The system's voice rang in his ear...
[Persistent presence and potential interest detected: Target (Ayanokouji Kiyotaka). Correlation Analysis: Moderate. Motive: Observe/Assess. Threat Assessment: Potentially Rising.]
Toudou Shizuka's expression remained unchanged. He opened his umbrella and, like any ordinary student, turned and joined the flow of people heading to the library.
His steps were steady, but the alarm bells in his mind were ringing at full pitch. Ayanokouji's attention had come sooner than he expected—and felt more dangerous than he'd anticipated.
The quiet of the library eased his nerves a little. Toudou Shizuka found a seat in a corner. He didn't start reading right away, instead bringing up his Personal Device. His 100 Simulation Points glowed temptingly.
[Talent Shop]:
[Dynamic Vision (Fine-Tuned)]: Slightly improves the ability to track fast-moving objects. Cost: 120 points. (20 points short)
[Neural Reflex (Basic)]: Slightly increases the speed of neural signal transmission and optimizes reaction time. Cost: 150 points.
[Stamina Enhancement (Slight)]: Slightly improves muscular endurance and resistance to fatigue. Cost: 100 points.
(More talents can be unlocked by raising the Host's level or investing more Simulation Points.)
The choice lay before him. Should he wait until he had 20 more points to buy [Dynamic Vision], which would be more useful in combat and observation? Or should he immediately get [Stamina Enhancement], which would improve his overall endurance and help with fighting, training, and even prolonged analysis?
[Rational Analysis B-rank] quickly assessed the options:
Recent threats: Ayanokouji's potential threat level was rising (he possessed S-Rank Fighting Style). A physical confrontation or a situation requiring quick reactions was possible, making [Dynamic Vision] more directly relevant.
Long-term needs: Future Special Exams (which might require prolonged exertion), ongoing virtual training, and intensive information processing. [Stamina Enhancement] would provide a solid foundation.
Point income: Class missions were currently stable, and rising Affection continued to bring in points. Making up the 20-point shortfall wouldn't be difficult.
After weighing the pros and cons, Toudou Shizuka made his decision. Strengthening his basic stamina and improving his ability to keep going in a fight was the safer long-term investment. He didn't have enough information to deal with Ayanokouji yet, so blindly boosting a single sense wasn't the best choice.
[Purchase talent: Stamina Enhancement (Slight)? Cost: 100 Simulation Points.]
Confirm!
A warm current of power surged instantly through his limbs, sinking deep into his muscle fibers. Toudou Shizuka clearly felt the faint fatigue built up in his muscles dissipate, replaced by a deeper reserve of strength he could draw on continuously. It was as though his body had gained a new resilience.
[Simulation Points: 100 → 0.]
[Stamina Enhancement (Slight) talent loaded.]
Investing in himself meant strengthening his foundations. He felt the new strength within him and glanced at Sakura Airi's Affection score of 54 on the System Interface (just 6 points away from unlocking A-Rank Photography!). Then he remembered her fleeing figure in the rain and Ayanokouji's icy gaze.
He opened the messaging interface with Sakura Airi. Without a word, he sent her a photo he'd taken in art class not long ago: a raindrop falling from the tip of a bright green leaf. The image captured both motion and stillness, its composition simple yet striking.
A few seconds later, Sakura replied. Again, there were no words, just a photograph: a lost, rain-soaked sparrow standing in front of the library's enormous windows, tilting its head curiously as it gazed through the glass at the warm light and bookshelves inside.
The light and shadow were handled beautifully, creating a silent but moving contrast between the little sparrow's confusion and yearning, the cold barrier of the glass, and the warmth and peace within the library.
[Sakura Airi Affection +1 (Tacit Understanding and Resonance from Image Exchange). Current: 55 (Deep Gratitude and Trust) → Target: 60 (High Trust).]
Toudou Shizuka looked at the little sparrow behind the glass in the photo, then remembered her frail silhouette in the rain. He fell silent for a moment, his fingertip hovering over the Private Points transfer interface.
[Rational Analysis B-rank] and the faint glimmer of "softheartedness" in his heart were at odds... The deliberation was over. (Find a way to help Sakura that she could accept, while also improving her Affection toward him.)
Risk: A direct transfer might trigger her feelings of inferiority and panic, damaging the trust they'd worked so hard to build. It might also be noticed by others in Class D or by Ayanokouji, drawing unwanted attention.
Benefit: It would directly address her urgent needs and keep her from being driven by desperation into Class D's Grey Lending—or even into more irrational behavior. It would greatly increase her Affection and speed up unlocking A-Rank Photography.
Plan: Anonymous? What amount? How to explain it?
In the end, [Information Synthesis B-Rank] produced a compromise. He left the transfer interface and opened the Campus Store. (A note: in Classroom of the Elite, you can buy products on your phone and have them delivered.)
An hour later, a package with no Sender Information was quietly left in front of Sakura Airi's locker in the Class D classroom. It contained only a few things:
A complete set of high-quality Basic Painting Pigments and Drawing Paper (the exact brand she usually used).
A neatly packaged box of Energy Bars (easy to carry and good for replenishing energy; anything from the Male Shopping section would do, like Weapon Enhancement—Ordinary Energy Bars, Epic Energy Bars).
A card with no name on it, printed with the In-School Free Resource Guide (with the Library Free Art Journal Area and easels available to borrow from the Student Activity Center highlighted).
And a brand-new Anonymous Points Card loaded with 5,000 points. It wasn't a large amount, but it was enough to cover her basic living expenses and art supplies for a while. It also wasn't so much that it would arouse the greed of those people in Class D or make Sakura afraid to use it.
No message, no signature. Just quiet support that didn't touch her pride.
Toudou Shizuka stood by the library window, looking out at the hazy campus beyond the rain. He knew Sakura Airi would find the package. He couldn't predict how she would react. Confusion? Suspicion? Or... a private warmth, carefully protected?
The cloud hanging over Ayanokouji was still there. The crisis in Class D remained unresolved, and the road ahead for Class B was still long.
But at this moment, his body carried the resilience granted by [Stamina Enhancement], his mind was clear with [Rational Analysis] and [Information Synthesis], and his heart held a ripple stirred by a photo of a "little sparrow."
Class D's points had hit zero, but a new round had begun—with the sound of rain and silent cries, more seeds of possibility had been quietly sown in the cold soil of Kōdo Ikusei High School.
He pushed up his glasses. The lenses reflected the steady rain outside, as well as the increasingly complex state of the board. Should he wait for the seeds to sprout, or actively cultivate more distant ground?
The answer would settle into place amid the sound of rain... settle into place.
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