For Goda's defeat, he surprisingly wasn't sad; he was still happy that he had thought of a way to reconcile them.

Winning was their youth; losing was also their youth.

Perhaps after school started, everyone in Goda would blame their loss on Dubian Che not playing, and therefore resent him, but he didn't care.

The run in last year's heavy rain not only made him hate the soggy sneakers but also taught him to ignore the opinions of others.

"What's making you so happy?"

Dubian Che looked toward the voice: in the gentle sunlight by the window, Kiyono Lin's gaze still rested on the hardcover book in her hands.

Her whole being seemed to radiate light as if it was emanating from her—Kiyono Lin's skin was that translucently pale.

Dubian Che walked over lightly.

"I've discovered something incredible," he said in a tone suggesting he was about to reveal a big secret.

"Am I really a god?"

"Exactly, I'm a god," Dubian Che said seriously.

"I don't have time for your fantasies." Kiyono Lin's almost transparent slender fingers fluttered through the book pages as she turned one.

"You're reading a book, so how can you not have time?"

"Do you think listening to your nonsense is more important than reading?"

"Isn't it?"

"It is."

"...You're too cute," Dubian Che said earnestly. "That's the incredible thing I've discovered."

Kiyono Lin finally looked up from her book, her expression stern and her gaze piercingly sharp as she glared at Dubian Che.

"My cuteness needs to be discovered?"

"You're focusing on the wrong thing. But lately, your ability to tease people has improved a lot. You're not the Lin I used to know."

"Being around you too much, I can't help it either."

"Think about our first meeting, how cold you were. I asked, 'Human Observation Department?' and you just..."

"'Yes.'" The girl continued reading.

"'Interested club? Official club?'"

"'Club.'"

"'Can I leave early?'"

"'Yes.'"

"'Can I join now?'"

Kiyono Lin looked up, locking eyes with Dubian Che, and both of them started laughing at the same time.

"How about we pull in Meiji and do a play for the Cultural Festival? That would be fun," Dubian Che said.

"Will you handle the script?"

"I've already thought of it. I'm a nobleman, and you two are maids, constantly being flirted with and having your thighs touched by me."

"Can you please repeat that?"

"I'm a nobleman, and you two are maids. I plead with you, and both of you roll your eyes as you let me touch your thighs. It's a very serious play intended to expose the vices of medieval nobility."

"You're correcting the wrong point. But with your intelligence and ability to play dumb, you really are the Che I know."

"With my smarts, I'm sure I can write a script that surprises you, no, perform a play that astonishes you."

"There's a double meaning there; what are you plotting now?"

"The weather is really nice."

Standing behind Kiyono Lin's chair, Dubian Che shifted his gaze from her to the sky obscured by branches outside the floor-to-ceiling window.

"Aren't you going to answer me?"

"Ding~ Ding~"

Dubian Che quickly pulled out his phone, checking the couch as he answered the call to ensure he didn't wake up the three sleeping people.

Holding the phone to his ear, the caller didn't speak, but from the weak, familiar sound of breathing, he knew it was Mayi Asuka.

"Senior."

"Che," Mayi Asuka's gentle yet passionate voice called out, then continued, "I'm going to Karuizawa today."

Dubian Che was a bit startled in his mind.

"I can't pick you up today, but I can accompany you tomorrow," he clarified everything in advance.

"Ichiki Aoi and the others are with me, Che. Can you tell them you're picking up a classmate and then come pick me up?"

"... Senior, you're so clever, fitting for a Tokyo University student. What's the exact arrival time?"

"They'll take the school bus from Hyogo Prefecture back to Tokyo first, so it'll be a bit late. The Shinkansen at 6:28, arriving at 7:33 PM."

"Okay." Suddenly something occurred to Dubian Che, "Koshien lost this morning, is it appropriate to go on a trip in the afternoon?"

"No one cares."

"Poor baseball team. What about their music practice?"

"It's Bon Odori season, they're off anyway, I waited especially for them."

"Okay, I'll be there on time to pick you up."

"Uh-huh."

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