cote react to

part 11

"I'll go there in about five minutes."

After submitting my reply, I reached for my coat, but stopped. Since we were in the same dorm, going out in just a t-shirt was probably fine. I headed to Sakura's room. The upper level... in other words, where the girls lived. This was the first time I set foot there. The school did not necessarily prohibit the entry of children. Even if someone saw me go there, it wouldn't be a problem. In fact, the popular kids often headed there to hang out and have fun.

"S-sorry for the trouble, Ayanokoji-kun." Airi bowed apologizing for causing trouble for the boy.

"Okay. At least you got your answer in the end." Ayanokoji said nonchalantly.

Horikita's eyes widened as she realized that was where she found him waiting for the elevator.

"Huh. Maybe you are a decent boy after all." Horikita said. "And here I thought you'd be fantasizing about Sakura-san, which is why you're so involved in this case."

"I told you, didn't I?" Ayanokoji sighed.

Ichinose paused, "Horikita-san thought Ayanokoji-kun was fantasizing about Sakura-san...?" SHe let Horikita's comment sink into his brain. "Hey?!"

"That's not nice, Horikita-san." Matsushita said. "Ayanokoji-kun didn't seem like that kind of person."

Although we were allowed a relative degree of freedom, entry was prohibited after 8:00 p.m. Naturally, it was forbidden to go to the girls' flat in the middle of the night.

I pushed the elevator call button. When the doors opened, Horikita was standing there. What a horrendous moment.For some reason, I was completely unable to move. I stayed there. Was this good luck or bad luck? In the case of bumping into an acquaintance, I had to ask myself.

"Bad luck, man." Hashimoto laughed. "That's why she thought so. Especially seeing you sneaking up to Sakura-san's room like that."

"What? Aren't you getting on?" she asked.

Looking at me, she tried to close the doors.

"Oh yeah. I'm getting…"

While I felt this was probably a bad idea, I jumped up and hit the button for the eleventh floor. I saw that the button for the thirteenth floor was also on. That must have been Horikita's floor. For some reason, I had the strange feeling that she was watching me from behind."You're going to...go home late tonight, huh?" I asked without looking at her. The silence was unbearable.

"I was shopping. Didn't you see it?"

I heard the rustle of the vinyl bags.

"That reminds me. You cook for yourself, don't you?"

"Eh, really? I don't consider you the type to cook your own food." Karuizawa said.

"I'm just saving my money. Plus, it's healthier and cheaper compared to buying it at the coffee shop or convenience store." Horikita said.

"Heh. I don't know how to cook though. It must be nice to cook your own food." Karuizawa puffed out her cheeks.

It seemed that the elevator was going slower than usual. We were still on the sixth floor. Being sneakily invited by a girl was a stressful situation. My restlessness meant that I had to say something.

"For someone who doesn't like trouble, you've been extremely proactive in getting involved in this case. Or maybe you have ulterior motives?"