“Noa, what’s wrong?”

It happened when she stopped by the vending machines near the entrance before heading home.

After buying a coffee, Gobai Miya spotted Houjou Noa sitting absentmindedly on a nearby bench with a drink in hand, and called out to her.

“Nn… I was thinking about Mizuki-kun.”

“Is there something bothering you?”

“Mizuki-kun predicted that no one would choose Class K with the trade system.”

“That’s…”

Miya couldn’t help frowning.

“It sounds strange, doesn’t it? Maybe we’ve been mistaken about something.”

“……”

Miya sat down beside Noa and silently took a sip of her coffee.

A faint bitterness spread across her mouth.

“There’s no foolish woman who would talk about another man in front of a man. And unlike women, men don’t really have a network. I think men might actually be more ignorant about other men than we are.”

“…I see. It’s true, men have fewer ways to gather information about other men than we tend to assume.”

Men form colonies, and once they do, they live within those groups.

Contact between different colonies tends to be avoided as much as possible, making it difficult to grasp the bigger picture.

“The social service system exists to force people out of their closed-off colonies and circulate them back into society, but I heard Mizuki-kun barely participated in it during middle school. That’s probably the reason for the gaps in his knowledge.”

“Then what is it that’s troubling you, exactly?”

She couldn’t quite grasp it.

It didn’t seem like something Noa should be worrying about.

“He said the study group feels like ordinary school activities, and that he likes it.”

“……”

“It might’ve just been a casual remark, but I think that’s what he wants most.”

“……And?”

“Nothing, really. I’ve just been thinking about why he wants something like that. That’s all.”

Noa’s expression carried a hint of melancholy.

The plastic bottle she held in her hand looked almost untouched.

Miya let out a small breath and gave a wry smile.

“You’re getting awfully invested.”

“Does that surprise you?”

For someone who had known Noa since childhood, it was unthinkable.

Back then, she hadn’t shown interest in anything at all. She was like a doll.

Even during middle school, when she seemed like a completely different person, Miya knew that at her core, Noa still had no interest in other people.

“You weren’t like this with Yukari.”

“…Yeah, that might be true.”

Noa nodded along, her response sounding genuinely uninterested.

Miya felt a little sorry for Shinonome Yukari.

“Miya.”

All of a sudden, Noa looked at her with a serious expression.

“An assistant’s term only lasts three years. When a guard position opens up, I want to push you and Ayano into it.”

The Gobai family had long run a dojo and was a well-known household.

Raised as the heir, Miya herself was confident in her skill with the sword.

Ogata Ayano, whose name had been mentioned, might have had a gentle, easygoing appearance, but contrary to that image, she had mastered both naginata and judo.

“…Would that be possible?”

“That depends on how hard you work. Before troublesome people start flowing in through the trade system, you should make yourself stand out as much as you can.”

And on top of that, Noa added, shrugging her shoulders with a weary look.

“I’ve already informed the main house about my relationship with Mizuki-kun. Because of that, requests for formal introductions have been pouring in from my family’s affiliated houses across the regions.”

“……”

The Houjou family was a distinguished house that, even before the Edo period, had many warrior families under its command.

After the Meiji Restoration, it took on the role of organizing disgruntled former samurai who had lost their privileges, and through that martial strength, they became part of the Meiji government.

Maintaining relationships with these regional houses that had sworn loyalty, even in modern times, required various accommodations.

Especially when it came to arranging meetings with men, denying them even an opportunity could lead to deep disappointment.

“For now, I’m turning them down on the grounds of my studies, but once summer vacation arrives, that excuse won’t hold.”

“……”

“If you dawdle, some dull woman with nothing but her family name will beat you to it, you know?”

The fact that Toudou Mizuki could no longer be judged by his social score was impossible to hide.

The more time passed, the more women would gather around him.

“I’m… not an interesting woman. Do you think he’d like me?”

“Just relax and interact with him normally. The same way you do with me.”

Not quite understanding what Noa meant, Miya blinked in confusion.

“You don’t hold back much around me, do you? You can treat him the same way.”

“That’s… because we’ve known each other since childhood. I couldn’t possibly treat a man the same way—”

“No, I think that’s exactly what Mizuki-kun wants.”

Noa stated it flatly.

“So just become his ordinary friend.”

“…You make something difficult sound awfully simple.”

Groups of girls heading home passed by them one after another.

Sipping the last of her coffee, Miya absentmindedly watched them pass by.

“…Besides, I don’t even have the opportunity.”

When she muttered the weak complaint under her breath, the corner of Noa’s mouth lifted.

“I see. Then I’ll make an opportunity for you.”

“W-wait, what are you—”

Noa’s hand grabbed Miya by the arm.

“He should still be in the classroom right now.”

“H-hang on—”

She hurriedly finished her coffee and tossed the can into a trash bin.

Pulled along, she sprang to her feet, her ponytail swaying.

And then, going against the flow of girls heading home, the two of them set off toward the classroom.

◇◆◇

“Other than the class-wide study group, how about the rest of us here have our own study session too?”

Waiting until the classroom had emptied out after school, Toudou Mizuki broached the subject.

The only ones nearby were Kaminari Nene’s group, who had stayed behind chatting, and Isshiki Shizuku.

“A-a study session?”

“Yeah. Nene-chan said she can’t join because of volleyball practice, so I thought we could do it at night instead.”

“M-Mizuki-kun! F-for my sake?”

Nene’s eyes wavered, welling with tears.

At the same time, Aihara Yura and Minaki Suzu exchanged glances and stepped forward.

“Is it okay if we join too?”

“Yeah. Of course, you’re all welcome.”

Then he turned his gaze to Isshiki Shizuku, who had been quietly waiting behind them.

“There’s a limit to what we can manage on our own, so I thought I’d ask Isshiki-san to help us out too.”

“Yes. I may not be much help, but please feel free to ask if there’s anything you don’t understand.”

Shizuku bowed her head slightly.

Nene hurriedly bowed as well.

“What about you, Otonashi-san? If you find it easier to focus on your own, don’t hesitate to say so.”

When he turned his gaze to Otonashi Nagi, who had been standing quietly at the edge of the group, she immediately stepped forward.

“…I’d like to join.”

“I see. Then that makes everyone.”

“Toudou, what about the location? If it’s at night, we won’t be able to use the school, right?”

Minaki Suzu’s question was understandable.

There weren’t many places suitable for studying at night with a mixed group of boys and girls.

“Um… I was thinking of using my house, but…”

At that moment, Minaki Suzu’s expression froze.

“…Maybe that’s not a good idea?”

“Really!? I want to go see Mizuki-kun’s place!”

By contrast, Aihara Yura let out an excited squeal.

Seeing that, Suzu’s face twitched, but she nodded several times anyway.

“I-if Toudou says it’s fine, then… of course.”

Everyone was in, and the location had been decided.

Just as things seemed to be settling down and he felt relieved, the classroom door opened.

When he turned around, Houjou Noa and Gobai Miya were peeking in.

“Hey. Looks like we made it in time.”

“What’s up?”

“Mizuki-kun. I’d like you to let her join the study session too. She’s quite smart, you know. I think she’d be useful as support.”

As she said that, Noa pushed Miya forward.

“N-Noa! Isn’t this a bit sudden!?”

“Miya, there’s no need to be shy. She’s always saying she wants to be of use to you, Mizuki-kun. I thought this would be a good chance, so please do make use of her.”

Faced with Miya being pushed out by Noa, Mizuki put on a slightly troubled smile.

During preparations for the sports festival, Gobai Miya had confronted Otonashi Nagi.

Thinking about the emotional burden it must have placed on Nagi, he was considering how to gently refuse when Noa brought up the very concern he’d been thinking about.

“Come on, she caused trouble during the sports festival, didn’t she? I thought this might be a good opportunity to mend things.”

“About that… Otonashi-san, I was entirely at fault back then. Please allow me to apologize properly.”

Watching Miya bow deeply, Mizuki shifted his gaze to Nagi.

Nagi said nothing, only shaking her head lightly from side to side.

“……”

Resolving tangled relationships between people is never easy.

Both talking things out and keeping one’s distance can be important, and there’s no clear-cut answer.

But in this case, Miya had offered a straightforward apology, and it still felt like the relationship could be repaired.

And considering that high school life would last another three years, simply keeping their distance from each other forever didn’t seem like the right approach either.

“Don’t worry, I won’t let Hiyori anywhere near her. That was my failure to keep things in check. I’ll offer a proper apology to Otonashi-san as well.”

Following after Miya, Noa lowered her head too.

Nagi waved her hands in front of her chest, looking a little flustered.

“……”

The fact that Noa, a member of the Eighteen Founding Houses, had bowed her head carried significant weight.

On top of that, the study session would be held at his place, so there wouldn’t be any cause for concern.

“Otonashi-san, are you okay with that?”

In response, Nagi nodded clearly.

She didn’t look like she was forcing herself.

Seeing that, Mizuki smiled.

“Then let’s all do our best together.”