"Hina...?"
Kagura Hikaru unintentionally called out her name.
It was only when he saw Kiryu Hina's expression cool down that he snapped out of it, straightening up and correcting himself, "Sorry, President Kiriyu."
Silence fell behind him.
The air remained mute for a good ten seconds before a voice carrying a feigned laugh broke it, "Classmate Kagura really, suddenly calling someone by their name, you're not trying to make me blush on purpose, are you? So naughty."
"..."
Kagura Hikaru was certain, there was a hidden message in her words.
Unlike Ayakoji Chiyoko's expressionless aloofness, Kiryu Hina, though often smiling, was even more frightening—her thoughts completely inscrutable.
"Ah, you're not mentally cursing me, are you?"
Kiryu Hina popped her head over Kagura Hikaru's left shoulder, her innocent and cute profile appearing before him, eyes fixed straight on him.
At a loss for how to handle such proximity, Kagura Hikaru could only look away, "Why are you here... Did you hear everything?"
"You mean your whispering with President Ayakoji?" Kiryu Hina straightened up, tapping her lips with her index finger, "Hmm, how should I put this, did I hear, or did I not? Oh dear, such a tough choice."
"..."
"Don't stay quiet, well, alright, I'll be honest—I didn't hear. But I can guess, you just made a deal, right?"
"..."
"Ah, that reaction, I guessed right."
Kiryu Hina chuckled and poked Kagura Hikaru's shoulder with her finger, forcefully enough to make him wince.
"So, how's it going?"
"...Ayakoji Chiyoko is already aware of our situation, and a bit of your information has leaked. As an exchange, she revealed her reasons for being hostile towards you."
"Hmm~"
Kagura Hikaru relayed the conversation he had with Ayakoji Chiyoko faithfully.
Of course, he omitted the content about mind-reading.
This sort of espionage, lacking any spirit of confidentiality, caused him some discomfort, but it wasn't of any importance.
After listening to Kagura Hikaru's report, Kiryu Hina continued to smile nonchalantly, "Interesting, so you think she's jealous that I stole her stepmother, and that's why she's targeting me?"
"It appears so, for now."
"Liar, you know that's not the whole reason, right?"
Kiryu Hina ran her hand through Kagura Hikaru's hair as if he were a pet, her gesture suggesting his thoughts were completely transparent to her.
Kagura Hikaru remained still, allowing her to do as she wished, "The real reason, she won't tell me. We're not that close."
"Then just get closer to her, that could serve as your motivation to approach her, right? Teehee."
Vague insinuations that she knew something yet would definitely not speak of it.
President Kiryu.
To call it a mere caprice seemed too shallow, yet to say it was profound surely mixed with caprice.
Even though he couldn't see her expression now, it must be one of disdain, as if looking at a chess piece.
Feeling toyed with, Kagura Hikaru tentatively launched a small counter, "What about you, then? Your purpose for having me approach Ayakoji Chiyoko—what is it? Could it be you also fancy your stepmother and want to compete with Ayakoji Chiyoko for her?"
"How funny, Ayakoji Chiyoko is such a childish spirit, surely you don't think I am too?" Kiryu Hina let out a cute, pleasant laugh, "It's not an Oedipus complex, who would fancy an old woman? That's just my father's taste."
Kagura Hikaru thought to himself that this was indeed the case.
Even if he understood Ayakoji Chiyoko's reasons, Hina's conflict with the former might not stem from the same source.
No wonder he had always felt a sense of unease.
In his memory, Kiryu Hina was not someone interested in such childish power struggles.
If it had been her in the past, she might have patiently talked to Ayakoji Chiyoko to inquire about the issue and would have made amends if possible.
As for now, she would probably see the other party as an enemy from the get-go and seek to destroy Ayakoji Chiyoko's foothold, forcing her to lose her position as the President of the Disciplinary Committee, thus completely removing her ability to threaten herself.
Yet, Kiryu Hina had chosen to have him approach Ayakoji Chiyoko, a move of extremely low efficiency.
"What exactly is your purpose?" Kagura Hikaru could not help but question for the second time, "Or do you simply find pleasure in toying with me and Ayakoji Chiyoko?"
As long as he couldn't figure out what Kiryu Hina was thinking, he would not have peace of mind.
He always felt that her thoughts couldn't be that simple.
The deeper he sank, the more he wondered what kind of ending was waiting for him…
"My purpose, you really want to know? Ehh~ what to do~~~" Kiryu Hina teased with a smile, creating an atmosphere as though she might agree at any moment, deliberately waited two to three seconds, then said, "But I really can't tell you! Sorry~ For now, you just need to focus on how to get along with her, that's all you need to know. It's really for your own good."
Kagura Hikaru couldn't help but turn his head to look at her, only to see a mask called 'smile.'
Her face was one of soulless deceit, like that of a high-end android, using programmed settings to lift her lips at a standard angle, creating a warm voice with a fixed frequency.
The her from before, she used to be so beautiful when she smiled, and never spoke with that kind of tone.
What turned you into this?
Right, what else could it be.
Kagura Hikaru painfully closed his eyes and turned his head away, unable to bear the sight.
"I understand, I will continue to close the distance with Ayakoji Chiyoko, until you tell me your real plan."
"Haha, that's a good boy."
Kiryu Hina, standing behind him, ruffled Kagura Hikaru's hair as if petting a dog.
Suddenly, his scalp tightened fiercely.
Hina pulled his hair upward, forcing Kagura Hikaru's chin to lift involuntarily, the rough strength causing his scalp to ache.
The voice mixed with laughter turned cold abruptly.
"But remember, never betray me. I'll be watching you closely."
"..."
"Ah, sorry sorry~ I didn't mean to make the atmosphere such tense."
Kiryu Hina's tone returned to one of mirth, released her grip, and patted Kagura Hikaru's shoulder in consolation, "It's just that you have a history, so I have to be careful, don't want to be betrayed by you again, right?"
"..."
"Hey! Silent again, you really have become less fun," Kiryu Hina pouted, hands on her hips, "Anyway, back to business. I need you to gain Ayakoji Chiyoko's trust as quickly as possible, become her friend, and for that, we need to put on a little performance."
Kagura Hikaru steadied his emotions and tilted his head slightly, "What do I need to do?"
"Do this—"
Kiryu Hina leisurely took out a bottle of drink from behind her back, opened it, and poured it over Kagura Hikaru's head, bottle pointed downwards.
It flowed down his hair to his neck, his shoulders.