Long-Awaited Points

Chabashira Sae announced the news from the podium, and it was like a basin of cold water dousing the hope that had just begun to spark in Class D.

"As for this month's Class Points," she said in an even tone, pushing up her glasses, "due to adjustments to the system review process, the points are expected to be credited to your personal accounts one to two days later than usual. Please be patient."

"What? A delay?"

"What the heck! I was waiting to use my points to buy that new game!"

"Seriously, we don't have many points to begin with, and now we have to wait..."

A wave of grumbles and complaints immediately filled the classroom. The joy of receiving points had been considerably dampened by the unexpected delay, and the air was thick with disappointment and irritation.

Kazama In sat quietly at his desk, seemingly unsurprised. He leafed through the copy of Love Song of Green Seasons in his hands, as though the commotion at the podium had nothing to do with him. Ayanokoji Kiyotaka still wore his eternally unchanging poker face. Horikita Suzune frowned, but simply continued organizing her notes. Only Sudo, Ike, and Yamauchi sighed especially loudly.

Classes ended for the day in a somewhat gloomy atmosphere. When the dismissal bell rang, the students began packing up. Kazama In's phone screen lit up just then, displaying a new message from Ichinose Honami.

[Sorry to bother you, Kazama. There's something... I'd like to ask you for help with, if you're free right now. I'm really sorry to ask...]

Kazama In's dark eyes scanned the message, and his fingers paused over the screen for a moment. "A request from Ichinose Honami." The Class Vote incident came to mind at once, along with the kind warning Ichinose had given Class D at a crucial moment. She hadn't directly asked for anything in return, but this was undoubtedly a favor he owed her. After a brief moment's thought, he tapped out a reply:

[I'm free. What is it? I can help. But in exchange, please help me with something later, too.]

The message went through. Kazama In put away his phone, stood, and headed out of the classroom, exchanging brief farewells with Ayanokoji, Horikita, and the others.

Following the location they had agreed on by message, Kazama In went to a relatively quiet corner of the school building. As he turned the corner, he spotted Ichinose Honami standing there, looking a little uneasy. She had her head bowed, absentmindedly rubbing the toe of her shoe against the floor. At the sound of footsteps, she immediately looked up.

The moment Ichinose saw Kazama In, her eyes lit up as if filled with stars. But then a distinct blush quickly spread across her fair cheeks and down to her small earlobes. She hurriedly looked away, unable to meet his eyes, and unconsciously twined her slender fingers in the ends of her pink-gold hair. Her voice was much softer than usual, with a barely perceptible tremble.

"K-Kazama! You came... Um, thank you for agreeing to meet me."

Kazama In stopped in front of her and regarded her calmly. "Yeah. You said you had a problem?"

"Y-yes..." Ichinose took a deep breath, as if she had to summon all her courage. Then she carefully pulled a pale pink envelope from her uniform pocket and held it out to him. Her gaze still darted away, and her voice was as faint as a mosquito's. "This... was in my shoe locker this morning..."

Kazama In took the envelope. It carried a faint fragrance, and a cute heart-shaped sticker sealed the flap. He opened it to find an equally delicate sheet of stationery covered in elegant handwriting. He quickly skimmed its contents. A hint of surprise crossed his face, then vanished, and he folded the letter and slipped it back into the envelope before handing it to Ichinose. His voice carried a sincere note of congratulations. "A love letter? Congratulations, Ichinose. You seem to be popular."

"N-no!" At the word "congratulations," Ichinose reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. She abruptly raised her head, her cheeks turning even redder as she hurriedly waved her hands. Her voice rose as she explained, "Kazama, you've got it wrong! The person who wrote this letter... is a girl!"

"A girl?" This time, Kazama In was genuinely surprised; one eyebrow lifted almost imperceptibly. That wasn't what he'd expected.

"Yeah!" Ichinose nodded hard, her face full of confusion and distress. "It's Chihiro from my class... I think she... likes me..." She was too embarrassed to say the word aloud, and twisted her hands together nervously. "So I wanted to ask you for help... Kazama, could you... pretend to be my boyfriend? If Chihiro saw us... maybe she'd..." Her voice grew softer and softer until it was almost inaudible, her eyes full of pleading and embarrassment.

Just then, a timid voice came from the other end of the hallway.

"I-Ichinose...?"

They both turned toward the voice. A pretty girl with a short bob stood there. It was Chihiro, the letter's sender. Seeing Kazama In and Ichinose standing so close together—especially Ichinose's still-flushed cheeks and flustered expression—she froze, her face turning pale.

Ichinose Honami was clearly startled to see Chihiro. Then her face filled with embarrassment and guilt. She instinctively shifted half a step aside, putting a little distance between herself and Kazama In, and hurried to explain. "Ah! Chihiro! W-what are you doing here? This is Kazama In, from Class D... We were just..."

Her explanation was jumbled, making it sound even more like she was trying to cover something up.

Chihiro's gaze moved back and forth between Kazama In and Ichinose before settling on Ichinose. Her lips trembled as she gathered her courage and asked, "Ichinose... is this... your boyfriend?"

Watching the dramatic scene unfold, Kazama In glanced at the flustered Ichinose beside him and the tearful Chihiro before them. A flicker of understanding passed through his dark eyes. He sighed softly and spoke in a calm, almost absentminded voice, tinged with resignation and feeling. "This really is... a little like a scene from a book."

"Huh?" Ichinose turned to him in confusion at the out-of-the-blue remark. "What?"

Kazama In didn't answer her directly. Instead, he turned to Chihiro and spoke in a calm, clear voice, with a composure beyond his years. "Hello, Chihiro. I'm Kazama In, from Class D. Ichinose Honami and I are just childhood friends." He paused and looked Chihiro in the eye. "Feelings are precious, and whoever you develop them for deserves your respect. But real feelings shouldn't be built on deception or forced on someone. Ichinose treasures you as a friend and doesn't want to hurt you. That's why she's so troubled."

His words clarified their relationship and got to the heart of the matter. His tone was gentle, yet carried an undeniable conviction.

As Chihiro listened to Kazama In and looked into his calm, sincere eyes, then glanced at Ichinose, who stood nearby, anxious and guilty, she could no longer hold back her tears. She understood, and finally gave up hope. Without another word, she gave them a long look, then abruptly turned and ran off, covering her face.

Watching Chihiro disappear down the hall, Ichinose Honami let out a long breath. But she didn't look relieved; her face was full of guilt and a hint of exhaustion. She turned to Kazama In and murmured, "I'm sorry, Kazama. I dragged you into this mess... And thank you for what you said to Chihiro."

Kazama In shook his head. "It's all right. You just didn't want to hurt her." He watched Ichinose, who looked troubled and clearly downcast, and fell silent for a few seconds. An idea came to him almost instinctively, and he blurted it out without really thinking.

"Want to get something to drink? At the café?"

The moment the words left his mouth, Kazama In himself paused almost imperceptibly. A fleeting thought crossed his dark eyes: "Inviting an honor student from Class B to a café? That'll draw too much attention. If someone with an agenda sees me, a Class D student, meeting her in private, it might cause her unnecessary trouble..." The thought flashed through his mind.

But before Kazama In could think of a way to backtrack or take back his offer, Ichinose Honami abruptly looked up. Her downcast expression instantly gave way to surprise and... a hint of unmistakable delight. Her bright blue eyes fixed on Kazama In. The blush that had just faded crept back onto her cheeks, and she nodded shyly, her voice tinged with excitement.

"Mm... S-sure!"

Her immediate, delighted response made Kazama In swallow the words "Maybe it's not a good idea." He looked at Ichinose's suddenly bright smile. Her unreserved happiness seemed contagious, dispelling his misgivings.

"Then, let's go." Kazama In nodded and started walking.

"Okay!" Ichinose Honami immediately followed, walking lightly beside Kazama In. The golden glow of the setting sun streamed through the hallway windows, warming her pink-gold hair with its light. She wore a relaxed, radiant smile, seeming to have temporarily forgotten her troubles. They walked side by side toward the school café.