A Girl's Tears / Kikyo Kushida Stock Goes Public

"Hm?"

Ichinose Honami was taken aback at first, but she quickly seemed to realize something and stood up at once.

"Hey, what are you two whispering about? Can't we hear?"

Ando's lips curled into a teasing smile as she cast an extraordinarily suggestive look between the two of them, clearly enjoying herself.

"Yeah, yeah, is there something you can't say here?" Shibata joined in, a teasing expression on his face. "Is it some secret you can't tell us?"

"Quit it. I have something important to discuss with Ichinose. Excuse me for a moment."

Hashiba Hikaru had no intention of entertaining everyone's teasing. After explaining, he turned and left the private room. Ichinose simply smiled at everyone, then quietly followed the boy out.

"Guess what secret Hashiba and Ichinose are going to talk about? Could it be... that?"

As soon as the two of them were out of sight, Ando grew excited. In the few days since the school year began, rumors had been going around among the students in Class B that the two might be secretly dating.

After all, they were the current leading pair in Class B. Not only were they desk mates, but they also seemed to get along very well. And since both the boy and the girl were exceptionally good-looking, it wouldn't be surprising if they got together.

"If Hashiba didn't want to tell us, it must be something important. Let's not make things up."

Shiranami Chihiro knew what Ando was getting at. She looked anxious, and didn't want everyone to keep discussing the topic.

"If Hashiba really is dating Ichinose, wouldn't that be a good thing?"

As a boy who was also popular with the girls in Class B, Shibata naturally knew what they often talked about. He nodded seriously and said to the others, "I think they make a great couple."

"I think so too. Hashiba and Ichinose are the most important members of Class B. If they can work together over the next three years, it'll be good for everyone."

Kanzaki Ryuji felt the same way as Shibata. He knew about the rumors going around the class, and Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School didn't have particularly strict rules about dating. If Hashiba Hikaru and Ichinose Honami really became a couple, the students in Class B would be happy about it.

"Are they really dating? That doesn't seem very likely..."

The only one who disagreed, Shiranami Chihiro, didn't look too happy. But everyone seemed so interested in the subject that she didn't say anything more, and could only keep her doubts to herself for now.

She planned to ask Ichinose about it that evening. Otherwise, she might not be able to sleep.

The Girl's Tears

After Hashiba Hikaru and Ichinose left the private room at the yakiniku restaurant, he glanced around, then led the girl to a bench across from the restaurant and sat down.

"Ichinose, I asked you out because I wanted to talk about what's happened over the past few days."

Hashiba Hikaru got straight to the point. Looking at the girl beside him, he spoke gently. "A lot has happened recently. I imagine you've got a lot you want to say, too."

"That's true. Hashiba's been coming up with all sorts of plans to help Class B gain an advantage." A self-deprecating smile appeared on Ichinose's lips. "Compared to you, I've been a pretty inadequate class leader, haven't I?"

"...Is that so?"

The boy's expression grew complicated at her words. He hadn't expected that to be what was troubling Ichinose.

"You really don't need to compare yourself to me, Ichinose. Whatever I do, I do it for the same reason you do: to make Class B better."

"You're important to Class B. Everyone chose you to be our class leader because they believe in your abilities."

Now that he understood what was on the girl's mind, Hashiba Hikaru was surprised, but he quickly began thinking of how to reassure her.

"I admit we've been rushing a bit with the recent arrangements, but for the most part, we've just been responding to unexpected situations and adjusting things so that our original plan can go ahead smoothly."

"I don't want you to overthink this, or even start doubting your own abilities." The boy looked Ichinose in the eyes and spoke slowly. "How about we make a promise, something that'll help us trust each other more?"

At his words, the gloom on Ichinose Honami's face gave way to surprise. She hurriedly asked, "What kind of promise?"

Over the past two days, Ichinose had kept thinking about what she'd done as the class leader. But the conclusion she reached had left her deeply disappointed.

The girl realized that ever since the first day of school, she'd been relying on Hashiba Hikaru. She not only followed his plans without question, but often didn't give them much thought at all before deciding they were sure to work.

Ichinose had never thought there was anything wrong with that. Hashiba Hikaru would always be her closest partner, after all. What was the harm in trusting him?

But ever since Ibuki Mio had rejected her to her face yesterday, Ichinose Honami had suddenly thought of a possibility that terrified her.

What would she do if Hashiba wasn't by her side one day, or if he transferred to another class?

Would she really be able to keep leading everyone in Class B forward?

Could she really graduate from Class A alongside everyone else?

Those questions were like towering mountains, crushing Ichinose Honami's mental world on the spot. She knew Hashiba Hikaru was outstanding, but did she really know him that well?

From the moment they first met, Ichinose had understood that he was someone with a plan of his own. From collecting class points to coming up with different strategies, he'd done all of it himself.

But if one day Hashiba decided he was tired of Class B and wanted to transfer, could she stop him?

Perhaps he'd think transferring to Class A would make it easier to achieve his goals. After all, two million points wouldn't be all that difficult for Hashiba. He'd spotted the school's deep rules on the first day, so he was bound to shine in the exams to come.

These doubts kept welling up from the depths of her heart, leaving Ichinose Honami in an endless state of conflict. She'd even begun to doubt her own abilities.

But when the girl heard Hashiba Hikaru mention a promise, her heart suddenly began to race uncontrollably, as though she were a mechanical doll with a fresh battery, suddenly filled with immense energy.

"Heh, actually, the promise is very simple. It only takes a few sentences to explain."

Hashiba Hikaru gave a soft chuckle. Now that he understood the girl's inner conflict, he'd thought of a way to dispel her unease.

He hated complications. It was best to say things clearly to each other, rather than let misunderstandings grow and leave everyone even more conflicted.

"To help you feel more at ease, Ichinose, I've considered two things."

"First, as we compete against the other classes going forward, we should pool our ideas and discuss different situations together. In the end, we'll come up with a plan that everyone agrees on."

"Second, after we finish this month's Point Collection Plan," Hashiba Hikaru looked into Ichinose Honami's blue eyes and suggested gently, "I want to leave all of next month's class decisions to you."

"I'll leave the grand stage to you, Ichinose. Until you ask me for help, I won't take the initiative."

Light glinted in Hashiba Hikaru's dark eyes as he gazed intently at the girl. "Since you're worried you're not as good as me, if I hand you every opportunity, you'll surely perform even better. Then your worries will naturally disappear."

"Well, do you accept my promise?"

"..."

After hearing the boy out, the emotions in Ichinose Honami's heart suddenly broke through. Two streams of tears fell from her lovely face without warning, and she began to sob softly, as if she couldn't control herself.

It seemed she'd been under a lot of pressure lately. The moment she found an outlet for it, the girl's tear ducts gave way.

"Eh?"

Her reaction startled Hashiba Hikaru. He'd planned to use a little verbal persuasion to ease Ichinose's worries, so that she could lead Class B better.

But he hadn't expected her to start crying, leaving the boy at a loss. He wondered if he'd pushed too hard and overwhelmed her.

"Um, I'm sorry. Are you okay, Ichinose? That's not what I meant..."

"Actually, just forget I said anything. Please don't cry."

The pink-haired girl still had tears on her face. When she saw the usually confident boy looking like a child who'd done something wrong, she suddenly broke into a smile through her tears.

She wiped the tears from her face with the back of her hand and explained, "I'm fine. Something just flew into my eye, so it was bothering me and made me cry. Don't worry about it, Hashiba."

"Really?"

"Don't worry." Ichinose Honami wiped the tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand. Her eyes had grown much brighter. "I accept your promise, Hashiba. I won't let Class B down. Please keep an eye on me."

"Sure. Just so you know, I'm pretty strict. I hope you won't make any mistakes, Ichinose."

They each held out a pinky and hooked them together. Looking into each other's eyes, they spoke in unison. "It's a promise. Let's see it through together."

"Phew. Now that we're done talking, we should hurry back and eat," Ichinose Honami said.

A bright smile returned to the pretty girl's face as she stood and beckoned Hashiba Hikaru back to the private room.

At that moment, the shadow between the girl's brows seemed to have vanished completely. She was once again the gentle, radiant angel she'd been before.

"So... she's okay now?"

Hashiba Hikaru rubbed his chin. It seemed his little pep talk had worked pretty well.

Just then, a new message popped up in the System Bar.

[Your promise helped Ichinose Honami regain her spirits. Ichinose Honami decided to stop relying on you, and her feelings quietly transformed into a strong possessiveness toward you. Ichinose Honami Stock Price rose by 30 points. Current stock price: 150]

"..."

Kushida Kikyo Stock Goes Live

When Hashiba Hikaru and Ichinose returned to the yakiniku restaurant, the other students immediately looked over at them.

"You're back, Ichinose."

Shiranami Chihiro greeted Ichinose with great enthusiasm. Meanwhile, the two boys who'd been sitting beside Hashiba Hikaru scrutinized his expression. Seeing him smiling, they quickly whispered to him.

"So? Did anything good happen?"

"What good thing?"

After Hashiba Hikaru returned to his seat, their sudden question left him confused.

"Did Ichinose...?"

Shibata wanted to find out if the thing everyone had been imagining had really happened outside. If the two of them had become a couple, everyone would be happy.

"What do you mean?"

Hashiba Hikaru had no idea what they were thinking, but he explained, "Ichinose and I went out to discuss our plans for the class."

"It's already Friday soon. Now that we've dealt with the big problem in Class C, we need to decide quickly what to do next."

"That's right," Ichinose Honami picked up the boy's train of thought, a gentle smile on her face. "Hashiba had a few ideas, but he wasn't sure yet, so he wanted to talk them over with me first."

"Or did you think we were going to talk about something else?"

"Oh, I see!"

Shiranami Chihiro's face brightened. She smiled and said, "Hashiba, you're so hardworking. You even think about how to help the class while you're eating. That's amazing!"

"I can't help it. I'm Ichinose's assistant, after all. Of course I have to keep thinking about how to give Class B an advantage."

Hashiba Hikaru shrugged. After saying this, he couldn't help glancing at Ichinose Honami, who was sitting opposite him.

Before returning to the private room at the yakiniku restaurant, Ichinose Honami had gone to the restroom to wash her face and hide how disheveled she'd looked earlier. Now her expression was gentle, as if nothing had happened.

Hearing him say that, Ichinose quickly added, "Hashiba and I will keep working hard for Class B. Please trust us."

"We know. We all trust you and Hashiba."

Ando noticed that the two looked perfectly normal and weren't acting unusually around each other. The gossip fire burning in her heart was doused like a flame hit with a bucket of water, so she had to give up on shipping them for now.

She then called everyone over to start eating. The grilled meat had already arrived, and they'd just been waiting for the two to return.

Faced with the steaming food, all six of them immediately dug in with gusto, chatting as they ate.

After spending the past few days together, they'd grown very comfortable around one another and could even joke around.

The meal took about two hours to finish. Once Hashiba Hikaru noticed that everyone had eaten their fill, he started to get up to pay, but Ichinose Honami stopped him with a hand.

"Don't forget, Hashiba. This is a Celebration Party everyone held to reward you for all your hard work these past few days. You're not allowed to pay."

"Yeah, you were the key to all of this. Just sit tight, Hashiba."

Ando smiled, got up, and linked arms with Ichinose Honami. She and Shiranami Chihiro left the private room together to pay the bill.

"Okay."

Seeing that everyone was set on it, Hashiba Hikaru had to abandon the idea of paying. After all, he had the most Private Points of anyone there, and paying for one meal would've been easy.

"Hahaha, we already transferred our points to Ichinose," Shibata said casually, resting a hand on Hashiba Hikaru's shoulder. "Split five ways, it won't cost much. Don't think too hard about it."

"Right, we'll need you to lead tomorrow's homeroom meeting, Hashiba. Sorry to trouble you again." Kanzaki Ryuji wore a faint smile.

Getting along between boys was simple. Hashiba Hikaru had earned their respect with his abilities, so they all liked spending time with him.

The three of them chatted for a while, then heard the door to the private room open.

Hashiba Hikaru turned around and saw the girls coming in. But to his surprise, there was another person with them besides the three girls from Class B.

She was a girl with short brown hair, a pretty face, and a curvy figure. She'd taken Ando's seat and was now walking over to the boys with her arm linked through Ichinose Honami's.

"Hashiba, let me introduce you. This is Kushida from Class D."

Ichinose Honami smiled gently as she introduced the girl beside her to the three boys. "We ran into each other while paying, so I brought her over to meet everyone."

"Hello, everyone."

The girl called Kushida seemed perfectly at ease. Even though she was meeting them for the first time, she wasn't the least bit nervous. She introduced herself openly. "I'm Kushida Kikyo from Class 1-D. My dream is to become friends with everyone, so please be kind to me!"