Chapter Thirty-One: Confession and Interview, Undercurrents Hidden Beneath Everyday Life

Hayato learned from Yugi and the others that they had spent the entire afternoon of the previous day brainstorming, yet they failed to come up with a confession that would satisfy everyone.

Yugi’s suggestion was: "I like you, Ribbon, please go out with me!"
The others mocked it for being too direct.

Honda’s idea was: "Nozaka-san, I have liked you for such a long time. My eyes only see you; I cannot live without you. Please be with me!"
The others teased him, saying he sounded like a prospective criminal.

Anzu’s proposal was: "My dear Miho-chan, if you were a pen, I would want to be your cap; if you were a sword, I would want to be your scabbard; if you were a lamp, I would want to be your lampshade."
The others complained that it was long-winded and made no sense, with Jonouchi adding, "Why does everything sound like it’s being stabbed?"

As for Jonouchi, he hadn't thought of anything at all; he had spent the whole day just making fun of the others.

As a result, even now, Honda hadn't written a single word on that pure white puzzle. With the school festival only a few days away, there was a risk that if Miho Nozaka accepted Shoji Kajiki’s confession, Honda might regret it for the rest of his life.

"That may be true, but I’m not exactly the type who can write love letters," Hayato said, propping his chin on his hand. "Unless you want to write some cringey lines on the puzzle like, 'May the gathering wishes become a newly born shining star and transform into a path of radiance,' or 'The power of the King descends here; behold the force that shakes the heavens and earth,' I could make up dozens of those for you."

"We know all about that side of you," Jonouchi said. Though he couldn't write a love letter, he was an expert at roasting people. "No normal person has as much 'tamashii' as you do; you're practically crumbling into dust."

"Let’s get this straight: this is the best I can do, so don’t set your expectations too high," Hayato warned after a moment of thought, before beginning to write in his notebook.

"At least it’s better than this guy Jonouchi, who can’t even squeeze out a period." Hayato was Honda’s last hope. While stating his expectations weren't high, Honda didn't forget to take a jab at Jonouchi. "I really wonder who will ever end up with him."

After scribbling for a few moments, Hayato turned his notebook around toward Honda.

"What did you write?"

The others leaned in to see what kind of confession lines Hayato had come up with.

"Being unable to escape is one of the roots of human suffering, and love is especially so. I cannot imagine a future without you; every day I see you is a sunny day, and without you, my life loses its luster. Please go out with me, Miho Nozaka!"

Anzu read the words from the notebook aloud, looking at Hayato with surprise: "Isn't this wonderful? Hayato, could it be that you’re some kind of hidden master of romance?"

"Don't flatter me. Just hearing you read those lines out loud makes me feel mortified, let alone actually trying to date someone," Hayato said, showing a rare shy expression. "I used a quote from a guy in Ancient Rome named Seneca. I figured 'Ribbon' is probably a bit of a literary girl, so she might appreciate this kind of artistic flair."

"Actually, that’s what Honda was thinking too, but what he wrote sounded like a criminal confession. What you wrote is much better, Hayato!" Jonouchi patted Honda on the shoulder, laughing heartily.

"I’ve decided to use yours, Hayato. Great Lord Kuninushi, please bless me, I have to succeed!" Folding his hands, Honda bowed toward the window with a look of piety, as if praying to the gods for protection, and proceeded to write Hayato’s lines onto the puzzle as beautifully as he could.

"The next step is to deliver the puzzle and leave it to fate, right?" After asking Anzu to wrap the scrambled puzzle and tie it with a ribbon, Honda began to hesitate about how to deliver it. "Should I drop it off at her house?"

"Honda, have you already scouted out her home address?" Hayato asked, looking astonished.

"Don't make it sound like I'm about to do something criminal!" Honda retorted, though after Hayato’s comment, he agreed that delivering it to her home might be inappropriate.

"How about you give it to her in person, Honda?"

"If he could actually do that, he wouldn't have resorted to the 'love puzzle' idea in the first place," Jonouchi dismissed Yugi’s suggestion.

"Then how about secretly placing the puzzle in Nozaka-san’s desk? When no one is around. Besides, isn't your name signed on the puzzle anyway?" Anzu suggested a good idea, which the others agreed with, deciding that Honda would carry it out after school that day.

—The Passionate Heart of a Youth—

The day passed quickly, the school routine being both tedious and fulfilling, and soon it was time to go home.

The bell rang, and the students packed their homework and left the classroom in small groups. Soon, only a few people remained.

Jonouchi had to go find his good partner—the cleaning lady—due to a punishment, and Yugi and Anzu left the school, leaving only Honda, who was waiting to be the last one to leave the classroom to hide his confession gift, and Hayato, who had been summoned to the principal’s office.

Although his homeroom teacher hadn't informed him, Hayato didn't need to guess why the principal wanted to see him.

Sure enough, in the principal’s office, Hayato saw not only the principal, who rarely appeared before the students, and his homeroom teacher, but also a reporter with a microphone and several cameras.

Because the incident where Hayato encountered the escaped convict, Lachi, happened late last night, it missed the morning newspaper headlines. However, the police had promptly announced that a "concerned citizen" had assisted them in "capturing" the escaped convict, though the convict was unfortunately killed after putting up a violent struggle.

Because they missed the morning deadline, the media had plenty of time to prepare for interviews with the "concerned citizen." Once they discovered that the person who assisted the police was the child of a diplomat, the media couldn't suppress their urge to write, eager to turn the police-released photos into a 2,000-word essay.

When the school learned that the "concerned citizen" was one of their own students, they cooperated enthusiastically with the media’s requests. They even found students from other classes with influential backgrounds to act as Hayato’s classmates and arranged for teachers Hayato had barely met to be cast as his "heroic mentors."

Of course, the principal wouldn't let such a great opportunity to promote the school pass by.

The interview process was nothing special—just a lot of rehearsed answers about the school’s nurturing influence. It’s worth noting that the principal seemed to have used the resources he had obtained from a previous transaction with the director Hayato had once beaten up.

Even that director himself had the audacity to show up, even taking a friendly photo with Hayato as if he didn't know him. Seeing someone put aside their hatred for the sake of clout and fame, Hayato couldn't help but sigh that this director would surely achieve great things in the future—he was truly shameless.