COTE: The Quiet One Can Be Dangerous

Vol. 10 Chp. 3: Traitor

'...': Writing
'...': Sign language
"...": Text to speech

Ayanokouji's POV

After school, the day before the vote, everyone was feeling uneasy about the decision that would be made tomorrow on which student to expel. The thought of someone's seat being emptied was weighing down on the entire class.

However, they still had a reassuring belief that things would be alright. Unfortunately, someone had been chosen as a sacrifice, and that was Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, who would be expelled from school. 

More than half the class had already sided with this course of action, and many were probably feeling guilty about it. Despite the guilt, they believed it was a small price to pay as long as they could save themselves.

After a while, the guilt would fade away.

A year later, all they would remember was that I was one of their classroom peers. However, I didn't feel any hatred towards them. Everyone was frantically trying to devise a solution to avoid being expelled; unfortunately, I happened to become the target. 

Yamauchi, with the help of Kushida, managed to gain the sympathy of the classmates and suggested that they vote for me. Since they trusted Kushida, they couldn't refuse. Yamauchi's plan was well-executed, but it was a shame that he chose me as his target. 

If he aimed to avoid expulsion, he should have gone after Ike or Sudou, who wouldn't have been able to recover from this situation. However, that wasn't an option since Sakayanagi was the one controlling everything. 

In any case, I had to take action to remove someone else instead of myself, but I couldn't make a significant change. The girl sitting next to me had a different demeanor than before, and her aura had changed as if she had been enchanted.

Kagurazaka's POV

"Well then, that's it for homeroom. Tomorrow is a Saturday, but there will still be an exam, so don't oversleep," Chabashira said, marking the end of school.

Everyone was ready to begin packing up their things and head home.

"Could I have a moment?" Horikita, her voice filled with confidence, called out to every student in the classroom.

Naturally, it gathered the class's attention, making them curious about what was happening.

"I'm sorry, but I'd like to ask everyone to refrain from going home for a moment."

Even Chabashira seemed curious about what Horikita was up to as she stopped on her way out of the room.

"What's the matter, Horikita-san?" Hirata responded, reacting a beat faster than anyone else.

He was, after all, the most sensitive to subtle changes in the class's atmosphere.

"I have something to say about the special exam tomorrow."

"About the special exam?"

"O-oh, look at the time... Well, I already had plans to hang out with Kanji after this, so..."

"Tha... That's right."

Yamauchi and Ike spoke up, emphasizing that they didn't have time to stick around.

"Both of you seem composed. What with making arrangements to play together even though one of you might be expelled tomorrow."

When her eyes met with Yamauchi's, he looked away hurriedly.

"That's because... there's no use, even if we struggle. We've already resolved ourselves for the worst."

"Really? How praiseworthy. But I'm sorry, that doesn't mean everyone else feels the same way as you. There's no point in what I'm trying to do here unless the whole class can hear what I say, so would you please be willing to put up with it for a bit?"