Katsuragi, biting his lip, started to walk out of the room when Sakayanagi called out to him.
“You seem to have become much livelier than when we were in the same class together,” she said. “Despite the fact that, because Ryuuen-kun and I are both the same sort of aggressive type, you and he ought to be fundamentally incompatible.”
“You make it sound as though I’m a good match for Ryuuen, from the way you’re speaking. I would like for you to amend that statement,” replied Katsuragi.
“It cannot be helped that things appear that way.”
“I cannot accept that,” spat Katsuragi, exiting the room as the loser, leaving only those brief words.
Class A and Class C were finally about to have a showdown between generals.
7.4
THE MONITOR in the waiting room displayed new information. It seemed that the battle between Horikita and Ichinose had been settled in short order, apparently.
Results
Class 2-B Center
Representative Name: Horikita Suzune – Remaining Life: Zero
Class 2-D General
Representative Name: Ichinose Honami – Remaining Life: Ten
Class 2-B General
Representative Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, please begin your turn promptly.
Interval – Time Remaining: 10:00
So Horikita lost to Ichinose. There was a possibility that the match could have been prolonged, but judging from the results and the amount of time taken, it seemed to have been a complete and utter defeat.
“If only I had fought a little better…” Yousuke sighed deeply from his seat next to mine, having been watching the situation closely.
“No, that would have made little difference. It can’t be mere coincidence that Horikita lost so completely. This special exam isn’t entirely free of an element of luck, sure, but in nominating, there are concepts of coming to a draw or offsetting changes. These results purely show that Horikita just wasn’t as quick as Ichinose,” I replied.
Hypothetically, even if Yousuke had beaten Hamaguchi and Kanzaki, the results probably would have been similar.
“So, that’s just how strong of an opponent Ichinose-san is?” asked Yousuke.
“Yes. For this special exam, she is, without a doubt, the most formidable foe,” I replied.
“Yeah… Do you think we have a chance to win?” he asked.
“I’m not so sure. Anyway, I don’t want to waste time. I’m going to go see Horikita,” I replied.
“Okay. Do your best,” said Yousuke.
When I exited the waiting room, Ryuuen soon followed after me, stepping out into the hallway.
“The bathroom’s the other way,” I remarked.
“Man, she lost all too quickly too, eh? Guess you guys made the right call, not lettin’ her take the general position,” said Ryuuen, ignoring my comment in order to muse on the results from our class’s battle.
“Did you come after me all the way here just to say that?” I asked.
“Nah, not really. Anyway, you guys fought hard enough. I think it’d be totally understandable that you’d lose. Ichinose seems to be a real tough opponent for this,” said Ryuuen.
Apparently, his warning had proven to be correct, or so he wanted to say.
“Y’know, it’s like what they say: A cornered rat’ll bite a cat. Just as I expected, Suzune got bitten hard, all the way down to the bone. Wouldn’t be at all surprised if she bites you too, at this rate,” said Ryuuen.
“So you were worried and called after me?” I asked.
“Hah!” spat Ryuuen. After that short laugh, Ryuuen drew up close to me. “Man, sure is a shame that I won’t get to see firsthand how you take on Ichinose now.”
“You should worry more about yourself than other people.”
At my warning, Ryuuen laughed once more and returned to the waiting room. I was sure that Ryuuen wasn’t in a situation where he could spend too much time dealing with me right now. Katsuragi had beaten the opposing vanguard and center quite handily, but I didn’t know how good of a fight Katsuragi could put up against Sakayanagi. Ryuuen’s turn would undoubtedly be coming up soon.
As I walked, I saw Horikita slogging listlessly from the other end of the hallway. However, she didn’t notice me and seemed like she was about to just trudge right on past me.
“You’re back really early,” I said. “I thought you might make it all the way and bring back the general’s head.”
I called out to her to stop her, and she brought her downcast face up in response.
“I’m sorry,” said Horikita.
Horikita gave a short answer, without even getting angry at my sarcasm. Well, no, I should say that answering the way she did was the best she could do at the moment.
“I lost so disgracefully that I wouldn’t blame you if you laughed at me,” added Horikita.
“But you beat the vanguard and the center, remember?” I replied.
“Those were the kinds of victories where I was basically handed the win. It’s nothing to be proud of,” she said.
Apparently, she had ended up losing her self-confidence. She was probably thinking so negatively that she wasn’t even aware of the risk of lowering her allies’ morale by letting them see her in such a weakened state.
“Seems like she was really tough. Ichinose, I mean,” I remarked.
“Yes. Even more than I expected… Actually, no, she might be completely extraordinary,” said Horikita. She really couldn’t have been more complimentary toward Ichinose. “Under the rules of this special exam, she is unbeatable. She has a breadth of vision and a level of insight that just cannot be matched. I was left convinced that she would defeat any opponent in short order, even if they were Sakayanagi-san or Ryuuen-kun.”
Horikita bit her lip hard as she lamented her own powerlessness. Seemed like Horikita, who had been leading the class while battling under pressure up until this point, might have suffered more damage than she would have from mere defeat, thanks to the results showing a complete and total loss. There was no doubt that she had experienced a major defeat in this battle, which also assessed one’s mental strength. The outcome of this special exam hinged on how I performed as the general, but if I wasn’t careful, the damage to Horikita might end up lingering for a long time to come.
“I’m sorry. Really, I am. If only I could have taken away at least one Life Point, then—”
“You may not have been able to win against Ichinose, but remember, you defeated the vanguard and center, and now we’ve been brought back to even footing. I think that alone shows you fought well enough,” I said, interrupting her.
“But…it wasn’t good enough.”
She didn’t actually say it aloud, but I could practically hear her thinking, “I wanted to win on my own.” As the leader, she wanted to reach even higher as the one pulling the class along.
“I had to win… I had to win for my class, but…” She somehow managed to keep talking despite being crushed by feelings of regret. “No, not just for the class. I wanted to win and have you acknowledge me. I wanted to beat Ichinose-san and then have you praise me for a job well done…”
Horikita spoke of her true thoughts and feelings about this special exam. Did that mean my praise for her half-assed results actually ended up hurting her feelings all the more then?
“I understand how much pressure was being placed on you,” I said. “Sure, you lost in a direct showdown, but you also had to deal with the difference in point values between your position and hers, and the restriction of not using the traitor.”
“Stop it. That’s just an empty consolation,” said Horikita.
“Sorry, but it’s true. Besides, this loss is a good experience. I think that it’ll also be an opportunity for you to grow. If the same kind of exam were to be held again, you’ll surely produce better results next time,” I told her.
That wasn’t a lie. It was hard to face a big obstacle, but it was a necessary part of the process in order to overcome them.
“But…”
“Fortunately, there’s no one around here right now. There’s no need for you to put on a tough front. Even if I couldn’t see the situation in exact detail, I can tell by looking at you that you fought well,” I told her.
Giving her a genuine expression of admiration for her efforts, I gave Horikita a gentle hug.
She made a small sound of surprise at my embrace.
There wasn’t any need to continue to act tough and keep fighting all alone. Weak people are allowed to lean on someone else for support.
“A-Ayanokouji-kun, wh-what are you…?!” wailed Horikita.
Horikita tried to pull away, albeit weakly, but I held on to her back and didn’t let go.
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