SUNDAY CAME AND WENT in a flash, and it was now Monday, the fifth day of the test. All four hours of our morning lessons were devoted to exercise. We had to walk or run an eighteen-kilometer course that was going to be used for the long-distance relay race, and then be back for our afternoon lessons. Since it was a relay race, each person would only be running a kilometer or two. But we were in the mountains, and the way could be rocky and steep.
We walked for about five kilometers, exhausting our stamina. The other day, we'd only worked up a light sweat. The difference between then and now was incredible.
"Seriously, how much higher does this slope go?! This is friggin' nuts, dude. This is way too hard," spat Ishizaki as we passed a sign telling us to be wary of wild boars. He turned back toward me, with a look in his eye that suggested he'd spied something unpleasant. "Speaking of wild boars, are the ones here pretty big? Like this guy?"
"Truly amazing. I underestimated you, Ayanokouji."
Hashimoto and a bunch of other guys started complimenting me, which just made me extremely uncomfortable. Knowing they were going to use this joke to mess with me for a while was profoundly awkward. Albert even went so far to applaud.
But soon, they were out of time to tease me.
Even though the road that led to the summit was paved to allow vehicles, the incline was extremely steep. Simply walking up it was going to strain our legs. On top of that, since we'd been getting up early to make breakfast, we were more tired than the upperclassmen. We only got a break on Sunday because the school showed some mercy.
"How long is it gonna take for us to get back?"
"The average person's walking speed is four kilometers per hour. It's a distance of eighteen kilometers. If we walk the entire time, it'll take four and
a half hours."
"You've gotta be screwing with me. We ain't gonna have any time left to eat lunch!"
"Then we have to run, Ishizaki. The more we run, the sooner it'll be over," said Class B's Moriyama, rather bitterly.
Though our whole large group had started out together, most of the second-year and third-year students were moving faster than us.
"Don't talk crazy. No way in hell I can run eighteen kilometers." "Don't tire yourself out by talking for no reason. We're all here
because you agreed with my strategy, right?" warned Keisei, panting heavily as he spoke.
Students with decent stamina could have started to sprint right away, but doing that continuously for eighteen kilometers certainly wasn't the best idea. Keisei's strategy was that we would walk for the first nine kilometers until we reached the turnaround point and run from there. We'd mostly be going downhill by then, something that Keisei had factored into his proposal.
"We ain't even started runnin' yet. Like hell we'll be able to hold out until the turnaround point."
"Shut up… Just be quiet and walk."
Keisei wasn't very good with physical exertion. His legs must have been hurting him already, because his composure was starting to fray. With thirteen kilometers or so to go, we might not be able to make it back within the stipulated time. It was only natural to want to keep talking to a minimum and focus on walking.
That said, this exercise had made me begin to understand who the runners were. Yahiko and Keisei were definitely not suited to this task. Kouenji, who was lagging behind us, could probably be an asset to the group. But I doubted he'd take it seriously enough to run.
"Be quiet and walk, huh? You're actin' all high and mighty for someone who looks like a zombie, Yukimura."
Ishizaki kept at it. It didn't seem like there'd be any cutting back on the chatter.
"I'm saying this for the sake of the group, as the representative. Please don't talk."
"Oh, as the representative? Screw you."
Maybe because of all the stress he was under, Ishizaki just kept verbally assaulting Keisei. Moriyama and Tokitou from Class B couldn't let that slide.
"Enough, Ishizaki. Yukimura's right."
Sensing someone behind me was getting further away, I turned to find that Kouenji had veered off the byroad and gone into the forest. No one else had noticed. They were solely focused on looking ahead. Ishizaki wasn't our only problem child. I couldn't see Kouenji anymore and there wasn't any sign that he was coming back; this probably wasn't a minor detour.
"Well, it is what it is…"
I considered quietly chasing after Kouenji, but everyone might think I'd ditched too. So I spoke up.
"Kouenji went off on some other path back there. I'll go call him back."
"Huh? What in the hell is that weirdo doin'?!" With no students around who seemed capable of stopping him, Ishizaki's voice seemed to just get louder and louder.
"Don't let him distract you, Ishizaki. If you don't ignore Kouenji, you'll only be hurting yourself."
Keisei's strategy was to treat Kouenji as if he were invisible. A sound strategy, but ignoring him completely was easier said than done.
"Sorry, Kiyotaka. Can I leave this to you?" asked Keisei apologetically.
I could tell Keisei didn't have the energy to go back and look for Kouenji. I told him I'd do it.
"Hey, this is Kouenji we're talking about. Won't he be kind of a handful? Want me to help?" offered Hashimoto. However, I politely declined his offer.
"No matter who goes, we might not be able to bring him back. Getting
as many people as possible to finish the run would look better to the school. I don't see how I could get lost on this route, anyway."
"You're probably right. Come back the moment you think it's a lost cause, though."
I nodded my assent and went in pursuit of Kouenji. I hadn't planned on actively making a move, but I wasn't often in a position to speak privately with Kouenji. If I was going to talk to him, this was probably my only chance.
5.1
THE NARROW PATH was just a dirt road. Despite the poor terrain, I picked up my pace. If Kouenji was on foot, I calculated I could catch up to him in a minute or two. However, he must have gone faster, because there was no sign of him.
"What a pain in the neck…"
Going faster was one thing, but running down a dirt road was troublesome. I increased my pace, looking for any tracks Kouenji might have left behind on foot. After a hundred or so meters, I finally spotted him up ahead.
As I looked at his back, I remembered a similar situation back on the island, when Airi had been there. Kouenji had left us in the dust back then too.
"Kouenji," I called, closing the distance between us.
"Oh, ho, if it isn't Ayanokouji Boy. This isn't the correct route, is it?" "I'm here to keep you from potentially getting expelled via the
solidarity rule. Why did you take this detour?"
"I caught a glimpse of a wild boar. I dare say I was interested. So I gave chase."
That certainly wasn't what I'd expected to hear. I refrained from asking what he planned to do if he found it.
"Rest easy. I shall return in time. It shouldn't take someone like me even thirty minutes," he added.
Looked like I had no choice but to trust him.
"Incidentally, do you have any other business with me?" asked Kouenji. He must have sensed something was up because I hadn't walked away.
"About the exam. I want you to help the group."
"I'm getting so tired of hearing people say that to me. I feel like my
ears will start to bleed if I have to listen to those words just once more."
I didn't doubt Keisei and the others had been trying to persuade him when I wasn't around. And yet, Kouenji hadn't budged a single inch.
"You don't have to get an outstanding score. Just do what you're supposed to."
"You do not get to decide that. I do. You know that, don't you? I will see you later," said Kouenji, motioning that he was about to leave. But I grabbed his arm and stopped him.
He tried to take a step forward, leaving me no choice but to hold fast and dig in my heels. I expected him to resist, but for some reason Kouenji went slack.
"Heh. I see. So that's how it is then, Ayanokouji Boy," said Kouenji, turning toward me.
"What do you mean? What's how what is?" "The person who tamed the Dragon Boy." "Dragon…who?"
"I'm talking about that mischievous rascal, Ryuuen." "What does Ryuuen have to do with me?"
"You're quite good at playing dumb. You don't let your intentions slip through at all when you feign indifference."
"I really don't understand how you arrived at this conclusion." "Because of your touch on my arm. I can tell by the heat being
transmitted through your skin."
I'd already figured Kouenji wasn't normal, but apparently he was even more of an eccentric than I was. He got all that from me grabbing his arm?
"Sorry, but this is a huge misunderstanding," I said.
"Really? Judging by the way Delinquent-kun looks at you and acts around you, and the reactions of all those around you, I would think it's a certifiable fact."
Kouenji didn't have a single shred of evidence, but he sounded overwhelmingly confident in his observations. It'd be pointless to attempt
any further deception.
"Heh. Relax. I have no intention of revealing what you're keeping hidden. Even if you do happen to be exceptional in your own way, you're still a small fry to me. One of many. So, whether I'm right or wrong, there should be no problem as long as I don't spill the beans. Correct?"
"Well, I do want to clear up this misunderstanding."
"Too bad. That's not going to happen, Ayanokouji Boy. Even if you have third parties vouch for you, assuring me that you had nothing to do with any of it, my mind is made up. I'm certain of what I know."
"I see. Well, can we get back to the matter at hand?"
"You're talking about me doing my part as a member of the group,
yes?"
"Can you?"
"I've said this repeatedly. I refuse." He answered clearly and decisively.
"I will act in accordance with my own wishes. That is my philosophy.
Will I take the exam, or won't I? What grade will I achieve? All of those things depend on how I feel in that moment."
"I see."
I had considered various means of persuasion, but haphazardly trying anything out here would probably backfire. I was going to have to leave things to chance, but there was a strong possibility that doing so would cause the least harm. It was clear as day that Kouenji wanted to avoid being punished with expulsion. I had no choice but to gamble on that.
There was nothing I could do for now but watch Kouenji walk away, chasing the wild boar.
"I don't think there's anyone in the world who can make that guy do anything."
It didn't matter if it was Horikita's brother, or Nagumo, or even his own classmates. Such was my honest impression of my classmate, whom I had known for about a year now.
5.2
AFTER LEAVING KOUENJI, I returned to the course. Even though I'd been gone for less than ten minutes, I was probably in last place now. I didn't see any students from the group in front of or behind me, so I decided to rush a bit and catch up. A short while later, I sighted a group of first-year students
—Keisei and the other guys. Tokitou noticed me first right away, and then everyone else looked over to me.
"Well, for the record, I did find him, but…" "No dice, huh?"
Hashimoto, who predicted that would happen, wore a bitter smile on his face. The other students didn't blame me either and just groused about Kouenji's absence. Somehow or other, we eventually made it to the turnaround point, happily badmouthing Kouenji as we went. Chabashira was waiting for us there, arms crossed. I hadn't seen her in a few days, but it seemed she'd been tapped pretty regularly to help out with various lessons.
"The second-years and third-years have turned back. You guys are all that's left," she said.
"What time is it, sensei?"
"It's almost eleven o'clock now."
That meant we still had an hour to go until our lunch break. If this were a flat road, it wouldn't be too hard to make it back in time. However, we had already trudged nine kilometers up an incredibly steep, winding slope. Our stamina had been depleted considerably. If we didn't run at a solid pace, this exercise was going to take a bite out of our lunch break.
"I'm going on ahead. I don't want to be late for lunch."
"Wait. We'll be taking roll call before you head back down. Each person has to state their class and name."
A board was brought out, probably for the purposes of recorded students who'd made it to the turnaround point. Once Ishizaki signed, he turned on his heel and ran, leaving the group behind. Looked like it would be
every man for himself, group be damned. Albert followed afterward. "Let's go, Kiyotaka."
"You go on ahead. I'd like to wait and make sure Kouenji comes back."
"That's all well and good, but…we only have an hour left." "I'm fast enough. Don't worry."
"Short-distance running and long-distance running are two different
things, you know. Well, I guess I'm not really one to talk," said Keisei, letting out a self-derisive chuckle before running awkwardly.
"I'm going," said Hashimoto. "Yep."
Hashimoto, the last member of our group, stretched and then ran off.
Chabashira and I were the only two people left.
"It doesn't seem like you have anything you want to discuss with me," she said.
"I'm just waiting for Kouenji. If we don't get the tail end moving, it'll be trouble."
"Trouble?"
It wasn't really a big deal. If you had stamina to spare, like Ishizaki, who was quick to take the lead and clear the race, you'd never notice the students who gave up partway through. This wasn't a timed trial. We just had to clear the course by the set time; whether we did that in one hour or four didn't matter. Keisei didn't have much stamina himself, but it was obvious he was pushing himself hard to keep from holding us back.
About twenty minutes later, Kouenji finally showed up. "This seems to be the turnaround."
He'd gotten around a bit, apparently. Traces of leaves and dirt were stuck to his jersey.
"You're the last one, Kouenji. You have forty minutes left."
"That seems to be the case. I wish I'd taken my time a bit more, but my encounter with the wild boar ended a bit sooner than expected."
"Wild boar?" asked Chabashira.
She clearly had questions about that particularly strange and sudden part of what he'd just said, but Kouenji turned around and ran off.
"Roll call, Kouenji. You'll be disqualified otherwise," said Chabashira. "My name is Kouenji Rokusuke. Remember it well, teacher," said
Kouenji, without even turning around. His boisterous laughter echoed down the hill.
"Is that okay, sensei? He didn't state his class." "Well, he gave his name. Let's cut him some slack." "All right. I'll be heading off myself."
I wondered how much time had passed. Coming up on the sign warning us about wild boars again, I saw two male students' backs. One of them was Keisei, about what I'd expected. Rather than having exhausted his stamina, though, he seemed to be leaning on another student, who was propping him up. It looked like his left leg was hurt.
The other student was Hashimoto, who, as I'd anticipated, had stayed back to help pull Keisei along. As I ran over to them, the situation became clear.
"Did you get a sprain?"
"Ayanokouji? Yeah, looks that way. I'm guessing his ankle was at its limit by the turnaround point," said Hashimoto, explaining on Keisei's behalf.
It had to be tough to support another person's weight, but he didn't seem to mind. He walked slowly, close to Keisei, and didn't seem displeased whatsoever.
"Ugh, I'm so pathetic. Why can't I even do something like this?" Keisei seemed frustrated, but I could still tell he'd changed. The old
Keisei had found it hard to comprehend physical sports or anything other than written exams; he'd thought a student's life and work centered on academics. This Keisei had stretched before resuming the downward trek, and he'd gone last for the same reason I had.
"I'll help too," I said.
Two would be better for this job than one. I went to the other side and supported Keisei.
"Wait. If you do this, you'll both be late for lunch," said Keisei.
"If we just abandon you, you'll start running, won't you? You'd hurt your leg even more. That would spell trouble for all of us when the final test comes around. If we can ease your injury just by missing out on one lunch break, that's a small price to pay. Right, Ayanokouji?"
"You're probably right about that." "But…"
"It was just good timing that the two of us were running near you," I
said. "Don't feel embarrassed."
Hashimoto corrected me. "Three of us, actually. Although, man, that Kouenji dude runs insanely fast, huh? Dude's a monster."
"I get the feeling he has limitless stamina. There's no doubt he's number one in our grade level." I wasn't flattering Kouenji, just being honest.
"Maybe his horrible personality saved us from being saddled with Kouenji in Class A. Being in a group with him has made it pretty clear that he's an inconvenience for Class C, rather than an asset."
It was true that if Kouenji ever utilized his full potential, he'd be a huge threat. I couldn't say he made a good secret weapon if he wouldn't cooperate, though.
In the end, it was around 12:40 by the time we got back to camp, carrying the injured Keisei between us. After we arrived, Keisei got medical treatment at the infirmary. Hashimoto and I waited for him in the corridor.
About ten minutes later, Keisei returned.
"How is it?" asked Hashimoto. Keisei smiled bitterly.
"It's just a light sprain. Thanks to the two of you, it ended up being a minor injury."
While he was favoring his left leg a bit, it did seem like he was walking pretty normally.
"There's not much time until the exam. Don't let it get any worse," said Hashimoto, lightly patting Keisei on the shoulder.
"Hey, I know you helped me out, but…" said Keisei. Hashimoto immediately understood.
"Don't worry about it. We'll keep this between us. That'll be more convenient, right?"
He'd gotten what Keisei was trying to say without having to hear it put in words. Keisei patted his chest and let out a sigh of relief.
5.3
SINCE I MISSED LUNCH, I was more excited than usual for dinner. After nabbing my seat, I immediately started eating.
"Hey, Kiyopon, the seat next to you free?"
That was Haruka's voice. When I turned around, I saw that all of the members of the Ayanokouji Group were together.
"Sheesh, Kiyopon. We've had a hard time trying to find you these past few days. You've been in weirdly difficult places to spot."
"Sorry. I guess I just don't know what to do in a cafeteria this huge."
Because of the way the groups were set up, it wasn't that easy to get the usual crew together. Since there weren't enough seats here, we moved a bit to find a spot where all five of us could sit.
"I-It's certainly been a while, hasn't it, Kiyotaka-kun?" said Airi bashfully.
It certainly was unusual for us not to talk for almost a full week. Even during the long holidays, we'd call or meet up.
"More importantly, you doing okay, Miyacchi? You're with Ryuuen, right?" Haruka asked, directing her question at Akito. She must have heard about that from somewhere.
"Well, I guess. I'm keeping my guard up, but it doesn't seem there's been any change. He's actually taking the classes seriously and participating."
"Like, even zazen and the relay?"
"Yeah. He's acting so normal, it's almost scary. If anything, he's handling himself way better than the awkward guys. It's just, well, I've tried talking to him a few times, but he doesn't seem to want to hang out with anyone."
"Maybe he kind of went crazy from the shock of losing a fight?" "I dunno. I think this is just the way he's always been."
Akito braced himself, as if saying that he couldn't drop his guard.
"Anyway, how about you? Are you getting along well with your group?"
"Not much to say, personally. I'm not close with anyone in it, but I'm not fighting with anyone either. Airi and I are in the same group, so I'm good."
"I'm really glad that Haruka-chan is there for me."
So Haruka and Airi were in the same group? It must be reassuring to have even one close friend with you.
"It seems like our group has the most problems, Kiyotaka." "You might be right about that."
"Really?"
Haruka and Airi exchanged looks, like this was the first they were hearing about it.
"Well, Kouenji won't follow orders, and Ishizaki snaps at people at the drop of a hat. Maybe it's because he has Albert with him, but we can't control him either. They're a pain in the neck."
"So Kouenji-kun is with you too… Are you all right, Kiyotaka-kun?" "He's not actively harming us or anything."
"If anything, I'd say Ishizaki's the real problem child. Maybe he's gotten carried away since Ryuuen-kun was defeated. Not so long ago, he was just a lackey."
To tell the truth, I felt like one of the main reasons for Ishizaki's bad behavior was being put in the same group as me. I imagined feeling all this anger and frustration that he had no outlet for was causing him to lash out at anyone who wasn't me.
"In any case, I have to work hard as the representative," said Keisei.
Even with the metaphorical equivalent of a bomb strapped to his leg, he kept doing his best to unite the group.
"You boys sure have it rough, huh?"
"S-somehow, I feel like we're kind of out of place."
"Come on, it's all right. I mean, if you girls are doing okay, that puts us at ease. Right?" said Akito.
True enough. Even with Kei funneling me information on the girls, there were still plenty of areas I couldn't see. If Haruka and Airi were together and moving along without issue, we boys could focus more on ourselves.
5.4
IT WAS NOW the sixth day, Tuesday. On that day, I started to hear something a little odd from the guys.
They missed the opposite sex.
That was the current topic of conversation. I got the feeling that most of them were looking forward to dinnertime. While being surrounded by guys made me feel more relaxed, it wasn't exactly as fun.
"Agh, goddamn it. I feel like I'm losin' my mind being around guys all the time."
"If I were at an all-guys' school, I'd be dead, man." Those were just some of the opinions I heard.
"Dude, havin' only guys around stinks. Like, literally."
I supposed it was inevitable that they were buying into the cliché that all guys had bad hygiene. The truth, however, was that there weren't many sweaty or smelly people here. They should be thankful this wasn't summertime. And, well…personally, I felt more relaxed being around only guys. That fact bore repeating.
"Ow, my hip…"
While we were in the middle of dusting, Keisei yelped in pain and crouched down. We had cleaning and breakfast duty to deal with every day, regardless of the lessons that continued at the same time, and we'd reached the point where you could see the weaker students starting to hit their limits. Keisei was complaining about his pain.
The area we'd been assigned to clean today was pretty big, forcing everyone in our group, which was already short-staffed to begin with, to work harder than usual. When even one person got injured, you had to make up for it.
"Whaddya mean, your hips hurt? Do your job."
Ishizaki grabbed Keisei's arm and forcefully yanked him up.
"I-I know. I'll do the work. Let go."
"Then do it right," spat Ishizaki, before heading back.
Keisei immediately tried to resume cleaning, but he just wasn't moving well. His sprained leg in particular was clearly stiff.
"Ugh."
He grunted quietly. He seemed to be enduring the pain, but if he pushed himself too hard, it'd affect him tomorrow.
"Grab a breather. I'll take your spot." There was no helping it. I'd clean Keisei's section for him.
"Sorry, Kiyotaka."
"Hey, we help each other out when we're in trouble." Problem solved.
Until…
"Hey. You just said you'd do it yourself!" said Ishizaki.
Apparently he didn't like that I was lending Keisei a hand. But he still made sure not to meet my eyes.
"I'll handle it," I replied.
Ishizaki didn't seem satisfied. He looked right through me, continuing to rain harsh words on Keisei.
"You're the representative, ain't you? Don't bitch about somethin' like cleaning."
"I get it."
Keisei felt responsible. When pressed, he'd fold.
"You don't get it. You're tryin' to push your job onto someone else right now, aren't you? I don't like that. Do it yourself."
"…I get it. I'll do it."
"All right then, there you have it. Do not, under any circumstance, give him a hand, Ayanokouji."
Ishizaki spoke to me for the first time, then immediately backed away, as if he was making his escape.
"Even if Keisei injures himself as a result?" I asked. "If he gets injured, that's that," answered Ishizaki.
Apparently, Ishizaki wouldn't permit any attempt to help Keisei, even though he knew it wasn't good for the group. Albert silently approached Ishizaki, looking as though he was trying to tell him something. But Ishizaki didn't seem to be listening.
"Sorry, Kiyotaka. Guess I have no choice but to hang in there."
Keisei probably feared the group's mood would worsen if he didn't keep working. Ishizaki was already riled by Keisei's attitude over the past few days; he probably couldn't stand Keisei having someone else helping him out. Keisei understood that, which was precisely because he took Ishizaki's warning to heart and decided to do the job himself.
Still, if Keisei pushed himself too hard, we might pay for it later. Even if he held out today, there was no telling what tomorrow would bring. The actual exam included multiple physically demanding tests, like zazen and the long-distance relay. He might suffer even more than he did now. I wanted to make Ishizaki understand, but I doubted it'd be simple.
"Hey, Ishizaki. You're taking this a little too far," said Yahiko, unable to just sit back and watch the situation play out.
"It's his own fault for not being able to clean properly," said Ishizaki. "I know that. But what about him? Go warn him too." Yahiko pointed
at Kouenji, who had never once cleaned anything at all.
"I can't even communicate with that dude in Japanese. I ain't got time to persuade a gorilla," replied Ishizaki.
It wasn't as though Ishizaki hadn't warned Kouenji at least once before. He'd confronted him many times, to no avail, and given up. In that sense, you could say that the difference between Keisei and Kouenji was that Ishizaki was able to have an actual conversation with Keisei.
"If you have a problem, then you try and argue with him. It'll just be a waste of time, though."
"Fine. If I have to go, I'll go," said Yahiko, grabbing a broom and walking over to Kouenji.
"It's pointless. You'll see."
Ishizaki gave a derisive snort. Yahiko thrust the broom at Kouenji, trying to press him to clean. But after a few minutes, he walked away, totally exhausted. We might be in the same group, but we were all still enemies.
Clearly, that hadn't changed.
Most of the students probably wanted this group activity to end as soon as possible. But the important thing to remember was that not every group was like ours. Even if it was only on the surface for now, some groups had to have members who were deepening ties with one another, forming real friendships and alliances, as if they were actually classmates. It wasn't just the first-years either. The same phenomenon could be observed among the upperclassmen who had managed to stabilize the relationships between their classes. They understood that everyone benefited if they cooperated.
Some students could plan ahead, while others were slaves to their darker impulses. Without a drastic gulf in skill to shake things up, it wasn't difficult to imagine the outcome of this battle.
"Aagh! I don't wanna do this! This is just so friggin' dumb! Why do we even gotta play nice? Pretend like we're friends with dudes from the other classes? Right, Albert?"
Albert didn't agree or disagree, but Ishizaki continued. "Seriously, dude. I hate this group so friggin' much, I could die.
There's that gorilla Kouenji, and the annoying loudmouth Yukimura who talks a big game even though he can't even run a friggin' marathon. Then there's those Class B dudes who just smile and laugh without a care in the world, and those do-nothin' Class A jerks. Idiotic."
WHACK! Ishizaki kicked the broom.
"You're free to curse us all you want, but keep cleaning." "Shut up. Kouenji ain't doin' nothin', so why do I gotta?"
"Then you have no right to say anything to Yukimura, do you?" said
Hashimoto.
But Ishizaki wasn't listening. He abandoned his cleaning duties and left, muttering something about going to the bathroom. Keisei bit his lip, frustrated.
"Keisei, you need to stop trying to shoulder everything alone. You can't change anything in the one or two days we have left. If you make an error in judgment now, you might regret it later," I said, giving Keisei some advice…or rather, hoping to confirm that he understood me.
"I understand, but there's nothing else I can do. If I lean on someone else for help, Ishizaki will just alienate the rest of the group even further. If I do nothing, it's highly likely that our group will come in last place. So I have to do something, even if it's reckless."
If the two options Keisei had just listed were the only options available, then acting recklessly probably would be the better choice. If you had no other paths to take, you just had to forge a new one for yourself. But Keisei didn't seem capable of forging anything right now, let alone a whole new option.
We needed someone who was capable of both understanding the group and also taking action for the sake of others. I looked over at Hashimoto, who was quietly continuing to clean. He'd stopped Ishizaki from snapping at Kouenji on the second day, and he'd responded perfectly to the situation during the marathon practice. I had the impression he could to hold the group together firmly, at the right distance.
It was unclear how much Sakayanagi and Katsuragi valued him, but I imagined he was a highly capable man—if I evaluated him as a hypothetical enemy, anyway. He was harder to read than the aggressive Sakayanagi and the conservative Katsuragi, which made him a tougher opponent.
"Look, just don't forget that I'm here. If you're in trouble, I'll help." "Thank you, Kiyotaka. Just hearing you say that puts me at ease."
If those words helped Keisei, I was happy to say them.
5.5
DURING OUR NEXT CLASS, it was clear the situation in our group had not improved. Keisei, feeling responsible, couldn't successfully give orders as the representative, and Ishizaki wouldn't even talk to anyone except Albert anymore. Even during mealtime, the only period when it was possible to create some kind of peace and harmony, our group never came together.
I decided to forget about them for the time being. There was nothing I could do for this group, anyway. I could give some advice to the struggling Keisei and the belligerent Ishizaki, but I had no intention of taking any direct action to help. Getting in deeper would defeat the purpose of trying to fade into the background.
Remembering Haruka and Airi, I decided to investigate what was going on with the girls again. However, it wasn't like I could just keep directly contacting Kei over and over again. She had responsibilities of her own, and if I kept contacting her, it might cause others to have their suspicions about the nature of our relationship.
Besides, the information I wanted wasn't related to the first-years. I wanted information on the second- and third- years. I needed to confirm Nagumo's true intentions toward Horikita's brother.
This meant my number of helpful contacts was very limited indeed. I took a small risk for that reason, attempting to contact Kiriyama by leaving a clue for him to find…but Kiriyama was in Nagumo's group. Even if he resented Nagumo, he probably couldn't help me this time.
I had to attack from a direction Nagumo didn't expect. One person came to mind. I had Kei investigate a certain second-year girl for me.
That person was named Asahina Nazuna.
She was in Class A, alongside Nagumo Miyabi, and was personally quite close with him. I'd seen Asahina eating meals with her friends in the cafeteria many times. Even now, I was monitoring her movements from afar. She wasn't on the student council but had a relatively high level of influence within her class. She also seemed to have a lot of influence over Nagumo.
There were other guys and girls who were close to Nagumo, but I chose Asahina for two reasons. The first was that, contrary to her rough exterior and way of speaking, she had a reputation for being dutiful and conscientious. She also didn't worship Nagumo.
The other reason was that the two of us had just so happened to bump into one another by accident. The difficulty in trying to dig up information on Nagumo came from the fact that virtually every single second-year supported him. If I clumsily attempted to make contact, I ran the risk of exposing information about myself instead.
I had to narrow my possible contacts down to someone who was least likely to leak information. This made our "accidental" meeting a powerful weapon. Information that only I know. Information that only Asahina could understand. I would use what that accident had birthed.
What accident do I mean? Well, it came from a good luck charm.
Asahina had accidentally lost it a while back, and I had just so happened to pick it up. At the time, I'd returned it without thinking much of it. To my surprise, though, the item was apparently very important to her. I could tell because she had brought it with her even to this camp. She always wore it on her person, with great care.
An accidental connection can sometimes be stronger than one created intentionally. Taking advantage of that connection, I wanted to ascertain whether or not she could be a useful source of information regarding Nagumo. The very circumstances of this camp made contacting her easy. All that remained was how to change our indirect connection into a direct one.
If I openly approached Asahina, then someone—even if it wasn't Asahina herself—might report it back to Nagumo. I wanted to avoid that. I'd been waiting for the right time, but Asahina spent almost all of her dinner hours with other people. I couldn't find a chance to be alone with her.
But today, that golden opportunity finally presented itself. "I'm going to the bathroom. Be right back."
Just like that, Asahina got up, mid-meal. No other students accompanied her as she left, which was strange for a girl. I quickly followed her. I couldn't bother her while she was in the bathroom, so I patiently waited for her to come back out.
We'd probably have five minutes to talk at most. If I took up much more of her time, she might grow annoyed. I had no idea how much I could get done within those five minutes, but I had to remind her that we'd met earlier by chance. Emphasis on chance.
Soon, Asahina exited the bathroom. As usual, she was wearing her charm on her left wrist.
I pretended to be passing by.
"Hmm?" I muttered, quietly enough that Asahina might have thought I was just saying that to myself or that I was calling out to her.
When I said that, Asahina turned around. If I didn't respond quickly, she would probably think I'd been talking to myself and keep on walking. I decided to act.
"Oh, sorry. I was just thinking I'd seen that charm before. Please don't mind me," I said, motioning as if to continue walking. If she didn't respond, I was prepared to start a conversation myself.
"They don't sell this charm at the school anymore, though," she replied.
But she did reply, so without hesitating, I kept the conversation going. "Oh, that so? Did you happen to drop it a while back, by any chance?"
I asked. She should understand what I meant right away.
"Wait, are you…the person who found my charm?" she asked. "Maybe… I picked it up on my way back to the dorm, uh…when was
that, again?" I replied, pretending not to remember.
"No, I think I'm right. I see. So it was you," said Asahina, smiling happily. She drew nearer. "Thank you. When I realized I'd lost it, I was so upset. Ever since then, I've been scared I'll lose it again, so I've been wearing it more often."
She looked bashfully at her wrist.
"This charm, well, I bought it after I started school. It's not like I have any strong attachment to it in itself or anything. It's just…how do I put it?
It's like emotional support. When I have it at hand, I just feel safer, you know? When I lose it, I get all anxious that something bad is going to happen,
like it's a bad omen or something. I was so relieved that someone found it." Well, bringing good luck was essentially a charm's purpose.
"I never imagined you'd be the one who found it." "Do you know me?" I asked.
"Yeah, I know about you. You got a lot of attention in that relay race against Horikita-senpai. Oh, and Miyabi. Wait, you might not know his first name. Student Council President Nagumo talked to you a while back, right?"
"Wait. Were you there too?" I asked.
Of course, I knew the answer to that. Ichinose had also been present. "Well, yeah."
Asahina seemed like the person who'd put up her guard if I told her I
knew she'd been there, so I pretended not to remember. Just like picking up her charm, this meeting, where we just happened to cross paths, had to be accidental too.
"I'm pretty fast, but to be honest I don't really have anything else going for me. Maybe I've caught President Nagumo's eye through some kind of misunderstanding," I told her, making my voice sound troubled. Asahina nodded back repeatedly, showing that she understood.
"Nagumo really respects Horikita-senpai. Or, like, he's made Horikita- senpai a sort of goal. I think he was probably jealous that he didn't get to challenge him during the relay."
I couldn't sense any ulterior motive in Asahina's words. For better or worse, she seemed the honest type. I decided to step things up a bit.
"How can I get Nagumo-senpai to stop paying attention to me?" I
asked.
"Well, how about you beat him at something? You could cut that smug
Miyabi down to size. Personally, I'd love to see him lose for once," she replied, chuckling. She was probably joking, but I pretended to take what she said at face value.
"I see. That might be one option," I replied.
Asahina's eyes immediately darted back to me, an awestruck look on her face. Then a few seconds after, she burst into laughter.
"Ah ha ha ha! Come on, I was joking. Couldn't you tell?" she asked, laughing almost to the point of tears, lightly smacking me on the shoulder.
"So if Nagumo's ever defeated, that would be trouble, huh?" I said.
Just in case she still thought I was joking, I decided to strengthen my tone. If Asahina was the type of person who would pull back and report to Nagumo now, then this was the end of the line. Even if she reported back to him, it'd end with her thinking that I was just some uppity first-year.
"Wait, are you serious?" she asked.
"So you were joking, senpai?" I replied.
"Hey, look. This isn't something a first-year can do anything about," she replied, apologizing for joking around. But I continued speaking in the same tone.
"Among all the second-years I've met until now, you seem to be the most straightforward one, Asahina-senpai."
"The most straightforward?"
"It's hard to get any information from the second-years, outside of 'Nagumo Miyabi rules us all.'"
"That's some dangerous talk. I'm a second-year too, you know. Miyabi and I have a pretty deep relationship, understand?" she replied.
"It's not about being shallow or deep. What matters is how much you've been influenced by him."
Since they were in the same class, they couldn't be enemies, not truly. No matter what Asahina privately thought of Nagumo, she wouldn't want her class to suffer for it.
"I think those are similar things, though," she said.
"In that case, think of this as nonsense from a first-year." I bowed. "Please excuse me."
"Ah, wait. Somehow, I feel like I'm the bad guy here," she replied,
releasing a deep sigh. Her smile disappeared. "I see you're not joking around. As an apology, please let me repay you for picking up my charm. If there's anything you'd like to know, I'll tell you."
"Are you sure? It might be seen as rebelling against Nagumo-senpai, you know."
"To be honest, I don't think anything drastic will happen just because I talk to you," she replied.
She seemed to be certain that telling me something about what was going on with the second-years wouldn't have a major impact. In other words, anything she told me would be information that didn't matter, even if it was leaked.
"Out of the girls in your grade level, how many would you say are especially close with Nagumo-senpai?" I asked.
"Girls who are close with him? Like, all of them. They trust Miyabi more than other guys, y'know."
I already knew he was no ordinary opponent, but this was an extraordinarily broad range of skills.
"What about the people who act as Nagumo-senpai's eyes and ears?" I
asked.
"You really think I'd tell you that?"
"Well, as a senpai, it's okay to help a first-year out a bit, right?" "Wow, you're cheeky," she replied, laughing. She didn't seem upset,
though. "Well, if I do say so myself, the second-years have a really strong sense of unity. Honestly, we were more successful at dividing into groups than the first- and the third-years, you know? After they explained the test to us back on the bus, Miyabi said to immediately share that information with the other classes."
As I'd suspected—though they'd started out as enemies, the four second-year classes seemed on the way to becoming actual allies. Asahina told me the names of the four class representatives. The four classes kept in contact with one another and had even discussed the formation of their small groups with each other, to a certain degree. Apparently things had gone similarly for the girls.
"What about when you met up with the first- and third-year groups?
Did you decide things randomly then too?"
Nagumo had proposed a draft selection system, which the first-year guys had carried out.
"For the most part, yeah."
"For the most part. So something was different?" Asahina crossed her arms, appearing deep in thought. "Why do you ask?"
I could tell Asahina was starting to have doubts. The silence lingered. "Are you not going to tell me?" I asked.
"No, I will. It's just…when we were deciding on the large groups,
some of the second-year girls made a small request. Or more like…they wanted some adjustments. At that time, the small group was made up of members that Miyabi could count on."
If the group formed based on Nagumo's orders, then he'd likely given them a special role. You wouldn't think that unless you knew what was going on within the second-years. From an outsider's perspective, it would simply look like friends coming together.
"Are there any first- or third-years who were selected to join that girls' large group that stand out in particular?"
"Even if you ask me that, I hardly know anything about the first-years.
From the third-years, I guess there's Tachibana-senpai, who was Horikita- senpai's secretary. Ah, but their representative is a different person, though. Miyabi said nothing weird would happen. He said he was going to do this fair and square."
"You have a lot of faith in Nagumo-senpai, huh?"
Horikita's brother also seemed to place a certain degree of trust in what Nagumo said. If I were to believe him and Asahina, then this line of reasoning might be considered a feint. Nagumo had promised to fight fair and square, but at the same time, he was making us jump at shadows. We feared he might be up to something behind the scenes, and he was using that to break our concentration.
"He always sticks to his word. He won't use dirty tricks. Besides, even if that group of girls does try to lay some kind of trap, it won't have any effect on Horikita-senpai and Miyabi's fight."
"That's right. It would be completely irrelevant."
Asahina was spot-on. Nagumo had proposed that only his group and Horikita's brother's group compete. The girls had nothing to do with it. Even if some of the second-year girls who were close with Nagumo happened to be in Tachibana's large group, it was irrelevant.
So was he making it look like he had something underhanded going on, while actually fighting above the board? That would mean the seemingly meaningful words he'd uttered when he met up with the third-year student from his group, Ishikura-senpai, were just a fake-out too.
I supposed that if you were investigating him normally, you'd get the sense that these clues were popping up and then disappearing all over the place. An interesting way of doing things. This was different from Sakayanagi and Ryuuen: a unique strategy.
"What I can tell you, I suppose, is that whoever cares too much is the one who loses."
"You were a big help," I said.
I was grateful to Asahina for humoring my unreasonable request to discuss her class's internal affairs. Of course, she'd probably done so because she didn't think I could be an obstacle for Miyabi. She couldn't even imagine me being his opponent.
"Well, do your best to try and give Miyabi a run for his money, boy," Asahina. "I'll be rooting for you, even if it's only a little bit."
"Oh, just one more thing…" "Hmm?"
If I combined what I'd just learned with the information I got from Kei, my understanding of the situation was becoming much clearer. I decided to push a little harder.
5.6
ON THE NIGHT of the sixth day, a sour mood hung over the entire group. If we let the day end like this, the group might fall apart entirely tomorrow. These rancor between us would just continue to intensify, making it all the harder to secure a high score on the test that was now just two days away.
Returning to the room after my bath, I found the atmosphere tense as ever. Ishizaki had walled himself off and was now refusing to speak to anyone else. Keisei, blaming himself, had fallen silent and retreated inward too. The Class B students kept trying to chat in an attempt to liven things up, but the awkward atmosphere was too much for them to bear, and they eventually went silent.
Eventually, after confirming that it was getting close to lights-out time, Yahiko flipped the switch and sent the room into darkness, seeking to bring this day to a merciful end.
"Hey, Ishizaki. You got a minute?" Hashimoto broke the long silence as we sat in the pitch darkness.
"No," replied Ishizaki.
Judging from the sound of rustling sheets that followed, he'd probably turned his back to Hashimoto, refusing to engage.
"At this rate, our group will be in extreme danger. We have the advantage of our team not being too big, but that also disadvantages us when it comes to the exam itself. In the worst-case scenario, Yukimura and someone else will be expelled," said Hashimoto.
You're going to be the one who goes down with him when that happens, Ishizaki. You know that? was the unsaid implication.
"Shut it. Even if I get expelled, whatever. I don't care. Shit happens." "Dude, come on…" Hashimoto sighed deeply, as if giving up, at this
refusal of his helping hand.
I couldn't see Hashimoto's face in the darkness. Had we passed the
point of no return when it came to our group's unity? Maybe it was time we gave up.
"I played soccer in elementary school and junior high. Our school was pretty prestigious, so our team competed in national championships each year. I wasn't an ace player or anything, but I played in most games and did pretty well," said Hashimoto. He didn't direct the words to any one person in particular but addressed the room as a whole.
"Wait, you're not part of the soccer team now though, are you? It doesn't look like you got injured or anything," Yahiko pointed out, his voice cutting through the dark.
"No, I'm not. I know it's not really popular these days, but I used to smoke."
"So they found you out and kicked you out of soccer?" "No. I hid my smoking habit well. Only my family knew."
"Even if smoking is disgusting, it's not a reason to quit soccer."
Yahiko's doubts were justified. If no one had known, then it couldn't have been an issue.
"I guess I just felt this sense of alienation or something. Everyone else would be working together to win the national championships, and part of me would just kind of observe them coldly. I knew I didn't belong. Also, I didn't really like soccer all that much. I decided to quit playing and just focus on my studies. I was pretty smart to begin with, so it wasn't that hard to keep getting good grades."
"What, now you're bragging? I ain't listenin' to this," interjected Ishizaki nastily.
"For better or worse, my only saving grace was that I could do reasonably well out in the world, I suppose. But there are still times when I feel regret. Whenever I see Hirata and Shibata practicing out on the field, I think it could have been me out there. Even though I didn't even like it that much. Strange, huh?" said Hashimoto.
He chuckled self-deprecatingly to himself. "What about you? What was your childhood like, Ishizaki?" asked Hashimoto.
"Huh? Why you askin'?"
"No reason."
"Hmph. Well, I ain't got anything to say." Ishizaki refused, to no one's shock.
Keisei opened his mouth, the next to join our conversation in the darkness.
"Ever since I was little, all I ever did was study. Maybe I was influenced by my older sister. She was a lot older than me, and she wanted to be a teacher, which meant I always had to play the role of the student. My sister was pretty ridiculous. She was always giving me these stupidly difficult problems to solve, even when I was in elementary school."
"So that's why you're so good at studying, huh?" replied Hashimoto, responding as though he were trying to draw out the conversation.
"Yeah. And on top of that, I'm terrible at sports. No matter what I did, I generally came in near last place, just barely squeaking by. I decided to just focus on developing my strengths rather than conquering my weaknesses.
I used to think there was no point in training your body if you weren't planning to become a professional athlete. Enrolling in this school made me begin to doubt that for the first time…but I still believed that I could study hard and be considered an appropriate pick for Class A," said Keisei.
He stopped speaking for a moment, as if he were remembering that time. Being put in Class D must have caused him immense despair.
"But then all these things I couldn't accept just kept happening. I don't agree with the solidarity system, and living on the deserted island made even less sense to me… In my own class, Sudou was like the polar opposite of me. He was great at sports, but he couldn't study. At first, I thought I'd been saddled with some ridiculous baggage. But on the uninhabited island and during the Sports Festival, Sudou's skills were far more useful than mine.
I could see him shine, right beside me." There was a hint of regret in his voice.
"There's still a part of me that can't accept it, to be honest. But I'm slowly beginning to realize that if all you can do is study, or all you can do is sports, then that's no good. That's the thing about this exam. If you can't do both of those things, then you can't score high. Am I wrong? Ishizaki?"
"Seriously, are you askin' me—?"
"I feel completely humiliated. Just like back on the uninhabited island and during the Sports Festival. I'm dragging the group down. I hurt myself, which has meant being a burden on others, and more importantly, I dragged down the group's morale. I have absolutely nothing to show Ishizaki, who, despite his complaints, has been contributing to the group just as much if not more than the average."
Ishizaki seemed about to mock him, but then he swallowed his swords. I couldn't see his face. But it was precisely because we were in the darkness, unable to see each other, that we could be this vulnerable.
"I'm sorry, Ishizaki… I'm sorry that your representative, who should be setting an example for the rest of you, is in this condition."
I could tell Keisei was trying to hold back tears. None of us were insensitive enough to cut in and say something. These were bitter tears.
"Stop screwing around. Why are you apologizing? I mean, I'm the one who blamed you," said Ishizaki. He let loose a chuckle, seemingly aimed at himself, before continuing on. "I mean, you were the one who agreed to be representative when no one else was willin'."
Even if we'd tried to push the role on Keisei, he could have refused it.
As a matter of fact, Ishizaki had done so himself. He probably realized the good faith gesture Keisei had made by accepting the role now.
"It pissed me off, gettin' ordered around by you. But if you didn't give those orders, our group probably would've been way worse off. For makin' breakfast, and for the marathon."
"No doubts there," said Hashimoto, laughing.
Some students do well in academics, and some don't. Some excel in sports, and some struggle. When all these different students, with their own interests and backgrounds, come together to form a single class or group, they bring their problems with them. All the friendships and rivalries and everything of the sort.
Yahiko and the other students started chatting themselves, speaking up little by little.
That was the first night we started to feel like a real group.