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Horikita was about to discuss tutoring with Akira when both their phones vibrated simultaneously.
"Kushida-san notified the whole class to gather in the classroom..." Horikita read the notification softly.
"Let's go, there's probably some important news again," Akira winked at her, and they quickly walked toward the classroom.
The cafeteria wasn't far from Class D's classroom—they returned to the class in less than five minutes.
The classroom gradually filled with people.
Kushida clapped her hands, her signature sweet smile in place.
"Everyone, I've already negotiated with the Student Council for a way to resolve the three million points. The Student Council offered a special loan service, and based on their estimate of our class points next month, we successfully passed the review."
The murmurs in the classroom gradually quieted, and everyone listened attentively to Kushida's explanation.
"Simply put, we can pre-pay this cost by borrowing next month's private points," she surveyed the classroom, her tone light. "So, in May, each student needs to pay forty-five thousand private points, and in June, it's thirty-one thousand five hundred private points, with one thousand five hundred being additional interest."
"This plan is acceptable."
"Given our class's performance, we should get seven or eight hundred class points next month, right? If we only pay half, we can pay it off in two months. No problem at all!"
The vast majority of students in the class readily agreed.
Kushida added with a sweet smile. "But each student needs to personally sign to confirm, otherwise the Student Council won't approve this loan."
Saying that, she took the Student Council's contract document and began moving around the classroom, going to each student.
Every student cooperatively signed their name.
When she came to Akira, she leaned slightly and handed him the document and pen. "Shimizu-kun, you're the last one!"
Akira took the document, his gaze casually sweeping over the paper—since his seat was in the back, the paper was already densely covered with his classmates' signatures.
'These are the classmates who will soon owe me money...'
'Now I have to sign my name too, won't that mean I owe myself money?'
This amusing thought made him shake his head.
He neatly signed his name and returned the document to Kushida.
With all the class's signatures, Kushida slowly left the classroom.
Akira and Horikita walked side by side into the library.
They slowly walked down the aisles between the bookshelves, finally finding a quiet study area deep within the library.
Several rows of wooden long tables were neatly arranged, with cozy reminder signs nailed to the corners: "Discussion Area - Please keep conversations low."
"Shimizu-kun, you go find a junior high Japanese Language textbook first," Horikita said softly, while taking a brand new hardcover book from her bag and sitting down at one of the tables.
Akira inadvertently glimpsed the English title on the cover, "And Then There Were None."
He raised an eyebrow slightly—wasn't this Agatha Christie's classic, "And Then There Were None"?
He remembered that groundbreaking work, ten people trapped on a deserted island, dying one by one in mysterious ways... As the progenitor of the locked-room mystery, it inspired countless later works.
From "Detective Conan" to "The Kindaichi Case Files," and even Ryukishi07's "Umineko When They Cry," echoes of this classic could be seen.
Akira noticed that at some point, she'd changed her address from the stiff "Shimizu-san" to the more intimate "Shimizu-kun."
This subtle change stirred something in his heart, but seeing her aloof, unapproachable demeanor, he decided to pretend he hadn't noticed.
If he pointed it out, with Horikita's personality, she would likely immediately revert to that distant attitude, and the tutoring would fall through.
His gaze again swept across the spacious library.
The design here was indeed unique—in addition to the traditional reading areas, several semi-open study areas were specifically partitioned off.
Not far away, several older students were sitting together, discussing a topic in low voices.
The library in this fully enclosed school was truly vast.
All kinds of books were categorized and arranged, from basic textbooks to specialized treatises, everything was available.
It made sense—in this campus, almost isolated from the outside world, the library naturally became the most important source of knowledge.
Akira walked to the service desk and asked the librarian who was organizing books. "Excuse me, where is the junior high Japanese Language textbook section?"
The female administrator, wearing round-rimmed glasses, looked up and kindly pointed to the southeast corner. "D-block, third row of bookshelves, categorized by grade and subject."
"Thank you." Akira walked through several rows of tall bookshelves.
He stopped in front of the bookshelf labeled "Junior High Textbooks."
"Modern Japanese Language Basic Explanation," "Japanese Language Introduction," "Grammar Essentials"... various textbooks were neatly arranged.
He carefully selected a few basic textbooks, finally pulling out "Introduction to Literature," and turned to the title page to check the publication date.
"If your Japanese Language foundation isn't very good, I recommend that Modern Japanese Language one," a gentle voice came from beside him.
A voice as clear as a spring came from behind him. Akira turned around and saw a silver-haired girl standing by the bookshelf.
The girl exuded an intellectual and quiet demeanor. She held a hardcover book in her arms, its gold-stamped title "The Mystery of the Seven Black Cats" particularly striking on the cover, with Ellery Queen's name printed below.
Akira couldn't help but smile—what day was it today, to consecutively meet two girls reading mystery novels?
"Thank you for the recommendation." He readily accepted the suggestion, placing "Introduction to Literature" back on the shelf and taking the recommended "Modern Japanese Language Basic Explanation" instead.
The girl's eyes suddenly lit up. "Ellery Queen's works are wonderful, would you like to give them a try, too?"
"Actually, I've already read them," Akira replied politely, noticing her eyes widen slightly at his answer, as if she'd found a kindred spirit.
"Really?" Her voice unconsciously rose a few octaves, then she immediately realized she was in a library and quickly lowered her voice. "Do you also like mystery novels?"
Akira showed a nostalgic expression. "I used to be fascinated, but now I prefer more lighthearted light novel mysteries."
"Light novel mysteries... like 'Hyouka'?" The silver-haired girl paused slightly, then her eyes lit up, but quickly clouded with a hint of regret. "I'm so sorry, I seem to have gotten too excited..."
She shook her head slightly. "Due to class affairs, I probably won't be able to come to the library often lately."
The girl suddenly looked up as if remembering something, a polite and gentle smile appearing on her face. "Oh, by the way, I'm Shiina Hiyori from Class 1-C. May I ask who you are...?"
"Hello, I'm Shimizu Akira from Class 1-D." Akira paused slightly, hesitating for half a second before slowly beginning his self-introduction.
'Wait! She's Shiina Hiyori? The girl who will later uncover my true identity?'