Poverty

The June sunlight streamed through the glass windows of the corridor, carrying the warmth of early summer, yet it did little to heat the low atmosphere pervading Class D.

During the lunch break, the crowd at the small convenience store on the ground floor of the teaching building was noticeably sparser than at the beginning of the month, and a subtle, tense feeling hung in the air.

Kiyona twisted open the bottled water she had just bought. Her gaze swept over Hoshino Kanade beside her. Seeing him also twisting open a drink bottle cap, she lowered her voice and gestured, "Kanade, look at Class D..." Her eyes quickly flickered over two girls not far away who were choosing bread.

Their fingers moved back and forth between the bread and the price tags, their brows etched with clear hesitation.

Finally, the cheapest sliced bread and a basic onigiri were picked up, and their steps toward the cash register were somewhat hurried.

As they swiped their cards, that bit of discomfort was amplified. Their eyes dropped, deliberately avoiding any potential gazes. Throughout the entire process, silence was their only form of communication.

Hoshino Kanade followed Kiyona's gesture and looked over, his expression unchanged.

He took a small sip of his bottled water. "As expected. Class Points for June remain at '0'. Most people in this class have already used up their points."

He watched the backs of the two girls as they left, his voice calm. "Those who spent all their points at the beginning have dragged down even those who lent them points. Now, those who still have points,"

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the slightly empty shelves.

"are only the misers who are good at calculating, and... the sufficiently alert sober people. They know very well that 'poverty' is a contagious disease."

He pointed at the shelves. "To buy something, they have to look around. They're not afraid of the price, but of being 'spotted' by 'friends' for their meager points."

Kiyona suddenly turned, her shoulder naturally leaning against Hoshino Kanade's arm, her chin almost resting on his shoulder.

Her warm breath lightly brushed past the sensitive skin on the side of his neck.

"Speaking of which," her voice had a slightly lazy nasal tone, "my points are almost gone too. Will I have to rely on you to support me from now on?" Her tone was as casual as if it were a trivial matter.

In reality, she still had forty thousand points in her account. But seeing the situation in Class D, it was unlikely that any class points would be earned for a long time, so running out of points was only a matter of time.

Hoshino Kanade's body stiffened almost imperceptibly, then relaxed.

He had long since gone from being completely at a loss to being accustomed to Kiyona's sudden intimacy, where she practically clung to him. In fact... a hidden enjoyment would sometimes well up in his heart.

The clean orchid fragrance of her shampoo mixed with her unique sweet scent, easily overpowering the air conditioning smell in the convenience store.

He didn't answer immediately. Instead, he raised his other hand, casually draped it over her shoulder, and pulled her closer to him. The movement was fluid, carrying an unspoken possessiveness.

"Oh?" Hoshino Kanade turned his head, his lips almost touching the corner of her forehead, his voice lowered to a whisper. "Support me?" He paused slightly, feeling the soft warmth in his embrace.

"If it's you, I can," he lowered his head slightly, his breath barely perceptible as it brushed her cheek. "But where's your sincerity?" His gaze roamed over her face, with a hint of inquiry.

Leaning against him, Kiyona could clearly feel the subtle vibrations in his chest as he spoke.

His question made her ear roots heat up, but more than that, it brought a sense of security, of being completely accepted.

She didn't pull away. Instead, she met his gaze, her fingertip playfully tapping his chest. "Sincerity? What do you want?"

She drew out the end of her sentence, with a hint of seduction. "Do you want to... do something right here, right now?"

Hoshino Kanade's Adam's apple bobbed. The arm around her shoulder instinctively tightened slightly.

He understood her implication, of course.

His gaze involuntarily lingered on her lips for a moment, then swept over the convenience store environment again.

Although there weren't many people, it was still a public place.

"Public place, Kiyona," he reminded her in a low voice, his tone devoid of blame, only a helpless indulgence.

She pouted in dissatisfaction.

However, being able to snuggle up to him like this, and seeing the usual calm and self-possessed expression on his face reveal helplessness and doting, was a great pleasure for her.

"Stingy," she muttered softly, nuzzling his shoulder and arm as if in a spoiled tantrum.

Hoshino Kanade let out a silent breath, but the corner of his lips twitched upward ever so slightly.

He tightened his arm, making her lean more comfortably. Although his gaze returned to the shelves, his mind had clearly drifted far from analyzing Class D's predicament.

He knew very well in his heart.

If Kiyona were to truly put her mind to it, with her aptitude, obtaining those points would be no difficult task, and she might not even need to "take shortcuts" like him.

Hoshino Kanade knew her intelligence and capability, hidden beneath her cool exterior, better than anyone else.

Perhaps in the future... he might be the loser, and have to rely on Kiyona to support him.

The card in his pocket, carrying a huge amount of points, now weighed less in his heart than the girl in his arm, radiating warmth, clinging to him, and making him break his rules time and again.