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Chapter 429: Chapter 3 Part III

However, this was a battle where I had to command the class as a whole.

I would only be able to fight confined within the scope of my classmate\'s abilities.

Given an army of children, even an unparalleled strategist like Sun Tzu wouldn\'t stand a chance against an army of fully-grown adults.

Although the commander\'s unique ability to intervene in events would be the key to victory, I was still missing something fundamental that I needed in order to compete.

That is, I needed to grasp the current potential of Class C.

Who does everyone like and dislike? What are their strengths? Their weaknesses?

Without understanding all the different pieces of the puzzle, the path to victory wouldn\'t open.

Plus, when it comes to networking and leadership skills, I clearly fall short when compared to the rest of the class. Currently, I don\'t even know what people like Shinohara or Onodera like to eat.

That being the case, what should I do first?

The answer was obvious. I needed to reach out to someone who knew the class as if it were the back of their hand.

It was simple, but I didn\'t really have any other options.

There were only three people who could fit this criterion: Kei, Hirata, and Kushida.

Ideally, I wanted to consult all three of them.

However, given the current situation, the only one who\'d definitely be willing to help me would be Kei.

Hirata was currently far beyond recovery, and Kushida had been deeply wounded during The Class Vote. While she wasn\'t showing it on the surface, she was probably quite furious with Horikita. It\'s unknown just how much skepticism she has toward me, but it\'s safe to assume she\'s become warier of me than before.

At around six in the evening, just as the sun was beginning to set, my doorbell rang.

Without hesitation, I unlocked the door and invited the visitor into my room.

"...Heyo."

The visitor was Karuizawa Kei, who was still in her school uniform.

"Did you only just get back from school?"

"That\'s cus, unlike you, I have a ton of friends. Besides, I\'m the star today."

Her choice of words was a bit peculiar. She turned to look at me.

"The star? Why?"

Seeing as I didn\'t understand what she was getting at, Kei looked away from me with a slightly irritated look on her face.

"...Whatever, it\'s nothing. Anyways, isn\'t it weird for you to call for me at a time like this? And what\'s with you saying I don\'t need to be careful anymore? Didn\'t you say it\'d be a problem if we\'re seen by somebody?"

She uneasily glanced around my room.

"It\'s fine. After everything that\'s happened, I don\'t think that\'s necessary anymore."

"Cause of, uh, Hashimoto-kun from Class A, right? And that upperclassmen who saw us together?"

"Something like that."

"Our relationship will slowly become public knowledge, you know that right...? And that\'s okay with you?"

"I have no problems with it at all."

My immediate response seemed to give Kei some peace of mind, as she let out a sigh of relief.

"Well, then, it\'s fine I guess."

It\'s true that some actions would be easier to carry out if nobody knew about my connection with Kei.

But the situation was gradually beginning to change.

Moreover, it would be easier for Kei to move openly instead of acting as a spy from now on.

"But, like... you and I are still a boy and a girl from the same class, you know? If word gets out that I was seen coming here, won\'t weird rumors about how the two of us were alone together start to spread?"

Had she always been the type to care about something like that?

"I\'m the commander for this exam, and you\'re a central figure in Class C. The two of us meeting privately shouldn\'t be too unnatural."

Just to make sure she felt comfortable, I added on an extra layer of reasoning to my explanation.

"Umm, well, I guess that\'s true..."

Something about this still appeared to be bothering her.

"Speaking of which, why\'d you agree to become the commander? You aren\'t the type of guy who\'d feel obligated to do so just cus you got a protection point."

As expected, she understands the type of person I am, at least to a certain extent.

"Personal feelings aside, I needed to show my sincerity to the class. Yamauchi had only just been expelled, so everyone\'s still pretty paranoid. Nominating myself for the role was the best option available."

"That\'s it?"

"That\'s it."

"If it were me, I wouldn\'t have become the commander, like, no matter what."

She was only able to take a stance like that because of the image she had established for herself. Even if she were to stubbornly insist that the protection point was hers to use as she pleased, nobody would be able to hold it against her. It was genuinely impressive.

"Let\'s change the topic. Tell me about the internal state of the class."

"Internal state, huh? Like, I don\'t even know where to start. For your information, it\'s not like I know everything myself, okay? Especially when it comes to the boys. I dunno anything about them."

"That\'s fine. If possible, I hope to consult with both Hirata and Kushida at some point later on."

This hope was nothing more than just that. A hope.

For the time being, there was no telling whether or not they\'d speak with me.

"Sure, you\'ll find out pretty much everything about the class if you speak with the two of them, but like..."

Kei paused for a moment and wearily folded her arms in front of her.

"Kushida-san aside, don\'t you think it seems kinda impossible to reach out to Yōsuke-kun? He seems like he\'s given up entirely."

"Are you worried about him?"

"Well, yeah. Nobody in Class C actually likes seeing Yōsuke-kun like that."

Class C without Hirata, a situation where we were at a complete disadvantage. Since nobody was willing to step up and moderate, the class was lacking an overall sense of stability.

"Either way, I\'ll hear you out first."

"It\'ll be hard for me to do all the talking, so like, let\'s do this with you asking me questions, kay?"

If that\'s what she wanted, I\'d comply. I would ask about each girl one at a time.

She went down the class roster, and I proceeded to memorize the relevant information about every girl in Class C.