COTE : Backed By Black Technology System

After seeing Katsuragi enter the school, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka planned to leave, but Kanda Shuichi immediately put his arm around Ayanokouji's shoulder to stop him.

"Wait."

"What are you doing? We can't enter the school in casual clothes, right?"

Ayanokouji looked at Kanda Shuichi with a blank expression.

"Hmph! Is that even a problem?"

Kanda Shuichi snorted and pointed his thumb behind him.

There was a shop near the school gate that sold items related to students—school uniforms.

There were several types of school uniforms. Katsuragi wore a long-sleeved red blazer, while Horikita Manabu and others wore short-sleeved summer uniforms.

However, summer uniforms were quite expensive, and most students from Class D couldn't afford them.

Kanda Shuichi had one, but he didn't wear it today.

Now, to enter the school, Kanda Shuichi planned to buy another set. It was just a small expense.

"Are you planning to buy a uniform now and go to school?"

"Isn't it obvious? For girls, the clothes might need to be custom-made, but for boys, they should have all sizes. We might find ones that fit us."

Usually, students reported their measurements and waited for custom-made uniforms.

But there were emergencies, like when clothes were damaged beyond repair.

Without a uniform, students couldn't attend school, and missing school would cost class points. To avoid this, ready-made uniforms were sold.

Ayanokouji, who planned to go shopping, had to follow Kanda Shuichi to the school uniform store.

Luckily, they quickly found the right sizes.

When they were about to choose pants, they saw Katsuragi leaving the school with the same shopping bag.

Well, no need to buy uniforms now. Katsuragi didn't deliver the gift.

Although they didn't choose pants, they paid for the short-sleeved shirts.

Ayanokouji earned 50,000 points for participating in the base capture on the deserted island, so he had enough points.

Considering Tokyo's weather, it wouldn't cool down even in September, so having summer uniforms would be convenient.

He didn't want to be as brave as Katsuragi.

As a Class A student, Katsuragi should have enough money for summer uniforms. Why was he so frugal?

They followed Katsuragi again, each carrying a bag with summer uniforms.

Katsuragi's destination was the same store where Kanda Shuichi bought the panda plush yesterday.

Seeing Katsuragi enter the store, Kanda Shuichi followed and saw Katsuragi in a similar spot as yesterday.

"Hey, Katsuragi, we meet again. Didn't you deliver your gift?"

Kanda Shuichi got straight to the point and asked Katsuragi about the gift.

But this immediately made Katsuragi wary: "How do you know I didn't give the gift?"

"Ayanokouji and I went to buy summer uniforms, and we saw you carrying a shopping bag into the school and then coming out again."

He even raised his hand to show the paper shopping bag with the uniform.

I see, Katsuragi nodded without suspicion, as he didn't think anyone would buy an expensive summer uniform just to follow him. That's not how you spend money.

Looking at Katsuragi, Kanda Shuichi hesitated for a moment and then said, "Katsuragi, Actually I support you."

Huh?

Katsuragi was confused. Support? What are you talking about?

"Even if you like someone older than you, it's understandable." Seeing Katsuragi not responding, Kanda Shuichi continued, "But a student-teacher relationship is too taboo. If the school finds out, not only will you be expelled, but the teacher you like will probably be fired..."

"Please wait a moment!"

Kanda Shuichi was about to continue persuading when Katsuragi immediately stopped him with a serious expression.

"What are you talking about? A student-teacher relationship? Who are you talking about?"

This accusation was something Katsuragi couldn't bear.

So, because it's summer vacation and there are no exams, I let my guard down?

Is Kanda Shuichi trying to use this false accusation to get me expelled?

Katsuragi's stern tone made Kanda Shuichi pause. Huh? It's not?

Then Kanda Shuichi instinctively looked at Ayanokouji.

Ayanokouji quickly shook his head, not knowing what to say.

"Uh, sorry, I guess I misunderstood. I saw you went to the school, and the only ones there should be the teachers on duty, right?"

Even if it was unintentional, accusing someone of a student-teacher relationship is not good, so Kanda Shuichi chose to apologize and explained himself.

Seeing Kanda Shuichi's sincere expression, Katsuragi sighed and didn't pursue it further.

Because Kanda Shuichi had deliberately lowered his voice earlier, it was clear he didn't want others to hear about this.

"I just had some personal matters, so I went to the school."

At this point, Katsuragi felt it was necessary to explain. This person always seemed to act unexpectedly, so maybe he could help.

"Personal matters?"

Katsuragi nodded and then looked at the school through the store's glass door.

"Have you ever thought about the disadvantages of staying at this school?"

"Disadvantages?"

Kanda Shuichi frowned and touched his chin, not thinking of any obvious disadvantages.

"Yes. The disadvantages are not the class differences, but something that affects all students equally."

But even with Katsuragi's hint, Kanda Shuichi still couldn't figure it out. He looked over at Ayanokouji, who was also deep in thought.

"It seems you don't get it. I'm talking about 'not being able to contact the outside world.'"

This surprised Kanda Shuichi because he didn't see it as a flaw. For him, it was more of an advantage.

Then he noticed that Ayanokouji seemed to think the same way. Does this guy also think like that?

"Don't you want to contact your parents or siblings?"

"My parents passed away shortly before I enrolled. I have a sister I've never met, but she should be well taken care of."

The Kanda family is quite powerful. Since the head of the family promised to take care of his unknown sister, she shouldn't have a hard life.

Kanda Shuichi's words made Katsuragi pause. Why does this scene feel so familiar?

"I see, that makes sense."

Katsuragi nodded but didn't see any sadness on Kanda Shuichi's face.

Is it because his parents' death made him more mature?

"Actually, our situations are quite similar," Katsuragi seemed to empathize. "My parents died when I was very young. My twin sister and I were taken in by our uncle."

Then Kanda Shuichi and Katsuragi both turned to look at Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.

"Why are you looking at me?"

"We both shared our family stories. Don't you think you should say something?"

"I've never met my mother, but my father is still alive."

Wow, three families and not one complete set of parents. How sad.

"I see, so this gift is for your sister?"

Kanda Shuichi ignored Ayanokouji and brought the topic back.

"Yes, my sister is different from me. She's been weak and sickly since childhood. With our parents and grandparents gone, she's now cared for by relatives. We used to celebrate her birthday together, but this year I can't be with her." Katsuragi looked at the shopping bag in his hand.

I see, so that's the answer.

"You're not asking a teacher to mail the gift for you, are you?"

If he wanted to meet a teacher, he could just make an appointment. If mailing the gift failed, Katsuragi wouldn't go to school two days in a row, so...

"Yes, I went to the student council, but I haven't been able to meet the president these past two days."

"The student council room is being renovated. They haven't been there these days."

"How do you know that?"

Katsuragi was surprised.

"Because I ran into Horikita Manabu, the student council president, and Secretary today."

"Are you acquaintances with them?"

"Sort of. In the afternoon, they should be there. If you want to see him, I can take you to the student council room as an apology for my previous mistake."

Kanda Shuichi said this because earlier, Tachibana Akane had sent a message asking him to go to the student council in the afternoon, probably to assign him a desk.

"Don't worry about the past. Thank you."

After some conversation, Katsuragi felt that Kanda Shuichi seemed like a good person, completely forgetting that Kanda Shuichi had once caused Class A to lose 200 points by falsely accusing Horikita Manabu.

After agreeing to meet Katsuragi at 4 PM, they parted ways.

Kanda Shuichi and Ayanokouji went to the shopping mall to eat, while Katsuragi seemed to plan to take the gift back to his dorm first.

"Are you coming in the afternoon?"

On the way back after eating, Kanda Shuichi invited Ayanokouji.

"No, I have to report to Ike and the others."

...

Are you still pretending to be a fool?

"I'm going to check out that store again. Do you want to come?"

That store was the one they had visited in the past two days, suitable for picking gifts for girls.

"I didn't expect you to be interested in those things."

Kanda Shuichi looked disdainful.

"I just haven't seen them before, and didn't you buy a panda plush yesterday?"

"That was for a gift. You don't have any female friends to give gifts to, right?"

"Your words are really hurtful."

Ayanokouji was speechless.

"Aren't they true?"

Ayanokouji didn't continue this embarrassing topic and silently walked into the store to broaden his horizons.

Boring!

After returning to his dorm, Kanda Shuichi took a shower and then had a nap. After waking up, he read a novel for a while and then changed into his summer uniform to go out.

Around 4 PM, Kanda Shuichi left his room and went to the dorm lobby to meet Katsuragi.

When he saw Katsuragi, he was still wearing that hot-looking uniform.

"Aren't you going to buy a summer uniform? Although it's expensive, it shouldn't be a problem for you."

Class A only dropped this month, which means they had at least 80,000 points per month for the past five months. Kanda Shuichi didn't think Katsuragi couldn't afford a summer uniform.

"I just want to save more personal points. There are many exams in the future, and I might need them."

Kanda Shuichi shook his head. "Let's go. I just confirmed with President Horikita that he's in the student council office now."

"Thank you, Kanda."

"You're welcome. This is my apology for my rudeness."

So, Kanda Shuichi and Katsuragi headed to the school together.

"Kanda, are you interested in joining Class A?"

While walking, Katsuragi seemed to find the silence awkward, so he started a conversation with a surprising question.

"I don't want to be Sakayanagi's dog." Kanda Shuichi laughed. "Sorry, I didn't mean you."

Katsuragi shook his head, not caring at all about what Kanda Shuichi said, and even openly talked about it.

"You're right. Starting next semester, most of the students in the class will become her followers. But in terms of strength, she is indeed stronger than me. Even if I use all my strength in the class competition, I am still at a disadvantage."

"That's why, knowing that Sakayanagi is very strong, I teamed up with Ryuen to hit you hard before you fully united. I hope you don't think we are taking advantage of the situation."

Kanda Shuichi didn't avoid the topic even in front of the person involved.

"Of course not. If it were me, I would choose the same strategy."

Katsuragi was not a stubborn person. He could also use the tactic of taking advantage of someone's weakness.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have risked losing fifty initial points on the deserted island to guess the leader of Class D.

Didn't he know that Class D might be using a diversion?

Of course, he knew, but Class D had already gained too many temporary points at that time.

He was cautious, not stupid. He dared to risk fifty points to win hundreds of points. However, the failure on the deserted island made him completely lose credibility in the class.

During the preferential exam, he couldn't even find out the list of preferential students in the class.

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