Reenacting the Plot of an Educational Film

"I already understand that."

"I know that too."

As expected of two great geniuses. Their thought processes were both crystal clear.

"That's good, then. If I ever run out of points, you two can support me."

"I have no obligation to raise a problem child."

"No problem. If you're in trouble, I'll help you."

Hearing the two starkly different responses, Kamigami Haruo nodded in satisfaction.

He then picked up the remote and switched to a channel that had gone into commercials.

Oh? This was pretty good—a paranormal incident program.

He got up and turned off the lights, plunging the room into darkness, then pulled the two of them into watching it with him.

Though neither of them was willing, they had just finished eating, so they took a break to let their stomachs settle.

One was scared, while the other was bored.

They sat on either side of Kamigami Haruo. What no one noticed was that the corners of his lips had curled up slightly.

Perhaps because he had company?

When the television went to commercials again, the creepy atmosphere in the room vanished completely.

"So, am I some abandoned puppy...?"

Kamigami Haruo looked at Horikita Suzune, who was surrounded, and grumbled.

"Your painfully obvious intentions have long since become common knowledge. Stop wasting your effort."

She adjusted her posture slightly, then shifted her gaze away from her book and glanced at the poor abandoned puppy.

For some reason, he gave off the impression of bleak wind and cold rain. Horikita Suzune swallowed the sarcastic remark she had been about to make and could only put it tactfully.

Hearing that, Kamigami Haruo turned his gaze to Ichinose, whose lips had curled up in triumph at the success of her plan.

"Fine, every single one of you is way too sharp. Makes me look pathetic."

"Exactly, exactly. Haruo-kun is so pathetic."

The moment he heard that, he pulled a pair of glasses from his pocket and put them on, speaking with the light reflecting off the lenses.

"Oh? So you're saying you're very brave?"

"Please calm down, my friend from afar."

Hearing that, Ichinose suddenly remembered the video playing on the phone he had handed her on the second Sunday after school began.

Back then, she had looked at Kamigami Haruo with a complicated expression and told him, "Boys need to protect themselves too."

"Be good! Let me see!"

Kamigami Haruo made as if he were about to pounce on her.

"N-no! Don't!"

"So what ridiculous play are you two performing?"

Horikita Suzune watched the two drama queens, one reaching out with both hands as if to grab someone and the other hugging herself with both arms.

"We're performing an educational film, a video teaching boys to protect themselves properly when they're out."

"..."

"All right, time to work out. Honami, are you coming?"

Kamigami Haruo coughed to ease the awkward atmosphere before speaking.

"Sorry, I won't be going. I still have lots of things to do, and the Class B group chat is discussing our plans for the future too."

Ichinose pressed her hands together apologetically.

"All right, then. Let's head out together."

Hearing that, Horikita Suzune had originally wanted to plan for the future as well, but she could not forget what had happened in the Counseling Room.

So she had the two wait while she took her workout clothes into the bathroom to change.

The three of them then left together, parting with Ichinose in the elevator.

"Don't carry everything by yourself. Both our shoulders are here for you to lean on."

Before they parted, Kamigami Haruo said that to her.

"Yeah."

Horikita Suzune echoed him.

"Ah, oh... Got it. I will. Thank you. See you tomorrow."

Ichinose was dazed for a moment, then immediately revealed a brilliant smile. In high spirits, she said goodbye to the two of them and returned to her room.

The elevator doors closed, and the elevator descended straight toward the lobby.

Late at night, on a bench beside the vending machines.

The two of them, determined to be frugal, each held a bottle of mineral water.

"Are you confused about why you were assigned to Class D?"

Kamigami Haruo looked at the person beside him, who seemed to want to speak but hesitated. He knew what was troubling her. She was probably too embarrassed to ask the question.

After all, it concerned her own shortcomings, and she had to speak of them in front of someone else.

"It does bother me a little. Chabashira-sensei's answer was rather unsatisfactory."

"Let me think. Hmm... This involves the ways of the world. You know, a subordinate who constantly clashes with their superior isn't a good subordinate. Even if the superior is wrong, you can't expose their mistake to their face. Maybe they'll wrap things up hastily to save face, but afterward, they'll definitely write it down in their little notebook."

After thinking for a while, Kamigami Haruo gave that answer.

"So I was placed in Class D over something so ridiculous... What a group of teachers who don't understand how to educate people."

The girl seemed unable to accept such a trivial reason.

"Mm, but aren't you slowly changing now?"

"Am I? Shouldn't it be that you barged into my life and forced me to change my path?"

"If I remember correctly, weren't you the one who kept pestering me with questions at first?"

Halfway through his sentence, Kamigami Haruo felt pain shoot through his waist and quickly changed his wording.

"All right, all right. I was the one pestering you, okay?"

"Let's go back. I still need to organize today's study materials."

Horikita Suzune stood up first and spoke to him.

"Let's go. How boring. It would've been nice if a Kikyo showed up right about now."

Kamigami Haruo stood as well, shrugged, and complained.

Unfortunately, no Kikyo appeared. The little Kikyo failed to spawn, and the two made it to the dormitory building without incident.

"Instead of enjoying other people's misfortune, think about how to raise your zero score. If you can't keep up, you might as well leave early."

After pressing the elevator button, Horikita Suzune said something that sounded cruel but was actually out of concern.

"I'll be fine. You, on the other hand."

As he spoke, Kamigami Haruo studied the prim and proper long-haired beauty beside him, then silently switched on the recorder he had prepared and began recording.

"You needn't worry about me. I have absolute confidence in my grades."

Ding. The elevator arrived, and the two stepped inside.

After reaching out and pressing the button for their floor, the girl spoke confidently.

"That's not what I mean. I mean, don't lower your score later just to look after classmates with poor grades."

"That's an excessive sense of self-importance. Since they already know failing means expulsion, if they can still fail, they might as well be expelled early rather than stay here and waste time."

She said it as she always did, in a tone that brooked no refusal. He only hoped she would not suffer a social death when the midterm results came out and he played this recording.

Hehehehehe.

Though that was what Kamigami Haruo thought, his expression remained unchanged as he raised an objection.

"Then let's make a bet. A bet on whether you'll lower your score for them."

"You're always making these pointless games. If I refuse, are you going to use reverse psychology again?"

"As expected of the Horikita Suzune I admire. So, are you betting or not?"

"Whatever. The initiative is in my hands anyway."

"Then what should we bet on? Let's make it one condition that doesn't violate the law or basic moral boundaries. See you tomorrow."

As he spoke, the elevator reached the fourth floor. Kamigami Haruo stepped out and said goodbye.

"Mm, see you tomorrow."

The elevator doors closed, and the figure before her disappeared from sight. The girl fell silent once more.