The movie began to play.
In the empty theater, surround sound speakers, set up for an immersive experience, played background music mixed with the story's narration, interrupting the girls' brief chat.
The lights dimmed, and the reflection from the large screen danced on the girls' faces. They were seated in a square-like formation.
In the front, Ichinose, who had clearly been troubled since they arrived, was somewhat distracted. Beside her, Chihiro Shiranami seemed to be watching the screen, but her gaze frequently drifted to Ichinose, observing her every move.
Naturally, their behavior didn't escape Hiyori Shiina, but after a few glances, she turned her attention back to the movie. As for Ibuki next to her, she had been focused on the screen from the very beginning.
Two and a half hours later—
At ten o'clock at night, the girls looked a bit drowsy after the movie. They didn't chat much, walking together under the glow of the streetlights, and soon returned to the dormitory building.
Before they got out of the elevator, Symon suddenly cleared his throat mentally and reminded her with a laugh, "Hiyori, now's your chance. Ask Ichinose for her contact information. You said you were going to warn her about Nagumo, and you've already put it off for a week."
"Well... Mr. Ghost, you should know this, but I'm not very good at taking the initiative."
Symon thought for a moment, recalling their daily interactions, and retorted, "No, I can't tell at all."
"That's because you're special, Mr. Ghost."
After saying this nonchalantly in her mind and confirming the certain ghost had fallen silent, Hiyori Shiina turned to Ichinose in the elevator and asked softly, "Ichinose-san, there's something I'd like to talk to you about. Could you please come to my room?"
Her terminal had already been deemed insecure, so Hiyori had no intention of explaining via email.
"Me?" Ichinose was a bit confused, but seeing Hiyori nod, she thought for a moment and didn't refuse.
Chihiro Shiranami peeked out from behind her and asked tentatively, "Something about Ichinose... Can I listen in?"
Hiyori Shiina shook her head. "You'll have to ask Ichinose-san for her opinion on that."
"Oh, it's fine with me." Honami Ichinose waved her hand, walked out of the elevator with Chihiro Shiranami to stand beside Hiyori, and asked with a smile, "Ibuki-san, would you like to join us?"
"I'll pass," Ibuki casually refused.
She had always been a loner, only being somewhat close to Hiyori. She had no desire to get involved in what clearly sounded like a private matter.
After Ibuki left, Hiyori led Ichinose and Shiranami back to her room. Once they were seated, she took out her terminal and pulled up the photos Ryūen had sent her earlier—the ones showing Miyabi Nagumo entering and leaving various places with different girls.
After confirming they had both seen them, Hiyori Shiina put away her terminal and observed their reactions. Noticing that Chihiro Shiranami's eyes held a look of confusion, she explained, "The boy in the photos is Vice President Nagumo. He's also the one who invited Ichinose-san to join the Student Council."
Noticing the girl's face had darkened, Hiyori Shiina promptly stopped talking and shifted her gaze to Ichinose. But what she saw was—
Ichinose staring at the photos with a vacant expression, her thumb trembling slightly and the corners of her lips quivering. She looked uneasy, yet also terrified.
Surprised by her reaction, Hiyori Shiina spoke with a hint of concern, "Although it might not be my place to say this, I suggest you be careful, Ichinose-san. When I attended the Student Council deliberation, the way he looked at me was also a bit... um... overly aggressive?"
"I... I understand."
Honami Ichinose said this with a somewhat forced smile. "Thank you for the warning, Shiina-san. But Vice President Nagumo and I are just collaborators, our relationship hasn't developed into a friendship or anything more..."
Pat!
Chihiro Shiranami took her hands, cutting off the rest of her sentence, and pleaded, "Ichinose, can you please stop trying to act strong? Please, rely on us a little more."
Ichinose forced a smile and explained, "It's really nothing. I was just thinking about something."
This was the girl's lie.
She had met Miyabi Nagumo during her Student Council interview. At the time, having failed the interview, she ended up telling Nagumo things she had intended to keep bottled up for the rest of her life, including her darkest secret.
If the photos Hiyori Shiina had shown her were real, it meant that her weakness was being held by a boy with a questionable private life. How could she not be terrified?
Unfortunately, the girl was clearly not good at lying. Hiyori Shiina, Chihiro Shiranami, and even Symon could easily tell she was hiding something.
Looking at Chihiro Shiranami's drooping eyelids, her trembling lips, and her hands hanging down as if in resignation.
Hiyori Shiina pondered for a moment, glanced at Ichinose who seemed lost in her own world, and then tentatively asked in her mind, "Mr. Ghost, are you planning to get to the bottom of this?"
"No."
Hiyori Shiina blinked and asked curiously, "But you liked Ichinose a lot before. Aren't you going to help her?"
"Sorry, but I can't feel anything more than indifference for a girl who can't distinguish between who's close to her and who's a stranger. It doesn't matter how pretty she is."
"I knew it. You have absolutely no patience with girls, Mr. Ghost."
"I won't deny that, but..."
Symon continued in a calm tone, "Someone who likes and cares about her so much is right there, and yet she responds so perfunctorily. To be honest, in my mind, she's now on the same level as Suzune Horikita. My assessment: she can't tell friend from foe. I'd advise her to stay away from me."
"Is that what you think, Mr. Ghost? I see."
Ending the exchange with her all-purpose reply, Hiyori Shiina silently made another mental note.
For Hiyori Shiina, actively socializing with others was indeed a troublesome matter. However, due to the peculiar nature of a certain ghost, coupled with his overly normal—or rather, 'abnormal'—views on dating and friendship, she was left with no other choice.
Fortunately, the current Mr. Ghost was always 'silly.' With just a little probing, she could figure out all of his thoughts completely.
In short: extremely easy to understand, and also very fun to tease.
...
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