The Girls Gather to Eavesdrop, Karuizawa Kei's Turn / Chapter 9: The Girls Gather to Eavesdrop, Ichinose Honami's Turn

"Arisu is right here, so why is Boyfriend-kun looking at other girls?"

She loudly challenged him, putting on the fragile expression of a pitiful woman who'd been abandoned. Paired with her frail appearance, she looked utterly heartbroken.

But only Hoshino En, sitting across from her, saw the sly smile in her eyes.

As soon as she said that, the girls at the other tables who'd been watching them started whispering among themselves.

"He has such a cute girlfriend, and he's still looking at other women? What a scumbag!"

"That's not necessarily fair. We're charming too, so it's only natural he'd get distracted, right? In fact, it'd be strange if he didn't look at all."

"You're obviously just crushing on him. He's not even that handsome... Well, I guess there's nothing wrong with the second half of what you said."

"..."

First Semester of First Year:

Chapter 8: The Girls Gather to Eavesdrop, Karuizawa Kei's Turn

Meanwhile, at a booth to the right and slightly behind Sakayanagi Arisu, and to the left and slightly in front of Hoshino En, a girl with a high golden ponytail and a gyaru style, complete with leg warmers, lowered her head, looking a little downcast.

So he already has a girlfriend...

Karuizawa Kei felt the love she hadn't even had a chance to nurture turn into a lemon soaked in vinegar—so~ so~~ so~~~ sour.

"Isn't that Hoshino En from our class?"

Sitting beside her was Mori Nene, who, like Karuizawa Kei, had a clear view of Hoshino En across the table from Sakayanagi Arisu.

"I noticed he didn't seem to have many friends in class. He left on his own right after the homeroom meeting, too. I didn't expect he was going to meet his girlfriend."

"Huh? He's in our class? I don't really remember him."

Across from Mori Nene sat Sato Maya. To avoid being noticed by the person at the center of all this, she could only turn sideways and sneak a look from behind the booth's cover.

"And he looks pretty ordinary, too. Not very handsome."

And she was a die-hard fan of good looks. A guy like Hoshino En, who wasn't exceptionally handsome, wasn't her type.

"Looks are secondary. It's what he just did that matters."

Beside Sato Maya and across from Karuizawa Kei sat Matsushita Chiaki. Unlike the friend beside her, she wasn't trying to hide. She simply turned around and openly studied them.

"He pulled out a chair for the girl across from him and helped her sit down. Those were textbook gentlemanly manners. And he wasn't making any show of it. His movements were natural and graceful, which shows he was well brought up."

"To have such refined manners, he must come from a good family—at least upper-middle-class."

Her explanation made all three of her companions look at her. Even Karuizawa Kei, who'd been sulking with her head down, now stared at her new best friend in surprise.

When the others suddenly fell silent, Matsushita Chiaki realized she'd said something out of place. She hurriedly tried to explain herself.

"Um... I was really into graceful gentlemen for a while, so I studied up on the subject. This is the first time I've seen someone like that in real life."

Her explanation fooled Sato Maya and Mori Nene, but it did nothing to dispel Karuizawa Kei's suspicions.

But when you were explaining, you didn't sound surprised like this was your first time seeing one in real life. You sounded like someone who was used to it.

Matsushita, could it be that you're...

"Anyway, I think Karuizawa's story is more important than mine."

Seeing the increasingly peculiar look in Karuizawa Kei's eyes, Matsushita Chiaki hurriedly changed the subject.

"I remember you looked really surprised when you saw Hoshino En during introductions in class. What was that about?"

At Matsushita Chiaki's prompting, Mori Nene and Sato Maya also grew interested.

For girls, nothing got them more excited than gossip about a friend's love life.

"Don't tell me you... fell in love with him at first sight?"

Karuizawa Kei: "..."

Surrounded by their expectant gazes, Karuizawa Kei had no choice but to reveal part of her past to explain.

"Hoshino En and I went to the same middle school. I know him. He... he helped me a lot back then."

She placed both hands on the table, lacing her fingers together. She looked deeply unsettled.

"But he probably doesn't remember me. He's just like that. He helps people without making a fuss, but never remembers who he helped. He doesn't even give them a chance to thank him."

Matsushita Chiaki, Mori Nene, and Sato Maya: "..."

Although Karuizawa Kei said she only wanted to repay him for helping her in the past, seeing her like this made all three of them reach the same conclusion: Karuizawa, you've fallen in love!

Then they looked over at Hoshino En, seated across from Sakayanagi Arisu, and sighed for their good friend, all shaking their heads.

Too bad. Her romance had been nipped in the bud before it even had a chance to begin. How pitiful.

They could help Karuizawa Kei make a move, win Hoshino En's favor, and eventually push his girlfriend aside so she could take her place. But they weren't close enough to encourage her to break up someone else's relationship. If anything went wrong, they couldn't take responsibility.

"By the way, isn't that Kushida from our class at the table beside them?"

Seeing that the mood had grown a little heavy, Mori Nene suddenly pointed toward the four-seat table beside Hoshino En's. It was made by pushing two tables together.

The four of them looked over again. The customers who'd been sitting beside Hoshino En and Sakayanagi Arisu had left, and now their classmates Kushida Kikyo and her best friend Wang Meiyu were sitting there.

The two of them looked like they were chatting, but from the Karuizawa group's angle, their attention was on Hoshino En. Wang Meiyu was simply curious and enjoying the gossip, while Kushida Kikyo seemed to be waiting for a chance to join the conversation between Hoshino En and his girlfriend. She was probably hoping to befriend him.

After all, she'd said she wanted to be friends with everyone, and she'd been doing just that in class. But Hoshino En always disappeared as soon as class ended, so she hadn't had the chance. Now that she'd finally run into him, she probably wouldn't pass up this great opportunity.

Wait... Befriend him? Right now, of all times? Kushida, are you serious?

"I'm going to say hello to Kushida. You guys can keep chatting."

Thinking about what Kushida Kikyo might do, Karuizawa Kei hurried over and naturally slipped into their conversation.

The three she left behind: "..."

They didn't feel slighted at all. In fact, they were even more eager to enjoy the gossip.

"Karuizawa's amazing."

"Yeah, yeah. I always thought she was the kind of person who'd forget all about her ex as soon as she got dumped and start a new life right away."

"But with how she's going, it doesn't look like she's planning to confront that silver-haired girl. It's more like she's going to stop Kushida Kikyo from barging in on Hoshino En's date with his girlfriend."

"Huh? So she's thinking about Hoshino En's date? Th-that's just..."

"Shh—keep your voice down, or we won't be able to hear anything."

Before Sato Maya and Mori Nene could get too caught up in their conversation, Matsushita Chiaki interrupted them and said there was something more important to do.

Sato Maya and Mori Nene: "..."

"Right, right. The gossip comes first."

The three of them agreed. They pretended to eat the desserts on the table while keeping their eyes fixed on Hoshino En's table and listening intently.

Unfortunately, apart from Sakayanagi Arisu's deliberate, loud challenge earlier, they couldn't make out anything else.

They were still too far away. Now they could only count on Karuizawa to bring back the news.

"Good afternoon, Kushida and Wang."

Meanwhile, Karuizawa Kei walked over to Kushida Kikyo's table and sat beside Wang Meiyu, who was sitting across from Kushida Kikyo. From this angle, she could admire Hoshino En while pretending to talk to Kushida Kikyo. She slipped into their conversation without drawing attention to herself.

They were both old hands at this. Kushida Kikyo quickly realized why Karuizawa Kei had come over. She was probably here to get a closer look at the juicy gossip about Hoshino.

If that was the case, there was nothing to worry about.

At Kushida Kikyo's deliberate invitation, Wang Meiyu, who'd been nervous about the gyaru suddenly approaching, soon relaxed and quickly warmed up to Karuizawa Kei.

The three of them soon started chatting, but all their attention was focused on Hoshino En at the next table.

First Semester of First Year:

Chapter 9: The Girls Gather to Eavesdrop, Ichinose Honami's Turn

A little earlier, when Sakayanagi Arisu loudly challenged Hoshino En, a girl with smooth rose-gold hair sat at a table for two behind and to his right, staring at him in a daze.

"Honami-chan? Honami-chan? What's wrong?"

"Huh? I... I'm fine. I'm fine."

Hearing her companion's question, Ichinose Honami came back to herself and managed a smile.

"How are you fine? You look pale. Did something upsetting come to mind?"

Shiranami Chihiro, the brown-haired girl who'd come here with Ichinose Honami to kill time, looked at her with concern.

"If you're not feeling well, Honami-chan, maybe we should put off tonight's get-together. I'm sure everyone would understand."

"No, no, I'm fine. Don't worry about me, Chihiro-chan."

"Besides, it's such a rare thing for everyone to end up at the same school. We should celebrate properly. We can't put off the celebration everyone's looking forward to just because of me."

Although Ichinose Honami said that, Shiranami Chihiro could still see the wavering in her face.

Honami-chan only started acting like this after that couple showed up here!!

And now, after answering her question, Honami-chan was staring at that boy again, lost in thought.

What was going on? Did Honami-chan know that boy? If so, why didn't she just go over and say hello?

Following Ichinose Honami's gaze, Shiranami Chihiro looked at the boy for the first time. She preferred watching the girl in front of her, who was like an older sister to her, over gossiping about other people's relationships.

But for Honami's sake, she couldn't look away this time.

However, as she watched Hoshino En sitting across from Sakayanagi Arisu, Shiranami Chihiro suddenly felt a sense of familiarity. She felt like she'd seen him somewhere before.

It wasn't a distant memory, so she soon remembered.

"Honami-chan, I remember that boy showed up outside our classroom earlier. Do you know him?"

Each class at this school occupied an entire floor of the school building, so it was rare to run into students from other classes on the same floor. That was why Shiranami Chihiro had noticed the student who'd passed by their classroom that morning without coming in.

"Huh? He came by? Then I wasn't imagining it..." she whispered.

Shiranami Chihiro: "..."

"Honami-chan, you really do know him. No wonder you've been staring at him ever since he came in."

She deliberately made her words sound suggestive to test Ichinose Honami's reaction.

If Honami-chan firmly denied it, then she could relax. But if Honami-chan stammered and blushed... then she'd have to go home and have a good cry.

"Why don't you go say hello?"

She said it on purpose.

Ichinose Honami: "..."

But, to Shiranami Chihiro's surprise, Ichinose Honami didn't react in either of the ways she'd imagined. Instead, she came up with a third possibility.

She wore a pained, awkward smile that looked especially forced.

Shiranami Chihiro, who'd been deliberately teasing her, froze. She'd never seen Honami-chan act like this before.

Realizing that her deliberate teasing had reminded Honami-chan of something upsetting, she was suddenly overwhelmed by guilt.

"Um... Honami-chan, I'm sorry. I..."

"I'm fine, Chihiro-chan. Don't worry about it."

Ichinose Honami reached out and gently patted the head of the girl in front of her, who looked as though she was about to cry.

"Earlier, I must have reacted in a pretty strange way. I probably worried you. I'm sorry."

Looking at the petite girl, Ichinose Honami felt as though she were looking at her own little sister. Her big-sister instincts were gradually taking over.

She explained to her worried companion:

"We've only met once. I don't really know him. He... well, he helped me with something really important once, and then left without giving me any way to contact him. I've never had a chance to repay him."

"When Hoshinomiya-sensei told us earlier that we wouldn't be able to contact the outside world for three years, I was a little troubled. I never expected to run into him here by chance. Honestly, I'm really glad."

Perhaps because she'd already started telling Shiranami Chihiro, Ichinose Honami stopped hesitating and poured out all her worries at once.

"I was just wondering how to talk to him. He seems to be with his girlfriend right now. Wouldn't going over without warning disrupt their relationship?"

"And I really don't know him. I only remember what he looks like; I don't know anything else. Wouldn't it be strange to approach him so suddenly? Maybe he doesn't even remember me."

Shiranami Chihiro: "..."

So that was it. Honami-chan was just worried about how to repay him. I thought... No, no. I can't think about that anymore.

She shook her head, clearing out all the indecent thoughts, then looked toward Hoshino En's table and considered how to solve Honami-chan's dilemma.