The opening ceremony was held in the gymnasium as scheduled, and it was no different from the ceremonies at any other school. For Natsukawa, the only entertaining part was seeing the inexplicable expression on Horikita's face when the student council president went up to give a speech. He and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka stood at the back of Class D's line. One was off in his own world, thinking about what to do next, while the other wore an expressionless look, as though nothing around him had anything to do with him.
After the ceremony, the crowd began streaming out of the gymnasium. Natsukawa glanced at the clock by the road. It was almost noon.
"What are we doing next?"
"It's noon, so of course we're going to the cafeteria for lunch. I wonder how the food is."
The two of them followed the crowd into the student cafeteria. It was spacious and brightly lit, divided into several sections like a university cafeteria, each offering its own signature dishes. Everything was available, from elegant Japanese set meals to calorie-packed burgers and fries. Prices ranged from a few hundred points to over a thousand, making the food look like a real bargain—for students with a hundred thousand points to their names, anyway.
"Natsukawa, you don't seem to be in very good shape." Ayanokoji looked over Natsukawa's frail frame, then glanced at the cafeteria counter. "You could consider ordering something nutritious, like that wagyu set meal or the pork cutlet rice." He pointed to several set meals priced between 700 and 1,200 points.
"Then I'll take your advice, Ayanokoji, and try the beef set meal. If it's for getting my health back, I guess I can't afford to be stingy." He sounded delighted.
After they finished lunch, the two went to the school supermarket to buy daily necessities. It was fairly large, with shelves full of everything from snacks and drinks to stationery and household goods.
As soon as they entered, Natsukawa's gaze swept around like radar, quickly locking onto an area with a sign that clearly read, "Free. Limit of three items per month." Without hesitation, he headed straight for it.
After all, who could resist free stuff?
The selection in the free section was limited, consisting mostly of necessities: unscented soap, basic shampoo, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and basic towels. Natsukawa carefully looked everything over before settling on a bottle of shampoo, some body wash, and a towel. They looked simple, but were enough to meet his most basic needs.
After that, Natsukawa went to the low-cost section to pick up a toothbrush, toothpaste, a rinse cup, and other necessities, carefully comparing the point prices of every item. When he checked out, the whole pile had cost him only a few hundred points. He was the very model of frugality.
"Why not buy better ones? You've got plenty of points, don't you?"
"There's no need. These are good enough."
After buying his daily necessities, Natsukawa finally reached the ultimate destination of his trip: the electronics store. He needed a computer to earn his first pot of gold.
The school electronics store was just as well-equipped, with computers, headphones, and other electronic products from various brands on display. As soon as he entered, Natsukawa noticed a small commotion near the counter.
A girl with red hair tied into twin tails stood timidly beside the counter, wearing a pair of thick glasses. An overly enthusiastic clerk was pestering her. She kept her head lowered, her gaze turned aside, and both hands clutched the strap of the bag in her arms. Her body shrank back slightly, as if she wanted to hide herself. In response to the clerk's rapid-fire sales pitch—"This camera is perfect for girls," "There's a discount if you buy it now," and "How about exchanging contact information? I can message you whenever there are special offers"—she could only manage faint, almost inaudible sounds like "Um..." and "Well..." Her face was bright red, and she looked on the verge of tears.
It was Sakura Airi. Natsukawa recognized her immediately. He couldn't help it; her most striking feature was impossible to miss. Though she looked like a busty, nerdy girl right now, her hidden identity was actually that of a cheerful blogging idol.
"Should we go help her?" Ayanokoji turned to ask Natsukawa.
"Yeah." Natsukawa nodded and led Ayanokoji toward the counter.
As he approached the clerk, Natsukawa put on a harmless smile. "Excuse me, could you help my friend here choose a computer? He's a complete beginner and doesn't really know what price range he should be looking at." He deftly shifted the clerk's attention away from Sakura and onto himself and Ayanokoji.
"Tch. Computers are all pretty much the same. Just buy whatever you can afford."
The clerk's face showed clear displeasure.
"What, are you treating people differently? Should I complain to your manager?"
At that, the clerk stared wide-eyed at Sakura, as if trying to memorize her appearance. Only then did he turn around and reluctantly face us.
I gave Ayanokoji a look. He got the message and led the clerk toward the computer section, his expression unchanged.
As soon as the clerk left, Sakura visibly breathed a sigh of relief.
"What a coincidence, running into you here."
Sakura's mood, which had just begun to settle after the clerk left, immediately tensed up again.
"Don't be nervous. I'm your classmate. My name is Natsukawa Sosuke, and we're both in Class 1-D. I sit diagonally across from you."
Sakura let out another breath. She quickly raised her head and stole a glance at Natsukawa through those big eyes hidden behind her lenses. Her expression was a jumble of gratitude, shyness, and uncertainty. Her lips moved a few times as if she wanted to thank him, but in the end no sound came out. She simply hugged her bag and slipped quietly to the other end of the counter like a startled rabbit, pretending to look at other products. The tips of her ears were still red.
Natsukawa didn't try to strike up another conversation. He knew that for someone like Sakura, too much attention would only make her feel pressured. So he turned and headed for the computer section where Ayanokoji was.
When he found Ayanokoji, the clerk was reluctantly explaining the differences between computers at various price points. Ayanokoji listened with an expressionless face. Natsukawa knew exactly what he wanted, and picked out a laptop with enough power to support his programming, priced at around 40,000 points. It wasn't that he couldn't afford to buy the best one right away; there was just no need. After all, a computer in nearly-new condition would be waiting for him to collect in a month.
Natsukawa carried the laptop over to the clerk and paid without hesitation. He glanced around the store and noticed that Sakura had already disappeared. Since she was no longer being pestered by the clerk, he called for Ayanokoji, and the two of them left together.
"Is there anywhere else you need to go?"
"Let's go back to the dorm. It's inconvenient to carry all this stuff around, and we can take a look at what the dorms are like while we're there."
As Natsukawa and Ayanokoji left the electronics store and searched for the way back to the dorms, a red-haired girl with twin tails stood quietly watching Natsukawa from a short distance behind him. Only after he disappeared around the corner did she silently turn and walk away.
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