The Cute Thief Cat caught red-handed by Tennoji Kaede introduced herself:
"...Kamuro Sumire, Class 1-A."
"So you're Kamuro. A student from Class A... Do all of you have special skills like this?"
Kamuro Sumire bristled, then gave up trying to hide it. "What do you want?"
Kaede lifted the shopping basket in his hand. "You can pay for everything in here. I'll pretend I didn't see a thing. How's that?"
"...That's it?" Kamuro Sumire asked, still a little doubtful. He'd just been swearing and threatening her.
"All right, I was just messing with you. Put back the things you moved earlier."
Kamuro quietly put the can of beer back, then muttered:
So stealing could be dressed up as "moving" things?
It seemed Kamuro Sumire hadn't yet come into contact with the White-Haired Loli. Tennoji Kaede had easily probed for information, and now he mulled it over silently.
If Yanagi had already told her about the Hidden Rule, Kamuro wouldn't be so calm. After all, someone outside her class would be holding leverage over her.
That made sense. It was only the morning of the first day of school. Sakayanagi had only caught Kamuro in the act later, after investigating and tailing her because she wanted to recruit Kamuro to her side. She'd used the theft to blackmail her.
Still, the two girls had gotten along pretty well afterward. Kamuro Sumire had even become a sacrifice in the story. Ryuen had forced her to drop out to provoke Sakayanagi and make her crack—and somehow, it had worked...
The original author seemed to think that making Sakayanagi lose a companion she hadn't realized she cherished would flesh out and complete her character;
But Kaede thought that from that point on, Sakayanagi had lost all her mystique. She regretted not being able to protect her friend and came off like a clown.
It was just as stupid as later sacrificing Sakura Airi from Class D to flesh out Kushida Kikyo's character.
Maybe that was one of the cruel things about Shijiao: were students who dropped out really worth nothing?
Tennoji Kaede shook off thoughts of the absurd plot twists that came later in the Original Work.
At the checkout, Tennoji Kaede stopped Kamuro Sumire from paying for his points. In the end, he paid for the groceries himself, then the two of them left the Convenience Store.
Kaede turned to her with a satisfied smile and whispered, "Kamuro, come with me in a bit."
Her pretty face filled with disbelief, as if he'd betrayed her.
Kamuro Sumire said anxiously, "Where!?"
"You said you'd pretend you didn't see anything! Are you going to blackmail me after all? I put everything back, and you have no proof!"
"Why are you panicking? Besides, there are cameras all over this school... I mean I'm taking you to sign a contract so you can feel at ease. Don't ask about the rest."
Tennoji Kaede planned to turn around the plotlines in the Original Work that had disgusted him and make up for Kamuro's expulsion. He'd start by helping her kick her thieving habit.
At least if she and Sakayanagi became friends in this life, it would be for a cleaner reason.
When the strong made sacrifices for the weak, it was called compassion;
"Compassion" without any principles, which hurt others, was called being a sanctimonious do-gooder.
Tennoji Kaede's bottom line was this: use his foreknowledge to lead Ryuen's Class C in working hard and improving, then make up for as many of the Original Work's regrets and grievances as he could.
That was the best way for him and Ryuen to work together: devious on the surface, righteous beneath!
"Sign a contract? I... Didn't know you could do that at school."
Kamuro Sumire stared blankly, completely unaware that her future had already been turned around.
She'd just moved a few things. How had that led to signing a contract?
In the end, though, she meekly agreed to Tennoji Kaede's request.
"You sure take your time. Why does it take you so long just to buy something?"
Horikita Suzune walked slowly over from beside the Convenience Store, her expression gloomy.
Kamuro Sumire asked, "You know her? Is she your friend?"
Tennoji Kaede shook his head. "She looks like she's from Class D. I'm in Class C, so we're not close at all."
"I'm curious what makes you look down on me. And what if I'm in Class D?"
Kamuro Sumire also looked a little confused, mostly out of politeness. After all, she was in Class A.
"I'm not looking down on Class D." You have no idea how impressive your class is. "I look down on you equally, Horikita."
"Hmph. Is it because I warned you at the school gate? It seems I wasted my time. You're nothing but a narrow-minded braggart."
After saying that, Horikita turned to leave.
Tennoji Kaede asked Kamuro, who still didn't understand what was going on, "Is your Class A homeroom teacher Majima Tomoya?"
"Yes, that's right."
The Class A homeroom teacher was pretty good...
"Then let's go. We'll go find him. Do you have his contact information? We could also look for him at the Faculty Dormitory."
"Wait, I do. I saved it during homeroom this morning."
Tennoji Kaede sighed to himself. As expected of a good student from Class A. He hadn't even saved his homeroom teacher Sakamoto's contact info yet...
"Wait!" Horikita Suzune abruptly turned back, annoyed. "What exactly are you trying to do?"
"Hm? You're still here?" Tennoji Kaede sneered inwardly.
That's what I'd like to ask you. Are you leaving or staying?
Could Tennoji have something on her, even worse than my theft?
But that didn't seem to fit her attitude... What was this woman's logic? Kamuro Sumire couldn't make heads or tails of it.
Horikita Suzune was getting flustered, but forced herself to calm down.
"Tell me every secret you know about the school... I can give you points in exchange! Is that good enough?"
Well! Had Horikita actually been pushed into a moment of inspiration?
She'd figured out how to make a deal!
Too bad she had no idea what a deal like that really meant at this school.
"You seem to think that the 100,000 points you have right now are a valuable bargaining chip." Tennoji Kaede paused, then went on slowly. "I'll tell you something, just for the sake of it: the 100,000 points in your hands are worth the least right now!"
Horikita Suzune looked puzzled. 100,000 wasn't worth much?
"Are you joking? Every new student only has 100,000 points right now. How can that not be worth much!?"
Kamuro Sumire was a little confused too. Even in Class A, everyone had been excited when they received those 100,000 points at morning homeroom.
Why weren't they worth much?
Tennoji Kaede raised his Student Terminal Device and showed them the page with his total points.
"Th-that can't be right! 6... 700,000 points!?"
Horikita Suzune cried out in shock. Just moments ago, she'd said they were all the same...
To be precise, it was 698,200. Kamuro Sumire could see the number of points on Tennoji's terminal too.
"Do you understand now? I figured out the school's Hidden Rule, so I received a reward: 600,000 points in total."
Tennoji Kaede put away his terminal and asked one final, soul-searching question:
"Now, Horikita, here's the question: you only have 100,000 points. How do you plan to buy information worth more than 600,000?"
Horikita Suzune fell completely silent...
She considered herself a lone, aloof egoist. Of course she knew there was no way to make that deal.
At least, she couldn't do it right now.
"Looks like you're out of options. Why not think more carefully about the information I 'graciously' gave you?"
Tennoji Kaede led Kamuro Sumire past the stunned Horikita.
They left.
Before you continue