Classroom of the Elite: After the Intelligence Refresh, They All Want to Win Me Over! Chapter 58

"Mm... yeah! I guess you could say that." Shiina Hiyori glanced at him quickly, her voice soft. "I just came to the library to look for something to read..."

That was a lie.

She had actually come looking for an assistant. She just didn't want him to realize it, so she'd lied without thinking.

Shiina Hiyori's eyes suddenly lit up, like a detective who'd just spotted a crucial clue.

Her gaze settled on the book Shimizu Akira had taken down from the shelf.

She stared at its title.

(In/Spectre...?)

"Shimizu, have you read this book?" Her voice rose a few decibels, and her fingers unconsciously tightened around the book in her arms.

"I haven't read the light novel, but I've read a lot of the manga." Shimizu Akira casually flipped through the pages, the paper rustling crisply.

Shiina Hiyori suddenly leaned forward, her hair swaying softly with the movement.

"Really? Which arc have you read?"

"The Snow Woman Arc. The part where Kotoko solves the case at the hot spring inn."

That was the truth.

He really had loved In/Spectre in his previous life. As an aside, he'd watched the entire anime adaptation and read the entire manga, too.

"That arc was just amazing!" She unconsciously took half a step closer, gesturing in the air with her fingers. "Especially the way the male lead and the Snow Woman had that almost-but-not-quite romantic tension..."

(I've finally found someone I can talk about it with...)

Her voice suddenly trailed off, as if she'd realized how excited she'd gotten. A faint blush rose on her cheeks. But her curiosity quickly overcame her shyness. "So... which arc is your favorite, Shimizu?"

Shimizu Akira thoughtfully ran a finger along the book's spine. "The Steel Human Nanase Arc, I guess. When the truth can be interpreted