Chapter Three

Not Even Curious

There was a commotion near the athletics office.

I still had around an hour before the start of class, so I decided to check it out. A crowd of students were gathered around the gymnasium, murmuring amongst themselves. In the crowd, I spotted a familiar mop of blonde hair.

“What’s going on?”

Hearing my voice, Kenta turned around, sipping a carton of juice.

The crowd of students was thick and plentiful. It was hard to see what was happening.

“Enforcer Company’s making an arrest.” he said, frowning. “Poor kid got caught with some contraband.”

I made my way beside Kenta and stood on my toes. I caught a small glimpse of what looked to be a student on his knees. He was surrounded by two other figures, one boy and one girl. I couldn’t really see anything else or what was happening, but either way it didn’t look good. Both of the students overlooking the boy were wearing red armbands, worse still, the girl looked—

“Is that a sword?” I asked Kenta.

He looked at me with a grin. “Yep. That’s the real thing alright. Grade-A folded steel.”

“So that’s a weapon that can slice off heads, right?”

“Yes.”

“And she’s being allowed to carry that around in school because…?”

“She’s Rina Miyamori, captain of Enforcer Company.”

“Ahhh.” I nod. “I see now.”

“You don’t know who they are, do you?”

“A bunch of bullies looks like it.”

That got me a few confused stares from the people around us. I smiled awkwardly as I took a step back. Nothing’s really happening over there, and I’m not really that interested. Despite the odd sight of a student holding another student hostage with a sword, everything appeared to be in control.

“Hey, wait, you’re just going to leave?” Kenta asked, falling into step beside me.

“Whatever’s happening over there isn’t my business.” I said, hands in my pockets.

We pass by students rushing to the scene, looks of confusion and concern drawn on their faces. Crowds are gathering by the windows of a nearby classroom, most of them talking amongst themselves. There is a genuine aura of fear in the air. Whoever these Enforcers are, they seem to be a big deal. Still, as long as I keep to myself and stay away from trouble, I’ll probably never find myself involved with them.

“You’re really something, aren’t you?” Kenta asked. “You’re just going to walk away from that? Was this common in your old school?”

“You could say that.” I shrugged. “Why was he caught? You said something about contraband?”

“Hm, yeah. One of the Enforcers noticed that he was acting weird. What you saw was the fruit of their very brief investigation.”

We find ourselves in a semi-empty part of school. The open field was far and wide. With the hot sun bearing down on Japan, the few students hanging around in the field sat on the grass, under the cool shade of trees. A few students were running around in a nearby soccer field, kicking a ball around, while some girls were playing volleyball in the court to their left. A lone maintenance worker sat on nearby bleachers, reading a magazine. In front of him an automated lawnmower was eating away at the grass.

If I didn’t study here, I would have assumed that this was like any other high school. At first glance, it’s impossible to tell that literally everyone here has powers.

“So what was he caught with?” I asked Kenta, crossing my arms and leaning on a tree.

He grins at my apparent curiosity.

“A confession letter.”

“That’s what you meant by contraband? We’re not allowed to have those?”

“No, we’re not! It’s unfair, don’t you think?”

“I wouldn’t really know. I don’t even think girls know I exist.”

“Oh they do, trust me. You’re probably just one of those dense idiots I always hear about.”

I scoff. “What other things does the school not allow?”

“Porn!”

“Well that’s kinda a given.”

“It doesn’t matter, it’s a travesty either way, an insult to mankind!” he closed his eyes and pretended to cry, wiping his eyes with the sleeve of his blazer. He walked defeated toward a nearby trashcan, throwing his carton of juice inside. “The Institute likes having an eye on every student here. It’s your first day, so I’m going to forgive you for not knowing, but man you will not believe how far they’ll go.”

He stomped past me and spread his arms toward the open field.

“What you see here is Japan’s greatest prison!”

“I think you’re exaggerating a bit.”

“I’m not! The Institute monitors everything we do. Tell me, is it normal for the administration to monitor how often we access the internet, or how often we go outside the campus to buy snacks, buy comics, or go to arcades? Is it normal for the school to outright prohibit boys and girls from being alone—”

“Wait, I didn’t know about that.”

“Oh? You didn’t? Well sorry for slapping you across the face with reality, Kimura-kun. Ignorance must’ve been bliss!”

This technically means that the president and I just broke the rules a while ago, right? Better not tell him.

“But yeah, as I was saying. The school doesn’t like fraternization. Boys and girls share classes all the time, and even sports teams and clubs are often coed, but outside of the controlled atmosphere of classrooms and gyms, we’re pretty much segregated from each other.”

“What about that crowd we were just a part of? Boys and girls were packed together—”

“That’s different. Like I said, socially it’s fine, but anything more intimate than a friendship is heavily frowned on.”

“Any idea why this is the case?”

“Oho, it sounds to me like you’re curious.”

“I am.” I said. “I’ll be staying here for the next two years, might as well learn how to blend in. And you sound like a pretty knowledgeable guy.”

“And what if I’m lying to you?” he crossed his arms, amused.

“I’m S Rank. No one will find your body.”

His mouth dropped and he took a slow step back.

“I’m kidding.”

His shoulders slumped and the air left his lungs.

“Man, I’m— don’t scare me like that. Now I’m not sure if you’re being serious.”

“Right now I am. Most of the time, I’m not.” I bend my legs and sit down, still leaning on the bark of the tree. The sky is clear and blue. A cold breeze blows across my face. “Tell me about Enforcer Company.”

“That’s just what they like being called.” Kenta walked closer to the field, crossed his legs and sat down. “They were originally the swordsmanship club, up until six years ago when they changed their name.”

“The kendo club?”

“No, swordsmanship club. After the war tore the world apart, the club’s founder decided that they shouldn’t just focus on a single discipline. Instead, a club was formed that focused on studying and learning the different swordsmanship styles from all over the world. Though I think they only really focus on Asian styles these days.”

“So what’s the reason behind the name change?”

“They got involved with the SSC.” he shrugged. “The captain got demolished by the prez, in front of every other club in the school. Since then she swore herself to the president’s service. She even knelt and bowed and all that. Now her club works for the council, helping reinforce the school’s many rules.”

My eyes widened instinctively. The president defeated the captain of the Enforcers? What is that supposed to mean? Did the captain challenge the president to one of those honor-bound duels I keep reading about? Or was there a misunderstanding and the president just had to defend herself? The president seemed harmless enough, eating her expensive bento up there in her secret spot, but I never saw her as the fighting type.

She seemed too reserved.

I guess looks really can be deceiving.

“And how is that, through violence?” I couldn’t help but laugh. “I guess it’s hard being a delinquent in this place when sword-wielding crazies patrol the halls.”

“That’s true.” he sighed. “I get things pretty rough because I’m only B Rank. The Enforcers love harassing me about the smallest things…”

“Then do something about it. Report it or something.”

“Ah, you don’t understand, man. It’s not that simple! They’re backed up by the SSC, and the SSC is backed by the Institute. They won’t listen to a lowly B Rank like me.”

I lowered my gaze. I felt the grass between my fingers, the dirt on my skin. I couldn’t help but smirk.

“Hey. Tell me, are these Enforcers strong?”

“Of course they are.” he waved his arm dismissively. “Why do you think do such a good job of keeping the peace? Not every member is an A Rank like their captain, but they’re organized and disciplined. Like army ants, you know? With swords.”

“I see.”

The bell ringed, signaling the start of class. Kenta hopped up from his sitting position, stretching his knees and massaging his shoulders. I rose up slowly, dusting off the grass and the dirt off my pants. I looked straight ahead, across the open field. Students crossed the great green sea, heading toward their class. A cool wind blew, sending leaves spinning in the air.

“Yoshida-kun.” I called out to my classmate. “You seem like you know your way around school.”

He huffed and pounded his chest. “Ahaha~ of course I do. Why? You need something done, you need some help with something, just let me know.”

“Do you know the name of the student who was just caught?”

Kenta raised his eyebrows. “I can ask around, I guess. He was a first year, so finding out who he is should be easy. Freshmen girls love me, you see. My mom’s Ukrainian, you see. Girls just love my foreigner look—”

“Right.”

“Why do you need to know?”

“I want to pay him a visit.”

All I want is an ordinary high school life. I’m not interested in sports, or being a student leader, or getting the best grades. I’d rather keep a low profile. Keep to myself, stay out of trouble and whatever conflicts are happening around this place. But I can’t help but feel curious.

Curious at what would drive a school to have such strict rules. Curious at how Kenta can say “Enforcer Company” with a completely straight face. But most of all, I’m curious about this kid, this mysterious soul who’d dare stand against the mighty student council.

The girl he likes must be very cute.