The next day, I walk into school as various people around me whisper while looking at me. Somehow, news of my victory must have leaked into the surrounding campus. I peek into my locker to find an orange envelope. I grab the envelope and notice it's from the student council. I open it to find a check worth 1.23 billion yen along with a handwritten note from Kirari:

"Hello, Kokoro Akari,

Congratulations on your victory yesterday. Please meet me in my office after school.

Regards,
Momobami Kirari"

I put the check and the note back into the envelope and into my backpack. During class, I keep checking the envelope to make sure the check is still there, to the suspicion of the classmates around me. Even during lunch, I make sure the envelope isn't more than five feet from me.

Mary notices this strange behavior. "What's in that envelope, Akari?"

"The check from the student council."

"That's awesome! Can I see?"

"Sorry, but I don't want others to see and get any weird ideas. I just want this day to be over so I can cash this in as soon as possible." This is the largest sum of money I've ever held in my hands. Even Sumeragi's check fails to surmount the wealth this check represents.

During lunch I see Nishinotouin, with her head down low. She is wearing a typical Hyakkaou uniform, to the spectacle of the other classmates. I've always seen Nishinotouin in her white and red kimono. Her club mates are around her, expressing the same countenance.

"Don't feel too bad," Mary tells me. "Remember how Nishinotouin stole over a billion yen from the people of Hyakkaou Academy. Now that that money is yours, I don't doubt that you'll use it for good."

Mary's kind encouragement lightens me up. Now that the council has approximately 2 billion in funds, we have enough money to take on some of the other student council members. I'm not sure how much Kirari is worth, but all I know is that her value far surpasses most, if not all of the other students, including me.

As the last class ends, I can't help but make sure the check is still in the envelope. Thankfully, it is. I head over to the student council office, where Kirari awaits me.