Misaki
Two days had passed with the investigation coming up cold. Our class had worked diligently thanks to Kasai and Kurino, but in the end, we were left with no leads nor any new information to prove Tsukamoto's innocence. It was a dead end. Seeing there was nothing we could do besides wait for something to pop up, I paused the investigation and let everyone else go.
Advanced Nurturing High School; My Room
On a Sunday morning, I received a message from Furukawa on my phone. Apparently, Tsukamoto had contacted him, telling him that he wanted to meet up to discuss the situation again. The deliberation meeting would be coming up in three days. We didn't have much time left, and Tsukamoto was the one who was most stressed about it.
I typed a message and sent it to him, telling him we could meet up in an hour at the mall. He replied back with understanding, then I put my phone away.
"I might as well get something from the library to read in the meantime..."
Advanced Nurturing High School; Library
With my school uniform on, I arrived at the entrance to the library. Entering it, I saw the multiple shelves of books of many genres around me, and the groups of students hanging out at the many tables. Since this issue with Tsukamoto started, I never had a chance to come back here like I always did. Seeing it again made me feel a little better.
As I walked around, heading on my way to the Mystery section, I happened to notice a familiar figure.
"Hm...!"
It was the silver-haired librarian. She was on a ladder, organizing the books in one section of the library, rearranging them and placing back the old books students returned. She seemed quite busy. I could hardly imagine the amount of time and patience she needs to go through this large-scaled library with thousands of books. It was impressive.
She places a book on the shelf, then turns and glances at me. "Oh?" The silver-haired librarian smiled and waved at me. "Wait right there for a moment!" She climbed down the ladder one step at a time, eventually reaching the ground, then she walked towards me. "Good morning. If I remember right...you're Horikita Misaki-san, right? It's nice to see you here again," she greeted me kindly.
"Yes, good morning. Is there something you need?" I asked.
She shook her hands apologetically. "Oh no no, it's nothing like that. I saw you here, so I thought it'd be a perfect chance to talk to you."
"Talk to me?" I repeated.
She nodded. "There's been something on my mind I've been meaning to ask you. If you don't mind, would you like to come with me to get a drink?" I stared at her for a moment, looking at her facial expression and body. She was someone I don't really know much, but I didn't sense any ill will from her-she seemed genuinely kind. Realizing this, I decided to accept her request and the both of us left the library.
Advanced Nurturing High School; Hallways
After paying for our drinks and getting them from a nearby vending machine, we found a bench off to the side and both sat down.
The silver-haired librarian opens her can of matcha tea, taking a sip of it and smiling. "I've always noticed how you come to the library every now and then. However, it seems like you've been gone the past few days."
I took a sip of my drink of black coffee. "I've been quite busy, so I haven't really had a chance to come here as much as I used to."
"Is it about the fight?" she asked.
My face lit up after she said that and I stared at her. "You know?"
She nodded. "The news of it has spread throughout the entire school. Even now, I often hear a couple of students gossiping about it in the library. It is quite unfortunate."
I sighed. "It is. We've been investigating, trying to find information about the fight and everyone who was involved, but...we got nothing. Sooner or later, we're going to have to face the Student Council and our teachers with nothing in our hands."
"What you're going through does seem to be quite difficult..." She takes a sip of her drink again. "It's quite nostalgic. When I was a student at this school, there was one time where a similar situation like this happened."
"You were once a student here...?" I asked, surprised.
The silver-haired librarian nodded. "It was years ago, back when I was a first-year student. There was a fight between my class and another, involving three of my classmates and one of theirs. Our Class Representative had ordered them to get themselves injured by the other student in order to get him suspended. However...in the end, the plan failed and they were let go."
As I listened to her, I happened to find it oddly similar to a story my mother once told me. This can't be...can it?
"If you don't mind me asking, are you...perhaps related to Horikita Suzune by any chance?"
"...!" I froze and my face lit up, surprised by what she had just said. I was baffled. Not many people except the teachers and higher-ups knew about my family, but she did. Does she perhaps have a sharp intuition?
"Well? Am I right?" she asked.
I stared at her for a moment, then nodded. "...Yes. She's my mother."
"Your mother?" Her face lit up and she held her hand over her mouth, surprised by what I said. "I see. It's no wonder you two resemble so much like each other!"
"...Who are you?" I asked.
"Oh, I haven't introduced myself, have I?" She bowed and apologized. "My name is Shiina Hiyori. You may call me whatever you like."
"Shiina Hiyori..." My mother told me about the many students she went to school with, but I don't remember her talking much about Shiina Hiyori. I believe she only told me how she was in the same class as Ryuen's parents, and that she was quite an impressive and talented student.
"Hm...but if you're Horikita-san's daughter..." She placed her hand to her chin, thinking to herself. "You're a first-year student at this school, and we graduated about 16 years ago. That must mean Horikita-san had you around the end of our third year. No, probably a couple months after we graduated, right?"
I turned and looked away from her, then nodded. "...Yes, that's right. It must be shocking, isn't it?"
She shook her head. "Not really."
"Not...really?" I repeated.
"You see, around my third-year, and probably around the time Horikita-san became pregnant with you, two of my classmates...had gotten into a similar situation..."
"Are you perhaps talking about Takemi, no, Ryuen?" I asked.
"Oh? You know her?"
I nodded. "The two of us were childhood friends. Well, we used to be."
"Ah, I see!" she said with a bright smile on her face. "When I first met her here, I always saw her being so lonely and angry all the time. It's good to hear Takemi-chan has a few friends by her side."
Technically speaking, we aren't really that close, but I'll keep that to myself.
She looked up. "Every day I come here to work, I remember my time here at this school so clearly like it was yesterday. It was always so fun, but so terrifying at the same time. Do you feel the same way?"
"I do," I agreed with her.
She gave me a warm and kind smile, then as she stared at me, it slowly started to fade away. "You look so similar to Horikita-san. But your eyes..." She suddenly paused, going silent.
"What is it about my eyes?" I asked.
"O-Oh, it's nothing really," she said, smiling again and shaking her hands.
I stared at her for a moment, confused. It seemed like she wanted to say it, but stopped herself from saying anymore. Was it something sensitive? "...If there's something you want to say, I just want you to know you can say it. If you like to, that is."
She stayed quiet for a moment, then sighed. "Your eyes. They remind me of a close friend I once had who attended this school alongside your mother and I." She turned to look at me. "Whenever I look at you, there's just something in your eyes that makes me remember them."
"I see..." After listening to her, I remembered my main goal-the reason why I came to this school in the first place. Shiina Hiyori, who sat in front of me, was a former student who attended this school with my mother. If there was anyone who could give me clues, it would be her. "About this friend of yours. Who-" Suddenly, my phone in my pocket vibrated and I took it out. On my screen, it showed a message from Furukawa, talking about our meeting.
"Is it something important?" she asked.
I nodded. "Yes. I planned to meet up with a few of my classmates at the mall today. We're trying to figure out what to do next."
"I see. Well, I wish you good luck."
"Thank you." I sighed. "And here I was hoping I could get a book to read before I left..."
"If you like, I can hold any books you wish to read. That way, the next time you come by, you can easily grab them without having to look for them."
"I see. Thank you, um..."
"Please, you can call me Hiyori."
"Thank you, Hiyori-san. I'll be leaving then." I stood up from my seat and left, heading on my way to the mall. As I walked away, I looked back and saw Hiyori waving goodbye.