Chapter 10:
The Truth Is…
BEFORE THE START of the special exam. I arrived at the bathroom first and leaned back against the door of the stall that was the furthest back in the row, waiting for Ayanokouji. With my arms crossed and my guard up, I heightened my concentration, focusing on my upcoming fight with Sakayanagi. Since the rules were disclosed to us just a bit ago, I repeatedly went through simulations in my mind to see how I should fight. Unfortunately, the fact that the representatives and participants were completely isolated from each other meant that most of the strategies that I had planned in advance couldn’t be used, but Sakayanagi was under the same conditions, so that wasn’t something to complain about.
Besides, if it had been a battle based on academics, then it would’ve been no contest, as though the game had already decided at the start. So, considering that, it was safe to say that the first barrier had been crossed. It was especially interesting because there were no absolute guarantees.
For the first time in a long while, I felt a tingling, stinging sensation all over my skin. Leaving things to chance, if I were to go out there and lose to Sakayanagi in this exam, then that would be the end. In the worst-case scenario, there was still the option of holding my revenge match against Ayanokouji outside of the school.
After a short delay, he came over to me. He had a blank expression, like usual. At the time, I couldn’t sense the creepy vibe Ayanokouji had about him. But now, I could feel his abnormality, to the point of disgust.
“Seems like you picked up on my call,” said Ayanokouji.
“Hurry up and state your business already,” I replied. “Sorry, but I ain’t got the time to pay attention to you today.”
Ayanokouji didn’t even move an eyebrow when I rushed him.
“Ryuuen, I’d like to ask you to pass on a single message to Sakayanagi, sometime between the start and the end of the special exam,” he said.
“Huh? A message? If that’s it, then you tell ’er yourself. Are you messin’ with me?” I spat.
That chick Sakayanagi was sittin’ quietly in the waiting room from when the groups were decided until just a minute ago. He would have plenty of time to go and talk to her himself.
“It’s a special message, a message that I only want delivered during the special exam,” explained Ayanokouji.
So, he was talking about a message that had meaning once the one-on-one match between me and Sakayanagi was underway, huh?
“Hah! I don’t get what that’s supposed to mean,” I replied.
“It’s okay if you don’t understand. The message just needs to get to Sakayanagi,” he said.
What the hell is he up to? I don’t think this is it, but is it possible that he’s working together with Sakayanagi?
“Relax. I may not be on your side, but I’m not on Sakayanagi’s, either. I’m simply a bystander,” he added.
He added that bit of information like he was reading my thoughts, as I was wondering just what he was doing.
“So what’s in it for me, to help you out with this hassle?” I asked.
“Sorry, but nothing in particular. If you don’t like it, you can refuse. Besides, if the situation unfolds in such a way that you win against Sakayanagi, then the message won’t be necessary.”
I had no intention of honestly cooperating with Ayanokouji, but I couldn’t allow that last thing he said to pass.
“You sayin’ I’ll lose?” I asked.
“I didn’t say that. The message is just a little particular is all,” said Ayanokouji. At this point, he was just spouting nonsense, but he continued. “If you determine that you can’t win, then just remember what I said when the time comes. If you just do that, that’ll be fine.”
I didn’t like this at all, but this guy did see into the future, in a really bizarre way. I guess that it wasn’t a totally pointless thing for me to do, at the very least.
“Unfortunately for you, I don’t plan on losin’ at all. But all the same, I’m gonna ask you. What should I pass on?” I asked.
I was getting a bit curious about the contents of this message that he was going to deliver to Sakayanagi in such a roundabout way. But…
“The contents of the message have been passed onto Hashimoto,” said Ayanokouji.
“Huh?!”
Even now, Ayanokouji was saying stuff that just went totally beyond what I imagined.
“So just tell Sakayanagi to ask Hashimoto for the message.”
“You shittin’ me? How am I even going to get her to talk to Hashimoto during the exam?”
“That’s simple,” he replied. “All you have to do is make Hashimoto the traitor. If you do that, then you can make a situation where she can engage in dialogue with him one-on-one.”
Seriously, how far was this guy going to go just to screw with me?
“Don’t make me laugh. Hashimoto’s an opportunistic rat bastard that nobody trusts. There’s no way that Sakayanagi would use Hashimoto’s group in a match against me,” I answered.
Using my right to send in a traitor on Hashimoto itself sounded idiotic, but there was no conceivable way something like that could happen.
“It depends on the circumstances. It’s actually not that difficult, depending on how things unfold,” said Ayanokouji.
It didn’t feel like he was saying, “You have to tell her,” or anything like that, like he was trying to talk me into it, but seriously, this guy was an asshole who pissed me off to no end.
“Yer outta luck. I don’t care whether there’s any meanin’ to this message or not. You’re just gonna have to deliver this message or whatever it is to herself yourself after the exam. You should have least have enough time to meet with her, anyway,” I replied.
“It’s a special message, that Sakayanagi will only be able to pick up on during the special exam,” said Ayanokouji.
“You tryin’ to keep me from usin’ my traitor rights or somethin’?” I asked.
In all likelihood, Sakayanagi wasn’t gonna use that rat bastard Hashimoto anyway, but this whole message business would be impossible if I didn’t save my traitor rights for when he was in play.
“It might happen,” said Ayanokouji.
“Don’t make me laugh,” I replied. “Your message’ll never reach Sakayanagi.”
I shoved Ayanokouji’s riddle into a corner of my mind, feeling like an idiot for giving this any serious thought.
“If you want to use your traitor rights, you can use them whenever you want. I won’t coerce you,” Ayanokouji said before leaving.
I clicked my tongue forcefully while I watched his back as he walked through the door.
“What’s the message? God damn it, makin’ it harder for me to use my rights for no reason,” I spat.
I was about to be forced into a tough fight, and here he was, asking me for the most ridiculous crap.
10.1
RYUUEN HAD EXERCISED his right to send in a traitor and there was going to be a dialogue with a representative.
“I’ve gotta bad feelin about this,” said Hashimoto.
Hashimoto, who had already arrived and sat down, muttered those words to Sakayanagi as she appeared in the classroom with a smile.
“Ryuuen used his traitor rights when my group was selected,” he added. “This is a bad turn of events.”
Saying that, Hashimoto leaned his back deeply into his chair as Sakayanagi walked with her cane over to the seat opposite him and sat down.
“I can’t ask how the battle between representatives is going, but by all accounts, we’re at the climax, huh?” said Hashimoto.
“I am not so sure about that. Unfortunately, I cannot provide an answer to that question here,” said Sakayanagi.
Hashimoto was hoping for news of a development wherein Ryuuen had the upper hand in their match. But he felt that Sakayanagi, sitting before him, seemed to have a composed air about her.
“Well, that’s okay. We won’t know the details until it’s all over, anyway. More importantly, why’d you use the group I’m in, Sakayanagi?” asked Hashimoto, changing the subject a little as though he were trying to run away from that answer.
“Oh my. Now that you perceive me as an enemy, you feel no compunction about addressing me so casually?” asked Sakayanagi.
“Because, for the time being anyway, it’s just you and me here, and I don’t really care about keeping up appearances or whatever,” Hashimoto explained.
“Very well. I see that you are appropriately prepared yourself,” said Sakayanagi.
Hashimoto was playing it cool, looking nonchalant, but his heart was beating much, much faster than normal. He desperately swallowed his saliva to try to wet his thirsty throat and pretended like things were normal.
“You have chosen to join forces with Ryuuen-kun. It is unfortunate for you that, for this once-in-a-lifetime match, it turned out to be a special exam in which you and he were completely helpless,” said Sakayanagi.
“Yeah, seriously. I was hoping for something like, by betraying you, I’d be able to overturn the odds in this contest,” said Hashimoto. Because the results were almost the exact opposite, he made a big show of being disappointed. “Why did you even use my group, anyway? Even if I couldn’t do anything to meddle, there’s no way you’d do anything that would provide an opening that could be exploited. You never know what’s going to happen in this world.”
There was no advantage to using Hashimoto, only disadvantages.
“Yes, you are correct. I was not planning to use you for this special exam, as you had expected,” said Sakayanagi.
“So why, then? What’s the purpose of having this dialogue? Don’t tell me you went this far to try to get me expelled. Is that what you’re saying?” asked Hashimoto, completely convinced that something like that would be absolutely impossible. “I can’t comply with your wishes, so how about I just hurry up and confess already? I’ll say it: I’m the traitor.”
“I would prefer that you not do so, because I am not interested in your confession at all. The reason I had called you, Hashimoto-kun, was so that I could find out the contents of the message that you had heard from Ayanokouji-kun,” explained Sakayanagi.
“…Message?” asked Hashimoto.
“Since you and I are the only ones here, surely there is no need for you to hide it, no?” asked Sakayanagi.
“No, wait, hold on a second. I have no idea what you’re talking about,” replied Hashimoto as he crossed his arms and gave it some thought, looking visibly puzzled.
“You met with Ayanokouji-kun before the special exam, did you not?” asked Sakayanagi.