Ichinose may be overly kind, but she's not slow or stupid. In fact, she's very sensitive to emotions.
Her kindness comes from a belief that even if she knows something might be a trap, she'll still help someone in need, even if it means getting hurt herself.
During the leader-guessing part of the exam, she initially wanted to give up, but after Kanzaki insisted, she wrote down A-Class's Totsuka Yahiko. In the end, Kanzaki's guess turned out to be right. At the same time, the outcome for A-Class shocked Ichinose and made her realize something was off.
Since A-Class ended up with zero points, it was clear that not only was their leader correctly guessed, but at least two other classes had guessed correctly as well.
And now that Ichinose knew from Kanzaki that the information about A-Class's leader came from Hikigaya, she couldn't ignore all these "coincidences."
"You guessed right. I was the one who encouraged Shiranami to do it."
Ichinose hadn't expected Hikigaya to admit it so easily. The words she had prepared suddenly got stuck in her throat.
"So... are you happy with this result?"
"I... I..."
Ichinose looked at Hikigaya's face, searching for any change in his expression. But all she saw was cold indifference.
"Why... why did you do this? Chihiro, she—"
"Why?"
Hikigaya suddenly laughed, as if he had just heard a joke.
"Ichinose, deep down, you know why Shiranami pushed herself so hard for her class, even if it meant hurting herself."
"Even if it wasn't me, if it were someone else, Shiranami would have made the same choice."
Hikigaya stared at Ichinose with an icy gaze.
"You believe in a world where no one gets hurt. But in the end, you're the only one who stays unharmed. Don't you think that's ridiculous?"
Hikigaya was genuinely angry. Looking at her, he saw the same foolishness he once had—the naive belief in a world where no one had to suffer. But in reality, that belief was just an excuse to avoid facing the truth.
Because of that foolishness, Shizuka-sensei had suffered. So had the two people from the Service Club.
After what happened in middle school, Hikigaya had finally seen the truth and stopped running from it.
And now, Ichinose was even worse than he had been back then. He was saved by Shizuka-sensei... but who would save her?
If this were a normal school, her personality might actually be a strength.
But in a school that encouraged ruthless competition, it was her biggest weakness. And as time passed, that weakness would only grow, eventually destroying her.
He told himself not to get involved. But in the end, he couldn't help it.
Hikigaya let out a bitter laugh and cursed himself for being like this.
"Ichinose, as long as you keep running from the truth, the people around you will keep getting hurt."
He looked straight into Ichinose's eyes. There was something complicated in his gaze.
"You don't want to plant flowers because you're afraid they'll wither. You don't want to get hurt, so you choose a world where no one gets hurt. You don't want things to end, so you run away from the beginning."
"A baby stumbles and falls before learning to walk. Do you think getting hurt along the way is avoidable? The real problem isn't the pain from falling—it's when you're too afraid to stand up again."
"Too afraid... to stand up again?"
Ichinose lowered her head and repeated his words in a whisper.
If it were Hikigaya-kun... maybe he could...
Then, as if making a huge decision, she suddenly looked up.
"Hikigaya-kun, I... I have a secret. It's something from my past—"
"Ho-Honami-chan! It's really late! Y-You should go to bed! Staying up late is bad for your skin!"
A sudden voice interrupted them.
Ichinose recognized it right away. When she turned around and saw who it was, she quickly stood up.
"Chihiro-chan! Why did you get out of bed? Didn't Hoshinomiya-sensei tell you to rest for a few more days?"
Ichinose looked at her with concern, her voice filled with worry.
Shiranami Chihiro had already received treatment, but her face was still pale, and she looked weak.
It was obvious she hadn't recovered yet.
"Good evening, Shiranami."
Out of politeness—and a little guilt—Hikigaya greeted her. But as soon as she heard him, Shiranami Chihiro immediately stepped in front of Ichinose like a mother hen protecting her chick, trying to put on a "fierce" expression.
Why does she look more like a puffed-up kitten?
Hikigaya couldn't help but complain in his head. To him, Shiranami's attempt at looking intimidating had no effect at all. Instead, she gave off the vibe of a weak little cat.
"Anyway, Honami-chan, it's getting late. We should head back to our room."
Like a strict mother, Shiranami grabbed Ichinose's arm, pulling her along. But Ichinose resisted slightly and spoke up in a hurry.
"Wait, wait a second, Chihiro-chan. I still have something really important to tell Hikigaya-kun. Maybe you could..."
The moment Shiranami heard the words "really important," her expression changed as if she had expected this all along. She tightened her grip.
"No way!"
At the same time, she glared at Hikigaya with frustration. In that instant, he saw a mix of emotions on her face—anger, resentment, fear, and... jealousy?
In the end, Ichinose couldn't go against Shiranami—or maybe it was her guilt toward the girl that stopped her. She sighed, apologized to Hikigaya, and left with Shiranami.
Before disappearing, Shiranami turned back and met Hikigaya's gaze. She lifted her chin slightly, as if declaring, Ichinose is mine!
"???"
On the way back to their room, Ichinose let out a deep sigh. She had finally worked up the courage to share her secret with Hikigaya, but...
"Chihiro-chan, I really had something important to—"
Before she could finish, Shiranami cut her off.
"Of course, I know it was important! It's a good thing I stepped in on time, or else you would've ended up confessing to that awful guy!"
Silence filled the air.
"Huh?"
Ichinose stood frozen, mouth wide open.
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