"Don't get the wrong idea. Sakayanagi Arisu and I aren't involved."
"And there's nothing going on between us like the weird relationships you're imagining."
"One more important thing: I'm not a lolicon."
As they left Sakayanagi Narimori's office, the two girls beside Chihaya Rei fixed him with curious looks, their expressions suggesting they wanted to ask something but weren't sure how.
How could Chihaya Rei not notice? He simply spoke up to clear things up.
After Matsushita Chiaki and Sakura Airi heard Chihaya Rei's explanation, their expressions seemed to relax a little.
Not at all!
"Then why did the chairman give you a picture of Classmate Sakayanagi as a child?"
Matsushita Chiaki asked with open curiosity.
"Yeah... that is strange."
Sakura Airi chimed in, her eyes wide as she eagerly waited for an answer.
"Well..."
Even Chihaya Rei paused at the question. He had to think carefully and consider Sakayanagi Narimori's intentions.
Thinking back to the way Sakayanagi Narimori had treated him just now, the look of admiration in his eyes, and his meaningful way of speaking...
And then there was that move of giving him the photo.
After turning it over in his mind, Chihaya Rei decided there was only one likely explanation.
His eyes narrowed, and he said in a joking tone, "Maybe the chairman thinks highly of me and wants me to marry into the Sakayanagi Family?"
As soon as he said it, Chihaya Rei suddenly felt the ten million points weighing heavily on him.
Could they have been trying to buy him off, too?
"Eh!!"
The two girls let out surprised exclamations.
Clever Matsushita Chiaki ran through the possibilities in her mind and decided it did seem plausible.
For a family like Chairman Sakayanagi's, if they planned to find a suitable husband for Sakayanagi Arisu, then choosing a powerful student from Advanced Nurturing High School, where strength was everything, would be a good option.
Although Chihaya Rei was in Class D,
Matsushita Chiaki already knew very well that he was the type to hide his true abilities, just like her.
But then Chihaya Rei shook his head, looking a little regretful.
No, that wouldn't do.
He was a Honami Fan, after all, and just couldn't get interested in a white-haired loli like Sakayanagi Arisu.
Besides, Sakayanagi Arisu's frail body gave him plenty of reason to worry.
Could Sakayanagi Arisu fulfill the responsibilities expected of a wife?
Still, putting all that aside, there were some benefits to becoming the Sakayanagi Family's son-in-law.
Becoming their son-in-law meant he could inherit Advanced Nurturing High School.
Wouldn't all the oddballs who enrolled at the school from then on fall into his hands, for him to torment as he pleased?
Hiss. When you put it that way, not bad.
As the three chatted, they had already left the office building.
Just then, they spotted a pink-haired figure standing outside.
It was the first-year class's very own angel, Ichinose Honami.
When Chihaya Rei saw her,
he thought that since they'd run into each other, he should go over and say hello. Otherwise, everyone would doubt that he was a Honami Fan again.
"Hello, Chihaya-kun, Matsushita-san, Sakura-san."
Before he had a chance to approach her, Ichinose Honami spotted some familiar faces and cheerfully came over to greet them.
"Good afternoon, Ichinose."
Chihaya Rei nodded in reply.
"Ehh!"
Ichinose Honami drew out the word, sounding a little disappointed. "Chihaya-kun, didn't we agree you could just call me by my first name?"
"All right, then. Honami, good afternoon."
A faintly bemused look appeared in Chihaya Rei's eyes.
He felt like Ichinose Honami had a pretty good impression of him.
Ichinose Honami had told plenty of classmates they could call her by her first name, but if they still called her Ichinose, she wouldn't go out of her way to correct them.
Yet now she'd gone out of her way to correct him.
Could it be... Ichinose Honami is actually a Chihaya Rei Fan?
Beside them, Matsushita Chiaki and Sakura Airi also greeted Ichinose politely.
But seeing another girl approach Chihaya Rei to talk to him, especially Ichinose Honami, the popular girl from Class B next door, left them feeling a little conflicted after their initial surprise.
"Chihaya-kun, what are you doing here?"
Ichinose Honami asked curiously.
The Student Council was holding recruitment interviews in this office building today, so other students weren't allowed into the offices.
And she hadn't seen Chihaya Rei and the others among the students who'd gone in for interviews.
That was why she was puzzled.
"There's a problem with the points display on my Terminal Device, so I came to ask a teacher about it."
Chihaya Rei explained without batting an eye. "Matsushita and Airi happened to come with me."
"I see."
Ichinose Honami blinked, then nodded, accepting his explanation. She asked with concern, "Were you able to get it fixed?"
"Yeah, it's fixed."
After answering, Chihaya Rei asked in turn, "What about you? What are you doing here?"
"I came for an interview with the Student Council."
Ichinose Honami answered honestly.
Chihaya Rei nodded thoughtfully.
To keep first-years from getting caught up in his conflict with Miyabi Nagumo, Horikita Manabu wasn't planning to recruit any freshmen at all.
So Ichinose Honami's hopes of joining the Student Council were bound to come to nothing.
But it wasn't the right time to tell her that.
After chatting for a few more moments, Chihaya Rei planned to leave with Matsushita Chiaki and Sakura Airi so they could go back and divvy up the points.
"Honami, we'll get going. Let's talk another time."
"Wait, um, could you hold on a moment?"
Ichinose Honami suddenly reached out and grabbed Chihaya Rei's arm, asking him to stay. A hint of nervousness crossed her face.
"Chihaya-kun, do you have any free time right now?"
Ichinose Honami asked.
"I do."
A thoughtful glint passed through Chihaya Rei's eyes. He glanced at Matsushita Chiaki and Sakura Airi before asking curiously,
"Is there something else you wanted, Honami?"
"Mm-hmm."
Ichinose Honami nodded, looking a little embarrassed.
"Actually, there's something I wanted to ask your advice about."
Chihaya Rei grew curious. "Sure, no problem."
When Ichinose Honami saw that Chihaya Rei hadn't turned her down outright, she felt a little relieved.
Then she looked earnestly at Matsushita Chiaki and Sakura Airi, clasped her hands together, and apologized:
"Matsushita-san, Sakura-san, I'm so sorry, but could I borrow Chihaya-kun for a moment?"
Clearly, she didn't want anyone else around for the matter she wanted to discuss with Chihaya Rei.
Matsushita Chiaki and Sakura Airi understood. They were curious, but it wasn't their place to ask.
"Yeah, it's fine."
"We'll head back on our own."
The two girls gave her a considerate answer.
Ichinose Honami smiled gratefully. "Thank you. I'll treat you to a meal sometime!"
"..."
As Matsushita Chiaki and Sakura Airi gradually walked away,
only Chihaya Rei and Ichinose Honami remained outside the office building.
"Honami, what did you want to talk about?"
Chihaya Rei asked.
Ichinose Honami looked around, making sure no one else was nearby.
"Actually, this is something... I haven't been able to find the right person to talk to about."
She raised a hand to touch her hair, looking a little awkward as she lowered her voice.
It was rare to see Ichinose Honami act so bashfully, so Chihaya Rei had an idea what it might be.
"Then talk it over with me. I'll do my best to come up with a reasonable solution."
At Chihaya Rei's casual reassurance, Ichinose Honami seemed encouraged and found her courage.
She took a deep breath, then raised her voice and asked,
"Chihaya-kun, do you have a lot of experience with dating?"
Chihaya Rei: "Huh?"
Before you continue