The break lacked its usual cheerful atmosphere. A heavy air hung over the classroom.
Aside from a few students focused on organizing their notes from the lesson, everyone else had gathered to some degree around Ichinose.
"What are we supposed to do now? Our Personal Points have been cut by almost half this month."
"Yeah, it feels like money's going to be even tighter... This is such a pain!"
Two girls started the conversation, sounding like they were complaining, though they seemed genuinely worried.
"Your day-to-day expenses shouldn't be affected. Even with just these points, high school students can live pretty comfortably."
Ryuji Kamizaki chimed in after hearing that.
"Girls spend way more than boys. It's not even comparable."
"Even so, it shouldn't affect your normal life as a student."
"If you don't understand, you don't have to say anything."
The gloomy atmosphere, brought on by their Personal Points being nearly cut in half, seemed on the verge of catching fire from the sparks between their words.
Ryuji Kamizaki frowned.
He opened his mouth, about to say something.
"Turns out I'm not the only one worried about the points..."
A familiar, cheerful voice came from behind him, cutting through the rather tense atmosphere.
"But instead of worrying about this, what matters more right now is that we all work together to earn those points back."
He eased the tension from the argument and steered the conversation toward something more important.
Sou Shibata, smiling, rested a hand on Ryuji Kamizaki's shoulder.
Frowning, Ryuji turned his head away, somewhat unwillingly, and stopped arguing with the girls.
"Shibata-kun, do you have any ideas?"
"Ah... Sorry, I can't think of a way to increase our points yet, either."
Even the usually optimistic Shibata gave a wry smile.
I thought the brief discussion might end on a gloomy note, but then—
Ichinose, who had been sitting quietly, set down her pen.
The crisp sound rang through the classroom.
In an instant, every student in Class B turned to look at her.
Did Ichinose have an idea?
Expectant gazes converged on her.
"Huh!? I don't have any ideas about how to increase our Class Points, either..."
She could feel everyone's expectations, but Ichinose didn't seem to have an answer for them...
Even the last oasis had been swallowed up by the sandstorm...
The atmosphere was suffocating, but Ichinose didn't seem affected by it.
"Still, I think it's more practical to make sure our points don't keep decreasing than to look for ways to increase them."
"Teacher Hoshinomiya said the classes are ranked according to their overall strength. We still don't know exactly what this 'overall strength' includes, but... as Class B students, the school has recognized us to some extent."
"I don't think we need to lose our heads over this unexpected setback. Class A has pulled ahead by quite a bit, but we still have an advantage over the other two classes."
"We should first avoid letting our Class Points drop even further because we panic or rush into things."
"A-as expected of Ichinose!"
"I knew Ichinose was amazing..."
"If we get too eager to make quick progress, we might lose even more. I guess this small setback really got to us."
Ichinose didn't get caught up in the praise. Instead, she continued.
"We still don't know how to increase our Class Points, but if we do our best as students, like Teacher Hoshinomiya said during morning reading, we should be able to avoid losing points."
"Besides, as students, the challenges that increase our Class Points will probably be things like exams. I'm sure we'll all do fine!"
"As a student in Class B, I've never thought we were any worse than students in the other classes."
Ichinose's words were like a shot of adrenaline, coursing through the veins of every Class B student.
Even I couldn't help feeling a little fired up...
The bell signaling the end of class had already rung, but unlike usual, when everyone hurried to the door and waited for it to sound before leaving, the math teacher at the podium was still talking up a storm, apparently caught up in the lesson.
Especially with the students paying such close attention, the teacher seemed to grow more and more enthusiastic.
Even though class had run into their break, none of the students showed their displeasure.
I guess people only paid attention when their own interests were directly affected, rather than when they heard sincere advice.
"That's all for today. If anyone still has questions, come see me in the faculty office."
The math teacher stood the textbook upright and tapped it lightly against the lectern.
Maybe that was what a real end-of-class bell sounded like.
Class 1-B had finally reached May 1, a rather important moment.
Ah, sorry.
Maybe it was just because I'd skipped breakfast, but I was looking forward to lunch a little more than usual.
I tidied up my desk, ready to head to the cafeteria with Ryota and Tetsuya.
If possible, I wanted a bowl of eel rice today.
"Um, Hajima, do you have a moment?"
Huh?
A fair hand waved back and forth in front of my eyes.
My gaze followed its swaying fingers.
They were slender, but not overly bony. Her nails weren't long, nor were they adorned with flashy polish.
Her fingers were held neatly together, giving them a strangely pure beauty.
"...Hajima?"
"Sorry, I was mesmerized... No, I mean! I was... distracted. Distracted."
I quickly shifted my gaze to Ichinose's face.
"I feel like I just heard something really rude..."
She rested her chin in her hands, seeming to mull something over.
"What's up?"
"Would you like to have lunch together?"
"Huh!?"
Why... was she suddenly inviting me to lunch?
"Are you busy...?"
Seeing my strong reaction, she furrowed her brows and pouted a little, looking disappointed.
"Of course I'm free... But I made plans to go with those two at lunchtime."
"Do you mean Hamaguchi and Beppu, by the door?"
"Yeah."
"You're sure you made plans with them?"
"Of course."
I answered as automatically as I would say that one plus one equals two.
Ichinose let out a giggle.
"Th-then why are they waving at you?"
Waving... Shouldn't they be motioning for me to hurry up?
I looked where she was pointing and saw only two lonely figures walking away.
No, wait. They were walking away from me, so why did they look so tragic!?
"Maybe they really were hungry and left without us."
"Then let's go together, too. It wouldn't be nice to keep the others waiting."
"So there are other people...?"
"Yeah. They hadn't planned on inviting you."
Ichinose suddenly lifted her face, as if gathering her courage.
But when she looked me in the eye, her voice dropped despite herself.
"But... I want you to come with me..."
"What?"
I could barely make out what she'd said at the end.
"I mean... I'd like you to help me figure out what to have for lunch."
She turned her gaze away, making me wonder if she'd changed what she meant to say.
"Let's think about it on the way."
"Okay~"
Before you continue