The real estate agent grinned. "What, are you saying there are too many people here? We can find somewhere empty and slap each other around instead. I mean, you're a masochist, so it's only natural you'd have a kink you don't want people knowing about. I get it, I get it."
"Are you trying to get yourself killed?"
"Weren't you the one who came looking for trouble? This is the second time. We've got no history, yet you keep coming after me. What did you expect? For me to chat with you all nice and friendly?"
"How can you say that? I clearly want to be friends with Chukai-kun."
"Then tone down the bloodlust. You're practically radiating it. There's more of it than when the Big Sister beats someone up."
With his arms folded and his body leaning back, the real estate agent wasn't afraid of her now that he had someone backing him.
Sakayanagi Arisu was the sort of person you couldn't beat in a straight-up fight. You had to resort to a few tricks. And tricks took preparation. The real estate agent wasn't afraid to pick a fight with her; he just didn't want to. It wasn't that he couldn't.
At worst, they could both make a mess of things and go down together. Who was afraid of whom?
He could always quit this lousy school, but she wouldn't get off scot-free either. She shouldn't think she could do whatever she wanted just because she was the chairman's daughter.
"Miss Sakayanagi, sometimes I just don't want trouble. That doesn't mean I'm afraid of it. If you want to settle things peacefully, we can do that. If you want to do it the hard way, we can do that too."
"Are you threatening me?"
"Of course not. Who could threaten you, Miss? This is just a word of advice. The chairman is very busy. Sometimes he really might not be able to deal with every problem in time. If you honestly want to make friends, then be sincere, all right? Be sincere with people."
"Heh. Then I'll see you next time. I hope you can keep that sharp tongue of yours."
"Thanks for the well wishes. Anyway, a barefoot man has nothing to fear from one wearing shoes. It's better for both of us if we each take a step back."
Only after watching Sakayanagi Arisu leave did Ryuen Shoko nudge the real estate agent with her foot. "Why is she so hot-tempered?"
"If they had to write an essay on 'Father' in class, she'd probably get full marks. The title would be My Father, the Chairman."
"?"
"She's a Sakayanagi, and our school chairman is also a Sakayanagi. You get it now, right?"
Okay, she got it.
She hadn't understood the real estate agent's earlier comparison, but now that he'd spelled it out, she understood.
The chairman was her father.
"No wonder she got into Class A. Turns out she has a powerful dad."
"Mm... Maybe."
The real estate agent couldn't really say why Sakayanagi had gotten into Class A. Physical fitness and athletic ability were her weak points. Unless her other scores were exceptionally high, she shouldn't have been able to make it into Class A.
Whatever. It didn't matter. Her being in another class would be even more of a disaster.
It was great that the little angel Ichinose was in charge of Class B. As for Class C... having her in Class C would be a disaster too. The Big Sister was much easier to handle than Miss.
And Class D? If the chairman's daughter ended up in Class D, either she and her father didn't get along, or a bunch of people were bored out of their minds and looking to get expelled.
"Anyway, I've had enough to drink. Come take a walk with me."
"Oh."
Since she wanted to stroll around, the real estate agent naturally went with her.
They stopped wandering around the shopping street and instead walked around the island.
"This island is huge."
"Yeah. It's pretty big for an artificial island."
It was a high school, yet it was bigger than plenty of universities. The real estate agent couldn't understand how the school managed to stay afloat. It didn't charge the students, and it even gave them money to spend. It seemed like paradise.
That was why the real estate agent always suspected the place was being used to launder money. How else could it be so lavish?
Well, there was no point in spinning conspiracy theories. It had nothing to do with him.
He was just a student. What could he do against the teachers?
At least, he had no such plans for now.
"You know, the scenery around here really is nice. They even put in some artificial hills and streams. It actually looks pretty convincing."
As Ryuen strolled along the path, she was in an especially good mood.
She refused to believe anyone would come looking for trouble in a place like this.
"Well, if it isn't Fox Boy and Bad Girl?"
Just as you thought of the devil, he appeared. Ryuen was enjoying the scenery when she suddenly heard someone say something strange.
Fox Boy? Did he mean the real estate agent? Then was she Bad Girl?
"Oh, hey, Koenji. What are you doing here, on a date?"
"The scenery is lovely here, after all."
Ryuen Shoko hadn't expected the real estate agent to know this strange man. He was combing his hair with a small comb, with two mature-looking women standing on either side of him.
They were probably third-year students.
"Is that so? But as nice as it is here, there might be even better places elsewhere."
"Oh? Have you figured something out?"
"What, do you want me to explain?"
"Mhm."
Koenji was a man who enjoyed a bit of fun too, but unlike Sakayanagi Arisu, he preferred to watch from the sidelines.
"Then I'll tell you, but... standing here is making my back ache."
The real estate agent twisted his waist, putting on an exaggerated display.
There was no need to explain what he meant. Koenji burst out laughing and patted the two beauties beside him, asking them to stand to one side.
Then he shifted over to make room for him.
There was only one bench around, so if they wanted to sit, they had to sit here.
Seeing how carefree Koenji was, the real estate agent smiled too and led Ryuen over to sit on the other side.
Well, the real estate agent sat on the bench, while Ryuen sat on his lap.
She glared at him, so he could only whisper, "Then should I sit on you?"
"Forget it. We'll discuss it later."
It wouldn't be right to chat with Koenji while making Ryuen stand to the side, so she had to sit down.
But if she sat down, she'd be on one side of Koenji, with Ryuen on the other. She might not be willing to do that, so he had no choice.
He'd just have to make this small sacrifice.
"All right, all right. Back to the point. Let me work it out step by step."
Rubbing his chin, the real estate agent pretended to think.
"Let's see. First, you've got two beauties with you. Looks like you've been making use of your status. You're always going on dates, so you must have plenty of points, right? They're giving them to you, aren't they?"
"Mhm."
Koenji nodded. He wanted to hear what else the real estate agent would say. It wasn't hard to figure out, after all. He'd said back in Class D that he often went out with all sorts of beauties.
"Then here's the question: why would they give you points? The only possibility is that you give them yen, and they give you points in return, so it's a mutually beneficial deal."
"Mhm."
Koenji hadn't expected the real estate agent to deduce so much. His smile grew even more delighted as he continued to listen.
"Then the only question is how you prove you've paid their families. The easiest way is for them to contact their families and find out. So you use letters... No, that would be too slow. Phone calls—it can only be phone calls. But the school's rules mean we're completely cut off from the outside world. So you must have found somewhere you can contact the outside, and that place is here, right?"
"Brilliant. You worked it all out. As expected, Fox Boy, you're no ordinary thinker."
"It was just luck, just luck."
He'd only seen something about it in a fanfic.
Koenji had always lived a carefree life. He was smart, and he enjoyed a bit of fun. It was impressive that he could keep to himself and stay out of the world's affairs.
He was a truly pure-hearted person. He did whatever he wanted. He found the Uninhabited Island boring, so he left. He thought fighting a wild boar was more interesting than running, so he challenged one to a contest. Those weren't things a normal person would do.
Mm... Was that what it meant to have an innocent heart?
"Fox Boy, you're really too modest. Well, congratulations on finding the answer. I'll be off now."
"No, I was only sitting here because I wanted to chat with you. You two carry on with your flirting. Don't mind us. We should get back to strolling around."
The real estate agent waved and left with Ryuen.
He'd only made a little show of his cleverness. Had he gotten anything out of it? Not really. The real benefit was confirming exactly where they could contact the outside world.
That was important information too. It might come in handy someday.
Information was crucial in schemes and mind games, and it came in handy in everyday life as well.
It was like using wall hacks in a MOBA. Did it make you hit harder? Did it make you deal 999 damage with one strike? No. But why was it still considered cheating? Because it gave you more information.
The real estate agent was practically using wall hacks now. He could see everything clearly, and once he understood all sorts of information, it became much easier to act.
"Hey, why did you answer that weirdo's question just now?"
With her hands in her pockets, Ryuen Shoko looked at the real estate agent beside her. She didn't understand why he'd responded to Koenji's question.
They'd even sat there chatting with him for a while.
"Don't underestimate him. He's no worse than you in a fight, and he's no less intelligent than me and Shiina. It's best not to provoke him. He's like a mule that only needs to be stroked the right way. He does whatever he wants. If you leave him alone, nothing will happen."
"Is he really that strong?"
"How about this? I'll give him ten thousand points to fight you. Want to try?"
"Forget it. That'd be a waste of points."
Looking at the real estate agent's confident expression, Ryuen clicked her tongue a couple of times.
"How do you know so much about him?"
"Because his surname is Koenji. I know a little about that business family."
Koenji wasn't some obscure little family. It was a major corporation. Ryuen was still young, so it was normal for her not to have heard of them.
Of course, the real estate agent didn't know exactly what the Koenji family did either. He was just a guy with wall hacks.
"Fine."
After walking around the island with Ryuen, it was already noon.
"Want to get lunch?"
"Mm. Let's go back and eat."
Compared to the cafeteria, Ryuen would rather eat the food the real estate agent cooked.
He liked making Chinese dishes, and they tasted pretty good. More importantly, they were free.
"Then I'll have to buy some groceries. We're running low. Do you want to come with me, or head back first?"
"I'll come with you."
"All right. Let's see what you feel like eating."
As they chatted, they headed to the supermarket.
The supermarket sold groceries too, and there was plenty of fresh produce.
It looked more like they'd brought the stuff over from the cafeteria.
They had both meat and vegetables. The real estate agent couldn't help licking his lips when he saw the food, especially the rolls of fatty beef in the freezer. They reminded him of the all-you-can-eat hot pot he'd had with Ichinose and the others.
Mm... Maybe they could have hot pot in the dorm sometime.
"Is there anything you want to eat?"
Before you continue