Classroom of the Elite: Standing Firm in Class A — Chapter 59

Chapter 59: Ichinose’s TroublesYou're reading this on the wrong site. This chapter was translated by Elysian Reads and posted for free at elysianreads.com — if you're seeing it anywhere else, it was copied without permission. Read it at the source so the people who actually did the work get the credit.

“Wow! Really?!”

Kobashi Yume was the first to react, her large eyes instantly lighting up with the unmistakable, ravenous glow of pure gossip. “I knew it! You two look like such a perfect match! One is handsome and cool, and the other is beautiful and elegant!”

Her loud exclamation drew curious glances from the neighboring tables.

Ichinose Honami hurriedly tugged at her friend’s sleeve, a polite, apologetic smile masking her own surprise. “Yume, keep your voice down.” She turned back to the couple sitting across from them. “Eh—I really didn’t expect this! Congratulations to you both, Kaedehara-san, Kamuro-san.”

Beside her, Shiranami Chihiro kept her head bowed, staring intently at her half-eaten dessert as if completely detached from this sudden romantic revelation. But a closer look revealed the truth—her knuckles were stark white as she gripped her silver spoon, pressing it hard into the ceramic plate.

Kamuro Masumi seemed entirely indifferent to the stir they were causing. She calmly finished the last bite of her cake, then reached across the table. Without asking, she picked up the glass of ice water Kaedehara Tetsu had just been drinking from and took a slow, deliberate sip.

The indirect kiss was a silent, obvious declaration of territory, aimed squarely at the girls sitting across from them.

“Th-then when did you two start dating?” Yume’s curiosity was far from satisfied. She blinked rapidly, leaning forward to press for details.

“Well, as for that…” Tetsu finally spoke. He stretched out an arm, naturally draping it over Masumi’s shoulders and pulling her flush against his side. “Some things are far more interesting when you keep a little mystery. Don’t you think?”

His smooth deflection instantly shut down the interrogation. Sensible enough to read the room, the energetic girl didn’t push the subject any further.

Time flowed languidly through the quiet hum of the cafe. Another ten minutes drifted by, the clinking of porcelain fading as the desserts and drinks were finally cleared away.

“Ah, it’s getting late. We should probably head back,” Yume said, checking the time on her phone to break the slightly awkward silence that had settled over the booth.

“Yes, that’s right.” Ichinose agreed with her signature flawless smile. “Thank you very much for the treat today. If there’s a chance next time, please let us return the favor.”

“Don’t mention it.” Masumi simply let out a noncommittal hum, not bothering to offer any polite pleasantries.

The three girls from Class B began gathering their bags.

“Well then, Kaedehara-san, Kamuro-san, see you next time!” Yume stood up, waving energetically.

Chihiro rose silently beside her, sticking close to Ichinose’s side and offering nothing more than a stiff nod to Tetsu and Masumi.

Ichinose was the last to stand. “We had a great time chatting today. Well then, we’ll be taking our leave.” She turned to follow her friends.

“Ichinose-san, please wait a moment.”

Tetsu’s calm, measured voice cut through the ambient noise.

Ichinose paused, looking back over her shoulder with a hint of confusion. Yume and Chihiro, who had only made it two steps away, also stopped in their tracks.

“Yume, Chihiro, you two head back first,” Ichinose instructed, her diplomatic instincts kicking in instantly. She flashed them a reassuring smile. “I need to have a quick word with Kaedehara-san. I’ll be right behind you.”

“Oh… okay, alright.” Yume nodded obediently, though her eyes brimmed with curiosity.

Chihiro’s gaze darted nervously between Tetsu and Ichinose, a sharp glint of wariness flashing in her eyes. Ultimately, she bit her lip and followed Yume toward the exit, looking back over her shoulder every few steps.

Once their figures disappeared through the cafe doors, the previously cramped booth felt suddenly hollow. Ichinose turned her full attention back to Tetsu.

“Kaedehara-san, may I ask why you called me back?”

“Honami, you are a very perceptive person. So, you should be able to tell, right?” Tetsu leaned back, his dark eyes locking onto hers.and support the real translator.Read at elysianreads.com This is a stolen translation. You're reading this on the wrong site. This chapter was translated by Elysian Reads and posted for free at elysianreads.com — if you're seeing it anywhere else, it was copied without permission. Read it at the source so the people who actually did the work get the credit.

“Tell… what?” Her smile remained, but the edges grew slightly strained.

“Your friend, Shiranami-san.” Tetsu’s tone was clinical, stripping away all pretense. “Her feelings for you are not simply just ‘best friends’ as it seems.”

The flawless, diplomatic smile on Ichinose’s face finally cracked, slowly fading into a heavy silence. Her hands drifted down, her fingers unconsciously tightening around the leather strap of her bag.

“…I can probably feel a little bit of it,” she admitted in a hushed whisper after a long, suffocating pause.

Her frankness didn’t surprise him. Deception and evasion were simply not in Ichinose Honami’s nature.

“Then how do you plan to handle it?” Tetsu pressed, his voice a low, steady rhythm.

“Handle…” She repeated the word as if it tasted bitter, her expression twisting in genuine distress. “I don’t know… I really don’t know what to do. Two girls together… that sort of thing still feels a bit… strange. Besides, I don’t harbor those kinds of feelings for Chihiro at all. I just consider her one of my most important friends.”

Her voice dropped lower, thick with a deep, paralyzing confusion. “But… I don’t know how to reject her. Chihiro is… such a kind girl. I don’t want to hurt her because of my words. I can’t imagine what kind of heartbroken expression she would have if I said those things directly.”

This was the core of her fatal flaw. Her overwhelming kindness, her desperate need to shield everyone from pain, had forged the very shackles binding her to this emotional deadlock. She could neither reciprocate nor sever the tie. She could only passively watch the ambiguous feelings fester, dragging them both into a suffocating, awkward purgatory.

Beside Tetsu, Masumi took it all in. She held her water glass to her lips, feigning disinterest, but her sharp purple eyes gleamed with the quiet amusement of someone watching a tragedy unfold on stage.

“Then, do you need any help?” Tetsu extended his olive branch, watching her struggle. His voice was laced with a dark, seductive gravity, making it sound as though every burden weighing on her shoulders would vanish the second she nodded her head.

Ichinose’s head snapped up, her eyes wide with shock. “Help? Kaedehara-san, you can…?”

She stopped herself mid-sentence, catching her breath.

“…Never mind. Thank you for your kindness, Kaedehara-san.” She slowly shook her head, forcing her reliable, radiant smile back into place. “This is a matter between Chihiro and me. I think it’s better if I solve it myself. I believe that as long as we communicate properly, we will definitely find a way that won’t hurt each other.”

“Is that so? That’s truly a pity.” Tetsu’s expression remained perfectly impassive, entirely unbothered by her polite rejection. “However, sometimes, excessive kindness can instead cause deeper harm.”

“I understand.” Ichinose nodded slowly, absorbing the weight of his words. She glanced at the clock on the wall. “It really is getting late. I won’t disturb you two anymore.”

She offered them one last, lingering smile.

“However… Kaedehara-san, I appreciate your offer. If… if I really can’t think of any solution, and when I’m at my wit’s end…” She hesitated, a flash of complex, agonizing struggle passing through her eyes. “…At that time, perhaps I really will shamelessly come to you to seek some advice.”

In the end, the desperate girl still left herself a sliver of an escape route. With those final words, she turned on her heel and hurried out of the cafe.

The booth fell quiet, leaving only Tetsu and Masumi.

Masumi set her glass down on the table with a soft clink. She turned her head, her cynical gaze fixing on the man beside her.

“You really are warm-hearted, Kaedehara-san,” she drawled, her voice dripping with dry sarcasm. “Are you going to stick your nose into the internal romantic troubles of Class B as well?”

“How could that be?” Tetsu replied, a faint, dangerous smirk playing on his lips. “I just can’t stand seeing girls look sad.”

“Scum.”

“You’re begging to be disciplined,” Tetsu murmured, his tone dropping into a dark, intimate register. “I’ll deal with you properly when we get back.”You're reading this on the wrong site. This chapter was translated by Elysian Reads and posted for free at elysianreads.com — if you're seeing it anywhere else, it was copied without permission. Read it at the source so the people who actually did the work get the credit.