Still, deep down, she felt a little excited and happy.
Because that meant Dongfang Yi's plan was basically doomed.
She breathed a sigh of relief for the boy. After all, listening to rumors and becoming a spy chief were two completely different things.
The former might cause a little trouble, but it wouldn't put him in danger. The latter, though easy enough, would leave him with nowhere to hide at school if he were exposed.
So things were still all right. There was a chance to shut down this ridiculous plan outright.
She glanced at Sakayanagi Arisu with a faint sense of relief, planning to wait for Sakayanagi to speak before sending Dongfang Yi away.
She couldn't let him keep courting disaster like this!
But she was surprised to see a distinct smile tugging at Dead Loli's lips.
A sudden, ominous premonition rose in the girl's heart.
Something had gone wrong!
Dongfang Yi saw Sakayanagi Arisu's smile too, but he interpreted it differently from Kamuro. He thought—
All right, time to close the net!
The White-Haired Loli thought she had already seen through Dongfang Yi's true nature: a lazy, fairly sensible guy who didn't know his place, but was just agreeable enough and had a little cleverness to him.
How could someone like that possibly see through her thoughts?
Since she hadn't known Dongfang Yi for long, she hadn't become familiar enough with him to see through his mask. Naturally, he'd fooled her.
The Little Princess relaxed and said gently,
"That does seem worth trying. Go ahead with your plan, Dongfang. I'll ask you for an update every week from now on."
Dongfang Yi let out a breath, as if a tremendous burden had been lifted from his shoulders. All that acting had paid off.
Sakayanagi had finally taken the bait!
Now it was his turn!
He hesitated. "Um... Your Highness the Princess... there's one more problem."
"What is it?"
"Well, according to my plan, if I'm going to recruit spies in Class D, I'll need a little financial support."
Dongfang Yi's eyes kept darting upward, and he tapped the ground with his toe, looking rather guilty. "I'll need at least seventy thousand points a month to cover expenses and establish a stable, long-term information network."
He'd deliberately left a little room for negotiation, waiting for the loli to haggle.
"Don't you work at a café?"
Sakayanagi Arisu asked, puzzled.
"..."
At that moment, even Dongfang Yi fell silent, despite all the schemes running through his mind.
He'd planned for every contingency—even deliberately left Sakayanagi Arisu room to bargain—but the White-Haired Loli had still gone beyond his expectations.
He hadn't accounted for just how absurd this Dead Loli could be.
Were you Emperor Hui of Jin in a past life? How could you be so heartless?
It was the first time in his life that Dongfang Yi had learned that when you went out to work, you might actually have to pay out of pocket.
At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to stride over and smack this capitalist brat's backside, hard! He'd teach her what a warm proletarian hand felt like.
But in the end, he swallowed all the words he wanted to say, looked up at the sky, and sighed with feigned resignation.
"Your Highness the Princess, people need money to live."
"Pfft!"
Seeing him get shut down, Kamuro Masumi's icy expression melted away, revealing a smile as lovely as a flower.
Clutching her stomach, she crouched down. "I can't take it. Let me laugh for a bit. Hahahaha..."
Sakayanagi Arisu's face visibly flushed with embarrassment. Her cheeks turned rosy, but she still forced herself to maintain her usual composed expression.
She suddenly realized that, up until now, she really hadn't... paid the people she'd assigned to do things.
But could she really spend her own points on information that might be detailed?
For once, she hesitated.
Was Ayanokoji Kiyotaka really worth that much...?
No, that wasn't right. To defeat a false genius, analyzing his personal behavior was essential!
Could Dongfang Yi really bring back information worth seventy thousand points?
She had her doubts.
While she hesitated, Dongfang Yi rallied and sighed with solemn resolve.
"Though my ambition soars to the clouds, and I'd stake myself to outwit fate and seize the first victory, human strength has its limits, and so do mine. Very well, very well. I'll stick to our agreement."
"Still, what I can learn from working at the café probably won't compare to firsthand information, obtained directly and free from other people's opinions, will it? Your Highness the Princess, I'll stick to the original plan and do my best to gather information at the café."
"However, this way, I might not be able to get accurate information in time. I'm afraid it'll be a strain on you, Your Highness."
With that, Dongfang Yi turned to leave.
This was called advancing by retreating. He was betting on how interested Sakayanagi Arisu was in Ayanokoji.
Besides, there really was no one in Class A better suited for the job than him.
And after the first month, when Class D's points hit zero, it'd be even less likely that anyone else would do it.
How could a good student who worked hard to build a future for himself be willing to sink to the level of a bunch of demons and monsters who did nothing useful all day?
Wouldn't he stay as far away from them as possible?
There was a natural barrier between the two classes.
"Wait."
Just as Dongfang Yi was leaving, Sakayanagi called out to him. "Although I can't have the class as a whole provide you with points right now, I admire your determination to work for the class."
"I'm willing to provide you with thirty thousand points a month in my personal capacity."
Kamuro, who was still laughing, froze. Wait, that actually worked?
"I'm deeply grateful for Your Highness the Princess's kindness, but thirty thousand points is a drop in the bucket for the number of people I'll have to bribe." Dongfang Yi shook his head. "It's not enough. It really isn't enough. Your Highness, the two of us can't keep this going on our own. We should just forget it."
"Fifty thousand." Sakayanagi raised the offer.
Kamuro Masumi: ???
"Fifty thousand points? If I add a little of my own, that might work. But then I won't have any money left to get close to the targets." Dongfang Yi looked troubled. "This plan has to succeed in one shot. We have to get everything done at once. This still isn't enough, Your Highness the Princess."
"I'll have Fujimoto help you. While you're working, he'll give you three free invitations to treat people each day." Sakayanagi raised the stakes as high as she could. Gripping her cane, she remained uneasy. "That should be enough, right?"
Kamuro Masumi: !!!
"That's plenty! With Your Highness the Princess backing me so generously, Class D will be ours in no time!" Dongfang Yi felt the timing was about right. "I'll go through fire and water for Your Highness!"
"I'll give you two months. I want to see results that satisfy me within that time."
The White-Haired Loli said coldly.
"As you wish." Dongfang Yi once again placed his right hand over his chest and bowed slightly.
"My Dear Princess"
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