COTE- Classroom of the elite-Class S

Extras: Class A and Class D leader meeting

Sakayanagi POV

After lunch, I was resting in the cafe on the deck of the ship when Ichinose san came up to me.

"Excuse me, Sakayanagi san... can I disturb you?"

I'm just drinking tea alone, so there's no reason to say no.

"Is there a problem?"

I knew what she wanted to say before I listened to her, but I still tilted my head to show a puzzled expression on my face.

"It's about the special exam...I think I have to apologize to you."

"Why Ichinose san?

"Because we can't get the top three."

She thought I was someone who didn't accept excuses, so she was prepared to a certain extent and bowed her head to me as much as possible.

No, no matter who the object is, she will not make a clumsy excuse.

There is nothing I can do to anger me, the leader of Class A, even if the partnership between the two classes is terminated. She felt that the consequences of what she had done were so serious.

"Ichinose san, please raise your head. I'm not angry."

"......Eh?"

"This is not your promble Ichinose san. Because Kiyotaka kun them are very amazing only. Their power are very amazing I can understand why we can't get top three even Ryuuen kun group don't get in the top three too."

"But.."

"It's better to say that as a member of the group, you have made enough contributions to the group. You have brought together the partners who fought each other, and the correct answer rate in the questions is also high. In the harsh life of the uninhabited island, you Excellent performance as the mainstay. In the end, as a result, the group got an excellent result of tenth place."

"But, but..."

"Kiyotaka kun them are very amazing only after that isn't your wrong."

"But this is just consequentialism..."

My attitude of not blaming her at all seems to have caused Ichinose san's apology to multiply, and her guilt has not disappeared.

"Looking at your expression, it seems that you can't be relieved if you don't take some responsibility."

"Uh, that's not what it means... maybe that's what it means."

"If you really want it, then I can punish you?"

Ichinose san was stunned by the fearless expression on my face, but she nodded lightly in response.

"Well. I feel that only by being punished can the big stone in my heart be put down."

"Hehe, what a strange person. Then next—please sit here."

I urged Ichinose to come over to me and let her take the seat next to me.

Faced with her uncharacteristically obedient obedience to my requests, what I did was to ask the clerk to prepare the menu.

"You're welcome, please order what you like."

"Excuse me... what about the punishment?"

"About 30 minutes from now, you're going to have afternoon tea with me. That's your punishment."

"Eh? This, this is the punishment?"

"Yes. I'm going to take up Ichinose-san's precious 30 minutes. What else could this be called punishment?"

"Is it a punishment... But if Sakayanagi-san says that, then I'll obey."

Although Ichinose san couldn't understand what I was thinking, she still followed my instructions and ordered a drink.

"Ichinose san, you're such a straightforward person. You've been belittled by me once, but now you're drinking tea with me as if nothing happened."

"I don't think you're belittling me. Besides... I've made mistakes in the past, and that's the truth."

"At least I think people will want to hide the guilty past, the past that they don't want to be known. Even if it's what Ichinose-san just said, it's normal to want to hide it."

So far, I have personally met many wonderful people, ranging from children to adults.

Of course, I know that I am the best, but even so, there are many among these people who have talents worthy of my appreciation.

I have also witnessed more incompetent people who are the opposite of the former and are completely useless, and the number is probably dozens of times the former.

And then it doesn't matter whether he is a good person or an incompetent person, none of the people I have ever met can be called a pure good person.

My parents and Kiyotaka kun were no exception.

"You are an indescribable being. Because of that, sometimes in my eyes, you seem very scary."

"I'm... scary?"

No one in Ichinose san's life has ever said such a thing to her. However, there must be more than one or two people who were once afraid of Honami Ichinose.

"Everyone who lives in this world has a more or less malicious side. However, there is absolutely no maliciousness in you. You are simply the crystallization of goodwill."

"You're flattering me too much. I've done bad things too, just like what I said in middle school. 

I'm not worthy of such words..."

What happened to her in the past must not be boasted and should be shamed. That past event remains in her memory as an indelible fact.

"The kindness I am talking about here, that is, the kindness I understand myself, is a concept that has nothing to do with the kind of things you just said. Besides, even if you went astray by a single thought at the time, you can't completely conclude that you are evil. After all, there is an irreplaceable family love in the background that drives you to make mistakes."

Even if it can be judged as evil according to the law, it can also be judged as good according to different viewpoints.

"Your kindness is both your strength and your weakness. Please be careful not to be taken advantage of by others."

"Does others mean Ryuuen kun?"

"It's not just him. Whether it's me or Horikita san, they'll take advantage of your kindness in order to win."

I paused for a moment, then continued in order to convey the most important part to her. "Also, Kiyotaka kun too."

Including the classmate Ryuuen kun she mentioned, the first three people are equivalent to the leaders of each class.

At this moment, Kiyotaka kun's name suddenly appeared, and she was shaken by the naked eye.

"By observing you like this, I always feel that I can infer the following facts - your feelings for Kiyotaka kun are different from those of other students."

"Eh, ehee!!! I, no, I, didn't!"

"Isn't it good? After all, it is human instinct to have special feelings for a certain opposite sex. It's just that if you focus too much on it, you may be hit hard. If it's Kiyotaka kun, it's even more unnecessary. said."

"I don't quite understand what Sakayanagi san means."

Today's word is a warning. I won't go into more depth on this occasion.

"Let's talk about this topic. It's time for afternoon tea."

Ichinose san was drinking the black tea brought by the waiter. She must not be able to taste the deliciousness that black tea should have. What I said should make her unforgettable and occupy her mind.

These words were my little prank, my mercy to her, and my strategy at the same time.