Lucky Draw

"It's simple. We use a little... the most valuable resource we have at this school."

His lips silently formed two words.

"Points."

"Boom—"

The word exploded in Sakayanagi Arisu's mind like a thunderclap.

In an instant, all her confusion, all her doubts, all the pieces that hadn't fit together fell into place.

The scoring rules that Majima Tomoya had claimed were "absolutely fair, with no possibility of error."

The most fundamental loophole she had overlooked, the unexpected factor hidden beneath all the rules.

At This School, Points could buy anything.

So that's how it was...

So that's how it was!

She had always defined this contest as a purely intellectual competition.

But from the very beginning, he had defined it as a war in which anything went and every resource could be used.

He had exploited her pride and dedication to the idea of an "intellectual showdown" to hit her with a crushing attack from an entirely different dimension.

"Impressive, wasn't it?"

Kazehara Tetsu looked at the dawning realization on her face.

Sakayanagi Arisu said nothing.

She simply closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

When she opened them again, all emotion had vanished from her purple eyes.

"I understand."

She straightened up and tapped her cane lightly against the ground. It rang out clearly.

"Then, as agreed, I lost."

She calmly admitted her defeat. Her pride would never allow her to deny it.

"From today on, I, Sakayanagi Arisu, am your girlfriend."

[ Ding ]

[ Mission: Defeat Sakayanagi Arisu in the Midterm Exam ]

[ Complete ]

[ Reward: 300 Points ]

[ Points: 573 ]

The system's cold notification rang in his mind, but Kazehara Tetsu's attention was entirely focused on the girl before him, who had just announced that she was his "girlfriend."

"To celebrate the start of our relationship, let's go get something to eat, my girlfriend."

His voice held a hint of amusement, especially on the last word, which he deliberately emphasized.

Sakayanagi Arisu's eyelids lifted slightly, and her purple eyes met his gaze.

"Is this your first order to me as the victor?"

"This isn't an 'order.' It's a perfectly ordinary dinner invitation from a boyfriend to his girlfriend."

Sakayanagi Arisu's lips moved, but in the end, she made no attempt to argue.

She merely nodded in agreement.

"Then please, lead the way."

Keyaki Mall was still bustling with people and noise.

However, Kazehara Tetsu didn't lead her to any restaurant.

He made his way through the crowd and brought her to the entrance of a large supermarket.

Bright lights, shelves packed with all kinds of goods.

She stopped.

"Why are we coming here if we're going to eat?"

This clearly wasn't the sort of place for a "dinner date."

"Eating at a restaurant means spending Points on a chef's work. Today, I want to show you something a little more special." Kazehara Tetsu pulled a shopping basket from the side.

He turned his head toward Sakayanagi Arisu, whose face showed a hint of puzzlement, and smiled.

"I want you to try my cooking."

"You'll be the first person at This School to taste it."

At the meaning behind his words, a faint, almost imperceptible flicker crossed Sakayanagi Arisu's eyes.

This guy could cook? He didn't look like the type.

"I'll make something Chinese. You probably haven't had much before." He seemed to be talking to himself, though perhaps he was explaining it to her.

And so Kazehara Tetsu began his shopping trip.

Throughout the whole thing, Sakayanagi Arisu simply followed quietly behind him, without saying a word.

She realized that her understanding of this man was still only skin-deep.

Now, as he skillfully chose ingredients and planned dinner, he showed her a side of himself she had never expected.

The shopping basket was soon nearly half full.

"All right, that should do it." Kazehara Tetsu stopped and looked over the spoils in the basket, nodding in satisfaction.

After buying vegetables and meat, the two of them headed to the checkout.

There weren't many people in line, so their turn came soon.

A young cashier wore a professional smile as she expertly operated the register.

Kazehara Tetsu took out his phone, preparing to pay.

The cashier glanced between Kazehara Tetsu and Sakayanagi Arisu.

Seeing them standing together, she then looked at the ingredients, which were clearly meant for a home-cooked meal. Her smile grew more genuine.

"You two are a couple, right? You look so good together!"

She spoke with a hint of envy. "Our supermarket happens to be running a customer appreciation event."

"Every customer who shops here gets one chance to enter the Lucky Draw."

The cashier pointed to a beautifully decorated Black Box nearby. "Most of the prizes are little things, but if you're lucky, you could even win the First Prize!"

She handed them a flyer.

Kazehara Tetsu took it and glanced over the prizes.

Consolation Prize: branded Soy Sauce or Cooking Oil (small bottle).

Third Prize: a 1,000-Point supermarket voucher.

Second Prize: a basic set of cookware.

First Prize: a one-day hot spring pass for two.

Kazehara Tetsu's gaze lingered on the words "First Prize" for two seconds.

A hot spring pass... That sounded pretty good.

"Sounds fun. Let's give it a try."

He spoke to the cashier, then turned to Sakayanagi Arisu. "You first?"

Sakayanagi Arisu's expression remained unchanged. She had never been interested in things governed by chance.

But she didn't refuse. She simply reached out her slender hand and dipped it into the Black Box.

She gave the contents a casual stir, then picked up a smooth little ball and took it out.

"A blue ball! Congratulations, you've won a consolation prize!"

The cashier took a small, neatly packaged bottle of Cooking Oil from under the counter. "Here you go."

Sakayanagi Arisu didn't even look at the bottle. She simply set it on the counter.

To her, the bottle was no more valuable than the Lottery Box itself.

"All right, your turn, handsome." The cashier returned the blue ball to the box, then smiled at Kazehara Tetsu.

But Kazehara Tetsu didn't reach out right away.

He glanced at the Black Box, then at the tempting First Prize on the flyer, and wore a mildly skeptical expression.