"You're here early today, Kei. I heard you became the class rep of B-Class?"
Shortly after Karuizawa Kei arrived at the clubroom, another member of the drama club, Sakura Airi, showed up. She cheerfully changed into her indoor shoes at the entrance before stepping in.
She had a long-standing friendship with both Kei and Kitagawa Ryo, as the three of them had once been in the same acting troupe, making her tone quite casual.
"Yeah, but it's not a big deal. I don't really have much to do—just helping out a few of the weaker students with their studies during breaks."
Kei raised her right hand lazily in greeting as she lay on the sofa inside, hugging a pillow while scrolling on her phone.
"It's already been a week since school started, but your Twitter still has tons of comments."
"Oh really?"
Airi first smiled and waved at Kitagawa Ryo, who was behind the desk typing on his laptop, then sat beside Kei, leaning over curiously.
"See for yourself—it's under that graduation tweet you posted. There are still thousands of replies every day."
"Half of them are asking you to return to the stage. Some are encouraging you to focus on your studies now."
Kei scrolled as she sighed.
"You even have hardcore fans posting 'good morning,' 'good afternoon,' and 'good night' messages every day."
"I'm really grateful, but... I'm already here now, attending this school."
Airi gave a slightly embarrassed smile. Today, she hadn't styled her hair into anything fancy; her pink locks simply cascaded down naturally, and she wasn't wearing the thick glasses she often used before. She looked very refreshed.
"Shizuku the idol may have graduated, but Sakura Airi's life is just beginning, right?"
She winked playfully at Kei and casually kicked off her shoes, snuggling on the couch next to her. However, her gaze occasionally drifted toward Kitagawa Ryo.
"Your popularity never even dropped. Just one concert could fill a sack with money, yet you quit so easily."
Kei muttered, still unable to fully understand Airi's choice. After all, she had already passed the toughest phase of her idol career. Choosing to graduate at her peak and enter Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School was a bold move. But as a friend, Kei didn't press her about it too much. She was just feeling sentimental seeing how many fans still hoped Airi would return to the stage.
"You're just like that Ryo guy."
"Idols and stage actors are viewed differently in the public eye."
Airi quickly waved her hands.
"But they're both performers under the spotlight."
Having heard his name, Kitagawa Ryo stretched and walked over, chiming in casually.
"Too much performing wears you out. Taking a break isn't a bad thing."
"True."
Kei nodded in understanding. She was a performer herself.
"There's a drama festival in about a month. That's when we'll slip out. The troupe will help coordinate. We'll deliver the letters and gifts during that time. Five deliveries—150,000 points."
"All that trouble for just 150,000 points? Kinda feels underwhelming."
Kei had just complained about Ryo's pricing being too high, but now she felt like 150,000 wasn't enough. Maybe it was because the numbers tossed around in the VIP exams—ten million or more—had skewed her perception.
"Points are only part of it. The important thing is the network."
"With this connection, we can build ties with the upperclassmen. And if we find someone in real need—someone desperate to contact their family but short on points—we might be able to win them over."
Ryo smiled subtly and then turned to Airi:
"If I'm not wrong, you're working on a big plan to earn a lot of personal points too, right?"
"...I can't hide anything from you, huh."
Airi sighed and nodded.
"I've asked Yamada to keep an eye on things for you. If you need anything, just talk to him."
"Okay."
After responding quickly, Airi asked with some confusion:
"When did you get close to Yamada?"
Yamada Albert was also a student of first year D-Class, but his limited Japanese made him more of a quiet presence. With a height nearing two meters and an intimidating look, most students stayed away from him—except for Ichinose Honami, who would occasionally chat with him.
"Yamada's actually a good guy. If Japanese is tricky, just use English."
Ryo explained casually. He had already gotten along well with Yamada in C-Class during a previous simulation. Despite his intimidating appearance, Yamada had no violent tendencies, was quite sensitive, and enjoyed collecting national flags. Ryo was the only student who both could and was willing to talk with him. He even gifted Yamada two flags from tiny countries, winning him over.
"If Yamada-kun helps out, then I'll have even more confidence."
Airi smiled brightly. Although she had intended to ask Ryo for help, he'd already arranged everything. She didn't feel right pushing further, though a tinge of disappointment remained.
"Hey, hey, what exactly are you two plotting?"
Kei asked curiously, still clueless.
"You'll find out soon enough. It's a secret for now."
Ryo answered and patted Airi on the shoulder.
"I'll make sure to support your side too. Just be careful. Your safety matters more than points."
"Got it. If you're involved, I'm not worried."
Airi felt the warmth from his hand on her shoulder and tilted her head back, answering lightly.
"If everything goes well, we'll earn a lot of points. Ryo, you can keep them all. I just want to help."
"Sure."
Ryo nodded slightly and recalled Sakura Airi's student file:
Sakura Airi:
Academic Ability: D+
Intelligence: C
Judgement: B
Physical Ability: B
Coordination: D
Interviewer Comments: A rather unique student. Previously an active professional idol, so her grades are on the lower side. However, her long-time stage experience gives her above-average physical capabilities for her age. There's concern about whether she can get along with her peers. For now, she is assigned to D-Class with expectations for growth.
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[You see, God really does exist.]
[Do you believe in fate? I do. From now on, we should always be together.]
[I've always felt that we're really close.]
[You look even cuter today.]
[Did you notice we made eye contact? I did.]
[Isn't it too cruel to ignore me? Or... did you not notice me at all?]
[What are you doing right now? I miss you, I miss you, I miss you.]
Sakura Airi let out a cold laugh. If it had been her from two years ago, these crazed and malicious messages might have frightened her to the point of trembling. But after two years as a professional idol, her mental fortitude had been honed to the extreme. She had received far worse threats and disturbing private messages.
And yet none of them had stopped her from ascending to the grandest stage.
Thus, upon seeing those messages, Sakura Airi quickly concluded that the crazed fan must be someone affiliated with the Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School. After retracing her routes and movements since enrollment, she revisited several locations over the past two days, eventually narrowing her suspicion to an electronics store in the Keyaki Mall.
She had gone there with Kitagawa Ryo at the start of the school year to buy a digital camera. The salesperson's gaze had left a lasting impression on her.
That sickening look—like a wet tongue licking across her skin.
After a moment of disgust, Sakura Airi made her judgment. This was a chance.
Having already learned the school's basic rules from Kitagawa Ryo, she understood the value of points. So she decided to use this incident to pressure the school administration.
There were three conditions needed to make that happen:
1. The potential offender was a staff member hired by the school.
2. As a fully enclosed school known for its high university advancement rate, could the administration handle the backlash from harboring a potential predator among its staff? And could they ensure internal student stability? After all, no one wants to live in a closed-off campus with a lurking criminal.
And most importantly:
3. Sakura Airi's own overwhelming fame.
As a super idol who graduated less than a month ago, most of her fans still followed her updates. Just a glance at the replies and DMs on her Twitter proved that. It was something only she could leverage.
Even though the school claimed to be fully closed off, students were still allowed to share photos on social media.
If she were to expose this matter personally, her fans would undoubtedly launch a public outcry without hesitation.
Sakura Airi pursed her lips, lightly biting her lower lip. She knew she wasn't like Ichinose Honami, Sakayanagi Arisu, or Horikita Suzune—students with Class A-caliber abilities recruited by Kitagawa Ryo. In terms of academics and other skills, there was still a noticeable gap.
But she had her own strengths.
Sakura Airi hadn't told Karuizawa Kei the real reason behind her graduation. In truth, she simply couldn't bear the absence of a certain person in the crowd.
The reason she made it this far was because, at every concert, she saw Kitagawa Ryo—standing in the front row in his support gear, holding up his glowstick.
To this day, fans on her forum still debated the design on the original limited-edition support shirt, which now resold for over 60,000 yen. In reality, the design was born from Sakura Airi's childhood fear—a curtain-shaped monster.
The one who shattered all those fears for her was Kitagawa Ryo.
She was afraid of nothing now.
Taking a deep breath, Sakura Airi sent two messages.
Let the operation begin.
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Student Council.
Horikita Manabu frowned slightly at the report submitted for review. He glanced over at his younger sister, Horikita Suzune, seated across from him, but she remained fully focused on the documents in front of her, showing no signs of acknowledgement, as if completely unaware.
Standing beside him, secretary Tachibana Akane dutifully read aloud:
"Regarding the incident of Class 1-D student Sakura Airi being maliciously stalked by a school staff member, Class D's homeroom teacher Mashima Tomonari has officially submitted the case to the administration and requests immediate disciplinary action."
"Additionally, Class 1-D student Sakura Airi has voluntarily submitted a withdrawal request, citing the inability of the fully enclosed campus environment of Advanced Nurturing High School to guarantee student safety. She also stated that she does not rule out the possibility of exposing the incident publicly after withdrawing."
Horikita Manabu rubbed his temples. This situation had already exceeded the Student Council's scope of authority, yet it was shrouded in peculiarities from beginning to end. Sakura Airi had not been physically harmed—she hadn't even been touched. According to the report, it was Class 1-D student Kitagawa Ryo who happened to intervene and prevent the incident, and another student, Yamada, had just so happened to be nearby filming a selfie and caught the entire situation on camera.
A blatant scheme against the school.
Yet there was nothing technically wrong with the report. The case could easily be played up or down—but with Sakura Airi's withdrawal and her identity as a former idol, downplaying it wasn't an option.
"Submit the report to the administration along with the Student Council's recommendation for severe punishment."
"Understood."
Tachibana nodded and swiftly forwarded the documents to the school board. The file soon landed on the desk of Chairman Sakayanagi.
"Well then, Tsukishiro-san, what do you think?"
Chairman Sakayanagi smiled at the man seated next to him. Advanced Nurturing High School, serving as the core battleground between two powerful factions, scrutinized every move made by Kitagawa Ryo and Ayanokouji Kiyotaka. Balancing Sakayanagi's power was Tsukishiro, the loyal aide sent by Ayanokouji's father.
"This is clearly a ploy by Kitagawa Ryo. I recommend rejecting it."
Tsukishiro tossed the file back with a glance. The scheme was so obvious it seemed Kitagawa hadn't even tried to hide it. It was a textbook example of an open-faced trap.
"But we can't simply dismiss it. This goes against the school's core rules."
Chairman Sakayanagi folded his hands under his chin:
"The original policies were founded on the principles of this institution. As the Student Council stated, we can't afford a public relations nightmare right now."
He patted Tsukishiro on the shoulder.
"Especially not at this moment."
"Then what's your solution?"
"Terminate the employee and file criminal charges. Reject Sakura Airi's withdrawal request and offer a sum of personal points as emotional compensation."
"How many points, exactly?"
Tsukishiro narrowed his eyes. He knew very well that those points would end up in Kitagawa Ryo's hands. That would put Ayanokouji Kiyotaka at a disadvantage.
"As much as I'd like to take time to negotiate with you, we're on a tight schedule."
"State your number first."
"Twenty million personal points. In this school, twenty million is the equivalent of avoiding one student's expulsion. That sum equates to the value of a single student."
"Impossible."
Tsukishiro rejected it instantly.
"You know as well as I do what twenty million points at this stage would do to the balance of power."
"But I also want you to understand how influential the person involved is—and how devastating the fallout could be for this school. If this spirals into a media storm, it won't just hurt our image. The entire game could collapse. Can you take responsibility for that?"
Chairman Sakayanagi didn't back down an inch.
"Twenty million is simply too much."
Tsukishiro showed signs of concession but continued haggling.
After further tense negotiations, the two sides barely reached an agreement.
-------------------------------------
"Honestly, Ryo shouldn't have stepped in. We might've gotten even more points if he hadn't."
Sakura Airi transferred ten million personal points to Kitagawa Ryo all at once, a touch of regret in her voice.
"Like hell I'd just sit back and watch... idiot."
Kitagawa gently ruffled her hair. Of course he understood that, but as he said—there was no way he could let Sakura Airi face a deranged stalker alone.
They had originally planned for Yamada to intervene, with someone else filming. But in the end, it was Kitagawa who charged in.
Even though he only threw a few punches and kicks, it was enough to leave the man permanently incapable of being a man.
"Just like Mashima-sensei said, our time at Advanced Nurturing High is just three years in a long life."
Kitagawa spoke with a light smile:
"You can care—but don't get too attached. And never lose yourself in it."
He never expected Sakura Airi to give up her rising idol career just to follow him here.
Because that was pure emotion—utterly irrational.
But how could he ever say that aloud?
Staring into her sky-blue eyes, Kitagawa spoke earnestly:
"Still... thank you, Airi."
"And no, it's not because of the ten million points."
It was something worth far more than ten million.
A feeling buried deep in her heart, shining silently through her eyes—a girl's genuine affection.
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