You'll Have to Pay More

"Who's Sakura?"

After he sent the message, Kushida Kikyo replied soon after.

"Well, look who finally found the time to check their messages!" She didn't answer his question. After being left hanging for so long, anyone would've been in a bad mood.

"I'll give you 50 Points to buy a lollipop and cheer up."

Seeing the 50 Points Uesugi Hara had sent her, Kushida Kikyo—who'd been simmering with resentment—didn't know whether to laugh or get mad.

Did he really think she was that easy to placate?

When Kushida still hadn't replied after a while, Uesugi Hara couldn't help asking, "You there?"

"This is classified information from our class. Why should I tell an outsider?" she grumbled.

"Uh... How about 5,000 Points as an espionage fee?"

"I'm a member of Class D! How could I betray my class by giving away its information?"

Uesugi Hara rolled his eyes inwardly. How much have you already told me? But he kept that to himself and only asked, "Then what do you want?"

"You'll have to pay more!"

She's such a cute girl. How did she end up like this?

"...I'll give you another 5,000 Points."

"Deal!" She'd had enough of living without Points!

After receiving Uesugi Hara's transfer, Kushida Kikyo readily gave him the information he wanted.

She had no qualms about betraying her class in the first place.

"Sakura's just an inconspicuous girl in our class. She's always alone, and she's meek and easy to push around. Her hairstyle is totally outdated, too."

Uesugi Hara wanted to argue, but that did sound a lot like Airi.

"I see. Who told you about her?"

"Horikita did."

Could that woman really do something like this? Had she managed to figure out it was Airi?

"How did she know?"

"I don't know. She said that when she mentioned there was a witness, Sakura was the only one whose reaction differed from everyone else's. I didn't notice anything, so I don't know whether she's right."

"And Horikita seems pretty sure that Sakura's the witness," Kushida Kikyo added.

He'd underestimated that woman a little. But why hadn't Ayanokoji noticed? His powers of observation should've been just as good as hers.

"So what are you going to do?"

"Obviously, I'm going to talk to Sakura and find out what happened. What else would I do? Wait for Horikita to approach her?"

If someone had to talk to Airi, Uesugi Hara would choose Kushida Kikyo. Compared to Horikita Suzune's cold, hard nature, Kushida's ability to put people at ease was practically unmatched.

But would Airi even be willing to talk to them?

"Have you considered that she might not want to talk to you?"

"Are you kidding? Who would turn down adorable little Kikyo?"

"Uh... Does Horikita Suzune count?" Uesugi Hara couldn't resist teasing her. "I've seen her reject you several times."

"Do you still want to hear what I know?" Kushida Kikyo bristled again.

"Please, go on."

"If I approach her, Sakura will definitely be willing to help Class D," Kushida Kikyo declared confidently.

"Wow, you're that good?" Uesugi Hara didn't believe her.

"Of course!" Kushida Kikyo was very confident in her ability to win people over.

"All right, I don't have anything else to ask." Uesugi Hara ended the chat.

Uesugi Hara didn't know whether Kushida approaching Airi would be a good thing or a bad one.

If Airi was willing to help Class D, it might not be enough to turn the class's fortunes around, but she could grow from the experience.

But if she refused, he was afraid some people in Class D might keep pestering her and make her life difficult.

Uesugi Hara didn't want Airi caught up in this, but he knew that, in the end, it was up to her to decide.

It wasn't that he couldn't help Airi deal with the situation. He just couldn't protect her every moment of every day, and he wanted her to grow, too.

So he tried to guide her in everyday life, but it hadn't made much difference.

She needed to go through something for herself before she could take that step.

Uesugi Hara sighed. He wondered whether Kushida could persuade her.

Forget it. He'd stop worrying and work on boosting Airi's resistance first.

So, with practiced ease, he logged into his alt account and opened Shizuku-chan's backstage page.

Show me those legs.

The next day.

"Uesugi, I heard Class B is helping Class D, but our class hasn't done anything. Do you think that's a problem?"

"Kamuro, one reason Class B is helping Class D is that Class C is an enemy of theirs, too. Isn't the reason Class B's Class Points only changed by that much because Class C kept harassing them over the past two months?"

"I see. And what's the other reason?" Kamuro Masumi asked after a moment of realization.

Uesugi Hara glanced at the curious Kamuro Masumi, unable to tell whether she was genuinely clueless or just pretending.

"Morishita, enlighten her," he said to Morishita Ai, who'd been covertly peeking over at them.

He hadn't said "tell her"; he'd used the more sophisticated "enlighten her," hoping it would pique Morishita Ai's interest.

Then he watched Morishita Ai pull the ruler she often used to dismember erasers from her pencil case and gently tap Kamuro Masumi on the head three times.

"Kamuro Masumi, do you understand now?" Afterward, she asked the bewildered Kamuro Masumi earnestly.

Well, this was a mistake. He shouldn't have put his faith in Morishita Ai...

Uesugi Hara sighed inwardly. "I'll explain."

"You know who leads Class B, right?"

"I do." Since she spent time with Sakayanagi, she knew some things.

"And do you know what she's like, and what the atmosphere in Class B is like?"

"Ichinose is kind and helpful. As for the atmosphere in Class B, let me think..." Kamuro Masumi seemed to ponder the question.

Uesugi Hara didn't interrupt her. Instead, he looked at Morishita Ai, who was watching Kamuro Masumi with an exasperated expression.

"Morishita, don't mistake things you see in TV dramas for reality," he said helplessly.

"Shut up, Uesugi Hara. Kamuro Masumi is just too dense."

Kamuro really was... Wait, how could he talk behind his good buddy's back like that?

He'd almost fallen for Morishita Ai's trick again.

"Could it be that you're using the wrong tool? People use a wooden paddle, but you're using a ruler," he explained with a perfectly serious expression.

Morishita Ai: "...I see." She looked at Kamuro Masumi, then toward the podium. A glint of eagerness flashed in her eyes.

Uesugi Hara: Did I do something wrong?

Their conversation didn't last long, and Kamuro Masumi soon came back to her senses.

"Unity and harmony?" she ventured uncertainly.

"Exactly!" He quickly cut off Morishita Ai's idea, raising his voice.

"That's why Class B is willing to help Class D when Ichinose gives the word."

"Our class hasn't been provoked by Class C, and we don't have a leader who's eager to help others. So not many people in our class are willing to waste their time helping Class D."

"I see. But, Uesugi, you can gossip about Sakayanagi if you want, but did you have to say it so loudly?" As she spoke, she pointed toward Sakayanagi Arisu.

Uesugi Hara slowly turned to look and saw Sakayanagi Arisu looking less than pleased. Anyone would be upset at being gossiped about in front of the whole class.

Many other students were looking at them curiously, too.

Uesugi Hara could only smile and pretend nothing had happened. "I was just joking around with Kamuro. Everyone, carry on with what you were doing!"