Conflict

On one side was a childhood sweetheart, and on the other were three girls from his class whom he barely knew.

If those two sides were placed on a scale and he were asked to choose, it would be an exceptionally cruel and difficult question.

And now, that very choice had been thrust before Hoshino.

"Don't worry about me. Just follow your heart."

The very person who had posed the question wore a mischievous smile as she spoke.

"If I didn't care about Arisu, I wouldn't have come with you in the first place."

"That's the textbook answer. Actually, it's so textbook that it feels kind of boring."

"Tch. You're awfully demanding."

"Hehe, I'm done joking. Go meet them, Akira. Those beautiful girls are going to get impatient waiting."

Arisu smiled gently and waved goodbye to Hoshino.

Hoshino wasn't in a hurry, either. He ambled toward Keyaki Mall.

As he passed the gymnasium, Hoshino glanced over and saw quite a few students gathering there. They were probably going to the club fair. If Karuizawa and the others hadn't asked him to meet them, Hoshino would probably be there now.

Hoshino wasn't particularly interested in club activities themselves. To him, the things high school students did were as childish as little kids playing house.

Depending on the circumstances, clubs could be a useful platform, but Hoshino wasn't especially ambitious. For now, he'd rather take it easy and enjoy his school life.

But people never seemed to get what they wanted. The more they wanted something, the more things went against them.

When Hoshino arrived at the karaoke place in Keyaki Mall, he was met with quite a scene.

Two groups of girls were confronting each other. One group consisted of the three girls from Class D, Hoshino's class: Karuizawa, Sato, and Matsushita. The other group was made up of four girls he didn't recognize.

From the sidelines, the atmosphere between them looked tense. Karuizawa and Sato were shouting angrily at the other group, while Matsushita was at least trying to stay calm, holding them by the arms to keep them from advancing. The other group was much the same. One impulsive move could easily turn this into a physical fight.

Hoshino habitually scanned the area. There were plenty of onlookers, but no one seemed willing to step in.

Watching from the sidelines or stepping in to stop them—both choices had their pros and cons. But considering the conclusion he and Arisu had reached earlier, that students' words and actions at this school might affect how their classes were evaluated, which in turn could influence the money deposited into their accounts at the beginning of each month, the choice was obvious.

So he could keep enjoying delicious food, buy entertainment goods, and go out with Arisu or other girls—for the sake of money, Hoshino promptly took action.

As he hurried over, the girls from his class noticed him.

"Hoshino!"

Karuizawa's eyes lit up, and she waved at him.

"Doesn't look like a friendly scene. What happened?"

"They—"

"Karuizawa, calm down, please. Matsushita, you tell me."

Though his tone was even, Hoshino's words carried an inexplicable pressure. Not only Karuizawa and Sato, but even the girls from the other group stopped shouting.

"...Karuizawa accidentally bumped into one of the girls over there."

"And then?"

"...She apologized, but—"

"Hah? You call that arrogant remark an apology?"

Matsushita hadn't finished speaking when a short-haired girl from the other group interrupted her. She appeared to be the one who had clashed directly with Karuizawa.

Hoshino turned to face her and asked with a smile, "Hello. I'm Hoshino Akira from Class D. And you are?"

"...Manabe Shiho, Class C."

"Hello, Manabe. I'm talking with the girls in my class right now. Could you please be quiet? It's very rude to interrupt someone else's conversation."

"What did you say?!"

"Was I not clear enough? Or are you unable to understand something this simple?"

As he spoke, Hoshino took a step toward Manabe. For some reason, the tall boy smiling at her made Manabe feel uneasy.

Was it his composure, or his force of presence? Whatever it was, at that moment, Hoshino had taken control of everything.

With a smile on his face, Hoshino let his gaze pass over each of the Class C girls. Once he was sure they wouldn't speak again, he turned back.

"Please continue, Matsushita."

"Um... We came to the shop, and it was crowded. We were chatting and didn't notice what was happening, so Karuizawa accidentally bumped into Manabe. Manabe lost her balance and fell. Karuizawa apologized right away, but Manabe kept picking a fight..."

"What Matsushita said is right, isn't it, Karuizawa?"

"Yes... that's right."

Karuizawa answered hesitantly. It was reasonable to assume that at least some of the story wasn't entirely true, but that didn't matter.

"Manabe, that's what happened. My classmate has explained the facts. Do you have anything else to say?"

"What facts? That's not what happened at all! That woman deliberately slammed into me out of nowhere. It hurt like hell! And then she just grinned and said, 'Sorry, didn't see you.' It was obviously a lie. She wasn't the least bit sincere!"

"I see. I understand."

Hoshino smiled and nodded, then turned around and took Karuizawa by the hand.

"Looks like you have nothing else to say. Then let's be on our way. We've already wasted quite a bit of the time we booked the room for."

"W-what? What are you talking about? We haven't settled this yet. You think you can just run away?"

Manabe froze for a moment, then came to her senses and shrieked as she blocked their path.

"Sorry, but I don't like talking to people who lie."

"Lie? You're saying I'm lying?"

"Obviously. Before this, Karuizawa and the others didn't know you at all. And from what I can see, Karuizawa is a little shorter than you and slimmer, too. On top of that, they're outnumbered three to four. I can't imagine what they'd gain by picking a fight with you. So your claim that Karuizawa deliberately knocked you down is an outright lie."

She'd lost face after bumping into someone and falling, so she'd made a fuss about it. She just hadn't expected Karuizawa to be just as hot-tempered.

It was a pointless little incident anyone could see through. A complete waste of time.

Hoshino looked down at Manabe.

"So will you move aside? We've wasted enough precious time already. The fact that we're not holding you responsible is more than fair."

"Ugh..."

With Hoshino pushing her this far, Manabe had no way to argue back. She could only bite her lip and step aside resentfully.