"I remember Chabashira-sensei saying that as long as you have private points, you can buy anything in this school."
Thanks to Aoyama's influence, Horikita Suzune quickly realized they could check the security footage.
The problem was that Class 1-D didn't have any class points right now, and she had no idea how many private points it would cost to review the footage.
"Let's ask the teacher how much it'll cost first."
Seeing Horikita's embarrassment, Ichinose smiled as if to say, It's all right.
Ichinose didn't have as many friends as Kushida, but she had friends in every first-year class.
She knew whether Class 1-D had any class points.
"The Student Council should be able to access the security footage too. If it costs too much, you can ask Aoyama. He'll probably get it for half price."
Class B had paid for the morning's paid announcement, and after thinking it over, Horikita Suzune had finally found a way he could be of use.
Aoyama wouldn't turn down money.
The Witness
"Security footage? Whatever the teacher quoted, just give me half."
As usual, Aoyama Shiki was having a meal in Horikita Suzune's dorm room.
The dishes today were fairly elaborate, and they tasted excellent too.
Aside from being a little sharp-tongued, Horikita Suzune would definitely make a good wife and mother someday.
"Since there's quite a lot of footage to check, the teacher quoted two hundred thousand. So your fee will be one hundred thousand?"
"No problem."
Aoyama hadn't expected this unexpected windfall, and he grinned.
Money earned through abusing public authority was definitely dirty money.
"Can you do it as quickly as possible?" Horikita Suzune stepped behind Aoyama and placed both hands on his shoulders.
They had already wasted an entire day. By tomorrow night, time would be tight, and there was no guarantee they would find a witness in the footage anyway.
It was a last resort.
"Easy. We'll head out in half an hour."
As far as Aoyama knew, the school's security room was staffed around the clock.
Besides, it was only a little after six. Half an hour later wouldn't be too late.
Enjoying a massage from the Student Council President's younger sister, then using the Student Council's authority to pull strings for personal gain—
Aoyama Shiki was feeling pretty good right now.
"Help me split this in half."
Kamuro Masumi was not feeling good at all.
What should have been a relaxing evening had turned into hard labor because of that jerk Aoyama.
"You might as well kill me. Splitting it in half will cost me my life," Aoyama yelped on their way back to school.
"Then your life must be pretty cheap."
Kamuro pursed her lips. She didn't know if she'd lost her mind, but Aoyama had said a few things to her and she'd ended up going out with him.
It wasn't as if she got anything out of it.
"This Sunday, do you want to go shopping at Keyaki Mall? I want to buy some clothes."
It was only the beginning of summer in early June, but the temperature was already making people feel hot.
Thinking that his T-shirts were getting old, Aoyama planned to buy some new ones. He could also pick up some nicer clothes for Kamuro and Yamamura while he was at it.
It was his way of thanking them for helping him all this time.
"Too much trouble. I'm not going."
"Come on, please? I'm begging you. This is the one and only request of my life."
"You really have no shame." Kamuro glanced up at the dark night sky and sighed.
She really couldn't deal with Aoyama Shiki when he got this relentless.
If the other students in Class A saw him acting like this, their jaws would hit the floor.
He acted all proper in front of everyone else, but around her, he was completely at ease and didn't care about his image at all.
What did she even mean to him?
"Mature men know when to care about their dignity and when not to."
Aoyama studied Kamuro's lovely profile, his tone returning to normal.
Yamamura was sweet and accommodating, which was nice, but Kamuro was still the easiest person for him to get along with.
Chatting as they walked, the two of them arrived at the school's security room.
After explaining who they were and why they were there, they were quickly granted permission to review the footage. A staff member was even assigned to help them.
But even with three people, it took them more than two hours to go through everything.
"I'm exhausted."
On their way back to the dorms, they stopped at a convenience store.
Aoyama went inside to buy drinks and snacks, then came back out and walked over to where Kamuro was sitting.
He pressed a can of icy-cold drink against Kamuro's cheek.
"Damn you, Aoyama!" The sudden chill made Kamuro furious.
"This is a treat from a jerk."
After Kamuro bumped his shin with hers, Aoyama sat down across from her and set the bag of snacks on the table.
"What's so good about that?"
"I think it's really nice."
Aoyama watched Kamuro tilt her head back and drink, then opened his own drink with a faint smile.
Kamuro was cute when she was so carefree.
"I wasn't asking you that."
"But I really do think it's nice."
"Ah... never mind." Kamuro grew flustered and turned away.
Heh.
Aoyama felt a rush of delight and tipped his head back to take a long swig.
He hadn't let Ichinose and the others down. He'd actually found a witness in the footage. She was only a witness to the Sudo Incident, but that was better than nothing.
Sakura Airi of Class 1-D—a gravure model who disguised herself by dressing dowdily.
She was timid and shy, much like Yamamura, though she was even worse at communicating with people.
In terms of physical ability, they were both weaklings. But when it came to academics, she couldn't compare to Yamamura at all.
Still, Sakura Airi was light and delicate, easy to push over. It would be great to have her in his camp.
As the cold drink went down, Aoyama began thinking about how to bring Sakura over to his side.
In the original story, Sakura had also been a witness to the Sudo fight. After reviewing several days' worth of footage, Aoyama knew it wasn't a coincidence.
There were no cameras, and after school, no members of the Student Council came to the top floor of the Special Building. It was a perfect secret base where she could drop her disguise and take photos.
Four or five days a week, a gravure model named "Shizuku" appeared there.
With her scandalously curvaceous figure and angelic face, it was no wonder Shizuku had become a sensation online.
"What are you planning now? You're grinning like a creep." At some point, Kamuro had turned to face him again.
"It's a secret I can't tell you, Kamuro."
Aoyama pushed Sakura Airi's image out of his mind and propped his cheek on one hand as he looked at Kamuro.
One minute.
Two minutes.
"I win."
"Who said we were playing a staring contest?"
Kamuro's face reddened slightly, and she looked away again. After a pause, she stood up.
"Let's go back."
"Wait for me."
Aoyama picked up the snacks with a smile and hurried after Kamuro.
Half an hour later.
"There's one witness from the Special Building, but I don't think she wants to come forward."
"I'll ask her tomorrow morning. I'll let you know based on her answer."
In the boys' dormitory, Aoyama and Horikita Suzune sat facing each other. A phone displaying an active call sat on the table between them.
The contact shown on the screen was Ichinose Honami.
"Thank you for helping us, Aoyama. But I'm surprised—you have a considerate side too." Ichinose's pleasant voice came through the phone.
"It's just a little act of mercy. You shouldn't expect too much from me."
"Being expected to do things can be stressful, but I don't think you're a bad person, Aoyama. Good night."
"I'm not planning to sleep yet, but good night to you too, Ichinose."
With a chuckle, Aoyama ended the call with Ichinose.
Horikita Suzune, sitting across from him, didn't seem to be planning to leave.
"You can't even tell me?"
"You're exactly why I can't tell you. Early to bed and early to rise keeps you healthy."
Aoyama took Horikita by the arm and helped her up, then promptly ushered her out.
Horikita Suzune struggled to empathize with others. He didn't think she'd keep Sakura's identity a secret.
Bearing the Name of Student Council Vice President
"Good morning, Sakura. Please, have a seat."
Early that morning, for five thousand private points, Aoyama had temporarily rented the dorm supervisor's tea room.
Through Kushida's connections, he had contacted Sakura Airi the night before.
Timid people were usually bad at saying no.
"I didn't know what kind of tea you liked, so I made chrysanthemum tea."
Aoyama placed a paper cup of tea in front of the empty chair and gestured for her to sit.
"I... I'm fine with anything. Thank you... Aoyama."
Wearing red square-framed glasses and her hair in dowdy twin braids, Sakura Airi's eyes shifted nervously beneath her long bangs.
Hunching her back and lowering her head, she sat timidly across from Aoyama.
"Ichinose and the others asked me to check the footage related to the dispute with Class C. I found that you were probably a witness to the Sudo Incident."
"I guessed you were still deciding whether to testify, so I didn't tell Ichinose and the others."
Aoyama openly stared at Sakura's restless eyes as he explained why he'd called her here.
Her ice-blue eyes were beautiful, her fiery red hair looked wonderfully silky, and her skin was fair as snow.
If she weren't so shy, he felt Sakura would be the most popular person among the popular kids.
"Ah... I'm sorry... I..."
Before you continue