Ichinose Honami

It was a pity he didn't have the good habit of carrying a mirror like Kōenji, otherwise Ayanokōji would have definitely taken a good look at himself.

Setting aside whether he was handsome or not, was he really that gloomy?

To be ranked in the top five of the first-year list... no matter how you looked at it, that was just absurd.

"Whether you accept it or not, that's the truth. If you want to be popular, at the very least, you need to become a bit more lively and sunny."

Ayanokōji seemed very interested in this topic; he did indeed want to be more popular, but that was undoubtedly a talent.

Popular people carried a certain aura from the moment they were born, like the Shintō before him, or that rose-gold-haired beauty from earlier.

And some people were born to be easily targeted, like Sudō or Yamauchi.

"But I don't think I can do that."

Ayanokōji shook his head. He had thought about performing well during the self-introduction session at the start of school, but after standing up, he could only stumble through his own name.

Of course, this was all because he had never really viewed the people around him as human beings.

"Well, that's a bit metaphysical. But if you want to be popular, frequenting crowded places is probably the right way to go."

"Ah... I've been to cafes or amusement parks, and the school cafeteria is also very crowded."

Shintō suddenly realized a problem: his perception of Ayanokōji had been too one-sided all along.

Because of the other guy's unnatural gaze, he had labeled him a creep.

Because of his explosive muscle density and physique, he had labeled him a hitman for some organization.

But in reality... how could a person be so simple?

Deliberately controlling his scores, pretending to be an ordinary person, yet forcing those with keen eyes to notice his uniqueness at a glance.

Plus, the silly questions Ayanokōji sometimes asked were the kind of genuine stupidity that no normal person could pull off even if they were acting.

So, it was possible that Ayanokōji was just someone lacking in social common sense.

"Let me put it this way: if you want to be popular, you need a lot of popular friends. Otherwise, birds of a feather flock together; because the people around you aren't popular, you won't be popular either."

Ayanokōji thought about it carefully after hearing this. It seemed his friends were all the type who didn't have any friends, and some were even particularly annoying.

The only one, Kushida Kikyo, couldn't even be considered his friend.

Because he always felt that person harbored ill intentions toward him.

"Hey, Shintō. Popular people are easily noticed, right?"

Ayanokōji didn't want to attract attention; he just wanted to be a slacker and pass his three years of school peacefully.

Actually, in that sense, his motive for coming to this school was surprisingly identical to Shintō's.

"Heh, I actually think that by being friends with Ike and the others, you're even more likely to be noticed. If that's your goal—after all, bad publicity is still publicity—then I really have to congratulate you!"

As the two chatted, they returned to the dormitory building. Since Shintō had to wait for someone behind him, he made an excuse and sent Ayanokōji away.

"You can come out now, right? Ichinose-san."

The girl whose name was called finally stepped out from behind a tree not far away.

"So you had already discovered me, Shintō-kun."

"After all, I was the one who invited you here... want to drink something?"

"No, no... I..."

Out of politeness, Ichinose was still waving her hands in refusal, but Shintō simply bought a drink from the vending machine and sat on a nearby bench to drink it.

[So he wasn't going to treat me...]

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Shintō Katsuya, from Class D of the first year. Current president of the Yorozuya."

"Yorozuya! Excuse me... I am Ichinose Honami from Class B. Is the Yorozuya that Shintō-kun mentioned the one belonging to Horikita-senpai?"

Shintō nodded. Being able to use Horikita Manabu's name as a banner at any time was something he was more than happy to do, so if someone thought this club was Horikita Manabu's, it didn't really matter.

"Let's get down to business. Since Ichinose-san is from Class B, I assume your classmates' grades must be quite good?"

"Uh, actually, they're okay..."

"I do have the things you heard about, and I can guarantee they are real. Although you might not really need them, as an insurance policy, they should be worth something, right? So, let's not haggle—ten thousand points."

"Eh?!"

Ichinose had originally thought there would be a tug-of-war like bargaining at a vegetable market, but she hadn't expected the other party to offer a price lower than her psychological expectation.

"Shintō-kun, are you sure? You'll sell it to me for ten thousand points?"

"Well, after all, I bought this for the sake of my classmates. Since I have to spend the money anyway, as long as you can give me some points to help me recover, what does it matter if it's ten thousand? Besides, the extra part can be considered me wanting to make friends with your class."

"Since Shintō-kun is so straightforward, it would seem heartless of me to refuse. Alright, it's a deal. Also, on behalf of my classmates, I thank you for your help, Shintō-kun!"

As she spoke, Ichinose extended her right hand.

The girl's elegant, generous posture and warm, sunny smile, combined with her angelic appearance and devilish figure, immediately reminded Shintō of Kushida Kikyo.

If one were to go by stereotypes, the girl before him was likely the type who enjoyed helping others.

Could there really be so many angels in this world who find happiness in the happiness of others? That should be impossible, right?

Because Shinjo was momentarily dazed, Ichinose tilted her head and reminded him in a soft voice:

"Shinjo-kun?"

"Ah? Sorry, sorry, I was just thinking about something else."

As he spoke, Shinjo also extended his right hand and shook hands with Ichinose.

"I don't have the answer with me right now, so how about this: come find me at our class tomorrow? We can make the trade then."

"Mm, it's a deal!"

Waving his hand to bid farewell to Ichinose, Shinjo felt as though he had struck it rich once again.

Just kidding, ten thousand points didn't seem like much, but for him right now, even a mosquito's leg was still a piece of meat.

After all, Class D's current class points were still at zero, meaning they were in a state where they couldn't even afford living expenses.

"Tsk! Thinking about making money or saving money every single day—is this the world of adults? How pathetic..."