The Fourteenth Question

Please translate the following English line:

“This is the bookshelf that my grandmother had used regularly”

Himeji Mizuki's answer:

“これは私の祖母が愛用していた本棚です”[1]

Teacher's Comment:

Correct.

Tsuchiya Kouta's answer:

“これ[2] ”

Teacher's Comment:

Are you still only able to translate 'this' at this point?

Yoshii Akihisa's answer:

“ ”

Teacher's Comment:

Can you at least write something?

“Hey, Akihisa, call out your summoned beast and help them out.”

As we pa.s.s through the new school building to the second years' main camp, Yuuji, who had remained silent till now, suddenly said this to me,

Mathematics, Natsukawa Shunpei, 3-A, 688 points

&

Mathematics, Tsunemura Yuusaku, 3-A, 717 points.

Vs

Mathematics, Shimada Minami, 2-F, 41 points

&

Mathematics, Kinos.h.i.ta Hideyoshi, 2-F, 26 points.

I see the scores from slightly far away.

It seems Minami and Hideyoshi are fighting the Toko-Natsu pair.

“I-I never thought that they would be weak, but I never expected them to be this strong.”

“To think that Aki and Sakamoto actually could take them on...”

“We're really being underestimated here. Don't see us like this, we're still 3-A cla.s.s caliber, you know?”

“We might even say that it's impressive you managed to last this long.”

It looks like Yuuji wants me to take over Minami and Hideyoshi, almost defeated at this point, to take on the Toko-Natsu pair as their opponent. If I think about it, my summoned beast wasn't worn out at all. I won't have any issues swapping with Minami's group.

“I understand—but if I'm swapped in, I hope that you guys will retreat. I probably would get defeated immediately...”

The problem is that I don't have any strength to focus on the summoning war.

“That's what I intended in the first place. I never expected much from you, so I don't care at all even if you're defeated here and sent to the detention room.”

Yuuji gave me a cold, condescending look as he said this.

“But don't you have something you have to say to Shimada?”

The moment he said that, I recalled Takashiro-sempai reading Minami's diary to me.

“Th-that's...”

I started to hate myself further.

I kept thinking about how I made Himeji-san suffer, but I forgot all about Minami. This is really something very important to her, and I'm like this despite being the cause of it all...how rotten am I going to be as a human being?”

“Let me say this first, once I make Shimada retreat, I'll send her to take part in the replenishment tests immediately, and I don't intend to allow you to retreat once there are still points left. If you have something to say to her, live on before the tests are over.”

Yuuji's saying that he won't waste time and fighting strength because of my personal blunder. Of course. This is a mistake I made in the first place.

“Go over if you understand. You won't be able to talk to her if she's sent to the detention room either way.”

Even if we lose together, it's forbidden for us to talk in the detention room. I won't be able to apologize to Minami then.

In that case, what I can do now is—

“Summon!”

I enter the field and call out my summoned beast, and once they heard me, the 4 of them, fighting against each other, look over at me.

““Yoshii?””

The Toko-Natsu pair let their summoned beasts jump to the back and pull their distance from me. Looks like they're keeping their guard on me.

“Aki!”

“Akihisa!”

Minami and Hideyoshi run over to me.

Minami's closing in on me, and I hurriedly finish what I want to say because I didn't dare look at her in the face directly.

“I'll take over this battle, you two. Retreat now, Yuuji will instruct you further.”

“Hm...looks like the operation ended. Don't mind, Akihisa.”

Hideyoshi saw that Yuuji and I are here, and once he concluded this, encouraged us.

“...”

On the other hand, Minami's looking at my face, looking intrigued.

“Did something happen, Aki?”

Minami's worried tone caused me to feel more guilty.

She's being so kind to me now, and I handed her diary over to Linne-kun and Takashiro-sempai to read, and I couldn't get the letter back because we ran away.

“...Sorry Minami. I wanted to formally apologize, but we don't have time now.”

“Eh?”

Minami looks rather surprised once she hears me apologize.

I actually wanted to kneel down in front of her, but I can't do that. If I'm beaten here, I won't be able to allow Minami and Hideyoshi to escape, and I can't apologize to her properly after this.

“Let's go, Hideyoshi, Shimada. Leave this to Akihisa.”

Due to the failure of this operation, the F cla.s.s members on their way start to retreat, and I as the rearguard have to retreat while stopping their attacks.

“Yuuji, you can't just leave Akihisa alone like this!”

“That's right, Sakamoto! At least let me stay behind”

“No need for that. I'll send in other reinforcements later—letting him think with that stupid brain of his right now is only going to hinder him. It's better to let him fight without thinking of anything.”

“...Did something happen, Sakamoto?”

“...”

Minami and Hideyoshi look in my direction worriedly, and after Yuuji said something, they retreated slightly. I hope my actions now will be able to help everyone unlike what happened before.

“Hey Yoshii, you're looking rather troubled to me.”

“Did something bad happen there? If you say it now, at least we'll pity you somewhat.”

The Toko-Natsu pair grinned as they looked at my face.

“...”

And I merely answer that taunt with silence.

“Tch, what's with that reaction? It's boring.”

“Don't say that. This guy just got beaten badly by Takashiro.”

“Ah, yeah, I remember there was such a report just now.”

While Yuuji and I were running around, escaping, the report of the failed attack on the princ.i.p.al's office was probably heard amongst the 3rd years.

“The girl you like, Himeji, I think? I heard that she was beaten and sent to the detention room, right?”

And also, the fact that the actual salutatorian, Himeji-san was beaten.

“You guys are really too much there. I heard that you left that girl there just to save yourselves? That's not something a man would do.”

“I always thought you were trash, but it really shocked me how rotten you are.”

These two, who I have quite the history with, are sneering away as if they took the head of the demon.

But right now, it's more relaxing for me that I'm being mocked like this...besides, what they said is the truth.

“Hey Yoshii, what do you think? You used a woman as a shield, managed to live longer, and now you're—”

And I overpower their words as I lower my head, saying,

“Sorry, but I have a request, Natsukawa-sempai, Tsunemura-sempai.”

““......Huh!?””

Both of them widened their eyes, probably feeling that my actions are really weird.

“Wait wait wait, you're actually calling us by our names correctly. Did something hit your head or something?”

“And you're calling us sempais. Now I'm feeling a chill.”

I ignore their disgusted reactions as I keep my head lowered, and continue,

“I'll be honest. I can't beat you in a 2 on 1 situation, sempais.”

“Huh? What's that about?”

“What kind of fact are you saying right now?”

It really is a fact. With those two uppercla.s.smen as my opponent, someone like me can't possibly beat them.

“—so I say, can I have a 1 on 1 fight with you?”

““...””

Both of them turn silent upon hearing my request.

“Please. I can't let myself be sent to the detention room right now.”

I bowed again.

Upon looking at me like this,

“—you b.a.s.t.a.r.d. You really like to spout such nonsense, huh?”

The bald Natsukawa-sempai really despises me as he says,

“You don't want a 2 on 1 battle? Did you forget what you did during the test of courage tournament?”

The test of courage was between the second and third years, and at that time, my summoned beasts fought against them, barely managing to get victory in the end...at that time, I was really agitated when I used the bracelet, because of Himeji-san.

What happened back then? Did I cause Himeji-san to be troubled? Did I do something to hurt Minami? Did I do anything to hurt anyone because I never thought.

Once I think about this, my heart starts to feel heavier by the moment.

“Sorry, please.”

I give up on thinking as I beg the pair in front of me.

I can't lose in such a situation. I haven't said to Minami what I did—that I committed the unbelievable acts of handing her diary over to Linne-kun, and the translation over to Takashiro-sempai, and I haven't apologized to her. I can't lose and disappear until Minami finishes her replenishment tests end and comes back.

Natsukawa-sempai looks rather unhappy as he watches me basically beg for my life.

“Sorry Tsunemura. I'll handle this.”

He let his summoned beast take a step forward.

“Thank y—”

“I'm going to change the location. You don't mind, right?”

Natsukawa-sempai walks off while ignoring my thanks. Change places? I don't know what that's going to do...but moving alone allows me to buy some time, and I have no reason to oppose to this.

I agree to go along with him, “it's fine if both sides agree to this”, and the supervising teacher did give the permission.

And after walking for a little while, we head to the field, where all sorts of subject battles are going on.

Natsukawa-sempai stops in front of the humanities field, and looks at the supervising teacher.

“Hey sensei, I want to change the subject. Is it okay?”

The teacher shook his head, 'according to the rules, a battle's not to be interrupted', after that,

“Ahh—is that so?”

Natsukawa-sempai murmurs impatiently, and uses his summoned beast to throw my summoned beast away at breakneck speed.

“!?”

My summoned beast beast can't react due to this sudden movement, and it hits the supervising teacher, standing in the way.

And then, as the teacher was forcefully moved, he ended up in another field, causing an 'interference', and all the summoned beasts inside that field were erased.

“Alright, due to an unfortunate mishap, the field's now gone. Now you can fight using the j.a.panese History you're good at.”

Natsukawa-sempai said, his tone clearly not intending to hide the fact that he deliberately aimed for it. IT seems he chose to fight me using my specialized subject. Normally, I might be furious at being underestimated, but I don't have such thoughts right now. I even think this is something worth giving thanks for.

““Summon!””

Natsukawa-sempai and I don't mind the fact that everyone else's running around because of the 'interference', and we call out our summoned beasts in the expanded field.

3-A, Natsukawa Junpei, Humanities (Geography), 225 points

Vs

2-F, Yoshii Akihisa, Humanities (j.a.panese History), 242 points

I see the indicated score. This might be the first time I'm fighting someone with a lower score.

“1 on 1, little difference between us. Just the situation I want.”

Natsukawa-sempai snorted.

“Sempai, are you talking about a rematch of the test of courage tournament?”

Amazingly, we were also on the field back then. Yuuji didn't take part, but Tsunemura-sempai's not around this time, so it's a real 1 on 1 this time. This might be the perfect situation to end everything between us.”

“A rematch? How stupid? If I'm concerned about that, won't I have to see that disgusting face of yours again?”

Natsukawa-sempai's face contorted unhappily.

“I'm just clearing my debt here. We'll settle this now, and I won't have to deal with you slimeball again. You're already in such a disgusting state; I don't want to get involved with you anymore.”

Up till now, I've fought these uppercla.s.smen quite a few times. He means he wants to clear all the issues between us this time; the problem isn't about who won more times, but that he wants to end everything here in a battle, not for the sake of winning, but for the sake of severing ties with me. In other words...he doesn't have any hatred or grudge against me, and he doesn't care about me anymore.

“Don't s.p.a.ce out with that stupid rotten expression. We're starting.”

Natsukawa-sempai's summoned beast readies it sword. It's armed with an orthodox western sword and armor, not much different from the the opponents I battled till now.

I let my summoned beast raise the wooden sword, and let it charge into the enemy's clutches.

I just swing the wooden sword down, without using any fancy tricks.

The opponent takes a step back to dodge, and then took a large step forward to swing the sword in its hand.

I block the attack with my wooden sword, and counterattack with it again. The opponent dodges, and again continues to attack.

Right now, I'm feeling most comfortable just having to focus on this battle.

“...This is ridiculous.”

Natsukawa-sempai mutters in the midst of our battle.

I ignore his murmuring as I swing the wooden sword down to hold him off. His summoned beast steps forward to take the attack.

“Argh...!”

“Just go by the wayside and fall dead!”

At this distance, I can't swing the sword or dodge, and the opponent swings a punch. My summoned beast leans back to reduce the damage, but I still took a punch in the abdomen, and was sent flying.

I feel a slight, blunt pain in my abdomen. This is the feedback I'm already used to.

“Don't go panting on me now!”

Naturally, the opponent won't let go of this opportunity as I stagger back, and charges over to attack.

I let my summoned beast raise its wooden sword.

“Tch!”

I thought the opponent was about to swing a punch again, and hurriedly covered my abdomen with a hand.

A hand alone wasn't enough to block the sword the opponent swung down, and so, my summoned beast took a deep slash in the shoulder.

“U...ghh...!”

I'm groaning to the intense pain from the feedback, and Natsukawa-sempai never gave chase, instead saying arrogantly,

“Use that bracelet.”

Once he said that, I froze.

The pain I suffered in the battle against Takashiro-sempai flashed in my mind. The intense pain that deflated the air in my lungs, and the pain of being unable to breathe; once I recall that, and once I recalled the conversation from before.

I didn't want to think about it.

“Don't worry, I won't call Tsunemura over even if it's a 2 on 1. There's no need for that in the first place.”

Natsukawa-sempai waits for me to get up, not moving his summoned beast at all.

On the other hand, I didn't use the platinum bracelet, just letting my summoned beast stand up normally.

“What? Just use it? Isn't that your specialty?”

“...If the opponent's saying that, I will have to think there's something else, right?”

“Is that so?...well, your call as to whether you want to or not.”

Natsukawa-sempai's summoned beast wields the sword in its right hand, and sends a left punch as if he wants me to see it. He's really used to battling.

I focus my attention on the opponent's sword and take it on.

I can clearly see the sword that's swinging down from above. It's a one-handed sword, and if I block his attack with all my strength, using both hands, I'll be able to break his posture and counterattack. It's a good chance.

—right, that's what my mind knew.

“!!”

My body froze up due to the tightly clenched left fist.

And so, my summoned beast stopped its sword swing, and I took more damage because my posture's messed up.

“How boring. What kind of a battle is this?”

3-A, Natsukawa Junpei, Humanities (Geography), 191 points

Vs

2-F, Yoshii Akihisa, Humanities (j.a.panese History), 74 points

The updated points are shown.

He glances at the points, and then at my summoned beast, stabbing a strike at it while dodging the vitals.

“Ar...gh...!”

I feel a sharp pain in my calves and hands.

3-A, Natsukawa Junpei, Humanities (Geography), 191 points

Vs

2-F, Yoshii Akihisa, Humanities (j.a.panese History), 23 points

My points are depleted as I feel the pain.

“I'll torture you little by little until you have only a little bit left, and then I'll finish you off.”

Natsukawa-sempai said without a hint of anger or grudge against me. That's the att.i.tude of someone who wishes to destroy garbage before throwing it away.

I can't go to the detention room before I actually talk to Minami, but I really don't know what to do after that.

And at this moment, I hear the voices of the cavalry behind me.

“““Summon!”””

I hear the familiar voices of the guy from cla.s.s F. It seems the reinforcements Yuuji talked about have arrived.

“...”

Natsukawa-sempai glanced at the incoming reinforcements, and then at my summoned beast.

And then,

“Tsunemura, they have reinforcements here, just leave this place to the rest. We'll retreat for the time being. We can't possibly be at the frontlines forever.”

The Toko-Natsu pair called in the other 3rd years, and proceed to leave.

A little later on, my allies too enter the field.

“How's the situation here, Yoshii?”

f.u.k.u.mura-kun summons his summoned beast to face off against the enemy as he answers me.

And so, I simply answer him,

“...A very bad situation.”

Besides, what happened from before was caused by me.”

Upon hearing that, “Is that so?” he said this and showed a bitter grimace.

“I saw the other sides being forced back hard just now on my way here. There's quite some price in this because we focused too much fighting strength in this.”

We used a lot of the second years as bait just to charge into the princ.i.p.al's office. The failed operation meant that the efforts of those defeated was for nothing...because I was not being myself.

“Also, that Tsuchiya and Kudou pair barely managed to make it back alive after being beaten like that. I never thought they'll lose in the field of health education...”

Leaving aside the rest, seeing how those two actually lost in a battle of health education, I can tell how bad the impact of my actions was.

“You'll be sent to the detention room if we were a too little late in escaping just now.”

As he said so, f.u.k.u.mura-kun always tries to keep his summoned beast away from the opponent's, and he'll go around hiding.

“The detention room's the only place I don't want to go to.”

“Of course. How can we let ourselves get sent there?”

My reasons for not wanting to go there is a little different from f.u.k.u.mura-kun, but we have the same ideas.

In that sense, we can probably work together.

“Let's try and live on here then, f.u.k.u.mura-kun.”

“Hm? What nonsense are you saying now? We've always put ourselves as priority, right?”

Those are cold words no matter how I try to interpret it, but to me right now, I'm grateful of that instead.

“Hm, that's the spirit, f.u.k.u.mura-kun”

“I don't want to be in some detention room or something.”

'Yeah, we rather lose this summoning war than get locked up inside there.”

“Oh, those are rather selfish words there.”

“Haha, we're from F cla.s.s after all.”

Though I'm laughing now, what I said just now was really what I thought. If we're going to the detention room, I won't be able to apologize to Minami.

I don't want to cause trouble for anyone, so I don't intend to ignore the instructions for the operations. Even if we lose, I do want to end this war as soon as possible—this is what I really thought.

Once I'm thinking about this again, f.u.k.u.mura-kun suddenly said this.

“Then, Yoshii, you can just retreat for the time being to protect yourself.”

“......Eh?”

Once I heard those unbelievable words, I was stunned for that instant.

I can't believe that my cla.s.smates from cla.s.s F, who have the philosophy of sacrificing others to ensure their own survival, would say such things.

But in my surprise,

“No, well...”

f.u.k.u.mura-kun scratched his head,

“—if I'm with you now, I'll really feel irritated.”

“Come back once you get back to being the laughable idiot again” f.u.k.u.mura-kun told me this, and I was chased out from the summoning field. I end up rooted however because I don't know what to do.

Normally, in such situations, I should go take some replenishment tests, right? I lost a lot of points, and I have lots of allies supporting at where I was. Currently, it's best that I replenish the points of the subjects I'm best at.

...But that option isn't ideal for me now.

“I have to hurry up, meet with Minami, and apologize to her...”

If I start the replenishment tests now, I might miss Minami when she goes back to the battlefield. I can't take the replenishment tests now.

Right now, I can't go to the frontlines or go take the replenishment tests.

But even so, I can't just stand by and waste everyone's time. I don't want to take action because of personal reasons, and I don't want to cause trouble for others again.

In the end, I choose to 'hide somewhere in a corner of the old school building, where there aren't many people around, and run away to buy time if the enemy comes'.

…......

…...

Nothing much happened as time pa.s.sed.

I'm trying to keep watch, but I'm not seriously looking around .

Even though I know how serious the sitaution is, I can't return to the frontlines.

I can't help in any way, and I'm just wasting something without a purpose.

“I'm, really a big idiot...”

I murmur to myself, without anyone else hearing.

I have no purpose in the summoning war.

I just obstructed Himeji-san's progress.

And I revealed Minami's precious feelings to someone else.

“I must at least make him return Minami's diary...”

If I can't get it back using my own abilities, I might as well kneel down and beg. It's useless to Takashiro-sempai anyway, so he might return it to me if I beg hard. Why didn't I think about that at all?

“But even if I do get it back, the fact remains that he read it before, right...?”

I haven't been doing anything, so my mind's repeating the same issues over and over again.

I'm starting to feel frustrated at my own stupidity, and I'm starting to think of dropping everything and run away.

I really want to meet Minami earlier and apologize to her. I've been thinking about this, doing meaningless things.

—And so, after looking around for a while.

“Ah, Aki. What are you doing here?”

I finally met the person I wanted to meet.

“...Minami...”

“Hm? What is it?”

Minami greeted me with her useful, cheerful smile.

“There's something I have to apologize to you for.”

“Even if you suddenly say that you have to apologize for something...I don't really know what you're trying to say because there's too many things you have to apologize for.”

Minami placed her fingers on her chin as she pondered,

“Is it about saying that my b.r.e.a.s.t.s are small? Or the peeping incident during the school camp? Or that you did something when you came to my house—”

“That's not it, Minami.”

I cut off Minami's joking words.

That's not it. What I want to apologize for is something more important to Minami, something she did not want anyone else to know of, and I trampled on those feelings.

“Sorry, Minami.”

“So, what's that about?”

I feel ready to vomit out blood as I explain to Minami what I did,

“I—let Takashiro-sempai and Linne-kun read your important diary.”

That's an unforgivable act to any girl in her youth.

I heard that it contained the precious thoughts Minami had since her first year, that it contained the feelings Minami had for him, how she thought about him all this time.

She has a tomboyish side, but I know that Minami in fact is really gentle, and definitely has a feminine side to her.

It's because of that, I couldn't forgive myself for doing what I did...!

I lower my head and gritted my teeth in anger.

And then, Minami looks on at me,

“What? That's it?”

She just looked disappointed, answering calmly,

“Th-That's!”

“Hm~...it's fine anyway. That sort of thing was read anyway. It's my fault for bringing the diary to school anyway.”

Minami doesn't mind at all as she said this. How's that possible...!

“Ah, speaking of which, did you read it, Aki?”

“Me...? I didn't.”

“I see. There's nothing to be worried about then.”

“But that's not the problem—”

“Nope, it's just that small of a problem.”

I leaked Minami's important feelings to an unrelated 3rd party, and Minami just smiled at me.

“I've already confessed anyway.”

“...”

I couldn't understand what she meant as I stood there blankly, even forgetting to apologize.

“Wait, Aki, are you listening?”

Minami waves her hand in front of me while I s.p.a.ce out.

Wh-what am I s.p.a.cing out for? I'm supposed to be apologizing to Minami now, right?

And so, Minami continues on while ignoring me as I recover from the shock.

“Well, leaving aside that—I'm wondering why are you looking so dejected right now though, Aki.”

Once I heard her ask me for my glum look, I'm unable to say anything at that instant.

“...That's...”

“You aren't depressed because of my diary, right? If that's the case, I'm going to beat your face up good.”

Minami then showed an angry look.

Even so, I still intend to argue back against what Minami said.

How can it just be like this? She wrote inside it every single day, and it's definitely not something she'll be callous about. She's just acting unconcerned because she's worried, because she's...very kind.

“Minami, I—”

“Besides my diary, something happened to Mizuki too, right?”

“!?”

I gasped.

Once Minami sees me like this, she smiles happily, and says,

“Right now, you have that 'how did you know' look on your face. Of course I know that. Mizuki has been looking weird seriously, and she went to the princ.i.p.al's office with you just now, but never returned. You looked so depressed too”

Minami easily deduced these. Can all these be deduced by a bystander? I don't really know. What I know however is that Minami did say the truth.

“...”

I end up being unable to say anything.

I'm not trying to hide it.

Or rather, I want to say, what kind of person am I.

“Tell me, Aki. Why're you feeling so depressed. What sort of frustrations do you have now?”

I hear Minami's gentle voice.

If I say it out, I'll definitely feel relieved.

Minami wants me to say this because she knows this.

But I can't rely on Minami's kindness again. I did something that's to be hated and scolded for.

“...”

I keep my head lowered as I remain silent

And Minami sighed and said,

“Then, how about this? If you're sorry about the diary, tell me everything now.”

It's a condition most suited for me, something I can't refuse.

This line causes me to lose any urge to resist.