The next day, during lunch break,
Hoshida No sat in the corner of a café, with Martial Arts Club president Morikawa across from him. Two cups of coffee sat on the table.
He lifted one cup and took a small sip. The coffee was rich, with a slight bitterness.
Morikawa, seated across from him, also raised his cup and took a sip. The sleeves of his dark tracksuit were casually rolled up, revealing his muscular forearms. He set down his cup before finally speaking. "Vice President Hoshida, what did you want to see me about today?"
Seeing that Morikawa had spoken first, Hoshida No set down his own coffee and said, "It's nothing major. I just want to buy the complete set of first-year exam papers, from the start of the school year through the midterms."
At that, Morikawa's face twitched almost imperceptibly before he quickly regained his serious expression. "I can sell them to you. Tell me why you want them."
"I noticed some questions on the first-year quizzes were repeated from previous exams. I want to find out whether there's a chance the school uses similar past questions," Hoshida No said honestly.
Morikawa nodded in approval. "Good. I knew I hadn't misjudged you. Ten thousand points per exam paper."
As he spoke, he studied Hoshida No intently, his eyes filled with approval.
Hoshida No readily agreed to the deal. He pulled out his phone and transferred 200,000 Personal Points to Morikawa.
"Fifteen quiz papers and five midterm papers. Does that sound right?"
Morikawa glanced at the 200,000 Personal Points that had arrived on his phone. "I'll send you the papers you asked for this afternoon."
He folded his hands on the table and sighed. "I didn't find out about the past exam papers until finals. I never thought someone would uncover this hidden rule so early."
The two chatted for a little while before Morikawa left, saying he had something to take care of.
Hoshida No sat alone in the corner and picked up his coffee again. He dropped a milk candy into it. Sure enough, it tasted better this way.
During a break in Class D, Hoshida No received screenshots of the exam papers from Morikawa.
He left the classroom and went into a bathroom stall, where he compared the screenshots with the first month's quiz papers. They were exactly the same. A faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Before long, the day he'd arranged to meet Karuizawa Kei arrived.
Soft, warm light filtered through Keyaki Mall's glass dome, making the greenery in the central atrium look even more vibrant.
Hoshida No had changed into a black casual outfit. As soon as he walked in, he spotted two figures beneath an umbrella at an outdoor café, leaning over the menu and chatting softly.
Ichinose Honami wore a pale yellow dress with a delicate floral print along the hem. Her long hair was loosely half-up, revealing her slender neck. When she saw Hoshida No, she raised a hand and waved. "Brother No, over here!"
Karuizawa Kei wore a white short-sleeved top with a denim miniskirt and white sneakers. Her golden ponytail swayed as she turned to him, a playful smile lifting her lips. "You're three minutes late. Brother No deserves a punishment."
Hoshida No sat down across from them, his hand brushing the cool glass on the table. He replied calmly, "Sorry, I ran into Ayanokoji and we ended up talking for a while." He looked at the menu, pausing at the desserts section. "How about I treat you both to afternoon tea as punishment?"
"I want a strawberry parfait!" Karuizawa Kei spoke up first, pointing at the picture on the menu. "Kushida told me last time that the parfaits here are huge, and the fruit is really fresh."
Ichinose Honami added gently, "Then I'll have a matcha soufflé and three classic milk teas. Soufflés are best fresh from the oven, and we can share."
As they waited for their food, sunlight slipped through the gaps in the umbrella and fell across Ichinose's hair, giving it a soft sheen.
Resting her chin in her hands, she asked curiously, "Brother No, why do you always look so cold? You never show any expression."
Karuizawa Kei took the opportunity to rub Hoshida No's face. "Don't expect Brother No to show any expression. He either smiles terribly or looks like a complete poker face."
Karuizawa Kei's cool fingertips poked his cheek. Hoshida No paused but didn't move her hand away.
His tone remained as even as ever, though there was a hint of indulgence in it. "That's still better than certain people, who smile like little foxes that have just stolen a piece of candy."
"Who are you calling a little fox!" Karuizawa Kei immediately pulled her hand back and glared at him with puffed-out cheeks. Her golden ponytail swished with the movement, but she couldn't stop dimples from appearing as she smiled.
Then she grabbed Ichinose's arm. "Honami's the little fox. She's always smiling."
Ichinose had been covering her mouth as she giggled softly. "Huh? I'm not. I only smile like this when I see you two..."
By then, quite a few students had gathered nearby. They whispered among themselves, but their voices still carried to the three of them.
"Isn't that Ichinose and Karuizawa?"
"It really is! They're so close. And the guy across from them is... that's Hoshida No, the top-ranked guy on the Campus Handsome Ranking."
"Wow, he's really handsome. Do you think the three of them are on a date?"
Hoshida No keenly noticed the two girls' discomfort. Karuizawa Kei's ears had turned red, though she was still holding it together.
A faint blush spread across Ichinose Honami's cheeks. A few strands of hair had fallen loose, hiding most of her face.
The students' chatter continued nearby, full of curiosity and envy. Some even took out their phones and secretly snapped pictures.
Hoshida No set down his glass and stood, stopping one of the students who was about to take a photo. He looked straight at them. "Please delete the photo you took."
The student tried to protest. "But—" Then, seeing Hoshida No's dark eyes, they nodded almost automatically. "S-sorry. I'll delete it now."
After the group had gone, Hoshida No paid the owner 10,000 points for a private room.
Warm light washed over the light-brown wooden table. The soft sofa yielded comfortably beneath them, shutting out the noise outside.
Hoshida No casually slid the frosted-glass door shut. When he turned around, he saw Karuizawa Kei standing on tiptoe, looking over the room. Her golden ponytail brushed the back of the sofa. Ichinose sat obediently in the corner, also taking in their surroundings.
"I didn't know they had rooms like this here." Karuizawa Kei was the first to break the silence. Curiosity colored her voice, but she deliberately avoided mentioning the attention they'd just drawn.
"Ten thousand points is a little expensive, but it's better than being stared at like monkeys." She glanced at Hoshida No. The redness in her ears hadn't faded. "At least you had the sense to do that."
Ichinose sat on the sofa and let out a quiet sigh of relief. "Those students were really enthusiastic."
Hoshida No sat down across from them and tapped the tabletop with his fingertips. His tone was calm, but reassuring. "The room is soundproof, so you don't need to worry about what's going on outside."
He looked at Ichinose and handed her a cup of milk tea. "I just ordered this classic one. It should be the right temperature."
Ichinose took the milk tea, her fingers touching the warm cup. She looked up at him with a gentle smile. "Thanks, Brother No. Sorry for the trouble just now."
She took a sip of her milk tea, and the awkwardness in her eyes gradually faded. "You really didn't need to spend so many points. We could have gone somewhere else."
Hoshida No shook his head and picked up his own milk tea. "I'm not a fan of people who don't respect boundaries, either."
Just then, a server knocked and came in with a cart. The sweet aroma of the strawberry parfait filled the room. The matcha soufflé was still steaming, its fluffy surface quivering gently as matcha powder dusted the plate.
"Wow! It looks even more tempting than it did outside!" Karuizawa Kei was immediately captivated by the food, forgetting all about her earlier discomfort. She picked up her spoon and dug in, mumbling through a mouthful, "Delicious."
Hoshida No pulled out a tissue and handed it to Karuizawa Kei, then pointed to the corner of his own mouth. "You've got some there."
"By the way, Brother No," Ichinose Honami suddenly said, curiosity in her eyes. "What were you talking about with Ayanokoji earlier? He hardly ever starts conversations with people."
At the mention of Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, Hoshida No gave a vague reply. "Nothing much. We just ran into each other and talked about whether we'd pass the midterms." He didn't say more.
Karuizawa Kei leaned in, too. "That Ayanokoji guy is so strange! He reminds me of how you used to be, Brother No."
Hoshida No raised an eyebrow. "Was I like that?"
"Yes!" Karuizawa Kei lifted her chin, then couldn't help laughing. "Look in the mirror right now if you don't believe me. Other than being a little more handsome than him, you're exactly the same."
Ichinose couldn't help studying Hoshida No's face more closely. She nodded. "You really are. You both have poker faces."