Volume 6, Chapter 5: "The Formation of Ayanokji Group" Part 1

By the way, isnt there a Yoshimoto-kun in Class C? Miyatchi, do you know?

Do you mean Yoshimoto Ksetsu? Hes in the archery club.

Ooh yeah, that Yoshimoto-kun. I heard that he started going out with a second-year, you know?

Tired of studying, Hasebe began to gossip.

I hadnt heard anything about that, but I was just thinking that hes been in a hurry to leave early for some strange reason. So thats what it was.

In high school, the hurdle for dating someone even one year older is pretty high. When youre an adult in your thirties, a year or two age difference doesnt seem like it would matter very much. Although this is something I cant imagine as a teenager, this is surely how it works.

Yoshimoto-kun has been super motivated and says that theyre going to get married in the future. The man is a simple idiot.

Hasebe and Miyake slowly diverged from studying.

Youre free to talk about whos going out with whom and what the future will be like all you want, but at the very least get your work done while you do.

I know. Were just chatting while taking a breather.

Hasebe had gotten used to this kind of thing, so she gave no indication of being shaken by Yukimuras words.

Is that right?

Wow, Im getting sarcastic vibes from you. Im going to refill my cup.

"You're adding more sugar? I'm surprised you can even drink it that sweet."

From my point of view, I cant understand people who drink it black. Ah!

Hasebe tried to stand up with her empty plastic cup, but she stumbled over the backpack at her feet and the cup in her hand fell to the ground.

My eyes unconsciously followed it as it rolled.

The cup stopped at the feet of a student who was walking past.

Ah, sor-

Hasebe started to apologize, but the cup was then crushed under foot, so she swallowed the words before they came out.

You all seem to be having a good time. How about we join in?

What are you guys

Hasebe immediately strengthened her guard and looked at the group in front of her sharply.

It was a reasonable reaction too because the man who crushed the cup was none other than Class Cs Ryen. Standing behind him was Ishizaki, Komiya, and Kond, the often seen Class C trio.

Ryen showed a sly smile as if he was thinking about something amusing.

There was also a lone girl who wasnt usually a part of Ryens group standing next to Ishizaki.

She wore an expression that was unsuitable for the situation, one that was devoid of all tension.

Hey! Why did you step on my cup? It wasnt an accident, was it?

It rolled to my feet and I thought youd tossed it. I stepped on it to save you the effort.

He laughed and returned the crushed cup to Hasebe with a kick.

A little bit of its contents sprinkled across the ground from a hole in the side of it. Miyake, watching in silence, stood up slowly.

Oi Ryen. Ive wanted to say it for a while now, but thats enough your punkish attitude.

Huh? Who the hell do you think youre talking to?

As if to say that Ryen didnt need to bother with him, Ishizaki went forward and grabbed Miyake by the lapel of his shirt.

I wasnt talking to you. A henchman should mind his own business, Ishizaki.

Miyake was unmoved and knocked away Ishizakis hand.

Bastard!

Ishizaki shouted, who managed to attract attention from our surroundings even in such a noisy environment.

The person who reacted sensitively to this was none other than Ryen.

Shut it. Do you really want to make a scene in a place like this, Ishizaki?

S-sorry. Because Miyake was so cocky, I just

I dont hate emotionally impulsive idiots, but now you need to behave yourself.

Yes

Ryen was right. There arent only first years around, but also senior students, shop assistants, and several surveillance cameras. Its a public place without any blind spots.

If an incident happened here, Class C would clearly be at fault. Its almost certain that they would be subject to punishment based off the testimony and recordings that we would have as evidence.

I have no business with you. Im interested in the two people over there.

Ryen said so as he shifted his line of sight from Miyake over to Yukimura and me.

Have you received my gift?

What the hell are you talking about

Naturally, Yukimura couldnt understand what he was talking about. He looked to me as the other person Ryen referred to. The so-called gift is undoubtedly the time he sent a message with the words Who are you?

Who knows

I acted as if I didnt know. Ryen had resorted to really tough measures. I had no reason to dig my own grave by answering his questions. Even if I tried to appear more suspicious to him, he wouldnt be able to reach any conclusions. This is because no matter what happens, its still only a gray area.

Hows that? Did you catch onto anything, Hiyori?

Ryen took his eyes off us for a moment and asked the girl from his class for her thoughts.

How is it? Well, theres no telling at this stage.

A lot of the students working under Ryen were afraid of him, but the girl named Hiyori remained totally calm in this situation. Her somewhat out-of-focus eyes alternated between the two of us.

What was Ryen scheming by bringing this student here?

Both of their faces leave a weak impression, so Ill probably forget them immediately.

Kukuku, dont say that. Theyre probably going to be our friends for a long time.

Yukimura-san Ayanokji-san Kenji-san, who was the other person?

Its Hirata. Hirata.

Thats right, it was Hirata-san. Why are faces and names so hard to remember?

She was wrapped up in a mysterious atmosphere, and I was rather concerned about Ishizakis use of honorifics while talking with her. I had seen her before and knew that she was a student in Class C.

As expected, the only one youll remember is Kenji.

Hes very unique, so hes easy to remember.

It seems that Ryen has also marked Hirata and Kenji. In the case of Kenji, his actions were truly incomprehensible, but its understandable that he would be suspected because of his capability.

ILLUSTRATION: https://imgur.com/a/zlMjvh6

Having said that, it feels like Ryen wouldnt have selected Kenji as one of his targets if he had known that he wasnt acting but was instead a legitimate naturally-born oddball.

What the hell is wrong with you, Ryen? Were busy, so if you want to sort something out, lets do it quickly.

Miyake spoke aggressively, conveying all of our feelings across with his words.

Its nothing. Were just saying hello for today. But Ill tell you right now, Ill be seeing you again in the near future.

What does that mean?

Ignoring Miyakes question, Ryen left the cafe with his entourage.

The cafe, which was briefly enveloped in silence, immediately regained its vitality and returned to its previous state as everyone returned to their studying.

However-

The student named Hiyori remained at the scene, still watching us all this time.

Under such circumstances, theres no way that we could successfully concentrate on our studies. Irritated, Hasebe spoke up:

What is it? Youre being a distraction by hanging around here.

Just a moment, please.

What? What does that even mean? Im saying youre in the way, so go someplace else, okay?

Hasebe, who had her cup crushed just earlier, was in a foul mood.

Confronted by the rowdy Hasebe, Hiyori answered with a slightly goofy smile. She grabbed her bag at her feet and walked over to the cafes checkout.

What was that about?

Who knows. I dont quite understand whats going on, and I dont want to know.

Yukimura seems to be unable to understand Hiyoris actions and was temporarily lost in thought. As if he was unable to come to a conclusion, he ended up deciding to ignore the matter altogether.

I believe shes Shiina Hiyori from Class C. Ive seen her before.

It seems that only Miyake managed to remember her name.

The Shiina in question placed an order with the cafes clerk and came back with two cups in hand.

If you dont mind, please accept this.

What do you mean? Why are you giving it to me?

You dont have to be wary of me. I was watching what happened earlier, and its clear that Ryen-kun was in the wrong. I would like to apologize on the behalf of Class C. I took the liberty of adding sugar to it myself.

"You put in eh? This is totally delicious! Its like, exactly the same as what I was drinking earlier!

The cup that was crushed earlier had a lot of sugar collected in the bottom, so I figured that you like your coffee sweet. Im glad I didnt make any mistakes.

But, ah, it feels like it has the exact same amount of sugar that I like added to it is this a coincidence?

I calculated in reverse based on the amount of sugar that hadnt dissolved in your last cup.

Huh!? You can do that!?

I suppose it could be considered surprising. Despite how I look, I have a rather good perception?

With that, she turned towards me, Yukimura, and Miyake.

This is- You guys are holding a study session, right?

People like her totally drain my energy

Hasebe had been irritated until just now, but she had become entirely overwhelmed by Hiyoris inscrutable pace.

From Yukimuras point of view, he didnt want to risk giving Hiyori any extra information, so he quickly covered up everyones notes.

By any chance, do you think Im a spy?

You dont even need to ask, of course were suspecting you.

I wouldnt do that. After all, I normally keep my distance from Ryen-kun.

But didnt Ryen-kun intimately call you by your name?

I personally requested to accompany them because Im interested in Class D.

The three of them couldnt understand the reasoning behind Hiyoris statement and tilted their heads to the side.

Of course, I imitated them, pretending to not understand the situation.

Dont you know? Its a hot topic in Class C. Theres a mastermind in Class D whos hiding their true ability. This person has apparently made huge contributions to Class Ds progress during the uninhabited island test, the test on the cruise ship, and during the sports festival. Do you really not know?

Hiyori speaks a truth that most of Class D hasnt been able to figure out. Of course, there were question marks hovering over Hasebe and the others heads.

I have no idea. Arent you just talking about Horikita?

Yeah. I can only think of Horikita-san.

Its apparently someone other than Horikita Suzune-san.

Hiyori cut them off from coming to that conclusion.

Ayanokji-san, I hear that you spend a lot of time with Horikita-san.

It hasnt been like that recently, but I guess Ive spent a lot of time with her compared to anyone else.

After all, you do sit right next to her.

Still, theres hardly anybody smarter than her.

Yeah, essentially all of Class Ds strategies are things she comes up with.

Hasebe and Miyake conveniently agreed with each other at a good time, adding credibility to my statement.

I wouldnt need to confirm or deny anything about the two of us spending time together.

Its only important for me to tell the truth from the point of view of a typical Class D student.

I see. You all have the same kind of evaluation of her.

Can you stop getting in our way by bringing up such inexplicable things?

Yukimura spoke strongly, having been gradually influenced by Hiyoris peculiar atmosphere.

It appears that hes unable to bear the thought of having his study time reduced any further.

Im sorry. Its my fault for disturbing your studies, isnt it?

Im sorry, but thats how it is.

You really dont have to go that far, Yukim.

If you have no complaints about failing and dropping out of school, then by all means, have a good chat. Im going home.

Ah, please forgive me a little. Please continue teaching me.

Hasebe bowed her head.

This is it. If you want to talk about strange topics, please do so after the exam.

Yukimura ended the conversation with Hiyori almost by force, so Hiyori apologetically rose from her seat.

Im very sorry. It would be dangerous for you to neglect to study desperately for the exam.

Was that a jab towards the students who were at risk of failing?

I feel like she always has a natural temperament, but its not clear whether she can be trusted.

I see, Lets talk about it after the end of the final exams. It shouldnt be too late at that point.

Having decided to go home, Hiyori picked up her cup.

Thanks for the coffee, it was a real treat.

No no, it was nothing special. Goodbye then.

After this, Hiyori, who had appeared together with Ryen, also left.

Im not certain if shes part of Ryens plan for finding me, but theres nothing wrong with staying alert.

Ill have to keep an eye on her for the time being.

(Part 1 End)