11 Chapter 5.2: A Trap, A Home-Cooked Meal, and A Favor Part 2

Part 2

After lunch, we parted ways with Ichinose's group. Once they were out of earshot, Haruka finally said what's on her mind.

"Man, Ichinose-san sure is cute isn't she? That smile of hers at the end there was pretty much cheating. Dontcha think?"

"Me? Not really..."

"Ah, Yukimuu, your face is turning red just thinking about it."

"No it isn't."

"You don't have to deny it. Like, I'm a girl and even I think she's totally adorable, so I'm sure boys are completely floored with her."

Airi seemed to agree with her, as she was nodding along fervently as Haruka spoke.

"Miyatchi and Ayanokōji-kun think so too right?"

Since Akito and I didn't want to be targeted like Keisei, we both reluctantly forced a smile to avoid being questioned further. Oddly enough, Airi asked the next question.

"I may just be imagining things, but... has Ichinose-san ever used perfume before?"

"Ah, I've been wondering about that too. She was using some kind of citrusy perfume wasn't she?"

"Yeah. That may have been what surprised me the most. Maybe she's had a change of heart or something?"

"Huh, what do you three think?"

The two girls had begun talking about something that us boys couldn't possibly know anything about, so Haruka's question put us on the spot again.

"Was she wearing perfume? Either way, she might've just felt like wearing some today or something, right?"

Keisei's uninterested response prompted Haruka to let out a blatantly disappointed sigh.

"Boys really don't notice the small stuff, do they?"

"... Moving on... We're not the only ones in a tough spot. From the looks of it, the other matchup has their own fair share of problems to get through."

Not wanting to deal with any more of Haruka's teasing, Akito changed the subject.

"In order to win against Class B, Class D probably can't afford to care about appearances anymore. It's totally possible that Class D might get even more serious with their harassment moving forward."

Taking the chance to escape, Keisei quickly got on board with Akito's new conversation topic. His prediction was probably right on the mark.

There were only three victims so far, but it wouldn't be surprising if that number went up a bit.

"Ryūen isn't taking the lead for them anymore, either. They probably don't stand much of a chance if they don't do something like this."

"Even so, it seems to me like they're going about it the same way Ryūen-kun would."

Akito was right. Applying pressure like this felt like a strategy Ryūen would employ.

"But it's pointless. It won't be enough to break through Class B's stronghold. After talking to them today, I'm starting to think it may be a good thing that our opponent is Class A. I simply don't wanna go against Class B."

"Eh? Why do you think that Yukimuu?"

"Compared to everyone else, their unshakable unity and the way they tackle their problems head-on without overestimating their own abilities is just on another level. They'll produce consistent results no matter what event it is. I don't feel like we'd be able to win."

Keisei seemed to be afraid of the idea that Class B would perform above average at everything they put their minds to.

"But like, even if they're above average at everything, that doesn't mean anything if they lose, ya know?"

Even if they got eighty or ninety percent in all seven events, they'd still lose if their opponent gets a full score.

"Do you get what our chances are like when we don't know which events will get chosen on exam day? There might be some specialized events that the lower classes can win at, but at the same time, if those events don't get chosen, we'd face a crushing defeat. The results would be disastrous."

"I see... You might be right."

Airi seemed to understand Keisei's explanation, as she nodded her head several times in agreement.

"Hey, hey, Stop!"

As we walked around a hallway corner with Keisei in the lead, Haruka abruptly grabbed his arm and called him to a stop.

"Wha-"

Keisei tried to ask what was going on, but Haruka covered his mouth with her hand and pointed just in front of us.

She was pointing at Ike and Shinohara, who were walking together just a short bit ahead of us.

"S-say, Shinohara."

"What?"

"Well... Uhhh."

"Cat got your tongue? What is it?"

We all became silent and carefully listened to what we could hear of the conversation taking place before us.

"...A-are you free on Sunday... or, something?"

"Sunday? I don't have anything planned at the moment, but... Wait, what?"

"I mean, uhm, wanna hang out a bit, or something? Only if you want to, that is."

We could hear what they were talking about, albeit just barely. Haruka and Airi looked at each other with expressions that seemed to be filled with excitement, while Keisei and Akito, in stark contrast, shared a mutual expression of utter disbelief.

"White day is on Sunday, isn't it? Do you think Shinohara-san gave Ike-kun chocolates on Valentine's?"

"Maybe!"

Although Shinohara at first seemed skeptical about Ike's invitation, she gradually seemed to pick up on what was happening.

"Well, it's just, you gave me chocolate and all... So I thought I'd like, return the favour, ya know."

"You're so sincere even though it was just obligatory chocolate. Do you even have any money?"

"I've been saving up a bit... N-nevermind, it's fine if you don't want to."

"...I never said I didn't want to."

"D-does that mean..."

"D-don't get the wrong idea, kay? The special exam is coming up soon, so this is just my last chance to relax. And since you're saying you'll pay and everything, how could I say no?"

For some reason, seeing this reminded me of the conversation I had with Hoshinomiya-sensei this morning about room-sharing.

The small seeds of romance might be starting to bud in places I wasn't even aware of.

"Let's go."

"Huh? Wait. We just got to the good part."

"Don't stick your neck into other people's love affairs."

Akito grabbed Haruka by the collar of her shirt and began walking away in the opposite direction.

"Come on, what's wrong with listening for just a bit longer? My heart's starting to flutter."

"Mine's not."

"Ugh. What was I expecting from a clueless guy like you... right, Airi?"

"Y-yeah. My heart's beating pretty fast too... But, they'd be embarrassed if they saw us, wouldn't they?"

"That's true, but like, it's their fault for doing this in public in the first place."

If they were to notice us in this situation, it very well might interfere with their slowly budding relationship.