Classroom of the Elite: The 100 Elites Who Really, Really Love Him

by legalinmybooks

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka has been cursed (blessed) by The God of Love who accidentally linked Ayanokouji and 100 different girls/women. They are to become soulmates bounded by love and fate. If their relationship with Ayanokouji fails, the girls are fated to die in an accident. It's a matter of life or death. Will Ayanokouji survive ANHS with 100 potential soulmates waiting for him? Wil

19. Chapter 18: Sweater

*Timeskip (next day)*

Ayanokouji entered the classroom and noticed that there was a happy atmosphere in the classroom. With the midterms over and Sudou's trial concluded, everyone seemed to be in a happier mood. It seemed that the cruise ship vacation was on everyone's mind and the main topic. Some of the boys were excited about it for obvious reasons as they eyed the girls. The girls were making plans with their friends and Ayanokouji sat down at his seat. He felt Horikita staring at him and it was obvious that something had happened to her as she was giving Ayanokouji strange looks.

"Good morning, Horikita. Staring at my handsome face again?" asked Ayanokouji.

"N-No. You better not be joking." said Horikita, with a slight visible blush on her face.

"Who knows?"

Horikita fell into silence as she studied Ayanokouji more closely. After a few moments of staring, Horikita cleared her throat and looked away from him.

"It's nothing... Just had something on my mind." said Horikita. Ayanokouji could see that Horikita was lying and something was troubling her. He decided not to push further for details and out of the classroom window.

* Horikita POV:

*Flashback (yesterday)*

'It happened after the trial where the Class C students withdrew their compliments against Sudou-kun and I was talking with Ichinose-san. Suddenly, Chabashira-sensei called out to the rooftop for a private talk. I was a little skeptical about her since she was the one that didn't give us the modified midterm topic, but nevertheless I followed her.' thought Horikita.

After a few minutes of walking, Horikita and Chabashira-sensei arrived at the rooftop. Chabashira-sensei stopped in front of the chain-link fence and stared out into the sunset.

"So. What methods did you use, Horikita?" asked Chabashira-sensei.

"What do you mean?" asked Horikita.

"Don't try to dodge the question. They wouldn't withdraw their complaint without a reason, would they?"

"I'll leave that to your imagination."

"So it's a secret, hmm? Well, allow me to change the question. Who came up with the strategy that defeated Class C?

"Why do you care about that?"

"You and Ayanokouji came with the Class C students, so I'm a little curious."

'It's mostly likely that Chabashira-sensei asked Nii-san about it. But, Chabashira-sensei had been rather preoccupied with Ayanokouji-kun ever since we started school. I could somewhat understand why, now. His abilities and thinking caught me off guard when he showed me the cameras in the special exam building. Our victory would not have been as decisive without him.' thought Horikita.

"I don't want to admit this, but Ayanokouji-kun...might have something exceptional to him." said Horikita.

"I see. So you recognize that, hmm?" said Chabashira-sensei.

"Is that surprising? You were the one who first put me together with Ayanokouji-kun, Chabashira-sensei. You did it because you couldn't overlook Ayanokouji-kun's potential, right?"

"His potential, hmm?"

"Though he does try to hide his ability by pretending to be an idiot and staying in the shadows, for some mysterious reason."

"There are various things to consider. But if you want to reach Class A, I'll give you one bit of advice."

"That's a first. Advice?"

"The students in Class D all have some kind of defect, more or less. To borrow an expression used by others in this school, Class D is an assemblage of people that could be called 'defective products.' You already understand this quite well though, don't you?"

"I don't intend to admit that I have a defect. But I do understand."

"Well, what do you think is Ayanokouji's defect?"

'Ayanokouji-kun's defect...One thing immediately came to mind and it was something that he mentioned before. However, I felt a strange sense of discomfort that I couldn't explain. Do I really know Ayanokouji-kun that well? If I did, I would've known his "defect".' thought Horikita.

"He dislikes trouble." said Horikita, unsure about her answer.

"He dislikes trouble, hmm? Is that what you perceive when you look at Ayanokouji?" asked Chabashira-sensei.

"No... It's because he said it himself."

Chabashira-sensei snorted and chuckled. She spoke again, her tone firm.

"Well, Horikita. Let's try to learn as much as we possibly can about the boy called Ayanokouji, without delay, shall we? Otherwise, it'll be too late. You already seem to have fallen into Ayanokouji's trap." said Chabashira-sensei.

"What do you mean?" demanded Horikita, baffled by Chabashira-sensei's statement.

"Why do you think Ayanokouji purposefully got scores of 50 points across the board on his entrance examination? Why do you think Ayanokouji is helping you? Why do you think that Ayanokouji doesn't put himself forward as a superior student, despite having superior ability? Is Ayanokouji Kiyotaka really someone who 'dislikes trouble'?"

"That's..."

'If he truly wanted to prioritize peace and tranquility, then why score 50 points in all subjects and allow himself to draw this much attention? Had he deliberately poked his nose into this incident as well? I wondered if he ought to have been carefully monitored, like many other students. As Chabashira-sensei said, his behavior didn't fit the pattern of someone who "disliked trouble." That unconscious realization must have been the cause of my earlier discomfort.' thought Horikita.

"In my personal opinion, Ayanokouji is the most defective student in Class D." said Chabashira-sensei.

"He's the most defective?" asked Horikita.

"Higher functioning products are more difficult to handle. If you misunderstand how to handle him, the class might be completely destroyed in short order."

"Chabashira-sensei, do you really understand what about him can be considered defective?"

"Get to know the person called Ayanokouji. What is he thinking? What focal point does he base his actions around? What is his fatal flaw? There's definitely an answer there."

'Why was Chabashira-sensei telling me such things? As our homeroom teacher, she usually appeared unaware of and unconcerned with her class. But, if someone so disinterested thought this way, then… But, this leaves me thinking. If I remember correctly, he was the one that set up the fake cameras and idea of forcing Class C to withdraw. I realized what was happening when he showed me the fake cameras. He also got the help of Ichinose-san, who happened to show up after the retrial. Do I really know Ayanokouji-kun so well? What was his motivation and intentions in helping me? Can I even trust him?' thought Horikita.

'I do not know all of the answers to Chabashira-sensei's questions, but in my heart, I'm unsure about this and I wonder about the mysterious nature of Ayanokouji-kun. I should keep a closer eye on him…' thought Horikita.

* Ayanokouji POV:

"Ayanokouji-kun?" asked Horikita, snapping Ayanokouji's attention from the window.

"What is it?" asked Ayanokouji.

"Just to confirm: you are coming with me tomorrow after school?" "Yes. Nothing has changed. I intend to keep my word."

"That's good."

Horikita had a slight smile on her face, but she erased it from her face when she noticed that Ayanokouji was looking at her.

"Nothing. Just wanted to make sure." said Horikita.

"Okay." replied Ayanokouji. Before he could say anything else, he noticed Sakura entering the classroom. She was wearing her usual glasses, but she entered the classroom on time rather than at the last minute. Sakura looked directly at Ayanokouji and Horikita and gave them a hesitant, but friendly wave. Ayanokouji could tell that it was Sakura' way of greeting him. Sakura was still too shy to come over and directly greet Ayanokouji and Horikita, but she's doing it her way: slow and steady. The Sakura last week wouldn't have dreamt of doing something like that and yet she's doing it. Ayanokouji gave her a wave back and Horikita gave Sakura a nod. Sakura had a slightly flustered expression, and she made her way to her seat.

"Sakura-san changed." said Horikita, noting Sakura's unusual behavior. "First, yesterday and now, today. It is like a burden is lifted from her shoulders."

"Yeah. Who knows what happened?" said Ayanokouji.

"Every time you say that... I have a feeling that you had something to do with it." Ayanokouji fell into silence as Horikita studied him.

'Sakura-san was absent during the trial... Perhaps it has something to do with it.' thought Horikita.

The duo fell into silence as they looked around the classroom. The classroom seemed to have calmed down as most of their classmates received news about the outcome of Sudou's trial. The school had sent an email to all of the Class D students, informing them of the outcome and that they will be receiving their 8900 private points today from their 89 class points. Ayanokouji checked his points balance and noticed that the points had been transferred. It seemed to calm down the panic of the classroom as the students that desperately needed points have finally started getting points into their account.

The bell rang after a few minutes of quiet and peaceful silence between the duo and the classroom quickly became a scramble as people said goodbyes to their friends and went back to their seats.

*Timeskip (lunchtime)*

Ayanokouji exited the classroom by himself and was surprised that he wasn't stopped or invited by one of his soulmates. Horikita seemed to be in thought, but Mii-chan and Mori invited her for lunch. Horikita tried to refuse and look for Ayanokouji for help, but he quickly left. Horikita shot him a glare, but Ayanokouji quickly disappeared from her sight.

'It doesn't hurt to have some social interaction, Horikita. Of course, it's quite ironic for someone like me to say that.' thought Ayanokouji.

Ayanokouji headed to the cafeteria by himself and by the time he arrived there, there was a crowd of people. It was peak time and Ayanokouji managed to buy a ticket for his meal and looked around to find a seat. Most of the tables were taken and before Ayanokouji could head towards the very back of the cafeteria, he heard someone call his name.

"Ayanokouji-kun!" called out Ninomiya. Ayanokouji turned towards her direction and saw her waving at him with Tsukabe sitting with her.

"Come sit with us!" said Ninomiya, gesturing to him. Ayanokouji figured he had no reason to decline and at least he found a place to sit. Ayanokouji made his way to Ninomiya and sat across from her and Tsukabe.

"You guys know each other?" asked Ayanokouji, looking at Ninomiya and Tsukabe.

"Yeah. Well, we're classmates." said Ninomiya. "By the way, how did you guys even meet?"

Ninomiya directed her question towards Tsukabe.

"Well, we met when me and Ayanokouji were alone during the night. He invited me to his room." said Tsukabe, with a lustful expression. Ninomiya, who was taking a sip of her drink, coughed and placed her first to her mouth. She seemed to be caught off guard and swallowed with difficulty and began to cough. After a few moments, she seemed to control her coughing.

"W-Wait, what?!" stammered Ninomiya.

"Yes. Me and Ayanokouji-kun alone as he ravaged my entire body. I still can't get over it~" said Tsukabe, as she clutched her body. Her face was red as a tomato and she started to pant. Ninomiya gave Ayanokouji a look of disbelief and horror as she couldn't believe Ayanokouji would do something like that. It was like she's seeing Ayanokouji in a different light and forming a different opinion of him.

"Please don't misunderstand, Ninomiya. I did nothing of the sort." said Ayanokouji. He looked over to Tsukabe, who seemed to be lost in her own fantasies, and spoke.

"Tsukabe, you might want to explain what actually happened?" said Ayanokouji. Suddenly, Tsukabe snapped out of it and her face became one of embarrassment rather than lust. She clutched her cross pendant and muttered a prayer and asked forgiveness for her lust.

"S-Sorry about that, Ayanokouji-kun. That's not what happened." said Tsukabe, clearing her throat.

'Although I don't mind if that happened.' thought Tsukabe.

"I met Ayanokouji-kun in the dorm cafeteria." said Tsukabe, clearing up the misconceptions. "And... sorry about before, I got a little too excited."

Ayanokouji nodded and supported what Tsukabe said. With the two of them confirming the truth, Tsukabe's fantasies seemed to have cleared up.

"Okay. For a second, I thought you were serious about it." said Ninomiya, chuckling and scratching her cheek. "You really have a wild imagination, Tsukabe-san."

"Some people told me that already. Especially-" said Tsukabe, suddenly switching back to her lustful expression.

"Uh... It's been a while, Ninomiya?" said Ayanokouji, quickly cutting her off and changing the topic.

"Yeah. How have you been?" asked Ninomiya. "Good. And you?"

"Very well. Should you have been here with us?" "What do you mean?"

"I mean... you shouldn't be eating with 2 girls when you have a girlfriend." "Girlfriend?"

"Are you messing with me? Just because I'm a little clumsy doesn't mean I'm dumb, you know?"

Ninomiya pouted cutely and Ayanokouji gave her a blank look, confused about the girlfriend that he supposedly has. When Ninomiya realized that Ayanokouji was joking, her face lit up in surprise and intrigue.

"Wait, really? What about the other time I saw you with Kushida-san and the other girl? What was her name again?" said Ninomiya, tapping her head. She was referring to the time that Ayanokouji, Kushida, and Horikita were on a date and ran into Ninomiya which resulted in Ayanokouji and Ninomiya in a precarious and indecent position. Ninomiya's face flustered in embarrassment as she recalled what happened between them and why she avoided Ayanokouji for a bit. Tsukabe noticed Ninomiya's sudden change in facial expression and began to tease her.

"How naughty, Ninomiya-san~! Taking an already taken man for yourself!" said Tsukabe.

"T-That's not what... N-No! It didn't happen! I- Ow!" stammered Ninomiya, biting her tongue as she was denying and was trying to explain herself. She bit her tongue as she was trying to explain herself desperately.

"Hmm... It looks like you're hiding something. Suspicious! Don't worry, I won't tell~"

'It looks like things are getting worse. A clumsy and klutzy person like Ninomiya does not fare well against situations like this. Especially when it has to do with things of sexual nature with Tsukabe.' thought Ayanokouji.

"Horikita? Well, I'm not dating any of them." said Ayanokouji, confirming that he indeed doesn't have a girlfriend.

"Wow! Can't believe it." said Ninomiya. "Man, they were giving the death glare when I bumped into you. Thought I was going to die or something."

'Bumped into me? The correct term will be tangled. Didn't I also see your underwear? I'm so glad that I got away mostly scot-free.' thought Ayanokouji.

"What are you guys talking about?" asked Tsukabe, snapping out of her little trance.

"N-Nothing." said Ninomiya. "Nothing for you to worry about."

Ninomiya chuckled nervously while Tsukabe gave them a quizzical look before turning her attention back to her lunch. For the rest of their time together at lunch, the trio talked about trivial things and luckily, nothing major happened. Of course, there were the usual perverted things that Tsukabe would say and Ninomiya's shock as she realized how dirty-minded Tsukabe is. As the trio was walking out of the cafeteria and towards their classroom, a student was rushing through the hallways and ran into Ninomiya, pushing past her.

"Sorry!" shouted the student as he sprinted down the hallway. Ninomiya lost her balance by the sudden push and Ayanokouji managed to catch her in his arms to prevent her from falling on the ground.

"Are you okay?" asked Ayanokouji.

"Y-Yeah. Thanks, Ayanokouji-kun." said Ninomiya, with a slightly flustered expression. Their faces are inches away from each other and Ayanokouji quickly backed away and helped her back to her feet.

"Not a word from you." said Ayanokouji to Tsukabe, who looked like she was going to say something. He had a feeling that it might be something that could be misinterpreted, especially in a crowded hallway. Tsukabe looked like she wanted to say something, but just nodded. After a few minutes of walking, Tsukabe and Ninomiya went their separate ways and said their goodbyes to Ayanokouji. Ayanokouji headed back to Class D on his own.

*Timeskip (after school)*

Ayanokouji was sitting at his desk and the bell had already rung. He was watching as some of his classmates left the classroom with their friends or by themselves. Ayanokouji was wondering what he should do, but Ichihashi approached him.

"Ayanokouji-kun, are you busy?" asked Ichihashi.

"No." replied Ayanokouji.

"Okay... Do you mind if it's just me and you going to the Keyaki Mall?"

"Sure."

"Let's hurry."

"Okay."

Ayanokouji didn't know what the rush was, but Ichihashi grabbed his hands and hastily pulled him along.

'I don't want any of the other girls to ruin my alone time with Ayanokouji-kun! Gotta go. Quickly, Ruri!' thought Ichihashi.

As Ichihashi and Ayanokouji picked up the pace, everyone in the hallway moved out of the way as they pushed their way towards the exit. Some people gave them a second look as Ayanokouji is seen again with another girl. At this point, Ayanokouji is being seen with way too many girls like Hirata. They quickly made their way to the Keyaki Mall, and they looked like a happy, giddy couple as Ichihashi had a flustered and happy face. She was glad that she was bolder than usual. On the other hand, Ayanokouji hoped that he doesn't get more attention as he usually gets, but he had a feeling that him and Ichihashi leaving in a rush, holding hands, will draw some attention. After a few minutes of walking into the Keyaki Mall, Ichihashi realized that she was still holding Ayanokouji's hands which caused her to yelp and let go of his hand.

"E-Eh?! I-I didn't realize that I was holding your hand. S-Sorry if that made you uncomfortable." said Ichihashi, with a flustered expression.

"It's okay. It's not like I hated it." said Ayanokouji, stating the truth. It seemed that the truth hit Ichihashi like a bucket of cold water, causing Ichihashi's face to grow more red as she began to stutter.

"R-Really?"

"Yes. There's no point in me lying, right?" "C-Can we hold hands?"

"Okay."

Ichihashi hesitated at Ayanokouji's answer, and she reached towards Ayanokouji's hands, but seemed to have stopped herself. It was like she's steeling herself before doing it and Ayanokouji, seeing there's no point in delaying, grabbed Ichihashi's hands and their hands intertwined with each other. At first, Ayanokouji could feel that Ichihashi's hands were tense, but they eased up after a bit and their fingers interlocked comfortably with each other. The duo was going up the escalator and entered the third floor of the mall. Ichihashi led Ayanokouji to a cafe that had a cat logo. They entered the cafe and Ayanokouji noticed that there was a lot of cutesy and comfy interior that seemed to be cat themed. He also noticed that they are cat toys, trees, and other furniture that are meant for cats. The most surprising thing is that they are cats. Some of them were looking at Ichihashi and Ayanokouji, but most of them seemed to be interested in each other or toys. A waitress took the duo to their seats by the window and the duo sat down by the floor with a comfy, cute cat cushion.

The silverware and napkins were cat-themed, and Ayanokouji noticed that the menu was cat-themed as well.

"A cat cafe?" asked Ayanokouji, after briefly looking at the menu.

"Yep. And we can play with the cats when we're done eating." said Ichihashi.

'It seems that Ichihashi has been here before. The menu is quite interesting, and this is my first time going to a themed cafe.' thought Ayanokouji.

The duo ordered some food, but they mostly focused on their drinks since it's a cafe. While they were waiting, Ichihashi was trying to get a cat to come to her, but the calico cat gave her a bored look before walking away. They watched as the calico cat began leaping to the different levels of one of the cat trees with incredible agility. Then, the cat stopped at the highest level and looked down at Ayanokouji and Ichihashi as if it's taunting them. Ayanokouji figured the cat was trying to show off or trying to look down at them.

"Wow. So fast." said Ichihashi. "Hey, Ayanokouji-kun... do you-"

Before Ichihashi could speak, her eyes widened, and she fell into silence. Ayanokouji looked to his right and noticed a white cat approaching him. Ayanokouji decided not to move to not startle the cat and watched as the cat approached him, slowly. The cat began to sniff Ayanokouji tentatively and as the cat sniffed Ayanokouji more, it seemed that he was getting more comfortable around him. Soon, the cat sat next to Ayanokouji, but he could tell that the cat was still on guard.

"Oh! You actually got a cat to sit near you! I couldn't get one the last time I was here!" said Ichihashi, excitedly. Ayanokouji could tell that she wanted to pet it and the white cat began to lick its own paws.

"Do you like cats, Ichihashi?" asked Ayanokouji. "Duh! Who doesn't?"

"People that are allergic to cats."

"I guess you're right about that. Most girls like cats. They're so cute!" "I guess you're right. How many cats are in here anyways?"

"I think it's about 6 cats. There might be more cats that are hiding."

"Do you think we can feed the cats?"

"We might be able to! I didn't get to do it last time."

"Wow. That's a surprise." said the waitress, approaching the table. She was carrying their orders and noticed that the white cat was sitting calmly next to Ayanokouji. "He's usually not too friendly with strangers."

"He? What's his name?" asked Ichihashi.

"His name is Haru. He's the youngest cat here, about 3 years old. He's normally shy and prefers to stay away from the customers."

"Wow! You got lucky, Ayanokouji-kun."

"He seems to like you, young man. I can't even close or pet him. Please enjoy."

The waitress left and the cat looked at the food and drinks that the waitress brought with interest. Ayanokouji saw the sign at the table that forbids customers from feeding the cats with the cafe food.

"Itadakimasu." said the duo. Ayanokouji had ordered a cat latte with a cat face latte art along with black triangular edible wafers that represented cat ears. He also ordered a fruity passion fruit soda along with a slice of calico cake. The cake's presentation was interesting with one side being black and the other with a light orange, but most of the center is white. Apparently, it's a chocolate carrot cake.

The chocolate is the black part, the white is the cream, and the orange was just some dye cream which represented the calico cat along with some colored triangular wafers that represented the cat ears.

"Everything is so cute!" squealed Ichihashi. But before Ichihashi ate, she pulled out her phone and took a picture of the food. Ichihashi ordered similar drinks, but she and Ayanokouji ordered the same cake since it's their signature dessert. Then, she hesitantly placed her fork and cut a small section of the cake, ruining the piece of art, and eating the small piece.

"So good." said Ichihashi.

"Yes, surprisingly. Chocolate and carrot cake together? It's not too overpowering." said Ayanokouji, savoring the taste. It was a flavor that he didn't

expect and it surprisingly went well with each other. The duo began chatting about trivial things and Ichihashi was asking if Ayanokouji had ever owned any pets.

"No. My parents are quite strict." said Ayanokouji. "So, no pets."

"That's too bad. My apartment doesn't allow pets, but I wanted a cat when I was younger." said Ichihashi. "If I were to have one, I would like a calico cat."

"I would go for a cat like Haru."

Ayanokouji eyed Haru as he tilted his head curiously and stared directly at Ayanokouji. Haru's deep brown eyes seemed to be staring back at Ayanokouji as if he understood what Ayanokouji was saying.

"Yeah! He's so into you! It's like you're his owner." said Ichihashi. "Maybe try to get closer to him."

"I'll try." replied Ayanokouji. Since Ayanokouji is sitting cross-legged on a cushion, he made more room for his lap and gently patted his thighs and gestured to Haru with his other hand to come closer. Haru hesitated, but tentatively walked closer to Ayanokouji before curling up on his lap.

"Oh my god! You did it!" said Ichihashi, with her eyes widened. Haru snuggled tightly and seemed to be enjoying his new cushion. Haru closed his eyes and seemed to be dozing off. It was a sign that Haru is slowly lowering his guard.

The duo began quietly chatting and hoped that it doesn't wake Haru up. After a few minutes of talking, Ayanokouji decided to try something and gently stroked Haru's back. Haru unleashed a soft purring noise as it was clear that he enjoyed it. Ichihashi squealed and went to Ayanokouji's side of the table and sat down next to him. Ichihashi reached out tentatively to let Haru which caused Haru to wake up. Haru looked at Ichihashi but allowed her to pet him. Then, he unleashed a purr, but it was softer than when Ayanokouji pets him. The duo spent a bit, giving Haru some gentle pets and strokes to which Haru began to purr even louder. After a few minutes of that, the waitress came back with the bill with an ID scanner.

"I can't believe it! Haru's having a fun time!" said the waitress. She couldn't believe that Haru was acting like that.

"Can we feed Haru?" asked Ichihashi, clearly excited about it. "Sure. I'll bring over the treats and toys for you."

The waitress left and went to a door that was marked for only employees and after a few minutes, she came back with a basket with some cat treats and toys. She set it next to Ichihashi and Haru woke up and looked at the basket with interest. Ichihashi grabbed a Ziplock bag and unzipped it, pulling out a cat treat. Haru's ears perked up as he leaned closer towards Ichihashi's hand as he sniffed the treat. Then, Haru ate the treat right from Ichihashi's hand and looked at her expectantly, waiting for more treats. Ichihashi handed some treats to Ayanokouji and the duo took turns feeding Haru the cat treats. Haru seemed quite excited and used to the duo now. The other cats in the room, even the calico cat, looked quite interested in the duo and some of them got even closer to the duo. When all the cat treats were finished, Haru unleashed a satisfied meow before laying back on Ayanokouji's lap. The other cats lost interest in the duo except one cat. It was a Siamese cat and it looked interested in Ichihashi. The cat tentatively approached her and sat down next to her. Ichihashi squealed and raised her hands slowly towards the cat. The cat stared at her and allowed Ichihashi to pet her before lying on her back, allowing Ichihashi to give her belly rubs. The cat began to purr louder and rub its head affectionately on Ichihashi's leg.

"It's a girl." said Ichihashi, studying the cat and she looked at the collar. There was a name tag attached to the collar. "Her name is Mei."

The cat's ear perked when she heard her name being called. Ichihashi began to softly call Mei's name as Mei got closer to Ichihashi and eventually rested in her lap. Ayanokouji began rubbing Haru's head which seemed to be his soft spot as Haru closed his eyes in happiness and began to softly purr. Haru is a softer and quieter cat than Mei. The duo was chatting about trivial things while petting Mei and Haru along with finishing their drinks. Ayanokouji could see the cafe's appeal. It has a quiet atmosphere with soft music playing in the background and the potential to get some interaction with some cats. They spent about an hour there before deciding it was time to go. Haru and Mei didn't look too excited about them leaving as they lost their comfortable spot to rest. The waitress came back to pick up the basket of cat toys and empty bag of cat treats.

"Oh no! We didn't get a chance to try out the cat toys." said Ichihashi, seeing the cat toys in the basket and realized they didn't use it.

"There's always a next time." replied Ayanokouji.

"Such a cute couple you two are. Even Haru and Mei think so too." said the waitress. Haru and Mei looked at the waitress upon hearing their names being called.

"E-Eh?! W-we're not a couple." said Ichihashi, with a flustered expression as she waved her hands in denial.

"Really? You guys look good together, so I thought so. Forget what I said." "Hee hee. Thanks for the compliment."

The waitress giggled before walking back to the employee only room with the basket. Ayanokouji and Ichihashi paid for their own drinks and slice of cake before leaving the cafe. The waitress, who came back from the employee room, gave them a wave, and thanked them. Haru gave Ayanokouji one last look before slowly walking to the other end of the cafe. On the other hand, Mei curled up on Ichihashi's cushion. The duo exited the cafe and the evening sky hit them, the sun was already down and the sunset was present.

"Wow! We've been gone for so long." said Ichihashi. "Yeah. It's almost time for dinner." said Ayanokouji. "Man. What am I going to leave?"

Before Ayanokouji could say anything, Ichihashi stopped and looked around.

"I gotta use the bathroom. I'll be right back, Ayanokouji-kun!" said Ichihashi. She ran off in one direction leaving Ayanokouji alone. He decided to sit on the bench and wait. As soon as Ayanokouji sat down, he heard someone call his name.

"Ayanokouji!" said Manabe. She was approaching him and sat down next to him.

"Hello, Manabe." said Ayanokouji. "It's been a while, huh?"

"Yeah... Wait! Why are you so familiar with me?!"

"It's the truth. Is there something you want from me?"

"Yeah! How's Rika's progress? You better not make her cry!"

'Too late on that. But it seems that Manabe is quite concerned about Morofuji. In her unique way. I could tell her that Morofuji did cry when she tried to call me, but it causes Manabe to be more concerned and hesitant to allow me to continue with Morofuji's rehabilitation. There is also the possibility of Manabe trying to get me to stop entirely.' thought Ayanokouji.

"It's going well. She's adjusting to me little by little." said Ayanokouji.

"That's good. I thought something was going on." said Manabe, giving a sigh of relief. "No one has been telling me shit. Rika and Nanami."

"What about Yamashita?"

"She doesn't know shit. She talks about anime and shit."

"You have a point."

'Apparently, Nanami and Morofuji haven't told Manabe about it. Did they try to dodge the topic? This probably concerned Manabe greatly and I'm the only person left that knew of this little rehabilitation.' thought Ayanokouji.

"Did she try to call you?" asked Manabe.

"No." replied Ayanokouji. "She's content with texting me, but it's the little steps that matter. Eventually, she'll get more comfortable with me and call me."

Ayanokouji decided to lie about what really happened when Morofuji called him.

'It was clear that Manabe was concerned about Morofuji's progress and telling her that Morofuji cried during it is a step in the wrong direction which might convince Manabe that the whole rehabilitation with Ayanokouji is a bad idea to begin with. It might also cause a rift in between her friendship with Nanami and the others since Nanami believed that it was a good thing for Morofuji and supported Ayanokouji in helping.' thought Ayanokouji.

"Ah! What is that girl thinking?" grumbled Manabe. "She gotta make a move before it's too late."

"You know what happened to Morofuji that caused it to be like this?" asked Ayanokouji.

"A little, but it's none of your damn business. If you want to know, you gotta ask Rika herself. But, I don't... think she'll tell."

"Oh? I'll not ask if that's the case."

"You know... you're better than I expected."

"Growing soft on me, aren't you Manabe?"

"Fuck off. It's not that!"

"I hope that's not the case. You're quite the character, Manabe."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"You're different from most girls. I didn't say that's a bad thing."

"W-what?! I didn't ask for that. Dumb ass."

Manabe grumbled in the last part before standing up and excusing herself.

"Gotta go. T-thanks for telling me, Ayanokouji." said Manabe. She grumbled the last part and Ayanokouji noticed that she had a hard time saying her gratitude.

'Does she think giving one's gratitude and appreciation is a sign of weakness? I wonder what caused Manabe to think like that. I think it would not be a good idea if I asked her about it.' thought Ayanokouji.

Manabe walked in the other direction and passed Ichihashi who was walking towards him. Ichihashi raised her eyebrows as she turned around and looked at Manabe's retreating figure.

"Who was that?" asked Ichihashi.

"An acquaintance." replied Ayanokouji.

"Okay. Let's go, Ayanokouji-kun."

Ayanokouji nodded and got up from the bench, following Ichihashi. The duo headed back towards the dorms and Ichihashi was talking about the upcoming cruise ship vacation next week. Apparently, there's been talks about stopping at a remote island and Ichihashi seemed excited about it and potential for a beach day. Ayanokouji was a little curious on the vacation and nodded as the duo approached the dorms after about 15 minutes of walking. They entered an empty elevator and selected their respective floors.

"Thanks for giving me a bit of your time, Ayanokouji-kun." said Ichihashi, with a smile.

"No problem. Thanks for showing me a nice place. I might go back there later." replied Ayanokouji.

"With me?" said Ichihashi, with a flirtatious smile.

"Why not? I'm sure Haru and Mei would like to see us again."

"Idiot. You're supposed to say something romantic."

Ichihashi gave Ayanokouji a playful smack and a playful smile which he found cute.

"My bad. I didn't realize that I'm supposed to sweep you off your feet." said Ayanokouji, dryly. Ichihashi chuckled at Ayanokouji's attempt at dry humor, but Ayanokouji felt like it's more out of pity. He wondered if he could ever improve his social skills and humor with his interactions with his soulmates. While he was thinking, the elevator door opened up to the 4th floor and Ayanokouji got out.

"Bye, Ayanokouji-kun. See you tomorrow." said Ichihashi, waving at him.

"See you tomorrow, Ichihashi." replied Ayanokouji. With one final smile, the elevator doors closed and Ayanokouji walked back to his dorm room.

*Timeskip (next day, after school)*

Ayanokouji was a little surprised that the day seemed normal. In terms of normal, it felt like a regular high school with normal lessons and no surprises that may lead to instant expulsion from school. Of course, Ayanokouji had no idea what a normal high school is. Apparently, there's no surprise test or quiz at the end of the week before the cruise ship exam which Ayanokouji expected.

Unless Chabashira-sensei is hiding something, it truly feels like a normal week before summer vacation, but Ayanokouji can't shake the feeling that something big is going to happen. The final bell rang, which signaled the end of the school day. Horikita looked over at Ayanokouji while packing up her bag.

"Are you ready to go?" asked Horikita.

"Yeah." replied Ayanokouji. "Let me finish packing up."

As Ayanokouji was packing up, Shinohara and Azuma approached Ayanokouji's desk.

"Hey Ayanokouji-kun, do you want to hang out with us?" asked Shinohara. Ayanokouji looked over at Horikita, who gave him a sharp look. Ayanokouji roughly translated her intense look to You better say no.

"Sorry. I have something to do with Horikita." replied Ayanokouji. There was a brief moment of shock on Shinohara's and Azuma's face before they quickly reverted back to their normal self.

"Ah. Sorry for bothering you. Let's hang out on the cruise ship, okay?" asked Shinohara.

"Sure." replied Ayanokouji.

"See you, Ayanokouji-kun and Horikita-san." said Shinohara and Azuma. The two girls left the classroom together as Ayanokouji finished packing up his belongings.

"I'm ready. Ready to go?" asked Ayanokouji.

"Yes." replied Horikita, placing her compass in her pencil case which Ayanokouji bought from her. Ayanokouji stared at the cold glint of the compass as Horikita covered it up by zipping her pencil case close. Then, the duo left the classroom together and Horikita seemed to be leading him towards the Keyaki Mall.

"Where are we going?" asked Ayanokouji, a little curious. He didn't expect Horikita to do something like this and this is basically what people will call a date.

"You'll see." said Horikita, who seemed deep in thought. "A surprise, huh? Lead the way and surprise me."

"You'll be surprised." said Horikita quietly, which Ayanokouji found strange. They entered the Keyaki Mall and took the escalator to the 2nd floor which happened to be the fashion section of the mall. It's where most of the clothes and other related stores are located. Horikita led Ayanokouji to a swimsuit store which specialized in female swimsuits. Ayanokouji stared at Horikita as if she's gone mad because Horikita is the last person that he expected to care about things like this. Horikita had an embarrassed expression on her face, but when she noticed that Ayanokouji was staring at her, she glared at him with a mixed expression of anger and embarrassment.

"S-Stop staring. I just need a second opinion on what I should wear on the cruise ship." said Horikita.

"I just didn't... expect this from you. You are worrying about which swimsuit to wear." said Ayanokouji.

"That's what girls normally think about."

"I don't think you fall into the category of normal girls, Horikita."

"Care to say that again, Ayanokouji-kun?"

"Nothing. Let's go."

The duo entered the store and Ayanokouji was met with the sight of different swimsuits with various designs and prices on display. Ayanokouji noticed that everyone in the store were females, and he was the only male which made him stick out like a store thumb. The duo went to the first aisle and Horikita began looking at the swimsuits on the rack and the price tag. Horikita began selecting a few swimsuits that were different from each other: different types and designs from each swimsuit, which took about 20 minutes as Horikita meticulously chose the swimsuits that she liked, or Ayanokouji might like. Then, Horikita

asked a staff member where the changing room is, and Ayanokouji sat on a bench and waited. After a few minutes, Ayanokouji heard the curtain being parted and the footsteps of Horikita behind him. He turned around and saw Horikita in a bright red cutout swimsuit.

"W-What do you think?" asked Horikita, nervously. Ayanokouji gave it a quick look before stating his honest opinion.

"It's a nice swimsuit, but I don't think the color matches." said Ayanokouji.

"I see. Let me try the others out."

Horikita went back into the changing room to change into her new swimsuit. For about 20 minutes, Ayanokouji saw Horikita in multiple swimsuits ranging from a green one-piece, various colored bikinis with polka dots, stripes, or frills, and other swimsuits or bikinis with different designs and colors. They were all unique and Ayanokouji couldn't believe that he's seeing all of this and knew that Sudou would kill to be in that position.

The one that caught Ayanokouji's attention and interested him the most was a white bikini with a front-tie top and a side-tie bottom. It matches and contrasts with Horikita's long black hair along with her slim and modest figure.

"What do you think? I think the black one matches well." said Horikita, in her school uniform. "Or should I look around more?"

"I like the white one." replied Ayanokouji. Horikita froze and studied the white swimsuit before replying.

"I-I see. Maybe I should buy it. At least I know your taste." said Horikita. She muttered the last part quietly which Ayanokouji didn't hear.

"Really? You're trusting my opinion?" asked Ayanokouji.

"N-No. That was my other choice. It's not because of your opinion and taste." Horikita said it quickly and her face was somewhat red, but Ayanokouji nodded.

"Are you certain?" asked Ayanokouji.

"Yes. Let's check it out." said Horikita. She placed the rest of the swimsuits into a hamper that was designated for unwanted swimsuits. Then, the duo went to the cash register and waited in line.

"How much is it?" asked Ayanokouji.

"It's about 6500 points." said Horikita. That's about more than half of Class D's monthly allowance of 9600 points.

"I'm willing to spend those points."

Horikita approached the staff and paid for her swimsuit. The staff bagged it up and thanked Horikita for her business before Horikita and Ayanokouji left the store.

"So, what's next? I'm assuming that's not all you want to do with me." said Ayanokouji.

"Correct. Let's go check out a few stores." replied Horikita. Horikita took Ayanokouji around the second floor, stopping at a few clothes stores. He noticed that some of the stores are more trendy clothes stores and places like Karuizawa and her friends will go. The stores were mostly selling summer clothes for the upcoming season and some of the items on sale looked like they would appeal to teenage girls.

"Did you ask someone about these kinds of stores?" asked Ayanokouji.

"Yes. Kushida-san, Mori-san, and Azuma-san." replied Horikita. "Now what do you think about this?"

"It looks nice."

'I see. Those 3 girls had connections with Karuizawa, and her group would spend most of their points during the first month on clothes. They probably spent some of their points in those stores too either by their own violation or heard about from Karuizawa.' thought Ayanokouji.

In the end, the duo didn't buy anything, but spent quality time together. Ayanokouji couldn't believe that Horikita was acting like that and didn't expect something like this from someone as cold as Horikita.

As Horikita was with Ayanokouji, her mind was still thinking about what Chabashira-sensei said to her earlier which caused her to be semi-distracted as she was shopping with Ayanokouji.

'I'm still thinking about what Chabashira-sensei said about Ayanokouji-kun. Is it true? If so, what did she mean about his defects and him being the most defective? I'm unsure about it and I'm still thinking about it. This whole date is not only for me to choose a swimsuit and get alone time with Ayanokouji-kun, but to observe Ayanokouji-kun. I still don't understand... Ayanokouji-kun as a person and his defects. The questions that Chabashira-sensei asked still ran through my head... Ah! I must get a tighter grip on my thoughts. I'm sure Ayanokouji-kun will realize that I'm not my usual self if I continue to think about these thoughts.' thought Horikita.

"Are you okay, Horikita?" asked Ayanokouji.

"Yes. Something on my mind, that's all." said Horikita. The duo was walking to the next store and they spent about one and half hours before they decided to go back to their dorms together. Horikita invited Ayanokouji to her dorm, so they could have dinner together and Horikita even offered to cook. Ayanokouji agreed since it's free food and he knew how good Horikita's food is. After about 25 minutes, the duo entered Horikita's room. Horikita's room was similar to his room: minimalistic and with not many belongings except due to Ayanokouji's soulmates, his room is slowly having random things and belongings that his soulmates left in his room.

"Please have a seat." said Horikita. Ayanokouji nodded and took a seat on Horikita's couch as she went into the kitchen. Ayanokouji could hear some water running from the faucet as he asked Horikita something.

"Hey, Horikita. Do you want me to help you?" asked Ayanokouji.

"No. I prefer things my own way." said Horikita. Ayanokouji caught a glimpse of Horikita in a blue apron as she wielded her knife. "It should take maybe close to an hour."

"An hour, huh?"

"Perfection takes time."

"I suppose. Do you mind if I use the TV?"

"Go for it."

Ayanokouji turned on the TV and began browsing the channel. Something caught his eye as he ended up on the idol channel. There was a group of 6 girls dressed in colorful dresses with each girl with their own unique color, makeup, and designs on their dresses. Ayanokouji wondered if Sakura would ever end up on TV like that being an idol. He couldn't see Sakura doing something like this, but being an idol requires a higher level of social ability to interact with people and fans. As Ayanokouji watched the idols dance in unison and dance, he also wondered if Sakura also could do it. The only thing that he saw from the few images on Sakura's blog is that she seemed to be a fan of dressing up and posing for photos. After a few minutes of watching the show, the idols ended their songs and bowed to the audience which erupted in cheers and applause. Horikita looked over the counter and frowned.

"I didn't think you're the type of person to watch idols, Ayanokouji-kun." said Horikita.

"I'm just curious about it. That's all." replied Ayanokouji.

"Hmm... are you sure? Do you like these types of girls?"

"If I would have to say... I guess I like the spirited and genki types."

"R-Really? I see."

'The opposite of me... Wait! Why am I thinking about this now?!' thought Horikita.

'Honestly, I don't even know which type of girls I like. I think the more cheerful girls like Ichinose and Kushida. The complete opposite of me.' thought Ayanokouji.

Horikita fell into silence as she turned her attention back to the kitchen as Ayanokouji decided to switch the channel since the whole idol show was over. Apparently, it's showing the signing session where all the idols that were on the stage and meeting the fans in the audience. He ended up on a talk show where they were talking about relationships in high school compared to adult life. Ayanokouji found it intriguing and wondered if his soulmates' relationships would even last that long after ANHS. He wondered if it would change and would he be able to notice the differences. As Ayanokouji was thinking about it, his phone buzzed, and there were a few messages from Tanihara, Yamashita, and Onodera. Tanihara was messaging and telling him that the band is going to meet up one last time before the cruise ship vacation in 2 days and asked if he could be there. She said it's optional but told him that they'll be meeting after school.

Ayanokouji messaged Tanihara back and told her that he should be good and will be there, to which Tanihara thanked him. Yamashita asked Ayanokouji if he could return Little Busters, which he borrowed. Ayanokouji had recently finished watching it and apparently, Yamashita wanted to re-watch it during the cruise ship vacation. Ayanokouji agreed and told her that he'll bring it to her tomorrow. On the other hand, Onodera asked if they could do a morning jog together tomorrow morning instead of going to the gym. Ayanokouji agreed and they agreed to meet up in the dorm lobby in the morning. The scent of miso faintly wafted from the kitchen as chopping noises intensified. Ayanokouji got up from his sofa and walked towards the kitchen, peeking over the counter. He saw Horikita heating up a pan with freshly prepared mackerel on a cutting board along with neatly chopped green onions, ginger, daikon, leeks, and other vegetables. The rice cooker was on, and Ayanokouji could see that Horikita must have started the rice first since it takes a decent amount of time for it to cook.

"Do you mind if I set up the table?" asked Ayanokouji.

"You have nothing to do, huh? Look in the cabinet to the right. There should be some table mats and other stuff to set the table. Chopsticks, bowls, plates, and the others should be in the cabinet next to it." said Horikita, pouring oil on the heated pan. Ayanokouji nodded and opened up the cabinets that Horikita said to. He began to set up the table and looked at the chopsticks.

"Which one is yours?" asked Ayanokouji.

"The black ones. There should be an unopened pack of chopsticks. Choose one for yourself." said Horikita. A sizzling noise is coming from the pan as the smell of mackerel hits Ayanokouji's nostrils and makes his stomach ache from the smell. Ayanokouji opened up the packaging and pulled out a blue pair of chopsticks for himself. He gave them a quick wash before setting it at the table and decided to leave Horikita to cook.

'Let her cook.' thought Ayanokouji.

*Timeskip (40 minutes later)*

Horikita finished cooking and set out everything on the table. It was a wide spread of a stereotypical Japanese dinner with miso soup, rice, pickled vegetables, grilled mackerel, side of scrambled eggs, a light salad, and some tofu. Horikita sat across from Ayanokouji as the duo stared at each other and Horikita's food. In the fading sunlight coming from the open curtains, it cast a light between the duo and created shadows in the corner of the room. It was the perfect romantic setting and if Sudou were to see this, he would probably throttle Ayanokouji and be filled with jealousy.

"Itadakimasu." said the duo. Ayanokouji grabbed his bowl of miso soup and gave it a tiny sip. Ayanokouji could taste the flavor of daikon which is an intense sweet flavor which is different from the usual miso soup.

"Barley miso, huh?" said Ayanokouji.

"You know your stuff. It's a type of miso that people prefer in Kyushu, but I wasn't sure if it'd be to your liking." said Horikita.

"I like it. You're a good cook."

Horikita's face turned a little red at Ayanokouji's compliments.

"You don't need any particularly special skills to be able to cook, nowadays. It's nothing to be proud of. If there's something you want to make, all you have to do is go buy stuff at the supermarket or convenience store and then look up the recipe online." said Horikita.

"Sure, it was easy to just throw something together. But you could still show off your skills in lots of other ways, like how you arranged everything on the plate or how you cut up the vegetables. Those weren't exactly skills you could learn overnight." said Ayanokouji, countering Horikita's statement. Horikita's face became a little redder as she cleared her throat.

'Wait. Is she trying to do what I usually do? Not taking any credit for something?' thought Ayanokouji.

"Thank you for the compliment, but I still have a long way to go." said Horikita.

"Is this the only thing you can make?" asked Ayanokouji.

"Of course not. I know a decent number of recipes, mostly traditional Japanese. Do you have anything in particular?"

"No. Anything is fine as long as you're the one making it."

Ayanokouji's comments hit hard and had their intended effect on Horikita. She blushed a little more and nodded, silently deciding to learn some new recipes and perfect some new dishes. The duo silently ate their dinner together and Ayanokouji enjoyed Horikita's food and it's been a while since he had it. After dinner, Ayanokouji insisted that he wash the dishes since Horikita did all of the hard work cooking and he figured that the least he can do is to wash the dishes. Horikita reluctantly agreed and helped bring all of the dishes to sink while Ayanokouji washed them. Horikita pointed at the drying rack that is along the side of the wall and told Ayanokouji to place all washed dishes and utensils there. Ayanokouji placed them neatly, making sure that everything stayed on the rack. Ayanokouji decided to stay for a little bit before leaving since he felt that it would be rude to leave right away after dinner. The duo sat on the couch together and Horikita poured a glass of water from a pitcher for Ayanokouji and herself.

"Ayanokouji-kun... T-Thank you for accompanying me today." said Horikita, after a brief moment of silence.

"Not a problem. I should thank you, Horikita." replied Ayanokouji.

"For?" asked Horikita, raising her eyebrows in curiosity. She didn't expect Ayanokouji to thank her, rather she should be the one.

"For letting me be the first one seeing you in that swimsuit. It's quite a nice look for you."

Horikita was baffled by Ayanokouji's sudden and repetitive comments that seemed to have caused her a great deal of embarrassment and stunned her. She blushed a little bit as she remembered what she did in the changing room, showing off her body to Ayanokouji. Horikita internally began to curse at herself for thinking about things like that and leaving her mind in a state of confusion and panic. She also wondered how Ayanokouji could say something so embarrassing without any hint of embarrassment at all.

"E-Eh?! W-What are you..." stammered Horikita. The words from her mouth that she was going to say died off as she struggled to convey her thoughts into

words.

"Just wanted to say what I wanted in my mind." replied Ayanokouji.

"I-Idiot. There's something you don't just randomly say."

"Really?"

"Honestly, sometimes I wonder how dense one person can possibly be."

"Everything has density."

Horikita stared at Ayanokouji with a blank and deadpanned expression on her face as there was a brief moment of silence.

"Just a little humor." said Ayanokouji, breaking the peaceful silence.

"You will need to work on that, Ayanokouji-kun." said Horikita, rubbing the temples on her head.

"Noted."

"Any at rate, it seems that Class D has barely scraped by again. The first step is to increase the number of class points as soon as possible. This will ensure that we get a steady increase in private points and also close the gap between us and Class C."

"Yes. However, we may need to wait until summer vacation is over."

"Yes. The least we can do is study and increase our academic performance."

"That doesn't guarantee that the others in the class will do it. It's almost summertime and the last thing they wanted to do is to study more."

"Then, it's pointless. We're already the lowest of the low. If they don't want to improve our situation, then we don't have a hope for Class A."

Horikita sighed in frustration and began to mutter about what to do next and her defective classmates. Ayanokouji found it ironic since even though Horikita did change slightly, she hasn't fully changed. Not that big of a chance for her to reach Class A and he knew that Horikita must overgo a bigger and important change to reach her full potential. Ayanokouji found it strange that he had that precognition about Horikita and wondered if it was correct. The duo spent a little more time together in silence as the thoughts of Class D rising to Class A occupy their mind. They knew that it was impossible in their current stage, but nobody said anything. You didn't have to say or know anything about Class D to know that it's true. After a few more minutes, Ayanokouji decided that it was time to leave.

"I'll be going, Horikita." said Ayanokouji, getting up from his seat. "Thank you for the dinner."

Horikita got up and walked Ayanokouji to the door and opened it for him.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Ayanokouji-kun." said Horikita.

"Good night, Horikita." replied Ayanokouji. Horikita gave him a small smile before closing the door. Ayanokouji quickly decided to go to the elevator before he got spotted. He did not want more rumors about him being on the girls' dorm floors to spread. He knew that he already got rumors and suspicions about him in those manners.

*Timeskip (next day, after school)*

After a long day of school, Ayanokouji returned back to the classroom. The final bell rang about half an hour ago and he realized that he had left something at his desk. Ayanokouji found it strange that the hallways, which are usually crowded, are nearly empty. Ayanokouji slid open the classroom door, revealing an empty classroom with no students from his view. As we walked into the classroom, he noticed one female student alone in the classroom. The girl is Inogashira and she seemed to be sitting down at her desk and working on something. Her shoulders are hunched over, and it looks like she's looking down. Inogashira seemed so focused on her work that she didn't notice Ayanokouji entering the classroom and him approaching her. Ayanokouji made a quick pitstop to grab something left on his desk before making his way to Inogashira.

"Hi, Inogashira." said Ayanokouji, announcing his presence. Inogashira, who was so occupied with her work that she did not notice her surroundings.

"A-Ayanokouji-kun! I didn't hear you come in." said Inogashira, in a state of panic. She was hiding something on her legs and underneath the desk, but Ayanokouji could see numerous needles of different sizes and different color yarn. Ayanokouji could see a paper with a sketch version of a sweater and some notes on it. Inogashira had a flustered expression as she quickly flipped the paper over which hid her notes.

"Sorry for the scare."

"I-It's my fault for not hearing you."

"Is everything okay here?"

"Y-Yep! Everything is okay! Nothing to see here."

"If you don't mind me asking, but what's that on your lap?"

"On my lap? Nothing. I-I'm wearing a skirt, you know."

Inogashira is making an attempt to hide what she was working on with a lighthearted joke and by saying something obvious, but Ayanokouji is not getting fooled by it.

"I mean... yes. It's technically true, but is it something you knitted? I could see the supplies on your desk and your sketch." said Ayanokouji.

"N-No. Just a coincidence." yelped Inogashira, trying her best to gather all her supplies and stuff in her backpack, but a few needles fell on the ground.

"Coincidences can be freaky."

"W-What?!"

"Nothing. Just something I like to say. Is it that embarrassing? You're doing it alone and without anyone watching?"

"T-To be honest, I-I haven't shown it to anyone yet. I-It's too bad."

"Bad?"

"I-I don't think I'm ready to show it to anyone yet."

"It's okay. There's no need to force yourself to show me. Calm down, Inogashira. I'll help you pick your needles."

Ayanokouji bent down and picked up Inogashira's needles on the ground and placed them on her desk. Inogashira smiled and thanked him as she put her needles into her school bag.

"T-Thanks again, A-Ayanokouji-kun. You've probably seen it already, but I'm making myself a sweater." said Inogashira.

"Sweater? Have you made one before?" asked Ayanokouji.

"N-No, it's my first time. I'm not sure if it's even good."

"That's cool. How's progress?"

"Slow. I got a rough idea and outline to go off. I got the neck area complete and need to work on the sleeves."

"Interesting. How about you make me a sweater?"

"E-Eh?!"

Ayanokouji's suggestion seemed to have left Inogashira flabbergasted as she gave him a shocked expression. Inogashira clearly didn't expect that from Ayanokouji.

"B-But I never made something for someone especially when it's a gift." said Inogashira.

"A gift?" asked Ayanokouji.

"That's what friends do, right? Y-You've been keeping me company and I-I... enjoy our time together. What if it's the worst thing you have ever seen? I'm scared that you won't like it and won't talk to me anymore."

Inogashira said that with a slightly flustered expression and Ayanokouji knew that Inogashira used all of her courage and willpower to say what she truly felt which is something that Ayanokouji didn't expect from the usually shy and reserved Inogashira. He also respected her courage to say something like that even though her self-esteem is worryingly low.

"If it's something you've made and spent time on, I wouldn't do something like that." said Ayanokouji. "After all, it's something that you are passionate about, right?"

"Y-Yeah. Are you sure? You might be disappointed." said Inogashira.

"Positive. I want to see what you can make, and I would be happy if you are willing to spend your time on making something for me."

"Even if it's really bad? Like garbage?"

"Yes. As long as it's from you, Inogashira."

"T-Thank you..."

Inogashira said her thanks quietly and stared at the floor before pulling out what she was hiding. It was an unfinished sweater with bright red yarn. Ayanokouji could see that the collar part of the sweater was complete, and the other parts were not even started yet.

"Wow. It's good. I like the red color on it." said Ayanokouji.

"Really?" asked Inogashira, nervously.

"Yes. That's no point in lying."

Inogashira gave a smile and look of happiness which Ayanokouji found cute and a fitting look for Inogashira.

"About my sweater?" asked Ayanokouji.

"Ah! Since you like what I'm doing and want it, I guess I could do it." said Inogashira, pulling out the paper that contains the sketch of her sweater. She flipped the paper over and grabbed a pencil.

"Give me some ideas. What colors would you like? Do you have a specific material in mind? Any designs?" asked Inogashira, unleashing a barrage of questions.

The usually shy and reserved Inogashira is unleashing a barrage of questions and Ayanokouji could tell that she's passionate about knitting as he could see the sparkles of excitement in her eyes.

"I don't really mind which color and I really don't have a sense of fashion. I'll leave everything to you."

"Eh?! Are you sure? Do you trust me?"

"Yes. It's your creation and I think the artist should have creative control over their product."

"O-Okay. I'll do my best!"

"I know I can't do much for you in knitting, but if there's anything I can do to help, just let me know."

"Okay. I just need your measurements to match your body size." "I see."

Inogashira reached into her bag and pulled out a measuring tape which tailors use to measure people.

"I'll just measure your chest, neck, arm, waist, and a few other parts of your body to make sure that it fits you." said Inogashira, tapping her pencil on the desk.

"Okay. Why don't we start now?" asked Ayanokouji.

"Since we're alone." "Okay. Let's start with-"

"Oh? Ayanokouji-kun and Inogashira-san? What are you doing here?" asked Karuizawa. She suddenly entered the classroom with Shinohara and Satou. Shinohara had a look of surprise on her face, but she greeted Ayanokouji and Inogashira.

"Whoa! What's that? A sweater?" asked Shinohara, noticing what was on Inogashira's desk. That got the attention of Karuizawa and Satou who studied it.

"Ew! What an ugly color of red? Were you like blind when you picked that garbage color? And it looks ugly too. Who are you giving it to? I'm sure they'll hate you if you give it to them." said Karuizawa.

"W-What?!" yelped Inogashira. Her voice began shaky, and barely audible as if Inogashira wanted to hide in a hole and die. The confidence that she had earlier with Ayanokouji suddenly disappeared and was replaced by doubt and fear. Shinohara looked taken back and even Satou looked uncomfortable by this.

"Am I wrong?" asked Karuizawa, asserting her dominance. "Or is there something wrong with that? Or did you find this trash in a dumpster?"

"I think it's nice." said Ayanokouji, speaking up when he realized that Inogashira doesn't have the courage to speak up against Karuizawa. All that confidence and excitement from earlier disappeared in an instant and was replaced by self-doubt as Inogashira stared at the desk.

"Inogashira-san... did you make this?" asked Shinohara, in an attempt to distract Karuizawa and change the topic.

"I found it in the trash." said Inogashira, quietly. She gave them a strained smile and Ayanokouji could tell that she was holding back tears and pushed the sweater to the ground, signaling that it's trash.

"I know right! There's no way that someone made something that ugly! Looks like a homeless man made it for their dog." said Karuizawa. "Right, Satou-san?"

"U-Uhh... Y-Yeah. It looks really bad. Are you sure you didn't get in for a dog?" said Satou.

"I know right! A pink color would look so good!"

"T-This is not right..." muttered Shinohara to herself and stayed silent as Karuizawa bombarded Inogashira. Shinohara was clearly taken back by Karuizawa's behavior but didn't know if she should speak out since Karuizawa is her friend. Although she believed that Karuizawa was in the wrong, she didn't say anything because she was afraid that she might become a target as well.

"I-I'm going to go..." said Inogashira, suddenly standing up and running out of the room. Ayanokouji watched as Inogashira ran past him and ran into the door on her way out. Inogashira left her notes on her desk and a sweater on the ground.

"What's her problem?' grumbled Karuizawa. She looked over at Ayanokouji quizzically before walking over to her desk. "Ah! I found it. Let's go, girls."

"O-Okay." said Satou, following Karuizawa out the door. This left Shinohara and Ayanokouji alone in the classroom.

"I'm sorry for Karuizawa-san's behavior. I... wish I could stop her." said Shinohara, quietly. Ayanokouji could hear the guilt in her voice and knew that she didn't have the power to stop Karuizawa. If she tried, she would most likely damage her friendship with Karuizawa and her entire group which happens to be her friends. That was how much control that Karuizawa had over the girls in Class D.

"Hey, Shinohara-san. You coming?" called out Karuizawa, coming from the hallway.

"Coming!" said Shinohara. "Hang in there, Ayanokouji-kun. And tell Inogashira- san that I'm sorry."

With that, Shinohara left the classroom, leaving Ayanokouji alone. He looked at Inogashira's unfinished red sweater and remembered the excitement and passion she had for her knitting skills. He reached over and picked up the sweater off the ground and gave it a quick brush, to get rid of any dust in an attempt to get in somewhat clean. Then, he looked at Inogashira's notes: her future product and then he gently placed it in his school bag, making sure that he'll keep with him until it's time. Time for Inogashira to accept and reclaim what she started and see to it that it's finished.

*Timeskip (20 minutes later)*

Ayanokouji didn't know where Inogashira would've gone and he didn't know her dorm number, so he decided to check out the Keyaki Mall first. First, he went to some crafts stores. Ayanokouji figured that was a good place to start, the source where Inogashira got her materials and supplies to knit and sew. After checking several stores, Ayanokouji didn't know where else to check and wandered the mall.

"Huh? Ayanokouji-kun!" called out a girl. Ayanokouji turned around and saw Tamiya Emi approaching him. Her red hair seemed to be glowing in the sunset along with her orange sunglasses which rested upon her head.

"Stunned by my beauty? You little perv~" teased Tamiya.

"You're just too bright. Literally." said Ayanokouji, blocking his eyes from the sunlight.

"Hahaha! I guess you're right. Let's get out of the sun for a bit."

Ayanokouji followed Tamiya and the duo ended up in a stationary store. Tamiya began looking at some of the items on the shelves. Ayanokouji noticed that some of the items were just pens, notebooks, school supplies, and other items. There were also calendars and other various items, but Tamiya looked at interesting things with a common theme: cute things. It turns out that the duo moved into a second aisle where it was an aisle full of cute-looking stationery. The paper and notebooks have little prints of flowers, fruits, and cute animals as designs while the pens have glitter and bright colors.

"Do you like these kinds of things, Tamiya?" asked Ayanokouji.

"Yeah. I guess. I like stuff like strawberries and fruity stuff." said Tamiya, picking up a sheet of writing paper with some cute cartoon strawberry design on the left top corner of the paper. She put it in her basket and began looking at a set of colorful pens with little cute fruits as the pen cap.

"Oh! They're scented." said Tamiya, using a sample pen to scribble on the paper and she sniffed the marker. Ayanokouji assumed that they smelled like the fruit that was the cap. "Hmm... I already have a set of pens."

Tamiya seemed to be having a hard time deciding and Ayanokouji watched in silence as she frowned and studied the scented pens with pursed lips and furrowed eyebrows. Eventually, she put the pens back on the display and sighed. It seemed that she decided against buying it. Tamiya noticed that Ayanokouji was watching her.

"Are you buying anything, Ayanokouji-kun?" asked Tamiya.

"It depends. I don't think I'm in any need of buying any more things." said Ayanokouji.

"Okay. Let's look around and maybe you'll change your mind." "Yeah."

The duo spent some time looking at the aisles which contained various different stationery with various designs and manufactures. Tamiya seemed quite knowledgeable on some of the items and bought some few stuffs, but he noticed that she had some control over her spending habits. She didn't started impulse buying unlike some of Ayanokouji's female classmates. After 20 minutes, the duo left the store together with Tamiya with a bag. Ayanokouji decided to buy nothing, and Tamiya bought a few items and seemed happy with her purchase.

"Sorry, Ayanokouji-kun. I didn't mean to turn this into a shopping trip." said Tamiya.

"It's okay. I have never been to a stationary store, so it's a new experience for me." said Ayanokouji.

"It must be boring watching me shop, right?"

"Nah, it's fine. I found some stuff that I might buy in the future."

"Ah... I forgot about your points."

"Yeah."

"Sorry for being insensitive."

"Don't worry about it. There's no point in pretending that I'm not in Class D."

The duo fell into silence as they walked back to the dorms together. It was a quiet and somber silence as they closed the distance between the Keyaki Mall and the dorms. Ayanokouji remembered that he was supposed to be looking for Inogashira but had got sidetracked and he didn't know if he could even still find her. Ayanokouji decided it's better for him to go back to the dorms and get some dinner. If he couldn't get a clue on where to find Inogashira, he would just meet her tomorrow since she will have to go to school.

'You can't do anything with an empty stomach.' thought Ayanokouji.

As the duo approached the dorms, Ayanokouji could see a student waiting outside of the door. Tamiya looked at the student and froze.

"Go on ahead, Ayanokouji-kun. I got some things to take care of." said Tamiya.

"Are you sure?" asked Ayanokouji.

"Yeah. See you, Ayanokouji-kun."

"Bye, Tamiya."

Ayanokouji waved goodbye to Tamiya and walked to the doors of the dorm building. The automatic doors slid open, and Ayanokouji walked past the student, who was standing nearby. The student is a female student with long purple hair tied in a long ponytail on the right side with bangs on the right side, held together with some hair clips. She has a deep shade of purple as her eye color, and she had a bored expression on her face as if she didn't want to do something and was being forced to do it. She gave Ayanokouji a quick glance with the same bored expression before turning her attention to Tamiya, who slowly approached her. Ayanokouji couldn't hear what they said as the doors closed behind him, separating him from the two girls. Ayanokouji entered the elevator and took a silent ride to the 4th floor where his room is.

*Timeskip (3 hours later)*

Ayanokouji was sitting down on his couch and reading a manga that Sotomura had lent to him. It was a typical harem romance manga and Sotomura said something about Ayanokouji needing to study this material to help him increase his affection points and progress further with the routes. Ayanokouji had no idea what he meant by that, but he had a feeling that Sotomura was talking about his soulmates, and he's been calling him the protagonist. As Ayanokouji flipped over the page, there was a panel about the protagonist finding one of his girlfriends in an isolated place in the night: a park where they usually meet and talk when they're alone. As Ayanokouji was reading the scene, he placed the manga on the table as he got a sudden revelation. Ayanokouji remembered the late nights that he met and talked with Inogashira alone.

'It's the perfect spot. You can be alone and don't really have to worry about people seeing you like this since it's night.' thought Ayanokouji.

Ayanokouji got up from his couch and grabbed the unfinished sweater and Inogashira's notes before leaving his room and headed towards the elevator. After a few minutes, Ayanokouji began walking around and checking the spots that he usually found Inogashira from the few times he talked to her alone. Ayanokouji couldn't find Inogashira in any of those spots and there was one more spot that came to mind. It was a spot overlooking the waterside and Ayanokouji headed there. When Ayanokouji walked out of the path, he saw Inogashira's figure sitting on the bench, overlooking the waterway and she was hunched over. Ayanokouji quietly approached her and announced his presence.

"Inogashira." said Ayanokouji.

"A-Ayanokouji-kun!" yelped Inogashira. She looked up at Ayanokouji with a panicked expression on her face. She looked like she wanted to run away, but Ayanokouji sat down next to her. Inogashira stopped herself, remained sitting, and stared off into the night. The duo sat in silence for a bit before Ayanokouji handed Inogashira her unfinished sweater. Inogashira just stared at it before looking away. The happy and excited Inogashira that wanted to work on the sweater now looked away from it in shame and doubt as she didn't even want to look at it.

"I-I can't do it. Sorry." said Inogashira.

"What are you apologizing for? That's a sensible reaction to someone that insulted your hard work, but do you really want to give up?" asked Ayanokouji.

"Y-Yes..."

"Then, it's your turn. If you truly hate what you've made, then you can discard it yourself."

Ayanokouji handed the sweater to Inogashira, who took it and stared at it. Ayanokouji decided to give it to her and let her decide what she wanted to do with it. This way, Ayanokouji prevented Inogashira from running away again and forced her to face her own problem.

'The only thing that is holding Inogashira back is her self-doubt and low self-esteem for herself. The presence of Karuizawa Kei seemed to have destroyed Inogashira's confidence. Will Inogashira throw it away? Admit defeat and let Karuizawa win, or will she choose to stand up and face it?' thought Ayanokouji.

Inogashira was silent for a few minutes and Ayanokouji could tell that she was trying to decide for herself. But, in the end, he saw that Inogashira balled up her fists with determination.

"I-I can't do that. N-No... I don't want to!" said Inogashira, deciding not to throw it away. "I'll finish what I started."

"Are you sure? I don't want to be the one that is pressuring you to do something that you hate." said Ayanokouji.

"You're not. I want to do it."

"Good. It would've been a waste if you quit right there." "W-Why? Why are you helping me, Ayanokouji-kun?" "Because we're friends, Inogashira."

Inogashira widened her eyes at Ayanokouji's comments as she remembered what they said to each other the last time they met.

"Is there something wrong with that? Isn't this what friends do?" asked Ayanokouji, puzzled by Inogashira's reactions.

"Y-Yeah. It's just that I didn't expect anyone to think highly of me and help me. Everyone would probably just forget I was in the class or ignore me if they're in your situation, Ayanokouji-kun." said Inogashira, hugging her arms together.

The sweater is pressed against her chest as she held her body close together.

"You don't need to remember everyone and I'm sure some people would remember. If not..."

"I know... If not, I would be a total loser with not many friends or people to remember me."

"If not, at least you have one person: me." "R-Really?"

"Yes. I like everything about Inogashira Kokoro."

As soon as Ayanokouji said that he locked eyes with Inogashira, he felt an electric shock surge through his body. Inogashira's eyes widened and her face became a deep red as she averted her eyes out of embarrassment and shyness.

"S-Stop joking around, A-Ayanokouji-kun..." said Inogashira, quietly. She was also stammering similar to Sakura. "T-There's no way that a person will like me."

"That's not a joke. If I didn't like you as a person, I wouldn't have talked to you during the past few weeks and asked if you could make me a sweater." said Ayanokouji.

"Y-Yeah, but... My work is not that good. Even someone like Karuizawa-san, who doesn't have too much experience with knitting, had a bad impression of it. It means I don't have the skill."

"Who cares what Karuizawa, and other people think? You're making it for yourself, right? The only thing that matters is whether or not you like what to make and that you enjoy making it for yourself."

Inogashira fell into silence as she was thinking about Ayanokouji's words and after a few minutes, Inogashira's expression became a gentle smile which looked nice with the moonlight shining on her. A gentle breeze blew by, and it rustled her beautiful long dark hair.

"If I want to prove K-Karuizawa-san wrong, I guess I have some more work to do." said Inogashira, looking at the sweater.

"That's good. It would be a shame to let your work go to waste." said Ayanokouji. Inogashira blushed, nodded, and muttered that she'll try her best.

"By the way, Ayanokouji-kun... are you sure that you want me to make you a sweater?"

"Yeah. I would very much appreciate it. Of course, you can refuse."

"N-No. I'm fine with it. I just need to take your measurement on another day." "Okay. I think you're forgetting something."

Ayanokouji reached into his coat pocket and pulled out Inogashira's paper which contained her notes and handed it to her. Inogashira accepted it and thanked him, giving Ayanokouji another cute smile filled with gratitude.

"T-Thank you, Ayanokouji-kun. For being there for me. I really appreciate it." said Inogashira. She gave him a shy smile before averting her eyes.

"Of course. You would've done the same for me, right?" asked Ayanokouji. "D-Definitely."

The duo spent some time together in silence as Inogashira began checking the condition of her sweater and writing something on the paper that Ayanokouji gave to her. It seemed that she's making some improvements and changes to the sweater, but Ayanokouji could see that passion that he saw earlier in the classroom. After a bit, the duo decided to walk back to the dorms together.

Ayanokouji said goodbye to Inogashira as he got off the elevator and onto the 4th floor. Inogashira thanked him one last time before the elevator doors closed. Ayanokouji headed back into his room and his phone buzzed. It was a message from Morofuji.

Morofuji: Good evening, Ayanokouji-kun.

Ayanokouji: Hello, Morofuji. It's good to hear from you again. What's up?

Morofuji: Nothing. I just wanted to have a chat with you.

Ayanokouji: Okay.

The duo chatted for about half an hour on trivial things and Ayanokouji noticed how different Morofuji is when she's using text rather than talking in person.

Ayanokouji could tell that she is more free to talk more and express herself more rather than being shy and reserved. After a few minutes of texting, Ayanokouji received another text from Morofuji.

Morofuji: Ayanokouji-kun... can I try calling you again?

Ayanokouji: Are you sure?

Morofuji: Yes.

Ayanokouji: Go ahead. I said I will be there for you.

A few moments later, Ayanokouji's phone buzzed, and Ayanokouji decided to

take his time to answer it. After letting it ring a few times, he picked up the phone and he could hear silence coming from Morofuji's side.

"Hello." said Ayanokouji, trying to make his voice softer than usual, but it came out as flat as his usual voice. Ayanokouji could hear Morofuji gasping at the other end of the line, but he didn't hear her scream.

"H-Hi..." said Morofuji, in a quiet voice. It was so quiet that Ayanokouji had to place his ears against his phone and concrete and strain to pick up on Morofuji's voice.

"I'm glad you've called Morofuji. Is everything okay?" "Y-Yeah. E-everything is fine."

Ayanokouji could hear that she was quite frightened and her voice became softer and quieter with each word. Ayanokouji is having a hard time hearing her at this point, but he decided to quickly speak to get her some more resolve.

"You're doing great. Better than last time in fact. You're quite strong." said Ayanokouji.

"N-No... I'm not. I'm just a w-weak girl." said Morofuji, her voice cracking and it seems that it's having the opposite effect that Ayanokouji hoped.

"I can promise you that I'm right. You've improved since last time and you calling me is proving that."

"R-Really? I think..."

"What you're thinking is weakness is actually strength. People always have a weakness and overcoming that weakness is a strength. It means that we have the strength to do it and thus are not weak."

"..."

"You've proven that. I hope one day you can talk to me, face to face, and that's when you'll truly conquer the fear you have."

"I-I. S-Sorry!"

Morofuji unleashed a frightened squeak before she disconnected from the call. Ayanokouji placed his phone on the table and waited for Morofuji to respond. After a few minutes, Ayanokouji's phone buzzed.

Morofuji: Sorry. I just didn't expect that from you.

Morofuji: But thank you. Your words are nice and comforting.

Ayanokouji: I want to drop dead right now because of what I just said. I'm glad that you found it helpful.

Morofuji: Ha! Thanks for the sacrifice, Ayanokouji-kun.

Morofuji managed to crack a joke after all of that and after a few moments, she texted Ayanokouji again.

Morofuji: I'll call you next time, okay?

Ayanokouji: Yes. Any time. I'll be waiting.

Ayanokouji saw that Morofuji was typing a message because of the ellipses, but she didn't send anything. Then, the ellipses disappeared, and Ayanokouji received a call from Morofuji which he didn't expect from Morofuji. Ayanokouji answered the call.

"Hello." said Ayanokouji.

"T-Thank... you., A-Ayanokouji-kun. T-Thank you." said Morofuji, in a quiet voice. "T-Thank you so much."

"You're very much welcome, Morofuji." "B-bye, Ayanokouji-kun. B-Bye."

Morofuji's voice was the softest that Ayanokouji had ever heard from her. It was clear that Morofuji is really pushing herself to her limits today and Ayanokouji decided to end the call quickly.

"Good night, Morofuji." said Ayanokouji. Then, Morofuji ended the call, leaving Ayanokouji in silence. Ayanokouji placed his phone on the table again and stared off at the ceiling as he thought about Morofuji's progress.

'So far, so good. Morofuji has managed to talk to me for the first time. She's improved significantly from the last time that she tried to call me. Of course, Morofuji still has that fear deep inside of her. I wonder what happened to her, but it's not my place. Judging from what I can gather from Morofuji based on my interactions, it seemed that something traumatic happened which caused it to break down. Something that destroyed her ability to make friends or talk to people of the opposite sex. Luckily, she has managed to find a group of friends for herself.' thought Ayanokouji.

Ayanokouji internally cursed himself for accidentally analyzing Morofuji and looked around his room. His eyes rest upon the manga that he was reading earlier: the harem romance manga. The cover had some girls in swimsuits and the title chapter is Summer of Love!

Ayanokouji's mind immediately wandered to the cruise ship exam and how it signals the start of his first summer vacation in ANHS. He had a feeling that this upcoming summer is going to be more chaotic than his average school life due to his unfortunate situation.

'How bad can it get?' thought Ayanokouji.

Those were the thoughts of Ayanokouji Kiyotaka and there is one that is certain: the worst is yet to come for our protagonist.

*Timeskip (4 days later)*

Ayanokouji spent the last 4 days with most of his soulmates with the exception of Hoshinomiya-sensei. Of course, some of their soulmates had their time alone with Ayanokouji, but most of them either have some of Ayanokouji's other soulmates with them or their friends. Ayanokouji's classmates were gasping as they were standing in front of a big white cruise ship. It was the biggest ship that Ayanokouji has ever seen and was an impressive display of wealth that the school has. All around Ayanokouji, his classmates and the rest of the classes were talking excitedly about the ship and their vacation. It seemed everyone was quite excited for this vacation.

"All right! It looks like everyone has arrived. We will first take roll calls before boarding the ship. Your homeroom teacher will take care of this. Please stay

with your class." said Mashima-sensei, with a megaphone. The 4 homeroom teachers went to their respective classes with a clipboard and began taking roll of their students. After a few minutes, they regrouped with each other and confirmed that everyone was here.

"Everyone is present. Without further ado, let's begin boarding the ship." said Mashima-sensei. The 2 crew members that were waiting for the ship stepped out of the way and the teachers led the way. They boarded the ship through alphabetical order and Ayanokouji's class as the last one, waiting for everyone to board first.

"C'mon! Hurry up!"

"Damn, why are we the last one?" "Duh! We're in Class D."

"I can't wait to get onto the ship."

"I wonder if there's anything cool on board."

There was an air of excitement among Ayanokouji's classmates as they impatiently waited for their turn to board the ship. Ayanokouji studied the cruise ship as this was going to be his home for the next 2 weeks.

Soulmates

1) Horikita Suzune

2) Kushida Kikyou

3) Mii-chan

4) Tachibana Akane

5) Azuma Sana

6) Shinohara Satsuki

7) Onodera Kayano

8) Mori Nene

9) Hoshinomiya Chie

10) Ichihashi Ruri

11) Andou Sayo

12) Shiranami Chihiro

13) Yabu Nanami

14) Sakura Airi

15) Inogashira Kokoro

Author's Note:

Hello everyone! Another chapter done! A bit of a filler chapter, but it's to set up some things for the deserted island exam and Zodiac exam. I'm giving credit to AbzuAzazel for his idea and story about Inogashira. I like what he did, and he was a huge inspiration for creating this story in the first place. I also like his ideas about Manabe and Morofuji, so I'll probably expand on that later. But it's time for the Class C girls to get some love.

Another question that I get constantly asked is about the main girls. I like to focus on the side girls first to at least build a relationship between them and Ayanokouji. The main girls always get most of the attention and I would like to change that. I really want to include Ichinose and Sakayanagi in the fray but will refrain myself.

Okay. Now that got some of the girls out of the way. Who do you think should be next? (I already got some girls in mind, but I'm wondering which other soulmates you want to see take the spotlight).

I'm also going to focus on this story first and write one more chapter before going to DI Ayanokouji. Sorry for the delay, everyone.

Until next time, my dear readers.