One weekend before the Special Exam began, Hasebe Haruka and Sakura Airi, who were in the same study group, were shopping together in the school's shopping district.
"Airi, is it true you and Ichinose have that kind of relationship?"
"N-no, that's not it. Ichinose and Shiranami are both really nice people. They've helped me a lot. Gaga, don't you think I'm more confident now than I used to be?"
After hearing the rumors about Airi, Hasebe was extremely worried about her.
As far as she knew, Airi was an extremely introverted and shy girl.
She had developed early, and her curvy figure had made her the target of boys' teasing and girls' pity ever since she was little. She'd chosen to shut herself away instead of joining those so-called "cliques."
Airi was a fragile girl surrounded by malice. Hasebe's feelings for her were more than friendship; they were closer to love, a kind of affection almost like a mother's that drove her to protect Airi.
But her own weakness meant that, aside from unilaterally imposing her love on Airi, she had no other way to help her.
Hasebe would have continued indulging in that illusory sense of fulfillment, making no progress at school, until Airi was judged to be a student the class didn't need and expelled.
But this time, the wind stirred up by a butterfly's wings was strong enough to change the course of her future.
"Who's this?"
That evening, Hiyori had just finished acting out a scene with me when she saw a well-endowed girl push open the door to the Activity Room.
"I-I'm Hasebe Haruka from Class 1-D. Is this the Traditional Literature Club? I'm looking for Ichinose."
When Hasebe entered the Activity Room, she saw me sitting at the desk, carefully revising a manuscript. For a moment, she forgot why she had come.
Seeing someone hard at work, she didn't want to disturb me or cause anyone trouble. It was entirely in keeping with my stereotypical image of people from Japan.
Fortunately, Hiyori was making tea for me and wasn't absorbed in a book, so she spoke up and asked what Hasebe had come for.
"If you're looking for Ichinose, she isn't here right now."
"Wouldn't it be better to look for Ichinose in Class B during break, or go to her dorm during free time like now?"
After hearing the visitor's name, Hiyori matched the image of Hasebe, whom Airi had talked about, to the person standing before her and answered.
When I heard the visitor's name, I froze. It took me a moment to remember who she was.
The incident where she served as the focal point of the conflict had left me feeling a little sick. It always struck me as though the character was being exploited, so whenever I revisited the story, I skipped that volume.
As a result, my impression of the girl in front of me was basically nonexistent.
But I remembered that she had no real connection to Ichinose. Why had she come looking for Ichinose here? Had she heard the rumors about Sakura and Ichinose, thought Ichinose had stolen someone she loved, and come to take revenge?
"Wait! Hiyori, step away from Hasebe for a moment. Hasebe, what I'm about to ask might sound a little offensive, but please raise your hands and turn around once.
"I need to make sure we're safe. You're in Class D too, so you should know that our two classes have had some unpleasant dealings. I have to check that you're not here to settle a score."
Love-related murder was terrifying. I was still young, with a wonderful life ahead of me to enjoy, so it was best to play it safe.
As I made my request, the hand I'd been using to write quietly slipped into the compartment in the desk and gripped a Physics Holy Sword.
"Huh? I think you've got the wrong idea. I'm not close with Sudo and those perverts. I really did just come to see Ichinose."
As Hasebe explained why she had come, she turned around once as I'd asked.
She had come here because two days ago, she'd happened to see Airi walking and chatting happily with Ichinose. Remembering the rumors about the two of them, she'd wanted to find out the truth, so she secretly followed them the whole way.
She watched Airi and Ichinose enter the Traditional Literature Club's Activity Room. Then she waited outside for a long time, but neither of them came out.
The next day, she deliberately went to the club building early to stake it out and once again saw Ichinose, Airi, and Shiranami enter the Traditional Literature Club's Activity Room together.
This time, she didn't leave at dinnertime like she had the day before. The main reason she'd left the previous time was that she had no experience with staking out a place, and at mealtime she'd been swept away by the crowd from the other clubs and the large group from Class C carrying Mountain Vegetable Set Meals.
To avoid exposing herself, she'd had no choice but to leave the club building with the crowd. Afterward, she hadn't dared to go back and continue her stakeout.
She was afraid that if she returned, she'd run into Airi leaving the Activity Room. She wasn't in a club and had no reason to be there, so it would be difficult to explain. She didn't want to lie to Airi.
Yesterday, she'd been thoroughly prepared. She'd hidden in the restroom ahead of time and hadn't been swept away with the crowd.
As a result, she'd waited until late, but Ichinose and Airi never left the Activity Room. At last, she ran out of patience and decided to invite Airi to go shopping on Sunday morning, hoping to use the opportunity to learn the truth from her.
But Airi's answer had been a little ambiguous too. Unsure what to make of the situation, Hasebe had first confirmed that Airi needed to attend a meeting that evening with the others taking part in the Special Exam. Only then had she come to the Activity Room.
After all, Ichinose had been staying here late for the past two days. Hasebe figured she could talk to her here.
"Ichinose has plans this evening. Most likely, she's going to discuss the upcoming Special Exam with her classmates.
"Besides, Ichinose isn't a member of my club. If you want to talk to her alone, this probably isn't the best place."
Class D was full of broke students right now. They couldn't offer enough points.
Without points, Hasebe had nothing worth trying to recruit her for.
Trouble ought to come with a suitable reward. Was I really supposed to get involved in something that looked troublesome and might turn out to be even more troublesome?
After I politely turned her down, Hasebe's face showed her indecision.
Perhaps she'd managed to persuade herself. Hasebe turned around, intending to step out of the Activity Room.
But the moment she stepped outside, she regretted it. Hasebe didn't want to keep tormenting herself. She was going to find the answer today.
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