Shiina Hiyori

How should I formulate the rules?

Sitting under the podium, Hoshino felt a bit at a loss. There was simply too little information regarding Sakayanagi, and Hoshino couldn't quite grasp where exactly her strengths lay.

Although Hoshino shamelessly wanted to challenge Sakayanagi to a sports event, it was unlikely she would agree. It would likely devolve into a contest between his subordinates and hers, which would be essentially meaningless, and Hoshino didn't feel he could beat Sakayanagi in that regard.

Hoshino knew well that he wasn't particularly strong in sports, academics, or interpersonal relationships. If he wanted to tilt the rules in his favor, he had to ensure the event didn't require a team, didn't involve situations where Sakayanagi couldn't participate, and didn't involve tasks where a massive gap in raw ability existed. He had to face Sakayanagi personally, or ensure others couldn't interfere.

There couldn't be events neither side was good at, events with a massive disparity in skill, or events where a group was inherently superior to an individual. After much deliberation, Hoshino couldn't think of any good competition events. It seemed he would have to formulate rules based on the point-guessing game Sakayanagi had mentioned.

Thinking of this, Hoshino suddenly felt as if he had been tricked! In the end, he had returned to the point-guessing game just as Sakayanagi had anticipated, and a sense of unease welled up in his heart.

"Hmm—what am I thinking about?" Hoshino shook his head, rubbed his nose with his right hand, and forcibly pushed the distracting thoughts to the back of his mind.

"Eh? Little Hoshino, are you dissatisfied with something I said?" The beautiful face of Hoshinomiya-sensei on the podium held a trace of dissatisfaction, yet she remained full of gentleness. Hoshino suddenly caught a glimpse of Kushida in Hoshinomiya-sensei.

Speaking of Hoshinomiya-sensei, she was the sociology teacher for Class D, a gentle, big-sister type of beauty, but she always carried a hint of alcohol on her and occasionally spouted nonsense. Her usual demeanor was somewhat similar to Kushida's—very lively and gentle to everyone. He had heard she was also the homeroom teacher for another class, but Hoshino hadn't paid much attention to that.

What puzzled Hoshino was that when Hoshinomiya-sensei addressed others for the first time, she used their full names. Was the way she addressed him for the first time a bit too intimate? Was it a coincidence, or...?

"No, it's nothing, I just zoned out for a moment." Hoshino stood up and bowed slightly to apologize.

"Geez, you have to listen carefully!"

"Understood!" It seemed that in Hoshinomiya-sensei's class, there was nothing more Hoshino could do.

"Wait, many others weren't listening either! Why only scold me?" Hoshino's inner confusion grew stronger.

He had to make a decision about the Sakayanagi matter soon!

Five hundred thousand! That number was truly tempting!

His points were now only a little over fifty thousand. Hoshino didn't want to treat himself too poorly regarding his daily diet and the like. He could only eat the free vegetable set meal occasionally; no one could stand eating it every single day.

The number of rule violations these past few days had increased rather than decreased, and now Hoshino felt even less confident. He had originally thought that someone who discovered the rules would step in to stop it, fearing their own points would drop too low, but it seemed Hoshino had overthought it. In this situation, Hoshino didn't dare to be too optimistic.

Wait! Hoshino suddenly had a good idea.

But to do this, he would need that person's assistance!

"Chabashira-sensei, do you have that person's contact information?" Hoshino took out his phone and sent a message to his homeroom teacher, Chabashira-sensei.

Stepping onto the path to the library again, the "heavy stone" in Hoshino's heart finally settled. He had been worrying about this for the past few days. The class score was plummeting, and if he didn't get something from Sakayanagi, he feared he would be eating that free set meal every day next month. Just thinking about it made Hoshino shudder.

Searching between the bookshelves on the second floor, the sequel to the novel he read last time didn't seem to be out yet. Since he still had some time, Hoshino decided to go back to his "secret base" to check.

Passing through rows of bookshelves, around the corner, a flash of silver-white caught Hoshino's eyes. With silver hair gently swaying in the breeze, under thin eyebrows, a pair of purple pupils gave off a sharp yet gentle, unworldly aura. The sunlight from the window spilled onto the girl's face, further highlighting her beauty.

After a brief moment of daze, Hoshino hurriedly pulled back his thoughts and turned to leave.

Since someone was there, Hoshino had no intention of intruding.

"Wait!" A gentle voice came from behind. "Classmate, if you need to, you can sit here! You were the one who found this place first, after all!"

With a playful smile on her face, the girl stood up and looked at Hoshino, who had stiffly turned around.

"Uh, thanks! Then I'll disturb you."

Hoshino also felt very comfortable in this spot. Since the other party said it was fine, Hoshino wouldn't push the matter further.

He went to the window seat opposite the girl, pulled out the chair, sat down, tossed his bag by the table leg, and opened the book he had just taken from the shelf.

This was where Hoshino usually sat. He could enjoy the breeze and the sunlight, the lighting was great, and he could read his novel. It was truly a long-lost sense of comfort!

"Um, that doesn't look like the novel you were reading a few days ago?" The girl opposite him stopped reading her own book and looked toward Hoshino's side.

"...That's right! I finished that novel, and I couldn't find the sequel just now." Hoshino hesitated for a second. If it weren't for the girl's gaze, he would have thought he was hallucinating!

"How was that work? It seemed to be about an alternate world?" The girl tapped her chin with her index finger, her gaze lifting slightly.

"...It was pretty good. It told the story of a male protagonist adventuring in an alternate world. It was a bit different from other works on the market; I'd say it left a deep impression on me. Hmm..." Hoshino was slightly surprised, the corners of his mouth twitching. This kid must be a "social butterfly"!

"Sorry, sorry, let me introduce myself. My name is Shiina Hiyori, a student in Class C." The girl noticed the hesitation on Hoshino's face and apologized belatedly.

"It's fine, my name is Hoshino Hoshiya, from Class D. Just call me Hoshino."

"Hoshino-kun, why haven't I seen you in the library these past few days? Did something happen?"

"Well—I suppose so? Wait, how did you know I hadn't been here these past few days?" Hoshino naturally picked up on Shiina's topic, but then belatedly realized something incredible.

"Hmm—because I've been paying attention to Hoshino-kun!"

"Do you have to be so matter-of-fact about it? Also, you shouldn't say things like that so casually!" Hoshino was truly surprised inside. He confirmed it: this kid was definitely a "social butterfly"!

"Eh? Why?"

"Because Hoshino-kun, you're a rare student who comes every day! I didn't notice at first, but I can definitely notice a face I see every day! Besides, I only found this place because I secretly followed you!" A playful smile appeared on Shiina's beautiful face, and the index finger of her right hand was still circling near her cheek.

"..." Hoshino didn't know what to say. This kid was truly a "talent"!

"By the way, Shiina, why did you talk to me?" He put away his urge to complain slightly.

"Because there's no one in my class I can discuss novels with. Everyone rarely reads!" The girl frowned slightly, her face full of regret. Suddenly, as if remembering something, her eyes shone with a bright light. "Hoshino-kun, can I discuss novels with you? I'll tell you a secret: I've read every book there is!"

"...Sure! But Shiina, it seems there's a book you haven't read!" Looking at the "bright" girl, Hoshino couldn't bring himself to refuse. He picked up the book in front of him and waved it at her, feigning a tease.

"...Geez, Hoshino-kun is so inconsiderate!" Shiina regained her composure, complaining with a helpless look on her face.

"Hey, hey, Hoshino-kun, what other books do you usually read?..." The "chatterbox" Shiina had completely lost her "reins."

"...I read some, but mostly novels..." Hoshino put down the book in his hand and began to talk about his own "reading history."

It seemed he wouldn't be able to finish his book today!