Classroom of the Elite: Alter - Self-Test

Ichinose and I traveled without any rush. The two of us walked side-by-side, chatting about the hardships of being a class leader. It wasn't too different from what we'd been talking about back at school.

"It's weird. Our roles are the same, but completely different at the same time," she chuckled.

"Horikita and I are split on thinking up strategies and whatnot while Hirata is focused on babysitting the class," I said.

Well, in the meantime, I'm the one who's mostly doing the thinking, but the time will surely come when it'll be Horikita's job to do so.

"Oh, I can relate to that! But apart from 'babysitting', as you called it, Kanzaki-kun and I are also split with the brainy stuff. He's very considerate about my opinions."

"You're amazing, after all. Sigh... I can't picture myself doing Hirata's job in a million years. I'm fine with consultations whenever my classmates need my advice, but you and Hirata are on another level."

"Ahaha! It's not that hard, I think. You're friends with your whole class, too, right? I'm sure you'll be okay."

"Yeah... But of course, there will be some things that I just can't help them with."

"Oh? What is it, what is it?" Ichinose asked with enthusiasm.

"Ughh... I'd rather not talk about it..." I rolled my eyes in revulsion. "So, no."

Seeing this type of expression from me must've been entertaining for Ichinose. I doubt she'd pry if I'd put on a serious face, but my reaction just made her curiosity skyrocket.

I couldn't help it, though. It was a reflex reaction because I wasn't too familiar with the topic.

"Hmm~? That's suspicious, Ayanokouji-kun. C'mon, tell me. It's just the two of us here!" She skipped in front of me before turning around with an adorable smile. "I won't tell anyone, you know~?"

Too cute, this is dangerous. I need to think of sad thoughts. Dying dogs in a movie? My favorite heroine losing? A classmate rejecting my friendship offer? Crap, it's a mess.

"Has anyone ever confessed their feelings to you, Ichinose?" I asked.

"Eh?"

"Ah, I guess that was a strange question. Of course, tons of guys have already confessed their feelings to you," I shrugged.

"E-Ehh?! No, wait! No, no, no. You're wrong! No guy has ever confessed their feelings to me before!" Ichinose frantically denied.

"Huh? Are you serious? I'm finding that hard to believe, Ichinose."

"I'm telling you the truth!"

Ichinose Honami was cute. She was probably one of the most beautiful girls in our year and I'm sure most of the guys will agree with me. It wasn't weird for many other boys to have feelings for her.

But then, it slowly started to make sense. Ichinose's personality was something that attracted people, but at the same time, put them at arm's length. If you were in Class C, you'd become good friends with her, but wanting a romantic relationship isn't realistic given how she treats them. Ichinose tends to look after them like a reliable senior instead of a classmate. It's even more so if you're not in Class C. If an outsider develops feelings for Ichinose, her reputation will pressure that person and would probably make them too scared to confess their feelings.

In other words, Ichinose Honami was too out of reach for them.

"Well... There is one... actually..." Ichinose lightly scratched her cheek with one finger.

"Oh, really? How did it go?" I asked.

"Hmm... Knowing you, I doubt you'd go around babbling to others, so I guess I can tell you the story."

Ichinose started sharing her first confession experience with me as we walked around the dense forest.

"You see... I got a letter from a classmate. When I read the letter, I immediately knew that the sender was... a girl," she narrated. "Since she was also from Class C, there's no way I can share it with anyone in my class... Not that I planned to do so, anyway."

Ichinose faced me with a smile.

"I struggled so hard at that time, you know? I was debating whether I should ask for your help."

"Wait, me?"

"Yep~! I had this stupid idea of having you pretend as my boyfriend."

"That's really stupid, coming from you," I teased.

"Geez, I know already!" she pouted adorably. "If you're curious about the sender's identity, it was Chihiro-chan... All I wanted was to lessen the pain since I planned on rejecting her. I did some research and found out that a rejection would hurt less if the object of affection was already in a relationship... But in the end, I realized that being dishonest would just hurt both of us more in the long run."

Shiranami Chihiro, huh? So that's why she always acted guarded around me... I guess I was worried about nothing.

"Yeah... I think so, too." I sighed in agreement.

With a knowing smirk, Ichinose shot a glance towards me.

"Love— this is the topic you were talking about, weren't you?"

"Hey, I like love as a topic... It's the confession part that I dislike... Too much pressure and negative emotions..." I groaned.

"Fufun~! Well, I've shared my story, so it's your turn to talk!" Ichinose posed while pointing a finger at me. "No pressure, no pressure~. No negative emotions, too. Just tell me a casual story."

"Yes, yes..." I sighed once more. "You see, I've never had anyone say anything like that to me before, as well. But yesterday, a girl from my class, Inogashira, confessed to me."

"O-Ohh! Yesterday?! That's super recent! I know Inogashira-san, too. She's a close friend of Kushida-san, right?"

"Yeah... Apparently, she sees me that way. Of course, I blanked out for a second. Even though the events prior to the confession led me to expect it, actually hearing the words still stunned me."

"So, how did it go?" she asked.

"I didn't really see Inogashira that way, so I decided to reject her."

"I see... So it's the same with me, then." Ichinose sighed as she looked up to the sky. "It feels awful, doesn't it? Rejecting someone, I mean. It feels weird."

I hope that Inogashira and I can continue being friends. I'm sure Ichinose was the same with Shiranami. And given how I've seen them interact recently, Ichinose seems to have succeeded in doing so.

"Well, yeah, it feels awful... We're intentionally hurting someone else's feelings, after all," I shrugged. "But 'weird', huh? I bet it'd be even weirder to accept someone's confession. Being in a dating relationship is completely unfamiliar territory to me."

"That's true for both of us, but I doubt the two people involved in the relationship would find it weird. After all, they like each other. It's pretty interesting, in my opinion."

"So even Ichinose Honami is interested in things like dating," I joked.

"Hey, that can be considered an insult, you know? As a young maiden, of course, I'm interested in dating..." Ichinose turned away with a bitter smile. "But it's not like I have the time to think about that right now. I have a responsibility with my class, and they're much more important to me."

Spoken like a leader.

This was the type of person Ichinose Honami was. She was a reliable central figure for her class, much like how Hirata was to ours. I wonder... What drives them? What motivates them to take on such a self-sacrificing role?

"I'm surprised, Ayanokouji-kun— that Inogashira-san was actually the first girl who's ever confessed to you. Hmm... but knowing about your state back in middle school, I think it makes sense."

"I mean, I am too, with you. I was so sure that you'd at least get one confession per week."

"That's too much!"

Ichinose and I continued poking fun at each other as we approached the beach. Our first confessions, huh? The feeling was indeed strange, but I guess there's a first for everything.