-66- Can't hide anything

"I'm... I'm sorry..."

Sakura Airi seemed to be excessively shaken, covering up her shy nature, and hastily expressed to Hori.

"C-Can I take a look?"

At this point, Sakura Airi's voice already carried a hint of pleading.

The excessive reaction made Hori smile wryly.

"Sure, here you go."

Hori handed the digital camera to Sakura Airi.

"T-Thank you."

Sakura Airi took it immediately and began to operate the camera.

Compared to Hori, Sakura Airi's technique was obviously much more skilled. She pressed the power button several times, removed the battery, reinstalled it, and tried to power it on.

Unfortunately, Hori had also done the same thing but couldn't get the digital camera to work again.

Obviously, just doing this wouldn't make the digital camera start up smoothly.

Sakura Airi seemed to have noticed this too.

"The screen... didn't come on..."

Suddenly, Sakura Airi murmured as if struck.

Watching Sakura Airi like this, Hori's wry smile turned into a sigh.

Then, Hori said this.

"As you can see, this digital camera is damaged and needs repair. Sakura-san, if you know a lot about cameras, could you please recommend or tell me how to repair it?"

Hori's words successfully awakened Sakura Airi from her shock.

Sakura Airi then nervously spoke up.

"If... if you want to repair it, you can go to the electronics store in Keyaki Mall. The warranty period for this camera hasn't expired, so they should accept it for repairs."

That's really some understanding.

"I understand, let's do that." Hori reached out to Sakura Airi and said, "Can you give me the camera?"

"Um..." Sakura Airi's body trembled slightly, and her eyes under her glasses looked around timidly, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't find the words.

In the end, Sakura Airi reluctantly handed the camera to Hori with a mournful face.

"Thank you."

Hori felt amused and said nothing. After taking the camera, he stopped fussing with it and put it in his backpack.

During this process, Sakura Airi's gaze had been following the camera until it disappeared.

Even so, Sakura Airi seemed to want to say something to Hori several times but ultimately lacked the courage.

Hori took out a detective novel from his backpack and appeared to be reading it seriously, but he had been observing Sakura Airi's demeanor all along.

"Ding-dong..."

Until the bell for class rang, and after all the students returned to their seats, Sakura Airi seemed to have lost all her courage and strength, unable to say a word anymore, withdrew her gaze, lowered her head, and as usual, hunched in the corner, unnoticed by anyone.

For such a Sakura Airi, Hori only had one thought.

(She's really a girl who can't hide anything...)

However, compared to Kushida Kikyou, who could deceive everyone with a different facade, Sakura Airi was undoubtedly much more innocent and lovely.

As Hori thought so, Chabashira Sae also entered with textbooks from outside the door and began the class.

So, Hori shifted his attention to the podium.

Though, it might be a coincidence.

Hori always felt that before she entered the classroom, Chabashira Sae glanced in his direction.

What could that glance mean?

Hori only found out the next day.

As for this day, it passed uneventfully.

As the next day arrived with the advent of a new month, the atmosphere at Advanced Nurturing High School seemed livelier than usual.

Especially in the classroom of Class 1-D, this liveliness was more pronounced.

Inside the classroom, all the students were more restless and noisy than usual.

Not long after, the classroom door was opened.

"It seems like you're all very anxious."

With her usual calm voice, Chabashira Sae entered the classroom with a poster tube.

The entire Class D erupted into a sudden uproar.

"Chabashira-sensei!"

Ike Kanji was the first to stand up, speaking urgently.

"Does this mean our class still has zero points this month?"

It's no wonder Ike Kanji would say that.

Because, earlier in the morning, the entire Class 1-D had already confirmed their personal points balance and found that there were no personal points credited.

Doesn't that mean the class points have been deducted again?

"We worked so hard this month!"

"We even got through midterm exams!"

"But it's still zero!"

"Isn't this too much!?"

"We haven't been late, absent, or talked privately in class at all!"

Each student in the class was eager to express their opinion.

The greater the anticipation, the greater the disappointment.

The situation of no personal points credited made these students, who had been hoping for points this month, somewhat unable to control their emotions.

Only Chabashira Sae remained calm.

"Don't worry, what's yours will come to you."

While saying this coldly, Chabashira Sae continued.

"First, let me announce this month's class points."

After that, Chabashira Sae took out two white papers from the poster tube.

One indicated last month's class points.

The other indicated this month's class points.

Class A: 940.

Class B: 650.

Class C: 490.

Class D: 0.

These were the class points of the four classes in the first year last month.

Class A: 1004.

Class B: 663.

Class C: 492.

Class D: 87.

These were the class points of the four classes in the first year this month.

"Let me congratulate you all a little."

After posting the white paper on the blackboard, Chabashira Sae, unusually, praised them.

"All four classes in the first year have increased their class points after the midterm exams, including yours."

In other words, the class points for Class 1-D this month haven't been depleted and there's still some remaining.

—"87".

Even though it's considerably less compared to the other classes, it's finally not zero anymore.

"Alright!"

Led by Ike Kanji, including Yamauchi Haruki and Sudou Ken, the students in the class cheered one after another.

After so long, Class D finally has some income again.