After the exams came the day of rest.
Under normal circumstances, rest days were undoubtedly the most welcomed by all students.
When a day off arrived, everyone would often gather in small groups to play and enjoy their rare free time on campus to the fullest.
Some would choose to rest quietly in their dorm rooms, easing the pressures of their studies. But this week's rest day was quite different from the usual.
Aside from a very few individuals, most students from Class D, first year, had no desire to go out.
They were waiting.
Waiting for the exam results to be released.
In an effort to learn their grades early, many privately messaged Ms. Chabashira, pestering her so much that she finally announced the news about the exams in the class group chat.
The results would be out by Monday at the latest.
Yet, even though everyone knew the scores would be released on Monday, the oppressive atmosphere didn't lift.
Because besides the hurdle of their grades, they faced another challenge called points.
Due to Sudō's violent incident, no matter how many points were earned this month, none would be paid out next month. This meant the 100,000 points distributed at the start of the semester had to last for three whole months.
It seemed a bit unbelievable.
But if they had been told in advance, they could have managed by spending frugally. However, the school wasn't kind enough to warn them to save their points.
Those poor souls who had spent all their points in the first month, even free from exam worries, could only hole up in their dorms on the rest day. Some even lay almost motionless to avoid using up energy.
Because on rest days, the school only provided two meals.
Those without points could only queue up to receive the Mountain Veggie Set.
For some reason, the Mountain Veggie Set on rest days was especially unpalatable. So, to avoid getting hungry from vigorous activity and being forced to eat that set, everyone resigned themselves to a tough and tedious life of staying in.
But for Amane...
This was no problem at all.
She hadn't come to school to live like an ascetic.
Naturally, she ate and drank as she pleased, spending her free time strolling around with cute girls, watching movies, singing songs, and having bubble tea.
"Kei~ I'll feed you, say 'ahh~'"
Amane speared a takoyaki ball and brought it to Karuizawa's lips. Faced with this sudden gesture, Karuizawa wore a troubled expression.
"Why do you call me by my first name so naturally? And, everyone's watching... isn't this a bit awkward?"
Karuizawa's mind raced, desperately trying to think of a way to avoid the embarrassment of being fed in public.
"What's wrong with it? Aren't Kei and I friends?"
Amane deliberately teased, pushing the takoyaki a little closer to Karuizawa's mouth.
Nearby, Matsushita and Wang Meiyu simply pretended not to see. Only Shinohara stood by, snickering mischievously.
"Karuizawa, just give up. We're all out spending Amane's points today."
Shinohara's words made Karuizawa sigh in resignation.
It seemed there was no escaping it.
After all, she still owed Amane ten thousand personal points. It would seem ungrateful not to humor her a little.
But...
Being stared at like this was still so embarrassing. She'd never been this physically close with another girl before.
"I remember you really liked that skirt we saw last time, Kei."
"But that one costs eight thousand points..."
"Ahh~"
Amane didn't directly answer Karuizawa.
But her actions hinted that if Karuizawa played along, even an eight-thousand-point skirt could be hers for the taking.
Where did Amane get so many points?
In the end, Karuizawa couldn't resist the temptation. Blushing, she took a bite of the takoyaki, quickly chewed, and swallowed.
"How is it?"
"It's... okay? Wait, this thing is that expensive? Oh no, I ate it too fast to even taste it properly!"
Karuizawa looked frantically at the price tag of one hundred points per ball. Who knew something could be so expensive! Eating it so quickly out of shyness felt like such a waste.
Karuizawa's frustrated hair-pulling drew laughter from Shinohara and Matsushita.
Wang Meiyu covered her mouth with a shy, soft giggle.
Amane promptly transferred the points over without a second thought.
Seeing Amane so readily give her points for something so simple, Karuizawa was taken aback.
"Speaking of which, Amane, where did you get so many points?" Matsushita keenly asked the question on everyone's mind.
For ordinary people, not flaunting wealth was undoubtedly the best policy.
But for Amane, points were meant to be spent—not just spent, but spent meaningfully.
"I helped someone out, enabled them to earn a huge amount of points, and they gave me half."
Amane's explanation sounded half-truthful, half-false, making it hard to judge its veracity.
"Eh? Isn't that like... a chance encounter? It sounds a bit..." Shinohara didn't finish her sentence, but her intended meaning was clear to all.
"Well, the points are already in my account. That much is undeniable, right?"
Amane shrugged.
Seeing how effortlessly Amane paid for things, the others couldn't help but believe her a little more.
Originally, Karuizawa had been casually browsing with Shinohara and Matsushita.
They ran into Amane and Wang Meiyu at the Palette entrance, who had just finished a movie and were about to buy drinks before continuing their shopping.
Amane generously treated them all to bubble tea, and so the group of five ended up exploring the shopping mall and snack street together.
Now, they were about to head back to the dorms.
"That's so nice. I wish something like that would happen to me." Shinohara said enviously.
"Satsuki, even if you encountered such an opportunity, I doubt you could seize it." Matsushita said, half-joking, half-serious.
"Ahhh, Chiaki!! Don't look down on me, hmph!"
Shinohara, thinking Matsushita was just teasing, put on an act of being offended.
Watching the two banter and play-fight, Amane and Karuizawa exchanged a smile.
Amane's was purely for amusement.
Karuizawa's held a touch of helplessness.
Originally, Shinohara and Karuizawa got along well.
But lately, Shinohara seemed intent on forming her own group, even poaching members from Karuizawa's circle.
This annoyed Karuizawa.
But her influence was limited, and she couldn't stop it. Compounded by her recent financial constraints, which prevented her from strengthening bonds through social spending, she was quite troubled.
However, Amane's appearance now gave her an idea.
"Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could all relax and enjoy campus life together like this every day?"
Karuizawa began with a classic negotiation tactic, speaking indirectly.
The preamble was all filler.
The key word was only one:
"we."
"I really enjoy this kind of life too. But no pain, no gain. Without points, it's hard to get by on campus."
Amane slightly narrowed her eyes.
Her response to Karuizawa was "gain."
Seemingly an ordinary remark, its underlying meaning was actually:
Karuizawa had opened with an invitation for Amane to join her group.
Amane indicated she could join and was willing to pay a certain price—points.
But she wanted to know what she would gain in return for joining.
Karuizawa felt a headache coming on. In her current state, she had nothing to offer. Facing someone as capable as Amane, she simply couldn't provide a reward attractive enough to sway her.
But the return Amane wanted wasn't something as mundane as points.
It was Karuizawa Kei herself.
--+--
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.