Dorm Room

As midterms drew near, the library seemed to have been put on fast-forward. Every inch of air was saturated with the sound of turning pages and invisible pressure.

Finding this window-side table had been a small stroke of luck amid the chaos for Hoshino Kanade, Ayanokoji Kiyona, and Shiina Hiyori.

They weren't part of the sort of group that went around making friends with everyone. Hoshino and Kiyona often spent time together in Class D—their routine ran from classroom to cafeteria to library—but they still kept outside the class's main social circles. Shiina Hiyori, meanwhile, was the quiet observer in Class C, always holding a hefty book as if she could automatically tune out the clamor around her.

Their low-key nature, ironically, meant they could now occupy a corner in relative peace.

"Here, Shiina. The summary of the modern history timeline you asked for." Hoshino Kanade slid a neatly organized page of notes in front of Shiina Hiyori. His voice was so low it was nearly swallowed by the continuous rustle of pages and the air conditioner's steady hum.

"Ah, thank you, Hoshino." Shiina Hiyori looked up and thanked him softly, reaching out to take the papers.

But the tranquility was only superficial.

From every direction, invisible intrusions spread silently, like countless fine probes slipping into their skin and leaving behind an indescribable itch.

Kiyona furrowed her brow slightly and unconsciously tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear. Her cool gaze swept over their surroundings.

Most of the looks came from nearby students in Classes C and D.

The cross-class group alone was enough to draw attention. Shiina Hiyori, the "brains" of Class C, known for her sharp insight and scholarly air, second only to Ryuen in standing, was sitting so close to two "mysterious figures" from Class D.

The light brush of Hoshino's fingertips as he handed over the notes, and Shiina's brief but unmistakable smile when she accepted them, both hinted at a familiarity that was hard to ignore.

"Hey, look... Isn't Shiina with those two from Class D again?"

"Tch... But it doesn't seem like Boss Ryuen's said anything?"

"Those two are bookworms who spend all day holed up in the library anyway. They're about the same as Shiina, right...?"

The deliberately hushed, intermittent whispers couldn't be shut out completely.

The students from Class C exchanged glances, their curiosity mixed with appraisal.

Among her classmates, Shiina Hiyori held a special place. At the start of the school year, she had been the first to notice the hidden flaw in the points system, thanks to her astonishing powers of observation. Then, through her own unique channels—a cautious exchange of information with an upperclassman—she had secured a crucial deal for Class C, preserving a significant number of Class Points and solidifying her standing as the class's core strategist.

So even Ryuen Kakeru, whose desire for control was exceptionally strong, tacitly allowed some of her "personal interests."

"That guy Ryuen..." Hoshino Kanade seemed to have caught a fragment of the whispers. Without looking up, he moved his pen across the scrap paper as if doodling, but a closer look revealed a rough map of the library's foot traffic. His tone was flat, devoid of any discernible emotion, as if he were stating an established fact. "He's definitely looked into us. It'd be strange if he hadn't, given how he operates."

Ryuen Kakeru had indeed used his own channels to investigate the two of them.

He couldn't access official records, but through Class C's information network and connections—having Ishizaki and the others watch them, for example, or coaxing information out of students in the same class as Hoshino and Kiyona—he had eventually pieced together a report that pointed to one conclusion: clean backgrounds, uneventful routines, like two screws fixed at the library's coordinates.

It was common knowledge that Kiyona's grades were around the middle of Class D. Hoshino Kanade, on the other hand, had shown a contradictory side. His exam scores were always among the highest, placing him firmly at the top, and his academic ability was beyond reproach. But in his everyday behavior, especially in situations that called for deep analysis and quick thinking, he seemed overly methodical and unremarkable, even as if he were deliberately maintaining the mold of an "ordinary top student."

This combination of high scores and an unassuming everyday demeanor, along with his predictable routine with Kiyona, led Ryuen to classify them as being just like Shiina Hiyori: harmless bookworms who posed no threat whatsoever.

The report had completely extinguished Ryuen's interest in Shiina's choice of friends. He figured they were simply like-minded people drawn together.

Kiyona didn't respond. She calmly turned a page, shutting out the noise around her as she focused on her book.

Shiina Hiyori took in every one of those inquisitive looks.

If she had been her old self, sensitive and full of worries, those stares would inevitably have filled her with unease. She would have worried: Could her "status" bring needless trouble to Hoshino and Ayanokoji?

Would the unspoken suspicion or distance of her classmates in Class C become an invisible wall between them and their pure friendship?

She might even have deliberately distanced herself from them to avoid causing trouble.

But now, much of that concern had faded.

She drew a gentle breath, her fingertips feeling the delicate texture of the pages.

She was now able to face those gazes with far greater composure.

Friends were friends.

Every clash of ideas in the library, every moment of wordless understanding, was real. What did it matter what others suspected?

She looked at Hoshino and Kiyona across from her, each immersed in their own book, and felt peaceful and at ease.

"...Still," Shiina Hiyori said softly, breaking the silence between the three of them.

She turned her face slightly and glanced at the gazes that were still fixed on them. The corner of her mouth lifted in a faint, somewhat troubled smile. "I can understand why they're curious, but being watched for so long really does distract me and disrupt my train of thought. It's not very efficient..."

"Agreed," Kiyona immediately replied, her voice as cool as ever. "It's inefficient. I can't focus." She closed her book without hesitation.

Hoshino Kanade stopped writing too and rubbed his slightly sore eyes. "Yeah, being stared at isn't exactly pleasant. So... should we move somewhere else? But..." He hesitated briefly. "There don't seem to be any truly quiet corners left in the library. It's crowded everywhere."

Kiyona's gaze swept across the packed library. "There are too many distractions here. How about we study in a dorm room?" She looked at Hoshino Kanade and Shiina Hiyori, then added, "They're single rooms, but they're about thirteen square meters. There's enough space for the three of us."

Shiina Hiyori looked up and met the other two's eyes. "Then whose room would be best?" she asked directly.

The three were quick-witted, and the moment Shiina finished speaking, they silently reached the same understanding: it would be inconvenient for a boy to go up to the girls' floors. The answer was obvious.

Hoshino Kanade reacted quickly. "Sure, then let's go to my room." As he spoke, he began efficiently gathering his books.

Kiyona simply nodded. "Okay."

The three said nothing more. They quickly packed up, ignoring the surprised and curious looks, then rose from their seats under the silent stares of the library and calmly made their way toward the dormitories, where they could finally find some real peace.