Although the final exams had ended, winter break hadn't officially begun yet.
The closing ceremony was scheduled before Christmas, so Kaoru and the others still had to attend school as usual.
December brought weather that could bring snowfall at any moment, and the sun seemed dimmer than usual.
The gray-black sky was occasionally streaked with wisps of pale, ink-like clouds.
The Class Points seized during the final exams wouldn't be settled until the following month, but Kaoru still held one to two million Personal Points in his account, much of which came from his individual settlement.
Currently, Class A students received over 160,000 Personal Points per month.
Even after handing over half, they still retained around 70,000 to 80,000.
Since the start of the school year, Class A had accumulated more than 20 million Personal Points in their class fund.
All these valuable points were securely stored on the phone of Ai Morishita, a neutral party, which gave everyone a strong sense of security.
When Kaoru arrived at school in the morning and saw her changing shoes at the entrance, he greeted her.
However, Morishita stopped him.
"When do you plan to use the class fund?"
The girl had already switched to her indoor shoes.
Her slender, straight calves were wrapped in clean, thick gray tights, visible beneath her skirt, while her slightly plump thighs caused the hem to lift slightly, accentuating her well-developed, perky bottom.
Kaoru's gaze drifted to her chest—her full bust was completely hidden under her blazer and shirt.
A light-colored scarf draped around her neck, and her hair was tied into two braids resting on her shoulders.
The ends were slightly fluffy, resembling twin tails, giving her a cute appearance.
A charming hair clip adorned the side of her bangs.
"Why are you suddenly thinking about using the class fund?" Kaoru asked, puzzled.
Morishita then pulled out her phone and showed him her personal account page.
"There are already 20 million Personal Points here. I think they could be useful to you."
Her account displayed a seven-digit balance—far more staggering than what Kaoru had seen on Nagumo's page.
It could be said that half of Class A's wealth was in her hands, accumulated over eight long months.
Moreover, Class A had barely paid Ryuuen and his group for their services.
For months, they had been using the points Class C had given them during summer break to cover the costs—effectively freeloading off Class C.
"Are you feeling burdened by holding onto so many points now?" Kaoru saw through her thoughts.
Twenty million Personal Points was no small sum—enough to cover the transfer fee between classes.
In other words, Morishita could abscond with the funds right now, lay low until graduation, and still enjoy Class A's privileges even if they expelled her, as long as she didn't drop out.
"Very burdened," Morishita nodded. "Are you planning to have me join Katsuragi's faction? With these points, Sakayanagi won't have much advantage over you."
Although Morishita was only responsible for safekeeping, she was still Class A's treasurer.
The Personal Points were in her possession, meaning she could transfer them to Katsuragi at any time without objection from others.
"That was the initial idea," said Kaoru. "But now, I want you to join the student council."
The topic shifted too abruptly for Morishita Ai to follow.
She tilted her head in confusion. "Me? Join the student council?"
"Yes. There's a position called treasurer, and I think—"
"No thanks," Morishita cut him off decisively. "I'm not looking to join any clubs yet, and the student council sounds like a hassle."
"Too bad. You're already part of my team," Kaoru rejected her rejection.
Morishita froze for a moment.
Since when had she become 'Kaoru's person'?
Then it clicked—when Kaoru had called out her name earlier and suggested she be the custodian, it must have created some ambiguity.
To others, even if they weren't close, it probably seemed like there was some connection between them.
With that realization, Morishita turned on her heel and headed back toward their classroom.
Seeing this, Kaoru immediately followed.
"We can talk this over."
"No need. I'll just tell everyone I'm not 'your person' and that we have no connection whatsoever."
Morishita's logic was simple: if people misunderstood their relationship, she'd just clarify it openly.
Kaoru was momentarily speechless.
This girl seemed either incredibly dense or just stubbornly self-assured—naively pure in her approach.
"Don't do that. I can't afford the embarrassment."
"Why not?"
"The harder you try to deny something, the more suspicious people get."
"..."
Morishita seemed to grasp his point, her expression darkening slightly.
"Keep those points for now. They might come in handy next semester," Kaoru said.
"And about the student council—it was just a discussion. You don't have to join."
"Then why ask me?" Morishita pressed, puzzled.
"Because our seniors are graduating, and we're short on members," Kaoru replied.
Morishita sensed this wasn't the whole truth.
"Is this just another excuse to keep watching me?" she asked bluntly.
Kaoru nearly short-circuited, but meeting her gaze, he nodded.
"Yes. But it's not 'watching'—I've always openly admired you."
Morishita eyed him skeptically.
She'd hoped to catch him off guard and gauge his reaction, but Kaoru remained unshaken.
She couldn't read him at all.
Come to think of it, he was one of the few people she couldn't figure out.
"Watch if you want. No need for excuses. I know I'm cute—I'm used to it." Morishita saw nothing odd about her statement.
She'd grown up under scrutiny, whether for her unconventional behavior or her looks.
....
By the time Kaoru and Morishita reached Class A's classroom, the atmosphere was lively.
The chatter only died down when Mashima Tomonari arrived to announce the final exam results—though the class's reaction was unsurprised.
"Hah! I knew it!" Totsuka Yahiko cheered.
Since Class A had been tested on Class C's material, scoring high naturally meant outperforming both Classes B and C.
According to Mashima's revelation, their Class A ranked first in the grade, Class D came in second, followed by Classes B and C.
However, everyone was still somewhat surprised by Class D's sudden rise.
Kaoru speculated that Chabashira Sae had completely revealed her true intentions during this final exam.
She wasn't pretending anymore—she genuinely wanted to advance her class.
It was likely that Ayanokoji's lack of cooperation had pushed this homeroom teacher to her limits, making Kaoru wonder: did homeroom teachers also compete against each other?
....
After school, Kaoru had originally intended to call out to Miki Yamamura, but she kept her head down as if avoiding something and hurried out of the classroom.
Hearing Kaoru's voice, she glanced in his direction, her face slightly flushed, and then ran even faster.
Left with no other choice, Kaoru turned his gaze toward Kamuro, who was packing her bag nearby.
"What are you looking at me for?" Kamuro glared at him guiltily, regretting why she had followed him that time.
Who would have thought he would suddenly kiss Asahina out of nowhere?
"Nothing, you just look especially pretty today." Kaoru reached out toward her cheek, as if intending to do something.
The image of him forcefully kissing Asahina flashed through Kamuro's mind, instantly turning her delicate face crimson.
She quickly pushed his hand away. "I'm warning you, don't try anything with me! I'm not like them—I'll bite your tongue off!"
Kaoru smirked. "Your hair's messy. I just wanted to fix it for you."
Only then did Kamuro belatedly realize that he wouldn't go so far as to kiss her right here.
Even if no one else stopped him, Sakayanagi certainly wouldn't let him off the hook.
"What were you thinking about?"
Faced with Kaoru's teasing expression, Kamuro stammered, unable to come up with a response.
Her reaction was far too suspicious—it was practically a confession.
Just as Kaoru was about to say something else, the girl suddenly grabbed her bag and, before he could react, bolted out of the classroom.
Seriously? Had his actions left such a deep impression on them?
Kaoru felt a bit frustrated, but he quickly realized that the two girls' reactions were actually quite mild compared to what was coming.
His "main wife" was now planning to have a serious talk with him.
"Kaoru."
Hearing this voice, Kaoru instinctively turned around to see Ichinose standing outside Class A's room, smiling brightly at him.