Morishita Ran

The next day at lunch, Hoshida No didn't go to the cafeteria. Instead, he picked up a newly arrived mathematics journal and headed for a bench in a relatively quiet spot behind the school building.

Few people came here, making it a good place to read and think without being disturbed.

However, as he approached, he saw that someone was already sitting on the bench.

A girl with short purple hair, the ends of which curled slightly upward, sat at one end of the bench. She held a thick hardcover book in her hands, its cover seeming to belong to some sort of philosophical classic.

She wore the standard girls' uniform. White knee socks covered her shapely calves, and her black leather shoes were spotless.

At that moment, she calmly looked toward Hoshida as he approached.

It was Morishita Ran. Hoshida remembered her name and face. She was a student in Class 1-A and a classmate of Sakayanagi Arisu.

He had noticed her during the Seven-Day War and on a few other occasions.

She didn't follow Sakayanagi around at all times like Kamuro Sumire, nor did she bear an obvious factional label like the other Class A students. She was always on her own, but she still had a distinct presence.

"Hoshida No," Morishita said first, clearly calling him by name. "You found this place too? It's certainly more relaxed than the library."

She closed her book but didn't stand. Her purple eyes openly sized him up, as if she were studying an interesting specimen.

"Sometimes." Hoshida walked to the other end of the bench and sat down, leaving a gap of about two people between them.

He opened his journal, showing no desire to talk further.

Since she seemed to prefer leaving each other alone, he was happy to enjoy the peace and quiet.

"Frontiers of Applied Mathematics?" Morishita glanced at the title of the journal in his hands. "It leans toward theoretical physics and algorithm optimization. Are you interested in those fields?"

"I read a bit." Hoshida's answer was as brief as ever.

"Enough to solve the extra-credit problem on the last monthly exam?" Morishita's lips curved slightly, then quickly straightened.

"Chabashira-sensei didn't announce the exact scores, but the math teacher for Class A mentioned that someone from Class D—oh, no, it's Class C now—used an unconventional but remarkably concise method to solve that problem.

"I don't think it was Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, sitting beside you. He's more inclined to keep a low profile. So it can only be you, Hoshida No."

Her reasoning was full of gaps. She'd jumped from his choice of journal straight to the exam problem, and still arrived at the right conclusion.

Hoshida turned a page without confirming or denying it. "Morishita Ran, Class A. Sakayanagi Arisu's classmate, but independent in her actions. Skilled at observation, unconventional in her logic, and excellent academically. You didn't come here just to read, did you?"

He succinctly listed her traits and tossed her a question in return.

Morishita seemed pleased with his response and leaned back slightly. "As I thought, you've been observing Class A too. That's right, Sakayanagi and I are in the same class, but I'm not her follower. She has her own games to enjoy, and I have my own subjects of observation."

Her gaze settled on Hoshida again. "You, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, Ichinose Honami, even Katsuragi Kohei from our class... You're all more interesting than mere class competition.

"Especially you, Hoshida No. Your behavior lacks enough emotional variables. You're highly efficient, but your goals don't point entirely toward Class Points. That's unusual."

She spoke with complete bluntness.

"You're jumping to conclusions too early," Hoshida replied calmly. "Not enough variables."

"That's why I need to observe you more." Morishita spoke as if it were obvious. "For instance, right now, your reaction to my presence is mild. You're neither curious nor excessively wary, and you're not rejecting me.

"That means you're absolutely confident in your ability to stay in control, or you don't think I'm currently enough of a disruption to make you adjust your plans. Which is more likely, Hoshida No?"

Her thoughts really did leap around. She was aggressive, yet her reasoning held together.

Just as Hoshida was about to end the conversation, which had gradually shifted toward an analysis of him, another rhythmic set of footsteps approached.

"Oh my? It seems I've found an interesting combination."

Sakayanagi Arisu walked over gracefully, leaning on her cane, with Kamuro Sumire accompanying her.

She wore a smile that suggested everything was under her control, her gaze shifting between Hoshida and Morishita.

"Hoshida-kun, and Morishita-san. What a coincidence. Are you discussing something profound?" Sakayanagi stopped a few steps away from the bench, her tone light.

Morishita glanced at Sakayanagi and nodded in greeting, her tone unchanged. "Sakayanagi. We happened to run into each other and chatted for a bit."

She showed none of the deference or devotion a subordinate or follower would display upon seeing her leader.

"A coincidence?" Sakayanagi's smile deepened as she looked at Hoshida. "You do seem to keep running into interesting people by chance, Hoshida-kun.

"First it was two lovely girls from Class B, and now it's Morishita-san, our Class A eccentric. More and more people are discovering your charm."

Hoshida closed his journal and stood up. When dealing with Sakayanagi, he preferred to take the initiative.

"Classmate Sakayanagi, if there's nothing else, I'll be going."

"Please wait, Hoshida-kun."

Sakayanagi lightly tapped the ground with her cane. "I only wanted to express my admiration once again. You're truly excellent at shogi... Did you receive special training?"

She had brought up their match during the Seven-Day War herself.

Hoshida stopped and turned sideways to face her. "No special training. Just an application of logical deduction and probability calculations."

"Just... logic and probability?" Sakayanagi repeated softly, her eyes keen. "What an astonishing application. I've spent a fair amount of time and effort on shogi, or so I thought.

"Hoshida-kun, you used nothing but logical deduction to find a weakness in one of the fields I consider myself best at."

Her tone was graceful, but she was admitting to a genuine defeat.

Morishita, standing nearby, seemed interested too. She closed her philosophical book and shifted her gaze between Sakayanagi and Hoshida.

She clearly knew about their match, and Sakayanagi's reaction confirmed its details and outcome.

"Your strategy was quite sophisticated, and very effective at leading me where you wanted," Hoshida said objectively. "..."

In just a few words, he accurately retraced the crucial turning point, and Sakayanagi's smile stiffened slightly.

The air fell silent for a few seconds.

"...I see," Sakayanagi said, slowly letting out a breath.

Morishita suddenly chuckled, breaking the silence. "So, Sakayanagi, you weren't beaten unfairly. That strategy, based on human weaknesses and psychological manipulation, didn't have a completely sound premise to begin with."

Sakayanagi glanced at Morishita, then regained her composure. "You're right, Morishita-san." She tightened her grip on her cane slightly. "I've learned a great deal from this lesson."

She looked at Hoshida again, her eyes shining. "That only makes me more certain that your staying in Class C is a waste. Class A can provide challenges and opportunities that truly match your abilities. The growth you can achieve in Class C is far too limited."

"Whether it's limited or unlimited is for me to decide." Hoshida answered firmly. "I still refuse your offer."

"Is it because of some understanding or agreement between you and Ayanokoji-kun, or between you and Chabashira-sensei, or even with someone in Class B?" Sakayanagi probed again.

Hoshida didn't answer. He only said, "The game is over, Sakayanagi."

Sakayanagi nodded. "You're right. The old contest has been decided, and a new game is about to begin." She gave a slight nod. "Then I won't disturb you and Morishita-san any longer. Goodbye."

She left with Kamuro, walking unhurriedly as she leaned on her cane.

The quiet returned to the bench, broken only by the rustling of leaves in the wind.

Morishita opened her book again, but didn't resume reading.

She lightly tapped the hardcover with one finger, then suddenly spoke. "There aren't many people who can make Sakayanagi openly admit defeat and feel excited about it. You've really brought out her competitive spirit, Hoshida No."

"So what?" Hoshida sat back down and opened his journal.

"Nothing in particular." Morishita tilted her head toward him. "It just proves that my observations were right. I'm very interested in you."

She closed her book, stood up, and brushed at dust that wasn't on her uniform.

"I got a lot out of today. You can have this place to yourself, Hoshida No. We'll... run into each other by chance again."

With that, she left, carrying the thick philosophical book. Her short purple hair glimmered faintly in the afternoon sun.

Hoshida turned his eyes back to the journal, but he couldn't focus on it either.