Another matter was dealing with Horikita Suzune. Now that she had been put forward as the key speaker at the hearing, how she would handle Class D's accusations was also a crucial question.
Since he had decided not to let Ryuen climb his way up, he had to make sure nothing could go wrong.
As Hashiba Hikaru pondered this, Ichinose Honami suddenly spoke beside him.
"Hashiba, do you have plans today?" There was a hint of hesitation in her voice.
"Oh, right. I have a few things to take care of this afternoon." Hashiba Hikaru glanced at the pink-haired girl beside him. Her blue eyes were fixed on his profile, and she seemed to have something to say.
"I was going to ask you to come to the study group, Hashiba. You haven't been by in days." Ichinose Honami's tone carried a trace of reproach. "Shibata even asked me last time if you'd been avoiding us lately."
"Of course not. Please tell them not to get the wrong idea, Ichinose."
Hashiba Hikaru smiled faintly. He liked spending time with his classmates, but there were clearly more important matters for him to deal with right now.
With no class competition underway, Ichinose Honami could handle all the caretaking. She was the best person for the job.
"Anyway, I'll come by when I have time. Your grades are so good, Ichinose, that you're more than qualified to tutor everyone." Hashiba Hikaru smiled as he praised the girl beside him. "I'll have to trouble you with it."
"Mm, I know. I'll make sure everyone stays on top of their studies."
Ichinose Honami nodded, but she couldn't help feeling a pang of disappointment.
Hashiba Hikaru used to spend most of his time with her. Now that they were seeing each other much less often,