"You really are a mean person, aren't you?"
"Maybe so."
It had been about an hour since Sakayanagi had come to my room.
"So now there's a secret between me and Ayanokōji-kun that I can't tell anyone~"
"That's a wordy way of putting it."
"The one who first caused the misuse of the word is none other than Ayanokōji-kun, isn't it?"
"Indeed."
"Then again, this is the first time I've ever been in a man's bed."
"You were out of it in ten seconds, it doesn't even matter."
"That's taking the girl's memorial lightly, isn't it?"
I show Sakayanagi the screen of my phone as I select and dispose of the necessary items. Perhaps because I slid it too far forward in the process, a picture of me and Kei was shown.
It was a picture of the two of us at the Keyaki Mall.
"It seems that your relationship with Kei Karuizawa-san is going well."
"Well, I guess so."
Sakayanagi continued, looking at the picture of Kei smiling happily.
"Ayanokōji-kun was attracted to her either by her appearance, voice, or personality. That's what I would normally think, but there are some things that don't quite add up."
After that, Sakayanagi looked up at me and her eyes were sharp, as if she was fighting me.
"I've looked into her as much as I can. From how she spends her time after school to how she spends her days off. And now Ayanokōji-kun is in a situation where he can easily be followed."
As long as the entire third year was monitoring me, I couldn't pay attention to every single thing. If Sakayanagi's secret agent was mixed in, it would be difficult to distinguish them.
Even if it was Hashimoto, who had noticed the tail before, or someone else, there was no way to identify them.
"I have not been able to find out the truth about why Ayanokōji-kun chose to go out with her, but I have been able to see some things. The strong trust and love she has for him can be described as delusional. Is he going to use her to conduct some kind of experiment, or is he trying to save her? I guessed it was something like that."
I don't remember giving them any unnecessary information. I don't think she knows the details, such as Kei or Ryūen. I don't know how she could have guessed so close to the truth in that situation.
"That's what your special lesson for me is about, isn't it?"
"I'm getting tired of using the word special, but you're right."
Sakayanagi was able to understand me without the needs for words, but in a different way from Kei.
Ding dong.
A dumb, tension-free chime sounded suddenly in the room.
It was around half past twelve, and the students would be finishing their meals by now.
There was no one left in the dormitory, but suddenly a visitor appeared. Sakayanagi and I looked at each other and then at the front door at the same time. There were supposed to be three bodyguards waiting in the lobby, but did they force their way in? No, even if they had used their great skills to subdue him by force, the problem didn't stop there. They would not take their time to ring the doorbell, they would at least try to break in.
The doorbell rang once more.
Since I was supposed to be resting in my room, it would be strange to ignore it any longer. It is possible, though unlikely, that it is someone from the school.
"Who is it?" I call out to the visitor, not moving from my position on the bed.
"Stay where you are and listen."
The man replied, as if he could tell from his voice that I was sitting far away from the entrance.
A young voice. Not an adult, but the same age.
"That voice sounds familiar."
But a figure did not come to mind. It sounded like a student, and even though I didn't recognize him, the voice was distinctly familiar. Of course, when you live in a school, you hear many unspecified voices.
However, I immediately recognize the owner of this voice.
"You called me once, didn't you?"
I ask back, and the figure on the other side of the doorway remains silent for a bit.
"That's great, you remember my voice after hearing it only once."
The fact that it was after my father had visited this school was also impressive.
"You didn't say what you wanted then."
"It was a good thing I didn't, but something inconvenient happened soon after. I haven't been in touch with you since then, but if you're wondering, it doesn't matter who I am. Because I'm neither your friend nor your enemy."
"Then what are you doing here?"
"You just need to get rid of Tsukishiro and then the White Room students, and peace will return. I came here to advise you because I thought you might have made that mistake."
"Oh my. That sounds like a very fun adventure. Would you be willing to let me join you?"
"Arisu Sakayanagi, huh?"
The man on the other side of the door showed no sign of being upset by Sakayanagi's unexpected response. Rather, he immediately guessed who it was just by hearing her voice. Perhaps he had narrowed down the list of absentees for the day, or perhaps he knew Sakayanagi and recognized her voice.
"Anyway, be on the lookout if you want to stay in school until graduation."
"For a neutral, you've got a lot on your shoulders, don't you?"
"Your presence is having a negative impact. I'm just trying to prevent more of it..." He replied as his voice trailed off. Apparently, he didn't intend to stay long, and it could be assumed that he had left.
"That voice, I've heard it somewhere..."
"Do you have any idea who the voice is?"
"I can't answer that as clearly as Ayanokōji-kun. But I think I vaguely remembered the presence that came through the door."
So it's something different from what I remembered from the voice.
"It's not a recent memory, it's a reasonably old memory, five, ten years anyway."
"If you're sure about that, then the possibility of a White Room student seems infinitesimally small."
"Yes. If I've ever come face-to-face with one when I was little, then yes."
His reaction to learning of Sakayanagi's existence was somewhat affirming. In addition to the fact that he wasn't surprised, he reacted like he would to someone he was acquainted with. But whether it's Amasawa or the other one, it's not something I care about.
As long as there was no harm done to me at the moment, I couldn't do anything about it.