The two of them crouched on the ground, staring wide-eyed at each other.
In this awkward atmosphere, Kaoru finally had time to take in the girl before him—her slightly reddened eyes, her sniffling little nose, and the way she nervously lowered her gaze under his scrutiny.
Because of the cold weather, she was also wearing a jacket, and her "sports sitting" posture made her usually unnoticeable chest press together into a full, rounded shape.
He had never realized she had such a figure—probably on par with Karuizawa.
"Didn't you have something to say to me?"
Kaoru broke the silence.
"I—I haven't figured it out yet, just wait a second!"
Tachibana Akane's face burned.
Truthfully, she didn't even know why she had stopped Kaoru in the first place.
She had no reason—she just wanted him to stay by her side.
How embarrassing.
Unable to bear it, Kaoru spoke up: "Earlier, senpai, you said you didn't want me to know. What was that about?"
Akane's lips were easy to read—thin like silkworms, and at this distance, they constantly drew attention.
"I don't want you to know… means I don't want you to know! Why do you care so much?"
Akane bit her lower lip, glaring at him with dissatisfaction.
"And also, were you deliberately trying to make fun of me? Letting Horikita see me like this?"
"But you didn't cry, right?" Kaoru looked puzzled.
"N-no, I didn't cry, but… I was planning to confess to Horikita, and now I—I look so pathetic!"
Akane couldn't take it anymore.
She raised a small fist, ready to hit him. "It's all your fault, all your fault, all your fault!"
Kaoru quickly caught her fist, but she refused to stop.
The two of them flailed around in a messy tussle, like kittens play-fighting.
Frustrated that her punches weren't landing, Akane decided to just headbutt him to death instead.
With a sudden thunk, Kaoru was caught off guard and sent sprawling onto his back.
"Hah! That—that feels much better!"
Akane straddled him, all traces of her earlier timidity gone, a hint of triumph flashing in her eyes.
"Even though I've decided to give up on Horikita, I'm still a little annoyed."
"I'm the annoyed one here," Kaoru gritted out. "Get off."
"Could you not talk to your senpai like that?"
Akane pouted. "You're always like this, seriously. Can't you be a little more polite?"
"You're the rude one."
The moment Kaoru moved, Akane noticed.
Quick as lightning, she tried to pin him down, but the physical gap between men and women wasn't something she could easily overcome.
Seeing Kaoru about to push her off, Akane hastily clamped her legs around him and grabbed his wrists to stop him from resisting.
Yet, the man's hands were like charging elephants—unstoppable.
Akane was forced back step by step.
As Kaoru sat up, the girl found herself with nowhere to retreat.
She was about to be flipped onto the ground, panic flashing in her eyes.
The next moment, she felt herself tilting backward—only for her waist to be caught and gently lowered to the floor.
"Senpai, this isn't about confessing anymore. If you keep acting like this, you'll get expelled."
Akane lay on the floor, staring up at the man looming over her.
After a dazed moment, she turned her face away and muttered, "What's the difference between expulsion and graduation if I'm leaving this place anyway?"
Kaoru was stunned for a moment before replying, "The difference is that being expelled is like a little dog being chased out of school."
"You're the little dog here!"
Akane glared at him, then slumped dejectedly. "We were being so careful too. Horikita told us to spread out so no single group would be targeted and we wouldn't lose too many points. Yet this still happened."
Both Horikita Manabu and Nagumo Miyabi had carried their entire classes single-handedly.
Without Horikita, students like Tachibana Akane would likely have been overtaken by Class 3-B long ago.
In fact, the current point gap between them was only about three hundred points.
One careless mistake in a special exam could erase that difference entirely.
Akane knew exactly where she stood - she, like most of her classmates, were essentially dead weight.
"Like I said earlier, this isn't your fault, senpai. Even if it weren't you, someone else might have been next - like Shimamura," Kaoru said. "He's currently the group leader, and his subordinates aren't cooperating. They want him expelled."
A leader could designate someone for expulsion if that person deliberately sabotaged the exam and affected the group's performance.
However, if everyone simply tried their best but could only score below average, this kind of "impact" wouldn't trigger the rule.
After all, no one could demand everyone score highly.
"So we're dragging Horikita down," Akane muttered gloomily. "I don't even want to confess to Horikita anymore."
"Whether you confess is your business, but senpai, you can't drop out now." Kaoru placed his hands on either side of her, leaving just ten centimeters between them as their eyes met.
"And actually, you're pretty amazing. Don't sell yourself short like this."
"What's so amazing about me?"
Akane stared intently.
Kaoru spoke softly, "Back then, most of the student council work was handled by you. Nagumo didn't lift a finger, and even the accounting tasks were checked by you. Horikita-senpai only handled the approvals."
"And what else?"
Akane's gaze remained fixed.
"Horikita-senpai said you helped him with a lot—dealing with special exams, handling enemies, dealing with Nagumo. He might not have managed without you."
"Is that all?"
"..."
Kaoru averted his eyes, but the girl stubbornly cupped his face, forcing him to look back at her.
"Whether Horikita ever said that about me, I don't know. But you still haven't told me how you feel about me."
Perhaps it was because she was touching his face, but Kaoru felt his heartbeat quicken.
"Senpai is uniquely innocent and adorable, like a girl."
Akane showed a flicker of confusion before her expression turned annoyed.
"What do you mean, 'like a girl'? I am a girl!"
Kaoru chuckled, then lowered his voice.
"And how does senpai feel about me?"
Akane stiffened.
How did she feel about him?
Just then, she snapped back to reality—the way he phrased it sounded like something between a couple flirting.
What had she just been asking?
Flustered, she tried to push Kaoru away, but remembering how she had been no match for him earlier, her mind grew even more chaotic.
The moment her eyes met his, her entire body burned.
"I—I-I-I… You… You're just a rude underclassman!"
"Senpai, you shouldn't say things like that to people so easily."
"I'll say whatever I want!"
"In that case, I'll be even ruder."
As he spoke, Kaoru's gaze drifted downward, his meaning unmistakable.
At first, Akane didn't react.
But after a brief pause, a wave of embarrassment surged up her cheeks, turning her face crimson.
"Pervert!"
"I like you."
"You're disgusting, stay away—"
Mid-sentence, Akane froze, staring blankly at Kaoru.