Cooperation

"A wise choice."

Seeing Ichinose sign the paper, Hoshino Kanade let out a sigh of relief; the first step toward his grand project of accumulating points had been taken.

"What do we do next?"

After all the ceremonial preparations, the actual purpose of this meeting was about to begin.

"As I said before, only Class A is guaranteed the employment or higher education opportunities the school advertises."

"The school assigns students to different classes based on 'ability'; Class A has the highest ability, while Class D has the lowest."

"Class points are the standard for measuring 'ability.' When Class B's class points exceed Class A's, Class B will become the new Class A."

Watching Ichinose stare at the tabletop, her brows furrowing and smoothing, her fingers unconsciously twirling a lock of her hair, she was clearly in deep thought.

"How is it? Do you need time to process this?"

"No, I understand," Ichinose quickly absorbed and processed the information she had just received.

"But in that case, our two classes should be in a hostile relationship, right? Why tell me all this?"

"I don't have any intention of rising to Class A together with Class D."

"You mean..." Ichinose seemed to grasp the implication.

"Your teacher must have told you that points can buy anything, right? 20 million points can directly buy a seat in Class A."

In truth, Hoshino Kanade didn't think 20 million points were worth a spot in Class A for himself; if he wanted to pursue higher education, he could pass the exams himself, and if he wanted to enter an ideal company, he would just be working anyway.

"Next is the content of our cooperation. We need to sign the contract before we can proceed."

Written as an exchange of cooperation, read as an intelligence trade.

He had already given Ichinose so much information for free; if she chose not to sign the contract, she might have deduced most of it herself in a few days anyway.

However, given Ichinose's character, even after utilizing Hoshino Kanade's information, she would likely send the points over of her own volition.

He wasn't worried about failing to earn points.

Ichinose took the contract, which was written in great detail. To summarize: 2 million points in exchange for the content of the first special exam.

It was only the fourth day of school, and it was safe to say that no class had yet realized the importance of collecting individual points from students to use as class funds.

Ichinose's student ID currently held only 88,488 points; seeing the figure of 2 million, she almost wanted to flee from this place of sorrow.

Fortunately, the terms of the contract were extremely lenient: she could pay the 2 million a month later, and if she felt the information wasn't worth the price after a month, she could pay whatever amount she deemed appropriate.

It was filled with sincerity and trust.

Ichinose wasn't blinded by this sincerity, though. After a moment of thought, she couldn't find a reason to refuse. Hoshino Kanade had handed the initiative over to her; if she were black-hearted, she could even get the information for free.

The feeling of being trusted warmed Ichinose's heart. No wonder Hoshino Kanade was able to get a girlfriend in just two days.

"Pleasure doing business with you."

A bright smile bloomed on Ichinose's face as she extended her hand for a social handshake.

"Pleasure doing business with you."

Her palm was soft and warm to the touch. If Kiyona's hand was like a "blade forged from moonlight," then Ichinose's was like "silk woven from morning dew."

Regarding the deal with Ichinose, Hoshino Kanade's original plan had been to exchange information for points on the spot, but watching Kushida socialize so extensively every day, he suddenly realized something.

Class B and Class C seemed to still be in the middle of electing leaders and hadn't realized the importance of the class as a whole, so they certainly hadn't collected their students' individual points yet.

It was even possible that Ryuen was currently ambushing Albert in the restroom.

If he didn't relax the conditions, the deal would be impossible to make.

The contract had been modified by Hoshino Kanade the night before the meeting. After much deliberation, he couldn't think of a better way.

Ultimately, considering the partner was Ichinose, he simply ceded the initiative entirely.

Fortunately, the deal was concluded smoothly in the end.

He would have to rethink his approach for the deal with Class C, choosing the right timing—it was going to be difficult.

As for a deal with Class A, he could only say: maybe next time.

Slacking off is truly wonderful. Once Hoshino Kanade finished his deal with Class C, he intended to slack off properly.

Watching his Class D classmates—some sleeping in class, others passing notes—while he had to read books, Hoshino Kanade felt a pang of intense envy.

Although Hoshino Kanade sometimes passed notes in class, too.

It was likely that Kiyona had been corrupted by the other students; she was actually passing notes to communicate with him from the seat in front.

Hoshino Kanade could only say that as long as Kiyona liked it, it was fine.

Well, this kind of school life was quite nice, though it was a pity it would be gone after the first month.

"What should we eat for lunch today?"

Aside from thinking about how to earn points, the biggest problem every day is what to eat.

Hoshino Kanade, who suffers from decision paralysis, and Kiyona, who has no strong opinions (anything is fine), ultimately had to rely on Hoshino Kanade to step up.

"I heard the cafeteria launched a new dish today."

"I have no objections."

"Crucian-Squid Duo Rice Bowl, featuring a base of squid ink rice topped with teriyaki squid and pan-fried crucian carp fillets."

Squid ink has a slightly briny, oceanic scent, and adding a little lemon juice to remove the fishiness and enhance the flavor sounds like a very logical approach.

The dark color of the squid ink rice, the reddish-brown of the teriyaki squid, and the golden hue of the pan-fried crucian carp create a striking contrast, while the garnish of green onions and white sesame seeds makes for a visually appealing presentation.

For such an exquisite dish to cost only 1123 points is an absolute steal.

Hoshino Kanade stared at the dish, and a line of lyrics floated into his mind without warning:

"That day's squid, squid it up.

That day's crucian-squid, crucian-squid it up."

With a new item on the menu, the students were all willing to give it a try, and it took a long time for Hoshino Kanade and Kiyona to wait in line and purchase it.

"Let's dig in." ×2

The meal was spent in silence.

In truth, no matter how exquisite the appearance, it could not mask the inexplicable taste and combination of ingredients.

It felt more like a fusion experiment that broke all traditions.

Edible squid ink itself carries a faint oceanic brine, which clashed with the freshwater sweetness of the crucian carp.

Although lemon juice was added to adjust for the characteristics of the squid ink, an excessive amount of lemon juice ruins the protein structure of the crucian carp, causing the meat to become tough and the savory flavor to dissipate.

Coupled with the target demographic and the price point, the quality of the squid ink used wasn't very high, making the briny scent slightly heavy and necessitating the addition of too much lemon juice.

More importantly, besides the squid ink, lemon juice had been added to the teriyaki squid, and lemon juice had been added to the crucian carp fillets as well.

Adding a moderate amount of lemon juice to squid and crucian carp can indeed enhance the savory flavor, the tenderness of the meat, and the layers of taste.

But isn't adding lemon juice to everything a bit too much? Was this lemon absolutely necessary?

The final flavor was unforgettable: fish meat floating in acidic juice, the fishy scent and the fresh sweetness strangling each other, with the wreckage of one's taste buds settling at the bottom of the plate.

One can only say the chef's execution was severely lacking; this was a failed dish that also wasted so much lemon juice and ingredients.

Looking at the reactions of the surrounding students, most were wearing pained expressions, and presumably, they would not be trying it again.

However, there were also students who claimed that the taste of the food didn't matter, and as long as it was a dish made by that chef, they would enjoy eating it.

It seems their taste buds have been ruined by eating; there is no saving them.

It is worth mentioning that because Kiyona ate the squid ink, her teeth became stained, so she said she would return to the dormitory first after school ended, leaving Hoshino Kanade to go to the library alone to read in the afternoon.

"A wise choice."

Seeing Ichinose sign, Hoshino Kanade also let out a sigh of relief; the grand undertaking of accumulating his points had taken its first step.

"What's next?"

After going through the elaborate preparations, the following matter was the actual purpose of this meeting.

"As I said before, only Class A can obtain the employment or higher education guarantees advertised by the school."

"The school assigns students to different classes based on 'ability'; Class A has the strongest ability, and Class D has the weakest."

"Class points are the standard for measuring 'ability.' When the class points of Class B exceed those of Class A, Class B will become Class A."

Watching Ichinose gaze at the tabletop, her brows furrowing and then smoothing out, her fingers unconsciously twining through her hair, she must be in the middle of thinking.

"How is it? Do you need time to process this?"

"No, I understand," Ichinose quickly absorbed and applied the information she had just received.

"But in that case, our two classes should be in a hostile state, right? Why tell me these things?"

"I don't have any intention of rising to Class A together with Class D."

"You mean..." Ichinose seemed to have understood something as well.

"Your teacher should have told you that points can buy anything, right? 20 million points can directly buy a seat in Class A."

In fact, Hoshino Kanade believed that 20 million for a spot in Class A wasn't worth it for him; if he wanted to pursue higher education, he could take the exams himself, and if he wanted to enter an ideal company, wouldn't he just be working for someone else anyway?

"Next is the content of our cooperation. We must sign the following contract before we can proceed."

Written as exchange and cooperation, read as intelligence trading.

He had already told Ichinose so much information for free; if she chose not to sign the contract, she might have deduced most of it herself in a few days anyway.

However, given Ichinose's character, after utilizing Hoshino Kanade's information, she would likely send the points over on her own initiative.

He wasn't afraid of failing to earn points.

Ichinose took the contract, which was written in great detail; to summarize, it was: 2 million points in exchange for the content of the first assessment.

It was only the fourth day of school, and it could be said that none of the classes had realized they should collect the individual points of their classmates to use as class funds.

Ichinose currently only had 88,488 points in her student ID, and she even felt like fleeing this sorrowful place the moment she saw the 2 million point figure.

Fortunately, the terms of the contract could be described as extremely lenient; she could pay the 2 million points a month later, or if she felt the information wasn't worth the price after a month, she could pay whatever amount she deemed appropriate.

It was full of sincerity and trust.

Ichinose wasn't blinded by this sincerity, however. After a brief moment of thought, she couldn't find a single reason to refuse. Hoshino Kanade had handed the initiative over to her; if she were truly heartless, she could even get the information from Hoshino Kanade for free.

The feeling of being trusted warmed Ichinose's heart. No wonder Hoshino Kanade was able to get a girlfriend in just two days.

"Pleasure doing business with you."

With a bright smile on her face, Ichinose extended her hand for a social handshake toward Hoshino Kanade.

"Pleasure doing business with you."

His palm felt soft and warm. If Kiyona's hand was a "blade forged from moonlight," then Ichinose's was "silk woven from morning dew."

Regarding the deal with Ichinose, Hoshino Kanade's original plan had been to exchange information for points on the spot, but after watching Kushida's social circle expand every day, he suddenly realized something.

It seemed that Class B and Class C were still in the midst of electing leaders and hadn't realized the importance of the class as a whole, so they certainly hadn't pooled their classmates' individual points together.

Ryuen might even be busy ambushing Albert while he was in the restroom.

If he didn't loosen the conditions, the deal simply couldn't be made.

The contract had been modified by Hoshino Kanade the night before the trade. He had racked his brain for a long time but couldn't come up with a better solution.

Ultimately, considering that the other party was Ichinose, he simply decided to cede all the initiative to her.

Fortunately, the deal was concluded smoothly in the end.

He would have to rethink the deal for Class C later, pick a suitable time—it was just too difficult.

As for the deal with Class A, he could only say, "maybe next time."

Slacking off is truly wonderful. Once Hoshino Kanade finished his deal with Class C, he would have to slack off properly too.

Watching his classmates in Class D—some sleeping during class, others passing notes—while he had to read books, Hoshino Kanade felt a pang of intense envy.

Although Hoshino Kanade sometimes passed notes during class too.

It was likely that Kiyona had been corrupted by the other students; she was actually passing notes to communicate with him from the seat in front of him.

Hoshino Kanade could only say that as long as Kiyona liked it, it was fine.

Well, this kind of school life was quite nice, though it was a pity that it would be invisible after the first month.

"What should we eat for lunch today?"

Aside from thinking about how to earn points, deciding what to eat every day was the biggest problem.

With Hoshino Kanade suffering from decision paralysis and Kiyona having no strong opinions (anything was fine), it ultimately fell to Hoshino Kanade to step up.

"I heard the cafeteria launched a new dish today."

"I have no objections."

"Crucian-Squid Duo Rice Bowl: a base of squid ink rice topped with teriyaki squid and pan-fried crucian carp fillets."

The squid ink had a slight briny scent, and a little lemon juice had been added to remove the fishiness and enhance the flavor—it sounded very logical.

The dark color of the squid ink rice, the sauce-red of the teriyaki squid, and the golden yellow of the pan-fried crucian carp created a striking color contrast, accented with green onions and white sesame seeds; the visual effect was quite good.

For such an exquisite dish to cost only 1,123 points, it was an absolute bargain.

Hoshino Kanade stared at the dish, and a line of lyrics popped into his mind without warning:

"That day's squid, squid it up.

That day's crucian-squid, crucian-squid it up."

With the new menu item, the students were all willing to give it a try, and Hoshino Kanade and Kiyona had to wait in line for a long time to buy it.

"Itadakimasu" ×2

The meal passed in silence.

In truth, no matter how exquisite the appearance, it couldn't mask the inexplicable taste and combination.

It felt more like a fusion experiment that broke with tradition.

The edible squid ink itself had a slight briny scent, which clashed with the freshwater sweetness of the crucian carp.

Although lemon juice had been added to adjust for the characteristics of the squid ink, an excess of lemon juice would destroy the protein structure of the crucian carp, causing the meat to become tough and the flavor to be lost.

Coupled with the target demographic and the price point, the quality of the squid ink used wasn't very high, the briny scent was slightly heavy, and an excessive amount of lemon juice had been added.

More importantly, besides the squid ink, the teriyaki squid had lemon juice added, and the crucian carp fillets also had lemon juice added.

Adding a moderate amount of lemon juice to squid and crucian carp could indeed enhance the umami, tenderness, and flavor profile.

But was adding lemon juice to everything a bit too much? Was this lemon absolutely necessary?

The final flavor was unforgettable: the fish meat bobbed in the acidic sauce, the fishy stench and the delicate sweetness locked in a death grip, leaving the corpses of flavor settled at the bottom of the plate.

It could only be said that the chef's preparation was severely lacking; this was a disastrous dish that had wasted so much lemon juice and so many ingredients.

Looking at the reactions of the surrounding classmates, most of them wore expressions of difficulty, and it was safe to assume they would not be attempting a second taste.

However, there were also classmates who claimed that the taste of the food didn't matter, and that as long as it was cooked by that chef, they would enjoy eating it.

It seemed their taste buds had been ruined by the meal; they were beyond saving.

It is worth mentioning that because Kiyona had eaten the squid ink, her teeth had become stained, so she stated that she would return to the dormitory alone after school, leaving Hoshino Kanade to go to the library to read by himself in the afternoon.