Sudō and Yōsuke, who both worked hard during their club activities since the beginning of their first year, continued to achieve results.
The flow of time was mysterious. Those two will have retired from their club activities by this season next year.
I remembered a little of the conversation I had with Kiryūin at the end of the year.
Throughout my school life, there were no major regrets. However, sometimes I wondered about an alternative future if I had been in a club.
Regardless of whether I was serious or not, if I had worked together with those who shared my passion for basketball or soccer, my school life might've been more glamorous.
Though it was easy to imagine, the probability of actually embarking on that path must've been close to zero.
Unfamiliar with socializing, the world of club activities was too high of a hurdle for me, who couldn't make friends quickly.
I'll read the books I borrowed and the ones Hiyori gave me on the way home.
As I was on my way home from school, I was interrupted.
"Please wait."
"Hm?"
I was stopped by a female student, with a polite but forceful voice.
Turning around, she was standing there, her long scarf waving slightly in the wind.
"I have something to talk to you about."
Normally, one would be puzzled when approached by someone they had no connection with.
In fact, I encountered such a situation several times last year.
I couldn't help but appreciate Nagumo's invention of the OAA system in times like these.
It was easier to match names to faces, and you could also learn their surface-level abilities.
The person who appeared in front of me was a student from Class 2-A, which Sakayanagi belonged to.
Her name was Morishita Ai. The OAA was as follows:
Academic Abilities – B+
Physical Abilities – C+
Adaptability – B+
Social Contribution – B
Overall Ability – B
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In other words, she was a so-called "honors student" with an easy-to-understand description. The data showed that she was a person who could handle everything better than average. She was similar to Sanada, whom I met the other day, but there were many students like him in class A.
"You're Ayanokōji Kiyotaka, right?"
"Yeah."
Morishita, who approached me, seemed to be aware of me, which was understandable.
Huh? Did she just call me by my full name without any honorifics? I don't mind being referred to without any respect by younger or older people, but it was a bit surprising considering her polite tone of voice.
Before I could say anything, Morishita continued.
"It's too conspicuous here. Let's change the place a bit."
The school, the dormitory, Keyaki Mall… passing through these places to go anywhere stands out. If there was someone looking for you, it would be an optimal place for an ambush.
"Let's go somewhere else, please."
Without waiting for my answer, Morishita turned her back to me and began walking.
I hadn't intended to say whether I would follow her or not, but I guess that was fine.
It was winter break, and I had enough time to leisurely enjoy such unexpected encounters.
"This is our first meeting, right?"
"Yes. We haven't spoken before."
Morishita, who answered without looking back, was polite in her speech but somewhat overbearing.
She turned away from the main road, towards the dormitory, and stopped at a side street. This area was deserted, probably due to the cold weather.
"So? What do you want to talk about?"
I wondered what kind of story would pop up early in the new year.
"I haven't decided."
"You haven't decided?"
As concerned as I was about listening to her story, her answer made the whole situation feel somewhat anticlimactic.
"I haven't decided on the content of the conversation, but I've been wanting to talk to you for some time now, Ayanokōji Kiyotaka."
...So it wasn't just my imagination after all. She called me by my full name and dropped the honorifics.
But the rest of her speech was polite, which made her assertiveness stand out even more.
I didn't know if this was just for me or if she was the same with other students, but it was hard to point that out. I'll try to ignore it from here.
Recently, it seemed like I had a strange connection with students from other classes.
"Is it strange that I approached you?"
"Well, yeah. I haven't had any contact with you before."
"That's true."
"Moreover, when it's from the opposite sex, various strange assumptions can be made."
I deliberately made a statement that hinted at romance to see what kind of reaction she would show.
I thought she might become agitated, but she was calm, showing only a small sign of distress.
She quickly determined the direction she wanted to take and began to speak.
"This isn't the first time I've approached someone I'm not close with."
"Huh?"
"The day before yesterday, I talked to Sudō Ken, and yesterday, I talked to Kōenji Rokusuke."
'Don't get me wrong,' she seemed to say, as she held out her hand, palm up, to me.
"I learned that talking one-on-one with someone of the opposite sex can lead to misunderstandings, so I thought I'd let you know."
She put it into words, which allowed me to clearly rule it out. I was grateful for that.
I also learned that I wasn't the only one being called by my full name without honorifics.
However, the mention of Sudō's name fit the conversation earlier.
'A girl from the same year asked me all sorts of weird questions,' said the puzzled Sudō. She was probably Morishita of Class A.
While her appearance was certainly cute, I could easily understand why she had denied any involvement in romance.
Her gaze, clearly directed at me, was different.
"During this winter break, I was driven by the desire to learn more about your class."
In simpler terms, perhaps she wanted to scout a rival class.
How should I judge her attitude, which seemingly had no intentions of hiding anything?
It was hard to believe they were Sakayanagi's instructions.
Even if they were approaching students like Sudō, there would be no merit in sending an oddball like Morishita to me.
Or was the idea to send someone with a quirky personality like her?
I considered various possibilities, but the conclusion I reached was different.
Morishita's own judgment, her own thoughts.
That seemed to be the most accurate conclusion for now.
"Kōenji Rokusuke asked as well, so I'll let you know. This is all my own decision."
Immediately after, Morishita added that it was indeed her own judgment.
"I see. I thought all the students in Class A worked under Sakayanagi's instructions alone."
For now, I decided to trust Morishita's words and proceeded with the conversation.
"I can't say for certain. I haven't shared my thoughts with anyone else."
Using a peculiar expression, Morishita continued the conversation.
"Though it's true that many students in Class A are on guard against Class B, just like how your class, led by yourself, has been aiming to take down Class A. I found that interesting."
"Class B's evaluation has risen quite a bit. If you really want to dig for more information, shouldn't you contact the leader, Horikita? I can give you her contact details if you need them."
I took out my phone and pulled up Horikita's address.
However, Morishita rejected it with her hand and began to speak, looking in an unclear direction.
"At first, I thought so too. However, the evaluations of those around me have changed. Now there are people who think you are involved in the improvement of Class B."
So, she acted alone and approached me.
"A student who deviates from their OAA stands out."
The special exam held at the end of the second term had a significant impact since the accuracy of the test's answered questions was made public. Sanada and this highly capable Morishita had their eyes newly opened to me.
Comparing the results to my OAA, the contradiction was obvious and couldn't be ignored.
Even if I told her that I had guessed the correct answers, she probably wouldn't believe me.
If this contact was instructed by Sakayanagi, it felt too sloppy, too rough, and too narrowly focused.
"So? Have you gotten any results by directly confronting? Is there something I should answer?"
I tried to show a welcoming stance to her confrontation, but she refused with her hand again.
"There's been some results. You are indeed a considerable threat, Ayanokōji Kiyotaka."
"...Did you find something that made you think so?"
"Based on my analysis, yes."
Apparently quite satisfied at this point, Morishita nodded contentedly.
My first impression of her was that she was somewhat of a 'weirdo.'
"I'll excuse myself. There are still many people to investigate."
It seemed that there were many intriguing people in Horikita's class.
"Alright, good luck."
She must have approached Sudō and the others similarly.
Although I hadn't seen the scene, I could easily imagine it.
Morishita returned to the dormitory, but it would be troublesome if I chased after her and caused a misunderstanding.
I decided to breathe in the cold air for a while and go home after some time had passed.