Sakamoto changed back into his wine-red school uniform, sat down composedly, and elegantly took a sip of the coffee that Ichinose Honami had "treated" him to.
His calm gaze swept over the four people at the table, each with a different expression,
as if his actions of changing clothes, leaving, and returning were merely routine grooming.
The brief silence was broken by Kushida Kikyo.
Her eyes were wide, her face showing surprise and a hint of neglected grievance, as she was the first to ask Sakamoto:
"Sakamoto-kun? You… weren't you still working just now? How can you suddenly sit down? Won't the manager scold you?"
Kushida's question was direct and simple, her tone revealing innocence and confusion,
but also subtly hinting at her dissatisfaction with Sakamoto once again dominating the conversation.
Sakamoto put down his coffee cup, his calm gaze behind his black-rimmed glasses turned to Kushida Kikyo, his voice devoid of any ripples:
"Kushida-san, my working hours have ended."
"Ended?"
Kushida seemed unsatisfied with this answer.
"But you were still serving coffee just now? Was that… overtime?"
Sakamoto nodded slightly:
"I merely wished to achieve today's anticipated goal."
His answer was concise and vague, he said no more, and once again picked up his coffee cup, taking an elegant sip. His composed demeanor silently shut down Kushida Kikyo's desire to press further.
Just then, another Waiter came over with a tray and gently placed a steaming cup of coffee in front of Ichinose Honami.
"Ichinose-san,"
Sakamoto spoke calmly, his gaze turning to Ichinose Honami,
"This is my return gift to you. Thank you for the coffee."
His voice was gentle and polite, his demeanor graceful.
Ichinose Honami's pink hair stirred slightly, and a hint of faint shyness flashed in her eyes.
She quickly thanked him, a gentle smile on her face:
"Sakamoto-kun is too kind, thank you."
However, this slightly warm atmosphere was soon broken by Ichinose Honami's next words.
Her smile faded a little, and she looked directly at Sakamoto, her voice gentle, but her words went straight to the core of the issue:
"Sakamoto-kun, forgive my presumptuousness. The school rules… I remember they explicitly forbid students from working part-time. I'm very curious, how did you get this job?"
As her words fell, the air around the small round table seemed to instantly freeze.
Ayanokoji's hand, holding the coffee cup, paused in mid-air, his gaze fixed on Sakamoto's face.
Horikita Suzune's cold eyes were also fixed on Sakamoto.
Kushida Kikyo unconsciously held her breath, her reddish-purple eyes darting back and forth between Sakamoto and Ichinose Honami.
Everyone's gaze was focused on Sakamoto's calm face.
Sakamoto's expression didn't change in the slightest.
He met Ichinose Honami's frank and sharp gaze, his eyes behind his black-rimmed glasses as still as water, without the slightest hesitation or concealment:
"The school rules prohibit part-time work, but the school rules also clearly state one thing: points can buy anything."
Sakamoto's answer was clear, direct, and forthright.
There was no beating around the bush, no prevarication.
He directly brought the unspoken rule of 'buying with points' into the open.
This candid answer made a flicker of surprise cross Ichinose Honami's face.
She clearly hadn't expected Sakamoto to admit it so bluntly, in such an unreserved manner.
Immediately after, a cold yet urgent voice rang out,
"Then, Sakamoto-kun."
Horikita Suzune spoke.
"By doing this, aren't you 'buying' work opportunities with points? This is equivalent to paying to work. What's the meaning of such an action?"
Her words followed almost immediately after Ichinose Honami's question.
Seeing Ichinose ask so directly and receive Sakamoto's frank answer,
Horikita Suzune's suppressed, intense curiosity about 'rules' and Sakamoto himself broke through the cold barrier.
She no longer remained silent, choosing to emulate Ichinose Honami's approach—getting straight to the point.
She was eager to know what hidden purpose lay behind this person, who even her esteemed older brother Horikita Manabu held in high regard, spending points on seemingly 'loss-making' activities.
Sakamoto's gaze turned to Horikita Suzune, calmly meeting her challenging eyes.
His expression remained unchanged:
"The meaning lies in observation."
He paused slightly, his gaze seemingly penetrating the cafe's bustle, looking further afield,
"I merely wish to observe this school."
Observe? Observe what? What is there to observe about this school?
This answer was even more vague and perplexing than the previous 'buying with points'.
Just as everyone was still trying to digest Sakamoto's ambiguous words—
"So, Sakamoto-kun."
A placid voice rang out, like a depth charge dropped into calm water.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka put down his coffee cup, his eyes, as calm as an abyss, looked directly at Sakamoto.
His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears:
"Have you already observed the truth of this school?"
These words once again broke the situation.
Ichinose Honami, Horikita Suzune, Kushida Kikyo, their gazes instantly focused on Ayanokoji's expressionless face.
What did he say? Truth? What truth?
Ayanokoji seemed to realize what 'startling words' he had uttered, and his voice returned to its usual placid tone, as if his previous statement was just an offhand remark:
"Ah, nothing."
However, this understated 'nothing' acted like a catalyst, instantly dropping the atmosphere around the small round table to freezing point.
Sakamoto's gaze, for the first time in a true sense, fell upon Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's face.
His eyes behind the black-rimmed glasses seemed to want to thoroughly see through this 'lone wolf' of Class D.
Ayanokoji calmly met Sakamoto's gaze, his eyes still unfathomably deep.
Their gazes silently intersected and clashed in the air, as if engaging in an invisible confrontation.
The surrounding air seemed to solidify, and even the aroma of coffee seemed to lose its warmth.
Kushida Kikyo was completely bewildered.
She looked at the strange atmosphere before her, at Sakamoto and Ayanokoji's silent standoff, her heart filled with confusion and a sense of powerlessness at being completely excluded.
This was not the 'making friends' she wanted at all!
The silence lasted for several seconds, feeling as long as a century.
Finally, it was Sakamoto who broke the suffocating quiet.
He slowly withdrew his gaze from Ayanokoji's face, picked up his coffee cup again, his posture still elegant and composed.
He tilted his head slightly, glanced at the clock on the cafe wall, his voice clear and calm, with a perfectly timed reminder:
"Fellow students, it's getting late. There are fifteen minutes until afternoon classes begin."
He put down his coffee cup, stood up smoothly, and bowed slightly to the four people at the table:
"If there are no other pressing matters, I shall take my leave. Unfinished words, we shall discuss another time if fate allows."
Having said that, he didn't linger, turned and walked away, his figure quickly disappearing out the cafe door.
Leaving the four people at the small round table, each lost in their own thoughts, in an awkward and complex silence.
Kushida Kikyo looked at the long-cold coffee in front of her, her reddish-purple eyes filled with loss and dejection.
A carefully planned 'making friends' gathering had completely devolved into a 'questioning session' and 'riddler exchange' centered around Sakamoto.
Not only had she failed to get closer to Horikita, but she felt like a complete outsider.
It was awful, absolutely awful!
Ichinose Honami and Horikita Suzune were both deep in thought.
Ichinose developed an even deeper desire to explore the hidden rules of the school.
And Horikita Suzune felt that she was very close to the school's core secrets, yet separated by an impenetrable mist.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka silently picked up his long-cold black coffee and took a sip with an expressionless face.
The bitter liquid slid down his throat, and his gaze calmly drifted towards the direction where Sakamoto had disappeared.
Sakamoto, this 'legendary First Year' of Class A, seemed even more interesting than he had anticipated.