Making Coffee, Karuizawa Kei Notices Something

"Now no Private Points next month, what are we going to do?"

Just then, I heard Xiaomei (Wang Meiyu)'s voice from next door.

We still need to solve the Private Points issue first.

Because I had just received a message from Hoshino -kun, my phone screen was still on, and I quickly found my personal account balance.

[Personal Account XXXXXXXX Balance: 21038.]

... These Private Points are completely insufficient!

And if I really don't earn any points next month, people will definitely come to me to borrow money again, and I can't refuse because of my reputation...

Oh no! At this rate, I won't even be able to afford ingredients to cook for myself anymore. Eventually, I'll really have to eat wild vegetables and root vegetables.

No, this can't be done!

Previously, I only considered reputation, but people still need to eat.

So before my classmates' anger towards Ken Sudō was completely ignited, I stepped forward and saved [the world].

And what happened after that... went even more smoothly than Hoshino -kun had predicted.

His guess was correct; it was indeed possible to buy points with Private Points. Although 100,000 points was a lot, everyone got excited after I explained the stakes.

To make the most of this opportunity, I contributed 10,000 points, and Hirata, moved by my proposal to help his classmate avoid dropping out, generously offered 20,000 points.

Ayanokoji was on good terms with Hoshino, contributed 20,000 points, and Horikita Naya, persuaded by Ayanokoji, contributed 30,000 points.

Ayanokoji!

And Hoshino -kun, your suggestion was really great, it gave me such a pleasant surprise.

With only 20,000 points left, the rest of the class helped collect them, and they quickly gathered the required amount.

I spent 100,000 points to buy one point from Ken Sudō, so our whole class can pass. This exam was finally a close call.

Not only that, the Class Points were also saved, and Private Points next month! Good things just keep happening one after another!!

After Chabashira-sensei left with the report cards, the other students in the class gathered around my seat, surrounding me.

"That's great, Kushida!"

"That's right, we'll have some numbers next month!"

"As expected of Kikyo, she actually came up with such a method!"

Xiaomei (Wang Meiyu), who was closest to me and with whom I had the closest relationship, excitedly jumped into my arms.

I caught the girl steadily, her eyes glistening with joyful tears, and wrapped my arms around her from behind, patting her gently.

Xiaomei is petite, and these movements make her look even more like a teenage girl.

Will I have a daughter like that someday?

... Pah! What am I thinking?!

If I were to fall in love, my [Kushida Empire] would definitely crumble. A partner and children? Forget about it! How could I possibly have any in the future!?

Besides, someone as twisted as me, no one would like the real me, right? If I had to wear a mask even in front of my bedmate, that would be too pathetic.

There are simply no people who can accept the real me...

Suddenly, the name of the boy who hid his purple starry eyes beneath his bangs popped into my mind.

Hoshino -kun... is he okay?

I suddenly had an absurd idea.

He knows the real me, yet he has never shown any disgust towards me. I can vent my stress on him whenever I want.

Even when I made the rude request that he curse those bastards with me, he never complained once. Every time, he patiently joined me in swearing.

Although he held leverage over me, he never used it to threaten me. Despite always being quite blunt about how stupid I was, he still guided and taught me earnestly.

He even said things like, "[Because I really like you]" and "[I really think Kushida, you're so charming]" to me...

Thinking back on what he had done to me, I suddenly realized that Hoshino En was the only person who could accept me.

He might not be at the point where I can entrust my life to him yet, but... at least as a friend—not just "Everyone's Kushida," but "the real Kushida"—he's acceptable, right?

The more I thought about it, the more I felt that this might work, and I even felt a surge of excitement and impulse far exceeding that of building the Kushida Empire.

So I turned my head, peering through the gaps in the crowd, and eagerly looked towards the corner of the classroom—

However, it was empty.

The seat next to the back door was empty; Hoshino En had already slipped away.

The higher the initial excitement and urge I felt, the more my mood has plummeted.

It seemed like the same thing happened on the first day of school; he disappeared in the blink of an eye, preventing me from collecting everyone's contact information in the class immediately.

Even with Horikita around, my achievement was impossible from the start...

Ugh, he just finished his exams, where does all this work come from?!

I was internally cursing, but my facial expression didn't show much of a change, and no one around me noticed my state.

"Kikyo- chan, what's wrong?"

But I couldn't hide my feelings from Xiaomei in my arms; she looked up at me with concern.

"I... I'm fine..."

"Yeah?"

She's usually so easily fooled, but this time she didn't immediately believe my story. Was it because we're so familiar that it's harder to hide my true feelings, or has my skill really diminished?

However, she didn't dwell on the matter; she immediately proposed that we go celebrate our successful exams.

"Kikyo- chan, let's go get some dessert! Eating something delicious will cheer you up!"

She dragged along my [good friends] and persuaded me to go with them to a coffee shop I'd hardly been to this month, where I enjoyed expensive desserts and milk tea.

This order used up almost half of our remaining Private Points, but eating something sweet definitely lifted our spirits.

This must be it; the release of dopamine can make people forget their troubles.

Of course, sweet illusions can also numb one's mind.

It wasn't until I saw the sun gradually setting and the darkness enveloping me, and the streetlights that had somehow come on by the roadside, that I remembered what I had originally planned to do that morning.

Oh, right, Hoshino En!

By now, Jiu should be back in the dorm by now, right? ○·Zero-≠∶

So, I made up an excuse to say goodbye to Xiaomei and the others, and went to the dormitory building alone. I stood at the bottom of the stairs on the fourth floor, waiting for him to arrive—just like a month ago, no matter if he came up the stairs or took the elevator from the other side, I could always bump into him—while worrying about what to do next.

Because of the unrestrained celebration with Xiaomei and the others today, my account balance has been cut by almost half again, and now I only have about 6,000 Private Points left.

While I won't go hungry for the next three days, my risk tolerance has dropped to its lowest point. If something happens next month that prevents me from receiving my points, I'll really be left with nothing but wind and wild vegetables.

What should we do if that situation actually occurs? Should we buy more easily stored ingredients while we still have some money?

My worries didn't last long, because soon I met up with Hoshino, who had been out [hanging out all day].

However, to my surprise, I thought I would be waiting for a lazy, idle, and energetic guy, but in fact, the Hoshino I met was not in such a good state and seemed very tired.

Of course, what I find even more unbelievable is that he was also holding a girl with a high golden ponytail in his arms.

That's Karuizawa Kei.

I knew her relationship with Hoshino En was unusual, but I didn't expect them to be so close in private.

Looking back now, things seem to have started to go strange after we saw Karuizawa Kei.

I must have been thinking for a while, because when I came to my senses, I found that the muscles on the inside of my legs were sore that I could only barely stand up by supporting myself on the doorknob.

Ever since we met at the stairwell, Karuizawa Kei has treated me like a mistress of the house, making me feel like a lowly maid.

If she wants to fawn Hoshino En that jerk Hoshino Yukino, fine, but why drag me into it? I'm not that scumbag's lapdog!!

And that guy [slept with Hoshino -kun], so I probably won't be able to release my stress with him tonight.

Not only did it put pressure on me, it also took away the only person and place I could use to vent my stress... Ha, hahaha...

Megumi Karu! Izumi!

Looking at the tightly closed door in front of me, I suddenly had an urge to violently knock on the door and disturb them.

Hoshino -kun wanted me to take Karuizawa away, so why don't I just grant his wish?

If I knock on the door hard, Hoshino will definitely open it, and then I'll have a way to take that little brat away and completely ruin his goal.

Yeah, that guy's been targeting me so much, why should I give him the time of day? Does he really think I'm some kind of soft-hearted Archangel?

My gaze inadvertently fell upon that face, and I was startled. I instinctively took a step back and bumped into the wall next to the room across the hall.

Wait, what is this?

The sudden chill pulled me out of my abnormally warm state, and I immediately broke out in a cold sweat on my back.

Did I just want to reveal my true nature again? And make a fool of myself again?

Am I sick?

Moreover, if I were to fall out with Karuizawa Kei, my reputation would definitely be affected—that girl has an absurdly high status among the girls in Class D, and I, who have to maintain relationships with the boys, simply cannot challenge her.

What was wrong with me just now? How could I do something so irrational? It was exactly the same thing I did to Hoshino in the room earlier!

... I must be sick after all.

Having reached this conclusion, I immediately lost the will to continue arguing with them—all I wanted to do was get back to my room as quickly as possible and calm down in a completely safe place.

My leg muscle soreness had almost subsided, so I quickly darted into the stairwell next door, climbed down to the lowest girls' floor, and then took the elevator back to my room's floor.

If someone were to witness me taking the elevator up from the men's floor, it would also affect my [Kushida Empire], and this risk must be eliminated.

For the same reason, I've decided to keep my distance from Hoshino En and Karuizawa Kei for now. Otherwise, if they reveal their true nature again for some inexplicable reason and get targeted by some disgusting person, I'll be the one who suffers in the end.

First Semester of First Year:

Chapter 89, Section 83: Making Coffee, Karuizawa Kei Sensations

When Hoshino Enishi came out of the bathroom after taking a Hoshino En, he saw Karuizawa Kei wearing only a white shirt, making coffee in the kitchen.

Just as he had anticipated, he gave her his shirt to wear, which covered just to the top of her thighs, roughly where her miniskirt would reach.

Her chest was slightly bulging, and apart from the top button which might obstruct her neck movement, all the other buttons were neatly fastened, making her look quite pleasing to the eye.

Hearing the door open, Karuizawa Kei, who was facing the kitchen and had her back to the bathroom, turned around. Her movements at that moment made her figure even more prominent.

"Hoshino-kun, would you like a cup of coffee?"

She held a steaming kettle in her hand, and in front of her were the filter cup and powder collection cup that Hoshino En had hidden in the storage cabinet.

In addition, there was milk, sugar cubes, a coffee cup set for guests, and a used coffee grinder on the kitchen table...

Hoshino En: "..."

I don't remember taking long in the shower, and I even skipped the bath today. Although doing laundry took some time, it was still quite fast overall... How did she manage to find all this stuff in such a short time?

Did they install surveillance cameras in my room?

Hoshino En glanced around, but didn't find anything that clashed with the kitchen.

"Hoshino-kun?"

Not hearing Hoshino En's reply immediately, Karuizawa Kei put down the kettle beside her, turned around and leaned against him, wanting to have him all to herself.

"Hoshino-kun, what are you looking at?"

"Nothing."

Hoshino En withdrew her gaze and looked at the girl in front of her with shining eyes.

"But coffee contains caffeine, and if I drink it now, I'll be too excited to sleep at night."

"I know that, but... you have something to ask me, right? Then a drink now would be just right."

Did you notice the change in my gaze earlier? This guy's improving pretty fast.

Could it be that she was originally a high-quality candidate?

"Add ice to my drink; there are pre-made ice cubes in the freezer. Make sure yours is hot; it's the changing season, so don't wait until I need it to find you're not ready to go."