The points transaction was complete, and the two exchanged contact information as a matter of course.
After putting away her phone, Ichinose asked curiously, "Do you really need points that badly, Tsukishima?"
Tsukishima shook his head. "Not really. I'm pretty frugal. Even without the 200,000 you gave me, I'd still have around 70,000 left. I'm more worried about the future."
"The future?"
"Yeah, the future. After we went our separate ways this morning, I thought about it some more. I have a feeling these points must be tied to something else. Like the classes. We're all part of a group, so wouldn't there be some kind of system for evaluating us as a class?"
Tsukishima rubbed his chin. "Think about it. There are a lot of students, and plenty of surveillance cameras, but would the school really assign people to watch the footage and monitor every student, then add or deduct points based on what they see?"
"Whether at school or in society, there's usually a hierarchy, with each level overseeing the one below it. The principal oversees the department heads, they oversee the homeroom teachers, and the teachers oversee the students. This school should work the same way."
"Maybe the classes have their own point system, and the students' behavior affects their class's score. Then, at the start of the next month, students receive points based on their class score."
Tsukishima narrowed his eyes, his voice gradually shifting from conversation to a mutter.
"Damn, so is the school telling us that no matter how outstanding you are, it won't matter unless you help your group succeed? Maybe there's even a way to transfer classes. After all, moving to a better environment is a skill in itself, isn't it?"
Ichinose blinked and asked quietly, "Trans...ferring classes?"
"Yeah. But to prove your worth and get a better class to accept you, you'd need a track record. And at this school, that would probably mean points. Transferring classes can't come cheap."
"Maybe there's a system for class advancement, too? Class A has the highest score, and Class D the lowest?"
Tsukishima suddenly snapped out of it. "Sorry. I do this sometimes. When I start thinking, I get carried away."
Ichinose hurriedly waved her hands. "It's fine, it's fine! Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about this information!"
Tsukishima looked at her, confused. "Why not tell anyone? It's just my guess."
Ichinose stared at him in shock. "I'm allowed to tell people?"
"Why wouldn't you be? School is a place for learning. Everything besides that is less important, so you need to know what to prioritize. Still, your Class B should be careful. If it's really possible to transfer classes, Class C might target you. The school might even be happy to see that kind of competition."
"I guess that's what you'd expect from a conglomerate. They start teaching kids to scheme against each other from the cradle. Damn!"
Inside the office.
Hoshinomiya narrowed her eyes, still smiling as she pressed the mute button. Then she looked at Chabashira, who had stopped writing at some point. "Sae, that kid really is clever. But are you sure it's a good idea to let him reveal such important information just like that?"
"Class D probably knows by now, too. Looks like you really might be able to move up this time."
"Oh, dear. It's such a shame to leave a clever kid like him in Class D, don't you think, Sae?"
Chabashira started writing again. "I don't care. He's just a defective student who happens to be somewhat clever. There's no shortage of those."
On the bench.
Tsukishima suddenly turned to Ichinose. He rubbed his hands together like a fly, making her instinctively lean back.
"Ichinose, you can tell anyone you want about this information. It's just that, well, you know how things are. I might not have any more points coming in from now on, so, heh..."
Ichinose patted her chest and let out a long breath. She gave Tsukishima a slightly reproachful look at his sudden change in attitude. "There's more information this time, so I can give you 300,000 points for it. But I'll need to verify it first."
Ichinose Honami, the legendary Archangel. All she had to do was flash a smile, and the goblins of the second year would let their guard down!
Actually, she could just ask a teacher if he was right. That was what she'd done this morning.
Tsukishima smiled. That brought him up to 570,000 points. If he spent carefully, that would last him the whole semester. As for next semester, he'd worry about that when it came.
Ichinose suddenly looked at Tsukishima. She hesitated, then spoke up anyway. "Tsukishima, maybe you should tell everyone in Class D about this. According to your reasoning, it would benefit you, too. At the very least, you'd probably get a lot more points next month."
Tsukishima shook his head without hesitation. "No. I'm not close with them."
"Besides, it's only been a week since school started. They're still excited about getting 100,000 points. If I tell them now, they won't listen. They might even mock me. What would be the point?"
"But if you want to tell them, that's fine. They'd at least think it over if it came from you, the Archangel Ichinose."
Ichinose froze. "The Archangel? How would they trust a stranger from another class?"
"You could go talk to Yamauchi Haruki or Kanji Ike from my class. Kushida Kikyo would work, too. You probably know her. The first two are goblins. Once they're hit by the light of your Archangel radiance, they'll show their true forms. As for Kushida... you'll understand when you meet her."
"It's not nice to call your classmates goblins. But you really are kind, Tsukishima. You clearly care about everyone in your class..."
Tsukishima cut her off.
"Stop, stop, stop! I was probably put in Class D because I knocked a gal's tooth out in middle school, so 'kind' has nothing to do with me."
"Whether you tell Class D is up to you. If you do, I might get more points next month. If you don't, it won't make much difference to me."
Suddenly, Tsukishima stopped. His eyes shifted.
A smile spread across his face again. "Your Archangel Highness, how about I waive that 300,000 you offered once you've verified everything?"
Ichinose was taken aback. "Huh?"
"Let's work together." Tsukishima counted on his fingers. "You tell Class A for 500,000, Class C for 500,000, and Class D for 500,000. That's 1.5 million total. We split it down the middle: 750,000 each."
He blinked. "What do you say, Your Archangel Highness?"
At the nickname "Archangel," Ichinose rolled her eyes at him.
"Of course we can work together. I could use the points, too. 500,000 from each of two classes..."
"No, no, three classes! Class D has to pay me, too! So if everything goes smoothly, we'll each get 750,000!"
At that, Ichinose finally believed Tsukishima really didn't care about Class D.
"All right, then what about a contract..."
"Easy. We either go to a teacher or the Student Council. I suggest we ask a teacher first to verify whether the information is correct. If it is, we can ask about the contract. If it isn't, we drop it. If the teacher won't answer, we go to the Student Council and buy the answer with points."
Ichinose nodded, then quietly slipped her hand into her pocket and ended her call with Hoshinomiya.
Then she called her again.
Before you continue