"Ms. Hoshinomiya, I brought the documents you asked for..."
Ichinose Honami stood prettily at the office door in her school uniform, holding a thick stack of files in her arms.
However.
The girl's words caught completely in her throat halfway through.
Because she had clearly just heard her homeroom teacher say, [Why don't you just date our Honami? You two 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 through the hallway.
A blush spread across Ichinose Honami's stunningly pure face, visibly beginning at the tips of her ears.
She clutched the files tightly against her chest with both hands, standing blankly in the doorway as if someone had hit pause, utterly motionless.
"M-Ms. Hoshinomiya, what are you saying?"
Ichinose Honami's voice carried the flustered panic of a startled fawn, and she could barely speak coherently.
Rather than feeling embarrassed, Hoshinomiya Chie excitedly pumped her fist.
"Oh, Honami, you came at just the right time! Look, look, this is Shiba from Class 1-D."
Ichinose Honami instinctively looked toward Tatsuya Sakuya, only to meet his gaze.
Tatsuya Sakuya sat in his chair, smiled, and lightly waved to greet her.
"Nice to see you again, Ichinose. Good afternoon."
Ichinose Honami's mind was a mess. Remembering her teacher's words about "dating" and being "made for each other," she felt her cheeks burn as though they were about to catch fire.
"S-Shiba... 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."
"Don't stir up this pointless gossip in my office."
"Alright, alright~"
Hoshinomiya Chie cheerfully pushed Ichinose Honami toward the door, not forgetting to turn back and give Tatsuya Sakuya an encouraging gesture.
"Sakuya, consider your teacher's suggestion."
"Ms. Hoshinomiya, please stop saying that!"
Ichinose Honami's embarrassed and urgent complaint gradually faded into the distance.
The office returned to peace.
"Sorry for the trouble, but please have the next student come to the office for the psychological assessment."
Chabashira Sae said to Tatsuya Sakuya and Horikita Suzune.
Tatsuya Sakuya and Horikita Suzune walked one behind the other on their way back to the Class 1-D classroom.
"What's with getting exactly 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. I just got lucky, that's all."
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 a good job?"
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 only purpose in coming to this school was to catch up to her older brother, Horikita Manabu.
After school.
Tatsuya Sakuya took the elevator to his floor, stepped out, and walked down the corridor toward his room.
An unexpected figure was squatting 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, and through gaps in the transparent plastic, he could vaguely make out scallions, tomatoes, and a box of premium marbled beef.
Hearing footsteps, Kamuro Masumi abruptly looked up.
Having squatted there for too long, her legs had clearly gone numb when she stood, and her body staggered half a step forward beyond her control.
"Well, Kamuro, how thoughtful of you. You even brought a bag of things when coming to visit."
Leaning against the doorframe, Tatsuya Sakuya looked her up and down and joked.
"Kamuro, have you finally come to your senses? Did you agree to become my girlfriend and come here to be a housewife?"
A layer of crimson swiftly spread across Kamuro Masumi's cheeks, and she clenched the plastic bag tightly in her hand.
"Shut up, you complete hentai."
She ground her teeth and lowered her voice.
"Stop being so full of yourself. Anyone who falls for you must have had terrible luck for eight lifetimes."
"I only came here to confirm one thing."
Kamuro Masumi fixed Tatsuya Sakuya with a fierce stare.
"What exactly did you mean when you pointed at your phone screen in the cafeteria...?"
"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 room key card and opened the door.
"Come inside and talk. Or do you want every student on this floor to hear about your 'special fetish'?"
"Oh, I get it. This is part of the thrill for you too. As expected of you, Kamuro. Your cerebellum is superior to mine."
Kamuro Masumi had no choice but to enter the room despite herself, since making a scene would do her no good whatsoever.
She placed the heavy plastic bag on the cabinet by the entrance.
"Can you tell me now? Did you delete it or not?"
Tatsuya Sakuya walked over to the entryway cabinet and casually rummaged through the ingredients in the bag.
"Fresh scallions, tomatoes, and discounted marbled beef."
He turned around with an amused look in his eyes, without answering her question.
"Kamuro, if you were just conveniently buying discounted ingredients along the way, why were you staking out my door?"
Kamuro Masumi angrily stepped forward, trying to seize the phone in Tatsuya Sakuya's pocket.
"Give me your phone. I want to confirm it myself."
Tatsuya Sakuya merely shifted slightly to the side, easily dodging her movement.
Kamuro Masumi pitched forward from losing her balance, and Tatsuya Sakuya reached out, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her back.
Kamuro Masumi fell uncontrollably into a broad chest.
Less than ten centimeters separated them. The room was so quiet that they could hear each other breathing.
Startled, Kamuro Masumi planted her palm against Tatsuya Sakuya's chest, 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 fucking did that on purpose. Look at you, you even made me swear."
Kamuro Masumi frantically broke free, then abruptly retreated two steps until she had reached a safe distance.
Tatsuya Sakuya walked to the small bar counter and poured himself a glass of ice water.
When he turned around again, the teasing look on his face had vanished in an instant.
"We've had enough jokes. Can we get down to business now?"
Before you continue