Tonight, Go to Hiyori's Room to Eat Something Delicious

"So you've arrived... My, holding hands already? You two are getting along quite well."

As we reached our usual table in the cafeteria, Arisu Sakayanagi looked at the hands Hiyori Shiina and I were holding and greeted us with an incredibly radiant smile.

To be honest, I really wanted to punch her right now.

"Getting along, you say... Oh, honestly."

Across from me, Hiyori shook her head, her cheeks flushed crimson.

Seeing Shiina react like this for the first time left me stunned.

Even Arisu wore a look of bewilderment, as if she had just seen something completely unexpected.

"Um... Shiina. A reaction like that makes the name 'Hiyori' seem..."

"Please call me Hiyori. I would like Hachiman to call me by my first name."

Shiina said, puffing out her cheeks slightly.

What kind of adorable little animal is this?

"...What on earth happened?"

Even Arisu asked out of curiosity.

After all, Shiina's sudden change in attitude was quite something...

"Actually, it's like this..."

Shiina began to explain the process of the contract I had made with Ryuen today.

"To think such a thing happened!"

"Yes. So, after the morning assembly ended, I apologized and thanked Hachiman, and then I suddenly wanted to call him by his first name, and I wanted him to call me by mine as well..."

"I see. By the way, Hachiman, if you ever run low on points, please let me know at any time."

"It's fine. I still have over three hundred thousand, and I can always earn more."

If anything, I was planning to go cause a scene at the Chess Club after school today.

"That's good to hear. But Hachiman, you must make sure to call Shiina by her first name properly."

That girl Arisu flashed an angelic smile.

I saw right through her intentions; she probably just wanted to see Shiina get shy when called by her name.

"Hachiman... please."

On the other side, Shiina looked at me with eyes full of anticipation.

Unlike Arisu, this pure expression was impossible to refuse.

Just as I was hesitating on how to respond...

"..."

Shiina's expression suddenly shifted from anticipation to unease, and she looked up at me with pitiful, teary eyes.

Being stared at like that, a sense of guilt welled up inside me.

In the end...

"Hi, Hiyori-chan..."

Driven by guilt, I called out her name.

Calling a girl by her first name for the first time had me nervous as hell.

"Mm, thank you, Hachiman."

Across from me, Shi... Hiyori smiled happily.

Watching her like this, my heart suddenly began to race.

"That's wonderful, Shiina. Though, seeing Hachiman so nervous... hehe."

Arisu chuckled as she watched me scramble in a panic.

That look on her face was truly infuriating.

"Shut up. Let's just eat!"

Saying that, I led the two of them toward the vending machine to order our food.

My remaining points were still a little over three hundred thousand.

To reach Class A individually requires twenty million points, so I still have a long way to go.

After ordering, we found an empty table and sat down, but...

"I feel like an unusual number of people are watching us today..."

Although I'm always stared at in the cafeteria because of strange rumors, it was especially noticeable today.

"It's probably because of Katsuragi and his group."

Following Arisu's gaze, I saw several boys eyeing us with looks like they were assessing prey.

"So? Judging by that bald guy's posture, that's Katsuragi?"

"Precisely."

"Hmph."

"Your response is so casual, Hikigaya Hachiman."

"Of course. Even though rumors say he and Sakanayanagi are the twin pillars of Class A, he doesn't look like he's on equal footing with her at all."

To be honest, he's several levels below Sakanayanagi.

The only reason they're rumored to be equals is probably just because they're rivals, right?

"Hmm, but his faction has significant influence. It will still take some time to gain complete control."

Sakanayanagi sneered...

"Are you plotting some sinister scheme again?"

She's definitely thinking about how to crush him.

Although she says he's troublesome, she didn't say it was impossible. She likely already has a path to victory.

"How rude. I haven't fully grasped the school's mechanisms yet, so I won't be taking action for the time being. Right now, my mind is entirely occupied with how to tease Hikigaya Hachiman."

"Cut it out, you idiot! Don't you ever have thoughts like that in your life!"

To me, that is the ultimate horror story.

"Oh, that's right. This weekend is the last break before the exam period. Shall the three of us go on a date?"

"Listen to me when I'm talking, hey!"

"That sounds nice. We only go to the cafe after school usually; we should expand our range of activities occasionally."

"Mm, I'm interested in a movie, or perhaps going to the beach near the school wouldn't be bad either."

Even though I was complaining, Sakanayanagi and Hiyori had already started making plans for the weekend.

It seems my participation was already a foregone conclusion.

...Even though I say I don't want to, I'll probably end up having a pretty good time in the end.

A few hours later...

"Checkmate."

"Damn it! Lost again! You bandit!"

"Not a bandit, but thanks."

In order to make up for the 500,000 points paid to Ryuen and to continue earning extra cash, I was gambling heavily in the Chess Club.

Having just defeated a third-year senior, 150,000 points were transferred to my terminal.

My total earnings have now exceeded a million; things are progressing smoothly.

"But Hikigaya, you're just too strong. You suddenly burst onto the scene in April. Why are you in Class D?"

"Probably a lack of social coordination. In fact, I only have one contact saved from my own classmates."

My terminal's address book only contains Sakanayanagi, Hiyori, and my classmate Kushida Kikyo.

And Kushida was added half-forcibly; in reality, it's only the first two.

"Huh? You're playing the field with three girls outside your class, yet you only have one classmate's contact saved? What kind of school life are you living?"

A second-year senior asked me this with a look of half-resignation, but I feel like I'm living a perfectly normal life.

If anything...

"Um... have rumors about me playing the field started circulating among the upperclassmen too?"

"They're spreading like wildfire. Everyone says that Hikigaya Hachiman from Class 1-D has bewitched girls from Classes A, B, and C, and is attempting to eliminate the gaps between the classes."

"What kind of ridiculous rumor is that?! It's even more absurd than the version circulating among the first-years!"

Besides, I haven't even exchanged contacts with Ichinose, let alone dated her.

That hug incident really had a massive impact.

"True. But in a sense, you're now a prominent figure on par with Student Council President Horikita. You should be careful; tall trees catch the wind. After all, the current Vice President, Nagumo, is very sensitive about others stealing his spotlight."

Learning this cruel fact, I really felt like crying...

"Well, there's no use worrying about it now. It's my turn next. The bet... how about 200,000?"

"I'd be happy to oblige. Just like last month, I'll gladly accept it."

"Don't talk big! You'd better prepare yourself too; I'm definitely going to win back what I lost last month!"

Although we were bickering, I reset the chess pieces.

Two hours later...

"Pfft... a gambler who loses deserves no pity."

I chuckled while holding my terminal and left the club building.

The screen displayed it clearly—

Points.

The goal was a minimum of one million, ideally over 1.5 million; this result could be called perfect.

I should currently have the most private points among the first-years, with Ryuen, who took 500,000 from me today, likely in second place.

(Still, I want to save up more. There is too little information regarding the S-System, and it never hurts to be prepared.)

But putting that into practice is difficult.

Although gambling with the Chess Club is a fast way to make money, they aren't an infinite ATM; I can only go once a month.

In reality, even though the upperclassmen were gritting their teeth, they still said, "Come back next month," as we parted ways.

In this way, the channels for making money have decreased.

If I sold information about Class D to Ryuen, I might be able to earn some points, but getting exposed would be troublesome.

What about gambling in other clubs? I have a bit of a talent for Shogi; if I worked myself to the bone, I might be able to win money from the Shogi Club.

...No, that won't work. I only practiced chess so hard because I had Sakanayanagi as a goal I wanted to surpass. I don't have such an opponent for Shogi, so it's hard to improve my skills.

(As expected, I still have to look for that rumored part-time job... Wait, what about applying for reward points during midterms and finals?)

Back during the swimming competition in P.E. class, the teacher mentioned giving 5,000 points to the first-place winner.

It seems private points don't require approval from superiors; teachers can decide on their own.

If I could convince Chabashira to "give a bonus for placing in the top ten or top five of the grade in individual subjects or overall rankings," that would be great.

Of course, there's no chance for the overall ranking, but if I focus on liberal arts, it might be possible to reach the top of the grade.

The problem is whether Chabashira would agree, but as a means to motivate students, it should be feasible.

That would probably net me around 30,000 points.

In any case, I should focus on cutting expenses first, then increasing income.

The dropout rate at this school is not low, so hoarding points is definitely the right move; perhaps I can even buy the privilege to cancel an expulsion.

Just as I was thinking this, my terminal suddenly chimed.

It was an email from Hiyori:

"Hachiman. Have you eaten yet? If not, would you like to come to my room? The room number is 1206, and the door is unlocked. I'm not forcing you to come, but I would be very happy if you could."

I actually received an invitation like this.

"Going to a girl's room late at night is just too..."

In this school's dormitory, floors 1 through 10 are for boys, and the floors above are for girls.

Although school rules don't forbid boys from entering the girls' dormitory, I would definitely become the center of attention.

But looking at the content of Hiyori's email, she would surely be sad if I didn't go.

Even though she is gentle and wouldn't complain, I would feel so guilty I'd get a perforated ulcer.

So, I sighed, replied with my consent, and headed toward the dormitory.

Ten minutes later, I arrived at the dormitory and chose to take the stairs, aiming for the 12th floor where Hiyori was.

The stairs are usually only used by people living on the 2nd or 3rd floors who can't wait for the elevator; there's basically no one around.

Although climbing 12 floors is killer, it's better than running into girls at the elevator lobby.

After arriving on the 12th floor, I quietly pushed the door open and, discovering a girl passing through the hallway, hurriedly held my breath and waited.

After watching her disappear around the corner, I immediately sprinted on tiptoe. I felt just like the protagonist of a stealth game.

Arriving in front of room 1206, the door was indeed unlocked. I stepped inside...

"Ah, welcome, Hachiman. The food will be ready soon, please wait a moment!"

Hiyori, wearing an apron, was busy in the kitchen.

This scene struck me right in the heart.