Ichinose and Shiranami Chihiro

"Hey hey... Professor, this limited edition game console cost me a full eighty thousand points back then."

"Now you can take it home for just twenty thousand points. Aren't you tempted?"

Before Suzuki Tsubame even entered the classroom, he heard Yamauchi hawking his game console.

The Professor's real name was Sotomura Hideo. Though he was overweight, not great at studying, and no good at sports, he was highly skilled in computer technology.

Back in middle school, he'd already shown outstanding talent in tech fields like computers and had won several awards.

"Sorry, Yamauchi, my points are already bottomed out too. Go ask someone else."

The Professor politely turned him down.

Who in their right mind... would spend twenty thousand points on a crappy game console at a time like this?

Rejected but undeterred, Yamauchi set his sights on Ayanokoji, who had entered the classroom alongside Suzuki Tsubame.

"Kiyotaka, take a look at this console of mine. It's an official limited edition—cost me a full eighty thousand points last month."

Yamauchi sidled up to Ayanokoji and held the console out for him to see.

"What do you think? Give me forty thousand points, and I'll reluctantly let you have it."

Hearing this, Ayanokoji's dead-fish eyes were filled with speechlessness.

Just now he was selling it to the Professor for twenty thousand, but now it's forty thousand for me? Does he take me for a sucker?

"Sorry, Yamauchi, I don't have many points left either."

Ayanokoji shook his head at Yamauchi, turning down the deal.

Never mind whether he'd even use the console if he bought it—

his name might be Kiyotaka, but he wasn't deaf.

Yet Yamauchi still wouldn't give up. He clasped his hands together and shamelessly begged:

"Please... just twenty thousand points. You don't mean you don't even have that much, do you?"

The heartless Ayanokoji, of course, wouldn't soften from Yamauchi's pleading.

Class D had been in a points crisis since the very first day of this month.

People like Yamauchi, who couldn't stomach the cafeteria meal plans and chose to pawn off their belongings, weren't uncommon.

Of course... more people planned to borrow points from others. After all, the borrower becomes the master—whether they'd pay back the points was another matter.

Karuizawa had originally been one of them.

Thanks to Suzuki Tsubame's blessings, Karuizawa had been riding high lately, clinging and flattering nonstop.

She'd practically become the female leader of Class D.

Speaking of which... if Suzuki Tsubame handed her points over to Kushida, would Kushida's task make any progress?

After all, Kushida's task and Karuizawa's were completely different.

Karuizawa wanted protection, not just a simple supply of points and empty flattery.

While Kushida wanted praise, and she could get that just like she was doing now.

Too bad... Kushida seemed to have decided that Suzuki Tsubame wouldn't do anything to her.

She now completely disregarded her.

If she ever got the chance, she wouldn't hesitate to get rid of Suzuki Tsubame.

Around noon, at the corner of the School Building.

Ichinose's pretty face flushed slightly as she explained the situation to Suzuki Tsubame.

Just as he'd thought, the girl was troubled by Shiranami Chihiro's crush.

"Please, Suzuki-kun..."

Suzuki Tsubame patted his chest and assured her:

"Leave it to me. You can rest a hundred percent easy."

Suzuki Tsubame had already planned out the script; all that was left was for the protagonist to take the stage.

Before they could chat much longer, the other party arrived on the scene.

"Honami!... You, why are you here?"

Her voice shifted from initial surprise to suspicion.

The newcomer was a short-haired little girl in a school uniform, with a small white flower tied at the tip of her right lock of hair.

Her figure was delicate, her features adorable.

If Sakayanagi looked like a middle schooler, then this one seemed like nothing short of an elementary school student.

The two had met once before.

Therefore, Suzuki Tsubame was not surprised that she recognized him.

Cutting off Ichinose's explanation, Suzuki Tsubame roared with a fierce expression:

"Hey! Are you the one who's been pestering Ichinose all this time?"

Shiranami Chihiro stood not far away.

Her whole body was on high alert; she was very timid, and sure enough, Suzuki Tsubame had frightened her.

She didn't even dare to come closer, and could only look at Ichinose with a pleading gaze, seeking help from her.

When her look went unanswered, she could only ask Ichinose cautiously:

"Ho... Honami, who exactly is this person?"

Throughout it all, she barely dared to meet Suzuki Tsubame's eyes.

Shiranami wasn't familiar with Suzuki Tsubame; she only knew that he had struck some kind of deal with Ichinose.

What kind of person Suzuki Tsubame was, or what the relationship between him and Ichinose was—Shiranami knew nothing about any of it.

Ichinose opened her mouth to answer, but Suzuki Tsubame reached out and stopped her.

From Shiranami's perspective, it looked as if Ichinose was being coerced by Suzuki Tsubame.

"You—let go of Honami right now!"

Though terrified, for Ichinose's sake, Shiranami still charged forward without hesitation.

She used both hands, trying to pry away the arm blocking her from Ichinose.

But with a frame as small as hers, even if she had two more hands, it would be futile.

Suzuki Tsubame gave a light flick, nearly sending her sprawling to the ground.

Then, Suzuki Tsubame wrapped his left arm around Ichinose's shoulder, wearing a sinister, scheming expression.

Looking down at her, he said:

"Hehehe... You don't know yet, do you? About what Ichinose did back in middle school!"

"Wh—what?"

Suzuki Tsubame's words were baffling; of course, Shiranami Chihiro had no idea what happened to Ichinose in middle school.

She turned her gaze to Ichinose.

However, Ichinose completely ignored Shiranami's worried look; she too was stirred by what Suzuki Tsubame had said.

Her entire demeanor sank into ashen despair, her spirit numbed.

It was the first time Shiranami Chihiro had ever seen Ichinose make such an expression.

"You don't know yet, do you? Ichinose was a thief back in middle school."

Suzuki Tsubame kept provoking.

Since you, Ichinose, don't want Shiranami to suffer the pain of heartbreak, then let yourself suffer instead.

Someone has to be in pain, right?

Hehehehe...

"Th—that can't be..."

Shiranami Chihiro was utterly incredulous.

In her eyes, Ichinose was the most perfect person in the world, without a single flaw.

Beautiful, gentle, strong, brave... every kind of praise seemed tailor-made for her.

"Honami... is what he said true?"

Even though Ichinose's expression already said it all, Shiranami Chihiro still couldn't believe it.