"All right, then. I suppose I can make an exception and keep you company."
"I was interested in the island too, so let's go together... Shiranami, are you coming as well?"
"Yeah, I'm really interested in the scenery and natural environment."
Her voice sounded a little displeased, but I didn't pay any attention to her mood.
I took the others to the VIP area on the deck without asking and gazed freely at the island.
The crowd around us was a little packed, but since my helpers were doing a good job holding back the incoming tide of people, I could focus on what was happening on the island.
Before long, I noticed a few things that shouldn't have been there.
They looked like three-dimensional structures, each fitted with an electronic screen.
Had it already started?
Love's Whimsical Ideas
"Am I imagining things, or have you been getting awfully close to Shiranami lately?"
While I was still trying to figure out what those machines were for, Shiratori sidled up beside me and whispered in my ear, quietly enough that no one else could hear.
"Hey, you're not trying to play both sides, are you?"
"Play both sides—"
"What, Raku? What did you just say? I knew it! You've been so close to Shiranami lately because you're trying to play both sides!"
Before I could finish, Okabe caught on and cried out loudly. I glanced around discreetly, and only let out a breath of relief once I confirmed that no one was paying attention to us. By the way, Shiranami Chihiro had somehow returned to the group of girls.
"Raku, a man should be devoted to one woman. You've already got Class President Ichinose, so stop eyeing other girls. And I don't think you've got the looks to get away with being a playboy, so if you don't want to die, you'd better turn back now." Takashima warned me in a very serious tone.
"I'd like to ask you to stop entertaining such ridiculous ideas. I've never tried to play both sides, I'm not doing it now, and I never will. Besides, I've explained this plenty of times already, haven't I? My relationship with Ichinose isn't what you think. We're just desk mates."
"Are you seriously going to deny how close you are every day?"
"What are you talking about? If you mean chatting, Ichinose talks with Kanzaki and Shibata too, doesn't she?"
"Are you jealous?"
"I get it. He's panicking."
"..."
Sometimes I really wanted to crack open their heads and see what was inside.
"So that's what it is. Now everything makes sense."
"...What exactly have you figured out?"
"Raku got jealous when he saw Ichinose getting close to other guys, so he decided to get closer to Shiranami and make Ichinose jealous too. That way, he can force Ichinose to make a move and secure his position. What a brilliant strategy—playing hard to get!"
"..."
"See? I was right. Raku's completely speechless."
You really had some wild imaginations...
"See? I told you. Hey, do you think I'd become a big hit if I wrote a romance novel?" Seeing that I had no answer, Okabe folded his arms and began to brag.
"Give it a rest. You might not even write as well as Raku. At least he's talked to girls before. How many times have you talked to one?" Takashima immediately mocked Okabe's smugness.
"Hey! No personal attacks!"
"And you haven't even read many romance stories. How do you expect to write one?"
"Damn it, are you looking down on me? I've read more romance stories than you've got hairs on your body!"
"Are those even normal romance stories? They're all about getting transported to another world, aren't they?"
"Bastard, are you looking down on getting transported to another world?"
"Heh, give me a break—"
"..."
Ah, they were arguing now.
Since I was the one who'd started the argument, I decided not to get involved in this fight. I didn't even plan to break it up. I leaned against the railing and quietly listened to them vent their anger. Kanzaki came over to join me as a spectator.
"Aren't you going to stop them?"
"They've bickered like this plenty of times before. There's no need... But speaking of which, you really have been spending a lot of time with Shiranami lately. Apart from getting a girlfriend, do you have some other motive?"
"How come you're interested in this stuff now too?"
"People can't help being curious about the unknown. I just hadn't shown it before. But at the moment, I can't think of anything that would interest you."
"..."
"So, tell me. What's going on?"
Faced with Kanzaki's question, I could only manage a wry smile.
"Honestly, I haven't figured it out either. Anyway, I haven't been going out of my way to approach her. If anything, Shiranami keeps asking me things about Ichinose, and they're all things she could easily ask her directly."
"So Shiranami's the one who keeps approaching you?"
"Yeah."
"...Hard as it is to believe, could Shiranami have fallen for you?"
"I disagree. I don't think I've shown any particular qualities that would attract girls."
"Maybe it's precisely your laziness that's led to this by some twist of fate."
"Then Shiranami's got a pretty bad eye for guys."
"If you changed that about yourself, you might become more popular."
"I doubt that."
"It's true. At least, that's what the anonymous comments on the rankings say."
Rankings again. The last time they came up was before our first swimming lesson. I'd joined the group back then, but never found out where to see the rankings. What rankings was he talking about now?
"Judging by your expression, you don't know about them? Things like the guys' looks ranking or the gloomy ranking."
"I've never heard of those..."
"Those kinds of things should be pretty common, right? You must've seen them in elementary and middle school."
"I can understand a guys' looks ranking, more or less, but what's the gloomy ranking?"
"Looks like you only know about the usual rankings. Our school website has plenty of unusual ones, like the most popular ranking, the people you most want to kill ranking, the most punchable ranking..."
"Wait, isn't that a little terrifying?"
"People just say that stuff to vent their frustrations. It's nothing to worry about. And you're pretty well-known on the rankings too."
"You mean the most punchable and the people you most want to kill rankings?"
"Not quite. Let me think... You're number one on the harmless-to-people-and-animals ranking."
"Of course, I'm only talking about the first-year rankings. But you're third in the whole school. Apparently, the only reason you didn't get first place was that the time wasn't right."
It was an honor to win the top prize, but why did I feel not the least bit happy when Kanzaki brought it up...
"You're fourth in the looks ranking and seventh in the gloomy ranking."
"Where are these rankings, anyway? And how do you know so much about them?"
"They're on the school website, under the student section. As for why I know so much... I guess I've kept an eye on the stats of a few people I know."
"But they're just something to pass the time when you're bored, and their accuracy is highly debatable. For example, with the looks ranking, your impression of someone can affect their score."
"...What kind of nasty student or teacher would put stuff like this on the school website?"
"True, you're the sort who avoids pointless trouble. I imagine being on a ranking like that would bother you quite a bit."
"I guess it's not so bad. At least, no one's given me trouble since we started school."
[We will soon be disembarking on the uninhabited island owned by our school. All students are to change into their sportswear in thirty minutes and gather on the deck with their phones after confirming that they have the required bags and luggage. Please leave all other personal belongings in your rooms. The restrooms are still available for now, so please take care of your needs before we arrive.]
The sudden announcement interrupted my conversation with Kanzaki. Just then, the cruise ship completed its circuit around the island and headed straight toward it.
"Oh, looks like it's about to start!"
"I can hardly wait."
Okabe and the others finished arguing and gathered around us.
After that, we returned to our room together to change and prepare the things we'd need.
Since I'd been fooling around, I was the first in our group to finish changing into my sportswear.
By "our group," I meant the people in my room. Due to the room limit, we'd been assigned four people to a room. My roommates were Okabe, Takashima, and Shiratori. As for Kanzaki, Shibata and the others had dragged him off along the way.
After changing, I went straight to the deck to wait for the ship to reach the island. As the island drew closer, more and more people gathered around me.
Then I spotted Ichinose.
I wanted to go over and say hello, but she seemed a little dazed. Her hair was somewhat messy, as if she'd just woken up, and her cheeks were slightly flushed.
After taking in all the signs, I came to a conclusion. I glanced at how far we were from the island, then quickly headed back inside the ship.
The Ka-32 Helicopter
The American self-help guru Dale Carnegie once said, "Only fifteen percent of a person's success in business is due to their technical knowledge. The remaining eighty-five percent depends on their people skills and ability to deal with others. Soft skills and hard skills are relative. Professional expertise is a hard skill, while the ability to handle relationships with people is a soft skill."
In other words, success was a habit, the result of countless trials and refinements.
They thought this theory was ridiculous, and the reason was clear.
Success was not a habit. It was the real-world surpassing of one's own abilities.
If his abilities were strong enough—strong enough that he didn't need relationships with other people—then success itself was merely the result of a hypothetical calculation.
In other words, when there was no light in the darkness, you would never know what darkness was.
Partly to prove something, and partly for themselves, they went against everyone's objections and carried out that so-called "inhumane" plan.
And that was how I came to be here.
"Next, students from Class A will disembark in order. Also, phones are prohibited on the island. Please hand them in to your homeroom teachers. They'll be kept at the teachers' base for the duration of the trip. Disembark!"
At the teachers' command, delivered through a megaphone, we filed down the cruise ship's stairs.
We were able to spend the summer holidays out at sea, but this blazing summer showed us no mercy. There was nowhere to hide from the direct sunlight on the deck of the ship docked by the shore.
Before long, a fine sheen of sweat covered us like armor.
We endured the heat while waiting for the order to disembark.
I was glad I was in Class B. If I'd been in Class D, I couldn't even imagine whether I'd have been able to withstand the scorching heat.
For even a moment, I missed the cool air inside the ship.
"You're so fast, Raku. I turned around for one second while we were changing and you'd disappeared. Couldn't you have waited for us?"
"You weren't just changing clothes. If I'd stayed any longer, your horseplay might've dragged me into it too."
"And what if it had? Is that a problem? This is why I say you're no fun."
"And even if you hate the hassle, you shouldn't leave us behind and go enjoy the—oh, haha, Class President Ichinose is here too."
Okabe had been so caught up in the argument that his shouting drew Ichinose over from where she stood not far behind me.
"Yeah, I came out as soon as I heard the announcement... Is everyone else still not ready?"
"Ah, they're still getting their things together. It's the beach, after all, so we have to bring our swimsuits and stuff. They should be ready soon."
"Now that you mention it, I hadn't even thought about swimming."
"If we're staying at a guesthouse, I'm sure they'll sell them there."
"Mm, I guess I'll have to do that."
"What's with you? If you came here to keep Class President Ichinose company, you should've just said so." While Ichinose was still focused on the A Class students milling around, Okabe jabbed me in the shoulder and whispered in my ear.
"I just wanted to get off the ship early and find somewhere shady to escape the heat..."
Before you continue