"Here you are... Oh my, you came holding hands. How sweet."
When we reached our usual spot in the cafeteria, Sakayanagi Arisu greeted us with an exceptionally radiant smile as she looked at Shiina Hiyori and me holding hands.
Honestly, I really wanted to hit her right now.
"Sweet? Good grief..."
Across from me, Hiyori shook her head, her cheeks flushed red.
I was stunned to see Shiina react like that for the first time.
Sakayanagi also looked confused, as if she'd seen something unexpected.
"Um... Shiina. If you react like that, calling you 'Hiyori' might seem..."
"Please call me Hiyori. I want Hachiman to use my first name."
Shiina said, puffing her cheeks out slightly.
What was she, some adorable little animal?
"...What happened?"
Even Sakayanagi asked curiously.
After all, Shiina had suddenly changed her attitude...
"Well, actually..."
Shiina began explaining how Ryuen and I had made a deal today.
"I can't believe that happened!"
"Yes. So after morning assembly, I apologized to Hachiman and thanked him. Then I suddenly wanted to call him by his first name, and wanted him to call me by mine, too..."
"I see. By the way, Hikigaya, let me know anytime if you're running short on points."
"No worries. I still have over three hundred thousand. I can earn more."
Besides, I was planning to stir things up at the Chess Club after school today.
"That's good. Still, Hikigaya, make sure you call Shiina by her first name."
Sakayanagi flashed an angelic smile.
I saw right through her intentions. She probably wanted to see Shiina get embarrassed when I called her by her first name.
"Hachiman... please."
Meanwhile, Shiina looked at me with an expectant gaze.
Unlike Sakayanagi, her sincerity made it hard to refuse.
Just as I hesitated over how to respond...
"..."
Shiina's expression suddenly shifted from expectation to unease, and she looked up at me with a pitiful gaze.
Being looked at like that filled me with guilt.
In the end...
"Hi-Hiyori..."
Driven by guilt, I called her by her first name.
It was my first time calling a girl by her first name, and I was nervous as hell.
"Mm, thank you, Hachiman."
Shi... Hiyori smiled happily across from me.
Seeing her like that made my heart suddenly race.
"I'm happy for you, Shiina. Though Hikigaya looks so nervous... Hehe."
Sakayanagi giggled as she watched me flounder.
She was really getting on my nerves.
"Shut up. Let's eat first!"
With that, I led the two of them to the vending machines to order our meals.
I had a little over three hundred thousand points left.
It took twenty million points to reach Class A individually. I still had a long way to go.
After ordering, we found an empty table and sat down, but...
"I feel like a lot more people are looking at us today..."
People always stared when I ate in the cafeteria because of those bizarre rumors, but today it was especially noticeable.
"It's probably because Katsuragi and the others are here."
Following Sakayanagi's gaze, I saw several boys looking our way as if they were sizing up their prey.
"So? Is that bald guy Katsuragi?"
"That's right."
"Hmph."
"Hachiman, that was such a casual answer."
"Of course. Rumor has it that he and Sakayanagi are the two leading figures in Class A, but I can't see how he could stand on equal footing with you."
Honestly, he was several levels below Sakayanagi.
Was he only rumored to be her equal because he opposed her?
"Yes, but his faction has considerable influence. It'll take some time before I can bring it completely under control."
Sakayanagi gave a cold laugh...
"Are you plotting another underhanded scheme?"
She was probably thinking about how to crush the opposition.
She said it was troublesome, but not impossible, so she'd probably already figured out how to win.
"How rude. I still don't understand how this school works, so I won't make a move just yet. Right now, all I can think about is how to tease you, Hikigaya."
"Stop it, you idiot! You're not allowed to think that way for the rest of your life!"
To me, that was the ultimate horror story.
"Oh, right! This weekend is the last break before exam week. Let's go on a date, the three of us?"
"Are you even listening to me?!"
"That sounds nice. We usually only go to the café after school, so we should broaden our horizons once in a while."
"Mm, I'm interested in seeing a movie. We could also visit the beach near school."
While I protested, Sakayanagi and Hiyori had already started planning their weekend.
It looked like whether I joined them had already been decided.
...I'd say I didn't want to go, then end up having a pretty good time anyway.
Several hours later...
"Checkmate."
"Damn it! I lost again! You thief!"
"I'm not a thief, but thanks."
To make up for the 500,000 points I'd paid Ryuen and keep earning extra money, I was gambling big at the Chess Club.
I'd just beaten a third-year senior, and 150,000 points had been transferred to my terminal.
My total winnings had now topped a million. Things were going smoothly.
"But Hikigaya, you're ridiculously good. You showed up out of nowhere in April. Why are you in Class D?"
"Probably because I'm bad at getting along with people. In fact, I only have one classmate's contact information saved."
My terminal's contacts included only Sakayanagi, Hiyori, and my classmate Kushida Kikyo.
And Kushida had practically forced me to save hers, so in practice I only had the first two.
"Huh? You're supposedly juggling three girls, but you've only got one classmate's contact saved? What kind of school life are you living?"
A second-year senior asked me, half exasperated, but I thought I was living a perfectly ordinary school life.
If anything...
"Um... even the upperclassmen have started hearing the rumor that I'm juggling three girls?"
"It's spreading like wildfire. They say Hikigaya Hachiman from Class 1-D has all the girls from Classes A, B, and C wrapped around his finger and is trying to erase the class divide."
"What kind of ridiculous rumor is that?! It's even more outrageous than the version going around among the first-years!"
Besides, I hadn't even exchanged contact information with Ichinose, let alone dated her.
That hug incident really had made a huge impact, after all.
"Yeah, it's pretty wild. But in a way, you're as famous as Student Council President Horikita now. Be careful not to attract too much attention. The current vice president, Nagumo, really doesn't like anyone stealing his spotlight."
Learning that harsh truth almost made me cry...
"Well, there's no point worrying about it now. It's my turn. How about a 200,000-point bet?"
"Sounds good. Just like last month, I'll gladly take your points."
"Don't get cocky! You'd better brace yourself, too. This time, I'm getting back what I lost last month!"
We traded taunts, but I still set up the pieces again.
Two hours later...
"Pfft... gamblers deserve to die."
Grinning at my terminal, I left the club building.
The screen clearly displayed—
Points.
My minimum goal had been a million, and ideally I'd earn over one and a half million. This was a perfect result.
I was probably the first-year with the most Private Points now. The runner-up was likely Ryuen, who'd taken 500,000 from me today.
Still, I want to save up more. I know too little about the S-System. Better to be prepared.
But it was hard to put that into practice.
Gambling with the Chess Club brought in money quickly, but they weren't an infinite supply of cash. I could only go once a month.
The seniors had been grinding their teeth, but when we parted, they'd still said, "Come back next month."
That left me with few ways to make money.
I might earn some points by selling Class D information to Ryuen, but that would be a real pain if I got exposed.
What about gambling with other clubs? I had some talent at shogi. If I worked at it like my life depended on it, maybe I could win points from the Shogi Club.
...No, I'd practiced chess so hard because Sakayanagi was someone I wanted to surpass. I didn't have an opponent like that in shogi, so it'd be hard to improve.
Maybe I should look for that rumored part-time job... Wait, what if I applied for reward points during midterms and finals?
Back during the swimming competition in PE, the teacher had said the first-place student would get 5,000 points.
It seemed Private Points didn't require approval from the higher-ups; teachers could decide how to award them on their own.
It'd be great if I could convince Chabashira-sensei to offer bonuses to the top ten or top five students in each subject, or overall.
Of course, there was no chance I'd rank near the top overall. But if I focused on the humanities, I might be able to place near the top of my grade.
The question was whether Chabashira-sensei would agree. Still, it seemed like a reasonable way to motivate students.
That might get me around 30,000 points.
Anyway, I needed to cut expenses before finding new ways to earn money.
The dropout rate at this school wasn't low, so stockpiling points couldn't hurt. Maybe I could even buy the privilege of having a withdrawal revoked.
As I was thinking, 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? It's room 1206, and the door's unlocked. There's no pressure, but I'd be happy if you could come."
I'd actually received an invitation like that.
"Going to a girl's room this late at night is a bit..."
The dormitory rooms on floors one through ten were for boys, and the floors above that were for girls.
The school rules didn't forbid boys from entering the girls' dormitory, but I'd definitely attract attention.
Still, judging from Hiyori's message, she'd be upset if I didn't go.
She was kind and wouldn't complain, but I'd feel so guilty my stomach might perforate.
So I sighed, replied that I'd come, and headed back to the dormitory.
Ten minutes later, I arrived at the dorm and took the stairs, aiming for the twelfth floor where Hiyori lived.
The stairs were usually used only by people on the second or third floor who couldn't wait for the elevator. They were practically deserted.
Climbing twelve floors was hell, but it was better than running into a girl by the elevator.
When I reached the twelfth floor, I stealthily pushed open the door and saw a girl passing through the corridor. I immediately held my breath and waited.
After watching her disappear around the corner, I hurried off on tiptoe. I felt like the protagonist of a stealth game.
I reached room 1206, and the door really was unlocked. I stepped inside...
"Ah, welcome, Hachiman. Dinner will be ready soon, so just wait a little!"
Hiyori was busy in the kitchen, wearing an apron.
The sight hit me right in the heart.
Before you continue