Natsukawa's eyes flickered slightly.
Because of his intervention, the trajectory of Sakura Airi's life had definitively deviated.
At that crucial moment, she hadn't gone to the Special Teaching Building to take photos. At that time, she was exhausted and tormented by the harassment of that obsessive fan, and all her actions revolved almost entirely around seeking his help and her morning run training.
It could be said that while he had rescued her from the abyss of being stalked, he had also indirectly erased the possibility of her becoming the key witness in this incident.
However... Natsukawa Sosuke's heart held not a single ripple concerning this.
For one thing, he had no interest whatsoever in helping Class D rise to Class A. The increase or decrease in class points meant nothing to him.
On the other hand... he glanced at the Special Teaching Building not far away, his gaze profound.
The scheme Ryuuen Kakeru had set up seemed flawless, utilizing Sudo Ken's explosive temper and the initial advantage of deliberately exaggerating the injuries. But in reality, this little trick had too many flaws; it was laughably crude.
One only needed a little scrutiny to find the illogical points.
In his opinion, this didn't even count as a real fight; it was merely a childish level of provocation. Nothing to worry about.
"Natsukawa-kun! Sorry to keep you waiting!"
Kushida Kikyo finished her conversation with her friends and trotted back to Natsukawa's side, a slightly apologetic smile on her face.
"Still no leads... Let's go ask over there! I remember that's the Photography Club's room; maybe someone happened to take a picture of something!"
As she spoke, she naturally prepared to pull Natsukawa toward the next location.
Natsukawa Sosuke didn't move this time. He looked at the girl in front of him, who constantly maintained 100% energy and enthusiasm, and asked calmly:
"Kushida-san."
"Hmm? What is it?" Kushida tilted her head, looking at him with an innocent expression.
"Why did you specifically bring me along?" Natsukawa's voice was flat. "Given your social skills, investigating alone should be much more efficient than it is now."
His question was very direct, perhaps even tactless.
"Furthermore," he paused, his profound gaze seemingly piercing through her perfect facade, "why are you so invested in this matter?"
Kushida Kikyo was slightly stunned by his question. Her bright, large eyes blinked, and then she displayed a cute, slightly mischievous smile that was enough to smooth things over.
"Ehe."
"Why do you ask?" She lightly tapped her lip with her finger and said with feigned distress, "Of course, it's because I don't want our class points to be completely deducted again! Natsukawa-kun, you might not know, but I'm almost out of points from treating everyone to meals and things to maintain good relationships! If this keeps up, I might starve next month! So, naturally, I have to try harder!"
As she spoke, she pitifully rubbed her flat stomach, vividly portraying the image of a poor, beautiful girl.
The reason sounded impeccable.
Natsukawa Sosuke glanced at her and genuinely felt there was some truth to it. After all, maintaining a vast social network like hers, spanning the entire grade and every class, must incur astonishing expenses. Meals, karaoke, small gifts... every item required spending points.
That she managed to hold out until now before nearing bankruptcy even made Natsukawa admire her financial management skills somewhat.
Seeing that Natsukawa seemed to accept the reason, Kushida Kikyo secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Of course, she wouldn't tell him that the real reason was simply because she wanted to spend more time with him.
Since the last incident, Kushida's curiosity and desire to investigate this boy had peaked. She longed to know more about him, eager to see what kind of heart was hidden beneath his calm exterior.
And investigating together for the class was undoubtedly the most legitimate excuse right now, and the one least likely to arouse his suspicion.
"Alright, alright, let's hurry up and go, Natsukawa-kun! If we wait any longer, we really won't be able to ask anyone!"
Kushida successfully glossed over the topic with a playful tone, pulling Natsukawa toward the next investigation site once more.
Just like that, the two of them rushed around the campus, questioning no less than a dozen people, until the clock hands slowly pointed to five o'clock.
The setting sun stretched their shadows long.
In the end, they still came up empty-handed.
"Sigh... It looks like there's no hope today." Kushida stopped, sighing dejectedly, but quickly put her smile back on. "It's okay, though! We'll keep trying tomorrow! Let's stop here for today!"
She turned to Natsukawa, her face showing genuine gratitude: "Thank you so much for today, Natsukawa-kun! For running around with me for so long."
"It's nothing." Natsukawa's reply was as concise as ever.
The two walked side-by-side in silence on the tree-lined path back to the dorms. The afterglow of the setting sun plated their brief journey together with a warm, hazy gold... The following afternoon, before the echo of the dismissal bell had completely faded, a bright figure familiar with the route once again arrived at the back row of the classroom.
"Natsukawa-kun, let's go!"
Kushida Kikyo still wore her signature, vibrant, sweet smile, as if yesterday's lack of results hadn't dampened her enthusiasm in the slightest. She was even more proactive than yesterday, leaning slightly forward and looking at Natsukawa with an expectant gaze, as if she might burst into tears if he dared to say "no."
Natsukawa Sosuke looked at the impeccably delicate face before him, too lazy to discern how much of this enthusiasm was genuine and how much was fake. He simply placed his last book calmly into his bag and stood up.
However, just as the two of them left their seats and before they could exit the classroom, two figures rushed over from the front of the classroom in a flurry, precisely blocking their path.
"Kushida-chan! Natsukawa! Where are you two going?"
Ike Kanji looked at Kushida with a nervous expression, the sense of crisis in his eyes practically overflowing. Yesterday, he had keenly noticed that Kushida seemed overly enthusiastic toward Natsukawa, who usually wasn't very social. Seeing the two of them planning to go off alone again today, his alarm radar immediately sounded the highest alert.
Yamauchi Haruki next to him also wore an eager, nosey expression and chimed in, "Yeah, yeah, how can you not invite us if something good is happening?"
Ike Kanji completely ignored Natsukawa, staring intently at Kushida, and said urgently, "Kushida-chan, if you're going to investigate Sudo's matter, count us in! More people means more strength!"
As he spoke, he casually grabbed Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, who was nearby, trying to slip away quietly and pretend he hadn't seen anything.
"And Ayanokoji! We have four people now; let's go help together!"
Ayanokoji, who had been forcibly dragged into the group, wore an expression of resignation.
Kushida Kikyo's smile froze slightly when she saw the three sudden third wheels, but only for a moment before she recovered her perfectly understanding demeanor.
Of course, she was a hundred percent unwilling inside. The chance for alone time she had worked so hard to create was ruined by these clueless guys. But her persona didn't allow her to say no.
"That's wonderful!" Kushida's tone sounded full of surprise and emotion. "It's great that Ike-kun and Yamauchi-kun are willing to help! If there are more of us, maybe we really can find some clues!"
Just like that, the original two-person 'date' instantly upgraded into a five-person investigation team
...
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