Lin Mu paid no mind to the obvious probing and amusement in Sakayanagi Arisu's words, as if he hadn't heard the meaning behind them.
Instead, he strolled over to the water station at one side of the office, where disposable paper cups were kept, acting as though he were already right at home.
He picked up a paper cup, filled it halfway with hot water, then pinched a few tea leaves from the nearby canister and dropped them in.
His movements were smooth and natural, as if he were in his own dorm room.
He blew on the steam rising from the cup and took a careful sip before turning around to face Sakayanagi Arisu again.
The corner of his mouth curled up as he spoke with a hint of nonchalance:
"Well, Classmate Sakayanagi, since you put it that way, I guess you're interested in my 'little trick,' huh?"
After setting the tea aside, he pulled a deck of Tarot Cards from his pocket. With a nimble twist of his fingers, the cards seemed to come alive in his palm, flipping, interweaving, and fanning out.
("Let me check the cards"—with a French accent.)
He put on a dazzling display of fancy shuffling, his movements so fluid and practiced that he could have been a professional magician.
When the flashy routine was over, Lin Mu balanced the neatly stacked deck on one hand and looked at Sakayanagi Arisu, who remained seated on the sofa, holding her teacup and wearing a graceful, faint smile.
The curiosity in her amethyst eyes had deepened, but she still said nothing, as if waiting for Lin Mu's next act—or perhaps assessing him as a person.
When she didn't respond, Lin Mu was neither disappointed nor surprised.
He shrugged, looked away from Sakayanagi Arisu, and glanced around at the other "spectators" in the office.
Manabu Horikita, stern-faced; Kohei Katsuragi, tense and wary; and Akane Tachibana, standing beside Manabu Horikita and looking a little ill at ease.
His lips spread into a teasing grin, and his tone was as light as if he were about to start a fun game.
"If Classmate Sakayanagi still thinks my fortune-telling is 'unnecessary'... how about the rest of you? Anyone want a reading?"
He paused, letting his gaze pass over Manabu Horikita and Katsuragi before flicking toward Akane Tachibana. Then he spoke as if he could see right through them.
"I've already 'seen' it—there are a couple of you with some family troubles weighing on your minds. Nothing major, but enough to be a nuisance."
(I've already seen it...)
"And you..." His eyes settled on Akane Tachibana's face, and he gave her a mischievous wink.
"What you're hiding in your heart is... well, a sweet little secret about being in love with someone, isn't it?"
As he mentioned "family troubles," his gaze had lingered for a moment on Manabu Horikita and Kohei Katsuragi.
When he brought up "a secret about being in love," he had turned his eyes squarely on Akane Tachibana.
The effect was immediate.
A faint blush spread across Akane Tachibana's cheeks, visible even as it happened.
She instinctively lowered her head and glanced toward Manabu Horikita, trying to avoid Lin Mu's gaze. Her fingers fidgeted together.
The gaze behind Manabu Horikita's glasses darkened. His expression stayed the same, but the air around him seemed to grow even colder.
Kohei Katsuragi's brows furrowed, and he fixed Lin Mu with a sharp stare, as if trying to determine whether he was making a lucky guess or really knew something.
The office fell into silence once more. Only the distant clamor from the swimming pool outside could be heard.
Seeing everyone fall silent as if he had hit a nerve, with no one refuting him or taking up the offer, Lin Mu quickly grew bored.
With a magician's flourish, he casually slipped the deck of Tarot Cards back into his pocket with a swift "whoosh," too fast for anyone to follow.
Then, as if he really had only come looking for somewhere to rest, he strolled over to the long sofa in the visitor's area.
He picked the seat at the very end, settled in comfortably, and leaned back lazily, crossing one leg over the other.
"If no one's interested in my 'little trick,' I won't keep you."
He picked up the hot tea and took another sip, his tone flat. "I'll sit here for a while, then leave when class is over.
"Of course, go ahead and keep discussing whatever you were talking about... the academy rules, the S System, whatever. Just pretend I'm not here. I'll act like I didn't hear a thing."
His brazenly at-ease manner, as if he were the host rather than a guest, made Manabu Horikita and Katsuragi furrow their brows even more.
But Lin Mu paused, as if he had suddenly remembered something unimportant.
Then, in the same offhand tone, he dropped a bombshell that threatened to shatter the calm.
"After all..." He tilted his head, and a few strands of white hair slipped down.
"I think I've already met the academy's requirement to 'save up Twenty Million Personal Points and apply to change classes.'"
"Whoosh—!"
At that moment, everyone in the office turned to look at Lin Mu as if drawn by an invisible magnet. His face showed little emotion after making the announcement—if anything, he looked a little innocent.
Manabu Horikita snapped his eyes up, his sharp gaze shooting straight at Lin Mu like a falcon's. The pupils behind his glasses contracted almost imperceptibly.
For the first time, a clear crack appeared in his usual composure and cold confidence. He could not hide his surprise.
Akane Tachibana's eyes widened, and her mouth fell open. Shock and disbelief were written all over her face: "That's impossible!" "Are you joking?"
Twenty million points? What did that even mean? More than twenty million Personal Points in less than two months since enrollment?
It was beyond belief!
Kohei Katsuragi stood frozen in place, his tall frame rigid. Confusion mingled with shock and astonishment on his face.
The class-change rule? Twenty million points? He hadn't heard anything about this yet!
And this boy from Class D, who looked as if he had nothing going for him besides his looks, was claiming that he had met the requirement?
His mind raced as he tried to process this unbelievable news.
Only Sakayanagi Arisu, after her initial surprise, let her graceful smile grow even more pronounced. Amusement and interest nearly overflowed from her violet eyes.
She gently set down her teacup and folded her slender fingers in her lap. As she looked at Lin Mu, her curiosity was now joined by undisguised admiration.
This boy from Class D really was even more interesting than she had expected—so interesting that he was starting to excite her.
Seeing the shock on everyone's faces, each different but equally hard to hide, Lin Mu found it rather amusing.
He tilted his head and put on an innocent look as he tried to reassure them.
"What? You're all that surprised?"
His tone held a hint of confusion. "Did you think I shouldn't know about this? Or that I couldn't possibly save up that many points?"
He shrugged. "It took a lot of effort, but I finally 'divined' this piece of news.
"But it seems it wasn't exactly a closely guarded secret, was it?"
He turned his eyes toward Manabu Horikita, whose expression had recovered the fastest, though his gaze had changed. Lin Mu sounded casual, but there was a hint of seeking confirmation in his voice.
"Why don't you tell me, Manabu Horikita? Is what I said true?
"You're the Student Council President, and you're about to graduate. Surely you and Akane Tachibana know about this clause written into the academy rules, right? It does exist, doesn't it?"
He paused, then continued without waiting for Manabu Horikita to answer:
"Don't worry. I'm not interested in what you were discussing, and I have no intention of getting involved with or 'looking after' those people in Class D.
"I'm not changing classes right now because... well, I think Class D is quieter and more fun.
"Changing to Class A or Class B now would mean too many rules, and getting along with people would be a pain."
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