Coming Clean

When Hoshino Kanade casually mentioned that she would introduce a new friend after school that afternoon, Kiyona's fingers suddenly tightened around the rim of her cup.

She lowered her eyes, as though the unexpected news had burned her. Her lips moved silently a few times, but in the end, all she managed was a vague reply.

The light outside fell across her lowered lashes, casting a small, trembling shadow—like the wing of a startled butterfly, betraying the turmoil beneath her calm facade.

It was me. I was first. It was all me...

Holding hands, spending time alone, or becoming his friend...

This was supposed to be a story about two people. Why were there three names in it? Why did it hurt so much?

All it had taken was the brief moment when she'd left early last night to brush her teeth. In that time, a fresh mark had appeared in Hoshino Kanade's world.

Kiyona had thought that throughout their three years of high school, they would be each other's only friend.

She hadn't expected that in just ten short days, she would no longer be the other's "only one."

Had I been the one to foolishly hope for too much, only to shatter on my own?

The complicated feelings did nothing to cloud Kiyona's thoughts.

So it was her... Kiyona needed only a moment to figure out who Hoshino Kanade's new friend was.

This "new friend" was just a hunter. The instant Kiyona had stepped away from the trenches, a stranger's banner had already been planted in the fortress.

The setting sun filtered through the blinds into lazy golden stripes, slanting across the oak table by the window, where four seats faced one another.

Kiyona sat diagonally opposite, her long legs stretched out. Her left hand held open Paul Halter's The Seventh Hypothesis, while her right held a fountain pen over her notebook, where several star-shaped ink splatters dotted the page.

Shiina Hiyori curled up in the seat against the wall, her knees pressed together against Ellery Queen's The Tragedy of Y. Her thumb had worried the yellowed page edges into fuzzy curls, as if she had taken apart those classic tricks far too many times.

Yesterday afternoon had been wonderful. Now, Shiina Hiyori was just as nervous.

Her canvas bag was wedged tightly into the gap between the chair and the wall, like a fortress of her own making, defending her from Kiyona's intimidating presence.

The aura Kiyona gave off was too frightening, and Shiina Hiyori wasn't good at talking to people.

She was just making a friend, but Shiina Hiyori couldn't shake a strange sense of guilt.

Hoshino Kanade's hand passed through the diamond-shaped shadows cast by the bookshelf. Her fingertips tapped the edge of Kiyona's notebook.

"Kiyona, this is Shiina Hiyori, a fellow book lover I met yesterday afternoon."

Then she turned to the figure curled up at the boundary between light and shadow. "Shiina, this is Ayanokoji Kiyona."

Shiina Hiyori suddenly raised her book to shield her face. Its gilded title gleamed in the halo of light:

"...Hello." (A flyer slipped from between the pages, its words, "Ellery Queen's 100th Birthday," sliding toward Kiyona's toes.)

The tip of Kiyona's fountain pen bled a small blot of ink onto the paper.

Her gaze skimmed over the flyer. Then she pulled John Carr's The Three Coffins from beneath her elbow and slid it precisely across the table. It glided over the crisscrossing grain of the oak and stopped at the seam between their seats.

"Mm." The icy pattern on the cover reflected a cold, broken glimmer. "Carr's book presents a more systematic study of locked-room mysteries than Queen's."

Shiina Hiyori had thought Ayanokoji was difficult to approach, but she found that the apparent aloofness was only a facade.

Even more delightful was that she could share the quiet hours in the library with Hoshino. As she'd suspected, people who loved detective fiction found a faint, resonant light deep in one another's souls.

Kiyona said that if Kanade approved of her, there was nothing wrong with having one more friend.

As for her earlier reaction—it had only been necessary for the role she was playing.

Now that Shiina Hiyori had become a fellow book lover, there was no reason to spend every class reading.

It would be enough to share their thoughts and recommend books to each other every afternoon, along with Shiina and Kiyona.

But it would be strange to stop reading all at once. Kiyona would probably soon figure out that she was reading just to get close to a girl, so she'd have to keep at it.

Class D had gradually formed two large groups and countless smaller cliques.

The first large group was the broad social circle centered around Kushida Kikyo. It extended to every student in the class who wanted to socialize, including introverted Sakura Airi and some of the more neutral students.

The second was the "harmony faction" led by Hirata Yosuke. It included Hirata Yosuke, Karuizawa's group, and some of the gentler students, such as Yukimura Teruhiko.

The girls' group led by Karuizawa Kei included Matsushita Chiaki, Shinohara Satsuki, Sato Maya, and other gyaru-type girls.

The problem trio consisted of Kanji Ike, Yamauchi Haruki, and Ken Sudō. They could hardly move whenever they saw Kushida Kikyo, so they probably belonged to her group.

The only loners were Koenji Rokusuke and Horikita Suzune. Koenji still maintained basic social ties, while Horikita Suzune chose to isolate herself from the entire class.

Overall, with two social butterflies like Kushida Kikyo and Hirata Yosuke, the atmosphere in Class D was actually pretty good.

Of course, that didn't mean the atmosphere was good for studying.

Half of the first month of school had already passed. It was time to make a deal with Class C.

"Shiina, could you do me a favor?"

Shiina Hiyori paused, her fingers unconsciously tightening around the spine of the book in her arms. Hoshino was asking her for help?

The thought swept through her mind, and a light flutter spread through her chest. It was as if a worshipper had received a god's favor; even her breathing quivered with delighted disbelief.

After all, Hoshino Kanade had long since become a fixed point in her inner world.

Whether it was Ellery Queen's labyrinthine logic or the dark currents of human nature in Agatha's novels, whenever a title passed from her lips, the slumbering words would suddenly awaken.

They could always spot the same clues between the lines and fall into step together in the labyrinth of deduction.

The feeling of their souls' gears meshing so perfectly made her hear the clear twang of her heartstrings every time she turned a page.

Shiina Hiyori lightly rubbed the page's edge, then raised her eyes. Her voice was soft as a feather. "It would be my honor to play Watson to Hoshino's Holmes."

Kiyona, who had been reading nearby, looked up as well. This was the first time she'd seen Kanade ask someone for help.

"Class C must have already chosen a leader, right?"

"Mm. Ryuen has indeed earned the approval of most of the class."

Since this was about their class, Shiina Hiyori felt a strange pang of disappointment.

"You've probably noticed that this school is full of unusual things, too. Let me tell you what I've found..."

"So, the points they hand out next month will probably be very few, or even none at all."

"To make sure the book club isn't short on points next month, I'll need you to bring this information about Class A to Ryuen and make a deal with him."

As she spoke, Hoshino Kanade took out a sheet of information and handed it to Shiina Hiyori.

It recorded the general details of the first assessment.

Hoshino Kanade had initially wanted to write that the test was about maintaining classroom discipline, but that was too simple. What if Ryuen Kakeru refused to pay any points?

Shiina Hiyori took the information and carefully read through it after Hoshino Kanade nodded to her.

"So the test had already begun." Some of the questions in Shiina Hiyori's mind were answered.

Hoshino's unreserved trust stirred something in Shiina's heart as well.

She tightened her grip on the information, her fingers unconsciously rubbing the edge of the paper. The weight of the trust placed in her warmed her chest.

"Leave it to me. I'll make sure I do what Hoshino asks."

Shiina Hiyori looked quite serious.

It was a win-win deal to begin with, and she was the perfect person to make the introduction.

"You don't have to be so serious. It'd be great if the deal works out, but it's fine if Ryuen doesn't want to go along with it. I've already given you the information, Hiyori, so I'll be happy if it helps your class."

Shiina Hiyori was touched all over again.

They discussed a few more details of the deal: the price would be one million points; Ryuen could pay next month; he mustn't reveal that Hoshino Kanade was involved; and if any problems came up, he could blame the upperclassmen...

Whether Ryuen paid up would depend on how Shiina handled it. Either way, Hoshino Kanade would definitely come out ahead.

Kiyona watched the whole time. She could work out many things for herself, but some questions still needed Hoshino Kanade to answer them.

Hoshino Kanade hadn't kept anything from her. She trusted Kiyona completely and would surely answer her questions.