Night Talk

First-year dormitory building, Room 217.

After finishing his hot shower, Tatsuya Sakuya changed into a loose, comfortable set of loungewear. He casually took a can of iced tea from the single-door mini-fridge, pushed open the sliding glass door, and stepped onto the small balcony.

The coolness of the night breeze, tinged with neon light, washed over him.

He looked out into the distance through the safety railing. Keyaki Mall in the center of campus was still brightly lit, and faint cheers and clamor could be heard from several dormitory buildings farther away.

The dormitory facilities at Advanced Nurturing High School were indeed impeccable.

Private bathrooms, bright balconies with good ventilation, high-speed campus Wi-Fi—for most eighteen- or nineteen-year-olds who had just escaped their families' supervision and entered college life, this place was no different from heaven.

Pop.

Room-temperature horse piss, ice-cold National Cellar.

The chilled can pressed against his palm.

Tatsuya Sakuya took a sip of iced tea and gave it a very high appraisal.

Ding-dong.

His phone rang, and Tatsuya Sakuya unlocked it.

The icon labeled "Lovingly United Class 1-D" was flashing wildly with red notification dots. The unread messages had already shot up to "99+."

Tatsuya Sakuya tapped twice with his fingertip and opened the group chat.

What were you guys even talking about? I looked away for just a few minutes, and it's already 99+.

Class 1-D's group chat was currently a bustling, lively mess.

The first messages to pop up were several pictures sent by Ike Kanji.

In the pictures, Ike Kanji's room contained the latest home game console, a matching pair of wireless controllers, and two cases of Red Bull energy drinks. Beside them was a receipt showing the points deduction.

Ike Kanji: [Guys, check this out! The Switch 2 from the game store on the third floor of Keyaki Mall! The complete set cost over sixty thousand points. Come to my room after school to play games from now on!]

Next came several selfies of Yamauchi Haruki trying on clothes—with his face censored—and pictures of a high-end wagyu dinner, which he then withdrew.

Yamauchi Haruki: [Oops, I accidentally sent those pictures.]

Yamauchi Haruki: [Hahahaha, sounds good! I'll definitely come by if I get the chance. I bought a high-end jacket today and stuffed myself at the premium teppanyaki place on the mall's top floor. It was amazing! A hundred thousand points is impossible to spend!]

Sudo Ken: [Hmph. I bought Kobe Bryant's Kobe 5 Protro basketball shoes for twenty thousand points.]

Those three quickly heated up the atmosphere in the group. Quite a few freshmen joined in, posting pictures to show off the results of their shopping sprees that night: designer bags, high-end cosmetics, imported snacks.

For students who had just entered college life, new people and new experiences were always exciting. Coupled with the immense satisfaction brought by a hundred thousand points, it was enough to make them desperate to share.

Tatsuya Sakuya silently observed everything on his phone. He offered no opinion, merely setting the class group to Do Not Disturb.

Just as he was about to put down his phone, the icon with a pink flower avatar in his private message list suddenly lit up.

It was Ichinose Honami.

Ichinose Honami: [Good evening, Shiba. I hope I'm not disturbing your rest. [Waving Bear.png]]

Tatsuya Sakuya gave a simple reply.

Tatsuya Sakuya: [Good evening, Ichinose. How are you getting along with your classmates?]

Ichinose Honami: [Everyone in Class 1-B is very welcoming. A few girls from my class just came over to chat with me. Everyone's discussing the pretty clothes and delicious food they bought at the mall tonight.]

Ichinose Honami: [But honestly, seeing everyone spend so wildly still makes me feel a little uneasy. These hundred thousand points were genuinely deposited into our personal accounts, but it all feels like it came too easily.]

Tatsuya Sakuya: [I still think we should be conservative with how we use our points. They might prove very useful later.]

Ichinose Honami: [Mm, I will. I'll also try to explain it to everyone in class. [Happy Smile.png] Thank you, Shiba. You always give answers that put people at ease.]

Tatsuya Sakuya: [It's getting late. The future Class 1-B president should get some rest too.]

Ichinose Honami: [Hehe, I haven't become class president yet. Then I won't keep you any longer. Good night, Shiba! [Stars and Moon.png]]

After ending his late-night chat with Ichinose, Tatsuya Sakuya was just about to put down his phone and make his bed when another message popped up in his private message list.

Airi Sakura: [Sh-Shiba, sorry for the interruption! [Nervous Fist Clench.jpg]]

Even through the screen, Tatsuya Sakuya could imagine how Airi Sakura must have felt as she typed those words.

Tatsuya Sakuya: [Good evening, Sakura. Is the camera easy to use?]

"Typing..." remained displayed on Airi Sakura's end for a long time. Then she sent a high-resolution image with rich light, shadow, and color.

Tatsuya Sakuya enlarged the picture with his fingers. It was a night view of the campus taken from a high-floor balcony in the girls' dormitory. The nearby streetlights and the distant upper floors of the mall were clearly layered, and the composition had a lively feel to it.

Airi Sakura: [I took this from the balcony with the camera just now. I don't really understand how to adjust the ISO for night mode, and the dark areas seem to have a little noise. Did I use the wrong settings? [Timid Question.png]]

Tatsuya Sakuya opened the image and studied it carefully before replying objectively:

Tatsuya Sakuya: [You didn't set anything wrong. The night composition is very clean, and the focus point is precise. The noise is simply normal because there isn't enough light at night, so the ISO was automatically raised. If you want to reduce the noise, try lowering the shutter speed by half a stop and use a tripod to keep the camera steady and prevent shaking.]

Airi Sakura: [Really? That's great. I thought I'd broken the camera. Thank you, Shiba! Also, if you hadn't helped me out today, I might have gotten into trouble.]

The relief and gratitude between her lines nearly spilled out of the screen.

Tatsuya Sakuya: [It was nothing. If you have any questions about photography or equipment in the future, feel free to message me anytime.]

Airi Sakura: [Mm, thank you, Shiba. Then... I won't disturb you anymore. Good night, Shiba. I hope you have a good dream!]

Tatsuya Sakuya: [Good night. Sweet dreams!]

After he sent those words, the chat screen quickly returned to silence.

Tatsuya Sakuya put away his phone and casually shut the balcony's sliding glass door and soundproof curtains.

He reached for the voice recorder on the desk. Its silver-gray metal casing reflected a cool sheen beneath the light.

He pressed the record button on its side, and the red indicator light at the top came on, signaling that recording had begun.

Lowering his voice, he tested different volumes in sequence, starting with his normal conversational tone.

Then he softened his breath and uttered short phrases in a voice barely louder than a mosquito's hum. He deliberately moved the recorder toward the balcony as well, allowing it to pick up the scattered noise outside.

A moment later, he stopped the recording, plugged in the accompanying earphones, and pressed playback.

His voice played back clearly through the earphones. Even his quiet murmurs could be fully distinguished.

Its recording quality was reliable enough in a quiet environment.

But in public places such as hallways or classrooms, the quality of the recording would have to be marked with a big question mark.

Only after confirming that the recorder was functioning properly did Tatsuya Sakuya put it away.

A silent record would be the sharpest sword in this school.

Tatsuya Sakuya turned off the room's main light, closed his eyes, and prepared to sleep.

Because tomorrow would be the first day of school.