The Student Council room was quieter than a funeral.
The only sounds were the turning of pages and the soft clink of porcelain against its saucer.
There was an air of oddity in the room.
Nervous glances were exchanged between members as they awaited for the Vice President to speak.
Rin stood beside the long conference table, her notebook open.
“Here’s my status report, Madam President.”
Yurika set her teacup down.
“Proceed.”
Rin adjusted her glasses.
“Operation Blue Rose continues within acceptable parameters.”
She flipped to the next page, carefully scanning it before continuing her report.
“Subject Akane has experienced four interrupted opportunities to spend time with Subject Kaito since yesterday morning.”
Kenji looked up from balancing the Student Council budget.
“Four?” He raised an eyebrow as he asked his question.
Rin nodded.
“Confirmed.”
Kenji blinked.
“Since yesterday?”
“Correct.”
He slowly lowered his pen.
“You’re counting them?”
Rin looked at him with a bemused expression on her face.
“Of course.”
“Why?”
“So we may accurately measure progress.”
Kenji rubbed his temples.
“I feel like I’m the only person in this room who thinks that’s weird.”
One of the first year council members tilted her head.
“It seems perfectly reasonable,” she said in a matter of fact tone.
Another nodded enthusiastically.
“I think it’s romantic!” Her face lit up as she spoke.
Kenji stared at them bewildered.
“Romantic?” He shook his head.
“All of this is criminal behavior!”
Rin ignored him.
“Average daily interaction between Mister Kaito and Subject Akane has decreased approximately forty-three percent.”
Kenji’s eye twitched.
“You have a graph, don’t you?”
Without a word, Rin turned the notebook around.
A neatly drawn line graph filled the page.
Kenji immediately looked away.
“I shouldn’t have asked.”
Rin continued to stare at the page before speaking once more.
“However…”
She flipped to another page.
“…There has been one unexpected development.”
Yurika’s expression remained calm as she listened to Rin.
“Hikari Tachibana?” Yurika asked in her typical soothing voice.
“Correct. Subject Hikari has begun recognizing operational patterns.”
“That was to be expected at some point.” Yurika said calmly as she took another sip of her tea.
“She has also initiated contact with Subject Akane regarding those observations.”
Kenji looked between the two girls.
“Wait. You mean they’re talking to each other?” He asked in an exasperated voice.
“They have always spoken,” Rin replied with a matter of fact tone.
“No, I mean about…” He gestured vaguely, flailing his arms about.
“…THIS?”
Rin nodded once.
“Preliminary information sharing has begun.”
Kenji slowly leaned back in his chair.
“Isn’t that… bad?”
Silence.
Yurika reached for her teacup.
“No…” She took one measured sip.
“…It was inevitable.”
Rin looked down at her notes.
Then looked at the President.
“Recommendation?”
Yurika set the cup gently onto its saucer.
“Do not interfere, Rin.”
Kenji frowned.
“You’re going to let them compare notes?” He asked the President with a worried expression.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Yurika folded her hands neatly atop the table.
“Because suspicion…”
She paused.
“…is not evidence.”
Rin nodded.
“They currently possess observations. Not proof.”
“Rin is correct,” Yurika stated in a more commanding tone.
Kenji wasn’t convinced.
“That still sounds dangerous.”
Yurika smiled faintly.
“Only if they stop behaving like themselves.”
The room fell quiet.
Rin understood immediately.
“Hikari will become emotional.”
“Correct,” Yurika said as she continued to drink her tea.
“Akane will seek the most charitable explanation.”
“Correct.”
“They will therefore arrive at different conclusions.”
“Correct.”
Kenji stared.
“You already predicted how they’re going to argue?”
Neither girl answered.
Kenji slumped back into his chair.
Yurika simply picked up her teacup once more.
“Continue monitoring the situation, Rin.”
Rin made a small checkmark beside the latest report.
“Understood.”
The final bell rang.
Students immediately began packing their bags to leave.
You could feel the excitement in the air as students were about to head home for the day.
Akane glanced toward my desk.
Before she could lose her nerve, she stood.
Then she walked over.
She was a girl on a mission.
I looked over.
“Yeah? What’s up?”
She smiled hopefully.
“Are you doing anything after school~?”
“Nothing important.”
“Really~?”
“Practice doesn’t start for another hour. We’re starting later than usual since Coach has some errands to run first.”
Akane brightened.
“Would you mind meeting me at the front gate~?”
Kaito blinked.
“Sure.”
“I just need to drop my books off at the library first~”
“That’s fine. I’ll meet you at the gate.”
She smiled.
“I’ll be there in a few minutes~”
“No problem.” I gave her an easy smile.
“I’ll wait.”
She returned my smile.
“Thanks~”
Akane practically floated back to her desk and got ready to leave.
“Okay~”
She quietly clenched her fists.
“I did it~”
It wasn’t a date.
She knew that.
She just… wanted to spend a little time talking with Kaito.
Like they used to.
She packed her bag as quickly as she could so she could run off to the library.
Just as she finished…
“Fujihara.”
She froze.
“Yes~?”
Her homeroom teacher smiled apologetically.
“I’m sorry. I just need one quick favor…”
“Of course~”
Akane quickly went off to grab some forms for her homeroom teacher.
“There~”
The teacher accepted the forms with a grateful smile.
“Thank you. Can’t really run around campus anymore. My back just isn’t what it used to be.”
“It was no trouble. It only took a minute~”
Akane smiled politely.
Then hurried into the hallway.
“Please still be there.”
She basically jogged across the courtyard.
The afternoon breeze stirred the festival banners overhead.
Students filtered toward club activities.
Or headed home for the day.
The front gate came into view.
She slowed to catch her breath.
Standing beneath the gate, Kaito was exactly where he’d said he’d be.
Relief washed over her.
Then…
She noticed he wasn’t alone.
Yurika stood beside him.
A clipboard rested neatly against her chest.
The two appeared to be discussing something.
Nothing dramatic.
Nothing intimate.
Just… talking.
At least that’s what she hoped.
Akane stopped walking.
“Again…”
Akane built up her courage and walked towards them.
“Kaito~”
I looked up.
“Oh. Hey, Akane.”
Yurika turned as well.
A warm smile spread across her face.
“Good afternoon, Fujihara.”
Akane returned the greeting automatically.
“Good afternoon~”
I smiled.
“I was waiting for you.”
Her heart lifted.
“You were~?”
“Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be? I figured you’d be here any second. Though, you took longer than I expected.”
For just a moment, everything felt normal again.
Then Yurika spoke.
“My apologies. I required Sakamori’s opinion regarding the festival logistics.”
She held up the clipboard.
“It proved more involved than anticipated.”
Akane looked at the clipboard.
Then at me.
“I see…”
It made sense.
Of course it did.
The Student Council had been asking Kaito for help lately.
There was nothing strange about that.
Nothing at all.
He had helped out last year.
There was no reason for this year to be different.
But for some reason, it felt off.
Is this what Hikari had been talking about?
Or was she just overthinking things because of what Hikari had said?
I looked between the two girls.
Then straight at Akane.
“Well… ready to head home?”
Before Akane could answer, Yurika spoke.
“Thank you for your assistance…” She bowed politely.
“…You have been most helpful, Kaito.”
“No problem.” I shrugged.
“See you tomorrow.”
“Indeed. See you then.”
Yurika turned to leave.
As she passed Akane, she paused.
Only for a second.
“I’m relieved…”
Yurika smiled.
It didn’t quite reach her eyes.
“…The two of you were still able to meet…”
“…I would hate to have kept you waiting.”
Then she continued walking.
Akane slowly turned to watch her leave.
Something about that sentence bothered her.
She couldn’t explain why.
It wasn’t rude.
If anything… It was thoughtful.
So why, did it feel…
Like an apology?
For something bad Yurika had expected to happen?
“Kaito~?”
“What’s up?”
“How long were you waiting~?”
I thought for a moment.
“Maybe ten minutes?”
“Ten~?”
“That’s what I’d guess. It’s not like I was keeping track.”
I laughed.
“I almost went looking for you.”
Akane smiled.
“Sorry. My teacher stopped me~”
“It’s okay. It happens.”
I smiled back at her.
“Ready to go?”
“Yeah…” She nodded emphatically.
“…Let’s go~”
The pair of us started walking home together.
But for the first time, Akane found herself glancing back over her shoulder.
Yurika was already gone.
Yet the uneasy feeling remained.
Her thoughts went back to what she had said earlier.
No, to the way she had said it.
Akane and I reached the intersection where we usually split up.
It had been a nice walk.
I was glad to have talked to her for longer than a minute or two during class.
Our conversation was the usual mix of seriousness and silliness that I always enjoyed when talking with her.
We made some plans for the weekend to make up for the craziness of the last few weeks.
I decided to invite Hikari and Tadashi as well.
Maybe I’ll hit up Miya too.
Either way, I was happy to be hanging out with my friends again.
I was starting to dislike how much planning for the Cultural Festival was starting to take over our lives.
“See you tomorrow,” I said with a smile.
She smiled back.
“See you tomorrow~”
I waved before heading back to school for basketball practice.
Akane watched me disappear around the corner.
Then she continued walking home.
Her conversation with Hikari echoed in her mind.
“Pay attention.”
Then… Yurika’s smile.
The clipboard.
The attendance sheets.
Yurika’s words.
Her tone of voice.
Everything.
“No…”
Akane shook her head.
“…I’m overthinking this~”
She laughed quietly to herself.
“I can’t listen to Hikari’s nonsense. It’s getting me all paranoid~”
The cool Autumn breeze rustled the trees lining the road home.
Akane glanced back toward the intersection where we parted.
It was almost devoid of people.
It was sort of unusual since typically there was a decent amount of people here right after school.
For just a moment…
She thought she saw movement behind one of the trees overlooking the convenient store.
She slowed.
“Was someone…”
Silence.
Akane shook her head.
“I’m imagining things~”
Then…
“…Achoo!”
The sneeze echoed across the otherwise relatively quiet intersection.
Akane stared at the tree in confusion.
From behind the tree, Rin Kanzaki slowly stepped into view.
One hand covered her nose.
The other still held her familiar notebook.
She looked mortified.
“…”
“…”
For perhaps the first time since Akane had met her, Rin looked genuinely flustered.
Rin adjusted her glasses.
“…Excuse me.”
She gave a small, perfectly polite bow.
Turned.
And walked briskly away.
Akane stood frozen.
“Why…”
She looked at the now empty space beside the tree.
“…Was Vice President Kanzaki…”
She looked up at the sky.
“…hiding behind a tree~?”
She continued to stand there with a dumbfounded expression.
Then… her eyes slowly widened.
“No… no way~!”
Akane shook her head in disbelief.
“Hikari…”
She whispered the name before she could stop herself.
Akane replayed every interruption.
Mr.
Hayashi.
Lunch.
Her homeroom teacher.
President Amakawa.
And finally, what had just happened with Vice President Kanzaki.
“…You weren’t imagining it~”