Kei Karuizawa did not answer Kushida right away. She first glanced at the two girls behind her. They had already heard "Little Invisible."
They had also seen the color drain from her face.
"You two go find seats first," Karuizawa said.
One of the girls did not move.
"What does that name mean?"
"It doesn't mean anything."
Karuizawa answered too quickly. Kushida raised a hand, stopping her from continuing the explanation.
"It's just what someone who knew her before used to call her."
"Did you go to the same school before?"
"No," Karuizawa said. "She misheard."
After those words fell, Karuizawa was the first to pause. She did not explain who had misheard what. Kushida did not press further.
She shifted the subject to the restaurant seating.
"Then shall we talk inside?"
"No." Karuizawa refused. "This is enough."
She tucked her phone into her palm, faster than before. Gu Heng stood beside the vending machine without approaching.
He saw Kushida's gaze fall on Karuizawa's hand. He also saw Karuizawa turn the back of her terminal toward herself.
Both of them were checking whether the other would keep raising the stakes. Kushida did not immediately ask about the old nickname. She pulled up a restaurant seating chart on a public page.
"You asked about Rabbit Group's second round just now because someone mentioned the class first?"
Karuizawa's gaze paused on the screen.
"I just heard someone say it."
"Who?"
"I don't know."
"Then why did you ask three times?"
Karuizawa looked up.
"Wouldn't you ask three times too?"
Kushida's smile did not change. But the two girls behind her began exchanging looks. They finally realized this was not ordinary small talk.
Someone stopped at the restaurant entrance. It was Hayakawa Takuya from Class A. He did not walk toward Kushida. He