Honey Trap 5

 By the School Front entrances

3:15pm

The two walked down the sidewalk in silence. Matsuri was stuck with carrying the bags but made no complaints about it as he just walked behind Mari. 

The president was just walking with her thoughts to herself throughout the trip. There were many thoughts in his head right now. Like, why did she defend him for starters. She could've easily just made up something and got him in trouble. Perhaps it was what they said during their argument back in the dressing room that got to her. Or he could be overthinking it as always…..

"Hitoyoshi…."

"Y-Yes ma'am."

"......" Mari stopped in her tracks as if she was thinking what she was going to say. It only took a few seconds before she turned to him. "Yoshimiya…..what was she like?" She asked, glancing at the boy over her shoulders.

".....what was she like...well...there's many things I would like to say, but I'll just be brief." He said, gaining Mari's full attention. "She's rather….open-minded. She's also rather of a deep thinker type of person." He said with a sad smile. "She always had these thoughts in her head and doesn't hesitate when she speaks her mind. Not to mention…..she was rather energetic for someone her type."

"Someone her type…..what do you mean?" She asked, now facing him with a soft expression. 

"When I first met her, I thought she was the serious type. You know, someone who focuses more on schoolworks instead of focusing on outside activities and all. But by the moment we met, she was more than just an academic individual. She speaks her mind out loud. Not afraid to take chances, she's determined. There were many things that I admired about her…..I really did admire her." He finished with a hint of somber in his tone. 

Mari raised an eyebrow at the boy. Just from how he spoke of her, it was clear that the two were close friends with each other before she died. But it still made her wonder what had happened to her before the graduation. 

Parts of her still believe that he had something to do with it. But was it true? Surely he had not taken those pictures that led her to her death. 

She would ask him, but after what happened a few days back, she refused to say anything that would result in him breaking down. 

"Well then..." She spoke up before she moved her hand behind her back. "While I'm still not convinced about you…..you could say that today's assignment was…..a decent pass."

"A pass? What do you mean?" He asked as he titled his head curiously. 

"I've been thinking about how to test just how noble you say you are. By giving you a test."

"So…..this whole time you were testing me? To see if I were to make a move on you or anything?"

"Exactly." Mari said as she fully faced him. Her arms crossed underneath her breast. "Let's face it, the boys in the prison carry no noble traits with them. But you...you're quite…..unique from the others." Mari said as she narrowed her eyes at the boy in front of her. 

"I…..I don't know if I could consider that as a compliment…." 

"Take it or leave it as it is. But don't misunderstand me." She said as she approached the boy, getting close to his face as he cowered in fear. "I still don't trust you and I will not be fooled by your charms just as you fooled my naive little sister...."

Matsuri's eyes widened before they descended to his own feet. She was stubborn. Yes, he really wanted to say something...but he didn't have the courage to say anything.

"However," She spoke once more, getting his attention. "From what happened today...I will consider this a start...a pathway for me to actually trust you." 

His eyes widened in not surprise, shock but just fear and shock from the inside. Why? Because he feels he doesn't deserve it, especially since she doesn't know what's going on behind her back. He just stood there, his eyes staring at her, as if he's trying to say something. But he couldn't.

"Hitoyoshi…."

"Huh?"

"Are you okay?" She said with a soft look. "Do you not want me to praise you?"

"Huh!? N-No! It's not that but um....s-s-sorry."

"Sorry for what?" She asked with a quirked eyebrow. 

"I...n-nothing...I was just….surprised…..that's all." 

Mari just stood there, gazing into his eyes, but the boy was still averting her stare. He did not dare look at her.

"Hitoyoshi..." Mari spoke once more as her hands moved to his chin and forced him to look at her. "Look at me and tell me straight. Is there anything you're hiding?" 

Matsuri quickly shook head. Giving her his response. Mari just gazed a while longer before letting go of his chin and turning around. Continuing her way towards the school gate with Matsuri quietly following behind.

The boy's heart felt like it was being torn apart. He didn't want to betray Kiyoshi and Gakuto. But he also didn't want the boy's sentences to be extended. But he didn't want to continue lying to the councils. 

"Am I just being a coward...I don't know if I can hang in there a little bit longer..."

On the third floor, two students were at the window, watching Matsuri and Mari entering the school building, coming back from their shopping trip. 

The orange-haired female student leaned her body forward, resting her chin on top of the palms of her hands. A mischievous smile graced upon her lips as her eyes were on the boy who was following behind the president. 

"Is that the boy you plan on using?"

Next to her was another female student. This one had a more delinquent look to herself. She had blue hair that was in a boycut style. Just like the rest of the female students in this school, she wore a standard female student uniform. But leaving her jacket open to reveal her white shirt with her buttons undone revealing bits of her cleavage.

"Of course….he'll be great use for our grand plan." The orange-hair teen said with a sly smile. 

"Personally, I don't see what makes him special. We could've just easily handled the council ourselves. There's no need for him."

"Oh but you're missing the point, Risa." She answered the now named Risa. "Hitoyoshi is part of the USC."

"From what I heard," Risa said, turning to her friend. "Isn't he only temporary until the boys are released from prison."

"It's still something though. He's been in the council for a while now so he is bound to know some secret weakness to them." The orange-hair teen lips curled into an evil smirk. 

Risa pushed herself off the wall as she looked at her friend with a smirk. "So then, how are we going to do this….."

"For now, let's coax him in first. We don't want to scare him away and become suspicious of us now. Once we got him....then we strike." 

"What if he doesn't join us?"

"Oh he'll join us...one way or another." She said as she pulled from inside of her jacket and brought out Matsuri's records. 

She opens the folder to reveal the paper article regarding the event that happened at Matsuri old school. And the photo of Yoshimiya and Matsuri together. An evil smirk curled upon her lips as she looked onward, walking beside Risa towards their base of operation.