Third-person point of view:
[Come back to your dorm quickly. I'm having some trouble.]
That was the message that changed Ayanokōji's course. He had originally intended to head to the library to spend time with his reading companion, Hiyori Shiina, but a notification on his phone caught his attention midway. It was a message from Karuizawa Kei.
Ayanokōji had little idea what the message might refer to or what kind of "trouble" she meant. Perhaps there had been a water outage and she needed to use the bathroom, but that made no sense: it wasn't that late—in fact, it was barely eight in the morning on a Saturday. Besides, there were several public restrooms available on campus. That possibility was completely ruled out. The brunet didn't have many spare neurons to devote to formulating another hypothesis, so he decided not to strain his brain unnecessarily.
Once he stood in front of his dorm room door, he glanced down the hallway. There was no sign of Karuizawa. He assumed she had somehow obtained a copy of the key to let herself in without waiting, or else she would have grown impatient and returned to her own room. Ayanokōji's eyes drifted to the metal plate positioned at eye level to the left of the peephole.
The number 404 usually gleamed, its surface always appearing polished, but on this occasion, it was fogged over. Ayanokōji found it rather curious: he hadn't noticed any change in temperature. The idea that his body had become insensitive to the weather was entirely out of the question. Even with his resilience to any climatic condition, he still retained enough tactile sensitivity to detect shifts in ambient humidity.
He reached out and wiped the condensation from the plate with the right sleeve of his hoodie. As he continued pondering what might have caused it, his attention was drawn to laughter and voices coming from the other side. He was fairly certain he had heard Haruka's voice. He tapped his card against the lock and opened the door.
"Kiyopon, where have you been?!" Haruka sprang up and rushed toward him, nearly knocking him over as she caught him in a tight embrace.
Ayanokōji's head ended up almost buried between his friend's breasts. He realized he was struggling to breathe. It didn't take long for Haruka to release him, restoring his ability to draw oxygen. At least no third-party intervention had been necessary.
For some reason, Ayanokōji felt the need to say something before explaining where he'd been.
Surveying his room, he saw Miyake seated in the most comfortable chair—the one he used when sitting at the desk to use the computer. He was smiling, and that smile was identical to the graphic printed on his T-shirt. An open bottle of orange juice sat beside him, half-consumed. Keisei was sitting on the floor, adjusting his glasses and letting his usually serious expression melt into a smile upon seeing him. Sakura looked slightly flushed from sitting on his bed; beside her, Karuizawa sat with her arms crossed, wearing an expression of evident annoyance.
Haruka froze when she realized her Kiyopon wasn't responding.
"I'm... home," Ayanokōji said.
Somehow, it came as a surprise to all of them. Not so much the content of the words, but the tone of voice: it didn't feel as hollow as it usually did. Perhaps something had changed. Even the brunet himself was a little surprised, though his apathetic face betrayed nothing. His voice sounded softer. Maybe it was because this was the second time he'd said something like that, and unlike the first time, on this occasion there were people waiting for him rather than an empty room.
"Welcome home, Kiyotaka."
They said it in unison.
...
After explaining that he had left early with the intention of going to the library to enjoy some morning reading, everyone accepted the explanation. Though Keisei and Akito wouldn't have minded if the reason had been visiting some girl, the same could not be said for Karuizawa, Haruka, and Sakura.
"Karuizawa-san said she came to see you in your dorm on Hirata's behalf, to discuss something about the class," Akito explained to Ayanokōji, noticing the brunet looking at the blonde with a hint of puzzlement.
"I see..." Ayanokōji ruffled Haruka's hair on a sudden impulse, catching her off guard. "I'll talk to her, so you can wait a bit. It shouldn't take long."
He signaled for Karuizawa to follow him out to the small balcony. Once outside, the brunet slid the glass door shut so the conversation wouldn't be overheard. Almost no one in the group paid much attention to that detail—except Haruka, who watched Karuizawa cautiously. Her instincts told her the blonde was interested in Ayanokōji, and for some reason, that bothered her.
"I wish you hadn't taken so long to get back," Karuizawa sighed, leaning against the railing and gazing out at the vast expanse of water surrounding the island.
"What did you want to talk about?" Ayanokōji glanced toward some birds, momentarily reminded of an unpleasant encounter he'd had with his teacher at the theater.
"Aren't you going to apologize? It was kind of a hassle having to make up an excuse to come to your room. I didn't think your friends would show up this early," Karuizawa said, pointing at him accusingly and furrowing her brow.
She wasn't truly upset about the situation itself, but about something else. At least, that's what the brunet could conclude.
"I apologize for the inconvenience. There?"
"I suppose..." Karuizawa murmured. "Hirata didn't send me to talk to you about anything. Actually, I came to warn you about the special exam. I found out Yamauchi is planning to get you expelled. He's gathering votes against you."
Ayanokōji didn't respond immediately. He turned to watch his group chatting animatedly about something he couldn't hear. Then he looked back at Karuizawa and the sea.
"I see."
A light punch landed on his shoulder.
"'I see'? That's all you have to say? Doesn't it worry you that they might expel you?" Karuizawa held back from raising her voice, even though she really wanted to shout at him. She also controlled her facial expression as best she could, in case the others were watching. She knew Ayanokōji disliked unnecessary questions, and that the others might misinterpret something and overwhelm him with inquiries later.
"I'll figure out how to handle this situation. You can relax completely. I highly doubt they'll expel me. After all, I promised to protect you."
He said it in the most detached tone he could manage, but somehow, it reached Karuizawa. The blonde blushed deeply. Standing face-to-face like that, their expressions were exposed to anyone watching from inside. But only Haruka noticed Karuizawa's flush. For some reason, she hadn't taken her eyes off that private meeting.
"See you later. If you find out anything else, call me. Just remember—Yamauchi doesn't have the capability to organize something like this on his own, but I have a pretty good idea who might be helping him."
Ayanokōji saw Karuizawa out, accompanying her to the door of his dorm.
When he returned inside, it was Haruka waiting for him at the entrance while the others continued chatting about various things. She had stepped away briefly.
"Since when have you two gotten so close?" Her tone was quite innocent.
Ayanokōji didn't pick up on the danger lurking in front of him.
"We're not close. But Hirata holds me in some regard, so Karuizawa trusts me. Because her boyfriend does, too."
"How curious..."