Chapter 104: False Bliss
The cruise aboard the luxurious ship had finally come to an end. The ship had witnessed two special exams taken by the newly enrolled first-year students for the first time.
Afterward, their feet once again touched the grounds of the school campus, returning them to their usual routines before the summer vacation ended and they went back to spending most of their time in their classrooms.
I stood off to the side, carrying the bag containing my belongings, watching students from every class calmly disembark in groups after we had finally arrived.
Even if none of them said it outright, everyone seemed to be preparing themselves for the next stage we would face.
Especially after going through two unexpected special exams, they wouldn't fall into the same traps again.
I sighed heavily as I thought about what we might face next.
Would the special exams continue to follow the same established framework, or could they go beyond the limits of an ordinary student?
I didn't know why I couldn't stop thinking about all the possibilities that might await us.
I felt a light pressure on my arm.
I turned around to find small, pale fingers gently holding my arm, as if checking on me.
"Hmm..."
Yukinoshita stood there, staring at me for a moment as though inspecting me.
"Hikigaya-kun, are you feeling alright? You don't seem like yourself."
"Isn't this how I usually am? I normally stand alone," I said indifferently, shrugging my shoulders.
Yukinoshita moved her head from side to side before sighing.
"Well, that's true. But normally, your face looks as though you're dissatisfied with the situation and hate everything happening around you. Right now, though, something seems different..."
What was this?
I felt like I had just been subjected to a detailed analysis of my daily behavior.
That was genuinely frightening.
"I just feel dizzy after spending so much time on a floating object and suddenly returning to solid ground. I don't feel comfortable," I said, turning my face away.
"Nonsense. Shouldn't it be the other way around?" Yukinoshita said as she gently released my arm and walked away.
While looking to the side, I noticed some familiar faces I hadn't seen since we left.
They were standing with their usual seriousness, observing the situation as if checking on the first-year students after their trip.
I headed toward President Horikita, who was standing to the side in his uniform alongside Tachibana-senpai, watching the students pass by without trying to attract any attention.
I had a strange feeling about seeing them at this hour.
It was like returning from summer vacation only to meet your angry boss at work, ready to drown you in even more work.
"Yo."
I raised my hand to greet them as I approached, having already caught their attention.
"Hikigaya. Welcome back. How was your trip?" President Horikita asked, adjusting his glasses.
I stopped beside him and looked at the students heading toward the dormitories in noisy groups.
"Well... all I can say is that it was exhausting. If I'd known you were going to welcome us, I would've brought you a rock from the island as a souvenir," I said, adjusting my bag on my back.
But for some reason, Tachibana-senpai gave me a stern look, as though she were genuinely angry with me.
"Perhaps I should've brought two rocks..." I said, trying to avoid eye contact with her so I wouldn't make her even angrier.
"Even after everything you've been through, you're still Hikigaya..." President Horikita said, looking ahead as if he weren't paying much attention to me.
"Really? He seems even gloomier than usual to me..." Tachibana-senpai said, hugging the file in front of her.
"Yes," the president agreed without hesitation.
I tried staring into the air in front of me, ignoring their comments in the hope that they would finish quickly.
But the president still wanted to talk.
"You've returned to Class C. That's quite an achievement. You should maintain your momentum..." the president said beside me, turning to look at me.
"Yeah. They worked hard for it. Even your sister tried everything she could to get back. Why don't you congratulate her?" I said indifferently.
However, I felt the heat of anger burning to my left.
If I made the mistake of looking at her, there was no doubt she'd burn me alive with her glare.
"Senpai, sorry for the delay..."
Suddenly, a voice called out to the president from behind us.
He turned toward the voice as if he'd been waiting for him.
A blond-haired boy in the same formal uniform approached us with a smile on his face, although his eyes weren't exactly focused on us.
I followed the direction of his gaze and found him staring at a group of first-year girls walking toward their destination.
What was he doing?
"Ah, Nagumo. You've finally arrived..." the president said, walking toward him.
So he really had been waiting for him.
The president stopped for a moment before turning toward me, signaling for me to approach them as well.
I dragged my feet lazily toward them until I was close enough.
"This is Hikigaya Hachiman. He's a member of the Student Council with us," the president said, gesturing toward me as he introduced me to the blond-haired boy.
With us?
So this guy was also on the Student Council.
Just as I expected, we weren't the only three members.
But why was this the first time I'd met him?
"Ah, kouhai. Nice to meet you. I'm Miyabi Nagumo, a second-year from Class A," he said, extending his hand for a handshake.
For some reason, I felt as though he was trying to show off by mentioning his class.
Well, that probably wasn't unusual at this school.
I extended my hand in return.
At the very least, I had to show respect to an upperclassman.
"Finally, I've gotten the chance to meet you. I've been looking forward to seeing the student Horikita-senpai personally brought into the Student Council..." Nagumo said, his smile beginning to annoy me the longer I looked at his face.
"Perhaps this is the best time, especially since the two of you will be working together more in the future..." President Horikita said.
After my hand was finally released from his.
"Yes. Horikita-senpai's retirement is approaching," Nagumo said, putting one hand into his pocket while carefully observing the surroundings behind us.
Was the president really going to retire?
Perhaps his term was simply coming to an end.
But was it possible that this Nagumo guy was the next president?
"I'll be leaving now. I still have a few meetings to finish..." Nagumo-senpai said, giving me one last glance as if inspecting me before turning around and leaving while waving his hand.
"Is he the next president?" I asked, waiting for the president's response.
He simply nodded, confirming my suspicion.
Although there was something strange about this blond-haired senpai, I didn't even know how the Student Council president was chosen at this school.
But at least I was confident in President Horikita's choice.
He didn't seem like the impulsive or reckless type at all.
His judgment was probably sound.
"Hikigaya, what do you think?" the president asked, returning his attention to the first-year students who had begun moving away from us.
I looked at the president for a moment, trying to make sure exactly what he meant.
For some reason, he had decided to speak in vague terms.
"Can I cross the line a little?" I asked with a sigh.
I should get his permission first so I wouldn't get scolded afterward.
"Go ahead."
After the president gave me the green light, I gathered my thoughts for a moment before the words finally left my lips.
"He's arrogant, rude, and domineering. I can even imagine him doing anything necessary to control the people around him and prove himself..."
Silence followed my declaration, as if neither of the two people beside me wanted to speak anymore.
Had I crossed the line too much?
Was the president angry?
I turned toward them slightly, with a hint of concern, to check their reactions.
However, the president remained completely still.
Meanwhile, Tachibana-senpai's eyes were trembling as though she'd just seen a monster.
Was she afraid of my eyes or something?
That was bullying, for the record.
Although I suppose she was probably used to looking at me by now.
"W-what...?" I asked hesitantly, hoping to understand what had just happened.
"Nothing. It seems your eyes really are quite good. You only needed one meeting to figure all that out..." the president said calmly.
Tachibana-senpai regained her composure and returned to her usual position.
"Well, it's just a guess..."
A guess could be right just as easily as it could be wrong.
You wouldn't know which until you confronted the person directly.
"A guess, huh...? Hikigaya, prepare yourself. The real work starts now," the president said before walking away.
Leaving behind vague words that once again began spinning around in my head.
What?
Are there more troublesome tests waiting for us?
Don't worry.
I've already prepared myself as much as possible.
I sighed as I watched President Horikita's back disappear toward the school building to carry out his duties.
I decided to return to the dorms.
Perhaps I should get some rest.
I walked behind the crowd toward my destination when I heard someone calling my name nearby.
"Hikigaya-kun..."
Hirata approached me, waving his hand while Ayanokōji walked beside him.
The two of them came toward me together.
They must have been heading to the dorms together.
"Hikigaya-kun, are you alright...?" Hirata asked with a concerned expression.
"Hmm...? Fine, fine," I said as Hirata adjusted his pace to walk beside me.
"You've really seemed sad lately..." Hirata said, glancing toward Ayanokōji in search of support.
But the latter simply stared at him with a blank expression.
I looked at Hirata, who was wearing an awkward smile.
I didn't know what was wrong with everyone today, but I wasn't in the mood to argue or even deny it.
"Yeah. I'm sad that the trip is over..." I said, moving my head dramatically.
Hopefully, Hirata would accept that explanation and leave it at that.
"You're right. It was a fun trip. I wonder if we'll get to experience something like this again..." Hirata quickly agreed with my claim, as if he'd been thinking the same thing himself.
We continued walking together toward the dorms.
Hirata continued talking, but I couldn't keep up with him anymore.
His words had begun to lose the ability to even knock on the door of my ears.
I couldn't tell whether he was actually talking to me or simply spouting nonsense with that cheerful expression of his.
"Hikigaya-kun..."
Suddenly, I felt a hand carefully move my shoulder.
Hirata was checking on me after he'd said so much without receiving a response to anything he'd said.
"Ah, sorry. What is it...?" I asked, adjusting my bag nervously.
I couldn't even focus on where I was walking.
How had I not tripped and fallen flat on my face yet?
"I was talking about the VIP test. It would've been great if we'd discovered its secret from the beginning."
The picture finally came together in my mind after Hirata brought me back on track.
It seemed that after the exam ended, they had tried to figure out the school's method for determining the VIP in each group.
And eventually, they'd even managed to discover the solution.
"Yeah. We might have earned a lot more..." I said absentmindedly, trying to participate in his never-ending conversation.
"I think Ryuen-kun managed to figure it out early, which is why he gathered as many points as possible. But for some reason, he didn't attack our class..." Hirata said, as if he had only just begun to understand what had happened during the exam and piece together the bigger picture.
"Perhaps he wanted to hold back the classes that were ahead of him. We're still within his reach..."
Hirata nodded, as if agreeing with the fake opinions I was throwing out.
Our fragmented conversation continued until we reached the dormitory entrance.
The moment Hirata appeared in the lobby, a group of girls began waving at him as if they had been waiting for him.
As soon as Hirata noticed them, he waved back with a smile before heading toward them.
"Hikigaya-kun, Ayanokōji-kun, goodbye..." Hirata said as he walked away.
Meanwhile, Ayanokōji and I headed toward the elevators, where we couldn't even see the doors because of the number of students gathered in the lobby.
They must all be waiting for the elevator.
I sighed in resignation and headed toward the stairs.
It was better to save time rather than wait any longer.
I climbed the empty staircase, only to hear footsteps following behind me.
I turned around.
It was Ayanokōji, who had apparently decided to take the stairs as well.
I looked at him for a moment before turning around and continuing on my way.
He could do whatever he wanted.
"Since the elevator probably won't arrive anytime soon, it's better to use the stairs..." Ayanokōji said from behind me.
As if he simply wanted to talk for the sake of talking.
"Yeah."
I answered absentmindedly until we reached the floor where our rooms were.
I took my card from my pocket, opened my room, and entered without so much as a glance or a word, closing the door behind me.
It felt like returning home after a long journey.
Finally, I could rest however I wanted.
I placed my bag on the floor, then dropped to my knees to open the outer pocket and take out my light novel.
I took a lighter from the kitchen and went into the bathroom.
I threw the novel into the sink, then set fire to one of its pages.
The flames slowly devoured it, almost as if they were savoring every page.
"Well, this is your punishment... Don't think I've forgotten."
I left the bathroom, dragging my feet behind me, before walking into the middle of my room.
I threw my exhausted body onto the bed, which gently embraced me, and buried my face in the pillow, feeling some comfort and warmth.
After days of sleeping in a shared room and in the middle of a forest, I suppose this really was paradise.
Although I doubted it would last.
It could end at any moment.
So I had to be ready.