The Crying Hiyori Shiina

The shadow of the Sports Festival hung over Yuefeng like a low-pressure system. Kiyotaka's cold remark about "observing data" made him even more wary of the coming "obstacle."

He intensified his physical training and even used his Slow Motion ability to repeatedly simulate every possible "accident" in his mind—being tripped, shoved, a failed handoff, equipment malfunctions... trying to find ways to deal with them.

But life was not just about the coming storm. It also held unexpected, gentle moments.

That afternoon, after Advanced Logic and Game Theory ended, Yuefeng was delayed because he wanted to ask the professor about "equilibrium convergence in repeated games under incomplete information."

By the time he packed up and left the seminar room, the setting sun had dyed the hallway a warm orange-red.

Taking a shortcut back to the Class C dormitories meant passing through a small garden connecting the academic buildings and residential area.

The garden was not large, but it was lush with greenery, with winding pebble paths and several benches for resting. It was usually a pleasant place for students to relax and chat.

Just as he was about to leave the garden and step onto the main road leading to the dormitory area,

a suppressed, fragmented sobbing sound drifted over from behind a cluster of blooming hydrangeas, accompanied by another girl's somewhat stiff attempts at comfort.

Yuefeng stopped. That sobbing... sounded familiar.

He softened his footsteps, shifted slightly to the side, and looked through the gaps in the leaves.

On a bench beside the hydrangeas, Hiyori Shiina sat with her head lowered, her shoulders trembling faintly.

Both hands tightly clutched a small cloth pouch resting on her knees, seemingly embroidered or woven. Tears silently slid down her face, staining her pale skirt with dark patches.

She cried with restraint, making almost no sound, yet her sorrow and helplessness came through with painful clarity.

Sitting beside her was Ibuki Mio, one hand stiffly resting on her back as she tried her best to say things like, "Don't cry," and, "We'll find it," in a dry voice.

The fighting girl who was well-known not only in Class C but throughout the entire first year for her cold silence and exceptional combat ability—I buki Mio.

At that moment, a rare expression mixing awkwardness and helplessness appeared on her usually unreadable face. Clearly, she was profoundly unskilled at comforting people.

Yuefeng froze. Hiyori Shiina and Ibuki Mio? How had these two girls, whose styles seemed completely different and who apparently had little contact in class, ended up together?

And Hiyori Shiina was crying so heartbreakingly?

He had intended to quietly back away and avoid disturbing them.

But Hiyori Shiina's devastated appearance, along with Ibuki Mio's clumsy yet oddly adorable attempt at comforting her, made him stop for some reason.

At that moment, Ibuki Mio seemed to sense something. Her sharp gaze swept toward the flowerbed where Yuefeng was hiding, almost tangible in its intensity.

Knowing he could not remain hidden, Yuefeng simply stepped out openly.

"Uh... sorry to interrupt." Yuefeng raised a hand to show he had not meant to eavesdrop, then looked at Hiyori Shiina. "Shiina, are you... all right?"

Hiyori Shiina's body jolted at the sound of his voice, and she raised her tear-blurred face.

When she saw Yuefeng, she seemed even more embarrassed. She frantically wiped her tears with the back of her hand, only for more tears to fall. "Y-Yuefeng... I-I'm sorry, I..." She choked up, unable to form a complete sentence.

After seeing that it was Yuefeng, the wariness in Ibuki Mio's eyes faded slightly, though her expression remained unfriendly.

She merely withdrew the hand from Hiyori Shiina's back, crossed her arms, and sat to one side with an expression that said, Since you're here, she's your problem now.

"What happened?" Yuefeng took a few steps closer, but not too close, maintaining a polite distance as he kept his tone as gentle as possible.

He noticed that Hiyori Shiina's hands had remained tightly clenched around the cloth pouch, her knuckles turning white.

"Hiyori's..." Ibuki Mio had barely begun when Hiyori Shiina shook her head violently, tears spilling forth again.

Ibuki Mio frowned, seemingly displeased by Hiyori Shiina's resistance, but she still closed her mouth and merely signaled Yuefeng with her eyes to ask himself.

Seeing Hiyori Shiina so distraught, Yuefeng suddenly recalled something.

Over the past few days, Hiyori Shiina seemed to have unconsciously reached for her neck again and again. Something should originally have been hanging there, but lately it seemed empty.

Combined with the way she was now clutching that empty pouch so desperately...

"Shiina, did you lose something important?" Yuefeng asked softly. "Like... a pendant? Or a necklace?"

Hiyori Shiina abruptly raised her head. Her tearful eyes filled with surprise before sinking into even deeper sorrow. She nodded forcefully, tears streaming down her face.

"It... it was left to me by my mother... a Cherry Blossom Crystal pendant... It's gone... I-I've searched for so long... I can't find it anywhere..." she said through broken sobs, her fractured voice wrenching at the heart.

Just as he thought. Yuefeng sighed inwardly.

That cherished expression and the way she clutched the empty pouch so tightly both pointed to a lost piece of important jewelry she had kept close to herself.

"When did you notice it was gone? Where do you remember having it last?" Yuefeng tried to guide her memories while his mind raced.

Hiyori Shiina was usually very careful. She would not leave things lying around, especially something so important. Either it had fallen off by accident, or...

"Yesterday... after I came back from the library yesterday afternoon... I can't remember whether I was still wearing it..."

Hiyori Shiina tried hard to recall, but her tears would not stop. "I only realized it was gone before I showered that night... I-I turned my whole room upside down... I searched all day today... I looked everywhere I went... but it wasn't there..."

Her voice grew quieter and quieter, filled with despair. It was not merely an accessory; it was a keepsake from her mother, something irreplaceable to her.

Ibuki Mio snorted coldly beside her. "Some filthy-handed bastard must have stolen it.

A place like Class C has had cases like that before." As she said this, her gaze swept meaningfully over the surroundings. Clearly, she held some people in Class C in utter contempt.

Hiyori Shiina only shook her head and cried even harder. She clearly could not accept the possibility that it had been stolen—or perhaps she simply did not want to believe a classmate could do something like that.

Yuefeng frowned. Ibuki Mio's suspicion was not unreasonable. Class C was a mixed bag, and there truly could be people of questionable character.

But the possibility that it had simply been lost could not be ruled out either. The question was, if it had been stolen, who was the most likely culprit? And if it had been lost, where could it have fallen?

"Don't cry." Yuefeng took a packet of tissues from his pocket and handed it to Hiyori Shiina. "Crying won't solve anything.

Let's think it through carefully. When you came back from the library yesterday afternoon, which route did you take exactly? Did you meet anyone along the way?

Or did anything unusual happen? Did you run, bend over, or make physical contact with someone, for example?"

His voice was steady, carrying a reassuring strength.