"Every class has its own strengths. When it comes to class assignments, almost everyone in Class D has some kind of weakness. But then again, each of you should have your own strengths, too."
"Otherwise, what could you possibly compete with our class?"
"Why are you telling me all this?"
Horikita Suzune's voice suddenly rang out, tinged with confusion, and pinned Kitagawa Kai with a direct look.
"Could it be..." She paused, as if steeling herself. "Do you like me? Did you deliberately get close to me and say all these... seemingly well-intentioned things?"
Hm?
Kitagawa Kai looked the girl up and down.
His gaze first swept over her red eyes. There was wariness in them, confusion, and a trace of embarrassment.
His eyes moved lower, passing over the long, slender neck made all the more striking by her straight-backed posture. He saw her chest rise and fall, and the curves taking shape beneath her white blouse, slightly more pronounced as she breathed nervously.
"That could be one way of putting it."
Horikita Suzune nodded knowingly, wearing an expression that said she'd suspected as much.
"I see. That's too bad, Kitagawa-kun. I won't play at romance with you in college. Anything that might interfere with my progress is outside my consideration."
"You're awfully confident, Suzune-chan."
Far from looking the least bit displeased at her rejection, Kitagawa Kai gave a low chuckle.
"But I think you've misunderstood something. I never said I was going to pursue you. Everyone knows my heart is divided into many pieces. At most, 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 "one small piece" in anyone's heart.
"You're a scumbag."
"You've used that ridiculous theory to trick plenty of girls, haven't you?"
Kitagawa Kai raised an eyebrow. He seemed unsurprised by the accusation. If anything, there was a hint of amusement in his eyes.
"No, no, not yet. So far, Suzune-chan is the first, and the only one."
"Why?"
"Because I know you wouldn't mind."
"That's absurd. What do you take me for?"
Horikita Suzune felt belittled, and her voice rose slightly.
Of course, a soft, sweet little cake.
"Time will prove everything."
"Hmph. You're impossible to reason with. All you can do is run your mouth. Looks like I thought too highly of you."
Friday afternoon.
Kitagawa Kai stepped into the library, hoping to find a quiet corner to read a novel and unwind.
But when he reached his usual spot, he found it crowded with Class B students.
Around a dozen of them were scattered about, sitting in groups of two or three. The atmosphere was relaxed, but focused.
He slowed his steps, intending to skirt around the area, but someone had already spotted him.
"Kitagawa-kun?"
A flicker of surprise crossed Ichinose Honami's eyes, then turned into a bright smile. She stood up and cheerfully went over to greet him.
"Ichinose." Kitagawa Kai stopped and glanced at the study area behind her. "Wasn't the study session supposed to be tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow's the official one."
Ichinose lowered her voice, too. "I didn't have any special plans after school today, so I thought I'd come to the library and get a head start. Then my classmates saw me here, and one by one, they all came over."
"It's always like that. Once someone starts working hard, the others don't want to fall behind."
When she finished speaking, Ichinose let out a soft breath and rubbed her slightly sore neck.
"Would you like my help? You look tired studying here by yourself." Kitagawa Kai's voice was gentle.
She glanced at the book in Kitagawa Kai's hands and asked softly, "Won't that disrupt your break, Kitagawa-kun? You came here to read a novel and relax..."
"I can read a novel anytime. Come on, Ichinose."
Kitagawa Kai stopped beside a long table.
There were two adjacent empty seats left. A light blue schoolbag sat on the seat to the left, with Ichinose's usual cat charm hanging from it. Shiranami Chihiro sat on the seat to the right, her head bowed as she appeared to study intently.
But Kitagawa Kai had keenly noticed that ever since he entered the library, every few seconds Shiranami Chihiro's gaze would shift slightly, dart over to Ichinose, then quickly pull back like a startled little animal.
Hm?
Kitagawa Kai raised an eyebrow as a thought flashed through his mind.
It had only been a month, and she'd already been turned?
"Ah, I saved that seat." Ichinose spoke softly, looking a little embarrassed. "I thought I might move somewhere else later..."
"Let's sit here," Kitagawa Kai said, naturally setting his schoolbag in the middle seat.
That made the seating order: Ichinose, Kitagawa Kai, Shiranami Chihiro.
Shiranami Chihiro raised her head almost at once.
For an instant, an undisguised look of delight flashed across her face. The corners of her lips naturally lifted, her eyes gleamed, and she softly called, "Honami-chan..."
But when she saw that it was Kitagawa Kai who had sat down, her expression changed in a fraction of a second.
"Oh, it's Kitagawa-kun."
"Good afternoon, Shiranami-san." Kitagawa Kai replied briefly and pulled out a chair.
Kitagawa Kai set down the mystery novel in his hands and went straight into study mode with Ichinose.
"I'm stuck here." Ichinose slid an open math workbook between them.
"This problem isn't that hard..."
The two of them began discussing it quietly.
Sitting so close together, they kept their voices low as they spoke, and their heads unconsciously leaned toward each other.
In the quiet library, their hushed voices, the occasional soft laugh, and the rustle of turning pages created an intimate atmosphere.
Watching them, Shiranami Chihiro felt something strange well up inside her. Without realizing it, she stopped writing.
They were so in sync, so at ease with each other.
A slight ache rose in Shiranami's heart. It was a closeness she couldn't hope to match in just a month.
She lowered her eyes to her notebook, trying to focus again. But the pen in her hand felt heavier and heavier, and her vision grew blurrier.
"Clack."
It was a very soft sound, but it stood out 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 saw Kitagawa Kai looking at her calmly. Ichinose had turned to follow his gaze, too, concern in her blue eyes.
"Ah, what is it?" Shiranami asked hurriedly, her cheeks heating up. Only then did she realize she'd completely lost focus and hadn't even noticed her pen falling.
"Your pen fell."
"Y-yes, sorry!" Shiranami hurriedly bent down to pick it up. Only then did she notice that her palm was slightly sweaty.
Ichinose Honami smiled gently and asked with concern, "It's okay, Chihiro-chan. Are you tired? Would you like to take a break?"
"N-no!" Shiranami quickly shook her head and tightened her grip on the pen. "I was just... thinking about a problem and got a little distracted."