Chapter 80 – ８０ – Meeting of the Other Dormitories

Sports Festival Arc

“And that’s how the meeting in the Inui Dormitory went.”

Tuesday morning.

In the break between classes, I told Tokuto and the others how the meeting regarding the Sports Festival had been conducted in the Inui Dormitory.

To be clear, I didn’t mention who intended to enter which event, and since I had consulted Suzu first to see if it was alright to share this, there were no issues.

“Huh. I mean, it’s exactly what I expected, but the Inui Dormitory really is the epitome of individualism. They’re completely different from us in the Shin-Yu Dormitory.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. Most of us were just standing in the back with our arms crossed, waiting, while the other students were chatting and buzzing about it, and things were decided in that flow.”

“People were normally suggesting things like, ‘Hey, why don’t you try this event or that one?’ Though, including us A-Rank Evaluated students, there are some logistical issues regarding where we’ll compete, so nothing is finalized yet,” Tokuto added.

“I see.”

It seemed that the Shin-Yu Dormitory, where Tokuto and the other two belonged, operated in a way that was almost the polar opposite of the Inui Dormitory.

From the start, they used both self-nominations and recommendations to assign members to each event; if someone was left out, others would step in to cover for them, deciding everything through cooperation.

“By the way, Tokuto, you guys aren’t planning on telling me which events you’re entering, right?”

“Nope. Though in my case, it’s probably obvious because of my abilities.”

“No way. I’m the type who can adjust, so I have to keep it hidden properly.”

“We know well enough that doing the opposite would be a bad idea,” Tokuto replied.

“True enough.”

After all, if any dormitory is serious about winning, countermeasures against A-Rank Evaluated students are essential, making the information of which events we enter critical.

Therefore, I assume this information is kept secret in every dormitory…

However, I have already received information from Suzu regarding which events Tokuto and his friends are entering.

I don’t know if it’s a prediction or confirmed information… but yeah, I’ll keep that to myself.

“By the way, Midorikawa. Since it’s Ms. Minasono, wouldn’t she have information on how the other two dormitories are deciding their lineups?”

“You noticed? Yeah, she sent it. Why?”

“She actually had that…?”

“That’s a little scary…”

Alongside the aforementioned information, there were details on how the Koushi Dormitory and the Kou-U Dormitory intended to select their Sports Festival members.

Since Suzu said it was okay to share this with Tokuto and the others, I decided to let it out.

According to Suzu:

The Koushi Dormitory intends to share the necessary elements required to win each event and then persuade students who possess those elements to participate. Furthermore, they are actively gathering information from their seniors. In short, they are coming to win. However, the selection may change depending on the movements of the A-Rank Evaluated students from other dormitories.

The Kou-U Dormitory follows a sort of meritocracy. They are ranked based on factors such as Magic Capacity and academic grades, and students choose their events in that order. Those lower in the ranking are assigned to fill the remaining gaps. Their policy is that if anyone is dissatisfied with the decision, it will be settled via a Duel. They don’t seem to care about the movements of the A-Rank Evaluated students from other dormitories.

Furthermore—though I have no idea how she got them—the information came with surveillance camera footage showing the atmosphere of each meeting.

While I couldn’t see the specifics of who was entering which event, I confirmed that Kibitsu appeared in the Koushi Dormitory footage and Ms. Morikuni appeared in the Kou-U Dormitory footage, so it’s unlikely the footage was fake.

“…”

“…”

“…”

Yeah, let me be honest.

“Suzu is scary. How on earth did she get surveillance camera footage…?”

“Don’t go cheating on her, Midorikawa.”

“She’ll definitely find out, so seriously, don’t do it, Midorikawa.”

“I feel like she’s watching us right now,” Tokuto added.

“The fact that I can’t deny that is painful. Also, I have zero interest in cheating, so we’re good.”

Seriously, where and how is Suzu getting this information?

This is clearly not a normal way of gathering intel…

Is there some senior out there with a Masked Form that can interfere with surveillance cameras?

“But Midorikawa.”

“What?”

“Has Ms. Minasono always been like this?”

“Oh, right, they’re childhood friends.”

“I’m definitely curious about that too.”

“Ah, that.”

At this point, the conversation shifted from the Sports Festival to Suzu.

But, Suzu in the past…

“Well, she’s always been like this. Based on the photos, it looks like we’ve basically been together since we were babies. At the very least, by the time I developed a sense of self, Suzu was by my side.”

“It’s at that level…?”

“It’s at that level. And since then, we’ve truly been together the whole time. If you ask me why Suzu likes me, honestly, the only answer I can give is that I don’t know. Her presence has just become too natural.”

“I see. In that case, she must have been pretty shocked when it was decided you were going to Duel Academy, right? This isn’t a high school you can just enter because you want to.”

“I think she was pretty shocked. That said, as you can tell from the fact that she’s here now, Suzu carved her own path through her own strength.”

“That’s love… I can feel a terrifyingly heavy aura coming off this,” Tokuto remarked.

For the record, I have no idea when, where, or how Suzu polishes her various skills.

Well, even though we’re basically always together, there are times when we act separately, as we are now. She probably manages that time efficiently to hone her skills.

“Still, if you’ve been together that much, did you never think about trying to be apart for a while?”

“I never thought or felt that way. I don’t know how Suzu feels. At the very least, it’s not for me to decide.”

“But you’d help her if she were in trouble, right?”

“Of course.”

“And you’d get angry if someone made fun of her, right?”

“Naturally.”

“I see. It’s clear that you and Ms. Minasono are inseparable.”

“No, we’re separable. I am me, and Suzu is Suzu. I’m not so sure about myself, but it’s obvious that Suzu could manage just fine on her own.”

“Hahaha! What are you talking about?”

Tokuto and the other two burst into laughter in unison.

Did I say something that strange?

I have absolutely no awareness of having said anything weird.

“Alright, time’s up. We need to get to our seats.”

“True.”

“Right on.”

“Hmm?”

After that, the morning classes ended without further incident.

Now, for the afternoon… people are coming from ‘Silk Cloud’ to discuss my Custom Device.