Chaoskouji

Arc 4 Chapter 12.5.1 - SS Shiina 1

This school really was out of a novel.

To focus so much on competition between classes, to create an environment that seems completely fictional, I couldn't help but love it.

The drama, the intrigue, the planning and betrayal, it was all so dramatic, so mysterious, and I loved every second of it.

The library too, was magical. It was so much larger than any other I'd ever seen, with thousands of books I'd never read. Even if I spent every free second in there for the next three years it would be impossible to get through them all.

Everything about this school was like a dream come true for a bookworm like me. I couldn't wait to watch what happened.

Because at first I had no intention of getting involved. It was scary, worrisome, to have the fate of your class on your shoulders. I left that up to Ryuuen and the other braver students, who were willing and capable of planning in complex and intricate ways.

I had no interest in participating. I simply wanted to observe. I hadn't found anyone in the class that shared my interests in books, but that was fine. It was ok. I didn't mind having no close friends. Everyone in the class knew me, and I knew them and we got on well enough. That was enough for me.

At least that's what I had told myself.

It was disheartening, to say the least. I had thought that my isolation might end coming to this school. A school for the elite, the future leaders of Japan. I thought that maybe one of them would like to read, even enough that I could find a friend.

As much as I was ok with it, I also didn't want to go through school alone again. It was... empty.

A school this prestigious, a library that excessive, and yet I couldn't find anyone that liked to read. The odds of that happening were ridiculous.

I was sure there was someone in another class who would like to read. I couldn't possibly be the only one in all 160 students, but reaching out to another class was difficult enough, made that much harder by Ryuuen's attitude.

And then, I had to set aside my books and get involved. Something I hadn't even considered doing until that point.

I noticed what most people seemed to miss. What most people didn't want to notice because of his attitude, or because of their pride. What they would have to recognise if we were going to reach Class A.

Ryuuen was the best chance for our class.

Perhaps there were other potential leaders hiding in mediocrity, but I doubt it. No, out of everyone in the class, only Ryuuen was ruthless enough, smart enough, bold enough to dare challenge the other classes, to even have a chance going against other powerhouses.

And above all, it was clear that he did care for the class, in his own way. We were his tools, his pawns in the dictatorship, but we were his pawns. And he was fighting for us. Most people let their dislike for Ryuuen cloud their ability to notice that, but it was clear as day to me. Especially after what happened with Komiya.

It was Ryuuen's plan to mess with Class D, and it was clear as day that he felt responsible for Komiya's expulsion. There was no official statement from the school on what happened, but the story got out anyway.

Class D was responsible. That much I was sure of.

Ryuuen was intending to play with them a bit, just mess with Class D. And yet in retaliation they completely turned the tables on us.

It was at this moment I knew I needed to get involved.

Things had gone badly, extremely so. What should have been a simple plan had been twisted around and warped beyond understanding.

If I wanted to prevent situations like that again, I would have to step up.

And so I did. I put myself out there, gave Ryuuen advice on the island. I added to his plan, gave him ideas, and solidified my place as an advisor. Because, if I was by his side, I could make sure that never happened again. At least I could mitigate the risk.

But even with my help, Ryuuen's plan still failed.

I believed in it. It was a great plan, and it only fell apart because of one person. Ayanokouji. If it wasn't for him, we would have come first on the island.

I wanted to get closer to him, to try and understand him. He was incredibly smart, that much was clear. And luckily, we were put in the same group for the next exam.

But who could have thought he would be the friend I was looking for.

The thing I cared about more than the exams, more than the competition. I just wanted a friend, someone who shared my interests. And, luckily, unfortunately, Ayanokouji was that person.

To think our greatest threat became my first friend.

He'd read so many books, perhaps even more than I had. And in those first two meetings, I'd never enjoyed conversing with someone so much.

And then he didn't care. To him, I was just another way of gaining information, just another person to defeat. For all the emotions I had, the excitement at making a genuine friend, someone who I thought understood me, someone a bit off, a bit different from society, just like me, he didn't care at all.

Ah, it hurt. To realise, once again, I'd been used and abandoned. Once again, who cared about me?

I couldn't understand him at all. No one could. Two exams, and two completely different methods of approaching them, complete opposites for that matter, and he won with ease.

On the island it was all reactionary. I heard the story from Ryuuen, how he took the mistakes of everyone, allowed them to play their game and made it his advantage.

And this time, he took the lead, a proactive role, and once again didn't falter.

This school wasn't the only thing out of a novel, Ayanokouji was. An overpowered protagonist, who was incapable of losing.

I hoped he wasn't, but it would be incredible to watch if he was.

But at the same time, he taught me a valuable lesson. This is a competition, but it's also a school. There's a blurred line between them, and sometimes you have to cross from one side to the other.

Friends, huh? He still wanted to be, even after he used me for information, just like I tried to do so in the first place.

Maybe it was possible. To love books together, and still be enemies. Constantly on guard, a battle of words and mind every time we met as to not give up secrets while still enjoying the company of someone who shares our hobby.

Even that, even something as simple as friendship is turned by the school into a political battle. Everything about this place was out of the ordinary. It was like living out a fantasy in a book.

Be ready, Ayanokouji. Prepare yourself, book buddy.

I'm not going to go easy on you.

Authors Notes:

I've written 4 SS for this arc. All of them are pretty short, being 1-2k words each, but they should give some more depth into some of the characters here.

Not much to say about this one. Shiina has always been a more forgettable character to me (i know, it's a sin), so I did struggle to write her properly. As a student of Class C, she really didn't do a lot, despite the attention devoted to her by Kinugasa, so I've gone off on my own a bit here.

Depending on how much progress I make on arc 5 in the next few days, i might release these SS daily. It all depends on how confident i am on not falling behind. I still have to reread 4.5 and write my main plot points/determine chapters, but that should be a couple of hours at most, so hopefylly daily. Fingers crossed.

As always, hope you enjoyed!