Student Council Interview, Honami Ichinose

Mid-May.

Ayanokoji intended to find Kushida first to carry out the plan he had mentioned earlier.

After school, he walked out of the classroom, but due to his usual elderly pace, he failed to intercept Kushida before she headed off to her club activities.

How troublesome; the midterm exams are next week.

Ayanokoji muttered to himself as he walked, a hint of melancholy appearing between his brows.

He looked even more gloomy than usual!

Anyone looking at him would know for certain that this guy had no friends.

Ayanokoji could even occasionally hear a few words of pity directed at him.

Heh, cattle and horses flock together, but predators always walk alone.

What's more, Ayanokoji was a Tyrannosaurus Rex.

As he walked, he inadvertently arrived next to a vending machine.

He hadn't originally planned on anything, but the moment he saw the drinks, he felt an urge to consume, and his mouth inexplicably went dry; human desire is truly terrifying.

Scan, select, pay, and two drinks were in his hands.

Don't ask why it was two; you wouldn't understand the appetite of a Tyrannosaurus Rex.

With the drinks in hand, Ayanokoji leaned against the vending machine and began to drink, his eyes fixed on a somewhat exquisite door not far away.

To be honest, the treatment the Student Council received at this school was simply too good.

They possessed a functional office independent of the other classrooms, and based on the layout of the school building, the Student Council Room should be as large as the teachers' office.

Moreover, there was a vending machine right at the entrance; the location was truly blessed...

Suddenly, a sense of bitterness spread through Ayanokoji's heart.

Thinking about how things were within arm's reach for others the moment they opened their doors, while he had to run such a long distance from the corner to the stairwell, Ayanokoji felt extremely unbalanced.

Double standards, pure and simple double standards!

They clearly didn't treat the students of Class 1-D like human beings!

He cursed inwardly, swearing that one day he would definitely move this thing to the classroom door.

No, he would move it right next to his seat in the back row.

Feeling a wave of displeasure, he looked up and noticed the antique, exquisite door opening, and a pink-haired girl walked out from inside.

Ayanokoji frowned, feeling as though he had seen her somewhere before.

The young girl walked out the door, bowed politely toward the inside, and then began walking in the direction of the classrooms, the smile on her face turning into a look of frustration once she turned around.

Ayanokoji shook his head; she was surely just another poor soul attempting to challenge the Student Council President's preferences.

Since the start of the school year, not a single first-year student had been able to catch the eye of the Student Council President; the difficulty of being selected was comparable to passing the imperial examinations.

Those who didn't know the truth might think Suzune's brother was holding a beauty pageant here.

Noticing Ayanokoji's gaze, the girl looked up and offered him a smile.

An... angel?

She was already covered in wounds herself, yet she was still thinking about healing others?

Ayanokoji nodded in acknowledgment; he was sorry, but he couldn't squeeze out a smile in return.

Who would have thought that upon seeing Ayanokoji nod, the girl would walk straight toward him.

? This is awkward.

Could it be that I did something rude just now?

Ayanokoji felt a bit bewildered.

"You must be Ayanokoji-kun, right? Hello, I'm Ichinose Honami from Class B."

The girl stood slightly on her tiptoes, greeting him with a smile, her hands crossed behind her back, giving off a sense of sincerity as if she had let down her guard.

See, I told you there was a 'Honami' in her name.

Ayanokoji's indifferent eyes sized her up.

That look lasted for a full five seconds.

Before the girl could feel awkward, he spoke slowly:

"Hello, Class 1-D, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka."

"I was right," the girl breathed a sigh of relief upon Ayanokoji's response; she had almost thought she'd mistaken him for someone else.

"What is Ayanokoji-kun doing over here?"

"As you can see, drinking a beverage."

Damn! A conversation killer.

There really was a reason why he had so few friends.

Ayanokoji felt embarrassed for her the moment the words left his mouth.

However, the girl simply took the conversation in stride: "I see. I actually thought you were here for the Student Council interview too."

A pro, she's a real pro. She managed to resolve such an awkward situation and made it look completely natural.

Ayanokoji started to feel a bit of admiration for the girl in front of him; in terms of social skills, he could probably learn a van-load of lessons from her.

He decided to pay a little tuition upfront and handed her the other drink he was holding, saying:

"If you don't mind, this is for you. The Student Council selection process is notoriously strict, so there's no need to feel discouraged because of it."

The girl froze for a second before taking the drink from Ayanokoji: "Um, thank you."

She had gained a few new impressions of the boy.

"Ichinose, how did you know my name?"

Ayanokoji asked, having been curious about this for a moment. He had only seen her once in passing on the road before and had never had the chance to be introduced.

"Ah," Ichinose's beautiful eyes flickered. She raised a finger and said with a smile, "Kikyo-chan told me."

"Your actions on the bus were really cool, Ayanokoji-kun~"

"Oh... so that's how it is."

Don't go spreading weird impressions of me, Kushida Kikyo!

How was swearing at someone supposed to be cool!

Seeing the boy maintain the same expression and tone, Ichinose inexplicably found him quite interesting, and... his personality wasn't as dull as Kushida Kikyo had described.

In short, he seemed like a fairly unique, ordinary student.

After chatting for a few more minutes, Ichinose checked the time on her phone; the study session she had scheduled was about to begin.

She had become quite immersed in the conversation with the boy!

She smiled as she said goodbye to Ayanokoji and informed him of her upcoming plans, hoping he would understand, as she felt it would be impolite to cut the conversation short just because she had something to attend to, especially since she felt the boy had been enjoying it too.

Only after exchanging contact information did she reluctantly take her leave.

"Let's talk again next time, Ayanokoji-kun~" Watching the girl wave at him, Ayanokoji silently raised his hand in return.

A chatterbox, she's a total chatterbox!

She really can talk, damn it.

Ayanokoji's brow revealed a trace of exhaustion...

He spent more than half the time thinking about how to respond, and just as he was still ruminating on the previous topic, she would immediately throw out the next one. It was suffocating.

Is this the terror of a social butterfly?

Ayanokoji drooped his eyelids, feeling as though that conversation had drained a full 1% of his energy.

Too terrifying. I'll close my eyes and rest for a bit first.

In his mind, he had formed a rough understanding of Ichinose as a person.

She had a socialite attribute similar to Kushida Kikyo, yet the two gave him completely different vibes.

Kushida felt like she was deliberately catering to and pleasing others while rarely revealing herself—or rather, she only showed the version of herself she wanted others to see.

Ichinose, on the other hand, was more casual and natural. She didn't deliberately hide her thoughts, showed more of her true self, and didn't over-analyze what others were thinking.

In short, Kushida was like a rose with thorns; she looked bright and beautiful from a distance and could be admired, but if you tried to pick her, you would get hurt.

Ichinose was like a fragrant gardenia; the closer you got to her, the more she would spread a sweet and healing scent.

Thinking of this, a thought suddenly sprouted in Ayanokoji's mind.

Perhaps... Ichinose Honami would be more suitable?