Temporary Friends, Club Orientation, and the 20 Million Points Collection Plan in Motion

"Did you actually memorize everyone's names, Dokuho?"

"Actually, I secretly recorded you all while you were introducing yourselves and spent the whole night memorizing them."

"Are you serious?"

"I'm joking. If I actually did that, I'd be labeled a total creep."

School cafeteria.

Dokuho Kouya and the others grabbed their set meals and found an empty spot to sit, chatting as they ate.

Seeing Dokuho Kouya take the initiative to joke around, the students who had accompanied him finally let out a sigh of relief.

"Dokuho really isn't hard to get along with after all," Mako Amikura said, placing a hand over her chest in relief.

She had been worried that Dokuho might be a loner and that getting along with him would be a struggle.

But after actually interacting with him, she realized that wasn't the case at all; in fact, she found him quite easy to talk to.

"I can't even imagine that the Dokuho sitting here is the same person who gave that speech this morning," Norihito Watanabe said, shrinking his neck as he recalled the morning's events.

This morning, Dokuho Kouya had exposed the school's hidden rules to the class, declared that he would no longer offer strategic advice to the class, and stated his intention to collect 20 million private points to transfer to Class A.

At the time, he had come across as a big shot who couldn't be bothered to cooperate with anyone.

If Norihito Watanabe hadn't seen Dokuho Kouya laughing and chatting with Sayo Ando, who sat next to him at noon, he wouldn't have dared to join him for lunch.

"I was shocked back then, too," Sayo Ando agreed, nodding. "The Dokuho from this morning was completely different from the impression he usually gives."

If there was anyone in the class who had the most contact with Dokuho Kouya, it was undoubtedly her.

Not only did she sit next to Dokuho Kouya, but they had also gone to the convenience store together in the afternoon, and when she had just stepped out of the dormitory building in the morning, they had even gone to the cafeteria for breakfast together.

In all those interactions, the boy had always struck her as gentle and considerate, with none of the harshness he had displayed on the podium that morning.

It was like he was two different people.

Hearing his friends' confusion, Dokuho Kouya felt satisfied in his heart.

Good.

This was exactly the effect he wanted.

In daily life, he appeared to be just an ordinary Class B student.

But when it came to critical moments like special exams, he could reveal a side of himself completely different from the rest of the class, even creating the illusion that "as long as I get serious, I can turn the tide."

Despite being in the most cohesive Class B, appearing friendly, and possessing excellent ability, he was unwilling to help the class collective and preferred to rely on himself to collect 20 million points.

By combining these various contradictions, he had successfully crafted a false persona.

Though false, it was a persona that wouldn't clash with anyone else's.

[Sound check...]

The cafeteria speakers broadcast a girl's crisp, sweet voice.

[Good afternoon, students. This is Akane Tachibana, secretary of the Student Council.]

[At 5:00 PM this afternoon, a club orientation will be held at the First Gymnasium. Interested students are welcome to attend.]

[Repeating that...]

The freshmen who were eating stopped what they were doing to listen to the broadcast.

"There's a club orientation this afternoon," Mako Amikura said, her pretty brows lifting as she clasped her hands together excitedly. "Did any of you join any clubs back in the day?"

Finding a new topic, Mako and the others stopped discussing Dokuho Kouya's image and shifted to talking about their sports experiences in junior high.

"I was in the volleyball club during junior high," Sayo Ando said, sharing her experience with a smile. "If this school has a volleyball club, I'm definitely signing up."

"I actually thought you were a basketball player, Sayo," Norihito Watanabe said, looking slightly surprised.

"The basketball coach in junior high did try to get me to join, but I just prefer playing volleyball," Sayo Ando said with a laugh.

"Training for volleyball must be really tough, right?" Tetsuya Hamaguchi asked.

"Yeah, I can't argue with that," Sayo Ando said, her pretty brows drooping helplessly as if she were recalling those grueling training days.

"Even with such tough training, Sayo still wants to join the volleyball club in high school. That feels so youthful."

Mako Amikura clasped her hands together, saying with envy, "Should I join a sports club too?"

"Do you guys want to go check out the First Gymnasium this afternoon? Maybe there are some fun clubs there."

Mako Amikura's beautiful eyes flickered slightly as she looked at her friends with anticipation.

"I don't have any objections," Norihito Watanabe said with a sheepish smile.

"I want to go see if there's a volleyball club first," Sayo Ando said, still thinking about playing her beloved volleyball.

"I want to go see what the clubs at Advanced Nurturing are like, too."

After Tetsuya Hamaguchi finished speaking, he turned his head to look at the boy who hadn't said a word, "Kouya-kun, are you going to the club orientation?"

Dokuho Kouya shook his head, "I have some things to take care of this afternoon, so I won't be going for now."

As if.

In his memory.

The most spectacular part of the club orientation was when the Student Council president silenced the entire gymnasium without saying a single word.

He had no hobby of acting as a stepping stone for others.

Even if he were to go, it would definitely be after the Student Council president had already used the Silence skill.

"Is Kouya-kun planning to implement the 20 Million Points Collection Plan?" Norihito Watanabe asked curiously.

Following his words, the people around them also cast curious gazes his way.

"I do indeed have such an intention." Dokuho Kouya nodded slightly.

While resting last night, he had been thinking about how to collect more personal points.

If things went smoothly, he could probably earn an extra hundred thousand points or so every month.

Though, it certainly wouldn't be as many as the points he won through the competition yesterday.

"Oh?"

Hearing this, Mako Amikura became interested, "Kouya-kun, can I watch from the sidelines?"

"Sure." Dokuho Kouya wasn't afraid of being seen by others.

On the contrary, he actually hoped to be seen by others so that it would spread.

"Come to think of it, is Amikura-san not going to the club orientation?" Dokuho Kouya asked teasingly, "You were the one who suggested we attend in the first place."

"Ahaha..." The girl with the purple ponytail laughed awkwardly, "The clubs aren't going anywhere anyway. Compared to the club orientation, I'd rather see how Kouya-kun earns his points."

Her reasoning was normal and perfectly logical.

Who wouldn't want to learn how others make money?

It was just that what Dokuho Kouya was about to do next was something others certainly wouldn't be able to imitate, even if they watched from the sidelines.