Classroom of the Elite (LN)-Vol 155 Chapter 6.2: An Intertwined Past Part 2

On the same day the teachers drank and complained together.

Ignorant students were trying to make memories with their friends in the time they had left on this luxury cruiser.

But I, Horikita Suzune, was trying to use the remaining vacation time for something completely different.

In front of the private pool entrance, an employee manning a counter was established.

If it were less crowded I would have gone there, paid points and used the private pool.

But the private pool seemed popular with students. I wonder if the reservations aren’t almost completely filled.

Of course, those are fortunate circumstances for me though.

“Excuse me. I’m considering a reservation for the private pool.”

I spoke with the employee manning the counter. As if they had already had the same conversation with many students, they familiarly started a simple explanation.

“Please enter your desired time. In case it is taken, you can also wait for cancellation.”

The employee said that and presented me with a board.

I didn’t go to this place in order to enjoy the private pool.

I went out of my way to get the board before my eyes into my hands.

“I’ll borrow this.”

The reception in cafes and similar places were all operated through tablets or similar devices.

But with their timeslots divided into one-hour intervals and reservations available from even a few days before, the private pool had everything written on paper.

I pretended to look for a day and time I could reserve it on and entered a representative.

The truth was that I had intended to settle this in the treasure hunt a few days ago.

The participants numbered about half of the students.

As for the 1st years, the participation rate surpassed 66%.

I was looking at the handwriting of the 1st year students who had participated before the test had ended, but there wasn’t even one candidate who aligned with the handwriting in my memories.

Was the person who gave me that paper unexpectedly within the 34%?

No, or or did they not participate so that their handwriting wouldn’t be recognized?

Anyway, with that I’ve been looking for the remaining 34% of the 1st years.

Although I’m surprised at the private pool’s reservation rates.

Including the last day, almost all time slots are full.

Despite there being a cancellation fee if you book a few days before, there were many students who thought to book in advance. It really is popular.

There was a field in which I could write my representative’s name and the number of people, but there was no need to write the school year.

The letters on that paper I saw were truly beautiful.

I flipped the pages to see all of the students, but I couldn’t see handwriting on the same level.

I had thought that I wouldn’t be able to find it easily but it looks like it’s as I had thought.

Opportunities to check students’ handwriting and names don’t come very often.

Seeing as to how I couldn’t find it, it was time to start my labour.

It was necessary to look at each and every name and cross-reference them with the OAA.

Though the reservation list didn’t have hundreds of names on it, just cross-referencing all of them would take time. It would be simple to skip students who wrote with dirty words or habitually badly drawn letters, but I want to determine who I can exclude here with accuracy and certainty.

1-B Kibayashi-kun, 1-D Mochidzuki-kun are out. Etou-san… she participated in yesterday’s treasure hunt so I’ve already checked her handwriting, so she’s out. As if the receptionist had different duties to attend to, they held their phone in their hands and didn’t pay much attention to what I was doing with the name registry, which I was thankful for.

That being said, I really can’t find them easily. To be sure I looked at the 2nd and 3rd years who participated in the treasure hunt in the name registry, but no one who resembled it was there.

Where on earth is the person who wrote that paper…

When I had finished eliminating my 9th person, several minutes had already passed.

The receptionist would probably get suspicious of me soon. I didn’t expect someone to call me from behind.

“Um, will you take more time?”

“Eh!? Eh, yes. I’m having a bit of a hard time syncing with my friend.”

I was so focused on the name registry that I hadn’t noticed the student standing behind me.

I had thought that there would be almost no students who would reserve, but I was wrong…

It would be difficult to make them wait for longer in eliminating names from the list.

If that’s the case then I judged that it would be better to let this boy reserve first.

From what I could see he was a 1st year student who wasn’t an honors student.

“It seems like I’ll still take some time to decide, so please go first.”

“Is that so? Then please excuse me.”

The male student said and accepted the board from me.

His height is tall, about a little bit shorter than Sudou-kun. I used my phone pretending to chat with a friend as I waited for the visitor to finish reserving.

Was it because the time slots he could take were limited? He took faster than expected.

Before long he finished writing and turned back to me.

“Thank you very much. Please excuse me.”

Having received the name registry from him as he relieved himself, I looked at his name right away.

“…It’s here.”

Name of representative, Ishigami Kyou. The number of guests, five.

Since he didn’t participate in the treasure hunt, it’s the first time I’m seeing his name.

When I examined his name on the OAA which I had already opened, I learned that he was also from 1-A.

His letters were refined so much that it’d be no wonder if you said that he had been doing calligraphy for many years.

However, the thing called writing was extremely easy to develop habits in. It wasn’t the one I saw on the island which was like a copybook from a machine. Still, it’s true that it’s the closest handwriting I’ve found yet. If I had had the paper on hand then I would have been able to cross-reference them in detail, but since Amasawa-san tore it apart that wouldn’t happen. I can’t get any conclusive evidence that the writing in my memories and the characters Ishigami-kun wrote are truly different.

After staring at it, I felt a sensation similar to Gestaltzerfall.

(TN: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gestaltzerfall?oldid=492430029)

Since I’ve just been looking at characters for the past few days, it looks like it’s had various effects on my brain.

“I’m sorry, could you please wait?”

Towards Ishigami-kun who was going away, I raised my voice a little to stop him.

When he turned around in confusion, I continued like this.

“The truth is I’m done talking with my friend now. It looks like we’ll have the same time you got. So won’t you please talk with me a little bit?”

No matter what the topic, I want to get a hint on whether or not he’s the one who alluded to Ayanokouji-kun’s expulsion.

“It isn’t as if we can’t discuss this, but I’ve already told my friend just now that I reserved that time slot.”

He turned to me and raised his phone up to his face.

For now I’ve successfully stopped and secured him. If the person before my eyes is the person who wrote the paper on the island, then even if I don’t know how he got it to my tent, there’s a sufficient possibility that he knows me.

“Could you please show me the registry one more time?”

“Of course. Sorry about this.”

“No, I don’t mind Horikita-senpai.”

He called my name. My heartbeat quickened just a little bit.

“…You know my name. I don’t remember speaking with you though.”

“In the special exam right after I had enrolled, I’ve more or less memorized the names of the 2nd years who are good in academics.”

The convenient OAA could also be used to memorize names from other years.

“You have a good memory. I had also intended to memorize the students who were good at academics to some extent, but I didn’t notice you, Ishigami-kun.”

“I’m not one to stand out.”

Without disputing or doubting me, our conversation proceeded smoothly.

I wasn’t able to gain anything decisive, but as I thought his writing gives me a different feeling.

Thinking that it would be inexcusable to keep him for any longer, I made to send him back.

“Can I ask you something, Horikita-senpai?”

However, this time Ishigami-kun spoke to me.

“When you called out to me, you said that you had intended to memorize the students with high academic ability, but that you didn’t notice me right?”

“Yes. Is there something wrong?”

I don’t remember saying anything strange though…

“Do you really not remember me?”

He confirmed as if to make sure of something.

“Of course, that’s true.”

I truthfully didn’t have any memories of Ishigami-kun.

“Then, when did you learn that I was good at academics? If it was while you were arranging a reservation with your friend, then I think opening the OAA and confirming there would’ve taken some time though.”

In response to his sharp identification that I had not thought of, I wasn’t able to respond right away.

Nothing was strange until I had seen his name in the name registry. But indeed as Ishigami-kun said, it was strange that I knew that he had a high scholarly ability.

I thought that he would have said that sooner, but he took his time putting it out there.

Right when he was about to leave without any trouble. It’s as if he waited for me to lower my guard then.

“I had just happened to have OAA open. Your name was in the reservation list, so I checked your face in case I’d speak to you.”

It’s a far-fetched excuse but not necessarily impossible.

Ishigami-kun finished chatting with his friend on the phone and unconcernedly changed his reservation time.

“Is that so? I’m truly sorry for suspecting you strangely.”

“It’s fine. You were a bit surprised, so it’s understandable that you were suspicious.”

“Then, excuse me.”

“Ah… right. Ishigami-kun, thank you truly for this.”

“I don’t mind, but-“

He was about to say something but it looked as if he was hesitating about his next words just a little bit.

“What is it?”

“Nothing. Let’s meet again, Horikita-senpai.”

“Yes. See you again.”

It didn’t develop as I had thought it would. Ishigami-kun faced his back towards me and started walking.

I don’t think his handwriting matches, but he’s a strangely interesting student.

Right now it seems I should write him off in a grey area, close to white.

I stood still with the name registry on hand as I saw him off until he could no longer be seen.

Since I’ve already taken a reservation, it would be unnatural for me to examine the name registry.

I need to remember to set aside time to cancel this.

And since I haven’t gained a lead, I need to think about what I’ll do next.

“You’re making quite a difficult face~ Horikita-san.”

Curiously, Hoshinomiya-sensei showed herself and called out to me.

She seemed to be together with her Kanzaki-kun from the class she handled as she met eyes with me.

“Is that so? I don’t think it’s different from always though.”

“Really? Maybe-“

The thing that’s bothering me more than that is Hoshinomiya-sensei placing her hand on the wall.

“Um, are you not feeling very well?”

“Aah~ this? Don’t mind this, it’s a sickness peculiar to adults.”

A sickness peculiar to adults? I wonder what kind of sickness it is…

“Anyway, the handsome kid from just now… u-mm, who was it~. I feel like I’ve seen them somewhere before.”

The one Hoshinomiya-sensei had just passed through couldn’t have been anyone but Ishigami-kun.

“It’s Ishigami-kun from 1-A.”

Before I had even replied, Kanzaki-kun answered from beside her.

“Eh? A 1st year? Well, if it were a 2nd or 3rd year it’d be natural for you to know them but…”

Hoshinomiya-sensei tilted her neck in confusion.

“What’s wrong? Is it something about him?”

If I could get some sort of clue… I thought and asked.

“No, though I feel like I’ve seen him in this school once quite a while back… I might be mistaken. Sorry Horikita-san, I’m a bit useless!”

Hoshinomiya-sensei tottered on her feet as she ran off to the deck.

Thinking that something was wrong, I chased her back.

“Ah, ugugu-hiii!”

I don’t really know why, but she screamed in pain while going outside. And, after she conspicuously made an uu sound from her throat, Hoshinomiya-sensei held her hand to her mouth and grabbed the handrails on the deck.

“Orooroorooro!!”

A sparkling (it wasn’t actually that pretty though) wave of vomit was carried away by the sea breeze and into the ocean. I was a little bit later than Kanzaki-kun, and together we only stared.

What on earth is she showing us I wonder…

“Sensei… I think there are many problems with that.”

I pointed out her sense of hygiene and morals.

“Uuu, the seasickness and hangover are mixing, sorry Horikita-sa-ororororo!”

At least the only thing below us was the sea.

“Sorry, as I thought I’ll go back to my room and sleeeep… I was in the middle of talking with you Kanzaki-kun sorryy.”

“Please don’t mind it. I will call you again.”

“And sorry for showing something weird to you too Horikita-san… upu!”

As she was waving her hand around, she immediately returned it to her mouth and ran back into the ship.

“…What a busy person.”

“It’d be strange if I wasn’t used to this.”

“Have you seen this many times?”

“In our homeroom classes in the morning, she’s shown us that up to three times.”

That is… how should I say it, condolences.

After we could no longer see Hoshinomiya-sensei, I gave a small bow to Kanzaki-kun and walked off.

“Horikita, what kind of relationship do you have with Ishigami?”

He called me with unexpected words.

“What kind, means?”

Since the true meaning of his words was unclear, I couldn’t reply with anything but that.

“You were talking with that guy right?”

“From the way you talk, it looks like you’ve known him for some time. You also know his name after all.”

“In the test we had right after being promoted to 2nd year, we had a lot of opportunities to contact 1st years.”

Most excellent students within the 1st year were within Sakayanagi-san or Ryuuen-kun’s classes.

It would be no wonder if Ishizaki-kun got to know him from that, but…

It’s a bit unexpected that Kanzaki-kun whom I usually don’t speak with would initiate.

“I ended up butting heads with him in the private pool reservations. Then,”

Even though I gave a simple explanation, Kanzaki-kun discreetly seemed to not understand something.

“By the way, from your viewpoint is he a junior I can trust?”

I still don’t know how much of a testificate he could be with regards to the clues I’m chasing.

Therefore, I want to get information from even one more person.

“There is nothing to criticize about his academics. That is as the OAA says.”

“Yes, he was declared A with no complaints.”

In contrast to that however, his physical ability was designated as a low D.

“But being able to study doesn’t equal being trustworthy.”

“Why do you want to know if he can be trusted? I don’t think it has anything to do with the reservations.”

Right now, we’re in the middle of summer break with no special exams occuring.

Indeed, it wouldn’t be strange even if he was curious about that point.

I was curious about Ishigami-kun so I asked him, but let’s end this here.

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it. I just wanted to ask more or less.”

Since I couldn’t give him information related to the handwriting I tried moving the conversation along.

But without taking his eyes off me he continued.

“It’s not as if I don’t have the resources to determine whether or not you can trust that man.”

It’s a strange and roundabout way to say it, but Kanzaki-kun knew about Ishigami-kun.

“If you can answer my question, I don’t mind telling you about Ishigami.”

I had judged him to be in a grey area close to white, so there was no need to force a conversation. But Kanzaki-kun’s expression at this time was different from the calm he usually shows. It weighed on my mind.

“A question? What is it?”

“For a short while here I will be inquiring about your class.”

“…My class?”

“Particularly among them… I want to know Ayanokouji’s true strength.”

“I wouldn’t be able to answer even if you ask me such a thing. Can’t you ask him directly?”

While I was surprised in my heart that Ayanokouji-kun’s name appeared here, I tried to avoid that topic.

“If I had he wouldn’t have answered me honestly, would he?”

“That might be the case. But you can’t trust words from me either can you?”

“One consultation is enough.”

“I’ve been with him for a long time, but I don’t know anything about him.”

“Not knowing anything about him is too much of an exaggeration. Even hypothetically, if you call yourself a class leader then you should know about your classmates to a certain extent.”

“I still haven’t gained the trust of all my classmates. That goes for Ayanokouji-kun as well.”

I still don’t have the qualifications to proudly call myself a leader.

At the very least, I can’t be someone like Sakayanagi-san, Ichinose-san or Ryuuen-kun.

“Can’t you answer me honestly? For your class he’s a big fighting potential after all.”

“Just from how vigilant you’re being I see that you can feel his value to some extent.”

Regardless of his real strength, I’m thankful that he spared the effort to think.

“Do you have anything else you’d like to ask me?”

“No, the only thing I was worried about right now was that.”

If that were the case, then there’s nothing I can do even if he won’t tell me about Ishigami-kun.

I can’t pursue that from here. That’s what I had thought but…

“The student known as Ishigami is excellent, compassionate and strong. He is already acknowledged as the leader of 1-A. All of his comrades probably already trust that man with all of their hearts. ‘He embodies the good parts of Sakayanagi and Ichinose’, might be the easiest way to say it.”

“That is his reliability to his comrades.”

“However, that is only limited to his comrades to the end. It doesn’t apply to those who threaten his comrades. He’s likely the type to bear his fangs without mercy.”

I had seen him as a mild-mannered student, so it’s hard to imagine him with the material I have now.

“Then what kind of attitude does he take to people who are neither enemies nor allies?”

“If they’re neither an enemy nor an ally then for him they’re irrelevant.”

“Irrelevant?”

Kanzaki-kun who was talking before my eyes stopped moving.

“…Yeah. He shouldn’t mind things that don’t hold meaning for him.”

“He said to me, ‘Let’s meet again.’ Would he leave someone irrelevant with words inviting them to meet again?”

“Ishigami? No, he’s not a man who would say things like that lightly. Did he really say it?”

“If I didn’t mishear. Anyway, you seem to know quite a lot about him.”

I wonder if there is something about Kanzaki-kun and Ishigami-kun separate from the case I’m pursuing.

“I definitely don’t know a lot. I’ve never interacted with him even once after all.”

After muttering to himself in something of a soliloquy, he continued like this.

“It’s a fact that that man doesn’t show interest except in his enemies or allies. In other words, you’re categorized as one of those things in Ishigami’s mind.”

“Though you say that I still don’t quite understand.”

Today, I met with Ishigami-kun for the first time.

Before that, I’ve never come face to face or exchanged greetings with him even once.

I’m neither clearly an enemy nor clearly an enemy. That’s the normal analysis.

“Having a connection with someone without knowing anything about it always happens.”

“So my actions have been affecting him indirectly?”

“You can’t eliminate that possibility.”

There were parts I couldn’t understand at all in Kanzaki-kun’s words.

Kanzaki-kun thought for a short while. Before long, he muttered quietly.

“I’ll give you one warning. Don’t contact Ishigami any more than this.”

“I’ve never intended to in the first place. While you’re warning me are there any other 1st years I should be aware of?”

“Other 1st years?”

At the moment I don’t have even a single person whom I can call a suspect. I want clues. If Amasawa-san or someone else’s name comes out, his statement will also have meaning.

That’s what I thought but…

“About the only 1st year you should keep in mind is Ishigami.”

Kanzaki-kun answered, turned his back and started walking. On his way he passed by Ibuki-san, who had been looking here, but she didn’t make eye contact with him.

“Are you close with Kanzaki?”

“No, not at all? Today we just happened to share something to talk about. Is something wrong?”

“I hate it when people look smart with you.”

It was useless to ask her seriously.

“What did you talk about?”

“The 1st year Ishigami-kun. His handwriting was a bit like the handwriting I’m looking for.”

Saying that, I showed her Ishigami-kun’s OAA profile that I had accessed.

1-A Class Ishigami Kyou

Academic Ability A (95)

Physical Ability D- (25)

Critical Thinking B+ (77)

Social Contribution D (31)

Overall Strength B- (61)

“Besides, I couldn’t see through him from the way he spoke and his attitude so it was a little bit ominous.”

“Hmm? You mean he’s suspicious for you?”

“I wonder. I thought he was in a grey area close to white but… if this physical ability evaluation isn’t true then he might become suspicious straight away.”

Though I said that, I didn’t have any way to verify right now.

“This Ishigami is white you know.”

As if to deny my guess, Ibuki interrupted.

“How can you say that?”

“The day before yesterday, from a floor where I could see the pool from, I was looking at the people playing for some reason.”

“Alone? How lonely.”

“Ha? Should I stop talking?”

“It was a joke, continue.”

“Good grief… he was tall so he stood out a little bit. He entered my vision. Neither his upper nor lower half were trained. He had a normal build. He’s definitely never trained his body. The guy you’re searching for is someone strong like Ayanokouji or Amasawa right?”

“Could it be that the reason he came to the pool was… to search for trained people?”

Have you finally noticed? As if to say that, Ibuki-san shrugged her shoulders and continued.

“Strength and body are always in proportion. People who can move have toned bodies, and if someone has strength then it’d be strange for them to not have muscle.”

It would be a different story if that were an amateur’s judgement. But Ibuki-san was more or less a martial artist.

If she saw Ishigami-kun’s upper half, then this data is authentic.

“You paid attention at a good time yourself.”

If Ibuki-san’s information was correct then his physical ability was undoubtedly about D-.

Of course, it wasn’t as if he was guaranteed to be a strong person from my guess in the first place…

It looks like I can judge him to be completely white.

“In any case, our vacation will end soon. Next is from the start of 2nd term.”

“How long will you be doing this?”

I don’t not understand the feeling of wanting to be exasperated, but right now I don’t have any decisive evidence.

I have no choice but to go steadily for a while.