Lunch breaks at Japanese high schools generally lasted only an hour.
After finishing lunch, Chiaki Matsushita and the others decided to head to the school grounds to hang out, while Ryouma excused himself, saying he wanted to rest during lunch break.
The girls in Class D were already showing signs of splitting into three distinct groups.
First was the queen bee group, led by Karuizawa and Matsushita.
Then there was Mei-Yui Wang and Kokoro Inogashira, who were more concerned about Kushida. This group would likely continue to revolve around Kushida in the future.
Finally, there was the group led by Shinohara.
This group was somewhat similar to the idiot trio among the boys, consisting mainly of arrogant girls who had little interest in studying.
Once someone was labeled as belonging to a particular group, it became difficult for them to truly integrate into another.
Unless...
They were like Hirata, willing to sacrifice their own interests to maintain harmony within the class.
Or like Kushida, who devoted an enormous amount of time to socializing.
However, a person's energy was limited, and Ryouma didn't have that much time to spare.
Ideally, he wanted to be accepted by every group while remaining independent of all of them.
That way, he would have more time to do whatever he pleased.
The moment he stepped into the classroom...
Ryouma noticed that Kiyotaka Ayanokoji and Horikita were already sitting at their desks.
Both loners had simple lunches spread out before them.
More precisely, they were eating sandwiches and bread purchased from the school shops.
"Suzune, you know, you could afford to eat something a little more luxurious."
"Carelessly wasting private points will only put you in a difficult situation. Amakawa, surely you understand that much?"
Suzune Horikita turned to glance at Ryouma, her voice carrying a hint of confusion.
She couldn't quite understand him.
And yet...
From the looks of things, Ryouma's spending habits were no different from those of the other Class D students.
In fact, they seemed even worse than Haruki Yamauchi's and the others'.
Returning to his seat, Ryouma spread his hands helplessly.
"Unfortunately, I'm a pure hedonist."
"I see. In that case, when you run into financial difficulties, you'd better not come asking me for money."
Suzune replied coldly.
She couldn't agree with Ryouma's attitude toward money.
However, she had no intention of lecturing him about how he should manage his finances.
She was merely giving him a warning in advance.
Just then...
Kiyotaka Ayanokoji chose an appropriate moment to join their conversation.
"Still, a hundred thousand points a month should be more than enough, right? Just how much money does Amakawa-kun spend~?"
Suzune paused, the sandwich in her hand coming to a halt.
"That's not the issue. It isn't simply about how much someone spends."
After a brief pause, Horikita let out a soft sigh.
"Since you're the type who prefers avoiding trouble, just worry about yourself."
"That's a little harsh, Horikita. Saying something like that only makes me more uneasy."
"Whatever."
Suzune turned to look at the expressionless Kiyotaka Ayanokoji before speaking in a somewhat serious tone.
"Anyway, I strongly advise you to use your private points sparingly. Understood?"
"Kiyotaka Ayanokoji, it seems your brain really isn't particularly impressive. You'll understand the specific reason soon enough. If you don't want to spend your school life in misery, you'd better listen to me."
Having said that, Horikita opened her small mouth and resumed enjoying her lunch.
Having obtained an answer he could accept, Kiyotaka had no intention of probing further.
Instead, he shifted his attention toward Ryouma.
"By the way, Amakawa-kun, did you hear the announcement earlier?"
"Mm, the announcement about the clubs, right? They played it in the cafeteria too."
Ryouma nodded with a smile before adding half-jokingly,
"What, are you worried that your classmates might have missed an important announcement? Thanks, Ayanokoji. Who would've thought you were such a considerate guy!"
Hearing his words, Horikita stopped eating and furrowed her delicate brows.
For some reason, she felt that something was slightly off.
However, the moment she heard Kiyotaka's next words, that strange feeling immediately disappeared.
Kiyotaka acted as though he hadn't noticed Horikita's gaze.
His expression remained as blank and somewhat absentminded as ever.
"Well... Yeah... Something like that. I was actually wondering whether you were planning to join any clubs, Amakawa-kun."
"Nope. Why do you ask?"
"Aren't you pretty good at photography, Amakawa-kun? I figured you might join the photography club. Besides, I was hoping to find someone to accompany me to the gymnasium. Going alone makes me a little uneasy."
"I see. Sure, why not? Let's go together after school. I've been wanting to meet some of the upperclassmen anyway."
Ryouma readily accepted Kiyotaka's invitation with a smile.
Then he turned toward Horikita.
"Suzune, why don't you come along after school too?"
"All right."
After a moment of hesitation, Suzune Horikita nodded.