6.3

I saw Hiyori returning to the library and headed to the entrance to leave the school.

Perhaps because it was lunchtime, I could see some club members here and there.

As I arrived at the entrance, I spotted two classmates deeply engaged in conversation.

"Hey, Ayanokōji? Why are you at school?"

The first to notice me was Sudō, still wearing his basketball gear.

On the other hand, Yōsuke was putting on the sleeves of his soccer uniform.

"Happy New Year. I just ran into Sudō-kun by chance. We were talking about eating lunch together."

"This is an unusual pairing."

"Really? Our combo is quite common lately, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

I didn't think they were originally close friends, but it seemed they've become close enough to have lunch together. Maybe Sudō's growth brought him more in tune with Yōsuke.

"But is it okay for us to have lunch without Onodera-san?"

"It seems like she's had a cold since yesterday, so she'll be taking the day off from club activities."

Moreover, it appeared that not only the two of them, but Onodera also participated in this routine.

It was a relationship only possible for students in club activities.

"Ayanokōji-kun, are you coming back from the library?"

Looking at the few books in my hand, Yōsuke asked as he seemed to have associated them with the library.

After confirming, we naturally started walking towards the convenience store under Sudō's lead.

"It seems like the cafeteria is closed during winter break, huh?"

"Yeah, we usually either bring food from home or buy it from the convenience store."

Apparently, after purchasing food, they'd head back to school to eat it.

While they often ate outside on a bench during spring and fall, it wasn't preferable at this time of the year.

However, after listening to their conversation, it seemed there were a few places like a heated cafeteria available so that the club members wouldn't have trouble finding a place to eat.

"Speaking of which, it's been snowing intermittently, hasn't it?"

"It's annoying. The weather's been unstable for about two weeks now, right?"

"When it's this cold, our bodies don't move well either, so I hope it warms up soon."

Conversations continued that were specific to their club activities, which I, as a non-member, couldn't participate in.

However, I wasn't alienated. I simply listened to this pair converse naturally. It was comforting.

"By the way, Kiyotaka-kun, is everything alright with the Karuizawa-san matter? It seems like you're having a hard time."

"Impressive. So you've heard about it after all, huh?"

"I could tell something was off about her since before winter break. You'd realize it if you saw her in the classroom."

"What do you mean 'is everything alright'? Oh, did you guys finally break up?"

Sudō cut right into the conversation, making Yōsuke chuckle. But Yōsuke assumed it was incorrect, so he quickly rejected the notion.

"I don't think that's what happened. It's just that there might be some trouble going on?"

It seemed that even Yōsuke's information only went up until the time around Christmas.

"The problem has already been resolved. It has been normal since the end of the year."

"Oh, that's good to hear."

"Yeah, you didn't break up, huh?"

Sudō seemed disappointed while folding his hands behind his head.

"Were you hoping they would break up?"

"No, it's not like that. It was just a joke. I'm still jealous because I don't have a girlfriend. Sorry about that."

He denied the remark—one that seemed to celebrate others' misfortune—and apologized.

Spring hadn't come for Sudō yet, but there were signs that it was approaching.

"No progress with Onodera?"

"Hey, don't say unnecessary things. You'll make Hirata misunderstand."

As soon as her name was mentioned, Sudō panicked, but Yōsuke just watched him with a warm gaze.

"I think Yōsuke probably understands."

"...Seriously?"

He thought Yōsuke hadn't noticed the subtle relationship at all.

"I know Onodera-san has been paying attention to you for a while now."

He was more sensitive to his classmates' gaze and actions than most people.

It wasn't surprising that he was aware of it, but he probably wouldn't say anything unnecessary.

"So, what about it?"

"Well... Onodera and I are just friends."

He pursed his lips and denied it as if he hadn't developed romantic feelings for her yet, or perhaps it had just started to bud.

I wondered if he still had lingering feelings for Horikita, but it didn't seem like it was a major issue.

At any rate, he continued to behave as if he wouldn't take advantage of Onodera's feelings for him.

After stopping by the convenience store, the three of us returned to the school, feeling the cold on our skin.

When we headed to the cafeteria, it was quite crowded with upper and lower classmen alike, and we saw many students belonging to clubs.

Even those who didn't participate in clubs like me could enter, so there were probably students who came just to have lunch with friends.

As our kōhais entered the cafeteria, they occasionally greeted Sudō and Yōsuke.

"You two really feel like senpais now, huh?"

"We're already getting close to the end of our second year. Once the third term is over, we'll be in our third year. It doesn't really feel like it though."

Sudō bit into his rice ball. The salmon peeked out from between the seaweed and white rice.

"Something strange happened the other day. A girl in our same year asked me a lot of weird questions."

Muttering, Sudō seemed to remember something.

"Weird questions like?"

"Stuff like when did I start studying and why I haven't studied until now. She seemed to want to know the reason for my academic improvement in the OAA."

"You have the highest growth rate in academics, after all. She must've been curious about it."

Even for us, who were in the same class, it was quite a sight.

It must've felt like seeing some kind of magic for the other classes.

"Wouldn't you have been fine with a barrage of questions from a girl?"

"Well, not really. She was cute on the outside, but she was constantly very combative and stuck-up. All I wanted was for her to let me go before my club activities started."

It didn't seem like there was much hope for a new romance.

"By the way, who was that?"

"I don't remember... It's not like I know every girl's name."

Sudō, who had stuffed the entire rice ball into his mouth in about three bites, answered while chewing.

"Just in case, do you want to check who it was? We might meet her again."

Waving his hand dismissively, Sudō denied Yōsuke, who was probably about to open his phone to check the OAA.

"It's fine. If it was a girl who liked me, it would be a different story, but there's no way that was it."

Sudō didn't even seem to want to remember the name, as the whole experience was quite painful for him.

"You're starting to attract attention for something other than your athletic ability."

"If that means they're scared of me, I don't mind," he said.

Without being arrogant, Sudō clenched his fist and gathered his fighting spirit.

"I'm just getting started."

He seemed unsatisfied with the present situation and determined to surprise those around him even more.