Chabashira Sae left immediately after her brief talk, as if she had only come to confirm Kure Ragna's inference—nothing more.
Oh, and let's not forget the group of students who had just started school, thinking they had entered heaven, only to be smacked in the face with reality within a day, dropping straight into hell like a funeral procession.
Kure Ragna didn't even bother acknowledging the fact that he had dented the front panel of the podium with a single kick.
Class D, which should have been excited about club activities on the first day of school, instead fell into complete silence—an eerie, suffocating quiet.
One by one, students began leaving the classroom.
Some rushed to their club activities, while others, feeling disheartened, decided to leave rather than stay and sulk.
Yukinoshita Haruno, on the other hand, simply returned to her seat after Chabashira Sae left, falling into a state that wasn't quite autistic but wasn't particularly sociable either.
From an outsider's perspective, she seemed to be quietly focused on the form in front of her. But to Kure Ragna, who sat beside her, it was obvious that her gaze had never actually landed on the paper.
What's with her?
Curious, Kure Ragna leaned over for a closer look.
"Student Council Application Form?"
He read the title at the top.
"Are you planning to join the student council?"
"...Yeah."
Yukinoshita Haruno, lost in thought, seemed startled by the question. When she looked up and saw Kure Ragna, she forced a small smile.
"I was considering it. But since the semester just started and I'm still unsure about my schedule, I decided to hold off on submitting the application. I picked up the form yesterday, thinking I'd apply after settling in and confirming I have the time. But now... just managing things within the class is already exhausting."
She let out a sigh and reached for the form, intending to put it away. But as she glanced forward, her hand froze slightly, and her smile turned bitter.
"Everyone's gone. I was too caught up in my thoughts and didn't notice. At a time like this, I should be setting an example—encouraging them, comforting them."
"Huh? You think so?"
Kure Ragna raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed by her line of thinking.
"It's really not a big deal. If you want, I can just talk to Chabashira-sensei tomorrow morning and tell her you'll be leading the class meeting. I'm sure she'd be thrilled. Besides, I think tomorrow is the best time to address this. Give everyone a night to process things."
"...Huh?"
Yukinoshita Haruno looked up at him, surprised.
Kure Ragna, still indifferent, continued.
"I don't get why everyone, including you, is so worked up. It's just a 50-point deduction. At most, each student loses 5,000 points next month. That's what? A day or two's worth of meals? Not a huge deal. Just be more careful moving forward."
"And more importantly, given the school's education system, there has to be a way to earn bonus points too. Otherwise, what's the point of this whole setup? This 100,000 points at the start is nothing more than a baited lure—like the free in-game currency in mobile games. The real battle is in how each class handles things moving forward."
"If this school's goal was really to develop 'elite talents' by just handing out points at the start and seeing who saves the most, they'd just be raising a bunch of stingy misers."
He shrugged.
"Anyway, my point is—this is just the first day. If my guess is right, we'll have plenty of chances to turn things around. I have something to do, so I'll head out first."
"...I see."
As she watched him leave, hands casually tucked in his pockets, Yukinoshita Haruno paused for a moment. Then, with a soft smile, she muttered to herself—
"Yeah... after all, I have my own reason for aiming for Class A."
---
Student Dormitory, Room 401
"Whew—"
With a satisfied sigh, the bathroom door swung open, releasing a wave of warm mist.
Wrapped in nothing but a towel around his waist, Kure Ragna stepped out.
Holding his dirty clothes in one hand, he strolled over to the balcony, dumped them into the washing machine, added detergent, and started the cycle.
The machine hummed to life, vibrating slightly as it began washing.
One thing about Advanced Nurturing High School—students had a lot of free time.
Since they weren't allowed to leave campus and had to manage everything themselves, the school kept the schedule relatively light. With only four academic classes in the morning and one or two in the afternoon, students were mostly free to do as they pleased afterward.
Even club activities didn't start until the late afternoon, giving everyone enough time to handle personal matters.
Just then—
Beep.
A soft unlocking sound echoed through the room.
...??
Kure Ragna, still on the balcony, turned his head toward the entrance, his brows furrowing.
The access card for this dormitory—Room 401—had just been inserted into the reader.
So then…
Where the hell did that sound come from?
Did he somehow develop a Stand ability?
Or was it just the sound from the neighboring room?
No… that wasn't it. The dorm walls had good soundproofing.
As his mind raced through possible explanations, the door slowly swung open.
A petite silver-haired figure stepped inside.
Upon seeing Kure Ragna standing shirtless on the balcony, his well-defined muscles on full display, she covered her mouth and chuckled.
"Ara, ara~ So eager to flaunt your perfect figure?"
Sakayanagi Arisu smirked, stepping into the room with a teasing glint in her eyes.
"Even though I've seen it many times, it's still quite the sight."
With that, she casually closed the door behind her.
"Curious how I unlocked the door?"
"...A spare access card?"
Kure Ragna stepped back inside, shutting the sliding glass door to the balcony. He walked over to his bed, where his clean clothes were neatly folded, and without hesitation, undid his towel, beginning to change in front of her.
Sakayanagi Arisu, entirely unfazed, simply smiled and pulled a small card from her skirt pocket. She held it up and waved it playfully.
"Half correct. It is an access card—but more precisely, it's a backup access card. I copied the data from your original one. Works just the same~"
"...Copied?"
Kure Ragna paused as he pulled his shirt over his head.
"That kind of duplication requires the original card and the owner's permission, doesn't it?"
"Normally, yes. But if I ask my father, it's a different story."
"...What?"
Kure Ragna's expression twitched.
"Arisu, didn't you say your dad isn't the type to do something like that?"
She simply shrugged with a mischievous smile.
"Life is full of surprises~"
---