But, I Refuse

It is common knowledge that in the original work, the Class A of this year held the highest starting score in the first month, reaching a staggering 980 class points.

But is that really the case?

The current Class A is no longer the original Class A. With U Amakusa as a variable, how many changes will this butterfly effect bring about?

At the very least, it won't be 980 points, because...

"Want one?"

The scent of the spicy strips was undeniably pungent, and the culprit, U Amakusa, was even offering his sinful snacks to Kamuro!

U Amakusa admitted he couldn't help it; he wasn't the type of super-honor student who could focus on listening to lectures all day long.

It was the fourth day, and U Amakusa had finally revealed his true nature: he was eating spicy strips during class!

Unsurprisingly, the teacher at the podium noticed but didn't intervene, which caused some students to frown.

Kamuro remained indifferent to the spicy strips U Amakusa offered. Since that day, Kamuro hadn't spoken a single word to U Amakusa.

U Amakusa didn't care, continuing to eat his sinful spicy strips.

When class ended, a tall, bald student walked out from among the students; it was Kohei Katsuragi.

"Amakusa-kun, please listen carefully during class. At the very least, please don't disturb the other students, and also..." As he spoke, Katsuragi pinched his nose.

"The smell of your spicy strips is really strong!"

"...Alright."

He had been warned. It looked like he should just sleep during class from now on. No, he had to pull himself together; it was only for a month.

At the very front of the room, sitting in the first row, Sakayanagi turned back to watch this scene. That Katsuragi would step forward to intervene was within her expectations.

What she cared about more was why the teacher remained indifferent to U Amakusa's behavior, as it was clearly affecting the learning efficiency of some students.

Anyone who observed U Amakusa closely would notice that his movements while eating the spicy strips were full of openings.

For the following lessons, U Amakusa began his grand plan of zoning out, though, of course, he occasionally listened attentively.

Ring-ring—

It was the delightful time to head home again. U Amakusa stood up from his seat and stretched naturally.

Just as he was about to call out to Kamuro, he realized she was already gone. It had been the same yesterday; it was as if she had used teleportation.

Come to think of it, Kamuro seemed to have deleted his contact information.

"What should I do today?"

Feeling a weight on his shoulder and hearing a familiar voice in his ear, he knew it was his two cronies.

"I can't join you today; I need to attend club activities." Satoshi Satonaka picked up his school bag and waved, intending to leave.

"Huh? Since when did you join a club, kid??"

"Satonaka joined the Soccer Club, Shimizu."

U Amakusa brushed Naoki Shimizu's hand off his shoulder and began tidying his things unhurriedly.

"What? Why didn't I know?"

Satonaka's gaze shifted toward U Amakusa. He remembered he hadn't told U Amakusa yet, as he had only just joined.

"Just a rumor. Didn't you receive a love letter, Satonaka? I saw a girl put it in your shoe locker when I walked by, and I happened to hear about you joining the Soccer Club."

"...Heh, can't help it. Being handsome is a burden, too~" Satoshi Satonaka preened, running his fingers through his hair.

"Hey, Amakusa, can I punch him in the face?"

"I have no objections."

"Yosh, then I'm going for it!"

But Satoshi Satonaka wouldn't give Naoki Shimizu the chance; he slipped away in a flash and even politely closed the door behind him.

"Shimizu, I can't accompany you today either. I have club activities, too."

"Ah? No way."

"I joined the Go-Home Club, so I'll be heading off first."

Picking up his bag, U Amakusa's silhouette seemed to overlap with the one Satoshi Satonaka had just left behind. U Amakusa waved goodbye.

"Hmm... Go-Home Club? Is that even a real club?" Naoki Shimizu scratched his head, looking puzzled.

"Sigh, maybe I should join a club, too."

Without his two best friends to keep him company, Naoki Shimizu had no choice but to leave alone.

As everyone knows, the Go-Home Club just means going home.

Therefore, U Amakusa's goal was to return to the dormitory.

However... he encountered an uninvited guest on the way. No, to be precise, the other party seemed to have come prepared.

"Um... are you Amakusa-kun?"

Looking closely, it was an energetic girl with a supernatural aura. She had a pretty face, short yellow hair, and a smile that was highly infectious.

Of course, her cheerfulness was a facade; U Amakusa knew that better than anyone.

Ability: Super Deduction.

The moment he put on his glasses, information about the cheerful girl appeared before his eyes.

Kikyo Kushida, 82D? Interesting.

"Who are you...?"

"I'm Kikyo Kushida from Class 1-D, Amakusa-kun."

"Then, is there something you need from me, Kushida-san?"

"Actually, I've heard about your situation, Amakusa-kun. About Kamuro-san... perhaps I could be of some help to you~"

Looking at that bright demeanor, anyone would think she was an optimistic and positive girl.

As for how Kushida found out about him, U Amakusa could vaguely guess; it was highly likely Satoshi Satonaka.

Hirata was in the Soccer Club, and Kushida, who craved popularity and wanted to be friends with everyone, would never let someone as popular as Hirata slip through her fingers.

She must have met Satoshi Satonaka at the Soccer Club while approaching Hirata; after all, making friends is always more pleasant when you start with the handsome ones.

You really have a loose tongue, Satoshi.

"Eh? Even you know about that, Kushida-san? It's true that Kamuro-san has been avoiding me lately, but why would you want to help me, Kushida-san?"

Since Kushida liked to act, U Amakusa played along, feigning a look of distress mixed with confusion.

"I love making friends. I want to be friends with everyone in the school because I hope to leave behind wonderful memories of my campus life. That's why I want to be friends with you, Amakusa-kun. Isn't helping a friend only natural?"

So, she's already managed to extend her reach to Class A? That's truly fast.

This meant she had already gained significant popularity among the forty students in Class D.

Isn't it only the fourth day? Class B has likely been conquered as well, though Class C is hard to say, given they're mostly delinquents.

However, no matter how much Kushida tried to cozy up to Class B, she couldn't shake Ichinose's status there.

"Do you mean you can help me arrange a meeting with Kamuro-san, Kushida-san?"

"No... at most, I can only tell you about Kamuro-san's movements after school, Amakusa-kun. Otherwise, Kamuro-san will end up hating me."

Kushida put on a troubled expression, as if merely helping U Amakusa was already putting her in a difficult position.

She wanted to help U Amakusa, but she couldn't afford to alienate Kamuro, so she offered just a little bit of help—enough to distance herself if discovered.

This was Kushida's flaw: she wanted to be popular with everyone, yet she lacked the heart to truly embrace them.

But Kushida could reshape herself no matter how many times her inner self collapsed. Even after her true nature was exposed in middle school and again in her second year, she never suffered from internal attrition.

She lacked a heart of tolerance, but she possessed a heart of resilience.

She was the complete opposite of Ichinose; had it not been for Ayanokoji's comfort, there was a high chance Ichinose would have been crushed after her past of shoplifting was exposed.

"Is that so? Thank you, Kushida-san." U Amakusa gave a bright smile.

"Then, let's exchange phone numbers, Amakusa-kun. Friends shouldn't be without a way to contact each other, right?"

Hmm... indeed.

"However, I refuse."