Those Who Love Reading Are Not Bad People

"That goes without saying. After all, Shiina is my good friend, so I should naturally give you a friend's discount. Fifteen thousand!"

Who would have thought that upon hearing the price, Shiina would pull Ibuki and start walking away, a habit actually formed from shopping.

When encountering something they want to buy but are conflicted about the price, people often pretend to leave, and the seller clearly shares the same mentality.

Therefore, this final showdown was nothing less than a proper psychological battle!

One wanted to buy, and one wanted to sell.

Whoever cracked first would be the one to lose!

Inch by inch, Shiina was about to lead Ibuki out of Shinjo's line of sight...

Shiina was starting to have second thoughts in her heart. Generally, wouldn't he have called out by now?

Could fifteen thousand really be his bottom line?

No... wait a little longer...

Until the two had completely disappeared from Shinjo's view, he finally couldn't hold back anymore:

"T-twelve thousand! I really can't go any lower!!"

As the voice reached them, the heavy stone in Shiina's heart finally settled. Thankfully, she had bet correctly.

Beside her, Ibuki looked at Shiina with eyes full of admiration. It was truly hard to imagine that the guy even Ryuen couldn't do anything about had been played like a fiddle by a girl!

To prevent him from going back on his word, Shiina hurriedly led Ibuki back to the rooftop.

As for the loser, Shinjo, his face was pale and his expression was ugly, as if he were still feeling the sting of those three thousand points lost.

"Shinjo-san, you really have too many little tricks. I know you're perfectly fine. Even though twelve thousand seems like a price cut, you're still making a profit, right?"

Shiina saw through Shinjo's disguise at a glance, and she naturally understood that one shouldn't push a seller too hard.

As long as the other party could offer a price she could accept, it didn't matter if it was a bit expensive; after all, this person was one of her few friends.

"Uh... hehehe... I didn't expect you to see through that. As expected of Shiina. But having said that, I really didn't make much..."

Shinjo feigned an awkward laugh, though he knew perfectly well whether he had made a profit or not.

"In that case, let's close the deal. Thank you, Shinjo-san."

Shiina transferred the points, and Shinjo handed the file folder to Ibuki:

"Not at all, I should be the one thanking you."

"Hehe, then, shall we head back? Now that we have the answers, we can finally study properly."

"Take care~"

Shinjo waved goodbye to the two girls.

Shiina, who had already reached the rooftop door, suddenly stopped in her tracks:

"Shinjo-san, people who like to read aren't bad people, right?"

"Of course."

I probably don't count as someone who likes to read, do I?

"Then, could I trouble you to tell me how many points you actually spent to get these answers?"

"The total cost for this order was ten thousand points."

Does this count as lying? I suppose not?

Shiina nodded; it was exactly as she had thought.

"Thank you, Shinjo-san."

"You're welcome."

Returning to the classroom, Shiina hurriedly told Ryuen about her actions and the answers. The latter narrowed his eyes upon hearing the name Shinjo, then had Shiina check every question. Only after confirming the answers were correct did he hand them over to the others.

"You're saying that attention-seeking Odd Jobs Agency is also his handiwork?"

"Yes."

Although the two were good friends in private, Shiina was, after all, a member of Class C, so she didn't deliberately hide anything from Ryuen.

Of course, since Shinjo chose to trade with her and befriend her, he naturally wasn't afraid of her telling Ryuen anything.

"Odd Jobs Agency... Heh..."

Shinjo has been found, and there's still Ayanokoji...

Ryuen tapped the table and beckoned to the person beside him. His lackey, Ishizaki, hurriedly handed him a cola:

"Boss."

"Tell me, Class D holds study sessions almost every day, right?"

"That's right. Almost everyone, whether they're good at studying or not, is there."

"In that case... find an opportunity to provoke them... but you are not allowed to actually lay a hand on them. If an outsider intervenes, pull back immediately. Understand?"

"Yes! Boss."

As a lackey, all he had to do was unconditionally execute Ryuen's orders.

Therefore, that evening, inside the library.

The students of Class D had gathered here once again for a study session.

Under Ayanokoji's brainwashing-style education, Suzune Horikita had actually, for the first time ever, apologized to Sudo.

"I never expected Shinjo to be willing to join our study group!"

It was no wonder Kikyo Kushida exclaimed in surprise; after all, prior to this, he had been unconditionally requisitioned by Kei alone.

"After all, Kei already knows everything she needs to."

If all this time spent reviewing plus the exam answers couldn't help her land safely, then it would be better to just shoot Shinjo with a gun and be done with it.

"Eh? Kei?! By Kei, do you mean Karuizawa-san?!"

The trio of idiots at the neighboring table, along with Ayanokoji, all wore expressions of extreme shock. Meanwhile, Kikyo Kushida, who had already seen through everything, and Suzune Horikita, who wasn't interested in the slightest, appeared much more indifferent.

"You guys didn't know? Actually..."

Kikyo Kushida's act of wanting to speak but not quite daring to, occasionally sneaking glances at Shinjo to gauge his reaction, was truly cute.

But at this point, there really wasn't any need for secrecy, was there?

Shinjo didn't quite understand; the fake couple plan with Kei was meant to protect her, so announcing it earlier should have been more effective.

Yet, all this time, she didn't seem to be in any particular rush.

It gave the impression that if they were discovered, she would admit it, and if no one found out, she would keep it hidden.

"Could it be that you're dating Karuizawa?"

Ayanokoji asked the question on everyone's behalf.

Shinjo nodded quite openly:

"Yeah, it's actually been a while now."

"Eh?! For real?! Karuizawa... Karuizawa is the cutest girl in our class, you know!"

Ike and Yamauchi exchanged a look, signaling that they couldn't accept this outcome.

However, the two of them clearly weren't the type to hang themselves from a single tree; compared to a girl like Kei who seemed to be out of their league, the approachable personality of Kikyo Kushida was their primary target for conquest.

"Kikyo-chan, do you have someone you like?"

"Ah? I... I don't have anyone yet..."

Phew!

The duo of idiots finally set down the heavy, unstable stone in their hearts.

Sudo, off to the side, was clearly envious of Shinjo having a girlfriend, so the group began firing off one piece of gossip after another, completely unrelated to their studies.

This made Suzune Horikita, standing to the side, grit her teeth in frustration.

"This is not a dating seminar!"

"Sorry, teacher..."

Hearing this, the group decisively backed down; no one dared to challenge the oppressive aura brought about by Suzune Horikita's intimidating presence.