The person interrupting them was Kakeru with his red center-parted hair.
He had taken a shower and changed back into his regular uniform, looking quite energetic.
Albert trailed behind him as usual. Kakeru casually sipped from a cola he was carrying.
After spending a week on the island surviving on snakes and frogs, he hadn't been able to enjoy any civilized pleasures like this.
"You're quite troublesome." Houtarou said, "So, how many Points have you collected on your phone?"
Kakeru: "..."
Hearing these words, he suddenly lost his taste for his drink.
"Are you trying to scam money from me again?" Kakeru said directly.
"It's not a scam." Houtarou said, "I just find you annoying, so could you go somewhere else?"
"Heh—"
Kakeru harbored numerous grudges against Houtarou, both old and new.
Despite his preparations for the island exam, he had lost miserably. Though his classmates found his failure to identify the leader regrettable, they hadn't started rebelling.
They weren't even particularly angry about Class D overtaking them.
This was because they had all experienced Rokusuke's nastiness on their first day on the island. After clearing so many bases only to get this score — deep down, they knew this outcome was inevitable.
The class situation remained relatively stable.
They were still unaware that Class B had recorded Mio and Daichi's self-sacrificing plan, with their homeroom teacher Chie filming it.
Once the ship returned to school, Class B students would report to the Student Council. As Tomonari had said, Class C would immediately lose 100 Class Points.
His situation was looking dire.
Between losing 100 points from the report and the agreement with Class B for 600,000 yen worth of living expenses — 150 points monthly — the calculations weren't in his favor.
He had only gained 50 points in this exam. What good were 50 points?
This exam had been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for second and third-year students to gain Private and Class Points.
After all that effort, he had nothing to show for it. A complete loss.
"My phone still has 50,000 Points now." Kakeru said.
Houtarou: "..."
Suzune: "..."
Houtarou glanced at her, but she didn't react.
"Well, 50,000 it is then." He said, "I'll tell you some good news. There are 2 special exams this month, and the second one will be either tonight or tomorrow."
Kakeru: "..."
???
In other words, there was still one more exam before returning to school and before Class B could report them to the Student Council for those lost Class Points?
If that was the case, then he could make some arrangements. Perhaps he could still turn around this exam's tragic outcome.
After all, while the second and third years had reaped a huge harvest in this exam, he'd only managed 50 points. He couldn't accept that!
Also...
Ding!
『50,000 Points have been credited to your account!』
『Sender - Kakeru Ryūen』
Houtarou's phone received the transfer from Kakeru.
Just like before, he'd paid promptly. So this meant...
"You sold me such valuable information for mere 50,000 points, Houtarou Oreki. You're really something else. In the next exam... just wait for me to defeat you!" Kakeru declared.
Had this guy regained his confidence? Not at all.
Because Houtarou was now in Class A, had a favor from Class B's Honami, and had planted Kikyō as a scapegoat in Class D. For any exam, all three classes were connected in his network.
No matter how Kakeru prepared, it would be futile. Those three classes were essentially taking an open-book exam. Telling him about the exam was simply a way to get rid of him.
Houtarou glanced at Suzune, who seemed lost in thought.
He himself was somewhat distracted too, unable to guess what this solitary girl was thinking.
But one thing was crystal clear — the image of her changing in the room had left him stunned.
Because Suzune had always presented herself as proper and dignified, like an untouchable flower blooming on a distant peak.
He'd seen her vulnerable side when her brother threatened to make her drop out.
Yet neither of these aspects had managed to affect him.
But now, seeing her in her underwear, he suddenly realized — Suzune wasn't just an exceptionally beautiful top-tier girl. She was also an incredibly attractive and captivating young woman.
And when he'd held her hand earlier, though the main purpose was to help her overcome her illness, his heart had surged with an unexpected impulse — a desire for physical contact.
This reaction wasn't right. After all, who gets so shaken just from seeing someone change their underwear once?
Houtarou had read books and knew that wanting physical contact could signal romantic feelings—in other words, the arrival of love.
However, he also knew very clearly that what he felt wasn't love — at most it was just lust.
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"We'll contact each other when the exam comes." Houtarou said.
"..." Suzune paused, "Ah... yes."
The troubled lone girl went back to rest.
Meanwhile, Houtarou contacted Airi again and quickly learned the location of Class D's dinner gathering.
He walked to the corridor corner outside the dining hall and sent a message.
Soon after, a cute girl with short golden hair came out from the dining hall. She was holding her phone, looking down at a message.
Just as she reached the corner, someone suddenly hugged her from behind.
"Mmph!" Kikyō seemed startled and was about to cry out.
But a familiar male voice came from behind.
"It's me!" It was Houtarou's voice.
"Huh? Are you crazy?" Her tone wasn't pleasant — she had instantly transformed into Dark Kikyō.
This guy had called her out, and then... was he trying to assault her?
This kind of thing—
"Just a few seconds." Houtarou said, "It can cancel out next week's session."
Oh. If it could cancel the weekly session, that was acceptable.
With that thought, Kikyō found herself released, only for him to hug her from the front.
This kind of contact wasn't unfamiliar.
Yet something felt different... he seemed off. It was as if he naturally... desired her.
Desiring her?
As a little angel, Kikyō knew her dark side, but she maintained her sunny disposition for everyone else. Just like an angel.
She often listened to her classmates' and friends' troubles, including their discussions about love and relationships.
These topics held no interest for her. Once you start dating someone, you can't focus on your friends anymore.
Besides, dealing with relationships was too troublesome. So she kept her distance from such matters.
As for Houtarou. Indeed. Because he caught her kicking the railing and cursing at Suzune. It became a weekly thing.
The feeling was subtle — although each interaction embarrassed her, somehow her mood would improve afterward.
Though kicking the railing was now forbidden, she had gained the opportunity to vent her frustrations on him instead.
From this perspective, he wasn't such a bad person. He knew her true nature yet hadn't pushed her away.
This made her somewhat uncomfortable, but she couldn't deny growing dependent on these interactions.
Moreover, Houtarou served as her social currency when interacting with upper-class female students. Taking his photos and such for social purposes — he was quite popular with girls.
And while Kikyō was a complex person, she had to admit he was very good-looking — among the top-tier boys in terms of appearance.
While she definitely didn't like him, she couldn't say she completely hated him either. To him, she was a way to gain experience points, and the same was true for her. They were both gaining experience passively.
So now, with him suddenly desiring her like this, could it be that he...
Kikyō found her heart fluttering unexpectedly.
But just then, he released her.
"That's enough." Houtarou said.
"Oh." Kikyō maintained her cute facade, "So why did you suddenly do that?"
"I saw Horikita changing clothes." He said, "I felt very shaken inside. But I also knew it definitely wasn't love. So I decided to test it."
Decided to test it...
In other words, he'd seen Suzune and been moved by it. Then, unsure of his feelings, he had to test them — by using another girl as a prop.
Kikyō realized she had become nothing more than a substitute test subject. And worse, he showed complete disinterest after embracing her.
So he'd used her for his experiment and then dismissed her entirely?
Really, Houtarou is just too hateful!
Just as this thought crossed her mind—
Beep Beep—
Houtarou's phone rang.
In his left hand, the phone displayed an incoming call notification. The name was...
Arisu Sakayanagi.
He glanced at Kikyō, and she stepped back two paces, pretending not to listen.
He answered the call.
[Oreki-kun~ First, congratulations on achieving good results.]
It was Arisu's sweet, girlish voice.
[However, my luck seems rather poor today. I've made tea three times, and each time the leaves sank to the bottom. Tell me, Oreki-kun, what are you doing right now? I'm curious.]
"..."
What was he doing? Houtarou glanced at Kikyō.
She overheard the feminine voice from his phone, shot him a look of disgust, and turned to leave.
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