The Angel of Class 1-B and the Assassin of Class 1-A

"Ms. Hoshinomiya, I brought the materials you wanted..."

Ichinose Honami stood prettily at the office doorway in her uniform, cradling a thick stack of documents in her arms.

However.

Before she could finish speaking, her words caught completely in her throat.

Because she had clearly heard her homeroom teacher say just moments ago: [Why not just date our Honami? The two of you are practically made for each other.]

For a moment.

The air in the office fell into deathly silence.

Ding.

"Students, class is about to begin. Please return to your classrooms promptly and prepare for class."

The class bell rang in the hallway.

A blush spread visibly from the tips of Ichinose Honami's ears across her exquisitely beautiful, innocent face.

She clutched the documents tightly against her chest with both hands. It was as though someone had pressed pause on her; she stood blankly in the doorway without moving.

"M-Ms. Hoshinomiya, what are you talking about?"

Ichinose Honami's voice carried the flustered panic of a startled deer, and she could barely get her words out properly.

Not only did Hoshinomiya Chie not feel embarrassed, she excitedly pumped a fist.

"Oh, Honami, your timing is perfect! Look, look, this is Tatsuya from Class 1-D."

Ichinose Honami instinctively looked toward Tatsuya Sakuya and happened to meet his gaze.

Tatsuya Sakuya sat in his chair, smiling as he gave her a small wave in greeting.

"Seeing you again, Ichinose. Good afternoon."

Ichinose Honami's mind was in complete disarray. Thinking of her teacher's words—"date" and "made for each other"—made her cheeks feel so hot they seemed ready to burst into flames.

"T-Tatsuya... good afternoon..."

Ichinose's voice was barely louder than a mosquito's buzz.

Watching this farce from the side, Chabashira Sae coldly issued an order to leave.

"You three, if you have nothing else to do, get back to class immediately."

"Don't stir up these pointless dating rumors in my office."

"Okay, okay~"

Hoshinomiya Chie cheerfully pushed Ichinose Honami out, not forgetting to turn back and give Tatsuya Sakuya an encouraging gesture.

"Sakuya, think about your teacher's suggestion."

"Ms. Hoshinomiya, please stop saying things like that!"

Ichinose Honami's embarrassed, hurried complaint gradually faded into the distance.

The office returned to calm.

"Please have the next student come to the office for their psychological evaluation."

Chabashira Sae said this to Tatsuya Sakuya and Horikita Suzune.

Tatsuya Sakuya and Horikita Suzune walked one after the other along the path back to the Class 1-D classroom.

"What was with getting forty points in every subject? Was it a coincidence? Did you do it deliberately, or was it an accident?"

Horikita Suzune suddenly asked Tatsuya Sakuya.

"I already told you, didn't I? I was just lucky."

Tatsuya Sakuya merely intended to repeat what he had said earlier in the office.

"By the way, why do you want to move up to Class 1-A? Is it because graduating from Class 1-A would get you better employment?"

Tatsuya Sakuya tried to change the subject.

"I have a reason why I must graduate from Class 1-A no matter what. But before that, I still want to know why I was assigned to Class 1-D."

Horikita Suzune clearly did not want to reveal her true thoughts in front of an outsider.

Her purpose in coming to this school was simply to catch up to her older brother, Horikita Manabu.

After school.

Tatsuya Sakuya took the elevator to his floor, stepped out, and headed down the corridor toward his room.

An unexpected figure was crouching outside room 217.

Kamuro Masumi of Class 1-A.

She held an enormous plastic bag bearing a convenience store logo.

The bag was stuffed full. Through its transparent gaps, he could vaguely make out green onions, tomatoes, and a box of premium fatty beef.

Hearing footsteps, Kamuro Masumi abruptly raised her head.

Because she had been crouching for too long, her legs clearly went numb as she stood up, and her body staggered uncontrollably half a step forward.

"Well, Kamuro, you're being awfully polite. You even brought a whole bag of gifts for a visit."

Leaning against the doorframe, Tatsuya Sakuya looked her up and down and teased her.

"Kamuro, have you finally come to your senses? Did you agree to be my girlfriend and become a housewife?"

Kamuro Masumi's cheeks quickly flushed crimson, and she gripped the plastic bag tightly.

"Shut up, you complete pervert."

She gritted her teeth and lowered her voice.

"Stop being so full of yourself. Anyone who fell for you would probably have had rotten luck for eight generations."

"I only came here to confirm something."

Kamuro Masumi fixed Tatsuya Sakuya with an intense stare.

"What exactly did you mean when you pointed at your phone screen in the cafeteria earlier?"

"Did you delete that video or not?"

"Didn't I delete it right in front of you last time? You saw it with your own eyes."

Tatsuya Sakuya took out his key card and opened the door.

"Come inside and talk, unless you want the students on this entire floor to hear about your 'special fetish'?"

"Oh, I get it. This is part of your thrill-seeking too. As expected of you, Kamuro. Your cerebellum is superior to mine."

Kamuro Masumi had no choice but to enter the room despite herself. After all, making a scene would do her no good.

She placed the heavy plastic bag on the cabinet by the entryway.

"Can you answer me now? Did you delete it or not?"

Tatsuya Sakuya walked over to the entryway cabinet and casually looked through the ingredients in the bag.

"Fresh green onions, tomatoes, and discounted marbled fatty beef."

He turned around, amusement in his eyes, without answering her question.

"Kamuro, if you were just buying discounted ingredients along the way, why were you staking out my door specifically?"

Angrily stepping forward, Kamuro Masumi tried to snatch the phone from Tatsuya Sakuya's pocket.

"Give me your phone. I'll confirm it myself."

Tatsuya Sakuya merely shifted slightly to the side, easily evading her.

Kamuro Masumi tipped forward from losing her balance. Tatsuya Sakuya grabbed her wrist and pulled her back in one smooth motion.

Kamuro Masumi fell uncontrollably into a broad chest.

Less than ten centimeters separated them. It was quiet enough for them to hear each other breathing.

Kamuro Masumi planted a hand against Tatsuya Sakuya's chest in alarm, her pupils contracting sharply.

"Kamuro, it's dangerous for a girl to throw herself at a guy so casually."

Tatsuya Sakuya's voice was low.

"You did that on purpose, damn it. Look at you—you even made me swear."

Kamuro Masumi broke free in a panic and quickly retreated two steps, putting a safe distance between them.

Tatsuya Sakuya walked over to the small bar counter and poured himself a glass of ice water.

When he turned back around, the teasing look on his face had vanished in an instant.

"We've joked around enough. Shall we handle some real business now?"