4.2
AFTER RYUUEN finished grilling everyone, he released Class C and cleared the room. Only Ryuuen himself, Ishizaki, Kaneda, Ibuki, and the three spies remained.
“Do you know who gave you instructions?”
Manabe and her friends denied it.
“Next question. Why did you betray Class C? Tell me.”
“That’s—”
“There’s no point in hiding. If you choose to stay quiet right now, then tomorrow I won’t treat you as classmates anymore. You’ll all be treated like worms, forever.”
Manabe and her friends had no choice but to tell the truth. “Do…do you know a girl named Karuizawa Kei, from Class D?”
“Just her name and face. She’s Hirata’s girl, isn’t she?”
“She, um, well, she acts all tough, but…it seems she was bullied long ago.”
“Oh?”
“Well, Karuizawa treated Rika horribly, so we thought we’d give her some payback…”
Manabe explained to Ryuuen what’d happened on the cruise ship. She told him the truth about everything, including how they were in the same group as Karuizawa, and about Karuizawa’s past. The spies even told Ryuuen about what they’d done to Karuizawa.
Manabe said that she began spying because she’d received threats promising to expose her and her friends for what they did. If the truth came to light, Manabe and her friends would be suspended, or worse. Naturally, they had received quite the scolding from Ryuuen as well. Manabe said that she had done what she did out of necessity, so she could avoid facing the school and Ryuuen himself.
“I see. Well, it sounds like you’ve been having quite a wild time.”
“The heck? Are you a moron?” said Ibuki. “If they’re being threatened by someone they don’t know, things might get even worse.”
“Come on, Ibuki. When humans are cornered, they become such weak creatures.” Ryuuen didn’t chastise the spies any further. “Here’s the big question. Was anyone else there while you were bullying Karuizawa?”
Manabe and her friends nodded. “At the time, Yukimura-kun and Ayanokouji-kun from Class D saw us.”
They were able to supply two names.
“Someone sent us a picture after. It was a photo of us with Karuizawa.”
“I see,” said Ryuuen. “I expected that there was some kind of blackmail. So, someone took your picture, huh? Where is it?”
“I-I deleted it. If someone saw it, then we…”
“I understand completely.”
“So, that means it’s either Yukimura-shi or Ayanokouji-shi, right?” said Kaneda, who’d been quietly listening. He was one of the few people that Ryuuen thought could be of use to him in his class.
“Hold on, Ryuuen. I don’t know much about this Yukimura guy, but I can’t really imagine that Ayanokouji is the one pulling the strings. Can you? I’ve met him, and I don’t see him as the type.”
“Well, I suppose that Yukimura does look a little suspicious. He seems pretty smart,” added Ishizaki, trying to contribute to the conversation.
“Can we really say that for sure, though? Ayanokouji-shi is always with Horikita-shi, isn’t he? Moreover, Ayanokouji-shi hid his athletic abilities until the sports festival. I think he’s the more suspicious of the two,” said Kaneda.
“I think they’re both irrelevant. Ayanokouji is just quick on his feet, and Yukimura is only good at studying, right? The mastermind would need more than that.”
“Who else could it be?”
“There are other capable people in Class D. People like Hirata.”
“Him? I can’t imagine he’s this type of person.”
Ryuuen wore a thin smile while his classmates talked on and on. Then, SLAM! He pounded his fist against the podium, then let out an ominous chuckle.
“Shut up.”
A terrified silence enveloped the entire room.
“Did I ask for your opinions? I will find Class D’s puppet master. You are nothing more than my pawns. Right now, the facts state that only Yukimura or Ayanokouji could have taken that picture. However, concluding that one of them is the mastermind merely because of that? No. They, too, might be mere pawns acting under someone else’s orders,” said Ryuuen.
That was where things got complicated. One of them, or perhaps both of them, could have taken a picture with the intent of blackmailing Class C and then asked for the mastermind’s opinion on the matter.
“But, Ryuuen-shi, shouldn’t we be especially suspicious of Ayanokouji-shi?” Kaneda, fully prepared to earn Ryuuen’s ire, dared to speak up.
“I agree,” said Ryuuen.
With regard to Ayanokouji, he had felt something was fishy from the beginning, primarily because of Ayanokouji’s connection to Horikita Suzune. However, if Ayanokouji were the mastermind, and had been close to Horikita Suzune from the beginning, he would never have let her be hurt.
“So, you’re saying that the real mastermind’s hiding right under our noses? I find that hard to swallow.”
The situation felt hopeless.
“How about we try using him?” said Ryuuen.
They’d come this far; it made sense to go further. Ryuuen made his next move and sent a text message.
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