It's You, Hashimoto Masayoshi!

"Wait, Sakamoto-kun!"

A loud voice came from behind—Hashimoto Masayoshi had hurriedly chased after him.

Sakamoto stopped, turned around, and faced the latter with a tall, upright posture.

"Hashimoto, chasing me out here specially—is there something you need?"

Sakamoto asked with a smile, while the other wore a hesitant expression. After a moment, Hashimoto finally spoke.

"It's only the first day of school, and Sakamoto-kun has already said there's a possibility of elimination in this school, without showing the slightest worry about being eliminated yourself. Someone like that either doesn't care about the advantages of graduating from this school, or is extremely confident in their own abilities." Hashimoto stepped forward. "I believe you're the latter," he said with certainty.

"Whether that's the case or not isn't important. What matters is what Hashimoto-kun thinks?" Sakamoto replied with a question, feeling a flicker of interest in Hashimoto.

"What I think?" Hashimoto Masayoshi, a Class A student, felt a bit lost. He knew that students who graduated from this school could receive a letter of recommendation from the institution. That alone was enough to make many large companies and corporations prioritize hiring graduates. His goal was also to graduate smoothly from here and obtain that recommendation letter, for the sake of a better future—so he had to avoid the fate of elimination. The blond-haired boy finally made up his mind:

"Honestly, I'd never heard any inside information about this school before. Probably because of Japan's policies, I guess. No matter what the school's system is or how complicated the assessment content might be, I'll give it my all, use every means available, and definitely graduate from this school. Sakamoto-kun, please support me!"

Hashimoto gave a very standard bow, lowering his face completely, eyes tightly shut, as if avoiding eye contact to mask his anxiety. In Japanese culture, this behavior was also considered somewhat rude.

He didn't know why, but even though this was someone he'd just met for the first time, he felt something special about him, and ended up pouring out his true feelings like this. It was probably the first time.

Observing Hashimoto Masayoshi maintaining that standard "sumimasen" posture, Sakamoto's eyes showed a look of approval. Not bad~

Truly a man of strong initiative—the moment he noticed something unusual, he immediately took action. That kind of direct, hound-like instinct was rare. His mind recalled the description of Hashimoto Masayoshi from his previous life as a game player—

In the original plot, because Sakayanagi Arisu had trouble walking, Hashimoto Masayoshi often acted as her field agent, investigating the movements of each class. He had a huge amount of information and strong learning ability, but strategically, he relied too much on Sakayanagi Arisu and lacked leadership skills. Still, he felt that in terms of execution ability, no one in this grade could match him. Staying in Class A was his goal, and he interacted with every class to lay the groundwork for remaining in Class A in the future.

From the original situation, this person wasn't loyal to any individual, but to profit. If someone could guarantee him a spot in Class A with 20 million points, he might even accept harming the interests of his original Class A. From that perspective, Hashimoto Masayoshi was far from a reliable ally.

However, Sakamoto didn't care about that at all. He had no intention of having companions either. To him, this world was more like a game.

"Hashimoto-kun, you want to stay in Class A and graduate smoothly, right? Let me tell you something interesting."

Hashimoto, who had been looking down, raised his eyes to the speaker.

Sakamoto began his mind-manipulating strategy:

"Actually, because of this school's system, there's a hierarchy among classes. The four classes—A, B, C, D—are all different, with Class A being the strongest overall and Class D the weakest."

"As for why it's designed this way, it's because only students who graduate from Class A can enjoy the benefits the school provides. Other students are not recognized at all. That's also the origin of Advanced Nurturing's 100% employment rate."

Clearly, this statement made Hashimoto's body tremble. The latter seemed even more determined in his resolve, lowering his head again, looking as if he wouldn't get up unless Sakamoto-kun supported him.

"Hahahahaha!" Sakamoto suddenly burst into laughter—a laugh of complete satisfaction, like a hunter pleased with his prey.

"Hashimoto-kun, how about we make a deal? You want to graduate from Class A, so you're looking for help. Then just follow my orders."

Hashimoto's back, which had been bearing the pressure from his upper body, finally returned to its original position. His brow furrowed slightly as he looked at the other's consistently elegant demeanor. A certain suspicion vaguely surfaced in his mind, but it quickly faded—

Yes, he, Hashimoto, wanted to graduate from Class A, but that didn't mean he wanted to become someone's subordinate entirely. (Sakayanagi: Really?)

Sakamoto lightly adjusted the custom half-rim glasses on the bridge of his nose.

"The purpose of graduating from Class A is to secure a good job. You should be very clear about your future plans."

"Let me reintroduce myself. This Humble One is Sakamoto, the only son of the chairman of the Sakamoto Group."

"Hashimoto-kun, I believe in your talent. Come work for the Sakamoto Group, and I'll provide you with a satisfactory job."

For an elite of Japan—a top-tier workhorse—this was the ultimate temptation, shaking Hashimoto's resolve.

It's true! Hashimoto's pupils sharply contracted as the thought surfaced in his mind.

Think about it carefully—such excellent behavior, that unique aura, that spring-breeze-like social grace—it was exactly what you'd expect from an aristocratic family.

Earlier, everyone had been so frightened by the "cruel" reality Sakamoto had laid out that they'd nearly overlooked the identity of the one who started it all. Once the classmates came to their senses, they'd definitely be curious about Sakamoto's background.

The young master of the Sakamoto Group—with such an identity, no wonder he didn't care about the school's harsh system. Even if he graduated from any random school, he could still take over a vast business empire. At worst, he could just be a bored rich playboy with nothing but money.

"Hashimoto-kun, whether you accept or not is up to you. Think about it—do you want to struggle desperately to keep your place in Class A, or seize the opportunity for a high-paying job in the future?"

The devil's whisper lingered around Hashimoto Masayoshi's ears.

Watching the man bathed in light gracefully extend a hand, He could only give a bitter laugh, offering no resistance at all, completely unable to tell if this was an angel or a demon...

"A deal that perfectly matches my needs—of course I'll accept it."

Hashimoto, in the lower position, also extended a hand to grasp it.

Their hands clasped firmly together...

In the end, our top-tier workhorse—Hashimoto Masayoshi—succumbed to Sakamoto-kun's personal charm (and background).

"Let's go."

Sakamoto turned and walked away.

Hashimoto quickly followed, staying half a step behind.

The two left the school building together.