Suzumiya Shirako's Melancholy

My name was Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

I never would have expected it.

Just as I was regretting that my first campus romance experience was about to be hastily given away as part of some club activity play and conspiracy, I actually received a confession from a "girl." It was just! Too! Unexpected!

"Ayanokoji-kun, have you ever had those kinds of thoughts about someone of the same sex?" At this very moment.

That remark, which I had once thought was merely an offhand joke without any deeper meaning, now seemed to be replaying beside my ears like a prank recording, carrying several more layers of unsettling implication that I could not help but dwell on.

The more I thought about it, the more terrifying it became... terrifying indeed!

"Ayanokoji-kun!"

"Your, an-swer, is—?"

The unfamiliar yet familiar "girl" before me fluttered her lashes, my reflection dancing in her bright, crystalline eyes.

Other than that moving shyness and bashfulness, there was not a trace of any extraneous emotion on her face. Her clear gaze neither flickered nor evaded mine, but looked straight at me, as though she had staked the vast, storm-tossed emotions within her on this confession—

"I..."

"N-no!"

Lost in unbelievable turmoil, the man seemed to hear the sound of a morning bell and evening drum from afar.

While his mind was still trapped in the labyrinth someone had constructed from delicate emotions and exquisite acting, a heavy blow struck with a buzz, rescuing his senses in time. It was Shiina Hiyori, who had somehow retained her reason and clarity!

Once Ayanokoji Kiyotaka came to his senses, he hurriedly stepped half a pace back, freeing himself from the gentle atmosphere the other party had created, and cast a grateful look toward his rescuer.

Only to read a trace of sourness in her expression the next second?

Huh?

But he had no time to concern himself with that now, much less spare the energy to guess what others were thinking.

He raised a hand and gave a perfunctory cough, recovering a little of his composure. Angling his gaze away slightly, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka said, "President, your performance was indeed convincing. For a moment, I really was deceived by you, but I was still quite some distance from falling completely for it. Uh... you still need to work on it."

Stare.

Shiina Hiyori shot him a deeply skeptical look from the side.

"Is that so? I thought I almost had you just now. It seems my judgment was indeed mistaken."

Bai Yu drew back, still maintaining the lively, delicate posture of a young girl. He had clearly entered the role.

"But in this state, there should not be any surprises when I go on a date with Ichinose and the others."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka brought his gaze back for one second, then swiftly looked away.

Shiina Hiyori watched him from the side with an exceedingly subtle expression, one that was both serious and seemed to sense some sort of danger.

As if facing a formidable enemy.

Bai Yu sat back down in his seat and loosened the slightly tight waistband of his trousers. He was currently wearing a carefully selected private outfit Shiina had provided.

On his lower half were slightly long, high-waisted wide-leg trousers, casual and relaxed. On top was a white undershirt paired with a khaki knit cardigan, both designed to make him look shorter.

He also wore a brown beret that emphasized refinement and a scholarly air, along with a matching silk scarf draped over his shoulders to enhance his temperament.

How should I put it?

It did not look like an ordinary girl's everyday outfit. It looked more like the outfit of a famous detective about to investigate a case somewhere, or a professional cosplayer.

Though the overall effect was quite good, possessing the elegance and gentleness of British style without losing the usual playfulness and cuteness, and Bai Yu was rather satisfied with it, it felt as if the girl had stuffed plenty of her own preferences into it.

Had she been reading detective mysteries lately?

Bai Yu made a somewhat justified guess.

Every so often, on a sudden impulse, he would leap to his feet and passionately perform, "My name is Suzumiya Shirako!"

"I have no interest in ordinary humans. If any of you happen to be aliens, time travelers, adventurers from another world, or espers, then come find me!"

A lively, energetic, and exceptionally beautiful voice that perfectly matched his current temperament rang out from the side.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's body trembled. He impatiently turned to look, only to see the man who had just made a baffling yet wildly imaginative declaration radiating a vigorous vitality rarely seen even in ordinary high school girls. For a moment, he was dazzling and brilliant!

Was I supposed to laugh at a time like this?

Though Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had no idea what the other party was talking about, he felt he should politely play along.

Shiina Hiyori wore an expression as though she could die without regrets, smiling quietly as she watched from the side.

For some reason, two patches of hard-to-describe rosy color had appeared on her cheeks.

The man had found the character setting that suited him best and even had a practical reference for it. Though he was deliberately imitating someone, his naturally unrestrained disposition and equally inscrutable qualities made it seem even more like he was simply being himself!

Once a role fused with the soul, there was no stopping it.

The person standing before the other two members of the Service Club no longer seemed to be Bai Yu, but Suzumiya Shirako!

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was stunned.

Though he did not know whom the man was playing, he could no longer find any trace of the man from before in this girl. Vaguely, he felt that she was him, yet perhaps she was not...

Was this the kind of acting that could disorient people, an act that offered up one's soul and everything?

Shiina Hiyori slowly walked over, arriving before her as though welcoming a new king.

"Please take care of me, Suzumiya-san."

"No need for formalities. Just call me Shirako."

A crisp, energetic voice flowed from her lips. Even while fully immersed in the performance, she still retained herself. This ease of moving freely between self and character was even more astonishing!

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka swallowed. The awkward, restrained, and slightly nervous look on his face was sharply noticed by the other party.

She turned toward him and vividly scolded, "Huh? Ayanokoji, why are you spacing out again!"

"Sorry!"

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was momentarily intimidated by the aura she exuded and answered instinctively, feeling somewhat embarrassed at the same time.

"Huh? Are you still lingering on my confession to you just now?"

"Why are you being so awkward? Listen up, we have proper business to do now. You can hear those words as many times as you want later!"

Shirako raised her chin and tapped her arm with a fingertip, looking like a wise leader who would reward meritorious service later.

"I object!"

Shiina Hiyori raised an objection. Perhaps she feared that such an open and cheerful personality would make it too easy for ill-intentioned people to exploit her openly.

She glanced at the man, who was inexplicably at a loss and diligently sweeping the floor with his eyes, then said, "Suzumiya-san's personality is a little too lively. It may not be conducive to carrying out the commission and could ruin things!"

"Please give Bai Yu back, Suzumiya-san!"