Class B, Everyone (Part 2)

Phew, carefully holding the steaming eel rice bowl, I cautiously dodged pedestrians and tables.

At noon, students were coming and going.

Since it was a newly opened restaurant, even though it was a bit far from the teaching buildings, it still gathered many students looking to explore something new.

To avoid staining my uniform from any possible collisions and spills, I perked up a bit.

Where were Ichinose and the others?

I stepped aside from the aisle, stood by a seat, and tried to spot them.

Scanning the room, I found them in a slightly quieter corner.

Seeing Ichinose wave at me from not far away, I nodded back at her.

Following her direction, I walked over.

Besides the two girls seated, there were two steaming trays placed on the opposite side.

Probably classmates who had gone off to buy something else.

Since the spot was chosen in a corner by the wall, unlike the square tables with four facing chairs in the center of the restaurant, the corner by the wall was furnished with a fairly long, soft sofa.

Probably considering the scenario of group dining, it was a quite reasonable use of the corner space.

Ichinose and one other girl were sitting together on the sofa side.

Chihiro Shiramami—I had a slight impression of her.

I often saw her hovering around Ichinose; you could say they were inseparable.

But honestly, being drawn to Ichinose wasn't hard to understand...

"Are you only eating that much for lunch?"

Although I thought that if her appetite was poor, eating something light and simple might be better.

But would just one bowl of vegetable noodles be enough to keep her energetic through the afternoon?

"I don't have much appetite today... And sometimes I worry about whether I've gained weight recently, so I want to eat less to diet."

Ichinose... fat?

Even during lunch, Ichinose sat with the same upright posture as in class.

I only had a vague side-profile impression of Ichinose's figure from class, but seeing her head-on was unexpectedly striking.

The buttons at her collar were conspicuously stretched.

Rather than fat, it would be more fitting to describe her as well-proportioned...

But "well-proportioned" didn't seem quite right in some ways either.

Ichinose lowered her head a bit dejectedly, seeming anxious about maintaining her figure.

Suddenly, a pair of fair arms wrapped around her.

Squeeze~

"Kaho-chan isn't fat at all! There's no need to diet or anything."

Chihiro Shiramami rubbed against Ichinose's cheek.

"Your figure is already great, so don't you dare skip meals and not eat properly!"

"Besides, there's not an ounce of flab on your waist!"

Pinch...

Whether it was from the sudden cuddling or the sensitive waist being attacked, Ichinose's originally fair cheeks flushed a light red.

"Chihiro-chan, stop, stop..."

Trying to push her away, she turned her body to face Chihiro Shiramami directly, but that only fueled the other girl's enthusiasm.

The head resting on Ichinose's shoulder then lay against her chest, shaking back and forth as she rubbed her forehead against it.

A blissful smile spread across her face from the enjoyment.

I rested my chin on my hand, quietly watching the two of them fooling around.

"Good afternoon, Hajima-kun."

Sou Shibata sat down beside me and placed the drinks he was holding on the table.

"Good afternoon."

I gave a slight nod.

"I didn't know what everyone liked to drink, so I just grabbed some that seemed decent."

He said, enthusiastically pushing the drinks forward.

I glanced at Ichinose, curious about her taste.

It was just a trivial thing, but the table suddenly went quiet.

Sensing the atmosphere, I instinctively pulled my thoughts away and looked around at the situation.

Shibata kept his usual smile on his face as he watched Ichinose.

With a smile like that always hanging there, it was hard to get a read on what he was really thinking.

Shiramba Chihiro only glanced at the water being offered, seeming to have no intention of picking one, and instead turned her gaze to Ichinose.

Everyone present was quite focused on Ichinose Honami.

Turning his gaze back to Ichinose's face, he met her somewhat bright eyes.

Lightly pressing her lips together, Ichinose spoke:

"Thanks, Shibata-kun."

"But I don't really feel like a drink right now..."

Her poised and graceful smile, even in refusal, made one feel a spring breeze.

It was a refusal that couldn't stir up any resentment.

"I see, maybe I didn't pick a flavor Ichinose likes. No problem."

......

"Speaking of which, no one expected something like this to come out of nowhere."

Shibata So spoke with a hint of implication.

"It's... not entirely true to say there was no warning, but most of us were too caught up in the leniency the school gave us."

"Looking back now, there were actually a lot of suspicious points."

His usual smile was gone, replaced by a faint, bitter one.

"What's done is done. Saying this now is pointless."

"Better to think about how to get back what's ours."

Kanzaki Ryuji's voice came from a distance.

Then he sat down, nodded, and that was his greeting to everyone.

"I've managed to calm the uneasy feelings in the class for now, at least so the class points won't keep dropping. But we still don't know what kind of trials are coming. Teamwork is definitely going to play a big part."

Seeming to recall his less-than-pleasant exchange with the girls that morning, Kanzaki Ryuji furrowed his brow.

"If it's something that can be handled by individual ability, then even if someone incompetent does nothing, as long as they don't affect me, I have no problem with it."

"But if it requires cooperation from others, frankly, I think we'll be held back."

Listening to his speech, I, who had been focused on my lunch, silently moved the soda water I'd been staring at for a while in front of me.

Aside from Shiramba Chihiro looking over, the others seemed still immersed in the topic of class development.

Kanzaki Ryuji's thinking was a bit too hasty.

Unless you have the ability to dominate on a completely different level, you can't ignore each person's significance in a team.

And someone who truly has that kind of ability wouldn't overlook the infinite potential of teamwork.

A rich man says, "I have no interest in money."

Because he possesses wealth—that's the biggest confidence backing his words.

I have no money, and I say I have no interest in money.

It inevitably raises the question: is it really that I have no interest, or that I lack the ability to acquire wealth?

Am I being honest enough about this?

Of course, I can tell myself with a clear conscience that I truly don't think money is that important—just enough to get by is fine.

If it's limited to self-awareness, because I know myself better than anyone, I know I won't deceive myself.

But if you want to convince others, I think providing some kind of evidence is the best approach, rather than baseless rambling.

You always have to do something to prove that what you're saying is true.

After all, in my view, only those who have truly possessed something have the right to evaluate it.

So I'm really looking forward to seeing if Kanzaki Ryuji has any impressive abilities.

Or if he's just suffering from the common ailment of this age...

Crack.

Speaking of which, soda water can't really be called a drink, can it?

Compared to all sorts of weird sweet drinks, this one at least suits my taste.

Occasionally, people say it tastes terrible.

But after savoring it carefully, I just find the texture quite unique. I don't have any particular opinion on the flavor.

It probably just comes down to personal preference.

"I think it'd be better to get to know each other first before jumping to conclusions."

Shibata So, who had listened carefully to Kanzaki Ryuji's speech, spoke up a bit hesitantly.

"It's not that I don't recognize your abilities, Kamizaki-kun—you're certainly excellent—but I don't want you to view things through tinted glasses because of that little friction during today's break."

"What do you think, Kamizaki-kun?"

Sou Shibata stared straight at him.

"No need to flatter me, but you're right. I was just giving my opinion based on my own perspective, and I do think that even if we cut Personal Points in half, it's still enough to live on."

"That's what I believe is correct, but not a single person responded to me. It makes me a bit disappointed in the other students in the class."

Listening to him, I couldn't help but think—this guy's pretty straightforward.

"Can I share my thoughts?"

I tried speaking up.

"Of course!"

"Setting aside the earlier topic, I just want to give my take on Personal Points."

"I think Personal Points might have a much more important role in the future. Have you noticed the free meal counter always set up in the cafeteria, or the rows of daily necessities near their expiration date by a month or two in the corner of the supermarket?"

Chihiro Shiramami and Sou Shibata both looked surprised.

"I originally thought these were the school's support for students without Personal Points—like welfare. But I don't think upperclassmen would blow through all their points and then rely on the school's aid to get by."

"You mean..."

Ryuji Kamizaki weighed his words.

"Personal Points might have an unimaginable purpose."

Ichinose spoke up to add.

"Also, during the break, I carefully read the student handbook. The first rule under 'Details on Personal Points' is: Personal Points can be used to purchase anything."

"Example 1: A student can use 20 million Personal Points to purchase the right to transfer classes."

Hearing that rule, even I was a bit surprised.

"20 million Personal Points... can anyone actually reach that?"

Sou Shibata said, as if in awe.

"I'm not sure, but at least it proves that Hajima-kun's speculation is reasonable."

"Personal Points are more useful than we might think."

I strongly agreed with that—she'd even supplemented my point after understanding what I meant.

"Sharp as always."

I smiled at her and gave her a thumbs-up.

Ichinose shyly lowered her head and tucked a strand of her bangs behind her ear.

Then she spoke:

"If possible, wouldn't it be better to save some Personal Points to prepare for unexpected things in the future?"

"Even knowing that Personal Points are special, there's no way to force everyone to do anything. At most, we can only advise them."

"Force everyone to contribute a portion? But even if we could do that, who would manage it?"

Ryuji Kamizaki raised a question.

"I think Hajima-kun could be in charge of managing the class treasury."

Ichinose hesitated for a moment, then recommended me.

"Me?"

"If it's Hajima-kun, there's no problem!"

"It's not that I'm unwilling. But this kind of thing should definitely be entrusted to someone everyone can trust and feel at ease with, right?"

"Besides, convincing everyone to participate is already a difficult task in itself."

Seeming to think about the state of the class, Ichinose couldn't help but look troubled.

Her brow furrowed slightly, and her soft lips pressed together lightly.

The pressure at this stage wasn't from competition with other classes, but from the instability and lack of cohesion within the class.

It wasn't that there were people disrupting the class atmosphere, but it felt more like a country divided into many feudal domains.

Aside from a few students who got along with every group, most only moved within their own fixed circles.

This led to a certain lack of collective pride and the like.

This would be the first test Ichinose faced in leading Class B.

"At least we've clarified our goal now..."

"If everyone works toward that goal, even if it's hard, it'll be fine!"

Chihiro Shiramami, who had been quietly eating and listening to our conversation, spoke up in her soft, gentle voice.

"And I believe that Honami-chan can definitely do it!"

She gently wrapped her arms around Ichinose.

The girl's eyes reflected a scattering of stars.