'Wait, what's going on? Is this a girl?'
Saiki's gaze fell on Shiranami Chihiro, and he instantly guessed that she was the one who wrote the love letter to Ichinose Honami. However, he hadn't expected things to escalate like this.
'I wonder what's going through their minds... Seriously, I don't want to get dragged into this bizarre situation. If some baseless rumors start spreading, my dream of a quiet school life will be completely shattered.'
At this moment, Saiki had no choice but to discreetly remove the ring from his finger.
The instant the ring came off, the world, which had momentarily quieted, erupted into chaos once again.
[I like her! I really like Ichinose! I want to be with Ichinose forever! I like her, I like her, I like her!]
[But... who's this guy? Why is there a boy here?]
[Could it be... is this person Ichinose's...]
'Ugh, it feels like I'm already the center of attention before anything's even started.'
For the first time, Saiki felt the benefit of his telepathic ability.
'Now, there's only one question left: how do I extract myself from this situation unscathed?'
"His name is Saiki... he's... he's..."
Ichinose Honami tried to say something but struggled to get the words out.
[I've always considered Shiranami a good friend... but being confessed to by a classmate... this has never happened before... I never planned for this...]
Hearing Ichinose's thoughts, an idea suddenly struck Saiki.
In the next moment, Saiki used his telepathy to project Ichinose's inner thoughts outward.
"I'm really sorry, Shiranami, I didn't mean to hurt you... but I don't feel that way..."
Ichinose's eyes widened, and a look of surprise flashed across her face.
[Did I... just accidentally say that out loud?]
'Sorry, I directly conveyed your thoughts.'
Saiki replied in his mind.
'On one hand, I don't want to get involved in this mess; on the other, in a situation like this, expressing your true feelings is probably the best solution. Responding with lies might cause even more harm... I should still try to avoid this, though. As much as I want to leave now, it's clearly not the right time.'
As Saiki thought this, he quietly stepped aside, waiting for the inevitable outcome.
"...So that's how it is... I see... but thank you so much!"
After hearing Ichinose's words, Shiranami's eyes welled up with tears, which soon spilled over. She quickly fled the scene.
'A failed confession—for teenagers, this isn't uncommon. It's not a perfect resolution, but the issue is settled. It's getting late, and the movie theater is about to close. If I don't leave now...'
"Saiki, can you talk with me for a bit?"
Watching Shiranami's distant figure, Ichinose looked dejected, lost in thought. She slowly walked over to Saiki.
'Now I really can't leave, can I?'
Saiki felt resigned, but in this situation, he couldn't just walk away.
"I understand why you rejected her so directly."
Ichinose first lowered her head, then raised it again, her gaze fixed on Saiki.
'Good that you understand. Don't just dump these troublesome matters on others. It could affect their safety.'
Saiki replied in his mind. If the idiot trio misunderstood something, he'd be in trouble.
"You wanted me to know that I should handle this seriously, right?"
'If you put it that way, you're not wrong. But mainly, I wanted to avoid dragging myself into this mess.'
"Confessing to someone isn't something you do lightly... She must have gathered so much courage to come here. If I'd just brushed her off, she'd regret it. I never thought about that before, but after accidentally saying my true feelings in front of Chihiro, I realized."
'...'
"I was wrong. I didn't try to understand Chihiro's feelings; I just wanted to find a way to avoid hurting her. That was wrong."
Ichinose shook her head, but her expression brightened slightly.
"Thank you so much, Saiki! If not for you, I might have felt guilty toward her forever. Thanks for making me do something so strange today."
"It's fine."
Saiki nodded, hoping Ichinose would wrap up the conversation quickly.
"Oh, Saiki, sorry, our class didn't find any eyewitness evidence, but we did find info about the three guys who fought Sudō. One of them is Ishizaki Daichi, a notorious troublemaker from his old school. He's always fighting—basically infamous. The other two are from the basketball team... I don't believe Sudō could beat them alone."
"Thanks."
Saiki nodded. He already knew the details, but Ishizaki's name might save him some trouble later.
"Also, did your teacher mention a school trip during summer break?"
"Nope."
Saiki shook his head. Whether it was true or not, he had no interest in participating.
Ichinose then chatted with Saiki about various topics. By the time their conversation ended, the sky had darkened.
"It's so late, sorry! I took up too much of your time!"
"It's fine. Goodbye."
Saiki rushed to the movie theater at full speed, only to see a large sign on the entrance:
"Closed today for equipment maintenance."