The Two of Them Are Suddenly Cornered at the Door. / Hiyori Shiina Shares Her Feelings.

336

Chapter 336 The Two Suddenly Blocked at the Door

Just after Ichinose Honami and the other girls entered the elevator, the pink-haired girl sent her boyfriend several photos of their shopping trip that day. Hashiba Hikaru had given the excuse that she had to work overtime at the Student Council, which was why she hadn't come to see him.

Meanwhile, the boy sitting in the corner of the bookstore was engrossed in reading the contents of the faux letter. It must be said that, in order to give readers a sense of immersion, the time and illustrations were actually taken from the Sherlock Holmes Collection, and there was even a classic London weather forecast segment.

"Classmate Hashiba, have you found any clues?"

Shiina Hiyori was bent over, carefully piecing together the torn letter.

"It seems the author has left many illusions."

"Yes, they're mentioned in the book too. It seems we can't easily rule out the possibility of certain characters appearing in the story."

"Uh-huh."

After skimming through the newspaper, Hashiba Hikaru stroked his chin, pondering the author's intention in designing it this way. But just then, as he looked up, he saw a familiar figure through the glass of the bookstore.

"Wait, pink hair?"

Hashiba Hikaru blinked hard and realized that she really wasn't mistaken; the person walking towards her was indeed Ichinose Honami.

"Ah?"

After confirming it was true, the boy's expression changed. He hadn't expected Ichinose Honami to suddenly appear here. Logically speaking, they shouldn't have come to the fifth floor!

"What's wrong?"

Noticing the commotion on the other side, Shiina Hiyori looked up at the other person's face. When she saw the panic on Hashiba Hikaru's face, the girl became even more confused.

"Shiina, I have something quite urgent to tell you, so please don't panic..."

Hashiba Hikaru glanced quickly at the approaching pink-haired figure and quickened her pace. "I didn't tell Honami that I was meeting with you privately today, because that would have made things more complicated."

"Then what?"

I told her I had to work overtime at the Student Council today, which is why she didn't ask any further questions.

"..."

Shiina Hiyori was taken aback at first, but quickly understood.

As an Akito, she immediately understood the other person's concerns. After all, the girl knew that the person she liked already had a girlfriend, but didn't she still extend such a private invitation?

"So, Ichinose here now?"

Shiina Hiyori put down the prop she was holding, her tone calm.

Yes, look there.

Looking up, she saw a familiar pink-haired figure being led towards her by several girls. Although she wasn't sure where they were going, the risk was already quite high.

"What does Classmate Hashiba plan to do?"

"Or we could hide in a spot where we can leave easily. If they don't come in, we're fine. But if they do, we'll make a run for it."

Hashiba Hikaru proposed a relatively safe plan. After spotting Ichinose Honami, the boy's mind raced. Logically, even if he were caught, nothing serious would happen, but since he had lied first, he was still somewhat guilty.

"Can."

Shiina Hiyori nodded. She chose to support the other person's idea. After all, even though Hashiba Hikaru already had a girlfriend and had made it official, the girl's feelings for her had not diminished at all. On the contrary, they had become stronger over time.

At this point, she would not choose to give up.

"Okay, I'm so sorry to trouble Shiina to indulge my whims."

"It's alright, after all, I invited Classmate Hashiba first."

After spotting Ichinose Honami and her small group, the two put down their books and began moving along the bookshelves that blocked their view. Since the bookstore had no back door, their plan was to slip out through the adjacent bookshelves if the other party came in, using the blind spots to make their escape.

Leaning against the bookshelf, Hashiba Hikaru intently watched the girls walking past the bookstore entrance. At this moment, they showed no intention of coming in, so the boy wasn't in a hurry.

"Classmate Hashiba, can I ask you a question?"

Shiina Hiyori leaned against him, her voice very soft.

"What's the problem?"

Where do you and Ichinose usually go on dates?

"Um?"

Upon hearing the question, Hashiba Hikaru was somewhat bewildered. However, just as he was organizing his thoughts, the worst-case scenario still occurred. Ichinose Honami and her companions passed by the bookstore, the pink-haired girl seemed to genuinely take an interest and then pushed open the door.

"Hateful!"

Hashiba Hikaru let out a low growl, then continued moving along the bookshelves with Shiina Hiyori. They were located on the far right of the bookstore, with the door in the middle. As long as the girl didn't go to the right, this area served as a good blind spot.

"Please, please don't come any closer..."

The boy kept repeating to himself that if he got caught red-handed, things might really get complicated.

As Ichinose Honami approached step by step, Shiina Hiyori felt calm, even a little delighted. After all, she had never experienced anything like this before, and it felt very new.

"Okay, if we go over there first, we can take this opportunity to go out through the door."

Hashiba Hikaru stared intently at the girls who entered the bookstore, unaware that a small hand had suddenly taken his hand.

"Ichinose, there seem to be mystery novels here. Didn't you say that Classmate Hashiba likes these the most?"

"!"

Ando, thank you and your whole family!!!

When he saw Ichinose Honami suddenly turn her head to look in their direction, Hashiba Hikaru instantly broke out in a cold sweat. He immediately led the girl behind him back the way they came, moving very quickly and rushing straight to the back of the bookstore.

"Really? Where is it?"

As Ichinose Honami's footsteps drew closer, Hashiba Hikaru was at her wits' end. But just then, she felt herself being pulled back and heard Shiina Hiyori's whisper.

"We can hide here for now."

"Where?"

Click!

As Hashiba Hikaru Hashima was led into a small room by Shiina Hiyori, Ichinose Honami happened to walk up to the bookshelf. She didn't see the couple, but she heard the door close.

"Is this... a toilet?"

Hashiba Hikaru glanced around and quickly realized that Shiina Hiyori must have hurriedly led her to hide in the bookstore's restroom, as it was a public place without gender separation and the space wasn't very large.

"Is everything alright here now?"

Shiina Hiyori stretched her legs slightly, trying to make herself more comfortable. After all, the place could only accommodate one person at most, and it felt a little crowded when two people came in.

Perhaps.

Hashiba Hikaru sighed. As the saying goes, if you stand by the river long enough, you're bound to get your shoes wet.

He really hadn't expected to find himself in such a passive situation this time.

337

Chapter 337 Shiina Hiyori expressed her feelings.

Inside the bookstore, which was filled with the aroma of perfume, Hashiba Hikaru and Shiina Hiyori huddled together in the restroom, their expressions somewhat subtle.

After all, they hadn't done anything wrong; they had simply arranged to read together. However, due to a series of coincidences, the boy was unable to explain the situation to Ichinose Honami, while Shiina Hiyori was simply going along with his plan.

"Sorry, I Shiina into this."

Hashiba Hikaru apologized to Shiina in a low voice. He could now hear Ichinose Honami and the other girls outside the door talking; they seemed to be choosing some books.

"It's okay, I understand."

The gray-haired girl smiled slightly and gently shook her head.

"That's good. Let's find another place to read together next time."

Hashiba Hikaru shifted her shoulders uncomfortably, as the bathroom was quite small. The boy pressed himself against the door, spreading his arms and legs wide, while Shiina Hiyori huddled behind him.

"Does Classmate Hashiba feel tired?"

Seeing the other person's predicament, Shiina Hiyori took the initiative to ask.

"I'm fine. If you're having trouble, Shiina, you can sit down. I'll just stay here."

Hashiba Hikaru turned her head towards the door and spoke without turning around.

Although the restroom was indeed small, it was still quite clean since it was a newly opened bookstore.

"Since things have come to this point, there's no need for Classmate Hashiba to be too nervous. I believe Ichinose and the others will leave soon."

Shiina Hiyori did not agree to the other party's suggestion, but instead took two steps forward and pressed her body against Hashiba Hikaru's back.

"Uh, maybe, but we still can't let our guard down."

When Shiina Hiyori leaned against Hashiba Hikaru's back, the boy immediately sensed it, but to remain discreet, he kept his voice low and dared not react too much.

"Yes, I know."

Shiina Hiyori's pretty face flushed slightly. She had mustered a lot of courage to do these things. After all, she had liked Hashiba Hikaru for a long time, and today's chance encounter had become a new opportunity.

"How about I hear what's going on outside too?"

The gray-haired girl felt her heart pounding faster and faster. She put her arm around Hashiba Hikaru's waist and leaned forward to listen to the sounds outside.

"Wait... it's too close, Shiina."

Feeling the other person's soft body, the boy also smelled a sweet fragrance. He immediately whispered, but dared not raise his voice, for fear of being noticed by people outside.

"What's wrong?"

Shiina Hiyori pretended not to understand what the other person meant, pressing her body close to Hashiba Hikaru's back while wrapping her arms around his waist, as if this posture was no big deal.

"..."

"Never mind, let's wait for them to leave first."

Hashiba Hikaru guessed that the other party might be doing it on purpose, but at this moment, not revealing himself was the most important thing. He tried to clear his mind of distractions and listened to the sounds outside. It sounded like Ichinose Honami and the others were planning to leave.

"Ichinose, are you going to buy a mystery novel for Classmate Hashiba?"

"Hmm, this can serve as a gift. Anyway, this period of time has been quite tiring."

"Have you made your choice?"

"I don't really know much about mystery novels, how about I ask Hikaru what he thinks?"

Upon hearing those words, Hashiba Hikaru's expression changed drastically. He immediately reached for his phone, but Shiina, who was behind him, reacted even faster and snatched the boy's phone to turn it off.

After the phone screen went completely off, Shiina Hiyori whispered, "It's alright, we shouldn't be exposed."

"Good..."

Because Hashiba Hikaru's back was to Shiina Hiyori, turning off his phone allowed him to concentrate more intently on the sounds outside.

"Hey, Guang's phone is off, I can't get through."

"Could it be that I've been too busy and haven't been paying attention to my phone's status?"

"Let's not bother him then. We can always come back and buy it later."

Ichinose Honami seems to have changed her mind. Since she's going on a Hashiba Hikaru tomorrow, she can just drop by on the way.

"Okay, so what should we do now?"

"I heard there's a place to make drinks here. How about we read here instead?"

Himeno Yuki continued the conversation by suggesting that reading a book wouldn't be a bad thing.

"Agreed."

"Let's go buy some drinks first."

After hearing the entire conversation outside, Hashiba Hikaru's expression turned somewhat unpleasant.

If these people really stay here, it will definitely cause big problems. After all, there is another person behind them, and staying in the bathroom indefinitely is not feasible.

"I have an idea. How about I send a message to the shop owner and ask her to help me out?"

Shiina Hiyori suddenly had a flash of inspiration and came up with a new idea.