During the lunch break, Honami Ichinose found an unsigned envelope in her desk. The letter inside was written on pale pink paper in neat, delicate handwriting. There was no name at the end, only an invitation: Meet me in the clearing behind the gym at four this afternoon. The message was direct yet shy—a classic love confession.
She held the letter, a troubled look crossing her face. Ichinose was used to looking after her class and helping her classmates out of difficult situations, but when faced with such a personal and earnest expression of affection, she had no idea what to do. She was afraid rejecting them would hurt them, but worried that accepting the invitation might lead to a misunderstanding. Caught between the two, she considered how to handle it properly. Should she ask a classmate to pretend to be her boyfriend so she could turn the sender down gently? What if she found the person who'd written it? As she surveyed the classroom, the first person she thought of asking for help was Yoshikage Kira.
He probably hadn't written the letter, and he was someone she could trust.
Clutching the letter, Ichinose walked to the last row and softly called his name. Her voice was unmistakably hesitant. "Kira... could I borrow a little of your time? There's something personal I'd like your help with."
Kira looked up and closed his notebook. "Go ahead."
Ichinose glanced around to make sure nobody was paying attention before handing him the unsigned letter. Her cheeks were faintly flushed. "I got this... I don't know who it's from, or how to turn them down without hurting them. I want to meet them and make things clear, but I'm a little uneasy about going alone. Could you come with me? You don't have to show yourself. Just wait nearby."
She didn't mention pretending to be her boyfriend or anything like that. She could tell Kira hated getting dragged into unnecessary complications, so she kept her request to the bare minimum.
Kira scanned the letter and paused briefly. This sort of romantic entanglement had nothing to do with him, but if Ichinose handled it poorly, it could affect Class B's atmosphere and disrupt the stability he wanted. He was silent for a few seconds, then answered, "All right. I'll wait at a distance. Tell me how it went afterward, and give me a signal if you need me to step in."
"Thank you so much!" Ichinose immediately breathed a sigh of relief, genuine gratitude in her eyes.
Kira gave a slight nod and said nothing more, lowering his head again. To him, this was simply a small but necessary step toward keeping Class B stable.
At ten to four, Ichinose arrived early at the clearing behind the gym. It was quiet and secluded, a common spot for students to confess their feelings in private. She nervously straightened her collar, repeatedly rehearsing what she would say to turn the other person down. She wanted to be clear without hurting them.
As agreed, Kira waited beneath a tree some distance away. He kept far enough back not to disturb her, yet close enough to appear quickly if anything went wrong. Leaning against the trunk, he closed his eyes and kept himself at a distance where an ordinary person couldn't hear or see clearly, maintaining only the bare minimum of vigilance. To him, who the confession was for and what it contained were utterly meaningless. He only needed to make sure Ichinose could handle it peacefully without causing a stir in the class.
Soft footsteps sounded.
A slender figure hurried over. It wasn't a boy, but Chihiro Shiranami, a classmate of hers. She clutched a sketchbook, her fingertips pale with tension. Her usually gentle, meek manner was now edged with the resolve of someone who had burned her bridges.
Ichinose froze, then double-checked that Chihiro Shiranami was walking toward her. Bewilderment showed on her face. "Chihiro... it was you?"
Chihiro Shiranami looked up. Her eyes were slightly red, but she met Ichinose's gaze directly. Her voice trembled, yet every word was clear. "It was. I wrote the letter."
She didn't look away or back down. She mustered all her courage and faced her feelings honestly. Even knowing she would probably be rejected, she still wanted to say them aloud herself.
"Ichinose... I love you." Chihiro Shiranami took a deep breath and finally spoke the feelings she had kept hidden for so long. "Not as a friend. I want to stay by your side and be with you always. That's the kind of love I feel for you."
She simply declared her feelings openly. Though usually timid, she was remarkably firm as she confessed. She understood her own heart and respected Ichinose's choice.
Ichinose's distress deepened. Chihiro was a classmate and a close friend, and Ichinose was even more reluctant to respond too bluntly. She softened her tone, her voice gentle but firm. "Chihiro, I've always thought of you as someone very important to me... but I can't return your feelings. I'm sorry."
Her rejection was clear and gentle, leaving no room for ambiguity—just like Ichinose.
Chihiro had expected the answer all along, but she still couldn't stop her eyes from reddening. She lowered her head, her shoulders trembling, yet forced back her tears. All she did was softly repeat, "I know... I knew this would happen. I just wanted to tell you myself. That way, I can move on."
She raised her head and managed a smile. Tears glimmered in her eyes, but her expression was remarkably calm. "We're still friends, right? We can still get along like we used to... I won't cause you any trouble or affect the class."
She accepted the rejection calmly and willingly returned to being a friend. Thoughtful and restrained, she didn't want to cause any trouble—gentle, but mindful of boundaries.
Ichinose's eyes grew a little warm too. She nodded softly. "Of course we're friends. We always have been."
"Good." Chihiro smiled, hugged her sketchbook, and turned to leave. Her steps were light, but her figure seemed unsteady as she walked away.
Beneath the tree, Kira quietly watched Chihiro Shiranami's back as she disappeared into the distance, then made a simple judgment.
Once he was sure the situation had settled, he prepared to slip away without a sound. But Ichinose hurried after him and called out.
"Kira... thank you." Ichinose came up to him, looking relieved and grateful. "It was Chihiro. We've cleared things up. She'll be all right, and it won't affect the class."
"Understood." Kira's tone was flat. "As long as it's handled."
He didn't ask for details or offer an opinion, and showed no curiosity. It was as if he'd merely witnessed some trivial matter.
Looking at his calm profile, Ichinose felt a sense of security deep in her heart.
"Kira, thank you. Really." Ichinose thanked him again, sincerely. "I'll buy you a drink next time, as a thank-you."
"No need." Kira nodded slightly and started to walk away. "Just don't disrupt the class."
He still turned down unnecessary favors and kept his boundaries. Yet even he couldn't quite explain it: Ichinose's request had involved her personal feelings, and he had accepted it anyway.
It was for the sake of Class B. Kira Yoshikage learned to tell himself a small lie and put an end to any further thought.
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