Classroom of the Revenge

V3 - Chapter 3: The Match

The cicadas crying was the only sound as we stared deep into each other's eyes. We stood a few meters apart, staring at one another in the heat of the night, listening to the cries of the cicadas. Her face was perfectly serene, the smile from before missing from her face. Making it almost seem like an illusion.

"What makes you claim I am X?" I asked.

The girl before me smiled softly and said "I wonder..."

It appears she had no intention of revealing how she came to the conclusion.

"Well, I am not X, so you should go find out who he really is."

"Ayanokoji, there is no need to lie. Your secret is safe with me."

I narrowed my eyes.

"You could say I am interested in you. Not many people would be willing to expel so many of their fellow classmates."

"As I said, I'm not X."

The girl smiled, amused. "Would you drop the charade if I told you how I came to my conclusion?"

I remained silent. Taking that as a yes, the girl explained.

"It is because of the vice president. Why would he be so obsessed with trying to get you out of your room when you had never spoken? Thus, I came to the conclusion that his care came from the fact that he figured out you were X."

"Isn't that a rather simple way to reach a conclusion?"

"You could say that, but unlike Ryuen I am open to many possibilities."

Apparently she caught that I was hinting at Ryuen's own conclusion.

"You see, if X was torn up over the photo, that wouldn't change the possibility that you were X in my eyes. Being emotional doesn't make a person weak. It simply shows they are human."

"Is that so?"

"I would say so. Ryuen is too prideful to have lost to someone who can get emotional, so he denies the most logical conclusion."

"And what about X being spotted on campus during my absence?"

I wondered how she would counter that.

"Fufufu," she simply laughed at my question. "I believe we both know the answer to that."

"No, I don't think we do."

"If you say so. But I believe the answer is rather obvious."

"Obvious?"

"Yes, those sightings were Nagumo senpai."

I was impressed that she reached that conclusion. She figured out the truth. Of course, it wasn't a difficult mystery. It was as she said, Ryuen couldn't figure it out because of his own pride.

I sighed and said "fine, you win, I'm X."

She smiled in triumph for a moment before saying "I suppose this will make this conversation easier."

"I suppose so."

"So continuing with my initial proposition, I would like to have a match with you."

"A match you say? Since you're proposing it, you must have some idea in mind."

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do."

However, for whatever reason, she didn't speak further.

"Are you not going to elaborate?"

"I don't know, should I?"

This girl was strange.

"If not, I'll leave."