Karuizawa Kei meticulously examined her face in a small hand mirror. From her eyebrows to the corners of her eyes, from the bridge of her nose to the curve of her lips, she ensured every detail was flawless. Back in middle school, she never had this habit. She wouldn't even look into mirrors—whatever reflected back seemed to be someone else entirely. What did it matter how that person looked?
She blinked. The girl in the mirror blinked back. She tried a smile; the girl in the mirror mirrored it playfully. This cute face would soon be shown to someone. Karuizawa felt a strange mix of dread and faint delight. Being assigned a covert mission by the homeroom teacher was, in a way, gratifying. Her middle school teacher had never once looked her in the eye. At least now it felt like she was beginning a new life—like scar tissue finally healing, forming fresh skin.
Though this new self was still fragile, thin, and unready to face the light, she had to carry it into the world. Karuizawa feared that what lay underneath might be exposed. She knew how quickly rumors spread at school; one seed could grow into a towering tree overnight.
"Hello, you're Kitagawa-kun from Class 1-C, right? I'm a representative from Class 1-D. I came to discuss the situation regarding Sudou."
She recited this line over and over into the mirror, fluent in the words, but her gaze was evasive, shifting constantly. She was like a delicate object pretending to be bulletproof. Even if she were shattered, she would have to pick up the pieces and glue herself back together into a person named Karuizawa Kei.
Finally, Kitagawa Ryo separated from the girl who had been by his side. Karuizawa let out a breath of relief. Watching that girl leave gave her an unexpected sense of satisfaction—perhaps because now she could finally approach him.
"Um..."
She stepped forward quickly. Kitagawa seemed deep in thought but raised his head when she spoke.
"Hm?"
Those were pitch-black eyes, so dark it felt as if they could draw in one's soul. Even though Karuizawa had faced plenty of malice and hateful stares before, something about his gaze sent a chill down her spine.
It wasn't hostility—more like an unnatural pressure, as if she were staring at something that shouldn't exist in this world. But it wasn't dirty or repulsive. Rather, it was like staring into a beautiful gemstone—so pure, it became frightening.
"Kei... you're Karuizawa Kei, right?"
Her heart jolted when Kitagawa spoke. An odd sensation, like being clawed open from the inside, surged through her.
She forgot the lines she had rehearsed. Her mind went blank. Her lips and teeth stuck together as if they refused to open.
"I didn't expect the Class D homeroom teacher to send you. Let's go talk at the café up ahead."
By the time Karuizawa came to her senses, she had already followed Kitagawa into a café called "Palette." It was popular, with a pleasant reputation. People were busy chatting, so no one paid them much attention.
Kitagawa placed an order casually and smiled at the waitress, his handsome face making her blush as she hurried away.
The café was elegant, and the food came quickly. Karuizawa only had time to mentally rehearse her lines again when a warm cup of cocoa appeared in front of her. She glanced at Kitagawa's drink—the same as hers. He must have ordered it for her too.
Luckily, she liked cocoa.
"Have you had dinner yet?"
Kitagawa glanced at his phone—it was already close to 6:30. The club orientation had started at 5:00, but his conversation with Horikita Suzune had delayed him an hour. Karuizawa had been waiting.
Hearing his question, she panicked. Unsure if it was a trap, she neither nodded nor shook her head, frozen in place.
"It's okay. My treat."
His tone was kind. Though Class D had its own kind and gentle prince—Hirata Yousuke—the contrast between Kitagawa's rumored roughness and his current demeanor made Karuizawa feel both nervous and moved. She nodded slightly and watched his expression.
The Western-style dinner was artfully presented, with a white rose petal on the silverware. Everything felt surreal—as if something from her old dreams had come to life, reborn in flowers and warm lighting.
Kitagawa didn't say another word while eating. Only the soft clinks of cutlery filled the space between them. When their eyes met, he simply smiled—not too distant, not too close. The background music played in a language she didn't recognize. Drinking cocoa, she felt almost intoxicated.
"I understand why you came, Karuizawa-san. Time is short, so let's skip the pleasantries and get to the terms."
Dinner was over. Kitagawa wiped his mouth and began.
"...We're willing to pay 50,000 private points if you testify that the other party initiated the fight."
Karuizawa had regained her composure during the meal and spoke clearly.
"Fifty thousand?"
Kitagawa folded his hands and shook his head.
"Too little."
"If I don't testify, Sudou will be suspended until midterms. Class D will also lose class points."
"Sudou's grades probably aren't great, right? If he misses class until midterms, what are his chances of passing?"
In this negotiation, Kitagawa had a clear upper hand—not only because he controlled Sudou's fate, but because he knew far more than Karuizawa.
"There's a school rule: students who fail midterms are expelled."
"And when a student is expelled, the class loses 300 class points."
"Even without knowing how many points Sudou's suspension would cost, that 300 alone is worth far more than 50,000 private points."
Karuizawa was speechless. She wasn't particularly skilled at negotiations or logic. The teacher, Chabashira Sae, had sent her gambling on the chance that Kitagawa might go easy on D-Class for personal reasons.
Faced with this, Karuizawa blurted out helplessly:
"Then what should we do?"
"...You're asking me what to do?"
Kitagawa nearly laughed. He pulled out a contract from his pocket and handed it to her.
"This is a notarized contract I paid the school to validate. Here are the terms:
- Class 1-D (Party A) will pay Kitagawa Ryo (Party B) 100,000 private points by April 5th.
- Party A will pay Class 1-C (Party B) 400,000 points per month until the end of first year.
- If unable to pay in full, at least 30% of the total owed must be paid each month.
- The contract remains valid even if either party moves classes.
- The contents must not be disclosed to third parties. Violation will result in expulsion for non-payment."
Karuizawa frowned.
"Isn't that a bit harsh? Especially the first clause."
She didn't react too strongly. Not because she understood the implications of the numbers, but because—
Most Class D students believed the rumor that everyone got 100,000 points monthly. Only Ayanokouji and Horikita, who were skeptical, realized something was off. The others were naive.
Even though Chabashira had warned Karuizawa about the class and private point system, it ended up misleading her.
"Not really. If I don't help, your class might lose more than 300 class points. That's 30,000 private points per student. I'm only asking for 10,000. I'm saving you money."
He spoke as if he were doing them a favor.
"But I can't decide this alone... Can I take this back and discuss it with my classmates?"
"Of course."
Kitagawa knew the contract needed everyone's agreement.
"But Sudou may not have much time. Better hurry."
"O-Okay."
Karuizawa carefully folded the contract, stood up, and bowed.
"Then, I'll be going."
"Let's exchange contact info. I'm very interested in D-Class's decision."
"Ah, sure."
Once Karuizawa Kei was added to Kitagawa Ryo's contacts, she finally departed.
"Goodbye."
"Goodbye."
Long after she left, Kitagawa remained seated.
His fingers traced her profile picture on the screen. For the longest time, that image used to be a photo of the two of them together.
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"Hey, hey, why do we have to pay the price for Sudou hitting someone?"
Early the next morning in Class 1-D, Chabashira Sae brought the still bruised and battered Sudou Ken into the classroom. He kept his head low, clearly aware of the trouble he had caused. After Chabashira explained the situation, Sudou bowed and apologized to the class, then presented Kitagawa Ryo's proposed contract.
As expected, the first to raise a fuss was Yamauchi Haruki.
"Even if we get 100,000 points a month, I wanted to buy a game console yesterday."
He wasn't alone in that thought. Many students thought the same—why use their precious points to help a delinquent like Sudou? Quiet murmurs of discontent spread across the room.
"Everyone, please don't be too upset. Sudou is a member of Class D, too. He already said that if we don't help him, the class will lose class points, which would reduce our personal points as well."
Hirata Yousuke stood up to try to calm the situation. He couldn't accept someone being suspended or even expelled on just the second day of school.
"But it was his own fault, wasn't it?"
Someone muttered under their breath.
"Still, everyone here is a member of Class D. If we help Sudou today, then if anyone else has trouble in the future, we'll help them too. Right?"
Hirata smiled gently and subtly signaled Kushida to speak up as well.
"Sudou said he'll pay the 100,000 points himself. So, we each only have to pay 10,000 points a month to Class C until the end of the year."
"I promise I'll change," Sudou quickly added. "If you help me now, I'll help anyone who needs it in the future!"
Kushida Kikyou, staying true to her image, stood up with a sweet smile.
"I believe Sudou-kun will improve after this. We can't just let him be framed like this, right?"
With both Kushida and Hirata speaking up, and Sudou looking pitiful, the newly enriched Class D students gradually began to agree. After all, 10,000 points wasn't too steep.
Chabashira Sae let out a nearly imperceptible sigh.
Kitagawa Ryo's biggest trap was timing the contract when Class D still had 1,000 class points—when everyone believed it would stay that way. But based on yesterday's performance, they'd be lucky to have 100 points left next month. Where would they find 10,000 personal points to pay?
Still, she didn't point this out. Though she remained fixated on reaching Class A, she also believed letting them learn from failure wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Deep down, she still hoped someone would speak up.
"I think it's a crazy idea. It was red-hair boy's mistake."
Kouenji Rokusuke, as eccentric as ever, refused the proposal without care. Just when Chabashira thought he might point out a flaw in the contract, he merely combed his hair:
"I won't accept it. Don't expect me to pay the 10,000."
Seeing Kouenji about to ruin the fragile unity, Hirata immediately said:
"I'll pay Kouenji-kun's share. Is that alright?"
This caused more uproar, especially from Yamauchi and Ike, who questioned why Hirata wouldn't pay for them too. Hirata struggled to calm them down, eventually dragging Kushida into helping.
In the corner, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka silently observed the chaos. He noticed issues in the contract and Hirata's poor handling of the situation. Even speaking privately with Kouenji would have been better than announcing that publicly. Still, not wanting to draw attention, he whispered to Horikita Suzune:
"This feels really problematic."
But the once-proud Horikita seemed absent-minded, ignoring Ayanokouji completely. He sighed and continued watching in silence.
After thirty more minutes of arguing, Class D reluctantly approved the contract. Whether due to the logic of avoiding more point deductions or the emotional appeal of protecting a classmate, it was ultimately the promise of that hot, fresh 100,000 points that swayed them.
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"Announcement."
After the third day of classes ended, Kitagawa Ryo once again stood at the podium in Class 1-C.
"If everyone continues studying as hard as the past two days for one month..."
"Starting next month, each of you will receive an extra 10,000 points from Class D."
The students stared in confusion as he continued:
"Also, don't forget about next month's midterms. If your grades are weak, join a study group. Kaneda Satoru will lead the boys. For the girls, Hiyori, please organize them."
"If you do well, there'll be more rewards."
Ishizaki Daichi loudly asked:
"Boss, it won't just be shampoo again, right?"
The class burst into laughter.
"Of course not," Ryo grinned. "If you all do well, the reward will be substantial."
"Like... maybe changing the nameplate outside to say Class 1-B."
As C-Class marveled at their leader's ambition to leap straight to B-Class just days after the term began, Kitagawa Ryo was already plotting his next move.
Ichinose Honami... her weakness was glaringly obvious.
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