Art Exhibition Arc
---
"Ahh~ that's such a satisfying conclusion," I say to myself as I read the last chapter of The Hanging Puppet. Koizumi had finished the story as she'd promised me.
The ending is good. It's pretty much what I expected when I started reading the story. Though it feels a little rushed, that's understandable considering she didn't want to finish it originally.
"Are you satisfied now?" Sitting next to me, without even looking in my direction, Koizumi speaks in a firm tone.
"Hey… you said it yourself that you continued it of your own free will, so there's no reason for you to be angry at me, right?" I say, trembling.
But Koizumi isn't responding to me. She is looking at her phone and appears intrigued by something. Curious, I take a peek at her phone to see what she's looking at.
She is looking at a news article. The article says that actress Hamasaki Erika's father, Hamasaki Hideo, was found dead in his home on April 5th. Authorities later confirmed that the cause of death was suicide. It was revealed that Hamasaki Hideo was under suspicion of being responsible for Hamasaki Erika's death; some speculated that this was the reason for his suicide…
Hamasaki Erika? I'd heard of that name in a news broadcast a week ago. Koizumi seems to be reading the article thoroughly. She doesn't even blink.
Now that I think about it, I once said that some of the murder cases in her novel seemed similar to the Red Rose's cases. I believe Hamasaki's murder had also been confirmed to be Red Rose's doing. So I suppose she's currently studying the case so she can write the novel? But I thought she said she wouldn't be writing anything anymore?
"Hmm... 'Suicide,' huh?" She narrows her eyes.
"What?"
"Nothing, it's none of your concern," she says while shutting her phone.
"The more you say that, the more it makes me curious about what you were doing," I reply.
"Why do you care?"
"You said 'suicide' just now, right? It sounded like you'd discovered something about Hamasaki Hideo, who had committed suicide in that article. What about it?"
"Instead of being concerned over that, why don't you be concerned about your grade instead? You scored 68 on the entrance exam, right?" She shoots back.
"I'm now more concerned with the fact that you paid attention to my score..."
"I accidentally saw your score when I was checking the class billboard, that's all."
How did she "accidentally" see mine between all the names written on that board? But I'm not even gonna bother asking.
"The passing mark is 50, right? As long as I got above 50, I couldn't care less," I say.
"Fair enough, I suppose."
That said, Koizumi ranks amongst the top when it comes to academics. I saw that her average score is around 88, which is absurdly high. Well, Onodera did say she's one of the top students, so I guess that's to be expected.
Anyway, today is the 12th of April. It's been a week since I went to school for the first time. Nothing particularly interesting really happened in the past week. I went to school and studied like everyone else my age does.
I'm starting to get to know the people in my class and get along with the others. But currently, the person I hang out with the most is Onodera. He is a friendly yet blunt person. He has helped explain things to me and helped me fit in. I owe him quite a bit.
As for Koizumi... It is a lot harder to get along with her. She has a very isolated personality. She is uninterested in anything but the things she's interested in… if that makes any sense.
I constantly feel like a ball that is trying to roll in her direction just to get kicked away every time. Which makes me a little sad since I really want to get along with the person who writes one of my favorite stories.
"Um... Hey, Koizumi-san." While I'm lost in my own thoughts, I notice a few female students approaching Koizumi's desk.
"What?" Koizumi answers them.
"Well, Maki-chan and the others are planning to eat together in the cafeteria. Would you like to jo—"
"Not interested." She doesn't even let them finish.
"Eh? Why? It's only for a short while...."
"You hear me, don't you? I said I'm not interested."
"B-But—"
"But what? I'm pretty sure I made my point clear already."
Even after her harsh rejection, the girl doesn't seem to be giving up.
"You see... Maki-chan has been wanting to be your friend for a while now. Can't you at least do that much?"
"Why would she want to be my friend? She has you guys."
"Maki-chan has always been like that...! She wants to get along with everyone."
"That's not my problem, is it?"
The girl seems offended by Koizumi's words. She drops the politeness in her tone. "Geez... you're such a pain! Just come eat with us already. It's not that hard!"
Koizumi's eyebrows lower. "Excuse me!? You come to me, annoy me, and force me to go eat with you. I refuse, and now you're yelling at me. I don't have any obligation to go eat with you. You don't have the right to tell me what to do," she says firmly.
"But—!"
"I'm not coming. End of conversation."
"Ugh..." The girl growls in annoyance.
"Just let it go, Rika-chan..." One of the other girls pats her shoulder.
With that, the girls leave the class.
"Gah! What the hell is her problem?! Poor Maki-chan is wasting her time trying to get along with an asshole like her—!"
Even after they leave, I can still hear them bad-mouthing Koizumi outside the classroom. And I am certain Koizumi can hear them too, but she isn't really reacting to it.
"Hey, wouldn't it be better if you just went with them?" I say to her.
"Oh great, are you going to be annoying too?" she answers me without even looking at me.
"Well, I mean, it is true that they shouldn't be forcing you after you've said no, but at the same time, I don't see the harm in going out to eat with your classmates. That's a lot better than making unnecessary enemies, isn't it?"
"I don't care about what others think of me, and I never liked that group of girls who invited me earlier. They like to brag about their expensive belongings, and they are very loud. I have no respect for them."
Wow, harsh.
"So you're the type to choose who you befriend, huh?"
"Of course, doesn't everyone? You wouldn't want to be friends with people you don't like, would you?" she says while turning her phone back on, seemingly looking at something.
"Well, that's true... But wouldn't it be sad to be alone all the time? Throughout my time here, I never saw you hang out with anyone."
Suddenly, Koizumi stands up from her seat and starts walking towards the door.
"Ah, sorry, did I offend you?" I ask.
"Huh? No, I have something I want to do, so I'm leaving."
"Something you want to do?"
"It's none of your business."
Of course she won't tell me. But considering she was looking at her phone just now, I'm assuming it has something to do with it.
Before she exits the class, she looks at me once again. "Also, about what you said earlier. I appreciate your concern, but just so you know, I am not alone."
And just like that, she leaves without saying another word.
She's not alone, huh? I wonder if she's being serious or if that's just a metaphor of some kind. Like that one scene in a movie where the lonely character yells, "I'm not alone because I have my cat with me!" I hope it's the former, though.
---
Since it is lunchtime and I forgot to bring my lunch today, I decide to visit the cafeteria for the first time. I puzzle over what I'm going to buy for a moment before deciding to just order a bowl of ramen.
After that, I walk around the cafeteria while carrying my bowl to look for a place to sit. The cafeteria is much more crowded than I expected. If I can, I'd like to avoid sitting with people I don't know. If I can't find a seat here, I will have to return to class and eat on my desk instead.
Just as I'm thinking that, a familiar person on one of the seats catches my eye. A girl with short brown hair holding a cane, Asahina Ayu.
The last time I talked to her was on the first day of school when we were making our way to the school together. We haven't really seen each other since then. What a coincidence to find her here again.
Next to her, there's a girl with dark brown ponytail hair and a meek-looking boy wearing glasses. I believe the ponytail girl was the same person I saw chatting with Asahina during the beginning of school, but I'm not sure who the other guy is.
I approach Asahina and her friends, hoping to be allowed to sit with them as well.
"Hel—"
"WHAAT!?" Just when I'm about to greet her, suddenly Asahina jumps out of her seat.
"What did you just say, Mizu-chan!?" she shouts.
"Whoa, keep it down! You're too loud!" replies the ponytail girl.
Everyone in the cafeteria turns towards Asahina to see what's going on. Realizing that she's too loud, Asahina quickly sits back down, visibly embarrassed.
"That aside... I'm surprised you didn't know about this, Asahina-san," says the glasses boy. "Hamasaki Erika's death has been all over the news for a while now."
Asahina shakes her head repeatedly. "Nope, nope, I have absolutely no idea!"
"Um... Excuse me?" I call out to them, trying to get their attention.
Asahina immediately turns towards me as soon as she hears my voice. "Oh...! Fujishige-kun!" she calls my name with a bright smile.
"It's been a while... Eh? How did you immediately know that it was me?"
"Hm? I recognize your voice, of course~! Even if I hear someone's voice only once, I will remember them for the rest of my life!"
It's been a week since the last time we met, and she still remembers my voice. She really does have a good memory, just as she claimed.
"Huh? Who's this handsome boy? Your boyfriend?" asks the ponytail girl.
It's quite obvious that she's just teasing, but Asahina's face immediately turns bright red.
"W- what are you saying, Mizu-chan?? This is Fujishige-kun! The person who helped me get to school that day!" she explains while flopping her arms around like a bird.
"Oh~ so he's the person you talked about? Haha, don't worry, I'm just joking." The ponytail girl laughs.
She then turns towards me. "Hello there, I'm Nanase Mizuki from class 3-A. I appreciate you helping this idiot avoid getting lost~!" she says while playfully tapping Asahina's head. Asahina puffs her cheeks in annoyance.
"I see. I'm Fujishige Shou... Though, it seems that you'd already heard about me from Asahina-san," I reply.
I then turn towards the glasses boy. "And... what about you?"
"O-oh, my name is Aoyama Hiroshi, also from class 3-A," he says with a slight bow.
I was worried at first that I might be bothering them, but they seem to be welcoming me with open arms. And so, I decide to sit next to them, place my bowl on the table, and join their conversation.
"I heard you guys talking about Hamasaki's murder when I got here," I say.
"Yeah, and it appears that Ayu-chan is a big fan of her," replies Nanase.
"I really enjoyed all her movies, so this truly came as a shock for me…" Asahina hangs her head down.
"Sorry if I'm rude for asking this, but how did you enjoy a movie if you can't see it?" I ask curiously.
"Oh, I usually use streaming services that provide descriptive audio. It basically explains to you what's happening on screen. I also rely on the audio and sound effects from the movie itself."
"I see..."
Now that I think about it, I never really paid attention to sound design in movies and shows before. I never thought about how much it would help people like Asahina.
"To be fair, I'm never into movies and all that, so I don't really get it. What's so interesting about this actress Hamasaki Erika?" asks Nanase.
"Well... how should I put it? I think whenever I watched a movie with Erika-san in it, it was one of the only times I could truly feel the movie," Asahina answers with her finger below her chin.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, it's not like I don't enjoy any other movie I've watched. But when I'm looking for movies to watch, very few of them are capable of making me feel genuinely hooked on the movie. Most of them feel somewhat dull… I couldn't really describe it..."
"Are you saying that Hamasaki Erika is the only actor who managed to make you feel genuinely attached to the movie?" I ask.
"That's right!" Asahina smiles while tenting her fingers. "There's just something so powerful about her presence. The moment she appears, I can immediately feel the tension of the movie change."
Her description of Hamasaki Erika is very interesting... Obviously, she won't be able to see Hamasaki's acting, yet Asahina can still tell how much Hamasaki affected the movie she acted in.
Is this her intuition? Perhaps Hamasaki Erika has something that deeply connects with Asahina?
Curious, I start searching Hamasaki Erika's name on my phone for reference. She and a few of her friends are the founders of an entertainment company known as Butterfly4. So far, she has been a part of over twenty movies. Around eight of them were her original films made by her own company. She also plays a part in a few animated films as a voice actor. Many people like her. The majority agree that her acting skills were very good.
I show the result to Nanase and Aoyama, who also seem curious.
"Hmm... I think I get the gist of it. She does seem talented," says Aoyama. Though I doubt he understands it to the same extent as Asahina does.
"But to think that she's already gone..." Asahina mutters in a sad tone. Tears fill her eyes.
Seeing this, Nanase pats Asahina's shoulder as if she's saying, "It's okay, it's okay."
"That being said… what about those three?" asks Nanase.
"Who?" I say.
"The three people who are Hamasaki's friends. It says here that they're the other owners of Butterfly4." Nanase points at the internet article on my phone.
I look at my phone once again. Butterfly4 used to be a small company founded by four college girls. Aoki Ichika, Kyuu Mayaka, Hamasaki Erika, and Narusawa Sana. They started small, but as time went by, they proved their talent, and more people began to gain interest in them. Now they have become quite popular.
"Hmm... I remember watching movies that have them in them too. But honestly, I don't think they're on the same level as Erika-san," Asahina replies. "If I have to choose which one of them is the best out of the three of them, I'll say Ichika-san. She is very good, especially when it comes to expressing her emotions in her performances."
Apparently Aoki Ichika is second best after Hamasaki Erika, according to Asahina.
Out of curiosity, I decide to check the Butterfly4's official website. There used to be a daily update about them here, but ever since Hamasaki's death, they seem to be on hiatus. I suppose that's to be expected. Her death is definitely emotionally and financially difficult for them.
I take a look at their most recent post, something that was posted a few days before Hamasaki's passing…
"Hmm... Ah!" I yelp.
"What's wrong?"
"Oh, nothing. It's just that I wasn't expecting them to be making a theatrical play. I thought they mainly made movies," I say while still looking at the post.
"Huh? Theatrical play?" Asahina's brows rise.
"It says here that they've been planning an interactive theatrical play in a hotel called 'Kyoei.' It's a play that won't be aired on any streaming service and will only be performed once in this hotel. The play will be held on the 30th of April. Despite Hamasaki's death, it is not delayed or postponed... It says here that there are still a few tickets available."
"An interactive theatrical play?" Nanase asks me.
"Yeah? You know, it's that type of play that has the audience's involvement," I say, assuming she doesn't know what an interactive theatrical play is.
"Obviously I know that. But like, I don't find that to be interesting at all."
"Huh? Does something that I found interesting have to be interesting to everyone?"
"No, but you made this weird noise. I thought you'd find something far more interesting."
"… Like what?" My eyes narrow.
"I dunno, an OnlyFans page or something?" She says it so casually.
"Do I look like the type to like that sort of stuff!?" Nanase's accusation actually hurts me a little.
Just then, I hear Ayu speak, "An interactive… theatrical play…?" she repeats, her eyes seeming to sparkle.
"Huh?" I say.
"… No, never mind." Ayu shakes her head.
Now, I wonder what it is that she was about to say just now.
"Speaking of which, I found it fascinating that a vase of roses was found near the crime scene," I bring up.
There's a moment of silence before… "EH?!" Asahina yells. She looks at me with a shocked expression.
"W-What did you just say, Fujishige-kun?!" She leaps out of her seat and grabs my shoulder.
"I-I said a vase of roses was found at the scene…" I repeat.
"WHERE DID YOU LEARN THAT FROM?!" Asahina grabs my collar and shakes me back and forth like a maraca.
"Waa!! I-I learned it from the radio news!" I exclaim.
"Whoa, whoa! Calm down, Ayu-chan!" Nanase holds onto Asahina's shoulder to stop her from tormenting me. "Why are you freaking out over a vase?"
"Huh!? You don't know, Mizu-chan??"
"Don't know what?"
"The Red Rose! I'm talking about the Red Rose!!"
"….." Nanase pauses for a few seconds before tilting her head in confusion. "Uhh... What's 'Red Rose'?"
Asahina dramatically gasps while jumping backwards. "You don't know what Red Rose is????"
"Uh... No?"
"Have you been living under a rock!?"
"Easy there," I say. "Not everyone is going to be paying that much attention to criminal news, you know?"
The Red Rose has been quite infamous for the past two years, but mostly among people who are interested in the world of crime. A regular high school student like Nanase will likely know little about it, perhaps having heard of it only once or twice.
"But— Red Rose is so well known! Surely you've heard of it at least once before, right?" Asahina protests.
"Uhhh..." Nanase folds her arms and looks up, appearing to be in deep thought. She's probably racking her brain trying to understand what Asahina is referring to.
"I think I know what Asahina-san is talking about," Aoyama speaks up. "If I'm not mistaken, 'Red Rose' is the name given to an infamous serial killer, right?"
"Yes, yes! That's the one!" Asahina exclaims.
"Huh?... wait, are you talking about that one criminal who always places roses near the crime scene or something?" Nanase muses.
"Yes!! So you know about it after all!"
"I think I heard of it a long time ago, but I forgot about it until you brought it up just now." Nanase shrugs.
That's an understandable reaction. I'm pretty sure the majority of regular civilians have the same experience with Red Rose as Nanase. Only a select few weirdos like Koizumi and I knows this much about it.
"Wait, a vase of roses was found at the scene, right? Does that mean Hamasaki Erika's death was caused by Red Rose?" Aoyama comments.
"That's exactly why I was freaking out!" snaps Asahina.
"Why do you care so much whether this Red Rose or whatever person is the one who is responsible for Hamasaki Erika's death anyway? What difference does it make?" Nanase asks.
"Asahina-san has just found out that the one who murdered her idolized artist is an infamous criminal. I suppose that it just surprised her?" Aoyama replies to Nanase.
"Well, that's correct, but that's not all," Asahina answers.
"That's not all?"
"Well... you see, the mystery club used to be nothing more than a club made simply for research purposes…" Suddenly, Asahina starts talking about the matter of her club.
Now that she mentions it, I remember Asahina once brought up her club back when we first met, but our conversation was cut off before I could ask her about it.
"… Like, for example, if a member of the club decided on something they wanted to learn more about, they can offer it as a topic for the club, and if the other members agree, they can begin studying that topic till they find everything they want to know about it," she continues.
"So it's like a club for investigating stuff we are yet to understand? If I say I want to investigate a certain plant and the other members agree, then we can spend the next few weeks studying all we need to know about that plant until we're satisfied?" Nanase asks.
"Yep! That's very accurate to how we operate!" Asahina answers.
"This is the first time I've heard about what the mystery club truly is," Aoyama mutters.
Huh? Was the mystery club that secretive?
"Sounds like a regular school club about research to me," Nanase states. "What about it?"
"Well, you see... Last year, a member of the club offered an interesting topic to the club. And ever since then, the entire purpose of the club has been to investigate that thing and that thing only. Well, I'm not complaining, though. I also agreed to it. But since then, I've been drawn into everything related to Red Rose."
"Hm? Could that topic be..."
"Yep! It's to investigate the Red Rose case. A member had become interested in the Red Rose murder that has been going on recently and decided to propose it as an investigation topic for the club"
Who would've thought a bunch of high school students would build an entire club for the purpose of investigating a murderer? Talk about doing God's work.
"Hmm… I bet the person who brought up that topic about Red Rose and stuff is definitely Koizumi-san, isn't it?" Nanase guesses.
"Yep! Hehe~ Easy to guess, huh?" Asahina chuckles.
"Eh? Koizumi-san?" I ask in surprise.
"Hm? Do you recognize Ririsu-chan, Fujishige-kun?"
Whoa! Asahina just calls Koizumi "Ririsu-chan"!
"We're classmates," I say.
"Hee~? You're in the same class as Ririsu-chan? I didn't know that!"
"So Koizumi-san is a member of the mystery club?" I ask.
"Yep!"
"Are you two close?"
"Yep~"
"Like, actually close?"
"Yep!"
"You don't have to ask the same question twice, you know?" Nanase interrupts.
"I have to make sure. I thought I misheard her for a second there..."
Asahina and Koizumi are, like, the complete opposite of each other. Asahina is friendly and cheerful, while Koizumi is cold and calculated. The fact that they're actually friends is something that my brain takes a while to comprehend.
"Why did Koizumi-san choose to introduce such a topic into the club, though?" I ask Asahina.
"Hm? There are multiple reasons! One of them is because she needs materials to write her book, or at least that's what I think."
"Materials to write her book?"
"Yeah! Ririsu-chan is a skilled writer, you know~! I've read multiple of her works. Most of them seemed inspired by the Red Rose case. So I think she wants to investigate Red Rose because of that."
Of course I know that. I'd read her work before. But didn't Koizumi say that she no longer wants to continue writing? Doesn't that mean she no longer has a reason to be in the mystery club? I don't really get it.
"Do you know about Koizumi-san, Fujishige-kun?" Aoyama asks me, interrupting my thoughts.
"Huh? Yeah, I've talked to her a few times."
"If I'm not mistaken, I think I saw Koizumi-san with someone when I was gathering magazines in the library around a week ago. Though I didn't see them properly because it was kind of far away. Could that person be you?"
"Oh?" It appears that Aoyama had seen me with Koizumi in the library back then. "Yeah, that was me," I reply.
"Hee...? That's interesting..." Aoyama mumbles to himself. His voice gradually gets quieter and quieter until I can no longer hear what he is saying.
"...?" What is that all about?
"Hmm... But~ I might have learned something valuable in this conversation," Asahina says with her index finger pointing at her lips.
Asahina then turns towards me. "Can I ask something, Fujishige-kun!?" She sounds very enthusiastic.
"Y-Yes?"
"Do you know how much the ticket to that play costs? It's written on the post you saw earlier, right??"
"Ah…" I am not expecting such a sudden question, but I answer her anyway. "It says here that the ticket costs around 5000 yen, but the premium seat can cost up to 10,000 yen."
"Hmm... 5000 yen, huh? As expected, it's not cheap after all," Asahina mutters while contemplating.
"Huh? Wait, wait, wait." Nanase is the first one to say something. "Are you planning to buy a ticket to the play?"
"Yep!"
"Is it because Hamasaki Erika's death is associated with the Red Rose?"
"Well, actually, yes~" Asahina replies with a little "tee-hee."
"Don't you 'tee-hee' me! You're really willing to go that far simply because your club investigates the Red Rose??" Nanase splutters.
"Actually, I'd already considered buying one ever since Fujishige told me about the play. Red Rose was just a pushing factor. I've always wanted to try attending a theatrical play at least once, you know? Especially since this is an interactive play."
"Why do you want to attend a theatrical play?"
"Well, this whole time I always experienced a movie or a series through my headphones, right? I always wonder what it would feel like to experience it directly, without any device to connect me to it." Asahina's eyes sparkle as she speaks.
"But if you were to watch a play, you wouldn't have any descriptive audio to guide you, you know?"
"Eh~? Don't stage plays have narrators to describe the scenes though~?"
"Well, you have a point on that..."
"Besides, in an interactive play, the audience can influence the outcome of the story, right? I really want to be a part of something like that! And this play is written by Butterfly4 themselves! It will definitely be an amazing experience!" Ayu says excitedly while making tiny claps with her hands.
"So you didn't want the ticket only because the Red Rose was associated with Hamasaki Erika?" Aoyama asks.
"Well, that's also a reason, but it's mostly because I've been wanting to attend the play to begin with."
"Jeez... To me, this seems like nothing more than a waste of money..." Nanase mutters.
"Hehe~ sorry for always causing you unnecessary worry, Mizu-chan. But I've made up my mind. Though, I might need to spend a few more days saving money in order to afford it. I can only pray that the ticket isn't sold out by then."
Hearing Asahina's reply, Nanase silently watches her before asking, "How much money do you have currently?"
"Hm? I have, like, 3000 yen?" Asahina replies.
"I see... So you're 2000 yen short, huh? Oh well, I guess I'll fill in for you," Nanase says while glancing elsewhere.
"EH!?" Asahina looks so extremely shocked by Nanase's reply that she practically jumps out of her seat.
"What kind of reaction is that...?"
"Mizu-chan, the person I know who values money so much, is offering to fill in for my 2000 yen shortfall!?"
"L-Look, do you want the money or not!?" Nanase stammers.
"Eh... But like, are you seriously okay with this?" Asahina still seems unable to believe what Nanase just offered.
"Gurl, if I'm not okay with it, why would I even make the offer??"
"But I can still get that 2000 yen in a few more days of saving. So why would you suddenly suggest covering the 2000 yen?"
"Like you said, there's a chance that the ticket would've sold out by then, right? I mean, Butterfly4 sounds very popular and all. Who knows when it'll sell out? So if you really want it, you should buy it now."
Even so, Asahina still seems hesitant. She doesn't seem to like the idea of using her friend's money.
Realizing that Asahina won't accept her favor otherwise, Nanase adds, "By the way, you should pay me back the 2000 yen later."
Hearing this, Asahina's face turns into a bright smile. "In that case, I'll take it!"
I can't help but feel amused by their exchange.
"You seem to understand Asahina-san's personality a lot," I whisper to Nanase.
"Heh, that's what happens if you spend time with someone for too long..." Nanase replies.
"By the way, why did you decide to cover for the 2000 yen? Asahina claims that you value money a lot."
"Ayu-chan seemed quite down after finding out that her favorite actress is dead. I'm just trying to find something to cheer her up, y'know?
"Hmm... You're a good friend, huh?"
"Ugh… I don't want to hear that from an outsider like you." She pouts. But her tone actually tells me that she's just a tsundere.
I've heard that finding a good friend is not as easy as it sounds, but it seems that Asahina has found herself a really good friend.
After that, they go to Butterfly4's web page and buy a 5000 yen ticket under Asahina's name using Asahina's 3000 yen and Nanase's 2000 yen.
"Hmm..." Asahina takes a moment to contemplate her decision. "I probably should keep this purchase of mine a secret from Ririsu-chan for now."
"Huh? Why is that?" I ask.
"Hehe~ she'll probably get mad at me for being too reckless, oh well~" she says while sticking out her tongue.
Asahina is really a curious one, isn't she? She seems to be someone who's never satisfied with one thing and always wants to know more.
That said, I actually learned a lot of valuable information from this conversation. All of this will greatly help me in the future.
---
Our conversation has been going on for a while now. There are only a few minutes left before lunch break ends.
After the discussion we had regarding Hamasaki Erika, the conversation begins to switch to a different topic.
"Ah, I just remembered, there's actually something I've been wanting to discuss with you, Nanase-san," Aoyama says.
"Hm? What is it?" Nanase answers while sipping her drink.
"It's about the art exhibition. I'm actually having trouble finding a good location for it..."
"Eh? You haven't found a location for it??"
"Yeah, I don't know where to look, and I don't really know a lot of people who can help with stuff like this, so..."
"In that case, why did you agree when Fujikawa asked you to be in charge of the exhibition?" Nanase shoots back.
"Umm, I guess I didn't really think about it back then... It just sounded fun, so I said yes..." Aoyama scratches his head.
Nanase can only facepalm. "You're so hopeless, Aoyama-kun..."
"... Ah! Just in case you think I'm an ignorant fool, I already planned everything else weeks prior to this!" Aoyama corrects. "The date, what art to display, the setup, the advertisement, everything! I just need to find a place, okay?"
"Yes, but you still need to set everything up by the time we find the location, right? With the decorations, planning, and everything, do you think we have enough time? The goal of the exhibition is to get the first-years' attention and get them to join our club. If we wait too long, they'll all end up already finding a different club to join. Then the exhibition would be pointless!" Nanase huffs.
"..." Aoyama looks down. He doesn't seem to be able to refute her.
"Art exhibition? Does it mean that Nanase and Aoyama are both from the art club?" I whisper to Asahina.
"Yeah, they both have been members of the art club since last year. I think someone named Fujikawa is the club leader. Though I don't know anything about the conflict inside their club," she replies to me.
I'm suddenly reminded of the fact that I still haven't decided what club to join. It's not mandatory or anything, but the majority of the students here have joined a club, and club activities are emphasized a lot. Not joining a club makes me feel like the odd one out... Onodera won't stop bugging me about it every day.
Asahina then turns towards Aoyama. "It's okay, Aoyama-kun, I can help you prepare for the art exhibition!"
"Wait, what? Ayu-chan?" Nanase sounds surprised.
"That's fine, right? And besides, I can already think of a few locations where we can hold it; the smaller school hall near the backyard isn't used very often, right? We can hold the exhibition there! That way we won't get in the way of other school activities."
I remember during the tour Onodera gave me on the orientation day, he briefly mentioned a separate smaller school hall. Unlike the main hall that is located inside the main building, the smaller one is used as a backup and is located in the middle of the school's backyard.
Asahina seems to suggest the exhibition be held there instead.
At first, Nanase doesn't seem to want Asahina to involve herself in this matter. Asahina is not a member of the art club, nor does she have any reason to be involved. But after seeing how happy she seems for helping out, Nanase changes her mind.
"Well, if you want to help, it's fine, I guess..." Nanase mutters.
"I'm sorry for the trouble, Asahina-san." Aoyama bows slightly.
"It's fine! And besides, I've always wanted to have this sort of activity! And… Oh!" Asahina turns towards me. "What about you, Fujishige-kun?"
"Huh?" I respond.
"Do you want to help out as well?"
Asahina wants me to join as well? I'm not a member of the art club, nor do I have any interest in art at all. However, I'm currently on good terms with Asahina, and I think it's better if I maintain that relationship. Besides, I don't see the harm in joining their activity.
"I would like to, but it depends... when are we going to do this?" I ask.
"Hm…" Asahina tilts her head, seeming to be trying to think of the best time to prepare for the exhibition.
"Why don't we meet at the hall after school today?" Aoyama proposes. "I'll go inform the others in the art club about it as well."
"After school today, huh? I don't have any plans for the day, so I don't mind," Nanase says.
I would usually like to avoid after-school activities. But in this case, I can easily readjust my schedule to support this.
"No objections coming from me either. Although I probably have to leave before 6 PM," I say, supporting their plan.
Hearing our replies, Asahina smiles once again. "I will be waiting for all of you in the hall after school then!"
And just like that, I officially begin my very first school activity.
---
Lunch break comes to an end. After parting ways with Asahina, Nanase, and Aoyama, I go back to class and continue studying like usual.
In the middle of class, I unconsciously look out of the window while pondering. Today I managed to confirm what the mystery club's true goal is, and I've confirmed that Koizumi is a part of that club. Not only that, Asahina bought a ticket to the theatrical play created by Butterfly4 themselves. I also agreed to help them prepare for the art club's art exhibition.
Now that I list it out loud, a lot of things happened in the span of that lunch break. I now have more activities to work with than I initially planned. I need to be more mindful about what I do with my time when I'm not in school.
That aside, Asahina, Nanase, and Aoyama are very nice and fun to talk to. The next time I have lunch, I would like to sit down and chat with them again.
Bonk. "Ow!"
A piece of chalk comes flying in my direction and hits my head.
"Oi, Fujishige-kun, stop spacing out and pay attention to class!" snaps the teacher.
"S-Sorry, sensei...!" I say while rubbing my head.
Paying attention in class is really not my thing. The teacher just blabbers on and on about things I'm too uninterested to understand.
Either way, I quickly fix my sitting position and start looking towards the board to show the teacher that I am paying attention.
However, he's no longer interested in me and instead glares at a student sitting in the back.
Well, honestly, I understand why he is upset at that student. During the entirety of class earlier, she never once paid attention to anything the teacher said and only focused on reading a book.
This time it's The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux. She has good taste, it seems.
The teacher then approaches her seat and is now standing next to her.
"Koizumi-san," he calls her name. She finally looks away from her book and looks at the teacher. There isn't even the slightest bit of emotion on her face.
"What's the point of being in my class if you're not going to study? Get out!" He isn't yelling, but his words are firm. Any normal student would definitely be shaken by such a confrontation.
Generally speaking, when a teacher tells a student who's misbehaving to "get out," they most likely won't move and would instead sit completely still with their head lowered. Such an action shows that they feel guilty.
However, as soon as "get out" comes out of the teacher's mouth, Koizumi immediately stands up, walks towards the door, and leaves. Her expression doesn't change. And most importantly, she's still holding that book with her. She genuinely doesn't give a damn, huh?
"W-whoa! She actually left..."
"Koizumi-san is scary..."
I can hear the other students whispering to each other.
"That reminds me, the other day when I saw Koizumi near the hallway, I greeted her and said, 'Good morning.' But not only did she not respond, she also didn't even look at me!"
"Seriously, her attitude is the worst!"
They're whispering, but not in a way they don't want others to hear, because I can hear them clearly.
I feel like I should probably do something to defend Koizumi. If this keeps going, she'll end up being the target of bullying. But they're technically not talking to me. It'll be odd if I suddenly barge into their conversation, so I decide not to do anything for now. Instead, if someone were to badmouth Koizumi as they are talking to me, I'll stand up for her.
This makes me wonder, how has she survived three years of high school like this? It's surely not a comfortable way of living to be disliked by everyone.
---
Because of what happened, class suddenly feels way longer than usual. After around forty-five minutes that feel like forever, the bell for the second lunch break of the day starts to ring. Finally!
"Haah..." I let out a huge sigh and rest my head on the table.
"Kiriyama-sensei was a firm one, wasn't he?" says Onodera while elbowing my shoulder.
"Huh? You're talking to me?" I raise my head.
"Well, of course I am, mister 'I just got yelled at in class.'"
It seems that he isn't going to bring up the topic about Koizumi. He probably notices how I've been hanging out with her for the past few days.
"By the way, have ya finally decided on a club to join?"
"Nope."
"Geez, you're really hopeless, aren't you? Even the first-years already entered a club, ya know?"
"Well, what can I do? It's not like I have any athletic talent like you do."
"How can you know if you've never tried? That being said, I think there's an open spot on the soccer club. I can introduce you to the advisor. Why don't ya give it a shot?"
"No, no, no, absolutely not." I immediately turn him down.
"Why not??"
"I'm more into the 'energy concealing' type. If I'm going to join a club, I'd like one that doesn't involve running or jumping or anything of the sort."
"You have a lot of demands on the matter of your club, don't ya...?"
I then start looking elsewhere. "Maybe I should just join the music club and be done with it..."
"Huh? What, you're good at singing or something?"
"No, but I can kinda play the violin...."
"V-Violin!? I thought you said you're a man without talent?" He stares at me.
Not long after that, I hear the sound of someone opening the door. Koizumi has returned to the class while still holding The Phantom of the Opera that she read earlier.
Everyone is looking at her, but she doesn't seem to care at all. She walks back to her seat, sits down, and continues reading.
"Ah, if I'm not mistaken, I heard Koizumi-san has a friend in the music club," Onodera says.
"Huh? Really?" That's unexpected.
"That's good, right? You can ask her to introduce you to the music club through her friend, then boom! You'll finally get to join a club!"
I guess that's true. If Koizumi really does have a friend from the music club, it'll be a lot easier for me if she's willing to introduce me to them.
"Yoo, Takumi-kun!" Suddenly, a few of Onodera's friends call out to him from the door, "Come and have another match with us, will you?"
"Oh! I'm coming!" He then turns back towards me, "Sorry, Fujishige-kun, I have to go now. Are you okay all by yourself?"
"Don't worry about me. Go have fun with your friends."
After getting my confirmation, Onodera goes to play soccer with his friends. He seems to enjoy it a lot. I wonder if one day I'll be able to find something I genuinely enjoy too...
But anyway, now that Onodera is gone, I guess I can go ahead and ask Koizumi about the music club.
I turn towards Koizumi's seat. "Hey, Koizu—"
"Nope, I don't feel like doing it."
I haven't even said anything.
"Wait, did you know what I was about to ask you?"
"You're about to ask me to introduce you to the music club."
"How did you know?"
"Did you not realize how loud Onodera-kun was?"
Apparently she'd overheard us.
"Why didn't you want to help me?"
"I told you, I don't feel like doing it. And besides, she's not even my friend. We're more like acquaintances.
Welp, just when I thought she had another friend besides Asahina.
"Even then, you still know her, right?" I ask.
"Yeah, so?"
"Well, why won't you lend a helping hand?"
"I just simply don't want to," she says with her eyes still glued to her book.
How cold. I feel like I'm crying on the inside.
Well, it's not like I'm in desperate need of Koizumi's help anyway. I can easily just go to the music room and ask to join myself.
But... I remember something from my conversation with Asahina and the others earlier that might get Koizumi's attention... I'm getting a little curious, I decide to test it out.
"What about this? You help me, and I'll help you in return," I say.
"What are you talking about? I don't need any help right now."
"Do you know Asahina Ayu?"
"Oh?" As soon as I mention her name, Koizumi finally seems interested enough in our conversation to look away from her book. "What about her?"
"Today, I overheard her say something along the lines of 'I might have to keep this a secret from Ririsu-chan.'"
After I say that, Koizumi immediately realizes what I'm trying to do. "You..."
"So, what do you say?" I ask.
Obviously, I am offering a deal. I'll tell her the information regarding Asahina's secret in exchange for her help in introducing me to her acquaintance in the music club.
Koizumi looks at me and then lets out a sigh. "Fine, you win. What is it?"
Whoa! I didn't think that would actually work.
"During the first lunch break earlier, Asahina bought a ticket to Butterfly4's theatrical play."
"Butterfly4?"
The word "Butterfly4" seems to catch Koizumi's attention more than anything I just said.
"She did that after finding out that Hamasaki Erika's death was associated with Red Rose," I add.
Hearing this, Koizumi places her hand on her forehead. "This is why I didn't tell her about Hamasaki Erika's case..."
Interesting, this is the first time I've seen Koizumi sound like she's genuinely worried about someone. In fact, her reaction after hearing me mention Asahina's name is something I've never seen her do before.
"Well then, a deal's a deal." She closes her book, then stands up. "Follow me," she says, clearly referring to what I asked her to do earlier.
"Oh, wow."
"What?"
"Nothing."
I can't believe she's actually willing to help me.
I learn two things from this conversation. One is that Koizumi actually keeps her promises, and two is that she might actually care for those she deems her friends despite how cold she acts on the outside.
Koizumi has a rather complicated personality, but I think I'm starting to understand her little by little.
---
After that, Koizumi and I begin making our way towards the music room. Back during orientation day, Onodera already showed me where the music room is, but I currently need Koizumi to introduce me to the club, so I decide to just follow her as she walks in front of me.
However, I suddenly feel something is off... like I'm being followed by someone. A student I know has been tailing us ever since we left the class earlier. But I decide to ignore him for now.
As we walk through the hallway, I begin hearing the chattering of multiple people. It's almost like a large number of students are just on the other side of the hallway.
"Is there a commotion?" I ask, but Koizumi doesn't answer me. She keeps moving in the direction of the chatter.
As soon as we reach the other side of the hallway, I find out my hunch was correct.
"Whoa! What's going on here?"
How many people are there? Ten? Twenty? Everyone is standing in the narrow hallway while desperately trying to look through the school window as if something interesting is happening outside. What in the world is out there to gather this much attention?
Before I knew it, Koizumi, who was walking in front of me just now, had already made her way towards the window. It seems that she's also curious about what's going on.
I decide to follow her and make my way towards the window as well.
We're currently on the second floor. Looking down from the window, I can see the school's front gate is slightly open. Next to it, there's a bunch of people lying unconscious on the ground. They're covered in bruises, as if they just got mercilessly pummeled by someone. Some of them are still standing, but they all look injured.
Looking at their messy outfits, tattoos, and funky hairstyles, they're definitely not students here. They look more like delinquents. Some of them even hold weapons like a wooden bat or a crowbar. Why are people like that on the school grounds?
But the thing that catches my attention the most is the boy standing between them. He's the only one who doesn't look like a delinquent. He's neatly dressed, and his hair isn't dyed. He looks the same age as I am. Perhaps he's a student here?
Even so, I can't ignore the fact that his clothes and fist are covered in blood.
"Um, what's going on down there?" I ask someone within the crowd, hoping for an explanation.
"It's a brawl! That boy got involved in a fight with those thugs!" someone replies.
"A brawl? But they're inside the school area!"
If they start a fight there, they will get some serious trouble.
"Dunno, but whoever that boy is, he must've had balls made out of steel to be starting a fight here!"
"No, no, you're wrong. The boy was attacked!" another person speaks up.
"Attacked?" I ask.
"Yeah, I saw everything from the beginning! That boy was just walking past the front gate when suddenly those thugs barged into the school and surrounded him for no reason! He had no choice but to fight back."
Thugs barge into a school to attack a student?? That sounds insanely absurd. Did that boy do something to anger them beforehand, or is this truly a case of delinquents attacking a student for seemingly no reason?
One of the delinquents who is still standing charges at the boy while swinging a metal pipe at him. The boy jumps back to dodge the attack. He then uses the opportunity to grab the delinquent's arm and throws him to the ground.
"Whooaa!!" The crowd reacts to the fight.
You might have witnessed some fights between students before in elementary school, where they start pinching arms and pulling each other's hair. But this is completely different. This is a genuine fight like what you'd see in a TV show.
Whoever that boy is, he has definitely practiced martial arts before. Going against a bunch of armed delinquents doesn't seem to bother him at all. I can't see a single bruise on his body. None of those thugs manage to land a single hit on him.
"HEY! Stop it, now!!" After a while, a few teachers come by and interrupt the fight.
The delinquents are taken away by the teachers. Some of them try to run, but since they are injured, they can no longer put up a fight and are then escorted by the teachers.
As for the boy, he obediently follows the teacher away from the scene.
The crowd murmurs to each other about what they just witnessed.
"That was something, right, Koizumi-san?" I look to my side where Koizumi was standing earlier, only to realize that she's gone.
I look left and right for her, but she's nowhere to be found.
Uh... did she just leave me here?
I got too caught up with the fight. I didn't realize that she had left. She just disappears like a ghost. How scary…
"Um, you're Fujishige-kun, right?" Suddenly, a familiar voice calls out to me.
It's the boy with glasses whom I talked to back during the first lunch break, Aoyama Hiroshi.
"Oh, Aoyama-kun."
"Ah... What a coincidence! It seems that we're both attracted by the commotion," he says while scratching his head.
"Do you know who that boy was? That boy who was involved in the fight," I ask while pointing towards the window.
"Eh? Well, I didn't get to look at his face properly, but I'm pretty sure that was Hayashi-kun from class 3-C."
So his name is Hayashi, huh?
"Do you know him?" I ask.
"Not particularly. I wouldn't say that we're close, but I have talked to him before."
"What kind of person is he?"
"Uhm, to answer that, I think I should tell you about the rumors going on about him. They stem from people who went to the same middle school as him. Some claim that he was calm, quiet, and polite, while some claim that he was very aggressive and violent."
"Those rumors are surprisingly contradictory to each other..."
"That's true. But personally I believe in the first rumor a lot more," Aoyama responds.
"Eh?"
"I said earlier that I'd talked to Hayashi-kun a few times before in the past. I remember Hayashi-kun being very soft. He never raised his voice when talking, and he was very polite."
"Hmm..." Now that's interesting. If I have the chance, I would like to learn more about him.
"... Uhm, by the way, what were you doing here alone, Fujishige-kun?"
"Huh? Oh, I was with someone to go to the music room, but that someone suddenly disappeared halfway and left me alone here..." I mutter, annoyed.
"Was that someone, Koizumi-san?"
"How do you know that?" I pretend to be surprised.
"Eh? Well, I just happened to see you walk with her earlier when you left the class..." He scratches his head again.
I'm not going to call him out for tailing me and Koizumi since we left the class earlier. But considering that he decided to show up only after Koizumi left, am I his target then? Is there something he wants to do with me? If yes, why does he have to start it by stalking me instead of talking to me directly?
"By the way, you said you want to go to the music room? If you want, I can take you there."
"Ah no, it's not that important anyway."
I was going there because Koizumi was about to introduce me to them. But now that she's not here, there's no reason for me to go there anymore. Besides, I've lost the mood to join the club.
"I see..." Aoyama replies.
There isn't anything for me to say anymore, so I end the conversation: "Either way, I'll return to class for now. See you later, Aoyama-kun." I begin walking away.
I thought that was it, but for some reason, Aoyama started following me.
"Umm... it seems that the two of you are getting along well, huh?" he says.
"Huh? You mean Koizumi-san and I?"
I don't think my relationship with Koizumi can be described as "getting along well." Every time I tried talking to her, I either got ignored or ended up in an unnecessary argument.
"It's just that I'd never seen Koizumi-san hang out with anyone besides people in the mystery club before. Seeing her going out with you was quite a surprising sight."
"Is that so?"
It sounds like Koizumi is a lot closer to the mystery club than I thought.
"What makes you two get along so well?" he asks as he quickens his pace to catch up with me. He is now walking next to me.
"Huh?"
"I mean, usually people get along because of a few circumstances, right? Like, for instance, maybe they both liked the same thing? Or maybe because they both had the same mindset?"
Why is he suddenly asking about that?
"I don't think that was... Oh, Koizumi-san and I both love to read. Perhaps that's what you meant by 'circumstances'?" I ask.
"Reading?"
I nod in response.
"I see..." He takes a short pause, then continues, "So the two of you like to read. That's why you both got along so well. Is that it!?" he asks in a persistent tone.
"... Huh?" Aoyama is oddly passionate about this topic. It's starting to get weird.
"I mean, it's natural, right? For two people who have the same hobbies to become close..." he continues.
I'm starting to get uncomfortable with how he keeps going on and on about me being very close with Koizumi. I decide to make it clear to him that there's nothing going on between us.
"I'm not sure what's with this talk about me getting along with Koizumi-san, but I think I need to make this clear for you: we're not all that close. We literally just met a week ago," I explain.
"Eh? No, that's not what I meant..." Aoyama seems to finally realize that he isn't making any sense.
"Is there something wrong between you and Koizumi-san?" I ask.
Considering his non-stop questions about her, I can't help but wonder if he has something against Koizumi.
"T-That's..." Aoyama goes silent. He slows down and is now walking behind me.
"I mean, she is the type who runs her mouth, so if she ever offended you in the past..."
"N- no! That's not it!" He quickly denies it.
"Then, what is it? You won't stop talking about her. Surely something is up—" I turn around to look at him.
I immediately notice that Aoyama's face is bright red, like a freshly picked tomato, the type of face you'd make when talking about your crush.
Noticing that I'm looking at him, he starts looking down as if he's trying to hide his face.
"....."
"....."
"....."
"... Oh~ I get it now," I tease while turning back around and continuing to walk.
"W-Wait a minute!" He quickly grabs my shoulder in a panic. "Please don't tell anyone about this! Especially Koizumi-san!"
"Don't worry, I'm not going to tell anyone."
It's not like this type of topic will suddenly appear in a conversation anyway.
"Is this why you keep asking about her? If that's the case, then you don't have to worry. I'm not going to steal her away from you or anything," I tell him.
"A-Ah no... That's—" He lowers his head in embarrassment. "Sorry, I made the conversation awkward, didn't I?"
"It's okay, I get how you feel."
I suppose this is one of those cases where you saw your crush hanging out with someone else and got the wrong idea. Perhaps that's why he was tailing me earlier and why he kept asking about the relationship between Koizumi and me; he was trying to figure out whether or not we were are dating.
Though there's nothing really going on between us, I don't have any romantic feelings for Koizumi either, so Aoyama doesn't have to worry.
"Sorry about this, Fujishige-kun. I'm pretty sure you know that Koizumi-san isn't really the type to hang out with anyone. So when I saw you going out with her..." Aoyama trails off.
So that's why he kept asking how I got along with Koizumi?
"If you need some help with your relationship with Koizumi, I don't mind lending a hand."
After all, it doesn't hurt to have Aoyama owe me one.
"Eh? Really?"
"Yeah, though, I'm not sure how much of a help I can be."
Aoyama falls silent for a while before continuing, "Do you know what things Koizumi-san likes besides books?"
"Things that she likes besides books?"
"Well, I'm thinking about doing something she enjoys together, but I'm really not into reading books, especially when there's no picture in it..." Aoyama mutters in annoyance. He sounds like he'd given reading a try and didn't find it appealing at all. "So I thought if I could find something that we both like..."
I suppose that sounds reasonable. Instead of trying to force himself to like something that Koizumi likes, he wants to look for something they both enjoy.
"Hmm..." I fold my arms and look up. I can't remember anything that Koizumi likes besides Western novels. Since the first day we met, I'd never seen her do anything besides reading, reading, and more reading.
"I-Is it that difficult?" Aoyama stammers.
"Oh!" Just then, I remembered something. "I think she likes mysteries and crime-related topics," I say.
"Huh?" Aoyama tilts his head.
"Yeah, she'd written a murder mystery book before, and she's also the one who suggested Red Rose murder in the mystery club, right? She must've been interested in crime-related things."
Not to mention, all of the Western books I saw her read so far are mystery and crime-related.
"Crime, mystery..." Aoyama folds his arms. "But, what can I do about it...? I don't know much about stuff like that."
"Hmm..." Just then, the memory of how Koizumi tried to solve a few Red Rose cases through her story reappears in my head.
"Perhaps you can try giving her a crime-related quiz and make her solve it?" I say.
"Crime-related quiz?"
"Yeah. Koizumi-san is a smart and logical person, right? I think she would enjoy an activity that forces her to use her head. You can prepare puzzles or quizzes for her to solve. I think she would appreciate that."
"Well... Even if you say that..." Aoyama sounds hesitant.
Makes sense. He doesn't seem like someone who can casually make up puzzles for someone else to solve.
I decide to push it a little further. "In that case, do you want me to make the puzzle for you to prepare for her?"
"Eh? Really?"
"So I will make the puzzles. All you have to do is present them to Koizumi-san. What do you say?" I ask.
"Hmm… I do think playing a quiz game with Koizumi-san would be fun. It's like playing a guessing game. It's definitely something that both of us would enjoy…" Aoyama contemplates. "Alright, let's roll with it!" he answers excitedly.
Glad to see he agrees with my plan.
"Ah, but how would I approach her to present the quiz? I-I mean, I'm pretty sure you know that Koizumi-san is very anti-social... And I'm not close to her..." Aoyama adds.
True. I needed to do a stupid scheme where I deduced her location by looking at what book she read, then trace her all the way to the library just to approach her. And even after knowing her, she still treats me like I'm an annoying mosquito every day.
That said, in my case, I don't mind dealing with her bluntness. But for Aoyama… If Koizumi were to dismiss him the same way she did for me when I tried asking for her help, it would definitely hurt him.
Seems like I need to think of a way to make Koizumi approach him instead of the other way around.
"You have a point about that... What if we disguise the quiz as something that seems like an actual crime?" I say.
"Disguise the quiz as an actual crime?"
"Yeah. You're having trouble approaching Koizumi, right? So instead of approaching her, have her be the one to approach you instead by making her realize you're the perpetrator behind the fake crime that we're about to set up. As for the crime itself, we can prepare something small and harmless, like a stolen item or something."
"Huh…" Aoyama looks up with a confused yet fascinated expression. "That's interesting. How would I pull that off?"
I thought about it for a bit before replying, "Say, Aoyama-kun, you're in the art club, right?"
"Yeah?"
"What is your specialty when it comes to art?"
"Eh? I'm good at pencil drawing."
"Hm… In that case....."
With that, I tell Aoyama what my idea is regarding the quiz.
This might seem like nothing more than a mere effort to gain Koizumi's attention. But the truth is, this is also something I want to do in order to test just how far Koizumi's intelligence goes.
Let's see if she can handle this simple puzzle I made for her.
"..... So, do you get it?" I ask after I finish explaining.
"Whoa... Did you come up with all of that just now, Fujishige-kun? That was amazing!" Aoyama speaks in awe.
"Ah no, I simply got the idea from something I saw on the internet a while ago. But then, this plan is highly dependent on the environment. I haven't seen what the school hall is like, so I'm not sure if this would work."
"Oh, no, it will definitely work!" Aoyama answers confidently. "I've seen the hall before. It might not be exactly as you picture it in your head, but it definitely still works!"
"Really? That is convenient."
Well, it's not like my plan requires a very specific sort of environment anyway. I'm speaking based on what I believe the majority of school halls should be like.
"But are you sure this is okay? What if Koizumi-san gets angry by the time she finds out?" Aoyama asks.
"I think that depends on how you act towards her after she finds out. Koizumi is someone who relies on logic more than her emotions. If you act timidly after she finds out, you'll show her that you're unsure of your actions, and that might just annoy her. But if you act confident, she'll realize that this is something you set up for her, and she'll listen to what you have to say."
Aoyama stares at me. "Wow… You sound like you've known Koizumi-san for a very long time. Are you sure you just met her a week ago?"
"Eh, it's easy to predict her once you know her antics," I rationalize.
"But in order for this trick to work, we need her to come to the hall, right? How are we going to get her to come?"
"In that case, you can leave it to me."
"Eh? Are you sure?"
"Yeah. Koizumi-san isn't the type to join a social activity like this, but I'll figure it out."
Aoyama is not as firm as I am. If he's the one to ask her, she's definitely going to turn him down. And once that happens, Aoyama won't be able to find a way to convince her. But if it's me, I'm confident I can still find a way, just like how I got her to help me regarding the whole music club thing even though she'd rejected it at first.
"Is that so... Well, in that case, I'm counting on you, Fujishige-kun!"
"Ah, one more thing, Aoyama-kun."
"Yeah?"
"I don't want anyone to know I'm involved in this. In other words, I don't want you to tell anyone that I'm the one who helped you create this puzzle."
"Eh? Why?
"I honestly don't want to get involved further than I already have. I don't want anyone to know that I'm the one who set all of this up."
"I see... I'm sorry for dragging you into this, Fujishige-kun."
"It's fine. If anyone asks, just tell them that you came up with it yourself."
He nods in response.
After a while, the bell that indicates the end of lunch break starts ringing, and the two of us go back to our own respective classes.
"Now I just have to drag Koizumi into the picture, huh? Well then, here goes nothing," I mutter to myself.
Though, as I walk back to class, I begin to wonder: Why does Aoyama have a crush on Koizumi anyway? I mean, she's beautiful and all, but she doesn't have the best personality. And it sounds like Aoyama never really talked to her before. How does he end up liking her?
But I'm not really in the position to ask this. I guess I'll think about it another time.
---
"Koizumi-san, do you have a minute?"
Just a few minutes after school ends, I approach Koizumi's desk to do what I'd promised Aoyama earlier.
"If I say I don't?" she responds.
"Well, that would be unfortunate. Though I can't imagine you have anything better to do besides reading The Phantom of the Opera at the library."
"Fine, what do you want? Does this have something to do with me leaving you in the crowd earlier?"
"Yes and no," I answer.
If she hadn't left me, I wouldn't have run into Aoyama, and I wouldn't be having this conversation right now.
"... Okay, I'm listening," she says.
"Do you know Aoyama Hiroshi?"
"Hm? Yeah, he's from the art club. What about him?"
"He, along with the art club, is planning to hold an exhibition to get the first-years' attention to the art club. We're about to go there now to discuss the plans for the exhibition. Do you want to co—"
"No."
"You didn't even let me finish."
"Well then go ahead."
"Asahina-san is also there to help plan the exhibition."
"Okay, still a no."
That doesn't go very well....
"Why?" I ask.
"I should ask the same thing. Why did you suddenly invite me to such an activity? I'm pretty sure you know I'm not the type to enjoy such things."
It is true that I can't see Koizumi as the type to help others without asking anything in return.
"I thought if I mentioned Asahina-san, you'd consider it, but it seems that I was wrong," I say.
"What makes you think I would want to go just because Ayu is there?"
"Well, she's your friend, right? I thought you'd want to help her."
"What help can I possibly give? It's obvious that if Ayu is involved, then she's the one who'd offered to help in the first place. She wouldn't offer to help if she didn't know how to handle it well, so there's nothing for me to 'help' there."
Koizumi seems to know her friends well. Everything she says is correct.
That didn't work, but I still have a few plans that hopefully will get her interested.
"You don't have to do it for someone else, you know?"
"What do you mean?" she asks.
"Why don't you go there for your personal reasons?"
"Personal reasons like what? I failed to find any reason why I should go."
"It seems to me that you only considered things that you wanted to do or enjoyed doing, but you forgot about everything else."
"You mean you want me to consider things that others want as well? I thought you said this is about my 'personal reasons'?"
"No, I'm talking about the things that you need, not things you want."
"... What?" She looks at me, confused.
"'Her attitude is the worst', 'She is very rude', and 'She's always alone'—these are all the things I'd heard about you within the past week. Not really a pleasant impression, is it?"
"So what you're saying is I should go help the exhibition to fix my reputation?"
I nod. "At the very least, seeing you participate in a public activity for once will definitely change people's opinion about you."
"That's very kind of you to think about my reputation and all, but I don't care about what others think of me."
Welp, that doesn't work either; time for plan C.
"Well, maybe you didn't care, but what about Asahina?" I say.
"What?"
"I don't know how close you are to Asahina or how long you've been friends, but Asahina is the type who deeply cares for everyone around her, right? With all these bad rumors going on about you, don't you think Asahina would be worried?"
To be fair, I've never seen Koizumi interact with Asahina before. I also don't know how close they are to each other. Therefore, I have no idea if this approach would actually work. But judging by how her demeanor changed immediately once I mentioned Asahina earlier, I'm assuming that Koizumi might genuinely care about Asahina.
In other words, what I'm trying to do is to guilt-trip Koizumi into coming using Asahina.
"..." She remains silent for a while, then rests her chin on her hand. "My bad reputation might make others worried about me. I never actually considered that before..."
Oh? Her attitude changed. This might actually work!
"You're good at talking, huh, Fujishige-kun? Fine, you win. I will come."
"Wow, that didn't take a long time at all..." I say sarcastically.
"I'm impressed with how far you went just to invite me to this thing. Why do you even want me there anyway?"
It's because Aoyama asked for my help... but I can't tell her that yet.
"Eh, you'll know eventually," I say.
"Fair enough." She starts packing her stuff, getting ready to go to the hall.
To be fair, I completely made up the whole thing about Asahina being worried about her, but Koizumi doesn't know that. Since I claimed to have talked to Asahina before, Koizumi probably assumes that Asahina told me about how she's worried about her, hence why I'm asking her to come to the exhibition right now. I wonder how long I can keep up this lie.
But I've successfully dragged Koizumi along. The rest is up to Aoyama.
That being said, I have no idea where the smaller school hall is, so I make her walk ahead while I follow her from behind. Hopefully this time there'll be no crowd that will make her leave me behind again...