Chapter 2: Honest Deception【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.
Masaki
Shin huffs, leaning against the directory with crossed arms. “Unlike you two, who are content to waste time listening to a speech, some of us want to find our rooms and just collapse. If we don’t hurry, some random roommate is going to steal the bed by the window!”
“Which means we need to move,” Daiki adds, shifting his bag over his shoulder. “Let’s just start by heading in this direction. The dorms should be somewhere over there.”
“Fill us in on whatever the big boss had to say later!” Shin calls back as the two of them start marching away.
“Yeah, yeah. Bye-bye.” I offer a loose wave, my eyes already tracing the perfect masonry of the nearest roofline.
Sora steps up to my side, nudging my shoulder. “We should get moving too.”
We steer through the gathering mass of students to secure a better spot near the stage.
The incoming wave of freshmen packs into a tight semicircle around the raised platform just to the right of the fountain.
“Remind me to measure the diameter of that Beauty’s basin,” I whisper with a scheming smirk.
The booming festival music cuts out, plunging the crowd into a quiet punctuated only by the distant hum of the market stalls.
A boy steps up to the microphone behind the lectern.
“My, my… look at you all. So many fresh faces.” He spreads his arms wide in a gesture too welcoming. “Please, do come closer. Don’t let the stage intimidate you.”
Nobody in the crowd budges, or talks.
He taps the microphone rhythmically, combating the silence.
“Hasumi—the Student President, at your service.”
A deliberate pause leaves the title hovering in the air while he visibly savors the sound of it.
“I know you must all be eager to find your dorms and rest after such an exhausting journey, but bear with me for just a moment—you will find it well worth your time.”
“Our academy functions a bit differently than what you may be used to. Here, we—”
He checks his words with a performative glance at the sky, letting a smooth correction slide past his lips.
“—the students decide on daily matters. An unprecedented level of autonomy, woven directly into the foundation of this campus.”
His flat hand sweeps out, mapping the sea of students in one fluid motion.
“But if you keep expecting your phones to have all the answers, prepare for a little disappointment. The intricate realities of this place simply can’t be contained in such a shallow medium.”
Instantly, his welcoming smile freezes over as he raises a fist in front of him.
“So listen closely. The school’s authority is anchored by three legal tiers called Cores.”
A single finger rises from his held-up fist.
“The foundation—Core One: National Law.”
A second finger joins the first.
“Core Two: Academy Law.”
His eyes sweep the audience, locking with mine for a fraction of a second. I try not to flinch. Instead, I return the same calculating look before he looks away.
“And finally, Core Three—District Law, governed by the student council departments. And thus, ultimately—”
The third finger snaps up.
“Me.”
The chilling act thaws just as quickly as it came, giving way to a playful smirk.
“Make sure you fall in line nicely.”
He lingers, waiting for a ripple of unease. The crowd misses its cue, giving him nothing but a wall of stares.
As the morning shifts toward noon, a sharp ribbon of shadow slices across the platform.
High on the hill behind the stage, the academy building—its crest and the national flag hanging from it—seems to command the elements themselves, dimming the shine of the festive stage decorations.
“He really loves the sound of his own voice, huh?” Sora mutters quietly.
Hasumi treats our cold silence as if it were written directly into his script, letting out a delighted chuckle.
“Every Saturday, you will vote on newly submitted student initiatives—” He raises a placating fist. “And before you ask, yes, participation is mandatory.”
A collective groan ripples through the crowd.
Hasumi his eyes widen with a smile. “Yes! Beautiful! Drink it in—”
A distant clock tower chimes to mark the top of the hour, cutting him off just as the central fountain shoots a high blast of water into the air.
“My, look at the hour. And here I thought we were just getting started.” He lets out a theater-ready sigh. “So many questions left unanswered. No matter. The experienced students at town hall are always happy to assist—such tireless workers.”
“On behalf of the Student Council, let me offer you one final, truly warm welcome.”
He falls back into line with his silent council and drops into a flawlessly practiced bow.
A paper-thin applause follows as the people on stage turn to march off in flawless formation. Immediately, the festival music swells back to a deafening volume.
“Well, that’s our cue to leave,” Sora says, swinging her backpack over her shoulder.
I follow suit, hoisting mine over both shoulders.
Before I can take a step toward the avenue, a sudden blur strikes from my flank. A hooded figure slams full-force into Sora, yanking the strap to rip the bag right off her shoulder.
I instinctively lunge forward, but the runner rams straight through me.
Staggering backward, I crash into Sora, knocking her flat onto the pavement.
“Don’t worry about me, just go!” She shouts, sitting up to clutch her elbow.
I hesitate for a heartbeat, then spin on my heel.
“Hey! Stop him!” I shout, my voice tearing through my throat as I throw my whole weight into a sprint.
The crowd offers nothing but a wall of confused stares, the thief already widening the gap, barreling down the avenue away from me.
Farther down the road, a student bursts into view from the left.
Spotting the runner, he moves with a powerful stride, cutting diagonally across the plaza to intercept the thief's trajectory.
Behind him, another student stumbles along, failing to match his pace.
“Get him, Jiro!” he wheezes, clutching his side. “I—I’m... right... right behind you!”
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Discover what happens next in: Chapter 3: Unsafe Protection【Part 1】
Written by Limited_Infinity. Official publishing platforms and updates are exclusively communicated on Bluesky: @Limited-Infinity
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