An Inharmonious Encounter

"Why don't you two ask for the person involved's opinion first?" Kato Satsu suddenly spoke up, interrupting the two.

Suzune was slightly taken aback. Hearing this, it seemed Kato Satsu was unwilling to cooperate with her, so she asked with rare patience.

"I don't understand what you mean. Are you refusing me?"

"Of course. I just promised Kikyo that I would help out at the study group, and I have my own things to do. I really don't have time to cooperate with you."

"Not with us, but to cooperate with Horikita."

Suzune automatically filtered out Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's remark, crossed her arms, and said, "That doesn't conflict. We aren't asking to take up all your time."

"Then I still don't want to."

"How about we sit down and talk about this slowly? I know a very nice cafe," Ayanokoji Kiyotaka suggested.

"Don't tell me you're willing to stay in Class D forever? You know it too, right? Only Class A guarantees a 100% placement rate for employment and higher education."

"Of course I'm not willing. I will find my own way to reach Class A."

Seeing that his words were completely ignored by the two, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka simply stopped talking and stood quietly to the side, waiting for them to argue out a result.

However, with a mere glance from the corner of his eye, he saw Hasebe standing at the corner of the hallway and walked toward her.

Seeing that she had been discovered, Hasebe didn't show any signs of guilt, but instead greeted Ayanokoji Kiyotaka generously.

Since Kato Satsu is unwilling, I'll try to see if I can get Hasebe to take his place.

With this thought in mind, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka asked, "Are you waiting for someone, Hasebe?"

"Yeah. Hirata finished saying what he needed to say, and just as I stepped out, I saw Kato Satsu talking to you two, so I thought I'd wait for him."

"Were you talking about something important?"

Seeing Hasebe take the initiative to bring up the topic, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka felt a surge of joy.

A good start. This way, I don't have to go through the trouble of steering the conversation.

Next, I just need to bring Hasebe over.

"Hasebe, you..."

"What are you guys chatting about?"

Kato Satsu's voice suddenly rang out right beside his ear, giving Ayanokoji Kiyotaka a huge fright.

How am I like a human trafficker, dragging one person here and another there? (Kato Satsu)

After a brief moment of panic, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka quickly regained his composure and said, "You guys are done talking?"

How is it so fast? Are you a 'one-second man'? (Ayanokoji Kiyotaka)

You're the one-second man! Your whole family are one-second men! (Kato Satsu)

Although his heart was churning, Kato Satsu remained calm on the surface: "Yeah, once Horikita knew my thoughts, she just turned and left."

"That makes sense. Horikita isn't the type to insist on arguing with people." Ayanokoji Kiyotaka wasn't surprised by this result, showing a composure that suggested he had expected it all along.

"So, you guys couldn't reach a consensus?" Hasebe asked curiously.

"No, but I don't think Horikita has any intention of giving up."

"It's the same on my end. Horikita doesn't seem to care about our thoughts at all," Ayanokoji Kiyotaka chimed in.

"What exactly are you guys discussing with Horikita?"

"It's about..."

"Ah!"

A scream filled with terror suddenly rang out, interrupting Ayanokoji Kiyotaka once again. He closed his eyes slightly, feeling speechless.

Why does someone always cause trouble every time I'm about to say it? Is it really that hard to find someone to replace me in joining Horikita? (Ayanokoji Kiyotaka)

The three of them looked toward the direction of the sound in unison, only to see a girl with long pink hair looking at them with a face full of terror.

She stood frozen in place, her lips trembling uncontrollably, and the sound of her rapid breathing was clearly audible.

Kato Satsu and the others stood with their backs to the setting sun, their faces cast in deep shadows, making their features indistinguishable; only their silhouettes looked as cold and hard as stone carvings.

The three of them stared at the girl in front of them without moving, and no one spoke first.

It's that girl who was in the office earlier. I think her name is... Ichinose? (Ayanokoji Kiyotaka)