"Sorry. I know my request will put you in an awkward position, but I still want to ask: what were Ichinose and Airi doing here?"
Hasebe returned to the Activity Room, determined. Without even changing her shoes, she came over to my desk and bowed in thanks.
I had to say, Hasebe was about two Hiyoris taller than Ichinose.
It was messing with my head.
I closed my eyes, trying to erase the image I'd just seen.
It wasn't because I was a eunuch. It was because I could feel Hiyori's kind gaze on me.
I needed to think about how to deal with the problem in front of me.
"Hasebe, what position are you speaking from when you make this request? Are you a friend of Ichinose or Sakura? Or do you have a grudge against them? Or do you suspect Sakura might betray the class because of some improper relationship with Ichinose?"
I'd answer Hasebe's question with questions of my own. If she could answer them, then I could tell her the truth. Since I couldn't avoid this, I might as well enjoy the emotional payoff.
"I'm Airi's friend. I'm worried about her, so—"
I cut Hasebe off before she could finish.
"Since you're Sakura's friend, I won't answer your question."
"Why?"
"It's simple. You're Sakura's friend, Sakura's Ichinose's friend, and we're friends with Sakura too.
"As her friend, I believe I have a responsibility to keep her secrets. I don't think anyone would want their friends casually sharing their private affairs with a stranger.
"That's right, don't look so surprised. You're a friend of Sakura's, but you're not my friend. Hasebe and I have no relationship at all.
"Here's another thing: since you're Airi's friend, you should trust her and ask her directly. There aren't many things good friends can't talk about.
"I'll keep it a secret from Sakura that you came here fishing for information. Don't ask your friend's friend about something that concerns your friend.
"If you don't ask her directly, then no matter how many answers you get from how many friends of friends, they'll all be useless if they're not what you want to hear!"
There was only one point to my speech: Hasebe should go ask Sakura herself. The fact that someone could get so hung up on such a trivial question was proof that Class D really was a breeding ground for hidden talents.
"I understand, but I already asked Airi during the day. She said..."
After my lecture, Hasebe didn't seem annoyed. Instead, she blushed and bashfully told us what she'd heard from Sakura earlier that day.
"One more reminder, Hasebe: don't trust someone you don't know at all, especially if there might be bad blood between you.
"How can you be so sure I'm really Sakura's friend? Just because I lectured you? I could lecture you for half an hour with the exact same speech, without repeating a single word.
"If I'd had bad intentions, your friendship with Sakura would have ended right here.
"You should keep your conversation with Sakura to yourself. When you tell me about it, be a little clever and phrase it differently. Don't be so direct.
"I can assure you of this much: there's nothing improper between Sakura and Ichinose."
"Thank you, thank you—"
After getting the answer she wanted most, Hasebe was delighted and bowed to us again. She had a very graceful bow, but it was a little awkward that she didn't know my name.
"Class 1-C, Sima Zhenglong."
"Class 1-C, Shiina Hiyori."
"Thank you for your help. I'll come again tomorrow."
Knowing how embarrassing she'd been, Hasebe left in a hurry after saying that. From where I stood, I could even see her swaying as she went.
"Hiyori, thanks for your hard work—"
I looked at the black footprints Hasebe had left in the Activity Room, then turned to Hiyori with an apologetic expression.
"It's fine. Telling Hasebe directly would have cut our workload by fifty percent, but Zhenglong's mischievousness made her go back and forth once more, greatly increasing the work.
"Don't think you can slack off either, Zhenglong. Ichinose isn't here right now."
Hiyori handed me a wet mop and took a dry one for herself.
I wasn't in the mood to keep revising my manuscript tonight. I'd finish the work, lie down early, and read.
Meanwhile, after leaving the Activity Room, Hasebe went to the supermarket and spent a considerable number of points on snacks. She planned to bring them as a thank-you gift when she returned to the Activity Room tomorrow.
If I'd seen that, I would have sternly condemned her wastefulness. She could have given them points as a thank-you, but instead she'd bought snacks that would inevitably end up in the five-grain cycle.
Hasebe had no idea what I was thinking. There was only one thing on her mind at the supermarket: had she bought too little? She didn't even notice that she'd blown the points budget she'd made at the start of the month. She was definitely going to have to live on the Mountain Vegetable Set Meal for the rest of the month.
"Airi!"
After putting the snacks away in her room, Hasebe knocked on Airi's door.
"Gaga? It's so late. Is there something you need help with?"
Sakura Airi was brushing her teeth, toothbrush in her mouth and rinsing cup in hand. When she heard Haruka's voice, she hurried to the door, opened it, and let Haruka into her room.
"Airi, I need to apologize to you. I'd already asked you, but I didn't choose to trust you. Instead, I went and did something like this."
Sitting on Sakura Airi's bed, Haruka started from the beginning. She told Airi everything, from how the rumors had made her suspicious of Airi to all the things she'd done afterward.
When she got to what had happened that night, Haruka's voice even began to choke up.
"You don't need to apologize, Gaga~ Seeing you so worried really made me concerned. Zhenglong was right about what he said to you, but I think friends sometimes need to show each other the kind of concern you showed me.
"I'm not very good at expressing myself, so it's only natural that you might misunderstand me because of what I said. I've only been thinking about myself lately and haven't paid attention to how you feel. That's probably my fault.
"You don't need to blame yourself because of me. I've really only been studying with Ichinose and the others at Zhenglong's place. My score on the latest quiz improved, didn't it? That was thanks to Ichinose, so that's why I said they've helped me a lot."
Sakura Airi wiped away Haruka's tears and tried to comfort her in the same gentle voice Ichinose used.
After a long while, Haruka finally stopped crying and smiled again.
"Then, Airi, come clean! What's your relationship with Sima Zhenglong? I don't believe you two are just friends!"
Once her sadness had passed, Haruka grabbed Airi's hand and pulled her down onto the bed with her. Taking advantage of her physical strength, she began an interrogation session reserved for close girlfriends.
"I-I'm just friends with Zhenglong."
Pinned beneath Haruka after she rolled on top of her, Airi blushed as she explained her relationship with Sima Zhenglong. But whenever Haruka asked how she and Sima Zhenglong had become friends, Sakura could only stammer.
"Oh, so you've got a sweetheart and forgotten your friend! I bought a whole bunch of snacks. Let's have a good talk about this tonight!"
Seeing that even such a fierce assault hadn't pried Airi's lips open, Haruka decided to go back to her own room and try another approach: first win Airi's stomach, then coax the truth out of her once her guard was down.
Before you continue