Ayanokoji Wants to Find Qiuyue

"Teacher Chabashira, wait. My entrance exam scores couldn't possibly land me in Class D! So why am I in Class D? Please give me an explanation!"

"Horikita, you are indeed excellent in academic ability. Your entrance exam score ranked third in the entire grade."

"Then why am I in Class D! I don't understand!"

"Horikita, you don't think grades are everything, do you?"

"What else is there to compare in school besides grades?"

"Heh... Figure it out yourself. Also, you should go to your next class."

With that, Teacher Chabashira walked away without looking back.

Seeing this, Horikita had no choice but to give up and head back toward the classroom.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka

20,000 pr, huh... If the hidden rules really are that important, it's not too expensive.

On the other hand, this person providing the information is way too suspicious.

How did he get Hirata's number? Did he buy it from a teacher? And just sending a message like this to sell hidden rules—shouldn't it be possible to buy the sender's identity from a teacher with points? Maybe this guy feels untouchable.

...Everyone else is chatting and discussing with the people next to them. Me just sitting here dryly feels a bit... No, wait, I'm not the only one. Horikita... and Qiuyue. Great, as long as I'm not the odd one out.

Slap—

?? What's Horikita doing?

"Don't you get it yet? Now's not the time to hoard points! What we need is this intel. Or would you rather spend 2 million personal points buying it from a teacher?!"

Whoa... Horikita... that's impressive.

"20,000 personal points each? Never heard of it? When did that happen? Can't we just not buy it? I don't have the points anyway, so you all do what you want."

"Yeah, never heard of it. I can barely make my points last the month as it is. I'm not paying either."

"Same as those two, I'm out."

Uh... Won't this get them isolated from the class? If I remember right... Yamauchi, Ike, Sudo—those three are this bold?

"It's fine, I'll cover for them. What matters now is getting the intel. I happen to have 80,000 personal points."

Huh? Horikita, are you planning to eat dirt every day from now on? There has to be a better way, Horikita...

After the purchased information was released.

I see. No wonder I always felt something was off about this school. It's raising students like breeding poisonous insects in a jar...

Assuming this intel is correct, why sell it to Class D? Did he sell it to the other first-year classes too? What's in it for him? Just to earn more points?

For now, the teachers are probably bound by a confidentiality agreement. That means he's likely a student or some other school staff member.

If it's a staff member, according to what Teacher Chabashira said, they can exchange their points for cash from the school.

No, if that were the case, with so many staff members, they'd be scrambling to sell for the money, right? They might even start a price war. That makes a student more likely than a staff member.

If it's a student, is it a first-year or an upperclassman? Is an upperclassman trying to earn points? No—if upperclassmen can sell to underclassmen, and points can buy anything in this school, there wouldn't be just one person selling.

And sending it by text—is it to hide his identity? But that still requires buying Hirata's number from a teacher, which contradicts his goal of earning points. Unless buying other students' info is cheap? Or he doesn't need to buy student info at all? Could it be the student council?

It's possible some first-years already know. Maybe they bought the hidden rules from a teacher. But where did they get 2 million points? Or is it cheaper to buy from upperclassmen?

If a class bought it together as a unit, then the hidden rules about class competition would contradict that. Or maybe the info sold to us is fake?

Or did he figure it out himself? Noticing the school's hidden rules in the first week? If so, is his judgment completely accurate?

"What the hell!? We're the worst? This is fake info, right? Right?"

Yare yare, looks like I overanalyzed. The classmates can't accept being in Class D and are calling it fake. True, there's still a chance it's fake.

"...You people are truly hopeless. You're the most foolish batch of students I've ever taught."

Teacher Chabashira? Looks like this intel is undeniably correct.

So, some of my earlier analysis can be thrown out. First, since it's real, this person is likely an upperclassman in the student council or connected to it. A first-year probably didn't buy it as a class—2 million points only nets 400,000 back, and it strengthens the competition. Completely unnecessary.

That means, if it's a first-year, he bought it alone. But how did he gather 2 million points? Or he figured it out himself—then this guy is impressive.

If it's just him, earning that many points—what's his goal? Based on the rules, he's not in Class A, so he's in one of B, C, or D.

But he sold it to Class D. If he's not in Class D, does he think Class D is too weak to affect him? If he is in Class D, why not speak up and sell it this way instead?

Does he think Class D can't rise to Class A? Or is he just after more points for a better life? Can points be used to transfer to Class A?

Suppose he also sold it to Class A. Based on class excellence, if Class A starts without the intel and Class B has it, Class B might surpass Class A. Or maybe Class A students already know the hidden rules?

What if he didn't sell to Class C or Class B? Then Class C could surpass Class B. From this analysis, he's less likely to be in Class B. Class C or D is more probable.

Forget it. Instead of speculating in a vacuum, I should confirm with Teacher Chabashira and other homeroom teachers whether anyone bought Hirata's number from them. Also, whether upperclassmen can reveal and sell hidden rules to underclassmen.

I need to find this person. Leaving him unchecked is too dangerous. Points can buy anything in this school—meaning buying someone's expulsion might also be possible.

Better safe than sorry. What if he's from the White Room...

"Ryūji, where are you going?"

I turned back to look at Horikita and blurted out directly.

"The bathroom."

"Teacher Chabashira, wait a moment."

"Ryūji? What is it?"

"Could I talk to you after school today?"

"Now won't work?"

"No. I can sense Horikita will be coming soon, and second period is about to start."

"Horikita? What does she want with me?"

"She seems dissatisfied with being placed in Class D."

"...I see."

"Then I'll be going now."

I need to hurry—get to the bathroom fast, before I run into Horikita.