"Disillusioned with me, Sakura?"
With a faint smile, Aoyama turned his gaze toward the seemingly bottomless sea.
It was the first time he had shown Sakura this devious side of himself.
Until today, she might have thought of him as a thoroughly righteous person.
"'Disillusioned' is a bit much..." Sakura murmured quietly.
Though her impression of Aoyama had changed, it wasn't a complete reversal.
Perhaps now that she'd seen a flaw in him, she even found him more approachable than before.
"If you're not disillusioned, then let's head back together. We have class tomorrow."
Turning around, Aoyama started back toward the dormitory.
After quietly following him for a while, Sakura gathered her courage and took hold of his dangling hand.
She felt that actions were more convincing than words.
"The school says not to let it happen again."
A few days later, along with the two million private points came a warning relayed by Horikita Manabu.
Aoyama had hired security guards beforehand to act as witnesses and bodyguards, confirming that he had anticipated Kusuda's attack.
Afraid Aoyama might repeat the trick and lure someone into a trap, the school chose to rule out that possibility in advance.
"Don't worry. I'm not going to treat the school like a sucker. I'm not that stupid." Watching the system's dirty-money balance skyrocket, Aoyama grinned happily.
That was another two ten-pulls in the bag. This was the life.
"Good."
Horikita Manabu nodded coolly, leaving Aoyama in the corridor as he returned to the Student Council room.
Should he pull in Sakura's lively room or in the room of the blonde gyaru Karuizawa?
He stood there for several minutes, but still couldn't decide.
Two ten-pulls in a row with only one purple card had left him spooked. He was starting to get superstitious.
July, July... Wasn't Ichinose's birthday around this time?
Suddenly remembering that Ichinose's birthday was coming up, Aoyama decided whose luck he would borrow for his pulls.
There was a saying that cheerful girls had better luck, and on top of that, she'd get a birthday bonus.
It had to be you, my archangel Ichinose Honami.
Chapter 63: I Love You So Much
"Thanks for all your hard work, everyone."
With a bright smile, Ichinose Honami said goodbye to her classmates in front of the library.
It was July 20, her birthday, and there were less than three days left until the final exams.
Spending her birthday with her classmates would have been nice.
But thinking it might turn into a class gathering, Ichinose hadn't told anyone it was her birthday. She didn't want to take up everyone's precious study time.
Surely it wouldn't hurt to treat herself to a little cake.
With that small wish in mind, Ichinose headed toward the cake shop with a light step.
"Hey, good afternoon, Ichinose."
As if he'd been lying in wait for her, Aoyama Shiki was leaning against the roadside wall, his eyes half-closed as though lost in thought. The moment he saw her, he walked over.
His tall figure soon blocked most of her view.
"Good afternoon, Aoyama. Is there something you wanted?" Ichinose looked up at him warmly, curious about why he'd come to find her.
Because the classes were rivals, students from different classes rarely interacted.
Without a special reason, even the more isolated students might go all three years without making a friend from another class.
"Are you busy later?" The handsome boy's face was always smiling, radiating confidence.
"Not at the moment."
Ichinose shook her head, temporarily putting the cake she'd been thinking about out of her mind.
This was the first time Aoyama had gone out of his way to invite her somewhere, and she didn't feel the slightest inclination to refuse.
"Then how about going to GINZA ONE? I booked a private room there."
GINZA ONE was a famous dessert shop in Keyaki Mall. Its desserts were first-rate, and so were its prices.
Ichinose had only been there once, during her first month of school, when a friend had invited her.
"Is there something private we need to talk about? Wouldn't that be too expensive? How about Palette?" She missed the delicious desserts there, but still shook her head gently.
"I just extorted two million from the school a few days ago. A little place like GINZA ONE? I could eat there all 365 days of the year."
"Then you'd turn into a huge fatso."
Watching Aoyama grin smugly, Ichinose couldn't help laughing along.
Strangely enough, the fact that Aoyama had extorted so many private points from the school somehow seemed perfectly fitting.
"Settled, then. Let's go."
"Okay."
Ichinose didn't resist his forceful lead and gradually caught up with his slowed pace.
Before long, they reached the dessert shop, which had hardly any customers.
Several months had passed since the start of school, and now that everyone understood how precious private points were, most students wouldn't spend them carelessly.
"Don't order cake." When Ichinose picked up the menu, Aoyama raised a hand and wagged his index finger, a mysterious smile on his face.
"Are you being mean?"
"No, I'm not. You'll find out in a bit."
He beckoned the server to lean closer, quietly gave her instructions, then turned back to Ichinose.
She looked a little puzzled, which made her seem even cuter than usual.
"Why did you ask me here, Aoyama?" After ordering an ice cream for herself, Ichinose couldn't help asking.
"Can't I come see you for no reason? I thought we were closer friends than that."
"I don't know what to say to that, but if there's no particular reason, you're still welcome to come see me, Aoyama."
"Great. Then I'll come see you every day."
Finding it amusing to tease Ichinose, Aoyama pressed his advantage.
The cake wouldn't arrive for a while, so they had to pass the time with small talk.
"That might be a little inconvenient for me."
"If it's only a little inconvenient, then I won't hold back."
"..."
Their seemingly pointless small talk continued for several minutes.
Then, after the server knocked and entered the private room, the bright lights suddenly dimmed. Only a gentle, warm spotlight shone on the table between them.
"Happy birthday to you."
"Happy birthday to you."
"Happy birthday, Ichinose."
"Happy birthday to you."
As Ichinose stared in bewilderment at the sudden change, Aoyama began singing the birthday song in a rich, resonant voice.
When he finished, the server pushed a little cart bearing a cake over to them.
The small cake, about the size of two palms, had sixteen slender red candles stuck in it. It was gently set down between them.
"Happy birthday, Ichinose." After the server slipped away without a sound, Aoyama spoke warmly to the astonished girl.
"Aoyama... How did you know it was my birthday?"
"I only know what I need to know." Aoyama pushed the cake a little closer to Ichinose. "All right, our adorable birthday girl, who's turned sixteen, time to blow out the candles."
"Honestly, Aoyama."
With a helpless but happy smile, Ichinose brushed the pink hair beside her ear and lowered her head, parting her lips slightly.
A silent breeze passed over the cake, and the sixteen red candles went out one by one.
"Make a wish."
"I hope every one of my friends in Class B can make it to graduation."
She clasped her hands and closed her eyes, making her wish with all sincerity.
It was a wish that suited Ichinose perfectly.
"If you say it out loud, it won't come true," Aoyama couldn't help teasing.
"But at least you can hear it, can't you?"
Apparently pleased with her answer, Ichinose smiled triumphantly. Her fair cheeks flushed pink, making her incredibly cute.
"Then you've put me in a tough spot."
Aoyama felt like he'd tried to pull a fast one and ended up losing out instead. Making sure no one in Class B got expelled for all three years wouldn't be easy.
Especially in the latter half of their second year and in their third year. The Special Exams then wouldn't be nearly as gentle as the first-years'.
"I was only joking, Aoyama. You're not even in Class B."
"I was only pretending to be troubled."
As he spoke, Aoyama opened the system, which only he could see.
If he got a gold, he'd grant Ichinose's wish.
After making that declaration, he decisively tapped the ten-pull button.
The familiar mist. The familiar cards.
An unfamiliar result.
Two golds!!!
Holy shit!!!
Suppressing the explosive exclamation in his heart, Aoyama could no longer spare any attention for the unbearably cute girl, Ichinose.
[Akai Shuichi's Sniping: A mere 1,300-yard distance? Anyone with hands could manage that.]
[Perfect APTX4869: Eat this and you'll turn into an elementary schooler, bro.]
I love you so much, Ichinose Honami.
You're my god.
Aoyama screamed with excitement in his heart, almost wanting to pull the Ichinose in front of him into his arms and kiss her.
How could anyone be this lucky?
There was only a 0.5 percent chance of getting two golds, and one of them was the top-tier gold card, Perfect APTX4869. That vow had been so worth making.
"What's wrong, Aoyama? You seem really happy."
After cheerfully cutting the beautiful cake, Ichinose noticed that the corners of Aoyama's mouth were practically grinning up to the heavens.
He was beaming as if he'd just won the lottery.
Chapter 64: Special Exam
"I'm really happy, Aoyama."
Before you continue