"The last straw, is it?"
Subaru's finger, which had been tapping against the desktop, stopped.
It was getting a little interesting.
This was far more amusing than those carefully woven lies or pitiful pleas.
"In other words, Karuizawa-san."
Subaru's voice carried a hint of elusive meaning as he spoke, "Is this considered your desperate gamble in a hopeless situation?"
"A desperate gamble..."
Kei Karuizawa felt somewhat uncomfortable under Subaru's gaze, but the frankness she had just mustered did not recede.
"I suppose it counts."
"However, compared to a desperate gamble, it's probably more about unwillingness."
"Carrying this unwillingness, I myself felt it was inexplicable that I ran to your dormitory door, Natsuki-kun."
"Even though you weren't in the dorm, Natsuki-kun, I stubbornly waited until you returned..."
Looking at Subaru, Kei frankly voiced the thoughts within her heart.
By facing her own true inner thoughts directly, Kei obtained more opportunities here with Subaru.
"Unwillingness, is it?"
The corners of Subaru's mouth curved up into an extremely minute arc.
This arc was very faint, but it made Kei, whose attention had been fixed on Subaru, pause slightly. Because this smile was completely different from the kind of smile usually on Subaru's face.
It felt somewhat... from the heart.
"That's right."
"Natsuki-kun, it is just unwillingness."
Kei sat on the edge of this bed that was somewhat unfamiliar to her.
A pair of calves wrapped in black over-the-knee socks, possessing beautiful lines, extended from under her skirt, hanging in the air between the bed edge and the floor, swinging gently and unconsciously with small movements.
This action carried a girlish casualness inconsistent with her current status, and even... a little bit of unwitting relaxation.
'Ah, I just said it all like that.'
'What on earth am I thinking? I'll probably be expelled next...'
'Even though I finally managed to walk out of my previous state with such difficulty.'
Kei slightly lowered her head, looking at her unconsciously swinging toes, and let out a soft sigh in her mind.
Those worries rotting at the bottom of her heart, which she hadn't even fully revealed to Yosuke Hirata.
Those nightmares about bullying, the exhaustion of disguising herself, the matter of grasping at the last life-saving straw... she had just dumped it all out in one go to the most dangerous and elusive person in this class.
Strangely, according to Kei's own thoughts, she should be extremely terrified right now.
Back when she told Yosuke Hirata these things, her heart had almost beaten out of her chest.
She was terrified of misjudging Hirata, leading herself to fall into that situation from middle school once again.
However, the anticipated emotions of terror and regret did not surge forth. Instead, a calmness she had never experienced before appeared deep in Kei's heart, just like the feeling of collapsing after finishing a long marathon.
Although exhausted, at least she didn't have to desperately move her legs anymore.
'What a pity.'
'Although I'm in a bit of a predicament regarding personal points, I still really like this academy...'
Let it end like this...
Kei thought to herself.
Next, whether she received a charitable handout of pity, or the anticipated cold rejection, or even an ending like Haruki Yamauchi's, Kei could accept it all...
"In that case..."
Subaru's right hand reached into the pocket of his school uniform. His fingertips touched the silver commemorative coin he carried with him, and he took it out of his pocket.
Then, Subaru's wrist flicked lightly.
The commemorative coin traced an arc and landed precisely on Kei's knees, which were pressed together.
"Eh?"
Kei looked at the commemorative coin on her legs, somewhat failing to react.
She completely couldn't understand what Subaru was doing by tossing a coin onto her at a time like this.
"Karuizawa-san."
"Based on the unwillingness in your heart, you decided to come to me in the end for a final desperate gamble..."
Looking at Kei, Subaru smiled gently. "Then, let luck decide. Let's determine just how tough this straw is that you've grasped at the very end, Karuizawa-san."
Toss a coin?
Did he mean to decide her final outcome through the result of a coin toss?
Kei couldn't quite understand the meaning Subaru wanted to convey, but having reached this point, she didn't want to think too much anymore. She simply picked up the commemorative coin from her knees.
Almost without any hesitation, Kei mimicked Subaru's action from just now and tossed the coin up.
The silver commemorative coin tumbled in the air and finally fell.
Because Kei was sitting on Subaru's bed, the coin toss was also directed toward the bed, so the final result came very quickly.
Under the illumination of the lights, the silver commemorative coin emitted a faint glow on the bed.
It was the side with the pattern.
"It's the side with the pattern."
"Natsuki-kun, I wonder what my luck is like?"
Kei simply didn't know which side Subaru had wanted her to toss.
In fact, Kei didn't even ask how many personal points Subaru would lend her if she really tossed the desired side.
And currently, there were no emotions of nervousness or apprehension; instead, she was very much letting nature take its course.
"Karuizawa-san, your luck seems not bad."
Subaru's gaze paused slightly on the commemorative coin, and then he looked at Kei.
From the very beginning, the result of the coin toss wasn't important. What was truly important was Kei's performance after the result came out.
Currently speaking, Subaru was relatively satisfied with Kei's performance.
It couldn't be said that she had the potential to become a genuine article like Hiyori Shiina or Kikyo Kushida, but to be able to finally speak frankly about that nightmare-like experience in her heart to him—a person she had almost no relationship with—and with a frank expression...
Kei's performance was distinct enough to draw a line between her and ordinary fakes.
The future is promising.
Hmm, for now, let's assign her to Suzune Horikita's table; she is in the same tier as Horikita.
If she can thoroughly face herself squarely and no longer be trapped in the memories of the past, then she can sit at the same table as the current Kikyo Kushida. As for whether she possesses the possibility of becoming a genuine existence, of possessing her own color...
It exists, but the probability is not high.
There is a high probability she will become an interesting fake.
This was already Subaru's highest evaluation of a fake. Kikyo Kushida was like this right now.
It was just that, for Kikyo Kushida, it was the starting point, while for Kei Karuizawa, it was the finish line.
"As a reward for the winner."
"Karuizawa-san, you may state your desired number now."
"No matter how many personal points, it's no problem."
Propping his chin slightly and looking at Kei, who seemed somewhat at a loss, Subaru smiled lightly.
. . . . . .
The following days were very calm.
The other three classes in the first year made no obvious movements.
Including Year 1, Class C, which had engaged in provocative behavior toward Subaru. Originally, Subaru thought that with the personality displayed by Kakeru Ryuen, he might be somewhat impatient to carry out further probing against him.
Unexpectedly, Ryuen had more patience than Subaru imagined.
Year 1, Class D, on the other hand, was slightly turbulent for a period of time because Haruki Yamauchi's expulsion resulted in absolutely no personal point income. However, Subaru's battle record was displayed right there.
The massive amount of personal points also rested with Subaru.
Feeling that they completely had no way to deal with Subaru, and not daring to really act like Haruki Yamauchi and prickle against him, everyone in Year 1, Class D soon accepted the result of having no personal points credited.
At worst, it was just eating the unpalatable mountain vegetable set meals every day.
Anyway, it didn't cost money, and usually using the student terminal to browse the web for entertainment was also free; no internet fees were required.
They had gotten through May like this, so June would just be the same old routine. They had adapted.
Airi Sakura's side saw a small situation arise. Because Sakura no longer lent money to others, she was not as popular as she had been in May.
To some extent, she even faced a backlash.
Although due to the unclear relationship between Subaru and Sakura, no one dared to really do anything to her, things like cold violence were still no problem.
Sakura reverted to her previous situation of being somewhat of an invisible person.
Regarding this, Sakura didn't have any special feelings. In fact, compared to her initial self, Sakura became very composed instead.
Moreover, it wasn't that Sakura didn't have her own harvest.
By exchanging sincerity for sincerity, Sakura made her first friend in the class, Haruka Hasebe.
A girl who had good looks and a good figure, and appeared somewhat heroic.
Kei Karuizawa, meanwhile, looked not much different from usual. She was still that head gal who stirred up wind and rain in Year 1, Class D, revealing her sharp edge.
It was just that, ever since that day she went to borrow personal points from Subaru, Kei had undergone some changes.
She no longer worried about Yosuke Hirata's changes.
Nor did she have that obsession with the gal persona anymore; instead, she was slightly more frank.
Being able to do things that were obviously somewhat inconsistent with a gal persona under the gaze of others... she had become more down-to-earth.
"Kei-chan."
In the classroom.
Maya Sato looked at Kei and asked with some curiosity on her face, "I feel like Kei-chan has changed a bit recently."
As Kei's close friend, Sato's sense of Kei's subtle changes was the most obvious.
"Eh?"
"Have I?"
Hearing Sato's words, Kei was slightly stunned, then smiled. "What change could I have?"
"I just feel like Kei-chan is much more confident than before."
Thinking seriously for a moment, the academically unremarkable Sato didn't know how to describe Kei's changes, so she tried hard to describe it: "It just feels like you're 'cooler' than before!"
"'Cooler' than before?"
"Maya, you're the only one who uses adjectives like that."
Kei smiled lightly at Sato's somewhat intensely inquisitive gaze.
"That's just how it feels!"
Sato sat directly on the seat in front of Kei, turned around, propped her chin with both hands, and stared carefully at Kei, saying, "Although Kei-chan was also very imposing before, I feel the current Kei-chan is a bit more real."
"Yesterday, Kei-chan, you actually said something like 'No more personal points, have to use them sparingly' while eating the veggie meal."
"Also, also... there's that..."
Saying this, Sato imitated Kei's tone from yesterday.
Although the tone carried some embarrassed emotions, it was very frank and direct.
"Maya."
"I didn't expect my own changes to be so obvious."
Looking at the somewhat enthusiastic Sato, Kei smiled helplessly.
"You observe too carefully."
"Because I'm good friends with Kei-chan!"
Hearing Kei's words, Sato felt somewhat self-righteous.
However, saying so, Sato still breathed a slight sigh of relief. Perhaps Kei hadn't noticed it herself, but Sato and another good friend, Satsuki Shinohara, had noticed.
Kei liked to tough it out in many matters.
Previously, Sato and Shinohara had discussed this matter privately and were somewhat worried.
If there were enough personal points every month, this wouldn't be too big of a problem for Kei. The problem appeared now that there was no personal point income every month.
Under such circumstances, Kei still toughed it out, wanting to maintain the so-called dignity of a gal.
This was somewhat torturous.
Now, seeing that Kei seemed to have looked past it somewhat, she breathed a sigh of relief.
"So, Kei-chan~"
"What exactly happened~"
Sato leaned in a bit closer, lowered her voice, and with eyes twinkling with gossip and sincere light, said, "I feel like you've been much more relaxed recently, Kei-chan. Is there some new progress with Hirata-kun?"
"Or is it... that you encountered some other good thing?"
"It's not as exaggerated as you say, Maya."
"Hirata and I haven't had any progress recently; it's still about the same as usual."
Saying this, Kei glanced at Yosuke Hirata not far away.
Hirata had not walked out of the shadow of Haruki Yamauchi's expulsion as time passed. He was still as reticent as ever and had almost ceased fulfilling the duties of the class representative.
Now it was Kikyo Kushida who was fulfilling the duties of the class representative in place of Hirata.
It was just that, with the passage of time, most people in Year 1, Class D had also gradually adapted to Hirata's silence.
After adapting, they didn't care much anymore. Since Year 1, Class D was already like this, it was just the same with or without Hirata's leadership.
If there were no points, there were no points.
At worst, the food they ate every day was a bit unpalatable. Even if the daily necessities were free, their quality was still decent.
The student terminals just couldn't contact or send messages to the outside world; mobile games and surfing the internet were all permitted.
Basically everyone had accepted this reality.
____
New Story: Starting from Their Seventeen Years Old
🔥We're handing out that '30% bonus' that makes your wallet smile. 😄
✅ Get immediate access to 40 early chapters for all stories.
✅ Enjoy exclusive material and special announcements!
Help us unlock these community rewards:
🎯 200 Powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter for everyone
🚀 140 MEMBERS = +5 extra chapters across ALL STORIES!
👻 P - Walnutchan