Chapter 136: Rumors Spread, Ichinose's Collapse
In Class 1-B, Ichinose Honami felt the gazes of her classmates but kept her head down, silent.
Shiranami Chihiro was furious at the baseless message, desperate to find the culprit. "This must be Ryuen's doing again!"
Instantly, Ryuen Kakeru was pegged as the source of this malicious rumor.
"How can he spread such nonsense!"
"Honami, don't mind the text. They're targeting us. If even you lose confidence, we won't stand a chance next time."
The class's comforting words warmed her heart like sunlight, but to Ichinose, they stung deeply.
The exam's final question puzzled everyone, but she knew her hidden secret would one day be exposed.
When that day came, she'd be nothing but a thief.
Facing their comfort, she forced a weak smile, nodding repeatedly.
Though her classmates noticed her oddity, they were powerless to help. To them, rumors didn't affect the indifferent, but for someone as pure and kind as Ichinose, they caused real distress.
Distracted, she sought an excuse to leave.
Grabbing her bag, she softly bid farewell and left.
Shiranami tried to follow, but Kanzaki Ryuji stopped her. "Kanzaki, what are you doing?! Can't you see Honami's state?"
Kanzaki remained rational, even with their leader in distress. "Don't go. You can't help her. She needs to be alone right now."
He also addressed a few girls trying to sneak after her. "And you girls, don't follow her. If she notices, it'll only stress her more."
Shibata So, worried about the angelic girl, sighed helplessly. "Kanzaki, are we just leaving her like this?"
Kanzaki shook his head, as if sensing something. "Don't worry. This school has someone who can help her."
His vague words stunned Class B. To them, Ichinose Honami was the kindest person in the school, always quick to comfort them when they were upset.
But when she was down, they were helpless.
Now, Kanzaki said someone could help her.
Was there someone kinder than Ichinose in this school?
…
In the student council room, Ryuen and Nagumo Miyabi faced off, both visibly annoyed, exchanging cold smirks.
Nagumo: "Ryuen-kun, you did as I said. This time, I win."
Ryuen, dismissive: "Me? For you? Don't kid yourself. Class B was always my target. Putting Ichinose in this state obviously benefits my class's future."
Nagumo didn't argue. Whatever Ryuen said or thought didn't matter, as long as he acted, the goal was achieved.
Ryuen: "Don't forget what you promised."
Though Ryuen hated being used, he had no choice this time. That day, he'd overheard the sensei' discussion.
If that exam truly came for the first-years, it'd be a devastating blow to any class. Ryuen couldn't bear that outcome again.
Nagumo wouldn't provide 20 million points to save Ryuen's class from expulsion. Instead, he used his vice-presidential authority to make those "20 million" vanish.
In other words, he could fabricate their submission.
If he said they were paid, they were paid.
The school had no recourse.
Meanwhile, Sakagami, representing the first-year sensei, entered the meeting room. "Principal! Do we really have to hold this exam?"
The principal's expression didn't change, merely adjusting his glasses. "This year's first-years have only had seven expulsions so far, which is normal. But they're all from one class, an unprecedented situation."
Sakagami, anxious: "Forget the rest. The sensei collectively oppose this exam. If we proceed and Class D loses another student, it won't even be…"
"Enough."
The principal's words silenced Sakagami. Sipping his coffee, he said calmly, "Our school's principles haven't changed and never will. We don't harbor failures. Canceling this exam for one class would be pitying the others."
"This exam is inevitable."
Over time, Sakagami and other sensei had repeatedly opposed this absurd expulsion exam in the principal's office, all to no avail.
Upon receiving the exam notice, even the sensei couldn't sit still.
Hoshinomiya's Class B, Chabashira's Class C, and Sakagami's Class D would surely suffer. If anything, only Mashima's Class A could use it to weed out their weak links.
Of course, Ryuen had already learned of this notice.
His mood wasn't complex, just a few self-mocking laughs before joining the devils' ranks.
He was already a devil; why fear becoming one again?
So, he did what he did, no reason needed.
If the expulsion exam was unavoidable, there were only two outcomes: either he, Ryuen, got expelled, or no one in his class did.
…
Knock knock…
The soft knock startled Hikigaya, lying in bed, his body trembling slightly.
Is it Airi? No… she's probably still at the student council.
Kushida? No, she has a key to her own room.
Karuizawa? That girl would be yelling outside by now. This quiet knock isn't her.
Not Kamuro, surely. I just said goodbye to her…
Hirata? He'd probably greet me politely.
Whatever… I'll get up.
Since the knocking wasn't urgent, Hikigaya had just lain there thinking, not moving immediately.
But it all happened in mere seconds, negligible to whoever was outside.
He reached the door and opened it gently, only to find it wouldn't budge.
What's going on…
Peering out, he saw a girl sitting at his door, like a wingless angel, lifeless.
"Ichinose?"
Hearing his call, Ichinose Honami gently wiped her tears, turning slowly with an expression he'd never seen.
"Hikigaya-kun…"
It wasn't cold outside, but autumn had arrived. The occasional breeze could chill.
Her trembling body and thin shirt suggested she'd been there far longer than a few seconds.
To be this chilled, she must've sat there for an unimaginable time.
Recalling the curled-up Ichinose when he opened the door, Hikigaya felt a pang of pity.
"Come in."
At his invitation, Ichinose entered his room for the first time.
He quickly grabbed some clothes, draping them over her.
"Thanks…"
Ignoring her thanks, he pulled two instant drink packets from the fridge. "Coffee or tea?"
Ichinose gave a faint smile, same yet different from her usual one. "Got hot cocoa?"
What a troublesome woman… I give her two options, and she picks a third. Is this really the Ichinose who hates troubling others?
Though he thought this, he took out a cherished cocoa packet and started heating it.
"So, Hikigaya-kun, you really have everything."
"Gotta be prepared if I'm aiming to be a househusband."
Ichinose's expression froze, then softened behind him, unnoticed. "Hikigaya-kun, which do you prefer: cocoa, coffee, or tea?"
While preparing the cocoa, he replied, "Tea is a memory I hold dear."
"Coffee is my tool for surviving here."
"As for cocoa, it's a new memory now."
"But if you ask what I like? None of them. I only like MAX."
Ichinose blushed, then looked puzzled. "What's MAX?"
"Just a kind of coffee."
"So confusing."
"It's not coffee I like, it's MAX coffee."
"What's special about it?"
"It's sweet, but I don't mind."
"Then it's not coffee."
"Doesn't matter…"
After a brief silence, Ichinose Honami, as if struck by a thought, said, "Hikigaya-kun, you're really a strange person."
Hikigaya Hachiman handed her the heated cocoa, and she took it with both hands, offering another gentle smile.
"Thanks…"
She didn't drink it right away, just sat there, as if her soul had drifted away.
"It'll get cold if you don't drink soon."
"Hikigaya-kun, aren't you curious at all? Why I came to you, why you're so kind… why you don't ask me anything? Why… you cheated…"
Tears welled in Ichinose's eyes, uncontrollable, streaming down her cheeks and dripping onto the cocoa.
Her hands trembled, her vision blurred, unable to see, or unwilling to see, what was before her.
She hadn't wanted to come here, hadn't wanted Hikigaya to see her like this, hadn't wanted his attention or care.
Yet he did it anyway, treating her as he always did, without a hint of difference.
She didn't believe he hadn't seen the message on his phone or that he had no doubts.
Faced with her sudden breakdown, Hikigaya was at a loss. Though he'd seen girls cry before him, it didn't mean he'd gained any expertise.
In the end, he sighed inwardly, sitting silently beside her, listening to her sobs.
After an unknown time, her choking eased.
But the cocoa in her hands had indeed gone cold.
"Sorry… Hikigaya, I haven't even drunk your cocoa."
"Let what's past stay past. Besides, we can always start over."
He took the cocoa from her and reheated it.
As if questioning herself, Ichinose murmured, "Is that so…"
Her voice was so soft, perhaps only she could hear it.
"Hikigaya-kun, why are you willing to help me?"
He didn't turn, continuing his task. "If I had to say, I promised you I'd stand by you when you needed help. And now, I think you do."
"That's quite a twisted reason."
Ichinose teased with a smile. She hadn't forgotten his promise. Back at the special teaching building, he, a mere Class D student, had taught her how to meet others' expectations and offered her a hand in her struggles.
He'd said, "Whenever you're in trouble, I'll help."
Ichinose: "Hikigaya-kun, can you listen to a story?"
He turned, holding the reheated cocoa, and sat before her. "Of course, but first, how about a sip?"
Once again, she took the cocoa with both hands and, without hesitation, took a big gulp.
"Huh? It doesn't taste salty."
Her expression was shocked. That cocoa held plenty of her tears; she should've tasted them.
Then her gaze fell on Hikigaya. "Did you… switch the cup, Hikigaya-kun?"
"Nope, just added a pinch of sugar."
"That's enough…"
Setting the cocoa down, she began, as if recalling the past. "Once, there was a little girl raised in a single-parent family, living with her mother and younger sister, two years her junior."
"Her mother worked hard, raising two kids alone. The girl was sensible, planning to work after junior high because high school fees were beyond their means."
"She wanted her sister to have a better life, but her mother firmly opposed it. The girl knew they were poor, but she never found life hard, as long as the three of them were happy."
Ichinose's gaze grew distant, pausing briefly before continuing. "To ease her mother's burden, she studied hard, earning honors and becoming the school's top student… but that summer, her mother collapsed from overwork."
"The sisters lived frugally. Her sister endured, never buying what she liked, never shopping with friends, never whining to their mother. Until one day, for her birthday, she wanted a hairpin like one her favorite idol wore last year. Their mother, probably trying to fulfill that wish, ended up hospitalized."
"Even now, the girl remembers it clearly, her mother crying, apologizing; her sister harshly blaming their powerless mother, weeping that her one wish couldn't be granted."
Ichinose's breathing quickened, past hardships resurfacing. Hikigaya listened quietly.
"Then, the girl thought, with so many bad people in the world, doing one bad thing for her sister wasn't a big deal. It was just a 10,000-yen item. She told herself it was fine, they were so poor, she'd be forgiven. With that mindset, she went to a department store and slipped the hairpin into her bag unnoticed."
"Since it was stolen, there was no fancy wrapping, but her sister was thrilled. Seeing her smile eased the girl's guilt. She'd agreed with her sister to keep the gift secret, but her sister broke that promise, taking it to their mother in the hospital."
"That was the first time the girl saw her mother truly angry. She not only beat her soundly but confiscated the gift."
Ichinose's cheeks paled, her hands trembling. Without the warm cocoa, she might've curled up uncontrollably.
Her wandering hand sought something to cling to, grasping Hikigaya's hand, unable to let go.
"Her mother, meant to be recovering, dragged her to the store, kneeling to beg forgiveness. In that moment of her mother's humiliation, the girl realized the gravity of her sin, no excuse could absolve it. Her sister's tears, her exhausted mother, it was all her fault. The store didn't call the police, but the girl shut herself away."
"For nearly half a year, she didn't leave her room, until her junior high sensei told her about this school, no entrance or tuition fees, with job opportunities anywhere after graduation. A chance to start over, perhaps to redeem her sin."
"That girl… is me."
"I, Ichinose Honami, am a criminal, just as the message says."
With that, she collapsed into his chest, trembling uncontrollably.
Her lips murmured, "As expected, criminals can't be forgiven… In the end, that naive girl has nothing, losing everyone's trust. This place, where I thought I could start anew, can't erase my sins."
Hikigaya didn't resist her collapse into him. If he wanted, he could easily push the frail girl away.
But he didn't.
He'd promised to help her.
And now, she needed a place to release everything.
She'd told her story without hiding a thing.
She knew he wouldn't pry, his kindness couldn't bear others' pain. But didn't she feel the same?
This was her burden alone. She hadn't come seeking comfort or help.
She knew she had to resolve it herself.
Hikigaya stayed silent. No words could match letting her rest quietly in his arms, a lesson learned from similar experiences.
If Ichinose was right, she could overcome this without his help.
He wasn't in Class B, but like her classmates, he trusted her.
(End of this chapter)