Practical teaching, all I want is your reward.

Regardless of what Sakayanagi Arisu does, or what her classmates and everyone else might think of her, she must bravely take a step forward.

Honami Ichinose was prepared; she planned to put this matter to rest today, without affecting everyone's exams or her own mood.

In the past, she would never have had this courage. Just thinking about how people would look at her strangely would make her heart ache, and she would feel as if she were in the endless fires of hell, only able to endure the burning sins.

Now, the girl is fearless.

The past is the past, and the present is the present. She cannot stay in the past any longer. The ice and snow will melt under the scorching sun, a painful process, but spring will follow.

Even though springtime is bare at the beginning.

Honami Ichinose took a deep breath and replied to Toru Suzuki on her phone, telling him not to worry about her.

Immediately, the girl pushed open the door to her room, took the dormitory elevator, and went down to the lobby on the first floor.

At this moment, Chihiro Shiranami, Yume Kohashi, and Asako Amakura were waiting for Honami Ichinose in the lobby.

The moment she saw them, Ichinose Honami couldn't help but smile.

However, several students passing by gave her strange looks, which made her smile freeze.

"Good morning, Honami-chan!"

When Kohashi and the others greeted her, Ichinose Honami smiled somewhat awkwardly and said good morning as if nothing was wrong.

Perhaps because she was feeling particularly uneasy, she didn't notice that Wang Cang Ma Zi was silent and taciturn on the road, and that something was wrong with her.

The group arrived at the entrance of the teaching building. Ichinose Honami was changing into indoor shoes. She could hear whispers around her from time to time, which seemed to be saying things like "It must be a rumor," "You can't tell at all," and "If that's the case, aren't we in a terrible situation?" which made her feel even worse.

"Ichinose-san, if we don't stop these rumors from spreading, it might affect more than just you." Kanzaki Ryuji had somehow appeared next to Ichinose Honami, his expression grave.

"Someone is trying to frame our class again!" Xiaoqiao Meng said angrily.

Honami Ichinose looked at them, and Chihiro Shiranami also mustered her courage and said firmly, "I believe Honami-chan is not that kind of person."

"Don't worry, I'll handle this." Honami Ichinose patted Chihiro Shiranami's head with a gentle smile. She's not the same person she used to be; she'll be alright.

Just then, a voice came from not far away.

"Hehe, can I hear how you plan to deal with the rumors?"

Sakayanagi Arisu and Kamuro Masumi appeared in front of them, seemingly having just changed into indoor shoes as well.

Ryuji Kanzaki's expression changed, and he said in a low voice, "I've investigated the source of the rumors. It seems that it started with a few students from Class A spreading the rumors."

Upon hearing this, Kohashi Yume and Shiranami Chihiro became excited.

"Damn Class A!"

Although she felt a little happy to see them standing up for her, Honami Ichinose knew she had to take the first step.

"Sakayanagi-san, I won't run away."

Upon hearing this, Sakayanagi Arisu simply smiled and said dismissively, "Everyone makes such boastful claims, but can you actually do them? I bet just thinking about it makes you feel terrified and your body tremble."

“You’re right, but someone has already given me confidence.” Honami Ichinose’s eyes hardened.

"I told you, you can only cling to others; you can't do anything else." Sakayanagi Arisu's smile gradually disappeared, her face expressionless.

"Because you have no one to rely on, right?" Ichinose Honami smiled slightly. "You don't care about anyone, and no one cares about you. No one will understand your feelings. You can only see the surface of him. You can't feel his gentleness. Why should I reject his gentleness?"

Sakayanagi Arisu stared at her coldly, gripping her cane tightly without uttering a word.

Honami Ichinose was not afraid of this. She was afraid, but not terrified. She was happy to let the sun melt her completely because someone was waiting for her to correct her.

Seeing their confrontational demeanor, everyone was somewhat bewildered.

Only Wang Cang Ma Zi pursed her lips tightly. Others might not understand what they were saying, but she could understand it perfectly.

She didn't understand, she couldn't understand at all, why Ichinose Honami would fall for him. Gentleness and all that was just a lie. What kind of gentleness could a cheating pervert have?

However, when Netkura Mako thought about what happened yesterday, she could only remain silent.

Chapter 361 Oh no, she's become someone who got in through connections!

"Heh, so you mean you're ready to face the consequences now?"

Sakayanagi Arisu smiled, but her lips twitched slightly, almost imperceptibly. What was she talking about? What did she mean by only seeing the surface and not being able to see the other person's gentleness?

What's with this condescending attitude? She clearly has something on you, doesn't she?

"Isn't this what you'd like to see?" Honami Ichinose took a deep breath. "I won't deceive anyone, and I won't wear a mask of hypocrisy. Even if some people hate me for it, I will honestly reveal my true self. The only thing I can do is try my best to make up for my past mistakes."

"So, you admit that you committed an unforgivable crime in the past?" Sakayanagi Arisu was somewhat agitated. Although she had anticipated this scene, she never expected Ichinose Honami's will to be so firm.

Even if Suzuki Toru used hypnosis on her, the effect was just too good.

The so-called leverage depends entirely on the ability of the person involved. If the person involved already possesses abilities beyond leverage, then she can only watch helplessly.

Honami Ichinose is the core of Class B. If she suffers a setback, the atmosphere of Class B will change. The others are not yet capable of leading the class.

If it were Ryuji Kanzaki from a few years ago, perhaps this would be possible, but Arisu Sakayanagi knows his childhood friend well; he is not suitable for this mission.

Sakayanagi Arisu had no intention of destroying Class B now. Just as she had told Ichinose Honami before, she needed power outside of Class A.

The moment she learned of this weakness from Nagumo Masaru, she realized intensely that Ichinose Honami had to get rid of this dark past.

Unlike Suzuki Toru's talk therapy, Sakayanagi Arisu's methods were extreme; she simply let the sword of Damocles fall completely, striking Ichinose Honami.

If you can get through this, everything will be fine.

If Honami Ichinose doesn't make it through, it means she lacks a decent will and character, and she won't be able to keep up with her in subsequent actions.

This was Sakayanagi Arisu's idea, but she seemed to have underestimated the influence Suzuki Toru had on Ichinose Honami, and even far underestimated Ichinose Honami's will.

"An unforgivable crime?" Ichinose Honami chuckled softly, a strange light flashing in her eyes, as if she were recalling something. "Actually, I had this thought not long ago, but someone told me that there are many things in this world that can be viewed from a different perspective."

"Honami-chan?" Chihiro Shiranami sensed that something was wrong and tugged at Honami Ichinose's sleeve with a worried expression.

Because of their conversation, many students on their way to class were looking over curiously. When they realized that the person who spread the rumors was the one in question, their eyes lit up and they couldn't help but whisper among themselves.

"Really? She's so cute, but she's secretly manipulating everyone. That's too much."

"I think since she's so cute, it doesn't matter if something like that really happened. Besides, judging from her appearance, it shouldn't be a problem to be lenient with her."

"It's different, isn't it? We worked so hard to get into this school, why should we be with people like this?"

"Exactly, she's a student in a top class, so getting into a good school or getting a job should be easy for her. She's really cunning."

"..."

Listening to the surrounding voices, Sakayanagi Arisu's lips curled up slightly. This was the power of public opinion; it could turn white into black. Besides, Ichinose Honami herself had problems.

"Everyone, please listen to me."

However, unexpectedly, Honami Ichinose said something that should never have been said to anyone.

"I'm sorry to everyone in Class B. I've let you down, and I want to apologize to you all."

The girl's sudden action shocked everyone, not only her friends Kohashi Yume, but even Sakayanagi Arisu was stunned for a moment.

"Eh? Eh? Eh? What are you saying, Honami-chan!?"

"The rumors that have surfaced about me in the last two days—I want to say that they are not rumors."

In an instant, the entire room fell silent.

When Honami Ichinose revealed that she had once stolen a hair clip to celebrate her sister's birthday, everyone looked at each other, unsure of what expression to make.

The atmosphere became even more tense when she heard her kneel down and apologize to the shop assistant.

Sakayanagi Arisu gradually lost her smile. Things had gotten so far that they were completely out of her control. Didn't the other party understand what she was doing?

You should at least say this to your own students, right?

Furthermore, shouldn't you have consulted your confidants before explaining?

Judging from the way Shiranami Chihiro and the others looked, it was clear that Ichinose Honami had not given any hints, and even Kanzaki Ryuji was a little confused.

“My homeroom teacher recommended this school to me back then, so I thought I wanted to start over and begin from scratch again.” Honami Ichinose gave her friends a forced smile. “I’m sorry for making you worry about me all this time, but I’m a despicable and useless leader.”

"Sail waves..."

Benedict——

Sakayanagi Arisu tapped her cane on the ground, making a sound that instantly drew everyone's attention.

"Do you think a perfunctory apology will make people forget your past? Who knows if you're just trying to gain sympathy? Or is this all a performance by your Class B?"

They reacted faster than others, completely blocking any escape route. If it were anyone else in this situation, they might have burst into tears.

"Sakayanagi-san, I'm not trying to gain sympathy. Although the mistakes of the past cannot be changed, I will not do such things again today. I want to get along well with everyone."

Just as Sakayanagi Arisu was about to continue speaking, Kamuro Masumi, who was next to her, suddenly tugged at her sleeve, as if she had noticed something, and hesitated to speak.

At that moment, Asako Amakura spoke up: "Um, are you Sakayanagi-san from Class A?"

"I don't think I need to introduce myself to everyone again, right?" Sakayanagi Arisu frowned slightly, wondering what Kamuro Masumi wanted to do, but she only saw her utter two words.

“Run!”

Upon reading those two words, Sakayanagi Arisu paused for a moment. What was she going to run away from?

"Oh, I was just wondering if there was anyone else in Class A with the surname Sakayanagi. It turns out it's only Sakayanagi-san. No wonder you're in Class A." Asako Amakura's face was covered with an extremely dazzling smile, and her words attracted the attention of those around her. Whispers that were even more intense than before began to circulate again.

"Compared to Ichinose, Sakayanagi is even more despicable, the so-called privileged class."

"It was just helping my sister celebrate her birthday. Ichinose regretted it. It was a small matter. But Sakayanagi is really hard to believe."

"Sigh, capital."

"She's probably here to get some experience, since this is her family's school."

Sakayanagi Arisu clearly felt her expression stiffen, realizing that the discussion had just taken place entirely on her.

"Check your phone," Masumi Kamuro whispered a reminder.

Sakayanagi Arisu had a cold expression on her face. She didn't even need to look to know what had happened. Without a doubt, only someone would be so skilled as to attack her using her surname.

"It's cute, but with all this backdoor stuff, even Class A has fallen into corruption!"

"I heard that Class A in the first year has a particularly high class score. Did she reveal a lot of information about the exam?"

"That shouldn't be possible, right?"

Listening to the sounds around her, and especially facing all sorts of strange looks, Sakayanagi Arisu suddenly laughed. Was she teaching her a lesson by giving her a taste of her own medicine?