The next day after school, Kanda Shuichi went to the tutoring room he had been to before. His reason for coming was, of course, related to what he had mentioned to Ichinose yesterday.
Looking at the gift box and greeting card on the table, Chabashira Sae didn't look pleased.
"You should know that this school forbids contact with the outside world, right?"
"Yeah, students aren't allowed to contact the outside world, but no one said anything about teachers," Kanda Shuichi shrugged, glancing at the gift and card on the table.
After Ichinose left yesterday, he went to the shopping center to prepare everything. Then, after school today, he arranged to meet Chabashira-sensei in the tutoring room to ask for help.
Why the tutoring room? Because there were no cameras here. Whatever happened in this room wouldn't be noticed by the school.
Besides, it was normal for teachers to bring students to the tutoring room for discussions. Kanda Shuichi had been here more than once.
So now I'm just a tool for him, huh?
Chabashira Sae felt a little bitter about the whole thing.
She had already read the card—it was a Christmas greeting card.
In other words, this was a birthday gift.
If Kanda Shuichi was sending it to a family member, that would be one thing. But the recipient was someone named Ichinose Yui.
Ichinose… Seeing this surname, Chabashira immediately connected it to Ichinose Honami from Hoshinomiya Chie's class.
"Ichinose Yui… What's her relationship with Ichinose Honami?"
"She's Ichinose Honami's younger sister, two years apart."
Kanda Shuichi wasn't surprised that Chabashira-sensei figured it out. After all, there was only one Ichinose in the first year.
"And what's your relationship with Ichinose? Why are you helping her with this?" Chabashira Sae continued questioning.
"We're good friends."
Good friends?
You two are never seen together usually, but you and Ichinose are that close? Does Kushida know? And besides…
"Kanda, I have a question for you. You need to answer honestly."
Chabashira Sae's expression suddenly turned serious.
Seeing her like this, Kanda Shuichi had no choice but to drop his usual carefree attitude and sit up straight.
"Go ahead, Chabashira-sensei."
"Would you ever betray Class D?"
"As long as Sae-chan is still the homeroom teacher of Class D, I won't."
Without hesitation, Kanda Shuichi answered immediately, leaving Chabashira Sae momentarily at a loss for words.
*I'm not some teenage girl—what's the point of saying that to me?*
"Alright, I'll grant your request. This gift, along with the card, will be delivered to Ichinose Yui on Christmas."
"I'll leave it to you then, Sae-chan~"
As if she was already tired of dealing with him, Chabashira waved him off, signaling him to leave.
One moment it's "Chabashira-sensei," the next it's "Sae-chan"—what a shameless guy.
Time flew by, and before anyone knew it, mid-December had arrived.
During this time, Ryuen had been completely silent, making no moves at all.
But Kanda Shuichi knew that after taking such a huge loss, there was no way that guy would just let it go.
"So cold~"
Right after school, stepping out of the warm indoor air, Kanda Shuichi immediately felt the chill hit him, even while still standing in the building's entrance.
The school-issued winter uniform was thick, but winter was now in full swing. The uniform alone felt a little too thin, and even with an extra coat over it, the cold was still biting.
After all, there was no way to fully cover his face, and Kanda Shuichi didn't like wearing scarves.
"Really? I think it's fine."
Hasebe, carrying her bag, tilted her head slightly.
*Oh, sure, sure. You think it's fine? You're out here with bare legs, so of course, you'd say that.*
It wasn't just Hasebe Haruka—even Sakura was only wearing long socks. Kanda Shuichi couldn't help but wonder how they had grown up like this.
Compared to them, Horikita, who had just arrived at the entrance to change her shoes, was much more mindful of keeping warm. Her sleek black tights wrapped snugly around her legs before disappearing beneath her skirt.
"What are you looking at?"
Noticing Kanda Shuichi's lingering gaze, Horikita's expression turned slightly annoyed.
"Nothing, I was just thinking—so there *are* girls who actually feel the cold." Then he turned to look at Hasebe Haruka and Sakura Airi. "You two should learn from her, or else you'll end up with bad knees when you're older."
"Here we go again, Shuichi's little lecture time," Hasebe said dismissively as she casually wrapped a scarf around her neck.
"I-I'll be more careful!"
See? Sakura is still the most obedient one.
Even after the exams ended, Kanda Shuichi's interactions with Hasebe and Sakura continued. Spending more time together, he realized that Hasebe wasn't some cold and distant goddess—she was just a chatterbox who loved giving people nicknames.
She only seemed cold to most people because she didn't like dealing with strangers and had sharp, cool-looking eyebrows.
"You guys seem really close."
After putting on her shoes, Horikita tapped the tips of her toes against the floor twice, then said with an indifferent expression, "Jealous? If you say the word, you can join us."
"Hmph, I'm heading back."
As they watched Horikita walk away, Haruka curiously turned to Kanda Shuichi. "If Horikita actually said yes, would you really let her join?"
"Of course. I, Kanda Shuichi, always keep my word. Not that she'd ever actually say yes." Kanda Shuichi finished putting on his shoes. "Anyway, are we going to watch a movie today?"
Ever since he got closer to Haruka, she had been organizing outings with a few friends more often. Kanda Shuichi, who didn't have much else to do for fun, had no reason to turn them down.
Besides, getting out more was good for his health, so he had no objections.
"By the way, Akito, are you skipping archery club today?" Kanda Shuichi turned to Miyake Akito.
"Yeah, I'm skipping practice today."
Miyake answered while putting his indoor shoes back into his locker.
"You're skipping?" Hasebe looked surprised. "That's rare. You love your club. Don't tell me you had a fight with your girlfriend?"
"Of course not!"
Seeing Hasebe's nosy expression, Miyake Akito quickly denied it.
"It's just that things have been messy in the archery club lately. The guys from Class C keep using 'observation' as an excuse to come and watch, but they're really just staring at me the whole time. It's been messing with my focus."
"I see." Haruka nodded. "Now that you mention it, it's surprising that no one from Class C got expelled this time. They didn't even study, and the questions we gave them were super hard."
"Well, maybe Ryuen did something behind the scenes. As long as we won, that's all that matters, right?"
Miyake shrugged, not wanting to dwell on it. After all, he had seen Kanda Shuichi preparing the test questions during their meetings, and they ended up being exactly the same ones given to Class C.
"I-I also think that winning the exam is enough. But… even if other classes had someone expelled, I don't think I'd feel good about it."
"Hmm… It would be great if everyone could just get along, but with how the school works, that's probably impossible. After all, aiming for a higher class means pushing others down."
"Hey, let's go, let's go. I don't want to stay out in the cold wind for too long."
Seeing the three of them getting carried away in conversation, Kanda Shuichi urged them.
"We're coming, we're coming. By the way, what are we watching today?"
"How about *Your Name*? It's a new movie that just came out recently. I heard it's really good!"
Hasebe made a pretty good suggestion in response to Miyake's question.
*Your Name*, an animated film directed by Makoto Shinkai. Kanda Shuichi had already watched it with Kamuro before, and it was a great movie.
"I've already seen that one, and besides, don't you think our group isn't really the right fit for that kind of movie?"
"Huh? Shuichi, you've seen it already?"
"Yeah, I watched it with Masumi when it came out."
"Masumi? Oh, you mean Kamuro from Class A?" Hasebe Haruka had a look of realization. "Now that I think about it, most of the friends you hang out with are girls… and not just any girls, but really pretty ones."
"Yeah, that's true." Kanda Shuichi didn't get flustered by Hasebe's teasing at all. Instead, he nodded seriously, as if stating a fact. "But among them, the prettiest one is probably you, Haruka."
After spending over a month with Hasebe, Kanda Shuichi had figured out how to handle her.
"Huh?"
Sure enough, after hearing that, even the usually bold and outspoken Hasebe Haruka blushed a little.
Not just her—even Sakura Airi, standing beside her, suddenly seemed a bit nervous for no reason.
"Yahallo, Kanda-kun!"
Just as the atmosphere started to feel a little awkward, Ichinose from Class A walked out of the building.
"Good afternoon, Ichinose." Kanda Shuichi greeted her back. "Are you alone?"
"Yeah. I need to go submit my resignation letter to the student council later."
"Oh, I see." Kanda Shuichi nodded. "Then I'll go with you."
"Huh? No, no, it's fine! I can go by myself." Ichinose quickly waved her hands.
"It's better if I go with you. Who knows what that guy Nagumo might try to pull?" Then he turned to Miyake, Hasebe, and Sakura. "So yeah, I'm ditching you guys today."
"Huh? Didn't you just say you always keep your word?" Hasebe Haruka looked stunned.
"Did I?" Kanda Shuichi asked. "Akito, did I say that?"
"You…"
Miyake had just started to respond when he caught a glimpse of Kanda Shuichi's warning glare.
"Uh… Did you say that? I don't really remember anymore…"
"Damn it! You two are totally in on this together! I can't trust you. Airi, you tell me!" Hasebe Haruka turned to Sakura.
"Um… Shuichi probably has something important to do, so we shouldn't force him."
"Looks like I win this round, Haruka." Kanda Shuichi grinned.
"Ugh! Airi, you traitor!" Hasebe Haruka pouted in frustration.
"Ehehe…"
Seeing Hasebe like that, Kanda Shuichi found it amusing, but he figured teasing her any further would be a bit much.
"Alright, alright, don't be mad. I'll cover all your expenses today. That should make up for it, right?"
"Hmph, I'm not going to be polite with you!" Hasebe turned around and grabbed Sakura's hand. "Airi, let's go!"
Seeing this, Miyake shrugged and followed them.
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