<h4>Chapter 319: Short Story 4 : Ibuki Mio SS – Conflict of the Mind</h4>


    The 23rd which weed the first day of the winter vacation. I came to the movie theater, ignoring the couples who were being festive due to Christmas being at hand. Early in the morning, when I saw off Ryuuen who was intending on quitting school, I was nning on staying in my room for the whole day. But just a while ago, after receiving mail from that idiot Ishizaki, I changed my mind.


    "Ryuuen-san changed his mind!".


    Along with such a mail, them bragging about how their persuasion had worked was also written. But that''s not the case. That guy, Ryuuen had hardened his resolve to quit school. It wasn''t a situation where mere persuasion from Ishizaki and the others was going to make him change his mind. In other words.....there were other factors besides that.


    Something that would make him change his mind. That is probably, something rted to ss D''s Ayanokouji Kiyotaka. My intuition is telling me that. If I''m in my room, it bes obvious that I end up anxiously thinking about that, so I desired a time where I could focus on something else entirely.


    Remembering that there was a movie I had not seen yet which was almost nearing the end of its screening period, I made reservations for a seat and headed for Keyaki Mall. Just before the screening began, inside the building that was engulfed in darkness, the me who had arrived with that timing, upon reaching my seat, casually rested my arm on the empty armrest. Feeling a sensation of rubbing against cloth, I turned to nce at it.


    That was a mistake.


    "Geh".


    I ended up meeting with the number 1 person I did not want to meet right now in this unexpected ce. It was the Ayanokouji who had been upying my thoughts. He''s the man who puts on a dumb face yet is the one manipting the ss from behind the scenes. He''s not just smart, he''s a surreal existence whose fighting skills are far beyond that of Ryuuen and Albert.


    "It''s a coincidence, huh".


    He calls out to me like that.


    I really don''t want such a coincidental meeting. I felt nauseous and turned my gaze away. Ahh mou, why do I have toe across Ayanokouji? On top of that, he''s also alone.


    Back during the summer vacation, I remembered the time when I was trapped with Ayanokouji inside an elevator. Ever since then, I had been dancing in the palm of his head, and remembering that, frustration oozes out of me. Not knowing a thing, writing him off as an idiotic student of ss D. In a sense, this situation is simr to that situation back then.


    It feels like the two of us are trapped inside a sealed box. Desperately trying to clear up the darkness, I turned my gaze towards the movie that was being screened. But the contents of it barely came into my mind. I did think about just standing up from my seat and leaving, but that would just make it look like I''m running away from him. That alone, I cannot stand. As soon as the movie ends, I''ll leave. I made that resolve. As it stands, without anything happening, such a wish of mine, right after this, would copse at once.