Three's Company, Part One

"Every class in this school has its own strengths. From the way the class is divided, almost everyone in your Class D has some kind of flaw, but conversely, each of you should also have your own strengths."

"Otherwise, what would you use to compete with our class?"

"Why are you telling me all this?"

Horikita Suzune's voice suddenly rang out, tinged with a hint of confusion, her gaze piercing straight into Kitagawa Kai's face.

"Could it be," she paused, as if making a great resolve, "that you like me? Deliberately getting close, saying these... seemingly well-meaning words?"

Huh?

Kitagawa Kai looked the girl over from head to toe.

His gaze first swept over her ice-blue eyes, where there was vigilance, confusion, and a trace of embarrassment.

His eyes moved downward, scanning her unusually slender neck from her upright posture, then to her slightly heaving chest, the budding curves beneath her white shirt faintly visible due to her nervous breathing at the moment.

"Like? That wouldn't be out of the question."

Horikita Suzune nodded knowingly, revealing an expression of "just as I thought."

"Is that so? Too bad, Kitagawa-kun. I won't be playing any love games with you in high school. Any factor that interferes with progress is not within my consideration."

"Quite confident, aren't you, Suzune-chan."

Kitagawa Kai showed no displeasure at her rejection; instead, he let out a low chuckle.

"But it seems you've misunderstood something. From start to finish, I never said I was pursuing you. As everyone knows, my heart is divided into many pieces. At best, you're just one small piece of it."

"One small piece?"

She, Horikita Suzune, could be aloof, could be hard to approach, but she should never be just "one small piece" in anyone's heart.

"Player."

"You've used this ridiculous theory to trick quite a few girls, haven't you?"

Kitagawa Kai raised an eyebrow slightly, seemingly unsurprised by the accusation, and even a hint of amusement flickered in his eyes.

"No, no, not yet. On this matter, Suzune-chan is the first, and the only one."

"Why?"

"Because I know you wouldn't mind it."

"Absurd. What do you take me for?"

Horikita Suzune felt slighted, her voice rising slightly.

Of course, a sweet, soft little cake.

"Time will prove everything in the end."

"Hmph, impossible to reason with. You're all talk. It seems I overestimated you."

Friday afternoon.

Kitagawa Kai stepped into the library, intending to find a corner to read a novel and relax.

But in his usual spot, he found a crowd of Class B students.

About a dozen people were scattered around, sitting in small groups, the atmosphere relaxed yet focused.

He lightened his steps, planning to bypass the area, but someone had already spotted him.

"Kitagawa-kun?"

Ichinose Honami's eyes flickered with surprise, then softened into a bright smile. She stood up and cheerfully walked over.

"Ichinose." Kitagawa Kai stopped, glancing at the study area behind her. "Wasn't the study session scheduled for tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow is the official one."

Ichinose lowered her voice as well. "I didn't have any special plans after school today, so I thought I'd come to the library to preview first. Then my classmates saw me here and followed one by one."

"That's how it always is—once someone starts working hard, no one else wants to fall behind."

As she finished speaking, Ichinose let out a soft sigh and rubbed her slightly stiff neck.

"Do you need my help? You seem pretty tired here on your own." Kitagawa Kai's voice was gentle.

She glanced at the book in Kitagawa Kai's hand and asked softly, "Wouldn't this disrupt Kitagawa-kun's break? You came here to read a novel and relax..."

"I can read a novel anytime. Let's go, Ichinose."

Kitagawa Kai stopped at a long table.

There were two adjacent empty seats left. On the left seat was a light blue backpack with a cat charm Ichinose often used, and on the right seat sat Shiranami Chihiro, her head down, seemingly focused.

But Kitagawa Kai keenly noticed that, from the moment he entered the library, every few seconds, Shiranami Chihiro's gaze would shift slightly, quickly sweeping over Ichinose, then snapping back like a startled little animal.

Huh?

Kitagawa Kai raised an eyebrow, a thought flashing through his mind.

Already bent this way after just a month?

"Ah, that was my spot." Ichinose said softly, a hint of embarrassment appearing on her face. "I was thinking I might move somewhere else later..."

"Here is fine." Kitagawa Kai said, naturally placing his bag on the empty seat in the middle.

Thus, the seating order became: Ichinose, Kitagawa Kai, Shiranami Chihiro.

Shiranami Chihiro lifted her head almost immediately.

For a split second, an undisguised look of delight flashed across her face, the corners of her lips naturally lifting, her eyes sparkling as she softly called out, "Honami-chan..."

But when she saw that it was Kitagawa Kai who had sat down, that expression shifted in a fraction of a second.

"So it's Kitagawa-kun."

"Good afternoon, Shiranami-san." Kitagawa Kai replied simply, pulling out his chair and sitting down.

Kitagawa Kai set down the mystery novel he was holding and immediately entered study mode with Ichinose.

"I'm stuck here." Ichinose pushed an open math workbook between the two of them.

"This problem isn't that hard..."

The two of them began discussing in low voices.

Because they were sitting so close, they kept their voices very low as they spoke, their heads unconsciously leaning in slightly.

In the quiet library, those hushed tones, the occasional soft laugh, the rustling of pages turning, all formed an intimate atmosphere.

Shiranami Chihiro watched this scene, a strange feeling welling up in her heart, and the pen in her hand stopped moving without her realizing it.

So in sync, so relaxed.

A faint bitterness stung Shiranami's heart—a closeness she couldn't hope to achieve in just one month.

She looked down at her notebook, trying to refocus her attention. But the pen in her hand grew heavier and heavier, and her vision grew blurrier and blurrier.

Plink.

A very soft sound, yet it was especially clear in the quiet library.

"Shiranami-san."

Kitagawa Kai's voice rang out almost at the same time, pulling Shiranami back from her daze.

She jerked her head up and found Kitagawa Kai looking at her calmly, while Ichinose also turned her head following Kitagawa's gaze, her blue eyes filled with concern.

"Ah, what is it?" Shiranami asked hurriedly, her cheeks quickly flushing. She only then realized she had completely spaced out, not even noticing when her pen had fallen.

"Your pen dropped."

"S-sorry!" Shiranami quickly bent down to pick up her pen, only then noticing that her palms were slightly sweaty.

Ichinose Honami smiled gently, asking with concern, "It's fine, is Chihiro-chan tired? Do you want to take a break?"

"N-no, not at all!" Shiranami quickly shook her head, gripping her pen tightly. "I was just... thinking about a problem earlier and got a little distracted."