I'm in a real religion, why are all the people who confess to me girls?

In an instant, a flood of information rushed into Hui's head, completely robbing her of her ability to think. She couldn't understand why she had overslept after just taking a nap after waking up, and was now being compared to Sakayanagi Arisu when she rushed off to school.

Is this really something she can get involved in?

"Masumi... just wanted to prove that she has good points. Don't worry, she didn't mean any harm."

Tenon naturally pulled Hui into her arms, then gently patted Hui's back to comfort her as she fell into confusion.

Hui first sniffed the pleasant scent of the shower gel on Tianyin's body with her delicate nose, revealing a contented expression. Then she buried her head in Tianyin's chest, gently rubbing against Tianyin's warm chest like a spoiled kitten.

Then she heard a question that made her blush.

"Is Tianyin's embrace really that comfortable?"

"Is that even a question? Of course..."

When Megumi, who was trying to suppress her laughter, leaned closer to look at her, her face quickly turned red in the blink of an eye. Overwhelmed with embarrassment, she buried her head in Amane's arms and rubbed against her. No matter how Amane tried to persuade her, she refused to lift her head.

Tianyin could only let Hui rub against her for now, hoping that she would return to normal once she got tired.

Watching the interaction between the group, Kamuro felt a sour feeling.

"Hey, Arisu-kun, you haven't answered my question yet!"

When Kamuro called her name, Arisu had no choice but to give up her idea of ​​teasing Karuizawa Megumi, and then told Kamuro her answer with a serious expression.

"Although I hate to admit it, Karuizawa does have an extremely dazzling advantage, so great that it can overshadow all her shortcomings."

"Huh? How could such a thing be? I don't see any redeeming qualities in her."

Hearing Arisu give Megumi such a high evaluation, Kamuro stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

Not only Kamuro, but even Megumi stopped acting cute and stared at Arisu in disbelief.

"Am I really as amazing as Sakayanagi-san says?"

For Megumi, whose only perceived strength was her ability to read people, Arisu's high praise made her feel somewhat flattered.

"Of course, Karuizawa-kun, you should have more confidence in yourself. Your appearance is your greatest strength."

"appearance?"

Kamuro was quite surprised by this answer. She hadn't really looked at Megumi much, but it was almost impossible for her to be a level above Arisu in terms of looks.

"That's right, Karuizawa is very good-looking. For a girl, I believe there is nothing more tempting than having a beautiful face."

"I don't think I'm as pretty as Sakayanagi-san said..."

Megumi waved her hand modestly, indicating that Arisu was overestimating her, but judging from the barely suppressed smile on her face, she was still very receptive to this kind of praise.

No girl can resist being complimented on her beauty, especially by a woman who is both outstanding and equally beautiful.

Even if it was just polite talk, I felt much happier.

Kamuro carefully examined Megumi. Although she was a little unwilling, she still acquiesced to Arisu's statement. In terms of appearance, Megumi was indeed top-notch in the entire school.

In addition to her cute and glamorous style, she also gives people a feeling of first love. Perhaps only Kei Karuizawa can bring these three elements together. No one would expect that a cute glamorous girl would actually be a love novice in disguise. It is equivalent to being able to experience several different types of romantic partners at the same time by dating Kei.

Therefore, Karuizawa Kei is the perfect candidate for the role of a lover.

Yes, Tianyin's judgment is never wrong.

"By the way, Hui, were you rushing to the classroom just now?"

Tenon noticed Kamuro's awkwardness, so she deliberately asked Megumi, who was in her arms.

Upon hearing Amane bring up something unrelated to the topic at hand, Megumi looked up and met Amane's gaze, then glanced at the dejected Kamuro. Megumi immediately knew what Amane was up to, so she feigned panic and slipped out of Amane's arms.

"Oh dear! It's all Tianyin's fault for interrupting. I need to hurry to class for morning self-study, so I'll have to go now. You guys shouldn't get too engrossed in your conversation and forget about the time!"

Hui winked playfully at Tianyin and then made a half-heart gesture with her hand. Tianyin also made a heart gesture in response and then gently touched Hui's cheek.

"Hey! Tianyin, you're so mean! Oh dear, it's getting late, I have to go now, bye everyone~"

Hui blushed, waved to everyone, then turned and jogged away towards the elevator.

"Karuizawa-san is indeed as cute as a child, and also very smart."

All of Amane and Megumi's interactions, including their eye contact, were observed by Arisu, who was very satisfied with Megumi's performance.

Tianyin walked straight towards the shrine.

"Masumi-san, are you free this weekend?"

Why are you asking this?

"Of course I want to invite you out to play. Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever gone out alone with you, Masumi. I heard that a new movie is going to be showing at the movie theater near Keyaki Shopping Center this weekend. Would you like to come with me to see a movie?"

The sudden invitation surprised Kamuro. She had thought that Amane wouldn't invite her, who had no redeeming qualities, after hearing Arisu's words. Although Kamuro had been trying to refute Arisu's remarks, she had actually given up hope of going on a date with Amane.

Because no one knows better than her the position of Arisu in Tenon's heart, if Arisu feels that she is not qualified enough, then even if she says it out loud, there will be no room for change.

But now things have taken a turn for the better.

"Are you... inviting me?"

"Hmm? Of course I'm inviting you. Aren't there no one else here besides the three of us?"

Tianyin answered with a hint of amusement.

"But...I don't have any admirable qualities that others can praise, so you don't need to waste your time on me..."

“I never feel that being with you, Masumi, is a waste of time. If you do feel it is a waste... I have plenty of time, so you are welcome to ‘waste’ it anytime. So, Masumi, what is your answer?”

Tianyin moved forward half a step, stepping directly into the safe social distance range of the shrine.

"..."

Kamuro instinctively crossed her arms and looked warily at Amane who had suddenly approached her. However, Amane did not do anything frivolous to her; she simply looked at Kamuro quietly.

Under those expectant gazes, Kamuro finally made his choice—

"I...I'm free this weekend...and I'm actually thinking of watching a movie, so let's go together that day, Tianyin."

Hesitantly accepted Tianyin's invitation.

"Then it's settled. Arisu, we should go now."

"Okay, then Masumi-san, let's meet in the classroom."

After Arisu finished speaking, she smiled and took Amane's arm. After saying goodbye to Kamuro, she and Amane took the elevator and left.

Kamuro was left standing alone in the corridor, staring blankly at the departing figures of the two.

"A date?... I'm starting to get a little nervous..."

……

The school building corridor was deserted. Even though the bell had rung for class, Chabashira Sae stood motionless outside the door. Her frighteningly pale face told everyone that something that was about to happen to her was like a nightmare.

"Finally, the day has come again. I'd like to know what you think about the upcoming special exam, Saeko. Do you think the retribution from back then will fall on your proud Class A, and in the end, they will fall into despair and regret like us? Hey~ Hey~ Saeko, say something, otherwise you won't be able to chat with me when you break down~ Saeko Chabashira."

Chapter 235: Crisis Approaching

“Hoshinomiya… no, Chie, about this… I’ve told you more than once that I don’t think my decision back then was wrong… at least, I didn’t regret it at the time.”

Chabashira tried his best to suppress his trembling voice, attempting to hide his nervousness and unease in front of Hoshinomiya.

But this special exam came too suddenly. Not to mention the students, even she was unprepared. She only found out this morning that a special exam would be held today. She was complaining that the school's higher-ups must have lost their minds. How can a special exam be announced and implemented on the same day?

Isn't this obviously designed to disgust people?

But when Chabashira learned the contents of the special exam, he rushed to the bathroom and began vomiting violently the moment he left the meeting room, overwhelmed by fear, tension, regret, and resentment...

All the negative emotions overwhelmed Chabashira Sae in just ten minutes, causing a stress response.

Having finally managed to calm herself down, Chabashira Sae walked towards the corridor leading to the classroom with her special exam materials. Anxiety and unease returned, causing her heart to pound. Forced to hide in this corridor, just a wall away from the classroom, she prayed that she could quickly regain her composure, otherwise…

But as if things weren't going to go wrong, from the moment Hoshinomiya appeared before her, Chabashira knew that her real nightmare had only just begun.

Yes, just as Chabashira herself said, she did indeed choose to be an enemy of the whole class without hesitation in order to protect the person she loved, and Chabashira Sae was not afraid even when the whole class was pointing their fingers at her.

Even now, she has never regretted that decision. Even though not being able to graduate as an A student is her regret, she has never regretted her desperate act for her lover.

But when that incident affected future classmates—or rather, former best friends—and brought it up again, Chabashira would always stubbornly insist that he had no regrets, but he never dared to look Hoshinomiya in the eye and say those words.

Chabashira herself knew that her so-called lack of regret was just wishful thinking. Now, even she herself was trapped in that matter and could not extricate herself. What right did she have to accuse Hoshinomiya of not being able to let go of what happened back then?

The reason Chabashira Sae became a teacher was to make up for the regret of not being able to graduate as a Class A student. Since she could not be a Class A student, she could only place her hopes on her students to graduate as Class A students, thus fulfilling the dream that she could not achieve back then.

Of course, it would be perfect if this class, like hers, progressed step by step from Class D to Class A.

Unfortunately, Chabashira Sae, who was full of expectations, only received disappointment after disappointment here. Those who could enter Class D were either flawed or those with special talents who were good at only one subject or geniuses with personality problems. Chabashira witnessed several times how the strong Class D students struggled desperately but still lost to fate.

So Chabashira Sae's heart died. The only reason she stayed in this place was probably because of that pitiful obsession. Perhaps, perhaps the next class will be a different Class D.

Perhaps it was truly the god of luck who favored Chabashira Sae, as she encountered the most powerful student she had ever met, Miyako Amane.

Even she, who prided herself on having witnessed the glory days of Class D, which could rival Class A, never dared to imagine that someone could single-handedly instill fear in the entire grade.

In just a year and a half, her dream came true. Class D became Class A, and she finally saw the light of hope descend upon her after enduring despair.

Then--.

As if the god of luck was playing a cruel joke on her, the school set up a special exam that had only been held once eleven years ago, without giving the students any time to react.

Anyone in Chabashira Sae's shoes would find this absurd situation unacceptable.

It's like someone who thinks they've finally escaped their fate looking back and finding that it was just another script, another one that fate was playing with, that would only make them more desperate.

Fortunately, it's not all beyond repair. Now that they're in Class A, they would never abandon their teammates who have helped each other through thick and thin just for a little bit of class points... right?

"I'm so sick of your excuses, Saeko. As the one who started this, of course you can't possibly regret it, but... who will pay for the future of the thirty-odd people who ultimately failed? Apart from me, none of the people who fought alongside you back then are still in touch with you, are they? You can't even utter a single one of those familiar names anymore, can you? Saeko, how long are you going to keep up this act in front of me? If you really didn't regret it... I wouldn't have run into you here."

Ms. Hoshinomiya put her hand on Chabashi's shoulder and pressed her entire weight onto him. Chabashi, whose legs were already a little weak, was almost knocked to the ground by Hoshinomiya's weight. After staggering a few steps, Chabashi was about to turn around and scold Hoshinomiya when he saw her mocking smile.

“I only pressed down lightly and became the last straw that broke the camel’s back. So, please tell me, should I really bear the blame for breaking the camel’s back? I admit that even after so many years, I still can’t let go of you, but you’re also stuck in this quagmire, Saeko.”

"..."

Tea Pillar kept his head down and remained silent.

Hoshinomiya is right. So many years have passed and she still hasn't gotten over the impact of that incident on her. How can she have the audacity to ask Hoshinomiya, one of the victims, to stop harassing her?

Even Chabashira herself began to doubt whether her actions were correct. In order to protect her lover, she found an excuse that she could not lose the best leader of the class. But even without losing the best leader of the class, they still lost miserably in the final battle against Class A.

She herself felt like a clown, being dumped after that special exam.

Chashu didn't want to blame him, because that person had done everything he could. In order for the class to gain a lot of points to surpass Class A, he chose to vote for himself to drop out of school, hoping to give Class B, who was about to take their last special exam before graduation, the points to defeat Class A.

It was she who, disregarding everything, tried to persuade him to stay after he voluntarily dropped out of school, which resulted in the other students in the class pointing the finger at Chaju and wanting to vote to expel Chaju, who was interfering with the class's decision. It was he who was willing to sacrifice all the trust he had accumulated over the past three years to protect Chaju in the same way.

However, the price was the deduction of 300 class points, which changed the fate of everyone in the class.

The past events seemed to reappear before her eyes. Chashu clutched her head in pain. Every time she recalled the details of that special exam, her head would throb with pain, as if her brain didn't want her to remember the 'stupid things' she had done that day.

Hoshinomiya watched with great interest as Chabashira writhed in pain.

She had waited a full eleven years, and finally this day had come. Seeing Chabashira, the culprit who prevented her from entering her desired school and ruined three years of hard work, finally feel pain for what happened back then, Hoshinomiya felt a sense of satisfaction, as if she had finally gotten her revenge.

She was even considering asking for leave to have another class teacher supervise this special exam for her, so she could just stand there and watch Chashu suffer in agony.

If possible, Hoshinomiya feels that he could stand here for a whole day without any problem.

Just as Hoshinomiya was about to continue mocking Chabashira's cowardice, a familiar figure crept along the wall towards the classroom.

"Xiao Tianyin? Shouldn't you be in class? The bell has been ringing for almost ten minutes now. Is something wrong?"

Hoshinomiya asked the late-arriving Amane with a concerned expression.

"Ah, I was a little late because of some things... What's wrong, Chabashira-sensei?"

Amane, who was separated from the Star Palace, saw Chabashira clutching his head and looking like he was in great pain, and couldn't help but ask curiously.

"Sigh, this is a recurring problem for Kozae. She gets dizzy and has headaches whenever her blood pressure goes up. Even though she's a 30-year-old woman, she still thinks she has the body of a teenager or a young woman in her twenties. She doesn't take care of her health every day, so she has some minor problems from time to time. It's nothing serious."

The Star Palace's overly natural explanation prevented Amane from immediately considering any other possibilities.

"Oh, I see. What should we do now? Should we take Teacher Chabashira to see a doctor?"

"Hehe~ Little Amane, have you forgotten? I'm the only doctor in this school! Don't worry, with me here, Saeko will be fine."

As the only school doctor, Hoshinomiya's statement wasn't problematic.

"Miyako, come to class!"

Chazhu, enduring a headache, sternly rebuked Tianyin.

Hoshinomiya's face darkened instantly.