Chapter 26

"Don't look so gloomy. It'll do you good to act like you're close to me in front of them."

"You're getting a bargain and still complaining. But suit yourself."

"Come with me to Class D later."

"Got it."

Himeno Yuki didn't ask why. It wasn't as if Yuan Yuyuan would sell her out. After class, Ichinose saw them get up and leave the classroom together. A trace of confusion crossed her face, but she didn't say anything. The two walked in silence until they reached the open door of Class D. Yuan Yuyuan knocked, then strode up to the podium like he knew the way by heart.

"Minna-san, long time no see! I'm back to save your pitifully low Class Points."

The students of Class D didn't mind Yuan Yuyuan's sarcasm. After all, both Class B and Class D knew what had happened during the first month, yet Class D had ended up with less than half the points of Class B. Seeing Yuan Yuyuan back in their classroom, they knew there was a good chance he had a solution for this exam.

"Wow, you're all so cold. I came here brimming with enthusiasm to help you through a tough time, you know. But I'll skip the small talk. I've got the midterm exam answers. Do you want them or not?"

"Really? Did you steal them? Won't the school punish us if they find out?"

Watching Class D erupt in excitement, Yuan Yuyuan couldn't help finding it amusing. Fortunately, even though Ayanokoji had been asked by Chabashira to step in, he didn't seem inclined to do so. Otherwise, Yuan Yuyuan really wouldn't have been able to sell answers he'd gotten so easily.

"The source is absolutely reliable. I'm not about to gamble with my position as vice president. If I got punished, I'd lose both the money and the girl, wouldn't I? So you can all rest easy. But of course, I'm not giving them away for free."

The others started hesitating as soon as they heard there was a price. That was exactly what Yuan Yuyuan expected of Class D, worthy of the distinction of knowing the rules and still coming in last! Only Horikita Suzune was willing to speak up at a time like this. "Name your price. How much this time?"

"Suzune, you're the sensible one. Two thousand per person each month, or eight hundred thousand in one lump sum. I'll leave it up to you to decide."

Seeing the huge difference between the two figures, the students of Class D were naturally more inclined to pay in installments. But Horikita Suzune saw through Yuan Yuyuan's wordplay. She'd saved up plenty of points by living frugally during the first month, and she wasn't about to let herself get taken for a ride. "You haven't even figured that out? Two thousand per person each month comes to eighty thousand. He'll make his money back in less than a year, then keep raking in our points for free for the remaining two years."

"Suzune, that's a bit out of touch. I know you've got plenty of points, but you should consider everyone else, too. We already have to pay twenty-five thousand each month, and we end up with less than twenty thousand. How are we supposed to scrape together eight hundred thousand all at once? By contrast, you only have to save two thousand a month to get the points for the midterm exam. You'll still come out eight thousand ahead each month. What a deal! Just click the little yellow shopping cart in the bottom left and we'll deliver it straight to your door, shipping included."

As he lured the Class D students, Yuan Yuyuan didn't forget to set a trap for Horikita Suzune. He deliberately let slip that she had plenty of points and didn't care about others. If Kushida jumped in to undermine Horikita again, he'd be able to confirm once and for all what Kushida was really like. If he'd misjudged her, he'd have to settle for egging the others on to borrow money from Horikita instead: if you wouldn't lend them money, you weren't one of Class D! He believed that, given the nature of Class D, everyone would blame Horikita if she refused. But doing that would expose the front he'd been putting up around Horikita, so it was only a backup plan.

Fortunately, Kushida Kikyo didn't disappoint Yuan Yuyuan. She looked at him enviously. "Huh? Yuan, you knew Horikita had lots of points? You two must be really close. Even the rest of us didn't know."

"Ah? Well... I was just guessing. Suzune seems like the kind of woman who's good at managing a household."

Kushida Kikyo didn't say anything more. The others, whether out of pride or because they weren't close to Horikita Suzune, didn't ask her for a loan, but they still felt a little resentful. As long as Kushida seized on that, Yuan Yuyuan could relax. But he put on an impatient expression and said, "Have you decided yet? I don't have time to fool around."

Since Horikita Suzune had no intention of covering the cost, and Class D was genuinely short on points, everyone ultimately decided to pay in installments. Hirata began collecting the others' signatures. When it was Koenji's turn, he lowered the mirror he'd been holding and refused to sign.

"What a pity, Hirata boy. I never said I needed the answers. Cheating is simply too unbeautiful."

"I know Koenji's grades are excellent, but Horikita agreed, too. If we don't do this, the students who aren't doing well enough to pass are in danger. Look..."

"That may be true, but I was never taught that the strong had to pity the weak. Anyone who can't even pass the midterm exam would be better off dropping out sooner rather than later. If they left, I might at least consider this class a little less ugly."

Seeing Koenji refuse the deal, the hot-tempered Sudo couldn't sit still. He didn't care that Koenji came from a financial conglomerate. These answers were the only chance he'd ever get.

"Koenji, what's that supposed to mean? Someone like you, who looks down on everyone just because he gets good grades, should be the one to drop out!"

"Hahahahahaha! Redhair boy, I doubt your Japanese score is good enough to pass either. What I mean, of course, is that someone as ugly as you, who needs other people's pity just to scrape by, should be ashamed."

Seeing the two suddenly start arguing, Hirata, ever the good guy, tried to calm them down. "Please, you two, don't argue. How about I cover Koenji's share?"

Someone else immediately complained. If they were going to be poor, they should all be poor together. How could one person secretly get richer?

"What? Why doesn't Koenji have to pay? Then why don't you cover ours, too, Hirata?"

Yuan Yuyuan recognized the two as students who'd joined Horikita Suzune's study group with Sudo. Himeno Yuki leaned in and told him their names were Yamauchi and Ike, and that they were close to Sudo. Maybe birds of a feather really did flock together. They had absolutely no shame. Koenji might not be a good person, but he really didn't need the answers. People like these shouldn't be dragging him into it. Yuan Yuyuan had truly run out of patience. "Enough. I didn't come here to watch a monkey show. Transfer the points to me within one minute, or the deal's off. Just so you know, if anyone drops out, we'll lose three hundred Class Points. And our previous debt will keep accumulating. In other words, whenever you get any points from now on, the school will transfer all of them to me."

Yamauchi and Ike immediately quieted down. A minute wasn't nearly enough time to keep arguing, but they couldn't afford the consequences, either. They had no choice but to stop pestering Hirata. Once Hirata was free, he didn't blame the two. Instead, he turned to Yuan Yuyuan and apologized. "I'm really sorry about that, Yuan. Here, we've all signed."

"It's fine. It's not your fault you got stuck in the same class as trash like them."

After getting the contract bearing the signatures of Class D, Yuan Yuyuan didn't spare another glance at Ike and Yamauchi, who were furious but didn't dare say a word. He swaggered back to Class B with Himeno Yuki.

First Semester: Chapter 26 — Chapter Twenty-Five: Some People Like You Better Half-Dead

The two arrived just as the bell was about to ring. After class began, Yuan Yuyuan turned to whisper with Himeno Yuki. The first month was already over, and the school turned a blind eye to this sort of thing.

"What do you think?"

"Are you testing me? I don't think something's right about Class D. Aside from a few idiots, ..."