Translation: botman

Edit/TLC: d3nj4l/Silent Death

During the lunch break, I took Horikita to where I was supposed to meet Ishizaki.

Hey, Ayanokouji! Over here!

Ishizaki was practically hopping as he arrived, and when he saw me from afar he waved his hand.

Next to him was Ibuki, who was staring at me with her arm folded in displeasure.

Did she agree to this?

From the look on her face, Im not sure.

Looks like she was in a bad mood after hearing the plans of forming a group.

I guess Ishizaki brought her here without explaining the situation in much detail.

Hurry up and come over!

Ishizaki exuded the enthusiasm of a bunny.

You seem to be close friends.

Horikita was slightly creeped out by Ishizakis attitude.

Hes a nice guy.

Even so, I wouldnt get too close to him.

He was similar to Sudou in terms of enthusiasm, but Ishizaki was different in his own way.

Whats going on? Why are Ayanokouji and Horikita here?

Ah, so she wasnt told beforehand.

Horikita and I looked at each other. It wasnt smart to let Ishizaki do the talking here.

Actually, theres something we wanted to discuss, so I asked Ishizaki to call you, Ibuki.

I had no choice, so I started to explain on the spot.

And?

I heard that in the next special exam, youre going to go compete by yourself?

Thats my choice.

She replied curtly, as if there was no room for discussion.

Ive told you a few times, that its better to group up.

I dont need it.

Well, you say that but the fact is theres no one who wants to team up with you.

Ishizaki just had to say something. Was he trying to help her or get in her way?

I turned to him, and remained silent.

Huh? Whats wrong, Ayanokouji?

But Ishizaki didnt understand my intentions, and questioned me instead.

Its nothing. By the way, Horikita here is the same as Ibuki, she hasnt teamed up with anyone yet.

So?

Next exam, if you dont form a group, youll be at a disadvantage. Even if its not three people, if at least the two of you form a group, then even in the worst case scenario, if one of you gets eliminated, youll be able to continue.

She should now understand what I meant.

And theres not much time left before the deadline.

Dont tell me you want me to group up with Horikita?

Well, thats about right.

Ha! Who are you to say that about me?

Apart from your physical ability Youre not much good at anything else.

Hey, you too, dont say whatever you want

Ibuki impetuously drew close.

Then she stared at Ishizaki, who was standing behind her with an absent-minded look on his face.

You too, you want me to group up with Horikita to help them out, dont you?

I didnt know it would be Horikita, but wouldnt it be great if you formed a group?

I already hate this guy a lot, but my hatred for Horikita is even higher than that.

This guy, I think she was referring to me. That was polite. Using her finger to directly point at the person in front of her.

Ayanokouji, she doesnt seem to like you very much.

I didnt even realize it. Although, she seems to hate you even more than me.

Im honored.

Ibuki seemed stung by Horikita and I whispering to each other, and didnt bother hiding her displeasure.

I dont know if Horikita asked you or whatever the reason, but theres no way Im going to team up with that girl.

It seemed like she really had a grudge against Horikita.

She stubbornly refused to listen to what I had to say.

Ah, but I dont remember saying I wanted to be in a group with you.

Observing Ibukis attitude, Horikita attempted to provoke her.

Huh? What do you mean?

Looks like youve got things mixed up. Youve been left behind because nobody wanted to be with you, and I didnt group up with anyone because I wanted to fight alone. Although were both lone wolves, our situations are not the same.

Horikita replied, almost astonished. However, it lit a fire in Ibuki, and she said:

Im also on my own because I want to be. Anyway, you say you want to go it alone, thats perfect. Its a challenge, Horikita!

She shifted her gaze from me to Horikita.

Can I ask you something? Why do you want to fight me? Its true that we competed at the uninhabited island exam and during the sports festival, but that wasnt anything special right?

Youre the only one who thinks that.

As far as I know, Ibuki beat Horikita in their fight on the uninhabited island, but Horikita won in the 100 meter race at the sports festival.

One win, one loss. Though its hard to say that they were at their best. Horikita had a high fever during the uninhabited island exam, so that was a big disadvantage for her while during the sports festival Ibuki was so fixated on Horikita that she lost her pace in the sports festival. In other words, there was no way to determine who was better.

Even on the rooftop, after I beat both Ryuuen and Ibuki, she still challenged me again later on.

In short, shes the kind of person who cant accept anything until she knows for sure who was the stronger one.

This time, she wanted to compete against Horikita in the uninhabited island exam through survival.

If you think about it that way, there was no way that Ibuki and Horikita would be able to work together.

It seems like this was a waste of time.

Wait. Do you accept? Or no?

I am going in alone, but Im not choosing to work alone throughout. When the special exams start, Ill merge with another group if necessary.

If it had been a one-on-one match it would be possible to decide the winner, but now it wouldnt be a fair fight.

Lame!

Lameness Isnt a reason to change the way I take the test.

Letting Ibuki know that she was wasting her energy, Horikita rebuffed her.

If you insist on fighting alone, then even if I form a group, try not to lose. If you win, then Ill recognise you a bit.

Not better.

Looks like negotiations seem to have broken down as it was impossible for Horikita and Ibuki to team up.

However, provoking her until the end would definitely have strengthened Ibukis resolve to fight on her own. I softly apologized to Ishizaki, and then went back to the classroom with Horikita.

You knew from the start that Ibuki wouldnt be able to accept it, right? Youre too kind.

I wanted to provoke her into doing something reckless in order to disqualify her.

Horikita wasnt being honest with herself, but this kind of answer felt very much like her.