I Know the Reason (Continued)

I want grass.

Since you're going to use me to push Ichinose Honami, then be prepared for the worst.

... Asakusa Toru originally intended to simply accept the confession.

But the little mascot ran too fast. After saying that, she turned around and ran away crying. He could have called her back or caught her in time.

If he hadn't suddenly remembered that there were two little tagalongs following him around the corner, he might have actually gotten involved.

But then he remembered.

Well, there's no other way, let her go for now.

However, even though the person escaped, the knife still needs to be used to finish the job.

With a quick flick of his wrist, Asakusa Toru pulled out his Personal Terminal, clicked on Shiranami Chihiro's avatar, and then sent her a message without hesitation.

Let's date then, just the two of us.

Without waiting for the 'unread' status to change to 'read', he simply switched chat partners.

It was changed to Ichinose Honami.

[You heard that? Since Chihiro said so, how about we start dating?]

Without hesitation, Asakusa Toru pointed out the fact that she was present.

The message remains unread.

Asakusa Toru wasn't in a hurry. He guessed that Ichinose was still keeping her distance, afraid that she would see them around the corner after he left the gymnasium after Shiranami Chihiro left.

Once she slows down, I should receive a reply.

Ichinose Honami slowed her pace.

After Shiranami Chihiro ran over, she didn't hesitate to pull Sakayanagi Arisu and run away.

Chihiro was lucky she hadn't seen her; she had no idea she could hide here without being seen by Asakusa Toru.

Therefore, you must run.

It wasn't just to avoid letting others discover that she was following him, but also to create some distance between herself and him, giving herself some breathing room.

She needs to sort out her thoughts.

It feels messy and chaotic.

"..."

First, there was the matter of someone confessing their feelings to Asakusa- kun, Ichinose Honami admitted did make her feel a little bit of crisis.

Having done little for a long time, I was so immersed in the friendly atmosphere that I couldn't pull myself out, spending each day with a smile on my face, and I felt that I could continue to spend the rest of my days like this.

This is an extremely easy misunderstanding to arise.

They mistakenly believed they would walk this path forever, and that no one would interfere in their relationship.

But the truth is, besides herself, there are plenty of people who would fall for that guy.

He was by no means mediocre.

It's not surprising that someone might already have a girlfriend outside of school before enrolling.

Why did it take me so long to realize this?

"..."

I know the reasons.

Because of low self-esteem.

Ichinose Honami knew that she was actually quite insecure.

Sunny, cheerful, lively, cute, generous, and loved by everyone.

This is just appearances.

Beneath the facade of justice and the guise of being the embodiment of correctness lies a deep-seated and indelible inferiority complex.

That's easy to understand, isn't it?

Born into a single-parent family with a younger sister, and with extremely limited financial resources, she received daily lessons in gratitude from her mother.

Wouldn't it be fair if I didn't study?

Wouldn't it be fair to suffer if you didn't work hard?

The more this kind of education one receives, the stronger the sense of inferiority will become deep within their heart.

From the very beginning, Ichinose Honami never thought she could gain the affection of others.

Even so, she was still moved, still wanted to get closer to him, and still wanted to know if he remembered a girl like 'Ichinose Honami'.

A small selfish motive, coupled with a huge sense of inferiority.

What has been poured into the present-day relationship is what we have now.

They were close, but never took any further steps, remaining merely at a seemingly ordinary and natural level of friendship.

--Just like the two of them were childhood sweethearts.

The conversation was familiar and casual, as if the two people were already very familiar with each other.

Ichinose Honami is satisfied with this kind of relationship.

She was content with this, so she wouldn't take any further initiative.

She stopped there, which is why Shiranami Chihiro misunderstood.

But that's not the case. She doesn't understand Asakusa Toru at all, and she's certainly not his childhood sweetheart.

She was just, just--

"--Hehehe." A soft laugh suddenly interrupted Ichinose Honami's thoughts. She looked up, then looked down again, and saw Sakayanagi Arisu smiling, "I've seen something interesting."

The girl gripped her cane tightly and raised her head.

"So, Ichinose, since you like each other, why don't you just start dating?" she said.

Originally, it was just a chance encounter with Ichinose Honami, intended to see what kind of person she was in person. Who could have imagined such a pleasant surprise?

Two people who were mentioned in each other's diaries some time ago, two people who seem to like each other, but they haven't started dating yet, and instead need others to give them a push.

Besides, wasn't it Shiranami Chihiro who just confessed?

The little mascot in the Diary who likes Ichinose Honami.

I never imagined he would actually fall for someone else...

Hehe.

That's not about falling in love with someone else.

Her true intentions were obvious; she wasn't actually trying to date Asakusa Toru.

Is this a roundabout way to achieve our goals?

Interesting.

On the surface, she was confessing to Asakusa Toru and wanting to date him, but in reality, she wanted to use the confession to break the ambiguous atmosphere between them and completely cut off any possibility of their relationship developing into a real one.

Even if Asakusa Toru actually accepts the confession, that's fine too. By locking down his rival in advance, how could he not have a chance to win over Ichinose Honami?

What a cunning scheme! She definitely misjudged Shiranami Chihiro.

I thought it was just a harmless little mascot, but I never expected it to have such a scheme.

Class B, Class B, is truly full of talented people.

Sakayanagi Arisu couldn't help but applaud.

Unfortunately, she still needed to use one hand to support herself with a cane, so she couldn't applaud.

However, clapping was out of the question, but she could certainly help the little mascot by pressing the issue a bit more.

"... This has nothing to do with Classmate Sakayanagi, right?" Faced with Sakayanagi Arisu's questioning, Ichinose Honami's tone was surprisingly less gentle. "If that's all you're going to say, then Classmate Sakayanagi can shut up."

Indeed, Ichinose Honami is called an 'Archangel' by those around her, and almost everyone seems to label her as gentle.

But this doesn't mean that she should still smile at Sakayanagi Arisu when she clearly displays this attitude.

That's something Kushida Kikyo would do, not something she would do.

From the moment we met, this guy had been acting like he was looking for trouble.

She stopped him, insisting that he take her with him. Although she obediently kept quiet while spying, she soon reverted to her arrogant tone.

If I were her mother, I would have spanked her long ago.

That's so rude.

Criticizing other people's relationships, even though they are outsiders, they ask questions with a casual attitude as if they were very familiar with the situation.

Disobedient children.

Ichinose Honami Sakayanagi Arisu no connection with anyone but still shamelessly came over to get beaten up.

Who are you?

"Wow, it seems Ichinose is more aggressive than I thought." Despite being rebuffed, Sakayanagi Arisu wasn't angry at all. "I just wonder if Asakusa- san likes that."

Ah, being aggressive is a good thing. It proves that her emotions are real, and that what Shiranami Chihiro said earlier is true.

This guy just likes Asakusa Toru.

So...

"So what exactly are you here for?" Ichinose Honami asked irritably, ignoring her words and turning the tables on Sakayanagi Arisu.

The first thing this guy said was, "You're Ichinose Honami?"

Without a doubt, she approached me with some kind of purpose.

If that's the case, then let's settle this quickly and get her out of here.

She wasn't so low as to have to smile at Sakayanagi Arisu.

"Hmm..." After a moment's thought, Sakayanagi Arisu, maintaining her elegant demeanor, raised her head and looked up at Ichinose Honami, who was a head taller than her. "My goal has been achieved."

Her initial goal was simply to confirm the flaws of 'Ichinose Honami'.

Looking back now, this woman was indeed full of flaws.

Compared to the gentle, kind, and generous qualities that everyone praises, what Sakayanagi Arisu sees at a glance is 'cowardice'.

This woman is quite timid.

Moreover, she seems to be more deserving of the title 'Love-struck Brain' than I am.

Isn't that right? She smiles when men aren't mentioned, and even carries me on her back without hesitation when threatened. Her tolerance is simply unimaginable.

But when she brought up the topic of men, Ichinose Honami's expression changed.

It's easy to imagine how much Asakusa Toru meant to her.

If... I could win that guy over and make him fall head over heels for me...

Hehehe...

"Then you can leave now." Sakayanagi Arisu's fantasy continued to linger, but Ichinose Honami spoke coldly without hesitation. At the same time, she turned her head to look at Shiina Hiyori, who was obediently watching silently to the side. "And the lady next to her too."

"Although I don't know where you're from, I hope you won't spread rumors, after all, this is a private matter concerning your personal feelings."

"Thank you." She nodded politely in thanks to Shiina Hiyori.

Shiina Hiyori nodded slightly:

"Yes, I understand."

All the audience needs to do is watch quietly when the curtain rises and reflect carefully when the curtain falls.

It's extremely unethical to spread whatever you see as gossip.

But...

It turned out to be a 'confession'.