Shiina suspected she had seen something wrong just now, so she gently rubbed her eyes.
Amane was sitting opposite her with a slight smile, and Ibuki, though looking a bit displeased, was obediently eating her food in small bites.
It seemed Amane hadn't done anything excessive to Ibuki-san, but Ibuki's obedient demeanor was something even Shiina, who had a decent relationship with her, was seeing for the first time, and she couldn't help but find it somewhat novel.
Just as Shiina was still immersed in observing Ibuki, Amane brought up his desire to solicit Shiina's opinion on the rumors about Ichinose.
"Amane, do you really care about this kind of news? I thought..."
Shiina hesitated, her eyes secretly observing Amane's expression, like a cute little animal peeking.
It must be said, Shiina was definitely the most astute girl Amane had ever met, and there was no one else like her. Others might participate in social interactions based on innate wisdom or seasoned experience.
But Shiina relied on something almost instinctive, which was also a kind of talent, and unlike Karuizawa's acquired people-pleasing personality, Shiina gave off a more nimble impression.
"You thought my relationship with Ichinose wasn't good, right?"
Amane finished the rest of Shiina's sentence for her. He knew that if he didn't clarify his relationship with Ichinose, Shiina would never be able to frankly tell Amane her true thoughts.
After Amane's statement, Shiina visibly relaxed a lot, and her body was no longer tense.
"Sorry, there's nothing I can do about it. I saw you two fighting very fiercely with Class B before, and I thought you and Ichinose would also have to declare your stance due to class relations."
Among members of various classes, some would choose to build good relationships with classmates from other classes, but this situation was almost unimaginable for class leaders.
Class leaders must have their firmest stance. Even if they had a good personal relationship with classmates from other classes, they couldn't show it in front of everyone. This often led to some very awkward situations, making every class leader appear to be of a very arrogant type. Only Ichinose was an exception, so when such a situation happened to her, apart from Amane and people from her own class, no other class was willing to step in to investigate the matter.
Even if someone had good feelings for Ichinose, like Sakayanagi who sympathized with Ichinose's predicament, she would absolutely not act for Ichinose's sake if it went against her class's interests.
"That's not it. My conflict with Class B has nothing to do with Ichinose. Besides, it would be more fitting for Suzune to handle the leader's prestige."
Shiina caught another layer of meaning in Amane's words.
The leader of Class D had completely changed. Amane might follow Horikita's instructions in the future, but Amane probably wouldn't be as active as she was on the Uninhabited Island.
"Horikita-san is also very skilled in handling class affairs. I believe you'll find it easier once you get used to it, Amane."
"I hope so."
They looked at each other and smiled knowingly.
"So, Amane, what information are you hoping to get from me? If you're just asking for my opinion on this matter, I might tell you it's better not to get involved."
Shiina organized her thoughts for a moment, then spoke gently.
Hearing this, Amane couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
"So, Shiina, you know something… or rather, this matter involves you too?"
Amane didn't hesitate and cut straight to the chase. An ordinary person would be flustered by Amane's directness and reveal a weakness.
But Shiina remained calm, as if she knew Amane wouldn't play by the rules, or perhaps she understood Amane's way of operating and knew Amane would definitely start with a threat.
Although Shiina looked calm and unbothered, Ibuki felt a subtle unease. She picked up her tray, seemingly intending to leave.
"What you two are about to discuss isn't something I should hear, is it? I'll excuse myself for now."
With that, she eagerly ran off. Shiina, meanwhile, let out a soft sigh.
"Amane, you scared Ibuki-san."
"Sorry, sorry. I didn't realize she'd be so afraid of me. I'm so cute, after all…"
Amane rested her elbow on the table, propped her chin in her hand, and winked at Shiina.
A noticeable blush immediately appeared on Shiina's small face.
"So many people are watching. Please don't act like that."
Shiina shyly shrank her head, looking even more alluring.
However, Amane hadn't forgotten why she came to find Shiina. So, Amane dropped her casual demeanor. Seeing Amane look somewhat serious, Shiina also instinctively straightened her back.
"Regarding your previous question, Amane, what I can tell you is that I wasn't involved in this incident. However, I have a guess as to who initiated it."
Shiina's words made Amane's eyes light up. This was a completely different answer from the feedback she received from Sakayanagi, Horikita, and Shibata. Others were suspicious, but Shiina stated unequivocally that she had guessed who it was.
Even with the caveat of "a guess," for the usually cautious Shiina to speak with such certainty, it was almost certainly true.
"So, who is the initiator?"
Facing Amane's persistent questioning, Shiina shook her head.
"I can't tell you, because she must have her reasons for doing this. Plus, with something like this… it's hard to say if she has some unspoken difficulties. So, without being sure if it would harm her, I can't tell you her specific identity, Amane."
Shiina was as gentle as ever, but this time, her gaze held a hint of determination. Amane wasn't averse to girls who had their own thoughts and acted on them.
Although she wanted to help Ichinose, it wasn't to be at the expense of harming others.
If helping one person meant hurting another, what kind of help was that? Even if this person spread Ichinose's secret, causing Ichinose emotional trauma, the school and police would punish her.
However, her actions currently did not violate any regulations.
Because the premise for violating regulations was that the person must have committed the crime of leaking another person's private information to be considered a violation of school rules and law.
But… conviction would also mean announcing that those rumors were true.
Ichinose would suffer even more severe verbal and psychological abuse.
So, for Ichinose, would catching this person be right or wrong?
"She?"
"That's right."
Shiina's answers became more concise. Although Amane didn't necessarily intend to bring the rumor-spreader to justice, she was still curious about who could go to such lengths.
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