Heading to Class C

After dinner, Hiyori took the initiative to get up and clear the dishes.

Miyama Saku had wanted to say there was no need, but seeing her already carrying the plates toward the sink, he let her do as she pleased.

The sound of running water started up again.

Hiyori placed the dishes in the sink and squeezed out some dish soap. Her movements were not particularly practiced, but she washed everything carefully.

Miyama Saku stood beside her for a while, then reached up to take the dishcloth hanging on the wall and handed it to her.

"It's better to dry them before putting them away."

"I know." She took the dishcloth, dried each washed dish, and set them on the drying rack.

Once she had mostly finished cleaning up, Hiyori washed her hands, turned around, and leaned against the counter. Her gaze fell on his face. "Why did you seem so drained when you came back tonight?"

"It was nothing. I was just a little tired."

Miyama Saku rinsed out the dishcloth in his hand, wrung it dry, and hung it back up.

"Did you skip lunch again?"

Miyama Saku said nothing.

"I knew it." Hiyori sighed, a hint of reproach in her voice. "If you're busy next time, just message me. I'll bring something for you."

"Got it."

Hiyori looked at him for several seconds before adding, "No matter what, you have to make sure you eat properly."

"Got it." He repeated himself, sounding more serious than before.

She straightened up from the counter and stretched. "Then I'll head back first. Come find me at my classroom tomorrow morning after class."

"I'll walk you back."

"It's only a few steps."

Hiyori waved her hand and walked to the entrance to change her shoes.

She pulled open the door. The hallway lights were almost painfully bright, and cool air drifted in from outside.

"Don't be late tomorrow. Remember to come find me in the classroom," she said, looking back.

"I'll remember."

Only after Miyama Saku agreed did Shiina Hiyori feel at ease. She then skipped lightly out and pulled the door shut behind her.

Her footsteps gradually faded down the hallway before disappearing entirely.

Miyama Saku stood at the entrance, staring at the door for a while.

The room fell quiet again. Miyama Saku remained where he was for a moment before returning to sit on the edge of the bed.

Before long, the terminal screen beside his pillow lit up. It was a message from Hiyori: "I'm back. Get some rest early."

He replied with an "Okay."

Then he checked his terminal to see whether there were any new messages.

The Class B group chat had already accumulated dozens of messages. Almost everyone in the class was discussing points. The general idea was that a special exam could come at any time, so the class should set aside a reserve fund to avoid running short on points at a critical moment.

Someone proposed that everyone contribute half of this month's points, with Ichinose keeping them all together.

A string of replies followed: "Agreed," "No problem," and "I'm in."

There were also people who had not said anything, probably because they had not seen the messages yet, or had seen them and did not want to respond.

Miyama Saku scrolled through the chat. Ichinose's final message said that it was settled, and everyone should transfer half their points for the month to her. She would keep records, and they could discuss how to use them when the need arose.

Thirty-eight thousand Private Points was neither a particularly large nor a particularly small amount.

But since most of the class agreed, he had no reason to object. He did not spend much money normally anyway, and he still had plenty of points left.

He switched to the transfer screen, sent the points to Ichinose, then placed his terminal on the bedside table and prepared to shower and rest.

The hot water pouring over him made Miyama Saku feel much more relaxed.

He then changed into pajamas, lay back on the bed, and picked up his terminal to check for new messages.

There was only Ichinose's reply: "The points have been received. Sorry for the trouble, Miyama."

And a reminder from Hiyori that he would be accompanying her to the bookstore tomorrow.

After classes ended the next morning, the classroom gradually filled with the rustling sounds of students packing up.

Miyama Saku put his pen into his pencil case and had just stood up when Himeno Yuki, seated behind him, poked her head out.

"Miyama, want to go have lunch together?"

"Not today. I have plans. Another time." He stuffed his pencil case into his backpack and zipped it up.

"Oh?" Himeno Yuki drew out the word, teasing in her gaze. "With who?"

Miyama Saku ignored her and headed outside. Behind him, he heard Himeno Yuki mutter quietly, "He turned me down so decisively. Something's definitely up."

He pretended not to hear.

The hallway was at its busiest. First-year students poured out in droves, their footsteps and conversations blending into a single din.

Miyama Saku walked against the flow of people toward Class C. Quite a few students looked at him along the way, perhaps confused by his appearance at another class's classroom, or perhaps simply curious about this "celebrity."

The door to Class C was half-open. He glanced inside and saw Hiyori sitting by the window, flipping through a small booklet while two girls beside her spoke to her.

Seeing that Hiyori had not finished dealing with class matters yet, Miyama Saku stood against the wall in the hallway and waited.

"Hey, you over there."

The voice came from the other end of the corridor, carrying deliberate provocation. Miyama Saku turned toward it and saw a long-haired boy, whose hair was not tied up like his own, approaching with three followers.

The boy walked lazily, both hands tucked into his empty pockets, amusement in his eyes.

Miyama Saku pointed at himself.

"Me?"

"Yeah, you."

The long-haired boy stopped in front of him. The three people behind him spread out by half a step, blocking both sides of the hallway.

"You're Miyama Saku from Class B, right?"

Miyama Saku looked at him. "You know me?"

"You're Class B's celebrity. You made it onto that beautiful girl ranking."

"I'm a boy, you know. That was just a misunderstanding."

"That doesn't matter."

"It matters to me. I don't particularly like people mistaking me for a girl."

"Then why not just cut your hair short?"

"No. I have no intention of cutting it short for now. Growing it out again afterward would be a pain."

"Why are you wasting words on him, Ryuuen?" One of the followers clenched his fists and stepped forward, glaring at Miyama Saku with hostile eyes.

Miyama Saku did not move. His peripheral vision merely swept across both ends of the hallway. This spot happened to be outside the cameras' field of view. He had instinctively positioned himself where the cameras could not see him.

Ryuuen Kakeru raised a hand and stopped his follower.

"What's the rush?" His tone was calm as his gaze left Miyama Saku's face. "I only came to say hello today."

He took half a step forward, moving closer to Miyama Saku.

"Your class still has quite a few points left. Seven hundred and sixty Class Points—that comes to seventy-six thousand Private Points."

"Our class doesn't have nearly as many Class Points as yours. Things have been a little tight lately, so I wanted to borrow some from you." Ryuuen spoke with that half-smiling expression on his face.

"It's not like I wouldn't pay you back. When Class C wins the next special exam, I'll return double. What do you say?"

Miyama Saku looked at him without much expression.

"You shouldn't be asking me about borrowing points. I don't have much say in my class."

"Is that so?"

Before Ryuuen Kakeru had even finished speaking, he suddenly stepped forward and threw a fist at Miyama Saku's face without warning.

Miyama Saku reacted quickly. He raised his left hand and clamped down on Ryuuen's wrist, forcibly stopping the punch in midair.

"Fighting at school is bad behavior, you know."