Horikita POV
Lately, my morning routine has changed more than I expected.
Before, my only goal when arriving early to the classroom was simply to sit down, take out a book, and disappear into its pages until class began. No distractions, just me and my reading.
But now... well, I don't read as much. Instead, I've ended up in endless conversations with a boy named Endo Akira.
At first, he would just greet me in the mornings, and I completely ignored him. It may not have been the most polite thing to do, but why bother responding to someone who seemed determined to interrupt my sanctuary of silence? I thought giving in once would open the door to countless awkward chats, but he didn't seem to understand that concept.
So, for days, he kept greeting me. And not just casual greetings—those persistent ones that make you think: "Does he have some kind of indifference radar?"
In the end, I started replying just so he would stop—an attempt that clearly failed. But little by little, things evolved. Now, not only do I respond, but I've even started greeting him first.
What began as a dull exchange of short phrases turned into something unexpectedly interesting: we talked about the school's private point system, which both of us found stranger than sushi without rice. He was the one who dared to ask my opinion, and since then, our morning conversations have become a small ritual.
Sometimes I wonder if he actually gets up early just to debate conspiracy theories about those impossible points—or if he simply enjoys talking to someone who doesn't yell at him to go away.
Honestly, I'm not entirely sure. But since we started talking, we've come up with some rather interesting conclusions. Of course, it's all just theories and speculation... but if you ask me, they make quite a bit of sense.
For example: the cameras. There are a lot of them, both inside and outside the classroom. Too many for them to be just a safety measure. Then there's the fact that Chabashira-sensei doesn't seem to care at all what happens during class. You can be sleeping, shouting, using your phone... and she won't even blink.
And then there are those "free" things we find at the cafeteria and convenience stores. All that led us to think that the so-called "merit" Chabashira mentioned refers to much more than just our grades. They're probably evaluating our behavior, both inside and outside class, and depending on that, we earn points.
But something caught my attention in particular... why call them private points? Endo-kun said—with that half-mocking tone of his, as if he had just discovered America—that if there's something private, then there must also be something public. And if those cameras are recording everyone's behavior, maybe there's some sort of general evaluation. Public merit that eventually gets converted into our private points.
...Something like that was what he said. Though, with all the hand gestures he made while explaining, he looked more like he was conducting an orchestra.
In any case, the month is almost over. If our guesses are correct, we'll find out soon enough.
Akira Endo POV
"So... what did you think about the movie, Matsushita?" I asked, still feeling a bit frustrated about the ending scene.
She crossed her arms and let out a sigh.
"Hmm... let's see. The romance was decent, I guess. But the ending... ugh, it was so forced. I mean, really? That girl needs some self-respect. How can she just forgive him like that after what he did?"
"That's exactly what I told Sato!" I jumped in, turning to her with a sense of complicity. "But she keeps insisting that 'it's love.'"
"Of course it's love!" Sato replied, with that mix of enthusiasm and stubbornness of hers. "If it wasn't love, he wouldn't have come back regretful, and she wouldn't have forgiven him. That's love, guys."
"Sorry, but if someone cheats on you and then comes crawling back like a wet dog, that's not love. That's guilt," Matsushita said, tilting her head with disbelief. "Honestly, I would've thrown him under a bus already."
"Matsushita! You're so harsh," I said, laughing.
"It's not harshness, it's common sense. Having faith in love is one thing, being a doormat is another. And she was a doormat in a wedding dress."
"But he changed!" Sato fired back passionately. "In the end, he admitted everything, apologized, matured, and they got married!"
"Yeah, yeah, he changed. After crawling his way through the entire movie. A red flag with a wedding ring is still a red flag," Matsushita said while making a dismissive next gesture with her hand.
"So what do you suggest? That all dramas should end with a restraining order?"
"If that's how they start, then perfect for me," she replied with an amused smile.
"Matsushita, you scare me," I said jokingly, as the three of us laughed.
"It's not fear, it's respect," she corrected, raising her drink as if to toast to self-love and proper endings.
I enjoyed spending time with them. From the very first day, I had shared a lot of moments with Matsushita and Sato, and they had become very good friends of mine. I'd like to say the same about Horikita, but... I'm not sure if she sees me that way. With how tsundere she is, she'd probably say something like: 'Friend? Don't be ridiculous. I only tolerate you because you help me think.'
Even so, I liked her. Even her silences were entertaining.
"By the way, guys," Sato said, sitting on the edge of his chair as if he were about to announce a big reveal. "This weekend, that horror movie, Hell Beneath the Ground, is coming out. Are you going?""I'm in!" Matsushita replied without thinking."I already saw it in the theater two weeks ago," I said, taking a sip of my coffee.
There was a brief silence. One of those uncomfortable silences that makes you feel like you just accidentally activated a bomb.
I noticed both of them staring at me... with expressions somewhere between judgment and betrayal.
"What? What's wrong? Did I say something weird?"
"Did you just say... you went to the movies... two weeks ago... and didn't invite us?" Sato asked, one eyebrow raised in full FBI interrogation mode.
"Ah! Uh, well... I didn't want to be weird, okay? We barely knew each other back then, and I thought if I invited you out of nowhere you'd think I was some kind of psycho or something..."
"Psycho?! Please. Of course, I wouldn't have said no!" Sato protested, her cheeks puffed up like an indignant hamster.
"Me neither..." Matsushita added, pulling a fake hurt expression. "But now I feel wounded. Deeply wounded."
"Oh, come on, it's not that big of a deal," I tried to defend myself, but their glares were colder than the library's air conditioning.
"Alright then," Sato declared dramatically, standing up like a judge. "As punishment for Endo Akira-kun, you must pay for the movie tickets this weekend. That way you'll learn never to exclude your classmates again."
"Objection, your honor! I didn't do anything illegal!"
"Objection denied! Guilty! No right to appeal," she declared in her best judge voice, banging her pen against the table like a gavel.
"Then I propose a deal... if I pay for the tickets, your honor and your star witness must feed this poor, innocent defendant with popcorn."
Matsushita and Sato exchanged glances. Sato made a dramatic hand gesture.
"We accept the terms. Case closed!"
"That's what I like to hear. Justice—with snacks."
Both of them burst out laughing, and I let out a sigh of relief. To be honest, paying for the tickets didn't sound so bad... not if it meant sharing more moments like these.