IT WAS FRIDAY after school, one day after the special exam was announced.
Following our previous class discussion during lunch yesterday, there hadn't been any meetings with the class as a whole, so no action pertaining to the exam was taken.
Bearing the responsibility for leading the class, I hoped that Horikita had made progress in her strategies and ideas overnight. I didn't know the details, but she hadn't attempted to get in touch.
There was still a week left, so there was no need to rush. I'd like her to think it through.
"Ayanokōji-kun… umm, do you have a moment?"
Mii-chan called out to me as I was getting ready to leave the classroom alone.
Kei had already made plans to hang out with friends until late this weekend, so she was already gone.
Therefore, I was completely free at the moment and could afford to spare the time.
"What's wrong?"
"I'd like to talk somewhere else if possible... not in this classroom."
Although no students around us seemed to be bothered, Mii-chan didn't seem comfortable here.
From her demeanor, it seemed like it was about something serious.
"I see. How about on our way back to the dorms?"
"Of course!"
With no other reason to stay in the classroom, I grabbed my bag and we headed out.
There was no need to find somewhere empty.
The corridor and entrance were bustling with students after school, filled with noise.
"So, what's up?"
Upon my prodding, Mii-chan glanced around as if to ensure it was safe, then started speaking.
"Do you remember when I was absent from school for a while? It's... embarrassing to say, but it was about Hirata-kun... Well..."
That was from late September, after Kushida revealed in the unanimous voting exam that Mii-chan had a crush on Hirata.
"Did something happen in relation to that?"
"I heard that someone was delivering food while I couldn't go out... ""I remember. Someone was generously sending you meals, right?"I recalled when I was asked if I was the one delivering food to Mii-chan.
"I've mentioned it to you before, Ayanokōji-kun, and I wanted to ask for your help..."
"I see..."
A considerable amount of time had passed, but if she was bringing it up now, it meant—
"Did you find out who it was?"
"Uh, I haven't yet, but I think we can find out if we try..."
"We can find out if we try?"
Repeating her words, Mii-chan nodded and started to speak slowly.
Even after mustering the courage to return to school, it seemed that Mii-chan was still concerned about the person who supported her. I thought she had given up on that, but she seemed persistent and wished to express her gratitude.
There were two clues. The first was a note in a bag of groceries, containing only the room number; this hinted that it was a gift for Mii-chan.
If the handwriting was distinctive, it could be a crucial clue. Unfortunately, this was a curveball.
Mii-chan had brought the paper here for me to see, however, it was intentionally written in a way that made it impossible to identify the writer.
"The person who gave you these gifts is quite cunning."
"Indeed."
There was only one remaining method to pursue the piece of evidence.
It was true that all the food was purchased from the convenience store.
Mii-chan had noted every single item she had received.
This meant we could describe these items to the store clerk and find out if any students had purchased the same things.
Asking the convenience store staff was a classic move when trying to find the gift-giver. But as time went by, their memory would inevitably fade, which meant we should move quickly.
I had assumed that Mii-chan wouldn't know about this, but I was surprised upon hearing her answer.
"I tried talking to the store clerk at the convenience store about it as soon as
I returned to school."
The response I got back wasn't good.
The clerk Mii-chan asked had just been assigned to the convenience store and wasn't working at the time the gifter made their purchases. The manager who would have been working during that time had been transferred to another store.
A detective would probably look at the surveillance footage, but of course, I couldn't do that.
"I tried asking the girls on my floor as well, but they had no idea. That's when I decided to give up for a while."
When there weren't any clues, there was nothing an ordinary student could do.
"I guess you would've had no choice then."
"Yeah..."
So time passed with the details still unknown.
However, some unexpected information came to Mii-chan, who was facing a dead end.
When she visited a convenience store to shop the other day, a clerk called out to her.
The transferred shift leader and the current clerk working at the school happened to meet, and the clerk remembered what Mii-chan had been concerned about and explained it to him. He hadn't expected it, but because the event happened just before the transfer, he remembered a student who might be relevant.
Consequently, the clerk apparently tried to tell Mii-chan the name of the student that the manager had told them.
However—
"I got caught off guard, or rather, I was shaken by the unexpected news, and I said I'd come back later to hear the details, and ran away."
"You ran away?"
"I... ran away..."
Only Mii-chan would know why she ran away in that situation.
"By the way, when did you hear of this?"
"Um... that..."
Her obvious difficulty in answering indicated that it wasn't very recent.
"...Today is the sixth day."
"You've been running away for quite a while."
"I've... been running..."
She turned red with embarrassment, or rather, shame at her pathetic self.
"I think I should go soon, but... I get nervous... If I don't know who it is, I can just ignore it, but once I know, I can no longer feign ignorance. Most importantly, the person who gave the gifts hasn't come forward, so there's a chance they don't want it to be known, right?"
She must have always wanted to thank the gifter, even if she didn't know who they were.
But since she didn't know their identity, she was convinced that there was nothing she could do about it.
The more time passed, the more she must have thought that way.
"Well, that's true."
They supported Mii-chan from the shadows without revealing their identity.
It wouldn't be surprising if they had reasons to remain unknown.
"What reasons could there be?"
"There could be many reasons."
It would be impossible to narrow down the reasons with the current information at hand.
"Though, I'm sure they're a classmate... I don't have that many friends, but I don't think they'd hide it from me. I can't figure out why..."
Mii-chan seemed to be pondering who among her friends it could be.
Of course, one could hardly expect a stranger to send a gift.
"That's just one of the possibilities— No, never mind."
"What is it? Please tell me."
I hesitated, considering that it might be too much for her, but Mii-chan was eager to know.
"Please tell me."
She asked again, so I decided to continue.
"Sorry to challenge your assumptions, but it doesn't necessarily have to be a classmate. While it wasn't known why you were absent, it wasn't difficult to find out about your absence."
"But I hardly have any contact with people from other classes..."
"That doesn't matter much. A close relationship isn't a prerequisite. And it doesn't have to be a girl."
"Eh, what?"
She looked flabbergasted; she had even less interaction with boys.
"To be blatant, there might be, for example, a boy who secretly likes you, right? It could be a situation where he was worried when his crush was absent and sent a gift."
"Eeh!? What!?"
She nearly fell over in surprise. She tried to remain discreet, but she was drawing attention.
Realizing this, she quickly slowed her breathing but was noticeably flustered.
"It's just one possibility, no need to get flustered."
It might not necessarily be the case. I was just illustrating a possible, yet unexpected reason.
"W-w-w-w-w-well yes, you're right!?"But she was far from calm.
I guess it was an unnecessary assumption to make.
"Let's get back on track. It would be better to hear your decision, don't you think?"
Even though I mostly had a grasp of her reasoning, I thought it would be better to hear it from Mii-chan herself.
"I'm not sure what to do at this point. Should I find out who it is? Should I thank them?"
"It would be best to make a decision now."
Mii-chan nodded slightly, without much confidence.
"What would you do in this situation, Ayanokōji-kun?"
"What would I do, huh…?"
Though I pondered a bit, I might as well answer honestly.
"I'm not sure if it'll help, but if it were me, I'd want to know who they are.
And then, I would decide whether to approach them or not."
"So you're saying there's a possibility you might not thank them even if you knew who they were?"
"That's if it were me. As in the previous example, if the person had no connection to me, I'd hesitate. And there are cases when it's better not to let them know you've been looking into it, right?"
"I guess that makes sense."
They had secretly helped the one they loved.
If she came to say thank you after learning their identity at the store, it would be shocking.
This was the case even without involving romance.
"When the other party wants to maintain their secrecy, it's even more troublesome."
"...Yes."
"Furthermore, whether you can keep quiet even after knowing the person's identity is another matter. From what I've seen, I don't think this approach is right for you, Mii-chan."
"That… Yes…"
If she knew the answer, she'd probably fail to hide her emotions.
"It's not a bad thing to give up."
"Even so…"
However, Mii-chan feels guilty for not being able to thank the person who had helped her.
She was once again reminded of the feelings she had been trying to suppress.
Even if she chose not to learn their identity, her feelings would take a long time to fade.
"Once you open the Pandora Box, you can't close it anymore."
Considering Mii-chan's emotional instability, it was no surprise that she decided to run away.
Furthermore, deciding not to learn of their identity has its own positive aspect.
Knowing the identity of Daddy-Long-Legs will change the perception of the person, regardless of who they are.
(TL NOTE: this expression typically means mysterious benefactor or guardian)"I…"
The troubled Mii-chan took her time to come up with an answer.
"I… I want to know…"
"Even though it might lead to regret?"
"...Yes."
Having decided, there was no room for me to say otherwise.
"Then you should go to the convenience store."
Despite my response, Mii-chan still seemed hesitant, looking my way.
"..."
"..."
The air was filled with a strange tension, but it was clear what Mii-chan was trying to convey.
"Shall we go to the convenience store together?"
"C-Can we?"
Despite having prepared to learn the truth, she seemed unable to go alone.
"I can accompany you. If it gives you a bit of courage, I believe it's worth
it."
"Th…Thank you, Ayanokōji-kun!"
With the strongest nod of the day, Mii-chan and I walked to the convenience store.
1
Mii-chan and I reached the convenience store almost immediately.
I was about to enter the store first, but Mii-chan pulled on my sleeve.
"Could you wait a bit…? It seems there are other students around as well."
"You want to wait until no one is around?"
"It's unlikely, but the person who helped me might be here."
"I see."
Those were delicate words, typical of Mii-chan. It would only be right to consider them.
Even though a lot of students visited the convenience store on weekends, they usually stayed for a short period of time.
After waiting for a while, the store was empty in a flash.
"Shall we go in?"
"Y-Yes!"
If we idle around, the next customer will arrive.
We quickly walked into the store.
"Welcome—Ah."
The employee was a woman in her 20's, someone I had seen often lately. Seeing Mii-chan, she stopped mid-sentence but continued with a smile.
"Welcome."
"Hello. Um, I'm sorry for running away the other day!" As she quickly bowed, the lady staff smiled kindly.
"It's okay, it's okay, I'm not bothered at all. It must have been scary, right?"
It seemed like she understood her inner turmoil, and Mii-chan nodded several times.
"Did your boyfriend encourage you to come here?"
"Eh?"
Mii-chan, looking up, was puzzled.
"What a cool boyfriend, I'm jealous."
"Eh, eh, eh? M-my boyfriend?"
"That's Ayanokōji-kun… right?"
"Why do you know my name?"
"Well, we use student cards for store transactions, so I ended up remembering the names of some students."
Indeed, we used a student card, containing a name and photo, for checkout.
Since I shopped here several times, it wouldn't be surprising that they remembered me.
"Also—you were shopping arm in arm with a different student, weren't you? The other day… Ah!?"
"Your reaction seems to indicate that you've noticed something, but your assumption is wrong. She's my friend."
When I pointed at Mii-chan and answered, Mii-chan also nodded affirmatively.
"Oh, so that's it. But there might be a chan—"
"There isn't!!"
For the first time, Mii-chan strongly denied it.
I didn't have any romantic feelings for her, but why did I feel a bit dejected?
Mii-chan, who likes Yōsuke, definitely wouldn't want her to misunderstand.
"So, um, the person I was looking for..."
"Ah, yeah. Should I tell you? Is that okay?"
The store clerk confirmed kindly out of consideration for Mii-chan's feelings.
"Yes. I came for that reason."
"I see. I'll tell you then."
After taking a breath, the clerk revealed the person Mii-chan had been searching for.
"The previous shift leader didn't remember his name, but he was very distinctive, so when I heard about him, it rang a bell. Someone from your class, Kōenji... um, Rokusuke-kun, I guess. He seemed to be the one that bought the items that matched what you brought in."
"Huh...?"
The name of the person who gave the gift—a fact she longed to discover.
It was Kōenji, of all people?
Why Kōenji?
Mii-chan next to me was undoubtedly surprised, or rather, flabbergasted.
An unexpected name. Too unexpected.
...Or maybe it wasn't as surprising as I first thought?
Kōenji and Mii-chan had little contact together.
But there were times when I saw Kōenji taking a relatively warm attitude towards Mii-chan.
That on its own wouldn't seem significant, however, the person in question was Kōenji.
"He… Was it really Kōenji-kun?"
The clerk nodded without a doubt to her drained question.
"The shift leader remembered him as a long-haired, blond boy. He was always acting high and mighty, even losing himself in the reflection of the convenience store glass, or setting his hair with a hand mirror. And… The list goes
on and on, but this is Kōenji-kun, right? I've seen him act that way too." That was definitely Kōenji.
No one else like him exists at our school, not at this moment.
And probably never will.
"There seems to be no mistake."
"Yeah, even the contents of the gift are like Kōenji. It makes sense now.""Yes..."
She couldn't fully take in the situation, but she had no choice but to accept
it.
She thanked the clerk and left the convenience store.
Mii-chan was still in a daze after leaving. She seemed stuck in her thoughts.
"Kōenji-kun...? Why?"
"I have no idea. In a way, it was the person whose motives would be the least clear."
"What should I do…?"
Is she wondering about how to thank him, or is she at a loss because it's Kōenji?
"But maybe with Kōenji, you can ignore him and not thank him?"
"Eh, what!? No, I can't!"
"But why?"
"Well... He's our classmate, and he also spent a considerable amount of money on the gifts."
Kōenji might've held a huge amount of Private Points, but money was still money.
Mii-chan, being so dutiful, couldn't ignore that.
"I'm thinking of buying a thank-you gift. Should it be roughly equivalent to what was spent on the gifts?"
"That's too much. I think half would do."
It was a gift of goodwill after all, as long as the sentiment of gratitude was conveyed, that should be enough.
"O-Okay, got it. I'll do that."
"Then all that's left is to do your best in thanking him properly."
I was about to say goodbye and start walking alone when—"Would you come with me?"
"Pardon?"
"To… Kōenji-kun's place."
"Asking why would be a bit too much. But it would be strange for me to be there, wouldn't it?"
While I wanted to support the timid Mii-chan, it did feel a bit out of place.
Moreover, I didn't know why Kōenji decided to help in the first place.
"What if your assumption is correct? No matter how much you say that you're dating Kei, he might have thoughts if he sees a guy accompanying the girl he likes."
"But the person in question is Kōenji-kun, right?"
"Even Kōenji is a normal high school boy... No, he's not exactly normal, is he…"
If my presence would disturb him, that would be something I'd like to see.
"Well then, let's go together for now. Depending on the situation, I might leave after seeing Kōenji. I hope you understand."
The possibility of him being uncomfortable because of my presence was very real.
"I understand. Thank you."
Seemingly unable to ask for more, Mii-chan readily agreed.
"When should we go?"
After I asked her, Mii-chan pulled out her mobile phone and opened the calendar.
Perhaps she was feeling uneasy, occasionally lightly touching the hair tie in her left hand.
"It's sudden, but would it be alright if we go early tomorrow? If we wait too long, I might have trouble sleeping..."
It would be cruel to let her stay up all night with her mind filled with thoughts of Kōenji.
I have a date with Kei tomorrow morning, but it should work out if we adjust our schedule.
"Thank you for today. We'll be meeting again tomorrow, but for now, please have my most heartfelt thanks."
With that, she bowed her head deeply.
She wanted to express her gratitude again once everything was resolved, but I had already refused.
2
The following day arrived. It was just before 11:30 a.m. on a Saturday morning.
I was waiting on the dorm lobby couch for my meeting with Mii-chan.
Kei, who had stealthily stayed over in my room Friday night and spent the early hours of the morning with me, was fast asleep. I was planning to delay our originally scheduled date for the afternoon.
Seeing Mii-chan come down the elevator from the installed monitor, I stood up from the deeply seated sofa.
"Good morning."
"Good morning, Ayanokōji-kun."
She held a thank-you gift, presumably purchased the day before, in a paper bag.
"So? Where are you meeting up with Kōenji?"
"Eh?"
"Eh? You're going to see Kōenji after this, right?"
"Yes."
"So you're meeting up with Kōenji, right?"
"...I'm not, actually..."
With Mii-chan's reply, the atmosphere around us froze. There was silence, and time passed. But I couldn't remain silent forever, so I resumed the flow of time.
"So, Kōenji knows nothing about today."
Mii-chan, who nodded in agreement, somehow looked like she was about to cry.
"Ah, that should've been the obvious course of action, isn't it? I wasn't thinking at all because of the nerves and tension and all that. I don't even have Kōenji-kun's contact information. I thought you had arranged it. I interpreted it arbitrarily... I'm really sorry!"
As she spoke, Mii-chan could no longer hold back her tears.
Luckily, there was no one in the lobby, but it would be troublesome if someone saw her.
"First of all, you should calm down. I'm not really close with Kōenji, but I do know where to find him."
"Really?"
Although there was no certainty, I knew there was a pretty good chance I could find him.
"I think if it's this time, Kōenji might be at the gym."
"...The gym? The one on the second floor of Keyaki Mall?"
"Yeah. I started going there recently myself. Kōenji often comes in on
Saturday and Sunday mornings."
I had seen him walking out after finishing his workout at noon several times.Seeing the bright outlook, Mii-chan recollected herself, and we set off for Keyaki Mall.
On the way, I glanced at Mii-chan, whose eyes were still slightly red, and thought, she's good at studying and has a quiet personality, but she's very weak and fragile when confronted with unexpected situations.
She wasn't exactly a rare type, not necessarily common, but certainly a high school girl who could be found anywhere.
That was why her connection to Kōenji was intriguing.
Although liking or disliking her is another matter, objectively, Mii-chan's appearance is much better than average.
Perhaps she happened to hit Kōenji's taste and was being secretly favored.
However, Kōenji didn't give the impression that he'd keep quiet about his preferred woman.
If anything, if there was someone he was interested in within the class, he seemed more likely to actively appeal to them.
It was a contradiction for a man with absolute confidence in himself to not approach the woman he was interested in. If this was true, it only proved that Kōenji didn't have that absolute confidence in himself.
—Or perhaps not.
Different strokes for different folks. Kōenji might claim that he preferred keeping his distance from the women he likes, and that was his way of showing affection. I thought about it in various ways, but still, I could only come to one conclusion.
Trying to read Kōenji's thoughts was just a waste of time.
In the end, the only way to understand his true intentions was to meet him in person and hear it from him.
I entered Keyaki Mall, which was already open for business, and headed straight to the second floor without any detours.
Then I had Mii-chan wait in front of the gym while I checked out the state of things inside.
"As expected, he's here."
As I anticipated, Kōenji was in the midst of training.
It looked like he was tackling the bench press, which he would most likely finish soon.
After all, Kōenji always ended his workouts with the bench press before leaving the gym.
Despite his exhaustion, he was managing a weight of 200 kilograms with a smile and a good amount of sweat.
I had to wonder if there was anyone else in their second year of high school capable of doing that with such ease.
At any rate, he was close to finishing. It was certain that he'd hit the showers next and leave soon after.
To avoid any awkward sightings, I quickly left the training room.
Upon exiting, I was approached by the gym staff member Akiyama-san, with whom I exchanged brief greetings and then left.
I had also promised to meet Mashima-sensei, but I could surely skip it for today.
"How was it?"
"I think he'll be out in about 20 or 30 minutes. If you don't mind, we could wait here."
"Y-yes."
After that, we sat on a bench near the entrance of the gym and waited.
"..."
"..."
Without much conversation between us, we just listened to the music playing inside Keyaki Mall.
"I'm starting to get a bit nervous."
As the time drew closer, she seemed to be sensing the anticipation.
"I have no idea how Kōenji will react after this."
"Neither do I..."
"By the way, what did you get him as a gift?"
"Umm, I wasn't sure what to get him, so I decided on a face towel and a hand towel."
"Wow… That's quite an off-the-wall gift."
"You might think so, but I thought it was something he would like. I regularly see Kōenji-kun using both."
"Is that so? I knew about the hand mirror, but I wasn't aware of this."
"Yes. I thought if it's a luxurious, organic cotton towel he might accept it, so… Oh…"
"That's quite a budget."
It seemed that Mii-chan hadn't been able to stick to my advice of giving a small gift.
"Uh… y-yes. I'm sorry..."
"How much was it?"
"Well… about ¥12,000."
So, it was about the same price as the total amount given or a little over that.
It was a situation that could have been anticipated given Mii-chan's personality.
"It's fine. I hope Kōenji likes it."
"Yes. I have to properly return the favor for his help."
Even though she was feeling tense and flustered, Mii-chan responded firmly. In the end, it might have been the right decision to choose a gift that was worth going over the budget.
When we'd waited nearly 40 minutes, longer than expected, Kōenji appeared from the gym.
"H-he came out."
From our view, Kōenji seemed to immediately notice us, but he made no change in his expression and crossed by us without saying a word. We seemed outside of his interest. Seeing his behavior, it was hard to believe that he harbored any affection towards Mii-chan or had been secretly supporting her.
However, from the testimony of the convenience store clerk, we were 99% certain it was Kōenji.
Therefore, the only option was to confirm the truth with him.
Mii-chan quickly got up from the bench and started chasing after Kōenji.
"Um, Kōenji-kun! Can I have a minute of your time!?!"
Mii-chan called out from behind him, causing Kōenji to stop in his tracks and elegantly turn to look back.
"Do you need something from me, Wang girl?"
"Eh, wang-what?"
Kōenji must have made a reference to Mii-chan's real name, Wang 王(ワン )Mei-Yui, calling her Wang girl, a nickname likely only Kōenji would use, leading to Mii-chan's confusion.
Mii-chan seemed unable to grasp the nickname, but she swallowed her confusion and steeled her resolve.
She tightly clenched the handles of the paper bag she held in front of her.
"I wanted to discuss something with you. Can I take a little bit of your time, please?"
Mii-chan addressed Kōenji with a polite, albeit soft, voice filled with determination.
Kōenji appeared to consider her request for a moment, then raised his arm briskly and shook his head.
"I'm sorry, but I'm a bit in a rush right now. Let's talk another time.
Hahaha."
With that, he laughed towards us, turned his back, and started walking away again.
"Oh, oh no..."
Mii-chan, who seemed to be the type to carefully consider things, was clearly flustered at being rejected by Kōenji in a way she hadn't anticipated. I found myself somewhat surprised too.
"What should we do now...?"
"Try again?"
"Oh... I needed a lot of courage to approach him this time... I might not get it back if I need to try again."
Surely it would be a high hurdle for Mii-chan to approach Kōenji in the same situation again. In that case, we had no choice but to push through it today.
"Then we should just follow Kōenji."
"But wouldn't that be a terrible bother?"
"Normally, yes. But if you can't try again, then no matter how much of a bother, we have to go ahead, right?"
If the nuisance is just someone walking around, fully clothed, I feel like he'd be unconcerned with it.
"What should we do? If we lose sight of him, we'll have no choice but to give up."
"What should we do…"
She couldn't make up her mind, hesitating between moving forward and stepping back.
It was clear from her demeanor that following Kōenji was her primary intention.
So should I continue to take the lead as I had been?
"I'll take responsibility if we're caught following him. Let's go."
"Ye-yes! Stealth tailing it is, then!"
And that was how we decided to tail Kōenji. Observing from a distance.
I didn't see the need for secrecy, but Mii-chan was eager, so I decided not to voice any unnecessary objections. I went downstairs as Kōenji went down the escalator, slowly checking the direction he was heading in and positioning Miichan behind me. Meanwhile, with his long stride, Kōenji continued deeper into the mall.
"Shouldn't we be in a hurry? We might lose him."
"It's fine if we do."
Everyone went to the mall on a daily basis. Most students had a mental map of the place.
Of course, there were several shops in Kōenji's path, but none had significant depth to their floors. A quick glance would reveal all the customers. At the very end was an open café area. Unless he used one of the several exit points prepared along the way, we had no worries of losing sight of him.
In terms of those exits, it would be faster to go back the way he came if he was heading home.
The probability of him needing to use a specific exit wasn't very high.
At the bottom of the stairs, I caught sight of Kōenji's retreating figure, now smaller in the distance.
"It seems like he's heading to the café. That makes it easier for us."
"Indeed."
After confirming from a distance that Kōenji had finished ordering and was holding a cup, I moved closer and noticed Kōenji and a female student sitting at a two-person table.
"Who's that?"
"That's Enoshima Midoriko from class 3-B."
"Do you know her?"
"I've only seen her in the OAA app. Let's get closer."
"But wouldn't Kōenji-kun see us if we get closer?"
"Well, we've been tailing him so far, but I wonder if it's really necessary."It should be just right for us to wait nearby until Kōenji's meeting is over.
Obviously, it would be worse to say that we were hiding and waiting for her to leave him alone.
Anyway, I wasn't interested in what they were talking about.
"At this point, I'd like to know what kind of conversations Kōenji-kun usually has."
However, Mii-chan seemed to have flipped a switch, appearing reluctant to be discovered.
"You mean eavesdrop?"
"I know it's wrong, but… He may not be honest about why he gave me the gift, and there might be clues in their conversation!"
No, I highly doubt there'd be any clues in his conversation with Enoshima, who seems completely unrelated...
"Let's keep tailing him!"
"If that will make you satisfied Mii-chan, then I have no objections. Let's move from this side."
While Kōenji was chatting with Enoshima, he probably wasn't paying attention to his surroundings. But if we entered his line of sight, we couldn't be sure that he wouldn't notice us. Mii-chan and I made a strategic exit from the mall through a side door and aimed to re-enter from the opposite side.
Although it took several minutes to circle around, Kōenji had just bought a drink, implying that he'd stay for a while.
However—
By the time we entered the mall and arrived at the café, Kōenji was nowhere to be found.
Only Enoshima was there, scrolling through her phone.
"Might he be in the bathroom?"
"...No. Kōenji's drink is missing. That can't be. He must have finished his business with Enoshima and left in that short span of time."
"So... Does that mean we can't meet him today?"
"That's what I thought, but there doesn't seem to be a need to rush."
We spotted Kōenji, who unabashedly showed himself returning the way he had come.
"Kōenji-kun!"
"Oh? Wang girl and Ayanokōji boy. You've come to chase after me again?
It's tough being popular. Hahaha."
A grand misunderstanding, but I suppose Kōenji must have finished his errands.
"Do you have a moment?"
Without time to stutter due to the rush, Mii-chan smoothly started the conversation.
His drink isn't with him. Did he finish it right away?
"Of course. My personal business finished quicker than expected."
He just had a short meeting with Enoshima-senpai. I couldn't even guess what they discussed.
"Was it you, Kōenji-kun... who left stuff from the convenience store in front of my door while I was absent from school...?"
The long-sought supporter. She was determining the reason behind his actions. Would Kōenji admit it honestly? Would he be surprised and bewildered?
Or deny it—
"It was me who gave you those items, but why does it matter?"Kōenji confidently affirmed without a hint of hesitation or dishonesty.
A very Kōenji-like demeanor, truly unexpected.
"Er, um, why... did you...?"
"Why? If someone is in trouble, I help them. Aren't you the same type of person?"
"...Eh?"
Reprising with a reasonable answer, Mii-chan was at a loss for words."If that answers your question, I guess you can leave now?"Mii-chan seemed at a loss for how to respond to his remark.
"Hold on. It might be none of my business, but there's something that bothers me. It's natural to help someone in trouble. But to be frank, from what I've observed of you, you don't help everyone. Yet, you helped Mii-chan. This has happened repeatedly, which suggests there's a special reason behind it."
In a probing manner, and with vague expressions, I tried to nudge him.
"You sure choose your words well, Ayanokōji boy. You won't let me get away with implying it was a whim. It's not like I helped Wang girl out on a whim. I detest hypocrisy. But that doesn't mean I disrespect goodwill. When I feel a sincere debt, I consider it natural to repay it. It's just that."
Even though Kōenji seemed to be uttering something cool, Mii-chan was obviously clueless about the situation. She was still frozen.
One thing was for sure, he didn't seem to have any unexpected romantic feelings for her.
"Are we done here?"
When Kōenji said that, time finally started moving again for Mii-chan, who had been frozen in place.
"...I, I don't remember doing anything for you. I don't think you owe me anything. According to what you said, it seems like I've helped you before..."
Apologetically but affirmatively, she questioned after understanding the situation. Kōenji lightly brushed back his hair.
"Hahaha!"
He cheerfully laughed.
"That's why it's not out of hypocrisy but goodwill. Just a trivial matter that you don't even need to remember."
In other words, this was his explanation. Kōenji had once been helped by Mii-chan in some way. And he was helped not from hypocrisy, but from natural goodwill. That was why he had always acted in an unusually considerate manner towards Mii-chan. Even when she was absent from school this time, he was helping her in return for that goodwill—that was what it meant.
"I don't remember it at all… but, well, please accept this for now."
Saying that she thrusted out a paper bag with a set of towels she had bought as a thank-you gift.
"I don't need this. I don't think it's a matter of receiving thanks."
"W-well, if you don't like this, I don't mind if you don't accept it. But in that case, would you at least let me pay you back? The money you spent for me isn't cheap."
"Unfortunately, I'm not in need of money at the moment. I don't want it." I found his statement strange.
Certainly, for an ordinary student, there would be nothing particularly noticeable about it.
It was only natural to think that Kōenji, who made a fortune in the deserted island test, had a lot of money.
However, Kōenji had a strong image of being a spendthrift.
He had previously stated that he was a believer in not keeping money overnight.
Of course, if he said he was saving now, that would be the end of it, but considering he just recently bought a big TV, it was possible he was still squandering money.
It might just be a lie, a convenient excuse not to take the points from Miichan.
"B-but that'll be a problem! That… I can't get rid of the feeling of guilt… in that case, could you at least tell me what I did for you?"
"Oh, dear. You seem to have quite a difficult personality. Didn't I say? It's a trivial matter that you don't even need to remember. It's neither more nor less than that. There's nothing more to say."
Mii-chan appeared to have run out of ways to initiate a conversation with Kōenji.
With a somewhat downcast look, she bowed her head to Kōenji again.
"Can you let me go now?"
"Y-Yes."
"I have something I'd like to ask you privately," I interjected.
"I don't want to be popular with men, but it seems you too like to pry."
"It's important. If you feel gratitude, there's a possibility you'll cooperate with the class in the future, right?"
"That's nonsense, Ayanokōji boy. I'm needed for the class to win, and for that, you have to show goodwill towards me. That becomes hypocrisy, you see?"
He wouldn't accept any act aimed at getting something in return as genuine goodwill. It could only come naturally.
"As long as we live under the rules of this school, there can be no goodwill.
Am I wrong?"
"Maybe."
"You should already know this. There's no way you can make me your ally, not by any means."
"That's true. So far, no matter how many times I've tried, I haven't come up with a guaranteed way to get your full cooperation."
"That's right. I won't change until I graduate, even after that. No matter how much cleverness you guys squeeze out, it won't reach or resonate with my heart.
Of course, this includes you as well."
"So what are you going to do with a special exam like this time? What if Horikita decides not to protect you? We can't exactly say that the chance of her breaking her promise to you is zero. There might be a situation where you can't avoid expulsion, even if you make a fuss later."
We could threaten and force him to help.
"I've always protected myself. It's as simple as that."
In other words, he was confident enough to pull through even without protection.
"Well, that makes things easy. I'll tell Horikita that there's no need to protect you."
Just having one less student to protect in the class gave us an advantage.
Naturally, I didn't think Horikita would betray his trust.
"Do as you please. Regardless, there's no point in trying to obligate me when I won't reciprocate."
And there was Kōenji, acting like an immovable decoration, no matter how much he wriggled.
If that was how it was, maybe I could take advantage of the situation and exclude Kōenji.
Kōenji had exceptional abilities, but his presence was a double-edged sword.
Depending on the special exam's details, Horikita might continue being hindered by him.
If I were the class leader, frankly, Kōenji would be superfluous.
The rules on the uninhabited island were only between Horikita and me, and third parties had no involvement.
One option might be to cut him out while I had the chance, but...
"However."
Kōenji, who had been carefree until now, had suddenly changed his tune and his gaze sharpened.
"If 'someone' tries to ostracize me, they'd better be prepared." Had he read my thoughts? No, it must be his wild intuition.
"Prepared, huh? I wonder what you're going to do."
"That's part of the surprise."
It wouldn't be as simple as attacking a specific person.
One should prepare for actions that could shake the class's position.
"Will you open that box? Although, it may cause you to reassess your overvaluation of yourself."
"I, for one, don't plan on doing that. Horikita is the class leader."
"So be it. I have dates after this, so I'd better get going."
I didn't understand why he chose to use the unusual way of referring to his date, but I don't think I'll be talking with Kōenji anytime soon.
(TL NOTE: Kōenji is implying that he has multiple dates to attend to, デート (Dēto, the typical spelling) vs デーツ (Dētsu, the word Kōenji uses, which isn't how the word "Date" is spelled/pronounced). This is done as a way of sounding more "Englishy" and showing off.)
I had been observing Kōenji in the same class for a long time. He was really an oddball.
While he was indeed a challenge, it was a fact that we must win while carrying him.
"Ah, um... Ayanokōji-kun."
"I'm sorry. I just wanted to ask him a few things since he told us something unusual, and I got carried away."
I gave a light apology to Mii-chan, who I had left alone.
"That's fine, but... um..."
"What is it?"
"No, it's nothing."
I had indeed used a somewhat threatening tone with Kōenji. I guess that was what bothered Mii-chan a bit.