"Yo, never thought I'd have to look at those rotten eyes of yours twice in one day."
"Too bad. It's already Monday, so it doesn't count as twice in one day."
"Quit playing word games. Fine, then let me correct that: I never thought I'd have to look at those rotten eyes of yours twice in twenty-four hours."
A little after one in the morning, Ryuen and I faced off in front of the vending machines near the dorms.
Ryuen watched me with his naturally vicious grin.
"So? I can pretty much guess what you want to talk about, so spit it out. And don't make a habit of calling me out in the middle of the night."
"Can't be helped. I was with Shiina until almost midnight."
That girl had insisted on staying in my room until the very last moment before the date changed—11:59 p.m.
When we parted, tears had shimmered in her eyes, but I'd never let her look like that again.
"You sure are popular... So? This is about Hiyori, right? Like I told you before, don't get involved with her anymore."
Ryuen said it as though it were obvious, but I had no intention of backing down.
"Just to confirm, you mean I'm not allowed to see Shiina unless I become a spy?"
"Exactly."
Ryuen nodded, but I didn't want to be a spy.
I'd rather not spend my days on edge, wondering when I'd be found out.
So...
"Question: Is there any way to earn the right to see her besides becoming a spy?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
As Ryuen looked at me in confusion, I pulled out my student ID card and said:
"Can I buy the right to see Shiina, Sakayanagi, and the others with Private Points?"
Ryuen froze for a moment, then burst out laughing. "I see! Hahaha! That's interesting! I thought you might become a spy, but I never expected you to try this!"
Ryuen doubled over, laughing with a twisted, vicious grin.
After taking a deep breath, I spoke again. "I remember the school rules saying that anything can be traded for points. In theory, there's nothing wrong with me, a student, buying the right to see Shiina, another student, from you, another student, right?"
The only question was whether Ryuen was willing to sell.
If he said no, there was nothing I could do.
In the slightly tense atmosphere, Ryuen sized me up with a sadistic look. "Interesting. In theory, you're right. But can you afford it, being from Class D?"
"Depends on the price. So, how much if you're selling?"
"How about this... If you pay 500,000 points within a week, we have a deal. Once you've paid in full, I'll guarantee that I won't interfere with Hiyori's relationships anymore."
Ryuen smirked, apparently convinced I couldn't afford it.
But he was too naive.
"You're sure? I can see Shiina as long as I pay 500,000?"
At my question, Ryuen looked suspicious. "You sound pretty confident. I don't mind taking 500,000, but can you actually pay it?"
"Of course."
I brought up my account balance on my student ID—over 800,000 points.
Ryuen's eyes widened instantly.
"I'm impressed... You've managed to earn that much at this point in the year."
"There are plenty of ways to make money. So, if I pay you 500,000, you won't interfere with Shiina anymore?"
"Yeah, no problem. Give me your account number now and I'll transfer the points. Then it's a deal."
"No. We'll make the transaction in the faculty office tomorrow morning, in front of a teacher. This is a large transfer, so I won't accept a verbal agreement. We're signing a contract. And don't even think about scamming me or using violence or anything like that. The school said on the first day that it has 'zero tolerance for this kind of thing.'"
In response to my request, Ryuen nodded without getting angry. "That's only natural, given your position. Fine. Meet me in the faculty office at 7:30 tomorrow morning."
It seemed he had no objections to my proposal.
Good.
"Thanks."
"Don't mention it. But you didn't hesitate to pay at all. You must be pretty devoted to Hiyori."
"...I'm not. We're done here, so I'm leaving."
With that, I turned and headed for the dorms.
I didn't have those kinds of feelings for Shiina.
I just wanted to get rid of the reason she'd cried. That was all.
The next day...
"Excuse me."
"Come on in."
At 7:30 a.m., Ryuen and I walked into the faculty office.
Ryuen didn't act much like a student, but I didn't pay it much mind.
"Why, if it isn't Hikigaya and Ryuen! What an unusual combination. What brings you here?"
Hoshinomiya-sensei greeted us. Asking her shouldn't be a problem.
After all, she was Class B's homeroom teacher, so she was relatively neutral.
"Hoshinomiya-sensei, Ryuen and I would like to sign a contract using points. Could you witness it for us?"
"Sure~ Have you written up the contract?"
"Of course. It's ready."
As he spoke, Ryuen handed a piece of paper to Hoshinomiya-sensei.
Contract Hikigaya Hachiman (hereafter referred to as "Party A") and Ryuen Kakeru (hereafter referred to as "Party B") enter into the following contract: 1. Party A shall transfer 500,000 Private Points to Party B. 2. Upon fulfillment of the condition in Article 1, Party B and all Class C students other than Shiina Hiyori (hereafter referred to as "Party C") are prohibited from interfering with Party C's relationships. 3. If Article 2 is violated: - The first offender shall pay Party A 50,000 Private Points; - On the second violation, Party B and the offender shall each pay Party A 100,000 Private Points; - On the third and any subsequent violation, the offender shall be expelled. Hikigaya Hachiman, Class D Ryuen Kakeru, Class C
The contract had already been prepared. It would take effect as soon as Ryuen and I stamped it and the witness, Hoshinomiya-sensei, took custody of it.
"Mm-hmm... Looks good to me. Once you've stamped it, it'll be official. Would you two like to go over the terms one more time?"
We did as she suggested and checked the contract again—
"No problem."
"I have no objections."
500,000 points was a lot, but I had no reason to refuse to pay.
"Great~ Then go ahead and stamp it."
We each pressed our seals onto the contract.
Now, once I transferred the points to Ryuen, Shiina would be able to go on living peacefully.
"All done! Hikigaya, go ahead and transfer the points to Ryuen."
"Okay... It's been sent. Ryuen, you got it?"
"Yeah, no problem. As agreed, Class C won't interfere with Hiyori's social life anymore."
Ryuen held up his phone. His account balance showed over 600,000 points, and the transfer record was clear.
"Then the contract's official~ Here are your copies. Take good care of them."
Hoshinomiya-sensei made copies of the contract and handed one to each of us.
"Here you go~ Ryuen, make sure you keep your class in line."
"Don't need you to tell me that."
Ryuen left the faculty office after tossing out that remark.
His arrogant attitude suited Class C pretty well.
"I'll be going, too. Thank you for witnessing the contract."
"No need to thank me~ It's common for students to have teachers witness large point transactions. But... You spent that much on Shiina. Does that mean she's the main girl, while Sakayanagi and Ichinose are just your side pieces?"
"There's no main girl or side pieces."
I gave her a perfunctory answer and left the office.
I hadn't done this to win Shiina over, nor because I liked her.
I just couldn't stand what was happening.
(I should get back to class soon...)
With a sigh, I headed straight for my classroom.
"Class meeting's over. Please pay attention in class."
Watching Sakagami Kazuma, Class C's homeroom teacher, leave the classroom, Hiyori let out a quiet sigh.
She held a book in her hands, but she hadn't taken in a single word. Her memories of the time she'd spent with Hachiman and Arisu kept flooding her mind.
Watching Arisu tease Hachiman had been more fun than anything else. The parfait they'd shared had been sweeter than anything else. The time the three of them spent together had made her happier than anything else.
But starting today, those moments together as a trio would be gone.
When she realized that, a pain in her chest made the girl curl up.
(Sigh... I'd already cried so much when I said goodbye to Hikigaya yesterday... It seems I still can't let go.)
Hiyori was letting out yet another sigh when she lowered her eyes—and suddenly caught sight of Ryuen, the class's "tyrant," standing at the front of the room.
"I've got an announcement. First, it's about Hiyori."
"...Yes?"
Hiyori looked up at Ryuen with eyes red from crying. He spoke without expression.
"The order I gave you before, forbidding you from seeing Hikigaya and the others, is rescinded. You can meet them whenever you want."
"Huh...?"
Hiyori was completely stunned.
The other students were just as bewildered.
"Wait, Ryuen! Is that really okay?!"
Ishizaki Daichi, Ryuen's loyal follower known as "Ryuen's errand boy," was the first to cry out. The other students began to murmur as well.
Everyone knew Ryuen disapproved of Hiyori's circle of friends. His sudden change of heart filled the classroom with startled gasps.
"Hikigaya and I made a pretty good deal. Pass the contract around and read it carefully—especially those of you involved."
Ryuen tossed the document to Ishizaki.
He glanced at it and immediately widened his eyes.
"500,000?! How did that Class D guy scrape together that much at this point in the year?!"
"Who knows? Anyway, he spent 500,000 to buy the right to see Hiyori. That's all there is to it."
"!"
Those words exploded like thunder in Hiyori's heart.
In that instant, she understood what the deal meant.
(You can buy anything at this school with Private Points, so Hikigaya did it for me...!)
The girl jumped to her feet and dashed out of the classroom with all her strength.
Her classmates stared, dumbfounded, at the sight of her running faster than they'd ever seen her run.
Only Ryuen wore an amused smile.
"Heh heh... Hiyori's feelings are stronger than I expected. But this works out perfectly. I'll use this chance to bring Hikigaya into the fold, too."
Before you continue