"You're as hardworking as ever, Ichinose."
Kazehara Tetsu looked at the girl in front of him, who was worrying about others even while eating.
"It's nothing. I'm just doing what I can."
Ichinose Honami waved her hand a little sheepishly, her smooth, long hair swaying gently with the motion.
She turned her head slightly, her gaze settling on Kazehara Tetsu's ever-calm face. "What about you, Kazehara-kun? How have things been lately? Has it been tiring?"
"Not really."
"With Katsuragi helping take care of all the little administrative tasks, there's not much I need to pay attention to. Aside from sweating a little when I go running, I've basically been a hands-off leader these past few days."
"Hehe, surely that's not true..."
Ichinose Honami clearly didn't take Kazehara Tetsu's self-deprecation seriously. Instead, she spoke with complete faith in him.
"Anyone chosen to be a leader must have something that makes everyone trust them. It's not just your abilities. Everyone believes you can lead them forward, which is why they entrusted you with such a heavy responsibility."
"That kind of popularity is really impressive."
At that standard-issue response, Kazehara Tetsu's chewing slowed for a moment.
"...Maybe."
He gave a vague reply, with no intention of correcting the "angel's" naive view of the world.
Trust?
Popularity?
He didn't deny the existence of Ichinose Honami's leadership style, winning people over with sincerity and drawing them in like the sun. To some extent, he even recognized how rare it was.
But to apply that logic to him would be the greatest misunderstanding of all.
He had never earned his current standing in Class A through any warm, fuzzy "trust."
He could stand at the forefront because he kept bringing them victory. As long as he gave the enemy no opening to strike back, the people