Several days passed.
For the first time in a long time, I decided to talk with Fujiharu of my own accord.
As everyone's slowly settled into the environment of the school, there's been less general chaos around the schoolyard; however, it's clear that there have been some movements from some of the more established members. My sister and Hasegawa were in some sort of conflict, and there even seemed to be people out to get in my way as well.
Still, I enjoyed being here to the extent that I could comprehend—enjoyment as a concept. As I slowly made my way into the girls' dormitory, I was greeted by some disinterested glares from some of the girls hanging around the bottom floor. There wasn't any rule that stopped students from of the other gender entering or leaving either dormitory, so it was a relatively common occurrence.
Unlike the boys' dormitory, the girls' was much more colourful. Whether it was a deliberate choice from the school or just the fact that this dormitory was newer, I wouldn't know. It was decorated with lots of paintings and plants spread throughout the reception area.
Waiting with a group of other students, I looked up at the large numbers, denoting the story that the elevator was at. There was some background chatter, but all I could do was stand there awkwardly, looking around at the backdrop of the building.
The elevator doors opened.
I made my way inside along with everyone else that was waiting.
...
Eventually, I arrived at Fujiharu's floor. I had come to talk with her once, so I did know where it was. It was on the highest level, so I ended up being the only one left in the elevator.
My footsteps echoed through the silent hallway as I made my way toward her room.
—Room 102
I knocked on her door.
After a few moments, I heard her footsteps approaching the door.
It slid open.
She seemed surprised.
"Who's th— Ayato?"
"Hey, Fujiharu."
She looked around.
"What are you doing here?"
"I just wanted to talk to you."
She opened the door a little bit more.
"You... you don't usually come here. Is something the matter?"
"It's nothing, really. There were just some things I wanted to talk to you about."
The door squeaked a little as she opened it all the way. Gesturing for me to come in, she showed me into her room. I made my way inside.
Upon entering, I was hit by the smell of citrus-like perfume. Her room was incredibly clean, although it was expected from her. It seemed her roommate was around, which meant it'd be easier to talk to her. She had several pieces of furniture, including a small couch, in the corner of the room.
She took a seat on her bed as I sat on the couch.
"Haa, it's been a while since you've come into my room~. So, what did you want to talk about?"
"It's about Kimura."
She took a deep breath.
"Kimura? Your roommate?"
"Yes."
"What did you want to know? I would've thought that you'd be closer to him than I'd be?"
"You've known him since your childhood, right?"
She seemed somewhat taken aback by the fact that I knew that.
"I suppose so, but we were never really that close. I only knew him from the cram school we both went to."
So he went to cram school. What an odd activity for someone of his intelligence.
"He's always been really smart if that was what you were wondering. Even back then, he was easily the smartest person I knew."
That was somewhat interesting.
I looked up at Fujiharu. I thought a little about what to ask, but there wasn't anything specific that came to mind. It would be a little awkward to just interrogate her regarding Kimura.
Suddenly, she got up.
Standing just in front of me, she looked down.
...
"Ayato, can I ask you something?"
The atmosphere suddenly became tense.
"What is it?"
"Last year, when I was trying to make you fall in love with me, why did you play along?"
"What do you mean."
"You knew it all from the start, didn't you? You knew what I was doing."
"I guess I did, to an extend."
She leaned down a little, putting her arms on my shoulders. Eventually, her face was so close that I could feel her breath. Her eyes stared straight into mine. However, they seemed almost to be in pain.
"Why didn't you just expose me from the beginning?"
...
"I guess I just wanted to see what you were up to."
"Were you interested in me at all?"
"I wasn't, really. It was more a sense of curiosity."
I guess I never really did figure out the real reason she always turned down those boys. She was clearly stating that the charade she was playing was on purpose, but it seemed that her intentions weren't as shallow as one would imagine.
"Ah, you know, that hurts me more than anyone has ever said to me."
"How come?"
Was it an unbecoming sense of arrogance?
That didn't seem right.
"Would you believe me if I said that it was a long story?" she whispered.
"I probably would."
"Well, it's something that started many years ago."
She took a step back.
I looked up at her.
"I suppose you're not going to tell me."
She took a breath.
"You know, Ayato, this is the only thing that's holding your attention to me, right?"
"That's not completely true, but it does account for most of it."
She seemed sad.
"I want you to figure it out."
"I might never be able to."
"You're smart. I know you're smart. I'm sure you'll figure it out one day, even if it means breaking me down so bad that I'll never stand up again~."
"Ah, you make me sound so mean."
I reclined a little.
"Why do you care about what I think anyways?" I asked.
"Because you're someone who'd be able to understand."
"What do you mean."
"No one else would be able to accept me for who I really am."
"What makes you put so much trust in me?"
...
"I guess it's just instinct."
...
She turned around.
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