Hoshida No's gaze fixed on the girl, and his expression went blank.
Her silver hair shimmered softly in the light, just like the girl in the lab—the one with her eyes always lowered, Number 09.
The silver-haired girl raised an eyebrow at his unabashed stare, a sly smile curling at the corner of her lips.
The fingers wrapped around her ebony cane tapped lightly against the ground. The crisp sound brought Hoshida No back to his senses.
She took two graceful, unhurried steps forward, closing the distance just enough.
Not close enough to seem intrusive, but close enough for her amused voice to reach him clearly. "Staring at a strange girl the moment you meet her, Classmate—could you be the legendary pervert?"
Before Hoshida No could explain, her tone was already laced with playful certainty, her final words rising lightly. "Though I can't blame you. I really am beautiful, after all."
Her brazen bluntness felt rather at odds with the cherry blossoms around them.
Her fingers tightened slightly around the cane. She was about to add something when Hoshida No's cool voice reached her first, flat and emotionless. "Sorry, Classmate. You look a little like someone I know."
There was no embarrassment at being found out, nor any awkward attempt to explain himself—only pure indifference, as though that brief moment of distraction had been nothing but someone else's imagination.
As soon as Hoshida No finished speaking, he turned to leave. He had just lifted a foot when the girl's clear voice rang out. "Wait, Classmate."
When he stopped at her call, she took two light steps toward him. The silver ornament at the tip of her cane glinted amid the shower of cherry blossom petals.
The teasing had faded from her voice, replaced by a frank sincerity. "It seems I misunderstood you."
As Hoshida No watched the silver-haired girl draw closer, he could clearly see the confidence and composure on her face.
The brief daze brought on by her similar hair color had completely faded, leaving only a clear-cut sense of distance.
Only when the silver-haired girl stopped three paces away did he slowly lift his eyes. His tone was as indifferent as if he were responding to something inconsequential. A single syllable slipped from his throat. "Oh."
The smile on the silver-haired girl's face faltered, and a distinct flicker of surprise crossed her eyes.
She apparently hadn't expected such a cold response after reaching out and apologizing.
In the past, whether she was joking or being serious, most people around her would play along or look embarrassed. This blunt, distant "Oh" was a first.
She narrowed her eyes slightly, her gaze sweeping over the boy as if it had weight.
His neat, medium-short hair just covered his ears, giving him a clean-cut look rather than seeming messy. His high nose bridge lent definition to his features, and his jawline was sharply defined. His eyes were filled with indifference, yet that very coldness made his handsome face all the more striking. He was the very picture of a heartthrob.
Her fingers unconsciously traced the silver ornament on her cane, and interest flashed in her eyes as a little scheme took shape in her mind:
This guy's so good-looking. If I could get him to work for me, even if he did nothing useful and just served me tea and water like a pretty maid, he'd still be a pleasure to look at. It'd also be a nice reflection of my charm. What a bargain.
Hoshida No keenly caught the way she was sizing him up. Her frank, appraising gaze made him feel like a piece of merchandise being evaluated, and it inexplicably bothered him.
He frowned ever so slightly, keeping his expression composed. She's not only ridiculously narcissistic; there's something uncomfortable about the way she looks at me. Is she trying to make a move on me...?
The girl's fingers stopped stroking the cane. Her smile faded a little, but her voice remained confident and composed as she introduced herself. "I'm Sakayanagi Arisu, from Class 1-A. What about you, Classmate?"
"Class 1-D. Hoshida No."
When Sakayanagi heard the words "Class 1-D," a smile spread through her eyes, nearly reaching her lips. Even the fingers gripping her cane shifted slightly.
She clearly hadn't expected the boy who had caught her interest to be from Class D.
Suppressing her excitement, she spoke with a touch more certainty. "Then, Hoshida-kun, would you like to work for me?"
Hoshida No raised his eyes to her. His gaze first fell on her teasing smile, then instinctively swept over the ebony cane by her leg. A trace of barely perceptible disdain flickered through his eyes.
His tone was calm, but his refusal was firm. "No, thank you, Classmate Sakayanagi. I don't like working for people for free."
"Oh?" Sakayanagi raised an eyebrow, the curve of her lips turning even more playful as she immediately picked up on the key point in his words. "Can I take that to mean you'd be willing to work for me if the benefits were good enough, Hoshida-kun?"
Hoshida No remained silent. He neither agreed nor denied it, merely turning his gaze away, tacitly accepting her interpretation.
Seeing this, Sakayanagi's smile deepened.
She reached into the pocket of her uniform jacket and pulled out her phone. Her fingers tapped the screen quickly a few times before she turned it toward Hoshida No and held it out to him.
Hoshida No collected himself and looked at the screen. On the Campus Core Management App, the balance under Personal Points showed a number: 600,000.
His brows drew together almost imperceptibly, a trace of confusion passing through his eyes.
Sakayanagi noticed his expression and smiled faintly before patiently explaining, "The phones the school provides can only be used on campus. They can't contact the outside world.
"This Core Management App is built into the phone. You can use it to check your Personal Points, class schedules, and exam notices. On campus, those points are basically money. You can use them in the cafeteria, at the shops, and even to pay for some campus services. Understand now?"
The phone's light glinted off her silver hair, while the six-digit balance hung between them like an invisible lure.
A faint smile touched Hoshida No's lips. There was no greed in it—just a hint of amusement.
Looking at the screen Sakayanagi had offered him, he asked in a perfectly even tone, "You mean to hire me with those points?"
Sakayanagi answered without hesitation. "I'll give you 500,000 Personal Points, Hoshida-kun. I still need to live on something myself, after all." Her eyes held the unshakable confidence of someone certain to get her way.
Five hundred thousand points was practically a fortune to students who had just enrolled. She didn't believe anyone could turn down such a tempting offer.
But, to her surprise, Hoshida No looked away as soon as he'd finished reading the screen and turned around without the slightest hesitation.
He merely waved a hand casually and kept walking, not slowing down at all. His cool voice drifted back on the wind. "I refuse. By the way, thanks for the information, Classmate."
The wind swept cherry blossom petals past his short black hair. The boy's retreating figure was brisk and decisive, without a trace of hesitation.
The smile on Sakayanagi's face stiffened. Her fingers tightened around her phone, and surprise and confusion flashed through her eyes.
Why would he turn down the temptation of 500,000 points so easily? Did he not understand how important points were?
"Information, huh? Interesting." Her expression returned to normal, but the interest in her eyes only grew stronger. She lightly tapped the tip of her cane against the ground.
She murmured to herself, "Well, you've only just started school. It's natural to have a little pride. Hoshida No, I look forward to the day you come looking for me."