CotE: The Butterfly Effect

Volume 3 | Prologue

The endless, glistening, crystal-clear sea. The infinite, sapphire-blue skies. The salty freshness of the perfect air. In the midst of the Pacific, it really was a break from the tough mainland of Japan. The breeze of the luxury liner certainly stopped the shining sun from having too much effect on our bodies.

"Seriously, look at the scenery!"

"This is the beeeessstttttt!"

After overcoming numerous hardships, exams and much more, summer vacation had gladly been welcomed. And such with a government-funded school, ANHS had arranged for an extravagant two-week trip - a cruise on a luxury liner.

Everything was of the highest quality, fully equipped with restaurants, theatres, a swimming pool and even a spa. Surely the pinnacle of luxury. According to the travel schedule, the first week would be at a fancy lodge on a deserted island, then the cruise ship would be enjoyed for another week.

It seems weird to think that chaos was prevalent only a short while ago. Earlier, at 5AM, all the first year students boarded buses and headed for Tokyo Bay, the passenger ships departing as soon as we boarded. We had free use of the facilities after breakfast, free of charge. This truly was a gift to those with a lack of private points.

In the distance, the school's private-owned island slowly became more extravagant as we headed south. Our destination.

"Attention, students. Please assemble on the deck. You will be able to see the island soon. This is a good time to take in some rather significant scenery."

Significant scenery? I might as well mark out the island. It doesn't seem like most other people took notice of the strange wording.

A little while passed as I continued to wander around the decks. The crowd gradually got louder as we sailed closer to the island, enthusiasm reaching an all-time high.

Completely averting my expectations, the ship started circling the island. The highest point of the island reached 230 meters. Even though the island wasn't that big in size, seen by multiple people on a cruise ship, it looked... well, huge.

When I thought the boat would stop after making a complete circle, it seemed to speed up and pass the island once more without changing speed. This time, I took a lot more care to take note of the island's geographical features as this seemed unusual. This school has a purpose for everything.

"We will disembark in thirty minutes. Please assemble on the deck. All students should have changed into their jerseys. Make sure to check your designated bag and your luggage, and do not forget your cell phone. Please keep all other personal items in your room. There is a possibility that you will not be able to visit the bathroom for some time, so please do so now."

I went to my group's room to change into the jersey I used for gym class, returned to the ship's deck and waited until we were at the island. Enthusiasm once again reached another high. 

"We will disembark now, beginning with the students from Class A. Cell phones are prohibited on the island. Please hand your phone to your homeroom teacher as you leave."

Students went down the stairs in a somewhat orderly fashion, following the loudspeaker's command.

"Come on!"

"Hurry up!"

Even though we were all wearing thin clothes, the lack of the cruise ship's wind made everyone start to sweat. No place to hide from the sun on the ship's deck.

"Hey, Ayanokōji-kun!" Ichinose approached me from behind. "Don't you think this is all a little bit weird?"

"Partially."

Disembarking took longer than everyone had expected, as teachers guarded the students on both sides and check their luggage while leaving the ship.

"H-hey. Does it seem like they're being awfully cautious for some reason? They weren't this strict during the finals with technology. They're really taking care on this," pondered Kanzaki.

"Certainly, but if we're just playing in the ocean, I can't imagine we'd need to go this far."

Speaking of which, there was a helicopter parked on the stern of the liner.

I'm probably overthinking.

If students did bring their phones, it might get wet and break.

Personal items would cause concerns for people polluting the beach with garbage.

The helicopter was for any illness, right?

That was the reason, right?

As we got off the ramp, none of us new what awaited us. We still were yet to realize that this island was going to be... problematic to say the least.

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Here comes the fun stuff! I love this volume. So much room for freedom.

It's always fun reading your comments, those of you who do comment ;)

QOTD: Are you hydrated?

[Published: July 16, 2022]