After learning these three pieces of information, it was Honami Ichinose whose heart wavered the most.
Hikaru Naruse’s Emotion Perception picked up on the girl’s feelings in that moment—shock, fear, and a deeper, more profound unease.
In truth, he could understand it.
After all, in the original work, Honami Ichinose was someone who had always acted for the sake of protecting her class.
Her willingness to become the class’s leader wasn’t about power.
It was because she wanted to protect every single one of her classmates—to spend these three years safely alongside everyone, and to experience a youth that was one of a kind.
But the information Naruse had just laid out left Honami Ichinose deeply shaken.
If the school had a rule allowing for expulsions, then didn’t that mean the class could lose members?
That was the one thing Honami Ichinose could absolutely never accept.
“…It seems you’ll all need some time to digest this.
I won’t intrude any further, then.”
Hikaru Naruse’s voice was exceedingly gentle.
He picked up his phone and gave it a little shake, displaying his personal page.
“As per our agreement, it’s time for you to transfer the points now.”
“…Right.”
Though Honami Ichinose was still caught in the enormous shock those three pieces of information had brought, her reason hadn’t been completely drowned out by emotion.
Since the deal was done, she couldn’t go back on it.
The other four Class B students began to act as well—after all, 500,000 points was a sum everyone had to pool together.
Split evenly across Class B’s forty students, each person only had to put up 12,500.
For students who had a hundred thousand points in their first month, the figure was hardly small, but it wasn’t enough to affect their basic living either.
“Ding!”
About three minutes later, Hikaru Naruse glanced down at the changing numbers on his phone screen, and the corners of his mouth curved up ever so slightly.
Class B’s 500,000 points had arrived, and combined with the 100,000 he’d just received that morning, his personal account now held 600,000 points.
“Alright, the transaction is concluded.
Thank you all for your trust and cooperation.”
Naruse gave a faint smile, then nodded toward the students of Class B.
“If there’s ever anything you’d like my help with in the future, you’re welcome to contact me anytime.”
“Although…
it won’t be free, of course.”
“I’ve already exchanged contact information with Ichinose, so reaching me will be easy.”
“Until we meet again~”
Hikaru Naruse didn’t linger any longer.
He gave the group from Class B a wave, then, wearing a smile, left the café.
Inside the café, after Naruse had left, Ryūji Kanzaki voiced his own thoughts.
“Everyone, I believe Naruse is definitely still holding something back where information is concerned.”
“I have that feeling too.” Andō nodded with an air of gravity.
“It seems to me like there’s still something he hasn’t told us, but as for exactly what it is, I couldn’t say…”
Honami Ichinose was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded.
“I think so too.
This school isn’t an ordinary high school—so why don’t we go gather some information ourselves?”
The girl’s gaze swept over everyone present, and within those clear, wide eyes, a resolute light had rekindled.
Ryūji Kanzaki gave a slight nod; he’d been wanting to say those very words for a while now.
“I agree.”
Sō Shibata nodded forcefully as well, slamming a fist into his own palm.
“Sure, I can go gather information too.”
Sayo Andō and Chihiro Shiranami each voiced their support as well.
Honami Ichinose looked at her classmates, and at last a faint smile curved at the corners of her lips.
Though those three pieces of information had dealt her an enormous shock, seeing her companions still so united and steadfast, a warm strength welled up in the girl’s heart.
As long as everyone was together, she would be filled with confidence.
It was right then that Sayo Andō suddenly asked, offhandedly.
“Do you think Naruse will become the leader of Class A?”
The moment the words were out, several of them were taken aback, then sank into thought.
After all, the ability Naruse had displayed today was simply too stunning.
He hadn’t seemed like a student at all, but like a seasoned trader.
“The way I see it, a man like him—wouldn’t it be strange if he didn’t become the leader?”
Ryūji Kanzaki thought it over.
“I just hope we won’t end up as rivals down the line.”
Hikaru Naruse had no idea that the students of Class B were still discussing him after he’d left.
He was walking along the road toward the campus supermarket.
The Koudo Ikusei student dormitories were single rooms, so at a time like this, he needed to go pick up some daily necessities.
Stepping into a large supermarket, Hikaru Naruse pushed a shopping cart and began weaving between the shelves.
He didn’t spend much time studying the varieties or brands of the products; instead, he quickly and precisely picked out some basic living essentials—shampoo, body wash, toothpaste, a toothbrush, and so on.
Then he turned into the food section.
He bought a few bottles of mineral water, a box of biscuits, a few bags of chips, two boxes of chocolate bars, and a fruit-flavored drink that looked pretty decent.
None of these things were expensive—a few hundred points apiece, and all together no more than two or three thousand points.
After he’d finished shopping and paid by card, just as he was walking out of the supermarket, a figure flitted past the edge of his field of vision.
It was a boy.
The other party seemed to have just finished shopping as well, carrying a small shopping bag in his hand as he walked steadily forward.
He was of medium build and on the lean side, his features handsome but not particularly striking, with short brown hair and the wine-red boys’ uniform.
His overall air was decidedly plain, without anything especially remarkable about him.
But in that instant, Hikaru Naruse’s eyes suddenly widened quite a bit.
Ayanokōji Kiyotaka?
Interesting.
So he’d actually run into him?
Naruse, who knew the original work, understood this guy’s true strength.
But at this point, he was merely putting on the act of an inconspicuous, ordinary boy.
Being stuck in the lowest-ranked Class D was likewise the result of him deliberately controlling his grades.
“Forget it.
We’re bound to face off head-on eventually, so there’s no need to strike up a conversation with him now.”
Just as Naruse was about to withdraw his gaze, he suddenly caught sight of another person.
It was a blonde girl.
She emerged from behind the shrubbery beside the supermarket, her steps light.
The girl’s eyes were locked tightly onto the back of Ayanokōji Kiyotaka up ahead, keeping a distance that was neither too far nor too near, following after him at a pace neither fast nor slow.
“Asuka Shiraishi?”
Hikaru Naruse’s brow abruptly furrowed.
That’s right!
The plot of the original work surfaced in Naruse’s mind, and all at once it dawned on him.
Asuka Shiraishi’s mission had been given by the [White Room]—she was to keep Ayanokōji Kiyotaka under surveillance!
“Interesting.”
Naruse suddenly started to laugh.
He’d abruptly changed his mind, deciding to follow along and take a look.
P.S.: Please keep reading—follow-through reads are really important during a new book’s launch period.
I’m counting on all of you!!!
____
👻🔥Walnut-chan🔥👻
🔥 New history: COTE: