When Kanda Shuichi reached the dorm entrance, he remembered he hadn't yet bragged to Miyake about getting Horikita Manabu's contact info. What a missed opportunity. Also, Horikita Suzune hadn't seemed very active lately. Was she that focused on reaching Class A?
Thinking about this, he headed toward the elevator.
Even though the fourth floor wasn't that high, Kanda Shuichi never took the stairs, which was why he was always early to school—unlike Miyake, who always showed up just in time, though never late.
As he reached the elevator, he noticed someone was already waiting—a girl with long, pink hair and a slender waist. Just from her back, he could tell she had an amazing figure. Among the first-year students, there was only one person with such striking features: Ichinose Honami.
Due to certain circumstances, he'd met her before, and now here they were again.
As he wondered whether to greet her, she seemed to sense someone nearby and turned around.
Kanda Shuichi took in her radiant face, delicate features, fair skin, and… well, something that draws people in.
Though, he couldn't help but feel sorry for those buttons; it seemed like they might pop off any moment now.
"Hello, Kanda."
Since she'd greeted him, it would be rude not to respond.
"Hello, Ichinose. I didn't expect to see you here."
The subtext was: with so many friends, why would you be here at this hour instead of hanging out with them?
Hearing his comment, Ichinose gave an awkward smile.
"Actually, I'm not feeling well today, so I wanted to come back to the dorm to rest."
Not feeling well? And she looked a bit embarrassed too.
Kanda Shuichi took another look at her face—it seemed even paler than usual. She was also occasionally pressing her hand to her lower stomach.
Wait… could it be that it's that time of the month?
Kanda Shuichi looked skeptical.
"Are you having... menstruation?"
"Please don't say it out loud!"
Ichinose quickly interrupted Kanda Shuichi, who then realized he might have crossed a line. They had only met twice and weren't even close acquaintances; saying that was probably too forward—she wasn't Kushida Kikyo, after all.
"Sorry, I didn't think it through."
Damn it, why was the elevator taking so long? How long was this awkward silence going to last? Besides, aren't Japanese girls supposed to drink cold water and eat ice cream even during their period? That just seems weird. Wouldn't it make the symptoms worse?
After a brief silence, Kanda Shuichi decided he should give a bit of advice. Watching a pretty girl suffer from something like that wasn't exactly amusing. Though, if it were Sakayanagi, he might've actually teased her about it.
It's not that Sakayanagi isn't cute, she's just so irritating that it overshadows her charm! Speaking of her, it's been a while since he last saw Sakayanagi.
"Uh, Ichinose, this might sound a bit rude, but... were you planning on drinking cold water after this?"
Luckily, this was Ichinose. If it were someone like Kamuro, Kanda Shuichi might already be face-down on the floor.
At this moment, Ichinose's face was bright red. Any other girl would've probably walked away or shot him a nasty glare.
Some might have even accused him of harassment.
But Ichinose didn't. What a hidden gem of a girl.
"I don't have much experience with this, but I'd suggest drinking some warm water. If you have brown sugar and ginger, you can add those and let it simmer a bit. It might be better than just drinking cold water or taking painkillers."
"Pfft!"
What do you mean, "no experience"? Ichinose couldn't help but burst out laughing; it was clear he wasn't trying to be weird.
This only made Kanda Shuichi feel even more awkward. If the other person was in the wrong, he'd have no problem snapping back. But if he was being rude on purpose, his conscience would bother him, so he mentally apologized to Sakura Airi.
I do have a conscience, after all.
Also, could you stop laughing already?
"Sorry, I just think you're actually a very kind person."
"Of course! I'm the kindest guy in Class D." Seeing Ichinose back to her usual self, Kanda Shuichi shamelessly declared.
"I believe that. Back in the library, when you saw a classmate being bullied, you didn't hesitate to step in against the Class A students."
Hm? You're bringing that up now? Was that an accident, or was it on purpose?
Looking at Ichinose's expression and eyes, Kanda Shuichi's mind started working, and he decided on his answer.
It was on purpose, wasn't it?
"Speaking of which, I gave Class B an excellent chance by doing that. But you guys didn't take down Sakayanagi, honestly, I didn't expect that."
Kanda Shuichi's words were harsh, almost as if he'd branded "worthless" on her face.
But Ichinose Honami didn't mind at all, because he was right. They'd been about to surpass them in points but couldn't resist Class C's provocation, which ended up costing them the chance to challenge Class A.
So, this was basically Kanda Shuichi admitting he'd deliberately picked a fight with Class A.
"Did you do that on purpose? It felt a bit despicable."
"Of course it's despicable, but I don't mind. Making use of your own weaknesses is a strategy, don't you think?"
Kanda Shuichi's words didn't sit well with Ichinose. Even at this school, she wanted to beat her opponents in a fair fight, not by using tricks.
"You wouldn't use that kind of tactic against our Class B, would you?"
"Of course not. While these underhanded tactics can be useful, getting caught could cause huge trouble, so I'd rather rely on a straightforward, fair fight when I can."
In reality, though, he didn't even need to use these tactics against Class B right now.
"Well, either way, thanks for creating such a great opportunity for us, even though we didn't quite manage to make use of it."
"No need to thank me; it was just a matter of timing."
After a long wait, the elevator finally arrived.
When they reached the fourth floor, Kanda Shuichi gave Ichinose a quick farewell and left. Back in his room, he looked at the whole chicken in his grocery bag and had an idea.
Why not make chicken soup tonight?
It seemed his conversation with Ichinose was still on his mind. But, was it really that unsettling?
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