What does it mean to talk about a happy life? If it’s a question of absolutes, then there’s certainly a clear distinction between fortune and misfortune. And yet, however fortunate a person’s circumstances may be, if that person considers himself unfortunate, he’ll be unhappy. Conversely, however unfortunate a person’s circumstances may be, if she self-identifies as fortunate, she’ll be happy.
As long as you’re judging things according to a standard of happy or unhappy, you have to surrender yourself completely to subjectivity. For instance, is someone who hits the jackpot in the lottery happy? From the perspective of an ordinary person, that would appear to be happiness. Yet for the person in question to consider himself lucky, he would’ve had to have the unlucky experience of “not hitting the jackpot” in the past. If this person was continually hitting the jackpot, that wouldn’t be happiness, that’d be just another humdrum day. And of course the opposite holds true. How many people genuinely lament the bad luck of not winning the lottery?
Ultimately, people can only understand fortune and misfortune in relative terms. This means that things like “equality” can never actually exist in reality, that a truly impartial ontology is impossible. Fortune and misfortune are connected, and if you look not at the individual but at the whole, ultimately the two cancel each other out, it’s a zero-sum game─
Was the kind of shaggy-dog story I was idly contemplating as I walked the halls of Sumiyuri Academy. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t tense, but my infiltration had gone startlingly smoothly thus far. Aikawa’s counterfeiting skills were apparently flawless, though I would expect no less of the world’s strongest contractor. And my disguise also seemed to be flawless, even if I didn’t like it. Since my arrival I’d passed any number of people whom I assumed to be students of the academy, given that they were wearing the same black sailor outfit as me, but not a one had displayed any indication of doubt or suspicion at my presence.
Part of me was worried by the fact that it was all so easy, but as an intruder that was not something to complain about; it was all part of being the proverbial smooth criminal. Instead, I moved through the building at a pace that would arouse no suspicion, thinking to myself how lucky I was. Naturally I couldn’t parade around campus with the campus map in my hand, so I relied on memory to find the appointed meeting place: Year 2, Class A. Anyone would agree that a student who was constantly looking at a map to navigate her own school was funny in the head.
“As far as I can tell, this seems like a pretty normal school, though…”
Given that it was a prestigious preparatory school for the princess set, I’d been expecting something a little more eccentric, something strange and different. Though when you really think about it, why would the facilities themselves hold any surprises? It was my own expectation that was off base there. Still, I can’t deny that it was kind of anticlimactic.
“Since Aikawa was the one who asked me to do this, I figured it was going to be a lot tougher… But if this is all there is to it, seems like I’ll be able to take care of everything in a snap. Fools rush in.”
I had the feeling I wasn’t using the expression “fools rush in” correctly, but whatever. I climbed the stairs, and, after getting a little lost, I found the Year 2, Class A homeroom. There was no one around. Mm-hm, very convenient. It’s not like I was being compelled to the utmost secrecy, but better to be inconspicuous if possible.
However─I still harbored some doubts. The fact that I’d succeeded at brazenly walking in through the front door─was, upon consideration, odd. Didn’t getting in easily mean you’d be able to get out just as easily? I’d been convinced the students were strictly and securely confined within the school grounds, but that didn’t seem to be the case. So shouldn’t’ve this Ichihime Yukariki been able to leave whenever she wanted, without me, let alone Aikawa, having to get involved? And the fact that she could make this plan to meet me in the classroom seemed to indicate that her movements weren’t actually curtailed all that stringently.
If at this point I’d thought things through a little more, I might’ve been able to sense something off about the “strange” atmosphere that hung about the school─the air itself somehow seemed to deviate from that of normal places.
Yet I didn’t think about it particularly thoroughly, and just put my hand on the door to Year 2, Class A and went inside. The classroom itself was also a totally average high school classroom. Then again, I never attended a proper high school, so I really had no basis for saying so.
But that didn’t matter. What did matter was that there was not a soul inside the room.
“Huh?”
This was a problem. Given how much I’d psyched myself up for my meeting with Miss Yukariki, this was way beyond a letdown. Maybe she was hiding somewhere in the room? It wasn’t impossible. If she was hiding, where─
Just then, I thought I saw the cleaning supplies locker shake slightly. It didn’t make sense that a locker would shake all on its own when the window was shut and the room was essentially devoid of breeze. A-ha, did that mean she was inside? Makes sense, that’s very much the kind of hiding place a teenager would think of. The idea was probably to indulge in a bit of gloating as she watched her newly arrived escort stand around flummoxed, but I wasn’t about to let her make a fool of me. I mean, up until three days ago I might’ve fallen for that trick. But these past three days I had cheated death countless times, in other words I had grown as a person, and against the new me this was less than child’s play.
“What’s thiiis? She’s not here, what will I dooo,” I murmured as I quietly approached the locker. Yup, if I gave it a good kick, I could startle her out of there like a frightened rabbit, no question. Such childish pranks needed to be punished. I was standing in front of the locker contemplating whether to use my left foot or my right foot─when,
Brrrrr
I felt chilly all over. At the same time, something was thrust into my back. Something thickish, and hard─almost like the barrel of a gun─
“Freeze, and stick ’em up.”
I put my hands up as I was told. I didn’t turn around. But even without turning around, I was able to glean a few pieces of information. The voice was that of a young─or at least an immature female. And judging by the height from which it emanated, she was much shorter than me.
A-ha, so the locker was a decoy… I was forced to admit that I’d fallen into a simple trap. It was a bizarre strategic blunder for someone who’d escaped the jaws of death as often as I had. So bizarre that if you told me Aikawa had in fact fabricated that whole story, that it was a bald-faced lie, I’m afraid I might’ve been convinced.
“Who are you?” came the question from behind.
To which I casually responded, “Jun Aikawa sent me,” as if it was all no big deal. “But I’ve got no name to give you. You see, I pride myself on the fact that I’ve only ever told my real name to one person.”
“…?”
The sensation in my back relaxed momentarily at my idiosyncratic reply. It was an opening not even worthy of the name, but I seized it anyway, dodged left, and spun around. I was prepared to go out in a blaze of glory, taking my opponent with me, but maybe because I was flustered, my legs got hopelessly tangled before I could finish turning, and I fell flat on my face. My “enemy” wasn’t about to let that pass and instantly closed the distance, firmly thrusting─
An alto recorder against my forehead.
“That’s a hell of a way to introduce yourself,” I said.
“I’m sorry. When we see someone we don’t know, we’re taught to conceal our presence and sneak up from behind.”
So saying, the girl whipped the recorder up and snapped it back down at an angle, like she was conducting an orchestra.
“Ah, gotcha…” I brushed away the tip of the recorder, and stood up. “Then, I’ll teach you how to introduce yourself like a grown-up.”
Now that we were facing each other, I took stock of this girl in her black uniform, a small pouch slung from her shoulder.
There was no mistaking her: it was the girl from the photo. Yup, no mistake. Her appearance was almost identical even though the photo had been taken five years ago. It would be no exaggeration to say that she hadn’t grown at all. Not just a small build; a tiny body. Not just an innocent face; a childish one. And─and that genuine smile.
“Nice to meet you, Ichihime Yukariki.”