Volu 12, The Fourteenth Question
Please translate the following English line:
“This is the bookshelf that my grandmother had used regularly”
Hiji Mizuki's answer:
“これは私の祖母が愛用していた本棚です”
Teacher's Comnt:
Correct.
Tsuchiya Kouta's answer:
“これ ”
Teacher's Comnt:
Are you still only able to translate 'this' at this point?
Yoshii Akihisa's answer:
“ ”
Teacher's Comnt:
Can you at least write sothing?
“Hey, Akihisa, call out your summoned beast and help them out.”
As we pass through the new school building to the second years' main camp, Yuuji, who had remained silent till now, suddenly said this to ,
Mathematics, Natsukawa Shunpei, 3-A, 688 points
&
Mathematics, Tsunemura Yuusaku, 3-A, 717 points.
Vs
Mathematics, Shimada Minami, 2-F, 41 points
&
Mathematics, Kinosheeta Hideyoshi, 2-F, 26 points.
I see the scores from slightly far away.
It seems Minami and Hideyoshi are fighting the Toko-Natsu pair.
“I-I never thought that they would be weak, but I never expected them to be this strong.”
“To think that Aki and Sakamoto actually could take them on…”
“We're really being underestimated here. Don't see us like this, we're still 3-A class caliber, you know?”
“We might even say that it's impressive you managed to last this long.”
It looks like Yuuji wants to take over Minami and Hideyoshi, almost defeated at this point, to take on the Toko-Natsu pair as their opponent. If I think about it, my summoned beast wasn't worn out at all. I won't have any issues swapping with Minami's group.
“I understand—but if I'm swapped in, I hope that you guys will retreat. I probably would get defeated imdiately…”
The problem is that I don't have any strength to focus on the summoning war.
“That's what I intended in the first place. I never expected much from you, so I don't care at all even if you're defeated here and sent to the detention room.”
Yuuji gave a cold, condescending look as he said this.
“But don't you have sothing you have to say to Shimada?”
The mont he said that, I recalled Takashiro-sempai reading Minami's diary to .
“Th-that's…”
I started to hate myself further.
I kept thinking about how I made Hiji-san suffer, but I forgot all about Minami. This is really sothing very important to her, and I'm like this despite being the cause of it all…how rotten am I going to be as a human being?”
“Let say this first, once I make Shimada retreat, I'll send her to take part in the replenishnt tests imdiately, and I don't intend to allow you to retreat once there are still points left. If you have sothing to say to her, live on before the tests are over.”
Yuuji's saying that he won't waste ti and fighting strength because of my personal blunder. Of course. This is a mistake I made in the first place.
“Go over if you understand. You won't be able to talk to her if she's sent to the detention room either way.”
Even if we lose together, it's forbidden for us to talk in the detention room. I won't be able to apologize to Minami then.
In that case, what I can do now is—
“Summon!”
I enter the field and call out my summoned beast, and once they heard , the 4 of them, fighting against each other, look over at .
““Yoshii?””
The Toko-Natsu pair let their summoned beasts jump to the back and pull their distance from . Looks like they're keeping their guard on .
“Aki!”
“Akihisa!”
Minami and Hideyoshi run over to .
Minami's closing in on , and I hurriedly finish what I want to say because I didn't dare look at her in the face directly.
“I'll take over this battle, you two. Retreat now, Yuuji will instruct you further.”
“Hm…looks like the operation ended. Don't mind, Akihisa.”
Hideyoshi saw that Yuuji and I are here, and once he concluded this, encouraged us.
“…”
On the other hand, Minami's looking at my face, looking intrigued.
“Did sothing happen, Aki?”
Minami's worried tone caused to feel more guilty.
She's being so kind to now, and I handed her diary over to Linne-kun and Takashiro-sempai to read, and I couldn't get the letter back because we ran away.
“…Sorry Minami. I wanted to formally apologize, but we don't have ti now.”
“Eh?”
Minami looks rather surprised once she hears apologize.
I actually wanted to kneel down in front of her, but I can't do that. If I'm beaten here, I won't be able to allow Minami and Hideyoshi to escape, and I can't apologize to her properly after this.
“Let's go, Hideyoshi, Shimada. Leave this to Akihisa.”
Due to the failure of this operation, the F class mbers on their way start to retreat, and I as the rearguard have to retreat while stopping their attacks.
“Yuuji, you can't just leave Akihisa alone like this!”
“That's right, Sakamoto! At least let stay behind”
“No need for that. I'll send in other reinforcents later—letting him think with that stupid brain of his right now is only going to hinder him. It's better to let him fight without thinking of anything.”
“…Did sothing happen, Sakamoto?”
“…”
Minami and Hideyoshi look in my direction worriedly, and after Yuuji said sothing, they retreated slightly. I hope my actions now will be able to help everyone unlike what happened before.
“Hey Yoshii, you're looking rather troubled to .”
“Did sothing bad happen there? If you say it now, at least we'll pity you sowhat.”
The Toko-Natsu pair grinned as they looked at my face.
“…”
And I rely answer that taunt with silence.
“Tch, what's with that reaction? It's boring.”
“Don't say that. This guy just got beaten badly by Takashiro.”
“Ah, yeah, I rember there was such a report just now.”
While Yuuji and I were running around, escaping, the report of the failed attack on the principal's office was probably heard amongst the 3rd years.
“The girl you like, Hiji, I think? I heard that she was beaten and sent to the detention room, right?”
And also, the fact that the actual salutatorian, Hiji-san was beaten.
“You guys are really too much there. I heard that you left that girl there just to save yourselves? That's not sothing a man would do.”
“I always thought you were trash, but it really shocked how rotten you are.”
These two, who I have quite the history with, are sneering away as if they took the head of the demon.
But right now, it's more relaxing for that I'm being mocked like this…besides, what they said is the truth.
“Hey Yoshii, what do you think? You used a woman as a shield, managed to live longer, and now you're—”
And I overpower their words as I lower my head, saying,
“Sorry, but I have a request, Natsukawa-sempai, Tsunemura-sempai.”
““……Huh!?””
Both of them widened their eyes, probably feeling that my actions are really weird.
“Wait wait wait, you're actually calling us by our nas correctly. Did sothing hit your head or sothing?”
“And you're calling us sempais. Now I'm feeling a chill.”
I ignore their disgusted reactions as I keep my head lowered, and continue,
“I'll be honest. I can't beat you in a 2 on 1 situation, sempais.”
“Huh? What's that about?”
“What kind of fact are you saying right now?”
It really is a fact. With those two upperclassn as my opponent, soone like can't possibly beat them.
“—so I say, can I have a 1 on 1 fight with you?”
““…””
Both of them turn silent upon hearing my request.
“Please. I can't let myself be sent to the detention room right now.”
I bowed again.
Upon looking at like this,
“—you bastard. You really like to spout such nonsense, huh?”
The bald Natsukawa-sempai really despises as he says,
“You don't want a 2 on 1 battle? Did you forget what you did during the test of courage tournant?”
The test of courage was between the second and third years, and at that ti, my summoned beasts fought against them, barely managing to get victory in the end…at that ti, I was really agitated when I used the bracelet, because of Hiji-san.
What happened back then? Did I cause Hiji-san to be troubled? Did I do sothing to hurt Minami? Did I do anything to hurt anyone because I never thought.
Once I think about this, my heart starts to feel heavier by the mont.
“Sorry, please.”
I give up on thinking as I beg the pair in front of .
I can't lose in such a situation. I haven't said to Minami what I did—that I committed the unbelievable acts of handing her diary over to Linne-kun, and the translation over to Takashiro-sempai, and I haven't apologized to her. I can't lose and disappear until Minami finishes her replenishnt tests end and cos back.
Natsukawa-sempai looks rather unhappy as he watches basically beg for my life.
“Sorry Tsunemura. I'll handle this.”
He let his summoned beast take a step forward.
“Thank y—”
“I'm going to change the location. You don't mind, right?”
Natsukawa-sempai walks off while ignoring my thanks. Change places? I don't know what that's going to do…but moving alone allows to buy so ti, and I have no reason to oppose to this.
I agree to go along with him, “it's fine if both sides agree to this”, and the supervising teacher did give the permission.
And after walking for a little while, we head to the field, where all sorts of subject battles are going on.
Natsukawa-sempai stops in front of the humanities field, and looks at the supervising teacher.
“Hey sensei, I want to change the subject. Is it okay?”
The teacher shook his head, 'according to the rules, a battle's not to be interrupted', after that,
“Ahh—is that so?”
Natsukawa-sempai murmurs impatiently, and uses his summoned beast to throw my summoned beast away at breakneck speed.
“!?”
My summoned beast beast can't react due to this sudden movent, and it hits the supervising teacher, standing in the way.
And then, as the teacher was forcefully moved, he ended up in another field, causing an 'interference', and all the summoned beasts inside that field were erased.
“Alright, due to an unfortunate mishap, the field's now gone. Now you can fight using the Japanese History you're good at.”
Natsukawa-sempai said, his tone clearly not intending to hide the fact that he deliberately aid for it. IT seems he chose to fight using my specialized subject. Normally, I might be furious at being underestimated, but I don't have such thoughts right now. I even think this is sothing worth giving thanks for.
““Summon!””
Natsukawa-sempai and I don't mind the fact that everyone else's running around because of the 'interference', and we call out our summoned beasts in the expanded field.
3-A, Natsukawa Junpei, Humanities (Geography), 225 points
Vs
2-F, Yoshii Akihisa, Humanities (Japanese History), 242 points
I see the indicated score. This might be the first ti I'm fighting soone with a lower score.
“1 on 1, little difference between us. Just the situation I want.”
Natsukawa-sempai snorted.
“Sempai, are you talking about a rematch of the test of courage tournant?”
Amazingly, we were also on the field back then. Yuuji didn't take part, but Tsunemura-sempai's not around this ti, so it's a real 1 on 1 this ti. This might be the perfect situation to end everything between us.”
“A rematch? How stupid? If I'm concerned about that, won't I have to see that disgusting face of yours again?”
Natsukawa-sempai's face contorted unhappily.
“I'm just clearing my debt here. We'll settle this now, and I won't have to deal with you sliball again. You're already in such a disgusting state; I don't want to get involved with you anymore.”
Up till now, I've fought these upperclassn quite a few tis. He ans he wants to clear all the issues between us this ti; the problem isn't about who won more tis, but that he wants to end everything here in a battle, not for the sake of winning, but for the sake of severing ties with . In other words…he doesn't have any hatred or grudge against , and he doesn't care about anymore.
“Don't space out with that stupid rotten expression. We're starting.”
Natsukawa-sempai's summoned beast readies it sword. It's ard with an orthodox western sword and armor, not much different from the the opponents I battled till now.
I let my summoned beast raise the wooden sword, and let it charge into the enemy's clutches.
I just swing the wooden sword down, without using any fancy tricks.
The opponent takes a step back to dodge, and then took a large step forward to swing the sword in its hand.
I block the attack with my wooden sword, and counterattack with it again. The opponent dodges, and again continues to attack.
Right now, I'm feeling most comfortable just having to focus on this battle.
“…This is ridiculous.”
Natsukawa-sempai mutters in the midst of our battle.
I ignore his murmuring as I swing the wooden sword down to hold him off. His summoned beast steps forward to take the attack.
“Argh…!”
“Just go by the wayside and fall dead!”
At this distance, I can't swing the sword or dodge, and the opponent swings a punch. My summoned beast leans back to reduce the damage, but I still took a punch in the abdon, and was sent flying.
I feel a slight, blunt pain in my abdon. This is the feedback I'm already used to.
“Don't go panting on now!”
Naturally, the opponent won't let go of this opportunity as I stagger back, and charges over to attack.
I let my summoned beast raise its wooden sword.
“Tch!”
I thought the opponent was about to swing a punch again, and hurriedly covered my abdon with a hand.
A hand alone wasn't enough to block the sword the opponent swung down, and so, my summoned beast took a deep slash in the shoulder.
“U…ghh…!”
I'm groaning to the intense pain from the feedback, and Natsukawa-sempai never gave chase, instead saying arrogantly,
“Use that bracelet.”
Once he said that, I froze.
The pain I suffered in the battle against Takashiro-sempai flashed in my mind. The intense pain that deflated the air in my lungs, and the pain of being unable to breathe; once I recall that, and once I recalled the conversation from before.
I didn't want to think about it.
“Don't worry, I won't call Tsunemura over even if it's a 2 on 1. There's no need for that in the first place.”
Natsukawa-sempai waits for to get up, not moving his summoned beast at all.
On the other hand, I didn't use the platinum bracelet, just letting my summoned beast stand up normally.
“What? Just use it? Isn't that your specialty?”
“…If the opponent's saying that, I will have to think there's sothing else, right?”
“Is that so?…well, your call as to whether you want to or not.”
Natsukawa-sempai's summoned beast wields the sword in its right hand, and sends a left punch as if he wants to see it. He's really used to battling.
I focus my attention on the opponent's sword and take it on.
I can clearly see the sword that's swinging down from above. It's a one-handed sword, and if I block his attack with all my strength, using both hands, I'll be able to break his posture and counterattack. It's a good chance.
—right, that's what my mind knew.
“!!”
My body froze up due to the tightly clenched left fist.
And so, my summoned beast stopped its sword swing, and I took more damage because my posture's ssed up.
“How boring. What kind of a battle is this?”
3-A, Natsukawa Junpei, Humanities (Geography), 191 points
Vs
2-F, Yoshii Akihisa, Humanities (Japanese History), 74 points
The updated points are shown.
He glances at the points, and then at my summoned beast, stabbing a strike at it while dodging the vitals.
“Ar…gh…!”
I feel a sharp pain in my calves and hands.
3-A, Natsukawa Junpei, Humanities (Geography), 191 points
Vs
2-F, Yoshii Akihisa, Humanities (Japanese History), 23 points
My points are depleted as I feel the pain.
“I'll torture you little by little until you have only a little bit left, and then I'll finish you off.”
Natsukawa-sempai said without a hint of anger or grudge against . That's the attitude of soone who wishes to destroy garbage before throwing it away.
I can't go to the detention room before I actually talk to Minami, but I really don't know what to do after that.
And at this mont, I hear the voices of the cavalry behind .
“““Summon!”””
I hear the familiar voices of the guy from class F. It seems the reinforcents Yuuji talked about have arrived.
“…”
Natsukawa-sempai glanced at the incoming reinforcents, and then at my summoned beast.
And then,
“Tsunemura, they have reinforcents here, just leave this place to the rest. We'll retreat for the ti being. We can't possibly be at the frontlines forever.”
The Toko-Natsu pair called in the other 3rd years, and proceed to leave.
A little later on, my allies too enter the field.
“How's the situation here, Yoshii?”
Fukumura-kun summons his summoned beast to face off against the enemy as he answers .
And so, I simply answer him,
“…A very bad situation.”
Besides, what happened from before was caused by .”
Upon hearing that, “Is that so?” he said this and showed a bitter grimace.
“I saw the other sides being forced back hard just now on my way here. There's quite so price in this because we focused too much fighting strength in this.”
We used a lot of the second years as bait just to charge into the principal's office. The failed operation ant that the efforts of those defeated was for nothing…because I was not being myself.
“Also, that Tsuchiya and Kudou pair barely managed to make it back alive after being beaten like that. I never thought they'll lose in the field of health education…”
Leaving aside the rest, seeing how those two actually lost in a battle of health education, I can tell how bad the impact of my actions was.
“You'll be sent to the detention room if we were a too little late in escaping just now.”
As he said so, Fukumura-kun always tries to keep his summoned beast away from the opponent's, and he'll go around hiding.
“The detention room's the only place I don't want to go to.”
“Of course. How can we let ourselves get sent there?”
My reasons for not wanting to go there is a little different from Fukumura-kun, but we have the sa ideas.
In that sense, we can probably work together.
“Let's try and live on here then, Fukumura-kun.”
“Hm? What nonsense are you saying now? We've always put ourselves as priority, right?”
Those are cold words no matter how I try to interpret it, but to right now, I'm grateful of that instead.
“Hm, that's the spirit, Fukumura-kun”
“I don't want to be in so detention room or sothing.”
'Yeah, we rather lose this summoning war than get locked up inside there.”
“Oh, those are rather selfish words there.”
“Haha, we're from F class after all.”
Though I'm laughing now, what I said just now was really what I thought. If we're going to the detention room, I won't be able to apologize to Minami.
I don't want to cause trouble for anyone, so I don't intend to ignore the instructions for the operations. Even if we lose, I do want to end this war as soon as possible—this is what I really thought.
Once I'm thinking about this again, Fukumura-kun suddenly said this.
“Then, Yoshii, you can just retreat for the ti being to protect yourself.”
“……Eh?”
Once I heard those unbelievable words, I was stunned for that instant.
I can't believe that my classmates from class F, who have the philosophy of sacrificing others to ensure their own survival, would say such things.
But in my surprise,
“No, well…”
Fukumura-kun scratched his head,
“—if I'm with you now, I'll really feel irritated.”
☆
“Co back once you get back to being the laughable idiot again” Fukumura-kun told this, and I was chased out from the summoning field. I end up rooted however because I don't know what to do.
Normally, in such situations, I should go take so replenishnt tests, right? I lost a lot of points, and I have lots of allies supporting at where I was. Currently, it's best that I replenish the points of the subjects I'm best at.
…But that option isn't ideal for now.
“I have to hurry up, et with Minami, and apologize to her…”
If I start the replenishnt tests now, I might miss Minami when she goes back to the battlefield. I can't take the replenishnt tests now.
Right now, I can't go to the frontlines or go take the replenishnt tests.
But even so, I can't just stand by and waste everyone's ti. I don't want to take action because of personal reasons, and I don't want to cause trouble for others again.
In the end, I choose to 'hide sowhere in a corner of the old school building, where there aren't many people around, and run away to buy ti if the enemy cos'.
………
……
…
Nothing much happened as ti passed.
I'm trying to keep watch, but I'm not seriously looking around .
Even though I know how serious the sitaution is, I can't return to the frontlines.
I can't help in any way, and I'm just wasting sothing without a purpose.
“I'm, really a big idiot…”
I murmur to myself, without anyone else hearing.
I have no purpose in the summoning war.
I just obstructed Hiji-san's progress.
And I revealed Minami's precious feelings to soone else.
“I must at least make him return Minami's diary…”
If I can't get it back using my own abilities, I might as well kneel down and beg. It's useless to Takashiro-sempai anyway, so he might return it to if I beg hard. Why didn't I think about that at all?
“But even if I do get it back, the fact remains that he read it before, right…?”
I haven't been doing anything, so my mind's repeating the sa issues over and over again.
I'm starting to feel frustrated at my own stupidity, and I'm starting to think of dropping everything and run away.
I really want to et Minami earlier and apologize to her. I've been thinking about this, doing aningless things.
—And so, after looking around for a while.
“Ah, Aki. What are you doing here?”
I finally t the person I wanted to et.
☆
“…Minami…”
“Hm? What is it?”
Minami greeted with her useful, cheerful smile.
“There's sothing I have to apologize to you for.”
“Even if you suddenly say that you have to apologize for sothing…I don't really know what you're trying to say because there's too many things you have to apologize for.”
Minami placed her fingers on her chin as she pondered,
“Is it about saying that my breasts are small? Or the peeping incident during the school camp? Or that you did sothing when you ca to my house—”
“That's not it, Minami.”
I cut off Minami's joking words.
That's not it. What I want to apologize for is sothing more important to Minami, sothing she did not want anyone else to know of, and I trampled on those feelings.
“Sorry, Minami.”
“So, what's that about?”
I feel ready to vomit out blood as I explain to Minami what I did,
“I—let Takashiro-sempai and Linne-kun read your important diary.”
That's an unforgivable act to any girl in her youth.
I heard that it contained the precious thoughts Minami had since her first year, that it contained the feelings Minami had for him, how she thought about him all this ti.
She has a tomboyish side, but I know that Minami in fact is really gentle, and definitely has a feminine side to her.
It's because of that, I couldn't forgive myself for doing what I did…!
I lower my head and gritted my teeth in anger.
And then, Minami looks on at ,
“What? That's it?”
She just looked disappointed, answering calmly,
“Th-That's!”
“Hm~…it's fine anyway. That sort of thing was read anyway. It's my fault for bringing the diary to school anyway.”
Minami doesn't mind at all as she said this. How's that possible…!
“Ah, speaking of which, did you read it, Aki?”
“…? I didn't.”
“I see. There's nothing to be worried about then.”
“But that's not the problem—”
“Nope, it's just that small of a problem.”
I leaked Minami's important feelings to an unrelated 3rd party, and Minami just smiled at .
“I've already confessed anyway.”
“…”
I couldn't understand what she ant as I stood there blankly, even forgetting to apologize.
“Wait, Aki, are you listening?”
Minami waves her hand in front of while I space out.
Wh-what am I spacing out for? I'm supposed to be apologizing to Minami now, right?
And so, Minami continues on while ignoring as I recover from the shock.
“Well, leaving aside that—I'm wondering why are you looking so dejected right now though, Aki.”
Once I heard her ask for my glum look, I'm unable to say anything at that instant.
“…That's…”
“You aren't depressed because of my diary, right? If that's the case, I'm going to beat your face up good.”
Minami then showed an angry look.
Even so, I still intend to argue back against what Minami said.
How can it just be like this? She wrote inside it every single day, and it's definitely not sothing she'll be callous about. She's just acting unconcerned because she's worried, because she's…very kind.
“Minami, I—”
“Besides my diary, sothing happened to Mizuki too, right?”
“!?”
I gasped.
Once Minami sees like this, she smiles happily, and says,
“Right now, you have that 'how did you know' look on your face. Of course I know that. Mizuki has been looking weird seriously, and she went to the principal's office with you just now, but never returned. You looked so depressed too”
Minami easily deduced these. Can all these be deduced by a bystander? I don't really know. What I know however is that Minami did say the truth.
“…”
I end up being unable to say anything.
I'm not trying to hide it.
Or rather, I want to say, what kind of person am I.
“Tell , Aki. Why're you feeling so depressed. What sort of frustrations do you have now?”
I hear Minami's gentle voice.
If I say it out, I'll definitely feel relieved.
Minami wants to say this because she knows this.
But I can't rely on Minami's kindness again. I did sothing that's to be hated and scolded for.
“…”
I keep my head lowered as I remain silent
And Minami sighed and said,
“Then, how about this? If you're sorry about the diary, tell everything now.”
It's a condition most suited for , sothing I can't refuse.
This line causes to lose any urge to resist.
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