Meanwhile.
The despicable Hikigaya Hachiman had already finished his meal.
Horikita ordered the relatively simple 400 point set meal.
Hers was exactly the same.
Two dishes and one soup.
Hachiman wasn't picky. His mom told him not to be picky.
And, although the dishes were simple, thinking that the school's top beautiful girl was eating with him, it instantly felt like… it added a touch of color.
The two did not linger in the cafeteria.
They walked together towards the vicinity of the student dorms, first passing by the vending machine.
Hmm.
That place was a traumatic spot for Horikita Suzune.
It was there yesterday that she met her brother, and he demanded her expulsion. Although she wasn't ultimately expelled, she was still deemed useless and given the task of finding weaknesses in the person next to her, named Hikigaya Hachiman.
However, Hachiman didn't bring up the topic, giving Horikita some face.
At this time, there was no one around.
Rather, this area was always sparsely populated.
"This is the information I obtained today," Hachiman said, sitting on a nearby bench.
He took out his phone, opened his notepad, "And the students of Class A have already obtained it. They paid a price of two million, which was split evenly among the entire Class."
"Two million!" Even Horikita Suzune was surprised.
She had already confirmed that the point in her student ID's private account could indeed be used as money, and there was no inflation; prices were almost consistent with the outside world.
That is to say,
"And your brother also said before that he had to pay one million to tell you that being assigned to Class D meant you were trash."
"So, if Class A students want more detailed information, they need to pay more point. Two million is a reasonable amount."
Horikita Suzune had nothing to say about this.
"Then am I still that useless sister?"
"Making my brother spend one million for me for nothing." Perhaps realizing the importance of point, Horikita became a bit timid.
And this state was somewhat similar to her weak sisterly demeanor from last night.
"Perhaps so," Hachiman said.
"Uh…"
She was probably caught by her weak spot. As soon as her brother was mentioned, Horikita was like a deflated balloon.
And she stared at the phone Hachiman had pulled out.
"Please let me see," she even became a bit more polite.
So she leaned closer.
Because Hachiman recorded the information in his phone's notepad, Horikita Suzune could only come closer while he sat there.
Rather, after confirming that the obtained information was worth two million, Horikita Suzune became a bit timid.
So instead of taking the phone from Hachiman, she walked over and sat beside him.
Because she was so focused, Horikita Suzune didn't notice her straight hair brushing against Hachiman's hand.
Her hair was smooth and fragrant.
Perhaps due to the lighting, her left hand pressed against Hachiman's hand.
Her fingers were soft, slender, and slightly warm.
And Hachiman noticed that his arm, his arm seemed to touch, to have touched her.
Hey!
Horikita, do you know what you're doing?
However, this was Hachiman's first time being this close to a girl (Kushida doesn't count, his sister doesn't count), so saying he wanted to refuse directly would be a lie.
But Horikita probably wasn't thinking anything.
And it would be strange to pull his hand away now, so Hachiman could only wait for her to finish reading the information.
…
The school rules.
The school competes on a Class basis.
The so-called high university admission rate and employment rate are a hoax, because only students from Class A graduate representing the school; students from other Class will be assigned to other schools upon graduation.
At the same time, from the very beginning, all students were evaluated according to a standardized model called the S-System.
Then, they were divided into Class A, B, C, and D based on their excellence.
Among them, Class A represented excellence.
And Class D was the worst.
However, the school also gave students opportunities, because it was a competition, so everyone started from the same starting line, all with the same basic score of 1000 point.
And from the first day of enrollment, a special behavior assessment for new students, testing whether they met the qualities of excellent students required by Advanced Nurturing High School, had already begun.
In other words, the content Horikita Manabu hadn't made clear yesterday was all supplemented today.
"So I really am useless?"
And even though she had said last night that she was no longer the useless person her brother knew, Horikita was now deeply struck.
Because it wasn't just that she was assigned to Class D.
It was also that she had caused her brother to lose one million private point for nothing.
According to the prices on the Shopping Street, that was enough to buy dozens of computers.
"That's not necessarily true," Hachiman said. He didn't bring Horikita out to discourage her.
Instead, he wanted to use this to negotiate with Chabashira.
So.
He said.
"Have you heard of Gekokujō?"
"This school has never had a Class D surpass Class A to be promoted to Class A, nor has any student ever accumulated 20 million private point."
Hachiman said, "But if you achieve this, how will your brother see you?"
"Or, how will others see your brother then?"
"My sister, who was assigned to Class D, climbed up."
"And what does this represent?" Hachiman said. "For your brother, this would be the icing on the cake. I think it would be enough for him to acknowledge you."
"Indeed…" Horikita Suzune began to ponder the possibility of this matter.
"Since you've come to this place and are enjoying its treatment, isn't it a good thing to flexibly use its rules to climb up?" Hachiman said.
And this voice was like the bewitching words of a succubus.
Making Horikita Suzune fall into thought once more.
Yes.
She came here following her brother's footsteps to prove that she wasn't useless.
But her start was unfavorable, and she had also caused her brother to lose a massive one million point for nothing.
It was equivalent to her brother wasting one million due to his sister's foolishness.
Such a thing was indeed difficult to bear.
But what if she could fill this gap, and then… prove her strength?
"…" Horikita Suzune.
Hachiman gazed at the black-haired girl beside him.
Looking at her over-the-knee socks.
Because she was so close, if he looked at her, he would see from her neck down to her abdomen, which wasn't a good line of sight.
So he could only avert his gaze for now.
But he could feel that Horikita Suzune seemed to be stirred.
And just like this.
"Then…"
Horikita Suzune finally moved her body away. She turned sideways.
Her left hand gently formed a loose fist.
"If I want to climb up…" Her opinion was already expressed.
"This is a good thing. Climbing up, it's good for you, good for me, good for everyone," Hachiman nodded. "And your brother will have no choice but to acknowledge you. After all, you're utilizing the school's rules to climb up."
But.
Horikita Suzune tilted her head again, her eyes filled with doubt, "Indeed… your idea is surprising, and I am very tempted."
"If I don't want to be expelled."
"I came here following my brother's footsteps, I don't want to stop here, and I don't want to tarnish his reputation."
But.
Horikita Suzune looked over, her gaze steady and unmoving.
"So, by obtaining the true nature of this school, do you want to be promoted to Class A, Hikigaya-kun?"
Uh.
Did he want to be promoted to Class A?
Would he want to be promoted to Class A?
It seems an honest person isn't so easy to fool.
Because she had found out.
Hachiman freely told her that the School's true nature was just to let her help him get some food, which was too cheap, but it was inducing her to climb higher.
So she now suspects Hachiman has ambitions?
But Horikita, you might be mistaken.
Because.
The one who truly wants to be promoted to Class A is Teacher Chabashira.
He just wants to get a bargaining chip to negotiate with that bad woman, Teacher Chabashira.
And that card is you.
...