The Deal is Struck

"So, do you still think these things of mine really have no use?"

As An Xiao's words fell, the expression on Ryuen's face faded. He looked at An Xiao, then drained the liquid in the glass on the table in one gulp.

"It seems I underestimated you before."

"Tell me, what exactly do you want?"

"I just want to get some points from you. After all, you know that points are quite useful in this school." An Xiao shrugged, his assessment of the person in front of him shifting slightly.

He had heard that this person from Class C had quickly consolidated his class through violent means, and An Xiao had assumed he was just another red-haired ape.

Although he also sported a head of red hair, it was clear that the person opposite him had more than just brute force; he actually had a brain.

As long as he had a brain, that was enough.

Just as An Xiao was about to relax, Ryuen, who had been fiddling with something, suddenly seemed to recall something. He pulled out his phone, took a look, and then chuckled.

"No wonder you chose to come to me at this time. Did you even calculate this?"

An Xiao raised an eyebrow and smiled noncommittally.

An Xiao naturally understood what Ryuen meant; this was the fundamental reason he had chosen this specific moment to approach Ryuen.

That is, the day before the Student Council was set to hold a hearing to process the incident between Class C and Class D.

If he had traded with Class C too early, since Class C was the complainant, the three individuals from Class C would have had the power to withdraw their complaint voluntarily.

Once the complaint was canceled, the severity of the matter would have dropped from a school-level issue to a class-level one, and the utility of the evidence in An Xiao's hands would have shrunk significantly, making it very, very difficult to obtain a substantial amount of points.

But timing it the day before was different. The Student Council had already completed all the necessary procedures, so withdrawing the complaint at this stage was far from easy, and from every perspective, it would cause significant damage to Class C.

After all, in a sense, this could be considered a waste of school resources.

Under these circumstances, the initiative in the transaction shifted from Ryuen to An Xiao.

"Since that's the case, let's talk about the points." Ryuen, having realized this, didn't dawdle and spoke directly.

"Regarding that..." An Xiao stood up, pulled Kanzaki, who was standing beside him, over, pushed him into his seat, and looked at Ryuen. "Please talk to him; he's better at this."

Just kidding. Although An Xiao could prepare all the prerequisites for the transaction, he really couldn't handle the crucial negotiation itself.

To be precise, he couldn't gauge the right balance.

He had simulated it with Kanzaki a few times before, but not once could he secure a substantial amount of points; instead, he ended up being talked down by Kanzaki until the points he asked for became less and less.

It was easier to just bring Kanzaki along and let him handle the talking.

Watching Kanzaki, who was clearly maintaining the initiative in the back-and-forth dialogue, An Xiao nodded with satisfaction. He sat down next to Honami Ichinose, grabbed some snacks from the table, and while eating, asked her, "Any thoughts?"

"I feel... quite uncomfortable."

"But this school is just like this, and you have to try to adapt." An Xiao said with a helpless sigh. "That's why I brought you here—to see the 'dark' forces in this school."

"Sometimes I think you're too kind, Honami Ichinose. You might get swindled one day."

"Just like this time. If you were the one holding this evidence, what would you do?"

"You'd probably just provide help to Class D instead of coming to Class C, and at most, you'd only ask for a trivial amount of points from them, just as a gesture."

Honami Ichinose pursed her lips and lowered her head.

If it had been her, it really would have ended up exactly as An Xiao described, and she might not have even asked for points in the end.

Looking at Honami Ichinose, who was cowering like a quail, An Xiao laughed indignantly: "You really think that way! At least try to refute me!"

"Sorry..."

"I'm not scolding you." An Xiao sighed and switched to a softer tone. "Kindness is a good thing, but excessive kindness is not a good thing for you."

"Besides, Honami Ichinose, aside from being kind, you aren't very good at judging people. You'll get burned sooner or later."

"Just like this morning, when you said I was a very good and gentle person." An Xiao pointed at himself, then gestured to his surroundings. "But looking at the current situation, I don't seem to have anything to do with being 'good' or 'gentle'."

He was purely playing the role of a villain using evidence to commit extortion, right?

"And Kanzaki too, that makes two black-hearted people..."

"An Xiao, I can hear you," Kanzaki said, walking over helplessly and standing in front of them.

"I'm here to help you, at least try to be a bit more mindful."

"Finished talking?"

"Finished."

Ryuen stood up, threw his jacket over his shoulder, and walked toward the door. His expression was clearly sour. As he passed An Xiao, he said in a chilling tone: "I didn't expect you from Class B to be the ones to win this time."

"I hope you have such good luck next time."

After Ryuen finished speaking, he left without looking back, and the others from Class C quickly followed.

The booth, which had been somewhat crowded, was suddenly left with only the three of them.

"So, how did the final negotiation go?"

"The basic terms are about the same as what we discussed. Once Class C delivers the points, we cannot use these materials to interfere with this incident between Class C and Class D in any way. Violators will pay a huge amount of points; it's all written in the contract."

"As for the points..." Kanzaki took out his phone, operated it, and transferred all the points he had just obtained from Ryuen to An Xiao.

"I suppose even if Class C manages to profit from this incident, it won't be much."

"You really are ruthless... and capable!" An Xiao looked at the 500,000 points transferred to his phone screen, nodded with satisfaction, and then sent 50,000 back to Kanzaki.

"Take this as payment; I can't have you helping me for free."

"...Then I'll shamelessly accept it." Kanzaki smiled with a hint of helplessness.

The three of them said their goodbyes at the shop entrance and left in different directions.

An Xiao stretched lazily as he walked.

"Mm~ this matter can be considered settled, so it has nothing to do with me from here on out."

Looking at the points on his phone nearing 2 million, An Xiao couldn't hide the smile on his lips.

Just then, a text message notification popped up at the top of his screen.

"Hm? From Honami Ichinose? Did she have something else to say?"

[Honami Ichinose: Xiao An, thank you. Also, I feel like my judgment of people is actually quite accurate.]

ps: I feel like this chapter wasn't written very well; the author won't stay up all night playing Civilization VI again.