Four Women in One Room

On a weekend afternoon, Hoshida No's dormitory room welcomed visitors for a rare occasion.

The first to knock was Karuizawa Kei. She held an exquisite paper bag, her face wearing a deliberately relaxed expression.

"Brother No, are you in? I passed by the shopping district and saw they had a new limited-edition pudding, so I bought two... I thought I'd bring you one."

After the door opened, she held up the paper bag, her voice slightly faster than usual, betraying a hint of nervousness.

Although the two had known each other for three years, coming to the boys' dormitory specifically to find him required a great deal of courage on her part.

Hoshida No stepped aside to let her in. The room was as tidy as ever, containing almost no personal items aside from the necessary furniture and a large collection of books and reference materials.

"Thanks." He took the paper bag, placed it on the desk, and spoke in a calm tone.

Karuizawa Kei looked around the room, her fingers unconsciously twirling a strand of her hair: "Brother No's room is still so... neat. Oh, right, Class B and Class C are having a joint study session next weekend. Honami asked me to see if you'd like to join? Hirata and Kikyo seem to be in favor of it too."

She sat down naturally on the small sofa Hoshida No gestured toward, trying hard to find a topic of conversation.

Just then, a knock sounded at the door again.

Hoshida No opened the door to find Ichinose Honami standing outside.

Seeing Karuizawa Kei inside, she didn't seem surprised and offered a gentle smile: "Kei, you're here after all. Brother No, sorry to disturb you. I've compiled some questions regarding the extended application of the mathematical model you mentioned last time, and I was hoping to ask for your guidance. Is now a convenient time?"

She held a notebook in her hand, her reason perfectly proper and polite.

"Come in." Hoshida No stepped aside to make room.

Ichinose Honami nodded at Karuizawa Kei, then sat down naturally in the chair by the desk and opened her notebook.

Her gaze swept over the pudding bag Hoshida No had left on the table, her eyes flickering slightly, but she said nothing.

Karuizawa Kei sat up a bit straighter, watching Ichinose Honami and Hoshida No begin to discuss tedious mathematical symbols. Feeling a small sense of loss, she listened quietly, occasionally glancing at Hoshida No's focused profile.

Halfway through the discussion, a third knock sounded.

This time, it was Kushida Kikyo at the door. She wore a brilliant smile and held a bound stack of documents.

"Hoshida-kun! Sorry to bother you! Oh? Kei and Honami are here too?"

She seemed slightly surprised to find so many people in the room, but she immediately regained her smile.

"That's perfect, I was just looking for you all. This is the preliminary schedule and a summary of key topics for next week's study session. Hirata-kun asked me to bring it to you to see if there's anything that needs adjusting."

She walked in and stood naturally on the other side of the desk, handing the documents to Hoshida No. Her movements were fluid, yet her gaze swept quickly over everyone in the room; when she saw Karuizawa Kei and Ichinose Honami, a hint of darkness flashed in the depths of her eyes.

The small dormitory felt somewhat cramped with the addition of a third person, and the atmosphere became subtly complicated.

The three girls each had their own thoughts, yet all maintained a facade of natural composure.

Hoshida No took the documents and scanned them quickly, failing to notice the strange atmosphere in the room.

He pointed to one section: "The difficulty gradient for this set of mock exam questions is flawed. The knowledge gap between the third and fifth questions is too wide; we need to add a bridge in between."

"Oh, you're right! Hoshida-kun is amazing, you spotted that at a glance." Kushida Kikyo clasped her hands together, looking grateful. "I'll note that down and fix it right away!"

Just then, an accident occurred. In order to get a better look at the spot Hoshida No was pointing to, Kushida Kikyo leaned forward, and her elbow accidentally knocked into a water glass on the corner of the desk.

"Ah!" The glass tipped over, and the remaining half-cup of water spilled out, splashing mostly onto Hoshida No and Ichinose Honami, who were closest to the desk.

Hoshida No reacted with lightning speed, rising and stepping back the moment the water spilled, though his arm and the hem of his shirt were still splashed.

Ichinose Honami was a beat slower, and both her notebook and cuffs were caught in the spill.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I was so careless!" Kushida Kikyo apologized repeatedly, scrambling to find something to wipe it up, a flash of satisfaction crossing her eyes.

Karuizawa Kei also stood up immediately: "Tissues! I'll go get tissues!" She rushed toward the bathroom Hoshida No had pointed out earlier.

Ichinose Honami looked at her damp notebook and sleeve, sighing softly, but her face still held a forgiving smile: "It's alright, Kikyo, it's just a little water. I can just wipe off the notebook."

Hoshida No didn't look at his own wet clothes; instead, he took a few tissues from Karuizawa Kei and handed them to Ichinose Honami: "Take care of the notebook first, the important parts might be blurred."

Only then did he look at Kushida Kikyo, who was still apologizing profusely, his tone flat: "It was just an accident, don't worry about it."

His calmness only caused Kushida Kikyo's apology to catch in her throat.

She looked at the hem of his shirt, which clung to the contours of his body after being soaked, and his expressionless face, and that strange feeling rose within her once more.

Just as Karuizawa Kei was helping to wipe things down, Kushida Kikyo was cleaning up the glass, and Ichinose Honami was carefully tending to her notebook, a fourth knock sounded at the door—this one with a distinct rhythm.

Hoshida No opened the door to find Horikita Suzune standing there.

Seeing the lively scene inside, her brow furrowed visibly.

"It seems I've come at a bad time." Her tone was direct. "Hoshida No, I have a few ideas regarding our strategy for the next exam that I need to discuss with you. However, if you're busy right now..."

Her gaze swept over the three girls in the room, each with their own distinct expression, and her brow furrowed even tighter when she saw Kushida Kikyo.

She felt a clear repulsion toward Kushida, always sensing that the girl's personality was a facade.

"Come in." Hoshida No didn't see any issue with having four girls in his room at once. "We're just about finished here."

Horikita Suzune hesitated for a moment before walking in. She chose to stand near the door, keeping her distance from the other three with a strictly professional air.

The small dormitory felt exceptionally crowded now.

Karuizawa Kei stood there looking somewhat flustered, Ichinose Honami was tidying up her things with a gentle smile, Kushida Kikyo had put her smile back on but her eyes were flickering, and Horikita Suzune looked stern.

Hoshida No was the only person in the room who remained completely at ease.

He waited for Ichinose Honami to finish organizing her notebook before saying to Horikita Suzune, "Regarding the strategy, the focus lies in identifying the exam type and initial resource allocation. My preliminary assessment is that it will likely be a team collaboration or survival competition."

He cut straight to the point, as if the earlier accident and the subtle atmosphere had never existed.

Horikita Suzune's attention was immediately captured: "The basis?"

"Based on the analysis of past exam patterns, the school tends to cycle between fostering class cohesion and exposing internal flaws. The last one was a war, so this one is more likely to lean toward collaboration or survival in adversity."

Hoshida No walked over to the White Board, one of the few special fixtures in the dormitory, and picked up a marker to start writing and drawing.

"If it's team collaboration, the key lies in role positioning and building trust; if it's a survival competition, then we need material management and contingency plans for crises..."

He expounded calmly, his gaze sweeping across the four people in the room one by one.

Karuizawa Kei listened with a look of partial understanding but tried hard to focus, while Ichinose Honami nodded thoughtfully, occasionally posing a question or two.

Kushida Kikyo's smile remained unchanged, but her eyes followed the movements of Hoshida No's marker, her brain working at high speed.

Horikita Suzune was fully engrossed, occasionally interjecting with intense follow-up questions.

When the discussion came to a temporary pause, the sky had already turned to dusk.

"I understand. I will refine my part further."

Horikita Suzune was the first to take her leave. Before departing, she glanced at the other three, seemingly wanting to say something, but ultimately just nodded at Hoshida No.

"I should head back too. I still need to revise the study session schedule."

Kushida Kikyo smiled as she gathered her materials, then waved at Karuizawa Kei and Ichinose Honami, "Kei, Honami, see you next time!"

Only Hoshida No, Karuizawa Kei, and Ichinose Honami remained in the room.

"Brother No, your shirt is wet. You should change, or you might catch a cold," Karuizawa Kei whispered with concern.

"Mn." Hoshida No responded, though he didn't move immediately.

Ichinose Honami also said gently, "Sorry for the intrusion today, Brother No. The discussion was very productive. Also, thank you for the tissues." She pointed to her sleeve, which was now mostly dry.

"You're welcome."

Karuizawa Kei looked at Ichinose Honami, then at Hoshida No, and gathered her courage to ask, "Brother No, for dinner... shall we go to the cafeteria together?"

Ichinose Honami smiled and added, "I can join as well. There are some class matters I'd like to ask for Kei's opinion on anyway."

Hoshida No checked the time, then looked at their expectant gazes, and nodded: "Sure."

Upon hearing this simple answer, both of their eyes brightened in unison.

As they left the dormitory, Karuizawa Kei instinctively glanced back at the pudding that had remained untouched.

Ichinose Honami, meanwhile, gently smoothed out the last remaining wrinkle on her sleeve.