So Kuroha Akira relaxed again and replied.
"Yeah, that's right. I ran into Ryota first, and then I happened to see your four… four childhood friends, Class Rep. They seem to still have a pretty solid relationship…"
At this point, Kuroha Akira realized that bringing up the whole "abandoning childhood friends" thing was a sensitive topic for the class rep, so he quickly apologized.
"Ah, sorry, Class Rep. I didn't mean you weren't important, it's just… uh…"
Seeing how concerned he was about her feelings, Asato Hitomi wasn't angry at all. Instead, a warm feeling spread through her chest.
"It's okay, Akira-kun. You don't have to walk on eggshells about this. I was the one who chose to distance myself from them… Besides, our relationship isn't even that strained."
"Right, after all, Saionji-san did contact you… So what she talked to you about is related to the favor you want to ask me? And it involves Takanashi-san?"
"Yeah, actually, I hadn't been in touch with Saionji Makoto for a long time. The reason she suddenly reached out was because she wanted me to help solve Mirai-chan's problem."
"So something happened to Takanashi-san?"
"Apparently, Mirai-chan suddenly stopped coming to school."
"Huh? Was she suspended?"
"No, I went to ask the homeroom teacher of Class 2, where Mirai-chan is. He told me that Mirai-chan never requested leave—she just suddenly stopped showing up. Even her mother didn't know what was going on. She actually came to the school to ask the teacher, but the teacher wasn't clear on the reason either. He just said they'd 'look into it later'… But I doubt there'll be any real follow-up."
Expecting school teachers to solve problems like this was pretty optimistic. Not every teacher was as dedicated as Kobayakawa-sensei, giving 120% care to each student. Most teachers operated on a "less trouble, better" policy. At most, they might ask in class if anyone knew what happened to Takanashi Mirai.
That's why people say—many teachers can teach, but few can teach how to be a person. Meeting one like Kobayakawa-sensei during your school years is basically a lucky gacha pull.
After all, aside from family influence, school is the second biggest factor in a person's growth.
Kuroha Akira crossed his arms and continued asking.
"Suddenly stopped coming to school… is it bullying?"
When you talk about reasons for not wanting to go to school, nine times out of ten it's connected to bullying. It's rare for students to genuinely refuse to attend just because they hate studying—they at least need that high school diploma, right?
The typical pattern: encounter campus bullying, take a massive hit to your psyche, go into self-destruct mode, stop going to school, and become a shut-in… That kind of development is pretty common in Japan.
That said, from Kuroha Akira's own observations, he hadn't seen much overt bullying at this high school. At least not in Class 1, Grade 1, where he was. Maybe other classes were different.
When bullying came up, the class rep's expression dimmed slightly, and she spoke in an uncertain tone.
"Hmm… I don't know the details yet, but I think something like that might be involved. I heard from Saionji Makoto that Mirai-chan apparently got into a fight with a classmate outside of school."
"Girls throwing hands? Sounds like a pretty serious conflict."
Girls definitely get physical when conflicts escalate—and they fight hard. It's not just simple slapping. When pushed too far, it's hair-pulling, scratching, biting, tearing clothes, punches and kicks. All-out war.
Kuroha Akira remembered that Takanashi Mirai—the girl he'd seen before—wore an eyepatch. Now it seemed like it wasn't a chuunibyou fashion statement. She was genuinely injured.
"Saionji Makoto told me that the day she gathered her childhood friends was because she'd heard from her younger sister about Mirai-chan getting into a fight with someone…"
"Wait, Saionji-san has a younger sister attending our school?"
"Yeah. Saionji Makoto has a twin sister named Makoto—same pronunciation, different kanji. But because their parents divorced, Makoto was taken by their mother, so they attend different schools now. Still, the sisters are really close. They've always stayed in touch."
"I see. So is Makoto-san friends with Takanashi-san?"
"Not really friends, I guess. They just happen to be in the same class. Makoto has a pretty cold personality—she only played with us for a short time when we were kids. But she knew Mirai-chan was her sister's friend, so when she saw Mirai-chan fighting someone, she told Saionji Makoto about it."
"And then Saionji-san came to you?"
"Yes. Saionji Makoto really wants to do something for Mirai-chan, but since she attends a different school, she's kind of powerless… So she thought of me and wanted to see if I had any ideas."
"I see."
After listening, Kuroha Akira roughly understood the whole situation.
Saionji Makoto—was she being nosy, or did she genuinely care about her friends?
Generally speaking, when a relationship has grown distant, most people wouldn't actively reach out—let alone interfere—even if they knew the other person was in trouble. Most people dislike getting involved in drama.
From that perspective, Saionji Makoto was a genuinely kind person. The type who would absolutely lend a hand to a friend in need.
"And Saionji Makoto also told me that after she and Mirai-chan met that day, not long after, she heard the news that Mirai-chan wasn't coming to school anymore. She thought something else might have happened, so she wanted to get more information from me. But like I just said, there shouldn't have been any further incidents after that."
"Oh…"
Kuroha Akira suddenly thought of a possibility that made him break out in a cold sweat.
That day at the family restaurant, Saionji had asked Shinomiya if she would still come to school later. Shinomiya's answer at the time was that she wouldn't go to school anymore because she was going to become a voice actress—school couldn't give her anything useful.
And at that time, it was also mentioned that Takanashi's mother seemed to be a professional voice actress…
If her mother was a voice actress, then Takanashi herself would likely be influenced by that and want to become one too.
So when she heard Shinomiya say that becoming a voice actress didn't require going to school… did she get inspired by that and decide to stop attending as well?
Dang it. This situation really did seem connected to him.
"So, Class Rep, you came to me because you want me to investigate what happened?"
"No. I think instead of dwelling on what's already happened, it's better to help Mirai-chan overcome her current difficulties. So I'm hoping Akira-kun can use your excellent Persuasion stat to convince her to come back to school."
"Ah, so you're asking me to be a mediator."
"Yes. And Mirai-chan loves playing games. She's also really into anime and manga. I don't know much about those areas, but Akira-kun, you're pretty knowledgeable about them, right?"
"A little."
"Although Moe is also an expert in that field, her personality isn't really suited for being a mediator."
"Fair point. So, to summarize, the request is: persuade Takanashi Mirai—who's stopped coming to school—to return to school. Is that correct?"
"That's right."
"Okay. Then… what's the reward?"
"Of course. It's already prepared."
Asato Hitomi smiled and leaned close to Kuroha Akira's ear, her sweet voice practically seductive.
"The reward is… my… one-day usage rights~"