When he turned around, Horikita was standing behind him, looking shy... Well, no. Her expression was as stern as ever, her gaze icy and her tone forceful. She hardly looked like she was asking for a favor.
Still, for someone who'd introduced herself by saying she didn't want to get along with anyone, she might have been making quite an effort.
"Did the sun rise in the west today, or are we still at the entrance ceremony and I fell asleep dreaming?"
Horikita's brow furrowed slightly, and the sharp aura around her grew even more intimidating. She reached into her pocket and took out something pointed. It looked like a compass.
"Shinomiya, would you rather regret it in pain, or suffer in regret?"
Um, I was only joking. Why am I being asked a question like that? And don't point the sharp end of that compass at me. It hurts.
All things considered, provoking Horikita seemed like a bad idea. She was the type to act on her words immediately. Besides, wasn't getting treated like this a privilege reserved for Ayanokoji?
"So, Horikita, what exactly did you want?"
In the end, Ju Ji gave in to the threat of force. Horikita could be a little strict, but not enough to make people dislike her. She'd be great if she didn't like stabbing people with compasses.
"You have nothing to do anyway, so come with me to the convenience store and help me pick up a few things."
"No, don't you have better options? Like Ayanokoji, or a female frien— Forget I said anything."
As expected of Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, a man who kept to himself. Ju Ji couldn't find him anywhere nearby. He'd probably already gone back.
And with Horikita's personality, it was obvious she hadn't made any female friends. Otherwise, she wouldn't have come to him. Was this what they called lonely people banding together for warmth?
Even Horikita would probably feel uncomfortable going into a convenience store alone when most people there were shopping in groups.
"So, what's your answer?"
"Okay. Like you said, I don't have anything to do, and I don't want to get stabbed by that compass again."
Ju Ji raised both hands in surrender.
"Wow! They have such a wide selection of instant noodles. This school really is convenient!"
A few boys were making a racket in front of the ready-to-eat food. They piled instant noodles into their baskets and headed for the checkout. Their baskets were full of snacks and drinks, too.
It didn't look very healthy, but with points to burn, it was only natural to spend them like that. He'd stuffed his own basket with plenty of cola and potato chips, so he wasn't in any position to judge.
"Do boys really like this kind of thing? I don't think it's very healthy."
"It isn't, but everyone has their own habits, and I'm sure they don't eat it as their main meals."
As he spoke, Ju Ji put vegetables, meat, and fruit into his basket.
"You can cook?"
"I can make food that's just about edible. I enjoy experimenting with cooking, too."
Thanks to the grandfather who had taken him in in this world, Ju Ji had become a decent cook. It would be a waste not to put those skills to use.
He'd brought plenty of daily necessities, so there was no need to shop for those. He only needed to stock up on things like ingredients.
"Do you want to try this?"
Horikita picked up a cup of instant noodles. It said "G Cup" on the label, which seemed to mean it was a large serving. It looked filling.
Horikita wasn't flat-chested, either. She wasn't particularly busty, but sat right on that delicate boundary. Personally, Ju Ji preferred that.
"Shinomiya, you aren't thinking about something stupid, are you?"
"No, I'm not. If you're curious, you might as well try it. The flavor's pretty good."
They said girls were sensitive to that kind of attention. Apparently, the rumor was true. To keep his real intentions from showing, Ju Ji changed the subject.
Incidentally, he'd used his Hypnosis ability in that sentence. But at its current level, it only made his words more persuasive. It had a ten percent chance of working. Heh.
"Good. But since you recommend it, Shinomiya, I suppose trying it wouldn't hurt."
As she spoke, Horikita put the cup of bone broth-flavored noodles into her basket. It seemed she'd never even eaten instant noodles before. Her upbringing must have been very strict. No wonder she'd turned out like this.
She always chose the cheapest items, too. It looked like Horikita had noticed some of the truth about the school and was saving her points.
In fact, even without deliberately saving, a student who spent normally would still have more than half their points left after a month.
Shopping at a convenience store with a girl, just the two of them, felt a little surreal. Horikita was, after all, a very cute girl.
"Come to think of it, they have free items here, too."
Ju Ji pointed to the free items piled up in a corner of the store.
They were everyday necessities like toothbrushes and bandages, stacked in a shopping cart labeled "Free," with a tag stating that students could take up to three items a month. It seemed completely out of place at this school.
"Free? Isn't this school spoiling its students too much?"
The school gave students a fixed allowance of a hundred thousand points every month, and even had relief measures for those who spent a lot. To anyone who didn't know the details, it really did look like the school was spoiling them.
"Could it be that some students won't actually get that many points in the end? This school evaluates students based on their abilities. So what happens when the school decides some students aren't worth that much?"
"You asked Teacher Chabashira about something similar earlier, and now you're saying this. Shinomiya, you really do know something unusual, don't you?"
Horikita might be rather solitary, but she wasn't stupid. Ju Ji had dropped such obvious hints that she was bound to notice. The fact that students were given so many points every month was strange in itself.
"Who knows? Maybe it's just a guess. But I think the school will show its true colors after a month. Let's hope we still have some points left by then."
Ju Ji knew what was going on behind the scenes at this school. But they were only new students who'd just enrolled; they hadn't even toured the school yet. For now, it was only a "guess" without any evidence. He couldn't give her a definite answer, or he'd seem far too suspicious.
"Shinomiya, I don't like the way you talk."
I'm just telling the truth. And why are you pointing that compass at me again? It hurts!
The girls' dormitory was above the boys' dormitory. And, as expected, Horikita had wanted someone to carry her bags. As punishment for angering her, he'd been left to carry all the heavy items by himself.
Fortunately, he'd trained his stamina, so the weight wasn't much trouble for him.
"That's enough. Thanks for today."
"Won't you let me come in for a bit?"
"We're not close enough for that."
With a bang, Horikita's dorm room door slammed shut. He'd learned one thing: he really was just a bag-carrying tool. But it didn't matter, because his favorability with Horikita had already reached 40 (an acquaintance who seemed fairly pleasant)...
Before you continue