“I’ll be frank. I heard that you agreed to the terms of Ryuuen’s bet, that the loser will drop out of school,” I told her.
“Oh, is that what this is about? Well, I suppose that it was only a matter of time before news of our wager reached your ears, Ayanokouji-kun, but who told you about it? Actually, no, I suppose it would be uncouth of me to ask about that.”
Sakayanagi made a show of pursuing the source of my information and then withdrawing.
“Considering Class A’s position and the fact that you have a Protect Point, the terms of your bet are quite extraordinary,” I remarked.
“Yes, I suppose that may be true, if you are only looking at the terms. However, I will not be defeated by him, and Ryuuen-kun’s actions amount to nothing more than wringing his own neck,” said Sakayanagi.
No matter how disproportionate the conditions were, so long as she didn’t lose, there wasn’t any problem. That was her stance. Though her position was different from Ryuuen’s, they were the same in the end.
“You aren’t calling because you are worried about me. Are you?” asked Sakayanagi.
“Do I need to be worried?” I asked.
“Heavens, no. I would simply like for you to see how the battle ends. That should be enough, I think.” She chuckled softly on the other end of the line. Immediately afterwards, I could just barely hear a small yawn.
“Is it already your bedtime?” I asked.
“No, I just had things to do early this morning,” she replied.
“Should I let you go, then?”
“Please do not say such a sad thing. I am fully prepared in anticipation of drowsiness.”
“Fully prepared?” I asked.
“I have taken a bath, brushed my teeth, and even changed into my pajamas. I am already lying down, so I can sleep as soon as our call is finished,” explained Sakayanagi.
Apparently, on the other end of the call, Sakayanagi had finished getting ready for bed and was under the covers.
“Well, you certainly do seem fully prepared,” I replied.
“Yes. Which is why I would welcome even a long chat,” said Sakayanagi, as though my words were a replacement for a lullaby. “Apparently you have also met with Ryuuen-kun and Ichinose-san.”
“I didn’t notice Yamamura following me at all, though… Impressive, as always,” I replied.
“No matter what you say, Ayanokouji-kun, it is rather difficult to perfectly escape from the gazes of many other people, including those from other grade levels and adults.”
So she had connections not just with students, but with some adults as well. Of course, I had to take what she said with a grain of salt. Even so, it was a big deal, since the information she was getting seemed correct.
“Incidentally, Ayanokouji-kun, will you be participating in this special exam as a representative?” asked Sakayanagi.
“I can’t give an answer from my own mouth. Any reports from your regular source?” I asked.
“We aren’t keeping a watch on your class or Ichinose-san’s class this time, as we are not in direct confrontation with you.”
Which meant that she was interested, but she wasn’t going as far as to monitor us. But if Sakayanagi knew already, then this wouldn’t be information I would need to go through the trouble of hiding from her. As I thought, it sounded like the information was leaked only to Ichinose’s side, and not to Sakayanagi’s side.
“Anyway, it feels like Ryuuen’s getting ready for war, but you seem the same as always,” I remarked.
I had been trying to compliment her for keeping her cool, but her response was surprising.
“I have to wonder about that. Whether I am the same as always,” said Sakayanagi.
“What’s different?” I asked.
“I decided to try something new these past two days. This new endeavor involved arranging an opportunity to meet and talk with my classmates individually. I am sure this is an action that I would not have taken in the past, as the old me,” said Sakayanagi.
Basically, the image Sakayanagi projected was of someone who only kept close associates—such as Kamuro, Hashimoto, and Kitou—by her side. It could be said that this was typical of Sakayanagi, who fundamentally didn’t trust people. She shared this tendency with Ryuuen.
“Why did you want to talk to the people in your class? You didn’t disclose anything specific or discuss countermeasures for the special exam with a large group of people, did you?” I asked.
“That’s correct, I did not. It had nothing to do with the exam. That is precisely why… Yes, I suppose you could say that’s the problem,” said Sakayanagi. She was silent for a moment as she mentally sorted out the reasons behind her past actions, and translated them into words. “I should have gotten to know Masumi-san better. I want to know more about Yamamura-san. Such unnecessary feelings, yet I think that they must have been what had driven me,” said Sakayanagi.
It was no use crying over spilt milk, as they say. Kamuro had already been expelled from the school, so she couldn’t talk to him even if she wanted to. As for Yamamura, who was in her same class, their relationship had previously been a one-way street, with Yamamura being the only one interested. But now that they had taken their first step as friends, as opposed to how they were before, Sakayanagi was trying to deepen their relationship so that she wouldn’t have any regrets this time.
Even with her other classmates, Sakayanagi’s relationship with them could change in any way and at any time, but she didn’t know if they might disappear. It was those kinds of thoughts that made her want to know more about the allies that she had now; that seemed the gist of it. There was a chance that Sakayanagi herself was puzzled by it.
“To be perfectly honest, I do not think this sentiment is efficient. One could even say that I am engaging in unproductive actions. And yet, I decided that I must. That isn’t like me, is it?” asked Sakayanagi.
“Yeah. It’s really not like you at all,” I replied.