Ariyama couldn't believe he was thinking this, but Matsune Sasya could turn out to be one odd girl when she wanted.
Ariyama decided to spend the rest of the day sorting through all the info Matsune had received. It was a lot, as she had warned, but he came up with a relatively decent plan by the same evening.
The following morning, Ariyama stood outside the gates to his school, letting himself be swarmed by the crowds of students. As he and Matsune had done, he made his way swiftly towards the backroom, shutting the door behind him.
There, he replayed his plan in his head as he shifted through all the notes he'd collected. He had a plan, a full and proper plan.
First things first, he needed a clear head. And the one way to do that was to finally confront those two.
Matsuragi Kento and Kazura Machi.
He just needed them to know he was there, to know he was OK, before he could lock in to completing the mission left for him to bear the weight of.
It was unfair to them, as well, to not let them know he was safe. So Ariyama would fix all that and talk to them once again, for the first time in over a month.
As he blended in with the crowd, Ariyama weaved his way through corridor after corridor, surprised at how easy it was to be lost in a sea of people wearing the exact same blue-white-and-black uniforms.
He was practically invisible.
Or so he thought.
He felt a bump on his shoulder, and turned around, only to come face to face with Matsuragi.
Not Matsuragi Kento, he realized, but his older brother, Jouji. Up close, he really did look like his younger sibling, with a few major differences.
For one, this Matsuragi didn't wear glasses, and his teal hair was longer and tied back in a high man bun. Light stubble also coated his jaw, while Matsuragi Kento always remained clean shaven.
"Oh, yo, you're Kento's friend, yeah?"
Even the way he talked was like an opposite to his brother.
"Uh, yeah, that's me. Ariyama Saato."
"You kidding? I've heard of you. Everyone has, son of Ariyama Gotou."
Dammit. That bastard's name was literally the last thing Ariyama needed to hear right now.
"Uh huh, you're right. I suppose everyone does know me. Hey, I was also in on Matsune Sasya's plan when you gave her that info on that hooded guy."
At that, Matsuragi-senpai's eyes widened.
"Seriously? I see you've involved yourself in some strange things, kid. But hey, as long as Kento isn't dragged into it, I'm chill."
"Uh, yeah, about your brother, actually. I haven't talked to him in nearly two months, so I was wondering where he was so I could reconnect with him again finally."
"Hm, that sounds harmless. Sure, I can tell you where Kento's ran off to. Last time I checked, he was heading to attend some cybercrime presentation at the hall with the stage. So go on now, go check up on him. The presentation should be over around now, actually.
Ariyama nodded as he walked into the torrent of students around him.
"Thanks for the help, dude."
Sure enough, Jouji wasn't lying as Ariyama saw Matsuragi Kento exiting the hall alone, face stuck in some small book with a boring cover.
Just as Ariyama took a step forward to meet up with Matsuragi, he caught a glimpse of dark skin and blonde hair, as he turned back.
Wait, was that.. .
No way that was Kazura Machi.
Panic scratched at his throat, forming a huge lump. No, this wasn't what was supposed to happen. If Kazura saw him, then his plan would be thrown off–
"Ariyama?"
The voice from Ariyama's right made him jump a little. He looked back and saw Matsuragi Kento gazing at him, just an arm's breadth away.
God, what was going on? One moment, Ariyama was swearing he saw Kazura in the crowd of students, and now the moment he took his eyes off Matsuragi, the guy ended up right next to him.
What really surprised Ariyama, however, was what Matsuragi said to him. He knew he wasn't exactly one to throw his arms around someone and bawl his eyes out in happiness, but Ariyama expected him to at least show that he was worried.
Instead, Matsuragi just nodded at him, and spoke with a small smile, which was almost inconceivable.
"Good to see you're OK, Ariyama."
And after that, Matsuragi Kento turned his back and was enveloped in the crowd of students.
Huh?
Wait, was that really it? Not even a pat on the back or a kiss on the cheek–
OK, wait, no, that last one wouldn't happen even if Hell froze over. The idea of Matsuragi showing that kind of affection to anyone seemed so foreign it was scary.
Everything that had just happened was really weird, but at least it made plenty of time for Ariyama to focus on the primary objective for the day: Confronting Kazura Machi.
As he looked back down the hallway, he squared his shoulders. He was sure. He was sure it was Kazura that he'd seen amongst the crowd. She did always stand out like that.
The problem was, Kazura didn't have any siblings Ariyama could rely on to tell him her location. It was only pure chance he had run into Masturagi Jouji, after all.
So, now it was up to solely him to finish this. He was worried about what Kazura would say, but no matter what happened, having that sorted out would allow him to focus on the plot with the hooded man. Hell, he'd probably be able to go on another search around the school grounds later the same day.
With that, he headed to find Kazura.