201 Chapter six, 2016, three schools: 7 (2/2)
Kyoko shared a small sense of the discomfort he must have felt when he and his sister got dragged inside Irishima High. Ryu attracted attention on any normal day, but walking around in the Himekaizen uniform must have made him stand out even more.
”Sorry about that,” Urufu said. I didn't know they'd pull that stunt. To be honest I don't even know why they guessed you waited for her by her school gates.”
”Well that's Ai-chan's fault,” Ryu answered and snorted. ”Apparently she told her club advisor why she wanted to leave earlier, and he in turn reported that to their principal.”
Urufu shrugged. ”Still means they had it all planned for our vice principal to show up there on short notice. Anyway, they pretty much took us by surprise at the café as well.”
”So, what's going on?” Noriko shot in to keep the conversation from derailing.
”Kyoko, mind turning the whiteboard?” Urufu asked.
Kyoko rose and faced the whiteboard towards them. While she was up she turned on the water boiler and prepared some green tea.
The table turned silent and Urufu used the break to set up his beamer.
”Well,” he said after Kyoko had returned, ”this is what's happening.”
Kyoko looked at the whiteboard where two cutaways were displayed.
”This is Himekaizen, and this is Irishima High. These,” Urufu said and marked a few highlighted areas with a pen laser, ”are available classrooms.”
Kyoko looked at three areas in the cutaway of Irishima High and five of them for Himekaizen.
”Starting the coming year Irishima High will open up an extra class for freshmen and Himekaizen three.”
By now a large number of club members had gathered by the table as those who entered the room came directly for the display and those who sat in the lounge area rose and joined them.
”Why a total of eight classrooms?” Ryu asked.
”It's nine actually. 9:1 already occupies one. All four freshman classes will be pilfered from Red Rose junior high.”
”Uhum?”
”Himekaizen and Irishima High will target the parents of the Red Rose ninth graders directly.”
”I don't get it.”
”Jeez,” Kuri-chan interrupted. ”Ryu, we're running a smear campaign here. Our schools will target the first and second years as well in an attempt to save the poor students from a school going belly up,” she said with a predatory grin that made Kyoko wince.