Chapter 48: Nightmare (1)

[Kurogane Tsubasa's POV]

"And that is all. You can go have your lunches now," said our teacher, who, after discussing something that went in one ear and out the other, left the room with a disinterested face even though the classroom was filled with tension so thick you could practically slice it with a knife.

Not that Nagumo-sensei ever expressed her expression in a different manner. She always looked indifferent.

Anyway, that wasn't the main issue here. The issue was that I didn't have the slightest idea how to solve it.

After Nagumo-sensei exited the room, someone murmured, "Ichinose just confessed to Kurogane, didn't she?" Their voices sounded shocked, which wasn't all that surprising since this was Ichinose we were talking about. If it was just a random girl, I could tell that it wouldn't be this...shocking. 

But well, Ichinose was quite something, you know? A model with a killer body, and did I mention she was drop-dead gorgeous? I've probably said that a bunch of times already. Maybe not out loud, but in my head, she was hands down one of the most beautiful girls I'd ever laid eyes on. Plus, her voice? Pure angelic vibes.

And her body? Still growing, and let me tell you, it was something... tasty, if you catch my drift. Now, that last bit isn't exactly my phrasing, just to clarify. It's all Kaneda's doing. The guy's got a perverted radar, and not even the slightest uptick in Ichinose's chest department escaped him.

Now, here's the kicker. If I didn't already have two girls hanging on my every word, I might've entertained her confession just for kicks. I could've even gone down the indecent route... I won't lie; the idea of a married life with a smoking hot model as a wife had its appeal. I'm not complaining with the current situation, mind you—I've got two already, and we're not exactly playing Parcheesi.

Now, here I am, stuck in this seriously awkward situation, all thanks to Ichinose. She really knows how to spice things up, I guess.

After a solid moment of dead silence, chaos breaks out in our classroom.

"WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED?"

And seriously, who are you all looking at? I'm just as clueless as the rest of you. In other words, confusion levels are off the charts.

"Ichinose-san! Did I hear what you said wrong?" someone asked.

Ichinose shot that someone with a bright and lovely smile, "What part did you hear wrong? I don't understand, since what I said was all right."

"The part when you said to Kurogane that you love him and you're asking him to be your boyfriend?"

"Oh? That part, huh? Well, you didn't hear it wrong. What I said was true. I love Kurogane-kun, and I'd like for him to be my boyfriend."

Now, imagine the whole class collectively losing their minds. It's like a bomb went off, but instead of debris, we're left with stunned faces and dropped jaws.

Someone else chimed in, "Wait, Ichinose, are you serious?"

She shrugged, still wearing that cool smile, "Totally serious. I've been crushing on Kurogane-kun for a while now, and today felt like the right time to spill the beans."

Ichinose dropped that bomb casually, like it was common knowledge, but the burning question of "how" was on everyone's mind.

"Uhm, Ichinose-san," someone finally spoke up. The moment they opened their mouth, the whole room gasped.

"Yes?"

"Well, if you don't mind me asking, how did you fall for Tsubasa-kun? I mean, you guys don't even talk, right? And it's not like you're meeting up in secret, is it? If you were, Chinatsu-chan and I would have noticed. We're practically joined at the hip, the three of us."

The one grilling her was none other than Natsumi, my girlfriend. The moment she spoke, a chill ran through my veins. Her voice had this inexplicable menace and bloodlust, turning the room into an icy zone. Natsumi was hardly ever like this. The only other time I saw her angry was when I suggested dating her and Chinatsu together. But before that, she was always this lovely angel with a perpetual smile. That first time she got mad, her smile didn't reach her eyes. It was a moment etched in my memory, and I vowed never to tick her off again. Even though it was a one-time thing, I still vividly remembered how terrified I was.

And now, seeing Natsumi smile with eyes as dark as the abyss, I was dead sure she was pissed—pissed at Ichinose.

Ichinose appeared unfazed by Natsumi's simmering anger. It was almost like she saw it coming and had the whole thing scripted in her mind. I had a bad feeling about where this was heading...

"Is there something wrong with falling for someone you don't talk to much? I don't think so. I mean, there's this thing called 'love at first sight,' right? It's not that different from my case," Ichinose defended herself.

"That's odd," another girl chimed in, turning the entire classroom into an icy tundra. Her voice was so chilling; I swear I felt a freeze creeping up my spine. Wait, did she have ice powers or something? Okay, no more jokes. This was no time to kid around. Chinatsu shot Ichinose a death stare, her expression so cold it could rival the Arctic.

"Falling for someone you're not even talking to is pretty weird, Minami-chan. Is this some kind of dare? Did Chitose-chan and Satsuki-chan put you up to this?" Chinatsu glared at Shiina and Sunohara, who were friends with Ichinose. They both shook their heads in denial.

"It's true. Shiina-san and Sunohara-san didn't dare me to do this. These are my true feelings. I love Kurogane-kun, and it's completely genuine."

Chinatsu couldn't help but express her doubt. "I can't help but doubt you, though..."

"Doubt me? I don't care. What matters isn't your feelings. It's mine. And Kurogane-kun's, right?"

Finally, Ichinose turned her gaze to me. I couldn't help but flinch under her scrutiny. Were those hearts in her eyes? Nah, probably just my imagination.

"I'm always watching you, Kurogane-kun, and I know some parts of you that maybe your childhood friends don't."

"Oh yeah? Like what?" challenged Chinatsu.

Yeah, like what?

"Like how he always stares at Nagumo-sensei's butt whenever she's writing something on the board."

Why the heck did you have to drop another bombshell, Ichinose?!