An Unexpected Encounter (Part 1)

"My name is Hirata Yousuke. Nice to meet you."

"Kashima Hajime from Class B. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

He seemed quite gentle, with features leaning toward the softer side for a boy.

I took his outstretched hand.

"Might need to wait a bit—the others are buying drinks at the vending machine."

"Aren't you going to pick something out?"

"I asked them to grab me a bottle of water. Kushida-san said she'd introduce a student from another class to join us, so I'm here to receive you."

"Thanks for the trouble."

"Not at all."

He waved his hand.

After a while, it seemed everyone had gathered.

"Let me introduce everyone—this is Kashima Hajime-kun from Class B."

"Hello. Do you mind if I join in?"

"Welcome! I'm Ike Kanji."

"Welcome, welcome~"

Even though Kushida Kikyo had brought me here, he smoothly took over the introduction.

I swept my gaze around, trying to memorize the faces, but one boy kept his head down.

He hid himself well, but that only made me more curious.

Why did he look so familiar? A very familiar aura surrounded him.

!?

Kiyotaka Ayanokouji?

What was this guy doing studying here?

"Hirata-kun, here's your water."

"Thanks for the trouble. Let me introduce you to our new friend."

"Kashima-kun."

A call snapped me out of my brief daze.

As Hirata walked over, Ayanokouji shook his head at me.

"Kashima-kun... do you know Ayanokouji-kun?"

"No, I thought he looked like an old acquaintance, but when I got a closer look, I realized I was mistaken."

Hirata nodded and turned to introduce the girl beside him.

"This is Karuizawa Kei. With her, we're all here. We've already planned the route—just follow us."

"No problem."

Karuizawa Kei?

I focused my gaze on the girl, but she seemed to avoid it.

I thought about saying hello, but I couldn't help recalling the image of Ayanokouji shaking his head just now.

He didn't seem to want to acknowledge me.

He was a pure escapist. Acknowledging each other in this setting might bring unexpected trouble. If possible, he'd want to avoid that.

That was probably his thinking.

Then Karuizawa might have some concerns too.

Besides, between her and me, we'd only crossed paths a bit before enrollment—just that much.

"She's not usually like this. Normally she's glued to Hirata-kun—there are rumors going around the class."

"What rumors?"

"About her and Hirata. No idea if they're true, but it's definitely one of the more talked-about bits of gossip in the class."

"Doesn't look that intimate right now, though. She doesn't seem very interested in joining the conversation."

Kushida, standing beside me, tilted her head, looking a bit puzzled.

I watched the girl, who was part of the group of girls led by Hirata but seemed somewhat out of place.

As if sensing something, she cautiously glanced back at me.

The Class D squad wasn't small in number. I wondered if that counted as a sign of cohesion.

But Kushida said Hirata-kun had invited a lot of classmates, but most who agreed were girls. Only a few boys had said yes.

"Does Kushida-san usually hang out with them too?"

She shook her head in denial.

"Not usually, but I got an invitation to walk around the campus together. I thought it'd be a good chance to get closer to my classmates, and since Hajima-kun also agreed to come, I decided to go."

"The environment here is really nice!"

"The flowers over there look so pretty~"

Noticing a cluster of blooming flowers not far ahead.

Kushida quickened her pace.

She cupped one, gently bringing it to her nose.

Seeming lost in the embrace of the flowers, she didn't notice the commotion behind her.

"Ayanokouji, what did we come here for today?"

"...What for?"

"For Kushida-san!!!"

"That's not what you said when you dragged me here. You said you wanted to follow along and see the campus."

"But Kushida-san agreed to come. Otherwise, I wouldn't have even joined this event."

"So you were actually planning to stand me up?"

"That's... that's not the point. The point is! Kushida-san is about to be snatched up by some outside bad guy. We can't just do nothing, right?"

"None of my business."

"You bastard, you only think that way because you see no hope of competing with me. Watch me, like a knight setting out to rescue the princess..."

Watching Ayanokouji helplessly cover his face, I found it oddly amusing.

But as I turned around, I was met with a collision, strands of hair lightly brushing against my neck.

"Sorry, I turned back and didn't notice you. Are you okay?"

"Ouch..."

Kushida held her head, her small face slightly scrunched up.

"Kushida-san, are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

Ike Kanji hurried over to check on her, but Kushida seemed startled by his approach and hid behind me.

She gently tugged at my sleeve, peeking out.

"I was going to take you to smell that cluster of flowers. The faint fragrance is really nice, but I was in a hurry and bumped into you... Sorry."

"Be more careful."

She nodded obediently.

The small group that had been scattered gathered into a circle, and Hirata spoke up to ask.

"Did something happen?"

"No, just accidentally bumped into each other."

"That's good."

Kushida looked around, seeming to notice something off.

"Are we missing someone?"

"Karuizawa-san seems to be gone."

"She was just here, but when I turned around, she was gone."

A girl raised her mobile terminal 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 want to head back and rest."

"I see. Take care of yourself, and let us know if it gets worse."

"Thanks."

Sato relayed the contents of the call to us.

"Kushida-san was still there when she bumped into you, but when I looked again, she was gone."

"Maybe she's a bit uncomfortable. It's better not to push herself and go rest."

"Yeah, true."

Come to think of it, I didn't even notice her when flipping through the materials, which was unexpected.

Hmm, I might also have to add Ayanokouji, who seems to want to keep a low profile.