A Good Show

Horikita followed Chabashira, and the two of them left together.

Another good show was about to begin, and Suzuki Tsubame had no intention of missing it.

Ayanokoji watched the direction they had gone, lost in thought. After a moment's consideration, he silently followed.

The rooftop door was opened with practiced ease by Chabashira.

She took out the cigarettes she carried with her and lit one without a care.

Horikita Suzune frowned at the sight but said nothing.

Only after Chabashira had taken a few puffs did their conversation truly begin.

"Chabashira-sensei, I'll get straight to the point. Why was I assigned to Class D?"

Chabashira Sae turned to look at her and shook her head, saying:

"I thought you'd ask about the bet first."

Indeed, that was what Horikita wanted to know more about now.

After the class points came out, she had already sensed something was wrong.

After thinking for a few seconds, Horikita Suzune said stubbornly:

"The terms of the bet are to rise to Class A this month. I still have time."

A cornered beast will still fight, let alone a person.

Chabashira Sae understood her current feelings very well.

She was a lot like herself. In the past, she too had foolishly believed she could accomplish everything alone.

But unfortunately, in reality, that was impossible.

"If you want to rise to Class A, there are currently only two methods. The first I just explained in the classroom. The second is that you can buy it from me for one million points."

Chabashira Sae took two sharp drags and exhaled a cloud of smoke.

Horikita was choked by her secondhand smoke and took a step back.

Having somewhat grasped the importance of personal points, she had been very frugal last month.

Even so, her points were only around 96,000.

She never expected that just the information on rising to Class A would cost one million points.

"Suzune, if you want to know something, why not just come and ask me directly?"

"Given our relationship, I'd naturally tell you everything without holding back."

Suzuki Tsubame also stepped through the door onto the rooftop.

Rooftop culture was practically a household concept in Japan.

Things like hypnotizing teachers—various Japanese films and shows had it.

Horikita looked at Suzuki Tsubame, whose face was full of smiles, with a displeased expression.

"You already knew about the class points, didn't you? You deliberately misled me into signing that contract?!"

Suzuki Tsubame didn't want to discuss that with her. He had indeed had ulterior motives, and he did covet her body.

But admitting it outright would just make him look like a scheming, treacherous person, wouldn't it?

"What are you talking about, Suzune-chan?"

"I only found out about the class points a few days ago from an upperclassman."

"We're all new students. How could I possibly have figured out all the rules in a single day?"

Suzuki Tsubame defended himself with a composed demeanor, putting on a perfectly sincere act.

"Enough. Stop these pointless topics. Suzuki Tsubame, I want to know your next plan."

Chabashira was getting impatient.

She had no interest in their childish bet; she only cared about whether her class could rise to Class A.

Class A's moves were already making her uneasy. It wasn't unheard of for a class to break 1,000 points in the first month.

But that was just an increase of a dozen or so points. This kind of organized, disciplined point gain was a first.

It meant Class A had someone with maxed-out insight and execution.

Was it Sakayanagi, or Katsuragi, or...

Suzuki Tsubame ignored her reaction. To put it bluntly, the class didn't matter to him. Taming Horikita Suzune was his goal.

"Suzune, let me give you a tip. Spend 20 million personal points, and you can freely switch classes."

Words could shock people to death.

"The total initial points of all four classes combined is only 16 million! 20 million? How is that even possible?!"

Horikita's vision went dark. Turning 96,000 into 20 million in one month—did they think she was a gambling god?

"We'll discuss the bet in private later."

"Let's start with your plan."

Chabashira Sae's face showed displeasure. How did he know about the class transfer? What exactly had he been doing this past month?

To say she hadn't been keeping an eye on him would be a lie.

For the past month, aside from the classroom and the dormitory, Suzuki Tsubame had spent all his time in the gymnasium.

Logically, the upperclassmen should have been silenced. The penalty for leaking information was severe.

"Teacher Chabashira, no need to rush. Isn't our class's situation pretty good right now?"

Suzuki Tsubame looked confident. If the original Ayanokoji could stage a comeback, there was no reason he couldn't, backed by future sight and a system.

Suzuki Tsubame waved his hand casually, his expression steady.

A pity he didn't have a feather fan. Otherwise, he could pull off that "feather fan and silk cap, laughing as the classes crumble to ash."

"Zero points is both a disadvantage and an advantage."

"Looking at the current situation, we're at the bottom, severely lacking in points."

"But that's just the surface. Class D's overall quality was never higher than the other classes. Precisely because we're at the bottom, the other classes have no reason to target us. And since we're short on points, everyone can focus more on studying and training."

"All we need to do is hold our position and wait for the right moment."

In plain terms, Class D's class points were already gone. Even if other classes targeted them, it wouldn't accomplish much—just be a minor annoyance.

Plus, with everyone's personal points running low, they couldn't keep indulging in luxury and entertainment. Instead, they could settle down and quietly develop.

"What you're saying is basically doing nothing, right?"

Chabashira Sae said calmly:

"Aren't you going to take the initiative? Class A is on a strong momentum right now. Aren't you afraid they'll try to dominate the entire first year?"

She was worried that the first year would end up like the second year.

In Suzuki Tsubame's view, this was both a test and a probe.

Suzuki Tsubame didn't believe Chabashira was unaware of Class A's current state. Setting aside Ryuen and Ichinose, Sakayanagi Arisu was no pushover.

It was impossible for Class A to conquer the first year at this stage.

"Teacher Chabashira, your worry is unnecessary."

"From what I know, Ryuen of Class C rules his class through violence."

"Class A can't dominate the entire grade right now."

During the club introduction meeting, the news of Suzuki Tsubame carrying Sakayanagi Arisu away had spread like wildfire.

Though the two hadn't met since, it inevitably put Chabashira on alert.

He couldn't reveal that he knew Class A's situation, lest Chabashira suspect he was colluding with the enemy.

After all, he had figured out the rules right at the start of school, and Class A had conveniently racked up so many points.

All those coincidences together stopped being coincidences.

Chabashira Sae crossed one arm over her chest, staring intently at Suzuki Tsubame, silent for a long time.

Only when the cigarette in her hand burned out did she speak again.

"As long as you know what you're doing."

"I hope you understand what you should and shouldn't do."

Suzuki Tsubame laughed it off, brushing Chabashira aside.

As she left, only Suzuki Tsubame and Horikita remained on the rooftop.

Not counting Ayanokoji behind the door.

"Suzune, I should win this bet, right?"

Horikita turned her head away, temporarily ignoring his words. She was thinking about how to resolve the bet.

Rising to Class A within this month seemed utterly hopeless.

She could just make up an excuse to brush off the wager... That should work.

"You're thinking right now about whether breaking the contract... would the school punish you, right?"

Suzuki Tsubame asked with a smile.

Horikita's pretty face flushed. She had indeed been thinking about that just now.

Breaking a promise might damage one's reputation, but compared to the stakes of the bet, face... was trivial.

Of course, that only applied if the school's punishment was light.

From her reaction, he was probably right on the money.

Suzuki Tsubame gave a simple reminder:

"Private agreements can be broken freely without consequence."

The implication was that a contract witnessed by a teacher would be under the school's supervision and jurisdiction.

Hearing this, Horikita's elegant brows furrowed tightly.

"Suzune, what are you worried about?"

The question made Horikita freeze for a second.

Then, with a dark look on her face, she said:

"For a hormone-driven guy like you, getting leverage over a beautiful girl your age..."

"What you want to do—I figured it out in a single second."

Suzuki Tsubame was amused by her words.

Then, he appraised her fine curves.

Her lovely face, a waist that could be encircled with one hand, all brimming with youthful vitality.

The most striking feature was undoubtedly her long legs—shapely and straight, no doubt pleasant to the touch.

"If it's that kind of thing, I think... even an eighty-year-old man would have the same idea as me."

"After all... you admitted it yourself—that you're a beautiful young girl."

A man remains a boy until death.

In reality, who wouldn't want to sink their teeth into a beauty like Horikita Suzune?

"Heh, I knew you were scum."

Strangely enough, when he said those words, Horikita Suzune actually breathed a sigh of relief.

"Though I really don't want to hear you say that."

"But... there's no helping it, right?"

Suzuki Tsubame shrugged nonchalantly.

With that, the conversation drew to a close. Suzuki Tsubame deliberately avoided bringing up topics like maids.

Their relationship was going well for now.

The contract was just insurance—Suzuki Tsubame's goal went far beyond her body alone.