Chapter Five

Canteen Conversation

I like to think that I’m an expert at investigating, and eventually, solving people’s problems.

But I’m actually not.

It’s my second week at Autumn Mountain Academy, and I found myself adjusting pretty well, all things considered. Kenta introduced me to his small circle of friends, and my classmates have warmed up to me. I still find myself eating my lunch on top of the radio tower most of the time, though. Half the time, I found the ever-serious president there. The other half, I ate alone, enjoying the scenery.

I haven’t checked up on Yori recently, but I told him to wait while I sorted things out. The kohai seemed to have faith in me, so I was determined not to let him down.

The bell rang and I stood up, grabbing my bento in the process.

Kenta and his friends had to run off to do something, so I guess I’m off to the radio tower again today.

There was a commotion outside. Some of my classmates were standing by the doorway, shoulder to shoulder, nervously peering out. As I stepped out of the hallway, I found more students, standing around murmuring amongst themselves.

As I looked straight ahead, I discover the source of everyone’s stress.

The president.

Of course.

“Kimura-san.” she said, arms crossed over her chest.

“Tsukino-san.” I replied simply.

“Do they know each other?”

“What does the president need with him?”

Students murmured around us.

“Come eat lunch with me.” Ayane said in the most straightforward way possible.

“Ehhhh!?” gasped my schoolmates.

“You don’t have to ask. Just wait at the usual spot.” I replied.

“EHHHHHH!?” roared my schoolmates.

She looked to the side and frowned. “No. Let’s go to the canteen. I want to show you something.”

[—

“You know, we’re doing a pretty bad job of being discreet.” I said, poking some ham on my plate. “You’re pretty much the most popular girl at school; people are bound to stare at you when you’re dining with a boy out of nowhere.”

“That’s a good point, but we’re not trying to be discrete.” she said, adjusting her glasses.

We were smack dab in the middle of the canteen. The entire place was packed, except for our little island. People were keeping their distance from us. Probably because Ayane projected such a noblewoman’s bearing. That or they’ve discovered just how powerful I am. Mwahaha.

No, no that’s probably not it.

Ayane pointed her slender finger at someone across the floor. A crowd of seniors were sitting together, talking amongst themselves. Some were holding phones; others were quietly eating their food. In the center of the group sat a beautiful girl, idly typing away at her cell phone. She didn’t seem to be paying any attention to her friends.

“She’s the girl you’re looking for.” Ayane said.

“The what, I’m what now?” I replied, trying to play things cool.

“The girl you’re looking for.” the president repeated. “I saw you running after Yori Nakano-san, so I assume you’re trying to help him with his problems.”

“What gave you that idea?” I grinned. “I was just trying to make friends.”

“…by talking to a shy freshman…?”

“I don’t pick my friends. I’m friendly with everyone. I mean, you’re the perfect example of this.”

She frowned, pushing back her glasses.

“We’re not friends.”

“We’re having a friendly conversation. That’s good enough for me. Plus, you’ve made no sudden announcements that you hate my guts. In my book, that makes as friends.”

Ayane sighed. “Your classmate told me what you were up to, indirectly at least.”

“Kenta that traitor, I knew I shouldn’t have trusted him.”

“No, it was Ueda-san.”

I scoffed. “Should have the known the class rep would rat me out.”

“Apparently she caught Yoshida-kun asking around about Nakano-san.”

“And that was unusual because…?”

“Yoshida-kun normally stays away from anything related to the Enforcers.” the president leaned back in her seat, fingering her braided hair. “He’s the type of person who prefers to stay out of trouble.”

“You sound like you know him. Were you close?”

“He was the leader of a so-called student movement in our freshman years.” she shrugged. “I quickly put an end to that. Now he chooses to stay out of the spotlight.”

“I see.”

“Anyway, coupled with your antics in the school pool, I figured that I should personally look into what you were up to.” her fist clenched and she frowned slightly. “That was the first time someone ever escaped from me.”

I smiled broadly, placing my hands on the table to lean toward her. “It’s not every day I meet someone with powers similar to mine.”

“Don’t worry,” she smiled back. “It won’t happen again.”

I returned to my original place and pulled my bento close. As usual, the sight of convenience store food greeted my eyes. The president quietly followed my example and began unwrapping her sophisticated looking box of Japanese food herself.

“So what’s the point of all this?” I asked between bites.

“Her name is Yuuka Oshiro.” she pointed with her chopsticks. “I assume you’re aware of the Seven Great Families here in Tokyo?”

“I never really paid attention to those types of things, so no. Are you from one of them?”

She shook her head. “But she is. The Oshiro clan are known for owning a ton of land in Kyoto and Nagasaki. Here, they own a chain of hotels and resorts. Even though Oshiro-san is only Rank B, her family’s reputation is immutable. That close circle of friends of hers are from rich, powerful families as well. Even I sometimes have trouble approaching her.”

“But you’re President Megane S-Rank-chan.”

She glared at me, frowning deeply. “Please don’t call me random nicknames.”

“Says the girl who called me psychopath-kun…”

She rubbed her temples and frowned. “Listen, the point I’m making is that the girl is unapproachable. She’s— untouchable, like a distant flower on top of a mountain. Even if the school did allow student relationships, she’s the type of person who maintains a… certain persona.”

“The distant untouchable idol, is that what she is to you?”

“That’s what she is to the rest of the school.” Ayane corrected me. “The Enforcers read Nakano-san letter to her, and frankly, it’s not something that fits—”

“Come on, who are you to decide that?” I frowned. “The poor kid just wants to express his feelings. She’s a senior, sure. She’s rich, sure. But a silly love letter from a junior isn’t that rare for someone of her stature. If we were in any other school, she’d get those things all the time.”

“But we’re not in any other school, we’re in Autumn Mountain.” she frowned just as deeply in return. “There are rules we follow.”

“Screw your rules.” I stood up, a bit too forcefully than I might have wanted. “Nakano needs to do this. The poor kid is an introvert, he’s shy, he’s small, he’s a C Rank who stands in everyone else’s shadow. The fact that he had the guts to write a confession letter speaks volumes of how brave he is, despite everything that he’s not.”

“She’ll break his heart.” Ayane stared at me with blue eyes, sympathy drawn on her face. “The school will laugh at him.”

“Heartbreak is better than inaction. I’ll help Nakano profess his feelings. Feel free to try and stop me.”

I took a step away, the canteen eerily quiet around us. Ayane sipped a can of tea, in her usual graceful way. She seemed like a princess, even here in the middle of a high school canteen. She almost looked frail, but I could tell that it was impossible to dissuade her opinion.

She looked at me, tilting her head, as if trying to assess the situation.

“I don’t believe what I’m seeing. You’re really serious about this, aren’t you?”

“Yes, I am.” I crossed my arms. “What are you going to do about it, president?”

She placed a hand on the table, her slender finger running across the side. “…I’ll tell Enforcer Company to look the other way.”

I couldn’t help but raise my eyebrow in surprise. “What?”

“They’ve been monitoring your actions the past few days.” she gestured for me to sit back down, which I do after a bit of hesitation. “The moment Miyamori-san heard of your conversation with Nakano, she organized a taskforce to pay attention to everything you did.”

“Are you serious? A ‘taskforce’? Just for talking to a bullied kohai?”

Ayane visibly cringed from the word ‘bullied.’

“Don’t look at me, I didn’t organize it. Enforcer Company more or less acts on their own, I just tell them what to do sometimes. But don’t worry, I’ll keep them off your back while you do… whatever it is you’re trying to do.”

“And why would you do that? From what I hear, you’re a stickler for the rules. I’m obviously planning to break some.”

“Romantic relationships are banned by the school, but in the first place, there’s no guarantee that Oshiro-senpai will return Nakano-san’s feelings. If you really want to hurt a poor boy’s heart, then be my guest.” she leaned forward and reached for my bento with her chopsticks. “But my warning still stands; Oshiro-senpai isn’t the easiest person to approach.”

Her chopsticks hovered over my bento, until it eventually settled on its victim.

She picked the food up, examined it, smelled it, and placed it in her mouth. I have never seen someone look so sophisticated while eating chicken teriyaki before.

Super spicy chicken teriyaki.

Her face turned red instantly. Her nostrils flared. Her bloodshot eyes glared at me with the fury of twenty-thousand suns.

I simply grinned in return.

“Thank you, president. You’re as considerate as always.”

It was amusing, watching her try to act smart and sophisticated even while her mouth was on fire.

[—

The sun was close to setting and the school was filled with after-class activities. Sports clubs were in the field, training for an upcoming sports meet, while cultural and discipline clubs loitered in their rooms. I watched Oshiro-senpai’s group from on top of a roof, drinking canned green tea. I was never a fan of tea, but it’s the only thing the vending machines had.

Her friends surrounded her like royal guardsmen protecting their queen. She was speaking with a tall boy, who wore a jacket over his blazer in the middle of summer. What a weirdo. She’d occasionally laugh at what her friend said, and whenever she did, the rest of the group would follow. The whole scene reminded me of a pack animals following their leader.

“Okay, so how should I approach this?” I asked myself, pocketing my hands. “Hey popular-senpai, I’m a transfer student who doesn’t really know anyone in the school, can I ask you to meet with your old childhood friend in a possible romantic setting, I promise he won’t do anything weird and drastic like confess his love to you.”

I found myself smiling.

“Right. That sounds good enough—”

I was about to perform a Saltus toward her, when I began to hear the telltale sounds of approaching footsteps. I saw them immediately, as I glanced behind myself. One by one they marched, swords hug on their hips, red armbands on their arms. They poured out into the roof, shoulder to shoulder. The formation was composed of both boys and girls. They encircled me in a confident, military fashion.

“Hideaki Kimura.” one of the Enforcers stood forward, a serious-looking lad with a pair of red earrings. “We are placing you in temporary arrest for your actions against the academy.”

“Hold on,” I hold up my hand. “The president said that you guys were going to leave me alone.”

“The president rescinded that command.”

“You’re lying. She doesn’t look like the type of person who goes back on her word.”

The Enforcers lips turned into a straight line, he stared at me, looking focused.

“Very well. Strike him down where he stands.”

The Enforcers began to approach. I smirked, removing my hands from my pockets. A cold wind blew. Here, far atop the school, I found myself facing yet another group of idiots who think they can just push me around. Humility was never my strong suit. Because of this, I felt nothing but pity for the Enforcers in front of me.

“Let’s hurry this up. I have a confession to sponsor.”

I took a step forward, holding an arm behind my back.

“Here. Let me even the odds.”

The Enforcers looked like machines. No emotions crossed their faces as they approached in a slow, disciplined charge. I smiled and felt the concrete beneath my feet, the air on my face. My vision sharpened and my hearing enhanced.

I wonder how long I can go without using my powers.