漂亮妈妈韩国

Volume 7, Chapter 1: Footsteps of Midwinter.

Mid-December has come and passed. The changing of the seasons happened quickly and it\'s become freezing cold. Students have naturally started wearing mufflers, gloves and long socks more and more. The sky today is a cloudy grey, almost as though it\'s about to snow.

Now that I think about it, I\'ve never actually seen snow before. Of course, I\'ve seen it on television and in books but I\'ve never actually held it in my hands and felt it with my skin. I don\'t know if it will snow here this year but I do want to experience it. After school, in a corner of Keyaki Mall, four students gathered in the space where students rest and go about their business.

They are members of Class D. Sakura Airi, Hasebe Haruka, Yukimura Keisei and me. Keisei\'s real name is Teruhiko but in accordance with his wish, we\'ve taken to calling him Keisei.

I\'ve gotten used to seeing their faces these days. We meet up irregularly two or three times each week to chat without any ulterior motives. The time we spend together depends on the day but we sometimes spend about two hours together and sometimes we split up after just half an hour. If you feel like heading back halfway through it, you\'re free to do so too. What I\'m getting at is that these aren\'t people you need to be formal with. But we often spend more time than usual together after school on Fridays. The reason for that is our fifth member who\'s currently absent, Miyake Akito, and various circumstances involving him.

"In the end, nobody from any class got expelled. I thought Class C might\'ve made a move about now though. The questions we set weren\'t easy ones either".

As several girls from Class C coincidentally passed by us, Keisei said that.

"Class C doesn\'t really look like it\'s better at studying than us though".

Haruka immediately replied while fiddling with her phone. And then she made an announcement.

"Miyachi says he\'ll be here soon. Looks like he just left his club".

Apparently she\'s been having a conversation with the person we\'re waiting for. The only member of our group who belongs to a club, Akito, isn\'t able to meet up with us immediately after school.

"But we got through the exam so isn\'t that a relief...? Besides, it\'s also not exactly good news to hear of someone from another class getting expelled".

Airi, who doesn\'t deal well with harsh things like this, gave her honest opinion.

"Well, there\'s nothing better than being able to get along. But wouldn\'t that be difficult with the way this school is set up? To aim for the upper classes means kicking down another class after all".

Sounds harsh but Haruka\'s right. Hearing that, Keisei was honestly impressed.

"Exactly. I get what Airi\'s trying to say but if we don\'t kick them down then we\'ll get kicked down ourselves. To be a winner at this school means sacrificing three other classes. There\'s no need for us to be the sacrifices".

"I suppose so.......".

Airi replied dejectedly at Keisei\'s harsh words.

"For instance, is there really no trick we can use? Like having all class points be equalized in the previous exam? That way, everyone can be happy and we can all graduate as Class A. Like that\'s going to happen though".

"I think that\'d be great".

"Unfortunately, I think that\'s impossible".

Countering Haruka\'s strange idea, Akito joined us.

"How can you say that?".

"I\'ve heard the seniors talking about this. If we happen to be equal after the final exam then additional special exams are apparently held to determine our rankings".

"What sort of exam?".

"Don\'t know. They\'re just rumors at best. Apparently we\'ve never had a situation like that where different classes end up with the same points".

I suppose the details are unknown even to Akito. But there\'s no mistaking the fact that this is valuable information.

"Guess it won\'t be that simple. I thought it was an interesting idea though".

"In the end, I guess that means there can only be one Class A".

"So, Miyachi, how was practice today?".

Haruka asked Akito.

"What was how?".

"Hmm. Like how well you handled your bow, I guess".

"Normal. Nothing particularly outstanding or lame. Don\'t ask when you don\'t even have any interest in it".

"Isn\'t that just fine? To have a casual conversation between friends?".

"Then I suppose that means you\'re at least somewhat knowledgeable about archery?".

Akito sat down while harboring suspicions.

"It\'s not about knowledge or anything, it\'s just a competition where you\'re supposed to hit targets with an arrow, right?".

"No, that\'s the gist of it though.....never mind".

Akito tried to explain in detail but seems to have given up on that.

"How should I put it? I\'ve never been interested in archery from the day I was born. That\'s why I\'m curious to know what mistakes had to have been made to push you in that direction".

It appears Haruka thinks walking the path of archery is a mistake.

Well, it\'s not a particularly dazzling sport but personally speaking, I\'m interested. But I do suppose there are quite a lot of students who\'ve never held a bow before.

"Yeah, come to think of it, why archery? It\'s not like this school is famous for it or anything, right?".

Listening to their conversation, a question came from Keisei too.

"During middle school, a senior who took care of me belonged to the archery club. That\'s why I thought I\'d pick it up too. That\'s all there is to it, no deep reason in particular".

"The trigger to start doing something. I suppose it\'s just that sort of thing".

Airi too, reservedly joined the conversation. It\'s something I\'m increasingly seeing these days and a welcome sight. And it\'s also because no one acts surprised about it or teases her over it that Airi\'s also able to wriggle her way into the conversation naturally.

"Airi\'s got her digital camera, right? It\'s popular these days, I suppose. I guess I can understand that better".

"Instagram. A hobby unique to girls, huh? It\'s really hard to get".

Perhaps Keisei\'s unable to comprehend it, since he\'s saying rather negative things about it.

"Hey, that\'s sexual discrimination right there. There are a lot of boys doing it these days too, you know?".

"...really? I don\'t think it\'s a good idea to spread personal information about yourself like that though".

"I don\'t get it either. What about you, Kiyotaka? Do you do it too?".

"No. I\'m not really knowledgeable about those things".

Since this school forbids any contact with the outside, things like SNS and other texting applications will only connect students to one another. If you\'re satisfied with that then there\'s no reason to speak out.

"Kiyopon doesn\'t really look like the type to do those things. On the contrary, if you used Instagram then that\'d feel lame. Ever gone partying at a night pool carrying some ice cream and looking cute...hmm?".

"No".

I immediately denied it. It would be troublesome if that\'s the sort of person she comes to see me as later.

"What about you then, do you use it? Instagram, I mean".

"Not at all. It\'s a bother and I don\'t really like showing myself to others".

"I completely agree".

Keisei nodded in agreement with Haruka\'s words. Airi stayed quiet upon hearing that but she seems to have received critical damage from that one blow just now. Apparently she\'s stopped doing it now but she used to take selfies and upload them to SNS as a hobby.

"It\'s pretty popular out there so it\'s not like it\'s anything weird".

I covered for her. No point in having Airi getting depressed over nothing. She probably intended on hiding it but it\'s completely obvious how she\'s flustered over my remarks just from a side glance.

Airi expressively reacts every time even to a follow up like that so Haruka and the others immediately caught onto it.

"I know I\'m really out of date and not very fashionable so I can\'t really object much to that. I apologize to anyone who happens to like Instagram".

Haruka raised her hands and apologized.

"Just because I personally dislike it, rejecting something that\'s popular out of hand is certainly a stupid thing to do. I didn\'t think it through".

And Keisei also apologized. Mainly to Airi.

Airi patted her chest in relief.

"Sorry about changing the topic here but there\'s something I\'m curious about".

Now that the discussion\'s settled a bit, Akito interjected.

He sounded somewhat irritated and spoke almost while glaring at his surroundings.

"Doesn\'t Class C seem strange these days?".

"Class C? They\'re always a strange bunch though. What do you mean?".

Haruka curiously leaned forward with wide eyes. I know what Akito is trying to point out.

It\'s about the people who\'ve been following us these past few days. It looks like Akito\'s also realized. Even now, there\'s a boy hiding himself while peeking at us. It\'s \'Komiya\', a Class C student and one of Ryuuen\'s henchmen. There\'s almost no doubt he\'s supposed to be keeping an eye on our group.

But there\'s quite a bit of distance between us and even if we ask him there\'s really no evidence that points towards surveillance. If he insists that it\'s just a series of coincidences then that\'s all it\'ll take to shut us down.

On the contrary, there\'s the risk that we could be labelled the bad guys for confronting him over this instead. The reason Akito didn\'t say it out loud is probably because he still doesn\'t have solid proof.

More importantly, the problem is that there is another person who \'isn\'t from Class C\' observing this group. Akito hasn\'t noticed that presence.

"During our study session a while back, those Class C guys made contact with us right?".

It\'s back when we were holding a study session to prepare for the written exam that is the Paper Shuffle. Students from Class C showed up in a public space like the cafeteria and suddenly came over to our group. And from then until today, that interference has continued in the form of a tail.

"You mean Ryuuen-kun and Shiina-san, right? Could it be that they\'re also?".

"Yeah. It\'s a different person this time though. Today, Ishizaki and Komiya showed up at the archery club. Said they came to have a look so the seniors accepted it but they were glaring at me the whole time so it was hard for me to do anything".

I see. In other words, Komiya came all the way here by following Akito. The reason Ishizaki isn\'t here is because tailing a large number of people isn\'t a suitable task for him.

Looks like Akito\'s the one most troubled by Ryuuen\'s surveillance.

"Isn\'t it just that they\'re interested in the club?".

Airi, who couldn\'t possibly comprehend Ryuuen\'s thought process, said so.

"That would be great if it were the case. But it didn\'t feel that way".

As though trying to tell us his shoulders are stiff, Akito waves his arms around. Every day, Ryuuen\'s repeatedly put pressure on him and the pace has only picked up.

It\'s not like I\'m talking directly to him but I can almost hear Ryuuen\'s fearless laughter. \'I\'ll hunt you down\'. I could feel that sort of strong determination from Ryuuen.

"Did they do anything? Like jeering at you or sneezing just when you\'re about to release the arrow to disturb you? Or maybe they threw little rocks at you?".

"Of course, they can\'t do anything in front of the instructors and the seniors. By the time practice ended, they went back".

Ever since that day, although I myself did not change, it\'s obvious they\'ve hit the mark. I should assume they\'ve marked Karuizawa too.

He\'s already probably narrowed down his targets to a select few that includes me as well. If I do one more decisive thing, I think he may even narrow it down to me. And the person who holds that one decisive thing is \'Karuizawa Kei\'.

But the fact that he\'s not acting lightly is proof that he\'s given it careful thought. Even if he tries to ask Karuizawa about my existence, doing so upfront won\'t get him anywhere.

Now then, I wonder how Ryuuen\'s going to fill in that last piece of the puzzle. Looking at the pattern of his movements up until now, it\'s not that difficult to imagine.

The question is \'when\' that\'s going to happen. While I thought about that, Akito and the others continued their conversation. Keisei then draws his conclusion as to why Class C is disturbing us.

"Don\'t you think it has something to do with Class D\'s growth? We ended up with 0 points not too long after enrolling yet here we are, almost close enough to scratch Class C\'s back. There\'s also the results of Paper Shuffle to consider, so we may actually end up becoming Class C by the time the 3rd semester rolls around. They must be panicking".

Keisei tries to rationally guess the reason behind Class C\'s actions.

"Now that you mention it, that\'s right. They\'re about to be overtaken by the very people they mocked---".

"But...we wouldn\'t have overtaken them, right?".

Airi, recalling the announcement of the class points, asked that but Keisei then replied.

"Yeah. The class points announced at the start of December were 262 points for Class D and 542 points for Class C. There\'s still a 280 point gap between us".

During Paper Shuffle, we fought directly against Class C and triumphed. As a result, we managed to boost our class points brilliantly. 100 points from Class C moved to Class D and we gained a total of 200 points.

The gap is now a measly 80 points.

Still, Class C is in the lead at this stage. However---an accident completely unrelated to the exams happened to Class C.

"It seems Class C committed a serious rule violation. They didn\'t announce the details of it but they got hit by a severe penalty, having 100 points taken from them".

The other day, I remember receiving a general explanation of it from the school.

"I wonder what exactly they did to cause this huge fuss. It\'s really a very Class C-ish thing to do though".

Haruka said exasperatedly but unfortunately enough, Class D can\'t afford to be laughing at other classes. Despite the exam, we lost 1000 class points a month after enrolling.

"Regardless of the reason, the effect of their self-destruction is significant. If things end just like this then after the winter vacation there\'s a high possibility we\'ll be promoted to Class C".

Keisei concluded without coming off as arrogant.

"Is that the reason Miyachi got involved?".

"There\'s nothing saying that\'s not the reason".

From the perspective of Ryuuen, who rules over Class C, a demotion isn\'t going to be fun. To find some sort of weakness in Class D so he can keep his current position, is what he\'s trying to do now. If that\'s the case, then it\'s consistent with his actions.

Everyone here, except for me, concluded that.

"A class change is a problem this school cannot avoid entirely but I also think it\'s something that doesn\'t happen often. In that case, Class D\'s growth after its massive tumble must be reason enough for Class C to panic and it\'s natural to try and figure out the reason behind that growth".

"Despite acting high and mighty all the time, Ryuuen-kun\'s still a leader. He\'s totally going to lose face".

"I see. I suppose their desperation is understandable".

Akito probably felt gratified imagining a frustrated Ryuuen with his pride torn to shreds and so he agreed with that.

"But we haven\'t really changed all that much, have we? It feels like by the time we realized, that gap already shrunk. Why is that? Is it just because Class C took a tumble?".

Most of the students in our class don\'t know of the battles that occur behind the scenes and simply take the exams head on. It\'s understandable that they would be unable to comprehend why the gap has shrunk.

"If we\'re talking about just Class D then we triumphed over the other classes during the island exam. We were beaten by Ryuuen during the zodiac exam but we made a comeback during the Paper Shuffle the other day. Compared to that, Class C\'s been neglecting their class points, haven\'t they?".

"Even on the island, they quickly used up all the points allocated to them".

"In other words...is Class C self-destructing?".

"You could see it that way. Even their rule violation this time around is pretty self-destructive".

A special exam conducted on an uninhabited island right as the summer vacation started. Each class is equally allocated 300 points for use throughout the exam and we\'re supposed to clear the exam by using those points over the course of one week. And whatever points are left over by the end will be added to our class points. All classes, including D, did everything they could to save up as many points as they could but like Haruka said, Class C quickly used up all 300 points.

"Isn\'t that why our class was able to bridge the gap by that much?".

There were twists and turns along the way, but Class D managed to save up 225 points.

"That\'s true but we don\'t know whether they counterbalanced that or not. For all their spending, Class C seems to have enjoyed their vacation. I\'m somewhat jealous that they didn\'t have to go through all that".

"Rubbish. That Ryuuen\'s always reckless...no, he\'s a manchild who thinks doing things normal people wouldn\'t do makes him cool. That\'s why it\'s means nothing if the class loses".

To save up class points in order to rise to Class A. From the perspective of Keisei, who possesses such a strong will, throwing away class points like that might seem like an absurd thing to do.

But it\'s not like Ryuuen was just pointlessly wasting the points allocated to him on the island either.

As a matter of fact, despite having used up all his points, he handed over all the leftover items such as toilets and tents to Class A. I can\'t imagine he\'d hand them over free of charge.

In other words, he must have gotten something in exchange for the loss of the points. Of course, there\'s no way he accepted something intangible like trust or friendship. Something he can obtain in exchange for class points. It\'s got to be private points. There are only a few students who are aware of this and Keisei doesn\'t seem like he understands.

"You boys sure have it easy. Don\'t you think so too, Airi?".

"Y-Yeah. That\'s right. There are quite a lot of girls troubled by this. I think a bit later and I might have also been in trouble......".

Airi said so while blushing. The island exam did take the girls into account to a certain degree but even then I\'m sure they had a far harder time than the boys did.

"Why would you\'ve been in trouble if it had been a bit later?".

Keisei, who doesn\'t know the first thing about a girl\'s troubles, looked at Airi strangely.

"T-That\'s".

Airi, unable to tell him that it\'s about a \'girl\'s day\', averted her eyes. Haruka, seeing the situation, gave Keisei a few harsh words.

"How should I put this, Yukimu~. That ignorant side of yours can be cute but when it comes to stuff like this, you need to read the mood? That sort of thing".

"...what do you mean?".

Regardless of whether he just has no tact or genuinely has no idea, Akito gently tapped Keisei\'s shoulder.

"People have their own problems, is what it means".

"I haven\'t a clue. What do you mean by \'their own problems\'?".

Keisei, unable to read the mood, tried to delve even deeper into a girl\'s circumstances. And so Akito changed the topic.

"Class D won because Horikita saw through Ryuuen\'s risky strategy, right? If no one realized that then there\'s a good chance Class D\'s leader would have been uncovered, right?".

I nodded and gave my honest reply to Akito, who tried to confirm that.

"If that had happened, this current situation wouldn\'t have occurred".

"They were partying the whole time yet still wanted to get that reward at the end, huh? And they made it look like they all withdrew. But why did Ryuuen-kun have to be the one to stay behind on the island? He\'s Class C\'s leader. Wouldn\'t it have been better to leave behind someone less conspicuous?".

Haruka\'s not completely off the mark. However, this is something that applies to all the classes. The ones who stand out being the leaders is something everyone would consider first but since literally anyone can be nominated as the leader, it\'s also natural that you\'d end up doubting it. In the first place, no one would be able to pinpoint Ryuuen as the leader unless they\'re absolutely sure he\'s stayed behind on the island.

And even if they confirm that he\'s stayed behind, there\'s still a very low chance of him being pinpointed. Because an inconspicuous Class C student could still be in hiding. That possibility cannot be ruled out.

Because it\'s an exam where the cost of making a mistake is far greater than the reward of hitting the mark. Ultimately, unless you have solid proof, no one can pinpoint anyone else.

"Hey, Kiyotaka. Why don\'t you tell us the information you got from Horikita?".

Keisei asked with a serious expression.

"What do you mean?".

"I\'d like to know what Ryuuen\'s thinking and what he\'s planning on doing. Considering what happened in the sports festival and during Paper Shuffle, we need to be united as a class".

"It also feels creepy for me having Ishizaki and his ilk stuck to me. I agree too".

Looks like they\'re starting to realize that cooperation has become more important than ever. Even Akito and Haruka, who don\'t pay much attention to the class\'s problems, appear to share the same opinion.

"It\'s just hearsay but...".

Before I proposed calling Horikita over, Keisei said this.

"I\'m fine with that. Please tell us".

All four of them turned to me at once. I feel a weird sort of pressure on me.

"Alright. I won\'t be responsible for any mistakes".

After adding that, I explained the events of the uninhabited island I experienced with Horikita to the group from the beginning. Of course, all of those events were moves I made on my own but officially it\'s Horikita who thought of them on her own.

About how Ryuuen used a radio while hiding on the island to communicate with the spy. How Ibuki isn\'t the only one and there may be spies in other classes too. And then about how Ryuuen started obsessing over Horikita ever since the exam on the cruise. I also told them about how Ryuuen figured out a way to beat the exam on the cruise.

Of course, I didn\'t tell them how it was clearly obvious Ryuuen was planning on crushing Horikita during the sports festival and I also kept quiet about Kushida\'s betrayal.

"I guess that\'s the gist of it. Pretty much what you guys already know about, Keisei".

Now having obtained any new information, Keisei crossed his arms while seemingly deep in thought.

"The question is, like Haruka also said, why did Ryuuen go out of his way to stay behind on the island?".

"According to Horikita, it\'s because he trusts no one. That seems likeliest. To gather information on the other classes and make an inference from that seems too heavy a burden for any other student".

The ability to control the spy and to make inferences. The endurance and strength to stay on the island for at least a few days with nothing but the bare necessities. I won\'t say it out loud here but that person also has to be someone connected to Class A and capable of working with them.

Considering all that, it wouldn\'t be an overstatement to stay Ryuuen\'s the only one who could carry out this strategy.

If the leaders are to be named once all the students have assembled then he wouldn\'t have opted for this strategy. However, we\'re supposed to name them after the rollcall on the penultimate day of the exam. In other words, it\'s done before the classes assemble.

That must be the reason he chose this strategy.

"As expected of Horikita...I wouldn\'t have been able to think that far ahead. I had given up on trying to pinpoint the other class leaders and I had also stopped trying to sound out the situation".

Keisei and the others reflect on it.

"Isn\'t that understandable? Food and hygiene problems, the manual got burned and an underwear was stolen. Class D was in tatters. We couldn\'t afford to sound out the other classes".

Akito recalls the events that took place on the island. Keisei also recalls unpleasant memories.

"In hindsight, we really had a tough time".

"But Horikita-san\'s amazing. To think she saw through all that in the exam".

Airi praises Horikita as though she honestly admired her.

"I can understand why Horikita-san would be marked. She saw through Ryuuen-kun\'s strategy after all".

"As a matter of fact, it seems they\'re still disturbing us even now".

I shouldn\'t deny that but rather, I should tell them the truth. And so I added that.

"It seems even during the zodiac exam, there was a quarrel between people who were in the same group".

"I can understand the island and the cruise but why is Ryuuen and his men getting involved with the other Class D students recently. They even came all the way over to the archery club to check on me. That isn\'t normal, right?".

Even if Horikita is being targeted, these questions are understandable ones.

"They may be trying to uncover a weakness in Class D. Because Horikita has no weaknesses at all so they may be trying to destroy her surroundings instead".

"I see. That\'s a possibility too...".

I wonder if this means Keisei and the others have managed to understand the reasoning behind Ryuuen\'s actions.

"As expected of Kiyopon\'s girlfriend".

Haruka, despite being impressed, poked fun at me.

"Don\'t just go and make her my girlfriend"

"T-That\'s right. I think you\'re being rude to Kiyotaka-kun".

"Ahaha. Sorry, sorry".

I\'ll just go ahead and add this but it\'s also being rude to Horikita. To pair her up with someone like me.

Even if it\'s just a misunderstanding, Sudou might get angry if he hears about this.

"Even if she isn\'t your girlfriend, you do like her, don\'t you? Or perhaps you\'re with some other girl".

"I don\'t like her and I don\'t have a girlfriend either".

"I see. Then that means we\'re all going to be lonely this year".

"Lonely?".

"Look around. It\'s almost Christmas".

While sitting on a bench placed in front of a restaurant in Keyaki Mall, Haruka whispered that.

Certainly, the decorations being made almost make you think this isn\'t just a facility on campus. Occasionally students who look like couples pass us by.

"It\'s not like it\'s such a special day, is it? It\'s just a day like any other".

"That may be so for you, Yukimu~. But it\'s surprisingly difficult for us girls".

"R-Rumors might crop up......".

"Yep, yep. Like who\'s dating who and who isn\'t dating who. Like who spent the night together and who didn\'t? And even though you\'re single because you want to be single, they\'d end up looking at you like you\'re something pitiful".

"...we\'re 1st year high schoolers. Our studies are our priority".

"But did you fantasize about it? You\'re blushing".

"Shut it".

"Anyways, this mango juice is way too sweet. Way to go".

Akito made a vomiting gesture and pushed the cup towards me.

"But it\'s delicious though?".

Haruka seemed genuinely shocked as though she couldn\'t believe him.

"By the way, I personally think there\'s going to be a variety of things happening to Class D over the winter vacation".

"That\'s...referring to who\'s going out with who?".

Airi curiously asked Haruka.

"Probably. If there are boys and girls dating each other then there will also be boys and girls who break up. A lot of things happen over Christmas, after all".

Haruka nodded repeatedly as though she had seen many couples like that before.

"Let\'s leave aside the couples. Do you think there will be any breakups? Right now the only couple is Class D would be Hirata and Karuizawa, right?".

Akito held his throat while saying that. Maybe the sweetness of the mango juice is still stuck in his throat. By the way, I\'m drinking mango juice right now too and it\'s ridiculously sweet.

"That\'s not necessarily the case. Unexpected couples may form without you knowing, Miyachi. Romance isn\'t something that\'s limited to the confines of our class. If there\'s a girl you like, you must act before someone else steals her away from you".

"Unfortunately, archery\'s the only lover I need".

"Lame. It\'s not even like you\'re that passionate about it. Uncooool---".

"...shut up".

Akito averted his eyes shyly as though he\'s a bit embarrassed by it. Is that so? We\'re already on the brink of Christmas, are we? Since I\'m not the slightest bit familiar with it, all of this sounds otherworldly to me.

"Anyways, I have my club. It\'s not like I\'ll be taking a rest for the winter vacation. It might be a different story if I did have a girlfriend but currently I\'m not planning on getting one".

"By that, you mean you DO want to get one?".

In true interview style, while mimicking the action of holding a microphone in her hand, Haruka interrogated Akito.

"I have no intention of causing an uproar like Ike and the others but this is the same for both boys and girls, right?".

There aren\'t that many people who actually aren\'t interested in romance, is what he\'s trying to say it seems.

"...well, I\'m not going to deny that as long as I get my ideal man. Yukimu~ seems to reject romance itself but what\'ll you do if you meet a girl who likes you, Yukimu~?".

"What I\'ll do...would depend on the relationship between me and that person. That sort of thing".

"Hmm. So you won\'t date her unconditionally just because she\'s cute. I see, I see. You\'re a serious boy".

"Shut up".

The two boys being tossed about by Haruka\'s teasing.

"Kiyotaka-kun, d-do you have any plans for Christmas?".

Out of the blue, Airi asked me that from beside me.

"Uwa. Are you asking Kiyopon out, Airi? How bold~".

"N-No, what\'s not what I mean! It\'s not what I mean, ok!?".

"I mean, isn\'t that it? Kiyopon just said he doesn\'t have a girlfriend yet a while ago".

"That\'s not it, I mean, I wanted to know what you\'re planning on doing. When you spend Christmas alone, I\'m curious about what you do".

A couple would certainly go for a date or two. But I\'m curious how a single person would spend the day.

"I see, that\'s true. Miyachi\'s got his club but what\'s Yukimu~ going to do?".

"I\'ll be studying. If we\'re promoted to Class C by the 3rd semester we won\'t just be doing the chasing, we\'ll have a position to keep. As long as there are many students in our class who aren\'t very bright, I\'d like to make sure we stay ahead even if it\'s just in the written exams".

The right person in the right place. He seems to want to contribute in the area he shines the brightest in. Looks like he\'s gotten more confident in himself through helping Haruka and Akito study.

"I don\'t think I\'d able to put that much effort into studying. I\'ll leave it to you, Keisei".

"You may leave it to me but even if we graduate as Class A, you\'ll still be self-destructing if you don\'t put in effort in whatever path you choose to walk".

Keisei scolds him about how rising to Class A alone isn\'t good enough.

"You\'re right, I guess so. If I don\'t improve myself, I\'ll just collapse right after".

"But then wouldn\'t that diminish the value of graduating as Class A?".

Despite understanding, from Akira\'s perspective, that gives rise to a certain dissatisfction. By the time you graduate as Class A, everyone in it would already possess skills befitting the title. I wonder if that\'s the assumption this school is going with.

I can\'t say anything at this point though.

"And what about Kiyopon, who Airi is interested in? Are you going to be alone on Christmas?".

"That\'s right. Got nothing special in mind. I think I\'ll just coop up in my room?".

"Christmas\'s just another holiday, right?".

The closing ceremony\'s on the 22nd of December. Christmas is right around the corner.

"Fu...fufu".

Watching us, Airi started laughing quietly for some reason. She desperately tried to stifle her laughter but she didn\'t quite succeed.

"Is there something wrong?".

"S-Sorry. No, I\'m just...happy so I laughed".

"You\'re happy so you laughed?".

Haruka and the others tilted their heads as though they don\'t quite get it. By the time I realized, tears are already slightly welling up in Airi\'s eyes.

"I\'ve never had this much fun before. I\'m very happy right now".

Airi voiced her honest feelings she had kept bottled up inside her.

"It\'s just meaningless chatter though".

"I\'m fine with that. Because I wanted to talk like this with everyone".

"I don\'t really get it but that\'s fine then. I\'m also having fun".

Haruka concluded. And then the topic changed once again.

"We\'re already here. Why don\'t get eat dinner together?".

No objections came forth and so we decided to move as a group. And that\'s when I spoke to everyone.

"I\'m off to the toilet. Why don\'t you guys go ahead?".

"Then we\'ll wait here".

"No, it\'s going to be crowded at this hour. It\'s more efficient to go ahead and queue up. I\'ll leave the seats to you".

Everyone seemed convinced and so they headed to the Keyaki Mall restaurant. This is a situation that can unfold only because Airi\'s become capable of acting without me being there.

Concluding that I\'m off to the toilet, Komiya followed Akito and the others.

After seeing off the group plus Komiya, I started walking in the direction opposite to the toilet. And I approached a lone girl who sat where we had been chatting.

"May I have a moment?".

I called out to the girl sitting on a one-seater chair. She\'s Class A\'s Kamuro. She\'s fiddling with her phone and seemingly not aware of my presence, she remained rigid and made no move.

"I\'m talking to you".

I spoke to her again.

"...me? What?".

Looking up, she made it seem like she just noticed my presence now. I took a few steps forward and sat on a different one-seater chair. A prickly sort of atmosphere settled in between us.

"You\'ve been tailing me recently. Do you have business with me?".

"Huh? What the hell are you saying?".

"On the way back after school yesterday. Keyaki Mall two days ago. Keyaki Mall four days ago. The way back six days ago. The way back seven days ago. Quite a lot of coincidences, wouldn\'t you say?".

I turned the screen of my phone towards the girl and went through a slideshow of pictures.

"That, but when......".

I had secretly snapped pictures of her tailing me.

"As someone who\'s tailing me, you can\'t afford to look at me when I\'m turning in your direction. It\'s understandable that you wouldn\'t notice me snapping photos of you in that window".

"What if I\'m tailing you? Got a problem with that?".

"Not really. It\'s not like I\'m being directly harmed by it or anything. I\'m not really planning on asking you to stop".

"Exactly, right? It\'s just a coincidence".

"But what do you think your boss will think if she finds out about this?".

"Boss? What the hell are you talking about? Been watching too many movies?".

"Then I suppose I\'ll report this to Sakayanagi. That you aren\'t up to par as a tail".

"...hold on a minute".

As I put my hands on the armrest and moved to stand up, Kamuro stopped me. Just from that attitude alone, I can tell she\'s not particularly happy about this situation.

"You\'re quite devoted to Sakayanagi. Day after day you\'re made to follow me for long periods of time and you still do your job properly. You two must be close".

"You must be joking. There\'s no way I\'d actually want to obey that kind of person".

"No need to lie. As a matter of fact, you\'re spending your precious student life doing something as boring as tailing someone. That\'s something you\'d only do because you trust in and respect Sakayanagi".

"Absolutely not. I\'d cut all ties with her now if I could".

Intensely spitting that out, Kamuro seemed irritated.

"Then why do you obey Sakayanagi?".

"Doesn\'t matter why, right?".

"If you\'re not doing it out of goodwill then that must mean she\'s grabbed you by your weakness".

"...what are you trying to say?"

"I\'ll report the clumsy nature of her tailing to Sakayanagi. If I do that, your inability to act as her arms and legs will be exposed and that weakness of yours she\'s grabbed hold of may come to affect you later".

"So you\'re threatening me. You\'re threatening me too".

\'Too\', huh? Looks like Sakayanagi\'s not just using Kamuro, she\'s also grabbed hold of some weakness of hers. I just asked her a leading question but to think she\'d fall for the bait this hard.

"What\'s with you? Isn\'t it strange that Sakayanagi\'s targeting you?".

"Don\'t know. I haven\'t a clue".

It appears Kamuro doesn\'t know about Sakayanagi\'s true intentions either. I\'ve obtained at least one answer.

"You\'re the Class D student Ryuuen\'s looking for, right? That\'s the only thing that comes to mind".

"What\'ll you do then?".

I did not deny it. In the first place, since Sakayanagi knows about my past, it doesn\'t matter how I try to cover it up anyways.

"You\'re threatening me but if I ever feel like it, I can also tip Ryuuen off".

"I thought I\'d threaten you but you\'re threatening me in return, huh? Then let\'s do this".

I offered Kamuro a proposal.

"Feel free to tail me anytime. I won\'t speak out. And I don\'t report it back to Sakayanagi either. Let\'s say in exchange for that, you won\'t tell anyone other than Sakayanagi about me".

"A give-and-take exchange?".

"I don\'t think it\'s a bad deal".

"...that\'s for sure. I\'m not interested in Ryuuen either".

It appears Kamuro\'s agreed, since she nodded and stood up.

"I\'m going back now. I\'m tired".

Saying that, Kamuro went straight for Keyaki Mall\'s exit.

"Must be quite a troublesome weakness that\'s being held against her".

But thanks to this, careless interruptions will no longer occur.

I suppose for the time being, I should settle for this. My identity being leaked to Ryuuen by an unexpected source. Those misgivings appear to have been laid to rest.