Investigating Me

AYANOKOJI POV

It's been a week since we came back from the training camp. Somehow, our groups managed to win the exam. Sudo, who I was worried that wouldn't do well in the exam after what I did, managed to stay cool and produced some good results, especially in each physical activities.

Well, I already know it but, he really matured a lot.

It's afternoon and class ended. The guy that has been doing his job since we came back approached the girl in the front row once again.

"Suzune, you're going to the student council office right? Let me walk you there."

At first, Sudo was afraid and nervous that he couldn't talk properly every time he asked her, but since Horikita agreed to walk with him to the student council office these past few days, he's asking her with confidence now, thinking she will agree once again. But....

"No. You should go directly to your club activities."

Now, Sudo was panicking.

"... I-I can just run to the gym so that I won't be late, just like yesterday... a-and the other day."

Horikita then glared at him.

"So you were running in the hallway?"

"Ahh!... No, it's not like I'm running recklessly or anything. I did not disturb anyone. Like. Seriously."

Suddenly, Horikita looked in my direction with her usual irritated expression. I immediately averted my eyes and put my belongings inside my bag, pretending that I wasn't eavesdropping.

Shortly after, she turned her attention back to Sudo.

"Sudo-kun, can you stop what you're doing already. I told you back then that you should not listen to what Ayanokoji was saying right?"

Oh. So the dense Horikita actually understood what I did in the training camp.

I wondered if she already knew about Sudo's feelings for her. She could have gotten a bit of understanding about his feelings after Sudo asked her about her relationship with me and Utomiya.

Horikita then continued.

"And can't you tell from the past few days? I let you do as you wish only for you to see it yourself."

So that's the reason why.

"It has nothing to do with it. I only wanted to walk you to the student council office."

"Well, thank you but I don't need it. I can walk on my own."

Horikita then stood up.

"And don't come again in the office after your practice just to pick me up."

Sudo just looked down and did not answer.

"Don't make me angry Sudo-kun. Understand?"

"O-okay."

Before Horikita exited the room, she looked at me once more. I again immediately averted my eyes. I stood up and went out of the classroom first.

Since Sudo couldn't investigate Utomiya for the meantime, I have to rely on the second option, which is Horikita.

I knew that Horikita was sharp enough to get what I really wanted to say in the training camp considering my attitude and she already knew how I do my things.

I bet she's gonna ask Utomiya about the 20 million bounty exam.

But this option also has a risk. If Utomiya is indeed the white room enforcer, he won't tell Horikita about the involvement of Tsukishiro, but if he does.... then I have to come up with a lie for the upcoming never ending questions from Horikita.

Out of all the first year students, Utomiya was the most suspicious with Amasawa on the 2nd. So, this risk was necessary.

Let's just hope the risk was worth it.

UTOMIYA POV

"Utomiya-kun."

I was about to head out of the office when Horikita called me.

"Can I talk with you for a moment?"

"What is it, senpai?"

"I actually don't know how long our conversation will be, so can we sit first?"

We moved to the side of the office where we accept our visitors and sat across each other on a sofa.

I wonder if she wants to ask about the misunderstanding in the training camp.

No, her face is too serious for that. Could it be about my fight against Housen again?

"Sorry for taking a bit of your time. Well, in order not to waste it, I'll get straight to the point -."

"Uhm.. Sorry for interrupting you senpai. Just wanna ask. Is it okay to make Sudo senpai wait outside?"

I interrupted her and asked a question.

"It's okay, he won't come again starting today. I already told him to stop what he's doing."

Sudo won't come starting today?

Sudo was supposed to be the one who will spy on me and it ended in just less than a week and by what.... just by Horikita telling him to stop. I didn't think Ayanokoji would make a sloppy plan just like that.

Something doesn't feel right.

Could it be that Sudo was just a diversion and the one that he's really trying to use to investigate me is this person in front of me?

"Like what I said, I'll get straight to the point and I'm hoping for an honest answer Utomiya-kun."

"Okay."

Horikita then looked at me with probing eyes. If I'm a normal person and never seen a way more threatening eyes before, I would definitely answer honestly whatever question she was about to ask.

"Have you ever heard of a special exam which is limited only on a few first year students?"

So, it's about the bounty exam.

"I actually don't know if it's still going on but it was announced somewhere in the beginning of the school year."

First, let me think.

What information does Ayanokoji want to know to deduce easily that I'm one of the white room enforcers?

She's asking about the bounty exam.

The connection of the bounty exam and the white room............

Tsukishiro.

I see. So he wanted to know if I would mention Tsukishiro or not.

There's no other correct answer for this. I have to give her every detail of that exam.

"You mean, the 20 million bounty special exam?"

As I said that, Horikita's eyes widened and was very surprised. Well, considering how I blurted it out without hesitation, it's quite understandable.

"...... Y-you, where did you hear it?"

Horikita's probing eyes were gone and were replaced by confusion.

"I was actually one of the participants of that exam."

"Y-you are?"

"Yeah. We were told that whoever could expel Ayanokoji Kiyotaka of 2nd year class D will receive a big reward which was 20 million points."

Horikita's surprised expression was still visible. She must have not expected that I would just reveal it just like that.

"You must be wondering why I'm telling it to you right now. Well, I didn't think that you would ask me about it, so I did not bother telling you. And also, considering that we wanted to have a cooperative relationship with your class, I thought that you won't accept us if you knew. I decided to tell you now cause I think that I already proved that I'm no longer interested in it as I worked hard this past exams in helping each other."

"No longer interested? Are you saying that you once tried to expel him?"

"Yes. I never thought deeply about it before and just accepted the exam. But when one of my classmates got expelled in the first semester, I realized that it was not that easy to lose a comrade. He was a valuable comrade with an A in academic ability. And when I got to know more of Ayanokoji senpai, I realized how valuable he is in your class. So, if I did still try expelling him, you would definitely despise us and worst, be our enemy until you graduate."

"What did you do? I mean, when you tried to expel him?"

"I told Tsubaki, one of my classmates, about that exam and we once tried to partner up with Ayanokoji senpai."

Horikita gasped.

"Are you saying you already met Ayanokoji since the first semester?"

"Yes."

She was looking at me like I am someone strange again, just like the time when I told her that we wanted a cooperative relationship with them.

"Both you and Ayanokoji were acting perfectly like you don't know each other."

Indeed. But there's one more thing I wanna know.

"I don't think Ayanokoji senpai knows that I'm one of the participants though. And we only talked once."

"That's why he didn't think much about you? That he thought that you're just one of the first years who were looking for a partner?"

"Maybe."

He really did not tell her huh.

"....... Well, I could truly feel that you're no longer interested in it as you really helped our class. But would you please tell me everything about it? Like who's behind it? Who are the other participants? And if it's still going on?"

"Of course."

I then told her everything. From the time when we were called in the student council office, to the number and names of students involved, that former pres. Nagumo was present and of course, the involvement of the acting director Tsukishiro.

Upon hearing Tsukishiro's name, Horikita's mouth hung open.

"..... T-the acting director? Why would he make an exam like that? And why Ayanokoji-kun?"

"We believed that the exam was legit as the acting director was present himself. But he told us that Ayanokoji was only chosen randomly."

"Randomly?..... That's absurd."

Horikita then stopped talking, trying to calm herself down.

"I couldn't believe the acting director made a ridiculous exam like expelling a random student. Does he think that studying in this school is just a game? Was he just playing in this school?"

Yeah, he does not care about this school. He only cares about getting Ayanokoji back to the white room.

Now, tell Ayanokoji about that Horikita and let's see what he's gonna do next.

Will he become less suspicious of me or will it give him more evidence that I am indeed the white room enforcer?

It's not like Ayanokoji's plan was wrong. It's just, he made a miscalculation that I am someone who would follow the order of not letting anyone know about the white room.

I'm not like you Ayanokoji. I'm not afraid of telling her about it.

In fact, I couldn't wait to tell Horikita about the white room.

AYANOKOJI POV

I went out and had fun in the Keyaki mall with my friends. And now, I was heading home when someone approached me from behind.

"Yo, Ayanokoji."

"Hey..... It seems like you just came from your club activities."

"Yeah. I'm a little sweaty right now. How about you? Where have you been?"

"I was in the Keyaki Mall with Keisei and others."

"You're really having fun with them huh. It seems like you finally found your circle of friends."

Yeah. They are the one who grant my wish of having a normal high school life.

"Me having fun with Kanji has kinda decreased lately. He's going out more often with Shinohara now. Yahhh... Kanji sure is going to have a girlfriend soon."

Sudo suddenly put his arm around my shoulder.

"Then there's us."

"Huh?"

Sudo then looked at me. His face was too close.

"I didn't think that we're in the same boat all along Ayanokoji."

The same boat? Could it be...

In order to make Sudo calm down when I told him those back to back revelations in the training camp, Utomiya explained to him that everything was just a coincidence. That there's no meaning behind that Christmas dinner of him and Horikita.

Unfortunately, I also had to explain to him as Utomiya made it look like that I was jealous of them.

But I guess, even after my explanation, he still thinks that I like Horikita.

I sighed.

"I already told you that I don't like Horikita. Why won't you believe me?"

I then slapped his arm away from my shoulder.

"But you were acting jealous that time."

"I'm not."

"Well, it's understandable cause out of the three of us, it looks like Utomiya has the most chance."

No. Out of the three of us, only you like Horikita.

"Please exclude me."

"Should I?"

"Sudo, you should just focus on Utomiya cause I'm telling you, I really don't have any feelings for Horikita. Please believe me already."

People asking about my relationship with Horikita were not new to me as I always got asked about it since first year.

But Sudo thinking that we're in the same boat was just so bad.

"Okay, okay. I'll believe you."

"Thank you."

I took a glance at Sudo's face.

"But you see. You were very cool in the training camp. You were doing your best in the exam as if it did not bother you."

"Of course I would. What would Suzune think of me if I did not do well?..... And it's not like it did not bother me at all. I kept on thinking about it that night. And after thinking about it over and over again, I realized that Suzune wasn't being friendly to Utomiya only. You see... she agreed to watch a movie and eat outside with me. And all throughout the camp, I also ate with her, and she was okay with it."

Certainly. Horikita changed even more and has been friendly with Sudo recently.

"And when I walked with her to the student council office until yesterday, it seemed like what Utomiya said was true. That it was just a coincidence. I only saw them walk together like three times. And it was only because they arrived at the same or they finished their work at the same time."

So basically, he noticed nothing.

"And I guess, I'll trust Suzune for now. She said that she's not interested in dating yet. She only wanted to reach Class A."

"So you're no longer jealous of them?"

"Man, I know that I'm trying to be cool here but I just couldn't help but get jealous. I'll stop stalking them for now cause Suzune warned me. But if I'll notice that something changed, then,.... yeah..... I don't know what I might do."

No.... you should watch over them for me Sudo.

"Wait. Let's stop talking about me."

Sudo looked like he suddenly remembered something.

"Just wanna ask. Have you fought with Ryuen before?"

What the-.

I couldn't help but get surprised by his out of the blue question.

"What do you mean?"

"You saw Utomiya saving Suzune from Housen at the forest right? Did you also see Kanji with them?"

That's right. Ike was also there. But what's with the question.

"Yeah, he was there. And?"

"He told me that Housen was asking Suzune about you. And he also said that Ryuen told Housen that he will never defeat you. It's as if Ryuen had a fight with you before. That's what Kanji said to me."

So they were talking about me that time?

"Why would I even fight Ryuen?"

"Yeah..... but... you never did?"

Sudo asked that to me while looking straight into my eyes.

Well, he saw my fight with Housen before, so it kinda makes sense that he was being suspicious of me.

"No. There's no reason for me to fight with him."

Sudo was looking at my face for a while. After seeing that I was being expressionless, he then went back looking straight.

"Well, that's what I also told Kanji."

"Did he tell anyone about it?"

"Aside from me? No. He actually forgot about it because Suzune told him to keep quiet about what happened because it could harm the team. And he has been busy with Shinohara lately. But after we saw Housen one time, he remembered it and told me everything."

I couldn't believe that their fight became one of my problems now.

"But don't worry. I told Kanji to never tell anyone about it cause Suzune might get mad."

Thank you for that Sudo. But still, I couldn't help but get uneasy.

Why does it have be Ike? He could say it to anyone at anytime.

"But why would Ryuen say that Housen will never defeat you if he hasn't fought you before? And Kanji said that he looked so sure."

"It could be Ryuen's way of stopping the fight. By giving Housen the information he wanted, though it's not true."

"Maybe."

It seems like I did not get any valuable information about Utomiya from Sudo. Instead, he gave me a problem.

Authors Note:I would like to apologize for the wrong grammar, spelling, words or any mistake above as I wrote this yesterday and finished it just now. I was also helping my mother cleaning our backyard that made me stop halfway. LOL....😂

I have to upload it already as I'm too late for my fanfic update.

But thank you for reading and hope you enjoyed it.😊😊