Chapter 189: 6.3
It was a time when many students were turning their attention towards the facilities on board the ship.
First-year Class A student Amasawa Ichika walked into a guest cabin where a lone student was waiting for her.
"What are you going to say if one of your roommates comes back at this time? Is what I'd usually say, but since it's you, you've calculated everything so that they absolutely won't come back, right?"
When Amasawa asked him such a question, he just smiled and didn't say anything.
"Do you understand the situation? It seems Nanase-chan, Horikita-senpai, and Ryūen-senpai are all frantically searching for you. Is it really okay to just leave it like that?"
"It's fine as is. An interesting plan is underway."
"Then let me in on the details of this plan of yours...Takuya."
Yagami Takuya, the First-year Class B student who she had just called by name, quietly stood up from his bed.
"You never learn, do you, Ichika?"
Amasawa, wary of the approaching Yagami, stared unblinking at that action. This was because there was a chance that she would receive some powerful attack the moment she blinked.
"I wouldn't raise my hand in a place like this."
"I'd like to believe that too, you know?"
"Certainly, you're no longer a person on the side the White Room. That's why, to me, you are an enemy."
With his right arm outstretched, he gently touched Amasawa's bangs.
"I know that's what you think, but...I don't even recognize you as an enemy."
"Oh my, you're really saying it."
"It's a joke. It's just that now that you're a civilian, I can't afford to behave carelessly."
"I could even be recording our conversation, right?"
"If it's only that much, you can do as you like."
Yagami knew that there would be no detriment whatsoever in recording their current conversation. If Amasawa was completely on Ayanokōji's side, she could just to speak to him directly about Yagami. It might not be enough to convince him that the story was true, but it would be enough to put him on his guard.
"I called you out here because I wanted to find out your real intentions. Did you repeatedly interfere with my plans because you want to protect Ayanokōji-senpai with all your heart?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about, nya~"
Seeing Amasawa's playful response, Yagami laughed and removed his fingers from the tips of her hair.
"There are too many to point out, so I'll ask you about the one that forced me to change my plans. Why did you interfere with Kushida and Kurachi, who I sent after Ayanokōji during the uninhabited island exam?"
"You know even without me explaining, don't you? It's because it's a painful strategy for Ayanokōji-senpai. I didn't want her to film a scene where he was fighting Nanase-chan and Kurachi-kun, two unconnected people. I'm sure senpai would've got through it fine, but even so, it would inevitably become disturbing footage."
"That's right. Certainly, if it's him, whether it was Nanase or Kurachi, he'd cope without difficulty. However, a recording of how he dealt with the situation would've been a good bargaining chip. Even If Ayanokōji forcibly took the tablet from Kushida, he wouldn't be able to unlock it, and destroying it would create other problems."
The plan was thwarted by Amasawa, who anticipated his actions.
"Are you angry?"
"No way. I think it resulted in a more interesting production. It also gave me some insight into his character and the certainty of his ability to read a situation. Even though he had a feeling that he was going to be attacked, he chose not to do a GPS search. He was able to do that because he read what I was doing correctly and knew that it would only be a distraction. Normally, doing a GPS search like Nanase did and tracking down Kurachi and Kushida would be the standard move."
Even after returning to the ship, there was no visible change of behaviour on that front.
"As a result, it seems Nanase-chan and Ryūen-senpai stepped into the lost woods. I don't think he's been contacted yet, but questioning Utomiya, who has been irrelevant until now, won't be of any help. But what about Horikita-senpai? It seems she's trying to identify you using that paper you wrote on as a hint, Takuya. It was quite an idea to have everyone write their name into the register by hand for the treasure hunt game."
"I'm sure if I give her a few more hints, she'll get to me eventually."
There was no sense of impatience in Yagami; rather, he was waiting for the right moment.
"So you planted that paper on purpose?"
"Of course, that was also part of my production. I want her to try her best and reach me."
Yagami would continue to sprinkle hints for that purpose. Even without asking him about it directly, Amasawa could understand that very well.
"And what comes after? If she can match it to your handwriting, Takuya, that information will reach Ayanokōji-senpai's ears too."
If that happened, he would be suspected as a potential White Room student.
"He doesn't trust me to begin with, and I'm sure he's aware of some of the lies I've spread. This roundabout way of doing things was originally because Tsukishiro was in the way. Now that he's withdrawn, that need has also faded. It wouldn't mean anything if I beat Ayanokōji to a pulp in a prepared and advantageous situation after all."
"So you're saying it's okay if he finds out?"
"That's what I'm saying. I think it would be fine even if I reveal myself to him directly."
From the very beginning, Yagami intended to go head to head with Ayanokōji. However, if he acted carelessly during the preliminary stages, it was possible that Tsukishiro would interfere. He made all sorts of plans and obeyed Tsukishiro, but that was all just to buy time.
"But now that the uninhabited island exam is over, we won't have a chance to compete with the second-years for a while, will we? I think returning to the White Room quickly would be better for you~"
For Amasawa, who had no intention of returning, her expulsion from the White Room meant everything worked out as she desired. But for Yagami, it was the only place he could go back to.
"I need to smash him completely in a perfect way. I can always catch up on my studies."
His smile, a grin with his teeth showing awkwardly, was nothing like his usual refreshing one.
"Your personality really is twisted in different way to mine, isn't it, Takuya?" Although she was appalled, Amasawa continued. "I feel sorry for Utomiya-kun too. He's only thinking of his friends, but to think he'd team up with you to protect Tsubaki-chan. If he knew that you were the one that expelled his friend from Class C, he'd get angry, wouldn't he?"
"We knew from the start that he was clumsy and always putting his friends first. After one of his classmates was expelled, he was thinking that he would definitely stop it the next time. To team up with another class who originally wouldn't join hands with you, the quickest and easiest method was to create a common enemy, Hōsen. I got into the pockets of Tsubaki and Utomiya, developed a strategy that was never going to succeed, and checked Ayanokōji's cards. Thanks to that, I was also able to see that he has a connection to the leader of second-year Class A, Sakayanagi."
"Ah~ the one who came to see me. Arisu-senpai."
"There's a chance she'll come in and interfere in a fight between me and Ayanokōji in the future, so I'll have to think about how to deal with her."
"Yeah, yeah, do what you want."
Amasawa, who was tired of watching Yagami talk on and on, sighed in boredom. When he was in a good mood, Yagami would keep talking forever, even when he was left alone just like now.
He was enjoying this situation more than anyone else, even though he was putting himself in danger of being exposed for who he really was.
"Are you satisfied now that you've made your speech? Can I leave now?"
"Before that, the thing I wanted to confirm to the point of calling you out was your intentions, Ichika."
"Hmm~ intentions?"
With a childish smile, Yagami grabbed both of Amasawa's forearms in an instant.
"Tsk!?"
Amasawa, who was being vigilant with the intention of avoiding it at all costs, didn't let her guard down, but she still couldn't react.
"Utomiya or me? It'll all be revealed at a time when everyone's not so far behind. That's when it starts."
"So then he's going to give you the serious contest that you're hoping for?"
"It'll be a contest of true strength, with both sides recognising the other as the enemy."
"Instead of going about it in such a roundabout way, why don't you settle it with your fists like men? With your fighting ability, you can compete even if your opponent is Ayanokōji, right?"
"I don't use violence except for the minimum necessary."
"You're really saying that?"
The force of the hand restraining her was so great that even Amasawa was unable to break free. Having said that, even if he chose some other means, it wouldn't even be a match considering her current condition.
"Can't you understand that what I'm doing right now is the minimum requirement of violence?"
Amasawa smiled back at him, but she was already imagining what would happen next over and over in her mind. However, no matter how many times she repeated it, she couldn't find a pattern to break out of her current situation.
"The reason I called you here today is because I was actually thinking of injuring beyond recovery. Seeing as you know who I am, Ichika, no matter what I do in the future, you will only be a hindrance. Did you notice?"
"Ahaha~, that's not funny."
Amasawa took the face of the approaching Yagami head on and started preparing herself──
The pressure was removed from her forearms that had been clenched in his grip and she was released.
"Just kidding."
Smiling kindly as always, he put his hand on the door behind Amasawa's back.
"What an intense joke, nya."
"Sorry, sorry. I really was thinking I was going to crush you today. But I stopped."
"Ooh, really?"
At such a response, Amasawa leaned back and pulled away.
"It's because I heard that you've already been sanctioned by Shiba. You were right not to fight back."
"If you turn him away once, he'll just come back twice as hard. I learned that as a child. But is it really okay to leave me alone?"
"I know that you'll remain quiet, Ichika. If you had made the decision to completely side with Ayanokōji, I would've finished it already."
"It's a little difficult to balance the scales between the senpai I admire and the friendship of one of my peers."
"You don't need to worry. The competition that I will have to beat Ayanokōji in will be a battle of wits. There's no need for me to be violent with him. It will be one of two things; either I get expelled or he does."
With that, Yagami opened the door to the guest cabin and sent Amasawa off like a gentleman.