*Saiki, what kind of tricks are you pulling? Even I... and maybe even Ayanokōji can't see through you.*
Arisu narrowed her eyes, her gaze piercing through Haruki to land on Saiki.
*Let's settle this after the next special exam.*
Arisu declared in her mind, and Saiki heard every word.
*'Geez, looks like trouble's coming my way.'*
Saiki sighed.
Beside Arisu, Kamuro, Hashimoto, and a strange-looking boy had different thoughts.
*Pathetic. Does he really think Arisu would fall for someone like him?*
Kamuro looked at Haruki, now beaming brighter than the sun, with a hint of sadness.
*Saiki... what kind of person is he, really?*
Hashimoto wondered.
Until the training camp, he'd barely noticed Saiki, only vaguely remembering his face. He recalled Saiki's decent performance at the sports festival, but that was it.
Now, however, events had made him take notice.
Nagumo's cryptic comment—*"He's the man Horikita most admires"*—and the fact that Horikita had willingly raced against Saiki in the relay...
Add to that, Ayanokōji, whom Arisu respected, had mentioned Saiki's name. It piqued Hashimoto's curiosity.
Class D rising to Class B, Ryūen's downfall, and Arisu's plan against Ichinose failing...
If Saiki was behind all this...
*Could he be even more powerful than Arisu or Ryūen?*
Hashimoto couldn't help but think.
He was a fair-weather friend, always siding with whoever seemed most likely to win.
*If Saiki's as dangerous as he seems, even betraying Arisu might be worth it.*
*'I don't want followers like you!'*
Saiki groaned inwardly.
"Let's talk somewhere else. Too many people here," Arisu said, turning back to Haruki.
"Okay, okay!"
Haruki nodded eagerly and followed Arisu out of the classroom.
*'Geez... Haruki's in for it now.'*
Saiki thought.
Whatever happened to Haruki later, it would be his own fault.
"Kusuo..."
Just then, Saiki heard a faint voice.
It was Sakura Airi.
"Kusuo... check your desk..."
Airi said, her clear eyes fixed on him seriously.
*'Geez.'*
Saiki already knew Airi had left chocolates in his desk but pretended not to notice earlier.
*I wanted... to be the first to give Kusuo chocolates... it felt more meaningful... I wonder if he'll like them...*
Airi was nervous. She'd never interacted much with others, let alone given chocolates to a boy on Valentine's Day. It was something she'd never dared imagine before, and she worried Saiki wouldn't like them.
She'd wanted to give them in person but was too scared with so many people around. So, she'd come early and left the chocolates in his desk before anyone noticed.
"Thanks."
Saiki nodded at Airi.
"Okay."
Airi smiled, seeing he'd accepted her gift.
Minutes later, Saiki received gifts from a few more girls.
First was Satō Maya, whose chocolates, though unspoken, were clearly *honmei*.
Kushida and Hasebe also gave him chocolates, but theirs were obviously *giri*.
Four chocolates by morning—Saiki was surprised.
Soon, classes began. Though Valentine's Day was special for students, it meant nothing to teachers.
During class, Saiki noticed someone's gaze on him.
It was Karuizawa Kei.
Sitting far from Saiki, her glances were obvious.
*It's Valentine's Day! I got him chocolates—he loves sweets, so he'll like them!*
*But I won't give them now, not with everyone watching.*
*And giving them now would make me just like everyone else. I want to be special!*
*'Geez.'*
...
By afternoon, as Saiki packed his bag, he saw Karuizawa had already left.
His phone buzzed with a message from her:
*Karuizawa: Meet me behind the school building. I'll be waiting!*
*'Skipping this would be trouble.'*
Saiki headed to their meeting spot.
Seeing him, Karuizawa smiled and rushed over.
"I've got something to say. Can I ask?"
"Go ahead."
"What day is it today?"
"February 14th."
"I meant what holiday!"
Karuizawa pouted, pulling out chocolates and tapping Saiki's head.
*If our roles were reversed, these chocolates would be crushed,* Saiki thought.
"Didn't expect chocolates from me, did you?"
Karuizawa smirked, clearly proud.
*Actually, I knew last week,* Saiki thought.
He'd heard her thoughts then, debating which chocolates to get him.
She'd wanted to give them a day early but decided the 14th was more meaningful.
"You're right, I didn't expect it."
Saiki admitted.
"You're welcome! You can repay me a thousand times over!"
Typical Karuizawa.
*Did Saiki get me chocolates? I can't ask directly, though!*
She playfully punched his chest.
"Did you get gifts from other girls today?"
*'Geez, how do I answer this?'*
Saiki never thought he'd face such a question.
"I know Sakura, Satō, and the others gave you some!"
Karuizawa bit her lip, her gaze flicking from Saiki's face.
"And the final exams are coming up. You know that, right?"
"Of course."
"They might be tough... maybe you could tutor me?"
She looked back at him.
"We already have a study group. We'll review together, right?"
Saiki pointed out.
"True, but my weak subjects are different. I'm too embarrassed to ask!"
Karuizawa persisted, leaving Saiki no choice but to agree.
"It's so cold, so cold! It's already February, but the temperature hasn't risen at all. It's too cold. I'm heading back! See you tonight!"
"Mm."
Kusuo nodded helplessly and left as well.
"Seriously, is this guy made of wood?!"
Ten seconds later, Karuizawa, who had already left, stopped in her tracks, turned around, and saw Kusuo's departing figure. She muttered slightly annoyed but quickly brushed it off and returned to the dorm.
As she entered the dorm hall, Karuizawa noticed something sticking out of her mailbox.
"What's this?"
She walked over, opened the mailbox, and found a beautifully wrapped box of chocolates inside.
There was no note or message, so it was impossible to tell who it was from.
"Seriously."
But Karuizawa smiled, as if she already knew the answer.
...
Meanwhile, Kusuo put the chocolates Karuizawa had given him into his bag and prepared for the next task.
After parting ways with Karuizawa, Kusuo used his psychic powers to distribute the chocolates he had bought earlier to the people he met during the day.
*Don't overthink it. I just don't want to owe anyone favors.*
Kusuo thought to himself.
However, he didn't return to his dorm immediately. Instead, he headed to deal with another matter—related to Honami.
After all, shortly after parting with Karuizawa, Kusuo faintly heard Honami's thoughts calling for him.
*Since the spread of rumors has been banned, Honami can move more freely now? But what does she want from me?*
Kusuo didn't know why Honami was looking for him, but he still walked toward the location where her thoughts were coming from.
"Ah, Kusuo!"
Upon seeing him, Honami's face lit up with a smile, and she ran toward him with light steps.
"I just asked Suzune and Kikyō where you were. I knew you'd be here!"
Kusuo had come here partly because of Honami and partly because there was a café nearby.
"What can I do for you?"
Kusuo asked.
"There's something I need to tell you in person!"
"What?"
Kusuo was puzzled, but a faint sense of unease crept into his mind.
"I know everything you've done for me. Even though you didn't tell anyone, I know it was you who helped me so much... If not for you, I might still be stuck in my past."
"I'm sure you already know about my past... but I still want to tell you myself. Earlier today, I confessed everything to my classmates. Back in middle school..."
"...I didn't want anyone to know, but I realized I couldn't grow without facing it. Thank you so much for everything you've done for me! I'm so sorry for causing you trouble..."
As she spoke, Honami bowed deeply to Kusuo.
Meanwhile, Kusuo's face was filled with question marks.
*????????*
*What's going on? Why is Honami suddenly thanking me? And why is she telling me everything that happened in the past? I already knew, but she didn't have to tell me directly like this.*
*My actions should have been flawless. Even Ayanokōji and Sakayanagi could only suspect me. How did Honami find out?*
Kusuo had used various methods to solve the problem without drawing attention to himself.
But in the end, Honami still found out?
Why?
Kusuo tried to use telepathy to understand the reason but couldn't find any useful information.
"How... how did you know?"
He had no choice but to ask directly.
"Hiyori told me. She said it must have been you."
Honami replied seriously.
"Shiina..."
Kusuo sighed helplessly. If Hiyori had figured it out, it was indeed possible.
But he never expected Hiyori to tell Honami.