Beep!
Shirogane's phone chimed—the 9 p.m. alarm. That meant it was time for the narrator system to "go to bed." It always followed a strict 9 p.m. bedtime. Sometimes it stayed up late with him, and Shirogane would lose track of time, so he set this alarm as a reminder. If the system was still awake, he could nudge it to log off.
The narrator might have gone to rest, but the tip it left was still useful.
It said that between 9 and 10 p.m. lately, Kushida goes to the railing by the man‑made lake. The spot is quiet and almost empty. Is it really safe for her to go there alone?
Why does she go there?
Shirogane hasn't dealt with many people, but he knows that someone like Kushida—an angel with great social skills—must feel a lot of pressure.
She tries to be friends with everyone, and everyone is different. To be friends, you at least have to remember their info and what they like or hate.
That takes a lot of time and mental energy.
So maybe Kushida needs a quiet place to burn off her feelings.
Shirogane studies nonstop, so he knows hard work is the price of good grades.
Kushida works in a different field, but he doesn't believe making that many friends is easy. She must work just as hard, and unlike studying, dealing with people stirs up emotions.
So he figures Kushida feels big pressure inside.
After all—
He asked her to fill in Class A's student files and she did it. Shiina asked her for Class B's data and she did it. Horikita asked her for Class D's info and she did it. Just yesterday, Shirogane asked her to keep updating his own class's files and she didn't refuse.
Yet those three are only a small slice of her many friends. If everyone needs that much help, it's scary to think about.
So her late‑night trip to that lonely spot is probably to let off steam, Shirogane thinks.
Still, it's good intel, so he wants to check if it's true.
Last month, when he asked her to finish Class A's data, they became friends—like a stamp collector adding another stamp.
They traded phone numbers and added each other as contacts. Besides easy calling, their app can even show each other's GPS location.
So:
[Check Kushida_Kikyo's location?]
Shirogane opened the GPS app.
He tapped "Yes."
This locator app is almost too handy.
Maybe it's to catch traitors on their side?
He saw Kushida's dot: she wasn't in the dorm. She was near the man‑made lake in the north area—right where the narrator said the railing was.
Shirogane confirmed the location.
Since Kushida often goes there, and he needed to gather information about her, he thought it might be a good idea to stake it out sometime.
But since she was someone he had just introduced to the student council today, and she hadn't returned to the dorm yet, he decided it was better to call her first.
With that in mind—
Beep, beep, beep.
He opened Kushida's contact.
But—
It rang for about seventeen or eighteen seconds before she finally picked up.
And even after it connected, there was silence for a couple of seconds, so Shirogane spoke first. "Is this Kushida?"
"Ah… Shirogane, huh~"
A very sweet-sounding girl's voice came from the other end.
"Is something up? It's 9 p.m. now, but I still have some time."
"Hmm…"
Shirogane tilted his head slightly. Her choice of words felt a little odd to him.
Because—
How could she sound so cute?
He was the one calling to check up on her, but it felt like she thought he needed something from her and was going to trouble her.
Or maybe, in her eyes, he was just someone who always asked her for help?
Also, she let it ring for seventeen or eighteen seconds before picking up.
Did she think he was annoying and purposely waited to answer?
Of course, that would be a bit too much to assume.
There are times when people are really busy and can't answer right away.
But if she was just standing by the railing, what could she have been so busy with?
"Are you back at your dorm now?"
Shirogane asked.
"I was the one who brought you into the student council today, but I left early, so I felt kind of bad about that."
"Leaving you alone to face the president."
Shirogane said.
Oh.
Kushida seemed to nod slightly on the other end.
"There was a lot of pressure being at the student council today. But I've already left, had dinner, and now I'm back at the dorm," she said.
"Thanks for checking on me, Shirogane."
"Also, the president said I'll be working together with you from now on."
Kushida added.
"I see. I haven't heard from the president yet—maybe he's busy. Thanks for letting me know."
Shirogane replied.
The conversation seemed very polite.
But Shirogane noticed something. Kushida… might not have been telling the truth.
Because—
She said she was in her dorm.
So Shirogane opened her GPS location.
Kushida Kikyo – Artificial Lake Railing Area.
There was no mistake.
So did she lie?
"Are you already back at the dorm now?"
Shirogane asked.
"Yeah, yeah. But… were you calling to ask about your class's student info? That might take a little more time," she said, sounding a bit apologetic.
"I wasn't rushing you about that."
Shirogane replied.
"If you're just being polite and haven't gone back to your dorm yet, I don't mind coming to pick you up. After all, you're a cute girl, and it's not really safe to be out alone at night."
"Well, thanks for your concern, Shirogane. But the school area is pretty safe."
Kushida said.
"Still, that shop clerk who broke the rules in the shopping district only got removed because you reported him. So, do you actually have a strong sense of justice? Or maybe something happened in the past that made you hate wrongdoers?"
Maybe Kushida was in a better mood now.
Shirogane felt like her tone had gotten lighter.
But what she said sounded like she was trying to dig into his past. And doing that made her feel better?
"I just saw something wrong and reported it, that's all."
Shirogane replied.
"I haven't been through much. I spend most of my time studying—12 hours a day. Even now, I'll be studying until midnight before I go to sleep."
"Wow, you really work hard. Just like Horikita."
Kushida's voice sounded a bit sweeter.
And according to the GPS that Shirogane had turned on, Kushida had started moving.
So she had left the lake area.
"Horikita, huh."
Shirogane thought about how today he only brought her into the student council but hadn't learned much about her yet, so he asked,
"By the way, how are things between you and Horikita these days?"
"Huh? What do you mean by 'how are things'?"
Kushida's voice became playful.
And according to the GPS, she had already left the lake.
She was heading toward the dorms.
"I don't know Horikita very well. But as you know, my goal is to become student council president. And if I do get that role, I'll have to build my own team."
Shirogane said.
"So you're thinking of inviting Horikita to join the student council?"
Kushida asked.
"That sounds nice. I think Horikita's really impressive too."
Kushida's voice was still sweet.
But Shirogane noticed something odd on the GPS. Kushida had already walked several hundred meters away from the lake, yet now she was heading back.
Was this some weird way of exercising, like walking backward?
Saying that, Shirogane saw that Kushida had already walked 200 meters back toward the railing.
"Yeah, I'm considering it."
Shirogane said.
"But if I do become the president, that'll be in second year."
"And Horikita probably won't join the current student council, so when the time comes, she'll still be a newbie."
"So she'll probably be assigned under you, and you'll have to help guide her."
Shirogane said.
"Oh."
Kushida nodded.
"That sounds kind of stressful. I've never mentored anyone before."
Even though she said that, Shirogane felt like her voice had gotten a lot brighter.
While Shirogane was talking, he was also checking Kushida's GPS. He noticed that she had almost returned to the railing, but now she was suddenly heading back toward the dorms.
And she was walking fast, like something had made her really happy.
"..."
Honestly, Kushida was just too strange.
It's like she didn't want to be friends with Horikita, got upset when she heard Horikita joined the student council because of him, but then became happy when Horikita was placed below her.
Isn't that kind of...creepy?
For someone like Shirogane, who doesn't have much experience with girls, this kind of behavior is hard to understand.
But still.
Now that Kushida was heading back to the dorms, Shirogane ended the call.
After all—
There's still time left to do some practice questions.
He pulled out one book, then another.
Let's do three books tonight.
Shirogane was full of energy today!
...
Meanwhile, somewhere else.
It was already 9:15 p.m.
"Are you sure you still want to keep working?"