Good afternoon, Dongfang.

Dongfang Yi pushed open the rooftop door.

Just as the original described, the rooftop was open at lunchtime, allowing students who liked peace and quiet (couples who wanted to cuddle) to enjoy their boxed lunches together.

There was only one security camera facing each direction. After all, this was an open area, and one didn't need much equipment to keep an eye on everything.

That was also why Ryuen had chosen it as a place to bully people in the original story.

This was where the future gal, Karuizawa, would be bullied. The two buckets of water sitting off to the side were probably the props Ryuen would use.

Dongfang Yi felt a little wistful. For some reason, he had the strange feeling that he was sightseeing and checking off tourist spots.

If only he had a camera with him. At least then his photos would look a little more professional.

Kamuro Masumi clearly had no time for him. The girl looked around, then spotted a petite white-haired figure on the steps in the distance.

The mastermind behind it all—her employer—stood at the edge of the rooftop, leaning on her cane as she gazed into the distance.

"Come with me."

She brusquely interrupted Dongfang Yi as he took pictures, then pulled him along.

"Hey, wait, wait, wait. Let me take one more..."

"Hey, I brought him."

Kamuro Masumi reached the edge and spoke to the silver-haired loli with an irritated look.

"Mm, thanks for your hard work, Kamuro. Well done."

The delicate, doll-like white-haired girl turned around. She rested her right hand on her cane and raised her left to her chest. "Good afternoon, Dongfang."

Her face wore a gentle, warm smile, with a touch of elfin mischief in it. Her petite frame was wrapped in an off-white trench coat to ward off the lingering chill of spring. Beneath it, her red uniform was immaculate, without a single wrinkle; even the bow on her clothes was much neater and more symmetrical than anyone else's.

She was clearly a well-bred young lady.

But that wasn't what caught Dongfang Yi's attention.

His eyes were drawn to the white, silk, lace-patterned garter stockings beneath Sakayanagi Arisu's short skirt.

Don't get the wrong idea.

He was only looking at the snow-white skin of her thighs above the stockings, trying to judge her condition by the color of her veins.

After all, it was still April—the time of year that, back home, fell around the Awakening of Insects.

The season when late-spring cold snaps were most likely.

Temperatures varied greatly between day and night around this time, and even the daytime highs weren't particularly high. Even at noon, it was only around nine degrees Celsius on the rooftop.

Dongfang Yi was curious whether such light clothing could actually keep her warm. Wasn't this girl in poor health, with a heart condition on top of that?

And yet she was dressed so... boldly, standing at the windy edge of the rooftop as if she didn't care about the cold at all.

She was as tough as an Eskimo.

Of course, part of his curiosity stemmed from the garter stockings themselves. He wondered where the straps were fastened, how they were put on and taken off, and whether they could suddenly fall down.

It was all purely academic research.

Still, he exercised considerable restraint. After a quick glance, he looked away.

After all, Japanese society might be depraved, but in public it still condemned lolicons. In public, at least.

In private, people would even eat freshly shat poop. What wouldn't they do?

But that one glance was enough for him to tell that the white-haired loli in front of him wasn't in as good a condition as she let on. But given how little time had passed, she probably hadn't noticed it yet.

Dongfang Yi raised his head and looked levelly at the loli on the steps.

That's right, levelly.

He had good reason to suspect she'd chosen this spot for their meeting specifically so she wouldn't have to look up at him.

The girl was only 150 centimeters tall. If she didn't stand on the steps, she'd have to crane her neck to look at Dongfang Yi.

I kind of want to see what it feels like to have this haughty loli look up at me. Dongfang Yi felt a little excited.

Still, though he did have a plan to make it happen,

he'd have to wait a little longer before he could pull it off without giving himself away.

"So Classmate Sakayanagi was the one who wanted to see me?" Dongfang Yi feigned surprise.

Hadn't you already figured it out?

Kamuro Masumi's mouth twitched. She had a feeling this ham was about to try to fool someone again.

No, he was already at it.

"Are you surprised?"

The corner of the white-haired loli's mouth lifted almost imperceptibly.

Outsmarting others always brought her joy, despite her delicate, frail appearance.

"I'm absolutely stunned. I'm truly honored." Dongfang Yi wore an expression that said, I can't believe it. I don't understand. "May I ask what Her Highness the Princess wants with me?"

"I was curious about something, so I wanted to talk with you, Classmate Dongfang."

Sakayanagi Arisu smoothed a strand of hair the wind had blown out of place and got straight to the point. "How much do you know about this school?"

"How much do I know?" Dongfang Yi blinked and played dumb. "Do you mean its floor area, where the shops are, or the new product Palette is about to release—matcha-flavored raisin pudding? I highly recommend it."

"You really are delightfully amusing, Classmate Dongfang." Sakayanagi Arisu ignored his bluster. "I mean, how much do you know about the school's rules?"

"The school's rules? Aren't they just what Mashima-sensei told us, like the points we get every month?" Dongfang Yi continued playing dumb. "Oh, right. I also know that you don't have to pay sales tax on purchases inside the school."

"Heh." Sakayanagi Arisu watched him, entirely at ease. "Playing dumb isn't a good habit, Classmate Dongfang."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Dongfang Yi was fishing for information.

He didn't believe that after only one day of part-time work, she'd figured out he'd seen through the school rules.

"You won't give up until you see the coffin, will you, Dongfang?"

"Even a salted fish has to struggle a little before it hits the frying pan."

"I'm not that scary, Dongfang." The petite girl imitated someone's voice from earlier. "Isn't this perfectly clear? The points the school gives us aren't fixed."

"Are you still going to deny it?"

What a cocky loli. And she said she wasn't pulling any dirty tricks!

Dongfang Yi's mouth twitched, but he quickly let it go.

This wasn't my fault, nor was it a failure in battle. It was because the enemy was too cunning, leaving no opening.

There are bad people among us!

Fujimoto, you loose-lipped idiot! I knew those 200 points weren't easy to earn!

Dongfang Yi coughed and tried to save face. "So that's what Her Highness the Princess meant. Isn't that common knowledge? Why make such a fuss about it?"

Kamuro Masumi, standing to the side, looked surprised. "The points the school gives us aren't fixed? Why not?"

Sakayanagi Arisu didn't answer. She simply looked at Dongfang Yi with a faintly teasing expression.

The meaning was clear: You said everyone knew.

Cornered into keeping up the act, Dongfang Yi turned to Kamuro with a "shocked" expression. "You didn't know?"

"Why would I know?"

"Didn't Mashima-sensei tell us?"

"Huh? I don't remember that. The teacher clearly said we'd get 100,000 points every month," Kamuro Masumi challenged him.

"Your grades are worrying, Classmate Kamuro." Dongfang Yi raised an eyebrow and mercilessly mocked her. "The teacher clearly said we'd get 100,000 points this month and that we'd receive points every month after that. He never said we'd get 100,000 points every month."

"Hm?... But that alone doesn't mean..." Kamuro Masumi was reluctant to believe him.

She'd been planning to spend those points on a massive shopping spree!

Since he'd already explained, Dongfang Yi didn't mind saying a little more. "Classmate Kamuro, have you ever seen a free vegetable set meal in the cafeteria?"