Getting such a thoroughly uninteresting answer caused Hoshinomiya Chie to immediately lose interest in Asakusa Tōru. Although his behavior did seem a little out of the ordinary, she had no intention of digging any deeper.
After giving him a few perfunctory reminders—generic teacher talk that could apply to anyone—she let Asakusa go.
Pushing open the office door and heading back toward his classroom, he happened to encounter someone in the hallway at just the right moment.
Chabashira Sae.
Her brown hair was tied up in a high ponytail, her voluptuous figure stretching the teacher's uniform tight, the pronounced lines exuding a mature allure distinct from that of youth.
Yet on that tall, elegant, onee-san face was a perpetually cold expression—so sour it looked like at least ten people's mothers had died.
…What bad luck.
Cursing silently in his heart, Asakusa Tōru passed by Chabashira Sae without a second glance.
"..." Chabashira Sae stopped in front of the office door. Before going in, she turned her head and glanced at Asakusa's retreating back, then quietly opened the door.
"Class over already, Little Sae?" Hoshinomiya Chie, sitting alone in the office in a very relaxed posture, propped her head up with one hand. "How does this year's Class D feel?"
"Ah, no need to answer. I can tell just from your face."
"Mhm, looks like the school didn't make any huge mistakes in student evaluation this year either," Hoshinomiya said, nodding to herself with a smile. "Class D should just stay in Class D, don't you think, Little Sae?"
"…Instead of worrying about Class D, you should worry about your own Class B," Chabashira Sae replied coldly as she returned to her seat. "Being called to the office right after school starts—sounds like a full-fledged problem student."
At the moment, the only teacher in the office was Hoshinomiya, so it wasn't hard for her to deduce that Asakusa belonged to Class B.
Not that Class B had anything to do with her. Even if they had problem students, it wasn't her concern.
But Hoshinomiya's words were just too unpleasant.
Ah, yes—she understood perfectly what her so-called good friend was implying.
Don't dream dreams that can't be realized.
But… what if?
There was still a tiny sliver of hope left in Chabashira Sae's heart.
"Asakusa-kun? Oh, you just saw him?" Hoshinomiya Chie said as if suddenly remembering. "I just called him in for some trivial stuff. He's a bit lacking in common sense, sure, but if you ask whether he's a real problem student… not really."
"Who knows," Chabashira Sae replied noncommittally.
...
The time Asakusa Tōru spent in the office wasn't long. When he returned to the classroom, the second period was just beginning.
About fifty minutes of class ticked away, and soon it was break time again.
With the bell ringing, the diligent students who had switched into "class mode" quickly switched back into "break mode." Once the teacher left, the classroom instantly became noisy.
"Hey, hey, Asakusa-kun's back! Didn't you say you'd be the first to talk to him?"
"Yeah, but… he somehow feels a bit hard to approach. How should I start?"
"You're way too indecisive! If you don't go, I will!"
"W-wait, Ichinose-san's already going over!"
Under the watchful eyes of the class, Ichinose Honami—who had unanimously been chosen as class representative the day before—clenched her fists and stepped up to Asakusa Tōru's desk.
"Um, Asakusa-kun…" she said, taking out her personal terminal. "W-would you like to exchange contact info?"
The moment those words left her mouth, the classmates secretly observing couldn't help but murmur in admiration.
"Whoa, as expected of Ichinose—so direct."
"She did it so easily… something we couldn't do at all!"
"..." Asakusa Tōru, having just finished his own train of thought, looked up at Ichinose Honami approaching him. Raising an eyebrow, he casually took out his own terminal.
"Perfect timing. I was just about to look for you too."
"Add yourself," he said, unlocking the terminal and casually tossing it to her.
Flustered, Ichinose Honami hurriedly caught it.
"O-okay!"
A bit nervous for reasons she didn't quite understand, she operated Asakusa's terminal and added her contact information.
When she saw her name appear in the friend list, she finally let out a breath of relief.
However, after finishing, she didn't immediately hand the terminal back. Instead, her gaze lingered silently on Asakusa Tōru's contact list.
…She wasn't the first entry.
Besides her, there was one other name, occupying the only spot ahead of her.
'Ryūen Shō'.
Ichinose Honami committed that name to memory.
Only then did she lift her hand and return the terminal to Asakusa.
"And then, um…" She was about to say something more—but Asakusa, having taken back his terminal, casually opened his clipboard, pulled up Ichinose's chat window, pasted something, and looked up.
"Check your terminal," he said.
"Huh? O-okay." Though her words had been cut off, Ichinose showed no sign of irritation and obediently opened her terminal.
What appeared next was a long string of messages.
Written there was the school's… "truth."
The privileges exclusive to Class A.
The descending order of class rankings.
The condition of twenty million personal points to transfer classes.
The special exam in the first month.
"..." Ichinose Honami froze.
"Is… is all of this real?" she asked, finding it hard to believe.
And yet, at the same time, it somehow made sense.
After all, one hundred thousand points really was too generous for a high school student.
"Isn't this the kind of thing you can just confirm with Hoshinomiya-sensei?" Asakusa Tōru put his terminal away and propped his head up with one hand. "Whether she nods or says she can't answer, the result will be obvious."
"As for why I know this, or where the information came from—don't ask." Anticipating the question she might raise, he continued, "Personally, I don't really want to stand out too much, so just treat it as something you figured out on your own."
"Working backward from the conclusion shouldn't be that hard, right?"
"…It's not hard," Ichinose Honami said, gripping her terminal tightly.
Confirming it with Hoshinomiya-sensei, the source of the information, standing in front on his behalf—none of that really mattered to her.
What she had wanted to ask from the very beginning, the question she still hadn't managed to voice, was—
"Do you remember me, Asakusa-kun?"
...