Classroom of the Elite, I Also Want to Be a Good Person

Chapter 46: Ichinose at the Corner

Whenever their eyes met, she would shyly turn her head away.

If he moved even slightly closer, her body would visibly stiffen.

Ever since Aoyama expressed that he also harbored desires for her, Yamamura hadn't spoken a proper word to him for two days.

"What stupid thing did you do again?"

As the Student Council activities concluded, Kamuro asked with a hint of disdain.

Having known each other for over two months, it was impossible for her not to have noticed Yamamura's unusual behavior.

"It seems a bit stupid, but it should be fine. Give it a few more days." Aoyama scratched his head.

Seeing that Yamamura didn't seem angry, he figured he shouldn't push her too hard, so he hadn't actively pestered her.

"It better be."

After saying this coldly, Kamuro tossed her long hair and left the Student Council room.

Seeing this, Aoyama picked up his school bag and set off for the gym.

At the corner of the first-year floor, he saw Ichinose, who looked different than usual, with a troubled expression between her brows.

"Aoyama-kun?!"

"What's wrong? Why the long face?"

After Ichinose greeted him with a look of pleasant surprise, Aoyama stopped in front of her.

Her beautiful pink hair reached down to her pleated school skirt, and the ribbon at her collar was almost pushed into an L-shape due to her well-developed figure.

Her ears were hidden behind her hair, and her large, icy-blue eyes were bright and alert.

Ichinose Honami was very beautiful.

"Um... could I bother you for a moment, Aoyama-kun?" Losing her usual efficiency, Ichinose's gaze drifted slightly.

"I suppose you can, but if it's something that needs to be kept confidential, please come with me."

Seeing Ichinose acting so fidgety, Aoyama roughly guessed what she wanted to talk to him about.

If he remembered correctly, there was a soft and cute girl in Class 1-B named Shiranami Chihiro who had sent a love letter to Ichinose shortly after school started.

Having never been confessed to before, Ichinose was very troubled and didn't know how to reject her.

Currently having no interest in romance, she didn't want to make Shiranami Chihiro too sad.

"Does Aoyama-kun come to this gym often, too?"

After bringing Ichinose to the gym and skillfully retrieving a key from the front desk to enter a private room, Ichinose asked with curiosity.

"I've started coming here often recently, but I leave before dinner, so I don't stay for long."

"Komako and I come here often too, but we always come in the evening."

"I see."

Sitting down on a chair, Aoyama ended the topic.

Sitting down as well, Ichinose hesitated for a moment before her pink lips parted, "Aoyama-kun must have been confessed to by many girls. Is there... a way to reject a girl without hurting her?"

"There is no such way. To crave something deeply and not receive it—how could one not be saddened by that?"

Hearing the expected question, Aoyama answered decisively.

The suffering of not getting what one wants is one of the seven sufferings of life in Buddhism.

"That's true... then is there a way to minimize the hurt?" Ichinose twirled a strand of pink hair that had fallen in front of her, "I want to continue getting along well with that child in the future."

"If we became strangers just because a confession failed, I think I would be very, very sad."

The tone of Ichinose's words was filled with worry, making it clear that her words came from the bottom of her heart.

They were just classmates who had known each other for a little over two months.

Although he couldn't understand why she felt so strongly about it, Aoyama expressed his respect.

If it were him, if someone who confessed to him stopped associating with him after being rejected, he would let them go without any psychological burden.

"I want to know how you feel about the person who confessed to you, Ichinose." Aoyama began to fish for information.

Solving Ichinose's trouble wasn't difficult.

Since Ichinose was afraid of becoming strangers with Shiranami after a rejection, he just needed to drastically reduce the possibility of that happening.

"I think Chihiro is a very cute girl. Her manners are calm and graceful, she gets along well with other classmates, and her somewhat fragile personality makes one want to protect her."

"However, although I don't have anyone I like, I am very certain that I don't hold romantic feelings for that child."

Looking up at the snow-white ceiling, Ichinose's voice was very gentle.

Regarding Shiranami Chihiro's confession, although she was troubled, she didn't feel a shred of annoyance.

"I looked it up online, and they say that using the excuse of 'already having someone I'm seeing' is the way to reject someone without hurting them. Aoyama-kun, you must have tried that, right?"

"No. Because I had a large scholarship, I attended an all-boys middle school, and besides, I don't lie to people about matters of the heart."

Recalling his middle school days, Aoyama felt not a shred of nostalgia.

Because he ignored the so-called atmosphere and was labeled a social outcast, his middle school campus life was no different from that of Horikita Suzune.

It was always going to school alone, and then returning home alone.

"...You're right. Lying is bad."

"There is also the concept of a white lie. You don't need to blame yourself too much, Ichinose. I think your intentions were good, and it made me think that you truly live up to your reputation as Ichinose."

Ichinose gave a somewhat strained smile. "Live up to my reputation? That's a bit embarrassing. I'm not as good as you think I am, Aoyama-kun."

"Is that so? Regardless, I'll stick to my original assessment." Aoyama wore a playful expression. "As a villain, I can't just listen to the one-sided words of a good person."

Flaunting his power in Class A, selling information to help rival classes, and peddling Student Council positions.

Since entering Kouiku, Aoyama had basically done nothing good.

The reputation circulating among the first-years was also mostly infamous.

"I don't think Aoyama-kun is a bad person."

"I don't care what you think, I only care about what I think."

Faced with Ichinose's earnest gaze, Aoyama didn't know what else to say, so he could only resort to the quotes of domineering CEOs from his memories.

By his own judgment, he shouldn't be considered a good person, but he didn't belong to the category of those who were completely evil either.

"Aoyama-kun, you're very interesting."

"If it makes you feel better, Ichinose, then it is my honor."

"That's a bit too exaggerated."

Lifting her arms to stretch her body, Ichinose straightened her legs and jumped to her feet, returning to her energetic state.

"Although I'm still very afraid of the unwanted consequences, I also know that avoiding this will only hurt Chihiro more."

"As expected of Ichinose."

"I told you, saying things like that makes me shy." Facing Aoyama's teasing smile, Ichinose replied with a helpless expression.

"But shy or not, the commission fee for my help still needs to be paid. Ten thousand private points will do."

Leaving his chair, Aoyama stood up and reached out with a smile toward the stunned Ichinose.

Once she sought him out, she had to pay regardless of whether he actually did anything.

Besides, he didn't intend to do nothing this time; easing Shiranami Chihiro's heartbreak was just a matter of moving his mouth.

Simple, easy, and if all went well, he would also gain the favor of Ichinose Honami.

A business with no capital and high returns—it would be a waste not to do it.

Chapter 47: The Soft and Cute Shiranami Chihiro

Giving Sakura Airi the day off, Aoyama found Shiranami Chihiro, who was about to make her confession, through his friend and Kouiku's timely helper, Kushida.

She seemed pessimistic about her own confession; at this moment, the worry on her face outweighed her anticipation.

"Good evening, Shiranami-san."

In the dessert shop under the dim evening sky, Aoyama sat down uninvited opposite the lone Shiranami.

He had learned from Ichinose that there was still an hour left before her scheduled meeting with Shiranami, which was enough time for him to have a good talk with her.

"Good evening, Aoyama-kun." A flash of confusion crossed her face, and Shiranami replied politely.

She didn't understand why Aoyama was looking for her. No matter how she thought about it, she couldn't find any connection between herself and him.

Could it be a confession?

Impossible, impossible. Although his reputation wasn't great, Aoyama-kun was, after all, the vice president of the Student Council, and he was tall and handsome.

As for her, not only was she not mature and looked a bit childish, but her figure was the same.

Because she was about to confess, Shiranami Chihiro had a fleeting thought that it was impossible, which she quickly dismissed.

"You are very brave, Shiranami-san."

Aoyama offered his praise to Shiranami sincerely.

Her well-groomed short brown hair, the cute cherry blossom hair clip, and her face, which still looked like a middle schooler's, held pure, deep blue eyes.

Without knowing the other party's sexual orientation, she was going to confess to someone of the same sex; this courage did not match her soft and cute appearance at all.

"What does Aoyama-kun mean?" Shiranami asked cautiously, her small hands on the table rubbing against her cup.

"I'm talking about your confession to Ichinose later. She discussed with me how to reply so that you wouldn't be hurt at all."

"..."

As if struck by a freezing spell, Shiranami froze in her seat, motionless. After a few seconds, her eyes suddenly widened, and crystal-clear tears instantly welled up and slid down.

The previously peaceful space was suddenly shrouded in sorrow.

Aoyama handed over the tissues he had prepared. "Don't cry out loud. If others see it, they'll think I'm dumping you. You wouldn't want to be mistaken for being dumped by someone like me, would you?"

"..."

Still receiving no answer, Shiranami Chihiro simply wore a mournful expression as she silently took the tissue to cover her eyes.

Whenever she found the tissue could no longer hold up, Aoyama would silently hand her another one.

The time spent shedding silent tears lasted for nearly ten minutes before it finally ended.

"Did Honami send you here?" With the corners of her eyes slightly red, there was an indescribable sense of loss on Shiranami's face.

"Ichinose would never do something like that; she intended to speak with you clearly in person," Aoyama maintained a gentle tone, "but I felt you deserved a chance, so I took the liberty of coming to find you."

Although he admired Shiranami's courage, he believed that Shiranami confessing so quickly was essentially throwing the game.

To use a fitting analogy, Shiranami's behavior was like rushing in to fight one versus five right at the start of a MOBA match—purely feeding.

"A chance? What does that mean?"

"Let's first listen to what Ichinose thinks of you, Shiranami-san."

Smiling at Shiranami, whose level of dejection had lessened significantly, Aoyama took out his phone and tapped to play a file.

Ichinose's gentle and pleasant voice immediately emanated from the speaker.

Soon, the impressions Ichinose had shared with Aoyama not long ago regarding Shiranami, as well as her statement that she held no romantic feelings for her, were all played back.

Aoyama hadn't recorded her at the gym; after all, he had recently acquired the Voice Mimicry skill.

Judging by Shiranami's expression, she didn't realize at all that this wasn't Ichinose's actual voice.

"Ichinose does like you; after all, in my eyes, Shiranami-san is also very cute, it's just—" Aoyama paused, "Ichinose only has the kind of affection for you that one has for a friend."

"There isn't a shred of possibility for success if you confess now, and you have already received the answer you were so fixated on. Therefore, unless you want Ichinose to reject you in person, there is no need for a confession."

"Besides, I think you should also know that after a failed confession, it is impossible for there to be no rift. It will be very difficult for you to continue being close to Ichinose when that happens."

In a long-winded speech, Aoyama analyzed for Shiranami all the various drawbacks that would come from stubbornly persisting with a confession.

From a purely rational standpoint, if Shiranami still refused to give up, any further confession would only be a hindrance.

"What do you think of me? Could I be your boyfriend?"