"So that's the situation. I got asked by a friend to investigate so guy who's allegedly a scumbag… and I need to gather evidence."
On the rooftop after school, Takamine Rinji sat with Ryuju Momo as usual.
Though not every club activity involved just chatting with this yakuza heiress, Takamine had gotten used to it.
"You're a first-year, right? Want to handle it?"
"No need for now. I've already sent a few people to investigate. Should get results soon," Takamine replied. "If he really is guilty, I'll just give him a warning."
"And if he doesn't listen?"
"Let him go swimming in Tokyo Bay."
"Well, let's hope he lives long then."
Ryuju Momo lay on her inflatable cushion, playing a ga on her phone.
"By the way, ever since you joined the Public Morals Committee, do you know what people say about you?"
"I know my reputation isn't great."
"They call you 'Takamine the Unrepentant.' You've done so pretty ruthless stuff lately," Momo said.
He had heavily punished rule-breakers—like kicking in a window to catch three guys reading dirty magazines, or breaking up couples using intel. In every way, Takamine was far from a normal student.
"I don't care. Those who don't respect deserve my own thods. I don't have to cater to people I don't like."
"Still the sa, doing whatever you want… You sure you're not struggling to adjust to peaceti after being on the battlefield?"
Takamine had shared his Middle Eastern war stories with Ryuju over several club etings.
"I guess I'm not really used to it," Takamine chuckled.
"If I had to say… I still kind of miss those days. Coming to Japan this ti was really out of necessity."
"…Do you really think the battlefield is better than the peaceful life of a school?" Ryuju Momo frowned.
"Everyone has an environnt they're suited for. Over there, even though we were fighting every day… that feeling of bullets whizzing past your ears, grenades exploding nearby, the constant dance with death—it made feel truly alive. I didn't need to think about all that ssy stuff… It's just a sha I was forced back into school and can't return."
"…You sure it's not just because you couldn't handle your breakup and wanted to run away?"
"You're overthinking it."
Takamine Rinji smiled, habitually taking out a cigarette and lighting it.
He exhaled a puff of smoke and looked up at the clouds in the sky.
"Those four years on the battlefield were a kind of training. I may keep roasting myself over that breakup, but I've already let go of what happened four years ago. Compared to losing comrades every day…"
He stubbed the cigarette out on the ground, still smiling.
"Love and all that… it's just boring. And the ti cost is way too high. There's really no need to waste energy on it."
"…"
---
"President, you're still here?"
After finishing the Astronomy Club's "club activities," Takamine Rinji stopped by the student council office as usual.
Once again, only Miyuki Shirogane was there. Every ti, he was sitting at the sa desk, making you wonder if his butt was glued to the chair.
"Oh, Treasurer Takamine, you're here."
Seeing it was Takamine, Miyuki smiled.
"The phone you gave works really well. Just a bit heavy."
"Well, it's built to withstand tank treads, so being heavy makes sense."
Takamine tossed his backpack onto the sofa and sat down.
"I gave it to you so we could stay in contact more easily, but you really made full use of it and downloaded a ton of apps."
The phone Takamine gave him had ended up loaded with educational apps. Aside from the occasional ssage, Miyuki had been glued to it nonstop for a while.
"You read the info I sent you about Miss Shinomiya, right?"
"I did. It was about her route to school and her usual schedule… Where'd you get that?"
"Personal sources."
He hadn't put too much effort into investigating further—he'd already promised Aunt Kaya he wouldn't make a move on Kaguya Shinomiya, so there was no need to dig too deep.
Takamine lightly tapped his finger on the table.
"As for hobbies and preferences, I'll need more ti. I also have to divert so people to investigate other targets."
Just like his father restricted his living allowance, he also had limits on how many personnel he could mobilize. It wasn't feasible to bring in a large group just to handle private matters.
"No, no, what you gave is more than enough. No need to waste more ti on this."
"I'm just an informant. What you do with the info is up to you," Takamine said. "You know I'm a total scrub when it cos to romance—and I'm too lazy to use brain cells on that stuff anymore."
"I get it."
"Speaking of which… tomorrow's the weekend. Are you free, President?"
"Huh? The weekend… I've got work."
"You sure are busy."
"Gotta help out with the family finances. It can't be helped," Miyuki said with a sigh. "Didn't I hear you work too? Earning your own living expenses and all."
"Oh, I can't go back to my job right now."
Sagara Sosuke wouldn't allow him back on the Middle Eastern battlefield, so for now he was stuck in Japan.
He had no other plans for the weekend. At most, he'd show his face at the research departnt he was affiliated with.
"That's a sha," Miyuki nodded sympathetically.
He figured Takamine's job must have been shut down for renovations or he got fired.
"I was gonna ask how you usually spend your weekends. If there's anywhere fun to go, maybe you could take ."
"Sorry, I usually don't have the ti to go anywhere… wait!"
Miyuki's eyes suddenly lit up.
"What?"
"Co work with !"
"…Huh?"
Takamine looked up and saw Miyuki giving him a thumbs-up.
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