Protection

"Ryuen and Sakayanagi are truly troublesome," Hoshino muttered to himself, his fingertips continuing to tap against the keyboard as he replied.

He wasn't acting entirely out of kindness; Ichinose's honesty was reciprocal—her confiding was limited to personal feelings and general dilemmas, never touching upon specific class strategies or point allocations.

Even with their level of trust, she only discussed private matters with him, strictly maintaining the boundary of class secrets.

This sense of propriety actually made Hoshino feel at ease.

From the fragmented information she occasionally let slip, Hoshino Kanade could piece together that the Class A led by Ichinose was under immense pressure.

Yet, interestingly, even with pressure mounting like a mountain, he could perceive the astonishing growth rate of the Class A members—if not for that, facing the pincer attack of Ryuen and Sakayanagi, they would likely have collapsed long ago if they had relied solely on unity.

"Hoshino-kun, thank you so much for listening to me..." another message popped up on the screen.

Hoshino Kanade's fingers hovered over the screen for a moment.

Class A bore the title of a top-tier class, yet their current situation was like a fat sheep surrounded by wolves; the term "unworthy of the position" could not be more apt, and the internal pressure was unimaginable.

As the core of the class, the pressure on Ichinose was magnified exponentially.

Unexpectedly, she was willing to reveal her fatigue and vulnerability in front of him, a student from another class; this inexplicable trust caused a ripple in Hoshino's heart.

The current exchange of messages with Ichinose had largely become her way of relieving stress.

Hoshino Kanade looked at the screen, able to imagine her putting on a brave face in front of everyone in Class A.

Toward him, the "Hoshino-kun" from another class, she had unexpectedly lowered some of her defenses.

She showed him her vulnerability under pressure, yet she always strictly adhered to her responsibilities and secrets as the class representative of Class A.

This meant that the content of her confiding was almost entirely focused on the troubles and personal pressure brought about by these external conflicts.

He took a deep breath and began to type his reply carefully, weighing every word: "It is normal for you to bear pressure far beyond that of others. But a leader is also human; seeking a way to relieve stress is not a sign of weakness. As for Ryuen and Sakayanagi..." He frowned slightly, his fingertips tapping, "Remember, their core goal is always to achieve their objectives; conflict is merely a means. Sometimes, surface-level conflict is exactly how they test the limits of Class A, so don't be led by the nose... Try to strip away the 'goal' from their actions, and your response will be more targeted."

Reflecting on the snippets of information from just now, Hoshino was lost in thought.

Ichinose had mentioned that "everyone in the class is more united," "response strategies are being adjusted rapidly," and "although it's difficult, we can hold steady for now"... These pieces of information confirmed his judgment: under pressure, Class A was demonstrating powerful resilience and the ability to evolve.

Come to think of it, he owed a debt of gratitude to the Class A led by Ichinose for bearing the brunt of the pressure, preventing these troublesome fires from burning his own Class D, which allowed him and his class to live relatively peacefully.

For this reason, Hoshino Kanade didn't mind playing the role of comforter and guide in their messages, sometimes offering seemingly casual advice, and other times providing analysis to help her clear her thoughts.

"Thank you, Hoshino-kun." Ichinose's reply came quickly. "Talking to you makes me feel much better." The rare sense of reliance between the lines was self-evident.

After all, Ichinose was the person in Class A who needed the most concern.

Across the cold screen, text was a way to cultivate rapport, and for Hoshino at this moment, it was also an effective method of guidance.

Hoshino Kanade looked at the final "makes me feel much better" on the screen, his fingertips hovering over the send button for a moment before he slowly withdrew them.

He pressed the terminal screen off, the smooth device landing on the desk with a barely audible click.

His fingertips tapped unconsciously on the equally smooth wooden surface, and he leaned back into his chair, the lines of his shoulders and neck relaxing slightly.

The afternoon sun, slanting from the west, shone through the windows, casting long, warm light and shadows across the floor.

The classroom was filled with an air of afternoon lethargy; muffled laughter drifted from the back rows, and the rustle of pen tips sliding across paper came from the front.

Hoshino's gaze aimlessly followed the dust motes floating in the air, and a clear, cold thought surfaced in his mind: at the end of the day, the life-and-death disputes of the other classes, the prairie fire currently raging, could not yet reach the private sanctuary of Class D.

With that wall of Class A standing on the front line—perhaps not a sturdy one—neither the savage charges of Ryuen Kakeru nor the precise chess games of Sakayanagi Arisu had anything to do with Class D for the time being.

This rare peace even made the class's daily routine seem somewhat... dull.

Just in this brief moment of mental vacancy, the figure of the homeroom teacher, Chabashira Sae, swept across the edge of his vision.

She was standing at the classroom door, whispering to a teacher from a neighboring class.

That profile, which usually seemed capable of seeing through everything, appeared somewhat blurred in the light and shadow, yet it was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, instantly shattering the peace from a moment ago. Hoshino frowned imperceptibly.

Chabashira-sensei... can she really let go of that near-paranoid obsession of hers?

That obsession, rooted in her past regrets, of forcing Class D to rise to Class A.

If, for the sake of that ridiculous obsession, she dared to fabricate the lie that that man (Kiyona's father) had demanded the school force a withdrawal, or even used her authority as a homeroom teacher to invent "groundless" reasons for expulsion to threaten Kiyona... forcing her to become the spark that would ignite Class D...

A trace of cold hostility flashed in the depths of Hoshino's eyes.

As long as she dares to do that, she can't blame me.

Almost instinctively, Hoshino Kanade turned around and looked behind him.

Kiyona was sitting there quietly, her head slightly bowed, focused on the open book.

The setting sun gently outlined the delicate contours of her profile.

Seeming to sense his gaze, Kiyona looked up, her eyes meeting his.

She didn't speak, but the corners of her mouth curved into a tiny, almost imperceptible arc, like a glimmer of light cast into the center of a lake—fleeting, yet clearly reflected in the depths of Hoshino's eyes.

In that smile was pure trust and reliance.

I must... protect this peace. Protect her.

As if to verify the necessity of this protection, Hoshino's gaze swept around the classroom once more.

Of the two boys in the back who had been buried in their games, one was finally poked in the elbow by his companion, reluctantly shoved his game console back into the drawer, and slowly pulled out his textbook; the girls chatting in the front row also seemed to realize the time, lowering their voices and beginning to scramble through their notes and stationery; even the guy by the wall with headphones on, who had been daydreaming the whole time, lifted his eyelids and glanced toward the podium.

Progress? Perhaps there is some. But it is too slow, too scattered, like sparse seedlings in a desert.

Compared to the classes ahead, the slackness and passivity of Class D at this moment remain an insurmountable chasm.

With things the way they are now... Chabashira Sae, do you still harbor even a shred of fantasy about pushing us up to Class A?

Hoshino Kanade sneered inwardly, though his eyes held a hint of genuine doubt.

This fantasy itself seemed so absurd in the face of current reality.

Uncertain.

He told himself, his fingertips stopping their unconscious tapping.

In the classroom, the somewhat perfunctory, intermittent sounds of preview discussions gradually became clearer, drifting into his ears.

But... one must be prepared; that was the final conclusion. In order to maintain this hard-won, reasonably satisfactory peaceful daily life, any potential source of threat, even if there was only a faint possibility, had to be brought into view and strictly guarded against.

"Ryuen Kakeru and Sakayanagi Arisu are indeed difficult to deal with," Hoshino muttered to himself, his fingertips continuing to tap on the keyboard as he replied.

He was not acting entirely out of kindness; the sincerity of Ichinose was mutual—her confiding focused primarily on personal feelings and overall dilemmas, never involving specific class strategies or point allocations.

Even with trust, she only discussed private matters with him, strictly maintaining the boundaries of class secrets.

This sense of propriety actually made Hoshino feel at ease.

From the fragmented information she occasionally revealed, Hoshino Kanade could piece together that the Class A led by Ichinose was under immense pressure.

But interestingly, even with pressure like a mountain, he could perceive the astonishing growth rate of the members of Class A—if not for this, facing the double pincer attack of Ryuen and Sakayanagi, they would likely have collapsed long ago if they relied solely on unity.

"Hoshino-kun, thank you so much for listening to me..." Another message popped up on the screen.

Hoshino Kanade's fingers hovered over the screen for a moment.

Class A bore the title of a top-tier class, yet their current situation was like a fat sheep surrounded by wolves; the term "unworthy of the position" could not be more fitting, and the internal pressure was imaginable.

As the core of the class, the pressure on Ichinose was magnified exponentially.

Unexpectedly, she was willing to reveal her fatigue and vulnerability in front of him, a student from another class; this inexplicable trust caused a ripple in Hoshino's heart.

The current exchange of messages with Ichinose had largely become a way for her to relieve pressure.

Hoshino Kanade looked at the screen, imagining her putting on a brave face in front of everyone in Class A.

Toward him, the "Hoshino-kun" from another class, she had unexpectedly let down some of her defenses.

She showed him her vulnerability under pressure, yet she always adhered to her responsibilities and secrets as the leader of Class A.

This made the content of her confiding revolve almost entirely around the troubles brought by these external conflicts and her personal stress.

He took a deep breath and began to type his reply earnestly, choosing his words carefully: "It is normal for you to bear pressure far beyond others. But a leader is also human; seeking a way to relieve stress is not weakness. As for Ryuen and Sakayanagi..." He frowned slightly, his fingertips tapping, "Remember, their core goal is always to achieve their objectives; conflict is merely a means. Sometimes, superficial conflict is precisely how they test the limits of Class A; don't be led by the nose... Try to strip away the true 'goal' from their actions, and your response will be more targeted."

Recalling the snippets from the message just now, Hoshino was thoughtful.

Ichinose mentioned that "everyone in the class is more united," "response strategies are being adjusted rapidly," and "although it's difficult, we can still hold on for now"... These pieces of information confirmed his judgment: under pressure, Class A was showing strong resilience and the ability to evolve.

Come to think of it, he had to thank the Class A led by Ichinose for bearing the main pressure; these troublesome fires could not burn the Class D he belonged to, allowing him and his class to live relatively peacefully.

For this reason, Hoshino Kanade did not mind playing the role of comforter and guide in their messages, sometimes offering seemingly casual suggestions, and sometimes helping her sort out her thoughts with analysis.

"Thank you, Hoshino-kun." Ichinose's reply came quickly. "Talking to you makes me feel much better." The rare sense of reliance between the lines was self-evident.

After all, Ichinose was the person in Class A who needed the most concern.

Across the cold screen, text was a way to cultivate rapport, and for Hoshino now, this was also an effective way of guidance.

Hoshino Kanade looked at the last sentence on the screen, "makes me feel much better," his fingertips hovering over the send key for a moment before slowly withdrawing.

He pressed the terminal screen off, and the smooth device landed on the desk with a barely audible click.

His fingertips tapped unconsciously on the equally smooth wooden surface a few times, and he leaned back slightly into his chair, the lines of his shoulders and neck relaxing a little.

The afternoon sun, slanting from the west, shone through the window, casting long, warm shadows on the floor.

The classroom was filled with a lazy afternoon atmosphere; muffled laughter drifted from the back rows, and the rustle of pen tips across paper came from the front.

Hoshino's gaze aimlessly followed the dust motes floating in the air, and a clear, cold thought surfaced in his mind: when it comes down to it, the life-and-death struggles of the other classes, the raging fire at this moment, could not yet burn into the private plot of land that was Class D.

With the wall of Class A standing on the front line, perhaps it wasn't solid, but whether it was the reckless charge of Ryuen Kakeru or the precise chess game of Sakayanagi Arisu, it had nothing to do with Class D for the time being.

This hard-won peace even made the class's daily life seem somewhat... boring.

Just in this brief moment of distraction, the figure of the homeroom teacher, Chabashira Sae, flashed across the edge of his vision.

She was standing at the classroom door, whispering something to a teacher from another class.

That profile, which usually seemed to see through everything, looked a bit blurred in the light and shadow at this moment, but like a stone thrown into a calm lake, it instantly shattered the peace from just before. Hoshino frowned imperceptibly.

Chabashira-sensei... can she really let go of her almost paranoid obsession?

That obsession, rooted in her past regrets, to push Class D up to Class A.

If, for the sake of that ridiculous obsession, she dared to fabricate the lie that that man (Kiyona's father) demanded the school force a withdrawal, or even used her authority as a homeroom teacher to invent a "non-existent" reason for withdrawal to threaten Kiyona... forcing her to become the spark to ignite Class D...

A trace of cold hostility flashed in the depths of Hoshino's eyes.

As long as she dares to do that, she has only herself to blame.

Almost instinctively, Hoshino Kanade turned around to look behind him.

Kiyona was sitting there quietly, her head slightly bowed, focused on the open book before her.

The setting sun gently outlined the delicate contours of her profile.

Seeming to sense his gaze, Kiyona looked up, her eyes meeting his.

She didn't speak, but the corners of her mouth curved into a tiny, almost imperceptible arc—like a glimmer of light cast into the center of a lake, fleeting yet clearly reflected in Hoshino's eyes.

That smile held pure trust and reliance.

I must... protect this peace. Protect her.

As if to confirm the necessity of this protection, Hoshino's gaze swept across the classroom once more.

Of the two boys in the back row who had been buried in their game, one was finally nudged by his companion's elbow, reluctantly shoving his console into his desk drawer and slowly pulling out a textbook; the girls chatting in the front row seemed to realize the time, lowering their voices and scrambling to find their notes and stationery; even the guy by the wall, who had been zoning out with headphones on, lifted his eyelids and glanced toward the podium.

Progress? Perhaps. But it was too slow, too scattered, like sparse seedlings in a desert.

Compared to the classes ahead, the slackness and passivity of Class D remained a chasm-like gap.

With things the way they are now... Chabashira-sensei, do you still harbor even a shred of fantasy about lifting us to Class A?

Hoshino Kanade sneered inwardly, though his eyes held a touch of genuine doubt.

That fantasy itself seemed so absurd in the face of current reality.

Uncertain.

He told himself, his fingertips ceasing their unconscious tapping.

In the classroom, the somewhat perfunctory and intermittent sounds of preparatory discussion gradually grew clearer, drilling into his ears.

But... vigilance is required, that was the final conclusion. In order to maintain this hard-won, satisfyingly peaceful daily life, any potential source of threat, even if it carried only the faintest possibility, had to be brought into his field of vision and guarded against strictly.