COTE : Is Talent Everything? (Rewrite)-Chapter 120 - 116: Those who work behind the scenes

After parting ways with Amaizawa, I headed to Ryūen's class with Takuya.

By 4 PM, the hectic cultural festival had finally come to an end. As previously explained, the accounting app was forcibly shut down, making it impossible to record any further sales.

As I made my way to the classroom where our class's event had been held, I passed by many visitors. Both Ryūen's class and Horikita's class had remained packed until the very end—clearly, they had closed out the festival with a bang.

"You sure it's fine to leave your class unattended?"

I asked Takuya, who was supposed to be leading his class, if it was really okay for him to be slacking off like this. He responded with a composed expression.

"I already told them what to do once things wrapped up. They'll manage without me. More importantly, I want to get this over with quickly."

"If you say so... But quit making such an obvious disgusted face."

The reason Takuya and I were acting together was to apologize to Komiya and Kinoshita for the trouble we'd caused them. However, Takuya had been wearing an openly displeased expression since earlier.

"But, bro! Apologizing to people beneath me...!"

"You started this fire. Accept the consequences."

"Bro... I'm only apologizing because you told me to. It's not like I actually—"

Takuya grumbled the whole way, but we eventually arrived at Ryūen's class.

There were no more visitors in sight. The class was now in full cleanup mode, with Komiya taking down decorations from the walls.

"Huh? Hikigaya? Where'd you go? The visitors are already gone, y'know."

Noticing us, Komiya set down the decorations and walked over.

"Sorry. Had some personal business to take care of. Got permission from Ryūen."

"If you say so. Oh, hey—did you see how packed Horikita's class was at the end?"

"Something happen?"

"Apparently, Chabashira-sensei took photos in a maid outfit, and it was a huge hit. Probably the biggest highlight of the whole festival. Guess we can't say we dominated after all."

So that's why there were so many visitors on the way here. It made sense—seeing a teacher, especially a female one, in a maid outfit was definitely a rare sight. Ayanokōji had played his cards well.

"Wait, that guy's a first-year, right? What's he doing here?"

After musing for a bit, Komiya finally noticed Takuya standing behind me with a serious expression.

"Actually, about that—where are Kinoshita and Ryūen?"

"Kinoshita's cleaning up, and Ryūen's sitting on the teacher's desk."

"Then, Komiya, come with me. It'll be easier to talk to everyone at once."

Given the personalities involved, Komiya seemed to have pieced together that Takuya had done something wrong. He might not have known the full story, but he could tell Takuya had caused some kind of trouble.

About half the class was still cleaning up. Hiyori, Nishino, Katsuragi, and Tokitō noticed my return and tried to approach, but they stopped when they saw Takuya enter behind me.

"Ryūen, Kinoshita. We need to talk. Komiya, you too."

"The hell? What's this about?"

"Eh, me too?"

There were some eyes on us, but as long as we kept it brief, the details wouldn't spread. I positioned Takuya next to me.

Ryūen glanced at Takuya before focusing on me.

"That face looks familiar. First-year?"

"Yeah. Takuya Yagami, Class 1-B."

"The hell're you bringing a first-year here for?"

"You already have an idea, don't you? I can't say it too loudly, but he's the one behind the uninhabited island exam incident."

At those words, Ryūen smirked, while Komiya and Kinoshita's eyes widened in shock.

Takuya's appearance was that of a serious, model student—something reinforced by his position in the student council, which even second-years knew about. The idea that someone like him was the culprit behind their suffering must have been hard to believe.

"S-So... he's really the one who hurt me and Kinoshita?"

"That's right, but there are some circumstances. I'd appreciate it if you could overlook the late apology."

If I were being honest, Takuya had acted on his own, but it was better to frame it as if there were mitigating factors.

"Go on, Takuya."

I nudged Takuya forward. Komiya and Kinoshita were visibly shaken, but the next moment, their expressions turned dumbfounded.

"...Komiya-senpai, Kinoshita-senpai. I deeply apologize for the injuries I caused you due to my carelessness."

Takuya bowed deeply, delivering his apology. Komiya's face twisted further in discomfort.

"...Carelessness? You—"

"I have no excuses for what I did. Nor do I have any for not apologizing until now."

"Heh. Words are cheap, y'know."

Just as Komiya was struggling to respond, Ryūen, who had stepped down from the podium, cut in.

"Hey, Yagami. You seriously hurt Komiya and Kinoshita, and all you've got is a verbal apology? That's not gonna cut it. Show some sincerity."

"...Of course. I don't expect this to resolve everything, but I'll transfer 1 million private points each to Komiya-senpai and Kinoshita-senpai as compensation."

"A MILLION POINTS EACH!?"

The amount Takuya had just casually dropped made Komiya and Kinoshita shout in disbelief.

"And for the inconvenience caused to you as their leader, Ryūen-senpai, I'll give you 500,000—"

"Tch. Only 500k for me? That's all the 'sincerity' you've got?"

Even though it was an absurd sum, Ryūen clearly intended to squeeze out as much as possible.

"...If you'd just stayed quiet, I wouldn't have given you anything at all."

Takuya raised his head slightly, glaring at Ryūen.

"So that's your true nature? You never actually felt sorry, did you?"

"I don't owe you an ans—ugh!"

Before things could escalate further, I pressed down on Takuya's head, forcing him to bow again.

"Takuya, don't pick a fight."

"B-But bro!"

"BRO!?"

The moment the word left Takuya's mouth, the entire classroom erupted in shock.

I hadn't been hiding my relationship with Takuya, so it wasn't a problem.

"W-Wait, what? Y-You have a brother!?"

"Hikigaya, you have a brother!?"

"Yeah."

Komiya and Kinoshita were the first to react, but the whole class was now staring at us.

"But... your surnames are different..."

"It's complicated. But Takuya is my biological brother, no doubt about it."

"Eh..."

They looked stunned, but sensing the sensitivity of the topic, they didn't pry further. Family matters weren't something to dig into carelessly.

"So he's your brother, huh? Doesn't change a damn thing."

"I know. I'll have Takuya give you 1 million points too. That good enough?"

"If that's what bro says..."

Though reluctant, Takuya didn't object to my decision and nodded.

"Komiya, Kinoshita, if you're still not satisfied, I'll apologize again myself."

"Nah, no need for you to apologize... Honestly, I'd totally forgotten about the uninhabited island thing anyway... Right?"

"Y-Yeah. If anything, getting a million points out of it feels kinda lucky..."

The two exchanged awkward smiles, their expressions completely devoid of anger. With this, the incident from the uninhabited island exam was effectively resolved. Ryūen, too, seemed satisfied now that he'd extorted a hefty sum.

I made Takuya bow one last time before we left the classroom. Once outside, his displeasure was palpable.

"I get that you're unhappy, but don't let it show so much."

"I know. I'll work on keeping a straight face like you, bro."

Mine's natural, though.

"Next up... You remember the first-year from Class C you got expelled during the first-term exam, right?"

Based on the information I'd gotten from Takahashi, it was clear Takuya was the culprit once I reviewed his actions.

He nodded, confirming he remembered.

"Expelling someone means backlash. Be prepared for that."

"Of course. I won't make that mistake again. How much should I offer as compensation?"

"How much do you have left?"

"About 6 million and change."

Even after giving Ryūen and the others 3 million, he still had this much. That should be enough to satisfy the "other side."

"500,000 should do it."

"That much? I'd rather give it to you, bro."

"Appreciate the thought, but that's a fair amount given the circumstances."

I ruffled his hair roughly to reassure him, and this time, he didn't make a face.

"Oh, right. Takuya, I've got homework for you."

"Homework?"

"From now on, you'll be fighting in the first-years' special exams. Consider this an assignment from me."

This chapter is updat𝓮d by freēnovelkiss.com.

"A-An assignment from bro...!? Tell me! I'll absolutely do it!!"

His eyes sparkled with a mix of excitement and joy.

"From now on, win without expelling anyone."

"Without... expelling anyone?"

"Most special exams involve expulsion. Fight through them without letting anyone—enemy or ally—get expelled. Can you do that?"

"What a silly question. I'm your brother, aren't I? If there's no handicap, it's no fun."

"Getting cocky is how you trip up."

"Then watch me, bro. Until you graduate, I'll keep winning without expelling a single person."

"Looking forward to it. Oh, and I've got to help clean up my class, so go apologize on your own."

Takuya looked a little disappointed but headed off toward the first-year floor.

I'd given him the warning he needed, so most of the issues should be resolved now.

"Oh, bro."

Just as I was about to return to my class, Takuya turned back.

"What is it?"

"As your brother, I think I have the right to vet your romantic prospects."

"Prospects?"

"I'll be the judge of the girls swarming around you. Ichika, that silver-haired girl from earlier who kept staring at our class—all of them. Just wanted to let you know."

"...Do whatever you want, I guess?"

"Thanks, bro!!"

I didn't really get it, but Takuya seemed satisfied, so whatever.

.......

By 6 PM, cleanup was fully finished, and the entire class had gathered in the classroom to await the cultural festival results. When they were announced, reactions varied.

"No way!! Hell yeah!"

"We got second place!"

"I really thought we'd take first..."

Cheers and groans filled the air.

We'd secured second place overall. First had gone to Horikita's class—their last-minute push must've been insane. Still, the reward was the same: 100 class points.

As everyone celebrated, my phone inconveniently rang. The caller ID showed an unknown number.

"Hello?"

"Hey there. Got a minute to talk?"

I recognized the voice—Tsubaki Sakurako from Class 1-C.

"Are you alone right now?"

"We just got the festival results, so the whole class is here celebrating."

"Bad timing, huh?"

"Doesn't matter. Where should I meet you?"

"Right outside the main entrance. There's nobody around now."

"Give me five minutes."

After a brief call, I slipped out of the noisy classroom unnoticed.

......

At the meeting spot, only Tsubaki stood waiting—or so I thought. A short distance away, Utsunomiya was on the phone with someone, his eyes locked onto me.

"Something you couldn't say over the phone?"

Tsubaki scanned me up and down before answering.

"Pretty much. Hey, guess what? Yagami suddenly came to our class and bowed his head to us. It's causing quite a stir among the first-years."

"Yagami did? Wonder why. (If I played dumb, would that satisfy you?)"

The person fundamentally tied to everything that had happened around me during this festival was none other than Tsubaki Sakurako.

"It was a little unexpected, but I'm more than satisfied with the outcome. Right, Hikigaya-senpai?"

She made an "OK" gesture with her fingers.

"I originally meant to pass the info to Ayanokōji-senpai, but I never imagined you'd be the one to act."

"Not happy it was me?"

Tsubaki was the one who had indirectly relayed Yagami's existence to Ayanokōji. Yet, in the end, I had been the one to move.

"Nah, not at all. It's all about results. Yagami confessed everything, apologized, and even brought 5 million points with him. That's way beyond what I expected."

"By the way, I also told him not to expel anyone from now on."

"Heard about that too. Honestly, that part shocked me the most. Never thought he'd go that far."

Though she had set everything in motion, even she hadn't anticipated this level of payoff.

"Ayanokōji already told me. You manipulated Satō from your class, mentally cornered her, and dropped Yagami's name. You knew someone—no, Ayanokōji—would take the bait."

By doing so, she had covertly revealed Yagami's existence. Naturally, Ayanokōji had taken action—hence the second love letter sent to Yagami.

(Well, this time, it ended up being useless.)

"Did you really believe Yagami was behind it from the start?"

"If Yagami was using you to make contact, he wouldn't have needed to drop his own name."

Exposing himself like that would've been careless.

"The results were good, but there's one thing I still don't get."

"What's that?"

"Why did you act when I only set things up for Ayanokōji-senpai?"

She was satisfied with the outcome, but this one point still bothered her.

"Because I had my own reasons for using this situation."

"...What do you mean?"

"Sorry, but I'm not explaining further."

After talking this much, I was certain—Tsubaki wasn't the mastermind.

There was someone else pulling the strings.

"Utsunomiya, come here for a sec?"

Tsubaki waved over Utsunomiya, who was still on the phone, and instructed him to hand it to me.

"...Here."

Wary but obedient, Utsunomiya passed me the phone.

"Yagami expelled a classmate of Tsubaki's. That's why those two cooperated."

The voice on the other end was unmistakably the same as the guy who had spoken outside my room during the sports festival.

"You could've crushed him anytime if you acted directly, yet you left him alone. And as a result, a first-year was expelled. That wouldn't have happened if the troublemaker had been dealt with."

"Not denying it."

"To prevent further unnecessary casualties, elimination was the only option. But taking down Yagami isn't easy. I know he's just a normal high schooler."

"So you wanted to use me instead."

Given the White Room student's goals and obsessions, this decision made sense.

"You got my message through Ayanokōji, right?"

"'I'll eventually approach someone close to you. And when I do, there will be expulsions.' That it?"

"Exactly. But I never expected Yagami to be handled like this. This was outside my calculations. Did you never consider expelling Yagami?"

"I did. So did Ayanokōji. In fact, Ayanokōji had already set up a move to expel him."

My intervention had rendered Ayanokōji's plan unnecessary.

"That's the only part I don't understand. Why wasn't he expelled? You alone chose to let Yagami live. That's the sole inconsistency."

"Like I told Tsubaki earlier, I used this for my own purposes."

In the end, if the White Room student had been someone other than Yagami, I wouldn't have gotten involved at all. I'd have left everything to Ayanokōji.

"Seems the rumors about your abilities are true."

"If you're still unsatisfied, I can order Yagami to stay out of all future special exams."

"I'll only ask for that if Yagami causes problems again."

"If he does, I'll expel him next time."

I'd confirmed everything I needed to. If Yagami caused more trouble, I'd dispose of him.

"Just as Ayanokōji-sensei said, choosing this school was the right decision."

"What do you mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds like. I'll enjoy my school life my way. As long as first-years and second-years don't clash, this is the last you'll hear from me."

After saying his piece, he hung up. Sensing this, Tsubaki approached and took back the phone.

"Everything clear now?"

"Yeah."

"When my classmate got expelled, I first thought Hōsen was involved. But recently, I found out it was Yagami."

Yagami's potential was undeniable, but his arrogance had led to his downfall.

"Just because you got revenge doesn't mean you should stop, Tsubaki."

"I know. Honestly, I didn't care about this school at first... but it's growing on me. It's kinda fun, surprisingly."

Watching this exchange, it was clear there was more to this than just revenge.

"Well, we're heading back now."

"...Excuse us."

Utsunomiya, forcing out polite language, left with Tsubaki toward the dorm.

.......

On the way back, I made a slight detour to meet with someone.

"Let me thank you again. For the intel, too."

"Don't mention it. When I heard the name 'Yagami,' I figured I should pass it along."

Ayanokōji, standing before me, had been the one to receive Tsubaki's scheme and learn of Yagami's existence. He had then shared that information with me.

"Did Yagami take the bait?"

"Yeah. He noticed the anagram. Went exactly as planned."

Ayanokōji's preemptive love letter had also contained an anagram, which could've made my follow-up letter seem suspicious.

That's why I embedded another anagram—one with a word guaranteed to catch Yagami's attention.

"'Siblings.' That word hooked him, huh?"

"So, Yagami really is your brother. How was it?"

"A failure."

Yeah, a complete failure.

When I acted based on Ayanokōji's info and confronted Yagami, it was out of curiosity.

If I stood before my own flesh and blood—

If I heard Takuya's words—

If I listened to my brother's true feelings—

Would I finally... understand sibling love?

But in reality, I felt nothing upon learning Yagami was my brother.

Disappointing, given my expectations.

"Total waste of time."

"Then why not expel Yagami?"

"Having more first-year informants is useful. I kept him alive for that."

If he acted up again, I could always expel him later.

"No meaning in blood-related family, huh? Maybe it would've worked with more samples."

"Who knows? Even now, Yagami isn't my brother to me—just a tool. Nothing's changed."

"That's not limited to Yagami, is it?"

"You really love pointing out others' hypocrisy, don't you, Ayanokōji?"

Before the time comes, I'll need to lay the groundwork for my relationships.

"Oh, right. Thanks for helping with Hauruka and the others."

"Don't worry about it. That was our deal."

As per our agreement, I'd intervened in Hasebe's grudge match. By playing the villain, I elevated Ayanokōji's standing. Now, she wouldn't cause any more trouble for the class and would soften her stance toward him.

"You should start preparing too."

"Of course."

"The rest depends on your next moves. I've already secured my means."

Now, all that's left is to wait for Ayanokōji's preparations.

After discussing the future a bit more, we parted ways as darkness fell.

Well, I'm exhausted. Time to head back and sleep.

.......

Class Points at the End of the November Cultural Festival:

- Sakayanagi's Class A: 1221

- Ryūen's Class B: 1011

- Horikita's Class C: 825

- Ichihose's Class D: 721

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