Since that day he parted ways with Sawamura Airiri, Hayato had never received any news from her again.
The text message remained on his "Text me when you get home" message.
Previously, his chats with Sawamura Airiri were casual, but he would always receive a reply within twelve hours; this time, the delay was truly absurd.
Hayato wasn't overly worried; he just remembered her brother whom he had met before, who didn't seem very friendly, and the situation in the Sawamura family was probably more complicated than he imagined.
So these past two days, he had been inquiring about this person at school...
But neither Nanao Akane, Shigen Ryouka, nor Kushiro Arisa had heard of this girl.
He had initially assumed Sawamura was a first-year, so these second-year senpais weren't very familiar with her, but after going to the first-year class and asking Sanada Minako and Hinata Sae, he still only got a "don't know" result.
Sanada Minako even volunteered to help him inquire about this person.
She had a "green tea" attribute and a wider network than Hayato in terms of connections, but she hadn't gotten any news yet.
As for Hinata Sae... she had heard the name "Sawamura Airiri" from Nogami Izumi before, and originally wanted to question Hayato about who that bitch was, but after seeing Sanada Minako's current eagerness, she instantly abandoned her original anger and, like in a competition, also began to inquire everywhere.
She had a good reputation in sports clubs, so she decided to start there, but the result she got was identical to Sanada Minako's.
Not only did they join the battle, but the boys' team also refused to be outdone.
Ochi Tsubasa, needless to say, had already helped him investigate from various sources, and the Soccer Team's eighteen bronze men were all highly skilled, yet they only got the answer: "There's a Sawamura, but no Sawamura Airiri."
Anshi Seiji and Yamamoto Sakito were even more dedicated, dispatching the "Lsp Gang," claiming that any girl in the school, whether tall, short, fat, thin, flat-chested, big-breasted, pale-skinned, dark-skinned, S, or M, they would find them all, truly peerless heroes.... And then, they stumbled on Hayato's difficult problem.
Person not found.
Strange.
Hayato then realized that part of Sawamura Airiri's incongruity seemed to come from the fact that her words and actions were simply not like a high school girl.
Among the high school girls he knew, whether Miyajima Sakura or Nanao Akane, they were all first-rate independent girls, yet none were as well-rounded as Sawamura Airiri, whose daily conversations were all about family matters.
If it weren't for the fact that he had previously introduced Sawamura and Nogami to Sanada in Shibuya, and both clearly saw her, Hayato would even begin to suspect if he had encountered a ghost...
Since it wasn't a ghost, it proved that Sawamura had lied to him... including her name.
Without even knowing her name, the few features he provided—blonde, large chest, tall—there were indeed girls at Shirakawa High School who fit, but none were Sawamura.
This made Hayato a little confused, but after organizing his thoughts, Hayato found a clue.
"Miyajima Sakura"
—Sawamura Airiri had asked for his contact information after hearing he was a member of the Kendo Club, and then repeatedly inquired about "Miyajima Sakura." So this Sawamura was probably related to Miyajima Sakura... Could it be that the boy she liked liked Miyajima Sakura, and then she came to him to inquire about Miyajima Sakura in order to carry out revenge and a series of yandere tactics?
If so, her use of a "fake name," "fake identity," and even a "fake school"—Hayato could probably already guess that Sawamura was not a Shirakawa High School student—all these disguises would make sense.
But, who would her "true identity" be?
Hayato pondered for a while; even though he had read countless books, he couldn't pull out the one depicting "Sawamura Airiri" from his memory palace at this moment... There were quite a few "Sawamura ● Riri," though.
In any case, he still came to the Kendo Club first.
"...Tsk."
Seeing Hayato's expression, Kobayashi Ayaka felt a pang of anxiety, even though she thought it unlikely.
Could he really have been dumped?
Damn it, which dog was so blind? To dump a guy of this caliber?
Kobayashi Ayaka originally wanted to say comforting words like, "Don't worry," "Don't be sad," or "I'm here," but after her lips twitched, she couldn't bring herself to say them. She pulled out her phone and started typing furiously:
"I'll investigate for you first. As long as she's a girl from our school, or a nearby school, I can find her for you—even if she's not a student, as long as she has a bit of a reputation. I can find her. Sawamura Airiri, right?"
'Bullying my junior? You're dead meat,' Ayaka thought to herself.
"Ayaka is not like me; she has a very wide network," Hayato recalled Miyajima Sakura's praise for her best friend.
But after a while of typing, dozens of messages quickly, almost simultaneously, replied, and Kobayashi Ayaka's brows furrowed as she read them.
"...There's no such person."
She looked at Hayato strangely: "How far have you two gone?"
'Could that bad woman have even tricked him out of his body? He's just too innocent—but don't be afraid, I'm willing to take over,' Ayaka thought to herself.
Before Hayato could answer, Kobayashi Ayaka saw Miyajima Sakura stroll in through the doorway.
She looked at Hayato with some surprise, then smiled delightedly:
"Hayato, I was just about to look for you—um, are you two talking about something?"
She saw Kobayashi Ayaka's heavy expression and couldn't help but ask.
"Do you know someone named Sawamura Airiri?" Kobayashi Ayaka asked.
Miyajima Sakura tilted her head: "Isn't that the girl Hayato mentioned before, the one asking about me?…What's wrong? I still haven't met her yet…"
It seems she doesn't know her either.
Kobayashi Ayaka was a bit annoyed. She wanted to immediately find that lucky…no, that shameless woman, and give her a good beating!!
Miyajima Sakura pursed her lips and smiled, ignoring Kobayashi Ayaka's "inexplicable" resentment, and instead waved to Hayato:
"Hayato, come here for a moment, I have something to ask of you."
"...Ah? Um, okay." Hayato nodded and huddled with Miyajima Sakura in a corner.
Miyajima Sakura seemed a little embarrassed, her purple eyes scanning Hayato's face several times before she said with some shyness:
"My…my mother hopes you can come to our humble home for dinner, to thank you for your guidance these past few days."
Hayato's expression was strange…no, what guidance did he give?
He was about to refuse, then suddenly shivered.
Damn, such a strong sense of déjà vu.
This routine seemed familiar.
----------------------------------
I've already posted 40 new chapters on Patreon!
If you like the story and want to reaad more, please visit my patreon. Every support is very meaningful!
[patreon.com/Kazenova223]
Thank you very much!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"