Volume 7, Chapter 4: Time for Settlement Part 2

Around 2 PM. A little before the appointed time, the door to the rooftop opened and a lone student showed up. Our leading actress for the day showed up, her body stiff after bathing in the cold air.

"Kuku. I knew you'd come, Karuizawa".

I turned off my phone and put it back inside my pocket. Ibuki and Ishizaki, looking slightly nervous, turned to face Karuizawa.

"...the mail you sent me this morning. What do you mean by that?".

"Surely there's no need to even ask at this point. It's precisely because you understood what it means that you came here".

This is what was in the mail I sent to Karuizawa.

'Manabe and her group told me all about your past. Come alone to the rooftop after school. If you tell anyone about this then the whole school will know about your past by tomorrow'.

Mentioning Manabe and her group ensured Karuizawa would understand the meaning behind this. She has no other choice but to understand.

"I assume you kept quiet about this as promised? No, you had no other choice but to keep quiet. After all, you can't afford to let anyone know about your past".

She may have panicked and informed X of her predicament since they'd already know of her past but I couldn't care less about that. Like I told Ibuki and Ishizaki earlier, I've already sent X a mail.

That today I'll be delivering Karuizawa's sentence. And that I'd uncover their identity. So it makes no difference whether or not Karuizawa asked them for help.

"But to think you actually came alone".

"You told me to come alone, didn't you.....?".

"Kuku. I suppose I did".

Then again, there's no way that person would've shown up given that they went to such lengths to hide their identity. And Karuizawa cannot ask anyone other than X for help.

Because if she does, her past would be revealed. And the same applies for X, who's also kept their identity secret. In other words, their options are limited.

"Look, I don't know what this is all about.....but it's cold so I want to wrap this up quickly".

Karuizawa rubs her hands together. But there's no point in pretending like she doesn't know what the situation is.

"Then why did you come here? You could've just ignored me".

"That's---because I didn't want unfounded rumors to start spreading around".

She's doing her best to appear calm but it's obvious she's just bluffing.

"Unfounded rumors? Everyone here knows about it though? That before your high school days, you used to be the victim of bullying".

".......".

Even if she tries to hide it, a change in her behavior will occur when presented with the truth.

"It was a stroke of misfortune that Manabe and her group found out about it. If you want to blame someone, then blame yourself for failing to conduct yourself properly".

"...what are you after? Are you saying you stand to gain something from threatening me?".

"What will you do if I told you I was just killing time?".

Even though I have leverage over her, Karuizawa's already lost any leverage she had.

"If you do anything to me.....I'll immediately report it to the school".

"Come now, you came here alone because that's not an option, right? Without asking anyone for help".

"...Ryuuen, is it really okay to act that arrogant? She may actually have a trick up her sleeve".

Ibuki seems to suspect something's going on behind the scenes after she showed up here alone.

"Karuizawa can't do anything but rely on X. No need to be that cautious. Even if she records her conversation with me or films it, she can't use it as her trump card. Because more than anything, she fears getting her past revealed. As long as we hold onto that, she cannot resist us at all".

"But---".

"That's enough, just keep quiet".

I already know what Ibuki's trying to say. Manabe and her group were threatened with evidence of their bullying of Karuizawa. They were forced to cease their bullying and give their word that they won't speak a word of it to anyone else. Then they were used. As though forced to strangle themselves, they were manipulated into leaking information on Class C. In other words, Ibuki's afraid that we may be threatened with evidence ourselves.

But that won't happen.

'The past in which Karuizawa was bullied'.

As long as you know how to use that weapon, there's nothing to fear. In this case, cornering us means also cornering Karuizawa. But it is a fact that there is danger in this.

A double-edged sword. If I just wanted to spread around Karuizawa's past, then there's no need to threaten her like this. By using the information I currently hold to stir things up, I will be able to obtain a certain degree of accomplishment. But if I reveal it, then that's it.

I won't be able to use this double-edged sword anymore. Karuizawa would be destroyed but I won't get to X. What I want is to drag the person behind Karuizawa out of hiding.

Since I've made my move today, I have to uncover X's identity here. In order to do that, I need to figure out just how deep the connection between Karuizawa and X runs.

"Let's stop beating around the bush. You want to be freed quickly right. Then tell me who's hiding behind you. If you do that, I'll keep quiet about your past".

"I don't know what you mean".

But Karuizawa's clearly more agitated than ever. Karuizawa also knows that I'm looking for that person lurking in Class D. Still, she probably didn't know that we've figured out her connection to that person.

"X saved you when you were being bullied by Manabe and her group, right?".

"H-Huh? That's not true".

"No point in hiding it now. I've got some evidence myself too".

"...evidence?".

Apparently, X has been keeping Karuizawa in the dark more than I had expected. Slowly, I'll pressure Karuizawa bit by bit while allowing no room for error.

"How do you think X was able to protect you from Manabe behind the scenes?".

"I don't know. I wasn't being bullied and even if you say stuff like X......".

"Ok, ok. If you won't admit it, I'll just go ahead and tell you my conclusion".

Because if I don't, Karuizawa doesn't seem like she'll admit to anything.

"X took advantage of Manabe's group's weakness. Telling them to behave themselves if they don't want the truth of their bullying to come to light. That's how they kept them quiet".

Karuizawa just glared at me without saying anything.

"Kuku, I see...so you do know how X shut down Manabe's group".

"I-I haven't even said anything".

"Not a word, no. But your eyes tell a different story".

I then continued.

"If that's all then that's to be expected. But X didn't stop there, they even made Manabe and her group betray me during the sports festival, you know? To turn spy for them and leak information. Of course, with the threat of having their bullying be exposed should they not".

"What are you saying? Seriously, I have no idea what you're going on about.....".

"You're lying though? Looks like you're already aware of what went down during the sports festival".

It can't be, but perhaps there's the possibility that Karuizawa herself is unaware of X's identity? If they always used a free address to contact her and issued orders to her like that then...

No, I don't imagine Karuizawa will obey the orders of someone who hides their face from her like that. If she really doesn't know, then it would've been better for Karuizawa to admit the truth to a certain degree then claim to have no knowledge of their identity.

If she's going to deny everything then that in itself would be strange unless there's a reason behind it.

"The only thing I want to know is the identity of the X who attacked me. I couldn't care less about your past. Don't you think the smart thing to do here is to give me their identity?".

"My answer's the same no matter what you ask me. I don't know anything. And it's seriously cold out here...".

She's wearing extremely light clothing. Perhaps because she doesn't intend on staying here for long.

"Of course, it must be cold. Don't you want to wrap things up here and go back already?".

"I have nothing to say to you".

"I see. If you're going to cover for X then there's no helping it. I assume this means you're fine with your past being revealed?".

"........".

Karuizawa's really stuck between a rock and a hard place. If I attack her, she has no choice but to keep quiet. No matter what she chooses to do, she'd end up making an enemy out of someone. You could go into depth regarding that but it's just a waste of time.

"No point in thinking it over. This isn't a situation you can think your way out of. It's already clear your options are limited. And the correct option to choose here is to give me that person's name. That's all there is to it".

By doing so, Karuizawa would be able to protect her secret at the very least. In this current situation, the only way she can save herself is to sacrifice X.

"...if, if there is actually someone behind me like you say, there's no guarantee that the name I tell you now is actually that person, right? Can you even confirm the truth?".

Ishizaki interjected without permission, maybe because he's also worried about that.

"There's no way we can confirm that, Ryuuen-san. It's just like Karuizawa said......".

Him interjecting now of all times will only result in giving Karuizawa a way out. I ordered Ishizaki to shut up with a look. Ishizaki, realizing he's getting in my way, shut his mouth with an apologetic look.

"What will you do if I chose to reveal your past after finding out you lied to me later?".

"That---".

"The only way to save yourself is to tell me everything".

I laughed, but Karuizawa looked at me with firm eyes and refuted that.

"I'm not stupid. It doesn't matter if it's a lie or the truth, you'll eventually threaten me again. I'd rather not be your tool each and every time you need something done".

"Kuku. I suppose so. There's no guarantee that I won't use you the way X used Manabe's group. But if so, what will you do?".

"I won't say there's someone behind me and I won't say there's no one either. I won't randomly give you someone's name either. In other words, I won't tell you anything".

Apparently Karuizawa's concluded that silence is the right answer. Not a bad option but hardly the best one.

"And if I told you I'll expose your past if you don't say anything?".

"You think there's someone behind me. But because you can't narrow down that person's identity, you chose to approach me instead. Then I doubt you'll be too keen to throw away that chance so easily".

"I see. If I revealed your past before I can draw the answer out of you, then there'd be no incentive for you to tell me anything. And my search for X may be delayed".

That's what it means, Karuizawa seemed to be saying as she averted her eyes.

"Personally, I don't have a problem with you not giving me X's identity. I can just take my time in that case. You failed to take into account that there's still plenty of opportunity in the future for me to narrow down their identity".

"Assuming an attack is launched against you in the future, that is. If they know you're onto them, surely they would take care to not let their identity slip, no?".

She's better than I expected. A quick-witted and sharp-tongued woman.

If X's train of thought runs similar to my own, I should assume they saved Karuizawa because they noticed her usefulness given her high social status within Class D. They're someone who wouldn't bat an eye at using others. In other words, they'd be fine even with tossing Karuizawa to the curb.

Of course there's no doubt that X is acting to elevate Class D but they may prioritize the safety of their identity above that.

If I just reveal the bullying problem, then there's the possibility that their identity would be concealed just like Karuizawa said. On the off chance that X manages to conceal their identity any more than this, it would mean my fun would be significantly cut short, huh?

"Not only did you think up a good self-defense measure but you also made it this far on your own, hmm?".

I can't imagine Karuizawa came here without having thought anything through. There's the possibility that she may have received advice from X but.....that possibility's a faint one.

"Get it now? Don't you think it's best if you just let me go back?".

I checked my phone's screen. But there's no contact from anyone. Did the mail I sent to X misfire? Of course, I do know that it won't be this easy to smoke them out.

I suppose I'll take things to the next level while preparing to take a few risks.

"Basically, I just need to make you spit out X's name, right? In all likelihood, if you do know their identity, the best option for me would be to draw it out of you here".

It's your fault, X. This is the result of weighing your options of saving Karuizawa or hiding your identity on a scale.

"...if your threat's failed, how are you going to make me talk?".

"Isn't it obvious? Torture's the good old-fashioned way to make someone talk".

"Ryuuen-san, are you serious...?".

"Ibuki, hold Karuizawa down".

"Why me? You could just do it yourself, right?".

Ibuki, who isn't very keen on what we're going to be doing, disobeyed instructions.

"Do it".

"I won't be complicit in this. No matter how you look at it, this gamble's far too risky".

"That's lame, Ibuki. To back out after so many failures. The important thing is how you can win back our trust".

I grabbed Ibuki's arm and firmly tugged on it.

"Don't worry, I'll take responsibility for everything. That's why you don't need to hold back. Do it".

"Tch......".

I once again issued orders to the rebellious Ibuki and had her carry them out. While clicking her tongue, Ibuki approached Karuizawa.

"W-What?".

"I've got my own problems here. Sorry".

Ibuki swiftly maneuvered behind Karuizawa and restrained both her hands.

"Ow!".

Karuizawa screamed. Despite her reluctance, Ibuki completely shut down any resistance from Karuizawa. Being restrained by someone with martial arts experience like Ibuki, there's nothing Karuizawa could do.

"Ishizaki, go fill the buckets with water. Let's start with two buckets. There should be no one using the toilet one floor beneath us right now. There are two buckets used for cleaning in the men's toilet".

"Ehh? Water? What are we going to use it for?".

"Are you going to disobey me too?".

"N-No, I'll go fetch some right away!".

Ishizaki panicked and passed by Ibuki despite looking like he's about to fall over.

"Let's chat a bit more until Ishizaki returns, shall we?".

"No! Let me go!".

Karuizawa thrashed around with all her strength but she couldn't break out of Ibuki's hold. The reason we're holding her isn't to prevent her from escaping, it's a way to amplify her fear of what's about to happen.

As a matter of fact, Karuizawa's desperately resisting and struggling to the very end, perhaps because she's realized what's about to happen to her.

"I'll seriously report you if you so much as lay one finger on me!".

"Kukuku. You're quite the fierce one, despite coming all the way here. Do you think X will protect you this time around as well?".

No matter how many times I ask her, she gives me the same answer. She stubbornly refuses to acknowledge the existence of that person.

"This is just my onesided hypothesis but perhaps the X lurking in the shadows of Class D promised to protect you in case of an emergency?".

Karuizawa's eyes gave it away. Despite her trying to hide it, it's not so easy to conceal.

"Because if that's not the case, then it doesn't add up. Your bullish personality would cause girls from other classes to dislike you as well so there's the possibility of you being targeted by girls other than Manabe's group".

Ibuki took her eyes off Karuizawa to look at me.

"You must have lived each and every day terrified of those who knew the truth. But until today, you've managed to avoid having anyone uncover the truth and you've come this far without having been bullied. Why is that? It can only be because of the person behind you always covering for you and saving you".

"And you're saying that's X?".

Ibuki asked me.

"For now---but, that wasn't always the case, was it? Because X should've only realized the truth when Manabe's group made contact with Karuizawa. I think.....you made Hirata your boyfriend in order to protect yourself, didn't you?".

Karuizawa widened her eyes.

"N-No.....".

"That's exactly it, isn't it? Don't underestimate me too much, Karuizawa".

I looked into her eyes. And drew out the darkness lurking deep inside Karuizawa.

Surely X did the same thing as well.

"Ahh.......!?".

She's finally started showing me her cute side.

"...Ryuuen, how do you know all that?".

Karuizawa isn't the only one surprised by my words. Ibuki also couldn't resist cutting in to inquire about that mystery.

"It comes with experience. I've seen a ton of rotten people throughout my life after all".

"Huff, huff. S-Sorry to keep you waiting".

Ishizaki, who panickedly ran to fetch some water, came back a few minutes later. Buckets that were 80% filled with water. Seeing that, Ibuki once again hit me with a question.

"You said there are two buckets, didn't you? How did you know that?".

"You guys don't even know how many surveillance cameras are installed throughout this school, do you?".

"Huh? There's no way we'd know that".

"You won't know if you don't look into it. But if you've done your research, you'll be able to understand anything your eyes fall on".

Bit by bit every day, I looked into the locations of the surveillance cameras set up inside the school. As a result, I also came to know that there are two buckets kept in reserve inside the toilet.

"One of the measures I took to confirm that was having Ishizaki and the others attack Sudou. Funnily though, there seems to have been a witness from Class D on the scene though".

Ishizaki's face turned apologetic.

If there were no witnesses, Class C would've stood to gain more from that incident.

"I told you, didn't I, Ishizaki? To never admit you're wrong, no matter what".

"Y-Yes.....I just felt timid for a moment there back then and.....".

But as a result, Ishizaki and the others were tricked by the fake surveillance camera and ended up confessing.

"At first glance, this school appears to operate with discipline. But that's not quite the truth. Depending on how you handle it, use of force may be permitted too".

There are clues scattered all throughout the average day hinting at that.

"You guys probably won't get it but the smart ones are constantly engaging in trial-and-error".

The first thing I did after enrolling was to look into the 'rules' of this mysterious school and how to 'beat' them.

One more thing I did after enrolling here besides comprehending the system was to measure the usefulness of private points.

"For instance, have you ever felt the setup of the exams were strange? Regardless of whether it's the island exam or the shipboard exam or the Paper Shuffle. If you go over it with the senior student, you'd be able to uncover what it's all about. At first glance, you'd think that. But even if you ask them, there's not a single student capable of answering that satisfactorily. Why do you think that is?".

"...each year, the exams are different so there's the possibility that the rules are different".

"That's right. It's not like all the exams are the same every year. But strictly speaking, it's that the rules for each 'school year' are different".

"What do you mean, Ryuuen-san?".

If you can beat the exam by simply checking with your seniors, then it fails to qualify as an exam at all. It would just turn into a stupid race to see who can flatter the senior students more.

To prevent that from happening, you need to put solid rules in place.

"What if a rule like '2nd years and above will be expelled immediately if they leak exam conents' were to be put into effect?".

Regardless of whether exam contents are the same or not, what would happen if shackles like that were to be prepared?

"That would mean---they'd never talk".

"That's right. Even if their underclassmen asked them, they wouldn't be able to answer. There's no way those guys who fought for a whole year while risking expulsion would run the risk of expulsion from a careless remark they made. As a matter of fact, I tried negotiating with a few 2nd year Class D students by offering them private points but I've never once succeeded. It's proof that talking carries considerable risk in and of itself".

"But...you might be right. Komimya and Kondou also said so a while back. Even when they tried getting hints from their seniors, they never got anything out of them. On the contrary, it almost felt like they shouldn't even ask".

It's precisely because everyone has thought of it that it feels like it's forbidden territory. Strictly speaking, there's the possibility that there even more detailed rules in place but we'll eventually understand.

"Just like this, I've always tiptoed the borderline of legality".

The surveillance cameras, bribing the senior students, making a backroom deal with Class A. I've mapped out in detail the line between what I can do and what I cannot do.

"Today, what we're about to do to Karuizawa is also one of those experiments".

Karuizawa's begun trembling from the cold.

"Trauma's better evoked through experiencing it rather than drawing it out through words".

According to the testimonies of Manabe's group, even the fierce Karuizawa will quiet down immediately. I signalled Ishizaki with my eyes. Ishizaki should have understood what I wanted him to do with just that alone.

Ibuki pushed Karuizawa forward and then distanced herself. And in accordance with my order, Ishizaki dumped water from the bucket on Karuizawa's head.

"!?".

Underneath the cold winter sky, the chill of the water would reach even the core of her heart.

Karuizawa collapsed on the spot from the overwhelming shock and trembled.

She hugged herself with both her arms. Her earlier fierceness has disappeared entirely after a bucket of water.

"Does this make you remember? The baptism you received at your previous school, that is".

"N-No.......!".

She covered her ears.

Almost like a little girl scared of a ghost, she just kept trembling.

"I won't settle for this. I'm going to break you thoroughly".

I took out my phone and started recording, then grabbed Karuizawa's bangs and lifted them up. I noticed a liquid leaking out of her eyes. Right now, Karuizawa's probably internally reliving the bullying of her past.

"This is footage of your bullying. If you won't tell me anything then I'm going to spread it around the school".

That's a lie, of course, but Karuizawa is no longer capable of forming rational thoughts.

"Go on, cry. Scream. Show me how you beg for forgiveness".

"No, no!!!".

There's nothing quite like digging up deeply carved wounds.

"I can't watch this...I shouldn't have helped you.....".

Ibuki averted her eyes as though to escape.

"Bullying the weak is quite fun though? Nothing like it to stir up your heart".

I recalled a bunch of people who attacked me long ago.

There was this one guy who cried like a baby when their arrogance came back to bite them. But in Karuizawa's case, things are a bit different.

"Despite the thorough bullying you received, you boldly stood out in Class D. Hats off to you for that".

In spite of her weakness, she stood out on her own to establish a new persona for herself. She maintained her position this far by using Hirata and through receiving X's protection.

"It's easier said that done, you know".

If a victim of bullying is broken into servility once, the roots of that run deep enough that it can be repeated.

It can't be helped because that's the sort of lesson the bullying drills into you.

"In a way, you may just be a woman stouthearted enough to not lose to me".

I crouched down and continued as though sneering at the trembling Karuizawa.

"But you see, you can't change human nature that easily. It doesn't change. You're the sort of person conditioned to receive bullying, not dish out bullying. Remember that well".

I picked up the other bucket near Ishizaki's feet and this time, I dumped it on Karuizawa.

"!?".

Silently screaming, Karuizawa curled up to the best of her ability.

"Ishizaki. Go fetch me some more".

"Y-Yes".

He picked up the two buckets scattered on the floor and once again, Ishizaki descended from the rooftop.

"Who's the one protecting you by shutting down Manabe's group?".

"There's no such person.....! No such person, no such person, no such person!".

Shaking her head, she denied it over and over as though running away.

"Kuku. So you're still hiding it. You really are a stouthearted one. No, perhaps you're just used to the bullying? For you, this might not even register as bullying".

I grabbed Karuizawa's arm and forcibly pulled her up.

"...I can't watch this".

"This is where the fun starts, you know?".

"This is just utterly disgusting".

Ibuki did not leave but rather, she only leaned on the door to the rooftop while refusing to participate in the bullying.

"I'll leave after I confirm X's identity".

"That's just fine".

I'm not doing this to entertain the lot of you.

I'm breaking Karuizawa for my own pleasure.