She held a cane in her hand. If it wasn't just a chuunibyou accessory, that meant she probably had trouble getting around.
At the same time, Suzuki Toru learned her name.
I want to be Miss Sakayanagi's dog. I want Miss Sakayanagi to step on me with her lovely feet. Trip her on purpose as she walks past. Make her wear a grade-schooler's swimsuit. Sneakily hide her cane. Beat Sakayanagi Arisu to the punch and destroy the masterpiece. Get Sakayanagi Arisu's attention. So small and sweet-smelling—please pick her up and...
At that moment, wishes came pouring in like a sudden flood of comments, leaving Suzuki Toru speechless.
"Just as I assess you, the school also evaluates each class's strength. I'll explain more about that later. It's too early for you to know right now."
Meanwhile, Mashima Tomoya brushed the question aside with effortless ease.
Just when Suzuki Toru thought Sakayanagi Arisu would keep pressing him, she let the matter drop.
Not only that, but her gaze wandered over the others, seemingly at random.
In an instant, their eyes met.
Suzuki Toru calmly looked away. She'd figured out more than that bald student had, but she'd deliberately chosen not to ask any more questions.
Is she watching how the other students react?
"If you have no questions, we'll meet again later. I hope you enjoy your time at school."
After leaving them with those words, their homeroom teacher turned and walked out of the classroom without another pause.
As soon as Mashima Tomoya left, all sorts of noisy chatter broke out in the classroom.
"We're actually getting 100,000 points? That's unbelievable!"
"Haha! Getting into Advanced Nurturing High School must've used up every last bit of luck I'll ever have!"
"We get guaranteed admission and money, too. The school's treating us so well."
The students had been happily chatting when someone suddenly made a suggestion.
"Why don't we introduce ourselves to each other? From now on, we'll all be friends in the same class, after all."
At that, many people's eyes lit up.
It was obvious that most of the students agreed with the suggestion.
However, the girl sitting beside Suzuki Toru gave him a strange look.
"Do you have paper and a pen?" Suzuki Toru asked the girl. Even sitting down, she had a noticeably tall figure. Below her skirt, a pair of slender, pale legs like white jade shoots showed. Unlike the other girls, who kept their legs together, she held hers slightly apart and jiggled one leg, which looked rather improper.
At the same time, all sorts of wishes flashed through Suzuki Toru's mind.
Become Kamuro Masumi's master. I want to play doggy with Kamuro Masumi. Lick Kamuro Masumi's lovely feet until they're raw. Report her on purpose when she's stealing something. Be Kamuro Masumi's dog. I want Classmate Kamuro to look at me like I'm trash.
"Want to borrow something?"
"I can buy them from you, too. A thousand points." Suzuki Toru kept his expression unchanged. Why are these wishes getting more and more perverted?
Kamuro Masumi stared at him, dumbfounded, then finally took a notebook and a ballpoint pen out of her bag.
"Keep them. The school gave us plenty of money, so I don't mind."
"Thanks." Suzuki Toru took the notebook and pen. "I'm Suzuki Toru. What's your name?"
By then, some of the students had already started introducing themselves, so his question didn't seem out of place.
But Kamuro Masumi's expression grew even stranger.
After all, Suzuki Toru had been the one who'd abruptly suggested they introduce themselves. If she hadn't been sitting beside him, she might not have known who'd said it.
"My name's Kamuro Masumi."
"I look forward to getting along with you, Classmate Kamuro."
Suzuki Toru gave a slight nod, then turned away from her and began writing in the notebook.
After that, Kamuro Masumi noticed that whenever someone stood up to introduce themselves, he would study them carefully for a few seconds before continuing to write, as if he were taking notes.
The gesture made Kamuro Masumi curious, but from where she sat, she could see only a corner of the page, not what he was actually writing.
"I'm Katsuragi Kohei. I don't have any particular hobbies. My goal is to graduate without any trouble and find a good job. I hope we can all work hard together in the days ahead. Please take care of me."
Suzuki Toru looked over. It was the bald student. There were a few wishes surrounding him, too. He didn't know who was making them, but they were very sparse.
The people making the wishes weren't Suzuki Toru or anyone present. Even the Wish Machine itself couldn't figure out where the wishes came from.
Since it couldn't figure that out, the Wish Machine had simply dumped them all on Suzuki Toru and made him fulfill them himself.
Apart from wishes bound to specific targets, every so often, some wishes would drift through Suzuki Toru's mind like comments.
Become the Demon King who rules the first-years. Be the fastest student to clear Advanced Nurturing High School. Build a harem and have a wild time at Advanced Nurturing High School. Give the masterpiece a warm welcome with an expulsion package. Join the Student Council.
Although the wishes were numerous and chaotic, Suzuki Toru could sometimes use them to piece together a rough picture of what was going on.
But before he could do that, he seemed to have a small problem.
"Sorry to bother you, but I'm curious about what you're writing. Would you mind telling me?"
Suzuki Toru looked up. Sakayanagi Arisu was smiling at him, her gaze resembling that of a hunter watching her prey.
Chapter 3: Suspicions About the School
If he took the opportunity to call her "Master" right now, he might be able to fulfill a wish on the spot.
"I'm calculating my expenses for the coming month." Suzuki Toru's gaze moved away from Sakayanagi Arisu's pale neck. She was just too small. Not his type.
"You make a habit of planning your budget?" Sakayanagi Arisu asked with a hint of amusement. "Isn't 100,000 points a month enough?"
"Teacher Mashima said these were my personal points for this month. He never said we'd get the same amount next month. For all we know, the school might go bankrupt next month."
He hadn't raised his voice, so only a few students nearby had heard him.
Kamuro Masumi stared at him in shock, while the amusement in Sakayanagi Arisu's eyes grew stronger.
"If you were worried about that, why didn't you ask about it earlier?"
"If I were going bankrupt, I wouldn't warn anyone in advance." Suzuki Toru shrugged. "Whether or not the school is keeping it from us, we'll find out next month."
"This high school has been around for twenty or thirty years, and its finances are running normally. It won't go bankrupt the way you suggest," Sakayanagi Arisu said leisurely.
Suzuki Toru thought for a moment. "If it's not going bankrupt, why do you think the school is treating us so generously?"
"Perhaps we've been given an exceptionally high evaluation. It wouldn't be unreasonable for the school to offer benefits in order to cultivate special talents." Sakayanagi Arisu narrowed her eyes slightly, then changed the subject. "I'm curious—have you already drawn up your budget? Could I take a look?"
Suzuki Toru shook his head. "No. I still need to check the prices at school."
Sakayanagi Arisu smiled slightly. "I look forward to seeing your budget plan."
She looked so frail, but who would've thought she'd be so shameless?
Still, Suzuki Toru hadn't expected to fool everyone completely. Anyone who wasn't blind could see that he'd written a lot in his notebook. It definitely wasn't a budget plan.
"I don't believe we've introduced ourselves yet. It's nice to meet you. My name is Sakayanagi Arisu. As you can see, I've always had trouble getting around because of my poor health. I look forward to getting along with you." Her eyes sparkled as she spoke, and it was clear she was urging him to respond.
"Suzuki Toru." He paused. "Pleased to meet you, Classmate Sakayanagi."
As expected, he'd caught Sakayanagi Arisu's attention.
Suzuki Toru felt nothing in particular.
After the introductions, it was time for the entrance ceremony.
It wasn't dismissed until close to noon. Sure enough, wherever you went, leaders' speeches were always unbearably long.
After that came free time. Most of the students were getting ready to return to the dorms, and Suzuki Toru was no exception.
Still, he had the feeling someone was following him.
Suzuki Toru glanced back and saw Kamuro Masumi looking away, wearing an expression that said they were just headed in the same direction.
"Classmate Kamuro, I have a question for you."
At his words, Kamuro Masumi looked at him instinctively. Is this guy always this friendly?
Still, that worked out for her, too. She stopped trying to hide it and walked openly beside Suzuki Toru, though she still kept a little distance between them.
"Just ask."
Suzuki Toru nodded, then said, "How did you get into this school?"
As if he'd touched a nerve, Kamuro Masumi glared at him. "How do you think? I got in fair and square, just like you, after going through the interview!"
Her voice was loud, but there was something strangely guilty about it.
The more someone insisted on something, the more likely they were lacking it. Suzuki Toru pondered. Did she get poor entrance exam results?
No, perhaps he was overthinking it.
"I'm not questioning you. I just wanted to know whether you noticed anything strange at the time, like what the evaluation criteria were." Suzuki Toru had no relevant memories at all. He knew nothing about this place; the Wish Machine had simply forced him into this world.
"Anything strange?" Kamuro Masumi thought about it. "They asked a lot of personal questions. I don't know what the criteria were, but they turned down a lot of people."
As she spoke, a hint of glee crossed her face. Maybe someone she knew had been turned away, and she was pleased about it.
"Looks like we were both lucky." Suzuki Toru noticed the cameras along the road. There were quite a few.
The school had installed more than ten cameras along the road from the gymnasium to the dorms, leaving almost no blind spots.
"Lucky... I heard you talking with Sakayanagi earlier." Kamuro Masumi didn't hide her curiosity. "You said we might not get 100,000 personal points next month, didn't you?"
"I said it was possible." Suzuki Toru turned to look at her. Although the girl was fairly tall, she was still shorter than he was.
If he angled his gaze slightly downward, he could see not only the jade-like earlobe beneath her hair, but also a glimpse of pale skin at the collar of her uniform, with the faint outline of her collarbone showing. Compared to Sakayanagi Arisu, she was clearly the more impressive one.
Well, I'm specifically talking about her front armor.
"Did you notice the ratio between Class Points and Private Points?"
Before you continue