Sakamoto's precise intervention and warning, as if he had foreseen the future, instantly froze the atmosphere.
Only the faint 'snap' of the dead branch hitting the ground echoed in the silent air.
Kamuro Masumi's eyes widened as she looked at the suddenly appearing Sakayanagi Arisu.
A flicker of surprise and embarrassment crossed her face
She had 'informed' Sakamoto, and the person in question was actually eavesdropping behind them?!
The feeling was utterly mortifying.
But then, a strange sense of confidence surged within her.
Sakayanagi was the one caught in the act.
She was the one who had colluded with someone from Class C to target a classmate.
Why should she feel guilty?
Thinking this, Kamuro Masumi unconsciously straightened her back, meeting Sakayanagi Arisu's gaze with righteous defiance and no hint of avoidance.
Sakayanagi Arisu's feelings at this moment were far more complex.
The precise strength of Sakamoto's steadying grip seemed to linger on her arm.
That experience of being pulled back from the brink of absolute loss of control left her with lingering fear.
This was the first time in her life she had been so disheveled, so uncomposed.
And all of it had been witnessed by Sakamoto and Kamuro Masumi.
What alarmed her even more was that Sakamoto had clearly noticed her following him long ago,
and perhaps had even anticipated the danger of the dead branch above her head.
This terrifying observational skill and control sent a chill down her spine.
She quickly took a deep breath, forcing down her tumultuous emotions, and tried to restore her usual elegant yet slightly detached expression.
Only her slightly hurried breathing and pale complexion betrayed her recent fright.
She tightened her grip on her cane, turned to Sakamoto, and kept her voice as steady as possible: "Thank you, Sakamoto-kun. It was my own carelessness."
She bowed slightly, her posture still graceful,
but the elegance she deliberately maintained seemed somewhat fragile at this moment.
Her gaze then shifted to Kamuro Masumi, her tone betraying no emotion: "Kamuro-san, what a coincidence."
Kamuro Masumi met her gaze without flinching: "Indeed, quite a 'coincidence,' Sakayanagi-san."
In the air, the gazes of the two girls clashed silently, neither yielding,
a tense and awkward atmosphere pervading.
"Thank you for the information, Kamuro-san."
Sakamoto's calm voice broke the silent standoff.
He seemed completely oblivious to the strained atmosphere between the two of them,
his gaze, behind his black-framed glasses, calmly sweeping over them.
"It's getting late. Unless there's anything else important, everyone should return to their dorms to rest."
His tone was natural, as if he intended to end the conversation,
as if the thrilling events of the recent informing, following, near-fall, and rescue
were merely insignificant little interludes.
After speaking, he gave a slight nod, preparing to turn and leave.
"Wait! Sakamoto-kun!" Kamuro Masumi suddenly called out to him.
At this moment, the heavy secret in her heart had been lifted.
Although being caught by Sakayanagi was a bit embarrassing, it was overshadowed by a sense of reckless relief and a strange courage.
She was no longer afraid, her gaze firmly fixed on Sakamoto.
"Um, can we exchange contact information?"
"That way, if anything else comes up, I can contact you in time."
That inexpressible flutter in Kamuro's heart and her desire to get closer to him drove her on.
Sakamoto paused, turned around, and looked calmly at Kamuro Masumi.
Without any hesitation, he nodded decisively: "Yes."
He smoothly pulled out his phone from his school uniform pocket, unlocked it,
and handed it directly to Kamuro Masumi, his demeanor utterly frank.
Kamuro Masumi quickly took the phone, then pulled out her own, and started operating it rapidly.
While entering her number, her gaze inadvertently swept over Sakamoto's contact list.
The list was extremely concise, with only a few names.
And the name at the very top instantly caught her attention
Shiina Hiyori.
She knew that name.
It was the silver-haired girl from Class C in the coffee shop.
She seemed to be very interested in Sakamoto too.
She was actually one of Sakamoto's contacts?
And the first one?
A girl from Class C was the first person to have Sakamoto's contact information?
This was… too strange.
A huge wave of doubt and vigilance instantly rose in Kamuro Masumi's heart.
But she remained outwardly calm, quickly completed the number exchange, and handed the phone back to Sakamoto.
"Done!"
She tried to make her voice sound calm.
At least… now she was the second.
She could slowly investigate the matter of Shiina Hiyori later.
"Thank you."
Kamuro Masumi seemed to have completed a major task, letting out a slight sigh of relief.
She no longer looked at Sakayanagi Arisu beside her, quickly said "I'll head back now" to Sakamoto,
then turned and quickly walked away, her figure soon disappearing around the corner of the dorm building.
Only Sakamoto and Sakayanagi Arisu remained at the scene.
The air once again became quiet and subtle.
Sakayanagi Arisu stood still, her silver short hair gently swaying in the evening breeze.
She watched Kamuro Masumi's retreating figure, the expression in her eyes constantly shifting.
Finally, she seemed to have made some decision, and turned to Sakamoto, who was about to leave.
"Sakamoto-kun."
Her voice seemed to have less of its usual condescension and more of a complex nuance,
"If you don't mind, could we also exchange contact information?"
She made this request with a hint of a test.
Having just experienced Kamuro's informing and her own clumsy following, would Sakamoto be willing to exchange contact information with her?
His reaction at this moment would be the best test of his true attitude.
However, Sakamoto's reaction once again exceeded her expectations.
He stopped, looked at Sakayanagi Arisu, without any hesitation or wariness in his expression, and simply nodded calmly: "Yes."
The same straightforward response, the same frank action
He again took out his phone, unlocked it, and handed it directly to Sakayanagi Arisu.
Sakayanagi Arisu was slightly taken aback, her small calculations seemingly hitting an invisible yet soft wall.
He just agreed like that? So openly?
This demeanor, how could it be that of someone who had just learned that a classmate was colluding with an outsider to target him?
This calmness, instead, inexplicably gave Sakayanagi Arisu, who had originally intended to righteously scheme against him, a faint, subtle sense of guilt.
She collected herself, took the phone, and operated it with elegant movements.
Similarly, her gaze quickly swept over the contact list.
Indeed, just as Kamuro Masumi had seen, the list was extremely concise.
At the very top was Shiina Hiyori.
Immediately below that was the recently added Kamuro Masumi.
Shiina Hiyori?
That name Sakayanagi Arisu quickly filtered through the Class A student roster in her mind, confirming there was no such person.
Not from Class A? Then who could it be? Which class?
And what was her relationship with Sakamoto?
Countless questions instantly flooded her mind.
But she still maintained her calm exterior, quickly entered her number, and handed the phone back to Sakamoto.
"Thank you."
"Well then, farewell."
Sakayanagi Arisu bowed slightly, said no more, leaned on her cane, and turned to walk towards her dorm building.
Sakamoto watched the two leave one after another, then put away his phone, as if everything that had just happened had never occurred.
He turned, his steps unhurried, and disappeared into the deepening twilight.
Sakayanagi Arisu returned to her room, closed the door, leaned her back against the cold door panel, and slowly exhaled.
Her silver short hair was somewhat disheveled, clinging to her temples.
She took out her phone, looking at the newly added number on the screen, Sakamoto's number.
Everything that happened today was too much information and needed to be properly digested.
Kamuro Masumi's betrayal, Ryuuen Kakeru's deception, Sakamoto's unfathomable insight and reactions... especially that unfamiliar name — Shiina Hiyori.
She took out her phone and opened the chat interface with Sakamoto.
Her fingertip hovered over the screen for a moment, eventually typing out a line of text.
Some things, perhaps, would be more appropriate to discuss online.
[Sakamoto-kun, regarding today's matters, are you available to chat?]