Summer vacation.
With the first semester's closing ceremony safely over, the students of Advanced Nurturing High School were buzzing with excitement over their brief break and the luxury cruise vacation.
Meanwhile, I was buried in paperwork inside the student council room.
Budget applications for club activities during summer vacation, approvals for school facility usage, and countless other administrative tasks filled the room in massive stacks.
That said, with the absurd processing power of my "Aizen specs," even mountains of paperwork could be finished in under an hour.
The real problem was that that guy had shown up again.
"Yo. Still grinding away at busywork during summer vacation? What a diligent little worker bee. Looks like you wag your tail pretty well as Horikita-senpai's loyal dog."
It was Miyabi Nagumo from the second year.
Leaning deep into the sofa with his legs crossed, he looked at me with bored, evaluating eyes.
"So you joined the student council and I thought you'd immediately start trying to control the first years, but instead you're happily playing errand boy. Don't you have any ambition to stand above others? You're like a house dog that's had its fangs pulled out. What a boring guy."
(Ugh, Nagumo-senpai again… It's summer vacation, so why does this guy go out of his way just to come insult me? I seriously don't care about domination or ambition. I'm literally just calculating club budgets. I'll just brush him off and go buy tea already…)
Internally sighing heavily, I tried to answer normally.
"I'm merely fulfilling the duties assigned to me. I have no particular ambitions—"
But what came out of my mouth was something else entirely.
"—Only the spineless find joy in tracing another man's footsteps. …Go ahead and chirp proudly within your narrow cage called a throne. The sky I gaze upon lies far beyond such things."
(NOOOOOOO!! The poem came out again!! Why does my mouth always turn 'I'm not interested in the student council president seat' into some grand, maximum-provocation declaration of war!?)
"...!! You bastard…! Are you saying I'm some naked king puffing himself up inside a tiny cage!?"
Veins bulged across Nagumo's forehead as the killing intent and hostility directed at me rose to yet another level.
(Wow, he's red-faced and furious again… If talking to me pisses you off this much every time, then maybe stop coming over here in the first place? Seriously, what an exhausting senpai…)
Internally exasperated, I obediently followed the automatically activated "Aizen exterior" and looked down coldly at the enraged Nagumo.
"Fuh…"
Then, with a faint scoff as though mocking something pitiful, I simply said, "Excuse me," and gracefully exited the student council room like a king.
On the way back from the student council room, I stopped by Keyaki Mall.
I was running low on the Darjeeling tea leaves I kept stocked in my room, so I needed to buy more.
(Alright, got some good tea. Time to head back to the dorms and relax in an air-conditioned room.)
Holding a paper bag containing high-grade tea leaves, I walked through the mall corridor.
Then—
"Fuh… Beautiful. My body is absolutely perfect today as well."
A male student suddenly caught my attention.
Standing in front of the giant glass window of an apparel shop was a heavily built guy with slicked-back blond hair and an open-collared shirt exposing his chest.
While staring lovingly at his reflection in the glass, he pulled out a hand mirror to adjust his hairstyle.
(Whoa… There's a dangerous one. That's Koenji, the infamous Class D weirdo. The kind of guy who's definitely a pain if you get involved with him. Don't make eye contact. Just walk past quietly…)
I completely erased my presence and tried to slip past him without making a sound.
However—
"—Oh my. Isn't that the stylish boy?"
"..."
Still holding his hand mirror, Koenji turned toward me with a fearless grin.
(NOOO!! The weirdo noticed me! How!? I was totally hiding my presence! Does this guy have wild animal instincts or something!? And what the hell is 'stylish boy'!?)
"Fu fu. Your speech at the closing ceremony was truly magnificent. That attitude of looking down upon the masses from far above—excellent."
Without hesitation, Koenji casually approached me and began inspecting me from head to toe.
"...Hooh. Even more impressive up close. No wasted tension, yet no openings whatsoever. That perfect posture and overwhelming presence of yours… Is it intentional? Or natural talent?"
(He's staring so hard!! My posture is just my body's default setting! This is scary! This guy looks like he can only play dodgeball with conversations! Just compliment him back and get out of here!)
I tried to politely respond with something harmless.
"Koenji-kun, you also have quite an impressive aura. Your reflection in that mirror suits you well—"
But instead—
"—Admiring your reflection in muddy water is one thing. …But if you truly believe such dim light could attract attention before the moon shining in the heavens, then you are simply laughable."
(I SCREWED UUUUP!! The stylish poem exploded again!! And I just insulted this insane guy at full power! He's definitely gonna punch me!!)
I braced myself internally for Koenji's furious retaliation.
Instead—
"Fuhahahahaha!! Wonderful!!"
"…?"
Koenji threw his head back and burst into booming laughter.
"I see! You mean that my overwhelming beauty, shining like the moon in the heavens, cannot possibly be measured by something as filthy and insignificant as a muddy window reflection—is that what you're saying, boy!? Fuuh, I don't dislike your unique and poetic compliments! Such beautiful metaphors could never occur to ordinary people!"
(WHAAAAAT!? How did he interpret my words like THAT!?)
I trembled in shock.
Without needing Hiyori's divine "translator powers," this man's absurdly powerful self-confidence forcibly transformed any insult into the highest form of praise.
(This guy's insane…! His mental armor is way too thick! In a sense, he might actually be my natural enemy…!)
Unaware of my complete disbelief, Koenji happily slipped his hand mirror back into his chest pocket.
Then he glanced at the excited students walking around Keyaki Mall and suddenly sneered coldly.
"My, my. So many people getting excited just because they're allowed onto a slightly luxurious cruise ship. They've become spoiled by the monthly points deposited into their accounts and refuse to see the true nature of this school system—a brutal battlefield where people constantly drag one another down beneath the surface. They simply consume the entertainment handed to them."
Shrugging his shoulders, Koenji shook his head.
"I find ordinary people who avoid facing their own incompetence and instead cling to pleasant dreams interpreted conveniently for themselves utterly nauseating."
(Wow, that's vicious… I mean, isn't that a little too harsh? They're just high school students. If the school suddenly tells them, 'You're going on a luxury cruise for summer vacation,' of course they'd get excited… They're normal kids… Alright, I'll just calm him down with a 'Come on, don't be so hard on them' and leave already.)
I gave a strained smile and prepared to gently soothe him.
However—
At that moment, the soul of Sosuke Aizen resonated violently once more.
"...It cannot be helped. I sympathize."
My low voice, carrying overwhelming pressure, quietly echoed through the mall corridor.
For a brief moment, even the surrounding noise seemed to fade away.
"—From the beginning, there has never been such a thing as truth or falsehood in this world. There are only undeniable facts. And yet, every being in this world lives by mistaking only the facts convenient to themselves as 'truth.' Because they possess no other way to survive."
(NOOOOO!! Why is another insanely philosophical giant monologue coming out!? Wait—that's the despair speech he gave to Kurosaki Ichigo!! What is happening!? Why are these terrifying lines flowing out of my mouth so smoothly!?)
While I internally panicked, the Demon Lord's mouth continued moving.
"...But for the powerless masses who make up most of the world, the facts most inconvenient to them are, ironically, the truths they deny above all else."
(WHAT AM I EVEN SAYING!? I was just trying to say 'go easy on them' and leave! Why has this turned into some final boss speech about the cruel truths of reality!?)
It was a merciless revelation of truth regarding the survival instincts of the weak.
Weak people fear being hurt, reject inconvenient facts as "lies," and believe comforting delusions to be "truth."
But no matter how tightly they shut their eyes, the world is always governed by the cruel and inconvenient facts they wish to deny.
The moment Koenji heard those arrogant yet piercing words—
"—Fuh, fuHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"
His loud laughter thundered throughout Keyaki Mall.
"Wonderful!! Precisely correct, stylish boy! The weak are pathetic creatures who endlessly flee from the inconvenient truth of their own incompetence! What an exquisite philosophy! Deep and beautiful indeed!"
Koenji dramatically brushed back his bangs and stared at me with eyes overflowing with absolute confidence.
"However! None of that applies to this perfect being—myself! Because there does not exist a single inconvenient truth in this world from which I would ever wish to avert my eyes! FUHAHAHAHAHA!"
After completely understanding and praising my poem, Koenji somehow surpassed it through sheer overwhelming self-confidence.
"My, what an excellent and meaningful conversation this was. I look forward to seeing how you move during the deserted island vacation. Adieu, stylish boy!"
Still laughing loudly, Koenji gracefully walked away, utterly intoxicated by his own beauty.
"..."
Watching that storm-like figure disappear into the distance, I stood motionless in the middle of the corridor as though my soul had left my body.
(…That bizarre narcissist just acknowledged me on some absurdly deep level… and I'm not happy about it at all… I'm exhausted…)
A wave of mental fatigue crashed over me, and I let out a deep sigh.
(Whatever. Starting tomorrow, summer vacation on the luxury cruise finally begins. I already warned Ichinose and Kanzaki that there'll probably be some kind of exam causing huge class point changes behind the scenes. But even so, it's still a luxury cruise organized by the school, right? Surely it won't be nonstop competition twenty-four-seven. Hopefully I'll at least get to enjoy the blue ocean and white beaches together with Hiyori and everyone else…!)
At the time, I had correctly predicted the existence of a special exam.
However—
I had no way of knowing that the true nature of that exam would be a hellish deserted island survival test far removed from any elegant cruise vacation…
…and that my tiny hopes for a relaxing summer getaway would be utterly shattered almost immediately.