Kazehara Tetsu hadn't gone far. He walked along the still-empty corridor of the Teaching Building.
Rather than head straight to the Gymnasium, he circled around to the other side of the Teaching Building and stopped beside a Vending Machine near a window.
It was an ideal spot: he could avoid the main flow of students leaving their classrooms while keeping an eye on the path everyone had to take to reach the Gymnasium.
He didn't buy a drink. He simply leaned lazily against the wall, hands in his pockets, gazing out at the Campus.
Time passed by, second after second, and the corridor remained quiet.
Kazehara Tetsu showed no impatience. His patience was as good as ever, as if he were waiting for something.
At last, a steady "tap, tap" sounded from around the corner.
The sound was unhurried, marked by a distinctive rhythm.
Kazehara Tetsu didn't turn around or even change his posture. He continued to gaze outside, as if unaware of the sounds behind him.
The crisp tapping drew closer, then finally stopped a short distance behind him.
"Classmate Kagihara, it seems you have rather unusual taste when it comes to admiring the scenery."
Sakayanagi Arisu's voice carried a trace of scrutiny that was almost impossible to detect.
She stood there, her silver-white hair catching the light from the window and glowing faintly. The tip of the cane in her hand tapped lightly against the floor, and she looked like a classical painting come to life.
"Even the most beautiful scenery gets tiresome if you look at it for too long. A change of perspective now and then—or waiting for some more interesting, unusual scenery to appear—is a nice change of pace."
Kazehara Tetsu finally turned around and leaned back against the wall, meeting Sakayanagi Arisu's gaze without hesitation.
"Oh? Unusual scenery?"
The corners of Sakayanagi Arisu's mouth lifted into a faint, elegant smile. "I thought Classmate Kagihara was in a hurry to leave so he could watch the entrance ceremony."
"The ceremony won't start for a while, so there's no need to rush. But you, Classmate Sakayanagi..."
Kazehara Tetsu's gaze lingered for a moment on her exceptionally slender frame before returning to her face. "You're the one I'm more interested in."
"Interested in me? Classmate Kagihara, your words are always so hard to read. Is there something about me worth your interest?"
"You really are slow on the uptake, Classmate Sakayanagi. Or is it that no one's dared to talk to you like this before? After all, you're an adorable young lady!"
Sakayanagi Arisu's reaction to Kazehara Tetsu's almost flippant declaration was not what most people would have expected.
She showed no trace of embarrassment or anger. Her smile remained unchanged.
"Adorable? That's certainly an interesting assessment."
"Classmate Kagihara, generally speaking, when male creatures use that word, they're referring to a target's harmlessness, submissiveness, or some fragile quality that might inspire a desire to protect them. Which of those do you think applies to me?"
"No, Classmate Sakayanagi. You've got it all wrong."
Kazehara Tetsu shook his head, slowly pushing away from the wall and taking a step toward her.
"When I say 'adorable,' I have nothing to do with words like harmless, submissive, or fragile."
"It's because you pretend to be a quiet doll who needs someone to look after her, while secretly longing for a satisfying 'battle'..."
"That, to me, is what makes you the most 'adorable.'"
He took a step forward with each sentence.
By the time he finished, he was standing right in front of Sakayanagi Arisu, close enough to clearly smell the faint fragrance wafting from her hair.
The distance was aggressive to anyone, let alone a young woman with limited mobility who placed great importance on her personal space.
It was a blatant provocation, a Physical Layer of pressure.
Yet Sakayanagi Arisu didn't retreat.
She stood perfectly still and raised her head, forced to look up at Kazehara Tetsu, who was much taller than her.
For just a moment, her heart did beat faster.
But it wasn't from fear or affection. It was the excitement of meeting an opponent, the thrill of an unexpected surprise.
Who was this man?
On the first day of school, an unknown student from Class A had such terrifying insight.
A breeze blew in through the corridor window, lifting a few strands of her silver hair and brushing them lightly across Kazehara Tetsu's hand.
"Classmate Kagihara... you really are a delightful surprise."
She took a deep breath, forcing down the tumult in her heart. Her smile remained unchanged. "It seems I'll have to reassess your 'value.'"
"My value is far greater than you imagine."
"All right, that's enough for an appetizer."
Kazehara Tetsu glanced toward the end of the corridor, where a few students had begun heading toward the Gymnasium.
He held out a hand in invitation, a carefree smile returning to his lips.
"If you don't mind, Classmate Sakayanagi, how about we go to the entrance ceremony together? After all, having an 'adorable' kindred spirit beside me while listening to those boring speeches might make this waste of time a little more interesting."
Sakayanagi Arisu watched him quietly for a few seconds.
"Since Classmate Kagihara has been so kind as to invite me, I can hardly refuse."
She gave a slight nod. "However, I walk rather slowly. I may slow you down."
"That's all right. I'm very patient."
Kazehara Tetsu smiled and stepped forward to walk beside her, deliberately slowing his pace to match hers. "Besides, I have plenty of questions I'd like to ask you along the way."
"By the way..." Sakayanagi Arisu asked casually, as if she'd just remembered something, "what do you think of the S System and the one hundred thousand Points we receive each month?"
The question seemed offhand, but it was another major probe she had put forward.
Kazehara Tetsu glanced at her, his eyes thoughtful. "Oh? Aren't you the chairman's daughter, Classmate Sakayanagi? You should know the ins and outs of this already. Why ask me?"
Sakayanagi Arisu quickly responded. It seemed she wanted to find out whether Kazehara Tetsu could see the problem with the S System. "I'd rather hear your opinion."
"These hundred thousand Points are less a benefit than a test—a first filter to separate the 'fools' from the 'clever ones.'"
"It's like throwing a pack of wolves that have been starving for days into a warehouse full of food without telling them that once it's gone, there won't be any more. Those who spend their Points recklessly will soon find they can't even meet their most basic needs. This School has been conducting a brutal culling from the very beginning."
Kazehara Tetsu's reply confirmed for Sakayanagi Arisu that he already understood the S System's true nature, raising her assessment of him another notch.
There was genuine approval in Sakayanagi's voice now. "Then what do you think is at the core of this system?"
"Exchange." Kazehara Tetsu answered without hesitation.
"Exchange?"
"That's right. Exchange."
Kazehara Tetsu kept walking, his gaze sweeping over the crowd ahead. "Points for goods—that's the most basic kind of exchange. But what the school really wants us to learn is how to make more advanced exchanges. Information, favors, loyalty, betrayal... even class rankings. I'd guess there must be some way to convert class evaluations into Personal Points, and vice versa."
Drawing on the advantage of knowing the story, Kazehara Tetsu described the S System's purpose and its impact on the classes' future with absolute certainty.
Sakayanagi Arisu fell completely silent.
She walked on, leaning on her cane, while her mind raced.
This man... what did he know?
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