How Much?! Seven Million?!

After some explanation and calming everyone down, they finally sat back down.

Since Amikura Mako had sat right on Gojo Satoru's lap, everyone else stayed where they were.

"So, why are so many people in my dorm room?"

Seeing that there were seven girls besides Amikura Mako—presumably all from Class B—Gojo Satoru asked with some confusion.

This was the first time he'd realized how small the dorm room was. It was already getting crowded before it could even fit half the girls in his class. That was hardly in line with his goal.

At his question, all the girls except Amikura Mako looked at Ichinose.

Following their gaze, Gojo Satoru looked over at her too.

At that moment, Ichinose seemed to have made up her mind.

She didn't act timid anymore. Meeting Gojo Satoru's gaze, she wore her usual smile and explained solemnly.

"Actually, we came to thank you, Gojo-kun!"

?????

Gojo Satoru wasn't the only one confused. Even the other girls didn't understand what she meant.

Noticing everyone looking at her in puzzlement, Ichinose revealed a huge surprise.

"Actually, during the basketball game last time, I bet all the points we'd collected from the class!

I bet that Gojo-kun would win!"

!!!!!!

"Ahhh!!!"

"Honami, you're amazing!!!"

"I love you!!!"

Realizing how important this was, the girls let out ear-splitting screams in Gojo Satoru's dorm room.

Several of them threw their arms around Ichinose. Shiranami Chihiro even took the opportunity to bury her face in Ichinose's chest and rub against her!

Kobashi Yume took a different approach. She leaped straight at Gojo Satoru, wedging Amikura Mako between them.

Amikura Mako: I give up!

The only one who wasn't overly excited was a girl with twin tails. Her expression remained cool, with only the hint of a smile.

But when she saw what Kobashi Yume had done, the corners of her mouth, which had just been turning up, fell again. Her puzzled expression looked like it would go perfectly with a few question marks over her head.

Noticing the girl with the unusually lustrous hair, Gojo Satoru grew curious.

I think her name was Himeno Yuki?

But this wasn't the time to let his mind wander. He quickly lifted Kobashi Yume up. If she squeezed any harder, Xiao Mako would be in danger.

"Yume-chan, honestly! Even if you're excited, you can't do that!

You're squashing me. It feels awful."

Amikura Mako looked at Kobashi Yume in front of her with some reproach. As she spoke, she rubbed her chest, which had just served as a cushion.

Held up by Gojo Satoru, Kobashi Yume shyly turned her gaze away, tracing her cheek with her right index finger as she answered softly.

"S-sorry. I got too excited."

Was she really just too excited?

Aside from the people directly involved, Himeno Yuki was the only one who'd noticed what was going on with Gojo Satoru. She didn't quite believe that excuse.

The look in Kobashi Yume's eyes before she leaped at him hadn't seemed innocent.

"Yume-chan, if you want a hug next time, you can take your time. There's no need to rush."

After being squeezed and rubbed for a while, Amikura Mako had finally recovered. She smiled as she reminded Kobashi Yume.

Kobashi Yume blushed even harder and sat down beside Gojo Satoru, too embarrassed to say anything.

"Eh? Xiao Mako, aren't you going to ask what I think?

I haven't even said anything yet."

Seeing the two of them ignore him right in front of him, Gojo Satoru pinched Amikura Mako's cheeks and smiled at her from the side.

Amikura Mako guiltily looked away and began to whistle.

After a while, things had quieted down around Ichinose too.

Everyone returned to their original seats, though Kobashi Yume stayed beside Gojo Satoru.

Aside from Himeno Yuki, no one noticed anything strange.

Though he'd more or less guessed what happened, Gojo Satoru still put on an inquisitive look.

"So during the betting, you gathered the class's points and wagered them all?"

Ichinose was just about to explain when Shiranami Chihiro beside her jumped in to answer.

"No!

At the start of the school year, everyone had questions about how the points were distributed, and they were worried they might spend them recklessly.

So everyone gave Ichinose some of their points to hold onto."

They'd just revealed information about their class, but no one stopped them. It wasn't some shameful secret, and besides, Gojo Satoru had helped them earn so many points.

But what Gojo Satoru said next made them somewhat suspicious.

"If that's the case, then you all seemed unaware of it until Ichinose explained just now.

So Ichinose decided on her own to place the bet. It must feel nice to be trusted so much."

Now that they'd calmed down and heard what he said, the others had only just realized what this meant.

Unlike the others, Ichinose blushed when she heard his words and turned her head away, no longer daring to meet Gojo Satoru's gaze.

Everyone trusted Ichinose, but this time, her decision to act on her own still left a few of them confused.

Seeing some of them casting strange looks her way, Shiranami Chihiro quickly nudged Ichinose and urged her anxiously.

"Honami, explain yourself, or everyone will get the wrong idea."

Ichinose came to her senses and hurriedly explained what had happened.

"Actually, I met Gojo-kun back in middle school. His team came to my school for a basketball game.

A friend dragged me along, so I got to see Gojo-kun's skill early on. He completely crushed our team all by himself.

But I was worried that some people in the class wouldn't agree, so I could only place the bet on my own.

After all, if you're sure you'll win, it's not gambling, right?"

Though Ichinose's explanation made sense, it still drew plenty of objections. Several girls looked at her with wounded expressions.

"Even so, you should've talked it over with us. We're in the same class."

"Honami, don't do that again. We agreed to discuss class matters together."

"I trust Honami!"

Ichinose's look hadn't been innocent either!

Himeno Yuki noticed the brief blush. She didn't join in the discussion, instead puzzling over Ichinose's strange behavior.

Kobashi Yume and Amikura Mako stayed quietly beside Gojo Satoru. After all, they'd supported Ichinose from the beginning.

Kobashi Yume had even been upset that she hadn't bet enough. Now that she knew all of her hidden reserve had been wagered, she was nothing but delighted.

Seeing that things were getting a little tense, Gojo Satoru stopped teasing Ichinose and changed the subject for her.

"By the way, how many points did you earn?"

That's right!

Only then did the girls realize what the real question was: how much had they earned?

If Ichinose had really wagered all the points they'd collected, then the high odds should have earned them a seven-figure sum!

With a group of girls staring at her with dollar signs in their eyes, Ichinose began to sweat. She silently held up seven fingers.

"About seven million..."

...!!!!

"Ahhh!!!"

"Honami, I really do love you after all!"

"That's enough money for me to find a man!!"

They'd been upset that Ichinose hadn't told them. But once they learned the exact amount, they all threw their arms around her again!