The Seeds of Doubt Had Already Been Sown

After leaving, Toru Hasegawa immediately messaged Honami Ichinose.

[Toru Hasegawa: Where are you right now? There's something I want to talk to you about.]

[Honami Ichinose: You're not about to confess to me, are you?]

Though that might have seemed a little conceited, Honami Ichinose actually found these sorts of situations very difficult to handle.

[Toru Hasegawa: Of course not. It's about the Student Council, and I think you'll definitely be interested.]

A little while later.

[Honami Ichinose: I'm at Keyaki Mall. It's pretty quiet here right now, so you should be able to spot me when you get here.]

Toru Hasegawa took a deep breath to calm himself, trying to settle his heart, which was pounding hard.

Honami Ichinose... What kind of person was she, really?

When Toru Hasegawa arrived at Keyaki Mall, it was still early, so only a few students were wandering around with their friends in search of breakfast.

He spotted Honami Ichinose at once, standing under a tree. She looked a little nervous, her right hand resting on her chest as if she were feeling her heartbeat.

"Ichinose!" Toru Hasegawa called out. Honami Ichinose noticed him and smiled warmly.

"Hasegawa."

They gradually drew closer, though, of course, it was Toru Hasegawa who approached Honami Ichinose.

"I know why President Horikita turned you down when you tried to join the Student Council." Toru Hasegawa went straight to the point, bringing up the subject Honami Ichinose was most interested in right now.

That was exactly why she had told him where she was.

Honami Ichinose had come for that very reason, and asked anxiously, "Why?"

"But I don't want to tell you for nothing." Toru Hasegawa's words doused Honami Ichinose like a bucket of cold water.

"In exchange, I want to know the real reason you turned me down before. Is that okay? I know what you said afterward was a lie."

He kept his eyes fixed on Honami Ichinose, unwilling to miss the slightest detail.

That was also why he wanted to speak with her face-to-face. Unlike chatting online, this was the only way he could get enough information.

Faced with Toru Hasegawa's question, Honami Ichinose couldn't hide her unease.

She hadn't expected him to ask something like that. But it was obvious that this was why he'd come; otherwise, Toru Hasegawa wouldn't have asked to meet her.

But...

"I'm sorry, but I really am not ready to date anyone."

Honami Ichinose quickly composed herself and gave an answer she felt wasn't exactly a lie.

It was true that she wasn't ready to date anyone. But she didn't want to tell anyone the deeper reason behind it.

"...I see." Toru Hasegawa smiled easily. He'd only been testing the waters, after all. "The real reason President Horikita turned you down was..."

"Wait, you know I just turned you down, right?"

Honami Ichinose hurriedly cut him off. She couldn't understand what he stood to gain by doing this.

"I know. But actually, whether or not you told me the real reason, I was going to tell you about the Student Council anyway."

"...Thank you."

Honami Ichinose had clearly never met anyone like Toru Hasegawa, someone whose situation was a little like her own.

After a moment of silence, she could think of nothing else to repay him with but a rather feeble "thank you."

Seeing that she'd accepted his kindness, Toru Hasegawa continued, "President Horikita never intended to let any first-years join the Student Council in the first place."

His words struck Honami Ichinose like a bolt of lightning, sending shock waves through her already unsettled heart.

"Why?"

She wasn't just asking what he meant. She also wanted to know how Toru Hasegawa knew about this.

If President Horikita really thought that way, then he shouldn't have told anyone.

Toru Hasegawa continued, "Because the vice president of the Student Council is a second-year student named Miyabi Nagumo."

Honami Ichinose didn't quite understand what he meant, and her face was full of confusion.

"He's already brought all the second-years under his control. President Horikita doesn't want any new students to be influenced by him."

"Brought the second-years under his control...?"

Honami Ichinose murmured, still unable to understand. Was it really possible to bring an entire year under someone's control?

And why would anyone want to do that? That was another question.

"Um... How do you..." Honami Ichinose couldn't help asking what was on her mind, though she already had a vague idea of the answer.

Toru Hasegawa smiled. "You want to know how I found out about all this, right?"

Honami Ichinose nodded lightly. Beneath her slightly snug blazer, there was something few people could fail to notice.

"It's simple. I joined the Student Council."

The answer she'd been expecting matched the truth. Honami Ichinose pressed her lips together, unsure what to say.

President Horikita had just told him that he wouldn't let any first-years join the Student Council, yet Toru Hasegawa had joined as a first-year.

What was behind this seemingly contradictory situation?

Honami Ichinose desperately wanted to know the answer.

But...

I already turned him down. If I'd just been a little more receptive... No, no! I can't think like that!

Hasegawa was kind enough to tell me why I'd been turned down. I can't keep pushing for more.

With that thought, Honami Ichinose smiled again. "Thank you for telling me all this."

"You're welcome. I haven't had breakfast yet. Want to join me?" Toru Hasegawa asked, as if the invitation had just occurred to him.

"Huh? But I've already eaten, and I'm meeting someone later."

Honami Ichinose felt bad turning down Toru Hasegawa's invitation, and was glad that she really did have plans with a classmate today.

She didn't want to lie at a time like this.

"Okay. Do you have any recommendations for breakfast around here? The cafeteria's a bit far, and I don't really feel like eating there."

"Um... I'm not too sure, either. Sorry I couldn't help."

"It's fine. Just getting to know you today is already a great start. I'm really happy."

Talking with a beautiful girl like Honami Ichinose put Toru Hasegawa in a very good mood, so he meant every word.

Besides, she was exactly his type.

Honami Ichinose hadn't expected Toru Hasegawa to keep making moves on her right up to the moment they parted, and her cheeks flushed slightly.

"Also... what I said before still stands."

Toru Hasegawa added one last thing before leaving.

Her affinity with him had finally gone up from 90 to 91.

"...That I should ask him for help whenever I need something?" Honami Ichinose murmured.

It sounded as if he were saying she was bound to run into trouble. For some reason, Honami Ichinose had a bad feeling about it.

The unbelievable number of surveillance cameras around the school, the free supplies available everywhere, from the Student Cafeteria to the convenience stores, and what Hasegawa had just said...

All of it made Honami Ichinose feel that there was more to this school than met the eye.

But without crucial information, she still couldn't reach any definite conclusions.

"I should ask Chihiro-chan and Asako to keep an eye on their spending... No, I need to tell the whole class."

That much, at least, was certain.

Private points would definitely play an indispensable role in school life from now on.

As she thought this, Honami Ichinose spotted some familiar figures.

"Good morning, Shiranami! Amikura!"

For now, she'd just keep enjoying school life.