Chapter 14: The Poet and the Poisoner
Under the moonlight illuminating Trinity’s campus late at night, Hanako and I sat side by side on a bench in the empty garden.
The subtle sensation of our thighs brushing together, due to Hanako’s swimsuit attire, kept registering, but it wasn’t important to me right now.
“…And so, the speaker turns away from the world, hiding their talents and indulging in eccentricities.”
Hanako, with the poetry book I’d lent her open on her lap, finished sharing her interpretation and turned to me with a bright smile.
“Fufufu, it was really interesting. This poem you recommended, Kaoru-san.”
“…”
How was I supposed to know the poem I randomly picked would have that kind of content?!
Or… could this be related to the “mystery” Seia mentioned about me?
Recalling Seia’s words from yesterday about turning “chance” into “destiny,” I felt it in an unexpected way and managed to respond to Hanako.
“…I’m glad you found it interesting.”
I kept my tone calm, pretending I’d deliberately chosen the poem because I’d seen through her secret.
After slipping up earlier and revealing I knew her secret, admitting it was a coincidence would only make her doubt me more.
Especially since I couldn’t exactly say I knew it from playing Blue Archive.
“Yes, you’re finally being honest. I’m a bit embarrassed, in many ways, that you saw through me without me realizing, Kaoru-san~”
Hearing my response, Hanako giggled as if amused.
…This girl really tosses out lines like that as naturally as breathing.
“Oh my, I’ll apologize first for prying into your secrets.”
“No need~ I’m the one putting on an act in front of Sensei and the others. So, Kaoru-san, were you upset seeing me deliberately fail the exams?”
As I offered an apology with my usual faint smile, Hanako asked with an equally enigmatic one.
Knowing I’d get swept up in her pace if I dodged the question, I decided to bring up a truth she likely didn’t know yet in the original story.
“Hmm… not really. But you giving your all would help the other Supplementary Lessons Department kids, you know.”
“Huh? The other kids… what do you mean?”
It’s something Hanako would learn soon through talks with Hifumi and Sensei… but what’s the harm in telling her now?
Moments later,
“…I had no idea Nagisa would go that far for the Eden Treaty.”
Learning of Nagisa’s plan to expel the entire Supplementary Lessons Department as collective punishment, Hanako bit her lip with a slightly angry expression and muttered.
“Koharu-chan’s probably being used as leverage to control the Justice Task Force. Given when you were sent to the Supplementary Lessons Department, Sensei must know about this… and Hifumi-chan, being close to Nagisa, likely got a heads-up too. Fufufu, so that’s why they’ve been so dedicated? To protect us from some Tea Party higher-up’s baseless suspicions.”
“…Hmm.”
…How does she deduce all that from just a little explanation?
I was dumbfounded, bordering on disbelief, at this pink-haired brainiac’s terrifying reasoning skills, but Hanako sighed as if it were no big deal and continued, looking at me.
“You’re all too kind for this snake pit.”
“Kaoru-san, can I ask one more thing? There’s still something I don’t get.”
“Oh my, what’s that?”
“Why did you let me know you’d figured out my secret?”
…Uh, I didn’t mean to?
Despite the weighty question, I inwardly cringed at my own blunder, but Hanako lowered her gaze with a somber expression and continued softly.
“I don’t know what situation you’re in or what your goals are, Kaoru-san. But either way, my circumstances shouldn’t matter much to you, right? You could’ve waited for Sensei or Hifumi-chan to explain things, or… just let me leave the school as is.”
“…Fufu, maybe.”
If I’d come to this world clueless and was some cold-blooded pragmatist, I might’ve done that.
But with no such intentions, I answered her question with genuine sincerity.
“But leaving your alma mater like that isn’t the ending you want, is it?”
A truth clear from her actions in the original story.
“…”
Surprised by my words, Hanako’s eyes widened, and she fell silent.
Well… that should cover everything she needed to hear, right?
“Now, shall we work together to make sure everyone comes out okay?”
With that thought, I stood, wrapping up the awkward conversation.
“And… be careful not to catch a cold.”
I added the nagging comment I’d been holding back since seeing her in a swimsuit this late at night.
“…Be careful not to catch a cold.”
After Kaoru left with that quirky parting remark, Hanako sat on the bench, reflecting on their conversation.
“But leaving your alma mater like that isn’t the ending you want, is it?”
“Surprisingly… quite sincere, aren’t you, Kaoru-san?”
Recalling the words that pierced her hidden feelings, Hanako’s gaze fell to the poetry book still on her lap, and she murmured softly.
“I had a hunch… but it seems you really didn’t know the poem’s content.”
Unlike Kaoru, who belatedly pretended to have chosen it intentionally, Hanako had already figured that out.
With a faint melancholy in her green eyes, she looked at the final stanza she’d deliberately skipped, testing Kaoru.
“…Or maybe you’re even more shameless than me.”
The long poem actually concluded with the eccentric speaker meeting a traveler who saw through their secret, finding mutual understanding and salvation.
“Let’s work together, then?”
“You really don’t know what you’re saying, do you?”
Recalling Kaoru’s words—ones she couldn’t have said lightly if she knew the poem’s full meaning—Hanako muttered with a slightly flushed face.
“Fufufu, either way… I’m looking forward to it.”