The Ichinose Who Was Confessed To

"Can you tell me now why this month's points were delayed?"

In the teachers' office, An Xiao looked at Chie Hoshinomiya, sprawled in her chair, and spoke irritably.

An Xiao had already asked her once in the classroom, but Hoshinomiya-sensei hadn't been willing to say a word. She'd dragged it out until now.

"Hmm~ I guess there was a system error at school, so they were delayed."

"...The system just happened to break down on the first, when the points were supposed to be issued? And earlier in the classroom, you said they might be issued tomorrow, didn't you?" An Xiao eyed Chie Hoshinomiya suspiciously. "You don't even know when."

"Hehe~" Chie Hoshinomiya tilted her head at An Xiao and tried to look cute.

"Don't 'hehe' me!"

"I don't really know either, but you can ask Sae!"

An Xiao looked at Hoshinomiya-sensei, then at Chabashira Sae, who clicked her tongue in annoyance at Hoshinomiya-sensei's words. He nodded, understanding.

So this whole mess was just because she was jealous over this little thing.

What a... pair of fair-weather friends.

When An Xiao looked over at her, Chabashira Sae stopped what she was doing. She looked at him, but instead of bringing up the points, she asked, "An Xiao, you seem to be pretty close with Horikita from our class. Interested in transferring to Class D?"

Before An Xiao could say anything, Hoshinomiya-sensei covered his mouth and spoke first. "No, no! Xiao An can't transfer to your class."

"Then you'd better behave yourself." Chabashira Sae glanced at Chie Hoshinomiya and said no more, returning to her work.

An Xiao didn't say anything either. He could clearly feel Hoshinomiya-sensei's hand pressing harder against his mouth.

"I see." Chie Hoshinomiya still wore a smile as she turned to An Xiao, whose mouth she was covering. "In that case, Xiao An, you should head out early today."

An Xiao pointed at the hand over his mouth and said nothing.

"Oh, sorry, sorry." Hoshinomiya-sensei took her hand away and ushered An Xiao out of the office.

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

"Next time you're out somewhere, remember how to say no, too." Then she quickly led An Xiao out of the office.

Looking at the door that had just closed, An Xiao sighed helplessly.

What was all that about?

He was just turning around when a mass of pink hair darted into view, followed by Ichinose's slightly embarrassed face.

"Um, Xiao An, are you done talking with Hoshinomiya-sensei?"

"More or less."

At least he knew which class was involved this time.

Thinking back to what he'd seen in the special teaching building, An Xiao figured there might be more points for him to earn this time.

After An Xiao said that, he fell silent for a long while. Ichinose pursed her lips and glanced around before speaking.

"There's something I'd like to ask you to help me with, Xiao An..."

On a little-used path beside the school building.

Ichinose took a pink envelope that had already been opened from her pocket and handed it to An Xiao. With her eyes closed, she said, "I think... someone's going to confess to me here!"

"Uh... wouldn't it make more sense for me to leave, then?"

An Xiao took the envelope but didn't open it. He looked at the nervous Ichinose, completely baffled.

Wouldn't having three people there for a confession be kind of weird?

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

"Do I look like someone who knows a lot about romance?" An Xiao couldn't help retorting. "Besides, Ichinose, you've probably been confessed to a lot before."

"Huh? No, I haven't. Not at all. I've really never been confessed to before." Ichinose hurriedly explained. "By the way, Xiao An, have you never had an experience like that either?"

"I'm sorry I have no experience with romance."

Maybe it was just An Xiao's imagination, but Ichinose seemed to have the faintest smile at the corners of her mouth.

An Xiao scratched his head. He'd been about to say something else, but suddenly felt that something was off. After thinking for a moment, he abruptly looked up.

"Wait, did you say 'she,' not 'he'?"

[In Japanese, "she" and "he" are pronounced differently.]

"Hehe." Ichinose gave an awkward laugh.

"All right, but what exactly did you want my help with?" An Xiao was a little shocked, but still asked.

Seeing that An Xiao wasn't going to press her, Ichinose relaxed and explained why she'd asked him to come.

"I was hoping you could pretend to be my boyfriend, Xiao An..."

"No way!" An Xiao cut her off and refused at once, his tone serious.

"I don't know who the girl confessing to you is, but I know how hard it is to summon the courage to confess to someone you like. And it's even harder when you're both girls."

"The pressure is far greater than you imagine."

"Whether you reject her or accept her, at least face her sincerely."

"Only then can you avoid hurting either of you."

As he spoke, An Xiao stepped forward and returned the love letter to Ichinose. Looking at her silent face, he suddenly smiled.

"Of course, I can't pretend to be your boyfriend, but I can at least wait for you." An Xiao pointed to a bench around the corner. "You don't mind, do you?"

"Of course not." Ichinose took a deep breath, a smile returning to her face. "I... I was only thinking about not hurting her before. I hadn't considered how she felt, but I won't make that mistake now."

Ichinose promised An Xiao.

"Sorry to make you wait!"

Sitting on the bench around the corner, An Xiao watched the sun sinking halfway below the horizon, with nothing much to do. His thoughts gradually drifted away, and he didn't come back to himself until he heard the sound of light footsteps.

That seemed to be Shiranami, didn't it?

So she was the one who'd confessed to Ichinose.

Just as An Xiao was mulling it over, two hands came to rest on his shoulders. He turned around and saw Ichinose standing behind him, looking a little downcast.

"Did you take care of it?"

"More or less..." Ichinose sighed and forced herself to perk up. "I turned her down clearly. I know it was the right thing to do, but seeing Chihiro so sad made me feel awful too."

"And even though she said she'd act normally around me starting tomorrow... will she really be able to?"

"That's up to the two of you."

"True... But could you cheer me up a little, Xiao An?"

"Cheer you up..." An Xiao thought for a moment, picked a piece of candy from his left pocket, and slipped it into Ichinose's mouth while she wasn't paying attention.

"Mmm~ It's so sour!"

"You're feeling a bit more awake now, right?" An Xiao said with a smile, watching Ichinose, who couldn't find a trash can and had to tuck the candy into her cheek.

"Xiao An, you dummy!"