Volume 13 - Chapter 2: The Flowing Passage of Time

Intro

April, where all kinds of dazzling things happened, finally came to an end, and it has already been almost two weeks since the start of May.

The student sent in by the white room still didn't seem to have any plans for me. It seemed to be out of Tsukishiro's control, but what exactly were they thinking? But as long as I can live in peace, I won't complain.

On that mid-May morning, Horikita and I had arranged to meet up at the lobby.

The conspicuous situation that had occurred due to the results of the test had slowly subsided. The students brushing past wouldn't cast any special glances at me anymore.

Of course, there were definitely still students who had their private thoughts about it, but the situation can be considered temporarily over at this stage.

While I was waiting for Horikita, I once again opened up the OAA which had just updated it's values.

The OAA was a system that reflected the grades of the students every month, and from there, it could acquire the new update for the 2nd year.

I got a perfect score in math, but my total score in the five subjects was 386. As a result, my academic evaluation was changed to an A-. My overall evaluation seemed to be higher than expected. The other evaluations had not changed much from last year.

2-D Ayanokouji Kiyotaka

2nd-year evaluation

Academics: A- (81)

Physical Ability: B- (61)

Adaptability: D+ (40)

Social Contribution: B (68)

Overall: B- (62)

Students who got an A in academics last year, like Horikita and Mii-chan, maintained their As. Maybe those who had scored more than 400 points in the exams would be given an A or higher in academics.

The OAA app clearly showed how the grades had improved for everyone, but as said before, the one with the most significant increase was Sudou.

2-D Sudou Ken

2nd-year evaluation

Academics: C (54)

Physical Ability: A+ (96)

Adaptability: C- (42)

Social Contribution: C+ (60)

Overall: B- (63)

Considering the fact that in his first year, his overall evaluation was only a C with 47 points, it was amazing growth, to say the least.

His outstanding physical abilities also boosted his evaluation.

It was just a score the OAA gave, but his overall ability was even higher than Keisei and Akito.

If he could improve his academics and social contribution in the future, he might even be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with Yosuke and Kushida. This was the good points of being one of the outstanding students.

However, although the student evaluations were reset, relating to the adaptability and social contribution this year… Basically, I should assume parts of last year was used as data for the school to decide those evaluations. After all, the relationship with your friends and communication skills wouldn't change instantly as we moved up a year. Having said that, a month later, if Sudo lived a serious life for the past six months, his social contribution number would rise at the very least.

Leaving beside Sudo, the overall strength of the other students had also improved from the first year. They were mostly students who had a comparatively lower evaluation for adaptability or social contribution, or both. So in other words, they've all improved by leap and bounds in that area.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

Horikita came down from upstairs a little earlier than the appointed time.

"I didn't wait very long."

Since there was no need to stay in the lobby to talk, we walked straight to school.

It was easier to talk outside.

"Thanks again. Because of your quick-witted speech, I didn't need to be baptized under the attentive eyes of my classmates for this to end. It left a similar impression in the other classes as well."

There was almost no direct effect on the other classes, other than making them a bit more alert.

Class A's Sakayanagi knew about me from before, and Ryuuen had the experience of being beaten down by me, so he would naturally know that I wasn't only good at math. Ichinose's words also showed that she felt that I wasn't ordinary.

"It's nothing; I just thought that it would be good for the class in the future. If I said that you were the one who took the liberty of holding back, you'd be disliked, wouldn't you? By the way, what would you have done if I hadn't been there at the time?"

"Who knows what I would have done."

I feigned ignorance, but the result had to be similar.

Saying that it was just another one of Horikita's strategies to stall, and then waiting for another day to bring a similar topic up. That way, even without explicitly using words to explain it, Horikita should be able to notice it.

"I'm lending it to you as a favour."

"I'll obediently take it, then."

Horikita cast a glance at my left hand.

"Is your left hand alright now?"

"It's slowly recovering. It's going to take a while, but it's not that big of a deal since it's not my dominant hand."

"That's good… By the way, have you been in contact with Housen after that?"

"Not at all. I passed by Housen and Nanase once, but I didn't say anything."

Although our eyes were on each other, neither of them greeted me.

"They hadn't come to offer an apology, but at least they're aware that they've done something bad."

"Who knows, it doesn't feel like they did."

"Both of them?"

"Yeah."

Having the courage to make a massive move, not wavering in the slightest. The first years this time were very brave.

"That, if someone gets you expelled, they get 20 million points, is that true?"

"I don't have any proof at the moment. But, if there wasn't a reward for it, nobody would do something like that."

"That's true…"

It was inconceivable that someone would risk injury and expulsion in doing something meaningless.

The only one who would do it would be the student from the White Room.

"It'll be clear soon enough if it's true or not."

"But that's- that's not a good development. Although the exam was unreasonable, if it's a special exam, all four classes should know about it, right?"

"Nanase said so too. In order to make us alert of all the other classes."

In that case, there would be at least three people in three of the remaining classes that would know about it.

"Class A's Amasawa-san… Although we're indebted to her since she teamed up with Sudo, she definitely joined Housen-kun, right?"

I nodded slightly. Class 1-A's Amasawa Ichika was almost certainty someone who knew about the 20 million point special exam. The 1-B and 1-C students were left, and I had no idea who among them knew about the exam.

"So there's only three people who want you expelled that have taken action so far?"

"That's as far as I've noticed."

"That's a bit weird… Even if I'm trying to be polite here, Housen-kun shouldn't be that popular in the first year. Could they really ignore him while he confidently snatches those points away?"

That was the part which I cared about. However, it was extremely difficult to narrow it down.

Was it because they didn't think Housen and Nanase were enough to get me expelled…

Or was it that they didn't plan on joining the special exam from the beginning.

Or maybe, they just didn't believe the exam as authentic at all.

Horikita, who was walking by my side, couldn't answer it as well.

So I tried to change the subject of my thinking a bit.

"What do you think is the reason why the first years don't share information between them?"

Since the topic was going to come up anyway, I planned to ask Horikita's opinion.

"Yes… If the entire grade was told about the special exam of getting you expelled, there is a high probability that the 2nd and 3rd years will hear about it in a matter of time, not only just the 1st years. Hearing about this unreasonable special exam, our class would surely do everything we could do to fight back. So they did it in a way to prevent us from knowing about it, right?"

There was no doubt that Horikita had the right answer. But there was something deeper in that response that was more concerning.

"Did the school really approve of such an unreasonable special exam…"

"Yes. Although I tried to confirm it with Chabashira-sensei tactfully, she didn't show signs she knew about it.

Although it wasn't fully confirmed, it was certain that Chabashira was not informed about it.

"When you think about it like this, there's only two possibilities. One of them is that what Housen and Nanase said was a scam, and that there's no special exam to get me expelled. However, as I said earlier, it's inconceivable to do something like this without any kind of reward. Therefore, eliminate this possibility due to that point.

"Mhm."

"The other possibility is that it wasn't really a special exam. In other words, someone offered to pay 20 million private points in order to get me expelled, and thus inciting the first years to go and do it."

"I see. It would make sense if an individual set the bounty on you."

While what had been done was in a grey area, it's true that it hadn't violated any school rules. And so as she sorted out the situation, Horikita worked her mind and gradually approached the truth.

"In other words, there's someone in the same or a higher grade that had prepared that many points?"

Horikita didn't know about the individual actions that Tsukishiro might take, so her options were bound to be limited.

"Although we can't rule out the chance that this was a game set up by a first year, I don't think they have the trust or the capital to make a deal under those conditions because they've just entered school, so the probability for that is low."

"Someone who can pay 20 million points, and is also trusted by the first years."

Under her course of reasoning, a certain person came to Horikita's mind.

"–The student council president."

The words that escaped her mutter shocked her.

"Could it be that President Nagumo might have something to do with this?"

"How would that work? It's true that he doesn't like me, but using such a large amount of points as 20 million all to get me expelled? I have many doubts about that. And using 1st-year students of unknown ability in itself is extremely strange."

If you really wanted to get me expelled by someone else's hand, it would be more reasonable to use a 3rd year, who was under his control.

"But, there might be a chance that it has nothing to do with him."

No evidence could deny the connection that existed.

Having the title of student council president, that would remove any doubts from the first years.

"Without realizing it, maybe you aroused Nagumo's jealousy. President Nagumo had always been interested in brother's affairs, because he had always been only interested in your affairs. Even if he has complicated feelings like me, it's not strange."

If there were, it would be along those lines.

"Although it's a bit late, this is the topic of today's conversation with you. I'm preparing after school to go to the student council, and ask President Nagumo about joining it."

"I see."

It's been a few twists and turns, but it's an excellent way to make progress on the issue of Nagumo that Manabu was worried about.

"But if I can't get Nagumo's approval, it's not my responsibility."

"As I told you before, the president won't reject anyone who comes to him."

"…You did say that."

At the time when Manabu-senpai had graduated, Horikita was pretty emotional, but she still seemed to remember what was said. Although Nagumo had said that all newcomers were welcome, of course it wouldn't be only that. The sister of Horikita Manabu that would follow him wherever he went. He wouldn't ignore such a precious existence.

"The reason why you wanted me to join the student council… It was so I could spy on President Nagumo, but actually, that's not the only reason, right?"

Horikita was asking me what she should do after joining.

"I think you already slightly noticed. What your brother thinks is completely different from what Nagumo thinks. It's because he values tradition that he thinks Nagumo's reforms are wrong. He said it to me right before he left. The class is a community that should share the same fate. He didn't want the framework to be changed."

"What the student council is doing now, that's certainly the complete opposite."

"But I'm not going to judge who's right and who's wrong. Now, I just want to see Nagumo's reforms."

That's right; there was nothing wrong with Horikita-senpai's or Nagumo's way of thinking.

"So that's why you won't give me specific instructions?"

"Mhm."

"Then why do you need me to join, if the only thing you want is to see Nagumo's reforms? There's no need for me to monitor the student council at all, then!"

"If Nagumo is going in the wrong direction, there's a need to stop him."

And then, it shouldn't be me who would do that, but rather, Horikita Manabu's sister, Horikita Suzune.

Of course, in order to get her to do it unilaterally since it was an unreasonable task I pushed on her, I proposed an exam to see who won.

"There's still some things I'm not satisfied with, but I'll put it as convenient."

This should be related to the part about the bounty that Horikita had mentioned.

By entering the student council, the possibility of gaining information about that should go up.

"I don't think it's good for me to ask anything of you since I lost the match, but will you come with me?"

"Come with you?"

"Well, I'd like to show you using the meeting with Nagumo as evidence."

To prevent the situation if the student council rejected her to show that she didn't lie.

"If President Nagumo has something to do with that bounty, we might also see some kind of reaction."

Indeed, we might get a lead on the 20 million point bounty.

"I see. After school, then?"

Having made that appointment with Horikita, our day began.

Part 1

"So what did you want to talk to me about? You didn't come just to talk, right?"

Although Nagumo's gesture was to welcome us, it also allowed Horikita to cut straight to the chase.

"I know that your time is valuable, president, so I'll get straight into it. I want to join the student council."

Horikita's clear voice echoed in the student council office.

Hearing that, the two members of the student council reacted in a similar manner.

Neither welcoming nor rejecting, they were both surprised.

"You want to join the student council?"

Hearing what Horikita had said, Nagumo's expression slightly changed from surprise to anticipation.

"Well, what a turn of events! I don't really want to obediently say yes."

"So I'm not welcome to join you?"

"Not really, I'm basically one of those people who can't refuse. As long as there's space in the student council, I'll allow people to join. I won't even care about your reason for joining the council. It doesn't matter if it's for the OAA, or wanting to assume a post in the future, or maybe you just have a sense of righteousness. I don't really care."

Unlike Manabu, opening the door to anyone was how Nagumo operated.

"But then again, you're special, Horikita Suzune. Let me at least mention one condition for your membership."

"What condition?"

"Why do you choose to join the student council at this time? Would you please tell me that?"

Did he feel threatened by me, who accompanied Horikita?

No, in a good way, Nagumo was not the type of person who cared about minor things.

He simply just wanted to know why Manabu's sister wanted to join the student council.

Of course, Horikita wouldn't say that she was joining because she lost to me.

Although entering the student council was still possible, that would probably be the end of it.

Horikita would never be able to gain Nagumo's trust.

"I had an argument with my brother in the past, and so I chose to enter this school to settle them. But my relationship with my brother hasn't changed since I've entered this school."

Although she spoke slowly, Nagumo listened clearly to what Horikita said.

"My brother couldn't possibly approve of me who hadn't grown in the slightest. As a result, I hadn't spoken to him properly this year, at least up until his graduation.

Now, Horikita seemed to be selectively expressing those truths from the past.

"And then? Have you reconciled?"

"Yes. At the very last second, I've reconciled with him. And then, for the first time, I became interested in the student council that my brother devoted his school life to. Although I've taken a long detour, I also want to walk the same path my brother has."

From the start, Horikita didn't want to join the student council

In other words, if you asked her if her response was from her heart, part of the response would be 'no'.

But covering up with several truths could blur Nagumo's eyes that were able to differentiate between truth and lies.

"The road brother took, it really is a nice story."

It looks like Nagumo's blurred vision put him on alert

"In other words, can I assume that you have the intention to become the student council president?"

No matter what kind of answer she gave in this place, there was no way she could convince Nagumo.

In this case, a simple lie would give a bad impression.

"That's right. Just like the road my brother walked, I also want to become student council president."

But Horikita herself stubbornly chose to challenge that high wall.

There was no hint of a lie in her words as well.

Since she had chosen to join the student council, it was as if she had the awareness to pursue Manabu.

"I see. But Honami has been working hard behind the scenes for a year as a member of the student council. You're already a year behind her in your quest in becoming the student council president. You can understand that, right?"

"I don't think it's a distance that can't be recovered."

That was a stronger answer than before.

"She doesn't look that similar to him, but she really is Horikita-senpai's little sister!"

Vice President Kiriyama, who had remained silent up until now, spoke to Nagumo.

"I'm kind of comfortable calling you Horikita. I may have referred to you with that already but I'll call you Suzune from now on, okay?"

"Do as you wish."

"I was troubled since the only member in the student council from the 2nd year was just Honami."

Through his direct questions, Nagumo came to understand Horikita's true thoughts, and agreed to let her join the student council.

Then Nagumo left his seat and walked towards the standing Horikita, stretching out his left hand.

Horikita gripped Nagumo's hand head-on.

"Welcome to the student council. From today onward, I want you to work for me as a member of the council without any worries, Suzune."

"Of course."

"As a congratulations for joining, I'll tell you something interesting. The past presidents of the student council have always graduated in Class A. Remember that and work towards a higher goal."

ILLUSTRATION :

Nagumo said to Horikita, who was currently in Class D, as if to motivate her.

"Don't worry. I don't plan to graduate outside of Class A."

"Then show me that isn't just all talk."

The handshake that had been maintained for long finally ended as the conversation also ended.

"I'm Kiriyama, the Vice President."

"It's a pleasure."

After shaking hands with Kiriyama, Horikita became an official member of the student council.

From now on, Horikita would use her own eyes to observe Nagumo's actions.

A meritocratic school system.

This system had completely deviated from what Manabu once defended, so how would she take it?

I guess that the area where I could interrupt them had already passed. Especially since I can't even get info on the bounty, I'll try to find an opening to leave…

As I was thinking about how I could escape.

"Are you going to join the student council by the way? Ayanokouji."

"What are you thinking, Nagumo? You would even invite him into the council?"

It was because Nagumo's proposal was so rare that Kiriyama on the other side said in surprise.

"It's nothing strange. He had the attention of Horikita-senpai after all. I don't have a reason to refuse him. And in the special test the other day he was the only one who got a perfect score in a subject."

Saying that, it was like Nagumo just noticed me.

It seems like he already knew all the information that was made public to the 1st and 2nd years.

"I'll pass, my personality isn't suited to being on the council."

"I knew you would say that."

He quickly eliminated me from consideration as if his offer was just to be polite.

I didn't know what he was thinking, but he turned his attention back to me once more.

"Ayanokouji."

After calling my name out, Nagumo and I stared at each other in silence.

"There's a lot more work in the student council than I thought , but everything has started to calm down now, so when summer starts, I'll spend my time with my kouhais."

What meaning did that have?

Before I could ask him, he spoke again.

"I'll play with you, so look forward to it."

This doesn't reach the level of a declaration of war.

It was an order from the strong to the weak.

"Sakayanagi, Ichinose, Ryuuen. Those people would probably cry from the joy."

After that, Nagumo completely ignored me.

"By the way, Kiriyama, why did you get involved with this today?"

"…What do you mean?"

"When the 1st and 2nd years requested to enter the student council you had no intention to attend. But this time when Horikita Suzune said she wanted to meet me, you showed up. It's weird isn't it?"

Nagumo said those words towards the end of the conversation.

It was like those words were for me, who was preparing to go back, to hear. At the last second, the unexpected statement suddenly broke the flow. Of course, I wouldn't know why Kiriyama was here, but he seemed to be shaken.

"I just was interested in Horikita-senpai's little sister, anything wrong with that?"

Although Kiriyama calmly answered Nagumo's question, his voice was a bit sharp from his nervousness.

Nagumo happily laughed out loud, apparently that was interesting.

"It's nothing, nothing. Don't mind it."

After seeing that reaction, as if it were enough, Nagumo didn't pursue the matter any further.

"Then, Suzune, I want to introduce you to the student council members outside of Kiriyama. You stay right here."

"I understand."

There was no reason for me to stay here anymore, as I refused to join the student council.

I left Horikita and Nagumo behind, leaving the scene.

Part 2

I left the student council and moved to the entrance of the school.

Kiriyama was someone who had struggled to overthrow Nagumo. He supported Manabu and had been scheming for ways to the point where he even reached out to me when I was in the first year. Just as he was throwing in the towel, he discovered that Manabu's sister Horikita was going to join the student council, so he might have wanted to take some kind of action.

However, judging by how he looked today, the battle between Kiriyama and Nagumo had already been settled.

One could feel that an insurmountable gap had been created.

Well… If Kiriyama hasn't given up yet, eventually he might act.

"Well then."

I don't want to use my brain anymore today.

I'll go straight home today and slowly burn through the rest of the day.

I took my phone out and checked the time.

"Well, if you don't have any special plans… Can I come over to your room to hang out?"

I was paying attention to the conversation at the student council meeting, so I didn't realize Kei had sent a message.

Although it had already been 30 minutes, since she didn't retract it or offer a follow up, Kei might still be waiting for my reply.

I decided to reply to her now, even if it was late, because I didn't have anything special lined up after that.

Although we were dating, we haven't made it public yet.

There were very limited places where just the two of us could spend time together without being noticed.

And even the dormitory isn't very safe. Rather, even if we were seen once, it could easily become the decisive blow.

But if it came to that, we would just decide on a decisive solution.

"Want to come to my room?" I replied to her, and within a second, it showed that it had been read.

Was it just a coincidence that she was playing with her phone, or was she waiting for my reply all along?

"'I'll come!" A short reply from Kei.

"Is it alright if I come now!?"

The messages were coming one after the other. I replied that I'm coming back now, and that she could come whenever she wanted after 20 minutes. And then she could just come over following the usual guidelines.

Even if someone else was on the same floor, Kei would be able to handle to some extent.

It took me about 10 minutes to get back to the dorm. I kept the door open and used the time to clean my room a little. Then I heard three fierce knocks on the door.

Kei and I have set a few codes for secret meetings. Although it mostly involved ringing the doorbell, I asked Kei to knock three times in urgent situations. That's because in a dormitory that had a lot of student traffic, sometimes there would be situations when you couldn't open and close the door at leisure.

And in an extremely urgent and dangerous situation, entering without a signal was also allowed.

"I'm coming in!"

Kei replied as she panickedly got in through the door.

Then she used force to push the door shut and let out a breath to calm herself down.

"I really panicked when I saw the elevator stop at the 4th floor~!"

Maybe because her heart was beating faster, Kei pressed her hand on her chest.

Since getting through the hallway was fairly difficult, it was no wonder Kei was panicking.

"It's impossible to hide it forever, you know?"

"I know that…"

I put Kei's shoes in the shoe closet.

Then, just in case, I locked the door and hung the U-shaped chain.

This way, even if someone came to visit, I could turn that person back without letting them enter the door.

However, using a U-lock this early was somewhat unnatural.

I hadn't planned to do this, but I did it because of the precedent set by Amasawa.

It was better than accidentally letting someone in the room and letting them see that it was just me and Kei inside.

Even if an urgent situation happened, it would be fine as long as I was prepared to go out.

If I tell the person my room was a mess, ask them to stay outside for a while, and go out quickly, it would be fine.

And then after I'd left with that person, Kei would be able to quietly sneak out of the room.

"Whew… I'm relieved."

Kei, who was sitting on the bed, patted her chest in relief.

"That's good."

After all, the dorm would be full of people returning home from school in the evening.

But, the risk of inviting someone in the middle of the night was even bigger. Because although there would be fewer people going in and out, it would be a big problem if someone found out that I had a girl over in my room in the middle of the night.

That's why the daytime on a day off or a night on the weekday, where we could come up with an excuse, were better.

Even if the relationship was exposed, it would be one of the acceptable behaviors.

"Do you want something to drink?"

I said to Kei after she calmed down. Flustered, she ran from the living room to the kitchen.

"I'll do it."

"That's a surprise, what made you want to do it? You wouldn't normally do this."

"It's hard when your left hand is injured, right? Look, even I know how to boil water!"

It seems like she was worried about my injury.

"Then I'll leave it to you…"

"Ok. I'll have black tea, what would you like, Kiyotaka?"

"Then… I'll have the same, Kei."

I was planning to match her because I wanted to lighten the workload on Kei a little, but I guess it backfired. She looked disgruntled.

"You don't have any faith in me, do you?"

"…I see, then I'll have a cup of coffee."

"Leave it to me! Isn't it in that cabinet over there?"

Saying that, Kei opened the kitchen cabinet.

Then she probably noticed my gaze, so she ordered me to wait in the living room.

It would be troublesome if I made Kei angry, so I decided to obediently wait for her while watching TV.

"By the way, I was thinking of telling you this when we met, but Kiyotaka, you have a big responsibility."

As soon as I picked up the TV remote, those words flew in from the kitchen.

"What's this all of a sudden?"

"Because you've gotten a full score in math, it's become harder for me to come out with the dating thing."

I was wondering what it was, and this is what it turned out to be.

Indeed, if Kei were to open up about us dating at this stage, it would probably cause some controversy…

"Who knows what would happen if we publicize that we're dating now…"

"So is this situation going to continue as it is for a while?"

"It can't be helped… It's annoying, making it feel like I'm dating you because of your status."

"Is it bad to date someone for status?"

"No, I'm not saying it's bad either…"

"Like dating a cute girl is a symbol of status for guys, right? Wouldn't it be a little too harsh to ask for people not to want that?"

Of course, everyone's preferences for appearance is different, and nothing is absolute.

But even so, I've roughly learned that this extensive yet ordinary standard existed.

I somewhat refuted her point about dating for status, but got no response. I thought she was thinking about how to counter that, but she slowly moved so just her face showed from the kitchen.

"A-am I cute?"

It didn't seem like she was thinking about how she would counter me.

She seemed to be just focusing on the part about dating a cuter than expected girl.

"Would you want to date someone who's not cute?"

Kei with her upturned lip tried her best to escape, not wanting to look directly at me, as if trying to escape my gaze.

The kettle started to make its boiling sounds.

What made one think the other person was cute wasn't just limited to appearance. Personality and body type, voice and manner, family background and upbringing. All kinds of factors overlapped together to make you feel that the person was cute.

"Ahhh… me too, I also think you're super handsome, Kiyotaka."

Although I didn't ask her how she felt about me, Kei still said that and shrunk back into the kitchen.

After the water was completely boiled, I listened to the sound of it being poured into the cup, while pointlessly sifting back and forth through the TV channels.

It didn't take long for Kei, who was finished with her work, to return, proudly placing the cup with coffee onto the table. Although the black tea that Kei clearly said she wanted had somehow turned into café au lait.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

We spread out the textbooks from the first year on the table.

And we got the notebooks and pens ready, creating a scene that looked like we were studying.

That way, if something unexpected happens, we can bluff our way through using the excuse of us studying.

If possible, I didn't want that kind of situation to occur.

From the moment we entered the room till now, everything was a defense strategy carried out based on Amasawa.

After that, we spent our time on trivial topics.

Starting from the things I ran into at school today, and going back a few days to what happened then.

Who we met up with in Golden Week, and what kind of TV we watched.

I looked at the pictures Kei took, wasting time together.

We discussed all sorts of topics, long and short, sometimes switching over suddenly.

The two of us wasted a lot of time talking about useless stuff together. But this wasn't a bad thing.

Unconsciously, I was starting to understand what love is, bit by bit.

An indoor date, with Kei sometimes laughing, sometimes angry, showing me all kinds of different expressions.

As we burned through the topics, the conversation between us gradually decreased. The casual chit chat started to disappear, and the amount of silence gradually increased. It was clear that the mood in the room had changed from what it had been previously.

Toward each other, we each began to feel something.

Began to be aware of something.

No, it's not just something.

I already knew what it was.

Towards each other, the feelings of wanting to touch the other person, of craving a response, were gradually expanding.

But, this is something that didn't need to be spoken.

Only our eyes that were looking at each other could communicate that.

But it was never easy to take that step.

No matter how thoroughly you see through the other person, you still need to consider the 1 in 10,000 risk.

Although both parties were supposed to have the same intentions, you need to consider the possibility that they may not.

If you were rejected, the negative feelings would gush out like a geyser.

Even so——

I was still catching Kei's gaze as she tried to turn her eyes away.

Is it okay? But, but…such feelings colliding with each other.

Soon, as if she had resigned herself, Kei gave up on her escape.

The more time seemed to freeze, the more I felt it through my body

The distance between our bodies, our faces, gradually shortened.

We finally reached the distance where we could breath on each other's skin and could almost touch each other.

From Kei's mouth came the scent of coffee and milk blended.

In 2, no, only 1 second, our lips would touch.

——Ding dong

Our time alone for the two of us was ruthlessly broken by the door ringing.

Only a mere sliver of distance separated our untouched lips.

My consciousness which was drifting away and dissipating was suddenly brought back into reality.

"Ah, eh, the door…?"

Kei pulled away in a panic, her cheeks tinged with a blush, but I didn't even have time to take a closer look. Indeed. The ringing wasn't coming from the hall, it was coming from the entrance.

The internal phone clearly showed that this was a call notification coming from the entrance. Unlike the front hall, there are no cameras installed here, so it's impossible to know for certain who it was. Although I could lie that I wasn't home, if someone sees that Kei had come into my room, that would be bad.

Better to know beforehand who is coming to me and for what purpose.

"Give me a minute."

"Uh, mhm."

Kei nodded, slightly nervous. Because of the last conversation with Amasawa, Kei's shoes were already placed in the cabinet, so at first glance, I seemed to be the only one inside.

Only that this method was not perfect.

The optimal solution would be to stand and chat in the hallway.

But as soon as someone asks to come inside the room, it would head in a suspicious direction. Bringing a girl to your room and then even going as far as to hide her shoes. That kind of scene would be revealed.

Just in case, locking the U-lock on the door was the right thing to do.

This way, they won't be able to see the shoes even if they look through the opening, and we won't be exposed that easily.

I could prepare the reason for why I locked the door when talking to the other party.

On top of that, postponing it to later, or going to the other person's room afterwards would be fine.

But who was the person coming directly to my room?

Horikita? Or is it one of the boys? As I thought of this, I confirmed who the visitor was through the peephole.

The first thing that came into view was the red hair.

"Senpai~"

Followed closely by her sweet voice.

It's as if she knows I'm watching her through the peephole.

"It's me~"

From the sound of her voice coming in through the door, she seemed to be convinced that I was in the room.

The girl in the casual clothes was smiling.

Both her hands were free, she looked like she didn't bring anything with her.

I slowly unlocked the door and opened it.

I hadn't been in contact with Amasawa Ichika from the 1st year Class A since the end of April.

Because of the fact that she hadn't contacted us, this could be considered a surprise appearance.

In order to assist Housen, she took the same knife from my room, and through that, since she knew that I knew that she was in cahoots with Housen, she would keep a certain distance.

However, Awasawa who appeared right in front of my eyes again, didn't seem like she had done anything bad.

Did she think that the fact that she was an accomplice wasn't known to me?

No, when Housen's plan went into action, it was essentially revealed that Amasawa was an accomplice.

"How did you get into the dormitory?"

"There was another senpai who was returning, so I went in with him. I thought I'd give you a surprise."

If she used the phone in the lobby, no matter what, her identity would be revealed to me.

So she used another student in order to avoid that situation.

"And?"

"Is your hand alright now? I was worried so I came to see you."

The clever Amasawa didn't consider the situation where her role in the plan had not been discovered.

Instead, she hinted that she was related to the matter.

She touched the U-lock softly with her right index finger.

"This, can you unlock it for me?"

While keeping her devilish smile, she confirmed that there were shoes put at the entrance.

Did she predict that someone was here because of the U-Lock? Or was it…

"It's late in the evening already, so can we talk tomorrow? It'll be a problem bringing in a kouhai in my room without any reason."

If she came to visit just for the reason of my hand, she would have left after hearing that.

However, Amasawa didn't have any intention of leaving.

Her left hand was placed on her lip, an action that seemed to show her thinking.

"Senpai, you look like you are alone anyway, so cook for me."

In order to find a way to get into my room, Amasawa suddenly changed the subject.

"I have that right, right? The thing about teaming up with Sudou-senpai, you haven't forgotten about that have you?"

If she wants to force herself into the room, she would naturally use that method, I was already expecting it.

In that case, I'll have to go along with her.

"I'm sorry, but I ran out of ingredients. There's nothing in the fridge."

"Eeeh—— Is that so—? You should have reserves~"

Awasawa showed an expression that was troubled and not troubled at the same time, voicing her dissatisfaction.

"If it has to be today, how about I go and get ready now, and we can buy the ingredients together?"

Although the date with Kei would be over, there was no need to add unnecessary trouble.

Since they had already met once, I didn't want her to know that I often called Kei to my room.

"I see, you don't have any ingredients~That's too bad~"

Amasawa showed a slightly amused expression.

"Please don't close the door, okay?"

After saying that, Amasawa disappeared from my vision for a split second.

ILLUSTRATION :

After that——she used her left hand to lift the plastic bag she placed on the hallway floor, so I could see what she was holding through the gap of the door. I confirmed that she wasn't holding anything with her using the peephole before, but it would be difficult to see anything that had been placed at her feet from the beginning.

It seems like she had prepared a plastic bag full of ingredients out of my sight.

She saw right through my escape route.

My reason for denying her entry because the lack of ingredients had been shut down.

I knew that Amasawa had a sharp mind, but this was far more than what I had imagined.

After this, should I admit that I was lying, and then look for another way out?

Saying that I was in a bad mood today, and that I lied because I wanted to reject her should be fine.

After what happened with Amasawa last time, I made a lot of plans, but in the end, the first person to put these plans to the test was still Amasawa.

However, whether Amasawa would accept it or not was another matter.

I had more confidence with regard to other students, but Amasawa also knew about me and Kei.

"Did you lie to me because you didn't want me to come into the room?"

It took less than a second of silence for Amasawa to push me to the wall.

So it seems that it was no coincidence that Amasawa picked this time to visit me today.

"Senpai is not alone right?"

"Why do you think that?"

As expected, she took action after she was sure that Kei had entered my room.

Kei must have been watched somewhere.

"Because~ I saw it. I've been watching Karuizawa-senpai all the time since she came back to the dormitories~"

As if proving this point, Amasawa spoke the truth. After secretly confirming that Kei went into my room, she bought the ingredients. Braving the risk of the lobby's automatic lock locking her out twice, she made such a strategy.

"From the fact that you've hidden your girlfriend's shoes, were you two doing lewd things?"

"It was just a precaution because we didn't tell anyone that we were dating yet."

"Ah, are you finally admitting it? Well, it's not like I don't understand your feelings of wanting to hide it, but I know about it already, so there's no need to lie to me, OK?"

As if expressing her displeasure at being hidden from the matter, Amasawa showed a disagreeable expression.

"I kept it a secret for now out of goodwill… But, I wonder if I shall reveal it?"

Even the fact that we weren't publicly dating seemed to have been investigated by Amasawa.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have used it as material for negotiation.

In other words, this conversation was only a formality.

If I refused her now, there is a real possibility that she might blab.

If Amasawa revealed that Kei and I were dating, it would not be good for Kei in the future.

In the end, only revealing our relationship ourselves is the sensible thing to do. With what just happened, I'll just have to leave it to fate. I admitted my defeat under these unfavorable defense conditions.

"Hold on, I'll unlock the door."

"Okay~"

Amasawa replied honestly. I then closed the door and used my eyes to convey a message to the uneasy Kei that it's alright. Amasawa had already taken the steps to get here brazenly. We'll have to face her straight on. Unlocking the U-Lock, I let Amasawa in the room.

After matching her gaze with Kei, who she had met before, Amasawa smiled widely.

On the other hand, Kei was standing there with a sour expression, like she ate something bitter.

"This isn't good, a young couple alone with the door locked~"

Amasawa who was filled with energy said that as she took her shoes off.

"It's not like we can't. There's a lot of couples out there."

"Well~ that's true. But when I look at you two, I feel something lewd between you."

Although I wanted to argue with her, I couldn't scold her for the accusation she had made, when I remembered the atmosphere during the time of the kissing.

As soon as she entered the living room, she set her eyes on the bed.

"Your clothes aren't messy, and the bed is tidy, so it doesn't look like you were doing anything."

"Well isn't that normal! Anyway, why did you come here all of a sudden!"

Because of Amasawa's appearance, Kei, who had been meek up until just now, became angry.

The anger also contained a little bit of anxiety as well.

She probably should know that if she made Amasawa unhappy, she would make our relationship public.

"I thought you would have an illicit sexual relationship for sure… I mean having sex."

Although it was a lewd conversation, Amasawa still took it a step further, pursuing the topic.

And it wasn't me she was aiming at, but Kei.

Kei was lost for words, and her face couldn't be described as simply red, but even more.

It was a twisted expression that said, "what was this person talking about?"

It was like Amasawa was probing our situation all along, and whenever she checked, she would look at Kei's face.

After understanding that she couldn't dig up any useful information from me, she started to gather it from Kei.

I couldn't burden Kei anymore, so I interrupted and said.

"That's something forbidden by the school rules."

I calmly responded to Amasawa, so that Kei's restless heart can calm down.

But even after hearing my words, Amasawa didn't show any signs of backing down.

"Isn't violating the school rules just a decoration? There are a lot of couples that are doing lovey-dovey things openly in the school. If you go to the convenience store there are contraceptives. In fact I tried to buy it once, and the employee pretended not to see. Well, if everything is forbidden and a young guy goes berserk…and it results in a pregnancy, that would be the real problem, right?"

After saying that, Amasawa used her left hand to take the contraceptive device out from the plastic bag and placed it onto the table.

As if to prove that she really did buy it.

Indeed, without the existence of these goods, the result of an impure relationship would be pregnancy.

The prohibition by the school was, to put it bluntly, an unspoken regulation that if you were going to do it, it must not be exposed, and you'll need to use contraception.

Kei was lost for words, while her gaze went back and forth from the contraception, me, and Amasawa.

"Take this as a gift from me… No, take it as an apology."

"I don't remember you having anything to apologize for."

"Quit playing dumb, the wound on your hand, I had a part in that right? Because I teamed up with Housen."

Amasawa wasn't ashamed of telling the truth.

She didn't let me force her to admit it; instead she confessed it first herself.

"Is…that so?"

Hearing those words, Kei was surprised.

I hope she doesn't say anything unnecessary at a time like this, for her own sake.

A surprising statement was the same as giving information to the other party.

Amasawa could tell from this how much I've told Kei, and whether or not Kei was someone worth talking to.

"Ayanokouji-senpai, I think you're misunderstanding me a bit?"

"Misunderstand?"

"I'm not Ayanokouji-senpai's enemy."

"Although you might have realised my hostility towards you already, but let me be clear. I can't believe that."

"Is that so? Just because I shared my knowledge out to Housen-kun from the sidelines?"

If Amasawa hadn't gotten in contact with me, this incident would have been completely different.

Housen's self inflicted injury couldn't have become my responsibility, and it would probably have ended in the form of his self-destruction.

No, if it was Housen, he should be able to think of other methods; but in any case, because of Amasawa's intervention, there was no doubt that she had elevated the plan into an established strategy.

"Let me guess what senpai is thinking about now. I played a part in Housen's plan to get you expelled, which raised the possibility of your expulsion. That's why you think it's ridiculous for someone like that to say that they were not an enemy. Is that right? I've been underestimated by senpai."

"I don't remember underestimating you. I've made a full evaluation of you."

"Really? I don't think so."

The stunned Kei gradually calmed down after hearing Amasawa's words.

"Wa-wait a minute. You said you were going to get Kiyotaka expelled… What does that mean?"

Although I told Kei about the injury to my left hand, I didn't tell her the specifics.

"Hee~ "

Seeing Kei's panic reaction, Amasawa smiled meaningfully, revealing her interest.

"Ayanokouji-senpai, haven't you told your girlfriend about that? Then what about the 20 million point bounty?"

"W-what!? You said 20 million?"

Amasawa intentionally started the conversation, no doubt using it as an opportunity to explore my relationship with Kei.

"Let your boyfriend tell you the details later, alright, senpai?"

After she said that, I had to explain this to Kei afterwards.

"Housen-kun and I wanted to use that knife to get senpai expelled——And the reason why senpai noticed this was because you went shopping with me, right?"

Listening to Amasawa up to now, I started to change my thoughts.

"It was the first time I saw the kitchen tools at school, but there wasn't a bit of hesitation when I chose the knife. Later, you checked with the clerk and learned that someone wanted to buy the same knife. That's why you immediately judged that you could defend against Housen-kun's self-destructive actions…right?"

The reason I could have known that answer was because Amasawa left a trace.

But it was a trace that hadn't been deliberately erased.

I understood what the right answer was, so I could defend against Housen's plan in advance.

It's true that if Amasawa had acted perfectly, the situation might change.

"How considerate of you."

"Because senpai suddenly had a bounty for his head, and I thought that it was a pity that you would be expelled without even knowing the situation."

Could an average first year high school student have such a brain circuit? I had my doubts.

Amasawa Ichika.

With how she thinks, I could accept it if she was the white room student.

But if that's the case, her saying all this was almost as if she wanted to reveal her true identity to me.

But what's the benefit in revealing her true self to me now?

Or maybe she was the same as Sakayanagi, honing her abilities in a place that had nothing to do with the White Room.

Regardless, my level of vigilance against Amasawa had increased in my mind.

"Ahh——My mouth is a little dry~. I'd like some coffee or something."

As if craving for something, Amasawa asked for a drink with a voice that sounded like something a cat would make when getting petted.

Kei, who was listening to her voice and paying attention to her attitude, showed undisguised disgust.

"Go make a cup of coffee for Amasawa."

"Eh? Me!?"

"If you don't like it, I'll do it, and you can talk to Amasawa."

"…I'll do it."

Making her coffee or talking with her. Kei seemed to have weighed the options and to choose the better decision.

Kei stood up and headed to the kitchen, while behind her, Amasawa added a request to her order.

"Sugar and milk as well please~"

"Argh! I got it, I got it!"

Amasawa added to Kei, who was puffing out her cheeks violently.

"Don't put garbage or sewage into my coffee because you don't like me."

"I wouldn't do anything of the sort!"

Amasawa, who had no qualms about saying things that would infuriate others, laughed happily.

No doubt a little demon… No, maybe the demon wasn't so little anymore.

After Kei left our sight, we were left alone in the living room for a while.

Amasawa looked towards the textbooks and the notebooks on the table.

"These study supplies look soooo out of place."

"Because you're already biased, you can see that."

Since she had doubts about what we've been doing from the beginning, it was pointless to cover it up.

"Let's see, hmmm? What was the convention adopted at the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in 1972?"

After reading the question, Amasawa, holding a mechanical pencil in her left hand, wrote the words "World Heritage Convention" in a blank notebook with pretty handwriting.

"Correct, correct～"

Amasawa applauded herself for the answer she wrote.

"Hey! Don't go writing in my notebooks without permission!"

Kei, who was interested in the situation, showed her face, warning Amasawa for writing in her notebook without permission.

"Isn't it alright? Just a little bit"

"Not at all!"

The angry Kei pulled her face back.

"Senpai's girlfriend… seems to have a habit of being angry."

Amasawa whispered in my ear. It would be a big problem if Kei sees us like this.

Fortunately, Kei didn't see us in the end. Displaying her unconcealed displeasure, Kei brought back the cup of coffee with the milk and sugar added.

"Here. You. Are!"

"Thank you, Karuizawa-senpai~"

Amasawa smiled slightly.

However, instead of drinking the coffee, she stood up.

"Well, I've already given you my condolence gift, so it's time for me to go back. Please feel free to use the ingredients."

Amasawa, who had finished saying what she wanted, turned her back on us and prepared to leave.

"Huh? What do you mean? Not drinking? You told me to make it though?!"

"I don't mind relaxing here, but how about you?

"That…fine…go home."

"That's what I thought~ Then I'll go now~"

It seems like she made Kei make the coffee on purpose to tease her.

Is this what it meant to not know what true terror was?

Standing up in one fell swoop, she left like the wind.

After Amasawa left, the room returned to its original silence.

However, the sweet atmosphere from just before, I had no idea where it went. Right now, the atmosphere was very heavy.

"Kiyotaka! What's wrong with that kid!"

"I'd like to know that too."

"…Made me so mad!"

Although Kei was feeling very irritated, she knew that to continue talking about Amasawa was of no use.

So she wanted to change the topic herself. She changed the topic and spoke.

"Explain, what exactly is the 20 million point bounty, and does it have anything to do with your injury?"

Being silent wasn't because I wanted to keep this a secret.

It was because I didn't want Kei to worry about it for nothing.

But now it turned into a situation where I had to talk about it.

So I decided to tell Kei about the current situation.