Ichinose appeared serious about coming up with strategies and being a trusted ally. Every time she wanted permission to try something she'd contact us, even though she'd already said to leave things to her. I didn't think she needed to limit herself so severely. Upon returning to the dorms, I'd thought that we'd go our separate ways, but Horikita followed me all the way to my room. She seemed to still want to talk.
"Sorry for the intrusion," said Horikita as she entered the room, even though no one else was there.
I wondered why I felt a little nervous being alone with Horikita behind closed doors.
"Oh, just to check, do you have one too? A spare key?" I asked.
"For your room? Ike-kun asked earlier if I wanted one. I refused."
Just as I'd expect from her. It seemed she was the only one with any common sense.
"After all, it's rare for me to visit your room, Ayanokouji-kun. Besides, coming here is a shameful act in itself. A disgrace. Understand?"
I'd assumed she'd respond like that. I wasn't hurt at all. I definitely wasn't thinking anything like, Wow, that was unexpectedly harsh.
"Why are you tracing letters on the wall with your finger?"
"To hide my pounding heart. Or something."
The scariest part was that she didn't really have any bad intentions. I'm sure that if asked, she'd probably say something like, "But I only spoke the truth."
"Ayanokouji-kun, I want to hear your thoughts on Sudou-kun's case once again. Also, I find Kushida-san's actions a bit concerning."
"If you're concerned now, wouldn't it have been better to participate earlier in the process?"
"Impossible. The very person in question didn't recognize what was happening. I'm only now reluctantly offering to help for the sake of our class. Frankly, I still think it would have been better to abandon him."
"Even though you pitched in to help Sudou during the midterm?"
"That was different. Even if we managed to miraculously prove his innocence, do you think he'll mature? Saving him might have the opposite effect."
Her defiant glare seemed to say, Do you understand my point?
"So you're giving up on proving Sudou's innocence and letting him face punishment for his own sake?"
Horikita wore a slightly disgruntled expression, but then it looked like realization struck. "Knowing Sudou's flawed personality, you realized from the very beginning how difficult it would be to prove his innocence, didn't you? That way, it's easier to think he'd be better off accepting his punishment. Especially better for those who hate him."
Horikita seemed to want to add, "You thought the same thing, right?" I felt like I'd been backed against a wall, unable to run. If I tried to forcefully deny, she would just dig deeper.
"Well, wouldn't it be clear to anyone who took just a moment to think?"
"Probably. Kushida-san and Ike-kun and the others haven't noticed at all, it seems. They simply believe in Sudou-kun, and want to save him from the lie for his sake and our class's sake. They don't understand the urgency of the situation."
Her remarks towards her classmates, those who'd already shared joy and sorrow together, seemed completely merciless.
"Kushida seems to understand at least a little bit, and despite that is working to save Sudou," I said.
"A little bit? So she realized it by herself, then?"
"Huh? Well, no, it..."
"You told her, didn't you?"
She cornered me with her words. It was like being interrogated. A little scary.
"You came up with the idea of getting the old test questions, and purchasing exam points. I can't say I'm surprised. You do seem quite cunning at times, but...I'm dissatisfied."
Those who want to someday live honestly, must sometimes be cunning, too.
"Don't keep overestimating me," I replied.
Although it wasn't my intent, Horikita laughed. However, her smile immediately faded.
"Honestly, there's so much about you that I don't understand. You're a mystery. You're the most difficult person to predict in our class. You're versatile, yet you often idle your time away. You never seem to stay still. It's as though you cannot be categorized."
"All of those are really questionable ways to describe someone. They aren't the sorts of things you'd say as praise..."
There were nicer ways to phrase all of that. Horikita stared at me with suspicion.
"I guess what I should say is that you're just blending in and hiding your true talents. You're hiding in plain sight. You disgust me more than anyone else."
I see. I wondered if being called out like that was normal. It seemed I'd taken the bait and gotten caught in Horikita's trap. A small failure on my part.
"Come on, saying that I disgust you more than anyone else is going too far. Kouenji has his fair share of mysteries, too."
That was undoubtedly my trump card. If I disgusted Horikita more than he did, that would really hurt.
"He's surprisingly easy to understand. He studies well, is athletic, and gets excellent grades. His personality is the problem. In the end, I can easily categorize and summarize his behavioral problems in only a few words: he's self-centered."
Honestly, that explanation was easy to understand. Kouenji was simple, after all.
"You'd probably make a good teacher," I said.
At this rate, when she reached adulthood, she'd probably become a teacher like Chabashira-sensei.