A Different Routine

After bidding Shiina Hiyori farewell, Miyama Saku returned to his dorm to wash up.

After his shower, he sat down by the bed and picked up the hair dryer. A towel hung over his shoulders, and his long hair was still damp, with a drop or two of water occasionally falling from the tips.

For Miyama Saku, the biggest hassle of keeping his hair long was this. Every time he washed it, he had to spend ages drying it. He brushed the wet hair clinging to his neck aside and turned on the hair dryer. The warm air buzzed, carrying the scent of shampoo through the quiet room.

Once his hair was dry, he went into the bathroom to brush his teeth. The face in the mirror was calm, with only a faint trace of contemplation lingering between his brows.

"Private Points..."

The term surfaced uncontrollably. Based on the balance he had seen on the terminal and the agreement he had signed while playing Chess with Sakayanagi, they had indeed used the term "Private Points." He had not paid much attention when checking his balance before, but now that he thought back on it, something felt off. Since they had specifically emphasized "private," there were probably other categories. Class Points? Group Points? Or did the teachers and school have an entirely separate settlement system?

He rinsed his mouth, spat out the water, and wiped his face with a towel. The face in the mirror remained expressionless, though that trace of thought had yet to completely fade.

"Forget it," he told himself.

This school still had many rules and secrets. He had already dealt with Sakayanagi once today, and it had been too long since he had played Chess, leaving him somewhat rusty. As for why he had dared to accept, he naturally had a trump card, though there was no need to use it yet.

There was another question—Sakayanagi seemed very familiar with his style of play. Before this, he should not have played against her.

Forget it. There was no need to think about it now.

He still had class tomorrow.

He hung up the towel, turned off the bathroom light, and quietly returned to his bed. His terminal screen lit up. It was a message from Hiyori.

"I'm getting ready to rest. Good night."

He stared at the line for a second without replying, then placed the terminal face down on the bedside table.

The dorm room went completely dark. Outside the window, the wind faintly brushed past the corridor, like someone sighing from far away. Miyama Saku closed his eyes and slowly let his consciousness sink away.

Days passed one by one, and for Miyama Saku, nothing seemed all that different.

He still lived according to his routine, waking before the alarm each morning, washing up, tying back his hair, heading out for morning exercise, and then going to class.

The classroom was always somewhat noisy, but his seat was by the window. With a slight turn of his head, he could see figures moving along the walkway below. Most of the school's lessons were dull. Sometimes, he would idly spin his pen and write a few symbols only he understood in the corners of his notebook.

At noon, he went to the cafeteria to find Kanzaki Ryuji. Kanzaki was used to sitting at a table against the wall, where there were not many people around. The two ate together, and most of the time, Kanzaki talked while Miyama Saku listened.

After school in the afternoon, he occasionally went to the library.

The library was located in the western part of campus, and the steps outside its entrance were always swept clean.

When he pushed the door open, the air carried the mixed scent of paper and wood. He habitually walked through the bookshelves by the window first before heading to the reading area at the very back. Shiina Hiyori was usually already seated there, a book open before her. Most of the time, it was one of the mystery novels she liked, though sometimes it was a reference collection thick enough to serve as a brick.

When she heard his footsteps, she would look up and lightly nod at him, her eyes curving into a smile without making a sound.

Miyama Saku would pull out the chair diagonally across from her and sit down. The two read their own books. Occasionally, when she came across an interesting passage, she would remember it and tell him about it after they left.

Time passed quickly for people immersed in books.

When the sky began to darken and the window at the end of the shelves was washed in orange-red light, Shiina Hiyori would close her book and pack her things into her bag one by one. Then she would naturally stand up, turn to look at him with a hint of a smile in her eyes, and say nothing. Her meaning was clear enough.

Miyama Saku put his book back where it belonged and glanced at her.

"Going to freeload a meal at my place again?"

"Yeah." Hiyori nodded without the slightest hesitation.

One morning after class, just as Miyama Saku thought his peaceful campus life would continue for a while longer, he noticed something strange.

He was sitting by the window, closing his notebook, when someone in the corner of his vision seemed to turn their face toward him. By the time he looked up, those gazes had quickly shifted away, so quickly that it was as if nothing had happened.

At first, he did not pay much attention. There were plenty of people in this school who liked observing others, and with his long hair, it was normal for people to glance at him now and then.

But over the next few days, that feeling not only failed to disappear, it became even more obvious. Whether boys or girls, the people in his class all seemed to look at Miyama Saku strangely.

Miyama Saku did not consider himself especially sensitive to stares. But after being watched like that for several days straight, anyone would feel that something was wrong.

Finally, one morning after class, when it was time to go eat, Miyama Saku closed his textbook, turned his head, and looked toward the group of girls still gathered in one corner of the classroom, whispering among themselves.

They were huddled close together. Some glanced in his direction while talking, then hurriedly looked away when their eyes met his, pretending to discuss something else.

Miyama Saku did not hesitate. He stood up.

"Netakura."

The girl whose name had been called stiffened, as though someone had struck an acupoint, then slowly turned around. She was still clutching her phone, its screen lit as though she had just been looking at something.

"You've all been looking over here. What exactly is going on?" Miyama Saku walked over, his tone not harsh, but clearly not willing to let her brush him off. "If you have a question, you can ask me directly."

The girls around her immediately fell silent. Someone quietly tugged at Netakura's sleeve. Netakura Asako opened her mouth, her gaze shifting briefly before she finally had no choice but to look at him.

"N-Nothing, Miyama."

"If it were nothing, you wouldn't have been acting like this for days." Miyama Saku looked at her, his eyes calm and without ripples. "Is there something on my face, or is there something wrong with my hair?"

"No, no, your hair is fine. It's just..." Netakura Asako hurriedly waved her hands, her voice growing quieter and quieter.

"There's actually a ranking on the school forum... and it has something to do with you, Miyama."

"What ranking? I've never browsed the school forum."

Netakura froze for a moment, as if she had not expected him to have never looked at the school forum. A girl beside her quietly reminded her, "That one, the one that's been getting a lot of discussion lately..."

"Someone made a post on the school forum called the 'First-Year Pretty Girl Ranking.'" Netakura carefully watched his expression as she spoke. "Miyama, you... are on it."

Miyama Saku froze for a second.

"What did you say?"

"No, no, um, let me explain!" Netakura hurriedly waved her hands, her face turning a little red. "S-Someone made a mistake at first and posted your photo, then added it to the ranking. Miyama, you already look really... pretty? Then more and more people started voting, and by the time they noticed..."

"By the time they noticed what?"

"You had already reached fifth place, and from the looks of it, your ranking is still rising." A girl beside her quietly added, her tone carrying a strange sort of admiration.

Miyama Saku said nothing.

"So you've been looking at me these past few days because of that?"

"N-Not entirely because of that." Netakura gave an awkward laugh. "It just feels kind of unbelievable. The person herself is actually in our class, and she... had no idea at all."

"And there's more." Another girl leaned a little closer, as though sharing a secret. "Because of the Beautiful Girl Ranking, you've become famous among the boys too."

"What do you mean?"

"Some boys from other classes thought you were a girl and wanted to befriend you. Also, you often eat lunch with Kanzaki, so people mistook you for having some kind of relationship..." By the end, the girl could not help looking away herself. "Later, our classmates clarified that you were a boy, and the post got even livelier..."

Miyama Saku closed his eyes and let out a soft breath.

What the hell is this? I should probably eat with Kanzaki less often.

"Everyone on the forum is discussing it now," Netakura added cautiously. "Whether Miyama is actually a boy or a girl."