Deliberation

The afternoon sunlight filtered through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the student cafeteria, casting dappled patterns of light and shadow across the table.

Mazumi Mami calmly set down his chopsticks, wiped the corners of his mouth with a napkin in an elegant motion, and stood up.

"In that case, we shall take our leave. I look forward to your reply, Honami Ichinose."

His tone was gentle and refined, his face wearing a perfectly measured smile. Whether in etiquette or demeanor, he was beyond reproach.

Even so, Honami Ichinose felt a heavy weight in her chest, unable to summon any sense of joy.

She managed a polite, forced smile and nodded, but could not bring herself to offer any parting words—she truly did not know what to say.

"Well then, we're off too!"

Chisato Nishikigi stood up as well. Before leaving, she didn't forget to wink at Chihiro Shiranami, holding up her index and middle fingers in a jaunty salute against her forehead. "Don't miss me too much, little kitten!"

"I wouldn't dream of it! And for the record—I am not a cat!"

Chihiro Shiranami's face flushed red as she retorted indignantly, though her voice sounded powerless against the back of the girl already walking away.

"Chisato, you're teasing her again."

Runa Inoue walked beside Chisato, stating the fact in a flat tone that made it impossible to tell if she was being reproachful or simply resigned.

"How is that teasing? I was clearly just expressing my friendliness toward her!"

Chisato Nishikigi defended herself with righteous indignation, even spreading her hands with an expression that screamed, "You guys just don't get me."

"I don't think that counts as expressing friendliness."

Walnut adjusted her headband and offered a cold, dry remark.

"That's just your prejudice! This is the only way girls can express how close we are! People like you who don't know how to horse around will never understand!"

Chisato Nishikigi argued persuasively, even turning back to stick her tongue out in Chihiro Shiranami's direction.

The four of them continued to bicker and chatter as they walked toward the cafeteria exit, disappearing into the crowd moments later.

Chihiro Shiranami glared indignantly in the direction they had left, clenching her small fists as she gritted her teeth and whispered, "Darn it... that Chisato, she always loves to tease me... I'll definitely find a chance to get back at her!"

Though her words were fierce, the pouty expression paired with her slightly reddened cheeks made her look rather adorable instead.

She turned her head, ready to continue venting to Honami Ichinose, but suddenly noticed that Honami's expression was somewhat off.

Those amethyst eyes, which usually shimmered with a warm light, looked dim at this moment, as if veiled by a thin shadow.

She lowered her gaze to the curry rice that remained more than half-finished, the spoon resting against the edge of the plate, untouched for a long time.

"What's wrong, Honami?"

Chihiro Shiranami grew nervous at once, leaning her body slightly forward. "Did that Class A leader bully you just now? Did he say something mean? You just wait, I'm going to go find him and demand an explanation!"

She started to stand up as she spoke.

"No, Chihiro, sit down first."

Honami Ichinose reached out to grab her wrist, shaking her head gently. Her tone remained soft, yet carried a trace of unquestionable seriousness. "Please, calm down."

"But you have that look on your face—you're clearly upset!"

Chihiro Shiranami frowned in distress. "He must have said something to make you unhappy! I'm going to find him!"

"I wouldn't exactly call it 'bullying'..."

Honami Ichinose mused, her gaze drifting toward the bright campus scenery outside the window. Her voice carried a hint of complexity. "He just told me some things—things that weigh heavily on my mind."

"That must have been a lie to trick you!"

Chihiro Shiranami said without hesitation. "You're such a good person, Honami; he must have been trying to scare you! Don't believe a word that guy says!"

"No."

Honami Ichinose shook her head slightly, a flash of earnestness crossing her amethyst eyes. "If it were a lie, I would actually feel relieved—but my intuition tells me this news is undoubtedly true."

She paused, as if organizing her thoughts. "That is why I said this matter concerns me deeply."

Seeing her serious expression, Chihiro Shiranami set aside her earlier impulse, her tone softening. "Then... what is it? Can you tell me, Honami?"

"Of course."

Honami Ichinose nodded. "In fact, I was hoping to discuss this with more people."

She lifted her head, her gaze passing over Chihiro Shiranami's shoulder to look toward the other side of the cafeteria. "So... let's call Ryuji Kanzaki over as well."

"...Alright."

Chihiro Shiranami had wanted to say, "I can help you solve this on my own," but seeing the earnest and solemn look in Honami Ichinose's eyes, she swallowed the words and nodded obediently.

Not long after, a figure wove through the bustling crowd of the cafeteria and arrived at their table.

The newcomer was a tall, slender young man.

He had dark purple short hair, styled in a clean and crisp fashion.

A pair of bright yellow eyes held a hint of indifference and detachment, as if he always maintained a perfectly measured distance from everything around him.

His features were clean and well-defined, and his sharp lines gave him a composed and cool-headed aura just by standing there.

He was one of the core members of Class B—Ryuji Kanzaki.

"Honami, I'm here. You said there was something important to discuss—what is it?"

Ryuji Kanzaki sat down in the empty seat and asked straight to the point.

His voice was neither high nor low, his tone steady, carrying a quality that put others at ease.

Honami Ichinose took a deep breath, then began to recount the conversation she'd just had with Mami Mazumi in clear, concise language—from the "hidden rules of school points" to the "possibility of no points being deposited next month," and finally, the one-million-point information fee—leaving nothing out.

After finishing, she lowered her hands, her gaze sweeping back and forth across her two companions' faces, her tone filled with genuine confusion and a plea for help: "...Do you think we should pay this one million points?"

"We definitely shouldn't pay it!"

Chihiro Shiranami was the first to chime in, her tone resolute. "This is absolutely a scam! He must have set his sights on Class B's points and made up a lie just to scare us! The teachers even said they'd give us one hundred thousand points every month; how could official information like that be false?"

Honami Ichinose didn't respond to her immediately, instead turning her gaze to Ryuji Kanzaki: "Kanzaki, what's your opinion? Do you think... this news is true or false?"

Ryuji Kanzaki was silent for a moment, his hands clasped on the table, his yellow eyes narrowing slightly as if he were rapidly thinking and analyzing.

"I personally lean toward... it being true."

He spoke slowly.

Chihiro Shiranami's eyes widened, and she was about to say something, but Ryuji Kanzaki raised a hand to signal her to listen first.

"There are three reasons: First, given Mami Mazumi's status and position, he has no need to fabricate such a transparent lie to deceive us. He is the heir to Mizuki Heavy Industries and the leader of Class A—someone like him acts with purpose and calculation; it's unlikely he'd do this just to toy with us."

"Second, ever since I enrolled, I've felt that something was off about this school. Receiving one hundred thousand points unconditionally every month, plus all these free facilities and services—such a good deal feels a bit too good to be true."

He paused, then continued his analysis. "Third, since he took the initiative to give us a 'hint,' it shows he isn't afraid of us verifying it. If he were lying, we could expose him just by checking, and he wouldn't leave himself open to such a liability."

He looked up at Honami Ichinose. "However, one million points is not a small sum. Since he gave us a hint, we might as well explore the direction he mentioned on our own. If we can uncover the same information ourselves, we won't have to be at his mercy."

Honami Ichinose listened to his analysis intently, her eyes gradually growing firm. "Alright, let's do that."

She began to assign tasks: "Kanzaki, take a few people and check the 'free supply distribution points' that Mami Mazumi mentioned, especially on the upper-class floors. I noticed he mentioned the number plates hanging on the classroom doors, and I want to go see for myself—what exactly those are."

She paused, then added: "We'll split into two groups and cross-verify. That way, if we find anything, it will be more convincing."

"Understood, leave it to me."

Ryuji Kanzaki replied crisply and stood up. "I'll go gather the others right now."

"What about me? What about me?"

Seeing that both of them had serious tasks, Chihiro Shiranami couldn't sit still, eagerly raising her hand. "What should I do? I can help too!"

Ryuji Kanzaki glanced at her, thought for a moment, and said: "Chihiro—that Chisato Nishikigi from earlier seems to get along with you quite well. Why don't you try to get closer to her? See if you can pry any information out of her? After all, she's someone close to Mami Mazumi and should know quite a bit about the inside story."

"But..."

Chihiro Shiranami's expression became conflicted, her fingers twisting together unconsciously. "She always likes to tease me..."

"Then you should go back and rest, Chihiro."

Honami Ichinose patted her shoulder gently. "Just leave it to us; you don't have to force yourself."

This thoughtful concern instead triggered Chihiro Shiranami's rebellious spirit.

She suddenly straightened her back, clenched her fists, and said with a serious face: "Since you said so, Honami—then I must help with this! Leave it to me! I'll definitely get the information out of that Chisato!"

"Chihiro, it's really okay if you don't force yourself—"

"I'm heading out!"

Before Honami Ichinose could finish, Chihiro Shiranami had already dashed off like a gust of wind, running toward the entrance of the student cafeteria—the exact direction Chisato Nishikigi had left in just moments ago.

Watching her hurried back, Honami Ichinose couldn't help but reveal a helpless yet gentle smile: "...She really is a childish one."

"She wants to help you, too."

Ryuji Kanzaki stood beside her, his gaze also fixed on the retreating figure. "To be precise—all of us want to help you. So, Honami, don't push yourself too hard. When you encounter problems, just like today, come talk to us."

He turned to look at her, his yellow eyes filled with sincerity: "You aren't alone."

Honami Ichinose was slightly stunned, then broke into a warm smile—the first genuine smile she had felt since this sudden, unexpected transaction began.

"Yes, I will."

She looked up, her gaze once again firm and spirited: "Then—let the exploration begin."

The afternoon sun was still bright, but beneath the calm facade of the school, undercurrents had already begun to churn.

An exploration centered on the truth of the "points" had officially begun.