Houtarou: "..."
To be fair, the shop plan was indeed a scam. It was also clear that Mio had been a spy, deliberately placed in Class B.
Though Honami's suspicions were correct, these weren't things that could be spoken aloud.
Despite his newfound wealth, Houtarou wanted to protect his reputation — especially after Honami had helped him in the library and even helped resolve his emotional troubles. The last thing he wanted was for her opinion of him to decline.
But now she was gazing at him with those pitiful eyes, like an abandoned puppy.
"This is Ryūen's brainwashing." Houtarou said in a low voice, "He's lost to me several times, so his class's morale has suffered. He needed to create a common enemy — it's a quick way to unite people. Very beneficial for the class.
His class needs to study now, but that's challenging for them. They needed someone to focus their frustrations on."
"So... Oreki-kun, you think Ryūen has made you his imaginary enemy?" Honami nodded slightly.
"Yes!" Houtarou nodded.
She might already harbor some doubts about him, and continued exposure to Kakeru's words would only erode her trust further.
What an unnecessary mess...
So Houtarou activated the recorder on his phone, set it aside, then took Honami's hand and led her up the stairs.
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Ring! Ring!
The second school bell rang, signaling for students to clear out.
After packing his bag, Houtarou went to Honami's classroom. She was taking longer to pack up.
He understood why — she had to gather all the library books along with her textbooks, making her load considerably heavier.
"Mm, Oreki, you haven't left yet?"
After finishing up, Honami found him standing at her classroom door, facing the hallway with his back to her, as if waiting for someone.
Houtarou: "..."
Indeed, concerned that Kakeru's brainwashing might have influenced her, he had come to clarify things.
He said, "This school revolves around ability and points. When I saw the potential in Nagumo-senpai's milk tea shop, I developed the shop plan. However, he later blocked it because I would have had to pay for the usage rights. Also..."
Houtarou took out his phone and opened the transfer records between himself and Honami.
"I signed a loan agreement with students from your class. The terms were straightforward: For fundraising, members would invest 50,000 points in the first month, followed by 30,000 points monthly for six months. Starting from the third month, they would receive 15% monthly interest on their investment, with all principal returned by the twelfth month. They would also receive priority in future fundraising opportunities.
Second, the contract runs for twelve months. I've received a total of 2,550,000 points from your class — that's 750,000 plus four payments of 450,000. As promised, I've been paying the 15% monthly interest since the third month.
In other words, even though the shop didn't open, I've fulfilled the contract."
"Oh." Honami knew this, of course.
Starting from the second month, she had been responsible for collecting points from the fifteen participating classmates and transferring them to Houtarou each month.
And. She also saw his student ID information right before he opened the transfer records.
『Houtarou Oreki』
『Student ID: 1008610010』
『Class: First Year, Class A』
『Personal Account: ¤ 50,931,501 Pts』
The balance in his personal account was staggering.
Given that the shop never opened, it was unsettling that Houtarou had faithfully paid 15% interest for three consecutive months.
Still, his consistent payments over that period meant calling it a scam wasn't quite accurate.
Perhaps Kakeru's accusations were baseless?
"Oh." Honami nodded, appearing convinced.
But then she set her bag down and moved closer.
Houtarou stepped back. This moment echoed their library encounter, yet felt distinctly different.
Honami gently clasped his right hand in both of hers. Unlike the confession test, this was a simple gesture of holding hands — though the manner was unique.
The sensation reminded him of when future Suzune held his hand in that dream aboard the ship.
The unexpected warmth of her palm made his pulse quicken.
"Oreki-kun, you were hoping our Class B would cancel the contract voluntarily, like Ryūen's class, weren't you?" Honami asked, unaware of his thoughts about Suzune, "You wanted to keep all those points we'd invested, right?"
She gripped his hands, tilted her face upward, and gazed at him with imploring eyes. Her expression was like a silent plea, stirring guilt within him.
Honami... That's not playing fair.
She'd seen through his scheme, hadn't she?
Houtarou had no defense — the shop agreement had indeed been a trap. He'd meant to test how Class B and C representatives would respond. While Kakeru had been direct in his approach, Honami had chosen a more subtle path.
Since fifteen of her classmates stayed committed to the contract without terminating it, he had to continue paying out points. As time passed, they were the ones profiting from the arrangement.
He had plenty of points now, so he didn't mind the loss. If anything, it served as a good lesson.
As for the points he paid out, they weren't a concern. After all, Class B's students were like lambs — he could always find an opportunity to reclaim everything later.
Of course, expressing it that way would hurt people's feelings. And he wasn't just some greedy monster obsessed with money.
Meanwhile, he noticed Honami's determination to get the answer she wanted, once again wielding her charm as a weapon.
Though Kikyō had been good practice, this girl was in another league entirely — a true archangel. Her persuasive power was overwhelming.
"This..." Houtarou felt his resolve weakening.
"So, Oreki-kun, did you really want to keep that money for yourself?" Honami asked again, her eyes growing even more pleading.
This isn't fair at all.
Among the first-years, while Kikyō was cute, Suzune was stunning, and Airi was certainly beautiful, Honami was truly angelic. In any beauty ranking of their grade, she'd easily place in the top three.
Such a top-tier beauty — doesn't she realize she's being too powerful?
Houtarou realized that even thoughts of Kikyō's cuteness couldn't shield him anymore.
So...
"I really did want to keep it." Houtarou admitted, surrendering, "The shop agreement was... just a front. But Ichinose, you have to understand, there are no perfect good people in this world. If you want someone to act, you have to give them enough incentive."
"That's true." Honami said, "So during the island test, you really did deliberately send Ibuki over to me, didn't you?"
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