Chapter 1: Accepting Denial【Part 3】
【言語に関するご注意 / Language Notice】本作はすべて、英語と英語の表現で書かれています。翻訳作品ではなく、オリジナルの英語ライトノベルです。あらかじめご了承の上、作品をお楽しみください。
See chapter one for the main author's note.
Sayoko
To whoever decided mixing students indiscriminately was a sound strategy—I despise you, with a passion.
The sun is a merciless executioner, beating down on anyone who dares to step into its domain. My umbrella shows its versatility once more as I navigate the sweltering pavement.
The terminal doors draw closer, channeling the slow-moving crowd toward the entrance.
Leaving the oppressive heat behind, I finally cross the threshold. To the school’s credit, the interior is kept blissfully cool.
Yet, the line remains agonizingly slow.
The people inside possess even less restraint, breaking out into fresh grumbles every time the umbrella forces them aside.
How fascinating. One would think the sudden luxury of air conditioning would make the masses a little more domesticated.
Thankfully, the dome of my umbrella takes care of the needed distance.
Every few shuffles forward, I glance back at the glass doors, checking the fresh stream of students pouring in from the heat.
Still nothing.
No allies in sight. Let alone a familiar face from home.
Given the sheer size of my home region, I expected at least a decent contingent of my peers to make the cut. The lottery spares no one.
The winding line constricts, funneling into a faster single-file staging area. The sudden pace replaces my regional musing and brings me to something else… demanding.
“I don’t see the issue—they’re the same thing!” Almost hammering the worker with her phone, a girl leans over the counter. “Bringing my own shouldn’t be a problem. This is ridiculous!”
The worker does not even blink. He just rattles off the same rehearsed script he has likely repeated all morning. “School policy does not allow personal electronics.”
He lifts a lazy finger, pointing past me. “Take it to the shipping desk and have it sent home. You cannot proceed with it.”
“But—”
His posture does not budge.
The girl snatches up her backpack with a cloud of venomous curses and finally steps away.
Animals. The voracious kind.
“Next!” the worker calls out to no one in particular.
Stepping into the freshly vacated space, I summon my practiced smile and offer a polite nod.
He glances over me for a moment—though I am not sure why—before sliding his gaze down to my hands.
“Your registration papers, please,” he drones.
“Of course!” I chirp, presenting the documents with both hands.
He leafs through the pages as his shoulders sag under a faint sigh. He mumbles a few words of approval, then gestures blindly toward a plastic tray on the desk.
Click.
In one flawless motion, the canopy retreats at the press of its button. A quick tilt of my hand sends the collapsed frame sliding beside my backpack into the tray.
The machine around it and the pillars surrounding me thrum to life, humming in perfect sync before flashing green. A few taps on his terminal, a whir from the printer, and my new school ID card slides into view.
He plucks a phone from the large charging dock tucked behind his terminal, tapping the device against the plastic card until it reacts with a crisp chime.
“Your ID and phone,” he says, sliding them across the counter. “The device is linked and useless to anyone else. Try to keep hold of it… at least until you choose an advisor who can handle a replacement for you.”
“I will guard it with my life,” I reply with a dazzling smile.
“Next!” His attention shifts past my shoulder.
The pleasant expression dissolves from my face. I gather my belongings and step away from the counter.
Click.
The shield deploys once more.
Merging with the stream flowing from the facility, I step outside, where the sun immediately strikes down to resume its execution.
The path opens up into a large stone plaza, a fenced-off expanse so absurdly vast that even the crowd of thousands fails to fill it.
Mercifully, a patch of greenery breaks up the gray landscape near the perimeter fence, where a lush tree stands, promising a pocket of slightly cooler air.
The temptation is far too sweet to pass up, drawing my steps toward the quiet edge.
As I reach the base of the trunk, a faint rhythmic twitching catches my eye.
Small, featherless, and stripped of its dignity.
Just above it, a cluster of twigs is wedged at arm’s length in the lowest fork of the branch.
No doubt the creature was pushed out by its stronger siblings to secure a larger share of the morning worms.
Yes. The demanding, merciless design of nature—adapt or fall behind. You cannot expect chances to be handed out equally.
It is... a painful reminder of how utterly powerless we are when the verdict is already decided before we even get a say in it.
Stepping into the tree’s shadow, I face the open plaza. It is not much, but it offers at least some reprieve from the authoritarian heat.
My eyes travel toward the center of the square. A barren platform sits directly under a cluster of loudspeakers. The admission materials never specified a schedule, but deducing an imminent speech takes little effort.
They are certainly taking their sweet time, trapping their audience at the mercy of the elements…
Click.
Without dropping my gaze, the umbrella sweeps down with the precision it is accustomed to. The tip sends the pathetic thing across the dirt, concealing it within the nearby bushes with a faint rustle.
Click.
The deploying fabric limits my view, cutting off the rays filtering through the leaves and casting a familiar gloom over my face.
A small sigh escapes my lips as I am left studying the underside of the dome again.
“Happy now?” I mutter.
* * * * *
Discover what happens next in: Chapter 2: Honest Deception【Part 1】
Written by Limited_Infinity. Extras, official publishing platforms and updates are publicly available only on the Patreon page “_Limited_Infinity_”
To support this series, you can engage with it and rate it
* * * * *
