Translator: Silver Editor: Namorax

「12」

When it came to lunch at s.h.i.+nonome Academy, people had their pick of box lunches, the cafeteria and the ristorante.

Of course, even it was called a ristorante, it wasn’t official.

All payments were handled through student ID cards.

Carrying cash on campus was prohibited after all.

Their reason was that coins and banknotes were covered in bacteria.

I was amazed when I heard you couldn’t bring things to school if you didn’t know who’d handled them.

Well, the students here seemed used to paying for things with a card, so there was no sense of incongruity at least, but I was still surprised.

There where IC chips embedded in the ID cards and the student’s families received a monthly invoice.

By the way, why were they ristorantes and not a French restaurant? Well, on top of the basic etiquette course we received once a month, we also received instruction on dining etiquette. The official policy was that in exchange for taking part in a proper French dinner twice a year, students didn’t have to eat in the cafeteria.

It’s not something to be envious of.

It was quite a harsh cla.s.s.

Personal tastes weren’t adhered to at all. And furthermore, you weren’t allowed to drop the cla.s.s.

People with food allergies had specially prepared food that resembled the meals of the rest of the cla.s.s so that everyone could take the same lesson.

The most frightening aspect was that you would be forced to eat the same food over and over again until you mastered proper etiquette.

That wasn’t a problem for traditional, high-cla.s.s j.a.panese food, but western meals had more quant.i.ty to them.

If you were a perfectionist, you couldn’t help but try to master it in one sitting.

You had to tepidly chuckle and smile while saying the 『The meal was delicious today well』.

No matter how many times a person thought they were finished, food would continue to be placed on the table until their etiquette was perfect.

At first, the students were fascinated by the cla.s.s, but by the 3rd time the cla.s.s came around, in June, they would tear up after seeing the food and after the 5th time, in September, they would look like their souls had started to leave their bodies.

In addition to authentic French cuisine, the course also covered j.a.panese, Chinese, Mediterranean and Nordic courses, as well as catering a buffet.

No one ever expected eating to be considered a penance until it happened.

For that reason, normal lunch was considerably lighter in comparison, to allow for the casual enjoyment of the food.

Since I wanted to eat and quickly return to the cla.s.sroom, I settled for a sandwich at the café today.

It was a popular menu item, rich in variety, and it could easily be packed in a box and eaten in the courtyard when the weather allowed for it.

When it rained, there was no bending to such whims.

Hayate and I had arrived at the café early when Ariwara raised his hand and pointed out a less crowded café section.

I placed a coffee and sandwich on my tray and sat down with the others.

“Are you having just that, Mizuki-dono?”

Tachibana cast an anxious glance at my tray.

“Ah, yes. I wonder if this is too much……”

“I don’t think you need to diet, or rather, don’t you think that isn’t enough? At least add another dish, like a salad or soup.”

Are you my mother!? That’s what I thought, but I vaguely shook my head.

“I don’t have a lot of time. I have some business to take care of in a little bit.”

“Hey, why were you and Ookami sharing an umbrella? There’s been a lot of rumors flying about.”

Ariwara seemed displeased by something as he spoke.

“Huh, what? Sharing an umbrella?  Ookami was just waiting with my umbrella when I stepped out of the car. What kind of rumors are going around?”

“…… Ah, so that’s all. Well, it’s fine then. I guess they’ll disappear soon.  Let’s move on to the elder Sugawara’s latest a.s.sault.”

After I had wiped my hands with a wet wipe, they now stopped just short of touching the bread.

My appet.i.te had diminished.

“Was Chiaki spoken ill of?”

“It was generally favorable. Rather, most of the gossip took on an envious tone…… from what I’ve heard she even ma.s.saged you.”

“My sides.”

“…… Hey there!”

Ariwara, let out a resentful groan.

Girls liked BL, but it didn’t seem that all man liked yuri.

Of course, it was limited to the second dimension.

“Isn’t that s.e.xual hara.s.sment? I think Mizu-chan can use a little more meat on her bones.”

After a small hand reached out for my sandwich, I began hearing the sound of someone chewing lettuce.

“…… Chiaki.”

“Yes. This is poison tasting. I have to make sure that this is okay. Its safe to eat, Mizu-chan.”

The diminutive beauty happily chuckled as she extended her hand for a second piece of my sandwich.

“Chiaki!! Don’t eat other peoples food! You have your own food, you glutton!!”

Chikage caught his sister by the neck and dragged her away from the table.

“Since Mizu-chan doesn’t eat much, I thought she was worried about being poisoned.”

Chiaki remained unapologetic.

Just what kind of world did I live in?

The threat of poisoning wasn’t normal.

“Sorry, Mizuki-dono. This fool continues to trouble you.”

Chikage apologized for his sister misbehavior and placed a cup of potage soup on my tray.

“Accept this as an apology. Receive it without reserve.”

Chikage, truly a capable child.

Was it the natural order for him to absolutely know whenever Chiaki did anything!?

How exasperating must it be to manage such an unreasonable child?

However, potage was easier for someone who’d lost their appet.i.te to stomach than a sandwich.

It wasn’t like the two of then had planned it.

“Thank you, Chikage. If you don’t mind, would you like to dine with us?”

By accepting the potage, Chiaki'S behavior was water under the bridge.

It was obvious that all of this would be troublesome in the outside world.

“Hm.”

“It doesn’t bother me. I’ll allow Chikage to sit next to me.”

Chikage hesitated for a moment before he reluctantly plopped down in a seat next to me.

“Excuse me. Rather, I will be sitting here. Don’t annoy Mizuki-done, idiot!”

Chikage scolded a disgruntled Chiaki.

I could see the dumbfounded looks on Ariwara’s and Tachibana’s faces.

“Th…… This is more troublesome than I expected……”

Tachibana looked at the brother tasked with watching over an eccentric older sister with a degree of respect, and Chikage seemed a little embarra.s.sed by it.

“It’s better to struggle now rather than pay the price later. Wouldn’t you agree, Tachibana-kun?”

I blatantly directed a glance towards the culprit as I asked my question.

“I am aware of the proverb, but I would like to be able to choose what my problems are.”

“Certainly. I’d hate being poisoned……”

Tachibana wryly smiled in response to Chiaki’s irrelevant answer.

“What is the basis for your poisoning theory, Chiaki?”

Unless her a.s.sumptions were addressed, out of control rumors could spread again.

“If Mizu-chan was poisoned, it would be a great loss for humanity. Mizu-chan smells good! What is this fragrance? Chikage, take a whiff yourself!”

As an aspiring aesthetician, Chiaki was sensitive to scents.

She was easily able to recognize the fragrance of other people and had the ridiculous notion that I had a unique healing fragrance.

Her brother Chikage also had a sensitive nose.

At Chiaki’s instance, he brought his face close to my collarbone.

“True. Mint and eucalyptus? Neroli then?”

Mint and eucalyptus had sterilizing and sedative effects.

Also, they lowered surface temperature and raised internal temperature.

In other words, they were painkillers.

“It’s aromatherapy. The humidity was making me dizzy, so I wanted to try something new.”

“Huh, is that so.”

Chikage nodded his head in understanding.

There were certain things that I did not wish to share with others.

“If you’re interested in incense, why don’t you take part in a perfume party? Our grandmother sometimes hosts those kinds of parties.”

“Yes, yes! I would love for you to come.”

“If an amateur such as myself is allowed, I would gladly attend.”

The Sugawara twins interest in fragrances was on full display.

“I understand. I will ask grandmother. Maybe you can sit in on the event, instead of partic.i.p.ating.”

“Wow! I love you, Mizu-chan……”

Chikage remained deadpan as Chiaki let out a joyous laugh.

I looked at the pair with a smile as I drank my potage.

It was just about that time.

“Sorry. A prior engagement means that I have to leave early. Please take it easy, everyone.”

With that, I placed my empty dish on my tray and stood up.

“Mizuki!”

“Enjoy your meal Hayate. You don’t have to come with me.”

After detaining an upset Hayate, I returned my tray and left the café.

When I returned to my cla.s.sroom, Suwa was waiting at my desk with a troubled expression.

“Have I kept you waiting?”

Suwa’s expression drastically changed when I called out to him.

“No. I was a bit restless.”

“Where would you like to talk?”

“This place would be bothersome, is it all right to go in the hallway?”

Suwa stood up and pointed towards the hallway window.

“That’s fine.”

I nodded and entered the hallway outside the cla.s.s.

Not a lot of people were out here, so it wasn’t that noisy.

It was ideal as far as holding a conversation was concerned.

Suwa watched the courtyard from the hallway window.

The sound of rain was covering other nearby voices.

“Well. What do you want to talk about.”

I leaned on the windowsill and asked that question with a calm expression.

“Do you know that I’ve been given some work at my father’s company?”

“Ah. I asked the head of the Suwa household about it.’

“I see. Then this should be quick. I found some incomprehensible doc.u.ments. I cannot talk about specifics, but it deals with criminal behaviors. What would you do Sagara?”

His eyes wavered as he looked me straight in the eye.

He was probably only a the stage of suspicion and hadn’t gotten a hold of any evidence yet.

I guess the head of the Suwa family purposefully allowed these doc.u.ments to fall into his hands.

He was testing how his son, the future head of the household, would react in a situation like this.

“Suwa. Before I reply, there is something you need to clarify first.”

I remembered the choice I made in the game and stared at Suwa.

“As the next head of the Suwa family, what is it that you seek to protect?”

“What I seek to protect?”

“Is it the Suwa group’s image? Or is it profit? Is it the employees and their families that work in the group?”

Even if it’s just this one thing, my answer would change depending on his viewpoint.

My answer would also change if he didn’t clarify his viewpoint.

Suwa, who was in line to inherit his father's position and reign at the top, must become aware of where his major interest laid.

“……The people that are working for the Suwa.”

Although there was a slight pause, there was no hesitation in his answer.

In the meantime, I tried to predict what the crime was.

The head must have thrust the severest reality onto his child.

“I see. Illegality is quite troublesome. First, the evidence must be securely gathered. To prove that a crime has actually been committed. Then, who actually committed it is important. An investigation should reveal some suspects. However, the possibility that that person is a patsy can’t be abandoned immediately. This is important. Someday the crime may be repeated. At that time, the criminal might still be hidden. Everyone suspects that eventually, and criminal will have prepared a scapegoat to throw suspicion off of themselves.”

“Scapegoat?”

“That’s right.”

I nodded at a wide-eyed Suwa.

“After cautiously and carefully collecting definitive evidence, you need to consider who you’ll report to. Suwa, you said you wanted to protect your employees, right? In that case, no matter what, you must not handover your findings to someone who’s protecting the Suwa’s image.”

“Why?”

“Don’t you understand? Because they will crush your investigation. In the minds of others, the son of the boss holds little actual power. Therefore, the evidence must be handled by those not interested in the company’s image.”

There existed an extremely realistic game where your goal was to found your own conglomerate to win the game.

Subordinates could betray you, your business could be hit with a natural disaster, or a series of problems could pop up one after another.

It was a game I played in elementary school.

It’d been impossible to compete with my adult older brothers and my siblings who’d already been entrusted with company work despite still being students.

I was forced to partic.i.p.ate in that game and suffered crus.h.i.+ng defeats as a result.

Still, my resolve hadn’t been crushed.

I was at a great disadvantage in the game, but my spirit remained unyielding.

I’d been lacking in knowledge and experience.

I refused to lose even knowing that.

By the way, my older brother Suou had been the lowest rank.

“Is that so. So, what would the culprit do?”

“It depends on the circ.u.mstances. If there’s a chance, it would be best to separate the culprit from the company. In regards to the criminal, it depends on the amount of guilt they feel. Whether you charge them with a crime or cover it up is up to you.”

“………… I see.”

Suwa brooded over it for a bit before slowly nodding his head.

“Thank you for your advice.”

“Let me give you one piece of advice for collecting evidence of fraud. Never become fixated on something. There is no way to tell if someone really has committed fraud. Otherwise, your conclusions will definitely be affected. With that in mind, you may want to use various means of information gathering. The best option would be to gather everything without thinking about the contents.”

“……I see. In this case, please accept my sincerest apology.”

Suwa seemed on the verge of tears as he lowered his head to me.

“It was really helpful. Where did you get such experience Sagara?”

“…… A game.”

I responded honestly.

“A game?”

“When the head of the household reaches a certain age, they will verify the qualifications of their children with a management game. Do you know that I took part in a management game with my siblings despite being five years younger than my closest brother? I was a crus.h.i.+ng defeat. However, I still managed to barely avoid total defeat.”

“That must have been extremely vexing.”

“It was a frustrating event to experience several times. Vexing to the point that I was incapable of sleeping at night until I achieved a victory.”

“That’s right!”

“I understood that I had no skill in management back then. And I got angry at the gap in age between me and my siblings. If I played the game now, my response would be different.”

Suwa seemed surprised when I said that.

“This was really helpful. I will act accordingly.”

Suwa bowed his head and ended the conversation.

Understanding that the talk was over, I nodded back and walked away.

A lot of stress had acc.u.mulated over the course of this conversation.

If I left things as they were, I would definitely collapse, but I didn’t notice this until it was too late.

I felt discomforting sensation in my right arm.

I began gasping for air as a wound began to open.

The blood preceded the pain.

As my body became heavier I realized the danger I was in.

My impatience grew as my ability to control my body diminished.

However, I lost consciousness before I could say anything.