Houtarou Oreki Classroom of the Elite

After entering Advanced Nurturing High School, Houtarou discovered he had gained extraordinary abilities.

He received a supernatural System that assigned Tasks with supernatural powers as rewards.

For someone as energy-conservative as him, these powers made life more convenient. They appealed to him deeply, and he grew skilled at using them.

However, what his eyes now witnessed was—

"I like you, Ichinose-san!" A female student declared to Honami, gathering all her courage.

After using his Teleportation power, Houtarou realized he had likely... stumbled into trouble.

Fortunately, his position was secure — behind a tree trunk near the railing by the artificial island's seaside.

Honami stood at the railing, one hand resting upon it as the sea breeze swept through her long hair. With her other hand, she gently brushed away windswept strands from her face.

Her profile revealed a complex expression — sad, troubled, and conflicted.

It was fascinating how many emotions could dance across one face at once.

Her profile against the scenery would have captivated any artist.

After all, Honami, like Suzune, possessed extraordinary beauty.

The girl brave enough to confess to this Angel stood by the railing as well.

As long as he remained cautious, his hiding spot would keep him concealed.

Houtarou checked his phone.

Vibration mode — perfect. No risk of an incoming call exposing him.

He settled in to observe the scene unfold.

This was, he had to admit, his first time witnessing a girl confess to another girl.

Yet the outcome seemed clear. Honami's complex expression — which he wished he could capture as an artist — suggested she knew what was coming.

Indeed, his Teleportation had brought him to a quiet spot Masumi had carefully scouted — a place without cameras, rarely visited.

For Honami to appear here — was that mere coincidence?

No, it wasn't.

She must have anticipated this confession. That's why she chose to bring the other person here.

Beyond his previous encounter with Honami during the Kakeru's Points incident, he hadn't failed to observe the surrounding details.

At that time, she had appeared with her strong sense of justice, accompanied by someone else.

It was a petite, timid-looking girl with dark green short hair — the type who naturally evoked protective instincts, like a little sister.

Based on Honami's way of addressing her, her name was Chihiro (Shiranami).

And now this same Chihiro was confessing to her friend.

A girl confessing to another girl — something many might find difficult to accept.

Houtarou held Honami in high regard, rating her observational abilities even above Kōhei's.

The two girls' presence here was no coincidence. Honami had noticed Chihiro's feelings and was unsure how to handle them.

To protect Chihiro's privacy, she had chosen this secluded spot where they wouldn't be seen.

"I like you, Ichinose-san!" Chihiro pressed her left hand to her chest, gathering her courage to confess again.

"..." Honami.

"..." Houtarou.

From his position, he could see the Angel's profile change.

Pain flickered across her face — surely a sign she would reject the confession.

Why else would she look so conflicted?

"Like... is it." Honami remained facing forward, "I'm happy to be liked. But Chihiro-chan, I probably can't return your feelings."

She gripped the railing with both hands.

"Could it be that Ichinose-san is already dating someone?" Chihiro's eyes welled with tears, "That's right, after all we're both girls, and me liking Ichinose—"

Her voice cracked as emotion overwhelmed her, and what started as held-back tears became open crying.

"..." Honami listened to the sobs, "Chihiro, I don't want to hurt you. But I'm not as good a person as you think — I don't deserve your affection."

The weight of these words showed in how tightly Honami gripped the railing.

She looked back at the crying girl.

Chihiro bit her lip as rejection tears fell, clearly missing the deeper meaning in Honami's words and feeling only the sting of rejection.

Then Honami continued, "Coming to this school, I was happy to get a fresh start. To work hard together with everyone aiming for Class A. But... uniquely, I probably won't allow myself to fall into romantic feelings. So, not just you Chihiro, whether boy or girl, no matter who confesses to me, I would reject them."

By specifically mentioning both boys and girls, she offered Chihiro a graceful way out — making it clear the rejection wasn't because of her gender, but because Honami would reject anyone.

"Is... is that so—" Chihiro finally spoke again, "So you mean, Ichinose-san would reject everyone?"

Honami's grip tightened on the railing, "That's probably right."

The crying girl seemed to find some comfort in this answer, "I... I see — Then Ichinose-san, will you hate me from now on?"

"...Why would you say that?" Honami asked, confused.

"I heard that after a failed confession, you can't even remain friends." Chihiro said, "So I'm worried... that Ichinose-san will hate me."

Oh. If you knew that risk, why confess in the first place?

When someone reveals their feelings for you, that knowledge lingers in your subconscious even if you don't date them.

And since they're both girls, future interactions in places like the locker room might become awkward.

Houtarou contemplated this as he stood silently behind the tree.

He realized his Teleportation had brought him somewhere he shouldn't be, witnessing this private moment.

Still, Honami's words had revealed something concerning.

To him, she was a radiant, justice-minded girl blessed with extraordinary beauty and an uncanny ability to connect with others.

So why would someone like her claim she wasn't good enough — that she didn't deserve affection?

It felt wrong, watching her deny her own worth.

Houtarou suspected there might be painful memories behind this self-deprecation.

True, both Honami and Kikyō were popular and had many friends.

But unlike Kikyō, whose falseness showed in her treatment of Suzune, Honami seemed genuine.

Which made her self-denial all the more troubling.

"T-then see you tomorrow!" Fighting back tears, Chihiro ran away.

The confession was over.

Now he just had to wait for Honami to leave so he could pretend none of this had happened.

Honami took out her phone, seemingly trying to compose herself.

Was she checking the time? Or—

She suddenly turned toward his hiding spot.

"Oreki-kun? You're here, aren't you? I was about to contact you, but you were actually this close... Is this your usual hiding spot? Sorry I borrowed it and made you witness... an awkward moment."

As she spoke, she walked toward him. This wasn't just her talking to herself — she had truly discovered him.

From this distance, he could see her phone displayed a GPS map.

One red dot matched her location. Another was labeled as Oreki Houtarou.

He recognized this feature — the school phones' free GPS tracking that worked between registered friends.

'Shit...'

Now he understood. She'd checked the GPS looking for him, only to find he was right here.

"..."

"..." Honami looked at him, "Since you witnessed it, could you give me some advice? My feelings are complicated right now, and I'm unsure if directly rejecting Chihiro was the right approach."

This explained why she had sought him out. She genuinely wanted his counsel.

Though he wondered — was she serious about using him as a study reference before? And now consulting him about something this personal?

And why were all the girls around him suddenly seeking counseling? What was going through their minds?

Houtarou felt uneasy.

But he understood what Honami likely wanted.

First, this confession — a girl confessing to another girl — needed to stay private. While Honami might handle the gossip, it would deeply affect Chihiro.

Honami was trying to protect her.

"I won't tell anyone." He said, and watched relief soften her expression.

So...

"The sun warms everyone." Houtarou said, "But some people mistake its light for belonging only to them. Ichinose-san, this was Chihiro's misunderstanding. You're not at fault."

"Is... is that so?" Honami seemed surprised.

She hadn't expected him to see it that way.

"I feel more at ease now." She said, "Chihiro is quite timid and tends to rely on others, so I worried I might have given her the wrong impression."

Had her mood truly improved?

"By the way, Chihiro-chan's full name is Chihiro Shiranami, and you're calling her 'Chihiro' so casually — could it be that you like Chihiro-chan?" Honami asked.

"Not at all." He quickly replied, "I already have a future dating partner. In the future. And possibly a future marriage partner too. Also in the future."

"..." Though his explanation was odd, Honami was understanding enough to simply nod.

She probably assumed Houtarou had his own private circumstances.

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