Chapter 122: Honami-chan, Shimizu Yuto Is Your Boyfriend?!
If Ichinose had never stolen the gift, none of the terrible events that followed would have happened.
Therefore, she no longer intended to ask Yuto to pretend to be her boyfriend. This time, she would honestly express her true feelings.
"Shimizu, could you come to the gym with me? I'm feeling a little anxious. I think I'll be braver if you're there."
Yuto glanced at Ichinose. She had dropped the formal "-kun" from his name, making her manner of address feel noticeably closer and less polite.
"Ichinose, are you afraid the person will become furious after being rejected and beat you up? Is that why you want me there?" Yuto teased.
"I'm not worried about anything like that."
"Since you asked, I'll accompany you." Yuto smiled.
"Thank you, Shimizu," Ichinose said apologetically.
"It's no trouble."
Yuto was rather curious about who really intended to confess to Ichinose. Besides, helping her now would probably make her more cooperative once she joined him in the student council.
There were still over twenty minutes before the agreed meeting time of four o'clock, but Yuto and Ichinose left the library and headed behind the gym.
Before leaving, Yuto messaged Kei, telling her that something had come up and that he would return soon. He also asked what she wanted to drink so he could bring it back.
[Yuto, I'll drink whatever you're having. Also, make sure you really come back! Don't abandon me in the classroom like yesterday.]
Kei's reply made Yuto smile. He could practically imagine her pouting as she typed it.
[I'll return quickly this time. It should take about half an hour.]
[Half an hour is way too long~~~]
[I'll come back as quickly as possible.]
[Fine.]
While Yuto chatted with Kei on his phone, Ichinose walked beside him with a slightly unnatural expression.
She found it strange. It was not as if she had never walked alone with a boy before, so why did walking beside Yuto make her feel so awkward?
She wanted to move closer to him and find something to talk about.
"Shimizu, thank you for coming to Class B and warning us earlier. Without you, our class points probably wouldn't have remained as high as 870."
Yuto glanced at her and smiled. "Why are you thanking me? I took 740,000 points from Class B as hush money."
"When you put it that way, you really are awful!" Ichinose lightly punched his shoulder.
She used almost no strength, so Yuto felt no pain. The two continued chatting and laughing, occasionally teasing each other until they reached the area behind the gym.
Seeing no one there, Yuto pointed toward a large, leafy tree nearby.
"Ichinose, I'll hide behind that tree first. If the person confessing sees me standing beside you, they might misunderstand."
"Mm. Make sure you hide properly, Shimizu. If they discover you, I won't know how to explain—huh?!"
Ichinose's smile froze as she and Yuto stared in surprise at the figure silently emerging from behind the tree.
It was Shiranami Chihiro, the girl with the bob haircut.
The person who had gathered the courage to confess to Ichinose really was Shiranami. She had not written the letter for a boy. It was a confession she had written for herself.
After deciding to confess, Shiranami left Class B immediately after lessons and hid behind the tree near the gym, anxiously waiting for Ichinose to arrive.
She had indeed waited for Ichinose, but she had also heard her talking closely with Yuto. What was with that unusually intimate conversation between them?
When she heard Yuto announce that he would hide behind the tree, Shiranami had no choice but to reveal herself.
Now she stared at Ichinose and Yuto with tear-filled eyes, looking as though she might burst into tears at any moment.
'We've been discovered.'
The same thought passed through both Yuto and Ichinose's minds. Neither had expected the person confessing to arrive early and hide herself.
Shiranami looked pitifully at the stiff-faced Ichinose.
"Honami-chan, why did you bring this dem—"
Yuto raised an eyebrow and gave a quiet "Hmm?"
Shiranami flinched before she could finish calling him a demon. Still, she was braver than usual and did not immediately run away.
"Honami-chan, why did you bring Shimizu Yuto with you? Is he your boyfriend?" Shiranami asked tearfully.
Ichinose had come here to receive a confession, yet she had brought a boy with her. That boy was most likely her boyfriend, wasn't he?
Why else would she bring him?
"No, no!" Ichinose frantically waved her hands. "Shimizu isn't my boyfriend."
"Then why did he come here with you?" Shiranami continued asking with tears in her eyes.
"Well..." Ichinose hesitated.
Even she was not entirely sure why she had wanted Yuto to accompany her. Had she brought him as a witness?
But what was he supposed to witness? Her rejecting the confession and declaring that she had no intention of dating anyone?
Ichinose's hesitation only convinced Shiranami further that Yuto really was her boyfriend.
"Waaah!"
Shiranami burst into tears, crying so miserably that Yuto, an outsider to the situation, did not know whether he should leave or remain.
Still crying, Shiranami grabbed Ichinose's hand and pulled her away from Yuto.
"Honami-chan, listen to me! Shimizu Yuto is a scumbag!"
Yuto's mouth twitched. He wanted to argue, but after remembering Airi, Kei, and Kikyo, he completely lacked the confidence to deny it.
Shiranami was right. Yuto truly was a scumbag.
"Chihiro, what are you saying? You shouldn't slander someone without proof," Ichinose hurriedly said.
"I'm not slandering him!"
"Not long ago, I saw him going upstairs toward Class A with a girl. She was holding his arm so closely that she was obviously his girlfriend!" Shiranami sobbed.
Yuto recalled the incident. It must have been when he went to wager against Sakayanagi Arisu.
He had walked toward Class A with Kei, while Shiranami happened to leave the Class B classroom. After seeing them, she had fled back inside as though frightened.
"Is that true, Shimizu?" Ichinose looked at him questioningly.
"Hey, Ichinose, aren't you misunderstanding the situation?" Yuto asked helplessly. "The issue isn't whether I have a girlfriend. It's making this idiot understand that I'm not your boyfriend."
"Oh, right!" Ichinose exclaimed in realization.
Was this strawberry-blond beauty secretly rather airheaded?
However, Shiranami's emotions and rationality had already collapsed. She had firmly decided that Yuto and Ichinose were dating, so she could no longer listen to their explanations.
"Honami-chan, stop being Shimizu Yuto's girlfriend! He's a bad person!"
"If you marry him someday, he'll definitely force you to work and support him while he stays home doing nothing!"
Yuto rolled his eyes. He admitted that he was a bad person, but forcing his wife to support him while he lazed around at home was ridiculous.
"Shiranami Chihiro!"
Ichinose suddenly shouted sternly, startling both Shiranami and Yuto.
"Honami-chan..."
Seeing the tearful and pitiful Shiranami, Ichinose sighed wearily before speaking seriously.
"Shimizu and I truly aren't dating."
"And he would never force his future wife to work while he stayed home doing nothing."
"Ichinose, you don't need to explain that part to this idiot!" Yuto complained.
"I do. I can't allow Chihiro to damage your reputation without any evidence," Ichinose told him earnestly.
Yuto was rather satisfied by her defense. As expected of a genuine little angel.
"This idiot seems calmer now, so I'll leave. You two should talk properly," Yuto said.
"Mm. Thank you, Shimizu."
"It's no trouble."
Since the person confessing was truly Shiranami, Yuto no longer needed to worry that the rejected party might become violent and attack Ichinose.
Yuto left the area behind the gym, but instead of returning to the library, he sat on a nearby bench because he was somewhat curious about what would happen next.
Around five or six minutes later, Shiranami came running out with small steps. Judging by her tearful and dejected expression, Ichinose had clearly rejected her feelings.
When Shiranami spotted Yuto sitting on the nearby bench, her timid nature made her consider leaving in another direction. However, after thinking about Ichinose, she gritted her teeth and ran toward him.
Ichinose, who had just emerged from behind the gym, happened to see Shiranami rushing toward Yuto.
"Shimizu Yuto!"
"What?" Yuto glanced at her reddened eyes.
This idiot looked increasingly like a rabbit. Not only was she timid, but even her eyes were now red.
"Treat Honami-chan properly! If you ever betray her, I'll never forgive you!"
"What are you talking about? Ichinose and I clearly told you we aren't dating... Hey, don't run away!"
Yuto watched helplessly as Shiranami fled. This foolish girl had already convinced herself that he and Ichinose were a couple.
After Shiranami disappeared, Ichinose hurried over to Yuto.
"Shimizu, what did Chihiro say to you?"
"She still seems to think I'm your boyfriend. She warned me not to betray you, or she'd never forgive me."
Yuto suddenly laughed. "I'm rather curious how she plans to make me pay."
"You're so mean..." Ichinose gave him a reproachful look before sitting beside him on the bench, visibly relieved.
Yuto glanced at her slightly melancholy expression. The afternoon sunlight fell across her body, surrounding her with a beautiful golden glow.
"Ichinose, did you clearly tell that idiot that you don't want to date anyone?"
"I did, but Chihiro misunderstood completely. She thinks my claim that I don't want a relationship is a lie, and she also believes..." Ichinose glanced at Yuto and lowered her voice. "That you're my boyfriend."
"Tch. What a stubborn idiot." Yuto clicked his tongue.
"Still, there is one good thing." Relief appeared on Ichinose's face. "After I rejected her confession, Chihiro said she would continue treating me normally starting tomorrow."
"Shimizu, do you think we can still get along the same way as before?"
"Maybe. When a boy confesses to a girl and gets rejected, they sometimes stop speaking forever. But perhaps things won't become that bad between two girls."
"Do you have any evidence for that?"
"None at all." Yuto smiled.
"That's a very irresponsible answer," Ichinose complained softly.
She then closed her eyes and enjoyed the peaceful feeling of sitting beside Yuto.
It felt strangely comfortable...
"I'm leaving. I should return to the library."
"Huh? You're leaving already? Won't you stay a little longer?" Ichinose opened her eyes and instinctively tried to stop him.
"No. Someone at the library is waiting for me."
With his back to Ichinose, Yuto casually waved and walked away.
Ichinose remained seated, watching his departing figure until he disappeared from sight. Only then did she stand and leave.
…
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