However, just as Hachiman was about to test out Gabriel, he noticed Kirisu Mafuyu entering the classroom carrying a stack of books. After placing the books on the podium, she knocked on it with a stern expression.
Seeing this, Yuina and the others had no choice but to return to their seats, deciding to learn about the romantic affairs of little Hikigaya and the innocent Gabriel after class.
"Eh-hem, Ichinose-san, you can come in now," After ensuring that the classroom was quiet and everyone had returned to their seats, Kirisu Mafuyu looked towards the classroom door, where Ichinose Honami was waiting.
[Ding~]
[Character card detected—Ichinose Honami]
'Ichinose Honami? Ichinose Fat-honami? Why is she showing up here too?'
Hachiman was extremely surprised as he watched the pink-haired straight-long girl, full of aid aura, slowly enter the classroom following the system prompt.
Ichinose Honami, nickname Fat-honami, had outstanding looks, a straightforward personality, and exceptional social skills. She could be described as a nearly perfect girl.
Although she had a dark history, that wasn't the main point. The main point was, why was Ichinose Honami transferring here?
And that surname...
Hachiman glanced toward the front rows of the classroom and saw Ichinose Ayano, who was also looking at him.
The moment their eyes met, Ichinose Ayano quickly averted her gaze.
Since he had just arrived at school, Hachiman hadn't had the chance to put the empathy bracelet on Ichinose Ayano yet. Now, Ayano wanted his help but also didn't want to face the torment of the empathy bracelet.
"Ichinose-san, please introduce yourself briefly."
Seeing Ichinose Honami standing in front of the class, Kirisu Mafuyu gestured for her to introduce herself.
"Hello, everyone, I'm Ichinose Honami," Ichinose Honami greeted the class with a smile, but before she could continue introducing herself, someone impatiently raised a question.
"Question, question! Ichinose-san, do you know our classmate Ichinose Ayano? What's your relationship?"
A blonde gyaru, Takasaka Miwa, raised her hand high and shouted loudly.
The moment she spoke, everyone's gaze shifted to the center of the classroom, landing on Ichinose Ayano, a girl with a dignified appearance, elegant demeanor, and a fishtail-braided princess hairstyle.
Ichinose Ayano, like Yukinoshita Yukino, was the daughter of a politician and quite popular in the class.
Now, another "Ichinose" had appeared out of nowhere, naturally sparking curiosity about their relationship.
"Actually, we are long-lost sisters," Ichinose Honami's gaze fell on Ichinose Ayano. Seeing Ayano maintaining a straight face and staring at her without speaking, Honami smiled slightly.
"Eh?"
Takasaka Miwa was stunned. They were really sisters? She was just joking to lighten the mood.
Kitagawa Marin, Ijichi Nijika, and the others were also surprised. They had thought it was just a coincidence, but Ichinose Ayano actually had a sister.
Everyone had always believed that Ichinose Ayano was an only child.
"Just kidding, we're not biological sisters," Seeing everyone's astonishment, Ichinose Honami laughed and shook her head.
"But Ayano and I are indeed relatives. Due to certain reasons, I came to Chiba for school and am temporarily staying at Ayano's house."
"Since both Ayano and I have the surname Ichinose, calling us both Ichinose might cause confusion. To avoid misunderstandings, you can just call me Honami."
Hearing that Ichinose Honami was indeed related to Ichinose Ayano and that she wanted everyone to call her by her first name, the class couldn't help but be impressed.
"Calling her by name?"
"Honami's smile is so warm and cute."
Although Ichinose Ayano wasn't as cold and distant as Yukinoshita Yukino, she still seemed less approachable compared to the cheerful and friendly Ichinose Honami.
"Ayano, you actually have such a beautiful relative? I've never heard about this before!"
Ichinose Ayano's friend, Horikiri Chinna, turned to her, wanting to ask for details. But when she did, she saw Ayano maintaining a straight face.
"Alright, you can get to know Ichinose-san better later. For now, it's time for class."
Seeing that everyone had already shown great interest in Ichinose Honami, the cold-faced teacher, Kirisu Mafuyu, decisively interrupted the discussion.
Although Honami didn't introduce much about herself, she had already established her relationship with Ichinose Ayano. She should be able to integrate into the class without further effort.
"Ichinose-san, can you temporarily sit with Tenma at the back of the classroom? Tenma-san, if you don't mind, please bring over an extra desk after class."
Kirisu Mafuyu looked at Ichinose Honami and Tenma Gabriel, asking for their opinions.
As a teacher, she hadn't been late today, but unfortunately, she had forgotten to arrange a desk for the transfer student.
It was partly because the transfer notice came over the weekend… and since she was the first teacher today, the responsibility fell on her.
"I don't mind, but Tenma-san..."
Ichinose Honami hesitated, looking toward the back of the classroom at the small blonde girl near the door.
"I don't mind either. Actually, I transferred here not long ago. If you have any questions, I can help answer them."
Gabriel looked at Ichinose Honami and nodded with a smile.
On her first day, Hachiman had shared his desk with her because she had no textbooks. Now it was her turn to help a transfer student.
"In that case, Honami-san, you can sit next to Tenma-san for now. The class rep brought a chair, so you can sit for now. After class, she will help you move a desk."
Seeing the class rep, Rurikawa Tsubaki, bringing a chair from the teacher's office, Kirisu Mafuyu nodded, not wasting more time before starting the lesson.
"Alright, thank you, Kirisu-sensei."
Ichinose Honami thanked her, picked up a stack of textbooks from the podium, walked to Gabriel's side, and set them down.
Just as she was about to sit next to Gabriel, she suddenly saw the small blonde girl gently pressing down on her chair, her face slightly flushed, and pointing to the inner side of the room.
"Um... Honami-san, can you sit here instead?"
"Huh? I mean, I can, but..."
Ichinose Honami was confused. Gabriel wanted her to sit between her and Hachiman instead of taking the outer seat?
"That's great," Seeing Honami agree, Gabriel quickly lifted her tiny hands and moved the chair closer to Hachiman, positioning Honami between them, blocking Hachiman's view.
"Uh...", As soon as she sat down, Ichinose Honami suddenly felt like she was being used as a tool.
As soon as Ichinose Honami sat down, she suddenly felt like she had become a tool.
She didn't know why Gabriel wanted her to sit here, and Hachiman kept glancing over in this direction.
Now, sitting between the two of them, she couldn't tell if Hachiman was looking at her or at Gabriel.
[Don't mind it. When Gabriel first transferred here, she shared a desk with me just like this. Maybe seeing you reminded her of when she first arrived.]
Hachiman suddenly pushed his desk slightly forward, joining his desk with Gabriel's. Then, he casually picked up Gabriel's small notebook, flipped to a new page, and wrote two lines before pushing it in front of Ichinose Honami.
[I see. Thank you. How should I address you?]
Ichinose Honami hadn't expected that Gabriel had once been in the same situation as her. No wonder she agreed so readily to her request to share desks. She immediately took out a pen and wrote her thanks and response in the notebook.
However, she still felt very puzzled about Gabriel making her sit closer to Hachiman.
Looking at Gabriel's attitude, she didn't seem to dislike Hachiman. In fact, she didn't even react when his desk moved closer.
But if they had a good relationship, why would Gabriel make her sit in between, blocking his view?
Could it be… Gabriel and Hachiman were a couple and currently in the middle of an argument?
Ichinose Honami glanced at Gabriel's flawless, cute face, which had a rosy tint, and then at her wide but completely flat chest. She suddenly felt that her task this time would be difficult.
'Does Hachiman like this type?'
If that was the case, then there was really nothing she could do. It wasn't like she could shrink her own figure.
And she certainly wasn't about to become a third wheel.
[Hikigaya Hachiman, call me whatever you like.]
Hachiman pushed the notebook back. Ichinose Honami looked at the name she already knew, thought for a moment, and then wrote down her choice.
[Then I'll call you Hikigaya-kun. You can just call me Honami.]
Hachiman read Ichinose Honami's reply and nodded subtly.
Letting everyone call her by her first name made her seem very friendly and approachable. But in reality, she wasn't without boundaries. It was clear from how she addressed others that she wasn't the type to casually call people by their first names.
Letting others call her by name was probably just to distinguish herself from Ichinose Ayano.
Actually, Ichinose Honami's presence didn't seem too abrupt, and even Ichinose Ayano seemed to be hiding something from him.
But he didn't care whether the two had any connection. Just seeing Ichinose Honami made him wonder if Ichinose the politician was up to something.
After all, he knew that Ichinose Honami was originally supposed to be at the Advanced Nurturing High School as a class leader.
However, the politician Ichinose was desperate for Iris's support. Even though he already had Ichinose Ayano, sending over another Ichinose Honami wasn't entirely out of the question.
The only thing that really surprised him was that Ichinose Honami and Ichinose Ayano, despite being polar opposites, were actually related.
He almost felt like getting rid of that politician. But to his surprise, not only had the politician sent his daughter, but now he was also sending another girl filled with goodwill like Ichinose Honami.
Maybe he should keep the politician around for a few more years—until he was no longer useful.
[Um… Hikigaya-kun, are you and Gabriel dating?]
Ichinose Honami glanced at Gabriel, who was sitting next to her and was completely indifferent to their notebook conversation, occasionally glancing over but otherwise uninterested. She wrote down her question and pushed the notebook toward Hachiman.
[No, Gabriel is way too exceptional for me. I just helped her a little when she first transferred. Now, she rents an apartment next to mine. Why do you ask?]
Hachiman's reply came back quickly, but Ichinose Honami was even more confused after reading it.
Just an ordinary relationship? Yet they could share desks so casually in class, and he could even use her notebook without hesitation?
Judging from the fact that Gabriel had her sit closer to Hachiman, their relationship didn't seem so simple.
But since Hachiman had already said so, she wouldn't press further.
[Sorry, I was just making a wild guess.]
Hachiman saw her response and had no intention of continuing the topic.
Yeah, right. He was literally using Gabriel's notebook while Gabriel was sitting right next to Ichinose Honami. There was no way he'd randomly start saying something like "Gabriel likes me" or "I like Gabriel."
What if Gabriel found out he had ulterior motives?
Still, Ichinose Honami's misunderstanding was pretty interesting.
Their relationship really wasn't that close, so why did Ichinose Honami immediately suspect they were a couple?
From an outsider's perspective, Gabriel's casual attitude toward passing notes with him in class made their relationship seem close. Now that Gabriel had moved next door, they would be going to and from school together. That would only deepen the misunderstanding.
Well… whatever. The misunderstanding actually worked in his favor.
Wasn't that exactly why Yuina and the others had been helping him out? Though it wasn't entirely a misunderstanding. He really did like Gabriel, that little angel.
[Uh… I think the teacher is watching us…]
Ichinose Honami suddenly took the notebook again, wrote a line, and handed it to Hachiman. He looked up at the podium, where the cold-faced little pink dragon was staring straight at them, and sighed helplessly.
This was bad. Kirisu Mafuyu was going to catch him.
It wasn't that he disliked or looked down on teachers like Kirisu Mafuyu, who seemed elegant but were actually a mess in private, unable to even manage their own lives. But before graduation, it was never a good idea to get too involved with teachers.
Kirisu Mafuyu, standing at the podium, watched as the two students at the back of the classroom casually passed a notebook back and forth, even leading Ichinose Honami, the excellent new transfer student, astray. The coldness on her face grew stronger.
It happened last time, and now it was happening again. It seemed she needed to call Hachiman to the student guidance office and give him some proper guidance.
Noticing Kirisu Mafuyu's expression, Ichinose Honami quickly sat up straight and started paying attention to the lecture.
She had other tasks to accomplish here, but she also wanted to study hard. If she could get into university on her own, she wouldn't have to worry so much about her family's financial situation in the future.
Seeing this, Hachiman patiently waited until class ended before standing up and speaking to Ichinose Honami.
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