Wishes and Pursuits

May 14, Tuesday

There were only ten days left until the midterm exams.

After school,

I came up to the school building's rooftop after an unexpected person invited me.

"Is there something you need, Kiyotaka-kun?"

Unlike usual, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's expression was rather cold as he stood across from me, his gaze fixed on Gojo Satoru.

"How much do you know about me?"

"Huh?

Is this some new kind of confession ritual?"

Ignoring the other boy's serious expression, I kept grinning and spouting nonsense.

But Ayanokoji wasn't in the mood to wait around, so he went straight to what he knew.

"Chabashira told me that you're one of only two people at this school with the ability to help me break free of my father's control.

So you approached me because you know about my situation, right?"

Is she worried this isn't foolproof enough?

She'd actually brought him into this, too. That teacher really would do anything to get her class promoted to Class A.

But only two people?

That made sense. His father was just a defeated politician.

If Koenji Rokusuke inherited the family business, his conglomerate would have the power to pull someone out of a politician's grasp without much trouble.

Politician, though—the country was basically run by conglomerates now, even if it wasn't obvious on the surface yet.

"The son of politician Ayanokoji Atsuomi, but his father doesn't treat him like a normal human being.

He's part of his father's plan to 'make a comeback.' He spent his childhood in an institution that practically stripped its residents of their human rights, the White Room, and is currently its 'greatest masterpiece.'

Out of curiosity, he left the White Room and came to Advanced Nurturing High School to learn the 'ways of the world' his father deemed unnecessary; to find out whether being the supposedly highest form of human really was something to be happy about; and to understand the true meaning of 'equality' and what 'strength' really meant, among other things.

Unfortunately, the person who helped you escape the White Room, Matsuo, had his family targeted by your father. He ultimately set himself on fire to atone.

His son, Matsuo Eiichiro, was also driven to suicide because of this.

Strictly speaking, you're just a caged bird yearning for freedom."

So they're both dead?

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's heart tightened as he listened.

The only person who had ever helped him, from childhood onward, had been killed by his father, and his son hadn't escaped the same fate.

He couldn't be sure whether what the other boy said was true, but given how much he knew about Ayanokoji and what Ayanokoji knew of his father, the reality was probably not far off.

An inexplicable emotion welled up inside him. Was it what people called anger?

He could actually feel such an intense emotion because of something external.

It was hard to believe.

Seeing him fall silent, I had no intention of doing the same.

He was pretty unfeeling anyway. At most, this had stirred him a little and left him feeling incredulous.

"So, is there anything else you want me to add?

Like what you were supposed to learn in the White Room, or what your father's planning now?"

His thoughts interrupted, Ayanokoji had no intention of sinking into sadness.

He couldn't really call it sadness. It was probably just a little regret over how short life was.

"No, that's enough.

What I learned there doesn't matter. Chabashira already told me what he's planning now.

He wants me to go back, and he's already called Chabashira to pressure the school.

What I want to know is, are you willing to help me?

And what will I have to give you in return?"

The other boy already knew everything about his situation—even his father's plans—so there was no doubt he had the ability to help.

The question now was whether he was willing to help Ayanokoji escape that man's control.

That was what mattered most.

"Of course. I like you, after all."

The situation was serious, and I wasn't in the best mood myself.

But hearing him put it that way still made me break into a bit of a cold sweat.

Is this guy into men?!

But he probably just meant it literally. Pretty much everyone knew he had two girlfriends, and he hadn't tried to hide it.

Still, why did he want to help Ayanokoji?

"Then what do you want from me?"

He didn't believe good fortune like that just fell into people's laps. If it did, he wouldn't have grown up in a place like that.

At the question, it hit me that I hadn't thought about what I wanted him to do. With my abilities, there was almost nothing in this world I couldn't do.

"What do I want?

Then, for this month's midterm exams, don't make any moves. If I need you later, I'll let you know.

I'm only helping you because I think we have something in common."

Was that really all there was to it?

It was hard to accept that someone would make an enemy of a politician for such a trivial reason.

Based on what he knew, no one would fall out with a politician over a personal preference. The benefits just weren't worth it.

But since the other boy wasn't going to explain, he tried asking another way.

"If what I'm pursuing is freedom, what are you pursuing?"

What was he pursuing?

That seemed to be the second time he'd been puzzled today.

"What is it that I'm pursuing?

It's both a difficult and an easy question for me.

There's only one thing I seek and long for: happiness."

Happiness?

Something that unrealistic?

But before he could say anything, the other boy continued.

"As long as the people I care about can be happy, I don't care what happens to anyone else.

The world is unfair. It's been that way since birth.

Some people are talented, others aren't; some are rich, others poor.

The lucky ones get to live good lives, while those without luck can only live miserable ones.

In a fictional story, people's hopes might make anything possible. Those facts might be overturned, and the world might become the paradise most people imagine.

But this is reality. That will never happen."

Was that much like himself?

Only the person he cared about had changed. Everyone else was there to make him look good.

As long as someone was useful, he could use them; if they weren't, he could discard them. There was no need to pay too much attention to irrelevant outsiders.

"Looking at it that way, we really do have something in common. Could that be the beginning of a friendship between us?"

Friends?

Or tools?

"If that's what you really think, then maybe we could become friends someday, but not right now."

"You might not believe me, and maybe part of me does want to rely on your help. But I really do want a friend.

Unlike those fools, I want to make a friend who's a lot like me, someone who isn't too far removed from me."

Too bad. We were just a little too far apart.

From your perspective, perhaps the difference didn't seem that great. After all, by ordinary standards,

his abilities were already extraordinarily rare for someone his age, even judged on their own,

while I was the exception among exceptions.

"Then, let me introduce myself again.

I'm Gojo Satoru. It's nice to meet you."

As he spoke, he held out his right hand.

The other boy reached out and shook it, introducing himself seriously.

"My name is Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

It's nice to meet you too. I look forward to working with you."

"I'm sure we will."