Miyabi Nagumo pondered for a moment. "Actually, I'm curious why Horikita-senpai agreed to act as his guarantor. By rights, Horikita-senpai wouldn't break the school's rules."
"Maybe Horikita-senpai wants to support an ally as soon as possible." Tonegawa Sosuke hesitated, phrasing his answer carefully because it was common knowledge that Miyabi Nagumo wanted to challenge Horikita Manabu.
It was also common knowledge that Horikita Manabu disliked Miyabi Nagumo.
Horikita Manabu had picked Suzuki Toru from the first-years and made him Vice President, too. The meaning couldn't have been more obvious: he was clearly grooming a successor.
"I don't think it's that simple." Miyabi Nagumo suddenly smiled. "But whatever. If this is all Suzuki's capable of, then Horikita-senpai chose the wrong person."
He admitted that buying Private Points with cash was a good trick, but that was all it was.
"To be safe, let's report this to the school."
No matter what Suzuki Toru had in mind, a single report would be enough to put an end to all of it.
Honestly, Miyabi Nagumo was suddenly feeling a little bored. If Suzuki Toru hadn't stumbled into the situation by accident, he might have already won over Ichinose Honami.
Tsk. It was a shame when he thought about it.
It didn't matter. No matter how highly Horikita Manabu thought of Suzuki Toru, he was still just a clown.
Horikita Manabu was the only opponent he cared about.
The Second Round
Before long, Horikita Manabu sought out Suzuki Toru.
"The school already knows you're trying to exchange for Private Points. Since you haven't made a deal yet, they're only giving you a warning this time."
In the Student Council office, Suzuki Toru sat obediently across from Horikita Manabu. Beside them, Tachibana Akane looked gleeful.
"Are you going to continue?" Horikita Manabu asked.
"Of course. Nagumo probably thinks I'm not very capable now, so I can't let him down." Suzuki Toru took out a few badges and placed them on the table. "This is the second round. Let's get him to take the bait before he catches on."
"What are these?" Tachibana Akane asked curiously, eyeing the small, exquisite-looking badges. She seemed to like them.
They were Boutique Badges, worthless junk he'd drawn a long time ago. Their only effect was to make the wearer want to abstain from sex.
"Do you like them, senpai?" Suzuki Toru winked. "Each badge costs four million Private Points."
Tachibana Akane's eyes widened. Her voice was full of disbelief. "What kind of badge is worth four million Private Points? Are you trying to rob someone?!"
"What if I offered two million Yen to buy the badge back?" Suzuki Toru said with a faint smile.
Tachibana Akane suddenly realized she didn't understand what he was saying. She would spend four million Private Points to buy his badge, and then he would spend two million Yen to buy it back. What did any of that even mean?
"I see," Horikita Manabu said thoughtfully. "That would indeed let you get around the school's rules, but there's no guarantee the school won't intervene again."
The whole process was simple. Suzuki Toru had added an intermediary step to the exchange of Private Points.
Neither party would directly trade Private Points for Yen. Instead, the badge in front of them would serve as the item exchanged, letting them circumvent the school's ban on buying and selling Private Points.
It was like certain games where gambling and prize draws were prohibited by law. They found a clever way around it: the money you paid couldn't be used directly to draw prizes. Instead, you had to buy special in-game items first, and then use those to draw.
The same went for arcade tokens. The authorities and the public both knew what was going on.
The process seemed simple, but it actually reduced the risks quite a bit. Instead of the school immediately stepping in and banning the practice if it caught wind of it, it might hesitate, unsure whether to take action.
Even so, there was still a risk.
After all, the deal was still essentially a trade in Private Points. If the school intervened to stop it, the transaction could very well be disrupted.
Suzuki Toru had, of course, already thought of all that.
"That's why I need the Student Council President's help. You'll handle the sale of the badge, and I'll handle buying back the other party's badge. The parties to each transaction will be different, so I don't think the school will have anything to say."
Horikita Manabu had to take another look at the man before him. You could say he was breaking the rules, but he'd cleverly avoided the restrictions. You could say he wasn't breaking them, but he was, in fact, breaking them.
Even Horikita Manabu was at a loss for words. His opinion of Suzuki Toru rose another notch. He was bold yet meticulous, and especially good at exploiting loopholes in the rules.
Thinking of this, Horikita Manabu sighed silently. If only his foolish younger sister had even half of Suzuki Toru's ability.
"You..." Tachibana Akane stammered, at a loss for words. "Have you always been breaking the law?"
Suzuki Toru's face darkened. He replied irritably, "If I were breaking the law, would I still be sitting here chatting with you?"
Tachibana Akane blushed and hurriedly shook her head. "That's not what I meant. It's just that you seem like the kind of guy who was born to make a living in a gray area!"
Well, if he weren't clever, how would he help his idols make their debuts at their peak?
Back when he was figuring out the publicity and PR, Suzuki Toru had nearly pulled all his hair out. And still, people spread rumors that he'd used a remote to grope his idols backstage.
"I don't think there should be a problem with this approach," Horikita Manabu said after pondering for a moment. "To be honest, I'm not sure what the school's stance will be. But the biggest question is whether you can actually pay the Yen, Suzuki."
If he couldn't pay, it would immediately become fraud.
"Don't worry. I won't try to do anything I can't manage," Suzuki Toru said. "Koenji from Class 1-D is the heir to a conglomerate. I want to talk to him."
The heir to a conglomerate?
Horikita Manabu was taken aback, but then he understood and nodded. "A conglomerate would certainly be able to help you pay the Yen. How will you make sure he agrees to help?"
"He can't directly exchange for Private Points, and if he uses our method, he won't have the credibility to pull it off." Suzuki Toru was growing more familiar with the Student Council President's personality: cautious, meticulous, and serious.
When a large cash transaction was involved, the more complicated the process, the more likely people were to be intimidated by it. They might hesitate midway and give up on the deal.
By contrast, the simpler the process, the more likely people were to act on impulse. They wouldn't even have time to hesitate, which made a successful transaction more likely.
Horikita Manabu thought it over. He decided to trust Suzuki Toru.
"Fine. I'll help you this time."
Seeing this, Suzuki Toru placed two contracts on the table and explained, "One is for the Private Points, and the other is for the Yen. You can look them over first, Student Council President."
Horikita Manabu picked up the contract for the Yen first. Tachibana Akane leaned over curiously to take a look as well.
1. On a strictly voluntary basis, Party A will purchase one badge from Party B. The badge is worth two million Yen;
2. Party A will pay Party B two million Yen in a lump sum upon graduation. Payment will preferably be made by bank transfer;
3. Should any unforeseen circumstances arise, including the school intervening before graduation or either party withdrawing from school, each party will bear their own responsibility, and the contract will be automatically voided;
4. If Party A breaches the contract without cause, they must pay Party B a penalty of three times the corresponding amount, or provide any other compensation of equivalent value designated by Party B;
5. If Party B breaches the contract without cause, they must compensate Party A under the same terms as the previous clause.
6. This contract takes effect as soon as both parties sign it and remains in effect until Party A fulfills their promise.
After reading it, Horikita Manabu fell silent for a moment.
"Hey, hey, why does it say each party bears their own responsibility? That sounds awful!" Tachibana Akane couldn't help complaining. It sounded like everyone would abandon the other when trouble struck.
"There are risks involved in this kind of thing," Suzuki Toru said, staring at his senpai with a baffled look.
Noticing his gaze, Tachibana Akane gave a soft snort, then realized something was off. Why was he looking at her like she was an idiot?
Horikita Manabu looked at the other contract. It was mostly the same, with a few changes—for instance, Party A had to pay four million Private Points within twelve hours.
"Is there anything wrong?" Suzuki Toru asked with a smile.
Horikita Manabu silently pointed to a particular spot in the contract, then asked calmly, "Did you do this on purpose, or was it an accident?"
"If I didn't do it on purpose, how could I set a trap for Nagumo?" Suzuki Toru blinked.
"Are you confident?"
"I'm eighty percent confident. But first, someone has to cooperate with us."
As for who that would be, Suzuki Toru had already found his candidate.
Your Little Trick Is Interesting
When Suzuki Toru saw Koenji Rokusuke, he was chatting with several girls in a café.
"Koenji-kun, say ah~"
One girl deliberately leaned close to Koenji Rokusuke, speared a piece of cake with her fork, and fed it to him with a smile. Koenji Rokusuke acted as if this were only natural, accepting whatever came his way.
"Hey, Koenji-kun, you have to try mine, too!"
"That's not fair! Mine's delicious, too!"
It wasn't just that the girls were eager to outdo one another. They were all wholeheartedly trying to please Koenji Rokusuke.
Was this the kind of leisure that came with being the child of a conglomerate?
Suzuki Toru could also see plenty of boys nearby looking envious, wishing they could take Koenji Rokusuke's place.
But he didn't care.
"Koenji, I'm sorry to interrupt your fun, but your secret is out." Suzuki Toru walked up to Koenji Rokusuke and introduced himself right in front of him. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Suzuki Toru from Class 1-A, and I'm currently the Vice President of the Student Council."
The girls around Koenji Rokusuke froze. What did he mean, his secret was out?
A Student Council member had come to see him in person. Could this have something to do with breaking the school's rules?
At the thought, their expressions changed, and they edged away slightly.
"Tsk. I don't recall doing anything. If it's not important, don't interrupt my enjoyment, Suzuki Boy." Koenji Rokusuke leaned back in the comfortable sofa, not looking the least bit flustered. Instead, he seemed annoyed by Suzuki Toru's interruption.
Suzuki Toru turned to the girls beside him and asked in a very gentle voice, "Would you ladies mind if I borrowed Koenji for a little while?"
Faced with his handsome smile, the girls blushed slightly and got up, gathering their belongings as they left.
Koenji Rokusuke furrowed his brow. He didn't like sitting with another man.
"Relax. I just want to talk." Suzuki Toru ignored his reaction and sat down beside him without hesitation. "You came up with a way to move up a class as soon as school started. Honestly, even I didn't think of that approach at the time."
Koenji Rokusuke spoke calmly. "So that's what this is about. I haven't decided whether I'll use that approach yet."
"It's not a question of whether you want to. You can't do it, can you?" Suzuki Toru corrected him kindly.
Koenji Rokusuke fell silent for a moment. "It's just unnecessary to force it. Whether I'm in Class D or Class A, it makes no difference to me."
As the heir to the Koenji Conglomerate, his starting point was the kind of finish line most people couldn't even imagine reaching in their entire lives. He didn't care about the benefits of Class A.
"Even so, life without Private Points must be a pain, right?" Suzuki Toru continued. "Someone like you would never willingly downgrade your spending. Are you planning to live off women instead?"
At first glance, Suzuki Toru had guessed that Koenji Rokusuke was probably being kept by a group of upperclassmen.
Before you continue