautions just in case, so I kept up the act,” said Horikita, lifting her head. She didn’t look depressed at all.
Then, I understood.
“You knew this was coming?” I asked.
“Yes. I couldn’t allow myself to be defeated the same way I was at the sports festival. When the final exam’s details were announced, I immediately consulted Chabashira-sensei. I had two requests. One, that I alone submit Class D’s usable test questions, and two, that Chabashira-sensei pretend to accept any other questions submitted,” said Horikita.
In other words, Horikita had tricked Kushida into thinking that her test questions were accepted.
“Now that they definitely believe that Kushida’s test problems were used, if any Class C students aren’t studying for the test, they may just fail,” said Horikita. I would never have imagined that she’d devise such a wonderful counterattack. I couldn’t even have come up with anything like this myself. Ryuuen had to be completely unaware of the damage Horikita was about to do.
“At any rate, this is a difficult situation,” said Chabashira-sensei, a rare look of genuine concern on her face. “I’ve never had a request like this in all the time I’ve managed Class D. I didn’t expect such caution and deception. However, you won’t always take the day, Horikita. If there are traitors like this among your classmates, you’re doomed to fail.”
Chabashira-sensei was right. Even Class A, currently divided between Sakayanagi’s and Katsuragi’s factions, would never have done something like this.
This meant we needed to be careful in dealing with Kushida.
“I understand. However, this ends with the final exam.” I felt Horikita’s determination to put a stop to our infighting.
“Really? In that case, I look forward to it.”
Horikita sighed in relief as she watched Chabashira-sensei go back inside with the manila envelope. Once the two of us were alone, she bowed her head and apologized to me.
“Sorry for keeping quiet about this.”
“No, that’s all right. To be honest, I had no idea.” I’d underestimated Horikita.
“Ryuuen’s knocked me down so many times now. I thought that it was about time I learned,” said Horikita.
This had not only crushed Class C’s decisive victory, it had put Class D a step in the lead. However, Horikita’s final challenge remained.
“All that’s left now is to beat Kushida-san’s exam score. With that, we can come out on the other side unscathed.”
Right. Horikita had no future unless she beat score. In order to make sure she didn’t lose, she needed to get a perfect score in math.
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