Cote: Elite in Action

Rumors in the Air

After the morning surprise and the mysterious accusatory letter, supposedly written by "Ryuuen"—though I wasn't entirely sure he was the author—the day continued with a strange normalcy. I couldn't confirm or deny that he was behind it, but that wasn't my biggest concern at the moment.

Today we were supposed to complete the questionnaire that would decide our partners for the upcoming exam. To be honest, I didn't care much about who I was paired with. Everyone in my class had pretty high grades, and even if the two students with the lowest scores were paired together, they would probably pass without much trouble.

Hoshinomiya handed out the questionnaires, and I got to work without wasting time. It was quite simple, so I finished quickly. As I handed it in, I let my gaze wander around the classroom. Everyone seemed to handle the questions without nervousness, which was a clear reflection of Class A's academic level. Finally, my eyes landed on Honami, who, as always, maintained a relaxed expression. I wondered how she was managing the situation that Ryuuen, or whoever, had put her in. Would she come to seek my help? Or would she prefer to face it on her own? Both options seemed fine to me, and I had no intention of offering help unless she asked. I preferred to observe her decisions and see how she navigated everything.

The day progressed, and, as I suspected, Honami didn't contact me. This led me to conclude that she was determined to resolve it on her own, which only heightened my curiosity. How did Ryuuen, or whoever, come to the conclusion that Honami was illegally accumulating points? For anyone who didn't know the system we used in Class B, it was easy to misinterpret. After all, Honami acted like a bank for our class. We entrusted her with part of our monthly points for future emergencies. When she proposed it, no one objected.

Knowing this, someone—probably Ryuuen—must have observed the points accumulated by Honami and decided to start the rumor that she was making "illegal gains." If enough people believed it, the school would have no choice but to investigate, exposing our moves. It was a clever strategy to destabilize our class or to uncover the origin of the points.

As the day wore on, the furtive glances that had seemed insignificant began to intensify. They were not from my classmates, who trusted Honami completely. They knew of our strategy, and there was no room for doubt. The problem came from the other classes. The looks and whispers grew more pronounced, especially from Class C and some from Class D. The rumor had taken hold among them, sowing seeds of doubt about Honami's rapid point accumulation.

Honami, however, remained unperturbed. Her serenity was almost enviable, as if nothing in her world had changed. It was impressive to see how she maintained that calm under pressure, making me think she fully trusted her ability to handle the situation or that she was waiting for the right moment to act.

Meanwhile, the tension in the classroom rose, but within our class, there was no reason for concern. No one doubted Honami, and our trust in her remained intact.

I briefly considered intervening, maybe clarifying the rumors before they got out of hand. But in the end, I decided it was best to wait. If Honami hadn't sought me out, it was because she had a plan or trusted her ability to resolve it. My role, for now, was to observe and wait. I was intrigued to see what steps she would take next.

As I packed my things at the end of the day, I noticed the glances of the Class C students intensifying. Clearly, they were waiting for some reaction, something that would confirm their suspicions.

Before leaving the classroom, I cast one last glance at Honami. She remained serene, as if everything was under control. With a slight smile, I stood up and headed for the door, confident that she knew exactly what she was doing.

For now, I didn't need to move any pieces on this board.

....

Ryuuen raised his voice, making sure everyone in the hallway could hear him: