Character Stories/Shinya Shibasaki/Chapter 4

Shinya Shibasaki: Character Story Translation: MDR
Chapter 4
Shinya Shibasaki	--and so, for the next week, I'm going to do my best to become the top student in class to meet my mom's condition.
Masachika Inoh	I see... I understand. Even knowing your situation, though, as a teacher, I intend on grading everyone evenly and impartially.
Shinya Shibasaki	Wha-- of course! Rather, thank you so much, Sensei!
Masachika Inoh	What, why are you thanking me...?
Shinya Shibasaki	(That's, because you said you wouldn't give me special treatment...)
Masachika Inoh	Shibasaki-kun?
Shinya Shibasaki	Anyway, I'll do my best! I'll be leaving n-- UWA!
Masachika Inoh	Are you alright!? That was quite the fall.....
Shinya Shibasaki	.... Sorry about that. Just now, it felt like something moved under my feet.
Masachika Inoh	Huh? No, there doesn't seem to be anything...
Shinya Shibasaki	Good, I must've just imagined it then! Well then--
Masachika Inoh	Wait, Shibasaki-kun! Please be careful walking back to the classroom, okay?
Shinya Shibasaki	Okaaay! I'll be leaving now!
Location Change: Second Year Classroom
Shinya Shibasaki	Good morning, everyone!
Everyone	!!
Shinya Shibasaki	(Eh? Why is everyone looking at me like that?)
Mikage Asagiri	Shin-chan, what is that thing buzzing behind you?
Shinya Shibasaki	Buzzing...?
	Looking over my shoulder, there was a drone hovering right at eye level.
Shinya Shibasaki	(What's that!?)
	--- Even thinking that, I didn't have to think about it to understand. It was Her doing. Suddenly, I knew what I'd tripped on back in the staff room.
Minato Ushiwaka	Wooow~ so cute! Is that your pet?
Shinya Shibasaki	Eh? Ah--yeah! My pet! It is cute, isn't it!
Shion Mikekado	.... It's not cute. It's a regular machine.
Kasuka Shibutani	Strange... Very odd....
Chizuru Maki	Did you finally hit your head and lose your mind?
Shinya Shibasaki	Ahaha, don't worry about it, you guys! This drone... Doro-chan! She's pretty shy around strangers. Right, Doro-chan? There there~
	I stroked it as if it were a small child, and the drone stiffly, coldly rejected me.
Yanagi Hanabusa	.... I wonder if he has lost his mind.
Shigure Hakka	Shinya....
Masachika Inoh	Everyone, in your seats. As usual, we'll be shortening the time for home room to do the weekly exam.
	The moment Inoh-sensei appeared, the drone let out a 'ping!' noise and flew upwards, perching itself on one of the classroom light fixtures.
Shinya Shibasaki	(Just like I thought, it's here to monitor me. ... But, I can't let it bother me.)
	With both my hands hidden under my desk, I started to move them as if I was opening a book. It was a ritual I'd done since childhood. I felt myself start to enter my concentration state -- the zone. I did it before operations, but this was the first time I'd done it at school here. I closed my eyes, taking a deep, quiet breath. Exhaling all the air in my body, as if I could breathe my consciousness out with it. Once my body was completely empty, I filled it again with fresh air through my nose. After a while, I felt the world become silent, with me integrated into it, and I quickly opened my eyelids.
Masachika Inoh	Alright, Shinonome 2nd year students, we will now begin the weekly exam.
Shinya Shibasaki	-----
Location Change: Timeskip
	Gathering cold water in the palms of my hands, I threw it against my face with all my might. With coldness, I could intentionally release myself from the 'zone' state. In the past when I couldn't switch over well, I remember reading books and solving math problems until I fainted
Shinya Shibasaki	.....
Shigure Hakka	Shinya.
Shinya Shibasaki	Ah, Shigure.
Shigure Hakka	You seemed to be taking a while. So you were washing your face? ... That was surprisingly forceful.
Shinya Shibasaki	Yeah, I just kinda felt like it! Sorry to keep you waiting! Where did you want to have lunch today?
Shigure Hakka	How about the cafeteria? I heard that today's limited dessert is your favorite seasonal parfait.
Shinya Shibasaki	Parfait!? Yaaay, let's go!
Location Change: Cafeteria
Girl	Oh, look, Shibasaki-senpai is here!
Guy	That's the guy everyone's been talking about.
Shinya Shibasaki	--!
	I was getting a ton of attention. Why? I felt my heart rate accelerate and my breaths become shallow. Every single person, watching me. Laughing at me. Assessing me...? With cold, cold eyes that said "Let's alienate him!", they....
Shigure Hakka	.... Shinya?
Mikage Asagiri	You two, over here, over here~
	From his seat at the center of the lunchroom, Mikage lightly beckoned us over. On the way over, I heard why I was getting so much attention.
Senri Nito	What, Shibasaki-senpai? I heard that if he doesn't get the top score in the special class weekly exam, he'll withdraw from school.
Touji Harimiya	I'd heard that he had a huge fight with his mother in the hallway, but...
Yuma Mochizuki	Withdraw... To devote himself to his medical work?
Takaomi Shishimaru	Hah, like I care.
Shinya Shibasaki	(Rumors are spreading...)
Previous Chapter • Next Chapter