CotE: Alter Omake - Self-Test Edition

I. Volume 1 - Kushida Kikyou: An Interesting Fellow

Calm down...

I need to calm down...

I'll think of ways to eliminate her, but that's not the issue right now.

This blond guy keeps on blabbering instead of letting the old lady take the priority seat. The office lady is useless, too. This is honestly just frustrating to watch...

I tried to butt in, but...

"Um, excuse me. I'm sorry that I didn't notice you earlier. Please take my seat instead."

A boy wearing the same school uniform suddenly gave up his seat.

"Oh, is that so, young man? Thank you very much!" The old lady replied with a relieved smile.

Was it to show off? Was he getting annoyed by the commotion, as well? Or was he genuinely kind?

Whatever the answer was, I didn't mind making contact with him.

"Good job on that one. Have you been a step behind, I'd be the one to speak for the poor old lady's sake, you know?" I said with a smile.

"Well, it was my fault for being absent-minded in the first place. I really wouldn't have noticed the old lady if it wasn't for that commotion. You were already standing, right? If I did notice, I might have offered you my seat, too."

"Huh? What's with this guy? We just met and he's already hitting on me?" That's what I would've thought if it weren't for his veritable poker face and dead tone.

"Wow. If it wasn't for your monotone way of speaking, I would've immediately thought you were hitting on me," I chuckled.

Was he the type of guy who'd get flustered by something cute? Would he panic if I put him on the spot?

"I wasn't planning on doing so. I'm sorry if that's how I came off. It only felt natural to me, as a guy, to offer my seat to a girl," he replied.

I can't understand this person at all... What's with these horrible replies...? Is he reading off a badly written script or something?

I could immediately tell that he wasn't the social type. However, his calm demeanor doesn't match up. Those responses could only be brought on by being a try-hard or by panic, but this guy doesn't exude any of them at all.

That said, if he thinks his replies are normal, then he'd really need to work on his social skills. It's like he's trying too hard to sound gentlemanly or something. It's kinda gross.

"Hehe, I see. I'm Kushida Kikyou, by the way. I'm in Class D starting this year. How about you?"

Since we're already here, we might as well go all-in with befriending him.

"I'm Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, also in Class D."

Fate wanted to be funny, I guess. But I guess this wasn't so bad.

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka— frowzy, monotonous, and bad at small conversations. Those things became apparent during our little exchange. Now that I look at him closely, he is quite a handsome boy. Those features are wasted on his robotic expressions, though.

As far as first impressions go, Ayanokouji-kun was gloomy and ordinary— the kind of guy that I absolutely despised.

At that time, I still didn't know that he'd be an important person in my life. 

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II. Volume 1: Wang Mei-yu - An Extraordinary Fellow

I was both nervous and glad that I managed to enroll in this school. I'm sure I'd miss my parents and old friends, but I'm also looking forward to my next three years here. I'm a high school student now, so I should do my best to meet new people. I wonder if I can make friends with anyone nice...?

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April 5th, 7:40 AM.

I'm so happy that I managed to make friends with a kind girl! Her name is Kushida Kikyou-chan, and because the two of us got to talk, more opportunities opened up for me, and I became friends with more girls!

That said, I'm still too shy to talk to any guys... Kushida-san said that she was already friends with one of our male classmates, and I thought it was really amazing.

Ayano... Ayanokouji...-kun...? I think that was his name.

I saw him enter the classroom with Kushida-san so I think I know what he looks like.

Hmm... Ah, there he is.

It doesn't seem like planning to talk with anyone. I moved my gaze to the people he was staring at. On the front, a very good-looking guy was happily talking with a lot of our classmates. Near them were the girls who looked like they were popular during their middle school days.

Uwahh... Just thinking about trying to befriend them already makes me feel like there are butterflies fluttering about inside my stomach... But I need to do my best.

"Wang-san, come over here! Nishimura-san and the others would like to meet you," Kushida-san called for me.

"Eh-? A-Ah, yes-!"

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April 5th, 8:00 AM.

 "Ahem. Good morning to you, students. I'm the instructor for Class D. My name is Chabashira Sae."

Chabashira-sensei got to the classroom as soon as the bell rang. She explained lots of stuff to us like the S-System and our monthly allowance. Everyone was celebrating until...

"Sensei, may I ask you a few questions?"

Kushida-san's friend, Ayanokouji-kun, raised his hand to call Chabashira-sensei's attention.

He questioned her about the specifics of the S-System to which she adamantly declined, saying that saying anything else would be out of line. To be honest, I also thought that everything was too good to be true, but everyone was so happy that I didn't even raise any suspicions.

"Then... can I buy that explanation from you?"

Every one of us gasped in shock. Who would think of doing such a thing at this moment? Ayanokouji-kun pushed on and tried to negotiate, but their conversation got more and more abnormal.

In the end, he managed to convince everyone in the class to take a mysterious gamble by putting his own points on the line... And that's when Chabashira-sensei explained all the hidden details to us. The entirety of Class D tried to digest all the information she relayed.

"This system tells us that our solidarity as a class will be the most important thing in the next three years. I hope we can work together as one team in all of the trials to come."

We were instructed to head towards the gymnasium after the second bell rang. Every single one of us tried our best to act normal so as to not waste Ayanokouji-kun's efforts. When I stood up to walk with my friends, what transpired just minutes earlier was still fresh in my mind.

Ayanokouji-kun's unperturbed expression as he confronted Chabashira-sensei looked very cool. Just by witnessing that, I'm sure all of us thought about how smart he is... Before I knew it, I found myself staring at Ayanokouji-kun. My heart was beating faster than usual and my face felt a bit hot.

That was probably the time I realized I was crushing on him.

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III. Volume 2: Sakura Airi - Colliding Feelings

Haruka-chan and I entered my room, putting our things to the side.

"Alright... I wanted to tell you something, and you also wanted to tell me something, right?"

"Yes... It's pretty important, so I also want you to hear me out." Her face was nervous, and I found it cute. I was usually the one in her position, so moments like this one felt really endearing for me. "But before that, Airi... Can I make a guess about what you want to say?"

"Oh, uhm, of course..."

"I see... It would be embarrassing if I'm wrong but... this is about Kiyopon, isn't it?"

"Yes... And if my guess is right, yours is also about him."

Haruka-chan's eyes widened in shock. It seems like I was right. I could only smile warmly at her dumbfounded face.

"It seems like both of us are open books," I said.

"Yeah... Seems like it..." Haruka-chan chuckled bitterly.

"N-Now I'm getting kind of embarrassed... Was it that obvious...?"

"Well, yeah... But I don't think Kiyopon has noticed anything yet. Miyacchi might've gotten a clue, but Kencchin is also a blockhead, so I think you're in the clear."

I sighed inwardly. I removed my glasses and lightly pinched the side of my hair.

"Y-You see... I think I like Kiyotaka-kun..."

"Mn..." she nodded, our faces getting red.

"Haruka-chan... You like Kiyotaka-kun, too, right?"

"Yes, I do like Kiyopon."

I don't know why, but hearing Haruka-chan confess her feelings with such an expression made me smile on reflex.

"That's a relief..."

"Eh?"

"You've told me about your past, Haruka-chan. I wouldn't want you to give up just because your friend likes the same person."

I don't want you to regret things again.

"Airi..."

"Of course, I have no intention of backing away as well. So from now on, we're going to be rivals in love," I declared with a smile.

"Airi, I..."

"Please don't have that guilty look on your face. Since you're the one feeling this way, that means you developed your feelings for him after noticing mine, right?"

"Mn..."

"Well, it doesn't seem like you've done anything sneaky to gain an advantage..." I playfully narrowed my eyes. "Or have you?"

"No, no, no, I didn't, I swear! It's just that... I always felt like I should've just kept these feelings inside. That's what I wanted to do at first but..."

"Haruka-chan, it's alright... Kiyotaka-kun is too amazing of a person, after all. I don't really blame you."

"Airi..." Haruka-chan looked like she was just about ready to hug me and cry.

"And it's not like we're the only ones feeling this way, right?"

Lots of girls have a crush on Kiyotaka-kun just in our class alone.

"Ah... you're right."

We were very close friends— Haruka-chan and I. To be honest, I wouldn't know what might've happened to me if I hadn't met her and the other early on.

I'm sure... I'd stay meek and shy, not talking to anyone, not connecting with anyone... Having Haruka-chan and my friends we're nothing short of a miracle. Because of them, I grew. Well, I hope I did. I'm still the same soft-spoken girl from before, but I've become much more comfortable around them.

"Airiii!"

Haruka-chan hugged me tightly in a reckless manner. Good thing I removed my glasses.

"You know, Airi, if you could act this decisively and confidently outside, I'm sure people will pay attention to you. And you're so cute, so I'm sure you'll become just as popular as any other girl in our year."

So she says. Well, I spoke my mind without hesitation, but that's because these were serious matters regarding our friendship and love. To be honest, even I didn't notice it until now. I can feel myself getting a bit embarrassed.

"I-I'd like to take things slowly... The idea of being popular in school— that thought still scares me a bit."

I would usually feel down and say something self-deprecating, but after seeing the fruits of my labor during my modeling days, it seems like my other self has the potential to become quite popular. Even I was aware of that.

And of course, Haruka-chan has been preaching that thought almost every day. There's no way I can deny it in front of her.

That's why I also vowed to make that other self into my real self— or at least, I'd like to integrate them together. I'm plenty happy and satisfied with my friends now, but because of them, I'm also starting to feel like I can do better. I can't relax just because Kiyotaka-kun is doing all the work.

"Mn, mn... But I'll also try my best to win over Kiyopon... So if one of us wins in the end, I hope we can stay friends," she said.

"There's no way I'd stop being friends with you, Haruka-chan." I slowly shook my head. "But I'll also try my best... to make Kiyotaka-kun look my way."

I don't know when it all started, but Kiyotaka-kun just started making my heart beat faster. Maybe it was during the time when that bad guy attacked me. He was like a knight in shining armor— arriving right when I needed him the most.

"What if another girl wins?"

"Seeing how popular Kiyopon is, it's certainly possible. It'd be pretty sad, but at least we're together on that loss," she smirked. "I don't plan to lose, though."

Of course. We were already so close to him. We wouldn't want anyone else to steal him away. That was the selfish thought that the two of us had.

"I-I don't plan to as well-!"

"Sigh... By the way, I know something was up with the girls in our class, but I didn't expect that, you know? The group chat, I mean."

"You were enjoying yourself, though."

"Shut it, Airi. I won't hear anything from someone who almost blew herself up."

"T-T-That was-! I just typed on reflex and pressed send by accident!"

Haruka-chan held her head in dismay before smiling at me.

"What would I do about you...?"

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IV. Volume 3 - The Other Side

3rd Day, 1:10 PM.

"Ahh~ What a shame. If only Ayanokouji-kun was here..." grumbled Azuma.

She was relaxing on the sea along with her best friend.

The two of them were a bit distanced from the main group, so they could talk about anything without worrying about getting eavesdropped on.

"Don't you want to flirt with him, Sana-chan?" teased Ichihashi.

"Heh, you don't have to act dumb, Ruri. I know that you're the one who really likes him."

Ichihashi's expression stiffened.

"You think I won't notice? You're usually a very pushy and forceful person, but suddenly, you started acting like a fine lady. I knew something was happening from that point on."

"E-Eh...?"

"He's really cool, isn't he? With him around, everyone in our class can feel reassured about anything, even with that scary Class D guy as our enemy," she shrugged.

"Yeah... Ayanokouji-kun is really cool." Ichihashi blushed lightly before shaking her head. "Wait, wait, Sana-chan... I admit that that is indeed the case, but am I being too obvious?"

"No, not really. If I wasn't ticked off by your early attitude, I wouldn't have noticed at all," smirked Azuma.

"H-Hey..."

"But thanks to your sudden change, the two of us are best friends now."

"Should we thank Ayanokouji-kun for that?" Ichihashi chuckled jokingly.

"Haha~, maybe?"

Ichihashi and Azuma splashed a bit of water on each other before speaking once more.

"Are you planning to confess?" asked Azuma.

"Of course. I'm scared, though. I don't know if I can handle rejection." Ichihashi smiled bitterly.

"Well, you're plenty cute, so you're more used to being on the other side. But Ayanokouji-kun is not like the other guys."

"He's super popular, and his popularity hasn't even reached its peak yet."

"That's why you need to move while you still have the advantage. If the likes of Ichinose Honami-san from Class C develop a crush on him, it'll be all over. There were lots of cute girls in Class A, too."

"Yeah... I'm trying my best to look pretty, too, you know?"

Silence ensued and only the calm waves of the ocean along with the faint cheers of their classmates could be heard.

"Do you not like him, Sana-chan?"

"Huh? What are you saying? Of course, I do. Even I have a working pair of eyes."

"Yeah, I thought so." Ichihashi chuckled as she touched her lip. "Do you plan on pursuing him as well?"

"You know, as a girl, the idea of pursuing a guy isn't that appealing to me. I'd rather have the opposite. I have a crush on him, but there's too much competition."

"You're also cute, Sana-chan. I'm sure you have a chance!"

Azuma giggled after hearing Ichihashi's response.

"For how mature you've been acting recently, it still boggles me how you can sound like a naive child sometimes. You don't have to worry about me, you know? It's not like I'm desperate for a boyfriend right now."

"Are you saying that I am? I'm not about to throw myself at any guy, you know? And I know Ayanokouji-kun pretty well. I really do like him..."

"I know, I know. To be honest, I'm pretty envious. The other girls in our class are a lot closer to Ayanokouji-kun. I'm friends with him, but sometimes, I feel like I don't even know anything about him." Azuma eyed her friend with a smirk. "You're one of those girls, by the way."

"Fufun~, I don't really think so. Kushida-chan and Karuizawa-san are a lot closer to him. Even Horikita-san gets to spend more time with him. I haven't even mentioned Sakura-chan and Hasebe-san," sighed Ichihashi.

Azuma tilted her head curiously after hearing Hasebe's name.

"Are things going alright with you and Hasebe-san? We talk with Sakura-chan sometimes and she doesn't look too comfortable with it, but I also don't think it's her being possessive of Sakura-chan or anything like that."

The two of them coincidentally found out about Sakura's hobby when they saw her taking photos of some scenery near the dorm. Since then, they've been talking to her about it occasionally. 

"I can't really blame her. I was acting like Satsuki and Karuizawa-san at first. According to Sakura-chan, Hasebe-san wasn't particularly fond of girls like them. I would understand if she thinks we're just using Sakura-chan to get closer to Ayanokouji-kun or something."

"Well, yeah..."

"You'd like to be friends with Hasebe-san, too, right? You'll get there if you show some sincerity."

"I hope so. But if it turns out that she really just doesn't like me, then I'd give up. 'Can't really do much at that point. I'm plenty happy with being friends with you and the others~."

"Oh, look at you being all cute~."

The two splashed water at each other again before getting called out by the other girls.

"Ruri, Azuma-chan! We have some snacks over here! They're just fruits though," called Satou.

"Yes, we'll be right there!" replied Ichihashi.

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V. Volume 4 - The Lady in the Sanctum of Books

Rest Day, 6:00 PM.

If I remember correctly, Horikita and Hirata should be meeting with Ichinose and Kanzaki by now. Just to be safe, I should probably still ask them about the details of how it went.

Setting those matters aside, I was currently walking around the ship's 7th deck. I've been reading nothing but manga and light novels recently, so I thought I'd borrow some classic books for a change. Horikita was reading Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, so maybe I should read something similar.

I entered the library without much trouble. Apart from the receptionist, there were only two or three students inside. That said, I'm sure this place will be fairly crowded tomorrow since it's the last day for students to return the books they borrowed.

When I got to the mystery section, the shelves and books were arranged based on the authors' surnames.

"Let's see..."

I wasn't the type of person who'd take the time to choose something like books. I'd usually just go in and take what I see first. 

However, since I had a lot of time on my hands, I took note of everything that I might've wanted to borrow, listing the names on my phone. I would then narrow them down afterward. It was something that I did purely to waste more time. Also, this list might come in handy if I ever wanted to borrow something from the library back at the campus.

The mystery section wasn't just full of mystery books. Crime novels, noir fiction, philosophical novels— a lot of them were here.

After some minutes, I sat down on a chair and stared at my phone.

A girl was curiously gazing at me while I was scanning the shelves.

"Chandler's The Lady in the Lake, Christie's And Then There Were None, Collin's The Moonstone, Doyle's His Last Bow, Hammett's The Glass Key..." There were those books among others... "...?"

I turned to look in the girl's direction and saw her walking figure step out of the library with a book in hand.

If I remember correctly, she was Class D's Shiina Hiyori.

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VI. Volume 4.5 - Sought-out Danger

August 17th, 2:30 PM.

It was summer vacation, but I was still tasked to report something... How troublesome...

"Alright, I'll keep that in mind."

After finishing my report, Chabashira-sensei permitted me to leave the faculty room. Since I was already here, I might as well ask something that's been bothering me since the island exam. Well, it wasn't really bothering me per se. It's more like me wanting to confirm a suspicion.

"May I ask a question, Sensei?"

"Oh...? Sure, what is it?"

"I thought the school ensured our safety. Why did something as lethal as holly berries exist on the island?" I asked.

Chabashira-sensei turned to me with an intrigued look.

"That's the thing that concerns you? You really are a strange one. Well, I guess it's a valid question."

I stared at Chabashira-sensei in response, waiting for her to continue.

"Let me ask you something then. Did your class encounter any berries like those?"

After hearing Sensei's question, I finally understood.

"I see, so that's how it is."

"Mhm," she nodded. "Elderberries were common around your camp, right? Because of their alkaloid compounds, they can cause nausea when eaten raw. Of course, your class managed to avoid that because of Ike's outdoor knowledge. A lot of similar berries could be found throughout the entire island. They can cause some minor health problems, but none of them would cause you to fall on the ground due to sickness."

"Unlike holly berries."

"Yes. Holly berries, mistletoes, Jerusalem cherries, daphnes, and some other poisonous fruits like almonds and asparagus are also cultivated there. However, you didn't find any of them, didn't you? Even if you did, you wouldn't even notice since you'd probably just brush past them."

"Now that I think about it, I think I've seen some Virginia creeper berries on forest edges."

Mountaintops, hilltops, cliffs, uncrossable terrains— the dangerous fruits must've been planted around those areas.

"The school manages everything very carefully. The dangerous plants are almost impossible to find and harvest compared to the safe and edible ones. Ryuuen managed to devise his strategy because he was aware of that. Having holly berries in his possession shouldn't mean many things. I'm sure you've already figured it out."

"He looked for it, didn't he?"

I guess that makes sense. Ryuuen must've had some knowledge about berries then. And even if he didn't, Ibuki was there during Ike's camping seminars. It should've been easy for her to tell him about these things.

"That's probably the case."

At the same time, the school had already taken Ryuuen's self-harming strategy into account. If anyone got severely harmed by those dangerous plants, the school would immediately know that it was done deliberately because of how carefully they concealed everything.

Chabashira-sensei elaborated on everything without breaking a sweat.

"You're awfully familiar with the island, Sensei."

"That's because I'm a teacher."

"I don't think that's the only reason, though."

"Mind your own business."

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VII. Extra: Heroine Poll

As for how things are going right now, every heroine still has a chance to be Kiyotaka's girlfriend. Of course, some heroines like Kikyou are way ahead of the game, while some heroines in this timeline didn't even have screen time in the LN. I'm curious to see who you guys are rooting for in this timeline.

- Kushida Kikyo

- Horikita Suzune

- Karuizawa Kei

- Sakura Airi

- Hasebe Haruka

- Satou Maya

- Matsushita Chiaki- Ichinose Honami

- Sakayanagi Arisu

- Shiina Hiyori

Here are some of the new heroines and future heroines.

- Asahina Nazuna

- Kiryuuin Fuuka

- Wang Mei-yu

- Nishimura Ryuuko

- Azuma Sana

- Ichihashi Ruri

This is just a popularity contest to satisfy my own curiosity.

As I said, the winning heroine will be decided depending on the natural course of events. And based on everything that I've envisioned, I can see her winning a spot as Kiyotaka's girlfriend. That said, nothing is set in stone just yet.