Checkmate

7

Click

I gently tugged on the door after hearing the lock click, making sure that it was indeed locked. It wasn't like the clubroom had anything valuable inside of it, unlike many of the other clubs here, but I couldn't very well just leave the door open just because of that. After finishing my confirmation, I adjusted the strap of my bag on my shoulder and placed the key into my pocket. Right, time to go return this to Hiratsuka-sensei.

The halls of the special-use building were quiet and empty as I made my way through them. It wasn't out of the usual for the building to be this calm and serene, as the Service Club was rather far from everything else, but it was even more quiet now as club hours hadn't ended yet. The only sounds in the hallway apart from my own footsteps were the occasional muffled bits of conversation that came from some of the classrooms. Unsurprisingly, I didn't meet any other students on my way to Hiratsuka-sensei's office, apart from a group of first-year girls giggling amongst themselves as they walked down the hallway, away from the faculty wing of the school. As I passed by them, I noticed a couple of them quieting down as they stole glances at me, and once they were behind me, hushed whispers reached my ears. Seems my reputation is quite far-reaching, though I was already aware of that. Though, perhaps Isshiki-san has something to do with even the first-years knowing of me. Hmph, she really did manage to interrupt mine and Hikigaya-kun's quiet moments at the worst possible time. What she said about Miura-san, though...

I hadn't said it out loud back then, but there was something nagging at me about Hikigaya's explanation. Certainly, I did find it difficult to imagine him having a conversation with Miura that lasted longer than a single sentence, but the fact that Isshiki had heard it from Hayama was the most intriguing part. If what Isshiki said was true, then Hayama had some reason to think that Miura had been speaking with Hikigaya – without anyone else knowing – which would indicate that he had noticed something out of the ordinary about her behaviour. Something, that could have been influenced by Hikigaya. He has a very unique view of the world, and thinks differently from many people, so his influence on a person should be clear as day to see. But I still find it hard to imagine for her to be able to speak freely with Hikigaya-kun... Though perhaps speaking is not necessary. If Hayama-kun has indeed noticed something different about Miura-san, something that he thinks might have changed due to Hikigaya-kun's influence, Miura-san could have gotten whatever that is from simply observing Hikigaya-kun. She has seen how he operates on multiple occasions, so the idea is not too far-fetched. However, that does raise the question of what would have triggered her choosing to act in this new manner, or do whatever it is that has made Hayama-kun suspicious of her. Could something have truly happened between them, like Hikigaya-kun believes? Although... that is not the most concerning thing. I felt grip on the strap of my bag tightening. If this hypothesis is true, then...

...Miura-san has had her eye on Hikigaya-kun. My Hikigaya-kun.

Before I had realized it, I was standing in front of the door to Hiratsuka-sensei's office, and I shook my head to clear away my thoughts. I would hope that is false, as I do not want to resort to any drastic measures regarding Miura-san. Still, it might be a good idea to keep an eye on her, to see if she truly has been influenced by Hikigaya-kun in some way or another, and if she has, where that influence has stemmed from. But, that is something I can return to at a later date. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to calm myself, then gently knocked on the door to Hiratsuka-sensei's office.

"The door's open, come in." A muffled voice that I recognized as Hiratsuka-sensei came from within, so I opened the door and stepped inside.

"Good afternoon, Hiratsuka-sensei." I greeted as I entered the familiar office and looked towards the desk at the other side of the room, where Hiratsuka-sensei was sat down, leaning back in her chair with her legs propped up on the desk as she held a stack of papers in one hand and a lit cigarette in the other. As she heard my voice, she shifted her gaze from the papers to me, and her expression turned to one of surprise.