"Achoo! Achoo!!"
Amane, who'd been lying on the floor playing video games, suddenly sneezed twice in quick succession.
"I told you not to lie on the floor—you'll catch a cold. If you want to play games, do it on the bed."
Suzune set down the book she was holding, rummaged through the wardrobe, and pulled out a light jacket.
Without another word, she bundled Amane up in it.
"I feel like someone's talking about me behind my back," Amane mumbled.
In response to that guess, Suzune rapped her knuckles lightly against Amane's head, slightly annoyed.
"Who'd have nothing better to do than gossip about you? Hurry up and get yourself together, then get back in bed."
"But nooo, on the floor I can roll around all I want— Hey! Hey! Suzune, put me down!"
In one swift motion, Amane was scooped up off the floor and plopped onto the bed.
"You're staying put in this bed, understood?"
Faced with a dead-serious Suzune, even Amane could only nod rapidly.
"Good."
--+--
Meanwhile, in the student council meeting room.
All eyes were on Ryūen Kakeru.
They'd heard of classes paying fewer points than required, or even maliciously refusing to pay at all.
But this?
Was Ryūen being… kind? Voluntarily offering an extra 50,000 points?
Right now, Class D's class points were flat zero.
And Class C only had a little over 400 class points.
Converted, that was just over 40,000 personal points.
Meaning Ryūen had casually tossed out the equivalent of a Class C student's monthly allowance.
Just thinking about it felt strange.
Ryūen turned it over in his mind—he didn't have a great way to explain this.
If he said it was for Shiranami, he'd be questioned why he'd split the payment and given her an extra 50,000 in compensation.
And if they checked the transfer records, things would get even messier.
He'd sent the points to Horikita Manabu in two separate transfers.
His tactic—meant to make Horikita suspicious and hesitant to accept the points—had now backfired spectacularly.
As for admitting he'd given the points to Horikita…
That story might be accepted.
But the consequences…
It would completely derail his follow-up plans.
And those 450,000 points would be totally wasted, just like that.
After weighing his options, Ryūen settled on the explanation that suited his character least—one nobody would believe.
"After the incident, I reflected seriously. Failing to restrain Ibuki's actions was our Class C's responsibility. So I took it upon myself to deduct 50,000 of my own points as compensation for Shiranami."
Even saying it made him sick.
But with Ichinose closing in, this was his only way to avoid even bigger trouble.
"So, Ryūen-kun, you transferred the points voluntarily? Our Class B, and the student council, have nothing to do with it. Is that correct?"
Ms. Hoshinomiya delivered the final blow.
"Hoshinomiya, as teachers, I believe we should in principle not interfere in student matters," Sakagami interjected, seemingly trying to help Ryūen.
But Horikita Manabu cut him off immediately.
"As teachers, we have a duty to supervise the students in our classes. If word got out that Ryūen paid an extra 50,000 points, what might happen? The slightest misstep could drag Shiranami into a whirlwind of rumors. As Class B's homeroom teacher, Hoshinomiya-sensei has an obligation to protect her students from harm."
Manabu's thorough rebuttal left Sakagami with nothing but a dissatisfied grunt.
He had no way to refute it.
Ryūen was cornered.
He was sure now—they'd seen through his scheme.
If he kept insisting, he'd only end up looking like a fool.
The pressing question was, who had seen through his plan?
Or…
Was there a traitor in his midst?
"Hoshinomiya-sensei is correct. I transferred the points voluntarily."
Hearing Ryūen's answer, the Class B students visibly relaxed, smiles appearing on their faces.
It meant Ryūen was backing down.
If any unpleasant rumors surfaced later, everyone present could testify that Ryūen had given the 50,000 points to Shiranami of his own free will.
"In that case, this matter is settled," Manabu declared.
"I officially announce the incident closed. Class B, use your points responsibly and avoid wasteful spending. Class C, upon returning, admonish your students to prevent further violent clashes. If something like this happens again, it won't be something points can resolve. Meeting adjourned."
Manabu's warning left Ryūen with a twinge of unease.
But his plans weren't so easily altered by Horikita's words.
He'd already experienced Class B's strength.
Ichinose was a tough nut to crack.
But if he could take her down…
Class B would cease to be a threat.
His next target was Class D.
The moment he thought of Class D, an image surfaced in his mind—that infuriating girl whose grinning face made him want to punch it.
That idiot, always wearing a foolish smile. If not for her, would he have had to pay a whopping 450,000 points?
At first, he'd thought Amane was just a bit airheaded.
To get back at her for meddling, he'd gritted his teeth and agreed to the compensation, assuming she'd balk at the huge sum and come back to negotiate.
But she'd accepted outright.
His haggling strategy died before it began, making him hemorrhage points all at once.
And later, he learned Shiranami had waived Amane's share.
When he heard that…
Ryūen felt like vomiting blood.
But he had to accept the loss.
He refused to believe Amane could always slip out of danger so easily.
In that case, he'd start by making an example of her.
--+--
"Achoo! Achoo!"
Amane sneezed twice more in succession.
"You're not coming down with a cold, are you?" Suzune pressed her hand to Amane's forehead.
No fever. If it was a cold, it was still a mild one.
"I'm not sick! Someone's definitely talking about me!"
"Right, right. Now get under the covers before you freeze."
Pouting, Amane pulled the thin quilt over herself.
Seriously, it's just a few sneezes. Suzune worries way too much.
As Amane lay there bored, her eyes fell on the name of someone she'd added as a friend but never messaged: Shiina Hiyori.
Should I ask Hiyori to hang out?
She seems like the quiet, reserved type.
A direct invite probably wouldn't work.
And a girl like that might not be into shopping.
That left only two good options:
Palette or the library.
The library seemed more Hiyori's style…
While Amane's mind wandered, she failed to notice Suzune standing behind her, watching as she typed out an invitation to Hiyori…
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.