Classroom of the Elite, After the Intelligence Refresh, They Always Want to Win Me Over!

"Hehe, that little rain doll you gave me last time is still in my drawer."

Shimizu Akira turned and continued walking.

Hiyori followed behind him, weaving between the shelves.

"What are we buying?" she asked.

"Water." Shimizu Akira picked up a two-liter bottle of mineral water. "And... do you think we should get some fertilizer?"

Hiyori smiled. "It's autumn now. The trees should be getting ready for winter, right? Fertilizing them might not be appropriate."

"Then maybe some nutrient solution?"

"What's that?"

"...I don't know either. I just feel like it wouldn't be right to go empty-handed."

Seeing his rare moment of indecision, Hiyori smiled quietly again.

"There's no need to make it so complicated. We're just going to see how tall they've grown, not attend a parent-teacher conference for them."

You really do think of those two trees as children!

Shimizu Akira twitched at the corner of his mouth and put the mineral water back on the shelf.

"Fine. Then we'll just buy something to drink in case we get thirsty."

He turned toward the beverage section and took two bottles of tea.

After paying, the two left through the back entrance of the shopping center and followed a narrow path toward the woods behind the school.

Shimizu Akira had walked this road several times before, but always alone.

The last time he had walked it with Hiyori had been during Greenery Day in May.

Back then, the trees lining the road had only just sprouted tender leaves, and the ground was still covered in a thin layer of petals. Now, more than half the leaves had turned yellow. When the wind blew, they rustled softly, and every so often, a few fallen leaves spiraled down onto their shoulders and hair.

Hiyori walked half a step ahead of him,