Chapter Thirty-Seven: Maybe It'll Go Up Again

Some boys had already spent over twenty thousand Private Points on a game console. It was hard not to wonder whether they'd be living on scraps by the end of the month.

"Could I ask you something, Kushida?" Horikita Suzune said. "How many Private Points do you have left?"

"Um, I have a little over fifty thousand. I've been spending quite a bit lately. Sorry." Kushida Kikyo blushed slightly. She'd bought several high-end outfits, which had naturally cost her a lot of Private Points.

If even Kushida Kikyo had spent that much, there was no telling how much everyone else had spent.

"It seems I can't count on you people after all." Horikita Suzune sighed deeply. "Since she's willing to accept installments, tell her I agree to her terms. I'll pay her half my Private Points each month until the remaining balance is cleared."

Since she had no idea how many Private Points she'd receive in the coming months, Horikita Suzune didn't dare commit to a fixed amount. She'd have to be flexible.

Kushida Kikyo hurriedly said, "Horikita, you don't have to shoulder so much of this yourself. If you ask everyone, we can still come up with four hundred thousand Private Points. Besides, this is for the good of the class."

"Forget it. I want more than just information about the class." Horikita Suzune's tone was indifferent. Suzuki Toru's words had gotten under her skin.

Class Points or Private Points—whatever would get her into Class A fastest, that was what she wanted.

"Actually, I could help too. If I put in a little effort, everyone would understand." Kushida Kikyo volunteered, a hint of determination in her eyes.

But who could know what she was really thinking?

"This has nothing to do with you. I don't need your help," Horikita Suzune said, rejecting her offer without a moment's hesitation.

Just as Kushida Kikyo inexplicably wanted to be friends with her, Horikita Suzune inexplicably disliked Kushida Kikyo. She disliked her in every sense of the word.

As if she'd sensed what Horikita Suzune was thinking, Kushida Kikyo opened her mouth, then finally nodded helplessly. "If you need me next time, I'll be here."

With that, she lowered her head and started typing on her phone, sending a message to someone.

A little while later, Kushida Kikyo told Horikita Suzune that the other party had agreed to the terms.

They could meet at a café after school and sign a contract while they were there.

The other party was called Kamuro Masumi, a student from Class A.

Horikita Suzune didn't think much of it.

That afternoon.

When she arrived at the café, Horikita Suzune noticed that the other girl seemed to have been waiting for quite some time.

"Here's the information you wanted."

As soon as Horikita Suzune arrived, she tossed a document onto the table, then calmly took a sip of her coffee. Beneath the table, her long legs were trembling slightly.

"How much information is in there?" Horikita Suzune sat opposite her, wanting to pick it up and gauge its weight.

"It's only four hundred thousand Private Points. How much information do you expect?" Kamuro Masumi scoffed, tapping the contract beside the document. "Read through the terms first. If everything looks fine, sign it."

Horikita Suzune examined it carefully. The terms were much the same as what they'd discussed, except for one final deadline.

She had to pay off the remaining balance within six months. Otherwise, she'd be in breach of contract and have to pay a penalty five times the amount—two million Private Points.

Six months...

Horikita Suzune hesitated for a moment, but she remained firm in her decision. Class Points could be converted into Private Points, and even if Class D performed poorly, it wouldn't come away with nothing.

She'd have to pay back a little over sixty thousand Private Points each month. It would be difficult, at least for now, but she was confident she could clear the debt within six months.

"I can sign, but how can I be sure this information is accurate and reliable?" Horikita Suzune wasn't foolish. She'd even thought of that.

"Look at the guarantor listed beside the contract. Mashima-sensei is our homeroom teacher in Class A. He's already reviewed the document and agreed to guarantee it," Kamuro Masumi replied impatiently.

It seemed there were no problems.

With that in mind, Horikita Suzune picked up the pen and signed her name. They made two copies, and she kept one.

"I have things to do. See you next time." Kamuro Masumi picked up the contract, clearly unwilling to stay another moment.

Horikita Suzune began to grow suspicious. Could the other girl be planning to take the money and run?

But once she looked over the document, she quickly put her worries aside. The other girl hadn't lied to her.

After all, Suzuki Toru himself had written the information down. There was no way he'd disappoint Horikita Suzune.

Well, how could he possibly disappoint someone who owed him money?

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Maybe It'll Go Up Again

The following afternoon, Horikita Suzune decided to announce what she'd learned to the whole class.

"Everyone, I have something to say. Please wait a moment."

Just after school, she quickly called out to her classmates, drawing plenty of attention at once.

But some people only glanced at her before going back to packing their bags, ready to leave the classroom.

Seeing that, Horikita Suzune frowned. The girls, in particular, looked surprised and began whispering among themselves.

"Is something up, Horikita?" a boy asked gently.

Judging by his appearance, he was definitely a handsome, outgoing type. Just seeing his smile made people feel at ease, and he was the sort of guy girls liked.

Hirata Yosuke.

He was the most popular boy in class, had been at the very top of the class's social circle from the start, and was the classic warm-hearted, handsome guy.

Compared to the other boys in class, Hirata Yosuke really was the strongest contender.

Horikita Suzune took a deep breath, then said expressionlessly, "What I'm about to say is important. If any idiots insist on leaving, I won't stop you. But if you regret it afterward, don't complain."

Her words were so blunt that Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, standing nearby, was at a loss for words.

Even someone as reserved as him knew at least a little about how to deal with people. Her tone sounded like nothing but mockery.

Sure enough, someone soon shouted in annoyance, "Who cares what you have to say? I've got club activities later. I don't have time to stand around listening to you nag!"

A student who looked like a delinquent picked up his bag and turned to leave the classroom.

Horikita Suzune merely watched him coldly. She wasn't going to meddle.

She wanted to share the information with Class D only because she wanted to gather useful allies. She didn't care about anyone else.

And this delinquent was exactly the sort of person Horikita Suzune had ruled out from the start.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka watched him walk away. He knew the boy's name was Ken Sudō, and that he had a bad temper.

But he was athletic, and he'd recently passed the basketball club's tryouts.

After Ken Sudō left, several boys exchanged glances. They were his friends, and now they weren't sure whether to stay or go.

"Horikita?" Kushida Kikyo looked toward Horikita Suzune with concern. Several other girls stood beside her.

"Anyone else leaving?" Horikita Suzune asked, acting as if Ken Sudō's departure didn't matter. "If not, I'll keep this brief and won't take up too much of your time."

Her gaze swept over the others. Hirata Yosuke and Kushida Kikyo were among the most popular students in class, and there was also the queen of the girls' social circle, Karuizawa Kei.

Of course, there were also a few students with more distinctive personalities.

For example, one student was looking in the mirror as if no one else were there. His name was Koenji Rokusuke, and he was rumored to be the heir to some conglomerate.

Still, Horikita Suzune looked down on most of the people here.

"Starting next month, we won't be getting one hundred thousand Private Points anymore. Your happy days are about to be over."

Horikita Suzune's voice was ice-cold, and the entire class was instantly stunned.

"You're kidding!"

"Don't mess around! Who told you that? Chabashira-sensei hasn't said anything about it!"

"Boring!"

Just as expected, nearly everyone glared at Horikita Suzune with hostility.

It was as if they were ready to start attacking her personally unless she gave them a reasonable explanation.

"Everyone, calm down. Horikita wouldn't say this without having some evidence." Hirata Yosuke hurriedly tried to reassure them, then looked at Horikita Suzune. He was just as confused.

"This school is based on the principle of meritocracy. Each class reflects the school's evaluation of its students, and the standard is something called Class Points. Every class currently has one thousand Class Points. They're directly proportional to Private Points, at a rate of one to one hundred."

As she said this, Horikita Suzune gave a mocking smile.

"That's why the school gave us one hundred thousand Private Points this month. If our Class Points change, our Private Points will change next month too. Do you understand?"

Several people looked shocked, but someone soon caught on.

"Tch, I thought you were going to say something important. So that's all!" Someone grinned at Horikita Suzune. "We still have one thousand Class Points, and they haven't changed. We'll still get one hundred thousand Private Points next month."

That was true. They could check their balances on their phones at any time, and there was no sign of any change.

"You scared me for nothing. That didn't tell us anything."

"Oh, so you mean our Private Points might go up again in the future?"

"Great! I was worried I wouldn't have enough to spend."

Voices of relief gradually filled the classroom. Horikita Suzune couldn't help frowning. Were these people idiots?

She'd explained all that, so why were they assuming their points wouldn't go down? How could they even imagine they'd go up?

At that moment, Horikita Suzune felt utterly despairing about her class.

Thankfully, Hirata Yosuke was following her reasoning.

"Does that mean you've figured out how Class Points increase or decrease?"

Horikita Suzune shook her head. "I only know that we're taking a school exam right now. The results will come out next month, and our Class Points will change according to the results."

That wasn't all. She explained the current situation in greater detail, including the truth about how the classes were assigned and the privilege of graduating from Class A.

"Only outstanding students make it into Class A. The school judged the rest of you to be trash, which is why you ended up in Class D. It's pathetic."