"I didn't expect you to agree to come out with me at a time like this, Honami."
"There's less than a week until the midterm exams, you know."
Dressed in casual clothes, Kitagawa Ryo browsed the shampoo aisle while speaking to Ichinose Honami, who was also picking out items beside him.
"I'm always free, actually. Rather, I was more curious about why you invited me out at this time."
Honami smiled brightly. As usual, she wore no hairpins or accessories. Her beautiful golden-pink hair flowed freely down her back, a few strands resting on her fair shoulders. She wore an off-shoulder, sea-blue loose blouse paired with white jeans, exuding a summery, youthful charm that was both refreshing and eye-catching.
"Huh? Why?"
"You just seem like someone who's really busy. Even students outside of Class C pay attention to you, Ryo-kun."
Seeing his puzzled expression, Honami responded with a cute smile.
"You probably don't know this yet, but a lot of the girls are watching you. Your name even appeared on a ranking list made by the first-year girls."
"What kind of ranking?"
A bit intrigued, Ryo asked.
"There are a lot of types. Like 'Most Handsome,' 'Richest,' 'Most Disgusting,' 'Most Dateable,' and 'Least Dateable'... or so I heard from my classmates."
She quickly added, "As for you, Ryo-kun, you took first place on the 'Most Handsome' list. Incidentally, second place was Sato from Class A, and third was Hirata from Class D."
"Does the top spot come with any point rewards?"
Ryo's dry question left Honami speechless.
"...It's a ranking the students made for fun, so no rewards."
She nodded thoughtfully. "No wonder you're also one of the top names on the 'Least Dateable' list. But maybe it's because people don't know you very well yet. If I were a girl in Class D, I might also stack some votes against you."
The two continued chatting about these silly topics while shopping. On the surface, one could easily mistake them for a couple out on a date.
"Hmm?"
Noticing something in the corner of the store, Ryo furrowed his brows. Honami followed his gaze.
In the corner near the shelves, a purple-haired girl with a side ponytail was browsing items. But her actions were suspicious. She looked around nervously as if checking her surroundings.
"Is she... shoplifting?"
The girl quickly took an item from the shelf and, instead of placing it in a basket, stuffed it directly into her bag. She moved swiftly and seemed to know the blind spots of the store's security cameras. There was no sign of panic in her actions.
Ryo instinctively moved to stop her, but Honami tugged his sleeve.
"W-Wait... let's talk outside."
"You're covering for her?"
Honami remained silent, lips tightly pressed together, eyes fixed on the girl.
She quickly walked over and tapped the girl's shoulder.
"Found that hair clip I asked you to get for me? I saw you pick it up. Thanks!"
She smiled warmly, pretending to be a friend.
"I wasn't going to come to the store, but club activities got canceled. You probably stuffed it into your bag again, didn't you? I told you that's not good. If you forget to take it out, someone might think you stole it."
Annoyed, the purple-haired girl clicked her tongue but, noticing the nearby cashier, begrudgingly took the item out of her bag and handed it to Honami, who calmly paid for it.
"What was that about?"
Outside the store, Ryo caught up with them.
"I'm Kamuro Masumi, Class 1-A. Your girlfriend seems really passionate about educating people."
"I'm Kitagawa Ryo, Class 1-C. Just to clarify, she's not my girlfriend. We're just shopping together."
He sighed and proposed, "Why don't we sit somewhere to talk?"
They found a quiet coffee shop nearby, almost empty due to the exam season.
Before they even sat down, Honami sternly asked, "Why did you steal?"
Realizing her tone was too harsh, she took a deep breath, trying to calm her emotions.
"Stealing is wrong..."
"And as a student of Class A, you shouldn't be so desperate as to steal for lack of points. Especially not for something like a hair clip!"
Kamuro Masumi scoffed.
"It's my own problem. If I get caught, I suffer the consequences. But why did you pay for me? We don't even know each other."
"Aren't you afraid I'll report you now?"
"If you wanted to, you would have done it already."
She grinned, completely unfazed.
"I don't steal because I'm poor. I just like the thrill."
Her casual attitude sent a shiver through Ryo, especially when he noticed the shift in Honami's aura.
"I even enjoy putting the item back later. That part's just as exciting."
Kamuro twirled the clip in her fingers, showing no guilt.
But then, she saw tears falling silently down Honami's face.
Honami's crying was always quiet, so her mother wouldn't worry. The tears fell like strings of pearls, soaking her blouse.
Ryo sighed, pulled tissues from his bag, and carefully wiped her tears. Her warm drops soaked into his hand.
When she finally stopped crying, he gently wiped away the streaks from her cheeks, saying nothing, treating her with delicate care.
"I'm sorry," Honami said, her voice thick with emotion. "I want to talk to Kamuro alone."
"Okay. I'll head out."
Ryo nodded and left the shop. Leaning on the railing of the third floor, he gazed down the empty corridor.
He sighed and sent a message to Sakayanagi Arisu:
[The plan went smoothly.]
Then, slumping down by the glass wall, he muttered:
"I said it... Honami may have learned how to lie, but she's still so easy to deceive."
But even as he said it, Ryo knew this time, there was no joy in the deception.
Fooling Ichinose Honami was far harder than he expected.
And far more painful.
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Shiranami Chihiro felt incredibly lucky to have been placed in Class B. She never considered herself particularly outstanding in academics or sports, and her personality was timid and reserved. It was hard to say she performed well in the interviews and written tests, yet the Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School still placed her in Class B.
Compared to the confrontations in Class A, the violent control in Class C, and the utter chaos in Class D, the collective atmosphere of Class B made her heart swell with admiration every single day. Classmates helped and supported one another, all working together under the leadership of their class president, Ichinose Honami, striving toward overtaking Class A.
That feeling of everyone pushing forward toward a shared goal was just so wonderful!
Especially under Ichinose-san's leadership.
Chihiro was firmly convinced that the harmonious and united environment of Class B could not be separated from Ichinose Honami. In fact, it was precisely because Ichinose was their class president that Class B became the most cohesive class.
Whether in appearance, personality, academics, or sports, to Chihiro, Ichinose Honami was the flawless superhuman. Just seeing her warm and approachable smile filled every day of school with motivation.
And yet...
Over the past month of spending time together, Chihiro began to develop some unusual feelings. Though they were both girls, she often had the urge to be more than just friends with Ichinose. At first, she thought it was simply a desire to be closer to her. But as time passed, these strange emotions only grew stronger.
It wasn't until just a few mornings ago, when she saw Ichinose again, that Chihiro realized — She might be in love.
After confirming her own feelings, Chihiro didn't have the courage to confess them. She was afraid it might harm their friendship, and her naturally timid personality didn't give her the strength to take that leap.
So she chose to bury her emotions in her heart, continuing to focus on every smile and gesture of Ichinose, thinking maybe life could just continue like this — and maybe that wouldn't be so bad.
After finishing a full day of review with satisfaction, Chihiro let out a small sigh. With less than a week left before the midterm exams, every student in Class B was working hard. She too had to give it her best effort.
But then, she suddenly received an audio recording in her inbox. The title: "Ichinose Honami." It was sent from an anonymous account.
Chihiro thought it was just some classmate's prank and tapped it open without much thought.
"In the past... I committed theft."
The emotions poured from the speaker like a bursting dam, flooding her mind.
"No way..."
As her mind reeled from Ichinose's recorded confession, the anonymous account sent another message:
"If you don't want the whole school to hear this recording, would you do me a little favor?"
"I know you like Ichinose, don't you?"
Chihiro's fingers trembled as she typed a reply after a long moment:
"What do you want me to do?"
"Just a little favor."
"Shibata Sou. Tomorrow at 5 p.m., get him to come to the Special Administrative Building. Simple, right?"
Shibata Sou was one of the most popular boys in Class B. He was practically the male counterpart to Ichinose Honami — athletic, sociable, and well-liked among the girls.
"...How can I be sure you'll keep your word?"
"We can sign a contract. If I leak the recording or Ichinose Honami's past to anyone, I'll immediately drop out."
The person sounded firm and resolute. Chihiro, timid by nature, didn't dare haggle any further.
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Horikita Manabu frowned slightly as he reviewed the submitted disciplinary report. Beside him, the student council secretary Tachibana Akane read aloud:
"Regarding the incident of Shibata Sou from Class 1-B assaulting Ryuuen Kakeru of Class 1-C yesterday, Class C's homeroom teacher Sakagami Kazuma requests an immediate ruling."
At that moment, there were fewer than four days left until the midterm exams.
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"Did you memorize everything I taught you?"
"Yeah, but..."
"Don't worry. From this incident forward, you'll be acting as the leader of Class D."
"I believe in you, and I'm counting on you."
"Kei."
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