"If we include both members of a pair, about 40 people, I think.
There were some students claiming to have gotten 500,000 points, but I
get the impression that a surprisingly large number of students misread it
and actually ended up with 5,000 points."
"They probably didn‟t want other people to take the QR code that
they thought they were the only one to find, so wanted to scan it quickly.
I can somewhat understand it."
If you overlooked a QR code, there was no guarantee that you‟d
find it again.
What I was more concerned about was the presence of the other
person who came here with Yagami-kun. Yagami-kun turned to that
person and flashed a smile at her.
"Well then, I‟ll see you later, Kushida-senpai."
I‟d heard that the two of them were close during middle school, but
it seemed their relationship had continued at this school, too.
"Yeah, see you later, Yagami-kun."
The way she affectionately sent him off seemed to go beyond the
boundaries of mere friendship. The phrase „more than friends, less than
lovers‟, seemed to be a fitting way to describe their relationship.
"If anything comes up, call me and I‟ll be right there."
"Okay, thank you very much."
He‟d only been involved with the student council work for a short
time, but in addition to being able to manage the obvious work, Yagami-
kun possessed great communication skills.
He was a reliable underclassman in the sense that I could trust him
to do the next job, and there was no doubt that he was much more
capable than the other two first-year students who‟d joined the student
council at the same time. It was still a long way off, but you could say
that he was the best candidate for Student Council President for the next
generation after ours.
When I vacated my post, rather than staying by Yagami-kun‟s side,
Kushida-san also left. It was only natural to do so in order not to
jeopardize the work to come.
I could only assume that the fact she was walking alongside me
meant something.
"So you were with Yagami-kun. Why didn‟t you participate in the
treasure hunt, Kushida-san?"
"Yeah. I just didn‟t really feel like joining the game for some
reason. There are a lot of people like that, you know?"
"It‟s true that the participation rate for second and third-years
wasn‟t as high as expected."
It meant that they prioritized their vacation over the chance to earn
a large sum of private points. The time we could spend on this ship was
precious, even if it was just a vacation.
"You‟re going to take a break now, right Horikita-san? Would you
have lunch together with me?"
"With me?"
I couldn‟t hide my suspicion at Kushida-san‟s unusual proposal.
"Is it weird that I‟m asking you out? I mean yeah, it is weird, isn‟t
it?"
Even while laughing in amusement, the fake smile she showed to
everyone else never cracked. This wasn‟t a situation where she needed
to think about it.
"Well that‟s fine; I have a lot of student council work to do after
this, so I might as well put something in my stomach. But I might be
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called away on short notice, so is it okay if we just buy something from
the store?"
"Of course."
I was sure there weren‟t that many opportunities for Kushida-san
to talk to me like this. It might also be a good opportunity for me to ask
the questions that have smouldering inside of me.
"May I ask you a simple question?"
As if to spare time, I spoke to her as soon as we started moving.
"The reason why I invited you out?"
"Well that too, but..."
"The reason why I‟m close to Yagami-kun?" It seemed that
Kushida-san knew what I was going to ask, as if it were obvious. "I‟d be
lying if I said it didn‟t bother me."
She herself had been bothered this whole time by the fact that she
was behaving in ways that would be incomprehensible under normal
circumstances.
"You‟re trying to hide your past from middle school. That‟s why I,
who went to the same middle school as you, and Ayanokōji-kun, who
knows about your past, have been made your enemies... This much
makes sense."
Kushida-san faced forwards and listened without looking in my
direction.
"Even if we suppose Yagami-kun doesn‟t know anything about it,
I get the distinct impression that you‟ve always avoided getting close to
any one specific boy. I always thought that you were, if I were to put it a
little harshly, a people pleaser, or in nicer terms, someone who treats
everyone equally."
"...You know, you didn‟t need to say the harsh bit, did you?"
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"Right. I‟m sorry if I offended you."
"Ahaha, I‟m not mad, so don‟t worry."
I didn‟t intend to speak harshly, but I expressed my personal
impressions. While I thought that what I said was careless, words once
spoken cannot be taken back.
"Why do you think I‟m so close to Yagami-kun?"
She turned the question around and returned it to me.
"By any chance──do you have that kind of relationship with
Yagami-kun?"
I was hesitant to express it directly, so I tried to ask her in a
slightly muddled way.
"By „that kind of relationship‟ do you mean to ask if we‟re
dating?"
"...Yes."
"It‟s unfortunate, but there‟s nothing like that. I‟m not planning on
dating anyone in particular while I‟m in school you see."
That‟s exactly what it means to be a people pleaser, isn‟t it?
Even I, who had no interest in that kind of thing, knew that
Kushida-san was very popular among the boys. It was inevitable that her
popularity would start to decline if she were to have a boyfriend,
underclassman or otherwise. I didn‟t think that would suit Kushida-san,
who wanted to be stand out more than anyone.
"Then for what reason do you get along with Yagami-kun so
well?"
"It‟s obvious isn‟t it?" Kushida-san covered her mouth while
laughing. "You say the funniest things."
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"It‟s because the best way to get rid of someone who‟s in your way
is to get into their pocket," she continued.
"...I see."
I‟d already guessed that was the case, but I was pressured by how
the straightforward response and smile was exactly as I imagined. In
other words, Yagami-kun was a target to eliminated, just like me and
Ayanokōji-kun.
But that didn‟t mean that all of my questions were answered.
"What are the chances that he knows about your past? You can‟t
be absolutely sure, right?"
"Yes, that‟s right. There‟s no guarantee that he knows."
"If that‟s the case..."
"But there‟s no guarantee that he definitely doesn‟t know, right?"
Kushida continued, her smile never faltering. "Yagami-kun seems to
have feelings for me that are beyond that of a normal senior and junior
relationship, so sticking close to him is a lot easier than you think. I‟m
just waiting by his side for an opening."
Even if there was only a one or two percent chance, if it wasn‟t
zero then she must eliminate him. That was Kushida-san‟s basic stance.
So not even Yagami-kun, who was her underclassman, was an
exception...
"The number of bumps on the road that you have to deal with just
keeps increasing. You haven‟t even gotten me and Ayanokōji-kun
expelled, yet you intend to make more enemies?"
"You must think I‟m an idiot, right Horikita-san?"
At the very least, I didn‟t think it was a smart move.
"Essentially, I don‟t think that we need to be enemies. If it were
someone who talks too much it would be one thing, but Ayanokōji-kun
and I would never let it slip."
I wondered why she couldn‟t understand this part, and took a step
into an area that I‟d not quite ventured into before.
"What‟s your guarantee? Can you be 100% sure?"
"I‟d say it‟s as close to 100% as you can get, but...you can‟t accept
that, can you?"
"Knowing that I have a past to protect. That alone is already like
exposing my heart defencelessly, you know? Eventually, you‟re bound
to come and grab that heart, Horikita-san."
"I don‟t understand. I don‟t see the need to do that."
"„I won‟t do it because I don‟t need to‟. Then what if the need
arises?"
"...What do you mean?"
"What if I took a class secret and tried to leak it to another class?
What if I betrayed you and tried to move to a different class? Can you
say that you and the others definitely wouldn‟t give me a warning like
„If you don‟t want your past to be exposed, don‟t betray us‟ at that time,
Horikita-san?
"That‟s──"
Certainly, I couldn‟t guarantee that Kushida-san‟s past would
remain untouched if a situation where she needed to be controlled came
up. If it needed to be done to protect my classmates, I couldn‟t rule out
the possibility that I might play that trump card.
Of course, Kushida-san would try to write most things off as
„fabrications‟. However, there was a slight breakdown in Kushida-san‟s
credibility. She made a strategic error during the Class Poll exam, which
resulted in her standing out for nothing.
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"Up to me, right? I‟m feeling very frustrated with the situation
where I have to talk about this. Even now, I‟m feeling nauseous, and in
truth, I‟m in a lot of pain."
Contrary to what she said, her smile and the tone of her voice
remained truly calm. She kept a great deal of anger under control,
covering it up on the surface.
"I somewhat understand what you‟re saying, but...I still believe
you are overthinking it. I‟m worried about you."
"Oh, is that so? You‟re worried about me?"
"I would like to ease your emotional burden, if at all possible."
"Ahahaha, you don‟t need to worry, Horikita-san. I‟m fine."
"You‟re fine?"
"I‟ve also had enough, and I„ve been thinking I need to get this
nasty little problem over with."
"In other words..."
"I‟m trying to figure out a way to get rid of that burden in my own
way."
So she means she approached me having come up with a solution?
"I‟ve been thinking a lot. If this precarious situation continues as it
is, the number of people who know more than they should will only
increase. Therefore...let‟s start with this; Horikita-san, could you drop
out of school?"
Naturally, the most rational method to lighten her emotional
burden was for me to drop out of school. Of course, I couldn‟t agree to
that. Most importantly, it wasn‟t like that would solve everything.
"I don‟t see how that connects to our conversation. What about
Ayanokōji-kun‟s existence? What about Yagami-kun? Even if I drop
out, there will still be people that know about you."
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I didn‟t think that alone would take away the emotional burden.
"I‟m well aware that Ayanokōji-kun is an unpredictable opponent.
But did you know? Ayanokōji-kun is supporting me with private
points."
"Supporting you...?"
It was a story I had heard from Ayanokōji-kun before. I‟ll pretend I
didn‟t know what was going on here and ask her back.
"I think he called it a defence plan against expulsion. In other
words, it‟s proof that he knows that I‟m an enemy, and at the same time,
that he‟s afraid of me. If I show him that I can eliminate you, Horikita-
san, Ayanokōji-kun will have no choice but to keep quiet, right? And if
he does do anything wrong, he‟ll get expelled himself."
She flashed an eerie smile and brought her face closer to mine.
"In any case, even if I can‟t expel anyone except you right away,
Horikita-san, I can still obtain a certain amount of peace. In the
meantime, I‟ll just have to think up another way to get rid of Ayanokōji-
kun, and then it‟s all over. And as for Yagami-kun, I think he‟ll be okay
even if I don‟t do anything. He‟s a serious guy who just likes me."
Her big eyes seemed to have colour, but actually didn‟t. It was
possible to read a person‟s emotions from their eyes, but Kushida-san
was definitely an exception. Her strong will to expel me had never
wavered.
"The reason why I absolutely want you to be the first to disappear
is because you went to the same middle school as me, Horikita-san. If
they looked into it, other people might be able to uncover that fact. But
because I first met Ayanokōji-kun in high school, even if he were to
expose me, I could always just say he was lying."
Certainly, what Kushida-san said was correct. If you were ask who
would be more troublesome out of me and Ayanokōji-kun should we try
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to reveal her past, it would definitely be me, who went to the same
middle school as her. And that too by an overwhelming margin.
"Do you think it‟s difficult to expel someone when you want to get
rid of them? You do, don‟t you? After all, for the past year and a half, I
haven‟t been able to do anything to you, Horikita-san. That‟s the truth,
right? Therefore, I won‟t be able to have you expelled in the future...
But is that really the case?"
"If we were enemies in different classes, that might‟ve been a
possibility. But we‟re not. It is not easy to expel a student from the same
class."
"I‟m definitely going to prove it to you."
"Can‟t we just understand each other? I‟m trying to graduate with
all of my classmates, including you, Kushida-san. And, in order to do
that, your help is essential."
"I─di─ot."
She cursed me so quietly that the end of the word almost
disappeared.
"I‟m not going to cooperate with you. Stop saying things that make
me want to puke."
"Kushida-san..."
"I‟m looking forward to the second semester. I‟m sure we‟ll have a
fun time together."
As her face that had been right up against me slowly separated, the
wickedness faded from her expression.
Even so, it was clear that there was a mixture of anger and hatred
behind that smile.
"No matter what I try, it‟s impossible, isn‟t it..."
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She moved away from me, as if she‟d had enough of our
conversation.
"But I believe...one day you will come to understand."
The words certainly should‟ve reached her ears, but she didn‟t stop
walking.
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5.7
IT WAS A LITTLE AFTER 2pm. There was still plenty of time before
the treasure hunt game would end, but I felt it was safe assume that we‟d
already searched most of the area. I took pictures of a total of six QR
codes. We ranked them objectively, with three of them judged to be a 4
out of 5 in terms of how difficult they were to find. It would be a good
idea to choose one of those to scan first.
"Could you open up the camera?"
"Which one should we scan first?"
"You can pick whichever one you intuitively think is good, Satō."
"E-ehh? Is it really okay for me to choose? W-what if I pick a bad
one?"
"There should only be carefully selected QR codes left. Besides,
it‟s possible that they‟ve all been scanned already, so we might end up
having to try them all in the end."
We would have a better chance if we made a quick decision rather
than taking our time.
"O-okay."
Satō took my phone and scrolled through the photos. She seemed
to ponder it for a few seconds, but then at last decided to point her own
phone camera at one of the photos. It was the QR code I found when I
stuck my phone underneath the sofa.
However──
"Ahh, this one‟s no good. It says it‟s already been accepted so it‟s
gone."
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It was quite well hidden, but it seemed some other students had
managed to find it.
"Don‟t worry about it, try the next QR code."
She nodded, and this time she didn‟t hesitate to scan the QR code
that she scrolled to.
However, it seemed the second one had also already been
accepted, and Satō stomped her foot in frustration.
"Even though it was so hard to find! This is so frustrating!"
She hurried to scan the third QR code.
After that, Satō stared at the screen for a while, but then suddenly
jumped into the air.
"It loaded! Look, something like a treasure chest came out!"
It was a simple illustration of a treasure chest with the word TAP.
"I wonder how many points we‟ll get..."
Satō went to tap the treasure chest with her index finger, but
stopped just before her finger touched it.
"Y-you press it, Ayanokōji-kun!"
It appeared that she was afraid of seeing the results, so she handed
me her phone. From Satō‟s point of view, she had to use her precious
10,000 points to participate, so she was scared our efforts wouldn‟t bear
fruit.
I received the phone from Satō and touched the treasure chest on
the screen.
"Wah, Ayanokōji-kun, you‟re so bold!"
I didn‟t exactly do anything that could be called bold.
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The treasure chest glowed simply, and a blue light came from
inside the box.
And then──
"Ah!!...oh~"
For a moment, Satō was intensely surprised, but she soon realised
the truth and her joy began to fade.
The reason for this was because what came out of the treasure
chest was not one million points, but 100,000 points. She was dreaming
of the 300,000, 500,000, or even one million points rewards, so she was
a little disappointed.
"It appears that the QR code wasn‟t as difficult to find as we
thought."
"I see~...that‟s too bad. But, but, even after taking away the
participation fee, we still get 90,000 points, so it‟s more than enough!"
Even without confirming it, I could brazenly say that I was glad I
participated.
"Thank you, Ayanokōji-kun."
"I‟m the one who should be saying thank you. After all, the one
who found the QR code that hadn‟t been scanned yet was you, Satō."
"...Hehe."
Showing an expression that was both pleased and embarrassed,
Satō smirked.
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5.8
STUDENTS WHO SCANNED a QR code in the treasure hunt had an
obligation to report it to the school.
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Satō and I returned to the starting point and headed towards
Horikita, who was waiting at the reception desk.
"Good work. With this, the procedure is now complete."
Satō expressed her happiness honestly upon hearing such a report.
"Well then, thank you for today, Ayanokōji-kun. Let‟s hang out
together some other time."
Saying that, Satō waved and walked away happily. Now that she
had some extra income, it wouldn‟t be a bad idea to spend a little time
indulging in luxury.
"If we exclude the participation fee, it‟s a total of 180,000 points
between the two of you. Good job."
"Yeah."
By this time, most of the participants seemed to have reached their
goals, and only a few people were coming.
"Looks like you‟ve had a lot to do too. Have you taken any
breaks?"
"Yes, for about an hour. But I can‟t complain. It was my own idea
to appeal directly to the school from the perspective of fraud
prevention."
"A direct appeal, huh. It‟s a small thing, but it‟s a step towards
becoming the Student Council President."
Making a good impression with things like that would be
appreciated by both the school and the student council.
"It‟s not like that. Even if I didn‟t suggest it, there wouldn‟t be a
great deal of cheating. It‟s just...well, I thought it might be helpful, even
if only a little. That‟s all."
I didn‟t really understand, but Horikita‟s mind seemed to be
elsewhere.
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"So, who got the highest number of private points from our class?"
"Who do you think?"
When I asked her, she turned the question around and asked me
back.
"I‟m hoping it‟s not us."
"Well good for you, you‟re correct. There was a pair that won
500,000 private points. It was Wang-san and Kōenji-kun."
"Kōenji? Participating in the game itself is one thing, but I'm
surprised he paired up with someone."
I didn‟t notice the presence of Kōenji at the briefing because there
were so many people.
"I‟m of the same opinion. I don‟t know the circumstances of how
he ended up participating and pairing up, but he‟s made a considerable
amount money in the last couple of weeks."
"No matter what he does, he‟s out of this world, that Kōenji."
To think he had good luck in addition to having incredible physical
abilities. Or maybe it was a QR code that his partner found.
"Not being able to use Kōenji-kun in the future is a big minus for
the class."
"He was never the kind of guy to work hard to begin with; can‟t
you just be satisfied with him taking first place this time?"
"There‟s no way I could be satisfied. It would be too much of a
waste not to use his abilities to move up to Class A. Don‟t you have any
ideas?"
A way to make good use of Kōenji? It was a waste of resources to
even think about it.
"It‟s impossible."
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"That was a quick reply."
I was confident that I could control others to some extent.
However, the only exception to this was Kōenji.
I‟d run countless simulations on how to control all of my
classmates and Kōenji was the only one who, no matter how many
simulations I tried, I could not get under control.
"Even if you give up, I won‟t. His strength is vital."
Trying to control the uncontrollable. That was simply a
contradiction.
"Even if it‟s a waste of time?"
"You don‟t think we need Kōenji-kun?"
"I think that as long as he doesn‟t do any harm, the best course of
action is to leave him alone. And now that Kōenji‟s been handed a
protection point, it‟s possible to neglect him more."
"That sure is a rational thought."
"If the class couldn‟t win without Kōenji, I‟d understand why
you‟d be so eager. However, our class has already grown into a force to
be reckoned with that can compete with the other classes. And it will
continue to grow in the future."
"Yes, you‟re right, everyone‟s much more reliable than they were a
year ago."
"However..." Horikita continued, "While getting to Class A is my
top priority and ultimate goal, I want the class to become one. I want to
lead them in a way so that we can all combine our strength."
So she didn‟t want anyone to be cut off, even Kōenji.
Horikita‟s eyes that stared at me were so straight that I
unconsciously choked on my words.
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If Horikita could get Kōenji to join her, he would be an
irreplaceable and dependable ally.
However, clearing that hurdle was probably more difficult than
trying to get to Class A.
In the past, I wouldn‟t have taken her statement seriously. I would
just put it away as ramblings and beyond her capabilities. Horikita‟s
growth has been slow, but it was progressing step by step.
Well...I still couldn‟t say that Horikita might be able to move
Kōenji someday though.
Kōenji really was the only man that my calculations couldn‟t
comprehend.
"What‟s wrong?"
"What do you mean?"
"You looked like you were thinking."
"No, I was just trying to figure out how I would spend all these
private points that I‟ve been given."
"...Right. You‟re giving half of your money to Kushida-san, so
you should take care of the private points you earned today and not
waste them."
"Yeah, that‟s right. I‟ll do that."
I decided to leave quietly, since staying any longer would only get
in the way of the operation.
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5.9
IT WAS A LITTLE AFTER 5:30pm. I had a meeting scheduled with
someone before dinner at 6pm.
As I was leaving my guest cabin to go to the deck on the 5th floor,
I came across Sudō, who was staying in the cabin two doors over.
"It‟s almost time to eat, where you goin‟?"
Sudō asked if I was on my way back to the guest cabin.
"Just going for a little walk before dinner."
"You sound kinda like an old man. Then I‟ll see ya at the
restaurant."
We exchanged a few words and were about to part when Sudō
remembered something and spoke up.
"No wait, sorry, sorry. Right, actually something a bit surprising
happened!"
"Are you talking about how Ike and Shinohara started dating?"
"W-what, you already knew?"
"Yeah, although it was just a coincidence that I ended up
overhearing it."
"Nah, ‟course that was a surprise too, he beat me to it... More
importantly, he said he wants to study with me. He wants to join
Suzune‟s study group."
That was unexpected, or rather, faster than I expected.
"Poor academic performance is fatal at this school after all."
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Students were often in danger of being expelled from school due to
academics, which was natural considering it was a student‟s duty to
study.
"It‟s a precious time for me to be alone with Suzune, but if he‟s
motivated, I‟ve got no choice but to support him, right? So Kanji‟s
gonna study hard, starting with summer training."
Summer training. Apparently, he intended to start studying right
after this trip was over. Whether or not he‟d show any immediate results
depended on Ike‟s efforts, but some growth may become visible early in
the second semester. Both Sudō and Ike may transform as a result of
their love lives.
"There might be other members joining you, you know?"
"Huh? Seriously?"
"Ike isn‟t the only student who started thinking they want to be
taught by Horikita."
"It‟s not a guy, right?"
He came at me and grabbed my shoulders with a serious look on
his face.
"No...it‟s not. It‟s Satō, only Satō."
I didn‟t intend to give her name, but I confessed after being on the
receiving end of his unyielding pressure.
"So it‟s a girl. Well, if it‟s like that... but Satō, huh? If it‟s not only
me, but Ike as well, she‟s probably not gonna join the study group, is
she?"
"Don‟t you think you‟re making certain assumptions? She seemed
to have a strong resolve."
"Hmm. Well, it‟s okay. I‟m not gonna lose no matter who‟s
comin‟."
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He blew air out of his nose, and I could sense the continuation of
his strong desire to study.
"Isn‟t it a bit tight? What with your club activities going on at the
same time and all."
"Yeah, it‟s tough. But I‟ve always had enough stamina to brag
about. The first time I tried to really use my head, I felt like sleepin‟
within a minute, but now I can go forev...nah, I can go for like an hour."
If you could concentrate and study for that long, you wouldn‟t
have any problems. Study for an hour, take a break, study for an hour,
and then repeating was more than enough.
"But, you know...shit, I just can‟t accept the fact that Kanji got a
girlfriend before me."
Even while laughing, Sudō lamented with regret in all sincerity.
"I‟m gonna hold a grudge ‟bout that while givin‟ him proper
training. Gonna give him the basketball club‟s spartan training."
It was a love-hate relationship with a bad friend, but he would take
care of him.
"In moderation, right? After all, it‟s not easy to fall in love with
something that you used to hate, like studying."
"I know. I know just how much I hated studying myself."
Saying that, he stuck out his tongue as if he‟d taken a bite of
something bitter.
After parting ways with Sudō, I approached my destination. I saw
the figure of Kushida ahead of me on the deck and hid myself. It was
already five minutes past the time we were supposed to meet, so of
course she was in a situation where she had to wait.
I took out my phone and called Kushida, and she picked up after
two rings.
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"Hello?"
After confirming the voice, I walked out to the deck where
Kushida was. Mobile phones, because of their nature, prioritized
„calling‟, so even if the recording mode was activated, it would
automatically turn off when a call started. In other words, the
conversation that was about to take place would be between me and
Kushida alone.
"Sorry Kushida, I‟m late. I‟m on my way right now, are you still
waiting?"
"Yeah, umm──ah, over here!" Kushida checked left and right and
waved after immediately spotting me.
I didn‟t end the call from my phone and, while continuing to run,
arrived in front of Kushida. At about the same time, we both hung up on
our phones.
"I‟m sorry for keeping you waiting. I took a wrong turn
somewhere."
"So even you screw up sometimes, Ayankouji-kun. But what‟s
wrong? You said you wanted to talk to me."
"I‟ve been debating what to do for the past few hours, but I figured
I should be honest and confess."
"Hmm? Confess? About what?"
"You know that I participated in the treasure hunt game, yes?"
"Yeah. You paired up with Satō-san, right?"
She looked at me curiously, as if to say „and what about it?‟, like
she didn‟t understand what I was getting at.
"The reward for the QR code I scanned during the treasure hunt
was 100,000 points. In short, that‟s 90,000 points after deducting the
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participation fee. Divide that by two and you get 45,000 points. I thought
the right thing to do was to give you half of it, Kushida."
After saying that, I took out my phone and showed her the records
of my deposits and withdrawals. It clearly stated that exactly 100,000
points had just been transferred to my account.
"Ehh? It was just a game, you don‟t have to worry about it so
much~"
Kushida, surprised by the unexpected topic of our conversation,
put her hands out and refused to accept it.
"To be honest, I thought so too at first. That‟s exactly what I tried
to think, but I couldn‟t help but feel that it was a devious way of
thinking. There was a possibility you‟d say you didn‟t want it, and I
thought that if I just kept my mouth shut, you wouldn‟t find out. It‟s
because I‟m ashamed of own way of thinking that I decided that I have
to give it to you."
"But──"
No matter how I tried to reason with her, it would be difficult for
Kushida to accept the points.
"To be honest with you...I want you to take them, as a sign of
good faith."
"Good faith...?"
"I‟m giving you half of the private points I receive to buy safety
from you, Kushida. As long as I show good faith regarding this, I‟m
thinking you‟ll to do the same with me." Am I wrong? I asked with my
eyes. "It never hurts to have more private points, even if only a little.
Isn‟t that right?"
"That‟s true, but wouldn‟t that put you in a considerably painful
situation, Ayanokōji-kun?"
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"I don‟t mind. It‟s nothing compared to getting in trouble with you,
Kushida."
"Somehow...the opposite is a little scary."
"What do you mean?"
"You know, Ayanokōji-kun, I keep hearing that you‟re some
amazing student. Are you really giving me half of your private points
just because you want to have a truce with me?"
"The way I see it, it‟s more dangerous to make an enemy of you,
whose personal life comes into play, than a student like Sakayanagi or
Ryūen, who we have to fight in special exams."
Although she was somewhat wary, Kushida nodded her head as if
satisfied.
"All right. Then you‟re really okay with this?"
"Of course."
Using my phone, I transferred the private points to Kushida‟s
account just like I‟d done many times before.
"I hate to say it just after giving you my points, but if I ever get
into some money-related troubles, I might ask for your help."
"Ehh~? That‟s a little uncool Ayanokōji-kun."
Kushida laughed a little, perhaps amused by my shamelessness.
"But I think it‟s a much, much smarter approach than Horikita-san.
I don‟t hate that kind of thing."
"Is that so?"
"For me as well, the only person I don‟t want to make an enemy
out of is you, Ayanokōji-kun, so I hope we continue to get along."
"Yeah. I‟d like to keep our mutually beneficial relationship going."
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With that, Kushida and I parted ways as if nothing had happened.
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Chapter 6:
An Inevitable Past
IT WAS EVENING, and my roommates were having a great time
chatting about trivial things.
I was worried about Akito‟s health, but his fever had gone down
within a day and he was on the mend, so he had no issues lying down
and talking for the time being. I was basically just spending my evening
watching from the side-lines whilst operating my phone, occasionally
interjecting with some small talk.
I was surfing the internet, waiting for drowsiness to hit me, when I
received a message.
I want to talk to you on the phone for a bit, is that okay?
It was a message from Kei.
It had been a while since the ban on messaging was lifted, but we‟d
exchanged messages roughly once per day. No emoticons or stamps
were used today, which suggested that it was a serious matter.
I'm in my room right now, so wait three minutes.
It wasn‟t curfew yet, so it wasn‟t difficult to get out of the cabin.
After sending my reply, I decided to make a quick exit from the bed.
"I‟m going to go buy a drink."
With those convenient words that could be used at any time, I left
the cabin and went out into to the hallway.
Since it was around 9pm, I didn‟t see any students passing by. I
then went out onto the deck and checked my surroundings. After making
sure that no one was around, I called Kei.
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"Hello?"
"Sorry for bothering you all of a sudden, but I just really wanted to
talk to you today."
She said cute things just like a girlfriend would. I wondered if this
was one of those „I just wanted to hear your voice for some reason‟ type
requests from a lover.
"So you know──"
After a slight pause, Kei spoke up.
"I heard some unpleasant rumours about you, you know? You‟ll
give me a detailed explanation, right?"
"Unpleasant rumours?"
Huh? The words I was expecting didn‟t jump out; rather, Kei
seemed to be in a bad mood.
There was a long silence and I didn‟t get a response right away.
"Unpleasant rumours?"
I couldn‟t take it anymore so I asked her for a second time, but she
didn‟t answer, just giving off a hint of frustration. Rather, after I
repeated the question word for word, she instead became suspicious.
"Does nothing come to mind?"
"I can‟t think of anything."
I answered without hesitation, but there were a number of things
that came to mind.
The first thing would have to be the Ichinose situation. When
Nagumo saw the exchange between me and Ichinose, he would‟ve
figured out that we were in a serious situation. And now that he knew
that Kei and I were in a relationship, it wouldn‟t be strange if he went
around spreading what he‟d seen.
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In addition to that, the fact that I paired up with Satō, who‟d once
confessed to me, and had a chat with Matsushita also crossed my mind.
"There‟s really nothing that comes to mind?"
There was a long pause, as if she were making a final check before
passing judgement.
"Nope, nothing."
Despite that, I persisted and pretended not to know. If I knew what
Kei‟s „something that comes to mind‟ was referring to, I would‟ve
readily confessed, whether it was the thing with Ichinose or the thing
with Satō. However, since I hadn‟t identified which it was yet, if I were
to say something inappropriate, the problem may worsen. It was a case
of letting my own flesh be cut in order to sever the other‟s bone, I guess.
...Anyway, why was something like this happening instead of it
just being a sweet phone call?
"Kei?"
When I prompted her by calling her name, she spoke up, her lips
seemingly trembling.
"You‟ve been, like, messing around with an underclassman! That
rumour!"
"...Huh?"
She told me what the rumours were saying, but I titled my head,
unable to comprehend it. Were all the thoughts that came to mind off the
mark? As I thought, it was a good thing that I didn‟t say anything
carelessly.
"Where and how did you even hear a rumour like that?"
"I don‟t know! But I heard that you were seen repeatedly meeting
with some first-year girl."
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A first-year girl. The person that immediately came to mind was
Nanase...
It was true that I had talked to Nanase many times over this
vacation. It wasn‟t like we were meeting in secret, so there must‟ve been
witnesses everywhere. Now that I understood the situation, I could end
this quickly.
"She‟s just an underclassman, nothing more."
"I know that! I mean if she wasn‟t just an underclassman you‟d be
out!"
That was for sure.
"And also! You didn‟t tell me anything about pairing up with Satō-
san for the treasure hunt."
So it appeared that Kei was aware of one of the things that came to
mind.
"Sure, I didn‟t report it, but because it was you, Kei, you‟d find out
straight away, right?"
Since Satō and I had been walking around together on a treasure
hunt, numerous people would‟ve seen us. Even Matsushita knew about
it.
"Y-yeah, well I did find out straight away...I knew about it, but..."
She seemed to have a lot of complaints and was mumbling
something inaudibly.
"Even though I actually wanted to pair up with you, Kiyotaka."
"I understand how you feel, but the order would be reversed then
wouldn‟t it?"
"Bu──"
"By the way, how were the results after working with Mori?"
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"...You‟re asking that?"
"No, it‟s nothing."
The mood was plummeting so it would be better not to go too deep
into this. I didn‟t mind continuing to listen to her complain, but since the
topic of Satō had come up, I decided to ask her about it.
"You told Satō already about what we‟re planning to do, right?"
"Eh? A-ahh yeah. I wanted to tell just Satō-san first."
"Well, that‟s probably all right. By the way, did you talk about it
over a phone call or through messages?"
"No way. You have to talk about these things face to face. It was at
the café."
"The café, huh. Do you remember if anyone might‟ve overheard
you?"
"I can be careful about stuff like that too you know? At the very
least, there weren‟t any second-years who could‟ve overheard us, so
don‟t worry."
Certainly, Kei would be most worried about the second-years.
Normally, neither first nor third-years would have any strong interest in
the love stories of other year groups. Especially if the person in question
was me.
However, it was the quite the opposite for the current third-year
students, who only seemed to bite on topics related to me.
"Ah~ but there were some third-year girls sat nearby, so it was a
little difficult to talk."
As if she were checking her answers to an exam question, Kei
thought back on the meeting she had with Satō. For Kei, who didn‟t
know the circumstances, she would‟ve had no reason to assume she
should be wary of third-year students.
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"If she knows, then it‟s good."
"Yeah. But is it really okay? To be open about the fact that we‟re
dating?"
"Of course, it‟s no problem."
Rather, it was obvious that it would become a necessary action
sooner or later. The more we pushed it back, the more troublesome it
might become.
"Well, I say we‟re going to be open about it, but it‟s not like we‟re
going to go announce it in front of all our classmates. It‟ll spread
naturally from our friends, and people will find out at different times."
I was sure everyone would react to their heart‟s content for a few
days, but it wouldn‟t be a big problem.
"But you know...you‟re very popular, Kiyotaka."
"Is that so?"
"Ugh, that whole not knowing anything part of you is super
irritating you know."
"In that case, we can just not talk about it."
"Yeah that‟s true, but even though I know that, I‟m worried, so I
end up asking!"
It wasn‟t like I didn‟t know what she was trying to say, but there
were some contradictions.
"Isn‟t the purpose of the declaration to keep the unnecessary bugs
away?"
As long as they thought the person they liked didn‟t have a
boyfriend or girlfriend, they might try and go on an all-out offensive. To
avoid this, you had to make a big deal of the fact that you were dating
someone. If you did that, most people would give up and stop trying to
attack.
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Of course, I was aware that there were a few exceptions, but...
"I‟m still gonna be worried..."
Those few exceptions, the enemies yet to be revealed, were what
Kei was frightened of.
"You might not know this yet, but there are girls who fall for guys
who already have a girlfriend, and there are girls who‟ll enthusiastically
try and steal them."
"I see."
"Get it? I‟ll never forgive you if you cheat on me."
As a dependant type, Kei would never forgive her boyfriend if he
were to cheat on her. I knew that even before we started dating.
"Don‟t worry; I wouldn‟t do something like that."
"Really?"
"Yes, really."
"Really really?"
"Yes, really."
We repeatedly went back and forth in what was a seemingly
pointless exchange.
However, this seemingly pointless back and forth was just one of
the ways of expressing affection in the process of falling in love.
"Do you...love me?"
I checked my surroundings once more to make sure I hadn‟t
missed anything. Of course, I didn‟t think any students would willingly
show their face on this dark deck at this hour.
"Yeah, I love you."
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After confirming that nobody was around, I could answer without
hesitation.
"...Fufufu."
"What‟s with the creepy laugh?"
I thought she would definitely be happy or respond in the same
way, but I didn‟t expect to be laughed at.
"It‟s kinda funny to think of you saying that while being careful of
your surroundings, Kiyotaka."
Apparently, Kei had seen through my actions.
"I‟m hanging up."
"Ahh wait, wait! Say it again."
"Mmm."
The words got caught in my throat after she asked for me to say it
again.
"I said I was getting a drink when I left, so it‟s about time I head
back."
"Wait! Tell me you love me!"
"I said it earlier, didn‟t I?"
"I want to hear it again!"
How selfish. No, even though they were the same words, the
weight of them seemed to have changed.
"...I love you."
"...Pfft."
"Hey."
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Kei tried to hold back her laughter, but eventually she couldn‟t
endure it any longer and let her voice slip out.
"Yep, I knew it, you‟re the best... I‟m absolutely never giving you
to anyone else."
I just said that she didn‟t have to worry about that, but her anxiety
only seemed to be growing.
"Are you okay not asking me too?"
"If I asked you, would you even say it?"
"Hmm, I wonder?"
"Then we‟ll talk again tomorrow."
"Wait! That‟s obviously the part where you ask me!"
How to put it? It seemed like I was given a choice, but I actually
wasn‟t.
"Then say it."
"You just threw it out there! Like you don‟t care either way! I
can‟t stomach it~!"
"...Please say it."
"Eh~? I wonder what I should do~?"
I held back what I wanted to say and waited for Kei‟s response.
"...I love you."
Kei gave a short reply while laughing a little, no, while feeling
awkward.
"Good night, Kiyotaka."
"Yeah, good night."
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As I hung up the phone, the sound of Kei saying „I love you‟
reverberated in my ears.
"This isn‟t bad, huh?"
The thing called love really was interesting. That was what I
thought at that moment of the night.
6.1
THE DATE HAD JUST CHANGED to August 9th, and the time aboard
the cruise ship was coming to an end.
It was past 1am, and most students were likely already asleep. In
the late night bar lounge, which was only available to adults, three
people had met up.
"Ahh, I‟m so tired. Why do we teachers have to work so late, day
in and day out? My skin will get all rough. We want a summer vacation
too~" grumbled Hoshinomiya, who was slumped face down on the bar
counter.
"You‟ve had more than enough rest. You should‟ve been able to
rest on the fifth and sixth days."
"That‟s only two days you know~? I was so busy today and
yesterday~ And what‟s with the treasure hunt bonus game? I
want my bonus~"
"I understand how you feel, but we‟re working people, Chie. We
don‟t get long summer vacation like kids do." Chabashira, who was sat
to the right of Hoshinomiya, admonished her.
"If you consider the effort the students just put in for two weeks on
an uninhabited island, it‟s not a big deal." This time, Mashima, who was
sat in between the two of them, urged her to hold her ground.
"Don‟t force reality on me... I don‟t wanna hear it, I don‟t wanna
hear it." Hoshinomiya covered both ears with her hands and shook her
head in refusal. "Well, at least let me have a vacation on the ship. It‟s
not fair that the students have access to the pool, the movies, and
everything else while we get nothing, is it~?"
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Hoshinomiya couldn‟t accept the situation where she was just
watching every day with her fingers in her mouth.
"That‟s what it means to have a job."
"That‟s normal when you‟re a working adult, Chie."
"Ahh nooo, I don‟t wanna hear it, damn working people!" She
covered her ears with her hands even more strongly.
However, not long after, she released her hands, put up her right
hand and raised her voice. "Please give me a drink strong enough for me
to escape from reality. Master‟s choice." Then, with her left hand, she
banged on the counter table and demanded alcohol.
"Seriously...you never change." Chabashira let out an exasperated
sigh after seeing Hoshinomiya like that.
"Because your goal is to stay beautiful and young forever?"
"That‟s not what I meant."
"Then what~?"
"...No, don‟t worry about it. There‟s no point trying to explain."
Mashima and Chabashira also ordered beers a step later, and when
they all had their drinks, they tipped their glasses and toasted.
"But this time‟s special exam had a lot of strangely rough
developments. There were too many unplanned incidents."
"A student was seriously injured, and the watch malfunctions were
obviously the result of the students doing whatever they liked.
Moreover, to think that only third-year students were expelled... There
were a lot of things that we didn‟t expect."
Hoshinomiya took a sip of the cocktail she was served and sighed.
"As I thought, giving the students too much freedom was a problem.
There haven‟t been any reports, but I‟m sure there were some boys and
girls doing that in places where they wouldn‟t be seen."
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"I‟d like to think that, at the very least, that line wasn‟t crossed."
"You‟re naïve, Mashima-kun. Just looking won‟t be enough to
stop a young girl‟s passion."
"You‟re the only one who thinks that."
When she was told off, Hoshinomiya immediately asked for a
refill.
"We‟ll be busy again after the summer vacation ends."
"Ugh, I can‟t take it anymore. I don‟t want to be a low salary
teacher who‟s worked to death. I want money."
"You‟ve been bitching the whole time we've been here."
"Well of course. I set all this up because I wanted to bitch didn‟t
I?" Hoshinomiya said without a trace of remorse and sipped from her
second glass.
"You never change, Chie. Although that‟s one of the good things
about you."
Chabashira asked for some nuts as a light snack.
"Anyway, I‟m relieved about this uninhabited island exam. That
the second-years didn‟t lose, that is."
"Though it was ominous that only third-year students had to drop
out."
While sandwiched between Hoshinomiya and Chabashira,
Mashima quietly listened to their conversation. However, just as they
were about to move onto another topic, he put the half-empty glass of
beer on the table somewhat forcefully.
"The second-years are doing well. However, on the flip side, that
can invite trouble."
"What‟s that? Are you saying it‟s not good to try so hard?"
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"It‟s not like the school wants anyone to drop out, but still, in
reality, not even one of our second-year students has dropped out of
school during any special exams so far."
"In reality, yeah. Even though the school ended up having to
choose students to be semi-forcibly expelled from school, a drop-out‟s a
drop-out, right?"
All three of them remembered the Class Poll very clearly.
"I‟d like to believe there won‟t be any more special exams with no
way out like that."
Even Chabashira, who usually treated her class with a cold-hearted
attitude, wasn‟t without heartache. She didn‟t agree that students who
didn‟t make any mistakes should be forced into a corner. Both she and
Hoshinomiya were in agreement on that point.
However, Mashima‟s face remained grim. Seeing that, Chabashira
looked into his eyes as if peering into his soul.
"Don‟t tell me another special exam to force people out of school
has been prepared?"
"An exam like last year‟s class poll isn‟t something the school can
do just like that."
"Then there‟s no problem. As long as there are no mandatory
expulsions, my class will get through it."
"Oh my? You‟ve started talking big all of a sudden, Sae-chan."
Over Mashima‟s back, Hoshinomiya poked Chabashira‟s side.
"Stop it."
When Chabashira grabbed her hand a little angrily, Hoshinomiya
turned her sharp eyes back to her.
"You‟re not thinking you‟ll make it to Class A are you?"
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"Nobody said that. However, I‟m just saying that this class is
superior to the classes from previous years."
"Hmm?"
In the midst of the tense atmosphere, Mashima guzzled the
remaining half of his beer.
"Indeed, there are no mandatory expulsions. But..."
Chabashira, together with Hoshinomiya, turned to look at
Mashima, who choked on his words.
"The outline for the next special exam was announced recently. It
will be implemented for the first time in 11 years."
"11 years...We‟ll be 29 this year, so...you mean since our third-
year of high school? It‟s unusual isn‟t it? For such an old special exam
to be adopted."
Many of her memories from high school were buried deep in the
back of her brain and had already melted away. What conversations
she‟d had, what special exams she‟d done. If she were asked to recall all
of them immediately, she wouldn‟t be able to answer.
"The school makes special exams according to a year-long
schedule. If we take it a step further, it‟s based on a four-year rotation.
You know this much, yes?"
"It‟s to make sure the contents of the special exams don‟t get
leaked to other students while they‟re at school, right?"
Throughout its history, the Advanced Nurturing High School had
conducted a number of special exams. Some had only been done once,
and some had been included in the quadrennial framework due to their
versatility.
"Of course, there are times when we intentionally repeat the same
special exam within a short period of time, and there are also some
special exams for the purpose of sharing information, but it‟s basically a
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predetermined rotation. However, depending on how the year goes, there
are times when special exams from further back than four years are
brought in."
"So you‟re saying it‟s not that unusual for old special exams to be
adopted?"
"That‟s right. As long as it‟s not a „problematic‟ special exam, that
is."
Mashima said it in a suggestive way, but the two didn‟t think about
it too much. Rather, they showed great enthusiasm in response to the
new special exam.
"Maybe Sae-chan and I will end up fighting each other~"
"You seem to be expecting that to happen. You think you can beat
my class in a fight?"
"Nothing like that. But is it better than fighting than fighting
Ryūen-kun‟s or Sakayanagi-san‟s?
Hoshinomiya grinned and the smell of alcohol streamed out of her
mouth.
"My class has grown a lot. Don‟t think it will be easy."
"Heh~ To think you‟d say something like that, Sae-chan. Are you
acting all tough because you‟ve got that special kid, Ayanokōji-kun?"
"Certainly, Ayanokōji is a gem as well. But there are a lot of
students in my class who show a lot of potential."
"As well? Aren‟t you relying on Ayanokōji-kun too much, Sae-
chan?"
"What in the world are you talking about? When did I rely on
Ayanokōji?"
They seemed to be having their usual back and forth, but Mashima,
who was sitting between them, felt their conversation could chill his
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insides. If he just kept his mouth shut and listened to their conversation,
it would only take a few moments for an argument to break out.
"Let‟s leave it at that. There‟s no point arguing about it here and
now."
"That‟s right; I might‟ve got a little heated."
While expressing her remorse, Hoshinomiya gulped down her
drink until it was empty.
"You‟re going too fast."
"I‟m fine, I‟m fine. I‟m not so weak that I could be crushed that
easily."
"No, that‟s not it. I‟m saying it‟ll affect your work tomorrow...no,
today."
"I‟m saying I‟m fine, it won‟t affect it, it won‟t."
Hoshinomiya showed absolutely no signs of stopping and asked
for a third glass.
"Then, let‟s talk before you get too drunk. You can have a look at
the outline for the next special exam."
Mashima operated his phone and placed it on the table.
"The important thing is the name of the special exam. You‟ll
understand straight away once you see it."
"The name of the exam?"
"Go ahead, read it."
The two looked at each other and then, at almost the same time,
they peeked at the phone. After seeing the name, Chabashira gasped, as
did Hoshinomiya.
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It was a special exam that Chabashira and Hoshinomiya
experienced when they were students. The news was that it had been
decided that it would be held at the beginning of the second semester.
"11 years ago... Even though it was a long time ago, you should
remember this particular exam very well."
Chabashira looked at the name of the special exam over and over
again and was left speechless. Hoshinomiya turned away from the phone
and held the third glass she had been brought in her hand. She looked at
the reflection of her face and smiled.
"To think we‟d see this special exam again, huh..."
Chabashira, unable to say anything, just silently cast her eyes
downwards.
"I thought last year‟s class poll...wasn‟t that supposed to be a
substitute for this?"
As if to confirm, Hoshinomiya looked at Mashima.
"In the end, they‟re both used for a similar purpose. It means the
school had no choice but to include it. If any of the second-year students
had dropped out during the uninhabited island exam, the next special
exam was going to be a different one."
"Well, I guess it can‟t be helped. We can‟t make the written exams
too hard just to get people to drop out. So a special exam that‟s a big
problem has come up because Sae-chan‟s class is just too good~?"
Hoshinomiya emphasized, as if she were trying to make a point.
"It‟s too early to decide it‟s a big problem. Depending on how you
look at it, it‟s just a trivial test."
"But if you make one wrong choice, it can turn into a difficult
problem. Isn‟t that right? Sae-chan?"
Chabashira, who had her eyes closed, wouldn‟t answer with a yes
or no.
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"That‟s right...you two suffered a great deal with this particular
exam."
"For us, it was the third semester of our third-year. I‟ve never
forgotten what happened on that day."
The words were directed to herself and also Chabashira, as if she
were nostalgic for the past.
"So, how long are you going to keep your mouth shut? Don‟t you
have anything you want to say?"
Even after being asked like that, Chabashira couldn‟t utter a word,
as if she couldn‟t get hear head around it.
"Pathetic."
After complaining briefly, she ignored the unresponsive
Chabashira and looked at Mashima.
"What do you think, Mashima-kun? The next special exam...will
there be any dropouts?"
"Even though Class A is a head above of the rest, there‟s still a
chance for those in Class B and below to turn things around. If you put
up a strong challenge with the intention to win, there‟s a good chance
we‟ll end up on the same path that you were on."
"A premonition of quagmire──I guess," Hoshinomiya muttered,
and asked for a fourth glass. The pace of her drinking was going up and
up.
"Well, my class is probably okay in a bad sense, but what about
Sae-chan‟s? Right now, they‟re flying high and coming up from the
bottom. If they can increase their class points here, they could become
Class B straight away. If it were me..."
"I‟m going back to my room."
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Chabashira, who had been silent the whole time, stood up and said
so before she even finished her first glass.
"Just when I thought you were finally going to talk, you say you‟re
leaving...The lively atmosphere‟s been ruined..."
"I‟m sorry, but you two will have to continue without me."
Chabashira turned her back, and Hoshinomiya‟s sluggish
expression changed completely.
"Hey!"
Hoshinomiya slammed the now empty glass down onto the table
and stood up with great vigour.
Perhaps because it wasn‟t just Chabashira, but also Mashima, who
were surprised by her actions, she was unable to speak and showed signs
of agitation. It was probably fortunate that they were the only three
customers at the bar.
"How long are you going to chase after your boring love?!"
"...What are you saying?"
"Do you know how old we are now? We‟re 29 you know? I‟m
saying that romance was years ago!"
"Hey, you drank too much at once──"
"You stay quiet, Mashima-kun!"
"..."
The bartender, who‟d been wiping glasses nearby, sensed it was a
serious matter and excused himself to use the restroom.
"If you consider just your age, you‟re getting older and older, and
yet you‟ve been stuck in your third-year of high school all this time. And
now you‟ve taken it upon yourself to weigh down the kids...hah? Are
you an idiot?"
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Chabashira left in silence, not even bothering to say anything back
in response to the barrage of abuse.
There was silence between Hoshinomiya and Mashima, who were
left at the counter.
"Oh my, she‟s gone."
Feeling disappointed, Hoshinomiya retrieved the drink left by
Chabashira and sat back down.
"You‟re a malicious one too, Hoshinomiya."
"I had no choice, you know. It‟s bad that this special exam of all
things is coming up."
"It was this special exam that proved decisive for you two after
all."
"If Sae-chan had chosen the right answer, we would‟ve graduated
from Class A you know?"
"...You‟re still holding a grudge, aren‟t you?"
"Of course I‟m still holding a grudge. I failed, and now I‟m a
teacher at this school. In reality, I should‟ve gone on to a more sparkling
world."
"Dorm life must‟ve been tough after that exam, since you and
Chabashira were in the same room."
"There was no way we could live together after what happened.
We probably would‟ve killed each other."
"The fact that I can‟t even say that you‟re exaggerating is what‟s
so scary about you two."
Hoshinomiya grabbed a strand of hair and pulled it out.
"Didn‟t you fix that habit?"
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"Ah, I shouldn‟t have done that. I did it unconsciously...my
precious hair...you want it?"
"I don‟t."
He ignored the hair he was offered and asked the bartender, who
had now returned, for a second drink. Seeing this, Hoshinomiya also
prompted him for a fifth drink.
"Sharing a room isn‟t a good idea. It‟s fine when things are going
well, but when there‟s trouble, relationships change drastically. At least
when love and the future come into play that is."
Before anyone noticed, Hoshinomiya had returned to her usual
cheerful expression.
"Even though all the second-years worked so hard to stay afloat
during the uninhabited island exam...the school does some terrible
things."
"Originally, a few students would drop out every year, that‟s the
policy this school was built on. There are too many second-years still
here. However, the school fully acknowledges the hard work of the
second-year students. That‟s why we have this special exam. We still
don‟t know what the outcome will be after all."
"That‟s true, but...that exam brings out the ugliness and the
weakness in people‟s hearts. At least it helps that the first semester of
the second-year has only just ended. Oh, so the fact that the school
approved it has something to do with that."
"The less time remaining in the school year, the more valuable
class points are and the more difficult special exams become. There‟s
some salvation compared to what we had to do in the third semester of
our third year."
"I definitely wasn‟t at fault...It was all Sae-chan‟s fault..."
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"That depends on how you think. You and Chabashira both made
the right decision."
"I‟m not so sure..."
When she went to reach for her newly arrived drink,
Hoshinomiya‟s hand stopped.
"What‟s wrong?"
"My class...at the very least, won‟t reach Class A."
"What are you saying?"
"I already know it. I don‟t think we can reach Sakayanagi‟s class.
But...but even if that‟s the case, I absolutely won‟t let Sae-chan‟s class
graduate from Class A. For us, graduating from Class A was a long-held
dream. The one who destroyed that dream has no right to have her
students graduate from Class A. Isn‟t that right, Mashima-kun?"
"Aren‟t this and that separate issues?"
"They aren‟t separate. Absolutely, you hear?"
"Besides, Ichinose‟s class is excellent. There‟s still a long way to
go until we graduate from Class A. Ichinose‟s class will probably get
through the next special exam with ease."
"I‟m saying they‟re not good enough. No matter how unjust a
future awaits, you need to become a demon to win Class A. Just like I
tried to do."
"Even if it means students are expelled?"
"Even if it means students are expelled."
"At any rate," she paused for a moment. "Hirata, Kushida,
Horikita, Kōenji, Ayanokōji...No matter how much I think about it, it‟s
too unfair."
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"As usual, it‟s a class with many students considered to be
troublemakers, but there‟s a strange sense of solidarity. It‟s as if every
flaw is being eliminated one by one."
"I‟m hoping the next special exam will smash that to pieces."
With that, Hoshinomiya rested her head on Mashima‟s shoulder.
"I might‟ve gotten a little drunk...I think I‟d like to take a little
break...in your room, Mashima-kun."
"If you‟re going to sleep, sleep in your own room."
"So harsh. Surely there‟s a kinder way to put it?"
"If you‟re going to sleep, it would be better to go back to your own
room."
"It hardly changed!"
She pulled herself closer, as if hugging his muscular left arm.
However, Mashima used his strength to forcefully pull it out of her grip.
"Are you bothered?"
"I‟m not bothered."
"Ehh, then at least take me back to my room~ And then maybe we
should have another drink in there? Until morning."
"I‟m sorry, but I‟m also going back to my room. You too, don‟t
drink too much, okay?"
"Don‟t you think this is a once in a lifetime opportunity?"
"I‟m sorry, but I have no intention of getting involved with you or
Chabashira. It‟ll only cause trouble."
"Sooo strict~"
Hoshinomiya quietly sipped her drink at the now empty bar
counter.
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6.2
IT WAS THE SAME DAY as the get-together where the teachers
complained to one-another. The students, who didn‟t know anything
about their teachers‟ troubles, joined their friends to make memories
during their remaining time on the luxury cruise ship.
But I, Horikita Suzune, was going to use what little time remained
of these holidays for something else entirely.
There was a counter for employees and receptionists in front of the
entrance to private pool. If it was available, you could register and pay
here to use the pool. However, I heard that the private pool was very
popular among the students, so it was likely that it was almost fully
booked. Of course, that was convenient for me.
"Excuse me, I‟m thinking of making a reservation for the private
pool."
I spoke to an employee stationed at the reception desk. The
employee started to give a simple explanation in a familiar manner, as if
he had already had the same conversation with many students over and
over again.
"Please fill out this form with your preferred time slot. If it‟s full,
there is also a waiting list."
With that, the employee handed me a clipboard. I didn‟t come to
this place to enjoy the private pool. I went through all this trouble to get
my hands on the clipboard that I just received.
"I‟m borrowing this."
The reception areas for cafés and such all had a reservation system
using tablets and machines. However, in the case of the private pool,
where the time was fixed to an hour for each group and reservations
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could be made several days in advance, all reservations were made on
paper.
I pretended to look for a day and time to make a reservation, and
took note of every person‟s handwriting.
The private pool was used by multiple people, but only one
representative had to fill in the form.
In truth, I intended to settle this with the treasure hunt game the
other day. About half of the school‟s students participated, and for first-
year students, the participation rate was more than 66%. Before the
game ended, I checked the names and handwriting of all the first-year
students who had participated, but there wasn‟t a single candidate whose
handwriting matched what I remembered.
Did it just so happen that the one who left me that note was among
the 34% remaining? No, maybe they didn‟t participate because they
didn‟t want me to match their name to their handwriting?
In any case, because of this, I‟ll continue searching from the
remaining 34% of first-year students.
But still, what struck me was the reservation rate for the private
pool. Almost all the time slots were filled, including the last day.
Cancelling a reservation didn‟t cost anything up until the day before the
appointment, so some students may just be holding onto it for now, but it
really was popular.
There was a space where you could write the name of the
representative and the number of students, but there was no need to write
your year group.
The words I saw written on that paper were truly beautiful. I
flipped through the pages and checked everyone‟s handwriting, but I
couldn‟t find anything on the same level. I had a feeling it wouldn‟t be
easy to find, and unfortunately it seemed to be just as I imagined.
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It wasn‟t every day that you got a chance to see a student‟s name
and handwriting, and since I couldn‟t find it, the tedious work would
have to begin. It would be necessary to look at each individual name
once again and match it to the OAA.
Although it wasn‟t like there were hundreds of reservations on the
list, the confirmation process alone would take a long time. It would be
easy to skip students with blatantly messy handwriting or different
habits, but I wanted to make sure and be clear about who I could exclude
here.
I could exclude Kibayashi-kun of first-year Class B and
Mochizuki-san of first-year Class D... Etou-san...I‟d already checked
her handwriting after she participated in the treasure hunt game
yesterday, so I could also exclude her. The receptionist must‟ve had a lot
of duties to see to, and I was grateful that he wasn‟t paying attention to
me as I looked at the list with my phone in hand.
Even so, it really wasn‟t easy to find. Just to be sure, I checked the
registers for the second and third-year treasure hunt participants, but
there was no one who seemed to match.
Where on Earth was the person who wrote that note...?
I didn‟t even know how many minutes had passed by the time I
finished eliminating the ninth person. Just as it seemed the receptionist
was starting to become suspicious of me, I was unexpectedly approached
from behind.
"Um, are you going to take much longer?"
"Eh?! Ah, yes. I‟m sorry. I‟m having a little trouble finding a time
for me and my friends."
I was so focused on looking at the register that I didn‟t notice the
student standing behind me. I‟d assumed that almost no students would
come to make a reservation, but I wasn‟t followed was I...?