Classroom of the Elite: Alter - Solace

I stared at my phone and saw "298,139 pr" displayed on the screen. I'm not that much of a spender, but I don't really try to save my private points unless I have a clear purpose for doing so. I started to wonder how the others were doing with their financial situation.

I exited the application and looked through my contacts. I called for someone who more or less knows everything about it. He instantly picked up the moment it rang.

"Hello, Ayanokouji-kun?"

"Hey, how's that going?"

"Ahh, did you call to ask about the current state of our financial affairs?"

"Yep, I'm curious about your progress."

"Well, don't worry. Professor and I have been religiously keeping track of everything. We've even calculated the theoretical value for the month of September. Of course, we've included the rewards for the Zodiac Exam."

"As expected of you. So, how much do we have in store?"

"2,600,000 private points."

"No one skipped out on their monthly quotas then."

"Yes, and after the meeting yesterday, I decided to consult every single one of our 'investors' about their supposed contributions. They've all agreed upon a certain consensus."

"How much would we have after including the rewards?"

"4,220,000 private points. Because of our increase in class points, I've also suggested raising the monthly investment by 10,000."

"Did they all agree?"

"Fortunately, yes."

"Then, in September..."

"4,870,000 private points, at best." I could hear him snort proudly. "That said, Ayanokouji-kun... Wouldn't you consider asking at least some of the girls to keep their money with us, too?"

"Not now. The fewer people who know, the more useful this will become in the future."

"I understand."

"Do any of the guys know that this was my idea?"

"Of course not. I'll be taking that detail to the grave, so you don't have to worry."

"I see. That's all I needed to know for now."

"Is that so? Do come by whenever we hold some game sessions. I also have a few new light novel recommendations for you."

"Really? That would be great. I'll be there whenever. Thanks."

"It's no problem."

And that's where we ended the call. Because of our connection as friends, there was no need for covert ideas like deleting our call histories or anything. Any of our calls could just be dismissed as friendly talks about manga or light novels. And of course, a low-key person like him would hardly raise suspicion from anyone inside or outside the class. That's precisely why I chose him for this role.

Now, I just have to think about how I could get him and Horikita to cooperate with each other.

In conjunction with that topic, I decided to read all the remaining volumes that I hadn't finished from a couple of series that he and Professor had recommended. I spent the entire day hauled up inside my room.

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During the next day, I arrived before Inogashira's door in the morning, around 9 AM. Knowing her, it's safe to say that she's already awake around this time.

Luckily, there were no girls in the hallways of the 12th floor, but before I could ring Inogashira's room doorbell, another boy could be seen approaching in my direction.

"Ah, Ayanokouji?"

"Renbutsu?" It was Renbutsu Kouta, a boy from Ichinose's Class C. "Ahh... You're both from the sewing club, so I guess the two of you would be good friends."

"Yeah, we were in the same group during the Zodiac Exam as well," he replied with a smile. "I didn't know you were close with Kokoro-chan." 

They're on a first-name basis, huh? It's surprising based on Inogashira's nature, but Renbutsu is a really friendly guy, so closing the distance with her wouldn't be too hard for him.

"She's one of Kikyou's best friends, so I guess it was natural for us to be good on terms, as well."

At that moment, Renbutsu and I were finally shoulder-to-shoulder in front of her door.

"The two of us had the same idea then. I can't possibly attend her little get-together with the girls, so I came by to give my gift in the morning," he said.

"Yeah, I don't think I have the guts to do that."

*Ding Dong*

The door opened only a few seconds after I rang the bell.

"Ayanokouji-kun... and Kouta-kun...?" Inogashira opened up for us and immediately blushed in embarrassment and surprise.

She wore a white summer parka paired with a gray t-shirt tucked into her oxford blue knee-length skirt. It was a very refreshing look to her usual clothing style.

"Yo~," waved Renbutsu. "Happy birthday, Kokoro-chan. We're here to give you gifts."

"Happy birthday. Sorry for barging in so early."

"A-Ah, no, no! Please, come in." Inogashira suddenly came to her senses and frantically gave us some reception.

Renbutsu and I sat on the carpeted floor with the comfort of some cushions.

"You could've given me a call, you know? I was really surprised after seeing the two of you outside my door." Inogashira gently served each of us a cup of tea.

I didn't really intend to look around like a little kid in an amusement park, but I was really amazed by Inogashira's room. Her simple yet feminine decorating style was quite comforting. It's quite similar to Airi's room in that regard.

"It wouldn't be a surprise if that was the case, right, Ayanokouji?" Renbutsu nudged me with a grin.

"Yeah." I grabbed the cute paper bag containing my gift. "Here you go, Inogashira. I hope you like it."

"Can I open it?" she asked right after receiving the said gift.

"Sure."

"Oh! A lip balm! Thank you very much for this, Ayanokouji-kun!" Her smile felt warm and genuine, making me think about how glad I was for buying her a gift. 

"Ah, here's mine. It's the sewing kit that you've been talking about." Renbutsu gave his own gift with a grin.

"Eh?! Did you seriously get that?!" Inogashira quickly opened Renbutsu's gift-wrapped present and received an elaborately designed sewing toolkit. "I-It really is the real thing... K-K-Kouta-kun... Isn't this super expensive...?"

"I'm not really a spender so I have lots of points to spare..." Renbutsu scratched his head with a bitter smile. "And admittedly... I didn't know what else to get."

After hearing about Renbutsu's reason for buying such an extravagant gift, I thanked Kikyou in my mind. Her help was really invaluable in choosing a great yet humbly-priced gift.

"Are you sure about giving me something like this...? You can use it for yourself too, you know?"

"It's fine, really! Unless of course, if you're not happy with it."

"No, no! I'm really, really happy and grateful for this, Kouta-kun... Thank you..." Inogashira gazed at the gift with a warmer yet gentler smile.

Now, this is quite an atmosphere. It seems like they're really good friends.

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"Thanks for the tea, Kokoro-chan. We'll be going ahead now. Enjoy your party later!"

"I'm not having a party, okay? We're just going to hang out."

I don't really know enough about the technicalities between hangouts and parties to be able to distinguish them, so I refrained from commenting.

"Have fun," I said, simply.

"Thank you very much, you two... This really means a lot to me."

Inogashira was a precious girl. She didn't have any other sides to her, unlike Kikyou. That's probably why she can never bring herself to say anything bad about her. Seeing Inogashira's grateful smile made my chest feel warm. It's probably what Kikyou and others feel whenever they're with her.

"It's no problem~! We're friends, after all." Renbutsu gave her a thumbs-up.

I nodded, following his thoughts.

When Renbutsu and I left the girls' area, the two of us had some casual talk. I haven't really hung out with anyone from Class C, so it's great to catch up with what they've been up to.

"Kushida-san hung out with Yaegashi and the others a few days ago. I'm sure some of the guys from our class wanna hang out with you, too."

"I see... I still lack the confidence to invite anyone, but I'll be on the lookout for any calls from them." I took this chance to confirm something. "Speaking of which, I noticed that Class C had become friendlier with the students from other classes. I saw Maeda and Abe hanging out with Demura and Rakuyama the other day. Were they always close with each other?"

Maeda and Abe were guys from Ichinose's class. They were usually wary of Ryuuen's class given what happened earlier this year, but the fact that they're on friendly terms with Demura and Rakuyama from Class D says something.

"Ahh, them. Well, I think they only became buddies after the Zodiac Exam. That seems to be the case with most people in our class. I also got closer with some guys from Class A— or rather, Class B."

Of course, I already knew that those guys were involved with each other because of the Zodiac Exam, but I wasn't sure whether they were already friends before that. After validating my hypothesis, it's safe to conclude that Ichinose's plan succeeded, albeit partially.

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After returning to my room, I contacted Horikita with regard to the transactions.

"Hello, Ayanokouji-kun?"

"Horikita, is it alright if I help with distributing the points to the class?"

"That's sudden. Why did you decide to tell me now?"

"I was actually talking to some of the guys about their money. That's when I got curious about each of our classmate's private point count."

"In other words, a whim?"

"Hmm... Well, yeah, basically." This might inconvenience her or Hirata, so I should at least offer some benefits. "But don't worry. I'll try to give some advice if there's a need for it."

It was a little bit arrogant and self-important, but Horikita should know what I was trying to say.

"Okay, but, how exactly would you like to help?"

"Anything will do, but if the role of the person transferring the money is available, then I'd take that position. That way, I could clearly see how many points each of them has."

"Alright, that's not really a problem. I've been with you enough to know that you probably won't do anything dodgy."

"Thanks for the trust. But keep backup personnel for that position. I might get lazy and decide not to do it."

"Goodness. I don't know what's more impressive— your curiosity or your laziness? But fine, as long as your whims aren't a detriment," she sighed. "May I ask why you got curious about everyone's financial situation?"

"The class meeting got pretty wild last time, remember?"

"All thanks to Karuizawa-san, I guess."

"Well, that got me thinking. We have more than enough monthly allowance to live comfortably, but some are still unsatisfied with what they have. It's not like they still have a need to save up 20 million private points to change classes since we're already Class A."

Of course, we're not guaranteed to keep this position permanently, so they might be thinking about that.

"I see. You wanted to keep an eye on anyone who's running low on points?"

"Yep, but I have other motives. For example, Ike and his friends are spenders, so seeing them with only over a hundred thousand points would make sense. It's the same with Professor, who spends a lot of money to upgrade his devices, or Karuizawa's group, who likes to buy things related to fashion," I explained. "But what if it's someone like Kikuchi or Nishimura?"

"Well, they are known to be level-headed individuals with a lot of self-control. If they're running low on points, then their spending might raise some suspicions."

"Exactly."

Horikita sighed once again.

"You say that you're done helping the class, but if your whims would allow us to investigate things like these, then I'd have no reason to decline."

"Thanks again."

"You're welcome."

Presented with a genuine reason to help, Horikita would obviously comply. And with that, I've successfully managed to set up a bridge of cooperation between him and Horikita. Well, that and one other thing.