"There's nothing wrong with going ahead and looking for the QR codes based
on these clues, but we won't know the results until we find a code and scan it,"
I said. "If we act carelessly, there's a chance we'll miss out."
Though this treasure hunt game would be going on for hours, the important
part of the game would likely be decided within the first hour or two.
"Is it okay if we just ignore them, then?" said Satou.
"If we do use this hint paper, it'll likely be sometime close to the end of the
game, like if we haven't found any QR codes. I know what direction they're
pointing in," I replied.
Well, in that case, by the time I did try to rely on it, other students would
probably have already found those codes.
"Have you…already solved the riddles on the paper, by any chance,
Ayanokouji-kun?" Satou asked.
"More or less, yeah," I replied.
"That's awesome…!" she exclaimed.
The clues weren't made to be that difficult. Since all students, from first-years
to third-years, were allowed to participate, these hints were closer to solving
simple riddles rather than a real challenge to tackle. While Satou and I had been
talking, other students participating in the treasure hunt were searching for QR
codes in the area around us haphazardly. They told us that there was a
somewhat limited number of areas where QR codes had been posted. If all 200
participants were searching all at once, most of them would be found pretty
quickly. It was also possible that some of the higher-value QR codes might have
been hidden somewhere further away from the starting point too.
"Anyway, I think we should start searching the lower floors," I suggested.
"Okay. I'll leave it to you to decide where to start, Ayanokouji-kun," she
replied.
Satou and I walked side by side and headed down to the lowest levels of the
designated searchable area. We spent the next five minutes each looking for QR
codes, and found only two stickers, which were out in the open. Were we just in
a bad location? Or were there more stickers hidden in more difficult-to-find
spots? We weren't having much luck, and the number of students around us
began to increase little by little.
"Um, Ayanokouji-kun…?"
"What's up? Did you find something?" I asked.
"N-no, that's not it…" Satou sounded extremely embarrassed. "U-um, is it
okay if I go to the restroom for a minute? I think I drank too much this
morning… To tell you the truth, I was planning on stopping earlier, but…"
"I see. And that's when you ran into me?" I asked.
She nodded, her face turning red.
"Sorry. I know we're supposed to be in kind of a hurry," she said
apologetically.
There was no way I would tell her not to go to the bathroom. I gladly gave
Satou the okay to go ahead.
"I-I'll be right back!" she exclaimed.
"No need to rush."
Anyway, after letting Satou head off to the bathroom, I resumed my search of
the nearby area on my own. As I was peeking under the sofa, I heard a voice call
out to me from behind.
"You're participating in the treasure hunt game too, Ayanokouji-kun?"
I had wondered if someone had walked over, and it turned out to be my
classmate Matsushita. Today seemed to be one of those days where I was
getting called on by classmates I rarely associated with. At the same time that
Matsushita approached, a third-year student named Tatara, who I thought
might've been talking with Matsushita earlier, was eyeing me up suspiciously.
"…Ayanokouji, huh?" said Tatara.
"You know about Ayanokouji-kun?" said Matsushita.
Matsushita curiously looked at Tatara, examining his face. When she did so,
Tatara got embarrassed and turned away. Matsushita had no way of knowing
this, but it was clear that Nagumo had disseminated some kind of orders
regarding me out to the entirety of the third year.
"We're in the middle of the treasure hunt right now, so talk to him later,"
Tatara said. "Time's wasting. Why don't we just go?"
"Well, if you put it that way, that means time's wasting for you too, right,
Tatara-senpai?" Matsushita replied. "Don't mind me. Please go ahead and
partner up with someone else."
The fact that Tatara, a third-year student, had showed up here might be a
good chance for me to probe Nagumo's strategy.
"You're participating in the treasure hunt too, senpai?" I asked.
However, when I tried to insert myself into the situation and speak to him,
Tatara made an openly disgusted face, and turned to ignore me. Hearing Tatara
softly clicking his tongue, Matsushita also sensed the change in Tatara's
demeanor.
"Is something the matter, Tatara-senpai?" I said.
When I tried calling out to him once more, it became apparent that he was
hoping to flee. I could also tell from my first impressions that Tatara had some
sort of fondness for Matsushita. The fact that he disliked the idea of dealing
with me more than he wanted to pair up with Matsushita was a clear indication
that he had received instructions not to carelessly engage me in conversation.
"See you later, Matsushita," said Tatara.
"Ah, okay." Though Matsushita didn't quite understand what was happening,
she answered with a casual smile, and waved Tatara goodbye.
Tatara looked over at Matsushita with an air of lingering regret but shot me a
glare before he left.
"Phew. I don't really know what that was all about, but thanks," said
Matsushita. "Did something happen between you and Tatara-senpai,
Ayanokouji-kun?"
Even though she didn't know about Nagumo's orders, I supposed anyone
would've been suspicious after seeing how Tatara had been acting.
"No, nothing," I replied. "I've never talked to him before."
"Huh, really?"
Though Matsushita didn't seem too convinced by what I said, she patted her
chest with a sigh, like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.
"Hey, are you also on your own by any chance, Ayanokouji-kun? If you are, do
you want to pair up?"
"Well, actually—"
Just as Matsushita was about to invite me to join her treasure hunting, I heard
footsteps rushing up from behind.
"Hold on, Matsushita-san! Ayanokouji-kun is already partnered up with me!"
Having come back from the restroom, Satou made a mad dash over to where
Matsushita was, grabbing her by the shoulders.
"Huh? O-oh, is that so?" sputtered Matsushita.
Matsushita turned back, though she was surprised by the unusual speed and
pressure of what Satou was doing.
"Er, I mean, I just saw Tatara-senpai a little bit ago. Wasn't he with you,
Matsushita-san?" asked Satou.
"Well, I'd say it was more like I was being followed than we were together,
actually…"
Apparently, Satou also knew about this third-year student named Tatara. He
had generally slightly above average scores in OAA overall, ranging between B
and C. He also had long hair in an unusual hairstyle for a boy. I wondered what
that kind of hairstyle was called… I didn't really know very much about those
kinds of things.
"He was too excited, and it made me recoil a bit. I was trying to turn him
down in a roundabout way," said Matsushita.
"Ah, okay, I get what you're saying," said Satou.
I didn't get it, though. I went back to investigating underneath the sofa for the
time being, which I had been in the middle of doing before.
"Hey, Ayanokouji-kun, don't you think a code probably wouldn't be in a place
like that?" Satou said. "Even if there is one, I think it probably wouldn't be a big
one."
It was true that somewhere underneath a sofa could have easily been chosen
as a stereotypical hiding place for a QR code. In fact, you could see a QR code
peeking out underneath the sofa, if you crouched down and looked at a slight
angle. Of course, I was not going to be scanning this code.
"The important thing here is the school's pattern," I replied.
"Pattern?" she repeated.
"When they decided to run this game, the way they decided upon the values
for the codes was important," I elaborated.
"Um…?" She cocked her head to the side, not quite understanding me.
However, Matsushita responded right away, without even giving it much
thought.
"Naturally, they'd be putting high-value QR codes in difficult-to-find
locations," she said.
"That's right. Then, the next question is, who would determine what
constitutes 'difficult-to-find' in this case?" I asked.
This time, it was Satou who got the answer in before Matsushita.
"The teachers!" exclaimed Satou.
However, Matsushita stepped in afterward, to append her answer with
additional context.
"I'm sure it would be a lot of work to put up a hundred stickers with QR
codes, right?" she said. "I don't doubt that it was the teachers who put them
up, but it's hard to imagine that only one or two people could do it. Even if they
split up the work and did it during the dead of night last night, they must have
sent out several people to do the job…"
"So, did they carefully decide on where to place the QR codes throughout the
ship while the students were engaged in the uninhabited island exam?" I
pondered. "Or did they suddenly entrust the job to the teachers in charge of
this task? Once we know the answer to that question, it'll probably be easier for
us to guess where the stickers might have been placed."
"I'm sorry, I'm not following a single word you two are saying…" said Satou,
sheepishly.
"The layout of the pathways and the decorations that have been put up are
all fundamentally the same, right?" remarked Matsushita.
"Did you understand what Matsushita-san means by that?" asked Satou,
turning to me.
"Well, yeah," I answered.
"That's amazing, Ayanokouji-kun!" Satou exclaimed.
"Anyway, I think it's an interesting perspective to take, but considering this is
meant to be a treasure hunt, it's probably fine to be a little more casual about
it, right?" I said.
"…I suppose, yeah," said Matsushita-san.
Once that had been said, she wouldn't be able to continue this conversation
any longer. Anyway, she likely just figured it was better to try and reason things
out a little so that we wouldn't regret it later.
"Anyway, too bad for me," she sighed. "Guess someone beat me to it."
"T-too bad?" repeated Satou.
"I think I'll go search around for a dependable partner myself. Anyway, see
ya!" said Matsushita.
Standing around here talking would only result in all of us missing out on
opportunities anyway.
6.3
LESS THAN AN HOUR had passed since the treasure hunt began. By now, many
of the participants had scattered, and there were no longer people clustered
around in groups of dozens of more. However, I did see students passing by
constantly, searching intensely in the same locations. Speaking psychologically,
it would be difficult for someone to just go ahead and scan the very first QR
code they found. Even if you considered that QR code you discovered to have
been difficult to find, you wouldn't have any frame of reference to compare it
too. There was probably a certain percentage of students, me and Satou
included, who could have actually discovered the 500,000-or one-million-point
codes already but refrained from scanning them or decided to ignore them for
now.
"Good morning, Ayanokouji-senpai."
"Hm? Oh, morning, Nanase," I replied.
I had thought I sensed a presence approach me from behind, and it turned
out to be none other than Nanase. I guess, once again, that we were setting yet
another new record for consecutive run-ins since the vacation began, huh.
"…Who's she?" asked Satou.
For some reason, Satou seemed visibly cautious of Nanase, shooting her a
glare. For Nanase's part, though, she didn't interpret the look Satou was giving
her as anything offensive and simply bowed her head respectfully.
"My name is Nanase Tsubasa, from Class 1-D," she announced.
"Hmm… It's hard to believe that you're a first-year," remarked Satou, eyeing a
particular area of Nanase's body.
Nanase simply cocked her head to the side, puzzled.
"You think so? I don't think I look nearly mature enough to be mistaken for
someone older, though," she said.
"H-huh? Who says you're not mature?" Satou exclaimed. "You certainly look
mature no matter who you ask!"
"Really? Hearing you compliment me like that makes me quite happy," said
Nanase. "I'll do my utmost every day so that I may become more mature."
"There's no point in trying to become even more mature, is there? Err, I
mean, how exactly are you going to do that?" Satou leaned forward a bit; it
sounded as though she wanted to become more mature herself.
"It's difficult to explain in concrete terms, but… Yes, I believe that mental
growth is essential."
"Mmental?" Satou repeated in surprise. "So, not like, drinking milk or getting
a massage every day?"
"It's certainly true that such actions that promote physical growth are
connected to becoming mature, but in my case, I think it's coming from the
mind," said Nanase.
"Hm… This is the first I've heard of that. But it's strangely convincing."
It's nice that you're so impressed, Satou, but I don't think you and Nanase are
on the same page here…
"Are you treasure-hunting too, Nanase?" I asked.
"Huh? Oh, um, no, I'm not," she replied. "For some reason, I just felt like
taking it easy today."
It sounded like she wasn't taking part in the event. But in that case, why did
she come here?
"I'm glad to see that you're looking well again today, Ayanokouji-senpai. Well,
I think it's time I were going now."
Not long after I parted ways with Nanase, I happened to walk past Nakaizumi
as well.
"Nakaizumi?" I muttered aloud.
"Hm? Is something up with Nakaizumi-kun?" Satou asked.
I was trying not to pay it much mind over the past few days, but it didn't seem
to be a coincidence after all. It wasn't merely by chance that I was running into
Nanase every day.
First and foremost, Nanase was deliberately making contact with me so that
she could check how I was doing each day. It was only on the third day that I
was the one who found Nanase instead, when she was having lunch out on the
deck. But even if I hadn't gone over to talk to her then, it was safe to assume
she would've come to me.
And then there was Nakaizumi, who was following after Nanase. He might not
have been following Nanase every time she was out, but he was certainly up to
something. In all likelihood, it was Ryuuen's shadow looming behind Nakaizumi.
I wondered if Nakaizumi was investigating my relationship with Nanase, but so
far, he hadn't seemed to be paying me any mind. In that case, it was better for
me to assume that that he was only keeping tabs on Nanase.
I wanted to try to deduce what reason they could have for tracking her.
Ryuuen was looking for the perpetrator who had injured Komiya and Kinoshita.
If that was what this was about though, Nanase was completely innocent.
Simply getting testimony from Sudou and Ike would make that clear. In that
case, why would Ryuuen be keeping an eye on her? Both Nanase and I knew
that she saw Amasawa that day, but if Nanase knew more and was keeping that
information to herself, it would be a different story.
Even if I pondered the matter further right now, I wouldn't find anything out. I
decided to just file that away in the back of my mind for now.
"I-I found one, Ayanokouji-kun!" Satou exclaimed happily, pointing. "In a kind
of hard-to-find spot!"
It was on the other side of a standing lamp, in a place that was almost
completely out of sight. Hidden under the shade was a sticker with a QR code.
Fortunately, there didn't seem to be anyone else but us here at the moment.
"But we won't know how many points it's worth until we scan it, right?" Satou
added.
"That's the hard part," I replied.
I had a feeling that this wasn't the most commonly found QR code, as it
seemed somewhat difficult to find, but was hard to judge since it wasn't
actually that difficult.
"What should we do?" asked Satou.
"Let's see…"
Nonetheless, I had no doubt that this QR code was too good to simply throw
out. I took out my phone, turned on the camera, and pointed it at the code.
"Huh? W-wait, is that okay? To go ahead and scan it?"
"Actually, I'm not scanning it."
Satou blinked. "Huh?"
I pressed the button to take a picture, saving a zoomed-in photograph of the
QR code.
"What are you doing?" asked Satou.
"I'm keeping pictures of QR codes that seem like they might be worth a lot of
Private Points, like this one," I explained. "That way, if we can't find a better
code later, then we can just have you scan the QR code from the photo I saved,
Satou."
"Huh? R-really? Will that still work, scanning it from a photo?" she asked.
"As long as it's a clear shot, it should work without any issues."
It would be inefficient to come all the way back here looking for a QR code we
found before. Besides, our rivals might beat us to it anyway. However, if we
found multiple codes and saved them, we could just scan any of the ones we
had if we needed to. If we got a hit with one of those codes, we'd be in luck.
Even with just one phone, it was possible to point the camera at the QR code
and display the URL. However, our phones weren't capable of copying the URL
if we didn't access it first, which meant that if we wanted to keep the URL, we'd
have to manually type it in later. And if you accidentally touched the URL, you'd
start the process of redeeming the code, and then the points would be
transferred into your account.
"The school said that there were benefits to pairing up, but they weren't just
talking about the fact that you share points," I added. "Using two phones means
we can use time-saving techniques, and we can prevent accidents from
happening."
I figured some students who were panicking and made a mad dash for codes
may have overlooked this fact. I was sure that many other students were
probably employing these techniques though. Now, we just had to hope that no
one else found this QR code. If anyone spotted us standing here looking at this
standing lamp, this hiding spot would be immediately exposed.
"Let's move," I said aloud.
"Okay," replied Satou.
We headed to a different floor and began searching for QR codes once again. I
was groping around underneath a sofa, and something caught my attention.
"Looks like there's one here too," I remarked.
"That's kind of an easy pattern, isn't it?" she pointed out. "I mean, that
there's one under this sofa here, like the others."
"Satou, would you stand watch for a minute?" I asked.
"Sure, but what's up?"
I sat in front of the couch and lowered my face down to take a peek.
"I thought we couldn't expect much from these kinds of QR codes though?"
she asked.
"For the QR code here, yeah," I replied.
I started to run my hand not against the floor underneath the sofa, but rather,
along the bottom of the sofa itself. Usually, I looked at the floor underneath,
but I hadn't looked at the underside of the sofa before. I supposed it might have
been more correct to say that I couldn't look at it, rather than I wasn't looking
at it. But when you touched it with your hands, you'd notice that something felt
different.
The underside of the sofa should be fabric and even, so something wasn't
right. Here, there was something that caught your fingers if you ran your hand
along it. It was a five-centimeter square. There was a sticker placed here. I took
my phone in my hands, held it underneath the sofa, and took a picture. By using
the light from my phone camera's flash, I was able to get a picture of the QR
code in the dark.
"Wow, there really was something there!" Satou said. "It's a QR code! You
normally wouldn't find one there, for sure!"
If I had been participating in this treasure hunt game alone, it wouldn't have
been easy for me to scan this QR code. Sure, I could have still saved a
photograph of the QR code by taking a picture with the flash on, but I wouldn't
have been able to scan it from my own phone. And even if I tried to flip the sofa
over, I'd basically be committing to scanning the QR code without delay as
doing something like that would be a big deal and rather conspicuous.
However, since I was paired up with someone, I could just have Satou scan it
from the photo, and everything would work out smoothly.
"It seems like you really think of everything, and so does the school,"
observed Satou.
After finding a new potential code to scan, we decided to keep moving.
6.4
EVEN THOUGH THIS SHIP was quite expansive, students couldn't just freely go
wherever they wanted. Inevitably, students were concentrated in the places
where they could hang out, so unexpected encounters were common here. One
young man headed toward the outdoor café, while another walked back to his
own cabin. Two people who had completely unrelated destinations happened
to encounter one another in the corridor.
Both were walking down the middle of the hall, and neither showed any sign
of backing down. They noticed each other's presence almost simultaneously
and stopped just about a meter apart.
"Yo, Ryuuen. Thank you so much for what you did the other day."
The first to open his mouth to speak was Housen Kazuomi, from Class 1-D.
"You sure it's okay for you to be up and about? I mean, you may as well stay
in bed for another week or so, I figure."
And the person to respond was none other than Ryuuen Kakeru.
"Don't worry 'bout it," Housen said. "Besides, even if I beat you half to death
right here… Nah, even if I actually kill you, it ain't even gonna make me feel any
better. I've got two targets to kill now rather than one, so looks like I'm gonna
be busy."
"Man, you'd sure look lame if you lost to the same opponent twice," Ryuuen
replied. "Don't push your luck."
They were each repeatedly trying to provoke the other, but neither one was
ready to start throwing punches.
"Heh," Housen scoffed. "Anyway, loser, I heard you've been secretly buyin'
out Free Ride cardholders from the first-years. You bet on that third-year
Nagumo, if I remember. Didn't you make quite a bit from that?"
"Ku ku. What, someone pissed themselves and told, huh? Who? I made sure
to put a clause in the contract that they'd have to keep their mouths shut."
Before the uninhabited island exam started, Ryuuen approached first-year
students who had the Free Ride card and had them sign contracts. Those
students were apparently supposed to give up all the points they earned from
whatever group they had designated if that group won anything. If the group
they picked only gotten into the top fifty percent, they would have only earned
30,000 points. In other words, if you were going to get even more value out of
that, then some people were going to have to give up their claim to it.
In the end, Ryuuen had designated Nagumo's group, and had gotten 280,000
points across all the students he had contracts with. Most of Ryuuen's
classmates were unaware of this fact, and only the people he used to execute
his plan knew about it.
"If you lick my shoes, then I'll give you a little bit of my leftovers. How's that
sound, gorilla?" mocked Ryuuen, with a smile.
He continued on his way, never even taking his hands out of his pockets.
Housen could have stood his ground, but he took a step aside, making way for
Ryuuen to pass. Ishizaki followed right after Ryuuen. Though he was wary of
Housen, he continued hurrying after Ryuuen. Housen, too, strode confidently
down the middle of the hallway afterward, never once looking back.
"Man, that guy's as crazy as ever, dude, geez," said Ishizaki. "But he got all
scared and made way for you."
"Dude's got balls," said Ryuuen.
"But, uh…"
"It's a sign of his determination. He's sayin' that if I do somethin' to him again,
he's gonna let me have it next time," said Ryuuen. He had sensed Housen's
killing intent and violent nature in that brief moment when he walked past him.
"He's trouble, huh?" remarked Ishizaki.
"Drop it. I know he's gonna be a difficult guy to deal with, but first we gotta
find the culprit."
"Yeah. I'm gonna have Nishino help keep 'er in check," said Ishizaki.
Ishizaki took out his phone to check something. Then, he guided Ryuuen
ahead, leading the way. Shortly thereafter, Ryuuen and Ishizaki arrived at their
intended destination. Before Ishizaki could announce anything though, Ryuuen
approached the lone female student there.
"You Nanase Tsubasa?" he asked.
"Yes," she said. "Do you need something from me?"
Though Nanase had been called, being compelled to stay where she was, she
didn't seem in the least bit panicked as she looked at Ryuuen. She didn't
understand why she had drawn the attention of one of her senpai, after all.
"Sorry, but I'm gonna need a minute of your time," Ryuuen said.
Normally, Ryuuen himself would've been enough for the job, or himself and
Ishizaki. But they had a girl from their class, Nishino, accompany them as well to
help keep Nanase there. Ryuuen knew that if they created a situation where an
underclassman girl was surrounded only by guys, it could be a disadvantage to
them, not a benefit.
"I wanted to ask you about something that happened during the uninhabited
island exam," Ryuuen went on.
"Something during the exam?" she asked.
Nanase still didn't quite know what was going on, but she quickly understood
after what Ryuuen said next.
"Komiya got hurt. I'm lookin' for the person who did it."
"Why are you coming to me?" asked Nanase.
"The five people who rushed to the scene were Sudou, Ayanokouji, Ike,
Hondou, and you. Ain't no way we're gettin' any leads talkin' to Sudou, Ike, or
Hondou."
"In that case, why not ask Ayanokouji-senpai, as he is also in your grade
level?"
"Yeah, I'm gonna have a chat with him too, of course," Ryuuen said.
"Depending on how things go, at least. But let's start with you. Seemed like you
were stuck to Ayanokouji like glue during the exam. Why?"
"I don't think that has anything to do with the incident," said Nanase.
"Let's wait until I hear what you have to say before we decide whether it's
unrelated or not."
Most people readily confessed anything when they were confronted by
Ryuuen, bearing down on them with his coercive behavior. Nanase, however,
wasn't flustered at all.
"I am sorry, but I have nothing to tell you," she said, refusing him calmly.
She bowed and tried to leave, but Ryuuen thrust his leg out, slamming the
bottom of his foot against the wall.
"You ain't got the right to decide to talk or not," he said.
"You are quite a violent person, aren't you? I think if anyone were to see this
situation, it would likely create problems for you," Nanase warned him.
"Don't worry. I got a few other people on hand to make sure that doesn't
happen."
"I understand that Komiya-senpai is a classmate of yours, Ryuuen-senpai.
However, I do not think I can be of any help to you. I do not have any leads."
"That so?" Ryuuen said. "You've sure been makin' the rounds a lot these past
several days, goin' all over the place."
"What are you talking about?" asked Nanase. She didn't avert her eyes and
simply told him that she didn't understand what he meant. Unfortunately, that
provided an opening for Ryuuen to exploit.
"You've been keepin' tabs on Kurachi from Class 1-C, all day long, while
everyone else is playin' around and havin' fun. Haven't you?"
For the first time since their conversation began, Nanase's eyes widened, and
she appeared visibly shaken. "H…"
"Once I heard about what happened with Komiya, I had people keepin' tabs
on Sudou, Ike, Hondou, and you, just to be safe," Ryuuen continued. "Those
three guys have been playin' around like a buncha idiots, but that's pretty
normal here on this boat. You, on the other hand, you haven't been havin' any
fun at all. You've been followin' around a particular first-year. That don't seem
normal."
"It's just a coincidence," said Nanase.
"Coincidence, huh. Lots of people are havin' fun, like with that treasure hunt
thing goin' on today. Kurachi's participatin'. But you're not. And yet you were
following him all this time until Nishino caught up with you. So that's just a
coincidence too, that you were doing all that today?"
If you were playing the game, then you'd have to go around looking for QR
codes. But if you weren't taking part, you could save yourself that hassle.
Nanase had been so focused on watching Kurachi that she hadn't noticed she
herself was being watched.
"I suppose I still have much to learn too," she said. "To think that I hadn't
realized that I've been followed day after day. I'm quite surprised."
"Be thankful I reached out to you first," sneered Ryuuen.
"Excellent work, Ryuuen-senpai. However, the matter of Kurachi-kun has
nothing to do with what happened to Komiya-senpai."
"Huh, that so? In that case, guess I'll go have a little chat with Kurachi directly
then."
"That would be a problem," said Nanase.
"Then tell me what you know. Or are you not able to say anything unless
someone gives you instructions?"
"Nothing of the sort. However, the fact remains that what's irrelevant is
irrelevant."
"Don't make me repeat myself. You ain't the one who decides that. I am."
Ryuuen had a smile on his face during this entire exchange and he continued
wearing it, never letting it fade. But the air he gave off changed over time.
Ishizaki, who had been watching by Ryuuen's side, had felt his intimidation
many times over now, but he still hadn't gotten used to it. He wasn't even the
one being questioned, but he almost wanted to roll over and start talking
himself.
However, despite all that, Nanase looked Ryuuen straight in the eye, without
showing any hint of unease.
"You're mistaken," she insisted. "You do not have the authority to make those
kinds of judgments, Ryuuen-senpai."
"What are you hemmin' and hawin' for?" Ryuuen snapped. "Why don't you
just hurry up and get on with whatever this is?"
It was certainly true that Nanase Tsubasa was feeling hesitant and full of
doubt. The seed of these anxieties came from what happened during the midpoint of the uninhabited island exam. It went back to the day when Nanase
took her repressed anger out on Ayanokouji, using him as an outlet for her
frustrations, after Amasawa had appeared before her and Ayanokouji with a
deadly weapon. That was when Ayanokouji had surmised that there was
someone else out there other than Amasawa.
At the time, Ayanokouji had declined to use the GPS search. However, Nanase
had secretly conducted a search in her own tent. Still, she proceeded to slip into
Ayanokouji's tent, without looking through all the details. That was because she
knew that if she thoughtlessly investigated more deeply and found something
out, he would see right through her and notice her shock and unrest. But thanks
to her secret GPS search, Nanase had discovered that other than Amasawa,
Ayanokouji and herself, there were two more people nearby at that time.
Those people were Kushida Kikyou, a second-year student, and Kurachi
Naohiro, a first-year student. Normally, she would've investigated both people,
but since Kushida was a second-year student and one of Ayanokouji's
classmates, she decided to put that on hold. Apart from that incident, Nanase
had been contacting Ayanokouji on a regular basis to see if there was anything
unusual going on with him—and, depending on how things were going, to
protect him if necessary. It seemed that had gone unnoticed.
"This is a waste of time," Ryuuen decided. "Come on, let's go have a chat with
him."
Nanase hung her head low, as if she had given up. However, she suddenly
looked back up.
"Unfortunately, he's out searching for QR codes throughout the ship, so I do
not know where he is," she said.
Ryuuen let out a small chuckle and took out his phone.
"Where's Kurachi at?" he said into the phone. "Fourth floor, where the guest
cabins are… All right. Headin' there now."
It seemed as though Ryuuen had predicted how this entire conversation with
Nanase was going to go. After his brief call, he slipped his phone back into his
pocket.
"After you pulled me away from Kurachi-kun, you were still having people
keep watch on him, hm?" remarked Nanase.
"Unlike you, I've got lots of people at my disposal, at my beck and call, to be
my eyes and ears," said Ryuuen.
"Kurachi-kun might really have nothing to do with this, though," said Nanase.
"I don't need you to tell me that. I've just gotta cross things off the list, one by
one."
The only lead that both Nanase and Ryuuen could follow right now was
Kurachi.
"So? You comin' or not?" Ryuuen said. "Hurry up and decide."
Nanase didn't need to bother imagining that if she refused Ryuuen's offer, he
was going to press Kurachi by himself. She nodded, deciding to go with him to
see Kurachi.
Before too long, she could see Kurachi searching for QR codes, together with
Taguri, who she presumed to be his partner.
"Please allow me to speak to Kurachi-kun alone first, just the two of us," she
said.
"Why?" replied Ryuuen.
"Because I'll be able to extract information from him skillfully."
"What guarantee do I got that you'll get the information I want out of him?"
Ryuuen demanded.
"You will just have to trust me."
"Sorry, but I don't."
"Even so, you have no choice but to trust me," said Nanase. "I will most
definitely report back everything I hear."
"Ugh, fine, whatever," Ryuuen huffed. "But I ain't gonna show you any mercy
if you screw up, even if you're a chick. Got it?"
"I was assuming as much," Nanase replied.
Ryuuen gestured with his chin, instructing Nishino and Ishizaki to get Taguri
away from Kurachi. Being called out by second-year students like Ishizaki and
Nishino, Taguri could only do as he was told obediently.
"Could I have a minute of your time, Kurachi-kun?" asked Nanase.
"Huh? Wait, you're… If I remember correctly, you're Nanase from Class D,
right?" Kurachi said.
Seeing his partner, Taguri, get summoned by their senpai had shaken Kurachi
somewhat, and he found himself feeling quite restless.
"I would just like to ask you a few questions," said Nanase.
"Sorry, but I'm doing the treasure hunt right now, so I don't have time f—"
"Please tell me the reason why you were targeting Ayanokouji-senpai during
the uninhabited island exam," she said sternly, cutting him off.
"Huh? Wh-what are you talking about?"
If Nanase took her time, there was no telling when Ryuuen might suddenly
butt in. She needed to get answers out of Kurachi while they were alone.
"It's pointless to try and hide it," she told him. "On the seventh day of the
exam, during that big downpour, I used the GPS Search feature to see who was
in the vicinity. Amasawa-san was there. Aside from her, there was another
person there. You. And, not far from the area, there were tools meant for
assaulting people. You cannot talk your way out of this."
"I don't have a clue what you're on about!" Kurachi shouted in a loud voice,
denying that he knew anything. He tried to get away, but Nanase clasped onto
his arm.
"Do you see those second-year students back there?" she said. "They're
frantically searching for whoever tried to attack Ayanokouji-senpai. Depending
on how their search goes, they might even resort to violence."
"H-huh? Hey, don't mess with me! What the hell is this, anyway?!"
"Shh!" Nanase hushed him. "It's better if you don't antagonize them by
shouting too loudly."
"B… B-but, I… I only…!" he wailed.
"Only?"
"I was told that…if I attacked Ayanokouji-senpai, I'd be paid…"
"Someone was going to pay you if you attacked him?" asked Nanase.
"Normally, I wouldn't have accepted an offer like that," Kurachi said. "But I
spent all my Private Points, and…"
"And?" she prompted him.
"I was told that it was fine to just 'pretend' to attack him, that it wouldn't be a
big deal. I didn't really do anything wrong. You get that, right?"
It was certainly true that simply pretending to attack someone could be
dismissed as just a joke.
"Who ordered you to pretend to attack him and offered you money for it?"
Nanase asked. "And when?"
"That's… Well, it was before the exam…"
"B-before the exam?" Nanase was surprised to hear that. She didn't expect
that it would've happened that early. "Meaning, in other words…it was planned
from the beginning?"
"And I don't even know who gave the orders," Kurachi went on. "The Private
Points were just transferred into my account with me having to do anything."
"…You're lying, aren't you?" Nanase said.
"Buh?! I-I'm not lying!"
"You clearly know something, and you're hiding it. That's how this looks to
me."
"I don't—" Kurachi didn't finish his thought.
"I don't know how deeply you're aware of this, Kurachi-kun," Nanase said,
"but your actions at that time meant that Ryuuen-senpai had to change his
plans. And not only that, but Housen-kun's plans were changed, as well."
Kurachi furrowed his brow in unease after hearing this abrupt change in topic.
"Right now, he's frantically searching for the culprit. I wonder, what would
happen if I reported this…? I'm sure that Housen-kun would bring his fists
against you quite mercilessly, Kurachi-kun. Wouldn't you agree?"
The second-year Ryuuen and the first-year Housen. Both of those skilled
martial artists were threatening to go after him.
"W-w-w-wait!" Kurachi cried. He had been whispering before, but now he
frantically raised his voice. "Wait, I said! I get it, I'll talk! I'll talk, so just give me
a break!"
Housen was the most despised and feared person among all the first-years.
After trying it out for herself, Nanase had found that the power of his name was
even more potent than she had imagined.
"…It was my classmate," said Kurachi. "Utomiya."
"Utomiya-kun?"
"Yeah. He said that he wanted me to attack Ayanokouji-senpai, and that he'd
pay me after the special exam was over."
"Is that true?" Nanase pressed.
"Seriously, yes! It's the truth!" he wailed.
Nanase looked into Kurachi's eyes, and then nodded once.
"I believe you, Kurachi-kun," she said. "I have one final question for you. Do
you know anything about the incident during which Komiya-senpai and
Kinoshita-senpai were injured?"
"Komiya?" Kurachi echoed. "No, I don't know a thing. Seriously, not a clue.
Anyway, please don't tell Housen that I had anything to do with Ayanokouji,
okay? Okay?"
"I understand. I promise," said Nanase.
Nanase told Kurachi that he could go, and Taguri was released at the same
time. Ryuuen immediately went over and approached Nanase, demanding that
she speak. Nanase told him honestly that Kurachi didn't seem to know anything
about what happened to Komiya, but Ryuuen didn't believe her. Even though
he had been watching from a distance, he could tell that Kurachi had told
Nanase something.
"According to what he said…Utomiya-kun might know something," said
Nanase.
"Utomiya?"
"Utomiya-kun," Nanase repeated. "He's a member of Class 1-C, alongside
Kurachi-kun."
Ryuuen immediately took out his phone and looked up Utomiya's face and
abilities in OAA.
"Don't recall ever seein' his mug before," he muttered. "Still, an A for Physical
Ability, huh."
"If it were Utomiya-kun, he might very well be capable enough to shove
Komiya-kun down without being spotted," Nanase said. "However, we do not
have any definite proof yet."
"You're startin' to connect some dots, aren't ya?"
"…What are you planning to do?" asked Nanase.
"Ain't it obvious?" Ryuuen said. "I'm gonna track this little punk Utomiya
down and make him tell me what's up."
"Please wait. I do not approve."
If Utomiya were a White Room student, then he would be a difficult opponent
to face, even for Ryuuen. More importantly, though, Nanase knew that
Ayanokouji wouldn't exactly be grateful if things started moving ahead without
his permission.
"A case with no conclusive evidence… No, this is a problem," she said. "Even
supposing Utomiya-kun were the culprit, if he were cleared of all allegations,
then that would be the end of it, no?"
"That all depends on how you threaten 'im, just like how you got Kurachi to
spill his guts," said Ryuuen.
"I was able to get the truth out of him because I had been tailing him for the
past several days and had done some preliminary research," Nanase said. "Also,
considering Kurachi-kun's personality, I figured that I could get what I needed if
I pushed him. But as for Utomiya-kun, he's an unknown quantity."
"Whaddaya want me to do then?" asked Ryuuen.
"Please give me some time. I'm not saying for free, of course."
"Oh? Keep going."
"I've kept quiet about this for quite some time now, but there's another
witness to Komiya-senpai's case that you are not aware of, Ryuuen-senpai. I do
not mind telling you who that person is."
"Who?" barked Ryuuen.
"I can't tell you now," Nanase replied. "Not until you tell me that you will
refrain from contacting Utomiya-kun. If you agree, I'll tell you."
"You drive a hard bargain, girly," Ryuuen scoffed. "Well fine, whatever. I'll
accept your terms."
"Thank you very much. I will follow up with the details."
"But you know, if you're lyin' to me, you better be prepared for the
consequences. Got it?"
"It's not a lie."
"Ku ku, all right. All right. Get back to me before I lose my patience," said
Ryuuen.
Nanase responded with a brief acknowledgement, nodded, and then walked
away.
6.5
WE HAD FOUND several QR codes so far, but there was still just the one that
seemed like it might be worth a lot of points. There were several students in
sight who were searching for codes, so the competition was most definitely
fierce. Since we were prohibited from employing non-participants to engage
human wave tactics—that is, throwing large numbers of non-participants into
the game to help us—it was unlikely that many students were going to do
anything openly dishonest. But with over 200 students participating in this
game, it was inevitable that some of them would cheat.
I noticed that Satou had suddenly stopped in her tracks and turned around.
"What should I give my all in?" she said aloud. "What can I work at so that I
don't make trouble for the class?"
"What's this all about, all of a sudden?" I asked.
"Sorry for asking a weird question out of nowhere like that," she said. "But
this isn't something that just randomly popped up into my head, y'know? I've
been thinking about it since before the uninhabited island exam. I've been
thinking about how I can be useful to our class."
She looked down, looking at the palms of her hands.
"I wish I could go back and talk to my old, excited self, before I started school
here. Back when I was all fired up and all I could think about was just having fun
doing whatever in high school, and that I could get a job anywhere. I'd tell her
that this place isn't a normal school. That it's a totally ridiculous place."
To put it a little less kindly, Satou was, overall, less capable than the average
high school student. Still, she was on the higher end of the class's social
hierarchy, and her voice carried a good deal of weight. Although improving
academic ability, physical ability, and communication skills each came with
varying degrees of difficulty, many people could improve with some effort. If
you wanted a clear example, Sudou's name would be the first to come to mind.
He had been at the bottom of the class in academic ability but showed
remarkable growth and quickly improved his academic abilities by leaps and
bounds. As you could see from that example, the important thing was promise,
room for growth.
"If you want to work hard for your classmates, then studying is probably
essential," I replied.
"Ugh… Yeah, you're right." Satou sheepishly hung her head low and scratched
her cheek, as if to say, "I figured as much." "Oh, Ayanokouji-kun, I don't
suppose…you would tutor me, would you?"
"Me?" I asked.
As soon as answered, though, Satou immediately thrust out her hands,
waving them in a flustered panic.
"Oh, sorry, sorry! Forget what I said just now! Karuizawa-san would get mad
at me…!"
"Wouldn't it be okay to just have Horikita tutor you?" I asked.
"Horikita-san? But, um, she and I don't really get along too well, y'know?"
That was putting it quite mildly. Satou hadn't really made any effort to make
friends with Horikita in the past year and a half.
"Putting aside the fact that you two would need to get along, I think she has a
strong reputation when it comes to tutoring," I replied. "After all, she helped
whip Sudou into shape."
There was absolutely no need for me to go into detail about Horikita's nature
or her teaching methods. It was just true that she had been able to develop
Sudou, the biggest problem child in our class.
"Well, Sudou-kun certainly did overtake me in a flash… That's for sure," Satou
agreed.
"You don't want the dishonor of being given the title of worst student in the
worst class in our grade, do you?" I asked.
"A-absolutely not."
Satou was one of the students near the bottom of the rankings in our class, so
she felt a powerful sense of urgency on that point.
"Then…could I ask you to be a mediator between me and Horikita-san,
Ayanokouji-kun?" she asked.
"If that's all, then sure, that's no problem."
If there was some hope that this would improve our class's academic
performance, there was no way Horikita would turn Satou down. Sudou might
have some conflicting feelings about having more people around Horikita
regardless of whether they were the same sex or not, but he wasn't going to
refuse either.
6.6
"HORIKITA-SENPAI, it's time for a shift change," Yagami-kun said. "Please take
a break."
It had been about two hours since the treasure hunt game had started, and it
was just about noon. Yagami-kun approached me because it was his turn to
take over checking the reward payouts. I closed the register of first-year
students and slowly looked up at him.
"I'm not particularly tired, and I don't mind continuing the task of verifying
rewards on my own," I replied.
I wanted to cherish this time I had right now, to be able to freely look through
the roster of students with just a small group of people.
"That will not do," said Yagami-kun. "I also have a job that I've been given. If I
just let you handle everything, Horikita-senpai, then I couldn't call myself a
member of the student council."
"…Yes, I suppose you're exactly right. That's true."
It was unlikely that someone who subscribed to the idea, "If I can take it easy,
then I will," would join the student council. I decided not to fight it, and instead,
backed off.
"Thank you. In that case, I suppose I'll take you up on your offer and take a
break," I added.
"Of course. Go ahead," said Yagami-kun.
That meant that I would be helping verify rewards again later, starting at two
o'clock, and then my role would be over. I supposed it wasn't much of a burden
if I looked at it as a time for work, but…
"Horikita-senpai, how many people have received rewards thus far?" asked
Yagami-kun as he looked down at the register of names.
"If we're including those in pairs, about forty students, I believe," I replied.
"There was a student who actually got the 500,000-point code, but I get the
impression that a surprisingly large number of students have misjudged the
codes they found and ended up with only 5,000 points."
"They likely don't want other students to find the QR codes they found,
thinking that they were the only ones who saw them," Yagami-kun said. "They
probably wanted to hurry up and scan them. I can understand that, more or
less."
I supposed that if they passed over a QR code they found, there was no
guarantee that they'd be able to find it again later. What I was more concerned
about right now was the other person who Yagami-kun had come here together
with. Yagami-kun turned toward that person with a smile on his face.
"Well then, I will see you later, Kushida-senpai," he said.
I had heard that she and Yagami-kun were close during their junior high days,
but from the looks of things, their relationship had continued in this school too.
"Yes, see you later, Yagami-kun," she replied.
I couldn't help but notice that the friendly way she sent him off made it seem
like they had transcended the boundary of mere friends. I supposed I would
describe their apparent relationship as something more than friends, but less
than lovers. It seemed fitting way to describe it that way.
"If anything happens, call me, and I'll come running," I urged him.
"I understand. Thank you very much," he replied.
Yagami-kun had only been involved in student council affairs for a brief time,
but he had strong communication skills and the ability to handle obvious work
that needed to be done. He was a dependable junior in the sense that I could
trust him with the job, and there was no doubt that he was much more capable
than the other two first-year students who joined the student council at the
same time he did. And although such a discussion was a long way off, I felt that I
could say he was the best candidate for student council president for the
generation after us.
When I had left my post, I saw that Kushida-san had also left instead of
staying by Yagami-kun's side. It was only natural that she'd do that, though,
since she wouldn't want to get in the way of the work that he needed to do. I
had to assume that the fact she was walking next to me, side-by-side, meant
something.
"You were with Yagami-kun earlier, weren't you? Why aren't you participating
in the treasure hunt game, Kushida-san?" I asked.
"Hmm. I suppose I just didn't feel like participating for some reason. There are
quite a few people like that, you know?"
"It's true that the participation rates for the second-year and third-year
students wasn't as high as I thought they would be," I conceded.
It meant that people prioritized their vacation days over the chance to earn a
high number of Private Points. I supposed that the time we could spend here on
this ship was precious, even if it was just a vacation.
"You're going on break right now, right, Horikita-san?" said Kushida-san. "If
you wouldn't mind, would you like to have lunch together?"
"With me?" I couldn't hide my suspicions about Kushida-san's unusual
proposal.
"Is it strange that I'm inviting you out? Well, actually, I suppose it is, isn't it?"
said Kushida-san, smiling in amusement.
She didn't let that smile she showed to everyone crack. This wasn't a situation
where she even needed to think about it.
"All right," I agreed. "I have some other student council work to do later, so I
suppose I should put something in my stomach. But it's possible I could get
called away on short notice, so is it all right if we just buy something from the
kiosk?"
"Of course," she replied.
I knew there weren't many opportunities for Kushida-san to call on me like
this. This might also be a good opportunity for me to ask some questions that
had been smoldering deep down inside me.
"May I ask you a potentially insensitive question?" I asked as soon as we
started moving, not wanting to waste any time.
"About the reason I invited you out, Horikita-san?" she asked.
"Well, yes, there's that, but—"
"The reason why I'm close with Yagami-kun?"
It seemed as though Kushida-san already knew what I wanted to ask her, as if
it were entirely obvious.
"I'd be lying if I said it wasn't on my mind," I admitted.
Kushida-san herself was bothered by the fact that her behavior would be
incomprehensible under normal circumstances.
"You're trying to hide your past, about what happened in junior high," I said.
"That's why you've made me, someone who attended the same school as you,
and Ayanokouji-kun, who found out about your past, your enemies… That much
makes sense."
Kushida-san continued facing forward, listening without looking in my
direction.
"Even if Yagami-kun doesn't know anything, I have the impression that you
avoid getting involved with certain kinds of boys. Putting it somewhat harshly, it
seems like you're 'everybody's friend,' a scheming people pleaser. Or, if I were
to put it more nicely, someone who treats everyone impartially."
"There wasn't any need for you to give me the harsh version, was there?" she
asked.
"…I suppose not. I'm sorry if I've offended you."
"A ha ha. You can relax, I'm not mad."
I didn't intentionally mean to speak harshly—I just gave my personal
impressions. While I thought it was careless of me, I supposed there was no
taking it back.
"Why do you think that I'm close to Yagami-kun?" she asked, turning the
question around.
"Do you…have that kind of relationship with Yagami-kun, by any chance?"
I was hesitant to come out and say it directly, so I asked my question in a
somewhat vague manner.
"By that kind of relationship, you mean if we're dating?" she asked.
"…Yes."
"Unfortunately, no, nothing of the sort. I'm not planning on dating anyone in
particular while I'm in school."
That's exactly what it meant to be everyone's friend, I supposed. I knew that
Kushida-san was well-liked by the boys, even though I didn't normally pay much
attention to that kind of thing. There was no avoiding the fact that her
popularity would be affected if she had a lover, whether it was a junior or not. I
didn't think such a thing would suit Kushida-san, a person who wanted to be
seen as better than everyone else.
"In that case, why are you so close with Yagami-kun, then?" I asked.
"Isn't it obvious?" she replied, covering her mouth and giggling. "What a
funny thing to ask. It's because the best way to get rid of someone is to get onto
their side first."
"…I see."
I thought that might have been the case, but I felt overwhelmed by the fact
she was smiling, and that she had answered me straight out, as I had imagined
she would. In other words, this meant Yagami-kun was a target for elimination,
just like Ayanokouji-kun and I were. Still, this didn't mean that all my questions
had been answered yet.
"What are the chances that he knows about your past?" I asked. "You can't
say anything for certain, can you?"
"I suppose you're right. There's no proof that he knows for sure."
"In that case—"
"But there's no proof that he doesn't know for sure, is there?" she continued,
still smiling. "Yagami-kun seems to have some feelings for me that go beyond a
normal junior-senior relationship, so sticking close to him is much easier than
you might think. That's why I'm waiting by his side until I find an opening."
Even if was only a one or two percent chance that he knew, as long as it
wasn't zero, he had to be eliminated. That was Kushida-san's fundamental
stance. So not even a junior like Yagami-kun is an exception…
"The number of obstacles in your way just keeps increasing, doesn't it?" I
mused. "You still haven't gotten Ayanokouji-kun or I expelled yet, and now
you're intending to make even more enemies for yourself?"
"You must think it's stupid, don't you, Horikita-san?" she asked.
Well, I didn't think it was a wise move at the very least.
"Essentially, I do not think there's any need for us to be enemies," I said. "If
you were dealing with someone who loved to talk, that would be one thing. But
Ayanokouji-kun and I don't let anything slip."
I'd been wondering why she couldn't seem to understand that part, so I
thought I'd press the matter, venturing into territory that I hadn't touched on
before.
"And where's your proof?" Kushida replied. "Can you say that with 100
percent certainty?"
"Well, I could say it's as close to 100 percent as you could possibly get… But I
suppose that's not going to convince you, is it?"
"Knowing that I have a past I have to protect… That alone is like I'm exposing
my heart, rendering it defenseless. Eventually, you're bound to come grab hold
of that heart, Horikita-san."
"I can't understand what you're saying," I said. "There's no need for me to do
something like that."
"Sure, if there's no need, you won't. But what if the need arises?" said
Kushida-san.
"…What do you mean?"
"What if I took one of our class's secrets and tried to leak it to another class?
What if I betrayed you and tried to move to another class? Can you state with
absolute certainty that you and others would never come to me with a warning,
telling me something like, 'If you don't want your past getting out, do not
betray us?'"
"That's—"
It was certainly true that I couldn't guarantee Kushida-san's past wouldn't
come up if a situation came up where she needed to be controlled. I couldn't
rule out the possibility that I might need to use that as a secret weapon for the
sake of protecting my classmates… That was definitely true. Of course, Kushidasan would try and get out of most things by saying that they were fabrications.
However, some slight cracks had started to show in Kushida-san's credibility
recently. A strategic error in the In-Class Voting event resulted in her needlessly
drawing attention to herself.
"It's up to me, right?" she said. "You know, I'm feeling incredibly frustrated
about this situation and that I have to have these conversations and talk about
this. It makes me feel nauseated, and to be honest, I'm feeling very distressed."
Despite her words, she had a smile on her face, and her tone of voice
remained calm throughout. She was able to control much of her anger and was
masking what she was feeling on the surface.
"I kind of understand what you're trying to say, more or less… But I still feel
like you're overthinking this. I'm worried about you," I told her.
"Heh, is that so? You're worried about me?"
"I would like to ease some of your emotional burden, if at all possible."
"A ha ha ha, you don't need to worry, Horikita-san. I'm fine," Kushida-san
insisted.
"You're fine?" I repeated.
"I've also had enough of this. I've been thinking that I need to get this nasty
business over and done with."
"Meaning…?"
"Meaning, I'm thinking of a way that I can get rid of that burden in my own
way."
In that case, did that mean Kushida-san approached me today having thought
of some kind of solution?
"I've been thinking about it a lot," she went on. "If things continue as they
are, with the situation gradually getting worse and worse, the number of people
who know too much will only increase. Which is why… I'm going to ask you,
first, Horikita-san. Won't you drop out of school?"
Naturally, the most logical way for her emotional burden to be lightened
would be for me to be removed from school. But I couldn't consent to this, of
course. More importantly, it wouldn't resolve everything, anyway.
"It doesn't seem like that's connected to our conversation," I replied. "What
about Ayanokouji-kun's presence? What about Yagami-kun? Even if I am
expelled or drop out, there will still be people who know about you."
I couldn't imagine that me leaving would completely ease her emotional
burden.
"I'm well aware of the fact that Ayanokouji-kun is someone who cannot be
taken lightly," said Kushida-san. "But you know what? He's actually supporting
me with Private Points."
"Supporting you…?" I blinked.
That was something I had heard about from Ayanokouji-kun himself earlier,
but I decided to respond to Kushida by pretending that I didn't know.
"I think he called it a defensive tactic, so that he wouldn't be expelled," she
said. "That means it's proof he understands that I'm an enemy, and, at the
same time, tells me that he's afraid of me. If I show him that I can have you
removed, Horikita-san, then even Ayanokouji-kun will have no choice but to
keep quiet, right? And, if he slips up at all, he could be expelled himself."
Kushida-san flashed me an unsettling grin and brought her face a little closer
to mine.
"At any rate, even if I'm only able to get you alone removed from school,
Horikita-san, that would bring me a certain degree of peace of mind. And that
would give me time to think of another way to get rid of Ayanokouji-kun. As for
Yagami-kun, I'm sure I can handle him at any time. He's a serious little boy who
likes me."
Her large eyes seemed to have color in them, but at the same time, they
didn't. It was possible to read a person's emotions from their eyes, but Kushidasan was most definitely an exception. Her strong determination to have me
expelled never wavered.
"The reason I want you to disappear first, Horikita-san, is because you
attended the same junior high school that I did," she said. "If other people
investigated it, they might be able to arrive at that fact too. But Ayanokouji-kun
met me here in high school, so even if he were to try and expose me, I could
just get out of it by saying that he was lying, right?"
True enough, what Kushida-san was saying was correct. If someone were to
ask which one of us, between and or Ayanokouji-kun, would create more
trouble for Kushida-san by exposing her past, then the answer would most
definitely be me by a huge margin, as the person who went to the same junior
high.
"Do you think that a person can't simply get someone else expelled so easily,
even if they say they're going to? That's what you're thinking, right? After all, I
haven't been able to do anything to you over the past year and a half, Horikitasan. That's a fact. Therefore, I won't be able to get you expelled, even in the
days to come… But is that really true, though?"
"If we were enemies from different classes, then that might have been a
possibility," I said. "But that's not the case. It's no simple task to expel an ally
from your same class."
"I will definitely prove to you that it's possible," said Kushida-san.
"Can't we come to understand one another?" I said. "I am striving to graduate
from Class A together with all my classmates. That includes you too, Kushidasan. And to do that, your help is essential."
"Mo~ron." She cursed at me in such a quiet voice that the tail end of the word
seemed to disappear into nothing. "I am not going to help you. Stop saying
things that make me want to vomit."
"Kushida-san…"
"I'm looking forward to the second semester this year. I think we're definitely
going to have a fun time together."
She slowly moved her face back away from mine, and the wickedness in her
expression faded as she did. Even so, it was clear that there was a mixture of
hatred and anger behind that smile.
"Whatever I try, it's impossible, isn't it…?" I sighed.
Kushida-san began to walk away from me, as if to tell me she'd had enough of
our conversation.
"But, I believe… I'm sure that one day, I'll get you to understand," I muttered.
What I had just said should have reached Kushida-san's ears, but she didn't
stop walking.
6.7
IT WAS JUST AFTER two o'clock in the afternoon. There was still plenty of time
left before the treasure hunt was over, but it was probably safe to conclude
that we had searched most of the ship by now. I had taken pictures of a total of
six QR codes. I had objectively determined three of those codes to be a fourout-of-five in terms of how difficult they were to find. Therefore, I figured it
would be promising to first choose from those three.
"Can you open your camera?" I asked.
"Which one are you going to scan?" said Satou.
"You can pick whichever one you instinctively think is a good one," I replied.
"H-huh? Whichever one I think? Wh-what if I pick a bad one though?"
"We selected these QR codes carefully," I said. "Besides, there's a chance that
they've already been scanned, so we might need to end up trying them all in
the end."
We'd have a better chance if we made a quick decision here rather than
taking our time to think about it.
"O-okay, I got it," she answered.
I took out my phone, and had Satou proceeded to swipe through the pictures
on it. She seemed to agonize over the decision for a few seconds, but then she
steeled herself and pointed her own phone's camera at one of the pictures. It
was the QR code that I found when I held my phone out underneath the couch.
However…
"Ah, seems like this one's no good," she said. "It's already been scanned."
Although that code had been quite a challenge to find, it seemed like other
students had been able to find it too.
"Don't worry about it," I told her. "Pick another one."
She nodded, and without hesitation, scrolled through the pictures, selected
another, and scanned it. But apparently the second code had also been scanned
already, and Satou stomped her foot on the ground in frustration.
"Ugh, and after we went through all the trouble of finding that one too!" she
huffed. "Darn it!"
Satou hurriedly scanned a third code. She stared at the screen for a while, but
then, delighted, she made a great leap into the air.
"It scanned! Look! Something like a treasure chest popped out!"
It was a simple illustration of a treasure chest, with the word TAP next to it.
"I wonder how many points we'll get…" she whispered.
She brought her hand to the screen to tap on the treasure chest with her
pointer finger, but she stopped just before she made contact.
"A-Ayanokouji-kun, you press it!" she cried.
Apparently, she was scared to see the results, so she handed the phone over
to me. I supposed that from Satou's point of view, she spent 10,000 precious
Private Points to participate in this game, so it was scary to see the results. I
took the phone from her and touched the treasure chest on the screen.
"A-Ayanokouji-kun, you're so bold!" she exclaimed.
I didn't really do anything so significant that it could be described that way,
though. The treasure chest glowed, and then a blue light began to surge out
from inside the box. And then…
"Ah! …Oh…"
For a moment, Satou had been intensely surprised, but she quickly realized
the truth, and her joy faded. The reason being was that what came out of the
treasure chest was…not the one-million-point prize, but rather, the 100,000-
point prize. She had been dreaming of getting the 300,000-, 500,000-, or onemillion-point prizes, so she was slightly let down.
"Apparently, that QR code wasn't as difficult to find as we thought it was,
from the looks of it," I observed.
"Yeah, seems that way… That's too bad," she sighed. "Still, though! Even after
subtracting the participation fee, we're still getting 90,000 points, so that's
plenty!"
Needless to say, with a result like that, I felt like I could proudly say that I was
glad I had taken part in this game.
"Thank you, Ayanokouji-kun," said Satou.
"I should be the one thanking you," I replied. "You were the one who found
the code that hadn't been scanned yet, Satou."
"…Hehe."
Satou was acting bashful, the expression on her face seeming both happy and
embarrassed.
6.8
STUDENTS WHO SCANNED a QR code in the treasure hunt had a responsibility to
report it to the school.
Satou and I returned to the starting point, and we headed over toward
Horikita, who was waiting by the reception desk.
"Thank you. With that, the procedure is complete," said Horikita.
Hearing the news, Satou expressed her genuine joy.
"Anyway, Ayanokouji-kun, thank you again for everything today," she said.
"Let's hang out again sometime, okay?"
With that, she waved goodbye and walked away happily. Now that we had
gotten a bit of extra income, it probably wasn't a bad idea to spend some time
enjoying ourselves a little more lavishly.
"Excluding the participation fees, you two have earned a combined total of
180,000 points," said Horikita. "Great work."
"Thanks," I replied.
At this time, it looked like most of the participants had reported back, and
only a few more students were still coming in.
"Looks like you've been hard at work too," I remarked. "Have you taken any
breaks?"
"Yes, for about an hour," she said. "But I can't complain. It was my own idea
to take on this job. I appealed to the school directly for this, for the sake of
fraud prevention."
"A direct appeal, huh. It's small, but it's a step toward becoming student
council president, right?"
Making a good impression with things like this would be appreciated by both
the student council and the school.
"It's not like that," said Horikita. "Even if I hadn't suggested this, there likely
wouldn't have been many instances of cheating anyway. It's just… Well, I just
wanted to be at least of some help, even if only a little."
I didn't really understand why, but it seemed like Horikita's attention was
elsewhere as she was looking off in another direction.
"So, who got the highest number of Private Points in our class?" I asked.
When I did though, she turned my question back around.
"Who do you think?"
"I'm hoping it's not me and Satou," I replied.
"Well, good news for you, you're correct. It's not you. One pair got the
500,000-point code. Kouenji-kun and Wang-san."
"Kouenji? I'm surprised he participated in the first place, but the fact he
partnered up with someone is even more so."
I didn't notice Kouenji earlier when the school was explaining the rules to us
because there were so many people there.
"I'm of the same opinion," said Horikita. "I don't know what kind of
circumstances led to him participating and partnering with someone, but he's
made a considerable amount of money in just the past two weeks."
"No matter what Kouenji does, he certainly breaks the mold."
I never imagined that on top of possessing astounding physical abilities,
Kouenji had luck on his side too. Or, I supposed, it might have been a QR code
that his partner had found.
"Not being able to use Kouenji-kun in the future is going to be a huge
drawback for our class," said Horikita.
"He was never the sort of person who'd work with us in the first place," I said.
"Can't you just be satisfied with the fact that he took first place this time?"
"There's no way I could be satisfied, is there?" she replied. "It's far too much
of a waste not making use of his talents if we're going to be striving for Class A.
Don't you have any ideas?"
A way to make effective use of Kouenji? I felt it was a waste of resources even
just thinking about it.
"It's impossible," I said.
"That was a fast response."
I was confident that I could control other people, at least to a certain extent,
but it was safe to say that the sole exception to this was Kouenji. I had run many
simulations in my head on how to control all my classmates, and Kouenji was
the only one who, no matter how many times I tried, evaded my control.
"Even if you give up, I won't," said Horikita. "His strength is essential."
Trying to control what couldn't be controlled was, simply put, a contradiction.
"Even if it's a waste of time?" I asked.
"You're saying we don't need Kouenji-kun?"
"I think that as long as he doesn't cause any harm, the best course of action is
to leave him be," I replied. "And now that Kouenji has been given a Protect
Point, it's become even more possible for us to do just that."
"That certainly is a rational line of thinking, I suppose," she conceded.
"If our class couldn't win without Kouenji, then I could understand why you'd
be so worked up about it. However, your class has already grown to be capable
of competing against the other classes. And it will continue to grow from here
onward."
"That's certainly true. Compared to a year ago, the class has become much
more dependable," said Horikita. "While striving for Class A is my priority and
my ultimate goal, I want to keep the class together as one. I want to lead the
class in such a way that everyone works together."
That meant she didn't want anyone to be left out, not even Kouenji, huh.
Horikita was looking straight at me when she spoke. Her gaze was so piercing
that it almost made me choke on my words. If Horikita could reel in the man
known as Kouenji to her side, he certainly would make an irreplaceable and
dependable ally. However, clearing that hurdle was probably going to be more
difficult than reaching Class A.
In the past, I wouldn't have taken her statement seriously and I would've just
dismissed what she said as nonsense, ramblings about something beyond her
means. Horikita's growth was slow, but she was progressing step by step. Well…
despite that, I still couldn't say for certain that even Horikita would be able to
move Kouenji someday. Honestly, Kouenji was the only guy who just wouldn't
fit into my calculations.
"What's up?" asked Horikita.
"Hm?"
"You just looked like you were thinking about something."
"Nah, not really," I said. "I was just wondering how I should use these Private
Points I've gotten."
"…I see. Well, considering you've been giving half of your earnings to Kushidasan, you should cherish the Private Points you've received today and not spend
them recklessly," she warned.
"That's true. I'll plan to do just that."
I decided to walk away quietly, since hanging around here any longer would
only mean getting in the way of Horikita's work.
6.9
IT WAS NOW AFTER five o'clock. I was getting together with a certain someone
that I had been planning to meet before the dinner hour started at six. Just
after I left my guest cabin to make my way to the fifth-floor deck, I happened
across Sudou. He had just come out of his own guest cabin two doors down.
"It's almost time to eat. Where ya off to?" he asked, presumably thinking that
I was on my way back to my room.
"Just going for a little walk before dinner," I replied.
"Dude, you kinda sound like an old grandpa," Sudou said. "Welp, I'll see ya at
the restaurant then."
We exchanged a few words and were about to go our separate ways, but
Sudou must have remembered something because he called back over to me.
"Oh, sorry, dude! Actually, to tell you the truth, something kinda surprising
happened!"
"You mean how Ike and Shinohara are going out now?" I asked.
"H-how the heck did ya know already?!"
"I just happened to hear, by coincidence."
"Still man, that sure was a surprise for me," said Sudou. "He beat me to it…
Anyway, more importantly, he said he wants to study together. He wants to join
Suzune's study group."
That was unexpected. Or I suppose I should say that was quicker than I
imagined.
"Low academic ability is fatal here in this school, after all," I reasoned.
Many students were in danger of being expelled because of that. A student's
main responsibility was to their studies.
"It's a precious time for me, since I can be all alone with Suzune," said Sudou.
"But if he's motivated, I ain't got no choice but to support 'im, right? So, Kanji's
gonna hit the books hard, starting in the summer term lead-up."
From what Sudou was saying, he really was planning to start his studies right
after our trip was over. Whether or not Ike demonstrated immediate results
depended on his efforts, but he might show some growth early in the second
semester. Both Sudou and Ike could undergo a profound change thanks to their
respective romances.
"You might have another person joining your study group too," I replied.
"Huh? Seriously?"
"Ike's not the only student who's started thinking that they'd like to be
tutored by Horikita."
Sudou came over and grabbed hold of my shoulders, with a serious look on
his face. "It ain't a guy, is it?"
"No… It's not. It's Satou. Just Satou." I hadn't intended to say her name, but I
felt like I had been forced into revealing the truth against my wishes because of
the intense pressure.
"A girl, huh," said Sudou. "Well, in that case… Wait, Satou, huh? But if it's not
just me there, but Ike too, she probably ain't gonna join the study group then,
will she?"
"Don't you think you're making some assumptions here? Besides, she
sounded determined."
"Hmm. Well, all right then, that's good. I ain't gonna lose though, no matter
who joins," he said with a forceful snort, showing off his strong resolve to
continue his studies.
"Isn't it pretty tough for you though, with your club activities going on at the
same time?" I asked.
"Well yeah, it's not easy," he admitted. "But hey, I've always had enough
stamina to brag about it. The first time I really tried stretching my brain, I got
super sleepy in just a minute. But now, I can go on and on and… Well, actually, I
can only concentrate for about an hour or so, but still."
Still, if you could concentrate and study for that long, you wouldn't have any
problems. Studying for an hour, taking a break, and then studying for another
hour… If you repeated that process, that would be more than enough.
"But, y'know… Damn, dude. I can't accept the fact that Kanji got a girlfriend
before me," said Sudou. He was smirking, but he sounded frustrated too, like he
was deeply lamenting that fact. "I'm gonna hold a grudge about that and give
him some thorough training. Gonna put that Spartan training from the
basketball club to use."
They were partners in crime with a love-hate relationship between them.
From the sounds of it, Sudou was going to take good care of him (or rather,
torment him).
"In moderation though, right?" I said. "I mean, it's not exactly easy to start
liking studying, when you used to hate it."
"Yeah, I know, man. I mean, I was super against studying myself," said Sudou,
sticking out his tongue like he had just swallowed something bitter.