Honami Ichinose

It's a pity he didn't have the good habit of carrying a mirror like Koenji, otherwise Ayanokoji would have definitely taken a good look at himself.

Setting aside whether he was handsome or not, was he really that gloomy?

To be ranked in the top five of the first-year charts... no matter how you looked at it, that was just absurd.

"Whether you accept it or not, that's the truth. If you want to be popular, at the very least, you need to become a bit more lively and sunny."

Ayanokoji seemed very interested in this topic; he did indeed want to be more popular, but that was undoubtedly a talent.

Popular people carried a certain aura from the moment they were born, like Katsuya Shinjo right in front of him, or that beauty with the rose-gold hair from earlier.

And some people were born to be targets, like Sudo, or Yamauchi.

"But I don't think I can do that."

Ayanokoji shook his head. He had thought about performing well during the self-introduction session at the start of school, but after standing up, he could only stumble through his own name.

Of course, this was all because he had never really viewed the people around him as people.

"Well, it's a bit metaphysical. But if you want to be popular, frequenting crowded places is probably the right way to go."

"Ah... I've been to cafes and amusement parks, and the school cafeteria is very crowded too."

Shinjo suddenly discovered a problem: his perception of Ayanokoji had been too one-sided all along.

Because of the guy's unnatural gaze, he had labeled him a creep.

Because of his explosive muscle density and physique, he had labeled him an assassin for some organization.

But in reality... how could a person be so simple?

Intentionally controlling his scores, pretending to be an ordinary person, yet forcing those with a keen eye to notice his uniqueness at a glance.

Plus, sometimes, the silly questions Ayanokoji asked were the kind of genuine stupidity that no normal person could fake.

So, it was possible that Ayanokoji was just someone lacking common social sense.

"Let me put it this way: if you want to be popular, you need many popular friends. Otherwise, birds of a feather flock together; because the people around you aren't popular, you won't be either."

Ayanokoji thought about it carefully. His friends seemed to be the type who didn't have any friends, and some were even particularly annoying.

The only one, Kikyo Kushida, couldn't even be considered his friend.

Because he always felt that she didn't have good intentions toward him.

"Hey, Shinjo. Popular people are easily noticed, right?"

Ayanokoji didn't want to attract attention; he just wanted to be a slacker and spend three years living a peaceful life.

Actually, in that sense, his motive for coming to this school was surprisingly identical to Shinjo's.

"Heh, I actually think you're more likely to be noticed by being friends with Ike and the others. If that's your goal—after all, bad publicity is still publicity—then I really have to congratulate you!"

As the two chatted, they returned to the dormitory building. Since Shinjo had to wait for someone behind him, he made an excuse to dismiss Ayanokoji.

"You can come out now, right? Honami Ichinose."

The girl whose name was called walked out from behind a tree not far away.

"So you had already discovered me, Katsuya Shinjo."

"After all, I was the one who invited you here... want something to drink?"

"No, no... I..."

Out of courtesy, Ichinose was still waving her hand in refusal, but Shinjo simply bought a drink from the vending machine and sat on a nearby bench to drink it.

[So he wasn't going to treat me...]

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Katsuya Shinjo, from Class 1-D. Current president of the Odd Jobs Agency."

"The Odd Jobs Agency! Excuse me... I am Honami Ichinose from Class B. Is the agency Shinjo-kun mentioned the one belonging to Manabu Horikita?"

Shinjo nodded. Being able to use Manabu Horikita as a banner at any time was something he was more than happy to do, so if someone thought this club was Horikita's, it didn't really matter.

"Let's get down to business. Since you're from Class B, I assume your classmates' grades are quite good, right?"

"Uh, actually, they're okay..."

"I do have the things you heard about, and I can guarantee they are real. Although you might not need them, as an insurance policy, they should be worth something, right? Let's not haggle; 10,000 points."

"Eh?!"

Ichinose had expected a tug-of-war like bargaining at a vegetable market, but she hadn't expected him to name a price lower than her psychological expectation.

"Shinjo-kun, are you sure? You'll sell it to me for 10,000 points?"

"Well, I bought this for my own classmates anyway. Since the money has to be spent regardless, as long as you can give me some points to help me recover, what's 10,000 points? Besides, the extra part can be considered my personal desire to make friends with your class."

"Since Shinjo-kun is so straightforward, it would be rude of me to refuse. Alright, it's a deal. Also, on behalf of my classmates, thank you for your help, Shinjo-kun!"

As she spoke, Ichinose extended her right hand.

The girl's elegant, generous posture and warm, sunny smile, combined with her angelic appearance and devilish figure, immediately reminded Shinjo of Kikyo Kushida.

If one were to go by stereotypes, the girl before him was likely the type who took pleasure in helping others.

Could there really be so many angels in this world who find happiness in the happiness of others? That should be impossible, right?

Because Shinjo was momentarily dazed, Ichinose tilted her head and reminded him in a soft voice:

"Shinjo-kun?"

"Ah? Sorry, sorry, I was just thinking about something else."

As he spoke, Shinjo extended his right hand and shook hands with Ichinose.

"I don't have the answer with me right now, so how about this: come find me at my class tomorrow? We can make the trade then."

"Mm, it's a deal!"

Waving goodbye to Ichinose, Shinjo felt as though he had struck it rich once again.

Just kidding—ten thousand points didn't seem like much, but for him right now, even a mosquito's leg was still a piece of meat.

After all, Class D's current class points were still at zero, meaning they were in a state where they couldn't even afford living expenses.

"Tsk! Thinking about making money or saving money every single day—is this the world of adults? How truly pathetic..."