"...Saiki... he deleted those posts?"
Ichinose Honami was momentarily stunned after hearing Shiina Hiyori's words.
[Saiki... why did he do that? And how exactly did he manage it?]
Ichinose Honami was filled with confusion.
"Although Saiki-kun usually seems cold, he's actually someone who values his friends deeply," Shiina Hiyori said with a smile.
"Saiki has helped me a great deal in the past."
Ichinose Honami recalled the time when she was confessed to by a classmate, and it was Saiki who had helped her out back then.
Although, at the time, Saiki hadn't actually intended to do so.
"Saiki is an incredibly capable person. His abilities are probably even greater than I imagined. I believe that, aside from Saiki, there's no one else who could have helped Ichinose-san out of her predicament," Shiina Hiyori said slowly.
"Although I'm not sure exactly what method Saiki-kun used, I think he must have done something on his own, which is why Sakayanagi's plan didn't succeed."
Shiina Hiyori wasn't entirely sure what Saiki had done, but based on the circumstances, she inferred that Saiki must have taken some action.
[If I were Sakayanagi, yesterday's scheme would have already succeeded, so today would be the best time to take further action and push Ichinose deeper into despair.]
[But Sakayanagi didn't do that. Why? Is she not planning to continue? However, I think the likelihood of that is low. She must be planning something—perhaps she's already done something, but her plan didn't succeed, and the teachers' intervention has made it impossible for her to take further action.]
[The person who could stop Sakayanagi not only needs to have exceptional abilities but also a deep understanding of both Ichinose and Sakayanagi's situations. In my understanding, only Saiki fits these criteria, so I'm almost certain that Saiki did something.]
"I see."
Ichinose Honami seemed to have realized something and nodded firmly.
"Tomorrow, I'll meet with Saiki-kun... Perhaps Saiki-kun has already guessed my past... But as Hiyori said, there are some things I really need to say to Saiki-kun in person..."
Her gaze gradually became more serious.
"Tomorrow? But Ichinose-san, do you remember what day it is tomorrow?"
Shiina Hiyori said with a meaningful tone.
"Tomorrow?"
Ichinose Honami took out her phone and checked the date—
"Tomorrow is Valentine's Day!"
Ichinose Honami and Shiina Hiyori had previously been in the same group discussing topics related to love, and their relationship had gradually grown closer.
"Ah, I've bothered you enough today, Ichinose-san. Get some rest! I should head back too!"
"Mm, thank you so much for visiting me today, Hiyori! Also... Hiyori, you can just call me Honami from now on!"
...
That night, Ichinose Honami sat on her bed, looking at the time on her phone, lost in thought.
"It's already been a while since school ended... If I wait any longer, the stores might close!"
Ichinose Honami quickly stood up and hurriedly left her dorm room, heading to the school supermarket.
Perhaps because her mood had improved, Ichinose Honami's cold symptoms seemed to have lessened.
Soon, she arrived at the school supermarket. Since it was late and almost closing time, there weren't many people around.
"Hmm... let me think about which one is more popular..."
Due to the limited time, Ichinose Honami almost ran to the chocolate section, where a variety of chocolates were displayed. The supermarket had also cleverly set up various Valentine's Day promotions, with posters related to the holiday everywhere.
However, Ichinose Honami had never bought a gift for anyone before, let alone on Valentine's Day. She didn't know what kind of chocolate would be appropriate to give, so she could only stand there and look from a distance.
"Are you looking for Valentine's Day chocolates?"
At that moment, a store clerk noticed Ichinose Honami and quickly walked over to ask.
"Ah! Yes..."
Ichinose Honami was a bit surprised, not expecting the clerk to approach her.
"It's written all over your face. You want to give something to a boy you like," the clerk said with a smile.
"Ah! Well, no, it's not like that! But I owe him a lot, and you could say he saved my life... As a thank you, I want to give him some chocolates."
Ichinose Honami said somewhat shyly.
[I've never given anything to anyone before. This is the first gift I've ever given in my life, and it turns out to be Valentine's Day chocolates...]
"But, I feel like I've seen you somewhere before?"
Ichinose Honami looked at the clerk with some confusion.
The clerk looked about the same age as her, with attractive features and a slightly tanned complexion that made her stand out.
It was Aiura Mikoto.
Indeed, Aiura Mikoto was currently working part-time at the supermarket.
Her fortune-telling shop was actually quite popular during Valentine's Day, as couples liked to give each other quirky gifts.
During the day, Aiura Mikoto had been swamped with work, but she had predicted that Saiki would come to the supermarket to buy chocolates today, so she had chosen to work here in advance, hoping to create a chance encounter with Saiki.
However, as closing time approached, Aiura Mikoto still hadn't run into Saiki, which made her doubt her own prediction.
"Maybe? I work at the fortune-telling shop during the day!"
Aiura Mikoto said with a smile. She hadn't met Ichinose Honami many times, so she didn't have much of an impression of her.
"I see. So, about the chocolates... which one would you recommend?"
"Shouldn't you choose the one you like? It's all about intuition, intuition."
Aiura Mikoto said with a smile.
"Then, I'll take this one."
After some thought, Ichinose Honami finally picked out a chocolate she liked.
"Thank you. Should I add a small card, like 'I love you'?"
"No! No need!"
Ichinose Honami's face turned red, and she quickly waved her hands in refusal.
At that moment, another girl walked over. She had short pink hair and wore glasses. Ichinose Honami hadn't seen her before, but she felt a sense of familiarity. However, out of shyness, Ichinose Honami hugged the chocolates to her chest and quickly left to go pay.
The pink-haired girl also casually picked up a few boxes of chocolates from the counter, paid, and left the supermarket.
[Strange, did my prediction go wrong today? I didn't see Saiki even as we're closing... Ugh, my recent state hasn't been great...]
As the supermarket closed, Aiura Mikoto shook her head helplessly and sighed.
...
Outside the supermarket, the pink-haired girl walked to a secluded corner.
'Yare yare, fortune-telling is such a terrifying ability.'
And she was none other than Saiki.
Saiki had the ability to transform, allowing him to change his appearance into that of a girl.
'I specifically chose to go to the supermarket near closing time, thinking there wouldn't be many people around, but I didn't expect her to be there.'
Saiki thought to himself.
'Good thing I have telepathy and knew Aiura was there in advance, or things could have gotten messy.'
If Saiki had been seen buying chocolates by Aiura Mikoto, the consequences would have been unimaginable, and he would have been stuck in the awkward situation of whether or not to give her chocolates.
'Also, I need to emphasize one thing: I bought chocolates just to prevent any unexpected situations. It absolutely doesn't mean I'm planning to give them to anyone.'
Saiki thought to himself, then turned to look into the distance.
'Did I just see Ichinose? Did she come out to buy chocolates too? Well, that's normal, I guess. Ichinose has a wide network of friends at school, so she probably has a lot of people to give friendship chocolates to. Yare yare, I should head back too.'
With that, Saiki used his teleportation ability to return to his dorm room.
...
The next morning, Saiki left his room and headed to the classroom.
Even before arriving, Saiki could hear the noisy thoughts of his classmates.
[Today is Valentine's Day!]
[I wonder how many chocolates I'll receive today!]
[I'm so excited!]
'Yare yare.'
As Saiki entered the classroom, he saw Hirata Yosuke's desk piled high with various chocolates.
Not just love chocolates, but also care chocolates and friendship chocolates. Hirata Yosuke had received so many chocolates, which was a testament to his popularity.
After all, Hirata Yosuke was practically the perfect guy—handsome, academically excellent, and always going out of his way to help his classmates.
[Will I receive any chocolates today?]
Ike Kanji had just entered the classroom, and he was actually quite looking forward to Valentine's Day chocolates.
He quickly walked to his seat and opened his desk drawer—
Inside was a carefully wrapped gift box!
"Ah!"
Seeing that he had received a Valentine's Day gift, Ike Kanji was thrilled and eagerly unwrapped it—
But inside was empty, with only a note.
"You didn't really think a girl would give you chocolates, did you?"
Yamauchi Haruki, sitting nearby, read the note aloud with a laugh.
It was a prank he had set up.
"HAHAHAHA, I can't stop laughing, Ike! Your reaction!! Were you actually expecting something?!"
Yamauchi Haruki laughed inappropriately, while Ike Kanji's expression gradually darkened.
"This isn't funny, Yamauchi."
'Yare yare, indeed. Pulling such a prank on Valentine's Day.'
Saiki glanced at Yamauchi Haruki out of the corner of his eye. This guy's poor reputation in class wasn't without reason.
Ike Kanji was feeling a bit down, but just then, a girl walked up to him and handed him a box of chocolates.
"Here, for you."
The girl was Shinohara Satsuki. During the deserted island exam, she had argued with Ike Kanji the most—but after Ike Kanji apologized, their relationship had gradually improved.
The classmates had noticed this to some extent, but of course, Saiki had been the first to notice, though he hadn't told anyone.
However, Shinohara Satsuki didn't say much. After giving the chocolates to Ike Kanji, she turned to leave.
But just then, Ike Kanji called out to her:
"Uh... thank you... um... wait, I have something for you too..."
Ike Kanji, who was usually so brash, was now stumbling over his words, his face turning red as he pulled a box of chocolates from his bag and handed it to her.
"What's this?"
Seeing Ike Kanji and Shinohara Satsuki, Yamauchi Haruki's face showed a hint of displeasure. He hadn't expected Ike Kanji to receive chocolates from a girl.
[No way?! Why would anyone give Ike chocolates?! Is this for real?! That guy's short, his grades are bad, but that girl's pretty average too!]
Yamauchi Haruki thought to himself.
'Yare yare, you were friends before, and now you're badmouthing him in your mind? And while Ike's grades aren't great, they're still better than yours, right?'
Saiki was almost too tired to even comment.
"Is Yamauchi Haruki here?"
At that moment, a familiar voice came from the doorway.
Sakayanagi Arisu.
"I'm here, I'm here!"
Yamauchi Haruki answered loudly enough for the whole class to hear, then quickly walked out the back door to meet Sakayanagi Arisu.
"Today is a special day, so I brought you a special gift!"
Sakayanagi Arisu said with a smile, handing a box of chocolates to Yamauchi Haruki.
[This is a one-way ticket to hell for Yamauchi.]
Saiki could clearly hear Sakayanagi Arisu's thoughts.
He slightly turned his head, his gaze shifting to the back door—and his eyes seemed to meet Sakayanagi Arisu's.
"Let's work well together in the future."
Sakayanagi Arisu said with a smile.
However, her words weren't just directed at Yamauchi Haruki.
They were also directed at Saiki.