In a normal school, Kamuro Masumi would at most have been running errands for Tanaka Yukishin.
But at Advanced Nurturing High School, now that the rivalry had been made clear,
her value was that of a peerless weapon.
Each time a Special Exam was won, Class A lost at least a hundred Class Points.
Changes in Class Points also affected the number of Personal Points issued each month and the class rankings.
Ten million was already a heavily discounted reward.
"You're right, but that's Kamuro's value while she's still hidden in the shadows."
Sakayanagi Arisu spoke calmly.
Kamuro Masumi's value changed depending on the circumstances.
Now that she had gone from working in the open to operating in secret, it was no longer possible for her to have much of an impact on Class A.
"So what, then? What should Class A do about her?"
"Take her back? Leave her alone? Assign people to keep an eye on her? Or expel her and be done with it?"
Tanaka Yukishin straightened up. His voice was steady and powerful, and every word seemed to strike at Sakayanagi Arisu's heart.
It was true. Now that she had gone from working in the open to operating in secret, she could no longer function as a hidden asset.
But her identity was still that of a Class A student.
Simply leaving her alone would cause tremendous damage just through her very presence.
A hidden threat revealed was still an enormous danger.
A flicker of uncertainty crossed Sakayanagi Arisu's eyes, but after a brief moment of panic, she quickly regained her composure.
She sat up straight, folded her arms across her chest, and curled her lips into a confident smile. "You're right. Let's make a deal. I'll pay in installments over three years."
Though she agreed readily, a trace of cunning flashed in her eyes.
She was thinking of finding an opportunity to get Tanaka Yukishin expelled, so that once he was gone, the debt would disappear with him.
"I won't accept installments. Pay the ten million now."
"Tanaka Yukishin!"
Sakayanagi Arisu's expression instantly darkened. Her beautiful eyes widened slightly as she gripped her cane tightly.
"Ten million isn't that much."
Tanaka Yukishin explained in an even, unhurried tone, his gaze calm and composed throughout.
This school had four classes per year, with forty students in each class, for a total of 160 students.
Across all three years, there were 480 students.
Including the teaching staff, school administrators, and all the people needed to maintain the school's various academic, residential, and commercial facilities,
the total number should be somewhere between 1,600 and 2,000.
Even if you scattered ten million among them, it wouldn't make a ripple.
Sakayanagi Arisu took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.
She folded her arms across her chest, suspicion and disdain showing in her eyes.
"I won't deny that after the Sender incident, I looked into this school. I've also found a few ways to earn points. But some require capital, and others take time. I don't believe any new student could earn ten million points in these three days."
In other words, she thought Tanaka Yukishin was deliberately making things difficult for her.
"Then what would you do if I found someone who could prove you wrong?"
Tanaka Yukishin's lips curled slightly into a challenging smile, confidence filling his eyes.
"Impossible. Absolutely impossible."
Sakayanagi Arisu planted both hands on the table, her voice as firm as steel.
Then, as if she remembered something, she added, "Assuming we started on equal footing and followed the rules, without using our families' influence to make exchanges. I don't believe anyone could do it."
Tanaka Yukishin looked straight at Sakayanagi Arisu, his eyes carrying an inscrutable meaning.
Did she mistake him for someone with powerful backing who was cheating?
In a sense, a cheat like his was an advantage too.
But from her perspective, there was no way she could know that.
At that thought, Tanaka Yukishin suddenly remembered something.
If he really considered his connections, he did have powerful backing.
After all, the Child of Destiny had brought him many chance encounters and romantic opportunities over the years.
If he had to call anyone his backing, the unknown number of childhood-friend heiresses in his life would just about qualify.
"Then, want to make a bet?"
"How do you want to bet?"
A trace of hesitation flashed in Sakayanagi Arisu's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by resolve. She stared intently at Tanaka Yukishin, waiting for his answer.
"We'll bet on whether I think such a person exists and you think they don't."
Tanaka Yukishin slipped his hands into his pockets, his tone light and confident.
"What are the stakes?"
Sakayanagi Arisu folded her arms across her chest, frowning slightly, caution clear in her eyes.
"I don't mind. You can ask for whatever you want. The stakes just have to be equal."
Tanaka Yukishin shrugged, looking completely unconcerned.
Sakayanagi Arisu stared hard at Tanaka Yukishin, as if she could see right through him.
She studied every tiny change in his expression and every movement, trying to find a flaw and figure out what he was thinking.
But she found nothing. Tanaka Yukishin seemed genuinely certain he wouldn't lose, and there was nothing but ease and confidence about him.
Confusion and inner conflict filled Sakayanagi Arisu's eyes as she struggled with the decision.
At last, she gritted her teeth. A resolute look flashed across her face as she said sharply, "If I win, I want Kamuro."
"And if you lose?"
Tanaka Yukishin's lips curved into a teasing smile, anticipation filling his eyes.
"I..."
Sakayanagi Arisu was at a loss for words. For a moment, she couldn't think of suitable stakes.
Her expression turned ugly, revealing her panic and helplessness.
In terms of points, Tanaka Yukishin had asked for ten million, but she didn't have that much.
She could only use her father's connections to trade money with someone else, but that would violate the rules she had set at the start.
"I don't want Kamuro anymore. I'll settle for this: apart from having her run errands, you're forbidden from making her do anything else."
Sakayanagi Arisu hesitated for a moment, then gritted her teeth and said it.
"That's completely unequal. I can't keep an eye on her every second. If she doesn't help me, how is that any different from losing her to you?"
Tanaka Yukishin folded his arms across his chest and shook his head, a hint of displeasure in his eyes.
"Then tell me, what do you want?"
Unable to figure out what Tanaka Yukishin wanted, Sakayanagi Arisu chose to leave the decision to him.
She wasn't worried he would make an outrageous demand.
The bet would only stand if both parties agreed that the stakes were equal.
"Then let's make a video."
Chapter 37: How Tanaka Yukishin Got Ten Million
Tanaka Yukishin called over a server and asked for paper and a pen.
He began writing quickly.
While he wrote, Sakayanagi Arisu had time to settle her emotions and regain her composure.
Her mind began racing.
She realized she had been too impulsive.
Why did she have to make a bet?
All four classes were sticking to the same course of action.
Before any clashes occurred,
she still had nearly a month to plan.
There was no reason to rush.
When Tanaka Yukishin finished writing, he held the paper down with his right hand.
With a push of his wrist, he turned the sheet around 180 degrees and slid it in front of Sakayanagi Arisu.
"Pick whichever passage you like and read it with feeling. I won't use it for anything else. I just want it to embarrass you."
Sakayanagi Arisu took the paper from Tanaka Yukishin and studied it closely.
The word "video" caught Kamuro Masumi's attention, and she instinctively stepped closer.
Hearing the movement behind her, Sakayanagi Arisu said nothing.
She simply raised the paper in her hand a little higher so Kamuro Masumi could see it more clearly.
As the two women read, their expressions grew more and more animated.
"So this is Tanaka's kind of thing?"
Sakayanagi Arisu's tone was peculiar. She felt as if she'd been exposed to something unsavory.
But now that she had calmed down, she didn't react too strongly.
Kamuro Masumi folded her arms across her chest and delivered the classic line.
"Do you also want me to look at you with disgust, like you're trash, then lift my skirt and show you my panties?"
"Haha, you really know your stuff, Masumi. And with that Wan-Yin Series I mentioned last time, you've clearly been exposed to a lot of things girls aren't supposed to know about."
Tanaka Yukishin burst out laughing.
She was a girl, yet she knew things that only boys were supposed to know.
Kamuro Masumi was probably secretly a little pervert.
Sakayanagi Arisu ignored the two of them and considered whether to go through with the bet.
Reason told her that Tanaka Yukishin wouldn't propose a bet with such uneven odds unless
he was absolutely certain he could win.
Given that, she shouldn't continue.
If she backed out, she wouldn't lose anything.
But when her emotions had been thrown off balance, he'd talked her into a corner.
Backing out now would be embarrassing.
Besides, she truly didn't believe anyone could do it.
After thinking it over, she lowered her head and looked once more at the three passages on the paper.
"I like Yukishin-kun best. I want to give everything to him, become his woman, become his possession. I'll listen to him and obey his will. I'll serve him with all my heart and please him."
"Yukishin-kun orders me to kneel and admit that this body has value only when he uses it. At this moment, I'm nothing but a gift box waiting to be unwrapped; every joint should tremble to please its master. Ah... Please trample on my name with the most vulgar words. A doll whose breathing is controlled by you doesn't deserve to have any dignity."
"How pitiful, Sakayanagi Arisu. In Yukishin-kun's eyes, your self-proclaimed clever schemes are nothing but a child's block game. He watches your proud plans for his after-dinner amusement. Even the way you struggle is laughable. Look closely. This is the purpose of your existence: like a cat whose claws have been clipped, begging its master for a little affection at his feet."
The three passages each targeted a different kind of psychological humiliation: shame, degradation, and contempt.
Before you continue