Benefits and Management Philosophy

Everyone was still looking at the situation from Class A's perspective!

"Heh. Katsuragi, looks like you understand, too."

Morishige Takuro curled his lip. At least Katsuragi was still being rational. He turned to Kijima Tsukur and sneered.

"Kijima Tsukur, I don't care what you think. If you expect us to hand over our Personal Points so you can give them to someone else, dream on!"

That was right.

No one could forcibly take another person's Personal Points.

Neither Miyabi Nagumo nor Ryuen Kakeru could do that. As long as someone reported the matter to the school, any attempt to seize Personal Points would inevitably result in expulsion.

Even Kijima Tsukur was no exception.

As long as Morishige Takuro and the others refused, no one could force them.

"Don't make me explain myself over and over."

Kijima Tsukur raised one finger and looked calmly at the people below.

"I said I won't force anyone!"

"Huh?"

It wasn't just Morishige Takuro. Everyone in the Sakayanagi Faction was at a loss for words.

"You don't want to force anyone, but you still expect money? Just how self-important are you? Then tell me, what do we gain by handing over our Personal Points to you? Nothing at all. And there never will be!"

"I'd sooner believe I could save up twenty million than believe that bunch of Class D losers could turn things around!"

There were no idiots in Class A.

Everyone had their own calculations.

They all believed they could weigh the pros and cons, and the chances of recouping their losses from Class D were far too slim.

That was just how Class A was.

Benefits!

Without benefits, they wouldn't act.

Only shared interests could bind Class A together.

But the reality was that neither Morishige Takuro nor Sakayanagi Arisu, nor even Katsuragi Kohei and the others, could see the slightest benefit in Kijima Tsukur's proposal!

As for graduating from Class A as an entire year group, they naturally wouldn't consider it.

From an individual's perspective,

there was absolutely no chance of recouping their losses from Class D.

If they signed the contract, a trash class like Class D would just keep taking Class A's Personal Points every month for free, then coast along without doing anything.

It wasn't that Morishige Takuro and the others simply disagreed.

They understood the situation and the pros and cons perfectly well, but they placed far too much importance on the benefits right in front of them.

Short-sightedness was a fatal flaw!

"Benefits?"

Kijima Tsukur fell silent for a moment. He felt that he needed to make this clear; otherwise, these people would never understand where they stood.

"Then I'll tell you what the benefits are!"

Chapter 40: Benefits, Management Philosophy

"Contribution!"

"Huh?"

Morishige Takuro and the others looked confused.

The benefit was contribution?

Why did it feel as if Kijima Tsukur lived in a different world? They couldn't understand a word he was saying.

"You should all understand this."

Kijima Tsukur looked at the people below and explained.

"Future Special Exams may result in students being expelled. I'll do everything I can to avoid that, but there may still be times when choosing someone to expel is unavoidable."

"In those situations, the standard for choosing who gets expelled will be crucial."

"The answer is contribution to the class!"

At that, Morishige Takuro and the others frowned.

It was clear that Kijima Tsukur was revealing his own values—his way of judging a person's worth.

But it was difficult to agree with that way of thinking.

Setting aside the others,

a pleased smile appeared at the corner of Sakayanagi Arisu's mouth. Kijima Tsukur had finally revealed his values.

However,

he didn't realize that a true strong leader had no need to care about the people beneath him. It didn't matter who got expelled!

The fact that Kijima Tsukur thought this way showed that he wasn't absolutely confident in himself.

Most of Class A, on the other hand, believed in the law of the jungle: the strong ruled, and strength came first!

If she, Sakayanagi Arisu, were in charge,

she wouldn't care who got expelled. That was the mindset of a truly qualified leader!

It was also proof of her absolute confidence in her own abilities.

But she couldn't exactly say that out loud.

"I disagree!"

Sakayanagi Arisu raised her hand with a smile. "Putting aside whether this even counts as a benefit, if we really have to choose someone to be expelled, I think we should base it on ability. Expelling the weakest person would be the best choice for the class."

"Exactly..."

That opinion was clearly more popular with those around them. Morishige Takuro sneered.

"Ultimately, those with greater ability make greater contributions. That's only natural."

As he spoke, he turned to the people nearby and scoffed.

"If you don't want to be eliminated, you should work harder to improve yourself. That way, the class will grow stronger, too."

"Kijima, I didn't expect you to have such a naive idea. What the hell is this talk about contribution? Stop forcing your ideas on us. That's no benefit to us."

For a moment,

even Katsuragi, Totsuka, and the others fell silent.

Class A's defining trait

was that everyone was confident in themselves.

Even Katsuragi and those who prioritized protecting their classmates

would still agree more with the idea that strength came first if they had to choose someone to be expelled.

That was fairer, too!

If you didn't want to be eliminated, you should work harder to improve yourself!

"If you still don't understand, I'll give you another example to make it clearer."

Kijima Tsukur pointed at the ceiling, staring straight at Morishige Takuro and the others.

"For an organization or a company, who contributes more: a talented person who achieves results through their own abilities, or an incompetent rich kid who pays out of pocket to achieve the same results?"

Before anyone could answer, Kijima Tsukur gave his own answer.

"They contribute equally! The rich kid's connections are even more valuable, though we won't consider that for now."

Morishige Takuro and the others frowned, looking uncomfortable.

Clearly,

this wasn't a difference in ability. Their fundamental values were at odds.

They just hated the unfairness of it and found the idea difficult to accept.

It had nothing to do with personal ability.

No matter how hard they worked their whole lives,

they still couldn't match the connections a useless rich kid was born with.

In Kijima Tsukur's eyes, the standard of judgment wasn't personal ability, but the degree to which someone contributed to an organization.

"Also, you said I shouldn't force my personal ideas on you, right?"

Kijima Tsukur explained once again.

"I told you I won't force anyone. Those willing to hand over their Personal Points can tell me how many they're willing to pay. Those who aren't can do as they please."

"But I'll keep track of everyone's contributions. If we face an exam where someone has to be expelled, I'll prioritize expelling the person with the lowest contribution, regardless of ability."

At those words,

quite a few people frowned, looking uncomfortable.

Was Kijima Tsukur's argument reasonable?

Naturally, it was!

No matter what Kijima Tsukur thought, his logic at least held together. It just didn't feel good to hear.

If only contribution mattered, what was the point of working hard?

"Ridiculous."

Morishige Takuro sneered and pointed at Yamamura Miki, who was standing at the back of the classroom.

"Suppose Yamamura and Katsuragi were both at risk of expulsion one day. You'd keep her and expel Katsuragi, wouldn't you?"

"Not quite, but I understand what you're asking."

Facing everyone's scrutinizing gazes, Kijima Tsukur calmly explained.

"Even if you, Sakayanagi, Hashimoto, Kamuro, and Katsuragi were all expelled, Yamamura still wouldn't be. I'm the leader of Class A, and taking good care of me is the greatest contribution anyone can make to the organization. So, naturally, her contribution to the class is the highest right now!"

"Huh?"

Everyone was speechless. The fox had finally shown its tail. Morishige Takuro sneered.

"Bullshit. Say it as nicely as you want—this is just favoritism!"

"Favoritism? All I can tell you is that you're both right and wrong."

Kijima Tsukur walked to one side and rested his left hand on the chair Yamamura Miki had just carried up. He looked down at the class, his expression impassive.

"Favoritism doesn't mean only using people you're close to. The closer someone is to the center of power, the more opportunities they have to get things done, and the greater their contribution naturally becomes."

"Morishige, and anyone else who thinks the same way as Morishige."

"You should change how you think. Don't ask yourselves whether you should follow my arrangements. Since you're in the same class, you should be thinking about how to contribute more to the organization, get closer to the center of power, and earn opportunities to work for me. Understand?"

At those words,

Hashimoto Masayoshi and the others stared with their mouths slightly open. Even Sakayanagi Arisu looked a little stunned. They were practically dumbfounded.

Kijima Tsukur's logic held together, but the way he thought was absurd.

Put simply, it meant: You should be begging me to let you work for me.

"Heh. Just who do you think you are? Even the principal isn't this arrogant. You all heard him, right? That's what he really thinks—that we should be begging him to let us work for him?"