Sotomura's Talent

At lunchtime, Hoshino hurried to the school cafeteria.

He ordered tonkotsu ramen as usual; as expected of Advanced Nurturing High School, the ramen was actually quite delicious.

Wondering how they made the noodles, he thought about trying to get a part-time job at the cafeteria to learn a thing or two! Hoshino pondered these trivialities while eating, but his eyes suddenly caught sight of a miraculous duo!

Ayanokoji was actually out eating with Horikita! Hoshino was shocked to his core.

When did they get so close? Although surprised, he soon calmed down; after all, it was none of his business. Furthermore, looking at the constipated expression on Ayanokoji's face, it was clear he had been roped into something by Horikita.

Sure enough, Mom was right: the prettier the woman, the better she lies!

Hoshino still wanted to use the lunch break to meet up with Professor and have a chat.

But where on earth did Professor go? Hoshino searched for a long time but couldn't find him.

Hoshino usually kept to himself, so he wasn't really sure where these people usually ate. After searching everywhere to no avail, Hoshino gave up the hunt.

The afternoon classes were quite boring. Although it was Advanced Nurturing High School, the actual curriculum didn't differ much from other schools; one could only say there were slight differences in the details.

However, Hoshino didn't really care about such issues.

On the podium, Chabashira still wore her usual indifferent expression.

Below the podium, Hoshino stared at the blackboard, but his thoughts were already far away.

He was thinking about the logistics of second-hand trading: if Professor could build a website like that, things would be much simpler. Moreover, Professor was familiar with Kushida and the others, so Hoshino wouldn't even need to do the advertising himself. If he could just get Professor to spread the word, everything might become much easier.

There were also the issues of receiving and delivering items after a sale to consider. Items couldn't sit in his hands for too long, or they would depreciate and potentially lead to losses. As for the sellers, he would really have to rely on word-of-mouth and promotion. Currently, there should be many people who needed to sell things.

"Hello, I'm Hoshino from your class. Are you Professor?"

"...Ahem, hello. My name is Hideo Sotomura, though you can call me by my nickname, Professor!" Hideo cleared his throat, looking slightly awkward.

"...Right, well, could I borrow a bit of your time to talk?"

"Oh! Sure, I don't mind." There was no look of surprise on Hideo's face; it seemed Yamauchi had already told him about it, which worked out perfectly.

Hoshino invited Hideo to a nearby cafe. Since school had just let out, the cafe wasn't too crowded. They took a nice spot by the window, where they could see the distant school building and the increasing number of students on the path.

After calling the waiter and placing their orders:

"So, Hoshino-san..." Hideo didn't know how to start, stammering a bit.

"I wanted to ask, Hideo-san, do you know how to build a website?... I have some things I'd like your help with!"

"Eh? But Yamauchi... said you wanted to learn computer skills from me?" This was somewhat unexpected for Hideo.

"Yes! But that's not something you can learn overnight, is it? I want to make a website right now, so I'm looking for someone who knows how to build one to help me. If there's a chance to learn later, that would be even better! How about it, Hideo-san? Can I count on you?"

Two coffees were delivered, and Hoshino picked up one and took a sip.

"...I know a little, but I'd need to actually get to work to know for sure. But what kind of website are you trying to make?" After bowing his head in thought for a moment, Hideo gave an uncertain answer.

"It's like this: I want to build a website for buying and selling second-hand goods, so I wanted to ask for your help."

"...Second-hand buying and selling? I see. So you were the one who bought Yamauchi's game console?"

Hoshino was surprised that Hideo had noticed so quickly.

"Yes! He happened to be selling it, so I took the opportunity to buy it." Seeing he couldn't hide it, Hoshino told the truth.

"I see..." Professor fell into deep thought, lowering his head and gently stirring the coffee the waiter had just brought.

"Of course, I won't have you working for free. I'll pay you in points." Instantly, Hideo looked up, his eyes gleaming.

He had bought quite a few things himself, and his points were nearly exhausted. Hearing Hoshino's words, Hideo was immediately motivated.

"What should I do?" He became confident all of a sudden. Truly, the old saying was right: "Money makes the mare go!"

"Well—it's like this. I hope you can help me build the site and then recommend it to people you know, or anyone around you who has things to sell. I'll buy the items they want to sell, depending on the situation and the condition of the goods, of course. I'll give you a certain amount of points for this, for a duration of one month." Hoshino briefly explained the plan he had in mind.

"...You mean you're making a short-term website?" Hideo looked up, surprised.

"Yes."

"Hmm—is that so?" Hideo pondered and asked again: "In that case, I don't recommend building a website. Are you buying them yourself and then selling them yourself?"

"Yes, that's roughly the process. I'm just not really sure how to do it, it's my first time..."

"If that's the case, I don't recommend a website. Most websites aren't for personal acquisition; they're platforms where both parties trade, and the platform acts as a guarantee. For a situation where you're buying them yourself, I suggest you set up a group chat or something? Direct messaging is quite good, isn't it?" Hideo's eyes went a bit vacant.

"No, an online shop wouldn't be bad, right? If I find people to help promote it, it could take off quickly. Wait, only one month..."

Watching Hideo mutter to himself, Hoshino felt a bit apprehensive: wouldn't something go wrong?

"No, the time is only one month, so that's not good either. The time is too short; the effort and the return aren't proportional!..."

"I've got it! You should just create accounts on the school's official website and forums! Post messages directly. Also, the school's electronic bulletin board—I heard you can post messages there for a few points. Then, just mention it to the people around you. The cost isn't high, and you can stop at any time. For one month, two people are more than enough to run it." Hideo finally broke out of his trance, his eyes gleaming behind his glasses.

Although Hoshino had considered such ideas, he lacked a complete operational process or concept. Sure enough, for some things, finding a professional led to much better methods.

Since Hideo could combine Hoshino's ideas and provide such professional advice, it really showed that Professor had considerable talent, or at least a good head for business.

Moreover, Hideo didn't try to greedily grab a share of the profits or blindly agree to push his own agenda; he objectively analyzed various factors and offered truly sound advice. This made Hoshino respect him quite a bit.