Ichinose Seeking Help

"Ughhh--" Letting out a long yawn, Hoshino held his school bag and waited for the dormitory elevator to arrive, his face etched with exhaustion.

Last night, Hoshino had stumbled upon a game that looked quite promising; the promotional art was exquisite, and the characters and map perfectly matched his tastes. However, after actually playing it, he realized it was incredibly boring, with everything failing to live up to the advertisements. He played until late at night, only to end up uninstalling it in frustration.

Sigh, seriously! Why do these people always love false advertising? Hoshino felt a bit of resentment.

"Ding--" With a crisp chime, the elevator doors slowly slid open.

Hoshino, about to step inside, froze for a moment; several familiar faces greeted his eyes.

Horikita, Ayanokoji, and Kushida—how did the three of them end up together? Didn't I recall Horikita being quite repulsed by Kushida? Hoshino was a bit puzzled.

"Good morning, Hoshino-kun!" Kushida, looking full of energy, was the first to greet him.

"...Good morning."

"Good morning, Hoshino!"

"Yeah, good morning, Ayanokoji!"

With that, Hoshino stepped into the elevator.

Although he couldn't quite put his finger on it, Hoshino felt the atmosphere between the three of them was rather strange.

As the elevator slowly descended, Hoshino suddenly noticed that Horikita, standing to the side, seemed to be subconsciously avoiding his gaze. This left Hoshino, who had originally intended to strike up a conversation, unsure of what to say. Kushida and Ayanokoji, on the other hand, were chatting quite happily. Was it just his imagination, or did Ayanokoji seem somewhat guarded against Kushida?

But come to think of it, that made sense; after all, this guy Ayanokoji had discovered Kushida's biggest secret!

Lost in thought, he didn't realize the elevator had reached the first floor until the doors slid open, and Hoshino followed the flow of people out.

"Good morning! Kushida-san! Oh! And Hoshino-san, good morning!"

Hoshino, who had intended to head off first, was called back by this energetic voice. It was Ichinose from Class B.

"Good morning! Ichinose-san!" Kushida responded, looking at Ichinose as she stepped out of another elevator.

"Good morning!" Hoshino also gave a slight nod.

"Speaking of which, did you guys receive your points today?" After the greetings, Ichinose asked with a troubled expression.

"...No." Hoshino replied, glancing at the confused-looking Kushida.

"Eh?" Kushida pulled out her phone and started scrolling through it, her face full of bewilderment.

"Right! Hoshino-san, you're a member of the Student Council, right! Do you have any idea what's going on?"

"...Hmm—I have some guesses, but the specific announcement should be revealed during homeroom."

"I see! That makes sense!" Ichinose said, sounding a bit disappointed.

After checking her phone, Kushida also looked at the two of them with a puzzled expression.

It had been two or three days since the cameras were installed in the club building. If Ryuen was going to make a move, it had to be these past few days! But Hoshino didn't know exactly what had happened; when he left the Student Council room yesterday, he hadn't heard any news.

Could it be that his guess was wrong?

First-Year Class Point Table

Class A: 1013 points
Class B: 660 points
Class C: 600 points
Class D: 82 points

What did Ryuen do? These points increased way too drastically! It's already over a hundred points! And Hoshino didn't recall any events last month that would have boosted class points either.

To be honest, Hoshino was a bit shocked; this Ryuen was just too formidable!

"The school system has experienced a malfunction, so the first-year points will be distributed later..." Chabashira-sensei announced with an expressionless face, casting a meaningful glance at Hoshino.

"..." Noticing the gaze, Hoshino looked at Chabashira-sensei with some confusion, but she turned her eyes away as if nothing had happened.

What does this have to do with me? Hoshino thought, feeling helpless and wanting to complain.

The classroom instantly erupted into a buzz of noise.

Hoshino naturally didn't believe a word of what Chabashira-sensei said. A system malfunction that only affected the first years? That was nonsense. It was likely an issue on Ryuen's end that couldn't be processed in time; after all, it concerned last month's affairs, involving not just class points but also the distribution of private points.

Still, to think it could escalate to this point—being targeted by Ryuen was truly troublesome! Hoshino suddenly felt a bit of sympathy for the class that had been targeted by him.

After the brief announcement, Chabashira-sensei began the formal lesson...

"Buzz, buzz--" Hoshino's phone suddenly rang.

Ichinose? Why is she looking for me? Hoshino checked his phone...

After finishing the urgent Student Council business, Hoshino hurried out of the Student Council room.

Outside the gymnasium.

The setting sun illuminated every corner of the campus, and in the distance, some sports clubs could still be seen training.

Following the instructions on his phone, Hoshino arrived at a corner outside the gymnasium, surrounded by obstacles on all sides—it was a place where few people would come.

"Eh? Ichinose, is there something you needed me for?" Turning the corner, a figure with golden-pink hair stood quietly, looking somewhat uneasy.

"I'm sorry, Hoshino! For calling you out so suddenly!" Ichinose's voice was a bit low.

"No! It's fine, what's the matter?" Although puzzled, Hoshino still stepped a little closer.

"..." A trace of awkwardness appeared on Ichinose's face, and she seemed a bit shy, "...a confession... I think I'm about to be confessed to here!"

Suddenly, Ichinose raised her voice, her eyes squeezed shut from shyness, and her hands rubbed together restlessly.

"...Eh?... Hmm?... Uh, excuse me!" Shocked, Hoshino was momentarily dazed before he turned around to leave, unable to clear his thoughts.

What on earth was this? Hoshino was truly confused.

Being confessed to? Why call him for that?

To act as a consultant for Ichinose?

Hoshino had never experienced such a thing, and besides, being confessed to—what was he supposed to do in this situation?

"Wait! Hoshino! There's something... I need your help with!" Seeing Hoshino about to leave, Ichinose hurriedly called out.

"...Hmm—what is it?" Hoshino stopped with a sense of resignation and turned around stiffly.

"...I don't really understand things like romance. I found this in my locker yesterday, but I don't want to pursue anything with that person. How can I reject them without hurting them..." Ichinose's expression wavered as she slowly pulled out a pink love letter, "So, I want you to pretend to be my boyfriend, and then... please!"

"..." After hearing Ichinose out, Hoshino finally understood the situation. Still, what a "wealthy person's" problem! How should he put it? Is this what "youth" is?

"Come to think of it, you and I have only met a few times. Is it really okay for you to discuss this with me?" Without answering her question, Hoshino was a bit puzzled as to why Ichinose had sought him out.

"...Hmm—well, isn't Hoshino a member of the Student Council? And, Hoshinomiya-sensei also..." Ichinose's voice grew quieter, and in the end, Hoshino couldn't even hear what she was saying.

However, Hoshinomiya-sensei? Hoshino did owe her a favor, so helping out wasn't entirely out of the question, but this kind of thing...

"...For this kind of thing, wouldn't it be better to just be clear with the other person? Not hurt them? Once you've confirmed that you don't like them, there's no way to reject them without causing hurt, is there? By forcing a distortion of the truth, do you think the other person will feel any better? You're just lying to yourself! Giving yourself a reason to feel at ease?..." Hoshino's voice turned serious.

The fact of the rejection wouldn't change. Hoshino couldn't understand why Ichinose thought finding a fake boyfriend would make it easier for the other person to accept. To show that she wasn't rejecting them because she didn't like them? That was nothing more than an excuse!

In Hoshino's view, anyone who could muster the courage to confess was truly remarkable! A bared heart should at least not be treated with pretense; in this regard, Hoshino didn't want to fake anything.