Chapter 24
Albert's birthday party began with a warning sign.
Not an official one. ANHS had not prepared anything that responsible.
It was a handwritten banner taped above the recreation room door by Ishizaki, with uneven letters that read:
Underneath it, Kondō had written:
Mio Ibuki stared at the banner with dead eyes.
"This looks like a threat."
Ishizaki crossed his arms proudly. "It's festive."
"It says birthday wall."
"Albert is a wall."
Albert, standing beside the snack table with his usual unreadable expression, gave a slow thumbs-up.
Ishizaki pointed at him. "See? Approved."
Ryūen leaned against the wall nearby, laughing under his breath. "Kukuku... not bad. Makes him sound like a final boss with cake."
Kiyotaka arrived not long after, stepping into the room with the same calm, dangerous ease that had turned half of ANHS into an unofficial rumor factory.
Ryūen noticed him immediately.
"Monster came."
"You invited me," Kiyotaka said.
"Yeah. Wanted to see if you'd actually show up at a birthday party."
"Albert is more polite than you."
Albert nodded once.
Ryūen grinned. "The wall accepts your tribute."
Kiyotaka held up a small wrapped box and placed it on the gift table. "Happy birthday, Albert."
Albert stared at the gift for two seconds, then nodded with the solemnity of a king accepting a sword.
Ishizaki whispered, "He's touched."
Mio rolled her eyes. "You made that up."
"I understand Albert's emotions."
"You barely understand lunch menus."
The room was already full of students by then.
Ryūen's gang occupied the loudest side of the room, as expected.
Mio's group had gathered near the snacks.
Hiyori Shiina sat quietly near Saki, Nanami, and Takeko, holding a paper cup with both hands and looking like someone had brought a library bookmark into a boxing gym.
Kiyotaka noticed her, but not because they were close.
They had seen each other in the library several times. Passing glances. Shelves between them. Quiet recognition without conversation. Hiyori was one of those students who seemed to belong beside books more naturally than beside people.
Yagami's report had described her that way too.
Quiet. Gentle. Bookish. Observant. Attached to literature. Connected to Sōma Tsukishiro, a university-division Crown Hearts member who shared rare books with her.
That report had not mentioned anything about birthday parties.
The singing began badly.
Ishizaki started the birthday song too early, Kondō came in late, Ryūen sang like he was mocking the entire concept of melody, and Mio refused to join until Nanami tugged at her sleeve and said, "It's Albert's birthday," which somehow worked better than any threat.
Hiyori sang softly.
Perfectly.
The contrast made Ishizaki sound even worse.
When the song ended, Albert blew out the candles. The room cheered. Ishizaki clapped so hard it looked like he was trying to defeat his own hands.
Ryūen pointed toward the tall juice tower in the corner. "Drink up. Party needs fuel."
The juice tower looked harmless enough: bright fruit punch with sliced citrus floating in it, ice glittering under the lights, little cups stacked beside it.
Nobody knew someone had tampered with it.
Not heavily. Not enough to turn the room into a disaster immediately. Just enough that, after a while, the fruit juice started making the party stranger than fruit juice had any right to make it.
At first, nobody noticed.
The party grew louder because parties did that.
Ishizaki grabbed the microphone and began singing with the confidence of a man who had declared war on music.
Mio shouted for him to stop before the second verse.
Ryūen laughed so hard he nearly spilled his cup.
Albert clapped once after the song, which Ishizaki accepted as divine approval.
"Albert liked it!"
Mio stared at Albert. "Blink twice if you were being polite."
Albert did not blink.
Ishizaki pointed triumphantly. "See?"
Hiyori tilted her head with a gentle smile. "Perhaps Albert is kind enough not to injure your confidence."
The room paused.
Mio slowly turned toward Hiyori.
"That was mean."
Hiyori blinked. "Was it?"
Ryūen's grin widened. "Kukuku... library girl has quiet poison."
Hiyori looked at her cup, then back at Ishizaki. "I only meant his courage is impressive."
Ishizaki clutched his chest. "Why does that hurt more?"
Kiyotaka watched from the side, interest sharpening.
That was not in the report.
A few cups later, the effect became more obvious. Not wild. Not dangerous chaos. More like everyone's inner volume dial had been turned slightly higher.
Mio became more aggressive about protecting the cake.
Ishizaki kept trying to sing.
Kondō started ranking snacks by "battle power."
Ryūen laughed at everything like the room had become his private comedy show.
Then Hiyori, the innocent angel of books, became unexpectedly noisy.
Not sloppy. Not out of control. Strangely, she looked more composed than most of them.
Her face remained calm, her speech stayed clear, and her steps were normal.
If anything, she seemed to have a surprisingly high tolerance.
But her quiet filter had loosened, and what came out was gentle, sincere, and armed with tiny knives.
Ishizaki tried another song.
Hiyori listened politely for half a verse, then said, "Your voice has the emotional structure of a chair falling down stairs."
Mio burst out laughing.
Ishizaki lowered the microphone. "Shiina!"
Hiyori smiled. "But with passion."
Ryūen slammed a hand on the table, laughing. "Kukuku... passion chair collapse. That's your stage name now."
Albert nodded.
Ishizaki looked devastated. "Albert agrees too?"
Kiyotaka moved closer to Hiyori's side of the room.
She noticed him only after he sat nearby.
"Kiyotaka-kun," she said softly.
"Hiyori."
Her eyes widened slightly at the first-name address, then relaxed. "We have seen each other in the library."
"Yes."
"But we never talked."
"Not until now."
Hiyori smiled down at her cup. "Birthday parties are strange gateways."
Mio leaned over. "Hiyori, that sounded like the first line of a novel."
Hiyori nodded seriously. "A bad one, perhaps."
Kiyotaka looked at her. "You seem more talkative than expected."
"Expected?" Hiyori tilted her head. "From the library version of me?"
"From reports."
She blinked. "There are reports about me?"
"There are reports about many people."
"That sounds unpleasant." She paused, then added, "Like a book review written by someone who only read the back cover."
Kiyotaka's smile curved.
"Maybe."
Hiyori looked pleased that he did not deny it.
Mio narrowed her eyes. "Wait. Are you two flirting with book insults?"
Ryūen called from behind them, "Kukuku... monster found the library girl's hidden page."
Hiyori turned toward him with a serene smile. "Ryūen-kun, if you narrate too much, I will recommend you a dictionary with very small letters."
Ryūen stopped.
Ishizaki gasped. "Boss got threatened by vocabulary."
Albert gave Hiyori a slow thumbs-up.
Mio pointed at Albert. "That's approval. Official."
Hiyori looked genuinely happy. "Thank you, Albert."
Kiyotaka watched her more carefully now.
She was not acting like the quiet girl from the report. Or rather, she was, but the report had flattened her. It had captured the surface and missed the little sparks underneath.
Hiyori took a small sip from her cup, then sighed.
"Sōma would probably say this room is lively."
The name made Kiyotaka's attention narrow.
Sōma Tsukishiro.
Crown Hearts. University division. Literature specialist. Gentle. Polite. A boy who shared rare books with her and, according to Yagami's report, held her admiration.
Mio caught it too.
"Oh? Sōma talk?"
Hiyori's cheeks colored faintly. "I did not say anything dramatic."
Nanami smiled. "You mentioned him first."
Saki leaned in. "That counts."
Takeko nodded. "Birthday party rule."
Hiyori looked mildly betrayed. "There are too many rules at this party."
Ryūen grinned. "Make a complaint to the birthday wall."
Albert looked at Hiyori.
Hiyori bowed her head slightly. "Albert, please ignore my complaint. Your birthday is well-structured."
Ishizaki whispered, "She respects the wall."
Kiyotaka rested his chin on one hand. "What would Sōma say?"
Hiyori looked at him.
For a moment, she seemed surprised he asked directly.
Then her expression softened into thoughtfulness.
"He would probably say the party has a charming disorder. Then he would recommend a short story about celebrations. Then he would smile gently."
"That sounds bad?"
"No." Hiyori lowered her cup. "It sounds very kind."
Mio smirked. "But?"
Hiyori's lips pressed together.
The room noise swelled around them: Kondō arguing with Ishizaki about snack rankings, Ryūen laughing at Mio's threats, Albert silently accepting a second slice of cake like a sacred ritual.
Hiyori looked down.
"But sometimes kindness becomes too neat."
Kiyotaka stayed quiet.
That made her continue.
"I like boys who enjoy books. That is true.
I like thoughtful people. I like someone who can talk about stories and notice small details.
" Her voice became a little more animated, still soft but no longer hidden.
"But if every page is gentle, the book starts to feel sealed. Sometimes I want a wild page."
Mio's eyes widened.
"A wild page?"
Ryūen overheard and barked a laugh. "Kukuku... Shiina wants a bookworm with a delinquent chapter."
Hiyori blinked. "That sounds worse than what I meant."
Kiyotaka smiled. "What did you mean?"
She looked at him carefully.
"Someone who can be quiet with me, but not only quiet. Someone who can recommend a book, but also argue with me about it. Someone who likes literature, but has a bad side once in a while." Her cheeks became a softer pink. "For a refresher."
Ishizaki stared. "A bad side as refreshment?"
Mio laughed. "Honestly, that explains so much."
Hiyori looked embarrassed but did not retreat. "A story needs contrast."
Kiyotaka's smile turned faintly sharper.
"Gentle and dangerous?"
Hiyori looked at him.
"Yes," she said. "Maybe that."
Mio's gaze bounced between them and sharpened with amusement. "Hiyori, you do realize who you're describing while sitting beside him, right?"
Hiyori's eyes widened a little, then she looked into her cup.
"I am describing literary preferences."
Ryūen leaned back, grinning. "Sure. Literary preferences with golden eyes and a body count in tennis."
Kiyotaka looked at him. "You're loud."
"That's my charm."
Hiyori smiled sweetly. "It is certainly your volume."
Ishizaki slapped his knee. "She got him again."
Albert nodded.
Ryūen laughed instead of getting offended. "Kukuku... she's good tonight."
Kiyotaka looked back at Hiyori. "What books would you recommend to someone like that?"
Her eyes brightened immediately.
"To someone with a wild page?"
"Yes."
She sat straighter, suddenly more focused than she had been all evening.
"A gothic mystery first. Something elegant but rotten under the floorboards. Then perhaps a romance where the dangerous person is not cruel, only difficult. Then a story where the villain is more honest than the hero."
Kiyotaka's interest deepened.
"That last one sounds useful."
Hiyori smiled. "I thought you might like it."
"You know what I like?"
"I have seen what books you pause near in the library."
Kiyotaka's eyes met hers.
For the first time that night, Hiyori looked like she had caught him instead of the other way around.
Mio whistled softly. "Hiyori has been observing him too."
Hiyori's cheeks colored. "Only his shelf choices."
"That is somehow more romantic for you."
"It is not romantic," Hiyori said, then paused. "It is... literary curiosity."
Kiyotaka smiled.
"I see."
"You do not believe me."
"No."
Hiyori's lips curved. "Good. It would be disappointing if you did."
The conversation kept turning, and with every turn, Kiyotaka found another part of her Yagami's report had missed.
Hiyori complained that Sōma was too gentle with disagreements.
"He always says my interpretation is interesting," she said.
Mio leaned on the table. "That sounds nice."
"It is nice." Hiyori's brows knit slightly. "But sometimes I want him to say, 'Hiyori, that interpretation is beautiful but completely wrong.'"
Kiyotaka looked amused. "You want to be challenged."
"Yes. Politely, but not weakly."
Ryūen pointed at her with his cup. "She wants a literature fight."
Hiyori nodded. "That sounds enjoyable."
Ishizaki frowned. "How do people fight with books?"
Mio deadpanned, "In your case, by opening one."
Everyone laughed, including Albert, who only showed it through a small exhale that Ishizaki declared "birthday joy."
Kiyotaka leaned closer to Hiyori just enough for her to notice.
"If I disagreed with your book recommendation, would that bother you?"
She looked at him.
"No. But I would expect you to explain properly."
"And if I said your favorite character was wrong?"
Her eyes sharpened with sudden, delicate intensity.
"Then I would ask whether you misunderstood the character or whether the character misunderstood the story."
Kiyotaka smiled.
"There it is."
"What?"
"The wild page."
Hiyori's cheeks warmed.
She looked away, but she was smiling.
At some point, Mio finally noticed the fruit juice tower tasted strange.
She took one sniff, narrowed her eyes, and glared across the room.
"Ryūen."
Ryūen looked over. "What?"
"What is in this?"
He frowned, walked over, sniffed it, then stared at the tower with sudden suspicion. "Not mine."
Mio's glare deepened. "You expect me to believe that?"
"Kukuku... if it were mine, I'd brag."
Kiyotaka stood and checked the dispenser with calm attention.
"Someone tampered with it."
That sobered the mood more effectively than any teacher could have. Mio immediately pulled the cups away, Saki and Nanami helped move the drink tower aside, and Albert stood in front of it like a very large security gate.
Ryūen's grin vanished into a colder expression.
"Whoever messed with birthday drinks has bad taste."
Mio crossed her arms. "We're switching to sealed bottles."
Albert nodded.
Ishizaki looked horrified. "Someone spiked Albert's birthday tower?"
Ryūen clicked his tongue. "We'll deal with it later."
The party resumed, but with sealed drinks and far more suspicion toward unattended beverages. The earlier looseness remained in little traces, though, mostly in the form of Ishizaki's singing confidence and Hiyori's unexpectedly free tongue.
Kiyotaka sat with Hiyori again after the drink issue was handled.
"You noticed late," she said.
"The room was loud."
"True. Ishizaki-kun's singing affects perception."
Ishizaki shouted from across the room, "I heard that!"
Hiyori smiled. "Then your hearing survived your voice."
Mio nearly dropped her sealed soda from laughing.
Kiyotaka looked at Hiyori. "You're more venomous than expected."
"Only innocently."
"Innocent venom?"
"Yes. Like a flower that politely informs you it is poisonous."
"That suits you."
Hiyori's smile softened.
"You say that directly."
"Would you prefer indirect?"
"No." She looked down at the sealed bottle in her hands. "I think I prefer direct. It feels like turning the page instead of staring at the cover."
Kiyotaka watched her in silence.
Hiyori slowly glanced back at him.
"What?"
"You're interesting."
Her cheeks pinked. "That is a dangerous compliment."
"Why?"
"Because it makes me want to recommend you a better book."
"I'll read it."
"You say that too easily."
"I mean it."
She smiled.
"Then I will choose carefully."
The party's final chaos came when everyone sang for Albert a second time because Ryūen claimed the first song had "weak intimidation.
" This version was louder, worse, and somehow more heartfelt.
Hiyori sang along with a gentle smile, then told Ishizaki his harmony sounded "like a brave goat facing betrayal," which made Mio laugh so hard she had to sit down.
Albert received his gifts.
Kiyotaka's gift turned out to be a simple, well-made wrist grip trainer. Albert stared at it with silent approval so intense that Ishizaki whispered, "He loves it."
Hiyori gave him a book of short world folktales with wide margins for notes.
Albert looked at it.
Then at Hiyori.
Then nodded.
Hiyori smiled. "If you dislike any story, you can simply write a line beside it."
Albert nodded again, solemnly.
Ryūen smirked. "The wall becomes a critic."
Mio pointed at him. "You are not writing in Albert's book."
"Kukuku... scared of my literary talent?"
"Yes."
Hiyori added softly, "A little."
Ryūen laughed. "She's still going."
As the party ended and students began cleaning up, Hiyori walked with Kiyotaka toward the door. Behind them, Mio was ordering Ishizaki to gather cups, Ryūen was claiming he supervised by existing, and Albert silently carried three trash bags at once.
Hiyori held her empty gift bag close.
"Kiyotaka-kun."
"Yes?"
"About what I said earlier."
"The wild page?"
She nodded, cheeks faintly warm. "It may have sounded strange."
"It didn't."
"You understood?"
"I think you want the story to surprise you."
Hiyori looked at him.
Then her smile became quiet and real.
"Yes. That is exactly it."
Kiyotaka glanced toward the recreation room, where Ryūen was laughing again.
"Sōma gives you peaceful pages."
"He does."
"And you want someone who might burn the corner."
Hiyori's eyes widened slightly.
Then she laughed softly.
"Only a little."
Kiyotaka smiled. "For a refresher."
Her cheeks warmed more.
"Yes."
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Hiyori looked down at her gift bag and said, "I will bring you a book tomorrow. Not the safest one."
"I'll look forward to it."
"And if you disagree with me, do not be polite for my sake."
"I won't."
She looked pleased by that answer.
Behind them, Ryūen's voice carried through the doorway.
"Kukuku... library girl found her bad page!"
Mio shouted, "Clean the cups, Ryūen!"
Albert clapped once.
The door closed on the chaos.
Hiyori shook her head, smiling. "This school is very noisy."
Kiyotaka looked at her. "You were noisy too."
Her eyes flicked up to his.
"Was I?"
"Yes."
"Was it unpleasant?"
"No."
The faint danger in his smile returned.
"It suited you."
Hiyori held her gift bag a little tighter, her soft expression carrying a spark that had not been in Yagami's report.
"Then perhaps," she said, "I will be noisy again."
Kiyotaka's smile deepened.
"I'll be waiting in the library."