A Silent Beating

With her eyes half-closed, Ichinose groped for her phone on the bedside table, pressed her forearm against the bed to turn on the screen, and skillfully turned to her side, opening her eyes wide.

One fifty-nine, one minute to two o'clock.

Alongside the time-representing numbers, the Aoyama Shiki also come into view.

The sunlight shone on the boy's handsome profile, with a slight upturn at the corners of his mouth, giving her a strong urge to capture it with her camera, and the gloom that had been building up in her heart temporarily dissipated for a moment.

"You woke up a little earlier than expected. Are you hungry?" Looking at Ichinose was still stunned on the bed, Aoyama stood up from the cushion. "I was a little hungry at noon, so I made some porridge. I'll heat it up for you now."

Sleep is the best way to relax.

Seeing that Ichinose had finally fallen asleep, he didn't wake Ichinose up after cooking the porridge, but ate it by himself first.

"Thank you... thank you."

"As long as you don't mind the taste."

"How could that be...?"

"That's good."

He answered the voice behind him with a peaceful tone, Aoyama went into the kitchen to heat up the porridge in the pot.

A few minutes later, he came out carrying a large bowl of porridge. Ichinose had been lying on the bed, had disappeared, and there were occasional noises coming from the bathroom.

After waiting for a while, Ichinose, who had clearly tidied herself up, nervously emerged from the bathroom.

"Don't worry, I said I wouldn't ask, and I won't. I hope you can trust my word, Ichinose." Aoyama reassured Ichinose, who had become as cautious as Sakura.

Because he already knew, he had no curiosity to seek the truth.

It would be best if Ichinose, he'll refuse to leave.

"I believe in Aoyama -kun, but--" Ichinose sat down at the table, lowered her head, and stared at the steaming seafood porridge.

She felt as if she had suddenly lost her usually proud communication skills, and didn't know what to say.

"That's good then. Since you believe me, it means I can stay here without any problems."

"But this is my room..."

"It's normal for good friends to visit each other, right? If Ichinose doesn't consider us friends, then never mind what I said."

Ichinose gripped her spoon tightly and looked up at Aoyama earnestly, "I have never thought that Aoyama is not a friend!"

Even though she knew that Aoyama was 99% joking, she couldn't help but retort, hoping to make Aoyama strongly feel that she had never had that kind of thought.

"Feel sorry."

Although his intention was to offer a sophistry, seeing Ichinose's serious expression, Aoyama realized that he had indeed misspoke.

"I didn't mean to apologize to Aoyama..."

Lowering her head again, Ichinose scooped up a spoonful of seafood porridge, blew on it gently, and then slowly put it into her mouth.

The moment it entered her mouth, the sweet and savory flavor exploded on her taste buds, and shortly after swallowing it, she felt her appetite return.

"It's delicious."

"As long as it's delicious, the more Ichinose eats, the happier I am."

Wanting Ichinose to feel less constrained and enjoy the seafood porridge he had made, Aoyama got up and sat down at Ichinose's desk.

His gaze swept over the extracurricular books on the desk, and he realized that they were all books he had read, all highly recommended by the adorable Shiina.

Another victim has been added.

Feeling sorry for Ichinose was too embarrassed to refuse, Aoyama found a piece of white paper on the table and started drawing on it from memory.

He'd been surfing the internet on his phone for hours, and he was getting a little bored.

Ichinose's worries just vanished in her sleep, her peaceful and adorable sleeping face was so lovely, it would be a shame not to draw it.

Inside the room, Aoyama was focused on his painting, while Aoyama, relieved to know that Ichinose was no longer watching her, slowly sipped her porridge and made no move to speak to Aoyama.

For a moment, the atmosphere in the room became peaceful.

"Ichinose is just going to sit here like this? There hasn't been a single word from Class B yet."

On the other side, Nagumo was getting restless, pacing back and forth in his room with a furrowed brow.

He wanted to save Mizowaki if possible; otherwise, he would lose a key general with just one move from Aoyama, and then he would lose face.

What will the students in the other three classes of second grade think of him then?

"Ichinose, I have to take the initiative to contact her."

Time ticked by, and knowing that contacting them first would reveal his urgency, Nagumo still called Ichinose.

He didn't know what Ichinose was thinking, but he knew time was of the essence. If Aoyama didn't drop the lawsuit by tomorrow afternoon, Mizowaki would be expelled from school, and he would be looked down upon.

[The number you dialed is not being answered. Please try again later.]

???

Ichinose, what are you doing? Did you really not hear the phone ring, or are you deliberately not answering it?

Nagumo was starting to lose his composure. He was the Student Council Vice President, and the Ichinose's dark past—how dare she not answer his phone?

"I need information about Ichinose's whereabouts."

When he dialed Ryuen's number, Nagumo spoke in a commanding tone the moment the call connected.

Ryuen on the other end of the phone didn't mind. Anyway, Nagumo had already made a fortune with gold coins, so it didn't matter if he was impolite. He could just charge a higher price next time.

"Hehehe, no problem."

"Hurry up."

Hearing Ryuen's suspicious laughter, Nagumo felt even more annoyed after hanging up the phone.

He sat on the edge of the bed and waited for less than ten minutes before receiving a reply from Ryuen.

Consider it a little surprise; I wonder when Ichinose will discover it.

In Ichinose's room, after finishing drawing Ichinose sleeping, Aoyama hid it in a book on his desk.

While he was drawing, Ichinose finished his porridge and went into the kitchen. After working for a while, he quietly retreated back to bed, keeping his phone on silent and placed on the bedside table.

"Ah"

Stretching and getting up, Aoyama walked to the balcony to gaze at the sea.

The lower-level boys' dormitory only offers views of tall trees, not such a beautiful view.

When will there be any action, Nagumo?

After enjoying the sea view for a while, Aoyama returned to his room, glanced at the big dumpling on the bed, and decided to lean against the edge of the bed and close his eyes for a short rest.

Whatever Nagumo wants to do with Class B, he has to go through Ichinose, whom he is protecting.

"Knock knock knock--"

"Ichinose, I know you're in there. I haven't told you that I accidentally recorded something that day. If you keep pretending to be clueless, I'm going to do something you don't want to see."

"If you do me a favor, I'll speak up for you and clear your name. The first-year leader that Ryuen mentioned as a criminal is himself."

Not long after Aoyama closed his eyes, Nagumo's threatening words rang out from outside the door.

When he immediately turned to look at the bed, he instantly met Ichinose's terrified gaze as she peeked out from under the covers.

Nagumo's words undoubtedly proved that what Ryuen said that morning was true.

Chapter 197 The Silent Beating

"Even if it were true, I wouldn't dislike Ichinose at all."

Reaching out to the unsettled Ichinose, Aoyama stroked her delicate face, while his other hand grasped her small, pale hand peeking out from under the covers and placed it against his chest.

"In my heart, Ichinose is a helpful, hardworking friend who is a little too diligent and sometimes worrying, a very good friend."

Kushida the Little Angel, Ichinose the Archangel—these are the titles most people in the school recognize.

To achieve this reputation, Kushida paid a heavy price, and Ichinose was no less dedicated, often either helping classmates solve problems or on her way to solve them.

Perhaps her motivation was to atone for her sins, but even so, Ichinose is still worthy of respect and is very endearing.

"This statement is absolutely true, and moreover—"

Aoyama gazed gently into Ichinose's beautiful, icy blue eyes.

"I only make friends with people I like, and I still consider Ichinose important friend."

He's a difficult person to deal with. While his requirements for friends don't necessarily involve sharing life and death, they're not much lower. His primary requirement is that the friend gives him the feeling that the person won't betray him for personal gain.

"But... I've stolen things before." Ichinose's mind was in turmoil as she held Aoyama's warm hand against her face.

The first time a boy her age confessed his feelings for her, especially since he was someone she also had feelings for, happened when her past criminal past was being exposed. The atmosphere wasn't exactly bad, but it was definitely terrible.

She now wanted to focus her attention on her face, feeling the warmth of Aoyama's palms, and also on Aoyama's chest, sensing the speed of his heartbeat.

"It's okay, I forgive you."

"If you don't give me an answer, then I have nothing more to say to you."

Nagumo's threat and Aoyama's reassuring voice rang out simultaneously from outside the door.

As if waking from a dream, Ichinose also remembered that there was Nagumo outside the door, eyeing her with predatory intent, wanting to make a deal with her.

What to do?

"Leave Nagumo inside, then have him sit there."

As Ichinose pondered how to deal with Nagumo, Aoyama pinched her cheek, then released her, pointing to the cushion facing away from the balcony.

Without giving Ichinose a chance to refuse, he immediately went to the entrance hall to hide his shoes, and then hid on the balcony to conceal himself.

It would be a waste not to give Nagumo a good beating since he's delivered himself to our doorstep.

"I thought you weren't afraid of anything, Ichinose."

As Aoyama silently took off his socks and crumpled them into a ball, he heard Nagumo's clear voice.

"Originally, I didn't plan to use this weapon, but your good friend, Aoyama Shiki, used underhanded methods to frame one of our class's outstanding students."

"To prevent my classmate from being expelled, I have no choice but to ask Ichinose for your help. I will destroy the recording after it's done."

Ichinose looked puzzled. "Protect a classmate from being expelled?"

Because it was summer vacation and it was considered Student Council scandal, only a few students on campus knew about the conflict between Aoyama and Mizowaki and the Student Council's intervention.

"Yes, I did all this to protect my dear classmates."

Opening his mouth, Nagumo planned to play the emotional card, hoping to get the righteous Ichinose to help him, while also making her wary of Aoyama; it would be best if they turned against each other.

If he could recruit Ichinose to his side, he would hit the jackpot.

"Mizowaki is a student with excellent grades and a gentle personality, sob sob sob!"

"Good afternoon, Senior Nagumo."

Quietly stepping out from the balcony to launch a sneak attack, Aoyama stuffed a sock into Nagumo's mouth with one hand, speaking in a very calm tone.

At the same time, the free hand clenched into a fist and struck Nagumo heavily on the side of his face.

To Ichinose's astonishment, he continued to lay Nagumo down on the cushion, then sat on him, pressing his legs against Nagumo's arm joints.

"Waaaaah! Waaaah!!"

"Senior Nagumo, why are you hitting yourself? Are you trying to slander me?"

Looking directly at Nagumo, who had regained his senses and was filled with anger, Aoyama punched Nagumo hard in the face, one punch after another.

A punch to the left, a punch to the right.

A punch to the left, a punch to the right.

The sounds of banging and hitting echoed continuously in the room.

Only when the anger on Nagumo's face turned into fear did Aoyama raise his fist high and knock him unconscious with one punch before getting up from Nagumo's body.

He immediately located Nagumo's phone and pressed and held the power button.

"Are you feeling disillusioned with me? Actually, in some ways, I get along quite well with Ryuen."