Classroom of the Elite, I Also Want to Be a Good Person

Behind the familiar bench at the back of the student dormitory building, Aoyama gave an order to the somewhat cowering Karuizawa.

"If your classmates ask where you got the information, just say you were told to keep it confidential."

Chapter 11: Sometimes, Being Poor is More Advantageous Than Being Rich

"Ishizaki, could you please go in and call Ryuen out? There isn't much time left before the scheduled meeting."

Beside the restroom on the same floor as the first-year classrooms, Shiina spoke to Ishizaki Daichi, who was acting as a lookout for the students inside.

Muffled thuds, as if someone were being attacked, occasionally drifted out from the men's room.

"Can't you wait a little longer? It feels like it'll be over soon."

"If that's the case, I'll have no choice but to call a teacher."

With his tall, muscular build, rugged features, and fierce expression, Ishizaki Daichi was, unsurprisingly, a delinquent.

Yet, facing Ishizaki's somewhat hostile tone, Shiina showed not a hint of fear.

"Fine, I'll go, alright?"

"I'm counting on you, Ishizaki." A corner of Shiina's mouth curled up slightly.

Just as she had concluded from her observations, Ishizaki Daichi, a boy whose every word and action screamed delinquent, was completely inept at dealing with girls.

Ryuen, however, was a different story.

Thinking of one of the people brawling inside the men's room, Shiina let out a small sigh.

She hoped her classmates could be a bit more harmonious, or at least stop fighting every single day.

"I was just getting into the groove, Shiina. If you can't provide a reasonable excuse, you know the consequences."

Before long, a boy with hair reaching past his ears walked out of the men's room.

His deep red hair was currently disheveled, and the narrowed eyes on his cold, stern face gave off a dangerous vibe—in general, he looked like the type who would kick a dog just for walking past him.

"The time agreed upon with Aoyama is almost up. Based on my judgment of him, he doesn't seem like the type to wait for anyone."

"Besides, he should be a smart person."

"Heh, sometimes smart people do stupid things, but I'll be punctual this time."

He gave a sinister laugh, then, seemingly agitated by an injury on his face, Ryuen's expression stiffened before he pretended nothing was wrong and walked unhurriedly toward the faculty office.

At the same time, in the counseling room next to the faculty office, several students had already taken their seats.

On a standard five-foot-long coffee table, three sides of the surrounding sofas were already occupied.

Sitting on the double sofa in the main position was, naturally, the initiator, Aoyama, along with his accomplice, Kamuro, who was pursing her lips.

The sofas on the left and right were single-seaters, so two boys chose to stand behind the girls from their respective classes, leaving the empty double sofa for the yet-to-arrive Class C students.

Then, there was one subtle presence in the counseling room: the Class C homeroom teacher, Sakagami Kazuma.

What made him seem subtle wasn't his appearance, but the fact that as a teacher, he was currently standing beside Aoyama like a lackey, arms crossed and expression stern.

As the clock on the wall neared five, Aoyama spoke in a calm tone, "Sakagami-sensei, please call and notify Ryuen that he doesn't need to come if it's past five."

In this intelligence trade, Class B and Class C were merely supporting roles; the real prey were Class D's Hirata Yosuke and Kushida Kikyo.

For Aoyama, there were two types of private points: one was the "black money" that was extremely important and could be used for gacha, and the other was the kind that was just a nice bonus but couldn't be used for that purpose.

I'll just have to make you two suffer a little.

Giving instructions to Sakagami Kazuma, who was temporarily acting as his subordinate, Aoyama glanced at the two from Class D, who wore gentle smiles.

Hirata Yosuke, with his handsome, refined appearance and helpful personality, was a "good guy" who had earned the deep trust of Class D students and held the greatest influence in the class.

Kushida Kikyo presented herself similarly to Hirata, projecting an angelic image that made her popular among both boys and girls.

In terms of academic ability, physical fitness, and communication skills, they should never have been assigned to Class D.

Among the students, he was currently the only one who knew through foresight that it was no injustice for these two to be in Class D; in fact, he found it strange they were even admitted.

"To be able to command even Sakagami, it seems you won't disappoint me, Aoyama."

Arriving almost exactly at five o'clock, not a second late, Ryuen walked up to the sofa as if no one else was there and sat down, crossing his legs and taking up two spots.

Shiina, who followed him in, stood behind him with a calm expression.

"On the first day of school, I believe your homeroom teachers all said it—in this school, there is nothing that cannot be bought with points."

"Just like Sakagami-sensei, it only takes 100,000 private points to buy an hour of his time."

Ignoring Ryuen's rude behavior, Aoyama went straight to the point.

"This is a piece of information that can bring millions of private points in benefits to your class. Sakagami-sensei, please verify it and give your judgment on the spot."

"There's no need to worry about me and Sakagami-sensei colluding to defraud you; fraud in this school leads to expulsion. Hirata and Ichinose, you can ask your homeroom teachers right now."

As he spoke, Aoyama handed the prepared intelligence for the trade to Sakagami Kazuma.

After taking the file folder and opening it, Sakagami browsed through the contents, the look of surprise on his face growing more pronounced.

"Hoshinomiya-sensei said that teachers cannot lie to students."

"Our homeroom teacher, Chabashira-sensei, is of the same opinion."

Although they both felt that Aoyama likely wouldn't lie, the stakes were simply too high, so Ichinose and Hirata both played it safe and consulted their respective homeroom teachers.

As for Ryuen, whose homeroom teacher was standing right there, he watched his teacher with great interest, the look of contemplation on his face deepening.

"If what is written here is true, this information is most valuable to Class D, followed by Class C, and least valuable to Class B."

"However, even for Class B, it is still worth millions of private points."

After reading through the information, Sakagami Kazuma thought for a moment before giving his reply to the students watching him.

"Sakagami-sensei, could you please tell us if you can determine the authenticity of this information?" Not surprised by Sakagami's conditional answer, Aoyama immediately followed up.

Precisely because this information was of immense value to first-year students, it was impossible to verify its truth for a mere 100,000 private points.

However, the charm of language lies in the fact that sometimes, uncertainty implies certainty.

"I can." Sakagami nodded after a moment of hesitation.

"Is what is written here something that teachers are forbidden from disclosing to students?"

"...Yes."

--Clap, clap.

Clapping his hands to draw the attention of Hirata, Ichinose, and the others, Aoyama said, "With the teacher as a witness, I can sign a contract with you to guarantee that the information is true."

"Then what price does Aoyama-kun intend to sell this information for?" Ichinose asked with a serious expression. "I think Aoyama-kun is well aware that we cannot come up with millions of private points."

"And you can only sell this information to us."

Resting his arm on the back of the sofa, Ryuen joined in to help Ichinose drive down the price.

Neither of them was wrong, especially Ryuen; compared to a seller's market, this deal was clearly leaning toward a buyer's market.

Sometimes, being poor is more advantageous than being rich.

Chapter 12: I'm So Scared

"One million private points, payable in installments of at least 100,000 per month."

Aoyama had naturally anticipated the price-cutting tactics of the group.

But there was no helping it; since May 1st had not yet arrived, the prominent figures of classes B, C, and D had not yet officially become the leaders of their respective classes.

The only private points they could definitively use were the 100,000 distributed on April 1st.

"Five hundred thousand."

Ryuen opened with a massive slash, cutting the price directly in half, which made Ichinose and Hirata, standing to the side, smile with a bit of embarrassment.

As for Shiina behind him, she lowered her head, as if there were something interesting on the floor.

I spent 100,000 just to buy an hour of your homeroom teacher's time, Aoyama thought, feeling that if he had a legendary blade, he would have struck Ryuen with it right then and there.

Five hundred thousand private points? Was he trying to brush off a beggar?

His lovely Yamamura had been tailing upperclassmen for nearly a week just to demonstrate the validity of this information.

During the breaks from his own exercise on the track after school, he had even gone to strike up conversations with the seniors himself.

"May I discuss this with Kanzaki-kun first?"

"Sorry, I need to discuss this with Kushida-san."

Coincidentally, both Ichinose and Hirata indicated they needed to consult with their partners.

Aoyama, of course, had no objections to this; that was precisely why he had asked for two people from each class to come.

If a single person had to shoulder 100,000 private points every month, Ichinose and Hirata would be left with nothing but air to eat by next month.

With another person to share the burden, they could at least keep a little for themselves each month.

"Five hundred thousand, or Class C won't buy it."

While Hirata and the others were whispering among themselves, Ryuen showed no sign of embarrassment, sticking firmly to his offer of 500,000.

His gaze flickered toward Hirata and Ichinose from time to time.

"One million, non-negotiable. If you don't agree, you can leave now." Aoyama understood Ryuen's plan instantly.

Both Hirata and Ichinose were currently showing signs that they intended to buy it.

If he could get the information from them later, he certainly wouldn't have to pay more than the original price of one million.

"I think it would be better to agree to Aoyama-kun's price, Ryuen-kun."

Just as Ryuen uncrossed his legs and prepared to leave, Shiina, who had been standing silently the whole time, suddenly spoke up.

When Aoyama and Ryuen were talking, she hadn't been watching their expressions, but had instead focused her attention on the homeroom teacher.

When Ryuen intended to give up, Sakagami Kazuma's expression was no longer blank, and a flash of anxiety had crossed his face.

Perhaps, Sakagami-sensei did not believe that Ryuen could buy the information from Ichinose or Hirata.

This was the thought that had just surfaced in Shiina's mind, and seeing the look of relief on her teacher Sakagami's face, she became even more certain that they absolutely could not leave.

"Reason." Facing Shiina, who was stopping him, Ryuen's expression grew even colder.

"If the judgment is wrong, I will shoulder this one million private points myself, though it will just take a bit longer to pay off the debt."

Facing Ryuen, who was much taller than her, Shiina did not flinch.

As for the approach of taking all the risks upon himself, Ryuen could not refuse her proposal either.

The hands of the wall clock moved slowly, and a few minutes later, Hirata, Ichinose, and the others also made their decision, agreeing to Aoyama's asking price.

With this, all three classes bought the information verified by Sakagami at the same price.

"While I explain this information to you, please put your phones on silent and place them on the table; I don't want to be recorded."

"As for the original documents, I have already made three copies for you to take away."

After all the students present, except for Kamuro, signed the contract, Aoyama put forward his request.

Facing this inexplicable but undemanding little request, the few who were anxious to obtain the information quickly agreed.

After six phones appeared on the coffee table, Aoyama took out his own phone and tapped it a few times.

Confirming that the message had been sent to Karuizawa, he placed his phone on the table and began to explain the school's hidden rules one by one.

[Classes A, B, C, and D must compete; only students who graduate from Class A can receive the promises made during the school's admissions.]

[Private points are distributed by multiplying class points by one hundred. Each class starts with one thousand class points, and which class is Class A depends entirely on the total number of class points.]

[Actions by students that violate school rules will lead to deductions from their class points, and the school's surveillance will carefully record student behavior.]

[In formal exams such as midterms and finals, students who fail will face the penalty of expulsion.]

[The school holds what are known as special exams, where class points will increase or decrease depending on the class's victory or defeat.]

[Regarding the class assignments at the start of the school year, students with excellent comprehensive evaluations are assigned to Class A and Class B, while those who are not as excellent are assigned to Class C and Class D.]

[Twenty million private points can be used to purchase the right to transfer classes.]

"Ho ho ho, you look like a decent person, yet you're doing something that betrays your own class." After Aoyama finished, Ryuen quickly laughed, "But I like it."

At the same time, the expressions of Ichinose and the others toward Aoyama were somewhat strange.

As clever people with sharp minds sitting at the table, they quickly understood one thing based on Aoyama's narration: that Aoyama selling the rules to them was undoubtedly a betrayal of his own class.