Light Novel 2nd Year Volume 9.5/Summary

Chapter 1
The winter break of his second year has begun. Kiyotaka was in bliss after being able to enjoy his winter break like any other student. He was satisfied at the freedom and chance of the moment but knew this time was coming to an end. The day of parting would soon arrive, but until then, he was resolved to live life as a student to the fullest, living while knowing that his days are irreplaceable and his freedom not guaranteed.

Chapter 2
Kiyotaka had woken up from a dream. In it, his homeroom teacher was wearing a bunny costume. However, he wasn’t adversed to the effect of forgetting his dreams quickly after awakening just like anyone else. Thus, he gave up trying to remember and went to wash up. The couple cups and toothbrushes reminded him of the break he unofficially had with Kei. Emotionally, nothing had changed in him as he wonders if whether something would have if it wasn’t by his action. He believed that there shouldn’t be any hesitation when cutting off a significant other, and that the time spent should be more joyous than filled with misery. He had made some plans with Kei so they could continue communicating, but the weather and health were things beyond his control.

He already had a plan in place regarding this Cold War with Kei. He had tried to call her on the 24th but it didn’t went through. His messages were left unread until an hour later. Her first word was influenza. Knowing her, she would crawl over if need be but she apologised for not taking care of her condition more. He didn’t blame her and rescheduled their meeting. Many cases had risen up as he wonders how to spend the day.

Just then, Ichinose texted him, asking if he was free of disease and hearing that Kei already had the flu. She was worried and offered her help for anything. He thanks her and says he going to the gym at noon. She asks whether she should cancel her appointment so no one who be suspicious. Kiyotaka tells her not to worry and that if they meet, he’ll count on her to dispel the suspicions.

After changing, Kiyotaka notices Mashima-sensei training as well, the latter welcoming him enthusiastically. Kiyotaka felt like his strength has fallen and wanted to get it back through the gym. Mashima notices that it wasn’t a student-like response but praised him for joining. He intended to gym the whole day even though it was Christmas Eve. He invites Kiyotaka to observe how he trains and taught him how the equipment works. Mashima proudly says he could lift 80 Kg, but explains that only 1 in a 100 could lift 100 Kg. After doing light training for 30 minutes, Kiyotaka followed the gaze of many onto Koenji. He was uncharacteristically serious, efficient and devoted to training daily. Kiyotaka admits it was captivating to watch compared to Mahima's training. Ichinose appeared and says Koenji was always popular as she greeted Kiyotaka. She felt that it was a shame that he had to spend Christmas Eve like this, and that Kei would feel differently to his indifference.

After spending 30 minutes at their own pace on the treadmill, they agreed being with another was a great source of motivation. Another hour passed before Amikura arrived and they went their separate ways. Mashima called out to him and was shocked that he had trained for over 3 hours without breaks. He took Kiyotaka’s advice to rest so as to not accumulate fatigue. Mashima went on to ask for a favour but before doing so, a female employee went on to ask if he had overworked himself again.

He answered nicely, and introduced Kiyotaka as an excellent student from Class B despite not being his own. Kiyotaka greeted her as Akiyama recognised him when he with Ichinose. Mashima stared as she left to do her work before confessing to Kiyotaka that he has feelings for her. Her face was child-like but she was beautiful and mature. Kiyotaka inquires whether Hoshinomiya and Sae was of the same cloth to which Mashima denies, saying he wouldn’t even consider dating them even if the school rules allowed it. Kiyotaka made Mashima divulge his reasons after threatening not to help him with Akiyama. To him, Hoshinomiya was too light-hearted while Sae was too serious.

Suspicious at his earlier happiness, Kiyotaka wonders if it was because he finally found a student he could entrust to find out if Akiyama had a boyfriend, her likes and dislikes whilst being discreet. Mashima said Sae was fortunate to have a student like him when without saying anything, Kiyotaka already knew his motives. He was surprised when Kiyotaka already knew she was only free on Thursdays, but he easily pieced it together just from Mashima’a training regiment.

Leaving the gym, Kiyotaka wanted to explore the mall with a male friend but no one came to mind. He didn’t want Yosuke to feel obligated as he ponders the meaning of a friend. In front of a rental store filled with DVDs, he saw Shiranami shopping as well, listening to a song about broken hearts. She asks for a bit of his time and despite sensing discomfort, Kiyotaka agreed to it.

After finding a secluded spot, her first question was to inquire about his relationship with Ichinose. He was hesitant as he wasn’t sure whether Ichinose fell under his definition of friends or was something else. He elaborated that it doesn’t matter if he had a girlfriend or not, as what matters is his own feelings. Shiranami innocently said that a person could only fall in love with one person at a time and rejected his statement that one can fall for multiple people at one time.

He then vaguely answers her, saying that his relationship with Ichinose isn’t what Shiranami is fretting currently, but no one knows what the future entails. She points out that if it was normal, he wouldn’t had added a distinction of the present and the future. In his mind, he agreed, if it was any other close female friends, he wouldn’t had added it in. She added that his choice of word could only be used if he intended to break up with Kei and date Ichinose. Although Ichinose was free to love who she chooses, she didn’t want her to date someone insincere. Kiyotaka states that just because a person breaks up, it doesn’t automatically mean they’re insincere.

Since Ichinose’s demeanour had changed, he had thought her classmates would be able to pick it up but couldn’t be assured. Thus, he wanted some insurance and didn’t want to inadvertently affect anyone without knowing how they’d affect Ichinose. Shiranami apologised for her strong-willed accusations due to the rumours she heard as Kiyotaka said it was normal for someone to be concerned for a friend. She listed some things she heard such as them going to the gym alone, ignoring his studies and calling Ichinose to his room despite having a girlfriend. His face changed as rumours and facts have started merging with such minute details given.

He explains that they didn’t go to the gym alone and it was in the realm of possibility that they’ll meet sometimes since he started attending the gym. She agrees since Mako also goes there often and that Ichinose visiting his room alone was definitely baseless. He concurs saying that he didn’t invite her to as he monologues that Ichinose waited outside in every occurance. Shiranami finally believes him hesitantly. He adds a disclaimer that whether Ichinose falls for someone or is already in love, Shiranami’s value as a friend won’t change, however, if she does anything Ichinose doesn’t approve of or had an adverse effect for her, he left her to imagine the consequences.

She understood his meaning and confessed that she’s an unpleasant girl, for using him as a vent despite being saved by him in the uninhabited exam. She went on apologising for a while despite being told not to worry.

Chapter 3
At his dormitory, Kiyotaka saw snow compiling through the night. As he drank his hot coffee, he saw that there were much on sale at the mall through advertisements. Ike and Shinohara were the first to mention it. Both their phones stopped reading messages after 9pm and calls to them were disconnected. Naturally many assumed they were together now.

As he read the class group chat, he was drawn to a yogurt maker machine advertisement. As he thought whether to check it out, Ichinose texted him good morning and asks if she could call him later, hoping it wasn’t a bother. He decided to call her immediately. Ichinose asked whether he had plans today and said she wanted to visit Kei but the school wasn’t against visitation for flu victims. She inquired whether he planned to visit the mall, to which he said yes and asked whether they should set a date to meet. She replied it wasn’t necessary as his answer was already enough. She added that if he ever needs helps to let her know as she wants to support him and Kei.

Kiyotaka admitted his frustration when the Yogurt Machine was announced to have been sold out. As he was having an internal crisis about his failure, Kiryuin commented that she has never seen him so dejected before. Following behind him, she laughed after hearing his story, saying that he never fails to amaze. She shares that she hasn’t cooked since childhood when she made food once for her parents. Unlike others, she had no desire to improve. Instead, from then she chose to grab ready to eat meals. Kiyotaka explained that he cooked to save money while improving his skills. She taught him to look for his yogurt machine online and even typed it out for him.

She shared her disappointment for being unable to repeat a grade and to watch over him more closely. Apparently even if one attains more than 20 million points, such a tactic would not be granted by the school. He reasons that employers may be less likely to employ from a school with students that repeated years, and that’s why graduating from Class A was so prestigious.

She refuses to transfer to Nagumo class even if she has the capacity to, stating that she’s fine with graduating from any class. The ability to change private points to actual cash after graduation was what matters to her. She sneakily avoided his comment that she once tried to get rid of a teacher through private points. He pointed out the fact that in 3 years, many of her Class B classmates should have pleaded with her to stand against Nagumo, yet all she did was step aside. She was labelled as a non-existent because she neither held her enemies back or helped her supposed allies.

She agrees, saying those people eventually stopped talking to her. This time, she wanted to ask him a question. She wanted to ask him 20 questions. but there was no assurance he would tell the truth. Thus, she only chose one. She inquires vaguely whether he had solved the problems that he previously carried. He confirms, saying that it has been peaceful thanks to her help. She brought out her grandfather, stating that even he wouldn't believe her if she recounted Kiyotaka's feats on the beach. The way she addressed her grandfather pointed to a privileged background. She shares how back at home, she is called ojou-sama. She shared happy memories about her grandfather who had told her that if she had dropped out, he would welcome her back with open arms. One word from him and most universities would have accepted her.

He immediately thought of Kouenji and asked if she knew him. She said she has no ties to someone as eccentric as him. Kiyotaka shares how Kouenji is the son of a famous businessman rumoured to be the next president. Hearing his background, she didn’t reject the possibility that her grandfather would be connected to his family in some way. She clarifies that she attended this school to break away her reliance on her family. She wasn’t against graduating from Class A as it would help her goal, getting into a good college and working part-time if need be. She was similar to Kiyotaka in his first year. Her family name will always be an inescapable baggage she has to carry. The main issue would be her parents who will be horrified if word got to them that she was leading a mundane life. She warns him to be careful as Nagumo has already started to act. She was unable to share the difficulty of past years exam but did say that her classmate dropped out. She apologises for prolonging their conversation as it was rare for them to talk trivially. Before walking away, she shared her intuition that they'll meet again in the future, and not in this school. He almost imagined what such a high life might be like but he quickly disregarded the thought, that future being someone neither wants now in the present.

After parting ways with Kiryuin, Kiyotaka recalled his conversation with Ichinose as he wandered around the mall. Under normal circumstances, he would have contacted Ichinose but he eventually deduced that it may be a bother to her. The Christmas tree in the middle would soon be removed, something he knew Kei would be regretful in missing. Upon closer inspection, he saw Ichinose stand out in the crowd. Just then, both Chabashira and Hoshinomiya sensei also saw him, the latter asking if he had broken up with his girlfriend. Chabashira chides her, saying that Kei was ill. She already knew but wanted to tease him anyways, refusing to accept younger people enjoying their romance life while she was alone. The two teachers went on their way towards the Karaoke. In that time, Ichinose had noticed and approached him. He commented on how she seems to be enjoying herself with the first years. Apparently, she has been consoling a number of them after Yagami mysteriously dropped out. Starting at 10.30 and now closely approaching 12, she had been taking pictures with students for close to two hours. She shyly took out her phone and requested that they should take a picture too.

She reveals that she done all this so she should cover the main event, which was to take pictures with him. It was a first for her to request and not be requested. Kiyotaka had no reason to refuse and decided to assist in her objective. The juniors from earlier were her 43rd, and unfortunately, she would have to continue after him so it would not be suspicious. Observing the environment and figuring that no one was watching, she quickly took his arm and took a picture, and another picture after that with a gap. Kiyotaka consented for her to keep the first picture after she asked for permission. He didn't intend to blame anyone for allowing it to happen in the first place. If he had any complaints, he would have raised them earlier. Their intimacy quickly ended as he inquires about his meeting with Chihiro.

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