Today was the school’s anniversary. There was no school, but as if Kizen couldn’t miss even a holiday like this, it opened optional supplentary lectures. They were in the nature of supplentary classes taught by the TA staff without a professor, and only the students with the lowest grades were required to attend, while the rest could freely choose to take them.
"Kizen and the students, both sides are out of their minds," Dick grumbled, sitting at his desk and scribbling at an invention. "The Cursology and Venomology classes are already full. It’s the school anniversary, they should take a break, seriously."
Simon let out a small laugh and asked, "Do you have a mandatory class?"
"Yeah. I have to go to Cursology."
"That’s too bad."
Simon was exempt from mandatory classes, except for Necrology, his only weak subject. Thankful for that fact, he stretched his clasped hands. "I’m more excited about the Dispatch Evaluation."
" too!"
Speaking of which, Simon made a suggestion. "If we’re going to the Neutral Zone, don’t you think we’ll need to pack various essentials? Want to call irin and Kami and go shopping in Rochest together?"
At those words, Dick’s movents ca to a sudden halt, and his expression hardened. "What’s wrong?"
"Ah, well, that is," Dick, who was always so smooth-talking, scratched his head with an embarrassed look. "I don’t think I can go with you guys for this Dispatch Evaluation."
Simon paused. "Oh, really?"
"Sorry. I made a prior arrangent with the kids from Class G, so I decided to join them."
At Dick’s words, Simon looked disappointed. "That’s a real sha."
"Sorry, sorry. Try asking irin. She said she’d be at the library all day today."
The team composition and report were due by tomorrow. Since it was a team of four, if one person was missing, they had to quickly fill the spot. Simon nodded and imdiately changed into his uniform.
---
He arrived at the library. Thanks to her sky-blue hair that stood out anywhere, irin was easy to find. She seed to be taking a break from studying, chatting with a female student outside the reading room.
Simon approached them. "irin!"
irin also spotted Simon and turned her head.
"irin," Simon said urgently. "Did you hear? Dick is—!"
"Hold on a sec, Simon. I’m in the middle of an important conversation."
"Ah, okay."
He had been in such a hurry that he had almost been rude. Simon obediently nodded and took a step back to wait. Soon, the two girls started chatting again. From what he could overhear, it was about soone else’s love life. Soone was dating soone, but the boy cheated, and the girl cried and got angry, but the boy was so shaless that he showed no signs of remorse, and so on.
Listening to the story, irin was enraged. "Isn’t he crazy?"
"I know, right!"
The two girls’ chatter went on and on. Feeling a universe away from their conversation, Simon awkwardly distanced himself and waited.
Twenty minutes later, the girl who had been chatting said her goodbyes and left. Only then did irin look at Simon. "What’s up?"
"Ah, it’s about the Dispatch Evaluation." He finally got to the point. "Dick said he’s going with kids from another class for the Dispatch Evaluation. Don’t you think our group needs to quickly recruit another mber?"
"Our group?" Hearing that, irin let out a ’pfft!’ of laughter. "Hey! What’s with the ’our’?"
"Huh?"
"You were thinking of going with ?"
"...Uh, no?" They had been talking about the Neutral Zone all day yesterday, so he naturally assud they were going together.
"Gosh, really. Who goes on a Dispatch Evaluation with kids from their own class? That’s so la. People would laugh if they heard." She waved her hands as if in disgust. "And we’ve been stuck together all this ti. This is when you should be making friends with kids from other classes. I decided to go with that girl you just saw and two others from Class H."
"R-really?" Was it the norm to mix with kids from other classes for the Dispatch Evaluation? It was a bit bewildering, but both Dick and irin were saying it so casually.
"You haven’t been to see Kami yet, have you?" irin asked.
"I was just about to. Do you know where she is?"
"She signed up for the Hemomancy supplentary class. She should be at the Magic Bullet Firing Practice Hall."
---
Simon imdiately arrived at the Magic Bullet Firing Practice Hall, where the Hemomancy class was held. Peeking through the window, he could see a TA in the lecture hall, passionately lecturing with spittle flying. Among the students, he could easily spot Kamibarez with bat wings on her back. Every ti she took notes, her wings would flutter, and when an important explanation was given, her ears would twitch. There was a strange addictiveness to watching her.
"Well then, that concludes the supplentary lecture. For those who have also signed up for the afternoon lecture, I’ll see you again in two hours."
"Thank you for your hard work!"
The Hemomancy TA left, and the students poured out of the lecture hall. Simon leaned against the wall and waited for the other students to pass quickly. Near the end, he saw Kamibarez coming out of the lecture hall, hugging her textbook with both arms.
"Kami!"
"Ah, Simon—!" She smiled brightly and ca trotting over. Her wings fluttered rapidly, as if she were in a good mood. "What brings you all the way here?"
"Ah, well..." ’Dick and irin are going with other kids for the Dispatch Evaluation. We’ll have to find two other people.’ That’s what Simon was about to say, but he cautiously brought up this topic first. "By any chance, Kami, do you have anyone you’re going with for the Dispatch Evaluation?"
"...Ah." At that question, Kamibarez’s pupils darted around. Her expression darkened, and she fidgeted, working her lips, before finally looking down at her feet and standing still.
Simon forced a smile. "It’s okay. You can tell ."
"I’m sorry. I’m so sorry! I actually decided to go with the people from the Sadam club..."
"Really? Well, that can’t be helped."
Simon belatedly realized that he was in a bind. The team report was due by tomorrow.
---
After that, Simon frantically went around looking for team mbers.
"Ah, I really, really appreciate the offer! But we decided from the start to do it with our group mbers. Sorry." He first went to Toto, who was in the sa class and the sa club, but he already had a group.
"What? You’re looking for team mbers?" Next up was Jamie Victoria, the class president of Class A. She was so surprised that she grabbed Simon’s shoulders and shook him. "Did you guys fight? What happened? I wasn’t worried about Team 7 at all since you guys are so close!"
"No. We didn’t fight." When Simon explained the situation, she looked stunned. "What do you an! Of course you’re supposed to go on the Dispatch Evaluation with your group mbers!"
"R-really?"
"Do you think the Dispatch Evaluation is so fun little picnic? Of course it’s more advantageous to go with your group mbers who you’ve been in sync with for half a year! When are you going to get in sync, plan tactics, and match your hands and feet with kids from another class?"
Simon looked dazed. He hadn’t thought about that part.
"That’s why I asked if you fought," Jamie sighed and continued. "Unless you’ve had a really serious falling out, most people go with their group mbers. included."
"...Yeah. Thanks for telling ."
"I won’t pry, but if sothing’s up with Team 7, honestly tell . Got it?"
"We really didn’t fight."
Whose word was right? Simon walked on, pondering the question. This ti, he went to find Claudia, having gotten her location from Jamie. He had gotten quite close to her recently after going through several incidents together.
"No, that’s really not right! Aren’t they being too much?" Hearing Simon’s story, Claudia got angry as if it were her own problem. "Just like the class president said, it’s right to go with your group mbers. And! If they were going to go with kids from another class, it’s common courtesy to at least tell you in advance! That irin girl... I didn’t see Kami that way either!"
"I’m grateful that you’re angry for , but," Simon continued with a smile, "talking behind my group mbers’ backs in front of is a little..."
"Ah, r-right? Sorry...!" Claudia imdiately bowed her head and apologized. As soon as she lifted her head, sparks flew from her eyes. "It’s still wrong! This is a problem that requires a definite apology later!"
Even after parting with Claudia, Simon t with several other students. But he just couldn’t find any team mbers. Almost everyone was pairing up for the dispatch teams with their own group mbers.
As Simon was walking alone down the hall, he saw four students sitting together in an empty classroom, chatting boisterously.
’...They look like they’re having fun.’ He felt a little lonely. It was the first ti he’d felt lonely since coming to Kizen. Simon trudged on. Everywhere he looked, it seed like students were walking around in groups of four. Seeing them having fun made the empty space beside him feel even more vacant.
’Still, it’s too early to give up.’ He would check on a few more kids from Class A, and if that didn’t work, there was always Kajan, Lorraine, Fitzgerald, and even Serne. He was scared Serne would demand sothing strange again, but this wasn’t the ti to be picky. ’There’s not much ti left.’
Simon went up to the third floor, the location Claudia had told him about. She had said that Cindy Vivace, from his class, was studying in empty classroom 302.
’Cindy’s probably with her group mbers, too....’ Still, he had nothing to lose. Even if not from Cindy, he might be able to get so other information there. Arriving in front of classroom 302, Simon knocked lightly.
"Who is it?" Cindy’s voice ca from beyond the door.
"It’s , Simon. Can I co in for a second?"
"Yeah, co in!"
Having gotten permission, Simon pushed the door open with both hands.
’Pop! Pop!’
Suddenly, party poppers went off from all directions.
"Happy birthday, Simon!!"
’Whoaaa—!’ Enthusiastic cheers poured out as confetti and strears fell from the ceiling. Before his eyes was a large cake.
’Huh...??’
Simon looked around with a dazed expression. Inside the classroom, he saw Dick wearing a party hat and holding a popper, irin clapping with a bright smile, and Kamibarez holding the cake with a smile of her own. Behind them were Jamie, Claudia, and Cindy. What was all this? A birthday? My birthday?
"Don’t tell ..."
"What do you think? It’s a surprise!!" irin shouted with a laugh.
Kamibarez, holding the cake with both hands, approached. "Blow them out, Simon!"
As Simon, looking dazed, blew out the candles, another cheer erupted. Dick set off all the remaining party poppers.
"...Ahaha."
The lonely chill that had settled in his chest lted away, replaced by a warmth that had nothing to do with the candles on the cake.
Showered in confetti and flower petals, Simon placed a hand on his chest, finally letting out a sigh and a smile. "...You guys really got ."
Dick cackled and threw an arm around Simon’s neck. "You should’ve been suspicious! You think we’d ditch you for another group?"
"My apologies for tricking you, Simon!" Kamibarez piped up.
The whole thing had been a surprise, with Jamie, Claudia, and Cindy all bribed into complicity with cake.
Simon, the man of the hour, cut into the massive confection and placed slices on plates. It was so large that even after everyone took a piece, more than half of it remained.
"But guys... I have a confession to make."
At Simon’s words, the other three mbers of Team 7 flinched.
"Wh-What is it?" Kamibarez asked.
"Hey! Don’t tell you already found other teammates behind our backs!" irin exclaid, her expression suddenly anxious.
Simon shook his head, an embarrassed look on his face. "It’s not my birthday today."
A beat of silence. An awkward stillness fell over the classroom.
Soon, everyone’s gaze turned to Dick.
"Hey, you moron! You said it was Simon’s birthday today!" irin shouted.
Dick, looking flustered, stamred for a mont before turning to Simon. "You circled a date on the calendar in our dorm room! You even wrote ‘birthday’ there...!"
"Ah, that’s my mother’s birthday."
The silence returned. Just then, irin and Simon exchanged a subtle glance. irin grabbed a piece of the cake and charged forward.
’Splat!’
She smashed it right into Dick’s face.
"Hahahahahaha!"
"That was so satisfying!"
Everyone clapped and roared with laughter. Dick, his face a ss of frosting and crumbs, laughed cheerfully and licked the cake from his lips.
"Ah, ahh! I can’t see!" he cried, charging toward irin to wipe his face on her uniform.
"Agh! Hey! Don’t co near !"
"This is my revenge!"
While everyone was laughing and having fun, Kamibarez ca up beside Simon. "I’m looking forward to working with you on this dispatch, Simon!"
Simon smiled brightly. " too."
A warmth spread through his chest. Even though it wasn’t his real birthday, he knew he would never forget the party everyone had thrown for him.
"Man, I’m kind of jealous. I wish our team had this kind of vibe," Claudia muttered. In response, irin ran over and sared cake on her cheek, and the two imdiately started bickering loudly.
User Comments
0 comments from readers