The Match (3)

"Cough!"

Oreki deliberately drew Kiyoko's attention.

He walked over slowly.

"Hello."

"Can I help you?"

Kiyoko looked up.

She had a thoughtful expression.

She'd probably noticed the problem with the match earlier.

"Class 3-A..."

"The Student Council secretary? Sorry, I don't know her very well, so I might not be able to answer your questions."

"Mm."

Oreki nodded and walked away.

He had it figured out.

He hadn't even said who he meant, and Kiyoko had already known he was asking about the Student Council secretary.

It was obvious.

Kiyoko had also deduced that the tennis ball belonged to Tachibana Akane.

She'd probably hit it against the metal frame by accident during training last year.

She'd likely kept quiet because she was afraid the school would blame her.

If I could team up with her... No, forget it.

The thought of an alliance had barely crossed Oreki's mind before he dismissed it.

Working with someone whose true nature was unknown was too risky.

Especially a genius.

Who knew when she might stab him in the back?

Better safe than sorry.

"What did you two talk about?"

Karuizawa Kei asked curiously.

It wasn't as if she'd never chatted with Kiyoko.

To build a good reputation among the girls, Karuizawa Kei had made a point of talking to each of them.

Kiyoko had been the most difficult.

She wasn't interested in gossip.

And she didn't seem to have any particular hobbies.

Her studies seemed unremarkable, too.

Karuizawa Kei simply couldn't find anything they had in common.

If the topic was some girl and some boy...

That would've been much easier for her.

"Nothing. I was just testing her."

"Testing her?"

"Mm..."

Oreki replied casually.

Now that he'd gauged her abilities, there was no time to hesitate.

He could either prepare for her to scheme against him...

Or act directly.

But Class A still wasn't stable enough.

At least two factions were fighting each other.

If he tried to deal with the other classes before uniting Class A, his enemies could easily take advantage of the opening.

The most common tactic was to undermine them from within.

"Are you free this afternoon?"

Karuizawa Kei asked suddenly.

She looked worried.

"Until five."

"Then... could you come to a café with me?"

"What for this time?"

"I just want to meet up with my close friends..."

"To stake your claim?"

"Not quite that dramatic."

Karuizawa Kei hurriedly shook her head.

She'd thought about being the queen bee among the girls.

But it had only been a passing thought.

With her personality, Karuizawa Kei would soon give herself away.

Still...

Having a boyfriend in Class A really did bring her a lot of prestige.

At the very least, it kept her from being pushed to the margins.

"Please~ Please~"

Karuizawa Kei linked her arm through Oreki's right arm.

She was far too practiced at this.

"Fine... Let's go."

Oreki eventually agreed.

Sakayanagi already knew, after all.

There was no point hiding it. He might as well use the opportunity to strengthen his relationship with Karuizawa Kei for their mutual benefit.

As for everyone else...

Oreki didn't take them seriously.

At most, they'd assume the two of them were dating.

It wasn't as though they could see through the truth, was it?

Forget it.

Only Sakayanagi could do something like that.

"That's great!"

Karuizawa Kei said happily.

She looked thrilled.

How long can this fake relationship last?

Oreki couldn't help wondering.

Maybe it could become real...

No, forget it.

Instead of dwelling on something unrealistic, he was better off being practical.

Before he knew it...

"We're here."

Karuizawa Kei pointed to the café ahead.

It had become quite popular recently.

More precisely, it was the large groups of girls who had made it popular.

Whenever they had free time, they came here.

They chatted over drinks.

Their conversations covered all sorts of things.

But most of it was gossip.

"Kei!"

Upstairs.

A short, blonde girl waved at them.

She was overly energetic.

Was she putting it on, or was she naturally like that?

"Who's she?"

"She's Kikyo from our class. Come on, I'll introduce you."

"I'd rather not—"

Oreki had been about to refuse, but he stopped himself.

Since he'd agreed to go with Karuizawa Kei, he might as well meet her.

Karuizawa Kei quickly pulled him upstairs.

There were a lot of girls here.

With Oreki as the only boy, he stood out like a sore thumb.

"Hm? Are you the person who's been on our Kei's mind day and night?"

Kushida Kikyo said, resting her index finger against her chin.

She seemed curious.

Curious about what kind of person Oreki was.

"It's not like that..."

Karuizawa Kei lowered her head and went to stand beside Kushida Kikyo.

She seemed a little embarrassed.

"..."

Oreki had no intention of explaining.

She could misunderstand if she wanted. That was what Karuizawa Kei wanted anyway.

"Where are the other two?"

"They had something come up, so they can't make it."

"I see..."

Karuizawa Kei seemed disappointed.

Apparently, she didn't have enough influence yet.

But it was fine.

Having Kushida Kikyo there was enough.

She was bound to spread the word about what happened today.

Before long, most of the girls would know.

Meanwhile...

Oreki had expected to spend the time bored out of his mind.

But then Kushida Kikyo suddenly said...

"Since you're in Class A, Oreki, you must know Sakayanagi Arisu, right?"

To be continued.