The girl was beautiful, with well-proportioned features. Yet, she seemed approachable. A sunflower hair clip adorned her hair, reminiscent of Masumi.
"A new face — a first-year student? This isn't really an area for you to be hanging around." The upperclassman said with a friendly tone, "But you're quite handsome. Can I take a photo? Everyone's interested in the new students."
As he observed her, she was also studying him.
Indeed, Houtarou was good-looking. His appearance was far from unremarkable, easily drawing the attention of girls. After all, who wouldn't want to take a second glance at a handsome guy?
'Just taking a photo, huh.' He didn't mind, having already had his picture taken by girls in class.
If anything, this could be an opportunity to build relationships — something he struggled with when it came to girls.
Click—
He noticed that the upperclassman hadn't spent any Points to disable her phone's camera sound and flash.
"Since you've taken my photo, senpai, would you allow me to ask two questions? Consider it an equal exchange." Houtarou said with a smile.
"Oh?" The upperclassman seemed surprised by his request, but his good looks kept her from being annoyed.
It was unusual for students from different years to mingle in this area.
The school had planned to separate the three year groups, allocating one teaching building to each. However, it wasn't completely closed off; public spaces like clubs allowed for interaction between all students.
Still, a first-year student venturing into the second-year area intrigued her.
As a second-year, she had already mastered the school rules she needed to know. The first-year students, having just enrolled, were newcomers. This underclassman's bold behavior struck her as quite novel.
"Well, I have to go to a club meeting soon, so I don't have much time." She said.
"It won't take long." Houtarou continued, "I'd like to know if senpai is a student in Class 2-A."
"Hmm? I am. My name is Nazuna Asahina." The upperclassman nodded, "And you're a first-year in Class A, right?"
"Houtarou Oreki." He said, "That counts as the first question. For the second question, I'd like senpai to answer me seriously."
"Oh? What's the question?" Nazuna smiled and blinked.
"After the second-year students gathered a large number of points, what did they do in the school?" Houtarou asked bluntly.
Nazuna's eyes widened slightly at his words.
She had expected him to ask about school rules, or mention finding the school strange, or feeling out of place — basically, questions typical of a new student.
But this? Second-years gathering Points? He already knew that much? For a new student, his question was oddly specific.
What was going on with this guy?
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Ten minutes later.
After exchanging phone numbers with Nazuna, Houtarou returned to Suzune's side.
"Didn't you say you weren't good at communicating with others?" She asked, surprise evident in her voice.
From her vantage point, she had observed his conversation with the upperclassman. It appeared amicable, with a pleasant atmosphere. She even witnessed them exchanging phone numbers.
This approach seemed at odds with someone who claimed to struggle with social interactions.
"It's just an act." Houtarou explained, "I thought it would be easier to gather information this way. If I couldn't get what I needed from this senpai, I'd have to seek out others. That wouldn't be energy-efficient at all."
'Oh...'
While Suzune didn't fully grasp his reasoning, she began to realize that he seemed to prioritize efficiency. It explained why he didn't carry a backpack and absorbed content directly in class.
"So..." She hesitated, curious about the information he had gathered.
"The second-year students are quite interesting." Houtarou said, "They pooled all the points from their entire year and opened a bubble tea shop."
"Opening a shop in the school?" Suzune was stunned.
"Yes, a shop. It generates profits for them. Since the school prohibits part-time jobs, they've become shop owners instead of students. They're investors, not employees. The mastermind behind this idea is their leader, Miyabi Nagumo, who's also the current vice president of the student council. Last year, he led Class 2-B to become Class A and earned the student council president's recognition, securing the vice presidency." Houtarou explained, introducing the new guy they should pay attention to.
"Oh..." Suzune nodded, her reaction rather muted.
"…" Houtarou thought, 'Never mind.'
He had shared this information to highlight that Miyabi was likely the reason Manabu was trying so hard to entice him into the student council.
Manabu prided himself on valuing ability above all else. This explained why he transferred 1 million Points after discovering he'd been photographed — a clear sign of recognition. It also revealed his mindset: he recognized talented individuals but struggled to control them.
He had brought Miyabi into the student council and even made him vice president. This seemed logical at first. However, Manabu soon realized he couldn't control the newcomer.
Miyabi had the power to influence an entire year group. If he became Student Council president, he wouldn't settle for being ordinary. With his ability to sway a whole year and accumulate a large number of Points, he could quickly corrupt and buy off other council members.
Consequently, his ambitions clashed with Manabu's. This conflict led Manabu to try to diminish Miyabi's influence.
Yet, Suzune seemed oblivious to these implications.
And the Student Council matters… seemed like a hassle. It was better to focus on making money first.
"Now that we have the information, we can take action." Houtarou said.
"So how do you plan to make money?" Suzune asked, "By opening a shop?"
Opening a shop...
She was proposing to directly emulate the second-year students' successful venture. After all, they had proven it could work.
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Meanwhile, elsewhere on campus.
Masumi continued to shadow Houtarou and Suzune, relaying information to Arisu.
| You've been unreachable for a while |
Her complaint flashed on the screen.
Masumi reflected on the irony of her situation. When she had been Houtarou's "dog", he had ignored her. Now, with Arisu as her new "master", she found herself equally overlooked. The parallel wasn't lost on her.
| Arisu Sakayanagi — Class A Classmate |
| I was just wrapping up a discussion. It's finished now. |
| By the way, is Oreki planning to open a shop? |
…
| Yes, he's taking Suzune Horikita to the shopping street to investigate the second-years' bubble tea shop. |
| He seems quite keen on the idea. |
…
| Arisu Sakayanagi — Class A Classmate |
| I see. |
| If I'd known earlier, I would have offered to collaborate. Easy money. |
'Collaborate on opening a shop? But Class A students are all broke by now.' Masumi mused.
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At that moment, Houtarou and Suzune arrived at the shopping street.
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