Confession?

5:40 p.m., the sun slowly sank below the horizon, casting a golden hue over the surroundings.

Zhuge Linghao tiptoed, sneaking around to avoid everyone like a thief.

He had originally promised Ayanokoji that they would have dinner together, but now he had no choice but to stand him up.

Zhuge Linghao tidied himself up in the dormitory, putting on a small suit and styling his hair to look like a mature adult, all for the sake of meeting that cute girl!

He walked along the path toward the gymnasium, his mind racing with thoughts.

Could my charm really be this powerful already?

But come to think of it, I've been acting quite high-profile for half a semester now; it's only natural for girls to like me!

Hehe, if a girl who is just as charming confesses to me, it just proves that I must be quite outstanding!

Behind the gymnasium, Zhuge Linghao spotted a graceful figure from afar.

He hadn't expected the girl to arrive even earlier than him!

Zhuge Linghao nervously greeted her: "Hello, I'm here, Ichinose-san!"

Ichinose Honami stepped forward and said: "I'm sorry for calling you out so suddenly."

"N-no problem, what did you need to see me about?"

Ichinose Honami slowly shifted her gaze toward her toes, her face slightly flushed as she said: "It's about to end, the confession..."

A confession?

A tingling sensation of electricity surged through Zhuge Linghao's body, and he could clearly hear the thumping roar of his own heart!

Finally, is it happening?

Should I accept it? Or should I agree to it?

Ichinose Honami closed her eyes, her voice trembling slightly as she said: "I think I'm going to be confessed to here!"

"I accept!"

"Huh? Zhuge-kun, what are you saying?"

"..."

"Nothing..."

A social death moment! The stiffened Zhuge Linghao wished he could find a hole to crawl into!

With his expectations dashed, Zhuge Linghao took a deep breath for 10 seconds before saying: "Um, if you're being confessed to, wouldn't it be better if I wasn't here?"

Ichinose Honami looked up and confessed: "I don't really understand these matters of the heart..."

She picked up a heart-shaped letter and said: "I found this love letter in my locker yesterday, but I don't want to develop a relationship with that person. I don't know how to reject her, and I don't want to hurt her, so I wanted you to pretend to be my boyfriend, and then..."

Having fully regained his senses, Zhuge Linghao retorted internally: No, that will only make the other person sadder! To be rejected before even getting the chance to confess—just thinking about it is miserable!

Zhuge Linghao scratched his head and said: "Um, I think there's a better way..."

Ichinose Honami said with teary eyes: "Please!"

Footsteps sounded behind Zhuge Linghao. When he turned around, he saw a cute girl with short hair—Shiranami Chihiro!

Hmm???

The one confessing is a girl?

What is this?

Shiranami Chihiro said in a soft, delicate voice: "(⊙o⊙)... Zhuge-kun? Why are you here?"

Ichinose Honami hurriedly hid the love letter behind her back, her eyes darting away as she said: "Sorry, Chihiro, I suddenly brought a boy over. Actually, he is my... my..."

Ding, detected that the host has encountered a special event. Triggering mission options.

What the hell? A special event?

Option A: The Matchmaker. May you be like birds with joined wings, and like trees with intertwined branches. May your love last until the seas run dry and the rocks crumble, remaining constant through eternity. Host, please use your silver tongue to facilitate a beautiful union between the two, for true love knows no gender boundaries, and you may advocate for Platonic love! If the mission fails, the host will be permanently punished by having to eat instant noodles without a fork or seasoning packets.

Option B: The Rival. Host, please declare war on Shiranami Chihiro. Both of you shall confess to Ichinose at the same time and force Ichinose to choose one of the following four options: ① Accept both. ② Accept the host. ③ Accept Shiranami Chihiro. ④ Reject both. Regardless of which one Ichinose chooses, the host must shamelessly shout: Actually, I don't mind a three-way relationship either...

Option C: The Neurotic Detective. Host, please find an excuse to run away and hide in the bushes around the corner, waiting for the confession to begin. Once the confession starts, you must return to the scene within 3 seconds to openly eavesdrop on the content. When the confession is interrupted, you must immediately run away and hide. When the confession starts again, return to the scene within 5 seconds to continue eavesdropping. When it is interrupted, run away and hide again. When it starts once more, return within 7 seconds to continue eavesdropping. Repeat this cycle until you have heard the entire confession.

Option D: The Grandmaster of Affection. Host, please confess to Shiranami Chihiro and passionately recite the following lines: My dear Shiranami Chihiro, from the moment I saw you, I was deeply attracted by your cute appearance. Day after day, my feelings for you have flowed endlessly like the tide! You are the best gift in my life, and you are the one and only in my life! May I ask, will you agree to be my girlfriend?

o((⊙﹏⊙))o?

System, I feel so dizzy!

Here we go with the self-destruction again, sigh.

Zhuge Linghao interrupted Ichinose Honami and said bluntly: "We are just friends, Ichinose-san. Gathering the immense courage to confess to someone else is a truly remarkable thing! Shouldn't you respond to the courage of someone else's life-or-death confession with the proper attitude?"

After saying this, Zhuge Linghao ran away and hid in the bushes.

"Um, Honami, actually I..."

Zhuge Linghao stretched his long legs and ran back to the scene, the fire of gossip burning brightly in his eyes as he nodded with a motherly smile.

Seeing the two of them stunned, Zhuge Linghao ran off again.

"Honami, there's something I've kept hidden for a long time that I want to tell you, I..."

Zhuge Linghao rushed back, wearing a goofy, encouraging grin as he urged Shiranami Chihiro to continue...

Seeing the atmosphere turn awkward once more, Zhuge Linghao retreated back into the bushes around the corner.

"Honami, ever since school started, I've been drawn to your gentle personality. All this time, I've liked..."

Zhuge Linghao ran back to the scene, not saying a word, just wearing that same goofy grin!

The voice came to an abrupt halt once again...

OK, Zhuge Linghao ran back to the corner again, waiting quietly for the next wave of confession.

"Honami, I—I like... damn it, you're here again! Are you crazy?!"

Zhuge Linghao appeared in their line of sight once more, and Shiranami Chihiro could no longer hold back!

She finally shouted out the confession buried deep in her heart: "Honami, I like you! Please go out with me!"

Ichinose Honami sighed and looked toward Zhuge Linghao, who nodded in response.

Finally, Ichinose Honami stopped being indecisive and responded directly: "I'm sorry, Chihiro! I cannot accept this request!"

"Right now, I only want to work hard with everyone to reach Class A, and I just want to focus on my studies. I'm afraid I don't have the time for a relationship! Really, truly, I'm sorry! But, starting tomorrow, I want to continue getting along with you just like always, is that okay?"

Rejected, Shiranami Chihiro's tears welled up instantly. She wiped her eyes and ran away in silence...

"It's finally been made clear, Ichinose-san."

"Yeah, before this, I was just thinking about how not to hurt Chihiro, and I kept avoiding it."

"Thank you for today, for accompanying me through such a strange ordeal..."

"It's nothing, I'm already used to it."

"How about this, Zhuge-kun, I owe you a favor this time! If you run into any trouble next time, you can come directly to me for help!"

"Sounds good!"

"Um, let's exchange contact information!"

Zhuge Linghao immediately pursed his lips into a smirk: "No problem! My phone number is 1314520xxxx..."