Onizuka didn't give the three people, who had seemed a little desperate just moments ago, another thought after he left.
Since he had already accepted the payment he was owed, he would naturally honor his promise. At least, he did have that much integrity.
No matter how the process went, as long as the result was good, there was no problem.
Their only goal was to pass the exam. They weren't trying to learn anything.
Exams were almost always the same at their core. The textbooks didn't change every year, so naturally, neither did the exam content.
Onizuka found the senior he had previously competed against in the long jump-the one who seemed to be called "Hondo Ei."
He was a student in Class 2-D, tall and slender. Supposedly, many third-year seniors couldn't beat him at the long jump.
At the time, when Onizuka had told him they would compete in the long jump for a wager of ninety thousand points, he'd seemed so happy he could fly.
To scrape together the points for the bet, he'd even borrowed most of them from other people before finally managing to get enough.
But after the competition ended, he had clung to Onizuka's leg for a long time, bawling his eyes out.
He'd said things like, "I was wrong. I'll never do it again. Please give me my points back, junior."
Of course, the instructor who had been supervising them pulled him away. Otherwise, Onizuka might really have had to use some force to get free.
Surely Hondo was longing to see him now, wasn't he?
"Senior Hondo, how have you been?"
A haggard man with disheveled hair and dark circles under his eyes came into Onizuka's view.
"Hmm... I suppose he hasn't been doing too well."
Hearing someone call him, Hondo instinctively covered his ears and shouted,
"Don't drag me away! Give me a little more time. I'll definitely pay you back!"
Tsk, how pitiful. He'd apparently borrowed the points from someone in his year named Miyabi Nagumo. Looks like that guy's a real hard case too.
Realizing it wasn't one of the people who had come looking for him earlier, Hondo turned to look.
In an instant, his eyes filled with blood vessels. He lunged at Onizuka and grabbed him by the collar.
"You bastard! You've made my life miserable, and you've still got the nerve to show your face in front of me again?!"
Onizuka didn't panic at all, despite being grabbed by the collar.
"What are you talking about, senior? That was a fair and friendly competition between us. We just added a little wager."
"You bastard!"
Just as Hondo Ei was about to raise his fist and swing it hard at Onizuka's face-
"Senior, are you sure you really want to hit me?" As he spoke, Onizuka tilted his head slightly to gesture at the security camera nearby.
"I'm sure you know very well what happens if you're caught in a violent incident, don't you?"
Hearing Onizuka say that, Hondo Ei froze for a moment. Then he slowly slumped to the ground, as if all the bones had been pulled from his body.
"Damn you! You demon! How much longer are you going to torment me?!"
Looking at his miserable state, Onizuka didn't feel sorry for him at all.
"Hey, senior, how about I help you out? Want to make a deal with me?"
Hondo Ei slowly raised his head, revealing a disheveled face covered in tears and snot.
"Y-you're going to... help me how?"
Hearing him say that, Onizuka smiled.
"I'm guessing you have past exam papers, right, senior? How about selling them to me?"
At that, Hondo seemed to grab hold of a lifeline.
"Fifty thousand! Just fifty thousand points, and I can get you all the papers!"
Onizuka scoffed, crouched down, and patted his cheek with his palm.
"Senior, looks like you still don't understand the situation. I can get these papers from any upperclassman, and you... I'm guessing no one will lend you any points anymore, right?"
"In other words, I could just ask another senior for the papers. It doesn't have to be you."
Suddenly realizing this, Hondo Ei lowered his head again and said slowly,
"T-two... No... Ten thousand will do. Please, give me ten thousand points. No one else will sell them for less than that. Please..."
As he spoke, he actually started crying.
Tsk, what a pathetic sight. But that was probably the lowest price. This man shouldn't have the nerve to lie anymore.
"Fine. But for those ten thousand points, I want all the exam papers from first year through third year. Do your best not to get expelled, senior."
Hondo Ei raised his head, and a trace of gratitude even showed in his eyes.
"Okay... Thank you."
The two then completed the transfer of the points and all the first-year exam papers under the watchful eye of the security camera.
As for the papers from the other two years, they would be handed over gradually over the next two years.
After completing the deal, Onizuka left without looking back.
Meanwhile, Hondo Ei, who had received ten thousand points, looked so excited, as though he had been saved. Clutching his student card, he knelt on the ground and burst into tears.
Onizuka was also surprised. The way this man felt about him shouldn't have been like this.
His original intention had only been to squeeze the last bit of value out of this senior and get the papers as cheaply as possible.
But he hadn't expected that applying just a little pressure would lead to a result so far beyond his expectations.
He'd heard about the infighting among the second-years before. Most of it came from a student council vice president named Miyabi Nagumo.
Looks like that senior had been under a lot of pressure from him lately!
And in the end, Onizuka had come along and plucked the fruit. How... interesting.