Direct Confession

"I don't understand, what exactly is your goal in doing all this?" Suzune Horikita took a deep breath, yet she still turned around.

"Didn't I already tell you?" Toru Hasegawa replied with a smile, "Observing your actions after you receive the news—that is what I intend to do."

"I still don't understand, what benefit does this have for you?"

"Well, perhaps it's just me satisfying my own curiosity. Maybe I'm making a mistake, who knows? But since I've already made my choice, I must see it through to the end... On that note, surely a friendless Suzune can understand my feelings, right?"

"..."

Suzune Horikita fell silent, because he was right again.

She truly could understand his feelings, because she had always been alone.

Making choices by herself, bearing the consequences by herself—that was how she had walked her path all along.

"Alright then, what will you do next, friendless Suzune?"

"Do you want me to make friends that badly?"

With him repeating "friendless Suzune" at every turn, it was impossible not to notice such blatant remarks.

"Well, I'm just stating the facts. I can change how I address you if you'd like." Toru Hasegawa did not answer her question.

He followed Suzune Horikita to the entrance of the Student Cafeteria. Once she arrived, she stood there without moving, and Toru Hasegawa stood guard right alongside her.

Under the curious gazes of the other students, the person Suzune Horikita was waiting for finally arrived—

It was Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

He was intercepted by the waiting Suzune Horikita and unceremoniously pulled into a secluded corner of the Student Cafeteria.

"What do you want to eat for breakfast?" she asked as if it were nothing.

But no matter how you looked at it, this was bizarre—dragging someone in, sitting them in a secluded corner, and then asking what they wanted for breakfast.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka glanced at Toru Hasegawa, who was trailing behind her, and then said, "The Traditional Standard Set Meal will do."

Suzune Horikita went to buy it herself.

"Ah, we meet again, Ayanokoji-kun." Toru Hasegawa plopped down right next to Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

"Could it be that you and Horikita-san are dating?"

"No, no, no, how could that be? You're overthinking it, and it's completely unrealistic." Toru Hasegawa decisively rejected the notion. "Speaking of which, we haven't exchanged contact info yet. How about we do that now?"

"Oh? Sure."

The two of them exchanged contact information.

Suzune Horikita returned with the food. She placed the Traditional Standard Set Meal in front of Ayanokoji Kiyotaka; it was a simple breakfast consisting of rice, miso soup, and a few other items.

"I... I'm digging in?"

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka hesitated for a moment, but under the gaze of the two, he took a bite of the rice.

Immediately after that moment, Suzune Horikita spoke up:

"Ayanokoji-kun, I want you to help me."

"Pfft, hahahahaha..." Toru Hasegawa couldn't help but burst into laughter. After noticing both of them staring at him, he said, "Sorry, sorry. Please, continue."

Suzune Horikita glared at Toru Hasegawa before turning back to Ayanokoji Kiyotaka:

"Class D cannot go on like this. You've seen it yourself—the class is full of hopeless students. I don't even know how many times tardiness, absences, and sleeping in class have occurred just this past week."

"But the homeroom teacher and the subject teachers haven't said much about it, have they?" Ayanokoji Kiyotaka remarked casually.

"That is exactly the problem. Everything we do is under the school's observation, and in the end, we will be the only ones to suffer the consequences. That is why I am seeking your help."

For someone like Suzune Horikita, who had always been a loner, being able to ask someone else for help was already a massive step forward, even if it was in such a twisted way.

Toru Hasegawa nodded to himself.

"Ah, I don't really understand," Ayanokoji Kiyotaka said, attempting to play dumb.

Suzune Horikita sighed helplessly and had to explain in more detail: "We are currently being evaluated by the school. I believe all of this will be reflected in the points we receive next month."

"Oh, I see. In that case, aren't we already in a very dangerous position?"

"That's why I came here to ask for your help. You have a decent relationship with Kushida-san, don't you? If you just ask her for help, everything will be fine," Suzune Horikita said.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka tried to evade: "Ah, about that... my relationship with Kushida-san is only average. And... couldn't you just ask her yourself? Why go through me?"

"Ayanokoji-kun."

"Yes?"

"You just ate, didn't you?"

Looking at the set meal he had only taken one bite of, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's eyes widened.

Although he had suspected it, he hadn't expected it to actually be the case.

"It's great to be able to eat a free breakfast. They say there's no such thing as a free lunch, but it seems there is such a thing as a free breakfast."

"I can treat you to a meal too..."

"I'm sorry, I haven't fallen that far yet." Suzune Horikita flatly rejected Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's suggestion. "In any case, I'm counting on you for this."

"Is this a threat?"

"It would be great if you could understand it that way."

Suzune Horikita frankly admitted that this was the essence of a threat.

"Fine, I'll pass on what you said to Kushida, will that be enough?"

"I am putting my trust in you, after all."

Having said that, Suzune Horikita walked away.

Toru Hasegawa had intended to leave with her, but was held back by Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, who only spoke once Suzune Horikita was far enough away:

"Won't Classmate Sakayanagi be angry if you do something like this?"

"She doesn't know about this; this is my own unauthorized action." Toru Hasegawa sat back down in his original seat. "To be honest, I really didn't expect that the first person she would ask for help would be you."

"This could already be called a betrayal, you know."

"Then what does that make you, someone who already had suspicions but chose not to say anything?" Toru Hasegawa smiled, as if he didn't care at all about the word "betrayal." "Besides, saying things like that will only make the sympathy I just felt for you disappear."

"I'm just a loner in the class; even if I said something like that, no one would believe me."

"So you could very well just pass the message on to Kushida, just like Horikita said earlier," Toru Hasegawa countered.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka started eating without a word; after all, it would get cold if he didn't eat it soon.

Toru Hasegawa waited patiently for the other person to finish.

"You really are a strange person."

"Likewise." Being called a strange person by someone with a zero on his head, Toru Hasegawa couldn't help but be amused. "I'm just acting according to my own thoughts."

"Even if it means betraying Class A?"

The topic returned once again to the subject of "betrayal."

"Regarding that, I'm just following my own heart. If you have to be timid about everything, you'll never be able to accomplish anything."

"Even if you say that, it doesn't change the fact that in the eyes of most people, this is the essence of betrayal." Ayanokoji Kiyotaka continued to press the point.

"Perhaps, but I'm the type who is direct and honest."

Hearing Toru Hasegawa say this, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka couldn't continue his pursuit. He took a deep look at Toru Hasegawa:

"Is it really okay to let me know about this?"

If the other party hadn't followed Suzune Horikita, he would have needed to analyze who was pulling the strings behind the scenes, but now the mastermind... no, the other party had no intention of hiding at all and had appeared directly in front of him.

"It's fine. That is how a relationship of trust is slowly built."

Toru Hasegawa glanced around and spotted a few scattered Class A students, though he didn't know if they had been paying attention to them or not.

"I'll just thank you for your trust right here."