Morishita Ai stood by the window in a daze. One hand propped her chin, the other held the book from before, swinging it gently. She gazed out the window, lost in who knows what thoughts.
Fuyuji Mikage likewise stared out the window. The sun had already mostly sunk below the horizon. Night was beginning to descend. The sky began to light up with scattered points of starlight.
"It's about ti. We should get going."
"Don't disturb . Please wait obediently." Morishita ignored him completely and continued her daze.
"Wait until when?"
"I don't know. But please continue to wait."
Fuyuji pondered this for a mont, then took out his phone and sent Yamamura a ssage, telling her his current location.
That girl had vanished from sight so ti ago. He was a little worried. After all, she wasn't the type to just disappear without a word.
But, only a little. With her faint presence as it was, she probably wouldn't run into any danger.
Taking the book from earlier, "Farewell, My Lovely," Fuyuji found a nearby seat and sat down, slowly flipping through it.
Mm... That sa hard-boiled, social school style as always.
Having been previously put through the wringer by "The Long Goodbye," Fuyuji had co to understand that a mystery novel could actually exist without a mystery. Or rather, analyzing human nature was also a form of deduction.
A short while later, the sound of light footsteps approached. Yamamura regrouped with the two of them.
First, she looked sowhat quizzically at Morishita, who was quietly daydreaming by the window. Then she looked at Fuyuji, who was sitting beside her. She asked quietly:
"What's up with her?"
"Don't mind her. She's currently exploring the truth of the universe, collecting the afterglow of the Big Bang, and attempting to receive its high-energy rays."
Morishita did not reply, but Fuyuji was certain this was exactly what she was thinking. The evidence was that, compared to the slightly hunched posture she'd had just monts ago, her chest had probably thrust forward about five centiters.
"Co to think of it, where did you go just now?"
Fuyuji raised his head to look at Yamamura. She had arrived shortly after he sent the ssage, which ant sothing else had likely delayed her. Sothing that could make Yamamura waste ti...
"About that..." Yamamura leaned closer to Fuyuji, reached up to tuck her blue hair behind her ear, and with a faint blush on her cheeks, began to speak softly.
After listening, Fuyuji's body jolted. He said in disbelief:
"You're saying that when so Class D students passed by just now, you overheard the contents of their conversation and keenly perceived that their review scope might be different from ours? And then you followed them and listened in on their entire review session?"
"B-Because... my academic performance is the only thing... I'm fairly good at..." Yamamura's face was red, her fingers twisting around each other.
Fuyuji grabbed her shoulders and, ignoring her startled cry, spoke with deep emotion:
"You have trendous potential. Study under and learn the art of the Assassin. Beco the final heir of the Order of Assassins in this age!"
Yamamura's hands hovered helplessly before her chest. A wisp of white smoke seed to rise from her face. Dizzily, she said, "That won't work. I-I just happened to do it by chance."
"No! You're incredibly formidable. You possess a heaven-sent talent. You are a natural-born assassin. That amnesiac hairstylist who sells beef offal on the side wouldn't even be a match for a single exchange with you."
"But... I still like my life the way it is now."
"Is that so..."
Fuyuji let go of Yamamura, sowhat crestfallen. Gazing at the stark white fluorescent lights on the ceiling, he murmured to himself, "Could it be... that the lineage of the Old Man of the Mountain is to end with my generation?"
Yamamura was already used to Fuyuji's sudden bouts of absurdity. She quietly remained by his side, waiting for him to return to normal.
A mont later.
Fuyuji rubbed his chin and muttered to himself, "So, in other words, Class D's current review is entirely wasted effort?"
His own class's exam scope couldn't be wrong. That sadistic, fake-serious teacher's credibility was still trustworthy.
Then the problem lay with Class D's exam scope—aning Fuyuji's current Japanese History teacher, Chabashira Sae.
Fine! I just knew it! You could tell at a glance that da wasn't a good person!
She's treating Class D worse than the Japanese national team!
Is she giving up? Tempering the class? Or just doing it purely for amusent?
Compared to her, Mashima Tomonari could practically be voted Advanced Nurturing High School's Top Outstanding Teacher of the Year.
If, by any chance, a few actually ended up expelled... for one thing, Class D would imdiately fall behind the other classes by a massive margin in numbers. Has she completely given up on the ga?
So, should he pass this news on to Horikita Girl?
Fuyuji's fingers rubbed the edge of his phone.
Of course, doing it for free was out of the question. This concerned the life and death of the failing students in Class D. It had to be worth at least fifty... forty... never mind, make it 200,000 then.
It was information that cost him nothing, after all. Flipping it around, the food expenses for the three of them for the next several months would be set.
Before Fuyuji could fully sort out his thoughts, an irate voice rang throughout the library.
"SO DAMN NOISY! Just what the hell are you even saying?!"
Drama!
Fuyuji quickly moved towards the protective railing on the second floor of the library.
"Let see what's going on." Fuyuji, with a hint of excitent, was the first to poke his head out.
"That voice... it should be a student from Class D." The now-infected Yamamura followed closely behind.
"A fight's about to break out." Morishita, arriving last, offered her confident assessnt.
"Feeling better?"
Fuyuji grabbed the handrail and turned his head to look at Morishita, who had recovered her usual composure.
"No. But the Referee of Justice must appear wherever there is conflict."
"..." Looks like she's already back to full HP.
Fuyuji returned his gaze to down below.
Several Class D students were clustered together, reviewing. The only ones Fuyuji recognized were Kushida Kikyo and Horikita Suzune. Right now, Cha-Cha was bravely stepping forward, trying to stop another male student he didn't recognize. The remaining students stood frozen in place, at a loss, watching the confrontation between the two.
A powerfully built male student with red hair was grabbing Horikita Suzune by the collar, his posture suggesting he was about to strike.
And Horikita had completely shed the weakness she'd shown on the day Fuyuji t her. One could even say she was haughty and domineering. Utterly unconcerned by the red-haired male student's threat, she looked at him with a contemptuous, disdainful gaze.
"You sure run your mouth freely. 'Studying is utterly useless for the future'? What an interesting thing to say. I'd really love to know what basis you have for that."
"Even without solving these kinds of problems, I've never been troubled by it. There's fundantally no need to study. Rather than clinging to textbooks, aiming for professional basketball would be far more helpful for the future."
...
The red-haired boy roared in fury. Horikita retorted with icy sharpness. Neither cared in the slightest that they were in a library. As if no one else was present, their argunt escalated. Even Cha-Cha couldn't pull them apart.
If Ichinose were still here, she would surely step forward and try to diate between the two. Fuyuji, on the other hand, had absolutely no intention of helping. Instead, he was wondering why the fight hadn't started yet.
If it did, he could send another ssage to Horikita Manabu, escort Horikita Girl to the infirmary again, and ruthlessly squeeze another 500,000 out of him!
"Looks like it's not going to co to blows."
After observing for a while, Fuyuji drew a disappointed conclusion. It seed 500,000 was off the table. Let's see if he could still get 200,000.
"Then... are we still watching?" Yamamura pinched the hem of her clothes and asked the two.
Fuyuji looked at Morishita. "Wanna go? Or stay here and keep stargazing?"
Morishita looked back at Fuyuji. "I'm thirsty."
"My treat, alright?"
"Fine."
The three packed up their things and walked out of the library together.
On their way, passing by a vending machine, Fuyuji shelled out his own money and treated the two to drinks.
Twilight had descended. The streetlights along the school road flickered on. A few tiny insects danced and swirled around the bulbs. The three of them sat in a row on a bench beneath a streetlight, staring in perfect order at the rolling, burning sunset clouds in the distance. In unison, they slurped a mouthful of their drinks and simultaneously let out a contented sigh.
At that mont, the rapid sound of small leather shoes stomping the ground ca from the roadside. Kushida Kikyo, one hand clutching her small shoulder bag, head lowered, her face dark and gloomy, hurriedly walked past right in front of them, not even noticing Fuyuji sitting by the side.
Fuyuji watched Kushida's receding back and spoke. "It's railing-kicking, isn't it?"
Morishita released the straw she had bitten completely flat and stated with certainty, "It's definitely railing-kicking!"
Yamamura cupped the warm milk in her hands and took a small, squirrel-like sip. "That poor railing."
The three fell back into silence.
Fuyuji let out a long sigh and said, struggling to hold it in, "Why is it always us who run into her? At this rate, before our leverage even cos into effect, she's going to explode on her own."
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