"Bullying classmates, spreading rumors, disrupting class. It looks like we can add a few more items to Class D's penalty list."
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka appeared in the doorway at some point, an open book in his hand. His calm gaze swept over Yamauchi Haruki and the crowd surrounding Sakura, as if he were stating an objective fact.
"Teacher Chabashira would probably be happy to see this list get longer. After all... our points are already at zero." His voice held no emotion, but his words doused everyone like a bucket of ice water.
Yamauchi Haruki's arrogance faltered at once. The mention of "penalties" and "Teacher Chabashira"—and especially the memory of the "0" for Private Points on their cold Personal Terminals—sent a chill crawling up his spine.
The other students who had been egging him on seemed to have their throats caught in a vice. They sheepishly looked away, no longer daring to stare at Sakura.
After speaking, Ayanokouji acted as though he had merely been passing by and made a casual remark. He returned to his seat and opened his book. His intervention had been silent, but it had snuffed out the flames of chaos just as they began to catch.
Kushida Kikyo seized her chance and immediately went to Sakura's side, gently soothing her with her A-Rank charm. "Sakura, don't be scared. Yamauchi was only joking.
"These paints are beautiful. Why don't you use them to create something?" She deftly dismissed the incident as a "joke," defusing the direct confrontation while steering the conversation toward art and diverting everyone's attention.
Sakura Airi was still trembling, tears welling behind her huge glasses, but the immediate pressure from Yamauchi had temporarily lifted. She clutched her art supplies tightly, as if they were her last lifeline.
By the library window, Toudou Shizuka withdrew his gaze from Class D's direction. An open book lay in front of him, but his attention was entirely on the Information Flow on his Personal Device's Twitter feed.
He had "happened" to follow the anonymous social media accounts of several active Class D students. Under the analysis of [Information Synthesis B-Rank] and [Rational Analysis B-rank], Yamauchi Haruki's vague post bragging about "seeing through someone's disguise" (which he soon deleted), along with snippets from encrypted group chats discussing the "mysterious source of Sakura's paints," quickly allowed Toudou to reconstruct the outline of the disturbance in Class D's classroom.
Yamauchi Haruki was the instigator, fanning the flames; Sakura, who suffered from social anxiety, was the desperate, helpless victim of bullying; and Ayanokouji's precise reminder and warning had made the others who were itching to cause trouble settle down...
Toudou Shizuka's gaze turned icy in an instant.
Yamauchi Haruki... What a clown!
He had nearly ruined the connection Toudou had so carefully maintained with Sakura. (Do you know what it feels like to be just one level away from maxing out a game, only to get killed out of nowhere and lose a level you have to grind back?)
He had also nearly pushed Sakura into an even deeper abyss. What a hopeless scumbag...
Maybe I haven't done enough to help Sakura. I haven't truly protected her. Maybe I should be more decisive and teach him to fight back, too. Just giving him warmth isn't enough; he needs to learn to resist. Rather than holding him back, I should let him grow his own wings.
A fledgling would one day take flight, and people would inevitably grow, too.
As he considered how to help Sakura grow, the system's notification sounded...
[Simulation Points +15 (Successfully monitored and analyzed the target class's activity, resolving a potential danger). Current: 15 points.] [Sakura Airi Affection: 55 (Trust Wavering)] — The crisis has temporarily passed, but the trauma remains. [Ayanokouji Kiyotaka Affection: 0 (No Interest) → 1 (Slight Interest/Assessment)] — System Notification: Association has increased slightly due to intervention in the Sakura Incident. Threat Assessment: Negligible (the target is not interested in this).
Ayanokouji's intervention had been unexpected, yet it made sense. He was like a spider entrenched at the center of the web in Class D, sensing every disturbance.
Had he helped Sakura simply to maintain a minimal level of stability in the class (and avoid deductions for disorder)?
Or was Sakura herself worth observing? Or perhaps... was he once again watching Toudou, the person "connected" to the incident?
Whatever the reason, Ayanokouji's profile had become clearer. Toudou Shizuka also felt a powerful sense of urgency. He needed more strength. He needed to unlock key skills faster!
His gaze settled on Kushida Kikyo's skill tree on the System Interface—the [Expression Management and Emotional Camouflage: A-Rank] skill! If he could master this incredible skill and combine it with his existing charm, his "Toudou Shizuka" persona would be flawless. He'd be able to blend into any social environment and gather information with ease! And unlocking an A-Rank skill would grant him 50 Simulation Points!
[Unlock requirement: Affection ≥ 60 (Trust)]! Kushida's Affection was currently only 14 (Neutral), and had even dropped slightly from his frequent requests.
How could he raise Kushida's Affection quickly and safely?
Getting friendly with her outright was too risky. It might put this "Social Monster" on her guard. Perhaps... he could start with the biggest problem she was facing right now?
Toudou Shizuka activated [Thought Acceleration] to its fullest and combined it with a scan and analysis of Kushida's condition (severely fatigued / accumulating stress / crawling in the shadows):
Pain point: Her classmates in Class D treated her as a "loan middleman," leaving her to bear immense social pressure and potential risks. It depleted her personal credit, and she couldn't refuse (because she had to maintain her persona).
Need: Escape this passive situation without damaging her "always willing to help" image.
Point of entry: Offer a "solution" that would help her out, preserve her image, and perhaps even raise her standing in Class D.
A plan quickly took shape in Toudou Shizuka's mind, like precision gears beginning to mesh.
He needed some time, as well as the right opportunity. Building Affection with someone like Kushida might be quite simple at first, since her goal right now was to make friends. But actually getting into her heart would be much more difficult.
He opened the message window with Sakura Airi. He didn't ask about the conflict. He simply sent her a photo: the view from the library window, where a faint rainbow stretched across the rain-soaked campus beneath a clearing sky. He added a short caption: "After the Rain."
A few minutes later, Sakura replied with a photo: a few strokes of moist green on her canvas, fresh with the feeling of a world after the rain, spreading across the surface. There were no words, but the vitality in that shade of green was the best reply of all.
[Sakura Airi Affection +1 (Comforted by understanding and empathy). Current: 56 (Deep Gratitude and Trust) → Target: 60 (High Trust).]
Toudou Shizuka looked at that shade of green, then at the bright yet unattainable icon for Kushida Kikyo's A-Rank skill in the system.
Beneath the library's peaceful silence, a silent war was already brewing. He needed to build a stronger Mental Defense for Sakura, and he needed to grow stronger so he could open the door Kushida had shut tight.
His current System Points (15 points) were woefully inadequate, but intelligence and strategy were his sharpest weapons right now.
The Next Step was to weave a net capable of capturing both "trust" and "skills."
Ayanokouji's gaze hung over him like a Sword Hanging Overhead, urging him to move faster and more steadily. His determination to grow stronger had never wavered; it was all so he could become a better version of himself in the future.
(There are no levels in life. If there were a progress bar, maybe I, with my OCD, would be even better than I am now...)
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