My friend, you're a true hero.
"Oh? Sure. I'd be happy to."
So Kamio Tatsuya and Ike exchanged contact information, and Kamio joined the group chat.
"By the way, your two friends aren't here."
"Oh, you mean Yamauchi and Sudo." While introducing Kamio Tatsuya to the group, Ike answered, "Sudo went to the Basketball Club, and Yamauchi said he wanted to check it out too, so he went with him."
"Why didn't you go?"
"I'm not good at sports." Ike finally finished typing his message. "Oh, right. Say hi to everyone in the group."
"Sure."
[I'm Kamio Tatsuya. Nice to meet you all.]
Only a few people replied. Well, maybe everyone was busy.
Back in his dorm room, Kamio Tatsuya began thinking about his plans.
They were actually pretty simple: sell the information he had for as high a price as possible.
That included both the true nature of the school and information about the first month's Special Exam—the Behavioral Ethics Exam.
There were two pieces of information, and to sell the second one for a high price, he first had to sell the first.
So the first piece of information wasn't worth all that much. That was why he'd sold it to Horikita Suzune so easily, even hoping she'd spread it around.
As for the second piece of information, that was where Kamio Tatsuya intended to make his move.
The four classes were in competition, and only Class A could earn special privileges. So naturally, most students wanted to move up to Class A and graduate from it.
After all, that was what they'd had in mind when they applied to the school.
And to win the competition, getting a head start was crucial.
That would give Kamio Tatsuya room to maneuver.
So, among the four classes, which one would be most eager to get a head start?
Class D?
That was true, but unfortunately, that bunch of idiots wasn't capable of trusting this information. And getting them to pay for it would be harder than reaching the heavens.
So Class A was actually the best target.
According to the school's class-placement rules, Class A's students were bound to be the most outstanding. Many of them would naturally have a sense of superiority.
They were just high schoolers, after all. Kamio Tatsuya could say he knew exactly how they'd think.
So deep down, they simply wouldn't accept being surpassed by the other classes.
That was why they'd be even more eager to get a head start.
Class A, then, was the best buyer.
All he had to do next was find out more about Class A and identify the key person in their class.
Over the next two days, Kamio Tatsuya often walked past Class A. He discovered that their discipline really was much better than Class D's.
Even if they didn't know about the Behavioral Ethics Exam in the first month of school, they probably wouldn't lose many points.
However, Kamio Tatsuya wasn't very good at socializing, and he hadn't made any friends in Class A. He had no way of finding out who the key person in their class was, either.
But his chance came soon enough.
On Wednesday afternoon, Kamio Tatsuya decided to stop by the Supermarket to stock up on kitchenware. He was going crazy from eating set meals every day.
As a traditional Chinese person, how could he eat Japanese food every day?
Was Chinese cuisine not good enough?
Once he got to the Supermarket, Kamio Tatsuya started wandering around, looking for what he needed.
Cooking sounded easy enough, but it was actually a lot of work.
Not only did he need to prepare a bunch of kitchenware, he'd also have to buy ingredients regularly. It was a real hassle.
Man, if only he had a free chef.
As he indulged in that flight of fancy, a furtive figure appeared at the edge of his vision: a girl with purple hair tied in a side ponytail.
Having looked into Class A over the past two days, he recognized her as one of its students—and a pretty good-looking one, too.
That was the Liquor Section, wasn't it?
He'd just walked past it, so Kamio Tatsuya knew where it was.
What would a girl be doing in the Liquor Section?
People under twenty weren't allowed to drink in Japan, right?
Wait, was she going to steal something because she couldn't buy it?
Kamio Tatsuya wasn't surprised. Thieves were a special breed found in every world and every country.
What he found strange was that she was an outstanding Class A student who looked so polished, and yet she'd do something like this.
And she looked like a seasoned thief. She was standing where none of the store's cameras could see her. Even if she did steal something, she probably wouldn't get caught.
It was a weird contrast, like spotting a glamorous city girl on the street, only to find her home piled high with trash.
Back to the point: the girl with the side ponytail had picked up a can of beer and was about to tuck it into her skirt pocket.
Hey, that was a 330 ml can of beer. He didn't know its exact weight, but with the can, it had to be over 330 grams.
Wouldn't it feel heavy in her skirt?
And she was wearing a skirt, too. Wouldn't that weight make it slip down?
Or did her skirt have some kind of anti-slip feature?
Kamio Tatsuya had to admit he'd never worn a skirt, so he had no idea.
But he couldn't just stand by while she stole something.
It was an adult's duty to stop children from making mistakes.
So he took out his phone and quietly snapped a photo.
"Ahem!"
Once Kamio Tatsuya had put his phone away, his deliberate cough made the girl shudder from head to toe.
The beer she'd been about to tuck into her skirt pocket slipped from her hand, hit the ground, and rolled to Kamio Tatsuya's feet.
"Sorry, my throat's bothering me." As he spoke, Kamio Tatsuya bent down to pick up the beer, then looked up at her. "Be careful. Those things might not see you, but accidents can happen anywhere."
Then, without waiting for the purple-haired girl to respond, he took the beer to the checkout.
And after that interruption, Kamio Tatsuya's sudden urge to cook had passed for the time being.
At the checkout, the clerk saw the beer in Kamio Tatsuya's hand and looked troubled. "I'm very sorry, but we can't sell beer to students. You're not old enough to drink yet."
"Oh, I'm not going to drink it. I'm planning to use it to braise food." Kamio Tatsuya started making things up. "That's why I chose a craft wheat beer."
Strangely enough, once Kamio Tatsuya explained, the clerk scanned it for him without another word.
After paying 120 Points, the can of beer became Kamio Tatsuya's property.
As soon as Kamio Tatsuya left the Supermarket, the purple-haired girl came out too. Clearly, she'd followed him.
Good. That saved him from having to wait.
"Here."
Kamio Tatsuya held out the beer, intending to give her a verbal lecture. Even if she was underage and wanted to drink, she didn't have to steal it.
"Why are you giving it to me? I don't drink."
Kamio Tatsuya was dumbfounded. His hand, still holding out the beer, froze.
What the hell?
If you don't drink, why the hell were you stealing beer?
But he soon figured it out.
She was a First Year student. No matter what, she couldn't have spent all 100,000 Points in just two days. And on top of that, she didn't drink.
That made her stealing the beer easy to explain.
She was a thrill-seeker.
Most people stole because they were short on money, but she was different. She was looking for a thrill, and his first impression had been right: she was a seasoned thief.
She'd never been caught before. At the very least, the school hadn't found out about it. That was why she'd been placed in Class A.
Seeing Kamio Tatsuya's dumbfounded expression turn to sudden understanding, the girl frowned.
"What are you thinking?"
"I just think you'd be better off quitting this sort of thing sooner rather than later."
"My business is none of yours." The purple-haired girl replied with an annoyed look. "I'm Kamuro Masumi. What's your name?"
"Kamio Tatsuya. First-year Class D."
Kamio Tatsuya shrugged. He didn't know what she was trying to do, but she'd given him her name, so he introduced himself in turn.
And things were going very smoothly. If they kept going that way, he might be able to accomplish what he'd set out to do two days ago.
Looking at Kamuro Masumi's empty hands, apart from the beer, she gave him a suspicious look.
"Are you following me?"
"Following you?"
A question mark popped into Kamio Tatsuya's mind. Where had that come from?
"You went to the Supermarket, but you didn't buy anything except this can of beer. And earlier, you tried to give it to me.
"Also, I'm in First Year Class A. I noticed you've been hanging around near our classroom these past two days."
That was a huge misunderstanding.
Kamio Tatsuya wanted to argue, but everything she'd said was true.
But I really wasn't following you.
I don't have that kind of free time.
Still, since she'd brought it up, Kamio Tatsuya took the opportunity to tell her what he was after.
"I went to the Supermarket because I was going to buy kitchenware and cook, but it seemed like too much trouble, so I gave up.
"As for why I've been hanging around Class A, I wanted to find out who was in charge of your class. I have some very important information to sell you."
"Important information?"
Kamuro Masumi looked suspicious.
"That's right. If you could tell me who's in a position to lead your class, I'd be very grateful. Think of it as a reward for reminding you before you made a big mistake."
Kamio Tatsuya stated his goal frankly, making no attempt to hide that he intended to cash in on the favor he'd done her.
Kamuro Masumi fell silent for a moment, then nodded.
"Got it. I'll tell you once I've confirmed it."
Then she turned to leave.
Kamio Tatsuya was dumbfounded again. Confirm it? How little did she care about her class? And once she found out, was she planning to come all the way to Class D to tell him?
"Wait, how are you going to find me?"
"You said you're in first-year Class D, didn't you? I'll come find you in your class, of course." Kamuro Masumi looked at him as if he were the strange one.
Just as he thought. Was she really this airheaded, or was she deliberately acting clueless?
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