"Good afternoon, Shiina."
"Good afternoon, Aragaki-kun." Shiina Hiyori set down her book and returned his greeting, then gave him a curious look. "At lunchtime, didn't you message me to say you had nothing to do today and ask me to find a few books about fortune-telling?"
"Sorry. Something unexpected happened on the way here, so I really did get held up..."
Aragaki Shun took the reading material he was supposed to work through today from Shiina. He made no secret of what had happened, and gave the girl a rough account of everything, starting with how he had bumped into Sakura.
Shiina listened quietly as he described his chance encounter with the country girl and how he had put the staff at the electronics store in their place. Her expression remained unchanged, as serene as ever, though for some reason she sighed at the end and said—
"So Aragaki-kun went off to save a damsel in distress..."
"Save a damsel in distress?" Aragaki Shun raised an eyebrow, as if savoring the meaning of the phrase. In the end, he simply shook his head. "I wouldn't say that!"
"I just nipped the threat in the bud. Without me provoking him, that clerk might not have had the nerve to actually do anything."
Lust is the root of all evil. Judge people by their actions, not their thoughts; if we judged them by their thoughts, no one in the world would be perfect.
Even Aragaki Shun had to admit that when he met certain beautiful women, he couldn't help having all sorts of thoughts he couldn't share with others.
He wasn't a saint. Even he sometimes felt his heart stir in the face of beauty.
Like during the leisurely hours he spent reading with Shiina Hiyori. He was often captivated by the girl's poise and grace, and imagined time could stand still, thinking it would be wonderful to spend his life with her.
There was no denying that the Advanced Nurturing High School spent a great deal of manpower and money recruiting students from all over the country. It was hard to say how many of them were truly talented, but there was no doubt that the school had an astonishingly high proportion of beautiful girls.
As the leader of Class A, Aragaki Shun had plenty of opportunities to interact with the girls in his class.
Take his classmates, for example: Ichinose Honami, who sat beside him; Shiranami Chihiro, who sat in front of him; and Himeno Yuki, who sat behind him. Three beautiful girls, each with her own appeal, surrounded him.
Living in that kind of environment every day, it would have been a lie to say he was completely unaffected, or that he had never entertained any risqué thoughts.
After all, he was a normal man. He wasn't Liuxia Hui, a eunuch, or a monk who had renounced all worldly desires.
Actually, that wasn't quite right. The temples on Sakurajima were run and inherited by families, so monks didn't have to follow strict rules. They, too, had to marry and have children to pass the temples down to their descendants.
Still, no matter how much he let his imagination run wild, those thoughts were only fantasies. As long as he wasn't truly ruled by desire and didn't act on any wicked impulses, no one could condemn him for the urges he kept hidden in his heart.
So Aragaki Shun's earlier tactic of provoking the clerk until he lost his composure could hardly be called righteous, much less saving a damsel in distress.
He had simply acted on his own likes and dislikes, arbitrarily labeling the clerk as "a potential threat in the future," then decisively dealt with him.
"It wasn't saving a damsel in distress?" The Literary Girl looked puzzled. "Wasn't it because Sakura-san is so pretty that you were so quick to help her with her trouble, Aragaki-kun?"
Why did Shiina seem a little off?
Looking at Shiina Hiyori, still so serene and so sparing with her emotions, Aragaki Shun suddenly felt a strange pang of guilt.
He had promised to read with Shiina, but another woman had lured him away and kept him from arriving on time. He really was guilty of a terrible crime.
Wait, why was he making himself feel guilty over this?
When he decided to take Sakura Airi to the electronics store, hadn't he already messaged Shiina to say he might be late?
And hadn't the Literary Girl said she understood?
Remembering that, Aragaki Shun confidently brushed aside the odd feeling in his heart. He stopped worrying about things that didn't matter and answered Shiina Hiyori's question as if they were simply making conversation.
"Sakura-san seems like she should be fairly pretty, but she seems to be deliberately hiding her appearance. She wears glasses, ties up her long hair, and dresses like a country bumpkin. She doesn't seem interested in talking to people her own age at all."
"I'm not interested in digging into other people's business, so I didn't bother trying to figure out whether she was really pretty. We just happened to meet. Maybe we'll become friends if we cross paths again; if not, it'll be hard to get to know each other over the next three years, let alone after that."
Aragaki Shun wasn't sure whether Shiina was really jealous.
He didn't want to dwell on whether that was just a delusion caused by his own conceit, either.
He had no ulterior motives toward Sakura Airi, so he might as well tell Shiina honestly what he thought. He couldn't be bothered with the sort of routine where people first misunderstand each other, then try to make up.
Fortunately, Shiina wasn't the unreasonable sort. After hearing Aragaki Shun's description of Sakura Airi, she only gave the boy an exasperated look. "You shouldn't call a girl a 'country bumpkin' so bluntly, Aragaki-kun. You really do have no filter."
"Sorry about that, but I can't help it. That really was my first impression of Sakura."
Aragaki Shun shrugged. "If you don't believe me, you can go say hello to her in Class D yourself. Then you won't call it saving a damsel in distress."
Sakura Airi certainly wasn't ugly, but if you put her next to Aragaki Shun and asked anyone at the school to judge, no one would say the boy was the one getting the better deal!
With every attribute at the limits of a normal human being, and so many skills and talents boosting him, Aragaki Shun was confident that no one his age could surpass him in charm, even though he couldn't see his own Charm stat.
If only he didn't dislike too much noise around him and deliberately put out an aura that told busybodies to get lost. If he wanted to, he could imitate Ichinose Honami just a little and have a crowd of people flocking around him every day.
Shiina Hiyori seemed about to say something in response to the boy's rather conceited attitude. Looking at his exceptionally handsome face, though, she ultimately couldn't come up with anything to refute him.
That only made the girl feel more stifled.
That was right. Aragaki-kun wasn't like her. He had always had plenty of people around him.
79. Shiina Hiyori's mood grew heavy
Shiina Hiyori could feel her thoughts growing unsettled.
This wasn't supposed to happen.
Aragaki-kun wasn't like her, someone who was always alone, with no friends to talk to.
He was the leader of Class A. Sometimes, class business made him arrive at the library late, and today he hadn't been on time because something unexpected had happened.
Even so, the boy had politely messaged her to say he would be late.
Shiina Hiyori hadn't thought much of it at the time. After all, no one could avoid the occasional mishap, so she had been understanding and told him to take care of his own business first.
It was that simple. No matter how you looked at it, once something so minor had passed, there was no reason to keep dwelling on it, much less sulk over it.
"What's wrong with me?"
The Literary Girl looked at the book she loved, but though she could usually lose herself in its story with ease, now she was restless and couldn't settle down. It was as if something were lodged in her chest. Her mood had inexplicably turned low, and she couldn't find the energy to do anything.
Across from her, Aragaki Shun suddenly stiffened and glanced at Shiina Hiyori, who seemed no different from usual.
Yet his instincts told him that something strange was hanging in the air, suppressed and unspoken.
Perhaps it was the years of literary influence. Whenever Aragaki Shun read with the girl, her intelligent, ethereal air affected him, and he easily sank into the focused atmosphere of reading, losing all sense of time.
For Aragaki Shun, those hours—when he didn't have to think about anything and could simply enjoy himself in a sea of knowledge—were especially relaxing and pleasant.
In that state, there seemed to be an unspoken understanding between him and Shiina Hiyori. They didn't need to say much to each other; they could naturally sense what the other was thinking from the atmosphere alone.
But now he couldn't get into that state. The girl across from him, who usually seemed light and soft, somehow felt heavy, like a feather soaked in water.
Aragaki Shun simply put down his book, rested his chin on one hand, and stared unblinkingly at Shiina.
Before long, the Literary Girl shifted uncomfortably. She half-covered her face with her book, leaving only her violet eyes visible, and asked him with a hint of reproach, "Why do you keep looking at me, Aragaki-kun? Is there something on my face?"
"Because this is the first time since school started that I've seen you so distracted, Shiina. It's kind of fascinating."
Shiina Hiyori froze, but quickly recovered. She lowered her eyes, making it hard to see her expression behind the book. "Sorry for making you laugh, Aragaki-kun. Did my distraction keep you from concentrating?"
"It's no big deal. I doubt there's anyone in the world who can stay focused on one thing forever. Sometimes, when a lesson is boring, I find myself wondering when class will end and what set meal I'll get at the cafeteria."
"Shiina, let me tell you: reading is like going for a morning run for me. The main point is to improve and train myself. But food is my true passion. Back when I lived in Chiba, I'd go to famous restaurants all by myself just to order something delicious."
"Pfft! I had no idea you had a side like that, Aragaki-kun. You'd never know by looking at you."
Shiina Hiyori smiled behind her hand. She and Aragaki Shun didn't spend much time together outside the library, so she didn't know what he was usually like, or what he enjoyed beyond reading.
At the thought, the smile on the Literary Girl's face suddenly froze.
So that was it. She finally understood why she was so restless.
She and he were nothing more than ordinary friends who shared a love of books. The only place they met was this small corner of the library, and they only spent a little over two hours together each afternoon.
Of course, the girl didn't resent that.
Shiina had lacked friends since childhood and could only quietly savor mystery novels on her own. After coming to Advanced Nurturing High School, meeting Aragaki Shun, a friend who shared her interests, had already been the greatest wish she had once been able to keep only in her heart.
The Literary Girl didn't think of herself as greedy. She had never hoped for anything more. She only wanted things to stay as they were, to spend a quiet, not-too-long stretch of time with her fellow book lover every afternoon.
But would even such a simple wish always be disrupted by one thing or another?
Shiina Hiyori felt a little dejected.
As the leader of Class A, Aragaki Shun sometimes had to attend to class affairs. He couldn't be expected to arrive at the library on time every single day.
She had understood and accepted that a month ago.
And today, Aragaki Shun hadn't arrived on time because he'd had an unexpected encounter with another girl.
Shiina hadn't been there, of course, so she didn't know what had actually happened. She was just a little unhappy that someone else had taken up the time that belonged to her...
And besides—"We just happened to meet. Maybe we'll become friends if we cross paths again; if not, it'll be hard to get to know each other over the next three years, let alone after that."
Thinking of how Aragaki Shun had spoken about Sakura Airi earlier, the Literary Girl felt even heavier.
She and Aragaki-kun were friends now, weren't they?
But they only had three years to talk freely and comfortably as fellow book lovers.
After three years, they would have to go their separate ways to pursue their futures. Maybe in the end they'd even lose touch over their phones, let alone see each other every day as they did now.
This kind of thing... this kind of future...
Seeing Shiina Hiyori suddenly clutch her book, her delicate fist making the pages crackle, Aragaki Shun felt his heart skip a beat.
What could she have imagined to make the usually elegant and composed Shiina do something so unlike herself?
Aragaki Shun didn't dare let the girl keep brooding. He hurriedly brought up an important matter to change the subject.
"Shiina, I invited you to transfer to Class A last night, and you said you'd think about it. A whole day has almost passed, so you should give me an answer now!"
Aragaki Shun jolted Shiina out of her thoughts and then suddenly asked her a question. Her mind stalled for a moment. When she came back to herself, the girl instinctively turned a page in her book, then looked up with her usual composure.
But the moment she met the boy's expectant gaze, the Literary Girl seemed to forget the answer she had prepared. Without thinking, she asked the question that had been on her mind.
"Aragaki-kun, do you really want me to come to Class A?"
80. Shiina felt like she was being kept
"Aragaki-kun, do you really want me to come to Class A?"
The moment the words left her mouth, Shiina Hiyori regretted them.
A faint blush rose on her cheeks, and her eyes wandered as if searching for something that might change the subject.
But what was done was done. The girl could only lower her head as if by chance and pretend to turn the pages of her book, trying to hide her embarrassment.
"I... I just asked offhandedly. I didn't mean anything in particular."
She spoke softly, her voice carrying a hint of bashfulness.
Aragaki Shun saw the girl's fingers twisting the edge of the page without her realizing it, as if the little gesture helped ease her nerves. He couldn't help finding it a little amusing.
If it didn't mean anything in particular, why go out of her way to say that?
He hadn't expected to see such a cute expression on Shiina's usually calm face. It was suddenly as if his whole body had been refreshed.
Of course, he couldn't actually laugh. No matter how good-natured Shiina was, she might still get embarrassed and angry in the next moment.
So Aragaki Shun pretended not to notice the Literary Girl's discomfort and answered as evenly as always. "For both public and personal reasons, I hope you'll transfer to Class A as soon as you can, Shiina."
"From a practical standpoint, it would improve Class A's overall strength. Personally, as your friend, I really don't feel comfortable with you staying in Class C for long. You should understand the problems with your class better than I do, shouldn't you, Shiina?"
Shiina Hiyori felt a little relieved when she saw that the boy didn't dwell on her slip of the tongue, but Aragaki Shun's perfectly natural reaction also made her feel a little disappointed.
And there was no need for him to worry about her. She wasn't a child...
Still, she didn't dare let herself get lost in thought again. Forcing herself to push those strange feelings aside, she focused on the matter at hand.
"Problems with Class C?" Shiina looked up and met Aragaki Shun's warm but forceful gaze. Her face showed just the right amount of confusion. "Are you talking about Ryuen-kun using violence to bring the class under his control?"
"Exactly. I'll admit Ryuen Kakeru has some ability, but I'm even more confident that the Class C he commands can't beat Class A in a competition. If that's the case, wouldn't it be better for you to leave the mess that is Class C sooner rather than later?"
"Isn't that a little too confident, Aragaki-kun?" Shiina Hiyori smiled faintly at Aragaki Shun's spirited manner. "Most people in Class C may not be very capable, but under Ryuen-kun's leadership, they're dangerous."
"Besides, things haven't been so bad for me in Class C. Ryuen-kun only uses violence against people who refuse to submit to his rule. I just have to keep quietly to myself, and no one will go out of their way to pick on me."
In truth, Shiina was understating things.
As one of the few sharp minds in Class C, a top student with exceptional intelligence, Shiina held a fairly good position in the class. As long as she didn't deliberately provoke Ryuen Kakeru, he wouldn't suddenly lose his temper and attack her.
After all, Class C had very few capable people to begin with. No matter how much Ryuen valued violence, he wouldn't deliberately drive out someone who could serve as the class strategist.
Unfortunately, Shiina herself didn't much like competing with others, and she lacked the social skills to connect with people. As a result, more than a month after the start of school, she still hadn't made any close friends in her class.
Otherwise, if the girl really put her mind to it, she might not have been able to compete with Ryuen Kakeru for the position of class leader, but becoming the girls' leader and the second-in-command of the class would have been easy.
"I'm sure you'd have no trouble protecting yourself in Class C, Shiina."
Aragaki Shun first nodded in agreement, then changed tack and spoke frankly. "But it's been a while since school started, and you still haven't made any real friends in Class C, have you?"
"If that's the case, why not just transfer to Class A? In terms of both overall ability and the atmosphere, Class A is the best of the four first-year classes."
Before you continue