2.1

After Karuizawa monopolized Hirata, I decided to return to my room. I didn’t have anyone else to hang out with or talk to, anyway. I took the stairs rather than the elevator, and returned to my room on the third deck. When I got there, I noticed some wet blotches scattered about the hallway floor. The blotches appeared to head toward my room. When I followed the trail, I discovered an elegant man striding through the corridor, nude from the waist up, wearing nothing but a bathing suit.

“S-sir! Please don’t walk through the hallway while you’re still dripping wet!”

A young bellhop hurried toward the man, apparently eager to control this emergency situation. The bellhop was already holding out a towel, overly prepared, like he always walked around with a strategic towel ready.

“Ha ha ha! It appears you’ve found me, eh?” the man said.

“Yes, I’ve found you. This is the fourth time. I’ve already told you, please dry yourself off after you leave the pool. If you don’t, you’ll disturb the other passengers.”

Apparently, this man was a repeat offender. That explained the bellhop’s prepared towels.

“Disturb? But I’ve no memory of disturbing anyone. I don’t dry myself off with a towel on principle ever since reaching the age of reason. Haven’t I already said? ‘A fine man, dripping with water,’ hmm?”

Yes. The man was Kouenji. He slicked back his wet hair, scattering droplets of water. The bellhop hurriedly used the towel to dry the spots on the carpet and wall. Kouenji stopped. I wondered if he found the bellhop’s flustered behavior amusing.

“Do you have a pen and paper on hand?” he asked.

“Huh? A, uh, oh…due to the nature of my job, I do walk around with a notepad and pen, but…” The bellhop, clearly unsure where the conversation was headed, fearfully took out a ballpoint pen.

“Did you know that a prominent celebrity’s signature can accrue an unexpectedly premium value over time? Abroad, some autographs are valued in the millions to even the tens of millions.”

“And…what of it?”

After Kouenji finished scribbling something on the notepad, he ****** it back at the bellhop. It was far away, but I was able to make out the name “Kouenji Rokusuke.”

“Wh-what is this?”

“Isn’t it obvious? A signature. Even though it’s written on such a cheap notepad, it will certainly hold tremendous value in the future. I’m presenting this to you as a token for your troubles. Please receive it gratefully and safeguard it.”

Apparently Kouenji believed the bellhop would receive this with gratitude, or perhaps a sense of awe-inspired devotion. But no one in their right mind would want this. If anything, his ballpoint pen and notepad were worth more.

“Please don’t look so suspicious. I am the man who will carry Japan’s future on his back. At that point, I intend to vacation upon a larger ship, but I’m prepared to wait until then. Of course, it will be a luxury liner of significantly higher quality than the common ship upon which we are now riding.”

Well, a luxury liner was still a luxury liner. Personally, I’d be satisfied as long as it wasn’t fated to sink like the Titanic. Kouenji guffawed, seemingly satisfied. The bellhop, completely dumbstruck, continued staring at the wet spots on the floor. He had completely lost the will to keep trying to stop this man.

Kouenji was alone all the time because our classmates steered clear of him, disgusted by his incredibly selfish personality. Many of our classmates had already experienced the same treatment as this poor bellhop. Hirata would probably try to speak with him, but he’d most likely be brushed off as well. Kouenji was like poison. Anyone who encountered him, friend or foe, suffered for it.

In order to avoid being dragged into something so bothersome, I slunk past the two of them. Getting too near a person of such high rank would be dangerous.

“Oh ho? Why, if it isn’t little Ayanokouji, hmm? What a coincidence.”

Ugh. Kouenji called my name. There was no way he was actually calling me, right? The instant the bellhop noticed that Kouenji’s attention had shifted over to me, he appeared elated. I’m finally free! is what his look seemed to say.

No, no. How could a crew member act like that? He ought to continue serving the customer, no matter how annoying the customer was. It was like someone releasing their pet into the river without permission. Especially if that fish was a ferocious, invasive species like Kouenji, which would devour all the native fish in the river until there was nothing left.

“Do you want something from me?” I asked.

“No, no, I’ve no real business with you. I’ve simply acknowledged you because we are schoolmates. Also, though we are certainly not alike in terms of position, you are my roommate.”

Kouenji flipped his hair once again, scattering more water, which splashed my face and uniform. Of course, he didn’t seem to have the faintest clue what he was doing to his victims. Despite what was happening to me, the bellhop watched this tragedy unfold with a grin. Oh yes, yes, I sympathize with the pain you’re feeling…not, he seemed to say.

“Well, I will excuse myself. Please do take care in the future.”

The bellhop delivered that parting shot as he made his escape, having fulfilled the bare minimum for his role. Of course, I didn’t exactly want to end up alone with Kouenji, either.

“What were you talking with Kouenji about?” I asked.

For an instant, the bellhop’s expression changed to a look of anger, but when Kouenji turned around, the young man’s smile returned. He was like Asuraman or something.

“Oh, um. Well, as you can see, he was wet. I tried to offer him a towel, and—”

“So, in other words, you were giving him a warning. I must have interrupted you, so I’ll be on my way and let you get down to business.”

I passed the ball, if you will, a blazing fastball that crushed the bellhop and gave me a chance to escape.

“This bellhop came to give me a warning?” Kouenji cried. “Ah, no. Well, that is to say…”

I managed to escape from Kouenji and headed back toward my room. “But I’ll just bump into Kouenji again there, won’t I?” I murmured.

My room would become less of a sanctuary and more of a hell. I’d been alone with Kouenji several times during our trip, and every experience was unbelievably uncomfortable. Wanting to avoid such an awkward atmosphere, I turned around. I wouldn’t return to my room just yet. I’d head back to where Hirata and Yukimura, my other roommates, would be.

A map of the ship was on a nearby signboard, and pretty easy to understand. The fact that the map had been placed in a gilded frame might’ve been overkill, but also made it seem like something you’d find on a luxury liner. I drew a route that’d let me kill a bunch of free time, and immediately hopped onto the elevator. I got off on the second deck.

The ship had nine decks in total, plus a roof. The fifth deck was above ground, while the fourth deck was below. The first deck housed both the lounge and banquet area, while the rooftop had the pool, café, and other facilities. The third and fourth decks were for guest rooms. The guys were on the third deck; the girls on the fourth.

The guys and girls, teachers included, were neatly divided. However, there weren’t any special restrictions on our movements, so a guy could easily wander through the girls’ area. We were probably prohibited from staying on the girls’ level or coming into the area after midnight, though.

The ship also had various kinds of entertainment options, such as movies and a live theater venue. These were everywhere, from the first underground level up to the third underground level. On the fourth underground level—the lowest level at the bottom of the ship—was some kind of switchboard breaker room. That particular level was irrelevant to the students.

The lounge was open twenty-four hours a day. We were free to go there no matter how late it was, but a notice from the school urged us to refrain from going there as much as possible. As I walked through the second-level area, I noticed that the atmosphere felt quite different. The rooms were vacant, and I couldn’t tell what they were used for. So few students were in the hallways that it appeared deserted.

Just then, my cell phone vibrated in my pocket. Pulling it out, I saw that I’d received an email. A certain girl was calling me. It was convenient, since I’d planned on killing time anyway. With no reason to reject her, I took the call with pleasure.

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