Hush Money

"Tsk... troublesome," he muttered under his breath, a hint of what he himself wouldn't notice as 'tsundere' in his tone. He opened his umbrella and walked into the rain.

Back in Dormitory 307, Toudou Shizuka placed his wet umbrella by the door and set Sakura's new cookies and the photograph on the table.

He picked up the photo first and examined it for a while longer. A-rank composition and light and shadow capture... If he could master it, combined with his observational skill, it would be an absolute weapon for information gathering and situational judgment. An affection level of 45 points was still some distance from the 60 points needed to unlock 'High Trust,' but hope had been ignited.

Just as he sat down, ready to test his newly purchased voice recorder, his personal device suddenly emitted a crisp notification sound—not a text message, but a notification of an incoming deposit to his private points account.

He clicked it open, his pupils instantly constricting slightly.

[Kōdo Ikusei High School Private Points Account Notification]

[Remitter: Anonymous (Teacher Account - Special Allowance)]

[Amount Received: 200,000 Points]

[Remark: Information Provision Reward.]

Two hundred thousand points!

Toudou Shizuka understood instantly. This was Chabashira Sae's doing. This was definitely not an official school reporting reward (such a system didn't exist at all), but rather a 'hush money' and 'thank you gift' from the Class D homeroom teacher's private funds (or rather, the class secret fund).

It rewarded him for providing "information," and further rewarded him for "keeping silent" and being "appropriate." This huge sum silently confirmed the completion of the transaction and clearly drew the line again—settled, do not disturb.

Looking at his account balance, which had surged from over 90,000 points (plus rewards from the Sakura Incident and daily accumulation) to nearly 300,000, Toudou Shizuka felt a complex mix of emotions. This was undoubtedly a massive assistance, allowing him to purchase high-end equipment from the mall, or even stockpile key resources to prepare for future special exams.

But its cold, anonymous remark served as a constant reminder of the cold relationship based on interest and deterrence between him and Chabashira Sae, and Class D.

[Simulation Points +10 (Receive and Confirm Key Resource Injection). Current: 95 Points.]

Simulation points were abundant now.

With 95 simulation points, he was just a step away from purchasing [Dynamic Vision (Fine-tuning) 120 Points] or [Pain Attenuation (Slight) 80 Points].

Shiranami Chihiro's affection level had also steadily increased to 32 points (not far from the 40 points needed to unlock B-rank Information Synthesis Ability), Kanzaki Ryuji was at 38 points (target 45), and Ichinose Honami was at 35 points (target 50).

Everything was developing in a positive direction.

He opened the system interface, his gaze sweeping over the high-value targets. His eyes landed on the Class A character area.

(Regarding reader feedback, the following two characters have been partially weakened, but their strengths remain.)

(This will also be noted in previous chapters.)

[Scan Target: Sakayanagi Arisu (Updated)]

Strategic Layout and Game Theory: A-rank (Original S-rank weakened) - Peak human level, but not the absolute apex.

Psychological Analysis and Manipulation: A-rank (Core Skill)

Information Gathering (Efficient and Covert): A-rank

Leadership (Dominating Type): A-rank

Basic Physical Fitness: D-rank (Significant Weakness)

[Affection: 0 (No attention)] - Unlocking any skill requires Affection ≥ ??? (Extremely high requirement)

Sakayanagi's skills had been weakened? Toudou Shizuka's heart stirred slightly. It seemed the system's characters had undergone balance adjustments. Strategic Layout, downgraded from S-rank to A-rank (peak but not apex), slightly reduced the difficulty of acquiring it (though it was still outrageously high).

He then looked at the Class D roster.

[Scan Target: Ayanokouji Kiyotaka (Updated)]

Combat Skill (Military-grade Comprehensive Combat): S-rank (Retained)

Tactical Analysis and Planning (Real-time): S-rank (Retained)

Intelligence Gathering and Counter-Reconnaissance: A-rank (Original S-rank weakened)

Psychology (Application and Manipulation): A-rank (Original S-rank weakened)

Disguise and Stealth: A-rank

Physical Fitness (Comprehensive Limit): A-rank

Learning Ability (Theoretical Absorption): A-rank

[Affection: 0 (No attention)] - Unlocking any skill requires Affection ≥ ??? (Complex)

Ayanokouji's skill tree had also been trimmed. Intelligence and Psychology were downgraded from S-rank to A-rank, weakening some of his "inhuman" traits, but retaining the two most crucial S-rank skills, Combat and Tactics, along with strong fundamental abilities. His threat level remained off the charts, especially with 0 affection and the question mark requirements.

Toudou Shizuka closed the system interface and leaned back in his chair. With 200,000 points in hand, his options had increased. Should he immediately purchase talent to strengthen himself? Or continue accumulating for potentially needed "big ticket items" in the future (like higher-tier talents in the Talent Shop or special items)?

Shiranami Chihiro's B-rank Information Synthesis Ability was within reach; should he focus on increasing her affection?

The rain pattered outside the window. He picked up one of Sakura's newly made cookies, still with its simple buttery sweetness. The sweetness on his tongue, the photo of the tenacious little flower in his pocket, and the cold 200,000 points in his account intertwined strangely.

"Soft-heartedness" had brought connection, but also potential trouble (Sakura's increased affection meant more attention and possible entanglement).

"Calculating against Class D's homeroom teacher, Chabashira" had brought resources and deterrence, but also Chabashira's vigilance and unknown scrutiny (rooftop reflection).

He opened the voice recording function on his personal device and began recording an "everyday" audio log about recent campus observations, club activities, and class dynamics. The content was trivial and ordinary, as if it were just a normal student's diary.

But under the control of [Thought Acceleration], the intonation of certain keywords and the rhythm of pauses carried imperceptible encoded information. This was a test of the new equipment and the establishment of a new, covert habit of information recording.

After finishing the recording, he encrypted and saved it, labeling the filename "Daily Log - Rain Sound."

After finishing all this, he picked up the photo of Little Flower in the Rain and looked at it for a while longer. That fragile yet stubborn white bloom stood out starkly against the gloomy background.

Sakura Airi's voice seemed to echo in his ears again: "I feel... I feel it's very similar..."

Toudou Shizuka let out a soft breath and carefully tucked the photo into a thick Reference Book. He adjusted his glasses, his gaze returning to a calm and sharp focus on the device screen displaying his Points balance.

Points, skills, Affection, potential allies and enemies, unresolved lurking threats... the Chessboard remained complex. But at this moment, the power of the S-Rank Fighting Style surged within him, the clarity of Thought Acceleration, the recovery from Deep Sleep, the 200,000 Points in his pocket as chips, and in his heart... there seemed to be a little more, quietly illuminated by that Little Flower in the Rain, a faint light called "protection."

He opened the shop, his gaze lingering between [Dynamic Vision (Fine-tuning) 120 Points] and [Pain Attenuation (Slight) 80 Points]. Finally, his fingertip landed on the latter.