Chapter 4: Kagura Hikaru has always been good at such things

Noon, the bell rang for the end of class.

Like beasts receiving the signal to be released from their cages, the stifling air in the classroom swept away.

"Hey, hey, wanna go to the club room for practice?"

"What about lunch, should we get some bread?"

"I want pineapple buns!"

"Eat in the club room? We'll get scolded by the seniors, let's go to the rooftop instead."

"Eh~ There are too many people there, it's better to eat in the classroom."

"I'll go move the tables!"

The youths in their adolescence happily discussed their plans for the lunch break. Some pushed tables together to sit around with friends and eat, others left the classroom to buy lunch, and some continued to stare at the blackboard taking notes—everyone had something different to do.

If a student didn't live particularly close to home, they generally wouldn't leave school during the lunch break.

Most people chose to have their lunch on campus, then either headed to their club activities or caught some sleep on their desks—this was not uncommon.

This habit was why many families prepared lunch boxes for their children.

Those too busy to cook simply gave their kids money to buy bread or something to fill their stomachs—it was a common practice.

The school didn't have a cafeteria, but it had a small shop similar to a kiosk that only opened during the lunch break. It sold items like milk, fruits, and bread at reasonable prices. There would always be a long queue at lunchtime, and getting the tastier options wasn't always easy.

But Kagura Hikaru had never been there, as his stepmother prepared boxed lunches for him, one for him and one for his father, without fail every day.

Carrying the lunchbox, he left the classroom through the back door and headed to the courtyard outside the teaching building.

Yuqiu High School had excellent greenery, the courtyard was groomed like a small park. On good weather days, students would spread out a picnic blanket on the lawn to sit and chat while eating, as if on an actual picnic.

Kagura Hikaru deftly found a secluded spot, a bench under a maple tree, back facing the courtyard's walkway. It was unobtrusive and allowed him to enjoy his lunch in a quiet environment—it was his most satisfying secret place.

Because of the season, the maple tree near the bench wasn't very lush, appearing quite bare, but come autumn, it would grow golden-yellow leaves again.

The scenery then would be extremely beautiful.

He brushed off a few dry leaves from the bench, sat down, opened up the lunchbox on his thighs, and took out prepared chopsticks to pick up a piece of tamagoyaki and put it into his mouth.

Even though it had cooled, it was still delicious.

"Eating alone in such a place, you haven't been bullied, have you?"

A cool voice came through, followed by footsteps.

Ayakoji Chiyoko, as always with a cold look on her face, strode up beside Kagura Hikaru and stood, arms folded, looking down at him, "Do you mind if I sit down."

It should have been a question, but she said it with the tone of a statement.

It was difficult to refuse.

"...Please do."

Kagura Hikaru shifted a bit to make space as she sat down, leaving an empty seat between them.

Ayakoji Chiyoko's sitting posture wasn't ladylike, with her right leg propped up over her left, leaning back, and her crossed fists resting on her thigh.

This made her lose some of the student air and added a touch of the composure of a mature adult. She looked like someone who often frequented brand shops.

After meeting Kiryu Hina yesterday, Kagura Hikaru had done everything he could to look into Ayakoji Chiyoko's background.

He'd thought it would take a few days, but it went surprisingly smoothly because Ayakoji Chiyoko herself was quite well-known.

She was the only daughter of a famous actor from the Island Nation, had debuted as a child star in TV dramas, and it was said that her ancestors were of Chinese ethnicity, with a family fortune of nearly ten billion yen.

No wonder she had such an air of aloofness.

She was the epitome of a rich young lady.

At the mention of this term, the vivid image of another person involuntary surfaced in Kagura Hikaru's mind. He quickly cast that inauspicious thought aside.

Thinking of that person at this time wasn't a good sign.

"You haven't answered my question. Have you been bullied?"

Ayakoji Chiyoko asked with an icy tone.

Kagura Hikaru snapped back to reality and slowly shook his head, "No."

"Is that so."

Upon receiving the answer, Ayakoji Chiyoko no longer spoke, staring into the distance, perhaps thinking about something.

Kagura Hikaru noticed her mood was off and subconsciously sent out a mind-read.

[If he hasn't been bullied, that's good. The feelings of a bullying victim are best left unexperienced by ordinary people.]

[Through mind-reading, you have gained: Brazilian jiu-jitsu +1]

[Brazilian jiu-jitsu lv3 (5/100)]

This kind of statement, it's as if she excluded herself from the category of 'ordinary people.'

Kagura Hikaru's eyes flickered slightly.

Could it be, had Ayakoji Chiyoko experienced bullying?

Impossible. With her personality and family background, who would dare to touch her...

Thinking it over and getting no answer, she simply focused on eating.

The two of them sat on opposite sides of the bench, silent, with only the sound of chopsticks moving.

The food in the lunchbox slowly diminished.

After Kagura Hikaru finished the last bite of rice and closed his lunchbox, Ayakoji Chiyoko finally spoke, "I've already filled out your club application for you."

"I'll say it again, I'm not going to join the Disciplinary Committee."

"You still haven't figured it out after all this time?"

Kagura Hikaru frowned, "You're really troubling me, can you stop."

"I see... I understand."

Ayakoji Chiyoko gave him a glance, a look of disappointment in her eyes, and stood up, "This is the last time I'll recruit you. After this, I won't bother you again, but the door to the Disciplinary Committee is always open for you. That's that."

"Wait."

Just as she was about to step away, Kagura Hikaru suddenly called out to her.

A slight smile played on the face of Ayakoji Chiyoko as she turned back around, "Changed your mind?"

"No, my position on the club remains unchanged," Kagura Hikaru said expressionlessly, but just as Ayakoji Chiyoko looked puzzled, his next words immediately perked her up.

"What you really want is President Kiryu's private information, right? I can tell you that."

"Oh?"

Ayakoji Chiyoko's eyes narrowed, fox-like, as she sat back down, "What kind of change in your feelings made you change your mind?"

She wasn't a fool. Previously, Kagura Hikaru had been so resolute in his refusal; suddenly he had a change of heart, something was off.

"Did Kiryu Hina say something to you?"

The words that she blurted out almost caused Kagura Hikaru to change his expression.

This woman... such sharp intuition.

A feeling of wariness bubbled up within him, but he kept his composure, not even shifting his eyes.

"There's nothing left for her and me to talk about," he said.

"I see, it seems there's a story between you two," said Ayakoji with a half-smile, an expression that suggested she'd sensed something.

But regardless of what she knew, this was what Kagura Hikaru wanted her to see.

"That doesn't matter," Kagura Hikaru deliberately lightened the conversation, changing the subject, "I can tell you some things you want to know, but there are conditions."

"Speak," she said.

"I want to know what exactly happened between you and President Kiryu."

This caught her off guard, and Ayakoji Chiyoko frowned.

"Why, it doesn't concern you."

"Simply out of curiosity."

Who would believe such an excuse?

But since he was finally opening up, she couldn't very well upset him again.

Ayakoji Chiyoko frowned, looking distressed. After pondering for a while, she finally nodded, "Fine, I can tell you, as long as you keep it a secret."

"Then, it's a deal," Kagura Hikaru nodded silently. The fish was hooked.

Sharing gossip, secrets, in fact, is an efficient form of social intercourse.

It is human nature to exchange information; bring any two people together, and even if they are unrelated strangers, given enough time, they'll begin to communicate. If they don't speak the same language, they'll use body language to express their feelings.

Strangers exchange superficial information, such as the weather, age, or occupation.

Friends will exchange more in-depth information, such as career, health issues, or family conflicts.

But only the most inner circle of one's social network gets access to an individual's 'secrets'.

The unspeakable, the embarrassing, the angering, or the potentially damaging revelations are what constitute secrets.

Kagura Hikaru used Kiryu Hina's past as a bargaining chip to get Ayakoji Chiyoko to reveal her own secret, effectively playing the role of an 'insider' for a brief moment.

The sharing of secrets could create a sense of identification in Ayakoji Chiyoko towards him, increasing the extent of her concern for him.

The fewer people who knew the secret, the more special he became.

Kagura Hikaru's display of poor relations with Kiryu Hina, along with his willingness to share information, allowed him to get closer to her heart, fostering a natural idea that 'He and I are accomplices; I can trust him.'

This was the first step to friendship— mutual understanding.

If Kagura Hikaru was a fisherman angling for a catch, then Ayakoji Chiyoko, the fish, had unwittingly bitten both the bait and the hook.

This was what Kiryu Hina had said about Kagura Hikaru; what he excelled at:

Deceiving someone's feelings.