Tap, tap, tap.
Just then, hurried footsteps came from the stairwell.
Katsuragi and the others exchanged glances and frowned again.
The ones who appeared before them
were the three students from Class 1-B, who had left but now returned.
"Thank goodness, we made it."
Ichinose Honami was breathing a little hard, her chest rising and falling with each breath. She gently pressed a hand to it, let out a sigh of relief, and smiled.
"Thank goodness you're still here."
"Hmm? Is there something else?"
"It's like this."
Ichinose Honami explained with a serious expression.
"Earlier, Kijima-kun... May I call you that?"
"Whatever."
"..."
Ichinose Honami smiled.
Actually, she was a little afraid of Kijima Tsukur. He gave off a rather dangerous impression.
But
Kijima Tsukur had just given them so much information for free.
It would be terribly rude to keep making assumptions about him after that.
"Earlier, Kijima-kun said your goal was for everyone to graduate from Class A, right?"
"Yeah. Is there a problem?"
"Actually, we still can't believe you. Like Ryuen and the others, we suspect you might have some other motive."
At this point,
Ichinose Honami wouldn't have come all the way back
just to repeat what she had already said, would she?
Katsuragi and the others were a little exasperated, but still waited to hear what Ichinose Honami had to say.
"Even if we give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you don't have another motive, we still don't plan to trust you. And we certainly won't go easy on you in future Special Exams."
"So, in other words..."
Hashimoto Masayoshi spread his hands and glanced at Kijima Tsukur, who stood before them, looking a little exasperated.
"Ichinose-chan came up here to declare war on us~"
"Um... I suppose you could put it that way. After all, we're in Class A and Class B, so we're natural enemies."
"..."
Hashimoto Masayoshi looked exasperated.
If only Kijima Tsukur had that kind of awareness.
He just hadn't expected Ichinose Honami to be so foolish. Wouldn't it have been more advantageous to quietly make a move, like Ryuen and the others, rather than declare war?
"However, we believe the information Kijima-kun gave us earlier is true."
As she spoke, Ichinose Honami looked serious, her tone full of confidence.
"Regardless, we've received a great deal of help from Class A in this regard. So, after discussing it with our classmates, we're willing to pay 800,000 Personal Points for the information."
As she spoke, Ichinose took out her phone from her pleated skirt and looked directly into Kijima Tsukur's eyes.
"Of course, we understand that compared to the information itself, even that amount can't measure its value. But this is the most we can offer. Kijima-kun, could you please accept it?"
At this,
Katsuragi, Hashimoto Masayoshi, and the others were stunned.
This information really was beyond measure in points.
After all, it concerned Class Points and would determine Class A's standing. Looking at the full three years, 800,000 wouldn't be enough—not even 80 million might suffice.
In a sense,
the information could be called priceless.
But that was before.
After already receiving the information, Ichinose and the others had actually come back to offer payment.
Was this girl an idiot?
And besides,
Kanzaki Ryuji and Shibata Sou were both smiling,
clearly showing this hadn't been Ichinose Honami's decision alone; it was the result of a discussion among the whole class.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to produce so many Personal Points.
But how was that possible...?
Katsuragi, Hashimoto Masayoshi, and the others were truly baffled.
"Hmm."
Kijima Tsukur looked at the phone in Ichinose Honami's hand and frowned too.
"Your Class B won't give up on the hope of moving up to Class A, and you won't go easy on us in future Special Exams either, right?"
"Right. At least, that's how I feel at the moment."
After a brief hesitation, Ichinose Honami spoke frankly.
"And I don't think my opinion will change. Kijima-kun, I don't know what your goal is, but I still advise you to give up on the idea of everyone graduating from Class A together. Not only is that difficult to achieve, it's also irresponsible to your class."
Exactly.
Katsuragi and the others wished Ichinose would say more.
Her words were harsh, but what she said was true. Getting everyone into Class A was impossible from the start, and it really would be irresponsible to the class.
Strictly speaking,
warning an enemy like that counted as helping them.
But as far as Kijima Tsukur was concerned,
that was simply the limit of their understanding.
"Thanks for the warning."
Kijima Tsukur didn't mind.
Though he had his suspicions, he still wanted to hear it from her directly to help him judge. He continued with his question.
"Since you don't plan to follow me, you must understand how important Personal Points are. So why did you still come back to pay us?"
"Um..."
At that, Ichinose scratched her head and glanced back at Kanzaki and the others. A faint smile lifted her lips.
"Because I think if we didn't, it would be hard for us to fight Class A wholeheartedly in the future. So we wanted to pay you the Personal Points. Then we won't owe each other anything, and I'd rather fight Class A fair and square."
"Kijima-kun, could you please accept it?"
"..."
At this,
Kijima Tsukur stared straight into Ichinose Honami's beautiful eyes, as if trying to see through to what she truly felt.
But this time, Ichinose Honami met his gaze without hesitation too.
She really did mean it!
This wasn't foolishness. It was resolve!
Only if they felt they owed nothing could they fight fair and square without any misgivings!
What Ryuen, Hirata, and the others thought was none of Ichinose Honami's concern.
"As you wish."
Kijima Tsukur took out his phone.
Ding!
Before long,
the notification that 800,000 Personal Points had arrived sounded from his phone, bringing the balance in his account to around 875,000.
He looked at Ichinose Honami more warmly, and his tone softened a little.
"I never expected to get an unexpected windfall like this. I think I know how to fulfill Tenmei now."
"Uh... Anyway."
Ichinose Honami was a little confused, but still smiled.
"We won't go easy on you in the Special Exam. Well, we'll be off now. See you tomorrow~"
"Seriously?"
Watching Ichinose Honami and the others leave, Hashimoto Masayoshi held his forehead, looking exasperated.
"Did this school recruit a bunch of saints? She really just handed over 800,000 Personal Points like that?"
"Tch~"
Kamuro Masumi clicked her tongue softly. She didn't know why, but she felt an instinctive dislike for Ichinose. She sounded disdainful as she said,
"I'd advise you all to be careful. The prettier the woman, the better she is at lying. I don't believe there are people that good in the world."
"Oh? If little Kamuro says that..."
Hashimoto Masayoshi spread his hands and glanced at Kijima Tsukur, looking exasperated.
"Our leader publicly gave away all that information for free. What does that make him?"
"Quit nitpicking."
Kamuro Masumi folded her arms across her chest. She looked at him with undisguised disgust, but spoke bluntly.
"I don't believe there are people as good as Ichinose. But I do believe there are idiots like him."
"Uh..."
Hashimoto Masayoshi didn't dare respond.
He wasn't as bold as Kamuro Masumi, who had no qualms about saying whatever she wanted.
Whether it was Katsuragi Kohei, Kijima Tsukur, or even Sakayanagi Arisu, Kamuro Masumi didn't take any of them seriously. She simply cooperated with Sakayanagi Arisu's plans.
"I don't think so."
After a moment's thought, Katsuragi shook his head, his tone especially grave.
"Judging by the fact she was able to produce 800,000 Personal Points, Ichinose has already gained access to all of Class B's Personal Points in just a few days. And she's done so with such complete transparency. She's truly a formidable opponent worthy of our respect."
"I think we'd better be more wary of her."
At this,
Hashimoto Masayoshi and the others didn't argue.
No matter how Ichinose Honami had managed it, the fact that she could get 800,000 Personal Points out of Class B was enough to prove her strength.
After all, neither Kijima Tsukur, Katsuragi Kohei, nor Sakayanagi Arisu could have done something like that.
Before you continue