A Monster's Influence: Route B

Volume 1 - Chapter 10

Ayanokouji's POV

I still couldn't get to sleep, so I made the snap decision to just leave the dormitory building instead of retiring to my room. I noticed the student council president walking into one of the alleys so I decided to tail him. I silently snuck around while the Mission Impossible theme played in my head. I blame Amikura. It honestly was kinda fun, though. No wonder why that blond guy from Class 1-A does this every so often. It was kind of entertaining watching him sneak around while thinking that no one noticed him. I had detected the presence of two other people, so rather than sneaking around, I decided to just act as a regular passerby after I passed by a wall, turning the corner. I spent some points at a vending machine to buy some green tea before walking in the general direction the student council president had walked to.

"Suzune. I didn't think you'd follow me this far," he said. Oh? President Horikita was meeting with a girl in the dead of night?

"Nii-san, I'm different from the girl that you left behind. I wanted to talk with you,"

Ah, so this was the mysterious Horikita that Kushida was venting about. I couldn't help but be disappointed that Horikita-senpai wasn't a girl for some reason.

"There's nothing for us to talk about. Your presence in Class D is an embarrassment and has shown nothing has changed about you. You've always been fixated on me, content with being in my shadow. You fail to notice your own flaws and haven't improved. It was a mistake for you to come here."

Wow, that's a harsh callout. Reasonable, though. It seemed like Horikita-senpai wanted his little sister to get herself together, acting aloof in an attempt for her to stay away from him and be introspective, analyzing her own flaws and what to improve. Whether it was effective or not was up in the air. It definitely would push her away from him, but it may be detrimental to her improvement as a whole. However, I wasn't the one to judge; I didn't know either of them. Perhaps harsher methods are necessary for her to develop as a person. I know I haven't developed as one yet.

"Y-You're wrong about that, nii-san. I will eventually reach Class A. I'll show you—"

"Forget about Class A; it's pointless. I've observed your class since the beginning and it's holding itself together by a thread. This school isn't so simple that you can just reach the top. Leave this school immediately."

"I-I will definitely reach—"

Horikita-senpai took his sister's wrist, who had not resisted, and pushed her against the wall. I could clearly see from my hiding spot that no emotions betrayed his features. His face was like stone, calm and unyielding. Was this what Horikita-senpai seemed like to his peers and rivals? On one side, an unshakeable, invincible leader put on a pedestal, and on the other, an unrelenting, unyielding mountain they had to scale to reach the top? Interestingly enough, his sister seemed to gain courage. Even if she held fear in her heart, she gazed into his eyes, looking defiant.

"I— No, we will reach the top! My friend and I will drag the class to the top together!"

"Ah," Horikita-senpai's eyes had widened in surprise before he spoke up once again, "You've actually made a friend?"

His voice had softened considerably. Perhaps that was her defect; her solitude that she mistook for independence. In a sense, I was similar. I had been without a peer for so long that I had gotten used to solitude. Interacting with other people my age is still something I needed to get used to. I didn't hate it, though. Being around too many people is uncomfortable, though, even if they were all friendly and good-natured.

"Yes, I have. Hirata-kun and I will lead the class together through our trials and tribulations,"

Speaking of Hirata, I hope he makes progress in making friends with similar hobbies. We don't really have time to hang out, especially because we're in different classes. We've been really busy doing our own thing.

"I see. Perhaps I was wrong, then. Maybe you have changed, even if it's a little bit," Horikita-senpai said.

The Horikita duo chatted for a while before the younger of the two departed for the dorms. The student council president leaned against the wall before saying out loud, "Eavesdropping is not an admirable quality."

Ah, so that's what the second person's purpose is. I decided to leave my hiding spot and snuck up silently behind him. I exhaled and jumped away from his range for a lunge. I had previously analyzed the length of his legs, the material of his pants, and his athleticism, so I had a rough estimate of the distance he could take at a moment's notice. It was the correct decision. As soon as I exhaled, he immediately rushed in my direction and crossed the distance before he broke form. He barely missed out on grabbing ahold of my shirt. He grinned, pulling his arm back before he snapped a kick towards me that I successfully deflected.

"Nice reflexes. But why don't you fight?"

"I would be a fool if I did," I answered, "There's a peeping tom watching us both, recording both of us. They are the one that notified you of an eavesdropper, didn't they? They could just cut out your folly and make it seem like I was the aggressor."

"As expected. No wonder Ikari has paid special attention to you," he commented.

"Is it only me? May God help me, then," I sighed.

"I feel your pain, kouhai," he reached out his hand towards my shoulder which I dodged.

"Don't even think about planting anything on me,"

"Tch. Worth a shot. What is it that you want?"

"It's nothing that you're imagining. I'm not interested in interfering with the conflict you have with Ikari-senpai." I clarified, "I just want you to answer my questions. You may decline to answer if you wish. I have no intention of forcing you to answer."

He agreed to my request as long as it was reasonable for him to answer, "Go ahead."

"Senpai... I've observed only a fraction of the anomalies in this school. I've seen some troublemakers get caught in the act by school employees, yet it doesn't seem like anything has happened to them even if they were witnesses. There are cameras all over campus, yet the areas I've seen this happen are in relative blind spots where no conclusive evidence can be easily created. This is one of those areas. I had noticed a few adults witnessing the events that occurred, yet none of them reprimanded you. Can I assume that the school wants students to solve problems by themselves and gather evidence, fabricated or otherwise?"

"You are correct in your assumption, yes,"

"Second, I had noticed that not only are cameras located around campus but there are some hidden within our rooms. Would I be correct to assume that this school means to observe the students in their daily lives, not necessarily act upon the observations they have made?"

"That would be correct as well."

"I see. This school is essentially a simulation of the microcosm of society in the real world, then. They know and let things happen, even if it's morally grey. Shady characters have been employed and are enrolled on this campus. The school also knows bullying occurs, but only acts if there is concrete evidence that exists. Perhaps... one of the reasons you wanted your sister to leave is because you wouldn't be able to protect her after you graduate?"

The student council president remained silent.

"It doesn't matter to me if you answer that or not," I waved my hand, "I just stated my observations and you have confirmed some of my conjectures."

I continued, "Well, I'm not very interested in reaching Class A; that is not to say that I would help your sister of course— we're in different classes, after all," I shrugged. "Let's say... I'm more interested in seeing how people change. For the better? For the worse? Are they successful? Are they not? It doesn't matter which to me. I just find people fascinating,"

Horikita-senpai chuckled before he made a gesture in the air. Perhaps it was a signal to his spy, likely from his class.

"Perhaps with you around, Ayanokouji, things will be getting interesting," he finished before he walked past me and disappeared into the night.

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There, it's the second one today. Don't expect this to happen too often.