After meeting Horikita Manabu, Ju Ji parted ways with Suzune. But instead of returning to the dorm, he went to the Special Building and installed the miniature cameras he'd redeemed from the system in various locations.
They were incredibly cheap, too. The whole set had cost only 100 Friendship Points. Physical items like these tended to be cheaper. He'd also bought things like a watch with a recording function and a mask that could alter his voice. It felt like he'd bought one of everything he might find useful.
After all, someone passing by might catch him installing cameras in the Special Building—Ayanokoji, for example. Naturally, he'd needed to disguise himself a little.
Fortunately, it seemed his precautions had been unnecessary. He'd finished installing all the miniature cameras without anyone showing up.
"Shinomiya, what are you doing here?"
There was a saying: speak of the devil, and he appears. Just as Ju Ji was about to leave, he ran into Ayanokoji, who seemed to be passing by. But he'd disguised himself. Why had Ayanokoji recognized him?
"Ayanokoji, you must have mistaken me for someone else. I'm not Shinomiya Ju Fan."
"No, trying to bluff your way out won't work. Short blond hair, wine-red eyes. Among the first-years, you're the only person I know who looks like that. And don't think people won't recognize you just because you're wearing a mask. It's not that easy to change your habits."
Maybe it was because Ayanokoji had such a limited circle of acquaintances, or maybe he was simply too observant. Either way, Ju Ji's disguise had been busted before it even got off the ground. That was why he hated people who were too smart.
But as far as he knew, in anime, all you had to do was put on a mask and even people who knew you couldn't recognize you. Had that trait disappeared because the world had become three-dimensional?
"Ah, you got me. Actually, I saw a super beautiful girl when I was passing by here the other day. I fell deeply in love with her at first sight... All right, I just wanted to find out who she was. That's why I came by today to see if I might run into her again. Could you keep this to yourself, Ayanokoji?"
"Keep it to myself? Do you mean not tell Horikita or Kikyo?"
"Why did their names come up? I mean, don't tell anyone. There's a vending machine nearby, right? How about I buy you a drink?"
Ju Ji knew a simple lie wouldn't fool anyone, especially not Ayanokoji. So he'd mixed some truth into his lie, making it harder to tell the difference.
Although his main reason for coming to the Special Building was to install the miniature cameras, he'd also done it to have proof that the beautiful girl, Shizuku, existed. So wanting to find out who she really was wasn't a lie. Any other doubts Ayanokoji might have were probably insignificant.
"Ah, if that's the case, I'll keep your secret, Shinomiya. But do you really trust me that much? If I told someone while you weren't around, you'd never know."
"I trust your character, Ayanokoji. If that does happen, I'll just have to accept my bad luck."
"You'll get taken advantage of if you act like that in society."
"There's an old Chinese saying: 'Suffering a loss is a blessing.' I believe no loss is ever in vain."
In fact, Ju Ji had other reasons for trusting Ayanokoji. There was one thing he knew for certain: he'd never met Ayanokoji before. Yet, at the very start of the school year, Ayanokoji's favorability toward him had already been 50.
With anyone else, that could have been explained as Ju Ji making a good first impression. But that wasn't possible with Ayanokoji. During their first year, he treated everyone as a tool. He had no intention of making friends. At least, that was what Ju Ji knew.
"You really still haven't..."
"What?"
"No, I was just thinking about how someone like you could be short on friends. People would befriend you just to get some pocket money."
"Do you think I'm a sucker?"
Whatever the process, Ju Ji had successfully gotten Ayanokoji to keep his secret. Ayanokoji wouldn't break a promise, not unless it threatened his ordinary school life.
"By the way, you don't know about the rumors going around the class about you and Horikita, do you?"
"Rumors?"
"I can tell from your face that you haven't heard. But by now, you two are probably the only ones who don't know. There's a rumor going around Class C that you and Horikita are dating. From the way things look, it doesn't seem like just a rumor, either."
Ayanokoji suddenly stopped walking. From his words, it seemed he'd noticed something. The night sky was pitch-black, and the streetlamps cast a faint, gloomy light. Add Ayanokoji's dark golden eyes to the mix, and the whole scene felt oddly creepy.
"Why do you think that, Ayanokoji? Other people might not know, but the girl walking behind me is Suzune's classmate. You know we're nothing more than friends, right?"
"'I'm leaving Suzune in your care.' The person who said that was Horikita's older brother, wasn't he?"
"Eavesdropping is a bad habit, Ayanokoji. Were you nearby at the time?"
"No, I was just passing by while out for a walk. I was a little curious, so I listened for a bit. But I didn't follow you after that. Running into you at the Special Building really was a coincidence."
Well, the saying "walls have ears" really was true. Ju Ji hadn't expected Ayanokoji to have been nearby, eavesdropping. Fortunately, he hadn't said anything outrageous, or he would've embarrassed himself. Given that, their meeting at the Special Building definitely hadn't been a coincidence. Still, it wasn't particularly important. It didn't matter if Ayanokoji knew.
"Since you already know this much, there's no point keeping it from you. Horikita and I both want to make it to Class A, so for now, we're working together as partners. I suppose you could say we're friends now. I think my abilities are decent, but they're not enough to get us into Class A. If you're willing, I'd like you to help us too, Ayanokoji. You don't have to get too involved. Just step in when we're in trouble."
"I can, but I might not be able to help much. Is that all right?"
"That's fine. Just knowing you're willing is enough."
Horikita Suzune was certainly smart, with a high IQ. But she still fell short of the true geniuses. As for Ju Ji, he was thoroughly ordinary. Without the advantage of knowing the story, he was completely useless. So he needed someone to cover for him, and Ayanokoji was undoubtedly the best choice.
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