Volume 9, 3: 'No Intention of Changing” Part 5

Volume 9, Chapter 3: “No Intention of Changing” Part 5

The people in my daily life had started getting busy.

I wasn’t actively doing anything to interfere with that, just passing the time by passively drifting along with my surroundings.

And although it is somewhat difficult, the everyday life that I’ve been looking for may look something like this.

I had a premonition that, somehow, I’d manage to arrive at an answer to my question.

However, a concerning event happened to take place around this time.

Nighttime. The cell phone I left by my bed vibrated quietly.

The time on the clock was just past one in the morning. I checked to see who was calling me at such an unnatural time, only to find that it was a number I hadn’t registered as a contact.

However, there shouldn’t be any way for an outside number to get through to my phone.

The cell phones provided to the students by the school should only be able to dial out to a designated list of phone numbers. They’re also set up ahead of time to only accept calls from other phones used by the school. All of this is based on a setting with the phone itself that can’t be changed. This is all to avoid any possibility that the student might have accidental contact with the outside world.

It isn’t a particularly rare feature for phones to have. It’s based on a security system that’s usually used when young children are given their own cellphone. In other words, it means that this was a call from someone on campus who I’d never registered as a contact in my phone before.

It was impossible to determine whether was a student or one of the teachers.

“…Hello?”

Being cautious to some extent, I picked up the phone while still groggy from having just woken up.

I pressed the phone up to my left ear.

I wasn’t able to hear anyone speaking on the other end.

The silence continued.

And still, the only sound that reached my ears was the very faint sound of breathing.

As I waited for the other party to make a move, the silence had continued for about 30 seconds.

“I’m going to hang up if you don’t say anything.”

I gave out a fair warning as I was getting tired of sitting on the phone in silence.

“Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.”

The other party spoke my full name.

It was a voice that I had no memory of ever hearing before.

But based on the sound of the voice, I don’t think they were an adult.

In which case, it follows that they were a student.

“You are…?”

I asked in return.

The call went back to silence.

And then, the caller hung up.

“Even if you’re just going to say my name…”

It would be impossible to dismiss this as someone having accidentally called the wrong number.

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“In other words, you’ve finally started to take action…?”

Exactly who the other person was didn’t matter anymore.

That man’s strategy. I can see he’s begun to make his move against me.

Though, the strange part of this is why he would let me know he’s coming.

If his goal is to force me to drop out of school, it would make sense that he would approach this more like a surprise attack.

Going about it like this can only mean he intends for me to take it as a threat.

That man… Is there anything outside of his reach?

Either way, he’s already begun to make his move.

(Chapter 3 End)