-104- Definitely won't happen a second time

The conversation between Hori and Ichinose Honami was complex, but in reality, it lasted only about a minute.

About a minute later, Hori and Ichinose Honami returned.

"Ichinose-san!"

Shiranami Chihiro approached, seeming relieved yet apprehensive.

Although it was just a short minute, for Shiranami Chihiro, seeing Ichinose Honami whispering with a boy felt like a long time.

"I'm sorry for making you wait, Chihiro-chan."

Ichinose Honami seemed guilty, but her eyes were evasive, and her words were hesitant.

Seeing Ichinose Honami like this, Hori understood.

(Even though it's supposed to be pretending to be boyfriend and girlfriend, this girl has no idea how to do it, does she?)

What should they do to appear like a couple?

Ichinose Honami must be racking her brains trying to figure it out.

But it would be extremely difficult for this innocent girl to come up with an answer.

So, Hori quickly came up with a plan.

Regardless, there was only one thing to do first.

That is...

"Well then, I'll head back to the dormitory."

Hori called out to Ichinose Honami in front of Shiranami Chihiro.

"Honami."

As soon as these words were spoken, the room fell silent.

"Ho-Ho-Ho-Honami...?"

Shiranami Chihiro's steps froze in place.

"Huh?"

Ichinose Honami's eyes widened in surprise.

But wasn't this the first thing you should do as a couple?

That is, call each other by your names instead of surnames.

If they continued to address each other by their surnames, wouldn't others be confused even if they were told they were dating?

So, if they truly wanted to pretend to be a couple, the first thing they should naturally do was to address each other by their names.

But Ichinose Honami obviously didn't realize this.

Hori calmly addressed Ichinose Honami.

"What's wrong, Honami?"

Even though his expression was calm, Hori subtly emphasized Ichinose Honami's name in his tone.

Presumably, Ichinose Honami should understand.

And Ichinose Honami didn't disappoint Hori.

"N-No... nothing, just spacing out."

Ichinose Honami responded awkwardly, seemingly embarrassed by Hori calling her name so intimately.

But this was exactly the effect Hori wanted.

Seeing Ichinose Honami blushing shyly at a boy, along with Hori addressing her in such an intimate manner, Shiranami Chihiro would surely think so, right?

"I-Ichinose-san?" Shiranami Chihiro asked with tearful eyes, sounding anxious. "W-Why did Nanaya-san call you by your name directly? Could it be that you two..."

That's right.

Once a pair of opposite-sex individuals engage in some level of intimacy, others will surely assume that these two have an unusual relationship.

Therefore, there's no need for clumsy explanations. Simply by performing intimate actions that others cannot do, people will naturally imagine things on their own, which is far more effective than the parties involved explaining it themselves.

Next, there was only one thing left for Ichinose Honami to do.

That's just admitting it.

It's unclear if Ichinose Honami understood this, but faced with Shiranami Chihiro's uncertainty, Ichinose Honami became hesitant.

Obviously, if possible, Ichinose Honami didn't want to lie to her friend, right?

But since things had come to this point, Ichinose Honami had no choice but to continue.

"I'm sorry, Chihiro-chan."

Ichinose Honami spoke with dodging eyes and a very weak voice, admitting it like this.

"A-Actually... I... I'm... with Nanaya... No, with Hori... kun.... We're... we're..."

The more she said, the lower Ichinose Honami's voice became.

This innocent girl seemed to find it difficult even to voluntarily admit to having an ambiguous relationship with the opposite sex.

Especially when it came to calling Hori by name, Ichinose Honami's face turned red directly, and she couldn't bring herself to say the name directly, only adding the word "kun" afterward.

(There's no other way...)

While feeling helpless in his heart, Hori took a step forward.

"Shiranami-san, you mentioned earlier not to let me get too close to Honami, right?" Hori smiled at Shiranami Chihiro and said, "But, I'm sorry, I can't do that."

"Y-You... can't do that?" Shiranami Chihiro's attention was immediately diverted, looking at Hori with extreme nervousness. "W-Why?"

"The reason is simple." Hori said straightforwardly, "We are currently dating, so I can't do what you said, okay?"

As he said this, Hori reached out and pulled Ichinose Honami into his arms.

"Wha...!?"

Shiranami Chihiro seemed like she was struck by an unseen force and took several steps back.

"N-Nana..! No, Hori-kun!"

Ichinose Honami, like her brain just exploded, exclaimed in surprise, her body tensing up suddenly.

As a result, the two girls present were completely confused.

Only Hori remained calm.

"Please rest assured, my relationship with Honami doesn't involve any elements of class competition. It won't turn into what you're worried about, making our relationship a sacrifice between two classes."

Hori hugged Ichinose Honami while smiling suddenly at Shiranami Chihiro.

"I hope that you bless our relationship as Honami's friend."

Although he said this, these words not only made Ichinose Honami's face burn like fire but also made Hori himself feel a bit cheesy.

If it weren't necessary to say such things deliberately, with Hori's personality, he wouldn't be able to say them.

However, these words ultimately had a very significant effect.

"I... I..."

Tears began to gather in Shiranami Chihiro's eyes.

In the end, Shiranami Chihiro was defeated.

"I... I won't admit it!"

Leaving behind these words, Shiranami Chihiro ran away in tears.

"Chi... Chihiro-chan!"

Ichinose Honami finally reacted and subconsciously exclaimed, reaching out a hand in the direction of Shiranami Chihiro.

"Wahhhh!"

But Shiranami Chihiro didn't hear anything, shedding tears on the spot and running away.

At that moment, only Hori and Ichinose Honami were left on the scene.

"Whoo..."

A gust of cold wind blew by, causing the two embracing figures to exhibit completely different emotions.

Ichinose Honami seemed unsure of what to say, her face full of complexity.

Hori, on the other hand, had only one thought left.

"This kind of farce, once is enough, this definitely won't happen a second time..."

Definitely.