Why ask me questions you can ask the person directly?

"I apologize. I know my request puts you in a difficult position, but I still want to ask: what were Ichinose-san and Airi doing here?"

Hasebe returned to the clubroom, fueled by determination. She walked straight to my desk without changing her shoes and bowed to thank me.

I have to admit, Hasebe is about two Hiyoris larger than Ichinose.

This is shaking my resolve.

I closed my eyes, trying to delete the image I had just seen.

It wasn't because I'm a eunuch, but because I could feel the benevolent gaze emanating from Hiyori.

I need to think about how to resolve the trouble in front of me.

"Hasebe-san, in what capacity and role are you making this request of me? Are you a friend of Ichinose or Sakura? Or do you hold a grudge against them? Or perhaps you suspect that Sakura might betray the class due to some improper relationship with Ichinose?"

I'll just use the questions Hasebe asked me to counter-question her. If she can answer them, then telling her the truth is fine. Since I can't avoid it, I might as well enjoy the emotional value.

"I am Airi's friend. I was just worried about her, so—"

Hasebe's words were cut off before she could finish.

"Since you are Sakura's friend, I will not answer the questions you have posed."

"Why?"

"It's a simple principle. You and Sakura are friends, Sakura and Ichinose are friends, and we are also friends with Sakura.

As a friend, I believe it is necessary for me to keep secrets for my friends. I trust that no one would want their friend to casually divulge their private matters to a stranger.

That's right, don't be surprised—a stranger. You are Sakura's friend, but you are not my friend. There is no acquaintance between Hasebe-san and me.

Furthermore, since you are Airi's friend, you should trust your friend and ask her directly. There aren't many things that good friends can't say to each other.

I will keep your attempt to fish for information from me a secret from Sakura, but don't ask a friend's friend about something related to that friend.

If you don't ask the person herself, then no matter how many answers you get from how many friends of friends, as long as those answers don't match your expectations, they are all in vain!"

The core idea of my speech was simple: make Hasebe go ask Sakura herself. The fact that such a purely circular line of reasoning could even arise is a testament to Class D being a gathering place for "hidden dragons and crouching tigers."

"I understand. But I already asked Airi during the day, and she said..."

After being lectured by me, Hasebe didn't feel impatient. Instead, she blushed and, feeling shy, told us the information she had gathered from Sakura earlier that day.

"One more reminder for you, Hasebe-san: do not trust someone you don't know at all, especially when there might be some friction between you and that person.

How can you be so sure I'm truly Sakura's friend? Just because of my lecture? I could lecture you for half an hour without repeating a single word.

If I had ill intentions just now, the friendship between you and Sakura would have ended at this very moment.

You should keep the conversation between you and Sakura to yourself. When you describe it to me, try to be a bit smarter and phrase it differently; don't be so direct.

There is no improper relationship between Sakura-san and Ichinose. That is the only thing I can guarantee you."

"Thank you, thank you—"

Having obtained the information she wanted most, Hasebe bowed to thank me again, clearly overjoyed. The charm of her bending over was quite potent, but the fact that she didn't know our names made the scene a bit awkward.

"Class 1-C, Sima Zhenglong."

"Class 1-C, Shiina Hiyori."

"Thank you for your help. I will come again tomorrow."

Realizing her behavior had been quite embarrassing, Hasebe left a final sentence and fled in a panic. From my angle, I could see her swaying movements.

"Hiyori, thank you for your hard work—?"

I looked at the black footprints Hasebe left in the clubroom and looked at Hiyori with an apologetic expression.

"It's fine. Even though telling Hasebe-san directly would have reduced the workload by 50%, Zhenglong-kun's mischief made her run an extra trip, significantly increasing the work.

Don't think about slacking off, Zhenglong-kun. Ichinose-san isn't here right now."

Hiyori handed me a wet mop while holding a dry one herself.

I have no interest in continuing to edit the manuscript tonight. Once the work is done, I'll just lie down and read early.

On the other side, Hasebe, having run out of the clubroom, first went to the convenience store and spent a significant amount of points on snacks, intending to use them as a gift when she went to thank us at the clubroom tomorrow.

If I had seen this, I would have harshly condemned Hasebe's wasteful behavior. She could have just used the points as a thank-you gift, yet she insisted on buying these snacks that would eventually end up in the "five-grain cycle of reincarnation."

Hasebe, naturally, was unaware of my inner thoughts. In the store, she only cared about one thing—whether she had bought too little. She didn't even care that the point budget she had planned at the beginning of the month was ruined; she would definitely have to live on the Mountain Vegetable Set Meal for the rest of the month.

"Airi!"

After storing the snacks she bought in her room, Hasebe knocked on Airi's door.

"Gaga? It's so late, is there anything you need my help with?"

Sakura Airi, who was brushing her teeth, bit down on her toothbrush and held her rinsing cup. Hearing Haruka's voice, she hurried to the door, opened it, and brought Haruka into the room.

"Airi, I want to apologize to you. I had already asked you, but I chose not to believe you and instead did something like that."

Sitting on Sakura Airi's bed, Haruka started from the beginning, telling her everything without hiding her initial suspicions caused by the rumors and the series of actions that followed.

When she spoke about what happened tonight, Haruka's voice even choked up a little.

"Gaga doesn't need to apologize to me~ Seeing Gaga so nervous really makes me worried. Although what Zhenglong-kun and Gaga said wasn't wrong, I think that sometimes, friends need the kind of concern Gaga showed this time."

Because I'm not very good with words, it's only natural that Gaga would misunderstand what I say. Lately, I've only been focused on myself and failed to notice Gaga's feelings; that should be my fault.

Gaga, there's no need for you to blame yourself because of me. I was actually just studying with Ichinose and the others over at Sima Zhenglong's place. Didn't my grades improve on the last quiz? That was all thanks to Ichinose, which is why I said they've helped me a lot.

Sakura Airi used her hand to wipe away Haruka's tears, imitating the gentle tone Ichinose used to comfort Haruka.

After a long while, Haruka finally stopped crying and blossomed into a smile once again.

"Alright then, Airi, fess up! What is your relationship with Sima Zhenglong? I don't believe for a second that you two are just friends!"

Once the sadness had passed, Haruka grabbed Airi's hand and pulled her down onto the bed, using her physical advantage to initiate an interrogation session that belonged only to best friends.

"I—I'm just friends with Zhenglong-kun, really."

Pinned to the bed by Haruka's sudden roll, Airi explained her relationship with Sima Zhenglong with a face as red as a tomato. However, whenever Haruka asked about the process of how she and Sima Zhenglong became friends, Sakura would stammer and be unable to get a word out.

"Fine, fine! You've got a sweetheart and now you've forgotten your friend. I bought a pile of snacks, so we're going to have a good long talk about this tonight!"

Seeing that such a fierce offensive couldn't pry open Airi's mouth, Haruka decided to head back to her own room to try a different plan—conquer Airi's stomach first, then fish the truth out of her once her guard was down.