ch321-ch340 · 337-ch337
Chapter 337: The Other Lost Memory
"Good morning, President."
"President."
"President."
From first thing in the morning, total strangers—students and teachers alike—call out to me.
They're apparently members of some mysterious organization called the Goddess Adoration Society, and they address me as President and greet me with reverence.
That would be fine if this had all happened during the six months I've lost.
But this Goddess Adoration Society, apparently, has existed since my first year—and I have supposedly been its President since I founded it.
Is that even possible?
Well, obviously it's possible, or we wouldn't be here—but the trouble is, I have no memory of any of it.
I haven't told Dr. Amamiya about this either.
(It's an important thing to report, I know—but can I really tell my doctor, "I'm the president of a fan club for a classmate, and I have no memory of it"? No. No, I can't.)
The terrifying part is how precisely this one memory is missing.
"May I have a moment, President?"
"Principal...... what is it?"
The principal being in a student's fan club is its own kind of absurdity.
"As it happens, the city has approached us wishing to honor the President with a commendation."
"A commendation?! Why on earth me?"
Did I do something while my memory was gone?
"The roadside cleanup activities the Society conducts. Beyond that—flower bed maintenance, neighborhood patrols, the fight against molesters, and so on—your achievements are many, but this time the cleanup activities caught the mayor's eye...... We were contacted wishing, by all means, to commend the President as the Society's representative."
The Goddess Adoration Society members seem to do all sorts of things, but I know nothing about any of it—our contact amounts to a greeting in the hall......
Apparently they keep the route the Goddess—Mizuki Saori—takes to school clean.
It's the opposite direction from mine, so I don't know it well, but there are plenty of Goddess worshippers among the students of the schools that way too, and apparently they do the cleanup across school boundaries.
Lately, branches have even formed at other schools, or so I hear......
"I've done nothing, so please decline."
No, really.
"I thought you would say as much. But I could not decline on my own authority, so I was obligated to report. Ahh, truly—as expected of our President. I had worried upon hearing your memory was in disarray, yet your policy shows not a hair of deviation. Most reassuring!"
Good, it sounds like he'll turn them down.
But what "policy" is he talking about?
︙
︙
"See you, Natsuki. Haruki-kun, see you tomorrow too."
"La-ter!"
Mizuki and I have been meeting each other's eyes a lot lately, but there's nothing particular behind it.
A greeting, that's all.
Beyond that, my tribute amounts to juice delivered through Shirai-san.
The amnesia hasn't become a problem at school, either.
The lessons march on, but thanks to Watanabe-san's tutoring, I should somehow make it to the exams in time.
The Hiramatsu-ryu study method is amazing.
Dungeons only appeared ten years ago, and yet they've already established a study technique that uses them—as expected of Hiramatsu-ryu.
Apparently this counts as a secret art, so I must absolutely never speak of it in public, nor let anyone see it......
"President. A matter for your ears."
Just as we stood to head for the dungeon, Ota addressed me.
This guy is supposed to be the dungeon otaku, but lately he never seems to talk about dungeons.
Busy with Goddess Adoration Society activities, apparently.
"Drop the whole 'President' thing."
He used to call me "Kasugano-dono," you know.
Somehow it feels like a label for the me from when I'd lost my memory, and I hate it.
"Ha-ha, surely you jest. More to the point—the members patrolling the area have filed a report. Suspicious foreigners have been increasing of late."
I'd love to say the suspicious ones are YOU people, but I've heard this from Watanabe-san too.
Be careful, she said.
"Yeah, that's the thing where agents slip into the country ahead of the new dungeon appearing, right? And you call yourself a dungeon otaku—you didn't know that?"
Aikawa cuts into the conversation.
The dungeon that appears at the New Year.
Nobody knows where it will appear—it could even surface inside a building.
So far, the only established way to find one is for whoever discovers it to report it—and yet, hunting that new dungeon, foreign agents and underworld types are apparently pouring into the country.
Not just for the magic stones, minerals, and monster meat a dungeon yields—they apparently use it for smuggling with the 【Merchant】 skill 【Storage】 too.
They say America's drug traffic tripled over these four years, and at the last new-dungeon appearance four years ago, suspicious persons disguised as tourists were spotted all over the United States.
And this time, Watanabe-san says, the target seems to be Japan......
"Yep, they've already arrested foreigners for trespassing on private mountain land out in the sticks."
So the scouts are already scattered across the country.
If a dungeon appears deep in some hard-to-reach regional mountain and gets hidden away, there'd be nothing anyone could do.
And in Japan, where the penalties themselves are soft, it can come down to finders-keepers......
Still, Soushi—do you actually watch the news?
In six months, what on earth happened to you......
"They really are numerous, aren't they. President, how shall we proceed? Reinforce the patrols?"
"Patrols, my foot. You're just a healthily-funded stalker society. I'll have a word with Saori."
Could I join that patrol thing too?
"The Society's duty is precisely the mechanism by which we watch one another, so that no such reprobates arise."
Ota answers, adjusting his glasses with a snap.
I see—so THAT's the kind of organization it is......
I thought it was just a group that shared its sneaked photos with everyone, but it has hidden depths.
"Well, until winter break ends and the dungeon hunt settles down, we'd best reinforce the patrols, I suppose? Just don't let it cut into exam study. And—don't cause trouble for Mizuki and the others."
Suspicious people really are increasing, so a little vigilance is fair enough.
Apparently some of them use a new dungeon as a base to hide abducted people temporarily......
"Yes, sir! The President's orders shall be relayed to every member at once!"
Stop calling me President......
And honestly, you don't need to treat it with that much gravity......
"Whoa—I feel like I just saw Haru-kun's hidden face or something......"
No, no, it's not like that.
I don't know that face either......
"Finished talking? Then let's go. Study, study. Shrine today, Haruki?"
Study?!
Soushi, what on earth has happened to you......
"Come to think of it, Miko-san is Hiramatsu-san's little sister, right? If you keep hanging around the shrine, won't Watanabe-san get mad at you?"
Get mad?
Does she mean I'm causing too much trouble?
"Haven't seen much of Miko-san since Atsushi-san disappeared. She's probably at the shrine in the dungeon."
"Huh? Haven't seen her. Anyone who comes to the dungeon would normally drop by Mia-san's shop at least......"
"Atsushi-san never came to his check-ups either. Ai-san waited and waited. I couldn't just sit and watch, you know."
"Liar! You were watching the whole time!"
"Ide-de-deh!"
Aikawa pulls Soushi's cheek.
So Ai-san came to the Chiba branch......
No—if there was going to be an event like that, I wish they'd called me.
"Well—let's go."
Mimiko-shishou is waiting today, too.