Scheming in the real world? I can also do a little.

Yes, the future. Hoya Chukai knew that the future was extremely dangerous.

Whether it was the confrontation between Nagumo Miyabi and Horikita Manabu, the duel between the teachers and the school board, or the struggle between the four classes during their first year, it was all a cluster of problems.

However, at the very least, being in Class C was a decent choice. If the sky fell, the tall ones would hold it up; if Ryuen Shoko couldn't hold it, then Shiina Hiyori would; and if things got even worse, there were others to take the hit. What did that have to do with him?

At worst, he'd just spend a little less money each month. He had already survived the life of a broke college student living on a few hundred yuan a month just to pay for microtransactions, so he wasn't afraid of anything in this high school.

Anyway, the trouble was always stirred up by the main characters fighting among themselves, so what did that have to do with a small fry like him?

He was just a back-seat strategist; this kind of position allowed him to advance or retreat as needed. If Ryuen Shoko really couldn't hold the line, he would likely run faster than anyone else.

He wasn't some big shot; he was just a nobody.

But then again, these points were truly good things. If only he could get more of them.

Although he thought this to himself, Hoya Chukai knew he was just a pathetic loser who couldn't do anything. Where could he possibly earn points?

In other web novels, people usually fished for gold from Class C. After all, the Class C leader Ryuen Shoko was foolish and rich. He had some ability, but only a little, and his intelligence was only slightly higher than a middle schooler's. His schemes were always clumsy tricks, so he was usually the one getting scammed.

But now, Hoya Chukai was in Class C himself. Could he scam his own classmates?

What about the other classes? Class D? That bunch of idiots were even poorer than he was. Class B? Steal from the honest kids? Forget it; he wasn't shameless enough to bully honest people.

Should honest people be held at gunpoint?

At least, he couldn't bring himself to do that.

Class A? Who could he scam in Class A? Katsuragi or the others? He felt that no matter who he messed with, he would end up getting beaten up.

Hoya Chukai felt that he was just an ordinary person who couldn't compare to those two big shots. Even if it were Katsuragi, if they were to compete on the same stage, he wouldn't be able to win.

Right, gathering information... but where was he supposed to gather such information?

While wandering around aimlessly, he walked into the cafeteria.

The cafeteria was quite large, and there weren't many people. Although it was lunchtime, the other grades hadn't finished their classes yet, except for the first years. And since the first years had just received a large sum of money, they were probably out squandering it and wouldn't be here eating in the cafeteria.

"Hmm... I'll have... the vegetable set meal."

Seeing the free vegetable set meal sold there, Hoya Chukai wanted to taste what it was like.

Hoya Chukai liked eating vegetables; this was a habit he'd had since he was a child. Of course, he liked meat too, but unlike his pickiness with meat, he had no complaints about vegetables. Whether it was bitter melon or green peppers, he was willing to eat them.

"By the way, can I have some meat? I can pay with points."

Well, although he liked vegetables, he knew what a balanced diet was, so he paid out of his own pocket for some meat and even added an egg.

He was only eating the vegetable set meal to try it out; it wasn't like he was broke. He had 100,000 points, so he didn't need to be overly frugal.

Well, he was just like an ordinary person, much like someone who thinks it's fine to do their holiday homework late after the break starts, only to find that time has slipped away before they know it.

And for him, his money would slip away before he knew it.

After paying a price that was cheaper than what others spent, Hoya Chukai took his food and found a place to start eating.

How should he put it... the taste was actually pretty good.

You have to admit, since this was a prestigious high school, it had to have its merits. Having experienced high school in a small Chinese county, he could truly feel that the cafeteria here was great.

The cafeteria auntie didn't shake the ladle, the food was mass-produced but tasted good, the classrooms had air conditioning, the wall paint didn't peel off, and the dorms were individual rooms rather than eight-person bunk beds. He really thought these things were just too damn great.

If there weren't so many annoying things in life, perhaps he would really want to be a well-behaved student.

In a good mood, he ate his meal heartily, and he became so engrossed that he didn't even notice someone appearing behind him.

"Student, do you like vegetables that much?"

Hearing a very gentle voice, he couldn't help but turn his head to look.

Hmm... they're not small at all.

She must be a student from Class C... ah, wait, he was in Class C, but he hadn't seen this student before. Could she be from Class D?

That didn't seem right either; Class D was full of problem children, so how could such an angelic existence be among them?

Because Hoya Chukai had only read fan fiction and hadn't read the original work or watched the anime, he didn't recognize that this little angel was the Class B representative, Ichinose Honami... ah, no, Honami.

"Um... I guess so. Is there a problem?"

Although he didn't know who she was, having read fan fiction, he knew that only a student from Class B could have such an angelic personality.

As for why he initially wondered if she was from Class C or D, it was purely because of the girl's size; that capacity could never be just a B.

"It's nothing, I was just curious why you chose the vegetable set meal."

"After all, points are very precious, so I save where I can."

"But aren't we given 100,000 points every month? There's no need to be that frugal, right?"

"Heh, do you really think so?"

Hoya Chukai gave a wicked... Nike-style smirk. He suddenly felt that sometimes, acting cool was a really great feeling.

He looked the beautiful girl up and down. Since she was pretty, it wouldn't hurt to say a few more words.

Cough, cough, this damn face-valuing world. Who told him he was just a virgin? Even if he wouldn't be unable to walk when seeing a woman, it was normal to have some reactions when seeing beauty, right?

"Don't you have any friends with you? Would you like to eat and talk?"

"Then wait a moment, I'll go tell my classmates first."

At first, Ichinose was merely curious as to why this classmate had ordered a vegetable set meal, but it seemed like she might be able to glean quite a bit of information, so she decided to find out more specifically.

Sharing dinner with a classmate could naturally foster friendship, but gathering more information for the sake of her class was also a very important matter; she trusted that her classmates would be able to understand.

After all, they were all classmates who stood united and helped one another, just like her.

Chapter 7: A Little Teasing, An Unusual Pleasure

Ichinose went and returned quickly; soon, she placed her meal on the table and sat down opposite Hoya Chukai.

Seeing this girl show absolutely no wariness, Hoya Chukai was actually taken aback: "You trust me that much? Just sitting down here like this? Being this close to a strange boy... isn't that a bit inappropriate?"

Hoya Chukai had chosen a four-person table, so to an outsider, the two of them looked just like a couple in love.

Couples didn't just consist of being lovey-dovey; sometimes, simply eating dinner together could be misinterpreted by others, even without any overly intimate behavior.

"I've already told my other classmates, and besides, I don't think you're that kind of bad student."

Ah... indeed.

Hoya Chukai certainly didn't consider himself a "good" student, but he wasn't a "bad" one either; he was just somewhere in between.

He understood the importance of respecting teachers and following the rules, he tried his best to listen in class, and since he didn't cause trouble, he was no different from an average student in many respects; in Ichinose's eyes, he was indeed very ordinary.

What kind of bad intentions could an ordinary classmate possibly have?

"You think I'm not bad... I actually think I'm quite bad. Beautiful, what's your name?"

However, there were times when Hoya Chukai didn't like to follow the other person's lead; he smiled, gripped his chopsticks in reverse, and nudged Ichinose's chin: "How about it, do you still think I'm a good kid now?"

"Classmate, please don't be so flippant."

But Ichinose simply moved the chopsticks away from her chin with a gentle nudge: "My name is Ichinose Honami. Also, classmate, you aren't acting very convincingly, so you might as well stop."

"Tch, how did you figure that out?"

Although he felt surprised by the name, Hoya Chukai feigned a look of indifference on the surface. Yet, this expression of feigned indifference was misinterpreted by Ichinose as him being surprised that she had seen through his facade: "Because of your eyes, classmate. Although they look a bit lecherous, generally speaking, there isn't any malice in them."

Having dealt with students from all kinds of classes since she was young, how could she not know what Hoya Chukai was thinking? It was nothing more than the look of an average boy who had the heart to be a rogue but lacked the guts. This kind of thing was normal; who didn't have thoughts in their head? But having thoughts and being willing to act on them were two different things.

Hoya Chukai had looked very flippant just now, but his arm had been stiff the whole time; one look and it was clear he wasn't a veteran, just someone who cared too much about his pride.

It was just like being called a 'good guy' by someone you just met; in the eyes of someone with a vivid inner life, it was no different from a provocation, and it was only natural to strike back.

"Fine, fine, you win. Tell me, what do you want to know?"

Admitting defeat, Hoya Chukai picked up his chopsticks and stuffed some food into his mouth; he seemed to have forgotten how he had just tricked Feibo into coming over.

"About the points, classmate. You said my reasoning was wrong just now; shouldn't you explain why?"

"Ah, no, you weren't wrong, but you weren't exactly right either."

Hoya Chukai suddenly started acting like a riddle-maker, picking up his chopsticks to shove more food into his mouth. At this moment, the rule of not talking while eating was treated like nothing by him; he spoke while chewing his food.

"Hey, can we be clear about this?"

Seeing Hoya Chukai act this way, Feibo felt indignant, her little cheeks puffed up in a way that was quite cute, but Hoya Chukai, as if he had converted to Buddhism, refused to look at her anymore.

"Fei... Honami-san, do you think this kind of information is free?"

"Eh?"

"Come on, classmate, today is the first day of school. Do you really think I can tell you this kind of information for free? The only thing I can give for free is a hint."

"Then a hint will do."

"I just gave you one; you were right, but also not quite right."

"That counts as a hint?"

"Alright, it looks like you might have given up on thinking."

Watching Ichinose Honami's reaction, Hoya Chukai finally felt things were normal. There were hardly any students nowadays who could spot the crux of the issue; they were all just snot-nosed kids who had just graduated from middle school, and they should all be out having fun—where would they find the time to think about these things?

"How about this: I see that piece of meat looks pretty good. Give it to me, and I'll tell you a bit more."

"Alright, here you go."

Ichinose placed the piece of meat directly into Hoya's bowl.

But Hoya shook his head: "No, no, feed it to me."

"You..."

Hearing Hoya's words, Ichinose's face turned red instantly.

This is him being frivolous, right? It definitely is, right?

"I'm not a good kid, I've been saying that since just now. Feed me."

Hoya Chukai shamelessly said it again; he seemed to have forgotten his thought from before eating about not bullying honest people, and now he just wanted Ichinose to feed him.

What could be more enjoyable than being fed by a beautiful girl? At this moment, his behavior was starting to lean toward that of a lecher.

While most girls would consider this teasing or even an insult, Ichinose thought he might still be unable to let go of his earlier behavior and was insisting on proving he was a "bad student."

She indignantly picked up the meat with her chopsticks, tremblingly held it to Hoya Chukai's lips, pushed it in a little, and then, as she retracted the chopsticks, gave it another poke, and the meat slid into Hoya Chukai's mouth.

Not only did she give him the meat, but her chopsticks didn't even touch his mouth, which made Feibo feel a little better.

"Hmm, seeing as you've done well, I can tell you a bit more."

No matter how many little tricks Feibo had up her sleeve, the fact that she had done it left Hoya Chukai feeling quite pleased with himself.

He still hadn't shed his virgin mindset, and for an otaku like him, being treated this way by a beautiful girl was already enough to make him happy.

"Ahem, let me ask you first, how many points does everyone in your class have this month?"

"One hundred thousand."

Ichinose Feibo answered truthfully.

"One hundred thousand, huh? It seems everyone is the same. Haven't you noticed anything wrong with this one hundred thousand? Isn't it a bit... too much?"

There are some things that seem fine at first glance, but once someone gives you a little nudge, it becomes a different story.

Upon hearing this from Hoya, Ichinose's eyes widened slightly; she seemed to have grasped something, yet not quite fully.

She had sensed something—which any normal student could do—but how deep she could actually think was another matter entirely.

At least in Hoya Chukai's own view, if he hadn't read the script, he might not have been able to think very deeply either.

"One hundred thousand per student, four million for a class, and sixteen million per grade level each month—isn't that a bit too much money? So, do you think... the school will give everyone one hundred thousand every month? Try to recall your class meeting today; the teacher didn't say that, did she?"

Chapter 8: Wait, why are you here!

Hoya Chukai knew the situation of every class well, especially Class B's teacher Hoshinomiya; as long as it had nothing to do with Class D's teacher Chabashira, she was a good teacher.

At the very least, she was a good teacher on the surface, so in this regard, she would only withhold information rather than mislead.

"So, what you mean is..."

"I have already confirmed from my own homeroom teacher that the points given each month are not necessarily one hundred thousand. Alright, that's all I have to say; you can think about the rest yourself. Of course, if you want to understand it more deeply..."

Hoya Chukai flashed a smile, but this smile made Ichinose shiver. "You don't still want me to feed you, do you?"

"Of course not. I'll have to charge points for anything further. The information just now was worth 5,000 points; letting you feed me one bite saved you that much, so you've actually made a huge profit."