Three days had passed since the test on the island. On the luxurious cruise ship provided by our school, nothing noteworthy was happening, and the students were enjoying their rest. It's safe to say that after going through a survival test on an uninhabited island, most would lose their rational judgment.

The luxurious cruise ship, literally equipped with everything, was like a dream come true. The trip made us forget all the unpleasant things. Even if people fell in love here, it wouldn't be strange—there were already plenty of rumors about couples forming during this trip. Unfortunately, that kind of encounter was unlikely to happen to me.

I live the loneliest life.

My situation remained the same as before the island test. No, that's not true. Perhaps the environment around me had changed? Even if it was against my will, I had been forced to alter my original trajectory after entering this school. Initially, I had chosen to enroll in this school for a very specific reason.

"Contact with the outside world until graduation is forbidden."

This school rule was the reason I enrolled.

However, a certain man was trying to contact me from outside. Chabashira-sensei was the one who informed me about this. Moreover, she blackmailed me into helping her push the class to Class A, threatening to forcibly expel me if I didn't comply.

Even without doing anything to draw attention, a powerless creature like me had no choice but to accept.

I had no way to verify the truth of her claims, so I decided to play it safe, assuming they were true.

But I wouldn't dance to her tune forever. For now, I would gather the necessary information, and depending on the circumstances, I would have to take the first step.

A small devil whispered in my ear, "It's better to get them before they get you." I considered various ways to force her to resign. Hmmm.

That kind of violent thought lasted only for a moment before I returned to my usual pacifist way of thinking.

"If I had the power to shift the Earth's axis..."

If I could do that, I wouldn't have to worry about such trivial matters. Saying that, I looked out the window, dreaming of living in the world of Dragon Ball.

The students felt uneasy after the test ended, expecting that something else would follow. Because of that, everyone was on guard. But after three days, nothing happened. No suspicions of any malicious intent from the school were raised. The cruise was serene, peaceful, and pleasant—almost as if summer vacation had already begun. Naturally, the students shifted into a festive mood.

They began to relax and act as if the tests were completely over. They assumed that this second week would be nothing but a vacation. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Even as we let out a sigh of relief, we still maintained a sense of alertness. However, the students who knew how to enjoy themselves were proving to be quite effective.

Still, deep in my mind, I felt an abnormal sense of unease. It was a strange feeling for me. I didn't know exactly what it was.

This peace wouldn't last long.

That thought surfaced in my mind. It could be attributed to my understanding of how the school operated, but that wasn't the reason. Even I couldn't fully grasp why I had such a thought.

"Hmm? Have you been in the room this whole time?" One of my roommates, Hirata Yousuke, called out to me as I stared out the window.

"There's no reason for me to go out. I don't have anyone to spend time with," I replied.

"I don't think that's true. There's Sudou-kun and his group, and Horikita-san too."

Indeed, Sudou and Horikita were people who had technically categorized me as a friend, and I had done the same. But just because you're categorized as a friend, a hierarchy still exists. If you're at the top of that hierarchy—the type of friend someone has a strong friendship with—the treatment is noticeably better. That wasn't my case. I was the kind of friend with a weak friendship.

Sometimes, when friends go out, those with a weak friendship have about a ten percent chance of being invited. I was that kind of person—existing just to be invited once every ten outings.

"I think you'd be able to make more friends if you were a bit more proactive, Ayanokouji-kun. Though, I suppose it's none of my business."

This person was a popular guy, someone many students liked and supported. In particular, all the girls seemed to trust him a lot. He also had a girlfriend named Karuizawa. For a guy as lucky and happy as Hirata, he would never understand the suffering of a loner like me.

"You're a solid person, Ayanokouji-kun. I think you just need the right opportunity," he continued telling me.

I didn't need those kind yet cruel words.

I didn't need girls saying things like, "Ooh… you seem like a nice guy." Because if I responded with, "Then go out with me," they would say, "That's a bit complicated..." I didn't need that.

I spent my time alone because I couldn't make friends or get a girlfriend. Damn idiot.

"I'm planning to go out with Karuizawa-san and the others at 12:30 for lunch. Would you like to join us? I'm sure it'll be fun."

"Karuizawa and the others?"

"There will be three other girls with us. Are you coming?"

If I had to admit the truth, I did want to talk to Karuizawa a bit. But… there was no need to rush. Besides, with other girls around, it would be hard to start a conversation with her, and I definitely wouldn't be able to liven up the lunch. In fact, I'd probably do the opposite.

"I'll have to pass. I don't think I'd get along with Karuizawa's group."

With the first semester over, relationships among classmates were already firmly established. There was no way to build a new relationship with someone at this point. I could already imagine Karuizawa's dislike for me.

Even if he didn't fully understand my fear of people, Hirata sat down beside me. "I can understand why you're reluctant, but I want you to count on me."

Hirata had that bright, optimistic smile on his face. Even though it was a tempting offer, I shook my head, rejecting it.

"You only have ten minutes before meeting them. You should get going."

"No need to rush. Besides, I like spending time with you."

At first glance, my words might have seemed like mere excuses, but I was actually quite satisfied with my current situation. Of course, when I first got here, I thought I'd be able to make friends. I thought I could make a hundred friends, but naturally, people formed groups, and various factions emerged.

That's just how things are.

Even though I could only talk to three weirdos—Horikita, Kushida, and Sakura—my school life wasn't bad. I genuinely believed that. But a guy like Hirata couldn't stand seeing a classmate wallow in solitude.

"Then how about just the two of us having lunch together? Would that be okay with you?" He suddenly asked.

Now it was just the two of us, sitting on the bed, with Hirata staring at me seriously. It seemed like he wouldn't give up.

"Well, I don't think it's a bad idea, but… didn't you already promise Karuizawa?"

"It's fine. I can have lunch with Karuizawa-san anytime, but with you, Ayanokouji-kun, my opportunities are limited."

And so, I was forced to listen as Hirata canceled his lunch with Karuizawa.

"Are you really okay with this?" I asked.

"Of course. Well, should we go to the deck? If it's a light meal, it'll be easier to eat there."

Hirata opened the door, acting like a guide, while I remained relaxed on the bed. He kept his usual expression, but the way he was insisting so much was strange. I couldn't shake the feeling that there was another reason behind this.

"Thank you for your help during the island test. Sorry, I didn't thank you properly, Ayanokouji-kun. You even helped me look for the culprit."

"Don't thank me for that. I wasn't much help—it was Horikita who found the panty thief."

"Even so, I'm grateful that you helped."

Speaking of the underwear incident, there was still something I wanted to ask him. I glanced around to check if anyone was nearby.

"Did you return Karuizawa's underwear?"

"Yes, when she heard that Ibuki-san was the culprit, things settled down."

Karuizawa had her underwear stolen during the test, which caused some turmoil. Since her underwear was found in one of the boys' bags, the relationship between the boys and girls became strained. But Hirata managed to resolve the issue by returning the underwear and identifying the culprit. Because of that, tensions cooled down.

I was relieved. It was a high-risk operation, so I was impressed.

I had been worried that even someone like Hirata might face difficulties when returning a girl's stolen underwear. The fact that he managed to do it so smoothly probably meant he had already climbed a few steps on the ladder to adulthood.

From the elevator on the cruise ship to the deck, the students seemed to be enjoying their summer vacation to the fullest. Since there was also a pool on board, both male and female students were swimming in their swimsuits, playing around with each other. Now that the tension from the test had faded, this was inevitable.

It might have been that the suppressed rebellious energy of the students, bottled up during the island test, had finally been released into this situation. This was reinforced by the fact that you didn't have to spend any points to use the cruise ship's facilities, including food and drinks. Regardless of your point balance, these things were all free. Of course, you still had to pay to rent swimsuits and other swimming equipment, but aside from that, everything else was complimentary.

However, that strange feeling still lingered.

When we arrived at the restaurant, more than half of the seats were already occupied. The two of us quickly secured the remaining vacant seats in the crowded restaurant.

"To be honest… There's something I'd like your help with."

So, there really was another reason. That was probably why he invited me here.

"I'm not the best person to help. What is it?"

Even though I wasn't a great talker, he must have chosen me for a good reason.

"I'd like you to—"

Hirata stopped mid-sentence.

A deep, muffled sound echoed through the ship. It wasn't something that could be mistaken for the noise of waves. It was different. Something abnormal.

And then, everything shook.

The lights flickered once. The floor beneath my feet abruptly tilted left, then right. Glasses, plates, and trays slid off the tables, crashing onto the floor with dry thuds. Some students lost their balance and fell from their chairs. The entire restaurant was swallowed by chaos.

"KYAAAH!"

Female screams pierced the air. The sound of shattering glass mixed with the panic. Someone had dropped an entire tray of dishes, scattering porcelain shards across the floor.

"What the hell was that?!" a student exclaimed, gripping the edge of a table for support.

"The ship… it rocked…?" another murmured, still trying to grasp what had just happened.

"Don't tell me we're sinking?!"

People scrambled to their feet—some rushed to the windows, while others clung to the walls for balance. Fear spread rapidly, like fire consuming paper.

I pressed my lips together.

This wasn't normal.

Even a sudden storm wouldn't make a ship of this size rock like that. Cruise ships are designed to maintain stability, even in rough seas. For something like this to happen, the impact would have to be massive… or the source of the problem wasn't in the sea but within the ship itself.

The lights flickered again.

Hirata turned to me, his expression filled with concern. "Ayanokouji-kun… what the hell was that?"

I looked at him for a moment before answering as casually as possible:

"Probably nothing serious."

But in my mind, the answer was completely different.

Nothing serious?

This cruise ship, with tons and tons of steel engineered to withstand the harshest conditions, had just rocked like a tiny boat in the middle of a storm.

This was far from normal.

And then, a familiar voice echoed through the restaurant.

"Hirata-kun!"

Karuizawa Kei appeared at the entrance, her face pale. She ran up to Hirata, clutching his arm, her eyes trembling. "What was that just now? The ship… is it sinking?"

"Don't worry, Karuizawa-san," Hirata said, using his usual reassuring tone. "I'm sure it was just unexpected turbulence. The captain should make an announcement soon."

She bit her lower lip. "Are you sure? This doesn't feel normal..."

At the very least, her intuition was sharp.

Hirata smiled at her—the kind of smile designed to calm others, even when he himself wasn't certain of the situation. Karuizawa still looked uneasy but gave a slight nod, holding onto his arm as if he were her anchor in this uncertainty.

I watched the scene in silence.

The initial panic had started to subside, but the tension still hung in the air. Students murmured among themselves, trying to make sense of what had happened. The restaurant was a mess, but no one seemed seriously injured.

(Hello, students. This is an emergency announcement. We're not exactly sure what happened, but it doesn't seem to be anything serious, so please don't worry. The lights will be restored soon.)

The captain's voice echoed through the ship.

"Oh, so it's nothing."

"What a relief, I was starting to freak out."

Relieved voices of students filled the restaurant. However, I was still on full alert.

"Ayanokouji-kun?"

I didn't pay attention to Hirata's voice.

This feeling…

The same feeling I had since morning. Something felt off. I didn't know exactly what this sensation was, but it was as if I was certain something was about to happen. Something very bad.

And then, I heard it.

A voice that shouldn't be there.

[The free service of planetary system 8612 has been terminated.]

The electricity returned, and with it, a creature appeared.

It had two small horns and was wearing what looked like a miniature feminine yukata.

My breath caught for a moment.

[The main scenario has begun.]

My body froze.

What was happening?

Well, here we go with another story that, if I'm lucky, might make it past chapter 5. Right now, my life is pretty busy, so even though I want to write chapters for my older stories, I don't have much motivation. Instead, I'm using my free time to write something that won't leave my head. I'm rereading ORV, so I hope this story gets at least a few chapters before I get tired of it.

Kim Dokja is also in the story, but well, you know, he's in Korea, and we're in Japan. They probably won't meet anytime soon... maybe.

As you can see, the timeline takes place on the cruise ship after the deserted island exam and before the zodiac exam. I thought the cruise would be an interesting setting to start with.

And as you might have guessed, Ayanokoji hasn't read the novel like Kim Dokja. So why the hell is the story called Unknown Reader? Well, you'll have to wait a bit to find out. The story should get to that point at least, since it won't take too long.

Another detail—I plan to make Chabashira a somewhat important character in the story later on, so we should be seeing a lot of her.

I hope to see you in the next chapter of this story, which I really hope won't take too long, but this time, I won't make any promises.

Well, tell me what you think of this prologue.