Classroom of the Elite, I Only Want Your Rewards

Katsuragi Kohei said in a deep voice, "Yahiko, that is not what he meant."

At the same time, Sakayanagi Arisu offered a rare, friendly reminder: "This 'anything can be bought' might even include everything about the school."

Totsuka Yahiko froze for a moment, only gradually coming to his senses, his throat feeling somewhat dry.

"Sakayanagi, don't tell me your information was bought from upperclassmen using private points?" Katsuragi Kohei asked.

"Hehe, it didn't even require a bribe; there is no shortage of fools in this world," Sakayanagi Arisu said leisurely, then turned her gaze toward someone with a hint of dissatisfaction, "Suzuki-kun, is that all you have to say?"

Suzuki Toru turned his head to look at Kamuro Masumi, who felt inexplicably confused.

"Why are you looking at me?"

"The matter from last time, what was the answer?"

"Disgusting."

Kamuro Masumi pulled at her skirt as if feeling a chill; her beautiful, jade-like legs had the fairest skin, yet carried a hint of softness.

I'm not asking to see your panties right now, Suzuki Toru thought, looking at Kamuro Masumi speechlessly.

Perhaps realizing it belatedly, Kamuro Masumi averted her gaze and said irritably, "Fine, fine, you guessed right. I went and asked the homeroom teacher. He said that as long as you spend twenty million private points, you can promote one person to Class A and thereby gain the rights of a graduate. But the rights of a graduate are tied to Class A; buying that separately has never happened in the history of the school."

As she spoke, she began to shake her leg—is this a sign that she lacks confidence in graduating?

Because the classroom was quiet and everyone was watching, Kamuro Masumi's words were naturally heard by all.

"Spending twenty million private points to promote to a Class A student—that is truly a staggering price," Katsuragi Kohei fell into deep thought.

"Hmph, even at one hundred thousand a month, they couldn't do it in three years even if they didn't eat or drink. It's nothing to worry about!" Although Totsuka Yahiko was shocked at first, he immediately felt relieved and dismissed it with disdain.

Hashimoto Masayoshi's eyes sparkled; this seemed like a decent option as well.

"Hehe, if even a spot in Class A can be bought, everyone, please think carefully: what exactly cannot be bought?" Sakayanagi Arisu said with a smile.

"Can exam scores be bought too?"

"Can we even buy lewd items?"

"Can we buy class points?"

Inevitably, Class A fell into a heated discussion.

"It seems I don't need to provide any further explanation," Suzuki Toru said. "In short, at certain times, private points might become our weapon—for example, spending the corresponding amount to target a specific student and force them to drop out."

For some reason, the entire classroom went quiet instantly.

All voices ceased abruptly.

After a moment, it was Sakayanagi Arisu who first broke the silent atmosphere.

"Hehehe, Suzuki-kun is unexpectedly ruthless; that was a bit surprising."

Suzuki Toru ignored the various gazes and said calmly, "It is just an extreme measure, and it might not necessarily work. However, if it is for the sake of the class, I would choose to do this without hesitation, even if it meant I had to drop out."

As expected, the moment he said this, everyone's gazes shifted from suspicion to shock and admiration.

Especially among the girls, this "kind-hearted" persona involving self-sacrifice easily garnered high favor; such is the only advantage of having a handsome face.

"You don't have to go that far, Suzuki-kun!" someone said, gathering her courage.

Suzuki Toru glanced at her; her name seemed to be Nishikawa Ryoko. She had no particular ambitions—just a background character.

Despite thinking this, he still returned a smile, causing her to blush slightly and hurriedly lower her head in a panic.

"Tch, is being handsome all that great?" Totsuka Yahiko gritted his teeth in annoyance.

Sakayanagi Arisu didn't let the topic drift too far, smiling, "To deal with the upcoming competition, I think it is necessary to use our private points to purchase the corresponding strategies from Mashima-sensei. Understanding certain rules in advance is very important for us."

Her proposal quickly gained the approval of many students; even those around Katsuragi Kohei seemed somewhat moved.

"No, I can understand your feelings, but I don't think the school will reveal anything to us. If they could tell us the key rules, then the competition itself would lose its meaning," Katsuragi Kohei said in a deep voice.

The school did not deliberately hide anything from the first-year students; everything was displayed openly, with an air of "if you're interested, think a little more."

It felt as if the school had planted a mountain full of apple trees and introduced everything here to the freshmen, yet they remained blind to the apple trees right in front of them, which felt strange.

Although he and Sakayanagi Arisu had arrived at the same conclusion, their thoughts were different.

They both knew what the so-called key rules were—that is, how the school would evaluate the classes and students to control the increase or decrease of class points.

In other words, Sakayanagi Arisu wanted to know the test questions in advance, while Katsuragi Kohei did not believe the school would sell the questions to the students.

Therefore, the school allowed them to see the apple trees, but would not take the initiative to introduce them.

"Hehe, how will you know if you don't try?" Sakayanagi Arisu said. "Calculating the time, Mashima-sensei should be arriving at the classroom soon."

As she finished speaking, footsteps echoed from outside the classroom, and then the figure of Mashima Tomoya appeared at the door.

Just as he walked into the classroom, Mashima Tomoya suddenly felt that something was wrong.

It seemed as if everyone was looking at him with a complex and expectant gaze.

"Mashima-sensei, may I ask how many points it would take to obtain the rules of this school?" Sakayanagi Arisu asked first.

Immediately after, Katsuragi Kohei added, "Regarding the increase and decrease of class points, what form will the upcoming evaluations take, and how can we avoid expulsion? Can you tell us these things?"

A flash of surprise crossed the eyes of Mashima Tomoya, though compared to the speed of previous Class A cohorts, this year's students were quite fast.

"I apologize, but I cannot comment," he said calmly. "The school has established thousands of specific rules regarding the use of private points, among which is a strict prohibition against teachers selling information on exam rules."

As soon as these words were spoken, many students felt deeply disappointed.

Immediately, however, Mashima Tomoya changed their perspective.

"However, as an individual, I can sell you a bit of common sense—the common sense required to survive in this school."

Having said that, Mashima Tomoya glanced at the security camera in the corner.

Chapter 18: The Duality of Class A

"Having been here for a week, I believe you should have gained some understanding of this school," Mashima Tomoya said. "As long as it does not violate school rules and satisfies the principle of mutual consent, private points can purchase almost anything. That is the first point I wish to add."

Mashima Tomoya's gaze swept over their expressions, lingering for a moment on Katsuragi Kohei and Sakayanagi Arisu.

"Therefore, my price is 500,000 private points, and I offer no guarantee that it will be worth the cost. Can you accept that?"

The school would not allow teachers to reveal too much; most information could only be touched upon lightly.

This was also to ensure fairness between classes; after all, if a teacher from one class were to act out of favoritism and say even a little bit more, it could put their class far ahead of the others.

Katsuragi Kohei was quite surprised, as the price was actually very low. When split among everyone, it came out to just over 10,000 points each, and he couldn't help but feel tempted.

However, before he could speak, Sakayanagi Arisu smiled slightly: "Please let me pay for it. After all, I was the one who suggested it first."

Katsuragi Kohei was stunned. She had 500,000 private points all by herself?

When exactly did that happen?

"You're kidding, right? Everyone started with 100,000 private points, so how could you possibly have 500,000?" Totsuka Yahiko was equally disbelieving that she could have that kind of balance.

"Hehe, it was just a coincidence." Sakayanagi Arisu, who had difficulty moving, handed her phone to Hashimoto Masayoshi, asking him to bring it to Mashima Tomoya.

Mashima Tomoya took a look and said expressionlessly: "Very well, the transaction is complete."

"No way, this girl actually has 500,000 private points?!" Totsuka Yahiko couldn't help but shout.

His question was the same one on everyone else's mind in the class.

"You have the school forum on your phones; just open it and see for yourselves," Hashimoto Masayoshi said, feeling quite speechless.

Immediately after, most of them saw the bounty post Sakayanagi Arisu had put up on the forum, a move that could only be described as peerless.

Now there was nothing left to say, and the way everyone looked at Sakayanagi Arisu became even more filled with admiration.

Katsuragi Kohei managed to maintain a calm exterior, but Totsuka Yahiko was still muttering something under his breath.

"Quiet down. I will not repeat what I am about to say a second time," Mashima Tomoya said. "First, as members of Class A, you undoubtedly possess the highest evaluation, but that is as far as it goes. This school believes in meritocracy; corresponding ability corresponds to a corresponding evaluation."

"Over the next three years, you will face countless challenges. I cannot speak to the specifics, but they will be more unique than the exams you are accustomed to."

"Those without the corresponding ability will usually just become sacrifices—that is to say, they will be expelled. To avoid expulsion, you must either work hard to improve your own abilities or contribute to the class."

"Looking at you all, you should know what Class A signifies, so I won't elaborate on that. There are many ways to obtain private points, whether through club activities or personal transactions, but class points cannot be traded."

"As for the increase or decrease of class points, I believe you are well aware of that. Just like exam scores, they will ultimately depend on you, not the school."

There was nothing particularly out of line in this content; after the explanations from Sakayanagi Arisu and Suzuki Toru, one could have guessed as much with a little thought.

Mashima Tomoya was essentially confirming their theories, indicating that what they had previously guessed was basically correct, so they could rest assured.

That was why he had set the price at 500,000 private points.

Finally, Mashima Tomoya looked around the room and said slowly: "As a personal piece of advice, it is best if no one acts as a lone wolf. The power of cooperation is far greater than you imagine."

Mashima Tomoya had guessed it; he keenly sensed that there were two people in the class suitable to be class leaders.

How could a single class have two leaders?

Perhaps the first exam for Class A would be learning how to cooperate.

However, from beginning to end, Sakayanagi Arisu maintained her smile. This was the effect she wanted.

If nothing went wrong, everyone's evaluation of her was currently rising, while their evaluation of Katsuragi Kohei would drop sharply.

After today, she would firmly hold the upper hand over Katsuragi Kohei.

Well, she wouldn't crush him immediately.

Because she still wanted to keep playing; before the main course was served, one always had to have some appetizers.

Katsuragi Kohei said in a deep voice: "May I ask, Mashima-sensei, are we already in the middle of an exam?"

Currently, the class points for all four classes were identical, so it was clearly impossible to distinguish the specific class rankings.

Unless, of course, the results would be clear by next month.