The aftermath of the Sudo Ken Incident had died down. Ishizaki Daichi and his two classmates from Class C had voluntarily withdrawn their accusations, allowing Class D to avoid the crisis. Class C's carefully planned trap had failed. Based on the intelligence Shimiya Kuki had gathered, the mastermind in Class C had seen his plan fall through. Given his personality, his frustration would turn into deeper hostility, and he would inevitably set his sights on Class D in the short term. That meant Class B probably wouldn't draw his attention for a while.
July arrived, and the summer heat grew more intense. Campus life now revolved around the Final Exams at the end of the month. A tense atmosphere of studying spread through the school.
At the beginning of July, Personal Points were distributed as scheduled. Each student in Class B received 74,700 points again, thanks to their Class Points remaining at the high level of 747. When Class Advisor Hoshinomiya Chie-sensei announced the news, relieved murmurs rose around the classroom.
However, beneath her trademark sweet smile, Hoshinomiya-sensei revealed a more complicated rule. "Did you all think last month went by without a hitch? Well, there were actually some rule violations~" She raised a finger and wagged it. "It's just that everyone kept their penalty points within the school's permitted 'quota' for the month, so your Class Points weren't deducted!"
Quite a few students looked surprised.
"But—" Hoshinomiya-sensei's tone grew a little more serious. "Don't let that make you careless! Those 'forgiven' penalties haven't disappeared. They've been recorded and added up!" She looked around the classroom. "The school will keep adding up each month's penalty points. If a class exceeds the school's 'safe limit' in any given month, all of its accumulated penalties will be deducted at once! That would be a devastating blow to your Class Points!"
Seeing the students' expressions grow grave, she put on an encouraging smile again. "Of course, to reward everyone for making an effort to follow the rules and keep penalties down, the deduction formula is: actual penalties for the current month + (total accumulated penalties from previous months / 2). In other words, only half of your past penalties count when the school makes its assessment! So keep it up and minimize your violations—that's the way to go!" (PS: This is basically a patch for the original. The original clearly showed deductions for only the first two months, and there were none after that. I just don't believe none of the four classes broke a single rule.)
The evening one week after the Points were distributed.
Shimiya Kuki had just finished showering and was lying in bed, resting. The terminal beside his pillow vibrated. He picked it up and unlocked the screen.
A new message appeared on the home screen. Sender: Sakura Airi.
Shimiya opened the message.
Sakura Airi: Good evening, Shimiya-kun.
Sakura Airi: Could I invite you to the Shopping Street tomorrow for dessert? I want to thank you for helping me before. I'm sorry it took me so long to ask.
Sakura Airi: If you have other plans tomorrow, another time would be fine too.
Her words carried a tentative hesitation and sincere apology.
Shimiya Kuki: I don't have any other plans tomorrow. Would after school work?
The reply came quickly:
Sakura Airi: Yes. I'm free all afternoon.
Shimiya Kuki: Where should we meet?
After he sent the message, the other side fell silent for a long while. A few minutes passed. The status showed "Read," but there was no reply. Shimiya studied the screen and quickly understood why. Sakura Airi was extremely shy, afraid of strangers, and poor at socializing. Since enrolling, she had probably never gone to a cafe or dessert shop on the Shopping Street with a classmate or friend. She knew nothing about those places and had no idea how to choose a suitable one. At that moment, she was probably staring at her terminal, feeling lost and unable to decide.
He calmly typed another message:
Shimiya Kuki: If there's nowhere in particular you want to go, I can recommend a place.
This time, her reply came quickly, with clear relief:
Sakura Airi: Okay. Sorry for the trouble.
Shimiya sent her a location pin on the Shopping Street.
Shimiya Kuki: [Location pin for an area on the Shopping Street] See you tomorrow.
Sakura Airi: Okay. See you tomorrow.
After ending the conversation, Shimiya switched to another contact and sent a few brief messages. Once he received an affirmative reply, he set his terminal back beside his pillow.
The next afternoon, on the second-floor terrace of the Ismo Cafe.
Sunlight filtered through the Sun Umbrella, casting dappled shadows. Shimiya Kuki arrived a little early and chose a quiet corner. Before long, Sakura Airi appeared at the top of the stairs. She was still wearing those slightly dowdy glasses, her pink hair simply tied back, and her plain school uniform. Looking nervous, she cautiously surveyed her surroundings. When she spotted Shimiya, she visibly relaxed and hurried over.
"G-good afternoon, Shimiya-kun. Thank you for coming." Sakura bowed slightly, her voice faint.
"Good afternoon, Sakura-san." Shimiya gave a slight nod, gesturing for her to sit.
They took their seats and ordered drinks and desserts. After a moment's hesitation, Sakura chose a Strawberry Parfait that looked especially delicate and cute, while Shimiya ordered black coffee. The terrace's glass door opened.
A waitress in a Blue and White Maid Uniform entered, carrying a tray. She had short, bright blue hair tied back, lively eyes, and a radiant, slightly mischievous smile.
"Sorry to keep you waiting~ Here are your desserts and coffee~" She set the food down elegantly, then let her curious gaze wander between Shimiya and Sakura before settling on Shimiya. With a bright, teasing voice, she said, "Well, well! Now this is a surprise! Little Shimiya—" She deliberately drew out the last syllable. "Having a dessert date alone with a girl? Has the sun started rising in the west?"
Shimiya remained expressionless, took a sip of his black coffee, and said nothing.
Sakura's face turned red at once. She hurriedly waved her hands and explained, "N-no! I-I was the one who invited Shimiya-kun..."
"Oh~?" The blue-haired maid turned to Sakura, her smile deepening. "So that's how it is~ Little Shimiya's more popular than I expected, huh?" She winked playfully, then gave Sakura a formal little bow. "I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Amamiya Nina, a third-year student in Class 3-D. I'm your senpai~ And what should I call you, dear?"
Flustered, Sakura stood up and returned the bow. "H-hello, Amamiya-senpai! I'm Sakura Airi from Class 1-D. It's nice to meet you."
"It's nice to meet you too, little Sakura~" Amamiya Nina said with a beaming smile. Her eyes drifted back to Shimiya. "You know, our Little Shimiya always seems so cold, like an ice cube," she said in a lowered voice, as if sharing a secret. "But he's actually kind and dependable! You can't go wrong with him as a boyfriend~" She let out an exaggerated sigh. "If I weren't graduating next year, I'd launch a full-on assault and melt that ice cube myself! What a shame~"
"S-senpai!" Sakura's face grew even redder. She nearly buried it in her parfait.
Shimiya Kuki set down his coffee and looked up at Amamiya Nina, who was still gossiping with enthusiasm. His voice was perfectly even as he reminded her, "By the way, Senpai, is it all right to leave your work unattended? It sounds like a customer downstairs just rang the bell." His tone gave nothing away, but his meaning was clear.
"Oh! Shoot!" Amamiya Nina covered her mouth dramatically and glanced at a watch that wasn't there. "I got so caught up in the gossip! I'll leave you to your 'afternoon tea'~" She stuck out her tongue playfully, winked hard at Sakura, and silently mouthed, "Good luck!" Then she hummed a cheerful tune as she left the terrace.
Once Amamiya-senpai was gone, the awkward, strangely charged atmosphere on the terrace finally eased. Sakura Airi took a few deep breaths before emerging from her ostrich-like state. The two began enjoying their desserts. To their surprise, as time went on, Sakura Airi seemed to open up.
Maybe it was the comfortable setting, or the way Shimiya listened in silence made her feel safe. Maybe she'd kept everything bottled up for too long and needed to talk. In a soft voice, she began with the anxiety and loneliness she'd felt when she first entered Advanced Nurturing High School. She spoke of the struggle to hide her past from her classmates, the fear of being stalked by an obsessive fan, and the relief she'd felt after finally working up the courage to say "I hate it" yesterday. She even shared a few stories from her time as Shizuku: the nerves of standing beneath the spotlight, the warmth of her fans' support, and the reasons she'd eventually decided to leave that world behind.
For the most part, Shimiya Kuki listened quietly, occasionally giving a slight nod at an important moment or offering a brief "Mm" or "And then?" to show he was following along. He was like a dependable sounding board, taking in the emotions Sakura had bottled up for so long. Her speech went from nervous and halting to increasingly smooth and relaxed, and a faint, genuine smile finally returned to her face. Before they knew it, two hours had passed. It was clear that talking had meant a great deal to her.
The desserts and coffee were long gone, and the setting sun had painted the terrace gold. They got ready to leave.
They went downstairs to pay and ran into Amamiya Nina again.
"Leaving already, Little Shimiya and little Sakura~?" Amamiya-senpai came over with a mischievous grin. "Have a good time chatting this afternoon? Did you... ahem~ take things to the next level?"
Sakura blushed slightly and earnestly explained, "Amamiya-senpai, you really have the wrong idea. I invited Shimiya-kun simply to thank him for saving me. We're not in that kind of relationship."
"All right, all right~ I'm just teasing you!" Amamiya Nina said with a laugh, waving her hand. But her eyes showed that she knew more than she let on. "I happened to see a little 'tail' of what happened in the alley behind the one beside you last month from the third floor." She winked at Sakura. "Still, a hero saving a beauty is often the start of a romantic story! That's how it goes in novels!"
Before Sakura could explain again, Amamiya Nina took the bill from behind the register and quickly entered something. Then she announced, "This meal's on me! Think of it as—" She turned to Sakura. "A little comfort for surviving that ordeal, and something to help you calm down." Then she looked at Shimiya, a hint of approval in her eyes. "And a reward for Shimiya-kun's good deed! How's that for a generous senpai?"
"Eh?!" Sakura's eyes widened in surprise. "B-but you can't! I was supposed to be thanking Shimiya-kun... And I can't let you pay..."
"Relax, relax~" Amamiya Nina said cheerfully, cutting her off with a wave. "It's just a few desserts and coffees. I can afford that much! It's settled!" Seeing another customer come in, she quickly added, "All right, I've got work to do. Have a safe trip back to the dorms! Bye, little Sakura! Bye, Little Ice Cube!" She made a playful face at Shimiya, then turned to warmly greet the new customer.
Sakura watched Amamiya-senpai bustle about, then looked at Shimiya with an appreciative, helpless smile. "Amamiya-senpai... she really is enthusiastic."
The two walked out of the Ismo Cafe. A cool breeze stirred in the evening air.
"Would you like me to walk you back to your dorm?" Shimiya Kuki stopped and asked Sakura Airi in his usual calm tone.
Sakura hurriedly waved her hands, her expression sincere and apologetic. "Oh, no, no! Shimiya-kun, I've already taken up so much of your time this afternoon. Thank you so much for listening to me talk for so long... The dorm isn't far. I can get back by myself! I can't trouble you any more!" Her tone was firm; she clearly felt she'd already taken up too much of his time.
Shimiya didn't insist. He only nodded. "All right. Be careful on your way."
"Mm! You be careful too, Shimiya-kun! Thank you so much for today!" Sakura Airi bowed deeply to him once more, then turned and walked toward the Class D girls' dormitory alone, her steps much lighter than before.
Shimiya Kuki pushed open the dormitory door, and its familiar quiet enveloped him. A pink sticky note was conspicuously attached in the entryway, written in Ichinose Honami's neat handwriting:
Shimiya-kun:
I made plans to go to the new ramen shop on the Shopping Street with Shiratori-san tonight, so you don't need to prepare dinner for me! ˙ᗜ˙
—Ichinose
Just as she'd mentioned before. Shimiya put the note away, changed into his indoor shoes, and headed straight for the kitchen. The empty living room felt quieter than usual. He opened the refrigerator, took out some ingredients, and began preparing dinner for himself. The knife tapped against the cutting board in a steady, faint rhythm. Steam rose from the pot, and the aroma of food gradually filled the air.
While he waited for the water to boil, Shimiya took out his terminal and opened his conversation with Amamiya Nina. The amount on the afternoon's bill stood out clearly in his memory. His fingers moved quickly as he entered the exact amount and confirmed the transfer.
As soon as the transfer-success notification appeared, a system message from Amamiya Nina popped up:
[System Notification: Amamiya Nina refunded you XXX Points]
Right after it came a short message:
Amamiya Nina: I meant what I said at the cafe. This is your reward. I hope you'll always keep it up, Little Shimiya.
Shimiya stared at the brief message and the system notification, then fell silent for a moment. Amamiya-senpai's intentions were clear and firm.
In the end, he didn't try to send the money again. He simply turned off the terminal screen and put it in his pocket. The soup had just begun to bubble, and white steam curled into the air. Shimiya added the prepared ingredients to the pot, put on the lid, and lowered the heat. The only sounds in the kitchen were the faint simmer of the soup and the aroma of the food.
Before you continue