"I choose one."
While Asakusa Tōru was observing Sakagami Kazuma, Ryūen Kakeru was also observing his own homeroom teacher.
He knew very well that, compared to Asakusa Tōru, their homeroom teacher understood the true nature of this school far more deeply.
But he said nothing—or rather… he couldn't say anything.
That was why Sakagami hadn't spoken a word when Ryūen consolidated the class by force, and why he had remained silent and stayed behind when Asakusa Tōru proposed the deal.
He couldn't speak—but he could hint.
Even without saying anything, small movements and expressions were enough to convey plenty of information.
Just like now: even as the entrance ceremony time crept closer and closer, he was still staying here.
And so, Ryūen Kakeru made his choice without hesitation.
"Two million, yeah?"
Although Asakusa Tōru put on a surprised expression, he wasn't actually surprised by Ryūen's choice at all.
Ryūen would never accept letting Asakusa Tōru leech off Class C—even if it was only 25%. Nor would he accept becoming someone else's tool, even if it was limited to a single use.
Well… if he had known from the very beginning the difference between class points and personal points, he might have chosen option two.
But he didn't.
So this choice had been predictable from the start.
"You'd better pray your intel is worth that price," Ryūen said coldly.
"Of course." Asakusa Tōru snapped his fingers. "Come on, Sakagami-kun—draw up a contract."
What kind of nickname is that…
Sakagami Kazuma really wanted to complain, but on the surface, he maintained his expressionless face.
"Show some respect to your teacher," he said, shaking his head. He took out his personal terminal and skillfully drafted a clearly worded contract on it.
So he chose option one after all, huh?
Actually, if the price was two million points, it already met the threshold for directly prying information out of a teacher's mouth.
If this were merely a transaction of points for information, Sakagami Kazuma might have spoken up to advise Ryūen.
But the contract didn't only involve points.
It also included "Condition One," which, in a sense, functioned as a non-aggression pact.
It was precisely because of that condition that Sakagami Kazuma chose to remain silent.
"Check it, then come with me." Handing the terminal to Ryūen, Sakagami Kazuma turned and walked straight out of the classroom.
"What are you doing? What are you doing?" Asakusa Tōru, who had no intention of checking the contract at all, immediately followed after Sakagami Kazuma, noisily questioning him.
Sakagami Kazuma replied irritably,
"To print the contract!"
...
With Asakusa Tōru's and Ryūen Kakeru's names written at opposite ends of the contract, the deal—witnessed by Sakagami Kazuma—was formally sealed.
That said, they had no time to leisurely exchange information on the spot.
Because Sakagami Kazuma was currently dragging the two of them along in a life-or-death sprint.
"There's no need to rush that much, Sakagami-darling," Asakusa Tōru said casually, not even out of breath as he was being pulled along. "Even if we skip the entrance ceremony, they won't deduct that many points."
The form of address changed again.
With no time to correct Asakusa Tōru's ever-shifting nicknames, Sakagami Kazuma said in a low voice,
"But I will get chewed out!"
He had no intention of becoming the first homeroom teacher to miss an entrance ceremony.
"Then you could also let me and Dragon Boy talk privately, you know?"
Being called by such a bizarre nickname, Ryūen's expression instantly darkened. He frowned deeply and said coldly,
"Don't call me with weird names."
"Do it again, and I'll kill you—even if I have to tear up the contract."
"Heehee." Faced with Ryūen Kakeru's threat, Asakusa Tōru merely laughed.
Teasing needed moderation—just like spoilers in the diary couldn't go too far. A light touch was enough.
It definitely wasn't because, without Sakagami Kazuma backing him up right now, he'd really get beaten up.
"…I don't think this needs to be spelled out," Sakagami Kazuma said once they reached the gym, finally turning around, "but since you want a response, I'll tell you directly."
"I'm not at ease."
As the witness to the contract, he had the obligation to personally see Asakusa Tōru lay out all the information he knew—and to confirm whether that information was worth what Ryūen was paying.
More importantly, he was extremely curious.
Just how much did this guy know?
And how much was he planning to tell Ryūen Kakeru?
"..."
The timing was perfect. Just as Sakagami Kazuma led the two of them into the gym, the clock hanging overhead pointed precisely to the start time of the entrance ceremony.
There was no unnecessary noise, no unnecessary movement. Sakagami Kazuma knew best that at times like this, the correct approach was to say nothing, do nothing, and quietly return to where he was supposed to be.
As long as he didn't attract extra attention, there would be no problem.
Of course—that applied only to him.
Sakagami Kazuma had no intention of letting Asakusa Tōru return to Class 1-B right now. If anything, he had to keep Asakusa Tōru with Class C.
This wasn't about sowing discord. After all, Asakusa Tōru didn't look like someone with much sense of teamwork to begin with, and he hadn't yet formed any bonds with Class B.
Having never entered his own class from the very start, wouldn't it be perfectly natural for him to appear among Class C instead?
"Finally made it—scared the hell out of me." Seeing them arrive, Ishizaki Daichi, who had been nervously watching the time and the gym entrance, finally let out a sigh of relief.
After all, having no homeroom teacher present and being forced to lead the entire Class C to their assigned seats on his own was a pretty big challenge for him.
"But why did that guy come along too?"
Ryūen coming with Sakagami Kazuma didn't strike Ishizaki as strange—but Asakusa Tōru coming along absolutely did.
Wasn't that guy from Class B?
Yes—Asakusa Tōru was from Class B.
Unfortunately, having never shown his face in Class B before, there was no one there who could recognize him.
Except for one person.
"Asakusa…-kun?"
Ichinose Honami froze.
She had been forcing a smile, chatting idly with her classmates while waiting for the entrance ceremony to begin, suppressing the faint gloom in her heart—until Asakusa Tōru, whom Hoshinomiya Chie had said might have already given up enrollment, suddenly appeared in her line of sight.
She should have been happy—happy that he hadn't given up on enrolling.
But seeing that he showed no intention of returning to the Class B group at all, seeing him walk straight into the crowd of Class C as if it were the most natural thing in the world—
For some reason, Ichinose Honami's heartbeat skipped a beat.