While I was taming Tsubasa-chan, the final exams ended without much trouble.

In Class 1-A... Ichika-chan and Ishigami-kun both scored 100 points in every subject, showing the same level of excellence as before~!

Also, this time, Class 1-D didn’t interfere and instead focused on studying for the test, so there were no conflicts, which is really something to be happy about!

"Ichika-chan getting perfect scores in every subject again... you’re really amazing!"

"I want to be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with Ichika-chan soon as well~!"

Today as well, I was together with the usual trio—Ayumi-chan, Kasuga-chan and Tetsuko-chan...

"Hey! Nanase-chan, don’t you think so too?"

"Yes... as Ichika-san’s friend... I want to be of help as well!"

No, actually, it was the five of us including Tsubasa-chan, walking together and chatting.

Since then, as I’ve spent more time with Tsubasa-chan... naturally, the opportunities for her to interact with Ayumi-chan, Kasuga-chan and Tetsuko-chan increased as well.

And now! They’ve completely become friends!

Like this... the chances for the five of us to gather and chat lively have increased too~!

And just as we were walking and chatting together...

"Hey, who’s Amasawa Ichika?"

A girl who looked cool at first glance, yet somehow sharp and prickly, called out to us.

This person... I feel like I’ve seen her before...

"Um, I’m Amasawa Ichika... but you’re a senior, right?"

"Second-year Class A. Kamuro Masumi."

Ah... I remember! She was the senior who served as Sakayanagi-senpai’s attendant, and due to the results of a special exam held around winter, she ended up being expelled by lottery, right?

"So, Kamuro-senpai... what business do you have with me?"

"I was just asked to pass on a message... ‘Bring me Amasawa Ichika from Class 1-A.’"

In other words... Sakayanagi-senpai is calling for Ichika-chan!

Sakayanagi-senpai should already know about the White Room after meeting Kiyotaka-senpai, but she shouldn’t have had any connection to fifth-generation students like me or Takuya... so I don’t understand why I’ve been called~

"Understood! In that case, Ayumi-chan, Kasuga-chan, Tetsuko-chan and Tsubasa-chan! It looks like I have something to do, so you four go home together today!"

"Okay!"

"Got it!"

"Yeah! Understood~!"

"Ichika-san... will you really be okay?"

While Ayumi-chan, Kasuga-chan and Tetsuko-chan replied energetically... Tsubasa-chan looked at me with a somewhat uneasy gaze.

"Don’t make such a worried face! Tsubasa-chan! I’ll be fine... okay?"

"Ugh..."

When I said that with a bright smile... Tsubasa-chan reluctantly accepted it and backed down.

'...Now then, what exactly does Sakayanagi-senpai want with me~?'

Feeling a little excited, I followed after Kamuro-senpai~

* * *

The place Kamuro-senpai brought me to was the classroom of Class 2-A.

"...Here it is. The person waiting for you is inside this classroom."

"I see~? Then, excuse me!"

As I cheerfully greeted and entered the Class 2-A classroom...

"So you are Amasawa-san. Please, take a seat here."

As expected... there she was—a small girl with silver hair, wearing a hat and holding a cane—Sakayanagi Arisu-senpai.

"Masumi-san, thank you for your hard work... I have something important to discuss with Amasawa-san, so please step out."

"Honestly! It took quite some effort to find her! And that guy named Yagami Takuya I ran into along the way... for some reason, he snapped at me too..."

After escorting me to the Class 2-A classroom, Kamuro-senpai muttered complaints at Sakayanagi-senpai and left.

"I apologize for calling you here in such a manner today."

"It’s fine~! I’m curious about what the queen of Class 2-A wants to talk about!"

"I see... to be honest, I was interested in you as well... Amasawa Ichika of the White Room, fifth generation."

...Oh? Sakayanagi-senpai is going straight for it right away~

"Eh... White... Room~? Isn’t that, like, something about the American president?"

"There’s no need to feign ignorance now. Amasawa-san. I already know that you are a fifth-generation White Room student and a junior of Ayanokōji-kun."

With a pleasant surface-level smile, Sakayanagi-senpai easily dismissed my desperate excuse.

"So you already found out~! Did you hear it from Kiyotaka-senpai, by any chance~?"

"Yes. Ayanokōji-kun and I share something like a childhood connection."

"So then? Sakayanagi-senpai~! What exactly is your business? I’m not exactly free either, you know?"

"Then I’ll get straight to the point... why is it!? Why has someone who should be a White Room student formed such a close relationship with Ayanokōji-kun—to the extent of going on dates with him!?"

As expected, it’s about that~

That day... I had a feeling that among the group tailing us, there was a blond, flashy guy who seemed like one of Sakayanagi-senpai’s followers~

"Um, could it be... that Hashimoto-senpai, who was tailing us back then, told you?"

"That’s right! Hashimoto-kun happened to witness your date with Ayanokōji-kun and recorded it, sending videos and photos to my phone! And what was that!? Carrying you like a princess in public, and that ‘ahh’ feeding thing! What exactly are you making Ayanokōji-kun do!?"

"Ugh... no, that was! Um..."

No, seriously... even Ichika-chan was surprised about that~

There’s no way I could’ve predicted Kiyotaka-senpai would do something like that!

"Listen carefully. The one who understands Ayanokōji-kun the most... is me."

Declaring that, Sakayanagi-senpai began talking on her own without even being asked.

About how she met Kiyotaka-senpai years ago...

About how that encounter led her to decide to defeat the masterpiece of the White Room...

"Now do you understand? I am the one who understands him. Someone like you has no place interfering."

Good grief... after listening to all that, this is all there is?

She’s clearly overestimating herself...

"Haa... there’s no way someone like you can defeat Kiyotaka-senpai... if anything, the one who’ll defeat him is... Ichika-chan..."

Before I even realized it... the words I had been thinking slipped out of my mouth.

And in that instant... I could feel the atmosphere in the classroom, now just the two of us, completely change...