How Much? Seven Million?!

After some explanation and coaxing, everyone sat back down.

Because Amikura Mako had directly sat on Gojo Satoru's lap, the others' positions hadn't changed much.

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

Looking at the seven girls besides Amikura Mako—all apparently from Class B—Gojo Satoru asked with some confusion.

This was the first time he'd felt how small his dorm was; it couldn't even hold half a class of girls before getting cramped, which didn't match his goals at all.

Hearing this, all the girls except Amikura Mako looked at Ichinose.

Following their gazes, Gojo Satoru also looked over.

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

No longer timid, she met Gojo Satoru's eyes, her face carrying her usual smile as she explained solemnly.

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

?????

Not only was Gojo Satoru confused, but even the other girls didn't understand what she meant.

Seeing everyone looking at her in bewilderment, Ichinose dropped a huge surprise.

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

I bet that Gojo-kun would win!"

!!!!!!

"Ahhh!!!"

"Honami, you're amazing!!!"

"I love you!!!"

Realizing the significance, Gojo Satoru's dorm erupted in deafening screams.

Several girls hugged Ichinose, and Shiranami Chihiro even took the chance to bury her face in her chest, rubbing nonstop!

Kobashi Yume took a different route, leaping straight onto Gojo Satoru, squeezing Amikura Mako in between.

Amikura Mako: 'I really can't with this!'

The only one not overly excited was a girl with twin-tails, who just added a faint smile to her indifferent expression.

But when she saw Kobashi Yume's move, her rising lips shrank back, and her puzzled look seemed perfect for a few question marks above her head.

Noticing the girl with strikingly glossy hair, Gojo Satoru was a bit curious.

'I think her name was Himeno Yuki?'

But this wasn't the time for random thoughts. He quickly lifted Kobashi Yume up; if she kept squeezing, Xiao Mako would be in danger.

"Yume-chan, really, even if you're excited, you can't do that!

I was so uncomfortable being crushed."

Amikura Mako looked at Kobashi Yume with some reproach, rubbing her chest that had served as a cushion.

Held up by Gojo Satoru's hands, Kobashi Yume shyly looked away, hooking a strand of hair with her right index finger as she answered quietly.

"S-sorry, I just got too excited."

'Really just too excited?'

The only one besides the parties involved who noticed the commotion by Gojo Satoru was Himeno Yuki, and she didn't buy that excuse.

The look in Kobashi Yume's eyes before she leaped was anything but innocent.

"Yume-chan, next time you want to hug, you can take it slow, no need to rush."

After a bit of rubbing, Amikura Mako finally recovered and smiled as she reminded her.

Kobashi Yume blushed even more and sat down next to Gojo Satoru, not daring to speak.

"Hey, Xiao Mako, aren't you going to ask for my opinion?

I haven't even said anything yet."

Seeing the two ignoring him right in front of his face, Gojo Satoru pinched Amikura Mako's mouth shut, smiling at her from the side.

Amikura Mako guiltily looked away and started whistling.

After a while, Ichinose's group quieted down.

Everyone returned to their original seats, but Kobashi Yume didn't leave Gojo Satoru's side.

And aside from Himeno Yuki, no one noticed anything off.

Though he'd mostly guessed it, Gojo Satoru still played dumb and asked.

"Was it during the betting match that you collected all the class points and placed the bet?"

Ichinose was about to explain, but Shiranami Chihiro beside her cut in and answered.

"That's not it!

It's because at the start of the school year, everyone had some doubts about how points were distributed, and they were worried they'd waste them.

So everyone put some of their points with Ichinose for safekeeping."

She'd exposed some class information, but no one stopped her—it wasn't a shameful secret, and the other person had helped them earn so many points.

But Gojo-kun's next words made them a bit suspicious.

"If that's the case, then before Ichinose explained, you all looked like you had no idea.

So that means Ichinose went ahead and placed the bet on her own. Being trusted like that must be really nice."

After calming down and hearing those cryptic words, the others finally realized the nature of the situation.

Unlike everyone else's confusion, Ichinose heard this, blushed, and turned her head away, unable to meet Gojo-kun's eyes.

Even though everyone trusted Ichinose, her unilateral action still drew some puzzled looks from a few people.

Seeing some of them casting strange glances, Shiranami Chihiro quickly nudged Ichinose and said urgently, "Honami, explain yourself quick, or everyone's going to misunderstand."

Snapping out of it, Ichinose hurriedly explained the reason.

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

Because a friend dragged me along, I saw Gojo-kun's skills early on—he single-handedly crushed our team.

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

After all, if you're sure of victory, it's not really gambling, right?"

Even though Ichinose's explanation was reasonable, it still drew plenty of objections. Several people looked at her with hurt expressions.

"Even so, you should've talked it over with us. We're a class, aren't we?"

"Honami, you can't do this next time. We agreed to discuss class matters together."

"I believe in Honami!"

'Ichinose's eyes weren't innocent either!'

Noticing that momentary blush, Himeno Yuki didn't join the discussion, instead pondering the other girl's strange behavior.

Kobashi Yume and Amikura Mako stayed quietly by Gojo-kun's side, since they'd supported him from the start.

Kobashi Yume had even been upset about betting too little before, but now knowing all her backup reserves had been thrown in, she was beaming with joy.

Seeing the situation getting a bit awkward, Gojo-kun didn't keep teasing Ichinose and instead helped shift the topic.

"So, how many points did you actually earn?"

Right!

The girls finally realized the real question—how much had they earned!

If they'd really bet all the collected points, with those high odds, it had to be seven figures!

Stared at by a group of girls with coin-filled eyes, Ichinose broke out in a cold sweat and silently raised seven fingers.

"About seven million..."

...!!!!

"Aaaah!!!"

"Honami, I still love you after all!"

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

The ones who'd been upset about not being told were now hugging her again after hearing the exact number!