41 Volume 11.5 Chapter 5 Intro

Chapter 5: Matsushita's Suspicions

On April 3rd, as the spring break was coming to an end, I, Chiaki Matsushita, decided on something.

"Sure enough, this interests me."

Starting from the end of year exam up to now, this feeling had been stuck in my heart.

That was caused by the existence of a classmate named Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.

Recently, I started to pay close attention to him. Still, if I told anyone else about it, they would probably say it was love, or a crush or something.

This was definitely not the case.

I could declare right here that it was definitely not love or something similar.

Instead, I started to be vigilant towards Ayanokouji-kun.

If I said that to any of my classmates, they'd probably tilt their heads in confusion.

But I'm already in the process of using my own method to obtain the answer.

To let you understand what I was feeling, first, I'll need to introduce myself and talk about what kind of person I am.

I was born in a moderately wealthy family, and my parents were very kind to me and brought me up in an environment with no restrictions on my freedom.

They would buy whatever I desired, and in return, I also achieved outstanding results in school and tuition classes.

We established an excellent relationship with each other, as I respected their excellence, and they respected mine.

Moreover, I was blessed with an attractive appearance, although me saying that isn't too good.

If someone else knew about all this, they'd probably be envious.

Growing up, experiencing various romantic relationships, and eventually marrying a financially capable man.

Although my life might not be the best, it would be considered a very lucky one.

Also, I had many outlooks for my future life.

Although I had considered various options, I reckoned working as a flight attendant at an international airline or in a major company wouldn't be so bad.

However, since I managed to enter this school, I had to aim higher.

Studying abroad in a prestigious university, then working at an embassy, and then in the UN…I could gradually see that happening.

My life was going smoothly, and there was already a paved road ahead for a life without failure.

However, my first miscalculation was after I entered this school. Only if I graduated from Class A would I be able to have my desired future higher education and employment opportunities.

In other words, graduating from Class B or below would have no value.

Of course, I was pretty confident in my own abilities to secure the path towards my desired future.

But… graduating from Class B or below would prove to be an obstacle.

And it would be very likely that I would be labelled as "a student who has failed to graduate from Class A", a label which would be a headache to deal with.

The large difference between the advantages and disadvantages of its impact in the future was a negative for me, who sought stability.

The next miscalculation was not being assigned to Class A. Instead, I've been assigned to Class D. This meant that I carried a very heavy disadvantage with me.

I wasn't very worried when I first entered the school. However, it was that negligence which led to my downfall.

Within a month, our class points got depleted, and we immediately sank to the bottom of the rankings.

"Thinking about this calmly… there was still a chance back then…?"

Yes. Although we were initially placed in Class D, the starting point was the same for all classes.

If we had understood the situation during the first month, then we should've been able to rise to the upper classes.

Although it may be a terrible start, after one year, the class points have also increased.

There was a time where we even reached Class C. It was still possible to aim for the upper classes…

"No, that's impossible."

Even though I'd realized it from the beginning, the difference in base ability between the classes was even larger than I'd imagined. Sooner or later, the gap would inevitably widen.

It just so happened this year went so well. The gap in the abilities of my class compared to other classes was too large. If that fact didn't change, the chances of reaching Class A were very close to 0.

Although I didn't want to keep repeating this, I was confident that I was one of the top students in this grade.

If we looked at it from the bigger picture, I should be within the top 10% of the year. Despite that, I didn't make a name for myself in Class D. Instead, I was somewhere near the middle of the hierarchy, only because I decided to hide my strength.

Of course, I wouldn't hold the class back when it was important, but I didn't like to stand out too much. In addition, my friend group consisted of people with considerably low abilities.

Half of the students in Class D belonged to the bottom 10~20% of this academic year.

If I carelessly showed my true abilities in that environment, others might start to feel jealous. I might also be excessively relied on, which would lead to all kinds of annoyances. This was something I wanted to avoid.

Moreover, even if I suddenly went all out for the class, our situation wouldn't change by much. For better or worse, I was just an excellent student, but not a genius.

Besides, I wasn't the type to act like someone who would take the initiative in things.

Only that…

Although I wasn't expecting to reap what I didn't sow, I still really wanted to graduate from Class A.

If that was possible, I wanted to follow an easy route which led to a stable future.

In order to accomplish that, I needed to make all the students of Class D work twice as hard…

Looking back at the past year, I already reckoned it would be impossible, and half given up.

Indeed, there were some talented students in my class.

Like Horikita-san, Hirata-kun, and Kushida-san. There were also smart students like Yukimura-kun and Mii-chan.

But this was not enough. In fact, most of the students were holding us back. If you added it up, our class would still be in a negative state.

if there were just 2 or 3 more students on a similar level to the ones I mentioned earlier…how frustrating!

Yes——That was correct.

I was tormented by that thought until Ayanokouji-kun appeared right in front of my eyes.

Although this was just a one-sided conjecture, I suspected that Ayanokouji-kun might be the same type of person as me.

I've always felt, from the beginning that he just wanted a life that belonged to himself, which was the reason he entered this school.

Even compared to me, he did not have as much of a desire for success, and he didn't care for the categorizations of Class A or Class D.

But despite that, he held great power.

If my guess was right…

Including me, Class D would have 2 more cards to play.

If that's the case, depending on how active we were, it would determine whether if it was possible to aim for the upper classes.

Recently, these thoughts have been circling around my mind.

Why did I think he was that type of person?

Rather than say it was based on evidence, there were some things about him which stuck out.

Sometimes, Karuizawa-san would try to catch Ayanokouji-kun's gaze, as well as there being a slight distance between them.

At first, I thought I was overthinking it, but right after, she suddenly broke up with Hirata-kun, which confirmed my suspicions.

She was attracted to Ayanokouji-kun.

Karuizawa-san, who thought dating a good man was a sign of high status, chose Ayanokouji-kun.

Why? Was it because he was handsome? No, I don't think it's that simple.

If that was the case, it would've been more convenient for Karuizawa-san to maintain her relationship with Hirata-kun, who was more popular.

So—— was it because Ayanokouji-kun had enough strength to make up for his lack of popularity?

That was the conclusion I reached.

If that's the case, various things would astonishingly start to fall into place.

Ayanokouji-kun had a sort of relationship with the class leader Horikita-san, as well as one with Hirata-san. There was no doubt that both students thought highly of him. In addition to that, he also seemed to be close to Ichinose-san.

And previously, during the sports festival, there was his intense race against the student council president Horikita, now that I think of it, it was indeed strange.

In addition to that, Sakayanagi-san organized the entirety of Class A in order to give him protection points.

We thought he was randomly selected for Yamauchi-kun to be expelled, but after that when he took on the role of the commander tower and participated in the competition like that, calling it a coincidence to explain it would be way too lazy.

With so many of these pieces connected, the mysterious existence of Ayanokouji-kun should have been understood by everyone.

However, most students were not aware of this.

But that's understandable because he basically never showed his true power in public. Although being able to run fast is an outstanding ability, with just this ability alone, only in primary school would he be able to climb up the hierarchy of the class.

For high school students…No, as you moved towards adulthood, communication skills would become more and more important.

Most students who held a high status often had both outstanding abilities and communication skills.

Lacking one of those skills would change completely change the impression you made on others.

He was just a student who ran really fast but had a weak presence. That's the impression that many people had of Ayanokouji-kun.

If he also had good social skills, Ayanokouji-kun would be in a relatively higher position in the class.

Although it depended on his personality, he could've been, along with Hirata-san, one of the twin jewels of the class.

But this was nothing more than a hypothetical situation, or rather, complete nonsense.

It was like saying that if Sudo-kun is smart, or easy to get along with, or if Yukimura-kun had high athletic ability, those were things that could only happen in another dimension.

The highest priority for our class was "scholastic ability", followed by "physical ability."

It was very likely that Ayanokouji-kun met both of these requirements.

Moreover, Ayanokouji-kun's abilities in those two categories might have even surpassed Hirata-kun's, a buried treasure waiting to be dug out.

Of course, this thought was based a little on what I wanted him to be.

If he really was like that, then he would become a significant force which would be able to improve the class.

In reality, even if he was on the same level as me, I wouldn't complain.

The reason I became attentive of Ayanokouji-kun was because of his influence over the end of year exam.

There was a question I wasn't able to solve during the mental arithmetic event, but Ayanokouji-kun answered it correctly.

This was one of the decisive hits which I've received that gave me confidence in this.

I want to understand the mystery behind his strength.

And if his strength is true ── there's no reason not to make use of it.

Both his scholastic ability and physical ability were similar to mine, I was sure about that point.

Judging how he had been living behind the scenes for a year, he may not be persuaded by ordinary methods.

However, I had confidence in my ability to assess others, and my ability in psychological warfare. Because of this, I had the upper hand.

Make him think that I wanted to get in touch with him due to curiosity, draw out his true nature, and then make him cooperate.

And it will act as a signal to our counterattack next year.

"… Just kidding."

The thought of rising to Class A was appealing. But the reason I'm acting now wasn't only because of that. Boredom was a factor as well.

I wasn't not just looking for stability, following along the tracks of life, I wanted to experience the thrill of life as well. I want to pursue this mysterious factor which other students did not have. This was the main reason I want to establish contact with Ayanokouji-kun.

I changed my outfit, as I was meeting up with my friends at Keyaki mall today.

These days, I would focus on the disorderly crowd, in search of Ayanokouji-kun's figure.

However, the possibility of an accidental encounter with him on school grounds was considerably low.

I didn't see him at all during the first half of this spring break, a waste of time.

I wanted to get clues.

Curiosity and desire drove my gaze through these days without my permission.

1

"Matsushita-san! Here~"

"Morning~"

11 o'clock

I met with Shinohara-san and Sato-san, the usual group.

During the spring break, we idly met up every day, to chat happily about various innocent topics.

Although I didn't hate this, I did feel a little bored. I've been acting as a good student for the past year already, and I was seeking excitement.

As a result, I decided to bring up a more interesting topic with them.

"Shinohara-san, have you made any progress with Ike-kun?"

I intended to get rid of this boredom by poking her a little.

"Wait, ehhh!? Nonono, with him!?"

Shinohara-san hurriedly denied it, but this couldn't conceal that she was shaken.

Sato's gaze had a surprised "you really want to start this topic?" expression, mixed with a bit of excitement, was also very interesting.

It was evident that Shinohara-san and Ike-kun had gotten closer in the past few months, as rumours like this had already spread.

Although they tried to hide it, the school was a tiny place.

If a couple went on a date, they would be easily seen by others.

"I just thought that it was about time you told us, right?"

"I, I told you that it was impossible… Look, it's Ike we're talking about-? He's the model for a typical loser!"

The words Shinohara-san used when denying this were indeed true. Just by looking at his attributes, he belonged in the lower ranks.

He was short, struggled academically, and he lacked communication skills. From my point of view, he was a person with an endless number of flaws. However, love couldn't be measured from those factors.

There was always a possibility that a person would be attracted to a useless man, it was like unexpectedly finding yourself in the middle of a traffic accident.

And considering the status of Shinohara-san in the class, they might even be suitable for each other, and they're not quite as different as she said.

"This isn't so good, you like him, but he knows nothing about this."

Sato-san's eyes brightened at the fact we were talking about love, smiling towards Shinohara-san.

"Like I said, It's not like that."

"There's no need to deny it, I just wanted to hear your true thoughts on this, right?"

Facing Shinohara, who wasn't willing to admit it, I then used Sato-san to egg her on.

"Yeah, I'm also super interested! Tell us, tell us!!"

At times like this, it was convenient to get Satou-san to do what I wanted just by giving her simple hints. She wasn't the type of person to think deeply. Needless to say, this had a negative effect on her academic ability.

Although it was a very harsh evaluation, I didn't necessarily hate her.

Both Shinohara-san and Sato-san were close friends, and they were indispensable girl friends.

If they ever felt troubled, I would help them out and listen to them.

Of course, if they had the same ability to match me, then it would be even better.

Shinohara-san, who was completely unaware of what I was thinking, started to talk about her relationship with Ike-kun.

"Recently, I've always been arguing with him about stupid things. So honestly, there really isn't much progress."

Shinohara-san shook her head, sighing.

However, she never said that there was absolutely no development.

"After all, you both have personalities that aren't so straightforward——If the same thing were to happen again, there's going to be a change."

Although they were a good match, there was always conflict between them regarding weird things.

I feel that as long as they turned past that, the relationship between the both of them would immediately be better.

"Enough about me, what about you, Matsushita-san? Do you like anyone?"

"Me?"

Shinohara-san asked such a question, just as I expected.

It would be more accurate to say that I led her to ask me this.

"You told us before that if you were to date anyone, it would be a senior."

Looking as though having just remembered something, Sato-san jumped in on Shinohara-san's question. No matter who was the subject of the conversation, as long as it was about relationships, it would be welcome. Girls were like that.

"Yeah. However——If he meets a certain condition, it's fine even if he isn't a senior.

Controlling what both of them would be thinking, and slowly leading the conversation into the direction I wanted. However, it's not as hard as it might look. This happens commonly in everyday life. It was just about whether we realized it or not.

"Ohh——, so you've changed your mind?"

Sato-san, obviously wouldn't let go of this topic, as it was her first time hearing about it.

"My standards haven't lowered or anything. Both his appearance and personality should be first-class. And… his family background as well. I also want his parents to have received a high level of education and accomplishment."

No matter how great their child's achievements are, as long as their parents failed to live up to it, then they didn't meet my standards.

"Someone who has a good family background… could it be someone like Koenji-kun, or the sort?"

Shinohara-san asked, dubiously.

"Ehh~? Although his looks are certainly not bad, isn't he a little…?"

After hearing Koenji-kun's name, Sato-san became a little hesitant. Koenji-kun's evaluation within the class is considerably low. The reason was very simple, mainly because of his strange existence which is a nuisance to the class. However, you could say that there's a big difference between his status within the class and outside of it.

From the perspectives of outsiders, Koenji-kun's evaluation would be flawless, no matter if we were talking about his appearance or his background. He also had a very gentlemanly side. So it's not surprising that girls across the school years are interested in him. In terms of academic ability, even though he didn't take it seriously, you could still see the depths of his true power. You could say that he was a very rare person who met all my previously listed conditions. I think that Koenji-kun is ranked first within our class, if we're talking about just ability.

However, other things are also clear when it comes to him.

He was not the type of person who could be persuaded to take action by other people.

A weirdo beyond imagination.

Since the beginning, I knew that trying to talk to him was useless, and futile.

In this case, compared to Sudo-kun and Ike-kun, he was even… No…you could say that he was the biggest burden to the class.

"Koenji-kun, not a chance. Speaking about this, I don't consider him a human anymore."

After hearing my evaluation of him, the two burst into laughter.

"If he gets serious, he will definitely surpass Hirata-kun in popularity, but I know that he definitely won't get serious."

This was my evaluation.

Shinohara-san and Sato-san wholeheartedly agreed with me.

He was the rare specimen who taught me that even if someone had just one flaw, their evaluation could go from 100 to 0 points.

Starting from the relationship between Ike-kun and Shinohara-san, to my ideal man, I proceeded to the next stage.

"Speaking of which, Sato-san, what about you and Ayanokouji-kun?"

"Eh…? Why, why ask me about this?"

After being asked an unexpected question, Sato-san stiffened.

Shinohara-san, who looked as if she had just remembered something, turned her gaze at Sato-san. During the winter break, Sato-san told us something. At that time, she told us about her love for Ayanokouji-kun, and wondering whether she should confess to him. Back then, just like with Ike-kun and Shinohara-san right now, I planned to just enjoy watching them progress, while supporting from a distance.

"It's… it's not like…"

Wanting to deny it, Sato-san then hesitated.

And when I noticed, Satou-san had come to an abrupt stop when talking about Ayanokouji-kun.

Of course, with regards to what this meant, Shinohara-san and I did not approach this topic, knowing clearly what it meant.

He probably rejected her, or had a change of heart. In short, as long as Sato-san didn't intend to speak, we had to be careful to not talk about this topic.

However, if I wanted to know more about Ayanokouji-kun, this wasn't something I could avoid.

"Can… Can you two keep this a secret?"

She spoke.

Shinohara-san and I, sure that we were going to hear something extremely interesting, each patted one of her shoulders.

"Of course!"

2

And just like that, we moved to a cafe to listen to Sato-san's troubles.

We also then took preparations to allow her to express her worries freely.

This preparation between us girls was necessary to allow the other party to think it over.

Unlike boys, who rush directly to the solution, we girls start by seeking affirmation.

This wasn't a bad way to approach situations.

"Actually… I…. I've already confessed to Ayanokouji-kun…"

After hearing this, I, along with Shinohara-san, almost spit out the tea we were drinking.

"Eh? Eh?! Re, really? Since when?!"

Shinohara-san, who thought she was ahead in terms of relationships with ]boys, couldn't help asking.

Although I already assumed something had happened between them, I never thought that they would have made so much progress.

But on the other hand, the outcome of that was clear.

If the two of them were dating, she would've definitely told us.

Even if she was too shy to tell us, I would've definitely noticed.

Since that was not the case, that meant…

"I was rejected."

From the looks of it, it had been some time since she was rejected. I couldn't sense any signs of anxiety, or any wavering in her words.

That should be the result of crying many times, as right now, she looked like she wanted to just move on.

If that was the case——she probably confessed during the winter break.

However, this could have been because we pushed her to confess prematurely. If that was the case, we truly have let her down.

"Seriously! Ayanokouji-kun, is he stupid!?"

A confession from a girl, especially from a girl as impeccably good looking as Sato-san.

Shinohara-san seemed to be shocked and furious by the fact Sato-san had been rejected.

"Why? Why were you rejected?"

"… It was simply a problem with his emotions. He said he didn't like me, and couldn't date me.

Shinohara-san placed a hand on her forehead, incredulous.

"Is that because he has someone he already likes? Maybe its someone like Horikita-san."

When I tried to confirm this with Sato-san, she shook her head.

Whenever Ayanokouji-kun was mentioned, Horikita-san's shadow was always lurking.

But recently, his existence had become more and more prevalent in the class.

There were rumours that Ayanokouji-kun and Horikita-san were keeping close contact. Those kinds of rumours had been circulating for a while now.

However, because there was no evidence, people eventually stopped talking about it.

"He said the same applies to Horikita-san and Kushida-san."

Unsurprisingly, the two of them did not seem to be that close.

"Nonononono, wha-?"

Ignoring Horikita-san's name, Shinohara-san was shocked to hear that Kushida-san was mentioned.

"So we can confirm that, he's a blockhead with no interest in love at all… This creeps me out…"

I could understand how she came to that conclusion. However, Sato-san did not seem to agree.

"If he isn't attracted by cute girls… then that means he already has someone he likes, right?"

I said this while looking directly at Sato-san, but she averted her gaze and nodded.

Towards the person you liked, you paid attention to them more than anyone else.

The person who best perceived Ayanokouji-kun should be Sato-san.

"I'm guessing that Ayanokouji-kun… likes Karuizawa-san."

Sato-san said this while looking away.

"You're joking, what? Is this true? Hu-huh? Seriously? Karuizawa-san?!"

Shinohara-san and I exchanged glances once again.

If someone unsuspecting heard about this, they would definitely think that this would be an extremely unexpected pair.

I pretended to be shocked. However, deep down, I had already accepted that as a fact.

This was because my guess was entirely identical to Sato-san's.

"Yes. In fact… Karuizawa-san probably likes Ayanokouji-kun too… That's what I think."

"Could it be that Karuizawa-san's breakup with Hirata-kun is related to all this?"

Regarding my question, Sato-san, who wasn't entirely sure herself, nodded.

This meant that she personally thought so too.

"From dating Hirata-kun to Ayanokouji-kun? This-, sorry, but I can't understand it."

I don't think this was something that Shinohara-san, who picked Ike-kun, could say.

"It's not that unexpected. I… I also think that Ayanokouji-kun is better."

"You still like him…?"

"I really want to forget about this, but no matter what I do, I just can't look away from him…"

She realized this after she found herself looking at Ayanokouji-kun day after day.

Although I felt a little sorry for Sato-san, her words were a good reference for me.

"Speaking of which… I keep hearing Ayanokouji's name recently."

Shinohara-san could not help but raise such a question.

"Like when he became our class's commanding tower. Ah, also when Sayakanagi-san gave him the protection point."

Sato-san, was thinking the same thing, also brought up the fact that Ayanokouji-kun was in the centre for these situations.

"I really can't seem to understand. Why does it have to be Ayanokouji-kun? Although according to Horikita-san's statement, it may all have been a coincidence."

I also found that to be hard to believe.

However, even if I had a conversation with these two, I doubt that we could come to a conclusion.

"Well, now that I think about it, it's a really clever strategy. Just by giving him protection points, he would automatically be chosen as the sacrifice in situations similar to the end of year exam. If this was Sakayanagi-san's intention from the beginning, then it makes sense."

I gave an explanation that made sense to an extent and changed the topic.

"Ahh, so that's the case…!"

If Sakayanagi-san chose Ike-kun over Ayanokouji kun, it would definitely be much easier to win.

Of course, there was the possibility that she wanted to face someone unexpected, and as a result, chose Ayanokouji-kun.

Anyways, for now, it's better to leave this matter aside.

Karuizawa-san liked Ayanokouji-kun, and Ayanokouji-kun liked Karuizawa-san.

Just by learning that, I could say that I had gained a lot of information today.

Using this as a way to break through, I should now be able to consider ways to approach him.

"I thought that Karuizawa-san's standards for a man were the same as mine."

"So you're saying, Ayanokouji-kun, is really strong?"

"He can only run fast, right?"

"But, rather than saying he is smart, don't you feel like he knows everything?"

Sato-san asked us.

"Nope, I don't feel that."

Shinohara-san immediately denied it, but I decided to side with Sato-san.

"Indeed, he's doesn't seem like the other weird boys, he gives off a reliable impression."

Since Shinohara-san did not agree with Sato-san, I decided to take her side.

"Yeah, yeah!"

Sato-san, who was supposedly rejected, was still very happy when she heard Ayanokouji-kun being praised. Happy enough that her eyes were sparkling.

It seemed that she still liked Ayanokouji-kun.

"Isn't that just because he doesn't like to talk?"

"Ike-kun is the complete opposite, he doesn't stop talking."

"Right, right, even if I tell him to calm down, he still continues talking.

Although Shinohara-san said she's dissatisfied with him, it didn't look that way.

"So, I——"

Just as Sato-san was about to start speaking again, my gaze caught the figure of Ayanokouji-kun.

They were too absorbed into the conversation and didn't notice.

"Ah, sorry. Can I go make a call?"

After asking for their permission, they both agreed cheerfully.

"It might take quite long, so contact me if anything happens."

After saying this, I pretended to make a call, while walking away.

Not long after, I saw Ayanokouji-kun's figure.

As they say, strike while the iron was hot.

While still in Sato-san and Shinohara-san's line of sight, I couldn't act hurriedly, so I followed Ayanokouji while pretending to be on my phone.

I felt a bit of unease about whether I would be able to follow someone while remaining unnoticed.

How much space needed to be between us for it to be considered safe, or unsafe.

If I was caught following him, he would definitely be alert, so I wanted to pretend that it was a coincidence.

If I miss the opportunity this spring break, I probably wouldn't see him until we start school as second-year students.

If I was able to get in touch with him early, of course, I would seize that opportunity.

Fortunately, there was no one around Ayanokouji-kun.

Just as I was about to greet Ayanokouji-kun… I immediately hid because I saw someone approaching him.

"That person seems to be… the new director!"

For some reason, that person seemed to be conversing with Ayanokouji-kun. What an interesting combination. Perhaps new information could be obtained by being here.

If their topic was about "strength", being able to listen to their conversation wouldn't be a bad result.

"His conversation with the new director is taking a while…"

It has already been 10 minutes. If they were just exchanging pleasantries, this would be considered too long.

Could it be that Ayanokouji-kun and the director were acquaintances? They seemed to be close, but Ayanokouji-kun was expressionless as usual.

"I don't understand…"

Maybe they were acquainted, but it also seemed like this was the first time they met, talking about many things.

Just from their movements, there didn't seem to be any history between them.

If I were to move a little closer, I should be able to hear the contents of their conversation. But that would be quite dangerous.

Although I could just pretend to be a passerby, that would leave me no way to hide myself, so it seems the best choice was just to stay here.

After observing them for a while… their long conversation abruptly came to an end.

From the looks of it, the director seemed to be going back to the adults at the pharmacy not too far from here.

What would Ayanokouji-kun do… He began to move.

As if nothing had happened, he started walking in a certain direction. I had hoped to gain some clues from his conversation with the director.

But it seemed like that was in vain… I've already given up on my original plan to talk with Ayanokouji-kun.

I should wait until I was better prepared before doing anything.

I'll follow him for a little longer, and if I don't find anything, then I'll return to where Shinohara-san and Satou-san was.

While catching up to Ayanokouji-kun who'd just turned the corner, I started thinking about my next move.

3

On that day, I came to Keyaki mall alone.

As it was nearing the end of the spring break, and closer to the new semester, I planned to buy some new clothes and other related things.

That's what I originally planned to do, but the situation had changed.

The first abnormal change came from behind me.

Right after that, another change struck me from the front.

"Can I take a little bit of your time?"

This started from me deciding where I should shop, to suddenly conversing with four adults.

Three of them looked like construction workers from their clothes, holding a clipboard.

However, the other person was Tsukishiro, who wore a suit and was clapping as he approached me.

After I stopped walking, Tsukishiro looked back to the three people behind him.

"About the construction work, just follow the plan we established earlier."

After Tsukishiro gave these instructions, the other adults walked away.

"Ayanokouji-kun, it seems like you're enjoying the spring break, just like everyone else."

I originally thought that he would speak to me mildly, but as he opened his mouth, sarcasm poured out.

"Do you have business with me, Acting Director Tsukishiro?"

"Oh no, it seems like I am not welcomed."

Tsukishiro obviously knew that, but deliberately spoke a little louder. Although it was not loud enough for a passerby to hear, it was enough to show that it was deliberate.

"It's because chatting with the director would attract unwanted attention. I think that a powerless student like me should lurk in the shadows."

I want to find out what his intention was as soon as possible.

At the same time, I was also concerned about the situation with Matsushita-san, who was following me from behind.

"I'll ask you again, what business do you have with me?"

Although, at this distance, she shouldn't be able to hear the contents of the conversation. But it might still cause her to speculate on this needlessly.

"Regarding what my business is, I'll tell you when I want to. You might find it hard to accept, but please try to endure. Do you mind?"

It's impossible that Tsukishiro actually cared about my feelings.

It's better to say that he deliberately wanted to stall our conversation, as this was a location where crowds came and went.

"I understand. Take your time."

"Okay. Let's start by talking about the weather."

Clap. Tsukishiro clapped as he said this, but immediately squinted his eyes afterwards.

If this was done to see my reaction, it seemed too superficial.

It wasn't possible to affect me just by that.

"Just kidding. I have something to do right after so I'll get straight to the point."

Tsukishiro was quite clear about this.

It was very obvious that he deliberately tried to provoke me.

However, it looked like he indeed had something to say.

The school and the student. No matter what, their position cannot be reversed.

As long as I was still a student, I would not be able to rebel against him. Tsukishiro showed me this.

"How about this? Return to your father with this spring break being your last holiday."

Tsukishiro didn't care about the location in which we spoke, even though the contents of the conversation would be quite in depth.

However, even if this conversation was heard by the other students, it was not a problem for him.

Although it might be bad for me, it would not cause any harm to this man.

That being said——

"You must want to just ignore me and walk away. However, you'd better not. I have my position as director to withhold. If you treat me coldly, I will change my manner to correspond to that."

As if he was reading my thoughts, Tsukishiro smiled.

"Unfortunately for you, I have no intention to drop out of this school voluntarily."

"Do you dread going back to the White Room that much?"

"I'm enjoying my life here at this school, and I want to graduate from here as a normal student. There's no other reason for my behaviour."

"This truly is a good school. With the huge subsidies allocated by the government, they even built a shopping mall like this. Hundreds of millions of yen are spent here every year, used like water from a tap. But most of this country's citizens are stupid, after roughly hearing that these funds were being used to educate children, and agreed rashly."

Tsukishiro sighed, and ran his eyes over the interior of the Keyaki mall.

"Because of this, I have countless things I have to deal with. I'm the director of this school now, and that's why I'm so busy."

Tsukishiro had to act as a competent Chairman on the surface, so there were many things he had to do.

"Coming back to this- that girl following you, isn't that Matsushita Chiaki from your class?

Tsukishiro said this quietly, as he maintained his gaze on me.

"Although it was only a moment, I saw her hiding behind the wall. It seems like you're pretty popular."

Although Tsukishiro's gaze shouldn't have been on me just then, he was still observing very carefully. That is to say, that even while he was talking to the other adults, he still paid attention to his surroundings.

"I didn't expect you to memorise the names of the students in my class so quickly."

"Since she's your classmate, it's nothing special."

It seems like his way of attacking me was to shake my psyche up.

"I'm betting that this stems from the fact that she saw you give that answer in the mental arithmetic event. Aren't you feeling more and more restrained? You clearly want to spend your life at this school as an ordinary student, but it's getting harder and hard to do so now."

It felt like he was trying to force the impression of hating school onto me.

"I can endure it, if your attacks are only on this level."

"To be honest, I don't care about what you do. Rather, I'm pretty annoyed at how I'm wasting precious time dealing with such things."

"In that case, why don't you just pack your bags and give up? Noone's forcing you."

"Because your father doesn't allow it. If I disobey him, I can't survive in this world. After all, I want to climb up the social ladder as well."

Tsukishiro did not leave the conversation at that, and instead continued talking about the topic.

"Don't look at me with such a surprised face. You wanted my excuse, so you got it, eh?"

"Well, that's true."

"I've seen what you achieved in the White Room. You truly are an extraordinary child. You're just over 16 years old, but your ability is definitely abnormal. Even the adults around you can't match you in mind, body or skill. You're out of reach for them."

Tsukishiro shortened the distance between us, and a kind smile appeared on his face.

"Anyway, you spent a year at this school without many problems. Why not just let it go? That's the mature decision."

He meant that I should take my memories of the past year and go back to the White Room like that.

"I'm still a child, after all. I don't plan to let go of this so easily."

"Heh, do you really think you can escape from me?"

"I plan to resist until the end."

"There's an old saying, about how the frog in the bottom of the well doesn't know the ocean. You seem to have a tendency to overestimate yourself, so even though I gave you a chance, you fail to appreciate my kindness."

Tsukishiro spread his arms lightly.

"Although I don't know how it is at this school, you are definitely not Number 1. Among the students of the White Room after you, there have been several students who are equal, or even more powerful than you. You should understand that you're just another mass-produced person."

"If that's the case, there's no need to pay attention to me right?"

"If you were not the son of that man, that would be true. Your father really wants to bring you to a higher domain. Even if he looks like a cold person, that man is still your father. He firmly believes that you are an existence that can become a model, and lead the masses.

Tsukishiro did not conceal his dissatisfaction towards that man, but that was to show me the extent of his power and position right now.

"About the existence of the White Room, what do you think about it, Director?"

"What do I, think of it?"

"Your thoughts on whether the White Room's existence is necessary or not."

Since I was not going to bend my knee in this position, I wanted to make him tell me this.

"I am not obliged to answer."

"After hearing your answer, my thoughts may change after this."

"This is only my own opinion, but fine. If this is all it takes to change your mind, it'll be too easy."

Despite knowing that I was most probably lying, Tsukishiro still agreed.

"If you want to talk about that facility, it is necessary to understand its history. Did you know that the White Room was built 20 years ago?"

"Of course. After all, I am part of the fourth generation."

"Yes. As you know, the White Room started from the first year of the first generation's life, with new generations being formed annually. Each generation is educated under different leaders, and receives the corresponding education. Then, it is verified which group had the most effective education. Although only 19 generations have been nurtured due to last year's interruption… Hundreds of children have been trained under the White Room's education system."

Children of different generations wouldn't have seen each other. Although they were in the same facility, they did not know the appearance and names of anyone else.

"It seems like you're quite knowledgeable about the White Room."

"Just a bit, just a bit."

Tsukishiro was a figure closely related to my father, this conversation made that obvious.

He must have said it in order to make me understand that.

Sometimes, it seemed as if he was a small, irrelevant person. But if you changed your perspective, you would see that he was an important person.

He could change himself accordingly, according to the situation.

It was for this reason that he was given the heavy responsibility to be a spy.

"All children can grow to a certain level. However, trying to exceed that level has never been possible. The evidence is in this facility, which has been operating for nearly 20 years, and not a single child has been able to reach the target. That's true for everyone except you, but that was only 2 years ago."

Just how much money had been invested into the White Room?

A few hundred million yen should not be enough.

It turned out that I was the only one who reached that target. I couldn't help but feel that this project was a waste.

"How about the people who turned talented? What are these kids doing now?"

The part which I knew nothing about.

What were the people of my generation doing after having left, that was something I had no idea about.

Tsukishiro appeared to be a little surprised, but immediately understood.

"Sure enough, it's impossible for you to know where the children who left the facility went. Those children grew up beautifully and contributed to society——if that had happened, that's a thing to be grateful for. But so far, most of the children raised in that facility have their own problems, and so they cannot be put to good use. They will not last in that environment, their hearts have already been damaged.

Tsukishiro continued, adopting a helpless look.

]"Receiving a complete education straight from birth. If this can be achieved, Japan would experience growth the world has never seen before. However, this is not that simple. Under the influence of various mysterious factors, people's growth varies greatly. It is impossible to cultivate success by using the same method on everyone. But even so, we have managed to produce tangible results. Let's take the fifth and sixth generation as an example, among those who survived until the end, there are some with the potential of producing great results. All that is left is to perfect the system, and after that, the White Room may be an indispensable asset in the future. Your father's plan is very stupid——And also very frightening."

After Tsukishiro talked in a roundabout way, he finally came to a conclusion.

"In short, this is how I feel about the White Room. It's both stupid and frightening.

"Thank you for that long speech, I have benefited greatly from it."

"The demonic fourth-generation. With all of the students dropping out due to its excessively harsh education, there turned out to be only one surviving, the student who managed to pass the final course easily. I also see you as a valuable sample. In order to not discredit that shining record, I think it'd be best for you to return home."

Tsukishiro took out his phone, and handed it to me.

"Call your father now and say you want to drop out. This is the best method to protect your ego, and will also act as repayment to your father's love for you."

"Acting Director Tsukishiro, what you've said contained no lies, you have made the truth perfectly clear."

Whether if it was about the White Room, or about me.

And just like that, Tsukishiro let out a smile.

"My own depiction of you, Acting Director Tsukishiro, is that you're a man that hides his emotions by donning an iron mask. However, from today's conversation, I felt like you've taken off that mask.

In other words, he deliberately manipulates other people's impressions of him to give off a sense of authenticity to the contents of the conversation.

Therefore, his words were not credible. Instead, they were something like lies.

On the level of that man, there was no need to mix the truth with lies.

It should be easy for him to swear black was white, and swear white was black.

That is to say, even if his statement consisted of nothing but lies, he could say it in a way, so it sounded true.

"Seems like there is no way to gain your trust."

"Sorry."

"Good grief…"

"Acting Director Tsukishiro, isn't it better to give up now? If you fail to force me to drop out, you will lose my father's trust. Even if you only get reprimanded, I'd say it would be a wise choice to stop at this stage, or you may get humiliated.

"Thanks for your concern. However, those words are useless, because I will not fail."

Although I did not know what was the truth in his words, Tsukishiro let out a scary smile.

"Moreover, I am an adult. I am not afraid of momentary failure, even if you, by chance, force me out of this school, it does not matter. I will just be sent to carry out another job. Humiliation is not that big of a deal anyway."

"You helped my father because you were afraid of him, and yet you say you are not afraid of failure. Just which of those are your true thoughts?"

"Yes, which is it."

Tsukishiro, who had been fighting for decades at the top.

The evaluation of his iron mask might actually need to be higher than what I originally thought.

Since he was sent in by that man, he was not a tactless and impulsive person. I knew that for a fact.

"If you can't accept it, then it can't be helped. We'll fight instead."

"Yes."

Tsukishiro finally seemed to be satisfied, and distanced himself from me.

"It's about time. It would be rude to make others wait."

Maybe he was referring to the adults who left first.

"But since you don't plan on dropping out yourself, from today onwards, your life at this school will be difficult."

"Although I do want to live a peaceful school life, it seems like there's no way, I will be conscious of this."

Tsukishiro smiled, and just as he was about to leave, he made a proposal.

"Do you want to play a game, which would be advantageous for you?"

"A game?"

"When the next semester starts, I will make a child of the White Room enrol as a freshman."

I was originally thinking about what he was going to say, in the end, what he said was unexpected.

"Is it fine for you to tell me something like this?"

"No problem at all. You should have thought of the possibility of that kind of thing happening anyway. Our intent was to give this child a final ultimatum, so if you discover this child's identity, I will expel him."

This was a decision I did not need to do myself.

I memorised what Tsukishiro said, but I did not intend to believe him at all.

"It seems like you don't believe me. Do you think it's possible for me to send four or five people here? This school isn't so lax in its policies for me to send in multiple people, you're thinking about this too much."

"Whether you said it was one person or a hundred, I wouldn't believe it at all."

If he had the intention to send people here, that man would send as many as he liked.

I was clear that he was that sort of person.

"That might be true."

"But, how can I win in this little game of yours?"

"There's a total of 160 freshmen entering the school next year. If you can pick out the student from the White Room by the end of April, I'll give up. How about it? I'll make an exception and break the rules with that condition, eh?"

If this was true, it would indeed be considered an exception that broke the rules.

But if the troublesome Tsukishiro left, my burden would be reduced.

"There's no way I can believe that."

"You can be doubtful about it if you want, there's not much harm."

If we disregard possible damage to the mental state, it's true that there was no risk in it.

There would be no loss if I'd just accept the challenge.

"I understand. I'll play your little game, and I'll accept your words on the surface. But you seem quite confident in the ability of the White Roomstudent. I'm also confident in one thing."

"Eh? What thing?"

"The frog at the bottom of the well does not know the depths of the sea, but it knows the height of the sky."

"So you're saying… it is because of how much time you've spent in that small world known as the White Room, that you're able to understand the depth of that place more than anyone else, is that what you mean?"

It was the education I received in the White Room that gave me this unwavering confidence.

No matter how many children were taught in the same way, no one could reach this level.

Whether if it was the third generation student of the previous year or the younger fifth generation student, this stood the same.

Facing Tsukishiro, who kept casting tentative glances at me, I continued.

"There are definitely people who are even more excellent than I am in this world. There are as many as 7 billion humans living on the planet, after all. But the White Room is different."

In that world, there was no one better than me.

And with that confidence, I gave that answer.

"That pair of eyes- it's exactly the same as your father's. Those awful eyes containing the deep darkness. The depth in your eyes is the only thing those other excellent White Room students can't imitate."

It seemed like Tsukishiro understood that there was no point in continuing the conversation, so he turned around and started to walk away.

4

After he left, I wandered around Keyaki mall for a while again.

Temporarily forgetting about the situation with Tsukishiro would be fine for now.

The problem was the Matsushita that was concealing her presence and hiding behind me over there.

Although I could just ignore her, it would be a problem if she spread the word about the situation between the Acting Director and me.

After confirming that Matsushita was still following me, I decided to wait for an opportunity.

Why was she following me? I needed to confirm the reason for that.

Although this was unlikely, I must also consider the possibility that she was working for Tsukishiro.

I don't know if she was following me from the start, or sometime after that.

From this point alone, I distinguished it clearly.

If there were other issues I needed to consider, it would be where I should talk to her.

It was spring break at the Keyaki mall, and it was still morning, the time with the most people.

If I spoke to her here, it would be too conspicuous.

As I planned how I would start the conversation, I decided to resolve this matter as soon as possible.

One thing to be grateful about is the fact that Matsushita was my classmate.

Even if our conversation was seen by others, it would be regarded as an ordinary talk between classmates.

Speeding up slightly, and turning the corner, I prepared to ambush Matsushita.

If she did not follow me here, I would use Kei to deal with this.

After about 10 seconds, Matsushita turned around the corner to catch up with me.

"Whoah!?"

It seemed like she did not expect me waiting for her here, letting out a surprised voice.

If she wasn't following me, she wouldn't have made such an overreaction.

"What business do you have with me?"

I asked that, while Matsushita placed her hand on her chest to calm down her intense heartbeat.

"What business, what do you mean?… Although that's what I'd like to say, it seems like I've been exposed."

It seems like after seeing my attitude, she determined that using a random excuse in this situation wouldn't work.

But why did she follow me anyway?

That part was what truly mattered.

If she just wanted to greet me normally, there was no need for her to conceal herself and follow behind me.

"Well, there's a reason, so I followed you around, Ayanokouji-kun."

After Matsushita confirmed that there was no one around, she admitted that she was tailing me.

My relationship with Matsushita was not very deep.

But if you observed Matsushita's behaviour, you would find that she was quite alert. This was probably because she didn't want her real thoughts to be seen through, which would also explain the reason she wanted to follow me.

"What do you think the reason I'm following you is?"

This wasn't just a simple question, it was obviously meant as a psychological attack."

It seemed she really did want to ask me something after this.

"I don't know, I don't understand this at all. When did you start following me?"

I would not tell her when I noticed that she was following me.

While answering her questions, I also asked her questions myself.

"Just now, right-"

"Just now?"

In order to prevent Matsushita san from asking extra questions to avoid answering me, I asked her another question.

If she was given the chance, she would definitely ask me "When did Ayanokouji-san notice?"

"When that… Oh right, when you were talking to Acting Director Tsukishiro."

Matsushita-san mixed in lies, but also admitted that she saw me talking to Acting Director Tsukishiro.

Shortly after, Matsushita-san slightly lowered the corner of her mouth. It seems that she noticed her mistake.

Actually, I've already set up a trap here, if she was curious about my relationship with Acting Director Tsukishiro, she would have no choice but to ask me a question about this.

"I saw you talking with Acting Director Tsukishiro, what actually happened?"

"It seems like Keyaki mall is about to undergo renovation, that's why he was asking students which facilities we would be happy with if built, and similar questions. He just chose to ask me by chance.

"Oh? I see…"

Matsushita-san, who claimed to have started following me during my conversation with Acting Director Tsukishiro, might've planned to use information from what happened before the conversation to her advantage. However, it had the opposite effect. Since she saw the workers following Acting Director Tsukishiro, she would most likely believe me.

"So, what's your question?"

I don't have any questions. There's just some things on my mind."

After saying this, Matsushita-san started to reveal the true reason for following me.

About the end of year exam… Ayanokouji-kun was the commanding tower, right?"

So that's it. Having heard this sentence, I understood the reason why Matsushita-san wanted to contact me.

"During the speed mental math event, the answer you gave me was exactly the same as the answer Koenji-kun gave."

It would be hard to say that this happened by chance.

"During junior high school, I did quite a lot of speed mental math, so I'm quite good at it.

"Me too, but you aren't on the level of "quite good", I think that you're good enough to participate at the national level."

As soon as I finished speaking, Matsushita-san immediately replied.

It seemed like she didn't like the fact that I blocked her first move.

"That's just an event that I'm relatively good at. To be honest, I've participated in national competitions before."

"…Is that true?"

"Yes, It seems that the sudden appearance of an event I'm good at led to your misunderstanding.

'But, shouldn't you have mentioned this earlier?"

"That's true, but do you know my personality? I'm not someone who can announce this in the middle of the class. Also, I was given a protection point by chance which led to me stepping up as the commanding tower. Not to mention, our opponent was Class A's Sayakanagi-san. Even if I'm good at speed mental math, I don't know how much I could help, so I felt uneasy."

No self confidence equalled poor communication skills. That was the impression my classmates had on me.

"That…. might be true."

Although she felt that it was indeed trustworthy, Matsushita didn't want to accept it, and took it to the next step.

"I… I saw it. The scene of Ayanokouji-kun and Hirata-kun, talking together on a bench."

She should be talking about the time when Hirata was alone during the Class Vote.

I didn't have eyes on my back, so I didn't know someone was watching.

However, there was no need to panic because of this.

Even if someone saw that scene at that time from a distance, it wasn't something that unexpected.

"Even though I stayed in the distance because I thought I would be discovered if I came any closer, I think I saw him crying."

Witnessing that scene and quickly processing what it meant, it seemed like she collected a certain amount of data.

Matsushita's intentions gradually became obvious.

Judging by her words and her actions, believing that she had nothing to do with Tsukishiro should be fine.

"Back then, during the second day, Hirata returned to class, so shouldn't this be more than just a pure coincidence?"

I thought she was an ordinary student, but she was unexpectedly acute.

It was worth nothing that she was telling these things to me.

It didn't seem like she was here because she couldn't keep those thoughts to herself.

Although it could be labeled as just pure curiosity…

From her subtle actions, you could see that this was just a pretence, so in other words, she had her own private reason for getting involved with this. Judging from Matsushita's words and actions today that were logical, this wouldn't be a sudden whim of hers. Instead, she would have planned this in advance to get into contact with me, and then bring up this topic. Maybe her decision to take action today was because she saw me wandering around Keyaki mall by myself.

"National level speed mental arithmetic, plus your running speed, and on top of that, consoling Hirata during the Class Vote. By considering all these points… Ayanokouji-kun, are you holding back? In fact, whether it be academically or physically, you're more capable than what you are showing, right?"

This was deliberate contact with me, who had a weak existence, and also trying to lead me to say certain things.

It seems she tried to contact me because she doubted my abilities.

This was completely different from the impression I got from Matsushita who had been my classmate for a year now.

I quickly came to a conclusion, deciding to address the main topic.

"Are you doing this because you want me to assist you in reaching Class A?"

"…So you admit it?"

It seemed like Matsushita-san felt a certain amount of dread after my straightforward confession.

"It does seem like I'm indeed holding back."

"Why? Isn't it good to achieve good grades at this school?"

Matsushita-san, who believed she had the upper hand, started to question and criticize me.

"It's because I don't like… attracting attention. If all of a sudden my grades randomly rose, then won't I have to help teach the others? I'm not really good at doing that. The same goes for athletics."

"So that's how it is."

Similar to Matsushita-san who hid her abilities. There were probably some parts of my excuse which was the same with her, resulting in her being able to understand very well. So she believed my words.

"Please make more contributions to the class in the future. If you do actually have the strength, I want you to use it. This is for leading our class to victory. If your strength is genuine and if you have what it takes to be a leader, I can vouch for you, Ayanokouji-kun."

Her thoughts were similar to Horikita's. If you had the strength, then use it honestly.

"I happen to think so too."

"Eh?"

It seemed that she didn't expect me to willingly cooperate with her, so Matsushita-san let out a surprised sound.

"But please do not expect too much from me. I have already exerted around 70-80% of my total strength. Even with all my strength, I don't have the same academic and athletic ability as Hirata does."

Henceforth, I intended to put my school life to the side.

Right now, I have to be accepted by Matsushita-san to a certain extent.

By telling her about how I hid my abilities, it gave her the impression that I had no more secrets.

Then, without even having to mention it to me, I noticed that Matsushita-san was also hiding her strength.

Of course, she would also feel as if she was in a dominant position in this psychological warfare, thinking that they had already calculated my provisional strength.

"Wait, just now, you said you were using 70-80% of your strength… Is that true?"

There should be nothing for Matsushita-san to reference in order to confirm that my strength was above Hirata-kun. However, I was asked, to confirm if it was true or not.

"Mhm."

Even though I nodded my head to confirm, Matsushita-san didn't seem to accept it.

"Then what about the situation with Karuizawa-san?"

"What do you mean?"

"…The fact that she broke up with Hirata-kun should have something to do with you."

"Where did you hear of this?"

"That's what I think personally… I think there has to be some sort of connection."

It seemed that Matsushita-san had already done a pretty thorough investigation beforehand, and that's why she couldn't simply accept it.

The confidence in Matsushita-san's expression suddenly disappeared.

"Why does Karuizawa-san think you're so special… so much that it led to her breakup with Hirata-kun? Please tell me why."

"The reason for that, huh…"

Since I was below Hirata in status, Karuizawa's motives were hard to accept.

"Are you going to say that she doesn't see you as someone special?"

"…I'm guessing that she does."

Hearing what I said, Matsushita nodded gently as she accepted it.

"Sure enough, you, Ayanokouji-kun, need to be more-"

"No… How should I say this, I feel like you're misunderstanding something."

"Misunderstand? But I asked you because I'm extremely confident in this."

"It's true that my relationship with Karuizawa… isn't ordinary."

"That's why I wanted to know about your true strength, Ayanokouji-kun."

"No, that-"

"We got to this part already, so why don't you just tell me anyway?"

"That's not the case, how can I say this, it's a bit difficult to put this into words."

As I was stammering around, my gaze escaped and focused on a faraway place.

Facing Matsushita who still refused to let this go, I had to continue talking.

"It's a bit hard to say. No, well, not really… Well, I feel like it's simply from the influence of from how I conveyed to Karuizawa that I liked her. Instead of saying that I'm special to her, it's better to say that she has a sort of strange awareness towards me."

'Eh…?'

"…Eh?"

The two of us looked at each other.

"Isn't it because Karuizawa-san noticed your strength, and that's why she thinks you're special?"

"That should not be related at all."

"But- I don't think that it's as simple as just conveying your good intentions that would make someone else think you're special."

I shortened the distance between Matsushuta, and grabbed her shoulders.

It seemed like Matsushita didn't expect that I would suddenly grab her, and couldn't help but be dumbfounded.

I firmly caught her gaze and said this.

"Matsushuta, I like you. Please date me."

"What–!"

Matsushita's brain probably panicked for a moment, but I quickly released my hands.

"If you were confessed to like this, no matter what the result was, could you ignore it?"

"It-it's a joke, ah. So that's how it is, so that's how it…ah."

If I let her experience it directly, I could make her understand what I said before without her knowing.

After being confessed to seriously by the opposite sex, as long as you were not extremely averse to them, you would be somewhat aware of them to a certain extent. This was obvious.

"I think her breaking up with Hirata was entirely a coincidence. And I only conveyed my feelings to her after they broke up anyway."

Because I hadn't confessed yet, Matsushita had no way to confirm the truthfulness of the sequence of things.

"… So that's it, that's the situation. I'm sorry I followed you."

"I've got one request, my thing with Karuizawa-"

"I know. I won't tell anyone, no matter what."

It couldn't be said that she accepted my response 100%.

But, this matter can be stopped for a while, as I've provided her with this much information.

After all, the thing between Kei and me, she couldn't just casually talk about it with anyone.

If something related to this made me unhappy and refused to cooperate, it would only hurt Matsushita as well.