Poaching

"Regardless, I really have to thank you for this, Yorozuya."

"That doesn't really matter, it was a request after all... But have you ever thought about the fact that the request letter had no contact information and offered no payment? What would you have done if I had refused?"

"This..."

In truth, he hadn't really thought about offering payment at the start.

Who hadn't participated in a club before?

Clubs often had things like detective agencies or the like.

Those high school or college students who fancied themselves detectives just loved to stick their noses into other people's business. Although their abilities were hit-or-miss, he had never heard of any of them charging money.

Therefore, he hadn't intended to distinguish between Yorozuya and a detective agency, even though Horikita Manabu had written it clearly in the information he provided.

"Forget it... This job was outsourced to me by the Student Council anyway, so if there's no payment, there's no payment. But next time, you have to remember to bring the payment!"

"Huh? You really want money..."

"Um... Shinjo-san... regarding the payment... I... I can pay it..."

Upon hearing that Sakura wanted to pay on his behalf, Shinjo jumped up in a hurry:

"No, no, how could I let you..."

"It's not that, I just meant... perhaps I could be of help to Shinjo-san..."

Sakura didn't finish her sentence, but Shinjo understood exactly what she meant.

It was nothing more than an agreement to come forward and testify for Sudō. If Sakura were to do this on her own initiative, Shinjo wouldn't meddle in it.

But to call this payment...

"Ah, about that... there's no rush. Sakura-san, I think you should get a good rest today. If you want to say anything, you can send a text or we can talk about it tomorrow. As for that matter, I don't think we need you to step in just yet."

Unless Sakura had video evidence proving that Class 1-C had staged the scene and that they had thrown the first punch.

Otherwise, even with ordinary evidence, it would be difficult to turn the situation around. Besides, since Horikita hadn't begged him for help yet, why waste this intelligence for nothing?

"That's about how it went."

Shinjo reported the full sequence of events to Horikita Manabu, while keeping Sakura's secret hidden.

Because the essential request he had received wasn't to catch some pervert.

It was to uncover the truth behind the request letter that had no sender.

"About that... well, at least no students were injured this time. You did well."

"Hey? Isn't that a bit strange? It sounds like I'm your subordinate."

"The President is praising you, and you actually don't appreciate it!!"

"Tsk..."

"You dare click your tongue at me!"

"..."

Horikita Manabu picked up the pen in his hand and wrote something in his notebook:

"It's just that I didn't expect this school to have such staff members. It seems a comprehensive sweep and investigation is in order."

As he spoke, his gaze swept over Shinjo inadvertently.

"I'm telling you, don't get any ideas about me! There are so many staff members in this school, and how many people do I have in Yorozuya? Don't think about outsourcing all the Student Council's work to me."

In fact, Satō and Matsushita were just names on the roster who didn't do any actual work.

Is it necessary to expand Yorozuya... It would be best to find two or three hard workers who don't need points, just big promises to keep them full!

"Hey! You can leave now that there's nothing else. Don't think about mooching food and drink from us!"

Tachibana Akane seemed to have seen through Shinjo's thoughts; the memory of him only serving her tap water last time made her flare up instantly.

Horikita Manabu didn't say a word. Although he wouldn't care about such trivial matters, Shinjo's rudeness had already been duly noted in his notebook.

"What a stingy senior..."

"It's a stingy junior!"

Just as the two were bickering back and forth, a knock sounded at the door.

"Enter."

"President, here is last month's financial report, you... Shinjo-san?"

Shinjo seemed to hear a familiar voice. He turned his head and saw that the person was none other than Ichinose.

"Ichinose? Financial report... Oh! You're doing odd jobs for the Student Council now, right?"

Ichinose smiled somewhat awkwardly, but Tachibana Akane on the side was clearly displeased:

"Junior! That was a very rude way to put it."

"Shinjo, I'm currently serving as a general affairs officer in the Student Council, but calling it 'odd jobs' is a bit..."

Shinjo, however, seemed rather dismissive; in his view, every position in the Student Council besides the President was no different from doing odd jobs.

Only the President held absolute power!

"Huh? Why would someone like Ichinose end up in general affairs?"

"Well... no matter the position, I can help everyone. Besides, it's precisely because it's general affairs that I'm able to learn so many things I wouldn't otherwise."

Ichinose found it hard to put into words. What was she supposed to say?

She was grateful that Shinjo thought highly of her, but the truth was that when she first applied to join the Student Council, she hadn't gained the President's approval. If it hadn't been for the Vice President, she wouldn't have even been qualified to join in the first place...

Suddenly, Shinjo's eyes lit up!

"How about this, Ichinose? Why don't you quit the Student Council and join my Yorozuya? Not only are the perks great, but you'll also be able to learn things you can't learn anywhere else while helping your classmates~"

As he spoke, Shinjo deliberately lowered his voice:

"Let me tell you a secret: the Student Council is just an empty shell right now. Most of the work has been outsourced to my Yorozuya!"

"Ah? This... this..."

Ichinose was momentarily at a loss. She didn't know if Shinjo was pulling her leg, but compared to the Student Council, the Yorozuya seemed a bit... unprofessional.

Besides, she had already joined the Student Council; how could she just quit now?

"First, there are no other vacancies in the Student Council. Second, everyone who joins the Student Council starts from the bottom, and I am no exception. Third, this is the result of internal negotiations within the Student Council."

[Fourth, you're trying to poach my members right in front of me?!]

"Ha! Do you mean that if I had agreed to join the Student Council back then, I would have just been a general affairs officer too?!"

"Eh?!"

Horikita Manabu ignored the startled Ichinose, nodding thoughtfully before shaking his head.

"You are different from the others. The position of general affairs does not suit you."

In truth, Horikita Manabu didn't know what position would suit Shinjo. If he had actually recruited him, figuring out how to arrange him would have been a real headache.

Someone who liked to cut corners and never acted without profit was fundamentally ill-suited for the Student Council.

Yet, he had to admit that these very traits of Shinjo were remarkably compatible with Advanced Nurturing.

Thinking it over, it seemed the Yorozuya really was a fitting place for him.