abcnovels
Volume 3, 1: The Boundary Line between Heaven and Hell Part 2
Volume 3, 1: The Boundary Line between Heaven and Hell Part 2
Volume 3, Chapter 1: The Boundary Line between Heaven and Hell Part 2
Our classmates looked like they were about to start screaming from the increasing heat. Hirata too, positioned on the beach began to grasp the difficulty of the situation. If we wanted to have a real camping, then we needed to build a tarp tent. From swimming in the sea or playing on the beach to protecting our bodies from the sun, how many more things do we need? The situation, now, is rather difficult.
“For the time being, let’s move in a place under shade.”
“We must see how we can move the whole camping and we can talk about the rest while working”.
Hirata took the initiative and started preparing the tent for the move. The rest of the boys followed.
“By the way…. That toilet, I wonder if Sudo tidied it up properly, after all?”
One girl looking anxious already about the situation and pointed to the toilet. It is true that Sudo had gone to take care of some business, but he left empty-handed. At least within that blazing sunlight, we left the toilet as it is, because, inside the tent it’s steaming just like being in a bath house.
Walking from the shore to the mainland, a huge forest appeared, one of the boys looked up anxiously at the woods.
“Is it ok to enter this huge forest…. We might as well lose our way?…. I cannot see at all what’s like inside”
That’s why we have to implement some rules and that is the reason our wristwatches are equipped with the emergency button. We have to cooperate tightly, If we fail to collaborate, we are going to spend our money like water and I am afraid that we willspend all of our points.
“Hey, Karuizawa! Hirata is really amazing! He even accepts to do all the things that the others don’t”.
“Pfff!!! But of course! Calling the other boys for help would make him look so lame, leave everything to Hirata!”
Hirata was working with eagerness transporting the tent, walking past Karuizawa’s group, they looked at him with great admiration. Incidentally, I was passing, too, helping to carry some packages. At that time we had to move the simple toilet that we had built, so we had to fold it as it was made from cardboard. I have to help out, too, somehow. After that there is going to be a lot of work to think about and a lot of decisions to be made, but for the time being, all I have to do is to show fervor that I want to help.
On the girls’ side, Horikita as she had already chosen to be isolated, followed the group at the end of the line, slowly and silently. Walking regularly in one direction, sometimes staying still making some gestures and then immediately going back. As I was just back to base camp, I found myself walking side to side with Horikita.
“Not in a good mood?”
“Honestly speaking, I could say I feel a little gloomy. Say I am not designed to be that person. Living on a deserted island, even so not having to live alone but with many others.”
Now, regardless of something like the spirit of cooperation, acting as a member of a group, is far beyond from Horikita’s abilities. Even though I think it is good to make a great effort to blend with our classmates to improve, but, to say it out loud to her is futile, so I stop myself.
“You know, the things that you told me before, I can say that they proved to be quite practical”. Turning to tell me this, Horikita made a rather amusing face.
“My scholarly abilities may be out of the question, I am talking about this conversation. I think, though, that it has been decided that I am dead weight, already. So, taking the initiative that I have to look for Ike and Satou, I made my exit. I did not mind, particularly, whether my behaviour was right or wrong. If it is them. They would move fast. I might be able to find something good”
“Yes, you may find something. But more importantly, are you all right?”
“Why are you asking?”
She looked me with eyes like scowling at me. I gave her a response like ‘It’s nothing’ and I averted her gaze. As I was making this small talk with Horikita, I felt the eyes of someone on my back. Looking over my shoulder, I catch a glimpse of Sakura walking at the far end of the line and looking straight at my way. As soon as she realised that I turned my head back looking at her, she looked flustered and averted her gaze.
“What’s the matter?”
“It’s nothing”. Maybe, I was too mindful, turning around to see.
“I wonder what are the other classes doing. I am a little interested to see how is their attitude. If A Class and B Class thoroughly enforced a plan to restrain the use of their points, we must too, be prepared. In this kind of exam, we cannot let happen a big difference in points.”
At that point, I realised that this extraordinary determination might exist. By Horikita’s serious look from before. The change of behaviour in someone’s every day life by tiredness. A test of scholarly ability may separate the current status quo, but the only antagonism in this test, may be to fight so that we will not fall behind A class at any cost.
“To fall behind upper classes would be so terrible”
“The things that Ms. Chabashira said I thought they were joke at that time, but are you really not interested in moving up to an upper class?”
Ms. Chabashira said some of those things when she bumped into me and Horikita in the consultation room.
“I don’t really have doubts on it. Even Ike and others don’t want to fall behind A Class, especially. I’m happy if there will be a lot of allowances every month and I would be lucky enough if I can go to A Class”
I don’t even know what Hirata and Karuizawa are thinking, to what extent these were their true intentions.
“People who entered this school thought that they entered to make use of those privileges”
Rather than looking discontent, she coughed lightly with a puzzled air. Originally at the time of enrollment, college entrance and place of employment were supposed to be guaranteed by the school. De facto, a lot of students were expecting them.
“What did you choose this school for?”
“About that, can I also say the same? To use openly and shamelessly of those privileges”
“………..I see”
This time she coughed openly in dissatisfaction, looking up to me with a sharp side glance. I think Horikita enrolled here to go to the same school as her brother. I understood so. If not for herself to climb up to A Class, to be recognized by her older brother. In other words, her original purpose in the school changed.
“It’s not a pleasant thing to be prying into a person’s past.That’s a good example of it”
I intended to pierce the nail a little farther, but it seemed like she immediately realized my true intention. I’m trying to find out my past by analyzing this person’s past, or perhaps I should say, by analyzing humans/other people thoroughly. That’s not a pleasing thing for me. I’d like to do something about it as soon as possible.
“The only thing I can just tell you is that Ms. Chabashira leaked the information willfully. Can you not misunderstand me only on this point? I didn’t accept you yet. Don’t forget it”
“It’s all right. I’m not thinking of wanting to be accepted anyway”
Shortly after, Hirata and the others stopped in a single line.
“Here you can both block the sunrays and you don’t have to worry about being heard by someone around you”
Hirata and the others stopped walking when they entered a bit in the forest and resumed talking. Some of the boys gathered together as if united and begun to thrive on a clash of ideas they might have thought on their way here.
“Not just Ike, we all better move too. If we can seize a main spot from another class, at that rate the point difference will inevitably widen”
“Yeah, that’s right. We have to move right away. But it’s not good to neglect the current problems and leave them scattered around. First, shouldn’t we begin from the solution to the toilet problem?”
“That’s only a matter on whether we all support the supplied toilet”
Yukimura glared at his classmates, especially the girls’ group.
“I was thinking while we were on the way, but first I think we should install a toilet”
Hirata then spoke to Yukimura with a slightly stronger tone. Because of the strength of those ending words, it seemed that the situation will not differ or budge an inch from before.
“Do not decide on your own. You should also get a feedback from Ike considering his dissenting opinion”
“The toilet’s installment might be a necessary expense. In the first place, there’s a simplified toilet to which we’re not accustomed to, in a class of 30 or more people. I wonder if we could really put it to a good use without trouble”
“About that…..we’ll make good use of it..”
“But to put it in a few words, it’s not practical. I really don’t want to think to the worst case. But even if one person takes only 3 minutes to use it, by the time everyone are finished, more than 90 minutes will pass. Thereupon, will it be done by then?”
“It’s a pointless assumption. Everyone can use the toilet all at once quickly. Given that even the school’s decision was practical, they provided us with only one toilet. Shouldn’t we make use of it cleverly?”
“I don’t think so. From the get go, I always thought that one simple toilet is impossible. If you reflect from there, isn’t that actually a hint that eventually we have to spend our points regardless and we have to learn how to use them efficiently.Yukimura-kun would know. Perhaps the other classes have reached the same deduction, namely that it’s not possible to set up temporary toilets”
Certainly I feel that this test, no matter in which part we’ll use the points, will be a critical time that will determine victory or defeat.
All supplies are way too incomplete in the first place. As if they suggested that you should be using points if you want to use a tent or flashlight that only half a class can utilize when feasible.
“It’s all your speculation… Besides, if other classes do set up a toilet, we will be 20 points ahead if we put up with it. We can definitely use that, right?”
“Right. But, I feel that it’s highly unlikely that putting up with toilet is a plus. It will put extra stress while inducing anxiety, and I’m also worried about hygiene. So after an objective judgement I was thinking that at least one toilet should be prepared.”
It looked like Hirata came to a solid conclusion due to having time to calm down. That wasn’t an act of buying male’s objection, but a conviction for consent had to be secured eventually.
“I think girls can calm down and challenge themselves in the trial too.”
Even Yoshimura couldn’t deny the story struck without falling on the spot. He could understand the feeling of preserving points, but it’s extremely difficult to endure things with one simple toilet. Classmates were stuffed with various information in one breath to the point where even natural things wouldn’t come out soon in that condition. Yukimura, who couldn’t bear surrounding gazes and silence, broke before long.
“… Got it. Well then, we should install a toilet.”
In the end the installation of the toilet was consented due to Yukimura, who was before in the same objecting team as Ike, and was now giving in.
Horikita, Karuizawa, as well as Shinohara and the rest were a little relieved.
“Teacher. If we want a provisional toilet, is it possible to decide the installation site in detail?“
“If it’s not on an impossible terrain then everywhere is fine. You can also re-transfer it after the installation, but in that case it will take time. The weight is over 100 kilos. Quite a bit of labor.”
Hirata sighed in relief now that one problem was solved.
“The next thing is … We’ve already heard opinions before, but I think we should explore to decide on a base camp as well. Consumption of points depends largely on where we settle down.”
Answered Hirata not due to impatience, but to prevent classmates’ backlash. Soon after we recruited volunteers, but as we thought no more than two guys have gathered. There aren’t many people who have stepped inside the woods like this one. It’s understandable.
“I wonder if someone among us is familiar with the survival.”
Hirata asked holding on a ray of hope. Like in a corny manga, in times like this there is only one person you can count on. He looked back checking his classmates, but no one showed an attitude of coming forward. Then, Hakase who was silent until now raised a hand all of a sudden.
“We yearn for the main character who was driven into survival skills by his father and trained to survive alone even in the jungle since childhood.“
Instantly Hakase, who was bashed, flustered apologized, but he was still hated by everyone.
“Erm, I will go if it’s okay.”
It was Kushida who volunteered to break a deadlock if no one wanted to participate. Seeing her appearance, the boys who bluntly refused [participating] had their eyes lighted up and started demonstrating their participation to volunteer. I guess there were students who were motivated by doing favor to Kushida as well as students who felt embarrassed that they let the girl take initiative.
I’ve raised my hand a bit later, roughly at the same time as Hirata started to count the number of people.
“Eleven. If one more participated, we could make four teams.”
“Are you going too?”
“I’ll have to restrain. But it’s unusual to see you volunteer so assertively.”
“If you don’t have a role for some reason, you’ll be cut off from class.”
When … A reserved hand beside me was raised. When Hirata saw that hand, he named it in relief.
“Thank you, Sakura-san. We’re 12 now. Let’s go in 4 teams with 3 persons each. It’s 1:30 now so I want you to return here at once at 3:00 regardless of the outcome.”
Then each person joined a team as they liked. In a blink of an eye I became a scrap even here.
“Hey, by all means, Ayanokouji-kun.”
Said Sakura who was likewise a scrap with nobody calling her, and …
“Refreshing sun indeed. My body needs energy.”
Kouenji Rokusuke. This guy is really gonna cooperate with our research group. Luckily, a son of freedom and a quiet girl. With these two there won’t be any difficulty.