The Classmate Who Is Adored by Everyone Smiles Teasingly Only at Me-Chapter 5Volume 3 .1 - Unveiling

Unveiling

The Monday following the cultural festival was a compensatory holiday, and school resumed on Tuesday.

However, things couldn’t immediately return to normal. There was still much cleaning up to do.

For this reason, the first period was a homeroom dedicated to the post-festival cleanup.

Students busily moved desks back into classrooms from empty classrooms and storage rooms, took down unnecessary decorations, and swept the floors with brooms.

Restoring the classroom to its original state in just one hour was quite a laborious task, but somehow, they managed to complete the work just in time.

“Everyone, good work.”

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Miki naturally stepped up to the podium as the exhausted classmates took their seats early in the morning.

“With this, our cultural festival-related tasks are finished. I was worried about how things would turn out since we decided on our presentation so late, but I think it went quite well. By the way, although there were no official rankings, according to the collected surveys, our ‘Matsuri-ya’ was very well received. I think we were probably the top among the first years.”

At Miki’s words, a cheer and applause erupted from the class.

“Many wrote that they enjoyed the various types of baby castella, and the service in yukata was also popular. There were hardly any troubles, so I think it was a great success. Look forward to next year’s cultural festival.”

With that conclusion, Miki bowed politely.

The cultural festival was completely over.

In the brief moment as the classroom was enveloped in that atmosphere—

—Clunk

As if waiting for that moment, one student stood up.

“Chika? What’s wrong?”

Miki blinked in surprise and asked, but Chika, who had stood up, strode up to the podium as if she hadn’t heard. She then bowed respectfully.

For a moment, their eyes met.

“That girl, she couldn’t possibly…”

Sōma had not been informed of anything.

However, seeing the determination in her eyes, he felt he understood what she intended to say.

“Um, there’s something I’d like to share with everyone. So please, give me a little bit of your time.”

Chika began to speak with a slightly nervous expression.

“Or perhaps some of you have already noticed, but since the start of the second term, I have been spending a lot of time with Ichinose Sōma-san.”

Instantly, the gazes in the classroom shifted from Chika to Sōma.

“…”

Sōma, not one to seek the spotlight, was not used to being the center of attention.

Overwhelmed by the stares of all his classmates, he involuntarily shrank back.

Feeling both embarrassed and uneasy, he became uncomfortable.

As he tried to maintain his composure by gripping the edge of his desk, Chika took a breath and continued.

“Although I say we’ve been spending a lot of time together, it’s not in a romantic sense. It’s something very serious. We have made a promise to cooperate with each other. I taste test sweets for Sōma-san, and Sōma-san has taken on the role of watching over me.”

Chika’s overly concise explanation caused a stir in the classroom.

One of the girls raised her hand, looking puzzled as she asked a question.

“Um, I understand about Ichinose’s taste testing, but what does it mean to watch over you, Chika? I didn’t quite get that.”

“It’s just as I said. I have many things I want to do and challenges I want to take on. However, facing them alone is a bit scary. During such times, Sōma-san watches over me and sometimes lends a hand.”

“Hmm…”

The girl let out a sound that was both understanding and not.

“Today, I spoke about this for two reasons. One is that until now, my challenges have only been outside of school, but I’m thinking of trying them here as well. It might seem like trivial child’s play to everyone, but I am serious. So, I sincerely ask that you do not interfere or comment on it.”

Chika bowed deeply and politely.

“…And the other reason?”

Prompted by the girl’s question, Chika raised her face, displaying a mischievous smile that was uncharacteristic of her, reminiscent of a thin blade.

“I am currently very happy and fulfilled. I wanted to declare that no matter what anyone says, I have no intention of letting go of the present.”

Chika’s announcement was met with confusion.

“What did Satomi mean by that?”

“When Satomi is doing something, does it mean Ichinose just stands behind her blankly?”

“That’s interesting, but I wonder if there’s any meaning to it.”

It was no wonder the classmates were confused.

While Chika’s side of the taste testing was understandable, Sōma’s role as an observer was too vague and hard to imagine.

Thanks to this ambiguity, the commotion Sōma had feared did not occur until lunch break.

During the break, he received questions like “What have you been doing until now?” and envious remarks such as “I’m so jealous that you get to be with Satomi after school,” but when he repeated Chika’s explanation, they would respond with a noncommittal “I see…” and that was the end of it.

“I was scared that I’d be surrounded by my classmates every break, grilled with questions like a celebrity caught in a scandal, so I’m seriously relieved that didn’t happen.”

Shōhei, who had come with his lunchbox to have lunch together, laughed when Sōma showed relief with a gesture of wiping his brow.

“Well, with that explanation, no one knows what to make of it, so I guess they can’t really ask anything?”

It seemed that Chika wasn’t causing any major confusion either, and despite being asked “What was that about earlier?” she was treated as usual, being fed sweets and having her hair brushed.

“It was all my unnecessary worry. I worried for nothing.”

“I wonder about that.”

As Shōhei said this while taking out bread from his bag, he wore a knowing smile.