(Dazai Crowley's POV)
Cerulean Academy, Present Day
Before we knew it, we, or rather Ryoku, was next in line. Beep, beep. One by one, the cashier scanned through the items. As he was doing so however, I noticed something off about him in particular.
Although he wore the company branded apron on top, it was clear that he was wearing the same highschool uniform we all had underneath.
"—They allow students to work here?"
I asked him.
"Huh? Oh yes. Only part time though."
"Interesting…"
Beep.
He scans the last item.
"Okay, that'll be….—thirty five points ma'am."
Ryoku glances at me.
"He says thirty five points."
"Why are you telling me?"
"What do you think? I expect you to pay for it."
Excuse me?
"And why should I?"
"I thought it was human tradition for the man to pay for the girl when they go out, is it not?"
"Of course not."
"Wooow, some customs you have, huh~", she nudges my elbow teasingly. Clearly, she was joking.
Ryoku then takes her card out.
And just like that, with a quick swipe and a tap, the transaction went through.
"Oh, and can I get a receipt please?"
"Of course."
After printing one out, the cashier hands it over.
Ryoku then gets out of line and reads it over by a nearby window. Her expression then changes.
"Something wrong?"
"....It really is like a credit card."
"Seems like it."
As expected of a receipt, it properly logged all the necessary details of the transaction. Down from the items scanned, their individual prices, the card's original balance, and the leftover remainder, all of these factors were naturally recorded and written.
"Almost feels surreal, doesn't it?"
"What, you mean the Class Point System?"
"Of course. What else would I be talking about?"
"Well, I wouldn't say "surreal" per say, but the way how it's set up certainly does seem suspicious."
For starters—
Each class, from A through D, has roughly 40 students, who are then divided up between the four years of highschool. That's 160 students in just one class. Now assuming our Set Amount doesn't change at all, roughly four million dollars and some change worth of class points would've been allocated to every student in Class D in just one year alone.
—And that's all before factoring in the rest of the classes and future changes to their Set Amounts.
For Class A, even if we used the same assumption that their points do not change, (which is unlikely), that's still roughly twelve million in a year.
Even if this school is being funded by the country and the royal family, these expenses still seem highly excessive, if not, absolutely unnecessary.
(A/N; For better context, use the USD system).
There's just way too much money involved…
"Don't go spending your points in one place, okay?", Ryoku tells me sternly.
"What are you, my mom?"
She glares at me.
Yep, she definitely looks like Mom alright.
"I'm not a kid. I got common sense too, you know."
"Hmph, if you say so."
What's with that distrustful remark?
"In any case, we should probably get going, huh."
"Yeah."
We make our way back to the front of the store.
Before we left however, I couldn't help but glance back at the couple by the cashier one last time.
While the girl was busy paying for her stuff the boyfriend glanced over in our direction.
Our eyes met.
I chuckle.
I lightly wave at him, departing with him a silent goodbye and good luck.
He waves back, noticing my intention.
"You know him?"
Ryoku asks.
"Not really."
"Oh."
With that, we step back outside.
As soon as we exited the store, I stretched a little.
Aah, fresh air~
Oh, how much I missed you…
"Feeling better?"
"Huh?"
"Your nose. It was hurting earlier, wasn't it?"
"How'd you know?"
"C'mon, you don't think I wouldn't have noticed? Ever since we entered the cosmetic aisle, you've been rubbing your nose often. You also said something about "burning" earlier too, right?"
Ah, so that's what she meant. I have to admit though, I wasn't expecting her to remember that.
"I just don't like the smell of chemicals. That's all."
"Heh, what do you know? Neither do I."
"You have a sensitive nose too?"
"Something like that."
"I see."
So we share a similar burden, huh.
"In any case, this is for you."
"Hmm?"
She hands me a box from her grocery bag.
"This is…"
It was the box of tissues from before.
"You bought this for me?"
"Obviously."
"I hear the lotion it uses works well on irritation, so this should help", she also adds.
"You certainly put a lot of thought into this…"
"Of course I did. You're my classmate after all."
"I don't see how that has anything to do with this, but I'll accept the gesture nonetheless. Thank you."
"What a roundabout way of showing gratitude."
"Hey, I atleast said thank you, didn't I?"
She chuckles.
"You're welcome."
She then pulls out her phone and checks the time.
"Well then. It's getting late now, so I should probably be getting home now."
Curious, I glance towards the sky.
Wow, I didn't even realize how late it had gotten.
The sun was already starting to set.
"—Yeah, you probably should."
Cerulean Academy may be a safe and protected environment, but that's no reason to tempt fate and stay out late. I know I certainly wouldn't.
There's a reason why curfews exist after all.
"Well, aren't you going to be a gentleman and escort me back home?~", she asked me.
"Why? You seem more than capable enough of handling yourself."
"Heh, fair enough. Well then, see you tomorrow."
"Yeah, see you later."
I wave to her goodbye.
And with that, she walks away.
I then glance back at the box she gave me.
"A gift, huh."
Images of a certain girl flash inside my mind.
I shake my head.
Sigh.
Right then, I should probably get going too, huh.