My Daughter Has Grown Up, and Her Father Is Very Gratified

"Exactly when did you start planning to use this strategy?"

Horikita asked with a solemn expression.

Her beautiful eyes stared straight into Ayanokoji's deep pupils.

It wasn't that she hadn't thought about taking a roundabout path to help the class, but due to her own sense of justice, she hadn't considered testing the limits of the rules.

If things were truly as that senior had said, then what was the point of the scores in this exam? Wasn't it just a matter of who discovered the loophole first? Everyone cheating?

However, that was the reality.

Advanced Nurturing was not a place for you to just study dead books.

"Don't get your hopes up too high; I still don't know if we can find a senior willing to sell us the test questions."

Watching Horikita's grave and serious expression, Ayanokoji felt a twitch in his heart.

You still haven't realized it yet.

This is exactly why you are in Class D!

Horikita Suzune.

Hearing the word "sell," the girl's eyes widened in confusion, not quite understanding.

"Are you thinking of using points to buy the test papers from the upperclassmen?"

"Isn't that obvious? You should remember what Chabashira-sensei said, within this school..."

"Points can buy anything..."

Very good, she learned to jump the gun.

Ayanokoji smiled faintly, feeling a strange sense of gratification, like seeing a five-year-old daughter finally learn to call her father.

Of course, a normal person wouldn't be able to see those subtle expressions on Ayanokoji.

Only the readers of the author could see them, because they are all geniuses just like Ayanokoji.

He slumped his shoulders, took a hand out of his pocket, placed it on the shoulder of the still-contemplating Horikita, and said:

"Finding a senior willing to sell the test questions—I'll leave that task to you."

"Huh?" Horikita let out a soft "huh," her face full of disgust.

She was supposed to do something like that?

Ayanokoji glanced at her:

"You know, I don't have many friends, I don't talk much, and I come across as dull; I'm simply not suited for..."

Before Ayanokoji could finish, Horikita pulled out her phone, opened her contact list, and shoved it in front of Ayanokoji, her expression showing a hint of smugness.

Good grief, it was completely empty; she had even cleared and blocked notification messages.

Do you live in the mountains?

Ayanokoji couldn't help but retort in his heart.

"See? I have long since abandoned social interactions, which only hinder my progress."

"So, ask someone else; I'm not suitable."

You're just being lazy, aren't you?

Looking at the smile Horikita was struggling to suppress at the corners of her mouth, Ayanokoji's fists tightened.

Once this person knew someone else was covering for her, she started shirking responsibility and slacking off, finding it too much trouble.

She was just like a wild animal that had shed its sense of crisis.

"Fine."

Helpless, Ayanokoji had to utilize Lu Xun's theory of compromise.

"Can you do something else for me instead?"

"?"

Horikita slowly returned to her ice-queen face, a trace of confusion lingering between her slightly furrowed brows.

"Go and bring Sudo and the others over to join the study group with Kushida and the others."

"Why? Wouldn't it be enough to just let them study on their own once we have the test papers?"

Horikita was puzzled.

Looking at her slightly dazed gaze, Ayanokoji sighed imperceptibly and said, "I don't intend to give them the test papers right now."

"Not to mention whether they have the initiative to study on their own, we at least need to make them feel some sense of urgency."

"Being with Hirata and the others will not only influence them to a certain extent, but they will also be able to solve the problems they don't understand more efficiently. It's all gain and no loss."

After he finished speaking, Horikita Suzune lowered her eyes, her lashes casting shadows as she seemed to be deep in thought. A moment later, she spoke:

"Fine. I will help you for the sake of rising to Class A, but... I have one condition."

"You must tell me any information you have the moment you get it."

Ayanokoji nodded directly... yeah, just going along with her is the right move.

Whether or not he actually does it is another matter.

Could she possibly be a tapeworm living inside his heart?

Afterward, at the girl's request, they exchanged contact information, reaching a consensus to split up and head in different directions.

He would find a way to get his hands on the test papers, while the girl would be responsible for bringing the trio of academic underachievers to the study session.

Before leaving, the girl stomped hard on his foot, pouting with a tsundere expression as she said, "Don't think I didn't notice you sighing secretly just now, and another thing, stop acting like no one is smarter than you!"

After scolding him, the black-haired girl strode away without looking back.

She left Ayanokoji watching her back with an indifferent gaze, the kind of look one might use when viewing a tool.

On the way, Horikita Suzune opened her phone; the once-blank contact list now had its first entry, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, making it look a little less desolate.

"Hey, Kushida, there's something I need your help with..."

Inside a convenience store, Ayanokoji dialed Kushida Kikyo's number while his eyes wandered over the bento section.

"Eh? Is something like that even possible?"

The girl's surprised voice came from the other end of the line.

"It is, you just need to believe in your own charm."

Ayanokoji said, his face expressionless.

He didn't even know when he had learned how to use such manipulation tactics.

"Hmm... alright, I'll give it a try, but..."

"I have one request, is that okay?"

?, negotiating?

As the girl's voice reached his ears, Ayanokoji frowned slightly.

"Go ahead."

Ayanokoji said calmly.

"If I complete Ayanokoji-kun's task, can you help me get closer to Horikita-san?"

"No problem."

Ayanokoji blurted out.

Whatever, just promise her the moon for now.

He didn't specify how close, and if you look at a GPS navigation app, being in the same school and the same dormitory building is a form of closeness in a sense, isn't it?

Heh.

And so, after the girl happily agreed, Ayanokoji hung up the phone.

He picked up the bento he had his eye on and walked straight to the counter to pay.

Next, he would find a place with no one around to have a hearty meal.

In the Student Council office, a long conference table sat right in the center.

"Sakayanagi, Katsuragi, congratulations on achieving an excellent score of 940 points in your first month."

"To what extent have you truly grasped the school's rules and the S System?"

At the desk, a black-haired man with a solemn expression and black-rimmed glasses asked the two freshmen in front of him.

"Thank you for your concern, we have only just come into contact with the school's rules and are currently still in the process of exploring them."

The white-haired girl parted her thin lips slightly, and a soft, elegant voice emerged from her mouth.

"Oh?"

"Regardless, I look forward to your future performance and hope you won't disappoint me."

The black-haired man said slowly, his face remaining composed from start to finish, his obsidian-like eyes making it impossible to discern his emotions.

The white-haired girl nodded slightly, revealing a sweet and elegant smile.

"Then, we shall take our leave."

Beside the white-haired girl, a boy who looked quite sharp bowed slightly and spoke.

Following that, the two walked out of the Student Council room together.

"Heh, this year's freshmen are unexpectedly interesting."

"Indeed, I've seen quite a few intriguing faces."

Beside the black-haired man, a girl who had been silent until now revealed an approving smile, her hair tied into two buns on either side, making her look quite cute.