Chapter 138: Volume 4.5 Chapter 2 Intro

The Beginning of a Fleeting Vacation

For many students, life on an uninhabited island must have felt like a long time. In contrast, a day spent on a luxury cruise ship passes by in an instant, like a flash of light.

Why is it that the flow of time feels so different in the span of the same 24 hours?

It’s most likely because you don’t think much about time on a usual day.

I often think about time during my normal school life and special exams. On the other hand, on holidays, I often don’t think about time, so the difference is apparent.

Today was the second day of such a festive situation.

Perhaps the exhaustion of many students had finally begun to disappear and they started to enjoy their vacation in earnest as the number of students passing through the corridors of the ship seemed to be increasing.

Even someone like me, who spent most of his time alone, got a mail inviting me to play from a rather unexpected person.

It’s from Vice president Kiriyama of 3rd year B-class.

The invitation is to meet at the pool, but I wonder if the aim is to get in a floatie ring and chat gracefully or even play some beach volleyball to deepen our friendship.

I immediately kicked out such unrealistic ideas.

I might’ve been called to the pool area but that doesn’t mean it has anything to do with the pool itself.

Of course I could just refuse to go. Or even ignore it.

Depending on the situation, the call could have been to a more unpleasant place than this anyway.

I briefly replied ‘yes’ and promised to be there at the designated time, deciding that it would be less damaging for me to be summoned alone right now.

Besides, I felt that there was also a good chance that I might get a chance to solve the mystery of the incessant stares I had felt from the third-year students yesterday.

“Kiriyama, huh.”

Right now I am in the rest area of the fitness gym.

It was in front of the monitor where the results of the special test were displayed.

Many of the students had already finished checking their exam results, and now I was alone.

The number of teachers monitoring the exam results had also been reduced to one.

The results of the examinations had been drilled into my head, but when I slid the results of the top students onto the screen again, I focused on the results of the Kiriyama group.

The overall ranking was announced in front of the entire student body, with the 1st place being held by the independent Kouenji Rokusuke, Nagumo Miyabi’s group in 2nd place, and Sakayanagi’s group in 3rd place.

However, the 4th place went to Kiriyama’s group with 255 points, just 6 points shy of the podium, which means that Sakayanagi was the last one to make it to the top three.

Naturally, for the third year students, it was a disappointing result.

Nagumo missed first place and Kiriyama missed the podium altogether.

And on top of that, all of the expelled students were third-year students, making it quite an unusual situation.

Since I still had about 20 minutes before my meet-up, I decided to go to the poolside first.

It was also to confirm that the gaze was not just me being self-conscious, but rather that it was some kind of strategy in action.

The answer becomes immediately apparent without the need for slow observation and insight.

Within tens of seconds of my appearance at the pool, I was being eyed by an unspecified number of third-year students who were staying in every nook and cranny of the area.

Students who were absorbed in gossip, those who were swimming, they all noticed my presence and began to observe me intently.

The line of sight I felt yesterday was not just a coincidence.

“It’s too early to prove it.”

In fact, it was so uncomfortable that I felt like complaining like an idiot.

I was supposed to be overshadowed by the vast number of students present here.

Rather I was the one who stood out more than any one of them.

Even though I tried not to think about it, I naturally ended up trying to find out the reason behind this situation.

It was most likely an order from Nagumo, but at this point I had no idea what it was about.

There were many students who gave me a blatant stare, but I continued to pretend not to notice anything. It was easier to pretend to be a dense, stupid person.

However, I can easily imagine that Nagumo would assume that I was aware of the strange stares. It’s not surprising that he’s enjoying seeing me as the center of attention.

Anyway, the best thing to do for now is to ignore the stares and get on with it.

As I looked around the pool to see who else was there, I saw Ichinose and some of his classmates.

It just so happened that Ichinose was the first to notice my presence and our eyes met.

Her shoulders jerked once and she hid in the shadows of her classmates as if to escape.

Her classmates called out to her, wondering what was wrong with her sudden change in behavior.

After Ichinose’s confession to me at the deserted island, it was understandable that she would feel awkward just looking at each other from a distance like this.

If it’s just Ichinose it would’ve been a different topic, but since her classmates are also here, let’s keep our distance for now.

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Besides, I’ve already made an appointment to meet her the day after tomorrow and the evening after that.

I saw a few of my classmates here and there, but unfortunately I couldn’t find any students who were particularly close to me.

“It looks like you’ve gotten yourself into a lot of trouble, Ayanokouji-kun.”

When I turned my gaze to the one who called out to me, Kiryuuin Fuuka’s figure could be seen resting on the beach chair slightly in front of me.

“What are you talking about?”

“About the third-year students. It’s not as if you haven’t noticed, is it?”

“I don’t quite understand”, I said as I tried to play coy but Kiryuuin continued without so much as a snicker.

“Even if I’m not involved, I’m still a third-year student. I’ve already heard the news.”

“Are you referring to the way everyone is looking at me?”

“So you do know what I’m talking about.”

“It’s not a big deal. They’re watching me, that’s all.”

“That’s all, huh.”

I’ve been trying to put forward that I don’t care about it. But that’s not the case, is what she is trying to say.

“It seems to me to be one of the most terrifying strategies? Especially for a type of person like you, it would be nothing short of troublesome.”

Even if she’s just saying that half-heartedly, she’s not entirely wrong.

“As expected of the student council president. He has played a bizarre but effective card against the perfectly flawless you.”

“‘Perfectly flawless’ is an overestimation.”

“Don’t be modest. I’ve been through the line of death with you at least once, and I know that you have bottomless capabilities. Isn’t that right?”

The eyes lurking beneath those sunglasses sharply pierced through me.

Even if I continued to deny it, there are many students in the vicinity and there is no telling when someone might overhear our conversation.

I’m sure Kiryuuin has taken that surrounding environment into consideration.

“Okay, I’ll admit it for the time being.”

“Fufu~, that’s fine. Going back to the story, did something happen with Nagumo in the end stage of the exam? There was no command over the third year students until the end of the deserted island test, you know.”

“It’s frustrating that I can’t say that I don’t have any grudges …”

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Kiryuuin, who had been keeping a relaxed posture until, sat up slightly.

“In terms of individual strength, the man named Nagumo Miyabi is one of the best in this school. Academic ability A, physical ability A, Critical thinking ability A +, Social contribution A +. Totally impeccable.”

“I know. When it comes to OAA, he is by far the number one in the entire school year.”

There are quite a few students who hold A + in one ability, such as Sudou and Kiryuuin.

However, Nagumo is the only student who has received all A’s or better, and the number of students who have received two or more A+ grades is extremely limited.

“With his high academic ability, physical strength, charisma, and success as the student council president, Nagumo has never had an opponent among his peers. The only person in the school who was recognized as being of equal ability was Horikita Manabu, but now that he has graduated, he’s gone too.”

Kiryuuin took a breath and picked up the glass on the table.

“I’m sure you were nothing more than a toy to Nagumo. But now it seems that something that happened during the deserted island test has triggered him to take you seriously.”

“It would be best if he just left me alone.”

“If that’s the case, then he made a bad choice somewhere along the line.”

I don’t know what to make of this.

“There are probably only a few people who can beat you one-on-one. I’m a skilled fighter myself, but if there’s one type I can’t beat, it’s probably Ayanokouji. But if we’re talking about Nagumo, it’s totally different. I believe he’s the type of guy you don’t like. Am I correct?”

“I suppose I can’t deny that possibility anymore now, can I? I misjudged the essence of the matter.”

They just kept looking at me.

I hadn’t realized how stressful and disgusting it could be.

Even in the White Room, there were always eyes watching, but this was something else entirely.

In other words, I was being forced into an environment I had never experienced before in my life. The only way to escape this is by staying indoors but that is not a practical solution either.

“I suppose so. Nagumo tends to prefer flashy moves, winning ways, and one-on-ones. But when it comes to winning for sure, he will use any strategy he can. Even if it means mobilizing the entire third grade. Even if it means using underhanded techniques, his priority is to win in the end.”

So the act of getting a lot of people to look at me is just the beginning.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t help you with this.”

Saying that, she put her sunglasses on her forehead.

“I never said I wanted to rely on you.”

Kiryuin refuses to cooperate as if she were trying to get ahead of me.

“I’ve been free to do as I please for the past three years, but… I have a few regrets about my school life. If this school had an original class detention system, I might have wanted to consider it.”

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The term “retention” is used to describe a student’s repeated failure to advance to the next grade.

In other words, it’s a year out.

“There you are, Ayanokouji.”

As Kiryuuin and I continued to talk, Vice President Kiriyama showed up alone.

Kiriyama, who always had a serious impression, seemed to have arrived much earlier than promised.

He took one look at Kiryuuin, who was relaxing by his side, and then looked at me again.

“We’ve got a little while before we’re supposed to start, if you don’t mind. This is a bad place, let’s move.”

“You don’t want me to hear your talk, is that the reason, Kiriyama?”

Kiryuuin said she couldn’t help me, but it looks like she is still interested to know.

She puts up her sunglasses on top of her forehead once again.

“It simply attracts too much attention. I prefer to talk in a quiet place if I can.”

The poolside was the most popular place, and many students were staying there.

Well, for some reason, only the seat next to Kiryuuin is empty, but I guess I don’t need to pursue that point too deeply. Maybe it’s uncomfortable to sit on?

“That’s a funny thing to say – attracting too much attention. You’re contradicting yourself, Kiriyama.”

“What?”

“If you want to talk in a quiet place, it is nonsense to meet at a swimming pool where there will be a lot of people. Is it not?”

“So you wanted me to tell you from the start that I just don’t want to talk to you because you’re so depressing?”

Kiriyama spat that out after Kiryuuin prodded him.

The expression on his face was completely dead and devoid of emotion.

I’m sure you’ll be glad to know that I’m not the only one who has a problem with that.

“I’m sure you’ll be able to understand why. Whenever any conversation starts, it always revolves around Kiryuuin.”

It was Kiriyama’s way of escaping the situation, but it also made Kiryuuin butt in.

“Anyway, can you tell me what we’re going to talk about?”

“No. I refuse. It’s none of your business.”

“None of my business? How can you be so sure it’s none of my business?

“What do you mean?”

“Ayanokouji and I are having a male-female relationship. If that were the case, could you say that we’re not related?”

What?

Before such a reaction could be produced, Kiriyama looked at me and Kiryuin alternately.

“Huh, that’s a joke, Kiriyama. You’re a boring man, but your reaction can sometimes be interesting.”

Kiriyama seemed to be indignant and resentful when he saw Kiryuuin laughing happily.

He started walking away without saying a word.

If you leave such a woman alone like this, she will follow you immediately after.

“I can’t ignore him, so I’m sorry for this.”

“Please give my best regards to Kiriyama.”

Oh please give me a break. I’m sure he doesn’t want to hear the name Kiruyuuin because if he did, he would still be here.

I followed Kiriyama, who was walking ahead of me, to the deck one floor above, overlooking the pool.

It was a relatively quiet place, with many students sunbathing or taking a nap.

Even though there were not a good number of students gathered here, conversations could still be conspicuous.

However, there was not a single third-year student in sight, suggesting that Kiriyama had cleared the area of people.

In that sense, the freshmen and sophomores probably wouldn’t mind me talking with Kiriyama.

The other saving grace is that there was no one waiting for us or the possibility of bumping into us and it was a one-on-one discussion with Kiriyama. So, why bother calling me?

“So, why did you call me all the way here?

“I won’t say it in a roundabout way. What did you do to Nagumo on the final day of the uninhabited island test?”

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t act dumb. It’s obvious that you’re involved in the results of the uninhabited island test.”

On the final day of the uninhabited island test when I and Nagumo faced each other, I heard over the walkie-talkie that they were developing a plan to suppress Kouenji.

It’s not surprising that Kiriyama had a handshake with him.

“I don’t mind answering, but can you answer my question first?”

“A question?”

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After I got the meet-up call, I wanted to make sure of something.

I continued back to Kiriyama, who had a suspicious look on his face.

“This is something I’ve been wondering about since I first met Vice President Kiriyama. In the beginning, it seems that you were working to defeat Nagumo, but after sometime you stopped. At what point did you give up fighting…?”

If Kiriyama is expecting Nagumo’s loss and defeat, then this incident should be a welcome one.

“Gave up? I don’t understand what you mean. My personal battle is still going on.”

“Is that so? It doesn’t look that way to me.”

After denying it, Kiriyama seemed to immediately understand what I was trying to say.

“You seem to think that I’m on Nagumo’s side, but that’s not true. The change in Nagumo’s plan is beginning to have a negative impact on me and the surrounding area. I told you before the uninhabited island test to stay out of the way.”

Kiriyama’s words were a series of ordinary denials.

However, human beings are prone to make blunders, even if it is the slightest gaffe.

“That’s an expansive interpretation. I was simply talking about whether or not you gave up fighting, but Kiriyama-senpai seems to be very aware of the aspect of whether or not you are on the student council president’s side of the camp.”

“……that would be the same thing.”

“I’m not sure what you mean by that. They are completely different. I think the vice president knows that much, don’t you?

People with a high level of pride who categorize themselves as excellent think that they will not make mistakes.

That’s why you should ask them ahead of time, “You are excellent, so you must be right, right?”

This is the reason why it is so difficult for them to admit their mistakes.

“What’s your point?”

Without admitting or denying it, Kiriyama tried to continue the conversation.

Right now, the easiest option this guy could take is gone.

“I simply wanted to ask you which position you are in. Although you have given up on fighting, are you still an enemy of Nagumo? Or are you under the thumb of Nagumo? In any case, it must’ve been entrusted by Horikita Manabu”

Perhaps when he heard the name of Manabu for the first time in a while, Kiriyama’s expression became stiff.

“… That’s right.”

Maybe it reminded him of the first time I met Kiriyama.

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“If you think about it, your relationship with me, Nagumo, and senior Horikita ─── In short, you were a person who had no interest in the student organization. In that sense, you shouldn’t be involved.”

He put his left hand on the railing and squeezed it tightly.

“It’s true that I was thinking of defeating Nagumo, because it would be impossible for our class to re-emerge into A-class without it, but that spirit gradually changed in the middle of the second year. It faded. “

The current third-year students are allowing Class A to run solo far more than our grade.

At this point, there are over 900 class points separating the 3rd year A class from the 3rd year B-class.

Even at the midway point of last year, there must have been a gap of over 700 points.

From an early stage, they allowed Nagumo to run alone and came to a point where they could not catch up.

“We, the third years, moved on to the individual competition early on. Class points and school rules were of secondary importance to us, and we began to play according to the original rules proposed by Nagumo.”

The reason behind this extraordinary solo run is that it has a lot to do with that.

Once it came to that, it became a tall order for Kiriyama to face alone.

“I struggled to break through somehow, but as soon as I became a 3rd year, I got swallowed up in the wave too.”

Regret? Resignation? Kiriyama shows an indescribable profile.

“What happened to you after you were overwhelmed?”

“Hmm……. Looks like you won’t be satisfied until you hear it all huh.”

“It’s important to me.”

“I’ve been handed a ticket to graduate with Class A by Nagumo, and I’ve decided to follow the rules that he makes up. That’s what you wanted to hear, right?

In other words, the position he is in now means that he’s not only stopped being hostile, but I’ve become one of Nagumo’s friends.

That’s how important it is for ordinary students to graduate from class A.

It proves that 20 million points is worth it and attractive.

“Whether or not you get the biggest privilege in this school will have a big impact on the rest of your life. It is more important to graduate with an “A” grade, no matter how much your classmates may resent you in the end. Three years of high school is just a blink of an eye compared to the decades of life that lie ahead.”

It’s no surprise that Kiriyama was indignant and wanted to know the details, even calling me.

“It was a mission and a proposition for Nagumo to win first place. However, your involvement caused a disruption in the chain of command, and I lost first place to Kouenji, and ended up in second place. As a result, I lost a lot of both class and private points. Do you have any idea how much this means to me?”

As I was able to confirm from the OAA, Nagumo had his own large group of trial cards and seven additional cards; the amount of money lost by not taking first place alone amounted to seven million.

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In addition, if all 28 of the third-year students’ piggyback cards had been designated to Nagumo’s group, he would have received an additional reward of nearly 15 million private points.

However, the result of sinking to second place was almost halved. Of course, it’s still a huge amount of money.

If you include the effect of the class points from the trial cards, the loss will be even greater.

“With graduation looming, missing out on first place is a huge loss for us third-year students, who need to collect private points without wasting even a single point.”

Considering that Kiriyama’s group was also concentrating their ‘additional’ cards on their own group with the intention of aiming for second place, they lost more private points than they had just calculated.

“It seems that the fact that Kiriyama’s group did not win any prizes is not unrelated.”

When I pointed out that point, I made my shoulders react slightly.

“… Ah. I was rushed out as a backup factor for the Nagumo Group, but the slight delay in responding echoed in every direction until the end. We were robbed of the 3rd place. “

If everything had gone according to plan, the third-year students would have been rewarded with a large number of private points.

And although that was just an estimate, it was a lot of money that could definitely save their friends.

“The ticket needed to move to Class A was 20 million. We’re always looking for the best way to generate it. I’d say this means one lost ticket.”

The top rewards in the desert island examinations were all very attractive, but when it came to private points, the total effect of the additional cards and the piggyback cards that came with them was much greater.

“I’m sure you’ll be able to understand what I mean. However, by sticking to your presence here, he has lost a lot of money and his trust has been damaged. Even so, if you had switched, the problem would have been minimal, but after the special exam… Nagumo took an unbelievable action.

“Unexpected expulsion of third-year students, right?

“That’s right. Originally, it was planned that the top students would pick up the group that had been deliberately placed in the bottom of the class, prevent them from leaving, and rescue them by replacing them at the end of the exam.

But when that didn’t happen, all the third-year students in the bottom group were expelled at once.

“There was no way to resist, and 15 students were expelled. They didn’t even have time to cry.”

“It’s terrifying, especially for a third year.”

“Of course. A single whim can bring three years to nothing. If it’s because of our own actions, we can give up, but if it’s because of the unreasonable actions of Nagumo, it’s a different story.”

If all of this is true, it could be the beginning of a wake-up call for the students who have been following them delusionally.

If all of this is true, it could be the beginning of a wake-up call for the students who have been following him with delusions of grandeur.

In fact, it is rather unusual that the third-year students have not shown any signs of defying Nagumo even after these events.

“Is that strange? The fact that Nagumo is not being blamed?”

“‘It’s a big blunder. A lot of people in class B and below who don’t have tickets are keeping quiet.”

“Even if I wanted to defy him, I couldn’t. Nagumo and the students in Class A of the third year are protected by an inviolable prohibition.”

An impenetrable fortress.

It is a mechanism that other classes can never go against.

In that case, it seems that…… can help us solve the mystery by asking one question.

“Vice President Kiriyama has the ticket in his hand, right?”

Normally, the question would have been answered with a simple yes, but Kiriyama answered in the blink of an eye, without changing his expression.

“If I had that ticket in my possession, I wouldn’t have any problem.”

“I see. If that ticket is in Nagumo’s possession, it would certainly be a different story.”

It’s no surprise but Nagumo had a shrewd strategy.

If all the private points were controlled by Nagumo, then no one would be able to resist him.

Simply put, he’s probably in a state of verbal agreement to spend 20 million points to rescue them.

No, even the word “promise” might be a bit naive.

I think he’s using a vague expression like, “If you continue to be loyal to me, I will prepare a ticket for you.”

In this situation, if they were to go against him, the promise might be bluntly dismissed.

“It is also forbidden to accumulate private points by sneaking around. There is a limit of 500,000 points that an individual can have at their disposal. Anything above that will be siphoned off to Nagumo.”

“That’s harsh.”

Unlike cash deposits, private points that exist in the form of electronic money cannot be hidden. I’m sure they have rules in place to monitor each other.

Even if they were able to kick Nagumo out of school by some means, they would be expelled with tens or even hundreds of millions of private points.

This means that even if they wanted to start a rebellion, they would never be able to do so.

“Do you now understand why the third-year students are pushing Nagumo to an unusual degree and protecting him?”

“I understand perfectly.”

It’s a perfect dictatorship. No one in the same year can compete with Nagumo.

“He’s playing with the entire third grade, pitting students who don’t have tickets against each other and making them swear allegiance by pretending to give the winning student a ticket.”

Of course, for the students in the D and C classes, who had no chance of winning, Nagumo’s presence would be nothing less than a godsend.

It’s only natural, since the claim is that if you are useful, you can graduate with class A.

However, you won’t know that until you’re on the verge of graduating and your class really moves.

“I want to compete for as many tickets as possible in the little remaining time of school life we have left. That’s why your presence is nothing but a hindrance, Ayanokouji.”

By leaving me alone, Nagumo loses valuable private points.

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With the accompanying loss, the students who should be saved are no longer being saved.

This is the situation that the third-year students are in now.

“But do you really think I’m in this situation because I want to be?”

“I know.”

“Then what do you want me to do?”

“Just go back to the beginning. Tell us what happened on the deserted island, and we’ll find a solution first.”

“”I thought Nagumo wouldn’t want that. You haven’t even let the vice president hear what happened, have you?”

“…… That’s true, but you can’t solve the problem by letting it go.”

So you want to stop Nagumo’s rampage, even at the risk of losing your ticket? No, he fears that if he doesn’t stop him, he doesn’t know what will happen to his own ticket.

“If you don’t want to talk to me, I want you to meet Nagumo right now and talk to him. I’ll set up the meeting if necessary. No one will benefit from a fight between you and Nagumo in the future, is that right?”

“You’re absolutely right.”

“I will also advise you to stop the operation that Nagumo is carrying out. I want you to believe me.”

The operation he is carrying out. I’m not going to bother asking what it is.

“You mean the way they started looking at me?”

Kiriyama looked down at the pool and nodded.

“I’m not sure what the purpose of this is, what it’s for, or for how long. The third year students are growing increasingly distrustful of this strange and suspicious behavior.”

Despite their distrust, they have no choice but to obey Nagumo, who has all the power.

“The Nagumo administration is rock solid, but….. If they continue with this recklessness, the worst could happen.”

Kiriyama and the others who have been given tickets will continue to obey faithfully, but many of the students who have not been given tickets will not.

Kiriyama can’t let a riot like that happen. It would not be surprising if he planned to expel Nagumo from the school if he did not get a ticket anyway.

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

“It’s not as if this is the end of the story, even if I say I’ll meet him.”

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“What should I do then? You don’t want to tell me the details, but you also don’t want to see Nagumo. Then the situation will only get worse.”

“Can you give me some time? I will definitely give you an answer in the near future.”

It is likely that Kiriyama will receive further information not from me, but from Nagumo.

“…… That’s fine. But you need to make a decision before Nagumo makes his next move.”

Kiriyama had been looking around the entire pool and immediately noticed the appearance of a certain person.

It was, of course, Nagumo, who had always been the center of conversation.

“I have to go. If they find out I’m meeting with you, I’ll be in trouble again.”

That would be wise. Kiriyama must have taken a certain amount of risk in making this contact today. It was worth the contact just to understand the situation of the third-year students.