The Vanished Witness

Natsukawa's eyes flickered slightly.

Because of his intervention, the trajectory of Sakura Airi's life had deviated decisively.

At that critical point in time, she hadn't gone to the special building to take photos. Back then, she was being tormented to the point of exhaustion by the harassment of that obsessive fan, and all her actions revolved almost entirely around seeking his help and her morning jogging training.

It could be said that while he had saved her from the abyss of being stalked, he had also indirectly erased the possibility of her becoming a key witness in this incident.

However...

Natsukawa Sosuke's heart didn't ripple in the slightest at this thought.

On one hand, he had absolutely no interest in helping Class D rise to Class A. The increase or decrease of class points was a matter of complete indifference to him.

On the other hand...

He glanced at the special building not far away, his eyes deep and unfathomable.

The trap Ryuen Kakeru had set seemed seamless, utilizing Sudo Ken's hair-trigger temper and the preemptive advantage of exaggerating the injuries. But in reality, this little trick had too many flaws; it was laughably crude.

One only needed to ponder it for a moment to discover the logical inconsistencies within it.

In his view, this didn't even count as a real battle; it was nothing more than a provocation on the level of children playing house. Not worth worrying about.

"Natsukawa-kun! Sorry to keep you waiting!"

Kushida Kikyo finished her conversation with a friend and trotted back to Natsukawa's side, a look of apologetic sweetness on her face.

"Still no leads... Let's go ask over there! I remember that's the photography club's activity room; maybe someone happened to capture something!"

As she spoke, she naturally prepared to pull Natsukawa toward the next location.

Natsukawa Sosuke didn't move this time. He looked at the girl who maintained 100% energy and enthusiasm at all times and asked calmly:

"Kushida-san."

"Hm? What is it?" Kushida tilted her head, looking at him with an expression of pure innocence.

"Why go out of your way to drag me along?" Natsukawa's voice was flat. "With your social skills, investigating on your own would be much more efficient."

His question was direct, perhaps even lacking in tact.

"And," he paused, his deep gaze seemingly able to pierce through her perfect facade, "why are you so invested in this matter?"

Kushida Kikyo was slightly taken aback by his question. Her bright, lively eyes blinked, and then she revealed a slightly playful, cute smile that was enough to brush off any suspicion.

"Ehehe."

"Why ask that?" She tapped her lips with her finger, feigning distress. "Of course, it's because I don't want our class points to be deducted to zero! You might not know this, Natsukawa-kun, but between treating everyone to meals and such to maintain good relationships, I'm almost out of points! If this keeps up, I might go hungry next month! So, of course, I have to work hard!"

As she spoke, she even rubbed her flat stomach pitifully, bringing the image of a poor, beautiful girl to life.

This reason sounded impeccable.

Natsukawa Sosuke glanced at her and felt there was some truth to it. After all, the expenses required to maintain such a massive social network spanning the entire grade and every class must be staggering. Meals, karaoke, small gifts... every item was a drain on her points.

He was almost impressed by her financial management skills, given that she had managed to hold out until now without going bankrupt.

Seeing that Natsukawa seemed to accept the reason, Kushida Kikyo breathed a quiet sigh of relief in her heart.

She certainly wouldn't tell him that the real reason was simply that she wanted to spend more time with him.

Ever since the last incident, Kushida's curiosity and desire to probe this boy had reached a peak. She longed to know more about him, longed to see what kind of heart was hidden beneath his calm exterior.

And investigating for the class together was undoubtedly the most legitimate excuse that was least likely to raise his guard.

"Alright, alright, let's go, Natsukawa-kun! If we're any later, we won't be able to ask anyone!"

Kushida used a coquettish tone to successfully gloss over the topic, once again pulling Natsukawa toward the next investigation spot.

Just like that, the two rushed around the campus, questioning no fewer than a dozen people, until the hands of the clock slowly pointed to five.

The setting sun stretched their shadows long.

In the end, they still had nothing to show for it.

"Sigh... looks like there's no hope for today." Kushida stopped and sighed with a hint of discouragement, but a smile quickly returned to her face. "But that's okay! We'll keep trying tomorrow! Let's call it a day for now!"

She turned to Natsukawa with sincere gratitude: "Thank you so much for today, Natsukawa-kun! For sticking with me for so long."

"It's nothing." Natsukawa's reply was as concise as ever.

The two walked side by side in silence along the tree-lined path back to the dorms. The afterglow of the sunset bathed their brief walk together in a layer of warm, hazy gold.

The next afternoon, before the echoes of the final bell had fully faded, a beautiful figure once again arrived at the back of the classroom with practiced ease.

"Natsukawa-kun, let's go!"

Kushida Kikyo still wore that signature, vibrant, sweet smile, as if yesterday's lack of results had not affected her enthusiasm in the slightest. She was even more proactive than yesterday, leaning forward slightly and looking at Natsukawa with expectant eyes, as if she might cry the next second if he said "no."

Natsukawa Sosuke looked at the impeccably exquisite face before him, too lazy to distinguish how much of this enthusiasm was real and how much was fake. He simply placed his last book into his bag and stood up.

However, just as the two left their seats and before they could walk out of the classroom, two figures rushed over from the front of the room, intercepting them with precision.

"Kushida-chan! Natsukawa! Where are you two going?"

Ike Kanji looked at Kushida with a nervous expression, the sense of crisis in his eyes nearly overflowing. Yesterday, he had keenly sensed that Kushida seemed overly enthusiastic toward Natsukawa, a guy who usually didn't fit in. Seeing the two about to head out alone again today, his radar for danger instantly triggered a high-level alert.

Yamauchi Haruki, standing nearby, also wore an expression of wanting to join the fun and chimed in, "Yeah, yeah! How could you not invite us if there's something good going on?"

Ike Kanji completely ignored Natsukawa, his eyes burning as he stared at Kushida, and he said with an eager tone, "Kushida-chan, if you're going to investigate that guy Sudo, count us in too! More people means more strength, right!"

As he spoke, he reached out and grabbed Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, who was just about to quietly slip away and pretend he hadn't seen anything, and dragged him over.

"And Ayanokoji! That makes four of us, let's go help out together!"

Ayanokoji, having been forcibly pulled into the group, wore a helpless expression on his face.

When Kushida Kikyo saw these three unexpected third wheels, the smile on her face stiffened slightly, but it only lasted for a moment before she returned to her perfect, understanding persona.

Of course, she was a hundred percent unwilling in her heart. The opportunity for alone time that she had worked so hard to create had just been ruined by these oblivious guys. But her persona did not allow her to say no.

"Sure!" Kushida's tone sounded full of surprise and gratitude. "It's so great that Ike-kun and Yamauchi-kun are willing to help too! With more people, maybe we really will be able to find some clues!"

Just like that, the original "date" for two instantly upgraded into a five-person investigation squad.