Vol 2 Chapter 5 (1/2)

Chapter 5

The dining hall within the lodging facilities.

Homura and the rest of the Seiran High Exploration Club each took one of the lunch trays lined up on the cafeteria counter and sat down to eat at a long table.

Truthfully, Homura would have preferred to sit on the outside terrace, but the seats there were already packed. Lively conversation could be heard from the many Exploration Club members sitting under the parasols there.

The members there were limited to schools that had already finished their presentations, and they had an obvious air of liberation about them.

The schools that would be doing their presentations in the afternoon were seated within the hall, each group absorbed in preparatory meetings amongst their club members.

But without paying that tension any mind, the sunlight brilliantly shone through the windows along with the smell of the tide and the roar of the waves.

“……Mumu… There’s something wrong about this…”

Homura narrowed her eyes while enjoying the springy texture of her peanut tofu.

Glimpses of Iriomote Island’s blue sea and white waves could be seen past the palm trees outside.

“Such a beautiful ocean is right over there, and yet here we are… When we will be able to go swimming?”

She glanced enviously out the window and strained her ears in an exaggerated manner.

“We still haven’t done that standard tradition, you know?”

“…Standard tradition?” Touya tilted his head in puzzlement.

“Ah, I know, you mean that,” said Ameno in realization.

She and Homura linked hands and, after taking a deep breath, lifted their arms up and shouted “It’s the sea!” with glittering expressions, before bringing their hands back down to the table with a bang after a few seconds.

“…It’s tradition to shout that while jumping into the air in swimsuits.”

“Right.”

“………”

Touya wore his usual expression of disbelief and exasperation, but there was a hint of sympathy there too.

“I know how you feel, but there’s no way we’ll get the chance while it’s still bright out, you know? The presentations are going to continue all afternoon. Besides, it’ll finally be our turn next.”

Homura had already become used to these sound arguments of Touya’s that she simply brushed it off with a triumphant look.

“Well, I was just joking—but even so, all the other schools are really amazing. They all prepared various things and even gave out souvenirs. It’s almost overwhelming.”

Ameno nodded in open agreement at Homura.

“They were really interesting. Each individual presentation was short, but they included new information that still hasn’t been made public, and they were truly a lot of fun to listen to! I was especially intrigued by the Nagato Fisheries School Exploration Club’s presentation on the creatures in coastal ecosystems.”

“I wasn’t able to deal with that presentation myself… The CG models of fish were pretty, but I’m no good with slimy and slippery creatures…”

“That so? But weren’t they cute? And you should check out the toxicity levels and cooking preparation techniques for those kinds of creatures too, Homura-san.”

“Please spare me that kind of variety show display…”

Just remembering the presentation’s images gave Homura gooseb.u.mps.

“Hey, calling it a variety show is rude,” interjected Touya, who had been impressed by the presentation just as muc

h as Ameno. “How to put it? The presentation itself wasn’t particularly sensational… but the contents of their routine activities were thick and abundant. That’s why I was honestly more shocked than interested by it. Like, it made me reflect on myself.”

Those words p.r.i.c.ked at Homura’s heart, but she maintained her outward calm.

“It’s fine if we go at our own pace. Our own exploration has just gotten started, after all.”

“No, you should feel at least some inferiority on that point. In the first place, you’re acting quite carefree just because you’re not going on stage, Hinooka.”

“Even if you say that, there’s nothing for me to actually do for our presentation. Misasagi-senpai is taking care of the speech, Touya-kun is in charge of presenting the image and video material on the screen—so there’s nothing left for me to do, right?”

That was certainly true.

The last member, Ameno, was busy with organizing the materials for the presentation.

As such, Homura felt quite left out during their club’s preparatory meeting last night.

“Your job is the stay silent so that you don’t say anything unnecessary, Hinooka.”

“Ah, so cruel. I’m a member of the Seiran High Exploration Club too, you know.”

“You are?”

Annoyed, Homura stole a papaya jelly from Touya’s tray.

“Hey!”

“Hmm~, it’s a bit meager… Speaking of which, about the Mikawakotobuki High club… there was a foreigner among them. I didn’t notice him at first since he really blended in with them, though.”

“Ah, I talked with that person a bit on the boat yesterday. He’s a second year student.”

“He’s an exchange student from Eton College in England,” Ameno explained. “They’ve been accepting them into j.a.panese Exploration Clubs for the past few years now apparently.”

“Eton? Like what they use to make boots?” That was sheepskin. “The Wildlife Chronicles?” That was Seton1. “…Well, whatever. So there are even exchange students among the Exploration Club, huh?”

“What’s with the surprise? You might end up going off as one someday yourself, you know?”

“To a school in another country? Ahaha, no way, no way. There’s no point in worrying about things like that2.”

“But it’s not like it has nothing to do with us at all. Even these presentations reach beyond just the j.a.panese branch.”

Fujimori-sensei murmured as she stuffed her cheeks with pork belly stew.

“Just between us, our club’s presentation is the main act today. There will be double the number of VIP guests present in the afternoon session.”

“…Really?”

Fujimori nodded meekly at the shocked Homura.

“Seiran High is the main act? Eeh… but there are still five other schools left to present…”

“Are you, tired, Hinooka-san?”

Misasagi-senpai showed concern for the exhausted-looking Homura. Homura nodded in embarra.s.sment.

“Just a bit… Even though all I’ve done is sit, ahaha. It’s like, even if I listen, most of it just sounds like gibberish to me… The presentations just don’t seem to enter my head, probably because I lack enough knowledge and imagination. But—”

Mindful of the expressions of the other Seiran High Exploration Club members around her at the table, Homura continued.

“The most interesting, or rather, refres.h.i.+ng part was learning that there were all kinds of people in the Exploration Club.”

“I think that’s, wonderful.” Misasagi-senpai’s smile looked truly happy at Homura’s words.

“…Thank you, senpai.”

It was then that Homura suddenly noticed that Misasagi had barely touched any of her meal.

Touya also seemed to have noticed that.

“Senpai, you’re not going to eat? Do you not like Okinawan cuisine?”

“I don’t have, much appet.i.te, right now…”

Misasagi’s forlorn smile at the moment pained Homura. Fujimori was also looking at her worriedly.

Speaking of which, Homura still hadn’t resolved the misunderstanding with Kanae Yuri who suspected Homura of being the one who threw a cup at her while she dozed. Currently, there was no sign of her or the true culprit Hayase-senpai anywhere in the dining hall.

Homura wanted to resolve the misunderstanding before the SA ended, but unbeknownst to her, a sticky situation that went beyond a mere prank soon awaited her.

The afternoon presentations started right on time.

At the back of the auditorium, there were now additional video cameras set up besides the ones originally there for record-keeping.

Just as Fujimori predicted, the VIP seats were now packed full, and additional unexpected visitors were made to watch while standing near the walls. This crowd further increased with the last-minute rush of people entering the hall. There were no journalists here from the start. That huge crowd was comprised solely of government and UN officials a.s.sociated with Nutella.

“Now then, I suppose we should get started—”

Amidst the solemn atmosphere in the hall, Tenryuu casually jumped up on stage.

The gathering’s moderator Oozore tensed and watched him warily.

Paying no mind to his vice-president’s concern, Tenryuu spoke with the same relaxed atmosphere he’d displayed in the plane. First, he welcomed the newcomers in the audience as the j.a.panese Exploration Club representative, and then restated that the primary goal of this Summer Session was the mutual information exchange and mingling between j.a.panese investigators.

He went on to confirm that a period for listening to detailed questions and requests for ministry officials would be held later, before moving onto the main topic.

“—Now then, allow me to introduce the top batter for the afternoon, Seiran High club president Misasagi Mayo.”

Within the hall’s oppressive atmosphere that remained even after Tenryuu’s casual introduction, the presentation began.

The Seiran High Exploration Club members walked on stage.

Homura, who remained in her seat, looked at the stage in breathless suspense, as if she were the one standing up there. Ameno, who had also stayed behind next to her, leaned forward and watched the stage excitedly.

Misasagi-senpai slowly and gracefully walked on stage and went to stand at the podium in the center.

Touya sat down next to her and opened up a laptop. He was obviously stiff and nervous.

Fujimori-sensei, in her role as a mere advisor, sat further back from them. She sat slovenly as if she had come to watch a baseball game with a beer in one hand, her bad manners the same as in the cla.s.sroom.

However, out of the corner of her eye, Homura noticed many people in the guest seats react to Fujimori-sensei’s entrance on stage. Some smiled as if seeing a familiar face while others frowned as if facing a formidable enemy, ranging equally from j.a.panese to foreign officials.

……Mori-chan really is well known, huh?

Homura then glanced at the Hiyos.h.i.+zaka High group sitting next to her, but there was no sign of Kanae Yuri, who had kept her back turned to Homura all morning.

When her gaze met Hayase’s, he seemed to guess Homura’s question and merely said “she ran off” with a shrug.

“—Ehem.”

No time was left for her to ask Hayase the reason for Kanae’s absence as senpai’s cute-sounding cough rang through the speakers all over the hall. Homura hurriedly returned her attention to the stage.

“I’m Misasagi from Seiran High—”

As Misasagi said that and bowed her head gracefully, she honestly looked small and slightly unreliable somehow to Homura’s eyes.

“I believe all club presidents have already been notified, but I will announce it once again here.

“On *** in j.a.panese time and *** of the third spring in Nutella time, investigators from Seiran High and Hiyos.h.i.+zaka High encountered a Nutellan in *** area under Kanto jurisdiction within the *** continent under the j.a.panese branch’s sphere of activity—”

Excited cheers reflexively rang out among the audience at the first official report to come out of Misasagi’s mouth.

I-It’s time!

Those cheers were the reaction that Homura had long awaited.

—However, those cheers were sucked away into a still silence far more quickly than she’d imagined.

That was only natural, as virtually none of the uppercla.s.smen in the audience had reacted to Misasagi’s speech.

The atmosphere was completely different from the other presentations until now. Even if they had already known about the contents of this presentation, this silence was still far too extreme.

Ameno looked around the hall in shock. One first year (Otomaru-kun) who had overeagerly stood up from his chair awkwardly sat back down.

…What’s with… this atmosphere…?

As feelings of confusion spread among others besides Homura, the last of the spa.r.s.e cheers from first year students faded away. A strained atmosphere enveloped the hall that made the peaceful atmosphere from this morning seem like a lie.

Even as Misasagi continued her speech on stage, neither she nor Fujimori-sensei showed any sign of being shaken by this. Only Touya was glaring at the rest of the a.s.sembly hall with a disbelieving expression that was as plain as day.

Homura was just as bewildered as him.

It was true that this was an important announcement, but was it really something so delicate to touch upon that everyone would become this serious and treat any and all noisemaking as indiscreet? It made her all the more suspicious.

What is this…? It’s so weird…

Pulling herself together, Homura stared at Misasagi-senpai while clenching her hands in the face of this unfamiliar atmosphere.

It took Homura a while later to realize that senpai was speaking smoothly without her usual halting tone.

“—This Nutellan called herself ‘Subaru’. This is a j.a.panese name. It refers to the Pleaides in English. The name means ‘heavenly bodies’, coming from the phrase ‘The stars are Subaru’ in the Pillow Book3—”

The contents of the report involved events that Homura herself experienced, all of it still fresh in her mind.

The process from initial discovery to negotiations.

The distinctive outward traits of Nutellans. The conditions of their homes and lifestyle.

The exceedingly long lifespan of Nutellans.

The fact that Subaru-hime herself had lived in isolation for a long time.

The fact that it was possible for Nutellans to have children with Earthlings, and that Subaru-hime’s father had been a j.a.panese man from the Edo era. Etcetera, etcetera.

—All of these things were only summarized briefly, but the presentation contained and organized all the information that could currently be confirmed. Translations by interpreters were also conducted at the same time.

Included as well were conjectures based on Misasagi’s experience as an investigator that couldn’t yet be confirmed and information that they’d only heard second-hand through Subaru. Misasagi had made sure to warn the audience of this before speaking of them.

The photos that Homura had taken were displayed on the large screen.

One was taken on the day they’d gone to pick up Suzuran on Nutella.

It was more like a carefree snapshot than a proper record photo, clearly taken without any regard for keeping the picture level.

When the kimono-dressed Subaru-hime appeared standing beside a huge pure white wolf on screen, Homura could viscerally feel the breaths sucked in by everyone in the hall.

That was the reaction she’d been expecting and hoping for—

When she looked over the photo purely as a photographer, it was an awkward and embarra.s.sing piece of photography, but it powerfully conveyed the deep impressions that had been carved into her heart on Nutella.