Trust

Every action left traces of information, no matter how carefully it was concealed.

In Hoshino Kanade's view, spending every day with Kiyona, combined with her keen powers of observation, meant it was only a matter of time before she found out.

Rather than hide too much and risk her discovering the truth later and resenting him, it was better to reveal some of it in advance. That way, even if other things came to light, she would be more likely to accept them.

More importantly, after observing Kiyona's behavior for days, Hoshino Kanade realized she had already overturned the cold label Ayanokoji had given her in the original story. Since she truly regarded him as a friend, he ought to show her some trust in return.

Reality had never yielded to the ink of an anime's finished script. Once the curtain rose, every soul wrote in the moment, while the script was merely a draft left in the corner of the table, something to look back on rather than follow blindly.

Kiyona had intended to speak with Kanade in private, but when she met his tranquil gaze, she suddenly felt that he had already seen through her intentions—as if a voice were telling her, "Just ask him directly."

Was my expression really that obvious?

To others, Kiyona's face was still as unmarked as fresh snow. But after spending so many days together, Hoshino Kanade had probably gotten a feel for her temperament. He could make a fairly accurate guess at what she was thinking, even if some of it was anticipation and some imagination.

"Then... No, I don't have anything to say."

Kiyona had wanted to ask about Class D, but the words had caught in her throat. Since Kanade had chosen to keep Class D a secret, he must have had his reasons.

She had never doubted that Kanade could see through the truth about this school. After all, he had picked up on those clues within just two days of the school year beginning.

Hoshino Kanade fell silent for a moment. He had thought he'd misread her, but hadn't Kiyona wanted to ask him something at first?

"If Kiyona isn't going to ask..." He looked her straight in the eye. "Are you set on making it to Class A?"

Kiyona wasn't surprised that Kanade had noticed she was hiding her abilities. Her lack of common sense had once made her attempts to hold back so clumsy that she'd been completely exposed.

But perhaps that was for the best. In her view, only two people of comparable ability could treat each other as equals in a friendship.

She gave a slight shake of her head, the tips of her hair fluttering. "I just want to enjoy high school. Class A was never part of my plans."

"Good," Hoshino Kanade said, the faintest hint of a smile crossing his lips. "I'm not interested in playing the class-ranking game, either. More than that..." He paused for half a second, his voice calm but firm. "Earning points to support ourselves and making a good life for the three of us matters more than anything."

"So that's what you were thinking, Kanade... I understand." She gave a gentle nod, her falling hair hiding the faint light in her eyes.

Shiina Hiyori had never been interested in competing between classes. Naturally, she was happy to join Hoshino and Ayanokoji, who shared her interests.

From that moment on, they stood together on the same side. It was a milestone of trust and a point where their fates converged.

The next day, Shiina Hiyori held a book and spoke softly, a glimmer in her eyes. "If this information proves useful, a million points should quietly find their way into our accounts early next month."

Hoshino Kanade nodded. "Thanks for the effort."

"I'm just glad I could help," the girl said, lightly touching her cheek with a fingertip, a gentle smile curving her lips. "And... this operation gave me inspiration for a new story. Somehow, that makes all the hard work fun."

April soon drew to a close. Aside from a surprise quiz at the end of the month, the rest of the time had been filled with pleasant everyday moments.

May 1.

The moment the class bell rang, Chabashira-sensei entered the classroom, holding a poster tube. An unusual solemnity clouded her brow.

Ike's crude sexual harassment joke—"Could it be your period's late, Sensei?"—cut through the air with a shrill, grating edge.

Chabashira ignored him and placed the poster tube on the lectern. Her gaze swept over the class. "Homeroom is starting. But before we begin, is there anything you'd like to ask? If something's on your mind, now would be a good time."

There was a hint of schadenfreude in her voice. It was hardly surprising—she'd been holding this in for a month.

A student in the audience immediately raised his hand. "Sensei, I checked this morning, and the points haven't been deposited at all. Aren't they supposed to be issued on the first of every month? I couldn't even buy juice this morning. This is so unreasonable..."

"Hondo," Chabashira-sensei interrupted coldly, "I've already told you—the transfer process has been completed, and there's no doubt that this month's points have been issued."

"B-but there's no change in the account..." Hondo anxiously looked to Yamauchi and the others for support, only to see Ike scratching the back of his head in confusion. The oblivious guy clearly hadn't noticed anything amiss, accidentally sparing himself the embarrassment of making a scene.

"...You really are a bunch of stupid students."

It was rather harsh of a teacher to say something like that.

Was she simply at the end of her patience, or was she taking out her frustration on them because this year's class would once again make her ambition impossible to achieve?

"Stupid...?"

A blade-sharp gaze pierced Hondo as he asked in confusion.

"Hondo, sit down. I won't say it again."

"L-Little Sae-sensei?"

The icy tone, unlike anything he'd ever heard before, left Hondo stiff with shock. He swallowed his rebuttal, his Adam's apple bobbing, then clunked back into his seat like a rusty cog.

"The points were deposited into your accounts. There's no question about that. The school didn't forget our class. That's just something you've told yourselves to feel better."

"But the number in the account hasn't changed! Where exactly are these points you say were deposited?"

Hondo clenched his terminal. The "0" on the screen stung his eyes red, and confusion slowly gave way to frustration.

Chabashira Sae must have been on the verge of laughing from sheer exasperation. This was fantastic.

At that point, Koenji was the one who stepped forward.

"Ha! The answer's been revealed, Teacher."

Koenji's booming laugh exploded through the classroom. He casually propped his legs on his desk and pointed at Hondo with a finger, his gesture dripping with mockery.

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

"W-wait!" Hondo's pupils shrank with shock. "Weren't we supposed to get a hundred thousand points each month? What's going on...?"

"I don't remember hearing anything like that. Am I right?"

Koenji sneered, brazenly pointing his finger at Chabashira-sensei.

"Koenji's attitude is certainly a problem, but what he said is correct. Honestly, I've given you so many hints, yet only a handful of you managed to figure it out on your own. It's pathetic."

The sudden turn of events and announcement sent a murmur rippling through the classroom.

"...Sensei, may I ask a question? There's something I don't understand."

Worried about his classmates, who were starting to panic, Hirata stepped forward as the class leader.

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

"Being late or absent: 112 times in total. Talking privately or using your phones during class: 485 times. You did all that in just one month..."

Even Chabashira Sae was dumbfounded. She'd seen all kinds of things, but this was a first.

Still, her professionalism as a teacher made her mechanically read out the information without any emotion.

After that, Hirata and Chabashira Sae argued over "advance notice" and "common sense."

The homeroom bell rang before they had finished.

"Looks like you've mostly understood. Now it's time to get to the main topic."

Chabashira-sensei took a thick sheet of white paper from the poster tube in her hand, unfolded it, and pinned it to the blackboard with magnets at the corners.

It read:

Class A: 950 points

Class B: 940 points

Class C: 750 points

Class D: 0 points