"Of course. Shiina is my good friend, so I ought to give her a friend's price. Fifteen thousand!"
To his surprise, Shiina heard the price and pulled Ibuki along as she started to walk away. It was a habit she'd developed from shopping.
When you found something you wanted but couldn't decide if it was worth the price, you pretended to leave. The seller clearly had the same instinct.
So in the end, it all came down to a straightforward battle of wills!
One wanted to buy, the other wanted to sell.
Whoever gave in first would lose!
Step by step, Shiina was about to take Ibuki out of Shinjo's sight...
Shiina was starting to lose confidence. Wouldn't he have spoken up by now?
Was fifteen thousand really the lowest price he was willing to accept?
No... I'll wait a little longer...
Only after the two of them had disappeared from Shinjo's view did he finally give in.
"F-fifteen... No, twelve thousand! I really can't go any lower!"
At the sound of his voice, the weight in Shiina's chest finally lifted. Thankfully, she'd bet right.
Ibuki, meanwhile, was looking at Shiina with undisguised admiration. It was hard to believe that a guy even Ryuen couldn't handle had been wrapped around a girl's finger!
To keep Shinjo from changing his mind, Shiina hurried back to the rooftop with Ibuki.
Shinjo, the loser, looked pale and miserable, apparently still smarting over the three thousand points he'd lost.
"Shinjo, you sure have a lot of tricks up your sleeve. I know there's nothing wrong with you. Twelve thousand might sound like a lower price, but you're still making a profit, aren't you?"
Shiina saw right through Shinjo's act, but she also knew she couldn't push the seller too hard.
As long as he gave her a price she could accept, she didn't mind paying a little extra. After all, he was one of the few people she could call a friend.
"Uh... heh heh... I didn't think you'd see through me. You really are something, Shiina. But even so, I didn't make that much..."
Shinjo gave an awkward laugh, though he knew perfectly well whether he'd made a profit.
"In that case, let's make the deal. Thank you, Shinjo."
Shiina transferred the points, and Shinjo handed the envelope to Ibuki.
"Not at all. I should be the one thanking you."
"Hehe. Well, shall we head back? Now that we have the answers, we can finally study properly."
"See you!"
Shinjo waved goodbye to the two girls.
Shiina had already reached the rooftop door when she suddenly stopped.
"Shinjo, people who like reading aren't bad people, right?"
"Of course."
I don't think I count as someone who likes reading, do I?
"Then could I ask you to tell me how many points you actually spent getting those answers?"
"The total cost of this order was ten thousand points."
Does that count as lying? Probably not, right?
Shiina nodded. It was just as she'd expected.
"Thank you, Shinjo."
"You're welcome."
Back in class, Shiina quickly told Ryuen what she'd done and showed him the answers. When he heard Shinjo's name, Ryuen narrowed his eyes. He then had Shiina check each answer before handing them out to the others.
"You're saying that ridiculous Odd Jobs Agency was his doing, too?"
"Yes."
Although they were good friends in private, Shiina was still a member of Class C, so she hadn't deliberately hidden anything from Ryuen.
Of course, Shinjo had asked her to make the deal and become friends with him knowing full well she might tell Ryuen something.
"The Odd Jobs Agency... Heh..."
Shinjo had been found. There was still Ayanokoji...
Ryuen tapped on the desk and beckoned to the side. His lackey Ishizaki hurriedly brought him a glass of cola.
"Boss."
"You said Class D held study sessions almost every day, right?"
"Yeah. Pretty much everyone goes, whether they're good at studying or not."
"In that case... Find a chance to provoke them. But don't actually lay a hand on anyone. If someone from outside gets involved, back off immediately. Got it?"
"Yes, boss!"
As Ryuen's underling, Ishizaki just had to follow his orders without question.
So that evening, in the library...
The students of Class D had gathered once again for a class study session.
Under Ayanokoji's relentless coaching, Suzune Horikita had even apologized to Sudo—a rare sight indeed.
"I can't believe Shinjo agreed to study with us!"
It was no wonder Kushida was surprised. Until now, Karuizawa had always claimed him for herself.
"Kei already knows everything she needs to know."
If all that studying and the exam answers couldn't get her through safely, then Shinjo might as well put a bullet in her.
"Huh? Kei?! You mean Karuizawa?"
The Idiot Trio, seated together, and Ayanokoji all looked stunned. Kushida, who had already figured everything out, and Horikita, who had no interest in it, were much less fazed.
"You guys didn't know? Actually..."
Kushida seemed to want to say something but wasn't sure she should. Every so often, she sneaked a peek at Shinjo to see how he'd react. It was pretty cute.
But at this point, there wasn't much need to keep it secret, was there?
Shinjo didn't quite understand. Karuizawa's fake-dating plan was supposed to protect her, so announcing it early should have worked even better.
And yet, she didn't seem to be in any hurry.
It felt like she'd admit it if someone found out, but otherwise keep it under wraps.
"Could it be that you're dating Karuizawa?"
Ayanokoji asked the question on everyone's mind.
Shinjo nodded without hesitation.
"Yeah. We've actually been together for a while."
"What?! Seriously?! Karuizawa... She's the cutest girl in our class!"
Ike and Yamauchi exchanged a look, unable to accept the outcome.
But they weren't the type to pin all their hopes on one girl. Compared to Karuizawa, who seemed way out of their league, they were more interested in pursuing someone as approachable as Kikyo Kushida.
"Kikyo, do you have someone you like?"
"Huh? I... I don't have anyone right now..."
Thank goodness!
The Idiot Duo finally let out the breath they'd been holding.
Sudo was clearly envious of Shinjo having a girlfriend, too, so everyone started asking him all sorts of questions that had nothing to do with studying.
Horikita was practically grinding her teeth in anger.
"This isn't a romance class!"
"Sorry, ma'am..."
Everyone immediately backed down. No one dared challenge the pressure of Suzune Horikita's intimidating presence.
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