The one asking with her head slightly tilted was a cute Silver Haired Girl, holding a cane in her right hand. A beret sat atop her silver, neck-length bob, and the white stockings on her legs suited her petite frame well. Her purple eyes seemed to hold a hint of mystery. Looking at this girl, Konoe felt a strange atmosphere of fleeting illusion around her.
Konoe hurriedly stepped out from around the corner. "Hello, classmate. We haven't met before, have we? I'm Konoe Hirakawa from First Year Class D."
"Hey, what were you trying to do, hiding there all sneaky-like?" The voice came from behind the petite girl, and only then did Konoe notice another purple-haired girl accompanying her.
"Masumi, if he had wanted to hide, he wouldn't have peeked out from the front." The girl took off her beret and held it before her chest in greeting. With a smile in her eyes, she said, "I'm Sakayanagi Arisu from First Year Class A. This is Kamuro Masumi, my classmate."
Kamuro Masumi, the purple-haired girl, was glaring coldly at Konoe.
"I apologize for my strange behavior... I heard an odd sound as I passed the corner and got curious, so I didn't react right away," Konoe explained.
"I see. Do you mean this?" Sakayanagi tapped the ground twice with her cane, producing two thumping sounds. "As you can see, my health isn't very good, so I have no choice but to rely on something like this."
"I see. I have something to do, so I'll be leaving now..." Konoe did not want too much contact with Class A, so he prepared to leave directly.
"Aren't you going to ask why I know your name?"
"It's just a name. There's no need, is there?" With that, Konoe tried to walk around them and leave, but Kamuro stepped out from behind Sakayanagi and blocked his path.
Only then did Konoe realize that Kamuro was also a bishoujo, with long, straight purple hair. Her slightly drooping eyelids gave her the impression of someone reserved and introverted, but her face was icy at the moment, even openly disdainful as she looked at Konoe. Unlike the frail and petite Sakayanagi, this girl was well-developed physically and looked like the athletic type.
"You're unbelievably rude, aren't you? Didn't you notice she hadn't finished speaking? You were the one peeking at us first, weren't you?" Kamuro said, crossing her arms over her chest.
"First of all, I wasn't peeking... Forget it. May I ask how Classmate Sakayanagi knew my name?" Although Konoe did not want to waste time here, he wanted even less to make an enemy of Class A.
"Congratulations on joining the Student Council, Konoe. Katsuragi from our class told me. He said the Student Council election was lost to a Class D Student. Come to think of it... Konoe, you seemed to have visited Class A last time, didn't you?"
"You flatter me. Judging by the result, all I did was waste my effort."
"I don't think so. If another opportunity like that arises, I would personally be very willing to make a deal with you."
"I see. I'll contact Katsuragi then."
"Could it be that Konoe has Katsuragi's Contact Method?" Sakayanagi asked, pretending to be surprised.
"...Not for the time being."
"That's fine. We can just exchange Contact Methods, then. Kamuro." Though Sakayanagi said they would exchange Contact Methods, she made no move to take out her phone. Instead, Kamuro beside her took out hers.
Seeing this, Konoe had no choice but to exchange Contact Methods with Kamuro. He did not ask any questions.
"I'm sorry for taking up your time." After Sakayanagi spoke, Kamuro moved aside. Konoe nodded to them before leaving.
Kamuro put away her phone and followed behind Sakayanagi again. "He didn't seem as impressive as you said, Sakayanagi. Did you misjudge him?"
"I find it a little strange too, but not in the same way you do. Besides, you actually doubted me. How hurtful..." Sakayanagi stopped walking, forcing Kamuro behind her to stop as well. "Go follow him now and see where he goes next."
"...All right. What about the Student Council?" Kamuro suddenly regretted speaking out of turn.
"It's fine. I'll contact you when you're done, and you can come back to pick me up." Sakayanagi said happily.
"...Understood."
However, Konoe merely returned to the classroom, tutored his classmates, had a meal with Ayanokoji, and then went back to his dormitory.
During the break the next day, Konoe looked at the trio in surprise.
They were neither going out to have fun nor lying on their desks to sleep. Instead, after every class, they proactively brought their textbooks over to Horikita and gathered around him, seemingly studying what they had learned in the previous lesson.
Curious, Konoe began chatting with Ayanokoji through Text Messages.
Konoe: "I didn't expect Horikita's Study Group to come back to life after such a short time. What do they do after everyone gathers?"
Ayanokoji: "During every break, they gather and report what they don't understand. Horikita gives them notes and worked examples, then Kushida and I teach the three of them one-on-one."
Konoe: "But breaks are only ten minutes. Can that really work? And won't skipping their break affect their efficiency in class?"
Ayanokoji: "They don't need to take notes. They only need to remember their questions and listen as carefully as they can during class."
Konoe: "I-I see. Setting aside whether it works, I'm curious how Horikita made up with Sudo."
Ayanokoji: "They're classmates, and what happened last time wasn't such a major conflict. Besides, Horikita was acting for Sudo's sake. Calling it 'making up' is a bit exaggerated. The two of them only needed to understand each other. Still, Konoe, your grades seem pretty good. Want to come help us?"
Konoe: "I'll pass. Despite how I look, I actually struggle a lot during class."
Ayanokoji: "Really? Well, that makes sense. Konoe always looks like his mind is somewhere else during class. I suppose you must be studying hard in your head?"
Konoe: "...Fine, I'll help. Send one person over to me, then. I'll only explain questions from class."
Ayanokoji: "Then I'll leave my share to you. Answering questions is still a little difficult for someone with a score of fifty like me."
Konoe: "Hey."
Although the trio found no enjoyment in studying, they still persevered in order to avoid expulsion.
During class, Sudo nearly fell asleep several times, only to force himself awake at the last moment. It seemed he truly took his dream seriously.
And so, Horikita's Study Group began operating once more. They even gathered in the library during every lunch break to read for twenty minutes.
Konoe had not expected Horikita to go this far. Although Ayanokoji had helped from the side, it seemed Horikita had gone to speak with Sudo alone. Just as Ayanokoji had said, they had merely come to understand each other.
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