"Whenever I need it, I want you to follow my instructions, Kushida. Of course, the tasks will mainly concern Class D," Shiraishi Makoto said. "For certain reasons, I need to keep hitting Class D. This is a perfect opportunity to see if I can recruit an insider."
"You've got some nerve saying that. Aren't you afraid I recorded what you just said?" Kushida Kikyo's expression did not change, but her tone remained vicious.
"This school encourages competition between classes. Nothing I've done violates any rules. The place where that video was filmed was the school rooftop, a public area. I only happened to capture it by chance." Shiraishi Makoto felt no guilt whatsoever.
"Besides, I've noticed that you don't actually have much desire to move up a class, do you, Kushida?"
Kushida Kikyo was not particularly surprised that he had seen through that. After all, he was an exceptional person who had figured out the school's rules on his second day. If so, hadn't he noticed her hidden nature long ago?
At that thought, Kushida Kikyo's gaze grew even gloomier. What chance encounter? Shiraishi Makoto had clearly picked the right time to record that video.
That was right. Shiraishi Makoto had been in the library during the Friday afternoon study session, and he had even stepped in to stop Sudo Ken after Horikita angered him. He had probably noticed that something was off with her mood then, then followed her and secretly filmed her...
"Then I don't have any other choice. If you dare tell anyone about this, I'll make sure you regret it." Kushida Kikyo reluctantly agreed to Shiraishi Makoto's request.
"Don't worry. As long as our cooperation goes smoothly, I won't do something that harms you without benefiting me." Shiraishi Makoto gave his assurance.
His cooperation with Kushida Kikyo was quite similar to his arrangement with Sakayanagi Arisu. Since it involved betraying a class, they could not have the school notarize it. All he could rely on was the leverage in his hands, and how much Kushida Kikyo cared about it. If Kushida Kikyo's dark past were exposed by someone else one day, then the leverage Shiraishi Makoto held would naturally no longer be able to control her.
Therefore, Shiraishi Makoto would not only refrain from leaking it himself, he would even help Kushida Kikyo maintain her persona.
At the end of the day, Shiraishi Makoto did not have much of an issue with Kushida Kikyo herself. Her desire to become everyone's friend was genuine, and she truly worked toward it. But because her goal was to be friends with everyone, she was bound to run into some idiots.
Just like students complained about teachers at school and employees complained about their bosses at work, it was something everyone encountered.
Kushida Kikyo anonymously venting about people online was not such a serious problem. The issue was that after someone else exposed her, she chose to drag everyone down with her, publicly revealing every piece of dark history she knew about everyone. It led to widespread absences and transfers among the class, and the impact was simply too great.
So, in Shiraishi Makoto's eyes, Kushida Kikyo was the perfect classmate from the neighboring class. So long as he did not expose her secrets or force her to expose them herself, she was very easy to get along with.
"Let's discuss the recent matter first." Shiraishi Makoto took a light sip of coffee before getting to the point.
"Is your class planning to organize tutoring for several students at the bottom of the rankings?"
"That was the plan at first, but you saw what those idiots were like in the library that day." Since her true nature had already been exposed, Kushida Kikyo did not bother suppressing her opinions in front of Shiraishi Makoto.
"Still, Horikita probably has a strong desire to rise to Class A. To avoid losing points, she may organize another study session later, right? And as far as I know, she asked you to arrange the first one."
"So you want me to refuse Horikita's request?" Kushida Kikyo asked.
"No. I need you to keep agreeing to her requests and cooperate with her plans as much as possible. But privately, tell the students attending the tutoring that you heard there's a way to pass easily, though you haven't confirmed it yet, so you hope they won't spread it around."
That way, Sudo Ken and the others probably would not follow Horikita Suzune's plan and study properly, would they?
This plan seemed capable of striking at Horikita Suzune, so it suited her perfectly. However, Kushida Kikyo noticed another problem. "But wouldn't that lie be exposed easily?"
"No, it isn't a lie. This school really does have a way to pass easily." Shiraishi Makoto shook his head. "The school does not actively change the midterm and final exam questions. Every class of students takes the same set of tests, so upperclassmen possess the answer keys for the next exams."
"Something like that exists?" Kushida Kikyo was genuinely shocked.
"This school always evaluates students' abilities from many angles. If students lacking academic ability notice this, then naturally the school will leave them a way out." Shiraishi Makoto explained with a smile.
"And what do I need to do? You can't be this kind-hearted." Combining this with Shiraishi Makoto's earlier mention that he "needed to strike Class D," Kushida Kikyo pressed him for an answer.
"You have such broad connections that you should be able to contact upperclassmen yourself and arrange a deal. But before the transaction, tell me the chosen time and place. I'll go photograph the evidence."
"You're going to report them to the school?" Kushida Kikyo understood what Shiraishi Makoto meant.
"Exactly. If no one reports it, the school will not interfere with private transactions between students. But if I report it to the school, then for the sake of apparent fairness and impartiality, the school will have to change the exam questions."
"So the students who neither studied nor obtained the original questions will be expelled for failing?" At that thought, Kushida Kikyo actually became excited.
Only she knew how disgusting and painful it was to put on the act of a little angel while dealing with those people. Especially people like Ike Kanji and Yamauchi Haruki, whose minds were full of filthy thoughts. Just noticing their naked stares on her made her feel sick enough to vomit.
If Shiraishi Makoto's goal was to drive those people out of school, she supported it with both hands.
"Of course, to support your operation, I'll transfer you some funds first." Shiraishi Makoto operated his phone and transferred 50,000 Private Points to Kushida Kikyo.
"The questions should cost around 40,000 Private Points. If you can negotiate a lower price through your own ability, all the money you save will be yours." Shiraishi Makoto gave Kushida Kikyo some pointers on the details of the operation. "You'll front the transaction fee, and don't take this money out directly. First, pretend you have no money and need to borrow from students in another class. That way, they'll have no reason to blame you."
Before you continue