Ah, Masumi is here

"Ding—"

The dismissal bell rang.

It came from the speakers embedded in the ceiling, echoing twice through the empty classroom before fading away, and the entire Class D erupted in cheers.

Because with the end of school, their points had returned.

"Nice!"

"I'm getting McDonald's."

"Here, take it back, Sudo. I told you it wasn't my fault, and I'd return it, but I'm magnanimous enough to let it slide—just apologize and we're done."

"Shut up!"

No one was in a hurry to leave. Aside from a few lone wolves, most gathered in groups to chat.

They had gotten back what they lost.

To avoid another system glitch, they decided to ramp up their spending, chattering about which game consoles or cosmetics to buy.

Meanwhile.

Xu Nuo sat at his desk, glancing to the side.

Ever since she'd heard that "two million points can transfer classes," Horikita Suzune had been injected with a shot of adrenaline, revitalized—

Her reddish-purple fox eyes gradually brightened as she brainstormed how to earn points.

That train of thought.

Had lasted all morning.

But now.

Her state had shifted into something subtle.

Xu Nuo could feel her gaze.

Not a direct stare, but that kind of... sneaky, hesitant, conflicted look, as if she wanted to say something but held back.

Horikita sat to his right.

Her face was turned toward the window, but her peripheral vision kept flicking his way every few seconds.

As a Phantom Thief.

Xu Nuo was naturally sensitive to such glances.

Every time he looked over slightly, the girl would immediately whip her head away, pretending to admire the cherry blossom tree outside the window.

Pretty cute.

But...

It gave him a weird sense of being stalked.

Creepy girl!

Xu Nuo quickly shook his head, then stood up to leave without signaling to her.

Seeing this.

Horikita Suzune finally couldn't hold back and opened her mouth.

As if she wanted to say something.

Suddenly.

A murmur rose from the classroom entrance.

"Hey... that's..."

"From Class A?"

"Whoa..."

For a moment.

Both Horikita and Xu Nuo were drawn to the commotion.

There.

A girl stood at the door.

Her purple-red hair was tied into a high side ponytail, her skin fair, her features as delicate as a meticulously carved work of art, her figure tall and curvaceous.

Clothing stores would probably love to have her as a model.

But that wasn't the most striking thing.

It was her expression.

A stern face, icy cold, with slightly raised brows that added a sharp, heroic edge to her aura, her lips pressed together without a hint of a curve.

She was unmistakably a cool, aloof beauty!

For a second, Class D's classroom fell silent.

Then the guys exploded.

"Holy shit!" "Who's that?" "She's from Class A, right? I saw her at the opening ceremony." "Pretty cute..." "What's she here for?" "Could she be looking for me? Hahaha..." "Dream on!"

Ike Kanji and Yamauchi Haruki stood up almost at the same time, exchanging a glance that screamed "no way I'm letting you get ahead."

"Uh... miss, who are you looking for?"

Ike Kanji took the lead, forcing what he thought was a charming smile as he hurried to the door.

Yamauchi Haruki wasn't about to be outdone, following right behind while muttering, "Damn, I'm a step late—maybe she's actually here for me..."

A few other guys were also itching to move.

What if, they could score a Line?

Compared to them, the girls' side was much calmer. Most were just watching curiously, whispering about who she was and why she'd come to their class.

Kamuro Masumi?

Could she be here for me?

Xu Nuo raised an eyebrow, recognizing the girl instantly.

At the same time, Kamuro Masumi recoiled with disgust, completely ignoring the duo trying to hit on her. Her gaze swept straight through the classroom, quickly locking onto the familiar figure.

Her eyes lit up, and she spoke without any courtesy.

"Hey. Get out here."

The classroom fell silent again.

Everyone's eyes turned in unison to Xu Nuo's spot. Horikita Suzune was stunned for a moment.

The next second, Ike Kanji and Yamauchi Haruki's expressions shifted from hurt to shock, then rapidly morphed into disbelief and jealousy, accompanied by weird howls.

"What?!" "She's here for that guy?!" "Why?!" "Damn it, what's so great about him?!" "Right... what's the point of being good-looking? These girls are way too shallow..."

Muffled curses and complaints rippled through the surroundings.

"..."

Xu Nuo sighed.

So annoying.

Sometimes he really felt like dumping them in the river.

Not paying it much mind, he patted his butt and stood up, then gave Kamuro Masumi a slight nod.

"It's you."

His tone was flat, as if meeting an ordinary acquaintance.

"Hmph!"

Kamuro Masumi wrinkled her nose, clearly displeased with his casual attitude—

Or rather, the girl was already annoyed about having to come to Class D to find someone, especially the infuriating show-off she was looking for. But she held back her urge to lash out, simply saying coldly:

"Follow me."

With that, she turned and left without another word.

Xu Nuo shrugged, not bothered by her attitude. Ignoring everyone, he headed for the door.

"Xu..."

Watching his back.

Horikita Suzune hesitated, as if she wanted to say something to him, but in the end, she said nothing, quietly watching their figures disappear from sight.

The classroom began to stir again.

"What the hell, what's going on here?"

"Xu Nuo knows someone from Class A?"

"Perks of being handsome."

"Damn... this is way too unfair..."

Ike Kiyoshi and Yamauchi's faces turned pale. They exchanged a glance, seeing the resentment in each other's eyes.

But these voices.

To Horikita Suzune, they were just noise.

"Looks like I'll have to go alone..."

The girl pressed her lips together. Originally, she had planned to find Xu Nuo and go sell information to the other classes together.

After all.

Going alone would leave her at a disadvantage.

Having learned the truth about the school, Horikita Suzune could no longer see the other classes as friendly classmates.

And.

There might even be conflict...

But.

Could her proud, tsundere personality bring herself to ask Xu Nuo to accompany her?

The girl couldn't bring herself to say it.

So.

She had dawdled until now, and ended up left behind.

"Tch."

The girl felt a surge of irritation, realizing how weak she was alone, but asking someone to be her partner...

Not to mention that was her weak point.

The main thing was.

Class D.

Aside from that guy, was there anyone reliable?

"Forget it."

"I can do it alone!"

Finally.

Horikita Suzune made up her mind, her gaze slowly firming. If she couldn't even get past this hurdle, she might as well drop out obediently.

"Elder Brother..."

"I will never let you down, desuwa..."

Suddenly.

A figure casually drifting past her desk caught Horikita Suzune's attention.

"It's him."

"What was his name again...?"

She still had some memory of this classmate, who had briefly spoken with her on the bus.

And.

He hadn't mocked her earlier either.

"Maybe..."

After racking her brains, she finally recalled his name.

Horikita Suzune called out to him, her tone stiff. "Ayanokoji Ryu, since you didn't just go along with the crowd, there's something I'd like to ask for your help with."

"Huh."

"Me?"

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka pointed at his expressionless face, a hint of well-timed surprise flickering across it.