Classroom of the Elite, I Can Add Points Infinitely Chapter 38

Taking advantage of the fact that Shiina Hiyori had yet to develop a sense of belonging to Class C, Aragaki Shun decided that he had to finalize her transfer immediately.

Otherwise, given her personality—cold on the outside but warm on the inside, craving companionship, and valuing emotional bonds—once she found her place in Class C and accepted those people as her peers, it would no longer be so easy for him to poach her for Class A.

Having spent a month with her, Aragaki Shun was well aware that while Shiina appeared aloof and indifferent to everything, she was actually someone with a very strong sense of collective honor.

Shiina might not care too much about whether she graduated from Class A; after all, her family background was decent, and her grades were among the top in the grade. Even without a school recommendation, she could grasp her own future based on her personal ability.

But the problem was that she was someone who valued the team. If she were allowed to stay in Class C for a long time, he feared she would unknowingly start seeing herself as a member of the class, and when that time came, she would certainly contribute her own strength to the collective will of Class C.

Now that there was an opportunity to prevent such a future, Aragaki Shun naturally had to erase that possibility; otherwise, he worried that when he eventually launched an offensive against Class C, he might accidentally catch her in the crossfire.

After all, he was not the type of person to show mercy to a competing class just because of personal friendships.

Or perhaps, had she already been caught in the crossfire of his attacks?

--Under his orchestration, the monthly Private Points each student in Class C could freely use were now only 20,000, and Shiina was no exception.

"..."

Facing Aragaki Shun's direct invitation, for some reason, the girl still did not agree immediately, even though it was an opportunity to promote to Class A that the vast majority of students in the school dreamed of.

Even if one were confident in their own strength, if they could add an extra layer of security to their future, who would refuse such a free benefit?

But Shiina was truly hesitant.

It wasn't that she looked down on the benefits of graduating from Class A, nor was it that she had developed feelings for Class C or felt burdened by the idea of transferring alone.

On one side was a book-loving friend who chatted happily with her and intended to help her transfer; on the other was a tyrant who ruled his class through violence, along with his group of delinquents.

Any normal person would be able to make the correct choice.

However, if she were to just accept this transfer opportunity gifted by Aragaki-kun, that was equivalent to 20 million Private Points!

Even without counting the various benefits provided by the school after graduating from Class A, looking solely at the value of 20 million Private Points, it was equivalent to 20 million yen in the outside world.

Unless they were husband and wife or close relatives, under what circumstances would a man give a woman so much money for nothing?

She just felt that if she accepted this gift, it would be as if she were being kept by Aragaki-kun...

81. A Critical Node in Life; Planting a Mole in Class C

She just felt that if she were to accept this gift, it would be as if she were being kept by Aragaki-kun.

Thinking of this, a blush appeared on Shiina's face. To prevent Aragaki Shun from noticing this anomaly, she hurriedly and shyly averted her gaze, and in her desperation, she could only continue to use the stalling tactic.

"Didn't Aragaki-kun promise me last night that I would give you my answer on the day you wanted me to transfer?"

"But I want Shiina to transfer right now!"

Aragaki Shun took out his phone directly and showed Shiina Hiyori the Private Points on his screen.

"This is 5.2 million Private Points, and with 7 Transfer Tickets that can offset 14 million, I can get another sum of Private Points from the school within the next two days. As long as you are willing, I can immediately apply for the procedures for you to transfer into Class A."

Seeing the Private Points on Aragaki Shun's phone, Shiina Hiyori widened her eyes in surprise, momentarily speechless.

In the more than ten years since Kodo Ikusei Senior High School was established, no student had ever successfully collected the 20 million points required for a permanent transfer, yet this boy had accomplished it in a single month?

"Is this the Private Points accumulated by everyone in Class A together? If that's the case..."

Shiina was still trying to find an excuse to stall, but Aragaki Shun shook his head without hesitation. "That's not the case. Our class has a dedicated class fund manager; these Private Points on my phone belong entirely to me and can be completely at my personal disposal."

If he were using class funds to invite a student from another class to join, even if it were a candidate proposed by Aragaki Shun, he would have to go through a full class vote.

However, given his authority in Class A, that process would merely be a formality to show that the procedure was reasonable.

Unless the person he chose was notorious in the grade and the people in Class A truly couldn't stand it, the class would basically not oppose his decisions.

"But if that's the case, doesn't it look even more like Aragaki-kun is trying to pay to keep me?"

Although she didn't say these words directly, a troubled expression was clearly visible on Shiina Hiyori's face.

In Sakurajima, the annual salary of an average wage earner was about 4 million yen.

In other words, an ordinary person would have to go without eating or drinking for at least five years to save up 20 million.

Of course, as long as one remained within the realm of humanity, one needed money to live.

Therefore, even with careful calculation, if a person could save half their salary every year without illness, disaster, or accidents, they would still need to spend ten years to complete a reserve of 20 million in cash.

To put it bluntly, if Aragaki Shun took these 20 million outside, he could easily find a good-looking girl and keep her through monthly payments for anywhere from three to four years, or even eight to nine years.

After all, if paid on a monthly basis, the cost to keep an ordinary girl would only be between 100,000 and 500,000 yen per month.

And if paid per encounter, the lowest was about 5,000 yen; 20 million would be enough for a person to experience the pleasure of a harem of three thousand unique women.

With such a massive sum of money, how could Shiina accept it with peace of mind?

Even between lovers, as long as they hadn't decided to marry, there were few who would directly entrust so much wealth to the other.

Unless they had already decided on the rest of their lives...

Shiina Hiyori dared not think any further; a hint of shyness and unease flickered in the girl's eyes. She bit her lip gently, seemingly trying hard to calm her emotions.

"Aragaki-kun," the literary girl's voice trembled slightly, "do you really think this is okay?"

Why go to such lengths? We are clearly just friends who read books together in the afternoon...

Aragaki Shun looked at the girl's reaction and suddenly felt a heavy atmosphere. A vague intuition told him that he was currently at a critical node in his life; if he took a wrong step, he might regret his choice today in the future.

The boy exhaled, letting his overheated brain cool down. "I apologize, Shiina. I was being a bit too eager for results."

Aragaki Shun also realized that his behavior had been somewhat inappropriate.

Although he didn't care about a mere 20 million, as long as the school was willing to open up the transfer quota, he could easily produce 200 million or even a billion without breaking a sweat.

Furthermore, this money was entirely his personal wealth; he didn't need to rely on the Aragaki Family for support at all.

Was it because he had never struggled for money in this life that his perspective on wealth had become so detached from that of ordinary people?

In his eyes, any problem that could be solved with money wasn't a big deal.

What Aragaki Shun truly valued was Source Power, the kind of thing that could support his path toward transcendence.

But for an ordinary person, receiving a gift of 20 million from someone else for no reason would surely be quite stressful, right?

Even if these 20 million were a free gift that didn't need to be repaid, the resulting debt of gratitude would be a significant burden for any ordinary person with normal values.

After all, a debtor can never hold their head high in front of their creditor.

Shiina Hiyori clearly didn't want to accept this gift in such a muddled way; she was likely worried that their equal friendship would sour if it became tainted by too many interests.

"Shiina knows my situation. While 20 million isn't a small amount, it really doesn't mean much to me. I was simply seeking the most efficient method and meant no offense to you."

I hope I didn't... Aragaki Shun couldn't quite figure out what he was really thinking deep down.

Hearing this, Shiina Hiyori felt a slight sense of relief. If Aragaki-kun had continued to insist, she really didn't know if she could keep stalling.

As for refusing outright, she felt she probably couldn't summon the resolve to do that.

If she couldn't be friends anymore because she rejected the invitation to Class A... she would definitely regret it.

If she couldn't stand side-by-side and chat with Aragaki-kun like this, she would absolutely feel regret.

"I know. Aragaki-kun just wanted to help me," she said softly. Her fingers, which had been gripping her book tightly, relaxed, and she seemed much more at ease. "It's just that I find it hard to accept this gift."

"For Aragaki-kun, 20 million might be a harvest easily reaped within a month of starting school, but it's the fruit of your own hard work. How could I just sit back and enjoy the fruits of your victory with a clear conscience!"

Aragaki Shun nodded, realizing that Shiina simply couldn't accept such unearned rewards, and she had no pressing reason to graduate from Class A.

Receiving too many favors without cause would naturally make her feel ashamed.

"In that case, not as a friend, but as the leader of Class A, I would like to invite Shiina to join Class A."

"I will propose at the next Class A meeting that we use 20 million from our class funds to arrange your transfer. Would you agree to this invitation?"

Shiina Hiyori visibly relaxed. She smiled slightly and said, "If this is an invitation made by Class A to solidify its position, then I naturally have no reason to refuse."

Aragaki Shun had previously mentioned the strategy he formulated for Class A: constantly absorbing talent from other classes to consolidate Class A's status while weakening the others.

Once Class A's strength far exceeded the other classes, capable students in those classes might consider self-preservation and use their Private Points to transfer directly to Class A.

This would create a simple, virtuous cycle that would allow Class A to naturally maintain its position.

Therefore, even if the girl refused his invitation here, he would still use Private Points to poach other talent from classes B, C, and D.

Since that was the case, Shiina Hiyori naturally wouldn't refuse him again and again.

At the end of the day, she just couldn't accept receiving too many personal favors from Aragaki Shun while their relationship remained merely friends; it wasn't that she didn't want to go to Class A.

"However, there's no need to rush my transfer right now. The school will likely arrange some special exams that involve more class evaluation points later. I'll stay in Class C for now, and I should be able to help Class A with something when the time comes."

Without realizing it, the literary girl had returned to her usual intellectual and rational state. She offered a gentle, sweet smile, having naturally shifted to thinking from the perspective of Class A.

A midterm exam only awarded a maximum of 100 class points. If future class competitions were of this scale, the lower classes would never be able to close the gap with the upper classes.

Therefore, the school would inevitably set up exams with higher point values to increase the intensity of the competition.

"Since I need everyone in Class A to pull me up, I must prove my own strength and make corresponding contributions so that I don't let down the support of my Class A classmates."

Thus, the girl decided to stay in Class C as an undercover agent for the time being, ensuring she would have enough confidence when she eventually moved to Class A.

Ultimately, receiving a favor from Aragaki Shun as an individual and being invited by the collective of Class A were two completely different things.

In the former, she only had to consider her relationship with Aragaki Shun.

But given the boy's family background, ability, and status at Advanced Nurturing, Shiina really couldn't imagine how she would repay such a favor in the future. She couldn't just sell herself off, could she?

In the latter case, she only needed to consider the overall interests of Class A, which was actually easier for her to accept.

The girl had some confidence in her own abilities. Once she joined Aragaki's class, it would not only stabilize Class A's position but also significantly weaken Class C—a win-win for both Shiina and Class A.

Aragaki Shun thought for a moment and finally agreed with Shiina's idea.

Although the thought of Shiina acting as an undercover agent felt particularly awkward given her temperament.

But from the perspective of a Class A leader, the girl's decision was undoubtedly the one that maximized the class's interests.

"According to information from the upperclassmen, the first special exam for freshmen shouldn't happen until the summer vacation in August, which is three months away."

"Isn't that even better?" Shiina smiled faintly. "Class A hasn't collected 20 million Private Points yet, right?"

"Even though Aragaki-kun could lend the money to Class A, even with your prestige, wouldn't it cause some controversy behind your back if the class had to pay 20 million to invite a nobody like me?"

Surprisingly, Aragaki Shun did not agree with her. "I think you're underestimating the friendly atmosphere of our class."

"However, as a class leader, I really shouldn't let my impulses dictate such a costly and significant matter as a transfer."

The boy thought for a moment, and his gaze toward Shiina suddenly turned somewhat mischievous. "I've decided: any student invited to transfer to Class A from now on must sign an agreement stating they owe Class A 20 million. They will need to contribute to the class in the future to offset the debt, or else they can just live frugally for three years and pay it off slowly."

"That makes it even more reasonable."

Shiina Hiyori didn't seem frightened at all; instead, she nodded thoughtfully. "If the debt isn't paid off within the three years of school, given Aragaki-kun's capabilities, could this debt even extend beyond graduation?"

"It shouldn't just be me. The entire Class A should bear witness. If it isn't paid off within the three years of school, he should convert the remaining debt into an equivalent amount of yen and divide it into forty parts to repay everyone in Class A."

Aragaki Shun had also thought it through.

The class funds were accumulated slowly through every student in Class A contributing half of their monthly Private Points.

Even just considering the need to solidify Class A's standing, any talent invited to join Class A must repay the hard work of everyone in the class.

If a student who transferred to Class A just slacked off once they arrived and made no contributions, wouldn't they have wasted twenty million Private Points for nothing?

He wasn't worried that the invitees would be unwilling to sign this agreement.

After all, the benefits of graduating from Class A were highly valuable, and there were plenty of people in the first year willing to pay this price in exchange for a more promising future.

"In that case, it seems I'll have to muster up some motivation in Class C as well."

Shiina Hiyori smiled and tucked a strand of silver hair behind her ear. She actually found this kind of business-like exchange of interests quite agreeable.

This way, she wouldn't have to rack her brain trying to find ways to repay the favors she owed to her classmates in Class A.

"Mn, as long as Shiina knows your limits, that's fine. If you encounter any danger, you must come to me immediately."

Aragaki Shun wasn't particularly worried about the girl's safety. After all, this was a school, and the distance between the four classes wasn't far, so the two of them could contact each other at any time.

However, Ryuen in Class C was a dangerous individual who advocated violence, so he still had to offer a word of caution to prevent Shiina from trying to be a hero on her own.

"Rest assured. In my daily life, I am still just an ordinary student in Class C. There is no reason for Ryuen to suspect that I am a mole."

Shiina was very confident about this.

In truth, if it weren't for her friendship with Aragaki Shun and the thought that being in the same class as a fellow book lover would allow them more time to spend together, she really wouldn't have wanted to take on the role of a mole.

Actually, Aragaki Shun himself wasn't very interested in cultivating moles. After all, the students he deemed worthy of his attention were generally not the type to backstab their own class.

As for those who possessed the talent for backstabbing, he would at most pay them some Private Points, but he certainly wouldn't be willing to invite them to transfer to Class A.