Ch.83Chapter 13. Training Camp (3)

# Speaking of grades, my academic performance is fairly decent.

Well, I suppose everyone interprets the word “decent” differently. From a parent’s perspective, “decent” usually means “good grades,” or more simply put, “above average.”

From a parent’s expectations, that makes sense.

But from a student’s perspective, decent grades mean “I’ve managed to get by.”

Grades that won’t get you held back, won’t require supplementary classes, and won’t make you feel the need to study intensively during vacation.

That’s right—I’m talking about “average scores.”

My “decent” grades are based on that average standard.

For most subjects, I’m slightly above average. For science-related subjects, I’m somewhat… no, obviously below average. Not that I completely fail to reach the average, though.

If I had to pick one standout subject, it would be Japanese class.

The subject designated as “national language” by Japanese standards was where I scored nearly perfect marks.

As I mentioned before, since the information was already organized in my head, I could get clean scores without much worry.

That’s not to say I could perfectly recall all Japanese-related information, but studying was easier, I suppose.

For someone who never scored above 90 in Korean language back in Korea, it was a strange feeling. Especially since writing still feels more natural in Korean.

At first, I thought it was just a special perk of being in another world, but after learning about the existence of entities like Shinjin, my thinking changed.

If there are beings that can directly influence this world, it wouldn’t be strange if there were also beings manipulating the information in my head.

Of course, I didn’t think about it too deeply. If I kept dwelling on it, I might start questioning my own identity. I’d rather not deal with such headaches. I already have enough to think about.

Anyway, back to the main point.

No matter how excellent my Japanese skills might be, as if someone had maxed out that ability, teaching others is a completely different matter from being good at something yourself. Isn’t that right?

“Kotone, look at this!”

Yuka showed me a piece of paper with a very proud expression.

I took the paper with somewhat mixed feelings.

Even for a private school exam, they don’t give impossibly difficult questions. It might be slightly harder than other school entrance exams, but it still needs to be solvable by middle school students. After all, considering the curriculum, there’s also a process of reviewing what was learned in middle school.

So, the paper Koko received contained questions that could be solved at a middle school level, with some content from the first semester of high school freshman year included.

And…

“…That’s impressive.”

“Right?”

“Koko, is it amazing?”

“It’s amazing!”

“It’s amazing!”

Koko responded to Yuka’s answer, and then Koko repeated it.

Yes, it was impressive.

First of all, what I’m holding isn’t a Japanese test. It’s a math test.

It wasn’t a perfect score, of course, but the circles drawn on the test paper clearly indicated “above average.”

That’s right. Although she hasn’t enrolled yet, Koko received a score that was definitely better than my math score.

And since she had just started learning, there was potential for further improvement.

“Does this mean she remembers everything she’s taught once?” Miura muttered, tilting her head.

“Maybe it’s because she’s like a blank canvas? She remembers everything that’s written on her.”

“No, I don’t think it goes that far…”

Kaoru and Izumi, who were looking at the test results over my shoulder, said that.

…Well, this is quite lively.

When you make friends, your acquaintances tend to naturally divide into groups. Not that I’m trying to discriminate, but they get categorized based on “where, how we met, and how we became friends.”

In my case, they’re divided into “original work people,” “classmates,” and “club members.”

The original work people are obviously characters from the original story: Yuka, Shii, Sasaki, Hagiwara, Nakahara, and others. It’s strange how we naturally became friends despite being distant in some ways.

Classmates are obviously Miura, Fukuda, and Yamashita. I can’t say we “naturally became friends” since Teacher Suzuki asked Miura to look after me, but we’re close enough to hang out together now.

Lastly, club members are Kaoru and Izumi, whom I met through the literature club that I impulsively joined.

These three groups overlapped in various ways. Yuka is both an original heroine and a literature club member, and Miura’s father seems to have appeared in the original work. Yamashita can’t be left out either.

But despite that, they rarely gathered together—

“Well done, Koko! Good job!”

Koko looked up at Fukuda, who was patting her head with joy, with narrowed eyes.

Is she a cat or a dog? Her usual behavior is closer to a mischievous cat, but in front of people she’s close with, she seems more like a dog.

That’s right.

At this place, all those people were gathered together.

Why?

…Probably because of Koko and me. I was the biggest common factor among these people.

*

By the way, the idea for this “training camp” came from Kaoru.

[Ah, I completely forgot! We were supposed to have a literature club training camp!]

The very next day after Yuka started staying at our house to help Koko—that is, after the news had already spread to Shii and Yamashita, after Miura had willingly offered to help, and after Fukuda had tagged along because it sounded fun—I received such an email from Kaoru around lunchtime.

[Do you have time? I think I can leave the house empty for a while]

As if planning to end the vacation with a literature club training camp, Kaoru said that.

My already small room was crowded with six girls excluding myself, making it chaotic. Among them, Shii knew Yuka and Koko, but she was meeting the other three for the first time.

With a slightly flushed face, she was seriously wondering if she was being a bother. Fukuda, who has a weakness for cute things, was eagerly talking to her, while Miura was trying to stop Fukuda. Yamashita, though saying little and looking at her phone, seemed to be enjoying the situation, mainly observing Koko and me.

In that situation, I had briefly escaped to the kitchen and ended up explaining the situation to Kaoru.

[I need to tutor my sister]

[Huh? Why?]

[She’s taking the entrance exam for Hanakawa High School]

[Really!?]

Kaoru replied with joy as if it were her own news.

[Then a training camp is perfect!]

Why?

That question briefly crossed my mind, and then all sorts of advantages came to mind at once.

I turned my gaze back to the open door of the room.

It was still crowded with girls.

[There are a lot of people helping my sister]

[Really? Then bring them all! They’re all juniors anyway, right?]

“…”

I put my hand on my forehead while holding my phone, then lowered it.

[I’ll ask them]

And I did ask.

As for the answer, well…

Looking at everyone gathered in this big house should tell you.

By the way, I only found out that Kaoru’s “grandmother’s house” was a ryokan after we arrived in Gunma Prefecture, where the house was located.

*

A hot spring ryokan, huh.

Of course, it’s a common setting in light novels and romantic comedy manga.

An open-air bath with high walls, with men’s and women’s baths separated by those walls.

There are guys who try to do things they’d never do in daily life, like “peeping at the women’s bath,” and the protagonist gets caught up in it, sees a girl naked, and gets hit…

“…Hmm.”

But I don’t think it appeared in [Tokyo Slayers]. There was a school trip episode, set in Kyoto. I’m not sure if there was a hot spring or not, but it focused more on yokai-related episodes.

So what’s going on with this situation?

I lay completely submerged in the hot spring water, lost in thought.

…This must be another deviation from the original work. And I’m probably the cause.

Well, the hot spring itself is nice, but—

“Puha!”

Koko, who had been completely submerging her head in the hot spring, shot up.

Both Koko and I have fairly long hair, so we tied it up. Otherwise, long strands of hair would float around in the bath.

Of course, I’m not worried about Koko’s hair falling out. Koko’s hair isn’t actually hair, but rather stretched skin.

“Koko, you’re doing great!”

Fukuda and Kaoru clapped and encouraged her, and Koko seemed to enjoy it more each time.

If there had been other people around, someone might have stopped them, but we were the only ones here.

Although they’re called women’s and men’s baths, this isn’t a place shared by all hotel guests; it seems to be a separate room designed for large families.

I think they called it a 10-person room. At a glance, it seems more like a separate pension than a “room.” We had twelve people, but the room was spacious enough for all of us.

The hot spring itself was an open-air bath as I described, with men’s and women’s baths separated by a single wall.

Perhaps to blend with the surroundings, they had piled up irregularly shaped rocks to create a wall slightly taller than a person, and then densely covered the top with bamboo.

Unless someone deliberately climbs up and breaks through the bamboo or climbs over it, they probably won’t be able to see this side.

And, this is just my thought, but even if Sasaki, who’s alone in the men’s bath, were to come over here, he wouldn’t be much of a threat. Just Yuka and Hagiwara would be enough. Sasaki’s abilities only work against yokai anyway.

Besides, Sasaki would never do such a thing.

“…Are you worried?”

I asked Shii, who was sitting near me and kept looking toward the men’s bath.

“Huh? Oh, well, I feel a bit… sorry for leaving my brother alone over there.”

What are you going to do about it?

If Sasaki came in here, that would be a huge problem in itself. Unless this was a modern harem story with over ten heroines or something.

“I’ve been wondering about something.”

Fukuda, who had somehow made her way over to us through the water, said.

“Sasaki, was it? You call him ‘orabeoni’? I’ve seen plenty of girls with older brothers, but I’ve never seen anyone call their brother ‘orabeoni’.”

“Huh? Oh, well.”

There’s actually a story behind that “orabeoni” thing.

It was probably one of the methods Shii came up with to become the perfect little sister.

“If you’re worried about your brother, why don’t you go check on him?”

“What!?”

“Since you’re his sister, it should be fine for you to go in the bath with him, right?”

No, that’s not how it usually works. Maybe when they’re extremely young, but not now.

Of course, Fukuda seemed to know that too. She was probably just trying to tease Shii.

“That’s a good point, junior.”

And Hagiwara joined the conversation with a leisurely voice.

“Family members can show their bare skin to each other. Husbands and wives even more so. So I’ll go check.”

“Wh-wh-wh-what are you saying!?”

Nakahara, who had been on guard nearby, jumped up and shouted.

I slightly turned my head away.

“Husband and wife! That’s not something a high school student should be talking about!”

“Oh my, didn’t you know that women can marry from the age of 16?”

“Souta is fifteen!”

I believe it was revised about 20 years later. I looked it up once when I got curious while reading manga.

“M-marriage…”

Shii blushed at the word.

“What interesting people.”

Fukuda said, watching Nakahara and Hagiwara bickering.

“How did you make friends like them?”

Good question.

I have no idea either.

They just appeared in my life.

…

No, was it because I got hooked on that tonkatsu?

I sighed softly and looked up at the sky.

It was completely dark.

But honestly, it was a bit hot. I was reaching my limit, but how could they stay in the hot spring for so long?

It seems Kaoru’s grandmother was right when she said they don’t get many guests in summer.

Even if [Tokyo Slayers] had included a hot spring episode, it probably wouldn’t have been in midsummer.

I wanted to get out soon, but since no one else was leaving, I decided to just keep quiet.

It seems the Japanese love of hot springs is indeed true.

*

So, while it might have looked like we were just on a trip, everyone was serious about teaching Koko how to study.

We were all gathered in the central area of the ryokan—or should I call it the 10-person room—the living room? Anyway, we were all there, wearing the yukatas provided by the ryokan.

As I was looking somewhat dejectedly at the math test that had scored better than mine,

“At this rate, getting into Hanakawa seems more than possible, doesn’t it?”

Kaoru patted my back with a smile.

“This is just the first test. It was mostly based on what she’s learned so far. We should be thorough to be safe.”

Yuka, who had been quite excited until just now, immediately became serious after hearing Kaoru’s words.

Judging by her slightly red ears, she seemed to realize she had been too excited.

“With so many people, if everyone contributes a little, we can definitely make it happen.”

Miura said.

Well…

It’s a good thing. Koko being able to enter our school is definitely a good thing.

But still.

What is this somewhat unsettling feeling?

Could it be that I’m feeling this way because my plans have been disrupted?

“Let’s do our best!”

Fukuda shouted,

“Yeah!”

The others raised one hand and shouted. Even Sasaki was joining in, and Shii was following along, albeit a bit shyly.

Hmm…

I don’t know anymore.

I guess since things have turned out this way, I might as well enjoy the hot spring and go home.

That’s what I thought as I watched Koko, surrounded by people, smiling brightly for whatever reason.

*

There were three rooms.

One 2-person room that seemed to be for couples. And two 4-person rooms.

The 2-person room on the second floor had space for two people with a bit of room to spare, so if we wanted, one more person could probably sleep there, but with Sasaki being the only male in our group, there were some constraints on room assignments.

So we decided to use that 2-person room as a fixed room for Sasaki and Shii. If Shii needed to change clothes, she could come to the girls’ room to do so.

Although we had bonded somewhat while soaking in the hot spring together, there were still some barriers between the “groups.”

Especially in the case of Nakahara and Hagiwara, who had gathered around Sasaki, they lacked a focal point now that Sasaki and Shii were separated.

If we just let everyone group up naturally, those two would probably be left out.

While the original purpose was for Koko to pass the Hanakawa entrance exam, and there was no rule that everyone had to become friends, there was no need to create awkward situations during what was partly a vacation.

So we decided to draw lots every day to determine the rooms.

Since we’d only use them for sleeping, we thought a bit of mixing wouldn’t be a problem. Of course, it was agreed that Koko and I would always be together, so our two names were treated as one lot.

On the first night, the people assigned to sleep with me were Koko, Yuka, Miura, and Hagiwara.

Well, at least Nakahara and Hagiwara weren’t assigned together.

“I, I look forward to sharing a room with you, Senior Hagiwara.”

Miura awkwardly greeted Hagiwara, who was the oldest among us.

“Oh my, we’ve already bathed together, so there’s no need to be so formal.”

After Miura spoke while laying out futons on the tatami floor, Hagiwara gently waved her hand.

She looked nothing like someone who wielded a sword for a living; she appeared cultured and gentle.

It was also peculiar how she made suggestive jokes with such an appearance.

Yuka still seemed to be somewhat wary of Hagiwara, while Koko appeared indifferent.

Koko was making sounds like “Woah?” as she lay face down on her spot, feeling the soft futon as if it were fascinating.

Everyone’s attention turned to Koko.

“Really, this child shows surprising aspects in many ways.”

“Yes, I was surprised too.”

Yuka responded to Hagiwara’s comment.

I got the impression that the two were slightly talking past each other, but their meanings weren’t completely different.

Considering Koko’s true identity, Hagiwara was someone to be cautious of, but… well, she hadn’t caused any trouble yet.

“Um… Kurosawa.”

“…Yeah.”

Lost in thought, I responded a bit late when Miura called out to me.

“Koko is the child you found, right?”

“Yeah.”

That’s how I had explained it to everyone. After all, I had to hide the fact that she seemed to have inherited half of a Shinjin’s blood.

“Then… you haven’t had her take any intelligence tests yet, right?”

“…Yeah.”

I answered while trying to understand the meaning of her words.

“If that’s the case, could it be that Koko isn’t actually borderline intelligent, but something else?”

“What do you mean?”

Yuka interjected. Miura looked slightly intimidated for a moment, then spoke again.

“I mean, she might actually be more intelligent than average people. Like with her studying today.”

“Ah, so you’re saying that appearance… might just be due to the situation she was in.”

Hagiwara picked up on Miura’s point.

“…”

So, if she took an IQ test, she might actually score 180 or something?

I stared at Koko.

I hadn’t thought about that.

Yuka and Hagiwara seemed to be thinking the same, as they also stared at Koko.

“Woah?”

Receiving such stares, Koko made a sound that wasn’t much different from usual, with an expression that suggested she didn’t understand what was going on.