Ichinose and Kujo

Since the start of the school year, there have been many rumors circulating within the school.

Most of them concern the rules of this school and the secrets hidden in the shadows.

There is too much content.

There are too many versions.

Everyone is very worried about this.

I have to take care of everyone's emotions.

What should I do?

Ichinose has a younger sister at home.

At the same time, she has been a member of the Student Council since she was young.

She has great patience, is very good at teaching others, and has always been actively helping those around her.

If you are unhappy, she will smile and ask about your troubles.

If you are happy, she will walk over with a smile and ask you to share it.

If you are angry, she will join you in complaining.

If you are crying, she will say nothing and just quietly stay by your side.

In the eyes of outsiders, she is perfect.

However, a few years ago, an accident occurred. To put it simply: she stole something to give as a gift to her family, and in the end, her mother forced her to kneel before the shop clerk.

Since then, Ichinose has been unable to easily forgive herself. Because of this incident, she even went through a half-year suspension, suffering silently and alone at home.

But at the same time, she has become more attentive to the hearts of others since then. While silently accepting the kindness and expectations of others, she also works even harder to serve them.

Facing Kujo, who is clumsy in many ways, she patiently teaches him starting from the most basic sitting posture.

As a transmigrator, Kujo fails many times.

But Ichinose always just silently encourages him and provides guidance from the side.

Even though she is already exhausted from matters concerning her class.

"Amazing, you've already learned it, congratulations."

Kujo was still working hard to study the so-called tea ceremony, but Ichinose had already stopped teaching.

Just like watching a fledgling bird fly for the first time, she just watched quietly from the side.

However, as she continued to interact with Kujo, Ichinose also discovered a problem: is Kujo perhaps a bit too unfamiliar with the sitting culture of Japan?

"Kujo, have you been living abroad all this time?"

Regarding the question asked by the other party, Kujo came back to his senses and glanced at her sideways. He didn't expect her to apologize in a hurry:

"I'm sorry, I must have overthought it. My apologies. Anyway, Kujo, you learn very quickly; you're already doing great. Now, let's move on to the main topic."

Ichinose then repeated the proposal that Ishizaki had mentioned in the corridor of Class B.

Just as Kujo had expected, she, in her gentle way, firmly rejected the proposal:

"Class B will not form an alliance with any class at the moment. It is not that I don't trust the sincerity of Class C. Although I am grateful for the information Class C provided for the entire grade, which gave us the courage to stand up to Class A and put every class on the same starting line, I believe that anything that affects the friendship between any two classes is not allowed."

Ichinose views Class B as incredibly important, and at the same time, she has no intention of damaging her friendships with other classes.

Without a doubt, Ichinose had made her position very clear.

Before this, she had explained everything clearly: how Ryuen had used her name to propose cooperation, what she thought about it, and why she had come to find him.

And regarding all of this, Kujo didn't even need to give a response.

Because it didn't have much to do with him in the first place, and regardless of his own thoughts, Ichinose had already reached her own conclusion at this moment.

But what Kujo was curious about was, now that she knew the secrets of this school and had learned of the existence of other classes, what did Class B intend to do in the upcoming exams?

Kujo was very curious about this.

As a transmigrator, he truly couldn't suppress his curiosity; he wanted to explore the true emotions of these characters from the original work.

He wanted to see what kind of actions they would take in completely different circumstances.

This was Kujo's line of thought.

Given Ichinose's personality, what kind of decision would she make after learning the truth about the school?

Ryuen didn't seem to treat Class B as a competitor.

Then, what would Class B do if they were unleashed and unrestrained?

No.

Then, what would Ichinose do if she were unleashed and unrestrained?

"What do you plan to do next, Ichinose?"

Facing Kujo's question, Ichinose said with a hint of embarrassment:

"I have already joined the Student Council, so I am currently considered a member."

Kujo nodded.

This was exactly how the development unfolded in the original work.

Ichinose had applied to the Student Council around the first month, and Horikita Manabu, as the Student Council President, had rejected her, which led to her subsequent encounter with Nagumo Miyabi.

In order to completely control Ichinose, Nagumo had tricked her into revealing her past with just a few words and invited her to join the Student Council.

Now, due to the butterfly effect, all the plot points had been disrupted, but it seemed that Ichinose joining the Student Council hadn't changed much?

"Did President Nagumo agree to it?"

Kujo asked, despite already knowing the answer.

Ichinose was stunned for a moment, then uttered words that left Kujo puzzled:

"It was President Horikita who agreed to my selection."

Kujo's hand, holding his tea, faltered.

Was the plot spiraling out of control again because of him?

He clearly remembered that in the original work, Horikita Manabu had rejected Ichinose's application, and it was only after she lost her confidence that Nagumo found an opportunity to take advantage of her.

Yet now, that President Horikita had actually agreed to let a first-year like Ichinose join the Student Council?

This had already deviated from the original plot; or rather, it was a complete derailment of the story.

Could it be that some special change had occurred regarding Ichinose?

Let's test the waters.

"Does Ichinose know why you are in Class B? For instance, any unforgettable events that happened at school or home in the past."

Kujo tried to observe Ichinose's reaction.

If things were the same as the original work, the reason Ichinose was placed in Class B was because she carried a dark history she couldn't let go of.

Had some special reason caused her to lose this weakness?

Or perhaps she had encountered some miraculous event that allowed her to pull herself together?

However, Kujo was disappointed.

After he posed that question, Ichinose's eyes dimmed, the smile on her face faded, and a myriad of emotions flashed through her beautiful eyes in an instant.

They shifted from initial disbelief to confusion, and finally settled into a state of calm.

"So, Kujo, you really do know, don't you? I've actually had this feeling for a while now; the way you look at me is clearly different from how you look at others."

If Kujo's gaze had previously been indifferent or curious, it was now tinged with slight disappointment.

Ichinose could never misinterpret such a look.

Because this kind of gaze was her nightmare.

Having been exhausted for several days, Ichinose's mental state was already at its breaking point.

She hadn't expected that one person's disappointment could cause her such profound harm.

Why?

Kujo looked at the now smile-less Ichinose, deep in thought.

Ichinose's weakness was still there, so what was it that Horikita Manabu valued in her?

Kujo grabbed his chin, beginning to weigh all the possibilities.

Facing Kujo, who remained silent, Ichinose leaned her body slightly, supporting herself with her hand on the ground to barely maintain her posture.

Licking her lips, her tone no longer carried its former sunny disposition; instead, it sounded pitiful, like someone who had been bullied:

"Kujo knows too, right? About my past, and the reason why I was assigned to Class B.

My past as a thief.

So, does Kujo think I'm unqualified to lead the first years? If it were you, Kujo, you could probably do it—leading the entire grade to promote to Class A. No, if it were you, it wouldn't even be impossible to lead all three of our classes to reach Class A and graduate together."

Ichinose inexplicably held expectations for Kujo.

Because if she possessed this much information, she might not have chosen to proactively tell others, let alone possess the courage and confidence to unite the entire first-year grade.

In Ichinose's eyes, Kujo was selfless.

Although the person spreading the information might not necessarily be Kujo, the person providing it certainly was.

Because he was the first person to make a deal with the teachers.

The information had come from Class C, but Kujo was the leader of Class C, or even if he wasn't, he was someone with immense influence within Class C.

Even Ryuen feared the other's existence, so Ichinose felt her conjecture could not be wrong.

At this moment, she desperately wanted to gain Kujo's approval and help.

Because...

Kujo was currently the only person in this school who knew about her past.

Ichinose looked as pitiful as an abandoned little animal right now.

It seemed that if he said something encouraging, Ichinose would gradually embark on the path of romance just like in the original story.

Kujo was familiar with the plot of the original work and understood the personalities of the characters, so he could foresee the upcoming developments.

But this was wrong.

This kind of thing was something Kujo could not tolerate, nor could he accept.

The plot of the original work flooded into his mind.

Ichinose, an upright class leader.

Ichinose, who stole things to give as gifts to her family, only to be forced by her mother to kneel before the shop clerk in the end.

Ichinose, who was targeted by Ryuen's dirty tactics during an exam and chose to forfeit the exam for the sake of her classmates' health.

Ichinose, who liked a boy so much that she disregarded the class's victory and traveled across mountains and rivers just to deliver a piece of information, even though that information probably didn't really help the boy much.

Ichinose, who liked a boy so much that she didn't care if the boy completely restructured everything she had built up in school.

It was precisely because he knew her future that Kujo felt even more angry at this moment.

Kujo watched as these vivid characters appeared before him one by one.

Everything was different now.

Easily falling into sadness over trivial matters, doubting everything about herself.

Easily denying herself, exposing her weaknesses to someone she barely knew, attempting to use the affirmation of others as her own salvation.

Kujo set down the teacup in his hand and asked her:

"Ichinose, what is your intention in leading Class B, in intending to lead Class B to Class A?"

"Why do you always put others' feelings first?"

"Why do you never care about what you think?"

"Why do you think we must reach Class A?"

"Did we beg you to lead us to Class A at the cost of harming your body or even dropping out?"

"Do you know? This school is a piece of trash that will force you to choose a classmate to drop out, even after you've exhausted everything to protect them."

"Many people don't know about your past, but I do. So, do you think I'm disappointed in you? Yes, I am very disappointed in you. But there is a way to make me not disappointed. You like to listen to what others ask of you, right?"

Since the last time he scolded Albert on the rooftop, this was perhaps the second time Kujo had been angry since coming to this world.

As it turned out, the object of his anger was a little girl before him who would cry at the slightest reproach.

Even if her age were doubled, she still couldn't compare to Kujo, who had lived two lifetimes.

Thinking about it carefully, Kujo didn't even know why he was angry at a young girl.

Everything hadn't happened yet, and everything still had room for salvation.

He was acting like a madman.

Relying on a future that hadn't happened yet to criticize a girl who wasn't strong at all.

She was only eighteen years old.

"Ichinose, come and protect the school life of myself and Hiyori. Prioritize this above protecting your most important friends."

"Forget the idea of protecting everyone; you will soon understand how this school treats its students."

"Everyone has their own dreams, but if your dream is to see others realize theirs, then you must be willing to listen to my dream as well."

After saying this, Kujo realized that if he continued, things might develop into an unfavorable state.

Looking at the sobbing Ichinose, he simply stood up, preparing to leave the room immediately.

And clearly, Ichinose had noticed Kujo's movement; she wiped her tears and asked his retreating back:

"Can I interpret this as a request from you, Kujo?"

Hearing Ichinose's words, Kujo stopped, but ultimately did not turn around to look at her, his tone becoming much softer:

"You can refuse."

If she chose to refuse, then Kujo wouldn't need to think about anything else.

But if Ichinose were the type to easily refuse others, then she wouldn't be herself.

Ichinose took a breath and confessed everything to Kujo:

"The reason Horikita Manabu agreed to let me join was because I lied to him; I said that you, Kujo, were the one who told me to join the Student Council."

Kujo frowned.

This was a possibility he had never considered.

"I originally only wanted to probe you, Senior, to see if I could obtain some information, but I ended up receiving an unexpected response."

Kujo understood everything now.

It was all a misunderstanding.

Ryuen had misinterpreted Kujo's words.

Ichinose had misinterpreted Kujo's character.

Horikita Manabu had misjudged Kujo's value.

This world was just like that; it was impossible for things to always go as one wished.

There would always be all sorts of coincidences, forcing him to face the situation at hand.

Kujo looked at Ichinose, whose eyes were red and swollen, her entire being radiating a faint sense of fragility, and sighed before conceding:

"That's right. From now on, it is I who am having you join the Student Council. Horikita Manabu promised me a seat on the Student Council, so how I handle that seat is my own business. Ichinose, you will become my tool and enter the Student Council to work for me."

Listening to Kujo's malicious words, the girl wanted to cry while simultaneously wanting to laugh.

How could the person before her say such things with such peace of mind?

"I don't want you to be held back by anything, either. Become my tool, and I will let you realize your dream of protecting everyone in Class B. And to repay me, you will become the Student Council President to protect the peaceful life that Hiyori and I have at this school."

Ichinose couldn't help but complain:

"I never expected that any girl would actually like someone like you."

"I understand, Kujo-kun. I am not very capable, but please continue to look after me from here on out."

"I have a girlfriend."

"I understand. I am very sorry, Kujo."