Pure Goodwill, Not Again!

The next day, Friday.

As the first light of dawn broke, Shin Akiyama woke up with the precision of a clock. Without the disturbance of Kikyo Kushida from the previous night, he had enjoyed a long-overdue, peaceful night that belonged entirely to himself.

His morning run seemed even longer than usual, and the refreshing sensation brought on by the drenching sweat felt all the more pure.

Returning to Dormitory 501, he took a satisfying hot shower to wash away the fatigue and sweat of his morning exercise.

After changing into a clean, crisp school uniform, he seemed to radiate a fresh and sharp glow from the inside out.

Because he had slept early, his energy was more abundant than usual. Although there was still no expression on his handsome face, the depths of his dark red pupils seemed to hold a little less of the imperceptible weariness than on other days.

I have to say.

The feeling of having the entire bed to myself...

Is just too amazing!!!

He could turn over and stretch without any reservations, never having to worry about disturbing the person beside him. In the traditional sense, Shin Akiyama might not count as that kind of meticulously gentle man; he was relatively calm, rational, and even somewhat cold.

But for those he categorized within his own sphere, such as Kikyo Kushida, he cared about their emotions and inner thoughts, providing care in the details, though his way of expressing it was often direct and pragmatic, lacking the packaging of sweet words.

He walked alone along the tree-lined path toward the school building in the early morning, enjoying this moment of tranquility.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting mottled, dancing spots of light upon him.

Just then, a familiar, gentle, and lively female voice called out his name from behind him to the side.

"Akiyama-kun?"

Shin Akiyama paused his steps, then turned around with some surprise to see three people emerging from the direction of the cafeteria.

Leading them was a pink-haired girl holding a half-eaten sandwich; it was Honami Ichinose.

Beside her followed the timid, animal-like Chihiro Shiranami and the serious-looking Ryuji Kanzaki.

Shin Akiyama was indeed quite surprised.

Since the group dinner last month, he had not been in contact with Honami Ichinose and the others at all.

They rarely even ran into each other at school.

Shin Akiyama surmised that their class must have been giving it their all last month, not only strictly following discipline but also studying diligently.

It was highly likely that they frequently organized internal study sessions or consolidation activities after school as well.

Only then could they have achieved a comeback within a month, promoting from Class B to Class A.

Seeing them now, especially seeing the warm, cloudless smile on Honami Ichinose's face, Shin Akiyama's judgment was further confirmed.

"Ichinose, Kanzaki, Shiranami."

Shin Akiyama nodded to the three who had walked up to him, greeting them one by one in a calm tone.

"Good morning, Akiyama-kun!"

Honami Ichinose responded with a bright smile.

"Morning."

Ryuji Kanzaki was concise.

"Mo... morning, Akiyama-kun..."

Chihiro Shiranami said in a small voice, subconsciously shrinking behind Honami Ichinose.

Just as Shin Akiyama was about to ask if they needed something, Honami Ichinose took a step forward, blinking her large eyes, and asked with concern.

"Akiyama-kun, have you had breakfast?"

Shin Akiyama was slightly stunned; he indeed hadn't.

After his morning run, he had gone back to shower, and if he had made breakfast himself, the time would have been too tight. As for buying it at the cafeteria, thinking of the crowds queuing at this hour, he found it troublesome, so he decided to stay hungry and eat more at noon as compensation.

Watching his momentary hesitation and his failure to answer immediately, Honami Ichinose immediately wore an "I knew it" expression, pouting slightly in a playful, scolding manner.

"Akiyama-kun, not eating breakfast is no good~"

"It's bad for your body and your brain!"

Beside her, Chihiro Shiranami also nodded vigorously, and although her voice was very soft, her tone was very serious.

"Yeah... not eating breakfast... your stomach will protest... and you won't have any energy..."

At this moment, Ryuji Kanzaki said nothing, simply reaching into the bag he was carrying and taking out a breakfast wrapped in a clean paper bag.

A sandwich that looked substantial and a small carton of milk were handed directly to Shin Akiyama.

"Even when you're on your own, remember to eat properly."

Ryuji Kanzaki's voice still lacked any fluctuation, but the meaning behind his words was beyond doubt.

Shin Akiyama looked at the breakfast handed to him, then looked at the three people in front of him.

Honami Ichinose's expectant gaze, Chihiro Shiranami's approving expression, and Ryuji Kanzaki's stance that brooked no refusal.

For a moment, he was actually a bit bewildered.

These... people from Class A... aren't they just a little too nice?

And this kind of kindness...

It always seemed to land precisely on him.

The first time was borrowing an umbrella in the rain, the second was an invitation to a class gathering, and this time, they were handing him breakfast directly? Akiyama Shin felt like he was losing his composure.

Their attitude... why did it feel a bit like they were taking care of a child who couldn't look after themselves?

However, it was precisely because Akiyama Shin possessed the keen ability to perceive the emotional shifts of others.

From the moment he first interacted with Honami Ichinose and the others, he had never subjected them to the excessive, deep analysis he used on everyone else.

Because he could clearly sense that what radiated from them was a kind of near-pure, unadulterated goodwill.

This goodwill was warm and direct, leaving even his brain, accustomed to dissection and calculation, feeling somewhat at a loss.

Watching Akiyama Shin stand there frozen, Ryuji Kanzaki added another sentence, his tone tinged with helplessness.

"Just take it. If you go hungry, it'll interfere with your ability to think efficiently."

This remark seemed to strike a chord with Akiyama Shin.

He snapped back to reality, a faint smile—part helplessness, part gratitude—appearing on his face as he reached out to take the breakfast that still held a hint of warmth.

"Thank you."

He offered his sincere thanks.

Seeing him accept it, Honami Ichinose's face immediately blossomed into a smile as bright as the sun.

"You're welcome! Well, Akiyama-kun, we're heading off now! Our class has a morning meeting today!"

As she spoke, she waved at Akiyama Shin.

Ryuji Kanzaki and Chihiro Shiranami also nodded at him, and the three turned and walked quickly toward the school building, appearing to be in a genuine hurry.

Holding the breakfast, Akiyama Shin watched their retreating figures, nodded to himself, and continued on his way.

However, the morning meeting that Honami Ichinose and the others spoke of.

It was a lie!

The moment they turned a corner and confirmed that Akiyama Shin could no longer see them, the three of them slowed their pace in perfect unison. Honami Ichinose was the first to lose control, covering her mouth and giggling softly, her eyes curving into lovely crescents.

"Success! The plan worked!"

She whispered a cheer, looking quite pleased with herself.

Chihiro Shiranami was also blushing, but her eyes were sparkling as she chimed in softly.

"Yes... Akiyama-kun... accepted it..."

Ryuji Kanzaki looked at his two overly excited companions and sighed helplessly.

"Ichinose, Shiranami, you really don't have to make things so complicated next time. There's no need to force a 'chance encounter'; just give it to Akiyama directly. Given his personality, he wouldn't refuse. If anyone scrutinized our excuse just now, there would be too many holes in it."

He was referring to the spur-of-the-moment excuse about a morning meeting, but Honami Ichinose didn't care at all, instead retorting with a grin.

"Eh~ Kanzaki-kun, you're too rigid! Don't you think creating a chance encounter like this feels very youthful?"

"It's just like a scene from a manga!"

"Besides, seeing the way Akiyama-kun was stunned for a moment—wasn't that interesting?"

Chihiro Shiranami nodded vigorously as well, her cheeks flushed, her voice thin but insistent.

"Ye... yes... doing it this way... it really does... feel better than just giving it to him directly..."

The truth of the matter was that Ryuji Kanzaki had left his room early this morning and happened to see Akiyama Shin heading out for a morning run.

He hadn't thought much of it at first, just watching for a while out of boredom, only to realize that Akiyama Shin had run for nearly an hour straight—an astonishing amount of exercise.

After the run.

Kanzaki watched Akiyama Shin return to the dormitory building.

Later, when Ryuji Kanzaki went to the cafeteria to line up for breakfast, he happened to run into Honami Ichinose and Chihiro Shiranami.

During their casual chat, he brought up Akiyama Shin's morning run.

At that moment, the usually timid Chihiro Shiranami made an unexpectedly sharp deduction.

"Akiyama-kun... after he goes back... he'll definitely take a shower first, right...? But by the time he finishes... the line at the cafeteria will definitely still be long! I feel like, with his personality—he probably hates trouble—he might... he might just skip breakfast...!"

This deduction was immediately accepted by Honami Ichinose and Ryuji Kanzaki. Thus, the three of them put their heads together, and Ryuji Kanzaki bought an extra breakfast to orchestrate this seemingly coincidental encounter. The goal was to ensure that a genius who wasn't good at looking after his own daily needs wouldn't go to class on an empty stomach.

Ryuji Kanzaki looked at Honami Ichinose and Chihiro Shiranami, who were still basking in the joy of their successful plan, and shook his head helplessly.

But the corners of his serious mouth couldn't help but lift into an imperceptible arc.

"Fine... don't make a habit of it..."

The next day, Friday.

As the sky began to brighten, Akiyama Shin woke up like a precise clock. Without the disturbance of Kikyo Kushida from the night before, he had spent a long-overdue, peaceful night that belonged entirely to himself.

His morning run seemed even longer than usual, and the refreshing sensation of being drenched in sweat felt even purer.

Returning to Dormitory 501, he took a refreshing hot shower to wash away the fatigue and sweat from his morning exercise.

Changing into a clean, crisp school uniform, his entire person seemed to radiate a fresh and sharp luster from the inside out.

Because he had slept early, his energy was more abundant than usual. Although there was still no expression on his handsome face, the depths of his dark red pupils seemed to hold a little less of the imperceptible weariness than on other days.

It had to be said.

The feeling of having the entire bed to himself...

Was just too amazing!!!

He could turn over and stretch without any restraint, never needing to worry about disturbing anyone beside him. Akiyama Shin might not count as that kind of meticulously gentle man in the traditional sense; he was relatively calm, rational, and even somewhat cold.

But for those he had categorized within his own sphere, such as Kushida Kikyo, he would care about their emotions and inner thoughts, providing care in the details, though his way of expressing it was often direct and pragmatic, lacking the packaging of sweet nothings.

He walked alone along the tree-lined path toward the school building in the early morning, enjoying this moment of tranquility.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting mottled, dancing spots of light upon him.

Just then, a familiar, gentle, and lively female voice called out his name from behind him to the side.

"Akiyama-kun?"

Akiyama Shin paused his steps, then turned around with some surprise to see three people walking out from the direction of the cafeteria.

The pink-haired girl in the lead, still holding an unfinished sandwich in her hand, was none other than Honami Ichinose.

Beside her followed the timid, animal-like Chihiro Shiranami and the serious-looking Ryuji Kanzaki.

Akiyama Shin was indeed a bit surprised.

Since that dinner party last month, he had not been in contact with Ichinose and the others at all.

They rarely even ran into each other at school.

Akiyama Shin speculated that their class must have gone all out last month, not only strictly following discipline but also studying diligently.

It was highly likely that they had frequently organized internal study sessions or consolidation activities after school as well.

Only then could they have achieved an upset within a month, promoting from Class B to Class A.

Seeing them at this moment, especially seeing the warm, cloudless smile on Ichinose's face, Akiyama Shin's judgment was confirmed a little more.

"Ichinose, Kanzaki, Shiranami."

Akiyama Shin nodded to the three people who had walked up to him, one by one, his tone peaceful.

"Good morning, Akiyama-kun!"

Honami Ichinose responded with a bright smile.

"Morning."

Ryuji Kanzaki was concise.

"Mo... morning, Akiyama-kun..."

Chihiro Shiranami said in a low voice, subconsciously shrinking behind Ichinose.

Akiyama Shin was just about to ask if they needed something, but Ichinose took a step forward, blinking her large eyes, and asked with concern.

"Akiyama-kun, have you eaten breakfast?"

Akiyama Shin was slightly stunned upon hearing this; he indeed hadn't.

After his morning run, he went back to shower, and if he were to make breakfast himself, the time would be too tight. As for buying it at the cafeteria, thinking of the crowd queuing at this time, he found it troublesome, so he decided to stay hungry and eat more at noon as compensation.

Watching his momentary hesitation and his failure to answer immediately, Honami Ichinose immediately wore an "I knew it" expression, pouting in a slightly reproachful way.

"Akiyama-kun, not eating breakfast is no good~"

"It's bad for your body and your brain!"

Beside her, Chihiro Shiranami also nodded vigorously, and although her voice was very small, her tone was very serious.

"Yeah... not eating breakfast... your stomach will protest... and you won't have any energy..."

At this moment, Ryuji Kanzaki said nothing, simply reaching into the backpack he was carrying and taking out a breakfast wrapped in a clean paper bag.

A sandwich that looked substantial and a small carton of milk were handed directly to Akiyama Shin.

"Even when you're alone, remember to eat properly."

Kanzaki's voice still had no inflection, but the meaning behind his words was beyond doubt.

Akiyama Shin looked at the breakfast handed to him, then looked at the three people in front of him.

Ichinose's expectant gaze, Chihiro Shiranami's approving expression, and Ryuji Kanzaki's stance that brooked no refusal.

For a moment, he was actually a bit bewildered.

This... are the people from Class A... a bit too nice?

And this kind of kindness...

It always seemed to land precisely on him.

The first time was lending an umbrella in the rain, the second was the invitation to the class party, and this time, they were even delivering breakfast? Akiyama Shin felt he was losing his composure.

Their attitude... why does it feel a bit like they're taking care of a child who can't look after themselves?

However, it is precisely because Akiyama Shin possesses the ability to keenly perceive the emotional shifts of others.

From his very first contact with Honami Ichinose and her group, he had not subjected them to the excessive, deep-level analysis he applied to everyone else.

This was because he could clearly feel that what radiated from them was a kind of near-pure, unadulterated goodwill.

This goodwill was warm and direct, leaving even his brain, accustomed to dissection and calculation, feeling somewhat at a loss.

Watching Akiyama Shin stand frozen in place without moving, Ryuji Kanzaki added another sentence, his tone tinged with helplessness.

"Just take it. Being hungry will only interfere with the efficiency of your thinking."

This sentence seemed to strike a chord with Akiyama Shin.

He snapped back to reality, a faint, helpless yet grateful smile appearing on his face as he reached out to take the breakfast that still held a hint of warmth.

"Thank you."

He offered his sincere thanks.

Seeing him accept it, Honami Ichinose's face immediately blossomed into a smile as bright as the sun.

"You're welcome! Well, Akiyama-kun, we'll be heading off now! Our class has a morning meeting to attend!"

As she spoke, she waved at Akiyama Shin.

Ryuji Kanzaki and Chihiro Shiranami also nodded at him, and the three turned to walk quickly toward the school building, appearing to be in a genuine hurry.

Holding the breakfast, Akiyama Shin watched their retreating figures, nodded to himself, and continued on his way.

However, the morning meeting that Honami Ichinose and the others spoke of.

It was a lie!

The moment they turned a corner and confirmed that Akiyama Shin could no longer see them, the three slowed their pace in perfect unison. Honami Ichinose was the first to lose control, covering her mouth and laughing softly, her eyes curving into beautiful crescents.

"Success! The plan worked!"

She whispered a cheer, looking quite pleased with herself.

Chihiro Shiranami was also blushing, but her eyes were sparkling as she whispered in agreement.

"Yeah... Akiyama-kun... accepted it..."

Ryuji Kanzaki looked at his two companions, who seemed overly excited, and sighed helplessly.

"Ichinose, Shiranami, there's really no need to make things so complicated next time. You didn't have to manufacture a chance encounter; you could have just given it to Akiyama directly. Given his personality, he wouldn't have refused. If you look closely at our excuse from earlier, it has too many holes."

He was referring to the spur-of-the-moment excuse about the morning meeting. Honami Ichinose, however, didn't care at all, instead retorting with a grin.

"Eh~ Kanzaki-kun, you're too rigid! Don't you think orchestrating a chance encounter like this feels very youthful?"

"It's just like a scene from a manga!"

"Besides, wasn't it interesting to see the way Akiyama-kun froze for a second?"

Chihiro Shiranami nodded vigorously as well, her cheeks flushed, her voice thin but insistent.

"Ye... yes... doing it this way... really does feel... more special than just handing it over..."

The truth of the matter was that Ryuji Kanzaki had left his room early this morning and happened to see Akiyama Shin heading out for a morning run.

He hadn't thought much of it at first, just watching for a while out of boredom, only to discover that Akiyama Shin had run for nearly an hour straight—an astonishing amount of exercise.

After the run.

Ryuji Kanzaki watched Akiyama Shin return to the dormitory building.

Later, when Ryuji Kanzaki was queuing at the cafeteria to buy breakfast, he happened to run into Honami Ichinose and Chihiro Shiranami.

During their casual chat, he brought up Akiyama Shin's morning run.

At that moment, the usually timid Chihiro Shiranami made an unexpectedly sharp deduction.

"Akiyama-kun... after going back... will definitely take a shower first, right...? But by the time he finishes his shower... the line at the cafeteria will definitely still be long! I feel like, with his personality of perhaps hating trouble... he might... he might just skip breakfast...!"

This deduction was instantly accepted by both Honami Ichinose and Ryuji Kanzaki. Thus, the three of them put their heads together, and Ryuji Kanzaki bought an extra breakfast to orchestrate this seemingly coincidental encounter. The goal was to ensure that a genius who wasn't good at taking care of the details of his own life wouldn't have to attend class on an empty stomach.

Ryuji Kanzaki looked at Honami Ichinose and Chihiro Shiranami, who were still immersed in the joy of their successful plan, and shook his head helplessly.

But the corners of his serious mouth couldn't help but lift into an imperceptible arc.

"Fine... don't make a habit of it..."