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"Fine. If that's the reward you want for working so hard, I'm happy to give it to you. But in return, you have to call me Tsugumi-kun, too, okay?"
"T-Tsugumi-kun..."
The feeling of being held by Saitō-kun's left hand still lingered. I tried to erase it by muttering his name, but it seemed to have the opposite effect.
"Hah... I'm not used to this."
I didn't understand why just calling his name made me so flustered. I decided to think about what I didn't understand later. For now, I'd concentrate on the matter at hand.
"Really? The water is super clear, it's like natural spring water!"
I heard a disgruntled voice from a distance. It was Ike-kun's. Looks like we've already got a problem.
"...Get it together. You have to meet everyone's expectations."
Spurring myself on, I headed toward the ongoing argument between the boys and girls, led by Ike-kun and Shinohara-san, which I'd seen countless times before.
"What seems to be the trouble?"
"Oh, Horikita-san! Please, Horikita-san, you tell him! Ike is trying to drink the river water!"
When I spoke to Shinohara-san, she looked at me as if I were some kind of savior.
"What's your problem, everyone? There's no reason not to make good use of the river we finally found!"
Ike-kun's voice intensified, heated by her words.
"Well then, why don't you try drinking it?"
"Huh? ...Fine, I will."
With that exchange, Ike-kun scooped up some of the river water with his hand and drank it.
"Ah! It's so cool and refreshing! Delicious!"
"Ew, I'm so grossed out. No way, no way am I drinking that. That's disgusting."
"Huh!? You're the one who told me to drink it, Shinohara!"
His action did nothing to solve the situation and only made it worse. ...Can't they be a little more rational?
"Ike-kun. Why did you think you could drink the river water?"
He couldn't have drunk it so easily with just the simple reason that it looked clear and clean. I wanted to know what made him so sure the water was safe to drink. In response to my question, Ike-kun looked taken aback. He probably expected criticism, but I had no intention of scolding him.
"Huh? Oh... I used to go camping a lot with my family when I was little. So I have no problem drinking river water. I can tell just by looking if a water source is clean and sanitary, and I figured if it wasn't safe to drink, there would be a sign or something."
"I see."
Convinced by his words, I conspicuously walked toward the river.
"Hey...! What are you doing!?"
The next moment, Ike-kun cried out in surprise at my actions.
"Just like you said, I'm just drinking the river water."
"No, that's not what I meant! I said to drink it, but who just drinks it so casually!?"
Even Shinohara-san and the others looked astonished, their mouths agape, as if they never expected me to actually drink it.
"Based on what Ike-kun said, I concluded that river water in a camping area can sometimes be safe to drink. The question then is whether this place falls into that category. This is a spot designated by the school, so they must have anticipated that students would try to drink the river water if they occupied this area. I find it unlikely that they would leave contaminated water here without a warning sign. That's all."
"Ohh..."
A gasp of admiration came not just from Ike-kun, but from the entire class. ...This is embarrassing. How can Saitō-kun and Hirata-kun do this without batting an eye?
"B-But it's still river water, isn't it? The school might not have thought about it that much!"
Even if the water was clean, it was still a river. Shinohara-san seemed to feel a strong aversion to it.
"I understand why you think that, Shinohara-san. I had reservations, too, until I heard what he had to say... So I'm not going to force anyone. There are endless ways to use water besides drinking it, after all."
It would be difficult to force them to accept a theory and immediately move on. But there was one thing I had to say. Looking at the anxious Shinohara-san, I spoke once more, with renewed conviction.
"I have a dream of reaching Class A. So I have no intention of sparing any effort to achieve that. But I won't force that effort on anyone else. So, Ike-kun, why don't we start with just the people who don't have a problem with it? I think that's better than pointlessly arguing."
"...Okay."
Ike-kun looked crestfallen, reflecting on his actions. I was about to offer him some words of encouragement, but it seemed I didn't need to.
"I'll drink it too. I've caused you guys enough trouble."
"I'll drink it as well. Everyone! Is there anyone who'll drink with us?"
"You guys..."
Following Sudō-kun and Hirata-kun, the boys started to raise their hands.
"I'll try it too!"
"Sounds good to me. I'll drink it too. Horikita-san was kind of cool."
...What does drinking river water have to do with me being cool? Oh well. If Kushida-san and Karuizawa-san, two central figures among the Class D girls, step forward, others will likely be influenced.
"K-Kushida-san and Karuizawa-san, are you serious!? ...Well, then, maybe I'll drink it too."
Shinohara-san followed suit, and in the end, every single student in Class D chose to drink the river water. ...The result was good, and as the one who brought it up, what could I say, but I felt a little conflicted.
—After Hirata-kun called out, most of the boys, and even the girls, followed Kushida-san and Karuizawa-san's lead, and everyone drank it. This shows that Class D has a tendency to be overly dependent on certain individuals. If that support were ever to fall away, the class would likely lose all its cohesion.
"...That's something that would probably never happen."
I never thought that my worst-case scenario would become a reality.
"—So you guys started moving early, only to argue about something so trivial? You're all defective goods."
"You... what do you want, Class C student? Ryūen-kun."
"I don't have business with you weaklings. Go get Saitō. We have a 'deal' to make."
---------
"Saitō! It's a disaster! Ryūen, that guy Ryūen, he's demanding to see you!"
Hello there. For some reason, I've been Called by the Class C leader whom I've never even met. I'm a good-for-nothing Called to the scene. Maybe he heard rumors of how popular I am and came to hit on me? Too bad, I'm not into guys.
"Don't be an idiot, just go."
"Yes, ma'am."
I was scolded. Pouts. I pushed such foolish thoughts aside and followed Ike-kun, who had come to get me. He seemed to be in a big hurry, so I wondered what kind of trouble he had gotten himself into. After walking a short distance, I saw Ryūen-kun standing alone, glaring at the rest of Class D. He's got guts. Doesn't seem like a high schooler at all.
"Nice to meet you, I guess? Ryūen-kun. Thanks for your help with the Sudō-kun matter."
Greetings are important, so I made sure to be polite. Sarcasm? I don't know what you're talking about.
"Oh? I don't know what you're talking about. I've heard a lot about you, Saitō. There are some good rumors going around."
"Oh? What kind of rumors?"
Tee-hee. Well, well, well... I already know. There are no flaws in me, the number one in the handsome guy rankings. As I smugly thought to myself, Ryūen-kun smirked and said something nasty.
"'The worst womanizer in Class D,' they say."
"Huh?"
What kind of rumor is that...? But he's not wrong, so I can't say anything back.
"Heh heh heh. Well, that's beside the point. I came here to give you guys a good offer. You should be grateful."
What do you mean, "beside the point"? You're the one who brought it up. Honestly, to provoke the person you're about to make a deal with... I don't know if he's incredibly meticulous or incredibly bold.
"Isn't it a bad idea to provoke the person you're making a deal with? It's like you're telling me you have something shady to hide."
"...Hah. Just as I'd expect from the guy who came up with that camera plan. You're not like those other foxes who hide behind a tiger's authority."
"What did you say?! Tell him off, Saitō!"
"...Can you just be quiet, Ike-kun? It's embarrassing."
"Y-Yes, sorry..." Ike-kun said, zipping his lips. He's acting exactly like Ryūen-kun said he would. What is he doing?
I tightened the atmosphere, which had been loosened by their stupid comedy routine, and spoke to Ryūen-kun.
"So, what's this deal?"
"It's simple. 'Buy the supplies our Class C purchased for 200 points.'"
It was indeed a simple deal, but the shocking nature of it caused a stir throughout the class. ...Buying supplies, huh? What's his goal?
"I don't think points can be exchanged between classes."
"Yes. So I came up with an alternative. From next month until you graduate, every Class D student will pay us Class C 200 CP worth of private points. That's my compromise. You guys get to keep the points you have for purchasing supplies, and we get a large amount of private points. It's not a bad deal, is it?"
It's certainly not a bad deal. The condition of 200 points is also well thought out. However, there's one reason why we can't accept this plan so easily.
"That's out of the question. If we accept this condition, Class D will be using 200 points worth of supplies without any conditions. We can't throw away the possibility of cutting back on our spending even more. Also, what about your Class C's supplies? You don't intend to get by on the remaining 100 points, do you?"
Yukimura-kun was the one who spoke up. He said everything I was thinking in the latter half of his statement. But Ryūen-kun remained completely calm in the face of his objections. Well, considering he's trying to make a deal like this, he probably anticipated a few objections.
"Who said anything about surviving for a week in this scorching heat? Our Class C plans to have everyone retire tomorrow."
"—Huh?"
At the same time as he said that, I heard someone's dumbfounded voice from behind me.
"You're giving up on the exam? I don't understand. Are you okay with falling behind by nearly 100 points?"
"Giving up? What are you talking about? The theme of this special exam is 'freedom.' We don't want to go through the miserable things you guys do for 100 or 200 points."
Everyone retiring, huh...? Okay, let's probe a little.
"It's certainly not a bad deal, and I think your idea is interesting. But it also tells me you don't have the confidence to lead your class."
"...Huh?"
"I just figured out the reason for this troublesome exam. This exam is for increasing class cohesion or for fostering a leader who can lead the class. While the boys and girls were fighting because of their different values, Horikita-san was able to bring them together. You must not have had the confidence to bring your misbehaving Class C students together for this one week, right?"
Both Ike-kun and Shinohara-san, who were just arguing, looked bitter. I'm not blaming you, so don't worry. I got to see a cool side of Horikita-san.
"You're being awfully cocky, aren't you? I could always take this offer to another class, you know?"
Ryūen-kun met my gaze with a pompous attitude, refusing to take the bait. He's trying to make me think he has all the power in this negotiation, but that trick won't work on me.
"To another class? Don't make me laugh, Ryūen-kun. You've already been turned down, haven't you? By either or both Class A and Class B."
"..."
Bingo. Well, if you think about it, it's an easy thing to figure out. I calmly explained to everyone behind me, who had puzzled expressions.
"Our Class D's points are currently 95. Even if we get 300 points in this exam, there's a good chance we won't be able to pay in the future, depending on what happens in upcoming exams. After all, we're Class D, the class that dropped from 1000 to 0 points."
That's right. I was so curious as to why he brought this deal to us instead of Class A or B.
"Katsuragi-kun is a cautious man. He wouldn't accept a deal from the problematic Class C. It might be a different story if there were factional disputes within the class."
I wonder if he would've accepted it if he was clashing with Arisu-chan? I don't know.
"And Class B. I don't even have to say it. I don't think Ichinose-san, who has been harassed by them so much, would accept this deal, and above all, it wouldn't make you happy for them to get more points, would it?"
Based on his reaction, it seems he hasn't offered this to Class B. The priority seems to be A -> D -> B. Class D, with its overwhelming deficit, and Class A, with its solid ability to pay. Both have their pros and cons.
"...Tch. It seems the rumors were true. You're not just some womanizer."
Ryūen-kun clicked his tongue in displeasure. At that moment, I could hear a sigh of relief from our classmates behind me. Well, I guess they don't want to make a deal with a class they were just at odds with.
However, their relief was swallowed up by the words I uttered.
"If I were to have the discretion, I would gladly accept this deal... What do you guys think?"
"Are you serious?! The other party is Class C! And even if we're getting 200 points worth of supplies, this deal is too risky!"
Yukimura-kun raised his voice at my words. Indeed, a monthly debt of 800,000 private points until graduation is a burden no one wants.
"But if this goes well, we'll get 300 points plus a bonus of 20, bringing our class points to over 400. Don't you think that's pretty appealing?"
"...It is an appealing offer. And there's no risk. Of course, we get to choose the supplies, right?"
"Yeah. Either way, they're things we won't be using. So, what's it gonna be? Will you accept it or not? I'll give you time to discuss it."
Ryūen-kun answered Hirata-kun's question. That's a given. If he delivered 200 points worth of barbecue sets, we'd all be furious.
"Alright, everyone, gather 'round."
We gathered just like we did when we were deciding on a leader. After a few minutes of discussion, we conveyed our conclusion to Ryūen-kun.
"—We'll accept this deal. However, there are a few conditions."
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