The school week was finally over, and the weekend was upon us. This Saturday, I had arranged a meeting with my classmate, Demiza Taiga, to go play in the mall today.

When I sent her a message about it, she was surprised, but still accepted it nonetheless. Demiza was an excellent communicator, and was quite the flirt while we called each other. I had a strange request for her, but she agreed to help me out on it.

I was to meet her at Higashi Mall's central park by 9am today to start our meeting. Last night, I felt strangely excited by this prospect, and didn't get much sleep. I woke up at 6am after roughly four hours of resting.

I decided to get ready for the day, even though I was still tired. I went to take a shower and wash my hair too, just to make myself presentable for the day ahead of me. It was going to be a long one.

After combing my hair and trying to get rid of the bags under my eyes, I had breakfast at around 6:30am. I didn't feel like frying anything up, so I made instant ramen. Finishing my food, I listened to some music, and when it was 8am, I headed out.

"Takanori-san, you going somewhere?"

One of the 2nd Year Drachma Red students, Himeji Kazuto, was sweeping the floor of the main lobby when he called out to me. He was best known to being the aide of the dorm manager, Fumio Nazuna.

"Yeah. I'm going to the mall."

"Sounds nice. Have fun out there."

"Thanks."

"By the way, you should check your letterbox. There's a letter for you in there, delivered this morning."

Even though it was a bit old fashioned, sending letters were still a somewhat popular way of communication. The letterboxes were primarily used to place the products students bought online and such, but sometimes, very rarely, someone would send a letter instead of an email or message.

I went over to my letterbox and unlocked it with my lanyard. I took it out and read through it. I folded up the piece of paper and slid it inside my pocket, as it was something I could do today after my meeting with Demiza. I closed the letterbox and headed out.

"Thanks, Himeji-senpai."

"You can call me Kazu-kun, y'know." Himeji waved goodbye with a coy grin.

I took the bus to Higashi Mall, and waited at the central park. Being a Saturday, it was busy with all sorts of people. For once, I didn't feel like I was being targeted, as we weren't in our school uniforms. As such, no one had their ties on.

Discrimination could only happen if people recognised your face, and since I was one of the more plain guys in E Class, I don't think anyone recognised me. The only thing I was known for was losing in the war to Kaido.

I sat down at a bench and waited for my guests to come. I had come about half an hour early, but I didn't mind waiting. I killed the time messaging a certain someone on my phone.

9am had arrived, and on the dot, Demiza came to the central park.

"Takanori-kun!" She waved, jumping excitedly. Her blue hair was tied up into twin-tails, and she was wearing frilly lolita clothing.

"Hey." I raised a hand. It seems she's followed through with my request.

"I brought along with me Natsumi-chan, as promised."

Demiza was with another girl. B Class 1st Year, Ichinose Natsumi. She was another popular bijin in our year. She had strawberry blonde hair that went down to her waist, and a bright smile. She radiated with positive energy, and was definitely a genki girl just from her looks alone.

Ichinose was really stunning in her casual clothes. Today, she wore her usually worn-down hair in a ponytail, which made her look considerably more mature. Both girls had a cute yet stylish fashion sense. I had only thrown on a plain shirt and some chino pants. I felt really out of place.

"It's been such a long time, Takanori-kun!" Ichinose said.

"Yeah, it has been, hasn't it?"

Me and Ichinose's parents were friends, so we went to the same elementary and middle school together. Even though I saw her a lot while growing up, we never interacted. However, I saw her both in lesson, outside of lesson, and even in my mundane life at times. I've watched her grow up from an elementary school student to the fine adult she is today.

I'm sure we both wanted to get to know each other better, since we saw each other often, but the way society worked when you were a kid was that if you talked to someone of the opposite gender, it's presumed you had a crush on them. Being teased like that mercilessly was not something I wanted to deal with, and I suppose neither did Ichinose.

After all, I was already friends with Suzune in elementary school, and in middle school my only friend was Yukina, both of which were girls. Now, that finally that barrier was broken down, it seemed like fate finally pushed us to talk and get to know each other.

"What did you need to talk to me about, Takanori-kun?" Ichinose asked.

"I just wanted to hang out for a bit." I said. "Sorry if it's a bother."

"Not at all! I'm kind of excited, actually. I've never played with you before. Though, you could have just messaged me directly instead of having Taiga-chan as the intermediary."

"I guess I wanted to save you the embarrassment of looking like we were on a date... or something like that."

"Aww, that's really considerate of you Takanori-kun. But I can assure you that I wouldn't mind if people saw us play together, even if it was just the two of us."

"You're really too kind, Ichinose-san."

"Nya ha ha. If everyone was a little more kinder, then this school's system wouldn't work at all."

Ichinose had an adorable cat-like laugh. I'd never imagine that same girl with strawberry blonde hair would grow up to be someone like Ichinose. She was strong, attractive, and friendly. If I was in B Class, I'd 100% have a crush on her.

Speaking of which...

"It must be frustrating, being in B Class." I said.

"Hmm. Not really."

Me, Ichinose and Demiza began walking to inside Higashi Mall. As we did, me and Ichinose continued to chat, with Demiza listening in.

"I really like my class. I don't have any complaints being in B Class at all." Ichinose said.

"Even though the school deemed you barely not good enough for A Class?"

I could have worded that nicer, but being a bit more aggressive would invoke a more emotional response from Ichinose. If she really is B Class's leader, I want to see what kind of person I'm going up against.

"Even if we're considered second to the best, I think that's fine. We're in a much better position than most other classes after all. Unlike you guys who are down at the bottom, we're very close to the top. If we bridge the gap between us and A Class, then we can become A Class."

An optimistic view of thinking. She reminded me of Matsushita.

"If you think about it this way, starting in A Class can be a disadvantage. Sure, the school deems you the best, but you must somehow stay in A Class for three years. They'll be under constant pressure to stay at the top, while also needing to defend their position. We have the advantage of only needing to attack."

That was true. However, Ichinose failed to address C Class, who would be attacking B Class in response.

"Well, I suppose you're right."

"Where do you two want to go today?" Demiza asked.

"I feel like playing karaoke." Ichinose said.

"Ah, that sounds great! I want to hear Takanori-kun's beautiful singing voice." Demiza said, sending a smug smile at me.

For the record, I'm musically incapable of anything. I didn't mind karaoke though, since it was a fun thing to do.

"Nya ha ha, impress us, Takanori-kun!"

We headed to the karaoke bar in Higashi Mall. On our way there, Ichinose asked me and Demiza a question.

"You two are in E Class, aren't you?"

I nodded.

"Yeah." Demiza said. "Though, Takanori-kun's like a ghost in class. He sits at the back and is silent unless called upon."

"Eh? Really? He has that kind of gloomy personality?"

"He's one of E Class's big three loners!"

"...wait, since when was that a thing?" I said.

I had never heard of such a thing as the "big three loners" before. Who created this?!

"Oh, since the middle of April. The girls were creating lists of the boys in the group chat, and one of them was about who were the loners in our class. Together, we decided that you, Kouji-kun and Ikesugi-kun were our biggest loners."

Our classes had group chats? I wasn't invited to join any...

If the boys created lists about the girls, we'd all be dead for sexual harassment. I yearn for true gender equality.

"Wait, what about... Nora-san? Tanaka-san? They're alone often too." I said.

"Well, Nora-kun actually plays with Kou-chan quite a bit. We've also seen Tanaka-kun with his friends outside more times than we've seen you outside." Demiza said.

Nora and Katsumi are friends? I never knew that until today.

"Nya ha ha, your class sounds pretty close." Ichinose said.

"Well, the girls were. That was before we found out how messed up this school was." Demiza said. "I don't know about the boys."

"We had our own cliques... and stuff." I said.

I barely knew anything about the relationships between the boys. I tried to think of something to expand on, but couldn't.

"Must be nice..." Ichinose said.

"Not to worry though, Takanori-kun. In the list of boys who'd we most date, you ranked fifth!"

That was a list too? Just how many did they make?

"Who got first, second, third and fourth?"

Even though it was gossip, I still couldn't help myself.

"First was Isogai-kun. Second was Ayano-kun. Third was Kawaguchi-kun. Fourth was Aki-kun."

Seeing Ayano in second place surprised me. He was a reserved, mature man, but it seemed he had attracted quite a few girls. He had decent looks, albeit a bit gloomy, had good grades and wasn't bad at sports.

Well, considering the boys in our class, he was leagues better than someone like Yukimura.

"Oh, you did come first on one list."

"Which one?"

"The most likely to get a girlfriend."

"Huh? Seriously?"

"Yeah! Though, for that list we didn't include Isogai-kun because we all knew he was going to get one."

"Do you guys even have faith in me...?"

"We made bets on who would, so yes. So, please get a girlfriend so I can win!" Demiza pressed her hands together and bowed.

It seems that even the girls could be as crude as the boys.

"Hey, Takanori-kun, let's be boyfriend and girlfriend." Ichinose said with a teasing tone. "That way, Taiga-chan can get her winnings."

"You're kidding, right?"

"Nya ha ha, of course I am."

I wouldn't mind having Ichinose as my girlfriend, though...

"Aww, he's blushing! He's blushing!" Demiza tip-toed and poked my cheek.

"I-I'm not."

"You were being serious when you said Takanori-kun doesn't show much emotion. This is the first time I've seen his facial expression change." Ichinose said, peering at my face.

She was incredibly close to me right now. I could smell her perfume from here... admittedly, it was nice and sweet.

"He's probably going to end up with Kazuraba-san anyways." Demiza shrugged.

"Ah, me and Kazuraba-chan went to the same middle school." Ichinose said.

"Ohh, you also went to the same middle school as Takanori-kun too, then?"

"Yep. We weren't really friends back then, though, were we?"

"Yeah. Just classmates." I said.

"He was a real loner back then. His only friend was Kazuraba-chan... I felt bad for you, you know."

While it was sincere, it still stung a little.

"Anyways. I wanted to ask you guys about your class. If that's okay." Ichinose said.

"Well, we aren't enemies." I said.

"Yep! Natsumi-chan, ask away." Demiza said.

"Thanks you two. Honestly, I wanted to know more about your leader."

We entered the karaoke bar. Demiza handled registering us a room, while I continued to talk to Ichinose.

"Our leader?"

"Yep. Who leads E Class? For example, D Class is lead by Zyriot-kun."

"Then, that would be Matsushita-san."

"Isogai-kun, huh? I guess I should've expected that."

"What about B Class?"

"Well... I'm actually kind of B Class's leader, nya he he." Ichinose laughed a bit sheepishly, and scratched the back of her neck.

"Oh, really? What about C Class and A Class?"

"Hmm. I actually don't know. But, for C Class, I think it's Ikeda Arata-kun. For A Class, I would assume it's Ryouta Hane-kun."

Ikeda Arata and Ryouta Hane. Two names I'm going to have to remember.

"Must be tough being the only female leader."

"Not really. As long as our class is happy, then I'm happy. Getting to A Class isn't a priority until before we graduate anyways. We can utilise the freedom at this school to the fullest."

Ichinose really was a saint.

"How are you gonna beat A Class anyways?"

"We're going to have to get more Class Points than them. I know that we'll be able to get some in the war, so winning those will be a priority."

I wanted to ask about Ryouta, but Demiza interrupted us.

"Guys, I got the room sorted. Let's go!"

"Great!" Ichinose smiled.

Well, most of my objectives coming out today had been achieved. I managed to make contact with Ichinose, and get information from her. I suppose I can relax and have fun a little bit.

We entered the karaoke room and started singing our hearts out. I didn't want to expose what music I usually listen to since it'd be embarrassing, so I chose to sing some songs from NAITO, since he was a safe, popular pick. Even though I knew it was a terrible performance, the two girls still clapped and cheered me on anyways.

For a little bit, I felt like a riajuu.

Halfway through Ichinose's performance, Demiza's phone began ringing. She picked it up and began speaking into it.

"Moshi moshi~ Ah, Kaede-chan? What's the matter? Ah. Give me a bit, since I'm out right now. Okay. See you soon."

I looked at her, still shaking the tambourine in my hand.

"You need to go somewhere?" I asked.

"Yes... I made plans with Kaede-chan, and I'm running late. It was fun playing with you two today!"

Ichinose put her microphone down and smiled.

"Nya ha ha, it was fun playing with you too Taiga-chan!"

"See you guys at school!"

Demiza left the karaoke room in a hurry.

I shifted a bit uncomfortably in my seat, as it was now just me and Ichinose here alone.

I brought Demiza along mainly because I didn't believe my communication skills could carry the conversation, but now that I'm in this situation, I have no choice but to adapt to my environment.

"Hey, Takanori-kun, want to sing next?"

"Um... can we relax a bit? My throat's a bit sore."

"Sure. No worries then."

Ichinose sat down next to me and drank some of her juice. I needed to respond somehow, so I decided to broach the topic of Demiza's friend. I hadn't heard the name Kaede before, and wondered what this girl was doing, playing with E Class students. Could she be a sympathiser like Ichinose and Hina?

"Who's Kaede-san?" I asked.

"Oh, umm, that's her first name..."

I felt embarrassed at calling someone their first name without permission.

"Forgive me. What's her full name?"

"Kanazawa Kaede-chan. She's in D Class."

"D Class, huh?"

I could turn this into a chance to get to know more about D Class. They're our first hurdle to getting to A Class, after all. The more I know about our enemies, the better.

"I'm a little envious of D Class." Ichinose said. "They by far have the best unity."

This was a surprise. Didn't Zyriot and Takemoto fight? I'd imagined there would be discord among the class due to that event, yet Ichinose says differently.

"Unity?"

I left it vague so I could pursue more information from Ichinose.

"Yes. The entire class is united as one. Everyone's friends and calls each other by their first name."

This was getting weirder by the second. Was it even possible to make a class of students that close to one another within a month? Especially when the majority of the class are delinquents?

"That's... impressive."

"I know, right? Zyriot-kun did a really good job at uniting the class."

"Zyriot-san? Didn't he get into a fight?"

"Yep. But ever since that fight, D Class really changed. It used to look a lot like E Class. No one was able to control them."

In other words, Zyriot somehow became their leader and managed to unite the class. If that's the case, then I'll have to aim to destroy him first.

If the class is bound together by him, then taking him out of the equation will make the entire class crumble. That's what I thought, at least.

"You sure know a lot about D Class, Ichinose-san."

"I would think you would know more, since you guys are going to have to surpass them somehow."

"To be honest, I'm not really involved in my class's politics. I just don't stand out that much."

"Don't say that. You can stand out in your own ways."

"I'm known best for my fight against Kaido-senpai. While I don't dislike it, the fact I'm known best for losing irks me a bit."

"No one likes losing. But sometimes, the winners in life crawl out from the bottom. Even if life starts unfairly, it becomes fair over time."

I looked at Ichinose, who looked a bit sad. She shuffled a bit away from me, and pressed her hand against her chest. She looked at me with sincere eyes.

"Can I tell you something that's on my mind?"

Why would she ever turn to a guy like me? Regardless, with that painful look on her face, I didn't want to deny her. I accepted whatever she had to say to me.

"Yeah. I won't tell anyone else."

Ichinose looked away, and her gaze fell on her lap.

"I'm... jealous of D Class." Ichinose said, fidgeting with her hands. "You see... there's been some... internal disputes in B Class recently. Before the school revelation, we were all close, like how D Class is right now. But after it got revealed, everyone had their own ideas on what we should do... it's created a rift in the class."

"A difference in opinion?"

"Yes. Even though I don't want in-fighting, it still occurs. It's been stressful for me, since they look to me for guidance. Right now, I'm stuck. I don't know how to move forward with B Class, when everyone has differing ideas. If only I was more like Zyriot-kun... he'd know what to do in this situation for sure."

The way she said it sounded like she held Zyriot in a higher regard than herself. While people usually tend to underestimate themselves, I think that Ichinose truly saw Zyriot as a man unfit to be in D Class. I couldn't confirm this myself as I haven't met him, it brings into question the validity of the accuracy of the system.

Perhaps Zyriot isn't as strong as Ichinose makes him out to be. When talking about others, people usually over exaggerate. In any case, the way she was acting makes me feel a bit uneasy on the true strength of D Class's leader.

"Then, you should ask him."

Ichinose shook her head in response to my suggestion. "That's difficult. I don't want to reveal the state of our class right now."

I found it strange she had opened up to me.

"Why tell me?"

"Don't take this the wrong way, but... for me, it's easier admitting this stuff to strangers, rather than to my friends. It's hard to tell them about these feelings, because I don't want to burden them with my selfish thoughts."

Ichinose was an extremely selfless person. I wonder if Matsushita ever felt a similar way. These two have very similar thoughts of thinking after all.

"No, I understand. Do you think Zyriot-san should be in a different class?"

"Yes. With no doubt in my mind, he was put into the wrong class. His abilities rival that of A Class, I think."

"Is that so?"

Ichinose was singing high praises for him.

"Have you met him?" I asked.

"Several times. He's very sociable, despite his poor Japanese." Ichinose sighed. "Sometimes I wonder if I was put into the wrong class. Some of my classmates are amazing, yet they're not in A Class. This school is way too competitive."

"If you're at the bottom, then you don't have to worry about it at all."

While I was half-joking, it did cross my mind that since I'm already at the bottom, I don't have to put in as much effort. But that was something I couldn't do now that I made myself a deal with the devil. I decided I was going to go to the top, no matter what. That's the only reason why I decided to accept Mikazuchi-sensei's offer.

"Nya, are you really okay with staying in E Class?"

"Who knows. Depends on what our leader does. I have no intentions of joining in anytime soon."

Before joining the battle of the classes, there were several preparations necessary to complete first.

"Well... I'll support you in any way I can." Ichinose said. "I too have my reasons to defeat D Class. Right now, A Class and D Class are the strongest classes, for their own reasons. If D Class ever becomes C Class, then I'll have them to worry about. On the other hand, if E Class beats D Class, I won't have to worry about them."

Even though she sounded like she didn't want to say such cruel words, it seems that Ichinose recognises C Class a potential threat after all. However, her dismissal of the current C Class makes me think C Class isn't that strong to begin with. Ichinose looked at me with a worried expression.

"Do I sound... too manipulative? I really don't mean it that way... it's just that both E Class and B Class have common goals."

"A leader shouldn't be afraid of saying those kind of things about their enemies, or making alliance with other classes."

"Really? Is that what you believe in, or is that what E Class has been doing?"

"Neither. It's just an option that's common in any battle between nations. There will be allies and enemies. It's the leader's job to choose them."

"You sound pretty wise, nya ha ha. Have you done something similar before?"

"Not in the slightest. It's just common sense, really."

I took a sip from my juice. Ichinose could be a powerful ally. However, I wanted to confirm something first.

"If there's a time where B Class and E Class are enemies, what would you do?"

Ichinose put a finger to her chin.

"Nya... you've hit me with a tough question."

"If you want to crush us, go ahead."

"Eh?!"

"I won't blame you doing it. In this school, it's class against class. Friendship is merely temporary."

"I suppose, but..."

It's clear that Ichinose's empathy and sensitivity were her core traits. As a person who thinks with their feelings, she doesn't condone such intense actions or the mean words I've used. While that kindness might have made her popular in the first place, as a leader, that kindness was her fatal flaw. Without firmness, she is nothing more but a gentle saint.

You can't solve everyone's problems, no matter how much you try to intervene or support them. Ichinose was the type of girl who would help anyone out, no matter what. Even though she seemed aware of how futile answering in a polite manner would be to my proposition, her personality refused to let her accept the fact that she'd need to crush us in order to stay at the top.

Not only that, Ichinose had selfishly requested an alliance between our classes, despite the fact I'm not E Class's leader. This made an expectation for me to tell Matsushita about this, even though she could've done it herself.

By admitting she'd be willing to defeat our class, if it's for the sake of staying at the top, she'd look hypocritical. After all, the leader's public appearance is a very important one. Ichinose did not want to show any blemishes to the saint-like personality she's displayed up until now.

"In any case, for now, I think a relationship between E Class and B Class would be fine."

"Nya ha ha... I'll go ask Isogai-kun about it another time."

With no more replies, awkward silence filled the empty air. I wanted to say something, but I thought it would be better for Ichinose to lead our conversation.

"Takanori-kun, thanks for the talk. I feel like a massive weight has been lifted off my chest." Ichinose said.

"It's really nothing. It feels kind of strange that I'm talking to you."

"That plainness of yours is your most stand-out trait, I reckon."

Even though she said it in a joking manner, there was a glint in her eyes that changed the subtle meaning behind those words. I almost felt like applauding her perceptiveness.

"For now, shall we enjoy ourselves?" She asked.

"Sure." I picked up the microphone and chose my song.

Despite what I was thinking just earlier, I was definitely enjoying myself, even though I was playing with a dangerous enemy. Ichinose had come here with other intentions - that much was I sure of.

Do I doubt this is the real Ichinose? No. What I do doubt is her true intentions. While it's all thinly veiled in an excuse of "it's easier to admit this to a stranger", she was telling me so much it seemed almost as if she was trying to decipher me.

Perhaps, this girl was secretly impressive. She's perceptive, more so than I first imagined.

Regardless, Ichinose was a girl that I should be wary of.