On the other side, Ichinose followed Kobashi Yume to the back of the gym, feeling a bit helpless.
"Honestly, Yume, what is it that needs to be said in a place with no one around?".
"Actually..." Kobashi Yume raised her eyes and looked at Ichinose.
She hunched her shoulders and hesitated.
"Yuki... she likes Hikki".
Hearing this, Ichinose was instantly shocked, as if she suspected she had misheard.
"Wait a second, you're saying Yuki likes Little Hikki?".
"Mm..." Watching Kobashi Yume nod her head, Ichinose became even more flustered. It was truly difficult to accept.
"No, that's impossible, right? I see Yuki doesn't usually show anything, and she seems to rarely talk to Hikki. How could she like him...".
"Because," Kobashi Yume said with some guilt, "That's just Yuki's personality. She rarely shows it, but she really does like Hikki very much".
In class, Himeno Yuki generally gave off a gentle, sickly impression.
She rarely spoke her mind.
When encountering problems, Himeno Yuki would usually endure them silently on her own.
She was a girl who was weak on the outside but strong on the inside.
A girl with a strong inner self!.
Class B took quite good care of her and would proactively help her share some burdens.
Although Ichinose also took care of her, as the leader of Class B, she couldn't account for every detail. It was normal not to have noticed.
Except for Kobashi Yume, who played better with Himeno Yuki.
Probably not a single person in Class B could see that this docile girl was silently nursing a crush on a boy.
Furthermore, this boy had now started dating the class leader.
It was just too pitiful!.
As she spoke, Kobashi Yume became increasingly guilty.
Actually, she wasn't quite sure why she wanted to tell Ichinose this.
The two were already dating.
Clearly, there was no chance left.
The best thing to do would have been to silently go and comfort Himeno Yuki after school.
What was the use of telling Ichinose this privately?.
Clearly, not letting Ichinose know about this would have been the best outcome.
However, Kobashi Yume simply couldn't help it.
She felt that Ichinose was actually a bit despicable. Clearly, her relationship with Hikki wasn't that good; she hadn't even spoken to him as many times as they had in class.
Just because she had been saved by Hachiman a few times, she had fallen for him.
That was just because Hachiman was gentle. If you really wanted to say it, Hachiman had helped them quite a lot too.
And besides, it would be one thing if she just confessed.
But she actually wouldn't give up and kept clinging to Hachiman without letting go, not respecting Little Hikki's opinion.
In short, she just felt that Ichinose's way of doing things was a bit unfair.
Too despicable.
Clearly, they were the ones who were there first!.
"This..." Ichinose felt her head spinning.
"If that's the case, Yuki-chan might not actually have a headache. She might have asked the school for a leave of absence because of her," a voice said.
"Just..."
Ichinose's expression grew complex as she asked, "When exactly did this start...?"
"I'm not entirely sure myself," Kobashi Yume replied, feeling increasingly guilty.
She felt as though she hadn't acted very honorably, as if she were intentionally causing trouble for Ichinose and Hikki.
"It was probably before the pairing exam, but I don't know the specifics."
"That long ago..."
Thinking of Himeno Yuki's gentle yet resilient face, Ichinose felt a wave of complicated emotions. "How could it have been that long? If that's the case, why didn't she tell Hikki?"
"That..."
Kobashi Yume pursed her lips bitterly.
She finally spoke the words she had been holding back.
"Perhaps not everyone is as brave as you are, Honami-chan, or as outstanding as you."
As she spoke, Kobashi Yume's eyes began to redden slightly.
She truly couldn't endure it any longer.
To do what one wants directly, to say what one likes out loud—even if it's embarrassing, Ichinose would face every difficulty head-on.
In the eyes of the other girls, Ichinose was simply too dazzling.
She likely couldn't understand how much inner conflict those with mediocre abilities felt.
Every time they wanted to speak up, their hearts would shrink back.
They were terrified of destroying the relationship they had worked so hard to build, and so they couldn't take that single step forward.
Yet Ichinose could always charge ahead.
No matter who the opponent was, if something was wrong, Ichinose could confront them directly.
"Saying it like that..."
Ichinose pressed her palm to her forehead, her expression pained. "Then it really is because of me that Yuki-chan took the day off today."
"About that..."
Kobashi Yume bit her lip. "I'm not really sure."
At the very least, Himeno Yuki had seemed fine this morning.
Although she didn't talk much, she had maintained a smile on her face.
And now, because of a single piece of news, she had chosen to take a leave of absence from school.
Even though Himeno Yuki was an honors student with perfect attendance, taking one day off wouldn't have much impact.
However, choosing to skip school because of a single "disappearance" or "message"... both of them could guess just how much pain the resilient Himeno Yuki must be in to make such a decision.
She was always like this. No matter the hardship, she would choose to endure it alone.
It was admirable, yet truly heartbreaking.
"...I see."
Ichinose shook her head helplessly, then forced a smile back onto her face.
"Thank you, Yume-chan. After school is over, I'll go check on Yuki-chan."
"Mhm."
Kobashi Yume nodded, feeling even more guilty. "I'm counting on you, Honami-chan."
Whether it was Himeno Yuki or Ichinose, both were incredibly kind people.
Knowing that Yuki had liked Hachigaya for a long time—even longer than she had—Kobashi wondered what choice Ichinose would make.
At this thought, Kobashi Yume felt even more uneasy.
She truly hoped Himeno Yuki could be a bit stronger; it wasn't as if there was no hope of victory.
"Let's head back quickly then."
Ichinose took Kobashi Yume's small hand, and the two walked toward the school building.
Even though Himeno Yuki liked Hachigaya as well, the fact that she hadn't confessed after all this time suggested she didn't like him that much.
At least, that was how it appeared to Ichinose.
If she truly liked him, why didn't she confess?
If you don't say it out loud, how could the other person possibly know? Especially when the person in question was Hikki.
It seemed evident to Ichinose that Himeno Yuki wasn't "very" in love.
In that case, as long as she guided her properly and they spoke clearly, Ichinose was convinced the conflict could be resolved.
Although it felt a bit distressing and she felt somewhat apologetic toward Himeno Yuki, she didn't think it was an insurmountable issue.
She just needed to have a good talk with Himeno Yuki after school.
When the two returned to the classroom, they discovered that Hachiman was not there.