1.2

The discussion with Hashimoto seemed to have take longer than expected.

"Sorry. Karuizawa is coming after this, right? I've talked too long."

"It can't be helped. It wasn't a topic that could be cut off in the middle."

"Can I interpret this as a meaningful time?"

When I nodded affirmatively, Hashimoto also nodded back in response.

His face was different from before, which showed ups and downs, and was somewhat clear.

It seemed like he'd vented something he'd been holding back.

I decided to go out while seeing off Hashimoto.

"I'll buy dinner at the convenience store today."

When I told Hashimoto, who was about to press the elevator call button, he stopped his finger before touching the button for the upper floor and immediately pressed the button for the lower floor.

"Can I join you then? Of course, no more heavy talk, okay?"

Naturally, Hashimoto also looked quite tired.

Feeling the need for a quick meal, I decided to head to the convenience store with him. 

We got into the elevator and descended to the lobby. 

Just then, we ran into Hashimoto's classmate Morishita, who seemed to have just returned home. 

"What a coincidence, Ayanokōji Kiyotaka."

"Indeed, a coincidence."

It was a moment when I could feel the change in my human relationship. 

I had crossed paths with Morishita many times during my two years of school life. 

I used to not care about crossing paths with her, but now when we meet, we both naturally stop and start talking. 

"And the traitor, Hashimoto Masayoshi, is here too."

"Hey, hey, don't start with that. Give me a break."

"Sorry. I haven't found definitive evidence yet. I will correct myself."

Even if she corrected her statement, the fact that he was thought of in that way couldn't be changed. 

He was indeed a traitor, but Hashimoto must've thought it was good that I was there with him. 

"Ayanokōji Kiyotaka, you don't seem surprised."

"It's been a rumor for a while now. Besides, unlike the people in Class A, I'm not that interested in the truth."

"I see. I thought you might've been consulted by the traitor."

She bluntly stated what she was thinking and speculating, relentlessly pushing me.

Hashimoto intervened as I was admiring her audacity. 

"Stop it. It's okay to suspect me of being a traitor, but it's better not to involve outsiders without instructions from the princess."

He stopped Morishita with a confident tone that didn't seem like one belonging to a traitor. 

"I see. But it's getting late. Where are you going now?"

Instead of forcing Hashimoto to engage further, Morishita directed her question at me. 

"I'm going to the convenience store and buy dinner."

"Me too."

"I didn't ask you, Hashimoto Masayoshi, but I see. However, I thought you were a person who usually cooks for himself, Ayanokōji Kiyotaka—did you get caught up in a conversation with someone and lose track of time?"

I had been cooking for myself a lot lately, but where'd she get this information? 

Morishita's suspicions seemed to be growing stronger, and she very deliberately voiced her doubts. 

"I just happened to be in the elevator with Ayanokōji. It seems he was late because of a two-person meeting."

Perhaps thinking it would be troublesome to be asked about it, Hashimoto casually answered. 

However, Morishita seemed to become even more suspicious. 

"That's strange. Ayanokōji Kiyotaka's two-person meeting should've ended a long time ago. It seems you two have been talking a lot today."

Whether she had been investigating Horikita's class's internal affairs, she had a good grasp of things that even Hashimoto didn't know. 

The attempt to casually brush it off seemed to have backfired. 

"No, like I said, I have nothing to do with it. I have no idea what Ayanokōji was doing."

"But you've been together since you got on the elevator on the fourth floor, haven't you?"

As if to block any escape routes, she said this, while glancing at the elevator monitor. 

"Damn, were we being watched...?"

"It might not matter to others, but it seems you were unlucky with who saw you today."

Hashimoto showed a bitter smile at the defeated situation. 

But he didn't seem flustered or panicked by this encounter. 

"Is this how you act as a traitor?"

"Huh? What do you mean, traitor?"

"It means a backstabber."

When she explained the meaning, Hashimoto exaggeratedly dropped his shoulders as if he was disappointed. 

"Give me a break, Morishita. This is a completely different matter."

"What do you mean by 'different matter'?"

"I can't tell you that. There are things that only guys can talk about, right?"

Sensing that he wanted backup, I decided to go along with it.

"If it's a matter of gender, I can't pursue it any further. That's an easy way to escape confrontation."

"No matter what I say, it's no good."

Hashimoto shrugged, giving up. 

Just as we were talking about a moment ago, the more he opened his mouth, the more suspicion he aroused. 

"Well, it's fine. Can I accompany you to the convenience store too?"

"That's fine, but do you have any particular reason?"

"Yes, I'm sure there will be one if I go. I should be able to think of something."

She was revealing that she had no specific motive, but I had no right to refuse her. 

Even if I refused, she would just follow us anyway. 

"Alright. Well, since it's come to this, let's go together as a group of three."

"Then I'll follow you."

Morishita, who had turned around, started walking ahead.

"Why is she taking the lead... She's as incomprehensible as ever. Sorry about this, Ayanokōji."

"It's fine. It's not a big deal."

Suddenly, I wondered how Morishita was perceived in Class A. 

Her academic excellence must be well known from the OAA. 

But honestly, I didn't know anything else. It might be a good idea to ask. 

"What kind of student is Morishita in class?"

"She's just as you see her. She's smart but eccentric, and she always acts alone."

"Does she have any close friends?"

"Not that I can recall."

Judging that the statement was made by someone always busy gathering information, it seemed highly credible.

Watching Morishita's back, Hashimoto touched his chin with his index finger and thumb, looking puzzled. 

"That's why it's so unusual. She's not usually the type to start a conversation like this."

After muttering that, he gave me a sidelong glance, so I took the initiative. 

"Isn't she just keeping an eye on the traitor?"

"Well... that's not impossible... but you're not holding back either, are you?"

"If I need to be considerate, I'll be considerate."

"Damn. What I'm curious about is that, to my understanding, Morishita doesn't seem to be an extreme follower of Sakayanagi. She's neither close nor distant to her. But she's not the type to take the initiative and solve problems on her own. In other words, I can't see a reason for her to probe."

Morishita isn't the type to take initiative? Is that really the case?

Although our interactions had been limited, my impression was the opposite. She seemed more like a person who actively worked alone to solve problems.

Of course, it was possible that Morishita changed her mind after witnessing Sakayanagi's defeat, who had been steadily defending their position until now. However, it was hard to believe that Hashimoto was completely unaware of that detail.

He spoke without showing any signs of deception, mixing truth and lies in similar proportions.

Even the current situation, the three of us walking together, might not be a mere coincidence.

Hashimoto might've wanted to make Sakayanagi indirectly realize that he'd contacted me. 

It might be safe to assume that he had such a plan. 

If he didn't want to be found out, he wouldn't have waited in front of my room where he could've been noticed. We both knew each other's contact information, so we could discretely communicate as much as we wanted. Hashimoto, the traitor, had a purpose in making Sakayanagi aware of the fact that he contacted me, either directly or indirectly.

Of course, only Hashimoto knew the truth, but there were other things that I could deduce. 

The truth and lies that Hashimoto revealed in my room. 

All his actions were tied to his own benefit. 

He wanted to be the only one to benefit.

He wanted to be the only one to survive.

He wanted to be the only one to win.

If a pacifist knew of this, Hashimoto would probably be despised as an evil entity. 

The more I knew about Hashimoto, the more I sympathized and agreed with him. 

Because he lived according to his nature. 

Normally, to carry out such evil, one needed undeniable power. 

But Hashimoto didn't have that power.

So, like a chameleon, he learned to change colors to match his environment.

Trying to blend into the environment to survive.

That was exactly what he was doing at that moment and what he had been doing up until then.

We left the lobby and the three of us walked to the convenience store.

Then we went inside, picked up a basket, and I contacted Kei on my phone.

While listening to what she wanted, I decided on dinner for myself as well.

The convenience store's microwavable side dishes were quite delicious.

While shopping, I ran into someone who came in after us in the beverage section.

"Ah... H-hello..."

The one who greeted me was Yamamura Miki, a girl from the same class as Hashimoto.

"I didn't expect to see you here."

"Yes, I suppose so."

Yamamura agreed, looking somewhat uncomfortable at my response.

It seemed that it was indeed Yamamura who had been watching Hashimoto on the emergency stairs.

Even after leaving the dormitory, I'd hardly noticed her presence and didn't know who she was.

That was why I thought it might be Yamamura, and it seemed I was right.

I didn't know whether she was acting alone or if Sakayanagi was hiding behind her, but considering that she'd been on standby before I returned to my room by elevator, it was more likely that she'd been watching Hashimoto.

Moreover, I couldn't find any particular reason why Yamamura would be secretly watching me.

"Oh, it's Yamamura. What a coincidence."

Hashimoto, who'd noticed us talking, approached us with a curry-flavored cup noodle in his hand.

"Good evening... Hashimoto-kun."

"This is the first time I've seen you use a convenience store."

I wondered if this way of speaking was just a habit or if he'd sensed something.

While voicing information that he didn't know the credibility to, he observed Yamamura's reaction.

"Um, I... I use the convenience store quite a bit... about once or twice a week... but I don't stand out... I'm sorry."

"Oh, no, I'm sorry if I did something wrong..."

Hashimoto seemed to have tried to probe her but ended up apologizing in a hurry since he pointed out Yamamura's lack of presence.

"It's rare to see Yamamura Miki talking to a boy."

"Are you really one to say that, Morishita?"

"I'm just a little curious about Hashimoto Masayoshi. Is it love?"

"Don't deliberately throw me under the bus like that... Well, I guess Yamamura is suspicious of me too."

Is that so? In response to such a probing gaze, Yamamura looked down and averted her eyes.

The heavy silence didn't match the convenience store's atmosphere or the upbeat music, creating a discordant sound.

The one who broke the silence was not Hashimoto nor Yamamura, but Morishita.

"Let's shop together since we're all here. You don't mind, do you?"

"Eh, um, yes... if that's okay with you... I mean..."

Her not reading the room from the get-go seemed to have paid off here.

Without waiting for her answer, Yamamura ended up shopping with us.

Well, after all, a convenience store was a place to shop. It wasn't a strange thing for us to do.

I didn't often see Yamamura talking to other students, but she even seemed to struggle talking to her own classmates.

She was being led around by Morishita and forced to pick up items she recommended.

And without being able to refuse any of them, she put three or four items in her basket.

"You shouldn't push her around too much."

"Why not? Yamamura Miki is happily accepting my recommendations."

"I don't think she's happy at all. She looks troubled to me."

"Is that so?"

"Um, uh..."

Not knowing how to respond to either side, Yamamura was at a loss for words.

"Am I forcing you to buy anything?"

"No, that's not..."

Yamamura backed off at the mere pressure of words, and any words of defiance were swallowed up.

"Do you dislike this? Well, let me give you my next recommendation. It's a secret from everyone else."

Even though she wasn't a convenience store employee, Morishita was trying to get her to buy the next product.

She tried to take out a juice box from one of the reach-in coolers.

"Sorry to interrupt your friendly chat, but could you move a bit?"

While they were talking amongst each other, a new customer stopped by the beverage corner.

Morishita seemed to have noticed her, but Yamamura, who was nearby, seemed to have overlooked her, and their shoulders slightly collided.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

The convenience store wasn't very spacious, so if several people gathered, it could get in the way of other customers when they were choosing items.

It wasn't a big shock, but Yamamura apologized and made way.

"No, I'm the one who didn't notice. I'm sorry."

She gently fluttered her long silver hair and took out a bottle of green tea.

"I like this brand's tea. You can feel the umami and aroma as if it were brewed in a teapot, right Ayanokōji?"

The one who turned her gaze to me, speaking like a beverage brand's promoter, was Kiryūin Fūka from class 3-B.

"I've never had that brand before, so I can't answer."

"That's a shame. You should try it if you have a chance."

"Are you going home now, Kiryūin-senpai?"

"Yes. It's getting a bit late. I thought I'd just stop by the convenience store today. Is this female student… your new girlfriend?"

"No, she's not."

"Ah, um... I'm Yamamura..."

"I'm Morishita Ai."

"Yamamura and Morishita, huh? Are you in the same class as Ayanokōji?"

"No, they are in Class A."

"Oh? It's good to have a wide circle. You should cherish your friends."

"Are you one to say that, Kiryūin-senpai?"

That was unexpected advice from someone who stood out among the third-year students for being aloof.

"Nice to meet you, Kiryūin-senpai. I'm Hashimoto, also from Class A."

Hashimoto greeted her, interrupting Kiryūin who was looking at Yamamura, and extended his hand.

Kiryūin nodded, lightly brushing off his hand.

"I'll remember all three of you."

After a brief exchange, Kiryūin finished paying first and left the convenience store.

It was a bit surprising that Kiryūin, who didn't seem to be interested in others, said she would remember the three of them, even if it was just a formality.

It might not have meant much.

"Are you close with Kiryūin-senpai? She's famous for not hanging out with anyone."

"I wouldn't say we're close."

Hashimoto continued to watch Kiryūin's back as she headed towards the dormitory for a while.