A Dorm Room

As midterms approached, the library seemed to have been put on fast-forward. Every inch of air was saturated with the sound of turning pages and an invisible pressure.

It was almost a stroke of luck amid the chaos that Hoshino Kanade, Ayanokoji Kiyona, and Shiina Hiyori had managed to find this table by the window.

They weren't part of one of those groups that went around gathering friends. Hoshino and Kiyona often stuck together in Class D, following the same three-point route between classroom, cafeteria, and library, but they still remained outside the class's main social circle. Shiina Hiyori, meanwhile, was the quiet observer in Class C, always carrying a massive book and seemingly able to shut out the noise of her class.

That very quality of keeping a low profile meant they could now occupy a corner in relative peace.

"Here, Shiina. The Modern History Outline Summary you asked for." Hoshino Kanade slid a neatly organized sheet of notes in front of Shiina Hiyori, keeping her voice so low it was nearly swallowed by the intermittent rustle of pages and the steady, quiet hum of the air conditioner.

"Oh, thank you, Hoshino." Shiina Hiyori looked up and thanked her in a soft voice, reaching out to take the stack of pages.

But this calm was only superficial.

An invisible disturbance crept in from every direction, silent and imperceptible, like countless fine probes slipping into their skin and leaving behind an indescribable itch.

Kiyona furrowed her brow slightly. Instinctively, she tucked a lock of loose hair behind her ear and swept a cool gaze over the surroundings.

Most of the looks came from nearby Class C and Class D students.

The cross-class trio alone was enough to draw attention. Shiina Hiyori, the Class C "brains" known for her keen insight and scholarly air, second only to Ryuen in status, was sitting so close to two "mysterious figures" from Class D.

The brief touch of fingertips when Hoshino passed over the notes, and the short but unmistakable smile Shiina gave her as she took them, both revealed a familiarity that was hard to ignore.

"Hey, look... Isn't Shiina with those two from Class D again?"

"Tch... But it doesn't look like Boss Ryuen has said anything?"

"Those two are bookworms who spend all day holed up in the library anyway. They're pretty much the same as Shiina..."

The deliberately hushed but intermittent whispers couldn't be entirely shut out.

The Class C students exchanged glances, their curiosity mixed with appraisal.

In the general view of Class C, Shiina Hiyori held a special position. Early in the school year, her remarkable powers of observation had allowed her to spot hidden problems in the point system first. Then, through her own unique channels—a cautious exchange of information with an upperclassman—she had secured a crucial deal for Class C, preserving a substantial number of Class Points and solidifying her place as the class's key strategist.

So even Ryuen Kakeru, despite his strong desire for control, took a permissive attitude toward some of her "personal interests."

"Ryuen..." Hoshino Kanade seemed to have caught a snippet of the conversation. Without looking up, she drew what appeared to be a casual sketch on her draft paper. On closer inspection, it was a simple map of the library's foot traffic. Her tone was flat, giving nothing away, as if she were stating an established fact. "He's definitely looked into us. It'd be strange if he hadn't, given how he operates."

Ryuen Kakeru had indeed used his channels to investigate the two of them.

He couldn't access official records, but by using the Information Network and Connections under Class C's control—having Ishizaki and the others follow and observe them, or coaxing information out of students in the same class as Hoshino and Kiyona—he had pieced together a report that pointed to one conclusion: clean backgrounds, predictable routines, like two screws fixed to the library's coordinates.

It was common knowledge that Kiyona's grades placed her around the middle of Class D. Hoshino Kanade, meanwhile, displayed a contradictory set of traits. Her public exam scores were always near the top, firmly among the best, and her Academic Ability was impeccable. But in her everyday conduct, especially in situations requiring in-depth analysis or quick improvisation, she seemed too methodical and lacking in sharpness—almost as if she were deliberately maintaining the mold of an "ordinary honor student."

That combination of high scores and a low-key everyday presence, along with her routine of moving between three places with Kiyona, led Ryuen to classify the two of them as the same kind as Shiina Hiyori: "harmless bookworms" with zero threat potential.

The report had entirely put Ryuen off Shiina's choice of friends. He believed it was nothing more than birds of a feather flocking together.

Kiyona didn't respond. She calmly turned a page, shutting out the surrounding noise as she focused on her book.

Shiina Hiyori clearly noticed all the curious looks directed their way.

If this had been the old her, sensitive and full of worries, seeing those stares would have filled her with unease. She would have fretted: Would her "identity" bring unnecessary trouble to Hoshino and Ayanokoji?

Would the unspoken suspicion or distance of her classmates in Class C become an invisible wall between them and a pure friendship?

She might even have deliberately distanced herself from them to avoid causing trouble.

But those worries had faded considerably by now.

She drew a light breath, feeling the delicate texture of the page beneath her fingertips.

She could face those stares with far more equanimity now.

Friends were friends.

Every exchange of ideas in the library, every unspoken moment of understanding, was real. What did it matter what other people assumed?

She looked at Hoshino and Kiyona, absorbed in their books across from her, and felt a deep sense of calm.

"...Still," Shiina Hiyori said gently, breaking the silence between the three of them.

She turned her face slightly and glanced at the gazes still fixed on them. The corners of her mouth lifted in a faint, slightly troubled smile. "I can understand why they're curious, but being watched for so long really does distract me and disrupt my train of thought. It's not very efficient..."

"Agreed," Kiyona replied at once, her voice as cool as ever. "It's inefficient. I can't focus." She closed her book.

Hoshino Kanade stopped writing and rubbed her somewhat tired eyes. "Yeah, it's not nice being stared at. So... should we move somewhere else? Though..." She hesitated briefly. "There doesn't seem to be any truly quiet corner in the library. It's crowded everywhere."

Kiyona's gaze swept over the packed library. "There are too many distractions here. How about studying in a dorm room?" She looked at Hoshino Kanade and Shiina Hiyori, then added, "They're single rooms, but about thirteen square meters. There's enough room for the three of us to sit."

Shiina Hiyori looked up, her calm eyes moving between the other two. "Then whose room should we go to?" she asked directly.

The three of them were quick-witted, and almost as soon as Shiina finished speaking, they silently reached the same understanding. It would be inconvenient for a boy to go up to the girls' floors. The answer was obvious.

Hoshino Kanade quickly replied, "Sure, let's go to my room." As she spoke, she had already started efficiently gathering up her books.

Kiyona simply nodded. "All right."

The three of them said no more. They quickly packed up, ignored the now-surprised and curious stares, and rose from their seats calmly and naturally beneath the silent gaze of the library, heading for the dormitory area where they could find some real peace and quiet.