Sports Festival

From a broader perspective, and considering only her screen time, she is clearly very popular.

But he certainly didn't come to conquer Ibuki.

"Don't be so nervous." Asakusa Toru propped his head up with the hand furthest from Ibuki Mio and looked at the screen in the distance. "If you're planning to fall for me on your own, I have no objection."

"But to say that I intend to hunt you down... that would be giving myself a bit too much credit."

"She has no chest or butt, short hair, and even a bit of a violent streak due to her martial arts training. She also has a severe rebellious mentality and poor communication skills."

"If it weren't for your seemingly slight advantage in physical ability and Judgment, you might have been assigned to Class D."

Her calm words were filled with a sharp pain for Ibuki Mio.

It was quite... humiliating.

But what's even more humiliating is that what he said was basically correct, something that even Ibuki Mio herself somewhat agreed with.

--Except for the last sentence.

"Huh? Class D? Are you kidding me? There's no way I'd be assigned to Class D." She raised her eyebrows dramatically, seemingly quite dissatisfied.

Yes, she was indeed assigned to Class C, which doesn't seem to be that much different from Class D.

His Academic Ability is not outstanding, and he has many shortcomings.

But Class D is still too exaggerated.

Anyone who has spent time at this school, especially those who have interacted with the students in Class D during their first year, will know the level of the students in Class D.

Being told that you'll be assigned to Class D is an extremely insulting thing.

Yes, it's not just about humiliation, it's about insult.

"My fists are hard. If you're free, come fight me after the movie." With just a few words, Ibuki Mio's initial awkwardness dissipated, and she followed her heart without even realizing it, extending an invitation.

She knew Asakusa Toru was strong, but without directly fighting him, she couldn't say exactly how strong he was.

Albert's dominance is obvious, but Asakusa Toru's dominance can only be understood through a real confrontation.

Although she knew she was bound to lose, Ibuki Mio was still itching to play.

"Okay." Asakusa Toru readily accepted the invitation, but he quickly changed the subject. "However..."

"Isn't it about time to stop changing the subject?"

"You know why I'm here."

He said.

"..." Ibuki Mio was silent for a moment, then muttered, "... Transferring classes, right?"

That's right, transferring classes.

Ryuen Kakeru finalized the transfer to another class at the end of the VIP Exam.

Instead of transferring all at once before graduating from third grade, Ryuen Kakeru has decided to transfer the students he wants to transfer to, and those who should transfer, to Class A in batches, little by little.

To solidify Class A's dominance and block their path to advancement in exchange for someone's support.

However, the first person to be transferred was neither Shiina Hiyori, whom he had previously discussed using to trap Asakusa Toru, nor his protégés Ishizaki Daichi and Yamada Albert, nor even himself, Ryuen Kakeru.

It was Ibuki Mio.

Despite being the most vocal 'rebel' against Ryuen Kakeru, she was chosen by Ryuen Kakeru as the first person to transfer to his class.

What's this?

If someone disobeys me, I'll just hand them twenty million.

Ibuki Mio couldn't understand. She didn't really want to transfer classes that much, and even graduating from Class C wouldn't have much of an impact on her...

So, these past few days, she has been pretending not to have seen Ryuen Kakeru's message.

Since it's summer vacation and I don't need to go to class, it's okay to ignore Ryuen.

Ibuki Mio had assumed that it would be Ishizaki Daichi or Yamada Albert who approached her, or that one of them would be sent to deliver a message, or that Ryuen would directly message her to come and discuss things in person.

Unexpectedly, it was Asakusa Toru, the student from Class A, who came looking for them...

"... I really don't understand why it had to be me." Letting out a long breath, Ibuki Mio opened up and spoke her most genuine thoughts.

I originally intended to tell this to Ryuen, but since Asakusa Toru and Ryuen Kakeru are practically inseparable, it shouldn't matter if I tell him.

"In the end, I haven't made any special contributions to the class. I usually just do my job perfunctorily. According to seniority, I shouldn't be the one transferring classes."

"Why me? Is it because I don't fit in? Because I don't have many friends? Because I insulted Ryuen?" she muttered. "But wait, this isn't some transfer to Class D, it's a transfer to Class A!"

"And it will cost 20 million. We worked so hard to get 20 million from the school, just to transfer me there. Isn't that a waste?"

Muttering and complaining, though her words were filled with various kinds of confusion, Ibuki Mio actually showed only one emotion from beginning to end.

Disturbed.

Yes, it's unease.

When faced with unexpected windfalls, such as suddenly seeing a large sum of money fall from the sky, some people will accept it without hesitation and pocket the money, while others will feel uneasy.

I frantically wondered if the owner might need the money, and worried about what would happen to the original owner if they lost it.

Of course, this is the situation where the owner found the item, which may be different from the current situation where the shift is changed.

... So, let's take another example.

For example, she is actually an online streamer who makes a living by live streaming and receiving tips from viewers.

Because he has no special talents and can't offer any emotional value to the audience, he usually just gets by with his live streams, taking it one day at a time.

She would happily accept any small tips, expressing her gratitude with a smile.

But what if, suddenly, all at once, without any reason, a huge amount of money was donated?

The thought that would cross her mind wouldn't be ecstasy, nor would it be the thought that she'd suddenly become rich.

Instead, it was panic.

This is too much, far too much! Could it be a mistake? Will I have to get a refund later? What does he want in return for this money? What will happen if I can't get what he wants?

Ultimately, there is only one essence to this psychology.

'I don't deserve it.'

She understands her own value and her own worth, which is why she feels unworthy of this contribution and finds it difficult to repay it adequately.

Even with her best efforts, Ibuki Mio didn't think she could repay the 20 million yen 'loan' in the less than three years she had left.

That's right, Ibuki Mio has already tacitly accepted that the money was a loan to her.

Otherwise? Can you really accept being given 20 million yuan for a class transfer without any remorse?

Are you kidding me?

Moreover, if I really do transfer classes, after months of competition and rivalry, when relationships have already become rigid, choosing to transfer and integrate into an already established group...

Ibuki Mio felt that it was an absolutely desperate Matoba.

"Enough with the nonsense. If you really don't want to transfer, I'll tell Ryuen to find someone else."

Rolling his eyes, Asakusa Toru said quite bluntly.

They whined and dragged their feet, taking forever to switch classes.

Share it or not, it's up to you. If you don't want to share it, I don't want to accept it either

"Huh? Is that okay?" Ibuki Mio asked instinctively.

"Tch." Asakusa Toru chuckled. "Of course you can. If you don't want to transfer to this class, there are plenty of other people who do. It's not like it has to be you."

Ultimately, Ryuen Kakeru's plan was for the entire class to transfer.

The order of events did not affect his determination.

But Ibuki Mio had no idea how firm Ryuen's resolve was.

She only knew that the first person to turn the coin would definitely get a turn, but the last person to turn the coin might not.

"..."

It seems like I could have chosen not to. It seems like all I had to do was say, "Okay, I don't want to. Go talk to Ryuen," and I would have been free.

But Ibuki Mio fell silent instead.

... Yes, of course she knew that this was just affected affectation that would make her look crazy.

Why all the fuss if you're just going to share it?

Why not take advantage of a benefit?

But that's how people should be, isn't it? It's actually problematic to accept undeserved benefits with complete ease.

Although she knew very well that no matter what the process was like, in the end, she would have to accept the outcome.

Because 20 million is an extremely large number.

If she really refuses, she will definitely regret it for the rest of her life.

If she had truly refused, if she hadn't been able to graduate from Class A, and was stuck in a low-level job, working part-time at a convenience store during university, struggling to pay for tuition, drinking and socializing for work, in those moments of immense pressure, she would surely look back on this day and regret not having simply accepted.

"... No, never mind, just me is fine." So, she put aside her usual awkwardness and gently shook her head. "Thank you."

After saying that, she took out her Personal Terminal, opened Ryuen Kakeru's chat window, and sent a reply to the message that hadn't been answered for a week.

Okay, I understand.

[Then...]

[Thanks]

In the quiet and peaceful theater, where only the sound of the movie playing could be heard, the film smoothly came to an end.

The acknowledgments list began to scroll slowly across the screen, and the long, melodious end credits song began to play.

The scattered audience members gradually left, but Ibuki Mio remained seated and watched until the very end.

The following day, Ibuki Mio did not go to the movie theater again.

She returned to her dormitory, straightened her collar, and used her hands to force a smile, trying several times to correct her less-than-attractive smile in front of the mirror.

September.

Summer vacation is over, and the new semester has begun.

Ibuki Mio transferred to Class 1-A.

Chapter 263 Sports Festival

Without any warning, the sun was still shining brightly, casting scorching rays, and the weather seemed to remain stuck in the summer heat.

But summer vacation suddenly ended.

While the students were still basking in the afterglow of their holiday.

Class has begun.

Class 1-A welcomed a new transfer student, while First-Year Class C lost a student who didn't fit in.

As for Class 1-D...

It's still the same.

Sakura Airi hasn't turned around yet.

Yes, although the funds for transferring classes are sufficient after factoring in the benefits of the VIP Exam.

But...

The school does not plan to distribute the money directly during the summer vacation after the exams.

The earliest payment dates were all in September.

So the money is still not enough.

The afternoon class turned into a two-hour class meeting.

Hoshinomiya Chie swayed and slumped onto the podium again.