"Then how many points would Sudo need for those two points?"
"This is my first time selling them... How about 100,000 private points per point? You'll need to give me 200,000 private points, and then Sudo won't have to drop out."
"Did you hear that? I've already asked how we can do it."
Horikita said this, then sat down on her own and started reading a book.
For Class D, Horikita had just pulled Sudo back from the brink of expulsion. Her feat of turning the tide was nothing short of shocking.
Seeing this, Hirata quickly picked up the conversation.
"That's wonderful! Thank you so much, Horikita. Sudo can be saved now."
Hirata breathed a sigh of relief, his spirits lifting. Compared to how dejected he'd been just moments ago, he seemed like a completely different person.
Sudo walked up to Horikita and bowed at a perfect ninety-degree angle.
"Horikita! Thank you so much! From now on, I'll do whatever you say!"
"It's nothing. I just thought having someone drop out of the class might affect my chances of moving up to Class A."
Horikita didn't think much of it and didn't even look at Sudo.
Qiuyue watched Horikita calmly.
Her personality doesn't seem to have changed at all. She can say something like that, so Horikita is still the same Horikita as ever. Did Ayanokoji predict this in advance? Is that why he told Horikita how to handle the situation afterward?
"Whatever the case, you've helped me so much. Thanks to you, I can stay at this school. I'll definitely find a way to thank you properly."
Sudo still hadn't straightened up, and he kept thanking her.
At that moment, Hirata spoke up again.
"Everyone, does anyone have any points to spare? Could you help Sudo?"
Sudo turned and bowed in another direction.
"Please!! I'll pay you all back!"
The class began to grow noisy, but Qiuyue's gaze remained fixed on Horikita and Ayanokoji.
Ayanokoji seemed to sense something and looked in Qiuyue's direction.
Qiuyue quickly turned his head, feeling a little flustered.
He didn't notice, did he...
"Teacher Chabashira!"
!!! That was Horikita's voice!! What happened while I wasn't looking at them?!?
Qiuyue quickly turned back to Horikita. She had stood up again, while Ayanokoji rested his head on his hand and looked out the window.
"Teacher Chabashira! If I transfer two points from my English score to Sudo's English score, how many points would that cost?"
This time, Qiuyue was completely stunned.
"Haha! Horikita, that's quite an interesting idea. You've surprised me more than once today. I never thought you could do that. This might be the first time in the school's history anyone has tried it! Haha!"
"Can it be done?"
"Of course! I understand what you mean. A transfer should cost less than buying the points outright, right? Then I'll charge you 50,000 private points per transferred point."
"Really? Teacher Chabashira, that's wonderful, everyone! We only need 100,000 private points. Can you help Sudo? Please."
Hirata saw the light of hope growing brighter and brighter. At that moment, he seemed even happier than Sudo himself.
By now, Sudo had practically gone around asking every single person for help. To borrow 100,000 private points, he seemed to have truly swallowed his pride.
Teacher Chabashira checked the time on her phone and gathered her things before saying:
"Sudo, come to my office before noon and hand over the 100,000 private points."
Teacher Chabashira left with her briefcase, a faint smile on her face.
"Keep struggling at the bottom. Vent your frustration at those above you. Overcome one difficult challenge after another, then surpass them. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to look forward to seeing you do that."
"Right, you should all get to class."
With that, Teacher Chabashira walked straight out of the classroom.
Watching Chabashira leave, Qiuyue grumbled inwardly.
...No... Who are you saying that to?
By the time school let out, Horikita's popularity had soared.
Almost everyone wanted to get on Horikita's good side. After all, no one could be sure they wouldn't face the risk of expulsion someday.
One after another, people in the class tried to invite Horikita out. Even Karuizawa, the most assertive girl in the class, put aside her pride and invited Horikita.
"Hey, Horikita, want to go to karaoke or go shopping together later? I remember there's a place with really nice clothes."
"No. I'm not interested in that."
Horikita managed to kill the mood with a single sentence.
Qiuyue wasn't surprised and looked away.
Good grief, Horikita is still the same Horikita. Looks like the only person who can change her is the Student Council President.
A little sister who was obsessed with her big brother—that trait used to be really popular.
After seeing Karuizawa fail too, everyone else gave up one after another.
Hirata tried to reason with Horikita.
"Horikita, I know you want to move up to Class A. If you get along with your classmates and work together with them, wouldn't that make it easier to achieve?"
"I don't think so. I don't believe any of you can help me move up to Class A. I'll get there by my own efforts. All you have to do is stay out of my way."
"That's all I wanted to say. I'm leaving."
Horikita said this as she put away the books on her desk, then walked straight out of the classroom.
Horikita had thrown away all the popularity she'd just gained through her own actions. Some people in the class had already started making snide remarks, saying she looked down on everyone.
Faced with Horikita, Hirata was at a loss. He could only sigh as he watched her leave.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka
I'd asked Teacher Chabashira about it before, and the upper years had been ruled out too. I could be fairly certain that the person was in Class B, C, or D in the first year.
"So, Teacher Chabashira, please sell me the two points Sudo lost on his test."
As expected, Sudo had failed. Fortunately, I'd told Horikita in advance that points could be bought, allowing her to gain some influence in the class sooner.
Although I already had someone in mind,
I didn't have enough clues yet to determine for certain who it was or which class they were in. That was why I needed Horikita to become influential in the class quickly.
As for having Horikita step forward and lead Class D, that wasn't possible for her yet. She still needed to grow and understand her own shortcomings clearly.
Why do I feel like someone's watching me? I glanced over from the corner of my eye. Was it Qiuyue? No, maybe he was just looking at Horikita. She was the center of attention right now.
I decided to test him and looked in Qiuyue's direction. He immediately turned his head away. Was it a coincidence?
I took out my phone and sent Horikita a message, while keeping most of my attention on Qiuyue.
Horikita followed the instructions in my message and began a second round of negotiations with Teacher Chabashira.
Though I was only watching from the corner of my eye, I could clearly tell that Qiuyue had turned around—and that I was the first person he looked at.
There was no mistake. He really was looking at me. Why?
That's suspicious...
Before you continue