Coming Clean

When Hoshino Kanade cheerfully mentioned that she would introduce a new friend after school that afternoon, Kiyona's fingers suddenly tightened around the rim of her cup.

She lowered her eyes, her lips soundlessly forming a few words before she finally managed a vague reply.

The light outside the window fell across her lowered lashes, casting a small, trembling shadow.

It was me. I was the one who came first...

Holding hands, spending time alone, even becoming his friend—all of it.

It was supposed to be a story about two people. Why were there three names in it? Why did it hurt so much?

She had only left early the night before to brush her teeth. In that brief interval, a fresh mark had appeared in Hoshino Kanade's world.

Kiyona had thought that throughout their three years of high school, they would be each other's only friend.

She never expected that in barely ten days, she would no longer be the other girl's "only one."

Had she simply gotten her hopes up on her own, only to shatter them herself?

Her complicated feelings did nothing to cloud Kiyona's thoughts.

So it was her... Kiyona only needed a moment to figure out who Hoshino Kanade's new friend was.

This new friend was nothing more than a hunter—Kiyona had left the trenches for an instant, and an unfamiliar flag had already been planted on her fortress.

The sunset had been sifted through the blinds into languid golden stripes, slanting across the oak table at the window, where four people could sit.

Kiyona stretched her legs along the table's diagonal, her left hand holding open Paul Halter's The Seventh Answer. Her right hand held a fountain pen over her notebook, where a few star-shaped ink flecks had splattered.

Shiina Hiyori curled up in the corner seat against the wall, knees together and pressed against Ellery Queen's The Tragedy of Y. Her thumb had worn the yellowed page edges into fuzzy curls, as though those classic tricks had been taken apart and examined far too many times.

Yesterday afternoon had been wonderful. Now, Shiina Hiyori was just as anxious.

Her canvas bag was wedged tightly into the gap between the seat and the wall, like a fortress of her own making, shielding her from Kiyona's oppressive presence.

Kiyona gave off such a frightening air, and Shiina Hiyori wasn't good at talking to people.

She was only making an ordinary friend, yet Shiina Hiyori couldn't shake a strange sense of guilt.

Hoshino Kanade's hand passed through the diamond-shaped shadows cast by the bookshelves, and her fingertips lightly tapped the edge of Kiyona's notebook.

"Kiyona, this is Shiina Hiyori. We met yesterday afternoon. We're both book lovers."

Then she turned to the figure huddled at the boundary of light and shadow. "Shiina, this is Ayanokoji Kiyona."

Shiina Hiyori suddenly raised her book to hide her face. Its gilded title gleamed in the golden light.

"...Hello." (A flyer slipped from between the pages. The words "Ellery Queen's Centennial" drifted toward Kiyona's toes.)

Kiyona pulled out the John Dickson Carr book The Three Coffins from beneath her elbow and slid it across the table, stopping it precisely at the seam between their seats.

"Mm." The cover bore a pattern of ice crystals. "Carr's book explains locked-room mysteries more systematically than Queen's."

Shiina Hiyori had assumed Ayanokoji was hard to approach, but she realized that was only a distant façade.

Even more exciting, she could share the quiet hours in the library with Hoshino. As she'd expected, those who loved mystery novels found a glimmer of understanding deep in their souls.

Kiyona said that if Kanade approved of her, there was nothing wrong with having one more friend.

As for her earlier reaction, that had only been necessary for her character setup.

Now that she and Shiina Hiyori had become friends over books, there was no reason to read during class every day.

All she needed to do was discuss books with Shiina and Kiyona each afternoon and recommend titles to one another.

But suddenly stopping her reading would seem strange. Kiyona would probably soon realize she'd only been reading for another girl's sake, so she had no choice but to keep trying.

Class D had gradually split into two large groups and countless smaller ones.

The first major group was the broad social circle centered around Kushida Kikyo. It reached out to every student in the class who wanted to socialize, including the introverted Sakura Airi and some of the more neutral students.

The second was the "harmony faction" led by Hirata Yosuke: Hirata, the Karuizawa Group, and some mild-mannered students like Yukimura Teruhiko.

The girls' group was led by Karuizawa Kei. It included Matsushita Chiaki, Shinohara Gatsumi, Sato Maya, and other gal-type girls.

The Problem Trio consisted of Kanji Ike, Yamauchi Haruki, and Ken Sudō. They couldn't even walk straight whenever they saw Kushida Kikyo, so they probably belonged to her group.

The only loners were Kouenji Rokosuke and Horikita Suzune. Kouenji still maintained a basic level of social interaction, while Horikita chose to isolate the entire class all by herself.

Overall, thanks to social butterflies like Kushida Kikyo and Hirata Yosuke, the atmosphere in Class D was actually quite good.

Of course, that didn't mean the academic atmosphere.

Half of the first month of school had already passed. It was time to make a deal with Class C.

"Shiina, could you do me a favor?"

Hoshino Kanade's voice made Shiina Hiyori freeze. Her fingertips tightened unconsciously around her book.

Hoshino was asking her for help?

The thought crossed her mind, and a flicker of unexpected happiness made her heart skip a beat. She almost instinctively held her breath.

These past few days, Hoshino Kanade had become someone special to Shiina.

Whether they were discussing Ellery Queen's logical constructions or analyzing the mysteries of human nature in Agatha's novels, whenever Hoshino mentioned a name, the words on the pages seemed to come alive.

They often found the same clues between the lines and reached similar conclusions as they followed the trail of a mystery.

That sense of being on the same wavelength made her look forward to their next discussion whenever she opened a mystery novel.

Lightly rubbing the edge of the page, Shiina Hiyori raised her eyes and spoke softly. "It would be my honor to play Watson to your Holmes."

Kiyona, who had been reading nearby, looked up too. This was the first time she'd seen Kanade ask someone for help.

"Class C should have chosen a leader by now, right?"

"Mm. Ryuen has indeed won the approval of most of his classmates."

Since it involved the class, Shiina Hiyori felt a strange pang of disappointment.

"You've probably noticed that there are a lot of things about this school that don't add up. Let me tell you what I've discovered..."

"That means next month's points could be very few—or there might not be any at all."

"To make sure our reading group doesn't have to worry about points next month, I'd like you to take this information about Class A to Ryuen and negotiate a deal."

As she spoke, Hoshino Kanade took out a sheet of information and handed it to Shiina Hiyori.

It recorded the general content of the first exam.

Hoshino Kanade had initially wanted to write down only "maintain classroom discipline," but that seemed too vague. What if Ryuen Kakeru refused to pay any points?

Shiina Hiyori took the information and carefully read through it after Hoshino Kanade nodded to her.

"So the exam had already begun." Some of the questions in Shiina Hiyori's mind were resolved.

Hoshino's complete trust stirred something within her.

She gripped the information in her hand, unconsciously rubbing the edge of the paper with her fingertips.

This weighty responsibility filled her chest with warmth.

"Leave it to me. I'll make sure to do what you asked, Hoshino."

Shiina Hiyori looked very solemn.

This was a win-win deal, and she was the perfect person to act as the go-between.

"You don't need to be so serious~ It'd be great if the deal goes through, but it's fine if Ryuen isn't interested. I've already given you the information, Hiyori. I'll be happy if it helps your class."

Shiina Hiyori was touched all over again.

They went on to discuss some details of the deal: the price would be one million points; payment could wait until next month; they mustn't reveal Hoshino Kanade's involvement; and if anything went wrong, they could blame the upperclassmen...

Whether Ryuen paid would depend on Shiina's negotiating. Either way, Hoshino Kanade was sure to come out ahead.

Kiyona observed the entire conversation. She could figure out many things on her own, but some of her questions still needed answers from Hoshino Kanade.

Kanade hadn't kept anything from her. She trusted her completely and would definitely answer her questions.