The infirmary was quiet, filled with the sterile scent of antiseptic and the soft hum of the wall-mounted air conditioner. Two beds, separated by a thin curtain, hosted two very different occupants.
Riko sat on the edge of her bed, her flushed cheeks slowly returning to their normal color. The cool air helped, but her mind was still a storm of unanswered questions.
Hikari lounged on the adjacent bed, arms crossed, eyes half-closed. She had been tasked with accompanying Riko, but her definition of "accompanying" seemed to involve minimal effort.
"Thank you for coming with me," Riko said quietly, her voice carrying genuine gratitude beneath its polished surface.
Hikari shrugged without opening her eyes. "No need to thank. I was just sleeping in class anyway. This is basically the same, but with better atmosphere."
Despite everything, Riko felt a small smile tug at her lips. Hikari's honesty was... refreshing. Disarming.
The door slid open.
"I'm here to check on—oh."
Yuki stood in the doorway, her hand still on the handle, her eyes widening as she took in the scene. Two pairs of eyes stared back at her.
An awkward silence descended. Thick. Heavy. Uncomfortable.
Yuki recovered first, her natural brightness pushing through. "Well, this is cozy! Mind if I join?" Without waiting for an answer, she bounced to the empty bed and plopped down, swinging her legs.
More silence.
Then Yuki tilted her head, her gaze shifting between them with open curiosity. "So... are you two friends of Kaito-san?"
The question hung in the air. Simple. Direct. Unexpected.
Riko and Hikari exchanged a glance. A silent conversation passed between them—should they answer? How much to share?
Hikari nodded first. "Yeah."
Riko followed, her nod more measured. "We are."
Yuki's face lit up. "Great! Then we should be friends too! Any friend of Kaito-san is a friend of mine!"
Riko's analytical mind immediately seized on the implication. She calls him Kaito-san so casually. Like it's natural. Like she's known him forever. "How did you know we were his friends?"
Yuki grinned, completely unbothered by the question. "Aiko told me!"
Riko's eyes narrowed slightly. Aiko. His sister. She knows his sister well enough to have conversations about his friends?
Before either of them could probe further, Yuki continued cheerfully. "I went to Kaito-san's house yesterday for the reunion party, and Aiko mentioned that he'd made some good friends this year. She described you both, and I recognized you immediately!"
The words landed like stones in still water.
Hikari's expression shifted—surprise, then something deeper. "You went to his house?"
Yuki nodded, oblivious to the weight of her words. "Mm-hmm! His parents are lovely. His mom made my favorite food from when we were kids. It was so nostalgic!"
Riko's mind raced. His house. His parents. Childhood favorites. She's known him for years. She's been inside his home. She knows his family.
Hikari, meanwhile, was processing something else entirely. Her voice, when it finally came, was quieter than usual. "If you're a friend of Aiko... then I can trust you."
Yuki blinked. "Huh?"
Hikari met her gaze, her dark eyes serious. "Aiko is good people. If she trusts you, then..." She paused, then gave a small nod. "So we're friends."
Yuki's face transformed—surprise, then warmth, then something almost like emotion. "Really?"
"Yeah." Hikari shrugged, as if it were nothing. But Riko could see the weight behind the simple word.
Then Hikari's eyes narrowed slightly. "Wait. You went to his house. You know his parents. You grew up with him."
Yuki tilted her head. "Yeah?"
Hikari stared at her for a long moment. Then she turned to Riko, her expression unreadable.
Riko understood immediately. The same thought was exploding in both their minds.
She's been inside his house. She knows his family. She has years of history with him.
The unseen connections were multiplying, and with each revelation, the mystery of Kaito Sato—and the girl who knew him before—deepened.
Yuki, completely unaware of the earthquake she had caused, beamed at them both. "This is great! New friends! We should all hang out sometime!"
(End of Chapter 57)