Kei Karuizawa's Dangerous Idea

Anyway, I'll get those 10,000 points back next month.

Kitagawa Ryo uttered his harsh words cleanly and decisively, then turned and left with Class C. As the other onlookers dispersed, Sakura Airi finally breathed a sigh of relief. Just as she was about to leave quietly, Karuizawa Kei grabbed her wrist.

"Ah..."

Sakura Airi is also not good at dealing with extroverted female leaders. To be honest, she had seen many marginalized girls in junior high school who were bullied for three whole years simply because they accidentally offended the class leader.

"Although we've been in the same class for over a month, I haven't even spoken more than a few words to Sakura yet. I'm Karuizawa Kei, just call me Megumi."

Unlike her tone when speaking to Kitagawa Ryo, Sakura Airi spoke in a gentle, benevolent tone.

"Let me go with you to the mall to get your camera fixed. It must be malfunctioning, right?"

"Um..."

Sakura Airi couldn't run away or remain silent any longer, so she could only mumble a soft "hmm." Karuizawa Kei seemed to find the girl's reaction quite amusing and couldn't help but chuckle. She then called her best friend, and the group of five or six headed towards the digital camera store in the mall.

This group of girls was clearly led by Karuizawa Kei. After Karuizawa Kei Sakura Airi, Matsushita Chiaki and others also tactfully brought up some topics related to girls. After spending time together, Sakura Airi managed to barely integrate into this small circle.

There's a well-known discount store on campus, and the school seems to have a partnership with them. Since their clientele is mainly students, the store itself isn't very large. However, it sells a wide variety of everyday necessities and electronic products that students might use.

"Hmm, I remember the repair service was at the counter across the street."

Karuizawa Kei seemed to have been here many times before. She walked deeper into the store while trying to recall the location.

"I wonder if it can be fixed right away?"

Sakura Airi gripped the digital camera tightly, looking quite uneasy.

"Airi seems to really like cameras."

"Speaking of which, I've really wanted to take a set of everyday photos."

"A swimsuit photoshoot?"

"Chiaki, are you trying to kill me? Saying such weird things!"

The other girls giggled and tried to interrupt, Sakura Airi seemed a little afraid that her words might have offended them, but judging from their tone, they didn't seem to mean it. She awkwardly began to speak:

"If it's fixed, I can take pictures for everyone."

"Of course I want to wear that new dress."

"You bought that last month, right? And you haven't been able to wear it yet because you don't have enough points."

Don't say such discouraging things.

"Ah, I really want points to buy new clothes too."

Listening to the girls' friendly conversation, Sakura Airi gradually calmed down.

The store is filled with many items, so the view isn't great, but the repair service area is located at the very back of the store.

Karuizawa Kei and Sakura Airi handed over the camera together. The shop assistant seemed to be in a very high mood, and while taking the camera, his eyes kept glancing at Sakura Airi and Karuizawa Kei's chests and faces.

The man's gaze was utterly disgusting, like a sticky tongue licking over the two of them. Sakura Airi shrank back, avoiding his eyes, but Karuizawa Kei wasn't so patient. She glared at him fiercely and said with disgust:

"If you dare to look up again, I'll immediately report you to the school for dereliction of duty, huh? Looking at your idol during work hours, is that it?"

Upon hearing Karuizawa Kei's words, the man hurriedly closed a webpage he was browsing on his computer, lowered his head, a hint of madness flashing in his eyes, and obediently turned on the camera to conduct an inspection.

Five minutes later, he spoke again, saying that the impact of the fall had damaged some parts, which was why the power could not be turned on. Fortunately, his personal items, such as the digital camera, were purchased after he enrolled, and the warranty certificate was kept, so he could get free repairs.

It seemed like it would take a full two weeks. The shop assistant asked Sakura Airi to leave her contact information on the form so they could contact her easily.

"I remember Airi has always had trouble remembering her own phone number, so I'll fill it in."

Just as Sakura Airi was about to start writing, Karuizawa Kei suddenly picked up a pen first and quickly wrote down "Sakura Airi's" name and a string of contact information.

Although Sakura Airi looked completely bewildered, not knowing what was going on and realizing the phone number on the screen wasn't hers, she didn't stop Karuizawa Kei's actions. The shop assistant, too afraid to look up, stared at the contact information with a fascination, as if it were some rare treasure.

After resolving this matter, the group walked side by side back to their dorm. Matsushita Chiaki, playing on her phone, exclaimed in surprise:

"Class 1-B is posting a reward for information regarding the fight that occurred yesterday in the Special Building. Points will be awarded for providing useful information."

"Ah, I really want one. Class B must be full of rich people."

"A new dress..."

"I still need to pay off my debts next month, and also buy a new dress."

After a brief moment of surprise, the group realized that this matter was basically none of their business. However, Sakura Airi stiffened slightly, as if she had made a very important decision, and finally mustered the courage to quietly echo:

"Actually, I did see it..."

"Yamada."

The mixed-race, muscular Black man looked up from his plate and gazed at Kitagawa Ryo with some confusion.

There was a very subtle... almost forced smile on my boss's face.

"If someone sends you weird pictures at night, just video chat with them. Yeah, it's best to appear shirtless on camera."

Kitagawa Ryo patted his muscular shoulder and glanced down through the collar, catching a glimpse of the other man's incredibly thick chest hair:

"Hmm... Pfft, haha."

Yamada scratched his head; he still couldn't understand what his boss was plotting.

Chapter Seventeen: Karuizawa Kei's Dangerous Thoughts

"An interesting target has been found."

Around the beginning of May, Ryuen Kakeru excitedly reported his recent progress to Kitagawa Ryo. After paying some Class Points as a price, Ryuen Kakeru had roughly figured out the school's surveillance system. What he was most enthusiastic about now was to secretly install the surveillance cameras he bought with his points in unmonitored areas. Of course, this would not be for long; it was just an experiment.

Ryuen Kakeru hadn't really expected these casually placed chess pieces to be of much use, but during the retrieval work over the past few days, he did discover something quite interesting.

"The girl in the photo is Sakura Airi Class 1-D, Grade 1."

There were more than a dozen photos scattered on the living room table in Kitagawa Ryo's room. They seemed to be from different time periods and were taken in the Special Building. The people in the photos were glamorous, and even though the photos were not very clear, it was still clear that the girls' appearance and figures were among the best of their peers.

"Are there still people like this in Class D? I don't remember them from last time I went there."

Kitagawa Ryo wasn't very interested in the photos. After glancing at them lazily, he started teasing Hotaru with a cat toy. However, the little guy seemed a bit tired lately, and only gave a perfunctory pat with his paw.

"Indeed, but after searching all the girls in the other three First Year and narrowing down the candidates using the digital camera she had, it should be Sakura Airi."

Ryuen Kakeru showed his phone screen:

"During my subsequent investigation, I noticed that while Sakura Airi concealed her true identity in class, she also secretly maintained a dual identity online as the Gravure Idol 'Shizuku'."

"This is her personal social media space and some materials."

Kitagawa Ryo took Ryuen Kakeru's phone. Before coming to see him, Ryuen Kakeru seemed to have already prepared Sakura Airi's information:

A junior high school student making her debut in the entertainment industry, she updated her personal space almost 365 days a year for the next year, sharing everything that happened that day, her feelings, and all sorts of trivial matters without reservation. She also seemed to reply to almost all of her fans' comments thoroughly, which is quite dedicated for an idol.

Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School has a rule that students cannot contact the outside world for three years after enrollment. Therefore, Sakura Airi has not replied to fans' messages since enrolling in the school more than a month ago.

Although Sakura Airi is only a gravure idol and doesn't often appear in public, she seems to be quite popular, with over 5,000 followers on Twitter. During the period after she stopped updating, she accumulated a lot of comments such as "I hope Shizuku-chan can come back soon," "Is she preparing to go on TV?" and "It's been so long since she updated."

Perhaps due to the overwhelming demand from fans, a week ago, Sakura Airi chose to update her social media again. She went alone to Special Building without surveillance cameras, presumably to take a selfie.

"It feels very strange..."

Unlike Ryuen Kakeru, who subconsciously thought "this person has value to be exploited," Kitagawa Ryo frowned and his first thought was indeed a loophole in the school rules:

"When we first enrolled, it was specifically emphasized that we should not contact the outside world for the three years of high school, but based on the information we have so far, there are two loopholes that can be exploited."

"Ishizaki talked to me about some of the Basketball Club's rules a couple of days ago. Club members are allowed to leave the school during important games. Although there is a check before leaving the school, this is basically done by Student Council members. If you let them get away with it, it's easy to smuggle items out in containers like lunchboxes or water bottles. I've thought that if we could discuss it with people outside the school in advance, we might be able to bring in or take out some interesting things during this process."

Kitagawa Ryo leaned back on the sofa, meticulously analyzing the rules:

"However, a problem arose regarding how to discuss it in advance, so I put that aspect of my thinking on hold at the time."

"But, Ryuen, look, even within the school, Sakura Airi can still update her photos on social media. Although she can't communicate with fans who leave comments, sometimes, photos are enough to convey a significant message."

"Alright, alright. Although this vulnerability sounds impressive, neither its practicality nor its feasibility is something we'll have the opportunity to use in the near future."

Ryuen Kakeru crossed his legs and pouted, saying:

"Class D is practically finished now, what are your plans for dealing with Class B?"

"Class B? Of course I have a plan."

Kitagawa Ryo scratched Hotaru's chin, and the kitten's purring sound was quite adorable.

"Originally, I only planned to design a simple behavioral logic for Class B, but since Ryuen, you've found such an interesting girl, I'm going to go all out."

"Also, how's it going with the Student Council?"

Ryuen Kakeru squinted and asked:

"You might fool the other students in Class C, but you can't fool me."

"Oh, the Student Council?"

Kitagawa Ryo feigned surprise, but quickly shook his head:

"It's not necessary for Class C to get involved right now. Let's wait until we become Class A."

"Well then, let me introduce myself again. I am Ichinose Honami, the class representative of Class 1-B."

"This is Kanzaki Ryuji."

As dusk approached, the sky bathed the entire coffee shop in a warm yellow hue. Ichinose Honami, who had been facing setbacks all day, rushed over immediately after receiving a call from Karuizawa Kei. Even someone as composed as her couldn't remain calm in this situation. Midterm Exam were approaching, and the students in Class B all had their own study tasks. Although no one had suggested ending the search for clues, Ichinose Honami couldn't afford to be complacent. Only by resolving this matter quickly could Class B get back on track as soon as possible.

Now it seems that the key to the whole thing lies with Karuizawa Kei sits across from him with a calm expression.

"Karuizawa said he has an important clue about yesterday's fight..."

"Please! We really need this right now."

Without hesitation Ichinose Honami stood up, bowed deeply, and said sincerely:

"If the evidence in Karuizawa's possession can change the situation, Class B is willing to pay any price."

Kanzaki Ryuji nearby, frowned slightly upon hearing Ichinose Honami's words. Although his own Class B was indeed at a disadvantage, showing weakness at the outset of negotiations would undoubtedly give the other side an excuse to make exorbitant demands. However, as Ichinose Honami's assistant, he had no choice but to suppress his urge to speak and lower his head along with Ichinose.

"A member of our class witnessed the incident yesterday and even took crucial photos."

Karuizawa Kei didn't bother with pleasantries and went straight to the point, revealing her hand. From the photo she showed on her phone screen, Ryuen Kakeru from Class C was raising his fist to punch himself in the face, while Shibata Sō on the other side looked completely bewildered.

"This is it!"

Upon seeing the crucial evidence that could absolutely turn the tide, even the usually composed Kanzaki Ryuji couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, while Ichinose Honami on the other side spoke up even more directly:

"If the witness from Class D is willing to defend Class B tomorrow and present this photo as evidence, Class B is willing to pay Class D 500,000 Private Points. In addition, the witness will receive an additional 200,000 Private Points as compensation."

If it were the previous Karuizawa Kei, she might have been overwhelmed by the enormous number. For a Class D student with zero Class Points, 500,000 and 200,000 were quite a huge number. Kanzaki Ryuji was also quite confident in the reward he had proposed, staring intently at Karuizawa Kei, waiting for her to say "agree".

"Huh? Is that so? It seems Class B's sincerity is a bit lacking."

However, Karuizawa Kei did not agree as easily as Kanzaki Ryuji had expected. Instead, she clicked her tongue dismissively and, propping herself up with her right hand, said:

"Although it's unclear what kind of punishment Class B will receive for this, they'll definitely lose Class Points."

"If the students in Class D are willing to testify for Class B, the reliability would be quite high, right?"

"The Private Points paid in a lump sum... don't seem to compare to the Class Points we managed to save for Class B."

It wasn't until this point that Ichinose Honami and Kanzaki Ryuji realized that the girl from Class D who was negotiating with them wasn't as simple-minded as she seemed. From the very beginning, she had come here with the intention of taking a big bite out of Class B.

"What does Karuizawa mean?"

But since things had come to this point, Ichinose Honami had no choice but to relinquish control to the other side and await the conditions proposed by Class D, as if she were on trial.

"One million Private Points, paid in full at once."

Karuizawa Kei's first condition made the two of them tense, but for Class B, which currently had 650 Class Points, it wasn't an insurmountable number if they worked together. Just as Karuizawa Kei's Ichinose Honami words completely shattered their hopes of resolving the incident with minimal cost.

"Class 1-B 1 pays me 800,000 Private Points every month."

"Impossible!"

Kanzaki Ryuji slammed his fist on the table and stood up abruptly. Even though they had chosen a rather secluded spot, several students were still glancing their way. To avoid attracting attention, Kanzaki Ryuji had no choice but to sit back down, feeling frustrated, and angrily retorted:

"Class B will absolutely not agree to such conditions. Private Points will play a crucial role in class competitions later on. If they pay 800,000 a month, Class B will not only lose the opportunity to challenge Class A, but may even be overtaken by Class C."

"Oh..."