Reagent (指示薬).
Literally “the entity that indicates.”
Change a character and it becomes—director (指示役).
A term that’s become commonly used recently in contexts like fraud and illegal part-time jobs. The mastermind who plans and moves people. Certainly a fitting word for this person.
Rather than anger, fear filled my chest.
A feeling close to awe for the intellect and boldness that could make this a reality.
“To get members into the Biology Club, you incited Mizusaki to introduce Iwama and me, commanded Mikage to get Mizusaki and me to join, and used Kannabi to push Iwama’s back. Is that right?”
I felt like a part in a Rube Goldberg machine. As part of an ingenious contraption to drop a marble to its destination, this director was moving other people.
“Well, to put it simply, that’s right.”
She said it lightly.
“Why—why do such a thing? Couldn’t you have just helped with the welcome event normally? Why did it have to be us?”
“Because the Biology Club and Rō-chi are already in that state. If we did things normally, excellent kids would absolutely never choose such a place. I thought that unless outstandingly excellent kids joined, the glorious tradition of the Biology Club would be finished.”
Outstandingly excellent—being called that in a place like this didn’t make me happy at all.
“So before enrollment, I chose you four who seemed likely to revive the Biology Club and decided to have you join. Excellent grades, of course, and you all did science-related clubs in middle school with a high possibility of choosing biology. Really, Del-chi and Rio-chi were talents I’d have liked to secure for the Chemistry Club.”
Ridiculous. What exactly did she think we were?
“That’s… we have our own will, and yet, like some kind of draft meeting!”
Hongō-senpai laughed again.
“Aha, you say funny things. A draft meeting? But in the end, you guys chose the Biology Club, right? Only you had the right to choose. You gathered there of your own free will.”
I had no words to respond. That’s right. Certainly, we were the ones who chose. But—
“…Gathered?”
I inadvertently spoke my thoughts aloud. But it was that significant of an inconsistency.
“Wait, the order is strange. We were already gathered in the first place.”
At that moment, I didn’t miss that Mikage next to me moved slightly.
“Among six classes in one grade, the four of us are in the same class. And Iwama, Kannabi, and I even have consecutive attendance numbers—are you saying that students who met the conditions you chose for new club members just happened to be gathered like this? Even Mikage is in the same class.”
Even if you searched for suitable people within one class, would it work out this well? If it’s just science students that’s one thing, but those who plan to choose biology are a minority to begin with.
Moreover, Hongō-senpai said she chose us before enrollment. If she really chose us before enrollment, this class assignment would be an incredibly fortunate coincidence.
“Ah, I knew you’d notice.”
Senpai set down her cup with a clink.
“Not like Mizu-cchi, but after I first noticed that both Del-chi’s and Rio-chi’s surnames start with ‘I,’ I thought, ah, this is it. It was decided to put you two in the same class with nearby seats.”
…Wait a minute.
“I chose Nabi-chi as a candidate partly because she’s a good kid, of course, but also because her surname was one that wouldn’t be strange to have an attendance number close to you two. Mizu-cchi and Aya-chi being close was just coincidence. Well, this was also a bit convenient in terms of seating arrangement.”
Please don’t say strange things.
“Wait, we’re talking about class assignments. Why would you, just a student, be able to—”
“Not just a student. Student council vice president. You heard from my boyfriend, right? At Tsunagai High School, excellent students are given that much authority and discretion. Conventionally, the student council president takes the lead role, while the vice president takes command. I’m effectively the brains.”
My thoughts couldn’t keep up.
In my daze, I vaguely recalled. Was that what Tsunagai High School’s best couple meant? I had wondered what made them “best”—but student council president and vice president made sense. Or perhaps grades. I heard Mikage-senpai was ranked second in her year. Maybe Hongō-senpai is first.
Monster. That word suddenly floated into my mind.
A director who wields the authority given to her and achieves her goals with outstanding command ability—
But no matter how you think about it, this is wrong.
Class assignments. No matter how excellent, this isn’t something a student should be allowed to do.
When I stayed silent, Hongō-senpai spoke up first.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.GITHUB.IO
“I got a complaint from the vice principal for putting four people whose names start with ‘A’ in the same class. But seat positions and class groupings for lessons are important, so I worked hard to push it through. If you understand I was thinking this seriously about it, will you understand, Del-chi?”
My head felt completely white. Had she gone so far as to manipulate causality?
So that Iwama would be in the back seat and talk to me.
So that Iwama and Kannabi would be in the same group for class and deepen their friendship.
Not just the class, but even the attendance numbers were decided by the sole discretion of this student, Hongō Nagisa?
All to get the four of us into the Biology Club. The arrangement to drop the marble to its destination.
“Did the teachers… know about this?”
“Some of the important people did, of course. The final decision isn’t mine but the school’s. But everyone was convinced. They said it couldn’t be helped if it was to protect the Biology Club.”
“That can’t be possible. For the survival of just one club—”
“Just one club?”
Hongō-senpai’s voice lowered—the volume stayed the same, but the intensity increased.
“Despite boasting a tradition since the old First Middle School, and being allowed to presumptuously call itself part of the Science Department at this high school that emphasizes science education? It’s completely different from hobby clubs or friendship groups. Many researchers have come from this Biology Club. Your father is one of them, and even the city mayor, though not a researcher, is from the Biology Club.”
I didn’t expect my father to come up here. She must have researched very thoroughly.
Senpai’s voice gradually became more heated.
“Tradition is a giant. It’s because of the massive accumulation of our predecessors that we can look down upon the world from its shoulders. Even something as small as a school club is, though small, still a giant. The school wanted to protect that small giant. And I absolutely could not allow my best friend to be treated as the culprit who killed that giant.”
“Even so… does that make it acceptable to manipulate us with such tricks?”
“Tricks? That’s a rather disagreeable way to put it.”
Hongou-senpai seemed to think for a moment before speaking with a serious expression.
“There are no tricks in youth. There’s only someone’s struggle, and the reasons that drive them to it.”
Having the concept of youth suddenly brought up like this made me angry at the sheer selfishness of it. Were we nothing more than stage props moved around to realize the wonderful youth of our senpai?
Perhaps sensing my indignation, Hongou-senpai looked at me soothingly.
“Well, this is borrowed from Kashiwabara-senpai. It’s a cheesy phrase, isn’t it? But in a way, it’s correct. I simply used everything at my disposal and did everything I could to prevent my irreplaceable best friend from becoming a murderer. Whatever you think of this effort, I believe Rōchi will call it precious.”
However, in senpai’s case, what she “had at her disposal” was too much. And what she “could do” was too much as well.
I could understand what she was saying. But even if there were legitimate reasons, even if senpai had simply struggled in her own way, hadn’t she trampled on something important?
“I understand your motives. But—”
But I had to say this.
“What about our will? If you hadn’t schemed, we would have chosen different paths. And you, as an upperclassman, twisted that with your machinations, and the school approved of it.”
“I didn’t twist things out of malice. We simply placed everyone in the right positions and gave them a gentle push on the back. We merely protected with order and inevitability what might have been lost to chaos and chance.”
Order and inevitability—even if it was the result of scheming, we ended up settling into our proper places.
Perhaps that was true. Even I was glad I joined the biology club.
But then why? Why was I so angry?
“Well then, let me give you a parable,”
senpai began.
“Once upon a time, there was a traveler. Walking along a country road, he came to a fork. The left path was muddy, so the traveler chose the right.”
The traveler must be me. And the roads were my choices.
“What awaited him was a long stone staircase. The traveler steeled himself and climbed it all at once. Beyond it was a dilapidated torii gate. A desolate shrine. When he passed through the torii, a blue snake spoke to him.”
Hongou-senpai flicked out her tongue slightly and moistened her lips.
“The snake said, ‘I created that mud. I wanted you to come here, so I blocked the path.’ Now then, will the traveler angrily descend the stone stairs, or will he proceed forward through the shrine?”
I considered the situation. If it were me—
“If that traveler were me, I think I would go forward. Since I have no set destination, I wouldn’t particularly care and would just take the path the snake chose.”
“Yes. I’m glad.”
That’s when I finally realized the true nature of my anger.
“But what about Iwama?”
“Riochi? She would definitely take the snake’s path.”
“Yes, I think so too. She wouldn’t—couldn’t—descend those stairs.”
“I think so too.”
“But that’s exactly why what the snake—what you did—is a desecration of the way Iwama Rio lives.”
Perhaps those were unexpected words, because Hongou-senpai didn’t respond.
“Iwama was struggling. Whether to prioritize the way of life others wanted or her own way of life—she agonized over that… and finally, she was able to make a decision for herself and was so happy about it. Her parents and friends might not have wanted it. But she was truly glad to have joined the biology club.”
“Yes. I know that.”
“If she learns that even that decision was exactly what you wanted, what do you think Iwama would feel?”
The discovery of the boar’seyedden, meeting Kannabi whom she could click with, and meeting Mizusaki and me—if Iwama learned that everything she had rejoiced over as miracles were all the schemes of the snake called Hongou Nagisa, what would she think?
What would become of that innocently happy smile?
Seeing me get heated, Hongou-senpai tilted her head slightly.
“What would she think? Of course she’d be shocked. That’s why I called you here today, Del-chi. If you and Riochi had reached the truth together, it might have ruined everything.”
“What… do you mean by that?”
“The reason I got ahead of the game and told you everything was, of course, to keep you quiet.”
I was speechless.
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