I had no idea that my short-lived proposal of six months would bear such fruit.
“Though, if I can gain that much cooperation from you, I don’t mind if we lose. Should I cut corners then?” Horikita replied, with a hint of a mean-spirited smirk.
Of course, there was no way that Horikita was going to slack off. Though we only had an hour to assign the groups, none of the classes struggled with this, and in about forty minutes all of them had finished. Afterward, we returned the tablets to Mashima-sensei. All that was left was to sit down in the empty seats and wait for the signal for the start of the special exam, but…
Nothing about my fundamental approach changed even after having all the rules disclosed to us. However, I would continue pursuing just that one thing I desired, and leave my mark in the process, so I shot Ryuuen a look. Soon afterward, our eyes met, and I signaled to him that I wanted to meet him in the hallway. Perhaps he had grasped my signal loud and clear, because Ryuuen went ahead and left the classroom first.
“I’m gonna stop by the restroom for a minute,” I announced
After casually excusing myself, I went out into the hallway. As I did, a lone figure followed me out of the classroom.
“Ayanokouji-kun.”
Hoshinomiya-sensei approached me, calling to me quietly so as not to disturb the silence that enveloped the hallway.
“Were you just on your way to the restroom? Could I bother you for a minute?” she asked.
I stopped and turned around, and then Hoshinomiya hurriedly closed the distance between us, coming close enough to touch if I reached out.
“I was surprised to see you here as a representative today. I never imagined,” she said.
“Is it really that unexpected? I came forward for last year’s final special exam too,” I replied.
When I brought up a point of comparison to show that it was fitting for me to appear, Hoshinomiya-sensei sniffed a bit. “If you couldn’t tell, I was being snide. There’s nowhere for my class to go anymore. We’re Class D. Do you understand? If you’re here, Ayanokouji-kun, that means our chances of winning go down the drain.”
She came out and told me what she honestly felt, without sugarcoating it or beating around the bush. I felt like she had already crossed a line as a teacher, but I figured it was better to let it slide.
“I don’t think of you as being easy opponents. Ichinose’s class is going to be a formidable foe. If anything, after hearing the rules my impression is that they’ll be even better off,” I replied.
“Advantage, disadvantage. That stuff doesn’t matter. What’s important are results. Victory. That’s it,” said Hoshinomiya-sensei.
It was certainly true that there was no use in clinging to uncertainties.
“Yes, I guess that’s true. All we can do is fight as best we can and—”
“Please give us the win,” pleaded Hoshinomiya-sensei, cutting me off just as I was about to finish my sentence. “I want you to throw the match, convincingly.”
Kanzaki had said something similar, but this was far, far more direct.
“That’s absurd. Besides, as the appointed general, there’s no way I could throw the match,” I replied.
“Please don’t say no. What if I said that I can compensate you for it?”
“There aren’t many things that can be offered as worthy enough compensation for handing over victory. And moreover, you’re a teacher, Hoshinomiya-sensei. Wouldn’t it be breaking an unwritten rule for you to intervene in a student’s battle so carelessly?”
Hoshinomiya-sensei, while still wary of our surroundings, took another half step closer.
“I just can’t lose to Sae-chan. She’s the only person I can’t let myself lose to. For that, I’ll do anything,” said Hoshinomiya-sensei.
“I see. And you’re saying that you don’t care about your position as a teacher, and whatnot?” I replied.
“That’s correct.”
“All right, then, allow me to ask: What kind of compensation are you prepared to offer me, sensei?”
“If I’m capable of it, anything. For example, if I can get information about a special exam in your third year at an early stage, I could secretly pass it along to you,” said Hoshinomiya-sensei.
I asked her that question hoping to see how far she’d step outside of her role as teacher, but that was more than I imagined. If not for the absolute and complete certainty that I didn’t have some kind of recording device on me right now, she would never have said these words, not even as a lie or joke.
“If you are willing to go that far, then why not just pass information directly to the class that you’re currently in charge of?” I asked.
“Not those kids, they can’t. They can’t be the bad guys. If I suggested something like that to them, they couldn’t make use of it. Instead, they’d just try to protect me,” said Hoshinomiya-sensei.
Ichinose and her classmates would absolutely try to stop Hoshinomiya-sensei, whose position as a teacher would be in jeopardy. Hoshinomiya-sensei apparently understood that much very well.
“But with you, it’d be a different story, right, Ayanokouji-kun? I know you would make good use of that information,” said Hoshinomiya-sensei.
“I appreciate the offer, but the risk is too great. I’m afraid I have to decline,” I replied.
I was sure that even Hoshinomiya-sensei must not have thought that I’d accept such a risky offer, after all.
“Okay then, what do you want as compensation? Can you make an offer, Ayanokouji-kun?” she asked.
“I don’t have anything particular in mind. I’ll just have to wait for you to make another offer,” I replied.
“Ugh… Okay, in that case, there is something else. That’s right. Something only I can do… Like…” she stammered.
With that, she reached out with her right hand and gently touched my ear.
“Are you going to clean my ears for me?” I asked.
“Stop joking around.” said Hoshinomiya. “You understand what I’m trying to say, right?”
She showed me that she was honestly prepared to do whatever it took. If she could do something, she would, no matter how it would make her look.
However, no matter what she offered me in return as compensation, joining forces with Hoshinomiya-sensei was simply too risky. It would be easy to dismiss her as a foolish teacher who wanted to win, but the reality wasn’t so simple. Her resolve to do whatever it took to win was, without a doubt, utterly genuine. If that was true, then it was possible that she could take anything I said and use it against me. After all, words once spoken cannot be taken back. I needed to consider the various risks.
“You have an incredibly disgusted look in your eyes, Ayanokouji-kun. It’s almost as though…you can see right through me, inside my head,” said Hoshinomiya-sensei.
“All that you can do now is believe in Ichinose’s class’s victory,” I told her.
“I suppose that’s your way of saying that you won’t hand over the win, not for anything,” she replied.
“Of course not. Our classes are direct opponents, after all,” I replied.
“In that case, I guess there’s no telling what recourse I have, huh?” she sighed.
“Interesting. I’ll be looking forward to that as well. Please excuse me,” I replied.
With that, I turned away and headed for the bathroom. Hoshinomiya-sensei didn’t call out to me again, and she didn’t seem to be following me either.