Lunch break.
Sakurai and Hayasaka Ai were eating.
They had chosen the rooftop for their meal today, where benches were specifically placed for resting. Actually, few students came here for lunch. Firstly, the rooftop door was sometimes locked. Secondly, it was very windy.
"It's very windy on the rooftop" seemed like a redundant statement.
There was nothing romantic about it. If it were night, and the weather was good, one might even see stars. In such conditions, the rooftop would shed its daytime flaws and take on a romantic hue. But unfortunately, it was broad daylight with the scorching sun, and the temperature was close to thirty degrees Celsius.
And it was windy.
As for whether the rooftop was good or not, Ryuzu Momo of the Astronomy Club probably had a lot to say about it. This was the Astronomy Club's territory, and Ryuzu Momo was still carrying out club activities—even if she was the only member.
As for how this strange club had been established, one would have to ask the current Student Council President, Shirogane Miyuki. Last year, Shirogane Miyuki had uncharacteristically used his presidential authority for a personal request.
No one knew what had happened between them. It was probably a life-or-death friendship—for instance, Shirogane Miyuki's sister was targeted by the yakuza, and the person who resolved the matter was Ryuzu Momo. Shirogane Miyuki, upon learning this, wanted to repay her, but unforeseen circumstances arose. Just one day after the incident, before Shirogane had a chance to repay her, this woman was captured by the opposing faction. Shirogane Miyuki directly evolved from "Submerged Dragon" to "Sangen Wild Dragon"—his home was very close to Sangen-jaya. He raided the yakuza organization at night, single-handedly breaking through with a sword and rescuing the eldest daughter of the yakuza boss.
Otherwise, it wouldn't make sense.
The above was purely Sakurai Saki's personal speculation and may not be accurate.
The two ate and chatted.
Unlike a couple in the throes of new love, Sakurai and Hayasaka's interactions were rather calm. Even other couples wouldn't constantly cling to each other all day.
"The rainy season is coming soon." Sakurai recalled something he had seen a few days ago. "When I was jogging yesterday, the hydrangeas in the park were already blooming. Covered in dewdrops."
Hydrangeas, or ajisai, bloom from May to July. A month ago, after the cherry blossoms fell, Sakurai had seen wisteria hanging like waterfalls from trellises in the park, as well as small white wild jasmine flowers. Now it was the hydrangeas' turn.
Sakurai Saki took out his phone to share photos.
The wallpaper had been changed. He hadn't used the photo booth picture with Chika for very long.
The photos on his phone were displayed.
"So beautiful." Ai-chan looked at them several times. The shooting angles were impressive.
"I took them with a camera, so the picture quality is very good." Sakurai added, "It's for art class homework."
Last Friday afternoon's art class had covered photography. The teacher had told them to go home and try it out, so Sakurai Saki had taken out his Sony camera—which had been gathering dust for a long time.
"Homework due today?"
Hayasaka Ai also took out her phone, an iPhone 12 Pro. She had always been very interested in electronic devices. Sakurai Saki had given her Sony noise-canceling headphones last year—she had mentioned them once while playing a game, and he had given them to her. Later, on her birthday, she explicitly told him not to give her any more electronic devices, so Sakurai Saki had bought her a two-player game, along with an extended play-along service.
"Look, a dog." Hayasaka Ai opened her phone's photo album.
Inside was a Shiba Inu with a very silly expression, a roadside background. Taken a few hours ago.
This was clearly just doing the homework to get it over with, wasn't it?
"You came very late this morning." Sakurai picked up a piece of pan-fried beef, wrapped it with some vegetables, and put it in his mouth. The seasoning was good—he was very satisfied. "Was the train broken?"
"I accidentally got lost." Hayasaka Ai's expression didn't change.
She had done it on purpose.
Who told Kaguya Shinomiya to say such things? Couldn't she call him "my boyfriend"? Why hide it when you liked someone? It wasn't like they were having an affair.
"Do you want me to pick you up in the morning?" Sakurai asked. "I'm considering buying a motorcycle soon."
"Really?" Hayasaka Ai subconsciously wanted to agree.
Then she remembered her relationship with Kaguya Shinomiya. "We're not going the same way. Let's not bother."
After Hayasaka Ai rented her apartment, she had sent the address to Sakurai Saki—to prevent having nowhere to go after dates in the future. This had also made her realize something: dating was really expensive. She was already short on money, and the emergency cash she had kept in her bag yesterday was gone.
She couldn't have lost it while sleeping, could she?
How strange.
"It's just a detour." Sakurai's voice was easy. "I don't mind."
He noticed Ai-chan seemed unwilling to trouble him, so he continued, "But there's no rush. You can think about it some more. After all, I haven't even gotten my license yet."
"Mm."
Hayasaka Ai nodded.
Then, after they finished eating and chatted for a while, they went back down.
Afternoon art class.
Sakurai Saki's work was displayed on the teaching computer.
Kaguya Shinomiya was somewhat displeased about this. Her homework had taken a lot of effort, but because her phone's camera wasn't powerful enough, the image was a bit blurry. Kaguya Shinomiya had a strong emotional attachment to her flip phone. Even in the era of smartphones, she had no intention of replacing it.
After school. The Student Council Room.
Kaguya Shinomiya talked about this.
"Just change it," Sakurai Saki said, sitting on the sofa and drinking tea. Kaguya had been brewing tea while recounting what had happened in class. She felt her photography skills were superior to Sakurai's.
Sakurai expressed compliance.
He didn't think he was very good at taking pictures. He didn't usually use social media much—at most, Twitter, YouTube, and LINE. He hadn't even downloaded Instagram, the photo-sharing app that girls loved. Boys using Instagram were probably just looking at pretty girls. Sakurai couldn't think of any other possibility, unless the boy really enjoyed taking photos and sharing his life.
Sakurai knew this was a stereotype, but he didn't want to change. As a superpower user, he liked to act on his own will.
"But this phone has been with me for a long time." Kaguya Shinomiya took out her flip phone.
"Files, data, and photos can all be transferred." Sakurai took another sip of tea. "You can ask Hayasaka-san about this. She knows a lot about it."
Being nostalgic was quite normal. Time made objects more charming. Childhood memories, things not eaten for a long time—all were beautified by memory.
...Of course I know that.
It was the first time Kaguya Shinomiya had been lectured on her "understanding of Hayasaka Ai." She was clearly the one who understood Hayasaka Ai the most. Sakurai Saki's understanding of Hayasaka Ai was about eighty percent of Kaguya Shinomiya's—but catching up on over ten years of progress in just one year? Sakurai General Affairs was actually quite impressive.
"Are you talking about phones?" Shirogane Miyuki walked in. He was a bit late today.
"By the way, Sakurai." He set his bag down. "Accompany me to the Student Council's old warehouse later. I need help finding some documents. Your memory is better than mine—we went there once last year."
Sakurai Saki nodded. "No problem."
He was very free today.
Tomorrow was also the weekend.