Mikage Tōji's Personal Wallet

This was a leg photo. Her little leather shoes had been taken off and set aside, and her legs were crossed in front of a mirror, making them look even longer. Beneath her pleated skirt, her fair skin had a soft, smooth sheen. Black knee-high socks covered only her slender calves, their tight fit revealing glimpses of pale flesh.

"..."

Under Shiraishi Asuka's amused gaze, Mikage Touji silently flipped his phone over as if nothing had happened. With a soft click, he laid it facedown on the table.

"Ahem... I didn't know she was going to send me something like that. She's slandering me!" Mikage Touji tried to defend himself.

Shiraishi Asuka said nothing. She simply continued gazing at Mikage Touji with her clear, wide purple eyes.

An awkward, unbearable atmosphere filled the air, mingling with the faint, sweet smell of snacks and juice...

At last, Mikage Touji couldn't take it anymore.

"That's not what happened." He held his cheeks taut and gestured with one hand, calmly explaining to Shiraishi Asuka, "Shiraishi-san, actually, I only wanted to ask her for some information about Class D."

"Mhm, mhm."

Shiraishi Asuka nodded gently, her hair swaying with the movement. She didn't seem angry at all. Then she raised a finger and pointed at the phone, which was still vibrating on the table.

"It's rude not to reply."

Cold sweat poured down Mikage Touji's face. He stalled for a while before finally picking up his phone and turning on the screen.

What he saw was...

[Everyone Is Good Friends: Look, I'll send you even more photos in the future, so please don't delete me, okay? Poor little me.jpg]

Shiraishi Asuka's smile grew even wider.

"..."

Mikage Touji shut his eyes in pain.

Cha Cha, are you just big-breasted and brainless, or are you secretly a genius? You look like such an easy mark, so how come I'm always the one who ends up losing?

To prove his innocence, Mikage Touji decided to sternly condemn this behavior and order her to keep sending him things like that in secret from now on.

[Jiji Fu Jiji: Actually... I'm a girl.]

[Everyone Is Good Friends: Really? Then tell me what physical symptoms girls experience before their periods within the next 10 seconds.]

"..." How did you suddenly get so smart whenever it came to social stuff?

"I know this one. Want me to help?" Mother Shiraishi, the woman who could do anything, offered to solve the problem.

"Forget it." Mikage Touji gave up. "Even if I get through this one, she'll figure it out next time. I might as well just admit it."

Thirty seconds later.

[Everyone Is Good Friends: You took that long to reply. You really are a guy.]

This account had originally had three owners, two girls and one boy. Now, thanks to your clever trick of turning one peach into three deaths, it only had one owner left.

Mikage Touji absolutely wouldn't let Morishita Ran see this account now.

With her troublemaking nature, she'd probably call the police on the spot, send Mikage Touji to prison in tears, and then speedily inherit the more than one million personal points in his account.

[Jiji Fu Jiji: So what if I'm a guy?]

"Buzz—"

Another leg photo came through. It looked like it had been taken in front of a mirror, too.

A snowy-white hand held down her school uniform skirt. Two slightly plump, beautiful legs peeked out from beneath it, and the camera focused on the sole of a foot, its pale skin tracing a lovely curve.

[Jiji Fu Jiji: What do you mean?]

[Everyone Is Good Friends: A treat for your dog! I refuse to believe a guy could look at someone as cute as me and still delete me! Get over here and accept your death! That bitch Horikita Suzune really pissed me off just now, so from now on, you're Horikita Suzune!]

Mikage Touji rubbed his eyes, then looked at the screen again.

What the hell are you talking about? I'm Horikita-imouto?

[Jiji Fu Jiji: You're treating me as a stand-in for Horikita Suzune? Hey! I'm a guy!]

[Everyone Is Good Friends: Same thing! Of the people I hate most, she's number one, you're number two, and someone else from my class is number three. This way, I can enjoy twice the fun! Also, send me a message every twenty seconds to prove you're still here. Don't think I don't know you often drop one line and then run off.]

"..." You're pretty good at this!

Before Mikage Touji could send a reply, another torrent of foul language came flying his way.

Stuff like, "Why doesn't Horikita Suzune just go die already?"

Stuff like, "Why hasn't that bitch accepted my friend request yet? I even called those damn pigs over to make them study!"

Stuff like, "Why act so high and mighty? You're just like the rest of us, stuck in Class D," and so on.

Ten minutes later.

[Everyone Is Good Friends: All right, next time I get pissed off, I'll send you another photo.]

Cha Cha, do you think sending me perks like this will make me give in?

Mikage Touji honestly moved his fingers.

[Jiji Fu Jiji: Aren't you worried I'll leak your photos?]

[Everyone Is Good Friends: (ˉ▽￣~) Tsk~~ First of all, you can't even see my face. And besides, would you really do that? If you keep them on your phone, then I'm all yours~]

She really was a social butterfly. Her knack for getting inside people's heads was leagues ahead of Horikita-imouto's.

"That girl," Shiraishi Asuka said, covering her mouth as she watched everything unfold. "She's quite interesting. No wonder you find her fun."

Mikage Touji gave an awkward laugh. "I guess."

Shiraishi Asuka's complete lack of concern made him feel a little uneasy.

As if she'd sensed what he was thinking, Shiraishi Asuka gathered up a lock of golden hair and leaned close to his ear. Her fingertips brushed across his stiff hand, and her breath was warm and sweet as honey.

"I'm really not angry. If you want to see something like that, I can show you whenever you like."

Mikage Touji's Personal Wallet

At dinnertime, the aroma of coffee and sweet toasted bread filled the Patere Cafe. Soft yellow light spilled from the hanging lamps, casting warm patches of light across the tables.

After sending Cha Cha on her way, Mikage Touji quickly switched targets to her archenemy—Horikita Suzune.

He still had the information about Class D's Midterm Exam that he hadn't used. He had to find a way to sell it to Horikita-imouto, or it would be wasted.

But Horikita-imouto was nothing like Cha Cha. She was so cold that whenever he tried to chat with her, he'd get only a few words in reply.

I'm reading.

I'm studying.

I'm cooking.

That was it.

For a while, Mikage Touji had wondered if Horikita-imouto was some kind of ultimate life-form from another planet, completely devoid of entertainment and focused solely on improving herself.

If he hadn't found a way to hold her weak spot over her, he might not have been able to deal with her at all.

A little while later, Horikita Suzune appeared at the cafe entrance.

Her burgundy uniform fit her neatly, the collar buttoned up without a single wrinkle. Her asymmetrical hair swayed with her clacking footsteps, making her already cold face seem even more unapproachable.

Her fox-like eyes swept across the cafe. After spotting her target, she walked straight over to Mikage Touji and sat across from him, hands folded in her lap and back perfectly straight. She got straight to the point.

"What did you want to see me about?"

Mikage Touji casually pushed the menu toward her. Its hard cover made a soft scraping sound as it slid across the table. "Don't be in such a hurry. We can talk while we eat. I'm still hungry."

"Just say what you have to say. I don't make a habit of owing people things," Horikita Suzune refused coldly.

Mikage Touji gazed blankly out at the dark night sky. "Who was it who said last time that she'd owe me money?"

"You—!"

Horikita Suzune clenched her teeth, her fist tightening unconsciously. She shot Mikage Touji a murderous glare, but in the end, she reluctantly ordered curry.

Once their food had arrived, Mikage Touji finally got down to today's business.

"Last time I saw you in the library, you were helping those few deadbeats in your class study?"

Horikita Suzune paused with her spoonful of curry halfway to her mouth. The sauce dripped back onto her plate as she lowered her eyes. "That was me, but there won't be a next time."

"Won't you reconsider?"

"Their expulsion would actually be good for Class D."

"You don't plan on giving them a hand?" Mikage Touji asked again, his voice carrying the faintest hint of persuasion.

"No need." Horikita Suzune's tone was firm.

Mikage Touji let out a long sigh and leaned back against the sofa, sounding a little disappointed.

"I have some information about your class's Midterm Exam. At the very least, it could save your class a week of exam prep. I was going to sell it to you cheap, but if you don't want it, then forget it..."

In just a few seconds, Mikage Touji watched Horikita Suzune's expression shift from indifference to hesitation, then to irritation.

It could rival Cha Cha's art of changing faces.

"You did that on purpose, didn't you? Also..." Horikita Suzune glared viciously at Mikage Touji and forced the words through her teeth. "Why do you have information about our class's Midterm Exam?"

"You don't need to worry about that. Either way, it'll definitely save your class a week." Mikage Touji easily ignored Horikita Suzune's freezing glare and leisurely speared a piece of fried chicken, popping it into his mouth.

"How do I know whether the information is true?"

"The school offers contracts guaranteed by the administration, which make sure both sides uphold their end of the deal. But we know each other so well. If you decide later that the information isn't worth 200,000, you can just refuse to pay."

"Are you really that generous?" Horikita Suzune looked at Mikage Touji suspiciously.

"I made 500,000 off your brother, so you have to do business with a conscience. If you don't want it, then forget it." Mikage Touji raised a hand to his chest and spoke with a sigh.

"You..."

Horikita Suzune wondered if she'd been too hard on a classmate she'd only recently met.

"Wait a moment. I'll see if I can gather the 200,000. I'll get back to you tonight."

"OK."

Unlike the back-and-forth with Cha Cha, Horikita Suzune was straightforward. The two quickly settled on the deal.

Four hours later, Mikage Touji had returned to his room and was just about to go to sleep when Horikita Suzune's message finally arrived.

[Horikita Suzune: Um...]

That familiar, hesitant feeling... No way...

Mikage Touji sprang up from his bed, scratched his messy hair, and grimaced, raising a hand to his forehead in pain.

[Mikage Touji: Don't tell me your class can't even scrape together 200,000?!]

The blank chat screen stayed that way for several minutes. It felt like several centuries had passed. Even through the screen, Mikage Touji could sense Horikita-imouto's frustration and helplessness.

After going through some unknown inner struggle, the other person finally managed to squeeze out a reply.

[Horikita Suzune: In any case, I'll pay you back.]

But didn't you say earlier that you didn't like owing people things?

[Mikage Touji: That's not the problem. I'm just curious—didn't you ask Kushida for help?]

[Horikita Suzune: I don't want to talk about that.]

That chilly tone...

Taking Horikita-imouto's personality into account, Mikage Touji felt as if he'd already guessed what had happened.

[Mikage Touji: Um... Did you just go straight to the class group chat and demand 200,000 points from everyone without explaining the pros and cons first?]

The other person fell silent again for a long while.

[Horikita Suzune: If people know how to think, shouldn't they be able to weigh the pros and cons on their own?]

"..."

There was one thing I could say for sure: you'd definitely been put in the right class when you ended up in Class D.

[Mikage Touji: Never mind. How many points do you have right now?]

[Horikita Suzune: 74392pr]

Even the last digit was accounted for. Now I almost felt bad.

[Mikage Touji: Transfer me 50,000. The information is simple: your class's designated Midterm Exam scope is wrong. It's different from the scopes for Classes A, B, and C. I had someone confirm it.]