I'm in a real religion, why are all the people who confess to me girls?

"Hui, stop playing coy. What exactly is this rumor?"

Amane was more concerned about what rumors were circulating, since it was Karuizawa who told her the news, so there was probably some rumor that was widely circulating in the girls' circle.

"That's exactly what I was going to say. I recently heard a rumor that Sato-san dislikes Onodera-san, and that Onodera-san's swimming is as funny as a frog's."

Upon hearing that it was a comment made among girls, Tianyin's ears drooped.

Horikita also seemed to lose interest immediately. After all, it was a small circle of girls, and they often heard similar things. There was nothing to be surprised about, because in most cases it was just a rumor, and the content of the evaluation changed drastically as it was passed around.

After all, things like talking about classmates behind their backs are usually discussed with close friends or during private gatherings. It's impossible for them to comment on each other to their faces. Whether it's a close friend or a friend in the same circle, as long as there's no one who's two-faced, most people will just laugh it off. After all, there are quite a few girls here who like to gossip about others behind their backs.

“I know what you’re thinking, but what if I told you that this isn’t a rumor but a genuine assessment?”

Chapter Thirty-Five: A Power More Powerful Than Violence

Karuizawa emphasized that Sato's assessment of Onodera was absolutely true, but Horikita's reaction remained very cold.

"Even if it were true, so what? Would Sato publicly admit to saying that? Without evidence, it can only be considered a rumor. Besides, even if there were evidence, what could you do? At most, you'd get an apology from Sato, but your relationship with him would be irreparably strained. To gain a petty enemy for an apology—it doesn't seem worth it at all."

Horikita's words took into full consideration the circumstances of both parties, as well as various factors including interpersonal relationships, and the final conclusion was still that there was no need to take this matter so seriously.

If we take these kinds of things so seriously, the class will be constantly stressed out over such trivial matters.

If we consider a school as a company and a class as a department, where backstabbing and infighting are commonplace among colleagues, would anyone really demand a public apology from someone who speaks ill of them behind their back? It's not impossible to do so, but only if you can afford the consequences. If someone labels you as someone who can't take a joke and is overly serious, the rest of the department will naturally distance themselves from you. After all, nobody wants to associate with someone who's overly serious; it's human nature to avoid conflict.

So unless you're prepared to leave, it's difficult to completely sever ties.

In school, dropping out comes at a greater cost than quitting a job. Once isolated in class, the pressure to live a normal life until graduation is immense. If one cannot bear it and chooses to drop out, it is difficult to find a good school after graduation, and one can only attend a private high school.

Because Gao Yu is quite famous, those who cannot even adapt to Gao Yu will be considered worthless students and treated coldly by other high schools.

Ultimately, they either enter the workforce early or spend money to get into a private high school.

Therefore, the cost of dropping out of school is very high, and if you don't want to bear the cost, you should be prepared to face isolation.

Either choice carries a greater cost than a simple apology, so it's inappropriate to make a big fuss about getting to the bottom of things over an apology. That's why there's the saying of turning a blind eye.

"If the only points of contention are authenticity and the apology, then things are actually simpler."

Amane immediately realized what Karuizawa was saying.

"Hui, do you mean someone is deliberately spreading such rumors?"

Seeing that Amane reacted so quickly, Karuizawa wasn't too surprised.

“That’s right! And I already have someone I suspect, but the problem is that I’m also one of the sources of this rumor. When Sato said that, only Shinohara, Maezono, and I heard it. Of course, this is assuming that Sato didn’t say the same thing to anyone else.”

"So you mean you suspect that Shinohara or Maezono are deliberately spreading this news?"

Just when Horikita felt he had discovered some clues, Karuizawa shook his head vigorously.

"My suspect is Kushida, and it's almost certainly him."

Kushida bellflower.

Upon hearing this name, Horikita immediately recalled that he had once planned to use Kushida to deal with the ever-expanding Sato.

I never expected that Kushida would actually have a conflict with Sato, but... given Kushida's personality, would he really expose his true nature for a girl like Sato?

Just thinking about it makes it seem unlikely, after all, Sato's value and priority are too low. If Kushida is willing to expose his true nature or even plan to perish together with Sato for a pawn like him, Horikita would actually think it's a good thing, removing a potential bomb from Class C that could hurt them at any time.

Do you have concrete evidence?

"A few days ago, Sato and Kushida had a conflict over Mori Nene. It seems that Sato tried to poach her from Kushida. After they talked alone, Sato said that she had the upper hand."

Judging from this, it's highly likely that Kushida intends to teach Sato a lesson. It has to be said that Karuizawa's influence has been limited to a negligible level by Horikita.

However, out of habit, the girls in the class still tend to come to Karuizawa to tell her what happened.

In this way, Karuizawa still maintains control over various aspects of the girls' inner circle.

But here's the question: how does Kushida plan to deal with Sato? Just with rumors?

"Let's assume that Kushida acted to teach Sato a lesson. But the question of credibility remains: what is Kushida's secret weapon? How will she attack Sato... or rather, what trump card does she have to defeat the now unruly Sato?"

Even if Kushida takes action, the best effect the current rumors can achieve is to make the relationship between Sato and Onodera more tense.

According to Amane's judgment, Onodera is not the kind of person who could be turned by Kushida. In other words, if Kushida doesn't have a backup plan... her goal should be to cause internal strife within Sato's small group.

But internal strife is never that simple.

"Tianyin, do you remember when she told us that her weapon was a weapon more powerful than violence?"

Amane recalled that Kushida did seem to have said something like that back then, which at the time seemed to be an attempt to imply that she had a terrible trump card and to warn Amane and Horikita not to act rashly.

Amane didn't take Kushida's words seriously.

Surprisingly, what she said was actually true.

"So... Suzune, what do you think her trump card... what is it that's even more powerful than violence?"

Is there really anything more powerful than violence in this world?

For Karuizawa, who had long been a victim of bullying, nothing in the world was more terrifying than violence, a powerful weapon that could easily subdue the weak.

She had suffered greatly from this before, but when she suddenly heard someone say that there was something more powerful than violence, Karuizawa couldn't help but become suspicious.

"Of course there are. Violence is nothing more than physical torture that leads to mental submission. To give a simple example, no matter how much violence you use on someone who is not afraid of death, it will be useless. Another point is that violence is the easiest way to solve a problem, but it is also likely to encounter even more violent beings. So violence is not a panacea at all. Even if you want to use violence, you have to be selective about who you use it on. Moreover, there are some things that are inherently superior to violence, such as power or lies."

Power, lies?

Power goes without saying, and lies, if used well, can cause more terrible destruction than violence, but... what Kushida said may not necessarily be a "lie".

Chapter Thirty-Six: Tianyin, are you jealous?

After Horikita pointed out that power and lies are even more powerful than violence, the conversation began to revolve around these two points.

Undoubtedly, power is the most terrifying thing that transcends violence, but the problem is that violence is universal; it is a means that everyone can use, but the effects of using it vary from person to person.

While power is far more powerful than violence, it is not something that ordinary people can access.

"No matter how I think about it, I find it hard to imagine what can be done by using power in school. But before we discuss this issue, is it possible for Kushida-san to have access to or control power?"

Karuizawa's question does have some merit.

However, Karuizawa underestimated the power of authority. While Amane was partly involved in the incident, her removal from the disciplinary committee was largely due to her own actions.

They still possess terrifying, top-tier "violence." If the power of the Disciplinary Committee, an organization responsible for correcting the behavior of others and stopping violence, were granted to Tianyin, no one would dare to imagine what terrible consequences Tianyin might cause if she wanted to go to extremes.

"That's true. Kushida's current 'power' is merely that of a member of the student council. It's impossible to defeat 'violence' with its destructive power with such limited strength. Moreover, power depends on who wields it. For example, if it's wielded by your brother... the power of the student council president becomes a key to balance and stability, because what your brother has always pursued is actually a gentle struggle... Although I don't quite agree with your brother's views, seeing Amane only shows that your brother's views have some merit. Power in his hands is a fair scale, and it's relatively gentle."

As Horikita spoke, he pinched Amane's cheek. Amane affectionately rubbed against Horikita's hand, completely unbelievable that the person sitting here was the culprit who had turned the entire school upside down.

"What if Tianyin were to hold power?"

Karuizawa asked with some curiosity what the consequences would be if Amane were to take control of power.

"How could you think of something so terrifying? If Amane only wielded power at the level of the student council, she'd probably do some ridiculous things, like holding auditions for cute girls or turning special exams into buffet competitions—activities she could enjoy to her heart's content. But if… Amane wielded power at the level of a nation, then it would probably become something truly terrifying. The strongest weapon humanity possesses has always been 'violence.' While power and lies can unleash even greater force than violence, they have various limitations and can only be used in specific circumstances."

"Violence, on the other hand, is not so troublesome. No matter how intelligent a wise man is, how high-ranking a politician is, or how wealthy a businessman is, they are nothing in the face of absolute violence. But if absolute violence is handed over to someone who holds power, then that person is basically a god to the country. No one can stop them from doing whatever they want in the secular world. Even if the country falls into turmoil, as long as absolute violence is still in their hands, they can still act recklessly. However, such people often bring about their own destruction."

Horikita's words were perhaps too profound, and Karuizawa, standing to the side, looked somewhat confused, as if they were not quite the answer she was looking for.

Amane had already crawled back into the kotatsu and was lying on Karuizawa's lap, looking completely content. It seemed that the conversation in front of her was unimportant to her, or perhaps she was simply listening to Horikita and Karuizawa's remarks as an observer.

"In short, it will become a terrible thing, right? What about Kushida? If Kushida has power, can he really defeat someone as good at fighting as Amane?"

Karuizawa took a piece of candy and tried to feed it to Amane.

After Amane took a bite of the candy, she casually touched Karuizawa, causing Karuizawa's body to tremble slightly and a blush to appear on his face. Fortunately, the temperature in the room was not low, so the change in Karuizawa's face, which had been flushed all along, was not too obvious.

"Kushida? If she wields power, it's like a child holding a sharp sword. I don't think she's capable of doing anything extraordinary with that power. So, I personally lean towards 'lies.' Violence and power aren't things that ordinary people can easily handle. If I had to pick something that best fits Kushida's image, lies would probably be the most suitable."

lie.

"But Kushida-san doesn't seem like the type to lie. Ugh, my head hurts! I knew things might be complicated before I came, but I didn't expect it to be this complicated. Kushida-san is clearly spreading rumors... no, to be precise, Kushida-san is spreading the absolute truth. In short, her actions will disrupt class unity, and we must stop her. But she claims to possess power beyond violence, which will undoubtedly make us hesitant to act. Most importantly, this is a battle Kushida-san launched to get revenge on Sato-san. If Kushida-san, as the 'challenger,' is defeated, then Sato might completely take over the girls' circle. At that time..."

Karuizawa looked at Horikita.

"Horikita's role as class leader is now essentially defunct."

It's hard to imagine that Karuizawa, who was only slightly better than the bottom of the class, could say such insightful things.

It can only be said that Karuizawa has a clear understanding of certain things, but understanding doesn't mean being able to solve them. Karuizawa's current situation is that she can spot problems immediately, but she can't solve them, which is a bit of a pity in Horikita's opinion.

If Karuizawa were a bit more outstanding, she might be a powerful ally.

"Tianyin, what's your opinion on this?"

I'll watch it while lying down.

"Such an important matter, you should at least offer your opinion. If you keep slacking off, your brain will start to rust."

Seeing Amane resting her head on Karuizawa's lap, looking so relaxed and content, Horikita wanted nothing more than to stomp on Amane's smug face a few times to vent his frustration.

Why does so many things keep happening in Class C when she's in charge? When Hirata was the class leader, the class wasn't very competitive, but it wasn't this chaotic.

Matsushita, Karuizawa, Kushida, Sato... these upstarts began to make arbitrary moves on the chessboard for their own purposes. If a player corrected them, the game might become more favorable to them. However, if they made random moves, they would only make the originally good game a mess.

Why are you all so concerned about the battle between Kushida and Sato?

"Given my relationship with Kushida... she's long considered me an irreconcilable enemy. Although I've never intended to target her, if she were to challenge me, I would have to step forward and accept it. Now, Kushida is embroiled in a conflict with Sato. If Sato doesn't have a shrewd strategist behind him, he'll likely be utterly defeated by Kushida's lies. Rather than fighting alone, it's better to cooperate with Sato to eliminate this threat beforehand. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, so the most urgent task is to protect Sato."

Horikita's argument was perfect, not only logical but also containing excellent strategies. If Horikita had been Sato's strategist, Kushida might have suffered a great loss at Sato's hands.

To some extent, Horikita is already a very good player. Among all the first-year students, only Sakayanagi could completely defeat Horikita. Even if Ryuen were to play against Horikita fair and square, he probably wouldn't be a match for Horikita.

However, the situation can change in an instant. Sakayanagi will not give Horikita the chance to make the first move, and Ryuen will not play any fair and square game with you.

Horikita's lack of experience was also a problem. Horikita was very smart, but he took some moral issues too seriously. It wasn't until the sports festival that he let go of some of his moral concerns and achieved some results.

However, the gap in experience cannot be bridged in one or two battles. For example, in this instance, Horikita made what could be considered the biggest mistake a Go player can make before he even made a move.

That means she was playing chess exactly according to the chess manual.

Even the countermeasures were almost entirely copied from existing strategies in history, without being used flexibly and properly.

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend, that's true, but... who is your enemy? Is it Kushida, with whom you have an irreconcilable conflict, but who may not necessarily be able to harm you, or Sato, who is secretly gathering power and may be trying to take half of your say?"

"Personal grudges and power... what is it that you really want to protect?"

As soon as Tianyin spoke, the entire room fell silent.

Karuizawa remained silent because Amane's hands had been quite restless from the beginning, and she was afraid of making a fool of herself, so she had been holding back.

Horikita, having quieted down, began to ponder the issue of Amane.

Who is her enemy?

This is a very basic question. If you can't even understand this question, how can you talk about being a chess player?

But this is precisely what Horikita is most conflicted about. If Kushida's trump card is indeed a lie, then in order to defeat Sato, Kushida will definitely spread a lot of rumors in addition to spreading the truth. If the rumors get out of control, the entire Class C may be on the verge of collapse. Therefore, Kushida must be dealt with.

Although Sato has not yet made formal contact with Horikita, everyone knows that Sato and Kushida have a conflict. If Horikita helps Sato defeat Kushida...

Since Horikita, as Sato's mastermind, is unlikely to show herself, the prestige gained from defeating Kikyo Kushida, who is second only to Ichinose in popularity among the first-year students, will probably be taken over by Sato. As a result, those who are dissatisfied with her may turn to Sato's side, believing that Sato is so good that she can definitely defeat other classes in the special exams.

At that time, Horikita will lose her voice among the girls, and since there are fewer boys than girls in the class, it means that if Sato makes any decision that affects the class, Horikita will be unable to interfere, because the idea of ​​majority rule was instilled in everyone in the class by her.

Now, ironically, this has become an obstacle restricting her.

One is the extremely destructive Kushida, and the other is the slow and deliberate Sato.

Each of them is a threatening problem that Horikita cannot eliminate all at once.

Seeing Horikita's furrowed brows, Amane climbed out of the kotatsu, her expression turning serious as she knelt dignifiedly before Horikita.

"Besides the enemy, you have many other things to consider, such as... what makes you so sure that no one is behind Sato's actions? Also, what will you do if you defeat Kushida?"

Seeing that Amane was willing to seriously discuss this matter with her, Horikita couldn't help but take it seriously as well.

She first organized her thoughts and then told Tianyin what she was thinking.

"First of all, I don't think anyone will help Sato, because her methods are too obvious and crude. That simple and straightforward approach to winning her over lacks any finesse and doesn't seem like the behavior of a shrewd strategist. If it were me, I would develop relationships privately and try to gain some prestige in a certain matter, or seize the leader's weakness and then take advantage of the situation. Even if Sato succeeds, she will only gain half of the class's influence, which is far from enough to unify Class C. As for Kushida... we can make her write a guarantee promising not to do anything that would harm the class's interests... Amane, what's with that expression? Are you feeling unwell?"

Horikita saw that Amane looked like she had a stomachache and was covering her face with her hands in pain, and subconsciously assumed that Amane was feeling unwell.

What she didn't know was that Amane was defeated by Horikita's bizarre remarks.

"Um... it seems that Sato-san and Ayanokouji-san are dating. Could it be that Ayanokouji-san has some feelings about it?"

Karuizawa raised his hand, offering 'important information,' but this information had already spread a week earlier, though Horikita was clearly unaware of it.

"What? When did this happen? Sato actually likes a guy like Ayanokouji? That's unbelievable... But thinking about it, Ayanokouji's physical fitness test is second only to Koenji in Class C. In a fight, he could put Amane at a disadvantage... Even without any resistance, he's probably one of the best fighters in the school. As for academics... He unexpectedly got a perfect score this time. Of course, the questions were too easy, but it also shows that he's quite smart. Good physical fitness, smart, can fight, and has a pretty handsome appearance. Sato's taste in people is really bad... Amane, what's wrong with you now?"

After Horikita showered Ayanokouji with praise, he saw Amane pouting with dissatisfaction.

"I'm clearly better! I can do anything that Ayanokouji can do, and being cute is definitely an advantage over being handsome, isn't it?"