Ichinose's Worry

Kato Satsu had barely stood at the entrance of the Class B classroom before he was recognized by the girls inside.

Just as he was staring at Ichinose Honami on the podium, contemplating how to broach the subject, a girl beat him to it.

"Are you Kato Satsu?"

Satsu snapped out of his thoughts and nodded. "Ah, yes! That's me."

"You... know me?"

Hearing Satsu's question, the girl covered her mouth and chuckled. "The match you had against the second-year student—surely no one in the school is unaware of that. It was a public duel, and you can still find the videos now."

"Besides, you're ranked number one on the list of most popular boys compiled by the girls! How could we not know you?" (Class B girl)

"Is there something you need, Kato-kun?"

The girl was very enthusiastic, but Satsu's mind was clearly not on her. After a quick scan of the classroom, he replied distractedly.

"Right... I'm looking for someone, but it seems I'm out of luck. Mako Amikura isn't here, is she?"

"Mako? Since when did she get targeted by this madman? What exactly is he trying to do?" (Ichinose Honami)

After confirming for the third time that the person he was looking for was not in the classroom, Satsu finally looked directly at the girl in front of him.

A hint of disappointment flickered in the girl's eyes as she said, "Mako? She didn't attend the study session today, so she went back to the dormitory early."

"Why couldn't he be looking for me? What kind of charm does Mako have to attract this level of romantic interest?" (Class B girl)

"I see. Then I'll visit another time."

Leaving those words behind in a flat tone, Satsu cast a casual glance at Ichinose and turned to leave.

If it were any other girl, that glance might have been mistaken for a flirtatious look, but in Ichinose's eyes, it was a naked, predatory appraisal.

It was as if a beast were sizing up its prey. A chill ran down Ichinose's spine, and she couldn't help but shudder.

"Mako is in danger!" (Ichinose Honami)

"There's no mistake, that look! That madman definitely has ill intentions. Even though I don't know what he's planning, I must stop him from making contact with Mako." (Ichinose Honami)

Ignoring the fact that she was in the middle of tutoring her classmates, Ichinose dropped her textbook and rushed out of the classroom.

Seeing Ichinose's unusual demeanor, a companion called out in concern, "Class President, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine! I just suddenly remembered I have an urgent matter to discuss with Hoshinomiya-sensei."

Ichinose didn't even look back, running all the way to the teachers' office.

"What's gotten into Class President Ichinose all of a sudden?"

"Forget it. In that case, let's just end today's study session here. It's already quite late anyway."

Inside the teachers' office, Hoshinomiya had just brewed a cup of hot cocoa and was half-reclining in her chair, enjoying a rare moment of leisure.

"Bang!"

The office door was suddenly kicked open.

"Ah!"

Hoshinomiya was clearly startled, letting out a shriek as the hot cocoa spilled all over her clothes.

Hoshinomiya looked toward the door in anger, but her fury subsided significantly when she saw it was Ichinose.

Frustrated, she pulled some tissues from the desk and began wiping her clothes while asking, "What is it, Ichinose-san? You look like you're in a hurry."

"I'm sorry, Sensei. I should have knocked first."

Realizing her rudeness, Ichinose apologized, then went straight to the point. "Sensei, do you know Kato Satsu from Class D?"

"Kato-kun? Of course I do. As a student in Class D, he possesses a level of popularity that is quite mismatched with his standing."

As she spoke, Hoshinomiya tossed the tissues into the trash can. "After all, he's a super handsome guy, so it's only natural he's popular."

"He just tried to make contact with Mako Amikura!" Ichinose said sternly.

"Eh?"

Watching Ichinose's "all-hands-on-deck" attitude, Hoshinomiya asked in confusion, "Is... is there a problem with that?"

"Perhaps Kato-kun just wants to make a friend, or maybe he's taken a liking to Mako-san."

"It's perfectly normal for high school students to date, right? Mako is quite cute, too!"

Seeing Hoshinomiya's completely dismissive attitude, Ichinose couldn't help but feel bewildered. Did she not know what Satsu had done before?

"Don't you think this is a dangerous situation?" Ichinose asked tentatively.

"Dangerous?"

Hoshinomiya said, puzzled, before suddenly realizing. "Are you saying you think Kato-kun might just be playing around?"

"But Mako is the one who makes the choices, not us."

Seeing that her homeroom teacher had completely shifted into a love-counseling mode, Ichinose knew she wouldn't get any help here, so she simply left.

"What is going on? Even if the school said the matter regarding that madman should be kept confidential, at least the teachers should know!" (Ichinose Honami)

"Judging by the current situation, Hoshinomiya-sensei is completely unaware of that matter, so I have no choice but to find a way myself." (Ichinose Honami)

At night, just after Ichinose finished her shower, the only sounds in her room were the hum of the hairdryer and the incessant notification pings from her phone.

Upon opening her phone, she realized it was the group chat formed by the girls of Class B.

Mako Amikura: "Really? That Kato-kun came looking for me?"

Class B Girl 1: "Of course it's true. The class representative was there at the time, ask her if you don't believe me."

Class B Girl 2: "I can also testify; Kato-kun definitely came looking for you."

Mako Amikura: "Did he say what he wanted with me?"

Class B Girl 1: "No, he left as soon as he found out you weren't there."

Class B Girl 3: "Maybe he just wanted to get to know you~"

Mako Amikura: "Stop joking around. Though, if I had known, I would have come to the study session."

"Eh! Come to think of it, I think I have the contact information for Kikyo Kushida from Class D. I could go and ask her for help."

Chihiro: "Actually... I think it would be better if you didn't get too close to that Kato, Mako."

Class B Girl 3: "Why?"

Class B Girl 2: "Could it be that our little Chihiro has a crush on Kato-kun and is feeling unhappy?"

Watching the group chat heat up, Ichinose originally didn't want to participate, but Chihiro, who knew the inside story, couldn't find a suitable excuse at the moment.

She also began typing fluently on her screen: "Chihiro is right, it's better to be careful."

Seeing the class representative speak up, everyone tactfully stopped teasing Chihiro, though it was unknown how much of Ichinose and Chihiro's advice they actually took to heart.

After the commotion in the group chat died down, Ichinose buried herself under her quilt with a look of exhaustion.