A Monster's Influence: Route B

Volume 3 - Chapter 22

Ayanokouji's POV

It was only hours later when I had been gently shaken awake by Yuki, who had let me rest on her shoulder for the rest of the bus ride. Amikura had already left beforehand with Ichinose, Kanzaki, and the others, so we were some of the few stragglers who had yet to retrieve our luggage. After doing so, we fell in line with the rest of our classmates. It wasn't long before the three other buses arrived, filled to the brim with the students of the other classes. As expected, they were as rambunctious as the majority of my classmates, sans the more quiet and timid ones. Who wouldn't be? I was looking forward to being able to relax a little, even if an exam was foreseeable. Whether it would begin later today or later was the question.

After everyone was accounted for, we all were sent a notification on our phones that informed us which room we were assigned to. It was unfortunate that I wasn't assigned to the same room with most of the guys I talked to on occasion, but it wasn't too bad that I got to bunk with Kanzaki. We met up with the other members of our cabin before we all set off for our rooms to drop off our luggage. The other two exchanged pleasantries with us before they departed for the amenities the school provided for us.

I couldn't help but pity Yuki when I got a text about where her cabin was and who she was staying with. Ichinose, Amikura, and Shiranami. Shiranami is alright, but Yuki might die via nakama overload. Even I might falter in the face of such positivity. I replied with the location of my cabin, dropping my phone as I sank into the mattress. I was honestly impressed with the cleanliness of the cabin itself, even if we were on a luxury cruiseliner. However, I guess it was expected if the school happened to own the Speranza in the first place. The dorm rooms were surprisingly clean back on campus. It was just a shame that the hidden cameras ruined the ambiance.

"Yo, Kanzaki, can you lend me the first volume of that Youkoso book you were reading, or did you only bring the third volume and on?" I asked, "What's the premise, anyway?"

He made a noise of acknowledgment and haphazardly tossed me the requested novel, "It's about a kid hiding unimaginable abilities who decides to test himself to see if he can raise a ragtag team of misfits from the bottom caste to the top caste while he serves as a means for their survival while they grow."

"It sounds a lot like a hassle to do so in real life, you know? While I sympathize with the kid, acting as a leader and serving as training wheels for their teammates are both significant responsibilities they took on for themselves. I imagine Hirata and Kushida have a hard time because their classmates look up to them for advice. It sounds like such a stressful burden to carry. I don't envy Ichinose, who had been forced to take up the unofficial position herself because of the others. As a vice leader, I expect you to act as her support to help shoulder the burden."

"And what about you? You don't seem to have a lot on your plate—"

"Hey, tea ceremonies are serious business, you know?"

 "—so will you help us? You mirror the protagonist in this series, no?" Kanzaki pointed the fourth volume of the light novel at me, "I don't know the extent to which you're hiding your abilities, but you're really just semi-active. You task me with things to do, and they all seem like reasonable advice, but... what are you up to, Ayanokouji? Beppu and I are worried about you, and I'm 102 percent sure, with a 2 percent margin of error, that Himeno is as well. Substantially more so, as she's your best friend."

"One, I barely know pop culture references of our own culture, so how do you expect me to recognize foreign references? Two, fuck you, you better be as worried as Yuki is about me—"

"I think it's kinda funny that Himeno influenced you into using crass language."

"Three, you don't need to worry about what I'm up to... yet. Maybe I'll show more of my abilities, but that's in the distant future. For now, I'm just setting up Class B's board and making preparations for the class so we can have an advantageous position later in the game. I've already made my opening moves."