Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16816700427224608463/episodes/16816700428868153484
“Um……”
“Hm, what’s up?”
After school, we went home, changed into our casual clothes, and met up. By the way, Sakura was strangely enthusiastic in a cute white one-piece dress, while I chose an ordinary outfit based on black. And the store we entered was ……
“Why is Shogi Hall the place we came for tea !?”
“Hm, would you have preferred to play ten pieces of shogi instead of eight?:
“No, I don’t care if you go easy on me any more…..moreover, I’m asking you why this is the right place ! !”
After arriving inside, the two of them were playing one game, but Sakura, whose tension gradually eased, became angry while spouting such words to Kanata. Sure, they got some tea, but it’s not a place to come dressed like this, and it’s not even a date.
(Hm, a date…..)
That’s what Kanata said, but when he thinks about it, even Sakura doesn’t know what a date is like. On the contrary, until now, there were almost no opportunities to go out with friends. Maybe he’s delusional that his senses are strange. It’s not the first time that he’s been with someone far away and his senses have shifted, but today was Sakura’s anxiety.
“Hmm, Sakura…aren’t you weak?”
“Th-that was, uh, it was sudden, and I vaguely remember the rules…”
“I mean, this kind of play, is it a chess?”
“…..Yes.”
It is no exaggeration to say that shogi and chess boast the top share of board games. Sakura also enjoys playing chess online, and when that habit appears in shogi, she finds herself cornered. By the way, Sakura is by no means weak. He is simply too strong.
Sakura’s winning rate in online chess is about 70 percent!
“Chess and Shogi are a little bit similar”
“T-that’s right.”
“Well, I play chess sometimes too, so let’s try it next.”
“Ah, yes. By all means !”
And, as expected, Sakura is invincible in the distance and it rains in her heart, but Sakura has no way of knowing that yet.
“So, why are we here?”
“Oh, that reminds me.”
The other day, he was fooled by the convenience of a tea or a date, but there had never been a chance for him to ask Sakura to go somewhere before.
“Do you remember what happened the other day?”
“Let’s see, you were talking about how you saved an elementary school boy who was crying in front of the station?”
“Something like that happened, but not now–“
Just the other day I saw an elementary school boy in front of the station and couldn’t help but talk to him. I think he said he got into a fight with his sister or something…….
I think I was able to give him some advice, although for some reason the people around me were a little tense when I spoke to him. I think I told him to send her sweets or a letter or something to put her in a good mood. Yes, communication is important.
……Opps, I’m getting off track.
“Look, that story about the school fraud.”
“Oh, that story has no credibility at all. Geez, how can that thing be real….”
“……I’ve got proof–“
“……Eh.”
When Kanata speaks like that, Sakura almost blows out the tea she was drinking. He chose the Shogi Hall because he thought there would be no school officials there.
“So you really disguised yourself?”
“As long as the data we examined wasn’t tampered with.”
“I see.”
When Sakura learns that the school she attended has caused a scandal, she involuntarily looks down. Since he had just moved in, he probably didn’t do much damage, but Sakura, who had been attending there since elementary school, was shocked.
“Falsified grades ,then what about real grades?”
“…..I’m sure my ranking on the test will fluctuate wildly.”
“Then my grades will be even higher !?”
“Uh, yeah, well, maybe…..?”
“I’d like to hear more about your lack of clarity, but that’s unfair. I can’t forgive you !”
By the way, their test scores can be described as polar opposites. He was ranked first out of 200 students. He got a perfect score in all subjects. Sakura, on the other hand, ranked 179th out of 200. Well, she’s currently growing rapidly thanks to his education.
Despite her poor performance, she has been improving her own grades as if she were trying. He has found that nearly a dozen students, though probably not all of them, have been getting their grades falsified by the principal and other officials. It is frustrating for Sakura to learn that there are such people, and she has begun to study seriously.
Sakura was no longer just a girl who succumbed to bullies and irrationality.
“So I was wondering if you could help me with what I’m about to do.”
“I absolutely will ! I mean, I have to !”
“You’re the most motivated I’ve ever seen.”
Sakura showed the most motivation she had ever had, perhaps hoping that her test ranking would improve. It’s a pity that the infantry pieces that were grasped are missing.
“Well then, let’s start with……”
With that, Kanata and Sakura got into action. For him, it was the first time to work together with someone, so he felt fresh and different from usual. Sakura, by the way, also turned around to gather information desperately in order to be useful to Kanata. I want to be recognized by my master. Such feelings may have encouraged her to take action.
Another week passed.
“Then, are you ready, Sakura?”
“Yes, anytime.”
Having gathered some promising evidence, we first contacted the school board. Through their investigation, they discovered that someone inside the board was suppressing the information. We then sent a report with the name of that person to a different department than his. I believed that this would ensure that the person would not be able to cover it up.
As soon as they sent the report, they went to the principal’s office. Of course, they wanted to question the principal directly. At first, they were almost turned away, but they forced their way into the room.
Then the three, including Sakura, spent an hour talking. The principal, who was initially averse to the idea but was confronted with the evidence, had no choice but to listen to their side of the story. And eventually……
“I-I guess it can’t be helped. The chairman told me to do it that way…….”
Perhaps unable to endure the two’s persistent pursuit, the principal finally mentioned the name of the chairman, who seemed to have been directing everything.
The moment that name was mentioned, the two left the principal’s office. They knew in advance that the chairman had ordered everything. But since they had no direct evidence, they wanted to get the name directly from the principal. And they won that bet.
“So what are you going to do after this?”
The two of them finished their conversation in the principal’s office. Sakura asked him as he walked in front of her. Kanatathen grinned.
“Of course we’re going to go to the chairman’s office.”
“…Right.”
He was always ready to do what he said he would do. That was what Kanata was always trying to do with his mind. No, it might be more correct to say his “grandma”. Anyway, they went straight to the Chairman’s house. Surprisingly, he seemed to live near the school and it took less than ten minutes from the school. When they arrived at the house, they looked in the window from a distance.
“Here, isn’t it?”
Although there was no sign of anyone from the house, next to the intercom was a nameplate with Shishiyama written on it. No doubt, it’s the family name of the chairman of the board of directors.
“Okay, I’m going.”
Then, he pressed the intercom and waited for someone to answer. Then, surprisingly, someone answered within a short time. A voice came out of the intercom speaker.
[Yes, this is Shishiyama.]
“Um, is Chairman Shishiyama at home?”
[……..Please wait a moment]
Sakura stared at the intercom, which had been cut off, and her voice suddenly overflowed.
“The voice sounds rather young……or familiar, doesn’t it?”
“Do you think so too, Sakura? Well, I believe we’re in the same class……”
As soon as they said that, the front door opened. And what came out from inside were two familiar people.
“Oh, I knew it. Tachibana kun and Shinkai san.”
“Are you…Shinya kun?”
The one who came out from inside was Shishiyama Shinya, a boy who’s in the same class as the two of us. He is a man of few words, he and I have never spoken much. Even so, we were able to communicate properly, so I didn’t try to communicate as actively as I did with Kisaragi Yuu.
(Shinya kun, you were the son of the chairman of the board of directors…….)
As expected, he had not grabbed that much data. However, it is convenient and at the same time a little awkward that a classmate’s friend is the chairman’s son.
(It might involve Shinya kun, too. That would be a little tricky.)
If he had nothing to do with this falsification of grades, it might have an extra impact on his school life. However, I still have to be sure.
“Um, I’m here to see the chairman, is he here?”
“Oh, my father. He might be coming home soon……Oh, speak of the devil.”
We both looked in the direction that Shinya kun pointed and saw a young man walking toward us. There was no doubt that it was the chairman of the board of directors, who was introduced on the website. I have to talk to him now.
Perhaps noticing their visit, the chairman of the board of trustees smiled and started talking to them.
“Oh, are you a friend of Shinya’s? Fufu, I’m sorry for interrupting you.
“Hello. We are……”
“Ah, don’t worry. The principal has already spoken to me. You want to talk to me, right?”
“…..Yes.”
That principal, it seems, had already made his move. When Kanata clicked his tongue in his mind, the chairman, who entrusted Shinya with his bag, beckoned the two of them into the house.
“Let’s talk inside, come. I believe there are macaroons in the refrigerator.”
I should just follow his advice and go inside the house. It’s also to avoid giving Shinya kun unnecessary guesses, but it’s also a foolish plan to come this far and turn back. Kanata tells Sakura with eye contact, and the two of them enter the house together.
“You can sit wherever you like.”
The living room is not a mansion, but it is clean and spacious. The area of this room alone is about three times the size of his room. Shinya’s family was rich, it seemed.
“Shinya, you should go to your room and study. I had an appointment with them to discuss their career path.”
“Oh, yes. I understand.”
With that, he went upstairs. Kanata and the others waited nervously for the chairman to sit down in front of them. Then they were offered colorful macaroons and iced tea. He immediately realized that both were quite expensive.
“Sorry, I only had iced tea.”
“No problem.”:
The chairman then sat down at the large table facing them. With that, the tension in the place jumped up. The colorful macaroons now feel strange.
“So, it seems that the principal has told you a lot of unnecessary things. No, or did you guys find something extra on your own?”
“Well, what do you think?”
“Fufu, you seem to have a lot of spirit for such a young man. As an adult, that’s one thing, but as the chairman of the board of Directors, I’m happy for you.”
Invisible sparks fly between him and the board chairman. Even Sakura, who was initially tempted by the macarons, was nervous as her legs under the table trembled. The pressure drifting between the two of them created such an unusual atmosphere.
“Well, it can’t be helped if you find out. So what are you going to demand of me?”
“Of course, we would like you to stop that joke of counterfeiting. That would make the school a little more pleasant, wouldn’t it?”
“……Fine.”
“……Eh?”
Kanata unintentionally asked back in that way. However, he was surprised to hear that the board member had agreed to their request without hesitation, which made him feel a little disappointed.
“Isn’t the Board of Education already aware of this? Then there’s no point in continuing.”
“……”
“Hm, what’s wrong?”
He was going through various thoughts in his mind. Yes, there was something strange during the current conversation. Why does this man know that the story is going around to the school board?
(Does that mean it was a cover-up?)
The man’s hand may reach deeper than we can imagine. I’m sure that the letter of evidence that he sent out as a letter has been pretended to have never happened by someone, he predicted it.
“Are we finished already? I have a lot of work to do. Adults are busier than you think.”
“Can I ask you one last thing?”
“Oh, what is it?”
It would be a bad idea to end the conversation like this. So he asked the chairman what was bothering him the most.
“Is Shinya kun involved in this matter?”
“Ah, let’s just say no on that one. That kid is genuinely smart without having to play such tricks. I really wish the other kids would learn from him.”
“…..I see.”
Hearing that, he’s relieved. In other words, as long as you can show evidence and facts, you don’t have to involve him. For the time being, he should pull out quietly for today.
“I’m sorry to have disturbed you. Let’s go, Sakura.”
“Ah, yes.”
In the end, we left the Chairman’s house without even touching the macaroons and iced tea that were served to us. At that time, I suddenly felt that my eyes met Shinya kun, who was at the top of the stairs, but I didn’t pay much attention to him at that time.
※
“Were you glad?”
“What?”
“Kanata would have been able to hunt him down more, more thoroughly. To think that it would end up with such a half-hearted result.”
It’s true that the fundamental aspects of this case have yet to be resolved. The fact that there are many people on the school board and in the school who have the chairman’s breath. And if his reading is correct……
(I guess it will continue)
Although he was able to pierce the nail, it was just a child’s warning. They need to grow up a bit before they can go any further. Children are limited in what they can do.
“This time, it may not have meant anything.”
“……”
“But that’s the way it is. So don’t worry about it too much.”
“H-huh?”
He forced Sakura to persuade her like that. He honestly feels sorry for her to have such indigestion after he got her involved. But now the future plan has been decided.
(Let’s check out the school board a little more.)
It seems that the black roots of this case are spreading deeper than I had expected. That’s why I’m determined to take the time to investigate the case from here on out on my own. When the time comes, maybe I should let Sakura graduate from me. Otherwise, she could endanger herself.
“There is still some time before the sun sets, so let’s go back to Shogi Hall.”
“Eh, aren’t you going to take it easy, Kanata?”
“Well, well, there are macaroons that are just right.”
“You mean the macarons from earlier !?”
He was sneaking the macarons. He didn’t tell anyone that he had taken one from Sakura’s plate as part of his misdirection practice.
“Look, I’ll drop everything but the ‘king’ this time.”
“That’s a bit too much, don’t you think?”
And after this, Sakura was beaten to a pulp by Kanata. Thinking back, this may have been the first and last time the two of them played something like a competitive game with a smile on their faces.
Every moment, the footsteps of doom were approaching them.
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