"WHOA, THERE ARE loads of people."

Sure enough, the rest area near the fitness gym where the test

results were disclosed was crowded with students. A large sign beside

the monitor read, „Photography is strictly prohibited‟ and there were two

adults, probably associated with Tsukishiro, watching the students.

The rankings and scores were displayed as a list on the monitor,

which seemed to be scrolling automatically. Right now we could see the

group members and scores for the groups ranked 50th through to 60th.

"...Huh?"

Suddenly, I felt an incredible sense of discomfort flowing through

my body. What was it? I couldn‟t immediately figure out what it was,

but I felt an indescribable sick kind of feeling.

"I wanted to get a closer look at the results, but I don‟t think I can

concentrate with all this."

Ishizaki, who wasn‟t feeling the same discomfort as me, looked at

the monitor and muttered in displeasure.

"There‟s no helping it. I‟m sure a lot of people wanted to know the

detailed results of the exam."

Ishizaki clicked his tongue in frustration and had no choice but to

squint at the results from the spot. Although he had a bold personality,

he wouldn‟t push the upperclassmen to get to the front.

The trouble was, even though it was an auto-scrolling monitor, you

could touch it with your hand to hold it in place or scroll to look at any

order. Currently a third-year student was operating it, so it was unlikely

we would see the top results that Ishizaki wanted to see anytime soon.

Page | 16

"What shall we do?"

Even if we waited for a long time, it would be a while before our

turn would come.

"I‟m curious, but let‟s not overdo it. We can look at it later after

all."

That was what I said a few minutes ago but...If he understood, then

it was fine.

"By the way, do you notice anything?"

"Hm? Notice what?"

Ishizaki, who was about to turn around, didn‟t seem to have

noticed anything.

This bizarre atmosphere. The number of gazes directed at me.

This couldn‟t be dismissed as just my imagination. It wasn‟t that

Ishizaki next to me was too slow and unaware of it. It wasn‟t Ishizaki, or

any other students; the gaze was focused entirely on me.

They were watching my every move, with no apparent intention to

hide. All of the students looking at me had one thing in common; they

were all third-years. I didn‟t know all the details yet, but I was certain

that Nagumo was involved in this. I guess this was one of his plans that

he had decided set in motion after putting it off in anticipation for the

exam.

"What‟s up?"

Apparently, I was so lost in thought that Ishizaki was worried

about me.

"No, it‟s nothing. It looks like a lot of other students are coming to

check it out, so let‟s head back."

"Oh, yeah you‟re right."

Page | 17

I‟d imagined he‟d try something sooner or later, but this was a bit

troublesome. It would‟ve been much easier to deal with if Nagumo had

decided to confront me directly. He got me with something I hated to

deal with right from the start.

"Hey, you haven‟t eaten yet, right? Let‟s eat together."

"What? Ah, yeah I haven‟t eaten yet, but..."

I started to walk away, and there was no sign of the third-year

students following after us. In the end, all they did was watch me, but it

didn‟t feel great to be stared at relentlessly.

"What‟s the matter with you? You don‟t want to eat with me?

You‟re a rude guy."

"It‟s not that. I was just thinking about something unrelated."

I couldn‟t involve Ishizaki in this, but if they didn‟t come after us,

we‟d be fine.

"It‟s rude to think about other things like that."

He had a point. Let‟s forget about the third-years for now.

"Are you fine with it? Eating with me?"

"Who cares? We‟re just eatin‟ a meal together."

I couldn‟t deny that I was feeling some pressure, but it didn‟t feel

bad at all. I just couldn‟t get over the fact that Ishizaki was treating me

like a friend.

"I don‟t know if I‟ve said this before, but I‟m not invitin‟ you out

like this just to get you to join our class. It‟s ‟cause I like you as a friend,

okay?"

Without hesitation, Ishizaki uttered a line that, in a way, set my

teeth on edge. But then, as if realizing something, he turned around.

"...Am I botherin‟ you?"

Page | 18

"That‟s not the case."

"Right!?"

For a moment, Ishizaki seemed to wonder if he‟d been acting

selfishly, but then he immediately laughed with a cheerful face. Well, I

already knew that he had this kind of personality. I didn‟t feel bad at all,

so I decided to just go along with Ishizaki.

As the two of us left the area and started to move, we heard

footsteps running towards us from behind.

"Ayanokōji-senpai!"

The owner of the footsteps was Nanase, who I had worked with for

the first half of the uninhabited island exam.

"You came to see the results of the exam too, senpai?"

"Yeah. Saying that, I couldn‟t go over them slowly, so I gave up."

"Is that so? Right now the third years are operating the monitor, so

we underclassmen will have to wait a while before we can view it

freely."

Apparently Nanase also wanted to know more about the results,

but decided against it. Ishizaki was watching our conversation with

curiosity. Thinking about it, Ishizaki probably hadn‟t had any direct

interaction with Nanase.

"Oi, oi Ayanokōji. When did you get to know this cute girl?"

"A lot happened."

It was tedious to explain from scratch, so I gave him that summary.

"Oi, don‟t tell me you‟re...datin‟ an underclassman, are ya?"

"That‟s a big leap. It‟s just a normal senior and junior

relationship."

Page | 19

It was unusual for me to be brought into this sort of thing. I'd

thought that Ishizaki wasn‟t particularly interested in relationships with

the opposite sex, but not so much, apparently.

"Did you want something from me?"

"No, after I saw you, senpai, I just wanted to come talk to you."

She spoke without hesitation as she looked at me with bright eyes,

despite the contents of her reply being somewhat embarrassing.

"Sorry for bothering you. Excuse me!"

One minute she was running up to me, and the next, she was

running away. The ship‟s interior was the same as the school corridors in

that she shouldn‟t be running here, but I guess she was just about safe.

"She was a cutie. And her...you know...was pretty...you know."

I‟m sorry, but I guess I‟ll just skip over the „you know‟ part.

"You‟re really not dating her, right?"

"No, we‟re not dating."

It would be annoying to have people misunderstand and spread the

story. That was why, once again, I firmly pushed Ishizaki so that he

wouldn‟t talk.

Page | 20

1.2

WHEN I RETURNED from my meal with Ishizaki, I found Ike

standing in front of the door. He had a restless look on his face as he

worked his phone. After raising his head and checking his surroundings,

our eyes met.

"Oh, Ayanokōji! I‟m glad you‟re here, I‟ve been waiting for you."

Ike was waiting for me? Another unexpected occurrence.

"Actually, I‟m thinking of going to visit Komiya right now, and I

was wondering if you‟d join me."

"Me too?"

Ike approached me, asking me to lend an ear, so I did.

"How to put it?...I feel a little awkward going to see him by

myself."

"Why?"

"You say why...Well, you know, I...I‟m going out with Shinohara.

When we were heading back to the ship after the exam, there was a

moment when we were alone, and..."

It seemed he confessed his feelings and Shinohara gave him the

okay. I thought their relationship might develop, but this exceeded my

expectations.

"Is that so? Well, congratulations."

After I bluntly offered congratulations, he averted his gaze in

embarrassment.

Page | 21

"Ah, thanks. But...from Komiya‟s point of view, I think I might

have done something unfair."

"I don‟t think so though."

"No, I mean, rather than unfair...It‟s like I was stealing a march on

Komiya."

Certainly, Komiya had to retire from the island exam early due to

injury, so you could express what Ike did as stealing a march, but that

was also true for everyone involved. It seemed like Komiya was

planning to confess to Shinohara during the uninhabited island exam.

"I was actually gonna wait until Komiya recovered, you know?

But then I was so relieved that the island exam was over, Shinohara was

right by my side...and then...it just hit me that I didn‟t want to give her

to Komiya..."

It seemed like he couldn‟t help confessing his feelings to her. Of

course, there was also the risk of being rejected. If that had happened, it

would‟ve been even more awkward if Komiya and Shinohara had gotten

together.

"That‟s why I thought I have to report it to Komiya properly. If

that guy‟s still planning to confess to Shinohara, it‟ll get complicated,

right?"

"If you don‟t get ahead of this, you could be in trouble if Shinohara

decides to go with Komiya."

"Uh...! W-why would you...!?"

My exaggerated reply left Ike flustered. So half of the reason was

to report the truth to him, and the other half was to stop him from

confessing.

"You‟re prepared to take at least one hit, right?"

"Ehh!? I‟m going to get hit!?"

Page | 22

"Wouldn‟t you do at least that much if the person you love was

snatched from your side?"

"...Gulp."

Ike looked terrified; it seemed imagining what was coming left him

a bit scared. Komiya wasn‟t necessarily a big guy, but he wasn't playing

basketball just for show. On the other hand, Ike was on the smaller side

for a guy, so there was a more than sufficient size difference.

"Well, he‟s got an injured leg right now, so he shouldn‟t be able to

get a good footing. It shouldn‟t hurt that much"

"T-that‟s not really the point, but...I-I‟m prepared."

Since he seemed to be somewhat determined, I didn‟t have any

reason to object. I‟d been wondering about Komiya‟s condition, so this

was a good opportunity.

"I hear that Komiya‟s still sleeping in the infirmary."

"I‟m sure it would be hard for him if he was in his own room."

It wouldn‟t be surprising if he spent most of his holidays in the

infirmary.

Ike and I arrived in front of our destination. Ike took a deep breath

to calm himself down before entering. There was no point in rushing

him, so I was just waiting quietly when we heard a loud laugh from

inside.

"W-what‟s that? Let‟s go in and have a look."

After hearing unexpected laughter from inside, Ike opened the door

and entered the infirmary before he could finish preparing himself.

There we found Ryūen and several classmates around Komiya, who was

sitting upright. There was a group of four people; Albert, Kaneda,

Kondo and Yamawaki.

Page | 23

Because people from outside his class appeared, Ryūen stood up,

not giving us a second glance.

"Excuse us, Komiya."

He left the infirmary with his friends; apparently he was done

talking. I stole a quick glance in Ryūen‟s direction, but he didn‟t look

my way.

"Ryūen‟s just as scary as ever... Anyway, what did he want?"

On the other hand, Ike couldn‟t even look directly at Ryūen, and

was muttering to himself dejectedly. Komiya, who overheard what he

said, nodded in understanding before answering,

"Well, he certainly has that power. Despite appearances, he just

came to visit me."

On a small table near the head of the bed, there were snacks and

juice that he seemed to have been gifted.

"J-just visiting...Somehow, he doesn‟t come across as the kind of

guy to do that." Ike replied with his honest feelings and Komiya agreed

with him.

"If it was this time last year, well, that would‟ve been

unthinkable." Komiya smiled with nostalgia as he recalled the past year.

"But somethin‟ about Ryūen-san‟s changed a little bit. He‟s become a

bit more mellow...or maybe not..." Komiya added, with a somewhat

confused, yet happy face.

As soon as they entered school, Ryūen took control of the class

and treated everyone as tools to be used without mercy. It wasn‟t

surprising that most of his classmates felt a strong sense of rejection in

their hearts.

"If it‟s that guy from now, I feel like I can honestly follow him,

you know?"

"You can willingly follow Ryūen?...I don‟t get it..."

Ike‟s body trembled slightly, as if he couldn‟t understand what he

was hearing.

"Anyway, Ike, Ayanokōji, don‟t just stand there, sit down."

Komiya gently welcomed us students from another class and urged

us to sit down without hesitation. The two of us took advantage of his

kind offer and sat in a couple empty chairs.

"You seem healthy."

Looking at his leg that was secured in a fixed position, I checked

Komiya‟s condition.

"As you can see, I‟m fine except for my leg. But I get frustrated

when I think about everyone having fun on the other side of the door. I

hope it heals quickly..."

"When will you be able to walk?"

"I‟m in the process of asking for permission to walk on crutches."

They were rivals in love, but surprisingly, they were able to talk to

each other without any problems. It looked like my presence here was

completely unnecessary.

"I‟m just... a little worried."

"Worried? About what?" Ike, who was straddling the backside of

the chair, put his arm on the backrest and asked Komiya.

"It‟s just...Ryūen-san‟s trying to figure out who pushed me during

the exam. He asked me a bunch of questions to see if I remembered

anything, but just like I told Ayanokōji, I don‟t even remember being

attacked at all..."

It seemed there has been no difference in his memories since that

time. Right now, Ryūen‟s class was gaining momentum day by day. It

was time to focus entirely on the second year battle and reach Class A.

Page | 24

Page | 25

Of course, that goes for our class as well, so we shouldn‟t delve too deep

into this one.

If Amasawa or another White Room student, or someone else

related to Tsukishiro was involved, there was no guarantee that even

Ryūen would be safe.

"It would be good if Ryūen-san doesn‟t overdo it."

"It seems he wants to beat the culprit half to death."

The two of them were unable to envision Ryūen getting beaten.

Rather, it was natural to be worried about the culprit instead.

"So? You didn‟t just come to visit me, right?" Komiya asked Ike

softly, as if he had sensed something.

At that moment, Ike stiffened up in surprise.

"Ahh, no...That..."

He was unable to speak. Had he not prepared himself enough yet?

Perhaps seeing this, Komiya waited for him to speak without prompting,

wearing a serious expression.

The atmosphere changed in the blink of an eye. There was no trace

of the relaxed situation we had just experienced.

"...I...How to put it?...so..."

Ike‟s talkative demeanour faded and he became unable to string the

words together.

"Ike. I don‟t know what you‟re gonna say, but if it‟s important,

then look me in the eye and say it."

He must‟ve guessed what he was about to say. Even so, Komiya

pretended not to know, and urged Ike to tell it to him straight. I didn‟t

think Ike had noticed that Komiya had already guessed what he wanted

to say, but he must‟ve felt something from him as a fellow man. He felt

Page | 26

that this wasn‟t something to be reported in a lazy manner. He slapped

himself on both cheeks, forcing himself to wake up out of his daze.

"I confessed to Shinohara!"

Ike, who had steeled his resolve, spoke in a simple but loud voice.

All that came after was silence. I could see Ike gulping down a

large mouthful of saliva beside me.

"And? What was Satsuki‟s reply?"

"I got the okay. We‟re going out now."

"I see..."

After hearing his curt response, Ike continued to stare at Komiya‟s

face without averting his gaze. Like we had spoken about earlier,

because Ike had jumped the gun, he couldn‟t blame him if he had

complaints. He seemed to think he would jump out with a surprise shot.

"Did you think I was gonna hit you?"

"Eh?"

"It‟s written all over your face; that you might get punched."

"T-that‟s...Well, maybe a little."

"Well, then you‟ve resolved yourself, right? I can‟t move right

now, so you come over to me."

As he asked him to come over, Komiya‟s face hid any hints of his

intentions. But, from his intensity, it seemed Ike had made up his mind.

Even though he was terrified, he went to stand right next to Komiya.

Immediately after, Komiya‟s right arm reached out and grabbed Ike‟s

shoulder.

"Tss!" Pushing his aching body to the limit, Komiya looked into

Ike‟s eyes. "If you make Satsuki cry, I‟ll show you no mercy." Komiya

said, as he lightly pressed his left fist against Ike‟s chest.

Page | 27

"K-Komiya...?"

Komiya‟s serious expression turned into a smile. "What‟s up with

you, don‟t act so glum. Satsuki chose you, that‟s all there is to it, right?"

"But...If you hadn‟t been injured, it might‟ve been the other way

around..."

"It sucks, but I don‟t think that‟s true. Satsuki‟s had her eye on you

for a while, that‟s why she accepted your confession. It‟s not a case of

first-come-first-served. But..."

"But?"

"If you hadn‟t faced Satsuki properly and kept runnin‟ away, I

might‟ve had a chance."

It was as Komiya said. I didn‟t think it mattered so much whether

he confessed first or after. There was an accident that resulted in a

serious injury, and Ike just happened to be in the vicinity. That then

created an opportunity which gave him a huge boost, allowing him to

face Shinohara. Without a doubt, that was the single most important

factor that resulted in the two of them being together now.

If Komiya hadn‟t been injured, if Ike hadn‟t been nearby at that

time. If either of them had suffered a different fate, the one next to

Shinohara right now may well have been Komiya.

"In that sense, this injury was really unlucky."

Even though his feelings of love were left unfulfilled, Komiya

seemed to be in a good mood.

"Thank you, Komiya."

"Make sure you study properly, will you? Satsuki...No, Shinohara

was worried about that too."

"...That‟s right. I can‟t afford to get expelled."

Page | 28

This love affair might just become a pivotal turning point for Ike.

Like Sudō, he now had an opportunity to struggle for both himself and

the one he loves.

Anyway, Ike‟s report and the ensuing discussion with Komiya had

concluded.

"Sorry Ike, but can I talk to Ayanokōji alone for a bit? There‟s

something I‟d like to confirm about my injury."

"Alright, see you later Komiya. You too, Ayanokōji."

Ike said goodbye to us and left the room. When we were alone,

Komiya cut me off.

"I‟m sorry. Ike brought you here asking for your help right?"

"No, I was concerned about your condition too. Rather, I caused

you trouble."

"That‟s not true. I mean...I don‟t really understand what‟s going

on."

"Hmm?"

"Even though we‟re in different classes and fighting against each

other, we‟ve started talking normally. It‟s like that kind of hostility has

faded away. Last year, it was so bleak."

Since we were in different classes, we were supposed to fight and

kick each other down. Other than for a strategy, there wasn‟t much merit

in getting along with each other.

"The uninhabited island exam was a competition between school

years, plus we‟ll be at the same school together for a long time. Maybe

that‟s the reason?"

"Yeah, maybe."

"So? You wanted to talk about your injury?"

Page | 29

It was obvious that this conversation was just a preliminary chat

before we got to the main topic.

"It‟s as I was saying earlier, it‟s about Ryūen-san."

"You said he was searching for the culprit."

"I‟m against it. To be honest, I‟d rather chalk this one up as an

accident caused by my own mistake."

"But Shinohara actually saw the person that attacked you."

"I know that. But I have this bad feeling that this won‟t end well."

Maybe it was because he was the one attacked that he could feel

the danger.

"Even if it‟s just for a little while, would you mind keeping an eye

out on this matter for me, Ayanokōji?"

"I don‟t really think there‟s anything I can do about it though..."

"I don‟t expect you to do anything directly. If you feel uneasy, let

me know."

Komiya made his request with a strong look in his eyes. We

formally exchanged contact information so that we could get in touch at

any time.

"Okay, for now, you should just focus on healing your injury as

soon as possible, Komiya."

Resting was the only shortcut to a full recovery after all.

"Thank you. I‟d like to thank you properly next time, if you don‟t

mind. I wanted to talk to the other guys that helped me too."

"I‟m sure they‟ll be glad to hear it. Ike might even bring Shinohara

along."

"No way. If I had to watch those two flirting, I think I might just

cry."

Page | 30

Komiya smiled bitterly. It seemed he was more heartbroken than

he looked. I think it was a mistake to include that teasing comment.

Anyway, I wasn‟t saying the injury was a good thing, but I felt like

the distance between Komiya and I had shortened a little.

"See you later, Ayanokōji."

"Yeah."

After saying goodbye and leaving the infirmary, I was struck by a

strange feeling.

My classmates Sudō and Ike, and from another class, Ishizaki and

Komiya. The number of people around me that I could call my friends

was gradually increasing. I wasn‟t even particularly trying to make

friends, but that was what ended up happening.

"The way to make friends isn‟t something you can find in a

textbook."

Like an idiot, I thought that seriously.

Page | 31

Chapter 2:

The Beginning of the

Short-Lived Vacation

FOR MANY STUDENTS, each day of the uninhabited island exam

seemed to drag on for a long time. In contrast, a day spent on a luxury

cruise ship was just like a flash of light; gone in an instant. Why was it

that the flow was so different for the same period of time?

The main reason was probably because we didn‟t spend most of

the day thinking about time. During daily school life and special exams,

students were often thinking about time. On the other hand, when you

were on holiday, you weren‟t thinking about it, so the difference was

noticeable.

Today was the second day of such a festive holiday.

The exhaustion many students had been feeling had finally worn

off, so they were starting to enjoy their holiday in earnest. As a result,

the number of students passing each other in the ship‟s corridors had

increased dramatically. Even I, who‟d spent most of my time quietly on

my own, received an email from a rather unexpected person inviting me

to meet up.

It was from third-year Class B student, Vice President Kiriyama.

He had invited me to the pool, perhaps to have an elegant chat while

riding a float or play water volleyball to deepen our friendship.

I‟ll throw out the possibility of any of those ridiculous predictions.

Although he called me over to the pool, it should be a far from

playful time.

Of course, I could refuse his invitation. Or I could choose to ignore

it. But I was going to end up hearing it at some point anyway.

Page | 32

Depending on the situation, it wasn‟t impossible that I could be called

out in more unpleasant place and time than right now.

I sent a curt yes in reply, promising to be there at the specified

time. I decided that it would be less damaging for me to be called out

now, when I was by myself. Besides, there was a good chance that I

could solve the mystery of the persistent stares I‟d been receiving from

the third-year students since yesterday.

"Kiriyama, huh..."

Right now, I was at the resting area by the fitness gym. The

monitor where the results of the special exam were posted was in front

of me. I was the only one here; probably because most of the students

had already checked their exam results. The number of teachers keeping

an eye on the test results had also been reduced to just one.

I memorized the results of the test, and slid the results back to the

top groups again, focusing on Kiriyama‟s group. The top three had

already been announced in front of the entire student body, with Kōenji

Rokusuke‟s solo group in first place, Nagumo‟s group in second place

and Sakayanagi‟s group in third place. In fourth place was Kiriyama‟s

group with 255 points, leaving a difference of only 6 points. In other

words, Sakayanagi stole the last spot on the podium from his group. The

difference between third and fourth place was more than just the

difference in their ranking.

"Naturally, for a third-year student, these results would be seen as

a disappointment."

Nagumo missed the top spot and Kiriyama didn‟t even make it into

the top three. In addition, all the expulsions were from the third-year,

which was a highly unusual situation.

Since I still had about 20 minutes until the appointed time, I

decided to head over to the pool first. It was also to confirm that the

stares being directed at me wasn‟t just me being self-conscious, but a

plan that had been put in motion.

Page | 33

The answer was immediately apparent without the need for close

examination.

No more than a dozen seconds after showing myself at the pool, I

noticed I was being subjected to stares from a large number of third-year

students spread all over the place. Students engrossed in conversation,

students who were swimming in the pool; all the third-year students

began to observe me closely upon noticing my presence.

The stares I felt yesterday weren‟t just a coincidence.

"I came to find proof of my suspicions, but this is too fast."

It was such a strange feeling that I wanted to complain to the

contrary. I was supposed to be a background character in the shadows,

but here I was standing out more than anyone. Even though I tried not to

think about it, internally, I was naturally looking for the reason.

There was probably an 80 or 90% chance that they were acting

under the instructions of Nagumo, but exactly what the contents of his

orders were was completely unknown at this point in time. Although

many students were sending obvious stares my way, I continued to

pretend not to notice anything.

It was easy to play the role of a fool; however, I could easily

imagine that Nagumo assumed I was aware of the stares. It wouldn‟t be

surprising if he was enjoying seeing me as the target of this attention.

At any rate, the best thing to do for now was pretend I didn‟t know

what they are all looking at.

I looked around the pool, wondering who else was here besides the

third-year students, and saw Ichinose with some of her classmates. It just

so happened that Ichinose was the first one to notice my presence, and

our eyes met.

Her shoulders jerked once and she quickly hid behind her

classmates, looking for an escape. Seeing the sudden strange movement,

her classmates were asking what was wrong with her. It was just after

Page | 34

Ichinose confessed to me on the uninhabited island, so it was no wonder

that just looking at each other, even from this distance, might make

things awkward.

It‟d be one thing if it was just Ichinose, but her classmates were

also there, so I decided to keep my distance for now. Even if I left it

alone, I had already made an appointment to see her the evening after

tomorrow. I saw a few classmates here and there, but unfortunately I

couldn‟t find anybody that I was particularly close with.

"Looks like you might be in trouble, Ayanokōji."

When I turned diagonally in front of me in the direction of the

voice that had called out, I found Kiryūin resting on a beach chair on the

deck.

"What are you referring to?"

"The third-year students. It‟s not like you haven‟t noticed, right?"

"I don‟t really understand."

I tried to play it off, but Kiryūin didn‟t even snicker, and just kept

going nonchalantly.

Page | 36

"Even though I‟m not involved, I‟m still a third-year student. The

information has already reached my ears."

"By any chance are you referring to the stares that are currently

being focused on me?"

"So you do know what I‟m talking about."

"It‟s not a big problem. I‟m being watched, that‟s all."

"That‟s all, huh."

Even though I mentioned that I didn‟t care, Kiryūin didn‟t seem to

think that was the case.

"It looks like quite the frightening strategy to me. I‟m sure it‟s

especially troublesome for someone with your personality."

While she was just teasing, Kiryūin's point was not wrong.

"As expected of the Student Council President. He‟s played a

bizarre, yet effective card against this flawless person in front of me."

"Flawless? I think you‟re overestimating me."

"Don‟t be modest. We‟re comrades that have been through the line

of fire together, so I know that your abilities are limitless, right?"

The gaze lurking beneath the sunglasses pierced me sharply. Even

if I were to deny it, there were many students around, so I would have to

be careful so as not to be overheard. Of course, Kiryūin would‟ve taken

the surrounding environment into consideration.

"I understand, I‟ll admit it for now."

"Fufu, that‟s fine. Now back to the topic at hand, did something

happen with Nagumo during the final stages of the exam? At the very

least, no orders were issued to the third-years until the end of the

uninhabited island exam."

"There may have been something that would cause him to resent

me...It‟s frustrating that I can‟t say that it‟s not the case."

Kiryūin, who‟d been lying back comfortably, sat up slightly.

"In terms of individual strength, Nagumo Miyabi‟s ability is top

class among the school. Academic Ability A, Physical Ability A,

Adaptability A+ and Social Contribution A+. He cannot be faulted."

"I know. As far as the OAA is concerned, his overall ability is

overwhelming at the top of the school."

There were a few students, like Sudō and Kiryūin, who held an A+

rating in one ability. However, Nagumo was the only student with all

A‟s or higher, and the number of students with two A+ grades was

extremely limited.

"With his high academic and physical abilities, his charisma and

ability to organize the school year, as well as the achievement of

climbing to the top as the president of the student council, Nagumo has

never faced a worthy opponent in his year group. The only person in the

school who he recognised as his equal, Horikita Manabu, has graduated,

and is thus no longer here."

Kiryūin sighed and picked up the glass on the table next to her.

"To Nagumo, you should‟ve been nothing more than a toy.

However, something happened during the uninhabited island exam that

has caused him to take you seriously."

"It would be best to leave someone like me alone."

"If that‟s the case, then you've made a seriously bad choice

somewhere along the line." Kiryūin spoke harshly, showing no mercy.

"There are probably only a handful of people that can defeat you one-

on-one. I‟m pretty confident in my ability, but if there‟s one type I‟m not

good with, it would be someone like you, Ayanokōji. But Nagumo‟s

case is completely different. I can tell that he‟s the type of person you‟re

no good at dealing with. Am I right?"

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"I can‟t deny that possibility anymore. I misjudged his true

character."

They were only looking at me, but I didn‟t realise how stressful

and disgusting it would make me feel. There were always eyes watching

in the White Room, but this was completely different.

In other words, I was forced to live in an environment I had never

experienced before in my life. Moreover, the only way to escape was to

hide indoors, which wasn‟t a practical solution at all.

"That‟s about right. Nagumo tends to prefer flashy moves and one-

on-ones, but when it comes to ensuring his victory, he‟ll use any strategy

to win. Even if it means mobilizing the entire third year. He‟ll prioritise

winning, no matter what it takes."

His gathering of the crowd was just the beginning.

"I‟m sorry, but I can‟t help you with this one," she said, covering

her eyes with the sunglasses that had been resting on her forehead.

"I never once said that I wanted to rely on you."

As if trying to get ahead of me, Kiryūin refused to cooperate.

"For three years I‟ve been free to do as I please, but...I do have one

small regret regarding my school life. If there were a retention system at

this school, I might‟ve considered it."

Retention, in other words repeating a grade without advancing. To

put it bluntly, she wanted to stay.

"So you were here, Ayanokōji."

As I was talking to Kiryūin, Vice President Kiriyama showed up. It

seemed Kiriyama, who was wearing a serious expression, had arrived

much earlier than promised. After taking a glance at the lounging

Kiryūin beside me, he turned to look back in my direction.

"We‟ve still got a few minutes until the scheduled time, but you

don‟t mind if we get started, do you? This isn‟t the best place for it, let‟s

move."

"„This isn‟t for you to hear‟, is what you‟re trying to say, right

Kiriyama?"

Even though she said couldn‟t help me, it seemed she was

interested in what he wanted to talk about. She lifted the sunglasses she

had just put on back to her forehead.

"It‟s just that we would attract too much attention here. If we can,

I‟d like to speak in a quiet place."

Because the poolside was so popular, a large number of students

were hanging around here. Well, for some reason, only the seat next to

Kiryūin was empty, but I didn‟t think I needed to look too deeply into

that.

"That‟s funny, saying that you don't want to attract too much

attention. That‟s a contradiction, Kiriyama."

"What?"

"If you wanted to talk in a quiet place, to choose the pool where so

many people are gathered is nonsense. Am I wrong?"

"So you would‟ve preferred if I told you from the start that I don't

want to be around you, so I want to move?" Kiriyama spat out after

Kiryūin interrupted him.

The expression on his face was completely dead, devoid of any

emotion. The fact that Kiryūin had been a pain for him to deal with so

far was obvious.

"I see, you‟re saying I make you feel uncomfortable."

Whenever a conversation starts, it revolves around Kiryūin.

Kiriyama didn‟t want to deal with that, so he made a move to escape, but

on the contrary, it provided the opportunity for Kiryūin to bulldoze in.

Page | 39

"Anyway, how about you let me listen in on what you were going

to talk about?"

"I refuse. It‟s got nothing to do with you."

"Nothing to do with me? I don‟t see how you can just assume it‟s

of no concern to me."

"What do you mean?"

"Ayanokōji and I are in a romantic relationship. If that‟s the case,

how can it have nothing to do with me?"

Eh?

Before his reaction leaked out, Kiriyama looked between me and

Kiryūin alternately with a stunned expression on his face.

"Fufu, it‟s a joke Kiriyama. You‟re a real boring guy, but if I

consider just your reactions, you can be amusing at times."

When Kiriyama saw Kiryūin laughing merrily, he seemed to

explode with anger. He started walking without saying another word.

„Leave that woman and come with me quickly‟ seemed to be what

he was getting at.

"I can‟t ignore this, so I‟ll take my leave, Kiryūin-senpai."

"Give my regards to Kiriyama."

I‟d rather not. Even if she wasn‟t there in person, he probably

wouldn‟t want to hear Kiryūin‟s name being uttered.

Following Kiriyama, who walked ahead of me, we arrived on the

deck one floor above which overlooked the pool. Many students were

napping or sunbathing, but it was a comparatively quieter place. Even

so, because of the kind of students that were here, it could conversely

make our conversation stand out even more.

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However, there was not a single third-year student present.

Kiriyama must‟ve paid them off. That meant that first and second-years

shouldn‟t care about the conversation between me and Kiriyama.

Another saving grace was that there was nobody waiting for us, allowing

me to have a one-on-one conversation with Kiriyama.

"So, why did you want to bring me all the way out here?"

"I won‟t beat around the bush. What did you do to Nagumo on the

last day of the uninhabited island exam, Ayanokōji?"

"What do you mean?"

"Quit messing around. It‟s obvious you had something to do with

the results of the exam."

On the last day of the exam, when Nagumo and I met, I overheard

from the transceiver that they were enacting a strategy to suppress

Kōenji. It wouldn‟t be strange if Kiriyama had already grasped what

happened.

"I have no problem answering, but before that, could you answer

my question first?"

"Your question?"

Yes. There was one thing I wanted to check out when he called me

out like this.

As Kiriyama looked at me suspiciously, I continued. "It‟s a

question I‟ve had since I first met you, Vice President Kiriyama.

Initially, it looked like you were working to take down Nagumo. At

what point did you stop fighting...? Did you give up?"

If Kiriyama was still hoping for Nagumo‟s downfall, it should‟ve

been a welcome development.

"Give up? I don‟t know what you mean. My personal fight is still

going on."

"Is that so? It doesn‟t look like that to me."

After denying it, Kiriyama seemed to immediately understand

what I was getting at.

"You seem to think that I‟m on Nagumo‟s side, but that‟s

incorrect. Now that Nagumo‟s plan has changed, the others and I have

started to see the adverse effects. I believe I told you before the

uninhabited island exam, don‟t get in my way."

That one remark was a rather ordinary denial from Kiriyama.

However, human beings were prone to little gaffes like that.

"That‟s a broad interpretation. I was simply talking about whether

or not you‟ve given up the fight, but Kiriyama-senpai, you seem to be

very conscious of whether you come across as being on the Student

Council President‟s side."

"...Aren‟t those the same thing?"

"Admitting defeat and changing sides are not even close to being

the same thing. They are completely different. If it‟s that much, even

you should understand, right?"

Proud people who categorize themselves as superior think they

will never make a mistake. That‟s why, if they pre-emptively say to

themselves „I‟m so great, there‟s no way I could be wrong, right?‟, it

makes it even more difficult to admit they made a mistake.

"What are you trying to say?"

Neither admitting nor denying it, Kiriyama tried to continue the

conversation. Right now, out of the choices available to him, the easiest

option was to ignore it.

"I simply wanted to ask you where you stand. You‟ve given up

fighting, but the fact you oppose Nagumo hasn‟t changed? Or are you

under Nagumo‟s thumb? After all, this was a case that Horikita Manabu

entrusted to me."

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Hearing Manabu‟s name for the first time in a while, Kiriyama‟s

face hardened.

"...That was the case, wasn‟t it...?" Maybe he was remembering

the first time he and I met. "Thinking back, this relationship between

you, me, Nagumo and Horikita-senpai...in short, the student council,

you never had any interest in it whatsoever. In that sense, it wasn‟t right

to involve you in all this."

He placed his left hand on the railing and gripped it tightly.

"It‟s true that I wanted to take down Nagumo. If we couldn‟t beat

him, it would be impossible for our class to rise back up to Class A.

However, that spirit gradually faded away by the time we reached the

middle of our second year."

The current third-years had allowed Class A to run unchallenged

far more than us second-years. At the moment, the difference between

third-year Class A and third-year Class B was more than 900 class

points. Even at the midpoint of last year, they should‟ve been over 700

points ahead. They allowed Nagumo to run off with the lead early on

and it had now reached a point where they couldn‟t catch up.

"We third-years shifted to an individual competition early on.

Class points and school rules were of secondary importance, and we

started playing according to the original rules proposed by Nagumo."

This was a big reason behind his running away with the

competition. Once that happened, it would‟ve been too high of a hurdle

for Kiriyama to face alone.

"I struggled to break out of it, but as soon as I became a third-year,

I was swept up in that wave."

Regret? Resignation? Kiriyama showed an indescribable profile.

"What happened after you were swallowed up by that wave?"

"Hmph...It seems you won‟t be satisfied unless you hear it clearly

from my own mouth."

"It‟s very important to me after all."

"Nagumo handed me a ticket to graduate from Class A, so I

decided to follow the rules that he made up...That‟s what you wanted to

hear, right?"

In other words, the position he was in meant that not only was he

no longer hostile towards him, but he‟d become one of Nagumo‟s allies.

That was how important it was for ordinary students to graduate from

Class A. It was proof of just how much value and appeal 20 million

points has.

"Whether or not you take advantage of this school‟s greatest

privilege will have an enormous effect on the rest of your life.

Regardless of how my classmates may end up feeling about me,

graduating from Class A is most important. These three years of high

school are a blink of an eye compared to the decades of your life that

come after."

It was only natural that Kiriyama was feeling indignant and wanted

to know all of the details, even calling me out here to explain.

"It was our mission to make sure that Nagumo took first place. But

your involvement disrupted the chain of command, leaving Kōenji to

take first place while Nagumo fell to second. The result was a significant

loss in both class and private points. Do you have any idea how much?"

It was confirmed on the OAA that Nagumo had a Trial card as well

as a 7 Bonus cards in his large group. The amount of money lost by not

taking first place amounted to 7 million points alone. Furthermore, if all

of the third-year‟s 28 Free Ride cards had been designated to Nagumo‟s

group, they would have received an additional reward of nearly 15

million private points. However, they received less than half that due to

Nagumo‟s group falling to second place. Of course, it was a massive

Page | 44

amount of money. If you included the bonus for the class points from the

trial card, the loss was even greater.

"With graduation imminent, it‟s a huge loss for us third-year

students to miss out on first place. We need to gather private points

without wasting a single one."

Considering that Kiriyama‟s group had also used Bonus cards with

the intention of getting second place, the third year had lost even more

private points than I had just calculated.

"The fact that your group couldn‟t win any additional points from

placing in the top three is not irrelevant, Kiriyama-senpai."

When I pointed that out to him, his shoulders twitched slightly.

"...Yeah. I was dispatched as backup for Nagumo‟s group on short

notice and the slight delay in response had repercussions on all sides in

the end. We didn‟t just lose to Kōenji, another group of second-years

took third place from us too."

If everything went to plan, the third-year would‟ve gained a

massive amount of private points. Although this was just a rough

estimate, it was exactly the kind of money that could save a few of

Nagumo‟s allies.

"It costs 20 million points for a ticket to Class A, so we‟re always

looking for the best way to procure points. After this, you could say

we‟re one ticket down."

For the uninhabited island exam, the rewards at the top end were

very attractive, but when it came to private points, the Bonus and Free

Ride cards could have a great effect.

"Until now, Nagumo has been producing results and has therefore

earned the trust of the entire year. But by coming here and clinging to

you, he‟s suffered a wound; losing both trust and money. Even so, if he

switched his focus off of you, the problem would be minimal...But after

the special exam...Nagumo took an unbelievable step."

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"The unexpected expulsion of third-years, yes?"

"That‟s right. The original plan was for the top groups to pick up

the groups that had deliberately been placed at the bottom and save them

from dropping out at the end of the test."

However, because this wasn‟t done, the third-year students in the

lower groups were expelled en masse.

"Unable to do anything, those fifteen people were expelled. They

didn‟t even have time to cry out."

"It‟s terrifying isn‟t it? From the point of view of a third-year

student that is."

"Of course it is. A single whim and these last three years would

amount to nothing. If it‟s because of their own actions, they would just

give up, but if it‟s because of Nagumo‟s unreasonable behaviour, it‟s a

different story."

If all of this were really true, it should be a wake-up call for the

students that had been following him blindly. Rather, it was unusual that

the third-year students hadn‟t shown any signs of disobeying Nagumo

even after this incident.

"You think it‟s strange? That Nagumo isn‟t being accused of

anything?"

"It‟s a huge blunder after all. It seems the students that don‟t have

tickets in Class B and below are still keeping quiet."

"Even if they want to defy him, they can‟t. Nagumo and the

students with a ticket to third-year Class A are protected by an

impenetrable fortress."

An impenetrable fortress. So a system has been set up so that the

other classes cannot go against him. In that case...This mystery can be

solved by asking a single question.

Page | 47

"Vice President Kiriyama, you have the ticket to Class A in your

possession right now, right?"

Normally, this question would be answered with a simple „yes‟.

Even so, Kiriyama replied in a blink of an eye without changing his

expression.

"If I had the ticket in my possession right now, I wouldn‟t have

any problems."

"I see. If Nagumo was holding onto that ticket, it would certainly

be a different story."

I mean, it wasn‟t surprising, but Nagumo had a cunning strategy. If

Nagumo controlled all the private points, then nobody could go against

him. Put simply, he made a verbal promise to spend 20 million points to

rescue them and bring them up to Class A. No, it may be a bit naïve to

call it a promise.

If you continue to be loyal to me, I will provide you with a ticket.

It was safe to assume that he was avoiding explicit statements by

using vague expressions. If they were to go against him in this situation,

Nagumo would violate that promise without a second thought.

"It‟s also forbidden to accumulate your own private points.

Individuals are free to hold up to 500,000 points. Anything beyond that

is syphoned off to Nagumo."

"Sounds tough."

Unlike hiding cash under your mattress, private points were an

electronic currency that couldn‟t be hidden. They would probably have

rules in place to supervise each other.

Even if they were able to kick Nagumo out of the school by some

means, he would then be expelled with his tens or even hundreds of

millions of private points, and they would be left with nothing. This also

meant that even if they wanted to rebel, they could never succeed.

Page | 48

"Now you know why the third-years put Nagumo on a pedestal

and protect him, right?"

"I understand."

You could say it was the perfect dictatorship. It was impossible for

anyone within their year to oppose Nagumo.

"That guy has been playing around with the entire third year. The

students without tickets are made to compete against each other, and

then he‟ll make a show of giving the winning guy a ticket and make him

pledge his allegiance."

He was just playing around of course, but from the point of view of

students in Class C and D who had no chance of winning in the

conventional way, Nagumo must be seen as nothing but a God. If you

can be useful, you can graduate from Class A. Since that was what he

says, his support was not surprising. However, they wouldn‟t know for

sure until they actually moved classes just before graduation.

"With what little school life we have left, we want to fight and

compete, even if it‟s for just one more ticket. That‟s why your existence

is just a hindrance, Ayanokōji."

Because he was focusing his attention on me, Nagumo was losing

out on precious private points. The resulting loss would mean that

students who could‟ve been saved, would no longer be saveable.

So this was the situation that the third-years were in now.

"But do you really think I chose to be in this situation?"

"I know."

"So, what do you want from me?"

"Let‟s go back to where we started. Tell me about what happened

on the uninhabited island, and then we‟ll find a solution."

Page | 49

"I thought Nagumo didn‟t want that? He didn‟t tell even you, the

Vice President, what happened, right?"

"...That may be true, but letting it go won‟t solve anything."

So he wanted to stop Nagumo‟s reckless actions, even if it meant

risking losing his ticket. No, he was concerned that if he didn‟t stop it,

something might come up that affects his own ticket.

"If you‟re not going to talk to me, I want you to go meet Nagumo

right now and talk to him instead. I‟ll even set up the meeting if you

need me to. Nobody will benefit from you and Nagumo getting into a

fight in the future, right?"

"You‟re absolutely right."

"I‟ll make sure to advise Nagumo to stop the current operation he‟s

carrying out. I want you to trust me."

The operation he's carrying out. There was no need to ask him

what that could be referring to.

"You mean the stares everyone is sending my way, yes?"

Kiriyama looked down towards the pool and nodded.

"What is its purpose, and how long will it last? There was no

explanation for any of it. There‟s a growing sense of distrust among the

third-year students at this bizarre behaviour."

Despite their lack of trust, they had no choice but to obey Nagumo,

who held all the cards.

"The Nagumo administration is rock solid, but... If we continue

with this nonsense, the worst could happen."

Kiriyama and the others who had been given tickets would surely

continue to follow him faithfully, but the same couldn‟t be said for the

many students who didn‟t have one. Kiriyama couldn‟t let something

like an uprising happen. If they knew they wouldn‟t get a ticket from

Page | 50

him, it wouldn‟t be surprising if they were planning to expel Nagumo.

For Kiriyama and the others, that would be the worst case scenario.

"I don‟t think the story would just end there if I said I‟d agree to

meet with him though."

"Then what would you have me do? You won‟t tell me the details,

but you won‟t see Nagumo either. As it is, this is only going to get

worse."

"Could you give me some time? I will definitely have an answer

for you soon."

It was likely that Kiriyama would receive further information not

from me, but from Nagumo.

"...That‟s fine. But you have to make a decision before Nagumo

makes his next move."

Kiriyama, who had been looking around the pool area, quickly

noticed someone‟s entrance. Of course, it was the person who had been

the focus of our conversation, Nagumo.

"I‟m going. If he knew we were meeting, things would become

even more troublesome."

I think that would be wise. Kiriyama must have taken a

considerable risk by making contact today. It was worth coming here

just to understand the situation of the third-year students.

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2.1

AS NAGUMO AND HIS ALLIES started arriving at the pool, I quickly

withdrew.

Even if I didn‟t initiate contact, I knew that he would send a

messenger from his side if he wanted to talk to me directly. The fact that

that hadn‟t happened could be interpreted as him having no intention of

talking to me.

In any case, it wasn‟t pleasant to be the centre of attention.

After I escaped, just as I had finished getting dressed in the

changing room──

"Ayanokōji-senpai!"

I encountered Nanase, who saw me walking along the corridor and

ran up to me with a cheerful look on her face.

Since there were so few places you could go on the ship, you

would repeatedly pass by students you recognise, and so seeing each

other two days in a row wasn‟t that unusual.

That being said, because the way she appeared was completely

identical, I was reminded of the encounter we had yesterday.

"Could I have a moment of your time, please?"

She was checking my surroundings to make sure that I wasn‟t with

anyone else. I was with Ishizaki yesterday, so she might not have been

able to talk about it back then.

Somewhat disconcerted by her intense pressure, or rather, her close

proximity, I nodded.

Page | 52

"Actually, I‟m not sure if I should report this, but um, there‟s

something that‟s been bothering me."

"Something bothering you?"

Nanase nodded and her cheerful expression was replaced by a

more serious one. She then spoke in a whisper, paying close attention to

our surroundings.

"There‟s something I kept quiet about, senpai. If I tell you, you

might get angry..."

I might get angry? What on earth could it be?

"The thing is..."

Whispering even more quietly, Nanase was about to speak up

about what she was keeping quiet, but...

"Oh? Ayanokōji-kun?"

A voice she didn‟t recognise called out, and Nanase hurriedly

distanced herself from me.

It was Ichinose‟s classmate, Kobashi Yume. In the past, we

wouldn‟t have even greeted each other if we passed each other at school.

However, we spent some time together during the uninhabited island

exam, albeit briefly, and it seemed to have brought a change in our

relationship.

"Oh, was I a bother...? Maybe I should have waited..." she said

apologetically, perhaps noticing Nanase hiding behind my body.

"No, it‟s okay. I was just asking Ayanokōji-senpai about

something I didn‟t understand."

"Are you sure it‟s okay?"

Nanase nodded vigorously twice, as if to say it wasn‟t as serious as

I was thinking.

"I‟ll call on you again when you have more time."

The only thing I knew for sure was that it wasn‟t something for

other students to hear.

Nanase bowed deeply not only to me, but also to Kobashi, and ran

off.

"Ah, sorry, I didn‟t realise you were in the middle of a

conversation. That girl‟s a first-year right? Did I upset her?"

"I don‟t think you need to worry about that. More importantly, you

wanted something from me?"

"Actually, the girls in my class are going to have a party tonight to

celebrate the end of the exam. We were wondering if you‟d like to join

us, Ayanokōji-kun. We also wanted to thank you for helping Chihiro-

chan."

So it was an invitation. However, the key phrase "girls in the class"

stuck with me.

"What kind of people are going to be there?"

I was worried so I went to check, but Kobashi just tilted her head

with a "hmm".

"Right now, I guess we‟re still fine-tuning who is coming and

whatnot. There are no weirdos so you don‟t need to worry so much."

It wasn‟t that I was afraid of a strange person participating, but she

didn‟t seem to understand.

"It‟s only students from your class, right Kobashi? Would it be

okay for an outsider like me to join?

"Really? It‟s nothing like that. Hey, hey, so how about it?"

It was an invitation to a fluffy, abstract celebration party. To be

honest, I wasn‟t really interested in going as there weren‟t very many

people in Ichinose‟s class that I was close with. It was doubtful I‟d be

able to have a good conversation with Ichinose, especially right now. I

felt a little regretful, but I decided to decline.

"Nah, I‟ll pa──"

Seeing that I was about to refuse, Kobashi clasped her hands

together and cut me off.

"Please! This was like, a fateful meeting, right?"

It was hard to say no when she put it like that, but I couldn‟t give

in so easily. I could see that if I just went with the flow here, it wouldn‟t

be good for me later.

"You mean it‟s my fault...right?"

"Huh?"

"Yeah, I guess it‟s no use. I‟ll properly report what happened here

to everyone in the class. I invited Ayanokōji-kun to the party, but I was

turned down because my invitation wasn‟t good enough."

"Wait. Why would it end up like that?"

"So you‟re going to come?"

"...That‟s..."

"Oh you do hate it, don‟t you? Ahh, if only I could have asked you

out a little better... I‟m sorry everyone."

"It would be a problem if you get so depressed..."

"You only need to show your face...! Please, even just that! And

Honami-chan is coming too!"

She clasped her hands together once again, this time with more

force than before. After she had come this far, it was as if there was no

way out of this situation.

"Fine, I get it. I really just need to show my face, right?"

Page | 55

"Yes, thank you! Ah, but don‟t tell Honami-chan you‟re coming to

the party later, okay?"

She showed a smile so bright that it was hard to believe that she

had been sad and depressed just moments ago. It was often said that

women were born actresses. But don‟t tell Ichinose? That part stuck out

to me a little.

"Why keep it a secret? I‟d like to ask permission from everyone to

see if it‟s okay for me to join."

If even one student didn‟t want me to participate, I‟d prefer it if

they told me without reservation. If that were to happen, I could say no

again unequivocally, this time in the name of the greater good.

"You know...that‟s just...well...Don‟t you think it would be better

as a surprise, Ayanokōji-kun?"

I couldn‟t help but think it would be a surprise of the unpleasant

sort. I didn‟t really want to get into it, but it seemed that her classmates

had a lot on their minds regarding me and Ichinose.

"Well then, we‟ll be waiting for you in room 5034 at 8pm, okay?"

"Room 5034...You‟re doing it in someone‟s room?"

I thought we would be using a rest area or a deck somewhere.

Moreover, I could tell from the room number that this was a room where

girls, not boys, were staying.

"Is that a problem?"

"It‟s not that it‟s a problem...I just feel like I‟ll have a harder time

getting there."

"That‟s not the case. Right?"

Somehow, Kobashi‟s „right?‟ left me overwhelmed and on the

defensive. One after the other, my possible escape routes were being

taken away.

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"I‟ll be waiting for you then! You definitely have to come!"

Perhaps satisfied with my promise, Kobashi walked away a little

too fast.

"Ah, I give up."

It wasn‟t really the right time to talk to Ichinose face to face. Well,

I guess if it was going to be in a crowd it would be fine. If it was a party

to celebrate the end of the exam, there should be more than a few boys

in attendance.

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2.2

AFTER ALL THAT, I didn‟t feel like playing around and spent my

time feeling gloomy in my room. I finished my 6pm dinner, and in no

time at all, it was just before 8pm.

"I guess I should go..."

If I could choose again right now whether to go or not, I would

choose „I‟m not going‟ right away. It wasn‟t a particularly welcome

invitation, but if I really didn‟t want to go, I should‟ve refused without

hesitation. This was all because I gave such a half-hearted response, so I

guess I had no choice but to live with my mistake. I was determined,

but...when I arrived in front of room 5034, I just stood there.

A minute had already passed since I first arrived. I was going to

knock, but I could hear the occasional sounds of girls talking and

laughing from inside the room. The presence of any boys...couldn‟t be

felt at all right now.

I could only have a bad feeling about this. I wasn‟t sure why, but I

felt like I was starting to sweat. What I was sure of, was that I was more

nervous now than when I had to face Tsukishiro during the uninhabited

island exam.

"No, wouldn‟t it be wiser to just turn around right now?"

The whisper of a devil leaked out of my throat. Wouldn‟t I take

less damage if I just said I forgot and apologized later? That could work,

but I‟d like to avoid being branded as a person who breaks his promises.

What on earth should I do...?

I was in a bind and felt like I couldn‟t move when the spell was

suddenly broken by an unexpected interruption.

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"Oh, you came!"

It was Kobashi who appeared from down the hall. I didn‟t know if

it was just bad timing or what...

In Kobashi‟s hand was a large plastic bag filled with snacks and

small bottles of juice. Once I was spotted, running away was no longer

an option.

"I think everyone‟s already here, so don‟t hesitate and come in."

"Y-yeah... I was just about to."

Escape was no longer allowed. The door that I had felt was too

heavy to open was opened easily, without hesitation by Kobashi. Was it

really okay to open it so trivially? I wanted to prepare myself a little

more...

As I was thinking that, the only barrier that separated me from the

guest cabin was removed. Rather than sight, the first of my senses to be

stimulated was smell. There was a sweet aroma in the air, like flowers or

honey. And right after that, a girl‟s, or more accurately, several girls‟

eyeballs caught sight of me.

"Ta-da! I brought Ayanokōji-kun!"

It was a four person room, so it wasn‟t exactly spacious, with girls

spread out sitting all over the place. What is this world in front of me? 1,

2, 3...with Kobashi included, there were 10 of them in total. In other

words, half of the girls in Ichinose‟s class were here.

Moreover, there wasn‟t the slightest hint of any boys, which almost

made me feel like I had been betrayed.

"Hey, saying you brought him is a bit rude, Yume-chan~!"

"Really? Oh, I bought what you asked for~"

She placed the plastic bag on a small table near the bed of this

small room.

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What was up with this fluffy, light-hearted gathering? It was

definitely a little different to Kei and her group of girls. Most of the

members participating were girls that I had never spoken to before, but I

remembered their names and faces from the OAA app.

I was so taken aback by the sight that I couldn‟t move, and I felt

Kobashi tap my back lightly. "Then, I wonder where we should put

Ayanokōji-kun~? Ah, how about next to Honami-chan?"

While it was true that Ichinose was the person I was closest to out

of everyone here, Kobashi didn‟t even think before assigning my place. I

didn‟t think there was any choice to be made in the first place due to

how small the room is...but it seemed like she never intended to give me

the right to decide anyway.

Another curious thing was that despite the fact that there were 10

people in the room, there was enough space for a boy to sit next to

Ichinose right from the beginning.

In other words, it wasn‟t a coincidence that there was a space there,

but most likely a predetermined move. I thought back to when Kobashi

invited me in the afternoon and compared it...I wasn‟t sure that doing

something like this was going to help in the current situation.

In any case, standing here like this with 10 people staring at me

would only make me uncomfortable, so I hurriedly made my way

through the girls, apologizing for the disruption, and arrived at

Ichinose‟s side.

"...May I sit here?"

"O-of course you can."

After hearing her brief reply, I sat down next to Ichinose, but

everyone‟s attention was still on me. Or perhaps it would be better to say

that everyone besides Ichinose, Kobashi and a student named Himeno,

were watching me carefully, as if evaluating me. No, I needed to stay

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calm and keep a low profile. Then, when the timing was right, I should

be able to slip out quietly.

Kobashi poured some tea into a clear cup and handed it to me. As

soon as everyone had their drinks, Amikura, who seemed to be the one

hosting this get-together, spoke up.

"So, without further ado...We‟re having a party to celebrate the end

of the uninhabited island exam and also to thank Ayanokōji-kun for

helping Chihiro-chan when she was lost. Cheers!"

Hearing these words, everyone raised their cups.

"Well, first of all, thank you Ayanokōji-kun. I really appreciate

your help from that time."

It was Shiranami, who was sitting to Ichinose‟s left, that spoke up

to thank me. I really hadn‟t done anything to deserve these repeated

thanks... For now, I just nodded my head slightly, as I couldn‟t further

the conversation.

"Um, Ayanokōji-kun.."

Personally, I‟d like to say that the party was in full swing, but

unfortunately only about ten minutes had passed when Shiranami

suddenly faced my direction with a serious expression.

"What is it...?"

She clenched her hand around her can of orange juice, as if to

motivate herself to say something.

"I‟m grateful to you for your help...but I just can‟t accept it yet."

"...Huh?"

Without elaborating, Shiranami left it at that and squeezed the

orange juice down her throat.

"Phuaa! I can‟t say any more!"

No, no, what are you talking about...?

I was left behind, and the people around Shiranami showered her

with words of encouragement and praise, saying she had done well and

worked hard. Shiranami was acting shy and embarrassed, as if this

wasn‟t all that bad, but seriously, what are you talking about...?

However, when you‟re an outsider, you can‟t ask a question like

that in return.

Shiranami talked to me at the beginning of the celebration, but

after that, the girls started talking about their own problems. I just sat

there watching their conversation unfold, meek as a lamb. Of course, if

you were to ask me if I was comfortable, the answer would be a

resounding no.

At any rate...It was amazing how the girls' conversation

progressed, with new topics coming up one after the other. The topic of

conversation, regardless of genre, was as busy as an airplane flying

around Japan. However, no matter the topic, there was one thing in

common.

That was because most of these girls centred their lives around

Ichinose, having great trust and a blind faith in her. I wouldn‟t

necessarily say that was a bad thing.

Ichinose Honami was unquestionably the most trustworthy

student among the second-years. This was true regardless of whether you

were a friend or foe.

The criterion for what constitutes trustworthiness depends on the

individual, but I‟d like to think that trust was something that was built up

on a daily basis. No one would trust a person who had never spoken

before if they suddenly said „trust me‟.

However, there was a difference between being trusting and having

blind faith. Because even if Ichinose is a trustworthy person, there are

times when she‟ll make the wrong decision. If you continued to trust a

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person that kept making wrong decisions, you wouldn't see any results.

There was always a need for people who could point out when

something was wrong in order to correct it.

"Can I have a moment?"

As their excitement peaked, one of the girls, who had so far only

shown the occasional gesture, raised her hand.

"What‟s the matter, Yuki-chan?"

"The usual headache. Sorry, but I‟m feeling tired, so can I go back

to my room? I feel really heavy."

Normally, I wouldn't have paid any attention to such an ordinary,

throwaway statement, but I was surprised by the tone of her voice. This

was because Ichinose‟s class was filled with fundamentally polite,

decent students.

Himeno revealed that she wasn‟t feeling well and wished to go

back to her room.

"Of course, should I go with you?"

Ichinose and the other girls, hearing about their friend's condition,

hurriedly called out to Himeno.

"Ah, it‟s fine, it‟s fine. I‟m not a child..."

Himeno stood up, looking fed up with their overprotective

behaviour. So there was a student like this in Ichinose‟s class, huh? As I

recall, all of the people in Himeno Yuki‟s group during the uninhabited

island exam were from the same class.

Anyway, the atmosphere preventing me from leaving seemed to

have changed slightly. If I let this opportunity pass, I had no idea when I

would be able to leave this place. I had to be bold and follow Himeno‟s

lead.

"Well then, I guess I‟d better get going."

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"Eh, you‟re leaving already? You could‟ve stayed way longer."

"No, I was only planning to show my face briefly, and I have plans

to meet up with someone later."

If I told them I had plans, Ichinose and the others wouldn‟t try to

hold me back.

"Well, then I‟ll see you later, Ayanokōji-kun."

With Ichinose and the other girls sitting pretty, I got up and left the

room.

2.3

"PHEW...I was about to break into a strange sweat."

No, it was safe to say I was already sweating.

Less than 30 seconds after Himeno left the room, I also slipped out

of the demonic room 5034. It may be heaven for some people, but for

me, I‟m sorry, but it was a painful place to be. I couldn‟t say I was very

good at interpersonal relationships after all. If I had committed to that

kind of thing from the start, it might‟ve been a different story, but I

decided to play the role of an inconspicuous high school student.

Suddenly changing that was no simple task.

However, since I hadn‟t had much contact with Ichinose‟s class

before now, I think I was able to close the distance to a certain extent.

With Ichinose at the centre, I was able to get a vague idea of the students

surrounding her. What do they have and what are they missing? At this

point, I knew the strengths and weaknesses of Ichinose‟s class.

The presence of students who could speak up was essential, no

matter who was in charge in future. The only person I could think of

who could do that right now was Kanzaki from the boys in the class.

However, in a class that revolved around Ichinose, the girls seemed to

have just as much influence as the boys.

Kanzaki was the type of person who could speak up against

Ichinose, but whether he could appeal to the whole class and control the

girls was an entirely different matter.

"Hmm?"

Himeno complained about having a headache and said she was

going back to her room, but she walked in a completely different

direction from the guest cabins. I only caught a glimpse of her as she

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turned the corner, but I was sure I didn‟t mistake her for someone else,

as she had a very distinctive hair colour.

Himeno, the one who seemed to be a bit out of place during the

girls‟ party earlier. She was acting a little suspicious, so I decided to

follow her.

It was already late at night when we arrived at our destination, the

stern of the ship, so there was no sign of life. I watched her profile from

a distance and recalled Himeno Yuki‟s OAA scores.

Second-Year Class B Himeno Yuki:

Academic Ability: B- (63)

Physical Ability: C (51)

Adaptability: C+ (58)

Social Contribution: C+ (58)

Overall Ability: C+ (57)

Except for a high level of academic ability, they were neither good

nor bad, and as far as I could tell, she didn‟t possess any outstanding

abilities. However, that was just from what the school had decided. It

was possible for students to have hidden strengths and weaknesses that

couldn‟t be seen from the school‟s perspective. I‟d like to keep digging a

little more. The fastest route would be to speak with her directly.

"What are you doing?"

"Huh...? What?"

She averted her eyes with a slightly displeased look on her face. It

was unnatural for her to be here since she left the room claiming she had

a headache.

"Is your headache gone?"

She muttered a few words which were mostly drowned out by the

wind, but I thought I made out the word „annoying‟. There certainly

were a few boys and girls who used abusive language, but in Himeno‟s

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case, rather than to be offensive, it seemed she spoke like that so that

others would keep their distance.

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However, perhaps concerned about how others would view her,

she cleared her throat once and turned her gaze in my direction.

"I thought that the breeze might help it ease up a little, so I was just

stopping by."

"Do you get headaches often? You said something along those

lines earlier."

I planned to ask her for more details, but she kept quiet, as if she

didn‟t want to continue this conversation any further. She hadn‟t said a

single word during the party, except for when she was leaving. In

addition to that, the other girls basically never approached Himeno.

It wasn‟t like she was being bullied as Ichinose would never

tolerate such a thing. Also, if their relationship was so bad, they

wouldn‟t want to show it to someone from another class like me. In that

case...

They must‟ve half forced Himeno to come to the party. If I thought

about it as them desperately trying to get a classmate to have fun, even if

just a little, I could see the connection.

"It‟s because I get migraines."

She gave a short reply, in a cluttered manner.

"If it‟s a migraine, cooling it down is the correct response."

Migraines are caused by the dilation of cerebral blood vessels due

to changes in hormones, fatigue and lack of sleep. Blood vessels dilate

less when cooled, so exposure to a cold breeze wasn‟t a bad idea.

However, that was only if it really was a migraine.

She was about to start speaking, but I cut her off.

"Isn‟t your headache just an excuse to get out of an unpleasant

situation?"

"Huh? Are you saying I‟m a liar?"

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Himeno had been relatively calm up to this point, but when I

suggested she might be lying, her face changed. She was a rare type of

person for Ichinose‟s class, where there were so many mild-mannered

students.

My intuition wasn‟t wrong after all.

"I can see you‟re pissed off, did I hit the nail on the head?"

"You‟re wrong. Oh, what‟s this? Ah, my head is starting to hurt

again...I‟m going back to my room."

"I‟m sorry if I upset you. It‟s just, could you listen to me for a

moment?"

Holding her forehead, Himeno looked back in displeasure. "My

headache is getting worse though?"

"I‟m sorry."

"„I‟m sorry‟ you say...you think it‟s a given that I‟ll listen to you?"

"You don‟t seem to like this."

"I don‟t."

The conversation flowed like a game of catch, and I could see it.

This one seemed to be her true self.

"Ah well, guess I have no choice." Do you understand now? I

shrugged my shoulders in exasperation. "I guess I have to go back to the

party now and let them know that Himeno might be faking her

condition."

"H-huh? Don‟t go treating me like this is a fake illness. You liar."

"Liar? I‟m just saying you „might‟ be faking your condition. At

least that‟s the impression I got, so I‟ve got the right to throw an

accusation. You can just prove whether or not it‟s true or false in front of

everyone later."

"There‟s no way to prove a headache, is there?"

"Maybe."

"What the hell‟s up with this? Everyone kept on praising you but

you've got a nasty personality."

"At the very least, I don‟t believe they ever praised me for having a

good personality, did they?"

I didn‟t really want to say it myself, but all they did was thank me

for helping Shiranami.

"Is that right...?"

"In any case, you‟re a strange one, Himeno. How to put it? It‟s

kind of unlike a member of Ichinose‟s class."

"Strange? If you ask me, the people in my class are too good-

natured. Our class tends to get together in large groups to do everything.

Well, I don‟t mind that in and of itself, but the problem is that these

meetings take too long, and nobody ever wants to leave."

If I had to repeatedly go to meetings I didn‟t like, I‟d get fed up

with it. However, Ichinose‟s classmates enjoy these gatherings. That was

why nobody wanted to leave, which of course resulted in the meetings

taking too long.

"If you don‟t like it, you don‟t have to participate, right?"

"Do you really think I can do that? Even if I think it‟s irritating,

it‟s important to stay in line."

"Well, I guess so."

Their class as a whole was a cohesive unit, and there was an

especially strong sense of unity among the girls. Even if you were

secretly unhappy, it would take a lot of courage to throw a stone and

cause a ripple.

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Himeno. Perhaps my encountering her would be the one factor that

would change the path her class was headed on. Normally, I wouldn‟t

get deeply involved with Himeno, a person of the opposite sex, unless

there was a special situation.

However, it wouldn‟t be such a bad idea to take a step forward

here. Of course, if it ended up troubling Himeno, then so be it.

"If you want to relieve stress, isn‟t screaming the best thing to do?"

"Screaming...? Even if I wanted to, I‟d get in trouble if I screamed

here."

"Not many students come to the back of the ship, and when you

consider the sound of the engine and the wind, even if you screamed, it

wouldn‟t be heard. It would immediately be drowned out and

disappear."

"But..." She looked puzzled, as if she had never screamed with all

her effort before. "Well, why don‟t you go ahead and scream first?"

"...Me?"

I couldn‟t help but feel flustered by her unexpected response.

"I don‟t really know much about you, but you seem rather

quiet...You don‟t seem like the type to scream out. If you show me how

it‟s done, I‟ll try it myself."

I was in trouble. I don‟t remember ever feeling a strong sense of

stress in my life, so if you were to ask if I had ever screamed out loud

like I was suggesting, I‟d say no.

"If you can‟t do it, hurry up and leave."

If I were to back out now, this would probably be the last time I‟d

speak with Himeno.

"I understand──"

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Having made up my mind, I screamed out into the ocean while

Himeno watched.

"Ah───── Okay, now it‟s your turn, Himeno."

"...Are you kidding me?"

"Not at all?"

"Your voice didn‟t have a shred of volume. Seriously, you‟re

messing with me."

"Then show me how it‟s done."

"I won‟t give you an example or any other shit after that."

I spoke at Himeno‟s back as she tried to leave in disgust. "I

thought you said that if I did it, you would do it too, Himeno?"

"No, no, I don‟t care if you think you‟ve done it, you‟re just

annoying."

"Whatever the volume, I did respond to your request. But if your

voice is just as low as mine, you have no right to make fun of me."

To make sure she didn‟t just scream in the same low voice, I pre-

emptively shut her down.

"Ah, shut up...I know, I know. I just have to do it once, right? Then

you‟ll leave me alone?"

After taking a breath, Himeno put both her hands up in front of her

mouth as if she had no choice.

"WA────────────!!!"

The sound of the ship‟s engine and the wind drowned out the rest

of the world, so no one aside from me could hear it. However, a voice,

twice as loud as I had imagined, echoed inside my ears. I felt like the

ship was rocking...but it was only a feeling, it shouldn‟t actually be

shaking.

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Her usual speech and demeanour were that of a downer, her tone

was low and her voice was subdued. However, in actuality, she had a

tremendously powerful voice.

"Hah...That felt refreshing."

Himeno nodded in satisfaction, seemingly unconcerned by my

surprised reaction.

"Right? I also felt better after screaming."

"No, no, you didn‟t scream at all."

She poked and prodded me while sending me a cold glare, like she

was looking down on me.

"Well...I think I could‟ve done better if I was under more stress."

"Yeah? It really didn‟t look that way to me though."

"You were much better than I thought you‟d be. You must‟ve been

under a lot of stress."

"Ha? I‟ll kill you, you know?"

She gave me a very sharp look. Even when she was angry, she

would always use her mouth before her hands and feet.

"I went a little too far."

I honestly apologized for my behaviour, but she didn‟t seem to be

offended. Maybe this Himeno had a fearless side to her too.

"I‟m going back to my room."

"Ah yeah, I‟m sorry I held you up with all this."

"If you know that you were in the wrong, that‟s better yet."

After saying this, Himeno returned to the ship.

"I think I'll head back to my room too."

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The party was supposed to be a celebration, but I felt unusually

tired. It seemed I was going to have a deep sleep today.

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Chapter 3:

Everyone's Days Off

LIVING ON A CRUISE SHIP like this came with the problem of

deciding where and what to eat for lunch every day.

Breakfast and dinner were provided by the school in the form of a

buffet and were free of charge. We were free to decide whether to use it

or not, but not only was there no charge, it was also delicious and thus

very popular with the students. It was so popular that admission was

divided into three intervals between 7am and 9am to avoid congestion.

The service was limited to 60 minutes or less, and you could make a

reservation for your preferred time slot from your phone.

I usually ate breakfast at 8am, but due to a late reservation, the 8-

9am time slot was already fully booked for August 6th, so I had to eat a

little earlier at 7am. Because of that, I was feeling strangely hungry

despite it only being noon. Perhaps it was because my calorie intake was

minimal during the uninhabited island exam, but my body was craving

energy.

The café terrace was a popular place to dine, but the food prices

were especially expensive. If you wanted to buy a lunch set that came

with a drink, you‟d need to spend at least 2000 points. If you wanted to

eat while having fun with your friends, that might be fine, but I was

alone today. In this situation, it was natural to want to save as much

money as possible.

That was why I was grateful for the existence of the store. It was a

place where one could easily purchase rice balls, sandwiches and other

snacks, just like a convenience store.

I promptly went to the store and bought a rice ball and a small

bottle of tea for 250 points, and, carrying the plastic bag in my hand,

went to find a place to eat.

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Any adequate rest area would do, but most of them were already

occupied, and I was firmly against the idea of sharing a small space with

someone else. When I think of places where I wouldn‟t mind it even if

there were a certain number of strangers in the vicinity, most of them

would be outside.

After much searching, I found myself on the deck nearest the bow

on the sixth floor, overlooking the ocean. Naturally, it didn‟t cost

anything to use this area, so it was the perfect place to eat snacks bought

from the store.

I thought I‟d have a quick snack whilst taking in the magnificent

view of the ocean, but I seemed to have chosen a bad time. There were a

lot of students who had come here to enjoy the view, so it didn‟t look

like I‟d be able to relax.

It was a spacious deck, but there were a lot of people using it, so it

would be difficult to find a good spot. I looked around for a vacant space

to sit and found one empty bench and Nanase‟s back sitting alone on the

bench next to it. A sandwich, probably bought from the store, as well as

a small carton of milk lay beside her. It was funny; it was the opposite of

yesterday, where she was the one that found me.

In addition to Nanase, I also saw my classmates Ijūin and Okitani,

Sakayanagi from Class A, and Nakaizumi and Suzuki from Ryūen‟s

class. It seemed that many second-year students wanted to have lunch

whilst looking out to the ocean, just like Nanase.

Ultimately, people tend to think in the same way.

I didn‟t move from the spot and looked towards the ocean.

Certainly, a meal eaten with this kind of view in front of you must be

delicious.

But...just as the number of students from the second-year was very

high, this was also the case for the third-years.

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Although it was still only a few, the third-years that noticed my

arrival immediately began keeping an eye on me. However, if I instantly

walked away, it would prove that I didn‟t like the stares and would be

seen as running away. Doing so would risk encouraging the third-years

as they would judge the strategy effective.

Now that I think about it, Nanase seemed like she had something

she wanted to talk to me about yesterday. I remembered that we were

interrupted by Kobashi at the time, so I decided to call out to her. It

would give me a good excuse to stop by this place if I were to talk to

her.

"Nanase."

When I called her name, she turned around in surprise.

"Ah, senfai."

It seemed she had just taken a bite out of her sandwich, and, taking

great care not to let the contents spill out, she looked at me.

I felt a little bad when I saw her hurriedly start gulping down her

food. I was just using her as a means to counter the third-years, but I

seem to have made her panic unnecessarily.

"Oh, sorry. Should I come back later?" I said, but Nanase‟s

personality would never let that happen.

"Howd om, pwease waihd a bihd" She couldn‟t spit it out after

putting it in her mouth, so she started to chew. "Gulp...Um, I‟m sorry,

but actually...I was eating lunch."

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She spoke like she was confessing a secret, but I could tell she was

eating lunch just by looking at her. If anything, I knew it from the

moment I saw her back.

"Um, is there something I can help you with?"

Nanase was still looking somewhat flustered, which left me feeling

a little strange. Her gaze was restless and she looked as if she couldn‟t

concentrate on her conversation with me.

"Ah no, you seemed like you wanted to talk to me yesterday. I was

just wondering what it was about. Back then, I was approached by

Kobashi and you kind of drifted away."

"Ah..."

Her thoughts were a little slow and the words didn‟t come out right

away. After pondering for a moment, Nanase shook her head from side

to side.

"I‟m sorry, but I‟ve already solved the problem myself, so could

you just forget about it?"

"I see. If that‟s the case then it‟s fine."

If Nanase had a problem, I was going to offer advice since she had

helped me in many ways, but if she‟d already solved it, then I didn‟t

need to worry about it. Rather, the main reason was that I got a sense

that this was something that just didn‟t matter right now.

"I‟m sorry for calling out to you so suddenly. Then I‟m going to

head back. There are more people than I thought there‟d be, so I can‟t

relax."

"Is that so? Then I‟ll see you later, senpai."

I left as soon as I had finished my business.

When I turned to look back at the deck one last time, Nanase was

facing forwards and had resumed eating her lunch.

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3.1

IN THE END, I made my way to the stern on the fifth floor, where

there were fewer people, to have lunch. This was where I spoke with

Himeno last night, and I‟d already confirmed that it was a place that

people rarely went to.

For the next few minutes, forgetting my original goal in coming

here, I just stared at the rough waves created by the ship‟s movement.

At that moment, an unexpected person approached.

"Are you going to eat lunch all on your own in a place like this?"

"Sakayanagi huh? You just here by coincidence?"

She should‟ve been on the same floor as Nanase until just a

moment ago.

"It was a coincidence. Or so I would like to say, but I‟ve been

chasing after you, Ayanokōji-kun."

She chased after me? But Sakayanagi‟s legs were so bad that she

shouldn‟t have been able to keep up with my walking speed. That being

said, there was no indication that she had someone follow me ahead of

time.

"It‟s a simple deduction. You showed up on the deck by the bow

earlier to have lunch, but gave up when you saw how crowded it was,

right? With the snacks in your hands and the fact that you were looking

for a view of the ocean, it wasn‟t too difficult to predict where you

would go to eat next."

So she was saying that she completely read my behaviour patterns

and therefore arrived here.

"So even you want to eat with a nice view, Ayanokōji-kun."

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"Unlike the one by the bow, I can‟t exactly say the view here is

first class, but it‟s not every day you get to see the ocean like this."

There was no guarantee that there‟d be another uninhabited island

exam this time next year. There were other events planned for our

second year, including a school trip, but I didn‟t know the details yet.

This may well be the last time I‟d ever be able to see the ocean.

"I‟m sure you will experience many more sights that you have

never seen before, just like this ocean. In that sense, I think you made

the correct decision in choosing to come to this school, Ayanokōji-kun."

"Yes, that‟s right, I think so too. However, I did actually see the

ocean once before entering this school."

Sakayanagi unexpectedly looked a little surprised. No, it wasn‟t

unreasonable that she was surprised. In truth, I didn‟t leave the facility

even once until I was 14 years old, when I should‟ve been a third-year

middle school student. If she had a rough outline of what the White

Room was like, it should be common knowledge.

I‟d only seen that view once. When I was transferred out of the

facility, I had a chance to go outside for a little while. I‟ve never been in

direct contact with seawater, but I have walked along a path with a view

of the ocean.

However, the first time I saw the ocean, I didn‟t think anything of

it. I was just walking around in the outside world, completely

emotionless.

"Have you heard of „Beneath the Wheel‟?"

"It‟s a novel by Hermann Hesse, right?"

Of all the novels he wrote, it was the one that was most well

known in Japan.

"The protagonist of that story, Hans, was a genius blessed with

incredible talent. He goes to an elite school and is expected to have a

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bright future in higher education. However, after living only in the

academic world, he begins to have doubts, and then, in trying to live up

to expectations, he fell short and declined."

The protagonist Hans Giebenrath‟s end was tragic, and he ended

up falling into a river and dying.

"What does that matter?"

"I don‟t think he was a genius. Because a true genius would never

fail. Not to mention, to choose death at the end of it all would be the

height of stupidity."

Sakayanagi seemed to have interpreted the death as a suicide,

rather than an accident.

"I once said „People learn of warmth when they touch each other,

and that‟s a very precious thing. The warmth of another human is by no

means a bad thing‟. Do you remember?"

"You did say something like that."

It was at the end of the third semester of our first year, just after

the special exam.

"Hesse, the one who wrote Beneath the Wheel, was troubled and

frustrated, just like Hans, the protagonist. However, he said that it was

his family‟s presence that allowed him to look forward and not take his

own life."

The author, Hesse, and the book‟s protagonist, Hans, seemed to

share very similar backgrounds. It could be seen that the story was a

projection of his own struggles.

As Sakayanagi gazed out to the sea, a strong gust of wind blew for

a moment.

"Ah..."

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Her hat floated up in the blink of an eye. Seeing that, I

immediately thrust out my hand and caught it.

"Oof...that was close."

If my reaction in reaching out had been even slightly delayed, the

hat would have flown off into the ocean.

"Thank you very much."

"It‟s dangerous to wear it on the deck, you know."

"Fufu, that‟s true isn‟t it. However, this is my trademark."

Sakayanagi held her hat in her hands and hugged it close to her

chest as if it were something precious to her.

"Just now, I suddenly remembered something a little nostalgic."

"Something nostalgic?"

"No, it‟s not a big deal. It‟s just that I also have a few memories of

the sea."

Even though it looks the same to everyone, each of us have

different memories of the sea.

"By the way, you never told me why you chased after me."

"Would it bother you if I chased after you without a reason?"

I was wondering how she would respond, but she said something I

hadn‟t thought of.

"You don‟t have a reason?"

"I just wanted to talk to you, Ayanokōji-kun. I could have tried to

talk to you back there, but you wouldn‟t want others to see you talking

to me, right?"

I was grateful for her consideration. However, I wasn‟t a very good

talker, so I didn‟t have anything in particular to say to Sakayanagi.

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"Do you mind if I just chat idly about one thing?"

"Sure. Can I eat while I listen?"

"Please do, don‟t mind me. Just listen to what I have to say and

that will be enough."

I took the rice ball out of the bag and peeled off the wrapping by

hand.

"Yesterday, Ichinose came to see me."

"Ichinose did?"

"Yes."

Recalling the events of yesterday, Sakayanagi spoke up as she

looked back.

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3.2

"UM...SAKAYANAGI-SAN. Could you give me a moment of your

time?"

After lunch, I was resting in the café on the ship‟s deck when

Ichinose-san approached and called out to me. I was just having tea by

myself, so I had no reason to refuse.

"What can I do for you?"

I knew what she was going to say before she started speaking, but I

dared to tilt my head curiously all the same.

"It‟s about the special exam...I just felt like I had to apologise. On

the last day, I did something really selfish...so, I‟m really very sorry!"

Probably having prepared herself to some extent after knowing that

I was not someone you could make excuses to, Ichinose-san bowed her

head as hard as she could.

No, I don‟t think she would have given a poor excuse, no matter

who it was.

It would be no surprise if her actions had angered me, as Class A‟s

leader, and caused the dissolution of our partnership. I was sure she felt

that that was the least she had done.

"Please raise your head, Ichinose-san. I‟m not angry about

anything."

"...Eh?"

"Rather, I recognise that you contributed more than enough to our

group. You scored highly in all of the tasks you took part in and

organized groups of allies who were all over the place. Despite the harsh

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conditions on the uninhabited island, you played a central role

brilliantly. And as a result, did we not finish in an admirable 3rd place?"

"B-but..."

"Certainly, it‟s true that you acted a bit selfishly on the last day of

the exam, Ichinose-san. However, that cost the group a few points at

most. If I compared it to your contribution, it‟s not something deserving

of reproach. Now if we had fallen into a close 4th place, then you might

have taken some of the blame, but that did not happen, right?"

"But that‟s only when looking back on it with hindsight..."

"Sometimes it‟s good to look at the results with hindsight, isn‟t it?

Things don‟t always work out the way they‟re supposed to. In fact, if

you fought as hard as you could and came in a close 4th, you would

have suffered a great deal of psychological damage."

It was possible that the fact that I didn‟t try to blame her at all had

caused Ichinose-san to be doubly sorry. The remorse would not go away.

"You have a look on your face that says you feel you need to take

responsibility somehow."

"Uh, it‟s not like that...or maybe it is."

"If that is the case, I can punish you for it if you like?"

Ichinose-san was pressured by the fearless look on my face, but

gave a small nod.

"Yes. I think that would make me feel better."

"Fufu, you‟re a strange person aren‟t you? Well then...yes, please

sit here."

I urged Ichinose-san to come in front of me and sat her down. She

became as meek as a lamb, and I had the staff prepare a menu.

"Go ahead; please order whatever you would like."

"Um...the punishment?"

"You have to keep me company right now and spend 30 minutes

with me for afternoon tea."

"Eh, t-that‟s my punishment?"

"That‟s right. I‟m going to take up your precious 30 minutes,

Ichinose-san. This is nothing but a punishment."

"I wonder if that's true...but if you say so, Sakayanagi-san, I‟ll

agree to it."

Ichinose-san didn‟t quite get it, but she followed my instructions

and ordered a drink.

"You really are very honest, aren‟t you Ichinose-san? You were

humiliated by me once, but you don‟t show the slightest trace of it, even

being willing to accompany me like this."

"I don‟t feel you humiliated me. In the first place...it‟s because it‟s

true that I made that mistake in the past."

"At the very least, it‟s natural that you‟d want to hide your guilty

past, the past you don‟t want people to know about. Even if you say it‟s

the truth, Ichinose-san."

Up until now, I‟d seen many excellent people, both children and

adults, up close and personal. Of course, there were many that knew they

were the best and recognized their own talent. On the other hand, I‟d

probably seen dozens of times as many incompetent people who were

completely useless.

And then, regardless of whether they were excellent or

incompetent, I‟d never know anyone who could be called purely good. It

was the same for my own mother, father, and also Ayanokōji-kun.

"You‟re a hard person to describe. That‟s why you seem so scary

to me at times."

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"I‟m...scary?"

I am sure she has never been told anything like that before in her

entire life. However, I am certain that there are more than just one or

two people who have been afraid of the person named Ichinose Honami-

san.

"Every person in this world has a more or less evil part to them.

But I don‟t sense that from you in the slightest. You‟re like a mass of

goodness."

"You‟re overestimating me. Just like in middle school, I‟ve done

bad things in my life..."

Her shameful past, which she could never boast of, remained an

inescapable reality that could never be erased.

"The goodness I‟m speaking of right now has nothing to do with

those kinds of things. In the first place, even if you were involved in

some wrongdoing that one time, your motive was the precious love for

your family."

In the eyes of the law, it was undoubtedly bad, but it could also be

seen as an act of good depending on how you look at it.

"Your goodness is both your strength and your weakness. Please

be careful not to let others take advantage of it."

"Are you referring to Ryūen-kun?"

"It‟s not just him. I too, as well as Horikita-san, will take

advantage of your goodness to win."

After taking a deep breath, I continued in order to tell her the most

important thing.

"And that goes for Ayanokōji-kun too."

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All of this applied to the leaders of each class, including the one

she just mentioned, Ryūen-kun. The sudden mention of Ayanokōji-kun‟s

name made Ichinose visibly agitated.

"On the last day of the uninhabited island exam, it was probably

thanks to you that Ayanokōji-kun was saved."

"W-wait a minute? Um, what do you mean by that?"

"This is just a guess on my part. To be honest, there were a lot of

parts that I was not involved in, so you may take it as a soliloquy and

ignore it."

I could easily imagine Ichinose-san would shed some light on

some of the more unclear parts if I pursued her here, but I avoided it. It

would be so boring to hear it that way after all.

"Looking at you, I can already somewhat guess that your feelings

for Ayanokōji-kun are different from those you have for other students."

"E-e-ehh!? N-no, um, I mean...that‟s...!"

"That‟s good isn‟t it? It‟s a human instinct to have special feelings

for a particular member of the opposite sex. But...if you get too attached,

it may come back to bite you. If the other person is Ayanokōji-kun, then

even more so."

"I don‟t really understand the meaning of what you‟re saying,

Sakayangi-san."

What I told her today was a warning. I would not say anything

more here.

"Let‟s end the conversation here. It‟s time for afternoon tea."

When Ichinose-san took a sip of the tea that had been brought to

her, she probably couldn‟t taste it very well. I‟m sure she couldn‟t forget

what I said, and it was currently stuck in her head.

It was a little bit of my meanness, my mercy and also my strategy.