“Honami-san, do you have some other intentions towards me?” he suddenly asked.
“Eh?
W-what other intentions?” Ichinose was stunned by his out-of-the-blue question.
Kaedehara Tōru pointed his finger at the heart-shaped latte art in the cup and said with a serious face, “Look, you’re apologising and voluntarily treating me to ‘heart-shaped’ coffee.
Tell me, did you fall in love with me at first sight the moment you bumped into me and have been looking for chances to get close to me ever since?”
“Pfft…
cough, cough!”
The mouthful of shaved ice Ichinose had just put in her mouth almost sprayed out.
She choked and coughed repeatedly, her fair face instantly turning beet red, unsure if it was from choking or from embarrassment.
She hurriedly grabbed a tissue to wipe her mouth.
“Stop spouting nonsense!
T-this was made by the shop staff; what does it have to do with me?
Besides, who would fall in love at first sight with a frivolous guy like you!”
“Oh?
So it was made by the staff; what a pity.”
Kaedehara Tōru sighed with feigned disappointment, then slowly took a sip of coffee.
“However, you just said, I am a frivolous guy?”
“Isn’t that right?”
Ichinose finally caught her breath, puffed out her cheeks, and retorted in a low voice, “Who stares at a girl’s…
that kind of place the moment they meet and says such strange things?”
“Honami-san, I was just objectively stating a fact.
You possess such outstanding assets, yet you don’t let others appreciate and admire them—wouldn’t that be a waste of resources?”
His remarks were bold and full of warped logic, making being lecherous sound so fresh and refined.
Ichinose opened her mouth, wanting to retort, but found that she couldn’t find the right words to deal with this kind of hooligan logic.
“I’m not talking about this with you anymore!
Also, who just calls someone by their first name the moment they meet…”
“Alright, Honami-san, understood, Honami-san.”
“…”
Ichinose Honami decided to give up on entangling with him on this topic.
“Anyway, you’ve had your coffee, so our business is settled!
Don’t you dare use this to make fun of me again in the future!”
“Well…
whatever, let’s leave it at that for now…” Kaedehara Tōru seemed lost in thought.
In the time that followed, Kaedehara Tōru did not tease her again, but instead chatted about some lighthearted, daily topics.
“Come to think of it, Honami-san must be very popular in Class B, right?
“Eh?
N-no, not at all!”
Ichinose quickly waved her hands, saying somewhat embarrassedly, “It’s just that everyone is very nice, and the classmates in our class all hope to get along harmoniously.”
“Oh?
Get along harmoniously, huh…”
Kaedehara Tōru’s tone carried a hint of playfulness.
“What a wonderful vision.
It is truly their luck to have a classmate like you in Class B.”
This sudden compliment left Ichinose somewhat at a loss.
She lowered her head and said softly, “I’m not as good as you say…
I just want to do my best to help everyone.”
“Help…”
Kaedehara Tōru looked into Ichinose’s clear eyes, which shimmered with a near-naive idealistic light.
“Honami-san, you are just like the sun, always wanting to bring light and warmth to everyone around you.
However, the sun’s light is too intense; sometimes, it can scorch those who try to get close, and even…
scorch yourself.”
Ichinose was stunned.
She had never heard anyone describe her in such a way.
All this time, what she had heard were praises for her kindness, cheerfulness, and leadership.
It was the first time someone like Kaedehara Tōru had pointed out the “danger” that might be hidden behind this personality of hers.
“I…” She was at a loss for how to respond for a moment.
“It’s nothing, just my own rambling.”
Seeing her lost in thought, Kaedehara Tōru changed the subject.
“Let’s not talk about such heavy topics.
Any plans for the weekend?
Going anywhere fun?”
“The weekend…
I’ll probably go to the library to study with a few friends from class.
There might be a first quiz at the end of the month, so I need to prepare early.” Ichinose replied.
“Oh…
a quiz?
Our homeroom teacher hasn’t mentioned anything about this.” Kaedehara Tōru said, as if remembering something.
“Ah, really?
I thought every class knew…” Ichinose Honami was surprised that Kaedehara Tōru didn’t know.
“Huh…
it feels like your homeroom teacher told her own class on purpose just to get a leg up on a certain colleague.”
“Uh…
what?”
Ichinose Honami was a bit confused by the inexplicable words Kaedehara Tōru said.
“It’s nothing; just take it as me spouting nonsense.”
Kaedehara Tōru didn’t give her a chance to continue asking, turning his gaze to the window.
“It’s getting late.
The ‘culprit’s’ compensation is complete, and this ‘victim’ should be satisfied and head back to the dormitory.”
“Thanks for the treat today, Honami.
Although it’s a few days late, this ‘heart-filled compensation’ tasted pretty good.”
He addressed her by her first name again and deliberately emphasised the words “heart-filled”.
“I-I already said it’s not heart-filled!
You guy…”
Ichinose Honami quickly stood up, as if to not lose momentum to him.
“And don’t you dare call me Honami again!”
“Got it, Honami.” Kaedehara Tōru waved his hand, turned around, and walked towards the cafe entrance without any hesitation.
Ichinose Honami stood where she was, watching his figure completely disappear outside the door, before she sat back down in her chair.
She picked up her spoon, unconsciously poking at the already melting shaved ice in the bowl, but her gaze fell on the empty seat opposite her.
“What a…
weirdo,” she muttered softly.
“And what did he mean just now?
Does Class A really not know about the quiz?”
Did he just simply forget?
Or was there some other arrangement?
Or is it that things between classes are inherently different?
After a few minutes, unable to figure it out, she had to give up and walked out of the cafe.
Meanwhile, at one of the shopping centre exits, Kaedehara Tōru was leaning against the wall, one hand in his pocket, the other toying with his phone.
He didn’t go straight back to the dormitory but stayed here for a while longer.
Looking at Ichinose Honami’s contact information he had just obtained through small talk on his phone, his thoughts were not on that.
“It seems Hoshinomiya’s resentment towards Chabashira far exceeds my imagination…
Does she even have to mention a useless little quiz in advance?”
He knew this quiz was just to check the students’ basic academic ability; the failing-leads-to-expulsion part wouldn’t start until the official exams, i.e., the midterms and finals.
Kaedehara Tōru pocketed his phone, straightened up, and stretched.
He set off, merging into the flow of people in the night, and walked towards the dormitory.