Chapter 4The Silent Warfare
On the 4th day on the uninhabited island, changes started to occur little by little and we reached a turning point. I went deaf to the complaints yelled around but then, at some point, I realized that non-stop laughter filled the place. We added some Indian corn we found to the fishes Ike and others caught. Every resistance against drinking the river"s water disappeared too. Some things, like the fruits that my cla.s.smates found, helped us in saving more points than we planned to get us through the trial.
Currently, the points used amounted to about 100 points, including setbacks like retirement. If we continued smoothly, we"d probably be able to finish the trial with a lot of points remaining. If we looked at D Cla.s.s"s situation before the start of the trial, then this number was a perfectly satisfactory numeric value. Even Yukimura, who was the most hostile and opposing party, wouldn"t complain. Yes, not even one student was unsatisfied with this result.
I suddenly got a tingling feeling in my head and it hurt.
I secretly borrowed a ballpoint pen and put it in my pocket together with the folded paper. Then I left the base camp. I got started trying to know the situation of the island which I still couldn"t grasp.
This might only be my personal guess but, when we break down this special trial, we"d see that 80% of it was a defensive test that has to confirm whether there was a cooperative relations.h.i.+p within the cla.s.s. And the remaining 20% suggests that it"s a test of scouting against other cla.s.ses and attacking them to interfere with their information-gathering ability.
However, this 8:2 proportion is not directly reflected in the trial"s results. Or rather, I think it"s only that 20% that greatly influenced the results.
We"d already grasped the plan of each cla.s.s. On this topic, we decided what to do. Simply attack the other cla.s.ses.
So, I"d start moving to the A cla.s.s area. As D cla.s.s moved around the riverside, A cla.s.s"s center of activity was probably the cave area.
Katsuragi made no sense though. It"s not like he"d been the first one to occupy the cave. The true attraction of the cave was not just that it"s protected from natural elements. The place itself had a special meaning.
When I was wandering for a while through the forest, I could hear faintly the sound of waves. My pace got a little faster and I directly pushed through the trees to finally find myself on the coast.
"Oops..."
I applied a sudden brake in my steps and came to a stop. All because there was no foothold here and it was actually a cliff.
"I saw it from the s.h.i.+p, for sure... it was under here."
Not far from the cave, very close to it actually, a multi-facility peeked out. Somehow, whether there was an alternative route or not and walking along the cliff, I noticed there was a ladder close to it, made in a blind spot where it was probable to miss it at first glance. I tried grasping the ladder in my hand with all my power, but it seemed so st.u.r.dy and strongly built that, in fact, I b.u.mped into it.
Using the ladder from the bottom of the cliff.
If a person discovered it before landing on the island, he"d have to find his way to that place as soon as he landed.
Soon, I discovered a small hut. At the ingress of the hut, there was a device which was the clear evidence that this was a spot. Looking through the window, I could see some tools that were usually used for fis.h.i.+ng. In other words, by taking control of this place, people could catch fish without any help from the school or without spending points for food.
And checking to see if there was a right of possession...…. yeah, you could read the characters of A cla.s.s here. Time left was about 4 hours.
There was no doubt that Katsuragi and others arrived here, after holding down the cave, and then they started taking possession.
This was a cla.s.sic spot you didn"t know it existed unless you discovered it while being on board the s.h.i.+p.
Because this hut was directly below the cliff, you could see every moment of the occupation from the surroundings. You didn"t even have to worry about anything.
There was no trace of indoor tools being touched. Dust was acc.u.mulating. I couldn"t see any signs which indicated that this place was now occupied as a spot. I took out a map from my pocket and wrote down the location of the hut. Of course, it was only an approximate position. It would take a huge amount of time to measure it accurately.
When I finished marking, I folded the paper again and put it in my pocket.
Since there seemed to be nothing besides the hut, I used the ladder again to return to my original road.
"When we were turning around the island, I saw a tower over there..."
Relying on my memory, while I looked out over the area farther, I eyed the ground where I thought people had walked on. Then, as if to follow them, I proceeded towards the forest.
Eventually, I reached a place on higher ground, on a hill. Was this a spot too? If I climbed on the installed ladder, it seemed possible to overlook the sh.o.r.e but I thought that it wasn"t all that much use as a facility. I wondered if there were things left that were not very useful in this spot too.
I got closer to find out that the equipment had been installed on the facility wall. Unlike the one before, the communication device here wasn"t taken into possession by anyone and it was free. The fact that this kind of facility existed, was huge by itself. It was easy to find by a comparatively high number of students even though it was in the hinterland.
In brief, I didn"t know who was keeping an eye on us, observing us wherever. Despite knowing that some spots had been discovered almost at the same time, the fact that tower was not occupied implied "the difference in the probability of being discovered by the enemy".
Katsuragi was a cautious man, a person who only used solid strategies. A man who never carelessly approached the closest sweet bait.
Suddenly, I realized that some bushes nearby were swaying despite the fact that there was no wind.
"I wonder if the reason for not occupying is not only a prudent one."
"What are you doing here? This is the place that we A cla.s.s use."
Two boys showed up from the bushes as if they were waiting for their prey to fall into their trap. I was surrounded while I was leaving the place where the communication device was kept. Another one immediately went to check the state of the device.
"You… You are a face I haven"t seen around here."
As a self-proclaimed pill bug that hid behind stones, like a social outcast as a member of D cla.s.s, well, he might not know who I was.
The guy in front of me was holding a tree branch in my throat, as if he was seizing a weapon. Like he was threatening me, giving me a warning.
"I am Ayanokouji of D cla.s.s."
Of course, I gave my name frankly, as I surrendered to the threat immediately.
"Search him in case he is carrying anything suspicious."
As if I was a suspect surrounded by policemen, they checked my pockets. They even checked if I had hidden something around my ankles or in my shoes.
"This is not an act of violence, you do get it, right?"
In times like this, there must be only one response. Just nod. As they searched my body, I was thinking that they could have found my pen and the piece of paper with the handwritten map. Both, in fact, were eventually discovered.
"Why do you have a pen?… And a handwritten map?"
The rough map of the island that I had sketched along with the teams and occupation of places, everything that led to this place.
"Give it back."
I reached out to take it, but they won"t hand it back obediently, so instead, I grasped the air.
"What are you aiming at? Do you act alone?"
They were hitting me with questions, but I stayed silent. 3 seconds… 4 seconds… I made a sound with my throat just to break the silence.
"… I can"t tell you this."
"I see. That thing you cannot say, is it that there is someone pulling the threads behind? You people in D cla.s.s, have you plotted a plan as a whole? Or is it a plan of a bunch of students from there?"
As if the police was interrogating a suspect, there was a rapid succession of quick questions.
"I cannot say. If I tell you then… I will not be able to return to my cla.s.s."
"It is hard to be an underling, Ayanokouji. Oh well. I do not know what you were asked to do, but do not do any unnecessary actions. I want you to just sit quietly in base camp."
They threw the pen at my feet, while they kept the piece of paper with the map. These fellows might not have the right to order around, but their att.i.tude was very oppressive.
"There is just one more thing that I would like to ask you. We are ready to deliver a generous reward if you speak of who is the leader that holds the keycard. A total sum of about 100,000… 200,000."
"Sell my cla.s.s for money?"
"You are free to interpret our word however you wish. I will propose the same thing to other people, too. I am telling you that this deal is first-come-first-served so you"d better hurry to decide."
The strategy of A cla.s.s had no risks basically. A simple method that could be materialised if there was abundant money. Although the probability was low, the possibility that some students would sell their friends, because they had their eyes set on money, couldn"t be excluded.
"Thank you, but this is unbelievable for some reason. How and when will you hand the money? You do not even have a cell phone here."
"Certainly, it"s impossible right now. We may sign a legal agreement if necessary."
In other words, first, we"d sign a contract and then they intended to transfer the money after the end of the exam.
"So, a written agreement? Let me ask you something, just for reference… Could you tell me how many points would I earn from this?"
"To a degree that is up to your ability."
"Could the person who is in charge, here, explain it to me? Katsuragi for example, or maybe Sa…"
The moment I spoke the name, the expression of one of the boys changed drastically.
"Why are you bringing up the name of Katsuragi?"
"I heard some rumours that the representative of A cla.s.s is Katsuragi."
"Do not make me laugh. The leader of A cla.s.s is Sakayanagi, not Katsuragi. You may go already."
The students of A cla.s.s opened the way as there wasn"t anything to do with me anymore and then disappeared. Apparently, these two were Katsuragi"s enemies. Then, were these guys working under Sakayanagi"s orders? Was Sakayanagi really the one who gave instructions around here?
This was something that I had to make clear.
1
In order to check how C Cla.s.s was doing, I looked around the base camp that was close to seash.o.r.e. Until yesterday, this place was loud as if there was a festival going on but now it was just quiet with flies flying all around.
"Hey, you scared me, seriously. I thought you were strange but not to this extent."
I was just vaguely looking around at the sh.o.r.e view when two people came out walking from behind me, pretending that they knew who I was.
"Did you come here to spy too, Ayanokouji?"
It was Ichinose and Kanzaki from B Cla.s.s. I wondered if these two came to see how C Cla.s.s was doing.
"I"m in charge of finding food. I was just walking around in the forest and ended up here on the sh.o.r.e."
"Even though it"s the middle of the day, it"s dangerous to be out here doing this by yourself."
I nodded my head in agreement to Ichinose"s kind warning. The two of the them hid themselves in the shade and closely watched the movements of C Cla.s.s.
This is because they had a good reason to be hiding.
"Woah, I can"t see anybody. It must be just like Kanzaki said. They must be abstaining from any operations."
Ichinose scratched his cheek and let out a sad sigh.
"We were trying to see who C Cla.s.s"s leader was but… was this all for nothing? If they"ve all gone up to the boat then we won"t be able to find any hints."
"I thought about it and don"t you think C Cla.s.s already used up all their points? If so then, even if we do find the leader, does that mean we won"t get a penalty?"
"They said there would be no bad influences in Semester 2 so their points wouldn"t go below 0."
Ichinose pursed his lips as if he was sort of bored. Since it was 3 o"clock, at the base camp of C Cla.s.s that we had looked around, there was already n.o.body there and all we could see was an empty place. There were still students playing around in the water but that too, was due to the time.
"An operation that uses all of your points, it"s not really something to compliment but even so it"s really amazing."
"No matter how much I think about it, this just doesn"t seem like it will work. This test is so you can gather points. By just throwing that whole idea away, Ryuuen has already lost."
Ichinose and Kanzaki, both with a pitiful look on their face, looked towards the uninhabited island as they spoke.
"It"s so hard trying to figure out who the leader is. It"s really a waste of time, just a waste."
"I think quietly keeping watch and quietly taking part in the test would be the best option."
"Yes, yes. I think a solid strategy is the best thing we can use."
I don"t know if those two were lying or telling the truth, but I could clearly hear their plan. Ichinose and Kanzaki realised that spying in C Cla.s.s was meaningless and they focused their attention on the sh.o.r.e. Right now, it was the perfect opportunity.
I felt compelled to try asking Hiratana Kus.h.i.+da about Sakayanagi and since it"s the two of them, they may know some details. Right now, the best thing would be to avoid doing anything that would make D Cla.s.s notice me.
"I happened to hear this somewhere but… A Cla.s.s"s Katsuragi and Sakayanagi, do they each have their own opposing groups?"
"They don"t get along, that is true. It seems they fought really hard. But… why are you asking?"
"Nothing. It"s just that Horikita said if I had time to come and find out something about it. That there was a chance to really break down A Cla.s.s down here but… even if they did fight that much, wouldn"t they all come together for the sake of the test?"
"I feel the same but Sakayanagi is taking it easy in this test. It seems like Katsuragi is the only one putting in any effort. Because of that, don"t you think all of them would be leaning towards Katsuragi? Am I wrong?"
Ichinose tilted his head and asked Kanzaki for his opinion. Who would"ve thought that Sakayanagi was an absentee.
"Katsuragi is one smart boy. Sakayanagi may be absent but the right-hand men won"t defy him. I don"t think they would do anything to like… deliberately cause a division between them though. To do that means you have no merit."
If this was all true, that meant that those two were doing exactly what Katsuragi told them to do.
"I see, I think that"s true. But then, the students working with Sakayanagi, wouldn"t they be really unhappy? Those two are complete opposites so it"s clear their opinions would be opposites too."
"Complete opposites?"
"Reformists and conservatives? Offense and defense? One side a.s.saulting and one side protecting? It feels like that"s the complete opposite. Seeing it that way, if I think of A Cla.s.s just going all out, that"d be scary. If they properly came together then, that would reveal their true side."
"I see. I will inform Horikita, later. Oh! Well. I think she would prefer to investigate it on our own again. What can I say? She works her men very hard, anyway. Oops… Pretend that you did not hear this last line. It"s bothersome to be yelled at later."
"Ahaha.. I will keep it a secret. However, Horikita… Her viewpoints are very good. It seems that if those two people completely oppose each other, there will be retribution for sure, to the point that they may self destruct. But, there"s not much that can be done at this stage, anyway."
Kanzaki confirmed the time on the wrist.w.a.tch and began suggesting that he should go back to Ichinose.
"I must go. I should go back, look for food. They will be angry if I return empty-handed."
"Well then, let"s be careful with each other"s injuries and do our best. Please do not act rashly."
That"s right, if I were to put it in Ichinose"s words, I would say thank you for your petty tricks.
2
Let"s talk a little about the first semester and the day of the closing ceremony, just before the test on the desert island. I was over the moon, digesting the idea that I was going to fully enjoy my summer vacation for the first time in my life. However, as if to take away this pleasure from me, a G.o.d of death with his sickle appeared in front of me without a sign.
"Ayanokouji, before you leave I have to talk to you a little. Please come to the Instructor"s room"
This is what Chabas.h.i.+rsensei said just before our homeroom cla.s.s ended and left the cla.s.sroom.
"What is this? Did something happen?"
Sudou, who was getting ready to leave, asked while putting his bag on his shoulder.
"I"m innocent."
"That"s right. You are neither good nor bad, you are living a meaningful life, steady and quiet."
"What is that sarcastic tone in your voice?"
"Sarcasm? That wasn"t my intention. Did it feel that way?"
What a horrible guy… My wounded heart wept in sorrow.
In comparison, Sudou was a good guy. Now that I think about it, he got worried about me and that is why he said this…
"Hey Horikita! Erm… Since it"s summer vacation… Are you free? Maybe we can hang out a little."
Sudou sat on my desk as he went crazy over Horikita who was next to me…He wasn"t worried at all about my situation, after all.
"Why?"
"Well, because it"s summer vacation, it will be a loss if you don"t enjoy it. We can watch movies, go shopping."
"Ridiculous. Summer vacation means nothing to me. Why are you inviting me in the first place?"
"W-why? Why are you so blunt?" Sudou scratched his head as Horikita didn"t understand his feelings, but then he turned the switch.
"Because this is how it goes. Look, ok? A guy invites a girl to go out when it"s a holiday…"
Although I felt like I wanted to see Sudou"s efforts, I was called by Chabas.h.i.+rsensei earlier. I feel better when I finish unpleasant things quickly.
"Hey! Where are you going?"
Why is Sudou calling me, again?
"Where do you think I"m going? I was called by our teacher, so it can"t be helped."
"Just wait a little? Can"t you be by my side?"
That expression made me feel extremely uneasy. His thick hand grabbed my arm, holding my wrist.
"Please watch over my fight. And respond well."
"Don"t speak nonsense!… Bye."
While doing these worthless exchanges Horikita finished getting ready, leaving the cla.s.sroom without hesitation. Sudou ended up watching in utter amazement.
"…d.a.m.n. Useless… Should I go to the club activities, instead?"
As soon as Horikita left, I was not needed anymore so I was free to go. As I was arriving in the Instructor"s room, I saw Chabas.h.i.+rsensei waiting in front of it holding the door half-open.
"Get in."
"I don"t understand the reason I was called, at all."
"Let"s talk inside."
My depression degree meter rose steadily as she repeatedly returned my words with short answers. I wished this to end like those tricks at parties that end up being some funny joke.
"Do you think there is a bad reputation around you if you are asked to come into the Instructor"s room? This is not a bad place contrary to your expectations. There are a lot of things that must be discussed away from all the monitoring eyes."
I couldn"t see the surveillance camera which was supposed to be in a room like this.
"So, what are we going to talk about? I am busy planning my summer vacation."
"That"s a funny story. I believe you have no friends?"
"That"s an exaggeration. I have some."
Although I could count everyone using the fingers of both of my hands, the number of people wasn"t important. Or at least that"s what they said. Wouldn"t it be just fine if I set up a summer vacation program alone to begin with?
"Today I"ve called you to hear my personal story."
Chabas.h.i.+rsensei"s personal story? This was again a development that escalated in a completely different direction. I didn"t understand the reasons behind her calling and telling me this story. Nor did I have any interest.
"It"s something I haven"t told anyone after becoming a homeroom teacher until now. It"s silly but listen."
"Should I make a tea before that? You must be thirsty."
I stood up from a pipe chair and opened the door of the kitchenette. n.o.body was inside… I wondered.
"Don"t tell this to other people. If you understand, return to your seat."
"… Alright."
Like that, I closed the door of the kitchenette and turned to Chabas.h.i.+rsensei.
"As a homeroom teacher, how do I look to you, D cla.s.s?"
"Another abstract question. Is it okay if I say you look like a beautiful woman?"
The teacher didn"t move an eyebrow at this joke, but I felt waves of menace on my skin.
"Let me see…If you don"t mind being compared to other teachers, I"d say you"re a cold teacher that has no interest for students and feels indifferent about D cla.s.s"s future."
She"s neither as friendly as B cla.s.s"s teacher Hos.h.i.+nomiya nor she"s helping students as C cla.s.s"s teacher Sakagami.
"Am I wrong?"
"No, you"re right. I have nothing to deny. But that"s different from the truth."
Chabas.h.i.+rsensei made a pause there, having looked at the ceiling as if she remembered something.
"I"ve been a student in this school before. In the same cla.s.s as you – D cla.s.s."
"That"s rather surprising. I thought you are more capable than that, Chabas.h.i.+rsensei."
"Sigh… In our time there wasn"t an extreme difference as it is now. You could say it wasn"t a three-cornered, but rather a four-cornered battle. Until the time we were approaching the graduation in the third semester of our third year, the difference between A and D cla.s.s was not even 100 points. It was a close combat where one trivial mistake could break balance."
There wasn"t a feeling of bragging in her speech, but rather one of a regretful past.
"So, that trivial mistake happened, didn"t it?"
"Indeed. It came unexpectedly. Because of my error, D cla.s.s was knocked down to h.e.l.l. In the end, my goals and dreams of becoming A cla.s.s collapsed."
I thought that was unfortunate, but suddenly talking about such a past troubled me. It was a rather unpleasant feeling.
"I don"t get it. What do I have to do with this personal story?"
"I feel your existence is essential to move up to A cla.s.s."
"What should I say? It"s a joke, right?"
Words couldn"t come out as I was happy about being flattered and praised unexpectedly.
"Few days ago a man contacted our school requesting to expel Kiyotaka Ayanokouji from school."
Chabas.h.i.+rsensei suddenly changed her presence as if the real issue was about to get revealed.
"That"s quite ambiguous. I don"t know who it was, but you ignored his will without expelling me, right."
"Of course. You can"t expel someone regardless what a third party is saying. As long as you are a student of this school, you are protected by the rules. However… If you cause problems it"s a different story. Smoking, stealing, cheating. If you repeat any scandal, expulsion can"t be avoided."
"I"m sorry, I didn"t intend to do anything."
"It has nothing to do with your intentions. If I perceive it as a scandal, the expulsion becomes a reality."
"Are you threatening me?"
I thought her wording was fishy, and I was right.
"Here"s the deal, Ayanokouji. You"re going to aim for A cla.s.s for me. And I will extensively follow you in order to protect you. Don"t you think that"s a nice trade?"
I thought she changed a lot from the time I first met her, but never would I have thought she"d cooperate with a student. I couldn"t close my mouth and laughed.
"Can I return? I have no intentions of listening to this anymore."
"That"s too bad, Ayanokouji. You"re gonna be expelled and D cla.s.s will once again not reach A cla.s.s."
Her speech and behavior weren"t a stunt. She was seriously intending to cut me out. She was trying to use me for dreams she couldn"t achieve.
"Let me ask you one more time. Will you aim for A cla.s.s or be expelled from school? Choose what you like."
I set my left hand on a long table and bent myself, pulling up Chabas.h.i.+rsensei"s collar.
"I"ve remembered the time Horikita expressed discomfort for you. Was it a similar feeling? As if you"re entering a person"s house with shoes on."
"—— Right"
Chabas.h.i.+rsensei who was until now completely self-a.s.sured laughed in self-mockery.
"I surprised myself. I hadn"t noticed I haven"t given up on A cla.s.s yet."
I felt her eyes got teary slightly. I couldn"t feel the usual coldness. While I was grasping my arm holding her collar, Chabas.h.i.+rsensei regained determination back in her eyes.
"I thought you would voluntarily lead D cla.s.s, but I cannot afford to give any more time. Decide now! Would you lend me your hand or not?"
Star Wars" protagonist Luke chose to return to his uncle"s farmhouse, turning down the temptation of adventure. However, he was eventually dragged into the vortex of war. That was destiny. You might say I should have taken this woman"s past story with a grain of salt. We don"t know to what extent lies the truth.
"You might regret trying to use me"
"Calm down. My life is already full of regrets"
This was a troublesome event that happened right before summer vacation. Something I don"t even want to think about. Nonetheless, I cannot lose my school life now. Throwing away your freedom in order to protect it – what a preposterous thing.