Gray Life (8)

"Hold the umbrella for me for half a day."

"Just that?"

"Mm, just that."

"...I don't believe you."

Oreki shook his head.

The risks were not equal.

What he wanted was...

Moreover, Sakayanagi herself had nodded in agreement.

So, saying something like helping to hold an umbrella for half a day.

It definitely wasn't as simple as it looked on the surface.

"It's true, you know."

Sakayanagi took out a schedule book.

Written on it was...

"March 30th, play the Emperor to participate in the Hina Festival...?"

(Similar to an ancient imperial procession)

"Mm."

"Why are you so calm?"

"What is there to be surprised about?"

"Emperors are usually..."

"Haven't there been female emperors in history?"

"Uh, that's true, but..."

"Do you have any other questions?"

"No..."

It was indeed as Sakayanagi said.

Although rare, there had indeed been female emperors.

"What a hassle... and there's still the lunar Doll Festival to get through."

Oreki lay lazily on the sofa.

It was a coincidence this year.

The lunar Doll Festival and the Cherry Blossom Festival fell on the same day.

Presumably, on the day of the Hina Festival, one would be able to see cherry blossoms dancing all over the sky.

"Who is playing the Empress?"

"Do you want to know?"

"...Not really."

"Then I won't tell you."

"...Is it the daughter of the Shiina family?"

"Oh? You actually know quite a lot about these things."

"Just a random guess."

"And you happened to guess another girl?"

"No. Isn't the Shiina family the closest to the Sakayanagi family?"

"That is true."

Oreki recalled the events before the start of school.

His older sister had warned him that although this (Japanese) school had a high advancement rate.

But...

That was because it monopolized the top students.

Every year, many geniuses came to this school.

However, it still wasn't enough to fill a grade.

So, some students with poor grades could also get in.

To be precise...

They were bought in.

Their families were wealthy, so they didn't really care.

And they were only here to coast toward a diploma.

But ordinary parents didn't know that.

They assumed that once their children entered this school, everything would be smooth sailing.

They sat back and waited for their children to get ahead, to lead them into a higher social class.

The fantasy was beautiful, but reality was cruel.

It was time to wake up from the dream.

They didn't even have the capital to throw money at the problem.

Let alone afford to send their children to this school.

Even so, that didn't stop them from continuing to pressure their children.

Having no money wasn't the problem.

Stupidity was.

"Alright, back to the topic."

Sakayanagi tapped the table.

She had already shuffled the cards and laid them out.

"..."

Oreki sat up, looking reluctant.

He picked one up at random.

It was the King of Hearts.

The second round was the Ace of Spades.

Next was...

Uh, did he even have a role in this?

"?"

Watching Sakayanagi play card after card.

Oreki couldn't believe his eyes.

What was going on?

Could she have memorized the position of every single card?

How was that possible?

No matter how much of a genius someone was, they couldn't do something like that.

Memorizing the positions of dozens of cards in just a few seconds...

Was it a case of "if it's not broken, don't fix it"?

Don't joke around.

She must have pulled a trick.

--But... where?

Oreki frowned.

He observed Sakayanagi's movements.

Every time she chose a card, it seemed fast, but in reality, she still took a moment to think.

If she had memorized them all, she wouldn't need to think at all.

Because you either know, or you don't.

No amount of thinking would produce the answer.

Unless...

--She had tampered with the cards.

Oreki suddenly saw the light.

He focused his attention on the cards.

Even though there were only a few left.

"Stop!"

"Hm?"

"Cheating at this game, that's on you."

"Is that so?"

"Then how do you explain this?"

Oreki held up the cards in his hand.

Then, he flipped them over.

The back of the cards featured a design resembling a clock.

At first, Oreki thought nothing of it.

But upon closer inspection...

The position of the hour hand on the back of each card was different.

A normal clock only has twelve points.

Yet, these had more than twelve.

Very well.

If the hour hand pointed to one, it represented "A".

If it pointed to two, it represented "2".

And so on...

"You've lost."

Oreki put the cards down.

In a game like this, being caught meant an immediate loss.

"Hmm..."

Sakayanagi admitted it quite readily.

There was no helping it once she had been found out.

She had used this trick to defeat her father many times; she hadn't expected Oreki to discover it so quickly.

It could only be considered a minor oversight.

But it didn't matter.

Regardless of the outcome, Sakayanagi had countermeasures in place.

"Would you like to ___?"

"!"

Oreki even doubted he had heard correctly.

What did Sakayanagi just say?

Touch ___.

He had to admit, it was certainly tempting.

But...

What was the difference between a flat chest and a ___ washboard?

Better to wait until she finished developing.

"Let's put a pin in that for now."

"Hmm?"

"Wait a little longer..."

"I don't understand what you're trying to say."

"Uh... do I really have to spell it out for you?"

"No need."

Sakayanagi already understood what Oreki meant.

How lewd, indeed.

But that was fine; it proved she still held a certain attraction for Oreki.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have made such a decision.

"It's getting late, let's go to sleep."

Oreki yawned.

He was reaching his limit.

"Where are you going?"

"To find any room, of course. There are plenty of empty rooms here, aren't there?"

"That is true. But..."

"But what?"

"You're sleeping in my room tonight."

"!!!"

Oreki retreated again and again.

What did that sentence just mean?

Sleep in Sakayanagi's room?

That doesn't seem right.

Wait...

Could it be that she lost on purpose?

But that look of frustration didn't seem faked...

Am I the prey?

Forget it, prey is prey.

He, Oreki, wanted to see what this was all about.

It's not like he'd get turned the tables on, right?

"What are you thinking about? My room has two beds, you know."

"...You could've said that sooner."

"Hehe."

"Hehe..."

Oreki listlessly opened the Space Gate.

This was his first time in a girl's room.

His older sister's didn't count.

It was messy and completely lacked any girlish charm.

Though she hadn't been a girl for a long time now.

Soon, Sakayanagi changed into a nightgown.

After all the lights were turned off.

Oreki lay on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

He couldn't sleep.

He had been so sleepy just a moment ago.

He glanced to the left unintentionally.

He saw...

The night breeze parted the sheer curtains.

Moonlight hanging on the window lattice spilled across the pine floorboards, then crawled up the white dress draped over the edge of the bed.

Several fine pleats flowed along the curve of Sakayanagi's curled waist.

Her collarbones held half a cup of moonlight.

The cicada-wing gauze strap slid toward the edge of her shoulder blade.

Beautiful.

Oreki didn't know what word to use to describe it.

Perhaps using words to describe it was a desecration of beauty itself.

"Still not asleep?"

"...No."

"Hey..."

"What is it?"

"Do you like rose-colored, Oreki-kun?"

"I don't."

"Why?"

"Because when people talk about school life, they talk about rose-colored, and when they talk about rose-colored, they talk about school life."

"Eh..."

"That way of putting it is taken for granted. After all, school life is always considered to be rose-colored."

"Is that so?"

"Even so, I don't think all students are looking forward to this rose-colored life. For instance, aren't there people who have no interest in academics, sports, romance, and so on? In other words, students who prefer a gray life."

"How foolish..."

--To be continue