The afternoon sun streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the Student Cafeteria, casting dappled shadows across the tables.
Mazumi Mami calmly set down his chopsticks, picked up a napkin, and dabbed elegantly at the corner of his mouth before standing.
"Then we'll take our leave. We look forward to hearing your answer, Ichinose."
His tone was warm and courteous, and his smile was just right. His manners and bearing were beyond reproach.
Even so, Honami Ichinose felt a weight in her heart and couldn't bring herself to feel happy.
She managed a polite smile and nodded, but didn't offer any parting words—she genuinely didn't know what to say.
"Then we're off, too~"
Chisato Nishikigi stood up as well. Before leaving, she turned back to wink at Chihiro Shiranami, then held her index and middle fingers together and gave a jaunty salute at her forehead. "Don't miss me too much, kitty cat~"
"I'm not going to miss you! And—I'm not a cat!"
Chihiro Shiranami flushed bright red and protested indignantly, but her voice sounded somewhat feeble as Chisato turned away.
"Chisato, you're teasing her again."
Runa Inoue walked beside Chisato, stating it in her usual even tone. It was hard to tell whether she sounded disapproving or resigned.
"What do you mean, teasing her? I'm obviously just showing her that I'm friendly!"
Chisato Nishikigi defended herself with complete conviction, even spreading her hands as if to say, "You people just don't get me."
"I don't think that counts as being friendly."
Walnut adjusted her headband and offered a cold retort.
"That's your bias showing! This is how girls show we're close! You people, who don't know how to play around with each other, wouldn't understand!"
Chisato Nishikigi argued passionately, then turned back and stuck out her tongue in Chihiro Shiranami's direction.
The four of them walked toward the cafeteria exit, chattering and bickering all the way. Before long, they disappeared into the crowd.
Chihiro Shiranami glared at them as they left, fists clenched. "Damn it... Chisato's always teasing me... I'll find a chance to get her back!"
Though her words were fierce, her flushed cheeks and puffed-up expression made her look rather cute.
She turned around, ready to keep complaining to Honami Ichinose, but suddenly noticed that something seemed off about Honami's expression.
Her amethyst eyes, usually shining with warmth, seemed dim now, as if veiled by a thin shadow.
She lowered her gaze to the half-finished curry rice in front of her. Her spoon rested beside the plate, and she hadn't touched it for quite some time.
"What's wrong, Honami?"
Chihiro Shiranami immediately tensed and leaned forward. "Did that Class A class leader bully you? Did he say something nasty? Just wait—I'll go demand an explanation from him right now!"
She started to stand.
"No, Chihiro, sit down first."
Honami Ichinose reached out and took hold of her wrist, gently shaking her head. Her voice was still warm, but there was a note of quiet firmness in it. "Calm down first."
"But you look obviously upset!"
Chihiro Shiranami furrowed her brow with worry. "He must have said something to make you unhappy! I'll go talk to him!"
"I wouldn't quite call it 'bullying'..."
Honami Ichinose paused, her gaze drifting to the bright campus scenery outside the window. Her voice held a trace of complexity. "He just told me something that... really concerns me."
"Then he must have been lying!"
Chihiro Shiranami replied without hesitation. "You're such a good person, Honami. He was definitely just trying to scare you! Don't believe anything someone like that says!"
"No."
Honami Ichinose shook her head gently. A serious glint passed through her amethyst eyes. "If it were false, I'd actually be relieved—but my instincts tell me this news has to be true."
She paused, as if collecting her thoughts. "That's why I said it really concerns me."
Seeing how serious Honami looked, Chihiro Shiranami put her earlier impulse aside and softened her tone. "Then... what is it? Can you tell me, Honami?"
"Of course."
Honami Ichinose nodded. "Actually, I'd like to discuss this with more people."
She raised her head and looked past Chihiro Shiranami's shoulder toward the other side of the cafeteria. "So... let's call Kanzaki over, too."
"...Okay."
Chihiro Shiranami had been about to say that she could handle it all by herself, but seeing the serious, earnest look in Honami's eyes, she swallowed the words and nodded obediently.
Before long, a figure made his way through the bustling crowd in the cafeteria and arrived at their table.
The newcomer was a tall, slender boy.
He had short, dark purple hair, neatly styled in a way that still looked fresh.
His bright yellow eyes carried a detached, distant air, as if he always kept just the right amount of space between himself and everything around him.
His features were cleanly defined, with sharp lines. Even just standing there, he exuded a steady, cool presence.
He was one of the core members of Class B—Ryuji Kanzaki.
"I'm here, Ichinose. You said there was something important to discuss—what is it?"
Ryuji Kanzaki sat down in the empty seat and got straight to the point.
His voice was steady, neither loud nor soft, with a calming quality to it.
Honami Ichinose took a deep breath, then succinctly and clearly recounted her conversation with Mazumi Mami—from the "hidden rules for school points," to the possibility that they might receive no points next month, to the one-million-point fee for the information.
When she finished, she lowered her hands and looked from one companion to the other, her tone open and uncertain as she asked for their help. "...Do you think we should pay the one million points?"
"Of course not!"
Chihiro Shiranami was the first to answer, her tone decisive. "It's definitely a scam! He's just after our Class B points and made up some lie to scare us! The teachers said we'd get one hundred thousand points every month. There's no way official information like that could be false, right?"
Honami Ichinose didn't answer right away. Instead, she turned to Ryuji Kanzaki. "Kanzaki, what do you think? Do you think the information is true?"
Ryuji Kanzaki fell silent for a moment, folding his hands on the table. His yellow eyes narrowed slightly as he seemed to rapidly consider and analyze the matter.
"My personal inclination is to think it's true."
He spoke slowly.
Chihiro Shiranami's eyes widened, and she was about to say something, but Ryuji Kanzaki raised a hand to signal that she should hear him out first.
"There are three reasons. First, given Mazumi Mami's identity and position, he has no need to deceive us with a lie that would be easy to expose. He's the heir to Mizuki Heavy Industries and the class leader of Class A. Someone like that must have a purpose and a reason for what he does. It's unlikely he's just messing with us for fun."
"Second, ever since I started school, I've also felt that something about this place was off. Giving us one hundred thousand points every month for no reason, and providing so many free facilities and services... It all seems a little too good to be true."
He paused, then continued his analysis. "Third, he gave us a 'hint' of his own accord, which means he isn't afraid of us checking for ourselves. If he were lying, we could expose him just by looking into it. He wouldn't leave himself open to that kind of risk."
He raised his head and looked at Honami Ichinose. "Still, one million points is a considerable sum. Since he gave us a hint, we might as well investigate along the lines he suggested first. If we can uncover the same information ourselves, we won't have to depend on him."
Honami Ichinose listened carefully to his analysis, her expression gradually growing more resolute. "All right. Let's do that."
She began assigning tasks. "Kanzaki, take a few people and check the 'free supplies distribution points' Mazumi Mami mentioned, especially on the upperclassmen's floors. He mentioned the number plates hanging outside the classrooms, and I'd like to take a look at those myself to see what they are."
She paused, then added, "We'll split into two groups and cross-check our findings. That way, anything we discover will be more convincing."
"Understood. Leave it to me."
Ryuji Kanzaki answered briskly and stood up. "I'll go find some people now."
"What about me? What should I do?"
Seeing that the other two had both received proper assignments, Chihiro Shiranami couldn't sit still. She raised her hand eagerly and asked, "I can help, too!"
Ryuji Kanzaki glanced at her and thought for a moment before speaking. "Shiranami, you seemed to get along pretty well with Chisato Nishikigi just now. Why not try spending more time with her and see if you can get anything out of her? She's around Mazumi Mami, after all, so she should know quite a bit."
"But..."
Chihiro Shiranami looked conflicted, her fingers twisting together without her realizing it. "She's always teasing me..."
"Then why don't you go back and rest for now, Chihiro?"
Honami Ichinose gently patted her shoulder. "We can handle it. You don't need to push yourself."
That considerate reassurance only stirred Chihiro Shiranami's contrariness.
She straightened her back, clenched her fists, and said earnestly, "If you're saying that, Honami, then I have to help! Leave it to me! I'll get the information out of Chisato!"
"Chihiro, you don't have to push yourself—"
"Then I'm off!"
Before Honami Ichinose could finish, Chihiro Shiranami was already dashing away like a gust of wind, racing toward the cafeteria exit—the same way Chisato Nishikigi had gone.
Watching her charge off, Honami Ichinose couldn't help smiling with a mix of helplessness and fondness. "...She really is so childish."
"She just wants to help you."
Ryuji Kanzaki stood beside her, his gaze also following the departing figure. "To be precise, we all want to help you. So, Ichinose, don't push yourself too hard, either. When something happens, talk it over with us, like you did today."
He turned to look at her, earnestness in his yellow eyes. "You're not alone."
Honami Ichinose was slightly taken aback, then smiled warmly—the first truly heartfelt smile she'd managed since this unexpected deal began.
"Mm. I will."
She lifted her head, her gaze once again resolute and bright. "Then—let the investigation begin."
The afternoon sun still shone brightly, but beneath the calm surface of the campus, currents were already stirring.
Thus began their investigation into the truth behind the "points."