Chapter 88

"Ouch~ That hurts~"

"Calm down. Ichinose probably just wants to talk to me about some past experiences, not stealing her best friend's boyfriend as you're thinking."

If the time and place were different, Aragaki Shun wouldn't mind eating the girl right away.

But now, under the bed is Karuizawa Kei, and in the closet is Kushida Kikyo; under these circumstances, the two of them have grown up spending the night here...

"In your eyes, is Ichinose the kind of person who would disregard her friend's feelings and be willing to become a third party in a relationship?"

That's hard to say.

Shiranami Chihiro pursed her lips. "Honami-chan is usually gentle, but when it comes to people she cares about, who knows what she might do?"

"It's hard to understand. Ichinose has this side to her? You're not just projecting your own experience onto her, are you?"

Aragaki Shun was very skeptical of this, after all, Shiro-nami himself was the ultimate love-obsessed person, the kind who would ignore the fact that the person he was confessing to had a fiancée.

"Trust me, Honami-chan is just reserved most of the time. Once she's really determined, her drive is no less than mine."

"Is that so?" Aragaki Shun was skeptical, but after thinking about it, he didn't dwell on it any longer. "Fine! Let's just say that's how it is!"

"Then you don't need to worry about this unnecessarily. In Chihiro's eyes, am I the kind of person who would abandon someone just because they are prettier?"

"Hehe~ I just want to act cute with Aragaki-kun, please comfort me and hug me more."

Sure enough, all that panic was nonsense; Shiro-nami was just making up an excuse to get intimate with her.

This child is so clingy.

After realizing Aragaki Shun playfully rubbed the girl's cheeks.

But just then, the familiar knocking sounded again.

"Knock knock knock~"

This is the fourth time tonight. Who is it this time?

"Ugh~ How annoying! Aragaki-kun, please sit down, I'll open the door."

Thank goodness, at least Shiro-nami didn't think of hiding.

155. Ichinose is a criminal; I'll temporarily lend you my boyfriend.

"It really is Honami-chan..."

After opening the door, Shiranami Chihiro looked kindly at the familiar figure who suddenly froze outside the door, biting her lip and asking in a muffled voice:

"Why... can you tell me why Honami-chan would knock on my boyfriend's door at night when no one is around?"

Speak of the devil, and he appears. The fourth guest tonight at Aragaki Shun's dorm is none Ichinose Honami, the most popular pink-haired beauty in Class A, whom the two had just been discussing.

Shiranami Chihiro was quite annoyed to see him in this environment.

Although the girl had noticed something was off about her best friend during the day, seeing her hesitate to speak to Aragaki Shun several times, as if she had some secret she couldn't tell anyone else.

But what are you trying to do by coming directly to my boyfriend's dorm tonight?

A stunningly beautiful single girl, completely unsuspecting, comes seeking out another passionate young man at night... Honami-chan, are you really not planning to betray me behind my back?

"Wait, Chihiro, I came to talk to the class monitor and ask for help. It's really not what you think!"

The pink-haired girl was stunned when she saw that the person who opened the door for her was Shiranami Chihiro.

Then, naturally, she faced her friend's questioning. Ichinose was so frightened that she waved her hands repeatedly and blurted out her purpose with the fastest speed in her life, "You know, I have always supported your relationship with the class president, and I have absolutely no other intentions."

Shiranami Chihiro: "..."

Upon hearing Ichinose's explanation, the girl with short, white hair looked hesitant, but ultimately said nothing more, simply turning to gesture for the other girl to come in first.

"Close the door. This floor is the boys' dormitory. If Honami-chan keeps standing outside, who knows what other people will say if they see him."

"Oh, okay." Ichinose breathed a sigh of relief seeing that her friend didn't seem too angry, quickly went into the room and closed the door behind her, then followed Shiro-nami somewhat awkwardly, "Chihiro, um, did I interrupt your time with the class president?"

"Waaah~ I'm so sorry! I really just came to talk to the class monitor about something. If I had known you were here, I definitely wouldn't have come at this time."

"Please believe me, my feelings for the class monitor are purely admiration. We're partners and friends, and I absolutely have no romantic feelings for him."

Upon hearing this, Shiranami Chihiro paused for a second, her mind brimming with a torrent of complaints she couldn't hold back.

Shiranami Chihiro was aware of her friend Ichinose's character.

The other party said they didn't have that idea at the moment, and Shiro-nami believed them.

The problem is, even if you don't actually have romantic feelings for Aragaki-kun, you can't deny that you have a strong liking for my boyfriend, right?

At least in terms of trust, Honami-chan would definitely have no reservations about Aragaki-kun!

Otherwise, what young woman would dare to go to the boys' dormitory alone at night to confide in someone?

Are you really not worried about what might happen?

Or are you saying you wouldn't mind even if it actually happened?

Thinking of this, Shiro-nami felt a deep sense of melancholy.

She had complete faith in the charm of her crush.

Even though Ichinose kept insisting that she had absolutely no ulterior motives, it didn't change the fact that her best friend was completely unguarded around her boyfriend.

Shiro-nami was also a very perceptive girl. She understood all too well what it meant for a girl to trust another boy to this extent.

"Hey~ Honami-chan, you came to my boyfriend's place tonight. What if I'm not here today, Aragaki-kun suddenly goes berserk? What are you going to do then?"

"Huh? That's impossible! Aragaki -san is definitely not that kind of person!"

"Sigh~ It's hopeless!" Shiro-nami sighed helplessly, then quickly ran to Aragaki Shun and threw herself into his arms with a somewhat aggrieved expression. "Waaah~ It's all your fault. Look what you've done to Honami-chan. She looks even dumber than me today."

Doesn't this completely hand over the choice to Aragaki-kun?

So you have no feelings for my boyfriend, but you don't mind if my boyfriend has feelings for you, right?

All that talk about deep friendship between best friends, it's all a lie!

"I'm naturally charming, can you blame me?"

Having long been accustomed to Shiro-nami's clingy and affectionate nature, Aragaki Shun chuckled somewhat narcissistically before turning his gaze to the embarrassed Ichinose Honami.

"Don't be so reckless next time. I don't even believe I'm a saint like Liuxia Hui who could remain unmoved by a woman in his lap. I Ichinose you don't put too much faith in me in this regard."

"I'm a normally developing teenage boy, and Ichinose is a lively and adorable girl who's charming in every way. If you're going to deliver yourself to my door, I really might not be able to refuse?"

"Eek!!"

After Ichinose exclaimed in surprise, she instinctively covered her mouth with her hand, and her cheeks and earlobes turned noticeably red.

"Aragaki -kun is as direct as ever, but this kind of comment clearly falls into the category of harassment."

"So what? You dare to come into my dorm at night, Ichinose, and you won't even let me bother you a little?"

Aragaki Shun pouted, holding Shiranami Chihiro in his arms with great confidence, and said, "Not to mention, I'm so good-looking and popular at school. Many girls would love for me to be a little flirtatious with them."

"Aragaki -kun is really..."

Ichinose looked helpless, but what the other person said wasn't a lie, so even if she wanted to refute it, she couldn't find a suitable angle.

"Alright, let's get down to business!"

He gestured for the pink-haired girl to sit in another chair, Aragaki Shun's expression suddenly turned serious. "Ichinose, you specifically chose this time to see me. Is there something important you want to say?"

"I..."

I didn't expect Aragaki Shun to be so direct in bringing things up.

Although she had prepared herself mentally beforehand, when the moment finally arrived, Ichinose felt an unusual heaviness even when she tried to open her mouth.

With her hands on her thighs, she subconsciously gripped the hem of her skirt tightly, and the girl's face gradually turned pale and weak.

Even though she thought she had made a decision, when the moment actually came, she still didn't have enough courage to tell anyone about her past as a criminal.

But that won't work!

Ichinose knew deep down how terrible her mistakes had been, mistakes that had brought shame to her family and were enough to bury the past foolishness of an ordinary girl.

She was a criminal, a thief who had committed a grave mistake during her middle school years.

Although that incident was over, and her mother took her to handle the aftermath so that she wouldn't actually be caught or recorded for the crime, Ichinose still couldn't forgive herself for it.

Since that incident, the girl has been overwhelmed by a heavy sense of guilt.

Ichinose this, until her middle school teacher introduced her to Kodo Ikusei Senior High School, at which point she decided to officially leave her room and hoped to start afresh at that school.

She had thought that by changing to a new environment and forging new relationships at Advanced Nurturing, she would be able to overcome that past trauma.

But now that I think about it, given the school's system, the fact that I was assigned to Class B means that the school already knew about my past.

There's no way to avoid it!

On the night that Sakayanagi Arisu launched her rumor offensive, Ichinose deeply understood the meaning of an inextricable fate.

She huddled helplessly in the corner, weeping, the whole world seeming to lose its color in that moment.

But you absolutely cannot break down alone!

Thanks to Aragaki-kun and everyone's joint efforts, Class A finally gained an absolute advantage in the first-year competition, and she was entrusted with the position of class vice president from the beginning.

We cannot let everyone down!

You cannot let your own sins jeopardize the excellent situation of the class!

So the girl mustered her spirits and acted as if nothing had happened for the next two days, completing all her duties as the class's vice-president as usual.

She had been looking for an opportunity to be alone with Aragaki Shun, wanting to confide in him about her past.

Because Ichinose knew that if Sakayanagi Arisu targeted her this time, she would never have been able to retaliate as nonchalantly as Aragaki-kun.

She would immediately break down, hide in her room like a mouse, and then quietly drop out of school.

But that won't work!

Having been entrusted with so much trust, and shamelessly concealing my past to make friends with so many people in the class, if I were to suddenly collapse, it would definitely affect the advantage that everyone had worked so hard to gain.

She absolutely cannot become a weakness for Class A.

"More importantly, I don't want to leave everyone; I want to graduate from Class A with everyone, laughing together."

"I clearly don't deserve it at all, but... please... save me, Aragaki-kun... if it were you..."

Before she knew it, the pink-haired girl, her thoughts somewhat muddled, found herself alone in Aragaki Shun's dormitory.

She was ready to tell Aragaki-kun everything, and after that, she would resign from her position as the vice-captain of Class A.

In this way, even if someone discovers her past and tries to use it to attack her, it won't have too much of an impact on the entire Class A.

Only when she actually stood before the boy, especially with Shiranami Chihiro beside her, did Ichinose realize that all her previous courage had been a sham.

"I, I... I once..."

Seeing Ichinose stammering and unable to utter a complete sentence, Shiranami Chihiro sighed.

After giving Aragaki Shun a helpless kiss on the cheek, she simply got up and walked outside. "Honami-chan, I'll lend you my boyfriend for now. Remember to return him to me when the new day comes."

"Oh no, we can't wait until tomorrow. I'll go back to my dorm now and wait. Honami-chan, remember to come to my room and say hello when you go back."

"I've never stayed overnight at Aragaki-kun's place before, so you can't be the first to do so, or I'll be angry even if it's Honami-chan."

"Chihiro ..." Ichinose watched Shiranami Chihiro's figure disappear, her eyes filled with emotion. "Thank you, but I really didn't mean it that way."

After Shiro-nami left, seeing the pink-haired girl breathe a sigh of relief, Aragaki Shun also stood up.

"Let's go outside for a walk and get some fresh air!"

He hadn't forgotten that Kushida Kikyo and Karuizawa Kei were still hiding in his room.

Since Ichinose wanted to share some rather private information with him, it was natural to find a more suitable place.

Not to mention that tonight's situation is simply bizarre. To prevent a fifth or sixth knock on the door, I'd better hurry out and deal with Ichinose's matter.

"Has Aragaki -san agreed to date Chihiro yet?"

Leaving the Dormitory Building, the two walked together on the deserted streets, a cool evening breeze in their faces.

Aragaki Shun remained silent, simply staying by the pink-haired girl's side, waiting for her to sort out her emotions.

Somewhat surprisingly, as soon as the two reached an area without surveillance cameras, Ichinose's first words were not about herself, but rather she inquired about the relationship between Aragaki Shun and Shiranami Chihiro.

"I've always known what Chihiro meant. Last night, I formally expressed my stance and exchanged our thoughts."