Something Takes Root
However, Class 1-D seemed to be living the same carefree life as always.
Just as the Mixed Training Camp came to an end and the influence of the two dropouts began to fade,
A rumor...
No, to be precise, it was rumors that seemed to be true that began to circulate among the students.
[The Advanced Nurturing school's chairman, Sakayanagi Narimori, has been suspended pending investigation after being reported for illegally manipulating Special Exam and allowing students to cheat on their scores. A new Acting Chairman is about to arrive at the school.]
Chapter 287 The Budding Things
"..."
The Forest School has ended.
But Horikita Suzune's mind was still filled with images of that exam.
This is not part of the exam content.
The exam content wasn't anything special; it was just some experiential courses that interested people would enjoy. She wasn't interested in anything, whether it was Zen or meditation.
What she cares about.
It was that night.
Although the Special Exam was two days ago, and although a separate day off is just around the corner.
But in the quiet of the night, Horikita Suzune still couldn't fall asleep.
The silly younger sister was still worried about her luggage that she hadn't been able to use.
First grade is almost over, and about four months have passed since we left the Uninhabited Island.
She still couldn't find an opportunity to put those... 'souvenirs' to good use.
Tossing and turning, she stared at the ceiling, unable to fall asleep.
It seems quite a few of my roommates are also having trouble sleeping.
Early in the night, under the cover of darkness, there was a slight commotion. Miss Sakayanagi, leaning on her cane to support her frail body, crawled out of the door.
... Although the Diary humiliated Sakayanagi Arisu in every way, after they interacted as members of the same group...
Horikita Suzune, however, discovered that she wasn't actually as bad as her Diary described.
What did the Diary say about her again...?
The Diary says she's Love-struck Brain, that she's Nepo Baby, that she's Civil War Phantom God, and that she considers herself a genius.
Most of the comments were sarcastic and belittling. To be honest, at first, Horikita Suzune really thought the other person was someone who was unworthy of their position.
But it seems that prejudice is still very strong.
At least Sakayanagi Arisu isn't so spoiled that she can't even participate in such Mixed Training Camp alone.
Although she received preferential treatment from teachers because of her poor health, she still did most of what she was supposed to do.
Even in the dead of night, she quietly got up in the dark so as not to disturb others.
... Is it to go to the restroom?
Horikita Suzune thought.
A moment later, as Horikita Suzune continued to stare at the ceiling, her mind blank.
The pages fluttered in the wind; it was time to update the Diary.
Just from glancing at the text on the first page, she knew it was probably just content for Mixed Training Camp discussions, and not some interesting conversation like in the past.
Her recent diary entries seem to be like this, gradually developing a tendency to become understandable even to her.
The campus story unfolding on the stage of Advanced Nurturing is about to come to its conclusion.
It's not a question of whether or not to graduate; there are still more than two years until graduation, which is neither a long nor a short time.
Time may pass in the blink of an eye, or it may torment her for a long time.
The problem lies solely in the 'story'.
In this day and age, there aren't many 'interesting' stories that can unfold on this campus anymore.
Surprisingly, after reflecting on her actions, Horikita Suzune was able to clearly realize that this was the problem.
Only interesting things and interesting stories can make his writing exciting.
Just like when he was on the Uninhabited Island, his writing seemed genuinely joyful.
But things are different now.
The core of Advanced Nurturing lies in Special Exam; the essence of Advanced Nurturing is a school.
The essence lies in the stories that unfold among the students surrounding the Special Exam.
Admittedly, as long as the Special Exam continue, such as the current Mixed Training Camp, or other exams to come, the story may never come to an end.
But this is on the premise that there is still 'competition' involved.
He went too far. Class A has completely crushed them, and no class can turn the tide, nor is there any class that even thinks about doing so.
Class D has already succumbed, Class C is a complete surrender faction, and Class B, the only one that seems to still want to struggle, is stalled because of Sakayanagi Arisu.
First grade has no future.
No matter how the format of the Special Exam is changed, as long as the result remains the same, the first-year format will remain as it is now... silent.
Yes, that's right, it's silence.
That's the impression Horikita Suzune got from the first-year girls these past two days.
No one really had any special momentum, and they didn't have any plans or ideas. The rewards were right there, and getting first place might be enough to turn the tide.
However, none of the groups showed an overwhelming desire to compete for first place.
Therefore, Horikita Suzune was able to understand, and Horikita Suzune was able to sense it.
He had already somewhat given up on the idea of focusing on studying at this school.
Although he is still physically at school, his heart is no longer there.
Surprisingly, Horikita Suzune found that the emotion rising in her heart was not happiness.
I'm not happy.
I was ridiculed in every way before, and there were times when I really wanted him to disappear.
But the moment she realized that the other person seemed to be leaving...
Instead, she instinctively wanted to reach out her hand.
"..."
What's wrong with me?
Unable to resist, she raised her hand to touch her cheek and gently bit her lower lip.
This is not romantic love.
Absolutely not.
These weren't words of arrogant resistance, but rather a genuine and heartfelt conviction.
If I had to pinpoint what this emotion is...
Horikita Suzune felt that using "habit" to describe it might be more appropriate.
Read the text, flip through the diary.
Things that have become so commonplace and habitual are things she could never have understood in the past.
So...
As the night's chaotic thoughts became a jumbled mess, a series of trivial noises came from beside me once again.
Someone got up.
Some people haven't returned yet.
Speaking of which... how long Sakayanagi Arisu been gone?
Given her physique, could it be that she accidentally fell in the toilet, but was too weak to get up, and thus remained there hoping someone would find her?
Unable to resist having such a thought, Horikita Suzune also got up.
Since I can't sleep anyway, I might as well go for a walk.
It was precisely because of this thought that she happened to see the two girls sitting under the pavilion.
And those soft, yet remarkably clear words.
Words.
Ask.
Then answer.
They posed riddle-like questions to each other, and gave riddle-like answers in return.
Forgive her for speaking frankly.
She couldn't understand.
... Perhaps she's just a little too stupid.
However, even so, she can understand certain words.
How much self-esteem do you have left?
"It's quiet, "Ichinose Honami asked.
The air fell silent for a few seconds. For a moment, Horikita Suzune even wondered if she was deaf, because Sakayanagi Arisu responded, but she hadn't heard it.
But the soft voice that rang out the next moment dispelled her doubts.
"Zero."
Under the dim moonlight, only that delicate, flawless face smiled radiantly.
"What self-respect do I have left?"
It's like a rhetorical question, yet also like an answer.
A broken mirror is hard to mend, and shattered self-esteem, no matter how many times it is pieced back together, will shatter into pieces again.
Each breakage will only push it further towards becoming perfect powder.
--These were the only words Horikita Suzune could understand.
The rest were all trivial and useless riddles.
... She gave up.
The information that can be clearly extracted from the words is this.
Horikita Suzune always felt that Sakayanagi Arisu was the type with a very strong sense of self-esteem.
The most obvious manifestation of the image that can be pieced together from fragmented impressions is self-esteem.
Self-respect, self-confidence, and self-reliance.
But now she's saying these things.
I was still talking to Ichinose Honami.
No, to be precise, it was spoken to 'him' behind Ichinose Honami.
Who is he?
This question, which Horikita Suzune had been pursuing for a long time but had then shelved, has been brought up again.
She wanted to know the answer from the very beginning.
Who is he?
It could be a flawed student in Class D, a student with obvious strengths and weaknesses but poor grades, a mediocre student who defied the odds and made it into Class A, or a top student initially chosen by the school.
Of the four classes, he was the most detached and disdainful of everyone.