I had known that Kimura-kun wasn't normal. However, I never really understood him, despite our relatively close friendship—he seemed to be unusually distant. He was the first person I couldn't fully decipher.
For the school to permit an unreleased attribute to be shown, Kimura-kun must have paid some sort of compensation. I guess he came more prepared than I thought.
That's why I couldn't let him win.
"Mizuhara-kun, here are my attributes."
—He passed his phone to me.
-
Kimura Haruto - Second-Year Student
Overall Intelligence: A+ (Ranked #3 out of 411 in school)
Athletic Ability: **Unreleased**
Interpersonal Skills: **Unreleased**
Spatial Awareness: **Unreleased**
Lateral Thinking Capacity: A (Ranked #29 out of 411 in school)
_
Appearance: **Unreleased**
Cooperative Reliability: C (Ranked #209 out of 411 in school)
Creative Ability: **Unreleased**
~~~
Overall Score: A+
Consistency: **Unreleased**
-
He looked over at me with a listless expression.
To be ranked so high, it genuinely caught me off-guard. No part of him seemed to show that he was so capable, especially in a school filled with such people. At this school, there were incredible talents, genuises and even Outcomes of the Ideal Human Project... yet he was still ranked so high.
It certainly was something.
"Don't you have something to say, Mizuhara-kun?"
"Not really."
I looked up at him.
"What do you want to do now?"
He laughed a little.
"Well, just before I go, I want to tell you something."
The atmosphere suddenly became solemn. It was an awkward feeling. There was a clear disconnect between Kimura-kun's outside persona and what he was truly thinking on the inside. It was similar to Fujiharu-san in a way.
He continued.
"There's someone out to get you. Even I don't know what their intentions are, but all I'm going to say is that you won't be able to live in your comfort zone forever."
"What do you mean."
"I'm sure you know more about the Ideal Human Project than I do. Anyways, I'm actually meeting with a girl today."
What a casual transition.
"I'll see you later then."
"Haha, see you tonight, Mizuhara-kun!"
...
I began making my way toward the convenience store. It had been a while, and I needed to get some new toiletries. Despite the fact that specialised stores existed, it was still always cheaper to go to the convenience store that everyone frequented. It was basically a haven where students would always be able to 'survive' to an extent.
Entering through the automatic glass doors, I made my way over to the cosmetics section. There was one other student looking around the same area. It was Itsuki-san, the girl who always stuck around Furukawa-kun. She seemed to be awkwardly glancing at the various products on display.
Noticing me, she looked away. I had nothing to talk to her about anyways, so I decided to just look for the things I was here to get.
Suddenly, Furukawa-kun also entered the store.
He made his way directly over to us, probably because he was trying to find Itsuki-san. Unintentionally, we ended up bumping into each other.
"Oh, what's up, Mizuhara-kun?"
"Nothing, really."
"What are you here to get?"
He was trying to make some small talk. He had always been a confident person—someone who naturally had leadership capabilities. Still, I had nothing much to say in return.
"I'm getting some toothpaste."
Itsuki-san walked over to him.
"Furukawa-kun, we need to get going soon, remember?" Her voice was barely above a whisper, shy and tentative.
"Oh, right, I almost forgot!" Furukawa-kun responded with a chuckle, showing his usual cheerful demeanour. He turned back towards me, "I just remembered we have a group study session. You're welcome to join if you'd like."
"No, it's okay. I have some stuff to handle."
I picked up a tube of toothpaste from the shelf and checked its ingredients just to fill the silence. Furukawa-kun glanced at Itsuki-san and shrugged, a grin spreading across his face.
"We'll be heading off then, Mizuhara-kun. Have a good day," Furukawa-kun waved a casual goodbye as he led Itsuki-san towards the stationery section.
"Yeah, see you," I mumbled in response, my focus still on the toothpaste.
As they disappeared into another aisle, I continued to scan the shelves for other items. I could faintly hear Furukawa-kun's lively chatter and Itsuki-san's quieter responses, the distinctive rhythm of their interaction almost comforting in the midst of the whirlwind that was the conversation with Kimura-kun.
They were still running study sessions despite the fact that Kaoru-san wasn't officially mandating them anymore. There weren't any exams soon, so it seemed that they were just casually studying.
I guess it could be part of his plan to slowly gain influence in the class. If he was running reasonably-sized study groups, there was probably a significant amount of trust in him from the other students in the class. I wonder if Hamasaki-san is prepared to take more action than she'd expect.
If she wanted any hope of unifying the class under Kaoru-san, she had to act fast. Karou-san was still regarded as the main figure of the class, just because of the previous few weeks of her authority. However, it wouldn't be that long before that perspective changed to see Furukawa-kun as the leader instead.
Hamasaki-san needed to do something drastic—soon.
Paying for the items, I left the convenience store.
• ───────────────── •
Sitting on my bed, I decided to take out We Have Always Lived in the Castle and read through the last few pages. Kimura-kun was still out; he never really returned to the dorm aside from pretty late at night. Unlike me, he preferred to hang around the schoolyard or in the library.
It was nice to have some peace and quiet. I had been reading more than usual since there hadn't been as much conflict around me. Although I assumed that it was not going to last much longer, considering what Kimura-kun said.
I guess I'd enjoy this time while it lasted.
It seemed that I wasn't going to be able to avoid confronting the past.
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