Chapter - 3 Everyone and Their Day - offs

Living on this cruise ship comes with the problem of where and what kind of lunch to eat every

day.

In the mornings and evenings, the school provides buffet-style meals, which are available free of

charge.

You are free to use it or not, but it is not only free but also very tasty, making it very popular with

the students, who have three separate entry restrictions from 7:00 to 9:00 in the morning.

This is to avoid congestion.

The service is available for up to 60 minutes, and you can make a reservation from your cell

phone for any time you want.

I usually have breakfast at 8:00 a.m., but due to a late reservation, the 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m.

slots were booked on August 6, so I had to eat a little earlier at 7:00 a.m.

This makes me feel strangely hungry at this time of day, which is noon.

Perhaps it was because the caloric intake was minimal during the desert island test, and my

body was craving energy.

The café terrace is a popular place to dine, but the food prices are very high.

If you want to have lunch with a drink, you will need at least 2,000 points.

If you're looking for a fun way to eat with friends, that might be a good idea, but unfortunately,

I'm alone today.

In this situation, it would be natural to want to save money and spend as little as possible.

This is where the shops(stall type) come in handy.

In short, you can buy onigiri (rice balls), sandwiches, and other items as easily as you can at a

convenience store.

I immediately went to the store and paid 250 points for a rice ball and a small pack of tea, and

with a plastic bag in my hand, I looked for a place to eat.

You can use a suitable resting space, but it's usually occupied by someone else, so there's a

strong resistance to sharing a small space.

When it comes to places where you don't mind strangers being near you to some extent, it's

usually outside.

After a long search, I arrived at a deck near the bow of the ship on the sixth floor, overlooking

the ocean. Of course, there was no charge to use the deck, so it was a good place to buy some

food and eat it.

I thought I would have a quick snack and enjoy the magnificent view of the ocean, but the time

of day was a little wrong.

There were many students who had come here for the view, and it was hard to settle down.

Although it is a large deck, if there are many people using it, it will eventually be difficult to find

space.

I looked around and found one empty bench and Nanase sitting on the bench next to it.

A sandwich that she must have bought at the store and a pack of milk were placed beside her.

It's funny, it's the opposite of yesterday when it was the other way around.

In addition to Nanase, many other second-year students, including classmates Ijuin and Okitani.

A classmate Sakayanagi, and Ryuuen's classmates Naka Izumi and Suzuki, were having lunch

while gazing out at the ocean, just like Nanase.

After all, people usually think the same way.

I didn't move from my spot and looked towards the ocean.

Surely, a meal eaten with this view in front of you must be very tasty.

The problem, however, is that just as there are many of us in the same grade, there are also

many third-year students.

The third-year students who noticed me, though still few in number, immediately began to turn

their attention to me.

However, if you walk away immediately, it would mean that you did not like the gazes and ran

away. It could be judged as effective and encouraged.

Come to think of it, Nanase seemed to have something to talk about yesterday, too.

Remembering that the conversation had been interrupted because Kobashi had approached

me, I decided to call out to her.

It was also an excuse to stop by this place to talk to her.

"Nanase."

When I called her name, she looked backwards in surprise.

"Oh, Senpai!."

She had just put a sandwich in her mouth and was looking at me, trying to keep the ingredients

from spilling out.

I felt a little bad when I saw her start munching away in a hurry.

I had used it as a way to counter the third-year students, and it seemed to have caused Nanase

to panic in an unnecessary way.

"Oh, sorry. Shall I come back later?"

But Nanase's personality would not allow her to do so.

"Wait a minute, I'm not sure."

She couldn't spit it out now that she had it in her mouth, so she started to eat it.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, actually ... I was having a meal."

Her tone was like a secret confession, but I could tell by looking at her that she was eating.

If anything, I knew it from the moment I saw the back of her.

"Um, what can I do for you?"

Nanase still looked somewhat flustered, which made me feel a little strange.

Her gaze was restless, and she seemed to be unable to concentrate on her conversation with

me.

"Oh, no, you looked like you needed to talk yesterday. I was wondering what it was about. That

time, Kobashi approached me and I had to go."

"Uh-oh."

Her thoughts are slow and words don't come out immediately.

After thinking about it for a moment, Nanase shook her head from side to side.

"I'm sorry, but I've already solved the problem, so can we just forget about it?"

"I see. Then it's okay."

If it was a problem, I was going to talk with Nanase about it because she has helped me in

many ways, but if it was solved, I wouldn't pay attention to it. Rather, the main reason was that I

sensed an air of unconcern.

"I'm sorry to have called on you so suddenly. I'm going to go back to the ship. There are more

people than I thought, and I don't feel comfortable."

"I see. I'll see you later, senpai."

I left the place as if I had finished my business.

I looked back at the deck one more time, Nanase was facing the front and resuming her lunch.

PART 1

Eventually. To find a place for lunch, I went to the stern (rear end of the boat) of the fifth floor,

where there were fewer people.

This was the place where I had talked to Himeno last night, and I had already confirmed that it

was a place that not many people usually enter.

For the next few minutes, I forgot my original purpose and stared at the rough waves created by

the moving ship.

Then, an unexpected person approaches.

"Are you going to have lunch here all by yourself?"

"Sakayanagi . Did you happen to be here?"

I believe she was on the same floor as Nanase a while ago.

"It's just a coincidence. I'd like to say that, but I've been chasing Ayanokoji-kun."

She was chasing me? But Sakayanagi's legs were not good enough to keep up with my walking

speed.

On the other hand, there was no indication that she had anyone following her ahead of her.

"It's a simple deduction. You showed up on the bow deck earlier to have lunch, but gave up

when you saw how many people were there, didn't you? With the snacks in your hands and the

fact that you wanted a view of the ocean, it shouldn't be too hard to predict where you'll be

eating."

It means that she has completely read my pattern of behavior and has arrived here.

"Ayanokoji-kun, you also want to eat with a view, don't you?"

Unlike the one on the bow, the view isn't first-rate, but it's not every day you get to see the

ocean like this.

There is no guarantee that there will be another desert island test this time next year.

There are other events planned for the second year, including a school trip, but I don't know the

details of that.

This might be the last time I'll be able to see the ocean.

"Like this ocean, I'm sure you'll be able to see many sights you've never seen before. In that

sense, I think Ayanokoji-kun made the right choice in choosing this school."

"Yes, I think so. But I've only seen the ocean once before I enrolled in this school."

Sakayanagi looked surprised. No, perhaps it was understandable for her to be surprised. In fact,

I had never been outside the facility until I turned 14, which was my third year of junior high

school.

If you know the outline of a white room, it should be a common understanding.

The only time I saw the view was when I had a chance to go outside for a short while after I was

transferred out of the facility.I have never been in direct contact with seawater, but I have walked

along a path with a view of the ocean.

However, the first time I saw the ocean, I was not impressed.

Emotionlessly, I merely went about walking in the outside world.

"Have you ever read Under the Wheel?"

"It's a Hermann Hesse novel."

Of all the novels he has written, this one is particularly well known in Japan.

The hero of that story, Hans, was a gifted genius. He went to an elite school and was expected

to have a bright future, but after living only in academia, he began to have doubts. However, his

academic life led him to doubt himself, and in his attempt to live up to expectations, he became

frustrated and began to decline.

The protagonist Hans Giebenrath's end is tragic, and he ends up falling into a river and dying.

"What's wrong with that?"

"I don't think he was a genius. I don't think he was a genius, because true geniuses never fail. It

would be foolish for a true genius to fail, much less choose death as the end result."

Sakayanagi seems to have interpreted the death as a suicide, not an accident.

"Do you remember what I said before,'People can know the warmth by touching it. It's very

important. The warmth of human skin is not bad at all."

"You said something like that."

It was at the end of the third semester of my first year, right after the special exam.

"Hesse, who wrote under the wheel, was also as worried and frustrated as the main character,

Hans, but he was able to look forward without dying because of the existence of his family."

Because it seems that the author, Hesse, and the main character of the book, Hans, had very

similar backgrounds.

It can be seen that the story was a projection of myself.

As Sakayanagi stared at the sea, a strong gust of wind blew for a moment.

"That————"

I saw the hat lift off in an instant and immediately reached out to catch it.

"It's dangerous."

If I had been slightly late in my reaction to reach for it, Sakayanagi's hat would have taken off

into the ocean.

"Thank you."

"It's not safe to wear it on the deck."

"Hmm, yes, you're right. But it's my trademark."

Sakayanagi holds her hat in her hand and cradles it close to her chest as if it was important.

"I suddenly remembered something I've missed for a while."

"What have you missed?"

"No, it's no big deal. It's just that I have a few fond memories of the sea."

Even though the ocean looks the same, each of us has different memories of it.

"By the way, you never told me why you were coming after me."

"Would it bother you if I came after you for no reason?"

I was wondering what kind of content she would say, but she said something I hadn't thought of.

"Isn't there a reason?"

"I just wanted to talk to Ayanokoji-kun. I could have called out to you earlier, but you don't want

much people to see you talking to me, do you?"

Thank you for your consideration.

However, I'm not a good talker, so I don't have any particular topic of conversation that I can

bring up to Sakayanagi.

"Do you mind if I make one small talk?"

"Yeah. Can you tell me while I eat?"

"Please don't mind me. Just listen to what I have to say, and that will be enough."

I took one of the rice balls out of the bag and peeled off the wrapping by hand.

"Yesterday, Ichinose came to my place."

"Ichinose?"

"Yes."

Recalling the events of yesterday, Sakayanagi spoke up as she looked back.

PART 2

"Sakayanagi-san . Do you have a minute?"

After lunch, I was taking a break at a cafe on the ship's deck when Ichinose-san, who was

visiting me, approached me.

"What can I do for you?"

I knew what she was going to say before she said it, but I tilted my head curiously.

"I felt like I owed you an apology for what happened in the special exam. I did something selfish

on the last day, and I'm really sorry!"

Ichinose bowed her head to the utmost of her ability, as if she had made up her mind to some

extent that she would not be able to make excuses.

No, I don't think she'd have made a lame excuse.

For her It would be no surprise if I who lead the class A, would get angry and break off our

cooperation.

I think she felt she had done things to make me angry.

"Raise your head Ichinose-san, I'm not mad at you for anything."

"...What?"

"In fact, I believe that we have contributed enough as a group. You answered all the questions

correctly, and you played a central role in uniting different group of people living on a deserted

island. And as a result, we won third place."

"Yes, but…"

"It's true that Ichinose-san acted a bit selfishly on the last day. But the loss

She caused the group was only a few points at most. If you compare it to

your contribution, it's not something to blame. If we had fallen to a close

fourth place, you might have received some blame, but that didn't happen

either."

"But that's a consequence."

"Sometimes it's good to be consequential. Things don't always work out the way they are

supposed to. In fact, if we fought as hard as we could and came in a close fourth, the

psychological damage we suffered must have been great."

I guess Ichinose-san felt sorry for my attitude of not blaming her at all. The feeling of remorse

never went away.

"You look like you need to take responsibility for something."

"Well, maybe not that way."

"If that is the case, may I punish you?"

I'm sure you'll be able to understand why.

"Yes. I think that would clear things up for me."

" You're a very unusual person, aren't you? Well, yes. - Sit here."

I urged her to come in front of me and sit down.

She became quiet , and I had the waitress bring the menu list for her.

"Here you go, please order anything you like."

"Uh, what about the ... punishment?"

"You are now going to have afternoon tea with me for about half an hour."

"What? that's the punishment?"

"Yes, I'm going to take Ichinose-san's precious half an hour, nothing but

punishment."

"Well, I wonder if it is ..., but if Sakayanagi-san says so, I'll obey."

Ichinose-san was not sure about this, but she followed my instructions and

ordered a drink.

"You're really honest, Ichinose-san, even though you were humiliated by me

once, you don't let it affect you in the slightest."

"At the very least, People want to hide their guilty past, the past that they

don't want people to know about. Even if it is the fact as Ichinose-san says it is."

I've seen many good people, both children and adults, up close and personal.

Of course, there are many who have recognised their talents even though

they knew they were the best.

On the other hand, I've probably seen dozens of times as many incompetent

people who are completely useless.

And regardless of excellence or incompetence, I have never known a single

person who could be called pure goodness.

It is the same for my own father, mother, and even Ayanokoji-kun.

"You're hard to describe, aren't you? That's why you seem so scary at times."

"I'm ・・・・・・ scary?"

I'm sure she had never been told that before in her life.

However, I am sure that there are more than one or two people who have been afraid of this

person, Honami Ichinose.

"People who live in this world have a more or less evil side.But I don't sense any of that from

you. You're like a lump of goodness."

"That's overbearing. I've done some bad things, like in middle school."

Her shameful past, which she can never boast about, still remains as an undeniable reality.

"Your goodness here has nothing to do with those kinds of things. even if you are temporarily

involved in bad things, there is an irreplaceable goodness behind it."

Even if it's evil when it comes to the law, it can also be good depending on

how you look at it.

"That goodness is both your strength and your weakness. Be careful not to

let it take advantage of you."

"Is that about Ryuuen-san?"

"It's not just him. Me and Horikita-san, will use your goodness to win."

After a breath, I continued to convey the most important thing.

"And so will Ayanokoji-kun."

The former all applied to the leaders of each class, including Ryuuen-kun, whom she mentioned.

Ichinose-san was upset to see Ayanokoji's name come out of nowhere.

"On the last day of the desert island test, it was probably thanks to you that Ayanokoji-kun was

saved."

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Um, what's that about .....?"

"This is just a guess on my part. There are honestly a lot of things that I don't understand, so

please just think of it as me talking to myself and don't listen to me."

I could easily imagine that if I pursued the matter here, Ichinose-san would reveal some obscure

details, but I avoided it. It's so boring to hear it this way.

"I can tell by looking at you that your feelings for Ayanokoji-kun are different from those you

have for other students."

"What? No, no, no, that's not…"

"That's fine, too. It's a human instinct to have special feelings for a particular member of the

opposite sex. However, if you are too devoted, you may suffer a painful reprisal. Especially if

that person is Ayanokoji-kun."

"I don't really understand what you mean, Sakayanagi-san."

What happened today was a warning. I will not go any further here.

"That's all I'm going to say about that. It's time for afternoon tea."

When she sipped the tea that had been brought to her, she probably couldn't taste it very well.

I'm sure she couldn't forget my words and they were stuck in her head.

It was a little mercy and my strategy.

PART 3

Sakayanagi finished telling me about the exchange with Ichinose.

I had just finished eating and drinking the 200ml pack of tea.

"You are a sinful person to win the heart of Ichinose-san, who is one of the most popular

students in the school year."

It may seem like a flirtatious remark, but I can't take it in the right direction.

"That's harsh, Sakayanagi."

"Fufufu, it's my nature."

Sakayanagi is making preparations to protect Ichinose and make herself available only to her.

"If I do something to hurt Ichinose here, you will become more trusted by her."

"Because if you can gain her trust, it will be easier for you to get around in the future."

While Sakayanagi is an ally, she is also an enemy.

They're two sides of the same coin, and she's making good use of that.

"But why are you telling me this?"

"What you just told me was about Ichinose-san, but that's not what's

important right now. It's about the fact that more and more people are gradually learning about

Ayanokouji-kun in this school life. And they seem to be very interested in you."

Certainly, if her relationship with Ichinose had remained strong during the

uninhabited island test, she wouldn't have rushed to me, to the annoyance of her friends.

"As a addition to that, the third-year students were giving you strange looks, weren't they?"

I see. I guess she was after me for a chat, but that's the main point, isn't it? In

that short time, Sakayanagi realised that I was being watched by third-year students. That's

impressive.

I guess what she said earlier was just a preparatory step to mentioning this.

"Are you having trouble with the third graders?"

"Well, if you call it trouble, it's trouble. I think I've made an enemy of a troublesome opponent."

"Troublesome opponent ... is the student body president, isn't it?"

Nagumo was the only one who came to mind as a possible strong opponent among the

upperclassmen.

"I had a row with the student council president on the last day of the

uninhabited island. It seems that he missed out on first place because of it,

and they're looking at me like I'm the enemy."

"So He lost his position by trying to stage a dramatic victory."

"You were aware of that as well?"

"I think the majority of people in the uninhabited island test would agree that

Kouenji-kun single-handedly came 1st. However, we knew early on that the student council

president was deliberately holding back on scoring points. If he made too big of a difference, it

would have blatantly highlighted the picture that the entire third grade was trying to make a

particular group win. I was also able to see the strategy by looking at the type of cards in their

possession."

I thought I had fully acknowledged Sakayanagi's abilities, but she still went

even further in her assessment.

It was proof that she had a perfect grasp of the entirety of the special uninhabited island test,

and its flow.

"Is there anything I can help you with?"

"No, don't worry, Nagumo isn't one to make a move lightly. Besides,

Sakayanagi took care of me a lot during the uninhabited island test. I can't

rely on her any more."

"You don't have to worry about that. I'm glad that you relied on me, and I also took full

advantage of Ayanokouji-kun's suggestion."

"Use? What do you mean?"

Chuckling, Sakayanagi narrowed her eyes and stared at the ocean.

"The other day in the uninhabited island exam, as the ending approached, I judged that it would

be difficult to take first and second place, since the

scoring pace of Kouenji-kun and the student council president's group was

faster than the maximum score our group could have obtained."

Well, that's understandable. Those two groups were fighting in a different dimension.

"We were aiming for third place, but one of our rivals at the end was Ryuuen-kun's group.

Because he and Katsuragi-kun were in a small group, but they were showing tremendous

persistence. So I asked for his help and decided to pit him against Housen-kun."

"I see, that's how it works."

"No matter what form it takes, if Ryuuen-kun deviates from the main test,

his scoring will be slowed down. As a result, he ended up retiring, which was the best way for

us."

She had succeeded in crushing her rival Ryuuen's existence while helping me.

But even after hearing all this, there are still some things I don't understand.

Ryuuen had been working hard for two weeks to get on the podium, but he

had easily cooperated with Sakayanagi.

It was not hard to imagine that he would not be safe if he ran into Housen.

The only thing that was clear was that some kind of promise had been made....

If he was willing to give up the possibility of third place, it would be more than a small deal.

"Didn't they make you pay a substantial price ..., for example, a high

amount of private points?"

If Sakayanagi had successfully used the cards possessed by his

classmates, she would have had some income.

No wonder she offered it to Ryuuen, who was trying to collect a huge amount of private points.

"I haven't paid him a single point, and I don't plan to in the future."

"So you're saying it's not money."

In this school, the exchange of private points is basically a standard part of the transaction.

"I know it sounds like a riddle, but I can't even tell Ayanokoji-kun right now. This is a promise

made between him and me. Until he tells me to fulfill the promise in the near future."

"That wish will not be good for him in the near future," Sakayanagi said.

With that in mind, no wonder private points were not a monetary reward.

"Anyway, please be careful Ayanokouji-kun, even if one problem is solved, The White Room

students still exist, and the problem of the third years has also come up."

"It's a long list , but I'll try to keep an eye out."

I heard a ringtone coming from Sakayanagi' phone.

Sakayanagi lightly turns me down and receives a call from someone.

"Well… I see. I'll be right there."

After finishing the call on her cell phone without talking more than five seconds, Sakayanagi

leaves the railing.

"I have an appointment with someone after this, so I'll be going now."

"I see. See you later."

"It was a pleasure talking to you. See you later."

After watching Sakayanagi slowly walk away, I decided to look at the ocean

For some time.

PART 4

On the same day, Amasawa was wandering around the ship by herself.

Sometimes her classmates would talk to her, but she would just smile and be done with the

conversation.

Not once did she feel like playing in a crowd with anyone.

"I wish I could see Ayanokoji-senpai!"

Amasawa muttered out on the deck, her voice lightly drowned out by the sound of the wind. For

Amasawa, who has no interest in the other students, the only time she feels good is when she is

meeting Ayanokoji, the only person she admires. However, due to the position she was in, she

is deliberately refrained from contacting Ayanokoji at the moment.

"Uu~, I am super bored~"

"Good day, Amasawa Ichika-san."

Sakayanagi Arisu, class A, year 2, approached Amasawa, who was alone on the deck looking

out at the ocean.

Without any special surprise, Amasawa only looked at her.

"Who are you?"

Amasawa tilted her head curiously, as if she was seeing her for the first time.

"I'm Sakayanagi Arisu, class A, second year. Please make my acquaintance."

"Sakayanagi... senpai? What do you want from me?"

"Fufu, no need for roundabout talks. You're a White Room student, aren't you, Amasawa-san,

and I'm sure you know who I am."

White room student, if I hear that word, I have no choice but to understand.

"I see…so it is the Chancellor's daughter that Ayanokouji-senpai turned to. You seems to know

a bit about the White Room, so I guess you could say it

was inevitable. So?"

Not surprised, Amasawa asks Sakayanagi what she wants.

"It's natural to want to see how good a White Room student he was concerned about is."

"It's good that you're so motivated, but does that mean you have permission

from Ayanokoji-senpai?"

"Permission? I don't need anything like that. It's my own personal decision to be here."

"You're a very confident person, Arisu-senpai."

"I'm proud to say that I'm that good."

"Cool!"

Amasawa clapped her hands in praise, but seemed somewhat preoccupied.

"But I'm sorry. I'm feeling a little sentimental right now. Can we do this another time?"

"That's fine. I just wanted to meet you today."

Satisfied with the greeting, Sakayanagi bowed lightly and turned to leave.

"Oh, and Arisu-senpai, you're not going to make them keep an eye on me all the time, are you?"

Sakayanagi had been using some of the A class students to keep track of her position until she

found Amasawa.

"I had instructed them not to be found by you, but did you notice?"

"Hahaha, they think they were hiding behind that thing? That's so cute."

"I apologize for any discomfort I may have caused you. But as you can see, I'm crippled, so it's not easy for me to locate and go see people otherwise.

Please bear with me."

"Oh, I have one question~. I'm a girl who can hit a disabled person without

hesitation, is that okay?"

"Violence is one of the strongest cards, but it's not necessarily the strongest."

With that, Sakayanagi thumped her cane lightly against the deck two or three

times.

Perhaps that was the signal for her classmate, Kamuro, to appear in the

distance.

"You must be the senior who was following me around. Is it possible that this senpai can

compete with me?"

"No, it's not. It's just that barbaric acts can be easily detected."

"You mean you want to have a brainstorming session with me? You're

making me laugh."

"That's very short-sighted of you. Please don't draw your own conclusions. After all, even the

White Room students, except for Ayanokoji-kun, are probably failures. I'm not expecting too

much from you."

At this point, Amasawa's gaze sharpened for the first time, and she looked at Sakayanagi.

"I mean, I'll give you a win or a loss no matter what the method is."

"Really? Even if it's the violence you just mentioned?"

Intrigued by Sakayanagi for the first time, Amasawa licked her thumb.

"Yes, of course. You can use any method you want."

"I'll remember that for you, senpai."

"It will be a pleasure if it is engraved in your brain. Have a good day."

Sakayanagi slowly walked away, leaving Amasawa to catch her breath on the now empty deck.

"Maybe I can have a bit of fun without Ayanokoji-senpai. I guess I'd be in an exciting mood if I was playing with Kushida-senpai, or enjoying watching Arisu-senpai

cry... If it was any other time, I'd be in an exciting mood."

I put my hand lightly on my aching abdomen and think about what I'm going

to do.

"──I guess I'll just stay calm for now."

It'll take a little while until I'm fully recovered.

Besides, I can't make a move until I see what that side does.

Sakayanagi, on the other hand, left with Kamuro and returned to the corridor.

"That first year looks bad, doesn't she?"

"Oh, can you tell?"

"Somehow, I do. I guess I've known you long enough that I've developed some weird senses.

Honestly, I don't want to have anything to do with you anymore."

"You should cherish that feeling. Nevertheless, I think she should be monitored to some extent."

She advised not to monitor her, but Sakayanagi had no intention of

listening to her.

Amasawa would not be able to ignore her if she knew that she was still relentlessly monitoring

her.

And if she did, she might as well try to provoke her.

"She did notice that I was following her, right? Do you want to use Hashimoto?"

"He might be able to get us through it well even if he's been spotted. ..."

Badly contacting the White Room student could be detrimental later on.

"Thank you for your efforts for the moment, Masumi-san."

With her task done, Kamuro quickly left the place.

Sakayanagi then took out her cell phone and made a single call.

"Can you please continue?"

She asked the caller to keep an eye on Amasawa on her phone and added one last thing.

"After all, it seems that you are the only one I can rely on in class, Yamamura-san."