May We Be Safe

I curled my lip and turned my head away.

Get a girlfriend...

What kind of girl would I choose as a romantic partner?

According to a survey, when choosing someone of the opposite sex, men prioritized looks above all else.

So I'd probably choose a beautiful, virtuous, gentle girl—someone like Ichinose. If I could add "easy to fool" to that list, I'd be even more interested.

Come to think of it, I'd never heard that Ichinose had been confessed to again. Had she managed to keep it well hidden?

So, what would happen if I confessed to her? Would she accept?

With no experience whatsoever, I imagined an entire romance novel.

0

"Ding—"

[I'd like to confirm with you again: you can choose the time and place.]—Yoshii Yuzo.

Chapter 12.5: The Daily Routine Approaching Its End

The third period was math with Teacher Hoshinomiya. As soon as the bell rang, the classroom fell completely silent. I had to admit, this class was remarkably well-disciplined.

"Yahallo! As promised, we're having a quiz today."

I had mixed feelings about this teacher, and I couldn't quite explain what I felt toward her. Her cheerful, cute personality was nice, but at the same time, it somehow came across as perverted. All in all, I didn't know how to describe my attitude toward her.

"We have an exam at the end of the month, so first we'll have a little quiz to see where you're at. Pass the papers back once you get yours. If there are extras, pass them along to the back; there won't be any left over."

Since we'd been given advance notice, the quiz didn't come as a surprise. I was more worried about what would happen if I did poorly, but our homeroom teacher's next words completely dispelled my doubts and fears.

"This quiz will only be used as a reference for the future; it won't appear on your report cards. So there's nothing to worry about. Still, cheating is strictly forbidden, of course. I hope you'll all do your best and show us what you can really do."

A report card, more formally known as an academic report, was a written notice recording a student's academic performance.

That explanation struck me as a little odd. I didn't think the school would test us on anything that wasn't necessary, though it could just be one of the school's quirks. Still, I was more inclined to think our scores would be reflected in something else.

But since she'd said it outright, that meant this quiz probably wasn't all that important. It also wasn't the "initial test" Tanimoto had mentioned.

It was a test, but also a warning.

In that case, I'd start by taking stock of the class's overall ability—and the whole year's, too. No, I wouldn't be able to tell how the entire year was doing.

I looked over the questions. There were four questions for each subject, twenty in total, worth five points each, for a perfect score of one hundred.

Aside from the last three questions, everything else was so easy it killed my interest. The test was even two levels easier than the entrance exam.

It was ridiculously easy.

The last three questions, though, were bizarrely skewed. Without setting up complicated equations, it was impossible to reach the answers.

I didn't know what the average middle schooler was supposed to be capable of. At any rate, I'd just aim for the minimum standard people expected.

Then, under Teacher Hoshinomiya's supervision, I wrestled with the questions on the test until the bell rang.

3

"Hey, Shiratori, how many points do you have left?"

"Not much. I spent seventy thousand points on a computer earlier, so I've only got about five thousand left... What about you?"

"A little more than you. I've got seven thousand left."

"What about Okabe?"

"I've only got two thousand."

"Sounds like we're all about the same, then." Shiratori sighed. "What about Raku?"

"I don't know, but probably about the same as you guys."

"Why don't you just check your phone?"

"I don't want to waste the effort."

"Hey, are you sure you've got about the same as us? With how lazy you are, can you really spend your points?"

"Please don't underestimate humanity's ability to spend money," I replied casually, subtly steering the group away from the vending machines.

If we ran into one of those, there was no telling how long we'd hang around.

"You know, Raku might be like this now, but maybe he goes wild when he's alone."

"Oh, that actually sounds pretty likely."

Okabe suddenly moved beside me and hooked an arm around my neck.

"Hey."

"Come on, little Raku, tell us. Do you have anything you've been hiding away?"

"Of course he does. Pretty much every guy has something like that, and Raku's no exception."

"..."

Most guys had something they kept hidden away... Was there some kind of universal trait behind that? Why had I never heard of it?

"Look, Raku can't even say anything. He's embarrassed."

"Haha, it's okay, Raku. We're all guys here, so you can tell us. We won't tell the girls in our class, of course. We're all on the same side."

Wait, what kind of thing were they talking about?

If I had to name something I kept hidden, I did have a listening device and a surveillance camera.

Oh, so that was the universal thing we all had in common? I see.

"I do have a few things I keep hidden away."

"See? I told you." Okabe raised his head confidently. "So don't be fooled by how he looks. Raku might be the horniest guy in the class."

No, I definitely hadn't put the surveillance camera and listening device anywhere to peep on girls changing!

"No, I haven't done anything like that," I immediately protested.

"What? You've never done that?" Okabe stared at me in shock, and the other two looked a little impressed as well.

Had they all done that?

"Hey, hey! Don't look at us like we're scumbags! We're not the weird ones—you are! Why haven't you done something like that? Is there something wrong with your head?"

"Raku, my respect for you has only grown."

"Wouldn't the risk be way too high, no matter how you look at it? You'd also be punished morally."

"The risk's too high?... You do have a point, but if you're careful, it'll be fine."

"Yeah, as long as you're just a little careful, nothing will happen," Takashima agreed with a solemn nod.

Careful? No, weren't we talking about two different things?

Were we even on the same wavelength?

"So, where exactly are we going?"

To keep the conversation from going any further, I changed the subject. I did want to know our destination, though. I'd completely figured out the route this group was taking, but I still had no idea where we were headed.

"Huh? You don't know?"

"I only got a message from Takashima telling me to come downstairs. I don't know anything else."

"We don't have a destination."

"..."

"We just thought we'd take a walk around the school."

"..."

Ah, I shouldn't have come out after all.

4

[After school on Friday, I've booked a karaoke room. If anyone wants to come along, let me know!]

Well, that was the message that got the boys in our class excited. Their enthusiasm was entirely superficial; they only looked like they were fired up. It was like when a bunch of guys talked about girlfriends, got carried away, and swore, "I'm definitely getting a girlfriend this semester," but then didn't actually do anything—maybe because they didn't dare.

That was the kind of false enthusiasm the boys in our class were caught up in now.

The message had come from some girl in our class, but I couldn't tell who. It had already climbed the ladder of replies and been flung off into some distant galaxy.

"Raku, are you going?"

Ichinose suddenly turned to look at me, and I jumped in spite of myself. But I quickly suppressed the shiver that ran through me.

"You mean singing karaoke? I can't sing, and I've never tried it either, so I'll spare everyone the embarrassment."

"I can't sing either. We could give it a try there. We're all classmates, so nobody's going to mind."

"I think it's more likely things would get awkward."

"You don't have to sing just because you go, though. Besides, don't you want to be more popular, Raku?"

"That would only make me even less popular."

"It'd be better to let go of that pessimistic way of thinking. This is why so few people pay attention to you, Raku."

"I just can't be bothered."

"...All right, then." Ichinose didn't press the matter, which made me breathe a sigh of relief.

At the same time, I glanced at the sign-up list in the class group chat.

Unless there was a sufficiently large benefit involved, I wouldn't do anything out of character.

This school prided itself on its university admission and employment rates, and was one of Japan's top high schools. So—this leisurely daily life was due to come to an end, wasn't it?

That was what I hoped for in my heart. I even longed for this everyday life that didn't belong to me to end.

That's right. I didn't deserve a daily life like this.

Chapter 13: May We Be Safe

"Peace be with you."—The Bible, New Testament, Luke 24:36

Sunday.

I should have called today Sunday, but somehow the word didn't seem appropriate right now. So I decided to call it the Lord's Day.

A week, also known as a seven-day cycle, was a unit of time and the basis for determining workdays and days off. The Lord's Day was a Christian religious observance. The church had designated Sunday as the day believers worshipped Jesus Christ, which was why it was called the Lord's Day.

In the standard system used throughout the country, Monday was the start of the week and Sunday its end. But among Christians, the Lord's Day marked the beginning of the week. There were many reasons behind this arrangement, but the resurrection of their God, Jesus Christ, was especially important.

He had died bearing all the sins of the world, and thus had been reborn. That was why the Lord's Day was also called the day of resurrection—the beginning of the week.

I did everything I could in my dorm room to stall for time, repeatedly adjusting the tightness of my tie in an attempt to avoid meeting an old acquaintance. But I'd been too naive. People couldn't escape the clutches of fate after all. With the resolve of someone going to his death, I stepped into the elevator.

"You don't look too good. Are you sick?"

"No, I'm just terrified by the coincidence of us running into each other."

What sort of coincidence would it take for two students from unrelated classes to meet in the elevator every single morning? The sheer improbability of it made me suspicious of his actions.

"I've tried to do something about it. The proof is... we're both almost late today."

"Even our attempts to change things are identical. Could the two of us have originally been one person?" I used every ounce of my strength to complain about this ill-fated connection. If possible, I wanted it severed.

"I have no intention of merging with you. I don't have anyone I like, but I can assure you my sexual orientation is normal. Also, there's nothing strange about this coincidence at all. It's simply ordinary human psychology."

"You don't have to explain it in such detail. I'm not interested in that, either." I gave him an unpleasant look.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka. That was the name of the man beside me. He was in the same year as me, though he was in Class 1-D. I didn't know what had been happening with the particles over the past month, but no matter what changes I made, I couldn't avoid running into Ayanokoji in the morning.

Aside from the first day of school, the whole month of April had been marked by this "dread." At first, I thought he'd completely figured out my routine, but eventually I realized it was all fate. Something with odds that seemed impossible had just happened to me.

I really was unexpectedly "lucky"—

With feelings I couldn't put into words, I walked with him toward our classrooms. Usually, we made our way there in silence. Just as I thought I wouldn't feel any different even here, Ayanokoji suddenly asked me a question.

"I remember the school gives us points on the first of every month. Raku, did you get yours?"