Kikyo: I must work hard too!

"It's truly surprising how easily things turned out. I had intended to do you a favor, but it seems all our efforts were for nothing."

"No, the fact that Class B was willing to lend a hand is enough for us to be grateful, Ichinose."

"Then, what about the alliance between our two classes? I've been waiting for Shinomiya Ju Fan to call me."

"Of course it's a yes. This is the unanimous decision of the students in Class C. It's also because of your all-out help this time. The students in our class all believe that you can be trusted."

The day after Sudo's trial, Shinomiya Ju Fan, Kikyo, and Ichinose gathered once again. At Ichinose's request, they provided a brief overview of the previous Sudo incident and discussed the alliance between the two classes. Calling it a discussion is a stretch; the result had already been decided. Otherwise, Shinomiya Ju Fan wouldn't have come. Hirata had stepped forward as well, as he was the public leader of Class C, Yosuke Hirata.

Of course, after this series of events, I believe everyone is convinced that Shinomiya Ju Fan is the leader of Class C, though in reality, he completely lacks that ability. All he can do is resolve things in a better way by using events that happened in another timeline—that is, things he saw in the novel from his past life.

"Is that so? That's wonderful. From now on, I won't have to be an enemy to Kikyo and Shinomiya Ju Fan. After all, if you two were to become enemies, it would be quite troublesome."

"You're joking, Ichinose... This is only a temporary alliance. Since we are both aiming to be promoted to Class A, we will eventually be enemies. For now, we are just joining forces."

As long as their goal is to reach Class A, it is only a matter of time before they become rivals. However, that will likely happen a long time from now. Perhaps by then, Shinomiya Ju Fan will no longer be of any use. Of course, when the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up. By that time, he shouldn't have to worry about it anymore.

"When that time comes, let's have a harmonious competition that doesn't hurt our friendship."

"Of course, for now, let's get along well."

Shinomiya Ju Fan extended his right hand and gently shook the hand Ichinose offered. The two classes had officially formed an alliance. Although this alliance was merely a verbal agreement based on mutual trust, for Ichinose, this kind of verbal promise was just right. She seemed to possess an extraordinary charm that made people unable to help but trust her.

"Sorry, let's stop here for today. I have some business in my class, so I'll head back now. See you later."

Shinomiya Ju Fan and Kikyo had no objections to Ichinose leaving; after all, the purpose of their meeting had been fulfilled. There was no need to stay and chat. Besides, looking at her, she really did have things to attend to.

"Ichinose is truly charming, isn't she? She has a charisma that makes you want to trust her. I wish I could be like her."

"There are no two identical leaves in the world, and your charm is no less than hers, Kikyo. Everyone in Class C trusts you, don't they?"

"Do you, too, Shinomiya Ju Fan?"

"Of course, we are best friends, aren't we?"

"That's good. Before we go back, do you want to walk around? Since coming to this school, we haven't walked around alone together, have we?"

For some reason, Kikyo's mood seemed good. Her pace became light, and her face wore an angelic smile. As everyone knows, a good mood is contagious. Thanks to that, his mood also became pleasant.

Kikyo was right. Since arriving at this school, she had been busy with various social activities, while Shinomiya Ju Fan was either attending study sessions or playing games in the dormitory. The only time he had proactively invited her out, they had each brought a friend. They had almost never spent time alone outside, except in the dormitory.

When they arrived at the Special Building, they encountered an unexpected person. The man had dyed red hair that was on the longer side, and he was slightly taller than Shinomiya Ju Fan. From his profile, one could see him sneering in a hair-raising way.

As the two stopped, the man seemed to have discovered something interesting and walked toward them.

"You must be Shinomiya Ju Fan from Class C. Setting up a surveillance camera—you did quite well. Next time, I'll be your opponent."

The man didn't look in their direction, but his words were clearly audible. As for how he recognized him, with his short golden hair and wine-red eyes, he was likely the only one in the entire school with that look. Plus, he was walking with Kikyo, a celebrity among the first-years, so identifying him wasn't difficult.

This was clearly a declaration of war, but if his strategy didn't change, he would never be able to defeat Shinomiya Ju Fan. For things that are 'already established facts,' the key is the information gap. Unfortunately, in his past life, he had only finished reading the first year of the novel. He had no idea what happened in the subsequent plot.

"Who on earth was that? He gave me the creeps."

"Don't you know, Shinomiya Ju Fan? That's the leader of Class D, Kakeru Ryuen... I heard from my friends in Class D that this person is particularly fond of violence. You should be careful when you run into him, Shinomiya Ju Fan."

The encounter with Kakeru Ryuen was just a minor episode and couldn't affect their mood. However, the aura he exuded was like that of a venomous snake, making one feel very uncomfortable.

"I can't believe we've been at this school for over three months already. Thinking back to when we enrolled, it feels like it happened just yesterday. We've experienced happy things and painful things together."

"Looking back, it feels like we've gone through so many happy moments. If only this kind of life could continue forever. Perhaps it wouldn't be bad if time stopped at this moment. What do you think, Shinomiya Ju Fan?"

"Looking back on the past is fine, but there's no need to stop there. Because we are still young, and there are more interesting things waiting for us in the future. Wouldn't it be a waste if time stood still because of that? We must always move forward."

These words were not just for Kikyo, but also for himself. He, too, had worried and hesitated. What if an event he hadn't seen before occurred, or a plot he didn't understand appeared? This was the answer Shinomiya Ju Fan had reached after pondering for several days.

"Is that so? Then I must work hard, too. I can't just stop here."

There seemed to be a hidden meaning in Kikyo's words, and as for what exactly was hidden, only she herself would know...