Hatred?

"Honami, is it that you have some other thoughts about me?" he suddenly asked.

"Huh? Wh-what other thoughts?" Ichinose was taken aback by his abrupt question.

Kazehara Tetsu pointed at the love heart latte art in the cup, his expression dead serious. "Look, first you apologize, then you proactively offer me a 'love heart' coffee. Come on, tell me—from the moment you bumped into me, did you fall for me at first sight, and you've been looking for excuses to get close to me ever since?"

"Pfft... cough, cough!"

The mouthful of smoothie Ichinose had just taken nearly sprayed out.

She choked and coughed repeatedly, her fair face flushing bright red—whether from the coughing or from embarrassment, it was hard to tell.

Flustered, she grabbed a napkin to wipe her mouth. "Don't talk nonsense! Th-this was made by the shop employee, what does it have to do with me? Besides, who would fall for a frivolous guy like you at first sight!"

"Oh? So it was made by the employee. What a shame."

Kazehara Tetsu feigned disappointment with a sigh, then leisurely took a sip of his coffee. "But you just called me a frivolous guy, didn't you?"

"Isn't it true?"

Ichinose finally caught her breath. Puffing out her cheeks, she muttered in rebuttal, "Who just stares at a girl's... that place the first time they meet, and says all sorts of weird things?"

"Honami, I was just objectively stating a fact. You possess such outstanding assets, yet refusing to let others appreciate and praise them—isn't that a waste of resources?"

His reasoning was bold and full of twisted logic, dressing up lechery in such refreshingly novel terms.

Ichinose opened her mouth to argue, but found herself completely at a loss for words to counter such rogue reasoning.

"I'm not discussing this with you! And besides, who just calls someone by their first name the first time they meet..."

"Alright, Honami, got it, Honami."

"..."

Ichinose Honami gave up in defeat, deciding to stop tangling with him on this topic. "Anyway, you've had your coffee, so we're square! Don't you dare tease me about this again!"

"Hmm... fine, let's leave it at that for now..." Kazehara Tetsu seemed lost in thought.

For the rest of the time, Kazehara Tetsu didn't tease her anymore, instead chatting about light, everyday topics.

"Speaking of which, Honami, you must be pretty popular in Class B, right? With a personality like yours." Kazehara Tetsu asked casually.

"Huh? N-no, not at all!"

Ichinose quickly waved her hands, looking a bit embarrassed. "It's just that everyone's really nice. The students in our class all want to get along harmoniously."

"Oh? Getting along harmoniously, huh..."

There was a hint of amusement in Kazehara Tetsu's tone. "What a beautiful vision. Class B is lucky to have a classmate like you."

This sudden compliment left Ichinose at a loss. She lowered her head and said quietly, "I'm not as great as you say... I just want to do my best to help everyone."

"Help..."

Kazehara Tetsu looked at Ichinose's clear eyes, which shimmered with an almost naive idealism. "Honami, you're like the sun, always wanting to bring light and warmth to everyone around you. But when the sun's light is too strong, sometimes it can burn those who try to get close... and even burn yourself."

Ichinose froze.

No one had ever described her that way before.

All she'd ever heard were praises about her kindness, cheerfulness, and leadership.

It was the first time someone like Kazehara Tetsu pointed out the potential "danger" hidden behind her personality.

"I..." For a moment, she didn't know how to respond.

"It's nothing, just my own rambling."

Seeing her lost in thought, Kazehara Tetsu changed the subject. "Let's not talk about heavy stuff. Any plans for the weekend? Going anywhere fun?"

"The weekend... I'll probably go study at the library with a few friends from class. There might be a quiz at the end of the month, so I need to prepare early." Ichinose replied.

"Oh... a quiz? Our class advisor never mentioned that." Kazehara Tetsu said, as if recalling something.

"Ah, really? But my class advisor told us about it ages ago. I thought every class knew..." Ichinose Honami was surprised he didn't know.

"Huh... feels like your class advisor deliberately told your class just to one-up some colleague."

"Uh... what?"

Ichinose Honami was puzzled by his inexplicable remark.

"Nothing, just take it as me talking nonsense."

Kazehara Tetsu didn't give her a chance to press further, turning his gaze to the window. "It's getting late. The 'perpetrator' has made amends, so this 'victim' should head back to the dorm satisfied."

"Thanks for the treat today, Honami. Even though it was a few days late, this 'love heart compensation' tasted pretty good."

He called her by her first name again, deliberately emphasizing the word "love heart."

"I-it's not a love heart! You jerk..."

Ichinose Honami quickly stood up, as if to match his energy. "And stop calling me Honami!"

"Got it, Honami." Kazehara Tetsu waved his hand, turned, and walked toward the cafe entrance without any hesitation.

Ichinose Honami stood in place, watching his figure disappear completely beyond the door before she sat back down in her chair.

She picked up her spoon, poking absently at the already melting smoothie in her bowl, but her gaze fell on the empty seat across from her.

"What a... strange person," she muttered softly.

"And what was that just now? Does Class A really not know about the quiz?"

Had they simply forgotten? Or was there another arrangement?

Or perhaps things between classes were just different by nature.

After a few minutes, unable to figure it out, she finally gave up and left the cafe.

At one exit of the shopping mall, Kazehara Tetsu was leaning against the wall, one hand in his pocket, the other idly spinning his phone.

He hadn't immediately returned to the dormitory but lingered here for a while longer.

He looked at the contact info for Ichinose Honami, obtained just now through casual conversation, but his mind wasn't on it.

"Seems Hoshinomiya's hatred for Chabashira runs deeper than I thought... Even a useless little quiz, she had to tip her off?"

He knew this quiz was just to gauge the students' basic academic ability; matters involving failing and expulsion wouldn't start until the formal exams, namely the midterms and finals.

Kazehara Tetsu tucked his phone back into his pocket, straightened up, and stretched.

He took a step, merging into the night's flow of people, heading toward the dormitory.