Ichinose Being Confessed To

"Can you tell me now why the points for this month were delayed?"

Inside the teachers' office, An Xiao looked at Chie Hoshinomiya, who was sprawled out in her chair, and spoke with a hint of irritation.

An Xiao had already asked this back in the classroom, but Chie Hoshinomiya had refused to say anything, dragging it out until now.

"Hmm~ It's probably just a system error at the school, so they were delayed."

"...It just happened to glitch right on the first, when the points are supposed to be distributed? And didn't you say in the classroom earlier that they 'might be distributed tomorrow'?" An Xiao looked at Chie Hoshinomiya suspiciously. "You didn't even have a clear time."

"Ahehe~" Chie Hoshinomiya tilted her head and gave An Xiao a cute, playful look.

"Ahehe your head!"

"I don't really know much about this either, but you could always ask little Sae-chan!"

An Xiao looked at Chie Hoshinomiya, then shifted his gaze to Sae Chabashira, who clicked her tongue in annoyance after hearing what the other teacher said. He nodded in sudden realization.

She went through all this trouble just to stir up this petty drama.

What a pair of... fake friends.

Seeing An Xiao look over, Sae Chabashira stopped what she was doing. She looked at him, but instead of mentioning the points, she asked, "An Xiao, you seem to be quite close with Horikita from my class. Are you interested in transferring to Class D?"

Before An Xiao could even speak, Chie Hoshinomiya covered his mouth with her hand and interjected, "No, no, little An Xiao can't transfer to your class."

"Hmph, then just keep yourself in check." Sae Chabashira shot a glance at Chie Hoshinomiya before returning to her work without another word.

An Xiao didn't say anything either; he could clearly feel the pressure of the hand Chie Hoshinomiya had pressed against his mouth increasing.

"So that's how it is." Chie Hoshinomiya kept a smile on her face as she looked at An Xiao, who was still being held by her. "In that case, little An Xiao, you should head out early today."

An Xiao pointed at the hand pressed against his mouth, remaining silent.

"Oh, sorry, sorry." Chie Hoshinomiya pulled her hand back and shoved An Xiao out of the office.

As they passed by Sae Chabashira, Chie Hoshinomiya 'whispered' to An Xiao.

"Next time you're out there, you need to know how to say no, too." She then quickly ushered An Xiao out of the office.

Looking at the closed door, An Xiao sighed helplessly.

What is even going on?

Just as he turned to leave, a flash of pink hair caught his eye, followed by the slightly embarrassed face of Ichinose.

"Um, Xiao An, you're done talking with Hoshinomiya-sensei, right?"

"I suppose you could say that."

At the very least, he now knew which class was involved this time.

Recalling what he had seen earlier in the special building, An Xiao felt that he might be able to earn some points again.

Seeing that An Xiao didn't continue after that sentence, Ichinose bit her lip, looked around, and then spoke.

"I have a favor to ask of you, Xiao An..."

On a quiet path beside the school building.

Ichinose took an opened pink envelope out of her pocket, handed it to An Xiao, and closed her eyes. "I might... be getting confessed to here!"

"Uh... then shouldn't I be the one avoiding this?"

An Xiao took the envelope without opening it and looked at the nervous Ichinose, feeling completely bewildered.

Having a third person present at a confession—how is that not weird?

"I don't know much about romance... I don't know how to reject someone without hurting them, and I'm afraid that if I turn her down, we won't even be able to be friends anymore."

"Do I look like someone who knows a lot about romance?" An Xiao couldn't help but retort. "Besides, Ichinose, you must get confessed to all the time."

"Ah? No, no, not at all, really, not at all. I've never been confessed to before." Ichinose hurriedly explained. "By the way, Xiao An, have you never had an experience like this either?"

"Sorry for having no romantic experience."

Whether it was his imagination or not, An Xiao felt the corners of Ichinose's mouth lift ever so slightly.

An Xiao scratched his head, wanting to say something else, but suddenly felt something was off. After thinking for a moment, he looked up sharply.

"Wait, did you just say 'her' instead of 'him'?"

"Hehe." Ichinose gave an awkward laugh.

"Fine, but what exactly do you need me for?" Although An Xiao was a bit shocked, he asked anyway.

Seeing that An Xiao didn't intend to press the issue, Ichinose let out a sigh of relief and explained her reason for seeking him out.

"I want you to pretend to be my boyfriend, Xiao An..."

"No way!" An Xiao refused before Ichinose could even finish, his tone serious.

"Even though I don't know who the girl confessing to you is, I know that gathering the courage to confess to someone you like is incredibly difficult, especially when it's another woman."

"The pressure is much greater than you think."

"Whether you refuse or accept, please at least face this sincerely."

"Only then can it be considered not hurtful to either of you."

As he spoke, An Xiao stepped forward and returned the love letter to Ichinose. Watching Ichinose remain silent, An Xiao suddenly smiled and said.

"Of course, although I cannot pretend to be your boyfriend, I can at least wait for you." An Xiao said, pointing to a bench at the corner of the hallway. "You don't mind, do you?"

"Of course I don't mind." Ichinose took a deep breath, and a smile reappeared on her face. "I... I was only thinking about not causing hurt before, and didn't consider the other person's feelings, but I won't do that now."

Ichinose promised An Xiao.

"I'll have to trouble you to wait for me for a moment!"

Sitting on the bench at the corner, An Xiao watched the half-sunken sunset with nothing to do, his thoughts gradually drifting away, until the sound of light footsteps reached him, and only then did An Xiao snap back to reality.

That seems to be... Shiranami, right?

So she was the one who confessed to Ichinose.

Just as An Xiao was feeling sentimental, two hands rested on his shoulders. An Xiao turned back to look and found Ichinose standing behind him, looking somewhat listless.

"Finished dealing with it?"

"I suppose... you could say that." Ichinose sighed and tried to cheer herself up. "I clearly rejected her. I know doing so was the right thing, but seeing Chihiro so heartbroken, I feel terrible myself."

"And, although she said she would still get along with me normally starting tomorrow... but is that really possible?"

"That depends on the two of you."

"I guess so... but Xiao An, could you comfort me a little?"

"Comfort, huh..." An Xiao thought for a moment, picked a piece of candy from his left pocket, and then, while Ichinose wasn't paying attention, popped it into her mouth.

"Mmph~ so sour!"

"You're more alert now, right?" An Xiao looked at Ichinose, who had to hide the candy in her cheek because she couldn't find a trash can, and said with a smile.

"Xiao An, you idiot!"