On the way back, Akasaka took out his phone and saw that he had a whopping 4,535,500 Personal Points. He finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He was one step closer to paying off his debt. Next, he had to report to the Student Council President about his sister. What a pain. The guy was such a sister-complex.
He cared so much about his sister, yet pretended he didn't and stubbornly refused to go see her. Instead, he'd even spent points to have Akasaka look after her. Those siblings were both so awkward...
Akasaka arrived at the Student Council President's home.
It was already late, and the Student Council had long since closed for the day, so the only way to see Horikita Manabu was to visit his home.
I lightly knocked on Horikita Manabu's door. A stern voice came from inside.
"The door's unlocked. Come in."
I opened the door and stepped into Horikita Manabu's room.
The decor looked a little like a Japanese kendo dojo.
Quite a few bamboo swords hung on the walls, and there was even an unsharpened Japanese katana.
In the middle of the room stood a plaque bearing the words "Budokan."
The Student Council President seemed like a man who valued honor...
He sat on the tatami and gestured for me to sit.
I sat down opposite him. He brewed some tea for me, and I gazed at him calmly before asking, "What did you want to see me about, President?"
The President's hand paused as he poured the tea. Then he continued, explaining, "Nothing much. It's just about my sister. She's... doing all right, isn't she?"
Akasaka picked up his cup and took a sip. "If you're so worried about your sister, why not go see her yourself? Why spend points to get me to do it instead?"
Horikita Manabu shook his head and gave a helpless, bitter smile.
"Suzune and I are both stubborn. I watched her grow up, so I know exactly how stubborn she can be."
"Her and me... Sigh, never mind. Let's not talk about it."
Horikita Manabu picked up his tea and took a sip as well.
There wasn't much else for the two of them to talk about. The conversation was mostly about his sister.
Horikita Manabu did most of the talking, and Akasaka responded.
Before long, they were talking about Horikita Suzune's childhood...
Akasaka finally couldn't take it anymore and complained, "Hey, hey, aren't we getting off topic? If we keep this up, you're going to tell me everything about Suzune's life from the day she was born!"
"Ahem." Horikita Manabu hurriedly cleared his throat. "Sorry. It's been a long time since I've talked about my sister. I got carried away."
Akasaka rolled his eyes, but didn't say anything.
The guy's sister-complex was just too much.
After a long while, when they'd talked about everything that needed discussing, I got ready to leave.
Horikita Manabu hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Could you... look after my sister?"
"Don't worry. I won't expect you to do it for free. I'll pay you a suitable number of points."
Afraid I might refuse, Horikita Manabu quickly offered his terms.
He'd read the personal records of the young man in front of him. His parents had saddled him with a mountain of debt, so surely he'd at least consider the offer.
Just as Horikita Manabu had expected, Akasaka really did hesitate.
Seeing this, Horikita Manabu breathed a sigh of relief.
Hesitation was good. It meant there was room to negotiate...
Sitting up straight, Horikita Manabu earnestly pleaded once more, his tone serious. "I'll give you all my points. All twenty million."
"I don't expect Suzune to make it into Class A. I just hope she can grow as a person and stop being lonely."
"At the very least... I want her to make a few close friends."
Faced with Horikita Manabu's plea, I was genuinely tempted. Twenty million was no small sum to me. It was practically a get-out-of-expulsion-free card.
Everyone knew it took twenty million points to transfer classes or prevent an expulsion. That was my safety net.
But if I agreed, I'd have to take care of Suzune.
Akasaka didn't want to deal with that girl. She was just too much trouble.
She was awkward and stubborn, and did whatever she wanted. If I got involved with her, it would never end.
But I really did want those twenty million...
What was I supposed to do?
I wanted the money, but I didn't want to do the work. What was a guy supposed to do?
Just as Akasaka was feeling troubled, someone suddenly came to mind: Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.
Right! I could just leave it all to him!
I could have Ayanokoji follow the path he was supposed to and help Horikita Suzune. That way, I wouldn't have to lift a finger, and I could still take the money...
Even if my arrival had thrown Ayanokoji off his intended path, I'd just have to find a way to steer him back.
Once Akasaka had figured everything out, his gaze grew profound.
He deliberately pretended to ponder in front of Horikita Manabu. Then, slowly, he said, "I can't guarantee anything. I'll just do my best."
Seeing me agree, Horikita Manabu breathed a sigh of relief.
It wasn't as if he needed the twenty million. After leaving This School, his family would give him money to start a company. He didn't need the twenty million Personal Points at all.
His only concern was how Suzune would manage at This School after he graduated.
If he could use twenty million Personal Points to find someone to support and look after Suzune, it would be well worth it.
What's more, the person in front of him was badly in need of money. As long as Horikita Manabu used that to his advantage, there was no way the other party wouldn't help.
Horikita Manabu pushed up his glasses. "It's good that you're willing to agree. As long as you look after Suzune and help her grow..."
"When I graduate, I'll hand over all my points to you."
I couldn't help pouting. "Weren't we only talking about looking after her? Now you want me to help her grow, too? That'll cost extra."
Horikita Manabu smiled helplessly. "That's the offer. Take it or leave it. It's everything I have."
In the end, the two reached an agreement and drew up a contract.
Akasaka would look after Horikita Manabu's younger sister until Horikita Manabu graduated.
Once the job was done and Horikita Manabu left the school, he would hand over all his Personal Points.
The contract didn't just say twenty million. It said everything.
In other words, if the President spent a lot of Personal Points on something or lost a lot of them, leaving him with less than that amount, he'd still pay whatever he had left.
This left Akasaka feeling a little troubled.
Was the guy doing this on purpose?
He was tying me to the same boat as him. If his interests suffered, I'd get less money, too. No wonder he was the Student Council President!
Nobody who held a position like that was simple.
It looked like I'd be forced to help Senpai Tachibana with her problems later on.
If the President really spent twenty million to protect Senpai Tachibana, and paid for it out of his own pocket, I'd be taking a huge loss.
After reaching an agreement, Akasaka prepared to leave.
Horikita Manabu stood at the door and bowed deeply to me. "My good-for-nothing sister is in your hands. Please look after her."
I waved a hand to show it was fine. "I'm only doing it for the money. Don't get the wrong idea." I shook the contract in my hand, making it clear that this was about money, not a personal favor.
Horikita Manabu let out a long sigh. "I understand. But I still want you to look after her. I have less than a year left at This School, while Suzune still has two years to go. I really can't stop worrying about her."
"If you're that worried, tell her to her face. Why are you telling me?" Akasaka said, thoroughly exasperated.
Horikita Manabu didn't say anything. He showed me out, then went back inside. I returned to the dorm and started preparing for the next day's plans.
My Personal Points had now reached 4,535,500.
Akasaka calculated that the points would be enough for his needs, and decided to move on to the next step.
"It's about time I made a move against the teachers. Who should I start with?"
Just as Akasaka was thinking it over, Chabashira Sae called.
Akasaka cursed inwardly. He could guess why she was calling to chew him out. After all, he'd done nothing, and the points had dropped to zero.
He'd taken 800,000 Personal Points without actually getting anything done. Anyone would have called to give him a piece of their mind.
Akasaka didn't hesitate for long before answering. Sure enough, Chabashira Sae's furious yell came from the other end.
"Akasaka Ryunosuke! I need to talk to you. Come to my place!"
Then she hung up.
Akasaka was speechless, but he had no choice but to go.
A short while later, I arrived at Chabashira Sae's dorm. She was sitting in a chair with her legs crossed, and had clearly been waiting for a while.
I shut the door hard. The conversation couldn't be allowed to reach anyone else. I casually hung my coat on the rack by the entrance, my expression calm and detached.
Chabashira took a deep breath. Seeing my reaction, she couldn't help feeling irritated. "You took my money... and this is how you do the job?"
Chabashira gritted her teeth and spoke each word slowly.
I could only shrug helplessly. "You can't blame me for this, Teacher Chabashira. Surely you can see how awful Class D is. To be honest, I'm in a difficult position, too..."
I found a chair and sat down, then continued, "If you add a little more money, I might be able to get it done."
Chabashira laughed in anger. "You mean a deal like the one you made with Hoshinomiya?"
I cursed inwardly.
That Hoshinomiya really couldn't be trusted. She'd probably told Chabashira Sae.
Chabashira lit a cigarette and blew a smoke ring. Her voice was full of sadness and sorrow. "I never thought that, besides making a deal with me, you'd also be having an affair with Hoshinomiya."
I hurriedly stopped Chabashira from saying anything else. "Hey, hey, watch your wording, Teacher. What do you mean, 'having an affair'? I'm innocent. It was just a business transaction."
[Note: The author deliberately used a typo here; otherwise, it wouldn't pass review.]
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