Yeyue's Judgment
Lunch break at Sakurajima High usually lasted only an hour. After eating, Matsushita Chiaki and the others planned to go play on the Sports Field, while Yeyue excused himself, saying he wanted to spend his lunch break alone.
The girls seemed to be gradually dividing into three groups.
The queen-bee group, led by Karuizawa and Matsushita.
Wang Meiyu and Inokashira Kokoro, who cared more about Kushida. They believed this group would continue to revolve around Kushida.
And the girls' group led by Shinohara. It was much like the Foolish Trio among the boys—an arrogant group of girls who weren't interested in studying.
Once someone was labeled as belonging to one group, it was very difficult to truly fit into another.
Unless they were like Hirata, willing to sacrifice their own interests to maintain class stability, or like Kushida, who devoted a great deal of time to socializing.
People had only so much energy, and Yeyue didn't have that much time to spare.
It was best to be accepted by every group while still remaining on the outside of them all.
That way, he would have more time to do his own thing.
As soon as he stepped into the classroom,
Yeyue spotted Ayanokoji and Horikita already sitting at their desks.
The two loners had simple lunches on their desks—or, more accurately, sandwiches and bread bought from the store.
"Suzune, you could actually eat something a little more luxurious."
"Wasting Private Points carelessly will only put you in a difficult position. Tenyo, you should understand that, shouldn't you?"
Horikita Suzune turned her head to glance at Yeyue, her tone tinged with confusion.
She was a little puzzled. Since Yeyue could find out information about the school, he should naturally know how important Private Points were.
And yet,
Tenyo Yuyuki's spending habits seemed no different from those of the other D Class students. In fact, they were worse than Yamauchi Haruki's and the others'.
Tenyo Yuyuki returned to his seat and spread his hands. "Unfortunately, I'm a hedonist through and through."
"I see. Then when you run into trouble, don't come asking me to lend you money."
Horikita Suzune replied coolly.
She couldn't agree with Tenyo's attitude toward money.
But she had no intention of lecturing him, either.
She was just giving him fair warning.
Just then,
Ayanokoji smoothly joined their conversation and asked Horikita,
"Ten thousand points a month should be more than enough, shouldn't they? Just how much does Tenyo spend?"
Horikita Suzune paused with the sandwich in her hand and answered coolly, "This isn't about how much he spends."
After a brief pause, Horikita sighed softly. "Since you're an Avoidance Principle kind of person, just mind your own business."
"That's a little harsh, Horikita. Saying that only makes me more uneasy."
"Forget it."
Horikita turned to look at Ayanokoji's expressionless face and said seriously, "In any case, I suggest you use your Private Points sparingly. Understand?"
"Uh, what does that mean?"
"Ayanokoji, it seems your brain really isn't up to much. You'll find out why soon enough. If you don't want a miserable school life, you'd better listen to me."
After saying that, Horikita opened her mouth and continued eating.
Having gotten an answer he could accept, Ayanokoji didn't try to draw her out any further. Instead, he looked toward Tenyo Yuyuki.
"By the way, Tenyo, did you hear the announcement earlier?"
"Yeah, the one about the clubs, right? They played it in the cafeteria, too."
Tenyo Yuyuki nodded with a smile, then joked, "Were you checking whether your classmate had missed the news? Thanks, Ayanokoji. I never would've guessed you were such a thoughtful person!"
At his words, Horikita stopped eating and furrowed her delicate brows. A Strange Feeling stirred in her, but the moment she heard Ayanokoji's next words, it vanished.
Ayanokoji seemed not to notice Horikita's gaze. He still wore a slightly blank expression.
"Um... well... more or less. I was wondering whether Tenyo was thinking of joining a club."
"Nope. Why do you ask?"
"Aren't you pretty good at Photography? I thought you might join the Photography Club. Besides, I wanted someone to come with me to check out the Gymnasium. I'd feel a little uneasy going alone."
"I see. Sure, let's go together after school. I was just thinking of meeting some of the upperclassmen, too."
Tenyo Yuyuki smiled as he accepted Ayanokoji's invitation, then turned to Horikita.
"Suzune, why don't you come take a look after school, too?"
"Fine."
After a moment's hesitation, Horikita Suzune nodded.
The earlier announcement had said that students interested in club activities should gather at the Gymnasium at five after school.
Ayanokoji was surprised.
By his judgment,
Horikita Suzune clearly had no interest in clubs. She shouldn't have agreed to the invitation so easily.
Although Horikita had a gentle side, it was difficult to get her to help without a good reason.
"I'm a little thirsty."
Yeyue stood up and looked at the two of them. "Would either of you like something to drink? I can bring it back."
"No thanks. I just bought Roasted Tea."
"What are you after?"
Ayanokoji and Horikita both refused, but Horikita was more wary. She stared at Yeyue with a grave expression.
"Suzune, that's harsh. If you don't want anything, just say so."
Leaving those words behind, Yeyue shrugged and walked out of the classroom.
After Yeyue left,
the two of them didn't speak. Ayanokoji's gaze kept drifting toward Horikita, with no attempt to hide it.
Horikita frowned, growing a little impatient.
"What is it?"
"Nothing. I just think your relationship is strange. One of you calls the other by his first name, while the other uses his surname. It's kind of interesting."
"What's interesting about that?"
Horikita turned to Ayanokoji and retorted sharply, "It's just difficult to teach that guy basic manners."
That was a little unexpected for Ayanokoji.
So Tenyo was insisting on calling Horikita by her first name, and the two of them weren't as close as he had thought.
Then,
why hadn't Horikita denied that they were close when they were at the Convenience Store yesterday?
There must have been something else going on between Horikita and Tenyo.
The most likely possibility was that they had some kind of deal.
Given when they'd enrolled, it was probably related to information.
Then there was no need to worry about it.
Ayanokoji didn't care about that, either.
Besides,
Horikita gradually abandoning her boundaries was dangerous.
"Horikita, are you the type who can put up with something once you get used to it? That's surprising. What if Tenyo tries something inappropriate with you?"
"Ayanokoji, what are you implying? Why do I sense hostility from you?"
Horikita naturally understood what Ayanokoji meant. She frowned in displeasure. "Don't treat me like an ordinary girl. If it came to that, I'd use force to make Tenyo understand the difference in our abilities."
That kind of baseless confidence was exactly what made it dangerous. What if she couldn't beat Tenyo?
But Ayanokoji didn't care much about Horikita, either. He just joked, "Then from today on, should I call you Suzune, too?"
"Ayanokoji, do you want to die?"
Horikita's gaze turned cold as she instantly pulled out a Compass and pointed it at Ayanokoji.
Ayanokoji promptly backed down.
"I'm sorry. I was joking. Please forgive me."
"If you don't have a reason, don't bother me. Or, even if you do, you should go ask someone else."
"I'm all alone because I can't do that."
His expression didn't change, but Ayanokoji's dejection was still apparent.
Horikita had no intention of paying him any more attention.
She put up with Yeyue calling her by her first name not only because she had no choice, but also because she acknowledged his abilities.
As for anyone else,
they would first have to see whether the Compass in her hand was sharp.
Ayanokoji, like any ordinary high school student, quietly lay down on his desk to nap.
Based on the information he'd gotten from Horikita,
Ayanokoji could make a preliminary judgment: Tenyo Yuyuki was probably capable, but a little frivolous.
Still, his frivolity was different from Yamauchi Haruki's.
Yeyue knew exactly where to draw the line and didn't make people uncomfortable. After all, he hadn't seen Yeyue act that way toward Matsushita Chiaki and the others.
With his striking looks and his status as a member of the Tenyo Family, that way of acting might even count in his favor with some girls.
But,
none of that mattered.
Tenyo Yuyuki seemed to be interested in Horikita Suzune and appeared to be trying to make a move on her.
But that had nothing to do with him, Ayanokoji.
In that case,
Tenyo Yuyuki was harmless.
Ayanokoji let his guard down a little—only a little.
The shadow who had spread rumors about Kushida still lingered in his mind.
Tenyo Yuyuki might be a good person.
But as long as someone wasn't a chess piece he truly controlled, Ayanokoji trusted no one!
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