Trust

Every action left traces of information, no matter how carefully it was concealed.

In Hoshino Kanade's view, she spent every day with Kiyona, and with Kiyona's keen powers of observation, it was only a matter of time before she found out.

Rather than conceal too much and risk Kiyona discovering the truth later and growing distant, it was better to reveal some of it in advance.

That way, even if other things came to light, she would find them easier to accept.

More importantly, after observing her for many days, Hoshino Kanade had realized that Kiyona's actions had completely overturned the cold label Ayanokoji had given her in the original story.

Since Kiyona sincerely regarded her as a friend, she ought to place the same trust in Kiyona.

Reality was ultimately different from an anime's predetermined script. Once everyone truly stepped into life, they began improvising their own paths.

And what people called a script was merely a draft to look back on, never a rule that had to be followed blindly.

Kiyona had wanted to talk to Kanade in private, but when she met her friend's calm gaze, she suddenly felt that her intentions had already been seen through. It was as if a voice were telling her, "Just ask."

Was my expression really that obvious?

In truth, Kiyona's face still seemed as flawless as fresh snow to anyone else. But after spending so many days together, Hoshino Kanade had probably gotten a good sense of Kiyona's temperament.

Her thoughts were fairly easy to read, somewhere between anticipation and imagination.

"Then... no, I don't have anything to say."

Kiyona had wanted to ask about Class D, but she swallowed her words. Since Kanade had chosen to keep things from Class D, she must have had her reasons.

She had never doubted that Kanade could see through the truth about this school. After all, she had already picked up on those clues within two days of the start of the school year.

Hoshino Kanade fell silent for a moment. She'd thought her prediction was wrong, but Kiyona had wanted to ask at first, hadn't she?

"Since Kiyona isn't going to ask..." She raised her eyes and looked straight at her. "Are you fixated on making it to Class A?"

Kiyona wasn't surprised that Kanade had realized she was hiding her abilities. Her lack of common sense had once made her attempts to downplay her own talents so clumsy that they were impossible to miss.

But that wasn't a bad thing. In her view, only two people of comparable ability could treat each other as true equals in a friendship.

She gave a slight shake of her head, her hair swaying softly. "I just want to enjoy high school. Class A was never part of my plans."

"Good," Hoshino Kanade said, the faintest hint of a smile crossing her lips. "I'm not interested in the Class Game either. More than that..." She paused for half a second. "Earning points to keep us going day to day matters more."

The three of us having a good life matters more than anything.

"So that's what Kanade has been thinking... I understand." She nodded gently, her falling hair hiding the faint glimmer in her eyes.

Shiina Hiyori had never been interested in class competition. She was naturally happy to join Hoshino and Ayanokoji, who shared her interests.

From that moment on, they officially stood side by side on the same front.

The next day, Shiina Hiyori spoke softly, a book in her hands and a glimmer in her eyes. "If this information proves useful, a million points should quietly land in your account early next month."

Hoshino Kanade nodded. "Thanks for all your effort."

"I'm just glad I could help." The girl lightly tapped a finger against her cheek, a gentle smile playing on her lips. "Besides... this assignment gave me inspiration for a new story. This kind of hard work actually makes me happy."

April soon drew to a close. Aside from a surprise quiz at the end of the month, the days had been pleasant and uneventful.

May 1.

The moment the class bell rang, Chabashira entered the classroom with a poster tube in hand, her brows drawn together in a solemn expression unlike her usual one.

Ike blurted out a sexually harassing joke: "Teacher, did your period not come?"

Chabashira ignored him, placed the poster tube on the podium, and surveyed the class. "We'll begin homeroom now. But before we do, is there anything you want to ask? If something's been bothering you, you'd better ask now."

Her tone seemed almost gleeful, which was understandable. She'd been holding this in for a month.

A student immediately raised his hand. "Teacher, I checked this morning, and the points still haven't been deposited. Weren't they supposed to be paid out on the first of every month? I couldn't even buy a juice this morning. That's completely unreasonable..."

"Hondo," Chabashira interrupted coldly from the podium, "I already told you that the transfer process had been completed. There's no doubt that this month's points have been issued."

"B-but there's definitely been no change in my account..." Hondo anxiously looked to Yamauchi and the others for support, only to see Ike rubbing the back of his head with a puzzled expression.

The absent-minded guy clearly hadn't noticed anything was wrong. By sheer luck, he avoided the embarrassment of making a scene in front of everyone.

"...You really are a bunch of stupid students."

It was a little much for a teacher to say something like that.

Was she just fed up after holding back for too long, or was she taking out her frustration on this class for making her ambitions so hard to achieve?

"Stupid...?"

A blade-sharp gaze pierced Hondo, who had asked in confusion.

"Hondo, sit down. I won't say it a second time."

"M-Ms. Sae?"

The icy tone, unlike anything he'd heard before, made Hondo stiffen all over. His throat bobbed as he swallowed his retort, and he dropped back into his seat with a rusty, clanking motion.

"The points were deposited into your accounts. There's no doubt about that. The idea that the school somehow forgot only our class is nothing but wishful thinking."

"But the number in my account hasn't changed! Where are these deposits you're talking about?"

Hondo clenched his terminal. The "0" on the screen stung his eyes red, and his confusion gradually gave way to indignation.

Chabashira Sae was probably about to laugh from sheer exasperation. This was great.

At that moment, Koenji stepped forward.

"Ha! The mystery is solved, Teacher."

Koenji's booming laugh burst through the classroom. He casually propped his legs on his desk, then pointed at Hondo with a finger that carried a taunting menace.

"The answer is laughably simple. Our Class D didn't receive a single point this month!"

"W-wait!" Hondo's pupils contracted with shock. "Weren't we supposed to get a hundred thousand points every month? What's going on...?"

"I don't recall ever hearing that, do you?"

Koenji sneered as he brazenly pointed his finger at Chabashira.

"Koenji's attitude is a problem, but things are just as he said. Honestly, I've given you so many hints, yet hardly any of you figured it out yourselves. It's pathetic."

The sudden turn of events and the announcement stirred up a commotion in the classroom.

"...Teacher, may I ask a question? There's something I don't understand."

Worried that his classmates would become anxious, Hirata stepped forward as the class leader.

"Please tell us why we weren't given any points. Otherwise, we can't accept this."

"Late or absent: 112 times in total. Private conversations or phone use during class: 485 times. You managed to do all that in a single month..."

Chabashira Sae was dumbfounded. She'd seen all kinds of things, but this was truly a first.

Still, her professionalism as a teacher made her mechanically read out the figures without a trace of emotion.

After that, Hirata and Chabashira Sae argued over "explaining things in advance" and "common sense."

It continued until the bell rang to signal the end of homeroom.

"It seems you've more or less understood. Now we can move on to the main topic."

Chabashira took a thick sheet of White Paper from the poster tube in her hand, unfolded it, and pinned it to the blackboard with magnets at the corners.

It read:

Class A: 950 points

Class B: 940 points

Class C: 750 points

Class D: 0 points