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

Whether Ichinose profited or lost from this is hard to say; five thousand points is neither a large nor a small amount. However, the information was certainly worth those five thousand points.

After all, telling Ichinose didn't mean only she would know; the entire class would find out. Helping the whole class learn how to save money—Hoya Chukai felt that five thousand points was actually a bargain for that value.

And now, she hadn't even spent those five thousand points, having replaced them with a single meal instead. If one only calculated the value, Ichinose had made a killing.

"Then, for more advanced information... how many points would that be?"

Hoya Chukai held up two fingers, and his reaction made Ichinose's eyelids twitch: "Twenty thousand?"

"Two hundred thousand."

"That expensive?"

"Of course. I don't even need to think to know that you couldn't possibly keep this information to yourself, right? If the whole class knows, divided by forty, that's only five thousand points per person. Honestly, if your class knows this, the money you can save will far exceed that level."

That was true. Hoya Chukai vaguely remembered that Class B's points hadn't exceeded 800 after the first month. If he told them this information, reaching 800 points would certainly be no problem.

"Two hundred thousand, two hundred thousand..."

Watching the girl opposite him wearing an expression of indecision, Hoya Chukai chuckled: "Or there's another option: ten thousand, but I'll need to discuss other conditions with the person in charge of your Class B."

"I am the person in charge of Class B, so go ahead."

Since she was the person in charge, Ichinose didn't need to say anything else. She patted her chest to indicate it was her, which caused a certain fluctuation that nearly made Hoya Chukai's eyes pop out.

Cough, cough. A man shouldn't be too obsessed; looking once is respect, but looking twice is being a hooligan.

Warning himself internally, Hoya Chukai quickly looked away: "Since it's you, that makes things easier. Let's make a verbal agreement, and I can tell you this secret."

"What kind of verbal agreement?"

"How about our Class B and Class C join forces?"

Though he called it joining forces, Hoya Chukai didn't really expect Class B to do much. After all, they were the famously well-behaved class. Looking at Class B in fanfiction, they were all at the level of little angels, so joining forces with them was more for the sake of long-term planning.

At least Hoya Chukai had an idea: "befriend the distant, attack the near."

Although there wasn't much difference between B and C, Hoya Chukai didn't think Class B was a threat to his own class; both A and D were more serious. At least in the first month, Class D posed no threat, so the most threatening one went without saying—Class A.

To be honest, according to the original work's standards, if Class D really dared to lose face and drag everyone down to drop their points, and then relied on the class leaders to add points later, it was truly possible for them to become Class A. But that was only a possibility; Hoya Chukai couldn't really say for sure.

After all, looking at fanfiction, not a single author thought the original work was written well; they all said the battle of wits turned into a battle of idiots, and the later parts were so chaotic that he didn't even know what to say.

"Join forces? Is that the only requirement?"

"What, do you want to add something else?"

"No, no."

Afraid that Hoya Chukai might add something like feeding him again, Ichinose quickly denied it.

It had been embarrassing enough just now; if anything more happened, it would be troublesome.

"Cough, cough. Alright then, I'll consider it settled. In a couple of days, I'll bring you to meet our class's..."

"Hey, Chukai, you seem to be chatting quite happily with a girl from another class, huh? Yeah?"

Just as Hoya Chukai was speaking, he suddenly felt a pressure on his shoulder that he shouldn't have had to bear.

He knew who it was just by hearing the voice, and he quickly yelped: "Ouch, ouch, ouch! My King, don't be like that. I'm acting for the sake of our class, not for personal reasons."

"Not for personal reasons?"

Ryuen Shoko didn't seem to believe him, and she applied a bit more force.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch! No, it's true! This girl is the class representative of Class B."

"Oh? Is that so?"

Hearing Hoya Chukai's words, she loosened her grip. If Hoya Chukai were lying to her, what followed wouldn't be so simple.

Seeing her lackey fawning over other women and deceiving her were two different things; for the latter, she would impose a much heavier punishment.

"Um... I am the Class B representative, Ichinose Honami. May I ask who you are?"

"Hmph, I am Ryuen Shoko."

Setting her tray aside, Ryuen Shoko sat down as well. Her overbearing demeanor startled Ichinose, who even shifted slightly to the side.

Mm, that's the reaction one should have when seeing a bad kid.

"This is the King of our Class C, Ryuen Shoko."

Hoya Chukai added from the side, then continued to speak to Ryuen Shoko: "King, I've already chosen to join forces with Class B."

"Huh? Class B? Why would we join forces with them?"

Ryuen Shoko really didn't look highly upon Class B, and not just Class B—the other classes as well.

If this posture were her original self, she would look like a fool, but wrapped in the skin of a beautiful girl, it actually appeared somewhat cute.

Sigh, this damn face-valuing world.

"Cough, cough. You can't say it like that, my King. Class B isn't the object we should be worried about right now. Compared to Class B, whether it's the powerful Class A or the desperate Class D, they are our real opponents. So, making friends makes it easier to deal with them."

Hoya Chukai quickly added from the side, which made Ryuen Shoko's expression soften just a little.

But Ichinose Honami beside them let out a soft cry: "Eh? Hoya-kun, bullying students from other classes is not a good behavior, you know."

"My sister, you still don't understand the situation, do you? Oh right, I haven't told you yet. Fine, listen to what I have to say next, and you'll understand why I did what I did."

Chapter 9: Money, You Can Only Give It to Me, Understand?

"So, someone has been secretly calculating our scores, and they will use these scores to rank classes A, B, C, and D later?"

Listening to Hoya Chukai, Ichinose Honami covered her small mouth in utter astonishment, while Ryuen Shoko beside her couldn't help but start thinking.

Perhaps... calling Hoya Chukai to be this lapdog was a good choice?

To think he could actually learn so much information from the homeroom teacher; he was indeed a decent thug.

Most importantly, he was reasonably loyal.

You ask if Hoya Chukai is loyal? In Ryuen Shoko's eyes, he had some loyalty.

If he weren't loyal, could he have declared his stance so quickly? He even helped her consolidate the entire class in a roundabout way.

Letting everyone fight her might look like they were unconvinced, but if she could endure it, she would be the true king, and no one would dare to defy her.

"Therefore, our enemy has always been Class A. Granted, Class B's scores will be higher than ours, but my King, do you think she poses a threat?"

"She doesn't."

Hoya Chukai didn't even need to say it; she also felt that Ichinose Honami was not a threat.

Look at her weak and helpless appearance, like a delicate flower saying 'please ravage me.' No matter how you look at it, she doesn't seem like a woman with schemes.

If such a woman becomes the class representative, the whole class is probably full of idiots. After all, classes A, B, C, and D are divided by academic ability, so Class B must be a bunch of bookworms who only know how to study. Wouldn't it be easy to deal with them?

"What's more..."

Hoya Chukai leaned into Ryuen Shoko's ear. This particularly intimate posture made Ichinose Honami instinctively cover her face with both hands, though the gaps between her fingers were wide enough to reveal her curious and eager eyes.

"My King, compared to these easy-to-handle good girls, both attacking Class A and guarding against Class D are particularly important. Didn't ancient China like to set up surrounding small countries as allies? There's no point in conquering such easy-to-bully countries; it's better to let them contribute."

"Heh, interesting. Fine, I'll tentatively agree with you."

Ryuen Shoko was indeed a leader who treated her own people reasonably well. Since Hoya Chukai was truly running around for the class, she naturally wouldn't say anything more.

"Alright then, let's discuss the next topic... By the way, my King, we haven't added each other as friends yet. Should we..."

Hoya Chukai took out his phone to signal Ryuen Shoko. Ryuen Shoko didn't refuse this and quickly gave him her student ID.

This phone could only be used within the academy, so the phone number was the student ID. As long as you knew the other person's ID, you could add them as a friend.

"Then, Ichinose-san, let's add each other as friends too."

Hoya Chukai said to Ichinose with a smile. He was still thinking about those 10,000 points.

Now that Ryuen Shoko was here, he couldn't mention those 10,000 points right now; he would have to talk to Ichinose about it secretly later.

"Oh right, I haven't given you the 10,000 points yet."

But the little angel Ichinose didn't notice Hoya Chukai's hint; instead, she brought it up directly.

"Hm? What 10,000 points?"

Clearly, these 10,000 points naturally attracted Ryuen Shoko. She asked with a puzzled tone, and Hoya Chukai knew he was in trouble.

He had calculated everything, but he hadn't calculated that Ryuen Shoko would show up right now.

"Chukai-kun sold information to me for 10,000 points."

Ichinose blinked her eyes adorably, looking pure and innocent, but in Hoya Chukai's eyes, she looked like a little devil.

Did she really not know, or was she pretending? As expected, pink-haired people are all black-hearted when cut open, right?

If he had known, he should have collected the money before giving the information. Well, he'd do that next time.

"Then give it to me. I am the King of Class C; naturally, this money should be given to me."

Ryuen Shoko said, pushing her phone toward Ichinose, clearly wanting her to transfer the funds.

"Uh... this money..."

Only then did Ichinose Honami realize she might have done something wrong. She couldn't help but glance at Hoya Chukai, whose face had already turned dark, and then looked at Ryuen Shoko, who was gradually revealing the same smile Hoya Chukai had just worn.

It was the expression of someone looking at prey.

"Money should naturally be offered to one's King, right, Chukai-kun?"

Although it was a question, her voice grew colder. Hoya Chukai wiped away cold sweat and nodded quickly: "Yes, that's right."

"Then... alright."

Seeing Hoya Chukai forced by Ryuen Shoko's tyranny, Ichinose had no choice but to transfer the money to Ryuen Shoko. While she was at it, she also added Ryuen Shoko as a friend.

Taking back her phone, Ryuen Shoko couldn't help but whistle. It looked like she had an extra gain today; not bad, not bad, very good, very good.

"Then Honami, my strategist and I still have some things to discuss, could you..."

"I understand, I understand. I've already finished eating, I'll leave right now."

Facing the squinting Ryuen Shoko, Ichinose Honami naturally understood what was coming next. She quickly took her empty tray and left the spot with small steps.

Girls naturally had small appetites, so she had finished eating after only a short while. Therefore, only Ryuen Shoko and Hoya Chukai were left at the table.

"Chukai-kun, so you've been earning extra money behind my back, huh~"

Ryuen Shoko said this while moving her chair right next to Hoya Chukai, reaching her arm behind him to pat his shoulder: "You did quite well."

"Um... I was just worried that the money wouldn't be enough."

Regardless of what he had been thinking before, the only word currently branded on Hoya Chukai's forehead was 'DANGER'.

There was no other way to put it; he was terrified, absolutely terrified.

To serve a ruler is to serve a tiger; the ancients truly did not deceive me.

Forget about any intellectual superiority; he was right next to Ryuen Shoko now, and she could handle him just as easily as a chick, so he was panicking like crazy.

"Give me your phone."

"Huh?"

"Don't talk back, give me the phone, or do you want to try the feeling of being picked up like a cat?"

Hearing this, Hoya Chukai hurriedly offered up his phone; he didn't dare to resist Ryuen Shoko at all, as he certainly didn't want to be hoisted by the scruff of his neck—that was far too dangerous.

He was just a high school student with no strength to truss a chicken.

"Here, take it."

After Ryuen Shoko fiddled with the phone for a bit, she handed it back to Hoya Chukai.

She hadn't turned the screen off, so Hoya Chukai could see the points displayed on his phone at a glance.

There were ten thousand more than before.

"My King, what is this?"

"I wouldn't take the money you earned, but you must remember: the only money you are allowed to take is mine, understand?"

Ryuen Shoko's face was very close to Hoya Chukai's, extremely close, yet there wasn't a hint of intimacy; Hoya Chukai only felt a chill run down his spine.

"Understood, understood, I understand perfectly."

"Very good, then you must remember this point."