CotE: The Butterfly Effect

Chapter 3: The Signs of Turmoil

It was exactly as Horikita had said. I had my doubts, so I went to Class C's camp first, even though we checked it early in the morning while no one was awake. However, it had completely changed to be a fun, lively place.

The smell of smoky meat and the sound of laughter continued to fill the humid air, as jet skis whizzed past the shoreline. Surely they had no points left with this... extravagance?

"What in the world...? Himeno-san, can you believe what I'm seeing?"

"Pinch me, Ichinose-san."

"Eh?"

"Well, I don't see any signs of Ayanokōji-kun here."

"Neither do I. It's waste to go somewhere else, so let's check things out."

We came out from the bushes and walked towards the beach. A student then promptly came running up to us.

"Ryūen-san requests your presence," he said, as if he had done it before.

"This is ridiculous. He rules like a king! What do you say, Ichinose-san?"

"I'm curious! Let's go see him!"

We accompanied the boy. As we came closer to the parasol, the delicious smell of cooked meat and the sound of its sizzling made itself welcome. We then approached the man in charge.

"Class B, let me guess, Ichinose and someone else, probably not Kanzaki, since you need a class leader, so someone unimportant. Well, what do you want? Is it the same as Class D?"

We came to Ryūen-san's front, tanned and wearing his swimwear, laid back in his chair.

"Ah, I was correct. Well, speak up, then. I don't want to have to waste any more of my summer vacation."

He spread his arms out wide, like a ruler over his kingdom.

"I thought you were the type of person to be competing for points with other classes, not... well, this."

He only chuckled.

"Well, well, are you offering to help me too?"'

Huh, I guess Horikita-san did something similar to us.

Ryūen-san continued to smile and grabbed the bottle of water placed next to a radio.

"Or, have you simply come to join us in our lovely vacation?" He then looked at his bottle. "Tch. Warm again? Hey, Ishizaki, you know the drill. Cold water, if you please. Not whatever the hell you got earlier."

Ryūen-san poured out the remaining water on the silky, golden sand. I watched as Ishizaki-san left his game of volleyball and rushed inside of a tent to get Ryūen-san's order, peering into a cooler beside the boxes.

"As you can see, I don't intend to be enemies with anyone. Understand?"

I rubbed my head and ran my hand through my air. I couldn't understand his intentions at all.

"This is ridiculous," commented Himeno-san.

"Who? Me? You? I'm not surviving on this deserted island in this crap heat. Why are you guys even trying so hard, you're well off in class points?"

Ryūen-san threw the comment back Himeno-san, taking no insults.

"Say, are you the one that called Komiya and Kondō pigs earlier? And threw the chocolate bar back at them?"

Himeno-san, did that?! I looked at her, but she remained indifferent.

"H-Himeno-san...?"

"Yeah, so what if I did?"