It had given the class an advantage.
But from now on, there would be a Special Exam every month, and those exams would affect the class's evaluation score.
So if they wanted a say in things, they would have to wait for the other exams, earn points, and hold on to them.
By then, the Sakayanagi Faction would understand that their approach was the right one.
Although having two factions within one class could lead to internal conflict and weaken the class as a whole,
it probably wouldn't be a big problem.
The other classes wouldn't be able to catch up anyway.
Meanwhile, Kamuro, who had been about to enjoy her free time after classes had ended, wore a scowl.
She could say goodbye to her good mood for the day.
She'd run into trouble lately.
The previous night, Sakayanagi Arisu had approached her and told her to be her dog.
That was right.
Those were her exact words, without a hint of courtesy. It was ridiculous. This was high school, after all. Who treated a classmate like a puppy?
Kamuro felt insulted.
Sakayanagi had also offered her a price.
She would pay Kamuro 100,000 Private Points a month until graduation.
Yeah.
Since she knew what this school was really like, she understood that those 100,000 points were the same as 100,000 yen.
That was no small sum for a student. Over three years, it would amount to three million yen!
She could spend points like money, but she hadn't heard anything about being able to take them outside the school. Still, she could take things she bought outside, right?
Three million yen was no small amount.
"..." Kamuro.
Yeah.
What she should be thinking about now wasn't that weirdo Sakayanagi. It was the fact that she'd just seen Sakayanagi talking with Shirogane Miyuki from Class 1-C.
That was right, Shirogane Miyuki.
At first, she hadn't known his name. But when the Student Council Vice President had rushed into the classroom to reward her, Kamuro had nearly lost it.
She was sure of it: that guy she'd run into in the Shopping District had found her SD card. It had stolen photos on it. The thing was... she hadn't realized that at first; her kleptomania had simply taken over.
That was right.
She had a kleptomania problem, though she usually returned what she stole afterward.
As a result,
she'd accidentally lost the SD card she'd stolen, which had brought the hidden-camera photos to light.
But she couldn't admit it. If she did... they'd find out she stole things.
So for the past few days, Kamuro had been digging into Shirogane Miyuki's background. She wanted to approach him and warn him not to say anything, but going out of her way to approach him would make it look like she had something to hide.
That was why she'd been so stressed lately.
And now she'd found out that he and Sakayanagi seemed to have a good relationship. The two of them had even been chatting together. She had no idea if they were talking about her.
It was like kicking someone when they were down.
"Kamuro."
Kamuro was sitting on a bench, lost in thought, when a voice suddenly called out to her. It wasn't unfamiliar anymore.
Kamuro looked over. As expected, Sakayanagi Arisu was walking toward her.
"What do you want?" Kamuro said with a scowl. "I'm not agreeing to that."
Kamuro was, at least, as stubborn as they came.
"You mean being my dog? Unfortunately, I'm no longer planning to pay you," Sakayanagi said. "I don't like people who turn me down."
"..." Kamuro. "Then why did you come over?"
"To add you as a friend," Sakayanagi Arisu said. "And you'll agree, won't you, Kamuro?"
Sakayanagi Arisu was cute and adorable, and her voice sounded quite alluring.
But...
What was this girl talking about? What did she mean, Kamuro would agree?
Would she agree?
Had Sakayanagi already found out something? Had she teamed up with Shirogane Miyuki?
Kamuro felt a flicker of pressure.
"..." Kamuro.
"No way," Kamuro said flatly.
And so, after adding each other as friends, Sakayanagi Arisu left and returned to the classroom.
A friend's book recommendation
Synopsis: A world combining Bocchi the Rock! and BanG Dream! It's MyGO!!!!!
After waking up, he found himself transported to the everyday world of an anime.
His name was Niijima Kong, and he was in the same class as Bocchi from Bocchi the Rock! and Takamatsu Tomori from MyGO!!!!!
However, he didn't intend to get involved with them. He hoped the characters, who were already on track for happy endings, would stay on their original paths.
So he just watched from the sidelines. But as he watched, both Bocchi and Takamatsu Tomori came over to talk to him?
Were those two really the type to do that?
The heroines heard his inner thoughts.
Goto Hitori: Niijima is so weird. Why does he keep calling me cute and saying he likes me... and how does he know I have a YouTube account...? Who is he...?
Takamatsu Tomori: I want to become human... Could Niijima be the key to that?
Chapter 28: Sakayanagi Arisu Lies in Wait!
"What a strange girl."
The next afternoon, after school, Kamuro headed to the Shopping District.
She saw other students wandering around, just like her.
Even the new students seemed to have gotten used to shopping and enjoying themselves here.
But she could still see that some of the older students were different.
According to the people on Sakayanagi's side, the older students had been ordered not to talk about things when asked by upperclassmen. But some new students had provoked upperclassmen and been taunted with, "You'll see hell soon enough."
"..."
Coming to this school meant a fresh start, but there were a lot of rules and restrictions here too.
Three years of closed-campus education, class competition, and the expectation that if you were assigned to Class A, you had to uphold the dignity of Class A students and maintain Class A's score.
The class had split into two factions. Kamuro didn't like Sakayanagi, but she disliked Katsuragi's plan too.
Katsuragi's strategy of playing it safe and protecting their score was undoubtedly a high-pressure policy, with too many demands. It was exhausting.
Still,
she hated Sakayanagi too.
As she thought about this, Kamuro entered a convenience store and walked over to the shelves.
She didn't actually want to buy anything. She just wanted to steal something.
That was her problem.
Ever since middle school, whenever she encountered trouble or stress, she'd wanted to steal little things. She knew it was an illness, but she couldn't control herself.
Her family was fairly ordinary, and her parents were upright people who cared a great deal about appearances. If her problem ever came to light, they would probably fly into a rage.
She didn't know when it had started. Whenever she felt stressed or anxious, stealing helped her relax.
And now, once again, she'd had a day full of stress.
"That'll be 2,000 points."
At the register, Kamuro paid for four sticks of gum, three pens, and an eraser.
Then she left the convenience store without changing her expression.
"How boring," Kamuro thought disdainfully.
Because, apart from the things she'd just paid for, she'd also stolen a red pen. She hadn't paid for that one, and nobody had noticed.
She was pretty talented, in a way. She'd found that she was quite good at stealing. As long as she avoided the cameras, she could do it quickly and get away with it.
But she'd barely made it out of the convenience store when she noticed a girl blocking her path.
"Oh my, what a coincidence, Kamuro," Sakayanagi Arisu said.
Sakayanagi Arisu held her cane in her left hand and wore a cheerful smile.
"I only added you as a friend so I could track where you were and wait for you to break a rule."
"I didn't have to wait long at all."
"Kamuro Masumi," Sakayanagi Arisu said.
Kamuro kept a stern expression, but inside, her thoughts were in turmoil.
So Sakayanagi had acted strangely yesterday and added her as a friend because she wanted to keep an eye on her.
But that wasn't even the biggest problem.
Kamuro didn't think she'd been completely exposed.
"You looked miserable before you went into the convenience store, but you seemed more relaxed when you came out," Sakayanagi Arisu continued. "So you've already stolen something, haven't you?"
"You enjoy stealing things. That's called kleptomania, Kamuro," Sakayanagi said.
"..."
So she'd figured it all out, hadn't she?
"I originally hoped to pay you fairly to help me. But now, Kamuro, I'll be counting on you to help me without compensation for the next three years," Sakayanagi Arisu said.
"After all, you don't want to be expelled with the reputation of a thief, do you?" Sakayanagi said.
"What are you talking about?" Kamuro said with a scowl.
She was already starting to bluff.
Sakayanagi knew, but Kamuro couldn't admit defeat here. And she'd chosen a spot without cameras to steal the red pen. Sakayanagi seemed to have been waiting by the store entrance, so as long as she hadn't caught Kamuro in the act, Kamuro would be fine.
"How can you think that about your own classmate?"
"Sakayanagi Arisu, you may be smart, but your actions have hurt me."
"I don't think any decent student in Class A would call her own classmate a nasty little thief."
"I demand that you compensate me for damaging my reputation!" By the end, Kamuro had not only found her courage, but was even ready to fight back.
"Well, it seems you're a little rebellious," Sakayanagi said, completely unfazed. "But that makes you even cuter."
"Because I like people who fight back more than people who simply obey," Sakayanagi said.
?
So that was why she, as the leader of the Sakayanagi Faction, had turned down students who'd noticed her physical condition and offered to help her?
She didn't want people who would simply obey?
She wanted people who were rebellious?
Before you continue