“What exactly happened?”

“……I can’t really say. But I can tell you it wasn’t a fight.”

If I told Kobayashi that I saw Tachibana Iori in my dreams and was now too embarrassed to meet her eyes, how would she react? I had a feeling she’d say something like, ‘Are you an idiot, Senpai?’ But I was serious about this.

“So, it’s not like you’re on bad terms?”

“Yeah. I don’t think she even cares. I’m just the one getting all worked up about it.”

Kobayashi’s mamachari (type of bike) made a sharp, screeching noise with every turn of the wheel, ringing in my ears. It matched the dark night road in the worst possible way, making it feel like a horror scene. I wondered if Kobayashi was unfazed by it.

“Iori-sama did seem normal, after all.”

She muttered that softly and then hummed, appearing to be deep in thought. Holding her bike skillfully with one hand, she rested her other hand on her chin.

Feeling restless, I glanced at her mamachari. I wanted to know what was causing that grating sound. But all I discovered was that Kobayashi had raised her saddle ridiculously high.

Can she even reach the ground like that? The seat seemed way higher than her waist.

“…Could it be?”

Despite her questioning words, she spoke as if she had already prepared this line in advance. I tore my gaze away from her bike and looked at her.

“Senpai… do you like Iori-sama?”

“Wha—!?”

I nearly spat out my breath.

“Th-there’s no way—”

—That’s what I was about to say.

But my words stopped right there.

Because maybe, just maybe, there was a way.

My heart knew something my head couldn’t deny.

“You don’t have to be embarrassed. I openly say that I like Iori-sama, don’t I?”

That was an unfair way to put it. When a Suzakura student says, “I like Iori-sama,” it means something entirely different from when an Aotaka student like me says, “I like Tachibana-san.”

…But still, I admitted it.

“Honestly, I don’t know. I admire her, that much is certain. But whether that means I like her… I’m not so sure.”

Why was I baring my heart to a kouhai I’d only known for a month? It’s not like we were particularly close.

The only saving grace was that Kobayashi was listening seriously instead of teasing me. I didn’t know her that well yet, but she was undoubtedly a good person. I could tell just from working with her.

“I see. So, Senpai has fallen into Iori-sama’s trap as well.”

“…Wait, aren’t you mad? I thought you didn’t like me because I’m close with Tachibana-san.”

“That’s right. But this and that are separate matters. If I got mad at every rival, I wouldn’t survive in Suzakura.”

“That’s… actually a fair point.”

After all, the entire student body was a love rival. Now that I thought about it, Suzakura was a pretty insane school.

“Besides, I don’t think anything is going to happen between you and Iori-sama. Even if you do like her, I’m not worried at all.”

With that, Kobayashi flashed a mischievous grin at me.

…That was exactly why people loved her. She had a way of delivering sharp words without malice, making them almost endearing.

“Yeah, you’re probably right. Not that I even know if I like her.”

“Uh-huh. You sure you’re not looking at Iori-sama in her maid outfit with indecent thoughts?”

“I am looking. But not with indecent thoughts. I’m just observing her movements as a senior.”

“Wow— what is that supposed to mean? That’s just a fancy way of saying you’re a pervert!”

“I’m not a pervert. And for the record, I observe you too.”

“EEEK!? I can’t believe Senpai was such a creep…!”

Kobayashi dramatically stopped her bike and wrapped her arms around herself in an exaggerated gesture of fear. But I could tell she wasn’t actually scared.

“If I don’t watch everyone’s movements, I can’t step in to help when needed. As a mentor, I always worry.”

“Well, I have been saved by you plenty of times. So, thanks for that.”

She bowed politely.

“But today, I was the one who saved you! You were an absolute mess, you know?”

She laughed smugly, then pedaled off. The familiar screeching sound echoed once again through the night.

“You really helped me today. I wish I could return the favor somehow.”

“No need. Consider it my way of repaying you for always looking out for me. If anything, the best way to thank me is to bounce back quickly.”

Saying that, Kobayashi casually mounted her bike. Her feet still didn’t reach the ground. Just watching her made me nervous.

“Now that I know the cause, I’m heading home. If I stay out too late, my parents will worry.”

“Yeah. Thanks, Kobayashi.”

“No problem. See you tomorrow!”

With smooth pedaling, she rode off. Oddly enough, the screeching noise disappeared the moment she started moving. Soon, she was out of sight.

“…Talking about it helped.”

I didn’t exactly find an answer, but I felt much lighter.

Maybe that’s why, for the first time, a thought crossed my mind—

“…Maybe I should wait for Tachibana-san.”