"Hirata, can I ask what the point of that question was? It's not like you and Karuizawa had a falling-out and came to me to vent, is it? If so, I'm afraid I can't help. I'm still single myself."
Hirata gave a wry smile at Chiba Yu's question, then replied helplessly, "Would you believe me if I said I was just curious about what you think of Karuizawa?"
A long silence followed.
Chiba Yu slowly breathed out, and the answer came to him.
"To be honest, I think Karuizawa's behavior is a little strange.
"When you're around, she becomes unusually assertive. But when you're not there, or when she's on her own, she turns quiet and withdrawn. Sometimes she even uses that assertiveness to shut out conversations with other people, especially those she doesn't know."
Drawing on his memories of Karuizawa's past life from his previous existence, Chiba Yu began to describe the Karuizawa Kei he knew.
"As the saying goes, she's putting on an act. To put it less kindly, she's relying on you."
His words were followed by a long silence. The air seemed to sense the mood and grew heavy.
"Phew." Hirata took a deep breath and looked at Chiba Yu again. His face was full of helplessness, though there seemed to be a hint of relief in his expression as well.
"I knew Chiba-kun was different from everyone else."
"Since we've come this far, I suppose you've already figured it out too, haven't you?"
Hirata didn't finish explaining, but Chiba Yu understood what he meant. He nodded slightly. "More or less."
The next moment, Hirata smiled wryly and slowly revealed everything.
That included how, after the school year began, Karuizawa Kei had approached him and told him about the bullying she'd suffered in middle school. She'd asked him to pretend to be her boyfriend so she could build up her reputation in class, find hope in life again, and have someone protect her.
It was a deal between Hirata and Karuizawa Kei, as well as a request for help—a bargain meant to help Karuizawa escape the shadows of her past.
"But..." Hirata continued, "I know that if things go on like this, something will go wrong sooner or later. I know I can't handle this perfectly. I can only help her as much as I'm able, but I can't save her at the root of the problem."
"Mm, I think I understand." Chiba Yu had a general idea of what had happened, but he still didn't understand something. "So, Hirata, did you tell me all this simply because you trust me and wanted to talk about it?"
Hirata fell silent for a long while. At last, he slowly turned his head, a faint smile lifting the corners of his mouth as he looked at Chiba Yu with resolve in his eyes.
"If I was only half-convinced before, now I'm even more certain."
"Certain of what?" Hirata had stopped halfway through, leaving Chiba Yu no choice but to ask again.
Strangely, Hirata only smiled at him. "It's nothing. Anyway, it's getting late. I should be heading back."
"Why do you have to stop halfway through your sentences?" Chiba Yu sighed, feeling that Hirata was being a little unfair.
He'd told Hirata all that, and in return, Hirata had stopped halfway through his explanation. Didn't he know that was frustrating?
But since Hirata didn't want to say more, Chiba Yu didn't press him. If Hirata wanted to tell him, he would. For now, he'd better focus on finding a vending machine.
"I'll head back first, then. Chiba-kun, go back early once you've bought what you need." Hirata gave a faint smile, walked over and patted Chiba Yu on the shoulder, then headed toward the dorms as Chiba Yu watched him go, leaving Chiba Yu standing alone in the wind.
"Vending machine... vending machine..."
Having cast aside all other thoughts, Chiba Yu wanted only to buy what he needed and get back to the dorm as quickly as possible. At the very least, he hoped he wouldn't run into any more pointless trouble.
At last, after searching for a while, Chiba Yu found the vending machine he'd been longing for. He was about to head over, full of anticipation, when he spotted the one man he least wanted to see right now, standing squarely in front of it.
But there was nothing he could do. For the sake of his drink, Chiba Yu gave in.
He walked over with a helpless expression, but the closer he got, the stranger things seemed.
"Hmm? Ayanokoji..."
There was no other reason: Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was behaving oddly. He watched his surroundings with great caution, yet kept his eyes fixed on one particular direction.
Following his gaze, Chiba Yu saw what looked like two figures in the dark alley he was watching.
Chiba Yu cautiously made his way over and took a closer look. One of them was someone he knew well—his desk mate, Horikita Suzune. As for the other, Chiba Yu searched his memory for the man's face until he finally remembered.
The student council president at this school, Horikita Manabu—and, most likely, Horikita Suzune's older brother.
After all, they had the same surname and looked somewhat alike. How could he fail to recognize the connection?
So that was it: the classic scene of an older brother lecturing his disappointing younger sister.
While Chiba Yu was thinking this over, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, who had been keeping watch over his surroundings all along, noticed Chiba Yu approaching. Chiba Yu had tried to mask his footsteps, but someone of Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's caliber could still hear him easily.
"You..."
"Shh!" Just as Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was about to say something, Chiba Yu pressed a finger to his lips, signaling for him to stay quiet. But Horikita Manabu's keen hearing still picked up the sound from their direction.
"Who's there?"
In an instant, Horikita Manabu released his grip on Horikita Suzune and turned to watch them warily. The two of them had hidden themselves as quickly as they could, but they both knew Horikita Manabu had already spotted them. There was no point in continuing to hide.
So Chiba Yu and Ayanokoji exchanged a glance, then slowly stepped out of the shadows.
The moment she saw them, Horikita Suzune's eyes widened, her voice trembling slightly.
"Ayanokoji? And... you're here too?"
Hearing the surprise in his younger sister's voice, Horikita Manabu immediately understood that the two people in front of him were probably her classmates.
But the two of them didn't seem afraid of his position as student council president at all. Their expressions remained calm.
The next moment, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, standing beside Chiba Yu, glanced at Chiba Yu first. After confirming something, he slowly spoke. "I mean, you really were about to hit him just now, weren't you?"