The chestnut-haired girl, faint steam still rising from her head, walked briskly through the quiet corridor of the School Building on a day off when hardly anyone was around.
Kondo Haruka had just finished training and taken a shower in the training facility.
A fresh scent of body wash still lingered on her, and her not-fully-dried short chestnut hair clung slightly damp against her neck.
Although her body ached from training, her steps remained light…
Whenever Kondo Haruka went to the Student Council to see Kanzaki Sou, she was always like this.
However, as she approached the entrance to the Student Council Room, the hand she had intended to use to push the door open froze midair.
Kondo Haruka heard voices coming from inside.
Two voices she knew very well.
One belonged to Kanzaki Sou. She could tell from his tone that he wasn’t relaxed, as if he were discussing something serious.
The other voice was soft and faint, carrying a hint of nervous uncertainty.
…it was Xiao Chun Miura.
Kondo Haruka’s brows immediately knit together.
She had clearly messaged her. She had clearly told her in person that if she needed any help, she would step in.
She had even said she would wait for her at the Athletics Department.
Yet today, Miura had come straight to Cang-kun, and hadn’t replied to her messages at all.
…Even if she liked Cang-kun, did it really have to go this far? Kondo Haruka genuinely wanted to help her. Was she really that unworthy of consideration?
Thinking this, Kondo Haruka stopped her hand and did not push the door open right away.
Instead, she naturally held her breath and quietly moved closer to the crack in the door.
—She caught the latter half of what Kanzaki Sou was saying.
‘Then for this period, make sure to protect yourself. If anything unusual happens, contact me immediately.’
Right after that, Xiao Chun Miura responded in her soft but slightly firm voice.
—the conversation seemed to be ending.
Kondo Haruka heard footsteps approaching the door.
Her mind raced—if she were caught eavesdropping, with Cang-kun’s serious personality, he would definitely lecture her again.
And besides, she absolutely did not want to lose face in front of Xiao Chun Miura.
At least, not again.
Or rather, not so easily again.
Kondo Haruka quickly stepped back twice, pretending she had just walked over from the other end of the corridor.
She even deliberately made her footsteps louder as they hit the floor.
With a click, the door to the Student Council Room opened.
Kondo Haruka saw Xiao Chun Miura walk out with her head lowered.
Only when she noticed someone standing in front of her did Xiao Chun Miura suddenly lift her head like a startled deer.
‘Huh? Kondo…?’
A trace of surprise appeared on Xiao Chun Miura’s pale face, and Kondo Haruka could see her subconsciously tighten her grip on her bag strap.
—Always so cautious.
It practically invited others to take advantage.
Thinking this, Kondo Haruka stood squarely in the middle of the corridor, blocking Xiao Chun Miura’s path, arms crossed.
Her sharp eyes narrowed slightly.
‘Miura, so you really did come to school.’
Kondo Haruka took the initiative, her clear voice echoing in the empty corridor with a slightly pressing edge.
‘I told you, if you needed help, you could come to me, didn’t I? So why didn’t you? And why didn’t you reply to my messages?’
Xiao Chun Miura froze for a moment. Looking at Kondo Haruka’s neat athletic outfit and the undisguised suspicion in her eyes, her expression stiffened slightly.
Then, almost forcefully, she brushed past Kondo Haruka’s arm, letting out an awkward laugh as she began edging sideways, searching for an escape.
‘Um, I have something to do at home, so I’ll head back first! See you, Kondo.’
After saying that, she slipped past Kondo Haruka like a wisp of smoke and hurried down the staircase.
‘Hey—wait!’
Seeing her about to run, Kondo Haruka moved to chase after her.
…If she was acting this guilty, there had to be something going on.
She had already found it strange. Today, she was determined to get to the bottom of it.
However, a voice from inside the Student Council Room gently yet firmly stopped her.
‘Haruka, don’t chase her.’
Kanzaki Sou appeared at the doorway.
…Even on a day off, as long as he was at his workplace, Kanzaki Sou still wore his School Uniform neatly, his shirt collar buttoned all the way up.
Nothing about that had changed, but—
the face that usually carried a gentle smile still held traces of seriousness that had yet to fade.
‘Sou! Why are you stopping me?’
Kondo Haruka turned around, her tone filled with irritation.
‘What were you secretly discussing just now? Why do you have to hide it from me?’
She felt a fire burning in her chest.
This feeling of being left out was even harder to endure than dehydration during training.
Kanzaki Sou looked at her eyes, sparkling with anger, and sighed inwardly.
He knew that with Haruka’s personality, if he didn’t give her a reasonable explanation, she would dwell on this for weeks, months—even an entire semester.
‘Haruka,’ he called her name in a low, steady voice that allowed no argument.
‘What…?’
Hearing her name spoken in that tone, Kondo Haruka’s momentum weakened slightly.
But she still stubbornly held her head high.
‘I have something very important to tell you,’ Kanzaki Sou said. ‘Come inside. I need to hear your opinion as well.’
Hearing this, the anger in Kondo Haruka’s heart felt like it had been doused with cold water, instantly fading by more than half.
In its place came an inexplicable sense of tension.
—Kanzaki Sou was actively seeking her help.
Even over all these years, that was something that hardly ever happened.
Kondo Haruka bit her lip, casting an unwilling glance in the direction Xiao Chun Miura had disappeared.
In the end, she let out a cold snort and obediently walked into the Student Council Room.
‘It better be important. Otherwise, I won’t let Xiao Chun Miura off.’
Meanwhile, the girl being muttered about had just left the School Building.
A slightly cool breeze brushed against her face, carrying away the heat that had built up inside the Student Council Room.
Xiao Chun Miura did not linger at school and instead headed straight for the Campus Gate.
…Kanzaki Sou was a highly responsible person. In Kondo Haruka’s view, even if he didn’t repeat their conversation word for word, he would probably still tell her some of it.
…In her plan, Kondo Haruka was undoubtedly an important ally.
If Kanzaki Sou explained the situation to her and she was willing to help, it would be a good outcome.
As she walked, Xiao Chun Miura organized her thoughts.
Kondo Haruka had extensive connections and an unshakable sense of justice.
If she joined in, then those lurking in the shadows who were targeting Kiyono Arisa would, at least on the school’s side, already have a solution.
At that thought, Xiao Chun Miura seemed to remember something.
She took out her Mobile Phone, opened LIME, and her fingers began to move rapidly across the screen.
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