Chapter 4: The Identity of the Sender

Chapter 4: The Identity of the Sender

Chapter 4:

The Identity of the Sender

I T WAS NOW FRIDAY, the day after the special exam was announced, and classes had just ended. Since the discussion during lunch yesterday, there hadn’t been any gatherings that involved the entire class, and nothing had happened that was specifically related to the exam. I would have expected that Horikita, who was now in a position to take charge of the class as the leader, would have made progress in her strategies and thoughts since yesterday, but the details of her intentions remained unclear. It didn’t seem like she was trying to make any appointments with me, either. Since we still had another week and there was no need to panic, it was best she take her time and think things through.

“Ayanokouji-kun… Um, excuse me, but could I have a moment of your time?”

Just as I was getting ready to leave the classroom alone, Mii-chan called out to me. This weekend, Kei had plans to hang out with her friends until nighttime, and she was already gone, leaving me completely free right now and able to offer my time without hesitation.

“What’s up?” I asked.

“Well, it’s kind of difficult to talk about here in the classroom… I would like to talk somewhere else, if possible,” said Mii-chan.

There weren’t any students around to pay attention to our conversation, but it sounded like Mii-chan wasn’t comfortable here. Judging from how she sounded, I could guess that the nature of the conversation was serious.

“I understand. Is it okay if we walk and talk on the way out?” I asked.

“Yes, of course,” she replied.

We didn’t have any reason to remain in the classroom, so we grabbed our bags and began to walk. There wasn’t any need to go through the trouble of going all the way to a secluded place, however. The building was always full of people right after class, and there were lots of students in the hallway and entrance, allowing us to hide in the noise.

“So, what did you want to talk to me about?” I asked.

When I prompted Mii-chan to speak, she quickly looked around the area, scanning for eavesdroppers. Perhaps she felt relieved, because she started to speak.

“Do you remember that time when I wasn’t coming to class for a while? I know it’s so pathetic, but… Well, you know, that thing with Hirata-kun, and well… Um…” stammered Mii-chan.

She was talking about what happened in late September, after Kushida revealed who Mii-chan had a crush on during the Unanimous Special Exam.

“What about it?” I asked.

“Well, it’s about how someone was delivering food to me during that time when I couldn’t leave my room,” replied Mii-chan.

“Yeah, I remember that. You said that someone had been bringing you food every day.”

At the time, Mii-chan had asked me if it had been me.

“The reason I had talked to you about the matter of the sender was because I was hoping to get your advice, Ayanokouji-kun, and…” began Mii-chan.

“I see.”

Quite a long time had passed since then, so the fact that she was mentioning this now must’ve meant…

“Did you solve the mystery?” I asked.

“Oh, um, no, I still don’t know. But if I can confirm something, then…I think I’ll know,” said Mii-chan.

“You’ll know if you can confirm something?” I asked.

Mii-chan nodded in response and then began to talk, the words coming out little by little, starting and stopping intermittently. Even after Mii-chan had summoned the courage to go to class again, she was apparently still concerned about the certain someone who had helped her. I had thought she would have given up on the issue for sure, but it sounded like she felt driven by a powerful desire to find the person who helped her and thank them.

There were two ways that she could have gotten clues. One way was from the piece of paper that had been placed inside the bag of food, which only had Mii-chan’s room number written on it, so that people would know it was something being given to Mii-chan. If the handwriting were unique, it’s possible it could have led to an identification, but that method was trickier than it seemed. Mii-chan had the paper with her back then and had shown it to me, but the writing was a messy scrawl. It would’ve been impossible to tell whose handwriting it was.

“The student who sent you the food is a peculiar individual,” I remarked.

“Yes, I agree,” said Mii-chan.

That just left only one other way to pick up on the sender’s trail. All the items sent to Mii-chan had been purchased at the convenience store. Mii-chan had taken down notes recording everything that had been sent to her. All she had to do was describe the items she had been given to the clerk at the store and ask if there were any students who had purchased those same items. Asking the clerk at the convenience store to find the sender was the standard practice approach. However, the longer you took to do so, the more the clerk’s memory would fade, so the sooner the better. I had figured that Mii-chan surely would have known something like that, but her next statement came as a surprise.

“I tried talking to the clerk at the convenience store about the issue right after I had come back to school,” said Mii-chan.

Apparently the answer she had gotten from the clerk was not a gratifying one. The clerk whom Mii-chan had asked was newly assigned to the store and had not been working there at the time. Also, the shift leader who had been working at the store during the time the sender had purchased the items had been transferred. If Mii-chan were a detective with the police, she could have asked to see the surveillance camera footage, but obviously she couldn’t do something like that.

“I even talked to some of the girls who live on my same floor, just in case, but they didn’t know, either. That’s when I gave up,” said Mii-chan.

Once there were no more clues, there would be nothing the average student could do.

“Sounds like you had no choice,” I remarked.

“Yes, it certainly seemed that way…” said Mii-chan.

Apparently, the days that followed had passed in much the same fashion, without any new clues. Then, Mii-chan, after being left at a total loss, happened upon some unexpected information. The other day, when she stopped by the convenience store to do some shopping, she was approached by a clerk. By sheer coincidence, the clerk who was currently working at the store happened to bump into the old shift leader. The clerk remembered Mii-chan’s concerns and explained things to the shift leader.

The shift leader had warned to not put too much stock in what they said, but they remembered a student who just may have fit the bill, perhaps because it had happened just before they had been transferred. Apparently, the clerk offered to tell Mii-chan the name of the student that the shift leader gave. However…

“Maybe it’s because I was caught off guard, or perhaps I was shaken by the abrupt, unexpected conversation, but I told her that I would come back another day to ask for more details and I ended up running away,” said Mii-chan.

“You ran?” I asked.

“Yes, I did, regrettably…” replied Mii-chan.

Only Mii-chan knew why it would be necessary to run away in that situation.

“By the way, when did you have this conversation?” I asked.

“Um… Well…” she stammered.

Given how reluctant she was to say anything, it was clear it hadn’t happened in the last day or two.

“…Today marks six days since it happened,” said Mii-chan.

“You’ve been running for a long while,” I replied.

“Yes, you’re right…” said Mii-chan.

Her face flushed with embarrassment—no, shame—over how pathetic she had been.

“I keep thinking that I need to go back and ask. I can’t help but feel nervous, or…it’s like I can no longer carry on and just let the situation end with me not knowing who it was once I find out. I won’t be able to ignore it. The person who sent me the food still hasn’t come forward and identified themselves. They don’t want me to know who they are, right?” asked Mii-chan.

I’m sure that Mii-chan had been feeling like she wanted to thank this person despite not knowing their identity. But as long as she didn’t know who they were, she could let the situation end feeling like there was nothing more she could do. The more time that passed, the more she would have come to think so.

“Well, yeah, I guess that’s true,” I replied.

This person supported Mii-chan from the shadows, without giving their name. It was no wonder she was considering the circumstances appropriately given that this person hadn’t come forward.

“What possible reason could they have?” asked Mii-chan.

“A lot of different possibilities, I think,” I replied.

Narrowing down the list of reasons would be impossible from the information currently available.

“I’m sure that it’s a classmate… I don’t have that many friends, but I don’t think they’re the kind of people who would hide things from me like this. So then, why…?” asked Mii-chan.

Someone in her circle, huh? That tracked. Normally, it would never occur to someone that a person they had no connection with whatsoever would give them things.

“This is just one plausible reason I can think of, but… Well, no, forget it,” I began.

“What is it? Please tell me.”

I’d refrained from saying it outright out of consideration for the possibility that vocalizing it might put a strain on Mii-chan’s mind and body, but she asked without hesitation.

“Please tell me,” she pleaded once more, as if to make doubly sure that I had heard her, so I decided to come out and say it.

“I’m sorry to destroy the premise that your line of thinking is riding on, but first of all, it’s not necessarily limited to your classmates. Even if someone outside of our class didn’t know the reason you weren’t coming to school, it wouldn’t have been difficult for them to find out that you were absent,” I offered.

“That’s true, yes, but… But I have extraordinarily little contact with people from the other classes, though,” said Mii-chan.

“That doesn’t really matter. A close relationship wouldn’t be a perquisite for this. Not even if it involves a girl, necessarily,” I replied.

“H-huh?” she blinked.

She made a face that seemed to say, “ But I have even less contact with boys!”

“To put it plainly, as an example, there could be a boy that secretly likes you, Mii-chan. That sort of thing is possible, right? It could be that a guy found out that the girl he likes is absent from school and decided to give her something out of concern,” I explained.

“H-huuuh?!” she sputtered.

She was so flustered that she practically fell over. I’m sure she wasn’t trying to draw attention to herself, but she was succeeding nonetheless. After realizing this, she quickly regained her composure and got her breathing under control, though her shoulders were still quaking.

“That’s just one possible reason. It’s nothing to get so flustered about,” I replied.

That wasn’t necessarily the case, anyway. It was just an example.

“Y-y-y-y-yes, you’re right! Right?!” she exclaimed.

She showed no signs of calming down whatsoever. Maybe it was a somewhat unnecessary supposition on my part after all.

“I derailed the conversation there, but maybe it would be best if you just come out and say what it was you wanted to say,” I replied.

I had almost guessed what she had wanted to say already, but it was better to hear it directly from Mii-chan’s mouth.

“It’s just that I don’t know what I should do now, after all this time. Should I find out who this person is? And then should I offer my thanks…?” said Mii-chan.

“If you’re going to drop it, then it’s probably now or never,” I offered.

Mii-chan, nodded her head meekly, looking devoid of confidence.

“What would you do if you were in my situation, Ayanokouji-kun?” she asked.

“What would I do?” I asked in return.

While I was a little perplexed, I figured I should probably just tell her what I thought.

“I don’t know if this will be of any help to you, but I think my desire to know would win out. And then I would decide if I would contact that person once I discovered their identity,” I replied.

“You mean you would leave open the possibility that you would not say thank you even after finding out who they are?” asked Mii-chan.

“That’s just me, though. This isn’t going off the example I gave earlier, but if it were a student with whom I had absolutely no relationship, I’d still be a bit puzzled. It might even be better if they didn’t know that I was looking for them,” I reasoned.

“Yes, you’re right. I think that makes sense,” said Mii-chan.

Secretly offering aid to the person you like. I’m sure they’d be shocked their crush tracked them down. I’m sure the end result would be similar even in cases which were not related to romance.

“And in the event this person is being quiet because they don’t want you to know, then that would make things even worse,” I offered.

“…Yes,” said Mii-chan.

“Aside from that, another question is whether the type of person who can remain silent even after finding out their identity, Mii-chan. If anything, as far as I can tell from what I’ve seen, I don’t think my way would work for you.”

“Yes, I suppose…” said Mii-chan.

Most likely, once Mii-chan knew the answer, she wouldn’t be able to hide it well on her face.

“It’s not a bad idea for you to drop this,” I offered.

“That’s… That is true, I suppose,” said Mii-chan.

Even so, she felt sorry for the person who had helped her. It took the form of conflicted, uncertain feelings, which had finally been fading over time but were now violently on the surface. Even if she chose not to find out who they are right now, it would take a long time for those feelings to fully fade.

“Once you open that box, you can never close it again,” I said.

Considering how easily Mii-chan’s heart was shaken, it was no wonder that she ended up running away. In fact, she probably should’ve seen moving on without finding out the sender’s identity to be a positive thing. If she learned the identity of her anonymous supporter, it would change the perspective of her future a little, no matter who that supporter was.

“I…” Distressed, Mii-chan took her time and slowly arrived at her answer. “I-I think I want to know, a-after all…” she concluded.

“Even if you end up regretting it?” I asked.

“…Yes,” she replied.

She’d made up her mind. If that was true, then there was nothing more for me to say to her.

“Then you should head on over to the convenience store,” I answered.

Even though that’s what I told her, Mii-chan just looked at me and didn’t move, bashfully fidgeting in place.

We exchanged silent looks. There was a bizarre feeling in the air, but I could clearly understand what Mii-chan was asking me for.

“How about we head to the convenience store together right now?” I offered.

“I-is that okay?” she asked.

She was prepared to find out the sender’s identity, but she couldn’t ask the clerk on her own.

“I can at least accompany you. If it gives you a little courage, then that’s a small price to pay,” I answered.

“O-okay. Thank you very much, Ayanokouji-kun!” exclaimed Mii-chan.

Mii-chan nodded the most emphatically she had all day, and then we headed straight to the convenience store.

4.1

M II-CHAN AND I soon arrived in front of the convenience store. I was about to take the lead and enter, but she tugged on my sleeve.

“Would you please wait just a moment…? It looks like there are some other students in there.”

“So you want to wait for the right time, when no one else is around,” I remarked.

“I know that chances of it are low, but it’s possible that the person who had helped me is inside,” said Mii-chan.

“I see,” I replied.

What she said was very typical of the sensitive Mii-chan; she always considered the situation carefully. Many students visited the convenience store on the weekend, but they typically only stayed for a brief time. After waiting for a while, there soon came a time when there were no other customers in the store.

“Shall we head inside?” I asked.

“Y-yes,” replied Mii-chan.

If we dawdled, another customer would soon come in. We hastily entered the store. The clerk was in her twenties, and someone whom I’d seen quite a lot as of late.

“Welco—oh!” When she saw Mii-chan’s face, she stopped mid-sentence, but then she started again with a smile. “Welcome!” she exclaimed.

“H-hello. Um, I’m sorry for running away the other day!” said Mii-chan.

Mii-chan bowed sharply to the female employee, who gently smiled in response.

“It’s all right, really. It didn’t bother me at all. It’s just that you were afraid to hear it, right?” said the clerk.

The clerk had seen right through Mii-chan, who nodded in response.

“Did you boyfriend give you a little push and bring you back here?” she asked.

“Huh?” asked Mii-chan.

Mii-chan looked up at the clerk, a blank look on her face.

“What a totally cool boyfriend you’ve got! That’s so nice,” said the clerk.

“H-huh? B-boyfriend?” sputtered Mii-chan.

“You’re…Ayanokouji-kun, if I remember correctly. Right?” said the clerk.

“How do you know my name?” I asked.

“Well, you know how you use your student ID for payment? I end up learning students’ names,” said the clerk.

It was true that when we made payments, we would use our student IDs, which had our photo and name on them. It was no wonder then that she would remember if I’d shopped here several times.

“But…wait, you often go shopping arm-in-arm with another girl, don’t you? The other day too, you… Huh?!” she exclaimed.

“I suppose you’ve figured it out, but just to be clear, this girl is just a friend,” I quickly replied, pointing to Mii-chan.

When I did so, Mii-chan nodded her head in agreement.

“Oh, I see, so that’s it. But you now, surprisingly, I think you two have real chem—”

“Absolutely not!” shouted Mii-chan, cutting her off with uncharacteristic force. I didn’t have romantic feelings for her either, so why did I feel just a little bit dispirited by that? Mii-chan loved Yousuke, so she most definitely did not want to be misunderstood on the matter.

“So, um, anyway, about the person I was looking for…” said Mii-chan.

“Oh, yeah. Err, well, is it all right for me to tell you? Are you all right?” asked the clerk warmly.

“…Yes. That’s why I came,” said Mii-chan.

“I see. Okay, in that case, I’ll tell you,” said the clerk. After a short pause, the clerk revealed the identity of the person that Mii-chan had been searching for. “The previous shift leader didn’t remember the student’s name, but did remember that it was someone very distinctive. It clicked in my mind when she described him. It’s someone in your same class, actually. Kouenji…um, Rokusuke-kun, I think it was. Apparently, he had bought the same items as the ones that you had been given,” explained the clerk.

“Huh…?” blinked Mii-chan.

The name of the sender, that she had wanted to know for so long but hadn’t been able to find out. Wait a minute, don’t tell me. It couldn’t possibly be Kouenji, could it? Why Kouenji? Mii-chan looked just as shocked as I was—she was literally dumbstruck. That was an exceedingly unexpected name.

…That was what I initially thought, but hold on. Maybe it wasn’t really so unexpected after all? Kouenji and Mii-chan hadn’t interacted very often, but I had seen Kouenji being very gentle with her. Normally, I would’ve thought that acting that way would be normal, but this was Kouenji we were talking about.

“W-was it really Kouenji-kun?” asked Mii-chan, listlessly.

The clerk nodded. There was no doubt in her mind.

“The shift leader remembered that it was a kid with long blond hair. He was a strange one, and pompous. He would stare at his reflection in the convenience store window and fix his hair with his hand mirror. And also… Well, there’s no end to the list of distinctive traits the shift leader gave, so that has to be Kouenji-kun, right? I mean, I often see that kind of behavior from him myself , ” replied the clerk.

That was most definitely Kouenji—he was one of a kind.

“It sounds like there’s no doubt about it,” said Mii-chan.

“Yeah. And the items you received also seem typical of Kouenji, come to think of it. It all makes sense now,” I replied.

“…Yes,” said Mii-chan.

We thanked the clerk and left. Mii-chan was in a daze, like she couldn’t wrap her head around the situation.

“Kouenji-kun did…? Why did he do that?” wondered Mii-chan.

“Who knows? It turned out to be someone whose mind’s a mystery to me,” I answered.

“What do I do…?” thought Mii-chan.

Was she puzzled over whether to thank him? Or was she still confused over the fact that it was Kouenji?

“Well, considering that it’s Kouenji, wouldn’t it be okay to just let it go without thanking him?” I asked.

“H-huh?! I-I couldn’t do that!” she exclaimed.

“You couldn’t?” I asked.

“Because…he’s a classmate. And the things he gave me cost quite a bit of money,” said Mii-chan.

Kouenji was sitting on a boatload of Private Points, but money was money. I guessed that Mii-chan was too conscientious to ignore something like that.

“I think that I’ll go buy a thank-you gift to give him in return. Should I get something that costs about the same as what I was given?” asked Mii-chan.

“That would be too much. I think about half the value would be good,” I replied.

They were gifts without any strings attached (I assume; who knows with him?), so I thought that would be sufficient to convey her feelings of gratitude.

“I-I understand. I think I’ll do that,” said Mii-chan.

“All right then. Good luck with handling the rest and delivering your thanks,” I replied.

With that, I figured it was time for us to go our separate ways, and I was about to start walking away on my own, but—

“…Would you please come with me?” asked Mii-chan.

“Huh?” I asked.

“Well, um, I mean, to see Kouenji-kun,” said Mii-chan.

“Yeah, I guess that asking him why he did it would be, you know, tough. But it would be weird if I were there,” I replied.

While I did have the desire to help the forlorn Mii-chan, this was a bit much. Besides, I didn’t know why Kouenji gave her those provisions.

“Also, hypothetically, if it turns out his reasons are really personal, then it would be bad if I were there, right? No matter how much we say that I’m going out with Kei, if a guy is standing next to the girl that he has a crush on, he might have some thoughts on the matter,” I added.

“But this is Kouenji-kun we’re talking about, right?” said Mii-chan.

“Even Kouenji is an ordinary high school bo—well, no, he’s not actually, I guess,” I replied. Plus, in the unlikely event that Kouenji would be shaken by my presence, I thought I would like to see it. “All right, well, how about we go together, then? Forgive me for this though, but depending on the situation, I might take off after we find him.”

It was quite possible that he wouldn’t like me being there.

“I understand. And thank you,” said Mii-chan.

Mii-chan understood that she couldn’t hope for anything more and nodded her head in acceptance.

“So when should we do it?” I asked.

Mii-chan took out her cell phone with her right hand and opened her calendar. She lightly touched the area where she’d sometimes tie up her hair with an elastic band with her other hand in an absent gesture.

“I know that this is short notice, but would it be all right if we did it first thing tomorrow? I’m worried that if I take too much time to do this, I won’t be able to sleep, and…” said Mii-chan.

It would be terrible to imagine Kouenji in that way while you were in bed in the middle of the night. I had a date with Kei planned for tomorrow morning, but with some adjustments, I’d be able to swing it.

“Thank you for everything today. I know I’ll be counting on you tomorrow too, but I am already so grateful,” said Mii-chan.

She also said that she would like to thank me again once the issue had been fully resolved, but I told her that wasn’t necessary.

4.2

T HE NEXT DAY, Saturday morning, just before 11:30 a.m., I waited for Mii-chan on the sofa in the dormitory lobby, just like we’d agreed. Kei had secretly come over Friday night and stayed overnight in my room. We were up spending time together until the wee hours of the morning, but now, she was sound asleep. That was my gambit to change our date plans, which were originally scheduled for the morning, to the afternoon. I could see Mii-chan getting off the elevator via the monitor in the lobby, so I got up off the sofa.

“Morning,” I offered.

“Good morning, Ayanokouji-kun,” said Mii-chan.

In her hands, she held a paper bag, which contained a thank-you gift that she must have bought yesterday.

“So? Where are we meeting Kouenji?” I asked.

“Huh?” she asked.

“Huh? Wait, we are meeting Kouenji now, right?” I replied.

“Yes,” said Mii-chan.

“So you’ve made plans to meet up with Kouenji somewhere, right?” I asked.

“…I did…not,” she answered.

The air around us froze. Time passed. We couldn’t just stay silent forever, so I made time start moving again from my end.

“Meaning Kouenji doesn’t know about today,” I remarked.

Mii-chan nodded in agreement and, for some reason, made a face like she was about to cry.

“Y-yes, that was the obvious thing that I should have done, yes. I guess maybe it was, um, just that I was so, well, nervous, that I just couldn’t think straight at all, and um. I don’t know Kouenji-kun’s contact information, and I guess I selfishly assumed that you would, well, um, take care of the arrangements for me, and… I’m so sorryyyyy!” she wailed.

In the middle of our conversation, perhaps because she couldn’t stand it anymore, Mii-chan started to cry. Fortunately enough, no one else was in the lobby, but it would’ve been bad if someone were to see this.

“Just calm down for the time being. Kouenji and I aren’t exactly in daily contact, but it’s not like I don’t have any guesses about where he might be,” I replied.

“R-really??” asked Mii-chan.

It wasn’t an absolute certainty, but there was a way we could meet with him that had a fairly high chance of success.

“I think that Kouenji is probably at the gym at this hour,” I told her.

“…The gym? On the second floor of Keyaki Mall?” asked Mii-chan.

“Yeah. I’ve been going often myself as of late, and I see him a lot on Saturday and Sunday mornings,” I replied.

I had seen him several times in the afternoons too, when he was leaving the gym after finishing his workout. Mii-chan regained her composure after being presented with a brighter outlook, and the two of us headed over to Keyaki Mall.

Along the way, I stole a sideways glance at Mii-chan. Her eyes were still a little red. She was academically capable and had a gentle disposition, but she was so fragile when anything went wrong. She wasn’t an uncommon type of high school girl by any means—the sort that you would find anywhere. That made her an oddball here.

That was exactly why I was curious about her connection with Kouenji. Putting the matter of like or dislike aside, objectively speaking, Mii-chan was better than average in terms of physical appearance. Did she just happen to line up with Kouenji’s tastes? Or was she being secretly favored by him?

I doubted that Kouenji would be reserved with women he liked. If there was someone in class that he had feelings for, he seemed like the type to make a scene about it. The idea that a guy who had absolute confidence in himself couldn’t talk to the girl he liked was a contradiction, plain and simple.

Recognizing this scenario as true would prove Kouenji did not have absolute confidence in himself… Though could I really say that for certain? People went about things in their own ways. It was possible that Kouenji could be someone who, for instance, would prefer to deliberately show his love to the woman he had feelings for from a distance. After much deliberation, there was really only one conclusion: I was overthinking it. I would never know unless I met with him in person and heard his true intentions straight from his own mouth.

Mii-chan and I entered the already-open Keyaki Mall and went straight up to the second floor without taking any detours. Then, I decided to have Mii-chan wait outside the gym while I went inside and checked to see if he was there.

“There he is,” I remarked.

Just as I thought, Kouenji was right in the middle of a workout. He was using the bench press right now, and that was probably going to be it for him today once he was finished with it—Kouenji liked to use the bench press last. He should have been exhausted already, but he was doing the two-hundred-kilogram level, working up a good sweat with a smile on his face. Who else could manage that as a second-year student in high school?

Anyway, it was just about time for him to shower and head out. It would be a bother if I ended up getting spotted here like this, so I left the workout room immediately. Afterward, Akiyama-san, the gym employee, approached me, so I gave her a casual hello and ducked out. There was that promise I’d made with Mashima-sensei, but I could ignore that for today.

“What do you think?” asked Mii-chan.

“I think he’ll come out in another twenty or thirty minutes. If it’s not a problem, we should wait here,” I replied.

“O-okay,” said Mii-chan.

Then Mii-chan and I sat down on a bench near the entrance to the gym and waited for Kouenji to come out. We didn’t really talk, just listened to the music playing in Keyaki Mall.

“I’m getting a little nervous,” said Mii-chan.

As the time drew closer, I guessed that the feeling was probably really settling in for her, like, it’s finally almost time .

“I can’t even begin to imagine how Kouenji is going to respond,” I told her.

“Me either,” said Mii-chan.

“By the way, what did you buy him as a thank-you gift?” I asked.

“Oh, um, well, I had a lot of trouble deciding. I ended up buying a face towel and hand towel,” said Mii-chan.

“That’s…quite a curveball,” I replied.

“Yes, I suppose it might seem that way, but I personally thought that it might please him. I see Kouenji-kun using both on a daily basis,” said Mii-chan.

“I see. I knew about his hand mirror, but I didn’t know about that,” I replied.

“Yes. I thought high-quality organic towels would be something he’d appreciate.”

“That sounds expensive,” I remarked.

From the sound of it, Mii-chan hadn’t followed my advice to go with something cheaper.

“Uh… Y-yes. I’m sorry…” said Mii-chan.

“How much did they cost?” I asked.

“Let’s see… About 12,000 yen,” said Mii-chan.

That was about as much money as he’d spent on her food. She must have given it some thought.

“Well, I’m sure it’s fine. I hope that Kouenji will be pleased,” I replied.

“Yes. I have to repay him for helping me, after all,” said Mii-chan.

Mii-chan spoke with unusual confidence on that point. Maybe she was right about the gift.

My time estimate was a little off, and after waiting for close to forty minutes, Kouenji came out of the gym.

“He’s here,” said Mii-chan.

Kouenji noticed us right away, but his facial expression didn’t change at all, and he moved to walk past without bothering to greet us. Totally uninterested. This didn’t seem like a secret crush who had fed Mii-chan behind a screen of anonymity at all. Still, the testimony of the clerk made it hard to imagine it was anyone else.

In that case, we had no other choice but to ask him the truth. Mii-chan hurriedly got up from the bench and ran after Kouenji.

“U-um, excuse me, Kouenji-kun! Do you have a moment?!” she wailed.

When she shouted like that at his back, Kouenji stopped on his heel and gracefully wheeled around.

“Do you have business with me, Wang Girl?” asked Kouenji.

“H-huh? W-Wang Gi—?” said Mii-chan, confused.

Kouenji came up with that by taking part of Mii-chan’s real name, Wang, from Wang Mei-Yu, and added the word “girl” to it, but since this was a Kouenji-ism, it was no wonder she was confused. Mii-chan seemed unable to understand, but she got a hold of herself quickly. She tightly gripped the handle strap of the paper bag that she had been carrying with both hands.

“To tell you the truth, there is something I would like to talk to you about. May I have a few minutes of your time?” asked Mii-chan.

Her voice was not loud, but you could feel a sense of effort behind her polite words. Kouenji looked like he was thinking it over for just a moment, but then he raised his arms and shook his head imperiously.

“I am sorry, but I am in a bit of a hurry right now, you see. Maybe another time. Ha ha ha!” He turned his back to us once again and started walking away.

“Huh? Wait,” mumbled Mii-chan.

Mii-chan took it at face value and was clearly flustered, perhaps because she didn’t expect that Kouenji would’ve rejected her request to talk. I didn’t understand it myself.

“Wh-what do I do?” she thought aloud.

“You want to try again some other time?” I asked.

“Ughhhh. I finally worked up the courage. I don’t think I can do it again.”

It was certainly true that having to set up this same situation with Kouenji again would likely be a high hurdle for Mii-chan to cross. If that was the case, then we had no choice but to do something today.

“Well, then you’ll just have to chase him,” I replied.

“But I’d be bothering him…” she replied.

“Sure. But if you can’t do this all over again, then you’ll just have to do it anyway, right?” I replied.

I also felt like, considering Kouenji’s whole thing was bothering people, it wasn’t something we should be all that concerned about.

“What are you going to do? If you lose him, you’ll have no choice but to give up,” I told her.

“I-I don’t know what to do…” she wailed.

She seemed unable to make a decision, repeatedly looking like she was about to take a step forward and then pulling back, over and over. Obviously, she wanted me to take the lead, so I figured it would be best if I just kept doing what we’d been doing.

“I was the one who had urged you to follow him, so I’m in. Let’s go,” I told her.

“O-okay. Let’s tail him!” exclaimed Mii-chan.

Tailing him! I didn’t think there was any need to stay hidden while chasing after him, but since Mii-chan wanted it, that’s what we’d do.

Kouenji got off the escalator, and while checking which direction he was headed, I pulled Mii-chan behind me, taking her over to the stairs, and then we quietly snuck down them. Meanwhile, Kouenji kept striding through the mall on his long legs.

“Sh-should we hurry? We may lose him,” Mii-chan asked.

“That’s fine,” I assured her.

Everyone stopped by Keyaki Mall pretty much daily and knew its map by heart. There were several shops along Kouenji’s path, of course, but none of them had sales floors that went far back inside, so you could immediately tell if there was anyone inside at a glance. Furthermore, the end of the path was an open cafe area. There was no need to worry about losing sight of him unless he used one of the several mall exits along the way.

If Kouenji headed back to the dormitory, it would’ve been quicker for him to head back in the opposite direction, the way he came from, anyway. The chances of him using those exits were not all that high. When Mii-chan and I reached the bottom of the stars, Kouenji’s back came into view, though he appeared smaller from this distance.

“This must be where he was headed. Thank goodness it was somewhere easy to find,” I remarked.

“Y-yes, definitely,” said Mii-chan.

Kouenji had finished ordering and now had a cup in his hands. Mii-chan and I drew closer and watched as Kouenji sat down at a two-person table together with a female student.

“Huh…? Who is that?” wondered Mii-chan.

“Enoshima Midoriko, from Class 3-B,” I replied.

“Are you acquainted?” asked Mii-chan.

“I’ve only seen her in OAA before. All right, let’s get closer,” I replied.

“If we get any closer, won’t we be in Kouenji-kun’s field of view?” asked Mii-chan.

“Well, I mean, I know we’ve been tailing him more or less until now, but it wasn’t really necessary for us to do so, right?” I replied.

It should be perfectly fine for us to just wait nearby until Kouenji was finished with his meeting. Hiding and waiting for the moment when he was all alone looked kinda sketchy, though. I wasn’t especially interested in what they were talking about anyway.

“Since we’re here, I think I would kind of like to know what sorts of things Kouenji-kun normally talks about,” said Mii-chan.

It seemed like Mii-chan wanted to spy, though.

“You’re saying you want to eavesdrop?” I asked.

“I-I know it’s bad, but… Well, I don’t know if he’ll be honest with me about why he helped me. Maybe I could get some insight,” said Mii-chan.

Uh, no, I don’t think that you’d get any kind of hint from his conversation with Enoshima, who is sure to be unconnected to all of this…

“Let’s keep tailing him,” said Mii-chan.

“I don’t have any objections. I’ll take the lead.”

Kouenji probably wasn’t paying any mind to his surroundings because he was engaged in a friendly conversation with Enoshima, but I couldn’t say for sure if we were in his line of sight. Mii-chan and I briefly left the mall via the side exit nearby and circled around to the opposite entrance. It would take a few minutes for us to go around, but I figured that since Kouenji had just bought a drink, he would stay for a while. However…

When we got back inside the mall and arrived at the cafe, Kouenji wasn’t there. Enoshima was alone, fiddling with her cell phone.

“Did he go to the restroom?” asked Mii-chan.

“…No. Kouenji’s drink isn’t there, so that’s not likely. He might have wrapped up his business with Enoshima in a short time and left,” I replied.

“Oh no… Then does that mean we won’t be able to meet him again today?” asked Mii-chan.

“Well, I thought so for a moment, but apparently, there’s no need to panic,” I answered.

We spotted Kouenji heading back the way he came, looking as stately as ever.

“Kouenji-kun!” exclaimed Mii-chan.

“Oh? Wang Girl and Ayanokouji Boy. You’ve chased me down again, have you? My goodness, it’s tough being popular. Heh heh heh heh,” said Kouenji.

That was certainly a way to look at it, but at any rate, Kouenji was free now.

“May I have a minute of your time?!” shouted Mii-chan.

Mii-chan was in such a panic to catch up with him that she didn’t even have the time to get nervous and clam up, so she spat it out. He didn’t have the drink he had just purchased earlier in his hands, so he had probably chugged it.

“I do not mind. I had finished with my personal business earlier than expected,” said Kouenji.

I couldn’t imagine what he and Enoshima, an upperclassman, had to talk about.

“Kouenji-kun, were you the one who left those items purchased from the convenience store outside my door while I was absent from class…?” asked Mii-chan.

The supporter that she had been searching for all this time. She wanted to know why. Would Kouenji admit to it? Or would he feign confusion? Or perhaps he would deny it and—

“Yes, I was the one who brought you food. What of it?” he replied.

Kouenji affirmed it without even the slightest hint of pretense. Unexpected, as usual.

“U-uh, well, um, I… Why?” asked Mii-chan.

“Why? If someone is in need, you help them. Isn’t that the sort of person you are?” replied Kouenji.

“Huh?” Mii-chan was at a total loss for words.

“If you are satisfied with my answer, may I leave now?” asked Kouenji.

Mii-chan seemed unable to say anything back to him.

“Wait a minute,” I stepped in. “I know this is none of my business, but there’s something bugging me about this. Yes, it’s true that helping those in need is a natural course of action for people to take. However, I’m sorry to say this, but Kouenji, this doesn’t seem like you. You helped Mii-chan, and only her on a whim? Multiple times? I think that there must’ve been some special reason for it.”

I tried needling him, to probe an answer out of him.

“Such word games are typical of you, Ayanokouji Boy. It would seem you had chosen the word ‘whim’ in anticipation of what I’d say, so that I could not wrap the conversation up simply by saying it was a flight of fancy. You’re right. No, I hadn’t helped Wang Girl on a whim. I dislike hypocrisy. But it is not as though I make light of righteousness. If I feel sincerely indebted to someone, then I think it is only natural to repay the favor. That is all there is to it,” said Kouenji.

Wow. Unexpectedly cool. But Mii-chan seemed like she could not make heads or tails of the situation. She was still frozen, even now. The only thing we were certain of was that this did not seem like a romantic thing after all.

“Are we finished?” said Kouenji.

Mii-chan, who had been frozen, started speaking. “But I haven’t done anything for you, Kouenji-kun… I don’t think you owe me anything. Based on what you just said, it sounds like… I think one could interpret that as you saying that I had helped you before, Kouenji-kun,” said Mii-chan.

In response to Mii-chan asking him that question apologetically, and certainly with a level of understanding, Kouenji slowly ruffled his hair.

“Heh heh heh… It was simply a trivial thing that does not need to be remembered,” said Kouenji.

So it seemed Mii-chan had helped Kouenji in some way before, thus leading to Kouenji feeling indebted to Mii-chan, which was why he habitually acted in a relatively caring manner toward her—not typical behavior for Kouenji. So during the time Mii-chan was absent from class, he helped her out in return for that initial goodwill she showed him. That’s what he was saying.

“I don’t remember anything at all… A-anyway, please accept this,” said Mii-chan.

With that, she held out the paper bag containing the thank-you gift that she had purchased.

“That is not necessary,” said Kouenji.

“Uh… If you do not like it, then I suppose it’s understandable if you don’t accept it. Could you at least allow me to pay you? The food you gave me wasn’t cheap,” said Mii-chan.

“I’m not hurting for money right now. I don’t need it,” said Kouenji.

Something was off about what he just said. Sure, Kouenji had a lot of money after making a large profit via the Uninhabited Island Special Exam. However, Kouenji cultivated his image as a wasteful spender. He himself had said before that his philosophy was to be liberal with his cash.

If he needed to be economical after all that spending, sure, that’d make sense. But he was seen buying a large TV the other day, so was what he said simply a lie to avoid receiving points from Mii-chan, then?

“B-but that wouldn’t be right! Besides, I wouldn’t be able to get rid of this feeling of guilt over what you did for me. Could you please at least tell me what it was that I did for you, Kouenji-kun?” said Mii-chan.

“My goodness. You do have a difficult personality. I already told you, didn’t I? It was something trivial and there is no need to remember it. I have nothing further to say on the matter,” said Kouenji.

The conversation ground to a halt. Mii-chan seemed somewhat dejected, but even so, she bowed her head.

“Am I free to go?” said Kouenji.

“Y-yes,” replied Mii-chan.

“Sorry, but I have a question,” I said.

“I do not think I wish to be popular with men, but you do like to pry,” replied Kouenji.

“It’s important. If you feel indebted, would you cooperate with the class in the future?” I asked.

“Nonsense, Ayanokouji Boy. You need me for the class to win, and for that reason, you will show me goodwill. But that’s transactional, understand?” said Kouenji.

He wouldn’t interpret something done for something in exchange as honest, good intentions. Fair enough.

“Operating strictly within the rules of this school doesn’t allow for goodness. Am I wrong?” asked Kouenji.

“Maybe,” I replied.

“You cannot win me over as your ally, no matter what means you use,” said Kouenji.

“You’re right about that. Despite my best efforts, you still resist full cooperation,” I replied.

“Exactly. I will not change until graduation, nor will I change after graduation. No matter what kind of shallow manipulation my peers attempt, they will not reach my heart. And that includes you, of course,” said Kouenji.

“In that case, what about special exams like this one we’re just about to take? What if Horikita chooses a plan that involves not protecting you? You can’t say for certain she’ll keep her word. Even if you cry unfairness, you wouldn’t be able to avoid expulsion,” I replied.

Horikita could change tactics and force Kouenji into helping by threatening him.

“I don’t rely on anyone,” said Kouenji.

In other words, he was saying that he was confident he could get by even without protection.

“All right then, we’re done. I’ll let Horikita know that there’s no need for her to protect you,” I replied.

We’d be in a stronger position if we didn’t have to protect one person. Horikita was a girl of her word, so getting her on board would be tough.

“Do as you like. Either way, if you ingratiate yourself with me in the hopes of getting something in return, you won’t get it,” said Kouenji.

Kouenji was determined to be useless. Could I turn that to my advantage? Kouenji possessed exceptional abilities, but his presence was a double-edged sword. There was a risk that Horikita could be dragged down in the future, depending on the content of the special exam. If I were the class leader, then I could easily declare Kouenji a dead weight. The promise made on the deserted island was made between him and Horikita, so it had nothing to do with a third party. One option would be to get rid of him now, as a gift for Horikita, but—

“However.” Kouenji’s gaze changed, sharpening, making a complete change from the easygoing aloofness that he showed earlier. “If ‘someone’ were planning to eliminate me, then they’d have me to contend with.”

He’d read my mind. No, perhaps it was wild intuition on his part?

“‘Contend with,’ huh? How do you mean?” I asked.

“That is something you’ll have to find out,” replied Kouenji.

I wagered he would do something to shake up the class’s standing.

“Would you care to open that box and see? I would have to correct your overestimation of yourself , ” said Kouenji.

“I’ll pass. The class leader is Horikita,” I replied.

“I see. Well then, I have more dates lined up after this, so I had better be on my way,” said Kouenji.

It was curious phrasing, ‘dates’ plural, but the conversation was at an end. Kouenji was an eccentric. Also, although it would be an ordeal, we’d have to keep him around.

“U-um, excuse me… Ayanokouji-kun?” said Mii-chan.

“Sorry. I just wanted to get a few things out of Kouenji while I had the chance. We rarely speak,” I replied.

“It’s all right, but…well…” she began.

“What?” I asked.

“N-no, it’s nothing. Never mind,” she replied.

Mii-chan seemed uneasy. I supposed my half-threats to Kouenji might have had that effect.