After school, in the unsupervised corridor of the special education building.
With only one day left until the judgment day, Sudou had no other choice but to go along with Hikigaya’s plan.
“Don’t underestimate my resolve to become a basketball player just because you forced Kushida to deceive you!” When Ishizaki and the other two from Class C, who had been beaten, received a text and arrived, they found that Kushida wasn’t there as promised.
Realizing they had been tricked, they immediately started spewing trash talk at Sudou, telling him he was going to be expelled.
Hearing this only strengthened Sudou’s determination not to be expelled.
He knew that with the hyperbaric oxygen chambers and liquid nitrogen freezing pods from the basketball club, this school might be his only chance in life to become a basketball player.
In front of the three from Class C, he opened the plain cardboard box he held with a furious expression.
Inside was a pile of night-blooming cereus that looked like it was emitting a formidable stench.
“Camera ready.” Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, who was following behind Sudou, expressionlessly raised his phone.
Yamauchi Haruki and Ike Kanji also spread their arms, signaling that this path was blocked.
“You’re crazy.” “What the hell, you asshole.
I’ve never seen anyone as perverted as you.” “Don’t come any closer!” As Sudou grabbed the ‘night-blooming cereus’ and approached them, Ishizaki and the other two were stunned.
Even Ishizaki Daichi, who had been a street thug and seen his fair share of things, had never encountered such an unashamed person.
“Either you withdraw your complaint, or you die together.” Enduring the sticky feeling on his hands, Sudou slowly walked towards Ishizaki and the others.
“Don’t think about calling for help.
I’ll let you taste something good before anyone can save you.” Backed into a corner of the corridor, Ishizaki Daichi, pushed forward by Komiya and Kondou to face Sudou directly, finally broke down under the extended hand.
Why was he being treated like this when he was just a small-time thug?
“I’ll withdraw it, I’ll withdraw it, alright!” Ishizaki Daichi’s face contorted.
A day later, during the inter-class meeting held by the student council in the afternoon, Ishizaki Daichi and the other two, who had been secretly recorded in the threat video, hid the fact from Ryuen and submitted a request to the student council president to withdraw their complaint.
….
“Your class was spared this time.
What about Suzune?” After the students from both classes dispersed, only Horikita Manabu, Tachibana Akane, and Hikigaya remained in the student council room.
Normally, Tachibana Akane and Hikigaya would have been enough to handle a conflict of this scale.
The only reason Horikita Manabu was here was because of his sister.
He seemed a little disappointed not to have seen her.
Horikita Suzune, feeling that she hadn’t achieved anything significant to prove herself, was deliberately avoiding meeting her brother.
“If you want to see your sister, go find her, sis-con.” Hikigaya, who had been tricked and was becoming more familiar with Horikita Manabu, was increasingly blunt with him, though these remarks were usually ignored by Horikita Manabu.
“Nagumo said today that he’s bringing in a new first-year member to the student council.” “Let me guess, is it Ichinose Honami from Class B?” The student Nagumo Miyabi had personally introduced was naturally part of his faction.
And the person he would put forward to compete with him wouldn’t be an unknown.
Given Nagumo’s arrogant personality, he would surely bring in someone easily controlled.
Katsuragi Sakayanagi, who led Class A, and Ryuen of Class C were not people who would obediently follow instructions.
Hirata and Kushida from Class D were outwardly his classmates.
The only other notable figure among the first-years was Ichinose.
He had initially wondered why Ichinose seemed to be waiting until after the midterm exams to reply.
It seemed Nagumo had seen through his intention to transfer to Class B and was tripping him up.
It looked like his plan to transfer to Class B could be canceled.
“Yes, you’ll see her tomorrow.
Nagumo has given her an accounting position,” Horikita Manabu said with a smile.
“Do you want to bring Suzune into the student council to help you?” “I refuse, and I suspect I’ll see Ichinose tonight.” Horikita Suzune was still quite prickly, and keeping her around would do more harm than good.
She might end up offending everyone else within two days of joining the student council.
“It seems you know Ichinose well.
I can’t, or rather, I don’t have much leeway to interfere in the class competitions of other years.
Nagumo has much greater resources at his disposal now.” “Understood, I’ll be careful.” While there was a difference in class points between Horikita Manabu’s Year 3 Class A and their competing Year 3 Class B, it hadn’t widened significantly.
Nagumo Miyabi’s Year 2 Class A, on the other hand, was overwhelmingly in the lead.
And according to the “fundraising for lucky draws to get tickets to Class A” agreement he invented, his private points were in the tens of millions.
After returning to the dorms from the student council, Hikigaya received an invitation from Ichinose for a meeting that evening, just as he had expected.
The location was his room.
His reply was naturally affirmative.
As he opened the door that evening, he thought there were two people outside, but only Ichinose had arrived.
“I’m sorry, Hikigaya-kun.” “You have nothing to apologize for.
It’s understandable that business doesn’t always work out, but there’s no reason to complain when a deal falls through.” Hikigaya stopped Ichinose, who was about to bow and apologize as soon as she entered.
Ichinose was wearing casual clothes today: a light green cake dress with a long-sleeved thin blouse.
Through the sheer blouse, Hikigaya clearly felt Ichinose’s body heat and immediately let go, motioning her to sit on the bed.
“….” Ichinose sat on the edge of the bed, head down, lost in thought, and remained silent.
Hikigaya, sitting on a chair, also felt a bit restless, unsure of what to say.
Ichinose’s presence felt rather heavy right now.
Wasn’t Ichinose supposed to give him an answer and then say that even if they couldn’t be classmates, they could still be friends, and then leave peacefully?
And where was Kanzaki Ryuji, who usually followed Ichinose?
The situation was somewhat beyond his expectations.
“Hikigaya-kun, can you tell me what you think of me?” After a long silence, Ichinose looked up.
Her tightly closed lips were luscious, and her clear eyes held a hint of confusion.
Her waist-length hair cascaded to the bed.
“What I think of Ichinose?
Let me think.” Hikigaya closed his eyes, needing to carefully consider how to answer the current Ichinose.
Something had happened, and Ichinose was acting strangely.
He had to choose his words carefully.
Ichinose Honami was deeply loved by her Class B classmates.
She was incredibly sociable, helpful, and a genuinely good person, an angel.
Hikigaya couldn’t find any flaws in her personality.
In terms of appearance, her features were exquisite, and her figure could rival Sakura, who was an idol.
In a fictional dating card game, she would be an SSR-level character.
What kind of evaluation was this seemingly perfect person hoping to hear from him?