Chapter 5: Ubiquitous Things Part 4

Since I missed out on lunch, I was more excited than usual about today’s dinner. After securing my seat, I immediately began eating my meal.

“Kiyopon, is the seat beside you free?”.

I heard Haruka’s voice. When I turned to look, all the members of the Ayanokouji Group had assembled.

“Good grief, Kiyopon’s been hard to find these past few days”.

“…sorry. I didn’t really know what to do in a cafeteria this spacious”.

Since we’re all supposed to be acting together in groups, it must have been difficult to assemble the usual members of the group. Since there aren’t enough seats where I’m sitting, I moved to a place that could accomodate all five of us.

“I-It’s been a while, Kiyotaka-kun”.

Airi said bashfully. It certainly is unusual for us to not talk to one another at all for around a week. Because even during the long holidays, we’d call each other or meet up.

“More importantly, is Miyachi doing alright? You’re with Ryuuen-kun, right?”.

Haruka questioned Akito about that. Perhaps she heard about him from somewhere too.

“Well, somehow I guess. I am keeping my guard up around him but he doesn’t really seem any different than usual. He’s even taking our lessons very seriously”.

“Even during Zazen and the long-distance relay?”.

“Yeah. He’s so normal it’s almost scary. On the contrary, he’s holding himself together far better than the clumsier ones. It’s just, I tried talking to him a few times but he didn’t seem like he wanted to hang out with anybody”.

“Maybe the shock of losing a fight made him go nuts?”.

“I don’t know about that. He’s not really the type of person who dwells on the past”.

Akito braced himself, as though saying he can’t afford to let his guard down.

“More importantly, what about you? Are you getting along well with the others?”.

“Me? Nothing much going on with me. I’m not really close with anyone and I’m not really quarrelling with anyone either. Airi and I are in the same group so that suits me just fine”.

“I’m glad Haruka-chan’s there for me”.

Apparently the two of them are in the same group. It must be very reassuring to have even one intimate friend there with you.

“Looks like our group’s the biggest problem, Kiyotaka”.

“Maybe so”.

“Ehh, really?”.

Haruka and Airi looked at each other, as though saying they haven’t heard any rumors in particular.

“There’s Kouenji, who doesn’t listen to anyone, and Ishizaki, who snaps at just about anyone, there after all. We can’t control him either. Maybe that’s because Albert’s there with him. They really are a pain”.

“So Kouenji-kun’s with you too…..are you ok, Kiyotaka-kun?”.

“He’s not exactly directly harmful”.

“If anything, Ishizaki’s the problem, right? Maybe he’s acting all high and mighty because Ryuuen-kun got beaten? Up until a while ago, he was nothing more than a lackey”.

As for Ishizaki, I feel like him being put in the same group with me is the main cause for this. Feeling anger and frustration without any outlet, he may be taking it out on anyone who isn’t me.

“In any case, I need to work hard too as the leader……”.

Keisei, with a bomb strapped onto him, is desperately trying to unite the group somehow.

“You boys have it rough too~”.

“S-Somehow I feel like we’re the ones out of place here”.

“Isn’t that just fine? If you guys are doing fine, then that also puts our minds at ease. Right?”.

What Akito says is correct.

Even though I’m getting information from Kei, there are still parts of the girls’ situation I cannot see. If Haruka and Airi are in the same group, advancing steadily without any problems whatsoever, then that just means we can afford to focus more on ourselves.

It’s finally Tuesday, the 6th day of our training camp. And as such, I began to hear some rather strange complaints coming from the boys. That they’re starting to miss the opposite sex. Complaints like that. Somehow, I feel like the number of boys looking forward to dinner has increased.

Being surrounded by boys like yourself certainly is calming but it’s not exactly glamorous.

“Ahh, shit. I feel like I’m starting to lose my mind surrounded by guys”.

“I’d already be dead if this were a boys’ school”.

That opinion was expressed equally by everyone in the group.

“Anyways, it’s starting to stink with only the guys around”.

It’s inevitable that in time, he’d get the image of us being a sweaty bunch. But the truth is, there aren’t many students who are even sweating here. I’m just grateful it’s not summer.

But personally, I feel rather at ease being with the guys. It bears repeating since it’s important.

“Ahh, my hips……”.

While we were in the middle of cleaning, Keisei screamed and crouched down right there and then. Every day, no matter what lessons are held, we are to clean and prepare breakfast.

Students who aren’t very fit are reaching their limit. Keisei, who has admitted to not having much confidence in his own physical abilities, complains about the pain. The area we’re to clean is a large one and therefore our group, which is already a small one, must work harder than the others since even losing one man would hurt us.

“What do you mean your hips hurt? Do it properly”.

Ishizaki approached Keisei and forcibly pulled him up by the arm.

“I-I know that. I’ll do it properly so please let go of me”.

“Then do it properly”.

Ishizaki spat that out and went back to his own job.

Keisei immediately tried to resume cleaning, but his body wouldn’t move properly. In particular, it was clear that he can’t move the leg he sprained too well.

“Kuu”.

Keisei softly moaned. He seems to be enduring the pain but if he pushes himself too far, it’ll have an effect on tomorrow.

“Take a break, I can take your place”.

Since there’s no helping it, I decided to clean the spot Keisei’s cleaning in his stead.

“Sorry about this, Kiyotaka”.

“We help each other out when one’s in trouble”.

And this should solve the problem. However…

“You just said you’d do it yourself, didn’t you?”.

Perhaps he didn’t like the fact that I was lending a helping hand, Ishizaki interrupted like that. But without making eye contact with me.

“I can handle it here”.

I replied. But Ishizaki doesn’t seem to be satisfied with that answer. He continues speaking harshly towards Keisei while determinedly ignoring me.

“You’re the leader, aren’t you? Don’t complain about something like cleaning”.

“…I know that”.

Keisei’s feeling responsible. It’s inevitable he’d answer like that when pressed.

“You don’t get it. Right now you’re trying to push it onto someone else. I don’t like it that you’re doing that. Say you’ll do it yourself”.

“…I get it. I’ll do it”.

“That’s what I’m talking about. Whatever you do, don’t lend him a hand, Ayanokouji”.

Ishizaki spoke to me for the first time. And then immediately distanced himself from me as though in escape.

“Even if it means Keisei will injure himself in the process?”.

“If he gets injured enough that he can’t keep going then that’s it for him”.

Apparently Ishizaki won’t acknowledge any attempt to help Keisei out even if it comes at the expense of the group.

Albert silently went up to Ishizaki and tried to say something but it doesn’t look like he’s willing to listen.

“Sorry, Kiyotaka. Looks like I’ll just have to hang in there”.

Probably because he felt that the group’s mood would worsen if he didn’t do so. Over the past few days, Ishizaki probably hasn’t been too happy about Keisei’s attitude.

Perhaps he couldn’t let the fact that Keisei came here only to rely on someone else slide. And Keisei also understood that, which is why he took the warning to heart and decided to do it himself.

Still, pushing himself too far here may have consequences later down the line.

Even if he holds out for today, there’s no telling what will happen tomorrow. The actual exam itself includes physically taxing assessments such as Zazen and the long-distance relay.

When that time comes, he may suffer even more than he’s suffering right now. I’d like to inform Ishizaki of that somehow but it doesn’t look like it’s going to be that simple.

“Oi, Ishizaki. That’s taking it too far”.

Yahiko, having seen the situation play out, rebuked Ishizaki.

“It’s his fault for not even being able to clean properly, right?”.

“I know that. But in that case, what about him? Go warn him too”.

Yahiko said that and pointed at Kouenji, who had yet to show any sign of cleaning since the very first day.

“I can’t communicate with that guy in Japanese. I don’t have time to persuade a gorilla”.

It’s not like he hadn’t even warned him once since Ishizaki’s already warned Kouenji many times over. Despite all that, he’s showing no sign of doing anything and so Ishizaki gave up.

In that sense, the difference between Keisei and Kouenji would be that you could communicate with one of them.

“If you’ve got a problem with that then you go and persuade him yourself. It’ll just be a waste of your time though”.

“That’s……alright, I just have to go for it, right?”.

Yahiko grabbed a nearby broom and walked towards Kouenji.

“It’s pointless. Just wait and see”.

Ishizaki laughed mockingly. Yahiko pushed the broom onto Kouenji and tried persuading him to clean too. But after a few minutes of doing so, he fled while looking completely exhausted.

Even though we’ve been part of the same group for a few days now, in the end we’re still enemies. There’s no way it would go well. The majority of students probably want to disband this group as soon as possible. However, the important thing here is that not every group is like ours. Even if it’s only superficial, it’s also true that there are groups that are deepening ties between themselves to the point they’re almost like actual classmates.

This isn’t limited to just the 1st years but rather, the same phenomenon can be observed in the senior students who have stabilized interclass relations. It’s because they all probably understand that cooperating here is also for their own sakes.

Students who are able to think ahead and students who act solely out of malevolence.

Unless there’s an overwhelming difference in ability, it’s not that hard to predict the outcome.

“Ahh, I can’t do this. This is way too stupid. Why do I have to play friends with the guys from the other classes? Right, Albert?”.

Albert did not agree with or deny that but Ishizaki continued to speak alone.

“I hate this group from the bottom of my heart. That gorilla Kouenji and also that mouthy Yukimura who can’t even do marathon training properly. That silly Class B and the Class A that doesn’t do anything at all. So damn idiotic”.

Slam. Ishizaki kicks the broom.

“You’re free to badmouth us all you want but please do the cleaning”.

“Shut it. Kouenji’s not doing it so why should I?”.

“Then you don’t have any right to warn Yukimura in the first place, do you?”.

Hashimoto tried to explain that but Ishizaki is no longer listening. He abandoned cleaning altogether. ‘Toilet’ was all he said before he left. Unable to stop him, Keisei bit his lips in frustration.

“Keisei, it’s best if you stop trying to shoulder everything. You can’t change anything in the one or two days left. You may come to regret it later if you make a mistake in your judgement right now”.

I gave him that piece of advice. No, I tried to confirm that again with him.

“I get that, but there’s no other way, is there? If I rely on someone else, Ishizaki will alienate himself more and more from the group. But if I don’t do anything then the probability of our group being in last place is high. In that case, I have to do it regardless of whether it’s reckless or not, right?”.

If there’s no other way except what Keisei just said then the option of recklessly going at it certainly would be the best one out of the options available. If there are no available options then one must somehow forge a new path.

However, right now it doesn’t seem like Keisei’s up to the task of forging that new path or in other words, creating an option.

Someone who is capable of understanding this group and taking action for the sake of others. I looked at Hashimoto, the man quietly cleaning away. Stopping Ishizaki from going after Kouenji on the second day, he gives me the impression of someone who’s making sure to bring the group together from an appropriate distance. He also acted perfectly during marathon training.

I don’t know how highly Sakayanagi and Katsuragi value him but I believe he’s a highly capable man. This is based on the assumption that I’d be fighting him as an enemy but even more than the aggressive Sakayanagi and the conservative Katsuragi, he’s someone who’s hard to read and therefore, hard to fight against.

“For the record, don’t forget that I’m here too. If there’s anything troubling you, I’ll help out as much as I can”.

“Thank you, Kiyotaka. Hearing that puts me at ease a bit”.

If these words can put Keisei at ease then it’s nothing much for me to say them.