A wind carrying the chill of early winter rattled the campus zelkovas.
On the weekend, Natsukawa Sosuke sat in a corner by the window of the Library, a Raymond Chandler novel, The Long Goodbye, open in his hands.
The reason he was here was, strictly speaking, pure chance.
Yesterday's high-stakes "sparring" with Ayanokoji had left bruises still blooming on his skin; he didn't want Airi to see them at Yukimura's place and worry, yet the sudden free time left him at loose ends, so he'd decided to take a walk.
What was meant to be a casual stroll around campus had somehow led him here.
Just as he turned a page, lost in Marlowe's hard-boiled solitude, an instinct made him look up.
Someone was watching him.
And had been for a while.
His first thought was that some small-fry from Class C had come looking for trouble. Frowning, he followed the gaze.
The figure was indeed from Class C—but not one of Ishizaki's bunch.
Instead, moon-pale silver caught his eye.
Among the shadows of the shelves stood Shiina Hiyori.
When she saw him lift his head, joy flickered across eyes that had been calm as still water.
"Ah… Classmate Natsukawa."
"It really… has been a long time."
"Classmate Shiina." Surprised, he closed the book and smiled. "It has been a while."
"May I sit here?"
She indicated the empty seat opposite him, polite and hopeful.
"Of course."
The girl sat, gently setting her books on the table: two classic mysteries whose covers bore Sherlock Holmes's unmistakable profile.
"Ever since the second semester started…"
She folded her hands on the table, leaning slightly forward, a faint, almost wistful note in her voice.
"I haven't seen you here, quietly reading on your own, Classmate Natsukawa."
He blinked, then gave an apologetic smile.
"Sorry. Class matters have kept me busy, and then the Sports Festival… I really haven't come much."
"Mm, I understand."
"After all, you're the 'man of the hour' in Class D."
Her gaze dropped to the novel in his hand.
"The Long Goodbye… what a coincidence."
Her eyes brightened.
"I just reread it last week. What do you think of Marlowe's line that 'to say goodbye is to die a little'?"
"Bleak, but clear-sighted," he answered after a moment. "Marlowe's a tough guy, but he's also a romantic. Every farewell is his way of clinging to a principle—however pointless it looks to anyone else."
"Yes…" Shiina sighed softly, her gaze turning distant. "In this indifferent city, holding to a principle is a luxury. More than the truth, Marlowe cares about the fleeting warmth between people—even if it's only an illusion."
"Like Terry Lennox: a con man, but the gimlet he shared with Marlowe in that bar was real."
A faint, rueful smile curved her lips.
"Sometimes I wonder if, somewhere in this school, I could find a gimlet like that."
Natsukawa looked at her, something stirring inside him.
He caught the undercurrent in her words.
In Class C, a place steeped in violence, someone like Hiyori—who seeks only the life of the mind—was doomed to solitude. Ryuuen, Ibuki, the rest: obsessed with victory and domination, they could never understand her longing for the world inside books.
"So…"
"Do you think our sitting here talking counts as that gimlet?"
She blinked, then her violet eyes shone even brighter.
"If you don't mind, Classmate Natsukawa…"
She smiled, earnest and bright.
"I'd say it tastes even better than the one in the book."
They shared a smile; the old ease flowed between them like an unspoken promise.
After that, they set aside class rivalries and the clamor outside, losing themselves entirely in the world of mystery.
They moved from Agatha Christie's intricate puzzles to the eerie atmosphere of Poe; from the logical beauty of golden-age detection to the social novels' dissection of human nature.
Hiyori's voice was soft, but her words came a little faster than usual. Whenever she reached an exciting part, her eyes sparkled and she unconsciously leaned forward.
"Oh! About the final trick in And Then There Were None…"
"And The Astrological Murder Magic—though it's a bit incredible, the grand scale of the idea is simply breathtaking…"
After who-knew-how-long, Hiyori finally stopped. Realizing she had talked too much, she flushed, lifted her glass, and took a sip to wet her throat.
"Sorry… once I start talking about books I love, I can't seem to stop."
"It's fine—I love listening," Natsukawa said sincerely. "Your insights are unique; I've learned a lot."
The small talk over, Natsukawa glanced outside, thought of something, and his expression sobered.
"Um, Classmate Shiina."
"Hmm?"
"Lately… relations between our two classes haven't been great."
Natsukawa spoke with deliberate implication.
"Ryuuen's been making trouble for Class D everywhere. Is it really okay for us to sit together like this? If someone from your class sees, could it cause you problems?"
Hearing that, the smile on Hiyori's lips didn't vanish; it only turned a bit helpless.
"Ah, that business…"
"Ryuen-kun has been rather agitated lately."
"It may sound meddlesome, but I really don't like that approach."
Hiyori met Natsukawa's gaze, apology flickering in her eyes.
"Fighting… only roughens the heart."
"But…" She gave a wry smile. "Ryuen-kun seems convinced that only violence and fear solve anything. I've tried persuading him a few times, but he won't listen."
"So I'm truly sorry, Classmate Natsukawa. Even though I'm in Class C, I… can't stop him."
Natsukawa studied her.
This was Shiina Hiyori.
A thorough pacifist, a bystander drifting outside the fray.
"No need to apologize, Classmate Shiina."
Natsukawa's voice softened.
"It's not your fault, and I've never lumped you in with Ryuuen's bunch."
"As for the harassment…" He gave a cold chuckle. "Just clowns capering—hardly a storm they can raise."
"More than that, I'm worried about you."
Natsukawa looked straight into her eyes.
"As long as being close to me doesn't get you ostracized or criticized by your class… that's enough for me."
The words made Hiyori blink.
Then, as if discovering new land, she fluttered her lashes and broke into a playful smile.
"My, my… Classmate Natsukawa, so caring after all?"
She covered a soft laugh, violet eyes rippling with light.
"You always seem so aloof; who knew you were secretly gentle?"
Teased like that, Natsukawa rubbed his nose, uncomfortable.
"A-hem… I'm just stating facts."
"Because…"
He drew a deep breath and decided to throw a straight pitch.
"Classmate Shiina, you're the only person in this school I can have such deep conversations with."
"Whether it's how we see books, or how we view certain matters… only beside you do I feel that long-lost mental ease."
"That's something I treasure."
"So naturally I'll cherish this friendship—and cherish you as a friend."
"…"
This time Hiyori was the one stunned.
She stared blankly at Natsukawa; her fair face reddened at visible speed, even her earlobes turning adorably pink.
That… that's against the rules, isn't it?
It was only everyday conversation between friends—why did it feel so… "I… um…"
(So… he feels the same way?)
Only after a long moment did she lift her head again.
"Mm…"
"Me too."
"To me… Natsukawa-kun, you're also the only one."