COTE : Is Talent Everything? (Rewrite)-Chapter 140 - 134: Possibility

Even Ayanokouji wouldn't refuse a free meal, I figured. But instead, he gave me a slightly suspicious look.

"Appreciate the offer, but whatever you want to ask—I'll only answer if it's within reason."

"That's fine. It's just something personal."

At my words, he seemed to relax a little and nodded after a brief pause.

"Got anywhere in mind? I'm fine with anything."

"Whatever you recommend."

"Were you even listening to me...? Let's go to that ramen place Ryuuen told me about."

With ramen as the destination, Ayanokouji seemed oddly pleased.

"So, what did you want to ask? Since you're treating me, I'll answer whatever—within reason."

As we left the supermarket without buying anything and walked toward the ramen place, I decided to cut straight to the point.

"Last night, I ran into Karuizawa late."

"Huh. Kei, huh?"

He didn't react at all to her name. Guess this wasn't a sensitive topic for him.

"She was pretty pissed. Apparently, her boyfriend made plans to go out with another girl on their day off without even consulting her."

"Sounds like a terrible boyfriend."

"And thanks to that guy, I had to listen to her complain."

This content is taken from freёnovelkiss.com.

"My bad."

Was that an apology as the boyfriend? Either way, I ignored his half-hearted response.

"Not gonna meddle in their fight, though. I'm an outsider anyway."

It was probably part of his plan, so no need to interfere.

"But what caught my attention was the thing with Ichinose. It's hard to believe you'd personally invite her out on your own."

"I was actually planning to talk to you about that too. There's a proper reason."

I had my suspicions, but hearing it directly was better.

"You know how Ichinose dropped out of the student council, right? There's been some stuff going on because of that."

"Stuff?"

"Recently, Kanzaki and the others asked me for a favor. They wanted me to subtly find out why Ichinose quit the student council."

"I see. Kanzaki's trying to figure out if Ichinose still has her sights set on Class A."

"Basically."

Ichinose quitting the student council could be seen as giving up. With her class now in Class D, Kanzaki probably wanted to know if she had abandoned the idea of reaching Class A.

"By 'Kanzaki and the others,' you mean the group trying to change Ichinose's class from within, right?"

"It's still a small group—just Kanzaki, Himeno, and Hamaguchi. They're trying to bring Watanabe and Amikura into the fold next."

Slowly increasing their numbers to gain more influence. A steady, long-term approach. For a class that only listened to Ichinose, this was probably the most effective method.

"Regardless of the reason, going out with another girl when you already have a girlfriend? Bold move."

"...Didn't expect to hear that from you, of all people."

It was just a light joke, but Ayanokouji gave me a look like I'd said something outrageous. What was with that weird stare?

But Ayanokouji also had plans with Ichinose tomorrow, so we might run into each other like this again. Still...

"Ichinose's class, huh."

Slow but steady changes were happening in Ichinose's class. What would Ichinose think of it? How would she change?

No—more importantly, did she still even want to aim for Class A? If Ichinose, with her shaky leadership and lack of weapons, gave up, her class would be finished. But what if...

What if—Ichinose herself changed?

"Worth a shot."

I took out my phone and sent Ichinose a message: "You free later today? Need to talk." Since it was out of the blue, I didn't expect an immediate reply, but my phone vibrated almost instantly.

"I've got plans for lunch, but I'm free anytime after 5 PM!"

No complaints there. I decided to ask for around 6 PM.

........

"Wait, this is your go-to ramen place? Hikigaya, isn't that Ryuuen over there?"

"Ryuuen's the one who recommended it."

"The hell? Why're you two here? Get lost."

"No can do. Hikigaya's treating me today. I'm not moving till I'm full."

"Oh? Hah, so you're getting treated? Fine, I'll let you. Be grateful."

"Thanks for the extra expenses..."

Because of Ayanokouji, my bill just got bigger.

........

It was just before 6 PM. The meetup spot was a karaoke booth. Ichinose had already reserved a room, so I headed to the assigned number.

"Room 102, this one."

After confirming the number, I opened the door—only to find that Ichinose wasn't alone. Three of her classmates—Kanzaki, Himeno, and Amikura—were there too.

"Sorry, Hikigaya-kun. I meant to come alone, but..."

"Let me explain that part."

Ichinose tried to speak up for me, but Kanzaki cut her off with a hand gesture.

"When Hikigaya's message came, we happened to be together and saw the contents."

"I only invited Ichinose. Just her."

"We barged in uninvited, and that's on us. But from our side, we can't just let someone from Ryuuen's class—especially someone as sharp as you—be alone with her. Hope you understand."

They were worried, sure, but given what Ayanokouji told me earlier, they were probably also trying to shield an unstable Ichinose.

"An outsider like me calling her out right before an exam? Can't blame you for being cautious."

"Plus, Ryuuen's interference hasn't stopped. Whether it's Ichinose or not, we can't let anyone from Ryuuen's class be alone with her."

"Wouldn't one person be enough for that? If it's just security, Kanzaki alone would do."

"If it's not confidential, it shouldn't be a problem. Unless it's something only Ichinose can hear?"

Kanzaki pushed back firmly, while Ichinose looked apologetic. Dragging this out wouldn't help.

"Honestly? Yeah, with Kanzaki and the others here, there are things I can't say."

"Appreciate the honesty, but that just makes it harder to leave Ichinose alone with you."

Kanzaki narrowed his eyes—not quite glaring, but clearly suspicious.

"Hey, let's all calm down a bit."

Ichinose clapped her hands lightly, shifting the mood. Kanzaki backed off, and attention turned to her.

"This was supposed to be between me and Hikigaya-kun, so Kanzaki-kun, you don't need to worry."

"But..."

"I'm happy you're concerned, but I am the leader."

At that, Kanzaki had no choice but to relent, sinking into the sofa.

"Um, hey."

Amikura, who had been quiet until now, raised her hand slightly.

"What's up, Amikura-chan?"

"Just wondering... are we assuming Hikigaya-kun's thing is class-related without even hearing it?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, like... you know..."

Himeno's question made Amikura hesitate.

"Some things you can only talk about alone, right? Like... a confession or something?"

At the word "confession," everyone suddenly looked at me. Sure, based on the message alone, that misunderstanding wasn't impossible. But since it was completely off, I shut it down.

"No, nothing like that. Just something I wanted to talk about."

"O-Oh, sorry for assuming... Uh, go ahead."

Amikura awkwardly passed the conversation back to Ichinose. The mood had derailed a bit, but at least we could finally talk.

"Back on topic—Hikigaya-kun, is this something personal for you?"

"Yeah... but Kanzaki and the others wouldn't believe that."

Even if I said yes, they'd just assume I was planning some mental attack on Ichinose under Ryuuen's orders.

Fine. Time to switch tactics.

"Got it. Then I'll prove it to Ichinose and the others."

"...Prove?"

"I'll prove that today has nothing to do with class matters or Ryuuen's interference."

"You can't possibly—"

Before Himeno could finish, I pulled out my phone and called Ishizaki from my class.

"What are you—"

"Quiet."

I put the call on speaker, and his voice echoed through the room.

"Hikigaya? What's up, calling all of a sudden?"

"Just checking in. How's the interference with Ichinose's class going?"

"「「「「!」」」"

No one made a sound, but everyone's expressions twisted in shock.

"Hell yeah! Going great!! Just crashed some study session with Komiya and the others earlier!!"

"Glad to hear it. And don't forget the other stuff Ryuuen ordered."

Might as well be specific.

"'Encourage the high-scorers in Ichinose's class to betray them,' 'threaten them with consequences if they get perfect scores.'"

"Yeah, yeah!! I remember, don't worry!!"

"Need me to help?"

"Ryuuen didn't say anything to you, right? Leave this to us!!"

"Got it. Counting on you."

"Yeah!!"

The call ended with that energetic reply, and silence filled the room again.

What I'd just done—betraying my own class, in a way—left everyone stunned.

"Convinced now?"

"That was... surprising."

Ichinose let out a small sigh.

"At least now we know Hikigaya-kun isn't hiding anything. Didn't expect this kind of proof, though..."

She glanced around, and everyone nodded hesitantly.

"But, Hikigaya-kun... why would you do this?"

"Himeno?"

Himeno, clearly confused, voiced her thoughts without caring about Kanzaki's gaze.

"You're basically like Kanzaki-kun in your class, right? So why would you... betray them like this?"

"Not a betrayal. More like a trade."

"A trade?"

"I wanted to talk to Ichinose alone, but you guys were worried about Ryuuen's interference. That was the situation earlier."

Even the call with Ishizaki was part of it. The encouragement to betray, the threats—those tactics were already in motion. All I did was reveal a bit of it.

"So I proved it. What I'm about to say is purely personal."

"Proved it... yeah, I guess so."

Ichinose murmured in understanding, then turned to the others.

"Kanzaki-kun, Amikura-chan, Himeno-san—could you step out? From here, it's just me and Hikigaya-kun."

"If Ichinose says so..."

"Fine by me."

"I don't mind either. Hikigaya's logic checks out. For now, he seems trustworthy."

"Thanks, everyone. Sorry for worrying you."

Her smile was almost a wry grin. No one could've missed the unease in it.

"Now, what did you want to talk about, Hikigaya-kun?"

Once Kanzaki and the others left, Ichinose got straight to the point. The preamble had been long, but we were finally here.

"Do you have anything bothering you right now?"

"......Huh?"

Ichinose blinked, frozen for a few seconds.

"Uh, what do you mean...?"

"Just a question. Like I said earlier, this is personal."

"O-Oh, so it really was just that..."

She let out a weak laugh, then brought a hand to her chin in thought.

"Things bothering me, huh..."

"Nothing?"

"No, no. There's a lot. Too much, honestly."

Her gaze drifted somewhere distant as she smiled faintly.

"You came to ask about me quitting the student council, right?"

"That's part of it, but I won't ask."

"Eh? But if that's all, then Kanzaki-kun and the others didn't need to leave..."

True. If this was all, I could've said it in front of them. But the real topic was coming now. Ichinose tilted her head slightly, then reacted strongly to my next words.

"I wanted to ask what you're going to do about Ayanokouji."

"...!"

The cheerful expression vanished, replaced by clear shock. She hadn't expected this topic.

"Why... Ayanokouji-kun...?"

"Heard some things from him directly."

"..."

She didn't press further, just lowered her head. Her mental state was clearly unstable.

"If it's just a crush, you've probably given up by now. He has Karuizawa as his girlfriend."

"Yeah..."

"Do you still like him?"

How would she answer in this state?

Ichinose bit her lip lightly, then whispered as if forcing the words out.

"———I do."

Her quiet voice faded into the room's silence, but she kept going.

"He has Karuizawa-san... I know I should give up, but... I really like him."

I see. That explained a lot. Ichinose's current state, her worries, her feelings. All of it was fragile—once lost, it wouldn't return. But she couldn't let go.

"You don't have to give up."

"Eh?"

"Ayanokouji has Karuizawa. That's an undeniable fact. And interfering would be against common decency."

More than anything, Ichinose wouldn't allow that. Her sense of justice wouldn't permit it.

"But that's only true for now."

"F-for... now?"

"What about the future? Before worrying about Karuizawa, think about making Ayanokouji notice you first."

"But that's...!"

"It's not about being cruel or anything. Just getting him to see you. Making yourself appealing. That alone might change the future. Just a 'what if.'"

"A 'what if'..."

"You're meeting Ayanokouji tomorrow, right? Use that to settle everything."

All she needed was one thing—the resolve to fight for what she wanted.

Not begging, not waiting, but seizing it herself.

Of course, there were no guarantees. But the possibility existed.

By the time this exam ended, everything might change. The way others saw Ichinose, the odds in the finals, the results—which way would the scales tip?

The last piece was entirely up to her.

........

+ Bonus Scene

While Hachiman was meeting with Ichinose, back in his room, Amano was rummaging through the fridge to cook something.

"What should I make~? Senpai always eats what I make so happily, and he gives such nice feedback~ It's so rewarding! Hmm?"

She noticed something odd—next to the usual tea pitcher in the fridge, there was another one. With a big "X" taped on it.

"An 'X'? Does that mean I shouldn't drink it?"

She tilted her head, confused—but only for a second. The next moment, her White Room-trained mind started working.

"(Senpai wouldn't do something pointless like this, and he only had one tea pitcher before. So someone else brought this. The only people who come in here besides me are Shiina-senpai and Arisu-senpai. If they did something, it's definitely related to Senpai. What can you do with a pitcher...? Mix something into the tea? Come to think of it, when I was researching aphrodisiacs, there was that super-strong one you dilute...)"

Following her train of thought, she opened the trash can and peered inside.

"Ah-ha~! Found it~♡"

She picked up the exact bottle of aphrodisiac she'd seen online and grinned.

"Which one was it~? Shiina-senpai's super serious and would only use this at the absolute limit, so by process of elimination... Arisu-senpai, maybe?"

Having mostly figured it out, she tossed the bottle back into the trash.

"Well, doesn't matter~ I'll just use it with Senpai myself~♡"

Humming cheerfully, Amano taped another "X" onto the tea pitcher and went back to cooking.

=================================

Want to support me? 

You can join as member in my P4TR30N

p4treon.com/ShirooYuki ( Change 4 to a)

See ya!!