This issue had to be headache-inducing, but at the same time, it would end up
being worthwhile for Katsuragi. At the very least, the situation was quite
different from when he was in Class A. There, he was kept in captivity without
being given the opportunity to shine. The expression on his face softened
slightly, as though some new idea had sprung to mind.
"What are you thinking, Katsuragi-kun?" asked Hiyori.
"I've got it," he replied.
After clearing his throat once, Katsuragi turned back toward me.
"Now that I've had you listen to what I had to say, I have a clearer idea of
what I need to do. You have my gratitude," he said.
"No," I replied, "all I did was say what I thought."
"If what you said was nonsense, then it wouldn't have been worth having this
discussion. But what you said was right on the mark. I'm sure that Shiina had
asked you to listen because she knew you would give an appropriate answer."
Hiyori smiled happily. I had been taken advantage of here, but I hoped this
would be a sign of things to come in Ryuuen's class.
"By the way, Ayanokouji," Katsuragi said, "I'm sure that there are other
students who thought the same, but I must say, I was somewhat surprised."
"Surprised?" I repeated.
"The previous special exam. You were dangerously close."
Many students, such as Matsushita, had their suspicions about my abilities. In
that sense, Tsukishiro's presence turned out to be in my favor in the end.
"Was that a reflection of your true skills?" asked Katsuragi. "Or did something
unexpected happen, perchance?"
"Who can say?"
I had tried to brush the question off, but Katsuragi wasn't letting it slide.
"Shiina, I'm sorry, but I would like to speak with Ayanokouji alone for a
moment," he said.
"I understand. I'll head back to my room. See you later, Ayanokouji-kun," said
Hiyori, offering me a casual farewell. Then she exited, leaving me there with
Katsuragi.
Now, it was just the two of us.
"During the uninhabited island exam, Ryuuen told me everything he knew
about you," said Katsuragi.
"Ryuuen honestly told you?" I asked.
"He was a little evasive at first, but I told him that if he recognized me as a
member of his class, he was going to have to tell me."
Well, in a certain sense, that was a decisive factor. If that was true, then that
meant Ryuuen told him about my position within Horikita's class as X, the
person operating behind the scenes. It meant that Katsuragi knew about
everything that happened up until the rooftop incident. As Sakayanagi said
earlier, the number of students who knew about me was bound to increase no
matter what I did, little by little.
"It seems like you've been managing things well so far," said Katsuragi.
"As long as I can lead a quiet life at this school, it doesn't make that much of a
difference to me whether I'm in Class A or Class D," I replied.
"Is that the reason you're hiding your true abilities? Well, I won't say a word
to anyone, but other people will find out, sooner or later."
That was true. There was virtually no way for me to contain the information
that had already begun to spread.
"I'll just continue being myself and do what I have to do as a student," I told
him.
"Well, I don't know when it will be, but I look forward to the day when I can
fight with you for real," he replied.
On that note, Katsuragi gave me a deep nod, and then walked away.
5.4
IT WAS LATE AFTERNOON, and I was walking to the open-air café with one of my
friends.
"It's been a long while since we've hung out like this, huh, Satou-san?" I said.
"Yeah, for sure," she agreed. "Probably the first time since then."
She was referring to the time that I told her that Kiyotaka and I were going
out. Still, ever since then, Satou-san had been a good friend… Actually, no we'd
gotten to be much, much closer than before, and now, I could call her my best
friend. But still, my group of pals was typically made up of four or five people. I
was always hanging out with about that many, with different people swapping
in and out.
I didn't often find myself in this kind of situation, being alone with just Satousan. It was the same here on the ship during our summer vacation. If anything,
we had even less private time; here, we only really had the opportunity to hang
out in groups of seven or eight people. I still felt somewhat hesitant about the
idea of going to the pool too… Well, I supposed I could cover up my skin with a
rash guard, so that wouldn't be a big problem.
Anyway, there was a reason I forced myself to make time to be alone with
Satou-san today. First things first… I needed to find open seats. Before Satousan and I placed our orders, I looked around the area, making sure that we had
a spot to sit. Unlike at school, the open-air café was expansive, so finding space
wasn't an issue. However, because of the topic of today's conversation, I
wanted to avoid other people being around, if I could help it.
If you wanted to keep some distance between yourself and other students,
then the likely place would be somewhere with less sunlight. What should I
do…?
"I'm okay with sitting toward the back if you want," said Satou-san. "Okay?"
"Huh? You sure?"
"Well, you had something important you wanted to talk about, right?" she
answered with a cute smile on her face. She must have guessed what was going
on.
"Thank you," I said.
We decided to take seats in a less populated area that had no view of the
outside. After flipping over the card on the table to indicate that it was
occupied, we went to put in our orders.
She seemed hesitant, so I urged her on. "Let me treat you. I was the one who
called you, Satou-san."
We ordered two coffees, both the same kind, and went back to our seats.
Satou-san got right into it after we sat down. "So… What did you wanna talk
about?" she asked.
I didn't plan to drag this out either myself, but…
"Umm… Hold on a second," I said.
"What's wrong?"
"I dunno, it's like, don't you think there's something weird about the vibe
here?"
There was this feeling in the air that there was something off here, and I
wanted to make sure it wasn't just me.
Satou-san cocked her head to the side, looking puzzled. "Weird?" she echoed.
"I don't think there's anything really weird about it…"
"Yeah, you're probably right," I said. "Sorry for just blurting out something
odd."
At first, I didn't understand why I sensed things like this. Maybe it was
something I picked up from spending so much time with him… I mean, with
Kiyotaka. He never failed to notice even the slightest change, whether it was
people's facial expressions, feelings, or the atmosphere. Whatever it was, he
could detect it, and he always recognized abnormalities. Maybe I gained that
kind of ability too, to pick up on things like that…?
I didn't really know for sure what was going on, but right now, that's what I
had decided, that there was something off. But still, why? Why was I sensing
such an unpleasant feeling? I tried to remain calm and quietly observe my
surroundings.
"Seriously, it'd be great if we could just like, keep living on this cruise ship
forever, wouldn't it?" I mused.
As I spoke those words, I brought my cup to my lips, scanning the nearby area
with my eyes.
"A ha ha, yeah, I feel the same way," Satou-san replied. "But I think if we
spent every day here, we'd end up running out of money."
"Yeah, that's definitely true. Between the pool, the movies, and the tasty
food, I bet I'd run out of cash, like, right away."
I noticed that the strange atmosphere had disappeared. Or rather, that it
faded somewhat. Was it simply a misunderstanding on my part? Or perhaps I
was just too preoccupied with reconnaissance, and I was too late to notice that
the situation had begun to change. A group of three third-year girls were at the
table next to us, engaged in a friendly conversation amongst themselves.
"Oh, hey, get this! So, you know Kisarazu-kun, from Class B?"
"No way, for real? I didn't know that!"
They were chatting amicably, laughing loudly, and having a great time. Ugh,
geez… I should have started talking sooner. Even though the side facing the
ocean was more popular, some people were obviously going to choose this area
instead to avoid the crowds and the sun. I didn't think they'd be interested in
our conversation or anything, but we were close enough that they'd be able to
hear us anyway.
Satou-san and I could move and get away from here, but I didn't want to
make a bad impression. If they were first-year students and therefore younger
than us, that'd be one thing, but they were third-years. I couldn't rule out the
possibility that they might get upset and hold a grudge against us just because I
moved away so I wouldn't be sitting next to them. I knew very well that bullying
could start from trivial things like that.
"To tell you the truth, there is something that I thought I should tell you first,
Satou-san," I declared.
Let's not worry about the irrelevant third-year students being here, and just
focus on Satou-san I decided. It would be rude for me to fret about unnecessary
things, anyway.
"I think it's about time that I tell everyone. About me and Kiyotaka, I mean."
"…Okay," she answered slowly.
Satou-san must have been expecting me to bring up this topic. I guess she
might have been thinking that maybe I was going to tell her that we broke up or
something, but… Well, actually, no, she probably didn't. If that was what
happened, there's no way I would've been in a normal emotional state. I
couldn't imagine myself just casually going, "Oh, well, we split up I guess, no big
deal," with a smile on my face.
"Which is why, I…thought I should talk to you first, Satou-san," I went on.
"Still, everyone's going to be really surprised when they find out, huh? That
the two of you are going out?" said Satou-san.
I had repeatedly played that simulation over and over in my mind. I knew that
no matter when I came out and told people, people were probably going to
make kind of a big deal out of it. I don't mean to be self-deprecating or
anything, but I'm not very nice at all. I'm always acting snobbish, and trying to
boss people around… Before I had met Kiyotaka, I acted way more selfish than I
did now because I didn't want to be bullied. I even gave flirty glances to boys I
wasn't interested in.
"So, when are you planning to do it?" asked Satou-san.
When she asked me about the timetable, I answered immediately.
"It's summer vacation right now, so I was thinking of doing it once we start
the second semester."
"What did Ayanokouji-kun have to say?" asked Satou-san.
"He said that he'd adjust to whatever timing I liked."
Satou-san sucked on her straw, taking a sip of her drink.
"I see. So, you all lovey-dovey?" she asked.
"Huh?! What?" I stammered.
"Come on, it's all right, isn't it? You can tell me," said Satou-san.
"Y-yeah," I stammered. "W-well, I mean, it'd be weird if we weren't loveydovey, I guess, considering that we're boyfriend and girlfriend."
"Have you kissed and stuff?"
"Whaaaa?!"
"You've been going out for a while now already, right? So, what kind of
progress are making in that area?" she asked. She held her right hand up to my
mouth, making a fist with it and pretending it was a microphone.
"J-just once…and it was a surprise attack."
When I gave her an honest answer, Satou-san smiled, giving me a wide grin.
"Nice, very nice! I think I kinda like the idea of a surprise kiss."
"Rreally? I wasn't able to prepare myself for it, mentally… And it was my first,
too…" I mumbled.
When Satou-san heard that, her eyes widened a little. "Huh?" she asked.
"Karuizawa-san, you never did anything like that with Hirata-kun then? You
guys were going out for a pretty long time, right?"
"Huh?" I stammered.
"And I bet someone like you would've had a boyfriend back in junior high,
Karuizawa-san."
As I listened to Satou-san's follow-up questions, I felt the blood drain from my
face. Karuizawa Kei was a woman at the top of the social hierarchy, a popular
girl who was always bouncing from one guy to the next. It was definitely a
problem for that kind of person to announce that her first kiss was something
like that.
"Uh… Well, you see, it's because I'm a virtuous girl," I said, trying to my
absolute best to appear calm and composed.
"So you mean that you'd only allow a very special person to do that kind of
thing, even it was a boyfriend?" she asked.
I felt myself getting extremely thirsty, and I gulped down a third of the coffee
in my cup in just one go.
"But Hirata-kun… He was a super cool boyfriend, wasn't he?" Satou-san
pressed.
"Yeah, I suppose. I guess he just didn't excite me enough, though."
It was fine. I could do this. Now that I'd made a slip of the tongue, the only
thing I could do was go with the flow as best I could and keep fooling her.
"Hirata-kun's a passive kind of guy," I added. "He didn't even make any moves
on me. He was a little unsatisfying."
Sorry, Hirata-kun! Though I apologized to him deep down in my heart, I was
sacrificing him for my own sake.
"I see," mused Satou-san. "Well, there's definitely a part of you that wants a
boyfriend to take the lead, to be proactive."
"I know, right?" I replied.
"Still, Ayanokouji-kun looks like he'd be more passive… I guess he's actually
more aggressive then?"
I felt like Satou-san looked like she was a little upset, even regretful, as she
spoke.
"Satou-san… I…"
"Oh, I'm sorry, Karuizawa-san," she said. "I didn't mean…!"
Today's meeting was just supposed to be me telling her I wanted to go public
with Kiyotaka and I dating, that was it. And yet, it turned out like this, and it was
starting to sound kind of tasteless, like I was just bragging about what I had.
When I first came to this school, I thought being like that was fine. I was a
nasty, sarcastic girl who selfishly went around saying all kinds of things about
Hirata-kun. But I didn't think that was okay anymore. I needed to avoid making
any careless remarks, because I considered him to be an important friend. And
yet… I could say that this was a defense mechanism to protect myself, but that
just sounded like an excuse. That was simply my selfish ego talking.
"It's all right, really. I think it's completely fine for people to both fall for the
same guy at the same time. I think it's normal, or like, it's something that's
happened a bunch of times, for a long while. But…in my case, I guess I always
lose." Satou-san pursed her lips into a pout, sounding disgruntled.
But the next moment, she went back to being her usual cheerful self.
"Just in case, though, just to check," she said, "if you do dump Ayanokoujikun, then…would it be okay?"
By asking me if it was okay, she basically meant that, right? She continued
speaking before I could finish getting my thoughts in order.
"You know, it's like, now that Hirata-kun is single, it'd be okay for him to get a
new girlfriend, right? So, wouldn't it be the same for Ayanokouji-kun?"
"Well, yeah, that's true…" I replied.
That was absolutely NOT going to happen! We are not splitting up! I was
screaming those things in the back of my mind, but it was tough, because I
couldn't let it show on my face.
"Actually, I think you could get an even better guy, Karuizawa-san," said
Satou-san.
"An even better guy?" I repeated. "Like who?"
"Well, it's kinda tough to answer when you ask me who exactly so suddenly,
but, like… Someone like Tsukasaki-kun or Nagumo-senpai, maybe?"
I blinked. "Say what?"
Either one of those guys was out of the question for someone like me. It was
true that when it came to looks, Tsukasaki-kun was one of the hottest guys out
there, and the student council president might be in the same category. If you
were going to categorize them like that, they'd definitely be the best. But…
yeah, I didn't think they were any match for Kiyotaka.
He was… Well, he had his flaws, but… But he was so strong, and cool, and
mysterious. And on top of that…he understood me.
"Okay! I totally said something unnecessary there. Thank you for the drink!"
said Satou-san happily.
"H-huh?"
"Come on, Karuizawa-san, it's written all over your face, you know? That
Ayanokouji-kun is number one."
Ugh… I guess my poker face didn't work against Satou-san, especially since
she already knew the details of my love life.
"Thank you for telling me about this first," she added. "It made me really
happy."
"Really? Well, in that case, I'm glad."
After that, our conversation turned to gossiping about other people's love
interests. We looked back on the uninhabited island too, and then on things
that had nothing to do with the exam. For the first time in a long while, we
were able to enjoy a fun time together, just the two of us.
5.5
THAT SAME DAY, at just after 2:10 in the afternoon. At this time, many
students had finished having lunch and were now messing around, having fun. I
was quietly gazing out at the ocean as I waited for the person I had called to
arrive. I took out my phone and, opening the OAA app, clicked on my own
name, Horikita Suzune. I was wondering if there had been any changes in my
scores since the results of the uninhabited island exam were announced, but
apparently, there weren't any. I supposed it was possible that our scores had
not been updated because there were only a limited number of occasions
during which the teachers were able to actually observe each student
individually during the exam.
There weren't any changes in the scores of the girl that I was going to be
meeting with shortly either. I quickly shut my phone back off and quietly looked
out at the ocean once more, alone. It had already been a few days since that
intense and somewhat surreal uninhabited island exam. Although I wasn't
exhausted physically anymore, I still lacked a feeling of normalcy because we
were here on this luxury cruise ship.
After a while, I heard a voice directed at me from some distance away.
"Ugh. You're still here?"
Before I could turn around, that person continued speaking.
"Don't call me out by going through someone else," she said. "People will get
the wrong idea and think you and I are friends."
I had spoken to Yamaga-san, who was in the same guest cabin on the ship as
this girl.
"Unfortunately, I had no other way to contact you," I said. "Or perhaps you
would have preferred that I reached out to you during mealtime, when a large
number of people were present?"
"Absolutely not, no way. But I hate the way you did it today just as much."
"In that case, can you tell me in advance what method I should use if I do wish
to talk to you?" I asked.
"The best thing would be if you didn't think about talking to me at all," she
snapped back.
Ibuki-san had arrived at our meeting about ten minutes late with a
disgruntled look on her face. She hadn't even offered a single apology, and ever
since she got here, she did nothing but grumble.
"It doesn't seem like there was any particular reason that you were delayed.
Are you trying to be like Miyamoto Musashi?" I asked.
"Huh? I don't even know what that's s'posed to mean."
It meant, basically, that she was trying to make me angry. Apparently, she
hadn't intended to. Well, if that had been her plan, she should have made me
wait for two hours rather than just ten minutes.
"If you didn't do it to give me a hard time, then I'd like to hear why you were
late."
"Huh? Well, from where I stand, you're the one giving me a hard time by
calling me out here," she retorted.
"I see. I suppose that's certainly true."
When I responded with a serious answer, she sighed, exasperated.
"And what was that supposed to mean, anyway?" she huffed. "That stuff
about how if I ignored your request to come here that meant I was running
away? That really pisses me off."
"Well, if I tried asking you to come out normally, you would have ignored me,
wouldn't you?"
"Well, yeah, I would have," she said. "Who would meet up with you by
choice?"
I had considered that she might just completely ignore me, but she did come,
albeit late. I supposed that she disliked losing to me more than anything else, so
I had made the right decision in wording my invitation like a challenge.
"Ugh, fine, fine, I get it." She was acting impatient and flustered, as though to
tell me, "If you've got something to say, then hurry up and say it." I would have
liked to be sympathetic to her feelings, but the circumstances made that
impossible.
"Let's walk while we talk," I proposed. "This conversation will take some time,
and if we stand around while we talk, we'll draw attention."
This was an appropriate place to meet, but it wasn't the best place to have a
confidential conversation.
"Huh? …Ugh, come on," she whined.
She was irritated, but she still followed along relatively obediently. She must
have been frustrated by the fact that she had lost to me in terms of our scores
during the uninhabited island exam. It wouldn't have surprised me if she were
to reach out, seeking a chance for revenge.
Now that we started moving, we managed to blend into the crowd around us,
so I started the conversation.
"It's about the person we fought on the uninhabited island," I told her.
"Amasawa-san."
"Oh, that piece of crap, upstart first-year, huh," she replied.
Since Ibuki-san was walking slightly behind me, I couldn't see the look on her
face.
"I'm having a little difficulty carrying on a conversation this way," I said.
"Could you please pick up the pace somewhat?"
"Ugh, this is so annoying. Whatever pace I walk at is my decision, isn't it?"
"If you're all alone, then sure." I stopped and turned to look at her. "I'd like to
wrap this up quickly myself. Which is why I would like to make this as brief as I
possibly can. But your cooperation is required for that."
"Yeah, yeah, fine, I get it already," she sighed. "I just need to walk faster,
then, okay?"
With that, she walked ahead, going right past me. She was going so fast that it
was like she was in a speed walking race. How could I describe it? It was
childish, in a bad way. Of course, since she wasn't kidlike in a good sense, that
meant one couldn't consider it a strong point. Mulling these impressions over in
my head, I shot an exasperated look at Ibuki-san's back as she walked. She then
turned to look back at me with an angry look on her face.
"What, can't keep up?!" she shouted.
"Going at too quick a pace is a problem too. Can you walk at an appropriate
speed?"
"Augh, you have got to be kidding me!" She angrily ruffled her own hair, then
came back over to me. "Fine," she snapped. "I'll listen to what you have to say,
but you have to agree to a revenge match against me! Got it?!"
"Right. We can expect that there will likely be a sports festival in our second
semester… Depending on how things play out, we might be able to make that
happen."
"So I can take that to mean you accept?"
"I just told you. Depending on how things play out, potentially yes."
Ibuki-san spent a bit of time sorting out what I had said in her mind. Then she
bit her lip, looking frustrated.
"Meaning you also might not then, depending on how things play out?" she
concluded.
"Oh, my, I'm surprised you can decipher that with your level of intelligence.
I'm impressed, truly," I answered, clapping my hands.
Ibuki-san must have felt she was being made fun of because she slapped my
hands away as I applauded.
"You're certainly violent," I observed.
"Shut up!" she shouted. "If you don't promise me for certain that you'll
accept, then we're done talking!"
"I don't mind," I said. "But then you'll never get the revenge match you hope
for."
"Wh—"
"I cannot make you any definite promises right here and now, but depending
on your actions, the possibility remains," I elaborated. "Don't you think that's
particularly important? I don't think I've lost to you. Which means, until
graduation… Actually, no, even after graduation, you'll have regrets about not
beating me."
"Grr…!"
"So? Will you listen, or will you not? The choice is yours, Ibuki-san."
"Fine. Fine, I get it! I just have to listen, right?!" she roared.
"This would have been easier if you had just been obedient right from the
beginning," I reminded her, deciding to give her some advice for the future. "It
would've made this short. You know, having to talk with me, someone you
hate."
Ibuki-san was hoping for a revenge match, but that depended on how things
went in the days to come. Of course, if it didn't align with our class's direction,
then I wouldn't bother dealing with her. I wouldn't mention a word about that
here though, since it would only lead to negative consequences.
My opening up the possibility of engaging in a revenge match with her might
have quelled her anger somewhat. Ibuki-san stopped, hung back a bit, and then
started walking in pace with me.
"So? What about that upstart first-year?"
"What did you sense when you traded blows with her?" I asked.
"What did I sense…?" she repeated.
"Didn't she make you feel that she was stronger than anyone you've ever
fought before?"
"Well… Considering she wasn't in top form, I guess I have no choice but to
admit it, yeah."
Whether it was me or Ibuki-san facing her, there was such a difference in
ability between us and Amasawa-san that it would be impossible to beat her, no
matter what we tried.
"I definitely think that Amasawa person had a freaky amount of strength, for
sure," Ibuki-san said. "Ugh, don't you hate even thinking about it? It pisses me
off."
"Don't say that. You are the only one who I can talk about this with, and we
need to have this conversation."
Ibuki-san understood precisely what I meant because she had confronted
Amasawa-san directly. If I were to try to explain Amasawa-san's strength to
someone who didn't know her, they likely wouldn't even begin to be able to
grasp it.
"It's a strange situation," I went on. "And one that might bring some harm to
you as well. I thought that I'd offer you an apology for that first."
"Harm?" Ibuki-san cocked her eyebrow, as if she didn't understand what I
meant.
"I intend to investigate Amasawa-san's identity in the days to come," I
replied.
"You're gonna stick your nose into her business? It'd probably be better if you
just quit while you're ahead. She seems like she's got a few screws loose. With
someone like that, you don't know what they'll do."
Amasawa-san must have made quite a striking impression on Ibuki-san for her
to say all that.
"She certainly is a dangerous opponent," I conceded. "But I have a feeling that
if I leave things be, something unpleasant will happen in the future."
"She didn't seem all that interested in you though," said Ibuki-san.
"This isn't about me. It's about Ayanokouji-kun."
When Ibuki-san heard his name, she looked to the ocean, as though she
understood now what I meant.
"Ayanokouji, huh," she said. "I don't really know what's going on, but she sure
seemed to know a lot about him."
Yes, Amasawa-san did know about Ayanokouji-kun. It didn't seem as though
she had only known him starting from this year, simply as a new student.
"He's my classmate. If there's anything that I can do to help, then obviously
I'm going to lend a hand," I asserted.
Honestly, even my teeth felt a little on edge after saying that aloud. If you had
asked me if I felt that way when I started school, I would've gotten goosebumps
and denied it with all my might.
"But if she suspects you're looking into her business, she'll probably come
after you," Ibuki-san pointed out. "You don't stand a chance of winning against
her if that time comes, you know?"
"Her strength is… Well, how do I put this? I feel like it's on a different
dimension from the world we live in," I replied.
"Well, I don't really like you saying we, but yeah, she might be something
else," said Ibuki-san.
"I take it that means that no one you can recall is as capable as she is, then?" I
asked.
"I'm the strongest out of our year," Ibuki-san said. "It was the same for me
back when I was in junior high. There weren't many girls who were into martial
arts, and I never lost to anyone who just dabbled in it. As far as I remember, I
was always the best."
"I see," I replied. "I think your strength is second only to mine, in our grade
level, so I don't deny that."
"Uh, yeah, you're denyin' what I said like crazy," snapped Ibuki-san. "You
don't recognize my strength?"
"No one said that. It's just that I don't think I'm weaker than you."
"Uh, no, no way. I am absolutely way stronger than you," she shot back.
"I wonder where in the world you get such confidence in yourself. It's quite a
mystery. What's your evidence?"
"Intuition?"
"I wouldn't count that at all," I said. "You're just analyzing things through your
own lens. We've never fought each other at our best. I don't think you have
enough information to make a clear judgment on which of us is stronger. Don't
you think so?"
"Fine, in that case, why don't we just say that I'm tentatively the best?" said
Ibuki-san. "Besides, why would I be second to you?"
"The result of objective evaluation," I replied.
"I don't get what that means."
We had reached our destination—the open-air café.
"This might take a little while, so allow me to buy you a drink. What would
you like?" I asked.
"I'm fine with anything, I guess, but… I'll take a lemon iced tea."
Ibuki-san and I finished putting in our orders, and I paid using my phone.
1,400 points for two drinks. How expensive. I took the two drinks from the clerk
once they were ready.
"Here you go," I said. "It's my treat."
"It feels pretty weird, you buying me something," said Ibuki-san.
"You should accept it with open arms."
"Yeah, whatever."
Ibuki took the cup with her left hand and took a sip while looking far off into
the distance. We moved slightly away from the counter and stopped once we
got to a less populated area.
"I know this because I fought with her, but she shares the same sense of
strength as me," said Ibuki-san. "Besides that, did you sense anything? Like her
weaknesses, or her fighting quirks, stuff like that?"
"I don't think she's an opponent that can be analyzed so easily," I answered.
"…That's true."
It would be best if this didn't lead to a rematch, but…there was no telling
what would happen if I pursued this matter too deeply.
"If you try to take her on by yourself, she's going to turn the tables on you and
that'll be the end of it," Ibuki-san said. "I don't think there's any changing that
result."
She wasn't belittling me or anything like that. She was simply speaking the
truth. Even if I were to go through training myself again, things would likely go
as she had described.
"You can think about this and that all you want, but it's probably best to just
let it go," she went on.
"I told you already, didn't I? Ayanokouji-kun—"
"Yeah, that's what I mean," she interjected, gesturing at me with the hand
she was holding her cup in. "Whatever Amasawa tries to do, he can manage it
on his own, can't he?"
"What…do you mean?"
It was true that Ayanokouji-kun was an exceptional person. It was because I
had the opportunity to watch him from close by for over a year now that I came
to learn a little more about him. But even so, there were still many mysteries
about him, and his academic and physical abilities had yet to be made clear.
Even I, someone in the same class as him, didn't know those things. Someone
from another class like Ibuki-san shouldn't understand him more than I did.
Viewed from the outside, all people should have known about him was that he
was good at math and his motor skills weren't bad.
"I feel like the way you said that was close to an assertion," I said. "You seem
to have quite a high opinion of Ayanokouji-kun."
"I don't have a high opinion of him or whatever," she insisted. "Anyone would
think so, considering how strong he is."
She was saying quite clearly that if you knew his strength, then you would
think so too.
"Did you perhaps hear about what happened between him and Housen-kun
from somewhere?" I asked.
"Huh? Housen? Who is that? Oh, wait…that gorilla-lookin' guy, yeah?"
We were clearly not on the same page here, and I was starting to feel a kind
of uncertain haze surround me.
"Where did you get information about Ayanokouji-kun being strong?" I
pressed.
"Where…?"
While Ibuki-san was choosing her words, she had a puzzled look on her face,
like she wasn't sure what exactly to say.
"Did he order people to keep quiet about what happened then?" she
muttered to herself. She closed her eyes and crossed her arms, looking as
though she were trying to recall something. "Or didn't he? I forget…"
I decided to push the matter a little. "Did something happen that I don't know
about?"
"Wait, so you're telling me that you don't know anything?" she said.
"Um… Well, I don't think there's anything I don't know about, but I don't
know what you're talking about."
We both seemed to be trying to rein the other in, playing it safe. I decided to
take the plunge and try to move this conversation forward.
"I think we need to get our stories straight here," I said.
"I don't want to."
"That won't do. Since we're here talking about this, tell me everything you
know," I commanded. "Tell me everything you know about Ayanokouji-kun that
I don't."
This was a one-in-a-million opportunity for gathering information. If Ibuki-san
knew anything more, anything at all, no matter how insignificant, then…
"Well, all right. What don't you know about?" she asked, phrasing it like she
couldn't be bothered. I guessed that was because I hadn't defined exactly what
we were going to talk about.
"I assumed this would be difficult… I'm curious about what you were about to
say earlier."
"Well, what I was going to mention earlier was what happened on the roof
between Ryuuen and Ayanokouji," Ibuki-san said. "Like, y'know, how Ryuuen
called Karuizawa out to the roof and dumped ice cold water on her to torture
her, that stuff."
"Hm? Wait, what? What are you saying…? I haven't a clue what you're talking
about."
Ryuuen-kun? The roof? And…wait, Karuizawa-san too? Water torture? I
started to feel question marks pop up in my mind one after another.
"Ohhh, so it's like that, huh. He hasn't told anyone in his class about it, has
he?"
Ibuki-san nodded in satisfaction, as though she had reached a point of
understanding first. Then, she started to tell me a story about Ayanokouji-kun
that I hadn't heard. While I listened to her talk, I stared out at the glittering
ocean, trying to stop myself from getting too worked up. At the same time, I
tried to organize my thoughts. She told me how Ryuuen-kun, in order to find
Ayanokouji-kun, who was laying hidden in our class, turned his attention
toward Karuizawa-san. To save her, Ayanokouji-kun went up to the rooftop
alone.
Ibuki-san said that once he was there, he showed an overwhelming strength,
overpowering Ryuuen-kun and the others. Even though I should have known
about Ayanokouji-kun's abilities to some extent, I still found myself surprised
many times over.
"So…the reason Ryuuen-kun stopped meddling with our class was because
that happened, huh," I said aloud. "I had no idea."
"Well, now you get it, right?" Ibuki-san huffed. "His strength ain't normal."
"Yes, you're right," I agreed. "He is someone of immeasurable talents… From
your perspective, having fought both Ayanokouji-kun and Amasawa-san, who
do you think would win if they ever fought?"
"Not sure," said Ibuki-san. "I haven't seen either of them get serious. I don't
want to say it's just because like, he's a guy and she's a girl or anything, but
overall, I think Ayanokouji is probably better. Probably? Anyway, there's no
need for you to stick your nose into this."
If he was strong enough to deal with whatever Amasawa-san might try to do
to him, then she might've been right about that.
"But having physical strength doesn't necessarily mean he'll be safe," I
pointed out. "It's not as though you can always avoid expulsion at this school. In
fact, his strength could even become a detriment."
On the uninhabited island, Amasawa-san was free to go on a rampage as she
pleased. However, at school, that wouldn't be the case.
"Thank you, Ibuki-san," I said. "Your information is more useful than I was
expecting it to be."
"You're not going to talk to Ayanokouji about this?" she asked.
"Not yet. This situation is about him in the first place, after all, so I expect he
will have already surmised what's going on to some extent."
Considering he had come into contact with her several times now, including
before the uninhabited island exam took place, he must have some ideas about
her.
"Then there's the problem of that slip of paper…" I muttered.
"Paper?" Ibuki-san repeated.
"Besides Amasawa-san, there was one other thing about the uninhabited
island exam that's been bothering me."
I told her about the single piece of paper that had been slipped into my tent.
Ibuki-san now seemed to understand why I had been in the northeast part of
the island on the final day of the exam.
"I see," she said. "So somebody other than Amasawa gave you a message
with that note implying that Ayanokouji was in trouble."
"So, you even know words like 'implying,' huh?"
"Can you stop treating me like I'm stupid?"
Although Ibuki-san had a low level of academic ability in OAA, she was
surprisingly easy to converse with. I didn't feel as uncomfortable talking with
her as I would when trying to have a conversation with someone who was
clearly at a lower level than me.
"At that time, Amasawa-san looked at the paper and then proceeded to tear
it into tiny pieces," I said. "That has been bothering me for quite some time
now, but I think it was because she didn't want to leave any evidence behind of
the handwriting on the note. At any rate, I clearly remember that the script was
quite beautiful."
"Beautiful?"
"Yes. It was such neat handwriting that I couldn't imagine there are many
people who could have written so nicely."
"I see. So, that means it's possible there's someone out there who can write
really well who might be plotting something. But it'd be difficult to find them
with just that information alone, right? And the evidence got destroyed too,"
said Ibuki-san.
"I'm sure it won't be easy, no," I agreed. "I can't exactly go around asking
every person I see to write something for me. And another thing—this is still
only a rather tenuous theory, with no firm evidence, but it's highly likely that
whoever wrote this note may be highly physically capable. Whether we're
comparing this person to Ayanokouji-kun or Amasawa-san, it's possible that this
person might possess exceptional strength. Furthermore, it's probable that this
person is a first-year student."
"Okay, sure, considering that this involves Ayanokouji and Amasawa, this
person probably is tough," said Ibuki-san. "But what's the basis for saying it's a
first-year?"
"Because it's someone who Amasawa-san knows by their handwriting," I said.
"That makes it unlikely that it's a second-year or third-year student."
"I see."
Ayanokouji-kun, Amasawa-san, and now this third party. As for the question
of what kind of connection there was between each of them, I still couldn't see
the whole picture at this moment in time. Even so, I couldn't just leave things
be.
"I intend to proceed in such a way that will keep you out of harm's way. But if
I am defeated, I cannot guarantee what will happen next. If Amasawa-san does
exhibit strange behavior, do not hesitate to contact the scho—"
Clack. A light, dull sound resounded throughout the deck. Ibuki-san had
aggressively knocked her cup of tea on the railing. Her cup was still more than
half full, so the contents spilled out from the top of the cup and onto her hand.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"If you're defeated?" she snapped. "I already told you that I'm going to be the
one to take you down, didn't I?"
"I'm not intending to let myself fall in combat so easily. But we don't know
what unseen enemies, Amasawa-included, might do, which is why—"
"They've got two people, so we should do this with two people too."
"Wait, are…"
"I'm the strongest out of the second-years," Ibuki-san continued. "If you add
me to the mix, then it'll be a different story. If you insist, and I mean
reeaaaaaalllllly insist, then I guess I'd be fine with lending you a hand. Got it?"
Then, she put the cup in her other hand and licked the lemon tea that had
spilled onto the back of her palm.
"What are you playing at?" I demanded. "I can't believe that you've agreed to
help me twice."
"I hate the idea of just leaving things like this, with that first-year having
gotten the better of us. I hate that even more than the idea of losing to you.
Besides…you actually came to talk to me today because you wanted to come to
me for help, didn't you?" asked Ibuki-san, looking me straight in the eye.
"Except, no, I didn't?" I replied.
"Huh? Can't you at least be honest about this one thing? Just say it. Say,
'Ibuki-san, I need your help.'"
"I've never once thought such a thing, though."
"Well…fine! Never come asking for my help ever again! Bye!" she shouted.
She was about to storm off in a huff, but then I grabbed hold of her left wrist.
"What?!" she snarled.
"I'm going to have you work to pay off the cost of the drink that I just bought
for you."
She blinked. "Say what? You just told me that you were treating me, and now
you want to ask for money?!"
"There's no such thing as a free lunch," I replied.
"Then I'll just pay you back right now," she snapped, taking out her phone.
"In that case, I'll take three million points as payment," I told her.
She raised an eyebrow and cocked her head to the side, unable to understand
what I meant.
"It's something I treated you to," I said. "Don't you think it would add about
that much in value?"
"Uh, no, I wouldn't! It was only 700 points!"
"If you don't have the ability to pay that fee, I'll write off your debt if you lend
me a hand."
"Look, you… I'm gonna ask you once more. Are you incapable of being
honest?"
"If I need to be honest, then I can be," I replied.
For some reason, I was embarrassed to honestly ask Ibuki-san for help, so this
was how it was turning out. But I kept on acting as I normally did and continued
being high-handed.
"You seriously have a nasty personality," said Ibuki-san.
"I would say we're the same then, Ibuki-san," I replied.
We exchanged glances, and then Ibuki-san, though exasperated, gulped down
the rest of her tea.
"This lemon tea was expensive as hell," she grumbled.
Something about her complaining was amusing to me, so I cracked a little
smile.
5.6
IT WAS NOW DUSK, with the sun slowly setting just beyond the horizon.
Ichinose was waiting for me at the appointed place, staring out at the ocean.
When I saw her somewhat fragile-looking expression from the side, I hesitated
just a little in calling out her name.
"Ichinose."
"Ayanokouji-kun. Hello."
We exchanged brief, casual greetings, and now I was standing directly in front
of her. With the kind of mood that was hanging in the air, I didn't feel like
cutting straight to the chase, so I decided to make a little small talk first.
"Are you still using that strategy? With you being a bank for everyone's
Private Points?" I asked.
It was a question unrelated to the main topic of what we were going to talk
about, but Ichinose didn't show even a hint of displeasure.
"Yes," she replied. "We decided that there wasn't any harm in sticking with it.
It's easy. We can save up as much as we can, and if they're no longer needed, I
can just return everyone's points to them."
She had said it was easy, but it was a strategy that could only continue to
work because Ichinose was a trustworthy person. Like she herself had said, it
wasn't a bad idea to just keep the points saved as long as they were able to. If
students' balances were automatically diminishing, then it might cause some
inconvenience, but as long as she promised they'd get back what they gave, it
was a good plan. Their class would be able to move large sums when the need
arose. The fact that it was the one and only unique advantage given to Ichinose
was another major factor.
"But the strategy of pooling your points is just something so you're prepared
for emergencies," I said. "That alone can't be enough, can it?"
"If it was something that we only just started, that would be a different story.
But in this case, it's just a continuation of what we were doing already."
Meaning that they weren't readying any new strategies, they were only
maintaining the status quo.
"What do you think we're lacking in, Ayanokouji-kun?" she asked.
"What your class is lacking in, Ichinose?" I repeated.
"Yes. I feel like we can't really see that ourselves, so… I was wondering how
our class appears from your perspective, Ayanokouji-kun."
"I talked to some of your classmates during the uninhabited island exam," I
said. "Based on what I heard, and from being at the post-exam party, my
impression is that there are many students in your class with good-natured
personalities."
That was something she likely understood without me needing to say it aloud,
but it was an integral part of the issue. Since they essentially didn't like conflict,
they couldn't aggressively go for Class Points.
"I think it might be important for you to be a little more assertive. I'm not
telling you to break the rules or engage in foul play or anything, but I think it's
important to stand strong in the face of other people playing rough."
"Playing rough… Okay. Yes, you're right. We must get it together more, or we
won't be able to fight," said Ichinose.
She didn't have any concrete solutions in mind just yet. The only thing I could
tell now, which was painfully clear, was that she was desperately trying her
hardest to forge ahead into the darkness of uncertainty.
"About the uninhabited island exam before. I mean, about my answer…"
"Y-yes… Yes, that's right, that is why we got together to talk, isn't it?" she
replied.
I quietly brought my face close to Ichinose's ear. Though I knew that no one
else was around, as I opened my mouth, I spoke in such a quiet voice that it
would be difficult for anyone to hear without really concentrating on listening
to us.
And that's when it happened.
"Oh, ho, what are you and Honami talking about, all alone in a place like
this?"
Ichinose was surprised by the sight of the newcomer. It was none other than
the student council president, Nagumo.
In a panic, she hurriedly tried to pull away from me, but he had most
definitely seen what was happening moments earlier when Ichinose and I were
so close to one another.
Had I been followed? No, I wouldn't have done something so stupid as allow
myself to be trailed without noticing. In that case, had he been tracking Ichinose
since the very beginning? Perhaps not. It was more likely the result of the
surveillance Nagumo had me under, with countless eyes watching me. No
matter how much I moved around to avoid being seen, it was virtually
impossible to completely escape the eyes of all the third-years on this cruise
ship. It was reasonable to assume that several of them must have seen me
while I was on my way here.
However, there hadn't been any signs that Nagumo was trying to contact me
over the past few days. Then, he had appeared before me at the time I had
hoped to avoid him most, almost as if by design.
"Great work on the exam, Student Council President," said Ichinose.
The mood had been immediately disrupted, so Ichinose hurriedly struggled to
return to normal mode. Still, it wasn't like she was able to completely dispel
how shaken and bewildered she felt. But even if she had managed to perfectly
smooth things over, it would've been meaningless to Nagumo right now
anyway.
"It seemed like you two had a meeting on the final day on the island too," he
asked. "Are you having yet another secret rendezvous here?"
"U-um…"
Ichinose suddenly found herself again having to deal with what happened
during the exam and was at a loss for words. Back then, she had inadvertently
confessed her romantic feelings for me. It wouldn't be so easy for her to just
talk her way out of this. I was about to interject, but Nagumo kept me silent
with a wave of his hand. He was strongly pressuring me not to interrupt him
right now.
"Well, whatever, it's no big deal," he said. "However…if Honami, a fellow
member of my student council, might be reduced to tears, then as the student
council president, I can't just let that be, can I?"
I knew it. So that was what this was all about. I had been able to guess this
would've happened since I had fully understood that Kiriyama was on Nagumo's
side. As Nagumo came even closer to us, he went over to stand next to
Ichinose.
"Reduced…to tears?" asked Ichinose.
"This might just be a misunderstanding on my part, but this is about
Karuizawa, no?"
He was deliberate and used few words, speaking slowly so that she would
understand him well. He wanted to make sure that what he was saying
wouldn't be misunderstood.
She blinked. "Karuizawa-san?"
Naturally, Ichinose wouldn't be able to understand why Kei's name had been
brought up at a time like this.
"It seems you might have only told your closest friends about this, but word is
that you've been dating Karuizawa for a long while now. Isn't that true,
Ayanokouji?" said Nagumo.
"Dating Karuizawa." Even though Ichinose heard those words, she might not
have understood what they meant right away.
"Oh, is this the first you've heard of it?" said Nagumo. "It seemed like you and
Ayanokouji are so close, I had thought you would've already known."
There was a slight pause, and then Nagumo continued speaking.
"Heavens, don't tell me you were thinking of two-timing. Were you?"
I didn't respond to Nagumo's one-sided attacks. There was no longer any
point in me trying to tell Ichinose that I was dating Kei at this point. If anything,
it was obvious that doing so would just be rubbing salt on the wound.
"Is that…true?" asked Ichinose.
"Hey, Ayanokouji, since Honami is asking, how about you answer her?"
Nagumo said. "Or perhaps I'm misunderstanding something, and you and
Karuizawa have nothing going on? In that case, you can deny it, and I'll give you
a heartfelt apology. How does that sound?"
Kiriyama had seen Kei and me together, but that alone wasn't enough to give
a clear indication that we were dating. In other words, that meant there wasn't
a zero percent chance that he just made an assumption about my relationship
with Kei and was trying to trick me into revealing the truth. But right now, I
didn't have the option of responding with "No, that's not true."
If I were to say that and then later it came out that I really was dating her, my
lie would be exposed. Besides, it would be better for me to assume that
Nagumo would have gotten more evidence for his assumptions before he
mentioned it in the first place.
"Actually, I haven't officially told anyone yet," I said. "How in the world did
you get that information?"
"…!" Ichinose squeaked.
I could see Ichinose's obvious shock at my admission. Without a doubt,
Nagumo must have realized that Ichinose's feelings were for me.
"Seems like you realize I wasn't just jumping on mere gossip and speculation,
eh?"
Nagumo flashed me a happy, toothy grin as he said that, but he wasn't
revealing the source of his information nor how he had verified it. What
Kiryuuin had said to me before, about how Nagumo might be the type of
opponent I wasn't good at dealing with, sat fresh in my mind.
"I don't intend to comment on your love life," he added. "However, as I had
said before, Honami is a member of the student council. And it's quite possible
she might be president in the future. I have to protect her."
"I can understand quite well that the relationship Ichinose and I have might
appear unnatural in your eyes, Student Council President. However, don't you
think it was premature for you to step in at this stage?" I asked.
"You certainly might be right," said Nagumo. "It would be one thing if you
were going out with Honami and pulling the wool over her eyes, but that
doesn't seem to be the case here from what I can see. I guess you two might
have been having a totally unrelated discussion. Still, with the two of you
secretly meeting up in a deserted place like this just before dinner, it's kind of
hard not to suspect as much, dontcha think? And I'm sure your girlfriend would
be saddened if she saw this situation too."
"You're right, it might create unnecessary misunderstandings," I replied.
"I did what came naturally, as president of…no, actually, simply as another
person on the student council."
Nagumo shot Ichinose one final look, giving her a knowing wink, before
approaching me.
"Introduce your girlfriend to me sometime. I'd like to see her face at least
once," he said.
Then, Nagumo patted me on the shoulder, and whispered something directly
into my ear. "You're free to think whatever you want about my methods. But I
haven't even gotten started yet, y'know?"
"Haven't started what?" I asked.
"You can slip a single lie amongst a hundred truths and no one will notice. You
need to make a decision before it's too late. If you want to fight me, then come
find me. I'll welcome you anytime. If you get down on your knees before me, I'll
be your opponent."
This meant that unless I agreed to fight Nagumo, this relentless surveillance
and harassment would continue indefinitely. He meant to drag me out into the
arena by force.
"See ya later," said Nagumo.
He left, leaving only those words behind. It still hadn't started yet, huh? Only
Nagumo possessed this kind of overwhelming surveillance and information
network. All of the third-year students were at his beck and call, operating as
his eyes and ears. For the students who lived on the school campus, that was as
good as saying that everything about their lives was exposed.
Then, there was that other thing he said, about a hundred truths and one lie.
Right now, he was only saying things that were true, but that likely meant he
was going to start mixing in lies. To an outside observer, what Nagumo was
doing was simply a form of harassment. I couldn't help but call his behavior
childish. However, he had inflicted more psychological damage on me than
anyone else I had fought so far. He didn't care one bit that he was antagonizing
his classmates in his own grade level by fixating on me like this.
Did he think he wouldn't lose the trust of his followers for something like this?
Or did he not care about that from the beginning, as long as they were bound
by his rules? At any rate, it was clear that Nagumo was prepared to do
whatever it took.
Now that he had left, though, all that was left was silence. That somewhat
lighthearted atmosphere from when Ichinose and I had met up was gone. The
air was heavy, and everything was quiet.
"A-ah ha ha. I guess we, um, got interrupted there for a minute," Ichinose
said.
"Yeah," I replied.
"Um, well… Why did you invite me out here, again?" she asked.
"It's about the uninhabited island, when—"
"Ahhh! Oh, uh, yeah, that, huh? That's, um… Well, I mean… So…" She started
speaking in such a loud voice, but gradually, it withered, growing quieter and
quieter.
"Could you…maybe just forget about it?" she asked, struggling to get the
words out. She was trying her best to keep a smile on her face the whole time.
"I'm sorry for not knowing anything. I just got all excited and carried away and
selfishly said, um, something pretty weird, and…"
"Like Nagumo himself said earlier, I hadn't told anyone about it," I said.
"There was no way for you to know."
"Y-yes, I suppose so. Right? Yes, that's true, but…I really was an idiot though!
I, I mean, Ayanokouji-kun, you're so kind… You're amazing, you're cool…
There's no way you wouldn't have a girlfriend…" she said quietly.
Despite Ichinose's firm determination to never let her smile falter, her eyes
were clearly growing misty, beginning to fill with an abundance of tears. She
was trying her absolute hardest to keep the tears from flowing while struggling
to maintain her composure, pretending like nothing was wrong.
What did a person feel inside when they fell in love with someone who has
feelings for someone else? That wasn't something that you could understand
through television, books, or hearing about it from other people. It was
something I was able to personally experience, though, right here and now,
today.
"…Goodbye," said Ichinose, managing to squeak out just that one word,
before leaving.
As she walked away, I didn't say a word, nor did I reach out my hand to her. I
silently watched her back as she walked.
"Nagumo, huh," I muttered. "I might have made a much more troublesome
enemy than I thought."
Things had turned out a little differently than I planned, but the path I was on
remained the same. Although I was annoyed by what was happening with all
these unfavorable situations piling up one after another, I couldn't help but feel
a strange sensation welling up from deep within me.
Chapter 6:
A Treasure Hunt of Girl Troubles
THERE WERE NOW only three days of vacation remaining on the cruise ship.
The days were too much, passing by too fast. Early that morning, just around
the time that everyone was beginning to lament how little time they had left on
the ship, the school sent out an email to all students simultaneously. Hondou,
who was the first to turn his phone on, read the message aloud.
"They're holding a game, a treasure hunt starting today at ten in the
morning…" he said. "What's this about?"
We all saw the unfamiliar word "game" in the email, and at the same time, we
each proceeded to carefully read through the message.
Treasure Hunt
This is a bonus game that anyone may freely participate in
Participation Requirements: Available to men and women. 10,000 Private
Points required for participation, per person.
Date: Today, August 8.
For more information, come to the venue. You must arrive on the fifth floor
by 10 a.m. You are free to choose whether or not to participate after hearing
the instructions.
"For a minute there, I thought this was gonna be another special exam. That
part aout how anyone can participate sounds interesting though, doesn't it?"
said Hondou.
So, we were able to freely choose whether we'd like to participate, and the
only risk that individuals had to bear was paying the 10,000-point fee, huh? The
exact details were unknown at this point in time, but considering that it was
called a treasure hunt, it was probably safe to assume that the payoff was
greater than the fee. I was expecting it to be something simple, like getting
Private Points.
Personally, I thought it would be a good idea to be proactive and participate if
there was a chance to earn a temporary bonus since I was constantly short on
funds. The fact that it only cost 10,000 points to participate also sounded
reasonable. Miyamoto and Hondou naturally seemed inclined to participate,
and after they had finished eating, they started talking about entering together.
I was thinking of inviting Akito to join me too, but…
"Don't worry about me," said Akito, exhaling sluggishly as he lay on the bed.
"You go have fun…"
Akito was sick in bed with a fever. Perhaps he overdid it at the private pool
yesterday.
"If they hadn't forbidden us from bringing personal belongings onboard, I
would've lent you my game console," said Hondou.
"I really don't think I could even play a game, how I feel right now…"
Akito buried his face in his pillow, sounding somewhat exasperated. We let
him sleep in bed. After finishing our meals, we relaxed in our room, killing time
until about 9:50 in the morning. Then, the three of us decided to make our way
to the venue without Akito, though we felt somewhat sorry for him.
6.1
ALARGE CROWD OF STUDENTS was packed into the designated venue. I
wondered how many people were going to participate, and it looked like
roughly half the entire student body was here. I expected even a few more, but
I supposed that the students who weren't interested in treasure hunts might
take this opportunity to enjoy the pool or other places since there wouldn't be
as many people in those spots right now. Since this event was open to
everyone, the students could spend this day however they wished.
Shortly after the cutoff time came, a great deal of commotion came from the
stage in the front. From the looks of things, Takatou-sensei, the homeroom
instructor in charge of Class 3-A, was going to explain how this game worked. It
looked as though almost all the faculty had assembled here, but I couldn't see
Acting Director Tsukishiro, nor Shiba, the homeroom instructor for Class 1-D. If
Shiba were also employed by him, then it wouldn't be surprising if he had
resigned after what happened. In fact, I imagined his appearance and his role
might have become known to both Mashima-sensei and Chabashira now.
"Good morning, everyone," said Takatou-sensei. "As it is now 10 a.m., we will
no longer be accepting any more students beyond those who have gathered
right now."
One of the other teachers, who had been standing near the entrance, slowly
closed the doors. I supposed that even though this was a game where
participation was voluntary, rules were rules. They weren't going to allow any
latecomers, even if they were only a second late.
"Before I begin explaining the rules, I would like to tell you exactly how this
treasure hunt game came to be," Takatou-sensei said. "This event came as a
result of a suggestion from Student Council President Nagumo-kun, who
thought that we should offer students an interesting and enjoyable recreational
activity as a way to deepen ties of friendship, especially after competing against
one another by grade level while living on such a harsh uninhabited island.
Please say a few words, Nagumo-kun, if you would."
After his name was called by Takatou-sensei, Nagumo got up and stood in
front of everyone who had come to participate.
"I am pleased to announce that we are hosting this bonus game with the
school's full support," he said. "This proposal stemmed from the student
council's raison d'être, its commitment to enriching and improving our lives at
this school. During the uninhabited island exam, each grade level was locked in
fierce competition with the others, but in this treasure hunt, it is possible for
you to team up regardless of grade level. I urge you all to take advantage of this
and participate in the game."
He concluded his remarks with a short statement that sounded typical of a
student council president. That reminded me of what happened yesterday,
when Nagumo appeared before Ichinose and me. Ichinose was also a member
of the student council, and she was sitting by the faculty, listening to the
proceedings. From what I could see from where I was standing, she didn't seem
any different from normal, but…I still remembered the tears that Ichinose had
unexpectedly shed yesterday. The wounds inflicted upon her heart surely
hadn't been trivial. I'm sure she was trying to act natural, but it would take
some time for her to heal. When that time came, the love she felt for me might
disappear, or she might even become hostile toward me. Whatever kind of
changes she underwent, I was sure this was going to be a major turning point
for the future for her.
After Nagumo finished speaking, he handed the microphone back to Takatousensei.
"Members of the student council will not be eligible to participate in the
treasure hunt as they will be managing operations for the event, meaning that
they are giving up their holiday to handle clerical work. I ask that you please
treat them kindly," said Takatou-sensei.
Several student council members, including Horikita and Ichinose, were called
over to assemble next to Nagumo.
"Now then, I will provide you with an overview of how the treasure hunt
game will work," Takatou-sensei said. "The rules are not complex at all. In fact,
they're exceedingly simple."
He raised his right hand. He was holding a square-shaped piece of paper
between his thumb and forefinger. It looked to be roughly five centimeters in
size. There was a QR code printed on the paper.
"There are one hundred of these stickers with QR codes on them placed all
throughout the ship," he explained. "Those of you participating in this treasure
hunt game will be tasked with finding these stickers. You will be awarded
Private Points as a reward for scanning the codes via a dedicated app. However,
you can only scan once per device. Please note that the results will be reflected
immediately, and the points will be paid out to you right away once you've
accessed the site. Of course, once a QR code has been scanned, it will be
rendered invalid from that point on. Even if someone were to scan it using
another device, they would not be given any rewards from it. Also, we ask that
you please refrain from any illicit activities during this event, such as removing
stickers without permission or using a pen to make the code unreadable.
Engaging in such behavior will warrant severe punishment, even though this is
just a game."
I see. The rules were exceedingly simple, and luck was an important part of
this game.
"The lowest number of Private Points you can been awarded is 5,000 points,"
Takatou-sensei continued. "There are fifty of these stickers available, exactly
half of the total amount. The second most common prize is worth 10,000
points. There are thirty of these stickers available."
Unfortunately, this meant that if you got one of those fifty low-level stickers,
you would be losing money. Even if we were to find one of the 10,000-point
stickers, which were only 30 percent of the stickers out there, we'd only be
breaking even.
"As for the remaining twenty stickers, there are ten stickers worth 50,000
points, five stickers worth 100,000 points, and three stickers worth 300,000
points. The final two stickers are the highest, at 500,000 points and one million
points respectively. It would be safe for you to assume that the more difficult it
is to find the hidden code, the more Private Points you will receive from it."
With roughly two hundred people participating, that meant that one in every
two people would receive nothing. But if you were to find the sticker that was
most difficult to track down, you'd end up with a million points. That was an
amount that you couldn't easily obtain, even in a special exam. In that case, I
wouldn't be surprised if people felt it was worth the risk, even though half of
the people here would get nothing, but…
"There are one hundred stickers, but there are two hundred or more students
here," Takatou-sensei said. "So, it is inevitable that some students will not get
prizes. However, we have implemented a way for you to avoid that risk.
Participants may pair up with another student from any grade level. If any
person in a pair scans a QR code using their phone, the reward for that code will
be paid out to both members. So, for instance, if the reward is 30,000 points,
both of those students will be awarded that amount."
If everyone were to pair up and scan all 100 QR codes, then 200 people would
be able to receive rewards. The possibility of taking a loss, without even getting
a single point for your efforts, would be greatly reduced. The only disadvantage
was that if both members of a pair were to find QR codes, they might have a
dispute over which one to scan. Despite the fact that handling that
disadvantage would require some coordination, it seemed that pairing up was
highly advantageous.
"Also, please note that the areas where the QR codes have been placed were
determined in advance," he added.
Even though he said earlier the codes were placed all throughout the ship,
there were still some areas that were naturally inaccessible to us. Takatousensei continued his explanation, using the screen. To briefly summarize,
stickers with QR codes would obviously not be found in the restrooms or in
guest rooms. Also, employee-only floors and guest rooms were also excluded
from the treasure hunt, as expected. The stickers were not hidden on levels
that were off-limits to students. Takatou-sensei had strongly emphasized that
placement of stickers was limited to public spaces and areas that students were
allowed to go to.
"And also…we will be providing you with these as well," said Takatou-sensei.
Just after he told us that, faculty members began handing something out to
us. Not too long after they started, I received one myself: a piece of paper
folded in two. It was a map of the ship that had been slightly modified. The
areas where stickers were placed had been highlighted in color. There were also
some unfamiliar-looking text and figures on the document.
"Essentially, this game is mostly about luck. However, we have incorporated a
few elements where a little bit of skill will be involved."
Takatou-sensei was likely referring to the text and figures on the map that
had just been handed out to us.
"There are three riddles on the maps you've been given. If you solve them,
you'll be able to find the hidden locations of a total of three QR codes. Please
assume that you likely won't be able to find these locations without solving
these riddles."
So, by the sounds of it, out of a hundred total QR code stickers, there were
three that had been specially prepared. I skimmed through the three riddles
and put the piece of paper in my pocket.
"Registration is open now, and will remain open for the next thirty minutes,"
Takatou-sensei said. "Please indicate whether you will participate via your
phone. Also, if anyone is unable to turn on their phone because their device is
out of power, please notify the nearest teacher as soon as possible."
Students took out their phones one after another and began registering.
There were several students who left the room, but it was a certainty that
almost everyone here was going to sign up. The treasure hunt game would be
over by five o'clock in the afternoon, and we'd need to scan a QR code by that
time. I wasn't going to be left out, so like many of the other students, I took out
my phone and decided to register.
However, with this many people here, there was also the highest number of
stares yet to be directed at me over these past several days. When it was on as
large a scale as this, the fact that they were looking at me was naturally going to
be noticed by students from other grades. I wasn't sure if they were all
coordinated or if they had been given certain instructions in advance, but the
stares directed at me now temporarily diminished, and the third-years began to
avert their eyes as the other students started to follow their gazes. Apparently,
at this current stage, they weren't going to let it be known that they were
monitoring me yet.
They seemed to be waiting for a more effective, more damaging moment. As
long as I didn't know what their ultimate goal was, I needed to be wellpositioned as well. I had to act while under the assumption that everything
about me was being secretly reported. My girlfriend Kei was also among the
participants here, but we didn't even exchange glances—since we hadn't
announced our relationship publicly yet, we decided to refrain from making
explicit eye contact. Of course, even though we were told that we could pair up,
she and I wouldn't. It would normally be unthinkable for Ayanokouji Kiyotaka
and Karuizawa Kei to pair up in this situation since people knew us.
Just then, Horikita appeared before us all, microphone in hand.
"I am Horikita, from the student council," she announced. "I have a request
for all students who will be participating. In the interest of curbing fraud,
participants will be asked to enter their own names in a register, which will be
divided by grade level. Your 10,000-point payment will then be processed, and
you can leave the room. No substitutions will be allowed. Students are not
allowed to have others sign their names in or write down someone else's name.
Please understand that this is a measure to prevent unauthorized participation
by way of using a third party's cell phone. Once you have received your reward,
please make sure to return here to report in before the end of the event.
Failure to do so may result in the invalidation of your reward."
If we simply settled payments via our phones, then there wouldn't be any way
for the school to connect which student was associated with which mobile
device. That would allow students to use another person's phone to participate
in the game. Putting aside how problematic such an action would be in and of
itself, doing so would deviate from the game's original mission of having us
follow the rules and play along. However, by forcing students to enter their
names into a register at the time they make their payments, it was possible to
connect phones to their respective users. If I were to get a reward using
someone else's device, that final check would allow the school to detect that I
violated the rules, and even if I sent the phone's owner to go check in, it
wouldn't work because that person's name wouldn't be on the list. It was also
possible that people who hadn't paid the participation fee might secretly
download the app, or something along those lines.
At any rate, people would be leaving the venue in order after they finished
installing the app. Amongst all the hustle and bustle, I queued up, and
eventually I reached Horikita, who was performing clerical duties.
"Enter your name here," she said, in a very businesslike manner. "Once
you've done that, I will collect the 10,000 points."
I proceeded to enter my name in the register. Then, I took out my phone and
ran it across the payment terminal, paying the required points. Now that I'd
taken care of that, I had officially become a participant of the treasure hunt
game.
"Next," announced Horikita.
Since I didn't have anything in particular to talk with Horikita about, I went
with the flow and exited the room.
6.2
NOW THEN, the treasure hunt game had begun, and it would last until the
evening. There were a few rules that we needed to observe, but those were
essentially only things related to violations. All that was left now was pray that I
caught a lucky break and play the game, I supposed, but… The immediate area
was incredibly crowded because we were within range of a QR code that had
been posted near the starting point. The search was on, and at a furiously fast
pace too, like a swarm of locusts devouring crops.
Now that I officially joined the search too, there likely wasn't room for me to
join though. And, similarly, some students would likely decide to start searching
elsewhere after seeing so many people, like another plague of insects. What's
more was that many students were also using their phones to stay connected
with each other. Perhaps they were simultaneously looking for a partner to
team up with while searching for a QR code. Because we could form a pair via
the app without having to meet up in person, it was possible for us to split up.
"Hey, Mori-san, why don't we start from the top?" said Kei. She came out of
the room shortly after I did, walking along happily with our fellow classmate
Mori Nene.
Apparently, Kei had immediately gotten hold of a classmate and they had
formed a pair right away. I, being on my own of course, had decided to head
down to the lowest level for the time being. If I went up to the top level like Kei
was, that would mean we'd be in the same area. Even so… I hadn't gotten a
single message on my phone. In a situation like this, wouldn't it be fine for me to
invite at least one person to join me? No, don't think about this too deeply. If I
think about it, I'll feel like I'm losing.
Besides, there weren't many people with whom I exchanged contact
information in the first place, either email or chat. Out of everyone in the
Ayanokouji Group, Keisei was available, but he had announced that he wouldn't
be participating, probably because he wasn't interested in these kinds of
games. Akito wasn't feeling well, and Haruka and Airi seemed to have partnered
up right from the start.
"Ah…"
As I started to move while thinking about those things, I suddenly bumped
into Satou. I casually gave her a wave and said hello, and then tried to move
past her, but then…
"Ah, w-wait a minute!" she exclaimed, in a panic, grabbing my arm. "Um,
excuse me, but…have you partnered up with anyone yet, Ayanokouji-kun?"
"No, I'm alone," I replied.
I didn't say "for now," because I didn't have any plans to partner up with
anyone in the future either. It was one thing to make more friends, but having
allies alongside me, with whom I could tackle these kinds of events, was
another problem. It felt a little futile to say that aloud, though, so I kept quiet.
"W-well, um, would you…mind partnering up with me?" she asked.
I was at a loss as to how to respond to this completely unexpected proposal.
Last year, Satou was the first person in my life to ever confess romantic feelings
to me. I couldn't reciprocate her feelings though, so I turned her down, and
then later on, I started going out with Kei. Considering it would only be natural
for her to hate me for that, I never expected that she would have asked to be
my partner.
I didn't have any particular reason to refuse her, but to be honest, I didn't
have a reason to accept either. I had just seen with my own two eyes that Kei
had partnered up with Mori, but that was just to keep up appearances since we
were keeping our relationship a secret. Still, whether partnering up with Satou
was okay was another question.
"Are you worried about Kei-chan…?" she asked.
It was difficult for me to ask, but Satou seemed to immediately sense what I
was feeling.
"I've heard that you two are going to let everyone know that you're going out,
officially," she added.
"That so?" I asked.
From the sounds of things, Kei had gone ahead and told Satou that she and I
were going to come out in the open about our relationship in the second
semester. I had known from past conversations with Matsushita that Satou was
already aware that Kei and I were in a relationship.
"We've been going out for a while now," I said. "It's not something we can
keep secret forever."
"Well, there are some couples out there who date in secret, but I think only a
very limited number of people would notice you and Kei-chan are together,
Ayanokouji-kun," she replied.
Satou had talked with some girls that she was close with about how she
suspected Kei and I were in a relationship. I didn't hear her say that directly,
obviously, but I didn't have any doubt that had happened since I heard it from
Matsushita when I bumped into her. Of course, Satou hadn't done anything
wrong. She hadn't known anything for certain. All she had done was offer her
own speculations.
"Oh, but hey, you know, the reason I suggested partnering is, um, I guess, I
was thinking that you'd be really dependable, a good partner," she went on.
"I'm just saying that there's no other meaning behind it. So…would that be
okay?"
She emphatically stressed that she wasn't asking me for any strange reason.
"How many Private Points do you have on hand?" I asked her.
"Um, well, it's a little embarrassing to tell you, but…about 180,000," said
Satou.
Looking at my own financial situation, I didn't exactly have room to talk about
other people's affairs, but considering the fact that the school had deposited
Private Points into our accounts for the month, that was by no means a high
number. She must have had a fair amount of determination then to participate
in this game. Even though it was low risk, she was still willing to part with
10,000 precious Private Points. In that case, she likely wanted to partner up
with someone so she could find one of the more well-hidden QR codes.
"I understand. If you're all right going with me, I'll partner up with you, Satou.
I can't guarantee we'll get results, though," I told her.
"Really?! Yay!" she exclaimed.
The way Satou was able to express genuine joy about the things that made
her happy made me feel good about partnering up with her. We each took out
our phones, put in the request to become a pair via the app, and accepted. And
so we officially became a pair for this event, and now we'd each receive the
reward when either one of us scanned a QR code. Now all we had to do was get
a code that was worth at least 30,000 points.
"Oh, yeah, come to think of it, the teachers handed us these weird pieces of
paper, right?" said Satou, taking out the crumpled paper from her pocket.
"Ah?!"
She sheepishly thrust it back into her pocket immediately after taking it out
and looking at the state of it, perhaps because she had forgotten that had
crumpled it up before.
"A-a-anyway, it's uh… No matter how much I looked at it, I couldn't
understand it at all… A ha ha. You have one too, right, Ayanokouji-kun?" she
asked.
It sounded like if she had thought she could've solved the riddles, then she
would've folded the paper up neatly. I took out my own paper, which I had
folded into quarters, and unfolded it in front of Satou.
"So, we'd be able to figure out three places where QR codes are hidden with
these, right?" she asked.
"Seems that way," I replied.
"Then, if we solve them, it's possible we could get a million points, right?"
I felt bad about dashing her hopes, but I answered immediately. "Nah,
probably not," I replied.
"Huh? Really?" she blinked.
Only three codes out of a total of a hundred were provided to us in the form
of these questions. So, while it was tempting to get our hopes up that we'd be
able to get a head start on finding those codes by solving the questions on this
slip of paper…
"These three riddles all seem to be around the same difficulty level," I pointed
out. "Meaning, I can't imagine there's any difference in the reward you'd get
from solving any of these. There are a fair number of codes worth 100,000
points… Or it's even possible these might just be worth 50,000 points."
"Huh? But wait, if there's three, then what are the chances these are for the
three codes worth 300,000 points?"
"Well, it's certainly true that it would be a nice fit, since there are only three
of those 300,000-point codes available, but chances of that are slim," I
answered.
The pieces of paper weren't likely going to lead us to high-value Private Point
rewards.
"Huh? We wouldn't get much even for solving problems that are this
difficult?" she asked.
"Treasure hunts are completely centered around luck. On top of that, this is
being positioned as a bonus game. If the quick-witted students or the students
who managed to solve these problems get the rarer, high-level rewards, like
one million, 500,000, or even the 300,000-point reward like you mentioned,
Satou, chances are that many students wouldn't accept it. Don't you think so?"
If all three of the riddles were for the codes with 300,000, then there
wouldn't be any of them left in a game that was supposed to be a treasure hunt
based on luck. In that sense, it would basically mean the game was a failure. So,
this paper was only a modest bailout at best, and should be seen as providing
only modest rewards.
"I-I see. I guess it is true that if they were all high-level codes, then I probably
would've been frustrated by it myself…" She thought about how it might feel to
someone who couldn't solve the riddles. It seemed like she readily accepted my
argument