Chapter 32 - Queen's Gambit
Our entire class, except for Kouenji, who was still unavailable due to his chase for physical beauty, assembled in one of the many accessible karaoke rooms on the ship, which were allocated on and spread out over most of the decks. The one we had gathered in was the ninth suite on the third deck, labeled '39', as per the ship's easy to guess numbering scheme.
Chiaki explained how Kikyou managed to solve the problem with the support of Sakura, Mii-chan and her, as soon as everyone arrived. My queen might have worked out most of the intricacies, but she helped the others into the limelight with kind remarks and similar charitable observations, which earned the whole squad multiple rounds of awed praises.
Sakura was still too timid, too easy to intimidate, and needed this modest confidence boost to crawl out of her shell. She had done little in the grand scheme of things, but her statements had brought us closer to the solution. Kikyou reiterated that she couldn't have solved the exam without their guidance, which prompted most of our classmates to thank them.
The VIPs were revealed, together with the secret pattern.
Class D's reward of 4.5 million private points would be pooled together in Kikyou's account after their distribution on the final day of the exam. Everybody would receive their respective cut, consisting of 115.384 points, while the remaining pocket change would stay with her, as the amount was so miniscule that nobody cared about it. These values would be adjusted, depending on the additional points we might earn from our remaining VIPs.
A short celebration followed, as the explanation concluded.
Nothing was official since the results weren't out, but none of my classmates seemed to mind this when they began to sing a few well-known songs and sipped on their orange juice. Chiaki was confident in the solution that our angel had provided us with and allowed everyone a brief time to enjoy themselves now that we had reached Class A.
Suzune and Yukimura were caught off-guard by this behavior.
The former kept quiet, as usual, while my bespectacled roommate complained about our relaxed attitude. According to him, we should have kept the solution and our VIPs a secret until the end, since the other classes were still a danger to our point balance. If the current Class A managed to figure out our leaders, then we would lose our spot and drop back to B.
His protests, albeit justified, were drowned in the festivities.
"Airi!"
Hasebe, also known as 'Mommy Milkers', if one were to ask Kikyou, jumped at our equally stacked pink-haired companion in visible delight after she had heard about the girl's crucial role in this triumph. Sakura, who wasn't comfortable around people and thus easy to scare, almost splashed her drink onto poor Sudou in front of her.
"H-hey Haruka-sa... ah no..."
"She did good, right? Tell her Sudou-kun!"
"What? Yeah, I mean —"
"AIMAI NA KYOUKI GA!"
The rest of their conversation was drowned out by Ike's deafening attempt to perform the anime opening Sotomura had chosen. Okitani and the other guys cheered him on while another group of girls was already browsing for the next song.
Kikyou shone brighter than everyone else.
Back then, I had promised to take care of her — assured my bewitching, beautiful queen that she would be even more loved, cherished and admired by her schoolmates. Now, I had gifted her a small but convincing glimpse of this rosy future. She was beyond ecstatic and hopped through the whole room with her closest friends right next to her.
The party was still in full swing as I stepped outside.
I rested my arms on the cold, metallic railing and gazed over the boundless blue ocean that stretched from here to the horizon and far beyond, where my eyes couldn't follow. Soft, graceful steps closed in on my position before my vision darkened, covered by two soft palms. The gentle sounds of the fresh sea breeze as well as the waves, which crashed against the enormous cruiser, were eclipsed by a sweet, enchanting voice that danced along my earlobes.
"Who am I?"
"Your breasts are too big, Kikyou."
Aside from her, I couldn't feel any presence in my immediate surroundings. Since she was alone, it was safe to articulate such a teasing, almost flirty observation. I was prepared to receive a barrage of insults, but they never came.
"Hmm... you think? You like them, don't you?"
A giggle fled her lips as she propped them up a few times.
Her captivating smile didn't waver as her silky smooth hands enveloped the supple sensations on her chest. She squeezed her two extra large mounds and ran her bare palms along the front until they slipped off, causing her breasts to jiggle and bounce around like a pair of delicious, fluffy soft cakes.
"What's gotten into you?"
She hadn't cursed once during our conversation yesterday, which had already been a strange occurrence due to the stressful time she must have had, but her current coquettish conduct was something even more unbelievable. According to these changes, she was prepared to adjust the person known as Kushida Kikyou and turn her into someone I desired.
Even though she was already perfect.
"You said that I'm not cute when I'm cursing..." She peered at me with a rather complex, dissatisfied expression, which betrayed her jumbled up emotions. "I wanted to prove you wrong. Weren't you proud that I behaved well last night?"
A distant pout surfaced on her lips.
My comment from the day before had been a joke. I had specified as much after her initial apology. The thought that she would take this statement to heart afterwards had never crossed my mind. If she hadn't held herself back in the music hall, I would have assumed that she was trying to mess with me right now, but her present attitude indicated otherwise.
"I don't want you to feel the need to hide the person you are around me. If you want to curse, go ahead. If you prefer to act like a pervert, then do that, but never stop to be who you are just because I told you to. You do know me better than most people, just like you said, but the same goes for me. I like the real Kikyou best."
"Woah, I think my heart just skipped a beat." My queen threw me a teasing grin and tapped against her chest in elation. This smug behavior only lasted for a moment as her complexion changed into a deep crimson. "Fuck, seriously..." She clenched the tracksuit she was wearing and averted her feverish gaze. "Can I please hug you?"
"Yeah, it's safe."
The beige-haired beauty darted forward into my chest with such a speed that I couldn't react to her abrupt movements. This sudden eagerness to embrace me stemmed from her genuine devotion towards my person after everything we had been through. Unlike most others, I accepted her whole, even the ugly side she kept hidden — tucked away from people who wouldn't understand. She as well, recognized the monster inside of me and began to appreciate its compassion.
Kikyou clung to my white shirt like a long-lost kitten.
Small but discernable tremors coursed through her body as her slender hands clasped onto me. Her heartbeat quickened for the first time since our relationship had progressed past the 'friends' stage. The usual calm thumping sounds turned into a frenzied pneumatic hammer that slammed against her ribcage as she closed her mesmerizing pyrope garnet eyes.
"Damn... this is too much."
My queen's alluring face was colored in the deepest blush I had seen to date. Her current countenance was even worse than Chiaki's during the confession, or when she failed to keep our new situation in a small circle between her close friends. Kikyou's two shivering orbs reflected my own, almost as if she peered into the deepest parts of my blackened soul.
"I want to kiss you... Is it okay..?"
"There's still no one around."
"Thank god..."
She reached towards my cheeks and pulled my head down, yearning for honest physical affection. Our lips collided as she dragged me deeper into her loving embrace, even after they had already met. This passionate kiss prompted her moist tongue to press forward with more fervor until it reached mine, which coiled around hers like a ravenous python.
Two words slipped her lips once we separated.
"A date..."
Her damp, hazy breath slithered along my skin and caused a pleasant warmth to spread over my neck. She nibbled on the bite from yesterday and left her own in its stead. My girlfriend would assume that it was still her doing, since Kikyou had taken great care to wipe out any trace of Chiaki's stamp before imprinting her royal queen's mark.
"What?"
"My compensation. I want to go on a date with you."
The reward she had thought of was a rather unusual choice, since I wouldn't have said no if she had asked me to meet up without cashing in this favor. She was important, more so than my current girlfriend, and I wanted to know how it felt to go out with her as well. Accepting her invitation was a given, so I wouldn't allow her to waste this golden ticket here.
This choice also demonstrated how far we had come.
If I had awarded her with such an opportunity before the island and the following development in our relationship, she might have used this as an excuse to get rid of Suzune once and for all. Yet now all she wished for was to be closer to me because she realized that a new way of life had opened up for her.
"You'll get that date for free. How's that?"
She tiptoed, gifted me one last kiss and backed up.
These actions established a clear resounding 'yes'.
"Oh, right... I got my phone back."
Kikyou handed me the unlocked device with an opened audio recording, ready to be played. Knowing my queen, she had prepared a suitable point and turned the volume all the way down. I tapped on 'play' and held the phone against my ear.
"... so what if I pushed her? I won't apologize!"
"Karuizawa-san... you —"
This was more than enough to get a gist of their chat.
"It's muffled since I had to squeeze my phone between the mattress and the bed frame, but I got everything you need. Forcing them into her own room and confronting her with a recording that only Hirata could have taped. You really are the worst possible enemy one could encounter. Should I send it to you, or is there a different plan?"
"Yeah, I still need to listen to the whole conversation and edit him out before I forward it to Manabe. She'll know what to do with this information, even without specific instructions, so all we have to do is wait. You did great, Kikyou, as usual."
She looked adorable with her wide, radiating smile.
Despite my best efforts, I couldn't hold myself back any longer and leaned forward to compensate her for this exquisite performance. My hands caressed along her plump butt and soon reached her thick thighs while she returned the kiss with similar dedication. A faint, satisfactory squeal sailed along her glistening lips as she lost her footing. I parked her bum on top of the railing and peered into her gleaming crimson orbs.
"This is the first time you grabbed onto me."
"Were you afraid?"
"No... just happy that you found me on that rooftop." A lone tear slid along her lovely face as she bent over until our noses touched. "It might have been painful at the beginning, but today marks the first time in my entire life that I feel free, as if all my worries and the burdens I had carried just evaporated. My false mask, the lies and the secrets, nothing is pulling me down. You accept and cherish me with all my flaws and hateful traits, which is something I had deemed impossible. Your presence alone is a safety net that none of my fears or apprehensions can penetrate."
Kikyou pressed her soft lips into mine.
It wasn't unusual that she thought this way.
With a change in my behavior, came a transition in her own. She must have despised me for the things I had done, but this sentiment had cracked over the last few months and broke apart once we shared our first proper kiss. Both of us had evolved during our bumpy relationship. We had grown and adapted to the situation we found ourselves in.
My queen wasn't scared about messing up anymore, because she knew that I would save her without hesitation. She could be more of herself, and less mindful of the version she wanted to suppress, which would also decrease her vulgar outbursts. Kikyou wasn't a crude or obscene woman, but she needed these profanities to vent her bottled-up frustrations.
This issue and its solution became apparent on the island.
The extensive scars my cruel actions had caused weren't forgotten or healed, however. They would resurface once she thought herself ready to take the next step. Kissing and snuggling on the bed of a four person cabin was one thing, but lying naked on the mattress you were almost raped on was another matter altogether.
None of her coping mechanisms would be enough.
All the securities she had worked for would cease to exist.
But I would never leave her side.
She bounced off the siding and straight into my arms.
Her contagious smile was so vivid that even I couldn't help but raise my lips as I set her back to the ground after appreciating the comfortable sensations her supple body provided me with. Kikyou pulled out her phone, sent me the incriminating file and deleted the original recording to cover our tracks.
"It's time to head back. See you later, Kiyotaka."
"Have fun with your friends, Kikyou."
I waved her goodbye and dialed a familiar number.
The beeping sounds repeated around four to five times before my ears picked up on hasty steps that grew louder by the second. Sotomura, who juggled both a digital camera in his left hand and the phone in his right one, drifted around the corner with full speed and an exhausted complexion.
"Ayanokouji-dono?"
"You need to edit another recording."
"The one Kushida-sama made, I assume? Leave it to me!"
My next appointment was right around the corner.
I was blessed with my adorable girlfriend, since a lesser, distrustful individual might have felt threatened by all the gorgeous female friends I had made over the last couple of months. This unexpected realization struck rather late, as I had considered my relationships with other people to be reasonable, from an ordinary highschool student's perspective.
Our gender didn't matter back in the White Room, and it wasn't unusual to be paired up to compete against a female subject. A lot of these young girls survived far longer than the boys did, so I never thought of them as weaker or inferior, like some people might. They had an objective, physical disadvantage if we considered the highest level strength competition, but would outperform the male subjects in terms of acrobatics and flexibility nine out of ten times.
Multiple mock fights had ended with a win for the fairer sex, as they evaded their enemy's strikes with swift movements and whittled them down by applying pressure on their weak spots. Stamina was a far more valuable resource in times like this and the girls had less trouble to adjust since they were used to being more limited in the strength department.
Due to these experiences, I had never placed great importance on the gender of the friends I found here. The female population was a lot more satisfying to look at, but this was the only distinction I could draw between them. Physical abilities, intelligence, and other values could be supplemented and nurtured in time.
The bell atop the door jingled as I entered.
"You're late, Kiyotaka."
"I'm not... are you trying to uno reverse-card me?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
The prideful girl sat on a chair in the back, her enticing legs crossed over one another. She radiated an air of clear superiority, even though she had done nothing to warrant this level of self-confidence. Her two brilliant ruby orbs were accentuated by her long, raven-colored hair, which swayed across her lithe back as she tilted her head to the side.
This brought me back to my initial topic.
Chiaki had never been worried about my loyalty, which was the appropriate position both partners should take. Loving someone was comparable to putting one's trust in another person and believing in their fidelity. If this expectation was broken by one of the two parties, then the relationship would soon fall apart. Betraying a loving, devoted companion who wanted to make you happy was the worst sin a boyfriend or girlfriend could commit.
Yet I felt nothing.
Was this a sign that Chiaki wasn't the one?
Or was I too broken to bemoan such an act?
I hoped to find the answer in time.
"Ike —"
"See? That's where you went wrong." She heaved an exasperated sigh and shook her head in disappointment. "Forget everything he told you. Or better, stop talking to him altogether. You will only be tainted by his revolting thoughts."
A brown-eyed waiter walked up to us and placed some light cuisine, as well as two cups of fresh tea, on the wooden table. He performed a respectful bow and wished us 'two lovebirds' a pleasant lunch date. Suzune, who was dissatisfied that we had been called a couple yet again, glared at the man and pulled a sharpened compass out of her blazer jacket.
"Come on... no need to get offended."
My analogy about the card wasn't too far off, but I decided to keep this observation to myself, since the attendant's thoughtless remark had decreased her mood to a new low. Her two ominous spheres stopped following the poor man's outline, before she turned towards me with a despondent expression.
"Doesn't it bother you?"
"It was just an honest mistake."
Being considered her boyfriend would never frustrate me. If I was a normal adolescent highschool student, I would float on cloud nine after such a straightforward compliment. He only knew us by physical appearance, which meant that he must have evaluated our looks to be comparable enough to deem us as an item.
Or had she classified herself as superior?
Wouldn't be strange coming from her...
"Fine... he may live. Let's eat."
"Yeah, I'll have to leave in about twenty minutes, though."
I muted my phone, sat down and faced my classmate with a faint smile. Suzune picked up on my strange behavior, speculated that I was amused due to this 'couple incident' and watched me with a dubious look. The girl leaned back into the chair, began to stir her steaming hot drink and opened her mouth.
"That's plenty."
She took a sip of her tea and eyed me with suspicion.
"What is it? Do I have something on my face?"
"No, that's not it." Her fingers tapped on the table in quick succession, as if she was nervous, or trying to find the right words to breach a difficult topic that weighed on her mind. "Did you know that Matsushita-san and Kushida-san solved the exam and were going to communicate their guesses to the school last night?"
"Not until I saw the heap of messages this morning. Chiaki had told me nothing about the VIPs or her plans because she considered my involvement as 'too dangerous' after what happened on the island. Kikyou followed her lead without asking questions and left me in the dark as well. They kept this so close to their chests that even Hirata was surprised."
Kikyou would have had trouble with that...
Damn you, Ike...
"I see."
Her reply was quick and concise, unlike her obvious negative thoughts about this matter. It wasn't difficult to estimate her dissatisfaction with the way we had managed to reach Class A. Following her brother's footsteps may have been her lifelong dream, but she had done little to deserve this spot. Suzune didn't differ from the people she looked down on.
She was just as useless.
My good friend was aware of this, which pained her to no end. Around June she had decided that it wasn't feasible or expedient to pull the likes of Sudou and Ike with us, but Chiaki had made the impossible happen and used Ike, who she would have ignored, to his fullest potential, which saved us a ton of points. Two short exams had launched Class D all the way to the top of this grade, and she hadn't been helpful in either.
Her grievances were predetermined.
"Do you trust me, Kiyotaka?"
"Yeah, I do. Why are you asking?"
"Then I trust you as well."
These cryptic whispers vanished into her tea as she used the cup to hide the embarrassed smile that appeared on her face. We began to eat our meals in comparative silence and conversed about some trivial matters that arose until I dared to break this pleasant tranquillity with a question I couldn't keep to myself.
"Are you unhappy?"
"Why would I be? If their thought process was correct, which seems justifiable, according to their detailed explanation of the solution, then we have a high chance of remaining in Class A. That's all I ever wanted to achieve."
She took another sip and glanced off into the distance.
Despite her best efforts, she was unable to hide the pain she experienced. This smile wasn't as sincere as it had been during our dinner or the last breakfast. Her voice wasn't as enjoyable and her words deceived without taking the point of my inquiry into consideration. Suzune was hurting — her pride had crumbled, and I wished that she would open up.
"Even if it means getting kicked by you in around five seconds, I need to tell you this: we are friends. I know that you don't like this word and that you keep whatever occupies your mind to yourself, but you can always be honest with me..."
"Thanks for your concern, Kiyotaka. But it's nothing."
Now wasn't the time to push her.
If she wouldn't tell me about something as trivial as her disappointment and the regrets she had to fight with, then she wasn't ready to start her journey. I could wait for her a little longer, but Suzune's time was running out.
"Hey you two lovebirds." Ryuuen's peculiar laugh rang through the cafe as he took a picture of Suzune and I. "Having yourself another nice date in the shade? Would you mind if I were to join you for a bit?"
I can't remember paying him to say that...
Class C's tyrant visited us on his lonesome today, which was a rather strange sight to see, especially now that most of his classmates had free time. Ibuki's limping should have improved by now, since Kouenji hadn't retaliated. Ishizaki and Albert had no injuries on their legs and should be able to roam around, so I assumed that they supported Shiina.
"Could you stop taking pictures of me without permission?"
... who knows what you are doing with them?
That was the vibe I sensed from her irritated voice.
"Don't be so stuck up, Suzune. You can come over to my cabin any hour of the day. I'll make sure that we both have a good time before we go our own separate ways and act like nothing ever happened. You are too prideful to admit that you enjoy my company, so I don't mind keeping this secret between the three of us."
"Sorry, but I have to decline your invitation." She brushed through her hair and faced Ryuuen with her usual antipathy, which wasn't reserved for him in particular. "I'm busy laughing at your pitiful performance."
Had she noticed how suggestive this sounded?
Or had I just been corrupted by Ike?
"Kukuku... I'm curious, though. Who solved the exam? You? I doubt it." Her proud bearing faltered for a split second, but both Ryuuen and I picked up on her insecurity before she recovered. "That's what I thought..."
Suzune clenched her fists in frustration.
She realized that there was no witty comeback she could counter with, because she had never helped the class in any significant capacity that would justify her high and mighty position in this conversation. Calling him incompetent or worthless would prompt him to an immediate retaliation she couldn't ward off due to her lack of achievements.
"It's been nice talking to you. See you around."
He waved, grabbed some food from one of the Class B students who watched our exchange and left the cafe as hasty as he had arrived. His retreat meant that he had fulfilled his objective, but angering her shouldn't have been his goal. There hadn't been a reason to announce himself at all, since he could have taken a picture from outside, similar to his cronies.
Had he figured it out already?
"You need to meet your group, right? You should go."
It was still early, so I had ample time, but she wanted me to leave right now. I was aware of her current state and that she didn't wish to share her anxieties with me, which was why I acted like a respectable friend would and withdrew.
"Yeah, wouldn't want to be late... See you, Suzune."
I left the cafe and walked off.
Our group room wasn't far enough away to bridge the time to our next meeting, so I ambled over and browsed through my phone. The cabin was vacant when I strolled in, which left me around ten minutes before the others arrived.
Now what?
Staring at my phone screen wasn't a good habit to get into, and I had nothing else to do at the moment. Sotomura would still need some time with the recording for Manabe, and I couldn't prepare any countermeasures in the short span that was available to me. Messaging Fuka was also impossible, which left me unable to arrange things on her end.
What a pain...
Class B was a wildcard.
It was improbable that anyone but Kanzaki would figure out the pattern in the remaining three days, since the rest was still following their current wait-and-see approach. I 'felt bad' about Chiaki's movements behind the scenes, so I had messaged Ichinose and him this morning to tell them that they shouldn't end the Rabbit group's exam yet.
They believed me when I told them that I would supply them with the VIPs from Dragon and Horse as soon as I confirmed them for myself. If they received news about our meeting, I could claim that Chiaki might have set a trap for our adversaries and informed the whole class of the wrong VIPs, which would ensure them of my sincerity.
The door opened as Karuizawa walked inside.
"Heya! You're early."
My classmate threw me a pleasant smile and sat down on the chair next to Class A's spot with an exhausted expression. She raised her long legs atop one of the adjacent seats, crossed them and leaned into the backrest.
"I could say the same about you."
Karuizawa was cute, all things considered.
She would have no trouble to find a real boyfriend if she wasn't as headstrong and worked on her negative personality traits. I wasn't one to talk about someone's messed up nature, but it was a shame that she was limiting herself to this degree. Our gyaru wouldn't reach Kikyou's popularity level, but she played in the major league as well.
Would she pass as a good girlfriend?
"Well, I'm just fed up with this whole exam, to be honest. Why couldn't we have been placed in another group that already finished up? It's a pain to deal with those guys from Class C twice a day. They are a serious turn off."
"The company could be worse..."
"... or a lot better. Like for real. What's up with that creep in our class?! Azuma-san is fine, I guess, but I never talked to her. If Hirata-kun and Satou could have joined instead of them, I wouldn't need to complain, y'know?"
"The Professor isn't that bad..." Karuizawa raised her brow and glanced at me with an unrelenting expression. "... but I guess he is kinda creepy if you are a girl. I can like totally understand that, y'know?"
A sweet, enthusiastic laugh escaped her lips as she covered her mouth. Her indigo orbs vanished behind her eyelids as her body jerked back and forth. She began to clap and wiped a lone tear of joy from beneath her glands.
It was a rare occurrence that she let herself go like this, even among her closest, most trusted friends, but I was touched that she decided to show me such a fascinating smile while she was alone with me.
"This sounds hilarious in your monotone voice."
My attempt to communicate with her via gyaru language wasn't producing the effect I had sought to achieve, but hearing her joyous laughter was enough of a reward. We had never spent our time one on one, but I believed that the two of us had gotten a lot closer over the past months.
The door opened as Ichinose and her two classmates strolled inside. They had been in our vicinity for less than a second, but her bright beam elevated the mood and overshadowed everyone else, just by standing in the room.
"Hey everyone!"
I was cognizant of my hypocrisy.
Even though I knew that Ayanokouji-kun was the reason for Chihiro-chan's poisoning, his own accident, and my misery, I couldn't condemn this handsome boy I cared so much for. All of our chats and meet-ups might have just been a game to him — a boring segment he had to play through to procure his advantage — but I had enjoyed every single second.
Despite all the obvious reasons to distrust him and his charming dishonest lips, I expressed my wish to follow his plan to Kanzaki-kun and the others, who discussed our next steps this morning. He still led our class for this exam, so I wouldn't complain about his decision if he preferred to gain the fifty points we could get hold of.
We knew the identity of the real VIP, after all.
Ayanokouji-kun wanted us to believe his claims and confirmed his honesty through a convoluted scheme of distinct actions that began all the way back in April, when I had insisted him to join us for our karaoke session. I still didn't know why I kept choosing a person who did nothing but lie to me over my cherished classmates who felt akin to family, but I trusted him and the unreliable words he had uttered in front of Kushida-san.
Karuizawa-san's laugh stifled.
Her complexion returned to her usual serious and begrudging mannerism as she focused on her mobile phone. These unnatural reactions suggested that our entry had interrupted a conversation between the two classmates. I was unsure about how close they were, but she had never laughed with such great amusement whenever our group gathered.
Was he cheating with her as well?
The brown-haired boy who sat on his chair had disillusioned me to a degree that left me unable to trust my eyes and ears. My gut feeling assured me that they were just good friends, but I had assumed the same about Kushida-san and him. Yet they had kissed with such passion, while I cowered behind a row of seats, worried that this stranger would find me.
An unbearable pain had ravaged my heart at that moment.
She didn't look unhappy when their lips met.
Quite the opposite...
So he hadn't threatened her?
Maybe he offered points in return?
Theories like this were disturbing to think about, but I didn't know how to classify his behavior. No one in my position would have been competent enough to narrow down where his daunting conduct stopped or began, so it was impossible to evaluate potential reasons for her contentment in his convoluted mess. Matsushita-san and he seemed happy in their ongoing relationship, but she was just another 'piece' he needed to advance.
Was it the same for Kushida-san?
Had he 'captured' her, just like me?
"Hey, Ichinose. Himeno, Beppu."
"Yo, Ayanokouji-kun!"
"Heya."
My two classmates acknowledged him without knowing that all of this was just a game — that they were nothing more than cheap marionettes with strings attached to his veiled hands. His girlfriend, Kanzaki-kun, Shibata-kun, Horikita-san and I, were just usable objects to the puppeteer. These conclusions had dawned on me after a night of thinking about him.
His words to Kushida-san had gained meaning as well.
We mere mortals couldn't beat a god.
This was his way of showing her that we weren't on the same playing field. A three-dimensional being could never beat a four-dimensional one, as it would be unable to even fathom its existence. He stated how far superior he was to us, and that none of our tricks would work against him. As preposterous as this sounded, I couldn't find a single lie.
So why..?
Why won't my heart stop beating for him?
Why did I want to feel his lips on mine?
He wasn't the boy I had fallen in love with, but he wore his charming face and had the same mesmerizing voice that called out my name when we talked. I adored a lie — a fictional construct of a hypothetical person he had created for the express purpose of exploiting us and taking advantage of me and these blooming sympathies he had caused.
"You look tired. Did you have trouble sleeping?"
The spellbound muscle in my chest skipped a beat as his words rippled through my ear canal. His golden mesmerizing orbs were sincere and, like his beguiling statements, filled with genuine concern for my well-being.
A faint smile appeared on his lips as our eyes met.
"Mh, I didn't sleep too well, but I'll manage."
I presented my most radiant smile and sat beside him.
Every single movement irked me, because this expression wasn't natural or earnest in its nature. It was born of a single, predominant, primal instinct that every human being had ingrained into their DNA: the intention to survive.
All my classmates could be in danger if I showed any weaknesses that revealed my knowledge about his true self. He was content with the way his plans were proceeding so far, but I couldn't know how he would react in case of a miscalculation.
My night had been a harrowing ordeal.
Locking away my thoughts to sleep had been inconceivable as I was too occupied with the scenes of last night, which kept replaying in my scattered mind. The words he spoke, the gestures he performed and the mysteries he kept hidden — I was unable so dismantle even one of these secrets. After a long time of twisting and turning in my cold bed, I concluded that I couldn't differentiate between truth and lies when he was involved.
His intentions were impossible to decipher.
The terrifying tactical abilities he had demonstrated so far had caused my whole body to shudder in fright. He had known how every single student from Class A to D would react when they were confronted with different circumstances and used this knowledge to his advantage. Ayanokouji-kun lifted a finger, and we acted out his prior arrangements.
Kushida-san must have helped him with this.
Her ability to gather information was indispensable for someone that wanted to remain undetected. He wasn't as social as her and would be unable to get close to certain people, which was why he sent her as an ever-charming, beloved proxy to collect intelligence and our behavioral patterns. All he had to do was to interpolate our reactions and personality.
Ayanokouji-kun was an exceptional genius.
Through his accidental tips and Class D's three names, I had managed to solve the exam in a matter of minutes. The explanation was simple in hindsight, but it took an immense amount of imagination or minute dissection of important details to solve an intricate puzzle like this in such a short amount of time while retaining reliability.
We could end the groups now, but doing so would be suicide. He would know that we had wrapped up the exam once the class point list was revealed on the final day, if he hadn't figured it out before. Ayanokouji-kun perceived that no one in our class would have been capable of solving the exam, which was why he had given us Karuizawa-san's name.
In his eyes, we were no threat.
For the moment, he saw us in a favorable light.
This was one of the reasons I could trust him for now, in a limited capacity, at least. The one venture that concerned me the most was our Rabbit gathering. He said that he wanted to keep this group unsolved for now, but I couldn't believe that he would go this far just to be with me. It made no sense, since he could come by my room any time he wanted.
I couldn't act in any capacity that could draw suspicion to me and my knowledge about this exam or him as a person. Someone with his astounding abilities could raze a whole class to the ground if he chose to do so.
"Ichinose? Don't you want to start the discussion?"
"Eh?!"
The whole group had gathered inside the room as I was absorbed in my trance. Everyone sat on their usual spot, while Ayanokouji-kun peered at me with his familiar poker face and wondered why I hadn't proceeded. Karuizawa-san was still clinging to Machida-kun, who stood up against Manabe-san the last time the two parties had argued.
Wasn't she Hirata-kun's girlfriend?
"Right." I managed to free myself from this trancelike state and brought out a deck of cards. "I'd like to play a few rounds with everyone who is open for a game or two. Time will only flow slower if we feel bored, so why not freshen it up? Anyone who wants to play can jump in anytime. Class A should also be alright with this, I assume?"
"I'm in."
"Me too."
"Me three."
"I shall play as well."
"Five people then. I thought we could play Daifugo." My eyes drifted across my fellow players. I also branched out to anyone who wasn't interested at first to see whether their opinion had changed. "Is anyone unfamiliar with the rules?"
There was no answer, which prompted me to shuffle and deal the cards between my two classmates, Sotomura-kun, Ayanokouji-kun and, of course, my humble self. The four players glanced at their hand, while I observed Kamuro-san and Kito-kun, who peeked at our table as if they wanted to join while the Class C girls tapped around on their phones.
No one talked about the elephant in the room.
Class A and C would assume that Class D had eliminated the other groups, but none of them were brave enough to write up Ayanokouji-kun's name, for obvious reasons. Ryuuen-kun would suspect that Matsushita-san had done something, but Katsuragi-kun seemed occupied with matters that were unrelated to the exam, according to Kanzaki-kun's reports.
We kept playing while I used the time to observe Ayanokouji-kun and Sotomura-kun, who was often referred to as 'Professor'. It was a bummer that only the two of them joined our game, since I might have learned what he was after in this group. His overall objective shouldn't have been me, or anyone else in his social circle to which he would have access to all the time, which narrowed his potential target down to someone from the two remaining classes.
Sotomura-kun seemed like a nice person who loved to play games. He would exclaim 'Once more!' with a frustrated expression when he lost and howl in pride when he won a round. His conduct was open and sincere, which had been the case for the past meetings as well. Thinking of him as a secret collaborator who helped Ayanokouji-kun just because of his words during our first discussion seemed premature, as he had only stated his honest thoughts, which fit his character.
Karuizawa-san had a similar transparent nature, which was seen in her apparent disgust every time Sotomura-kun's voice echoed through the room. Her attitude differed when Ayanokouji-kun opened his mouth, however, as she listened to him until his last words faded and continued to tap around on her phone thereafter, like a good friend might.
She didn't seem to know 'him'.
One of the Class A students was the polar opposite. Kamuro-san wasn't interested in playing cards, but in Ayanokouji-kun's actions throughout the game. Machida-kun wasn't attentive at all while Kito-kun observed the whole group.
Could she be his target?
I had little contact with Class A, but I knew that a small civil war raged in their forty people class. On one side stood Sakayanagi-san, who had seen a spectacular increase in her supporter numbers after the island exam. The other faction adhered to Katsuragi-kun, who had suffered severe losses due to Ayanokouji-kun's ruthless actions.
The girl who hadn't taken part in either exam was the one who had her eyes on him. This might not be as strange as it sounded if one considered his position in Class D. Matsushita-san was his girlfriend, so it wasn't unusual that some people might follow him around to find her weakness. Ryuuen-kun did the same, according to Hitomi-chan and Yui-chan, who had seen how Ayanokouji-kun was harassed by him and his cronies multiple times.
Sakayanagi-san would be a formidable foe.
Ayanokouji-kun's play style during our games was dull. He pushed ahead without worrying when he had a good hand and turned passive when the situation turned downhill. He would have been able to turn around every single game, but he hadn't won even once throughout our whole session since he kept playing like the most common person on the planet.
After Daifugo, we played old maid, which turned out similar and confirmed that Ayanokouji-kun had no intention of winning either of these games. Himeno-san, Beppu-kun and Sotomura all had certain tells, which they revealed one after another. The brown-haired boy with an apathetic expression was a blank slate in comparison.
It wasn't hard to read him; it was impossible.
Katsuragi-kun and his two classmates left the cabin as soon as the discussion period concluded. Kanzaki-kun and the rest of Class B followed suit a short moment later, leaving us, Ryuuen, and his aides alone in the Dragon group's spacious room. He and his more or less voluntary henchmen didn't seem intent on leaving the venue anytime soon, so I decided to pay them no further attention and stood up with Kushida-san and Hirata-kun in tow.
"Stay. We still have some things to discuss."
"And what would that be?"
A forced smile emerged on my face as I sat down.
It wasn't difficult to deduce why he demanded to talk to us, but I doubted that this conversation would lead to anything constructive. The facial expressions of our group mates should have notified him that we had finished nine zodiac groups, which affirmed that the VIPs in Rabbit, Dragon and Horse belonged to our class.
Would he offer us a deal?
This would be the wisest decision in his current situation, but I suspected that he wouldn't be willing to bow his head to regain some of his lost points. Contrary to the belief of my classmates, I wouldn't mind giving him one or two names if he paid a reasonable price to get them. Our class points were worlds apart, and I still had some debts to pay off.
My two companions were about to return to their seats as Ryuuen's anthracite-colored spheres stopped on Kushida-san for a moment. His soulless eyes narrowed into two dark, horizontal slits that embodied the insatiable hunger of a carnivorous predator that had found a fresh prey to slaughter. Hirata-kun didn't even enter his vision for some inexplicable reason, but I assumed that this was all part of his ploy to get under our skin.
"I'm not interested in small-fry. Move along."
"That's not a nice thing to say, Ryuuen-kun..." Our female classmate looked downwards, but stood up despite her visible discomfort. She peered at me and regarded the rest with a pleasant smile. "I'll be waiting outside, Matsushita-san."
"I'll accompany you, Kushida-san."
Hirata-kun bowed and threw me a glance.
They knew well enough that he would get more irritating the longer we tried to drag this out and headed outside with little to no resistance. I was pleased that those two were as adept at reading such awkward situations as they were, because most of our other acquaintances wouldn't have been able to take the hint, or worse, might have felt offended.
Class C's tyrant leaned into his chair and nodded.
His accomplices strode outside without hesitation.
No one but him had such a solid grasp over his own class. Ryuuen was revolting, irritating and plain offensive, but he knew how to play his cards. He wouldn't stop at anything to get what he wanted, which made him dangerous and unpredictable. Ichinose-san and Katsuragi-kun weren't as ruthless or cunning as him, and would be far easier to handle. His antics, however, would only get more contentious in the future exams that would follow this one.
A rather uncomfortable silence permeated the deserted room as we stared at each other. Neither his pupils nor his muscles moved by even an inch as he glared into my eyes without blinking. His whole body seemed to be frozen in time for around thirty excruciating seconds until he clapped his hands to applaud me.
"Congratulations on your advancement."
"Sorry, but I'm not following."
His bestial maw widened in response.
Once again, he ceased to resemble a human being and turned into a full-fledged beast that bared its sharp, bloodstained fangs. His sinister orbs clawed away at my sanity as he bent forward without breaking eye contact. These actions made me so uncomfortable that I tried to imagine him in a werewolf costume with cute ears to keep myself from trembling.
I had been wrong about him.
He was terrifying when no one was around.
"Don't play dumb, Matsushita. We both know that Class D ended the exam yesterday, so stop pretending. Katsuragi and Honami are too naïve to consider that this test might have another solution aside from talking things out in our groups."
Don't let him play with you, Chiaki.
Ryuuen wouldn't do anything rash.
"Wait... I thought you finished the test?"
My mouth opened in hollow surprise.
"You think you are funny, huh? Your little games are foolish, nothing more. I know that you aren't the one who solved this exam, because you are just not sharp enough to crack the code. Rather than hiding this mystery person and playing babysitter for your classmates, shouldn't you keep an eye out for your unfaithful hubby? He seems to fuck around a shit ton, even though he could do you twenty-four hours, seven days a week. Are you that bad? Bent over on all fours, I mean."
He pulled out his phone and scrolled through an assortment of pictures he had taken. These images featured Kiyotaka, who shared breakfast, lunch or dinner with Horikita-san, Kushida-san, Ichinose-san, Himeno-san or Onodera-san.
I pacified myself with slow, deep breaths.
This was Ryuuen, so I had foreseen that he would play dirty. He intended to toy with me, to force a furious, imprudent reaction, which would put me on the back foot. Calling me stupid was his way of verifying whether his mystery person or I had solved the exam and the remaining allegations were used to distract me from this exact strategy.
A shame that he didn't do his homework.
Kiyotaka and I were closer than ever, and neither of us would do anything to jeopardise our blossoming relationship. We were more than happy together and he had never rejected an invitation from me, which meant that he was hanging out with them when I was otherwise occupied or didn't ask him for a date. His breakfast with Horikita-san was the only exception to this rule, but this had been my fault, as I had messaged him too late.
Class C's tyrant was manipulative and used these prepared pictures to shift my perception into a negative mentality. Neither he nor his associates would have snapped any pictures of him as long as they weren't incriminating, or seemed that way, at least. I knew of multiple meetings with Sudou-kun, none of which were featured in his exhibit.
"Sorry to disappoint you, Ryuuen, but I believe that my boyfriend and I are none of your concern. Since you are so concerned about me, I can reassure you that I have complete faith in Kiyotaka and the strength of our relationship."
"Sure, Matsushita, you just keep lying to yourself until it's too late." He tapped on one of the pictures that featured Kushida-san and zoomed in on her. "If I were in his shoes, I would have banged Kikyou silly behind your back. Just look at her. Your pathetic, almost shameful features pale compared to hers."
Chiaki bolted up in a frenzy.
Her lips trembled like Valdivia during an earthquake as she raised her hand in a boiling fit of rage. The girl's erratic movements reminded me of Mio, but contrary to my dog, she had stopped on her own volition before her flat palm was about to hit my cheek. I listened to the rampaging heartbeat in her chest while she struggled not to explode into my face.
So that's another weak spot, eh?
Women were irrational, even more so when their pitiful feelings were involved. Chiaki had unwavering faith in his fidelity, which she would only have if she thought that she could back it up. It wouldn't have been strange to feel pressured by the likes of Kikyou and Honami, who had well-endowed bodies, but she kept calm until I criticized her own appearance.
They were screwing, huh?
That's why she wasn't fazed.
"Did I hit one of your soft spots? How cute."
My grin widened as I leaned back into the recliner.
"You recognized it as well, haven't you, Matsushita? You are lacking in every single aspect. There's no way that your boy would remain faithful with such an assortment of beautiful, bangable girls right there for his taking. Kikyou is a bombshell with ripe ass-cheeks that would wobble for ten minutes straight if he were to slap them even once. I've noticed that she calls him without honorifics, different to 'Kanji-kun', which is quite suspicious, if you ask me. Your good friend Honami also seems to have romantic affections for our little lover-boy and she is just as voluptuous and fuckable as your classmate. What do you think would happen if either of them voiced their desires to date him, huh? In case he's more interested in smaller tits like yours, then Horikita Suzune would be a better pick than a dumb scarecrow like you."
I just needed to change gears if attacking their relationship didn't work. Chiaki was smart enough to realize that I kept calling her 'Matsushita', while I addressed both Honami and Kikyou with their first-names. This change in behavior would unsettle the feeble girl — prompt her to look for potential reasons, which I had given her in this conversation.
Argument number one was her intelligence, which I devalued after I became certain that she was just a flesh puppet who followed someone's commands. The second explanation her girl-brain would come up with was her lacking appearance and sex appeal, now that she didn't even have the intellect to make up for this immutable shortcoming. My point was further accentuated by my mention of 'Horikita Suzune', who had someone rather gifted in her immediate family.
She was far from ugly or unattractive, but even she would feel uncomfortable and restless if someone compared her weakest physical features, with which a girl like her might not be pleased with, to other tempting women who waltzed over her in every aspect a hormone-driven highschool guy might be interested in.
My claims that these girls liked him would send her into turmoil. Both 'risks', which she had classified as non-existent, became palpable. The actual reason Kikyou called him without honorifics didn't matter. It also wasn't important whether Honami had feelings for him, since the seeds of distrust and skepticism had already been sown.
Women were fragile.
No matter how much she believed in Ayanokouji, there was a breaking point. Chiaki might not doubt him due to their 'love', but she would assess herself as less valuable the more she thought about my spiteful words. She was quick to anger when her beloved boyfriend was involved, which she had demonstrated on Satsuki and when she tried to get rid of Class A during the island exam, just because that green-haired moron had bumped into him on the ship.
Her eyes throbbed as she dashed forward.
The loud, digital clicking sound of the camera reverberated through the room as her delicate, breakable fingers grasped onto my collar. A wide, inhuman sneer crept up on my face, whereupon her whole body began to shudder. She glanced towards her right, straight at my phone and its internal camera, with a pair of fear-stricken blue spheres.
Chiaki's angered reactions revealed her knowledge.
Her irritation grew when I mentioned Suzune, even though I had complimented her less and went out of my way to use both her family- and given name. Without a connection to Horikita Manabu, she wouldn't have acted in such a panic.
I got you now, X.
"That reminds me... wasn't violence forbidden during the exam period? Wow, I can't believe that you are such an uncivilized, crude woman, Matsushita. It would be a real shame if a teacher were to see this, don't you agree?"
Two knocks banished the ensued silence.
Neither of us had time to react before one of her classmates pushed her head through the crack in the door. This unexpected new arrival noticed the strange atmosphere that monopolized the room, glanced at us with a curious expression and tilted her head in a sincere apologetic gesture.
"Um, I'm sorry about that. I didn't mean to intrude at all, it's just..." She took a few steps forward and pointed behind a flowerpot that stood on a small wall rack next to the entrance. "... I forgot my phone here. Silly me."
A playful giggle accompanied these words.
Now you are showing yourself, 'Apate'?
Kikyou reached out for her phone and grabbed it in a manner that allowed me to see her display. The background was dark blue, apart from a few lines of white text on top and a red button to cut the call at the bottom. Unfortunately, I could read neither the name nor the number, which made it impossible to find the hidden witness.
This entity could render my blackmail void.
"Kukuku."
Chiaki was shocked by this revelation.
Her attitude confirmed that she hadn't known this insidious side of Kikyou. This interesting development hinted at multiple possibilities. The most obvious one was her being some kind of failsafe sent by Horikita Manabu, in case she ran into trouble. A second prospect was the existence of another player who contended for the control of Class D.
Kouenji?
He seemed more than capable enough, but was disinterested in the class competition, similar to Shiina. Without an incentive, he wouldn't raise a finger, which suggested that he wasn't the one controlling Kikyou's movements.
Apate, huh?
A double agent?
For Kanzaki or the sick chick?
"Who'd you call?"
"The Ghostbusters."
"Kukuku..."
"The unfavorable picture you just took of me when I grabbed your collar... Please delete it at once. Since you need to access the gallery to accomplish this task anyway, you may also feel impelled to get rid of all images that feature my boyfriend. If you do, we'll forget that this ever happened."
Her classmate's surprising entrance must have given her enough time to regain her calm. There wasn't much I could do to pressure her anymore, now that I was sandwiched between those two girls and the unknown individual on the phone.
Little poor me, kukuku.
"How can I trust that you and the person you called forget about this incident once I've deleted the pictures? The receiver could have been taping our conversation once he realized that you were in trouble, which could inconvenience me."
"We are not like you, Ryuuen. We keep our word."
Kikyou displayed a radiating smile and nodded.
"Kukuku. feisty." A chuckle fled my lips as I opened the gallery and deleted the pictures for both of them to see. "Are you happy now? At least tell me who you called. That would be a fair exchange, don't you think?"
"Mhh..."
Anyone in the room could see that her apparent struggle was just her way of playing around with me. These mischievous antics continued for a few seconds before she gave in and turned her phone around for the two of us to see.
"You got me there, Apate."
She slid out the tip of her tongue as if she had just played a prank on me while Chiaki was surprised to see that the 'call' was just a screenshot of an old one she had taken in June. The time and date were wrong, definite proof of this claim. To assure me of her sincerity, she even swiped left and right to reveal the other pictures in her gallery.
Kikyou was more interesting than expected.
"Phew, that was scary."
A sigh slipped my lips as Ryuuen left the room.
Matsushita would have been in enormous trouble if I hadn't planted my phone. It was unbelievable that he had foreseen that Class C's tyrant would attack and subdue her this soon, so I had been prepared to protect her the moment she ran out of options to defend herself. Our class, as well as Kiyotaka's plans, might have been at risk if she fell here.
Probably...
Maybe not...
It would be fine either way.
Kiyotaka could manage.
His girlfriend took a deep breath and regarded me with a relieved smile as the door shut. Her complexion turned ashen as she slumped back into the chair with quivering legs. I was about to make sure that she was alright, when she clenched her fists in understandable frustration. She banged against the table, disheartened by her lack of self-control.
"Thank you Kushida-san."
"Not for this, Matsushita-san!"
"I'm serious... I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't left your phone in the cabin. He could have forced me to tell him about our VIPs, or he might have been able to invalidate all the points we received during this exam."
Wow, she's innocent...
Even though they had done it twice.
"Ryuuen-kun was in a weird mood throughout our discussion period, so I considered that he might have something planned. I never thought that I would need to step into such an uncomfortable situation, but I'm glad you are alright."
She was in a terrible mood.
It wasn't difficult to figure out who she would want to see, which disgruntled me somewhat. My time with him was cut shorter because she would need a shoulder to cry her pathetic eyes out. I knew that it couldn't be helped, but I hoped that he would get rid of her soon. He mentioned that he had a plan but didn't elaborate too much.
Would he allow me to date him?
Or would I have lost my value then?
I wasn't jealous of Matsushita, since she had nothing I desired. Yes, they were an affectionate couple, but their time together was built on a construct of lies and deceptions. My future was different, even if he declared that we couldn't date. We would leave this school after three years and he would have no diplomatic use for me anymore.
Which meant that we could go out.
"So, why do you have a picture like that on your phone?"
"Oh, that... One time, I wanted to take a call and took a screenshot by accident. We already knew that Class C wasn't playing fair during that time. I thought that this could come in handy, so I left it easy to access."
A cheerful chuckle echoed through the cabin.
This had been yet another rather deceptive action for someone as pure and innocent as me, but Matsushita didn't mind. There were no follow-up questions or dubious glances, even though I had revealed a small part of myself to her. The reception would differ depending on the person, but I was glad that she was easy to handle.
'I like the real Kikyou best.'
His words caused a faint smile on my lips as we left the room.
Chiaki told me about some parts of her conversation with Ryuuen and left certain others involving Kikyou's and Ichinose's backside to my imagination by not mentioning them at all. I had heard everything through the phone call that had been connected the whole time, but her narration confirmed that she trusted me with the relevant details.
Still, he was a pretty vulgar guy...
Aside from his unrefined behavior, he was quite adept at extracting information. He must have picked up on the outside interference and narrowed the perpetrator down to Horikita Manabu, just as assumed. He confirmed his suspicion by abusing my cute girlfriend and would have forced her to spill our VIPs if Kikyou hadn't involved herself in this mess.
So far so good.
My thumbs circulated around each other with increasing velocity as I sat in the Rabbit room and waited for the rest of my group mates with remarkable, unrestrained patience. It was a difficult, almost impossible feat to remain this concentrated on an act as trivial as twiddling one's thumbs just to make it seem as if time passed quicker.
The first ones to arrive were the Class C girls.
They ignored me as if I didn't exist and assembled on their usual spot. Their conversation revolved around conventional topics until Machida walked into the room. He greeted them with an amiable smile and strolled up to his regular chair, which prompted two of the three girls to move closer to his position.
Nishino neglected their antics and leaned back.
Manabe ambled over to the seat Karuizawa had occupied during our last meetings and sat down to chat with the well-built Class A student. Her friend joined the conversation a moment later as the two of them began to ask him a few superficial questions. Their exchange picked up speed when the two girls began to compliment the lone boy.
Machida seemed pleased with this unexpected development and engaged in their flirtatious small talk with renewed vigor. They invited him to hang out together, to which he agreed without hesitation. Manabe and Yajima squealed, delighted by his answer and drew him deeper into the trap they were setting for my adorable dark bishop.
The remaining Class C student heaved an annoyed sigh and pulled out her phone, fed up with the whole scene. It was rare that she engaged with her two classmates in any capacity that went above answering their questions. She wasn't interested in the gossip from before either and just replied with rather short statements when one of them addressed her.
Did she also click her tongue when annoyed?