Bedside Phone Call with Ichinose

Honami Ichinose showed no joy at the praise, saying calmly:

"It was U Amakusa who explained it clearly. If anything, U Amakusa is the one who is truly impressive."

"Me? I'm just at an average person's level." U Amakusa wasn't being humble; he genuinely believed it.

Reaching this point was largely due to his foresight, with the rest being his cheat code; he was simply putting them to use.

Kanzaki ignored U Amakusa's humblebrag and continued to push the topic forward.

"So, are we implementing the point-deduction plan or the point-addition plan?"

U Amakusa shrugged. "That's up to you. I'm just here to offer strategies."

Kanzaki wouldn't give up. "I just wanted to ask for your opinion. Which plan do you think is more advantageous?"

Honami Ichinose stopped Kanzaki's questioning and made a direct decision.

"Kanzaki, we will implement the point-addition plan. We don't need you to play the villain. Not just me, but everyone in Class B wouldn't agree to it either. We will win fair and square, and then become Class A."

Hoshinomiya: "That's my Honami-chan for you~"

Listening to the discussion among the three from Class B, U Amakusa silently checked the time.

It was about time; mealtime was approaching.

If nothing went wrong, a large crowd would return to the dorms soon, making this the perfect moment to disperse.

"It's getting late. If we stay any longer, we'll be spotted. Hoshinomiya, please draft a contract based on what we discussed."

"Leave it to me."

Hoshinomiya only acted professionally when it came to official business.

If they didn't disperse now, the actual owner of the room would return, and that would be difficult to explain.

After successfully seeing them off and tidying up the items used to host his guests, U Amakusa finally returned to his own room.

Even though borrowing Sanada's room had been an unnecessary precaution, U Amakusa had done it anyway.

Beep-beep-beep—

U Amakusa reached into his pocket for his vibrating phone and pulled it out to take a look.

It was a call from Honami Ichinose.

Didn't she just leave?

Filled with doubt, U Amakusa chose to answer the call.

"Hello, Honami Ichinose?"

"Yes, it's me. Don't worry, U Amakusa, there's no one else around me right now."

U Amakusa remained silent for a moment. He couldn't guess why she would call at this hour.

Over the phone, U Amakusa couldn't even utilize his Information Glasses.

"...Does Honami Ichinose want to know about that thing Hoshinomiya mentioned?"

"No, although I am a little bit curious, I don't want to force U Amakusa to talk about things you don't want to."

"...Honami Ichinose, I think there's a nickname that suits you perfectly."

"Eh? What nickname? Is it one you came up with, U Amakusa?"

"Archangel."

"Archangel... isn't that a bit too exaggerated?"

"Haha, then why don't you drop the 'U Amakusa' part? It's weird for me to be the only one using your first name."

"Then let's go with U Amakusa-kun. Say, why did you choose Class B?"

Had they finally reached the main point?

"Sakura isn't suited for Class A. She can't keep up with Class A's grades. According to upperclassmen, failing to meet the passing threshold in academic exams results in expulsion."

"That's just an excuse, isn't it? If it were you, U Amakusa, you should have a way to solve that. Is it because Class B is the closest to Class A? Or is there another reason?"

"...What do you think the reason is, Honami Ichinose?"

"That's exactly what I don't understand, which is why I'm asking you. You must have already chosen Class B from the moment you asked me to be friends with Sakura. Even though there were Class C and Class D, wouldn't it have been better to help Sakura make friends in her own class, Class D?"

Honami Ichinose didn't know the situation in Class D, but U Amakusa didn't think staying in Class D was a good choice for Sakura.

"Then why wasn't it someone else from Class B, but specifically Honami Ichinose?"

"Eh? Um... um, why?"

Unable to process this for a moment, Honami Ichinose hoped to get the answer from U Amakusa.

"Because I never chose Class B. I chose the Class B that has Honami Ichinose in it."

"Eh? Ah..."

The voice on the other end was faint, and only a startled "Eh" from Honami Ichinose could be heard.

"Honami Ichinose?"

"Ah... sorry, sorry, my phone just slipped..."

"Your phone slipped? Is it alright?"

If the phone slipped, shouldn't there have been a clattering sound?

U Amakusa was puzzled.

"Mm, it's fine. It would be strange if it broke from falling on the bed, wouldn't it?"

"The bed? Are you in your room right now?"

"Yes, after all, we only just parted ways. If there's no one by my side, I can only be in my room, right?"

"I suppose so. Then, Ichinose, being in your room and on your bed, are you sure it's wise to say that so unguardedly?"

"Hmm... is there any reason I shouldn't say that?"

"..."

"I am, at the very least, a healthy, normal male, and a high schooler in the prime of his youth. Ichinose's behavior is enough to make a person's imagination run wild."

"..."

On the other end of the line, Ichinose fell silent for a moment, suddenly realizing something as her cheeks flushed a faint red.

"Amakusa-kun is such a pervert. That was supposed to be a perfectly normal conversation."

"For some innocent boys, just being able to talk to a cute girl on the phone for over five minutes is enough to keep them awake all night."

"Eh? Really?"

"Really."

"Does that go for you too, Amakusa-kun?"

"I'm not exactly an innocent little boy."

"Are you the type of boy who wants to start a harem?"

"...I can't deny that. It's the dream of countless boys, and I'm currently working hard to make it a reality."

"Amakusa-kun really is a pervert after all."

"Being a pervert just means I'm a male with normal inclinations! I should be proud of that."

A light chuckle came from Ichinose on the other end, and U Amakusa laughed along with her.

"Amakusa-kun is always confident in the strangest places, hmm... just like when you talked about rolling on the ground earlier."

"...Uh, is that a compliment?"

"It is a compliment."

"Then I suppose I should thank you."

"Pfft..."

Ichinose laughed again; this kind of conversation seemed to put her at ease.

As someone who was constantly surrounded and relied upon by everyone in Class B, perhaps she had always longed for moments of relaxation like this.

Even though the people in her class meant no harm, it was precisely because they were well-intentioned that she felt all the more exhausted.

"Even though this is our first phone call since we exchanged contact information, I feel... thank you, Amakusa-kun."

"Ichinose, I'll repeat what I said before: I didn't choose Class B, I chose the Class B that has Ichinose in it. So, as many times as you need, whenever you feel lost or exhausted, this line will always be open."

The phone Ichinose held to her ear did not slip this time; instead, she gripped it even tighter, slowly pulling her knees up and burying her burning face into them.

"...Thank you."

Though her voice was as faint as a mosquito's, U Amakusa heard it clearly.

There were so many more things he could have said—'don't mention it,' 'it's nothing,' and the like—but when the words reached U Amakusa's lips, there was only a simple...

"Mm."