Expectations Like Gold

The final bell of the afternoon rang, and the classroom was instantly filled with the relaxed atmosphere that follows the end of a day's lessons.

However, the students of Class B did not begin packing their bags to return to the dorms as they usually did, because a message from Honami Ichinose had already appeared in the class group chat during the lunch break.

"There is an important matter we need to discuss as a class after school today, so please stay behind."

At this moment, Honami Ichinose took a deep breath, stood up from her seat, and walked toward the podium with firm steps.

She turned to face the entire class, her pink-gold ponytail tracing a sharp arc through the air.

Her gaze swept over every familiar face in the room—some wore expressions of curiosity, some of anticipation, and others of unease and confusion.

"Everyone—"

Her voice echoed clearly through the classroom. "I believe you have all seen the message in our group chat. I will reiterate the situation to you now, and then we will vote together to decide whether or not to pay the one million Personal Points to purchase information regarding the school's hidden rules from the Class A leader, Mazumi Mami."

A low murmur of discussion rippled through the room.

Ryuji Kanzaki stood up immediately after, holding his phone and tapping the screen a few times. "I have posted the voting link in the class group. The vote is anonymous, so please vote according to your own thoughts. There is no need to feel any pressure; whether you vote in favor or against, it is your own choice."

With these two core figures speaking up, the students who had been hesitant or waiting to see how others would react began to pull out their phones, clicking the link in the group chat and lowering their heads to read the relevant explanations and options.

A boy sitting by the window was the first to speak up.

"One million Personal Points... that's not a small amount. Are we really going to buy it? And if we are going to buy it, why not just buy it from other students in Class A? Why must it be from the Class A leader? Maybe someone else would be willing to sell it for cheaper?"

"That won't work."

A girl beside him shook her head, her tone tinged with helplessness.

"Those people in Class A are tight-lipped. After Honami sent the message in the group this afternoon, I secretly asked a friend of mine in Class A to see if I could pry any information out of him."

"And guess what? The moment I asked about how points are increased or decreased, his expression changed immediately. He started stammering, saying 'I can't talk about that,' and then hung up the phone in a hurry."

Another boy frowned, his tone filled with confusion and suspicion. "But that doesn't make sense... Do the people in Class A just sit there and watch their leader pocket all one million points? Aren't they tempted at all? Are they really that united? Isn't there even one person who wants to make some extra money on the side?"

"You hit the nail on the head—they really don't have any objections at all."

A boy wearing glasses, who seemed to be well-informed, adjusted his frames and lowered his voice. "From what I understand, after enrolling, the Class A leader, Mazumi Mami, not only secured his position as leader by scoring first on the entrance exam, but he also quickly completed the integrated management of the class."

"Now, the students of Class A generally believe that following him will lead to a brighter future. So, as long as they are students of Class A, they don't care how many points the leader earns from information—it's not like it's coming out of their own pockets anyway."

A wave of low discussion spread throughout the classroom.

"Well, there's nothing we can do then..."

"If we can't get anything out of Class A, it seems we have no choice but to deal with their leader..."

"One million... I only have one hundred thousand in total, and this is going to take twenty-five thousand from me all at once..."

"But if we don't buy it, we might not get a single cent next month... and that would be even worse."

The students whispered among themselves, each face showing a complex expression—hesitation, worry, and helplessness.

In reality, what the students of Class B did not know was that behind this transaction, there had been controversy within Class A.

Kohei Katsuragi had privately approached Mazumi Mami, hoping he would not sell the information to other classes so that Class A could maintain its head start.

But Mazumi Mami had calmly analyzed the pros and cons for him—information is a secret with an expiration date; rather than holding onto it, it is better to trade it for actual benefits while it still has value.

More importantly, if Class B spent one million points to buy this information, they would be severely crippled by a shortage of points for a long time to come and would no longer have the strength to challenge Class A.

Conversely, they would still need to constantly guard against the covetous eyes of Class C and Class D. For Class A, this was a situation with only benefits and no drawbacks.

Under Mazumi Mami's patient persuasion, Kohei Katsuragi eventually agreed to the plan.

After all, the information was collected through the hard work of Mazumi Mami and his maids; Kohei Katsuragi had not contributed, so he naturally had no reason to ask others to give up their deserved earnings.

Furthermore, what Mazumi Mami said was indeed reasonable—rather than guarding a secret that would eventually expire, it was better to trade it for a tangible strategic advantage.

Of course, the students of Class B were completely unaware of this power struggle within Class A.

"Alright—"

Honami Ichinose clapped her hands, drawing everyone's attention back to her.

"Let's start the discussion now. I'll give you thirty minutes to fully exchange your opinions, and then we will cast our final result via the voting link in the group. Whether you agree or disagree, it is everyone's free choice."

Honami Ichinose said.

"However, regardless of whether you ultimately agree to purchase the information, we must begin the process of collecting and coordinating our class's Personal Points. The Class A leader's actions have reminded me—we also need to collect a portion of our Personal Points in advance as public funds for emergencies."

"So—"

Ryuji Kanzaki followed up, his tone carrying a touch of uncompromising seriousness. "Don't think that 'you can keep your points just by voting against it.' Whether it's for buying information or for building a class emergency fund, we are going to collect these points."

"Kanzaki..."

Honami Ichinose turned to look at him, her tone carrying a hint of helpless dissuasion. "There's no need to put it so bluntly; it sounds a bit harsh."

"I'm just stating the facts."

Ryuji Kanzaki's expression was calm and composed. "For the sake of Class B and everyone's long-term interests, these measures are necessary. Some things may be hard to hear, but it's better than keeping them hidden and regretting it once a problem arises."

Upon hearing this, Honami Ichinose moved her lips slightly, as if she wanted to say something else, but in the end, she sighed softly and did not argue further.

The thirty minutes of discussion passed quickly.

The voting link in the class group was officially closed, and the results were displayed in real-time on the phone screens of all the students.

Votes in favor: 26. Votes against: 14.

With a majority vote, the resolution to pay one million points to purchase information from Mazumi Mami was passed.

The moment the results appeared, the classroom erupted in a variety of reactions—some sighed in relief, others looked worried, and some patted their chests, wearing expressions that said, "Well, since it's decided, so be it."

Honami Ichinose stood at the podium, staring at the voting results on her phone screen for a silent moment. Then, she looked up, swept her gaze across the faces of every student in the room, and bowed deeply.

"Thank you, everyone... Thank you for trusting me and making this decision."

She straightened up, her eyes filled with determination and sincerity. "I promise you all—I will make the best use of the information purchased with this one million points to secure the greatest benefits for our Class B. This is my promise as your class representative, and my promise as Honami Ichinose."

A wave of enthusiastic responses immediately broke out from the room:

"Go for it, Honami! I knew you could do it!"

"Heh, honestly, I only voted 'yes' because I believe in Honami! Whatever decision Honami makes, I support it!"

"Honami! I love you! Go out with me!"

"Hey! Why are you trying to sneak a confession in there! Honami belongs to everyone! Shut your mouth!"

Before the boy who confessed could finish his sentence, his classmates laughed and shoved his head down, causing a playful commotion that filled the classroom with a cheerful atmosphere.

Watching the smiling faces before her, Honami Ichinose couldn't help but offer a warm smile of her own.

Yet, at the same time, a heavy pressure quietly began to spread deep within her heart.

Those words, those gazes, that trust and expectation—each piece was as precious as gold, yet they also felt like invisible ropes, gently tightening around her chest.

Because those expectations were so pure and so sincere, she dared not slack off for even a second, nor could she bear to let them fall and shatter.

It will be fine...

She whispered to herself in the silence of her heart.

I will lead everyone to a wonderful high school life. The past is in the past... I can do better. I will not make the same mistakes again.

She clenched her hands at her sides, her fingertips digging into her palms, bringing a faint, sharp sensation of pain.

That pain served as a reminder—some mistakes must never be repeated.

Honami Ichinose looked up toward the window.

The setting sun dyed the sky a warm orange-red, and the light filtered through the panes, falling upon her face and reflecting the glimmer in her amethyst eyes.

There, one could see resolve, responsibility, and—a faint, lingering trace of unease.