Chapter 616

The morning exam will still last one hour and fifty minutes, and the afternoon exam will be one hour, the same as yesterday.

He easily passed by, leaving early, and arrived at Fujisawa, where he waited in the Science Club's activity room.

Today is Thursday, May 22nd, and classes are in session as usual at Minehara High School.

Last night was a clear night, and today the sky outside is as blue as if it had been washed clean, and the sunlight is so clear that it seems as if there is no dust at all.

A gentle sea breeze drifted into the clubroom, fluttering the curtains and letting a few rays of sunlight fall on the windowsill, creating a feeling reminiscent of Yukino Shita Yukino's Service Club.

As a single-person room, its only drawback is its location on the first floor, with the sidewalk outside – offering limited privacy.

But it's class time now, so nobody's going to be loitering outside peeking inside.

After doing other work for more than an hour, he finally packed up his things and took out his phone to reply to the messages one by one when the second bell rang.

He's not bragging, replying to 5 people in 30 seconds is something not everyone can do.

Because they had been contacted in advance, and the two of them didn't have any other friends, the door to the Science Club was opened in just five or six minutes, including the time it took to pack their things.

"It really is inside..." the person said in a lazy, calm tone, yet with a hint of disdain inexplicably.

He raised his eyes and looked at Futaba Rio was the first to arrive.

"What's wrong?"

"You're asking what's wrong..." Futaba Rio walked to the front of the wide teaching platform, her gaze falling on the steaming coffee and the beaker heated by an alcohol lamp beside it, her delicate body pausing.

After a few seconds, she continued, "I didn't expect Sakurajima- senpai to be telling the truth. You really are a habitual thief."

The room she used was a large chemical physics laboratory—strictly speaking, it was a preparation room at the back of the laboratory, but it could also be used if no one was in front of it.

Naturally, it couldn't have been a place prepared specifically for her alone.

Its main purpose is to provide students with hands-on lessons and let them experience things firsthand.

However, as is well known, such courses are generally not offered too many times a year, especially for schools with a small number of classes.

Because of the hazardous chemicals inside, for safety reasons, the teacher is responsible for opening and closing the door before and after class.

Therefore, unlike music classrooms where you can sneak in when no one is around, you can't just sneak in by yourself.

"Wasn't this supposed to be her original line? Can you please stop embellishing it?"

"More or less..." She turned her head away.

"The original statement probably only said that I'm good at picking locks, right?"

She remained noncommittal, walked to the front of the podium, picked up a cup of coffee that was clearly prepared for the two of them, gently blew on it, and drank it.

The temperature was perfect, as if it was brewed precisely at the right time they arrived. The aroma was rich, and the taste was silky smooth; it was completely different from what she usually drank.

"Is this my coffee?" Even though she had already seen the can on the table, she still wanted to confirm.

"It's definitely the coffee powder you kept in the cabinet. If you want to add sugar, use the Manganese Dioxide bottle."

"I know, this is my clubroom..." Futaba Rio sighed and corrected, "Why is it different from the one I usually run in?"

"It's probably because I used Purified water from a vending machine and because I controlled the temperature."

"That's all?"

"Thus, even world-famous paintings are painted with ordinary paints."

"...How shameless." Futaba Rio spat lightly.

His point was clearly that whether one can create world-class masterpieces or make delicious food ultimately depends on the person.

"It seems I need to be more careful in the future; I can't leave overly personal things here."

"Even without me, you wouldn't have stayed, would you? There are still teachers and students."

"Don't mind it, I was just putting you down."

"I see. By the way, what's considered too personal? Is it a circle within a square, or an electrically powered device?"

Don't blame him for being lewd; he just subconsciously thought of some things that happened last night, which made him blurt it out.

"... Asking a girl like that, Hinomiya, are you an idiot?"

"From a macro perspective, it shouldn't be, but from certain micro-level points in time, it might be."

"..."

A short while later, Sakurajima Mai also arrived.

"Yo~ Mai! I'm relieved to see you're still alive and well!"

"Is that all you said when we met? Chihaya, your way of greeting me is really asking for a beating."

Sakurajima Mai remained expressionless, calmly walked to the opposite side of Futaba Rio, took a stool, and sat down. Like her, without asking any questions, she picked up another empty cup of coffee and Kokoro took a sip.

It had been almost a week since they last met, and this "friend" who was having trouble splitting the bill was rather incompetent.

However, now that Futaba Rio is here, he doesn't really need to come too often—after all, someone else is running errands for the ingredients.

"How did the exam go?" Sakurajima Mai asked softly.

The excuse he's been using these past few days is that he's been busy preparing for exams.

"It's alright, I just finished my exams today, so I came here!" Although I still have half a day of music and art exams tomorrow, let's not talk about it.

Music... isn't it a piece of cake for these talented people in Hanasakigawa?

Even setting aside outstanding performers like Toyama Kasumi and Shiina Rikki, there are plenty of ordinary students who play in bands.

Putting aside their academic performance, the three schools' musical level and competence are absolutely far ahead of other schools.

Haneoka and Hanasakigawa, needless to say, have almost as many members in bands as they do in clubs.

Tsukinomori – Have you ever met a young lady who doesn't know how to play a musical instrument?

"I see~" Sakurajima Mai nodded slightly.

"Mai- san, are you taking exams next week?"

"Yes, that's right."

Although it wasn't something he did intentionally, he found himself at this point without realizing it.

Calculating the time, she will be forgotten by those around her in a few days, followed by the three-day midterm exams—that's right, compared to Hanasakigawa, schools that focus more on college entrance exams will directly cut subjects like health and physical education, and home economics.

He doesn't plan to force himself to stay up all night. Putting aside the fact that he has better solutions, staying up all night won't cause him much harm.

Should he put on makeup and pretend to be sleepy to try and impress her? There's no need.

"And then~" Himemiya Chihaya Futaba Rio, "Have you found a solution these past few days?"

When he came over, he naturally couldn't avoid asking about this matter.

"By the way, I've also come up with some ideas."

"Probably..." Futaba Rio and Sakurajima Mai exchanged a glance, somewhat hesitant.

"Chihaya, what's your plan?"

"If it's really because of the air quality on campus, as Futaba said last time, then wouldn't it be enough to just change the air quality?"

"That means?"

"Do something eye-catching and sensational, so that the whole school's attention can never be taken off Mai- san."

"..."

Seeing their silence, he roughly knew the reason, but still asked, "What's wrong?"

"No," Sakurajima Mai smiled at Futaba Rio, "It's just that Futaba thinks the same way you do."

"Really? Intelligent people do think alike, you truly are my friend."

"Who's your friend?" Futaba Rio glanced at him coldly.

"Hey? Didn't we become friends last night?"

"I didn't agree."

"We've already exchanged contact information..."

That is...

"Hey~ That's it!" Sakurajima Mai clapped her hands, ending the pointless argument, and then suggested, "Instead of arguing about this, how about we think about where to have dinner tonight?"

"Is Miss Mai a glutton?"

"You know perfectly well why I'm saying this, don't you?" She pointed to her toes.

"Hiss~ Hiss~ I understand... Could you please let go first?" His expression was exaggerated, but he had no choice but to submit to her tyranny.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" This pressure made Sakurajima Mai feel a sense of satisfaction deep inside, and she didn't want to let go so quickly.

Futaba Rio frowned, tilted her head, and gave him a disdainful look.

"How could that be~ I told you, didn't I? I'm actually a sadist, so if Mai- san can make me... ouch ouch ouch!"

"..."

Himemiya Chihaya didn't try to hide her tracks today—in fact, she hadn't managed to hide them last time either, but last time she went out alone, so she didn't attract much attention.

The three of them walked out of the clubroom together today, which indeed attracted a lot of attention. Although the number of people who saw them was limited, almost everyone who saw them looked over.

Individually, all three are outstanding beauties—the original usage of "beauty" was unrelated to gender, so this usage is not wrong!

But Sakurajima Mai is habitually overlooked, Futaba Rio's excessive quietness greatly reduces her presence. Only he can instantly capture the attention of all passersby on campus.

Then it achieves a 1+1+1 effect.

"I think we don't need to think of any other way. If we just hang out with you guys around the school every day, will that solve the problem?" As if oblivious to the prying eyes of others, Himemiya Chihaya Himegami asked.

"We can't rule out that possibility... but I absolutely refuse to accept it." Futaba Rio shrank back, instinctively pressing her right hand against her left arm.

Even now, she's starting to regret being with them—mainly him, because Sakurajima Mai is the one being deliberately ignored.

Did they spend every day like this before? They have incredibly strong hearts.

"Why? This should be the easiest way, right?"

"Don't make things difficult for Futaba. You see, she's already quite troubled, aren't she?"

"No, I..." Hearing her say that, Futaba Rio pouted, as if she felt embarrassed not to go with her.

"I wouldn't have made that suggestion if it weren't bothering her, okay?"

"You..." Sakurajima Mai was at her wits' end with him.

"..." Futaba Rio hesitated for a long time before finally uttering, "Idiot..."

Leaving the campus, the three crossed the three-way intersection, came to the small bridge on the other side, passed through a small shopping area with only a few shops, and arrived at the tram stop in front of Minegahara.

If you're a tram commuter, you'll usually take the tram from here.

If you continue walking, you'll reach the coastal road and the beach at Shichirigahama.

Because it's very close to the school, there are many students, and because there are so many students, even people in the vicinity can still see Sakurajima Mai.

"Hey~ Which school do you go to? I've never seen you before."

As the three chatted in a measured manner, a man's voice came from the side.

They turned their heads and saw three boys wearing white T-shirts and red ties from Minehara High School standing at the station entrance not far from them.

It was almost the end of the club activities. They were tall and strong, probably members of the sports club at Minehara High School.

The person they had just questioned was none other than -- Himemiya Chihaya.

A second after seeing them, Himemiya Chihaya lowered her eyelids, her expression uninterested. Another one of these kinds of scenes...?

He hadn't seen them in the last few days and thought the social atmosphere in Japan had improved, but it seems he was overthinking it.

He's probably been using Wormhole to travel a lot lately, so he hasn't had many chances to encounter him...

Their hair was gray, yellow, and brownish-purple respectively, their hairstyles were extremely tasteless, not to mention their appearance and clothing; they were people who would never exist in his social network. But in a young, inexperienced high school, they would probably be popular with some girls.

The one who spoke just now was the blond guy in the middle who seemed to be the leader. Now he spoke flippantly to the two people next to him again:

"Oh, there are three of us. Shall we each take one?"