"Ying, you can't say things that might be misunderstood next time, okay? You really gave me a scare."
"Yes, I'm very sorry."
In the office, Hoshinomiya-sensei was scolding Ying in a tone that didn't sound like a scolding at all. Ying held a perfect 180-degree bow and kept apologizing. Standing nearby, Kanzaki covered his forehead with one hand and sighed over and over.
"Since you're one of my adorable Class B students, I'll let it slide. If another teacher or student had seen you, you might've been expelled on the very first day of school."
"Yes, I'm very sorry."
"You said you wanted to spend a hundred thousand points on the hidden information I knew. Couldn't you have just said that directly? You had to phrase it like you were trying to lure me into something. I really almost thought you were a bad kid, Ying."
"Yes, I'm very sorry."
"But since you seem so sincere in your apology, I'll let you off the hook, Ying."
"Yes, I'm very sor—thank you very much."
"The school's minimum price for hidden information is fifty thousand points. But as a token punishment for being naughty, Ying, I'll sell it to you for a hundred thousand!"
Ying and Kanzaki immediately straightened up, their faces full of shock.
Ying: Are you robbing me?!
Kanzaki: You can actually buy such valuable information with points!
After Ying paid the points with an expression like he was about to cry, Hoshinomiya-sensei joked that he was now down to zero, then began explaining some of the hidden information to them, such as the class assignment rules, class competitions, and how Class Points were closely tied to individual points.
Kanzaki was deeply shocked by what he heard. He quickly grew serious; he had to share the information with everyone in the class as soon as possible.
Ying could only think about how he'd maximized his losses. He'd already known this information in his previous life, and he knew even more details than this. Not only had Hoshinomiya-sensei caught him in a compromising situation, but he'd also lost every last one of his points. He wanted to cry, but he couldn't—not without ruining his image!
After saying goodbye to Hoshinomiya-sensei, Kanzaki and Ying left the office.
"Byakuya, want me to transfer you fifty thousand personal points? We can count it as something we bought together."
"Sure... No, forget it." A true expert never accepted charity. Ying could only turn him down with tears in his eyes.
"Are you sure? You need personal points for daily necessities and meals, right?" Kanzaki looked at Ying with concern.
"It's fine. I'll use the free defective goods from the store for daily necessities and grab free food at mealtimes. If things get really bad, I'll borrow from you." Ying rejected Kanzaki again in a lifeless voice. His heart was already dead.
"Okay. Come to me anytime if you need anything. As long as it isn't too much, you don't have to pay me back."
Ying wiped away his nonexistent tears and said emotionally, "Kanzaki, you really are my best friend!"
Kanzaki sighed helplessly. "All right, we should hurry and meet up with Ichinose and the others. We can't keep them waiting, and we need to tell the whole class this news as soon as possible."
"Huh?" Ying looked bewildered.
Kanzaki could tell at a glance that Ying hadn't listened to Ichinose again. With a resigned sigh, he repeated the news that Ichinose had invited the whole class to a gathering.
Ying nodded as if he'd suddenly understood. It was certainly the sort of thing Ichinose would do, but cryptic types didn't fit in.
"But my situation's a little special. If I don't hurry and grab the free daily necessities, someone else might get there first. So apologize to everyone for me, Kano." With that, he ignored Kanzaki and walked off on his own.
Kanzaki thought that being broke wasn't easy and decided to be more frugal from now on.
"Um... Kanzaki, which way is the store?" Ying couldn't keep up the act for even two seconds before coming back. He just didn't know his way around.
Kanzaki could only point Ying in the right direction again, speechless, and tell him that he could check the school map on his Student Terminal.
After parting ways with Ying, Kanzaki suddenly sensed something was off. If Ying didn't even know where the store was, how had he known there were free goods inside? Could he have figured out how the school operated based solely on the information Hoshinomiya-sensei had just given them? That couldn't be possible...
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka also decided to browse the convenience store, where he spotted his seatmate, Horikita Suzune. Horikita frowned as soon as she saw him. Hoping to get on better terms with her, Ayanokoji started chatting about the items in the store, like instant noodles and face wash. Then, to change the subject, Ayanokoji noticed a strange section.
"Hey, what's going on here?"
"Free...?"
Horikita also found it unbelievable and started examining the goods.
Everyday items like toothbrushes and bandages filled a shopping cart labeled [FREE], with a restriction that read [Limit three per month]. The area clearly had an odd feel to it.
"This is probably what the school gives to students who've overspent their points..."
"Excuse me, could you move? Thanks."
Just as Horikita was about to share her guess, a black-haired student from their year walked over and immediately started picking out the free items. The student clicked his tongue when he saw the [Limit three per month] sign, making Horikita frown.
Ayanokoji recognized the black-haired student at once as the one who'd asked him a strange question that morning. Since he hadn't shown up in class afterward, he'd probably gone to the wrong classroom. Ayanokoji also wondered why this strange student was picking out free goods, but he almost laughed at his own thought. After all, wondering what a weirdo was thinking was a weird thing to do.
"Why are you choosing the free items? The school must have just given us a hundred thousand points. You couldn't have spent them all that quickly. There's no need to use these free defective goods just to be thrifty." Horikita didn't know what had happened that morning, so she asked Ying directly.
As he picked out a toothbrush, Ying answered Horikita in a deadened voice without looking at either of them. "Yeah, you're right. The school just gave us a hundred thousand points. How could I have spent them all so quickly? What did I even buy? I didn't buy anything... Why?"
Horikita frowned. Was this guy really that rude? He wasn't even talking to them; he was just mumbling to himself.
"Shut up! Wait a minute! I'm looking!"
The sudden shout drowned out the soothing background music and rang through the entire convenience store.
Horikita and Ayanokoji were quickly drawn over by Sudo's argument. Horikita ultimately decided that Ying was just an incompetent student who'd blown through a hundred thousand points the moment he got them.
After picking out the free goods, Ying left the convenience store and happened to see Sudo arguing with three second-year students. Ying suddenly remembered that in the original story, Sakayanagi Arisu had made a bet with a senior from the Chess Club and earned a huge number of personal points. Could he fleece these three seniors too? Hehahaha! I'm a genius!
Once the three seniors left, Ying hurried after them.
"Wait up! Please stop, seniors!"
"Huh? What's a first-year doing here? Want to see what my fist tastes like? Now get lost! Stop bothering us!" The senior in the middle shook his fists for emphasis.
"Heh. If you're not worried about getting your class docked points or getting expelled for punching me, then sure, I'd like to try."
The three seniors were startled by his words. Had he already figured out the rules to this extent, despite only just starting school?
"I want to play a game with you. The game itself will have the same force as a contract, and anyone who quits midway will be expelled. You'll ask me ten questions about the school, and you must already know the answers. If I can't answer, I'll transfer ten thousand points to each of you. If I answer correctly, you'll each transfer me the amount the school charges for that information. How does that sound?"
The three seniors quietly discussed it among themselves. They decided Ying couldn't possibly know everything, so they agreed to play.
"Fine. Ask away," Ying said confidently. Although Hoshinomiya had given him pitifully little information, Ying considered himself well-versed in the original story.
"Then... first question: how many second-year students are there right now?"
"Let's go ask a teacher to draw up a contract IOU. I'll definitely pay you back by next month."
Before you continue