Chapter 9: The Mask Beneath the Poem
“…”
With my chin resting on one hand, I gazed out the classroom window at the blue sky, reflecting on yesterday’s sudden encounter.
After I’d practically fled the scene, thankfully, Mika didn’t take any further action and seemed to have left right after.
[Looking forward to it.]
When I returned after helping with the cleaning, I found a note with cryptic, neatly written words tucked among my belongings.
…No, I’m not looking forward to it! One wrong move, and she’d crush me to dust.
At least, according to Sensei, who’d met Mika before she came to me, Mika hadn’t voiced any suspicions about me to her.
Sigh…
“…ru-san, Kaoru-san?”
Huh?
Lost in my thoughts about my less-than-smooth start in Kivotos, I belatedly realized someone had been calling me.
“…Oh, Hifumi.”
“A…!”
Turning toward the voice, I saw a shy, twin-tailed girl with a cute demeanor looking at me nervously.
“Uuu… S-Sorry! You weren’t responding, so…”
“Fufu, my apologies. I was lost in thought for a moment.”
As I offered a gentle smile to Hifumi, who blushed even more upon meeting my gaze, Azusa, sitting nearby and listening quietly, suddenly nodded and chimed in.
“Maintaining vigilance even while on standby—truly the stance of a seasoned fighter. I’ll take note.”
…Why does she keep treating me like some trained combatant? I can’t even use a gun, so my combat ability in Kivotos is practically zero.
Feeling a bit exasperated by Azusa’s inexplicable attitude toward me since yesterday, I noticed Koharu and Hanako had joined the conversation, having approached unnoticed.
“Hmph! Don’t even think about trying anything funny! The Justice Task Force is always watching!”
“But Koharu-chan, weren’t you enthusiastically teaching Kaoru-san how to use the study BD last night? Oh, or was it a BD for… other purposes?”
“It was for studying! And what do you mean ‘other purposes’?! All weird videos are to be burned, burned I say!”
Oh, right. Since her bed was next to mine, I asked Koharu about it to break the ice, and despite her bluster, she was adorably earnest in explaining it.
As Hanako covered her mouth, feigning shock, Koharu’s face turned bright red as she shouted, then averted her gaze and mumbled quietly.
“A-And… I only helped yesterday because it’s the Justice Task Force’s duty to help people…”
“Fufu, thank you.”
Seeing the clumsy but kind-hearted girl, I smiled softly, momentarily forgetting my worries.
Creak.
The old classroom door of the annex opened, and Sensei appeared, holding a stack of test papers.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, kids. The results of the first mock exam are in. I’ll announce the scores now.”
At the news of the results from the first official event of the training camp, the Supplementary Lessons Department girls reacted in their own ways, adjusting their postures.
“Uuu… what do I do…?”
“Haha, don’t be too nervous, Koharu-chan. This test is just to check our current level!”
“I gave it my all, so I have no regrets. I’ll accept any outcome.”
“Fufu, that’s a great attitude, Azusa-chan. I’m curious about my score too~”
…Says the person who deliberately failed to get a single-digit score.
As I inwardly marveled at Hanako’s audacity, knowing her true nature, Sensei began reading the scores with a slightly bitter expression.
“Hanako… 4 points, fail. Azusa, 33 points, fail. Koharu, 15 points, fail. Hifumi, 68 points, pass.”
Except for Hifumi, who barely cleared the 60-point passing mark, the results were utterly dismal.
With a somber look, Sensei reached the final paper and called my name.
“And Kaoru…”
Honestly, despite being forcibly assigned to the Supplementary Lessons Department, I hadn’t been too worried about passing the exam.
Having long since completed high school, I thought a remedial test would be easy.
“…59 points, fail.”
“…”
The moment I saw the test paper, I realized how wrong I was.
“You were so close. You did well in most subjects, but one… hmm, this one must have been tough for you, Kaoru.”
Sensei murmured with a sympathetic yet understanding expression, handing me the graded paper.
Slashed with red marks, it prominently displayed a disastrous score in a subject I hadn’t expected to appear.
[Comprehensive Firearms Tactics – 2/30 points]
Why is this a high school subject?!
For the first time, I internally screamed at Kivotos’s absurd reality, but the other students only showed mild sympathy, as if it were natural.
“Hm, it seems you haven’t trained in anything outside your specialty.”
“It’s… it’s okay, Kaoru-san! You did great in the other subjects, so if you improve in this one, you’ll raise your score in no time!”
“Hmph… if you need help, I can teach you. I am an elite of the Justice Task Force, after all!”
“Oh, but Koharu-chan, didn’t you score 3 points?”
“Why are you looking at my score, Hanako?! No peeking, no peeking!”
…She’s really kind of an idiot, isn’t she?
As I marveled at Koharu’s score, which reflected her genuine ability unlike the others, Hifumi stepped forward with a serious expression, addressing the slightly chaotic atmosphere.
“But… as you all saw, this is our harsh reality.”
Her subdued tone brought focus back to the group.
“To pass next week’s evaluation, we need to help each other and prepare with all we’ve got! First, Koharu-chan and Azusa-chan, who are taking the first-year exam…”
With a determined tone, Hifumi outlined the study plan, likely discussed with Sensei beforehand.
“…And since Kaoru-san is taking the third-year exam alone, Sensei will provide separate materials! For Kaoru-san’s weakness in firearms, Azusa-chan, who scored well in that subject, will help!”
“Fufu, sounds good.”
“Understood, I’ll follow the plan.”
As Azusa and I responded to Hifumi’s explanation, Sensei clapped her hands with a satisfied expression, adding one final note.
“Thanks for summarizing, Hifumi. Alright, let’s take a 15-minute break and then start studying as planned. Oh, and Kaoru, could you stop by my room after the break to pick up the materials?”
“Yes, Master.”
“Haha… it’s a relief that the curriculum you studied isn’t too different from Trinity’s exams, Kaoru-san…”
“Fufu, thanks for saying that, Hifumi. I’ll have to work a bit harder, won’t I?”
During the short break Sensei gave us, I had a chance to chat more with the Supplementary Lessons Department girls.
As the first students I’d connected with in this world, I was eager to get closer to them.
Though we’d only met half a day ago, their strong personalities and kind hearts were already clear.
“Fufu, with scores ten times higher than mine, you’ll pass in no time, right?… Oh my.”
Hanako, whose jests were absurd given her true nature, suddenly spotted something and asked with a slight sparkle in her eyes.
“…Is that a poetry book?”
She pointed to a few well-worn poetry books peeking out of my bag, clearly read multiple times by Kaoru.
“Yes. Want to take a look?”
Though Hanako likely hadn’t fully opened up to Sensei or the group, her question felt like genuine curiosity, so I smiled and answered freely.
Besides, these were the only interesting things in my bag.
“Fufu, literature from another world feels like a dream. If it’s okay, could you recommend a poem, Kaoru-san?”
Clasping her hands and smiling, Hanako asked again.
“Uuu… poetry sounds hard…”
“Hm, I’ve heard of it. A kind of coded message hidden in words.”
“Of course, fufu.”
Happy to fulfill Hanako’s simple request, I smiled and opened a poetry book.
Unlike the original Kaoru, I was practically clueless about poetry, but I figured picking something decent would suffice.
Let’s see… uh… huh?
“…”
…Why is this poetry book so complicated?!
The moment I flipped the page, a cascade of esoteric, metaphysical expressions overwhelmed me, far beyond any poetry I’d ever seen.
I knew she liked reading, but how niche was her taste?
“…Kaoru-san?”
“Hmm… just a moment.”
Embarrassed but pretending to be calm, I flipped through the pages, feigning selection, before reluctantly choosing one at random and handing it to Hanako.
“Here you go.”
“Oh, thank you, Kaoru-san. I’m curious what it’s about~”
…Sorry, I have no idea either.
The break’s almost over, so let’s just move on.
After Kaoru handed Hanako a page from her poetry book and left to run an errand for Sensei,
“Uuu… are these even the same letters we know? I can’t read this at all…”
“Indeed, decoding ‘poetry’ requires a cipher key. This is educational.”
“It’s not like that, Azusa-chan… uuu, but I’m completely lost too…”
Gathered around the open poetry book in Hanako’s hands, Koharu, Azusa, and Hifumi stared in awe at the impossibly complex text.
As Kaoru had felt, the dense verses were a formidable challenge to even parse.
But Hanako, the one who’d received the poem directly from its owner, showed a slightly different reaction with a subtle expression.
“…It’s intriguing.”
“What?! You read this? You’re not lying, right?”
“Yes, it wasn’t easy, and it’s just my interpretation, mind you.”
To Koharu, gaping in disbelief, Hanako nodded calmly and shared what she’d gleaned from the poem.
“It’s about a sage living in a bleak world. The speaker was once wise and admired by all. But at some point, they grew weary of the world’s darkness, donned a mask, and fled, hiding their true self. That’s the gist.”
“U-Uuu… even the explanation is hard… And, as you said, Hanako-chan, isn’t it kind of dark? Why did Kaoru-san recommend this?”
“Fufu, like I said, it’s just my interpretation, so don’t take it too seriously.”
Hanako smiled dismissively at Hifumi’s flustered reaction.
“…”
But the brilliant pink-haired girl, who’d decoded the complex poem so quickly, subtly dropped her smile and glanced at the book again.
‘…This book, clearly read dozens of times by Kaoru-san, and the poem she carefully chose for me—it’s highly unlikely this was a coincidence.’
A model student admired by all,
Disillusioned by her alma mater’s dark side,
Hiding herself and indulging in eccentricities.
Holding a secret perfectly mirrored by the poem’s content, Hanako gazed at Kaoru’s empty chair with a complex expression and murmured softly.
“…You have an interesting way of expressing things, Kaoru-san.”