With just three days left until the Midterm Exams, the Class B Dormitory was filled with the aroma of dinner and the distinctive ink scent of study materials. Shimiya Kuki and Ichinose Honami sat at a small dining table, sharing a meal.
Ichinose picked up a piece of tamagoyaki with her chopsticks and ate it in small bites, looking across at Shimiya with wide, concerned eyes. "By the way, Kuki-kun, you've seemed especially busy lately! Aside from tutoring people in class, I get the feeling you've got other things going on too?"
Shimiya Kuki ate quietly. His movements didn't falter at her question; he merely gave a calm "Mm." "It's nothing much." His voice was steady, betraying no emotion.
But Ichinose was perceptive. Over the past month, Shimiya had indeed seemed busier than usual. During the day, he precisely tutored several classmates who struggled with the sciences, including Shibata Kaede, who was working hard to catch up. After school, he was often nowhere to be seen, as though a set of precision gears were turning at high speed along invisible tracks. His schedule was packed tight, but Ichinose could sense a deeper exhaustion beneath his calm exterior.
The day after the Teacher-Student Meeting, at noon.
Someone gently knocked on the Teacher's Office door. Chabashira Sae, the Class D advisor, opened it. Her expression was as cold and unapproachable as ever. She wore a dark suit skirt, and her gaze was as sharp as a drawn blade.
"You're Shimiya-kun from Class B?" Chabashira Sae's voice was flat as she scrutinized Shimiya. "Here to see Hoshinomiya?" She had evidently recognized the Class B student she'd spoken with briefly before.
"Yes, Chabashira-sensei." Shimiya Kuki gave a slight nod, his tone as calm as ever. "I'd like to speak with Hoshinomiya-sensei about something."
Chabashira Sae said no more. She stepped aside and, without looking back, called into the office, "Hoshinomiya, someone's here for you."
"Coming, coming~!" Hoshinomiya-sensei hurried over with a cheerfulness that sounded a little forced. She wore a beige knitwear top with a short skirt today. The moment she saw Shimiya, her eyes lit up. Without the slightest hesitation, she spread her arms and clung to one of Shimiya Kuki's arms, holding it tightly against her chest.
She turned to Chabashira Sae, puffed out her cheeks, and struck an exaggeratedly possessive pose, making a playful "Hoo-hoo-hoo" sound. "Saezu~! Don't you dare get any funny ideas about my little Kuki! Or I'll get very, very angry!" She deliberately drew out the words, though a hint of Imperceptible Vigilance showed in her eyes.
Chabashira Sae couldn't even be bothered to raise an eyelid. She merely shot Hoshinomiya a cold glance with those Knife Eyes, her voice openly annoyed. "I'm not interested in what goes on in your class." With that, she walked straight back to her desk, as if even another glance would be a waste of time.
Hoshinomiya made a little face at Chabashira's retreating back, then let go of Shimiya and grinned as she tugged him along. "All right, all right, little Kuki. Let's go somewhere else to talk! How about the Counseling Room we used last time?"
It was the same familiar Counseling Room. Hoshinomiya-sensei perched lightly on the edge of the desk, swinging her legs, her carefree smile back in place, as though it could never fade. "All right, little Kuki. You went out of your way to come see your teacher. Is there something important you need to talk about? Or do you need my help? Hmm~" She tilted her head playfully and raised one finger. "As long as it's within the rules, I'll help you! And as for things that aren't..." She winked slyly and lowered her voice, coaxing him a little. "...it's not like they're completely off the table. You just have to be careful! (≧ｗ≦)"
Shimiya Kuki stood before her, paying no heed to her "hint." He got straight to the point, his voice low and clear. "Sensei, you previously emphasized that failing any major subject in the Midterm Exams or Final Exams would result in a Compulsory Withdrawal Penalty. That's one of the School Rules."
Shimiya Kuki fell silent for two seconds, then continued, "If a student were unfortunate enough to end up in that situation and be given a withdrawal penalty... would there be some way to cancel it?"
The smile on Hoshinomiya's face faltered slightly, then brightened again, though her eyes had grown noticeably more probing. "Oh? What made you suddenly interested in the finer details of such a serious school rule, little Kuki? Everyone in your class is working hard, so no one should end up in that situation, right? Is Shibata-kun making you worry? I think he'll be just fine if he gives it one last push before the exams!" She tried to find some clue in Shimiya's calm, unreadable face.
But Shimiya Kuki simply met her gaze with those deep, pale blue eyes. There was not the slightest ripple of emotion in them, nor any sign that he intended to explain himself. He was like a Silent Mountain, simply waiting for an answer.
Looking at the boy's excessively calm, almost cold gaze, Hoshinomiya-sensei's smile finally faded, bit by bit. She lightly hopped down from the desk and stood straight, clasping her hands behind her back. The teasing, lazy air that usually surrounded her vanished in an instant, replaced by a rare, almost grave seriousness. She narrowed her eyes slightly and studied Shimiya closely, as if scrutinizing him.
"...Little Kuki," Hoshinomiya's voice had lost its usual cheerfulness. It was now low and clear, tinged with solemnity. "I'm a little... surprised you came to ask me this." She put deliberate emphasis on "this."
"Then, Hoshinomiya-sensei," Shimiya Kuki said in the same steady voice, as if asking about a formula, "what's the answer? Can you tell me?"
Hoshinomiya Chie stared at him for several seconds, as though weighing the significance of his question. Then she slowly raised her right hand and held up two pale fingers in front of Shimiya, displaying them clearly and steadily. Her expression was unusually grave, her eyes sharp, as though she were revealing a deeply buried taboo.
"Twenty Million Personal Points." She pronounced the astronomical figure one word at a time, her eyes fixed firmly on Shimiya's, leaving no room for him to look away. "A one-time payment of twenty million personal points to the school can cancel a student's withdrawal penalty, regardless of the reason." She deliberately stressed the words "regardless of the reason," her gaze burning. "Under the rules set by the School Administration, that's the only permitted way to obtain an 'exemption.'" She paused to watch Shimiya's reaction, her tone carrying a faint trace of curiosity. "Well? Is that number... surprising?"
Shimiya Kuki's reaction, however, was unnervingly calm.
His expression didn't change in the slightest, and even his breathing remained steady. His deep eyes showed no shock, no fear, not even the faintest ripple. It was as if he'd heard a figure he had already confirmed—a bargaining chip he'd expected.
"No," he said, as calmly as if stating an objective fact. "It's a reasonable price. About what I expected." He gave a slight nod, his tone as casual as if confirming tomorrow's class schedule. "Thank you for explaining, Sensei. Sorry to have troubled you today."
He made no move to ask anything else or linger. Instead, he turned to leave the Counseling Room.
"Huh?" Hoshinomiya Chie was momentarily taken aback by his overly calm, almost indifferent reaction. Then, as if changing masks, she returned to her beaming smile, as though her earlier solemnity had never existed. She waved a hand, her tone once again light and lively. "No, no, don't be so formal, little Kuki! Answering students' questions is a teacher's duty! Besides..." She watched Shimiya's upright figure as he reached for the door, a shrewd glint in her eyes, her voice ending on a sly note. "...even if you hadn't come to me, with your abilities, little Kuki, you probably could've dug up the answer through other Special Channels, right? Your teacher has a lot of faith in your abilities~"
Shimiya Kuki's hand didn't pause on the door, as though her pointed remark were nothing but air. He opened it and stepped out without looking back, leaving only a calm, straight-backed figure that showed not a trace of hesitation.
The Counseling Room door closed softly, shutting out the world beyond.
The smile on Hoshinomiya-sensei's face receded like the tide. She slowly returned to her desk but didn't sit down, leaning against its edge as she gazed into the distance in the direction Shimiya had gone. In the depths of her eyes, usually full of laughter, there was now only pure curiosity, like that of someone who had discovered a rare prize, and... an excitement she could barely contain.
Without thinking, she tapped her fingertips lightly against the smooth desktop, making a faint "tap, tap" sound. Looking at the closed door, she murmured so softly it was almost a sigh, yet her amusement was unmistakable.
"What an... increasingly interesting little guy." There was not a trace of a teacher's concern in her voice, only anticipation for his future. "Class A doesn't seem so far away, does it?"
Twenty Million Personal Points—a staggering sum capable of driving any student to despair, an expensive price tag that could buy back a student's fate of being expelled "for any reason." The secret had now been revealed as casually as if it were nothing. Shimiya Kuki left calmly, as though he'd merely confirmed a figure he'd already known by heart.
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