Showdown

When Hoshino Kanade lightheartedly mentioned introducing a new friend after school, Kiyona's fingertips tightened abruptly against the rim of her cup.

She lowered her gaze, as if scalded by the sudden news, her lips parting silently for a moment before finally forming a vague, mumbled response.

The light from the window fell upon her lowered lashes, casting a small, trembling shadow—like the wings of a startled butterfly, revealing the dark undercurrents beneath her calm facade.

It was me, I was the one who came first, it was clearly me who was here first...

Whether it was holding hands, spending time alone, or becoming his friend.

It was supposed to be a story for two, so why are there three names? How could it feel so sad?

She had only stepped away to brush her teeth for a moment last night, yet a fresh mark had already been carved into Hoshino Kanade's world.

Kiyona had assumed that for these three years of high school, they would be each other's only friends.

She never expected that in just ten short days, she would no longer be his "only."

Was it just her own presumptuous expectations, her own self-inflicted breakdown?

These complex emotions did not hinder Kiyona's train of thought.

So it's her... Kiyona realized who the new friend was after only a moment of reflection.

This so-called new friend was nothing more than a hunter—the moment she stepped away from the trenches, the fortress had already been claimed by a stranger's banner.

The sunset's glow was combed into lazy golden stripes by the blinds, spreading diagonally across the oak surface of the four-person table by the window.

Kiyona stretched her legs out diagonally, her left hand pressing down on an open copy of Paul Halter's The Seventh Hypothesis, while her right hand held a fountain pen hovering over a notebook, which was splattered with a few star-shaped ink blots.

Shiina Hiyori curled up in the corner seat against the wall, her knees pressed together against Ellery Queen's The Tragedy of Y, the yellowed edges of the pages frayed from her thumbing through them, as if those classic tricks had been dismantled too many times.

The more wonderful yesterday afternoon had been, the more flustered Shiina Hiyori felt now.

Her canvas bag was wedged tightly into the gap between the seat and the wall, like a self-built fortress to ward off the pressure radiating from Kiyona.

The aura Kiyona emitted was too intimidating, and Shiina Hiyori was not good at social interaction.

She was just making a friend, yet Shiina Hiyori felt an inexplicable sense of guilt.

Hoshino Kanade's hand passed through the diamond-shaped shadows cast by the bookshelf, his fingertips tapping lightly on the edge of Kiyona's notebook.

"Kiyona, this is Shiina Hiyori, the book friend I met yesterday afternoon."

He then turned to the figure huddled at the edge of the light and shadow: "Shiina-san, this is Ayanokoji Kiyona."

Shiina Hiyori suddenly raised her book to block her face, the gold-stamped title shimmering in the halo of light:

"...Hello." (A flyer drifted out from between the pages, the words "Ellery Queen's Centennial" sliding toward the tips of Kiyona's shoes.)

Kiyona's fountain pen tip bled a spot of ink onto the paper.

Her gaze swept over the flyer, and she pulled out John Carr's The Three Coffins from under her elbow, pushing it precisely across the table—the book slid over the interlaced oak grain, stopping at the seam in the center of their seats:

"Mm." The ice crystal pattern on the cover refracted a cold, shattered light. "This one by Carr is more systematic in its lecture on locked rooms than Queen."

Shiina Hiyori had originally thought Ayanokoji-san was difficult to approach, but she realized that was merely a superficial detachment.

What delighted her even more was that she could share time in the library with Hoshino-san—sure enough, those who harbor a passion for mystery novels will naturally find a glimmer of resonance deep within their souls.

Kiyona reasoned that since Kanade approved, having one more friend wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

As for her earlier reaction—it was merely a requirement of her character setting.

Logically speaking, after becoming book friends with Shiina Hiyori, there would be no need to read during class every day.

It would be enough to exchange insights and recommend books to each other with Shiina-san and Kiyona every afternoon.

But it would be strange to stop reading all of a sudden; Kiyona would likely soon deduce that she only read for the sake of a girl. It seemed she had no choice but to keep working hard.

Class D had already vaguely formed two large groups and countless smaller ones.

The first large group was the pan-social circle with Kushida Kikyo at its core, radiating out to all students in the class who craved social interaction, including the introverted Sakura Airi and some neutral students.

The second large group was the "Harmony Faction" led by Hirata Yosuke, consisting of Hirata Yosuke, the Karuizawa group, and some moderate students like Yukimura Teruhiko.

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

The Problem Trio, including Ike Kanji, Yamauchi Haruki, and Sudo Ken, couldn't move their feet whenever they saw Kushida Kikyo; they likely belonged to the Kushida Kikyo group.

The only loners were Koenji Rokusuke and Horikita Suzune. Koenji would still maintain basic social interactions, while Horikita Suzune chose to isolate herself from the entire class through her own efforts.

Overall, because of the two social experts, Kushida Kikyo and Hirata Yosuke, the atmosphere in Class D was actually quite good.

Of course, this atmosphere did not refer to the academic environment.

The first month of school was already halfway over, and it was time to make a deal with Class C.

"Shiina-san, could you do me a favor?"

Shiina Hiyori was slightly taken aback, her fingertips unconsciously tightening around the spine of the book in her arms. Hoshino-kun was actually asking her for help?

The moment this thought crossed her mind, a light, fluttering sensation rippled through her chest—like a believer favored by the gods, even her breathing was tinged with a trembling sense of being honored.

After all, in these past few days, Hoshino Kanade had already become the coordinate of her mental world.

Whether it was the logical labyrinths of Ellery Queen or the dark undercurrents of human nature in Agatha's works, as long as the book titles were spoken from his lips, those dormant words would suddenly awaken.

They could always catch the same foreshadowing between the lines and step in resonant rhythm through the maze of deduction.

This sensation of their soul-gears meshing with such precision made her hear the clear pluck of her heartstrings every time she turned a page.

Gently stroking the edge of the page with her fingertips, Shiina Hiyori raised her eyes, her voice as soft as a feather: "It would be my honor to act as 'Watson' for Hoshino-kun."

Kiyona, who was reading nearby, also looked up; this was the first time she had seen Kanade ask someone for help.

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

"Yes, Ryuen-kun has indeed gained the recognition of most of the students in the class."

It seemed to be a matter concerning the class, which left Shiina Hiyori feeling a sense of inexplicable loss.

"You must have also discovered that there are many anomalies in this school. Let me tell you about my findings..."

"In other words, it is very likely that very few points, or perhaps none at all, will be distributed next month."

"To ensure that our book club isn't hindered by a lack of points next month, I need Shiina-san to take this intelligence regarding Class A to Ryuen-kun for a trade."

As Hoshino Kanade spoke, he took out a piece of intelligence and handed it to Shiina Hiyori.

It recorded the general content of the first examination.

Originally, Hoshino Kanade had wanted to write it directly to maintain classroom discipline, but the information was too simple; he worried about what to do if Ryuen Kakeru refused to pay any points.

Shiina Hiyori took the intelligence and, after Hoshino Kanade nodded in signal, carefully browsed through the entire content.

"So the examination had already begun," some of the doubts in Shiina Hiyori's heart dissipated at this moment.

Hoshino-kun's unreserved trust also caused a ripple in Shiina's heart.

She gripped the intelligence tightly, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the edge of the paper—this heavy entrustment made her chest swell with warmth.

"Leave it to me. I will definitely complete the task Hoshino-kun has entrusted to me."

Shiina Hiyori looked very solemn.

This was originally a win-win trade, and it was most appropriate for her to act as the bridge.

"No need to be so serious~ It's best if the trade goes through, but it doesn't matter if Ryuen-kun isn't willing. I've already given the intelligence to Hiyori-san; it's enough if it can help your class."

Shiina Hiyori was moved once again.

Afterward, they discussed some details of the trade, such as the trade price of 1 million points; that it was fine to pay next month; not to reveal Hoshino Kanade's existence; and to push any questions onto the upperclassmen...

Whether Ryuen would pay the points or not depended on Shiina's performance, but in any case, Hoshino Kanade definitely wouldn't lose out in the end.

Kiyona watched from the sidelines the entire time; she could figure out many of the issues herself, but some doubts still required Hoshino Kanade's explanation.

Hoshino Kanade did not avoid her, showing he trusted her completely, and he would certainly answer her.

When Hoshino Kanade mentioned lightheartedly that he would introduce a new friend after school, Kiyona's fingertips tightened abruptly against the rim of her cup.

She lowered her gaze, as if scalded by the sudden news, her lips moving silently a few times before finally settling into a vague response.

The light from outside the window fell upon her lowered eyelashes, casting a small, trembling shadow—like the wings of a startled butterfly, revealing the dark undercurrents beneath her calm facade.

It's me, it was me first, it was clearly me who came first...

Holding hands, being alone together, or becoming his friend—all of it.

It was clearly a story for two, so why were there three names? How could it feel so sad?

She had only left the table last night to brush her teeth, and in that brief gap, a fresh mark had been carved into Hoshino Kanade's world.

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

She hadn't expected that in just 10 short days, she would no longer be his "only."

In the end, was it just her own presumptuous expectations, her own presumptuous breakdown?

Her complex emotions did not affect Kiyona's train of thought.

So it was her... Kiyona only had to think for a moment to understand who the new friend Hoshino Kanade was talking about.

The so-called new friend was nothing but a hunter—in the brief moment she had left the trench, a foreign banner had already been planted on the fortress.

The sunset glow was combed by the blinds into lazy golden stripes, spread diagonally across the oak table of the four-person booth by the window.

Kiyona stretched her long legs out diagonally, her left hand pressing down on the open The Seventh Hypothesis by Paul Halter, while her right hand held a fountain pen hovering over her notebook, which was splattered with a few star-shaped ink stains.

Shiina Hiyori curled up in the corner seat against the wall, her knees pressed together against The Tragedy of Y by Ellery Queen, the yellowed edges of the pages frayed and fuzzy from her thumb, as if those classical tricks had been dismantled too many times.

As wonderful as yesterday afternoon's time had been, that was how panicked Shiina Hiyori felt now.

Her canvas bag was wedged tightly into the gap between the seat and the wall, like a self-built fortress, resisting Kiyona's pressure.

The aura Kiyona radiated was too terrifying, and Shiina Hiyori was not good at interacting with others.

She was merely making friends in a normal way, yet Shiina Hiyori always felt an inexplicable sense of guilt.

Hoshino Kanade's hand passed through the diamond-shaped shadows cast by the bookshelf, his fingertips tapping lightly against the edge of Kiyona's notebook.

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

He then turned toward the figure huddled at the intersection of light and shadow, "Shiina-san, this is Ayanokoji Kiyona."

Shiina Hiyori suddenly raised her book to shield her face, the gold-stamped title shimmering brilliantly in the halo of light:

"...Hello." (A flyer drifted down from between the pages, the words "Ellery Queen Centennial" sliding toward the tips of Kiyona's shoes.)

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

Her gaze swept over the flyer, and she pulled out John Carr's The Three Coffins from beneath her elbow, pushing it precisely across the table—the book slid over the interlaced oak grain, coming to a stop at the seam exactly between the two of them:

"Mm." The ice crystal pattern on the cover refracted a cold, fragmented light, "This one by Carr is more systematic in its lecture on locked-room mysteries than Queen."

Shiina Hiyori had originally thought Ayanokoji-san was difficult to approach, only to realize that was merely a superficial detachment.

What delighted her even more was that she could share reading time with Hoshino-san—as expected, those who harbor a passion for mystery novels will naturally find a glimmer of resonance deep within their souls.

Kiyona felt that since Kanade approved, there was nothing wrong with having one more friend.

As for her earlier reaction—it was simply a necessity for her character setting.

Logically speaking, now that she had become book friends with Shiina Hiyori, there was no need to read in class every day.

It would suffice to just exchange insights and recommend books with Shiina-san and Kiyona every afternoon.

However, it would be strange to suddenly stop reading, and she figured Kiyona would soon deduce that she only read for the sake of girls; it seemed she had no choice but to keep working hard.

Class D had already vaguely formed two large factions and countless smaller ones.

The first large faction was the pan-social circle with Kushida Kikyo at its core, radiating out from her to all students in the class who craved social interaction, including the introverted Sakura Airi and some neutral students.

The second large faction was the "Harmony Camp" led by Hirata Yosuke, consisting of Hirata Yosuke, the Karuizawa group, and some moderate students like Yukimura Teruhiko.

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

The Problem Trio, consisting of Ike Kanji, Yamauchi Haruki, and Sudo Ken, couldn't move their feet whenever they saw Kushida Kikyo, so they likely belonged to the Kushida Kikyo faction.

The only loners were Koenji Rokusuke and Horikita Suzune; Koenji would still maintain basic social interactions, while Horikita Suzune chose to isolate herself from the entire class through her own efforts.

Overall, because of the two social experts, Kushida Kikyo and Hirata Yosuke, the atmosphere in Class D was actually quite good.

Of course, this atmosphere did not refer to the academic atmosphere.

The first month of school was already halfway over, and it was time to make a deal with Class C.

"Shiina-san, can you do me a favor?"

Shiina Hiyori was slightly startled, her fingertips unconsciously tightening around the spine of the book in her arms. Hoshino-san was actually asking her for help?

The moment this thought crossed her mind, a kind of light, fluttering palpitation spread from her chest—like a believer favored by the gods, even her breathing was tinged with a slight tremor of being overwhelmed by such unexpected favor.

After all, in these past few days, Hoshino Kanade had already become the coordinate of her spiritual world.

Whether it was the logical labyrinths of Ellery Queen or the undercurrents of human nature in the works of Agatha, as long as a book title spilled from his lips, those dormant words would suddenly awaken.

They could always capture the same foreshadowing between the lines and step in resonant rhythm through the maze of deduction.

This sensation of their soul's gears meshing perfectly made her hear the clear sound of her heartstrings being plucked every time she turned a page.

Gently rubbing the edge of the page with her fingertips, Shiina Hiyori raised her eyes, her voice as soft as a feather: "It would be my honor to act as the 'Watson' for Hoshino-san."

Kiyona, who was reading nearby, also looked up; this was the first time she had seen Kanade ask someone for help.

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

"Yes, Ryuen-kun has indeed gained the recognition of most of the students in the class."

It seemed this concerned the class, which gave Shiina Hiyori an inexplicable sense of loss.

"You should have also discovered that there are many anomalies in this school; let me tell you about my findings next..."

"In other words, it is very likely that the points distributed next month will be very few, or perhaps none at all."

"To ensure that our reading club isn't hindered by points next month, this intelligence regarding Class A needs to be taken to Ryuen-kun by you, Shiina-san, for the trade."

As Hoshino Kanade spoke, he took out a piece of intelligence and handed it to Shiina Hiyori.

It recorded the general content of the first assessment.

Originally, Hoshino Kanade wanted to write it directly to maintain classroom discipline, but the information was too simple; what if Ryuen Kakeru wasn't willing to pay any points?

Shiina Hiyori took the intelligence, and after Hoshino Kanade nodded to signal her, she carefully browsed through the entire content.

"So the assessment had already begun," some of the doubts in Shiina Hiyori's heart dissipated at this moment.

Hoshino-san's unreserved trust also caused a ripple in Shiina's heart.

She gripped the intelligence in her hand, her fingertips unconsciously rubbing against the edge of the paper—this heavy entrustment made warmth surge in her chest.

"Leave it to me. I will definitely complete the task Hoshino-kun has entrusted to me."

Shiina Hiyori looked very solemn.

This was a win-win deal from the start, and it was only fitting that she act as the bridge.

"No need to be so serious~ It's best if the deal goes through, but it doesn't matter even if Ryuen-kun is unwilling. The intelligence has already been given to you, Hiyori-san; I'm just glad it can help your class."

Shiina Hiyori was moved once again.

Afterward, they discussed some details of the deal, such as the transaction of 1 million points; that it would be fine to pay next month; not to reveal the existence of Hoshino Kanade; and to shift any questions onto the upperclassmen...

Whether Ryuen would actually pay the points depended on Shiina's performance, but regardless, Hoshino Kanade certainly wouldn't lose out in the end.

Kiyona watched from the sidelines the entire time; she could figure out many of the issues on her own, but there were still some doubts that required Hoshino Kanade's explanation.

Hoshino Kanade did not avoid her, showing complete trust in her, and would surely answer her questions.