"But... that was just..."
Ike was at a loss for words.
"Let me put it plainly. Even people like you can save up enough points by the end of the month to avoid having to eat the free wild-vegetable set meal in the cafeteria."
"So are you really saying everyone else is worse off than you? Think about it."
After all, tomorrow was the first day of May, and Makoto figured there was no harm in telling them about this now.
His eyes met Ayanokoji's. Then, as if on cue, they both looked away.
"Let's go, Honami."
"Okay."
Makoto led Honami away, her face glowing with happiness.
Karuizawa followed them.
"What did you mean by what you just said?"
"I meant exactly what I said. I don't think you're too dense to understand, Karuizawa."
Seeing the worried look on Karuizawa's face, Makoto wanted to give her a sympathetic look. But with Honami beside him, he forced himself to hold back and pretended to admire the scenery instead.
Ah, the wind was rather boisterous today, too.
"To be honest, I've almost run out of points. I wasn't worried because I thought new points would be deposited tomorrow."
"But if that really is true... I don't want to eat the wild-vegetable set meal. Would that be okay?"
Makoto didn't answer. He turned to Honami instead.
He didn't dare make the decision on his own.
"Hmm... In that case, Karuizawa, come by Room 301 in the morning and evening. I'll make an extra lunch box for you!"
Makoto looked at Honami, slightly surprised. She really had changed.
"Have you been making lunch boxes for Miyano all this time, Ichinose?"
"Yep! Makoto's already letting me keep him!"
"..."
Makoto didn't argue. In a way, Honami was telling the truth.
"...That would be a big help."
"No problem at all! I'd be happy for Karuizawa to try my cooking, too."
That was Honami for you. She'd said so easily what he couldn't bring himself to say. It was enough to stir his blood and win his admiration!
"Thank you, Honami."
It was great that she hadn't felt burdened by the offer!
His resistance to beautiful girls was below zero. In that respect, Makoto seemed no different from Yamauchi and the others.
"It's the least I can do."
Honami's smile was so bright and lovely that Makoto was captivated by what it conveyed.
Before long, April, a month filled with lies and deception, came to an end...
May arrived.
But to Makoto, even December 31st would probably be no different from an ordinary day.
Not if Honami wasn't there.
The first school bell of May rang, and Hoshinomiya Chie walked into the classroom with a lighter, more cheerful step than usual.
"Good morning, everyone! Did you receive your new points?"
"Hoshinomiya-sensei, are the points we got this month a little lower?"
A student quickly raised his hand to speak. It was Kanzaki Ryuji. Though he phrased it as a question, his tone was utterly certain.
"There's absolutely nothing wrong with the amount of points deposited. I'll explain everything to you right away."
Hoshinomiya-sensei seemed to be in a great mood. Humming an unfamiliar tune, she briskly wrote several lines on the blackboard.
[Class A: 980] [Class B: 870] [Class C: 490] [Class D: 0]
"These are the Class Point totals for each first-year class this month. Feel free to ask any questions you have~"
"Does the amount of Personal Points we receive on the first of every month equal the Class Point total multiplied by a hundred?"
"That's right."
Hoshinomiya-sensei nodded.
"By the way, every class was fairly allocated 1,000 Class Points at the beginning of last month, and you only lost 130 over the course of the month. Congratulations!"
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