106 Act 17: Scene 8

"I have, haven't I? I'm really sorry..."

All Honami could do was bow her head in apology, feeling horrible for her actions as of late. Friends weren't supposed to avoid one another, but after what happened between them several weeks ago at the 'Heaven on Earth' bathhouse, there was no way she could keep a straight face while he was around. It was too embarrassing for her, because she would remember how he washed her back every time she saw him.

She would remember how his hands were all over her bare skin... and even though he didn't touch her anywhere inappropriate, the sensation she felt while it happened was overwhelming...

Honami shook her head furiously. Today was an exception. She would ignore her embarrassment for the sake of a very important issue that she has to discuss with him. She can't lose her focus now!

"Don't worry about it. I understand why you were like that," Kiyotaka reassured her, knowing why Honami avoided him until now. He honestly couldn't blame her, not after their time at the onsen together with the rest of his heroines.

"What are you two talking about?" Yuki asked in confusion, feeling a little lost in their conversation.

The leader of Class B was quick to shake her head and hands, wanting to shoot down any suspicious thoughts that her classmate might have regarding her and Kiyotaka.

"N-Nothing, Himeno-san...! It's nothing, really."

"You were avoiding Ayanokouji? What happened between you two?" asked Yuki, ignoring Honami's words.

"I-It was just a misunderstanding between us, Himeno-san. Nothing more, okay?"

The violet-haired girl rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right. That look on your face says otherwise, Ichinose-san. The more you try to cover up for it, the more it's obvious that something happened between you two."

"She's telling the truth, Himeno. There's no need to dwell on a past issue that's already resolved," Kiyotaka added, deciding to save Honami from embarrassment before this ends up in her running away again.

Yuki narrowed her gaze at the two of them for a few moments, before rolling her eyes.

"For the record, I still think you two are trying to fool me, but whatever. Not my problem," she sighed in exasperation as she stood up from the bench. "Should I leave you two alone then?"

Honami shook her head. "There's no need, Himeno-san. I'm not planning to talk to Ayanokouji-kun for long. I just want to talk to him about what you brought up the other day."

Upon hearing that, Yuki sat back down while bringing out her phone and a pair of earphones, distracting herself with some music while her classmate was busy talking with Kiyotaka.

"When Himeno told me that once she tells you about what happened to Miyake, you'll tell your whole class about it," the young man remarked. "I have to admit, I didn't think you actually would."

"Of course. When Himeno-san told me about what happened to Miyake-kun, I wanted to help right away. The only way I could do that is by asking all my classmates," she smiled, feeling a lot calmer now compared to earlier.

"Is there any progress with that?"

"I'm sorry, Ayanokouji-kun. Almost all of us were still in our dorm rooms when the incident happened, since it was on a Sunday morning. The few people who were outside that time though, were nowhere near the 'Heaven on Earth' onsen..." she lowered her head in disappointment. "It pains me that Class B can't help you point out who's the witness that you're looking for."

"It's all right, Ichinose. What you did is more than enough help for me and my class."

The girl shook her head.

"No, it's not enough..." she raised her head to look at him, a serious expression forming on her face. "I won't stop here, Ayanokouji-kun. Even if none of my classmates are the witness that you're looking for, I'll keep on asking other people if they saw what happened to Miyake-kun last Sunday."

"Are you sure about that?"

Honami only nodded, while also showing off a look of determination.

"Well, I'd be an idiot to reject the added assistance. Especially when Miyake's trial is in a few days..." he admitted,

The serious look on Honami's face fell apart upon hearing those words. This was something she wasn't aware of at all. "Wait, what?! I didn't know about that! What trial are you talking about?"

Kiyotaka raised an eyebrow at that response, because Ichinose should have been aware of this. If Himeno told her about Miyake's encounter with the three Class C students, then she should have told Ichinose about the upcoming hearing as well. With that, he turned his attention to the person who could give him the answer he's looking for, because it was obvious to him that she had been listening to them the entire time.

"...I thought you told her already?" he asked.

All Yuki could do was scratch the back of her head, having nothing to say that could explain her blunder. "I told her that you were looking for a witness. I... guess I forgot to tell her that there was a hearing involving your friend..."

The brown-haired teen shrugged to himself. Either way, it already happened and there's no use dwelling on it even further, like what he had stated earlier.

"Well, to make things short, Miyake was given a chance to prove his innocence through a hearing next week involving the student council and the teachers. As you already know by now, our whole class is working together to find a witness by asking people around."

Honami listened to every word that came out of his mouth, while also connecting them with the things that Yuki told her a few days ago. Needless to say, she wasn't pleased with this turn of events at all. "I didn't think things would escalate to the point of a trial taking place, but regardless, you can count on me to help out, Ayanokouji-kun."

"I guess I'll lend a hand as well," Yuki sighed as she put her earphones away, involving herself in this conversation openly. "I was stupid enough to forget that you were doing all this because your friend is gonna be on trial, so I'll take responsibility for my mistake."

"It's not your fault, Himeno-san—"

Yuki raised her hand, cutting off her classmate from saying anything more. "Save it, Ichinose-san. I'm helping too."

Kiyotaka bowed his head slightly in gratitude. This will surely do wonders for the morale of his class when he informs everyone of this, especially for Hasebe, Inogashira, and Mori. Those three were the most affected by this whole case, apart from Akito himself.

"Once again, I appreciate the help. My classmates too, once I tell them about this. However, I don't have any means to contact you. I'm certain you have the same dilemma towards me as well."

"Then I guess I'll let you have my number," Yuki shrugged as she opened her phone and typed in her number and email.

"Me too!" Honami brought out her phone and did the same as her classmate, before having a moment of realization. "It's funny how we've known each other for about a month now yet we haven't even exchanged contact information until now."

"I wonder why," Kiyotaka did the same as the two parties exchanged their contact information afterwards. After saving their numbers and email addresses in his contacts, he cleared his throat to get their attention again. "Just a word of advice, try not to ask someone from Class C. In fact, make sure to steer clear of them."

"Why?" asked Honami.

"Because if we asked one of them, then that person could inform his classmates that we're looking for a witness to the case. If that happens, they'll be aware of what we're doing and might come up with something to screw us up. Right, Ayanokouji?" Himeno turned towards the young man with a frown.

"Exactly."

"I see. I'll refrain from asking any student from Class C, then."

"That's good to hear," he gave them a nod of satisfaction, before standing up from the bench. "I believe I should get going now, though. I have to meet a classmate of mine who wants to conduct a quick search for our mystery person for an hour or two."

Yuki stood up from the bench as well, stretching her limbs before turning to her two companions. "I'll do the same, then. I have nothing else to do for the rest of the afternoon, so I guess I can kill time asking people if they saw anything that day. Till next time, Ayanokouji. See you tomorrow, Ichinose-san."

"Until next time, Himeno."

"Stay safe, Himeno-san!"

Yuki waved goodbye at the two, who did the same as they watched her walk away. Kiyotaka then turned towards Honami and gave her a curt nod. This encounter ended up better than what he had expected, as he was finally able to clear the air between them after several weeks. It was honestly surprising that Airi got over her embarrassment around him before Honami did.

"I'll see you whenever, Ichinose."

Before he could leave though, the next words that he would hear from the pink-haired girl would make him stop in his tracks.

"Uhm, Ayanokouji-kun..."

"What is it?"

"It's..." she muttered, as Kiyotaka waited for her to say anything further. However, much to his surprise, Honami just shook her head and flashed him a smile like it was nothing. "I-It's nothing. Please forget what I said. I'll go ahead and ask the people walking around if they saw what happened to Miyake-kun. I have some free time as well."

With that, the girl turned around and walked away, leaving him alone. Kiyotaka kept his gaze on the girl as she left, taking note of the strange behavior she exhibited just now in his mind. He even noticed that the last smile she gave him, like it was forced for some reason. It was completely unlike her, and it made him confused on what she was actually going to tell him before she decided not to.

"Weird," he thought to himself, wondering if Honami was going through some problems of her own...

Number of days left before Akito's trial: 3