I parted ways with Horikita at the cafe after 6 PM and then stopped by the bookstore.
After killing time in the store for nearly an hour, I started walking towards the designated karaoke to meet the man I had an appointment with as planned.
On the way, I spotted Hasebe Haruka in front of me.
Miyake, who often accompanied her, was nowhere to be seen.
If it had been a mere chance encounter, we would've passed by each other in silence. However, Hasebe's confused gaze, fixed on me, indicated she wanted to say something. It was easy to read that emotion.
"Need something?"
As the distance closed, I spoke up, and she looked surprised, her eyes widening dramatically. She clearly wanted to speak, but she didn't seem to expect to be addressed.
"Uh... I... saw you talking with Horikita-san at the cafe earlier..."
She glanced back at the cafe once and whispered.
"Just wanted to talk for a bit... Is it a bother?"
"Not at all. It's no problem if it's okay with you, Hasebe."
"Thank you."
Being called by her last name might have given her something to think about, but that level of formality was appropriate. Calling her Haruka at this point would've been problematic.
"Shall we move somewhere else? This place is a bit too conspicuous."
"Yes, that sounds good..."
We moved towards the edge of the mall, near a wall, where it was less noticeable. Although one student seemed to be watching us from a distance, this spot wouldn't attract much attention.
"I haven't talked to you like this since the festival."
"Yeah... um... Has anything changed with you recently, Ayanokōji-kun? Sorry, that's a weird question. What am I even saying?"
I thought there were things to talk about, but maybe her mind was still in disarray since the conversation had started so suddenly. She seemed unable to find the right words.
"Nothing much has changed. For better or worse, it's business as usual."
"I see... Recently, I feel like I've started to find more opportunities to smile. Whether it's because I've come to accept Airi through the cultural festival, or simply because too much time has passed. I honestly don't know."
No matter how sad the events, wounds would gradually heal.
As time passes, the sadness fades along with the memories.
Of course, it wasn't as simple as it sounded in one's head.
A painful past would remain painful, and would certainly leave deep scars.
"Um, after this... uh..."
Hasebe stuttered her words.
At that moment, I slightly bent my right index finger a few times.
"So... um..."
She desperately tried to connect her fragmented words.
"Um... after this... let's, with Miyacchi and Yukimū—"
Just as Hasebe was about to get to the main point, a shadow fell over her.
"Is this a secret meeting here~? Senpai!"
Running up with impeccable timing was Amasawa.
"Even though you have Karuizawa-senpai as your girlfriend, now you're plotting on making this busty one your girlfriend too?"
She pretended not to know, despite likely having a solid grasp on every students' OAA data.
"She's just a classmate."
I added the comment, though Amasawa's arrival probably wasn't a welcome development for Hasebe.
"I have something to talk to you about, Senpai. Do you have a moment?"
Her pushy attitude was more than just a polite inquiry, causing Hasebe to step back.
"I'll go... I'm keeping two people waiting."
With a slight nod in response, Hasebe turned her back and quickly left the scene.
"I was a disturbance, wasn't I?"
"Yeah, you were quite the disturbance."
"That's mean! Even though you're the one who called me here, Senpai!"
I was a bit mean. That was true.
Amasawa showing up while I was talking to Hasebe was no mere coincidence.
When Hasebe approached me, Amasawa had also spotted me at the same time.
That was why I immediately signaled her to join us with my fingertips.
She quickly caught on to my intentions and acted accordingly, which was impressive.
"Did you dislike talking with Hasebe-senpai?"
"It's not that. I just didn't want to waste more time on something worthless."
"That's cold."
How Amasawa took it was up to her, and how Hasebe felt about it was naturally her own business.
"The first years seem busy with the end-of-year special exams."
"They seem to be panicking a bit. I'm just watching quietly though."
After saying that, she quickly corrected herself.
"Ah, I didn't come here to annoy you today... When I attacked Nagumo-senpai during the last camp, there was also a surprise counterattack, so I'm here to report that."
I'd been somewhat curious if anything had happened, but since there hadn't been any news of expulsions within the first years, I'd ignored it. There was still a chance that she hadn't made contact with Nagumo, but apparently, that wasn't the case.
If so, she had been prepared to be expelled at the time of that camp.
And as a result, she had reconsidered and was still here.
"I haven't come to a conclusion yet. But I believe a better future awaits than taking my frustrations out on Nagumo-senpai, so I've decided to keep attending school for a while. I think I'll have a lot of free time, so if something interesting comes up, please include me."
"If that's the case, could you do me a favor with that free time you'll have?"
"Eh? That's totally fine, but… what is it?"
"I want to know more about Nanase Tsubasa."
"Eh? She's your knight, isn't she? Isn't it obvious enough without having to investigate? You mean she's a threat?"
"I don't think she's a threat. But I do want to know her real intentions."
She couldn't be simply categorized as an ally or enemy at this point.
"Of course, if you say so, I'll get right on it. Do you want me to expel her?"
"There's no need to go that far. Just gather the information appropriately, that's all."
"Okay, understood."
Honestly, I didn't need to rely on Amasawa to get information on Nanase.
I believe that dealing with Nanase won't be difficult, and I can respond as needed whenever it would be necessary.
However, if this could serve as a means to keep Amasawa tied to the school, it wasn't a bad strategy.
"I have another appointment later, see you. You should also moderately cooperate with your class in the end-of-year special exam."
"If you say so, Senpai, I will."
Amasawa saluted exaggeratedly and passed by.
"...Thank you, Senpai."
As she left, Amasawa muttered and walked away.
"As expected, she understands."
She wasn't achieving excellent grades in the White Room for nothing.
It seemed she could easily see through my true intentions.