"Miyako-san? How did you know it was my birthday today?"
Matsushita asked with a hint of curiosity as she poured tea for Amane.
She had indeed left a clue.
However, that clue was left in the small group chat with Karuizawa.
Miyako-san, by all accounts, shouldn't have known.
"Oh, that? I saw it in the student archives."
Amane said, taking out her phone and opening the S System.
There was a grade archive inside.
After opening it, there were four options below.
Namely, options A, B, C, and D.
However, only option D was lit up for Amane.
As long as she opened the archive,
the student's name, class, student ID, and birthday—four simple pieces of information—would appear.
It seemed to be the personal information registered for the first time upon enrollment.
However, one inconvenient point was that this page did not have the student's student ID, which meant she couldn't directly add others as friends through the archive.
Perhaps the school had considered something to set it up this way.
Matsushita looked at the page displaying her own information with surprise.
So, all this information could be found in the S System?
That meant, if one was diligent enough, they could know everyone's birthday... "I don't seem to see anyone using this function often, perhaps everyone overlooked it."
Amane's words made Matsushita smile wryly.
She naturally knew Amane was comforting her.
But she, a member of Karuizawa's small group, was being comforted by someone from Kushida's small group.
And it was Amane who first noticed her birthday.
Even Kushida, known for her extensive social network, hadn't noticed this.
Perhaps they knew about it.
But just didn't see the need to celebrate a birthday with someone outside their circle?
"Since Miyako-san is here, why don't you try my cooking tonight?"
She had already prepared a lot of ingredients.
She had planned to treat herself tonight.
She had originally thought celebrating her birthday alone would be a bit lonely.
But with Miyako-san here,
it should be livelier, right?
"Shall I help you out too?"
Amane proactively offered to help.
"Huh? How can I let a guest help? Miyako, just wait a moment. I bought some magazines over there; you can read them if you're bored."
Matsushita finished speaking and pointed to the small bookshelf nearby.
Seeing Matsushita decline her offer,
Amane said nothing.
She could only nod.
After all, the two of them weren't that close yet.
However, Amane wasn't being polite with Matsushita.
Rather... she was afraid Matsushita would be scared by her appetite later... Amane casually picked up a few books.
On one side were fashion magazines.
They fit the impression Matsushita-san gave.
A young girl at the forefront of fashion.
No wonder she got along well with Karuizawa.
But the magazines behind them were about current affairs.
Do girls really read these kinds of magazines?
The moment she picked up the cover, her gaze was drawn to the man on the cover.
Amane narrowed her eyes.
Still deluding yourself?
Are you underestimating your own father too much?
Fool.
Hmph.
Amane put away her disgusted expression.
Then she gently placed the magazine back on the bookshelf.
It had to be said.
Matsushita-san was quite a good cook.
The taste of home cooking was very rich.
"I'm going to eat!"
Matsushita had originally thought Amane would be the type of reserved girl.
After all, from Amane's appearance and demeanor, she seemed to come from a family more than one level higher than hers.
Although Amane-san usually seemed lively and loved to chat,
when visiting someone's home, she should act like a young lady, right?
So, Matsushita was also very proper.
She delicately picked up a piece of potato.
Then she looked up.
She was completely stunned.
Amane had already started holding her bowl and heartily digging into the meat.
Uh... it seemed a bit different from what she had imagined.
"Miyako-san, you can eat slower, there's still a lot of food..."
Matsushita couldn't help but remind her, seeing her exaggerated manner.
Hearing Matsushita's reminder,
Amane seemed to remember that she was still at someone else's house.
Then she immediately switched to a different eating mode.
She elegantly savored the meal in small bites.
Although it met Matsushita's expectations,
seeing Amane pick up potatoes while her eyes were fixed on the chicken, like a little glutton,
Matsushita couldn't help but laugh.
"Alright, alright, relax. It's rare to have a meal with Miyako-san, you don't have to be so reserved."
"Matsushita-san really understands me. Suzune always tells me to follow table manners."
Suzune?
Matsushita thought back.
She was probably talking about Horikita-san, right?
Indeed, Horikita-san looked like a strict person.
"Miyako-san must have it tough."
"Hehe, I can't help it. Having a friend like that is quite troublesome."
Amane smiled sweetly when she said the word 'friend'.
Thump, thump, thump... Matsushita suddenly felt her heart pounding faster.
"Matsushita-san, what's wrong?"
Amane saw Matsushita clutching her chest.
Thinking Matsushita was unwell, she quickly put down her bowl and chopsticks and anxiously asked about Matsushita's condition.
"I'm fine, I just felt a bit warm just now."
Warm?
It seemed to still be quite cold at night this season, right?
But since Matsushita said so, she couldn't say anything more.
The two of them chatted about classmates' gossip.
While eating the dinner Matsushita had carefully prepared.
Finally, they shared the cake Amane had brought, concluding the small birthday gathering.
"Goodbye, Miyako-san. Feel free to come visit me anytime if you're free."
"Don't worry, I'll definitely be coming often, as long as Matsushita-san doesn't mind me. Matsushita-san, hurry back inside, it's still very cold at night!"
Amane playfully winked.
Then she skipped off to take the elevator.
Matsushita watched Amane get into the elevator before returning to her room.
Her gaze was quickly drawn to the gift Amane had given her.
Opening the gift, she saw.
It was a beautiful necklace.
And it was clearly an expensive one.
"Ah, I still let someone spend so much."
Matsushita looked at the gift with a bit of guilt.
Then she carefully put it away... The pleasant weekend always passed quickly.
The next morning.
Everyone welcomed another happy Monday.
Yes.
Although everyone looked worried and listless, making one fear they might fall asleep in class.
But they must be happy, right?
As the first class began, Chabashira-sensei walked in with a serious expression.
Seeing Chabashira-sensei like this,
Amane immediately stopped smiling.
Horikita, who was chatting with Amane, instantly noticed the situation.
Chabashira-sensei was holding a thick stack of papers.
There wouldn't be another end-of-month pop quiz, would there?
Chabashira-sensei's actions also caught the attention of others.
Gradually, everyone stopped their chatter, their gazes fixed on Chabashira-sensei.
"It seems you've all noticed. Today, I need you to be serious and attentive. The end of the month is here, and we'll be having a short test today."
It seems like a surprise test.
Horikita thought for a moment.
No matter what kind of test it was, she shouldn't be at the bottom.
Amane should be the same, right?
Amane?
Horikita turned her head to look.
Amane was already starting to feel sleepy!
So boring.
I wish I could finish the test quickly and go back to sleep.
I'll have udon for lunch.
Amane happily thought about things completely unrelated to the test.