Recruit Ookuma.
Nanaougi’s idea was wild. Absurd, even. But the more I thought about it, the more sense it made.
I mean, if she was on our side, then Ookuma would be getting payback on this crappy school. How else could you save someone “like us”?
And if we had a teacher on our side, then we could hit the school even harder. It would really increase our range of options, allowing us to strike at the school internally.
We could save someone in our predicament and hurt the school where it counted. If Ookuma joined us, it would completely erase Kurumi’s and my reservations.
Putting aside feasibility, the plan itself was perfect. It was galling, but I figured that was the best way to resolve our current problem.
And if we left her crying alone like that…well, that would suck.
After a brief deliberation, Kurumi and I decided to go along with Nanaougi’s plan.
“Very well. If you can recruit a teacher, we’ll approve your membership,” Kurumi said.
“Thank you very much! So, about that. Can I enlist your help on the actual recruitment? Don’t worry, even if we fail, your faces won’t be exposed.”
At this point, I was no longer worried about Nanaougi trying to trap us. Even if she was, we had no choice but to believe her. Her plan was just too good.
“…Very well,” said Kurumi. “I’ll help any way I can. Natsume, are you in?”
“Yeah. No use stewing over it. Let’s do this.”
“Then it’s settled! Let’s get to the nitty-gritty. Of course, it’s not all that complicated…”
Summer vacation was wrapping up, and we’d struck a new deal with Nanaougi.
We would be working to flip Ookuma to our side.
Nanaougi would handle the negotiations, while Kurumi and I helped prepare what was needed to make things go the way she planned.
✦ ✦ ✦
A few days after the end of Obon break, the big day arrived.
Our stage would be the far end of the third building—the same empty classroom where Ookuma had cried.
We couldn’t afford anyone else hearing Nanaougi and Ookuma negotiate, so we needed a place where they could talk in secret, but where a teacher would feel comfortable going. This classroom was the best fit.
“All right. Ren, Kurumi, stick to the plan.”
“Yeah, will do.”
“Got it.”
Nanaougi waited in the classroom at the end of the hall, while Kurumi and I stood by in the room next door.
We’d already used Nanaougi’s name to call Ookuma here. It was almost the appointed time. But would she show?
For a few minutes, we held our breaths.
Then we heard tiny footsteps coming down the hall. They were headed our way, and they drew to a halt on the other side of the wall from where Kurumi and I were hiding.
“…Nanaougi, what’s this about?” said a voice, echoing through the darkness. It could only be Ookuma’s.
She sounded way more strung out than last time. She was exhausted and feeble. It was as if she was trying to hide how sick she felt inside.
Had the head teacher chewed her out again? While we weren’t looking, she’d been driven even further into the corner.
“Is this another discussion about people breaking rules?” she asked.
“More or less. Come on in.”
“Stop this already… Why does it have to be me…?”
“Didn’t catch that, Ms. Ookuma.”
“…Never mind. What is it this time? Let’s make this snappy.”
Their footsteps moved into the classroom next door.
It was time. The second the door closed, Kurumi and I slipped out into the hall and did our part.
We burst into the classroom, Kurumi through the right door, and me through the left. We closed the doors behind us and stood in front of them, our legs firmly planted, sealing the exits.
“Whoa, what’s all this…?!”
We’d slammed the doors quite loudly, and Ookuma wheeled around to face us.
She looked stunned. Her eyes were wide. A perfectly natural reaction.
We were dressed rather outlandishly. I had a fox mask on, while Kurumi was wearing one with a cat design. Our role here was to keep Ookuma from leaving the negotiations—and to prevent any third parties from entering. We had no need to reveal our faces, so we’d covered them.
The sudden arrival of two very suspicious students had clearly rattled Ookuma.
“…Hey, Nanaougi, who are these people? Are they with you?”
She sounded mad, but Nanaougi didn’t waver. She pulled out a chair, sat down, and elegantly crossed her legs. Maintaining her unflappable attitude, she deflected the question.
“Pay them no mind. They’re just guards. Forget about them.”
“Huh? What’s that supposed to mean? What’s going on here?”
“Teacher, this time I want to have a private conversation with you as a person. Take a seat. You’ll want to hear this.”
Ookuma looked between Nanaougi and the two of us at the door. She was silent for a while, like a prey animal taking stock of their natural predator. This was clearly the last thing she’d expected, and she wasn’t sure how to react.
Eventually, she realized silence would solve nothing and slowly took a seat.
The room was dimly lit as Nanaougi and Ookuma faced each other down.
“Nanaougi, what’s the big idea? I assumed we were here to talk about school discipline, or the recent attacks… You know, like usual…”
“Earlier, I said ‘more or less.’”
“……”
“Allow me to apologize. By that, I meant ‘not really.’”
Nanaougi flashed a grin, and Ookuma tensed.
The scene was set. From this point on, it was all up to Nanaougi. She’d had this planned out since before summer vacation. Now she just had to follow through.
She took a breath and commenced her negotiations.
“Ms. Ookuma, I called you here to put an end to this farce.”
“…What farce?”
“It’s simple, really. I thought I’d tell you the identity of the culprit behind these attacks.”
“…What? The culprit? You know who’s doing this?”
“I do. In fact, I’ve known all along.”
“Who?! Tell me! If they stop making trouble, everything will be easier!”
Ookuma was almost on her feet, but Nanaougi waved her back down.
She was about to name names. In any other situation, Kurumi and I ought to be desperate to stop her, but we didn’t budge. She’d briefed us ahead of time, and we knew where this was going and what she’d say next.
“Ah-ha-ha, you’re pretty eager, Ms. Ookuma. All right. If you want to know that badly, I’ll tell you.” She paused and put on a malicious grin. Then she lied like she was born with a fork in her tongue. “It was me.”
After several seconds, Ookuma piped up, her voice strained. “…Um. What?”
Nanaougi continued, piling it on. “The leaked test answers, the insult receipts, the creepy doll heads with the graffiti, and the insults broadcast over the PA system—that was all me.”
“…Huh?! That doesn’t even make sense! You can’t be behind this!”
“On what basis? I’m confessing to my crimes.”
“I mean… I mean, every time there was an attack, you came to me, demanding I put a stop to it! You’re in the good classes! Why…? It doesn’t make sense!”
Ookuma’s voice was getting pretty loud, but Nanaougi didn’t bat an eye.
“This school’s a cesspit. Half the classes are wasted on checking homework progress, no actual teaching is done, and the administration tries to make us pay extra for anything and everything. Not a single thought is spared for the good of the students.”
“Er, no, wait… That’s not…”
“I know you can’t agree because of your position but spare me. You know it sucks here. Start by admitting it.”
“………Well, um…”
Ookuma got very quiet and avoided Nanaougi’s gaze, a guilty look in her eye.
Given what she’d written in her planner, we knew she agreed. Besides, while she may not have wanted to, but she’d hurled a fair number of insults herself.
In order to keep things moving, Nanaougi acted like Ookuma had agreed with her.
“I despise this school. They don’t provide a proper education, and yet they flaunt their best students’ successes as if the credit is all theirs. It’s despicable. But if I complain about the better classes receiving preferential treatment, it’ll go in one ear and out the other. I’m comparatively better off, so no one will listen to me.”
Of course, even if those of us in the lower-ranking classes—the actual victims—said something, the faculty wouldn’t take that seriously, either. But that wasn’t the point, so I kept the thought to myself.
First we’d have to change the school itself. Right now, the important thing was to spell that out for Ookuma so she understood.