Chapter 4: Opponents

Chapter 4:
Opponents

 

ALMOST EVERY STUDENT in Class C had decided to meet up in the classroom during our lunch break that same day. The students who didn’t bring their own lunches to school were expected to head to the store to get one and then come right back to meet up with everyone in the classroom. I was one of those students, so I left the classroom right away, made my way to a location with no one else around, and messaged two specific people from my contacts.

I was able to connect with the first person immediately, since I’d sent them a message on my phone ahead of time. That left the other person.

Once I was done taking care of business, I finished my shopping and returned to the classroom. There were two students who hadn’t returned. One of them was Kouenji Rokusuke, a man who couldn’t be tied down by anyone. The other was Hirata Yousuke. Those two aside, there were thirty-seven students gathered here.

“It seems like Hirata-kun isn’t participating after all.”

“Looks that way.”

Although some people sounded worried, the clock was ticking. The more time we could spend jointly discussing the events, the better.

“Pfft, ‘turn over a new leaf’ he says! In the end, that dude ain’t takin’ this seriously at all!” huffed Sudou.

I could understand why he’d raise his voice in anger. Alternatively, I was sure some students had thought Kouenji might have started taking things seriously, at least on the surface. Reality wasn’t so kind—or rather, I supposed, people didn’t change that easily. Kouenji would probably continue to wiggle out of things, slippery as ever, getting by on vague, half-hearted words.

But I couldn’t imagine such an approach would work forever. Sooner or later, there would probably be another exam like the In-Class Voting test. When that time came, Kouenji would have to pay the price.

“Let’s just forget ’im and get this show on the road already, shit.”

“He’s not worth getting all riled up over. Now then, I’ve gone ahead and made copies of the manual explaining the events that was provided to us. I’ll distribute those copies to all of you. Read it carefully as you eat your lunch. I was intending for us to discuss the specifics in detail after class,” said Horikita.

Now that there was no one else to take charge, Horikita had no choice but to step in and lead the way.

“If there’s something you don’t understand, please feel free to come to me with your questions at any time, even while I’m eating.”

It seemed she’d already thoroughly perused the manual and had no lingering questions, herself.

4.1

 

CLASSES HAD ENDED without incident that day. Afterward, Chabashira had told us to send whoever we’d decided would be commander out into the hallway, and stepped out of the classroom. Hirata immediately got up from his seat after she left. One of the girls in class, Nishimura, hurriedly tried to call out to him.

“Um… Well, about the events, we thought we’d discuss—” she began, trailing off once she saw that Hirata just quietly walked right out of the classroom, her words failing to reach him.

“Hirata-kun…”

Nishimura and the others could plainly see the intense, brooding aura of depression surrounding Hirata. The only exception was Kouenji, who remained nonchalantly looking down at his phone, as if completely unaware of this series of disturbances.

“I… I’m going to use the restroom. I’ll be right back,” said Wang Mei-Yu, whom everyone called Mii-chan, rising from her seat.

So she said, but she was probably going to chase after Hirata.

“Well, seeing as how he’s not being of any use, I suppose I have no choice but to step up and do it myself,” said Horikita, taking the initiative and preparing to head up to the podium.

“Sorry, but I’ll leave the discussion part to you. I have commander stuff to take care of,” I told her.

“That’s fine. I suppose we’ll find out who we’re going up against once you get to the multi-purpose room. If you have a choice, choose Class D,” said Horikita.

“I understand. But don’t expect too much from me,” I replied, standing up.

Since I was the person who’d taken on the role of commander, I exited the classroom and stepped out into the hallway.

“Oh, it’s you, Ayanokouji. Who on earth did you guys pick as your commander?” asked Chabashira, letting out an exasperated sigh as she looked in the direction that Mii-chan and Hirata had disappeared.

“Me. I’m the commander,” I answered.

“…Oh?”

Chabashira and I made our way to the special building together.

“We have to go all the way over to the special building just to pick out which classes are facing each other?” I asked.

“You’ll also be receiving an explanation as to how things work on the day of the exam,” said Chabashira.

There was hardly anyone in the special building, so my ears picked up the sound of our footsteps much easier.

“You went through such an ordeal to get a Protection Point, only to be forced into being the commander. That’s rough.”

“I wasn’t forced into it. I volunteered willingly,” I replied.

Chabashira stopped walking. “…You did?”

“Is something wrong with that?”

“I thought you hated attracting attention?” she asked.

“It all came down to whether or not I’d passively accept the role.”

“I see. So, one way or another, you were put in a situation where you couldn’t say no.”

Ultimately, it was much easier for the student who had the Protection Point to become the commander. If that student refused to be the commander, it meant only one person would be safe. The only difference in this situation was whether you let yourself be pushed off that cliff, or took the plunge and jumped on your own initiative.

“But no matter how you wound up in the role, being the commander brings with it a great deal of responsibility. If you cut any corners, it’ll spell defeat for Class C,” said Chabashira.

Since there was no else around, she spoke more forcefully.

“Was that a threat?” I asked.

As I turned to look at her, she gave me a slight smile.

“You can interpret what I said however you like. But I am looking forward to it, Ayanokouji. Now I can finally see what you’re capable of.”

Chabashira had her heart set on reaching Class A. That part of her seemed to be expecting a lot of me.

“There’s no guarantee I’ll win.”

“You think so? Sorry, but I for one can’t possibly imagine you losing,” she told me.

After that, we were mostly silent as we made our way to the special building.

4.2

 

THE MULTI-PURPOSE ROOM was located in the special building. Apparently, it was going to be something of a central hub for this exam.

“The other three students have already arrived,” said Chabashira.

The door to the multi-purpose room opened, and I immediately caught sight of the teachers and students representing the other classes. I saw Sakayanagi from Class A, Ichinose from Class B, and Kaneda from Class D. As you might expect, they were all students who had Protection Points. Then I saw two computers, stationed facing each other, each connected to a large monitor.

“Well, now that we have the commanders from each class all gathered together, we’d like to determine which classes will be facing off against each other. We’re going to have you each draw one slip of paper from this box. The student who draws the slip of paper with the red circle on it will be given the right to choose their opponent,” said Mashima-sensei, presenting us with the box with the raffle slips in them.

He urged Class A to draw first, but Sakayanagi refused.

“They say good things come to those who wait. I don’t mind going last. You may go ahead, Ichinose-san,” said Sakayanagi.

“Well then, don’t mind if I do,” said Ichinose, drawing a slip of paper.

After her came Class C, followed by Class D. Since the slips of paper weren’t folded up, we understood the results almost immediately after drawing. Kaneda from Class D was the one who drew the slip with the red mark. Which meant that Class D had won the right to choose their opponent.

“It would seem there’s no need for me to check what’s on the last slip of paper then, is there, Mashima-sensei?” said Sakayanagi.

Mashima-sensei drew the remaining slip of paper from the box himself. Naturally, it didn’t have a red circle on it.

“It seems good things didn’t come to those who waited, after all,” he told her.

“I’m not so sure about that. It’s not necessarily good luck to be the one to draw it,” said Sakayanagi.

“I wonder if that means Class A can really afford to take it easy, no matter who they go up against?” said Ichinose.

“Oh no, that’s not it at all. If possible, I’d like to avoid facing your class, Ichinose-san,” replied Sakayanagi. It was hard to tell whether she was just being polite or genuinely meant it.

“Please tell us which class you’ll be choosing,” said Mashima-sensei, urging Kaneda to answer.

Kaneda responded with a subtle nod. Class D had probably held their own discussions in the morning and after class, deciding which class they’d have the best chance of winning against.

“Then I’ll come right out and say it. Class D wishes…to go up against Class B,” announced Kaneda, making a declaration of war on an unexpected opponent.

“You’re sure you want to choose Class B?” asked Mashima-sensei, seeking confirmation of Kaneda’s decision.

“Yes,” he replied firmly.

After making sure, Mashima-sensei finalized the match-ups. If Class D was going up against Class B, it naturally followed that Class A would be going up against Class C.

“I’d thought for certain you’d go for Class C, but you chose Class B. Why?” asked Sakayanagi, pressing Kaneda for the reason behind his decision.

“If we’re to turn our situation around, we’ll need to take as many points as we can away from the higher-level classes. That being said, we’d like to avoid fighting Class A right now,” said Kaneda.

So, having deemed Class A to be an understandably difficult opponent, they opted for Class B.

“I see. Well, as far as I’m concerned, this means that you’ve saved me the trouble of facing the powerful foe that is Class B, and for that, I’m grateful. I wish you in Class D the best of luck in your efforts,” said Sakayanagi.

She gave Kaneda a slight bow of gratitude, but I couldn’t help but be aware of a bit of trickery involved in getting us to this point. Of course, the fact that Kaneda had won the right to choose was entirely coincidental, but the results would’ve been the same no matter who drew the winning slip. I had contacted Ichinose and Ishizaki ahead of time, before classes had ended for the day, telling them I wanted them to back off and let me handle Class A.

Ichinose seemed to genuinely want to go up against Class A herself, but she’d agreed to let me handle it, as a way of paying me back. And apparently, Ishizaki and the rest of Class D had already planned to pick Class B anyway, so that was fine. All for the sake of arranging a confrontation with Sakayanagi and Class A.

The only problem would’ve been if I had been the one who won the lottery. Horikita had specifically told me to choose Class D, so I would’ve had to come up with an excuse if that happened. A one-in-four chance wasn’t worth worrying about, though. Basically, this entire lottery had been fixed.

Besides, I was sure Sakayanagi knew I’d been laying the groundwork for this outcome. And so, all the match-ups had been determined ahead of time.

“Now then, I’ll explain the system you’ll be using on the day of the special exam. During the exam, you’ll be in the multi-purpose room, using a computer like the two that you see set up here. You will be fulfilling your role as commander here, assigning which student will be in which event, all in real time,” explained Mashima-sensei.

The left-hand computer’s screen was projected on the large monitor. While Chabashira operated the computer, Mashima-sensei continued explaining.

“This is a list of students in Class A. Using the mouse, you’ll drag and drop the selected student’s profile picture onto the box for a specific event. If you make a mistake or if you wish to reconsider your choice partway through, you can use the mouse to drag the student’s profile picture outside of the box, and then re-select. Or use your finger to operate it via the touchscreen,” said Mashima-sensei.

“It’s kind of like a video game, isn’t it?”

“It really is!”

Ichinose and Hoshinomiya-sensei were engaged in their own fun conversation.

“There is a time limit on the student selection for each event, represented by the number you currently see counting down on the screen. The more participants required for an event, the more time you’ll be given to choose. You can expect about 30 seconds per person,” he added.

Which meant we’d have three hundred seconds for a ten-person event.

“Please note that if you don’t make your selections within the time limit, the remaining spaces will be filled with students chosen at random. Moreover, if you end up selecting too many students for an event, excess participants will be discarded via random selection, as well.”

So basically, those limits were iron-clad.

“Once the games begin, the action will be shown on the large monitor in real-time.”

A sample video of a shogi match began to play on the monitor.

“Information describing how the commander can participate in the match will be displayed on your personal monitor once the match begins.”

The image on the large monitor switched back to displaying what was on the left computer screen. The words “The commander can pause the game and redo a move once” were displayed on the screen, probably an example of how the commander could get involved in a particular event, just as Mashima-sensei had just explained.

“Please keep in mind that you can confirm the details of these rules and activate them by clicking them.”

The large monitor went back to showing the shogi match.

“Also, instructions from the commanders to their teammates are relayed not via phone calls, but as texts, which are automatically read aloud via a text-to-speech system. All you have to do is type out the words and press enter, and the message will be played through the participant’s headset.”

So our messages would automatically be read aloud by a machine, huh? Probably to keep us from spreading misinformation or revealing more than what was allowed. Using the shogi game currently on the screen as an example, though the rule stated that the commander could only get involved by pausing the game and redoing a move once, clever wording would make it possible for the commander to basically give the participant instructions for two or three moves.

“If the commander deviates from the established rules and involves themselves more than what is allowed, the school may disqualify them for breaking the rules.”

I supposed that made sense. It was safe to assume every message the commanders sent out was being reviewed by a third party.

“Only one participant will be wearing a headset per event. Even in a team event, that means only one person will be able to receive instructions. The commander will also specify which participant will wear the headset.”

It seemed I had my work cut out for me. There were things we could decide beforehand, but we still needed to prepare for the unexpected.

“The commander can issue instructions whenever they wish, so long as it is in accordance with the rules.”

We could freely change the display on our own screen, including switching displays, maximizing or minimizing windows, and so on. There were more than a few things we could keep an eye on, from observing the students participating in the current event to preparing for the next event.

“Thus concludes my explanation of the duties of the commander and the systems at play. Are there any questions?”

Mashima-sensei looked around, but it seemed no one had any questions.

“That will be all for today, then. In the event you wish to review the operating system, you may return to the multi-purpose room, accompanied by a teacher, up to one week before the exam. That is all.”

And so, having heard how the commander position would work, we dispersed.

4.3

 

I HEADED BACK to my dorm room, texted Horikita to tell her which class we were up against, then immediately started thinking about my duties as commander. Come to think of it, this was my first time tackling one of this school’s exams head-on. To be completely honest, I didn’t really think I could lose a one-on-one fight. But in this exam, I’d be waging war by commanding the entire class.

I could only fight while staying within the limits of my class’s abilities. Even an unparalleled strategist like Sun Tzu wouldn’t stand a chance of winning if he led an army of children against an army of full-grown adults. Though the commanders’ ability to get involved in the events was key, there were some fundamental things I needed to know before we went into this fight.

One of those things was an understanding of Class C’s current potential. Who did they like and dislike? What were they good at and what did they struggle with? I couldn’t find the path to victory unless I understood how to group my classmates together. And when it came to information-gathering and leadership skills, I was probably in the very bottom tier of the class. I didn’t even know what Shinohara and Onodera liked to eat.

So what should I do first?

The answer was obvious. I needed to talk to someone who knew the class well. It was a simple approach, for sure, but entirely unavoidable. There were probably three people who I could count on in this situation: Kei, Hirata, and Kushida.

Ideally, I’d be able to consult all three of them. However, given the current situation, the only one who would definitely help me was Kei.

Hirata was broken beyond recovery right now, and Kushida had been deeply wounded by the in-class voting. Though she wasn’t showing it on the surface at all, I was sure she was incredibly angry with Horikita. I had no idea just how skeptical Kushida was of me right now, but I thought it safe to assume she was warier of me than before.

Just before six o’clock in the evening, as the sun was beginning to set and give way to dusk, my doorbell rang. A single visitor had come to my room. I didn’t hesitate to open the door and invite them inside.

“…’Sup.”

The visitor…was none other than Karuizawa Kei, still clad in her school uniform.

“Were you in the school building all this time?” I asked.

“Unlike you, I have lots of friends. And besides, I’m kind of a big deal today,” replied Kei, phrasing her response bizarrely.

She turned to look at me.

“You’re a big deal? Why?” I asked in return.

Kei, seeing that I didn’t understand what was going on, averted her eyes in apparent anger.

“…Whatever. It doesn’t matter. More importantly, it’s pretty unusual for you to call me over at this hour. Also, are you sure you’re okay being so casual about this? Didn’t you say it’d be trouble if we were seen by someone?” she said, looking uncomfortably around my room.

“It’s fine. After everything that’s happened, the need for us to be careful has diminished considerably.”

“You’re talking about what happened with Hashimoto-kun from Class A, right? And that upperclassman who saw us together?”

“Something like that.”

“So our relationship is slowly going to gradually become public knowledge. Kiyotaka… That’s not a problem?” she asked.

“Not a problem at all.”

My immediate answer seemed to put Kei at ease, since she let out a sigh of relief.

“I suppose it’s fine, then.”

It was certainly true that there were some things I could only do if no one knew about my connection with Kei. But the situation was beginning to change, little by little. Besides, it was easier for me to have Kei move in the open, rather than behind the scenes, like a spy.

“But…I mean, we’re a guy and girl from the same class, right? If someone saw me coming here, there’ll be weird rumors about the two of us being alone together,” said Kei.

Was she the type of person to worry about that kind of thing?

“I took on the role of commander for this exam. And Kei, you’re one of the most influential people in our class. The two of us meeting up shouldn’t strike anyone as too unnatural,” I replied, figuring I’d try to put her at ease.

“Hm. Well, I guess so.”

It seemed something about this was still bothering her.

“You know, come to think of it, why did you take on the role of commander, anyway? I mean, you’re not really the type of guy to feel obligated to do something because he has a Protection Point or whatever.”

As expected, she did understand me to a certain extent.

“Putting my personal feelings aside, I have to consider the way my classmates perceive me. Besides, Yamauchi just got expelled, and everyone in class is on high alert right now. This was the best option available.”

“That’s it?” she asked.

“That’s it.”

“If it were me, I wouldn’t have become the commander, no matter what anyone said,” said Kei.

Which was something she could do precisely because of the reputation she’d established for herself in class. Even if she were to stubbornly say that the Protection Point was hers and hers alone, no one would really criticize her for it. Honestly, it was pretty brilliant.

“Putting all that aside, tell me about what’s going on in the class,” I told her.

“What’s going on, huh? Honestly, I have no idea where to even begin. And just so you know, it’s not like I know everything, okay? Especially when it comes to the boys. I haven’t got a clue what’s going on with them.”

“That’s not really a problem. I’d like to talk with Kushida and Hirata individually later, if it’s possible,” I told her.

That was just what I was hoping for, though. My ideal scenario. I had absolutely no idea if I’d actually be able to talk to them.

“Well, yeah, I suppose talking to those two would get you all the details of what’s going on in our class, but…” said Kei, pausing briefly.

She crossed her arms, looking conflicted, and spoke up once more.

“Kushida-san aside, don’t you think talking to Yousuke-kun might be impossible right now? He just seems so totally defeated.”

“Are you worried about him, too?”

“Well, yeah. I mean, no one in Class C likes seeing Yousuke-kun this way.”

It was certainly true that Class C was short a major asset without Hirata, and we suffered for it. With no one stepping up to fulfill the role of mediator, our class was lacking a sense of stability.

“In any case, I’ll start with what you can tell me.”

“Um, it’s kinda hard for me to just do all the talking, though. How about you ask me questions and we go back and forth?”

If that was what she wanted, then I’d ask about each of the girls in Class C, one by one. We went down the list and I committed all their profiles to memory.

4.4

 

“…AND THAT’S ABOUT IT, I think.”

Less than ten minutes later, I’d gotten all the information I needed from Kei.

“Hey, uh, shouldn’t you be writing this down or something? You know I’m not going over all of that again even if you ask me to, right?” said Kei.

“No problem.”

“So, wait, you’re saying that you memorized everything?”

“For the most part.”

“Oh, I see. Wow. You’re so amazing. Absolutely amazing.” The praise didn’t sound sincere. “Anyway, our opponent’s Class A, right? Won’t this be a really tough match-up for you?”

“I’m not the one on the frontlines. You and the rest of our classmates will be handling that. Just because I can

step in as commander doesn’t necessarily mean I have the power to turn the tides. If anything, I should be asking if you’re going to be okay. Will you be?”

“M-me? I, uh…”

Kei tried to say something, but the words didn’t seem to come.

“…Can you make it so I don’t have to take a turn?” she asked.

“That’s not a decision I can make on my own. Depending on our opponent’s strategy, there’s a possibility that everyone will have to participate twice.”

“No, no, there’s just no way I could do that! I’m not good at studying or sports!” shouted Kei, frantically shaking her head to emphasize how little she wanted to participate. “Besides, I’m sure that you of all people can beat Sakayanagi-san, Kiyotaka!” she added, giving me a thumbs-up.

She probably just wanted to participate as little as possible, thereby avoiding any responsibility. However, the truth was that even Kei didn’t grasp the full extent of who I was.

“I mean, doesn’t it help that no one’s expecting you to win?” she reasoned.

“Yeah, I suppose so.” It was true that having everyone assume you were going to lose made some things easier.

“So, um, is that everything you wanted to say? You said we had to talk in person for this? If that was it, why didn’t you just call?”

“Some things are easier to understand when discussed in person.”

Perhaps that wasn’t the answer she’d been expecting, because Kei’s expression remained stiff.

“Hmph… So we’re done talking right? Then, I’ll…be heading back, okay?” said Kei, getting ready to leave.

She seemed to think that was it—that the conversation wasn’t going anywhere else. We’d covered the bare minimum of what we needed to discuss, and she prepared to head back to her own dorm.

“I’ll contact you again if there’s anything else I need.”

“…Yeah, yeah.”

From the look on her face, she’d been expecting something to happen, but had now given up on it. But apparently, she was planning to stay stubborn to the very end, because she wasn’t saying anything. It would’ve made it a whole lot easier for both of us if she just came out with it herself, but…

“Wait a second. There’s still something I wanted to talk to you about,” I told her.

I got up, and went over to my drawers, where I kept something hidden so no one would see it if they happened to come into my room.

“What…? If you had something to say, then you should’ve come out and said it earlier,” said Kei.

“It’s your birthday today, isn’t it?” I asked.

“Huh… Wait, you knew…?” she asked in return.

I took the item out from the drawer. I’d ordered it from the school store and had it delivered. I’d even had it wrapped, since it was for someone’s birthday.

“I was just teasing you a little.”

“H-hey, don’t try anything funny with me. If you had a present, you should have just handed it over right away. But I gotta tell you, I got lots of good stuff from other friends, so your gift has a lot to measure up to,” she told me.

Kei extended her hands to receive the gift as she spoke, though she turned her face to the side so she wasn’t looking me in the eye. When I saw her do that, I promptly stopped myself from handing it over.

“Were you looking forward to this?” I teased.

“N-n-not really?”

“Oh. Well, if you don’t really care, then I suppose I don’t have to give it to you.”

“H-huh?! You can’t just decide not to give a gift at the last second after you’ve already decided you’re giving one!”

That made no sense at all.

“Well, this is also your White Day gift. You know, as payback for Valentine’s Day. On top of being a birthday gift,” I told her.

“And there it is… So, you’re the kind of guy who just combines things because it’s too much of a hassle to do them separately, huh?” said Kei, letting out an exasperated sigh as she took the gift from me. She looked puzzled by how small and light it was. “Is there even anything in this?”

“I’m not brave enough to give you an empty box,” I teased.

I mean, it was obvious she’d be upset if I did something like that.

“Then it’s okay if I make sure, hm?” she replied, sounding like a police officer questioning a suspect.

She carefully peeled off the wrapping paper, and then removed the box’s lid to examine its contents. What peeked out of the opened box was something metallic that shone gold.

“Wha… what is this?!” she shouted, surprised.

Even though she sounded shocked, it should’ve been clear to anyone what she was looking at.

“It’s a necklace.”

“I-I can see that! But this is a super extravagant gift!”

“Extravagant?”

“I-I mean, a necklace isn’t the kind of thing that you’d consider as a gift between friends!”

So she said, but…

I tilted my head to the side, expressing my confusion. I didn’t quite get what Kei was saying. But rather than explain what she meant, it seemed she still had something else she wanted to say.

“And, on top of that, you know what else? It doesn’t even seem like it suits me! I mean, it’s heart-shaped!”

She was probably referring to the pendant part of the necklace being shaped like a heart. Apparently, my birthday present to her wasn’t a very good one.

“It’s heart-shaped!”

She must have particularly disliked that part, since she repeated it for emphasis. She was breathing heavily now. Her face was completely red. Even I felt a little stung after she protested so harshly. No matter who they’re for, gifts are given to make people happy.

“Wasn’t this really expensive?” she asked.

“It wasn’t cheap. About twenty thousand or so.”

“Tw—why did you go out of your way to get me such an expensive necklace…?” she asked.

“What do you mean, why…?” I asked.

Kei’s face grew even redder as she looked at me. It seemed like answering her honestly would probably be best.

“To be honest, I’ve never given a girl a birthday present before. I thought I’d do some research on the internet first, to try to gather information. Then I saw a major online retailer, Rakkan Ichiba, had a necklace that was recommended as the number one birthday present for girls. They also said that it was a big hit with high school girls,” I replied.

I also remembered it being touted as the perfect best return gift, whether it was for someone you were romantically involved with or not. I’d decided that if I was going to combine her birthday gift and her White Day gift into one, I needed to spend a fair amount of money on it, too.

“Whoa…”

For some reason, Kei was looking at me like I was nuts. I was beginning to think I’d messed this up.

“You know, even though you’re smart, you’re also kinda dumb about some things. It’s like you don’t know much about the world. A gift like this might be a big hit with high school girls, sure, but it’s something girls would want to pick out for themselves, to make sure it suits their style and tastes. I guess it’s a relief you didn’t pick out a ring or something, which would’ve meant matching my ring size… But to be blunt, this gets a rating of like ten points out of a hundred, okay?” said Kei.

Even though I’d bought an expensive gift, it would seem that in the end, I’d failed miserably. She explained to me what high school girls were like, leaving me with more than a few things to reflect on. It was a well-intentioned gift, but I wasn’t so sure I’d really selected it with Kei’s feelings in mind.

“Well, what if I had gotten you a box of sweets?” I asked.

“That’d probably bump your score up to fifteen points.”

Wow. To think a box of sweets would score higher than a twenty-thousand-yen necklace…

“I probably can’t return it now that it’s been opened, but if you don’t need it, you can just leave it here before you go. If you’re okay with getting a box of sweets instead, I can get that for you in a few days,” I suggested, lamenting my lack of research and understanding.

After all, a fifteen-point gift would probably make Kei happier than a ten-point one. Or so I thought, but…

“…………”

Kei looked at the necklace for a while and then looked back at me. Then, just when I thought she was going to put it away, she put it around her neck instead. She told me that she was going to use my mirror for a minute, and went over to check out how the necklace looked on her.

“Hm. Well, the heart pendant part is a little childish, just like I thought it’d be. But I’m pretty hot, so I can make anything look good,” said Kei.

While I couldn’t help but wonder what in the world this first-year student was talking about, she sounded completely serious. After examining how the necklace looked on her from every angle, she gave herself a self-satisfied nod. I’d thought she was just trying it on, and would return it to me afterward, but she carefully put the necklace back in its box and then put that box in her bag.

“Well, this was like your first time giving a girl a gift, right? I’ll accept it, just this once.”

“…That’s fine with me.”

It wasn’t like I would be able to give it to anyone else if she handed it back to me, I supposed.