Hearing the conversation, Chabashira Sae sharply turned her gaze toward them.
Upon realizing it was just a boy and girl talking, her expression shifted slightly before she silently stood and walked away from the bench.
The atmosphere grew awkward.
Kaoru watched as a few white butterflies fluttered out from the flowerbed beside the path, gliding gracefully past the girl before him.
Perhaps for ease of movement, her hair was tied up high, revealing the delicate nape of her neck, where a faint shadow of sunlight lingered against her flawless, pure-white skin.
"Does Nagumo-senpai believe someone leaked information from the class?"
"Though I don't want to think any of our comrades would do such a thing, there's no other reasonable explanation."
"Asahina-senpai trusts her classmates, but… I won't reveal who it was."
"..."
Asahina remained silent for a long while.
Kaoru glanced toward Chabashira, who had noticed his gaze.
Her cold, beautiful face turned away as she nonchalantly left the bench.
"I'm not forcing you to tell me. I just find it hard to believe. After fighting alongside each other for over a year… why would someone betray everyone?"
More than losing to Class 2-B, Asahina was far more troubled by the idea that someone in her class had abandoned them.
She couldn't comprehend the reason.
When Nagumo Miyabi coldly announced to the entire class that he would uncover the traitor and deliver the harshest punishment—even expulsion—she had tried to persuade him to show mercy.
But Nagumo had dismissed her with cold indifference.
Especially when, in front of the whole class, he had asked her:
"Are you trying to help Mitoma fight against me?"
Asahina Nazuna was instantly overwhelmed by a surge of intense humiliation.
Had all these years of companionship not been enough for them to understand her?
How could she possibly help Kaoru go against her childhood friend?
Even when she had recently spotted Kaoru scouting her class, Asahina had immediately confronted him.
The only reason she let him go was because forcibly detaining him would have been pointless.
Thus, Asahina decisively left the classroom, deliberately avoiding the main path and walking alone into this secluded alley.
"Betrayal is indeed shameful, but have you ever considered, Asahina-senpai, why someone would still betray others despite having their trust?"
Asahina froze slightly, her previously muddled mind gradually clearing.
"Was there a reason that made betraying everyone necessary?"
"Or perhaps a reason that made betraying Nagumo-senpai necessary."
"Betraying Miyabi…" Asahina quickly recalled something. "Are you trying to stop Miyabi's reckless behavior?"
"That reason is too righteous. Aside from the student council president, I doubt anyone else has such noble intentions." Kaoru chuckled.
"For example, my reason for opposing Nagumo-senpai is simple—I also want to act freely here, so I can't allow anyone to be more unrestrained than me."
Asahina couldn't see his expression, but she could easily imagine it.
She couldn't help but press her lips together.
"What an outrageously arrogant kouhai."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"Even so, I still find it infuriating."
As she spoke, Asahina turned around, her gaze landing squarely on Kaoru.
He was exceptionally tall, with a perfectly proportioned body—no less striking than a magazine model.
Coupled with his youthful, delicate features, he could easily rival some of the most popular idols.
The words she had intended to say suddenly died in her throat.
After a brief silence, Asahina murmured.
"I shouldn't be meeting you privately. People might misunderstand and think I'm getting involved in your conflict."
"I understand." Kaoru nodded.
Asahina was momentarily taken aback.
She had expected him to hastily deny her words or show disappointment, but his response was nothing more than this indifferent acknowledgment.
A flicker of hesitation crossed her mind—had Kaoru actually never been interested in her?
At this realization, Asahina quietly let out a sigh of relief.
She and Nagumo Miyabi had clearly overthought things.
Then, a weight seemed to press against her chest.
There was nothing between them to begin with, yet Nagumo Miyabi kept suspecting her—didn't she even have the space for normal social interactions?
It was almost laughable how Nagumo, who flirted around freely himself, wanted to control her social circle.
"Actually, Asahina-senpai, you don't need to mind my thoughts. If you want to involve yourself in our fight, that's fine. You can side with Nagumo-senpai as much as you like, even spy on me for information. I won't do anything to you."
Asahina Nazuna froze, staring at Kaoru before her, wondering if she had misheard him.
"If there's anything Asahina-senpai wants to know, I can tell you everything except the most crucial parts." Kaoru paused, then added.
"Actually, I might even share the crucial parts—depends on my mood."
"W-Wait, are you joking?" Asahina forced a smile.
This was absurd.
"Not at all. Didn't Asahina-senpai say you wanted to be friends with me?" Kaoru replied matter-of-factly.
"Since we're friends, telling you doesn't matter."
"What if Miyabi and I make you regret this for life?"
The words left her mouth before she could think—her mind was blank.
"I considered this possibility when I decided to befriend you… No, more accurately, I just wanted to be friends with you. That's enough for me."
Asahina could feel how stiff her expression was.
If he had phrased it slightly differently, this scene, these lines—it could've easily been mistaken for a confession.
What should she do? Should she fend him off with the composure of an upperclassman?
No, no, no, no—she needed to stay calm.
He hadn't confessed, and she hadn't brought up the topic either.
She had to steer the conversation back immediately!
"Heh… hehehe, Mitoma-kun, do you really think we aren't friends yet?" Asahina let out a dry laugh.
"Besides, I have no intention of cutting ties with a cute kouhai like you. If anything, I'm more worried about whether you mind my relationship with Miyabi."
"I don't mind. Childhood friends, right?" Kaoru said. "Didn't you mention you two have known each other since elementary school?"
At this, Asahina relaxed slightly, unconsciously touching the omamori tied around her wrist.
Softly, she murmured, "Fate is a strange thing. Sometimes you think you've missed your chance, but destiny makes you look back—things you thought were gone suddenly return."
"It really is strange." Kaoru fished a die from his pocket.
"Senpai, want to test your luck?"
Asahina stared at the die in his hand, puzzled.
Test her luck?
"This is a luck-boosting die. Whatever number you roll, your luck will multiply by that much."
What Kaoru held was the 「Lucky Die」—though its uses had long been exhausted.
Now, it was nothing more than an ordinary trinket.