Boss...

Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School, teaching building corridor.

After finishing the discussion regarding the duties and authority of the vice president, Amasawa Reigetsu asked Horikita Manabu for a copy of the previous years' midterm exam papers, stretched, and pushed the door open to leave.

The corridor lights were somewhat dim, yet Ichinose Honami was still standing by the entrance, looking as if she had many things she wanted to ask him.

"Amasawa-kun, thank you for your hard work! That..."

There was a hint of hesitation in Ichinose's voice.

Amasawa Reigetsu stopped in his tracks and looked at her calmly.

"What do you want to ask? Let's talk on the way; there's no one around now."

Ichinose lowered her head. Although she couldn't see her own toes, she didn't feel awkward playing the ostrich. After a few seconds of silence, she finally gathered the courage to speak:

"Actually... at first, both Katsuragi-kun and I submitted applications for the student council, but they were both rejected by President Horikita. Later, Nagumo-senpai found me and said he could help me join the student council..."

"Tell me something everyone doesn't already know."

"Ah! I'm sorry... I actually wanted to talk about those one million private points..."

At this, she suddenly lifted her head, her clear, large eyes filled with guilt and unease.

"I'm really sorry! Because of me, you lost so many points and ended up in such a tense standoff with the second-year senior. Those one million points couldn't have been a small amount for you, right? I was the one dragged into the student council's conflict, yet you were the one who had to pay... I, I will find a way to pay you back slowly!"

Looking at the girl before him, whose face was flushed with anxiety and apology, Amasawa Reigetsu felt that the million points were truly well spent. A character with this much potential for growth could not be bought for such a small price later on.

However, facing the current Ichinose Honami, any explanation involving power plays or calculations would be redundant.

"No need to pay it back."

Amasawa Reigetsu's tone was flat. He turned and began walking toward the stairwell, signaling for Ichinose Honami to follow.

"That was an investment decision made for the sake of the student council, and for myself. You are my person now, so don't worry about other people's affairs. At least regarding the student council, just listen to me."

Ichinose froze in place, digesting the meaning of his words—"you are my person now"—and her cheeks turned even redder in an instant.

"In, investment? But..."

She hurriedly trotted to keep up with Amasawa's pace.

"No 'buts'."

Amasawa Reigetsu didn't look back, his voice sounding somewhat overbearing in the empty corridor.

The corridor lights stretched their shadows long. Seeing the expression on Ichinose Honami's face, which looked as if she wanted to write the word "guilt" across her forehead, Amasawa Reigetsu suddenly stopped and tilted his head to look at her.

"If you really feel bad and are agonizing over how to pay back those one million points,"

Amasawa Reigetsu's tone was flat, yet carried a hint of imperceptible softness, "How about you treat me to a meal first? Consider it... a celebration of us becoming colleagues."

Ichinose blinked, then her eyes lit up, and she nodded vigorously.

Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School, shopping mall.

"Our classmates in Class B often come to this shop for group meals. I really like their crepes."

Ichinose Honami led Amasawa Reigetsu into a family restaurant and sat down with practiced ease.

"Ah, that's unexpectedly ordinary. I thought Ichinose-kun might like fried rice."

"Eh? Why would you think that?"

"Well... usually in anime, this kind of pink-haired beautiful girl would have that sort of gap moe, right?"

"Pfft!"

Ichinose pouted in dissatisfaction, signaling that stereotypes were not acceptable; she was a classic-style heroine.

As the dishes were served, Ichinose gradually relaxed her shoulders and began chatting with Amasawa Reigetsu.

"Amasawa-kun is truly amazing..."

Ichinose said a lot. She found that talking to Amasawa made her feel comfortable, and her desire to speak was unstoppable, to the point where she felt a bit lightheaded from the conversation by the end.

"To be scouted by the student council president, and to have the ability to argue face-to-face with a senior vice president—I wish our class had someone as capable as you—"

Ichinose Honami slumped over the table, her two buns forming a natural pillow on the surface, her whole body looking as if she had lost all her energy.

"Amasawa-kun, do you think I'm really capable of being the leader of Class B..."

Amasawa Reigetsu began checking the menu for any alcoholic ingredients. While checking, he replied:

"I believe you will surprise me."

Amasawa Reigetsu looked at Ichinose Honami. It was strange; none of the dishes today contained alcohol, right?

"That's too cheesy... Boss."

"Boss... hmm, that's a nice title♡... hehe... Boss... even though you're the leader of Class B, people will say you're defecting to the enemy like this..."

It seemed the conversation could no longer continue, so Amasawa Reigetsu had no choice but to take responsibility for escorting Ichinose Honami back to her dormitory.

Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School, student dormitory.

"Ugh... where am I right now? Damn it!!! That stinking Ayanokoji, how dare he knock me out and drag me away! But precisely because of this, he's left behind a weakness... Now that you know my secret, I hope you can afford the price!!"

Kushida Kikyo woke up on an unfamiliar floor, and the first thing that entered her field of vision was—a bed.

"F*ck, that stubborn Ayanokoji, he didn't even put me on the bed!?? Damn it!!!"

Kushida Kikyo hadn't even had time to feel the headache from just waking up before her heart began to pound with rage again. However, to be safe, she closed her eyes and sensed her surroundings for any movement before getting up—

"Alright, it looks like Ayanokoji has just left the room. As long as I can get out of this place... as long as I can reach the entrance—"

Kushida Kikyo immediately began to move, crawling toward the door on her hands and knees in a disheveled mess.

"Click."

The door was pushed open from the outside.

"Why is it you!?—"