"Please go out with me!"
It was a perfect confession.
The words, the tone, the expression—every part of it was textbook-perfect.
If they hadn't planned the whole scene in advance, Ichinose Honami might almost have believed that the man before her truly had such deep feelings for her.
The moment Shiranami Chihiro, hiding behind a tree, heard the words "Please go out with me!"
Her mind went "buzz," and everything went blank.
She clamped a hand over her mouth, barely stopping a gasp from escaping and revealing her presence.
At that moment, it was as if an invisible hand had seized her heart, leaving her unable to breathe.
Someone had confessed to her...
Honami... someone had confessed to her...
For a moment, Chihiro's mind was completely blank.
As for Ichinose Honami, the "girl being confessed to," a flash of surprise crossed her face before giving way to an apologetic, troubled expression.
She didn't answer right away. Instead, she fell silent for a few seconds, as if carefully choosing her words.
That brief pause made the scene feel even more real.
Chihiro saw the expression on Ichinose Honami's face shift from surprise to a gentle, apologetic look of distress.
Ichinose Honami bowed deeply to Kazehara Tetsu as well.
"Thank you so much for liking me, Kagihara. I'm truly honored that you feel that way about me."
Ichinose's voice carried clearly to the place where Shiranami Chihiro was hiding.
"But I'm really sorry! Right now... I have absolutely no desire to date anyone."
She lifted her head, her eyes full of sincere apology.
"To me, promoting to Class A together with everyone is the most important goal I have at This School. Until we achieve that, I don't want to think about anything that might distract me."
"Dating would only leave me