Hyouka-you Cant Escape!

7/23/2019 Hyouka-you Cant Escape!

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Prologue - Too Long When Simply Running1. Present: 0km

In the end, it didn't rain. To think I had prayed as much as I had, too.

My prayer didnt go through last year either. This could only mean that praying for rain was completely useless.

Now that I understood this, I suppose Id be able to peacefully come to terms with the inevitable net year when

this happens again. If I dont need to do something, I wont do it. If I absolutely have to, Ill make it !uick. Today,

I, "#tar# $reki, learned that praying for rain was something I didn't need to do.

$f the thousand or so %amiyama "igh &chool students that were initially spread about the school grounds, a

third had already disappeared. They had set off on a ourney to the far reaches of the distant hori(on. I knew

that what they were doing was nothing more than profitless toil, but I felt no sympathy. )fter all, I would soon be

following after them in their suffering.

*ith an ear+grating howl, the megaphone was switched on again, and from it came a command.

That concludes the third+years. -lass +), come forward./

0ellow students filled into their set positions as if they were being dragged along by something. )mong them

were faces brimming with spirited passion, however, most of the students had such a look of resignation on

their faces that the tran!uility it radiated was almost saintly. I probably had the same eact epression on mine.

There was a line drawn in chalk on the ground. )longside it stood a 1eneral -ommittee member, pistol inhand. "e didnt radiate any bit of the usual no+nonsense severity normally found in a cold enforcer of cruel

udgement like himself. -onsidering his markedly middle school face, he must be a first+year. "e stared intently

at his stopwatch, itself looking as if it wouldnt tolerate disorder for even a second. )t the end of the day, he was

ust following his orders. Most likely, he wasn't even thinking about what kind of special significance his actions

towards us held. 2ven if he were to consider it, at most it would be something along the lines of3

I didnt make this decision. My superiors told me to do it, and I have to do what's assigned to me. Its not like I

want to do this, so I hold no responsibility in the matter./

It was precisely this thought process that allowed him to be capable of such incalculable cruelty without even

so much as a change in his epression. &lowly, he raised the pistol in his hand.

4erhaps even now, at this very moment, we will see a torrential rain so violent and so sudden that it will forever

change the field of meteorology as we know it. )nd yet, the 5uly sky remained so refreshingly clear that it

pissed me off. Not even foes would get married on a day like this.

6eady./

)h, thats right. 7idnt I reali(e it ust a second ago8 "eaven didn't respond to our prayers. I had other choice

than to find the solution in a way only I could.


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2ven until the very end, the committee member didnt look up from his stopwatch. *ith a thin finger, he pulled

the trigger.

)n eplosive noise rang out, and white smoke rose from the barrel.

This was %amiyama "igh &chools "oshigaya -up. )t last, -lass +) was ordered to start running.

%amiyama "igh &chool was well known for the sheer amount of enthusiasm with which it treated club activities

on campus, to the etent that even counting ust how many clubs there were was a pain in and of itself. If I

recall correctly, there were over fifty of them this year. The autumn culture festival took place over the span of

three days, and the passion surrounding it was normally so intense that anyone with a cool head would agree

that everyone was overdoing it a little.

$n the other hand, this meant that there was an overabundance of sports events as well. )lthough there were

no athletes from our school that looked like they could compete in last years sports inter+high, I heard that the

martial arts clubs had a fairly impressive history with it. *hile things started to !uiet down after the culture

festival ended, the sports festival started up right away, and in addition to that, a lot of maor sports

tournaments also took place right after the start of a new academic year. That said, I didn't find it all that

grueling. Its not like I was bursting at the seams with the desire to participate either, but I could at least agree

to something like playing as a volleyball receiver or running in a 99 meter relay. If I absolutely had to, I could

find it in me to work up a little sweat and show everyone a smile.

I couldn't summon even that smile, however, was when I was told to run further.

:&pecifically, when I was told to run 9,999 meters.

The %amiyama "igh &chool long+distance running tournament takes place every year at the end of May.

)pparently, its actual name is the "oshigaya -up./ 2ven though the event was supposedly named after a

graduate who previously established himself in 5apan as a skilled long+distance runner, no one calls it that. In

contrast to how the culture festival was called something enigmatic like the %anya 0estival/ even though it had

no proper name, the "oshigaya -up/ was usually known simply as the Marathon 2vent./ In my case,

however, because my friend &atoshi 0ukube only ever called it the "oshigaya -up, the name ended up

sticking for me as well.

Now, it was possible that I should've been happy considering the Marathon 2vent was shorter than an actual

marathon, but in the end, I really wished it would have rained today. )ccording to &atoshi, the notice

concerning the use of public roads indicated that, in the event of rain, the marathon was to be stopped

immediately and without resumption for the rest of the day.

"owever, then he also added, ;ut its strange, isnt it8 )s far as I can tell from the records, the "oshigaya -up

hasnt been stopped once to date./

There must be a god out there looking out for the athletes in the "oshigaya -up.

That god is undeniably rotten to the core.


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I wore a white short+sleeved shirt and shorts that were somewhere in+between red and purple, something like a

crimson. The girls wore short tights in the same color. The schools emblem was embroidered on the shirts

chest+area, and below that was sewn a paper bib displaying the students class and name. The string holding

my -lass +) < $reki/ bib in place was already beginning to turn ragged. &ewing it on was a pain, and I ended

up doing a half+baked ob anyways. Not good.

It was currently the end of May, so it didn't rain as much as it might have in subse!uent rainy season.

-onsidering they wouldn't be able to hold it the net day because of the weekend if it had to be cancelled on

0riday, it seemed like minimal consideration was given to the whole thing. 7ue to the =399 )M start, it was still

unpleasantly cold. )s the sun rose, I would almost certainly start to sweat.

$n the school grounds, there was another entrance aside from the front gates, and all of -lass +) eited from

it as they started to run. 1oodbye, %amiyama "igh &chool. May we meet again in 9 kilometers.

The "oshigaya -up course was not very clearly defined in that the only specific instructions were really 7o a

lap around the back of the school./ The thing was, however, the mountainous area behind the school continued

all the way to the distant, snowy %amikakiuchi range, so in reality, the long+distance run/ was something more

along the lines of long+distance mountain trek.

I knew the eact course.

>ou run a bit alongside the river that flows in front of the school and then go up hilly road to the right at the first

intersection. The slope starts off gently at first but !uickly ramps up in steepness. )s you approach the very top,

it becomes a slope that mercilessly breaks one's body.

$nce youve climbed it, the road immediately drops. 5ust like the upward slope, the decline is much longer and

more violent than one might epect, and your overworked knees will surely cry out in pain.

The end of the decline opens up a bit into a large epanse of countryside. >ou should be able to see the

occasional house here and there. *hile theres little inclination in the road at this point, it continues in a straight

line for what seems like eternity, so this stretch tends to do the most mental damage.

$nce you reach the end of the flat section, you have to overcome another hill, but unlike the previous slope,

the climb on this one isnt as violent. The thing is, however, the road becomes etremely windy at this point,

and the constant hairpin turns coming one after another tend to ruin one's rhythm.

)head of that is an area in the north+eastern section of %amiyama -ity called 5inde, the place where

-hitandas house is located. )t this point, you follow a thin river downhill.

-ontinue making your way through the valley like this, and you will eventually return to the town area. Though,

in saying this, its not eactly like we can run alongside the dead center of a street used by cars, so, as a result,

you use a back road. $nce you pass by in front of )rekusa &hrine and look past the stereotypically white

6eng# "ospital, you will begin to see %amiyama "igh &chool.

"ow did I know this8 *ell, you see, I ran it last year as well. I knew every length of the track from start to finish.

;ut that knowledge wouldn't shorten the distance one bit. *hile I understood where it was we had to go, I felt it

was necessary to omit the process in getting there. 2ven though it was probably impossible, it was likely the


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most optimal strategy at the same time. In other words, when needing to cover a 9km distance, one should at

least be allowed to choose between using a bus or a bike. ?nfortunately however, this etremely rational

thought process of mine didnt seem like it would be given much consideration.

?p first was the river in front of the campus, and already issues began to crop up. The maority of the course

took place in areas that had little traffic, however this section alone connected to a city bypass, so there were a

considerable number of passing cars. )dditionally, there wasnt anything like a curb separating the pedestrian

and motor roads@only a single white line. The only reason we had to start running this early was so we didnt

cause any congestion in the streets.

The students of -lass +) ran in a single+file line inside the area marked off by the white line. This was the only

point in the entire 9km during which both the fast students and the slow students had to run at the eact same

pace. If they didnt, they would end up poking out into the roadway. Aast year we were more+or+less allowed to

epand out from the single+file line, however this year, it was strictly prohibited. It was a measure that the

school took to prevent any accidents as a third+year was hit by a car in this area yesterday. Thanks to that, we

were allowed the immense pleasure of being packed into a line that was difficult to run in.

&o I guess I wouldn't be walking this kilometer stretch. The line was ogging at a light, easy pace. The road

ahead of me was long. If I imagined the ogging to be net+level walking instead, I suppose I could tolerate it.

*e finished the kilometer section before too long, and the course swung a wide right. *e veered away from

the main road leading into town and approached the schools rear. Thus began the upward slope.

The single+file line crumbled away. )s if they were propelled by the building frustration of not being allowed to

run at their own pace, those in the class that were more physically oriented immediately broke away from the

group. &everal groups of girls, most likely motivated by some promise to happily run alongside each other, also

began to move up.

)nd as for me, I slowed down.

:)nd slowed down even more.

I was essentially walking at that point, but I continued to make it look like I was running regardless.

&orry to all the "oshigaya athletes out there, but I cant afford to be happy+go+lucky like you. In the span of this

9km, there was something I absolutely had to find out, and I only had B=km left to do it. 6oughly B99m into the

upward slope, I heard a voice call out from behind me.

)h, there he is./

I didnt turn around. The owner of the voice popped out in front of me anyways.

"e, &atoshi 0ukube, then got off the bicycle he had been riding.

0rom a distance, I thought he looked like some sort of androgynous gentleman, but up close his face looked so

different from what you might have epected had you looked at his old middle school yearbook that it surprised

even me. $f course, the trouble was not that his face had actually changed that much, but rather, that over the


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course of the previous year, he had come to lock up all of his emotions behind that faCade. I didnt reali(e it,

however, because I hadn't been face+to+face with him for almost three days.

This year around, &atoshi became the 1eneral -ommittee vice+president. )s the 1eneral -ommittee was

running the "oshigaya -up, its members didn't need to run. )fter all, they set up before the race started and

were epected to be distributed around the course. "e wore a yellow helmet and pushed his usual mountain

bike. I looked at him with a sideward glance and said, >ou sure its fine to be slacking off like this8/

Its fine, its fine. I already made sure the race started without a hitch, and Im not going to come back until the

last runner passes the finish line./

Must be tough./

I understood that the 1eneral -ommittee didnt have to run as thanks for their efforts in supervising every

aspect of the "oshigaya -up, but now this guy was going to be flying all over the 9km course on his mountain

bike to report if any unforeseen situations should ever occur. &atoshi dropped his shoulders.

*ell, its not like I hate cycling, so its not all that bad, but I wouldnt need to do this if I could only use my

cellphone./

"ow about you tell them that8/

None of the students on campus are technically allowed to carry cellphones, but in reality, if someone were to

get hurt you would use a cellphone to call for help, right8 They seriously need to re+evaluate their rules, I

swear./

*ith this he lamented over the 1eneral -ommittees infleible organi(ational structure, but then a serious

epression suddenly came over him.

In any case, do you think you have an idea yet8/

)s I sluggishly walked on, I responded carefully.

Not yet./

Mayaka is:/

"e started to speak, but faltered. I had an idea of what he wanted to say, so I started talking instead.

Its clear that she suspects me./

No, I dont think thats the case. It actually seems like she thinks it cant be you. This is something someone

told me, but apparently she said, DI dont think "#tar# did anything. )fter all, he literally does nothing./

) bitter smile crept across my face. Not only did that definitely sound like something Ibara would say, but it had

been like that in reality as well. I did absolutely nothing yesterday.

If thats what she really thought however, things became !uite problematic.


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If its not me:/

2actly,/ replied &atoshi with a deep sigh.

If it wasnt me, there was only one other person it could be. I remembered what had happened yesterday.

2. Past: 1 Day Ago

I was reading a paperback in the clubroom after school. It was a period novel chronicling the early days of a

man who became a master spy later on in his life, and it was so ridiculously interesting that I had become

uncharacteristically engrossed in it.

)t %amiyama "igh &chool, a place overflowing with various clubs, several of which disband and are then

replaced by newer ones each year, it was !uite common for clubrooms to be switched around at the start of a

new academic term. That said, the -lassics -lub remained in the same 2arth &ciences lecture room. It's not

like I was particularly attached to it, but because I'd been in this room so regularly over the course of theprevious year, I ended up sitting in my Eusual seat.E It was the chair positioned, as always, third row from the

back and three seats from the window overlooking the school grounds.

)s I reached the end of one of the chapters and raised my head to ehale from the ecitement, the rooms

sliding door suddenly opened. Ibara walked in, her eyebrows furrowed and her face betraying a concerned

epression.

Mayaka Ibara was a second+year now, and she had changed slightly. &he had !uit the Manga 6esearch

&ociety she was once a part of alongside the -lassics -lub. &he herself said it was because she ust got tired

of it./ 5udging by &atoshis conflicted face, it seemed there were other circumstances involved as well, but Ididnt ask.

Its not like I thought her appearance had changed or anything. If you tossed Ibara into a group of new students

and told a hundred people to pick out the second+year, I doubt a single person would have chosen her. &he

had recently started wearing clips in her hair, however had &atoshi and the others not brought it up, I would

have never even noticed.

There was only me and one other person in the clubroom. 5ust until a little bit ago, there had been three of us.

Ibara spoke.

"ey, did something happen8/

No.../

The one who muttered that was -hitanda.

2ru -hitanda was the recurring -lassics -lub president. &he hadnt cut her hair in a while, so it had grown a

bit.

Ibara looked back towards the hallway and then spoke in a somewhat concealed voice.


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I ust passed by "ina+chan over there. &he said she wasnt going to oin./

*hat8/

"er eyes were kind of red. *as she crying8/

-hitanda was at a loss for words. *ithout responding to the !uestion, she muttered to herself.

I see./

I didnt know what had happened.

) year passed, and as we became second+years, naturally so were there new first+years. *e opened up the

-lassics -lub for new students to oin, and while there were a lot of complications along the way, finally we

managed to recruit one member.

Tomoko Fhinata had turned in a provisional club enrollment form, and all that was left was for her to submit the

actual club entry form. Not only had she become etremely attached to Ibara, but she seemed to also be

constantly enoying her discussions with -hitanda. &he could be a bit annoying at times, but its not like I was

cold towards her because of that. 2veryone thought she would oin the club without a problemG rather, I wonder

if in reality we all forgot you were even re!uired to turn in an actual club enrollment form after the provisional

one in the first place.

)nd now, we were being told that she wouldnt be oining. "ad all of this collapsed in the short time I had been

reading my book8

-hitanda faced Ibara and spoke once more with !uivering lips.

EI see,/ she repeated as best she could. 2ven though Ibara didn't know what had happened, she listened

carefully and asked, )re you okay, -hi+chan8/

I knew it. ;ecause of me:/

*hat do you mean Dbecause of me8 If youre talking about "ina+chan, youre wrong. &he even said it wasnt

your fault./

No, Im sorry. I have to go./

-hitana forcibly ended the conversation and left the 2arth &ciences room with her bag as if she were running.

)ll I could do was stare.

Ibara watched -hitanda as she left and then turned around to face me. *ith an epressionless, monotone

voice, she spoke.

&o, what happened8/

)ll I could do was shake my head, mouth wide+open.


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3. Present: 1.2km

*hile there were tons of clubs, there were only so many new students. The race to recruit these incoming

students reached peak ferocity every )pril. Aast year, I didnt really have any reason to oin the other clubs so I

ignored the whole thing, however this time around I ended up in the center of the maelstrom. 7oing it, I

eperienced something for the first timeG it was my first true bloodbath.

New students I had never seen before were being snatched away left and right in recruiting attempts, so issues

began to crop up to some etent. *hile it was probably true that the new students who couldnt turn down the

incessant soliciting of a club they had no interest in had mostly themselves to blame, there were apparently

certain clubs that had gathered massive amounts of members to pressure the first+years into oining. ?sing

high+handed tactics like this was something that simply did not work, however. The reason behind the two+step

process re!uiring students to submit both a provisional club entry form and an actual club entry form was to

make sure the students oined of their own volition. If a student didnt turn in the actual club entry form later,

they were automatically dropped.

The deadline to turn it in was this weekend, so essentially, the deadline was today.

;efore anything, there was something I wanted to confirm.

5ust because you dont turn in the actual club entry form doesnt mean you cant oin at a later date, right8/

$f course. >ou can oin or !uit any %amiyama "igh &chool club you want at any time. Its completely up to

you./

)fter he said that, however, &atoshi continued with a slight grimace.

The thing is though, a clubs budget is based on its member count at the end of the provisional club entry

period, so any member changes after that point are really looked down upon. )nyways, more importantly:/

I know./

The problem wasnt the bureaucracy.

In all reality, the second we learned that there was some kind of trouble yesterday, we should have tried to

resolve it, though I suppose there wasnt anything we could have done in the first place considering both

Fhinata and -hitanda had left by that point. $nly one day had passed, and yet it already felt like it was too late.

If this were to remain unresolved before everyone was separated over the weekend, Fhinatas resignation

would almost certainly end up being a done deal, and changing her mind might be impossible.

There were no classes being held today after the "oshigaya -up ended. >ou had to attend homeroom for a

small period, but after that, everyone could meet with their clubs.

In other words, though today was the only day wed be able to pull Fhinata aside, we had hardly the time nor

the chance to get into contact with her.

That said, I dont know what specifically happened,/ said &atoshi with a hushed voice. It seems like yesterday

after school, something made her etremely angry or depressed, but we have no idea what caused that, right8/


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>eah, I was reading the entire time./

If thats the case, then -hitanda had to have been the cause. 2cept now, it contradicts what Mayaka was

told./

The upward slope hadnt yet become physically strenuous. "ouses lined the left and right sides of the road and

the hill gently continued forward. &omeone nimbly caught up beside me as I continued my slow pace. "e was

probably a student from +;, the class that started after us, who had faith his legs would carry him to the end

like this.

I whispered my !uestion.

*hat did Ibara say8/

&atoshi seemed to be disappointed in me at a !uick glance.

-ome on, you didnt hear8/

&he didn't tell me anything./

I wonder if she didnt have any time. I wasnt there either, so the details are a bit fu((y./

&atoshis eyes darted about, and then he awkwardly added, If I remember correctly, Fhinata said -hitanda

was Dlike a ;uddha, or something like that. I only remember it was something that wasnt insinuating anything

mean./

I hadnt heard anything at all about this. I didnt know anything other than the fact that Fhinata said she wasnt

going to oin the club.

*as this really yesterday8/

The phrasing might have been off, but it happened yesterday without a doubt./

Then Fhinata had said both Im not going to oin/ and -hitandas like ;uddha/8 If that was the case, then that

would honestly have me assume that she was essentially saying, Im not going to oin, but its not -hitandas

fault./

That would therefore mean I was the reason that Fhinata decided to !uit. >et, I truly didnt do anything

yesterday. $f course, I would be lying if I said I didnt remember nor hear anything. I talked a bit before entering

the clubroom, and I did hear the occasional thing as I was reading, but that was all.

I guess this isnt going to be simple after all./

"owever, then &atoshi murmured under his breath, I wonder if thats the case./

I think its simple,/ he continued. ) new recruit oined. &he changed her mind. &he decided to !uit. This was

all that happened./


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2ven as I continued to more or less run, &atoshi managed to follow alongside me while pushing his mountain

bike. )s epected from a cycling hobbyist, his walking was top+notch.

&atoshi let out a sigh and finally started to talk.

"ey, "#tar#. This might be a bit cruel, but if Fhinata !uits, I think we should ust give up on her. I mean shes

certainly an interesting person, and Mayaka really seems to like her, but if she herself decided on this, I dont

think we have any right to dispute that./

"e looked at me and added.

)lthough I thought youd be the one to say that instead of me./

That wasnt an unreasonable assumption. In reality, when Mayaka came in yesterday feeling distressed, I didnt

really think what had happened was all too important.

Im sure Fhinata had her own circumstances. )t %amiyama "igh &chool, you were allowed to be in up to two

clubs at the same time, so if there were three you wanted to oin, it would be completely understandable if you

dropped the -lassics -lub. In any case, her intentions were unclear. 4ossibly she found a sport she wanted to

do, or perhaps she decided to start participating in 1eneral -ommittee activities. Maybe she ust decided she

needed to concentrate on her studies. There were any number of reasons why she might have decided to !uit,

and the -lassics -lub didnt have a single reason to dispute that. It was unfortunate, but maybe it wasnt meant

to be. Those thoughts had certainly crossed my mind at one point.

I had changed my mind on the matter for a couple of reasons however, but I didnt feel like eplaining them to

&atoshi one+by+one while I was running. )fter this, he gets to ride his bike the rest of the way, but Im stuck on

my legs. I would only tire myself out more if I tried to talk while running, so I wanted to limit my speech as much

as possible.

4robably reali(ing that I wasnt going to reply, &atoshi casually continued to speak.

;ut you know how it goes. If youve decided on trying to dissuade her, I have no reason to stop you. &o, do

you plan on finding her and then begging her to not leave8/

I was immediately caught off guard.

;egging her8/

>eah, lower your head like this and tell her, DI know you must have eperienced much displeasure at our

hands, but I implore you, bear with it ust this once./

&atoshi said this while gesturing with his hands, and then continued with a pu((led face.

>ou werent going to do that8/

I hadnt even thought of that. I suppose it was an option, but in the end...

Fhinata up and said she had a reason as to why she was !uitting, right8 I wonder if we can truly bring this

issue to a close without knowing that reason first./


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"e responded with a groan.

>oure actually going to try and resolve the issue, huh. I suppose beggings not something youd really do in

the first place, although !uickly apologi(ing and begging her by all means necessary is certainly the fastest way

to go about this. It might even go over better than epected.E

I wondered if that was how it'd really go. I had a hard time believing it. )t the very least, I didnt think that

prostrating in front of her would completely settle the issue at hand.

In the first place, it wasnt that I was doing this because I wanted to dissuade her from leaving. Im not sure

putting everything aside so I could beg her to sign the actual club entry form and then going on like I didnt

know her after was something I could even do. )ll that would do would be put off the hassle until later. Now, I

like avoiding work, and I love being able to omit it even more, but what I dont like is putting something off until

later. If you see something that looks like a hassle but pretend it isn't there, having to deal with it later becomes

even more of a hassle.

I guess Im probably not going to beg her./

"ow about persuade her upfront8/

Thats also a pain. ;esides, did you think I was even a smooth+talker in the first place8/

I dont. 6ather than gently convincing someone, youre more the type that settles a conversation with a single

piece of sagely wisdom./

"e said this and then became !uiet.

"e stared at my face carefully.

2arlier you said that resolving this issue wasnt going to be simple. )re you really actually trying to figure out

the eact reason why Fhinata wants to leave8/

-alling it Dfiguring out was an eaggeration.

Im ust trying to remember everything that happened up until now. )s long as I ust do that, I can spare myself

the effort./

&atoshi started thinking for a bit.

6emember, huh8 I see. In other words, you dont think whatever made Fhinata angry or sad was necessarily

something that only happened yesterday after school. The cause, or rather the original, underlying problem,

was something that happened at a different time./

"e was pretty sharp.

I knew for a fact that I didnt do anything yesterday, and when it came to -hitanda, even if you didnt take into

consideration Ibaras D-hitanda is like a ;uddha account, the idea that Fhinata would be so hurt and angry

after talking to -hitanda made me feel like Ibara might have played it up a bit.


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I felt bad saying it, but considering it was Ibara, I could understand that being the case. &he seemed like the

type of person that might shank you if you simply mentioned something that rubbed her the wrong way, no

matter how trifling it was. *hen it came to -hitanda on the other hand, she would have simply tilted her head in

confusion.

If I were to think about it like that, the cause might have been related in some part to something that had

happened prior to yesterday. 4ossibly at some point, starting from when Fhinata oined the club as a

provisional member, unbearable thoughts had been slowly accumulating in her head. 4erhaps yesterday, she

had reached her limit.

I said I wasnt planning on stopping you, but: this is !uite convoluted, isnt it8/

No kidding./

No matter how much you try to remember, "#tar#, theres no guarantee that youll have all the information

necessary to crack this one./

I guess thats true./

Its not like the -lassics -lub members were always togetherG even I didnt go to the clubroom every day. There

were likely tons of things I had neither seen nor heard. "ad all of it started and ended while I was unaware it

was even happening, ust thinking would be useless.

That said, and I couldnt tell any of this to &atoshi yet, I did have some ideas here and there. 2ver since

Fhinata oined as a provisional member, there were a couple things that I thought seemed strange. Maybe if I

focused my attention on those parts, something would become clear. I might be completely wrong, but at least

it was somewhere to start. ;esides, I had 9 kilometers. This course took far too long when simply running.

I spoke.

If theres anything I need to know, Ill try asking you./

&atoshi furrowed his eyebrows in suspicion.

)sking me8 5ust to let you know, Im going to be riding ahead of you now./

I know, but we're bound to pass each other again at some point, right8 &ee you then./

I smiled at him and continued.

)fter all, Ibara and -hitanda will be coming from behind./

0or a second, &atoshi stared at me dumbfounded.

>oure terribleH &o thats what you were planning. "ow could you8 Think about all the blood and sweat the

1eneral -ommittee poured into setting up the "oshigaya -up./

Isnt it the Marathon 2vent8/


13/189

*ithout a doubt, I needed to talk with Ibara and -hitanda.

$n the other hand, I also had to come into contact with Fhinata by the end of the day.

There was only one way I could achieve both of these.

In order to prevent congestion in the streets, each of the classes start times were staggered. I was in class +

). If I remembered correctly, Ibara was in +- and -hitanda was in the very last one, class +". If I ran slowly,

eventually Ibara would catch up, and if I went even more slowly than that, -hitanda would as well.

*hich class was Fhinata in8/

-lass B+;. No wonder you were going at such a slow pace. No, Im relieved. )ctually Im really relieved. Thats

right, theres no way youd seriously try to run all the way through to the end./

&atoshi laughed as he said this. "ow rude. I properly ran the course last year, even if I stopped around halfway

and ended up walking for B9km or so.

Now that I know your evil scheme, I suppose its about time for me to get moving. 2ven la(ing around has its

limits./

"e straddled his mountain bike. I thought he was going to push the pedal and ride away, but he suddenly

hesitated for a second. "e turned back towards me.

Im only going to tell you this because were friends. Make sure you dont take this all on yourself, "#tar#.

>oure the kind of person that doesnt normally care about another persons circumstances, so dont forget that

you arent responsible for anything, no matter what ends up happening with Fhinata./

It was a mean way to phrase it, but I understood what he was trying to say. "e wanted to tell me that no matter

what I thought or found out, in the end, it was Fhinatas decision. >ou can lead a horse to water, but you cant

make it drink. I guess it would be a good idea to keep that in mind.

Im going now. &ee you again somewhere on the course./

>eah./

&atoshi finally started to pedal away. 2ven though the slope was getting steeper and steeper, his mountain bike

picked up speed without staggering. "e didnt even stand up to pedal. *ith his rear planted firmly on the

saddle and his body arched forward, he pedaled further and further away.

*ith my small steps and sluggish running, I saw him off.

Though I said I was going to talk with Ibara and -hitanda, it wasnt as simple as it sounded.

2ven when each of them did catch up, I wouldn't be able to talk with them for very long. 2specially Ibara didnt

seem like shed slow her pace for me. In the time that I had for her to catch up to and then pass me, I could

probably only ask her around two !uestions.


14/189

I didnt have enough time to ask everything I wanted to. If I didnt decide on what I wanted to ask before she

caught up, I was going to ruin my chance.

In order to ask the correct !uestions, I needed to correctly understand the situation. &pecifically, what I need to

understand was ust eactly what kind of person the %amiyama "igh &chool first+year Tomoko Fhinata was.

:&o I tried to remember. )fter -hitanda left yesterday, Ibara asked the only remaining person, me, a !uestion.

So, what happened?

*hen I didnt answer, she said something else.

You dont know? Shouldve seen that coming. After all, youre not one to pay attention to other people.

) single, nonchalant comment.

It almost felt like she was a bit surprised, however.

Its not like I didnt know because I was reading my book after class yesterday. 6ather, I ust wasnt very

interested in anything Fhinata had to say. It was probably due to things like this that &atoshi always liked to call

me a people+hater./ It wasn't like that was entirely the case, but it wasnt very far off either. 4erhaps from an

outsiders perspective it looked like I was becoming more and more distant from Fhinata.

0or the most part, I came to not really care at all about her personal life, about what made her happy and what

had hurt her in the past. I was essentially ignoring her. I wondered if, even now, I could manage a full ?+turn

from that apathy. -ould I do it during this 9km distance8 The course took far too long when simply running,

however I wondered if even that was enough time for me to try and understand someone.

I had to try and think about it, no matter what it took.

The slope became increasingly steeper, and at some point, the scenery to the left and right of the road had

changed to that of a cedar forest.

)nother person continued to pass me by as I dawdled forward.

I first met her in )pril. It was during the new+student recruitment week.

Chapter 1 - The Reception Table is Right Over Here

1. Present: 1.4km; 18.6km Remaining

2ven though the entire width of the road was covered in brand+new asphalt, there was hardly a passing car in

sight. $n all sides of me were %amiyama "igh &chool students wearing gym clothes. It was almost like the

roads that went through the mountainous area behind the high school were epressly built for the sake of the

"oshigaya -up. Ibara was probably going to be coming up soon from the back. ;efore that happened, I

wanted to make sure I clearly remembered all of the events that took place during the new+student recruitment

week.


15/189

The time between when a class started to run and when the net class started after them was usually around

three minutes. I was in -lass ) and Ibara was in -lass -, so that meant I had started around si minutes

before she did.

0or the first kilometer, I had matched my pace with that of those around me. $nce I had reached the uphill

slope, &atoshi caught up with me and I slowed down a little bit. $n average, I should have been running at

around the pace of a slow og.

I had once heard that a persons casual walking speed was roughly kmph. 6unning would normally double

that, and so on. In a book that I had once read, if you were to walk at slower than mph, you were punished.JBK?nfortunately, the eact conversion from kilometers to miles was ha(y at best in my head, so I couldn't use

that as a reference. )nyways, lets ust assume that it was somewhere in+between a stroll and a fast run.

Lkmph. Ibara was probably running more earnestly than the average, so I decided on kmph. 0rom there, I had

to figure out how many kilometers were between me and Ibara, who had started si minutes prior. That meant

the answer was:

The answer was:

Multiplications and divisions ran circles inside my head. It wasnt like I had eceptionally bad grades in math,

and the calculations werent all that etreme with this one. Its ust that doing all of the math in your head and

doing it with paper and a pen re!uired different skills altogether. )dd onto that the fact that I was running, and

my head ust couldnt function like it usually could. Taking time while I was trying to figure out the answer was

unavoidable. )s I made ecuses one after another, I kneaded the all the distances, times, and speeds into the

formula in my head.

Aets see. In around one minute, one would probably near about B meters or so. &he would catch up to me ataround .Bkm from the start then. That meant that the approimate distance between us was: *ell, she

probably wasn't that far back anyways.

2ven though I didnt have enough time nor distance in the first place, in order to calculate how much of each I

had left, I ended up using more of both in the process. Talk about lacking foresight. I had two possible ways to

reclaim the lost time and distance.

The first one was to try running a bit more seriously.

)nd my second option was to try remembering what happened that day all the more !uickly.

That day, if I recall correctly, was ust like today. Im pretty sure it was fairly clear out.

It was certainly colder, however.

2. Past: 42 Days Ago

The 0riday that fell on the very last day of the new student recruitment week was often called the New 6ecruit

0estival. It was apparently called this not because anyone in particular named it such, but because it was

simply more convenient to say.

The new student recruitment itself, however, lasted all throughout the entire week.
http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Hyouka:Volume_5_Chapter_1-1#cite_note-1http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Hyouka:Volume_5_Chapter_1-1#cite_note-1http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Hyouka:Volume_5_Chapter_1-1#cite_note-1


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0rom Monday onwards, the new students gathered in the gymnasium after school and sat through several

orientations. $n Monday was the student council's presentation. )fter that came the important school

committees. 0rom Tuesday on, the various clubs took turns getting on stage to show the various first+years ust

how fantastic they were. )nyways, there were a considerable number of groups, so the orientations were held

over a period of four days.

The same sort of thing happened last year as well, but I wasnt interested in being solicited, so I left early. Now

that Im on the soliciting side this year, however, I thought I should probably do at least a little enemy

reconnaissance. $n Tuesday, -hitanda grabbed me and we did a little spying in the gym.

2ach group was allotted five minutes to present. In that time, the Theater -lub put on a skit, the -lothing

6esearch &ociety put on a fashion show, the -hoir and )capella clubs showcased the musical differences

between the two of them, and the Track+and+0ield &ports -lub brought in a mat to demonstrate running high

umps.

There were also clubs clearly at a disadvantage. Not only did the 7ivination 6esearch &ociety only have one

member, that one member didnt like showing off at all. *ith a !uiet voice, she gave a brief eplanation on the

history of the %abbalah and then !uickly put down the mic and left. The -ooking 6esearch &ociety similarly

had their own disadvantages. Its not like you can instantly start preparing something the second you get on the

stage. They could only really tell the first+years to come visit them at their table during the end+of+the+week New

6ecruit 0estival because they would treat everyone to their mountain+herb cooking there. The 1o -lub played

a game for the audience, but it was a failure no matter how you looked at it. They didnt have a large

demonstration board, so the audience couldnt even see where they were placing the stones. It would have

been fine if they had someone reading the moves out loud, but apparently there were only two people in the

club. It was like time had fro(en in place, desperately wanting to run away.

;ut this wasnt the time nor place to be feeling sorry for the 1o -lub. 0ive minutes was an unepectedly long

amount of time.

The -lassics -lub was scheduled to present on Thursday. ;ecause they were still sorting things out after

becoming second+years, &atoshi and Ibara were often busy so they didnt show up to the clubroom for the

most part. $n *ednesday, however, everyone happened to be gathered.

*hat are we doing8/

*ithin my !uestion was not only me wondering how we should fill our five minute timeslot, but me wondering ifwe were even capable of doing something like that in the first place.

0or now lets ust try our hardest,/ responded Ibara with a voice clearly suggesting she wasnt going to try her

hardest.

I agree, lets try our hardest,/ I retorted in like.

)s I said this, however, she replied, Try our hardest on what8/

"ow would I know8 >ou were the one that said it first.


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*ell as it goes, Im the club president, so technically speaking I should probably be the one to give a speech

that could eplain what makes the -lassics -lub attractive, but:/

-hitanda was also being evasive. 5udging by the way she hesitated while saying that sentence, she was,

without a doubt, unable to think of any attractive points. That wasnt all.

-hitanda, even if you were to go onstage to try to sell up the -lassics -lub, I dont think anyone would come./

)re you serious8 Try looking in a mirror net time you say something like that./

No, its fine,/ said -hitanda to the hostile Ibara. I know Im not good at asking people for favors./

-hitanda had a strong will and limitless amounts of sincerity, but on the other hand, because that will of hers

was so one+sided, she didn't have it in her to use cunning tricks. If we had the materials needed to convince

them gathered here, -hitandas way of doing things mightve worked, but unfortunately, our hand was empty.

That being said, Ibara was right about me needing to look in the mirror. If I were the one pushed out to face the

first+years, I would doubtlessly only be able to say something along the lines of *e dont really do anything,

but we do have a clubroom, so if you could stop on by, thatd be wonderful./

"owever, I still had reservations about getting Ibara to do it.

-hi+chan, Ive never thought you were bad at it. If it were me doing it, Id only end up saying something

unnecessary./

It appears the party in !uestion also understood this.

)t this point, there was only one person left.

&atoshi showed a troubled look on his face, but his eyes were clearly smiling.

I wonder if Im the right person for the ob. If there are no other suggestions and you absolutely need me,

however, I suppose I could do it to kill some time./

*ith that, it became &atoshis time to shine.

If everyone is happy with our Thursday plans, you guys should start deciding on what youre going to do on

0riday. )fter all, if you plan on using fire or gas, youll need to turn in a re!uest slip by tomorrow./

&atoshi said this in his official 1eneral -ommittee voice and then stood up. I hadnt known he had been chosen

as the 1eneral -ommittee vice+president and was busy as a result of that until later.

)nd then came Thursday after school. &atoshi 0ukube stood on the gym stage as the sole -lassics -lub

representative and let loose a variety of clever, apt one+liners, like $n the way here, I heard a lot of sawing

noises coming from the -onstruction -lub, but no matter how hard I looked, I couldnt seea thing. -lassics

-lub, everyone./ "is appropriate humor invited a good number of laughs from the first+years, and his flawlessly

delivered speech wrapped up perfectly in four minutes and thirty seconds. "e received a sparse applause and

then eited the stage as the )bacus -alculation -lub came on net. 2ven now, I admired my old friends

remarkable gift.


18/189

)fter all, &atoshis speech had almost nothing to do with the actual -lassics -lub. 2ven though there was

nothing to talk about, he splendidly filled the desired timeslot. That in itself was a spectacular ability, and one

that I could never hope to imitate.

)nd then 0riday rolled around. The sky was very clear.

In front of the %amiyama "igh &chool building, in the garden or roundabout or whatever you called itO, there

were several spaces dotted with shrubs. 7uring lunch break, each of the clubs and committees had set up

tables there. ;ecause of the scattered bushes, the tables couldnt be set up in a straight line, and as a result,

the tables on both sides curved around in any number of offshoots.

I came to set up for the -lassics -lub. &atoshi was busy with 1eneral -ommittee work, and as much as I

believed in my motto, if I dont need to do something, I wont,/ I didnt feel like pushing all of the manual labor

onto Ibara and -hitanda. I carried out the table and folding chairs and then lunch break ended. 7uring

afternoon classes, I was able to see the venue I set up from the window, but the do(ens of tables lined up

made the front gardens seem something like mysterious ma(e.

;efore the bell that signaled classes were over chimed, my class, +), started becoming restless. I heard

various whispers coming from all directions.

"ow are the preparations going8/

;efore anything else, we have to start with this./

:and other things of that nature. ) particularly hasty student put on an armband reading -ertain PictoryH/

while he was still in the class. )nother one placed a stuffed bear on his desk. I couldnt even begin to guess

what clubs these people where in, but I did understand the rush, though. If you were too late to catch the first+

years before they left, all of that preparation would have been for nothing. ) running start was crucial.

The bell rang, and classes ended. )ll of my classmates immediately flew out the door like a cascading

avalanche. Most likely, this scene was the same in all of the second and third+year classrooms. )lthough a little

reluctant, I ended up oining the end of the avalanche anyways.

The garden that was at one point solely occupied by a line of empty tables was now overwhelmingly covered

with various posters, signboards, and handouts. 2ven at a !uick glance, I saw things reading3 Pisit the

-hemistry -lubH May our future relations combustH/ *illing to bet your youth8 7amn straight, the ;asketball

-lub is for youH/ 2noy creating it, and then have fun wearing itH -lothing 6esearch &ociety./ The "an 7ynasty

hath fallen, and the "istory 6esearch -lub shall be oinethH/

$ne more person and well have elevenH 5oin the &occer -lub./ The -heering &!uad held a group flag, the

-heerleading -lub formed a large circle, the smell of black tea began to drift from the -onfectionery 6esearch

&ociety, the Tea -eremony -lub had diligently laid out an outdoor mat, and a bunch of people with headbands

had gathered who were, if I remembered correctly, part of the ;roadcasting -lub. Not even ten minutes had

passed since the school bell rang, and already this much pandemonium had broken loose.


19/189

)ll of this had started at Q3Q9, and it was scheduled to be completely taken down once it had reached L399.

This roughly two+hour long madness was commonly known as the New 6ecruit 0estival. The fact that the

ErecruitE in the name didnt mean warmly invite/ but rather solicit by any means necessary/ was something

very typical of this school, indeed.

Most clubs had a single standard table, but depending on member count, popularity, and some invisible political

element, there were other clubs that had one of the several large ones. $f course, it was decided beforehand

which clubs would get them. The -lassics -lub had the number B table, so as I wandered around, searching

for it, -hitanda called out to me, $reki+san, over here./

I wasnt looking forward to it that much, but as epected, our table was placed in a small corner of the venue.

$n it sat a small cardboard sign reading -lassics -lub./ *hile the writing was elegant, it also felt unreservedly

warm. *ithout a sign, no one would be able to tell what kind of club we were trying to get them to oin, but we

hadnt mentioned doing this kind of preparation. 4ossibly reading my epression, -hitanda gave a slightly

conflicted laugh.

I put it together during lunch break. I probably should have made it a bit cuter, but I didnt think of that at the

time./

That meant this was -hitandas handwriting. I thought shed normally write in a more tetbook fashion, but her

brushwork was surprisingly carefree. 5ust as she had mentioned, however, it wasnt cute in the slightest. It

mightve been nice if Ibara had drawn a little figure on it, but hindsights 9


20/189

*ith ust the two of us sitting side+by+side, it was already getting a little hard to breathe. "ad -hitanda been a

little considerate in moving to give me some breathing room I would have been !uite comfortable, but

unfortunately, she had a peculiar understanding regarding personal space, so the fact that we were close

enough for our shoulders to be touching didnt bother her in the slightest.

I took a small breath. Aets ust play it cool. I wasn't the only one that thought it was cramped. 5ust in my field of

vision, for eample, I could see the 4hotography -lub and 1lobal )ct -lub s!uee(ed far too closely together,

and we all had to start advertising our club whilst buried in this mess.

)t any rate, I had to start doing something to catch the attention of the passing first+years.

*ith interested epressions that were still clearly intimidated by the presence of their seniors and faces that still

betrayed their middle+school roots, the first+years came little by little. )t that moment, I couldve sworn that I

heard the sound of people licking their lips, thinking their prey had finally arrived. 0ake, luring smiles filled the

New 6ecruit 0estival grounds.

The -lassics -lub couldnt afford to lose either. Now, now, come on up ladies and gentlemen. -ome forward,

anyone with a little time to spare. If you would like to oin the fantastic -lassics -lub, the reception table is right

over here.

)fter five minutes, I became bored.

No one was even stopping at our table.

I said I was going to catch us some first+years, but how do I even do that in the first place,/ I grumbled as I

stared at the new students passing by. -hitanda sat upright, her hands resting on her thighs, and without

looking at me she responded.

If only we had some birdlime, this would be simple./

I knew roughly what birdlime was, but I had never seen it before. )t most, its something like a bug net, right8

*ouldnt a bird net be more efficient8/

4ossibly, but its illegal./

I dont think anyone will find out./

$reki+san, are you the kind of person that ignores a red signal in the middle of the night8/

Im the kind of person that doesnt go out on walks in the middle of the night, period./

The conversation was so unproductive that it put even me in a miserable mood.

>ou strike me as the type that would stop at that red light./

There are no traffic signals where I take my midnight strolls./


21/189

It was so incredible unproductive.

I assumed something like this would happen, so I took out the book hidden in my coat pocket. I started reading

the short story collection, and then spoke to -hitanda who continued to face forward eactly as a receptionist

might.

*e have nothing to do, so Im going to be reading./

)s I said this, -hitanda finally turned to face me, and with a soft smile she said, That wont do./

;ut no ones coming./

That wont do. 4lease ust sit here !uietly./

?nderstood. I returned the book to my pocket. Thinking about it, if I were reading a book on the side like I had

no interest in the festival, I guess new students would find it difficult to approach the table. $n the other hand, if

I were to remain sitting like this until evening, it would ust get colder and colder. I crossed my hands behind my

head.

-hitanda also looked like she had way too much time on her hands. No matter how strong her sense of

responsibility was, she wasnt an inanimate obect, so we should probably leave if nothing continued to happen.

&he turned her head to the side and seemed to be watching an ecited student from another club with interest.

4eople continued to flow by. 0or some reason, as I watched this progression, I spoke.

-ursed spots really do eist./

>es, they do./

&he replied immediately. I didnt know what to say in response.

) little while later, -hitanda turned to me and tilted her head.

Thats not what you were talking about8/

*hat eactly was Dthat referring to8 I decided to not think about it too hard and leaned back into my folding

chair.

>ou know, one of those. In something like a shopping district or roadside area, even though it doesnt look like

its in a bad location compared to the other shops, you have a store that is constantly being destroyed and

replaced by a new one. ;efore you reali(e it, theres a new shop there, and no matter what kind of shop it is, it

never gets any business. I was ust thinking that spots like those really eisted./

)h, I see. ) place that's constantly changing ownership. Its mysterious, but once they change the signboard, I

can never seem to remember what kind of shop it was previously./

Thats true, isnt it8 *hen it becomes a vacant lot, you end up even forgetting if there was a shop there in the

first place./


22/189

-hitanda nodded and her epression begged me to continue. I wanted to avoid her eyes so I slightly averted

my face. )s if to bring attention away from that, I lightly tapped the table with the back of my hand.

Im getting the same vibes here./

;y Dhere, do you mean this area8/

>eah./

$ne section of the row of tables was placed in an area surrounded by ring of hedges. )ccording to the 1eneral

-ommittees official statement, the -lassics -lub was to be one of the clubs stationed in that clearing, however,

I had been watching the path that the students had been taking since earlier, and things werent looking good.

*hen the first+years entered the ring, their backs were turned to us. If students werent interested in what was

going on and decided to continue through to the school gates, they wouldnt even see us once, however, if one

was curious, if even for a little bit, and they decided to look around, they would naturally end up directly in front

of our table. 5udging solely by the flow of traffic, this spot shouldnt leave a bad impression at all.

)nd yet, for some reason none of the first+years were even so much as stopping in front of it. They wouldnt

even look at -hitandas handwritten -lassics -lub sign.

7oesnt it feel like people are finding it hard to stop walking around here for some reason8/

)s -hitanda watched the group passing in front of us, she slowly responded.

I think the biggest problem is that we arent calling out to them./

Aoud voices from every club were intersecting each other in the air all throughout the front gardens. "ey, you

look like a !ui( kind of guy. Im sure youre searching for a !ui( even as we speak. I feel you. *ell then, first

!uestionH/ *e also host 2nglish debates. >our 2nglish grade will certainly riseG it normally does./ No no, Ill

start from the rules. Its easy if you memori(e them. If you ust pay attention to where gold/ and silver/ are,

youll be fineH/ )re you bad at cooking8 Its fine if you are, because youll only get better in the -ooking

&ociety. -ome to our clubroom now and we'll make you something right awayH/ )stronomy -lub, )stronomy

club over hereH 7o you like stars8 Aove planets8 )lthough technically we cant see them right now./ I had ust

reali(ed it, but even the singularly manned Ink 4ainting -lub and %aruta -lub were calling out to the passing

students.

-ertainly enough, staying !uiet and then complaining that Dno one was stopping seemed pretty irrational.

)t the same time, however, -hitanda then said this.

)lthough, with Dthat thing right in front of us, it does seem a little unfair./

*hile saying this, she indicated what she was talking about with her eyes.

DThat was putting on a huge ehibition in front of the students passing along the path. ) large banner read

6eady for Tea Time./ It was an e!uisite banner with cat and panda mascots embroidered on it with beads. )

black tea fragrance wafted from it. $n the table were a Thermos, two stacks of paper cups, a club entry form,

and a pen. $n one end of the table were also a tabletop gas stove and a golden kettle, the type that a sports


23/189

team might drink from during a match. That shining kettle looked as if it could carry an impressive B9 liters. )t

the moment, the stove wasnt turned on.

)nd the thing that stood out the most was the pumpkin on the opposite side from the gas stove. This utterly

massive thing had eyes and a mouth carved into it to turn it into a "alloween decoration. 7id "alloween take

place in )pril8

In the center behind the table were two girls. ;oth of them wore only aprons over their school uniforms. 2ven

though that was the case, they were so enthusiastic that it seemed like the cold hadnt even reached them.

&andwiched in+between the pumpkin and gas stove, they vigorously waved their arms around.

-ome and have a bite. -ookies youll be sure to loveH 1reat, here you goH/

The thing is, we put a mysterious concoction inside these cookies. Now youve fallen into our trap. >ou want to

oin the club now. &ee, you really want to oin. >ou want to oin so badly that you cant stand it anymore. The

registration sheet is right over here.E

>es, this is that kind of cookie. Id be bad if it got stuck in your throat, so drink some of this here black tea./

)s she said this, she picked up the Thermos and poured the tea into a paper cup.

"ey you, you over there. >ou look like the type who loves cookiesH/

)h, youre rightH "e does have a face perfectly suited towards eating cookies. Now eat up. It doesnt matter

why, ust eat itH/

&omehow I felt like Id met those two before. *hat was it, I wonder. I dont think Ive seen their faces before.

It seemed like they had a lot of cookies prepared. They were giving them out one after another. I didnt know

whether or not their plan was actually succeeding in getting people to sign up, but they were certainly getting a

lot of students to stop.

The -onfectionery 6esearch &ociety, huh8/

>es, you cant help but look over there, completely forgetting about the -lassics -lub./

?sing food to lure the new students in, what a dastardly pair. )t any rate, those who would let their hearts be

stolen over something like a cookie were probably frivolous people anyways. They wouldnt make good

additions to the -lassics -lub. )s I was playing around in my head with my baseless accusations and we are

the chosen few/ rhetoric, I noticed -hitanda seemed a bit strange net to me. &he was staring intently at the

busy -onfectionery 6esearch &ociety table without so much as twitching.

No way... I called to her with fear in my voice.

-hitanda8/

"uh: oh, what is it8/

The startled -hitanda turned towards me, and I asked her a !uestion.


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Is it possible:/

>es8/

:you want a cookie8/

-hitanda thought a bit and then replied with an earnest epression.

If I said no, I would be lying./

Its fine if you go and get one./

Thank you very much, but I cant. *e have other priorities./

$ne again, she turned her head to stare at the -onfectionery 6esearch &ociety.

Isnt there something strange going on over there8/

-aught in her trap, I ended up looking once more myself. The energetic duo. The Thermos, paper cups, and

club entry sheet. The tabletop gas stove, pumpkin, and cookies.

:*ell I couldnt deny that there were certainly strange things going on with their choices in presentation. The

strangest thing there was probably how lively the two were.

$ther than those, maybe there were one or two more weird aspects.

I guess youre right. It is odd./

I was careless to let that slip out. -hitanda suddenly turned towards me. ;ecause the table was so small, when

she did, I could feel her so close to me that I instantly umped back without thinking.

6eally8 *hich parts are odd8/

*hat do you mean Dwhich parts8 >ou were the one that said it first, weren't you8 It ust is./

$r perhaps she was playing some sort of high+level mind game with me, saying that it was strange in a way

that only the -onfectionery 6esearch -lub could be./

-hitanda casted a sidelong glance at the commotion surrounding the cookie distribution and then whispered

something in response.

I know, but the thing is ever since a while back I cant help but feel like something strange is going on. I have

these thoughts, and its so frustrating./

$h, thats probably ust:/

4lease waitH/

I stopped speaking and swallowed the words before they came out.


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4lease dont tell me yet. Im still trying to figure out the answer. >es, I feel like I understand it somewhat./

Ive been asked plenty of times to give an answer, but I have never been told to not give one before. *hile I

was considering how rare this was, I stared at the side of -hitandas close face as she stared at the

-onfectionery &ociety in turn.

)t last, she looked resolute.

Its the pumpkin. I have a feeling that the pumpkin is off./

The orange pumpkin had two triangular eyes and a agged mouth cut into it. No matter how you looked at it, it

was your standard, run+of+the+mill 5ack $Aantern, but I could understand why it might have attracted ones

eyes to such an etent.

-hitanda, however, pursued a different line of thought.

1oods along those lines arent authori(ed in 5apan: No, thats wrong. Thats ust a normal variety of pumpkin

seed./

Is that so8/

4umpkins are grown in the fall, but I guess if they were stored properly, it wouldnt be strange that they didnt

rot./

I see./

They arent being widely sold as a commercial crop yet. I dont think there are any farming families growing

them in %amiyama -ity./

Im shocked./

;ut you can buy them normally at the supermarket. Is it domestically+produced8 $r perhaps its an imported

variety./

*hy are you looking at it from an agricultural perspectiveH8/

That part wasnt the problem. )s she continued to miss the point so splendidly every time, I began to feel like

remaining silent was an evil deed in itself.

-hitanda whispered a couple more things to herself, but finally let out a small sigh.

I guess everything up until now was wrong. I have no idea. I give up. *hy am I so curious about that

pumpkin8/

&he became bashful, as if apologi(ing for her previous obstinacy.

Im curious./


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Normally I would have thought this kind of thing was a nuisance.

)fter all, -hitandas limitless curiosity had brought about a similarly limitless number of nuisances to not only

the -lassics -lub, but to this energy+saving advocate right here as well. Thinking rationally about it, even had I

not resolved a large maority of these, its not like I would be any worse off than I was now, and yet, even I

didnt really understand why I ended up sticking around all the way to the end in most of these cases. I think

-hitandas large eyes were to blame.

"owever today, as -hitanda said she was curious at that moment in this very spot, I didnt find it all that

annoying. )fter all, sitting behind this table, I wasnt allowed to read a book nor get up and leave. If I was only

going to be sitting at this table anyways, I figured having a discussion wouldnt be bad.

)t the same time, I had already mostly understood the true identity of the thing that had caused -hitanda to

have a Dfeeling that something was off. It didnt look like this discussion would last for very long. I started

speaking.

That pumpkin is pretty big, isnt it./

-hitanda tilted her head.

*ell its a ucur!ita pepovariety, so it actually isnt that big in compari:/

"er tone suddenly shifted.

>ou could probably ust barely fit your arms around it, right8 )t the very least, its considerably larger than the

cardboard you used to make the -lassics -lub sign./

&he looked at the sign, and then finally nodded in assent.

Thats correct. Its much larger./

That pumpkin was placed on one side of the table, and on the other side is the tabletop gas stove, and yet,

between them are two -onfectionery &ociety members umping around and handing out cookies. )t our table

are ust the two of us sitting side by side, and its already this cramped./

6eally8 Is it that cramped8/

5ust as I thought, she didnt think so at all.

Aet's ust put that aside for now. ;ecause we were watching the table from a gap in the passing flood of

students, and its orientation was somewhat diagonal when compared to ours, it was probably difficult for her to

gauge distance. The answer to -hitandas !uestion was actually very simple.

The -onfectionery &ocietys table is bigger than ours. *hen I was setting up our table earlier, I noticed there

were several clubs using etra+large ones. >ou didnt know the tables came in different si(es. Isnt that why you

felt a strange sense of discomfort8/

)h:/


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-hitandas voice leaked out.

"owever, her face wasnt glowing.

Their table is etra+large. >ou can figure that out from the distance between the pumpkin and gas burner. I

see. 5ust like you mentioned, I hadnt noticed that. ;ut I have a feeling that its something else. :In that case,

why do they have a pumpkin there8/

)nd now we arrived at the Dwhy. It was a difficult !uestion.

7oes there have to a reason in using decorations8 "anding out cookies while using a "alloween theme

makes a certain amount of sense, doesnt it8/

2ven though it was completely out of season.

-hitanda returned to look at the -onfectionery &ociety.

Aet me change my phrasing a bit. If they didnt have the pumpkin there, what would happen8/

)s she asked that, I tried imagining it. *hat would happen if you took away the pumpkin, and the table only

had a tabletop gas stove and kettle.

The table would look fairly open and spacious./

I agree./

&he then turned towards me and started speaking slowly, as if emphasi(ing the point.

If that pumpkin wasnt there, dont you think the -onfectionery &ociety would be able to do so much more with

all the space8/

I felt like I understood what she was getting at.

-onsidering the pumpkin was solely being used as a decoration, the -onfectionery &ociety was limiting the

amount of space they had. )nd yet, even though they had done that, it didnt look like they were cramped at all.

This meant that they had an ecessive amount of table space. To think they were even assigned an etra+largetable in the first place.

&o are you saying that them having the etra+large table is a waste8/

-hitanda shook her head slightly.

Thats not what Im saying. Its ust that they seem to be using the same amount of space that we are at our

smaller table. In that case, why were they assigned an etra+large table8/

The 1eneral -ommittee was responsible for divvying up all of the spots. Naturally, they also decided whichclubs got to use the etra+large tables. 0or eample, if a physically bulky club like the ;rass ;and -lub was


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given an etra+large table, no one would think twice. >et, the -onfectionery &ociety didnt take up a lot of

space. 2ven at the moment, there were only two there advertising.

I could think of several reasons aside from that, however, that might eplain it.

4ossibility one3 There were a lot of etra+large tables, and all of the clubs that actually needed them got one,

so there was a surplus. )s a result, even the -onfectionery &ociety was given one./

7o you really think so8/

"earing such an earnest response to my half+assed theory almost made me choke on my words.

Not really.../

I dont think so either. If that were there case, itd be unfair to the clearly+troubled 4hotography -lub and

0lower )rrangement -lub over there./

I could see the 4hotography -lub completely drowning in their photos with not enough room to put all of them,

but the 0lower )rrangement -lub that -hitanda pointed out as well was in an even worse position. ;ecause

they lined up a row of showy flower arrangements on their table, the final result resembled something more

akin to a densely packed ungle as opposed to a collection of floral pieces, and on top of that, you couldnt even

see the club members faces. They had probably brought one arrangement per person without thinking about it

and !uickly ran out of room. ;esides, I had basically known there was no surplus in the first place.

2tra+large tables are distributed among the clubs that have a lot of showpieces to ehibit, while the

-onfectionery &ociety puts up with a normal+si(ed one. This is what normally should have happened. &o why

didnt it8

4ossibility two3 The -onfectionery &ociety has pull with the 1eneral -ommittee, and they bribed these

connections to make off with an etra+large table./

6ecruiting the new students was a matter of survival of the fittestG it was accepted that those who hapha(ardly

approached the event without a plan of attack were morons. 0or a little while after, -hitanda had a sad look in

her eyes. *as she despairing over the cruelty behind this cold calculation8 In the end, however, she finally

replied.

&o after doing that and making off with the etra+large table, those two:/

4ut a big pumpkin on it./

No, that was wrong. There was a fundamental contradiction in that. If they didnt have a way to effectively use

that etra space, there wouldnt even be a reason to pull so many strings to get one in the first place.

If I assume they went after one deliberately, then it was possible that they were using the etra+large table not

because they needed it, but because it put the clubs that would need it at a disadvantage. ;y this hypothesis,

the -onfectionery &ociety secured the etra+large table simply to harass the other clubs. It wasnt like that

couldnt be the case, but the realm of possibility is often far separated from that of reality. I didnt believe they

would go that far, and I dont think -hitanda would either.


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Aets ust put that one aside for now. Time for possibility three./

7eep, down inside, I thought that this one was the correct answer. Aisting the other two before it was: well:

me ust killing time really.

It took a little bit for me to find the words.

The -onfectionery &ociety filled out a re!uest to use a particular device, and they were given an etra+large

table because they needed the space for safety purposes as a result./

*hat device would that be8/

There was something that you needed to get special permission for.

0ire. The tabletop gas stove./

?pon hearing this, -hitanda turned her head and once again looked over towards the -onfectionery &ociety.

The -onfectionery &ociety was given an etra+long table in order to use that. Its dangerous to use fire in a

narrow space, after all. "owever, the table was much too large with only the gas stove at the end. )s a result,

they added the pumpkin to the other end of the table in order to achieve a nice, pleasant balance. 7oesnt this

sound correct to you8/

*ith this, I was sure I solved the mystery behind the pumpkin. It took a little more than I thought it would, but

-hitanda was sure to be satisfied with this.

"ow naRve I was. -hitanda continued to stare intently at the -onfectionery &ociety table, as well at its ever+

energetic club members handing around cookies and black tea.

)fter an aniety+inducing period of silence, -hitanda slowly turned towards me.

I see. I wish I could call it a fantastic deduction, however:/

I also started looking at the thing -hitanda was staring at in particular. ) Thermos. 4aper cups. ) tabletop gas

stove and kettle.

"he gas stove isnt !eing used.

-ertainly enough, the fire wasnt lit at the moment. >ou could figure that out ust by looking.

;ut even that being the case, -hitandas point didnt make any sense.

*hat are you saying8 5ust because they arent using it at the moment doesnt mean they wont be using it

later./


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-urrently, they were pouring tea from the Thermos, however, if they continued to distribute it, they would

eventually run out. *hen that happened, they would certainly use the gas stove to heat up more. 2ven a

kindergartner could figure that out.

-hitanda suddenly moved her face close to mine. I looked up and our eyes met. It was like her pupils

penetrated all the way through to the bottommost areas of my heart.

$reki+san, you were thinking that I was dumb ust now, werent you./

I wouldnt say:/

Then, were you thinking I was an idiot8/

I was thinking it was logic that even a kindergartner would understand.

-hitanda leaned back in her chair and started talking in a miffed tone.

Its not like I say things without thinking beforehand. I figured it out when I was looking really carefully at the

table./

-hitanda had an impressive sense of vision, hearing, and smell. "er taste was probably similar. 4erhaps she

had caught on to something that I didnt notice as a result of those five senses.

*hat did you see8/

Nothing that you cant./

&he probably wasnt sulking. &he was issuing me a challenge. #amn you, I thought and then strained my eyes

to look for something.

I guess I couldnt say that there was nothing suspicious.

That kettle looks brand+new. It doesnt look like its been used over a fire even once yet./

In saying that, however, there was no way to tell if it hadnt actually been used before ust from that

observation. I snuck a !uick glance at -hitanda, and I could see her cracking a small smile without looking like

she was going to say anything anytime soon. :*hich probably meant that wasnt it.

The -onfectionery &ociety is giving out black tea. They are pouring it out of the Thermos into the paper cups.

$nce they run out, theyll have to boil more, of course./

*ait a second, thats incorrect. >ou dont boil black tea.

)h, so thats what it was. 2ven if the -onfectionery &ociety was really boiling water over there, was there really

anything they could do with ust that8

I understand now. >ou were talking about the black tea, right8/


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2actly,/ she replied, seemingly puffing out her chest with pride. The -onfectionery &ociety is handing out

cookies and black tea. 2ven if they decided to boil some water, thered be no point if they didnt have the tea

leaves, and yet, I havent seen these tea leaves anywhere on their table. They must have previously brewed

the tea somewhere else and then poured it into the Thermos./

)lthough I constantly recogni(ed her incredible senses, there were few times when I thought her insight was

similarly etraordinary. I wasnt feeling down at being bested by her, but I retorted with a stingy counter

anyways.

Maybe the black tea base is already in the Thermos. )ll they needed to do would be directly add the boiling

water and it would turn into black tea. $r maybe the leaves were in the kettle:/

)s I finished saying this, -hitandas eyes became wide.

$reki+san: dont tell me youve never brewed black tea before8/

I remained silent.

That was eactly the case. I preferred coffee much more, but even when I did drink black tea, it would always

be some that I got from a vending machine. )s a result, I had never once had the need to brew it for myself. It

almost felt like me admitting to my lifes pathetic nature however, so I didnt want to say that out loud.

If you were to do that, the tea would get more and more bitter. Thats why its made in teapots with removable

strainers and why the tea leaf packages themselves have recommended amounts for single use. 0or eample,

even if you were to use a tea bag, youd normally take out the bag after a certain amount of time had passed./

Is that so8/

>es it is./

&o thats how it all worked. I wasnt very knowledgeable about the whole thing, but I could at least understand

that there was something wrong with the fact that they didnt have tea leaves nor a pot used to brew the tea in.

This meant that the black tea that they had already prepared in their Thermos was all they had, and that the

gas stove wasnt there to make more.

Things were becoming increasingly bi(arre.

I guess this means that the -onfectionery &ociety wasnt planning on using the gas stove that they prepared

from the very start. In that case its ust like the pumpkinG at this point it's ust a decoration./

I thought for a bit.

2ven if they arent using it, I still think my hypothesis about them being assigned an etra+large table after

applying for permission to use the gas stove was correct. The strange part is how they dont seem to have a

use for it. *hat does that mean, then8/

*hat, indeed./


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?nepectedly, this was starting to become a hassle. I went along with it at first ust to kill some time, but to think

it would drag on for this long. Incidentally, as I was being pursued by this aniety, I turned away from -hitanda.

&he also averted her eyes at the same time.

*e then both noticed a person standing in front of us.

&kin tanned under the cloudy skies that persisted even in spring. "air cut short. ) face and countenance that

suggested a lively, gallant nature. ) thick acket that would have hidden the se of its wearer had it not been

unfastened, showing the sweater and tie underneath. )t essentially the same time, -hitanda and I saw a girl

standing before us. It wasnt like I forgot we were in the middle of the New 6ecruit 0estival, but I didnt think

anyone would actually come to our table. "ow long had she been standing there8

)s the two of us sat there dumbfounded and unable to speak, the girl stuck her hands into her acket pockets

and slightly bowed her head.

"i there./

&he then flashed a beaming smile.

-hitanda was the first to come to her senses.

$: oh, um, are you perhaps interested in oining8 My name is -hitanda. Im the club president./

The girl in the acket continued to smile as she responded.

Not necessarily, but I was walking around and looking at the clubs, and I finally saw you guys looking like you

were talking about something interesting over here. My names Fhinata. Im a first+year./

It was my first time hearing the name. It wasnt as rare as the name -hitanda,/ but it was still very peculiar, so

I had I feeling I wouldnt forget it. 2ven that was already out of character for me. I wasnt normally good at

remembering things like names and faces after all.

)nd yet, it felt like I had seen her face somewhere before. There could only be one reason for me knowing a

first+years face.

%aburaya Middle &chool8/

Fhinata looked at me and smiled as if she were etremely happy.

>es,/ she nodded. &he was a very straightforward person.

I see./

5ust like I thought, she was once an underclassman of mine. I figured I should say something about %aburaya

Middle &chool, but there wasnt really anything I wanted to ask or talk about, so I stayed silent.

-hitanda started to speak from the side.


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*ell, we are recruiting at the moment, so how about it8 $ver at the -lassics -lub we do: various things./

*ell put.

I dont know, it seems kind of complicated. >ou guys read stuff like classical -hinese literature, right8 I mean I

guess I do like 5apanese studies and all:/

No, we dont do those kinds of things. $f course, if you would like to we could./

Is that so8 &till though:/

I didnt know if Fhinata had heard something up in the sky somewhere, but she suddenly stooped over and

brought her face close to -hitandas.

This is ust something a friend told me, but people should finish the things they start. &o8 *hats up with the

pumpkin after all8/

*ha:8/

I see. &o she was eavesdropping on us, huh8

0rom which part did you start listening8/

?mm,/ she thought as she pursed her lips from side to side, 0rom the part where you told her she could go

and get some cookies if she wanted to./

Thats basically from the beginningH/

-hitanda let out something like a yell. "er cheeks were becoming visibly flushed.

>ou heard everything8 Thats so embarrassing./

-ould you really call a conversation like that embarrassing8

It was such an unepected reaction that it caused even Fhinata to falter.

?m, Im sorry. I really didnt mean

Hyouka-you Cant Escape!

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