Trust

Every action leaves a trace of information, no matter how discreetly it is performed.

In the eyes of Hoshino Kanade, spending every day with Kiyona, combined with her keen powers of observation, meant that being discovered was only a matter of time.

Rather than hiding things excessively and causing a rift when she inevitably found out later, it was better to reveal part of the truth in advance; this way, even if other things were exposed, they would be easier for her to accept.

More importantly, after observing Kiyona's actions for many days, Hoshino Kanade realized that she had already overturned the cold label Ayanokoji had assigned her in the original work—since she truly viewed him as a friend, he should grant her a certain level of trust.

Reality has never yielded to the final draft of a pen like an animation—when the curtain rises, every soul improvises their own strokes, and the script is merely a draft scattered at the corner of a desk, meant for reflection rather than blind obedience.

Kiyona had intended to speak with Kanade in private, but as she met his calm gaze, she suddenly felt that her intentions had already been seen through—as if a voice were saying, "Just ask."

Is my expression really that obvious?

In reality, to the eyes of others, Kiyona's face remained as unmarked as fresh snow; it was just that Hoshino Kanade, after many days of being together, had roughly grasped her temperament—her thoughts were quite clear to him, somewhere between anticipation and overthinking.

"That... no, I have nothing to say."

Kiyona had originally wanted to press him about Class D, but the words died on her lips—since Kanade chose to hide things from Class D, he must have had his reasons.

She never doubted that Kanade could discern the truth of this school. After all, within two days of the start of the semester, he had already captured those subtle clues.

Hoshino Kanade remained silent for a moment. He had thought he misjudged her, but Kiyona did want to ask at first, didn't she?

"Since you aren't asking, Kiyona—" He looked up, meeting her eyes directly, "Do you have an obsession with reaching Class A?"

Kiyona was not surprised that Kanade had noticed her hidden strength—after all, her lack of common sense had once made her attempts to hide her abilities so clumsy that they were impossible to conceal.

But this was fine too; in her view, only two people of similar strength could truly treat each other as equals in a friendship.

She shook her head slightly, her hair swaying: "I just want to enjoy high school life; Class A was never in the plan."

"That's perfect," a faint arc brushed across Hoshino Kanade's lips, "I have no interest in class games either. Besides that..." He paused for half a second, his voice calm yet firm, "Earning points to maintain our daily lives, the three of us living well is more important than anything else."

"So that was your reasoning, Kanade... I understand." She nodded gently, her falling hair masking the glimmer in her eyes.

Shiina Hiyori had no interest in class competition to begin with, and she was naturally happy to join Hoshino-kun and Ayanokoji-kun, who shared her interests.

From this moment on, they officially stood side by side on the same front—this was a milestone of trust and a convergence point of fate.

The next day, Shiina Hiyori held a book and spoke softly, her eyes shimmering: "If this information can be put to use, a million points should be quietly transferred to the account early next month."

Hoshino Kanade nodded: "Thank you for your hard work."

"I'm just glad I could help," the girl tapped her cheek with her fingertip, a light smile blooming on her lips, "And... this operation gave me inspiration for a new story, so this kind of hard work actually makes me happy."

April was quickly drawing to a close. During this time, aside from a surprise quiz at the end of the month, everything else was a beautiful daily routine.

May 1st.

Just as the bell for class rang, Chabashira-sensei stepped into the classroom clutching a poster tube, her brow furrowed with a solemnity unusual for her.

Ike's impulsive, sexually harassing joke—"Teacher, is it that time of the month?"—cut through the air like a jarring noise.

Chabashira ignored it, placing the poster tube directly on the podium, her gaze sweeping across the class: "We will begin the morning meeting now. But before we start, are there any questions you want to ask? If there is anything you are concerned about, it is best to ask now."

It felt as though her tone carried a hint of schadenfreude, which was no surprise; after all, she had been enduring this for a month.

A student in the audience immediately raised their hand: "Teacher, I checked this morning, and the points didn't arrive at all. Isn't it stipulated that they are issued on the 1st of every month? I couldn't even buy juice this morning; this is too unreasonable..."

"Hondo," Chabashira-sensei on the podium interrupted coldly, "I have said it before—the transfer process is complete, and this month's points have undoubtedly been issued."

"B-but the account hasn't changed at all..." Hondo looked at Yamauchi and the others in a panic, seeking support, only to see Ike scratching the back of his head in confusion—this thick-headed guy clearly hadn't noticed the anomaly yet, accidentally avoiding the embarrassment of making a scene in public.

"...You really are a group of foolish students."

For a teacher to say such a thing was clearly going too far.

Was it because she had been suppressing herself for too long, or was she taking her anger out because this year's class was once again failing to fulfill her ambitions?

"Foolish... are we?"

A blade-like gaze pierced the bewildered Hondo.

"Hondo, sit down. I will not say it a second time."

"S-Saebashira-sensei?"

The ice-blade tone, never heard before, made Hondo stiffen, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed his defense, and he collapsed back into his seat like a rusted gear.

"The points have indeed been deposited into your accounts; there is no doubt about that. The fantasy that the school has forgotten this class alone is merely your own self-consolation."

"But the number in the account hasn't changed at all! Where exactly is the deposit you're talking about reflected?"

Hondo gripped his terminal tightly, the "0" on the screen making his eyes redden, his confusion gradually replaced by resentment.

Chabashira Sae must have been on the verge of laughing out of anger; it was truly wonderful.

At this moment, Koenji stood up.

"Ha! The mystery is revealed, Teacher."

Koenji's booming laughter exploded in the classroom, his legs propped casually on his desk, his fingertips pointing at Hondo with a playful sense of oppression:

"The answer is ridiculously simple—our Class D didn't receive a single point this month!"

"W-wait!" Hondo's pupils contracted in shock. "Weren't we told we'd get one hundred thousand points every month? What is this..."

"I don't recall ever hearing that, do you?"

Koenji sneered, pointing his finger at Chabashira Sae with reckless abandon.

"Although Koenji's attitude is problematic, what he says is true. Honestly, I've given you so many hints, yet so few of you were able to figure it out on your own. It's truly pathetic."

The sudden turn of events and the announcement caused the classroom to erupt into a noisy commotion.

"...Teacher, may I ask a question? There are things I don't understand."

Worried about his classmates falling into a panic, Hirata, acting as the class leader, stepped forward.

"Please tell us the reason why we weren't given any points. Otherwise, we cannot accept this."

"Tardiness and absences, totaling 112 instances. Private conversations during class or the use of mobile phones, 485 instances. You've done all this within a single month..."

Chabashira Sae was also stunned; she had seen all sorts of storms and waves, but this was something she had truly never witnessed before.

However, her professional training as a teacher allowed her to read out the information mechanically, devoid of any emotion.

What followed was an argument between Hirata and Chabashira Sae regarding "prior explanation" and "common sense."

It lasted until the bell for the end of the morning assembly rang.

"It seems you all roughly understand now. It's time to move on to the main topic."

Chabashira Sae took a thick sheet of white paper from the poster tube in her hand, unfolded it, and posted it on the blackboard, securing the four corners with magnets.

It read:

Class A: 950 points Class B: 940 points Class C: 750 points Class D: 0 points

Every action leaves a trace of information, no matter how covertly it is performed.

In the eyes of Hoshino Kanade, living with Kiyona every day, combined with her keen powers of observation, it was only a matter of time before he was discovered.

Rather than over-concealing and causing a rift later, it was better to reveal part of the truth in advance. This way, even if other things were exposed, they would be easier to accept.

More importantly, after observing Kiyona's actions for many days, Hoshino Kanade realized that she had already overturned the cold label Ayanokoji had assigned to her in the original story—since she genuinely regarded him as a friend, he should also grant her a certain level of trust.

Reality never bows to the final draft of a pen like an animation—when the curtain rises, every soul improvises, and the script is merely a draft scattered on the corner of a table, meant for reflection rather than blind obedience.

Kiyona wanted to talk to Hoshino Kanade in private, but when she met his calm gaze, she suddenly felt that her intentions had already been seen through—as if a voice were saying, "Just ask directly."

Is my expression really that obvious?

In reality, to outsiders, Kiyona's face remained as unmarked as fresh snow; it was just that after many days of being together, Hoshino Kanade had roughly figured out her temperament—her thoughts were quite clear, somewhere between anticipation and overthinking.

"That... no, I have nothing to say."

Kiyona had wanted to press for details about Class D, but the words died on her lips—since Hoshino Kanade chose to hide things from Class D, he must have his reasons.

She never doubted his ability to discern the truth of this school. After all, within two days of enrollment, he had already captured those subtle clues.

Hoshino Kanade remained silent for a moment. He had thought he misjudged her, but Kiyona had wanted to ask at first, hadn't she?

"Since Kiyona isn't asking—" He raised his eyes to look directly at her, "Do you have an obsession with reaching Class A?"

Kiyona was not surprised that he had noticed her hidden strength—after all, her lack of common sense had once made her attempts to hide her abilities clumsy and impossible to conceal.

But this was fine, too. In her view, only two people of similar strength could truly treat each other as equals in friendship.

She shook her head slightly, her hair swaying: "I just want to enjoy high school life. Class A was never in the plan."

"Exactly," a faint curve touched the corner of Hoshino Kanade's lips, "I have no interest in class games either. More importantly than that..." He paused for half a second, his voice calm yet firm, "Earning points to maintain our daily lives, the three of us living well is more important than anything else."

"So that's what you were considering... I understand." She nodded gently, her falling hair masking the faint glimmer in her eyes.

Shiina Hiyori had no interest in class competition to begin with, and she was naturally happy to join the like-minded Hoshino Kanade and Ayanokoji.

From this moment on, they officially stood side-by-side on the same front—this was a milestone of trust and a convergence point of destiny.

The next day, Shiina Hiyori held a book and spoke softly, her eyes shining: "If this information can be put to use, a million points should be quietly transferred to our account by the beginning of next month."

Hoshino Kanade nodded: "Thank you for your hard work."

"I'm just glad I could help," the girl tapped her cheek with her fingertip, a light smile blooming on her lips, "And... this operation gave me inspiration for a new story. This kind of hard work actually makes me happy."

April quickly drew to a close. During this time, other than a surprise quiz at the end of the month, everything else was a pleasant daily routine.

May 1st.

Just as the class bell rang, Chabashira Sae stepped into the classroom holding a poster tube, her brow furrowed with a solemnity unusual for her.

Ike blurted out a sexually harassing remark—"Teacher, is it possible your period hasn't come?"—which cut through the air like a jarring noise.

Chabashira Sae, however, ignored it entirely, placing her poster tube on the podium and sweeping her gaze across the class: "We will now begin the morning homeroom. But before we start, are there any questions you would like to ask? If there is anything you are concerned about, you had better ask now."

I had a feeling her tone carried a hint of schadenfreude, which was hardly surprising; after all, she had been putting up with this for a month.

Someone among the students immediately raised their hand to ask: "Teacher, I checked this morning, and the points haven't been deposited at all. Isn't it stipulated that they are issued on the 1st of every month? I couldn't even buy juice this morning; this is just too unreasonable..."

"Hondo," Chabashira interrupted coldly from the podium, "I have already said—the transfer process is complete, and there is no doubt that this month's points have been issued."

"B-but, the account balance hasn't changed at all..." Hondo looked toward Yamauchi and the others in a panic, seeking support, only to see Ike scratching the back of his head with a blank expression—this thick-headed guy clearly hadn't realized the abnormality yet, and by sheer coincidence, had avoided the embarrassment of making a scene.

"...You really are a group of foolish students."

For a teacher to say such a thing was clearly going too far.

I wondered if she had been suppressing herself for too long, or if she was taking her anger out on us because this year's class was once again failing to fulfill her ambitions?

"Foolish... are we?"

A blade-like gaze pierced the bewildered Hondo.

"Hondo, sit down. I will not say it a second time."

"S-Sa-sensei?"

The ice-cold tone, which I had never heard before, made Hondo stiffen. He swallowed his defense as his Adam's apple bobbed, and he collapsed back into his seat like a rusted gear.

"The points have indeed been deposited into your accounts; that is beyond doubt. The fantasy that the school has forgotten only this class is nothing more than your own self-consolation."

"But the number in the account hasn't changed at all! Where exactly is the deposit you're talking about reflected?"

Hondo gripped his terminal tightly, the "0" on the screen stinging his eyes until they turned red, his confusion gradually being replaced by resentment.

Chabashira Sae must have been on the verge of laughing out of anger; it was truly wonderful.

At this moment, Koenji stepped up.

"Ha! The mystery is solved, Teacher."

Koenji's booming laughter exploded in the classroom. He propped his legs casually on his desk, his fingertips pointing at Hondo with a playful sense of oppression:

"The answer is ridiculously simple—we in Class D didn't receive a single point this month!"

"W-wait!" Hondo's pupils contracted in shock. "Wasn't it said to be 100,000 points per month? What is this..."

"I don't recall ever hearing that, do you?"

Koenji sneered while pointing his finger unreservedly at Chabashira.

"Although Koenji's attitude is highly problematic, the situation is exactly as he says. Honestly, I've given so many hints, yet only a handful of people were able to realize it themselves. It's truly pathetic."

The sudden turn of events and the announcement caused the classroom to descend into chaos.

"...Teacher, may I ask a question? There is something I cannot understand."

Worried about his classmates falling into anxiety, Hirata, as the class leader, stepped forward.

"Please tell us the reason why we weren't issued any points, otherwise we cannot accept this."

"Tardiness and absences, totaling 112 times. Private conversations during class or the use of mobile phones, 485 times. You did all of this within a single month..."

Chabashira Sae was also stunned; she had seen all sorts of storms and waves, but she had truly never seen this.

However, her professional training as a teacher still allowed her to read out that information mechanically and without emotion.

After that, a debate ensued between Hirata and Chabashira Sae regarding "advance notice" and "common sense."

It lasted until the bell for the end of homeroom rang.

"It seems you all roughly understand now. It is time to get to the main point."

Chabashira took a thick sheet of white paper from the poster tube in her hand, unfolded it, posted it on the blackboard, and secured the four corners with magnets.

It read:

Class A: 950 points Class B: 940 points Class C: 750 points Class D: 0 points