8.5
The second round began again with Shimizu targeting Tokitō.
“I still think you’re suspicious, Tokitō. You’re an honor student, aren’t you?”
“No...”
Having had a break, Tokitō regained some composure and denied it.
However, Shimizu persistently provoked only Tokitō.
Even when other students tried to speak, he interrupted them, repeating, “Tokitō, Tokitō, Tokitō.” If Class A joined together to do the same thing, it might’ve become an issue, but it was only Shimizu.
“Cut it out, Shimizu!”
“W-What, you’re scary. I’m just discussing here, and you’re being suspicious.”
“Then tell me the reason!”
“Reason? A reason, huh? How about not hesitating to betray your own class? It seems you tried to expel Ryūen in the unanimous special exam. That’s not something you should do to a class leader just because you don’t like him.”
“Who told you such a thing?”
Machida asked in a tone, clearly suggesting that he was speaking based on the assumption that he already knew what happened rather than genuinely wanting to know where it came from.
“I can’t say who told me, but there are a lot of talkative people in Ryūen’s class. Even so, it’s amazing you can still come to school after failing to overthrow him. I might be too embarrassed to even show up—”
“Cut it out.”
Tokitō had been trying to endure it, but perhaps he’d reached his limit as he suddenly stood up. Ignoring his own chair falling over, he approached Shimizu, who wouldn’t stop talking from a distance.
“...This is a discussion, Tokitō. I’m just talking within the rules to find out your role. You have no right to stop me.”
Despite being intimidated by Tokitō’s intensity, Shimizu didn’t back down.
In fact, he decided to keep provoking him until the very end, thinking that if he could incite Tokitō to violently act out, then it would definitely serve the class.
“You’ll be the next one to be cut off anyway. Why not betray Ryūen before that?”
Unable to stop him with his words, Tokitō swung his fist with great momentum.
If he could bring his fist down on Shimizu, he could silence him. Ryūen would receive a penalty, but seeing someone he disliked in trouble—
“Tokitō-kun, could you please lower your fist?”
No one sided with Tokitō.
In such an atmosphere, Shiina, who had silently appeared next to him, gently stopped his trembling fist.
“Shimizu’s words are infuriating, but half of it seems to be true. I don’t like Ryūen. I hope this exam ends up being a mess.”
With him having made a reckless remark, he then glared at Shiina to move away.
“Then you could just forcefully shake me off, couldn’t you?”
“Do you want me to do that?”
“Only if you can, that is.”
“Then...!”
Tokitō clenched his fist even harder, but Shiina didn’t flinch at all.
His intention to make it seem like he might really shake her off didn’t get through to her.
“You aren’t that kind of person.”
“How would you know something like that...”
“Ryūen-kun said that you’d never be rough with girls.”
“Huh? Ryūen said that...?”
“It’s no coincidence that you and I ended up in the same group.”
“What do you mean?”
“I think Ryūen-kun placed me in this group just in case this happened.”
“He did...!?”
He was momentarily surprised, but quickly rationalized the reason.
“So he couldn’t trust me to begin with. Perhaps he wanted you to keep an eye on me for this exam.”
“Is it really because he doesn’t trust you? Couldn’t you consider that he arranged it so that you could be helped if you were in trouble? If he really disliked you, there would be no need to nominate this group for such an important special exam.”
“That is—”
Indeed, while other groups were being called, he was thinking.
If there’s no obligation to use my group, then there would be no need to participate in the exam.
“You are needed here, Tokitō-kun. If you lash out and receive a penalty, you’ll not only lose Ryūen-kun’s trust but also your place in the class.”
“...A place for me… as if…”
“You have one. You always have and always will.”
The fist he had clenched to hit Shimizu loosened.
Given the room’s atmosphere, Shimizu hesitated to provoke Tokitō again.
Still, he thought of making him angry one more time, preparing to retaliate if a student from Class C tried to push responsibility onto him.
“Then let’s at least make Shimizu apologize.”
Kondō complained as if he had been wronged.
“I won’t say that Shimizu has no fault in this, since he was the one who instigated things, but I’m sure that’s because Sakayanagi-san’s shadow is behind him. It feels a bit wrong to blame him.”
Shiina didn’t criticize him, and considered Shimizu’s circumstances as well.
With that one statement, it became difficult for Tokitō, Kondō, and Shimizu’s side to go on the offensive.
“Well, we still have some time. Shall we discuss?”
The atmosphere in the room, which had frozen over, shifted to a more relaxed mood. Without saying a word, Tokitō bowed his head to Shiina, apologizing, and then pulled up the chair he’d knocked over to sit back down.
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