Ichinose Beaten to the Punch / Too Scared to Look Away

"Let me help you."

"I can do it myself."

"But in terms of efficiency, it's better for me to do it." Bringing up the word efficiency, Aoyama went behind Horikita had stopped moving.

When Horikita untied her apron, she accidentally made a knot that was impossible to untie, and he saw it.

Pinch the two ends of the rope into a twisted shape, then gently push to loosen the knot.

"As a reward for helping out, may I hug you, Suzune?"

He lowered his head, Aoyama whispered in Horikita's ear.

After waiting a few seconds, he noticed that Horikita nodded silently.

Chapter 308 Ichinose Gets Ichinose

It felt like we were back to the days when we ate together shortly after the start of the school year.

The two chatted about class affairs, and before they knew it, a hearty lunch was finished.

After finishing his meal, Aoyama had planned to take a nap at Horikita Suzune, but he was kicked out on the grounds that she was hindering his studies.

Well, I guess you could say it's progress.

Recalling the feeling of hugging Horikita Suzune from behind, Aoyama turned around and went to Sakura's dormitory on the same floor. He knocked on the door but found no one in the room.

Thinking that she might have gone out to play with Hasebe, he gave up on his plan to hug Sakura's soft body and take a nap together.

It's the first day of spring break, so Megumi must have gone out with Sato and the others too.

If you're going to take a nap, then take a nap by yourself.

Not wanting to disturb his girlfriend who might be out with friends, Aoyama went to the elevator and pressed the down button.

The elevator soon arrived at his floor and opened, revealing a wild, adorable Shiranami little creature. It looked surprised yet somewhat happy when it saw him.

"Are you going somewhere to have fun?" Aoyama asked after pressing the button for his dormitory floor as he stepped into the elevator.

"Um--no, there's nowhere I want to go."

After nodding, Shiranami quickly shook his head, glanced at the floor Aoyama had pressed, and then looked up at Aoyama to continue speaking.

"Aoyama, what about you? Aren't you planning to go out and have some fun this afternoon?"

She can hang out with friends anytime, but it's rare to encounter Aoyama all alone, so she decided to take the initiative.

The forest exam, in which boys and girls had virtually no contact, Special Exam where all students gathered together.

In the two most recent Special Exam for first graders, Shiranami didn't get a chance to speak to Aoyama.

"Not for now. I'm just bored and planning to take a nap during my lunch break."

"Oh, I see."

Feeling somewhat pleased, Shiranami began to think of a reason to spend time with Aoyama.

However, before she could come to any conclusion, the elevator stopped at the floor where Aoyama's dormitory was located.

"Is there something you want to talk to me about?"

Noticing the little tail following him, Aoyama took out his room key and struck up a conversation.

Shiranami nodded in alarm, "Yes, that's right."

"Then come in."

"Okay, sure."

Shiranami, somewhat flustered, repeated his answer to Aoyama and visited Aoyama's dormitory again.

It had been almost half a year since she last visited the Aoyama dormitory.

She noticed that the girls' belongings in the Aoyama dormitory had increased significantly, and there were also some photos of her with other girls hanging on the wall.

None of the photos show them together on the cruise ship deck.

"Is something bothering you?" Because the weather was still rather cool, Aoyama started to reheat the water he had boiled that morning.

"I think so."

Composing himself, Shiranami answered somewhat flusteredly.

Somewhat dazed, she followed them into the dormitory, unsure of what to say next.

"What do you mean by 'should be'?"

Aoyama smiled helplessly, poured two cups after the water heated up, and sent one of them to Shiranami's table.

Now, Shiranami looks somewhat like Sakura when she first started school.

"Why don't you take a nap first?"

Faced with Aoyama's calm gaze, Shiranami quickly changed his mind and gave a reply that left Aoyama both amused and exasperated.

Aoyama was somewhat speechless.

What do you mean by letting him take a nap first? Does that mean he should just leave a girl in the room while he sleeps soundly?

However, Shiranami was clearly not ready to say what he wanted to talk to her about, and he didn't want to force her to say it quickly. It seemed that Shiranami's suggestion was feasible.

"Then wake me up when you're ready."

After taking a sip of hot tea, Aoyama took off his coat, covered himself with the blanket, and closed his eyes.

Having eaten a rather large lunch, he quickly became sleepy and soon drifted off to sleep.

Meanwhile, Shiranami Chihiro, who had been left out, also realized that Aoyama had fallen asleep.

Not wanting to wake Aoyama, she took out her phone, put it on silent, and set it aside. Then she began to think about how she could achieve the kind of relationship Ichinose and Aoyama.

The misunderstanding that occurred Ichinose secluded herself at home has not been resolved to this day.

Shiranami was unaware that Aoyama still thought she liked Ichinose, and she was also worried that Aoyama would deepen his misunderstanding and think that her approach to him was not what it seemed.

If Aoyama continues to reject her confession due to his doubts, she doesn't know if she'll be able to muster the courage next time.

Tell me what you think of me, you bastard Aoyama.

After thinking for a long time, Shiranami still couldn't get an answer. After hearing Aoyama's faint snoring, she carefully got off the cushion and then carefully sat down on the edge of the bed, her gaze falling on the sleeping man.

Why do I have to be so good-looking? If I were ugly, I wouldn't have to worry about anything.

When school started, you said you'd help me pursue Xiao Fanbo, but Xiao Fanbo ended up with you. It's not that I've fallen for someone else too, but I would definitely accuse you of going too far.

Staring at Aoyama, Shiranami saw nothing but a handsome face and started his own little internal drama.

The memories of being with the sleeping boy slowly resurfaced in my mind.

[If Ichinose still doesn't want you by then, I'll reluctantly accept you.]

Suddenly, Shiranami recalled the last words Aoyama left her before he left on the day he stopped her from confessing her feelings.

Even if it's obviously a joke, as long as there's a reason, it doesn't matter if it's a little far-fetched.

Biting her lower lip, Shiranami took off her coat.

She moved very slowly, lifting the blanket, then gradually lying down, and finally covering herself with the blanket again.

Is it Arisu?

Half asleep and half awake, Aoyama discovered a warm, soft body beside him. He turned to his side and hugged the soft body in his arms, then stopped resisting the increasingly obvious sleepiness.

It smells so good, and it's so soft.

Finally, after taking a gentle sniff of the warm, fragrant body, Aoyama's consciousness faded into darkness.

Shiranami, who was being held in his arms, was suddenly awakened and, upon discovering the situation, the drowsiness he had developed from lying down for so long vanished instantly.

Just as she was enjoying Aoyama's warm embrace and gently placed her hand on the back of Aoyama's hand, a beep sounded from the entrance.

Who!

Shiranami panicked instantly. Then, disregarding whether she would wake Aoyama, she grabbed Aoyama's hand and tried to pull him away, twisting her body to break free from Aoyama embrace.

"Sleep a little longer, don't rush."

As Shiranami sat up halfway, and Aoyama's self-talk began, she felt strong arms wrap around her waist.

She didn't last two seconds before she was back in Aoyama's arms, and a new figure appeared in the room.

"Chihiro, what are you doing here?!" Ichinose's smiling face froze instantly, her eyes widening as she stared at Aoyama's arms, and at her best friend Shiranami, who was also staring wide-eyed.

After discovering that Aoyama was in her dormitory through her phone's location services, she said goodbye to her classmates with whom she had spent some time.

She had originally planned to spend the first day of spring break getting to know Aoyama better.

Unfortunately, the weather didn't seem to cooperate.

Chapter 309 Both Incompetent and Loves to Read

"I think I've arrived at a bad time, Shiki."

"No, you've come at the perfect time."

Awakened by Ichinose's somewhat surprised noise, Aoyama didn't even look at who he was holding before turning his gaze toward the source of the sound.

After giving some easy answers, he gradually came to his senses and remembered that there should be another person in the room.

No way...

With a slightly dangerous smile on Ichinose, Aoyama glanced at the girl still in his arms.

Short, light brown hair and a petite body—good, it seems he wasn't wrong.

"I think I wasn't sleepwalking, Shiranami."

Releasing his hand from Shiranami's lower abdomen, Aoyama sat up in bed. Shiranami, her face filled with panic, looked around before timidly sitting on the edge of the bed, awaiting Ichinose's judgment.

Awkward.

Shiranami felt that this was the most awkward moment of her life.

She felt like a cat caught cheating on its owner, and the one who caught her was her best friend, someone she used to like.

"Eh~ So, it was Chihiro who ran into your bed on her own." Standing in front of Shiranami, Ichinose took Shiranami's hand, forcing her to meet her gaze.

Although the words were addressed to Aoyama, they were clearly also meant for Shiranami.

"Um."

Feeling somewhat ashamed, Shiranami nodded.

"So that means Chihiro also likes the Shiki, right?"

"... right."

Without much struggle, Shiranami bit her lower lip and nodded.

The deed has already been done and discovered; there's no point in being stubborn anymore.

"What do you say about Shiki?" Ichinose put her hand on Aoyama's shoulder.

"What else can I say? Honami, you know me." Taking Ichinose's hand and pulling her to sit on his lap, Aoyama also pulled Shiranami to sit beside him. "I have no resistance to cute girls with good personalities."

Shiranami nodded to express his feelings even in front of Ichinose, so he naturally wouldn't misunderstand that Shiranami still harbored those feelings for Ichinose.

A cute and gentle girl is practically offered to me; there's no way I'd let her go.

Moreover, judging from Ichinose's deliberate guidance, Aoyama knew that Ichinose had no resistance to this.

"That's what he said, Chihiro."

Pretending to be unhappy, Ichinose pinched Aoyama's cheek, then poked Shiranami's little face and spoke.

In her sight, Shiranami, who had been sitting restlessly and feeling down, now had a look of surprise on his face and his eyes brightened.

"Thank you, Xiao Fanbo."

Realizing that Ichinose was helping him, Shiranami felt a surge of gratitude and hugged Aoyama tightly in response to Aoyama words.

She had expected to receive even the slightest criticism, but instead received an assist.

"Simply saying thank you isn't enough, Chihiro."