The remaining days of April passed without much turbulence. After Class D agreed to the contract, Kitagawa Ryo provided the crucial audio recording as Sudou's witness. Although Sudou was still suspended for half a month and had to pay some personal points, it was a far lighter punishment than originally expected. After this incident, Sudou seemed to have grown considerably and had mellowed compared to his behavior at the beginning of the semester.
He had no reason to lash out at the classmates who had used their points to protect him. Even when people like Yamauchi Haruki or Ike Kanji exaggeratedly asked him to run errands by saying, "Hey, we're paying 10,000 points a month for you," Sudou simply endured it silently.
"But one day, it'll blow up."
Leaning against the door of Class C, Kitagawa Ryo watched Sudou walk toward Class D, arms full of drinks, and turned to Ryuuen Kakeru beside him.
"If your prediction is right, we'll see the result on the first of next month."
Ryuuen appreciated Kitagawa Ryo's psychological tactics. Although he always spouted about brute force, Ryuuen himself was more skilled in underhanded tricks and rarely made overt moves.
"How's the intel gathering going?"
"We've mapped out most of the camera locations and their ranges. I also tested the school's limits as you asked."
Ryuuen answered, hands in pockets. "The school's rules are tricky. If you outright disable or damage the cameras, it costs a huge amount of personal points and also affects class points. So, next month, Class C might lose some class points."
"That's fine. This intel is worth far more than those points. That's why I asked you to do it."
Ryuuen nodded at Kitagawa's approval. "Temporarily blocking cameras like our homeroom teacher did on the first day, or splashing ink on the lens, only costs a few thousand personal points for cleaning, as long as it's within a controlled time frame."
"The school store even sells surveillance cameras. There are also blind spots on campus, like the special lecture building. I've set up two cameras there. Might capture something interesting."
After finishing the topic of surveillance, Ryuuen shifted the conversation.
"As for the other classes, since you've been focusing on Class D, I took this month to observe Classes A and B."
"Class A isn't as unified as you imagined. Sakayanagi Arisu hasn't fully seized control. There's a faction led by Katsuragi Kohei, and a small group of neutral observers."
"Katsuragi Kohei? What's he like?"
Kitagawa asked with interest. He hadn't expected Sakayanagi to have trouble asserting dominance over Class A.
"Still unclear for now. School just started, so I can't dig too deep. We'll probably get a clearer picture during the class competitions. But a fractured Class A works in our favor."
"Mm. What about Class B?"
"They're the only class that actually held class elections. Like kids playing house."
Ryuuen sneered. "The leader is that Ichinose Honami girl you mentioned. She's the class rep. Her vice is a guy named Kanzaki Ryuji. The rest aren't worth noting."
'Class elections, huh... That's so very like Honami,' Kitagawa thought.
He patted Ryuuen on the shoulder approvingly. "The school won't let us go unchecked forever. From next month, competition and class elevation will begin."
"Can't wait for it," Ryuuen grinned, licking his lips with a menacing look.
"Ryuuen, there's something really important," Kitagawa said suddenly, his expression serious and grave.
"You've been exposed about manipulating Class D? Karuizawa Kei got her memory back? Or did Hiyori confess to you?"
Seeing Kitagawa's dead-serious face, Ryuuen frowned and rattled off three possibilities that would give anyone a headache.
"...Even more dangerous."
"What is it?"
Kitagawa gave a helpless, almost proud smile. "Hotaru... that cat I raised, she sneaked into the school."
"Wait, aren't pets banned here?"
"Yeah, but she's been hiding in my dorm for three days and no school staff has noticed. Makes me wonder..."
Kitagawa rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Maybe she slipped past all the surveillance."
"You're telling me your cat is smarter than I am?"
Ryuuen's eyelid twitched. It had taken him half a month to study the surveillance layout. Now he's being told a cat might've done better? Sure, it's smaller, but this was beyond the realm of a normal pet cat.
Kitagawa thought for a moment, then nodded seriously. "Possibly."
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On April 30th, after school, Kitagawa Ryo returned to his dorm alone. As soon as he opened the door and stepped inside, he was pounced on by a fluffy little creature. The snow-white cat, Hotaru, who had somehow slipped into the school, excitedly climbed onto Ryo's shoulder and rubbed its face against his neck.
"Alright, alright, I get it. You're feeling cooped up," Ryo said, unbothered as he gently grabbed Hotaru by the scruff and placed her back onto the sofa.
"Didn't I buy you yarn balls to play with? Ryuuen even made you a scratching post."
Despite sitting obediently now and staring at Ryo with amber eyes, both he and Ryuuen Kakeru knew all too well how much chaos this little thing could cause. When Ryo first picked her up, Hotaru had been a sickly kitten. But within a week, her mischief already had the two hardened delinquents—who were no strangers to street brawls—pulling their hair out.
Ryo used to keep two small fish in an aquarium. Hotaru's first attempt to steal a fish ended with her nearly drowning inside the tank. The second time, having learned her lesson, she tried to drain the tank by drinking all the water. She spent all day treating the tank like a drinking bowl and ended up with a stomachache that lasted two days, forcing Ryo to rush her to a pet hospital.
Ryo still couldn't figure out how such a dumb cat managed to sneak into the heavily secured Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School. But since she was here, he had no choice but to continue his reluctant duty as a cat owner—while being careful not to get caught.
Thankfully, Hotaru could understand Ryo quite well. Aside from showing herself in front of Ryuuen and Shiina Hiyori, who were already aware of her existence, Hotaru stayed completely silent and hidden whenever other Class C students visited Ryo's room.
Today, however, Ryo was a little uneasy. The person who would soon visit his room was a bit different—Karuizawa Kei.
Ever since they exchanged contact information, Ryo had been meeting with Kei once a week. Initially, they met at a cafe in the shopping mall, but later, to avoid attracting attention, their meetings shifted to Ryo's room.
He tapped Hotaru on the nose and gently rubbed her head. "Don't come out, okay?"
"Meow!"
Hotaru tilted her head confidently in agreement.
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Every time Karuizawa Kei visited Ryo's room, she couldn't help but recall the first time she'd gone there alone:
Just when she had finally managed to establish a small circle within Class D after nearly a week of effort, a single message from Ryo tore open her newly healed wound:
"I know about the bullying you went through in middle school. If you don't want others to find out, come to my room this Saturday at 5 PM. Room 408. Don't let anyone see you."
Kei didn't know if she had the right to refuse. In fact, she didn't even have time to hesitate—her fingers had already typed and sent a response: "Okay."
So on that Saturday afternoon, she descended to the fourth floor from her room. Normally, she hated the claustrophobic, metallic space of the elevator, treating it like a prison cell. She only rode it when it was crowded enough to make her feel safe. But this time, she deliberately chose an empty one.
The suffocating pressure and sense of isolation she usually felt weren't there. She watched the floor numbers descend—12, 11, 10... down to 4—until the doors slid open.
Her heart only seemed to start beating again when she reached Room 408. The closer she got, the more nervous she became. She should be walking fast to avoid being seen, but her steps remained sluggish. By the time she stood at Ryo's door, her heart felt like it might burst from her chest.
The door was slightly ajar. She quietly entered and changed into indoor slippers. Ryo was sitting on the sofa watching TV. Kei stood awkwardly before him, not knowing how to behave. After fumbling for words, she finally managed a strained whisper:
"I'm here."
"Let's make a deal. How about it?"
Ryo didn't even glance at her. Despite her carefully done makeup—perfect brows, red lips—and the exposed skin between her stockings and skirt hem, he didn't look up once.
His tone was gentle, but Kei could still smell danger. She resisted weakly: "You called me here… what do you want? Are you threatening me?"
Everything she didn't want anyone to know was already in Ryo's hands. He had her heart clenched tight. No matter what unreasonable request came next, she wouldn't be able to refuse.
"I simply want to make a trade with you. I know your personality well. I believe you'll adjust quickly. Because the terms are simple."
Ryo finally raised his eyes. Those pitch-black pupils seized Kei's soul in an instant, making her instinctively take a step back.
"Abandon your identity as a Class D student and agree to provide me with intel and support. What do you say?"
"If I do that… you won't expose anything?"
"Of course. Not only that, I'll also ensure your standing in Class D. If anyone bullies you again, I'll help you deal with them."
They stared at each other for more than thirty seconds. In that silent gaze, Kei felt an eerie illusion—as if something intangible had formed between them. As if their blood was flowing through each other's veins.
"Fine. The rest of Class D doesn't matter anyway."
She finally turned her gaze aside and gave a soft reply.
"Then, as a token of good faith, let me offer you a free piece of intel," Ryo said with a quiet chuckle.
"Class D's points may not be deposited next month. You should save your 100,000 points."
"Oh."
But Kei didn't seem interested in the intel. She stared at Ryo's face and asked, almost absently:
"Have we met before?"
"Of course not."
He shut her down coldly and got up to walk her to the door.
"If you stay too long, someone might notice. The deal's done—you can go."
"Oh."
Just before leaving, Kei turned back and said with a slight smile:
"Then I guess… we know each other now, right?"
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"Yamauchi and Ike from our class are so noisy. During the last swimming lesson, I heard the boys even held some... vote for the biggest chest."
Hotaru, curled up alone in the closet, perked up at the familiar voice. Just as she was about to leap out in excitement, she suddenly recalled Kitagawa Ryo's warning and let out a small whimper instead, rolling over reluctantly. The inside of the closet was pitch dark, but fortunately, Kitagawa's clothes were nearby, filling the small, enclosed space with his scent. Hotaru sniffed contentedly and nudged herself deeper into her little nest—a bed made of Kitagawa's discarded clothes.
"And now that it's the end of the month, right? I heard a lot of people have already burned through their 100,000 points. Today, I even heard someone say, 'Just need to survive until tomorrow.'"
The girl's voice was so familiar that Hotaru could instantly picture her face. But compared to before, her tone had changed—not the voice itself, but the emotions it now carried.
Hotaru licked her paw and listened quietly to the conversation outside. It was a form of pure, instinctive attachment—the same simple, animal-like affection she felt.
"How many points have you saved?"
"After necessary social expenses, I still have about fifty thousand left."
Karuizawa Kei's voice sounded a little embarrassed. Kitagawa had told her to start saving at the beginning of the month, but by the end, she'd still managed to spend nearly half.
"It's fine. Social expenses are necessary. If you get ostracized, you won't be able to gather valuable intel."
"Yeah... I'll do my best."
"How did the pop quiz go today?"
"Just average. I don't even know if I'll pass the midterm."
"Here are the midterm answers."
"Huh? This kind of thing exists?"
"Yeah. The first semester midterm uses the same questions as the upper grades. Your next task is..."
His voice lowered deliberately.
"Mmm, mmm! Got it."
"Oh, right. If I complete this mission, can I ask for a reward?"
"Personal points? Sure, I can give you some—"
"No, not that kind."
"Even just in private is fine."
"Just... can you stop calling me 'you' or 'Karuizawa-san' from now on..."
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