"I never thought you'd care so much about this, Miyako. I figured you'd just stand by and watch... Hey, please don't look at me like that. I've brought the thing."
As Ayanokōji spoke, he produced a small note.
Amane took the note and read it carefully.
She had originally assumed that using private points to buy exam scores would be a complicated affair, but surprisingly, when it came down to it, the process was this straightforward.
Just a single note, stating: 'This student has paid 100,000 personal points to purchase one point in an English subject.'
It was signed by Chabashira Sae.
And just like that, a full 100,000 points were gone!
Chabashira had also shrewdly written on the note: 'For school verification purposes only.'
Amane had initially considered using this note for some other schemes.
But it seemed Chabashira had anticipated that very possibility.
To stop Amane from pulling any truly outrageous stunts, Chabashira had specified the note's permitted usage all over it—front, back, even the margins. Teacher Chabashira was certainly thorough.
"Not bad at all," Amane praised before casually handing the note to Kōenji, who had been watching from the side.
Kōenji had initially been wondering when exactly Ayanokōji had slipped out.
But the moment his eyes landed on the handwriting on the note, his pupils constricted sharply.
"One hundred thousand points? I distinctly remember you, Ayanokōji, saying only fifty thousand was needed to save an expelled student. How did it jump to one hundred thousand?"
Kōenji asked, unable to hide his surprise.
If he remembered correctly, Hirata had stated from the very beginning that a mere fifty thousand points could save a classmate.
And something about only being able to buy a single point...
Had it all been a lie?
"We said it would cost fifty thousand points. That's because Ayanokōji planned to cover fifty thousand himself."
"The remaining fifty thousand, he originally asked me to help with. But I wanted to save some points, so I had Hirata organize a donation drive to pool resources from everyone. From start to finish, we never actually said..."
"...that buying one point only costs fifty thousand points."
Kōenji was dumbfounded. Wasn't this just applying the concept of information asymmetry to their own classmates?
Still... it did fit rather well with his perception of Amane.
"But if that's the case, then Ichihashi is in serious trouble. Everyone's already dispersed. Even if we tried to gather the points now, scraping together fifty thousand in just a few minutes would be nearly impossible..."
Kōenji recalled the sight of Ichihashi cheering when she grabbed the coin.
How utterly ridiculous.
"Perhaps. But we didn't deceive Ichihashi. I said I would personally provide the fifty thousand points for whoever grabbed the coin first."
"And I did indeed transfer fifty thousand to Ichihashi. Whether she can actually 'buy' the point now is up to her own luck."
Amane flashed a charming smile.
Yet, Kōenji instinctively tensed up.
This person, who looked so harmless and smiling, was deeply dangerous.
After giving Amane a long, deep look, Kōenji returned the note and left the classroom, lost in thought.
"What a strange guy," was Ayanokōji's assessment.
"Strange isn't the word. More like unfathomable. I was just trying to sound him out, but he left so decisively. A real pity."
Sakura Airi, who had been waiting for a chance to speak with Amane alone, finally dared to approach now that the conversation between Ayanokōji and Amane seemed to have concluded.
"Sakura, was there something you needed?" Amane asked, assuming Sakura had overheard their talk and had questions about the note worth a hundred thousand points.
"Today... I really want to thank you, Miyako. I sincerely want to say thank you."
Seeing that Sakura had come to express gratitude, Amane blinked.
"Thank me? I don't recall doing anything worthy of your thanks, Airi."
On the surface, throughout the entire discussion, Amane had only supported Sakura at the very beginning.
The rest of the time, she seemed to favor Ichihashi Ruri.
Even for the crucial competition round, she chose an event that tested physical prowess—Ichihashi's strong suit.
Defeating someone in their area of expertise required more than just a little effort.
As expected, Sakura lost badly, even forfeiting the final match. Yet, despite this, Sakura felt there was something she absolutely had to thank Amane for.
"Maybe you've forgotten, Miyako, but for me... it was an encouragement I could never forget, no matter what happens in the future."
"It was because of you that I found the courage to stand here and truly compete with Ichihashi for the last spot to avoid expulsion. Even though I lost miserably... I'm somewhat satisfied with this outcome."
Sakura's words made Ayanokōji snap his gaze towards Amane.
No matter how he looked at it, Sakura didn't seem to know that Amane had prepared a little gift for her.
"I'll accept your thanks. But are you really satisfied with this outcome? You have only five minutes left before you're forcibly expelled, you know?"
Amane deliberately emphasized the word 'expelled.'
Sakura thought for a moment, then nodded with some difficulty.
"I can accept this result... Although I'll miss everyone terribly, I understand that all good feasts must come to an end. I'm just happy I got to meet you, Miyako, and..."
She glanced at Ayanokōji, unsure of his name. It felt odd only mentioning Amane in this context.
"But do you truly consider this a good outcome?" Amane pressed.
She refused to believe that Airi could so easily accept expulsion.
No matter how prettily she phrased it, the expression on her face when she actually had to pick up her suitcase and leave this school would definitely not be one of happiness.
Hearing the word 'good,' Sakura clasped her hands in front of her, her fingers twisting together uneasily.
"A 'good' outcome... I haven't really thought about it like that. Life is full of difficult problems. If you expect all of them to end well, you'll just exhaust yourself. Besides... isn't a life with some regrets more worth remembering?"
Seeing this suddenly different side of Sakura Airi, a mischievous idea sparked in Amane's mind.
"Then, Airi, why did you forfeit the final match? Even if life can have regrets, isn't a failure after striving with all your might more worth remembering than simply giving up?"
Amane asked the question she'd wanted to pose since the match began.
She couldn't understand just handing victory over to someone else like that.
"Leaving aside the vast difference in physical ability between me and Ichihashi... I saw how much she wanted to win. Since I'd already made my peace with it, and Ichihashi wanted victory so badly, the least I could do was help her."
Sakura Airi smiled, a genuinely happy smile this time.
The thought process sounded a little foolish.
But coming from Sakura Airi...
Even Amane had to admit that some people, no matter how weak, possessed a core of inherent kindness.
"Sakura, if I recall correctly, you said a life with regrets is more worth remembering, right?"
"Mm... Is there something wrong with that?"
"What would you think if I told you I bought a point for you, and have already filled in that regret for you?"
"Eh?"
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 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.