Chapter 5 Part VIII

"It was a good day, today was fun. Right, everyone?".

"Yeah. It was fun being able to talk to Horikita-san and Sakura-san. Let's play together again".

The girls of Class B seemed to have spent the last day of the vacations satisfactorily since they thanked us. Sakura, too, seemed to have opened up a little since she showed a small smile.

On the other hand, Ike and Yamauchi, as well as Sudou, seemed to be uneasy as after some farewells they got into the elevator.

"Ayanokouji, we'll be coming to play in your room later".

Leaving behind such an unnecessary word, they left.

"I wonder what happened? I got a more cheerful impression from them though".

"Today they seemed especially strange. It seems a certain someone knows what the matter is though".

They slighly glanced towards me, but I persisted in making no comments on it. I have various reasons for it.

"Then, I'll see you again at school, Ayanokouji-kun".

"See you again tomorrow then.....".

Parting ways with Kushida and Sakura too, only me and Horikita were left in the lobby. I had thought she had only stayed behind to avoid Kushida but even when another elevator arrived she made no move to get on.

"You're not going back?"

"How about you? If you're fine with it, when don't we have a little walk?".

"I guess so".

As I left the lobby with Horikita once again, while looking up at the sky dyed by the color of the sunset we walked along a tree-lined road.

"I had fun today. Occasionally it might not be too bad to have such a vacation too" she said.

That is, as the person in question admits too, a most surprising statement. Horikita speaks slowly as her hair which had not fully dried yet flutters.

"From tomorrow, the second semester begins. Surely a tougher battle than the first semester awaits us".

"I suppose so".

The school should have normally given the newly enrolled students easy-to-understand, simple tests. Yet the survival test on the uninhabited island, or having us deceive one another on the cruise ship, only tests far removed from ordinary high school students continued to be repeated. There's no way of knowing how much hardship awaits us from now.

"I've been thinking various things over the summer vacation. The things I have done, I was able to do".

"And what could you tell from that?" I asked her.

"That's a secret.....even if I told you, you'd only laugh at me".

Perhaps there was something she thought was shameful, but saying that she dodged the question.