The lunch break bell on the third day rang out like a signal to thaw a glacier, instantly awakening the campus of Kōdo Ikusei High School with noise and motion.
In Class 1-C's room, the tense pressure of the morning dissolved at once. Chairs scraped back, and students stood up all at once, their chatter and laughter mixing into a chaotic chorus. They had forced themselves into model-student behavior all morning for next month's class points.
Naturally, Ryūen was delighted. At this rate, Class C might climb straight to Class B next month—and that was nearly within reach.
By the window, Shiina Hiyori remained quietly seated, her long silver hair glowing faintly in the midday sunlight. She slowly closed the mystery novel in her hands. Yet in her soft violet eyes, no trace of post-class relaxation appeared—only the faintest shadow of trouble.
Ryūen Kakeru's order weighed on her like an invisible shackle.
*Observe Sakamoto.*
On the surface, it sounded simple. In practice, it felt like trying to identify a single star through a dense fog.
Her only interaction with him had been that brief, almost surreal encounter in the library the day before.
They had exchanged contact information, discussed Chandler and Marlowe, and he had helped her retrieve Farewell, My Lovely from a high shelf.
That was all.
They weren't even friends—merely two readers whose paths crossed in the world of detective fiction. Her understanding of him was limited to his impossibly polished elegance, his calm, deep gaze, and his strangely incisive view of mystery novels.
His daily routine? His habits? Where he spent lunch?
She knew nothing.
Ryūen had indeed given her a difficult assignment.
Shiina exhaled softly, her fingertips absentmindedly brushing the spine of her book.
Where should she even begin?
The library?
The cafeteria?
Wandering aimlessly and hoping she stumbled upon him?
It felt like searching for a suspect with zero clues—a situation any detective would dread.
Just as confusion clouded her thoughts—
Something moved outside the window.
A tall, slender figure in black swept past like a rushing gust of wind. His wine-red uniform hem lifted faintly with his speed, and the sunlight briefly flashed off the lenses of his black-rimmed glasses.
Sakamoto.
Shiina's violet eyes widened.
It was him—no mistake. That unmistakable stride, measured yet flowing, and that composed bearing even while running. She couldn't possibly confuse him with anyone else.
Where was he going?
Why the haste?
Did something urgent happen?
Questions rippled through her mind like stones cast into a still lake, shattering her indecision.
This was an opportunity—a precious one.
A chance to observe Sakamoto naturally.
A chance to understand the true nature of the mysterious "book friend" she'd met by chance.
A chance to fulfill Ryūen's order.
Shiina rose from her seat without hesitation. Her movements were swift and quiet. She didn't even return her book to the drawer—just slipped it into the shoulder bag she always carried, then stepped into the aisle and hurried toward the classroom door.
The corridor beyond was crowded with students heading for lunch or club activities. Voices overlapped, heavy footsteps filled the passage.
Sakamoto's figure had already vanished around the corner.
Shiina narrowed her eyes, relying on the faint direction she caught from that brief glimpse. Determination lit her gaze. She swiftly followed.
Her slender silhouette slipped through the crowd like a darting fish, her silver hair trailing softly behind her.
But Sakamoto's speed was extraordinary.
Even as she quickened her pace, all she managed to catch was the briefest glimpse of his shadow at the far end of each hallway. He moved like something unreal—a phantom that was always just one step ahead.
She chased him through the bustling main building corridors, past the sunlit courtyard, and toward the outer areas of campus. The midday sun was bright, the air thick with the scent of food and the energetic noise of students on break.
Shiina panted lightly, a soft blush rising on her pale cheeks from running. Yet her violet eyes never wavered, fixed straight ahead.
Every time she thought she was close, Sakamoto's silhouette slipped around another corner.
Finally, following that elusive streak of wine-red, she reached the school's shopping district.
Restaurants, convenience stores, bookstores, cafés—signs lined the area in colorful rows, the crowd even denser than before.
Shiina came to a stop in front of an elegantly decorated café. She caught her breath, her chest rising and falling softly. Her violet eyes scanned the crowd with quiet urgency.
She had chased him this far.
But where did Sakamoto go?
Where was he?
Sakamoto's figure… had vanished.
Shiina Hiyori stood beneath the café's elegant signboard. The shop was well-known among students—famous for its carefully selected beans, its refined interior, and its quiet, studious atmosphere. Through the large floor-to-ceiling windows, she could see students chatting in soft voices or reading alone, enveloped in the faint, drifting scent of roasted coffee.
But none of it mattered now.
A faint heaviness settled in her chest.
Had she really lost him?
Unwilling to accept it, Shiina scanned the area once more. Her violet eyes swept over pedestrians, shop entrances, benches, shadows on the pavement—anywhere that familiar silhouette might reappear.
Nothing.
Still nothing.
Her brows knit together in frustration, a quiet disappointment flickering through her gaze.
Just then—by chance—her eyes landed on a spot beneath a lush cherry blossom tree, diagonally across from the café.
Someone was standing there.
A girl.
She had long, sleek purple hair that curled slightly at the ends, cascading over her shoulders. She was also breathing lightly, as if she too had hurried to this spot, and her fair face showed a trace of confusion and the same urgency that stirred within Shiina.
She was searching for something.
Or rather—someone.
Her gaze scanned the surroundings with restless focus, mirroring Shiina's movements almost perfectly.
And then—
As if sensing the weight of being watched, the purple-haired girl suddenly turned.
Their eyes met.
Across the sunlight-drenched pavement, framed by the café's glass and the drifting petals of the cherry blossom tree, their gazes locked with startling precision.
For a moment, time stilled.
Who was she?
Why was she here?
Was she also… chasing someone?
Questions burst through Shiina's mind all at once.
And the other girl—Kamuro Masumi—froze just the same.
Two girls who had never spoken, both chasing after the same elusive figure, had ended up in the same place the moment he disappeared. By some strange twist of fate, they had stopped at the same time, turned at the same time, and now studied one another in silent tension.
Sakamoto was nowhere to be seen.
And the suspense he left in his wake had only just begun.