Chapter 36 : I’m Here

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(A/N: Wow you guys are really great for touching the final milestone of this novel at the end of the weekend, congratulations!! With this, all the milestones for this week have been fulfilled and this is the 3rd bonus chapter today!!

Thank you for supporting this novel and let's try again next week when the power stone resets )

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In the blink of an eye, the day passed by, and it was the day before the end-of-term exams. The movements of Ichinose, who had been absent for a week, were always eagerly watched by many, although I hadn't seen her directly.

During lunch break, we gathered around Keisei's desk to finish up and check the mock test he had prepared.

"Alright, everyone did great."

"Wow, Kiyopon got 90 points, that's amazing, and Jinjin, of course, got 95."

While the scores varied a bit, they were all around 80. Keisei assured us that as long as we kept solving problems like this, we'd be fine.

"If Keisei gives us the green light, then it's a breeze."

Akihito stretched his shoulders and pumped himself up.

"Seriously, thanks Keisei, you're a lifesaver."

"Nah, this is the least I could do."

Keisei replied a bit shyly, scratching his nose lightly with his index finger. He mentioned that since we studied quite a bit this past week, he wanted us to take the last day off. Hasebe nodded in agreement with Keisei, giving him a mysterious salute.

"Guys, you're amazing, it's a celebration!"

*Bam!* The sound of someone knocking on the door echoed throughout the classroom.

What's with the celebration? Is Miyakawa Daisuke going somewhere?" It wasn't like A-class to invade B-class. Apparently, Sakayanagi had finally started to move. Ah, I might get deleted if he ever asked me, even though I'm not particularly close to Sakanagi.

Horikita, Hirata, and Sudou, who were also in the classroom, dashed out.

"Are you going, Jin?"

"Well... I guess I'll go and see?"

Asked by Akihito, I decided to join. Hasebe and Sakura stayed in the classroom, while the Ayanokoji group seemed to be heading to B-class with all the boys.

The four of us went out into the hallway and headed towards B-class. Already, the excitement seemed to have spread, as there were clearly a lot of people gathered.

"Why the hell did you come here, Sakayanagi!"

Peering into B-class, I saw Shibata confronting Sakayanagi, looking rather angry.

"Why did I come? I came to save you guys."

Beside Sakayanagi were Kamuro and Hashimoto. It seemed like a minority action, considering there was no Kitou or other students with them. 

"What do you mean, Sakayanagi-san?"

From the back of the classroom, Ichinose, who seemed to be surrounded like a VIP by the SPs, spoke up.

"Hold on, Ichinose, you don't need to intervene."

"Yeah, Honami-chan, you shouldn't go."

Amakura tightly hugged Ichinose, trying to prevent any contact with Sakanagi.

"It's good to hear that your condition has improved."

Unforeseen concerns. This is the scariest thing of all. B-class considered Sakayanagi an enemy, but he remained unfazed.

"You said you came to save us, Sakayanagi?"

"Yes."

Sakayanagi smiled in response to Kanzaki's question, but it seemed she hadn't come to apologize.

"Do you remember the rumors that circulated a while ago about Ichinose-san holding a large number of private points?"

"So what?"

"It's just my speculation, but could it be that she's collecting and storing private points from her classmates, essentially playing the role of a bank?"

"That's not something I can answer."

"Yeah, I'm not asking for an answer. I just thought, if that were true, wouldn't it be extremely dangerous?"

Ichinose didn't respond and stared straight ahead with determination in her eyes.

"Am I wrong in what I'm saying, Honami Ichinose-san?"

When I looked at Ichinose, she didn't seem particularly troubled, rather, she seemed resolute.

"Could you please step aside for a moment?"

Saying that, she smiled gently and moved forward. Instead of stopping in front of Sakayanagi, she stood on the platform and bowed her head to the entire class.

"...I'm sorry, everyone! There's something I've been hiding all this time..."

"Hold on, Ichinose, you don't have to say anything."

Feeling uneasy, Kanzaki tried to stop her, but she didn't.

"I think some of you have heard rumors about me over the past few weeks... Among them, there's only one that's true. It was written in a letter... It said that I'm a criminal."

Upon hearing those words, Sakayanagi smiled with satisfaction. The noisy classroom fell silent. With that said, Ichinose began to reveal her sealed past—a story of Honami Ichinose, the model student, shoplifting. This fact would have surprised not only B-class but also other spectators. Ichinose lived in a single-parent household with her mother and younger sister, struggling financially. Yet, she had never felt unhappy. However, her mother, who raised two children while working, always seemed to be struggling, and Ichinose had planned to work after graduating from junior high school.

However, during the summer of her third year in middle school, Ichinose's mother collapsed from overwork and couldn't afford to buy a birthday present for Ichinose's sister. Ichinose's sister cried out for the hair clip she had been looking forward to while sobbing, unaware that Ichinose had stolen it. Ichinose went to the department store after school on her sister's birthday and stole the hair clip, which would have cost over 10,000 yen if bought normally. Although she wasn't caught, her mother couldn't have failed to notice her misbehavior.

Ichinose's sister wore the stolen hair clip secretly, and they went to visit their mother in the hospital. However, her sister probably didn't know that Ichinose was the one who stole it. It was then that Ichinose was seriously scolded and physically reprimanded by her mother for the first time.

She knelt down and begged for forgiveness, accompanied by her hospitalized mother. However, no matter what excuses she made, her crime could not be justified.

In the end, she wasn't turned in to the police, but the incident spread quickly, and for the remaining six months of her third year, Ichinose withdrew into herself, but here she told me that she decided to start over again. I heard the detailed details for the first time here. I never thought she had stolen for that reason.

After finishing her story, Ichinose bowed once again to all the students in B-class.

"Oh... that's so moving."

Listening to it again, it's really touching. I covered my face with one hand and cried, earning looks from the members of Class C like "What's he doing?"

"I'm sorry, everyone, for being such a pathetic, incompetent leader..."

"That's not true, Ichinose."

Shibata, who had been listening nearby, said so.

"I'm convinced after hearing that story. Ichinose is still a good person after all, right?"

"Yeah, Honami-chan might have done something wrong, but..."

*Clang!*

The sharp sound of a cane hitting the floor echoed.

"Please stop. Can we refrain from making jokes, everyone from Class B?"

Sakayanagi dismissed the voices defending Ichinose.

"What a pointless farce. Are you trying to gain sympathy by revealing unnecessary details of your past? No matter the circumstances, theft is theft. There's no room for sympathy. You stole for your own selfish desires."

Upon hearing those words, Kamuro's expression momentarily stiffened. I almost burst into laughter, but given the seriousness of the situation, I managed to hold back. However, when I felt the gaze, I looked over to see Kamuro giving me a stony glare. Yeah, my bad.

"Yeah... you're right. No matter how hard I try, my efforts may just be hypocrisy. Once a crime is committed, it never disappears."

"Surely everyone understands now? As long as Ichinose Honami remains the leader, Class B has no chance of winning. Return all your private points to the students immediately and step down from your leadership position. If you don't do that, your bad reputation will never disappear." 

Ichinose closed her eyes and took a deep breath to compose herself.

"What do you want, Ichinose?"

That was Kanzaki's question as the representative of Class B. Whether she wanted to continue being the leader or not, that decision lay with Ichinose herself.

"My confession ends here! It's true that I shoplifted. There's no room for sympathy. But I wasn't actually punished for it, so technically, there's no such thing as a crime to atone for."

"That's quite the defiance for someone who committed theft."

Hey, Sakayanagi. Take a good look at your partner.

"That may be true, but I won't look back anymore. I won't be bound by the past. I may be shameless... but would you all still stay with me till the end?"

In that moment of silence, it didn't seem like optimism. It seemed like she was on the verge of tears, wanting to escape, ashamed of her past, but still trying to move forward. There's no way the students who spent a year together in Class B wouldn't understand that.

"We're definitely sticking with you, right!?"

Shibata shouted with a smile. At the same time, unanimous cheers erupted from all the members of Class B. Akihito and Keisei seemed happy too, feeling the depth of the trust in Ichinose from Class B. Not only from Class B, but also from other classes, voices of support were raised, neutralizing Sakanagi's attack.

"Hahaha..."

Sakayanagi laughed triumphantly.

"I see, you managed to manipulate Class B quite well. But that past won't disappear."

"Yeah, I'm not planning to run away from it."

"Is that so? Then let's thoroughly—"

"Alright, everyone, that's enough."

Just as Sakayanagi was about to respond, Hoshinomiya, Chabashira, and Nagumo appeared.

"Some big shots have gathered here. Isn't this a matter between first-year students?"

"Indeed, it's just a squabble between first-years. But from today onwards, spreading baseless rumors is prohibited."

"What do you mean? Has there been any report from the school suggesting that Ichinose herself is troubled?"

"No, it's not like that. This is no longer just Ichinose's problem."

With that, they announced that similar defamation was happening in other classes as well. Sakanagi, who had gracefully accepted it, retreated. Although it was chaotic, Class B had won against Class A once again, creating a brief moment of excitement at the end.

...…

As the final exams approached, I was getting ready... well, I could manage without much preparation, but I made sure to take care of my health. Suddenly, I heard hurried footsteps approaching from behind.

"Good morning, Horagasaki-kun!"

Approaching with a bright smile was Ichinose. Her, her... they're jiggling... They're jiggling! Is she doing this on purpose? What a daring Ichinose Honami.

I'm the worst from the morning...

"Good morning, Ichinose."

"Today's the day of the final exams, right? Did you study well?"

"Reasonably... but yesterday, Ichinose, you looked really cool."

"Re-really...? It's just shamelessness. But it's all thanks to you, Horagaski-kun, for helping me get back on my feet."

"But in the end, Ichinose, you're the one who defeated yourself, right? I just kept my promise to stay by your side."

"No, if you weren't there, I think I would have self-destructed and collapsed. This time, I was completely defeated by Sakayanagi-san."

Sakayanagi had completely controlled Ichinose and almost pushed her to the brink of self-destruction. But in the end, she overcame it herself. No matter who blames her, she'll be fine now, and she'll be able to face any difficulty head-on.

"If something's bothering you, just let me know."

"Huh...?"

"At that time too... I'll be by your side. That's all I can do."

With a chuckle, I looked at Ichinose, who blushed, but showed a clear smile with her white teeth and nodded slightly.

"Oh, uh, Horagasaki-kun!"

"Hm? What's up?"

"Uh... can you wait for a moment?"

Just as she was about to speak, her gaze was drawn to a student in front of her. It was clear who she was surrounded by.

"Sorry, I'll be right back."

"Oh, sure."

Saying that, she moved away from me and caught up with the student ahead.

"Good morning, Nagumo-senpai."

"Ichinose, you're energetic as always in the morning."

"That's just who I am."

Ichinose smiled as usual, and Nagumo might have been surprised.

"Aren't you resentful towards me?"

"Not at all, I have nothing but gratitude for President Nagumo. Thank you for bringing me into the student council. I'll do my best from now on, so please continue to support me."

"I see, you seem capable of exceeding my expectations."

For a moment, Nagumo gave me a challenging look with a defiant smile, and then came over to me.

"Heh, did you help Ichinose get back on track?"

"No way, she carved her own path."

"I see, then let's leave it at that."

Nagumo's gaze clearly seemed like a challenge to me. To control Ichinose and make her my pawn, but it didn't work out. The frustration of not being able to do that was evident.

"Hey!"

As soon as she returned, Ichinose called out with a particularly loud voice.

"It's a little late, but... I want you to accept this chocolate. I've never given it to anyone before... but I can't express my gratitude in any other way."

The 10th one. But isn't this too much gratitude? Can I brag about this? Got chocolate from the Madonna of the year!

"Thank you, Ichinose. Shall we go?"

"Yeah!"

After school, I went home and opened Ichinose's chocolate. Inside, there were cookies sandwiched with gooey chocolate and chocolate tarts. Now, how do they taste?

"Mmm, delicious."

They were baked perfectly, the cookies were crispy on the outside and gooey with chocolate on the inside, providing a delightful balance.

As expected, there was also a note left by Ichinose, so I decided to read it. It probably contains some cute words typical of Ichinose.

Thinking that, I read it, and it said:

[I Love you Jin Horagasaki. Once again, it was Jin-kun who helped me, right? I can't think of anyone else but you anymore. Thank you, Jin-kun. This is my feelings, so I'd be happy if you accept it. Oh! Let me come over to your room again sometime! I want you to cover me in chocolate next time! Be prepared, my prince ♡ By Honami]

Uh, um... no comment. And I won't be covering myself in chocolate, but thank you for the delicious chocolate, Ichinose.

And thus, the long February comes to a close, and I'm currently smiling while enjoying the chocolate. But little did I know, a tragedy involving the entire grade would unfold a few days later.

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