CotE: Year 2 Volume 5 Translation

Chapter 2- Part 5

It was past 10:00 p.m., and the hectic day before the special exam was coming to an end. 

I was in bed, looking at my cell phone when I received a call. Although the phone number was not registered, the 11-digit number was familiar. 

"Hello?"

 "I'm sorry to bother you so late at night, but can I have a moment?"

 "It's okay. It's been a while since I've seen you, Chancellor Sakayanagi." 

Yes, the owner of this phone number is a person who serves on the board of directors of this Advanced Nurturing High School. 

"I know I've given you a lot of anxiety, but it's okay now." 

"I'm glad to see you're well." 

"It must have been tough for you, too. But I'm amazed that you've managed to stay in this school without any incident in the midst of that very hostile battle." 

"It just happened. If he had been serious, I wouldn't be here now."

 I didn't need to mention his name to him to know that it was Tsukishiro, who was filling in for Chancellor Sakayanagi. 

"When it was all said and done, I had a few questions about his behaviour, too. ........ But let's not talk about that today. I'm going to be following up with you very closely from now on, and I thought I'd let you know as soon as possible."

 With that said, President Sakayanagi continues talking. 

"You've heard that government officials and their families have been invited to this unusual cultural festival, right? I couldn't stop him once he started working on it." 

If you've notified the people involved, it's not surprising that it's difficult to retract it. 

"It's nothing to apologize for, Chancellor. I'm sure the students are looking forward to it."

The content is a bit like a special exam, but it is within the range of what a student can do. Whether it will end up being just a cultural festival for me is another story. 

"It's actually something that hasn't been announced yet, but I'll let you in on it first." 

"What is it?"

 "Similar to the cultural festival, the sports festival in October is held as a preliminary step. First of all, it was decided in a hurry to welcome some guests there. "

 "Guests at the sports festival?"

 That's a thing I never thought I'd hear. 

"If you trace the origin, the sports festival is something that the parents of the students come to see. In that sense, the stance of welcoming guests is not unique." 

"I see."

 It is true that when we watch TV, we have footage of families with cameras at the ready and families who come to prepare lunch boxes at events like sports festivals and athletic meets.

 "I was worried about the security of suddenly letting guests loose at a festival because its unheard of."

I guess it's a test, a preparation for welcoming a large number of guests in earnest. 

"The selection of people is entirely up to the higher-ups, and I am unable to deny the possibility that your father may be involved. So in case you are in danger, I would like to have a couple of watchmen by your side."

 "I appreciate the sentiment, but I'm just one of the students at this school. I don't want that kind of special treatment."

"So what are you going to do when you run into the people that your 'father' will send?"

 "I know it's a difficult question." 

As a matter of course, there is no way we can get through this by using force. It would be easier for us if they targeted us in a secluded place, but if they showed up as a school official with friends and acquaintances around and instructed me to follow them, there was no way to refuse.

 You're a fake and that guy's too, right? I can't ask them this.

 "I think I've already figured out that you're that kind of person. However, if you were to be expelled from this school in any way, I'm sure I would regret it. I'm trying to avoid the regret of not doing what I could to prevent it."

"Even if we were to follow Chancellor Sakayanagi's instructions, it would be unnatural to have a supervisor around." 

"So I would like to ask you to be absent from the sports festival."

 "Absent...?"

That was not what I had in mind.

 "Of course I understand that there is an unavoidable sick leave in the examination that can only be conducted at sports festivals, cultural festivals and such occasions."

 "Yes. Although the class will be at a disadvantage, there's no mandatory action such as expulsion, right?" 

Taking care of yourself is your own responsibility, but there are still some unavoidable problems. If it was a smaller scale special exam, they could take emergency measures such as waiting until all the students in each grade were present, but this was not possible for a sports festival involving the entire school. 

"You'll be on sick leave on the assumption that you've had a medical checkup and will be confined to your dorm. Then I can place my trusted observers outside the dormitory." 

If I was ordered to rest in the dormitory due to illness, my classmates would agree that I had no choice. Even if a surveillance person is wandering around the dormitory, the other students will only see him as one of the guards. 

"Certainly, that might help you escape from that man's grasp." 

"Of course, there is another risk. As you said, the kids in the classes you're enrolled in will be at a disadvantage because they'll be taking on a missing student."

 Even the fact that he said about taking sick leave shows the generous follow-up of Chancellor Sakayanagi. I am also grateful that they do not always favour me on their own, but rather want me to do it with the least possible means. I was grateful for the offer, but the moment I heard about this, I assumed I would have to decline.

 But at the same time, a new thought occurred to me.

 "Could you give me a moment to consider this?" 

"Of course, I can't force you to do anything, so I'll leave the final decision up to you. But —" 

"I know, I know. I'm seriously considering the option of accepting sick leave." 

"Yes. I'll get back to you at least a week before the festival. I have to prepare for it too." 

It would take at least that long to arrange the human resources. After the call, I thought about the possibility of a sports festival without me. Of course, it is quite possible that there will be sick leave from other classes or grades on the day of the exam. In fact, it's not easy to have all the students in the school for every exam. 

"No, I think we should focus on the special exam in front of us first." 

This special exam ——— This exam may be the most painful special exam I've ever taken.

All the exams I've taken so far have been ones that I can counteract in any way I can. However, in this special exam, there is no such thing as a "surefire" strategy. We need to believe in our classmates and work together as one. Sports festival and cultural festival. 

There are new things to worry about that I didn't have last year, but it all starts with getting through the special exam tomorrow