Real teaching, hypocritical gray life

And what he was holding in his hand was - "Goodbye, My Love".

"......"

Will it be so?

I find this a little hard to understand.

Chapter 8 Uninvited Guests

It wasn't a coincidence that he passed by. Ayanokouji also stepped into the mystery novel area with some purpose. After realizing the presence of the two of us, his steps stopped at the maximum distance of the mystery novel area.

Shiina stared quietly at the face of the person who came. I don’t know much about their relationship, but at least that open inspection in the coffee shop should have allowed both parties to have a general understanding of each other, right?

Then, Shiina slowly recalled the name of this [strange] man.

"As I recall...are you Ayanokouji-san?"

"You were in Class C last time............"

Considering the strange way of that contact, it was inevitable that Shiina remembered the other person's name.

Ayanokouji also recognized the other person, but he didn't call him by his name. Instead, he looked at both of us with some surprise.

"I mean, what you're holding in your hand is... 'Goodbye, my love', right? I didn't expect that you have it in Ayanokouji-san's place. It's a masterpiece."

When talking about this topic, there was a gleam in Shiina's eyes.

"Uh, this is what I successfully borrowed from a friend today............"

"I've been hoping to find it lately. I've read it before, but I still want to reread it............"

"Then I really did something bad. I lent it to someone else... But if you really want to borrow it, I can give it to you after you finish reading it."

"If Ayanokouji-san happens to run into me while returning a book, then let's do it. I'm not that determined to reread it, and other books can bring me a lot of pleasure."

"I see... Sorry to bother you then."

It's the precious lunch break now. The two of us prioritized going to the library over lunch. Ayanokouji thought to himself that he didn't want to waste time chatting with students from other classes, so he decided to cancel his original idea and leave.

However, Shiina stopped Ayanokouji who was about to turn around.

"Um, please wait a moment. Ayanokouji-san should be here to look for other books, right? If it's just returning or borrowing books, it can be done at the counter. Did Luo-kun and I interfere with Ayanokouji-san's plan?"

"..............I think that's the case. Actually, I wanted to borrow it another day. So..........what are you doing?"

Only halfway through the conversation, Shiina turned his eyes away from Ayanokouji and started rummaging through the bookshelf without permission.

It's not hard to tell what Shiina is trying to do based on her actions in front of me so far. Since it's a mystery novel, I'll definitely recommend it to people who are interested.

“Have you read the Dorothy L. Sayers series yet?”

"No. On the contrary, I am familiar with the works of Agatha Christie, but I have not started reading Dorothy's."

Ayanokouji said this, and Shiina paused for a moment, turned his head and stared at me, then came back to his senses.

"In that case - let me think, I highly recommend Whose Body Is It? It's the first book in the Lord Peter series. If you read it once, you will definitely want to read the whole series."

Shiina explained this and took out the corresponding book from the bookshelf and handed it to Ayanokouji.

While the two of them were interacting, I was also thinking about what Shiina's eyes just now wanted to convey.

It was probably not that he wanted to ask me anything, but that the content of the conversation triggered his memories.

Dorothy L. Sayers and Agatha Christie............

Speaking of which, when Ichinose was holding a study session, Shiina recommended Agatha Christie's "Murder on the Orient Express" to me.

As a result, when things calmed down, I didn't consider the book she recommended first.

"Will it bother Ayanokouji-san if I take the initiative to continue the topic?"

"No. Well, it's true that I'm a little overwhelmed, but since you've recommended it, I'll choose to borrow it if I can."

"If I can help you, I'll feel great."

Shiina clasped his hands together, and narrowed his eyes with a very happy expression.

"Do Ayanokouji-san and Raku-kun know each other?"

"Well, let's just say we know each other. After all, our two classes reached a friendly cooperation intention during the sports festival, and we have communicated with each other."

Shiina turned to me to confirm the truth of the matter, and I nodded, so she laughed frankly.

"That's great. Luo-kun and I are going to read together in the library for a while. If Ayanokouji-kun is not in a hurry to have lunch, can you join us?"

“…………Huh?”

The person being questioned expressed his confusion. I also find this development difficult to understand. No, even from this perspective, I still find it a little unclear.

Since I can't confirm the connection between Shiina and I, I can't be sure whether this is a coincidence or not. Considering Ryuen's actions in recent days, it might be better to regard this as an instruction from Ryuen.

In this case, one needs to be cautious in dealing with it. But in fact, the result is that no matter which choice Ayanokouji makes, he will be judged as suspicious. After all, this recognition is active and in the hands of the other party.

"Actually, there are no students in Class C who like novels, so I don't have anyone to chat with. Currently, only Luo Jun is willing to talk to me, and I hope to increase the number of people if possible."

Shiina couldn't stand Ayanokouji's voice being lost for a long time, so she told him the real reason why she did this.

Interactions between people are like a means of pampering each other in an intense way. If the other person is someone who doesn't matter to you, you need to treat him/her gently no matter what.

"If I had been invited like this in the first semester, I would have gladly accepted it. But now, wouldn't this cause a lot of problems? I've heard other students explain that Class C should be desperately looking for a student from Class D right now? I think I, and everyone else, would be considered a suspect in what happened back then."

As expected, since we didn't fully understand Shiina's identity, we chose to be cautious. This way, if we were seen by others, we would be able to make a reasonable explanation.

The possibility of being asked to spy on someone is not low.

"Please don't worry. That was just a formality on my part for Ryuuen-san. I'm not interested in that kind of competition anyway... so will talking to me be a problem for Ayanokouji-kun?"

"If there's no problem on your end, then my situation won't seem to matter anyway. Well, actually, it's still a bit of a problem."

"Ryuuen-kun's actions are really annoying......"

Shiina sighed helplessly. It was really disappointing that the relationship between book friends was ruined because of class matters.

"............But if it's just studying, I don't think it will be a big problem after the special period is over."

It's definitely not a matter of sympathy because of a heartless heart. I think Ayanokouji's purpose is more like getting in touch with Class C through Shiina or indirectly collecting information from other classes.

Horikita's coordination in interpersonal communication is not high; it's hard to evaluate Hirata's words, but it's estimated that it's difficult to use them carelessly; and Karuizawa, one of the core figures of the girls in Class D, is currently the target of Ryuen's influence, so it's not easy to ask for help...

The few students I know of in Class D are not suitable.

At least, that's the only information we have at the moment.

However, perhaps I will be the one to handle the recent outbreaks......

"That would be great... Let's get back to the topic. If you don't mind, I hope you can read the books here."

"Boom-"

Shiina moved the backpack from the bottom of the bookshelf in front of us. The backpack emitted a heavy bass that was unimaginable from its appearance.

I know what this backpack is used for. Considering the capacity and Shiina's experience, I think this backpack will become heavier and heavier in the future.

"Ayanokouji-san, have you read these books before?"

Shiina took out four thick books from her school bag.

It's written by Cornell Woolrich, Ellery Queen, Lawrence Block, and Isaac Asimov. Each of them is a masterpiece of mystery fiction in the past.

“The selections are all pretty good…”

"Has Ayanokouji-san seen it?"

"No, I also like mystery novels, so I have heard of it."

"Like This!"

Shiina appeared even more delighted and laughed.

This was pretty much how my first meeting with Shiina went.

All of these books are Shiina's personal belongings. According to her, if she ever finds someone with similar interests to chat with, she will lend the books to them.

Because the opportunity is rare, she often carries these books with her everywhere. When she met me, she still had three books in her backpack, and this time she added some books by Isaac Asimov.

"I'll go to the counter to handle some formalities first............"

At this point, it was difficult for me to interrupt, so after reminding the two of them, I walked straight to the counter.

Time was passing by minute by minute, and I looked at the clock set in the library.

The time was not particularly tight, only about ten minutes had passed.

Since there weren't many students using the library, it only took me a minute to complete the formalities and equipment.

After receiving the two books and my student ID, I returned to the mystery novel section. It was then that I realized that Ayanokouji had left and Shiina was sitting quietly in the seat I had been told to take.

The posture of reading was as if nothing had happened just now.

"..............Ayanokouji left first after all?"

There is a window on the side of the desk. The sunlight pours in through the window, and the books are bathed in a bright sea of ​​gold.

The grayish silver hair also exudes a faint glow.

I took a seat opposite Shiina.

"Well, it seems that Ayanokouji-san has an appointment next, so he has to leave... By the way, is there any connection between Luo Jun and Ayanokouji-san?"

"I can only say that we know each other. Since we are in different classes, there is little in-depth communication."

"I see... Could you please tell me what impression Luo-kun has of Ayanokouji-san?"

"Even if Shiina asks, I'm not very good at expressing myself in this regard... If I have to say, I think I'm probably calm and taciturn. I'm a quiet type."

"Well, I feel like Ayanokouji-san is very similar to Raku-kun in many ways. I'm a little concerned about that."

Shiina expressed his inner thoughts naturally. It was not so much that he cared about the two of us, but rather that he treated us as interests because of the attraction between our personalities.

"But, speaking of which, it turns out that Class C is really looking for students."

"Oh, yes. Could it be that Luo Jun has also been affected?"

"I don't have anything to do here, but my friend said that he was having some trouble participating in club activities. He felt a little uncomfortable being stared at by students from Class C all the time."

"I'm so sorry."

"This is not something Shiina needs to apologize for, and it is not your responsibility. I think this should be done......"

I paused obviously halfway through my conversation, and Shiina tilted his head and looked at me with a bit of confusion.

I wanted to continue speaking, but I unconsciously sensed an uninvited guest approaching in this direction.

"So you're here, Shiina."

Ryuuen held his coat with one hand, his fearless smile showing his white teeth.

"Ryuen-san, what's going on?"

Shiina was not surprised by Ryuuen's sudden visit.

Is it by design?

At least at this stage, Ryuuen has no reason to focus on me.

He glanced at me.

"Are you Ichinose's followers? Your group is really rare."

"As a book friend, it would be very comfortable to be with Luo Jun~ Would you like to try it together, Long Yuan?"

"I don't have the time to do this kind of thing. But since you are here, other things can be discussed."

Ignoring my presence, Ryuuen put on his coat and left.

Maybe he was protesting against what happened last time at Keyaki Shopping.

However, it was Ryuen's style to confirm Shiina's existence with his own eyes. It was just a simple matter of sending a message, but he didn't trust his companions that much............

No, it could also be that he didn't want me to notice Shiina's existence.

after all

——This is an inevitable move in this school system where competition is inherently the norm.