Classroom of the Elite: The Eroge

by LanceSennin

When Ayanokouji Kiyotaka wished for something that can interest him in his new school, he didn't think it would be something like this. After waking up with some weird texts appearing around him and finding out that he is some kind of 'Protagonist' with the power of raising 'Flags', will he be able to survive what's about to come his way? Inspired by SaintInfernalNeos' fic.

21. Attack From The Other Side!

I only have two things to say:

1. My birthday is on the 20th.

2. Visit this link if you are a true fan of this story: h-t-t-p-s-:-/-/-w-w-w-.-red-dit-.-com-/-r-/-ClassroomOfTheElite-/-s-/-6ihvrmT2tP

COTE: The Eroge Playlist: h-t-t-p-s-:-/-/-you-tube-.-com-/-playlist-?-list=PLzapQr6Br4elz3lo7fOkE34DjcBEnJB87

Discord link: [discord . gg / 4y5QVPj]

Disclaimer: I don't own Classroom of the Elite but if I did, there will be MAJOR CHANGES.

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Kiyotaka had no idea if he should be grateful that their class was going through a complicated time right or not. On one hand, this whole issue made everyone busy trying their best to help Miyake through his dilemma, including his heroines. This, in turn, also caused his heroines to be busy enough that they weren't around him all the time. Sure, they can still be attached and clingy while they were in school but apart from that place, they were more focused on helping their classmate with his case. Because of that, he had not been subjected to any headache-inducing moments for the past few days.

Then again, a couple of 'Special Events' had been triggered within that time. A new heroine route had also been 'unlocked' for him in Himeno Yuki as well. And if that's not enough, the system's overpowered skill had activated yesterday when he caught a glimpse of Airi crying while she was outside the classroom.

But somehow, despite those things, he didn't feel as overwhelmed as he used to be a month ago. The system was actually pushing him into a dark place back then and made him contemplate the suicide route but miraculously, he didn't feel that way recently. At least after Amasawa came into this school and became his roommate through the system's intervention.

Maybe he was actually starting to adapt to the craziness that his dating sim power brought into his life?

On the other hand, because of this ongoing issue, they weren't given their allotted points for this month. While he had plenty of private points for himself, it would still be reassuring to have their points for this month to be delivered properly. Not just for him, but for his classmates too. They were also at risk of having one of their classmates expelled, which will obviously end badly for their class should it happen.

"Rise and shine, senpai~ You don't wanna miss school for the day, do you?" the familiar voice of Amasawa Ichika filled his ears, causing him to stir awake.

"I wish I could," he let out a sigh as he opened his eyes, where he was met by the mischievous look on his roommate's face. She was hovering over him, their faces only inches away from each other.

It took some effort for Kiyotaka not to push the girl away from him. Thankfully though, it's only her head that's above him and not the rest of her body. She wasn't lying on top of him like what he first thought. Instead, she was kneeling beside the bed while leaning over to make it look like she was right above him.

If it had been the other position, then it would be quite the dangerous scenario for both parties involved. It's also a good thing that they were both fully clothed. Anyway…

"Good morning, senpai!" Ichika greeted him happily, not even minding the close proximity between them.

"Why are you so close to me?" he asked in his usual deadpan tone.

"I just wanted to see you up close when you wake up, hehe~" she chuckled before moving away from him, which was probably a wise choice to make because Kiyotaka didn't seem pleased with her action just now.

"If you've been watching me sleep for an hour or so, then I'm adding 'respecting personal space' to the list of rules that you have to follow," he shook his head before sitting up on the mattress.

"How rude, senpai. I'm not that bad to disrespect your personal boundaries, you know? You already told me how important it is to you, and I respect that." Ichika pouted at him momentarily, before letting out another chuckle. "But if you must know, I woke up approximately two minutes ago when your alarm clock went off. I wanted to wake you up myself since I woke up before you did, senpai."

"Fine, but don't do it again. I don't appreciate you being so close to my face like that," he scolded her. At least Amasawa still has some basic decency to not act like an unhinged stalker who watches his every move.

"Roger that, senpai~"

As he got off the bed to stretch his limbs about, he caught Ichika walking up to the sink through the corner of his eye, before she began to wash her face. This girl was certainly a handful and because of her presence in not just his room but his life in general, he truly didn't have a moment of peace wherein he could be alone without anyone bothering him anymore.

Despite the fact that his roommate can be very annoying most of the time however, Kiyotaka was honestly starting to consider Ichika as a normal part of his life in this school.

Of course, it's not like he couldn't. The girl was living with him as his roommate and he couldn't do anything about that. At the very least, the girl was obedient and has yet to break any of the rules that he gave her while she's here. Whenever it's time to sleep, she would stop bothering him and let him sleep in peace like what he wanted. She also seemed to have no problem following his orders when he told her to spy on Class C.

The most initiative he had seen out of her was when she asked him to brush her hair in exchange for telling him who was the person that witnessed the attack on Akito by those Class C students. She could have chosen something outrageous, but she only wanted him to brush her hair and that's it.

For those reasons, he could tolerate this girl whenever she's being annoying. She was too valuable as an ally and if that's not enough, she was trained in the White Room like him. While she isn't on his level, that fact alone already makes her more competent than many of the students in this school. It also gave him a person whom he can talk to about that place without worrying about anything else and no, Sakayanagi doesn't count.

And if every single one of those things still isn't enough, Ichika was one of his heroines. He has no choice but to make her happy as well, just like the rest of the heroines whose routes he had unlocked. No matter how annoying she could be, he had to live with it because he had no other choice. So far, he was doing good in the aspect of keeping her happy… at least he hoped so. She was a completely different variable compared to the other girls.

Despite his rather… cold and unapproachable demeanor when it came to this girl, she doesn't seem to be affected by it. If anything, she found amusement in it and teased him as much as she could whenever he was like that. She knew when to stop her teasing streak and back off, which Kiyotaka appreciated at least.

Plus, there hasn't been a moment where Amasawa got sad to the point that the system activated the certain skill that unnerved him with how overpowered it was. That was enough to reassure him that he hasn't done anything wrong when it came to Ichika. Though he couldn't help but be curious about what it would take to make her sad…

Kiyotaka shook his head. He shouldn't be thinking about such a thing. Screw his curiosity, letting one of his heroines be sad is unacceptable. He had been through enough bullshit with this system to know that screwing up with one of his 'heroines' is not an option.

"What do you want for breakfast?" he asked his roommate, shifting his focus to something else entirely.

Ichika turned around and began wiping her face with a towel. "I'm fine with anything you come up with. Your skills in cooking are exceptional, anyway."

"I don't feel like making that choice right now. You choose, Amasawa."

"Hmm… then how about tamagoyaki and rice, senpai?" she answered after a few moments of thinking about it. Admittedly, she had a bit of trouble choosing because she was used to Kiyotaka coming up with what they'll eat, even though she hasn't been here for long.

"All right."

After getting the needed ingredients from the fridge, Kiyotaka focused on the rice before everything else. While he was working on their food, Ichika made herself comfortable by the table and proceeded to do one of her favorite things of the day: watch her senpai cook a meal. He was just so good in the culinary arts that he could be a chef if he wanted to.

"You know, senpai… I saw Sakura-senpai crying outside of your classroom yesterday during lunch break. She was a complete mess, if you ask me."

"I know," he replied, not taking his eyes off his work. "That's why I made sure to cheer her up after classes ended."

"Hehe, I also saw that! You were really trying to convince Sakura-senpai that she can stand on her own feet, it was adorable to watch!" Ichika giggled. "Though, I'm curious. Do you still believe that she'll step forward and tell everyone what she knows, senpai? She had the perfect opportunity to come clean yesterday when you were having a strategy meeting with Kushida-senpai and Horikita-senpai, but she didn't."

"Sakura may be a nervous wreck most of the time, but she has good intentions. I believe she'll come around," he spoke in a nonchalant tone, sounding completely sure that Airi will be able to realize the gravity of the situation in time and help them out as a result.

"Even if there's only a few days before the trial? What if it's too late and she doesn't get to tell everyone that she knows what happened?"

"It won't come to that. I believe Sakura will be able to get herself together in time before the day of the hearing."

The smile on the girl's face grew wider. "I don't doubt you at all, senpai. But I'm amazed that you have that much trust in her. Back in that place, the instructors told us a lot of stories about how you saw other people as nothing but tools who'll lead you to victory. But now that I'm here, I'm seeing the complete opposite of what I'm told the Masterpiece was like."

"Is that so?" he muttered, letting the rice boil while turning his attention to making the egg rolls next. "What makes you think I don't see the people around me as tools for my own benefit, Amasawa? Even if I hate that man with a passion, I can't deny what the White Room taught me in my time there."

"Well, if you're saying that you don't care about Horikita-senpai and the others at all, then you're definitely like the Masterpiece that I've heard so much about, senpai." Ichika leaned back against her seat and stretched out her limbs, looking confident in her words. "But from what I've seen so far from you? You care about all of them. I'm jealous you don't treat me with the same love and care that you do for everyone else, though."

"So that's what you think? I'm curious, Amasawa." After turning on the stove and drizzling some oil into a pan, Kiyotaka turned to his kouhai while tilting his head. "What is it like that the person you've heard so much about turned out to be completely different than what you thought he was?"

"Even if you're not what I thought you were, it doesn't make you any less interesting, senpai~" she chuckled once again. "In fact, I think you're even more interesting now."

"Am I?"

"I don't think anyone from that place could have seen its Masterpiece caring about other people, not even you-know-who," she remarked. Kiyotaka knew who she was referring to, and he could only agree. Knowing what his father only cared about, he'd be surprised if he doesn't rip off his hair at least out of fury. "I wonder when you will be more caring towards me, though~? I'm your roommate, after all~"

"Tell me something, Amasawa…" he turned back to his work, ignoring her question again. "When my father sent you here to keep an eye on me, what was he expecting from me? What did he think I was doing?"

"He didn't say anything specific, but I believe he was thinking that you're testing yourself against the other talented people here in this school, senpai. He was informed about what this school was before I was sent here."

Kiyotaka wanted to laugh at that. The old man couldn't be any further from the truth. If only he knew what was really happening, but that would be wishful thinking. Unless…

"You said that you're supposed to keep an eye on my progress?" he asked, earning a nod from the scarlet-haired girl. "How do you plan on reporting your findings to my father, when none of the people here can contact anyone from outside the school?"

"He didn't tell me anything, senpai. He just told me to keep an eye on your progress and be ready to tell him when the time comes."

"Okay then," he shrugged. Those words likely meant that the old man was going to pay this school a visit sometime in the future, because Amasawa's words could only imply that his father would check up on him personally. That… certainly is a day to look forward to, because he would finally get to see the man's reaction to seeing him getting involved in outrageous situations with his heroines.

He had nothing to worry about, though. Not when his dating sim superpower exists. If that man even tries to take him away from this school, the system's overpowered skill would activate and warp things in his favor because leaving ANHS would mean leaving his heroines and making them sad… which is what the system doesn't want to happen.

"Food's ready, prepare the table," Kiyotaka told his roommate as he turned off the stove.

"Aye, aye~"

Ichika prepared two sets of plates and utensils on the table for herself and her senpai, while Kiyotaka carried the pot of steaming hot rice there. It was then followed by the plate of tamagoyaki that he placed beside the pot before he took his seat, opposite to where Ichika was. After giving thanks, the pair began to dig into their breakfast.

"Your cooking is always exceptional, senpai~" Ichika commented as soon as the food landed into her mouth. Her eyes sparkled in delight while she smiled at Kiyotaka. "It makes me want to brag to Horikita-senpai, Kushida-senpai, and the rest of your harem that I get to experience it everyday."

"Don't even think about it, or I'll stop cooking for you entirely," he sighed and rolled his eyes, doing his best to keep his attention directed to his food. "And I don't have a harem, whatever that is."

That was a lie. Of course he knew what it meant, but there's no way he'll actually admit such a thing to Ichika, of all people. The last thing he needed was this girl having more teasing material that she can use against him.

"Oh, you don't have to worry, senpai. I would never tell any of them about this, otherwise they're going to want the same thing," she reassured him. "And how could you not know what a harem is, senpai? You already have one of your own, you know~"

"What does that even mean?"

"Oh, come on… I don't believe you're that dense, senpai. Not when you know that there are a number of girls who are all interested in you. You've been taking steps to be closer to them too," she reminded him, not even believing the obvious lie that Kiyotaka was trying to push as the truth.

"Why don't we talk about something that actually has something to do with either the school or Miyake's case instead of wasting valuable time?" Kiyotaka sighed again.

Darn it, he thought he would be able to deny the fact that he basically had a growing harem by now, but no. Amasawa wasn't even fooled one bit and called him out on it right away.

"As expected from someone who's a product of that place, I guess."

"Fufu, if that's what you want, senpai~" she winked at him, which pretty much promised future headaches at this point. "Then I want to ask you about what you plan to do with the video I took of Miyake-senpai being attacked by the three boys from Class C. If you believe that Sakura-senpai will confess what she knows eventually, then there shouldn't be any reason why you still need it, don't you think?"

"The video is only for contingencies, nothing more. No matter how small of a chance it is, Ryuuen might catch on to our class looking for evidence that can be used against them. If that happens, he could do something to mess us up or stop us from getting the proof that we need completely," he explained.

Thanks to Ichika's efforts in spying on Class C and observing their dynamic from afar, Kiyotaka was aware of several important details regarding their rival class now. One of them was that a young man named 'Ryuuen Kakeru' stood as the leader of the class and that his methods involved violence. He lorded over his classmates using a tyrannical approach and while it was cruel, Kiyotaka couldn't deny that he can keep Class C in line.

It had been clear to him that Ryuuen ordered his classmates to go after Akito that day, and then told the three of them to injure themselves to make it seem like they were the victims. Quite an elaborate plan, if Kiyotaka had to admit, but they forgot one crucial flaw in it.

Just because they brought Akito to a place where there's no cameras didn't mean that they were safe from the possibility of there being a witness who saw the whole thing.

Ryuuen's reasons for doing this, though? That's a completely different thing that he didn't have an answer to. He had never met the guy for him to draw a hypothesis based on his enemy's personality and demeanor.

"I believe that Sakura will bring all the evidence that we need by being a witness to the case. However, that doesn't mean we can't prepare for what Ryuuen could do to keep us from exposing his class," he continued.

"I don't think Ryuuen-senpai would be able to know that your class is looking for evidence, senpai. Unless someone accidentally asks a student from Class C, of course."

"Exactly," he nodded. "Who knows? They might be aware of us already and are making plans on how to keep us from catching on to them. But as long as they don't know that Sakura is the one who witnessed everything that day, then anything they do won't matter."

Ichika clapped her hands in amazement. "As expected from the Masterpiece of the White Room, senpai. I guess this means you have everything planned out, huh?"

"Not everything. I can't see into the future, you know."

"With how amazing you are, I think it wouldn't be crazy to think that you can, senpai~"

"Just eat up and give me the dishes when you're done," he shook his head and decided to end the conversation here. Even though it's Friday, it was still a school day and he didn't want to be late. Also, he didn't want to think about the possibility of being able to see the future because with a simple intervention of his reality-breaking superpower, it could actually happen for real.

"Aw, you don't want to talk to me anymore? I still have something I want to show you, you know~?"

Finishing with his meal, Kiyotaka grabbed his plate and utensils before heading to the sink. "I wonder how big of a headache you'll give me this time with whatever you want to show me. "

"Oh, I promise it's nothing too serious, senpai! It's just a harmless website that I stumbled upon yesterday. This won't even take a minute, I just want to show it to you."

Finished with her meal, Ichika brought her empty plate and utensils to the sink where Kiyotaka took them off of her. This allowed her to bring out her phone and open her browser, before showing it to him.

"Here, look at this, senpai!"

As he washed the dishes, Kiyotaka looked at the website that Ichika was showing him. From the big header alone, the young man had a feeling that this was similar to something that he had already seen before. Upon seeing that the header read, 'The Official ANHS Bishoujo Rankings', it's when he remembered that Himeno told him about a blog that's the complete opposite of the 'ikemen rankings' that she showed him yesterday.

This must be that blog and from the name itself, the theme of this list is about the female students of the school. If the one from yesterday was all about who's the best guy to date around here, then this one is all about who's the best girl to be with.

Kiyotaka sent her a deadpan look. "I already know about this, though."

"You do? Could it be that you are a regular visitor of this blog, senpai?" Ichika tilted her head curiously.

"I didn't mean it like that, obviously. I meant someone else told me about this and its counterpart that's all about the boys in this school."

"I didn't know there's a similar blog that's about boys… I'll have to check it later to see if senpai is included there!" she thought to herself with a mischievous smile on her face. It would surely create an interesting chain of reactions from her senpai's classmates if he was there. "Well, does this mean you haven't seen what it's all about, senpai?"

"It's all about the female students of this school, I know that much."

The smile on her face widened. "So you don't know the girls who are included in the list, senpai?"

"No, and I have no intention of knowing. Now will you stop bothering me about it?"

"But senpai, this concerns the members of your harem. Kushida-senpai, Horikita-senpai and a few others are in it. Don't you want to see it for yourself~?" she asked in an attempt to convince him.

"Why should I care about it anyway? It's just a list that bases its results on the subjective opinions of the students," he retorted, continuing to ignore her. "I don't want to see something that compares the girls with each other too. I'm not supposed to play favorites in this whole thing."

"But you'll be pleased to know that Ichinose-senpai is 4th, Kushida-senpai is 7th, Sakayanagi-senpai is 11th, Horikita-senpai is 12th, Shiina-senpai is 16th—"

"And as I have said, I don't care, Amasawa. They are all great individuals in their own way, even if most of them haven't reached their full potential yet. If anything, the very idea of putting them in a list to rank them is an insult to all of them as a whole. It also implies the idea of having a favorite among them, and I don't have one. I don't have a favorite among them."

It was only after saying all of those that Kiyotaka realized what he just said, causing his eyes to widen momentarily.

"That was definitely not me."

It wasn't just this time. There have been several times in the past where he would unconsciously blurt out things that he wouldn't say on a regular basis, which was no doubt because of the system. He had no idea if it was controlling him without him noticing or if it was influencing him to say these thimgs.

Someone like him would never make a mistake like this, unless he chooses to do so like when he first met Sakayanagi in this school, or when Chabashira-sensei confronted him at the rooftop.

This is no different from the times when he would say suggestive things towards Ichinose for no reason at all…

Looking at Ichika, the girl also bore a look of surprise on her face for a moment before her roommate's words slowly integrated into her mind. Everything she heard from him started to make sense the more she played his words over and over again, to the point that she couldn't help but smirk in amusement.

"Ohoho, I didn't think you think of all of them in that way~" she teased. "I thought you had no idea what a harem is, senpai? Haauughh, just hearing you say those things about them makes me really jealous…"

Before Kiyotaka could think about what he could say to save himself from the incoming chaos, the sound of someone knocking on the door got their attention.

"Oh, senpai… I think there's someone at the door~"

The young man's eyes darted towards the door, already thinking of who was on the other side. Of course, it could only be one of several females who knew that he resided on a floor where he was the only guy that lived there.

"Could it be Kushida? Or is it Horikita? Neither of them are normally up this early, though. Kei? She would rather surprise me in the classroom. Sakayanagi? No. Sakura? Definitely not. Chiaki? There hasn't been any instance where she'd go to my dorm room, I don't think this will be the first…"

His mind reaching a crossroads upon thinking of the possible identity of his sudden visitor, Kiyotaka turned towards Ichika and threw her a look of confusion.

"Did they hear your voice?"

"I'm sure I wasn't that loud, senpai. You didn't bend me over the table, after all."

The young man shook his head. He wasn't in the mood for any of this girl's jokes and teasing right now. "Hide in the closet or in the bathroom. I'll go see who it is," he told her.

"Being forced to hide inside of my own dorm room… I believe this is unfair, senpai. I demand compensation for my cooperation," she folded her arms across her chest and pouted.

"Uh…"

Kiyotaka actually didn't have any idea how to respond to that. Ichika had been obedient towards him ever since she arrived at this school and the only time she asked for something was when she wanted him to brush her hair. And she was asking him in a gentle manner that time.

This time was different, though.

She wasn't asking, she was demanding.

Of course, he could always tell her to stop being silly and do as he tells her to, but what if that triggers the system's overpowered skill? He obviously didn't want that to happen. So what exactly could he offer this girl to get her to cooperate with him? It has to be something that can surely make her happy—

"Hehe, just kidding~" Ichika's pout immediately morphed into her usual smirk, as she sent a wink to her senpai. "But I definitely wouldn't mind if you give me a reward after this, you know?"

He resisted the huge urge to roll his eyes at her attitude. He should have expected that, but his damn superpower got the better of him while he was trying to prevent a way from activating that reality-warping skill he possessed.

In some kind of twisted way, Ayanokouji had found his match. Ichika Amasawa was an unpredictable variable whom he couldn't figure out. He had no way of knowing if she was serious or not because he's always cautious about the possibility of making one of his heroines sad in any way.

Maybe it's because she came from the White Room just like him but nonetheless, this girl can be troubling to deal with when she wants to be.

Kiyotaka gestured for her to hide in the bathroom, saying nothing more. In response, Ichika continued to chuckle for a few moments before she finally followed his orders and headed to the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind her.

With his roommate out of the picture, Kiyotaka walked to the door and opened it slightly, where he was greeted by a familiar face.

"Good morning, Ayanokouji-kun," Suzune bowed her head in greeting as she stood outside of his dorm room.

"...good morning, Horikita. You're earlier than I expected," he raised an eyebrow at her curiously.

This was truly a strange occurrence. Horikita has never been this early before and yet here she was, already dressed in their school uniform and ready to leave. Was she here to invite him to walk with her? He hasn't even taken a bath yet. In fact, what time did she even wake up for her to be this early…?

"I apologize for bothering you instead of waiting for you outside, but could you please let me in? I need to discuss something important with you," she stated.

"Now? Can't we just talk about it on the way to school?"

"I'm afraid that's not possible. It is of the utmost importance, and no one other than you must know about it. If we discuss it out in the open, then… there's a chance that someone else could overhear what I tell you…" she explained, as her face started turning red by the end of her words.

"She's… not going to confess her feelings, is she?" Kiyotaka asked himself, noticing the color on her face. He shook his head immediately afterwards, realizing how ridiculous that assumption was. "Wait, I'm thinking about it too much. Surely this is something related to Miyake's case, nothing more."

He cleared his throat to get the girl's attention, before looking behind him. He was already done with the dishes so he would only have to fix his bed and nothing else. If Suzune stepped inside his dorm, she would instantly notice that the way his bed was arranged would make it seem like two people were sleeping on it and not one.

He couldn't let that happen.

"Give me a moment, I'll let you in."

Suzune only gave a nod and stood back as Kiyotaka closed the door. After a while, he opened the door again and gestured for her to come in. The girl bowed her head in thanks and went inside her friend's dorm, where she was hit by a wave of realization.

Suzune blushed; this was the first time that she had ever been to Kiyotaka's room, even though they were neighbors. What should she do while she's here? Compliment his living conditions? Stand by the door so she wouldn't intrude? Let Kiyotaka dictate the flow of their conversation?

"No. I need to remain composed. I'm not here to think about how embarrassing this is," she reminded herself in her mind, shaking her head furiously to snap herself out of her funk.

"You okay?" Suzune heard Kiyotaka ask.

"I-I'm fine," she stammered while trying to keep her composure.

Kiyotaka sweat-dropped, knowing that she was obviously bothered by something but didn't push the issue further. He led her to the table and gestured for her to take her seat, which she did right away. He then sat on the opposite side, facing her while resting his elbows on the table.

"So what is it that you wanted to tell me? I imagine this is important to the point that you can't wait to tell me about it," he began.

Suzune took a deep breath, reminding herself of why she was here in the first place before she spoke, "It's about Miyake-kun's case. I found out some crucial information about it that I believe will be helpful in the future."

"I knew it," Kiyotaka remarked in his mind. Good thing he didn't make the same mistake as he did with Kei this time around. "If this was about his case, then why didn't you bring it up yesterday?"

"I wanted to consult you about it."

"You couldn't have done that with Kushida around? Isn't she our friend too?" he pointed out.

"You make a good point, but you need to hear this more. It's not that I don't trust Kushida-san, but the two of us in particular agreed that we would make our class into the new Class A, and this information could take us one step closer to that."

"We did, didn't we?" he asked rhetorically, remembering their conversation outside of the teacher's lounge months ago. "All right, what have you learned?"

"Yesterday, while Kushida-san and I were speaking with Shiina-san about what she knew regarding her classmates, she mentioned a person named 'Ryuuen' who is supposedly the leader of Class C. She said that he's someone who is violent and won't hesitate to rely on violence to make his classmates follow him."

Kiyotaka remained silent at first. He had just been discussing the topic of Ryuuen Kakeru earlier with Ichika and what he could do to mess up their progress with Akito's case so far, so this was a pretty hefty coincidence. A quick thought crossed his mind wherein Suzune had heard the two of them earlier, but he quickly brushed it off.

"And what do you think about this Ryuuen?" he asked, genuinely interested in what the black-haired girl wanted to share with him.

"We agreed yesterday that the attack on Miyake-kun had to have been planned, remember?" Kiyotaka nodded. "Then I believe that he was the mastermind behind it all. He concocted the plan to have his classmates target one of our own and attack him someplace where there are no cameras."

Kiyotaka hummed in thought, before he raised an eyebrow. "You really believe that he's to blame?"

"Do you see any other plausible reason why Miyake-kun was beaten up, then?" asked Suzune. "We are already sure that the whole incident had been planned from the beginning, but the question of who came up with it still doesn't have an answer. Until now."

"But why would Ryuuen come up with a plan like this, then? What do you think is his endgame here?" he asked her, wanting to know how much she thought about this.

"I don't know. That's the question that I've been asking myself since yesterday. I haven't met Ryuuen-kun to get a grasp on what he's like and how he operates other than what I've learned from Shiina-san," she admitted, hanging her head before looking up at her friend. "You believe me though, right? That Ryuuen-kun is the one behind it all. You trust me?"

All Kiyotaka did was nod.

"I do. However, we shouldn't focus on him right now. He could be the one who orchestrated the whole scheme, but he didn't attack our classmate directly. Ishizaki, Komiya, and Kondo remain our persons of interest. Accusing someone else of being involved will do nothing but make us look like idiots who try to shift the blame to anyone they can think of. Much less when we have no proof that Ryuuen was even in on it."

Suzune's shoulders slumped. She really wanted to put an end to this case by focusing her attention on whom she assumed to be the mastermind, but after those words from Kiyotaka, she realized that she couldn't go through with it.

They would have to continue on with their original plan, which is to search for their witness so she could give her testimony on the matter and save their classmate from possible expulsion.

"You're right. As much as I hate it, we can only focus on the three pawns in his plan. Though I would have liked to know what he has to gain from all of this. Risking being caught, the hearing, the possibility of his classmates being exposed, it doesn't make sense."

"Don't worry about it too much. Once we win this case for Miyake, we can start focusing on Ryuuen and Class C as a whole. The next time he tries something against our class, we'll be ready for him.

Horikita heaved a massive sigh. "I understand, Ayanokouji-kun."

Ayanokouji nodded in satisfaction. "With that being said, would you mind waiting outside? I know you're itching to walk to school with me, but unless you plan on waiting for me to take a bath then change my clothes, I'm afraid you'll be feeling uncomfortable if you stay for long."

It was there that Suzune was hit with the full realization of her actions. She was ready to leave for class way earlier than usual, and then she paid her neighbor a visit before he even took a bath. All of this made her realize that maybe she went too far with this… maybe it really would have been better if she told him about this on the way to school instead…

"O-Of course," she blushed and looked down, completely embarrassed by her actions. "I apologize for taking up your time."

"It's fine. I assume you'll be waiting in your dorm until I'm done?"

"Yes…" she muttered, before throwing him an angry look. Well, she tried at least. It's hard to take her seriously with that cute blush on her face. "You better not leave without me, got it?"

"I know that already," Kiyotaka nodded.

With that, Suzune stood up from her seat and bowed her head before she made her way out the door, closing it behind her. As soon as she left, Kiyotaka breathed out a sigh of relief. That went well. She also didn't recognize the presence of his roommate, which meant they were safe from their living conditions being exposed to someone else.

Speaking of which…

"Amasawa, you can get out of the bathroom now," he called out to the younger girl who was still in the bathroom, only to receive no reply from her. "Amasawa?"

He turned to the bathroom door and waited for his roommate to come out, but she didn't. Moments later, the door opened but Ichika didn't come out. Instead, she simply poked her head outside, looking worried for some reason. It was an expression that he had never seen from her before, and it quickly caused him to keep his guard up.

"Are you sure, senpai? I don't really want to go out if it's not safe yet…" she muttered nervously, a tone that he had never heard her use before.

"I'm saying your name out in the open. Why would I say it if Horikita was still around?" he said in a rhetorical manner.

"I don't know… I don't want to get caught being here, senpai. Horikita-senpai may have heard my voice earlier, which could be the reason why she went here. I don't want to disappoint you more than I already have," she spoke with her head down.

Kiyotaka shook his head. He had no idea why the girl was acting this way when she was perfectly fine earlier. But the look on her face was something that acted as a warning to him and if his instincts were to be trusted, he had to tread carefully from here.

"Come on already, you already said that you weren't that loud. She didn't hear you at all, so you can get out now."

"I don't know, senpai… what if she's still outside of our room, listening?" Ichika replied nervously, before retreating back into the bathroom.

The young man sighed as he walked towards the bathroom. He really didn't know why Ichika was acting strange out of nowhere, but he needs to deal with this before her sad state triggers the system's dreaded skill.

"Amasawa, this is getting ridiculous. Horikita's gone, so I can't understand why you're still not coming out of the bathroom. I have to get ready for—"

Kiyotaka cut himself off just as he opened the bathroom, where Ichika stood before him with her usual smile. The sad look on her face was completely gone, as thought she was never like that in the first place.

"Ta-da! I prepared the bath for you, senpai~!" she exclaimed, pointing to the tub that was already swimming with soap and bubbles. A towel was also nearby, ready to be used anytime.

Oh, how the young man wished he could turn back time to prevent himself from falling for this girl's tricks and games…

"I should have known. You're losing your composure, me. You would have been able to tell that she was only faking it in the past, but you were too focused on avoiding the possibility of making her sad."

Kiyotaka sighed mentally after saying those words to himself. His dating sim power had changed him to the point that he could only focus on keeping his heroines happy while disregarding everything else, but it's not like he could do anything about it. All he could do was adapt to his situation, even if it can be infuriating and frustrating to deal with.

Still, the old Kiyotaka would never fall for Ichika's bait and he would have warned her to stop playing games with him.

"Thanks for preparing it for me, but you really shouldn't have," he told the scarlet-haired girl, managing to hide his agitation behind his usual poker face.

Ichika giggled. "Well, I didn't want to just sit around and wait here for you and Horikita-senpai to be finished with your little talk. I'm a bit taken aback that you're not that affected by my little surprise for you, but I guess that's to be expected from the Masterpiece himself, hehe~"

"Then I suppose you should leave the bathroom now, Amasawa. I would like to put the bath you prepared into good use."

The scarlet-haired girl let out another cute giggle, before she shook her head.

"What are you saying, senpai? Why would I leave the bathroom now when it's also the perfect time for me to take a bath?" she smirked.

"So this was her plan…" he sighed mentally. Honestly, Kiyotaka had a lingering hunch that his roommate wanted to bathe with him ever since she revealed that she prepared the bath for him, but he ignored it because he didn't even want to think of the implications.

But now, that desire of Ichika's was now out in the open.

"What are you up to now, Amasawa?" he asked, pretending that he had no idea what she was talking about.

"I'm just saying, senpai… it's the perfect time for us to get in the tub together~ Don't you want to spend some quality time with your adorable kouhai~?" she suggested, walking up to her favorite person in the whole school while sending him a wink.

"I don't have time for your games. Would you please leave the bathroom now so I can get ready for school?"

"But senpai, I'm already ready to step into the tub with you…"

While she continued to smirk at him, Ichika's hands traveled down to the set of buttons on her pajama shirt, undoing them one by one without a care in the world.

"Amasawa, didn't I already warn you about wearing no clothes around here?" he told her in a serious tone while turning his head away for obvious reasons.

This girl was now stepping on dangerous territory, more than anything she had done before; he could easily stop her right now by grabbing her wrists and preventing her from doing anything else, but the possible consequences of that action was keeping him from making a move. Would the system activate and prevent him from doing anything in the end?

"I don't recall you saying anything like that, senpai. I only remember that I'm not allowed to sleep on the bed while in the nude. You didn't say anything about wearing no clothes around you, especially in the bath~"

Kiyotaka rolled his eyes discreetly, not allowing the girl to see the growing annoyance on his face.

"Is there even any difference?"

"Well, isn't it normal for people to enter the bath with no clothes~?" Ichika teased him as she undid the last button on her top, before removing it and letting it fall to the floor."Besides, if it really makes you uncomfortable, then I'll keep my underwear on. I just really wanted to take a bath with you."

"Why do you even want this?" he sighed, turning his attention back to the girl while ignoring the fact that the only remaining garment she had above her waist was a purple bra.

"This is what I want as compensation, senpai~ For being quiet while you're talking with Horikita-senpai," she answered as her hands started to travel down to the hem of her pajama leggings…

That was the last straw.

Kiyotaka's hands shot out and grabbed Ichika's wrists, prohibiting her from continuing any further.

"Stop being silly. Does it really have to be this?"

"Would you prefer it if I asked you to do dirty things with me, senpai?" she continued to tease him, seemingly unaffected by him restraining her.

The young man didn't say anything. Instead, he only stared at her with the impassive look that he usually bore on his face, showing that he wasn't in the mood for her games at all.

However, in a flash, the teasing look on Amasawa's face fell apart. It was replaced with a pout, as if she was displeased about something. This change in her expression made Kiyotaka raise an eyebrow at her slightly, thinking that this could be another attempt at making him listen to her wiles like she did earlier.

"It honestly makes me jealous too… Horikita-senpai, Karuizawa-senpai Kushida-senpai, Shameless-senpai, and every other girl who's in your harem got to take a bath with you in an onsen… it must have been fun. I'm your roommate and I adore senpai so much but we've never done anything like that…"

Just as Kiyotaka narrowed his eyes so he could assess if Ichika was being truthful this time, the world around him lost its color and everything froze.

The brown-haired teen groaned to himself. He was trying to prevent this from happening this whole time and just when he thought that Amasawa was messing with him again, his 'dating sim' superpower does this.

…oh well, at least this was something he was used to already, compared to the other one. Going through the effects of the system's most powerful skill was something he could never and would never get used to.

A. [Are you done being annoying? Get out so I can take a bath, Amasawa.]

B. [Fine… I'll let you stay and take a bath with me. But you're not getting in the tub because I'll be using it.]

C. [You want to take a bath with me? Get in the tub.]

Kiyotaka groaned again; not because he didn't know what to pick among the three but because he knew what the answer was and was now dreading it.

Knowing Ichika's personality, the option that would make her happy is the third one. The first one is out of the question immediately, because it would automatically lead to the girl being sad from the apparent rejection. With how the system produced the three choices for him just now… oh, he didn't even want to figure out for himself what could happen if he went down this path.

The second one… is pretty plausible but still wasn't the right one. It might keep her satisfied, being in the bathroom just like him, but knowing how this girl acts and what she thinks of him… it wouldn't make her happy at all.

And that left… the third option. Despite the obvious implications of it (which involves him being put in another questionable situation), the end result would definitely make Amasawa happy. Even though it would give birth to a whole new set of headaches and problems, Kiyotaka set his eyes on this option.

"I'm gonna regret this…" the young man sighed in his thoughts before making his decision.

As the world returned to normal, Kiyotaka walked past his roommate and stood in front of the bathtub with his head low.

"Amasawa," he called out to her.

"Yes, senpai?" she asked, hiding her amusement to herself.

Truth be told, Ichika really was just messing with him and didn't expect her senpai to actually listen to her 'request'. In fact, she was prepared for him to say no and tease him about it before leaving him alone so he can finally take a bath. It's always fun to tease her senpai like this and see if she could get a reaction of some kind from him.

Then again, it would be fun to take a bath with her favorite senpai and she definitely wouldn't hesitate to say yes if he invited her. However, Ichika also knew that he already had a lot on his plate at the moment with his classmate's ongoing case as well as his everyday struggles with his harem, as much as he liked to deny it.

"You want to take a bath with me? Get in the tub," he spoke as he began to remove his clothes.

"W-What…?"

That… definitely wasn't what she was expecting to hear from him.

"Did you hear anything else from my mouth?" he turned his head slightly to send her a look of confusion, before dropping his discarded shirt on the floor.

It's clear that she wasn't expecting him to actually agree, though. Or maybe she was just hearing things from him. She should ask him just to be sure.

"Really? You're not joking, senpai?"

Kiyotaka responded by removing his shorts along with his underwear, leaving him completely bare. This caused a full-blown blush to erupt on his kouhai's face as she watched him step inside the bathtub.

Naturally, her eyes were drawn to his lower body but she wasn't able to get a proper view because his arms were in the way.

"Get in before I change my mind, Amasawa."

To Ichika's credit, the girl managed to hide her disbelief and embarrassment behind her mischievous look. But the blush on her face was still clearly visible.

"Yay, I knew you wouldn't be able to resist your cute and adorable kouhai~!"

Ichika proceeded to take off the rest of her clothes; her pajama leggings, then her bra, followed by her panties. Now completely nude, she walked over towards the tub and even tried to tease her roommate by swaying her hips slowly as she moved towards him, all while Kiyotaka's eyes were on her.

"Like what you see, senpai~? I don't mind you staring~" the girl licked her lips as she struck a sexy pose.

"Get in already," his deadpan voice cut through her attempted teasing quite easily.

Somehow, the young man was able to keep his composure even though Ichika's naked body was right in front of him, save for a little blush on his face that was barely visible.

If he had to give his complete and honest opinion, Amasawa was no doubt beautiful and had a ton of appeal along with her. His male classmates weren't exaggerating with their reactions when they saw her for the first time. In fact, he was pretty sure that this girl could have any boy she wanted with no effort at all.

Unfortunately for her, this wasn't the first time that he had been subjected to this kind of situation. Amasawa should be aware of it already, since she knew that he went to the bathhouse with his heroines and had a relaxing time with them in that place.

She should also know that this isn't the first time that he's been close to a naked girl, unless she doesn't know the exact details of what happened at the bathhouse that day.

He also wasn't gonna let someone from the White Room break through his mental defenses in such a predictable way, even if she's one of his heroines.

Ichika felt a little disappointed at the lack of a good reaction from her senpai, but then she chuckled as another idea struck her mind.

Following his orders, she stepped into the bathtub and turned around so that her rear was facing him. Despite the growing blush across her cheeks, Ichika bent over and pushed out her butt towards him, inviting her senpai with an alluring smirk on her face.

However, Kiyotaka retained his impassive look in spite of her bold move. Even though he got a clear view of everything in front of him, all that appeared on his face was a small blush from a natural reaction.

No, she wasn't going to make him lose his composure, especially when he had gone through this before.

"What the hell are you doing?" he deadpanned, sending a clear message to this with just those words.

"Aw fine, you win this game, senpai…" she sighed in defeat and just sat down in front of him, realizing that she couldn't get through to the Masterpiece of the White Room. "I thought I'd be able to get a reaction from you, but I guess it takes a lot more than this to make senpai lose his cool, huh?"

"What game? I thought we were just going to take a bath together?"

"Never mind, never mind. I'll just be in your care then, senpai~" Ichika chuckled before she leaned against him, her back against Kiyotaka's bare chest. "I don't have any experience in bathing with someone else, but you do. So, you can take the lead if you want~"

"Just sit there and don't do anything," he shook his head and sighed.

"As you wish, senpai~"

The first thing Kiyotaka did was remove the ribbons on Ichika's head, allowing her hair to flow freely. He threw her ribbons on top of her discarded clothes, before splashing the girl herself with the soapy water.

Ichika giggled in delight as she got drenched in water. She helped him out by washing her face followed by her arms, as she noticed him taking the bottle of shampoo at the bottom of the tub.

Kiyotaka squeezed a sizable amount into his palm, before lathering it all over Ichika's scalp then the rest of her long scarlet locks. He followed it up by running his fingers through the strands of hair, making sure that everything was covered by the shampoo.

"Ahhh, it's quite nice being like this, senpai~ Your hands really know what to do, you know?" she moaned in delight, leaning back against the young man even more.

"Thanks," he muttered a quick word of gratitude before going back to work.

Ichika turned back to give the brown-haired teen a smile. "Do you want me to do the same to you after you're done, senpai? I think it would be fair if I wash your body in return."

He shook his head. "No need to. I can clean myself. I'm just doing this so you can finally stop bothering me about this issue."

"Hehe, if that's what you want, senpai~"

After about a minute, Kiyotaka began to rinse her hair while the girl just bore a look of satisfaction on her face. She never really thought that she would be in this situation, enjoying a bath with her beloved senpai, but she wasn't going to complain about it! Plus, Kiyotaka was taking good care of her and that's something that she was very happy about.

Things would take a major turn when she felt something poking her from behind, though. That particular feeling would cause her eyes to widen slightly and her cheeks to redden as a result.

"This is… senpai's…"

Ichika knew what it was and almost immediately, she saw it as an opportunity to tease her roommate. No way she would let a chance like this go to waste!

"Oooh, what could be this thing that's poking my back, senpai~?" she looked back and flashed a teasing grin at Kiyotaka, who didn't look amused at all.

"Stop distracting me or I'll kick you out of the bathroom right now and forget about doing this for you entirely," he told her in a matter-of-fact tone, which was enough to inform his younger roommate that he didn't want to deal with her jokes right now.

"Hehe, sorry~"

Despite the mischievous look that she bore on her face, Ichika was struggling to hide the growing embarrassment and curiosity that she felt regarding the appendage behind her.

"I can't believe it's this big… and I can't even see it for myself."

Another idea popped up in the girl's mind which involved grinding her rear against the young man behind her, but Ichika chose to keep quiet for now. She didn't want to push her teasing too far because she didn't want this to stop at all. She was enjoying this experience with her senpai way too much.

After he was done with her hair, Kiyotaka shifted his attention to her body. He splashed her with the water first, getting it over her shoulders, arms, and back. Ichika played along happily, shifting her body so that he would be able to get those parts easily.

Once he was done, Kiyotaka grabbed a piece of dry cloth from the nearby soap rack and drenched it in the water. After squeezing it in his grasp, he finally turned towards his kouhai's exposed skin.

As soon as the wet cloth touched her back, Ichika's eyes widened before letting out a soft gasp. It felt as if an electric shock traveled throughout her body, but in a good way. This was something that made her feel good and she wanted more of it, but what exactly did Kiyotaka do to her that made her like this, though? She had no idea.

Growing up in the White Room didn't really leave her any real knowledge of what these feelings were like, even if she joked about these things almost all the time. This was the first time that she was experiencing all of this at once.

"S-Senpai, what did you just do…?" she breathed out, her eyes half-lidded and her cheeks completely red.

"It was only a wet towel, Amasawa. Just relax and let me take care of everything," Kiyotaka told her as he grabbed her arm and slowly lifted it upwards.

"Eh?" The moment she felt the cloth against her armpit, her eyes widened even more and it caused her to let out a loud moan. "Ahhh~!"

Ichika continued to moan loudly while Kiyotaka guided the towel along her skin. She had no idea why, but with every movement he made, it continued to send waves of pleasure through every neuron in her body.

"S-Senpai, you must have done this before, haven't you?" she struggled to ask, letting her other arm be guided by the brown-haired teen.

"What makes you think that?" he asked in return, lifting Ichika's left arm so he could wash her armpit and then her sides.

"You're too good… at this… hyaa~"

"I like it better when you're not being annoying, Amasawa." The brown-haired teen then rinsed her arms with the water, before his eyes fell on the girl's back. "If I had to be honest with you, I'm starting to get used to having you around. It's not bad having a roommate, especially when she's a competent one who has a lot of potential."

"Aaahnn~!" she yelped in pleasure when the cloth touched her shoulders and upper back. The feeling of bliss that Ichika was experiencing grew as the seconds passed, and with every stroke that Kiyotaka did, it was taking over her whole body. "Y-You really think so, senpai…?"

"It's just a shame that she happens to be a bit of a troublemaker. I would like her better if she was more mellow and not as annoying."

Ichika's only response was one of embarrassment; her cheeks turned into an even deeper shade of red and her head was hung low, like she was trying to hide her expression even though there was nobody else around to see her like this.

For someone who always seemed like she could never be caught off guard or embarrassed by anything, the girl was helpless while she was under Kiyotaka's care, which is completely different to how she was expecting this whole thing to go.

Ichika had thought this would be an enjoyable and fun experience for her. Although both points were true, she didn't account for 'embarrassing' to be part of them. What's worse is that she didn't even know why she was embarrassed like this!

Still, the girl continued to enjoy the feeling of being washed by her senpai. Her moans grew louder as the seconds passed because of the mind-numbing ecstasy that Kiyotaka's actions brought to her. Every part of her body was in a state of pleasure, most especially the region down there.

She had no idea how he was capable of doing this when he was only washing her body… maybe it's just because he was really good with his hands? Such a thing would be expected from the Masterpiece, after all.

Because of that, Ichika was easily reduced to a moaning mess, not unlike the girls who were in the same state when Kiyotaka also washed their backs during their time in the onsen.

"This feels really good, senpaaaiiii~" the younger girl panted, her mind and body being easily overwhelmed by the growing pleasure that she could only show her joy by crying out her senpai's name. The blissful feeling in her private region continued to build up as well, and it was starting to get the better of her.

"Maybe if you behave yourself, then I can consider doing this again with you, Amasawa…" Kiyotaka shrugged, bringing the wet towel to her front, starting with her chest.

That was the turning point.

"Senpaaaiiii~!" Ichika cried out as the feeling in her loins reached its climax, making her arch her back off him in response. Her eyes rolled up and her mouth fell open, putting on an expression that perfectly displayed satisfaction from having an orgasmic release.

Kiyotaka only watched the girl with his usual impassive look, before catching her in his arms after her climax had subsided.

Ichika was breathing heavily, and her tongue was hanging from her mouth. She was still fully conscious, but seemingly unable to move her body for now because of exhaustion.

"Are you okay?" he asked, throwing his younger roommate a look of concern.

"I'm okay, senpai… I just need… a little breather," she muttered, taking several deep breaths as she moved closer to the young man. "Can… Can I lean on you like this for a while, senpai?"

"Go ahead," he nodded, grabbing the bottle of shampoo nearby as he can now focus on himself.

"Thank you for letting me take a bath with you…" Ichika leaned against his bare chest while tracing circles on his skin. She looked up at the young man and smiled warmly. "...love you, senpai~"

[You gained 40 Affection Points with Amasawa Ichika!]

[You managed to tame an annoying brat! You gained +10 in Wisdom!]

[Congratulations! You have unlocked the Achievement: 'Something's Itchy Down There'! You gained +20 in Aura!]

Kiyotaka heaved a deep sigh of relief before dismissing those three notifications. It was probably safe to shift back into his normal demeanor, now that the situation was over.

"To think that this is all it takes to make her stop annoying me," he thought to himself while applying some shampoo on his own hair. "At least we only took a bath and nothing more. Anything else would have been more troublesome to handle."

The young man didn't even want to think of what else could have happened.

---

After taking a pleasing bath with his annoying but helpful roommate, Kiyotaka stepped out of the bathroom with Ichika behind him. He quickly grabbed his clothes and stepped back into the bathroom so he could change into his school uniform, but not before his kouhai offered to him that he could stay with her, pointing out that people who've taken a bath with each other have nothing more to hide about their bodies.

Of course, he ignored her and continued on to dress himself without anyone bothering him.

After bidding farewell to Ichika, Kiyotaka left his room and went to the one that was next to his. He knocked on the door several times, before it was opened by his raven-haired classmate whom he was with earlier.

"I hope I didn't keep you waiting for long, Horikita."

"You didn't. I only finished getting ready earlier than usual like you said," she shook her head and grabbed her bag that was nearby. "Though I suppose you're finished as well, am I correct?"

Kiyotaka nodded in response and with that, Suzune left her room and stepped outside, locking the door behind her. The two shared a little nod and proceeded to walk side–by-side as they have always done. Before they could leave though, a familiar voice stopped them in their tracks.

"Good morning, Ayanokouji-kun! Good morning, Horikita-san!"

Both teenagers turned their heads to see their beige-haired classmate walking up to them with her usual smile, while also waving her arm in greeting.

The young man gave her a nod of acknowledgement. "Good morning, Kushida."

Meanwhile, his companion only tilted her head curiously. "Is there anything you need, Kushida-san? We were just about to leave for school."

"I wanted to walk with you two today!" Kikyo exclaimed, making her intentions clear as she ran up towards them.

"That's a surprise. You've stopped going with us lately because you'd rather surprise me in class by hugging me in front of everyone," Kiyotaka pointed out.

Kikyo blushed, knowing how true his statement was. Especially on the day when she kissed him in front of everyone in the class. She quickly shook her head to snap herself out of it, before continuing with her words. "W-Well, I've missed walking with you and Horikita-san, that's all. While it's fun to hug you in front of everyone, it doesn't beat being able to walk to school with the two of you."

"All right," he shrugged, not really minding it either way. "What do you think, Horikita?"

Horikita felt conflicted, so she wasn't able to give an answer right away. On one hand, Kushida was her friend and she used to walk with them to school everyday, until she stopped in favor of giving Ayanokouji surprise hugs in the classroom. She didn't want to deny her friend the chance of being able to walk with them again for any reason.

On the other hand, she was starting to get used to walking with just the young man around and no one else. What's more is that she liked being alone with him, especially when they would engage in conversations on their way to class. Because of Miyake's ongoing case, it was the only instance where she would be able to spend time with Ayanokouji because they were both doing different things in order to help their classmate with his dilemma.

In the end, all Suzune could do was shake her head.

"I don't see why you need my permission on this, Ayanokouji-kun. It's not like I get to decide who gets to walk with you to school," she folded her arms and huffed, hiding her inner turmoil just now.

Kiyotaka raised an eyebrow at that response, wondering what caused her to respond that way before shrugging. Meanwhile, upon hearing Suzune's answer, Kikyo's smile grew bigger as she grabbed Kiyotakas arm and hugged it close to her chest, before giggling like a schoolgirl in love.

"Hehe! It feels good to do this again…"

"Why am I suddenly regretting my decision?" Suzune thought to herself while she watched Kikyo embracing Kiyotaka's arm as though she can't live without it. She also felt some kind of innate desire from within her that's telling her to do the same thing, but the girl brushed that thought off.

Well, she did do something in the past but she always held his wrist and nothing else. Hugging Kiyotaka's arm was a completely different thing, embarrassing as well!

"Okay, we better get going now—"

"Hey, wait! I want to tag along too!"

The three students turned their heads to see another one of their classmates running towards them; a blonde girl whose hair was done in a ponytail and had a smile on her face.

Fortunately for Karuizawa, her three classmates only stared at her as she approached them instead of leaving, so she was able to catch up to them.

"Phew… thanks for waiting for me," she sighed in relief.

Kiyotaka raised an eyebrow at her. "You too? I'm surprised you're not gonna surprise me with another hug in class, Kei."

The last word that came out of his mouth rang in Kikyo and Suzune's ears as if the young man shouted it. Both pairs of eyes widened for a brief moment, before directing their attention towards Kiyotaka, like they were trying to drill several holes into the back of his skull with their gazes alone.

There's only one person who can answer the questions that are starting to form in their minds…

Unlike Kikyo, Kei didn't look embarrassed at all, save for the little blush across her cheeks. If anything, she looked amused. "That's pretty tempting to do, but I realized that there hasn't been a time where we've gone to school together yet. Even though we live on the same floor, it's a missed opportunity that we don't walk to class together. I mean, I can tag along with you three, right?"

"Kei truly has forgotten about her issues regarding the dorm arrangement by now, hasn't she? She hasn't even complained for a month and a half, and even after learning that I lived on the same floor as her," the young man noted in his thoughts, feeling a little proud of the development that this girl has shown in a matter of weeks. "Since Kushida is already accompanying us, I don't see any problem with you coming along. What about you two?"

When he turned to face his two other heroines, he expected them to give him an answer right away, but that wasn't what he got at all.

Instead, Suzune was giving him a cold glare. One that's almost as cold as a glacier that you would in the Arctic regions. On the other hand, Kikyo was smiling at him, but it wasn't any normal smile. Her expression was clearly hiding a venomous look underneath that was directed not only towards him, but towards Kei as well.

"Horikita. Kushida. Something wrong?"

"Did you just call Karuizawa-san by her first name, Ayanokouji-kun?" Kikyo asked in a sweet tone that hid a lot of malice behind it.

Kiyotaka stared at her for a moment, confused by what she meant with that question, only for him to be hit with a massive wave of realization.

Yep, he messed up big time. This was a mistake on his part. Embarrassing. Shameful.

If he perishes today at the hands of bloodthirsty yanderes who are all obsessed with him, then let it be known that Ayanokouji Kiyotaka died defying that man until the end!

"...yes, I did," he answered while resisting the urge to facepalm at his own lack of awareness just now.

"And why is that?"

He took a deep breath and began to explain, internally hoping that it would be enough to quell their growing anger. "Long story short, she asked me to start calling her by her first name and I saw no problem with that. After all, it's normal for friends to call each other by their first names, isn't it?"

By some miracle, even after that explanation, he was still alive and wasn't being ripped to bits by several yanderes, so Kiyotaka was able to sigh in relief. It was weird, though. He was expecting some kind of violent reaction from Kushida who was more or less obsessed with him and a cold reception from Horikita.

Either the system wasn't going to let him die, or it just wanted him to suffer more.

Speaking of Kushida, the girl wasn't really calm by any means, though she kept it well-hidden underneath her mask. She wasn't pleased with this revelation at all, and it made her think for a moment that her greatest rival when it came to Kiyotaka's affections may not be Horikita at all.

"I'm so dumb! Why didn't I think of that before?!"

"When exactly did this happen yesterday? I don't recall her asking you that question," Suzune asked, looking considerably calmer though she kept on glaring at the young man which kept him on edge.

"It was when you and Kushida went out to enact your plan regarding Class C," he shrugged.

"Fucking bitch!" Kikyo ranted in her mind, now having thoughts of possibly expelling the blonde gyaru but for completely different reasons compared to Suzune. She sent a quick glare at Kei before hiding her expression behind her mask again. "This cow has been really getting on my nerves lately… I better do something about this…"

The brown-haired teen then felt someone tugging on his shoulder, making him turn to that person with a curious expression on his face.

"Ayanokouji-kun, do you mind if I get the same privilege as well?" Kikyo asked, sending him a cute and innocent look that could probably melt anyone's heart if they saw it. "If you're gonna call Karuizawa-san by her name from now on, I think it's only fair that I get the same treatment, don't you think? We've known each other for a longer time, after all…"

He shrugged. Well, at least he was safe from the danger of yanderes for now. He still would have to remain careful with his words and actions from here on out, though.

"Very well, Kikyo. I'll start calling you by your first name."

Kikyo blushed almost immediately, as all traces of anger in her seemed to vanish completely just from hearing him call her by her name.

[You gained 10 Affection Points with Kushida Kikyo!]

"Thank you, K-Kiyotaka-kun!"

Kiyotaka gave her a nod before he noticed that Suzune was still giving him an angry look. Surprisingly, when their gazes met, it was the girl who broke eye contact first and quickly looked away. She looked to be embarrassed at being caught staring, while Kiyotaka quickly realized what she wanted in her mind.

"Do you want me to start calling you by your given name as well, Horikita?"

A massive blush took over her features as a result. Her embarrassment even rendered her unable to speak for a while, but mainly because she had no idea what to say. Horikita was simply too flustered at the thought of Kiyotaka referring to her in such an intimate manner that she can't think properly! This was a situation that she had never faced before, due to the fact that there had been no one else whom she considered to be close with outside of her family… except for Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.

"...d-do whatever you want," the girl stammered as soon as she felt that she could speak again.

Kiyotaka felt amused at that particular response. "There's nothing wrong with being honest, Suzune. Remember when you were frustrated about being unable to invite me for ice cream to the point that you dragged me along with you just to make sure you won't get interrupted anymore?" he teased,

[You gained 10 Affection Points with Horikita Suzune!]

"S-Shut up…!" she snapped at him, although it was hard to take her seriously with the blush on her face. "You don't have to bring it up again… I learned my lesson from that time."

"What are you two talking about?" asked Kei.

"It's nothing. Let's just go, Ayanokouji-kun."

Letting out a huff, the black-haired girl began to walk while her three classmates followed behind her. She kept her gaze ahead and refused to look anywhere else, hiding her face from her three companions even though her embarrassment was quite evident.

"You know, you can call me by my first name as well, Suzune."

Suzune stopped in her tracks for a moment, realizing that she didn't call him by his given name and continued to refer to him by his family name as she had always done. "P-Perhaps in the future. I am still trying to get used to this new arrangement between us…" she muttered, before continuing on.

"If that's what you want, then it's fine," he shrugged, seeing nothing wrong with what she wanted. It made him realize something important about her as well. "This is most likely the first time that she's dealt with a situation like this."

As the four students stood outside of the elevator and waited for it to arrive, yet another voice would catch their attention but this time, it wasn't familiar to any of them… except for one Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.

"What the hell? You live on this floor, Ayanokouji?" asked the violet-haired student from Class B who also happened to be one of Kiyotaka's heroines.

Himeno Yuki walked up to the small group of students with a mixture of both surprise and confusion present on her face. Her attention was solely directed towards Ayanokouji though, because she didn't expect the young man to be here at all… to think that they were living on the same floor this whole time.

"Pretty much," he shrugged, not even surprised at seeing this girl here. He was surprised that they would meet here out of all places, though. Oh well, at least this saves him from explaining to her that he was also a resident of the 4th floor in this dorm building. "You as well, Himeno?"

"That's a pretty big coincidence… Ichinose-san lives here too, if you don't know."

"I didn't know that at all," he replied, feigning surprise at hearing that.

It was at this moment that Kiyotaka's companions made their presence known… and not in a subtle way.

"Kiyotaka-kun, who's this girl?" Kikyo asked in the same sweet voice she used earlier, which spelled danger in all capital letters underneath the smile that she showed on the outside.

"You better answer her, Kiyotaka~" Kei flashed him a smile as well, which also hid a lot of malice underneath.

"I agree with Kushida-san and Karuizawa-san. Who is she and how do you know her?" Suzune narrowed her eyes at him, demanding an honest answer from him and nothing else.

"She's Himeno Yuki. A student of Class B and Ichinose's classmate," he explained while letting out a deep sigh. As long as he's careful about what he says, he wouldn't have to worry about anything else. "She's one of the people I approached while we're searching for the witness to Miyake's case."

Kikyo was the first to react to that information; she stepped forward and waved her arm at the girl from Class B.

"It's so nice to meet you! I'm Kushida Kikyo," she greeted before grabbing Kiyotaka's arm and hugging it close to her chest again, as if she was asserting her domain and authority to a newcomer. "I'm a close friend of Kiyotaka-kun."

"Good to meet you, I guess," Yuki shrugged, completely oblivious to Kikyo's intentions.

"Hmph," the blonde gyaru folded her arms and looked away with a huff. "Name's Karuizawa Kei. That's all you need to know."

Yuki tilted her head curiously. "The tsundere schtick is a pretty old trope by now, don't you think?"

"Horikita Suzune." Out of the three of them, only Suzune showed the proper respect and politeness to the Class B student by bowing her head slightly. "One of Ayanokouji-kun's classmates."

"Pleasure's all mine," the violet-haired girl showed the same courtesy, bowing her head slightly before turning back to Kiyotaka. "Heading to your classes too?"

"Yes."

"Wanna walk together?" she asked.

Kiyotaka nodded, but he knew that he shouldn't be the only one making that decision. He turned to his three companions to ask them for their opinions.

"Is that fine with you three?"

"It's totally normal for friends to walk with each other to school," Kikyo smiled, having a feeling that this girl might not be a threat like how her two other companions were. At least she hoped so. "I'm okay with it!"

"I have no complaints," Suzune shook her head. At this point, she just wanted to get to their classroom already.

"Fine, she can tag along…" Kei huffed and turned her head away with a pout, clearly not pleased with someone else joining but for the sake of not looking like a bad person, she relented.

At that moment, the elevator doors opened and the group all went inside. They stood in silence for a while as they waited for them to get to the ground level

But then, out of nowhere, the violet-haired girl from Class B began to speak. "Oh yeah, now that you're here, I want to tell you about something important that I found out about you. You're gonna want to hear this, Ayanokouji."

"And that would be?" he turned to her with a curious look, while the three other girls listened.

"Looks like you're not just growing popular because of the ranking list that I showed you yesterday," Yuki stated. "I noticed my classmates were talking about you again in our group chat, but for a whole different reason."

"Ayanokouji-kun, what does she mean by that? What list is she talking about?" Suzune asked the young man, but he didn't seem to hear her for now because his attention was on Himeno.

"Why were they talking about me?"

"You ladykiller," the Class B student grinned as they stepped out of the elevator and into the lobby. "Now I understand why you got included in that stupid list of ikemens, Ayanokouji."

"List of ikemens? I didn't know about that…" Kikyo thought to herself as she continued to listen to this valuable piece of information. "And Ayano— I mean, Kiyotaka-kun is a part of it?"

"Wait, I remember those rankings… I was checking it out when we first started going to this school…" Kei said in her thoughts, being reminded of when she used to be a follower of that blog site, which immediately stopped when the co-ed dorm arrangements were implemented on the same day. "I don't remember Kiyotaka being in it the last time I saw it… wait, has it really been that long?"

Realizing that she wasn't going to get an answer from Kiyotaka, Suzune turned towards Yuki herself. "What are you talking about, Himeno-san?"

Himeno turned to Horikita after that question. "Last night, our classmates were talking about Ayanokouji in our group chat. I thought it would be about those dumb rankings again, but they were talking about him being already taken by one of your classmates which meant he's not available anymore."

"I don't like where this is going…" Kiyotaka thought.

For a moment, he thought of interrupting Yuki while she's speaking and redirect the conversation to a completely new topic, but realized that would be a futile effort. His other heroines would simply ask her to ignore him and continue on.

And so, the young man wisely decided to turn his head away and pretend he wasn't listening at all.

"Not available anymore? Would you please elaborate more on this, Himeno-san?" the black-haired girl asked, in need of more information because this topic was completely alien to her.

"I'm surprised you don't know. But I guess it's also because your class is going through something big that you didn't notice the people around you were talking about it. Just like how Ayanokouji had no idea that he was part of that ikemen list for this week."

"Tell us," Kei spoke in a serious tone.

Kikyo didn't say anything, but she nodded in agreement.

"My classmates were talking about how Ayanokouji was able to get the attention of three of his female classmates," Yuki explained. "I didn't get a lot of details from them because it was already getting late when I asked them, but word is, three girls from Class D are after the same guy. It's a growing story in my class."

The serious looks on both Kushida and Karuizawa's faces disappeared in an instant, and was quickly replaced by a wave of embarrassment in the form of deep-red cheeks and a bead of sweat rolling down their faces.

The two knew that they were the ones being talked about and while they had no problems with their classmates knowing of their feelings for Ayanokouji, someone from Class B being aware of it made them feel uneasy.

"Is that all that they talked about?" asked Horikita.

"They talked about a lot of things, but I didn't get all of them, obviously. Other than the fact that three girls from Class D staked their claim on Ayanokouji, they also said that those same girls kissed him in front of everyone…"

The blush on Karuizawa and Kushida's became worse, to the point that their entire faces turned red. They had no choice but to follow Ayanokouji's example and turned their heads away to hide their expressions from everyone around.

"...and that's where I stopped listening to them, because I knew that all they'd be talking about was pure bullshit. Kissing three girls in front of everyone… I mean, I suppose I can imagine them having a thing for you since you're up pretty high in that ikemen list, but kissing is a whole different story—"

Yuki turned her attention back towards Kiyotaka, only to cut herself off when the young man quickly looked away the moment their gazes met. That was enough to tell her what she needed to know and it caused her to widen her eyes in surprise.

"No way…"

He sighed at that. So much for trying to keep a low profile. "Whatever you are thinking of, I can promise that it's not what happened."

"You player! You were asking me what it would take for me to go out on a date with you, while you were already being chased by three other girls," the girl pointed at him accusingly with a look of disbelief on her face. She honestly didn't know if she should be surprised, angry, confused, disgusted, or all four at the same time. "Are you not interested in any of them even though you kissed them?"

"In my defense, I didn't kiss any of them. They're the ones who kissed me," Kiyotaka attempted to explain his side of the story, only to get cut off when Suzune began tapping on his shoulder as a way to get his attention.

"Ayanokouji-kun, please explain what Himeno-san just said…" the girl gave him an impassive look, which was actually doing well to hide her growing agitation.

On the other hand, Kikyo and Kei snapped out of their embarrassment the moment they heard the d-word come out of Yuki's mouth. Kikyo sent him a blank look, which was a hundred times scarier than any normal glare she would give because he didn't know what was on her mind exactly!

"Kiyotaka, you better explain what she meant when she said that you asked her out on a date…" Kei bore a strained smile on her face and her eye was twitching dangerously.

Great. Just great. Now they're angry about something else entirely! How would he be able to get out of this situation now?! Is he in danger of being preyed upon by several yanderes again?!

"Even so, are you not even remotely interested in them? You know, you're pretty much at the point where a lot of guys would kill to be in the position you're in," Yuki pointed out, still oblivious to what the other three girls were feeling at the moment.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Kiyotaka chose to answer Yuki instead of dealing with his three classmates who were all about to explode at any moment…

"It's hard to explain…" he muttered, unsure of what he could tell the girl that wouldn't lead to any more complications.

All of a sudden, the beige-haired girl of Class D snapped out of her yandere expression when she realized something important. Thank whatever gods above that Kiyotaka wasn't going to be ripped apart today, phew…

"Wait, Himeno-san. Do you know who those girls are?" she asked.

Yuki shook her head. "No clue. I didn't really ask my classmates. I don't know anyone from your class except Ayanokouji, either. Wouldn't have mattered even if I knew."

"Ah… I see, hehehe…" Kikyo chuckled, while also feeling relieved. It would have been bad if Himeno knew that she was one of those girls but then again, the girl from Class B didn't bother to ask her classmates.

There's still a chance that the students of Class B might know that she's one of the girls who 'staked their claim' on Ayanokouji, and that's a scenario that she dreaded. She wasn't ready for other classes to know about her feelings towards a boy, not when she still has a goal to expel a certain someone from this school.

"Why are you even asking, Kushida-san? You're in his class, shouldn't you know who they are?"

That question caused Kikyo to freeze, realizing that she had been caught because she said something without thinking about it. Damn it, now she screwed everything up!

"Uhm… that is…"

Kiyotaka noticed the dilemma that she was in and quickly stepped in before something else happens.

"Kikyo was just trying to see if your class was fully aware of what's been happening in our class. First, it was Miyake's case and now this issue involving me and three of my own classmates. I'm starting to think my class is becoming the most interesting out of all the first-year classes because of the attention we've been getting."

"I see what you mean," Yuki shook her head in amusement, causing her to miss the sight of Kikyo and Kiyotaka sharing a nod of agreement. "Is it true, though? You really got three girls to fall for you?"

Releasing a sigh of defeat, the young man nodded at her question. There was no point in denying it at this point.

At this point, Himeno could only be amazed. "Wow. When did this start?"

"When did what start?"

"Those three girls. When did they start liking you?" she asked, feeling interested in this topic now more than ever.

Before Kiyotaka could answer her question, Suzune opened her mouth first to ask Yuki something else in return.

"You seem very fixed on this topic, Himeno-san. Is there a reason why?" asked Horikita, noticing that the girl from Class B has done nothing but ask Ayanokouji question after question up until now.

Is she trying to get information on Class D for whatever reason?

"Just curious, really. When I met Ayanokouji, I thought he was a pretty boring person but he made me eat my words with this," Yuki confessed. "You don't have to feel threatened, it's not like I'm planning to get information about the other classes from you. I don't really care about that stuff."

Suzune turned her head away to hide a frown. That response in itself was suspicious already, but perhaps she could give this girl the benefit of the doubt.

As the group of five students walked altogether, they were unaware of that they would soon be joined by a new face, one

"Himeno-san, it's so unlike you to go to school this early! I wonder what got you to be early this time…"

Hearing that voice caused all of them to stop and turn their heads to whoever just spoke.

Ichinose Honami walked up to them with a big smile on her face, both fascinated and happy to see her classmate going to school at the same time as her. That was when she noticed Himeno's three other companions, which made her widen her eyes in surprise.

"Oh, you were walking with Ayanokouji-kun and his classmates! How did you come across each other?" she asked, a look of excitement forming on her face.

"Ran into each other by coincidence," Yuki deadpanned.

Kiyotaka released a sigh of relief upon hearing that answer from Yuki. At least she didn't say anything about meeting him on the same floor, otherwise it would have led to another awkward atmosphere between them.

"I see, I see…" she nodded before turning her attention to the other Class D students except for Kiyotaka. "Hmm… let's see if I remember… Kushida-san, Karuizawa-san, and Horikita-san, right?"

The three girls nodded at that, causing the pink-haired girl's smile to widen. She felt proud of herself for managing to remember three of Kiyotaka's classmates, even though they have only crossed paths with each other a few times in the past (once for Kei, twice for Kikyo and Suzune).

"Since you're all heading to class like me, would it be okay if we all walked together?" she asked happily.

Tired of the same question at this point, the whole group simply nodded and didn't say anything else. By now, they only wanted to get to their respective classrooms and if more people wanted to walk with them, then so be it. It's not like they were some kind of secret cult or sisterhood with Ayanokouji as the central figure wherein not everyone can join…

"Thank you for having me, everyone. This is the first time I'll be walking alongside people from other classes, but I'm excited."

Kikyo chuckled as the whole group continued on their way, this time with Honami coming along with them. If someone else would see them right now, they would immediately shout about how some lucky young man managed to get himself surrounded by a group of beautiful girls as if he had a harem of his own.

They wouldn't be entirely wrong about that assumption, though.

"The same goes for us, Ichinose-san. This is the first time that we're with students from another class. I can't speak for my other classmates, but I normally walk to school with just Kiyotaka-kun and Horikita-san."

"Really? It sounds like you're pretty close to Ayanokouji-kun!"

"Well, we've been friends ever since the start of the school year. I'd say we're pretty close to each other by now!" the beige-haired girl smiled brightly, happy about the relationship that she managed to cultivate with the young man so far. Even if she had three obvious love rivals in Horikita, Karuizawa and Matsushita, it doesn't matter. It's only a matter of time before Kiyotaka realizes that she's the only suitable option for him.

Honami turned her attention towards the black-haired girl next. "What about you, Horikita-san? Would you say that you and Ayanokouji-kun are close together?"

"Why are you asking such a thing, Ichinose-san? Don't you think that such a topic would be considered a private matter between the two individuals involved?" Suzune folded her arms and frowned slightly at the leader of Class B.

"That wasn't my intention, so I apologize if I made it seem that way. I'm only curious about what you think of Ayanokouji-kun because I find it kind of strange. Every time I see him, he's always accompanied by a girl. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen him with another boy. He's always with a girl every time we meet,"

"Ladykiller," Yuki snorted.

That got a chuckle out of Kei, realizing how true those words were. Even she couldn't recall a time that Kiyotaka actually spent time with someone who's not her, Airi, Kikyo, or Suzune. They were the people whom he was around with the most, after all. Not that she saw anything wrong with that.

"I'll agree with you there, Himeno-san."

"Same here," Kikyo giggled, as she couldn't help but find it to be a funny coincidence as well. It's actually better that he was mainly around the girls than the boys, otherwise the perverted idiots like Yamauchi and Ike might have tried to corrupt Kiyotaka and make him a part of them.

"I suppose that's true," Suzune shrugged, sharing her opinion on the matter.

Kiyotaka shook his head at them. How could they think that he mainly stuck around the girls and no one else? "For your information, I do hang out with our male classmates sometimes. Sudo and Hirata are my friends and just recently, because of this case, Miyake as well."

While everyone else shared a laugh regarding Kiyotaka's lack of interactions with those of the same gender as him, Honami took this opportunity to approach the brown-haired teen in a discreet manner, without attracting the attention of the others.

"If you don't mind, Ayanokouji-kun… would you mind indulging a question I have for you?" she asked, looking quite nervous all of a sudden. It was a stark contrast to her demeanor a while ago, causing him to look at her in confusion. "I-If it's too personal, then you don't have to answer it…"

He wondered what this was all about for a brief moment, before shrugging. Ichinose will likely tell him in just a bit. "If it's something I can answer, why not?"

"Has a girl ever confessed her feelings to you?"

…okay, that came out of nowhere.

Out of all the things that she could have asked him, he wasn't expecting a question like that from this girl. It seemed so out of character for this girl, who spent the better part of two weeks avoiding him because of what happened between them in the onsen. It was just weird that someone who got embarrassed from being around him was now asking him a question like this.

Hmm… maybe this was just an elaborate scheme to prank him? She was from Class B, after all, and Himeno was talking about how her classmates had a discussion regarding him last night. Maybe she was trying to get something from him so she could tease him for it…

As a reply, he only raised an eyebrow at her. "I don't believe I have to answer that. Himeno told us that your classmates were talking about me last night, so you should know the answer to your own question, Ichinose."

"So it really is true…"

"Why were you asking, anyway?"

"Well… I wanted to ask…" she leaned closer to him so that he would still be able to hear her voice despite the girl communicating by whispering at this point. "Did you accept one of their confessions?"

Kiyotaka frowned slightly out of confusion. It seemed like she wasn't planning to tease or prank him at all. Her question felt like a genuine one now, though he still wondered what this was all about.

"That's a different matter entirely. I don't really know what to explain it to you, Ichinose."

Even though he had no clear response to her question and chose to deflect it instead, it was enough to convey to Honami that he didn't have an answer at all. "N-Never mind then. Forget I said anything."

"As if I can do that," the young man said in his mind, taking note of how nervous the girl looked. She was clearly worried about something, but what could it be? What was she thinking about? He should try and find out for himself. The system might do something if he didn't help her out, especially if this issue made Ichinose sad. "Did someone confess to you?"

Honami snapped out of her nervousness and turned to him, before nodding a few times. "O-Oh, yeah. Kind of."

"So that's what's bothering her."

With that, Kiyotaka put on a more serious expression in response to her revelation. He didn't know why, but there was a small part of him that felt jealous upon hearing that someone confessed to Honami.

Of course, why wouldn't he feel that way?

The pink-haired girl was his heroine, which has been clear to him ever since he met her, so why would someone else confess to a girl who was his? While he wouldn't admit it outright, he was a selfish person at his core and wanted nothing more than to have victory all to himself. That also meant that whatever belonged to him, belonged to him only. Despite this though, Kiyotaka ignored this growing feeling for now.

"How are you going to handle that?" he asked.

"I don't know, but… I need your help on it," Honami turned to him with a desperate look on her face. "If you're okay with it, can you spare a little time after class, Ayanokouji-kun? I know all too well how busy you and your classmates are with the incident right now, but—"

He quickly waved off her concerns. "It's fine. I can spare a bit of time."

"R-Really?" Honami looked at him with her eyes wide in shock, as Kiyotaka gave her a nod. This caused the girl to let out a massive sigh of relief before a smile formed on her face once again. Just from being reassured that she wouldn't be alone in confronting her little problem later on, it was enough to snap her out of her uneasiness just now. "Oh, thank you, Ayanokouji-kun. I promise I'll repay you for this."

"Don't worry about paying me back. It's fine, really."

"Thank you, nonetheless."

"What are you two talking about back there?" came the voice of a certain blonde gyaru, who noticed that Kiyotaka had been talking to Honami behind their backs for a while now… literally.

The young man was quick to give her answer before things could turn south. "Ichinose was just asking me a question, Kei. Nothing more."

"Uh huh…"

Even though Kei doubted his words and believed that there was something going on between the two, the blonde girl simply decided to let it be. It was probably not important, anyway.

Kiyotaka sighed in relief that the situation was put to rest before it could get worse. From there, the journey to their classrooms finally became quiet and steered away from any possible conflict. The best part is that they were able to walk in peace without anyone else noticing or making a comment on them, as if they were invisible to the eyes.

[A Special Event Has Been Triggered!]

…the brown-haired teen wasn't even surprised at seeing that notification, so he didn't react much to it. One of his heroines had just been confessed to, and she came to him for help later today so she could face whatever's waiting for her head-on.

No matter what happens, one thing was clear, even if he wouldn't verbally acknowledge it right now.

He wasn't going to let anyone have one of his heroines, no matter who it is.

---

After a short trip with Haruka around the campus, Kiyotaka ventured to the place where he would meet Honami. She had sent him the location several hours ago and he told her that he would be there once the school day is done.

First, he told Haruka that he wouldn't be able to accompany her for the whole afternoon because someone was asking him to lend a hand with a personal matter. Thankfully, the blue-haired girl understood his stance and chose to end their search early. Even though there were only three days left (including today) before Akito's hearing and they haven't made any significant progress, she was still optimistic that they would be able to prove her friend's innocence.

The meeting place was behind the school building, near the gymnasium. It was a pretty isolated area and there weren't any people around. Whether it's because the sun was starting to go down or it's simply not a place where students liked to hang out, this was an ideal place for two people to be alone.

"Ah. Ayanokouji-kun. Over here, over here!"

While standing by a bench and keeping an eye out for the leader of Class B, Kiyotaka then heard her voice calling out to him. Upon turning his head, he saw her gesturing for him to go to where she was, hidden in the massive shadow of the school building. It's like

He immediately went over and waved his arm in greeting. "Good afternoon, Ichinose. What do you need help with?" I asked.

Honami looked around for any potential witnesses, before taking a deep breath to steel herself. Like earlier, she looked nervous and desperate for help.

"I think… someone will confess their feelings to me here," she told him.

He was right. Someone was planning to confess to his heroine. That won't happen while he was here, though.

"Are you sure?"

With that, the girl took out a letter and showed it to him. It seemed to be love letter because of the heart sticker that was on it.

"You want me to read this?" he asked in confusion. Although he had every intention of not letting this confession come to pass, Kiyotaka still felt that it was rude to look at something that wasn't intended for him.

Honami only nodded, and that was enough for him to go ahead and read the contents of the letter despite his qualms about it.

The first thing he noticed was that the handwriting was pretty, much like the letter's exterior. It was also cute, definitely not like a boy's, but who knows? Maybe the one who wrote this took his time and made sure to give Ichinose the best love letter he could come up with.

The next thing that he noticed was the meeting time and location that was written in the letter. It was set for Friday evening at 6:00 PM, behind the school building. That was about 10 minutes from now, upon checking the time on his phone.

"So why am I here? If anything, this is between you l" Kiyotaka asked, wondering what she even wanted from him in the first place. It couldn't have been to seek his help in rejecting this person, right? Ichinose doesn't seem like the type of person to do that, even if he wanted that to happen.

Honami looked down, hiding her face from him. "Love is kind of alien to me. I don't really know how to respond without hurting her feelings. I also don't know if we can stay good friends afterwards. I need your help, Ayanokouji-kun."

"'Her'? Wait a minute, the person confessing to her is a girl?" Kiyotaka thought to himself in confusion and surprise. "And how is it alien to her? I'm pretty sure she avoided me for two weeks because of what she feels towards me… or is it purely because she was embarrassed that I washed her back?"

Was this girl actually dense towards romance as a whole? For someone who's as beautiful as her, it sounded completely ridiculous.

Kiyotaka shook his head. "I don't really think I'm the right person you should ask for this. There are probably other people in your class who could help."

"The person confessing her feelings to me is from my class," Ichinose informed him. "And you're the only one I can turn to for this, Ayanokouji-kun. Three of your classmates have confessed to you, right? You've already gone through this before."

"Ichinose, that may have happened, but I haven't answered any of them. You have to deal with this on your own because I can't help you. And why are you even asking me in the first place? If anything, you must have done this before, dealing with people confessing to you."

Honami looked up at him, flabbergasted at that assumption. "Huh?! N-No way. Not at all! I've never experienced this before!"

"She has to be kidding. How has she not been confessed to before?" he asked himself.

With how beautiful she is and how much of a popular figure she is around her and possibly her old school as well, it wouldn't be surprising for her to have gone through a confession in the past. If anything, it's surprising that no one has confessed to her yet. Maybe no one just had the balls to do so?

Honestly, if Honami hadn't told him herself, then he never would have believed it.

The pink-haired girl shook her head, unable to wrap her head around this whole thing. "I really don't understand why this is happening, really."

"Even so, I don't know what I can do to help you, Ichinose. I'm just as clueless in this area as you are," he shrugged.

"I understand that you don't know what I should do to turn down my friend without hurting her, so I've settled on the other idea I had," she looked up at him again, a cute blush adorning her cheeks. "Will you please pretend to be my boyfriend?"

That made his eyes widen for a brief moment, before they immediately went back to normal. Did he really just hear her say that?

"Where did this come from?" he asked, utterly confused with what the girl was planning.

"I did a bit of research earlier, and I discovered that the rejected person hurts less if the object of their affection is already in a relationship…"

With that explanation, things started to click in the young man's mind.

And he had to say, he wasn't a fan of her solution.

At all.

As if a lie can actually make things better. Utterly ridiculous!

Was he really hearing this from Ichinose Honami, who was one of the kindest people he knew in this school?

"Okay, I understand that you don't want to hurt your classmate, but won't it be worse if they find out you lied?" he asked in a subtle attempt to make the pinkette think twice about what she was planning.

Ichinose registered that question for a moment, before coming up with the quickest answer she could think of. "I could say that you and I broke up, or that you left me or something."

"Are you hearing yourself, Ichinose?" he asked in his mind, almost refusing to believe that the good-hearted Honami would even think of doing such a thing.

Did she turn her brain off or something?

"If you want my honest opinion, I think it would be much better for you to talk with this person yourself. Tell her the truth. I'm not going along with your plan at all," he told her firmly, deciding to be straightforward this time.

"But— ah!"

Honami tried to say something as a response, only to stop when she seemed to have noticed something behind her companion. Kiyotaka frowned slightly and turned around, coming face-to-face with the person whom Honami was supposed to meet with.

Kiyotaka could give her credit, she's pretty beautiful herself. And yes, she was definitely a girl, but one could easily mistake her for being a boy if they had watched too many anime with crossdressers and feminine-looking guys. No, this was a girl, and her handwriting made it obvious. That love letter she wrote was cute and full of effort, he could admit that at least.

Still… to think that a girl would be the first person to actually confess to Honami… shame on the male population for not having big enough balls.

"Um, Ichinose-san… who is this person?" the girl asked, a bit unnerved by the unexpected appearance of a male student at their meeting place.

Being left with no choice, Honami forced herself to look composed before gesturing towards the brown-haired teen. "This is Ayanokouji-kun, from Class D. I'm sorry for bringing someone that you don't know, Chihiro-san."

"Is he by any chance… your boyfriend, Ichinose-san?"

"Ah… well…"

Surprisingly, Honami didn't answer right away. She was probably thinking of saying yes, but it seems that the thought of lying to one of her friends was eating away at her conscience. The words that she wanted to let out got stuck in her throat.

"So why is this Ayanokouji-kun person here?"

Confused by this unexpected situation and unable to think clearly, tears began welling in Chihiro's eyes. After looking at shifting her gaze alternately between the two people before her, she looked down on the ground and began to cry.

This boy must be Ichinose's boyfriend, huh? Why would he be here if he wasn't? Chihiro already had a feeling that the answer she would receive from her classmate wouldn't be a positive one, but to see her being with another person this whole time… it was a whole new level of hurt.

Honami, seeing Chihiro's tears, grew flustered. Uncertain of what to do, she started to panic. Her body turned towards every direction, as though she was looking for a possible solution somewhere.

"Even after all the times that I've inadvertently flirted with her because of the , she has no idea what to do in a time like this," Kiyotaka thought while he watched the two girls who were completely different in their thought processes. "Either Ichinose thinks I was only teasing her during all those times, or she actually knew that I was flirting with her but was never serious about it. Or perhaps she doesn't feel comfortable with

The young man couldn't help but sigh. This little meeting had turned out to be a disaster for both parties involved.

Yeah, he had every intention of putting a nail in the coffin of a confession but after knowing what Honami had in mind to put a stop to it herself, Kiyotaka couldn't help but feel bad for Chihiro.

Honami could easily end this on her own by turning her classmate down in the most gentle of ways, but the fear of hurting her friend had somehow twisted her mind into thinking that establishing a fake relationship was the answer.

To put it simply, this girl doesn't deserve to be lied to.

"Um, do you mind going somewhere else, please? I have something important that I need to talk with Ichinose-san about," Chihiro told Kiyotaka after calming down from her moment of sadness.

"P-Please wait a minute, Chihiro-san. That's, um… Well, to tell you the truth, Ayanokouji-kun is…" Ichinose tried to make the first move and turn her down now, having a feeling that this would be way harder if Chihiro finishes her confession first..

"He"s ?" Chihiro asked.

"About Ayanokouji-kun, he's… well, he's my—"

Refusing to play any part in this farce, Kiyotaka quickly spoke up and faced Chihiro with an impassive look.

"I'm just Ichinose's friend."

Chihiro's eyes widened as she turned towards the young man. Meanwhile, Honami was in disbelief. Was he really going to tell Chihiro everything just like that?!

"Ichinose. I came here with the intention of helping you, but I see now that I was wrong to even be here. I'm sorry, but I'm not going to be part of something that will only hurt your own friend in the end."

After hearing his reason, Honami looked disappointed, but she knew she couldn't really blame him. Even though she was aware that the outcome of her plan would be cruel towards Chihiro, she still wanted to proceed with it. It was the only solution she could come up with in so little time.

"What's going on…?" Chihiro asked, completely clueless on what was happening.

"Confessing your feelings isn't easy to do, Ichinose. You spend every day in complete anguish, thinking about the perfect scenario to convey what you feel in your head over and over. And yet, you still can't confess your feelings. Even when you think the time has come to actually do it, you can't say the three words that you've longed to say. They get stuck in your throat. That's what I think," Kiyotaka explained. "Don't you think you should answer someone properly when they have worked so hard to muster up the courage needed to tell you what they feel? If you make the situation unclear, both of you will only regret it later."

"I…" she tried to speak, but couldn't get anything out of her mouth at all. She had nothing to say, because there was nothing to defend.

Yeah, he could definitely see why this girl tried to resort to doing this. As hard as it is to believe, Ichinose had no clear idea what it's like to develop romantic feelings for a person and therefore, she didn't really know what to do, or if she was doing something wrong. It was ironic, considering someone like Horikita was aware of romance and one's own feelings for another person.

Trying to prevent someone's pain was useless. Turning someone down will always result in their feelings being hurt, no matter what.

Even with an excuse like focusing on studies or liking someone else or, like what Ichinose had attempted to do, which was being in a relationship with someone already, the other person would definitely be hurt.

More so if the excuse was built on a lie, something that Honami failed to realize.

Having said what he needed to say to the pink-haired girl, he turned his attention towards the other person who was with them. Chihiro watched them the whole time, but she couldn't really understand any of it. What were they talking about, anyway?

"Chihiro, right? Forgive me for using your first name, but I have no other way of referring to you," he spoke while bowing his head slightly. "Ichinose wanted me to come here because she wanted to ask if I could pretend to be her boyfriend, because she thought it wouldn't hurt you as much if you saw that she was already in a relationship."

Chihiro almost felt her heart stop upon hearing that last statement. "W-What…?"

"Wait, Ayanokouji—"

Honami tried to stop him from driving the nail in the coffin even further, but one serious glance from him made her stop right away.

"I'm sorry, Ichinose. What you did was wrong. And if you can't own up to your mistake and admit the truth, I'll do it."

Once again, Honami tried to get something out of her mouth to explain what she actually wanted to do, but she didn't know what to say at all. And so, with a heavy heart, she opted to keep her head down and face whatever consequence that was heading her way.

"I shouldn't have been here in the first place, Chihiro. For that, I'm sorry. Because of my presence, I ruined your plan to confess what you felt for Ichinose here," he scratched his neck, feeling a bit unsure of what he should say next. "If you want, I can leave and you can continue with what you were supposed to do."

However, it seemed like Chihiro wasn't listening to him anymore. It's like she had stopped listening to everything that was around her after she heard from Ayanokouji that Ichinose tried to ask him to pretend to be her boyfriend so that she wouldn't be hurt as much by a flat-out rejection.

The worst part about it… was that Ichinose didn't deny it. All she did was try to stop Ayanokouji from getting it out in the open.

"I-Is this how low you think of me, Ichinose-san…?" the girl muttered after what felt like an eternity of silence, her voice laced with hurt and betrayal. Chihiro felt as if her heart had been shattered into a million pieces. "You thought I would be hurt too much by a rejection that you thought it would be better to pretend you're in a relationship?"

Hearing those words, Honami looked up to tell her friend what she was trying to do and maybe explain that she didn't intend for things to be this way, only to be horrified at Chihiro's crying face. It was not only because of heartbreak, though. Through her eyes alone, there was the feeling of betrayal and agony from what she just learned.

"N-No, Chihiro-san, that's not what I think—"

But the person whom that apology was for was already gone.

With tears in her eyes, Chihiro turned away and ran off to who-knows-where, not wanting to stay there any longer. Seeing her leave, Honami's first instinct was to chase after her and apologize, but Kiyotaka grabbed her shoulder before she could go anywhere.

Just as she was about to tell him to let go, Kiyotaka stopped her from doing so with his next words. "I think it would be better if you leave her alone for a bit, Ichinose. I may not be as much of a sociable person like you, but I know that you're the last person she wants to see right now."

"You're right…" she murmured, a look of devastation evident on her face. All she wanted was to turn down her friend without hurting her too much, and it somehow spiraled into this disaster. Honami knew that she had no one to blame for this but herself "This is my fault."

"Don't worry, I'll look for her. Maybe try to talk some sense into her too."

A few tears escaped Honami's eyes, unable to keep herself together knowing that she caused her own friend's misery. The moment he saw those tears, his own eyes widened in shock.

"Please find Chihiro-san, Ayanokouji-kun. I… I have to apologize for hurting her."

['To Protect Her Smile' has been Activated!]

Just the sight of Honami's crying face was enough to light a fire inside Kiyotaka, even if he didn't know it. He didn't even acknowledge the notification that just appeared and he didn't care that it was the reality-warping skill that he dreaded. All that mattered to him right now was comforting Honami and in order to do that, he had to find Chihiro.

Giving the pink-haired girl a nod, Kiyotaka continued on his way to look for the runaway Class B student.

On the bright side, Chihiro didn't get very far and it only took about a minute for him to find her. He managed to locate her behind the school gymnasium, sitting behind a tree while hugging her legs close to her chest. She had not stopped crying at all, and all he could hear from her was her sniffles every few seconds.

Kiyotaka slowly walked up to where she was, allowing himself to be detected by the girl with his audible footsteps. When she realized that she wasn't alone, Chihiro quickly looked back and prepared to run away again, thinking that it was Ichinose who found her here. However, when she saw that it was only the guy who was with them earlier, she remained in her place and continued to cry.

He stared at her for a moment. At least she didn't run away from him, which would have made things more troublesome if she did. "I have no idea what you feel towards Ichinose right now, but I'm here to tell you that she didn't mean to hurt you."

"If she didn't mean to hurt me, then Ichinose-san should have told me the truth," she replied in a voice that was loud enough for only him to hear.

Okay, she was willing to hold a conversation with him as well, which is also good. Also, it doesn't seem like she was going to run away anytime soon. Now he can proceed without worrying about anything else.

He shrugged. "She didn't know what to do. She said that she's never experienced being confessed to in her entire life, until now. Earlier today, she actually asked me if I had been confessed to before."

"Of course you've been confessed to," she slowly turned her head again to look at him. "You're that guy, right? Ayanokouji-kun. I remember your name now. A lot of my classmates have been talking about you and how three of your classmates fell in love with you."

Kiyotaka resisted the urge to sigh at his growing popularity. "While that's true, she then asked me what I did as a response to that. I wasn't able to give her a clear answer, and she looked disappointed more than anything. Even though I've experienced getting confessed to, I don't really know what to do afterwards."

Chihiro frowned slightly out of confusion. "You couldn't give Ichinose-san a clear answer? W-What does that mean?"

"It's too complicated to tell you. Just know that the outcome wasn't as disastrous as what happened earlier with you and Ichinose." Upon being reminded of what just transpired earlier, Chihiro turned her head away, feeling tears welling up in her eyes again. "Knowing her intentions now, I think Ichinose was trying to ask for some advice from me. In her mind, she must have thought that if I had rejected someone, she could copy what I did so that she wouldn't have to hurt your feelings. But because I wasn't able to give her an answer, she went with the smartest thing she could think of."

"She invited you here and asked you if you could pretend to be her boyfriend," Chihiro stated, putting the pieces together before she shook her head sadly. "That doesn't change anything. She could have been honest and just told me what she really felt. I'd still be hurt, but not as much as being lied to."

"Believe it or not, Ichinose really didn't mean for you to get hurt. It's because you were her friend that she tried looking for a way to turn you down without hurting you."

"Well, it's better to get hurt by the truth than live with a lie," Chihiro answered sharply, before her demeanor turned sad again. "I wasn't even expecting her to accept my feelings. I was already prepared to be rejected because we haven't even known each other for long. It's only been about a month since we met…"

He tilted his head curiously. "You were expecting to be rejected yet you still went ahead and sent her a letter stating your intention to confess to her?"

"I… I just thought that… if I keep my feelings bottled up any longer, it could be a bother and I didn't want that. S-So I thought I should… act on them to get it over with."

He then walked closer to where she was. Thankfully, Chihiro still remained in her place and had no intention of running away. "You didn't hope for a positive reply from Ichinose?"

"O-Of course I was," she sniffled. "But I knew that there's always the big chance of her turning me down, so I prepared myself for an eventual rejection."

"You did an admirable thing, Chihiro. You faced your feelings head-on and steeled yourself for whatever answer you might have gotten. Ichinose might have made a mistake in how she handled your confession, but there was nothing wrong with what you did at all. You can at least be proud of that," he commended her.

She shook her head and smiled sadly. "It was useless in the end, though. My feelings weren't accepted and I wasn't rejected, either. Instead, Ichinose-san tried to make a fool out of me."

Kiyotaka sat down on the ground right next to her, which she didn't seem to mind at all. "Why not talk to Ichinose herself about this? I'm sure if you reveal your side of the story to her, you'll feel less hurt from all of this and be able to get some closure for yourself. In return, she'll tell you her side and apologize properly for her mistake. I'm sure she understands now that she was wrong, and she'll definitely do her best to make it up to you."

"Truth be told, I don't know if I can face her properly tomorrow… without remembering what happened today. I-I don't know if I can even forgive her that quickly… even though there's a part of me that wants to…"

If this was any other time, Chihiro would be willing to talk to Honami about what happened and reconcile with her afterwards. But this was something that hurt her on a personal level, something that she can't just forget in a snap.

Taking a deep breath, it seemed like the girl had finally calmed down after crying her eyes out until now. "I-I guess I can understand now why she tried to lie to me, but it doesn't change how much it hurts…"

Kiyotaka only stared at his companion while she let out her feelings. He remembered what Honami told him earlier, and that was to find her friend. Obviously, it also meant that he would have to tell her once he does. Now that he had found Chihiro, he could easily contact Honami and tell her where they were so that the leader of Class B could find them, but the blonde's words just now had kept him from doing so.

Chihiro doesn't want to face Honami this soon. Honami wanted him to find Chihiro so she could apologize.

Two different actions, yet a plethora of possible consequences no matter what he chooses.

Kiyotaka thought about what he should do for a moment, wondering who he should side with.

And of course, he went with the action that made the most sense.

He took a deep breath. "If that's what you feel, then I'll tell her to give you some space until you're ready to talk to her."

Chihiro's eyes widened slightly as she heard him say those words. She slowly turned to him, a mixture of confusion and surprise etched on her face. "R-Really…? You're… not going to tell me to make up with her because this was all just a big misunderstanding?"

"Why would I do that?" he turned to face her whilst raising an eyebrow. "You're clearly hurt by what she tried to do, and you don't want to talk to her for a while. That's a completely normal reaction as far as I'm concerned, and you deserve to have time to yourself so you can sort your own feelings out."

"Y-You…" she whispered. "Why are you even helping me? You're not involved in this at all, Ayanokouji-kun. It's between Ichinose-san and I…"

Kiyotaka shook his head. "Wrong. I got involved the moment she tried to ask me for advice. I'm not a fan of how she tried to handle this situation with you, either. That's why I didn't want to play along with her 'pretend-to-be-my-boyfriend' scheme. It's a good thing you happened to be there when she was trying to ask me, you know?"

"You're right…" she muttered, turning away to hide a small blush from him. "Thank you, Ayanokouji-kun."

"Don't mention it. You should leave now, though. When you ran away earlier, Ichinose had every intention of chasing after you to explain everything and end the misunderstanding between you two. But I stopped her by explaining to her what she did wrong. I doubt she would stay put, though. She's probably running around, trying to look for you. If you want to avoid her for a while, you better get going."

"O-Okay…"

Chihiro nodded shyly and began to stand up so she could get going, only for her body to move in a completely different way out of impulse. Instead of standing up, she threw her arms out and wrapped them around Kiyotaka in a hug. She leaned against him in a desperate hunt for warmth and comfort, almost to the point of throwing herself at him.

The move completely surprised Kiyotaka and made her turn towards her, wondering what got into her that made her hug him like this. Now, if it wasn't for him shifting his weight evenly, she would have tackled him to the ground. Still, what exactly made her hug him out of nowhere?

Before he could say anything though, Chihiro had realized what she was doing and she immediately pulled away from him as a result. She had stopped crying at this point, and the sad look on her face was replaced by one of complete embarrassment.

"T-That's just my way of thanking you…!" she squeaked out, before quickly getting up on her feet and running away from him. However, compared to what happened earlier, she didn't run away because she was hurt. This time around, Chihiro ran away to hide the flustered look on her face from the young man who went out of his way to comfort her.

As he watched her leave, all Kiyotaka could think about was the puzzling behavior that she displayed. Several questions immediately filled his mind, with most of them wondering what made her hug him. Is it because she felt thankful towards him for helping her? Is it because he was the only one there? Is it because she accidentally fell towards him? Kiyotaka might never know…

[Special Event 'The Failed Rejection' has been cleared! You unlocked a Bonus Route for completing this Special Event!]

…until several new notifications from the system appeared in front of him.

[You gained 5 Affection Points with Shiranami Chihiro!]

[Chihiro Route has been Unlocked! You can now see 'Heroine Status' with Shiranami Chihiro!]

"What the hell?" he voiced his thoughts aloud. Of course, he knew that the whole issue with Honami and Chihiro was part of a 'Special Event' that's about his own heroine because it was a confession towards her…

[Your current status with Chihiro has changed to 'An Unexpected Development'!]

[Congratulations! You have unlocked the Achievement: 'Someone from the Other Side'! You gained +100 in Aura!]

…but he never would have thought that it would lead to him 'unlocking' yet another 'route' instead of just raising Affection Points with Ichinose, and this time it was someone whom he didn't think would be one of the girls that he would end up with. Wasn't it made clear that she liked Ichinose? Or did she move on from her already? Wait, does Chihiro even like boys? Since she had confessed to Ichinose, then she must be only into girls!

And yet, those notifications were telling a completely different story.

"I didn't even see her 'Heroine Summary' earlier, so I had no way of knowing that she'd also be a heroine… did the system deliberately prevent it from being shown?"

Hmm… it would make sense, though. After all, he did find out recently that his eroge superpower truly had a mind of its own. It wouldn't be crazy to think that the system prevented him from seeing Chihiro's 'Heroine Summary'. There's even a certain passive skill of his that enabled him to discern the 'Filler Characters' from 'Potential Heroines' and the fact that it didn't work earlier was only proof that the system had intervened.

"Menu," he whispered, making the world around him stop as the familiar sub-menus appeared before him. He quickly chose [Heroines' Status], which showed a list of the girls whose 'routes' he had unlocked up until now.

[Heroines' Status]

[Sakayanagi Arisu ]

[Nanase Tsubasa ]

[Horikita Suzune ]

[Kushida Kikyo ]

[Matsushita Chiaki ]

[Sakura Airi ]

[Karuizawa Kei ]

[Ichinose Honami ]

[Shiina Hiyori ]

[Chabashira Sae ]

[Amasawa Ichika ]

[Hasebe Haruka ]

[Himeno Yuki ]

[NEW!] [Shiranami Chihiro ]

"It's true, then…" Kiyotaka stared at the newest addition to that long list of heroines for a few moments before opening Chihiro's section so he could read what was stated within it.

[Shiranami Chihiro: 'Conflicted but Thankful Schoolmate']

[Relationship Status: An Unexpected Development]

[Affection Points: 5/100]

[Heroine Summary: Chihiro is a young woman with blonde hair and bluish-violet eyes, somewhat androgynous, and GAY. A student of Class B, she was infatuated with Honami, one of your heroines and tried to confess to her because she is GAY. However, she was hurt in the process by the person she liked, who was clearly NOT GAY. She feels thankful to you for talking to her and essentially comforting her after the heartbreak she just went through, causing her to hug you even though she is GAY. As someone who swings the other way, it is up to you to make her fall for you and make her NOT GAY.]

"That's… a pretty bizarre summary," the young man commented, reading through it in one go before closing it right away along with the menu itself, turning the world back to normal. There wasn't anything useful in Chihiro's summary by the way, just… a general description of who she is and what she's like.

And the system refers to her as a 'bonus route'? Some bonus route this is… more like another wave of headaches that he would have to deal with in the coming days.

"Well, I've already gone through thirteen of them up until now. One more can't possibly hurt, right?" he thought to himself. In a sarcastic manner, of course.

The worst part about this? Chihiro was far from being the last heroine whose 'route' he will unlock, but oh well. So far, he has managed to live with the fact that more than ten girls have their eyes on him, and he has been doing well so far.

"Ayanokouji-kun? Is that you?"

"Ichinose," he acknowledged upon turning around and seeing the pink-haired leader of Class B. The girl whom he left alone earlier so he could search for Chihiro after she ran away. "I thought you were gonna wait for me to bring Chihiro back so you could apologize to her?"

She stared at him for a moment, before she shook her head. "I didn't want to stay put. I wanted to look for Chihiro-san as well. It was my mistake that she ran away in tears earlier."

"And did you find her?"

"Not at all," she shook her head again, this time with a sad smile on her face. "When I saw you here, I thought you might have found her, but it looks like I was wrong."

"What do you want to do now, then? Gonna keep on looking for her?"

Honami didn't answer right away. Instead, she seemed to be deep in thought before gesturing for him to follow her. Kiyotaka was curious at what she wanted but nonetheless, he followed after her as the two began to walk away from the gymnasium.

"I've been thinking about everything you said to me earlier, Ayanokouji-kun… and after a while, I realized something important."

"Which is…?"

"I was wrong on how I approached this whole situation. I didn't respect Chihiro-san's feelings, when she went out of her way to make a letter for me and even mustered up the courage to tell me what she felt. But I was selfish. I didn't want to hurt her, but all I did was try to run away from my problem and turn to you for help. That was my mistake. Is love really this complicated?" Ichinose muttered.

Although that was a rhetorical question on her part, Kiyotaka couldn't help but respond in his mind.

"You have no idea…"

"Because of this… I don't know if we can go back to how things were," Honami sighed. At this point, she couldn't even cry anymore, but the pain of possibly losing one of her friends remained. "I'd still want to be friends with her, but I don't know if Chihiro-san feels the same. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't want to have anything to do with me after this."

"That depends on her," he nodded in agreement. "That being said, I don't believe Chihiro is the type to hold a grudge against someone, even if I don't know her personally. She'll come around and you two will be friends again."

"Still… I've decided to follow what you said to me. I should leave Chihiro-san alone for a while, at least until she's ready to talk to me again. No matter how long it takes, I'll wait for her to be ready and when that happens, I'll answer her with complete honesty. It's the right thing to do after everything bad I did today."

"Don't place the blame solely on yourself, Ichinose," he reached out with his hand to pat her head softly, making her blush at his action. "You hurt your own friend, that's true, but you never wanted that to happen. What happened was only a product of your own cluelessness. It's not like you wanted to hurt her deliberately, don't you agree?"

"Yeah…" she murmured, as a small smile formed on her face after what felt like an indefinite time of being sad and gloomy. "Thanks for today, Ayanokouji-kun. For teaching me an important lesson and for coming along with me for such a ridiculous request."

[You gained 35 Affection Points with Ichinose Honami!]

"It's okay. Although I'm sorry if you feel that I acted like a jerk earlier." After he was done patting her head, the young man bowed slightly as an apology. "I told Chihiro about what you were planning to do without even consulting you about it."

Ichinose blinked a couple of times, as though he had said something odd, before she chuckled. "There's no need for you to apologize, Ayanokouji-kun. I understand why you did it and now that it happened, I'm glad you did. Things would have been worse if you didn't. But now, it's my turn to help you. Your class is still searching for a witness to Miyake-kun's case, right? I'll spend the whole day tomorrow looking with a few of my classmates."

Kiyotaka shook his head in amusement. "You don't have to go that far, but I can speak for the rest of my classmates that we appreciate the help."

"The pleasure is all mine," Honami giggled as she noticed that the dorm buildings were just nearby. "Now, I think I should be getting back to my dorm. A lot of things happened today for me, and I'd like to have an early rest to clear my mind from it all. What about you?"

"I wish I could have an early rest too, but I still have to be somewhere for a while," he replied, hiding the fact that he also planned to head back home to his own dorm unit. The girl was right when she said that a lot of things had happened today for her, and he didn't want to add to that by revealing that he lived on the same floor as her.

"Well, you will eventually. Once Miyake-kun's case is over, that is." Honami continued to laugh to the point that she had to hide her amusement by covering her mouth. "I suppose I'll see you whenever?"

"I suppose so."

"Bye, Ayanokouji-kun!" she waved her arm at him as she began to walk towards the dorm buildings, leaving the young man on his own.

As Kiyotaka watched her leave, he turned his attention to the sun that was setting in the sky, shifting his attention to another topic entirely. The school week is now over, and the weekend is about to start tomorrow.

Starting tomorrow, there will only be two days left for them to gather whatever evidence they need in the upcoming hearing regarding Miyake. And up until now, none of his classmates have made any progress in that regard, except for maybe Suzune and Kikyo. Thanks to the former's plan regarding one Shiina Hiyori, they now had separate pictures of the three suspects.

Miyake had confirmed that it was indeed those three who attacked him on that day, making the entire class celebrate about being able to get one over their rival class. However, they were quickly snapped out of dream when it was unanimously agreed upon that mere pictures of the three Class C students can't be considered as evidence.

They still lacked something that can be used to prove Miyake's innocence with no complaints from every other party and until now, they had no leads.

"Except we do have one piece of evidence that can change the tide of the battle in a snap. We've had it since the beginning."

Turning his attention back to the dorm building, Kiyotaka noticed that Ichinose was already out of sight, which he took as his opportunity to get home to his dorm unit.

"Sakura, the whole class is counting on you to do the right thing."

Number of days before Akito's trial: 2

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MINASAN, YONDE KURETE ARIGATŌ! AISHITEMAAAAASUUUUU! *starts playing air guitar*

-Lance