Ichinose's Curiosity

Natsukawa observed Ichinose. Although her expression remained composed, her teeth were lightly biting her lip, and the index finger of her right hand was unconsciously rubbing the edge of her tray, revealing that her inner state was not as calm as her exterior suggested.

"Ichinose, why don't you arrange things with the classmates behind you first? As someone with a bit of social anxiety, having so many eyes fixed on me is quite stressful."

It was as if she had suddenly remembered something; Ichinose turned around abruptly. What she saw were the girls from Class B, who initially wore expressions of surprise, only to quickly shift into looks of gossip-hungry curiosity. Once they saw Ichinose looking over, they didn't need her to tell them what to do; they quickly found nearby seats with space, sat down, ate, and chatted in one fluid motion. It looked like a harmonious scene, but every single one of them had their ears pricked toward this direction.

Seeing things develop this way, Ichinose's cheeks flushed slightly, and the urgency in her heart dissipated a little. She then seemed to throw caution to the wind and sat directly beside Natsukawa: "Natsukawa-kun, can you tell me now?"

"This is just my personal speculation," Natsukawa said, weighing his words. "But all signs indicate that this school is not as simple as it appears on the surface. The distribution of private points shouldn't be static; it should be linked to what the school calls 'ability'."

Ichinose's brows furrowed slightly: "I also felt something was off, but I hadn't thought about it this deeply. If what you say is true, what should we do now?"

"Not only that, I suspect that the school's '100% advancement rate' isn't for everyone; it's a special privilege that only a portion of people can enjoy. Everyone else is just abandoned by the school! If your 'ability' doesn't satisfy the school, you might not even receive a single point each month, and in more serious cases, you could even be expelled mid-term!!"

Natsukawa knew that Ichinose valued her classmates deeply, so he deliberately made the situation sound dire. While everything he said was factual, aside from the 100% advancement rate being unattainable, most of the people in Class B wouldn't actually encounter those other issues.

"Are these things true?!"

Ichinose was clearly shaken. She had encountered such a wonderful, free school for the first time, and she had met such great classmates with whom she had made a promise to improve together. Two happy things overlapping should have been an incredibly blissful experience, but why... why was it like this... She suddenly realized that their beautiful vision wasn't as easily within reach as they had imagined.

"Actually, I can help you. I can help you realize the ideals of everyone in Class B."

Natsukawa spoke softly into Ichinose's ear, as if he could see right through her thoughts.

In truth, if given enough time to think, Ichinose would certainly have been able to break through and rebuild, leading her Class B classmates to face the school's trials with even firmer conviction. But Natsukawa refused to give her that time. After painting a picture of a cruel future, he handed her a ladder to save everyone, leaving Ichinose with no choice but to follow his line of reasoning.

"Is... is this true?!"

Ichinose looked straight at Natsukawa, as if grasping at a life-saving straw.

"Of course. Ichinose is the first friend I made at this school. If I can help you, I will certainly give it my all. I can tell you the true nature of this school and the crisis hidden beneath our feet. But this information didn't come for free. Could I ask you to help me cover some of the costs?"

"That would be wonderful, Natsukawa-kun. I truly don't know how to thank you. If we can really protect everyone in Class B, no price is too high to pay."

"No need to thank me, Ichinose-san. This is a fair trade."

"No, even so, I still have to thank you, Natsukawa-kun. If we were to enjoy school life in ignorance, only to be suddenly notified one day that one of our classmates was being expelled—that is something I don't even want to imagine."

"Alright, but even if you thank me, I won't give you a discount. I don't need many points, just 1 million (whispering)."

The final number was whispered right against Ichinose's ear to avoid giving Sakura, sitting across from them, a "small shock" regarding the reality of the school.

Ichinose was first startled and shy because the air from his voice made her ear itch, but then she was taken aback by the sheer magnitude of the sum.

"That much? This isn't a number of points that one person could possibly afford."

"Since it concerns the entire class, it would naturally be shared by everyone in the class. Don't worry, Ichinose, the price I'm quoting is definitely not expensive. You can check with your homeroom teacher, Hoshinomiya-sensei. If you were to buy it from her, it would cost 2 million private points. Consider this information a free gift from me to show my sincerity."

"I see. So the points Hoshinomiya-sensei said could buy anything also included this. Thank you, Natsukawa-kun. I will discuss this properly with my classmates. Your observation is very sharp. If possible, I hope we can exchange thoughts on this more often in the future. Even though Class B and Class D are different, I feel we can help each other."

"Of course," Natsukawa nodded. "I also admire you, Ichinose-san."

Ichinose smiled happily, her expression returning to that sunny, warm look from before. She sat for a while longer, and after exchanging contact information with Natsukawa, she felt more relaxed. She then turned to look at Sakura: "And this student is?"

"Sakura Airi, my classmate," Natsukawa introduced.

"Hello, I'm Ichinose Honami," Ichinose greeted Sakura with a smile. But Sakura only kept her head down, replying with a barely audible "Hello," her fingers nervously twisting the hem of her skirt.

Ichinose didn't mind, instead turning to Natsukawa with a joking tone: "Sitting together to eat just one week after school started—are you two dating?"

"No, no. Sakura and I just happened to run into each other in the cafeteria. By the way, could I ask you for a favor? Sakura-san is quite socially anxious; could I ask you to become friends with her?"

"No problem, Natsukawa-kun. Sakura-san, I look forward to getting to know you."

After saying this, Ichinose reached out her hand toward Sakura. Sakura reached out as well, and after they shook hands, the three of them began to chat casually. It wasn't until Natsukawa and Sakura had finished their meal that they took their leave, and Ichinose returned to the group of girls from Class B.

"She's such a nice person..." Sakura whispered after Ichinose had left.

"Yeah, she is the archangel of Class B, after all," Natsukawa smiled. "But please keep what we discussed earlier a secret for now."

Sakura nodded earnestly: "I, I won't tell anyone."

After leaving the cafeteria, Natsukawa and Sakura walked back toward the classroom together. As they neared the school building, Sakura suddenly gathered her courage and said: "Natsukawa-kun, thank you... You've helped me twice now, and you even helped me make a friend. If, if you don't mind... can we be friends?"

As she said this, her cheeks were stained a cherry-blossom pink, and her fingers were unconsciously twisting her skirt. Although her gaze was still evasive, it flickered with a hint of anticipation.

Natsukawa nodded with a smile: "Of course, we are already friends. And I should be thanking you for not being annoyed that I took the liberty of finding you a friend. You go back to the classroom first; I'm going to buy a drink to rinse my mouth."

Watching Sakura's happy retreating figure, a warmth spread through Natsukawa's heart. In this world where ability is everything, the sincerity Sakura possessed was one of the rarest treasures.

But at the same time, he knew that peaceful days would not last long. The system's debt, the school's secrets, and the upcoming special exams would all follow one after another.

He needed enough strength to face the trials to come.