Hyouka - Volume 03 - The Kudryavka Sequence - Welcome to KANYA FESTA! (1)

As expected of Mayaka. Just when I thought she was merely listening, she
spoke with her usual annoyed tone,
"Like how Oreki beat you in figuring something out?"
Bravo. I clapped my hands,
"...... Wow, how'd you know? I didn't even tell anybody about it,"
"If it's Fuku-chan, I could tell just by looking,"
Was I really the type to show stuff on my face?
Approaching the gymnasium, the corridor was still full of smiling students
from Kami High. Everyone either felt fully satisfied, or wanted to spend as
much fun as they could in these three days. Dwarfed by such laughter, we
could hardly hear each other speak. And so I pretended not to hear Mayaka's
reply.
"...... Fuku-chan, did you want to beat Oreki that much?"
Yet I was unable to ignore that. No, that's not it, that's not what I had
intended, but......
"Well, it's complicated for guys. You wouldn't understand even if I explained
it to you,"
Glancing sideways at me, Mayaka muttered something without making any
sound. I managed to make out "That's not true" by her lip movements. It's just
that Mayaka rarely makes such a quiet expression, and I've not seen her like
that before.
So in response, I cheerfully placed my hands behind my head and said,
"I should have realized from the start now that I think about it. I was careless.
He's the sort that would finish things off neatly without making any
unnecessary movements for not even a moment,"
Mayaka tilted her head to signal she doesn't understand what I was saying.