An Attack on Class B

Horikita Suzune tried her best to maintain a calm tone, but Kitagawa Ryo didn't seem to care much, yawning as he let her into the kitchen.

Just as Horikita Suzune was pretending to be sophisticated while searching for a hair clip that didn't even exist in the kitchen, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, whom she had arranged, knocked on Kitagawa Ryo's door again.

"Ayanokoji... right? I remember you're from room 401. Is there something you need?"

Seemingly surprised by Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's visit, Kitagawa Ryo asked in bewilderment.

"Ah, is that so?"

As always, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka kept a poker face and pulled out a pink apron with a bear pattern from behind his back.

"This thing was blown by the wind onto my balcony."

"I made some inquiries, and it seems that Shiina Hiyori from Class C recently bought this style of apron, but since I'm not familiar with her, I was wondering if I could ask you to take it back."

"Oh, is that so?"

Kitagawa Ryo took the apron, scratched his head, and said:

"Let me make a phone call first."

But after several attempts, the other end was always busy, so Kitagawa Ryo could only say helplessly:

"It seems Hiyori did buy one of these recently. To make it easier to explain, let's go upstairs together, it'll only take a little while."

"Oh well."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and Kitagawa Ryo then left the room together, intending to go to the twelfth floor to return the items to Shiina Hiyori.

Having finally gotten her chance, Horikita Suzune, after confirming that Kitagawa Ryo had left, went straight from the kitchen to her desk. Holding her breath, she opened the right drawer of the desk, and sure enough, there was another stack of printed answers.

Induction and Francis Bacon...

That's right, this is the real answer key that matches the exam scope they outlined!

Horikita Suzune quickly took photos of each page of answers with her phone and saved them.

She couldn't wait to expose Kitagawa Ryo's trick in public after the Midterm Exam, and just thinking about it made Horikita Suzune smile.

This time, she won.

Chapter Fifteen: The Attack on Class B

"I didn't expect Honami to agree to come out with me at this time?"

"There's less than a week left until the Midterm Exam."

Dressed casually, Kitagawa Ryo Ichinose Honami, who was also shopping beside him.

"I'm free anytime, but I'm actually quite curious that Kitagawa-kun would ask me out at this time."

Ichinose Honami smiled brightly. As usual, she wasn't wearing any hair accessories like hair clips or headbands. Her beautiful long, golden-pink hair was casually draped down to her waist, with a few strands falling lightly over her fair shoulders. She was wearing a loose, navy blue off-the-shoulder shirt paired with white jeans, exuding the youthful energy of a summer girl. She looked quite cool and eye-catching.

"Huh? Why?"

"Because Kitagawa-kun seems to be a very busy person, even the students outside of Class C are paying attention to him."

Ichinose Honami saw Kitagawa Ryo looking at her with a somewhat puzzled expression, she responded with a cute smile:

"Kitagawa-kun probably doesn't know this, but actually a lot of girls are paying attention to you. Your name is even on the ranking list made by the First Year girls."

What specific type of ranking list is it?

Slightly intrigued by Ichinose Honami's words, Kitagawa Ryo also inquired.

"There are many kinds of rankings, like a ranking of handsome guys, a ranking of rich people, a ranking of disgusting people, and then there's a ranking of people you most want to date and a ranking of people you least want to date... I heard about it from my classmates."

Ichinose Honami quickly explained:

"As for Kitagawa-kun, I remember he took first place in the handsome guy ranking. By the way, second place went to Satoka Rinaka Class A, and third place went to Hirata from Class D."

Is there any points reward for being ranked number one?

Kitagawa Ryo's words left Ichinose Honami speechless:

"... This leaderboard was created by the students themselves, so there are no rewards."

Having said that, Ichinose Honami nodded and said:

"No wonder Kitagawa-kun not only topped the list of handsome guys, but also ranked high on the list of the least desirable boyfriends. But maybe it's because people don't know Kitagawa-kun very well yet. After all, if I were a girl in Class D, I would probably also give you a lot more votes without hesitation."

The two chatted idly about trivial matters while shopping for daily necessities in the mall. Judging from appearances alone, they might easily be mistaken for a couple.

"Um?"

Seemingly noticing a certain corner, Kitagawa Ryo frowned slightly, Ichinose Honami followed his gaze.

In a corner of the convenience store, a purple-haired girl with a side ponytail seemed to be selecting items, but upon closer inspection, one could see that her movements were somewhat furtive, and her eyes were quite suspicious, as if she were looking around suspiciously.

"This is?"

Kitagawa Ryo silently observed the girl through the gap in the shipping container, while Ichinose Honami was standing next to him, seemed to recall some unpleasant memories. Her previously smiling face froze as if pressed to pause, and she stared intently at the girl's next move, as if confirming something above.

"She's... stealing something?"

The next second, the girl took an item off the shelf, but unlike Kitagawa Ryo and Ichinose Honami who were shopping, she didn't put the item in her shopping basket. Instead, she stuffed it directly into her bag. The whole process was very fast. It was as if she had already checked the range of the mall's surveillance cameras. She showed no fear or panic at all about being caught.

Connecting this to her previous strange behavior, Kitagawa Ryo naturally made this judgment.

"I'll stop her. Being caught stealing is no joke."

Kitagawa Ryo instinctively wanted to go over, but Ichinose Honami had somehow grabbed his sleeve and said in a voice barely audible:

"Wait, let's talk outside."

"Will Honami cover up this kind of behavior?"

Seemingly puzzled by Ichinose Honami's actions, Kitagawa Ryo's question finally brought Ichinose Honami to her senses. She pursed her lips and remained silent, even forgetting to take her shopping basket. She quickly ran to the girl who was about to walk past the checkout counter and patted her shoulder in a seemingly familiar manner.

"Did you find the hair clip I asked you to find? I saw it, thank you."

Ichinose Honami smiled gently, seemingly a genuine old friend of the girl.

"I was saying I didn't have time to come to the mall so you could bring it for me, but then my club activity was canceled."

She winked playfully at the girl:

"I know you don't usually like using shopping baskets, so you probably keep them in your bag. I've told you before that's not good; you might buy too many things and forget to take some out."

Startled by Ichinose Honami's sudden appearance, the purple-haired girl clicked her tongue impatiently. However, after glancing at the waiting cashier, she could only take the hair clip out of her bag. Ichinose Honami naturally took it and went to pay.

"What happened?"

The two women had just left the mall when Kitagawa Ryo, who was carrying two large bags of household goods and had also finished paying, came out as well. Looking at the two who seemed to be facing off, he asked with some confusion.

"I'm Kamuro Masumi from Class 1-A. Your girlfriend seems to have a particular passion for educating others."

The purple-haired girl fiddled with the ends of her hair and spoke with a hint of frustration.

"Oh, I'm Kitagawa Ryo from Class 1-C. Just to clarify, this isn't my girlfriend, she's just a friend I came shopping with."

Kitagawa Ryo, carrying two large bags, suggested somewhat helplessly:

"Can we find a place to sit down and talk about it?"

It was Ichinose Honami noticed what Kitagawa Ryo was carrying. She quickly stepped forward to help carry her share, muttering an apology in a low voice, but her eyes remained fixed on Kamuro Masumi, as if afraid she might suddenly slip away.

The three of them found a coffee shop that was open. Because of the upcoming Midterm Exam, they were the only customers there. Before they even sat down, Kitagawa Ryo heard Ichinose Honami speak in a very stern tone that he had never heard before:

Why did you steal it?

But Ichinose Honami quickly realized that her interrogative tone had gone too far. She took two deep breaths, suppressing the chaotic dark memories surging in her mind, and tried her best to return to her usual gentle tone:

"Stealing... is wrong."

"Besides, as a student in Class 1-A, you shouldn't be so destitute as to resort to stealing because you don't have enough points, right?"

"What's more, it was a hair clip, a kind of accessory, that was stolen!"

She had calmed down a bit, but after realizing that the other person was a student from Class A, Ichinose Honami couldn't help but lose her temper again.

"Huh? Stealing is my personal act. Even if I get caught, I'm the only one who suffers. I don't understand why you're going to pay for it for me."

However, Kamuro Masumi showed no appreciation whatsoever, and replied dismissively with her legs crossed:

"We didn't even know each other before, Ichinose?"

Aren't you afraid I'll report you for theft right now?

"If you wanted to do it, you could have done it from the beginning."

Seemingly annoyed by Ichinose Honami's lecturing, Kamuro Masumi bluntly stated:

"I didn't steal for reasons like easing my financial burden; I just wanted to experience the thrill of danger."

"Tsk."

Whether it was a misperception or not, when Kamuro Masumi spoke, Kitagawa Ryo could clearly feel a change in the atmosphere around Ichinose Honami beside him. Those words must have had a considerable impact on her.

"And I'll put it back afterwards. The process of putting it back is just as exciting as the process of stealing it."

Kamuro Masumi sounded quite cheerful; she seemed to genuinely view the whole thing as a way to relax, and it sounded like she was a repeat offender.

She seemed to want to describe her "stealing experience" a little more, the hair clip she had stolen dancing in her palm, and it was clear that Kamuro Masumi felt no guilt or remorse whatsoever.

It wasn't until Kamuro Masumi saw the tears rolling down Ichinose Honami's face that she realized what was happening.

Ichinose Honami learned to put her mother at a young age, so her cries were always silent.

Her tears fell drop by drop, like pearls from a broken string, streaming down her cheeks and soaking her clothes.

Some people cry out of fear, some out of sadness, and some out of joy.

Crying is always given a variety of meanings.

But right now she's just crying, silently, quietly shedding tears.

Kitagawa Ryo sighed, took out a tissue from his bag and handed it to Ichinose Honami. Seeing that she didn't intend to take it, he stepped forward and gently wiped away her tears. The warm teardrops seeped through the tissue into Kitagawa Ryo's palm, and seemed to be a little hot.

When Ichinose Honami Kitagawa Ryo carefully wiped away the tear streaks on her face. He didn't ask her anything, but treated her with the same patience and meticulousness as a craftsman handling the most precise machine.

"Feel sorry."

Honami's voice had a strong nasal tone after crying, which unconsciously evoked feelings of pity in listeners.

"I'd like to speak with Kamuro alone."

"Okay, I'll go out first."

Kitagawa Ryo nodded without paying any attention, resisting the urge to touch the girl's hair, and turned to leave the coffee shop.

Leaning on the railing on the third floor of the mall, Kitagawa Ryo looked out at the empty corridor with a melancholy expression. He sighed heavily and finally sent a message to Sakayanagi Arisu:

[The plan is going smoothly.]

After doing all this, Kitagawa Ryo collapsed onto the floor against the glass curtain wall, utterly exhausted, and muttered to himself:

"I told you long ago, although Honami has learned to lie, he's also very naive and easily fooled."

Although he said that, Kitagawa Ryo knew very well that this time, he felt no joy at the success.

Deceiving Ichinose Honami was much harder than he had imagined, and considerably harder.

Shiranami Chihiro was very glad that she was assigned to Class B. She didn't think she was particularly good at academics or sports, and she was also timid and hesitant. She also didn't perform well in the interview and Written Exam. However, Tokyo Koutou Ikusei Junior High School still assigned her to Class B.

Compared to the two-way standoff in Class 1-A, the violent rule of Class C, and the chaos in Class D, the collective atmosphere of Class 1-B captivated her at every moment. The students helped and supported each other, and under the leadership of class president Ichinose Honami, they moved towards Class A.

It feels amazing to see everyone working together towards a common goal!

Moreover, it was under Ichinose's guidance.

Shiranami Chihiro firmly believes that the peaceful and united atmosphere of Class 1-B is absolutely inseparable from Ichinose Honami, who is the class president. In fact, it is precisely because Ichinose is the class president of Class 1-B Ichinose- B that Class B has become the most cohesive class.

Whether it's appearance or personality, academic ability or sports, in Shiranami Chihiro's eyes, Ichinose Honami is an impeccable, perfect superhero. Just seeing her gentle and kind smile makes every day of school life seem full of energy.

Only...

Over the course of more than a month, a strange feeling began to develop in Shiranami Chihiro's heart. Even though she and Ichinose Honami girls, she always felt an urge to be more than just friends with her. At first, she simply thought it was a desire to become closer to Ichinose, but as time went on, this strange feeling didn't disappear; instead, it grew stronger. It wasn't until she saw Ichinose Honami morning recently that she suddenly realized—

I think I might have fallen for him.

After realizing her feelings, Shiranami Chihiro did not directly tell Ichinose Honami about her feelings. On one hand, she was afraid that her feelings would hurt her friendship with Ichinose Honami, and on the other hand, she was timid by nature and did not have enough courage.

Therefore, Shiranami Chihiro could only suppress her emotions for the time being and continue to focus her attention on Ichinose Honami's every smile and gesture, thinking that if life continued like this, it might not be so bad.