Discussion

"Is something the matter?"

"I want to know how an upperclassman can have so many points."

So it was about points.

She hadn't gotten used to this school yet. Her mistaken assumptions had led her to the wrong conclusion.

Finding it rather amusing, Tanaka Yukishin decided to play along.

"So, what are you willing to offer, Honami-chan?"

Huh!?

Seeing that the upperclassman was willing to talk, Ichinose Honami was quite pleased.

But calling her by her first name when they'd only just met seemed a little too forward.

It went far beyond simply being friendly.

"Offer"—such a mercenary choice of words.

She found it a little hard to get used to.

"You really are a new student. Seeing how innocent and naïve you look reminds me of how I used to be."

"But just because you're beautiful doesn't mean you should expect to get everything you want."

"We've only just met and know nothing about each other. Expecting to get information from me for free is a little childish."

Watching Ichinose Honami ponder this, Tanaka Yukishin added fuel to the fire.

"Honami-chan, I bet you've tried getting information from other people, but it must have ended in failure."

"The reason is simple."

"Although the Information Leaker opened a loophole in the secrecy surrounding the Secret Exam, there's still plenty they haven't said."

"The Secret Exam is still ongoing."

"The only change is that, at the school's request, the ban on revealing relevant information to new students in any form has also been given a loophole."

"At a time like this, you have to use one rule to fight against another."

"I'm sure your teacher told you that, at this school, you can buy anything with points."

"So when you talk to them, just make it a transaction, Honami-chan."

Seeing that Ichinose Honami still hadn't made her next move, Tanaka Yukishin decided to make things a little more urgent.

"Then I'm leaving."

"Wait, what do you want, senpai?"

"Honami-chan is cute. Go on a date with me tomorrow, Saturday."

"Don't joke around like that, senpai."

"I've been rejected. That hurts. Then I'll take points. There are three tiers: one million, five million, and ten million. The answers differ depending on the tier, but I guarantee you'll get your money's worth."

Never mind whether his information was worth the price—she couldn't even scrape together the five or ten million points for the higher tiers.

Still, the points proved that the upperclassman had the means, so she decided to keep talking.

"So that's what you're worried about."

"I saw your account balance just now, too. You must be the leader of Class B, Honami-chan."

"To some extent, a class leader can represent the entire class."

"So all you have to do is sign a contract under the school's supervision."

"Then you can pay in installments."

That solved both the question of whether the information was genuine and the problem of not having enough points.

But how should she choose?

Ichinose Honami hesitated.

This wasn't a decision one person could make in a short time.

Once they signed a contract, the points would be paid by everyone in Class B.

As the keeper of Class B's funds and its leader, she had to take responsibility for her classmates.

After waiting a while, Tanaka Yukishin grew impatient.

"If you're not buying, go back and sing with your classmates or friends. Don't waste my time."

"Senpai, I'll go back and discuss it with my classmates. If we decide to buy, can we come to your room later? Could you tell me the room number?"

"605."

When Tanaka Yukishin returned to Room 605, everyone inside seemed to be having a good time.

Karuizawa Kei, Matsushita Chiaki, Sato Maya, Shinohara Satsuki, Ishikura Kayoko, and Sonoda Chiyo were chatting and laughing, making quite a lively scene.

Even Koenji Rokusuke, who usually kept to himself, had blended in a little, thanks to Tanaka Yukishin's relationship with Karuizawa Kei.

Mori Nene was singing the opening theme into the microphone.

It was the opening song from the anime Pretty Cure. The tune was cheerful, and the girls occasionally joined in while chatting.

"Yukishin-kun!"

Karuizawa Kei's eyes lit up when her boyfriend returned. She gestured to the friends she'd been chatting with, then went over to him.

The girls all stopped talking and looked over, eager to see what would happen.

"Wait a moment."

Holding Karuizawa Kei close as she pressed against him, he breathed in the fragrance of her hair.

The appetite Ichinose Honami had stirred in him earlier began to awaken again, and Tanaka Yukishin felt his blood slowly start to race.

He quickly got Karuizawa Kei settled, then went to the karaoke machine and hit pause.

The music filling the room stopped at once, leaving only Mori Nene's unaccompanied singing.

But she stopped almost immediately, too.

Everyone's gazes turned toward him. Tanaka Yukishin clapped his hands.

"When I went to pay just now, I ran into the leader of first-year Class B."

"Her name is Ichinose Honami, and she's a girl."

"She mistook me for an upperclassman. I found it amusing, so I played along."

"She wants to buy some information from me, but the price I asked for was a little high, so she couldn't make a decision right away."

"She may bring some classmates over later. So I'd like everyone to pretend to be upperclassmen."

Tanaka Yukishin told them what had happened, leaving out some details.

Upperclassmen?

Paying points for information?

Everyone found the idea pretty amusing.

But wouldn't that count as fraud?

The Information Leaker had said that students had been expelled from this school in the past for that very reason.

In response to Matsushita Chiaki's concern, Tanaka Yukishin gave her a confident answer.

"She's the one who mistook me for an upperclassman. I'm not deliberately deceiving her."

"Even so, if you're going to guarantee that it's worth the price, can you be sure the school will consider your information valid?"

"Whether it's ten million, five million, or even the lowest price of one million, those are all huge sums."

Matsushita Chiaki was worried.

Whether as a classmate or as the girlfriend of the leader of their little group, she didn't want to see Tanaka Yukishin leave so soon for such a dramatic reason.

Most importantly, she acknowledged his ability.

Even if there was no proof, the teacher's one hundred thousand points were real.

If he was one of the Big Three, he should take responsibility.

He shouldn't dismiss everything just because he'd been forced to attend this school.

Matsushita Chiaki remembered what Tanaka Yukishin had said earlier.

She began to wonder whether he was using this as an excuse to get expelled.

But that would be far too undignified.

Surely he wouldn't.

"That's my problem. Thank you for your concern, Matsushita."

Tanaka Yukishin didn't reveal anything more. Instead, he firmly settled the matter.

Seeing that, the others didn't have anything else to say.

He'd made up his mind.

There was no point in making him dislike them.

Whether he was completely confident or simply didn't care, it had little to do with them.

After all, they'd only known each other for two days.

They weren't close enough for it to matter that much.

"Oh, there's one more thing."

Tanaka Yukishin suddenly changed his mind.

Koenji Rokusuke had been about to speak, but when he saw that Tanaka Yukishin had noticed the problem, he held his tongue.

"Although we've only been at this school for two days, some of them might recognize people here."

"So there's no need for everyone to pretend to be upperclassmen."

"I'll be the only one."

"If they recognize me too, then it's GAME OVER."

"You're paying, you're strong, you're the boss—you call the shots."

And so the music started up again.

Everyone went back to singing and dancing.

After reassuring his worried girlfriend, Tanaka Yukishin sang karaoke with her.

Meanwhile, Ichinose Honami returned to Room 815 with a troubled expression.

Room 815 was an enormous private room that could accommodate forty people, with plenty of space inside.

Its main colors were black and white, softened by touches of pale purple and pale pink to create a gentle atmosphere.

The color scheme looked elegant and also gave the room a warm feeling.

The walls and ceiling were covered with specially made sound-absorbing materials, giving the room excellent soundproofing.