Class C's Shiina

"Hey, you. Ryuen wants you over there. Come quietly and follow me."

"Um... can I not go?"

When Qiuyue said this, the Class C students surrounding him all fixed their gazes on him.

"No."

That single word crushed any thought Qiuyue had of slipping away, leaving him no choice but to compromise.

"Fine, then please lead the way."

Hearing this, the other turned and led Qiuyue forward.

Qiuyue arrived before Ryuen and saw on the table something that could be either a drink or alcohol, along with some barbecue. But most importantly, there was a walkie-talkie.

"So it's you."

Qiuyue: (??? You know me??)

"Uh, classmate, I think this is our first meeting."

"I've known you for a while now, Qiuyue Qi. You seem pretty close with Shiina from our class in the library. But rather than that, why don't you tell me what you're doing in our class?"

Ryuen, lounging on a chair under a sun umbrella and wearing swimwear, spoke while taking bites of meat.

"So I'm telling you, I really just got lost and ended up here by mistake."

Qiuyue said this without a hint of a blush or a racing heart.

Qiuyue: (Getting lost is a lie, but the mistake is real—I was actually heading to Class A first.)

"Looks like we have more guests. Ishizaki, go bring those two over."

Ryuen pointed at Ayanokoji and Horikita, who had just emerged from the forest and were now on the beach.

Ayanokoji and Horikita came before Ryuen, naturally ignoring Qiuyue as they started talking with him.

Ryuen also set Qiuyue aside, as Horikita had almost completely captured his interest at that moment.

Qiuyue didn't mind, though; in fact, being treated like a small fry suited him better.

Even so, Qiuyue's attention wasn't on their conversation at all. Instead, he was searching for something among the Class C students, looking left and right.

Until he spotted that striking silver hair. Without a moment's hesitation, he walked straight toward it.

"Hey! Where are you going!"

"It's fine, Ishizaki. Let him go. I can guess where he's headed."

"Yo, caught a Shiina here. Why are you reading a book instead of swimming or surfing like everyone else? Opportunities like this are pretty rare, aren't they?"

Shiina looked up, her purple eyes blinking as she gazed at Qiuyue, a smile in her eyes, the corners of her lips slightly lifted, and her brows gently raised.

"Qiuyue-kun, on the other hand, is a Class D student in Class C. I'm surprised Ryuen-kun didn't chase you off but let you come find me instead."

Qiuyue slowly moved to Shiina's side, and she shifted over to make a little room for him. Qiuyue sat down naturally, their movements so smooth it was as if they'd practiced it many times.

They were very close, the distance between their shoulders only about ten centimeters.

"Is that so? Maybe Ryuen-kun is actually a pretty nice guy."

Qiuyue said in a half-joking tone.

"...Ryuen... nice guy..."

Shiina's voice became halting, as if she'd heard some hilarious joke.

She slightly narrowed her eyes, elegantly resting one hand on her thigh with a book, while the other covered her mouth as she giggled, turning her head aside.

Seeing this, Qiuyue, who had no idea what was so funny, laughed along with her.

Qiuyue: (...Skin as white as snow, crystal clear yet not lacking in color, gentle and refined. Ah... time with her is always so peaceful and calm, so natural and free. What should I call this feeling?)

The two of them laughed happily together, and Qiuyue began to carefully measure the distance between them.

Qiuyue: (...About ten centimeters, I think. If I chose to close that distance, what would become of our relationship...)

(I almost fell for one of life's three great illusions. Hah, no. I'd rather keep this distance forever than dare to try. She just sees me as a book buddy.)

"Shiina-san, is it really that funny? Ryuen-kun does look like a thug, but... no... I guess he actually is a thug..."

Qiuyue's own words lacked confidence.

"Be careful, Ryuen-kun might hear you."

"Let him hear. I believe Shiina-san will protect me, right?"

Qiuyue shamelessly said this, then lay down flat on the ground like a 207-month-old baby.

Shiina propped herself up on one hand, leaning sideways to look at the shameless Qiuyue sprawled on the ground, her smile still in place.

"The ground is dirty, you know. You'll get a lot of sand on you when you get up."

"Hey... can I just call you Shiina? Adding '-san' is such a hassle, my mouth's dry from talking."

"Sure. Then I'll call you Qiuyue-kun too. Qiuyue-kun, don't lie there. I only have plain water here, but if you don't mind, want some?"

Shiina didn't seem too bothered by Qiuyue not addressing her as "classmate." She picked up a bottle of water beside her and handed it to him.

"Ah... thanks."

Qiuyue stood up and took the water, gulping it down noisily. As Shiina had said, the back of his clothes were covered in sand.

"Oh, you."

Shiina replied with a helpless smile, radiating a maternal glow as she gently brushed the sand off the back of his clothes.

It was only then that Qiuyue realized what had happened.

"Huh... did I just drink your water? Sorry, Shiina, do you have any more? Should I go back to the classroom and grab a bottle for you?"

...Even the author was surprised. Qiuyue's reaction was about the water, not the intimate gesture of Shiina brushing off the sand.

"It's fine. I prepared two bottles. The one I gave you was unopened."

Shiina wiped her hands with a handkerchief, pulled out another bottle from beside her, waved it triumphantly for Qiuyue to see, then put it back in its place.

Qiuyue didn't doubt her, since that bottle was already a third empty.

"I see..."

Qiuyue: (And here I was really looking forward to it.)

The two chatted a little longer before Qiuyue used the lateness of the hour as an excuse to leave Class C.

"Shiina, see you in the library after the special exam. I'm heading out. Bye."

"Mm, Qiuyue-kun. Bye."

They waved goodbye to each other.

Qiuyue: (Where to next? Let's head to Class B first. It's about time to check on how things are going, and I can ask where Class A is.)

Soon after, Qiuyue arrived at Class B's camp.

"Oh, it's Qiuyue-kun! Welcome."

Handsome guys and beautiful girls, take a look at the author's note—there's something I need to say.