2.6

I came back near the inn to report on Kōenji's case.

But I couldn't find Kiryūin, and I didn't know where she had gone.

When I asked a few people, they told me there was a park with a handmade feel on the east side of the building, and they saw her walking there.

There wasn't much time until the next game, so I wondered what she was doing there.

The park had several wooden playground structures.

Unlike the rusty dog park, this place seemed to still be in use, with seesaws and balance beams that looked usable.

Now, where was Kiryūin—she was on one of the two swings.

Not alone, but with Asahina, a third-year student.

From a distance, it looked like Asahina was happily talking to her, and Kiryūin was listening with a warm gaze.

I thought it was an unusual combination as I approached to tell her about Kōenji.

"We don't usually have a chance to talk, so it's kind of fresh... Really unusual, isn't it?"

"Are you that happy to talk to me?"

"I'm glad. You're always so cool, Fūka-chan. A lot of girls really look up to you."

Asahina's eyes sparkled. Perhaps Kiryūin was the type to be more popular with girls than boys.

<Illustration >

This must've been because she rarely interacted with students belonging to the same year.

I think Kiryūin was a special case, but it seemed that this kind of interaction was also happening.

"Ayanokōji, you're back."

"What were you talking about?"

It seemed better to tell her about Kōenji's situation later. With that thought, I asked about the content of the conversation.

"We were talking about various things, but right now, we were talking about our future plans. I was curious about Fūka-chan's future."

I remember she said she would become a scholarship student and go to university when we met before.

"So, which university are you going to?"

The conversation had just started, and Asahina asked that question.

Kiryūin openly named the specific university she was planning to attend.

It was a famous university that I would've heard of many times if I had lived normally.

"It's their law department. But I'm not particularly attached to the department."

Asahina shuddered at the thought of going to such a high-level university, thinking it was impossible for her.

"What do you plan to do, Fūka-chan?"

"Hmm? I'm not aiming for anything. I'm not trying to become anything."

Just as she had told me before, she planned to live as an ordinary person.

She told Asahina that.

"Eh~ Isn't that a bit of a waste? You seem like you could become anything."

She had no intention of showing off her talents, which would be envied by those who didn't have them.

That might be a waste, but it might also be the ultimate luxury.

"I can become anything. I don't lack confidence, but there are many different things."

"So you don't have a dream?"

"I have a dream of not becoming anyone. Does that answer your question?"

"That might be a dream, but I think it's better to have an ambitious dream. Whether you can fulfill it or not, whether you can do it or not, isn't it something to think about?"

This was true especially if you were Asahina, who was expected to graduate from Class A. Kiryūin understood this and laughed.

"That's true. It's not that I've never thought about such a dream."

"Then tell me. I might aim for it too."

Kiryūin reluctantly told Asahina, who kept her eyes sparkling.

"If I had to choose a job to achieve something, I might aim to be a politician."

"A politician!? Wow... but it's not common to think of becoming a politician... even Miyabi has never mentioned becoming a politician, and I've never seen anyone around me do it."

Asahina, eager to know how she came to have that dream, listened attentively.

"Do I have to talk about it?"

"No? Though, I think this might be the last chance to leisurely talk with you... I want to hear it."

At Asahina's request, Kiryūin said it was special and revealed the reason.

"When I was little, I had a lot of opportunities to meet politicians because of my family relationships."

"Oh, so that's why you wanted to become one?"

"No? It was because of opportunities like that that I decided against becoming a politician. I just let their talk go in from one ear and out the other."

"Ah, I'm biased, but... politicians seem to be mostly bad people."

"That's right. Most of them were corrupt people who were often featured on TV and in the media. It's not a profession I admire at all."

If that was the case, there must've been another reason why she mentioned it as a dream.

"Because it's such a corrupt world, there are also those who shine. He was one of the few people I admired."

"What's the name of the politician? Do I know him?"

"It's Kijima-san. He's become quite important now."

"Eh, Kijima? Eh? The Prime Minister?"

Kiryūin affirmed. Asahina seemed quite surprised.

"I thought it wouldn't be so bad to aim for the same stage as him. He's active on the front line."

"But you're not aiming for that... right?"

"I don't plan to at the moment."

"It seems like you, Fūka-chan, could even become a politician."

"Didn't I tell you there's a lot going on?"

The more she stood out, the more she hated having the Kiryūin name follow her around.

"Why don't you aim to be a politician instead of me, Ayanokōji, fulfilling my dream?"

"That's quite an unexpected suggestion. I've never even considered a career in politics."

"My intuition tells me you might do surprisingly well."

"I'm fine with being ordinary. I'll go to some suitable university and get a suitable job."

"I see. Since I'm also aiming for the same path, we're both dream chasers in our own way."

"Whether it's Miyabi or Fūka-chan, inviting Ayanokōji-kun, it must be something special, huh?"

"I'm just being targeted by curiosity seekers. The next game is about to start."

If we continued talking, we wouldn't be able to avoid being late.

"Oh, is it that time already? I need to hurry!"

Asahina jumped off the swing and waved frantically at us.

"See you later!"

"Don't rush and fall."

"I know! Whoa, whoops!"

She almost fell as she started running.

I didn't expect to see the same pattern twice in one day, let alone in such a short time.

"Did you get to meet Kōenji?"

"I did talk to him. It was a waste of time though."

I told her the purpose of my visit here, that I couldn't get Kōenji to participate in the exchange meeting.

"I see. So Kōenji is uncontrollable after all, huh?"

"I tried to find a way in, but there was no opening."

"So there are things even you can't do, Ayanokōji. I'm glad."

I was praised for my inability.

"Did you send me to see this result?"

"I can't deny that I wanted to see it."

I thought it was strange to favor another group, but she was a rather mean-spirited senpai.

"But Tatebayashi is harsh. It's true that I can't bear to see a kōhai being oppressed."

"It would be nice if he could be tough on Kōenji, but it doesn't affect him."

Besides, there was a huge difference in ability.

Considering the possibility that Kōenji might bear his fangs, it wouldn't be strange for Tatebayashi to direct his stress toward another person in the group.

"Well, we can't help it. Let's move on to the second match."

The game proceeded as follows.

[Pottery]

Everyone was a beginner, so it was a low-level battle. I took the lead with my dexterity and won.

[Table tennis] × 2

It was the same game twice in a row, but I had some experience with table tennis at school, so I won easily.

[Jewelry making]

I was worried about how it would go, similar to oshibana, but my opponent was also inexperienced, so I was able to compete on equal terms.

Including the oshibana, Takahashi was following all the games, probably because Nagumo had instructed him to confirm the results.

I thought I would be forced into a game with more luck elements, but overall, it was a good first day.

And perhaps influenced by my five consecutive wins, the group also managed to win five games in a row without losing.