The room was simply furnished but not messy. There was no random clutter, and it didn't quite match Horikita Suzune's idea of a boys' dormitory.
The bed was neatly made. On the desk sat only a closed computer and a few neatly stacked books. The whole space had the casual feel of someone living alone.
"Horikita, this is a long story..."
"Then keep it short." Horikita Suzune didn't sit down. Her voice was tense.
"Oh," Kitagawa Kai replied, as though he really was considering how to make his words more concise.
Then, in an almost casual tone, he dropped a sentence that was enough to set off thunder in Horikita Suzune's mind:
"In short, your brother entrusted you to me. From now on, I'll take care of you in his place."
The air froze instantly.
Horikita Suzune's pupils contracted sharply.
Her brother?
Entrusted?
Take care of her?
How could those words be put together like that-and spoken by this man?
"I don't need you to take care of me! I'll handle my own affairs! My brother... He must have made a mistake, or you've twisted what he meant!"
She refused to believe it and couldn't accept it.
Watching her fierce resistance, Kitagawa Kai pulled out a device, his thumb hovering over the playback button.
Aside from its high-definition image and image stabilization, the most important feature of the system's Universal Video Recorder was that it was always on.
Pressing the record button was merely for the sake of ceremony.
"Whether I twisted his words or not, listen to this."
After a brief silence, Horikita Manabu's distinctive voice came through the speaker:
"...Most importantly, I hope you'll protect her."
Horikita Suzune reacted as though the words had burned her. A blush rose on her face and spread all the way to her ears.
He hoped Kitagawa would protect her?
Her brother had told this person, in that tone, to protect her?
Her brother really did care for her, even if he'd pushed her away in such a cold manner.
[ Ding! ]
[ Horikita Suzune Affection Level +10, current Affection Level: 30 (Confused) ]
[ Ding! ]
[ Horikita Suzune Affection Level +5, current Affection Level: 35 (Curious) ]
The system's notification rang in Kitagawa Kai's mind.
Kitagawa Kai didn't know what to make of this. Come on, you two weren't sisters, but the two of you were each more twisted than the last.
The blush hadn't faded from Horikita Suzune's face as she looked at Kitagawa Kai again.
Her gaze was mixed with complicated emotions: shame at being entrusted to him, confusion over what her brother's actions meant, and a trace of subtle feeling toward the person her brother had approved of.
She still gripped the compass in her pocket tightly, but her knuckles were no longer as rigid.
"...My brother," she began. Her voice was gentler than before, with a hint of bitterness that was difficult to notice. "Did he really say that?"
"As everyone knows, you can't Photoshop a voice, Suzune-chan~" Kitagawa Kai used a slightly overfamiliar nickname.
The nickname "Suzune-chan" made the tips of Horikita Suzune's ears turn even redder. She corrected him:
"Kitagawa, I accept you as the person entrusted by my brother to carry out his wishes. But please don't call me by my first name so casually."
Kitagawa Kai shrugged. "All right, Suzune-chan. What would you like to drink? Milk or juice?"
So he understood.
But he wasn't going to change.
Horikita Suzune looked at his matter-of-fact face and refused stiffly.
"No need. I only came to confirm the information on the notice. I should be going now."
"Since your brother asked me to, I'll give you a reminder: take a closer look around, or you'll regret it~"
"I'll act according to my own judgment." She headed for the door.
Horikita Suzune stepped out of the room in a slight rush.
The moment she emerged, a chestnut-blond short-haired girl was in the corner, watching with great interest.
Horikita Suzune!
You little hussy!
You came out of the boys' dorm first thing in the morning. Weren't you supposed to be so aloof?
I've discovered your secret. Hahaha.
"Mm, the weather's nice today." Kitagawa Kai changed his clothes and glanced at the bright morning light outside the window.
"Perfect for running into Hiyori at the library. Let's see if I can find her."
As he walked, Kitagawa Kai immersed himself in the system interface in his mind.
[Personal Information] [Name: Kitagawa Kai] [Stamina: 7 (Energetic, good endurance)] [Intelligence: 6 (Above average)] [Charm: 8 (Eye-catching)] [Item: Universal Video Recorder] [Abilities: Affinity, Master-Level Chess Skill, Narrator, Shoulder Throw, Master-Level Painting, Wilderness Survival Expert] [Beautiful Girl Encyclopedia] [Available Targets] [Yamamura Miki (40)] [Sakayanagi Arisu (40)] [Ichinose Honami (52)] [Kamuro Masumi (66)] [Horikita Suzune (35)]
The library at Advanced Nurturing University had a distinctly modernist style, its entire structure made of vast expanses of glass.
In the morning sunlight, it looked like a translucent crystal palace.
Kitagawa Kai entered the library. It was exceptionally quiet inside, with only the occasional sound of turning pages and footsteps.
Fine dust floated in the air, mingling with the distinctive smell of old book paper.
Kitagawa Kai looked around and soon spotted a silver-haired girl in a corner.
She wore the standard uniform. Her wine-red blazer made her skin look even fairer, and beneath it was a spotless white shirt with a dark blue bow tie.
Below her white pleated skirt were long legs and a pair of gray over-the-knee socks, outlining the girl's graceful silhouette.
She held a detective novel and was absorbed in reading, with an open notebook spread across her lap.
Shiina Hiyori.
Kitagawa Kai felt like he was about to fall in love again.
He softened his footsteps and headed to the bookshelves behind and to the side of the girl, pulling a copy of The Inugami Curse from the shelf.
A classic Honkaku mystery novel.
Holding the book, he walked over to another reading table by the window, about one seat away from Shiina Hiyori.
Time passed slowly in the intervals between turning pages.
When Kitagawa Kai reached a certain passage, his fingers tapped lightly against the edge of the page without his realizing it. It was a little habit of his when he was thinking.
At that very moment, a bookmark tucked inside the book slipped out with the turn of the page and fluttered to the floor.
Almost at the same time,
Shiina Hiyori turned slightly. Her amethyst-like eyes first glanced at the bookmark on the floor, then naturally lifted to rest on Kitagawa Kai.
When she read the title on the dark blue cover in his hand, her gaze lingered for about a second.
"The Inugami Curse."
Yokomizo Seishi?
"Sorry, I dropped it by accident."
As he spoke, Kitagawa Kai had already bent down and picked up the card.
"It's all right. Is this your first time at the library, classmate? I don't think I've seen you here before."
Shiina Hiyori's voice rang out, polite, as though she wasn't deliberately trying to strike up a conversation.
[An available target has appeared near the host: Shiina Hiyori] [Character Strategy Support Pack: Intelligence +1] [Affection Level: 30 (Friend)]
"Mm, you could say that." Kitagawa Kai's face showed the bashfulness of someone visiting for the first time.
"This building is beautiful. I've been wanting to take a look. I didn't expect it to have such a rich collection, especially the mystery section. It's right up my alley."
"Yes, the collection here is quite extensive, and there are many out-of-print books." Shiina Hiyori glanced again at the blue cover. "Yokomizo Seishi's work. Do you like mystery novels too, classmate?"
"I like them well enough. I've been reading this one lately. It's a classic Honkaku mystery, especially good at creating atmosphere." Kitagawa Kai even waved the book in his hand.