Silence stretches completely across the room.
A girl in the middle row tilts her head. A boy near the window lets out a sharp, confused snort. The students of Class B simply do not understand the request.
"Wait, buy a seat?" a boy asks, looking around at his neighbors. "Is he serious right now?"
"Maybe he just hates the back corner," a girl whispers loudly while covering her mouth. "Or maybe he just really hates sitting next to Amikura-san."
Several students giggle. The idea sounds completely absurd. Buying a desk assignment belongs to fantasy, not a government-funded high school.
Kanzaki Ryuji sits perfectly still in the center row. His dark eyes lock directly onto Renjiro.
Ichinose Honami mirrors that exact intensity from her own seat. Her usual warm, welcoming smile fades into a flat, highly focused stare.
The two of them do not laugh.
At the podium, Hoshinomiya rests her chin heavily on her palm. Her lazy, half-lidded eyes shift toward the back corner.
For a fraction of a second, the hungover haze completely vanishes.
A sharp, terrifyingly calculated smile cuts across her face. The skin around her eyes tightens and reveals a sharp predator hiding beneath a bubbly mask. It disappears instantly, replaced by her usual childish pout.
Renjiro catches that micro-expression. Cold air hits the back of his neck.
That was definitely not the face of a sleepy, innocent teacher.
"Well, actually..." Hoshinomiya drags out the syllables while tapping her fingernail against the wood.
Ichinose visibly swallows her saliva. Her throat bobs.
Hoshinomiya claps her hands together and beams. "You can!"
The classroom erupts into hushed, frantic whispers.
"Did she just say yes?"
"You can literally buy a desk?"
"What kind of school actually allows that?"
Hoshinomiya flips open a thin green folder on her podium. She runs a manicured finger down the printed class roster. She hums a cheerful little tune under her breath.
"Let me see," she announces in a lively, upbeat voice. "If you can give me exactly 100,001 points right here and now, you can transfer your seat to wherever you want, Yonezawa Renjiro-kun!"
Loud laughter echoes off the concrete walls. The strange tension breaks immediately.
"That means it's not allowed!" Shibata shouts with a big grin, leaning back in his chair. "Sensei, you really got us for a second!"
"She is totally messing with him," Chihiro whispers near the front, giggling behind her hands.
"The maximum allowance we have is only 100,000 points," a boy with glasses adds, shaking his head. "The price is literally 100,001. That is impossible."
The students chatter happily among themselves. Almost everyone treats the enormous price tag as a blatant, sarcastic joke.
*Desks are strictly not for sale.*
The homeroom teacher just found a very clever, funny way to deny the request.
But two people fail to laugh.
A yellow pencil slips right out of Kanzaki's fingers. It hits his wooden desk with a sharp, loud clatter and rolls onto the floor. He does not reach down to pick it up.
Ichinose sits with her mouth slightly open.
Both of them stare dead ahead, completely frozen in their seats.
Renjiro stares blankly at the chalkboard. "I do not have that amount of points, Sensei."
"Aww, too bad!" Hoshinomiya giggles, grabbing her pink folder. She stretches her arms high above her head and groans slightly as her back pops. "Okay, it's about time for your actual classes to start! Be good little students. I will take my leave now. Bye-bye!"
Hoshinomiya Chie slides the door open and waves playfully. Her hangover completely vanishes as she skips out into the hallway. The heavy wooden door clicks shut.
Renjiro looks to his left because something catches his attention.
Beside him, Mako is completely quiet.
Mako stares straight ahead at the empty podium. Her right hand rests flat against her uniform skirt, right beside her thigh. Her fingers curl tightly inward.
She clenches her fist hard enough to shake slightly.