Natsukawa ignored the panic of the girl in his arms, only looking up at Shiraha Chihiro, who was completely stunned, and speaking in a tone that was matter-of-fact, almost innocent:
"I just want to give a stable home to the girl who likes me. What did I do wrong?"
Hearing Natsukawa's classic scumbag remark, Ichinose Honami felt both shy and angry, instinctively wanting to struggle, but Natsukawa's arm around her waist was as steady as a mountain. She could tell Natsukawa wasn't actually using force, but his undeniable attitude made all her resistance futile. In the end, she could only bury her flushed face into Natsukawa's chest and give up resisting.
This scene, falling into Shiraha Chihiro's eyes, was undoubtedly the final straw that broke the camel's back.
She watched Honami-chan, the person she admired and loved most, being held by another man. Not only did Honami-chan not resist, but she displayed a look of bashful helplessness that only appears in shojo manga.
In that instant, Shiraha Chihiro felt her world completely collapse.
"Honami-chan... you'd rather choose a scumbag... than me..."
She dropped this sentence, unable to bear the sight any longer. Covering her face, she turned and fled crying down the path she had taken to arrive... Shiraha Chihiro's figure completely vanished at the end of the path, and the stifled cries faded away. Tranquility returned to the surroundings, leaving only the overly distinct sound of their two heartbeats.
Natsukawa Sosuke released the arm wrapped around Ichinose's waist.
The moment the force that held them tightly together disappeared, Ichinose Honami felt as if all strength had been drained from her body. She involuntarily retreated half a step, her legs slightly weak, and she nearly lost her balance.
She kept her head lowered, her pink-gold hair falling down and obscuring her current expression. However, her thoroughly reddened earlobes and the small hands tightly clutching the hem of her school uniform skirt, knuckles white, exposed the extreme turmoil within her.
The sensation of being completely embraced by Natsukawa just now still lingered in her senses. The firm chest, the steady, powerful heartbeat, and the scent unique to the boy before her, which had completely enveloped her—all of it left her mind blank, her ability to think almost entirely stalled.
"It seems the problem is temporarily solved."
"...Mhm."
Ichinose squeezed out a faint sound from her throat. She dared not look up, nor did she dare to look at Natsukawa's feet. She could feel her cheeks burning astonishingly hot, and her heart showed no sign of calming down, still pounding violently in her chest.
Natsukawa Sosuke looked at her state and simply assumed she was shy because she hadn't had such close contact with a boy before.
But it was precisely Natsukawa's familiarity with the plot that led him to make an error based on past experience.
He took it for granted that everything that had just happened was merely a slightly awkward performance by Ichinose to deal with her friend's confession. Her request to date him was a temporary measure, and her current shyness was simply due to being unaccustomed to such intimate contact with the opposite sex.
He didn't know that when Ichinose Honami first saw Shiraha Chihiro's sincere love confession letter in the classroom, the first male figure that popped into her mind, whom she could call her "ideal type," was Natsukawa Sosuke.
She reviewed everyone around her from childhood onward—those who showed interest in her, those who held expectations for her—yet not a single person could give her the steady and reliable sense of security, like a father, that Natsukawa provided.
Therefore, how much of that request for temporary dating was a false response, and how much was the truth spoken by a girl using the awkward situation as cover, perhaps only Ichinose herself knew.
And how long this "temporary" period would last, she hadn't said. A girl's thoughts are always delicate and subtle; she hid this uncertainty, along with her true feelings, behind her deeply lowered head and crimson cheeks.
"If similar situations arise in the future, you can come directly to me." Natsukawa's voice rang out again.
Ichinose's body trembled slightly. She finally mustered her courage, cautiously raising her head to look directly at Natsukawa with her blue eyes, but quickly lowered them again.
"...Okay."
Seeing her look like a startled small animal, Natsukawa Sosuke suddenly found it amusing. He reached out and, before Ichinose could react, gently placed his hand on the top of her head, stroking it lightly, as if comforting a kitten.
Her hair was soft and smooth, carrying a faint, pleasant fragrance.
"!"
Ichinose Honami's body instantly froze. The string of sanity in her brain seemed to snap completely with a "pop."
The gentle touch from the top of her head caused all her thoughts to cease functioning.
"Well then, I'll be going now."
Natsukawa withdrew his hand, naturally turned around, and walked back the way he came, as if that affectionate gesture was simply an afterthought.
It wasn't until Natsukawa's figure disappeared around the corner of the woods that Ichinose Honami seemed to awaken from a dream. She abruptly raised her hands, covering her burning cheeks, while slowly leaning back against the large tree behind her.
Her heart was beating even faster than before... The house-to-house investigation that had lasted for several days had not improved the atmosphere in Class D.
The investigation team led by Hirata Yosuke and Kushida Kikyo had searched almost the entire campus, questioning everyone they could. Ichinose Honami also mobilized the strength of Class B, posting reward notices on the forum and the school bulletin board.
However, the result was still like a stone sinking into the sea—no progress whatsoever.
No one else appeared near the secluded Special Education Building at that time. As for the clues provided, they were limited to the reputation of the three Class C students and rumors and deeds from their junior high school days.
Only four days remained until the Student Council's final judgment date.
In the classroom after school, Horikita Suzune sat in her seat, frowning tightly and staring coldly out the window, lost in thought.
"Still worrying about Sudo's situation?"
A calm voice came from beside her.
Horikita Suzune didn't turn around; she knew it was Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.
"The matter has reached a dead end. Worrying about it won't help." Her voice was as cold as her expression.
"That's not necessarily true. There are always methods; it just depends on whether you're willing to try them."
Horikita Suzune finally turned her head, her sharp eyes looking at Ayanokoji: "Do you have a method?"
"I don't," Ayanokoji answered straightforwardly, "but I know someone who might."
Horikita Suzune's frown deepened. She immediately understood who Ayanokoji was referring to.
The man sitting in front of him who had kept himself out of the matter these past few days.
"You mean Natsukawa?" Horikita's tone carried a hint of uncertainty and resistance.
"Mhm." Ayanokoji nodded. "Don't you find it strange? Since the incident happened, he seems completely unconcerned. Yet, during the midterm exams, he actively moved behind the scenes."
"Perhaps he just thinks there's no profit to be gained from this, so he can't be bothered to interfere," Horikita scoffed.
"Maybe," Ayanokoji said noncommittally.
"Why don't you go to him?" Horikita Suzune suddenly countered, staring intently at Ayanokoji. "Aren't you two on good terms? Aren't you friends?"
"Friends?" Ayanokoji Kiyotaka displayed a rare expression that was close to helplessness. "Horikita, I think you misunderstood. Although we are friends, what position do I have to ask him for help in this matter? Besides, didn't he ask me to pass a message to you before? That means he still cares about you. All you have to do is act cute, maybe flirt a little..."
Suddenly, Ayanokoji's hand on the desk snapped back, and a compass appeared extremely quickly in the spot where his hand had been. If he hadn't reacted so fast, he would surely have a hole in the back of his hand right now.
"Alright, my mistake. I shouldn't have made that joke. But, aside from him, can you think of any other way to break this deadlock?"
Ayanokoji's words were like a needle, accurately piercing Horikita Suzune's weak spot.
What she hated most was asking others for help.
Especially asking Natsukawa Sosuke. That would make her feel as if she had once again admitted her own incompetence.
However, Ayanokoji was right.
Now, Class D was on the edge of a cliff. If she still wanted to follow in her brother's footsteps and rise to Class A, she had to overcome this current obstacle.
A long silence fell between the two of them.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka did not press her further, simply sitting there quietly, waiting for her decision.
After a long while, Horikita Suzune slowly let out a breath, and a hint of determination flashed in her cold eyes.
"I understand."
She stood up from her seat and picked up her school bag.
"I'll go find him."
...
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