Chapter 30: A Certain Rumor
“Aah~, we lost…!”
“Damn it~. Kazuma’s too strong, man…”
The bowling bet splendidly ended with Kazuma’s team winning, thanks to his performance. It wasn’t by an overwhelming margin, though. Partway through, Kaori and Kaede had gotten the hang of it and improved. Thanks to that, Kazuma was forced into a tough fight.
After all, it was a situation where if Miyazono and Kazuma, just the two of them on their side, made even one mistake, they would lose. Taichi and Megumi dragged them down, making it a razor-thin match.
“Hahaha! Seriously! If Satsuki hadn’t gotten that perfect game, we would’ve lost!”
Miyazono, in high spirits from winning, was slapping Kazuma’s back repeatedly. Because she was a bit worked up, she was hitting him quite forcefully, but it wasn’t a big deal for Kazuma. In fact, he was reminiscing about the past.
(Ah~, I was treated like this in the other world too…)
While Kazuma was lost in old memories, the bill had been settled. The losing team was happy that it ended up being cheaper than expected thanks to the student discount. Apparently, even including shoe rental, it didn’t even cost a thousand yen. In that case, it wasn’t strange for them to be pleased, Kazuma thought.
After that, the eight of them killed some time at the Game Center before heading out for dinner.
They decided to have dinner at a family restaurant, and the eight of them sat down, separated by gender. However, they had combined tables so all eight could eat together.
Kazuma was sitting in the middle, with Kaede next to him. It hadn’t happened intentionally. Kaede had called Kazuma over to sit beside her. The other three boys, seeing this, looked on enviously, wondering why it was only Kazuma.
Actually, there was one more empty seat next to a girl. However, the three boys other than Kazuma were hesitating, as if they absolutely detested that particular seat. Why were they hesitating? The reason was that sitting there meant Miyazono would be next to them. Miyazono also fell into the category of beautiful girls, but unfortunately, everyone except Kazuma, being typical Support Course students, was afraid of her violent tendencies.
That’s why no one wanted to sit next to her.
“What’s wrong? Hurry up and sit down. Hey, don’t just stand there, Fudou, sit here.”
As Miyazono patted the chair next to her, Taichi looked at Akatsuki and Kosuke as if pleading for help. However, the two averted their gazes from Taichi, deciding to ignore him. Taichi, realizing the two had abandoned him, reluctantly sat down next to Miyazono.
Once everyone was seated, it was time to order. Each of them looked at the menu and chose what they wanted to eat. With a large group of eight, the number of dishes became quite substantial.
After finishing their orders, the eight of them killed time by chatting idly until their food arrived.
After a while, the food arrived, and the eight of them began eating their respective orders. Just then, Kaede brought something up.
“Speaking of which, does everyone know? That the Combat Course has a special curriculum.”
Although she said “everyone,” Kaede was facing the other girls from the Combat Course. Kazuma, who was listening right beside her, was also curious and perked up his ears.
“Eh, I didn’t know…”
Hearing Kaede’s words, all the girls seemed unaware, tilting their heads.
“Well, I’ve only heard rumors myself, so I don’t know the details, but after this test period ends, it’s summer vacation, right? Apparently, before that, some students in the Combat Course have a special curriculum.”
“What kind of curriculum is it?”
“From what I hear, it’s about disciplining some students with bad conduct.”
“Eeh! Is that so? Are there, like, criteria for being chosen?”
“That, I don’t know. But there’s talk that this rumor might actually be true.”
“Does that mean there’s evidence or something?”
“Look, you don’t really see second or third-year students with problematic speech or behavior, do you? So, the theory is they might have been reformed by that special curriculum…”
The girls gulped at her last words. Indeed, what Kaede said might be true. After all, while badly behaved students could be seen among the first-years, there were hardly any among the second and third-years. That, in itself, was evidence that Kaede’s story was true.
Of course, it wasn’t definitively decided, but its credibility was high. However, if that was the case, one couldn’t help but wonder why they didn’t implement that special curriculum from the start. If they did, at least the Support Course students wouldn’t have to live in fear.
“Why at this timing?”
“Maybe they need a certain amount of time to assess them?”
“Ah, I see. That might be it…”
The Support Course boys listening beside them had mixed feelings. If what the girls were saying was true, it meant they themselves had been sacrificed. They probably didn’t harbor very good feelings about it.
However, at the same time, they were also looking forward to it, knowing that those who had tormented them would now be the ones to suffer. It was only natural to want to see that “educational site” if possible.
“If that’s true, it’s welcome news for us in the Support Course.”
“Well, that’s right. There are a lot of Combat Course students who are disliked during practical training, aren’t there?”
“Hmm~, maybe so?”
“Why the question…?”
“Well, it’s just that I haven’t really suffered much damage…”
“Ah~, come to think of it, that’s true for Satsuki-kun, isn’t it~.”
Yes, Kazuma was special compared to the other three. Therefore, he wasn’t a good reference. If she wanted to ask that question, she should have asked the other three, not Kazuma.
Realizing it hadn’t been good to ask Kazuma, Kaede tried asking the other three if they were truly happy about it.
“If it’s true, rather than happy, I’d say it’s more satisfying. Well, from our perspective, we’ve just been taking the damage, though…”
Akatsuki’s words said it all. The other two seemed to share the same opinion, nodding as if to say, “Exactly.”
Well, that couldn’t be helped. After all, they had been put through painful experiences every time during practical training. It was only natural for a person to want to get back at them, even just a little.
“Ah~, well, that’s true, isn’t it~.”
From there, the atmosphere grew a little heavy. Of course, there was one reason: the three Support Course students other than Kazuma. While the previous topic was indeed welcome news, it wasn’t a good story if it meant they had been deliberately sacrificed for it.
How many students had been traumatized? Even if counseling was available, it still wasn’t a pleasant feeling.
One couldn’t help but think there might have been other ways to handle it. If so, not just themselves, but all Support Course students might have been able to enjoy their school life. It was truly a terrible state of affairs.
“Ah, sorry. I still want to eat more, can I order?”
In the heavy atmosphere, Kazuma alone failed to read the room. One might question his reaction, but right now, it was appreciated.
They were saved by Kazuma’s carefree remark, and the lively, fun atmosphere returned. Of course, Kazuma hadn’t done it intentionally. He was genuinely still hungry.
“Hahaha. That’s Kazuma for you.”
“Well, yeah!”
Although he hadn’t done it intentionally, he had, as expected, understood that the atmosphere was heavy. That said, from Kazuma’s perspective, it was an incredibly trivial matter, so he had simply followed his instincts.
After that, they continued their dinner while engaging in idle chatter.
Having finished dinner, the group discussed what to do next, and since it was getting somewhat late, they decided to disperse.
They split into those heading back to their family homes and those returning to the dorms, each going their separate ways. On the way, Kazuma and Kosuke looked back on the recent study session.
“By the way, Kazuma, how confident are you?”
“About the final exams?”
“What else could it be? We had that study session, but how do you feel about your chances?”
“Hmm… I don’t think it’s bad. I think there are still some parts I’m a little uneasy about, but for now, I think I can at least avoid failing grades.”
“I see. But don’t let your guard down. If you get a failing grade, all our summer vacation plans will be ruined.”
“I know, I know. I don’t want my glorious youth to be stained gray because of a failing grade either, so I’ll do my best.”
“Ooh! That’s the spirit!”
Kosuke slapped Kazuma’s back repeatedly. Feeling it was only about as painful as a mosquito bite compared to Miyazono’s slaps, Kazuma resolved to avoid failing grades on the final exams no matter what.