Beihai sat down and casually surveyed the room. Good, everyone had already borrowed some points. Only a handful of people were buying the mountain vegetable set meal, so he could just go with the crowd.
Kiyotaka Kiyotaka had originally planned to do the same as Beihai, but Suzune Horikita had chosen to use her points to treat him to a good meal.
Should he refuse? This was the first time a girl had treated him, so it felt a little special. And if anyone asked, he could just pin the blame on her.
In every respect, there was no problem with accepting.
He carried his generous meal over and sat beside Beihai, making Beihai's eye twitch.
He'd thought the other guy was a gaming buddy who, like him, was putting on an act to achieve some goal. Maybe he wanted to enjoy campus life,
while Beihai himself was just trying to study without letting it get in the way of anything else.
But he'd never imagined that he wouldn't be able to figure out what the guy was really after.
If he was putting on an act, then his score control during the exams was way too obvious. Did he think everyone was an idiot? Getting exactly 50 points on every single subject?
Anyone who saw that would surely say, "If you're not controlling your scores, I'll eat my hat."
On the other hand, this guy had also started making excuses, and now he'd gone and ordered a luxurious meal. Was he just going to keep flip-flopping like this?
Of course, Beihai was more worried that the guy might drag him along for the ride. If he kept switching sides like this, who could stand it?
Beihai didn't even spare him a glance. He simply looked around, bored, and happened to make eye contact with a pink-haired girl.
It was Honami Ichinose.
She was holding a tray, clearly intending to come over to Beihai's table. But then she remembered they were supposed to avoid being seen together too often, so she could only chat with him over her Terminal.
On top of that, with the class competition going on, Beihai was practically Class B's Joker.
So when Honami Ichinose saw Beihai, she smiled at him, her expression utterly sweet.
No one found it strange. Honami Ichinose had the perfect reputation at this school: she was kind to everyone, a bona fide Little Angel. It was perfectly normal for her to greet anyone.
Honami Ichinose felt a little thrill of delight. She sat down and chatted with her companions while secretly greeting Beihai, all very furtively.
It was hard to describe the feeling of having something so exclusive and secret. To give an example, it was like an ordinary person picking up Agent 17, who could summon the wind and rain.
Honami Ichinose was in high spirits when she left after lunch, practically gliding along as she walked.
This made her companion curious.
"Classmate Ichinose, you seem really happy today."
Honami Ichinose paused mid-step, her face unconsciously turning red. She seemed surprised that it was so obvious.
"Huh? Do I? I'm always happy. I'm lucky to have friends like all of you."
Without even realizing it, Honami Ichinose had delivered a flawless line, instantly winning everyone over.
Just as the group was enjoying the warm atmosphere, a third party suddenly cut in.
"Classmate Ichinose seems very happy, getting along so well with everyone."
The unexpected remark made everyone stop and look at the petite girl in front of them.
Honami Ichinose recognized her. They'd met when she was making a deal with Class A. There had been two people leading the negotiations: Kohei Katsuragi and the girl she'd run into here, Sakayanagi Arisu.
Sakayanagi Arisu was a cute, fragile-looking girl. Her frailty showed in more ways than one, not just in her build.
She needed a cane to walk, and her complexion was much paler than most people's. To put it kindly, she had porcelain skin; less kindly, she looked unwell, with an unhealthy pallor.
And yet she gave off an air of arrogance. She had that kind of presence, but her frail body somehow made it feel awkward.
To put it another way, she seemed like the type who would call someone a pipsqueak.
Sakayanagi Arisu hadn't come alone. A bodyguard followed behind her, though the woman looked rather unhappy about it, her face cold.
After recovering from the unexpected visit, Honami Ichinose smiled. But before she could say anything, the other girl seized the initiative.
"I enjoyed our deal last month, Classmate Ichinose. And what happened between your class and Class C last month was quite interesting, too."
"Is that so? It wasn't anything special."
Honami Ichinose sensed the other girl's ill intentions. She didn't want to discuss what had happened with Class C. It involved Beihai, and that move had been pretty underhanded.
It had been a simple case of using one's higher authority to crush someone. It had nearly made Ryuen Kakeru lose his temper completely, though things might have gotten even worse if he had.
"I can see that. It doesn't seem like the sort of trick Class B's Great Angel would come up with. So, Classmate Ichinose, can you tell me who did?"
Sakayanagi Arisu got straight to the point, sounding completely confident.
She liked seeing through other people's secrets, and she liked controlling those secrets just as much. It was also a way for a genius to keep those beneath her in check.
Once she had a secret under her control, she could do all sorts of things, whether it was using the person or forcing them into a showdown and then crushing them. Either way, it would be delightful.
Honami Ichinose hadn't expected her secret to be exposed so quickly, but she still smiled sweetly and said, "Well, I can't tell you."
Honami Ichinose had considered keeping it hidden, but after thinking it over, she realized the plan wouldn't work. Everyone knew what she was like.
Besides, once the other person started suspecting something and testing her, it meant they'd already seen through it. It was like L suspecting Light Yagami and refusing to let him out of his sight.
If she had to explain the feeling, it was like a girlfriend suspecting her boyfriend of cheating and constantly testing him.
By contrast, if she told the truth herself, then even if the other person tried to investigate, they'd be completely in the dark.
Sakayanagi Arisu seemed a little taken aback, apparently not expecting the other girl to admit it so readily, with no attempt to hide anything. It was slightly different from what she'd expected.
"But, Classmate Sakayanagi, if you want to meet him or find him, I have nothing to tell you. I'm sorry."
As Honami Ichinose said this, she felt rather proud. It was a secret that belonged to her alone.
"I see. But doesn't that also mean that if I attack you, the person behind you will keep protecting you? I'm a little excited to find out."
Sakayanagi Arisu didn't seem disappointed or play along with the other girl's lead. She left after saying just one more thing.
The students around Honami Ichinose were a little annoyed. Once Sakayanagi Arisu had walked away, they started complaining among themselves.
But some had grown curious and came to ask who that person was.
In the end, Honami Ichinose just smiled and dealt with each question, changing the subject as she went. Although everyone was a little curious about what had just been said, it didn't last long.
Before you continue