"Hey, Akira-Chan, how's the writing going?"
Tada sat down on the steps next to Akira, and pushed her still untouched lunchbox a little closer to her before sitting down. Akira looked up at him and glared, snapping her notebook shut.
"I'm not showing you!" she declared. Tada laughed as he opened his lunchbox and took a sandwich out. He bit into it, and chewed for a while.
"Relax, I'm not going to look." He said when he had swallowed. "But, maybe you'd like to have a look at something of mine?" This seemed to pique Akira's interest, as she didn't just go straight back to writing.
"You write too? You never told me this."
"That's because I don't write," he corrected. "I draw." He picked up his sketchbook, which he'd put down next to him. He didn't usually bring his sketchbook in, but he'd decided to do so today. There was no particular reasoning to this, but he liked the idea of showing his friends his work. And somehow, it was fitting that it would be Akira he showed the drawings to first.
"Draw?" Akira looked at the sketchbook in Tada's hand, clearly itching to take it and flick through, but too polite to actually do so. "What kind of drawings?"
"Ah, sort of manga comic style. Not actual panels or strips, but yeah, that kind of style. I mostly draw this comic-book type hero that I like, but sometimes I draw random things."
"I didn't think you were into comic books." Akira sounded utterly confused and just a little betrayed, and she looked that way too. Tada chuckled, baffling her more.
"Ah, no. The Distant Ocean isn't a hero I saw in a comic book. He's from some bed-time stories Hiro and I got told as a child. Here, take a look." He handed the sketchbook to Akira, who instantly began looking at the pictures, studying them with deep interest.
A calm quiet settled over them, the only immediate sounds being that of the pages getting flicked, and the noises of eating food. In the background, Eriko, Kaori, Ruko, Haru, Jori, Fuyumi, Reimiya and Ayako were giggling about something as they wandered near the forest, Kuroba and Izzy were playing shogi on the grass, with Tsukada, Hana, Hirigi, Reno and Koujiro egging them on. Azama and Tsuwabuki could be heard teaching Yamada to climb the cherry tree, while Kinomoto and Haru sat nearby discussing the flowers they could plant in their class's flower beds. Only Kitabayashi and Yukiyama were silent, and that was because both of them were somewhere further away, each of them alone.
"This 'Distant Ocean' seems pretty interesting. I like your drawings of him. I can kind of get a feel for what type of person he is." Akira decreed after a while. She paused and thought for a moment.
"You said that you got him from a bed-time story?"
"Yeah. When we were little, our god-father used to tell us these stories about the hero who managed to be heroic without ever getting involved in the circumstances of those he saved. I came up with the name though. It's more like an alias, but it fits, I think."
"Hmm…." Akira pretended to think, then giggled unexpectedly. "It does sound cheesy, but it sort of fits."
"Hey!" Tada pretended to be offended. "The Distant Ocean is not cheesy!" Akira giggled some more , and then narrowed her eyes at him.
"Say, does your comic-book hero, as you seem to think of him, have anything to do with why you, Tsukuda-san and Eriko-san have been so secretive this past week?"
"Nope." He answered honestly. Sure, he'd found himself thinking that the idea he'd come with-to permanently get rid of Class 3E as a concept-would mean being the opposite of The Distant Ocean, in a lot of ways. In a way, the analogy was inspiring. But he wasn't trying to be like something from a comic book or a bedtime story. He was just trying to do something good, along with his friends. I'm just trying to make this school year worth enduring. I'm just trying to make the experiences of the people I was brought up with mean something. That's all. That isn't heroic.
"Really?" Akira looked sceptical.
"You'll find out after school today." He declared, grinning. "You all will." This was true. After he'd had the revelation at the hospital last week, he'd spent most of the night questioning his sanity with Hiro, who had been supportive about the idea. Then, he'd been messaging Tsukuda and Eriko back and forth, discussing how best to get everyone else in the class on board. In the end, they'd decided that they'd need to hold a whole-class meeting. And today was the day they'd set for the meeting. All the others knew was that their Class Reps had something important to tell them which required this meeting, but apart from that, they were in the dark.
Akira pouted. "Okay then, fine. In that case, tell me a story."
"I'm sorry, what?"
Akira handed back Tada's sketchbook. "A story. One of those bedtime stories that inspired these drawings. Tell me one, please."
"Okay, sure." Tada looked through all his old drawings, going back and forth. Finally, he settled on one, and looked at it.
"He'd known something wasn't right for days. If somebody had come up to him and asked him how he knew this, or why he'd felt it, he wouldn't have been able to say. But since he did know…"
It didn't take long for Tada to get completely lost in the story, remembering it the more he spoke, and adding his own embellishments easily. He leaned back a little to get more comfortable, but apart from that, the real world more or less ceased to exist as he spoke. All the same, when he reached the end, his throat was dry and he found himself a little out of breath, so he gulped down his bottle of water and took a moment. I'd forgotten what these stories felt like...
"So," he asked, putting his bottle down. "What did you think, Akira-Chan?" he turned to look at Akira. She was staring at him, absolutely entranced. Her eyes were wide and her mouth gaped slightly in astonishment.
"Uh…Akira-Chan?" He noticed that some of the background noises had quietened, and he looked up only to find that most of his classmates were staring at him too.
"I…erm….okay…" Tada became embarrassed, and lost any words he may have had. Akira blinked, and shook her head.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to freak you out. That was just really good."
"I…erm, thanks. Good to know you liked it." Tada laughed awkwardly.
"Good? Tada-kun, that was great! I didn't know you were good at telling stories!" Ayako exclaimed. Near to Ayako, Yukiyama could be seen, regarding Tada coolly. He couldn't tell what Yukiyama was thinking, but the fact he'd come to see what was happening said a lot.
"Okay, so now it's finished, I realised the actual story itself had a disappointing lack of yaoi, but while you were telling it I didn't even notice." Ruko added to this, winking at Tada.
"You're a wizard." Azama commented, calm as ever as he ambled away from the tree and towards Tada. Everyone sweat-dropped as the attention turned to him.
"I'm sorry, what?" Tada asked eventually. Azama didn't seem to take note of his bafflement, instead just standing calmly and smiling slightly.
"You weave magic with words. That makes you powerful, and you're sure to go far." Azama explained. Somehow, that doesn't explain anything!
"Magic? Wizards?" Kuroba asked derisively. "You must be deluded. There is no such thing."
"Oh, but there is such a thing as magic!" Hana rhapsodised, a dreamy expression on her face. "Not things like wizards or witches or any of the beings and worlds that you'd find in the pages of a fantasy novel, but there is magic. Like looking up at the night-sky and seeing how pretty the stars are, or all the other different aspects of nature, or the way you feel when you set eyes on someone who is precious to you, or losing track of time when you're absorbed in your favourite activity, or when something happens to make you see the world in a new way. Or getting utterly entranced by a story, like we all just did now! Those things are magic, and they're all parts of life. So that's real magic!"
"I think I have to agree with little Aoshima-Chan." Izzy shrugged. Continuing to regard Hana, he patted Kuroba on the shoulder in a manner similar to comforting a disgruntled child.
"Sorry, Sei-Chan." He looked at Kuroba long enough to flash a unrepentant grin at Kuroba, before returning to his observation of Hana, who had drifted back to Tsukuda, looking lost once again. Clearly, Hana had caught Izzy's interest in some way after her little impassioned speech.
"No, it's fine. Certainly that was a …interesting viewpoint. I might actually consider it if that's the case."
If it had been anyone else who'd said that they didn't agree with Kuroba so blithely, they'd get shot down for sure! Tada was sure everyone else thought this.
"Tell us another story then, Tada!" Tsukuda cried out, grinning at him. "I want to hear one! I think everyone else does too, right?"
If Tada had been the blushing type, he would have probably gone bright red. He enjoyed sharing his stories, but he had never done it to such a large audience before. Usually he told the stories to Hiro, or a small group of his Riverside friends, and more recently, a comatose Karasuma. This was new for him. I wonder if my story-telling does something to Karasuma-sensei too, if it has this effect on the waking world. He supposed it counted as good practise for later (as it probably meant that they'd all listen to him when he proposed his idea), but he found himself very glad when Eriko stepped forward to say something, taking the attention off him.
"I am intrigued, sure." Eriko agreed. "But, unfortunately, it is coming to the end of lunchtime." She looked at her watch to emphasise this. Everybody groaned, and they all started to head inside for the next lesson.
…
"Oh my? How come you're all here?" Ichijou stopped and stared as she entered the classroom, only to see all 23 members of her class sitting at their desks. "I thought you would have gone home after changing and tidying."
"We talked about this before, Ichijou-sensei, remember?" Eriko stepped in patiently. "We're holding a whole-class study group, and we decided the classroom was the best place."
Ichijou blinked, clearly processing this. Tada, Tsukuda and Eriko had told Ichijou this. When Tada had told them of his idea, Tsukuda had been the first to point out that they couldn't use the classroom without Ichijou being told in some way. So they'd eventually come up with the idea of telling her that it was a study group they were running, as opposed to a strategy meeting on how to get rid of their class. And naturally, she had forgotten.
"Ah, right, I think I remember…..well then, I'll just get these files here and go back to the staffroom….."
"Ah, Ichijou-sensei!" Haru leapt up. "I'll help you carry those." She went to the desk to pick up the pile of files Ichijou was referring to, and smiled beatifically.
"Ah, you're a sweet child, Ichinose-san. Thank you so much." With that, both Ichijou and Haru left the room. Although Tada felt bad about it, he sagged with relief once Ichijou was out of earshot. Thanks, Haru-Chan.
"Teacher's pet." Ayako rolled her eyes while making this comment, but she smiled too.
"But it seems to actually help." Hirigi commented. "Or Ichijou would just be umming and ahhing for centuries and we'd never get home."
Tada couldn't help but laugh at this. Tsukuda cackled, and Eriko just smiled before clapping her hands decisively.
"Okay, let's get this started. Ichinose-san shouldn't take too long. Tada-san?" Tada nodded at Eriko, and went to the blackboard. Choosing a suitable piece of chalk, he put it to the board, and wrote the name he'd given to his idea on it in big letters.
ENDING THE END CLASS
He circled it twice for emphasis. Then, as an afterthought, rubbed out the circle, wrote the same words in English and in a smaller font underneath the larger letters before circling both sets of lettering again. Hopefully, that'll help Kitabayashi-kun, he figured, knowing that the smaller boy hadn't spent long enough in Japan to have a good grasp of Kanji, no matter how good his spoken Japanese was.
"Ending….the End Class?" Hirigi was the first to speak up. "What does that mean?"
"End Class is obviously talking about this class, silly!" Ayako exclaimed. "E for End and all that?"
"Ah, that does make sense in a way." Kinomoto agreed.
"All right, all right, don't treat me like I'm stupid!" Hirigi protested.
"There's no need for that, Hirigi-kun." Tsuwabuki said soothingly, to which Hirigi just glared. "So, Eriko-kun, Tsukuda-kun, Tada-kun, are you going to explain what this is about?"
"Of course we are-ah, good timing, Haru!" Tsukuda winked at the blond girl, who had just come back in. Haru beamed back and then took her seat.
"It isn't anything particularly complicated." Eriko said. "Simply put, the three of us have been discussing our situation as members of 3E, and also just generally what being part of Kunugigaoka's 3E means, especially in the light of meeting Isogai-san and the others. And when we talked about it, we realised that what we're doing isn't going to be enough."
"But Eri-Chan, I thought you were all going to do your best for us this year." Kaori looked slightly concerned.
"We are going to help this class get through the year." Eriko clarified. "That hasn't changed. Tada-san, maybe you should explain this bit."
"Sure thing!" Tada took a step forward. "So, we still want to find ways of making this year manageable for us, to make it better. And sure, we've got Yuuma-san and Megu-san and Hiroto-san for that, so it's not as if we're going to suffer alone. But, that isn't enough, like Eriko-Chan said. Think about it. What about the other classes, the other 3Es that come after us? Once we're gone, things will just revert to how they were, and if that's the case, there would have been no point in our year, none at all. "
"So, does that mean you're aiming for something higher?" Haru asked.
"That's exactly it!" Tada smiled encouragingly. "We're aiming to do something a lot higher. I suppose you could refer it to changing the future."
"Well, are you going to tell us what you're going to do?" Ruko demanded, looking excited.
"The answer's right there!" Tsukuda exclaimed, pointing to the board upon which Tada had written.
"Ahhh." Kuroba said. "I get it. You're rebelling. You're going to change the way this school works. How funny."
"A revolution." Hana murmured. "This is a revolution."
"WE are." Tada corrected. "Sure, as Class Representatives, Hanae-Chan and Eriko-Chan and I will lead it, but we're all members of Class 3E. So we're all going to do this together, and we're all going to End the End Class."
"Huh, we? Nice to know I've been signed up without my consent…" Kuroba drawled, propping his chin up with his hand, searing all three representatives with his gaze. Oh, wonderful.
"Oh, come on, Kuroba-kun…" Tada stammered, before Kuroba leaned back and laughed loudly.
"Ah, don't worry. I'd been wondering if anybody would ever think of this idea, and I was just starting to think they wouldn't. But as it turns out, I was mistaken. A rare occurrence, and therefore an interesting one. And I personally don't think this type of set-up is the best way to get results from anyone, so I'm all for this plan you have. But tell me, how are we going to go about this?"
"Well, we came up with a few ideas." Tada said. At that point, Eriko took over the explanations, while Tada drew lines coming from the large circle and wrote down each of the ideas: Learning self-defence, getting better grades than main-campus students on all the better tests, treating the main-campus students normally/civilly, refusing to be ashamed.
"Why do we need to treat the main-campus students nicely?" Yukiyama asked.
"Not necessarily nicely." Tsukuda corrected quickly. "Just, you know, act as if we're in a normal school and they're our year-mates in the normal sense. We can challenge their assumptions that way, make them realise that, you know, we're students too, that we aren't the human scum that they seem to assume we are. Then eventually they might come around to our way of thinking. And then it'll be easier to end the End Class. "
"But obviously, nice helps." Tada put in. "And I think it would help if any of you knew anyone in the main campus."
"Assuming they still talk to you." Ruko muttered. Tada stopped and looked over at Ruko for a moment, knowing that she thought of Ueno. She stared at her desk, then lifted her eyes to Tada. She hesitated, and then smiled, letting him know it was okay. He let out a sigh.
They talked a bit more about the ideas already written down, and Tada added more points to what was becoming a very complex mind-map on the black-board. Then, he turned things over to the rest of the class.
"So," he asked. "Since this is our project, do any of you have any ideas?"
"Social media!" Ayako proclaimed.
"Evidence of the discrimination we go through, especially photo evidence." Akira suggested.
"The School Festival, and any other big school events?" Kinomoto wondered.
"Hack into the school databases." Izzy drawled nonchalantly. At that, everyone turned to stare at the somewhat wild boy.
"Did you just say….hack into the school databases?" Tsuwabuki asked. "Surely that's not possible?"
"Well, they seem to think it isn't possible." Izzy shrugged. "Otherwise they would have better security. That being said, it isn't too shabby...for a school."
"Don't tell me, you hacked into the school databases." Tsuwabuki deadpanned.
"Sure, what's wrong with that?"
"Fairly sure it's illegal." Reno commented.
"Not unless you get caught." Izzy retorted. Except that you probably did. Tada sighed. He exchanged a conspiratorial look with Tsukuda, who rolled her eyes.
"I suppose that could be a last resort. I mean, if we end up having to go to court, I don't think things that we got through hacking will be permissible evidence. But as a last resort, maybe. Tada, write it down." Tsukuda ordered.
Tada obliged. Izzy leaned back, smug.
"See, nothing wrong at all with hacking. Who knows, maybe if we need to, we can find something to blackmail Principal Okikura. "
"BLACKMAIL IS ILLEGAL TOO!" Everyone in the class-save for Kuroba-yelled at an unfazed Izzy.
"B-but, would we really need to go to court?" Reimiya asked hesitantly.
"Not likely." Eriko soothed. "But like how…ahem, hacking, will be a last result, that might be where things go."
"But don't worry!" Tsukuda grinned. "If it does come to that, my aunt's already said she'll back us! She's a lawyer, you see."
"No, it's fine. I won't be scared." Reimiya said bravely. She looked over at Reno, who gave her a thumbs-up and smiled encouragingly. "I mean, we'll all be together, right?"
"Right." Eriko confirmed. "But speaking of evidence, Akira-san, you said something about photographic evidence?"
Akira nodded, but didn't bother to explain.
"I think what she means is that we need to show people what we go through, not just that we're normal too. Otherwise they won't see why Class 3E needs to be ended."
Now everybody turned to stare at Kitabayashi. The fact he'd even bothered to contribute was strange in itself, but he'd also managed to say something insightful and sound interested while doing so. It was almost mind boggling.
"What?" he snapped in English after a few seconds of no response. "What's the problem?"
Aaand that's what tells us that this is definitely Kitabayashi talking.
"Nothing, nothing." Tada soothed. "It's just that you have a good point. You're perfectly right, we do need to let the world know about the suffering and discrimination that we have to endure. That's part of this too."
"Exactly." Eriko agreed. "And if we're talking photographic evidence, I think Sorachi-san is the best person to go to for this."
Ruko blinked at them.
"I'm sorry, what?" Eriko just pointed at Ruko's camera and raised an eyebrow. Ruko instantly pouted and hugged her camera to her.
"You can't ask me to do that! What about all my romances?"
"Uh…" Eriko was clearly at a loss.
"You have a spare camera, don't you?" Tada asked.
"Well, yeah, but…." Ruko continued to pout stubbornly. All three representative sighed in unison.
"But, Ruko-Chan, haven't you ever taken a picture only to find out something better and more interesting has happened in the background, only you didn't know it at the time?"
"I guess so." Ruko conceded, eyeballing Ayako in bafflement. "But why?"
"Assume the same thing would happen if you took on this role." Ayako shrugged. "Or something."
Ruko took a moment to think about this.
"You know what, that's an awesome idea! I like that! And since I want to help anyway….it's just awesome! Thanks, Aya-Chan!"
"Ehehe…." Ayako smiled. "It has an advantage for me too. If I set up a blog, or a website, then photos could be useful."
"Ah, the social media stuff." Tsukuda remembered. "What about it, Ayako?"
"Well, things spread real quick on social media." She said. "And loads of people use it, so it's the best way to gain awareness, you know? I was thinking a blog would work, that would be the best way we can show both sides of the argument in different ways…the discrimination and the humanity, you know? I'd be willing to front it, with a little help."
Tada added all this to the mind-map on the black-board, then stepped back and took a look at it, noting how all the different ideas had really blossomed. This is going to turn out wonderfully, I'm sure of it.
"Well, Eriko-Chan, Hanae-Chan, guys, what do you think?"
"I like the idea! " Tsukuda said instantly. Most of the others agreed just as vocally.
"YES!" Ayako crowed. "I'll begin that as soon as I can! Ruko-Chan, I'm borrowing your camera for any unexpected background action!"
"Sure thing!" Ruko grinned. "Or I can send you some of my pictures."
"That works too!"
"Well, that settles it." Tada said. "So, let's just quickly run through everything again."
They did this, and ironed out a few questions and issues, and with that, they ended the meeting. Ayako took a photograph on her phone of the mind-map on the blackboard before it got cleared off, and promised to send it to everyone. Then, they all helped to clear up the classroom, and after Haru rushed to the staffroom to tell Ichijou that they were finished, they all went down the hill together.
"Tada-kun?" Tada turned from the conversation he was having with Ruko and Ayako and looked down at Hana.
"What is it, Hana-Chan?"
"I…erm…this revolution, are Isogai-san and the others on board with it?" Revolution, huh? Well, there's a way of putting it.
"Why?" Tada thought of how Hana has asked them about one Kei Aoshima at the Oceanfront café the week before.
"I…just…they're good people, I guess?" Hana stuttered, looking for words. "I don't think it's fair if they get hurt in return for what they've been trying to do."
"Oh, they are good people." Tada reassured her. "And yes, they'll support us. Cautiously so, but they've promised to help. And we won't hurt them-I don't want that either."
"Okay. Thanks, Tada-kun." Hana nodded at Tada, and then continued forward towards Tsukuda. Tada blinked, confused for a moment, and then turned to continue the conversation that he had been having with Ruko and Ayako.
…
High up on the sturdiest branch, safely covered by darkness, he let his mind drift and go over the voices of this year's children as he leaned back against the tree trunk and closed his eyes. He had no idea why he'd chosen to return to here after so long, after all these years, but he had, and now he was here. He'd have to move further into the forest at some point, before one of the more nomadic children came across this tree he'd chosen for himself. But for now, this tree was good enough. So he relaxed as he thought of the children, whose names and voices were slowly becoming familiar to him.
That evening, before the sun had gone down, he'd heard all of them leave the old school building and go down the hill, and snatches of their conversations had come to him. Rebellion. Changing things. Revolution. Strategy. Hope. Plans. Taking a stand. It reminded him of a different time, a time that was both better and worse. A time that had defined him. And it looked like that in a different way; history was going to repeat again. It scared him, a lot. He hadn't heard enough to understand what it was that the children were planning, but he knew full well what ripples could emanate from such life-changing things. After all, that was why he was here now, hiding from everything.
Well, maybe that wasn't why he was here, specifically. He'd been hiding for so long, he had no lack of hiding places, of places to disappear into. But for some reason, he'd chosen to be close to home, to where parts of his heart still were.
And the way he figured it, those children were doing something life-changing. That was no small thing. As someone who knew what it was to be life-changing, he couldn't just walk away. So he'd stay. He would stay, and watch, and look over them under the cover of his own non-existence. The memories would be sure to assault him harder if he remained here longer, but he'd been through worse, so he'd stay.
And he would wait to see what ripples their actions would send out.
A note about the chapter title: 'Hero no Jouken' means 'Requirements of a Hero' and it is a track on the album 'Owari no Hoshi no Love Song' which is by Flaming June (a collaboration between Jun Maeda and Nagi Yanagi). That album is just all kinds of awesome, because well...the names of the artists explain it all, don't they. Anyway, the song 'Hero no Jouken' felt fitting for this chapter for lots of reasons that'd take way too long to explain.
Anyway, please leave feedback!
