Sakayanagi Arisu Speaks Her Mind.

"Out of courtesy, I should still go out for a bit."

Hashiba Hikaru patted the other's hand gently, seeking her opinion in a soft voice, "What does Honami think?"

"Hmm... I understand what Hikari is thinking."

Ichinose Honami, then said seriously, "If it's a gift of obligation chocolate, then it's fine to accept it."

This is a sentence that is only half-said.

Another meaning is: if the other person's chocolate is your personal favorite chocolate, then you absolutely cannot accept it.

"I see."

Hashiba Hikaru nodded to her, then got up and walked towards the classroom door.

"Looks like it took quite a bit of effort to get out, Classmate Hashiba."

Gazing at the boy's expressionless, handsome face, Sakayanagi Arisu's lips curled into a slight smile as she spoke lightly.

"Good afternoon, Classmate Sakayanagi. Is there something you need from me?"

At this moment, there were far more people paying attention to this place than when Kiryuuin Fuuka had just arrived. Hashiba Hikaru had no choice but to try to minimize her contact with Sakayanagi Arisu and not show that she was very familiar with her.

"Today is Valentine's Day, so of course I came to give Classmate Hashiba- kun chocolates."

Sakayanagi Arisu handed him the chocolate in its transparent packaging, her voice gentle.

"Really? Then thank you, Classmate Sakayanagi."

Hashiba Hikaru quickly took the chocolate from him. He didn't say much; the sooner this kind of thing ended, the better.

But Sakayanagi Arisu other plans. She leaned on her cane and looked directly into the boy's eyes.

"Don't you want to ask me what kind of chocolate this is, Classmate Hashiba?"

"..."

"Is that so?"

Hashiba Hikaru, wanting to maintain control of the conversation, smiled and said, "I think the chocolates Classmate Sakayanagi gave me were out of obligation, right? After all, we're colleagues in the Student Council and have worked together for a long time."

No, it's not.

Sakayanagi Arisu shook her head slightly, as if she hadn't understood the implication in Hashiba Hikaru's words.

She had no intention of hiding her true thoughts and immediately said in front of all the students in Class A of the First Year, "This is my favorite chocolate, Classmate Hashiba."

"?"

These words caused an uproar in the classroom.

"This..."

Hashiba Hikaru certainly heard the commotion behind her, because Sakayanagi Arisu hadn't been quiet at all; her voice carried throughout the entire classroom in the otherwise tranquil atmosphere.

"Light!"

Ichinose Honami couldn't sit still any longer. She put down her chopsticks and quickened her pace to her boyfriend's side.

After the girl got up, the students who had been eating with her followed, including Shibata Sou, Kanzaki Ryuji, and Ando, while the other students in the class surrounded her, all showing unfriendly expressions towards Sakayanagi Arisu.

After Sakayanagi Arisu speaking, Hashiba Hikaru remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "Classmate Sakayanagi, I already have a lover. If this is a special chocolate for someone special, please forgive me for not being able to accept it. I'm sorry."

"Why?"

Sakayanagi Arisu by the sharp, piercing stares of the others, her expression still calm. "So what if you have a boyfriend? There's no rule against giving a guy with a boyfriend his favorite chocolate, is there?"

"Classmate Sakayanagi!"

This time, it was Ichinose Honami who spoke. Her delicate face was filled with anger, and her tone was stern, "Hikaru has already made it very clear that he won't accept your chocolate. Please leave!"

"I'm not giving it to you, why are you in such a hurry, Ichinose?"

Sakayanagi Arisu glanced at the pink-haired girl's face, then fixed her gaze on Hashiba Hikaru, "Is this Classmate Hashiba's final decision?"

"..."

"If it's my favorite chocolate, I really can't accept it."

Although she was conflicted, Hashiba Hikaru had no other choice under such tense circumstances. If she accepted the offer against her will definitely cause many problems.

Ichinose Honami has only just accepted Kushida Kikyo's existence. If we want to achieve the perfect ending of "I Want It All," her attitude is very important, and we must always pay attention to the girl's inner thoughts.

"I see, I understand now."

Upon hearing the boy's statement, Sakayanagi Arisu slowly put down the chocolate in her hand. Her gaze swept over all the students in Class A, and her tone became much colder.

"Although I'm not entirely sure how much Classmate Hashiba cares about you classmates, have you ever thought about this?"

"By adopting this posture, you are interfering with his inner thoughts. If this continues, what if one day Classmate Hashiba gets tired of being here? Will you still be able to maintain your position as the top student in the grade?"

"The future is long, let's wait and see."

After saying this, Sakayanagi Arisu glanced at Hashiba Hikaru one last time, smiled, and said goodbye.

"Classmate Hashiba, I'm heading back now."

"..."

As the silver-haired girl leaned on her cane and walked away, a deathly silence fell over the classroom of Class A.

564

Chapter 564 Sakayanagi Arisu's candid expression of feelings.

After Sakayanagi Arisu left, Hashiba Hikaru looked at the silent students in the classroom and thought about many things. It seemed that he would have to talk to that silver-haired girl alone again later.

"Don't worry, everyone! I won't leave Class A, so don't worry!"

Turning around, the boy smiled and reassured everyone.

"We weren't just..."

Some people were going to explain, since the scene where everyone had just surrounded him really seemed like they were forcing him to make a decision, Sakayanagi Arisu was just pointing that out.

"I didn't care about any of that. Honami and I are lovers, so of course we can't accept other people's favorite chocolates. I didn't make this choice because of you guys."

Hashiba Hikaru's voice was gentle. He patted the shoulders of the boys next to him and said with a smile, "Today is Valentine's Day, everyone, don't make that kind of face."

"Alright, alright, everyone, stop overthinking! Classmate Hashiba won't leave us!"

Shibata Sou immediately received a signal from Hashiba Hikaru and stepped forward to take control of the situation.

"Okay, okay, everyone, let's continue with lunch."

Hashiba Hikaru waved to her classmates, and Ichinose Honami spoke up at that moment.

"Don't overthink it, everyone. I won't let the light leave."

"That's right, that's right!"

"Everyone, let's go eat!"

With the statements from several key figures in the class, the students' emotions subsided, and the atmosphere in the classroom quickly returned to normal.

Hashiba Hikaru sat back down in her seat. She had only been delayed for a few minutes, and everyone was still eating lunch.

Before the afternoon classes began, the boy noticed that his girlfriend sitting next to him seemed a little off. Sometimes she would look lost in thought, and he guessed that what Sakayanagi Arisu just said had had some effect on her.

"Is Honami recalling what just happened?"

Hashiba Hikaru Hashima took her hand and asked gently.

"No, I just didn't get enough rest yesterday, so don't worry about me."

Ichinose Honami grasped the boy's hand in return, a faint smile appearing on her face.

"I will not leave Honami, and that will never change."

"Um."

After school, Hashiba Hikaru packed all the chocolates she had received that day into two large bags she had bought from Shibata Sou. Since she still had to go to the Student Council office, she carried the bags directly into the Student Council office.

"Good afternoon, President!"

Someone spotted Hashiba Hikaru and immediately nodded in greeting.

"Good afternoon!"

Hashiba Hikaru sat down in the chair belonging to the Student Council President, put down the two bags full of chocolates, and prepared to get started on her work for the day.

After sitting for a while, the boy heard footsteps beside him. When he looked up, he saw Kushida Kikyo's pretty face.

"Here, this is for you."

The girl smiled and handed a beautifully wrapped chocolate to Hashiba Hikaru, her eyes sparkling with affection.

"Thanks."

Hashiba Hikaru accepted the chocolate. The Student Council Office wasn't renovated yet, and to avoid leaking information, the boy's reply was very concise.

"It's my favorite chocolate."

Kushida Kikyo lowered her voice; she had come all this way specifically to say this to the boy.

"Okay, I understand. I'll return the favor properly next month."

I'll be looking forward to it!

After the short-haired girl left, Hashiba Hikaru put the chocolate aside and continued to diligently handle her duties as Student Council President.

Although he had been the Vice President of the Student Council and had been exposed to many things, he needed to adapt to many aspects after gaining the highest authority. He had to be careful in order to do better than Miyabi Nagumo.

Ten minutes later, a package of chocolates in a transparent box was placed on the documents next to the boy. Turning his head, he saw Hashiba Hikaru Sakayanagi Arisu's eyes meet in mid-air.

"Now that we're here, Classmate Hashiba has no reason to refuse my chocolate, right?"

The girl with short silver hair leaned on her cane, her voice gentle.

Hashiba Hikaru held the chocolate in her hand, a faint smile on her face. "Could this be handmade chocolate?"

"That's right."

"It is my honor."

After saying that flattering remark, Hashiba Hikaru's tone became serious. He stared at Sakayanagi Arisu's pretty face and asked earnestly, "Why did you say those things at noon, Classmate Sakayanagi?"

"Of course it's to help Classmate Hashiba. Although your class is very united, sometimes they get involved in some inexplicable things."

Sakayanagi Arisu's brows relaxed, and a bright light shone in her purple eyes.

"What is it?"

"Of course, it's what Classmate Hashiba truly thinks."

The silver-haired girl pointed to the chocolate next to him, "If there hadn't been anyone else around, you would have accepted this chocolate, right?"

"..."

"I said this to create a sense of crisis. The students in Class A have received so much care from you, but when it comes to something as private as personal feelings, they want to interfere with your choices because they all support Ichinose Honami, so they've shown their hostility towards me without any restraint."

"The purpose of my saying these things is to make them realize deep down that it is they who cannot live without you, not the other way around."

Sakayanagi Arisu lowered her voice, letting Hashiba Hikaru know what she was thinking.

What is the purpose of doing this?

Hashiba Hikaru had guessed this at the time, but couldn't understand why the other party would do it.

"As I've already said, this is to respond to what's truly in Classmate Hashiba's heart."

Sakayanagi Arisu took out her phone from her pocket, intending to send him a message by typing, since there were too many people in the Student Council and too much gossip.

A short while later, a line of text appeared in the girl's phone's notepad.

[Because there are many girls who have close relationships with Classmate Hashiba, you're planning to have them all, right?]

"!"

Upon seeing the text, Hashiba Hikaru's expression changed drastically, and she abruptly looked at Sakayanagi Arisu's pretty face.

"Classmate Hashiba, don't get so agitated. I've already given my answer. What I just said was to help you."

Sakayanagi Arisu put her phone away and looked once more into the boy's deep eyes.