The Conversation

A little earlier...

In the Counseling Room, Chabashira Sae sat with her back to the window, her fingertips unconsciously tapping the desktop.

From the Pantry next door came the faint rustle of clothing and hushed conversation. She couldn't make out what they were saying, but the sounds buzzed like tiny flies, setting her nerves on edge.

What are they mumbling about? Chabashira Sae furrowed her brow. She wanted to pull open the thin door and see for herself.

She even leaned slightly toward it.

Just then, a knock sounded at the door, interrupting her thoughts at just the right moment.

"Come in." Chabashira Sae quickly looked away, adjusted her posture, and turned toward the door.

Horikita Suzune entered and stood up straight, wearing her usual cool expression.

"So, Horikita," Chabashira Sae began bluntly. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

Horikita's gaze seemed to flick over the closed Pantry door before returning to her teacher's face. Her voice held a hint of probing curiosity. "Um, are there mice in this room? I thought I heard something just now."

Chabashira Sae remained unfazed. She picked up a pen from the desk and twirled it between her fingers. "It's an old problem. Could be the pipes or the old furniture. I'll have someone inspect the place thoroughly and 'catch' them." She put deliberate emphasis on the word "catch."

"More than one?" Horikita pressed, her gaze sharp.

"Probably more than one 'source,'" Chabashira Sae said vaguely, clearly unwilling to dwell on the matter. "In any case, you didn't come here to check on the school's 'ecosystem,' did you?" She got straight to the point.

Horikita dropped her indirect probing and took a slight breath. "I'll just ask outright. Why was I assigned to Class D?" Her voice was clear and composed, with an unmistakable note of challenge.

"You certainly got straight to the point." Chabashira Sae's lips curved in an inscrutable smile as she leaned back in her chair. "I recall saying in class today that the best students are selected for Class A in order, while Class D is the school's last stronghold, where the dregs gather."

She studied Horikita. "I take it you see yourself as one of the former?"

"I'm confident I solved nearly every question on the entrance exam," Horikita Suzune said with unshakable certainty. "And I don't recall making any major mistakes during the interview, either. At the very least, I can't imagine being assigned to Class D."

Her fingers curled slightly, revealing her discontent.

"You solved nearly every question on the entrance exam..." Chabashira Sae repeated quietly as she opened a drawer and rummaged inside. "The entrance exam results aren't normally shown to individual students." She pulled out a document. "But I'll make an exception for you. As it happens, I have a copy of your answer sheet right here." She slid it across the desk.

Horikita looked at the document, which seemed to have been prepared in advance, and her eyes flickered. "You're certainly well prepared... almost as if you knew I'd come to protest." There was a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"I am a teacher, after all." Chabashira Sae calmly tapped the answer sheet with a fingertip. "Horikita Suzune, your entrance exam results are exactly as you judged them." She paused, as if choosing her words carefully. "Your written score was impeccable."

Just then, another faint thud came from the Pantry next door, as though something hard had struck against something else.

Horikita's gaze shifted to the door again. "Those mice in there... are you sure they're no trouble?" Her voice was distinctly suspicious.

Chabashira Sae's brow twitched almost imperceptibly. "There won't be any trouble. They're... very 'well-behaved.'" Her sharp gaze swept over the Pantry door, as if she could see right through it.

The conversation seemed to have come to an end.

Chabashira Sae stood, the legs of her chair scraping against the floor with a slightly shrill sound.

Horikita was ready to leave as well.

"Oh, right." Chabashira Sae called to Horikita, who had reached the door, as if she'd just remembered something. A meaningful smile appeared on her face. "I also asked two other people to come to the Counseling Room." Her gaze settled on the Pantry door again.

Horikita, who had been about to turn around, stopped, then sat back down.

Then Chabashira Sae spoke to the door in a clear, unambiguous voice that left no room for argument. "You two, get out here."

The Pantry

Inside the Pantry, Hoshino Kanade stiffened instantly and instinctively strained to hear what was happening outside. He swallowed and lowered his voice, sounding uncertain. "Chabashira-sensei... is she calling for us?"

Kiyona in his arms, however, burrowed deeper into the crook of his neck, like a little animal seeking warmth.

Instead of loosening, her arms tightened around him unconsciously, her fingers gently clutching the fabric at his back.

The warmth that seeped through his shirt drew a barely audible sigh from her. Her voice was muffled against his chest, lazy and drowsy:

"Don't move..." She nuzzled the spot by his collarbone, her warm breath brushing his skin. "Just a little longer... please."

It was as if the stern reprimand outside were nothing but meaningless background noise. In the cramped space, it was his scent and heartbeat that formed the gentle cocoon she didn't want to leave.

But Chabashira Sae's cold voice rang out again from the other side of the door, like a final warning. "If you don't come out within ten seconds, you'll face the consequences. I'm sure you both understand the word 'expulsion.'"

The word "expulsion" struck like an icicle.

Kiyona sucked in a breath and let go as if she'd been shocked. She immediately began hurriedly straightening her rumpled collar and skirt, then ran her fingers through her disheveled hair.

Hoshino Kanade also took a deep breath and quickly steadied himself, trying to suppress his body's reaction. After all, he was still a young man in the prime of his life; in such a cramped space and charged atmosphere, he couldn't instantly return to normal.

"Kanade, will you be all right going out like that?" Kiyona asked worriedly after fixing her clothes, glancing at him. Her cheeks were still flushed.

Hoshino Kanade smiled wryly and shifted slightly to stand in front of her. "There's no choice. I'll just have to go out like this... Try to stay behind me."

Kiyona nodded, doing her best to calm her racing heart.

Creak—

The Pantry door swung open.

Kiyona kept her head down and tried to follow Hoshino Kanade out as naturally as possible.

Hoshino Kanade angled his body slightly, as if to shield her.

Chabashira Sae's sharp gaze swept over them like a spotlight.

Kiyona's cheeks were still noticeably flushed, as though she'd just stepped out of a sauna.

Hoshino Kanade tried to keep his composure, but the tips of his ears were an unnatural red.

"Why is your face so red?" Chabashira Sae asked Kiyona directly, staring at her.

Kiyona's heart tightened. Her eyes darted away as she quickly made up an excuse. "I-It was stuffy in there! The air was terrible! Right, there wasn't enough oxygen!" She fanned her cheek, her gesture a little too deliberate.

Chabashira Sae turned her gaze to Hoshino Kanade and found him standing slightly behind Ayanokoji, almost pressed against the wall. She frowned faintly. "Hoshino Kanade, why are you standing behind Ayanokoji? Is there a flower on the wall?"

Hoshino Kanade immediately straightened up, trying to sound casual and natural. "It's a personal preference... I mean, I'm used to standing off to the side." He cleared his throat.

Chabashira Sae's gaze moved between them for several seconds, filled with scrutiny and suspicion.

In the end, she seemed to give up on questioning them for the moment and waved a hand impatiently. "Never mind."

Her gaze swept over all three of them, and her tone returned to businesslike. "Did you hear what I just said to Horikita?"

Kiyona and Hoshino Kanade exchanged a quick glance. They saw the same confusion and lingering tenderness in each other's eyes.

They shook their heads almost in unison, their denials brimming with innocence. "No." "Didn't hear a thing."

Chabashira Sae looked at their apparently sincere, bewildered expressions—Kiyona's eyes were clear, though still misty with the daze of someone just disturbed from a nap, while Hoshino Kanade looked completely lost, as if he were wondering what had happened, though the tips of his ears were still red. She couldn't help rubbing her temples and letting out a deep sigh.

Could it be... I really am just imagining things? Looking at the three students before her, each with a different expression, she felt the first stirrings of doubt about her own judgment.