In the silence, everyone turned to look at the girl beside Tachibana Akane.
Karuizawa Kei pinched her slip of paper, still hesitating to stand. "Mine says, 'A man whose surname contains a directional character.' That should be Kai-kun, right?"
The girls' eyes widened.
What were you hesitating for? Was there another boy here?
"Ahahahaha! You only just figured it out? You're all so young~"
Hoshinomiya Chie laughed and patted the cushion beside her, barely able to contain herself.
"Everyone drew Little Kitagawa! I saw through this trick right from the start! O(∩_∩)O Haha~"
As soon as she finished, the girls broke into a flurry of chatter.
"Huh? You drew Kai-kun too?"
"No wonder everyone was being so secretive. I thought I was the only lucky one."
"So when Akane gave him her present earlier, you were wondering if you'd guessed wrong too?"
As they compared notes, they gradually pieced together what had happened. Each had thought she was uniquely lucky, only to discover she was just one of more than twenty.
Amikura Mako looked at the gift box in her arms, feeling a little deflated.
She had spent ages happily browsing the shop, even considering several kinds of wrapping paper. It turned out everyone else had been doing exactly the same thing.
Still, at least her present would end up in Kitagawa-kun's hands.
At that thought, her tiny flicker of disappointment quickly vanished.
Horikita Suzune's feelings were far more complicated.
Ibuki really hadn't drawn my name!
Didn't that make me the clown?
She turned her face away awkwardly, desperately avoiding Ibuki Mio's gaze. She was so mortified she could have dug out an entire Moon Court Villa with her toes right then and there.
Meeting everyone's eyes, Ichinose Honami smiled and raised both hands.
"All right, all right. I actually