435 3.2

The following day arrived. It was just before 11:30 a.m. on a Saturday morning.

I was waiting on the dorm lobby couch for my meeting with Mii-chan.

Kei, who had stealthily stayed over in my room Friday night and spent the early hours of the morning with me, was fast asleep. I was planning to delay our originally scheduled date for the afternoon.

Seeing Mii-chan come down the elevator from the installed monitor, I stood up from the deeply seated sofa.

"Good morning."

"Good morning, Ayanokōji-kun."

She held a thank-you gift, presumably purchased the day before, in a paper bag.

"So? Where are you meeting up with Kōenji?"

"Eh?"

"Eh? You're going to see Kōenji after this, right?"

"Yes."

"So you're meeting up with Kōenji, right?"

"...I'm not, actually..."

With Mii-chan's reply, the atmosphere around us froze. There was silence, and time passed. But I couldn't remain silent forever, so I resumed the flow of time.

"So, Kōenji knows nothing about today."

Mii-chan, who nodded in agreement, somehow looked like she was about to cry.

"Ah, that should've been the obvious course of action, isn't it? I wasn't thinking at all because of the nerves and tension and all that. I don't even have Kōenji-kun's contact information. I thought you had arranged it. I interpreted it arbitrarily... I'm really sorry!"

As she spoke, Mii-chan could no longer hold back her tears.

Luckily, there was no one in the lobby, but it would be troublesome if someone saw her.

"First of all, you should calm down. I'm not really close with Kōenji, but I do know where to find him."

"Really?"

Although there was no certainty, I knew there was a pretty good chance I could find him.

"I think if it's this time, Kōenji might be at the gym."

"...The gym? The one on the second floor of Keyaki Mall?"

"Yeah. I started going there recently myself. Kōenji often comes in on Saturday and Sunday mornings."

I had seen him walking out after finishing his workout at noon several times.

Seeing the bright outlook, Mii-chan recollected herself, and we set off for Keyaki Mall.

On the way, I glanced at Mii-chan, whose eyes were still slightly red, and thought, she's good at studying and has a quiet personality, but she's very weak and fragile when confronted with unexpected situations.

She wasn't exactly a rare type, not necessarily common, but certainly a high school girl who could be found anywhere.

That was why her connection to Kōenji was intriguing.

Although liking or disliking her is another matter, objectively, Mii-chan's appearance is much better than average.

Perhaps she happened to hit Kōenji's taste and was being secretly favored.

However, Kōenji didn't give the impression that he'd keep quiet about his preferred woman.

If anything, if there was someone he was interested in within the class, he seemed more likely to actively appeal to them.

It was a contradiction for a man with absolute confidence in himself to not approach the woman he was interested in. If this was true, it only proved that Kōenji didn't have that absolute confidence in himself.

—Or perhaps not.

Different strokes for different folks. Kōenji might claim that he preferred keeping his distance from the women he likes, and that was his way of showing affection. I thought about it in various ways, but still, I could only come to one conclusion.

Trying to read Kōenji's thoughts was just a waste of time.

In the end, the only way to understand his true intentions was to meet him in person and hear it from him.

I entered Keyaki Mall, which was already open for business, and headed straight to the second floor without any detours.

Then I had Mii-chan wait in front of the gym while I checked out the state of things inside.

"As expected, he's here."

As I anticipated, Kōenji was in the midst of training.

It looked like he was tackling the bench press, which he would most likely finish soon.

After all, Kōenji always ended his workouts with the bench press before leaving the gym.

Despite his exhaustion, he was managing a weight of 200 kilograms with a smile and a good amount of sweat.

I had to wonder if there was anyone else in their second year of high school capable of doing that with such ease.

At any rate, he was close to finishing. It was certain that he'd hit the showers next and leave soon after.

To avoid any awkward sightings, I quickly left the training room.

Upon exiting, I was approached by the gym staff member Akiyama-san, with whom I exchanged brief greetings and then left.

I had also promised to meet Mashima-sensei, but I could surely skip it for today.

"How was it?"

"I think he'll be out in about 20 or 30 minutes. If you don't mind, we could wait here."

"Y-yes."

After that, we sat on a bench near the entrance of the gym and waited.

"..."

"..."

Without much conversation between us, we just listened to the music playing inside Keyaki Mall.

"I'm starting to get a bit nervous."

As the time drew closer, she seemed to be sensing the anticipation.

"I have no idea how Kōenji will react after this."

"Neither do I..."

"By the way, what did you get him as a gift?"

"Umm, I wasn't sure what to get him, so I decided on a face towel and a hand towel."

"Wow… That's quite an off-the-wall gift."

"You might think so, but I thought it was something he would like. I regularly see Kōenji-kun using both."

"Is that so? I knew about the hand mirror, but I wasn't aware of this."

"Yes. I thought if it's a luxurious, organic cotton towel he might accept it, so… Oh…"

"That's quite a budget."

It seemed that Mii-chan hadn't been able to stick to my advice of giving a small gift.

"Uh… y-yes. I'm sorry..."

"How much was it?"

"Well… about ¥12,000."

So, it was about the same price as the total amount given or a little over that. It was a situation that could have been anticipated given Mii-chan's personality.

"It's fine. I hope Kōenji likes it."

"Yes. I have to properly return the favor for his help."

Even though she was feeling tense and flustered, Mii-chan responded firmly. In the end, it might have been the right decision to choose a gift that was worth going over the budget.

When we'd waited nearly 40 minutes, longer than expected, Kōenji appeared from the gym.

"H-he came out."

From our view, Kōenji seemed to immediately notice us, but he made no change in his expression and crossed by us without saying a word. We seemed outside of his interest. Seeing his behavior, it was hard to believe that he harbored any affection towards Mii-chan or had been secretly supporting her.

However, from the testimony of the convenience store clerk, we were 99% certain it was Kōenji.

Therefore, the only option was to confirm the truth with him.

Mii-chan quickly got up from the bench and started chasing after Kōenji.

"Um, Kōenji-kun! Can I have a minute of your time!?!"

Mii-chan called out from behind him, causing Kōenji to stop in his tracks and elegantly turn to look back.

"Do you need something from me, Wang girl?"

"Eh, wang-what?"

Kōenji must have made a reference to Mii-chan's real name, Wang 王(ワン)Mei-Yui, calling her Wang girl, a nickname likely only Kōenji would use, leading to Mii-chan's confusion.

Mii-chan seemed unable to grasp the nickname, but she swallowed her confusion and steeled her resolve.

She tightly clenched the handles of the paper bag she held in front of her.

"I wanted to discuss something with you. Can I take a little bit of your time, please?"

Mii-chan addressed Kōenji with a polite, albeit soft, voice filled with determination.

Kōenji appeared to consider her request for a moment, then raised his arm briskly and shook his head.

"I'm sorry, but I'm a bit in a rush right now. Let's talk another time. Hahaha."

With that, he laughed towards us, turned his back, and started walking away again.

"Oh, oh no..."

Mii-chan, who seemed to be the type to carefully consider things, was clearly flustered at being rejected by Kōenji in a way she hadn't anticipated. I found myself somewhat surprised too.

"What should we do now...?"

"Try again?"

"Oh... I needed a lot of courage to approach him this time... I might not get it back if I need to try again."

Surely it would be a high hurdle for Mii-chan to approach Kōenji in the same situation again. In that case, we had no choice but to push through it today.

"Then we should just follow Kōenji."

"But wouldn't that be a terrible bother?"

"Normally, yes. But if you can't try again, then no matter how much of a bother, we have to go ahead, right?"

If the nuisance is just someone walking around, fully clothed, I feel like he'd be unconcerned with it.

"What should we do? If we lose sight of him, we'll have no choice but to give up."

"What should we do…"

She couldn't make up her mind, hesitating between moving forward and stepping back.

It was clear from her demeanor that following Kōenji was her primary intention.

So should I continue to take the lead as I had been?

"I'll take responsibility if we're caught following him. Let's go."

"Ye-yes! Stealth tailing it is, then!"

And that was how we decided to tail Kōenji. Observing from a distance.

I didn't see the need for secrecy, but Mii-chan was eager, so I decided not to voice any unnecessary objections. I went downstairs as Kōenji went down the escalator, slowly checking the direction he was heading in and positioning Mii-chan behind me. Meanwhile, with his long stride, Kōenji continued deeper into the mall.

"Shouldn't we be in a hurry? We might lose him."

"It's fine if we do."

Everyone went to the mall on a daily basis. Most students had a mental map of the place.

Of course, there were several shops in Kōenji's path, but none had significant depth to their floors. A quick glance would reveal all the customers. At the very end was an open café area. Unless he used one of the several exit points prepared along the way, we had no worries of losing sight of him.

In terms of those exits, it would be faster to go back the way he came if he was heading home.

The probability of him needing to use a specific exit wasn't very high.

At the bottom of the stairs, I caught sight of Kōenji's retreating figure, now smaller in the distance.

"It seems like he's heading to the café. That makes it easier for us."

"Indeed."

After confirming from a distance that Kōenji had finished ordering and was holding a cup, I moved closer and noticed Kōenji and a female student sitting at a two-person table.

"Who's that?"

"That's Enoshima Midoriko from class 3-B."

"Do you know her?"

"I've only seen her in the OAA app. Let's get closer."

"But wouldn't Kōenji-kun see us if we get closer?"

"Well, we've been tailing him so far, but I wonder if it's really necessary."

It should be just right for us to wait nearby until Kōenji's meeting is over.

Obviously, it would be worse to say that we were hiding and waiting for her to leave him alone.

Anyway, I wasn't interested in what they were talking about.

"At this point, I'd like to know what kind of conversations Kōenji-kun usually has."

However, Mii-chan seemed to have flipped a switch, appearing reluctant to be discovered.

"You mean eavesdrop?"

"I know it's wrong, but… He may not be honest about why he gave me the gift, and there might be clues in their conversation!"

No, I highly doubt there'd be any clues in his conversation with Enoshima, who seems completely unrelated...

"Let's keep tailing him!"

"If that will make you satisfied Mii-chan, then I have no objections. Let's move from this side."

While Kōenji was chatting with Enoshima, he probably wasn't paying attention to his surroundings. But if we entered his line of sight, we couldn't be sure that he wouldn't notice us. Mii-chan and I made a strategic exit from the mall through a side door and aimed to re-enter from the opposite side.

Although it took several minutes to circle around, Kōenji had just bought a drink, implying that he'd stay for a while.

However—

By the time we entered the mall and arrived at the café, Kōenji was nowhere to be found.

Only Enoshima was there, scrolling through her phone.

"Might he be in the bathroom?"

"...No. Kōenji's drink is missing. That can't be. He must have finished his business with Enoshima and left in that short span of time."

"So... Does that mean we can't meet him today?"

"That's what I thought, but there doesn't seem to be a need to rush."

We spotted Kōenji, who unabashedly showed himself returning the way he had come.

"Kōenji-kun!"

"Oh? Wang girl and Ayanokōji boy. You've come to chase after me again? It's tough being popular. Hahaha."

A grand misunderstanding, but I suppose Kōenji must have finished his errands.

"Do you have a moment?"

Without time to stutter due to the rush, Mii-chan smoothly started the conversation.

His drink isn't with him. Did he finish it right away?

"Of course. My personal business finished quicker than expected."

He just had a short meeting with Enoshima-senpai. I couldn't even guess what they discussed.

"Was it you, Kōenji-kun... who left stuff from the convenience store in front of my door while I was absent from school...?"

The long-sought supporter. She was determining the reason behind his actions. Would Kōenji admit it honestly? Would he be surprised and bewildered? Or deny it—

"It was me who gave you those items, but why does it matter?"

Kōenji confidently affirmed without a hint of hesitation or dishonesty.

A very Kōenji-like demeanor, truly unexpected.

"Er, um, why... did you...?"

"Why? If someone is in trouble, I help them. Aren't you the same type of person?"

"...Eh?"

Reprising with a reasonable answer, Mii-chan was at a loss for words.

"If that answers your question, I guess you can leave now?"

Mii-chan seemed at a loss for how to respond to his remark.

"Hold on. It might be none of my business, but there's something that bothers me. It's natural to help someone in trouble. But to be frank, from what I've observed of you, you don't help everyone. Yet, you helped Mii-chan. This has happened repeatedly, which suggests there's a special reason behind it."

In a probing manner, and with vague expressions, I tried to nudge him.

"You sure choose your words well, Ayanokōji boy. You won't let me get away with implying it was a whim. It's not like I helped Wang girl out on a whim. I detest hypocrisy. But that doesn't mean I disrespect goodwill. When I feel a sincere debt, I consider it natural to repay it. It's just that."

Even though Kōenji seemed to be uttering something cool, Mii-chan was obviously clueless about the situation. She was still frozen.

One thing was for sure, he didn't seem to have any unexpected romantic feelings for her.

"Are we done here?"

When Kōenji said that, time finally started moving again for Mii-chan, who had been frozen in place.

"...I, I don't remember doing anything for you. I don't think you owe me anything. According to what you said, it seems like I've helped you before..."

Apologetically but affirmatively, she questioned after understanding the situation. Kōenji lightly brushed back his hair.

"Hahaha!"

He cheerfully laughed.

"That's why it's not out of hypocrisy but goodwill. Just a trivial matter that you don't even need to remember."

In other words, this was his explanation. Kōenji had once been helped by Mii-chan in some way. And he was helped not from hypocrisy, but from natural goodwill. That was why he had always acted in an unusually considerate manner towards Mii-chan. Even when she was absent from school this time, he was helping her in return for that goodwill—that was what it meant.

"I don't remember it at all… but, well, please accept this for now."

Saying that she thrusted out a paper bag with a set of towels she had bought as a thank-you gift.

"I don't need this. I don't think it's a matter of receiving thanks."

"W-well, if you don't like this, I don't mind if you don't accept it. But in that case, would you at least let me pay you back? The money you spent for me isn't cheap."

"Unfortunately, I'm not in need of money at the moment. I don't want it."

I found his statement strange.

Certainly, for an ordinary student, there would be nothing particularly noticeable about it.

It was only natural to think that Kōenji, who made a fortune in the deserted island test, had a lot of money.

However, Kōenji had a strong image of being a spendthrift.

He had previously stated that he was a believer in not keeping money overnight.

Of course, if he said he was saving now, that would be the end of it, but considering he just recently bought a big TV, it was possible he was still squandering money.

It might just be a lie, a convenient excuse not to take the points from Mii-chan.

"B-but that'll be a problem! That… I can't get rid of the feeling of guilt… in that case, could you at least tell me what I did for you?"

"Oh, dear. You seem to have quite a difficult personality. Didn't I say? It's a trivial matter that you don't even need to remember. It's neither more nor less than that. There's nothing more to say."

Mii-chan appeared to have run out of ways to initiate a conversation with Kōenji.

With a somewhat downcast look, she bowed her head to Kōenji again.

"Can you let me go now?"

"Y-Yes."

"I have something I'd like to ask you privately," I interjected.

"I don't want to be popular with men, but it seems you too like to pry."

"It's important. If you feel gratitude, there's a possibility you'll cooperate with the class in the future, right?"

"That's nonsense, Ayanokōji boy. I'm needed for the class to win, and for that, you have to show goodwill towards me. That becomes hypocrisy, you see?"

He wouldn't accept any act aimed at getting something in return as genuine goodwill. It could only come naturally.

"As long as we live under the rules of this school, there can be no goodwill. Am I wrong?"

"Maybe."

"You should already know this. There's no way you can make me your ally, not by any means."

"That's true. So far, no matter how many times I've tried, I haven't come up with a guaranteed way to get your full cooperation."

"That's right. I won't change until I graduate, even after that. No matter how much cleverness you guys squeeze out, it won't reach or resonate with my heart. Of course, this includes you as well."

"So what are you going to do with a special exam like this time? What if Horikita decides not to protect you? We can't exactly say that the chance of her breaking her promise to you is zero. There might be a situation where you can't avoid expulsion, even if you make a fuss later."

We could threaten and force him to help.

"I've always protected myself. It's as simple as that."

In other words, he was confident enough to pull through even without protection.

"Well, that makes things easy. I'll tell Horikita that there's no need to protect you."

Just having one less student to protect in the class gave us an advantage.

Naturally, I didn't think Horikita would betray his trust.

"Do as you please. Regardless, there's no point in trying to obligate me when I won't reciprocate."

And there was Kōenji, acting like an immovable decoration, no matter how much he wriggled.

If that was how it was, maybe I could take advantage of the situation and exclude Kōenji.

Kōenji had exceptional abilities, but his presence was a double-edged sword.

Depending on the special exam's details, Horikita might continue being hindered by him.

If I were the class leader, frankly, Kōenji would be superfluous.

The rules on the uninhabited island were only between Horikita and me, and third parties had no involvement.

One option might be to cut him out while I had the chance, but...

"However."

Kōenji, who had been carefree until now, had suddenly changed his tune and his gaze sharpened.

"If 'someone' tries to ostracize me, they'd better be prepared."

Had he read my thoughts? No, it must be his wild intuition.

"Prepared, huh? I wonder what you're going to do."

"That's part of the surprise."

It wouldn't be as simple as attacking a specific person.

One should prepare for actions that could shake the class's position.

"Will you open that box? Although, it may cause you to reassess your overvaluation of yourself."

"I, for one, don't plan on doing that. Horikita is the class leader."

"So be it. I have dates after this, so I'd better get going."

I didn't understand why he chose to use the unusual way of referring to his date[7], but I don't think I'll be talking with Kōenji anytime soon.

[7 : Kōenji is implying that he has multiple dates to attend to, デート (Dēto, the typical spelling) vs デーツ (Dētsu, the word Kōenji uses, which isn't how the word "Date" is spelled/pronounced). This is done as a way of sounding more "Englishy" and showing off]

I had been observing Kōenji in the same class for a long time. He was really an oddball.

While he was indeed a challenge, it was a fact that we must win while carrying him.

"Ah, um... Ayanokōji-kun."

"I'm sorry. I just wanted to ask him a few things since he told us something unusual, and I got carried away."

I gave a light apology to Mii-chan, who I had left alone.

"That's fine, but... um..."

"What is it?"

"No, it's nothing."

I had indeed used a somewhat threatening tone with Kōenji. I guess that was what bothered Mii-chan a bit.