The bell rang for break, and the classroom instantly burst into a hubbub.
Tsukishima lay sprawled over his desk, chin resting on his arms, his vacant gaze fixed on the wood grain while his mind frantically built his "business empire."
Calling it a "sketchbook business" wasn't quite accurate.
Although Advanced Nurturing High School offered an exceptional degree of freedom, the School Rules' "disciplinary impact" clause hung over him like the sword of Damocles.
He didn't know exactly where the school drew the line on this.
Drawing the kind of traditional, first-ball-style "dirty magazines"?
The risk was too great. If the Student Council caught him red-handed, he could lose points at best or get suspended at worst. It wasn't worth it.
"I need to take the 'art' route."
Tsukishima worked it out in his mind.
"In my previous life, I knew a Godly Artist. That guy was practically a master of 'creating something from nothing.'"
"His drawings didn't even have people in them. Just a pair of stockings someone had taken off and draped over a chair, or an apple with a bite taken out of it lying on a messy bedsheet. But they still had this kind of sensuality that practically jumped off the screen and made you blush."
That was it! That was the feeling!
As long as he didn't draw people, it couldn't count as "distributing obscene depictions of people." And as long as he didn't show anything explicit, it wouldn't violate the rules.
Even if the Disciplinary Committee caught him, he could argue with a straight face: "These are still-life studies! This is atmospheric art! If your minds are dirty, how's that my problem?"
Having figured that out, Tsukishima's lips curled into a mischievous grin. He tapped his fingers lightly on the desk and began planning his Western-Level Product System:
Entry-Level: [The Extraordinary in Everyday Life]
Content: Seemingly ordinary school outfits, such as uniforms and gym clothes, presented from extremely suggestive angles.
Selling points: Close-ups of the gap between skirt and thigh, hints of a breeze beneath a skirt, a back damp with sweat, the moment the top button comes undone.
Scale: Suggestive but suitable for all ages, with the focus on "leaving things to the imagination."
Price: 100 points per image, or 900 points for a pack of 10 (buy ten, get one free—a bonus close-up).
Target customers: Younger students short on points but craving a thrill, or conservatives who just want to try it out.
Intermediate-Level: [Summer and Intimate Fantasies]
Content: Swimsuits, lingerie-inspired outfits, semi-sheer shirts, and wet-clothes effects.
Selling points: Nothing explicitly revealing—cleverly concealed with props or play of light and shadow—but with bolder lines. For example, someone holding a melting ice cream bar just before taking a bite, her eyes hazy; or someone fresh out of the shower, wrapped in a towel, with droplets running along her collarbone.
Scale: Strongly suggestive and overflowing with hormones, but still within the bounds of "non-explicit."
Price: 1,000 points per image, or 9,000 points for a pack of 10.
Target customers: Male students with some savings, as well as some thrill-seeking girls (never underestimate girls' purchasing power).
Master-Level: [Silence Says It All]
Content: No people appear in the image.
Selling points: Creating the ultimate atmosphere.
Example 1: A messy bed, a pillow indented in the shape of someone's head, and a few pieces of clothing scattered nearby.
Example 2: A bathroom mirror covered in steam, with a suggestive line written in it by a finger, and the faint outline of a blurred figure reflected in the glass.
Example 3: A pair of high heels kicked carelessly onto the floor, stockings slipped down to the ankles, and dim lighting in the background.
Scale: It's all in the imagination! The possibilities left open by this kind of "negative space" are even more intense and suggestive than drawing everything outright.
Price: 5,000 points per image.
Target customers: Experienced otaku, artistic youths with vivid imaginations, and "high-end players" who think looking at images directly is too commonplace.
Custom-Level: [Personalized Metaphors]
Content: Made to order, according to the client's needs.
Rules:
Direct depictions of any scenario are strictly forbidden.
Everything must be expressed through metaphor, metonymy, dialogue bubbles, and symbolic props.
If a client specifies a "particular person" (such as a certain school beauty), they must provide a reference photo. Tsukishima will "de-identify" the image by changing the hair color, making slight adjustments to the face, changing the eye color, or even adding a mask or blindfold, to ensure that "this definitely isn't so-and-so, it's just a coincidence."
Price: Starting at 10,000 points, with no upper limit depending on complexity.
Disclaimer: "This work is entirely fictional. Any resemblance is purely the product of your imagination. Our shop accepts no responsibility for what clients imagine."
Target customers: Rich people with money to burn, big shots with particular tastes, and stalkers who want to "have" someone but don't dare say it outright.
Tsukishima couldn't help humming to himself:
He could ask Kushida to promote it among the girls. Ichinose was out of the question; the Archangel wasn't suited to this kind of thing.
Among the boys, he could make use of Yamauchi. He wouldn't have to promote it himself. Tsukishima only needed to let him know it existed and give him a little taste; then he'd promote it on his own.
But there were a few problems.
First, his identity. It wasn't that absolutely nobody could know—that was impossible—but he couldn't let just anyone find out.
After all, he was in Class D. If he had too many points, he might end up constantly hounded for loans. And if people started using moral pressure on him, he'd be sick of it.
Second, he couldn't sell physical copies. A digital version would be best. That way, he wouldn't need to make face-to-face transactions and risk getting cornered somewhere.
Tsukishima absentmindedly scribbled a few messy lines in his Sketchbook.
As for his identity, perhaps he could buy an encrypted account on the school forum. Would people need to spend at least 500,000 points to view it? But knowing how this school operated, there'd probably still be plenty of people trying to target him.
He'd probably have to spend 500,000 points, and he'd also need a computer and a Digital Tablet—or maybe he could just get a tablet? That'd be another huge expense.
He only had around 750,000 points left. At least 500,000 for a private account and 100,000 for equipment.
Tsukishima sucked in a sharp breath. Good grief, he'd be lucky if he had 100,000 points left. If he couldn't sell the drawings, those points would be wasted.
Huh?
Why did he have to buy a private account? Couldn't he find an intermediary and draw up a contract?
Was there anyone suitable in his class?
Among the students, was there anyone suitable?
What about non-students—could a staff member at the school do it?
Students wouldn't work. If some bigmouth let it slip, he'd be finished. Perhaps he could find a staff member instead.
But why would a staff member help him?
Would 300,000 points plus a share of the profits be enough?
How could he make sure the staff member wouldn't make extra sales behind his back?
Bring in the Student Council to supervise? Did the Student Council have much leverage over school staff? Or would they just crush him outright?
What a shame. If only he could find dirt on a staff member.
Perhaps he could build a relationship of trust with the shop owners. He could learn things while also asking around for information...
Tsukishima suddenly furrowed his brow.
Wait. Something was wrong. Very wrong.
He stared at the carefully laid-out "business empire" in his Sketchbook and suddenly felt that something was off.
But what exactly was it...? He still hadn't figured it out.
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