Kushida Kikyo was highly efficient—or, more accurately, she was extremely enthusiastic about carrying out Fūki Ran's assignment. A few days later, reports on Karuizawa Kei and her little group began reaching Feng Qi in a steady trickle of fragmented observations. They weren't systematic investigative reports; they were mixed in with Kushida's everyday complaints, gossip, and descriptions of the class atmosphere, so Feng had to sift through them carefully and piece things together.
[Feng Qi, I had lunch with Karuizawa and the others today. She seemed a little distracted, always checking her terminal, like she was waiting for a message from someone. And it seems like she hasn't bought any of the new magazines lately. She used to buy every issue.]
[Speaking of which, Kei was wearing a pair of earrings I'd never seen before. They looked really delicate—not like something cheap... Strange, considering she was complaining just a few days ago that she didn't have enough points.]
[I saw Kei talking for ages with Shinohara, that rather inconspicuous girl in our class. Shinohara looked a little nervous. Aren't they usually less close than that?]
[Kei's been acting a little strange toward Onodera lately. She's not as casual around her as she used to be. It's almost like... she's deliberately keeping her distance? But it doesn't seem like they had a fight.]
[Hirata wanted to organize a discussion today about how to make good use of our points. Kei didn't seem interested. She said a few things, then made an excuse and left. She used to be pretty enthusiastic about group activities like that.]
These seemingly scattered bits of information gradually formed a contradictory picture in Feng's mind. On the surface, Karuizawa Kei still seemed to be trying to maintain her glamorous image and her position at the center of the girls' group, but a few small details didn't quite fit. Her finances did seem tight, yet refined accessories of unknown origin would occasionally appear. She seemed anxious, too, and there were subtle shifts in her social circle.
What stood out most was the change in her attitude toward Hirata Yousuke and group activities. It seemed to confirm another of Feng's suspicions: the "trouble" Karuizawa had run into was likely something she didn't want—or couldn't allow—her "official" boyfriend, Hirata Yousuke, to know about.
Meanwhile, the conflicts within Class D, triggered by the sharp drop in points, erupted again after a brief lull, this time in a much more heated form. It was no longer just bickering; fierce arguments broke out over how to spend the paltry class Public Fund.
The "practical faction," represented by Yukimura Teruhiko, argued that the points should go toward useful study guides to improve everyone's learning efficiency, or toward renting inexpensive sports equipment for the class to exercise with. They believed that would be the most beneficial "investment" for the class as a whole.
The "pleasure faction," represented by some of the girls—not those in Karuizawa's inner circle, but others who cared more about immediate enjoyment—and people like Ken Sudō, demanded that the points be spent on snacks and drinks or a small group meal. Morale was so low, they argued, that everyone needed something that could cheer them up right away.
"We can barely afford to eat. Why are we buying books? What matters more than filling our stomachs?" Ken Sudō retorted gruffly.
"Exactly! All you ever think about is studying! How many books can we even buy with these points? We'd be better off getting something tasty and sharing it!" one girl chimed in.
Hirata Yousuke stood between them, working hard to mediate and find a compromise both sides could accept, but he was clearly out of his depth. His calls for "unity" seemed feeble in the face of real pressure to get by and everyone's conflicting interests. He had even tried privately to use his own already limited points to top up the Public Fund in hopes of reaching a compromise, but that wasn't a lasting solution and only left him in a deeper bind.
Feng watched the whole farce with cold detachment. He noticed that Karuizawa Kei was unusually quiet during the argument. Unlike before, she didn't actively support Hirata or use her influence to soothe the girls. Most of the time, she kept her head down and fiddled with her terminal, as though none of it had anything to do with her. Only when the argument grew too heated and Hirata looked to her for help did she reluctantly raise her head, force a perfunctory smile, and offer a few empty remarks like, "Let's not argue," and "We should think of something else."
That deliberate distance and avoidance only strengthened Feng's judgment: Karuizawa Kei was preoccupied with her own troubles and had no time for anything else. She might even have been deliberately maintaining the illusion that "everything was fine" in front of Hirata.
The class meeting ended on a sour note, and the proposal for spending the Public Fund was shelved once again. Under the pressure of scarce resources, the cracks within the class had not been mended; they were growing wider.
That evening, when Kushida Kikyo came to Dorm 129 for her "regular report," she seemed especially excited, with a hint of smugness at having uncovered a secret.
"Feng Qi, guess what I found out today?" she asked in a hushed, conspiratorial voice. "I 'happened' to overhear Shinohara talking with another girl in the restroom. They were speaking really quietly, and it was hard to make out, but I think I heard... 'her old school,' 'being bullied,' 'didn't want anyone to know'... and something like 'protecting'!" Kushida's eyes gleamed. "And when they mentioned Kei, they sounded really nervous, like they were afraid someone would find out!"
Feng's gaze shifted slightly. Her old school? Being bullied? That seemed different from his earlier guess of "trouble from outside" or "a threat from an upperclassman," but it could neatly explain so much about Karuizawa's behavior: her almost obsessive need to protect her social standing, her dependence on Hirata Yousuke as her "boyfriend" in public, and her deep anxiety that the shortage of points might now make it impossible to maintain that "protection." She was afraid her past would be exposed and that she would end up being bullied again.
"Anything else? For example, what kind of bullying was it? Or is she facing a direct threat now?" Feng pressed, needing a more precise assessment of the situation.
Kushida shook her head, looking a little disappointed. "No. They were really vague, and as soon as they saw me come in, they started talking about something else. But..." She tried to remember. "I don't think Shinohara knows much either. It sounded more like Kei had only told her a little and asked her to cover for her or help ease the pressure?"
This was crucial information. It suggested that Karuizawa's secret stemmed from her past, but that for some reason in her current circumstances—perhaps someone who knew about it had threatened her, or perhaps she was simply afraid someone else would find out—she now risked being exposed. That would force her to keep spending resources to silence people or maintain her disguise.
"Keep observing, but be even more careful," Feng instructed. "Pay close attention to whether anyone specific—not necessarily an upperclassman, it could be someone in her year who knows about this—approaches or makes hints to Karuizawa. Also watch how she acts when she's alone with Hirata. See if she seems especially nervous or tries to hide anything."
"Understood!" Kushida nodded vigorously, feeling that she had touched on a deeper secret.
Feng went to the window and looked out at the dark night. This unexpected opening in Karuizawa Kei's defenses was becoming increasingly valuable. The "past" she carried was not only a weakness he could use to control her; it might also be a key to prying open the relationships within Class D and even swaying Hirata Yousuke, the class's "stabilizer." Understand someone's fears, and you have nearly grasped their soul.
For now, he needed to wait patiently for Karuizawa to reveal a greater weakness under the strain of maintaining her disguise and dealing with financial pressure—or for Kushida to bring back firmer information about the "person in the know" or the "source of the threat." Then he could step in at the most crucial moment, not as a creditor, but as a "protector" and someone who shared her secret. What he could gain then would be far more than those three thousand points: a... valuable pawn, trapped in fear and longing for protection.
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