A Thorough Investigation into Kitagawa Kai

No sooner had Sakayanagi returned to her dorm than she eagerly dialed Sakayanagi Narumori's number.

"Dad~, I want the full enrollment records for Kitagawa Kai in our class."

Her soft, sweet voice carried a hint of coquettishness.

"Did he make Arisu angry?" Sakayanagi Narumori asked as he sent her Kitagawa's information. The doting father reacted quickly.

"Not at all, Dad~."

Sakayanagi Arisu leaned against the window, her tone as light as though she were sharing a newly discovered toy.

"I just think he's interesting. Very interesting."

"Interesting?" Sakayanagi Narumori visibly relaxed, then sharply caught the odd note in his daughter's voice.

Something was off.

Nine parts out of ten, something was definitely off.

Since when did his precious daughter use that tone to describe a boy she had only just met?

"What kind of interesting? Arisu rarely uses that word for boys her own age."

"I just feel like he's different from everyone else~."

Investigate Kitagawa Kai thoroughly.

Dig into Kitagawa Kai until there was nothing left to uncover.

Sakayanagi Narumori silently made up his mind.

No brat who didn't know his place was ever going to trick his precious little girl away. Absolutely not!

Less than a minute later, an encrypted email arrived.

Sakayanagi Arisu examined Kitagawa Kai's file with great interest.

[Name: Kitagawa Kai]

[Academic Ability: B]

[Intelligence: C]

[Judgment: C]

[Physical Ability: C]

[Teamwork Ability: C]

Interviewer's Evaluation: Exceptional appearance. All abilities are at the level of an ordinary person. Tends toward unconventional thinking. Teamwork ability meets the standard.

The standard template for a Class B student—no strengths, no weaknesses.

But was that really reasonable?

Had the admissions office people gotten water in their brains again?

Meanwhile, in the faculty office.

Hoshinomiya Chie sat at her desk with an exam paper spread out before her.

It was Kitagawa Kai's entrance examination paper.

Yet after studying it for quite some time, the confusion on her face only deepened.

This test paper... was too mediocre.

She picked it up again and carefully checked it from start to finish, confirming that she had not misread anything.

The score was neither high nor low, landing precisely on the admission cutoff. Every ability assessment was a uniform C.

A completely and utterly... ordinary person.

But Hoshinomiya Chie felt that something was wrong.

"What kind of joke is this?"

She murmured under her breath, her fingers unconsciously tapping against the desktop with crisp clicks.

A bold idea began to take shape in her mind.

She needed to interact with him more directly—observe him, test him.

Eight in the morning.

How awful. Why did they have to schedule classes this early?

Kitagawa Kai yawned, splashed cold water on his face, and forced himself awake before heading out.

He had just reached the elevator when its doors opened. He stepped inside and found that someone was already standing there.

"Good morning, Kitagawa."

Ichinose's bright, energetic voice rang through the cramped space. She had been fixing her hair in the mirror, and the moment she saw his reflection enter, she turned around with a radiant smile.

"Morning, Ichinose." Kitagawa Kai replied politely and pressed the button for their floor.

"By the way, let's exchange contact information?" Ichinose waved the Terminal on her wrist. Its screen lit up, displaying a contacts list packed with names.

Kitagawa Kai instinctively glanced at the sparse list of contacts on his own phone screen.

The contrast was stark.

After they added each other as friends, Ichinose tapped away rapidly. "I added you to the class group chat."

Just like that, he had gotten the beautiful girl's contact information.

As they stepped out of the apartment building, the morning sunlight was just right.

Ichinose naturally walked beside him.

Wherever they went, they drew plenty of friendly looks. Groups of students approached from the opposite direction, all smiling as they greeted Ichinose.

"Ichinose, morning!"

"You're full of energy again today!"

Ichinose always answered those greetings with the same radiant smile, handling them with ease.

Kitagawa Kai quietly walked at her side. Watching this scene, he could not help but remark, "Ichinose, you really are charming."

"Not at all." Hearing his murmur, Ichinose stuck out her tongue shyly. "Maybe it's because I smile a lot? Everyone likes being around cheerful people."

"I think it's more than just that." Kitagawa Kai looked at her seriously. "Your smile... it's contagious."

"When I see you smile, my mood improves too."

Ichinose froze slightly, then a faint blush spread across her cheeks. She quickly waved her hands. "Oh, Kitagawa, you're too good with words. You're making me embarrassed."

[Ding!]

[Ichinose Honami Affection Level +5, current Affection Level: 35 (Friends)]

"Come to think of it, Kitagawa, you probably haven't had breakfast yet, have you?"

Kitagawa Kai paused.

She took a light blue lunch bag from her small carryall and pulled out a rice ball carefully wrapped in wax paper, stuffing it into Kitagawa Kai's hand before he could refuse.

"It's salmon and pickled plum. I made an extra one this morning."

"Thanks."

He took a small bite. The rice was at just the right temperature.

"You're welcome~" Ichinose seemed quite pleased that he had accepted her kindness. "Actually, I make an extra one every morning."

"Ichinose, isn't that unfair?"

She tilted her head slightly, a playful look on her face. "Hm? How is that unfair?"

"Making breakfast this delicious."

Kitagawa Kai paused, then fixed his gaze on her eyes with a hint of heat. "What am I supposed to do from now on?"

Ichinose was startled by the intensity in his eyes. The tips of her ears quietly turned red, and she instinctively looked away.

"Kitagawa..." she muttered softly, unconsciously twisting the lunch bag's strap around her fingers. "That's too sly."

Kitagawa Kai finished the rest of the rice ball in a few bites and caught up with her. An oddly quiet atmosphere settled between them for several seconds, broken only by the morning birdsong and distant chatter.

"I mean it." Kitagawa Kai's tone grew more serious. "Breakfast this good is addictive after just one taste. If I can't have it anymore later, wouldn't that be a shame?"

Ichinose slowed her steps.

"Then... if you don't mind, Kitagawa, whenever I make an extra, I can share it with you."

"Really?" Kitagawa Kai asked.

"Of course! Seeing someone enjoy the food I make makes me happy too."

[Ding!]

[Ichinose Honami Affection Level +3, current Affection Level: 38 (Friends)]

By the time Kitagawa Kai and Ichinose entered the classroom, more than half the class had already arrived.

In the corner by the window, Shiranami Chihiro sat quietly at her desk, holding a book in her hands, though her eyes were not on its pages.

From the moment Kitagawa Kai and Ichinose appeared side by side in the classroom doorway, her gaze had been subtly following them.

She thought, That Kitagawa... he seems pretty close with Honami, doesn't he? Did they come here together?