Splitting Up

After regrouping, they left the school building together and arrived at the courtyard, which connected the various areas.

Natsukawa Sosuke stopped and glanced at the somewhat unwieldy group beside him before speaking calmly.

"Five people traveling together make too big a target, and it isn't very efficient either."

His voice wasn't loud, but everyone stopped.

Kanji Ike looked at Natsukawa with some confusion. "What do you mean?"

"We split up to investigate." Natsukawa's gaze swept over the group. "Ayanokoji and I will head south toward the Special Teaching Building. The three of you can go north toward the Club Building. We'll cover more ground and work more efficiently if we ask around separately."

The suggestion immediately lit up Ike's eyes.

He'd be paired with Kushida, and the fewer boys in the way, the better! Having the two taciturn guys, Natsukawa and Ayanokoji, leave on their own was a stroke of incredible luck!

"I agree!" Ike declared without a moment's hesitation. "You're right, Natsukawa. We'll be more efficient if we split up!"

Kushida Kikyo wasn't entirely happy about it, but Natsukawa's reasoning sounded perfectly sensible, and she couldn't find a good reason to object. Besides, with Ike and Yamauchi there, she couldn't very well show how much she wanted to be paired with Natsukawa.

"Yeah, I think that's better, too." Kushida nodded, still wearing her gentle, considerate smile.

And so the group of five split into two teams.

Kushida led Ike and Yamauchi Haruki north. Ike eagerly tried to come up with all sorts of things to talk about along the way, hoping to get Kushida's attention.

Meanwhile, Natsukawa Sosuke and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka ambled off in the opposite direction.

As soon as the three of them were out of sight, Natsukawa promptly decided to slack off. He walked straight to an empty bench beside the courtyard and sat down as naturally as could be, leaning back in a relaxed pose.

Ayanokoji followed him. Seeing what he'd done, he stopped, looking a little exasperated.

Natsukawa turned his head toward Ayanokoji, who was still standing. "Why are you so invested in this, too?"

"I'm not." Ayanokoji's answer was honest. "I was just dragged along by Ike and Yamauchi."

As he spoke, he sat down at the other end of the bench, leaving a subtly deliberate gap between them.

After a brief silence, Ayanokoji spoke up, breaking the quiet. Watching the three figures disappear around the corner, he asked, "Natsukawa, what do you think about Sudo's situation?"

Natsukawa kept his gaze fixed straight ahead and replied with a few words.

"I'm sitting here watching."

"..."

The answer left a tiny crack in Ayanokoji's otherwise impassive expression.

Natsukawa didn't seem to care about his reaction and continued on his own. "Still, Sudo's useful. The fact that he's already a regular on the Basketball Club team shows he has top-tier physical ability."

"He's hot-tempered and quick to explode, but if someone can put the right reins on him, he could be a fine horse to pull Class D's cart."

When he finished, Natsukawa turned his gaze to Ayanokoji beside him. A faint trace of scrutiny glimmered in his deep eyes.

"Pass a message to Horikita for me."

"...What?" Ayanokoji looked surprised that Natsukawa had suddenly brought up Horikita.

"If she still wants to make it to Class A, she has to attend next week's negotiation with the Student Council."

Ayanokoji's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. "Why don't you tell her yourself?"

"I thought you were sent by her to talk to me and get a feel for my situation." Natsukawa's tone was calm, as if he were stating a fact. "If not, then never mind. You don't have to pass it on. I just say whatever comes to mind, anyway."

Ayanokoji didn't respond. He knew Natsukawa had seen through Horikita's little ploy. It was true that Horikita Suzune was curious about Natsukawa, who had displayed astonishing abilities and an extensive information network during the midterm exam incident.

The two of them chatted intermittently, enjoying this rare moment of peace.

Suddenly, a slightly breathless shout came from the nearby tree-lined path, breaking the quiet.

"Natsukawa-kun!"

Natsukawa Sosuke and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka both looked toward the voice.

Ichinose Honami was hurrying toward their bench with her schoolbag in hand, moving at a light jog.

"Huff... huff... Natsukawa-kun, Ayanokoji-kun. I knew you'd be here."

"So, I just heard something happened in Class D. What's going on?"

Natsukawa looked at her and asked in an even tone, "Who did you hear it from?"

"Kushida!" Ichinose straightened up and explained. "I happened to run into her and the others by the Club Building. They were rushing around asking people for information, so I went over to ask what was going on."

"After she told me about Sudo, I thought it might be a bit of a problem. So I came to ask you... Does Class B need to help?"

She spoke naturally, her tone brimming with sincere goodwill. But her words stirred a faint ripple in the heart of Ayanokoji, who had remained silent until then.

Ichinose Honami was undoubtedly the leader of Class B. In popularity, ability, and sense of responsibility, she far surpassed Hirata Yosuke of Class D.

And yet, when faced with a dispute within Class D, her first instinct wasn't to approach Hirata or Kushida, the obvious "leaders." Instead, she'd bypassed them and come straight to Natsukawa Sosuke, an unassuming student who kept to himself, asking almost as though she were seeking his permission whether they needed help.

It was hard to explain that attitude as nothing more than "concern between friends."

Ayanokoji keenly sensed that, in Ichinose's eyes, Natsukawa Sosuke's status and importance already outranked Class D as a whole. Her manner showed the instinctive deference of someone in a lower position seeking guidance from someone above them.

Of course, Ayanokoji's expression remained as calm as ever. He simply sat there quietly, like an invisible extra, observing everything.

After saying those words, Ichinose seemed to realize what she'd done.

She looked at Natsukawa's placid profile and suddenly realized that she'd spoken too hastily and impolitely. Natsukawa-kun wasn't the leader of Class D. Going over Hirata and the others to discuss a response directly with him was out of line, any way she looked at it.

A faint blush rose on Ichinose's cheeks, the embarrassment of realizing she'd misspoken.

But she soon composed herself, put her bright smile back on, and changed the subject naturally, steering the conversation away from serious class strategy and back to friendly concern.

"Oh, that reminds me..." Ichinose's tone turned light. "How's Airi-chan been lately? Is everything okay?"

She deftly used Sakura Airi as a way to express her concern while easing the awkwardness of the moment.

Natsukawa's gaze softened for an instant, and he nodded. "Yeah, she's back to normal."

"That's good!" Hearing this, Ichinose let out a heartfelt sigh of relief, her smile becoming all the more genuine.

"We have you to thank for what happened last time, Natsukawa-kun! You were absolutely the biggest reason Airi-chan was able to overcome her trauma!"

She praised him without reservation, then seemed to remember why she'd come in the first place. She waved to Natsukawa and Ayanokoji.

"If you're taking a break here, I won't bother you! I'll go find Hirata and the others and see if there's anything I can do to help. After all, we're allies!"

With that, she turned and set off again at a brisk pace, heading after Kushida and the others. All that remained was her energetic figure.

As Ichinose Honami disappeared at the end of the tree-lined path, quiet settled over the bench once more.

Ayanokoji thoughtfully studied Natsukawa's profile for a moment, but in the end, he said nothing.

He knew the mystery surrounding the man beside him was even deeper than he had first imagined.