"My name is Hirata Yousuke. Nice to meet you."
"I'm Hajime Kashima from Class 1-B. It's nice to meet you."
He seemed like a rather peaceful boy, with soft features to match.
I took the hand he offered.
"We might have to wait a little. The others are buying drinks at the vending machine."
"Why don't you go pick something out?"
"I asked them to bring me some mineral water. Kushida said she was bringing someone from another class along, so I stayed here to welcome you."
"Thanks for your effort."
"Not at all."
He waved his hand.
A little while later, it seemed everyone had arrived.
"Let me introduce everyone. This is Hajime Kashima from Class 1-B."
"Hello, everyone. I hope you don't mind me joining you."
"Welcome! I'm Kanji Ike."
"Welcome, welcome~"
Though Kushida Kikyo had brought me here, he naturally took the lead in making the introductions.
I looked around, trying to memorize everyone's faces, but one boy kept his head down.
He was doing a good job of keeping himself hidden, which only made me more curious about him.
Why did he look so familiar? There was something about him that felt familiar.
!?
Kiyotaka Ayanokouji?
What was he doing at this school?
"Hirata, here's the water you wanted."
"Sorry for the trouble. Let me introduce you to our new friend."
"Hajima."
A voice called my name, snapping me out of my brief stupor.
As Hirata approached, Ayanokouji shook his head at me.
"Hajima... do you know Ayanokouji-kun?"
"No. For a moment, I thought he looked like an old friend, but when I got closer, I realized I'd mistaken him for someone else."
Hirata nodded, then turned to introduce the girl beside him.
"This is Karuizawa Kei. Now that she's here, everyone's arrived. We've already planned a route, so just follow us."
"Sounds good."
Karuizawa Kei?
I focused on the girl, but she seemed to avoid my gaze.
I was about to greet her, but then I remembered Ayanokouji shaking his head.
He didn't seem to want to acknowledge me.
He was a complete recluse. Acknowledging each other in a place like this might lead to all sorts of unexpected trouble, and if possible, he wanted to avoid that.
That was probably what he was thinking.
Maybe Karuizawa had her own reasons for keeping her distance, too.
Besides, she and I had only crossed paths a little before starting school. That was all.
"She's not usually like this. She's normally glued to Hirata, and there are rumors going around in class."
"What rumors?"
"About her and Hirata. I don't know if they're true, but they're definitely one of the most widely discussed bits of gossip in class."
"She doesn't seem that close to him right now. She doesn't even look very interested in joining the conversation."
Kushida, standing beside me, tilted her head, seeming puzzled.
I watched the girl following the group of girls led by Hirata. She seemed a little out of place.
As if sensing my gaze, she cautiously glanced back at me.
The little group from Class D wasn't small. I wondered if that counted as a sign of class unity.
But Kushida said Hirata had invited lots of classmates, and most of those who agreed were girls. Only a few boys had signed up.
"Do you usually hang out with them, Kushida?"
She shook her head.
"Not usually. But when they invited me to explore the campus together, I thought it would be a good chance to get closer to my classmates. And since Hajima said he'd come, I decided to join."
"The scenery here is really nice!"
"Those flowers are so pretty~"
A cluster of flowers was blooming not far ahead.
Kushida quickened her pace.
She lifted one up and gently sniffed it.
She seemed so absorbed in the flowers that she didn't notice the commotion behind her.
"Ayanokouji, why are we here today?"
"...Why?"
"Because of Kushida-san!!!"
"You didn't say that when you dragged me along. You said you wanted to come see the campus."
"But Kushida-san said she'd be here. Otherwise, I wouldn't have planned to come."
"So you were planning to ditch me?"
"Th-that's not the point! The point is, Kushida-san is about to be swept off her feet by some sleazy guy! We can't just do nothing, can we?"
"That has nothing to do with me."
"You only think that because you know you have no chance against me, don't you? Watch as I charge in like a knight going to rescue a princess..."
Watching Ayanokouji cover his face in exasperation made me laugh for some reason.
I turned around, only to be met with a body crashing into me. A strand of hair seemed to brush lightly against my neck.
"Sorry, I didn't notice you when I turned around. Are you okay?"
"Ouch..."
Kushida held her head, her little face scrunched up.
"Kushida-san, are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
Kanji Ike hurried over to check on her, but Kushida seemed startled by his actions and hid behind me.
She gently tugged at my clothes and peeked out from behind me.
"I was going to take you over to smell those flowers. They have such a lovely, delicate fragrance. But I got in a hurry and bumped into you... I'm sorry."
"Be careful."
She nodded obediently.
The group had gathered around us, and Hirata asked, "What happened?"
"Nothing. We just bumped into each other by accident."
"That's good."
Kushida looked around and seemed to notice something was wrong.
"Are we missing someone?"
"It looks like Karuizawa is gone."
"She was just here. How did she disappear as soon as we looked away?"
One of the girls took out her phone and called Karuizawa Kei.
The call connected quickly.
"Karuizawa-san, where are you? Why did you suddenly disappear?"
"I'm feeling a little unwell, so I wanted to go back and rest."
"I see. Then make sure to rest. Let us know if you feel worse."
"Thank you."
Sato recounted the conversation to us.
"She was still there when Kushida-san bumped into you. Then, when I looked again, she was gone."
"Maybe she wasn't feeling well. It's good that she went back to rest instead of pushing herself."
"That's true."
Come to think of it, I hadn't noticed her at all while going through the materials. That was unexpected, too.
Well, I should probably add Ayanokouji, who seemed to have no desire to stand out.