In the room, Hiyori finished taking mental notes and looked at the two girls who had fallen silent one after another. After a moment of thought, she smiled and changed the subject, saying: "Speaking of which, Chihiro and Ichinose are often together. Are you two out on a date today?"
"N-No," Chihiro Shiranami waved her hands, forcing a smile as she explained, "It's just that Ichinose has been looking quite down these past couple of days. We all discussed it in secret, and I was the one who brought her out to cheer her up."
With the class points announced yesterday, anyone could see it was a complete defeat for Class B. After her classmates noticed she was getting stuck in her own head, they secretly discussed it, and in the end, Chihiro volunteered to step up, which led to their outing today.
"I was wondering why Chihiro would want to go out to see a movie at night. So that's why."
Ichinose smoothly took up the new topic, pushing aside her extraneous feelings. With an apologetic look on her face, she said, "I'm sorry for making everyone worry. It's clearly due to my own lack of ability... I'll pull myself together soon."
"You don't need to apologize..."
Chihiro Shiranami fell silent for a moment. After a brief hesitation, she reached out, wrapped her arms around the girl's neck, pressed her cheek against hers, and murmured a gentle complaint:
"Honestly, Ichinose, you need to be more aware of yourself. Everyone really likes you, we like you so, so much... So, no one is going to blame you."
Ichinose was stunned for a moment. With a somewhat strained smile on her face, she returned the embrace of the small girl in her arms and replied in a gentle, low voice, "I know."
As the two girls embraced as if no one else was there, Hiyori Shiina observed their profiles and thought with a touch of regret, "Well, I can probably guess what the situation is in Class B. It seems like everyone is having a tough time."
A leader who is all too good at getting lost in her own head, surrounded by a group of kind people who trust her completely. One could understand Ichinose's pressure, and also how helpless the Class B students must feel.
Unfortunately, with Chihiro Shiranami as a living example, the girl whose relationship with Ichinose was merely that of 'acquaintances who could make small talk' was in no position to say much at this moment.
Just as the girl was thinking this, Ichinose, who was in front of her, had already separated from Chihiro Shiranami and stood up to say goodbye. "I've received your reminder, Shiina-san. I'll be more careful from now on. It's getting late, so we'll be heading back now."
Chihiro Shiranami also stood up, and after a moment's hesitation, also said her farewell, "Hiyori-chan, see you later."
Hiyori Shiina didn't think much of it, waving goodbye as the two left the dorm. She casually bolted the door, picked out a nightgown from her closet, and stood before the full-length mirror. She removed the hair tie from her head, slipped off her dress, and changed into an ice silk slip dress.
Just as she was about to get into bed, a knock suddenly sounded at the door again, followed by Chihiro Shiranami's deliberately hushed inquiry: "I'm so, so sorry to bother you, Hiyori, but could you open the door?"
"Um... I can... but could you wait just a moment?"
Hiyori Shiina replied, slightly puzzled. She glanced down at the sleeveless slip dress she was wearing, which revealed a good deal of her skin and charm. Confirming it wasn't suitable for receiving guests, she quickly grabbed her school uniform from the closet and threw it on.
Opening the door again, Chihiro Shiranami was standing outside, clearly hesitant. She tentatively half-raised a hand and requested, "Hiyori-chan... can I come in to talk?"
"Of course," Hiyori nodded. After inviting the girl in and having her sit down, she said, amused, "So this is what you meant by 'see you later' just now."
"Because... because it's a very personal topic, and I didn't really want Ichinose to hear it."
"And it's okay if it's me?" Hiyori Shiina was a bit confused.
When it came to personal topics, she and Shiranami hadn't had much interaction beyond exchanging greetings when they ran into each other in the elevator or the hallway. By any measure, she didn't seem like a suitable confidante.
"Because Hiyori is a very kind and amazing person, and also..."
...also, you don't have many friends, and you don't seem like the type to gossip—Chihiro Shiranami didn't dare say this part out loud, feeling it would be too hurtful.
Hiyori Shiina understood her unspoken meaning. After confirming that this wasn't an impulsive decision, she smiled and asked, "I see. Do you need a moment to compose yourself?"
"N-No, it's fine. I already prepared myself before coming."
As she said this, Chihiro Shiranami took a deep breath, pulled a pink-covered letter from her skirt, and presented it to the girl with both hands. "Please, open it and read."
Hearing this, Symon remarked with a sigh, "A love letter, huh. Haven't seen one of these in years. How very youthful and spring-like."
Hiyori Shiina's eyes flickered slightly as she whispered softly, "Mr. Ghost, have you ever received a love letter before?"
"Nope. I was the one who delivered love letters for a girl. Later on, it even became a part of a little couple's fun. Fortunately, I got to attend their wedding banquet in the end, so it wasn't a total loss."
"That's... rather difficult to comment on."
Thinking this to herself, Hiyori Shiina smiled, took the love letter, and carefully opened the envelope to read it.
Following the girl's perspective, Symon also took a look, and to his surprise—it was a love letter addressed to Ichinose, and the writer was Chihiro Shiranami.
It was clear the girl had a lot she wanted to say to her; her round, neat handwriting filled the entire page.
The beginning of the letter was a monologue from the depths of the girl's heart, expressing her admiration and affection. At the same time, it was Chihiro Shiranami's confession to Honami Ichinose.
The letter ended with these few lines:
I want to share your burdens, so you don't have to face difficulties alone.
I want to share your responsibilities, so you don't have to meet every expectation alone.
I want to share your pressure, so you don't have to blame yourself for failures alone.
At this point, the letter's contents came to an abrupt end. It was obvious—this love letter wasn't even finished.
After reading it through carefully, Symon thought for a moment and said, "You can tell this kid really likes her. But Ichinose probably won't accept, right?"
"Doesn't Mr. Ghost find it strange? They're both girls, after all. To be honest... I'm a little scared right now. This girl is a bit too much."
Hiyori Shiina held the letter up to hide her face, secretly peeking at Chihiro Shiranami. When she was noticed, she quickly lowered her head again.
"Hmm... how should I put it? You probably think that way because you haven't interacted with girls who like girls before. The chances of them falling for someone else are much lower than you'd think."
As Symon said this, he thought for a moment and then tentatively asked, "Do you need to switch? I have experience with this."
"Absolutely not!" For the first time, the girl rejected his proposal with such a firm tone.
...
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