Mashima Tomoya said calmly, "It won't be too difficult. You'll know by next month."
His first words had subtly affirmed and answered Katsuragi Kohei's question. Then he changed tack, clearly signaling to the cameras that he hadn't said anything.
This homeroom teacher was pretty interesting. Suzuki Toru, who had been quietly observing the whole time, added another note to his notebook.
The school day soon came to an end, but everyone tacitly stayed in the classroom instead of rushing to leave.
"To prevent any unforeseen circumstances in the future, I think we should set aside half of our Private Points every month," Katsuragi Kohei proposed calmly.
The situation in the class was now quite unfavorable for him. Sakayanagi Arisu had suddenly made her move and stolen the spotlight.
Until now, many people hadn't cared about having a class leader. Everyone had done their own thing, and it was only natural that they didn't listen to one another. After all, everyone's grades and records were about the same. Why should they listen to you?
Katsuragi Kohei's circle—or, no, it was better to call it his faction now—had, at most, a dozen or so students.
By this point, quite a few people had realized the class needed a capable leader.
As the best students, of course they needed the best leader.
In just half a day, quite a few people had gathered around Sakayanagi Arisu. Her numbers were no lower than Katsuragi Kohei's, and some students had even defected from his faction.
Class A now had two factions. One was the Katsuragi Faction, which Katsuragi Kohei had built over the past week and which had at least earned him some trust.
The other was the new and rising Sakayanagi Faction. Its central figure was Sakayanagi Arisu, and Hashimoto Masayoshi and Kito Hayato had joined her at some point.
The other students either remained undecided or looked completely indifferent.
"Hehe, Katsuragi, who do you think should hold on to these Private Points?" Sakayanagi Arisu asked with a faint smile. The pointed question was really about who should have the authority to lead the class.
"Of course, our big brother Katsuragi!" Totsuka Yahiko was the first to charge into the fray.
"Don't be ridiculous. Classmate Sakayanagi should manage our Private Points!" The Sakayanagi Faction was already gaining its first loyalists.
"She's so tiny she looks like a middle schooler at best. Big brother Katsuragi was Student Council President before, so he's definitely more experienced than she is!"
"Hey, hey! Who are you calling a middle schooler? Middle schoolers are the best!"
Wouldn't she kill him for saying that?
It seemed even Class A students weren't immune to bickering. They sounded like old ladies arguing at a market.
Neither side could convince the other. If things kept going this way, they'd probably just do their own thing.
"Suzuki, you can't run away at a time like this, you know?" Sakayanagi Arisu called out with a smile.
Suzuki Toru had already reached the classroom door, but he had no choice but to turn around and meet her gaze.
"Who do you think should be responsible for holding on to the Private Points?"
She'd tossed the question to him, but he wasn't exactly a referee.
Chapter Nineteen: Morishita Ai Raises a Question
Katsuragi Kohei had noticed Suzuki Toru's attempt to leave, too. Judging by how much attention Sakayanagi Arisu was paying him, he was probably capable.
And he hadn't done badly earlier, either. He might be worth winning over.
Still, he hesitated, because Suzuki Toru seemed to have some sort of connection with Sakayanagi Arisu.
Getting back to the point, pooling the class's Private Points was a perfectly reasonable decision, even without the deal they'd just discussed.
Neither faction nor the students who planned to stay neutral or wait and see had any objections.
The school had clearly intended Private Points to be the all-purpose currency of the school.
The real question was, whose hands should the Private Points be placed in?
Suzuki Toru's expression remained calm. As far as Sakayanagi Arisu was concerned, this question was probably meant to find out who he favored.
And usually, when a girl asked a question like this, there was no doubt she wanted you to pick her.
Was this middle schooler hoping someone would compliment her?
Those thoughts flashed through Suzuki Toru's mind, and he finally answered, "If all we're doing is holding on to the Private Points, then anyone can do it."
He had sidestepped the question of who would be allowed to use them. Sakayanagi Arisu narrowed her eyes slightly, but kept smiling.
"That's not the same thing. Something like this should obviously be entrusted to the person we trust most," Totsuka Yahiko shouted.
"Are you saying you suspect there are traitors in our class?" Suzuki Toru said, disappointed. "I didn't think Totsuka would distrust everyone so much. I thought we were all classmates who could trust one another. I guess I hadn't thought this through."
Totsuka Yahiko's expression stiffened. Those words had pushed him right into the line of fire.
Some people began glaring resentfully at Totsuka Yahiko. If they couldn't trust their own classmates, how were they supposed to make it through the next three years?
"No, Yahiko didn't mean it that way. He was only asking how we should choose the right person. These Private Points are no small sum, after all." Katsuragi Kohei stepped in to bail out his subordinate. "Suzuki, do you have anyone in mind?"
"This isn't something you need to spend too much time thinking about, is it, Suzuki?" Sakayanagi Arisu urged him as well.
With the two leaders focused on him, everyone else turned their eyes to Suzuki Toru, too.
Suzuki Toru didn't look at Katsuragi Kohei or Sakayanagi Arisu. Instead, he turned his gaze toward the other side of the classroom.
"I think Morishita would be a good choice."
At his words, quite a few students looked astonished. Even Katsuragi Kohei and Sakayanagi Arisu couldn't help but freeze.
"Is Suzuki Toru choosing me?"
A girl near the end of his gaze tilted her head slightly, seemingly puzzled. A few strands of hair slipped from her shoulder to her chest as she moved. Her chest wasn't particularly full, but it was still hard to overlook.
The girl's name was Morishita Ai.
Ever since the start of the school year, Suzuki Toru had been observing her. Even this seemingly unremarkable girl would occasionally give rise to some rather peculiar wishes.
Illustration shown here; viewable after updating to the latest version
[Have my way with her while she's asleep], [All she does is sleep, sleep, sleep—she needs a serious lesson], [Lick Morishita Ai's lovely feet raw], [Be pinned beneath her lovely feet, then look utterly hopeless], [Go on a date with Morishita Ai], [I wonder what that insolent little mouth tastes like]...
"Hehe, that's unexpected. Suzuki, can you tell me why?" Rather than showing any annoyance, Sakayanagi Arisu seemed intrigued.
"Hey, hey, you didn't just pick her at random, did you?" Totsuka Yahiko eyed Suzuki Toru and Morishita Ai suspiciously.
Even Katsuragi Kohei couldn't help frowning.
It was simple: Morishita Ai had a somewhat odd personality.
"Yeah, I'd like to know, too. Otherwise, it'll keep bothering me, Suzuki Toru." Morishita Ai had been sitting at her desk, turned sideways to face the others. Beneath her skirt, she wore striking black tights with a fine sheen that looked soft to the touch.
As if she'd noticed Suzuki Toru's gaze, she unconsciously pressed her legs together. Her expression remained almost blank, her air cool and detached, as though nothing could draw her particular attention.
In other words, she was an unmotivated girl.
Of course, that alone wasn't a problem. The real issue was her choice of words.
A normal Japanese person wouldn't call someone by their full name. Her constant use of "Suzuki Toru" was genuinely conspicuous.
"The outcome's the same no matter who we choose. Private Points won't just fly away on their own." Suzuki Toru paused. "If you're not satisfied, we can switch people. This time it's Morishita, next time it'll be Shimizu, and we'll rotate through the whole class."
No, it made all the difference.
Suzuki Toru had avoided choosing someone from either the Katsuragi Faction or the Sakayanagi Faction. Instead, he'd picked the uninvolved and innocent Morishita Ai.
Both leaders understood that perfectly well.
"Hehe, that would be too much trouble. Why not just let Morishita keep holding on to them?" Sakayanagi Arisu said with a smile. So he didn't want the class to split apart.
"I have no objections either. Whenever someone wants to use them, we can discuss it together," Katsuragi Kohei said with a nod.
Morishita Ai blinked. How had she suddenly been appointed?
"Then, starting next month, everyone will have to hand over half of their Private Points."
No one objected. The two factions together made up two-thirds of the class.
And so, Class A made its first collective decision.
At last, those messy matters were settled. Suzuki Toru soon left the classroom.
However, trouble always came one thing after another.
"Wait a moment. Is there really nothing you want to say to me, Suzuki?"
Hearing Sakayanagi Arisu's voice, Suzuki Toru turned around and saw that, just as he'd expected, quite a few people were with her.
Kito Hayato, Hashimoto Masayoshi, and Kamuro Masumi.
Wait, why was Kamuro Masumi here?
"Hey, hey, what's with that look!?" Kamuro Masumi immediately glared at him, having keenly picked up on what he was thinking.
She was the one acting suspiciously. She'd said she had her own plans, yet she'd immediately become one of Sakayanagi Arisu's followers.
That was what he thought, but he had to keep a calm expression.
"This is the first time I've seen Classmate Sakayanagi use her full strength. I'm honored to witness it. I'm sure Katsuragi will be completely overshadowed within a semester. Under your leadership, I believe everyone in Class A can look forward to a bright future, without a single student being expelled."
Outnumbered, Suzuki Toru tried to lighten the mood a little so he wouldn't say the wrong thing and offend them.
Especially Kito Hayato. He looked cold and intimidating, with a fierce face and gloves on both hands. He gave off the impression that he might kill someone at the slightest provocation.
Suzuki Toru could tell that Kito Hayato's steps and posture weren't like those of an ordinary person. He seemed to have learned some martial arts, and he was probably very good at fighting.
Strangely, after hearing him, Sakayanagi Arisu and Kamuro Masumi both reacted rather oddly.
"Hahaha, just as the princess said, you're quite an interesting person," Hashimoto Masayoshi said, unable to hold back his laughter.
No, he'd only heard that showing a different side of yourself now and then could draw someone's attention and make them more interested in you.
Chapter Twenty: A Promise
"This should be our first proper meeting. I'm Hashimoto Masayoshi. I look forward to working with you, Suzuki."
Hashimoto Masayoshi introduced himself formally. He looked like a flirtatious, handsome guy, and his tone was quite easygoing, but he wasn't particularly off-putting.
Meanwhile, Suzuki Toru heard an even briefer introduction from the other side.
"Kito Hayato."
Kito Hayato stared intently at him, but his expression showed no particular reaction.
Before you continue