"Hey! You two over there—what are you doing? Don't interfere with another club's training."
A fairly stern female voice rang out from behind them. Sonoko and Ran stiffened, then instinctively turned around in perfect sync.
"S-sorry!"
Both of them apologized without hesitation.
But when Ran raised her head and saw who it was, she froze for a moment.
"Sumi-senpai?"
"Huh? Ran? Oh, it's you."
Tsukamoto Sumi paused slightly, her expression softening. She'd thought it was just another group of lovestruck high school girls sneaking over to peek at the Kendo Club and disrupting practice.
She knew Ran well enough to know she wouldn't do something so tactless.
"What brings you here? Do you have someone you know in the Kendo Club?"
"Ah—y-yes, we do. Sorry for the misunderstanding, senpai."
Sumi shook her head, clearly unconcerned.
"It's fine. If it's a friend, it's perfectly understandable to want to cheer them on at a time like this."
"Really?!" Sonoko blurted out excitedly—then immediately wilted under Tsukamoto Sumi's puzzled yet weighty gaze.
Some people say things casually. Others take them seriously.
"By the way, Sumi-senpai, what are you doing here?" Ran asked.
As she spoke, she gently tugged on Sonoko's arm, pulling her a bit closer—subtly signaling something to Sumi.
Sumi didn't look at Sonoko again. Instead, she turned her gaze toward the outside of the gym and replied calmly,
"The student council president asked me to help coordinate and manage several club activities recently."
"Eh? But senpai, didn't you—"
Ran nearly asked more. After all, ever since Tsukamoto Sumi decided to focus seriously on entrance exams, she'd already withdrawn from the student council—and had barely even participated in the karate club she loved so much.
Why would she suddenly take on such a time-consuming responsibility?
Though Ran didn't finish her question, Sumi clearly understood what she meant.
Looking at her talented junior from the karate club, she hesitated for a moment before adding an explanation.
"Actually… I'm taking this opportunity to investigate something."
"Investigate?" Ran looked confused.
Sonoko, on the other hand, had a thought spark in her mind as she recalled a rumor that had been circulating recently.
"Sumi-senpai, are you talking about that supernatural incident?!"
"Huh?! That one?!" Ran clearly knew about it too.
"That's not a supernatural incident!"
Sumi shot back immediately, her tone firm and uncompromising.
Ran and Sonoko both awkwardly covered their mouths at once.
But Sumi wasn't actually angry—her expression remained normal. Ran understood this well; it was simply her senpai's natural demeanor. Gallant, sharp—this was the true authority of an upperclassman.
"Sorry for raising my voice," Sumi said.
"But we're all high school students here. There's no need to spread childish scare rumors like the ones you hear in elementary school."
"Yes, ma'am!"
"Hm? Ran, Sonoko—what are you doing here?"
Just as Ran and Sonoko struck their obedient, chastened poses, Shimizu Koji—now changed back into his Teitan High uniform—lifted the curtain and stepped out of the Kendo Club.
"Shimizu-kun."
"Koji."
Ran and Sonoko turned around in surprise. Tsukamoto Sumi frowned slightly at first, then quickly relaxed.
So the one they knew was this underclassman, Shimizu.
"Tsukamoto-senpai."
"Shimizu-kun."
After exchanging greetings, the four of them realized that they all knew each other.
Koji was a bit surprised to see the three of them gathered there, but it didn't take long for him to piece together what had happened.
They soon moved their conversation from the Kendo Club entrance to outside the sports facility, avoiding the attention of others.
—
"So there've been rumors like that going around lately?"
Koji was hearing about this for the first time.
He genuinely didn't have many friends. Early on, his aloof personality had more or less alienated everyone, and now most of the people trying to get close to him were girls—which wasn't the kind of friendship he was looking for.
Ran and Sonoko simply nodded, not finding this surprising at all. Tsukamoto Sumi, however, gave Koji an extra look.
They'd only met recently, but his words made her think even more highly of him.
Ignoring outside gossip and focusing solely on kendo and academics—that kind of temperament was rare among male high school students.
"It's probably someone causing trouble deliberately," Sumi said.
"I'll get to the bottom of it soon."
"For now, Shimizu-kun, Ran, and Sonoko—please head home early."
Koji glanced at the sky, already tinged with the colors of dusk, nodded, and prepared to take his leave.
But neither Ran nor Sonoko moved. Instead, each of them seemed to have their own plan.
Ran hesitated, her expression shifting—then she looked at Tsukamoto Sumi with resolve.
"Sumi-senpai, please let us help you investigate too!"
"Hm? Why?"
Sumi didn't quite understand, but she didn't reject the idea outright.
"You hardly even participate in karate anymore," Ran said seriously.
"I don't want senpai's precious study time to be taken up by things like this."
Looking at this determined second-year junior—someone who shared her club and had sparred with her a few times—Tsukamoto Sumi felt unexpectedly moved.
"Yeah, yeah!" Sonoko chimed in, then immediately turned toward Koji.
She leaned in close, lowering her voice so only the two of them could hear.
"Koji, could I ask you to help us investigate too? We're just a bunch of delicate high school girls—doing this kind of thing feels kinda dangerous. But you're so strong in kendo. If you're with us, we'd feel a lot safer…"
She'd instinctively called him by his given name earlier, and since he hadn't objected, it came naturally now.
The request sounded sudden, but it really wasn't unreasonable. Setting Koji aside, it was just a normal request for help from a male classmate.
And Sonoko's reasoning made sense—whether it was a so-called supernatural incident or someone behind the scenes, it could be dangerous for three girls alone.
Koji naturally took a moment to consider.
Turning his head, he saw that Ran had already reached an understanding with Tsukamoto Sumi. That powerful senpai's aura had softened noticeably.
Koji didn't think much longer and nodded.
"You're okay with me joining too, senpai?"
"Of course."
Tsukamoto Sumi already had a decent impression of Koji. Since he was also Ran's friend, she agreed without hesitation.