The "Missing Person Notice" Operation

"Hirata, what are you planning to do this afternoon? Heading back to the Soccer Club for training?" Just after finishing lunch, Shangguan Che followed behind Hirata with his hands in his pockets, strolling leisurely through the campus.

He called it "digesting," but in reality, he was just trying to minimize the time spent lying around in the dorms and increase the time he could spend interacting with Hirata.

Hirata's footsteps faltered for a moment, then he shook his head gently, his tone flat: "I'm not going to the Soccer Club."

"Then where are you going?" Shangguan Che felt a jolt in his heart and instinctively pressed, "Don't tell me you're still busy with Sudo's business? You need to take a break, too; don't push yourself so hard."

In his view, "resting" meant sleeping for a few extra hours, but Hirata had been running on fumes for days, with dark circles under his eyes that were practically reaching his chin—hardly the picture of someone resting.

"I've got nothing better to do anyway," Hirata turned his head, a relaxed smile on his face, though the exhaustion in his eyes couldn't be hidden. "I plan to ask students from other classes to see if there are any clues regarding the fight."

Shangguan Che saw right through his bravado. "Nothing better to do," my foot; he was clearly worried about Sudo and afraid that the incident would affect Class D's points, leading to dissatisfaction among his classmates.

He sighed inwardly, but kept his tone intentionally flippant: "Fine, I'll go with you. But I'm saying this upfront: if we actually find a clue, you're buying me dinner—the kind with meat in every bite."

"Wouldn't that be a bother for you?" Hirata looked a bit surprised, his eyes filled with gratitude.

"What bother?" Shangguan Che patted his shoulder and intentionally raised his voice, "Of course I have to take care of you, my son!"

"What are you spouting now!" The warmth that had just welled up in Hirata's heart vanished instantly, and he glared at him with a mix of annoyance and amusement.

"Oh, sorry, sorry, I misspoke." Shangguan Che corrected himself with a straight face, "It should be 'godfather,' since we aren't blood-related, that sounds more rigorous."

"You guy..." Hirata sighed helplessly, then suddenly raised his right hand, mimicking the posture of holding a weapon, a flash of mischief in his eyes. "Eh? Why is my 'Sky Piercer' moving on its own? Watch out, Shangguan, it's about to stab you!" With that, he lunged toward Shangguan Che.

"Whoa! A gentleman uses his words, not his hands!" Shangguan Che laughed and turned to run, the two of them chasing each other through the empty corridor, their laughter echoing far into the distance.

"Do Hirata and Shangguan really play such childish games? Or are all boys like this?" Horikita Suzune stood at the nearby stairwell, watching the two of them roughhousing, and couldn't help but mutter to Ayanokoji Kiyotaka beside her, her tone filled with confusion, sounding more like she was talking to herself.

"Horikita-san, you can't say that." Kushida Kikyo quickly followed up with a gentle smile, "Hirata-kun and Shangguan-kun are just close, that's why they're like this. It's not childish at all."

She deliberately used the slightly more distant honorifics "Hirata-kun" and "Shangguan-kun."

For one, she knew Hirata had a girlfriend and needed to maintain her "angel" persona by proactively avoiding suspicion; for another, she had made a small mistake during a conversation with Shangguan Che earlier, so she was keeping that distance for now.

Horikita ignored her entirely and turned to walk out of the school building, her silhouette crisp and decisive.

Ayanokoji stood where he was, his gaze following the two who were still playing, a trace of hard-to-detect envy in his eyes.

He recalled the "friendship" described in books; it was probably just like this—no need for deliberate pretense, able to play around without reservation, and able to genuinely care for the other person.

He quietly clenched his fist, thinking to himself: When will I ever have a friendship like that?

On the other side, the smile on Kushida's face gradually stiffened.

She watched Horikita's merciless back, having already cursed the girl's entire family in her mind, yet she maintained a gentle expression on her face, secretly calculating: I must find a way to change Horikita's opinion of me later, otherwise it will be difficult to carry out my work in the class in the future.

Hirata, in the midst of their play, had actually run out of energy long ago, but seeing Shangguan Che intentionally slow his pace to wait for him to "catch" him, he felt a sudden warmth in his heart.

He knew Shangguan Che was accommodating him, wanting him to relax a little.

So he simply went along with it, playing along with Shangguan Che's antics; it was rare to have such a lighthearted moment, after all.

And Shangguan Che had the same thought: Hirata had been looking so gloomy these past few days, it was worth it to play along if it meant getting him to smile.

Besides, running around would get Hirata moving; he'd been sitting around tutoring, watching surveillance footage, and searching for people for days—his body must be stiff.

"I really am a great guy," Shangguan Che praised himself in his heart while running.

After playing for a while, the two finally stopped, leaning against the wall, gasping for air. Hirata wiped the sweat from his forehead and said with a smile, "Come on, I'll take you somewhere; we might find a clue."

"Where to?" Shangguan Che asked curiously.

"The Club Activities Building," Hirata explained. "It's Saturday, so there aren't many people in the main teaching building, but the Club Activities Building is busy. And since there are students from different grades and classes there, the people who participate in clubs often go near the abandoned club building, so they're the most likely to have seen something."

Shangguan Che had a sudden realization and nodded quickly: "Not bad, Hirata, your brain works fast."

He had been wondering if Hirata had some other plan, but it seemed he had just been overthinking it.

Following Hirata was the right move; thinking was just too tiring.

The two arrived at the Club Activities Building, which was indeed bustling with activity.

Students in club uniforms were visible everywhere in the hallways, some carrying instruments, others holding sports equipment, and some discussing club activity plans.

Hirata immediately got into the zone, taking the initiative to approach the upperclassmen passing by, politely asking if they had seen anything unusual near the abandoned club building on Friday evening, or if they had seen any students from Class C or Class D.

Shangguan Che followed behind, watching Hirata tirelessly weaving through the crowd, a gentle smile always on his face as he patiently communicated with everyone. He couldn't help but mutter to himself: "Does this guy have too much energy? Like a husky, is it endless? If I'd known, I wouldn't have come; standing around is exhausting."

He found a bench by the window to sit down, intending to rest for a bit, but just as he sat down, he saw a familiar figure.

Long pink hair, wearing a Student Council uniform—who else could it be but Ichinose Honami?

He saw Ichinose holding a pen and paper, standing at the door of a club room, recording something earnestly, occasionally exchanging a few words with the club members with a gentle smile on her face.

Shangguan Che suddenly remembered the chat history on his phone with Ichinose from a few days ago and couldn't help but chuckle.

At the time, he had just learned that Ichinose had joined the Student Council and immediately sent a message to tease her: "Ichinose, now that you're in the Student Council, you'll have to look out for me in the future. If anyone bullies me, you'll have to stand up for me."

Ichinose replied quickly: "Of course, as long as it's a reasonable request, I'll definitely help you, Shangguan-kun."

Shangguan Che pushed his luck: "So, you're my backer in the Student Council? Can I walk around like I own the place now?"

"What backer," Ichinose sent a helpless emoji, "A good student shouldn't say things like that. The Student Council is here to serve everyone, not to be a backer."

"Fine, fine, my mistake." Shangguan Che immediately apologized and started acting cheeky again, "Then if I run into trouble in the future, or see a classmate in trouble, I'll just tell them, 'Go find the Student Council's great Ichinose for help, she can do anything.' That should work, right?"

"You don't have to exaggerate like that," Ichinose sent a shy emoji, "I'm only in charge of club activities; I still rely on Nagumo-senpai to lead me in many things."

"Nagumo-senpai?" Shangguan Che frowned, a name flashing through his mind.

"Doesn't Shangguan-kun know? That's Nagumo Miyabi-senpai, the vice president of the Student Council; he's very impressive," Ichinose explained.

Shangguan Che had replied "I've heard of him" at the time, but he didn't think much of it. Vice president or not, wasn't he just a loser to him? (Just a little joke, a casual remark from Shangguan Che.)

Back when they were on the soccer field, he had a small contest with Nagumo Miyabi, and he was the one who ended up winning.