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"Akita-senpai's basketball team got second place, didn't they?"
"Hayami-san's volleyball team also qualified for the national tournament."
Such topics were circulating in the morning classroom.
Their achievements had become the pride of the entire school.
Butā.
"Ryuji-kun..." Reiko called out to me in a corner of the library during lunch break.
Misaki also stood with a worried expression.
"Have you noticed Ryoko...?"
Recently, Hayami was clearly acting strangely.
She was often absent from volleyball practice.
She seemed lifeless even during class.
That refreshing smile had disappeared.
"She's also been going to the infirmary more often..." Misaki's voice trembled.
"She doesn't talk to everyone like before."
"What about her relationship with Akita-senpai?"
"That..." Reiko hesitated.
"Recently, I haven't seen them together."
"Ryuji-kun," Misaki looked at me with a serious gaze.
"Can you... investigate with your ability?"
"If I touch something she owns..."
"Please," their voices overlapped.
I nodded silently.
Hayami's shining figure, now dark and sunken like a shadow.
I had to find out the reason with my ability.
"But how...?"
"I'll secretly... take the towel Ryoko uses..." Reiko suggested.
Why was the ace of the volleyball team in such a state?
We were facing a new mystery.
Outside the window, a cloudy sky stretched out.
Heavy, dark clouds hung low, as if reflecting Hayami's heart.
The towel Reiko brought.
Even after touching the towel, I didn't get the information I was hoping for.
Scenes from club activities, her changing into a healthy sports bra and spats, everyday scenes.
It wasn't a clue to Hayami's abnormality.
"More direct approach might be needed."
I reported to Reiko and Misaki in the library.
Under the fluorescent light, shadows fell on their faces.
"Ryoko is really not well..."
"This morning, she went to the infirmary and never came back."
The ace of the volleyball team.
The idol of the academy.
A presence that always brightened everyone with her sunny smile.
Such a girl was now sunk like a shadow.
"I'll go see Akita-senpai."
The two nodded at my suggestion.
We headed to the gym around the time basketball practice ended.
I stopped Akita, who was wiping his sweat.
"Satou, huh..."
Still tall as ever.
But a shadow could be seen on his face.
Despite being the captain of the basketball team that got second place in the prefectural tournament, he seemed a little down.
"About Hayami-san..."
At those words, Akita's body tensed.
As I expected, something had happened.
"Actually... it's been since the prefectural tournament final."
Akita spoke with a heavy voice.
Outside the gym at dusk, just the two of us.
Students leaving club activities occasionally cast curious glances.
"She suddenly became distant. She stopped replying to my LINE messages."
"Could you tell me more about the final match?"
"Although we came in second, everyone did their best. Ryoko also came to cheer us on..."
Akita began to speak, as if tracing his memory of that day.
His large 185-centimeter body seemed to shrink little by little with each memory.
"Until the day before, we were really close. She encouraged me to win..."
"The match was at the prefectural general gymnasium..."
"It started at 2 PM. Ryoko said she had her own practice in the morning, but..."
"What about after that?"
"After the match, we all went to a nearby family restaurant for a celebration. Ryoko also came..."
Akita's voice trailed off.
"But she left midway. Since then..."
"Anything else you noticed?"
"Come to think of it... during the match, she seemed to be talking to someone in the stands."
"Who was it?"
"At first, I didn't know. But then I realized later."
Akita clenched his fist tightly.
"It was Sagara and his gang. They were wearing Seiran High School uniforms... Ryoko's classmates from middle school."
"Before..."
"Ah, those guys who bothered us in front of the station. When Satou helped us."
Akita's voice was filled with anger.
"Ryoko looked scared... But I was focused on the game and didn't notice."
Self-reproach was evident.
The regret of not noticing his girlfriend's distress during the basketball game made Akita's large body tremble.
"Do you remember Hayami-san's appearance that day?"
"Her clothes were... a light pink dress and a white cardigan. The cheering outfit she always wears to matches."
"Her belongings?"
"Uh... a white shoulder bag and... oh, right."
Akita's expression changed.
"Her usual sparkly phone case. She said she'd never let it go, but it wasn't there."
"Phone case?"
"Yeah. It was Ryoko's favorite, and she said she'd never part with it."
My intuition reacted to that information.
"Anything else?"
"When she left her seat midway, she took all her belongings with her..."
"Like to the restroom?"
"No, when she was talking to Sagara and his gang..."
Organizing the information, I returned to the library.
Reiko and Misaki were waiting.
"How was it?"
"How is Ryoko?"
"Actually..."
I explained what I heard from Akita.
Contact with Sagara and his gang.
The missing phone case.
When she left her seat with her belongings.
"No way..."
Misaki gasped.
"The phone case, is it the one I gave her for her birthday?"
"The one with rhinestones?"
"Yeah. Ryoko cherished it so much..."
Reiko stood up.
"I have an idea."
"Huh?"
"Why don't you touch Ryoko's desk? If it's memories from lunch break or after school..."
Indeed.
Her appearance in the classroom might also be a clue.
"But that might not tell us what happened with Sagara and his gang..."
The three of us exchanged glances.
A secret strategy meeting to protect a friend.
Outside the window, the sun was setting.
The reason for Hayami's change.
It must be because of Sagara and his gang.
"Wait a minute... white shoulder bag..."
I remember.
The bag Hayami brings every day.
Exactly the same one as that day.
"That's it!"
Reiko's eyes sparkled.
"Ryoko, you always leave your bag in the changing room during PE, right?"
"But I can't go into the girls' changing room..."
"We'll stand guard."
Misaki suggested with a serious expression.
"Next PE is tomorrow's 3rd period. Pool class."
"Then, no one will be in the changing room..."
"We can pretend to be sick and go to the infirmary, and check on her along the way."
Reiko strategized.
"Misaki will keep watch from the hallway. I'll be at the changing room entrance."
We exchanged glances.
Tomorrow's plan was set.
"But what if we get caught...?"
"The feeling of wanting to help Ryoko, we all feel the same way, don't we?"
Reiko's voice was strong.
"It's definitely Sagara and his gang's fault that she's lost her energy."
"Yeah. I can't forgive them either."
Misaki also clenched her fist.
"Understood. Tomorrow, during pool class."
If I touch the bag, everything should become clear.
The conversation with Sagara.
The whereabouts of the phone case.
The reason for Hayami's change.
Outside the window, it was already getting dark.
Our resolve was firm for tomorrow's operation.
What did Sagara and his gang do?
I must find out why they drove our precious friend into such a dark shadow.Ā