Those words contained an enormous amount of information, and the speaker's attitude was outrageously arrogant.
As the only person present who wasn't familiar with the academy's rules, Kohei Katsuragi was also the most overwhelmed by the revelation. He sank into a bewildered silence, lost in thought.
Even Manabu Horikita, the Student Council President, hadn't immediately objected or questioned him. He'd simply fallen silent... which meant there was a very good chance it was true!
This seemingly lazy boy from Class D had actually managed to quietly save up Twenty Million Personal Points in less than two months?!
How had he done it? Fortune-telling? Give me a break!
(Give me a break, yamero.)
Katsuragi's gaze had shifted from its initial wariness and surprise to deep apprehension and disbelief.
What kind of monsters were hiding in this Class D?
Manabu Horikita was silent for a moment.
His gaze, through his glasses, stayed fixed on Lin Mu, as if he meant to dissect him from head to toe.
That sharp scrutiny lasted several seconds. At last, the ripples in his eyes gradually settled back into their usual calm.
But the indifference a Student Council President might show an ordinary student had quietly disappeared from his gaze toward Lin Mu.
In its place was the seriousness reserved for someone who "needed to be watched"—especially since his younger sister, Suzune Horikita, was in Class D.
Manabu Horikita gave a slight nod and spoke in a tone a little more formal than before.
"The academy does indeed have such a rule. Since you know about it, Lin Mu, and have met the requirements, then... do as you wish."
His words were addressed to Lin Mu, but they also served to confirm to Sakayanagi and Katsuragi that the academy really did have such a rule.
Then, as if he truly regarded Lin Mu as a "harmless observer," he turned his attention back to Sakayanagi Arisu and tried to resume their interrupted discussion about the "S System."
However, his choice of words was clearly more cautious and circumspect than before. He used vague substitutes for many key terms.
Lin Mu didn't care at all about their "encrypted conversation."
He was happy to take it easy, leaning back in the comfortable sofa and returning his attention to his hot tea and the lollipop that was nearly melted in his mouth. He even closed his eyes and began to rest.
The hushed discussion that resumed in the office was like soothing white noise to him. He was starting to feel a little sleepy.
It wasn't until the clear bell signaling the end of swimming class rang through the walls that Lin Mu opened his eyes as if someone had hit his start button, then stood up.
He stretched, his bones giving a faint crack, and casually waved to everyone in the office.
That was his goodbye. Without looking back, he headed straight for the door, opened it, and left.
As for whatever Manabu Horikita, Sakayanagi Arisu, and Kohei Katsuragi discussed after he left—about him, the "unexpected variable"—he didn't care in the slightest.
It was nothing but an insignificant little interlude.
In the days that followed, Lin Mu began showing up for class in Class D every day on time. He didn't miss a single day, to the surprise of some of his classmates.
The Class D classroom no longer had the carefree, even somewhat reckless and unruly atmosphere it had when school began in April.
The air was thick with anxiety, embarrassment, and even despair.
(No Personal Points left. The losers are doomed.)
The students who had squandered all their hundred thousand points in April, or even spent more than they had, had now reached the desperate point where they had no points left to use.
The free basic meal plan was bland, and the free daily necessities were crude and shoddy. After getting used to a high standard of living, they simply couldn't adjust.
As a result, people could be seen all over the classroom meekly asking to borrow money.
"Hey... could you lend me a thousand points? I'll pay you back as soon as we get next month's points!"
"Please, I'm just five hundred points short of buying a reference book!"
"About the points I borrowed the other day... could you give me a few more days? I promise!"
Those with thick skin struck up conversations with classmates they knew, or barely knew, all over the place. Those who were shyer could only turn to close friends for help.
The sudden "financial crisis" had made relationships throughout the class feel strained and uncertain.
A few boys who had watched Lin Mu for a while had noticed that, despite keeping to himself, he never seemed short of money. The snacks he ate and the things he used were all pretty nice, so they seized the opportunity to approach him.
"Lin Mu," one boy said, rubbing his hands together with a flattering smile. "Could you... lend me some points to tide me over?
"Not much, just three thousand! I promise I'll pay you back as soon as the class gets its points after the midterms!"
Lin Mu was staring out the window with a lollipop in his mouth. He turned to look at the boy's self-assured expression and replied without a moment's hesitation.
"No."
(Don't lend money to other people so casually. When the time comes to ask for it back, they might not repay you.)
He grumbled inwardly, Come on, why didn't you think about the consequences when you spent all your money?
We've barely even spoken. What makes you think we're close enough for me to lend you money?
Even if I did lend it to him, there's no guarantee Class D will get points after the midterms. And when he'd pay me back was anyone's guess.
That guy really had some nerve.
The boy's face stiffened at the rejection. He seemed not to have expected Lin Mu to refuse so bluntly, and tried to argue.
"We're all classmates. We should help each other out. I'll pay you back soon..."
Lin Mu had already turned away with a cold expression, not even bothering to look at him. He tossed back an even colder reply: "I'm broke. No."
The boy was left red-faced, his complexion shifting from red to white. In the end, he didn't dare press the matter and could only slink away to look for another possible "sugar daddy."
Scenes like this played out between boys and girls alike throughout the classroom.
Kikyo Kushida was undoubtedly the girl who got "asked" for help the most.
(Prison Sister, two-faced as ever—a total failure.)
She had always aimed to get along with everyone. She was also gentle and kind, and supposedly couldn't bring herself to say no.
(She wasn't incapable of refusing. That wasn't the real reason.)
Faced with requests from her "friends"—the same people she'd once gone shopping and chatted with, now looking up at her pleadingly—she simply couldn't bring herself to turn them down.
(She talked so nastily about people behind their backs.)
All she could do was steel herself, nod again and again, and lend out the points she could hardly spare in the first place. (She'd already spent a lot on socializing, too.)
That was the price of "becoming friends with everyone"—when you were "everyone's friend"...
It also meant that everyone might feel they had a reason, even a right, to ask you for something.
Sitting in the back row, Lin Mu watched Kikyo Kushida surrounded by three or four girls, wearing a strained smile.
She had to handle A's request while also responding to B's complaints. The sight was almost too painful to watch.
(I couldn't bear to watch you suffer, so I turned away and stopped looking at you suffering.)
He simply laid his head on his desk, choosing the out-of-sight, out-of-mind approach.
When the bell rang, the crowd in the classroom began to move.
Lin Mu took out his phone and hesitated for a moment. Then he opened his chat with Kikyo Kushida and tapped out a message:
"Do you still have enough Personal Points?"
She replied almost instantly.
Before you continue