Trio Date with Ichinose (Seeking Subscription)

"Yeyue, are you still angry...?"

Kushida Kikyo asked uneasily, her eyes seeming to sparkle. Even someone who was furious would probably calm down at the sight of them. Right after school at noon, Kushida had taken the initiative to find him and head to the cafeteria together.

"Not really." Yeyue smiled and shook his head, hesitating slightly. "Little Kikyo... I'm sorry, actually, I..."

"It's okay. Things are good like this!"

Kushida shook her head and leaned close to Yeyue's ear with a sweet smile, whispering, "I don't mind. What I'm more concerned about is Matsushita. She wanted me to help test whether you really were dating Ichinose, so be prepared."

Yeyue frowned in surprise. Originally, he had thought that once his relationship with Ichinose was exposed, the hardest issue to resolve would be Kushida's attitude.

He had not expected Kushida not only not to care, but to even seem somewhat happy about it.

That was far too abnormal.

There was no doubt that Kushida liked him. The fact that she could sell out Matsushita Chiaki without hesitation showed just how much she trusted him—it had already reached an extraordinary level.

Usually, Kushida did not mind intimate contact either. Recently, she had even begun showing a tendency to cling to him proactively, and the number of times she came to his room to chat had gradually increased.

For Kushida, who had been unable to trust anyone, to start trusting him under his guidance... it was simply impossible to say she had no feelings for him.

Not knowing whether this change was good or bad, Yeyue kept his doubts to himself and said with a sigh, "Come to think of it, I feel a little sorry for Chiaki."

"Say that to Matsushita's face. Hurry up, let's go."

With a sweet smile on her face, Kushida pushed Yeyue forward. Though she would not reveal her dark side in public, anyone could tell that Kushida's smile was brighter than usual at that moment.

"Yeyue, Kushida, over here~"

After entering the cafeteria and choosing their meals, Matsushita Chiaki, seated in a corner, happily waved her arm to signal the two of them over.

After the two sat down casually, Matsushita Chiaki smiled and said emotionally, "It's so nice running into you two. Eating alone always feels a little lonely."

"That's because Chiaki left first. You wouldn't wait for me, so you brought it on yourself."

Yeyue merely shrugged.

Since he had already learned from Kushida that Matsushita wanted to test him, he only needed to respond as he usually would.

Having calmed down, Matsushita Chiaki only wanted one final confirmation. Nothing had changed between them, after all. Matsushita had never confessed her feelings, so as long as he pretended not to know, there would be no awkwardness between them.

"You're so mean, Yeyue..." Matsushita replied with a smile, half-jokingly.

The three chatted while enjoying their peaceful lunch. After they finished eating, the people around them gradually thinned out, and Matsushita Chiaki inconspicuously glanced at Kushida across from her.

Receiving the signal, Kushida revealed a curious smile. "Come to think of it, Yeyue, you really did start dating Ichinose. That's so amazing. Even I, as a girl, think Ichinose is really cute."

"Sort of, I guess." Yeyue nodded with a wry smile.

"What kind of answer is that? Now I'm really curious." Matsushita Chiaki's eyes lit up as she instantly moved closer to Yeyue and asked.

Yeyue waved his hands in a fluster, saying awkwardly, "It's nothing. I just phrased it badly, so don't worry about it."

Matsushita Chiaki sent another glance toward Kushida. Though she did not want to admit it, Kushida really did have a natural way of making people feel close to her.

"There's definitely something going on. Tell us, Yeyue. We absolutely won't tell anyone." Kushida wrapped her small hands tightly around Yeyue's hand, then looked at Chiaki. "Right?"

Two different fragrances rushed into his nose, bringing with them an indescribable sense of pressure. Yeyue sighed helplessly.

"Well, you have to keep this a secret."

"Mm, mm." Kushida and Matsushita nodded like curious children.

"Actually, Ichinose and I are fake dating. She wanted to reject someone's confession, so she asked me to pretend to be her boyfriend. That's all."

"You absolutely have to keep it secret. Otherwise, it'll cause trouble for Ichinose, and it wouldn't be good if B Class started seeing us as enemies."

After leaving out part of what had happened between him and Ichinose, Yeyue told the two of them about yesterday's events.

He was not worried in the slightest that either of them would leak this conversation. There was no need to mention Kushida. Matsushita certainly would not either. Keeping this secret would eliminate quite a few rivals, making it the most beneficial outcome for Matsushita, with the added justification of doing it for D Class.

Even if something unexpected happened, there was no need to worry. At worst, he would apologize to Ichinose. Given Ichinose's personality, she would not mind. If anything, she would think it was all her fault for causing him trouble.

This was something that caused him no loss whatsoever. It would only cause trouble for Ichinose.

"So that's how it is..." After hearing Yeyue's explanation, Kushida nodded, her expression dimming slightly.

Matsushita Chiaki still furrowed her delicate brows and asked doubtfully, "But Yeyue, you still like Ichinose, don't you?"

"Why would you think that?"

"Because when you heard Yamauchi badmouthing Ichinose, you looked so angry. It was the first time I'd ever seen you like that."

"I see. I just think that if you don't understand someone, it's better not to judge them carelessly—especially behind their back. That's why I got a little angry." Yeyue apologized. "Sorry, I must have scared you this morning, right?"

"No... no." Matsushita Chiaki shook her head with a faint blush on her face and said softly, "I thought it was really cool. If a boyfriend protected his girlfriend like that, it would make her feel especially safe. Of course, I can understand why you were angry too, especially since it was Yamauchi who said it."

"That's a relief. I was wondering how I should apologize to you and Chiaki, since I might have caused trouble for D Class."

"You don't need to apologize. Kei and the others were actually happy to see a new side of you, Yeyue."

"Then I can rest easy."

Yeyue let out a sigh of relief.

Fighting in class would definitely result in Class Points being deducted, but as long as the people involved denied it, that would be enough. However, Matsushita Chiaki and the others did not know this.

His actions would very likely draw criticism from the class, but there seemed to be no need to worry about the Girls. Rather than thinking rationally, they acted more on emotion. Defending their Girlfriend had instead greatly increased their favorability toward him. The Boys would definitely have some complaints, but they did not dare voice them openly, so he would leave Hirata and Kushida to handle it.

As time passed, as long as he properly trained Few People, there would be less and less that he needed to do. This class would naturally Promote to A Class, and even if he was not around, Kushida would protect his position.

By then, he could devote all his energy to uncovering talent.