Buyout

Beihai turned away from his dormitory desk, only to feel a dull ache in the three fingers of his right hand—not just his dominant hand, but the one he used to write out solutions.

Yet, thinking back to the solution he had just produced, "A problem that would take Gauss an entire night to figure out, and I solved it instantly with Gauss's law. No matter how many times I marvel at it, it's never enough. A fresh brain really is something else."

In the past, Beihai never had such treatment. The most direct experience was memorizing poems and ancient songs—unable to commit them to memory for a long stretch, he'd just copy them out, a hundred times, two hundred times, forcing it into a habit before he could finally recite them by heart. The gap was so stark that there was a saying: how could someone be so stupid they can't even handle advanced functions?

So now, Honami Ichinose was Beihai's treasure. No matter what, he had to prioritize her physical and mental health and safety above all else.

Just then, his terminal vibrated in his pants pocket. He pulled it out and saw that things had already been handled smoothly.

Class C had taken a major hit, losing 3 million Class Points, and on top of that, they couldn't cause trouble for Class B for the next month.

After all, the Student Council had just resolved this matter; if they stirred things up again in a few days, wouldn't that be slapping the Student Council in the face?

So Class C would have to rein themselves in. Class B could finally enjoy a stable month.

[I feel like what I did was a bit too much]

Honami Ichinose felt a little wicked herself, and more importantly, the other party really seemed to have broken down.

Seeing her mood dip, Beihai noticed that Mind Sharing wasn't very active in this low-energy state, so he quickly made something up: [You took responsibility for everyone in Class B. If you hadn't done this, Class C would never have backed off, and your personal safety wouldn't have been guaranteed either.

At the end of the day, it's not your fault—it's this school's fault]

Beihai's words weren't wrong. If this were an ordinary school, this kind of thing wouldn't happen. With this girl's terrifying ability to unite people, what thug would be crazy enough to pick a fight with her?

And to add a little extra, it's not your fault—it's the world.

Ah, the classic blame-shifting tactic. Use it once, and no one says a word.

The message she sent back carried a clear note of relief.

[Yeah, you're right. Let's just consider this a lesson for them.

Oh, and I need to thank you. Without you, I really wouldn't have known what to do.

By the way, should I make a deal with Class D?]

Honami Ichinose sent this message and waited quietly, even pulling up her payment code. She already knew how to show her gratitude.

Sure enough, a reply came quickly.

[Want to know? Then give me 50,000 points]

And just like that, Beihai watched his terminal as 50,000 points landed in his account almost instantly, so fast it felt unreal—like she'd already had the points ready.

[Pretty quick on the draw. You can figure this out yourself. With Class C in that state, if you try to make a deal with Class D, who's below them, no one's going to listen to you]

Honami Ichinose: [I thought about that too, but why are you in that class?]

Beihai: [Because I'm a problem student. Look at what I'm doing right now—selling out my own class]

Honami Ichinose didn't reply anymore, as if stunned by the answer. She'd considered that he might be angry and blame the school, or that he'd come to terms with his situation. But she never expected him to just admit he was a problem student, and so bluntly at that.

After only a dozen seconds, Honami Ichinose made up her mind.

[No, you're not that kind of person. I'm buying you out]

The moment the message was sent, 1 million points transferred over in the blink of an eye. These were points she'd just won from the lawsuit with Class C.

Beihai hadn't expected her to be so decisive, or so quick to act.

But it didn't really matter. After all, Beihai genuinely needed her Mind Sharing. Even if she couldn't pay, he would have still made a deal with Honami Ichinose.

[Are you sure? That was pretty bold. You could have waited until next month to buy me out. You know, these points are still pretty important in the first month—you can buy a lot of things. Later on, they might not be as useful]

Honami Ichinose's reply even carried a hint of playfulness, as if a huge weight had finally been lifted off her chest: [No need. Not only are you worth it, but this is to avoid any trouble down the line. I'm afraid I won't be able to sleep well at night]

[That won't do—you need to sleep well]

Beihai still cared about her health. If she got sick, then Mind Sharing might not be as effective, and using it might even be a bit painful.

Anyway, this matter was completely settled. Beihai was now bound to her.

You could say that aside from Long Yuanxiang of Class C, who was stewing in a fire he couldn't spit out, making him miserable, everyone else was happy.

Class A got the news and couldn't care less. The lower classes fighting among themselves—they wished it would get even fiercer.

The two leaders had different takes. Kohei Katsuragi thought things were stable. With the friction between the two lower classes, their Class Points were bound to be in danger. This month, Class A would definitely be first.

As long as they stuck to the plan this month, the top spot was secure.

Sakayanagi Arisu, on the other hand, had developed an interest in Honami Ichinose. Unfortunately, after meeting her, she was deeply disappointed, yet she couldn't figure out who was helping her from the shadows.

Class B gained a stable environment. Under Honami Ichinose's terrifying charisma, the entire class was unusually united. People are often shaped by their surroundings—if everyone is studying hard, you naturally can't be the exception.

Class C, after taking the hit, didn't just give up. Long Yuanxiang took the opportunity to observe Class A and Class B, directly monitoring what they were doing and just copying them.

After all, they knew the rules, and he could have his people probe a bit—what exactly were they so wary of?

As for Class D, nothing happened. They didn't even bother to gather information. Some rumors eventually trickled in, but they didn't care. Everyone just did their own thing, perfectly at ease.

In this environment, Beihai felt a bit of annoyance. Too many eccentric people. Avoiding attention and blending in perfectly was genuinely difficult.

But luckily, he had his own circle. From now on, all he needed to do was stabilize his Mind Sharing with Honami Ichinose. Nothing else mattered.

Time slipped by quietly, and soon, a large chunk of April had passed.