Koenji's Terms

Kushida's situation couldn't be put off any longer, so Mu Tianchen planned to get started today.

Over the past few days, he'd noticed that Beauty Bro was always nowhere to be found after school. He often slept in class, too, so it was hard to find a chance to approach him.

During breaks, though, he liked to sit at his desk, gaze into a mirror, and fuss with his hair. That was a relatively good opportunity for Mu Tianchen.

How to put it? Beauty Bro seemed to be slacking off on the surface, but Mu Tianchen had always felt there was more to him than met the eye. He might even surpass the White Room's greatest masterpiece in certain respects.

The reason was probably his self-introduction, along with his outward appearance of being uninterested in everything.

Beauty Bro had mentioned that he was the future heir to the Koenji Conglomerate. Mu Tianchen didn't know much about the conglomerate or how large it was.

But judging by how many upperclassmen had been getting close to him when Mu Tianchen happened to run into him on the way, it certainly couldn't be small.

Mu Tianchen didn't believe that heirs to a conglomerate were chosen based solely on blood ties. The bigger the conglomerate, the more complicated its internal relationships tended to be.

To be chosen as heir at such a young age, he had to have some extraordinary ability!

As for why he'd come to this school, Mu Tianchen wasn't sure. It could have been a whim of his own, or perhaps his family had forced him to come. Either was possible.

After getting a basic grasp of the key points the teacher had covered, Mu Tianchen also put his head down on the desk and slept until the bell rang.

He slowly raised his head and looked around. Just as he'd expected, Beauty Bro was sitting at his desk, gazing into his mirror again.

Sometimes Mu Tianchen couldn't understand why he was so narcissistic that it had practically become a habit.

In that respect, Mu Tianchen had to admire him.

Perhaps that was one possible reason he'd been placed in Class D.

Never mind. Mu Tianchen cast those thoughts aside, walked over, and said:

"Um... Beauty... I mean, Takagahara, we are desk mates, after all. Could you give me your contact information?"

I shouldn't have given him that nickname right off the bat. I almost let it slip again. Mu Tianchen reflected briefly on his mistake.

Takagodera continued looking at his reflection without turning around and calmly said:

"Kushida sent you over, didn't she? That blonde girl sure is persistent."

He'd seen through him right away? He really was no simple character. Fortunately, Mu Tianchen could keep using Kushida as an excuse.

"Um... yeah. Why won't you give it to her? She asked me to, so I couldn't exactly refuse."

Takagahara calmly replied, "That blonde girl isn't beautiful at all. I don't like beings with ugly hearts."

He'd even seen through Kushida's act. He was quite clever.

But was he just too confident, or what? He'd said it right out loud. Fortunately, there weren't many people paying attention in the classroom, and Kushida wasn't there at the moment.

If Kushida found out, she'd probably retaliate. Though he didn't care, and wasn't afraid of retaliation anyway.

"So what would I have to do for you to give it to me? If I go back empty-handed, I won't know what to tell Kushida," Mu Tianchen continued.

At that, Takagodera seemed to take an interest. He lowered his mirror, turned around, and stared at Mu Tianchen.

Takagahara's gaze was sharp, as though it could see through everything.

After a moment, he finally spoke:

"I'm very interested in you, Boy. I can give you my contact information, but you do understand that there's no such thing as a free lunch, don't you?"

Mu Tianchen nodded. Beauty Bro's words had piqued his curiosity, too.

He'd expected Beauty Bro to be more likely to refuse than to agree. Now he wanted to know what the conditions were.

Takagahara continued, "The condition is simple. You only need to prove that you have at least one million points on your phone. You have a week. And of course, you only need to prove it. I won't ask you for anything."

It was obvious that Beauty Bro was testing him. Mu Tianchen understood that.

"I'd like to know why."

"Why? Well, of course it's because I like beautiful things. If you can prove this, then you'll be very beautiful in my eyes." Takagahara laughed.

His classmates seemed used to Takagahara's whims and didn't look over. They were all busy with their own things.

Still, Mu Tianchen sensed someone glance his way. It was brief, but he caught it. The gaze came from Ayanokouji's side. That wasn't surprising, coming from him.

"I can agree to that. But aren't you worried I'll borrow points? I could borrow enough to make a million, prove it to you, then pay it all back."

"I never said you couldn't use any method you liked. If you can borrow a million points, that proves your ability, too."

"Fine. I'll take you up on it, then. You'd better keep your word."

"Of course. Lying wouldn't be beautiful." With that, Takagahara turned back around, picked up his little mirror, and resumed admiring himself.

The reason Mu Tianchen had agreed was that, given Takagahara's personality, even if he found out, he wouldn't go around telling people. To him, this was probably just a form of entertainment.

Still, it was clear that he understood the importance of points. Perhaps he saw Mu Tianchen as a potential backup, and wanted to see early on whether he could gather points.

This was also a hint from Takagahara: if Mu Tianchen ever needed his help in the future and offered points in exchange, he would definitely agree.

But on closer thought, Mu Tianchen noticed a loophole in the condition: Kushida.

Kushida always presented herself to others as the popular "little angel." If she borrowed points, getting a million would be no problem, let alone ten million.

Mu Tianchen didn't believe Beauty Bro had overlooked this. He might have done it on purpose.

All that mattered to him was the result, not the process. Whether it was Kushida or Mu Tianchen, all he saw was the person who could gather that many points.

If Mu Tianchen asked Kushida for help, she'd probably figure out Takagodera's purpose with a little thought.

If Kushida used points to team up with Takagodera in the future, they'd be a very difficult pair to deal with.

So Mu Tianchen couldn't ask Kushida for help. He'd have to prove himself to Takagahara on his own.

Thinking of this, Mu Tianchen opened his phone and checked his points again:

365,000 points

With this many points already, gathering a million wouldn't be difficult for him.

Besides, he'd already been thinking about earning points before this. He'd planned to do it after dealing with the current matter.

But now, it seemed he could get started early.