The Quintessential quintuplets in ANHS

9.2 Nino joins the Exam

Ayanokouji POV

I walked to the second deck, just as the message had instructed. I arrived at my destination about five minutes before the designated time. Several students were wandering the normally deserted level. I saw some people I couldn't identify enter a nearby room. It was more than one or two people. They came up to the designated deck and disappeared into the other rooms. 

"Are those students from another class?" I wondered. At first, I thought about waiting in front of the entrance, but things might have already gotten started inside. 

More than anything else, I didn't want other students to see me, so I decided to act. A reply came immediately after I knocked.

"Enter." 

I stepped into the room. The homeroom teacher for Class A, Mashima-sensei, wearing a well-tailored suit, sat before me in a chair. My eyes lowered to a small table on which some materials waited. Two male students sat before Mashima-sensei as well. Both were my classmates from Class D. 

"So, one of the remaining two spots belongs to Ayanokouji-dono, I see! Most agreeable!"

It was Sotomura who uttered that strange, nerdy greeting. People affectionately referred to him as "The Professor." An overweight first-year high school student with glasses, he fit the stereotypical image of a male otaku perfectly. He was very knowledgeable about history and machinery, though much of his speech, actual words, and inflection all came off as unintelligible. Despite that, he was somehow able to communicate with others. 

Even Nino, who hates most of the boys in our class says he is somewhat a good person but very creepy.

"This is rather odd, isn't it? Ayanokouji?" Yukimura, another of my roommates on the ship, sat next to the Professor. The Professor and Yukimura. Normally, you wouldn't find the two of them together. I wondered why they were here. What had we gotten ourselves into?

"What are you doing? Hurry and take a seat." Mashima-sensei spoke without looking at me. I silently took a seat next to Yukimura. One vacant seat beside me piqued my interest. 

At first glance, I guessed that we had been put into groups of one teacher and four students, but...why such small groups? Maybe the as-of-yet-unseen fourth student would shed light on the situation. 

I got the feeling that this wasn't a trivial matter. There was a storm coming, the curtain rising on a new test. A powerful omen. No matter what we might have expected, it was obvious that this test would be something entirely different. 

Ordinarily, it would be normal for everyone to receive the test's rules at the same time to ensure fairness. Whether it was a written exam at our desks or survival on an uninhabited island, that was the norm. But here we were, in a private, enclosed space. Why did they want us in small groups? 

Was I worrying too much and too early? No matter how much I agonized over it, I probably wouldn't find any answers by myself. I sat down in the chair. None of us spoke. Although we hadn't yet passed the appointed time, I wanted the mystery person to hurry up and get here. There was a clock in the shape of a music box, a common feature in every room on this ship. Silence hung heavy all around us. Before long, it would be 18:00.

Mashima-sensei glanced at the clock only once, calm as you like. Simultaneously, someone knocked at the door. Mashima-sensei told that person to enter, and the door slowly opened. 

"Pardon the intrusion!" 

With that, Nino entered the room. I'd expected our fourth person would be from Class D, but I hadn't expected Nino. I'd thought another guy would be joining us. This was completely unexpected.