Those Who Love to Read Are Not Bad People

"That goes without saying. After all, Shiina is my good friend, so I should naturally give you a friend's discount. Fifteen thousand!"

Who would have thought that upon hearing the price, Shiina would pull Ibuki away, a habit she had developed from shopping.

When encountering something she wanted to buy but was hesitant about the price, she would always pretend to walk away, and the seller clearly had the same psychological tactic.

Therefore, this came down to a straightforward psychological battle!

One wanted to buy, and one wanted to sell.

Whoever gave in first would be the one to lose!

Inch by inch, Shiina was about to lead Ibuki out of Shinjo's line of sight...

Shiina was also starting to have second thoughts. Generally speaking, wouldn't he have called out by now?

Could fifteen thousand really be his bottom line?

No... wait a little longer...

It wasn't until the two had completely vanished from Shinjo's view that he finally couldn't hold back anymore:

"O... one thousand two! I really can't go any lower!!"

As the voice reached them, the heavy stone in Shiina's heart finally settled. Fortunately, she had bet correctly.

Beside her, the look in Ibuki's eyes was clearly filled with admiration. It was truly hard to imagine that the guy even Ryuen couldn't do anything about had been played like a fiddle by a girl!

To prevent him from going back on his word, Shiina hurriedly took Ibuki back to the rooftop.

As for the loser, Shinjo, his face was pale and his expression was ugly, as if he were still pained by the loss of those three thousand points.

"Shinjo-kun, you have a few too many little tricks up your sleeve. I know you're perfectly fine. Even though twelve thousand seems like a lower price, you're still making a profit, right?"

Shiina saw through Shinjo's disguise at a glance, and she naturally understood that one shouldn't push a seller too hard.

As long as the other party could offer a price she could accept, it didn't matter if it was a bit expensive. After all, this person was, at the very least, one of her few friends.

"Uh... hahahaha... I didn't expect you to see through me, as expected of Shiina. But having said that, I really didn't make much..."

Shinjo feigned an awkward laugh, though he knew perfectly well whether he had made a profit or not.

"In that case, let's close the deal. Thank you, Shinjo-kun."

Shiina transferred the points, and Shinjo handed the file folder to Ibuki:

"Not at all, it is I who should be thanking you."

"Hehe, then, shall we head back? Now that we have the answers, we can finally study properly."

"Take care~"

Shinjo waved goodbye to the two girls.

Shiina, who had already reached the rooftop door, suddenly stopped in her tracks:

"Shinjo-kun, people who like to read aren't bad people, right?"

"Of course."

[I shouldn't count as someone who likes to read, right?]

"Then, could I ask you to tell me how many points you actually spent to get these answers?"

"The total cost for this order was ten thousand points."

[Does this count as lying? Not really, right?]

Shiina nodded; it was just as she had thought.

"Thank you, Shinjo-kun."

"You're welcome."

Upon returning to the classroom, Shiina hurriedly told Ryuen about her actions and the answers. The latter narrowed his eyes when he heard the name Shinjo, then had Shiina check every question. Only after confirming the answers were correct did he hand them over to the others.

"You're saying that attention-seeking Yorozuya is also his handiwork?"

"Yes."

Although the two were good friends in private, Shiina was, after all, a member of Class 1-C, so she didn't deliberately hide anything from Ryuen.

Of course, since Shinjo was willing to trade with her and be her friend, he naturally wasn't afraid of her telling Ryuen anything.

"Yorozuya... heh..."

Shinjo has been found, and there's still Ayanokōji...

Ryuen tapped on the table and beckoned to the person beside him. His lackey, Ishizaki, hurriedly handed over a cola:

"Boss."

"Tell me, Class D holds study sessions almost every day, right?"

"That's right, almost everyone, whether they're good at studying or not, is there."

"In that case... find an opportunity to provoke them... but you are not allowed to actually lay a hand on them. If an outsider intervenes, pull back immediately. Understand?"

"Yes! Boss."

As a lackey, all he had to do was unconditionally execute Ryuen's orders.

Therefore, that evening, inside the library.

The students of Class D had gathered here once again for a study session.

Under Ayanokōji's brainwashing-style education, Horikita Suzune had actually, for the first time ever, apologized to Sudō.

"I never expected Shinjo to be willing to join our study group!"

It was no wonder Kushida exclaimed this; after all, prior to this, he had been unconditionally requisitioned by Karuizawa alone.

"After all, Megumi already knows everything she needs to know."

If all that review time and the exam answers couldn't help her land safely, then it would be better to just shoot Shinjo and be done with it.

"Eh? Megumi?! By Megumi, do you mean Karuizawa?"

The Idiot Trio at the neighboring table, along with Ayanokōji, all wore expressions of shock. Meanwhile, Kushida, who had already seen through everything, and Horikita, who wasn't interested in the slightest, remained far more indifferent.

"You guys didn't know? Actually..."

Kushida looked as if she wanted to say something but didn't quite dare, occasionally sneaking glances at Shinjo's reaction—it was truly cute.

But at this point, there really wasn't any need for secrecy, was there?

Shinjo didn't quite understand; Karuizawa's fake couple plan was clearly meant to protect her, so announcing it earlier should have been more effective.

Yet, all this time, she didn't seem to be in any particular rush.

It gave the impression that if they were discovered, she would admit it, and if no one found out, she would keep it hidden.

"Could it be that you're dating Karuizawa?"

Ayanokōji asked the question on everyone's behalf.

Shinjo nodded quite openly:

"Yeah, it's actually been a while now."

"Eh?! For real?! Karuizawa... Karuizawa is the cutest girl in our class!"

Ike and Yamauchi exchanged a look, signaling they couldn't accept this outcome.

However, the two of them clearly weren't the type to hang themselves from a single tree; compared to a girl like Karuizawa who seemed to be out of their league, the approachable personality of Kushida Kikyo was their primary target.

"Kikyo-chan, is there anyone you like?"

"Ah? I... I don't have anyone right now..."

Thank goodness!

The Idiot Duo finally set down the heavy, unstable stone in their hearts.

Sudō, off to the side, was clearly envious of Shinjo having a girlfriend, so the group began firing off gossip questions that had nothing to do with studying.

This made Horikita Suzune, standing nearby, grit her teeth in frustration.

"This isn't a dating seminar!"

"Sorry, teacher..."

Hearing this, the group decisively backed down; no one dared to challenge the pressure brought on by the intimidating aura of Horikita Suzune.