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

He did not expect Hoya Chukai to have grasped these matters so clearly; it seemed he had been running around quite a bit last night.

Sakagami Kazuma, mistakenly believing that Hoya Chukai had begun scouting for information all night, silently raised his estimation of the boy a notch.

Well, if he knew that Hoya Chukai had not only brought a girl into the dormitory last night but that both of them had gotten drunk, he probably wouldn't be thinking that way...

Chapter 16: A Useful Clown or Jester? Perhaps.

"Ahem, everyone has more or less heard what Hoya-kun said. That's right, he is completely correct. Every move you make will result in a loss of points for the entire class, and these points will determine which class you belong to."

After coughing twice, Sakagami Kazuma summarized Hoya Chukai's words. Clearly, everything he said was accurate, which grabbed everyone's attention.

If some students had previously viewed Hoya Chukai as a clown or a jester, now they might have to add a prefix—'useful'.

Yes, still a useful clown or jester, that much was certain.

Hoya Chukai wasn't afraid of anything else; he was only afraid of having no money to spend. He had been poor for too long and was terrified that, just like in the original story, Class C would end up dirt poor and eventually fall to Class D.

Class C was the most prone to falling to Class D, and in all the fanfiction, Class C always ended up in a miserable state. As long as the protagonist was in Class D, they were never far from becoming Class D themselves.

"Alright, let's begin the lesson. I hope that now that you understand S-Points, you know how to listen carefully. Even if you don't understand, you are not allowed to look down at your phones, sleep, or eat. Do you understand?"

"Understood."

The response was neither uniform nor loud.

But Sakagami Kazuma didn't intend to get any good feedback here; he had always been a results-oriented person. What did the process matter?

Even if they were a group of children who weren't very united, as long as they could get a good return in the end, he would be satisfied.

The morning classes passed quickly. Seeing that it was time for the break, Hoya Chukai was already thinking about having lunch.

He still remembered that he hadn't hung up his laundry in the washroom yet.

Unfortunately, the ideal was beautiful, but reality was harsh. Just as he stood up to leave, he felt his clothes being pulled.

Who else could it be? It could only be Ryuen Shoko.

"Hey, you stay. I have something to tell you."

Ryuen Shoko grabbed Hoya Chukai directly, preventing him from leaving, while looking at the other students in the class: "What are you looking at? It's noon, aren't you going to eat lunch? Get out of here and go eat."

"Shiina-san, please stay as well."

Hoya Chukai waved his hand, signaling for Shiina Hiyori to stay behind too.

"Hmm?"

Hoya Chukai could feel Ryuen Shoko's grip on him tighten, as if she were asking why he wanted her to stay.

"Ahem, my King, she..."

"Call me Boss. What King or whatever, it sounds too troublesome."

"Understood, Boss."

Although Ryuen Shoko wanted to be some kind of tyrant or overlord, as a high school student, she still missed the title of 'Boss'.

Hearing Hoya Chukai call her Boss, she couldn't help but nod.

Yes, that's the flavor; it feels good.

"Boss, the others are one thing, but Shiina-san is not ordinary. Her intelligence and insight are above mine, and I think we need risk management."

"Risk management?"

"Yes, it's risk hedging. If the two of us are charging into battle, we need someone to handle logistics. You can rest assured with her; she is absolutely reliable."

"Is that so?"

Hoya Chukai's strong recommendation piqued her interest in Shiina Hiyori: "Her insight and intelligence are that impressive?"

"That... it's nothing like that."

Under Ryuen Shoko's gaze, Shiina Hiyori looked slightly toward the ground.

"Are you not afraid of me?"

"Why should I be afraid of you?"

Shiina Hiyori's answer was as soft and sweet as ever, like a marshmallow, lacking any edge.

But while it sounded soft, her answer was actually enough to make Ryuen Shoko frown.

"What, is it because I didn't beat anyone to death today?"

"As long as one doesn't defy you, you won't hit people randomly, right? Even the punishment for him this morning wasn't as fierce as the way you hit others earlier."

"Hahahaha."

Shiina Hiyori pointed gently at Hoya Chukai. Her answer was beyond Ryuen Shoko's expectations, but she couldn't help but laugh.

Yes, this flavor—this is what a Boss should be like.

Ryuen's laughter made Hoya Chukai silently give a thumbs up in his heart. Yes, keep it like this; this is how the Boss of Class C should act.

Just don't do anything brain-dead.

"Fine, it seems you are indeed quite smart. Alright, I'll let you sit in."

Ignoring Shiina Hiyori, Ryuen Shoko turned her gaze back to Hoya Chukai. "Tell me, what about the Class Points?"

"What about them?"

"Heh, you told me yesterday that we should unite with Class B to counter Class A and Class D. Isn't countering them all about the Class Points?"

"Right, that is indeed the logic."

Listening to Ryuen Shoko, Hoya Chukai couldn't help but nod. "After I told Ichinose about the Class Points yesterday, she will definitely share it with her class. That way, our classes, B and C, won't fall too far behind Class A by the end of this month."

"And what about Class D?"

"Class D... heh."

Mentioning Class D, Hoya Chukai let out a soft scoff. "I snuck a few glances at Class D during class. I estimate that by the time this month ends, their score won't even reach two hundred."

Forget two hundred, they were down to zero.

Knowing the script, he was aware of the actual situation, but he couldn't say too much. On one hand, this world might not necessarily follow the script; on the other, he was only speculating. If he spoke too definitively, it would easily arouse suspicion. It was better not to be too clear from the start.

"Mm, continue."

"So, we can keep things as they are for now and only aim for point increases during events where it's possible. However, I don't think you have the patience to wait that long, Boss."

"Isn't that obvious? The midterm exam is the first opportunity to gain points. How could I possibly hold back?"

She slapped the table. Recalling the words of Sakagami Kazuma, she felt her hands itching for a fight.

Midterm exam? That's way too far off. What's the point of waiting until then?

"So, what is your intention?"

"Before Class A fully understands the situation regarding the Class Points, we strike first."

"Mm... I don't think that's a good idea."

Hoya Chukai shook his head, rejecting the proposal. "I must reiterate: when I met with Kamuro from Class A yesterday, it was strictly to gather intelligence. So, I need to tell you about the information I uncovered."

"Speak."

When it came to serious business, Ryuen Shoko naturally wouldn't continue messing around with Hoya Chukai, opting instead to hear what news he had obtained.

"There is a student in Class A named Sakayanagi Arisu."

"So?"

"So? Didn't you notice? Take a guess at the school chairman's surname."

"You don't mean..."

"Exactly. The chairman's surname is Sakayanagi. He is the father of Sakayanagi Arisu. Do you think she knows about the Class Points?"

Chapter 17: She stays by my side, I shall live and die with her

"Hiss... is it that troublesome?"

Unexpectedly receiving this news, Ryuen Shoko's expression turned extremely sour.

Right, she truly couldn't understand why someone like that would be in Class A. Is this what they call... nepotism?

"Fortunately, things haven't reached that point yet."

Hoya Chukai's sudden reversal made Ryuen Shoko breathe a sigh of relief. "Currently, the leader of Class A isn't Sakayanagi Arisu, but Katsuragi Kohei."

Katsuragi Kohei, the bald guy. His defining trait is his conservatism.

In other schools, being conservative is a good thing, but in this school... it isn't necessarily a virtue.

To be honest, Hoya Chukai knew that Katsuragi Kohei and Sakayanagi Arisu were currently fighting for control, and this was the best time to stir up trouble.

But he couldn't go too far. If Katsuragi Kohei lost to Sakayanagi Arisu, the problem would become massive.

Not stirring up trouble was impossible. If you didn't target Class A now while they were at their weakest, how would you ever beat them once they became stronger in the future?

Therefore, as for how to proceed, it had to be a mix of carrot and stick—like a mosquito, not a lion.

A lion's bite could certainly cause major problems for Class A, but then Katsuragi Kohei would lose. Hoya Chukai didn't want him to lose that easily, so he needed to act like a mosquito.

A bite only leaves a bump. The bump might be big, or it might be small, but it's still a bump.

With this bump, Class A might get angry or try to scratch it, but they wouldn't be able to do anything about the mosquito, nor would it cause Katsuragi Kohei to step down quickly.

How to support Katsuragi Kohei? It's simple: support him personally, but attack Class A as a whole. Wouldn't this rise and fall effectively mean Katsuragi Kohei remained unchanged?

And what about Sakayanagi Arisu?

"Then why not strike first now?"

"Wait a moment, let me clarify. When you say 'strike first,' what exactly do you mean, Boss?"

Watching Ryuen Shoko still planning to cause trouble, Hoya Chukai couldn't help but ask.

He felt he needed to understand Ryuen Shoko's train of thought, otherwise, he was afraid that one day, without him noticing, she would lead her underlings off to pick a fight.

"Obviously, it means provoking them. Provoke them into making the first move. That way, they'll face heavy punishment while we get off with a light one. What do you think?"

Ah, as expected, her thinking is exactly the same as in the original story.

Hoya Chukai couldn't help but sigh.

Not only Hoya Chukai, but Shiina Hiyori beside him couldn't help but sigh.

"Hey, what's with you two?"

"Boss, why do we have to suffer eight hundred losses just to inflict a thousand on the enemy?"

Hoya Chukai simply couldn't understand Ryuen Shoko's train of thought.

Why did she end up in such a miserable state in the original story? It was because her intelligence made Hoya Chukai feel like she wasn't a B-rank; he would have believed it if someone said she was a C.

Suffer eight hundred to inflict a thousand, and then let someone else sit back and reap the rewards without getting hurt?

This isn't a 1v1, it's a four-class brawl; doing things this way has no future.

"Then what do you propose?"

Ryuen Shoko crossed her arms and looked at Hoya Chukai; she wanted to see what kind of brilliant insight he could offer.

Not to mention, the way she crossed her arms made the pair on her chest look quite full.

However, Hoya Chukai didn't have the guts to take a second look right now; he just smiled and continued discussing the matter.

"You should know that we are four classes competing against each other, right? Since you've already thought of suffering eight hundred to inflict a thousand, why not make sure that those eight hundred aren't suffered by us?"

"What do you mean?"

"Borrow a knife to kill someone."

At this moment, although Hoya Chukai was smiling, both Ryuen Shoko and Shiina Hiyori felt as if they could see nine white tails behind him.

His words were truly chilling.

"Besides, your idea isn't unusable, but the risk is too high; it can only be used once. And I can guarantee that we only need to suffer one hundred in losses."

"You mean?"

"This method requires your effort; at the very least... we need a sacrificial pawn."

Hoya Chukai's gaze couldn't help but drift toward Yamada Albert's seat: "Lure the enemy into the trap, borrow a knife to kill; just these two moves are enough to make Class A slow down for a while."