Beyond the Wall, There Are Not Only Ears but Also Ayanokoji

After meeting with Horikita Manabu, Shinomiya Ju Fan parted ways with Horikita Suzune. However, instead of returning to the dormitory, he headed toward the Special Building. He then installed the micro-cameras he had exchanged from the system in various locations throughout the building.

Well, they were incredibly cheap; a whole set cost only 100 Friendship Points. Physical items like these were actually cheaper than things like watches with recording functions or masks with voice-changing effects. He felt like he had bought one of everything he might possibly need.

After all, installing cameras in the Special Building might be seen by someone happening to pass by, like Ayanokoji, for instance. Naturally, he needed to disguise himself a little.

Fortunately, it seemed his precautions were just him worrying over nothing. No one appeared until he had finished installing all the micro-cameras.

"Shinomiya-kun, what are you doing here?"

How does that saying go? Speak of the devil and he shall appear. Just as Ju Fan was preparing to leave, he happened to run into Ayanokoji, who seemed to be passing by. But he had disguised himself, so why would Ayanokoji recognize him?

"Ayanokoji-kun, you must have mistaken me for someone else. I am not Shinomiya Ju Fan."

"No, trying to muddle through won't work. Short golden hair, wine-red pupils. Among the first-years, there is only one person I know who fits that description. And don't think that just wearing a mask makes you unrecognizable. A person's habits aren't that easy to change."

Perhaps it was due to Ayanokoji's rather limited social circle, or perhaps his observational skills were simply too sharp. In any case, Ju Fan's disguise plan had declared bankruptcy right from the start. This was exactly why he hated such overly intelligent people.

But in his impression, didn't characters in anime always become unrecognizable to even their closest friends just by wearing a mask? Could it be that this trait disappeared after becoming three-dimensional?

"Ah, I'm truly defeated by you. Actually, when I was passing by here earlier, I saw a super beautiful girl. At that moment, I fell deeply in love... Alright, I just wanted to figure out her identity. That's why I came to try my luck today, to see if I could run into her again. Ayanokoji-kun, could you please not tell anyone?"

"When you say 'don't tell anyone,' do you mean don't tell Horikita-san or Kikyo-san?"

"Why would those names come up? Of course, I mean don't tell anyone at all. By the way, there's a vending machine nearby; how about I buy you a drink?"

Ju Fan knew that a simple lie couldn't deceive anyone, let alone Ayanokoji. So, he mixed some truth into his lie, making it impossible to distinguish.

Although his primary purpose for coming to the Special Building was to install the micro-cameras, the goal of doing so was also to leave behind evidence of the existence of that beautiful girl, 'Shizuku'. Therefore, coming to figure out the girl's true identity was not a lie. Even if there were still doubts he didn't know about, they should be insignificant.

"Ah, in that case, I will keep your secret, Shinomiya-kun. But do you trust me that much? If I were to tell someone when you weren't looking, you wouldn't even know."

"I believe in Ayanokoji's character. If that were to happen, I'd just have to accept my bad luck."

"You'll suffer in society if you're like this."

"There is an old Chinese saying: 'A loss is a blessing.' I believe there is no such thing as a loss for nothing."

In truth, Ju Fan had other reasons for trusting Ayanokoji. One thing he could be certain of was that he had never met Ayanokoji before. Yet, at the start of the school year, Ayanokoji's favorability toward him was already at 50.

For anyone else, this could be taken as a good first impression of Ju Fan. But that was impossible for Ayanokoji; during his first year, he viewed everyone as mere tools. He had no intention of making friends at all. At least, that was according to the information he possessed.

"You really still haven't..."

"What?"

"No, I was just thinking that someone like you would actually lack friends. Even if it were just to get some pocket money, people would come to befriend you."

"Am I some kind of sucker?"

Regardless of the process, Ju Fan successfully got Ayanokoji to keep his secret. Ayanokoji would not break his word, provided the matter did not jeopardize his peaceful school life.

"Speaking of which, you don't know about the rumors in your class regarding you and Horikita-san, do you?"

"Rumors?"

"Looking at your reaction, I can tell you don't. But then again, you and the other party are probably the only ones who don't know. There is a rumor circulating in Class C (Ju Fan's class) that you are dating Horikita-san, and looking at the current situation, it doesn't seem like a simple rumor."

Ayanokoji's walking pace suddenly came to a halt. Through his words, it was clear that he seemed to have discovered something. The pitch-black night sky, the slightly dim streetlights, combined with Ayanokoji's dark golden pupils—it felt inexplicably terrifying.

"Ayanokoji-kun, why would you think that? Others might not know, but Horikita-san is my classmate. You should know that we have no special relationship other than being friends."

"'I'll leave Suzune in your care'—the one who said that must have been Horikita-san's brother."

"Eavesdropping isn't a good habit, Ayanokoji-kun. Were you nearby at that time?"

"No, I was just passing by while taking a walk. I was a little curious, so I listened a bit more. But I didn't follow you after that. Our meeting at the Special Building was indeed a coincidence."

Well, "walls have ears." That saying really is a golden rule. Ju Fan never expected Ayanokoji to have been nearby eavesdropping at that time. Fortunately, he hadn't said anything outrageous, or it would have been embarrassing. Since that premise existed, then the meeting at the Special Building was definitely not a coincidence. However, this wasn't particularly important; even if Ayanokoji knew, it wouldn't matter.

"Since it's come to this, there's nothing I can't say. Actually, both Horikita and I want to promote to Class A, so we are working as partners for the time being. We can barely be considered friends now. Although I consider my own ability to be decent, it's not enough to reach Class A. If possible, I hope you can help out as well, Ayanokoji-kun. You don't need to be overly involved; just step in and help when we're in a pinch."

"I can do that, but I might not be of much help. Is that alright?"

"It's fine, as long as you're willing."

Horikita Suzune was indeed quite clever, and her IQ was high. But there was still a gap between her and those true geniuses. As for Ju Fan, he was a completely ordinary person. Once he lost the advantage of knowing the plot, he was essentially useless. Therefore, he needed someone to act as a safety net, and Ayanokoji was undoubtedly the best choice.