Ending Day by Day, Part 1 by Shouji Gatou

Author:Shouji Gatou [Gatou, Shouji]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Science Fiction, Light Novel
Publisher: J-Novel Club
Published: 2019-10-29T00:00:00+00:00

2: The View Below the Water II

16 October, 0853 Hours (Japan Standard Time)

Jindai High School, Chofu, Tokyo

It was the fourth day of midterms, and their first subject was world history. Twenty-three minutes had passed since the test started. The only sounds in the room were the rustling of answer sheets and the scratching of pencils. Things were so quiet that even the cars passing outside the school seemed intrusively loud.

Kaname’s eyes ran over the question sheet: the Golden Age of the Roman Empire; the Five Good Emperors; Augustus; Cicero; the Sicilian revolt. One thing after another, all kinds of words she’d memorized but didn’t really understand—She’d probably forget them all the moment the test was over, too.

Honestly, standardized tests are such a pointless ritual... she thought, glancing in the direction of the window. Sousuke’s seat was empty. She hadn’t heard a word from him since she’d called him before the test two days ago. She assumed he’d come today, but he was still absent. He’d been AWOL since the day tests began.

Darn it... For some reason, she found herself sighing. Sousuke’s absence had left things at school pretty quiet, and in theory, this should have been a load off her mind... So why did she feel this strange impatience, like she was missing out on something?

Crud. I’m in the middle of a test. Gotta focus... Kaname directed her attention back to the question sheet: the fall of the Han Dynasty; the Mongol Invasion; the Yellow Turban Rebellion; Emperor Ling; Cao Cao; the Battle of Red Cliffs. One thing after another. She’d read manga about the Three Kingdoms period, so she knew the material pretty well. She couldn’t remember all the name kanji, though... How did you write the ‘Zhuge’ in ‘Zhuge Liang,’ again?

Where even is he? she couldn’t stop wondering as she struggled with the question. What kind of job is he on? Something dangerous again, I guess... I hope he’s okay. Or did he go off to meet that girl? That’s right. He sounded pretty weird on the phone the other day...

She snapped out of the line of thought. Ugh, not again. My mind keeps wandering away from the test...

“Darn it...” she muttered. It’s all his fault, for skipping school and missing his tests. That’s why I can’t stop worrying. I am a class representative, and we have been through some things together... That’s the only reason it bothers me. What a pain in the neck... If he’d just come to school, I’d be able to focus!

Just then, the classroom door opened. “I’m sorry I’m... late.” Panting and breathless, Sagara Sousuke entered the classroom. He looked like he’d been in quite a hurry; his sullen face was covered in sweat. On top of that, instead of his school uniform, for some reason he was dressed in dark green fatigues, completely different from his usual battledress. On the chest were the words “US MARINE.”

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