Shimizu Akira's thoughts had long drifted from Horikita's bathroom dilemma—his focus now on the meeting with Ichihōse Honami, who'd just texted:
"I'm here!"
After lunch, he headed straight for the school building entrance.
Yesterday, Satō-senpai had messaged:
"About that date—my girlfriend asked, but the girl's busy this week."
(Translation: Ichihōse declined.)
Satō had vowed to reschedule, but Shimizu knew the truth:
The "girl" was Ichihōse herself.
(Did she refuse knowing it was me? Or did she never find out?)
Either way, asking would only breed awkwardness.
The Meeting
Under the cherry blossom tree, Ichihōse waited—pink hair fluttering as she waved. "Shimizu-kun! Sorry for the wait!"
"I'm the late one."
"Here's the exam printout." She handed over the papers, fingers delicately securing the edges.
Shimizu skimmed the pages—every blank filled with neat, printer-like handwriting.
This was far more meticulous than Sakayanagi's barebones version.
Where Sakayanagi had omitted steps, Ichihōse had:
Detailed derivations.
Textbook page references.
Warning symbols by tricky steps.
"You polished this yourself?"
"A bit." Ichihōse smiled. "Sakayanagi-san's version was... hard to follow. This was for Class B—I printed an extra."
"Join us at the library if you'd like. I'll be tutoring Class B on these."
Then, abruptly: "Any progress on the surveillance renter?"
"We've traced it to laptop purchases. Got a list of all buyers."
Ichihōse's eyes widened. "The student council president mentioned—only laptops can install the surveillance system! Was that your idea or Shiina-san's?"
"Mine."
"...Shimizu-kun, you'd make a great detective."
"Just a lucky guess." He shifted uncomfortably.
(If anything, I'm the culprit.)
Ichihōse's praise—effortlessly sincere—reminded him of Kushida's social finesse, albeit genuine versus performative.
No wonder she was universally adored.
(The "Ultimate Charisma" of Advanced Nurturing High.)
Even Satō's girlfriend had been won over effortlessly.
If Shiina Hiyori radiated a "calm aura +1", Ichihōse was "likability +1" incarnate.
"Actually, that's why I wanted to talk." Shimizu organized his thoughts. "Four Class B students bought laptops."
"Ah—you want me to ask their purchase reasons?" She laughed sheepishly. "Though... one's me. I bought mine for the surveillance system. Does that make me a suspect?"
"Of course not!" Shimizu replied without hesitation. "I trust you completely."
(I know it's not you—I'm the renter.)
Ichihōse blinked, caught off-guard.
Shimizu was calculating by nature—yet here he was, trusting her instantly.
The warmth of that unconditional faith dissolved her lingering unease.
"Then leave it to me!" Her voice brightened. "How about I call them now? You whisper questions, I'll ask. Efficient and discreet."
"Perfect." Shimizu agreed instantly. "Thanks—this helps a lot."
(She's really going out of her way for me.)