-Monty's POV-
Soon after Horikita's study group had settled into their seats, I got up and went over to the table where I left my bag. I sat and waited patiently for my own members to arrive.
My gaze shifted carefully about the library as students from all grades gradually spilled in through the open doors with some hiding away behind an isle. I briefly pondered on what they were doing, but discarded the thought immediately after.
Now that the three idiots' cooperation has been secured, it's time to move on to the next phase.
Kushida has been presented with an opportunity to build rapport with Horikita courtesy of Ayanokoji, however, it would be meaningless if she can't capitalize on it due to their incompatibility. I assume that's why Ayanokoji suggested I invite Matsushita, who can act as a sort of intermediary in the event that a disagreement occurs.
If that's what he thought, it's a good plan. Though, my reasons for increasing the number of girls, aside from being a deterrent for Ike and Yamauchi, was to ensure that Sudo comes in contact with Onodera.
They had similar interests so there was a decent chance that they'd get along. Having him tethered to a girl will lower the chances of him lashing out while also facilitating his growth as a person.
Should all go well, he'll shed his ties to Ike and Yamauchi naturally when he realizes that they'll only be a deterrent to his success. But, he might not need to sever his connection to both of them.
One was enough.
The expansive room became enveloped in a constant influx of low hums and casual mutterings as its number of book enthused occupants experienced a gradual increase; most of which happened to be first years for obvious reasons.
Even though I had advised Horikita that working with Kushida was essential, I also told her that there was no need to be fond of her for that to happen.
Which is why having more people present will provide Kushida with others to fall back on when Horikita distances herself.
This is to ensure that she doesn't overdo her advances and causes Horikita to leave. And if that happens, the group's atmosphere will probably sour which would be quite annoying.
Also, I've wanted Ayanokoji to interact with Sato for a while now. He did say he wanted a friend afterall. I might as well give him one that can hold a conversation.
Finishing that thought, I glanced over my shoulder to see Inogashira making her way towards me.
My gaze tracked her movements as she waved at me in greeting, "Good afternoon, Monty-kun."
I nodded.
"Uh, y-yesterday was pretty fun wasn't it?" Tilting my head slightly, I stared up at the shy girl through my glasses lenses for a time.
"I suppose I wouldn't mind going again." I answered.
"Mh," Her lips lifted into a somewhat demure smile as she shyly looked away whilst fiddling with her thumbs, "I was thinking that, um, maybe we could hang out like that again sometime after the midterms. W-with the study group I mean."
"Why?" I queried softly.
It's rare for Inogashira to take the initiative to speak, so I might as well allow her to expound on her thoughts until the others get here.
Her gaze flitted towards mine and immediately broke away upon making contact.
"Well... I just thought it might be a nice way to celebrate when we...p-pass our exams." Her voice pittered out at the end.
I regarded the girl with an amused lip lift while resting my elbow atop the table.
"You seem pretty certain you'll pass. Are you that confident in my teaching ability?"
My half open palm did well to support the weight of my head as I stared into her anxious yellow eyes.
At that, Inogashira seemed visibly flustered.
"I-I...guess you could say that." She replied, shifting in her seat with cute motion, "I mean, since you began teaching us, we have been improving haven't we?"
"You think so?"
She nodded slightly. "Mm. We've definitely gotten a lot better with mathematics and the sciences since we began studying. It's the same for English and the other subjects too."
Lowering her gaze to the table, Inogashira continued with a soft smile.
"Sakura-san, Onodera-san, Sato-san and Hondo-kun c-can all agree with me on that."
My brows furrowed a tad, "...You're saying Chiaki's in disagreement then?"
"I-I didn't say that."
"You didn't include her name though. So I just assumed that was the case."
"Ah, n-no, I-I didn't include her name because she doesn't usually participate i-in our study sessions is all! I-I'm pretty sure M-Matsushita-san also benefited from your teachings like the rest of us! Really!"
Panicked, Inogashira's stuttering increased while she reasoned out her actions in a more verbose manner than she usually would.
My lips tightened and my head lowered just slightly enough to seem dejected.
"However... doesn't her lack of participation mean that she isn't in need of my help?" I muttered, slowly detaching from my palm as I sighed.
"I'm sure she'd consider it more of a nuisance on her part."
"Uwahhh! T-that's not the case! I-uh — she, uh-a-appreciates...!"
Inogashira's hands flailed about animatedly as she tried and failed to find the right response.
I think I understand why Sato teases her so often. Her reactions are cute even if it is predictable.
I snorted while leaning back in my seat with a wry smile, "I'm joking."
"I'm grateful for your thoughtfulness, Inogashira. I'll propose it to the others at the end of the week."
The yellow eyed girl squeaked softly before donning a timid yet seemingly perplexed smile as she finally lowered into her seat, "A-alright."
"O-oh and also!" Her soft voice rang out. It was louder than she expected, prompting her to shirk back bashfully while eyeing our surroundings.
Seeing that no one was looking, with a deep breath, she continued, "I was thinking that maybe you could, um, t-tutor me later this evening?"
"On what?"
"Uhh, English?" It was more of a question than a statement.
"Hmm," She wasn't exactly struggling in that subject area so I'm at liberty to decline for the time being, "I'm busy today. Come to my room tomorrow and we'll discuss it then."
"Oh, yeah, sure..." She nodded cutely.
Leaning back into my seat, a comforting silence befell our table as my wandering eyes continued to survey our surroundings.
From the look of things, Kushida's addition truly was the right choice.
Though Ike and Yamauchi seemed more trained on her cleavage than her words, Sudo's expression told me that regardless of its apparent difficulty, he could still glean some basic level of understanding from what was taught.
Looking away, I stared at a different section of the book building. A group of male students had been seated there for a while now. They looked to be observing Horikita's group while discussing something.
I've seen them lurking a few times over the past week so my assumption is that they were tasked with watching them, or at least someone within the group; so I made a point of remembering their faces.
As I was about to continue my observations however, my group members revealed themselves.
"...You're late." I mumbled aloud, "Why?"
Why do you wanna know?" Chiaki siddled up next to me, her lips rising into an enchanting grin as she drew closer, "Were you feeling lonely without me perhaps?"
"I wonder about that." Came my airy reply.
"As stoic as always I see." Chiaki said, rolling her eyes at my lack of a reaction, "Anyways, after talking with Sudo-kun, something happened so I kinda had to take a detour before doubling back."
"I see." Observing the rest of the group, I questioned, "Where're Sato and Onodera?"
Upon voicing my query, Sakura flinched and I slowly shifted my attention to her. She averted her gaze from me.
"Uh..." Hondo raised his hand, drawing my attention, "I saw Onodera-san heading towards the swim area earlier."
"Did she have club today?"
He shrugged, "Not sure. She looked kinda pissed so I didn't ask."
I leaned back slightly as my amber gaze fell back to the still form of Chiaki whose brows had seemingly knitted into an annoyed frown.
"And Sato?" I asked.
"Maya-chan said she's not feeling it today so she won't be coming." Came her swift reply. She rested her chin on her palm with a sigh before pulling out her phone and tapping the screen, "I ended up following her back to her room, hence the lateness."
As she finished speaking, Chiaki shot me a gaze that said 'read it' just as my phone pinged.
Pulling out my device, I scrolled to her chat.
[Sakura-san told me Maya-chan had an argument with Onodera-san after class. I'll explain why later.] -Chiaki
So they had a disagreement, huh. Seems like my plans will be delayed.
Sending off a message, I hid away my phone before taking out today's study material and placing it carefully atop the round table, "We'll begin without them then." I spoke calmly, verbally moving past the subject.
Their absence means I will be incapable of observing their interactions with Ayanokoji and Sudo for the moment but it also enables those two idiots' antics.
I closed my eyes slowly. I'll allow it though, their actions actively prevents Kushida from over extending in her talks with Horikita while providing me with an opportunity to analyze her behaviour further.
With that thought in mind, I pushed my glasses up the bridge of my nose and began today's lesson.
-.-
It's been an hour since my group began focusing on their study material.
Without the presence of Sato and Onodera it was extremely quiet, and because of that, I had to occasionally check on everyone's progress and explain the problems individually seeing as no one was outgoing enough to ask for help.
I gave Inogashira something else to do since she was ahead of them by a decent margin. However, from how smoothly her pen was flowing understood it.
Chiaki, on the other hand, had just finished the questions I gave her. She leaned back in her chair and lazily opened her phone.
Ping
My eyes flitted from the pages of my open book to my pocket as I retrieved the school-issued device.
The message read:
[About what I said earlier...]
I glanced up at her briefly before returning my gaze to the device as she began typing.
[Apparently the three of them, Maya-chan, Onodera-san and Sakura-san, were hanging out by the bench just outside the library when Maya-chan cracked a joke about how boyish Onodera-san looks.] -Chiaki
[She didn't take offense to it at first, she even laughed about it, buuuut.] -Chiaki
[But?] -Monty (You)
[Well, Maya-chan went a lil overboard and said that was probably the reason why she wasn't all that popular with the guys in our grade. After that, Onodera-san told her off and left.] -Chiaki
[(￣ヘ￣) I know she didn't mean it in a bad way but she did come off as pretty insensitive. Still, she feels bad about what she said.] -Chiaki
[I see. They'll reconcile soon enough. Onodera isn't an unreasonable person so she should accept an apology and move past it.] -Monty (You)
Though it is surprising that Onodera would get angry over something so trivial, I suppose it isn't totally unexpected.
She probably got teased alot about her looks in middle school, some might have even mocked her about it which may have fostered a distaste towards such jokes.
Given her personality, I'm guessing she laughed only out of courtesy rather than from genuine amusement. But when she realized that Sato wouldn't move past the topic any time soon, she got annoyed and lashed out at her.
She likely wasn't angry that Sato was making the joke, her agitation might have stemmed from being reminded of something she didn't want to remember.
Something that wasn't nearly as light hearted.
But nevertheless, this is only a theory. An unproven one at that.
[But what if she doesn't tho?] - Chiaki
[In that case, I'll step in. However, it's best to let them resolve their problems themselves for now. People tend to appreciate solutions they reach on their own rather than those imposed upon them.] -Monty (You)
[Yeah, I guess you're not wrong about that. But, if things go sideways, I'll be the one dragging them to the negotiation table, not you.] -Chiaki
I decided to play dumb, [And why is that?]
[Well, obviously because I'm closer to both of them than you are. Plus, girls don't like when guys go poking around in their business.] -Chiaki
[I'm aware.] -Monty (You)
[Good—wait, if you know that then why were you gonna step in?] -Chiaki
[Actually, I was going to convince you do it for me. But now there's no need for that.]
Upon sending off that text, my face scrunched into a wince as a light sting ran through my thigh. Looking down, I saw Chiaki's fingers slithering away into the shadows.
[Was pinching me necessary?] I asked, already knowing the answer.
[Very. How else would I wipe that smug look off your face?( ಠ_ಠ)] Saying that, she donned a smug look of her own.
[There are a couple of other ways.] -Monty (You)
[Oh well, it's gone now so they don't matter♪～('ε｀ ). Anywho, about that txt you sent earlier.], The blue eyed girl scrolled further up the chat and highlighted the message I'd sent earlier.
╰┈➤ «Horikita's group invited both of us to the movies this afternoon.»
[Is this like a thank you?] - Chiaki
[You could say that. Ayanokoji suggested it as a way to celebrate their group's reunion and thought you should come along since you contributed.] - Monty (You)
[Oh, ok. That's pretty considerate of them I guess. ┐( ˘_˘)┌] - Chiaki
[You don't sound too happy.] - Monty (You)
Her reply came instantly.
[Oh no, I'm deeefinitely happy spending my afternoon dealing with Ike and Yamauchi's perverted antics. Yep, I wouldn't give it up for the world.]
Her words dripped with near venomous levels of sarcasm as she released a snort from her seat next to me with slightly upturned lips.
[They are...an acquired taste. But they're the reason Ayanokoji even proposed the idea. Think of it as you supervising them in Sato's stead. I'm sure Karuizawa would be interested to hear whatever plans they come up with.] -Monty (You)
Chiaki glanced up from her phone, caught my fleeting smirk, and rolled her eyes with exaggerated dramatics.
[Fine, fine. But you're paying for my snacks as compensation, got it?] -Chiaki
[Should I?] -Monty (You)
[Lol, I'm joking, buuut if you're paying for me who am I to refuse?(＾▽＾)] -Chiaki
[I suppose I can spare a few points.] -Monty (You)
[Heh, noice! ( ^ω^)♪♪] -Chiaki
[Validation feels nice doesn't it?] -Monty (You)
[Haha, stawp. But yeah, it does feel pretty sweet. ( ꈍᴗꈍ)] -Chiaki
Pocketing her phone, Chiaki's attention shifted back to the group. She rested her head firmly atop her palm whilst tilting it from side to side with a growing smile. She must be rather content with the conclusion of our discussion.
I soon hid away my phone as well, my eyes lifting to meet the perplexed yellow gradients of Inogashira, "Is something bothering you, Inogashira?" My head tilted in confusion.
She jolted in place, seemingly startled by my sudden addressal, "H-huh?! Oh, uh, no. I-I was just having trouble... understanding one of the questions." She responded like that.
Nodding, I wordlessly got up from my seat and strode over to her side of the table before leaning over and peering inside her book.
"What part of it don't you understand?"
"Uh, well..." She fidgeted in her seat as she analyzed her book, "H-here." She pointed.
I quietly observed the question for a moment. It was chemistry.
It read: What is the radioactive substance with a half-life of four months that decays in eight months?
Hmm. A half-life is the amount of time it takes for half of a radioactive substance to decay.
So if a substance has a half-life of four months, then after four months, half of the substance will remain.
After another four months, half of the remaining substance — or one-fourth of the original — will be left.
This means that 3/4 of the substance will decay in eight months leaving 1/4.
An appropriate example would be 16 ÷ 2. With 16 being the original value of the half-life prior to the 8 months of decay and the number 2 representing 4 out of said 8 months.
So by dividing 16 by 2 we'll be left with a quotient of 8. That's one half life.
Now, that 8 will take the place of the original half-life value, 16, and be divided once again by the number 2.
This gives us the equation, 8 ÷ 2, the quotient of which is our second half-life.
That being the number 4.
Due to that, the number 4 will be the amount of half-life remaining out of the original 16 after experiencing 8 months of decay.
When you break it down like that, the question isn't all that complicated.
Of course, I had already given her the definition of half life and other related terms beforehand. She simply had trouble figuring out how to apply that knowledge to the question.
Picking up her pen, I wrote down a brief yet detailed explanation of how to reach the conclusion as well as provided examples that she could refer back to should she need it.
After that, the study session continued without much incident, save for Hondo's occasional groans of frustration over a particularly challenging math question.
Sakura had a few hiccups as well, though they were quickly resolved. While I did occasionally offer guidance, I largely remained an observer both for those in and out of my group.
Chiaki stretched and leaned back in her seat with a yawn. "Alright, Monty, how much longer do you plan on torturing us?"
I glanced at the time on my phone before my gaze eyes veered off to the side in thought.
It's currently 18:35. Most of the other students have already taken their leave. Horikita's group and those boys from earlier have left as well.
Which means, this section of the library will be practically empty.
My head tilted slightly, "Your progress has been satisfactory so I guess there's no harm in letting you all off early today."
Reaching for my bag, I began packing up, "Be sure to review the materials I handed out earlier. Tomorrow's session will focus on its application." They all nodded and mimicked my actions.
Upon finishing, they got up and turned to leave.
"Monty-kun, aren't you coming?" Inogashira questioned softly.
"No. Go on without me."
"Oh, a-alright. See you tomorrow." I nodded and watched as they walked away.
Seated with my hands carefully slipping into my pocket, I slowly leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes, taking a moment to appreciate the silence.
Just then, I heard a rattle, "Well, whaddya know? The defect's taking a power nap, ha. No doubt you're wiped out from all that tutoring."
So he's finally decided to come out.
"That label is misplaced," Slowly reopening my eyes, I regarded the red speck with a leveled gaze, "I seem to recall that title being delegated to only members of Class D."
"Or am I mistaken?"
The red haired boy shrugged, pulling back the chair in his grasp, "You're not. But even though Class D's been promoted up to C, I doubt the title is misplaced. Afterall..."
It made a low grating noise as he slowly and purposefully turned its mahogany backrest to face me. Sitting, his arms slung loosely over the chair's back with an antagonistic aura as his index finger lined up with my glass guarded eyes.
"You guys're the original defects." He said, chin raising upward as a smirk threatened to break out on his face, "And no matter what you do, that fact will never change."
"You say that and yet those defects overtook Class C within only a month." I replied airily, pushing my glasses up the bridge of my nose with a slight thumb thrust, "Considering their performance, does that not make the now Class C less defective than the previous?"
"You would be right if they got promoted with collective effort, that is." He snorted, averting his gaze, "I heard that Hirata guy was the one who warned you all about the S-system. If it wasn't for him you'd still be at the bottom of the barrel just barely scraping to get by."
His head tilted slightly, clear traces of mockery seeping into his tone, "Buuut, I find it hard to believe that a guy like that is intelligent enough to figure it out on his own."
Upon speaking those words, he regarded me with a probing gaze, "Don't get me wrong, he does seem intelligent, but not that kinda intelligent, you know what I mean?"
He's right. Hirata's strength lies in his social skills. He lacks high enough analytical intelligence to deduce the purpose of the S-system on his own as evidenced when he was repeatedly unable to pick up on the hints Miss Chabashira had given us throughout her long winded expositions.
I closed my eyes, "No," Reopening them as my lips lifted into an expression not quite a smile, "I don't know what you mean." I lied.
"Care to elaborate, Karma Akabane of Class 1D?"
My head tilted upwards slightly as my golden eyes gradually shifted towards the red haired student, watching in silent amusement as his once cocky demeanor slowly mellowed out into one of momentary confusion then cautious scrutiny.
"Hah, so you're the one who helped him figure it out." He surmised after a short think.
I didn't reply but he took my silence as affirmation.
I watched his smirk grow as his eyes gradually narrowed, "I gotta say, I'm kinda impressed that you not only saw through the S-System but also collected info on me as well even though I was being so discreet about it too."
He let a hand hang loosely over the edge of the backrest, "So, Monty, mind telling me how you did it?" Head tilting downwards a tad as his smirk stretched even further up his face, amused.
"I see no need to state the obvious." I sighed, indirectly answering his query.
"Haha," Karma chuckled, "It really is you. I wasn't too sure since your whole vibe's different from how she described."
"Anyhow," He continued, "Our little senpai told me so much about you, you know~ about how you helped her out with her club and whatnot? Even getting her a new friend." He pointed a thumb towards himself; indicating he was said friend.
"I'll end up benefiting quite a bit from this you know, so thanks in advance."
Even though he seems unfazed, it's actually quite the opposite. He's definitely become more wary of me now that he's confirmed my identity.
Ever since the first formation of Horikita's study group, he's personally been observing my movements while trying to get a grasp on my personality.
With the me that he's observed being so far off from the description he had received from Manda, his curiosity would naturally be stimulated.
He would think that he either evaluated me too hastily—based on appearances last time—or rationalize that there were two individuals with the same name in the same class to better make sense of Manda's description.
Although realistically the latter was highly unlikely.
Not because it wasn't possible to have the same name as someone else, but due to the fact that our features (hair, complexion, eyes etc) would overlap as well, effectively making us twins or a pair of doppelgangers.
But now that he's spoken to me in person, he has come to the realization that there was a third, more absurd option.
That being, I was precisely who he thought I was but also exactly how Manda had described.
It was the type of contradiction that would lead him to believe that the real me was nothing short of an enigma who's actions are nonsensical from an outsider's point of view.
"Honestly, I didn't peg you for the charitable type the last time I saw you." His eyes narrowed slightly as he rested his chin atop his forearms, "This time's no different either."
"But, the way she speaks about you doesn't correlate at all with your current image at...It's almost like she was describing a whole other person to me..." Karma's gaze narrowed with a curious glint, "Which is why I find it all so strange..."
He thought for a while more before his brows knitted into a partial furrow, "Beyond that, there's only one reason why you'd have your contact approach the enemy and even help him find you."
"You want something from me don't you, Helper-kun?"
"Is that how it looks?"
Karma sneered at my rhetorical response, "Quit beating around the bush."
He sat upright with both hands nestling in his pockets, "You didn't out yourself for no reason, so be straight with me. Whaddya want?"
He's so sharp I could almost laugh, "I want three things."
"Three?" He repeated, taking a moment to think, "And those are?"
My head tilted in an upwards incline as I carefully adjusted my tinted glasses, the glare from the artificial lights making them glow like an amalgamation of green fog that housed a pair of aureate beacons.
"First, retract your right hand so we can speak openly." I said.
At that, his pupils shrunk and a single bead of sweat slid down his cheek. He didn't even bother denying the accusation and slowly took his right hand out of his pocket with half a grin. Placing his phone atop the table, he ended the recording and powered it off for me to see.
I silently analyzed him for a moment longer before continuing, "Second, refer to me by my name."
As if to spite me, he declined my entreaty with a mocking snicker. "No can do, I kinda like this one. It suits you, Helper-kun."
With a huff, I moved on to my final request, "Lastly. To issue a challenge."
His eyes widened slowly before squinting in amusement as he lifted his chin, "A challenge..." He said, his seated posture teeming with arrogance, "Interesting, what do you have in mind?"
Despite being unaware of what it entailed, Karma seemed quite confident that he possessed the means to overcome it.
That's reassuring.
I stared up at the library ceiling, letting the silence linger as I calmly basked in the room's ambience, "The first Special Exam." I spoke up, "Should my class win, you will grant me a request."
His brows raised, with his grin widening ever so slightly as he bared his teeth like a predator sizing up prey.
"And if I win?" He asked.
I tilted my head just slightly in acknowledgment, "Then you can make a request of me." I answered airily, "Anything within reason."
Karma eyed me with a contemplative expression as his slender fingers tapped against the table in a slow, deliberate rhythm.
My proposal has no downsides for either of us. It's a fair competition with fair rewards. We both have equal chances of getting what we want.
However if my assumptions are incorrect about Ayanokoji, then he'll win this quite easily. That is, if that other guy doesn't step in.
His gaze hardened briefly before lifting in what seemed to be growing amusement as he got up from his seat and pocketed his phone with a casual flick of the wrist, "You're an interesting guy, I'll give you that. You've got yourself a deal."
Turning around, he began making his way towards the door with a satisfied hum. His shoes made no sound as he stopped mid stride and stared up at the ceiling for a moment, "Oh yeah, about that request..." Muttered the red head as he glanced back at me.
"When I win, you'll become my subordinate." A smirk bordering on condescending slowly crept up his pale face as my eyes stared calmly into his, "So if you don't want that, you'd better bring your A game, ya hear Helper-kun?" He finished with a teasing rhetoric.
As I leaned back in my seat, I calmly analyzed his condescending golden gaze with my own sharp and unwavering set of ambers.
The surety behind his words implied he was looking down on me; even deriving some level of amusement from it.
But there was no need to dignify his provocations with a response. I never specified that I'd be the challenger afterall.
Deceiving him into believing that I was his opponent allows for me to achieve several things:
-Measure the general extent of Karma's capabilities when he gets serious.
-Gauging Ayanokoji's as he deals with pressure without my direct interference.
-Unifying the Class via use of a common enemy.
-Cementing the threat of point deficit due to complacency within their minds and push them to take a more proactive approach.
With Karma being aware of my competence, it's doubtful he'll fool around too much, especially considering the benefits that comes with him winning.
Not only that, he'll soon come to a realization that his current friendship with Manda won't yield as much results as he'd initially thought.
Why?
The simple fact is, the current Manda was utterly useless in gathering intel he wouldn't otherwise be privy to.
Which is why he will make moves to ensure his victory so that he can fulfill his request.
In fact, he's already begun scouting out our class's weaknesses ever since the day he approached us. He knew all of our key figures while we lacked information on his.
Should he make good use of that advantage, he'll prove to be quite a menacing opponent for them to deal with.
Karma maintained his gaze, releasing a snort a while after before continuing his trod out of the library building. He seemed amused with my reaction, or lack thereof.
As the red head disappeared into the afternoon, I got up from my seat and slung my duffle bag over my shoulder while swiftly re-adjusted the chairs before taking my leave.
With that taken care of I should prepare for the movies.