The opening ceremony was held as scheduled in the gymnasium, no different from any other school's opening ceremony. For Natsukawa, the only amusement during the entire ceremony was the inexplicable expression on Horikita's face when the Student Council President went on stage to give a speech. He and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka stood at the back of the 1st Year Class D line, one lost in thought, planning his next moves, the other expressionless, as if everything around him had nothing to do with him.
After the ceremony, the crowd gradually streamed out of the gymnasium. Natsukawa glanced at the clock by the roadside; it was almost 12 o'clock.
"What do we do next?"
"It's noon, so of course we're going to the cafeteria to eat. I wonder how the food tastes there."
The two followed the crowd into the student cafeteria. The cafeteria was spacious and bright, divided into several sections like a university cafeteria, with each section offering signature specialty dishes, from exquisite Japanese set meals to calorie-bomb burgers and fries. Everything was available, with prices ranging from a few hundred to over a thousand points, appearing to be both good quality and affordable—for students holding ten thousand 'fortunes' in their hands.
"Natsukawa, you don't seem to be feeling well," Ayanokoji observed Natsukawa's weak body, then glanced at the cafeteria window and suggested, "You could consider ordering some nutritious set meals, like that Wagyu beef set or the tonkatsu."
"Then I'll take Ayanokoji's advice and order a beef set meal to try. Since it's for recovering my health, I have no choice but to spend money (laughs)."
After finishing lunch in the cafeteria, the two went to the campus supermarket to buy daily necessities. The supermarket was quite large, with a dazzling array of goods, from snacks and drinks to stationery and daily essentials, all readily available.
As soon as he entered the supermarket, Natsukawa's gaze swept like a radar, quickly locking onto an area with a clear sign that read, "Free, limited to three redemptions per month." His steps unhesitatingly turned in that direction.
After all, who can resist the temptation of getting something for free?
The free section had a limited variety of goods, mainly daily necessities: unscented basic shampoos, toothbrushes, toothpaste, basic towels, etc. Natsukawa carefully selected a bottle of shampoo, shower gel, and a towel. Although they looked simple, they were sufficient to meet the most basic needs.
Afterward, Natsukawa went to the low-price section to replenish necessities like toothbrushes, toothpaste, and mouthwash cups, carefully comparing the points for each item. At checkout, his large pile of items only cost a few hundred points in total, making him a paragon of frugality.
"Why not buy something better? You have plenty of points, right?"
"There's no need. These things are good enough."
After purchasing daily necessities, Natsukawa finally arrived at his ultimate destination for this trip—the electronics store. He needed a computer to earn his first pot of gold.
The campus electronics store was also well-equipped, displaying various brands of computers, headphones, and other electronic products. Upon entering, Natsukawa noticed a slight commotion near the counter.
A girl with red hair tied into twin pigtails, wearing thick glasses, stood timidly by the counter, being pestered by an overly enthusiastic salesperson. The girl bowed her head, her gaze averted, her hands tightly clutching the strap of the satchel in her arms, her body slightly recoiled as if trying to hide herself. Facing the salesperson's rapid-fire promotions like "This camera is perfect for girls," "There's a discount if you buy now," and "How about we exchange contact information? I'll send you updates on future promotions," she only managed faint, almost inaudible sounds like "Uhm..." and "That...", her face flushed red, looking as if she was about to cry.
It was Sakura Airi. Natsukawa recognized her immediately; he couldn't help it, her prominent features were simply too obvious. Although she currently appeared as a clumsy, big-eyed country girl, her hidden identity was actually a lively blog idol.
"Should we go help?" Ayanokoji turned to Natsukawa and asked.
"Yes." Natsukawa nodded, then walked towards the counter with Ayanokoji.
Walking up to the salesperson, Natsukawa offered a harmless smile: "Excuse me, sir, could you introduce some computer models over here to my friend? My friend is completely new and doesn't quite understand what price range of computer to buy." He cleverly shifted the object of 'introduction' from Sakura to himself and Ayanokoji.
"Tsk, computers are all pretty much the same. Just buy whatever price range you can afford."
The salesperson's face showed clear displeasure.
"What, differential treatment? Do you want me to complain to your manager?"
Hearing these words, the salesperson stared wide-eyed at Sakura, as if trying to imprint Sakura's image into his mind. Then he reluctantly turned to face us.
Natsukawa gave Ayanokoji a look, and Ayanokoji, receiving it, expressionlessly led the salesperson towards the computer section.
With the salesperson's departure, Sakura visibly let out a sigh of relief.
"What a coincidence, classmate. To meet you here."
Sakura's slightly calmed mood, due to the salesperson's departure, immediately tensed up again.
"Don't be nervous, I'm your classmate. My name is Natsukawa Sosuke, and we're both in 1st Year Class D. I sit diagonally opposite you."
Sakura Airi let out that breath again. She quickly looked up, glancing at Natsukawa with her large eyes hidden behind her lenses, her gaze a mix of gratitude, shyness, and bewilderment. Her lips moved a few times, seemingly wanting to say thank you, but ultimately no sound came out. She just clutched her bag, like a startled little rabbit, quickly and silently slipped to the other side of the counter, pretending to look at other items, but the tips of her ears were still red.
Natsukawa didn't deliberately try to talk to her again; he knew that for someone with Sakura's personality, excessive attention would only be stressful. So, he turned and walked towards the computer section where Ayanokoji was.
When he found Ayanokoji, the salesperson was reluctantly explaining the differences between the various price-point computers to Ayanokoji, who listened expressionlessly. Natsukawa's goal was clear: he chose a laptop with sufficient performance for his programming and a price of around 40,000. It wasn't that he was unwilling to go all out, but there was no need. After all, a 90% new computer would be waiting for him to collect in a month.
Natsukawa took the laptop to the salesperson to check out. After paying quickly, he glanced around the store and saw that Sakura had disappeared, no longer being pestered by the salesperson. He then called Ayanokoji, and they left together.
"Are we going anywhere else?"
"Let's go back to the dorm. It's inconvenient to move around with so many things, and it's a good chance to check out the living environment there."
As Natsukawa and Ayanokoji left the electronics store and searched for the way back to the dorm, not far behind him, a red-haired girl with twin pigtails quietly watched Natsukawa. Only after he disappeared around the corner did she silently turn and leave.