Chaoskouji

Arc 3 Chapter 1 - Observations

A startling blue expanse spread out before me over the front of the boat. A glittering sea, filled with shining reflections of the sun shone up at me, as far as I could see in every direction.

I had never seen the ocean before today, at least not in person, and I could understand why so many people talked about it. Of all the poetry I had read in the white room, all the stories and adventures recorded into books, the ocean was a theme in many of them. It was an indescribable view, one that could only be experienced fully by seeing it yourself.

I had made my way out here with Kushida, after grabbing some early lunch, in order to get a chance to truly appreciate what I had spent so many years reading about.

We stood at the bow as the cruise liner moved through the water at frightening speeds, blasting through waves as it headed towards as small island I could see in the distance, growing closer and closer by the minute.

Every now and then a little bit of spray flew up in wet us slightly, but under the bright ocean sun, it was a rather pleasant experience.

"Woah, this is the best!"

Unfortunately, the beautiful view couldn't last forever, being ruined by the arrival of most of our classmates. In fact, it seemed most of the year had been steadily making their way to the front of the boat over the last hour. It only became obvious when the defects themselves made their way out, incapable of handling themselves properly in society.

Ike Kanji had arrived, his voice echoing across the deck of the luxury liner. Normally, someone would have grumbled or shouted "shut up" in response, but for today no one minded, instead enjoying this special moment of bliss.

"This view is incredible! I'm honestly super moved right now!"

Karuizawa and her group of girls had also made their way onto the deck.

It wasn't easy, but I had spent enough time with Kushida at this point to read her mood pretty well, even when she was acting her façade. The differences were very slight, but with every new arrival, and every disruptive outburst she was getting ever so slightly more annoyed.

Unfortunately for Kushida, there was nothing to do about the situation, and she had to simply stand there and keep smiling, while interacting cheerfully with everyone who wanted to speak to her.

As the deck had gotten more crowded, I had subtly moved away from her, inch by inch, in order to not give away how close we had gotten. It was much better if people assumed we were simply acquaintances or not very close friends who sometimes hung out, rather than figuring out the true nature of our cooperation. Whatever that was anymore, because I had lost track at some point of what our relationship even was.

Of the people on the deck, Sudou, Ike and Yamauchi were by far the most disturbing ones. None of them seemed to have any filter on their volume, or their language, and I could see almost everyone around me was frustrated with them.

The trouble they were causing all came to a head, when a large group of students, from Class A if I remembered correctly, began to assemble on the deck. After a crowd had gathered, some particularly domineering boys showed up and began pushing the three idiots out of the way in order to get the best positions. While I had no qualms about their actions, since those three deserved it wholeheartedly, their reasoning was some of the most delusional and segregationist thinking I had ever come across.

"Hey, you're in the way. Move it, you defects."

One of the boys had shoved Ike, causing him to fall to the ground. The students around him laughed scornfully, apparently satisfied with their bullying.