I STOOD IN FRONT of Keyaki Mall. I had gotten there ahead of time, quietly
waiting for my friends to come. We'd planned to meet up at seven o'clock that
evening, and since I was the one who'd caused a bit of a scene earlier, I decided
it would be best if I didn't keep anyone waiting. Especially not today.
"Huh. Guess I did get here way too early though," I muttered to myself.
It was only just after six thirty now. Even so, I didn't feel like waiting was
particularly painful. If anything, it wouldn't be a stretch to say that it was one of
my few unique skills. It was nice to have some time to just stand around like this
and clear my head, not thinking about anything in particular.
Still, while I wouldn't say it was like I had paid a heavy price or anything,
things were getting a little difficult for me. Namely the fact that me being alone
would attract attention, strangely enough. Even though my test results had
been disclosed to everyone except the third-year students, it wouldn't be long
before I started getting the attention of every grade level. The inquisitive eyes
of both upperclassmen and underclassmen were probably going to be on me
for quite a while.
I didn't do anything for a while, but just stood there. Then my phone started
to vibrate. There was a message in the Ayanokouji Group chat. Airi told
everyone that she was just leaving from the dorms now. I saw that the message
had been read by everyone else in the group, but I hadn't told them I was
already here, so I just read their respective messages and did nothing else.
"Ayanokouji-kun, are you waiting for someone?"
I hadn't been paying attention, since I was looking down at my phone, but I
looked up when I heard Ichinose call out to me. Standing next to her was her
classmate, Kanzaki. Even though our school boasted quite an expansive campus,
the areas that students usually occupied were extremely limited. If a student
were hanging around the entrance to Keyaki Mall, it was almost a certainty that
they'd run into someone they knew.
"I'm going to be eating with some friends in a little bit. What about you?" I
replied, answering her honestly, rather than hiding anything.
Ichinose and Kanzaki, without even exchanging looks first, replied in complete
sync with each other.
"We're doing something pretty similar. Right?" said Ichinose.
"Yep," said Kanzaki.
A rather short response from Kanzaki. His gaze was more intensely focused on
Ichinose than it was on me, though. Anyway—something similar, huh? But I was
sure there were plenty of things that only seemed similar, without actually
being that way
"That reminds me, I saw the test results. Getting a perfect score in math?
That's amazing!" exclaimed Ichinose.
"From what I saw in OAA last year, though, you didn't have the kind of
aptitude that indicated you were capable of getting perfect scores," said
Kanzaki.
In contrast to Ichinose, who didn't ask me a single question about the matter
of me concealing my abilities, Kanzaki made no effort to hide his disapproval.
"Well, there are some reasons behind that. After discussing it with my
classmates, it was decided that I'd hide the fact that I could do well in math," I
replied.
Even when I only explained that much, I was sure that Ichinose and Kanzaki
would understand things, to a certain extent. They'd use their imaginations to
fill in the gaps and flesh out the story themselves. Normally, that would've been
more than enough. However, the sharp gleam in Kanzaki's eyes remained,
unwavering.
"Which means you've been hiding it all this time, then. It seems you're a more
dangerous opponent that I had imagined," said Kanzaki.
"Come on Kanzaki-kun, don't say it like that. Every class has its own ideas and
its own strategies, you know that," replied Ichinose.
Kanzaki accepted what Ichinose said, as a matter of course. "That is certainly
true, yes. And it's not as though he has used cowardly tricks like Ryuuen, either.
But there are a few things that I just don't like. As you know, Ichinose, it's not so
easy to get a perfect score on a test with advanced problems like that in the
first place. And even though he said that was going along with what his
classmates had instructed him to do—"
"Ayanokouji-kun isn't our enemy." Ichinose interrupted him, expressing a
keen sense of dissatisfaction with his hostile attitude.
It was certainly unusual for Kanzaki to act this way, but if you asked me who
was doing the correct thing in this situation, I'd have to say it was the person
who being more openly vigilant. So, Kanzaki.
"Our alliance with them has already been dissolved. Class 2-D is, without a
doubt, our enemy," said Kanzaki.
"That's… Well, but there's still no need for meaningless quarreling," replied
Ichinose.
"We're not quarreling. But we need to understand what our opponent's
strengths truly are," said Kanzaki.
"Yes, Ayanokouji-kun kept the fact that he was good at math a secret. That
was a truth he had concealed," said Ichinose, conceding the point.
Kanzaki took a step forward, shortening the distance between us so that he
was closer to me than I was to Ichinose.
"In that case, what else is there? Is being good at math the only thing he's
hidden? No, I don't think so. He's probably hiding other skills. Was he hiding the
impressive running speed he demonstrated during the sports festival last year
on his classmates' instructions? The worst thing for us, for Class B…I mean, Class
C, would be if he has other abilities he's hiding as well," said Kanzaki.
"But test scores only go so far. No matter how capable you are when it comes
to academics, you can only get up to a hundred points per subject, and the
highest grade you can get is an A+. Even if he got perfect scores in every
subject, the difference between him and Sakayanagi-san, who came in second
in our grade level, would still be rather small," reasoned Ichinose.
In fact, the difference in mine and Sakayanagi's math scores was a mere nine
points. Even if we had the margin of difference spread out over all five subjects
on the exam, that would only mean a total of forty-five points. Ichinose was
saying that wasn't that great a threat.
"In terms of overall scores, our class is still higher. It'll be fine if our entire
class works hard to make up the difference, to compensate for the points that
Ayanokouji-kun is getting when he tries his hardest," she added.
"That might be true if you're only talking about written exams. But—"
"Let's not talk about this anymore, Kanzaki-kun. You understand that this isn't
the kind of time and place where we should argue so vehemently, right?" said
Ichinose, interrupting him once again.
Ichinose, who always strove to be a pacifist, feared it would cause a scene if
they continued to have a heated discussion out in front of the Keyaki Mall, in
public.
"Yes, I suppose you're right. I did lose my cool a bit," conceded Kanzaki.
Perhaps deciding nothing would be resolved right now, even if they continued
arguing, he shut his mouth and averted his gaze resignedly.
"I'll be going on ahead," said Kanzaki.
And with those brief parting words, he quickly disappeared into the mall,
leaving Ichinose behind. She and I quietly watched him go.
"I'm sorry. But, well, considering that the situation being what it is, Kanzakikun is feeling some pressure," said Ichinose.
They had been holding their position as Class B, but had now been demoted
to C. It wasn't hard to see why Kanzaki was feeling pressured, since he was now
being forced to change course after seeing that their battle tactics so far were
no longer working. On the other hand, you could say that Ichinose, who was
showing me kindness even in this situation, wasn't changing course. Kanzaki
likely thought Ichinose should abandon that kind of naivete, and he wasn't
wrong about that.
"Am I in the wrong…?" said Ichinose.
It wasn't like she didn't understand what Kanzaki was thinking at all. Even
though she knew what he was getting at, she was still sticking to who she was.
There was a world of difference between that and carrying on while not
knowing anything.
"Do you remember what I told you before?" I asked her.
"Yes. You told me to keep moving forward together with my classmates, for
as far as we can go," said Ichinose.
"In the future, there might be other students like Kanzaki, who are going to
try and change your class. Or students who are dissatisfied with you, Ichinose,
but keep those feelings to themselves. Maybe there will even be students who
betray your class. It wouldn't be that surprising, considering the situation. The
class you had last year, the one that was safe and protected by you alone,
doesn't exist anymore," I told her.
What I just said would probably resonate more with Ichinose than with any
other student in her class.
"No matter what might happen from here on out, I want you to keep on
fighting while prioritizing trusting in your friends and protecting them," I added.
"Don't worry. I will definitely protect my classmates. If there ever does come
a time when someone in our class must go, then I think I will be the first one to
disappear," said Ichinose, resolutely.
She wasn't putting on an act. Ichinose would definitely do that if necessary.
She would take responsibility for her class's fall and choose to be expelled
herself before anyone else.
"Well, I'm relieved to hear that you're so determined, but I have just one
complaint with that," I told her.
"A complaint…?" she repeated, cocking her head to the side in confusion, not
sure at what I was getting at.
"I will never allow you to be expelled."
I needed to remind Ichinose of the most important thing there was. It was
extremely important that she keep running forward, without stopping, over the
course of this year. I looked into her eyes, and lit a powerful fire inside her,
igniting the determination that lay deep within. It wasn't darkness that she
should bear. It was a light that would never go out. And if there was a chance
that she would point that light in the wrong direction, then I'd pluck it out.
"Th-that's… U-um, okay… I will…definitely stay," she mumbled, looking up at
me as she spoke, seemingly embarrassed about something. She averted her
eyes, like she was trying to change the subject. "Y-… You really are amazing,
Ayanokouji-kun… I mean, you got a perfect score on such a difficult test and
all."
"Math might be the only thing I've got going for me, though," I answered.
"Still, you're amazing. That just means that you have a special skill. Something
no one else will ever beat you in."
"I could say the same for you, Ichinose. You definitely have a special skill too.
Something no one else will ever beat you in," I told her.
"I wish that were true, but…"
It was just that, well, there weren't a lot of people around who could really
put this particular skill to good use. This didn't mean that Ichinose wasn't
blessed with good classmates. The problem lay in the one disadvantage of her
particular special skill, and that was its potential to break down her classmates'
individuality. Her tolerance led to a vicious cycle where the other students
would rely on Ichinose so much that, as a result, they lost their individuality.
"…Well, I should be going now. I'm sure we'll draw attention if I keep
bothering you, and I'd feel bad if I kept Kanzaki-kun waiting any longer," said
Ichinose.
I responded with a gentle nod and watched her walk off. Thinking that it was
probably just about time for me to meet up with the others right about now, I
pulled out my phone again to double check.
"What were ya talkin' about with Ichinose-san?" asked Haruka, addressing me
from some distance away.
When I looked over in her direction, I saw Akito, Keisei, and Airi were all with
her. It looked as though everyone else in our group had met up while I had been
talking with Ichinose.
"About my perfect score in math," I replied.
The second I gave them that sensible explanation, Keisei looked immediately
convinced it was the truth.
"That's no surprise. The smarter someone is, the more likely they'll take
notice of something like that," said Keisei.
However, Haruka didn't look convinced. She didn't press the matter too
deeply though, and shortly after, her expression returned to normal.
Tomorrow, May 2, was the start of Golden Week. The student body probably
intended to take it easy and relax over the holiday, considering that they had
just gotten through a special exam.
2.4
GOLDEN WEEK SEEMED to pass in the blink of an eye, sending us back to the
usual daily grind at school. The scenery outside remained the same as ever, but
little by little, our daily lives were beginning to change.
"…Hey."
Sudou was the very first person I saw that morning, when our break had
ended and we returned to school. I had bumped into him near the shoe lockers.
It was just a simple run-in with a fellow classmate, but it was also an example of
the way our daily lives were starting to change.
"Sounds like you've had it pretty rough for a while lately. You doin' okay
now?" asked Sudou.
"Yeah, it's all right. Nothing really unusual happened over Golden Week. It
was pretty quiet."
"Okay, gotcha. Though, man, our break really was over in no time, huh?" said
Sudou, walking in step with me, the two of us heading towards the classroom
side-by-side.
Sudou, who had left the classroom to attend club activities before hearing
Horikita's explanation, most likely got the details later from people like Ike or
Hondou. He should have understood everything well enough without me
needing to explain.
"So, you were hidin' the fact that you're real good at math because of
Suzune's strategy, right?" said Sudou.
I responded with a gentle nod, signaling that he was right. Sudou then averted
his eyes from me, pouting slightly, before turning and facing forward.
"Well, I guess you two have been pretty close ever since school started and
all, yeah. Even though it might be too late to say it now, I do finally get it."
"It's not like we were close. If anything, I'd say that we preferred to keep each
other at arm's length," I replied.
"Really? Sorry, but it didn't look like that to me though," said Sudou.
That was probably because Sudou was looking at Horikita through the filter of
seeing her as a member of the other sex. It wasn't like pointing that out was
going to help matters, though, so I just let it slide.
"By the way, Yousuke told me afterward that you covered for me," I told him.
"I dunno if I'd say covered or anythin'. More like I was just statin' the facts."
"You say that they were the facts, but at the time, you didn't know the real
truth of the matter."
"Yeah, 'course I know that," said Sudou, sounding slightly irritated, puckering
his lips once again into a slight pout. "Sounds like the fact that you're a math
genius is a secret. So, is the fact that you're real good in a fight just as much of a
secret too?"
As far as Sudou was concerned, chances were good he was much more
concerned about that issue than my math skills.
"I don't know what you mean," I answered, pretending not to understand
what he was trying to say.
However, Sudou wasn't the kind of person who would back down at
something like that.
"Don't play dumb, dude. I fought Housen, so I get it. He's crazy strong. And he
moved faster than anybody else I've ever fought. To be blunt, he's a monster."
He was saying he understood it all too well fact precisely because he had
fought him firsthand.
"It's the first time I ever felt scared in a fight. Even now, his smile is burned
into my brain," he added, stopping in his tracks, and tapping his temple with his
left index finger a couple times to further illustrate his point.
"So you were scared? Even so, you looked like you were putting on a brave
fight. For Horikita."
"Well, I had to, man. There was no other option. That dude's got some screws
loose," said Sudou.
There was no denying that. After seeing him up close, I understood Housen's
obsession with violence.
"But you still had a chance to win, I think," I said.
The reason Sudou had gotten knocked down by Housen the other day was
because he suckered him with a cheap shot, when Sudou wasn't paying
attention. In a situation like that, where you needed to keep your eyes on your
opponent, Housen used Horikita as bait, and rendered Sudou defenseless. That
moment turned out to be a fatal mistake, and their fight ended with Sudou's
defeat.
"I'm not so sure about that dude… If we were to really throw down in a
serious fight, I probably couldn't beat 'im," said Sudou.
Sudou was by no means a weak person. If someone with his strength and
athleticism spoke that highly of Housen, then that just meant that Housen was
not someone to be trifled with. Even if I were to hand-pick the best of the best,
like Horikita's older brother Manabu, who trained in martial arts, or Albert, who
had been born with an impressive physique, they wouldn't stand a chance
against Housen in a fight.
"I mean, hold on, that ain't it. I don't wanna talk about me right now," said
Sudou.
He turned to look at me.
"You… You were evenly matched with, or maybe even stronger than that
monster Housen, though. You stopped him. I'm right, aren't I?"
Even if I said something like, I just happened to muster more strength than
usual in the heat of the moment, it wouldn't do anything to convince Sudou
otherwise. It was only natural that he would connect the dots, reasoning that
since I'd gotten a perfect score in math, it wouldn't be surprising for me to be
exceptional in other ways too. There were other things he could see as well,
precisely because of his fondness for Horikita.
"Are you sure it's not just a simple misunderstanding, Sudou? Or did you
really see it that way?" I asked.
"Yeah, I did."
Sudou grabbed my bicep with his right hand and lightly squeezed several
times to see for himself what my musculature was like.
"I had a hunch ever since I saw you in the pool last year. You weren't in any
clubs or anything, but you've got a really toned body. It's hard to tell when
you're wearin' clothes and all, but you have incredibly toned muscles… There's
no way you'd be like that unless you worked out a lot," said Sudou.
Sudou had regularly worked out and trained to improve his physique. It was
pointless to try and deceive him any longer. I could claim I just worked out on
my own after I rose in the mornings, but there was no way he'd believe that. He
wasn't seeing the truth with his eyes. By touching my arm like his, my own body
told him the truth.
"That reminds me, when we got our measurements and stuff taken before
the sports festival, your grip strength was around sixty, right?" he added.
Sudou was started gradually remembering the events of last year.
"I mean, I thought that was already pretty amazin', at the time… But you were
holdin' back. What is your grip strength, really?"
"No clue. Honestly, I don't know."
"You don't know?" he repeated.
"I don't remember ever getting an actual measurement of my grip strength
before."
"Wait, the hell? Dude, we have like physical examinations and stuff a bunch of
times, both in elementary school and junior high, right?"
I honestly had no memory of anything like that. Of course, our bodies were
examined periodically in the White Room. And I was sure they'd collected a
massive amount of data on us, enough to be incomparable to the kinds of
physical examinations that were conducted in a normal school.
However, that data was known only to the instructors. They didn't bother
giving the students details on how they'd performed, and the students weren't
especially interested in the numbers, which changed from day to day, either.
They saw them only as numbers—numbers that went up or down. However,
even though I'd been sticking to a daily routine to keep in shape, I was sure my
physical abilities were slowly declining from what they'd been in the White
Room.
"You really don't know," said Sudou, looking into my eyes, probably sensing
that I wasn't lying before.
"Back then, I heard that the average grip strength for a first-year high school
student was around sixty. So I adjusted my grip to purposefully score around
that mark. I was trying to be as inconspicuous as possible," I replied.
I had later learned that sixty was higher than average. I remembered being
surprised by that.
"Just how incredible are, you, really? The real you, I mean," asked Sudou.
An inquisitive mind included things such as envy and jealousy.
"How incredible… Huh," I repeated.
The answer to that question, and the angle you chose to approach it from,
would depend on what your criteria for "incredible" were. I thought about it for
a little while, but then—
"Wait, actually, you don't have to answer that. Just forget it."
Sudou withdrew his question, as if refusing my answer. Even if I came out and
told him my whole life story, no one would be able to understand it, anyway. It
wasn't something that could be expressed clearly in only a few short words.
"Whether you're really incredibly strong or not, it won't mean anything to me
unless I see it with my own eyes, I guess," said Sudou.
He let go of my arm. It seemed he, like Keisei, was starting to come to terms
with this situation.
"But, anyway, I do get that you're like, this really crazy dude. You are seriously
just incredible, Ayanokouji," said Sudou.
"Does it bother you that I've kept quiet about it?" I asked.
"Well, I mean, at first, I thought like, 'What the hell?' I get how Yukimura
feels. It doesn't really feel too great when you think that you're hot shit only to
find out that there's someone way better hiding nearby. But it ain't like I don't
understand how you feel too, Ayanokouji. You don't like to stand out for no
reason, right? I guess I've come to understand that, more or less," said Sudou.
He followed this with something I hadn't expected.
"I mean, I'd be lyin' if I said that I didn't have a lot on my mind 'bout all this,
but I'm gonna keep working hard and trying to grow, in my own way. It doesn't
matter what other dudes think. I've decided to think 'bout things that way," he
concluded.
Focusing on oneself rather than focusing on others. That was what Sudou was
getting at. He was doing what was best for himself.
"Besides, no matter how incredible you are, I'm definitely better at
basketball," said Sudou, wearing a big, bold grin on his face for the first time
that day.
He said it with confidence and without the need for confirmation. Of course,
it was an undeniable fact. Even if we played a couple rounds, the results would
be as a clear as day. There was no way I could beat him.
"Hey man, if we're talkin' basketball, I'd be happy to take you to school any
time," he added.
"I'll pass. I don't really feel like being a punching bag, sorry," I replied.
"Ha ha ha ha ha! All right then, you get it, huh?"
It was easy for people to relax and feel at ease when they had something that
they excelled in more than others, even if it was just one thing.
"Anyway, I ain't gonna tell anyone what happened with Housen. I feel like this
whole conversation was kinda a roundabout way of us getting' here, but that
was the main thing I wanted to tell you today," said Sudou.
"Gotcha."
That was really thoughtful and considerate of him. I honestly felt truly,
sincerely grateful.
"Oh, um, so, I'm about to be done talkin' about Housen today and all, but…is
it okay if I ask you one last thing?" asked Sudou.
"Sure, if it's something I can answer."
"Did you not think that I'd tell anybody about the fight with Housen?" he
asked.
I supposed it was inevitable that question would come up during this
conversation. Even though Sudou had witnessed what happened, chances were
good that I might have taken some measures to make sure he stayed quiet. I
had considered talking to Horikita and having her forbid Sudou from saying
anything, just in case, but both the look in Sudou's eyes that night and the look
in his eyes when it was revealed I got a perfect score in math gave me a fairly
good idea of how he'd handle it.
"If this were the old you, I'm sure I would have taken some precautions. I
probably would have asked Horikita to make sure that you kept your mouth
shut," I told him.
"…If it were the old me?" said Sudou.
"As anyone can see by looking at the overall ability scores in OAA, when it
comes to growth potential, you're among the best in our class. I'm sure you can
assess situations calmly and rationally now, unlike before, when you were a
reckless hothead. That's why I didn't do anything."
My decision was based on my own analysis of the student known as Sudou
Ken. If a student like Ike or Hondou had been present for the fight with
Housen…well, that would have been an entirely different story.
"It kinda feels like I'm bein' talked to by a draft coach or somethin'," said
Sudou, sighing partly in exasperation and partly out of admiration. "Well, I'm
totally convinced. And it sure doesn't feel bad at all if someone like you thinks
I'm hot shit."
Afterward, Sudou drew in closer, bringing his face near mine.
"There's one more thing I wanna ask you. 'Bout you and Suzune, you—"
"We're not going out," I replied, cutting him off.
I responded to him quickly and decisively, emphasizing that what I had said
was the truth—while at the same time putting some distance between us,
because his face was way too close to mine.
"…Okay."
After hearing me come back with that answer, Sudou averted his gaze,
looking somewhat embarrassed.
"Oh, well, that's the thing. I'm not, uh, really telling you not to date or nothin'
like that. Suzune is… She's free to go out with whatever guy she wants,
whenever she wants. Whether it's you or me or anyone. That's her business.
But, um, it's like, if you were and you were hidin' it, I wouldn't show ya any
mercy," said Sudou.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. In the unlikely event that that ever happens, I'll tell you
immediately. Sound good?"
"Okay, good. Wait, no, not good! …Agh, whatever," said Sudou.
He let out a deep breath, perhaps because he'd gotten through everything he
wanted to hear and say.
"This might sound cold comin' from me, as Haruki's friend, but I'm real glad
that you didn't get expelled durin' the class vote. You're somebody we need if
we're gonna shoot for Class A, without a doubt. Anyway, see ya later,
Ayanokouji."
He headed toward the classroom, walking slightly faster than he had been.
Was he doing that out of consideration for me, so people around us wouldn't
notice we had been talking earlier?
"Somebody we need if we're gonna shoot for Class A, huh…" I repeated.
I never thought the day would come when I'd get such high praise from
Sudou. However, I wasn't the kind of person our class needed right now.
Rather, I had no doubt that Sudou was the one who was important to our class.
Chapter 3:
Days Passing By
APRIL, A MONTH where some head-scratching events had happened, had
come to an end. It had already been two weeks since the beginning of May. As
usual, the student from the White Room didn't show any signs of making any
major attempts on me yet. It seems like they had left Tsukishiro's control, but
what in the world were they thinking? At any rate, I didn't really have any
particular complaints as long as they let me spend my days in peace.
One mid-May morning, I met with Horikita in the lobby. The significant
amount of attention I had attracted due to my test results was now beginning
to quiet back down. Even my classmates passing me by in the lobby didn't give
me any strange looks or anything. Of course, I'm sure that there were still many
students who had their own private thoughts on the matter, but for the time
being, it looked like the situation had mostly been resolved.
While I waited for Horikita, I opened the OAA app, which had just been
refreshed with new data. The OAA was a system which reflected our
performance every month, and it would give us a glimpse of what the new
order would be like for our second year. I had gotten a perfect score in math,
but my total score across all five subjects was three-hundred-and-eighty-three
points. As a result, in terms of overall performance, my academic evaluation
was an A-, which was slightly higher than expected. The rest of my scores were
similar to what I had in my first year.
2-D Ayanokouji Kiyotaka
Second Year Results
Academic Ability: A- (81)
Physical Ability: B- (61)
Adaptability: D+ (40)
Societal Contribution: B (68)
Overall Ability: B- (62)
Students who had gotten As in their academic ability evaluations last year,
like Horikita and Mii-chan, hadn't really changed, still keeping those As. It was
likely that students who'd gotten a total score of four hundred points or higher
on the test earned As or better on their evaluations. The OAA system had
shown that there was noticeable improvement in every student's results across
the board, and as I had mentioned the other day, Sudou was one of the
eminent examples of this. The improvement in his evaluations, even when
compared to the rest of our grade, was truly remarkable.
2-D Sudou Ken
Second Year Results
Academic Ability: C (54)
Physical Ability: A+ (96)
Adaptability: C- (42)
Societal Contribution: C+ (60)
Overall Ability: B- (63)
Considering the fact that the overall ability result for his first year was a C
with a total of forty-seven points, his growth was astounding. His evaluations,
boosted further by his prominent physical ability, had taken a sharp turn for the
better all around. Even though this was just the evaluation given in OAA, his
overall ability was ranked higher than Keisei and Akito.
If he could improve in academic ability and societal contribution in the future,
then he might be able to join the ranks of people like Yousuke and Kushida. You
could say that was the appeal of a student with truly outstanding ability.
However, even though we were told that our evaluations would be reset,
regarding our adaptability and societal contribution scores, it seems that things
have…
Well, to be precise, it seemed safe for us to assume that the school had used
some of last year's data as a metric as part of their evaluation process. After all,
it wasn't as though a student's friendships and their communication skills
suddenly changed across the board just because they moved up a grade level.
That being said, if Sudou continued to apply himself diligently for the next
month, or the next six, his societal contribution scores should improve to be fair
enough, at the very least.
In addition to Sudou, many other students had grown in terms of overall
ability across the board, compared to last year. They were mostly students who
were lacking in adaptability or societal contribution, or both, but it was safe to
say that they had grown by leaps and bounds.
"Sorry to have kept you waiting," said Horikita, as she came down to the
lobby, arriving slightly before the time we had arranged to meet.
"I wasn't really waiting long," I replied.
We didn't need to talk about anything in the lobby and we started making our
way towards school. It was easier to talk outside because things tended to
progress more smoothly, regardless of the content of our discussion.
"I have to say thank you, once again. Thanks to your quick-wittedness, I didn't
draw too much attention from the rest our class. I also got the impression that
the story had gotten around to the other classes as well, in similar fashion," I
told her.
Chances were that the other classes would become more wary, but honestly,
there had been hardly any impact. Sakayanagi from Class A has already known
about me for a long time now, and Ryuuen has experienced a personal
beatdown by my hands, so he knows that math isn't the only thing that I'm
good at. As for Ichinose, I got the feeling that she thought that I wasn't
ordinary, based on what she said.
"It was no big deal, really. I was just doing what I thought would benefit our
class in the future. If I told everything that you were just selfishly holding back
of your own accord, that wouldn't have gone over so well with everyone, now,
would it? By the way, what would you have done, if I hadn't been there,
anyway?" asked Horikita.
"Dunno. Who can say?" I replied.
I dodged the question, but ultimately, I would have tried to frame the story in
an analogous way that Horikita had. I'd give an excuse at first to evade the topic
on the day in question, saying that it was one of Horikita's strategies. Then, at a
later date, I'd mention the topic again, mentioning something similar. Horikita
seemed to have figured things out though, without me having to bother with
explaining it to her verbally.
"Well, let's just say that you owe me one then," said Horikita.
"And I will quietly accept that I now owe you a favor, thanks," I replied.
Horikita then shot a glance over at my left hand.
"Is your hand okay?" she asked.
"It's getting there. It's still going to take some time to fully heal, but since it's
not my dominant hand, it's not that big a deal," I told her.
"Well, in that case, that's good, but… Have you had any contact with Housenkun since then?" she asked.
"Nah, not really. I did pass by Housen and Nanase once, but we didn't actually
talk."
Both Housen and Nanase had looked over at me, but neither one of them had
tried to say a word.
"Even though they didn't actually apologize or anything, I wonder if perhaps
they're aware that they did something wrong, after all," said Horikita.
"Not sure. I didn't really feel like they were."
"Neither of them?"
"Yeah."
Entirely unfazed by the sheer audacity of pulling a stunt like that—those firstyears certainly had guts.
"I wonder if what they said about getting twenty million points if they have
you expelled is true," said Horikita.
"We don't have conclusive proof at the moment. But they most likely
wouldn't have done something like that without that kind of reward," I
reasoned.
It was unthinkable to do something so pointless, risking both severe injury
and expulsion, otherwise. The only possibility in that case would be that they
were students sent from the White Room.
"Whether or not it's true will become clear in time," I added.
"But that's… That's not a pleasant development at all. Even though it's an
entirely absurd idea, if it's some form of special exam, all four classes will likely
know about it, right?" asked Horikita.
"Nanase said as much too. She told us that to make us pay attention to all the
classes in her grade."
That meant there were at least three people, from the three remaining
classes, who knew about me.
"Amasawa-san, from Class A… We owe her a debt of gratitude for partnering
with Sudou-kun, but there's no doubt she was an accomplice to Housen-kun,
right?" said Horikita.
I responded with a subtle nod. Amasawa Ichika, a student from Class 1-A, was
almost certainly one of the people who knew about the twenty-million-point
special exam. We didn't know who the remaining first-year students from Class
B and Class C were, though.
"So as of right now, only three people have taken action to try and get you
expelled?" asked Horikita.
"As far as I can tell, yeah, seems that way."
"If so, that's a little strange, don't you think? …Housen-kun doesn't seem
well-liked by the students in his grade level, to put it mildly. Do you think that
the other students would really just sit back, twiddling their thumbs, and watch
him outmaneuver them to snatch up the twenty million points?" asked Horikita.
That was something that had been bothering me too. But it was difficult to
narrow down the reasons why. Was it because they thought Housen and
Nanase couldn't get me expelled…? Or perhaps they never planned to
participate in this special exam all along? Maybe they never believed the exam
was legitimate in the first place.
Horikita, who was walking alongside me, probably wouldn't have an answer
for any of those questions. So I thought I'd try changing directions a bit.
"Why do you think there's no indication that the first-year students are
sharing information?" I asked.
Since that was something we were going to talk about anyway, I decided to go
ahead and ask Horikita for her opinion.
"Yes… I suppose that if their entire grade were notified that getting you
expelled was a form of special exam, then it would only be a matter of time
before not only the first-year students, but also the second-and third-year
students, heard about it. If our class had learned about such an absurd special
exam, I'm sure we would have protested strongly. That's most likely why they
are keeping us from knowing about it… Right?" reasoned Horikita.
That was most definitely correct. But there was something deeper, beyond
that correct answer, that was more concerning.
"I wonder if the school administrators really approved such an extremely
absurd special exam…" said Horikita.
"That's a good question. I tried to indirectly confirm whether or not they had
with our homeroom teacher, Chabashira-sensei, but there was no sign that she
knew about it," I replied.
In truth, I hadn't checked with her at all, but I was almost certain that she
wasn't informed of it.
"If we go from there, there are two possibilities we can consider. The first is
that what Nanase and Housen said was actually completely nonsense. In that
case, there was no special exam that involved getting me expelled at all. But, as
I said before, it'd hard to imagine that they would do something so risky
without any reward, so we can eliminate that possibility," I reasoned.
"Yes," replied Horikita.
"The other is that it's possible that this isn't really a special exam at all. To put
it in more precise terms, it's possible that someone enticed the first-year
students into this by offering to pay them twenty million points if they have me
expelled."
"I see. If someone personally put a bounty on you, then this story starts to
make more sense," said Horikita.
What these people were doing was questionable, but I was sure it wasn't a
violation of school rules. And I was sure that, as Horikita began to work out the
situation, she would come to understand something.
Horikita continued to process the situation, gradually nearing the truth.
"So, are you saying that someone in our grade or someone in a higher grade
posted a generous sum of points for that purpose?" said Horikita.
Since Horikita had no point of reference to work from that would lead her to
deduce the possibility of Tsukishiro being the perpetrator, the ideas that she
could come up with were inevitably limited.
"Though we can't deny the possibility that this was some sort of game set up
by some of the first-year students themselves, it's hard to believe they could
have arranged something like this when they've only just started school here.
They have no trust or capital to work with. I'd say that the odds of that are
slim," I replied.
"So, we're looking at someone who had both the ability to pay out twenty
million points and is trusted by the first-year students."
As Horikita worked through this scenario, a certain person likely came to her
mind.
"…The student council president," she concluded.
The words that came out of her mouth fit surprisingly well into place.
"Student Council President Nagumo couldn't possibly have something to do
with this. Could he?" said Horikita.
"I'm not so sure about that. While I'm sure he doesn't like me at all, I'm
skeptical that he'd be willing to come up with twenty million points to get me
kicked out of school. And using first-year students when he doesn't know what
kind of people they are or what kind of abilities they have? That's odd too."
If he really wanted to use someone to get me expelled, he would have been
much better off using one of the third-year students, who were under his
thumb.
"It's possible that he's connected somehow, though," I added.
I didn't have enough information to state with certainty that he wasn't
involved in some way. And since he had the title of student council president,
the first-year students wouldn't doubt him at all.
"It's possible you've made him jealous without even knowing it, actually.
Student Council President Nagumo was fixated on my big brother. But my
brother was always going on about you, Ayanokouji-kun. It wouldn't be
surprising if he had some mixed feelings about that, like I do," said Horikita.
If Nagumo was involved, that was likely the only connection.
"Well, even though it's taken a while for us to get to this point, let me get to
the main thing I wanted to discuss with you. I'll be going to the student council
office after class today. I'm going to meet with Student Council President
Nagumo and ask him about joining," said Horikita.
"I see."
After many twists and turns, we were finally making progress on the matter of
Nagumo, which had been Horikita's brother Manabu's one lasting regret.
"But if President Nagumo doesn't give me his approval, you can't hold me
responsible, okay?" said Horikita.
"I already told you before. The president's stance is that he won't turn down
anyone who comes to him," I answered.
"…Yes, I suppose you did."
Horikita had been highly emotional at the time Manabu graduated, but she
did seem to remember what we had talked about. Although Nagumo had said
himself that he wouldn't turn away anyone who came to him, I was sure that
wasn't all. She was Horikita Manabu's younger sister, who followed him
everywhere. It was unthinkable that he'd ignore a person so precious.
"The reason you want me to join the student council… You said that it was to
monitor Student Council President Nagumo, but it's not like you just want me to
stand around and keep watch on him, right?" said Horikita.
She was asking for instructions on what she should do after joining the
student council.
"I'm sure you've noticed this already, at least to some degree, but your
brother and Nagumo have completely different ways of thinking. Your brother,
precisely because he valued tradition, did not find Nagumo's reforms agreeable.
Before he left, he said something to me. He said that the class is a unit, and
everyone has a shared destiny. And that he doesn't want that framework to
change," I replied.
"It's certainly true that the current student council president is trying to do
the exact opposite of that," said Horikita.
"But I'm not passing judgment on which one of them is right. What I can say
for sure right now is that I'm interested in seeing the reforms Nagumo is trying
to pass."
That's right. Manabu's way of thinking wasn't wrong, but Nagumo's way of
thinking was by no means wrong either.
"So that's why you didn't give me any specific instructions?" said Horikita.
"Yep."
"Then why do you still want me to serve on the student council? If you
wanted to watch what he's going to do, there's no need for me to join the
council and monitor him in the first place, is there?"
"If Nagumo does steer things in the wrong direction, there's going to be a
need for someone to stop him then, won't there?" I replied.
And the person who should do that wasn't me, but Horikita Suzune, the
younger sister of Horikita Manabu. Of course, it was a rather one-sided
imposition, which was exactly why I made it my condition for our competition
before.
"There are still some things I don't like, but I'll chalk this up as a net gain,"
said Horikita.
I was sure it had something to do with the topic of the bounty that Horikita
herself had mentioned earlier. Joining the student council would improve her
chances of being able to obtain information about that.
"I suppose I'm in no position to impose conditions on you when I had lost our
wager, but would you please sit with me?" asked Horikita.
"Sit with you?" I repeated.
"Yes. I want you to come with me, so I can prove to you that I met with
Student Council President Nagumo directly," said Horikita.
Meaning, she wanted to prove she wasn't lying in the unlikely event that she
was denied entry into the student council.
"If Student Council President Nagumo is somehow involved with the matter of
your bounty, then we might get some kind of reaction out of him," added
Horikita.
Indeed. We certainly might be able to get some clues regarding the twenty
million points.
"All right. So, after school?" I replied.
Having made plans with Horikita, our day had begun.
3.1
CLASS HAD ENDED for the day, and Horikita and I set off for the student council
office together.
"Do you have an appointment?" I asked.
Even if you just dropped by for a surprise visit, there wasn't any proof that
Nagumo would be in the office.
"Of course. I went through Chabashira-sensei and asked her to help us
arrange a meeting with Student Council President Nagumo, so there's no
problem. That's one more reason why I put this off until today. But it's probably
a good thing that I delayed this long. Thanks to that, I feel like my motivation to
join the student council has increased a bit," said Horikita.
"Because of the bounty we talked about?" I asked.
"That's right. The student council is an entity which is supposed to remain
absolutely neutral. If they were to do something unfair, which placed a burden
on our class alone, then… Well, if that's true, then that's an issue that needs to
be fought, and fought hard."
I stealthily cast a sideways glance at Horikita's face, sensing something akin to
determination.
"It's great that you're all eager to go, but don't get too carried away. There's
no proof that Nagumo is involved in anything yet. And besides, even if he is
involved, he's not the kind of opponent that can be dealt with so easily," I told
her.
Even if it was true, I doubted Nagumo would withdraw the bounty on my
head just because we asked him to.
"Of course. I'm not going to do anything careless. I'll wait until I'm absolutely
certain to make a move," said Horikita.
I felt relieved to see that though fired up, she seemed to still have a great deal
of self-control. Shortly after, had arrived at the student council room, and
opened the door.
"Please pardon the intrusion," said Horikita, as we stepped inside the room.
Once inside the student council office, we saw that the person sitting in the
president's chair was none other than Nagumo, obviously. He crossed his legs,
then greeted Horikita like he was a king or something. Nothing felt out of place
about it, either. The fact that he looked so perfectly suited to the part was proof
that he had a certain dignity about him.
In addition, I felt like Nagumo was even more calm and composed than
before. That might be because the only person who was his equal, or perhaps
even his better—Horikita Manabu—was no longer here. And by his side was the
vice president, Kiriyama. Kiriyama briefly cast a glance in my direction, then
quickly shifted his gaze over to Horikita.
"I hear you want to talk to me about something?" asked Nagumo.
"Yes. Thank you so much for your time," said Horikita.
Kiriyama urged Horikita and I to take a seat, and so we obediently did as he
instructed.
"Nah, don't worry about it. My schedule's relatively open right now, anyway,"
said Nagumo.
Even with me there right in front of him, Nagumo seemed the same as
always. Even if it were only the barest sliver of guilt we were talking, it wouldn't
be surprising if it showed up in his attitude, but…
"Anyway, what did you want to talk to me about? You didn't come here just
to have a regular ol' chat, I assume, right?" said Nagumo.
Although that was a gesture meant to welcome us, that also was his way of
asking Horikita to cut to the chase.
"I'm sure that your time is valuable, so I'll get straight to the point. I would
like to join the student council," said Horikita, her voice carrying all through the
student council office.
Upon hearing what she said, both student council members reacted in similar
ways. They seemed to neither welcome nor reject what they'd just heard, but
both simply wore looks of surprise.
"You want to join the student council?" repeated Nagumo.
His expression then changed from one of surprise to one of slight anticipation.
"Well now, you could certainly call this a curious turn of events, eh? Though I
admit I don't feel like just saying 'yes' outright, mind you," said Nagumo.
"Meaning you're not going to welcome me onto the council?" asked Horikita.
"That's not what I'm saying. Basically, my stance is that I won't turn away
anyone who comes to me. If someone wants to join the student council, I'll let
them in as long as there's room available. I'm not interested in why someone
wants to join. Whether it's because of OAA, or for future employment, or some
sense of justice, that's all fine," replied Nagumo.
That was the sort of thinking typical of Nagumo, who, unlike Manabu, was
open to anyone.
"But you're special, Horikita Suzune. So I'm going to let you join the student
council on just one condition," said Nagumo.
"And what would that condition be?" asked Horikita.
"I want you to tell me the reason why you want to join the student council at
this time," said Nagumo.
Was he disturbed by me being there with Horikita? No—in a good sense,
Nagumo wasn't the type of person to worry about the little things. He genuinely
wanted to know the reason why Manabu's little sister wanted to join the
student council. Of course, Horikita wasn't going to say that it was because she
lost a bet with me. Speaking honestly, she'd still be able to join the student
council that way, but that would be all. She'd most likely never be able to win
Nagumo's trust, ever.
"There is some antagonism between my brother and me, so I came to this
school to settle that conflict. But even after I had enrolled here, the relationship
my brother and I had didn't change," said Horikita.
Nagumo listened to Horikita's words, which she spoke slowly and in a clear
tone, very intently.
"I hadn't grown at all. There was no way my brother was going to recognize
me. In the end, I spent an entire year unable to even talk to him. All the way up
until he was just about to graduate," said Horikita.
It seemed like Horikita chose certain truths from her past to tell Nagumo.
"So, were you able to make up?" asked Nagumo.
"Yes. It was at the last possible minute, but we were able to reconcile. That
was when I first developed an interest in the student council, which my older
brother had dedicated his school career to. It's been a long and winding road
for me, but I want to follow the same path that my brother took," said Horikita.
She'd originally had no intention of joining the student council. So if you were
to ask me if everything she'd just said was how she really felt, then I'd say no,
not everything. Still, by covering her statements with many little truths, she was
able to cloud Nagumo's ability to discern the authenticity of her story.
"The path that your brother took, eh? That's quite a noble story," said
Nagumo.
However, it was precisely because Nagumo sensed that she had done
something to blur his vision that he seemed to be somewhat wary of Horikita.
"Does that mean I can assume that you're intending to eventually become
student council president?" asked Nagumo.
No matter what kind of answer Horikita gave, it probably wasn't going to
impress him. This was the kind of situation where a simple lie wouldn't leave a
good impression.
"Yes. As I mentioned before, I wish to follow the same path my brother took,
so I also intend to become student council president," said Horikita.
Horikita had, quite daringly, chosen to set a difficult goal hurdle for herself.
What she said didn't seem to be a lie, either. Now that she had decided to join
the student council, it seemed like she was really prepared to follow in
Manabu's footsteps.
"I see. But Honami has already been working hard for a year now as a
member of the student council, albeit from behind the scenes. You do
understand that means that you're lagging behind her in being considered for
the position of student council president, right?" said Nagumo.
"I don't think the gap is wide enough that I can't bridge it," said Horikita,
responding more quickly and more forcefully than she did with any of her
previous statements.
Kiriyama, who had remained silent up until this point, turned to Nagumo and
spoke. "Even though they don't really look much alike, I suppose she really is
Horikita-senpai's little sister."
"I am a little uncomfortable calling you Horikita, though. I might have already
called you by your first name several times already, but just double checking, is
it okay for me to call you Suzune from now on?" asked Nagumo.
"Please feel free," said Horikita.
"Y'know, it was bothering me a little that we still didn't have any second-year
students on the council except for Honami."
After hearing Horikita's true intentions through his direct questioning of her,
Nagumo agreed to let her join the student council. He rose from his seat and
walked over to where Horikita was, extending his left hand to her as she stood
up to meet him. Horikita met his outstretched hand head-on, grasping it with
her own.
"Welcome to the student council. Starting today, I want you to work as a
member of this council without holding anything back, Suzune," said Nagumo.
"Of course," she replied.
"To celebrate you joining the council, I'll tell you something interesting. All
the past student council presidents, every single one, have graduated from
Class A. That's a fact. Please keep that in mind as you aim for greater heights,"
said Nagumo, offering words that seemed like they were meant to light a fire
underneath Horikita, who was still stuck languishing in Class D.
"Please don't worry. I have absolutely no plans to graduate from any class
other than A," replied Horikita.
"Well then, prove it to me and show me that it's not just talk," said Nagumo.
With that, they also finished their handshake, which had lasted a long time.
"I'm Kiriyama. I'm the vice president."
"It's a pleasure to be collaborating with you," said Horikita.
Once Horikita finished exchanging pleasantries and shaking hands with
Kiriyama as well, she was officially a member of the student council. From here
on out, she would be able to see Nagumo's way of doing things with her own
two eyes. A meritocratic school system, which prioritized the individual. How
would Horikita react to this new system, which deviated greatly from the
previous one her older brother was trying to protect?
Well, it was safe to say that we were past the point where I would have any
say in the matter, anyway. Especially since I'd failed to find any clues about the
bounty that had been placed on me, anyway. I decided to look for the right time
to leave, but just as I was wondering how to slip out of there…
"By the way, are you going to join the student council too, Ayanokouji?"
asked Nagumo.
"What are you doing, Nagumo? You're going to invite him to join the student
council?" said Kiriyama, surprised, as if he thought that Nagumo's suggestion
was unusual.
"It's not all that strange, though. Ayanokouji is someone Horikita-senpai had
his eye on. There's no reason for us to refuse him. Besides, it seems he's the
only person who got a perfect score in a subject on the special exam the other
day," said Nagumo.
This was the first time Nagumo had seemed to pay attention to me during this
whole conversation today. It seemed like he already knew information that had
been made public only to the students in the first-and second-year grade levels.
"I'm afraid not. I don't really have what it takes to be on the student council,"
I answered.
"Ha, I knew you'd say that," said Nagumo.
He immediately pulled his attention away from me, as if he had only made
that offer for politeness' sake. I didn't know what he was thinking about, but
then he turned his gaze towards me once again.
"Ayanokouji."
After Nagumo had called my name, the two of us just sat there staring at one
another in silence for a brief moment.
"Being on the student council is even more work than I had thought. It's like a
mountain of work, honestly. But things are starting to settle down. I'm planning
on spending some time with my underclassmen for a while over the summer,"
said Nagumo.
What did that statement mean? Without me even having to press the matter,
Nagumo came out and said it himself.
"I'm going to play with you all, so you'd better be looking forward to it," said
Nagumo.
This wasn't something along the lines of a declaration of war, or anything like
that. Rather, it was akin to a lesson, from the strong to the weak.
"I'm sure that Sakayanagi, Ichinose, and Ryuuen are going to be crying tears
of joy," said Nagumo.
After saying his piece, Nagumo went back to completely ignoring me, and for
real this time. Just as the discussion was finally about to end, Nagumo brought
something else up.
"By the way, Kiriyama, why exactly did you decide to get involved for today's
rather curious turn of events?" said Nagumo.
"…Meaning?" he asked.
"The other day, when those first-and second-year students had come saying
that they wanted to join the student council, you didn't ask to join me to talk to
them. But this time, when I was notified that Horikita wanted to meet with me,
you decided to show up. Isn't that weird?" said Nagumo.
It was almost as if he was bringing it up specifically so I would hear, as I was
just about to leave. This surprise attack, which came at the last possible minute,
seemed to disrupt the flow of the conversation. Of course, I had no way of
knowing why Kiriyama was present at this meeting, but he was clearly shaken.
"I was simply curious because she's Horikita-senpai's little sister. What's
wrong with that?" said Kiriyama, trying to keep his cool. But his voice was a
little strained.
Perhaps Nagumo was amused by this, because he replied in a jovial manner.
"No, no, nothing at all, it's no big deal. Don't worry 'bout it."
He didn't pursue the matter any further, as if Kiriyama's response was enough
for him.
"Anyway Suzune, I'd like to get right to work and introduce you to the other
members of the student council aside from Kiriyama. Stay right there," said
Nagumo.
"Understood."
There was no reason for me to stick around any longer since I had refused to
join the student council. I left Horikita there with Nagumo and exited the office.
3.2
LEAVING THE student council office, I headed toward the school's entrance.
Kiriyama had been struggling desperately to try and overthrow Nagumo. He
supported Manabu and had been trying to put several schemes into motion,
including going so far as to reach out to me directly when I was a first-year
student. And just as he was about to give up, Manabu's younger sister showed
up, wanting to join the student council. I imagined he might have thought about
taking some kind of action.
But, judging by the looks of things today, it seemed like the battle between
Nagumo and Kiriyama had already been decided. It felt like there was this gap
between them that was already so vast that there was no hope of overcoming
it. Well, if Kiriyama hasn't given up yet, then something was going to happen
eventually.
"That's that," I muttered to myself.
I was beat. I didn't want to use my brain any more today, so I figured I'd head
straight back to my dorm room and then just take it easy for the rest of the day.
I pulled out my phone and checked the time.
"Hey, if you don't really have any plans or anything…do you mind if I come
visit your room?"
I hadn't noticed since I'd been watching that spectacle back in the student
council office, but I had received a message from Kei. It had already been more
than thirty minutes since it had been sent, but since it hadn't been unsent and
there were no follow-up messages, it was possible that she was still waiting for
a reply. Since I didn't really have any plans for the rest of the day, I decided to
go ahead and send her a response.
Even though we were dating, we hadn't officially announced it yet. There
were an extremely limited number of places where we could be alone together
without anyone finding out. That being said, the dorms were by no means a
safe bet either. Rather, if we were spotted even once, it could be a decisive
blow. I supposed we'd just have to work out a solution, together, when that
time came.
I sent a message saying, "Want to come to my room?" Less than a second
later, I saw that the message had been read. Had she just happened to be using
her phone already? Or had she been waiting for a response this entire time?
"Yes!" she replied, short and sweet. "Is it okay if I come right now?!"
I got messages from her one after the other. I replied, letting her know that I
was on my way back to the dorms now, and that I should be there in about
twenty minutes, so she could come any time after that. She just had to make
her way to my room, the usual way. Even if someone else was on the same
floor, Kei should be able to deal with that, at least to a certain extent.
I got back to my dorm room about ten minutes later. I left the door unlocked
and used the extra time to clean up a little bit. Then, I heard three loud knocks.
Kei and I had settled on several signals to use for our secret meetings. We
generally used the doorbell, but in times of slight emergencies, I had asked Kei
to knock three times. With the considerable number of students who were
always coming and coming, there were instances where we just didn't have the
time to slowly open and close the door.
That was what we had settled on. Also, if we were in an extreme hurry or in
dangerous situations, we allowed each other to enter without using a signal.
"I'm coming in!" said Kei in a panic as she slipped in through the door.
She pushed the door shut forcefully and let out a deep sigh, calming herself
down.
"I really freaked out when I realized that the elevator had stopped on the
fourth floor!" she exclaimed.
Perhaps it was because her heart rate had gone up, but Kei had brought her
hand up to her chest. Well, since it was difficult to get past people in the
hallway, it was no wonder why she was in a panic.
"It's impossible for us to hide this forever," I told her.
"I know that, but…"
I put Kei's shoes away in the shoe closet. Then, just in case, I locked the door
and latched the U-shaped lock shut too. That way, even in the unlikely event
that someone tried to pay me a visit, we could make sure they didn't come
inside and turn them away.
Still, it wasn't all that natural to use the U-shaped lock this early. I hadn't
originally intended to go that far, but that had changed thanks to the precedent
set with Amasawa. It was better to do this than carelessly let someone enter my
room and see me here all alone with Kei. Besides, even if they said it was
something urgent, it would be fine as long as I was ready to step outside
instead. I'd just tell them that my room was a mess, have them wait outside,
and then come out right away. Then, after I left together with the visitor, Kei
would be able to quietly exit the room.
"Phew. What a relief…" said Kei, sitting on the bed, patting her chest.
"Glad to hear it."
After all, the dorms were full of students heading back to the rooms,
especially in the evening. But the risks in inviting someone over in the middle of
the night were even greater. It was precisely because there were fewer people
around then that it would be a huge deal if people found I'd had a girl come to
my room in the middle of the night. That was why daytime on our days off or
weekday evenings were better, since we could make up excuses for those. Even
if our relationship were exposed, it would be seen as healthy behavior.
"Want something to drink?" I asked, calling over to Kei after she had calmed
back down.
When I asked her that, though, she ran from the living room over the kitchen,
in a hurry.
"I'll take care of it!"
"Huh, well this is curious. You don't normally do this," I told her.
"Well, I'm sure it's really hard for you right now, with your hand injured.
Besides, even I can boil water, at least," said Kei.
From the sound of it, she was apparently offering to take care of it out of
concern about my injury.
"Okay then, sure, I'll let you handle it…"
"Okay, good. I'll have black tea. What would you like, Kiyotaka?" she asked.
"Hm, let's see… The same as you would be good, I guess."
I'd decided to have the same thing as her because I thought it'd be less of a
burden, but what I did must have backfired because she had a disgruntled look
on her face.
"Do you not have any faith in me?" she replied.
"…All right. In that case, I'll have a coffee."
"Okay, just leave it to me. You keep the stuff on the shelf over here, right?"
said Kei, opening up the kitchen cupboards.
She must have noticed me looking at her, so she instructed me to go wait in
the living room. I'd just be asking for more trouble if I made her angry, so I
decided to quietly watch TV and wait. As soon as I took the TV remote in my
hand though, I heard Kei's voice coming from the kitchen.
"Oh yeah, that reminds me. There was something I was thinking about telling
you today. You know, you have a pretty big responsibility now, Kiyotaka," said
Kei.
"What's this about, all of the sudden?" I asked.
"The fact that you got a perfect score in math is going to make it even harder
for me to come out and announce that we're dating," said Kei.
I was wondering what she was going to say. So that's what this is about, huh?
Well, I supposed it is true that if Kei were to reveal anything about us at this
stage, there was a good chance that it would cause some controversy…
"I have no idea what's going to happen if we come out about the fact that
we're dating now…" she added.
"Does this mean the current situation is going to continue as-is for a while?" I
asked.
"Well, there's no other way around it… I dunno, I just feel kind of awkward
about it. It's like I'm going out with you because of your status," said Kei.
"Is it bad to go out with somebody for status?"
"W-well, no, I guess I wouldn't say it's bad, but…"
"For example, it's a status thing for a guy to go out with a girl who looks cute,
right? Isn't it a little unfair to say that you don't want something like that?" I
asked.
Of course, preferences about looks varied from person to person. There were
no absolutes. But even so, I had learned that this was the case for most people,
generally speaking.
Even though I had expressed a dissenting opinion about the matter of looking
for status, Kei didn't answer. I was wondering what rebuttal she was forming
when she slowly lifted her head to look at me.
"Y-you think I'm cute?" she asked.
Apparently, she wasn't planning to argue back. It seemed she'd had gotten
stuck on what I said about dating a girl who looked cute.
"Do you think I'd want to go out with someone who wasn't cute?" I asked.
Strangely, Kei's lips seemed to quiver. She tried to look away, like she was
trying to escape from my gaze, which had just been locked with hers before.
The water in the kettle had begun boiling, just starting to make a simmering
sound.
It wasn't just one's physical appearance that made a person cute. Personality,
figure, voice, mannerisms, lineage, and upbringing. There were all sorts of
factors that could come together to make people find someone adorable.
"I… Well, um, I think you're really good-looking too, Kiyotaka."
Even though I wasn't asking her to comment on my appearance, that was
what she said. Then, she retreated into the kitchen. After the water had come
to a full boil, I heard liquid being poured into cups as I casually flipped through
the channels on the TV. Shortly afterward, Kei came back into the living room
and placed a cup of coffee on the table, a proud look on her face. Also, she
seemed to have made herself a café au lait, even though she'd said she was
going to have black tea.
"Thanks," I told her.
"You're welcome," replied Kei.
We spread our textbooks from our first year out on the table. We also set out
notebooks and pens to stage the scene as if we were studying. That way, even if
something unexpected did happen, we'd have an excuse. I'd like to avoid that
scenario if possible, though.
Everything I'd laid out from the moment that Kei had entered my room was
part of a defensive strategy I had produced based on what happened with
Amasawa.
Anyway, Kei and I went on to spend some time chatting about silly trifles. We
started talking about things like when we'd met at school today, and then in
earlier days. We talked about who we ran into during Golden Week and what
kinds of TV shows we watched. Kei showed me some photos she took, and we
just whittled away the time.
The assorted topics of our conversation varied in length, some long, some
short. Sometimes we changed topics suddenly. The time we were spending
together could be seen as time wasted, but that was by no means a bad thing.
Somehow, I was starting to understand what love was, little by little. I was on a
stay-at-home date with Kei, who let me see all kinds of expressions on her face,
from laughter to anger.
As we burned through several topics of discussion, there naturally started to
be fewer and fewer things to say. The casual chatting starting to die down, and
periods of silence grew more frequent. The mood in the room had clearly
started to change from what it was like earlier. We were both starting to feel
something for each other. We both started to become aware of something.
Well, no, it wasn't just something. We already knew what it was. Feelings of
wanting to touch one another, feelings of craving the other person, were
welling up inside us. But they weren't feelings that we voiced out loud. We
were communicating with just our eyes. But taking that first step was by no
means easy.
No matter how well you thought you understood your partner, you had to
consider the unlikely risks. Even if you thought you were both headed in the
same direction, you had to consider the possibility that you weren't. Negative
emotions would start to erupt within you, as you wondered, "What if they
reject me?"
Even so…
I met Kei's gaze, not letting her look away. "Is this okay? But, but…"
Those feelings were colliding with one another. Eventually, Kei seemed to
stop fighting it. She wasn't running away from it anymore. As I felt that
sensation course through my body, slowly, slowly enough that it felt like time
was coming to a halt…
We brought our bodies closer together, and then our faces, shortening the
distance between us. We eventually got close enough that we could feel each
other's breath on our skin. I picked up the scent of milk and coffee from Kei's
breath. In just two more seconds… No, in just one more second, our lips would
meet.
Ding-dong!
Our time alone together was mercilessly interrupted by the sound of the
doorbell. Our lips were just barely apart, so close and yet so far. My
consciousness, which had been on the verge of flying away, was suddenly and
violently pulled back down to reality.
"Oh, um, the door…?" stammered Kei.
Her cheeks were bright red as she pulled away from me in a panic. But I didn't
exactly have the time to sit there and gaze at her for long. Let's see.
There was a visitor, not one waiting down in the lobby, but already outside
my door. The intercom also clearly showed a notification that the ringing was
coming from my front door. Unlike in the lobby, there were no cameras on the
individual room doors, so it was impossible to know one way or another who
was visiting you.
I could have just pretended to be out, but if they had seen Kei enter my room,
that that would be bad. It'd probably be a better idea for me to find out exactly
who had come here and for what purposes.
"Wait right there," I told Kei.
"O-okay," she replied, nodding, looking somewhat nervous.
With what happened last time with Amasawa in mind, I had already put Kei's
shoes in the shoe closet. That way, at first glance, it would look like I was the
only one here. However, this method wasn't always advantageous. The best
option would be if I could talk briefly with this visitor in the doorway. But if they
did ask to come in, the situation would rapidly take a turn for the worse, and I
might start looking suspicious. Because I would have created a scenario where I
had brought a girl into my room and deliberately hidden her shoes to keep her
undetected.
It was the right call to leave the U-shaped door lock on then, just in the off
chance something might happen. That way, even if this visitor tried to barge
into my room, they wouldn't be able to see whose shoes were present. And on
top of that, they wouldn't be able to get into my room so easily. Also, I could
buy some time by providing the visitor with some kind of reason for why I'd
locked my door. That way, I could ask that we postpone meeting with them
until a later time, or we could move to a different room.
Anyway, who was this person who'd come directly to my room? Horikita? Or
was it a guy? As I struggled to come up with an idea of who it might be, I looked
through the peephole on the door to confirm the identity of my visitor.
The very first thing that came into view was red hair.
"Senpai!"
And then that sweet voice.
It was almost as if she knew that I was watching her through the peephole.
"It's me!"
Judging from what she was saying on the other side of the door, she was
convinced that I was in. The visitor, clad in casual wear, had a broad smile on
her face. It looked as though she hadn't brought anything in particular with her,
as she was empty-handed.
I slowly unlocked the door and opened it.
I hadn't dealt with Class 1-A student Amasawa Ichika since the end of April.
This was a rather surprising visit, as I had assumed I wouldn't be making any
further contact with her. Now that I knew that she had been complicit in
Housen's schemes, since she had taken the knife from my room for Housen to
use later, I had expected she would keep a certain distance from me. But
Amasawa, as she stood here right in front of me once again, showed no sign of
feeling guilt or shame whatsoever.
She couldn't possibly think I hadn't found out about her involvement in that
situation, could she? No—Amasawa's role in Housen's plans was essentially
revealed when the plan was put into action.
"How did you get into the building?" I asked.
"There was another senpai who just happened to be coming inside, so I came
in with them. I thought I'd surprise you," said Amasawa.
If she had called me via the intercom in the lobby, her identity would have
been revealed to me no matter what. So, she took advantage of another
student to avoid that, huh?
"So?" I asked.
"I was wondering if your hand's okay. I was worried about you, so I came
over," said Amasawa.
There was no way the clever Amasawa would be so naïve as to think that her
involvement in Housen's scheme would have gone unnoticed. Rather, she
seemed to be hinting at her involvement with the way she was acting right now.
She touched the U-shaped lock on my door with her right index finger,
tapping on it with slow, deliberate movements.
"Can you unlock this?" she asked.
Amasawa, a devilish smile on her face, cast a glance over at the entryway to
my room, having a look at what shoes were there. Had she guessed that
someone was in here after seeing the U-shaped lock? Or perhaps…
"It's already evening, can we do this tomorrow? I think it'd be a problem if I
brought a kouhai into my room for no reason," I told her.
If she had really come just to check how my hand was doing, then she should
leave after hearing that. However, Amasawa didn't budge an inch from where
she stood. She bought her left hand up to her face, putting a finger to her lips
and gesturing that she was thinking about something.
"Hey, you seem like you're alone right now. So, I was thinking I might have
you feed me something," said Amasawa.
She'd changed the subject in order to try and enter my room somehow.
"I have the right to ask you to cook for me, after all, don't I? Did you forget
about what I did for you by teaming up with Sudou-senpai?" said Amasawa.
If she were going to try and force her way in, I supposed it was safe to assume
this was how she intended to do it. In that case, I just needed to go along with it
and come up with a sensible comeback.
"Sorry. I'm all out of ingredients right now. I don't have anything in the
fridge," I told her.
"Oh? Is that so? Well, please make sure that you stock up." Amasawa voiced
her dissatisfaction, giving me a look that seemed to show that she was both
bothered and not at the same time.
"If this has to be done today, then how about I get ready and we go buy stuff
together?" I suggested.
Though that would mean the end of my date with Kei, I'd avoid running into
any unnecessary trouble. Since Amasawa had already met Kei once before, I
didn't want her to find out that I'd been frequently inviting her to my room.
"Hm, okay, no ingredients. That's too bad," said Amasawa, with a somewhat
amused smile. "Please don't close the door, okay?" she added, before briefly
disappearing from view.
Then, I heard a rustling sound. She picked up a plastic bag that she seemed to
have left on the floor in the hallway and showed it to me through the crack in
the open door. I had made sure that she was empty-handed when I looked
through the peephole in the door before. Even if she had placed something
directly by her feet, it would've still been in view, if barely so. It seemed she had
deliberately placed the plastic bag full of foodstuffs somewhere outside my field
of view.
She had figured out exactly what kind of escape route I was trying to use.
Now, my reason for not letting her inside because I was short on food wasn't
going to work. I had known Amasawa was smart, but it seemed she was
cleverer than I had imagined.
Well then, now that it had come to this, should I admit that I lied and try and
find a different way to turn her away? If I said I wasn't feeling up to it today,
and that I'd lied because I didn't want to turn her down outright, that might
work. I had come up with several countermeasures after my experience with
Amasawa, but I didn't think that the very first person I'd be trying them on
would be Amasawa herself.
Whether she'd buy my excuses was another matter altogether. I felt
confident that I could pull one over on other students, but Amasawa knew
about me and Kei.
"Did you lie to me because you don't want me to come into your room?"
asked Amasawa.
In less than one second of silence, Amasawa had pushed me up against a wall
with no chance of escape. In that case, it was no coincidence that she had
chosen this time today to pay me a visit.
"You aren't alone in there, right now. So, I was thinking I might have
you feed me something," said Amasawa.
She'd changed the subject in order to try and enter my room somehow.
"I have the right to ask you to cook for me, after all, don't I? Did you forget
about what I did for you by teaming up with Sudou-senpai?" said Amasawa.
If she were going to try and force her way in, I supposed it was safe to assume
this was how she intended to do it. In that case, I just needed to go along with it
and come up with a sensible comeback.
"Sorry. I'm all out of ingredients right now. I don't have anything in the
fridge," I told her.
"Oh? Is that so? Well, please make sure that you stock up." Amasawa voiced
her dissatisfaction, giving me a look that seemed to show that she was both
bothered and not at the same time.
"If this has to be done today, then how about I get ready and we go buy stuff
together?" I suggested.
Though that would mean the end of my date with Kei, I'd avoid running into
any unnecessary trouble. Since Amasawa had already met Kei once before, I
didn't want her to find out that I'd been frequently inviting her to my room.
"Hm, okay, no ingredients. That's too bad," said Amasawa, with a somewhat
amused smile. "Please don't close the door, okay?" she added, before briefly
disappearing from view.
Then, I heard a rustling sound. She picked up a plastic bag that she seemed to
have left on the floor in the hallway and showed it to me through the crack in
the open door. I had made sure that she was empty-handed when I looked
through the peephole in the door before. Even if she had placed something
directly by her feet, it would've still been in view, if barely so. It seemed she had
deliberately placed the plastic bag full of foodstuffs somewhere outside my field
of view.
She had figured out exactly what kind of escape route I was trying to use.
Now, my reason for not letting her inside because I was short on food wasn't
going to work. I had known Amasawa was smart, but it seemed she was
cleverer than I had imagined.
Well then, now that it had come to this, should I admit that I lied and try and
find a different way to turn her away? If I said I wasn't feeling up to it today,
and that I'd lied because I didn't want to turn her down outright, that might
work. I had come up with several countermeasures after my experience with
Amasawa, but I didn't think that the very first person I'd be trying them on
would be Amasawa herself.
Whether she'd buy my excuses was another matter altogether. I felt
confident that I could pull one over on other students, but Amasawa knew
about me and Kei.
"Did you lie to me because you don't want me to come into your room?"
asked Amasawa.
In less than one second of silence, Amasawa had pushed me up against a wall
with no chance of escape. In that case, it was no coincidence that she had
chosen this time today to pay me a visit.
"You aren't alone in there, right, senpai?" she asked.
"What makes you think that?" I replied.
So she was convinced that Kei had come to my room after all, then, and had
acted accordingly. I'm sure that Kei had been watched from somewhere.
"Because I was watching her. I was watching Karuizawa-senpai the whoooole
time. Ever since she got back to the dorms," said Amasawa, confirming that
she'd been watching her and proving my suspicions correct.
I was guessing she'd gone out to buy food after she secretly confirmed that
Kei had come to my room. Even though she had to take on the risk of getting
past the auto-locking doors of the building twice, that was the strategy she'd
decided to use.
"Considering the fact that you've hidden your girlfriend's shoes to make it
look like she's not here, does that mean you two were doing something
naughty?" said Amasawa.
"I only hid her shoes as a precaution, because we haven't told anyone about
our relationship yet. That's all," I answered.
"Oh, so you finally admit it, hm? Well, it's not like I don't understand why
you'd want to hide it, but I already know all about you two, so you don't have to
lie to me. Okay?" said Amasawa.
She had somewhat of a pouting look on her face, as if to express her
dissatisfaction at me hiding it from her.
"You know, I've been keeping your secret for the time being, out of the
goodness of my heart, but…I wonder, maybe I should spill the beans?" she
added.
It seemed that Amasawa had done her research, even to the point of finding
out that my relationship with Kei wasn't out in the open yet. If she hadn't, she
wouldn't be using it as leverage in our negotiations right now. Meaning that this
whole conversation was basically a formality. If I refused her, there was a real
chance she might tell everyone. If she revealed that Kei and I were dating, it
might hurt Kei in the future.
It was preferable for us to disclose that information ourselves, voluntarily. In
that case, I supposed I should give in. Being on the defensive left me at a
disadvantage. And so, I admitted defeat.
"Wait a minute. I'll unlock the door," I told her.
"Okey dokey!" replied Amasawa.
I closed the door, and gave Kei, who had been watching me anxiously from
inside the room, a look to say that it was all right. If Amasawa was going to go
this far to shamelessly barge into my room, then we had no choice but to meet
her head-on. I then took off the U-shaped lock, opened the door, and let
Amasawa inside.
As soon as Amasawa's eyes met with Kei's—Kei having only just shown her
face—she gave a mischievous grin. Kei, on the other hand, was looking back at
Amasawa with a sour look, like she had just swallowed a bug.
"My oh my, this won't do. A young man and young woman, together, all
alone, with the door locked?" Amasawa teased, sounding almost excited, as she
took off her shoes.
"It's not like we can't be alone. There are lots of people in relationships who
do this sort of thing, everywhere," argued Kei.
"Well, sure, I suppose that's true. It's just that when I look at you two, I get
the feeling there's something dirty going on," said Amasawa.
I would have liked her to have shown us some evidence for saying so, but I
supposed that considering the fact that we were just about to kiss earlier, I
couldn't really get upset about Amasawa's point. As soon as Amasawa entered
the living room area, she cast a watchful gaze over towards the bed.
"Your clothes aren't all rumpled. And the bed doesn't seem too messy, either.
I guess that means you weren't doing anything, after all," said Amasawa.
"O-of course we weren't! Anyway, why the heck did you barge in here all of a
sudden, anyway?!" huffed Kei.
Amasawa's appearance had caused Kei, who had been meek and sweet until
now, to get really angry. I was guessing her anger was accompanied by a hint of
anxiety too. She must have heard that Amasawa might expose our relationship
if we offended her.
"And here I thought for sure that you were engaged in some illicit affair… I
mean, I thought you were having sex," said Amasawa.
Amasawa had already been skirting the line of inappropriateness. Now, she
went deliberately over the line, bringing up the topic of sex. And on top of that,
she didn't direct that last comment to me, but rather, to Kei.