Conflict

Ryuuen Kakeru did not make another move.

His right wrist was gripped by Miyama Saku. The force was not particularly strong, but it pinned his wrist at precisely the angle where he could exert the least strength.

He glanced at his restrained hand, then at Miyama Saku's face, the corner of his mouth slowly curling into a smile.

"Miyama, what do you mean by this?"

"Exactly what it sounds like. Fighting is bad."

"Heh."

Ryuuen tried to pull his hand free, but it remained completely still, as though something had jammed it in place. He could not even rotate his wrist.

He narrowed his eyes and began sizing up this Class B guy again.

Just then, the door to Class C's classroom slid open.

Shiina Hiyori came out holding a book, her light-colored hair draped over her shoulders.

She saw the scene in the hallway: Miyama Saku expressionlessly gripping Ryuuen Kakeru's wrist, with Ibuki Mio, Ishizaki Daichi, and Yamada Albert standing nearby.

Her gaze passed over Ryuuen's face, and her brows drew together slightly.

"Ryuuen."

Her voice was not loud, but everyone in the hallway heard it clearly.

"Saku is my closest friend. Please do not treat him like this."

Ibuki had been leaning against the wall with her arms folded. At those words, she turned her eyes slightly, her gaze sweeping back and forth between Shiina and Miyama.

Ishizaki opened his mouth as if to say something, but Ibuki silenced him with a glare. He awkwardly shut up, while Albert remained silently standing at the back.

Ryuuen Kakeru did not speak immediately.

He tilted his head, let his gaze rest on Shiina's face for two seconds, then looked back at Miyama Saku, the smile at his lips deepening.

"Shiina, since when did you become friends with someone from Class B?"

"That does not seem to be something I need to report to you." Hiyori's tone was clearly a little angry now.

Ryuuen stared at her for a while, then suddenly let out a laugh.

"Shiina, do not get this wrong. You belong to Class C."

"I know. But Ryuuen, you do not have the right to restrict who other people are friends with."

"He is just an outsider."

"Perhaps to you, Ryuuen."

Her voice was soft, but there was not the slightest hint of yielding. "But to me, Saku has never been an outsider."

Ryuuen stared at her for a while.

Leaning against the wall, Ibuki kept her eyes on Shiina for a long time, as though she were seeing her anew.

Ryuuen suddenly smiled.

"Fine," he said.

Then he raised his eyes and looked at Miyama Saku.

"Let go."

Miyama Saku glanced at him. Once he confirmed that Ryuuen truly had no intention of continuing the fight, he released his grip on his wrist.

Ryuuen Kakeru withdrew his hand and flexed his joints. A faint crack came from his knuckles.

He was not angry—or rather, he buried that trace of emotion very deeply. He merely lowered his eyes and rotated his wrist, as though checking whether it could still move normally.

"Miyama Saku." He rolled the name around in his mouth.

"I will remember you."

With that, he turned and walked toward the other end of the hallway, as if nothing had happened.

The other three followed Ryuuen Kakeru. Their backs soon vanished around the corner at the end of the hallway, and their footsteps gradually faded away.

The hallway returned to silence, as though the scene from moments ago had never happened.

Shiina Hiyori hurried over and stopped before Miyama Saku. Tilting up her face, she carefully examined him, her gaze moving from his face to his shoulders, then settling on the hand that had gripped Ryuuen's wrist.

"Saku, are you okay?" Her voice was more urgent than usual, her brows tightly furrowed. "If I had known this would happen, I would not have let you come find me."

Miyama Saku looked down at her. Most of Hiyori's usual airy demeanor had faded away, and the concern in her eyes was impossible to hide.

"I am fine. I just have a feeling that being targeted by Ryuuen is not a good thing."

Hiyori pressed her lips together without speaking, but her expression clearly had not fully relaxed.

After thinking for a moment, Miyama Saku added, "I just feel like he is the kind of person who would ambush someone while they are using the bathroom."

After saying that, he shuddered first, an expression of visible disgust crossing his face.

Hiyori stared at him for two seconds.

"Pfft. It is not that exaggerated, is it? Probably?"

She turned her head aside and raised a hand to cover the corner of her mouth, her shoulders trembling slightly.

When she turned back, her usual calm expression had returned, though a trace of laughter still lingered at the corners of her eyes.

"Saku, you can be really strange sometimes."

"What is strange about that? I am being serious."

"Mm, serious." Hiyori nodded, her tone earnest, though it somehow still sounded a little perfunctory.

Miyama chose to give up arguing with her.

The two walked side by side toward the stairwell. Hiyori stayed half a step to his right, walking slowly as if deliberately matching his stride.

She usually kept to herself in Class C and rarely walked with anyone.

"Let us eat lunch in the cafeteria before going to pick up the books," he said.

"Mm. You are treating me."

"Why am I treating you?"

"Because you made me worry just now."

After the two finished lunch, they left the cafeteria and headed toward the bookstore.

"Saku."

"Yeah?"

"You got zero on the quiz. Will you be okay for the midterms? Do you need me to help you study?"

"Just help your classmates study. Do not worry about me. Class C's academic situation should not be very good."

"Also, how did you know I got zero? Besides, I only got zero because I handed in a blank paper."

"People were discussing it in another forum post."

"They said that boy who had been on the Beautiful Girl Ranking got zero on the quiz."

Half of Miyama Saku's face darkened. "You even know about the ranking?"

"Mm, Saku, you are amazing. Everyone says you have the potential to break into the top three."

Hiyori's voice showed no fluctuation when she said this, making it impossible to tell whether she was serious or teasing him.

He fell silent, staring at the road ahead. He walked for more than ten steps without saying a word.

Hiyori turned her head and glanced at him.

"Saku, why are you not saying anything? What are you thinking about?"

"I am thinking about whether I should cut my hair shorter."

Hiyori blinked, seemingly not expecting that answer. She looked him over from head to toe, her gaze moving from his face to his hair, then back again.

"I think you look quite good like this, Saku. But if you want to cut it short, I will support you too."

Miyama Saku shot her a glance. "What you said was the same as saying nothing."

"Was it?" Hiyori adjusted the book in her arms.

"I really do think you look good like this."

Miyama Saku sighed and did not continue the topic.

After they walked for a while, Hiyori suddenly spoke again.

"But, Saku."

"What now?"

"If you cut your hair short, there will probably be new posts on the forum again."

Miyama Saku's steps visibly stiffened for an instant.

Hiyori turned her head, a tiny curve forming at the corner of her lips. The wind lifted her light-colored hair, brushing it across her cheek.

She did not say anything else. She simply continued walking forward with the book in her arms, her steps a little lighter.