Quarrel

"Huh?"

Although Hoshino Kanade had anticipated it, the answer came a bit too suddenly. She really was "Roku"—no, she should be called "Nai Mei."

Should I proceed with a self-introduction at a time like this?

The topic had shifted so quickly that the draft Hoshino Kanade had prepared in her head was rendered useless.

"Although it's sudden, this is already our second meeting, so it shouldn't matter, right?"

Hoshino Kanade's "hesitation" made Ayanokoji Kina appear somewhat "nervous."

If I react poorly, will it give Ayanokoji a lifelong complex?

"My name is Hoshino Kanade. Pleased to meet you."

While thinking about irrelevant matters, Hoshino Kanade still went through with the introduction.

"Then we're friends from now on, right? That's great. I was actually a little nervous just now."

Ayanokoji said, patting her small chest with her hand, looking like she had let out a sigh of relief.

So cute. It feels a bit like "Kushida-flavor," but... smaller than Kushida.

"I get the feeling that Hoshino-kun is thinking about something rude."

Ayanokoji Kina saying this without any emotion was genuinely terrifying, even though her voice never carried much emotion to begin with.

"I was just wondering, after you saw me on the bus and I was discovered, didn't you feel awkward?"

Hoshino Kanade had to find some random topic to talk about.

"I was very awkward at the time. I didn't know what I should do."

Hoshino Kanade felt that this statement was just as unbelievable as the "coincidence" Ayanokoji had mentioned earlier.

"Class D, huh."

"I'm in Class D too. It's so lucky to be in the same class as Hoshino-kun."

Ayanokoji Kina felt a hint of joy. The first friend I've made is a classmate. If this friendship doesn't fall apart, I should be able to spend my three years of school life peacefully with just one friend.

Hoshino Kanade had long expected to be placed in Class D. Although her academic ability was high due to her scholarship, she had spent all her extracurricular time in middle school working part-time jobs, leaving her with zero interpersonal experience. Furthermore, her performance during the interview hadn't been very good.

Although she had memories of her past life—and barring any accidents, the preceding exams were essentially open-book tests—leading the class to ascend to Class A would be simple, but maintaining Class A would be difficult. After all, when she transmigrated, the original work hadn't even finished yet, and Hoshino Kanade's combat strength wasn't exactly impressive here.

It would be better to accumulate Personal Points through the upcoming exams. Later, when she wanted to graduate, she could either transfer to Class A to graduate or exchange them for money. Getting into a good university after graduation was also a great choice.

However, I didn't expect that in this world, Ayanokoji's X chromosome would win out over the Y chromosome. Perhaps I should consider clinging to Kina's white legs.

As expected, when Hoshino Kanade and Ayanokoji Kina arrived at the classroom, most of the students were already there, immersed in communicating with their new classmates.

The combination of a handsome man and a beautiful woman, coupled with their "stay away" expressions, only briefly attracted the attention of a few people.

The back row by the window—the hometown of kings. Hoshino Kanade's seat was in front of the "protagonist's exclusive" seat.

"Hoshino-kun, what a coincidence."

Even the outwardly cold Ayanokoji Kina seemed a bit surprised.

I'll just use "coincidence, chance" to explain anything that's hard to justify later.

"Do you believe in fate?"

Although Hoshino Kanade didn't believe in fate, she just needed to make Ayanokoji Kina believe in it.

"Why did you suddenly ask such a question, Hoshino-kun?"

"I was just feeling sentimental. It's such a coincidence; our meeting today feels like it was destined."

I felt this phrasing was a bit ambiguous, but it shouldn't be a problem when speaking to Ayanokoji Kina.

Ayanokoji Kina nodded feignedly, her tone slightly playful.

"Perhaps it really is destiny, who knows."

Ayanokoji Kina believed more in science, but considering Hoshino-kun was her only friend at the moment—and perhaps her only friend in the future—she had no choice but to humor him.

"Do you think so too, Ryokouji-san? I hope we can be best friends for life."

Ayanokoji Kina felt a glimmer of light flashing in Hoshino-kun's eyes, but it vanished the moment she blinked. She must have misread it.

"Mm, issho ni."

Ayanokoji had responded to Hoshino Kanade's expectation only after careful consideration.

Hoshino Kanade's appearance matched her aesthetic, and she radiated an aura of a kindred spirit. It would be perfect for the two of them to stick together and isolate the rest of the class.

"Hey, can you two be a little quieter?"

Horikita Suzune, who was reading a book nearby, couldn't take it anymore. Even though the other students in the class were much noisier, the conversation between Hoshino Kanade and the other girl was more distracting to Horikita Suzune.

Only then did Hoshino Kanade notice Horikita Suzune beside her—a super beautiful girl with long, straight black hair, but her personality was abstract. She felt... she wasn't as good as Kina.

"Who are you?"

If it weren't for Horikita Suzune, Hoshino Kanade felt that she and Kiyona would already be holding each other's hands, pouring their hearts out to one another.

That wretched Horikita brat, today this old man will...

"Before asking for someone's name, shouldn't you state your own first?"

Should one say that's just like Horikita Suzune?

"There are 13 groups of people talking in the classroom right now. Why single us out and demand silence?"

Of course, Hoshino Kanade was just saying that based on her gut feeling.

Many of their classmates' gazes gathered toward them, and the noise in the classroom quieted down significantly.

It was estimated that Hoshino Kanade and Horikita Suzune had already been labeled by many of their classmates.

"Whether others are disturbing me or not is for me to judge, but your voices are the most grating to my ears."

Hoshino Kanade felt that Horikita Suzune always possessed a mysterious sense of confidence; no matter the situation, she was always so righteous and self-assured.

"Your subjective sensory defects shouldn't be something we have to pay for. It's not too late to drop out and head to the hospital now."

Horikita Suzune glared at Hoshino Kanade with eyes that could surely kill.

"You..."

"The teacher's coming! The teacher's coming! Everyone, sit down quickly~"

With her spell interrupted, Horikita Suzune felt a surge of frustration stuck in her chest, unable to go up or down. It was agonizing, so she could only vent by stabbing her eraser with a compass.

"Click, click, click." The sound of high heels approached from afar. As the bell rang, a woman dressed in a suit walked into the classroom.

She projected an image of reliability. She looked to be over 30, though not by much, with a professional high ponytail tied at the back of her head.

"Greetings, freshmen. I am the homeroom teacher for Class D, Chabashira Sae. I am responsible for teaching Japanese History. This school does not change teachers every academic year. Therefore, I will be your homeroom teacher for the next three years. I look forward to working with you."

"The opening ceremony will be held in the gymnasium in one hour. Before that, I will distribute materials regarding the special rules of this school."

Seeing the discipline in the classroom, Chabashira Sae thought that perhaps this year's Class D students might be able to retain more Class Points in their first month than previous batches.

Unfortunately, this was merely an illusion.

The distributed materials were an introduction to the school, similar to what they had seen in the school brochure previously—requirements such as living on campus for three years and the prohibition of outside contact.

By using the issued student ID card, one could make purchases within the school.

"Points will be automatically deposited on the first of every month. Everyone should have already received an equal distribution of 100,000 points. Additionally, each point is worth one yen."

Before Chabashira Sae could finish speaking, Class D had already become rowdy, with students expressing their shock to the classmates they had just met.

If she hadn't known in advance, Hoshino Kanade might have lost her composure for a moment.

One hundred thousand yen is equivalent to the purchasing power of five thousand yuan back home. For someone as destitute as Hoshino Kanade, it was hard to imagine how one could possibly spend that many points in a single month.

However, the Class Points would drop to zero next month, and Hoshino Kanade had no intention of changing that outcome.

Class D was a lost cause from the start; even if she told them the rules in advance, she doubted they would have many points left anyway.

She would only become a target of public criticism, forced to lead the class upward by their nasty homeroom teacher and pressure-mongers like Horikita Suzune.

Instead of wasting time training Class D, she would be better off trading information with other classes to earn Personal Points.

Although she felt a little bad for Class D, Hoshino Kanade had never really intended to fit in with them anyway.

"Are you surprised? This school measures students based on their ability. All of you who were able to enroll possess corresponding value and potential. In this regard, points represent the school's evaluation of you."

"Don't hold back; feel free to use them. However, the school will reclaim these points after you graduate. Once the points are transferred to you, how you use them is entirely your freedom."

Everything Chabashira Sae said was a fact, yet her phrasing was deliberately intended to mislead the students.

The students only needed to enjoy their school life, while the homeroom teacher had much more to consider.

Do they only change after falling into the abyss?

For Hoshino Kanade, not having pocket money each month didn't really seem like an abyss, though.