"But!" Ryuen changed tack, his sharp gaze locking onto Shiina Hiyori. "Shiina, since you're so clever, why don't you help me find out who this mysterious person is? Who are they, exactly? If you agree to my terms, I'll let bygones be bygones."
Shiina Hiyori answered without the slightest hesitation. "I agree. After all, this counts as contributing to the class."
She tilted her head slightly and pondered for a moment before adding, "Deduction requires information to support it. I'll need more details. Tell me every clue you know, and..." She paused. "The people you find most suspicious. Oh, right! Ichinose from Class 1-B is our current lead. I'll investigate her later."
A glint flashed in Ryuen's eyes, and the corner of his mouth lifted into a dangerous smile. "Good... First, look into that woman named Sakayanagi Arisu." He lowered his voice, each word sounding as if he were grinding it out between his teeth. "Her father is the current chairman. With a background like that... she'd be in the perfect position to pull strings."
Ryuen Kakeru simply watched Ichinose standing before him.
(Come to think of it, there's another possibility. Maybe she's the mysterious person.)
(But she doesn't seem like the type.)
(And coming to the Student Council at this time... Could she also be...?)
But since he had already entrusted Shiina Hiyori with investigating the mysterious person, he couldn't be bothered to spend any more time mulling it over.
Personally, he still leaned toward Sakayanagi Arisu being the answer.
After all, she's the chairman's daughter.
By the time Sakayanagi Arisu came back to her senses, Katsuragi Kohei was already standing in front of her.
"Classmate Sakayanagi, please give me your class funds. According to our arrangement, I'm holding 1.5 million points, so you should have the same amount."
At a class meeting a week earlier, everyone in Class A had unanimously decided that each student would contribute three-quarters of their personal points to the class fund.
The money had been split evenly between Katsuragi and Sakayanagi for safekeeping, in case of emergencies.
Faced with the need to rent access to the surveillance system, the two of them had spent two whole days discussing it with their classmates before reaching an agreement: they would have to pay 3 million points to rent the surveillance access.
Katsuragi Kohei volunteered to go to the Student Council and make the payment.
"I understand..." After a brief silence, Sakayanagi Arisu transferred every point in her account.
Katsuragi stared at the figure displayed on his terminal, then suddenly frowned. "Wait... Why is there only 1.45 million? Where did the other 50,000 go?"
His voice rose sharply, drawing sidelong glances from several nearby classmates. "Classmate Sakayanagi, you wouldn't have... taken some of the class funds without permission, would you?"
"Do you think the confidential information I obtained earlier came free?" Sakayanagi Arisu was taken aback. She lifted her chin slightly, her tone cold and unquestionable. "I spent a full 50,000 points buying it from an upperclassman. Doesn't that count as an expense for the class? What's wrong with using that portion of the class funds?"
Katsuragi Kohei froze. Only then did he realize how hasty his accusation had been. At the start of the school year, Sakayanagi had indeed shared important information about loopholes in the school rules, and she obviously hadn't come by it out of thin air.
"...I see." His tone softened, even carrying a hint of apology. "Sorry, I didn't think it through."
He had assumed that, given Sakayanagi's headstrong personality, she might have used the class funds for herself without permission.
But now it seemed she had genuinely been acting for the class.
After a brief silence, Katsuragi cleared his throat, trying to ease the awkwardness. "Then everyone can privately send me another 1,250 points each! I'll cover your share, Sakayanagi."
Before Sakayanagi could respond, he turned and strode away. His retreating figure looked somewhat hurried, as if he were eager to escape the scene of his mistaken judgment.
Sakayanagi Arisu stood quietly where she was, watching Katsuragi Kohei disappear down the corridor.
Her lips still held that composed little smile, but it soon stiffened.
(That was a close one...)
Miss Sakayanagi was sweating bullets at that very moment.
What had she said about using the class funds to buy information? It was just a flimsy excuse she'd made up on the spot.
The truth was that she was simply out of points. After all, she'd lost hers to Shimizu Akira on the very first day of school.
Lately, she'd indeed started treating the class funds as her personal account without even thinking about it.
Limited-edition black tea, a new Western chess set, even the latest handle for her cane... She had to admit, it felt quite comfortable to hold.
She'd simply deducted every expense from the class funds as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
(So who is this mysterious person, anyway? Could it be Shimizu Akira?)
"There's still too little information..."
Katsuragi was probably handling the paperwork right now. Perhaps he'd be able to bring back some clues.
After all, renting a service through the Student Council would inevitably leave a paper trail.
A more direct option suddenly came to mind: if she sent her father, the chairman, a message, the truth might be within easy reach.
Since they were buying access from the School Administration, her father was bound to know something.
"Maybe I'll pass." She suddenly chuckled.
This game had only just begun, and she enjoyed uncovering the answer herself.
084 Horikita Suzune: He Didn't Get to Use It, So It Went to Him Instead
After school, Shimizu Akira and Horikita Suzune walked side by side toward the second floor of the cafeteria.
He was about to keep his promise and treat her to a meal.
The first floor was an affordable, casual dining hall serving everyday set meals like rice bowls and ramen.
The second floor was completely different, with all kinds of refined cuisine: a Western restaurant, a barbecue place, a high-end sushi restaurant, and more. Naturally, the prices were higher too.
Only then did Shimizu Akira realize that he had never set foot on the second floor since enrolling.
He'd spent every day lately eating all three meals in the spacious dining hall downstairs.
"Is there anything in particular you feel like eating?" Shimizu Akira asked, turning his head toward her.
Horikita Suzune thought for a moment, then gave a brief reply. "Anything's fine. You decide."
He understood the possible implications of the word "anything," but then he reconsidered. Given Horikita Suzune's personality, she probably wasn't hinting at something the way ordinary girls might.
"Then let's go for barbecue," Shimizu Akira decided quickly.
He'd been working on his fitness lately and needed quality protein, while Horikita had also eaten very little meat over the past few days.
Barbecue was undoubtedly a good choice.
"Sounds good." Horikita Suzune nodded.
For her, "anything" meant exactly what it said—she was fine with whatever they ate.
They took a two-person table by the window.
The modern ordering system was quite convenient. They only had to scan the QR code on the table with their phones, and the digital menu appeared on the screen.
As Shimizu Akira scrolled through it, he couldn't help being surprised by how carefully Japanese barbecue was categorized.
The menu didn't just distinguish between familiar cuts like pork belly, tenderloin, and shoulder. It also listed specialized cuts such as top round, sirloin heart, and tri-tip.
Of course, the rarer the cut, the more points it cost.
He casually selected a few recommended cuts and added a mango juice for himself.
When he checked out, he discovered that his portion alone had cost nearly 4,000 points.
He looked at Horikita Suzune's order and saw that she'd only picked two basic portions of pork belly.
"You've already ordered quite a lot..." Horikita Suzune noticed his gaze and added softly, "You can order more if it isn't enough, but it'd be a shame to waste food."
"You're right." Shimizu Akira nodded in understanding.
Barbecue tasted best when it was cooked fresh, so there was no need to order too much at the start.
A server came over at just the right moment to turn on the grill for them. The metal plate gradually heated up with a faint sizzling sound.
One plate of barbecue after another arrived in quick succession.
Shimizu Akira looked around and noticed that the restaurant wasn't very busy.
The few occupied tables were all couples of upperclassmen. Judging from their uniforms, they were probably second- or third-years.
Their interactions were especially noticeable. The boys attentively flipped the meat with tongs, then placed perfectly cooked pieces on the girls' plates.
Over the steady sizzle of the barbecue,
their affectionate laughter and conversation drifted softly through the restaurant.
Shimizu Akira looked away and turned his attention back to the grill in front of him.
A faint wisp of smoke had begun to rise from the metal plate. It was at just the right temperature.
"I'll handle the grilling," he said, picking up the tongs and laying slices of pork belly on the grill.
The moment the meat touched the hot surface, it let out a pleasant sizzle, and the fat began to slowly render.
Horikita Suzune folded her hands on the edge of the table and quietly watched him.
Her posture was as proper as ever. Even in such a relaxed setting, she maintained a certain formality.
"Do you eat barbecue often?" Shimizu Akira asked, trying to make conversation.
"Not often. I've only been once," she replied briefly. "My brother thinks this kind of food isn't healthy enough."
The edges of the meat began to curl, releasing an irresistible roasted aroma.
Just then, a burst of laughter came from the next table.
A second-year girl playfully pushed away the barbecue her boyfriend offered her. "Ugh, this piece is burnt!"
Shimizu Akira glanced over at the sound before quickly looking away.
He discreetly watched Horikita Suzune across from him and noticed that she was sitting rigidly upright, her fingers unconsciously gripping her chopsticks.
"Is this your first time having a meal with a boy your age? You seem pretty nervous," Shimizu Akira asked softly.
"...It's the second time. The first was when I ate with you in the cafeteria. I wasn't nervous then." Horikita Suzune paused before answering, her voice a little quieter than usual.
"Relax," Shimizu Akira said with a laugh. "I'm not some dangerous carnivore. Though, I suppose we are eating barbecue this time."
"...I know." Her gaze drifted away, but her tense shoulders seemed to relax a little.
"Give this a try." Shimizu Akira placed the first cooked slice on her plate.
Horikita Suzune picked up the meat elegantly and dipped it in a little sauce.
"Barely passing," she said, giving her brief verdict.
"At least it's edible." Shimizu Akira breathed a sigh of relief and served himself a piece too.
"Are you using me as a test subject?" Horikita Suzune suddenly looked up.
"What else?" Shimizu Akira asked with a laugh.
The moment the meat touched his tongue, he realized he'd overcooked it.
Shimizu Akira immediately reached out to lower the grill's temperature, his movements a little flustered.
The detail made the corners of Horikita Suzune's mouth lift slightly, though she soon returned to her usual cool expression.
"Remember this next time," she suddenly said. "Thirty seconds is enough for beef short plate."
When Shimizu Akira looked up, he saw that Horikita Suzune had already picked up the tongs between them. She was focused on turning the new slices of meat she'd put on the grill, and her technique was surprisingly practiced.
Shimizu Akira raised an eyebrow. "...Didn't you say you'd only been once?"
"Only once doesn't mean I can't do it." Horikita Suzune's movements remained fluid as the meat flipped in a perfect arc above the grill.
"Don't tell me you practiced so you could grill meat for your brother?" The words slipped out of Shimizu Akira's mouth before he could stop them.
The tongs in Horikita Suzune's hand suddenly paused. She glared at him irritably. "Eat your meat and stop talking."
Her reaction told Shimizu Akira he'd guessed right.
He watched with interest as the tips of Horikita Suzune's ears turned faintly red, then wisely decided not to press her.
Horikita Suzune shook her head, her thoughts drifting back to middle school.
That time, she had finally persuaded her brother to take her to a barbecue restaurant after pestering him relentlessly. She had even stayed up late watching countless tutorial videos on grilling meat.
But her brother hadn't let her touch the tongs once. He had simply placed one cooked piece after another in her bowl.
(He never got to use what I learned, so it went to him instead.)
She stole a glance at Shimizu Akira as he heartily dug into his meal without the slightest restraint.
His table manners were hardly elegant. Sauce clung to the corner of his mouth, and his cheeks puffed out as he chewed, yet somehow it was comforting to watch.
"Wipe your mouth," Horikita Suzune finally said, unable to stand it any longer. She handed him a napkin.
Before you continue