Leaving the tranquility of the library area behind, Subaru slowly walked down the cabin passage, stepping once again into the deck area where the students of Class D were gathered.
Compared to when he had left, the atmosphere here was noticeably more boisterous. The air was filled with a restlessness that was a mixture of excitement, disbelief, and a trace of unease.
"Hey! Did you hear?! We've been promoted! Class D has become Class C!"
"For real?! That was just one exam!"
"Points! We got so many points this time, plus the ones from before... My God!"
"We... We aren't the dead last anymore?!"
Excited discussions rose and fell one after another. Most students wore expressions of thrill and flushed joy on their faces, as if they had finally thrown off the shameful label that had been stuck to them for so long.
Ken Sudo, Kanji Ike, and others were laughing loudly, slapping each other's shoulders vigorously.
Even some students who were originally worried had their unease washed away by this sudden news of "promotion," revealing smiles of relief.
The gap between them and Class C hadn't been large to begin with, and with this exam, Class D had successfully overtaken them.
Subaru passed through the crowd of the class, his face devoid of any ripples of emotion, as if an invisible barrier separated him from the clamor around him.
Class rank? From D to C? Such superficial changes based on point accumulation held no meaning in his eyes.
What he pursued was the color revealed by the soul under extreme pressure, not this kind of hierarchical climbing within a systematic framework.
The rules and systems of this school held no value for Subaru.
Supremacy of ability?
All Subaru cared about was color.
If there were no suitable colors...
Just like the Purge King did back then, destroying everything would suffice.
He walked straight toward the outer edge of the crowd and saw Yosuke Hirata and Suzune Horikita, whose expressions were not relaxed.
Hirata was barely maintaining his usual gentleness, but his brows were slightly furrowed, and his eyes revealed a trace of lingering worry.
Horikita stood with her arms crossed, her expression grim, seemingly pondering something.
The two of them had obviously not been swept away by the simple joy of promotion and were more focused on the crisis currently lurking within the class.
Seeing Subaru approach, a smile appeared on Hirata's face.
"Natsuki-kun, you're back. Um... Chabashira-sensei said so, and the terminal also published the class point update. Because of the 500 points from this exam, plus what we accumulated before, our total points have surpassed the original Class C. This is all thanks to your efforts."
Horikita's gaze landed on Subaru.
She had previously doubted whether her choice was correct.
But in the end, Subaru had indeed successfully led the class to victory.
And with an attitude of absolute domination.
However, Horikita also realized one thing.
Although the class had won, it seemed that a bigger problem had revealed itself.
"I know."
Subaru interrupted him, his tone flat.
"Looking at you two, there's something else going on."
"That's right."
"Get to the point."
Hirata choked on his words for a moment and exchanged a glance with Horikita.
Horikita took over, her voice clear and calm.
"The main point is Kikyo Kushida. The news of the promotion has temporarily shifted attention, but the problem regarding her hasn't been solved. Right now, the call for Kushida's expulsion is very high within the class."
Her gaze swept over a few nearby students who were discussing excitedly, but whose eyes became subtle whenever they occasionally glanced toward a certain corner.
In that corner, Kikyo Kushida stood alone, far from the crowd. Her face still wore that slightly pale, barely maintained expression of calm, but an obvious sense of isolation permeated the air around her.
And her eyes seemed to drift to Subaru's face from time to time.
A gaze filled with hatred.
"The other classmates think that she leaked intelligence to Class C, which caused us to be so passive in the early stages of the exam, and even nearly collapse. She is a traitor and doesn't deserve to stay in Class D... no, it's Class C now."
Horikita stated the facts, her voice devoid of emotion.
"Especially since we won this time, it makes her initial withdrawal and possible betrayal seem even more unforgivable. If this goes on, the atmosphere of the class might be destroyed as well."
Hirata sighed and picked up the conversation, his tone full of conflict.
"I understand everyone's anger and unease. The feeling of being betrayed by a classmate is indeed terrible. But... making a classmate drop out, that's too heavy. We are a collective; we should think of a way to solve the problem, not simply expel someone. Besides... Kushida-san, perhaps she has her own difficulties... I originally wanted to have a chat with Kushida-san... but she seems very resistant."
His voice grew weaker toward the end; clearly, he couldn't completely convince himself either.
Compassion and a sense of responsibility made him resist the option of expulsion, but the harm and fear caused by Kushida's actions were so real.
Everyone has secrets; even Yosuke Hirata himself was no exception.
I don't want to see any student expelled...
But as the words reached his lips, Hirata's gaze couldn't help but fall on Subaru.
Come to think of it...
The first person to be expelled from the class was Haruki Yamauchi.
Subaru had personally expelled him.
So...
Would Subaru make Kikyo Kushida drop out as well?
The moment he thought of this, Hirata's heart wavered immensely.
He would never forget that cold look in Subaru's eyes back then.
Haruki Yamauchi is not important; the absence of Haruki Yamauchi is very important.
Hirata still remembered Subaru's words.
If it were the Hirata of the past, perhaps seeing someone expelled from the class would have caused him to have an emotional breakdown or even go berserk.
But in front of Subaru, Hirata couldn't do that.
It was as if...
A hand could choke his neck at any moment.
"Difficulties are not an excuse for betrayal."
Horikita said coldly.
"However, considering it from a purely utilitarian perspective, Kikyo Kushida's abilities have immense value to the class. Her outstanding social skills and intelligence gathering capabilities have played a positive role in past class activities. If she can... change her attitude and stop doing things that harm the class, her existence is beneficial to the class as a whole."
Her analysis was very realistic, putting personal feelings and moral judgments aside to consider only the maximization of the collective interests of the class.
"But, Horikita-san,"
Hirata said worriedly,
"Once trust is broken, it's very hard to repair. Even if Kushida-san is willing to change, will the other classmates accept it? If we forcibly keep her, will the cracks within the class become even larger? I... I don't want to see the class split apart... But you're right, Kushida is very important to us. Furthermore, from my perspective, no matter what, I don't want to see anyone expelled..."
His voice was full of powerlessness; he didn't want anyone to drop out, yet he feared that Kikyo Kushida might continue to poison the class atmosphere.
Both of them cast their gazes toward Subaru, awaiting his opinion. Unknowingly, this transfer student had become the de facto core decision-maker of the class, even though his method of rule was terrifying.
Subaru listened quietly, his gaze sweeping over the isolated and helpless Kikyo Kushida in the distance.
Kikyo Kushida's line of sight also projected over. She bit her lip tightly, her eyes filled with hatred, and then quickly left the area.
Subaru didn't have much of a reaction; he simply swept his gaze over the surrounding students who were casting looks of disgust and suspicion at her.
"That guy finally left."
"Just looking at her makes me sick."
"To think there was a traitor in the class. I completely didn't expect her true face to be like this."
Several students made no secret of shouting insults at Kikyo Kushida's retreating back.
In Subaru's eyes, there was not a shred of sympathy for Hirata's struggle, nor any agreement or objection to Horikita's utilitarian analysis.
The dimension he thought in was different from theirs.
Expulsion?
That meant the "specimen" known as Kikyo Kushida would leave his observation range.
That blazing and twisted hatred she revealed after her disguise was forcibly torn open, her determination swearing to destroy the class from the inside and take revenge on him—all of it would lose the stage to display itself along with her expulsion.
That blackness carrying tendencies of destruction, which had just begun to reveal a little of itself, might die prematurely right there, or slowly deteriorate and dissipate in a place he couldn't see.
That would be too much of a pity.
Kakeru Ryuen's color was yet to be determined. Kikyo Kushida was currently the object most likely to continue providing interesting observation results.
Her hatred needed fuel, needed pressure, needed to continue being forged in this class furnace filled with rules and interpersonal relationships.
Expulsion was a clumsy way to end all of this prematurely.
As for those others who wanted Kikyo Kushida expelled, they were nothing but a bunch of colorless clowns.
Fawning over her in every way before knowing Kikyo Kushida's true face, then immediately turning hostile after finding out.
Hypocritical.
This was also the reason they had no color.
For Subaru, things like expulsion didn't matter.
Even if only he and Kikyo Kushida remained in the class in the end, it wouldn't matter.
Yosuke Hirata, Suzune Horikita, or Airi Sakura, or Kei Karuizawa.
Currently, they made no difference to him.
"Let her stay."
Subaru spoke, his voice not loud, but carrying an unquestionable certainty.
"There are no exams coming up recently that would cause expulsion anyway. Keeping her here is just right."
Hirata and Horikita were both stunned for a moment.
"Natsuki-kun?"
Hirata was somewhat surprised; he had thought Subaru would be colder toward a "traitor."
Horikita looked at him thoughtfully.
"Reason?"
She asked directly.
Although Horikita Suzune's intention was also to let Kikyo Kushida stay, Subaru's answer surprised her.
Subaru's gaze turned toward Kushida's direction again, as if assessing the potential value of a piece of lab equipment.
"Her abilities, as you said, have utilization value for the class. That is the first reason."
He gave a superficial reason that fit Horikita's logic.
Then, he paused, a glint of light that was almost impossible to capture brushing past the depths of his dark grey eyes.
"Secondly, simple expulsion cannot solve the fundamental problem. Fear and suspicion won't disappear just because one person leaves. On the contrary, letting her stay in everyone's sight, forcing her to face the consequences of her own actions... perhaps that can catalyze more interesting changes."
His words carried a certain meaningful guidance.
"Whether it's the changes in her, or the changes in the class caused by her, both are worth observing."
"Interesting, is it..."
Horikita Suzune looked at Subaru with some astonishment.
But this was indeed an answer that only Subaru could say.
At this moment, Subaru looked at Yosuke Hirata.
"Didn't you wish for no one to be expelled? Then think of a way to solve the problem, instead of running away. Go comfort the other classmates, go try... to construct a new balance, even if it's fragile and dangerous. That is what a leader should do."
Hirata was stunned. Subaru's words were like a heavy hammer, shattering his fantasy of trying to find a perfect solution for both sides.
He had to face reality and make difficult efforts, rather than vaguely hoping for everything to get better.
Horikita Suzune narrowed her eyes slightly. She felt she could never understand the person known as Subaru.
But undoubtedly, right now, the other party's plan and the goal of their class's advancement were aligned.
"I understand."
Horikita nodded.
"I will assist Hirata-kun in trying to stabilize the class's emotions, and... attempt to advise Kushida. At least on the surface, she must stop any behavior that harms the class."
Her term "advise" clearly contained implications of surveillance and restraint.
Subaru made no comment.
For him, whether Kushida truly stopped her harmful behavior wasn't important. What was important was how her inner hatred and desire for destruction would evolve and find an outlet in this environment of being watched, isolated, and regarded with hostility.
"That's it then."
Subaru ended the conversation, turning around to leave.
"Natsuki-kun,"
Hirata called out somewhat anxiously from behind him. "Can we... can we really handle this matter well? If Kushida-san does it again..."
Subaru didn't look back, merely leaving behind a sentence that was flat yet made one's heart shiver.
"The process has nothing to do with me. What the class becomes doesn't matter either."
"Or rather... it's more interesting this way."
"As for the result... I am looking forward to it."
His figure drifted further away, re-merging into the shadows of the cabin, leaving the complex vortex of celebration, worry, hatred, and calculation on the deck behind him.
Yosuke Hirata looked at his retreating back, then looked at the spot where Kikyo Kushida had stood earlier and the surrounding classmates who were buzzing with discussion, feeling a heavier pressure on his shoulders than ever before.
Suzune Horikita gazed in the direction Subaru had vanished, her eyes profound.
Was keeping Kushida a rational choice, or had they opened another Pandora's Box?
And what kind of future was Subaru's consistent, indifferent expectation—akin to observing a grand experiment—pointing toward?
Horikita shook her head. For some reason, a strange feeling spread through her.
Subaru had indeed led them to win. With his ability, even rising to Class A was very possible.
So, what would be the price?
Kikyo Kushida returned to her own room.
"I will destroy you, destroy all of you!"
A twisted smile appeared on Kikyo Kushida's face as she took out her terminal.
____
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