Kazehara Tetsu started walking again, and the topic shifted naturally with him.
"Ichinose."
"Hmm?"
"You've always worked so hard to lead everyone in Class B forward together, even sacrificing your own interests to keep the class united. What's the most important belief that gives you the strength to do that?"
The question made Ichinose Honami slow her steps too.
She lowered her head, apparently giving it serious thought.
The night breeze stirred her hair, and the streetlights illuminated her profile.
"My belief..."
After a long while, she raised her head.
"Actually, I've never thought about it in such complicated terms."
"I just... simply like everyone."
"Like them?"
"I like seeing everyone work hard together for exams, cheering together when we earn Class Points, and supporting one another when we run into difficulties."
"Everyone in Class B has all kinds of flaws. Some people are lazy, some have strange personalities, and some aren't good at socializing. But... they all have their own shining qualities, too."
"To me, the forty people in Class B are like one big family. Family members don't just abandon each other because of their flaws, do they?"
"My dream is to take all forty of them with me to Class A, without leaving a single person behind. When we graduate, I want to see every person in our class smiling from the bottom of their hearts, proud of the three years we worked hard together."
When she finished, a radiant, heartfelt smile spread across her face.
Kazehara Tetsu listened in silence.
In a school where everyone calculated their every move for personal gain, she was an anomaly just by being herself.
"I see... That's quite a weighty belief—and an admirable one."
Ichinose Honami's smile grew wider.
"When you put it like that, Kagihara, I feel a little