In a separate room, me and Ryouta sat across from each other. He kept his hands clasped together in his lap, unable to look at me in the eye. It looked like he was still upset at me.

"Sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to make you cry."

Ryouta shook his head. He lifted his head, finally looking at me in the eyes.

"No... it's okay, you don't have to apologise. It's my fault for reacting so viscerally like that..."

"That was the last thing I expected from you, to be honest."

"Ah... ha ha, I guess so, huh?"

Ryouta scratched his cheek, laughing awkwardly.

"You don't come across as the type to cry, is what I mean."

"Despite what my role in A Class may have you believe... I'm actually a really weak-hearted person. For as long as I can remember, I've always been scared of my surroundings and easily distressed by little things. I've only managed to make it this far in life thanks to what shishou taught me."

"Shishou?"

"Shishou... is the person who raised me. They were the one who encouraged me to be brave and face every challenge head on without holding back. I guess you could say they taught me everything I know? But sometimes... life becomes just too much to handle, and I end up going back to that place where I feel small, weak, and helpless. And before I know it... the loneliness catches up to me, and the tears have already fallen. It's really pathetic, isn't it?"

As Ryouta talked, I could feel an uncomfortable tingle run down my spine.

Within me, something stirred with jealousy.

I narrowed my eyes, taking a deep breath.

To think I was the exact same when I was little...

I sighed. The back of my head began pounding.

For some reason, it felt like I was looking at a mirror of myself.

I clenched my fists. The nails dug into my skin.

A mirror of what I could've become if it wasn't for him...

"...it sounds like you had a good shishou, Ryouta-san."

Ryouta's eyes widened, before shaking his head and frowning.

I'd never seen him make such a sad face before. It was almost enough to make me pity him.

Thinking back... the first place he visited today was the cemetery. It was a grim thought, but maybe his shishou is dead?

I raised an eyebrow to see if he'd continue talking, but it looks like he wasn't willing to divulge any further details.

I guess even he has his own secrets he wants to keep. I let bygones be bygones and continued with our conversation.

"Anyways... we don't have long until the trade window opens, so I'll make this quick. The reason why I betrayed you all and outed myself as the one behind it was so you'd trade me out of this group."

Ryouta furrowed his eyebrows.

"Your whole goal in this... was to leave our group and join another group?"

"Yeah. But not just any group... I want to be traded into Shimada-san's group."

"...eh?"

For a moment, Ryouta looked shocked, but just a second later, it looked like he had fully comprehended the situation.

"I get it now... you were working with Shimada-san to sabotage our group from the inside so his group can win. Now that the day of the trade window is here, you outed yourself in order to jump ship to the winning side. If you had intended to betray us from the very beginning, then that means you've been on his side from the moment this special exam was announced."

"You're only half correct. While it's true that I've been working with Shimada-san from the start, my betrayal was never meant to let him get ahead. With or without my interference, it was to be expected that he would've claimed 1st place in every challenge, as long as his group behaved. You've seen firsthand just how powerful he is, haven't you?"

Ryouta lowered his head and nodded.

"When you put it that way... I can see where you're coming from."

"Glad we're on the same page then. As for me "jumping ship to the winning side"... that's completely false. I'm still on your guy's side here. I want to see you guys win."

"...eh? I'm sorry, but I don't see how you're on our side when you caused all this trouble for everyone else... if you just wanted to be traded into Shimada-san's group, then you could've avoided this roundabout way of doing things entirely by just asking me for permission. I would've been open to hearing you out and discussing it with everyone else."

"Unfortunately, it's exactly because you use that method of doing things that I had no choice but to make myself a traitor. There's no guarantee you'd actually let me leave, and since you do things democratically, I needed to make everyone else on the group hate me to make the majority vote for my exile."

"This seems like a lot of unnecessary work for such a simple outcome, I'm not going to lie..."

"Not really. Don't forget all this started from a single blame vote. All I did was write your name, and our group descended into chaos."

"Well... I can't deny that."

Ryouta sighed, scratching his cheek.

"To be honest, I'm wondering why you didn't decide to join Shimada-san's group from the get go. If you wanted to be part of his group so badly, why join forces with us?"

"Like I said, I wanted to see you guys succeed. That's the other major reason why I betrayed all of you."

In truth, there was two reasons, but I couldn't exactly reveal the other one to him. Knowing how forthright he is, he would probably spill it to the person it's about in question. I couldn't afford to let that to happen.

"Don't tell me... you did this to unite the group, didn't you?"

Ryouta's eyes widened. I nodded in confirmation. While the other reason was off limits, I didn't mind explaining this one in specific. Telling him this much should satisfy his curiosity anyways... for now, at least.

"Since this is a special exam based around groups, I figured the easiest way to make everyone get along with each other is if they all had a common enemy. I decided that person would be me."

The logic was simple. When people are driven into a corner, they become more desperate to survive. As a result, they'll struggle harder to get over the sudden adversity that has come before them.

However, by overcoming it, people gain a positive mindset and start believing they can do anything. This would be beneficial for our group moving into the latter half of this special exam, as things would get more tough, both physically and mentally.

That's why, in order to replicate that scenario to trigger those feelings, I created a common enemy for everyone to defeat: me.

"By revealing myself as the source of everyone's problems, it would make them believe that I was the issue all along, and not each other, bringing them together. That way, they can blame everything on me and start over fresh without any of their previous prejudices about each other."

If they could get over me, then it was physical proof that the group could work together and settle aside their differences for the greater good.

"Takanori-san..."

Ryouta grit his teeth and clenched his fists. A look of guilt washed over his face.

"You don't have to feel bad for me. It's something I decided on my own."

"No... it's not that. It's just... you didn't have to do all this! If sacrificing yourself and turning into a martyr for the sake of our group was your plan from the beginning, then I would've been the better fall guy! Everyone has a common hatred towards A Class, so if it was me who turned out to be the traitor, then the group would've been united faster!"

To the very core, he was unapologetically selfless... it made me wonder if he ever thought about the consequences of always putting others before himself. I sighed.

"And what do you think would happen if you were outed as the traitor, Ryouta-san?"

"I would've been voted out... or rather, I would've offered to vote myself out."

"Wrong. It would've destroyed your entire reputation and left you with no allies when you returned to school."

"I know that, but I don't mind. I've never cared about vain things like that anyways. If I had a choice, I'd rather see myself get hurt than other people. It's easier to carry all the pain by yourself than it is to make other people suffer!"

What optimistic junk...

I carried the pain of everyone else from that place for four years, and have nothing to show for it.

Nothing in my heart.

The organ that shouldn't even be beating right now.

To not value your own life at least a little... what kind of monster are you?

"I don't think you understand the gravitas of such a decision, especially with your position as A Class's leader. In all likelihood, if everyone in the 1st Year found out you did something as major as a betrayal, you'd lose all credibility as a trustworthy person, as well as your role of leader in that class."

"That's fine by me. Even without me, I know the class would be in safe hands with Senzaki-san, or Masamoto-san, or Tamaki-san, or Yahagi-san, or Yogen-san instead. They're all people I trust from the bottom of my heart to lead this class. They don't need me to succeed... because I know they're all even stronger than me."

No wonder he took up that challenge with Shimada. Even if he lost, he didn't mind, because he had both the confidence in his own abilities to climb back to the top, as well as a deep belief in his classmates that they'd be able to protect their class to the bitter end.

"Even if you're okay with it, it doesn't mean you should be so eager to sacrifice yourself."

"But that's what you did? You don't seem to have any qualms about it either."

"That's because my reputation has already been tainted and smeared by false rumours from other people. I'm sure you've heard of them."

"Yes... I've heard everything, ranging from you being the biggest loser in your class, all the way to you being a violent woman beater."

"Exactly. I have nothing to lose, and no one else has to worsen their own reputation by doing this, so it's a win-win for both sides. They get a free scapegoat and I get to achieve both my goals in betraying you all."

"I think... that's a sad way of living your life."

I had to take a second to process what Ryouta just said to me. During our entire conversation, he's been nothing but righteous and optimistic, so hearing him say something so rude and unlike his gentle nature caught me off guard.

"...what do you mean by that?"

"Don't you hate living your life every day knowing that you're worth nothing?"

"...I don't know what you mean. I don't think that way about myself."

"Really? I don't think so. I think you're well aware of your own lack of self-worth. Otherwise, you wouldn't have said you had nothing to lose. To you, you mean nothing."

"Perhaps. But if that's true, then it means you don't see any worth in yourself either. You were just as ready to sacrifice yourself as I was."

"That's right, I don't. I don't think there's any worth in my existence either. I said it myself earlier... I'm well aware that I'm a feeble existence. I can't do much except offer to devote myself entirely to any people who need me. I want them to rely on me, because that gives me a purpose in this fleeting life. That way, I can continue living virtuously without ever being selfish with my existence."

I've never seen someone so proudly wear their weaknesses on their sleeve, much less even turn it into their main weapon. After hearing that, there was a strange burning in my heart, similar to a coarse, squeezed itching.

"...somehow, I just can't get angry at you."

The itching became worse. I wanted to scratch it badly, but there was no way of reaching it or calming it down. It rose up in my chest like waves.

"I don't want to be angry with you either, Takanori-san... after all, you did succeed in uniting our group, even if it was just for a little bit."

As Ryouta's voice pierced my ears, that wave grew larger and larger. It was oozing dark red, crashing up and down like a heaven of roaring flames.

"It worked even better than I expected. But really, it was you who brought them together. The moment you started crying, everyone turned their malice towards each other unto me. In that few seconds... they really were a group."

When I finished spitting those words out, painfully struggling, I think I finally understood what the ruckus in my chest was.

"I just wish... I just wish that you could've been there as well, Takanori-san."

It was irritation.

"It can't be helped. I did what I had to do."

"That maybe so... but what you did was unexpectedly kindhearted, too."

Ryouta tilted his head with a small smile, blushing. I raised an eyebrow.

"...I don't think so. You're ignoring all the damage I did at the same time."

"But it was for a good cause, was it not?"

"They don't know that. To them, I'm someone who mercilessly betrayed them. I've made an enemy out of all the class leaders."

"I wonder..."

Ryouta rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Do you not see me as an enemy, Ryouta-san?"

"Eh? No, I do."

As always, he remained straightforward and honest with his responses.

"But the thing is... we were already set to be enemies the moment we stepped inside GEN Academy."

"I suppose hatred would've been a better word, then."

Ryouta giggled, shaking his head.

"I could never hate you, Takanori-san. If anything, I'd like to be friends with you too."

"...keep your friends close, but your enemies closer, huh?"

"I-I didn't mean it that way..."

He panicked, shaking his hands and looking away shyly. I sighed, putting my hands into my pockets.

"Ryouta-san. When you first met me, what was your first impression?"

"That's a strange question to ask all of a sudden..."

"I'm curious. Because right now, if I'm being honest..."

I narrowed my eyes at him.

"...it feels like you're looking down at me."

Ryouta's eyes widened.

"I'm sorry for making you feel that way, Takanori-san..."

I'm starting to understand why Machida gets so annoyed with Ryouta's constant apologising. I wanted an answer to my question, not for him to bow before me.

If anything... it's almost like he's rubbing salt into the wound.

He knows he's in a superior class to me, and he knows he's better than me, yet he continues on insisting downplaying his own abilities and acting like he's lesser than me, pretending like he's doing me a courtesy by acting so humble.

I don't need this fake pity, and I don't want his fake charity. If you're looking down at me from your heart, I'd rather you just laugh at me outright.

"Answer my question."

Ryouta raised his head and looked at me straight in the eyes. Even though I was wearing thick sunglasses, blocking the view of my pupils, I could tell that he was able to pierce through that with his intuitive gaze.

"You weren't someone worth worrying about. That's what I thought."

I was expecting this kind of answer, but for some reason, the way he worded it bugged me slightly.

"...did you ever have to worry about me to begin with?"

"One of my classmates told me you would be a threat in the future. I decided to trust their word on it and observed you for the past two months. In the end, that was the conclusion I came to. That was my honest first impression of you, Takanori-san."

I closed my eyes and sighed.

"...let me guess, was it Shimada-san who told you about me?"

"No, actually. It was Yogen-san."

I opened one eye and raised an eyebrow.

"...she did?"

"Yes. Yogen-san seems to rate you very highly. And after what happened today and what happened in the last special exam... I can clearly see why now."

For some reason, Ryouta laughed. I had cornered him and everyone else in our group, yet he was laughing.

"...you don't seem to resent me one bit."

"How could I? It's my fault why things ended up like this. The only person I can be angry at is myself."

Ryouta smiled. I'm starting to wonder if anything can really get him down.

Even though he was crying just moments earlier, he seemed to have rebounded back to his normal self in an instant.

I don't know why, but it freaked me out.

"So, will you help me out?"

I extended my right hand towards Ryouta. He smiled and took it with his left hand, squeezing it.

"Yeah, I will. I don't have much choice in the matter anyways."

His hand was surprisingly warm.

Or perhaps, my hand was exceedingly cold.

Either way, our handshake passed by far too quickly to tell.

"One more thing. Can you do a favour for me on day six?"

"Eh? I mean, sure, but... why day six?"

"You know exactly what's happening that day, Ryouta-san."

"I'm not sure if I understand..."

"You can drop the act. Shimada-san already told me."

"Told you what?"

I looked straight at Ryouta.

"During A Class's explanation of the special exam, you guys were given a list of the challenges we would be tested on."

His eyes widened.