Inside the office.
Hoshinomiya picked up the phone, her voice still lilting up and down. "Oh, Honami, calling your teacher after school—is it because you miss me? I'm so happy~"
"Teacher, it's like this..."
"Oh, so that's what it is. If you're asking whether the information is accurate, I can't say. If you're asking whether you can sign a contract, then yes—but your teacher doesn't have the authority to approve it."
After hanging up, she smiled brightly at Chabashira, who was gripping her pen tightly. "Sae, Tsukishima's business sense really is impressive. He's guaranteed to get at least 500,000, but will he be able to get his hands on Class D's 250,000 points?"
"Sae, whatever you do, don't go and warn them. As their homeroom teachers, we have to follow the rules~"
Chabashira said coolly, "I don't need you to remind me."
With that, she got up and left.
The Student Council.
Horikita Manabu prepared contracts for the two of them and placed them in front of them. He nudged his glasses and smiled amiably. "It's been less than a week since school started, and the first-years are already quite impressive."
Tsukishima signed his name and remarked casually, "Are you related to Horikita from Class D, Horikita-senpai? Your personalities are quite different."
Horikita Manabu's smile slowly disappeared. "You're from Class D?"
Tsukishima nodded and signed his name on the contract. "Please rein in that storm of scheming in your head, Horikita-senpai. A student's main job is to study. I plan to try my hand at scheming in college or after I enter society."
Horikita Manabu nodded expressionlessly. "Then, if you want to sign more contracts, just message me anytime."
He took out his phone and exchanged contact information with the two of them.
After leaving the Student Council, Tsukishima put away the contracts and smiled.
"All right, Your Archangelship, I'll leave the rest to you. Class A probably won't cause any trouble, though they might ask to buy out the contract. If they offer a suitable price, you can let them."
"Class C will probably resort to underhanded tactics. Make sure everyone in Class B stays within view of the cameras or travels in groups, and be ready to record at all times. If you get anything on video, you can extort them for a bit more. I don't need a cut of that part."
"Class D probably won't buy. Do whatever you like."
"Then I'll leave it to you, Your Archangelship!"
Ichinose covered her slightly flushed face. "I understand, but could you please stop calling me an archangel, Tsukishima? It's so embarrassing!"
Tsukishima didn't say whether he agreed or not. He casually said goodbye and took off, waiting for the money to roll in.
That was Ichinose for you. Anyone else would have thought, I already know all this, so why shouldn't I buy the information myself? Why should I give you half?
The following evening.
Tsukishima was using his pen to give that flashy workbook a good thrashing.
His phone suddenly vibrated.
[Ichinose]: Tsukishima!!! Help!!!
Tsukishima raised an eyebrow and typed a reply:
[Tsukishima]: ?
[Ichinose]: Those people in Class C are so annoying! They keep bothering us every day!
[Ichinose]: They insist on sitting next to us when we eat and talk so loudly it's unbearable. When we try to leave, they block our way. Today, one of them even deliberately bumped into Kanzaki!
[Ichinose]: What should I do? Waaah!
Tsukishima looked at the screen, thought for a moment, and typed:
[Tsukishima]: Easy.
[Ichinose]: ???
[Tsukishima]: Find a few girls, preferably ones who look easy to bully, and deliberately head somewhere without cameras.
[Ichinose]: ??????
[Tsukishima]: Those people from Class C will definitely follow you. Once they're in a blind spot, the people you've planted nearby can rush out—preferably bring along someone from the Student Council, or Horikita Suzune from Class D. The Student Council president is her relative.
[Ichinose]: And then???
[Tsukishima]: Then say they tried to, uh... Have the girls act it out, crying and messing up their clothes and hair a little. After you surround them, shove them toward the girls so you get their fingerprints.
[Tsukishima]: Or have one boy go with a few girls. The boy can provoke those thugs from Class C until they start fighting, then the girls can rush in to break it up and shove them around a bit. Have them slap those Class C guys once or twice so you get their fingerprints, then say they tried to assault the girls.
[Tsukishima]: By then, you can decide whether those guys are round or flat. Either make Class C expel them or get some points out of them. Asking for five million wouldn't be a problem. Just remember to give me half.
[Ichinose]: ...
[Ichinose]: ...
[Ichinose]: Tsukishima???????
[Tsukishima]: What?
[Ichinose]: Isn't that a bit too much???
[Tsukishima]: Just basic operations. Don't make a fuss.
[Ichinose]: No, no, no, no, no! Absolutely not!
[Ichinose]: I can't do that! That would be too awful!
[Tsukishima]: Then think of something else yourself.
[Ichinose]: Let me think...
Tsukishima put down his phone and returned his attention to the flamboyant workbook.
"Come to think of it, studying like this all the time isn't good either. I can't turn into a bookworm. I need to develop some hobbies."
He put down the workbook after checking his answers, rubbed his chin, and lay back on the bed.
He didn't take Ichinose's problem to heart. He'd given her a solution, and how she carried it out had nothing to do with him.
Ichinose's problem was solved in less than a day.
That was because Ichinose transferred him another 1.2 million points: 500,000 from the information, 500,000 from extorting Class C, and a private 200,000 as a thank-you and consultation fee.
She thanked him for sharing the information for free and for giving her advice.
Adding that to the 270,000 he already had—200,000 as thanks for sharing information in the office the first time, plus 70,000 he'd saved himself—he had a total of 1.47 million.
With money in hand, Tsukishima made a trip to an electronics shop and bought a pinhole camera. He had no idea why the school store sold this kind of thing.
The thing cost him a whopping 70,000 points! Damn, what kind of camera was this, anyway? At the exchange rate, that was over 3,000 yuan. Tsukishima wasn't Liu Huaqiang, or he'd have asked whether the camera was made of gold on the outside or filled with gold on the inside.
The shopkeeper had his reasons, too. "This is a school. Who knows what you're planning to do with something like this? Besides, ours is a quality product: high-definition resolution, a 360-degree view with no blind spots, built-in recording and cloud uploads, a 78-hour battery life, and a phone connection for live streaming."
"I also provide a free three-year warranty. It's absolutely worth every penny!"
"I'll even throw in a little clip made especially for it. It won't fall off, guaranteed!"
Damn, what a load of nonsense. Was this thing some kind of black technology? Why did a pinhole camera have so many features? What the hell!
Out of curiosity and a desire to protect himself, Tsukishima still forked over the points.
Between classes.
The classroom was noisy.
Those two half-human creatures had started updating their rankings again, loud enough for the whole class to hear.
Horikita Suzune suddenly stood up.
"Everyone, quiet down for a moment."
Her voice wasn't loud, but it was clear enough.
The classroom fell silent for a moment, and everyone looked at her.
"I have something to announce."
She walked to the front of the classroom and swept her gaze over everyone, expressionless.
"Someone has been selling information about the school's point system. It costs 500,000 points. I suggest we pool our money and buy a copy."
Silence.
Then—
"500,000? That's so expensive!"
Ike was the first to shout. "Why buy that? Aren't we doing fine as we are?"
"Exactly!" Yamauchi chimed in. "Who knows if it's even real? What if it's a scam?"
Someone in the gal group muttered, "Why is Horikita suddenly so interested in this..."
Hirata stood up and tried to smooth things over with a gentle smile. "Everyone, don't rush. Let's hear what Horikita has to say first. Horikita, why do you think we should buy it?"
Horikita looked at him, her tone still cool. "Because it's a reasonable investment. If the information is genuine, we can prepare in advance. I don't think we'll receive 100,000 points every month."
"But..." Yamauchi raised his hand. "Do you have any proof that the information is real?"
Horikita fell silent for a second.
"No."
"Then why buy it?" Ike joined in, egging everyone on. "We need to save our points for weekend outings! Karaoke and arcades all cost money!"
"Yeah, exactly!"
"And 500,000 is way too expensive. If our whole class pools our money, each person will still have to pay quite a bit..."
The classroom grew lively again, voices of opposition rising one after another.
Horikita stood where she was, her expression unchanged.
But her fingers tightened slightly around her book.
"It's just a suggestion," she said calmly. "It's your choice whether to buy it."
She walked down from the front of the classroom, returned to her seat, and opened her book again.
Before long, the classroom was back to its usual bustle, and the conversation returned to weekend karaoke.
No one mentioned buying the information again.
Before you continue