The Cat and the Dog

"What's with you today? You're being so well-behaved, it's not like you at all."

Ryuuen freed his hand from Kikyo's mouth, the string of saliva breaking after less than five centimeters.

Kikyo also realized something was off with her, a blush flashing across her face. "I'm leaving now."

Wiping the saliva from his hand with Hiyori's handkerchief, Ryuuen couldn't help but marvel at how effective Ayanokoji's kick was, drawing blood from him. Ayanokoji must have tampered with his shoes; otherwise, an ordinary shoe wouldn't be able to scratch Ryuuen's hand.

No, that's not the right line of thought. The issue isn't even with the shoe. Ryuuen instinctively assumed the wound on his hand was from Ayanokoji's kick, but that would be difficult to do since there's nothing sharp on a shoe.

This wound was definitely left by Ayanokoji, there's no doubt about that. Yet, Ryuuen had no idea when Ayanokoji managed to inflict it. He's still hiding his true strength. Ryuuen's face darkened. "To still be able to hide your strength in this situation, it's truly you, Ayanokoji. You're like a rabbit and a mouse all at once."

Ayanokoji leaving this wound was, in a sense, a warning to Ryuuen not to provoke him. However, Ryuuen looked at the injury on his hand and smiled. "He's wary of me."

There was no point in dwelling on the matter of the punch. Ryuuen stopped thinking about it and walked out of the cabin. Albert Yamada was still standing by the door, ever professional, always diligently following Ryuuen's orders.

"Let's head back, Albert."

Albert Yamada simply nodded and left, without complaints or questions. Ryuuen liked such obedient people, but in some ways, Albert Yamada was too dull, which was why he was assigned to Class C.

Although the food on the ship looked luxurious, it couldn't compare to Horikita Suzune's cooking. After quickly finishing lunch, Ryuuen went straight to the study to wait for Hiyori.

"Ryuuen-kun, you're half an hour early today."

Hiyori looked at her phone, which showed 1:28 PM, and seemed a little surprised.

"To be precise, it's an hour and ten minutes. I arrived at 12:50 PM," Ryuuen said, setting down a random copy of To Kill a Mockingbird he had picked up.

Their agreed time was 2:00 PM, but both had arrived early. They exchanged smiles. Hiyori found the book she had been reading on the bookshelf, then sat down next to Ryuuen and began to read.

The study was quiet. At this hour, everyone else on the ship was having a blast, as it was the last day. Ryuuen had also given Class C students time off.

When he was with Hiyori, it was easy to be influenced by her calm presence. His mood would involuntarily relax. There was no need for much conversation; he just needed to focus on the book. A calm mind could absorb a lot of knowledge.

Ryuuen was indeed settling down to read, but Hiyori couldn't concentrate at all. Ryuuen smelled good!

And it wasn't just one scent. There was a very strong rose scent, a rather unique woody smoky scent, and the cherry blossom scent that was very familiar to Japanese people.

Having spent a lot of time studying with Ryuuen at school, Hiyori knew his scent well. Ryuuen naturally had a lavender scent; it wasn't his body odor but because his shower gel, shampoo, and even laundry detergent all had that scent.

Hiyori had previously noticed that Ryuuen often had a lily-of-the-valley scent, and after some "accidental" investigation, she found it was very similar to Horikita Suzune's scent. But Hiyori never questioned Ryuuen about it, nor did she ever bring it up.

However, today Ryuuen's scent had changed. With her small nose, Hiyori carefully sniffed and also detected a faint, cologne-like scent on Ryuuen.

This was a scent that had never appeared before. Hiyori desperately wanted to know Ryuuen's relationship with the owners of these scents, but she didn't dare to ask.

"Hiyori, you seem a little distracted." Ryuuen also noticed that Hiyori seemed off.

"N-nothing."

Her little secret discovered, Hiyori panicked, waving her hands in a hasty denial, even dropping her book on the floor. This only further proved her guilt.

"Hmm?" Ryuuen put down his book, turned, and gazed into Hiyori's eyes. But Hiyori didn't want to meet his gaze. She picked up the book, pretending to read, unaware that the page she had flipped to was the book's preface.

Ryuuen took Hiyori's book, then firmly cupped her face, staring into her eyes. "You can tell me anything. I'll help you solve it. Trust me, don't hide your problems from me."

Hiyori could feel the concern and trust in Ryuuen's tone. This tenderness was unique. If Kikyo or Ibuki were here, they would surely drop their jaws, wondering if Ryuuen had learned how to change his expression. They had never seen such a gentle Ryuuen.

"I just wanted to ask what new friends you've been in contact with," Hiyori asked subtly, but Ryuuen wasn't dull; he immediately grasped the core of the question.

"I met Ichinose Honami this morning, and Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, Karuizawa Kei, and Kushida Kikyo at noon." Ryuuen didn't elaborate on what they did, but he didn't mind telling Hiyori their names.

"Oh."

Hiyori was quite pleased. Ryuuen hadn't hidden anything from her, and she understood that as a class leader, Ryuuen had many responsibilities. Some things needed to be kept secret, and some things were not convenient for her to be involved in. She understood completely.

Ryuuen gently patted Hiyori's head. "I've always known you're very smart, Hiyori, but how did you figure out I'd met these 'new friends'?"

Among the people Ryuuen met today, only Karuizawa Kei and Kushida Kikyo would be new faces to Hiyori. She had already met Ichinose Honami and Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.

"The smell. Ryuuen, you have other people's scents on you, and more than one."

Ryuuen hadn't hidden anything, so Hiyori naturally wouldn't deceive Ryuuen either. She directly told him the truth. Most girls with a bit of sense wouldn't say this directly, as it would surely draw the boy's attention, and he might deliberately clean himself beforehand next time, which would mean losing a useful "weapon" for the girl.

He had known before that Hiyori's nose was sensitive, but he hadn't expected it to be so exceptional, capable of detecting different scents among so many. It was worth noting that Ryuuen hadn't had much contact with Ichinose Honami, and only some physical contact with Ayanokouji Kiyotaka and Karuizawa Kei. The scents left by these contacts were arguably very subtle, yet she could smell them.

Though not the best analogy, Hiyori's nose was indeed as sensitive as a dog's. Thankfully, Kamuro was seen last night, and Ryuuen had showered afterward. He could tell Hiyori about everyone else, but information about Kamuro needed to be kept from Hiyori.