"Ahaha, of course. The students in our class are pretty quiet."
"Mm..."
"Besides, I'm pretty good at sensing how other people feel. And most importantly, that smile you just gave me was so forced that even I could tell something was wrong."
"..."
"Other people probably noticed a long time ago. They just didn't say anything—"
"Clang!"
A crisp clatter of an aluminum can hitting the ground suddenly came from Ichinose Honami's seat...
Mikage Touji gradually lowered his voice. The girl with long golden-pink hair, who had kept saying, "As long as they're happy, that's all that matters," was sitting quietly in her chair, fast asleep. The midday sunlight fell across her fair face, giving her a peaceful air.
And she said she was fine... There was no way she was fine, right?
Mikage Touji turned around, crossed his legs on the chair, rested his chin in his hand, and silently watched the sleeping girl.
Ichinose Honami, a kind and principled girl.
But how did that saying go? Kind and principled people had a hard time surviving in this world, because the world was neither kind nor principled.
Speaking of which... Had I just helped the enemy? She was the leader of Class B. If she got back on her feet, wouldn't that put Class A in danger?
And should I wake her up? Leaving her here alone seemed dangerous. Otherwise, I'd have to wait here until she woke up.
Mikage Touji found himself caught between two sides of his own brain.
As leaves drifted down from the trees, the shadows cast on the pale gray ground crept along with the sunlight.
The girl on the bench let out a soft murmur and slowly opened her sleepy eyes. A breeze through the trees brushed her eyelashes, carrying the scent of grass and damp earth. The exhaustion that had built up seemed to wash away, and her limbs stretched out as if they'd been renewed.
"Yaaawn."
Mikage Touji let out a long yawn and put away his phone. "You're awake."
"..."
The girl's brain stalled for a moment.
The next instant, a startled cry rang through the little grove, sending a blackbird fluttering away from a tree.
"Looks like you slept well. You're full of energy," Mikage Touji added.
"Mikage, you should've woken me up sooner." Her troubled voice held a hint of reproach.
"But this is pretty nice—"
Mikage Touji stopped, pressed his lips together to stifle a laugh, and pointed to the corner of his mouth. "Ichinose, um..."
Ichinose Honami wiped the corner of her mouth in confusion. When she saw the glistening liquid in the sunlight, realization dawned, and her cheeks flushed scarlet.
"Pfft—hahaha..."
Mikage Touji finally couldn't hold back and burst out laughing.
"Please stop laughing. Even I get embarrassed." Ichinose Honami wiped her mouth with a tissue, her face red.
"Haha... I just thought that even the usually perfect Ichinose isn't actually all that perfect..."
"Oh, right!"
Ichinose Honami seemed to remember something and hurriedly took out her phone. "How long was I asleep? Komako and the others were supposed to meet me to go shopping."
Then she noticed that her screen had gone completely black.
Ichinose Honami looked up at Mikage Touji in confusion. She clearly remembered that her phone had been on.
Mikage Touji gave her a proud thumbs-up. "It kept going beep, beep, beep, so I turned it off for you. Don't you feel refreshed?"
"Ahhh! That's not the point!"
Ichinose Honami crouched down in frustration and clutched her head. Then she quickly shook it and pulled herself together.
"Anyway, I have to go meet up with them. They've probably already noticed I'm missing. Mikage, I'll be going now." The hurried tone was something the normally gentle Ichinose would never have shown.
After gathering her things, Ichinose Honami lifted her leg and hurried toward the school building.
"See you next time," Mikage Touji called cheerfully, waving goodbye.
Suddenly, Ichinose Honami, who had been running ahead, came to an abrupt stop.
"Um... Mikage..."
Ichinose Honami turned around and opened her mouth. After hesitating for a while, she finally asked, "Next time, could I ask you to keep me company like you did today, without saying anything?"
"No!"
Mikage Touji refused her without hesitation.
"You'll have to wait until I'm free next time. I'm not like you—I'm a very busy person."
Ichinose Honami nodded firmly. "Okay!"
Back in the Class A classroom, more than half the students had already returned.
When he saw Mikage Touji come in, Hashimoto Masayoshi tossed him the bread and milk he'd prepared.
"Mikage, catch!"
"Thanks."
Mikage Touji caught his lunch and tore open the wrapper. "How are the other classes doing?"
"Class B is the same as ever. That Ichinose woman's something else. Even after the S System, something so important, was announced, she managed to calm her classmates down right away. It's like nothing happened, and they're all getting along just fine."
I've already seen that for myself, Mikage Touji thought as he poked a straw into the milk carton.
"As for Class C..." Hashimoto Masayoshi shrugged. "Same as always. They haven't accepted Ryuen's rule, but they haven't chosen a new leader either. It's a complete mess, though at least they've stopped fighting in public."
"And Class D..." Hashimoto Masayoshi paused for effect. "Just check the forum and you'll see."
"That mysterious?"
Mikage Touji took out his phone with the straw between his teeth, tapped the screen with one hand, and logged into the school forum.
[Latest game console from Nintendo Hell! Cheap! Girl-owned, 99% new!]
Mikage Touji nearly spat out his milk. "Cough, cough! What kind of genius came up with this? Someone from Class D?"
"Seems like most of them spent all their points. They naively thought they'd get another 100,000 this month, and now they're frantically trying to earn some back." Hashimoto Masayoshi grinned rather gleefully.
"So, should we make our next move?"
"Let's leave things alone for now. Especially Class D. They don't have a single point left. Who knows what kind of ridiculous things they'll do?" The situation was too chaotic; they needed to wait and see.
"Didn't you eat lunch, Mikage?" Katsuragi Kōhei asked, frowning as he approached.
"Yeah." Mikage Touji took a bite of bread and chewed heartily. "A few things held me up."
He didn't mention that the school had the answers to the Midterm Exam. In the end, whether at this school or out in society, people had to rely on their own abilities. It might be a good opportunity to improve the class's academic performance.
It definitely wasn't because if I have to suffer here, you all should suffer with me.
"Is it about the Midterm Exam?"
"Mm... Partly..."
"On that note, I'm planning to hold a study group. Students with strong academic skills can help tutor the others, with special attention to those at risk of expulsion. Of course, anyone who's willing and has time to spare can join in as well."
"Also, I'm planning to ask the class to set aside a certain percentage of their personal points each month as class funds, in case we need them. For example, this month it would be 40,000 personal points. Next month, we can adjust the amount based on our Class Points, but it won't exceed half of what we currently have. We can also use some of those points to reward classmates who contribute to the class."
"For example, we could use some of the funds to pay students who help with tutoring. And if someone makes an outstanding contribution in a Special Exam, they could receive a reward from the class in addition to whatever they receive from the school."
Katsuragi Kōhei laid out his proposal in full, without holding anything back.
"Katsuragi," Mikage Touji said, rubbing his chin as he looked at Katsuragi Kōhei in surprise, "you really are a reliable person."
It amounted to a simple tax system. The percentage was a little high, but since the points had been issued by the school in the first place, it made sense for the class to set some aside. The points could also motivate the students.
Class A students were indeed better than the other classes on average, but they had one problem—they were too individualistic!
Unlike Classes C and D, which were full of troublemakers, they were too quiet. When problems came up, they weighed the pros and cons first. If there was an easier way, they would choose it without hesitation, do their own part, and leave the rest to someone else.
Likewise, if they disagreed with a proposal for the class, they wouldn't openly object if most of the class supported it, even if they were unhappy about it.
They were probably thinking, Everyone else agrees, so what good would it do for me to object alone? Even if I spoke up, I might just end up drawing trouble. Better not to get involved in the first place.
To some extent, the students in Class A already had the air of office workers worn down and numbed by their jobs.
A suitable system of rewards and penalties might help rekindle the passion in their hearts before it cooled completely.
"Sounds good. I support the proposal. But choosing someone to keep the points will be difficult, won't it?"
"About that..." Hashimoto Masayoshi had been quietly eavesdropping. He promptly leaned in and volunteered, "I think I'd be a good choice."
"..."
Mikage Touji was silent for a while before finally saying, "That'd be like giving a chicken to a weasel. At least the weasel might leave some bones behind. If you got your hands on them, there wouldn't even be bone dust left."
"Just kidding, just kidding." Hashimoto Masayoshi raised both hands in surrender. "I know what people in this class think of me."
"For this, I think we should let everyone vote and choose someone most of the class trusts. That way, if something unexpected really does happen, it'll be the responsibility of the whole class rather than one person's fault."
"I'll leave the decision to you. After all, you're the leader of Class A." Mikage Touji snapped his fingers.
Once all the students had returned, Katsuragi Kōhei held a brief class meeting.
As for contributing part of their personal points to the class fund, both for emergencies and to reward outstanding students in future Special Exams, the class made its decision in favor with barely any discussion—a rare occurrence.
In fact, most of them hadn't spent more than 50,000 points. Aside from Morishita Ran, who liked buying random things, some had spent less than 10,000. You might have wondered whether they'd gone on an exhilarating wilderness survival adventure at school.
But when it came to choosing who would hold the points...
"Hey!" Katsuragi Kōhei's devoted admirer, Totsuka Yahiko, raised his hand high. "I choose Big Brother Katsuragi!"
"Absolutely!" Mikage Touji also raised his hand in support. "I choose Mr. Katsuragi!"
The class fell silent for a moment. The next second, the Class A students began discussing among themselves as if nothing had happened.
"How about Mikage? He's free all the time."
"Mm... Mikage does seem like a good choice. I often see him wandering around the school."
"Most people wouldn't think of putting our points in the hands of some weirdo, right?"
"Look, isn't he just like one of those squinty-eyed weirdos hiding in the crowd? Then he pushes back his hair and says something edgy like, 'From today on, I'll stand above Kouiku'?"
"I can't argue with that. It really does sound like something he'd say..."
The Class A students sat in their seats and gossiped about Mikage Touji as if he weren't there.
"Hey!"
Mikage Touji slapped both hands on the desk. "I'm sitting right here! Could you at least talk behind my back in private? What do you mean, squinty-eyed? My eyes aren't that small! And could you stop trying to dump a job that's practically impossible to embezzle from on me? I'm very busy. Every day, I have to work hard at figuring out what to eat for dinner!"
"..."
"It's decided! Mikage Touji!"
"Okay, Mikage Touji it is!"
"We all nominate Mikage Touji!"
"I agree too. Mikage Touji."
At the podium, Katsuragi Kōhei raised his hand along with the others.
"What?! Katsuragi, you've surrendered to that weirdo too? Don't give up!"
"That's right! Katsuragi... Don't give up! You have to believe in us, who believe in you!"
The opposition in the class formed a united front.
However, no matter how hard Mikage Touji resisted, he was no match for four hands.
In the end, after earning the title "weirdo," Mikage Touji received another one—"Class A's Mobile Vault."
"Pay special attention to the opening of Chapter Three, 'Sensei and His Testament,' in Natsume Soseki's Kokoro. We need to examine the complicated emotions he felt at this point..."
It was the last class of the day. The sunlight slanted across the desks, lending everything a lazy afternoon air.
Before you continue