Ichinose quickly found Hirata and expressed her desire to help Class D overcome this difficult situation. Hirata naturally accepted with delight.
Class B's initiative far exceeded Class D's imagination. That very afternoon, on the school's official forum, a Class B student's account posted a thread with a prominent title—"High Reward! Seeking Witnesses to the Violent Incident Near the Special Academic Building on the Afternoon of June 28th!"
The post was concise and clear, stating that Class B would pay corresponding private points as a reward, based on the importance of the information, to anyone who could provide effective clues regarding the conflict between Sudo Ken and the Class C students. This bounty post was like a huge rock thrown into a lake, immediately causing a considerable stir throughout the entire grade.
Natsukawa Sosuke merely glanced at it calmly before closing the forum interface. Kushida was currently 'wholeheartedly' engaged in this vigorous investigation, bustling around campus with Ike Kanji, Yamauchi Haruki, and others, which allowed him some peace and quiet.
The next day after school, Natsukawa didn't return to his dorm but instead prepared to go to the Library to finish the book he hadn't completed earlier. As he leisurely walked along the tree-lined path, his personal terminal vibrated. He picked it up and saw it was a message from Ichinose Honami.
"Natsukawa-kun, are you free now? Could you meet me in the open space behind the academic building? There's something I want to talk to you about privately."
Natsukawa's footsteps paused. This was the first time Ichinose had asked to meet him alone. He thought for a moment; Kushida was busy leading the investigation and probably wouldn't notice him, so he replied with a "Okay" and turned to walk towards the back of the academic building.
Behind the academic building was a rarely visited open space, where several tall zelkova trees cast dappled shadows, keeping out the summer heat. When Natsukawa arrived, Ichinose Honami was already waiting there.
Today, she seemed a little different from usual. She was still wearing her neat school uniform, her pink-gold long hair gently swaying in the breeze, but she didn't immediately flash her usual radiant, sun-like smile and lively greeting upon seeing Natsukawa.
She just stood quietly in the shade, hands clasped behind her back, head slightly bowed, gaze fixed on the tips of her shoes. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, dancing on her soft hair, outlining her profile with an incredibly gentle touch, yet also revealing a hint of obvious nervousness.
"Ichinose-san, is there something you need?" Natsukawa walked up to her and asked calmly.
Hearing his voice, Ichinose's body trembled almost imperceptibly. She slowly raised her head, her clear blue eyes met Natsukawa's for a moment, then quickly darted away like a startled deer, an uncontrollable, charming blush spreading across her cheeks.
"Th-that..." Her voice was several octaves lower than usual, with a subtle, weak hint of shyness, "Natsukawa-kun... I... I want to ask you for a favor..."
She seemed to be summoning immense courage, her hands tightly clasped behind her back, knuckles slightly white from the effort.
Natsukawa didn't rush her, just watched her quietly.
Ichinose took a deep breath, as if finally making up her mind, and looked up again, gazing at Natsukawa with an almost desperate look, quickly saying: "Um... Natsukawa-kun... could you... could you... temporarily... date me?"
The moment the words left her mouth, she seemed to have used all her strength. Her cheeks were as red as ripe apples, even her earlobes were tinged with a faint pink. She immediately lowered her head, no longer daring to look at Natsukawa, her heart pounding uncontrollably, almost leaping out of her throat.
A rare look of bewilderment appeared on Natsukawa Sosuke's face.
Dating? Ichinose Honami?
His mind raced, countless possibilities flashing through in an instant, but soon, a plot detail he had forgotten in a corner of his memory, like a lightning bolt, struck his mind—Shiraha Chihiro's confession incident.
So that's it. Natsukawa understood instantly. It seemed Shiraha Chihiro had confessed to her, and she didn't know how to respond, so she wanted to find someone to act as a shield and also experience what a so-called confession felt like.
Having figured this out, Natsukawa looked at the angel before him, shy to the point of almost steaming, and his small surprise was quickly replaced by a hint of amusement.
A nominal girlfriend, freely offered, and none other than Ichinose Honami, the angelic leader of Class B. Even if the dating was only for a short while, Natsukawa seemed to have no reason to refuse such a good thing as a beautiful girl confessing to him with a flushed face.
He cleared his throat, feigning contemplation for a moment, and only when Ichinose was almost suffocating from nervousness did he slowly speak, his tone tinged with a smile: "It's possible, yes. But Ichinose-san, could you tell me the reason?"
Hearing that Natsukawa hadn't directly refused, Ichinose visibly let out a sigh of relief. She looked up, her gaze still somewhat evasive, but she explained in a low voice.
"It's... it's a good friend of mine... she... she confessed to me..." Ichinose's voice was very soft, "But I've never experienced anything like this before, and I don't know how to respond to her correctly. I don't want to easily refuse and hurt her; that feeling is very profound, and I must respond with equal respect."
"So, I thought... if I could personally experience what a 'confession' feels like, perhaps I could understand how much resolve she had when she said those words... and then I could respond to her feelings with the most serious attitude."
Natsukawa nodded, indicating understanding: "I see. What are you planning to do next?"
"To be honest... I haven't fully prepared yet..." Ichinose's voice carried a hint of confusion and helplessness.
Just then, a faint 'click' sound, like someone stepping on a dry twig, came from behind Natsukawa.
Both of them looked in the direction of the sound simultaneously.
They saw Shiraha Chihiro standing there blankly at the edge of the nearby woods.
Her face was filled with disbelief and immense sadness. When her gaze fell upon Natsukawa and Ichinose, standing side by side, their proximity somewhat intimate, tears instantly welled up in her eyes, which always held a hint of timidity.
She looked at Honami-chan, her lips trembling, holding onto a last shred of hope, and asked in a hoarse voice: "Honami-chan... who is this...?"
Ichinose's body instantly stiffened. She hadn't expected to be caught red-handed by Shiraha Chihiro. Subconsciously, she wanted to explain, but the words that came to her lips turned into the agreed-upon answer.
"This is... Natsukawa-kun from Class D." Ichinose took a deep breath, avoided Shiraha Chihiro's hurt gaze, and with difficulty uttered the rest of the words, "He's... my... boy... boyfriend."
"I don't believe it!" Shiraha Chihiro's emotions instantly flared up. She stepped forward, pointed at Natsukawa, and her voice became tearful, "He clearly... he was clearly the boyfriend of that Class D girl you were with before! I, I saw them outside the cafe at Keyaki Shopping Center! They were so intimate then!"
Natsukawa Sosuke's eyebrow twitched almost imperceptibly. He remembered now; on the day he took Airi to seek Ichinose's help, he had indeed felt a gaze fixed on them from outside the cafe. At the time, he thought it was the stalker, but he never expected it to be Shiraha Chihiro.
Ichinose also hadn't expected Shiraha Chihiro to have seen that scene and quickly explained: "No, Chihiro! We weren't dating then!"
"Not dating yet?" Shiraha Chihiro seemed to have heard the biggest joke, and tears finally streamed down her face uncontrollably, "Then he's a man who chose to date you while being so intimate with other girls! Honami-chan, if he's not a scumbag, then the two of you are conspiring to deceive me!"
Upon hearing the word "scumbag," Natsukawa Sosuke was displeased.
He had originally intended to be a quiet backdrop and let Ichinose handle it herself. But now, the fire had spread to him.
A slight smile appeared on Natsukawa Sosuke's face. He suddenly reached out, wrapped an arm around Ichinose's slender waist, and pulled her forcefully into his embrace.
"Ugh!"
Ichinose let out a short gasp, her body instantly stiffening, pressing entirely against Natsukawa's firm chest. She could clearly feel the warmth emanating from him and his strong heartbeat. A strange masculine scent completely enveloped her, making her mind go blank instantly, and her cheeks flushed crimson.
...
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