What Else Are You Hiding?

"—I don't see any reason to tell you that."

Following the event, my classmates immediately bombarding me with a barrage of questions. I pretty much deflected all of their inquiries about why I kept my abilities hidden, brushing them off with half-hearted and vague responses. My stubbornness seemed to quickly exhaust their curiosity—well, for most of them, anyway.

Yanami, for example, wasn't most people.

She gritted her teeth in frustration, visibly steering them at me.

You might be wondering; why?

Sadly, I can't answer that. Even I don't know why.

It was probably the biggest mystery of the century.

Yanami clicked her tongue.

"You can have a whole squad of harem with that kind of talent, and yet you hide them?! Stupid!"

"In the first place, do I even look like I want a harem?"

We were seated in a coffee shop near the school, the same one where we'd once plotted-or debated—the best way to bring Yakishio back down to earth. The person in question was currently off somewhere doing club activities. In all the glory of honesty, though, her case seemed more like a passing breeze these days. I hope she can make, at minimum, a little progression before the summer.

"Why do you always act so mysterious, anyway? That's just lame, y'know?!"

Yanami spat in disgust, which prompted me to give the table a concerned look. 'Poor table got violated... even though it did nothing wrong.'

"—you know, Ayanokouji-kun, you're like one of those edgy, loner protagonists in some popular wet dream novels," she said, making some over dramatic gestures. "I bet you think you're so cool or something by acting like that. But let me tell you something; in reality, you just looked like a mentally ill kid— straight out of an Asylum, you know? You should stop doing that and embrace your true self— no need to be shameful!"

My true self, huh? I can't say I know what that is.

I sighed, resting my chin on my hand and staring past her at the window.

The most effective response was to treat her as if she were air.

Unfortunately, she was very noisy air.

Yanami pointed her fingers accusingly at me.

"See? 'That's' exactly what I'm talking about!" Yanami clicked her tongue again, then put on another dramatic gesture. "'Ah, I'm so above all of this. Sigh, the world is beneath me.' It's not cool—it's just off-putting, no offense ...Wait, scratch that. Total offense! You deserved it, Ayanokouji-kun!"

"...Did someone hurt you recently?"

It was moments like this that made me realize— understanding a fool was harder than understanding a genius.

I can't tell what's going on inside her head at all.

It looked like she was trying— desperately —to come up with ways to get under my skin-which is, of course, weird. There's supposed no reason for her to do all that—unless she deeply hates me, which I don't think is the case either.

"W-What...?"

Yanami's expression stiffened at my question, and almost instantly, she seemed lost in thought.

—however, as if some completely unrelated memory had clawed its way to the surface, her eyes watered.

"Karen-chan—"

"Just how you always arrived to that—"

"—is a Devil...!"

'...How many times will I have to experience this?'

It seemed she had a habit of ignoring her surroundings whenever her emotions took the wheel. Yanami's outburst was enough to attract the attention of several patrons.

She groaned, clenched her fists, and stared daggers at the empty chair across from her—where I could only assume Himemiya's image resided in her mind.

"That tits-for-nothing... do you know what she did? We were studying at Sosuke's place, okay? I'm kinda used to flirting with them in front of me by now. I've reached enlightenment about it, y'know? Inner peace. Nirvana. The kind of serenity monks dream of. Even Buddha would be impressed!"

The only thing I could imagine Buddha being impressed by was how she hadn't gone to the Heavenly Realms with the sheer number of calories she'd consumed this week.

Actually, where 'did' they go?

My eyes inadvertently shifted to her chest.

'...Were all the calories going there? What about her head, though?'

Yanami gritted her teeth, her face twisting into a grimace.

"I wouldn't break our friendship just because I lost in a romantic battle—I can do what normal people can't. I'm built differently, okay?! B-but then, but then—"

"—they had sex in front of you?"

"They don't!"

"Then what is it?"

She avoided my gaze, looking awkwardly to the side.

'Huh...'

That reaction wasn't what I expected.

Something worse than carnal relations? What could possibly fall into that category? Admittedly, my experience in this area was lacking.

I recalled every knowledge I acquired after leaving that place to make a guess, and then quickly make a shot.

"Were they holding hands?"

"All the time," she scoffed. "are you pulling my leg here? And, what, you actually thought that was worse than sex?"

Some anime characters acted like it was.

I pressed on, unfazed. "Did they feed each other in some exaggeratedly romantic way?"

"Gross, but no."

"How about writing their names together in a notebook with hearts around them?"

"What do you think I am, a twelve?"

I guess I'll have to use the final resort...

"Yanami... as a concerned friend, I think it's important for you to talk about it—keeping things to yourself isn't healthy."

She twitched. "Since when you became a 'concerned friend' of mine?"

"Well, since now."

"At least tried to put some effort in your tone or facial expression."

"I mean, I never uttered nice words to you, so shouldn't that be enough?"

"What do you mean by that?!"

"Exactly as I said."

Yanami half-opening her mouth before shutting it again, her gaze shifting to something—or someone—behind me.

"...?"

I turned to see what it was before turning into a statue for a split-second. A pair of lifeless eyes stared back at me—just a few centimeters from my own. Shikiya-senpai.

"—S-Shikiya-senpai, you're too close."

Basori whispered into the girl's ear, casting me a vaguely exasperated glance.

"...alright."

Shikiya-senpai pulled back slightly and, for whatever reason, nodded with a faintly satisfied expression.

She was definitely doing that on purpose— and just like Yanami, I can't tell the exact reason was.

"Um, do you come here often, Basori-san?" Yanami asked hesitantly.

"Yes, we do," Basori answered with a faint smile. "It's close by and affordable. What about you two?"

"Ahaha, I don't come here often. I don't know about Ayanokouji-kun, though."

"It's the same for me."

"Can we... sit with you?"

I glanced at Yanami. She didn't seem to mind.

"Sure, we can—"

And before I could finish my sentence, Shikiya-senpai was already sliding into the seat next to me—like, immediately. Both Yanami and Basori were caught completely off-guard by her speed.

"Uh..."

She tilted her head slightly. "What...?"

Don't you 'what' me.

Shikiya-senpai and I locked eyes. Her expression was unreadable, and I could see the reflection of my blank face in her pale iris. Upon closer inspection—or not even that close—I noticed her eyes were tinted by white contact lenses. They're likely the source of the vacant look in her eyes.

"—it's nothing," I said so eventually.

"There's definitely something," Yanami contradicts me, biting her thumb with a suspicious expression.

Basori's expression remained neutral— which is suspicious. The Basori I know would be overreacting when it came to Student Council.

I glanced at my senpai for a moment before shifting my attention somewhere else.

'Just what is going on this past week...?'

We weren't close enough for her to act like some possessive girlfriend, after all. We'd only started speaking less than a week ago.

I'd seen her from a distance before, sure, but I doubted she'd so much as glanced my way in all that time.

My gaze shifted to Basori. Considering her reaction, I had a good idea of ​​​​what was the cause on Shikiya-senpai's weird act—as a matter of fact, anyone who knew the barest characteristics about both Shikiya-senpai and me could likely guess it as easily as myself. It's just plain clear.

"Would you all like... to play a game?"

Shikiya-senpai's voice cut through my thoughts.

I turned toward her, curious.

"What kind of game?"

Without answering, Shikiya-senpai reached into her bag and pulled out a board. She placed it carefully on the table.

"...Is that Ludo?"

Yanami asked hesitantly.

'Yes, it is.'

Unless you'd been living under a rock, you should've recognized it immediately. It was one of the most well-known board games globally, played by everyone from casual gamers to families during awkward reunions. I' d tried it online once—which went disastrously—and if I remembered correctly, the game boasted hundreds of millions, maybe even a billion players. The version on the table had the classic setup: four pieces per color, each piece destined to move around the board depending on the roll of a die.

Basori offered a dry smile.

"Shikiya-senpai really loves board games."

Seeing the board reminded me of Chess, a game I'd played since my childhood years. I can still vividly remember the scene when I beat every Grandmaster that man brought to that place. Quiet a great experience.

"Do you like... board games... Ayanokouji-kun...?"

"Not particularly," I said, still eyeing the board. "I do play Chess, but that's about it."

"Isn't there an online... version of it...?"

"I played there for a while."

"And...?"

"Well, I was called out for cheating because I won too much— too fast, and never lost a single game. So I got banned forever."

Such injustice...

But I guess that my presence will make the competition unfair to even participate in, so in a way, it's a good thing that I was banned to participate first.