After Sudou and I parted ways, I reached my intended destination. I saw
Kushida up ahead on the deck and hid myself from view. It was already about
five minutes after the time we were scheduled to meet, which naturally meant
that she had been waiting for me for at least that long. I took out my phone and
called her. She picked up after about two rings.
"Hello?"
After I confirmed that I had heard her voice, I walked out onto the deck where
Kushida was. Mobile phones were designed to prioritize phone calls because of
their intended use. Even if Kushida had turned on the recording function on her
phone, once I called her, it would have automatically shut off. Since I called her,
that meant that the conversation we were about to have right now would be
between me and Kushida alone.
"Sorry I'm late, Kushida," I said over the phone. "I'm on my way there right
now. Are you already there waiting?"
"Yes. Um… Oh, over here!" Kushida looked to her left and right, and, spotting
me, waved me over. I didn't end the call on my phone but proceeded to run
over to where she was. We then each hung up, at about the exact same time.
"Sorry to have made you wait. I got a little lost," I told her.
"Huh, even you make mistakes too, Ayanokouji-kun. Anyway, what's up? You
said that you wanted to talk."
"I've been wondering about what I should do over the past couple years, but
in the end, I decided that I should just come out with it and lay it all out," I said.
"Hm? Lay it all out? What?"
"Did you know that I participated in the treasure hunt?" I asked.
"Yes. You partnered up with Satou-san, right?"
She gave me a puzzled look, as if to say, "What about it?", not understanding
what this conversation was leading to.
"The QR code I scanned earned me a reward of 100,000 points," I said.
"Meaning that I came away with 90,000 points after subtracting the
participation fee. If you divide that by two, you get 45,000 points. I thought that
giving you half would be the right thing to do, Kushida."
After telling her all that, I held out my phone, showing her a record of
deposits and withdrawals into my account. It clearly showed that 100,000
points had just been deposited into my account a little while ago.
"Wait, what? It was just a game though. I don't think you need to worry that
much about it," said Kushida. She was surprised about the unexpected turn this
conversation had taken and held her hands out in front of her to show that she
was refusing to accept the points.
"To be honest, I thought so too, at first. Well, I tried to think that was the
correct answer, but I couldn't help but feeling like it was a dishonest, unfair way
of thinking. I figured there was a possibility that you'd say you didn't need the
points, or that if I kept quiet, you wouldn't find out about it. It's because I felt
ashamed about my own way of thinking that I decided to give you half."
"But…"
No matter how much I tried to reason with her, it would probably be difficult
for Kushida to accept them.
"To tell you the honest truth, though… I want you to take these points as a
token of my good faith," I said.
"Good faith…?" she repeated.
"I'm giving you half of the Private Points I earn so that I can buy my safety
from you, Kushida. If I demonstrate that to you here, then I think that you'll
show me the same."
I appealed to her with my eyes, as if to add, "Am I wrong?"
"Besides, it never hurts to have more Private Points, even if only a little.
Right?" I added.
"That's true, but isn't this quite distressing for you, Ayanokouji-kun?"
"It's fine. It's nothing compared to fighting with you, Kushida."
"Somehow…the opposite seems a little scary," she said.
"What do you mean?"
"You know, Ayanokouji-kun, lately I've been hearing about how you're such
an amazing student. Are you really giving me half of your Private Points because
you want to make a truce with me?"
"In my opinion, it's more dangerous for me to make an enemy of you,
Kushida. I interact with you every day, compared to students like Sakayanagi or
Ryuuen. I only fight with them during special exams," I replied.
Although she was somewhat wary, Kushida nodded her head, seemingly
satisfied.
"I understand. Still, are you sure you're okay with this?" she asked.
"Of course."
Using my phone, I transferred half of the Private Points I had received from
my account to hers, just like I had done time and time again.
"I hate to say this after giving you points, but if I do ever have money-related
troubles, I might come to you for help," I told her.
She giggled, as if she found my pathetic comment amusing. "Oh? That's kind
of uncool, Ayanokouji-kun," she teased.
"Still, I think what you're doing is much, much smarter than what Horikita-san
is doing," she went on. "I can't say I dislike your approach."
"That so?" I asked.
"Honestly, from my perspective, you're the only person I don't want to make
an enemy of either, Ayanokouji-kun. I hope we continue to get along."
"Yes. I'd like to keep this relationship going. You scratch my back, I'll scratch
yours."
And with that, Kushida and I went our separate ways, as if nothing had
happened.
Chapter 7:
A Connection to the Past
THAT NIGHT, my friends in my room were having fun chatting about silly
nonsense. I had been worried about Akito's health, but his fever had gone down
in only a day, and he was on the mend. He didn't seem to have any problems
chatting as he lay down in bed. I was basically just spending the evening fiddling
around on my phone, sitting out on the sidelines, and occasionally chiming in
with an interjection to show I was listening, or a quip. While I was surfing the
internet, waiting for drowsiness to overtake me, I received a chat message.
"I wanna talk to you on the phone for a sec. Is that okay?"
It was a message from Kei. It had been a while since the ban on exchanging
chat messages had been lifted, but Kei and I generally only messaged each
other once a day. She didn't use any emojis or stickers in this message, which
suggested that the talk she wanted to have was a serious one.
"I'm in my room right now, so give me three minutes."
It wasn't time for curfew yet, so it wouldn't be difficult for me to sneak out of
the room. After I sent my reply, I nimbly slipped out of bed.
"I'm gonna go buy a drink," I announced.
After uttering that oh-so-convenient excuse that I could use at any time, I
slipped out of the room and went into the hall. Since it was around nine o'clock
at night, I didn't see any other students coming and going. Then, I went out to
the deck and checked my surroundings, just to be safe. After I had made sure
that no one else was around, I called Kei.
"Hello?" I asked.
"Sorry about suddenly springing this on you. But for some reason, I really
wanted to talk to you on the phone today," Kei replied cutely, talking the way
you'd expect a girlfriend to. I wondered if this was one of those "I just wanted
to hear your voice" requests from a lover.
"So, um…"
There was a slight pause. Shortly afterward, Kei spoke up once more.
"I've been hearing some not-so-great rumors about you, y'know? Do you mind
explaining to me what that's all about?"
"Rumors?"
Huh? That wasn't what I expected to hear. If anything, Kei seemed like she
was in a bad mood. I didn't get an immediate response from her. There was a
prolonged period of silence.
"Not-so-great rumors?" I repeated.
I couldn't take it anymore, so I tried asking the question a second time. But
Kei wasn't answering. I was just getting the sense that she was feeling annoyed.
When I repeated the same question word-for-word, it only seemed to make her
suspicious.
"Does anything come to mind?"
"Nothing comes to mind."
I responded without hesitation, though there were several things that came
to mind. First, and the most likely issue here, was the Ichinose situation. Since
Nagumo had seen me and Ichinose talking earlier, he must have guessed that
what happened then wasn't nothing. And on top of that, considering that he
knew that Kei and I were in a relationship, it wouldn't have been surprising if he
went around spreading the truth. Aside from that, a few other things, like the
fact that I had paired up with Satou, someone who had once expressed
romantic interest in me, in the treasure hunt, or my chat with Matsushita, came
to mind.
"Nothing really comes to mind?" There was a pause after she asked that, like
she was making one final check before passing down judgment.
"Nothing," I answered.
Despite all that, I continued to feign ignorance. If I had a clear idea of what
exactly Kei was referring to when she asked me if anything came to mind, then I
would have confessed, whether it was about Ichinose or Satou. However, since I
hadn't identified exactly what she was implying, if I were to carelessly throw
something out there, then I might end up digging myself into more of a hole.
Lose a battle to win the war, as they say.
…Anyway, why was something like this happening instead of a sweet phone
call?
"Kei?"
When I prompted her to speak by calling her name, she finally responded. I
got the sense that her lips were trembling.
"You— I mean, it's, you know, THAT rumor! The one about how you've
seduced a younger student!"
I blinked. "…Huh?"
Though I heard what Kei was telling me, about this supposed rumor, I cocked
my head to the side after hearing it, unable to comprehend. Every single one of
the assumptions that came to mind were off the mark? I guess I made the right
choice, then, by not speaking up thoughtlessly before.
"Okay, where and when did you even hear a rumor like that?" I asked.
"I don't know! I've just been hearing people say things like they've seen you
repeatedly meeting with a first-year girl!"
A first-year girl. The person who immediately sprang to mind was Nanase,
but… Well, it was certainly true that I talked with Nanase quite a lot, many days
consecutively, during the break. It wasn't like we met in secret either, so there
must have been eyewitnesses. Now that I understood the situation, this
conversation would be over quickly.
"She's simply an underclassman," I replied.
"I know that! I mean, anyone who isn't 'simply an underclassman' is definitely
off-limits!"
That was true.
"Oh, and! What's this I heard about you partnering up with Satou-san for the
treasure hunt?!"
So Kei had picked up on one of the things that had come to mind after all.
"Well, sure, I didn't report that to you, but I figured you would've known right
away anyway, Kei. Right?"
Since Satou and I had been walking around together for the treasure hunt,
there were a lot of people who saw us. Even Matsushita knew.
"W-well, yes, I did know about that right away… I knew that, but…"
She seemed to be complaining incessantly and was mumbling something that
I couldn't make out.
"And here the person I really wanted to pair up with was you, Kiyotaka…"
"I understand how you feel, but it would've been too early, wouldn't it?"
"Ugh."
"By the way, what were your results, after partnering up with Mori?" I asked.
"…You're really asking me that now?"
"Never mind, it's fine."
The mood was getting worse and worse, so it was better that I didn't delve
into that matter too deeply. I didn't mind just standing here listening to her
complain, but since the subject of Satou had come up, I decided to go ahead
and ask her about it.
"You already talked to Satou about what we're planning to do, right?" I asked.
"Huh? O-oh, yes, I did. I wanted to tell Satou-san first, after all, when it was
just me and her."
"Well, I suppose that was a safe choice. By the way, how did you have the
conversation? Did you do it over the phone or via chat?"
"No way. You have to have those kinds of conversations in-person, face-toface. We talked at the café."
"At the café, huh. Do you think anyone overheard?"
"Hey, even I can at least be that careful. At the very least, we can rest easy
that no one in our grade level heard anything."
It made sense that the people Kei would've been most cautious about were
the second-year students. First-years and third-years generally wouldn't show a
strong interest in romantic affairs of students from another grade level,
especially so if the person in question were me. However, I supposed that the
truth was it was the opposite for the third-years now, so it wouldn't have been
surprising if they latched onto any conversations that were about me
specifically.
"Oh, but you know, there were some third-year girls that came by and sat
near us, so it was kinda hard to talk."
Kei thought back to what happened during her chat with Satou, as though she
were checking over her answers on her homework. I supposed that for Kei, as
someone who didn't know about the various things going on, there was no way
she could have assumed that she was being monitored by third-year students.
"Well, if Satou understands, then I'm glad," I replied.
"Yeah," she said. "But are you really sure this is okay? To be open about the
fact we're dating, I mean."
"Of course. There's no problem."
Actually, it was undeniable that was something we would need to do anyway,
eventually. The further we pushed it back, the more troublesome it would be to
deal with later.
"Well, even though we're calling it being open, it's not like we're going to
make a big announcement in front of our classmates or anything," I added. "It'll
spread naturally to other people from your friends, and people will find out at
different times."
I figured that people would be reacting to the news for a few days after word
got out, but it wouldn't be that big of a problem.
"But you know… You're popular, Kiyotaka."
"Really?"
"Ugh, the fact that you don't seem to pick up on this stuff is honestly super
irritating."
"In that case, we don't have to talk about it."
"Well, yeah, I guess so, but even though I know, I can't help but want to ask
you about it, because I'm worried!"
It wasn't like I didn't know what she was trying to say, but there were some
contradictory points.
"Aren't we making this whole declaration about our relationship so that we
can keep unnecessary insects away?" I asked.
As long as someone thought that the person that they had a crush on didn't
have a boyfriend or girlfriend, they might try and go on the offensive. So, to
avoid that happening, we were going to make a big deal about the fact that we
were dating. If we did that, most people would probably give up and stop going
after either of us. Of course, I was fully aware of the fact that there were a few
exceptions…
"I'm still gonna worry…"
Which meant that Kei was frightened of those few exceptions, enemies that
were yet unseen.
"You might not be aware of this yet, but there are girls out there who fall for
guys that have girlfriends, and there are girls who will passionately try and steal
a boyfriend away from someone else."
"I see," I replied.
"Understand? I will never, ever forgive you if you cheat on me."
Kei was the dependent type, so she would consider things like her boyfriend
cheating on her to be absolutely unforgiveable. I was aware of that before I
started dating her.
"Relax," I told her. "I wouldn't do anything like that."
"Really?"
"Really."
"Really, really?"
"Really."
We went back and forth repeatedly in what seemed to be an entirely
pointless exchange. However, this seemingly meaningless action was one of the
ways in which people expressed their affection, part of the process of falling in
love.
"Do you…love me?"
I checked my surroundings once more, just to be safe. Of course, it wasn't like
I thought any students would willingly come out to the deck at this hour,
though. Once I saw that there wasn't anyone else around, I could answer her
without hesitation.
"Yeah, I love you."
"…Mm, fu fu fu."
"What's up with that creepy laugh?"
I had thought she surely would've been overjoyed, or she would've
responded in kind, but I never imagined that she would've laughed at me.
"It's just…it's funny, thinking of you saying something like that after carefully
checking your surroundings, Kiyotaka."
Apparently, she knew exactly what I had done.
"I'm hanging up."
"Ah, wait, wait! Say it one more time."
"Mmph."
When she demanded to hear me say that I loved her again, the words ended
up getting stuck in my throat.
"I told the guys I was going out to buy something to drink, so it's about time I
should be getting back."
"Hold on! Tell me you love me!"
"I already said it, didn't I?"
"I wanna hear it one more time!"
How selfish. Well even though they were the same words, they seemed to
have a different weight to them now.
"…I love you."
"…Pfft."
"Hey."
It sounded like Kei had tried to keep herself from laughing, but it ended up
slipping out in the end, so I heard it anyway.
"Yeah, you really are the best, after all… I'm never going to give you to
another girl."
I had just told her that she didn't have to worry about that, but her anxiety
seemed to be mounting.
"You sure you're fine not asking me to say it back?"
"If I did, would you?" I asked.
"Hmm, I wonder?"
"All right, then, talk to you tomorrow."
"Wait! This is obviously the part where you ask me!"
I wasn't sure how to say this, but it felt like, even though it sounded like I was
being given a choice here, I actually wasn't.
"All right. Say it."
"You just threw that out there! Like you don't even care! Ugh, I can't stand
that!"
"…Please say it."
"Hm? Oh nooo, what should I doooo?"
I refrained from saying what I wanted to say back to her and waited for Kei to
keep speaking.
"…I love you."
It was short, and she laughed a little when she said it. Well, no, actually, she
sounded bashful.
"Goodnight, Kiyotaka."
"Yeah, goodnight."
After I hung back, the words Kei spoke, "I love you," reverberated in my ears.
"It's not bad, huh," I muttered to myself.
This thing called romantic love was really interesting. That was what I thought
to myself during that moment, that night.
7.1
THE DATE HAD CHANGED. It was now August 9th, and we had little time
remaining on the ship. It was after one in the morning, and most of the
students were fast asleep. Three people were getting together at the late-night
bar, which was only available to adults.
"Ugh, I'm beat," grumbled Hoshinomiya, slumped over the bar counter. "Why
do we teachers have to work so late every single day, anyway? My skin's gonna
get all rough. I wish we had a summer vacation too."
"You got plenty of rest, didn't you?" replied Chabashira. "You should have
been able to get enough of a break on the fifth and sixth days."
"That's just two days, though, y'know?" Hoshinomiya said. "And we were so
busy yesterday and today. And seriously, what's that whole treasure hunt
bonus game thing? Sheesh, I wish we got a bonus!"
"I understand how you feel, but we're working adults, Chie," Chabashira said,
sitting on Hoshinomiya's right. "We're not getting a long summer vacation like
the kids."
Sitting to the left of Hoshinomiya, Mashima urged her to hang in there. "What
we're going through isn't that big of a deal, at least not when you think about
all the effort the students put in for two weeks on the island."
"Don't force reality onto me… I don't wanna hear it, I don't wanna hear it!"
whined Hoshinomiya, covering both her ears with her hands and shaking her
head. "Anyway, at least let us have a little vacation while we're on this boat. I
mean, it's not fair that the students can access everything, the pool, the movie
theater, anything, while we can't. Isn't that right?"
Hoshinomiya couldn't accept the situation. She and the other teachers could
only look on in envy, day after day.
"That's the job," said Mashima.
"When you're a working adult, that's how things normally are, Chie," added
Chabashira.
"Ah! No way! I just can't even with you workaholics!" huffed Hoshinomiya,
now holding her hands over her ears more forcefully than before.
However, a moment later, she raised her right hand, and spoke to the
bartender.
"I'd like a stiff drink." She slapped the countertop with her left hand
repeatedly. "Something strong enough to let me escape from reality.
Bartender's choice, please."
"Good grief… You never change, do you?" said Chabashira with an
exasperated sigh.
"Because my goal is to stay young and beautiful forever?" teased
Hoshinomiya.
"That's not what I mean," said Chabashira.
"Then what?" asked Hoshinomiya.
"…Nothing, never mind. It would be pointless to try and explain it," said
Chabashira.
Shortly after Hoshinomiya ordered her drink, Mashima and Chabashira
ordered beers for themselves. When they had all gotten their drinks, they
raised their glasses for a toast.
"Anyway, though, about this special exam," Chabashira said. "It's really been
a series of strange and rough developments. Way too many unplanned things
happened."
"Some students were seriously injured, and there were watch malfunctions
that were clearly the result of students doing whatever they wanted,"
Hoshinomiya agreed. "And then there was the fact that only third-years ended
up getting expelled. Totally unexpected."
She took a sip of the cocktail that had been brought to her, and then let out a
sigh.
"Just as we thought, the problem is that we gave our students too much
freedom," she said. "Also, even though we didn't get any reports about it, don't
you get the feeling that boys and girls were definitely doing you know what in
places where we couldn't see them?"
"I'd like to think that, at the very least, that line wasn't crossed," replied
Mashima.
"You're being naïve, Mashima-kun," Hoshinomiya said. "You can't stop a
young girl's intense passion just by shooting them some glares on occasion."
"Only according to you," snapped Chabashira.
After Chabashira flatly shot her down, Hoshinomiya immediately requested a
refill.
"We're going to get busy again once the summer vacation ends," said
Chabashira.
"Ugh. I can't take it anymore," said Hoshinomiya. "I don't want to be a
teacher who works herself into the ground for a low monthly salary. I wanna be
able to buy something."
"All you've been doing is grumbling since we got here," said Chabashira.
"Well, yeah, of course. I wanted to complain, that's exactly why I set up this
meeting," said Hoshinomiya, without a hint of shame in her voice. She then
proceeded to start on her second drink.
"You never change, Chie," Chabashira said. "Though that's one of the good
things about you."
Chabashira then requested some nuts as a light snack.
"Anyway though, I am relieved about how this uninhabited island exam
turned out. That the second-years didn't lose," said Hoshinomiya.
"The fact that it was only third-years who got expelled was unexpected,
though, and eerie," said Chabashira.
Mashima was now stuck in the middle as the others changed seats, quietly
listening to Hoshinomiya and Chabashira's conversation. However, just as they
were about to move onto another topic, he brought his half-full glass of beer
down on the countertop, somewhat forcefully.
"The second-years are doing well," he said. "However, on the other hand, that
could end up inviting trouble."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Hoshinomiya asked. "That it's a bad thing
that they're trying their best?"
"It's not as though the school wishes for anyone to be expelled," said
Mashima, "but technically, hardly anyone has been expelled from the secondyear grade level through the special exams so far."
"'Technically,' yeah, I guess. Still, the school half-forced students to choose
one of their own to be expelled before. Doesn't that still count as an
expulsion?" argued Hoshinomiya.
The three of them all clearly remembered what happened during the In-Class
Vote.
"I'd like to hope there won't be any more special exams like that in the future,
where students don't have any way out," said Chabashira.
Even Chabashira, who usually treated the students in her classes coldly, felt a
bit of heartache. She couldn't agree with the idea of forcing students who
hadn't made any mistakes into a corner. That was her position. Both she and
Hoshinomiya were of the same opinion on that point. However, Mashima's face
remained grim. When Chabashira noticed that, she looked into his eyes, as if
she were trying to peer into his thoughts.
"Wait, don't tell me they actually are preparing another special exam that will
force students to be expelled… Are they?"
"Something like the In-Class Vote that we held last year isn't something the
school administrators could put together just like that," said Mashima.
"In that case, there's no problem then," said Chabashira. "If there's no system
in place that will force students into expulsion, then my class will make it
through."
"Oh, what's this?" Hoshinomiya reached over Mashima's back to poke
Chabashira in the side. "You're sure talking a big game now, Sae-chan."
"Knock it off," said Chabashira, somewhat angrily, as she grabbed hold of
Hoshinomiya's hand. Hoshinomiya shot her a sharp look.
"You're not thinking that you'll actually make it to Class A, are you?" she
asked.
"…No one's saying anything like that," Chabashira replied. "All I'm trying to
say is that the class I have this year is superior to ones from past years."
"Hmm?" replied Hoshinomiya.
The mood was tense, like everyone was on pins and needles. Mashima
chugged the remaining half of his beer.
"It's true that there won't be any forced expulsions," he said. "However…"
Chabashira and Hoshinomiya both directed their gazes at Mashima, who was
struggling to find the right words.
"The outline for the next special exam was released the other day," he said.
"To tell you the truth, it's the first time in eleven years this special exam has
been implemented."
"Eleven years… We're twenty-nine this year, so… It's from back when we
were in our third year of high school?" said Hoshinomiya. "That's unusual, isn't
it? For such an old special exam to be adopted again, I mean."
Many of her memories from her high school days had faded away, long buried
in the back of her mind. If someone were to ask her to immediately recall what
kinds of conversations she had or what sorts of special exams she had back
then, she wouldn't be able to answer.
"The school implements special exams according to a year-long schedule,"
said Mashima. "If we take that a step further, it's based on a four-year rotation.
You understand as much, right?"
"That's so that the contents of the special exams aren't leaked to the children
who are currently here, right?" replied Hoshinomiya.
Throughout its history, the Advanced Nurturing High School had carried out
numerous special exams. The exams were varied in cadence, ranging from
those that had been conducted only once ever to those that were so versatile
that they were implemented on a quadrennial basis.
"Of course, there are instances where the same special exams are
intentionally brought back repeatedly over a brief period of time," Mashima
added, "and there are also some special exams implemented for the purpose of
information sharing, but essentially, they are on a pre-determined rotation.
However, depending on the year-to-year trends, the school will sometimes
implement a special exam from further back than four years."
"So, you're saying that it's not that unusual for an old special exam to be rerun?" asked Chabashira.
"That's right. As long as it's not a particularly 'problematic' special exam, that
is," he replied.
Though Mashima had phrased that in a very suggestive way that was clearly
implying something, neither Chabashira nor Hoshinomiya dwelled on it too
deeply. If anything, they were more eager for a special exam that was set to
begin anew.
"Maybe Sae-chan and I will end up fighting one another," remarked
Hoshinomiya.
"You sound like you're hoping that's what's going to happen," said
Chabashira. "Do you think you can beat us if we fight?"
"It's not like that. But it's probably better than fighting against Ryuuen-kun's
class or Sakayanagi-san's class, right?" said Hoshinomiya, grinning. She exhaled,
her breath smelling of alcohol.
"My class has grown quite a bit," Chabashira said. "Don't go thinking it'll be
that easy."
"Oh? Wow, to think you'd say something like that, Sae-chan," said
Hoshinomiya. "You're acting all tough because you've got that special boy in
your class, aren't you? Ayanokouji-kun?"
"It's certainly true that Ayanokouji is a gem," Chabashira replied. "But there
are many students in my class that I feel have potential too."
"Oh? But aren't you relying on Ayanokouji-kun too heavily, Sae-chan?" asked
Hoshinomiya.
"What in the world is that supposed to mean? When did I start relying on
him?"
Their conversation might have seemed like it was a typical exchange for the
two of them, but for Mashima, it left him struck with terror as he sat between
them. If he continued listening to their conversation in silence, an argument
was going to break out within minutes.
"Let's leave it at that," he cut in. "There's no point in arguing about this now."
"You're right. I might've gotten a little heated there," Hoshinomiya admitted,
apologetically.
She then proceeded to gulp down the rest of her alcohol, her glass now
empty.
"You're going too fast," said Mashima.
"I'm fine, I'm fine," she insisted. "I'm not such a lightweight that this much
would do me in so easily."
"That's not what I mean," he said. "I'm saying that it's going to affect your
work tomorrow… I mean, today."
"Don't worry. It's not going to affect me." Hoshinomiya showed no signs that
she was going to stop drinking and ordered a third.
"In that case, let's talk about this before you get too far gone… Here, take a
look at the outline for the upcoming special exam."
Mashima proceeded to navigate to the page on his phone before sitting it
down on the countertop.
"The important bit is the name of the special exam," he said. "You'll
understand right away once you see it."
"The name?" asked Hoshinomiya.
"Read it," said Mashima.
Hoshinomiya and Chabashira exchanged looks and then peered down at the
phone, almost in sync. The instant Chabashira saw it, she gasped. Hoshinomiya
did too. It was the name of a special exam that Chabashira and Hoshinomiya
had experienced firsthand when they were students. The notification stated
that it had been decided that the special exam would commence at the start of
the second semester.
"The special exam from eleven years ago… Even though it was a while back,
you should remember it well," said Mashima.
Chabashira looked at the name of the special exam over and over again and
found herself at a loss for words. Hoshinomiya turned away from the phone and
held the third drink that she had ordered in her hand, after it had been
delivered to her. She looked at her reflection in the glass, and then suddenly
wore a self-deprecating smile.
"I never imagined that this special exam would be implemented again…" she
said softly.
Chabashira was unable to respond. She simply cast her eyes downward,
silently.
"I had thought for sure that the In-Class Vote from last year was… I thought
that was supposed to have been a substitute for this?" Hoshinomiya's eyes
were on Mashima, looking for confirmation.
"In the end, the school had no other choice but to use it, and for a similar
purpose," he said. "From the sounds of it, if any of the second-year students
had been expelled as a result of the uninhabited island exam, the next exam
would have been something different."
"Well, I suppose there's nothing we can do about it, then," said Hoshinomiya.
"The school can't purposefully design written exams to be so difficult that
they'll get students expelled. So instead, this hugely problematic, nasty special
exam is coming up because Sae-chan's class is just too good?" She strongly
emphasized that last point, as if she was finding fault with Chabashira.
"It's too early to decide that it's hugely problematic," Mashima said.
"Depending on how you look at it, it's nothing more than a trifling exam."
"But if we make one wrong choice, it could turn into a thorny issue. Isn't that
right, Sae-chan?" said Hoshinomiya, turning to Chabashira.
Chabashira had her eyes closed and wouldn't answer with a yes or no.
"That's right… You two suffered quite a bit with this particular special exam,
didn't you?" said Mashima.
"It was in our third semester of our third year of school," Hoshinomiya said.
"I've never forgotten about what happened that day."
Her words were directed at herself and at Chabashira, as though she were
being nostalgic for the olden days.
"Come on, how long are you planning to stay silent?" she said. "Don't you
have anything you want to say?"
Even after that question, Chabashira couldn't utter a word. It was as if she
couldn't wrap her mind around what was happening.
"Pathetic," spat Hoshinomiya.
After letting out a grumble of complaint, Hoshinomiya ignored the
nonresponsive Chabashira and turned her attention back to Mashima.
"What do you think, Mashima-kun?" she asked. "Will there be…any students
who get expelled in the next special exam?"
"Though you could say that Class A is head and shoulders above the
competition, there is still a chance there could be an upset from any of the
classes below, meaning B through D," he replied. "If a class is determined to win
it, there's a good chance that they could end up on the same path that we are."
"I have a feeling that…we're going to find ourselves in a dire situation,"
muttered Hoshinomiya.
She requested a fourth drink from the bartender. The pace she was drinking
at was getting faster and faster.
"Well, I think that my class will probably be okay, but in a bad sense. What
about Sae-chan's class? Right now, they're flying high, and they're shooting up
from the bottom at an incredible pace. If they increase the amount of Class
Points they have, they could jump up to Class B in one go. If it were me—"
"I'm going back to my room," announced Chabashira, after being completely
silent for so long. She still hadn't even finished her first drink.
"Just when I thought you were finally going to talk, you say you're leaving.
What a party pooper," said Hoshinomiya.
"Sorry, but you two continue on without me."
Chabashira turned her back to them, but then Hoshinomiya's expression
completely changed. Before, she was laid-back, like she usually was, but she
was different now.
"Hey!" She slammed her now-empty glass down forcefully. Then, she shot up
to her feet.
Perhaps it was because Hoshinomiya's actions had surprised not only
Chabashira, but Mashima too, but Chabashira looked somewhat shaken, unable
to say anything. It was probably fortunate that they were the only three
customers in the bar.
"How long are you going to chase after that boring love of yours?!"
Hoshinomiya yelled.
"…What are you talking about?" asked Chabashira.
"Do you know how old we are now? We're twenty-nine now, you
understand? That romance was years ago!"
"Hey, I think you drank too m—"
"You be quiet, Mashima-kun!" snapped Hoshinomiya.
"…"
The bartender had been wiping glasses nearby but sensed that this was no
trifling matter. He stepped out to use the restroom.
"It's like the clock stopped for you when you were a third-year in high-school.
You've stayed there in your head all this time, but yet the years keep coming—
we're just getting older and older. And now you're just selfishly putting all that
baggage on the kids you've got? Seriously? Are you an idiot?" shouted
Hoshinomiya.
Chabashira simply left without saying a word, not responding to the barrage
of abuse. There was a period of silence, and Hoshinomiya and Mashima were
left alone at the bar.
"Well, guess she's gone," said Hoshinomiya, as if she found it to be an
anticlimax.
Disappointed, she grabbed Chabashira's unfinished drink and sat back down.
"You're a mean one too, Hoshinomiya," said Mashima.
"Well, I don't have a choice. I mean, it's bad enough that we're going to have
this special exam, of all things."
"Because this is the exam that led to that divisive thing between you two."
"You know that if Sae-chan had chosen the right answer, we would've
graduated from Class A?"
"…You're still bearing a grudge, even after all this time?" he asked.
"Of course I am," she replied. "We failed, and now I'm a teacher at this
school. If things had gone the way they were supposed to, we should have been
going on to a more glittering world…"
"I'm sure that life in the dorms must have been very difficult for you and
Chabashira, since you two were rooming together," said Mashima.
"Well, sure, there was no way we could've lived together after what
happened," sighed Hoshinomiya. "We might've ended up killing each other."
"You know, the fact that I can't say for certain that you're exaggerating…
makes me terrified of you two," said Mashima.
Hoshinomiya grabbed a single strand of her hair and plucked it out.
"I thought you fixed that habit?" asked Mashima.
"Oh, sorry, I shouldn't have done that," she said. "I just did it without
thinking… A strand of my precious hair… Want it?"
"No."
Mashima ignored the offering and instead turned his attention back to the
bartender to request a second drink. Seeing this, Hoshinomiya requested a
fourth for herself.
"Besides, sharing a room isn't a good idea," she added. "As long as things are
going well, then it's fine. But if there's trouble, then a relationship can change
dramatically. Like when romance or the future are involved."
In the blink of an eye, Hoshinomiya went back to wearing her usual facetious,
bubbly expression. "Sheesh, even though the second-years all managed to
make it through the island exam too. This school really does horrible stuff."
"Normally, a few students would get expelled each year," Mashima pointed
out. "That's the policy that the school was built on. There are too many secondyear students still here. However, the school fully recognized their efforts, and
hence, we have this special exam. We still don't know what the result will be,
though."
"That's true, I suppose, but…this exam brings out ugliness and weakness in
people," said Hoshinomiya. "At the very least, the silver lining is that this is
coming now for the second-years, after the first semester ended. Come to think
of it, I'm guessing that the school recognizing their efforts has something to do
with it, doesn't it?"
"The less time that students have left at school, the more value Class Points
have, and the more difficult the special exams become," said Mashima. "I
suppose that if you compare their situation to ours there's at least some relief
there, since we went through this exam in the third semester of our third year."
"I am definitely not at fault… It's Sae-chan who was to blame…" muttered
Hoshinomiya.
"That depends on your way of thinking. Both you and Chabashira made the
right decision."
"I wonder about that." Hoshinomiya reached for her new drink, as it just was
brought out to her, but her hand suddenly stopped.
"What's wrong?" asked Mashima.
"At the very least…my class won't make it to A," she said.
"What are you saying?"
"I already know it. I don't feel we can reach Sakayanagi-san's class. But… But,
even still, I will never let Sae-chan's class graduate from A. For Sae-chan and
me, graduating from Class A was our dearest wish. So, the girl who destroyed
that dream has no right to have her own class graduate from A. Isn't that right,
Mashima-kun?"
"…Aren't those separate issues?" he asked.
"They're not separate. Absolutely not."
"Besides, Ichinose's class is excellent," Mashima added. "There's still a path
ahead for them to get to Class A. Actually, Ichinose's class may pass the
upcoming special exam quite easily."
"That's not good enough. No matter how unjust a future awaits, you have to
become a demon if you're going to win and reach Class A. Just like I tried to be."
"Even if it means people get expelled?" he asked.
"Even if it means people get expelled." Hoshinomiya paused to let out a sigh.
"At any rate," she said, "Hirata, Kushida, Horikita, Kouenji, Ayanokouji… No
matter how many times you think it over, it all seems so unfair, doesn't it?"
"As with previous years, it's a class filled with problem children," Mashima
agreed. "But a strange sense of solidarity has developed there. It's as though
they're eliminating their flaws, one by one."
"It'd be nice if the next special exam smashed that solidarity into pieces."
Hoshinomiya was resting her head on Mashima's shoulder now. "I think I
might've gotten too carried away, drunk… I want to rest for a little while. In
your room, Mashima-kun."
"If you're going to sleep, go back to your own room," he replied.
"Grouch. Surely there was a slightly nicer way for you to say that?"
Mashima tried phrasing it more politely. "If you're going to rest, I think it
would be better if you returned to your own room."
"You basically said the same exact thing!"
She grabbed hold of his large left arm and held it close to her body. However,
Mashima forcefully pulled himself away.
"Are you bothered?" she asked.
"I'm not," he replied.
"I see. In that case, at least walk me back to my room. And then maybe we
can drink more there? Until the morning."
"Sorry, but I'm going back to my room now. Don't drink too much, okay?" said
Mashima.
"Don't you think this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance?" she asked.
"I'm sorry, but I have no intention of getting deeply involved with you nor
Chabashira. It'll only lead to trouble."
"Such a stickler," sighed Hoshinomiya.
She quietly sipped her drink at the bar counter, where there was no one else
around.
7.2
IT WAS THE SAME DAY that the teachers had gotten together to drink. The
students, who didn't know anything about that, did things together with their
friends to make memories during the remaining time they had left on the luxury
cruise ship.
However, I, Horikita Suzune, had decided to use what little time I had left of
my vacation for something else entirely.
There was a counter located in front of the entrance to the private pool, for
the employees and the receptionists. If the pool was available for use, visitors
were supposed to visit the reception and pay before using the pool. However,
the private pool was apparently quite popular with students, so it was likely
almost fully booked. Of course, that was convenient for me.
"Excuse me. I'm thinking of making a reservation for the private pool," I
announced, speaking to the clerk at the reception counter.
The worker began giving a simple explanation of how things worked, and it
sounded like they were quite familiar with giving it, perhaps because they had
this same exact conversation with many other students over and over.
"Please enter your preferred time slot. If that time is already booked, you can
join a waiting list," they added, handing me a clipboard.
I hadn't come here to enjoy the private pool. I actually came all the way here
to get my hands on the clipboard that was now right before my eyes.
"Thank you, I'll borrow this," I announced.
The cafes and other areas throughout the ship all had reservation systems
with tablets or machines. However, the private swimming pool had reservation
times at fixed one-hour intervals, and reservations could be made several days
in advance. As a result, all reservations were entered by filling out paper forms.
I pretended to search for a time to enter my reservation, paying attention to
the handwriting of every entry written on the form.
If you had multiple people in a party use the private pool, you could have just
one person fill out the form as a representative for the group. In truth, I had
intended to settle my investigation via the treasure hunt yesterday. About half
of the students in school had participated in that game, and the participation
rate for first-year students had been over 66 percent.
I checked the names and handwriting of all the first-year students who had
participated in the treasure hunt before it was over, but none of the candidates'
handwriting matched the handwriting that I remembered. Did that mean that
the person who gave me that note on the island just so happened to be among
the 34 percent who didn't participate? Or, wait, did they perhaps decide not to
participate in the event in order to avoid letting me match up their name and
handwriting?
At any rate, I was continuing my search among the remaining 34 percent of
first-year students. Still, though, what surprised me was the reservation rate for
this private pool. Nearly all the time slots had been booked, including spots
during the last day. It didn't cost anything to cancel a reservation as long as it
was done one day before, so it was possible that some students might have put
down times to hold them, just in case. But still, the private pool was quite
popular.
There were spaces to write down the name of your group's representative
and how many people were in your party, but there wasn't any need to write
down your grade level. The handwriting that the note had been written in was
truly beautiful. As I flipped through the papers on the clipboard, checking
everyone's entries, however, I couldn't find any handwriting that was on that
same level. I had a feeling that it wasn't going to be easy to find the owner, and
things seemed to have turned out just as I imagined. You didn't often get the
opportunity to check students' names and handwriting.
Since I hadn't found anything yet, this was going to be the start of a rather
laborious process. I was going to need to need to look through every single
name once again while checking them against information in OAA. It wasn't like
there were hundreds upon hundreds of reservations on this list or anything, but
still, just the act of checking them all was going to be a time-consuming process.
It would be easy for me to rule out students who had blatantly messy
handwriting or who had distinct quirks, but I wanted to be clear and methodical
about who could be excluded here.
I could exclude Kibayashi-kun from Class 1-B and Mochizuki-san from Class 1-
D. And Etou-san could also be excluded, since I had already checked her
handwriting before, when she participated in the treasure hunt game
yesterday…
Thankfully, the person at the reception counter must have had a lot of duties
to address, because they didn't seem to be observing me at all as I looked at the
list of names with my phone in hand. Even so, this really wasn't easy to browse.
Just to be safe, I also checked through the list of names in the register for
second-years and third-years who had participated in the treasure hunt game,
but I couldn't find anyone who seemed to fit what I remembered. Who in the
world had written that note…? By the time I had excluded the ninth person
from my search, several minutes had already passed.
Just around the time that I felt like the receptionist was likely going to start
feeling suspicious, someone unexpectedly called out to me from behind.
"Um, excuse me, are you going to be much longer?"
"Huh?! O-oh, yes, I'm sorry. I'm having a little trouble finding a time that will
work for me and my friends."
I was so focused on the register that I hadn't noticed a student standing
behind me. I had assumed that hardly anyone else would come by to make a
reservation, but I wasn't so lucky… Anyway, making him wait for minutes longer
while I continued to look through the list making exclusions from my search
would be difficult. In that case, I decided that it would be better if I let this boy
go ahead and make his reservation first. It didn't look like he was an
upperclassman. He looked like a first-year.
"It seems like it will take a while yet for my group to come to a decision, so
you can go ahead," I told him.
"Really? All right, if you don't mind. Thank you," he replied, taking the
clipboard from me.
The student was tall—about as tall as Sudou-kun, maybe a little bit shorter. I
waited for this visitor to finish writing down his reservation on the form while I
fiddled around on my phone, acting as though I were messaging my friends. He
decided on a time sooner than I expected, perhaps because there were limited
times left that we could reserve. He must have finished entering this
reservation quickly because he looked back to me.
"Thank you very much. Please excuse me," he said.
I took the register back from him, like we were switching places, and
immediately proceeded to check the name of this first-year student who had
entered his information.
"…There it is," I muttered to myself.
Representative name: Ishigami Kyou. Number of people who will be using the
pool: five. He hadn't participated in the treasure hunt, so this was the first time
I had seen his name. I looked him up on OAA as I already had the app open, and
found out that he was in Class 1-A. His handwriting was so refined that if
someone told me that he had been practicing his penmanship for many years, I
would easily believe them. However, you often saw personal quirks in
handwriting, as it was easy to develop those. The handwriting here didn't look
as exemplary as what I saw on the uninhabited island. What I saw there was so
perfect that it could have been printed by a machine.
Even so, the truth was that this handwriting came closest to it out of
everything I had seen thus far. If I still had the original note on hand, I could
have compared them in detail, but since Amasawa-san had ripped it to shreds,
sadly I wasn't going to be able to do that. I couldn't say with absolute certainty
that Ishigami-kun's handwriting was different from the writing on the note in
my memory.
As I stared at the letters, my mind started to go blank, the characters in front
of me ceasing to make any sense to my eyes. I had been doing nothing but
looking at people's writing since the other day, and it seemed like it was taking
a toll on my brain.
"I'm sorry, could you wait for a minute?" I called out to Ishigami-kun as he
walked away. I raised my voice somewhat, stopping him in his tracks.
He turned back to look at me, puzzled. I continued speaking.
"To tell you the truth, I finished discussing it with my friends, and it turns out
that the time they settled on seems to be the same time you put down. Would
you mind discussing this with me for a little while?"
No matter what topic of conversation we got into, I would like to find some
kind of hint that would help me to determine whether or not he was the one
who suggested Ayanokouji-kun would be expelled.
"Well, it's not like I can't discuss it with you, but I just told my group that I
reserved that time, just now," he replied, holding up his phone face level, with
the back facing me.
I had successfully managed to stop him for the time being so I could take this
opportunity to connect with him. If the young man standing before me really
was the person who had written that note on the uninhabited island, then
there was a good chance that he knew me, even if I didn't know whether he
had personally delivered the note to my tent.
"Would you please let me see the register once again?" he asked.
"Of course," I said. "I'm sorry for the trouble."
"Oh, no, I don't mind at all, Horikita-senpai."
When I heard him say my name, my heart rate shot up a little.
"…It seems you know my name," I remarked. "I don't remember ever talking
to you before, though."
"I memorized most of the names and faces of the academically gifted secondyear students, more or less, during the first special exam that was held shortly
after I started school," he explained.
The convenient OAA app was useful to us in that it allowed us to memorize
names of older and younger students that we didn't normally encounter.
"You have a good memory," I said. "I also have intended to commit
academically gifted students to memory, at least to some degree, but I didn't
recognize you, Ishigami-kun."
"That's because I'm not one to stand out," he replied.
The discussion was proceeding smoothly, without any trouble or any
suspicions being cast my way. I wasn't getting anything definitive, but I got the
feeling that there was something off about his handwriting after all. Still, I
would feel bad if I kept him any longer, so I decided to let him go.
"May I ask you one question, Horikita-senpai?"
This time, however, I was the one on the receiving end, with Ishigami-kun
asking me something.
"Just earlier, you mentioned that you also intended to commit more
academically gifted students to memory, but you said that you didn't recognize
me. Is that right?"
"Yes, what of it?"
I didn't remember saying anything strange, but…
"You really don't remember me?" he asked, looking for confirmation, as if he
were making doubly sure.
"I really don't, no."
The truth was that I had no memory of Ishigami-kun.
"Well then, when did you find out that I had a high level of academic ability?"
he asked. "If you were discussing reservation times with your friends, I would
think that it would've taken you a bit of time for you to have booted up the
OAA app and checked there."
That was a sharp observation that I hadn't thought of. I couldn't respond to it
immediately. There wasn't anything strange about looking up his name on the
register. However, there was surely something strange about me knowing that
he was academically gifted, as Ishigami-kun himself had pointed out. He should
have pointed that out much earlier in the conversation, but he waited to bring it
up now. It was as though he was watching for the right moment to strike, for
when I was feeling relieved that the conversation seemed to have gone by
without incident.
"I just so happened to have had the OAA app already open, and it was running
in the background," I replied. "Your name was in the time slot that I wanted to
reserve, Ishigami-kun, so I quickly looked up your name and face to make sure it
was you."
As far as excuses went, it was a little weak, but it wasn't like it was entirely
impossible. Ishigami-kun finished checking things over with his friends over the
phone, and nonchalantly changed his reservation time.
"I see. I humbly apologize for being suspicious of you," he said.
"It's all right," I told him. "I'm sure you must have been a little surprised, so
it's understandable that you'd suspect something."
"Well then, if you'd please excuse me."
"Oh, um… By the way, Ishigami-kun, thank you, really. About the reservation."
"I don't mind. But…"
He was about to say something else, but he seemed to hesitate a bit just
before getting the words out.
"But what?" I asked.
"Nothing. See you again sometime, Horikita-senpai."
"All right. Another time."
The situation didn't turn out the way I expected, and Ishigami-kun turned his
back to me and walked away. I didn't get the sense that he was the one, judging
from his handwriting, but I was strangely curious about him. For the time being,
it was probably best to say he was somewhere in a gray area. He was possibly
the person in question, but he was leaning toward being innocent. I looked at
him go, watching his back until he disappeared from view. Afterward, I stood
completely still, clutching the register.
Now that I had made a reservation, it would look unnatural for me to sit here
and carefully pore over the list. I needed to make sure I didn't forget to contact
the reception desk to cancel my reservation after a little time had passed.
Moreover, since I didn't gain any clues, I would need to think about what my
next move would be.
"You've got quite a serious look on your face there, Horikita-san."
Hoshinomiya-sensei appeared, and she called out to me, which was unusual.
She seemed to be here with Kanzaki-kun, a student in her class. Our eyes met.
"Really? I don't think I look any different than normal, though," I answered.
"That so? Well, you might be right."
What I found more concerning was the fact that Hoshinomiya-sensei had her
hand against the wall.
"Um, are you not feeling well?" I asked.
"Oh, this? Don't worry," she replied. "It's just a disease that's specific to
adults."
A disease that was specific to adults? What kind of disease could that possibly
be…?
"Anyway, that cool customer back there… Um, who was that again?"
Hoshimoniya-sensei asked. "I feel like I've seen him before."
The one she had just passed moments ago could be none other than Ishigamikun.
Kanzaki-kun, standing beside Hoshinomiya-sensei, answered before I could.
"Ishigami, from Class 1-A."
"Huh? A first-year?" Hoshinomiya-sensei said. "Hm, well, I suppose if he were
a second-year or third-year, it'd be natural that you know him, but…"
For some reason, she cocked her head to the side, puzzled.
"Is something the matter?" I asked. "Do you have any thoughts regarding
him?" I figured I would give it a try, if I could get any clues this way, no matter
what they might be.
"Yes, well, I feel like I saw him once before at school quite some time ago…but
perhaps I'm wrong. Actually, sorry Horikita-san, but I can't hold it anymore!"
Unsteady on her feet, Hoshinomiya-sensei made a mad dash for the deck. I
followed her, wondering what was going on.
"Agh! Blargh! Hic!"
I didn't really follow what was happening, but she cried out in a pained voice.
It was followed up by an especially loud gurgling sound from her throat. She
grabbed hold of the deck railing, trying to keep her mouth shut.
"Blarrrrrrgh!"
Then, glistening (but not exactly in a beautiful way or anything, of course)
vomit flew from her mouth, carried away by the sea breeze. I simply stood
there and stared, along with Kanzaki-kun, who arrived a little later. What in the
world was I being shown right now…?
"Sensei… I think there are various problems with what you just did," I told
her, speaking from the standpoints of both hygiene and morality.
"Ugh, it's a combination of a hangover and seasickness. Sorry, Horikita-s—
blarggh!"
I supposed at least the silver lining here was that there was an ocean beneath
us…
"Sorry, I'm going to head back to my room and sleep after all… I know we
were in the middle of talking, Kanzaki-kun. I'm sorry," said Hoshinomiya-sensei.
"Please don't worry about it," he told her. "I'll come speak with you another
time."
"Also, sorry for showing you that spectacle… Urp!"
She waved to us gently, but then quickly brought her hand back to her mouth
and then retreated inside the ship.
"She sure seems…busy," I observed.
"I'm sure it must be perplexing if you're not used to seeing it," answered
Kanzaki-kun.
"How many times have you seen something like that?" I asked.
"We've seen things like that about three times now, in morning homeroom."
That was… All I could say was that her class had my condolences.
Now that Hoshinomiya-sensei was out of sight, I gently bowed to Kanzaki-kun,
and started to leave.
"Horikita, what kind of connection do you have with Ishigami?" he asked,
bringing up something unexpected the moment I was about to go.
"What do you mean?"
That was the only way I could respond, as the meaning behind his words was
unclear.
"You were talking to him earlier, weren't you?" he asked.
"Judging from what you're saying, it seems like you're familiar with him too,
and in no small way," I said. "You knew his name."
"That's because I had a lot of opportunities to make contact with the firstyears. It was because of the special exam that was held shortly after we started
our second year," he replied.
Many of the best first-year students had been taken in by Sakayanagi-san's
and Ryuuen-kun's classes. I supposed it wasn't strange if Kanzaki-kun had come
to know Ishigami-kun through that process, but… I was a little surprised that
Kanzaki-kun, who normally didn't talk to me, suddenly jumped into a
conversation with me on this topic.
"We just had a little scheduling conflict while making reservations for the
private pool," I told him. "That was all."
Though I offered a simple explanation of what had happened, Kanzaki-kun
looked like he wasn't quite convinced.
"By the way, from your perspective, does he strike you as a trustworthy
underclassman?" I asked.
I still wasn't sure exactly how substantial this clue was and how much he was
worth, as a witness. That was exactly why I wanted to get as much information
on him from as many people as possible.
"His academic skills are nothing to scoff at," replied Kanzaki-kun. "You can tell
as much from OAA."
"That's true. He has an A rating, so no objections there." In contrast, his
physical abilities were a little poor, with a rating of only D–. "However, being
academically capable is not the same as being trustworthy."
"What's your reason for wanting to know if you can trust Ishigami? I would
imagine that's entirely irrelevant to your reservation conversation."
Right now, we were smack-dab in the middle of our summer vacation. No
special exams were being held. It made sense for Kanzaki-kun to find my
question odd. I asked because I thought he seemed interested, but I supposed
I'd just drop it.
"It's all right, don't worry about it," I said. "I just wanted to ask for some
reason. That's all."
I decided to change the flow of the conversation so as not to give away
anything about the handwriting issue. However, he didn't let it slide, and kept
pursuing that point.
"It's not as though don't have any information as to whether you can trust
that young man though," he said.
He phrased that in a strangely roundabout way, but it meant Kanzaki-kun did
know something about Ishigami-kun.
"If you answer my questions," he continued, "I don't mind telling you about
Ishigami."
I had decided earlier that Ishigami-kun was in a gray area, leaning more
toward being innocent, so it wasn't necessary for me to force it and pursue the
matter further. However, I couldn't help but notice that Kanzaki-kun had a
certain look on his face, different from the calm expression he usually wore.
"Questions? What questions?" I asked.
"I've been contemplating your class for quite a while now, Horikita," he
replied.
"…My class?"
"Among those in your class, I would particularly like to know…about
Ayanokouji's true abilities."
"I couldn't give you an answer, not even if you ask me something like that," I
told him. "Can't you ask him directly?"
Though I was inwardly surprised to hear Ayanokouji-kun's name brought up, I
tried to sidestep the conversation.
"He likely wouldn't be honest with me even if I did ask him, would he?" said
Kanzaki-kun.
"Probably not. However, it's not like you can trust the words coming out of
my mouth either, right?"
"Even if I can only get a single piece of information to use as reference, that'd
be fine," said Kanzaki-kun.
"We've been around each other for a long time now, but I barely know a thing
about him," I insisted.
"Saying that you don't know a thing sounds like a huge exaggeration," he said.
"If you're styling yourself as a leader who brings the class together, you should
be at least somewhat familiar with your classmates' situations."
"I haven't earned the trust of all my classmates yet," I admitted. "And that
includes Ayanokouji-kun."
I did not yet have the qualifications necessary to proudly call myself a leader.
At the very least, I had yet to reach the levels of Sakayanagi-san, Ichinose-san,
and Ryuuen-kun.
"So, you can't give me a straightforward answer," Kanzaki-kun said. "He's a
valuable asset to your class after all then."
"Well, I suppose the fact that he makes you feel so wary should at least
provide some idea of how valuable he is."
Regardless of whether Ayanokouji-kun had any abilities or not, if Kanzaki-kun
was using up some of his focus on contemplating that matter, then I was
grateful for the reprieve.
"Is there anything else you'd like to ask me?" I asked.
"No," he replied. "That's all that concerned me at the moment."
If that was the case, then I supposed I had no choice but to accept that he
wasn't going to tell me anything about Ishigami-kun. But just was I was thinking
that I shouldn't press the matter too strongly…
"The student named Ishigami is brilliant, compassionate, and highly
competent," Kanzaki-kun said. "He has already been recognized as the leader of
Class 1-A, and his peers have no doubt placed their full confidence in him.
Saying that he is the ideal combination of Ichinose and Sakayanagi would
probably be the best way to describe him."
"I'm sure that means to his classmates, he's quite dependable," I remarked.
"However, that extends only to his allies," Kanzaki-kun went on. "It does not
apply to anyone who might threaten his friends. He's the type of person who
would bare his fangs without mercy."
It was difficult for me to picture this because he looked like such a mildmannered student.
"In that case, I wonder what kind of attitude he'd have with someone who is
neither friend nor foe," I mused.
"If they were neither friend nor foe, he would be indifferent."
"Indifferent?"
Kanzaki-kun, who had been standing in front of me and speaking, stopped
moving.
"…Yes," he said. "He wouldn't care about anyone who is meaningless to him."
"He just told me, 'See you again sometime.' Would he make a comment like
that, implying he'd be seeing them again, to someone he was indifferent to?" I
asked.
"Ishigami? No, he's not the sort of guy who would casually make a comment
like that. Did he really say that to you?"
"As long as I didn't hear him incorrectly, then yes, said he did. At any rate, you
seem to know a great deal about him.".
I wondered if there was something between Kanzaki-kun and Ishigami-kun,
something totally unrelated to the case I was pursuing.
"I don't know a great deal, no. He's never addressed me before," Kanzaki-kun
mumbled, mostly to himself. "The truth of the matter is that guy only shows an
interest in those who are either friend or foe. So, in other words, he has already
classified you as one or the other, Horikita."
"Even if you're saying that, I don't really understand," I said.
Today was the first time I had ever made contact with Ishigami-kun. Before
today, we had never met directly, nor had we even exchanged a casual
greeting. Any ordinary analysis would show that I was neither clearly a friend
nor clearly a foe.
"It's always possible that you could unknowingly have some kind of
relationship," Kanzaki-kun pointed out.
"Are you suggesting that my actions are indirectly impacting him somehow?" I
asked.
"That possibility cannot be ruled out."
There was something about what Kanzaki-kun was telling me that I couldn't
quite wrap my mind around. He seemed lost in thought for a bit before finally
muttering something else to me quietly.
"I'll give you just one piece of advice. Don't get involved with Ishigami any
further."
"I wasn't planning to get involved with him in the first place," I said. "While
you're handing out advice, are there any other first-year students that I should
be wary of?"
"Any others?" he repeated.
So far, there wasn't anyone I could identify as a clear suspect in my case. I
wanted a lead. If he mentioned Amasawa-san or some other student, then it
would give his statement more depth. That's what I had thought, anyway, but…
"The only first-year student you should be concerned about is Ishigami," said
Kanzaki-kun, before turning his back to me and walking away.
While he was leaving, he passed by Ibuki-san. She was looking over at me and
she didn't even bother making eye contact with him.
"You close buddies with Kanzaki?" she asked.
"Um, no, not at all?" I replied. "We just so happened to have something in
common to talk about today. What's up?"
"I hate the way his face looks all clever. Like yours."
It was pointless to take to Ibuki-san seriously.
"What were you talking about?" she asked me.
"About a first-year student, Ishigami-kun. He's a student whose handwriting
looks somewhat similar to the handwriting that we're looking for."
I brought up Ishigami-kun's profile in OAA.
1-A Ishigami Kyou
Academic Ability: A (95)
Physical Ability: D– (25)
Adaptability: B+ (77)
Societal Contribution: D (31)
Overall Ability: B– (61)
"Moreover, with the way he spoke and how he acted, it was like I couldn't see
what he was really like," I added. "It was a little unsettling."
"Hm? So, what, does that mean you find him suspicious?" said Ibuki-san.
"I'm not so sure. I was thinking that he was in a gray area, and that he was
probably innocent, but… If his Physical Ability assessment score doesn't actually
reflect his true abilities, then I would start to suspect him in a heartbeat."
That being said, there was no way I could ascertain the truth at this point in
time.
"This Ishigami kid isn't your guy," Ibuki-san declared suddenly, as if to reject
my reasoning.
"How can you say that for sure?" I asked.
"The day before yesterday, I was doing some people watching, looking down
at folks having fun in the pool from the floor up above," she said.
"By yourself? That's sad," I remarked.
"Huh? What, I should stop talking now?"
"It was a joke. Keep going."
"For the love of… Well, he's tall, so he kinda stood out when he came into
view," Ibuki-san went on. "He's got a regular bod. He doesn't do any upper or
lower body training. He definitely does not work out. I mean, you're expecting
whoever you're looking for to be strong like Amasawa and Ayanokouji, right?"
"Is it possible that the reason you went to the pool was…so that you could
find people who worked out?" I asked.
Ibuki-san shrugged her shoulders, as if to say, "You just finally realized that?"
She then continued speaking.
"Strength's always proportional to the body. If someone can really move,
then they're definitely gonna be toned, and if they're strong, their muscles are
gonna be jacked."
If this were a layperson's assessment, that would be one thing, but though
she was lacking in some ways, Ibuki-san was a martial artist. If she saw Ishigamikun's bare upper body, then this data was highly credible.
"I see that you placed yourself in a good spot to make observations, then," I
said.
If Ibuki-san's information was correct, then Ishigami-kun's Physical Ability
rating was unmistakably somewhere around D-. Of course, the person I was
after might not necessarily be as physically strong as I had first guessed they
might be, but… At any rate, it felt safe to conclude that Ishigami-kun was
completely innocent.
"Anyway, our holiday is almost over," I said, "so we'll continue once the
second semester begins."
"How long is this gonna take?" Ibuki-san sighed.
It wasn't like I didn't understand that she felt exasperated, but we had no
conclusive evidence right now. We were just going to have to keep chipping
away at this for a while.
7.3
RIGHT NOW, many students were heading to the various facilities around the
ship. Amasawa Ichika from Class 1-A, however, was heading over to a guest
cabin where a lone student was waiting for her.
"What excuse are you gonna give if one of your roommates happens to come
back this time?" Amasawa asked. "Well, that's what I'd normally want to know,
but considering it's you of all people, I bet you've already planned everything so
meticulously so that they're definitely not going to be coming back now, huh?"
Despite Amasawa's questioning, the other student didn't answer, only
responding with a thin smile.
Amasawa went on, "You understand the current situation, right? Nanasechan, Horikita-senpai, even Ryuuen-senpai… Everybody who is anybody is
looking for you out there in a frenzy right now. You're okay with just leaving
things be?"
"It's fine. An interesting plan is playing out."
"In that case… Takuya, please share the details of the plan with me."
Yagami Takuya, a student from Class 1-B, quietly got off his bed and stood up.
"You never learn either, do you, Ichika?" he replied.
Amasawa, wary of Yagami as he approached her, stared at him intensely. She
didn't even blink as she watched him move, alert to the possibility that she'd
get hit with some kind of intense attack the moment her eyes were closed.
"I wouldn't raise my fist in a place like this," said Yagami.
"I'd like to believe that too," replied Amasawa.
"It's certainly true that you are no longer on the White Room's side. That
means to me, you're an enemy." Yagami reached out with his left arm and
gently touched Amasawa's bangs. "I'm sure that's what you think, anyway… But
actually, I don't even recognize you as that much."
"Oh, wow, you're really letting me have it."
"Just a joke," said Yagami. "It's just that now that you're a civilian, I can't
afford to do anything careless."
"I might be recording this conversation we're having right now," teased
Amasawa.
"If that's all you're doing, then go ahead, it's fine."
Yagami knew there wouldn't be any problems for him even if she were to be
making a recording. If Amasawa were on Ayanokouji's side, all she needed to do
was talk to him directly about Yagami. Even if what she said wasn't substantial
enough for the second-year to believe it as the truth, it would still make him as
wary of Yagami as possible.
"I called you here because I wanted to find out your true intentions," he said.
"Have you been getting in the way of my plans again and again because you
really want to protect Ayanokouji-senpai? With all your heart?"
"I ain't got a clue what you're talkin' about right meow."
Yagami smiled at Amasawa as she joked around, playing the fool. Then, he
pulled his fingers back from her hair.
"There are too many things for me to mention, so let me ask about one thing
you did that forced me to change my plans," he told her. "Why did you
sabotage Kushida and Kurachi when I sent them after Ayanokouji during the
uninhabited island exam?"
"You already know without me even having to explain, don't you?" said
Amasawa. "Because it was a painful strategy for Ayanokouji-senpai. I didn't
want anyone to film a scene where Ayanokouji-senpai was fighting with
Nanase-chan and Kurachi-kun, two completely irrelevant people. I mean, since
it's Ayanokouji-senpai we're talking about, I'm sure he would've made it
through regardless. But even so, there was no avoiding the fact it would've
been disturbing footage."
"You're right about that," he conceded. "It is true that he would've dealt with
the matter without any issues, whether it was Nanase or Kurachi. But still, if
Kushida had gotten a recording of Ayanokouji handling the situation, we
could've used that as one of our bargaining chips. Even if Ayanokouji had
forcefully snatched the tablet away from Kushida, he wouldn't have been able
to get past the password lock, and if he were to physically destroy her tablet,
which would've led to other problems."
Amasawa had anticipated all of this and thwarted his plans.
"Are you mad?" she asked.
"Heavens no," said Yagami. "I think we actually were able to come up with a
more interesting production as a result. I also learned a lot about his personality
and how well he reads things. He specifically didn't choose to do a GPS search
when he sensed that he was about to be attacked. He figured out exactly what
was going on and decided that searching would've only been a hindrance. A
normal person would have done a GPS search like Nanase did and gone after
Kurachi or Kushida. That's just standard practice."
Even after they returned to the ship, there had been no change in
Ayanokouji's behavior regarding that point.
"And as a result, Nanase-chan and Ryuuen-senpai have set foot in the forest
and gotten themselves lost, huh," said Amasawa. "It seems like neither of them
have made contact yet, but even if they do try and question Utomiya-kun, it
wouldn't do them any good. He has nothing to do with this anyway. But what
about Horikita-senpai? It seems like she got a clue from you, Takuya, from that
piece of paper you wrote for her. She's trying to track you down based on what
she saw on it. It was kind of a bright idea for her to have everyone sign their
names by hand on a register for the treasure hunt."
"I'm sure that if I give her a few more hints, she'll reach me eventually," said
Yagami.
He didn't seem to be feeling hurried at all. If anything, it seemed like he
simply was waiting for just the right moment to arrive.
"You planted that piece of paper on purpose?" asked Amasawa.
"Of course, that was also part of my production. I want her to try her best to
reach me."
Yagami was going to continue to throw out hints here and there in the future
for that purpose. Amasawa could understand that quite well without even
needing to ask him directly.
"And what comes after?" she asked. "If she matches your handwriting to
what was on the note, that information is going to reach Ayanokouji-senpai's
ears too, y'know."
If that happened, Yagami would come under suspicion as a potential White
Room student.
"He doesn't trust me to begin with, and I assume that he's already aware of
some of the lies I've spread around. I engaged in this with a roundabout way of
doing things because originally, Tsukishiro was in the way. Now that he'd
retreated, the need for me to do that has diminished. There's no point in
beating Ayanokouji into the ground in a situation where I already have the
upper hand."
"Does that mean you don't care if he finds out? Whenever that happens?"
"That's exactly what it means," Yagami replied. "Actually, I think I wouldn't
even mind if I revealed myself to him directly."
Yagami had been intending to go head-to-head with Ayanokouji from the very
beginning. However, if he had done anything careless in the preliminary stages,
there was a chance that Tsukishiro might've gotten in the way. Yagami had
followed Tsukishiro's orders and put together all sorts of plans, but all of them
were simply to buy time.
"But now that the uninhabited island exam's over, you're not going to have
the chance to play with the second-years for a while, will you?" Amasawa
teased. "I think you'd better get back to the White Room as soon as possible,
for your own good."
For Amasawa, who had no intention of going back, being excommunicated
was a wish come true. However, for Yagami, the White Room was the only
place to which he could return.
"I need to take him down completely, in a perfect way," he said. "Besides, I
can always catch up on my studies later, at any time." He flashed an awkward,
toothy grin, which bore absolutely no resemblance to his usual dazzling smile.
"Wow," Amasawa whistled, "the real you has quite a twisted personality,
Takuya, but in a different way from me."
Though she was feeling exasperated, she continued speaking.
"And man, poor Utomiya-kun. He's the sorta guy who's always thinking about
his friends, but I still can't believe he'd do something like work with you to
protect Tsubaki-chan. I bet he'd be pissed if he found out that you were the one
who got his classmate from Class C expelled, huh?"
"I knew from the beginning that he was an awkward guy, and the sort who
always put friends first," Yagami said. "I figured that after one of his classmates
got expelled, he'd want to do everything he could to stop it from happening
again. The quickest way to get someone from another class who originally
didn't want to join up with you on your side would be to create a common
enemy. I did that by making Housen that enemy. I inserted myself between
Tsubaki and Utomiya, getting into their inner circle, got them to deploy a
strategy that was never going to succeed, and I got to check what cards
Ayanokouji had in his hand. Thanks to that, I also learned he had a connection
with the leader of Class 2-A, Sakayanagi."
"Ah, the girlie who came to see me. Arisu-senpai, yeah," said Amasawa.
"There is a possibility that she'll try to get in the way of my fight with
Ayanokouji in the future, so I'll need to think of a way to deal with her."
"Yeah, yeah. Go ahead and do whatever you want."
Amasawa was starting to get tired of watching Yagami drone on and on. She
let out a bored sigh. When Yagami was in a good mood, he could just keep on
talking and talking forever, even if you didn't jump in the conversation and let
him go, like she was doing now. He was enjoying this situation more than
anyone else, even though he was putting himself at risk of being discovered for
who he really was.
"So, you satisfied now that you've made your speech?" Amasawa said. "Can I
go back now?"
"Before that, Ichika, there's one thing I wanted to confirm. I wanted to so
much that it warranted me calling you here," said Yagami. "Your intentions."
"Hmm? My intentions?"
Yagami, smiling like a child, suddenly grabbed hold of both of Amasawa's
forearms.
"H—?!"
Amasawa had been on high alert, intending never to allow herself to be
caught, but she had dropped her guard and failed to react in time.
"Utomiya, or me?" Yagami asked her. "Everyone is going to know in the nottoo-distant future. That's where it's all going to begin."
"…So you're going to have the serious showdown that you've been wishing
for, Takuya?"
"We will recognize each other as enemies and then compete in a contest of
our true abilities."
"Why don't you settle this like a man, like with your fists, instead of going
about it in such a roundabout way?" Amasawa sighed. "I mean, with your level
of combat ability, you could probably even go toe-to-toe against someone like
Ayanokouji, right, Takuya?"
"I don't use violence any more than I absolutely have to."
"That's rich."
The force that Yagami was applying to keep Amasawa bound was
extraordinary. Not even she was strong enough to shake him off. Of course, she
wasn't in top form at the moment; even if he'd tried something else, Amasawa
probably wouldn't be a match for him anyway.
"Can't you understand that what I'm doing now is the minimum amount of
violence that's necessary?"
Amasawa smiled back at him, but she had already pictured in her mind what
was going to happen from here many times over. However, no matter how
many times she ran through the situation in her head, she couldn't find a
scenario where she could break free.
"To tell you the truth, Ichika," he went on, "I called you here today because I
was thinking of breaking you beyond all hope of recovery. You know about me,
and you're only going to be a hindrance to me in the days to come no matter
how much effort I put in. Did you realize that?"
"A ha ha, guess this isn't a laughing matter then!"
Amasawa started mentally preparing herself as the approaching Yagami
brought his face close, right in front of hers. But then…he relaxed his grip, the
pressure on Amasawa's forearms went away, and she was freed.
"Just kidding," he said with his usual gentle smile. He then placed his hand on
the door behind Amasawa's back.
"Wow, what an intense joke, meow."
"Sorry, sorry," said Yagami. "I was really thinking of crushing you today, you
know. But I stopped."
"Whoa, really?" Taken aback, Amasawa pulled herself away from him.
"I heard that you received a punishment from Shiba," he said. "You were right
not to fight back."
"If you try to drive him away once, he'll just come back at you twice as hard
later," she said. "I learned that when I was really little. But are you sure you're
okay leaving me be?"
"I know that you'll keep on watching closely and quietly. If you had made the
decision to completely go to Ayanokouji's side, I would have ended it already."
"Well, it's a little difficult to weigh the senpai I admire against the friendship I
have with a colleague."
"Then you can rest easy," Yagami said. "When I face Ayanokouji, it will be a
battle of wits. I shouldn't be using violence. The outcome will be either one of
two things: either I'll get expelled, or he will."
With that, Yagami opened the door to his room, and saw Amasawa out, like a
gentleman.
7.4
IT WAS NOW just after two in the morning in the concert hall. I opened the
heavy door quietly. There was one person seated in the spacious area, with
their back to me. There was such a still silence there that it felt like my
footsteps were going to echo throughout the space as I walked along on the
carpeted floor.
"Students are forbidden from leaving their rooms at this hour, you know," I
remarked as I approached the person seated there.
"Don't say that," the person replied. "We wouldn't have any opportunity to
meet unless it was at this hour."
"If anyone does happen to see us, you'll be taking responsibility for it," I said.
"Right, Chabashira-sensei?"
She didn't even turn to look at me.
"Don't worry," she replied. "The teachers only make their rounds until
midnight."
"If that's how things are, then it's fine, I suppose. With that said, what's
bothering you so much that you'd go to the trouble of calling me here?"
"When the summer vacation is over, the second semester will begin,"
Chabashira said. "And then the next special exam will begin."
"Yes, I suppose it will. Last year, we had the sports festival right afterward."
"That's right," she said, "but this year is different. There is going to be one
special exam held before that."
"Are you sure it's all right for you to give me this kind of information?"
A teacher shouldn't be allowed to give advantageous information to a
particular student or class.
"Or are you saying that the next special exam has already begun?" I added.
"No… That's not what I mean."
In that case, my being called here to have this conversation with her was
probably Chabashira's own decision. That was surprising to me simply because I
didn't think she was the kind of homeroom teacher who was especially
supportive of her own class. I didn't know what she was thinking about, but I
noticed that she was suddenly silent. There wasn't any point in me just standing
there next to her, so I randomly decided to hop up onto the stage.
Normally, this concert hall was a place where people could enjoy live music.
There was a large, high-quality grand piano just sitting there. Perhaps there had
been a performance held in the hall earlier today, because there wasn't a single
speck of dust or anything on it.
"Acting Director Tsukishiro was willing to go as far as to put his own career on
the line trying to have you removed, back on the uninhabited island,"
Chabashira told me. "Even if your father is famous, that kind of tenacity is
extraordinary."
"You can say that again," I agreed. "However, if I could correct you on one
thing, Tsukishiro was never interested in the Chairman's position to begin with.
He was only using that position to get rid of me, nothing more."
"So, you're saying that's just how powerful a force is at work here?"
Chabashira crossed her arms at that. She was basically telling me that she didn't
understand all this at all.
"Do you feel like talking now?" I asked.
"…Yes," she replied.
Chabashira paused and took a breath. She then quietly spoke up once more.
"How would you analyze your class?" she asked.
"How?"
"Do you think they have the ability to move up to Class A?"
"You're really asking a student from your own class that question?"
"I want to hear what you think," she insisted.
Well, that was unusual. Well, actually, no, it probably wasn't. I supposed this
just showed much this issue had been on Chabashira's mind.
"All right," I said. "I think that, without a doubt, they have the highest
potential among all the second-year classes. That said, it's not like we can leave
things as they are and expect to move up to Class A. Catching up to
Sakayanagi's class, which is by far in the lead right now as Class A, is going to be
a Herculean task."
The teachers should know matters at this school quite well.
"I think that the minimum to the class would need to do would be being
united as one," I added. "And that includes you too, Chabashira-sensei."
At that, she turned to me with a look of surprise on her face. It was a look that
told me she already knew that.
"I… What kind of teacher do I look like to you?" she asked.
If I had to say, it would be that Chabashira had always been rather
coldhearted to my classmates. Actually, she spent her days like she was trying
to detach herself from them, or even desert them.
"A teacher who believes we can't win, but can't throw away her hopes of
doing so regardless," I replied. "If I had to sum it up, that's how I'd describe
you."
"That's some harsh criticism," she said.
"The fact that you tried to take advantage of me before hasn't changed, and
neither has my impression of you, even now."
"That's true. You have a point."
Unless she sincerely corrected those mistakes, Chabashira was never going to
change.
"You shouldn't make your students work hard because you want to reach
Class A yourself," I said. "You should work hard yourself for the sake of your
students, as they wish to reach Class A themselves."
"Ayanokouji…"
"If you do that, the answers will come to you in due time. That's what I think."
"…You said that the class needs to be united as one, right?"
"Yes."
"That naturally includes you too, then," she pointed out.
"Of course."
Our gazes met, and Chabashira gulped loudly.
"What if I said that I was throwing my past self away?" she asked me, with
eyes that felt like she was questioning my resolve.
I decided it would be best for me to assume that she would see through any
lies I might tell here.
"If you say that you're going to throw it away, then I'll plan to throw away my
old way of thinking too," I said. "If you're seriously going to shoot for Class A,
then I won't hold back any longer in the days to come."
"…I see," said Chabashira.
As she said that, I wondered what was going to change within her, and what
wasn't? Right now, that still remained to be seen, but…
"When the time comes that you're able to look forward, the class will surely
begin to change, in a real sense," I told her.
"…I suppose so."
Chabashira looked up at the high ceiling and closed both of her eyes. It
certainly seemed like a deep shadow had been cast over her heart. I should
have just walked away without delay, but for some reason, I was starting to feel
a little bit different now. I still had a low opinion of Chabashira as a homeroom
teacher. However, when I looked at her as a human being, my evaluation of her
began to shift, albeit only slightly. She was much more fragile than I had
thought, and it was like she was someone who had grown up to be an adult in
appearance only. I sat down on the bench and opened the grand piano's lid.
"…What are you doing?" she asked. "Don't tell me that you can play the piano
too. Can you?"
Instead of answering her questions, I simply ran my fingers across the keys,
playing a classical tune. When my performance was over, Chabashira
applauded, which was rather unlike her.
"I'm not well versed in music or anything, but that was superb. I don't think
I'd ever be able to play on that level in my entire lifetime, even if I practiced
every day. If I'm not mistaken, that song just now was—"
Suddenly, in that silent concert hall, I heard a small sound come from the
back. Chabashira shot up and turned around in a panic.
The smiling figure who emerged from the darkness was none other than
Tsukishiro.
"That was Beethoven's 'Für Elise,' wasn't it?" he said. "Though not a difficult
piece to play in itself, being able to play it so flawlessly is an impressive display
of skill. It's truly a shame that only Chabashira-sensei and I were the ones to
listen to it. However, students are forbidden from going out at this hour
without permission. Do you know what punishment awaits you for breaking
that rule so casually?"
"Acting Director Tsukishiro, this is…"
Chabashira hurriedly tried to come up with an excuse, but Tsukishiro gently
stopped her.
"Please, do not worry. As of today, I have been dismissed from my position as
Acting Director," he assured her. "Now that it has been decided that Chairman
Sakayanagi will be reinstated, I am just a simple, irrelevant civilian. I will not be
reporting this to the school."
"Can we trust you…?" asked Chabashira.
"You do not need to. You know, from the moment I appeared here, I knew
that you were aware of my presence, Ayanokouji-kun. If someone is
experiencing emotional unrest, those feelings are easily transmitted through
their musical performance. And yet, you showed not even the faintest hint of
agitation in your playing… Why was that?"
"It's simple," I replied. "Even if I were to be punished, I wouldn't be expelled
for something like this. And the fight between you and me is only about getting
me expelled. There's no point for you to go through the trouble of getting me
penalized for something like going out without permission."
"Though you know that, people normally panic when they're seen doing
something that they don't want others to see. I suppose you get that pluckiness
from your father," said Tsukishiro.
"Unfortunately, I don't remember being raised like that," I answered.
I closed the lid and moved away from the piano.
"Anyway, once the morning comes, I will no longer be able to speak with you
anymore," Tsukishiro said. "With that in mind, I thought that I'd try one last
time."
There were several surveillance cameras throughout the ship. Was he
constantly watching the feed from the hallway outside my guest cabin? He
really needed a vacation.
"If you would prefer that I leave my seat, I'll go," said Chabashira.
"No, I don't mind if you stay where you are," said Tsukishiro. "I imagine it
would be more inconvenient for Ayanokouji-kun if he were left all alone with
me. It's better for you to remain here, in the role of someone protecting her
student."
Tsukishiro walked over to us and sat down two seats away from Chabashira.
"Is the concert over already?" he asked.
"If there's something you want to say, please come out and say it as soon as
possible."
I knew that he was messing with me, so I urged him to come out with it
quickly.
"I figured I'd give this one more try, since it can't hurt anything. I've got
nothing to lose," he said. "Anyway, I came here to try and negotiate with you
one last time. Are you willing to report your willingness to withdraw from
school and return home?"
"Tsukishiro…-san. What in the world do you think you're doing?" Chabashira
interjected, her voice containing a hint of anger after hearing the words
"withdraw from school."
"What do you mean?" asked Tsukishiro.
"You interfered in a special exam without authorization and tried to get
Ayanokouji expelled," she snapped. "That on its own would normally be entirely
unacceptable."
"The same goes for you too, Chabashira-sensei," Tsukishiro pointed out.
"Weren't you about to bring your own personal feelings into the matter and
discuss the next special exam with him?"
Although the details were unclear, it sounded like Tsukishiro had somehow
discovered Chabashira's objective.
"It's certainly true that it's not praiseworthy," she admitted. "But I wasn't
going to discuss the details of the exam and give him an advantage."
"You might see it that way in your mind, but you can't prove it. It just so
happened that my being here prevented you from engaging in such dishonesty
before it could happen."
"That's…"
"You haven't only committed just one sin," Tsukishiro said. "You understand,
yes?"
At this point in time, Chabashira's sins included meeting a student at a time
when students were forbidden from leaving their rooms. And even though we
had a teacher-student relationship, the fact that we were a man and a woman
was another point that shouldn't be overlooked. Tsukishiro could relentlessly
exploit that slight opening.
"It won't be me who will be in trouble if you make a fuss, Chabashira-sensei.
It'll be you. And Ayanokouji-kun too."
If there was a report that a teacher and student engaged in sexual
misconduct, it wouldn't be resolved with only a warning. Tsukishiro was
threatening Chabashira, implying, "If you understand, then keep your mouth
shut."
"Ugh…"
Chabashira, having forgotten about that part, now understood the position
she had been placed in and backed down.
"Well then, that's good," said Tsukishiro.
He started to approach me, the smile never leaving his face, until he was only
about two meters away from me.
"There aren't any traps lying in wait for you here," he said. "Please rest easy."
"No matter the situation, you act when it's in your best interest," I replied.
"That's what my analysis tells me, what kind of person you are."
"I suppose that means you have a high opinion of me then, at least to some
extent."
Up until this point, I had somehow managed to keep evading Tsukishiro's
traps. However, that was only because he had employed methods that couldn't
exactly be classified as unorthodox strategy, by any stretch. Rigging exams,
violence, taking captives…the list went on. Perhaps, if this man had had his way,
it wouldn't have been so easy for me.
"I will not be dropping out," I told him.
"That's unfortunate, but I suppose there's nothing to be done. You're saying
that you will remain here at this school until you graduate, then?"
"That's the plan. As long as I follow school rules and don't do anything that
would get me expelled, that is."
"No matter how much you want to stay in this world, you won't be able to
resist," he warned me.
Neither Tsukishiro nor I named it explicitly, but the shadows of the White
Room students still flickered around me.
"You're clever," he went on. "And strong. You are so exceptional that anyone
who knows about your abilities would think so."
At last, Tsukishiro was standing right in front of me.
"However, no matter how exceptional you may be, you are but a child in the
end. You should understand that he sent me here with that strength of yours
already taken into consideration."
Then, did that mean that he foresaw a future in which I drove Tsukishiro away
like this…?
"If you wish to stay at this school for even one day longer, think good and
hard about that."
"I will bear that in mind," I said.
Tsukishiro wore a thin smile. He must have been thinking about something
else because he briefly chuckled softly to himself.
"I must say, this school is surprisingly fascinating, deeply so," he remarked. "It
is likely that it's the only school in the entire world that could hold a special
exam on an uninhabited island. It reminded me of my childhood, back to when I
was thrilled to be a Boy Scout."
With that, Tsukishiro held out his left hand and offered it to me.
"And so, this is where we say farewell, Ayanokouji-kun. Will you shake my
hand?"
I couldn't imagine that his outstretched left hand was meant for a simple
farewell. I held out my left hand in similar fashion, meeting his for a handshake.
Tsukishiro nodded, seemingly satisfied.
"Well, then… Let's meet again someday, shall we?" he said.
Finally, he tapped me on the left shoulder with his right palm and turned on
his heel.
"Oh, and also, make sure you disperse within the next five minutes," he
added. "If you don't, I'll have to report you."
Chabashira and I watched Tsukishiro leave, gazing in his direction until we
couldn't see him anymore.
"I suppose there's no point worrying about the details," said Chabashira, "but
still, to think he'd ask for a handshake with his left hand. I suppose that means
he held onto his animosity toward you until the very end."
Generally, most people shook hands with their right hand. Well, nowadays,
people didn't care about things like that, and they might not even know that it
could be seen as a slight.
"I didn't think of it that way," I replied.
"What do you mean?"
Tsukishiro, rather suddenly and without any lead up, mentioned that he was
once in the Boy Scouts. Normally, it was rude to shake hands with your left, but
the exception to this was for Boy Scouts. In that organization, it meant…
"Please just forget it," Chabashira said. "It's probably a waste of time thinking
about that man's thought process."
I supposed it was entirely possible that even though it had meaning, it was, at
the same time, meaningless.
"I'll be heading on back first," I told her.
"All right. That's good," said Chabashira.
Now that Tsukishiro had discovered us here, ignoring his warning would only
bring risk.
"I'm sorry," she said. "Calling you out here to meet so irresponsibly gave
Acting Director Tsukishiro an opening to exploit."
"I don't really mind," I replied. "I'm starting to understand some things now,
more or less."
As I approached the doorway, I decided to leave a few parting words for
Chabashira, but I didn't turn around.
"I said this earlier, but whether your class floats or sinks in the future isn't
something that's totally irrelevant to you, sensei. It would be best for you to
understand that."
No matter what kind of special exams lay in store for us, the students could
only face forward and keep moving. And the only ones who could lead the way
and pull them along were the respective homeroom teachers for each class.
Chapter 8:
When Hearts Touch
WHEN OUR HOLIDAY aboard the luxury cruise ship was over, we got on a bus
that brought us back to the Advanced Nurturing High School. Afterward, I spent
my days going back and forth between the dorms and Keyaki Mall. I felt like I
was spending my time in such a carefree way that even I would say I was being
lazy and self-indulgent.
Since I had arrived at this school, the number of people I spent time with had
increased to a level that couldn't even begin to compare to what I'd had last
year. I had things going on now that, if you'd told me about it last year, I
wouldn't have believed you. Besides the members of the Ayanokouji Group and
Sudou and Ike—the guys I made friends with from my early days at school—
there were now people outside of my own class, like Ishizaki and Hiyori, that I
spoke to. And, eventually, I'd even started having conversations with some
people from Ichinose's class too.
And also…
"Sigh, I guess summer vacation really ends today, huh?" muttered Kei with a
melancholy air. She sat down on the bed, falling into it with a poof as she hit the
mattress.
My girlfriend, Karuizawa Kei, and I were regularly having secret dates for the
time being, since we were planning to make our relationship public once the
second semester started. That meant that today was the last secret date before
we were going to do so. Even though the time we were spending together right
now was kind of dull, it was by no means unpleasant. If we were just friends
who had known each other for a brief time, then we might have felt rushed into
having a conversation, or we might have been feeling a little awkward about
this situation.
"So, starting tomorrow, it'll be okay for me to tell people about my
relationship with you… I'm kinda nervous," said Kei.
"There's no need to force yourself to tell people," I said. "I'm not going to
take responsibility even if you lose status though."
"I'm definitely telling people. Besides, if something happens, you'll protect
me, Kiyotaka, so I'll be fine. Right?"
She said it jokingly, but those were unmistakably her true feelings. By
attaching itself to a strong host, a parasite was able to protect itself. I took the
last sip of my coffee and then sat down next to Kei. I took her delicate hand in
mine, and she gently squeezed mine back. She looked over at me shyly.
"Kei."
At that moment, I pressed my mouth against her soft lips.
"K-Kiyotaka…"
"Surprised?"
"Y-yeah, I was surprised. C-couldn't you have given me…like, a little advance
warning or something?"
Rather than words, I answered her question with action. I grabbed her
shoulder gently and pulled her in close.
"Mm…!"
A second kiss. The instant our lips met, Kei's shoulders jerked up slightly, and I
could tell she was surprised. I quickly pulled away from her lips, and though she
looked relieved, I could also see in her eyes that she seemed reluctant to have
stopped.
"…You got me with another sneak attack," she said.
"Really? I thought it was relatively normal," I replied.
The only way for me to learn the correct timing was to repeat it over and over
again.
"At least, I still hadn't gotten my feelings ready for it…"
"In that case, do you feel ready for it this time?" I asked.
"Huh? …Yeah…" Kei nodded.
She closed her eyes and gestured like she was ready, so I kissed her again. The
previous two kisses only lasted for about a second, but this time was different.
It was longer, about five, ten seconds. Little by little, we began to move our lips,
kissing repeatedly, like little birds pecking. As time flowed around us, it felt like
everything had stopped except Kei and me… It was our final day of summer
vacation as second-year high school students. Kei and I learned more about
kissing and we had taken things one step higher—together.
The first half of the curriculum of romantic love was over, and we were now
entering into the second half. From now on, we were going to spend our days at
school with our heads held high as lovers. By doing so, though, we might find
ourselves wrapped up in no small amount of trouble. Nevertheless, the two of
us would take each other's hand and face the difficulties ahead. Slowly but
surely, we'd take it step by step, just as the seasons changed from summer to
fall and from fall to winter.
The relationship between us would, eventually, feel indispensable to us; in
time, as it was colored by our emotions, we would come to feel we could not do
without it. Even as I tasted Kei's lips over and over, my thoughts automatically
drifted to what was to come. Before long, when the season of farewells
approached, this romance would enter its final phase—it was obvious that an
extremely difficult ordeal lay ahead.
When Karuizawa Kei was cut off from her host, she would have to stand up
and face forward on her own. And that was the most important part of this
curriculum about romantic love.