An Obvious Blind Spot / Your "Basics" Don't Even Meet the Average Person's Standards, Do They?

"It's already eight o'clock at night."

"Yeah, it is pretty late."

"But you still haven't eaten, Raku, have you?"

"..."

Why was she so determined to press the issue? People didn't die just because they skipped a couple of meals.

"I brought some food back from the shopping street. Want to eat together?" Ichinose grinned as she brought her hands out from behind her back. I couldn't tell what was inside the plastic bags, but there seemed to be plenty.

"How did you know... Oh, I told you myself."

"Exactly." Ichinose tilted her head with a grin and gave me an incredibly cute smile.

"Aren't you going to invite me in? You haven't even turned on the lights. Don't tell me you just woke up."

"Yeah, you woke me up." I opened the door wider, switched on the room light, and ushered her inside. As expected, Ichinose walked right in without a care in the world. I genuinely admired that about her.

"Don't you have any sense of caution?" I asked as I closed the door.

"Hmm? What do you mean?" Ichinose turned around and asked, puzzled.

"Aren't you afraid I might do something inappropriate to you? We were strangers not long ago."

"I don't think you would. You don't seem like that kind of person, Raku."

"If you were even a little wary of me, I might be happier."

"Are you saying you're planning to do something to me, Raku?" In the instant I blinked, Ichinose leaned close. I could faintly feel the warmth of her breath and smell her delicate fragrance.

She was too close.

"You'd better not trust me too much. I might really do something like that."

I shifted away from her and reached for the kettle.

"Sorry, I haven't had a chance to buy tea or coffee, so all I have is boiled water. Would you like some?"

Whatever the case, I wanted to drink some water first and settle myself.

"I brought drinks." Ichinose lifted the bag in her hand. "Didn't you see?"

She gave me a triumphant little smile.

Now she was completely sure I wouldn't dare lay a hand on her...

I sighed.

"When I'm hungry, I'll go get something to eat. There was no need to bring it all the way here."

"You'd just go hungry until morning."

"That wouldn't be so bad."

"You can't do that. Skipping dinner for a long time can cause stomach problems, and you won't get enough nutrition either." Ichinose took two bowls from the kitchen and brought them to the small sofa. I followed and sat down too.

"This is tonkotsu ramen?"

"Yeah, tonkotsu ramen from Ganso Nagahamaya. I heard it tastes amazing. I've always wanted to try it."

"Let's eat." Once everything was ready, Ichinose eagerly dug in, her face glowing with happiness.

By contrast, I couldn't bring myself to touch the bowl.

"By the way, do you know Kushida Kikyo?" I suddenly remembered the energetic girl who had spoken to me by the elevator.

"You mean Kushida from Class 1-D? I met her at lunch. She's a really enthusiastic person."

"I see..."

"Why do you ask?"

"Nothing. She saw me with you and came over to talk to me. I thought you'd known each other for a long time."

"No, we only met after we came to this school. Mmm, this is delicious."

Yeah, it might have tasted even better if we'd eaten it at the restaurant.

Watching her satisfied expression, I slowly picked up the wooden chopsticks beside me.

"Let's eat."

Chapter 7: An Obvious Blind Spot

At least according to my values, until the class bell rang, students had free time. They should be able to decide for themselves how to use their time, which wasn't otherwise defined.

That was why I never obeyed the teachers' orders to arrive early and do morning reading.

I had to admire that excuse for sleeping in. Without a doubt, it was the pillar holding me up as I stood by the dormitory elevator, with class about to start.

I watched the number on the digital display climb from 1 to 4.

"...Could there really be another student who's as late as I am?"

I'd spent over forty extra minutes waiting in my room, specifically to avoid the hassle of waiting for the elevator. It turned out someone else had the same idea. Fortunately, he was only one floor above me, and he was a boy.

I stepped into the open elevator, glancing at the boy beside me from the corner of my eye. He had brown hair parted near the middle, and his golden eyes held a faint purple sheen. His overall demeanor gave off a strong air of indifference.

Running into someone in the dormitory elevator at such a critical moment had to be what people called fate. So what should I do now? Should I say hello and get to know him?

But would that seem strange? Probably not. Kushida Kikyo had greeted me pretty naturally, and I hadn't read anything into it...

If I was going to say hello, how should I do it? Should I be enthusiastic or aloof? I remembered Kushida greeting me with, "Hey, hello." Could I make a cute face and say hello to him too?

But the elevator ride from the third floor was far too short to sustain my wild imaginings. He walked past me at a brisk pace, as if he wanted nothing to do with me. So I simply let him have his distance.

In the end, I hadn't done anything at all. I sighed sadly as I watched him walk away.

On the second day of school, since it was the first day of classes, most of the lessons had been about explaining the curriculum and such.

The teachers were all friendly and cheerful. Our homeroom teacher especially looked so mature that, if I didn't know better, I would have thought she was a high school student in our year. When they noticed students zoning out in class or secretly playing on their phones, they didn't say anything.

It seemed like whether you listened in class was up to you, but was that really how a college-preparatory high school operated?

The atmosphere was relaxed and humorous, and soon it was lunchtime. The students left their seats and went off with people they'd only met the day before. I'd been hoping to talk to Ichinose, but someone quickly whisked her away. All I could do was watch enviously from behind.

"Are you close with Ichinose?" Just as I was about to head to the cafeteria as planned, Kanzaki, the student beside me, spoke up.

"No, we're not especially close... Is something the matter?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to get an answer, since you two seemed quite close yesterday."

"Ah, that must have been a misunderstanding. I only met Ichinose on the bus. As for us being close, I think she's like that with everyone."

"Now that you mention it, that does seem to be the case."

"I'm heading to the cafeteria. Want to come along?" I took the opportunity to invite him. I'd thought I could join up with someone right away, but clearly I'd been too optimistic.

"Sorry, I have something personal to take care of. But I should be free this evening."

"Something personal? Then I guess we'll have to eat dinner together instead," I said regretfully.

I set off alone, bought the most expensive meal in the cafeteria, and looked around for suitable prey. "Prey" sounded a little creepy. Maybe "upperclassman" was better, even though the tray in my hands really was bait.

"Excuse me, senpai. Could I bother you for a moment?" I asked, carrying my tray over to an upperclassman eating the Mountain Vegetable Set Meal.

"What do you want?" The man immediately raised his head and watched me warily.

What was this? He was just like a fish about to take the bait.

"I'm a new student this year, so there are a few things I'd like to ask you. If you don't mind, please accept this deluxe meal first." I handed him my tray. There was no sign I'd done anything strange to the food. "Eating the Mountain Vegetable Set Meal every day must get pretty rough."

Even so, he continued to regard me as a threat.

"Of course, I'm not trying to get information from you with just a meal. I'll pay you extra points as well." I added another condition. As expected, the upperclassman hesitated.

I quietly waited for him to decide. After a long silence, he sighed.

"You're a Class A student, aren't you?"

"What makes you say that, senpai?"

I'd succeeded. I slowly sat down across from him.

"Because only a first-year student in Class A could probably figure this out so early."

"Are you saying the students are divided into Classes A, B, C, and D based on ability?"

"...Thirty thousand points." He thought for a moment before giving me his answer. I rejected it without hesitation.

"At most ten thousand points. You know we'll find this out sooner or later anyway. It'll only take a month at most, right?"

"...So you really are a Class A student." The upperclassman smiled bitterly. "All right. I'll answer in a way that's worth ten thousand. But you'll have to transfer half the points to me up front as a deposit."

"Fine, but I don't want to pay for fake information."

"Of course. I'm not going to make a mistake over something this trivial."

At his request, I transferred five thousand points to his account as a deposit to put him at ease.

"Then let me ask something unrelated first. Are you a student in Class 3-D?"

"...Yes." He nodded. "How did you know?"

"It's a simple deduction. You can tell from the color of the uniform, can't you? But that's not the point. The point is—"

"Could you introduce me to the leader of your class? I assume someone like that exists."

"What do you mean?" He furrowed his brow in confusion. "I can answer your questions. There's no need to go out of your way to find the leader. If it's a matter of trust, I can sign a written agreement with you."

He really was desperate for anything he could get.

"No, you've misunderstood me, senpai. You're still the one who'll answer my questions. I want to talk with your leader about something else, so this is just a request."

"I can introduce you, but..."

"I have my reasons. I want to make a deal with you upperclassmen that'll make your hearts race."

"A deal that'll make our hearts race...?"

"That's right. So could you tell your leader now?"

"Now?"

"If possible." I nodded.

"I'll ask."

After waiting a little while, he looked up from his phone.

"He agreed. He's free for the rest of lunch. When do you want to meet?"

"Take me over once you've finished eating."

"Okay... Do you have anything else to ask?"

"I've already asked everything I could think of off the top of my head. After this, I'll have to ask questions based on the specific information you give me."

"You're saying you're done asking questions?" The upperclassman furrowed his brow in confusion.

"Yes."

"But you haven't asked anything."

"Didn't I learn all that while talking to you?"

When I said that, he froze for a moment, then looked astonished.

Until then, I'd been trying to figure out where the school could force us to spend our points. I hadn't considered that it might restrict us from the very source.

I'd found that blind spot in my conversation with Ichinose the day before. Teacher Hoshinomiya had never said that we'd receive a hundred thousand points every month. She'd only said points would be deposited each month.

A new month had begun, which meant another round of points should have been issued. But even so, the upperclassman from Class 3-D was still eating the free meal provided by the school. What did that mean?

If it was simply a matter of saving money, that was still terrifying. He'd been eating free meals day after day, sacrificing his health for the sake of points. Even so, it showed just how important those points were.

To find out what this school was really like, I followed the upperclassman, whose class was mired in a swamp, and went to meet their leader—Yoshii Yuzo.

Chapter 8: Your "Basics" Don't Even Meet the Average Person's Standards, Do They?

"We should get going, Raku." Ichinose turned around and tapped my desk, speaking excitedly.

When the afternoon dismissal bell rang, the mood and energy in the classroom suddenly grew heated. It was as if everyone was about to take part in some group activity. Not just their behavior, but Ichinose's words too, made me feel even more out of place. The second day of school was basically a chance for teachers and students to get to know each other. I couldn't remember anything else being scheduled for the afternoon.