Kushida, why is your voice so squeaky?

Today is the first day of formal classes.

Class 1-D classroom.

"I spent 80,000 points on a brand-new game console!"

Koji Ike's face was filled with smiles and pride as he showed off the console in his hands to the companions around him.

"I bought a laptop."

The person who bought the computer was Hideo Sotomura. He was slightly chubby, wore glasses, and went by the nickname "Professor." During his self-introduction, he mentioned that he liked watching anime and playing galgames.

"Not bad, Ike. Let me play with it later, too."

Ken Sudo, who was sitting behind Koji Ike, also wore an excited expression as he stepped forward and threw his arm around Koji Ike's shoulder.

Although Sudo's behavior yesterday had caused many in the class to feel disgusted, it didn't stop Koji Ike, Haruki Yamauchi, and Ken Sudo from forming a small clique. Furthermore, their dorm rooms were all located right next to each other.

One could only say that Stand users are drawn to one another.

"What about you, Yamauchi?"

Haruki Yamauchi seemed to have been waiting for this moment. He quickly rolled up his sleeve, revealing a golden watch on his wrist.

"Haha, I bought a watch. It cost me a fortune, too."

"How is it? Pretty cool, right?"

"That's amazing!"

"It makes me want to go buy one now."

"No way, don't go buying the same model as me!"

Listening to the exclamations of Koji Ike and the others, Haruki Yamauchi beamed. At this very moment, he believed he was a wealthy, handsome, and mature man.

The female students in the class must all be drawn to him by now!

"But is it really okay to spend so many points all at once?"

A passerby student nearby chimed in.

"What does it matter?"

Haruki Yamauchi responded dismissively: "The points will just come back next month anyway. Points don't breed more points just by sitting there."

Koji Ike laughed and echoed: "Exactly, exactly!"

Rei Chihaya, sitting in the middle of the back row, naturally took note of these scenes.

To be honest, he was a bit curious.

What kind of mindset led them to spend the vast majority of their points in just a single day, and then be so proud to show them off everywhere?

Would their remaining points be enough to last them until the end of the month?

As expected of the people in this black room; they were already challenging themselves to a diet of wild vegetables in their first month.

"Chihaya-kun, did you buy anything you like?"

Airi Sakura, sitting beside him, took the initiative to strike up a conversation.

Rei Chihaya was a little surprised. Was the bonus effect of being a fan of her band really that good?

"As for me, I haven't bought anything yet," Rei Chihaya shook his head. "What about you, Sakura?"

"I bought a camera."

A faint, joyful smile appeared on Airi Sakura's face.

"Do you like taking pictures, Sakura?"

Rei Chihaya asked, knowing the answer.

In his heart, he thought that a camera was one of the three great treasures for clearing this school.

The other two were a voice recorder and brute force.

He would also have to find time to buy a few voice recorders and a camera with video recording capabilities.

"Um... I like to take pictures when I see scenery I like, and also..."

Airi Sakura stopped halfway through her sentence.

She was too embarrassed to say that she also bought the camera for taking selfies, especially since it concerned her secret identity as an internet idol.

Rei Chihaya didn't expose her, but instead offered a reminder: "A word of advice: it's better not to be too wasteful with your points this month."

"Eh?"

Airi Sakura blinked her azure eyes in confusion. Seeing that Rei Chihaya didn't say anything more, she nodded obediently.

"O-okay, I'll listen to you, Chihaya-kun."

"Chihaya-kun, Horikita-san."

At that moment, Kikyo Kushida, wearing a pure smile, walked over and stopped between their desks.

"Yo, here comes the Railing Girl."

"I want to be friends with you two, could we exchange contacts? You both left so quickly yesterday that I didn't get the chance!"

Horikita Suzune looked up, her voice cold and direct:

"I refuse."

Though she couldn't quite put her finger on why, Horikita Suzune felt an instinctive sense of discomfort at the way Kushida Kikyo approached her.

Not to mention, she had absolutely no intention of becoming friends with anyone.

"Eh?"

The smile on Kushida Kikyo's face faltered slightly: "Um, Horikita-san, did I do something..."

"...wrong?"

However, Horikita Suzune didn't even wait for Kushida Kikyo to finish her sentence; she simply set down her book, stood up, and walked out of the classroom, presumably heading to the restroom.

Chihaya Rei wore an expression of "as expected," even flashing a smile.

"Um, Chihaya-kun, about your contact info?"

At this moment, facing Chihaya Rei, Kushida Kikyo put on an even more pitiful expression.

Chihaya Rei didn't agree immediately, instead asking thoughtfully:

"Kushida-san, I'm not just an add-on you're using to get to Horikita, am I?"

"Of course not!"

Kushida Kikyo immediately shook her head in denial.

How could she possibly admit to something like that!

She immediately switched to a sweet, sugary tone:

"Don't joke around, Chihaya-kun, I really want your contact information too!"

"Alright, then."

After Chihaya Rei agreed, he added:

"But I do have a question I'd like to ask you, Kushida."

Hearing Chihaya Rei's response, Kushida Kikyo let out a sigh of relief.

If she were rejected by two people in a row, she would lose so much face—didn't she have her pride to consider?

"Mm! Of course, go ahead!"

She nodded happily, flashing her angelic smile once more: "As long as it's something I know, I'll definitely tell you, Chihaya-kun."

"But if it involves other people's privacy, I can't, okay?"

"Don't worry, it won't."

Chihaya Rei waved his hand dismissively and then asked: "What I want to know is, is this voice of yours your natural one? It sounds a bit... affected."

"You know, I play in a band, so I'm quite sensitive to voices."

Upon hearing this question, Kushida Kikyo's face couldn't help but stiffen; her smile became even more awkward and forced than when she had been rejected by Horikita Suzune.

Yet, she still had to maintain that affected, high-pitched tone as she softly replied:

"Um... Chihaya-kun, this really is my natural voice!"

"Is that so?"

Chihaya Rei showed a hint of skepticism.

"You aren't faking it, are you? I had a friend in a band who used a fake high-pitched voice, and it turned out she was just putting it on."

"And you know, later on, her real voice was actually terrifying when she cursed people out."

Kushida Kikyo's heart skipped a beat, her pupils trembling slightly, but she quickly returned to an indifferent expression.

"Um, I wouldn't know about that..."

Kushida Kikyo laughed awkwardly, then pressed her hands together, looking perfectly sincere: "But Chihaya-kun, rest assured, I'm definitely not that kind of person!"

Chihaya Rei nodded then, smiling as he said:

"Alright, let's exchange contacts first."

"Mm-hmm!"

Just then, the bell for class rang, and Kushida Kikyo had never found the sound of the school bell so beautiful and pleasant.

Leaving behind a "let's talk later," she quickly scurried back to her seat.