Jujutsushi Wa Yuusha Ni Narenai-Chapter 270.2 - To The Lowest Floor 2

BGM: Lost in Green

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「I mean, come on, he wouldn’t even need to go as far as poisoning anyone… If it’s Momokawa we’re talking about, he could talk his way into one of those three escape slots without problem.」

「Yeah, that’s right. We were supposed to escape from the start anyway, and if it’s him, he could easily come up with some plausible excuse.」

「I mean, even if he swapped himself out with a clone and sent that instead, no one would even notice that.」

Given Kotarou's position and abilities, the chances were very high that he could escape through the Heavenly Gate without having to kill any of his classmates.

Here was another proof that he didn't need to go as far as poisoning his classmate.

「The more I think about it, the less I can believe that Momokawa did it. So, you know, that old flip phone he said was used to record the evidence video… Maybe that thing was actually legit.」

「You mean it wasn’t just a bluff? But Sakura-chan’s smashed that flip phone, right?」

「Wait, are you trying to say that Sakura-chan was in on Takanashi’s scheme too!?」

「No, Sakura-chan might have just gotten pissed at Momokawa and shot him, plain and simple, right?」

The strained relationship between Kotaro and Sakura was also common knowledge in the class. So, given how things played out, it wasn’t all that strange for Sakura to fire her arrow at his flip phone.

「Wait, does that mean Takanashi is really a traitor?」

「Dammit. Ain't we screwed up for real this time?」

「Hey, calm down, you guys. There’s a chance Momokawa isn’t the culprit, but we don’t have any proof yet. And there’s no evidence that Takanashi is the real culprit either. If we make a fuss now, it’ll only make Souma and the others even more suspicious of us.」

Was it Kotaro who poisoned them? Or Takanashi? Or perhaps an entirely different mastermind? At this stage, it was still a matter of speculation, there was no physical evidence strong enough to reveal the truth.

If we start insisting that Takanashi was suspicious now, it would put us at odds with Souma’s faction, who had no reason to believe us.

「Listen, we keep this a secret from Souma and the others. That means Yuuto Souma, Sakura, Class Rep, Natsukawa, Kenzaki, and of course, Takanashi herself. If any of them think we’re suspicious of them, it’ll definitely turn into a huge pain.」

「Well, the moment we bring it up, Takanashi will probably start bawling her eyes out, and we’ll just end up looking like the bad guys.」

「But still, even knowing this… It’s not like it changes anything, right?」

「No, that’s not necessarily true. Look, with Momokawa gone, it feels like everyone outside of Souma’s faction has fallen apart, right? That’s exactly why we use the suspicion around Takanashi to pull everyone back together.」

「… Shimokawa, your train of thought started to become more and more like Momokawa.」

「It’s not like I’m doing this because I want to, damn it! But if we don’t do something like this, our position’s just gonna keep getting worse.」

「Yeah… maybe you’re right. These days, we’re basically just following Souma’s orders without question.」

It’s fair to say that the class meetings had essentially stopped functioning altogether.

This core gathering through boss hunting was also more or less unilaterally announced while everyone was still reeling from the shock of Momokawa's betrayal. Naturally, if they wanted to move forward, there really wasn’t any other option, so there was no strong reason to oppose it… But still, it did feel like the leadership was just decided without much thought, just going along with the flow.

Given that this was an emergency situation, they'd cooperate for the time being, even if they had some complaints.

However, if things just kept going as they were in silence, Shimokawa felt a growing sense of unease that they’d eventually end up simply obeying without question.

「Listen, we’re not Souma’s lackeys. If we just keep doing whatever they say, we’re bound to get screwed over sooner or later. And more importantly, if Momokawa’s right and Takanashi really is the culprit, then at the very least, we’ve got to stay on guard around her.」

Getting poisoned again was something he absolutely refused to go through.

That’s why they couldn’t afford to show any openings. The only ones who wanted to stop them from suspecting Takanashi for the sake of unity were Souma’s faction. But to Shimokawa and the others, she was not just a suspect, she was practically guilty.

If they were to trust them again foolishly, they would eventually expose a fatal vulnerability, one that could lead to being poisoned once more.

「If Takanashi is the real culprit, then framing Momokawa was a premeditated act. It's not something you can just decide to do on the spur of the moment. As long as we stay alert and don't let our guard down, she won’t be able to make a move so easily.」

「So by staying on guard, we're essentially protecting ourselves, is what you're trying to say, right?」

「Even without that, sticking together as a group is something we need to do if we want to maintain a good position, right?」

「Anyway, I’m thinking of talking to Yamada next. After that, it’ll be either JuryMari or Himeno.」

「What about Nakajima?」

「He got a thing for Kenzaki, I'm afraid that he'll become a snitch if I tried to talk to him.」

The person himself might think he did a good job in hiding his infatuation, but it was obvious to anyone watching that Nakajima had feelings for Kenzaki Asuna. The only ones who hadn’t noticed was Asuna herself, the object of his affection, and maybe Souma Yuuto, who was famously oblivious.

The fact that his feelings were the only thing not getting through to the person he liked, and to the person that she liked, made for a frustrating situation straight out of a shoujo manga. That said, they had absolutely no intention of rooting for Nakajima’s love life.

「Once we’ve come to an agreement among ourselves, I’ll look for the right moment to talk to Class Rep too.」

「Oi, are you sure about that?」

「Class Rep is the one who suggested to check whether Takanashi really has the antidote as Momokawa claimed after that incident after all.」

「Seriously!? No one told me anything about that!」

「I heard this story from Natsukawa-san the day before yesterday.」

As part of the hunting team that supports the food supply in the School Tower, Shimokawa had gotten fairly close with Minami. It was because their bond had deepened that Minami probably let slip that kind of story.

「Class Rep does seem to have some suspicion about Takanashi. Well, she’s no Class Rep for nothing, she’s probably figured out on her own that the idea I came up with about Momokawa being the culprit is pretty strange.」

「But since she’s also close with Takanashi, she can’t exactly express her doubt.」

「That’s right, if she recklessly brings it up, she risks clashing with Souma and the others. But hey, if we’re united in suspecting Takanashi too, then we might be able to form a solid opposing faction.」

「…Hey, won’t that completely split the class in two?」

「I thought it’d be bad too. But… without Momokawa, it’s just impossible. There’s no way the class can come together as one anymore.」

Originally, the faction centered around Souma Yuuto was so tightly knit that no opposing faction could exist in Class 2-7. During peaceful school life, they were just an admired group of high-status handsome and beautiful students. However… In the life-or-death dungeon survival, they transformed into a powerful group with an unshakeable dominance.

The reason they were able to live peacefully in the School Tower back then without simply obeying their every whim was entirely thanks to Momokawa Kotaro’s efforts.

He united all the groups outside of Souma’s faction to secure a majority and build an opposing faction. On top of that, he constantly negotiated and compromised to avoid becoming locked in a decisive conflict with Souma’s faction.

That was only possible because of Kotaro’s personal talent, and his abilities as a shaman.

Shimokawa understood that, while he could imitate Kotaro, he could never do exactly the same thing. It was not just about talent, the cards in his hands were also different from that of Kotaro, while Kotaro was a shaman and Shimokawa was an aquamancer.

「The class might split. But it's still better than becoming the other party's dog. At the very least, we have to be wary of Takanashi. Even so, if we’ve gotta stay in the same class, then we’ve got no choice but to put ourselves in a position where we can speak up to them as equals, right? — Ueda, Nakai, if you guys can’t agree with me on that, then this conversation ends here. If I can’t get your understanding, there’s nothing more I can do.」

「Hey now, Shimokawa, don’t go underestimating us too much, yeah?」

「Up until just now, the three of us have been risking our lives together in battle. We’re already best friends on a whole different level from the rest of those guys, aren’t we?」

「Guys…」

「Shimokawa, starting today, you’re the one who’ll take over from Momokawa and lead the faction.」

「Like hell we’re gonna just do whatever Souma says. You’re our leader.」

And so, the three of them firmly clasped hands in a strong handshake, deepening the bond of their trio.

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