This Is a Strategic Gambit

You really shouldn't. If you do that, those idiots in my class will hate me.

Kamuro Masumi might have been a delinquent, but Kamio Tatsuya had never said anything about her looks being bad.

She was an undeniably beautiful girl.

Besides, Kamuro would probably find out the class information before long. According to him, it would take her at most until tomorrow to come looking for him in class.

Then, because Kamio Tatsuya had hooked up with a beautiful girl from another class on the third day of school, those idiots in Class D would spread rumors about him, get jealous, and start hating him. They might even ostracize him.

That wouldn't be good.

Kamio Tatsuya was only human. He could ignore it, but nobody wanted to go to class every day under those resentful glares.

"I think adding each other as contacts would be a good idea, too."

Kamuro Masumi considered Kamio Tatsuya's suggestion, then nodded and pulled her phone out from under her skirt.

After exchanging contact information, the two parted ways.

That evening, Kamio Tatsuya received a message from Kamuro Masumi. Class A currently had two representatives appointed by their homeroom teacher, and she attached photos of them.

One was a frail, silver-haired girl who needed a cane to walk: Sakayanagi Arisu.

The other was a composed male student with neither hair nor eyebrows: Katsuragi Kouhei.

They were the same two people Kamio Tatsuya had met in the café on his first day at school.

After thinking it over, Kamio Tatsuya picked up his phone and messaged Kamuro Masumi again.

[Could you arrange a meeting with them for me? Tell them I have information to sell to Class A.]

[You sure know how to boss people around.]

Even through the screen, Kamio Tatsuya could practically see Kamuro Masumi's face, full of disdain.

A while later, Kamuro Masumi sent another message.

[Tomorrow after school. Meet in the library.]

[OK. I'll buy you a meal once this is done.]

After sending that, Kamio Tatsuya happily flopped onto his bed and got ready to sleep.

As soon as he arrived at school the next day, Horikita Suzune asked him a question.

"You said yesterday that if your information was wrong, you'd return all the Points to me, didn't you?"

"I did."

"Then please don't spend all the Points that belong to me."

With that, she picked up her textbook and got ready for class.

Wow. She really expected him to give them back.

So she didn't believe his information. Honestly.

He hoped she wouldn't be so stubborn when the school announced the same information.

After school the next day, Kamio Tatsuya packed up his things and went to the library.

Since school had only just started, the library in the First Year Teaching Building was nearly empty and very quiet.

Kamio Tatsuya picked a spot with a good view and sat down.

Before long, Kamuro Masumi arrived with Sakayanagi Arisu and Katsuragi Kouhei.

When they approached, Kamio Tatsuya stood to greet them.

"Hello. I'm Kamio Tatsuya from first-year Class D."

"Hello. I'm Katsuragi Kouhei from Class A."

"I'm Sakayanagi Arisu."

Kamuro Masumi didn't greet him. She simply sat down. After they made sure nobody was eavesdropping, they began talking.

"Let's get straight to the point. What information do you want to sell us?"

Katsuragi Kouhei spoke first, and his composed manner was just as steady as he appeared.

That made things easier.

"You've probably already realized there's something unusual about this school, right?"

"In what regard?" Katsuragi Kouhei asked, his expression unchanged. Sakayanagi Arisu sat quietly beside him, listening to their conversation.

Kamuro Masumi had no intention of joining in.

"I mean the hundred-percent graduation and university admission rates."

"Do you have some insight into that?"

"This next bit of information is free..."

Kamio Tatsuya then explained that only students graduating from Class A would enjoy certain privileges, and told them the basis on which the students had been divided into classes. However, he saw no surprise on their faces.

That meant they'd probably guessed it, too.

Kamio Tatsuya wasn't surprised. In fact, he'd expected as much.

"It seems you had your suspicions."

"That's right. I wasn't as certain as you, but I've noticed quite a few unusual things at school," Katsuragi Kouhei said. "So, unfortunately, this information isn't worth much to us."

Kamio Tatsuya shrugged to show he didn't mind.

"I told you. That information was a gift."

"Then what information do you want to sell us?" Katsuragi Kouhei pressed.

"Since you already know the four classes will be competing against one another, you must also realize they'll compete in some kind of event, right?"

It was obvious, so Katsuragi Kouhei naturally nodded.

"I can tell you with certainty that the school calls these competitions Special Exams. What I want to sell you is information about the first one."

The probing was over. Kamio Tatsuya got straight to the product he'd prepared.

Even so, Katsuragi Kouhei remained unmoved. Sakayanagi Arisu, however, looked at Kamio Tatsuya with interest.

Chapter 16: This Is an Open Scheme

Seeing that, Kamio Tatsuya stopped playing coy and told them what the first Special Exam would involve.

"In April, the school will hold a Behavioral Ethics Exam. Any student who acts in a way that's inappropriate for a student will cost their class Points. So far, I've only told the three of you."

Kamio Tatsuya then explained what Class Points were.

But Kamuro Masumi, who had been silent until then, stared at him in disbelief.

Weren't you trying to sell them information?

Shouldn't you negotiate a price first?

Why did you just tell them so easily?

Weren't you worried they wouldn't give you any Points?

As soon as he revealed the information, the usually composed Katsuragi Kouhei frowned.

He didn't think Kamio Tatsuya had revealed it thoughtlessly. He must have had some plan.

But before asking about that, there was something else he needed to know.

"How do you know this?"

Kamio Tatsuya smiled without answering.

At that moment, Sakayanagi Arisu, who had been watching him closely, suddenly applauded.

"What a brilliant open scheme, Kamio. So, how many Points are you planning to ask for this information?"

Kamio Tatsuya had been worried they wouldn't catch on, but now he broke into a satisfied smile.

Talking to smart people sure saved time.

"I'd love to say four million, but that would be a little unreasonable. So, all you need to give me is three million Private Points."

Kamio Tatsuya's actual asking price was two million Private Points. But that was how negotiations went: start high and bargain down. If he asked for the price he wanted right away, it would be hard to get it.

"No problem. I'll go raise the funds right away. I'm sure everyone in Class A will be willing to pay," Sakayanagi Arisu agreed without a moment's hesitation.

That left him speechless.

Damn, I asked for too little.

"Wait. What are you two talking about? He's already told us the information. Why do we still have to give him Points?"

Kamuro Masumi looked utterly confused.

By then, Katsuragi had caught on, too. He gave Kamio Tatsuya a long look, thinking that if the rules for class placement were true, someone like him shouldn't be in Class D at all.

"I agree to the deal, too. I'll give you the Points before school lets out on Friday."

Kamio Tatsuya smiled. "Then it's a deal. And please keep this transaction confidential."

"Of course."

Even after Kamio Tatsuya left, Kamuro Masumi was still confused.

Only then did Sakayanagi Arisu, who had come with her, explain.

"Kamuro, you must think Katsuragi and I have gone crazy, don't you?"

Kamuro Masumi opened her mouth. She didn't answer, but that was exactly what she thought.

"That three million isn't payment for information. It's hush money."

Hush money?

What was that supposed to mean?

"Do you think we'd lose a lot of Class Points if the Behavioral Ethics Exam were held in the first month, before Class A knew about it?"

Kamuro Masumi thought about it, then shook her head.

Class A's students had nothing that needed correcting. They paid attention in class, and nobody slept or chatted when they weren't supposed to.

They also didn't do anything inappropriate for students in their free time.

They were the model students.

"Then doesn't that mean his information is even more useless to us?"

"That's not how you should look at it, Kamuro." Sakayanagi Arisu looked delighted. "This information might not help us much, but it'll be very useful to Classes B and C."

When Kamuro Masumi still didn't understand, Sakayanagi Arisu continued explaining.

"Even without the information, Class A can still do its best. But the other classes are different.

"Leaving Class D aside, Classes B and C could lose at least a few hundred Points if they took the exam without knowing about it. If they learn this information, their overall ability means they'll be able to avoid losing those Points. Do you understand now?"

After hearing that much, Kamuro Masumi finally understood.

In short, Class A was paying three million Points to make sure Classes B and C lost those Points.

With the information in hand, Class A's students could even deliberately lead students from Classes B and C into breaking the rules, weakening them further.

By the same logic, weakening the enemy made you stronger. So if Class A wanted to take first place, it had to pay those three million.

Katsuragi and Sakayanagi had both come out on top even in Class A, so they would never underestimate the other classes. They both thought the three million was well worth it.

And if Class A didn't mind Kamio Tatsuya selling the information to Classes B and C, then Kamio Tatsuya didn't mind doing that, either.

The only result would be that, to save three million Points, they'd made two more enemies for themselves.

Then Kamuro Masumi thought of something.

"What about Class D?"

At that, Sakayanagi Arisu burst out laughing.