A Shattered reality

Unknowing

Using my fever as an excuse, I manage to escape from the entirety of class D, which is hounding me with questions. I go to my room for a bit to pretend to cool off. Normally I would have told them to get lost, but given my condition and what happened on the island, I'm beginning to learn that it's necessary to work with others.

No

It wasn't just that.

Ever since the beginning of the year, I've been slowly starting to change. Telling Chabashira sensei that a defective product could be fixed and attending the celebration in Ayonokouji-Kun's room is something the old me would have never done.

and I began to chase after the root cause of it all.

"I finally found you."

Ayonokouji Kiyotaka, stone-faced as always, stares at me blankly.

"You again? What is it now?"

"Hirata-Kun told me. When you told him A and C's leaders, you said I was the one who figured it all out. And after the test was over, you asked him to work to bring the class together. Are you trying to use me as a cover?"

He's displayed this behaviour before, but I could never figure out why he helped me. He's displayed no ambition or drive so far and is content to put in minimal effort. So what made him expend the effort he made during the island exam? Even more than that, he wasn't the type of person to say that he'd help me on the island, so why would he? I was going to ask him that before being interrupted by Hirata-Kun and the others.

"Horiktia, do you remember what I said back then? You need allies."

"You did it for that?"

Shocked didn't even begin to describe how I felt. Did he go against his detestation of troublesome things for something like that? I highly doubt it was his sole reason, but if he wants to hide it, who was I to pry?

Memories of his abyss-like eyes on that day were brought to the forefront of my mind at that word, sending an involuntary shiver down my spine.

but still

What was this warmth?

"You've finally started to change."

"It's your fault... Grudgingly, I will acknowledge you as an ally, too. Still, I don't want you acting buddy-buddy with me once we're back at school. We're only working together to reach Class A. But... I will say one thing. Thank you. Not that I'm saying that I need you or anything."

And that was the last time I talked to Ayanokouji-Kun. The experience was downright shameful, and I could scarcely believe the pathetic words that were unceremoniously pouring out of me at the time. I don't even remember being able to maintain eye contact with him for very long before redirecting my gaze.

How am I ever going to catch up to Nii-san if I can't even do something so simple?

Finally arriving on the right floor, I head to the library having just finished reading For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway, a veritable masterpiece and the author's finest work, and decide to acquire another book to occupy my time until I spot a familiar figure.

"What on earth are you doing?"

Ayonokuji's POV

The library on the cruise ship was large, outsizing the average library by a fair amount. This may seem to not have any drawbacks at first with the vast array of books it provides, but navigation is quite bothersome with a vast amount of books requiring a ladder to retrieve them.