Forming the Tennoji Group, The Calm Before the Storm

The three rules Tennoji Kaede meticulously selected were indeed a great value, especially with less than a month having passed since enrollment.

Of course, by the next month, the latter two "gifts"... wouldn't even be worth a gift.

So, in reality, Tennoji Kaede had only presented the ambiguous information that "there will be team assessments in the future" and managed to extract 360 thousand private points from Horikita. Earning points like this was quite easy.

With this, his initial moves within Class D were complete.

Tennoji Kaede could have actually sold similar rules to the united Class B long ago, guaranteeing monthly earnings of over a million.

But what would be the point of that?

Firstly, Class B was a direct rival to Class C, so helping a united Class B increase their class points wouldn't be profitable in the long run.

Secondly, Class B would suffer the most in the future. Instead of bleeding them dry now, it was better to offer help in their time of need later. Once Class C became Class A, they could form alliances with the future Class D, which was once Class B, employing a strategy of distant alliances and close attacks.

Lastly, Kaede had a good impression of Class B. Perhaps in the future, if he got bored, he might even jump ship to play around.

Since he could always return as long as he had enough points, there was no need to make things too ugly now.

Therefore, he would not sell rules to Class B and would not interact with them for the time being.

After the coffee shop meeting dispersed, only the three members of Class C remained.

Before parting, Kaede also casually exchanged contact information with Ayanokoji and Black Heart Sister.

"If we fail future exams, we have to drop out. That's terrible!" Ibuki Mio exclaimed.

After the three from Class D left, Kaede shared those three rules with his two female friends.

"To be precise, only you are in trouble here. So you should pay attention in class! Do you think I don't know you're spacing out during lessons?" Tennoji Kaede said, teasing Ibuki as he typed on his terminal.

Shiina Hiyori took a sip of her milk arabica and asked, "What are you doing on your terminal, Kaede-kun?"

"Oh, I'm still selling those three rules. The buyer is Kushida Kikyo. Horikita is still too young; she actually believed Kushida when she said she wouldn't buy the rule concerning her."

"I'm selling all three together now to Kushida for 3 thousand points," Tennoji Kaede said gleefully.

Ibuki Mio almost spat out her coffee upon hearing this. "Cough, cough, 3 thousand? You just sold Horikita a whopping 360 thousand! What kind of twisted logic is that... Do you have a grudge against Horikita?"

"Nonsense. After Horikita returns to the class and those two gifted rules are revealed, they'll immediately lose their value. What's wrong with me selling them again for 3 thousand as a hard work fee..."

What Kushida actually wanted was the rule targeting Horikita's flaws, but in reality, that rule wasn't very valuable either, so Kaede sold it cheap.

And after selling the rule about team collaboration to Kushida, she wouldn't suspect that Kaede might be holding something over her, because, you know...

That rule was purely targeting Horikita, wasn't it?

Could Kushida lack teamwork skills? Impossible.

Being one of the two social butterflies of the first year wasn't just for show; the other was Class B's Ichinose Honami.

Tennoji Kaede wasn't afraid of Kushida causing trouble for him, but if he could easily alleviate her unnecessary worries, he might as well do it.

Playing pretend with Kushida was quite interesting. If they got along better, maybe he could even get some entertainment from other classes in the future.

Even the Haigoku System, as amazing as it was, couldn't uncover everyone's dark secrets, but Kushida truly could.

"You really know how to do business, selling useless junk for 3 thousand points... No, I need to go back and study. Didn't Sakagami-sensei say there would be a pop quiz at the end of the month?"

Ibuki was a little panicked, as there weren't many days left until the end of the month.

Kaede raised his hand to stop her. "Ibuki, you can relax about that pop quiz. It's just a mock exam, there won't be any penalties."

"Besides, pay attention to the rule details I told you. A pop quiz, a pop quiz, can it be equated to midterms or final exams?"

Ibuki looked a bit embarrassed, scratched her head, and sat back down.

Tennoji Kaede, however, proposed at this moment, "However, the midterm exams in a little over a month are something we can start preparing for. I have an idea now."

"Ibuki, Hiyori, and I, the three of us, how about forming a study group?"

"Us, forming a group?" Ibuki mused.

"Yes, just like now, Ibuki, your academic ability isn't quite enough, but Hiyori can teach you."

"And in the future, since the school will assess teamwork abilities, your Leg Techniques will surely have a chance to shine. Then it will be your turn to help Hiyori."

Ibuki felt there was some truth to it but immediately reacted and asked, "Then what about you, Tennoji?"

"Me? Is there a possibility that I'm proficient in both academics and combat?"

Ibuki pouted.

"I can handle all the other miscellaneous tasks, right!"

Shiina Hiyori smiled, "Then let's name our group 'Tennoji Group', what do you think, Mio?"

Naming it after me?

Tennoji Kaede suddenly thought of the future Ayanokōji Group. This way, it seemed quite good.

Although the Tennoji Group was small in number now, the quality was high!

Ibuki naturally had no objections; in fact, she was pleased. If her name were used for the group, she thought it would be too embarrassing.

Thus, Tennoji Kaede, Shiina Hiyori, and Ibuki Mio formed the "Tennoji Group" at this moment.

The following days saw the Tennoji Group's task shift to tutoring Ibuki. Under the dual guidance of the true scholar Shiina Hiyori and the Haigoku Scholar Tennoji Kaede, Ibuki's academic performance steadily improved.

In late April, the first-year classes faced their inaugural exam: a diagnostic test of academic ability.

Ryuen, finding the timing of this exam peculiar, privately messaged Tennoji Kaede to discuss it.

Under his subtle hints, Ryuen soon learned that this minor exam was primarily intended to make an example of someone early next month. For Class C, which was severely lacking in academic talent, there was no need to worry about studying hard for a good score, as it was simply impossible.

Thus, Class C, in a more compliant and satisfactory manner than in the original timeline, passed its first month since enrollment.

This was thanks to Kaede's early cooperation with Ryuen and informing him of the most crucial hidden rules. He no longer needed to spend a huge sum to probe the school's intentions one by one.

Coupled with their agreement to safely navigate the first month, Class C currently gave the impression to other students of being the most well-behaved class, even appearing somewhat timid.

Different stories unfold.

The day Horikita bought those three hidden rules, and the subsequent events, D Class after school that afternoon.

After Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's appeals, both emotional and logical, Horikita quickly made her decision and announced the two major rules affecting the entire class to her classmates.

Kushida Kikyo had intended to intercept, but when Tennoji Kaede sold her the information, he also offered her corresponding advice.

Helplessly, she had to reluctantly let Horikita have a chance to be the savior.

However, this savior arrived rather late.

After the rules were announced, Class D immediately plunged into endless panic!

Everyone in Class D had witnessed their previous classroom behavior.

The most agonizing part was that over half a month had passed since the start of school, and the majority of Class D's 100,000 points had already been spent.

Now, Horikita was saying that the points distributed next month might be significantly reduced?

But they didn't even have the chance to start saving immediately!

What would Class D do next month...