The Sneaky Hasebe Haruka

On a weekend before the special exam, Hasebe Haruka, who belongs to the same study group as Sakura Airi, was shopping with her at the school's commercial district.

"Airi, are you really in that kind of relationship with Ichinose?"

"No, it's not like that. Ichinose-san and Shiranami-san are both very kind people. They've helped me a lot. Look at me now, Haruka, don't I seem more confident than before?"

Upon learning about the rumors regarding Airi, Hasebe felt deeply worried for her.

In her perception, Airi was an extremely introverted and shy child.

If it were the case that Airi had chosen to exile herself and avoid integrating into those so-called "circles" because her early physical development and prominent curves had made her accustomed to the teasing of boys and the pity of girls since childhood...

Then Airi was a fragile child wrapped in malice. Hasebe's feelings for Airi were not like friendship; they were more like love, a sentiment bordering on maternal instinct that drove her to protect Airi.

However, her own weak capabilities meant that, aside from unilaterally imposing her affection upon Airi, she had no other means to help her.

Originally, Hasebe would have continued to immerse herself in this illusory sense of satisfaction, showing no growth during her time at school, until Airi was judged as an unnecessary student by the class and expelled.

But this time, the wind stirred by the butterfly's wings was somewhat strong, altering the trajectory of her future.

"And this student is?"

That evening, just as Hiyori had finished performing a scene with me, she saw a girl with a broad chest push open the doors to the clubroom.

"U-um, I am Hasebe Haruka from Class 1-D. Is this the Traditional Literature Club? I'm looking for Ichinose-san."

Hasebe entered the clubroom and, seeing me sitting at the desk diligently revising a manuscript, momentarily forgot the purpose of her visit.

Because she saw someone working seriously, she didn't want to disturb me or cause trouble for others; this fit my stereotypical impression of the Japanese perfectly.

Fortunately, Hiyori was brewing tea for me at the time and wasn't immersed in her books, so she took the initiative to help her ask the reason for her visit.

"Ichinose-san isn't here right now."

"If you're looking for Ichinose, wouldn't it be better to go directly to Class B during the break, or to her dormitory during rest periods like this?"

Upon hearing the visitor's name, Hiyori matched the image of Hasebe that Airi had mentioned in their chats to the person standing before her and provided an answer.

When I heard the visitor's name, I was stunned for a moment. It took me a while to recall who this was.

Because the event where she served as the focal point of conflict made me feel somewhat disgusted—I always had the sense that the character was being exploited—I had skipped that volume entirely when I revisited the plot later.

This directly resulted in my impression of the girl before me being basically zero.

But I remember she had nothing to do with Ichinose, right? Why would she come to my side to look for her? Could it be that because of the rumors between Sakura and Ichinose, she felt someone had stolen her love and came to seek revenge?

"Wait! Hiyori, stay away from this Hasebe-san for a moment. Hasebe-san, although what I'm about to say might feel offensive, please raise your hands and spin in a circle."

"I need to ensure safety first. After all, you are also in Class D, and you should know that some unpleasant things have happened between our two classes. I have a duty to confirm you aren't here seeking revenge."

Crimes of passion are terrifying. I am still young, and I have a bright future waiting for me to enjoy; it is better to be cautious at a time like this.

While making the request to Hasebe, my hand, which had been writing, quietly reached into the partition of the desk and gripped the Physics Holy Sword.

"Huh? Are you having some kind of misunderstanding? I'm not familiar with those sleazy guys like Sudo. I really am just here to find Ichinose."

Hasebe explained the purpose of her visit while spinning in a circle as I had requested.

The reason she came here was that she had accidentally seen Airi walking and laughing with Ichinose the day before yesterday. Thinking of the rumors about Ichinose and Airi, she wanted to verify the truth, so she secretly followed them the whole way.

She watched until Airi and Ichinose entered the Traditional Literature Club's room. She lurked outside the door for a long time but never saw the two of them leave.

Yesterday, she had intentionally arrived at the club building early to stake it out, witnessing Ichinose, Airi, and Shiranami all enter the Traditional Literature Club room together.

This time, she didn't leave at dinner time like the previous occasion. Last time, it was mainly because she lacked experience and was swept away by the crowds from other clubs and the large group from Class C carrying their Mountain Vegetable Set Meals.

To avoid exposing herself, she had no choice but to follow the club crowds out of the building, and she didn't dare return to continue the stakeout afterward.

She was afraid that if she went back, she would run into Airi leaving the clubroom. She wasn't a member of any club and had no reason to be there; it would be hard to explain, and she didn't want to lie to Airi.

Yesterday, she had made full preparations and hid in the restroom in advance, avoiding being swept away by the crowd.

The result was that she waited until very late, but Ichinose and Airi never came out of the clubroom. Finally, her patience exhausted, she decided to ask Airi out for shopping on Sunday morning to take the opportunity to find out the truth from her.

However, Airi's answers had been somewhat ambiguous. Unsure of the situation, and after confirming that Airi had to attend a meeting with others participating in the special exam that evening, she came to the clubroom.

After all, Ichinose had been staying here until very late for the past two days; she figured she could talk to her here.

"Ichinose-san is busy this evening. If nothing goes wrong, she should be discussing the upcoming special exam with her classmates."

"Besides, Ichinose-san is not a member of my club. If you want to talk to her privately, this might not be the best choice."

The current Class D is full of paupers and cannot provide enough points.

Without points, this Hasebe-san doesn't have any value worth my effort to recruit.

Troublesome matters should always have corresponding rewards. Is there really a need for me to intervene in an event that looks troublesome and might actually be even more so?

After being politely declined by me, a conflicted expression appeared on Hasebe's face.

Perhaps she convinced herself internally, as Hasebe chose to turn around, intending to step over the threshold of the clubroom.

However, the moment she stepped out, she regretted it. Hasebe didn't want to continue torturing herself; she wanted to find the answer today.