Confidential × Confidential
At Tsuwabuki High School during spring break.
In the broadcasting room where the evening sun shines, two female students are sitting across the table.
One of them is not in Tsuwabuki school uniform but wears a one-piece dress.
"Thank you for inviting me, senpai."
The one who bowed politely is Nukumizu Kajyu, a second-year student at Momozuno Junior High, with a card hanging around her neck that says 'Temporary Entry Permit' swinging.
"I wanted to talk to you, Kaju-san. Please have tea before it gets cold."
Smiling with a sparkling forehead, Senpai, Chihaya Asagumo, offers tea to Kaju.
Kaju sips her tea from the mug and looks around the broadcasting room with obvious curiosity.
"Senpai, are you in the broadcasting club?"
"Not exactly, but I help out with various things. Thanks to that, I got the key to the room—"
Asagumo stands up and takes a large booklet from the shelf, slamming it onto the table.
Seeing the cover of the booklet, Kajyu tilts her head in confusion.
"Is this... a wiring diagram?"
Excitedly nodding, Asagumo stretches her arm to open the booklet of wiring diagrams.
"This is a detailed diagram of the electrical and acoustic wiring for the entire Tsuwabuki High School!"
Taking a deep breath, Asagumo rapidly strings words together.
"In our research projects, securing power is always a headache, but with this, everything is solved! Moreover, when comparing the drawings by era, it turns out there are many unused wiring connections throughout the school! By utilizing them to modify speakers into microphones—"
Asagumo cuts off her words and lightly taps her own forehead.
"...Oh, I'm sorry. I got carried away and ended up talking to myself."
With a repentant expression, Asagumo sits back down, and Kaju shakes her head.
"No, I'm very interested in what you're saying. Could you please tell me more?"
Asagumo's face lights up.
"Of course! But, of course, misuse is strictly prohibited, okay? What I'm doing is just increasing the number of ears a bit, not for anything like that."
"Yes, I know you're not that kind of person, senpai. By the way, isn't this yours? Found it or not?"
Kaju places a small black chip with 'No. 3' written on it on the table.
Asagumo, staring at it, remains frozen for a while.
"Oh, I was wondering where it went. Where did you find it?"
"Yes, I found it by chance in the greenhouse of the gardening club at Momozuno."
"Coincidences are mysterious. There are also quail sablés. Would you like to have some?"
"Yes, thank you."
The two share a wordless smile while eating quail sablés.
The crunchy texture and the scent of maple complement the hot tea well.
"...Senpai, have you already installed ears inside Tsuwabuki?"
"Yes, experimentally a few of them. Of course, it's not for such purposes."
The two exchange smiles again in silence. After all, it's not for those purposes.
"For example, do you know where Kaju was and what she was doing until she came to the broadcasting room?"
"I only know what I heard. ...Yes, Kaju-san visited the student council room before coming here, right?"
"Yes, could you hear that?"
Kaju sticks her tongue out in embarrassment."
"There, I had a conversation with Vice President Basori-san in the literature clubroom, and after rejecting a confession from a Tsuwabuki male student in the courtyard, I headed towards the west building—"
Asagumo, with a smile, questions Kaju.
"...You spent some time in the empty literature clubroom, didn't you? What were you doing?"
A brief silence. Kaju smiles, showing only her mouth.
"Just taking a short nap. I've been lacking sleep lately."
"Oh, that's not good."
"Yes, I'll be careful."
With a smile, the two of them drink tea.
"However, it seems a bit difficult for Kaju to imitate. Kaju is a bit fond of abduction techniques, but it's not easy to be like Senpai."
"Retroactive inference...? I'm interested. For example, do you notice anything when you look at me with curiosity?"
Asagumo, with shining eyes filled with curiosity, stares at Kaju.
"Senpai, yesterday... You went out for a meal with your boyfriend during the cram school lecture, right?"
"Yes, last night, I remember—"
Cutting off Asagumo, Kaju adds her words.
"The curry udon at Seikawa Honten is delicious, right?"
"...How do you know?"
Asagumo widens her eyes like a squirrel, and Kaju smiles softly.
"Because, Asagumo-san, there's a curry stain on your ribbon."
Asagumo hurriedly looks down at her chest. However, there's not a single stain on the ribbon.
"...Kaju-san?"
"Hehe, just kidding."
A moment of silence. Asagumo nods with a smiling face.
"Well, it was just a joke."
"Yes, it was a joke. Kaju just has a friend in the same cram school as Senpai."
"Hehe, I was surprised. Kaju-san, would you like some more tea—"
As Asagumo stands up and speaks, her expression wavers again.
Following her gaze, Kaju claps her hands.
"The amp's power was left on, so I turned it off when I entered the room."
"Oh, thank you. I forgot about it."
"I was about to record the entire conversation inadvertently."
"Yes, you were about to. Hehe."
Hehehe... A cheerful laughter echoes in the soundproof broadcasting room.
Asagumo pours steaming tea into a mug.
"Kaju-san, do you think we can become friends?"
"Yes, Senpai. Kaju thinks so too."
Asagumo extends her hand with a smile, and Kaju responds by shaking it.
In a corner of Tsuwabuki High School during spring break, another flower of friendship blooms like this.
