Selling Rules

I returned to my seat.

"Kitagawa-kun, you're amazing. You've already discovered so much just after school started."

A soft, feminine voice came from the side, carrying undisguised admiration.

"It's thanks to Ichinose's rice ball. Otherwise, I wouldn't have had the energy to talk."

Upon hearing this, a faint blush appeared on Ichinose Honami's fair cheeks. She hurriedly waved her hands, "No, it's not like that! I just happened to have an extra one."

"Thanks to Kitagawa-kun, I feel like I finally have a sense of direction," a girl sitting in the front row couldn't help but chime in. Her name was Onodera, and she had been quite quiet during the first few days of school.

"Yeah, it's a good thing Kitagawa-kun warned us earlier, or I would have spent a lot of points on figures," another boy nearby added, scratching his head.

As expected, Class B had its share of geeks who couldn't resist figures.

Kitagawa Kai just shook his head slightly, "I just noticed a few details. More importantly, it's because everyone was willing to trust me and act together."

"Riiing—"

"Alright, class is starting now."

The teacher's clear, sweet voice rang out from the podium right on cue.

The class officially began.

Hoshinomiya Chie watched as her students, already well-behaved, became even more self-aware and focused now that they understood the rules.

Perhaps in the first month, the remaining points really could exceed those of Class A.

This thought surfaced again, and this time, even she felt a strange, incredible thrill.

Her gaze swept once more over those two quiet figures in the back of the classroom.

One had nearly grasped all the rules right at the start of the term, quickly turning a sense of crisis into a collective action plan, hoarding points, and selling information.

The other possessed perfect leadership... no, perhaps it would be more accurate to say, a powerful centripetal force.

This ought to be creating history for Advanced Nurturing.

During the lunch break, Ichinose Honami took a deep breath, turned to Kitagawa Kai, and said with a serious expression, "Kitagawa-kun, we need to decide who from Class A would be the best person to talk to."

"Regarding the candidate," Kanzaki Ryūji walked over with a notebook, which seemed to have some key points already jotted down, "The core leadership of Class A is either Katsuragi Kohei or Sakayanagi Arisu."

"Katsuragi has a steady and pragmatic style, while Sakayanagi has a physical disability but a sharper mind."

"Prioritize approaching Katsuragi Kohei; we'll go directly to the entrance of the Class A classroom," Kitagawa Kai said with almost no hesitation.

Familiar with the original story, he knew that Sakayanagi did not care about the students of Class A and would likely be unwilling to trade.

"Understood." Kanzaki nodded and closed his notebook.

"Alright!" Ichinose also stood up immediately, quickly smoothed out her school skirt, and looked at her two companions, "Then let's head out."

The hallways during lunch break were livelier than during the breaks between classes; students walked in small groups toward the cafeteria or gathered by the windows to chat.

The area for Class A was located on a relatively quiet side of the school building. As they approached, they could clearly feel a subtle difference in the atmosphere.

The voices of students talking in the hallway were generally lower, and their demeanor appeared more composed.

The door to the Class A classroom was closed, but through the windows, one could see many students inside—some studying, others whispering in discussion.

"Should we just knock?" Ichinose asked in a low voice.

"Wait a moment," Kanzaki signaled her to look toward the other end of the hallway.

A tall, serious-looking bald man was walking toward the classroom while talking in a low voice with another student; it was Katsuragi Kohei.

The timing was perfect.

Ichinose took a deep breath, her usual smile appearing on her face, and she took the initiative to walk up to him.

"Katsuragi-kun, sorry to bother you."

Katsuragi Kohei stopped his steps, turned his gaze toward Ichinose, and then noticed Kitagawa Kai and Kanzaki behind her.

He lingered on Kitagawa Kai's face for an extra moment.

He just nodded slightly, "Ichinose-san from Class B, as well as Kitagawa-kun and Kanzaki-kun. Is there something you need?"

"Regarding the hidden rules of the school, we were hoping to talk to you, Katsuragi-kun," Ichinose Honami took the lead in the conversation.

Hidden rules?

The term made Katsuragi Kohei's eyes sharpen instantly.

"Perhaps Katsuragi-kun could take a look at this first," Kitagawa Kai stepped forward and produced the standard contract he had prepared in advance.

Katsuragi took the paper and unfolded it, and Totsuka Yahiko leaned in to take a look as well.

It was two copies of the standard "Contract" used within the Advanced Nurturing High School, with clear clauses and rigorous formatting.

Party A is Class 1-A, hereinafter referred to as Party A.

Party B is Class 1-B, hereinafter referred to as Party B.

Party A shall provide one million private points to purchase the information provided by Party B.

Party B shall provide information verified by a witness to be worth no less than one million private points to Party A.

Party A:

Party B:

Witness:

The document also includes a confidentiality and non-disclosure agreement for Party A.

Katsuragi's gaze swept quickly over the Contract, his expression growing increasingly stern.

Class B being this well-prepared meant that this was not a spur-of-the-moment decision, but a premeditated move.

"One million points?!"

That was equivalent to every student in Class A paying twenty-five thousand points!

"One million points..." Katsuragi looked up, his eyes piercing straight at Kitagawa Kai. "Kitagawa-kun, how can you guarantee that the value of this information is truly no less than one million points? And who exactly is this witness mentioned in the contract?"

"The witness could be your class teacher, Mashima Tomoya."

"Mashima-sensei..." Katsuragi repeated the name. Having their own homeroom teacher act as a witness provided an extra layer of security for Class A.

"Yes," Kitagawa Kai nodded, his tone calm and composed.

Katsuragi's tone grew heavier. "One million is no small sum. I must discuss this contract with the other members of my class."

"Of course. Such a significant decision ought to be made with caution."

"I will do so as soon as possible." Katsuragi replied in a low voice, then turned and pushed open the door with Yahiko to return to their classroom.

Ichinose Honami let out a soft sigh and lowered her voice to speak to Kitagawa Kai. "Suggesting Mashima-sensei as the witness—Kitagawa-kun, isn't that too risky? What if Mashima-sensei decides our information isn't worth that price...?"

"It is precisely because it is Mashima-sensei that he will judge based strictly on value, rather than showing bias toward any particular class," Kitagawa Kai explained.

The teachers of the four classes in the original work.

Mashima Tomoya was the most normal of them all; he was dedicated, fair, impartial, and didn't play any underhanded tricks.

Sakagami Kazuma of Class C prioritized the interests of his class and allowed Ryuen Kakeru to use violence, but he could still be considered within the scope of a normal person.

As for the other two, they were each more outrageous than the last.

Hoshinomiya Chie appeared sweet and cute on the surface, but in reality, her private life was a mess, and she didn't care about her class at all, only wanting to suppress Chabashira Sae.

Chabashira Sae possessed a desperate inner desire to lead her class to Class A to prove her own worth, yet she had completely given up from the start of the school year and held no sense of responsibility toward her class.

Kanzaki Ryūji looked pensive. "More importantly, it seems Class A has two leaders right now."

Kitagawa Kai nodded, his gaze once again fixed on the tightly shut door of the Class A classroom.