Chapter 9: Return

AT LONG LAST, the day of the year-end exam had come. We'd each done what we could to prepare, based on the practice test we had taken.

According to Horikita, Sudou, Ike, and Yamauchi were all expected to

perform quite well. Apparently, they'd done everything possible to cram during the week before the test.

Then there was Akito, Haruka, Airi, and Kei. The students in my group had all done quite well at raising their personal bars. The other students, meanwhile, had been getting help from Hirata. There were no signs of any students really struggling, so as long as everyone made sure to keep an eye on their health, the whole class should make it through this exam just fine.

Just then, I heard the sound of footsteps. Someone was hurrying up behind me, trying to catch up, and then slowing down to match my pace.

"Good morning, Ayanokouji-kun!" Ichinose approached me, a broad smile on her face.

"Good morning, Ichinose."

"Today's finally the day, huh? The year-end exam. Did you study hard?"

"More or less, yeah. But I guess… I don't even need to ask, in your

case."

I didn't even need to think about it. Class B was far more coordinated

than our class, and I was sure they'd were much better prepared for the test. Even Ichinose, who'd been absent until just the other day, probably had nothing to worry about as far as academics.

"You were really cool yesterday, Ichinose. Cool enough to charm even a guy like me," I told her.

"R-really…? I suppose it's just like Sakayanagi-san said, though… that was just me being shameless."

Ichinose hadn't really committed a crime in the first place, though.

Everything had been resolved after her mother took appropriate measures to handle it. It was a non-issue. She'd been carrying a completely unnecessary burden. Nothing more.

"It's all thanks to you that I was able to get back on my feet, Ayanokouji-kun."

"I can't be a shoulder to lean on and worry about you like the students of Class B can, though. I just thought I'd try to listen, is all. It's nothing you need to thank me for."

"No, that's not true… If you weren't there, Ayanokouji-kun, I think I would definitely have ended up self-destructing and falling apart, just like last time. In that sense, Sakayanagi-san completely defeated me this time."

Sakayanagi had manipulated Ichinose with devastating success, driving her to the brink of self-destruction. It was certainly true there was no telling what would have happened had I not gotten involved. But I wanted to make something clear.

"I don't want you to feel like you owe me too much, though. I was nothing more than the catalyst. In the end, you're the only one who was able to overcome your own past," I told her.

"…Yeah, I suppose you're right. I can't ever undo what I did. No matter how much time passes, there may never come a day where I feel like my sins have truly disappeared. But…from this point onward, I can face life head-on. I'm sure of it."

Everything should be all right now. No matter who tried to blame her, Ichinose would be able to stand her ground. She'd grown strong—stronger than anyone else. I expected she'd grow into an even more formidable rival in the future.

Even so, there were no guarantees in life.

"If you're ever feeling like you're about to lose sight of yourself, you can talk to me again."

"Huh…?"

"When that time comes… Yeah. I should be able to at least listen."

Ichinose stopped and stood completely still. "Is it okay for me to depend on you…?" she asked.

"If you're okay with someone like me." "Really?" she asked again.

"…Yeah, really." I nodded, though I was somewhat confused by the question.

"…Th-thank you…" she said quietly. A rather unusual reaction from Ichinose, who was usually so upbeat.

Then she quickly shook her head, maybe because she, too, realized her reaction had been out-of-character.

"B-but… won't you come to regret it someday?" she asked, gazing deeply at me.

"Hm, I guess you've got a point. I mean, our class might get stuck in

B. If you and your class graduate from A, then my classmates might end up blaming me for it."

"R-right?" she answered, scratching her cheek with a wry smile. "Well, if that time comes, just don't tell Horikita."

"…heh heh. Yeah, okay. I'll make sure to do that."

Ichinose, walking alongside me once more, stretched her shoulders.

She looked bright and cheery again, as if she'd just been reborn. Well, then. All that remained was to get through the year-end exam.

She was still quietly looking over at me. "What is it?" I asked.

"H-huh?"

"You've been staring at me for a while now. If there's something you want to say, I'm all ears."

"Well, to tell you the truth, I… Ah! Sorry, Ayanokouji-kun. Can you please wait a little bit?"

Just as Ichinose was about to say something, her attention shifted to another student in front of us. A brief glance in the direction of that student, and the people surrounding them, made it obvious what was up.

"I'm sorry. I'm going to head over there for just a sec," said Ichinose, leaving my side and running to catch up to the student in front of us. "Good

morning, Nagumo-senpai."

"Oh, Honami. You're looking cheerful this morning." Nagumo might have been surprised by the sight of Ichinose's restored smile.

"Because that's just the way I am."

"Don't you resent me, Honami?" he asked.

"Resent you?" replied Ichinose, tilting her head to the side in apparent confusion.

Immediately afterward, though, she seemed to understand the meaning behind his question.

"I don't resent you at all, Nagumo-senpai. All I am is grateful to you. Really, thank you so much for bringing me onto the student council. I'll do my best from here on out, so I'm looking forward to working with you."

"I see. Well, it would seem like you're going to exceed my expectations."

Nagumo looked over at me for just an instant, then immediately turned around and walked away.

It wasn't difficult to intuit what he was saying with that look. He had wanted to break Ichinose Honami down and build her back up with his own hands. He had intended to completely tame her and make her his pawn.

The look he'd just given me conveyed his displeasure that I'd thrown off his plans—which meant he understood that I'd been involved in this incident in some capacity.

Ichinose bowed to Nagumo and then came back over to me once again. "Hey!" she called, her voice noticeably loud. She opened her mouth

wide and continued speaking. "Um, hey, so, listen."

While she spoke, she reached into her school bag. Then she froze. "What is it?" I asked.

"Umm, well, it's… Th-this is odd. It's just, well, I had planned to just be like 'Here you go!' but…"

Ichinose seemed to hesitate, still digging around inside her bag, but then seemingly made up her mind and took something out. She handed it

over to me.

"This is a little bit late, but…will you accept these Valentine's chocolates from me? It's just, well, I've never given anyone chocolates like this before, and… This is the only way that I can express my gratitude, so…"

"You don't have to force yourself to pay me back by giving me something, you know?"

The 14th had already passed, but I certainly wasn't upset to be given more chocolate by a girl. That said, I hadn't done what I had for the purposes of getting chocolate from her. She didn't need to feel obligated to give me any.

"I-I-I'm not forcing myself, though! Y-you don't want it?" "No, I do… Thank you."

The chocolates might start to melt if we stayed out too long. Not to mention people would notice us. And so, I gratefully accepted Ichinose's gift.