Chapter 11

Chapter 11 – "Should I Keep It Secret? Or No?"

For a moment—just a moment—everything was still.

Kazumi stood beside Rino in the hallway, feeling a rare sense of relief after whispering his most guarded secret into the ear of a girl who had the emotional range of a vending machine. She promised she wouldn't say anything. She even referred to Minami and Hanami as "big melon senpai" with a straight face.

So surely, it was safe.

Surely.

…Right?

And then it happened.

Their eyes met.

Far down the corridor, Minami and Hanami both locked onto Kazumi and Rino like heat-seeking missiles. Hanami leaned close to Minami and whispered something.

Minami's eyes lit up with a spark of realization.

And mischief.

Then they moved.

"…Uh-oh," Kazumi muttered.

"Something wrong?" Rino asked, tilting her head slightly.

"They're coming."

And come they did.

Marching like twin harbingers of chaos, Minami and Hanami advanced with synchronized steps, their auras shimmering with suspicion and trouble.

Kazumi straightened his back and forced a smirk onto his face as they drew closer.

"Well, well," he said with fake bravado, "Did your little operation to track down the 'girl who was with Kazumi during lunch break' go as planned?"

They ignored him entirely.

Minami brushed past him like he was part of the hallway decor and stepped right in front of Rino.

"Hey~ Rino-chan!" she said sweetly, eyes twinkling with suspicious friendliness.

Kazumi blinked.

Wait. Why is she suddenly acting like she doesn't hate Rino?

"Are you well-known among the first-years?" Minami asked in a sugary voice.

The same voice she used when trying to win snacks from the convenience store clerk.

Rino looked unbothered. "Yes. I'm popular."

That was blunt. And accurate, probably.

"I know a lot of people, and a lot of people know me," she added with zero hesitation.

Hanami chuckled. "Wow, that's super convenient."

Minami clapped her hands together. "Perfect~ Then maybe you can help us with something!"

Kazumi's eye twitched.

This was exactly what he feared.

And yet, it was somehow worse.

The two senpai didn't even wait for Rino to ask what they wanted. They launched into a full investigation briefing like Rino had just been hired as a detective.

"So, you see," Hanami said, leaning in like a secret agent, "we have reason to believe that Kazumi—your dear upperclassman over there—was spotted with a girl during first lunch break."

Rino blinked. "I see."

"It's a serious matter," Minami added, as if describing an international incident.

"And since we care about Kazumi and don't want any suspicious girls stealing him away," Hanami said dramatically, "we're currently collecting intel."

Kazumi facepalmed in the background.

This wasn't a mission.

This was slander.

…Though, to be fair, Yuino did hug him like she was already his wife, so…

Minami whipped out her phone like she was unveiling a classified government document.

Then she showed Rino the infamous photo.

Kazumi and Yuino.

Walking side by side.

Mid-conversation.

The lighting was suspiciously good.

"Do you know this girl?" Minami asked, smile still sparkling with hidden daggers.

Hanami leaned in. "Anything at all would help."

Rino turned to look at Kazumi.

Kazumi stared right back, eyes narrowing in silent pleading.

Don't. Say. Anything.

Rino's expression remained unreadable.

Then—slowly—she smirked.

Kazumi blinked.

Wait. Why are you smirking?

The betrayal was so subtle, yet so sharp.

It stabbed him right in the trust.

"Oh…" Rino murmured, turning back to them. "I might know her."

Kazumi felt a cold shiver crawl up his spine.

Hanami and Minami both leaned in eagerly.

"But," Rino continued, "I'm not sure."

Kazumi exhaled.

Okay, not a full betrayal. Maybe there's hope.

"I think I bumped into her at the cafeteria once," Rino said casually. "She had the same hairstyle, maybe. But that's all."

Minami narrowed her eyes. "So you don't know her name?"

Rino shook her head. "No. Didn't get her name. She just looked familiar."

Hanami frowned. "But you know most of the first-years, right? Isn't it strange you don't recognize her?"

Rino shrugged. "Faces blur. Hairstyles change."

Minami tapped her phone, disappointed. "Tch. That makes it harder."

Hanami sighed. "Not even a class guess?"

"Nope," Rino said flatly.

Behind her, Kazumi tilted his head to the ceiling.

I was paranoid, he thought. But these two are on another level.

All this time, he'd assumed they'd try something dumb.

He just didn't expect they'd rope Rino into their chaos.

Rino glanced back at him.

Kazumi met her gaze again.

This time, he mouthed:

"We're going to talk about this later."

She just blinked at him like an innocent NPC.

After a few more vague questions that led nowhere, Minami and Hanami finally gave up.

"Well… thanks anyway," Minami said to Rino, her sugary tone fading.

"If anything comes to mind, let us know, okay?" Hanami added.

"I will," Rino lied without blinking.

As the two girls trudged off toward the vending machine with slumped shoulders and dramatic sighs, Kazumi leaned in toward Rino.

"…Smirking?" he asked, voice flat.

"You looked funny when you panicked," Rino replied with a hint of satisfaction.

Kazumi groaned. "You almost gave me a heart attack."

"But I didn't say anything important."

"You said enough to make me sweat."

Rino tilted her head. "Should I have told them everything?"

Kazumi gave her a look. "No."

She nodded. "Okay. I won't."

There was a pause as they watched the two senpai whispering by the vending machines.

"They're definitely planning something again," Kazumi muttered.

"They always are," Rino said, pulling out a book.

"You're surprisingly reliable with this kind of thing," he noted.

"I'm good at keeping secrets."

"Are you, though?"

"Mostly."

Kazumi narrowed his eyes. "What does 'mostly' mean?"

"Depends on the price."

He groaned. "I'll hate you if you say anything about Yuino."

"Don't worry. I won't sell out my friend to those two."

"…Friend, huh."

"Just a quick question," Kazumi said, curious. "Do you hate Hanami and Minami?"

"No."

Kazumi blinked. "Fastest response I've ever gotten from you."

"But then… why do you sometimes act mad around Hanami? I remember on the first day of school, you bumped into her, and when she said sorry, your face looked… really mad."

Rino went silent.

Then she mumbled something.

Kazumi leaned closer. "Huh?"

"I said… HER CHEST!"

Kazumi nearly stumbled. "Uwah?!"

"Don't yell!"

"You yelled first!"

"I didn't yell, I raised my voice strategically."

Kazumi rubbed his temple. "So… you were mad because you bumped into her… chest?"

Rino looked away. "It's annoying. That's all."

"…Jealous?"

"Shut up."

With no goodbye, Rino simply turned and walked away, her book tucked under one arm like nothing happened.

A few students nearby had definitely overheard her shouting "Her chest!", and were now glancing toward Kazumi with amused, confused, or deeply concerned expressions.

Kazumi scratched his head.

Well… at least now I know why she looked pissed when she first met Hanami.

As he turned to head back upstairs, a short flashback crossed his mind.

—A brief image of Rino, on the first day of school, bumping chest-first into Hanami's… weaponized curves.

Kazumi chuckled dryly.

"Yeah. That'd mess anyone up."