That night, Ichinose made a phone call to Nagumo.
There was something she had to do in preparation for tomorrow's exam.
"Nagumo-senpai, this is Ichinose."
"Honami? Are you calling about that matter?"
"Yes…"
Ichinose's voice suddenly tensed up, and her free hand unconsciously clenched into a fist.
"I spoke with everyone in Class A today, and we made a decision… Thank you, Nagumo-senpai. We truly appreciate your offer, but we'll have to decline."
"...Huh?"
Nagumo sounded genuinely surprised on the other end of the line.
Meanwhile, Ichinose let out a long breath, as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.
Yeah… this feels more like me.
She smiled bitterly at herself. Before making the call, she had been convinced that she would regret this decision.
But now that she had said it out loud, she realized—what she would have truly regretted was not saying it at all.
"Honami, hold on a second," Nagumo said hastily. "If I'm not mistaken, you're saying you won't be borrowing any points from me?"
"Yes… I'm really sorry for wasting so much of your time."
"That's not the issue. Are you absolutely sure about this?"
Nagumo's tone grew sharper as he warned her, "You won't be able to borrow money from the second or third years. And as your direct competitors, the first-years won't lend to you either."
Nagumo had set up his plan meticulously, leaving little room for failure.
Yet now, just as he was about to secure his prize, it was slipping through his fingers. There was no way he could remain calm.
"I know," Ichinose said, her words growing steadier. "That's why our class has decided to face the exam head-on. Even if it brings pain… I believe in everyone. I know they can endure it."
"…So you're saying you're willing to let your classmates be expelled?"
"Mm…"
Ichinose's response was barely audible, but Nagumo heard it loud and clear.
At this moment, he truly felt unwilling to accept it.
"Honami, you really need to think this through."
Nagumo wasn't ready to give up just yet and continued to persuade her. "Not abandoning anyone—that's your style, isn't it? You want to avoid having any sacrifices in your class, right? Can you really stand by and watch your classmates get expelled? There's no turning back once it happens."
"...Thank you for your concern, but I've already made up my mind."
Even though they were speaking over the phone, Ichinose still smiled quietly to herself as she said those words.
Yes, as the class representative, she had to protect everyone.
No—this was something she should have decided from the very beginning.
"Honami, do you... not want to date me?" Nagumo tested the waters with his question.
"Uh..." Ichinose hesitated for a moment before countering, "Nagumo-senpai, actually, I want to ask you something too... Do you truly like me? Is that why you're making this offer?"
"Huh?" Nagumo seemed unable to grasp her question.
"What I mean is... I think a relationship should be based on mutual feelings."
"If I hated you, I wouldn't have made this offer in the first place."
Nagumo responded without hesitation.
However, Ichinose still seemed puzzled. "But just because you don't hate me doesn't necessarily mean you like me, right?"
"Uh... well, fine."
Hearing her words, Nagumo let out a small laugh, his mood improving slightly.
To him, Ichinose's refusal was likely just due to uncertainty. As long as he explained things properly, it should be fine.
So, without hesitation, he said, "Since that's the case, Honami, let me tell you seriously—I do like you."
"Eh?! Ah, um..."
On the other end of the call, Ichinose's voice instantly became flustered.
Nagumo was enjoying her pure, innocent reaction when she suddenly said, "Nagumo-senpai, thank you so much for liking me. Personally, I'm truly honored."
"...Huh?"
Nagumo's smile slowly stiffened.
Something felt... off.
"But right now, I don't have any plans to date anyone. I want to focus on my class and my studies... Besides, someone like me doesn't deserve someone like you, Nagumo-senpai. I'm sure you'll find someone better."
"Ah... I see. Sorry for putting you in a difficult position."
The last bit of pride he had as student council president stopped Nagumo from shouting in frustration.
Why the hell was he getting rejected?!
Not to mention—he wasn't even confessing in the first place!
"I'm sorry, Nagumo-senpai. I've let your kindness go to waste."
"It's fine..."
"Mm, well then, I'll leave it at that. Please get some rest, senpai. Good night."
After hanging up, Ichinose let out a long sigh of relief.
Finally... she had finally conveyed her true feelings to Nagumo-senpai.
As long as she made things clear, it would be fine, right?
Despite receiving confessions frequently, Ichinose had never experienced being in a relationship.
Even so, she understood that dating someone under these circumstances would be strange.
Deep down, she knew it was wrong.
If two people didn't truly like each other, then getting together would be meaningless.
If only one side had those feelings, it would still be meaningless.
Yet, the words she should have outright rejected—she had forcefully swallowed them down.
At that time, her desire to save her classmates had outweighed everything else.
If all it took was for her to endure, then she should have accepted Nagumo's condition.
Even so, every time she tried to make up her mind, her heart clenched painfully.
She had a feeling that if she agreed to this condition... she would no longer be herself.
And then, today, Sakayanagi's words made her realize the truth.
As harsh as they were, she couldn't refute a single thing.
More importantly... if she avoided facing reality by using this kind of wrong method, she would have to pay the price sooner or later.
Ichinose caught a glimpse of that inevitability.
She could even picture it—if she actually agreed, Sakayanagi would most likely use this information to attack Class A...
Not only would it bring trouble to her class and Nagumo, but the fallout would probably be even worse than last time.
So even setting aside the fact that she had no romantic feelings for Nagumo-senpai, she realized she should never have even considered this in the first place.
Losing her classmates was unacceptable.
But the price of stopping it wasn't just dating Nagumo—it could very well lead to her entire class collapsing.
If that happened, it would be a complete loss.
"Haha... In the end, I'd probably just lock myself in my room again."
Laughing self-deprecatingly, Ichinose leaned against the wall, curling herself into a ball and burying her head between her knees.
Just like back in middle school.
But soon, she lifted her head again.
"No... I have to pull myself together."
She slapped her cheeks firmly.
"I already made up my mind... Yes, it's not too late. I just need to change direction a little."
No matter what, protecting her classmates had to be her top priority.
And since dating Nagumo wouldn't necessarily ensure their safety, she had to find another way.
That was... voluntary expulsion.
But achieving that wouldn't be easy.
Ichinose knew that no matter how much she pleaded, it would be difficult to convince them to vote for her expulsion.
Everyone in Class A was kind—no one would be willing to sacrifice a classmate just to save themselves.
But someone had to play that role.
After thinking it over, Ichinose could only come up with one possible solution—
She would have to deceive them all.
That means that during tomorrow's exam, she would pretend that they had already gathered the full twenty million points and ask everyone to concentrate their criticism votes on her, explaining that she would later use points to cancel her expulsion.
Although there was a risk of being exposed, Ichinose believed she had earned the trust of her classmates, and by then, no one would likely suspect her… Sigh.
Was this really the only way left—a method that would betray everyone's trust?
Ichinose let out a bitter smile from the depths of her heart, but she had no intention of stopping.
If someone had to make a sacrifice, then let it be her.
Even if it meant resorting to deception…
Besides, she had already done something similar before.
Unbidden, her thoughts drifted back to July—when she had acted on her own to help Class D, only to end up failing miserably. Not only had she been useless, but because of her incompetence, her class lost two million points. To make matters worse, she had even concealed the truth from everyone.
Thinking about it now, what they were missing was exactly two million points. If that incident had never happened…
Perhaps… this expulsion was just a long-overdue punishment for her.
"Ahaha, I really am a bad kid, huh?"
Though her face was still covered in a bitter smile, her thoughts had never been clearer.
The reason the class was in this predicament was entirely because of her mistake—the loss of those two million points.
If that was the case, then wasn't it only natural for her to take responsibility?
"Seriously…" Ichinose's mood sank even further. "And to think I had the audacity to call this self-sacrifice… In reality, I'm just getting what I deserve."
As expected, she should be the one to drop out.
As for Mom… hopefully, she wouldn't be too angry.
At the very least, things hadn't gotten bad enough that she had to resort to compensated dating, so she hadn't completely disgraced her mother.
"…No, I was already a thief to begin with… And now I'm going to be expelled… Guess I'll have to find a job."
It would definitely be hard to find work with just a middle school diploma, but a convenience store or something similar should still be fine.
"Sigh… It's not like I was ever anything but a useless kid anyway…"
As Ichinose wallowed in self-pity, the doorbell suddenly rang.
…Who would come at this time?
She really didn't feel like dealing with anyone right now, but she also couldn't just leave them standing there or pretend she wasn't home. With no choice, she got out of bed and went to open the door.
"Good evening, Ichinose-san."
"Sorry for intruding."
"Huh? Kushida-san? And Matsushita-san?"
Seeing the two people standing at her door, Ichinose was completely puzzled.
Why had they suddenly come to visit her?
It wasn't like they didn't know each other, but even so, this was far too unexpected.
"Ichinose-san, I'm really sorry." Kushida pressed her hands together apologetically. "We came by without giving you a heads-up, but I kept messaging you, and you weren't reading any of them, so I decided to come over directly."
"Huh? You messaged me?"
Ichinose had been so lost in thought earlier that she hadn't noticed the blinking notification light on her phone.
She quickly explained, "I'm sorry, it was my fault. I was… busy just now and didn't see your messages. This is all on me."
"Don't worry about it, it's no big deal."
"T-Then… come in, please!"
Ichinose stepped aside, inviting the two of them into her room.
After serving some tea and snacks, she couldn't help but ask, "So, what brings you both here?"
"It's about the exam," Kushida said, taking a deep breath before getting to the point.
"Ichinose-san, if I'm not mistaken, Class A is still two million points short of reaching twenty million, right?"
"Huh? How do you know that?"
Ichinose was momentarily stunned before letting out an awkward laugh.
"Ahaha, I guess someone from my class must have gone to bother you, huh? Sorry about that. I already warned them not to trouble students from other classes."
Every class was facing the same difficulties in this exam.
Class A had no right to ask their fellow first-years for help.
After all, they were all competitors.
However, Kushida simply smiled and shook her head. "You've got it wrong. No one from Class A told me. Considering how this exam works… that wouldn't happen, right?"
"Then how…?"
"It was Hikigaya-kun who told me."
"…Oh, I see—huh?!"
The unexpected name nearly made Ichinose jump.
"W-Wait a second! Why would Hikigaya-kun…?!"
"I don't know about that," Kushida said with a helpless smile. "He just asked Matsushita and me to lend Class A the two million points they were short. Other than that, he didn't say anything."
This revelation surprised Ichinose even more.
"Lend us two million points? But... what's going on here?"
"It's not a big deal, really," Kushida replied casually. "Both Matsushita and I earned quite a bit from the Preferential Exam, and we don't really use those points much anyway. Since your class needs them, lending them to you isn't a problem at all."
Ichinose felt a mix of gratitude and disbelief. "Wait, Kushida-san, this isn't that simple... Uh, first of all, I really appreciate your help, but why are you suddenly supporting us?"
"It's because of Hikigaya-kun."
At that moment, Matsushita brought up the name Ichinose had been fixated on.
"The two of us have benefited from Hikigaya-kun's help many times. So when he asked us to assist, we agreed without hesitation."
"That's right," Kushida added with a nod. "As for our class, you don't need to worry. Even if we didn't lend out these points, we wouldn't be able to gather twenty million in time. So instead of letting that effort go to waste, it makes more sense to help Class A and prevent at least one student from being expelled. I think that's a great outcome—there's no reason to refuse."
"Kushida-san..."
Ichinose was deeply moved by her words.
But what touched her even more was the realization that Hikigaya was behind all of this.
Yet, almost immediately, a new worry surfaced in her mind.
"But if Class D finds out about this... it could be really bad, right?"
Even if Hikigaya constantly claimed he had no attachment to his class, how much of that was just an act?
In this exam, a student's standing within their class was crucial.
Ichinose didn't want to be the reason Hikigaya's position in Class D worsened any further.
If that happened, he might end up being hated by everyone, and if a similar exam arose in the future, it could be disastrous.
More importantly—
"To be honest, I really don't want to think about this," Ichinose said with a bitter smile. "But, sooner or later, my class and Hikigaya-kun's class will become enemies, right? He's already helped me so much... If this keeps up, I'm afraid..."
Bluntly speaking, many of Hikigaya's actions were, without a doubt, aiding an opposing class.
Ichinose had felt uneasy about this for a long time. She couldn't bring herself to ask for any more favors.
Otherwise, she really would become the shameless woman that Sakayanagi accused her of being.
As she expressed her concerns to the two girls, she suddenly caught sight of something—
For just a brief moment, Kushida's lips curled into a cold smile.
…Huh?
Ichinose quickly rubbed her eyes, but by the time she looked again, Kushida had already returned to her usual angelic expression.
Was it… just her imagination?
Before she could dwell on it further, Kushida's voice pulled her back to reality.
"Ichinose-san, you're overthinking this. Or rather, you and Hikigaya-kun both think too much!"
"Thinking too much…?"
"Exactly!" Kushida nodded firmly. "If Hikigaya-kun wanted to lend you the points himself, he could've done so directly. But instead, he went out of his way to ask us. Why do you think that is?"
"…Why…"
Ichinose's heart suddenly skipped a beat.
Could it be… that Hikigaya-kun had been thinking the same thing as her all along?
"But do I even have the right to accept his help?"
Her emotions were in turmoil—she felt happy, but at the same time, conflicted.
She and Hikigaya weren't particularly close. They were even rivals within the same grade.
No matter how she looked at it, she had no reason to rely on him.
At that thought, she found herself envying Kushida and Matsushita.
Because of how this school operated, each class functioned as a unit with shared interests.
That meant helping each other was only natural.
Even if someone felt a little guilty about it, they could justify it under the excuse of "class interests."
That way, they could openly rely on Hikigaya-kun… Eh?
Wait, wait, what am I even thinking?!
Ichinose vigorously shook her head, realizing how inappropriate her thoughts were toward Kushida and Matsushita.
Both of them were intelligent and capable students, with excellent grades.
Even if Hikigaya had helped them before, it was surely based on mutual benefit.
Unlike herself, who only ever seemed to trouble Hikigaya-kun…
With that realization, Ichinose's shoulders slumped again in discouragement.
"Ichinose-san, you really don't need to think so hard about this."
"…Eh?"
Ichinose looked up in surprise—not at Kushida's words, but at her tone.
Why did it sound… strangely cold?
Before she could process it, Kushida resumed speaking in her usual, warm voice.
"This has nothing to do with whether you 'deserve' it or not. The reason Hikigaya-kun wants to help you… Hehe, you really don't know?"
"W-What…?"
Ichinose's heart pounded wildly.
D-Don't tell me…!
"Honestly, I thought Ichinose-san would have more experience in this area. But it turns out you're surprisingly innocent."
Kushida giggled playfully before speaking in a more serious tone.
"I think Hikigaya-kun definitely likes you."
"Eh? Likes me?!"
"Mhm. There's no other possible explanation."
"B-But… Someone like me… I don't deserve—"
Ichinose was so flustered that she didn't know where to put her hands.
Watching the clumsy girl, Kushida stood up from her seat and walked over.
"Ichinose-san, listen to me."
She gently wrapped Ichinose's hands in her own.
"When it comes to love, there's no such thing as 'deserving' or 'not deserving.' It's purely a matter of how you feel about each other."
"But… But Hikigaya-kun and I aren't even in the same class."
At that thought, Ichinose's expression darkened.
The four classes in their grade were competitors by nature.
Unless one side completely abandoned their ambition to reach Class A, students from different classes rarely became romantically involved.
Moreover, Ichinose was her class's leader.
She had to prioritize her classmates above all else.
"That's not a big deal."
Kushida narrowed her eyes slightly before leaning in closer, whispering sweetly into Ichinose's ear.
"If two people truly love each other, then being in different classes doesn't matter… At least, I'll be cheering you on, Ichinose-san."