Conversation

A little earlier...

In the Guidance Room, Chabashira Sae sat with her back to the window, her fingertips unconsciously tapping the desktop.

From the break room next door came the faint rustle of clothing and hushed conversation. She couldn't make out what they were saying, but the sounds buzzed like tiny mosquitoes, irritating her.

What are they mumbling about? Chabashira furrowed her brows. She really wanted to pull open the thin door and see for herself.

She even leaned slightly toward the door.

Just then, a knock sounded, perfectly interrupting her train of thought.

"Come in." Chabashira quickly looked away, adjusted her posture, and turned toward the door.

Horikita Suzune stepped inside and stood ramrod straight, her face wearing its usual cool expression.

"So, Horikita," Chabashira got straight to the point. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

Horikita's gaze seemed to sweep casually over the closed break room door before returning to the teacher. Her tone held a faint note of curiosity. "Um, are there mice in this room? I thought I heard something just now."

Chabashira didn't so much as blink. She picked up a pen from the desk and gave it a light twirl. "It's an old problem. Could be the pipes or the old furniture. I'll have someone check it thoroughly later and 'catch' them." She put deliberate emphasis on the word "catch."

"More than one?" Horikita pressed, her gaze sharp.

"There's probably more than one 'source.'" Chabashira gave a vague answer, clearly unwilling to dwell on the question. "Anyway, you didn't come here to worry about the school's 'ecosystem,' did you?" She cut straight to the point.

Horikita dropped the indirect probing as well and drew a slight breath. "I'll get straight to the point. Why was I assigned to Class D?" Her voice was clear and calm, but carried an unmistakable note of challenge.

"You certainly got straight to the point." The corner of Chabashira's mouth curved in a way that was hard to interpret. She leaned back in her chair. "I recall saying during homeroom today that the outstanding students are selected for Class A in order, while Class D is the school's final stronghold for the bottom of the barrel."

She scrutinized Horikita. "It seems you consider yourself one of the former?"

"I'm confident I solved nearly all the entrance exam questions," Horikita said firmly. "And I don't remember making any major mistakes in the interview, either. At the very least, I can't imagine why I'd be assigned to Class D."

Her fingers curled slightly, betraying her discontent.

"You solved nearly all the entrance exam questions..." Chabashira murmured. She opened a drawer and rummaged around inside. "Normally, the entrance exam results aren't shown to individual students." She pulled out a document.

"But I'll make an exception and let you take a look. As it happens, I have a copy of your answer sheet here." She pushed the document across the desk.

Horikita glanced at the document, which seemed to have been prepared in advance, and her eyes flickered. "You've certainly come prepared... Almost as if you knew I'd come here to protest." Her tone was faintly sarcastic.

"I am a teacher, after all." Chabashira replied evenly, tapping the test paper with her fingertip. "Horikita Suzune, your entrance exam results are exactly as you judged them."

She paused, as if choosing her words. "Your written score is flawless."

Just then, another faint thud, as if something hard had bumped against something, came from the break room next door.

Horikita's gaze shifted to the door again. "Are those mice in there... really nothing to worry about?" Her tone was openly suspicious.

Chabashira's brow twitched. "There's definitely nothing to worry about. They're... very 'well-behaved.'" Her sharp gaze swept over the break room door, as if she could see right through it.

The conversation seemed to have come to an end.

Chabashira stood up, and the chair legs scraped against the floor with a slightly shrill sound.

Horikita was ready to leave as well.

"Oh, right." As if she'd suddenly remembered something, Chabashira called out to Horikita, who had reached the door. A meaningful smile appeared on her face. "I also asked two more people to come to the Guidance Room." Her gaze fixed on the break room again.

Horikita, who had been about to turn around, stopped, then sat back down in her chair.

Then Chabashira addressed the door in a clear, unmistakable voice. "You two, get out here."

Inside the break room, Hoshino Kanade's body tensed instantly. He turned his ear toward the sounds outside, almost by reflex.

His Adam's apple bobbed as he lowered his voice, sounding uncertain. "Chabashira... seems to be calling us?"

But Kiyona in his arms clung to him like a small animal drawn to warmth, burrowing even deeper into the hollow of his neck.

Rather than loosening her arms, she unconsciously tightened them, her fingertips lightly clutching the fabric at his back.

Feeling his warmth through his shirt, she let out a barely audible sigh. The sound was muffled against his chest, her voice lazy and drowsy:

"Don't move..." She nuzzled the spot near his collarbone, her warm breath brushing his skin. "Just a little longer... Just a little."

The stern scolding outside the door seemed no more than irrelevant background noise. In that cramped space, the warmth of his scent and the steady beat of his heart formed a gentle cocoon she couldn't bear to leave.

But Chabashira's icy voice sounded again from outside, delivering her final warning. "If you don't come out within ten seconds, bear the consequences. I think you both heard the word 'expulsion' loud and clear."

At the word "expulsion,"

Kiyona sucked in a sharp breath and immediately let go. She hurriedly straightened her somewhat rumpled shirt collar and skirt, then ran her fingers through her tousled hair.

Hoshino Kanade also took a deep breath and quickly steadied himself, trying to suppress the unusual reaction in his body.

After all, they were still young and full of passion. In such a cramped space and an intimate atmosphere, it was impossible to return to normal in an instant.

"Kanade, will you be all right going out like that?" Kiyona had finished straightening herself out and glanced at him with concern, a blush still lingering on her cheeks.

Hoshino Kanade gave an awkward smile and shifted to let her stand a little in front of him. "Can't be helped now. Just... try to walk a little ahead of me."

Kiyona nodded, trying to calm her heart, which was beating faster than usual.

Creak—

The break room door swung open.

Kiyona lowered her head and walked out as naturally as she could, doing her best to shield Hoshino Kanade from view.

Hoshino Kanade turned slightly, seemingly trying to use his body to block the view as well.

Chabashira's sharp gaze swept over them like a searchlight.

A peach-blossom flush colored Kiyona's cheeks, especially striking against her fair skin.

Although Hoshino Kanade tried to stay composed, his ears were also unnaturally red.

"Why is your face so red?" Chabashira stared at Kiyona and asked outright.

Kiyona didn't seem bothered and casually came up with an excuse. "The air in there was bad. It was too stuffy, and we were short on oxygen." She fanned her cheek with her hand, the gesture a little too deliberate.

Chabashira turned her gaze to Hoshino Kanade and noticed that he was standing farther back, almost pressed against the wall. She frowned slightly. "Hoshino Kanade, why are you standing behind Ayanokoji? Is there a flower on the wall?"

Hoshino Kanade immediately straightened up and tried to sound casual. "Personal Preference... Uh, I mean, a habit. I'm used to standing in the back." He cleared his throat.

Chabashira's gaze moved between the two of them for several seconds, filled with scrutiny and suspicion.

In the end, she seemed to give up on investigating for the time being and waved a hand impatiently. "Forget it."

Her gaze swept over the three of them, and her tone returned to businesslike. "Did you hear what I said to Horikita just now?"

Kiyona and Hoshino Kanade exchanged a quick glance, both seeing the same blank confusion and a trace of lingering tenderness in the other's eyes.

Almost in unison, they shook their heads with complete innocence. "No." "We didn't hear a thing."

Chabashira looked at the utterly bewildered expressions on their faces, which seemed genuine.

Kiyona's eyes were clear but still hazy with the dazed look of someone who'd just been disturbed, while Hoshino Kanade looked utterly confused, as if wondering what was going on—though the blush on his ears had yet to fade.

She couldn't help rubbing her brow and let out a deep sigh.

Could it be... that I really was overthinking it? Looking at the three students with their very different expressions, she felt a rare flicker of doubt about her own judgment.