10. Kasegawa Yuuta

“Why are you here?”

My voice, as seemingly rude as it was, cut straight through the conversation.

The one we… no, I never intended to begin in the first place. Yet somehow, here I was, already inside it, already speaking, already drawing lines that couldn’t be taken back.

“Hey, buddy. Chill. We haven’t even known each other, right?”

Hanase-san followed, her tone scowling at me like I was the problem that had walked in uninvited.

“Yes, you—glasses dude. Why don’t you listen to him for a moment?”

What do you mean by that, exactly?

I didn’t quite get it. No… that wasn’t it.

More like—

I was disgruntled, irritated by his presence. And I definitely already explained why to you.

And yes, his aura was that… disturbing. 

Or else, perhaps… he was made of aura itself. 

“She sent you here, didn’t she?”

The accusation slipped out just like that—no remorse, let alone second thoughts.

Well, it’s not that I needed either of those. 

Regret was something that only mattered after consequences had already settled. 

And I was still observing the shape of the situation before it even had the chance to harden.

“Kamiya-kun, that’s rude!”

She raised her voice, followed by his arm stretching right in front of her deliberately.

As if drawing a line in physical space to interrupt escalation before it could properly form.

“Hanase-san, it’s alright. Suspicion like that is normal.”

“No—it’s common sense, in fact.”

What was that sudden shift in tone?

That last sentence was cold. Far too calm—almost frigid.

“If you don’t want any unnecessary introduction, I’ll follow your lead.”

Heh, what kind of lead? Aren't you the one who wants to talk?

“Kasegawa-kun, you don’t need to—”

“No, Hanase-san. This is important.”

No. Don’t even try, Shiro.

Her attempt to interrupt the conversation failed before it even properly formed into action.

I clicked my tongue in frustration.

This guy…

He really wasn’t going to back down at all, was he?

“So, how about this, Kamiya?”

He moved his arm slightly toward me, as if offering something invisible.

An option, a framework, some kind of trap disguised as neutrality.

I observed him closely.

His expression now drew a clear contrast to before.

Serious. Calm. Confident.

No hesitations were shown leaking through his posture. 

Not even the subtle kind people usually failed to hide through their breathing, blinking patterns, or unconscious finger movements.

No wonder the prez trusted him so much.

And despite being in the same grade…

She really assigned the vice president role to someone like him.

Other than that though, I barely could read him.

Like he only allowed certain versions of himself to exist depending on who was observing him.

Maybe he only allowed people to interpret what he wanted them to see.

Maybe.

“…Since you prefer straightforwardness.”

His voice came after a short pause.

“I’ll get to the point.”

He adjusted his stance slightly.

It wasn’t that aggressive, but still quite confident.

“You’ve been around Hanashi-san before, haven’t you?”

I didn’t answer that question immediately.

So that’s where this was going…

The moment the name entered the conversation, the structure of intent became clearer. 

“…No idea. What if I have?”

“Good.” He nodded once.

As if that alone confirmed something that had already been decided long before I even spoke.

“You’re the only one who fits this role.”

“…That sounds like a conclusion already decided.”

I muttered under my breath, and then frowned slightly.

“Role?”

“Yes. A role.”

A brief pause.

Not hesitation, but calculation. 

“The student council is short on hands right now.”

“That’s definitely not my problem.”

“I know.” He answered immediately.

“That’s why I’m not asking for help.”

Hanase-san shifted slightly beside him.

“Then what are you doing? Wasting our time?”

Hanase-san exhaled lightly, almost amused.

Her voice came out sharper than intended, but he ignored it entirely and instead—

looked at me directly.

In his eyes, there were no signs of challenge or pressure.

Just the air of certainty.

“I’m inviting you.”

What an extremely convenient verb.

Possibly the most overused word in any language, Japanese included.

“…Inviting?”

“Yes.”

Soon after, a pause. Silence emanated through the library, thick enough that even small movements felt amplified.

Then—

“Hanase-san—I mean, the prez—said you’d refuse if it sounded like work. Is that true, Kamiya?”

I clicked my tongue again. Not frustration. Just recognition.

So it’s like that, huh. Fair enough.

“…And what if I still refuse?”

For the first time, something faint shifted in his expression.

“Then I’ll keep coming back until you don’t. With force, if necessary.”

Interesting…

So he’s willing to go that far.

But strangely enough, the room itself reacted before I did.

Not physically, of course.

The library remained exactly the same. Silent. Orderly. Suffocatingly calm.

Yet something about the atmosphere had shifted ever so slightly.

Hanase Shiro stopped fidgeting beside him.

Even the same girl who had been throwing sharp remarks every few seconds, suddenly went quiet.

As if both of them had already understood something I was only beginning to notice.

This guy—

Kasegawa Yuuta—

wasn't negotiating with me.

He had already decided I would eventually say yes.

The only variable left in his mind was how long the process would take.

And for some reason...

that certainty irritated me more than outright hostility would've.

I let out a small breath. Not just a release of air...

Amusement… or irritation. Even I couldn’t tell anymore which one it was supposed to be.

A faint smile formed on my face, subtle yet sharp enough to change the atmosphere.

Hanase Shiro then looked at me as if she had just seen a monster.

Or maybe that was just her usual reaction to me.

“Kasegawa Yuuta.”

My voice lowered slightly to emphasize it.

I folded my hands, adjusting my glasses before continuing.

“…Are you familiar with 

quantum physics?”

Unexpected question. Unexpected words.

So this is what he’s aiming for.

That's probably his thoughts after that question.

Classification, not conversation.

So, which one would that be, Kasegawa Yuuta?