Starting in class C: not completely defective.

Summer part 1: summer conspiracies

At most high schools, a class will have a class representative, either elected by the students or chosen by the teachers. That class representative is more often than not a member of the student council.

At this high school, ANHS, however, you were the leader because you were either the best, or you were the most popular. In some cases, you were the leader because you were willing and able to do whatever it takes to get to class A.

In most years, all the classes have a clear leader: someone who has taken control of the class. It didn't matter how they did it, whether they used violence, or charm.

Class 1-D had no clear leader, rather an assortment of key figures, such as Kikyou Kushida, Horikita Suzune and Hirata Yousuke, among a few others. The more central figures you have in your class that don't fall under the same leader, the weaker the class was.

That was why our class, class 1-C, was the strongest. Our leader, Ryuuen Kakeru, had taken control of the class on the first day. Although many people in class C could have been leaders, like Albert or maybe Kaneda, they didn't take the chance to establish themselves. That was why Ryuuen was our leader.

The counterpart to us was class 1-B. They had a leader to be sure, Ichinose Honami, and she acted as a voice for the class. She was also a member of the student council, which only solidified her position as leader. Her right hand was Kanzaki Ryuuji, a shrewd and cunning individual on par with some of the second or third years. This class had unanimously picked them to lead their class.

But what happened when too many people wanted to be the leader of their class? That class would inevitably be weakened, especially in a special exam, the like the school holds at various points. Class 1-A was one such class.

Officially, class A had 2 different leaders, with 2 different ideologies: Katsuragi Kouhei, who was in favour of strengthening their own class' position by gaining more points, and Sakayanagi Arisu, who was in favour of defeating the other classes by making us lose points. This was a simple question of defence or offence. Behind the scenes, it was Sakayanagi who called the shots. Her intellect was a once in a generation talent, and Katsuragi couldn't match her.

If Katsuragi were to lead his class, his class wouldn't be as strong as it would with Sakayanagi at the helm. However, Katsuragi's pride wouldn't let him back down, and he would still try to be the leader of class 1-A, dooming the class as a result.

Which is why I was on my way to see him. I had heard that he couldn't get his sister a birthday present, as outside contact wasn't allowed. If I were to get his parcel to his sister, he would conspire with me. At least I hoped so.

I saw the bald man in question, and went to greet him.

"Good morning, Katsuragi."

"Yes? Oh, it's you. The one from the traitor exam." Katsuragi deflated slightly when he saw who it was. He, like all the other students in that exam, had fallen for my extremely simple scheme, losing his class 100 points as a result. If Sakayanagi was there, she would have realised that it would have been Mashima-sensei who made exam announcements, not Sakagami-sensei.

"Yes. I recently learned that you couldn't get an item off of campus. Is this true?" I asked.

"How did you learn that?"

"Does it matter?"

"No, I suppose not. Yes, it's true. I tried to appeal to the student council to let me post an item to a relative of mine, but they wouldn't allow it." Katsuragi admitted.

"What if I told you I knew how you could get that item to your relative?"

Katsuragi was immediately cautious. If I was sincere, he could get his present to his sister. But, if I had hidden intentions, I could drive a metaphorical dagger in to his back.

"I'm listening," he said, quietly.

"I have good relations with a certain few senpai's. One particularly beautiful second-year knows how to smuggle items in and out of school grounds." I offered.

"And how do I know you're not going to betray me? I don't know you very well, but you and Ryuuen have risen through the class ranks at a faster pace than any other in the history of this school." Katsuragi looked hopeful, but that just made him more cautious.

"That's simple: you don't know if I'm going to betray you. Just...think about it. Call me when you have an answer." I said, handing him a piece of paper with my phone number written on it.

I had no doubts he was going to call me.

Saturday, early morning
I woke up with Fuka's leg across my stomach. God, I loved those legs.

The reason for my abrupt awakening to a heavenly sight was the vibrations of my phone ringing on the bedside table. The caller ID said Katsuragi Kouhei.

I answered the phone.

"Can you guarantee my parcel will reach the person I want it to reach?" A voice asked.

"I can, if you comply with my terms."

After a brief pause, the call ended.

Fuka was starting to wake up.

"Fuka, you know how you said to me the other day that you knew how to get stuff of of campus?"

"Mhm." She answered, sleepily.

"Well then. Can you, perhaps, help poor Katsuragi's sister get her birthday present from her big brother?" I asked.

Fuka smiled.

"Well, I suppose if you ask me, I can't say no."

Saturday night
I had messaged Katsuragi the details for the meeting place and time: 23:00, at the southern seafront parallel to the dormitories. Just when I thought it was a no-show, the man himself turned up.

"Good evening." I greeted.

"Well? What are you going to do? Throw it in the ocean and hope it reaches its destination?" Katsuragi got straight to the point.

"Well, you'll see. In fact, I think I can hear the sound of your postman now. Listen." There was a faint rumbling in the distance, coming from out to sea. As the rumbling got closer, a small boat came in to view, and eventually docked next to us.

"Hey you. You're not Kiryuuin. Who are you?" The man on the boat said.

"Don't worry, I'm her friend. This man here wants an item taken off campus and posted to someone. Can you do it?" I asked.

"Hmm. Fine. We usually only do business with her, but I'll trust you. You have the package?" He asked.

"Y-yes. Here." Katsuragi said, handing him the package.

"Good. Tell Kiryuuin to tell us if it's not her making a drop next time, ok?" The man in the boat asked, steering the boat away.

"Don't worry. I'll remind her." I said, waving to the boat as it left.

"T-thank you, Ayanokouji. How can I ever repay you?" Katsuragi asked, bowing.

"Well. At the start of next term, you will continue to strive to be the leader of class 1-B. That is what you can do for me." I said, walking off. Katsuragi was too stunned to reply.

Authors notes
1231 words.
I intended this to be a really short chapter, but it turned out longer than expected.
I was planning on a collab between Katsuragi and class C, but I couldn't figure out how. I was just gonna copy paste the chapter from vol 4.5, but then I realised that relied quite heavily on Sudou. So I had to improvise.
Katsuragi Kouhei is now in the debit of Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.
Not much else to say.
Hope you're all doing well and I hope you enjoyed.