Unit Roster

By the time the sun had set, I was feeling perfectly fine again.

It was a near-miracle that I’d only suffered a dizzy spell after being so badly wounded.

Words can’t describe how grateful I was for what Chika had done for me.

After dinner, I volunteered to do all the dishes to make amends for screwing up yesterday.

While Chika and Saburo were happy to hear that, Shizuka had a scary look on her face. Apparently, she was still mad at me.

“Do you have a minute, Ryo?”

Shoko came over as I washed the dishes by the river with Itsuko and Mirai trailing behind her.

“Sure, but...what about Saburo and the others?”

“Doesn’t matter. It’s you we wanted to talk to.”

What could it be? I wondered.

The trio who had left Section Seven hadn’t really told us what they planned on doing from here on out.

Don’t tell me they’re planning on joining our group and staying with us?

Technically, I’d been appointed the group leader, but it was still a huge responsibility to bear.

I’d rather they discussed this with Saburo instead...

“I want you to see what Itsuko made.”

“What is it...?”

Shoko handed me a college-ruled notebook.

I shone my torch on it and flipped through the pages, pausing when I spotted my classmates’ names.

“...A unit roster, huh?”

It wasn’t just any unit roster.

Itsuko had written notes next to each unit in a cute and rounded font.

“Yup. It’s a roster of the units that Tsukasa assigned us to. It might seem balanced at first, but if you look carefully, you’ll uncover his real intentions.”

They were right.

Thinking back on how we were grouped with Itsuko’s comments in mind gave me insight into Tsukasa’s thought process.

“Section One: The straight-A students.”

“Section Two: The self-assertive leader types.”

“Section Three: The level-headed and rational thinkers.”

“Section Four: The teenage gangsters plus their manservant.”

“Section Five: The jocks.”

“Section Six: The otakus.”

“Section Seven: The individualistic and non-conforming types.”

“Section Eight: The useless misfits.”

It was obvious, no matter how you looked at it. Tsukasa had split the class into...

“...Half.”

I spoke out loud without realizing it. Shoko nodded.

“Exactly. Tsukasa’s assigned us to our unit depending on whether we’re a hindrance or a help to him.”

It wasn’t just Section Eight then.

Right from the beginning, Tsukasa had given up trying to save everyone and decided to rescue only half of us.

“Shoko! They’re on the move!”

Itsuko, who’d been standing some distance behind Shoko, approached us with a nervous expression on her face. A robotic fly buzzed near her ear.

“Section Four just took off on their own! That’s Tsuyoshi’s group!”

The teenage gangsters and their manservant.

To Tsukasa, they were probably just as, if not more of a nuisance, than our unit.

“They’re pretty much being sent to their death.”

Mirai added, following Itsuko.

“If we leave things as they are, half of the class will soon be dead. We may be able to turn things around if we act now, though.”

I wondered if she had had a vision.

“Wh-what should we do? Can I even do anything to help?”

“You got it all wrong, Ryo.”

Mirai shook her head.

“Not just anything. This is something that only you can do.”

I had no idea what Mirai meant by that.

I highly doubted I could make any sort of change when I didn’t have a skill.

“Okay, talk to me. I’m all ears.”

However, useless or not, I couldn’t just abandon everyone.