Hoshimori Shion breathed a sigh of relief as she finally settled Iori Shigure into her seat, then returned to her own.
Class hadn’t even begun, yet Hoshimori Shion’s phone was already buzzing with notifications. Since it wasn’t time for class, Hoshimori Shion opened her phone, curious to see who had messaged her.
The messages were from Kujou Sakuya and Kazama Nanami, both girls having almost simultaneously posed the same question.
“Hoshimori-san, are you really not dating Igarashi-senpai?”
‘Had the rumor spread this widely already?’
“No way… Where did you even hear such a thing?” Hoshimori Shion couldn’t help but retort.
****
Eventually, lunch break finally arrived.
“Finally, lunch!” Hoshimori Shion declared, stretching languidly under the midday sun.
“Hoshimori-san,” Iori Shigure’s small head suddenly popped out, “Shall we go eat together?”
“Eat? Where… where should we eat?” Hoshimori Shion asked, a hint of confusion in her voice. “Can’t we just eat in the classroom?”
Iori Shigure shook her head. “Um, just for today, please, could you come with me? To the rooftop.”
“I guess so, but I should tell Hoshimori Ayane first…”
“I’ve already told Ayane-san!” Iori Shigure declared, gathering her courage to grasp Hoshimori Shion’s hand. Though her own hand trembled slightly, she held on firmly, pulling Hoshimori Shion towards the rooftop.
“Um, so what exactly is going on?”
Iori Shigure pushed open the rooftop door. The autumn wind and the midday sun poured into the long corridor the moment the door swung open. The girls’ skirts billowed in the autumn breeze, and the sunlight was a little dazzling.
After their eyes adjusted to the brilliant glare, Iori Shigure led Hoshimori Shion onto the rooftop.
There weren’t many people on the rooftop, but Hoshimori Shion immediately spotted Kujou Sakuya and Kazama Nanami, who had already spread a picnic blanket in one corner. Upon seeing Iori Shigure and Hoshimori Shion, the two girls raised their hands and waved them over.
“Hoshimori-san, long time no see.” Kazama Nanami greeted Hoshimori Shion first, though her smile seemed a little unsettling.
Kujou Sakuya, on the other hand, had her face perfectly concealed in the shadow of the wall, despite the midday sun. Combined with her glasses, her expression was utterly unreadable.
“It hasn’t been that long, has it? We just saw each other last Friday.” Hoshimori Shion had barely sat down and hadn’t even opened her bento box when she sensed the atmospheric pressure around them had noticeably dropped.
‘It’s autumn, isn’t it? Why does the temperature feel as if winter has already set in?’
“Hoshimori-san, although Iori-san just told us, we’d still like to confirm it with you.” Kujou Sakuya adjusted her glasses. Even through the lenses, the displeasure in her gaze was unmistakable.
“I-I’m really not dating Igarashi-senpai!” Hoshimori Shion quickly interjected. “We just went out to have some fun!”
“Just ‘out to have some fun’… meaning all the way to Tokyo?” Kujou Sakuya shot her a look of disbelief.
“And just the two of you?” Kazama Nanami chimed in from beside her.
“Ugh…” Hoshimori Shion was momentarily speechless. She quickly pulled out her bento box. “Let’s eat first! Iori-san invited me up here for lunch, not for an interrogation!”
The other three girls reluctantly opened their lunchboxes and began to eat.
Today’s lunch was quite hearty, featuring at least a fried egg and some meat. Usually, eating pickles and rice balls made her nauseous. Even if she was short on money now, she couldn’t neglect her stomach, could she?
However, Hoshimori Shion ate her meal today with a sense of dread.
The other three girls ate in silence, not uttering a single word.
Only Iori Shigure, like a small angel, occasionally picked up a small piece of meat and placed it into Hoshimori Shion’s bento box when Kujou Sakuya and Kazama Nanami were focused on their own meals.
“Um… where did everyone go this holiday?” Hoshimori Shion finally couldn’t bear the atmosphere any longer and was the first to break the silence.
“Fishing at home. It’s prime salmon season right now,” Kazama Nanami stated curtly.
“Writing scripts, of course. Day after day, that’s how one truly improves,” Kujou Sakuya said, moving her chopsticks.
“I was taking care of my grandma. Her condition hasn’t improved much these past few days,” Iori Shigure said, scratching her head, a hint of worry in her voice.
‘It seems… I can’t really join any of these conversations.’
“It seems everyone else’s holiday wasn’t as exciting as yours, Hoshimori-san,” Kujou Sakuya said with a smile that seemed somewhat menacing. “Why don’t you share a bit about your trip to Tokyo? For instance… where did you and Igarashi-senpai sleep at night?”
“Well, we did visit several places together,” Hoshimori Shion began, recalling the past two days. “We went to Shibuya Crossing, saw the Hachiko statue, drank some really, really delicious milk tea, and a maid café… oh, that doesn’t count! Then, we rode the Palette Town Ferris Wheel, and we also went to Tokyo Skytree…”
Kujou Sakuya, who had been silent throughout, nearly crushed the chopsticks in her hand.
“Anything else?” Hoshimori Shion didn’t notice that Kujou Sakuya’s hand had already clenched into a fist. Beside her, Kazama Nanami had stopped picking at her food, silently listening to Hoshimori Shion speak. Iori Shigure, too, had nervously begun to bite her fingernails.
“We didn’t go anywhere else,” Hoshimori Shion said, a smile unconsciously gracing her lips as she recalled the experience. “If I had the chance, I’d really like to visit places like the aquarium.”
“That sounds incredibly infuriating,” Kazama Nanami muttered under her breath. Kujou Sakuya and Iori Shigure, listening nearby, nodded in agreement.
****
The agonizing lunch finally concluded. Hoshimori Shion felt as though she had been pierced by the gazes of the other three girls countless times.
Kujou Sakuya and Kazama Nanami headed towards their respective classrooms. In the long corridor, Iori Shigure silently followed Hoshimori Shion, walking slowly towards Class A.
“Why does it feel like… the atmosphere was so scary today?” Hoshimori Shion stretched. “Everyone seemed a little unhappy, didn’t they, Iori-san?”
Iori Shigure, behind her, did not reply.
“Iori-san?” Hoshimori Shion turned to look at Iori Shigure, who was staring at the ground, utterly silent.
“What’s wrong, Iori-san?” Hoshimori Shion leaned in slightly, trying to see Iori Shigure’s face. The afternoon sun illuminated her golden hair, but cast her face into a deep shadow, preventing Hoshimori Shion from discerning her expression.
Iori Shigure’s hand trembled slightly, yet it firmly, decisively, took Hoshimori Shion’s. It wasn’t cold today, but Iori Shigure’s hand felt chillingly cold, as if she had just emerged from an ice cellar.
“What’s wrong, Iori-san?” Hoshimori Shion, surprised by Iori Shigure’s sudden action, quickly asked.
“Hoshimori-san, please,” Iori Shigure looked up, her golden eyes filled with a mix of reluctance and longing.
“Please don’t leave me!”