2.1

As Nagumo and his allies started arriving at the pool, I quickly withdrew.

Even if I didn't initiate contact, I knew that he would send a messenger from his side if he wanted to talk to me directly. The fact that that hadn't happened could be interpreted as him having no intention of talking to me.

In any case, it wasn't pleasant to be the centre of attention.

After I escaped, just as I had finished getting dressed in the changing room──

"Ayanokōji-senpai!"

I encountered Nanase, who saw me walking along the corridor and ran up to me with a cheerful look on her face.

Since there were so few places you could go on the ship, you would repeatedly pass by students you recognise, and so seeing each other two days in a row wasn't that unusual.

That being said, because the way she appeared was completely identical, I was reminded of the encounter we had yesterday.

"Could I have a moment of your time, please?"

She was checking my surroundings to make sure that I wasn't with anyone else. I was with Ishizaki yesterday, so she might not have been able to talk about it back then.

Somewhat disconcerted by her intense pressure, or rather, her close proximity, I nodded.

"Actually, I'm not sure if I should report this, but um, there's something that's been bothering me."

"Something bothering you?"

Nanase nodded and her cheerful expression was replaced by a more serious one. She then spoke in a whisper, paying close attention to our surroundings.

"There's something I kept quiet about, senpai. If I tell you, you might get angry…"

I might get angry? What on earth could it be?

"The thing is…"

Whispering even more quietly, Nanase was about to speak up about what she was keeping quiet, but…

"Oh? Ayanokōji-kun?"

A voice she didn't recognise called out, and Nanase hurriedly distanced herself from me.

It was Ichinose's classmate, Kobashi Yume. In the past, we wouldn't have even greeted each other if we passed each other at school. However, we spent some time together during the uninhabited island exam, albeit briefly, and it seemed to have brought a change in our relationship.

"Oh, was I a bother…? Maybe I should have waited…" she said apologetically, perhaps noticing Nanase hiding behind my body.

"No, it's okay. I was just asking Ayanokōji-senpai about something I didn't understand."

"Are you sure it's okay?"

Nanase nodded vigorously twice, as if to say it wasn't as serious as I was thinking.

"I'll call on you again when you have more time."

The only thing I knew for sure was that it wasn't something for other students to hear.

Nanase bowed deeply not only to me, but also to Kobashi, and ran off.

"Ah, sorry, I didn't realise you were in the middle of a conversation. That girl's a first-year right? Did I upset her?"

"I don't think you need to worry about that. More importantly, you wanted something from me?"

"Actually, the girls in my class are going to have a party tonight to celebrate the end of the exam. We were wondering if you'd like to join us, Ayanokōji-kun. We also wanted to thank you for helping Chihiro-chan."

So it was an invitation. However, the key phrase "girls in the class" stuck with me.

"What kind of people are going to be there?"

I was worried so I went to check, but Kobashi just tilted her head with a "hmm".

"Right now, I guess we're still fine-tuning who is coming and whatnot. There are no weirdos so you don't need to worry so much."

It wasn't that I was afraid of a strange person participating, but she didn't seem to understand.

"It's only students from your class, right Kobashi? Would it be okay for an outsider like me to join?

"Really? It's nothing like that. Hey, hey, so how about it?"

It was an invitation to a fluffy, abstract celebration party. To be honest, I wasn't really interested in going as there weren't very many people in Ichinose's class that I was close with. It was doubtful I'd be able to have a good conversation with Ichinose, especially right now. I felt a little regretful, but I decided to decline.

"Nah, I'll pa──"

Seeing that I was about to refuse, Kobashi clasped her hands together and cut me off.

"Please! This was like, a fateful meeting, right?"

It was hard to say no when she put it like that, but I couldn't give in so easily. I could see that if I just went with the flow here, it wouldn't be good for me later.

"You mean it's my fault…right?"

"Huh?"

"Yeah, I guess it's no use. I'll properly report what happened here to everyone in the class. I invited Ayanokōji-kun to the party, but I was turned down because my invitation wasn't good enough."

"Wait. Why would it end up like that?"

"So you're going to come?"

"…That's…"

"Oh you do hate it, don't you? Ahh, if only I could have asked you out a little better… I'm sorry everyone."

"It would be a problem if you get so depressed…"

"You only need to show your face…! Please, even just that! And Honami-chan is coming too!"

She clasped her hands together once again, this time with more force than before. After she had come this far, it was as if there was no way out of this situation.

"Fine, I get it. I really just need to show my face, right?"

"Yes, thank you! Ah, but don't tell Honami-chan you're coming to the party later, okay?"

She showed a smile so bright that it was hard to believe that she had been sad and depressed just moments ago. It was often said that women were born actresses. But don't tell Ichinose? That part stuck out to me a little.

"Why keep it a secret? I'd like to ask permission from everyone to see if it's okay for me to join."

If even one student didn't want me to participate, I'd prefer it if they told me without reservation. If that were to happen, I could say no again unequivocally, this time in the name of the greater good.

"You know…that's just…well…Don't you think it would be better as a surprise, Ayanokōji-kun?"

I couldn't help but think it would be a surprise of the unpleasant sort. I didn't really want to get into it, but it seemed that her classmates had a lot on their minds regarding me and Ichinose.

"Well then, we'll be waiting for you in room 5034 at 8pm, okay?"

"Room 5034…You're doing it in someone's room?"

I thought we would be using a rest area or a deck somewhere. Moreover, I could tell from the room number that this was a room where girls, not boys, were staying.

"Is that a problem?"

"It's not that it's a problem…I just feel like I'll have a harder time getting there."

"That's not the case. Right?"

Somehow, Kobashi's 'right?' left me overwhelmed and on the defensive. One after the other, my possible escape routes were being taken away.

"I'll be waiting for you then! You definitely have to come!"

Perhaps satisfied with my promise, Kobashi walked away a little too fast.

"Ah, I give up."

It wasn't really the right time to talk to Ichinose face to face. Well, I guess if it was going to be in a crowd it would be fine. If it was a party to celebrate the end of the exam, there should be more than a few boys in attendance.