In the end, when Ichinose parted ways with Shiina, she left with a flustered heart and a deep sense of guilt.
"But… Shiina-san was the one who suggested it. I just went along with her words."
Ichinose tried to justify herself in her mind.
"Besides, giving books as a gift sounds like a great idea. That doesn't count as being mean… right?"
Just as she was caught up in her thoughts, someone suddenly greeted her from the side.
"Good day, Ichinose-san."
"…Sakayanagi-san."
Ichinose was briefly taken aback, but she quickly regained her composure and smiled.
"Hello! I didn't expect to run into you here."
"Is that so? I, on the other hand, am not surprised at all." Sakayanagi smiled faintly before speaking directly. "Judging by your expression, you're here to buy Valentine's chocolates, aren't you?"
"Mm, that's right."
Although she felt a little embarrassed admitting it in front of others, Ichinose knew she couldn't afford to show weakness in front of Sakayanagi.
That would feel like admitting defeat…
Unfortunately, she had picked the wrong opponent.
"As expected. Could it be that you're planning to give them to Student Council President Nagumo?" Sakayanagi asked with a sweet smile.
Her tone and expression carried no hint of malice.
She looked just like a close friend making casual conversation. But her words… they cut deep.
However, Ichinose wasn't the type to waver so easily.
Especially after everything she had been through recently—if anything, her resilience had only grown stronger.
So she simply smiled and replied, "No, I have no intention of giving chocolates to Nagumo-senpai. Besides, someone like him doesn't need chocolates from someone like me. I'm sure plenty of others will send him some."
"If it were anyone else saying that, I'd think they were being sarcastic," Sakayanagi said with a small shake of her head. "That aside, seeing you in such high spirits puts me at ease. I was a bit worried that my words that day might have been too harsh. It would've been unfortunate if they had made you not want to come to school."
"Aha, I'm not that fragile."
The mention of that day made Ichinose feel a little awkward, but at the same time, she was also somewhat grateful.
"To be honest… I actually kind of appreciate what you said, Sakayanagi-san."
"Oh? And why is that?" Sakayanagi asked, feigning confusion.
"How should I put it… The people around me always seem hesitant when they talk to me," Ichinose said hesitantly. "But I know I'm not really that capable, and I do stupid things all the time… So I'm grateful to have people like you and Hikigaya-kun, who are willing to criticize me directly."
"…Friends?" Sakayanagi repeated the word with an unreadable expression.
Seeing this, Ichinose hurriedly apologized.
"Ah, sorry! That's just my assumption. Please don't take it to heart."
"Not at all. I'm quite happy that you consider me a friend, Ichinose-san."
Sakayanagi's smile deepened as she spoke.
She glanced at the bag Ichinose was holding before saying nonchalantly, "Actually, I've been wanting to get closer to you as well, but I just never found the right opportunity."
"In that case, why don't we go for tea together sometime?" Ichinose happily suggested.
"That sounds wonderful. However…" Sakayanagi's tone suddenly carried a hint of regret. "I had originally planned to invite you to make chocolates together. After all, it seems we're both planning to give them to the same person. But since you've already bought a ready-made one, I suppose there's nothing to be done."
"Eh… Ehh?"
Ichinose froze on the spot as if struck by something.
After a long pause, she hesitantly asked, "Um… Sakayanagi-san, are you planning to give handmade chocolates?"
"Of course. If you truly want to express your feelings, handmade is the only way to go, isn't it?"
"Ex… Express my feelings?!"
"Hehe, is there a problem?"
While Ichinose was flustered beyond belief, Sakayanagi remained completely composed.
She once again glanced at Ichinose's bag before commenting with a slight smirk, "In my opinion, if you're going to give a gift, it should be the most sincere option possible. Of course, everyone has their way of thinking—some might believe that a store-bought chocolate worth a few thousand yen is enough. That's their choice, after all."
"Ugh…"
For some reason, Ichinose suddenly felt embarrassed. She instinctively hid the bag containing the chocolates behind her back.
Unfortunately, not only was that completely ineffective, but it also made her guilt even more obvious.
"Don't worry, Ichinose-san," Sakayanagi said with 'kind' reassurance. "Even if it's just a cheap store-bought chocolate, I'm sure Hikigaya-kun will still accept it happily. He does have a sweet tooth, after all."
"I-it's not cheap!"
This chocolate cost a thousand points, you know!
But even Ichinose found that rebuttal childish.
Yet, she couldn't just let Sakayanagi get away with teasing her, so she muttered under her breath, "Handmade chocolates sound kind of heavy, though. What if the person refuses to accept them?"
If it were just anyone, giving chocolates wouldn't be a big deal.
But because it was someone she cared about… she couldn't help but overthink it.
However, Sakayanagi's response was completely unexpected.
"That's right~ The point is to make Hikigaya-kun realize the weight of this. As for whether he refuses to accept it, that's not even something worth worrying about—in fact, it was never a possibility from the start."
"…That's not necessarily true, right?" Ichinose protested, clearly unconvinced.
"Unfortunately, it is absolutely certain," Sakayanagi replied confidently. "If push comes to shove, I just need to pretend to lose my balance, and Hikigaya-kun will definitely rush over to catch me. At that moment, I'll just slip the chocolate into his pocket—problem solved."
"Wait… That's way too reckless!"
Ichinose was so stunned that she could barely form words.
And judging from her tone… it really felt like Sakayanagi had done this kind of thing before!
"That kind of forceful approach might make him dislike you, you know? Besides, isn't sincerity more important than the method?" Ichinose tried to reason with her.
But Sakayanagi didn't think there was anything wrong with her approach. She remained as smug as ever and continued, "Dealing with Hikigaya-kun requires a bit of forcefulness. If necessary, I could even ask Kamuro-san to hold him down for me… Oh, speak of the devil."
Mid-sentence, Kamuro emerged from the nearby convenience store, carrying several large shopping bags.
"You…"
The moment she saw Sakayanagi, she immediately started complaining.
"You had me running errands while you just stood outside chatting? Couldn't you at least come and help me?"
"Sorry, sorry. Here, let me take one."
Sakayanagi reached out to take a bag from Kamuro's hand.
But Kamuro swiftly dodged her attempt.
"Forget it, I've got it… What were you talking about with Ichinose?" Kamuro asked, her gaze carrying a hint of concern.
"Nothing much, just discussing handmade chocolates."
"Huh?! Wasn't I supposed to—"
"Ichinose-san seems to think I shouldn't give Hikigaya-kun chocolate," Sakayanagi interrupted Kamuro with a smile. "What a shame, though. Once I've made up my mind, no one can change it."
Hearing this, Kamuro fell silent.
Ichinose found it strange—why did Kamuro suddenly go quiet?
Then, Sakayanagi continued, "Kamuro-san, did you get all the ingredients I asked for?"
"…Yeah, yeah."
"Then let's not waste any more time—we should start making the chocolates right away."
As she spoke, Sakayanagi turned toward Ichinose with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"Oh, by the way, Kamuro-san, why don't you take this opportunity to join in as well? Who knows, maybe by next year, Hikigaya-kun won't be accepting chocolates from any other girls."
"Uh…"
Even though the words were directed at Kamuro, Ichinose had a strong feeling that Sakayanagi was deliberately targeting her.
And—wait. By next year, he won't accept chocolates from any other girls?
What… did she mean by that?
The answer was already forming in Ichinose's mind, but she didn't want to acknowledge it.
Could it be… that what Kushida said was true? Was Sakayanagi really planning to—
"Sigh, what nonsense."
Kamuro sighed and shook her head, exasperated.
She knew that Sakayanagi was up to her usual antics—this girl really loved messing with Ichinose.
"Enough already. Didn't you say you were leaving? Then get moving."
"Hehe, you're right. I don't have time to waste here. Well then, Ichinose-san, if you'll excuse us."
Satisfied, Sakayanagi made a swift exit.
Before leaving, Kamuro suddenly turned back, giving Ichinose a look filled with… sympathy?
She seemed like she wanted to say something but ultimately chose to remain silent. Instead, she simply followed Sakayanagi and walked away.
"Kamuro-san… was she trying to tell me something?"
Ichinose remained confused, but she had a gut feeling—it had something to do with Sakayanagi.
Could it really be… a confession?
The thought cast a shadow over Ichinose's heart.
And to make matters worse, their levels of preparation were completely different.
On one side, there was carefully handmade chocolate. On the other, just a store-bought, mass-produced one.
Ugh… Was it too late to return this?
The more she thought about it, the worse she felt. She was starting to regret not putting in more effort herself.
After all, making chocolates wouldn't have taken much time… It would've saved money too… More importantly—
"Hey, Honami-chan."
"Yah?!"
Suddenly, someone patted her shoulder from behind.
Turning around, she found herself face-to-face with her classmates, Wakura and Shiranami.
"Huh? Mako-chan?! Chihiro-chan?! What are you two doing here?!"
"Ahaha, actually, we've been following you the whole time," Wakura said with a mischievous smile.
"That's too much! How could you do that?!" Ichinose protested. "At least say something! Stalking someone without telling them is not okay!"
"Aww, don't say it like that."
Wakura placed a reassuring hand on Ichinose's shoulder, trying to soothe her.
"We just didn't want to disturb you since you were picking out chocolates for Hikigaya-kun. So instead, we watched over you with warm and supportive gazes."
"Uh… thanks—wait, Mako-chan?!"
Ichinose suddenly realized what Wakura had just said.
She frantically waved her hands in denial.
"N-no, that's not it! I didn't have any such intention!"
"Oh? So you're not giving him chocolates?" Wakura asked, feigning surprise. "In that case, should I go ahead and inform Hikigaya-kun now? Just so he doesn't get his hopes up tomorrow?"
"Ugh… I-I'm just grateful to him, that's all. It's not like I have to give him chocolates."
Backed into a corner, Ichinose scrambled to change her wording.
She had planned to quietly give him chocolate without anyone noticing… but now her friends had completely exposed her! So unfair!
"Then what's that you're holding?" Wakura pointed at the bag behind Ichinose.
"Uh, this is… Oh! Chihiro-chan!"
Seizing the opportunity, Ichinose shoved the bag into Shiranami's hands and grinned.
"Didn't you say you wanted to give me chocolates? How about I give you some instead?"
"Honami-chan…"
Shiranami stared at the chocolates with a conflicted expression before heaving a deep sigh.
"Never mind… I feel like accepting them would only bring me endless sorrow."
"Endless sorrow?! Isn't that a bit much?!" Ichinose let out a wry laugh.
However, Shiranami didn't give her a chance to change the topic and huffed, "And besides, if you really give it to me, what about Hikigaya-kun? Are you not giving him anything? Haven't you always wanted to thank him for looking after you?"
"Uh… well…"
Ichinose hesitated, not knowing what to say.
At that moment, Akimura gave her a little push from behind. "How about this then? Since Honami-chan isn't planning to do it, I'll just give Hikigaya-kun some chocolate instead."
"…Huh?"
"After all, I'm also grateful for how much he looks after Honami-chan."
As she spoke, Akimura even winked at Ichinose.
She was usually considered one of the cute girls in class, but right now, Ichinose didn't think so at all.
She was a little devil!
"Wait a second! That would only trouble Hikigaya-kun! You haven't even talked to him before!"
"What does that matter?" Akimura chuckled. "As long as a girl gives chocolate, any guy would be happy to receive it. Besides, someone here is just too stubborn to admit their feelings."
"Ugh…"
"Exactly! Putting that aside, how could we lose to that annoying Sakayanagi?!"
Compared to Ichinose, who was at the center of the situation, Shiranami seemed to dislike Sakayanagi even more.
"Did you see how smug she was earlier? If it weren't for Mako-chan holding me back, I would've gone right up to her and given her a piece of my mind."
"Well, you were getting way too worked up at the time." Akimura sighed.
Ignoring that, Shiranami turned back to Ichinose and said, "Honami-chan, this isn't just about you anymore. This is about the pride of Class A!"
"Huh? Isn't that a bit of an exaggeration?"
"Not at all! Just think about all the things that Sakayanagi has done to you. This time, we have to defeat her… using a girl's ultimate weapon!"
With that, she grabbed Ichinose's wrist.
"Handmade chocolate isn't a big deal! I've been making sweets since I was little. Let's go, Honami-chan, we're getting ingredients right now!"
"E-Eh? But…"
Ichinose was still hesitating.
"What's there to hesitate about?" Akimura chimed in. "Or… do you want Hikigaya-kun to be taken away by Sakayanagi instead? Those two are always bickering, so who knows? Maybe one day they'll end up together. Are you okay with that?"
"…I'm not."
"Then that settles it."
The two girls, one on each side, flanked Ichinose and practically dragged her into the supermarket.
Seriously… when did these two become so pushy?
But even as she smiled bitterly, Ichinose felt a bit frustrated with herself.
I'm always like this, huh? Always making everyone worry… No, I can't let that happen again.
This time, I can't lose to Sakayanagi.
Besides… Kushida, Matsushita, Chihiro-chan, and Mako-chan.
With so many people supporting me, there's no way I'll fail.
Tomorrow… I have to succeed!
"Huh—"
Late at night, even though the clock was about to strike twelve, Hikigaya was still lying in bed, wide awake.
It wasn't because of insomnia or anything like that—
This novel was just too interesting!
—Just five more minutes.
He had been saying that for the past two hours, and honestly, another two hours wouldn't be surprising.
However…
Gurgle—
The chime of the clock rang, signaling the start of a new day.
"If I don't sleep now, tomorrow's going to be rough…"
From what Hikigaya had observed, the school only enforced strict classroom discipline during the first semester. At other times, they wouldn't deduct class points over things like being late or dozing off.
But since Class D had a decent academic atmosphere now, no one dared to blatantly show up late or sleep in class.
In that case, it would be bad if he were the only one dragging the class down.
"Sigh… It was so much more comfortable back at Sobu."
Back then, if he wanted to be late, he could be late. If there was an exam, he could still score in the top ranks.
The worst that would happen was getting punched by Hiratsuka-sensei and sitting through one of her lectures—compared to this place, that was way less of a hassle.
Knock, knock, knock—
Just as he was about to turn off the lights, there was a soft knock on the door.
Strange… Who could it be at this hour?