Chapter 42: Asiri’s Question

───The Volunteer Activities Club.

As the name suggests, it’s a club devoted to volunteer work.

Their activities overlap considerably with the Sisterhood, and they don’t have many members.

But for that very reason, they’re less affected by political conflicts and can carry out their work more freely.

Volunteer work covers a broad range.

For example: cleaning, student counseling, meal distribution, and managing unused facilities. Though they do get permission, in practice they’re just doing things on their own.

"Thank you for letting us use this facility."

"N-no… we just kind of do this on our own…"

That said, most of those activities fall within the Sisterhood’s domain. Aside from counseling or looking after unused buildings, they don’t really do much.

"And even helping with our studies."

"P-please don’t worry about it… I mean…"

When they don’t have tasks, they hole up in the library or sometimes wander into rough districts outside the zone.

Because of that, unlike the busy Sisterhood, they’re easier to approach with requests.

…In short.

"We basically… don’t have much to do most of the time…"

"…"

The Volunteer Activities Club is generally regarded as… slackers.

"So then… starting today, the Volunteer Activities Club will be helping you all study."

"I-I came as the representative. E-everyone, let’s do our best together, okay…?"

The reason the annex, which should’ve been unused, was spotless from corner to corner—was thanks to the Volunteer Activities Club members, who had been maintaining it diligently.

"Oh, it’s you from that time…"

"K-Koharu-chan, it’s been a while… let’s work hard together on studying for a while…!"

"…Asiri, huh. Looking forward to it."

"Y-yeah, Azusa-chan…"

Asiri was never very good at communication. As a child, she always clung to her older sister whenever talking to people.

"I’m not that confident, but I’ll do my very best…"

Still, as part of the Volunteer Activities Club, she couldn’t ignore students in trouble.

When Nagisa Kirifuji mentioned wanting to use the annex, she ended up getting involved. Having heard it, she couldn’t just turn a blind eye.

"My, Asiri-san, I didn’t know you were so smart?"

"N-no, not really… b-but, I am a third-year! I can at least teach first- and second-year material…!"

"…That statement doesn’t inspire confidence, but… we’ll be in your care for a while."

"Y-yeah… then, let me introduce myself properly!"

Asiri stepped back, struck a sharp pose…

"I’m Amakawa Asiri, president of the Volunteer Activities Club! My hobbies are… taking walks? Anyway, going around everywhere!! Also, I like listening to people’s worries! Nice to meet you all!"

She pulled off such a crisp move it looked like an explosion might go off behind her.

"…Uh, that move just now…?"

"Uh… uwaaaahhh!! S-sorry…!! It’s a training habit…!!"

───Training for what, exactly?

Everyone thought the same thing, but no one voiced it. They decided it was better not to ask.

Unaware of their silent consideration, Asiri kept holding her face, squirming in embarrassment.

"Um! Since we’re borrowing this building for free, it feels wrong not to help out somehow…"

"I-it’s fine! Really! We’re just cleaning it on our own anyway…! Besides, you all need to study…!"

Unable to bear the awkward mood, Hifumi quickly shifted the topic. She was thoughtful like that.

"Still, it doesn’t feel right to use the place without giving back…"

"No, no, really…"

Asiri wanted them to focus on studying. But perhaps they also felt guilty about using a space others had taken care of. More importantly…

"Koharu, which room should we use? Personally, I’d recommend that one."

"W-why are you assuming we’ll share a room!? There are plenty here, we can each have our own!"

…Even though they were in the same group, they hadn’t quite warmed up to each other yet. Since they’d be going through hardships together, it would be best if they got along. Doing tasks side by side might help with that.

Now then, what to do?

It wouldn’t be good to give them something too time-consuming. But if it was too easy, it wouldn’t help them bond either.

Then, suddenly, Asiri thought of the perfect task.

"Oh, but wait! In that case, there is one place I’d like help with!"

"A suitably balanced task…?"

"Y-yeah! It hasn’t been used lately, but the season’s coming when it’ll be needed again… pool cleaning!! We’ve been putting it off because it takes a lot of manpower…"

It was partly an excuse, but also the truth. Even across all three years, the Volunteer Activities Club barely had enough members to count on two hands. They didn’t have the people to spare for unused areas.

"I see! Then maybe today we could all pitch in…"

Hifumi glanced back at the others.

"…I don’t mind. We’ll be staying here for weeks, so helping out at least that much is only right."

"Yes, I have no problem with it either. It even sounds kind of fun."

"…Well, fine. It’s not ideal, but since we’re living here, I’ll do it."

"Then let’s help out together!"

Once everyone agreed, Hifumi conveyed it to Asiri.

"Y-yeah!"

Asiri’s face brightened at her reply.

"Oh, and also…"

Her gaze drifted toward Azusa.

"I really think it’d be more fun if we all stayed in the big room together, don’t you…? Things like that can be fun too…"

"…ugh"

"Why the heck!?"

With an exaggerated spark! she tried throwing a wink, but Azusa immediately ducked behind Sensei.

"Here we are…"

"Yeah… the annex’s outdoor pool. Nobody uses it anymore, though…"

Asiri spoke with a slightly forlorn expression.

Although they cleaned it regularly, in truth, it was impossible to keep up. The annex wasn’t all that large, but infrastructure maintenance took far more time than cleaning.

Water pipes, electricity, all sorts of other systems… left unattended, they’d still function, but not without causing inconveniences as they degraded.

Even with help from Mayumi—who studied at Millennium, the cutting edge of Kivotos technology—maintenance was simply too much for the Volunteer Activities Club’s few members to handle.

Because of that, the pool, being rarely used, was only cleaned once a year, if that.

"Really, I wanted to keep this place cleaner too… so this helps, helps a lot. Thank you…! Once we finish, since we’re here, let’s all play together, okay?"

"I-is that really all right…? We’re here as part of the Supplementary Lessons Club, after all…"

"I think it’s fine, don’t you? You’ve all been working hard until the first exams, right? Everyone needs a break sometimes."

With that, Asiri—along with everyone else except one—changed into school swimsuits and began preparing to clean. Then suddenly—

"…Wait a second… why is Sensei here…?"

"I thought I’d help out too."

"Oh, I see… wait, no, that’s not okay, is it!? Everyone’s in swimsuits…!"

"…?"

"Why are you making that face like ‘what’s the problem?’"

At Kivotos, classes were generally taught through Blu-ray recordings or thick notebooks filled with technical notes. Of course, there were teachers, but none who were constantly present in person—certainly not like Sensei.

Which meant… for them, having an adult—especially a man—see them in swimsuits was practically unheard of.

And because of that—

"Hff…!"

"…Hff?"

"It’s indecent!!!"

Asiri’s imagination ran wild.

"Eh?"

"You’re looking at our sexy bodies!!! You’re totally thinking weird things, I just know it!!"

"N-no, that’s not what I—"

"Koharu-chan!! What do you think!!?"

"Eh?"

Suddenly dragged into it, Koharu froze.

For just a moment, she hesitated.

But in that instant, she pieced together what conclusion Asiri wanted and—

"O-of course it’s not okay!!"

"Right!?"

The worst possible chain reaction had just gone off, and there was no stopping it now.

"I would never look at my students that way."

"Oh, I see… wait, no, that doesn’t make it okay!! …Ah! Don’t tell me—you’re going to sleep in the same room too!? I did say staying together in the big room would be fun, but Sensei is definitely not allowed!!"

"Actually, that was my plan…"

"O-oh, I-I see… sorry… b-but still!! You can’t clean with us either!!"

Asiri’s runaway panic only deepened everyone else’s confusion. Everyone… except one.

Realizing this would spiral out of control if left alone, Hanako began thinking of a way to bring things back under control.

If asked generally who was right, it would be Asiri. That was, if one ignored the fact that Sensei was, well, Sensei.

But if they tried to talk her down, Asiri would just argue back, like she had the other day.

And more importantly, Hanako herself was branded a "bad student." She couldn’t exactly side with Asiri about "indecent things being bad."

…Which meant—

"Koharu-chan. Specifically, what’s wrong about it?"

───Koharu, who had zero tolerance, was the key.

Hanako judged it the best move, asking in her usual teasing tone.

"What’s wrong!? Obviously, anything indecent is wrong!!"

"Then what exactly makes it indecent? If it’s just because of swimsuits, we’re at a pool. Isn’t that the most appropriate attire here?"

"T-that’s…!"

"Or do you mean you see the school uniform as indecent? That would mean you’re looking at everyone every day and feeling indecent thoughts."

"O-of course not!!"

"Then what’s the problem?"

"Uuugh…!!"

Boiled down, it was a middle school-level argument of "you’re the one making it indecent by saying so," but it was devastatingly effective against Koharu.

"T-there’s nothing wrong!! Do whatever you want!!"

───Victory.

"Asiri-chan. Koharu-chan said it’s fine, so doesn’t that mean it’s fine?"

"Guh…!"

At that point, the tally was three against one. It would be nearly impossible for Asiri to keep resisting.

And though Hanako didn’t realize it, Asiri herself knew she had a tendency to spiral out of control. Which meant—if she saw herself as the minority opinion in this situation—

"…F-fine… I was wrong…"

She had no choice but to give in.

And so, the pool cleaning finally began.

"Look! A rainbow! A rainbow!"

"Ah!? W-wait, Hanako-chan, it’s cold!"

"Wow…! So pretty…! …Ah, we’re pulling water from the pipes, but try not to drink too much, okay? It’s not really meant for that…"

"U-understood!"

"This block is finished. We’ll move on to the next section promptly."

"Azusa-chan, since we’re at it, why not have some fun…? Look at this! We even have water guns!"

"Water guns…?"

"Cold!? Hey, what are you doing!!"

"Ah, my aim… sorry…"

…To put it simply, they were having as much fun as they possibly could.

The pretense of “pool cleaning” was completely forgotten, and everyone had begun taking out tools and playing around.

Of course, the pool was gradually becoming cleaner, and since it was maintained regularly, it would still be finished by daytime.

"…Alright! This should be enough! Let’s fill it with water!"

Water poured into the pool, spreading the distinct smell of chlorine.

"…A pool… this is actually my first time getting in."

"Eh!? R-really!?"

"Yeah. I’ve done underwater training, and I know what a pool is, but my previous school didn’t have one…"

"What kind of school were you at…?"

!!

The cheerful expression Asiri had moments ago suddenly darkened.

Azusa’s previous school. If Asiri’s guess was correct, mentioning it could be inconvenient for both Azusa and herself.

She had to pretend not to notice.

She didn’t even know the current state of the school she was searching for… the Arius Branch School. Why or how Azusa had been able to come here remained unknown.

…There were three hypotheses.

One: the Arius Branch School had collapsed.

Two: Azusa had escaped from the Arius Branch School.

Three: Azusa was a spy from the Arius Branch School.

Either way, she was an important source. Asiri couldn’t afford to mishandle it and lose a clue.

"Boom!!"

"Whoa!?"

"Kya!? W-wait, what are you doing!"

"Hehe… if you don’t jump in now, the sun’ll set! Let’s enjoy it before it gets too cold…?"

"…I see, that makes sense."

Immediately after that, Hifumi and Koharu jumped in, followed by Asiri, and then Hanako.

"Come on, Azusa-chan!"

"…Ah, o-okay."

Hand in hand with Hanako, Azusa leapt into the pool.

"…It’s cold."

"Pools can be pretty chilly… that’s why you can only get in during the day… I think this is the first time it’s been used in over ten years. Glad it still works…"

Indeed, Asiri silently breathed a sigh of relief. If it hadn’t functioned, it would have been a major problem.

"…"

"…?"

She glanced at Azusa and realized once again: their generation might be the first to use it… They couldn’t allow it to be unusable.

"Over ten years… why were you maintaining such a facility?"

"Ah, well…"

She hesitated. She didn’t fully trust Azusa yet. After all, they only had fragments of information about the Arius Branch School.

"…It’s partly because we’re usually free… but also because someday it might be used. It could be pointless… it could be a futile effort… but I thought we shouldn’t give up from the start, so we prepared. That’s why I’m happy now… that someone is actually using it."

"…I see. ‘Vanitas vanitatum.’ But there’s no reason to give up from the start. My sister, um… something like my sister, used to say that too."

"…?"

"Um…?"

"…!"

That statement confirmed Asiri’s suspicions.

It was a familiar phrase. Something she had been taught.

Everything is meaningless.

…Back at the Arius Branch School.

A particularly strict teacher had said it.

"An ancient phrase: ‘All is vanity—vanitas vanitatum.’ But what follows that is…"

"The phrase your sister said…?"

"…No. Not my sister. But…"

Azusa carefully chose her words.

"…But it’s an important phrase. It was given to me."

…Asiri couldn’t help but grow even more suspicious of the current state of the Arius Branch School.