However, Horikita Suzune suddenly fell silent, as if she had lost the ability to speak. Her lips were pressed tightly together, and her eyes wandered uneasily, as though she were thinking about something important.
The three of them walked on in an eerie silence, none of them breaking it. Their footsteps echoed through the empty hallway, unusually clear.
At last, they returned to the classroom. Their classmates were chatting noisily, discussing all sorts of things.
The three of them went to the back of the classroom.
Watanabe Hayabara leaned back in his chair, its metal legs scraping against the floor with a harsh screech. Propping his chin on one hand, he fixed the two people by the window with his amber eyes, like a predator locking onto its prey. "You heard all that, didn't you, Horikita Suzune?" His deliberately drawn-out final syllable concealed a subtle note of probing.
Standing by the window, Horikita Suzune's long black hair fell over half her face. "So, Ayanokoji, was your score really just a coincidence? And Watanabe, just how capable are you?" Horikita Suzune turned to face them.
"Let Ayanokoji explain it to you," Watanabe Hayabara said with a faint smile.
Horikita's brow twitched almost imperceptibly. She watched Ayanokoji casually twirl his pen, its metal tip tracing tiny glimmers in the fading light.
"Uh... Horikita," Ayanokoji's voice seemed to drift from far away. "I had no reason to control my score. It was a coincidence." He suddenly looked up, his gaze behind his glasses sweeping over Watanabe. "As for Watanabe, the school rated him with a question mark, but the fact that he was assigned to Class D should tell you enough."
Watanabe Hayabara slowly straightened, the taut outline of his muscles faintly visible beneath his uniform. "So, what are you planning to do next, Horikita Suzune?"
"I'll first find out what the school really means and why I was assigned to Class D. If it turns out the school really judged me to be a D, just as Chabashira-sensei said... then I'll set my sights on Class A. No, I'll absolutely make it to Class A." Determination filled Horikita Suzune's words.
Watanabe Hayabara turned slightly and leaned against the window, a faint smile playing on his lips. A low, restrained chuckle seemed to rise from deep in his throat, one only he and Ayanokoji could hear.
His eyes were hidden behind his glasses, but that couldn't conceal the excitement gleaming in them, as if he had just discovered something incredibly interesting.
Ayanokoji slowly shifted his gaze to Watanabe Hayabara. Their eyes met, but in the end, he said nothing, simply watching him in silence.
"Peaceful lives always get disrupted, Ayanokoji." Watanabe Hayabara spoke suddenly, his voice calm and firm. "Rather than wait passively, you might as well actively experience all the changes life has to offer."
With that, Watanabe Hayabara straightened up, left the window, and headed out of the classroom.
Inside a café.
"Long time no see, Kamuro."
"Watanabe, I've got the urge to steal again! (ﾉ´д｀)" Kamuro Masumi complained to Watanabe Hayabara, as if it were a very serious problem.
Watanabe Hayabara's lips curled into a teasing smile. "Kamuro, if you want to steal something, don't come reporting it to me."
Kamuro Masumi's eyes widened in disbelief. "(╬￣皿￣) Didn't you say I should come to you whenever I got the urge to steal?!" Her voice rose by several pitches, tinged with anger and grievance.
Watanabe Hayabara explained unhurriedly, "That was on the condition that you were my little kitten." His tone was casual, as though it were nothing much.
Kamuro Masumi's expression darkened further. She shouted indignantly, "I don't care! You have to take responsibility! (一︿一+)"
Watanabe Hayabara raised an eyebrow at her reaction. "Then say, 'Kamuro Masumi will always be Watanabe Hayabara's little kitten.'"
Kamuro Masumi's face instantly flushed bright red, like a ripe apple. She bit her lip hard, her inner struggle growing fiercer.
"No way. o(´^｀)o" In the end, she firmly rejected his demand. Her voice was quiet, but resolute.
Watanabe Hayabara seemed to have expected that. "Then give back the 200,000 points."
Kamuro Masumi nearly choked with anger. "Who gives someone a gift and then asks them to give it back?! (′д｀σ)σ" Her voice trembled; she was clearly furious.
Watanabe Hayabara remained unmoved. "Then say it."
Kamuro Masumi cursed Watanabe Hayabara inwardly. How could he be so awful?! She felt as though her cheeks might burst from anger. On the other end of the phone, her face was red too, as if scorched by some nameless fire. It felt like countless ants were crawling all over her, leaving her terribly uncomfortable.
Just as Kamuro Masumi was struggling fiercely inside, uncertain what to do, Watanabe Hayabara casually added, "Or you could ask Hashimoto Masayoshi to help you solve this problem."
"Don't mention that creep to me!" Kamuro Masumi blurted out, her disgust for Hashimoto Masayoshi plain as day.
"Haha, he does have a thing for you." Watanabe Hayabara seemed amused by Kamuro Masumi's reaction and teased her deliberately.
"Just looking at someone like him makes me sick!" Kamuro Masumi's tone grew even more heated. She clearly had no affection for Hashimoto Masayoshi.
"Oh? Is that so? What about me, Kamuro?" Watanabe Hayabara's lips lifted in a faint smile. His gaze rested squarely on Kamuro Masumi, as if he wanted to see through her eyes and uncover what she truly felt.
Kamuro Masumi clearly hadn't expected Watanabe Hayabara to suddenly turn the question on himself. Her face flushed bright red, like a ripe apple. She looked at him helplessly, lips parting, but couldn't get a single complete word out.
"Well..." Kamuro Masumi's voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz. Her gaze wandered, unable to meet Watanabe Hayabara's eyes for fear he would see through her.
Seeing Kamuro Masumi so flustered, Watanabe Hayabara couldn't help finding it amusing. He gently shook his head, his smile growing more pronounced, then said, "All right, I'll stop teasing you. The easiest way to deal with the urge to steal is to keep yourself busy."
Hearing that, Kamuro Masumi looked as though a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Her expression gradually returned to normal, though she was still a little confused. "Keep myself busy? What counts as keeping busy?"
Watanabe Hayabara paused briefly, as if rapidly considering something, then lifted the corners of his mouth in a faint smile. "Well... you could try doing something that takes a lot of effort, like cultivating a hobby, working hard to surpass someone else, or falling in love." His tone was casual, as if these things were all incredibly easy for him.
Hearing that, Kamuro Masumi said hesitantly, "Well... I might not be able to stick with a hobby or keep trying to surpass someone." Her voice betrayed a hint of insecurity.
Watanabe Hayabara's smile grew more pronounced. He teased her, "Oh? Then can I take that to mean Kamuro Masumi has chosen the romance option?"
Kamuro Masumi's face turned red in an instant. She hurriedly waved her hands. "No, Watanabe, don't get the wrong idea."
But Watanabe Hayabara didn't seem inclined to let it go. Still smiling, he continued, "Is that so? But a little kitten can hardly hide her behavior from her owner. How about I play your boyfriend and keep you on track?"
"Um... okay... all right." Kamuro Masumi's cheeks were an astonishing shade of red.
What an honest little kitten.
"Masumi."
"Mm? What is it, Watanabe?"
"We're lovers now, so watch how you address me, Masumi."
"What is it, Hayabara?" Kamuro Masumi lowered her head.
"Let me have a sip of your coffee."
"Sure." Kamuro Masumi handed him the latte in front of her.
Watanabe Hayabara took the coffee and sipped it, then gently ruffled Kamuro Masumi's hair. "Masumi is my favorite little kitten."
"Y-your favorite?" Kamuro Masumi murmured so softly only she could hear.
"Does Hayabara want to find other kittens? I won't just be Hayabara's favorite—I'll be the only one!"
Before you continue