Ichinose Honami's sudden addition made the atmosphere around this small round table even more subtle.
Kushida Kikyo enthusiastically invited Ichinose Honami to sit down:
"Ichinose-san, please, sit down! We can chat together!"
She seemed completely oblivious to Horikita Suzune's low spirits and Classmate Ayanokoji's indifference, or rather, she selectively ignored them.
Ichinose Honami gracefully sat down in the empty seat, her pink long hair smoothly falling to her shoulders, a gentle smile on her face as her gaze swept over the three people at the table:
"What a coincidence. Kushida-san, who are these two...?"
"Oh, let me introduce them!"
Kushida Kikyo immediately interjected,
"This is Classmate Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, and this is Classmate Horikita Suzune. They are both our classmates from D Class."
"Hello, I'm Ichinose Honami from B Class."
Ichinose Honami smiled and bowed again,
"It's a pleasure to meet you."
Classmate Ayanokoji nodded expressionlessly: "Hello."
Horikita Suzune still had her head down, exuding an aura that warned others to stay away.
Kushida Kikyo completely disregarded Horikita-san's silence; she turned to Ichinose Honami and started chatting naturally:
"Ichinose-san, are we celebrities? I remember we met on the day of the entrance ceremony..."
"It was at the Student Council's club recruitment briefing!"
Ichinose Honami said with a smile,
"That day you proactively greeted me and asked many questions about clubs! Kushida-san is so enthusiastic and outgoing, it's hard not to remember her!"
She paused, her tone filled with sincere praise,
"And, I heard you're still a very active member of D Class, helping classmates with many things, which is really impressive!"
"No, no, not at all! I just want to make friends with everyone! Ichinose-san is the truly amazing one; it seems you're already a leader in B Class, aren't you? Everyone says you're especially kind and capable!"
"I wouldn't dare to call myself a leader," Ichinose Honami smiled modestly, "I'm just working hard with everyone to make B Class better."
"Oh, that reminds me!"
Kushida Kikyo clapped her hands as if suddenly remembering something, a hint of self-satisfaction on her face,
"I saw you all chatting so intently just now, so I took the liberty of ordering coffee for everyone! It should be ready soon!"
Her gaze swept over Classmate Ayanokoji and Horikita Suzune, then looked at Ichinose-san.
"As for me, I've already ordered."
Ichinose Honami smiled, responding to Kushida-san's gaze.
Classmate Ayanokoji was expressionless, saying nothing.
Horikita Suzune remained silent.
Kushida Kikyo's enthusiastic introductions and ordering arrangements were like gliding on ice,
though smooth, they couldn't conceal the chill beneath.
She tried to lead the conversation and create a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere,
but Horikita-san's silence and Classmate Ayanokoji's indifference made her efforts seem somewhat futile.
Ichinose Honami clearly noticed the awkward atmosphere; her gaze shifted:
"This cafe is indeed very popular; the environment is nice, and the coffee smells good. But..."
Her gaze fell upon the busy figure in the center of the cafe.
"The most captivating one is probably that Waiter, Sakamoto-kun, right?"
"Sakamoto-kun?"
Kushida Kikyo immediately chimed in,
"Yes, he is so special. His movements are incredibly elegant, like a performance!"
Ichinose Honami nodded:
"Hmm, I heard he performs exceptionally well in Class A too, with top grades and outstanding abilities. And he always seems to do unexpected things."
She paused, then added as if casually,
"Like being able to work here, even though part-time jobs are forbidden by school rules."
Ayanokoji's gaze swept over Ichinose Honami.
This leader of Class B seemed to pay particular attention to Sakamoto.
Although Horikita Suzune still kept her head down, her fidgeting fingers paused slightly.
"Yes, yes!"
Kushida Kikyo echoed, but her interest clearly wasn't there.
"Sakamoto-kun is indeed amazing! But…"
She changed the subject, trying to bring it back to "making friends."
"Ichinose-san, does your Class B also organize activities frequently? Your class atmosphere feels especially good!"
However, Ichinose Honami didn't seem to immediately pick up on Kushida's words.
Her gaze remained on Sakamoto.
Her presence here today was not accidental.
Her homeroom teacher, Hoshinomiya Chie, had specifically mentioned Sakamoto to her this morning,
implying that this Class A student might possess important information about the school's core rules, and hoping she could try to approach and understand him.
Now, seeing Sakamoto's unusual demeanor and temperament again, Ichinose Honami's curiosity grew even stronger.
"Indeed,"
Ichinose Honami withdrew her gaze and brought the topic back around.
"Sakamoto-kun is truly excellent. I heard his performance during the Student Council interview was also very impressive, with unique insights, even President Horikita was deeply impressed by him. Someone like him should be a core figure in Class A, right?"
Ayanokoji remained silent and did not participate in the discussion.
Horikita Suzune was stunned when she heard "President Horikita."
Her indifferent expression disappeared, replaced by a hint of surprise.
Her older brother—Horikita Manabu. The person who was invincible in her heart, was also deeply impressed by Sakamoto.
This also meant that Sakamoto and her brother might have already met or even conversed.
She wanted to ask Ichinose how she knew.
And Kushida Kikyo's smile became a bit stiff. She looked at Ichinose Honami and Ayanokoji, then at Horikita Suzune, who was still silent but seemed less resistant, and a strong sense of disappointment welled up in her heart.
This was completely different from the "making friends" scenario she had envisioned!
Why had the conversation inexplicably revolved around that Sakamoto?
Her carefully arranged "chance encounter" and ordering seemed to have become mere background.
Just then, a tall figure, carrying a tray, arrived at their table like a silent breeze.
It was Sakamoto.
He wore a neat black apron, his posture erect, and his gaze behind his black-rimmed glasses was calm and unruffled.
On the tray, four drinks were placed steadily.
Sakamoto gracefully and smoothly placed the drinks one by one in front of the corresponding people.
When he placed the black coffee in front of Ayanokoji, Ayanokoji's calm gaze lifted, meeting Sakamoto's eyes behind his lenses in mid-air.
Both their gazes were like deep pools, without the slightest emotional fluctuation, as if it were just the most ordinary eye contact.
"Everyone, please enjoy."
Sakamoto's voice was clear and calm.
"Sakamoto-kun!"
Kushida Kikyo seemed to have found an opportunity to break the deadlock.
"Do you still remember me? We met on the bus on the first day of school!"
Sakamoto's gaze turned to Kushida Kikyo, calmly observing her brightly smiling face:
"Kushida Kikyo-san. A pleasure to meet you."
He called out her name accurately!
"That's great! You still remember me!"
She seemed very pleased with this result.
Sakamoto's gaze then turned to Ichinose Honami, nodding calmly as well:
"Ichinose Honami-san."
Ichinose Honami's eyes lit up slightly.
"Sakamoto-kun, hello. I didn't expect you to remember me."
"A pleasure to meet you both."
Sakamoto's gaze finally swept over Ayanokoji and Horikita Suzune, who was still looking down, then he picked up his tray.
Ichinose Honami looked at Sakamoto, her heart stirring. This was a good opportunity to approach him!
She picked up her coffee, a friendly smile on her face, and invited him in a gentle voice:
"Sakamoto-kun, you seem to be working hard. Why don't you sit down and rest for a while? This cup of coffee is on me."
Her invitation was reasonable.
Sakamoto's movements paused slightly.
He glanced at Ichinose Honami, then swept his gaze over the other three at the table.
"Thank you for your kindness, Ichinose-san, but I still have work to do…"
He hadn't finished speaking when he made a move that surprised everyone.
He didn't leave immediately but bowed slightly to everyone:
"Please wait a moment."
With that, he carried the tray, turned around, and walked steadily towards the cafe's back kitchen.
Ichinose Honami's smile stiffened slightly, and a hint of disappointment flashed in her eyes.
Was she rejected?
Kushida Kikyo was also a little surprised, but more relieved.
She didn't want to keep discussing Sakamoto!
Ayanokoji expressionlessly picked up his black coffee and took a sip, his gaze calmly watching Sakamoto's retreating figure.
However, in less than a minute—
The kitchen curtain was pulled open.
Sakamoto's figure reappeared.
But this time, the black Waiter's apron on him was gone.
He had changed into the iconic wine-red uniform of Koudo Ikusei High School.
He walked back to the table with a composed stride, gracefully pulled out the empty chair next to Ichinose Honami, and sat down.
"Apologies for the wait, everyone."
Sakamoto's voice was calm and unruffled, his gaze calmly meeting Ichinose Honami's slightly surprised eyes.
"Ichinose-san's generous invitation is hard to decline. Thank you for the treat."
PS: Regarding the slow progress.
I want to go through the important characters in the story first, but Classroom of the Elite doesn't have much description for the first month of school. I could only choose the cafe as the main setting for description, so there will be a lot of description for this place, and the progress will be relatively slow.
It will be better after the first month passes.
And I will also update more chapters every day to get through the first major arc as soon as possible.
Thank you to all readers for your support and feedback. I will actively correct issues within an acceptable range.