Cat and Dog

"Why are you being so obedient today? This isn't like you."

Ryuuen pulled his hand free from Kikyo's mouth. The strand of saliva stretched less than five centimeters before breaking.

Kikyo also realized something was off with her behavior, a flush crossing her face. "I'll be going now."

Using Hiyori's handkerchief to wipe the saliva from his hand, Ryuuen could not help but marvel at how underhanded Ayanokoji had been. That one kick had actually drawn blood. Ayanokoji must have done something to his shoes; otherwise, an ordinary shoe surface could not have cut Ryuuen's hand.

No, he was thinking in the wrong direction. The problem was not with the shoe surface at all. Ryuuen had subconsciously assumed the wound on his hand had been caused by Ayanokoji's kick, but that was actually difficult to accomplish. After all, there was nothing sharp on a shoe.

There was no doubt that Ayanokoji had left this wound, yet Ryuuen had not noticed when he had done it at all. He was still hiding his strength. Ryuuen's face darkened. "Even in a situation like this, you can still hide your strength. Just as expected of you, Ayanokoji. You're like both a rabbit and a rat."

In a sense, Ayanokoji leaving this wound was also a warning for Ryuuen not to provoke him. Yet Ryuuen looked at the injury on his hand and smiled. "So you're wary of me."

There was no use overthinking matters involving fists, so Ryuuen stopped dwelling on it. He left the cabin and found Albert still standing at the door. He was as dedicated as ever, always carrying out Ryuuen's orders well.

"Let's go back, Albert."

Albert merely nodded and left, without complaints or questions. Ryuuen liked obedient people like that, but in certain respects, Albert was overly dull, which was why he had been assigned to Class C.

Although the food on the ship looked luxurious, it truly could not compare to Horikita Suzune's cooking. After casually finishing lunch, Ryuuen went straight to the study to wait for Hiyori.

"Ryuuen-kun actually arrived half an hour early."

Hiyori looked at the 13:28 displayed on her phone, clearly surprised.

"More precisely, an hour and ten minutes early. I got here at 12:50." Ryuuen put down the copy of To Kill a Mockingbird he had picked up at random.

They had agreed to meet at two in the afternoon, yet both had arrived early. They smiled at each other. Hiyori found the book she had been reading earlier on the shelf, then sat beside Ryuuen and began to read.

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

When he was with Hiyori, it was easy to be influenced by the quiet atmosphere around her, and his mood relaxed without him even realizing it. There was no need to say much. He only needed to focus on his book, and with his mind settled, he could absorb a great deal of knowledge.

Ryuuen had settled down to read, but Hiyori could not concentrate at all. There was a fragrance on Ryuuen!

And not just one. There was a rich rose scent, a distinctive smoky wood fragrance, and the cherry blossom scent so familiar to Japanese people.

Hiyori often spent time reading with Ryuuen at school, so she knew his scent very well. Ryuuen naturally carried a lavender fragrance. It was not his body scent; it was because his body wash, shampoo, and even laundry detergent all had that scent.

Hiyori had previously noticed that Ryuuen often carried the scent of lily of the valley. After "casually" investigating, she discovered it was very similar to Horikita Suzune's scent. But Hiyori had never questioned Ryuuen about it or brought up the matter.

But Ryuuen's scent had changed today. Sniffing carefully with her little nose, Hiyori also detected a faint, cologne-like fragrance on him.

It was a scent that had never appeared before. Hiyori desperately wanted to know what relationship Ryuuen had with the owners of those scents, but she did not dare ask.

"Hiyori, why do you seem so distracted?" Ryuuen had also noticed that something was off with her.

"N-No, it's nothing."

Having had her thoughts discovered, Hiyori panicked and hurriedly waved her hands in denial. Her book even fell to the floor, but that only proved how guilty she felt.

"Hmm?" Ryuuen put down his book, turned to look into Hiyori's eyes, but Hiyori did not want to meet his gaze. She picked up her book and pretended to read, unaware that she had opened it to the preface.

Ryuuen took Hiyori's book from her, firmly cupped her face, and stared into her eyes. "You can tell me anything. I'll help you solve it. Trust me. If there's a problem, don't hide it from me."

Hiyori could feel the concern and trust in Ryuuen's voice. This gentleness was something only she received. If Kikyo and Ibuki were here, their jaws would surely drop. They would wonder whether Ryuuen had learned how to change faces, because they had never seen him this mild.

"I was just wondering what new friends you've been meeting." Hiyori asked subtly, but Ryuuen was no fool. He immediately grasped the heart of the matter.

"I saw Ichinose Honami this morning. At noon, I saw Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, Karuizawa Kei, and Kushida Kikyo." Ryuuen did not say what they had done together, but there was no harm in telling Hiyori the specific names.

"Oh."

Hiyori was quite happy. Ryuuen had not hidden anything from her. She also understood that, as a class leader, Ryuuen had many things to do. Some matters needed to be kept secret, while others were inconvenient for her to take part in. She understood that very well.

Ryuuen patted Hiyori's little head. "I've always known you were smart, Hiyori, but how did you figure out that I'd met so-called new friends?"

Among the people Ryuuen had met today, the only unfamiliar faces to Hiyori should have been Karuizawa Kei and Kushida Kikyo. She had met Ichinose and Ayanokoji before.

"Scents. You have other people's scents on you, Ryuuen, and there's more than one."

Since Ryuuen had not concealed anything, Hiyori naturally would not deceive him. She told him the truth directly. Any girl with a bit of sense would not say something like this outright, because it would definitely draw the man's attention. Next time, he might deliberately clean those scents off himself beforehand, which would mean losing a useful weapon for the girl.

Ryuuen had known Hiyori had a keen nose, but he had not expected it to be this impressive. She could actually detect different scents amid so many others. He had not had any contact with Ichinose, while his contact with Ayanokoji, Karuizawa Kei, and the others had only involved a little physical contact. The scents left behind by those interactions were extremely faint, yet she had still smelled them.

It was not the best comparison, but Hiyori's nose really was as sensitive as a dog's. Fortunately, he had met Kamuro last night, and he had showered afterward. He could tell Hiyori about everyone else, but he needed to withhold some information about Kamuro.