A Sheep Enters the Tiger's Den

"Because that's just the kind of person I am." Toru Hasegawa sighed, "Are you disappointed?"

"Eh, I just feel like you've changed a lot when I wasn't looking, Toru-kun."

Honami Ichinose looked surprised. Was this really the same Toru Hasegawa who had boldly confessed his feelings to her? It didn't feel quite right.

"People always change; I just managed to see things a little more clearly... What was it you wanted to discuss with me this morning?" Toru Hasegawa steered the conversation back on track.

Gone was her previous shyness; Honami Ichinose first glanced at the stairwell nearby, then slowly walked over to the distant railing.

Toru Hasegawa moved along with her.

He knew. He had known the whole time.

He knew the fact that Honami Ichinose had arrived just seconds after their conversation began, and...

He also knew that Masumi Kamuro was currently eavesdropping as well.

Unfortunately, Honami Ichinose must have realized by now that the stairwell had poor soundproofing, which was why she had changed locations.

Because of this, Toru Hasegawa raised his estimation of Honami Ichinose slightly.

As expected of the rumored leader of Class B, she was different from the small fry in Class A.

"Actually... Miyabi Nagumo-senpai sent me a message this morning, saying he wanted to meet with me on our day off."

"I see. Is that why you came to consult with me?"

"Mm..." After hesitating for a moment, Honami Ichinose suddenly asked, "Is it really okay for me to have heard about the Class A situation?"

She changed the subject, which caught Toru Hasegawa off guard.

"Are you more concerned about other people's business than your own?"

"Well, I think anyone who heard that conversation would be concerned, what with the stealing and all..." Honami Ichinose couldn't hide her agitation.

Toru Hasegawa felt a sense of foreboding. Honami Ichinose was speaking in riddles, and her subtle attitude made him feel that the reason was not as simple as it appeared on the surface.

"You heard the rest of it too, didn't you?" Toru Hasegawa's tone remained indifferent. "You have to overcome the obstacles in your path to keep moving forward; that's a fact anyone knows."

"And what if you can't overcome them?" Honami Ichinose couldn't help but ask.

"Then you do whatever it takes to overcome them, just like I did earlier." Toru Hasegawa once again admitted the truth of his actions—that he had intentionally let Honami Ichinose overhear his conversation with Masumi Kamuro.

"You're really mean, Toru-kun." Honami Ichinose's mood lightened slightly as she teased him, then said, "Since you've already thought of a solution yourself, it's not my place to say anything more... Regarding Nagumo-senpai's invitation, I wanted to hear your opinion."

"My opinion...?" Toru Hasegawa pondered for a moment. His impression of Miyabi Nagumo was still stuck on his abnormal obsession with Manabu Horikita, so he decided to send a message to Masayoshi Hashimoto first.

"Mm...? Who were you just messaging, Toru-kun?" Honami Ichinose asked curiously.

"Right, I was just thinking: since Nagumo-senpai invited you to meet him, what about the others?"

Specifically, Arisu Sakayanagi and Kohei Katsuragi.

Toru Hasegawa sought information about the two from Masayoshi Hashimoto; he trusted that given the other's efficiency, he would get a reply soon.

Sure enough, a message quickly appeared on his phone.

[Masayoshi Hashimoto: Neither of them received a similar message. By the way, what's your goal in asking this?]

[Toru Hasegawa: Thanks. There's just something I'm curious about.]

[Masayoshi Hashimoto: What thing?]

[Masayoshi Hashimoto: ...]

[Masayoshi Hashimoto: Running off after using me, huh? Damn it, I'm definitely going to come find you and get an explanation!]

"It seems the other two students from Class A didn't receive any messages. You're special." Toru Hasegawa's eyes remained steady. He ignored the vibration of his phone and began to ponder the difference between Honami Ichinose and the other two.

The information he had gathered so far swirled rapidly in his mind.

"Only me?" Honami Ichinose was very nervous because, just as Toru Hasegawa said, she seemed to be special.

"Is it because you're from Class B? Nagumo-senpai seemed to be placed in Class B at the start, only climbing to Class A later and gradually taking control of the entire grade..." Toru Hasegawa analyzed based on the available intelligence.

Could it be that the other party was overly empathetic?

No, that wasn't it.

Toru Hasegawa immediately dismissed that thought. Miyabi Nagumo might be capable of empathy, but it was unlikely that he was overly empathetic.

There had to be some other reason...

While thinking, Toru Hasegawa kept looking Honami Ichinose up and down, which only made her more nervous.

"...I see. So that's how it is." Toru Hasegawa suddenly nodded as if he had a sudden realization.

"Do you know the reason?" Honami Ichinose was pleasantly surprised. No wonder he was recognized by the Student Council President; she had spent the whole morning trying to figure it out, and he had solved it in less than a few minutes.

"Ahem... I need to confirm something first." Toru Hasegawa coughed twice and sent a message to Akane Tachibana.

The speed of her reply was on par with Masayoshi Hashimoto's.

[Secretary Tachibana: Even though he has a childhood sweetheart, he still refuses no one who comes to him. He's just a scumbag!!!]

[Toru Hasegawa: ...I understand.]

Seeing the message from Akane Tachibana, the suspicion in Toru Hasegawa's heart was confirmed.

"Just like the reason I approached you in the first place, Miyabi Nagumo has the exact same motive," Toru Hasegawa said slowly, his tone carrying a hint of embarrassment.

"Huh?" Honami Ichinose was slightly stunned, and a flush of crimson quickly rose to her pretty face.

She didn't actually care much about her own body, but she hadn't expected that this was the reason she was being targeted by two boys at the same time.

"Although, from my position, I don't really have the right to say this, he likely wants to turn you into his own private possession."

Toru Hasegawa hadn't expected that he would resonate with Miyabi Nagumo to some extent, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of frustration.

He could already roughly imagine the methods Miyabi Nagumo would use, and this realization hurt him as well.

"I don't really understand..." Honami Ichinose felt confused in the face of this explanation she had never heard before.

Toru Hasegawa took a deep breath and decided to start from the beginning: "Your homeroom teacher must have told you today, right? There is a certain pattern to how this school assigns classes; otherwise, last month's results couldn't have formed such an accurate ranking."

It would be one thing if it were just a coincidence that Class A was at the top and Class D was at the bottom, but Class B and Class C also followed this rule.

"Yes, although we were judged by the school to be Class B, I think it's truly wonderful to have met everyone in Class B!"

Honami Ichinose's expression did not waver, as if she truly felt that way.

"I admire you for that." Toru Hasegawa showed a slight look of admiration on his face, because not everyone could be as carefree as Honami Ichinose, however...

He was immediately prepared to cast her into the abyss.

"But that isn't the issue here; I believe you clearly have the ability to be assigned to Class A, so why did you end up in Class B?"