Without a Buyer, Where Would the Points Come From?

Before the Special Exam began, all four first-year classes had already submitted their competitors and the order they would compete in.

"The nine 8s and 9s are all here."

"Then we have a deal."

They had arranged the time in advance and gone together to collect the cards from the teachers' office. Ryuen had a total of 81 cards, and he handed all his 8s and 9s to Katsuragi. In return, Katsuragi gave him the 2,000,000 points specified in the contract, along with all the 1s and 2s.

"It's a pleasure doing business with you. As long as Class A is willing to pay enough points to satisfy me in the next Special Exam, Class C will still be happy to help Class A secure its position."

The customer was king. Having grasped this principle, Ryuen set aside his usual delinquent manner and treated Katsuragi seriously.

"Likewise. But if working together means Class C has to spend Class Points, would you still cooperate with us?"

Before Ryuen could turn and leave, Katsuragi stopped him.

For Class A, as long as it held onto its position, it could give up everything else it had gained at the school. That was the strategy Class A had adopted under Katsuragi's leadership, and it was the strategy every Class A before them had followed.

When you were in the lead, no Class A leader dared to take an aggressive approach. If it failed and the class fell behind, their position as leader would be shaken.

So the leader always played it safe. It was like interviewing someone on the street and asking if they'd donate a school building for underprivileged students. The person you interviewed would surely say yes.

But if you asked whether they'd donate a car or a house to underprivileged students, they probably wouldn't. After all, they actually owned those things.

Class A was the class that could truly enjoy the benefits the school offered to its graduates.

The students of Class A wouldn't collectively ask to let their class fall behind so they could regroup and then try to make a comeback at the end. Nobody could be certain of victory, so they had to seize every opportunity to protect their lead.

Now, an opportunity like that lay right in front of Katsuragi. There was no way he wouldn't be tempted, especially since he wasn't yet Class A's undisputed leader. Sakayanagi and the faction she led were watching his every move. If he made even one mistake, he'd be forced out of his position.

And given Sakayanagi's forceful personality, Katsuragi wouldn't fare well after stepping down as leader. As long as he remained in the class, his misguided followers would keep tearing it apart. That was why a minister could surrender, but an emperor couldn't.

To Sakayanagi, the only good Katsuragi was one who had been expelled. That was why Katsuragi had stopped Ryuen: he wanted to establish a long-term partnership with him.

"Class C only wants Personal Points, not Class Points. If you pay enough, you can take all 940 points Class C has right now during the Special Exam."

Ryuen's attitude made Katsuragi fall into thought. If Ryuen only wanted Personal Points, then Class C could still betray Class A. All another class would have to do was offer more Personal Points than Class A. Katsuragi decided he'd need to be extra cautious about that in the future.

"Then, barring anything unexpected, we may be able to work together again in the next Special Exam. I look forward to our next partnership."

Once he'd confirmed what he wanted to know, Katsuragi left, satisfied.

"That's enough. Your hair's showing. He asked me to pass you a message."

After Katsuragi left, Ryuen walked to the corner of the hallway and leaned against the wall, toying with the eighty-second card he'd pulled from his pocket.

The extra card was a 9, which Ryuen had gotten from Kushida of Class D.

After the rules of this Special Exam were announced, Kushida had approached Ryuen of her own accord. Her goal was simple. After learning from upperclassmen through her network that some Special Exams could get students expelled, she'd settled on a target: use another class to get Horikita Suzune expelled.

The way Class A's students had acted since the start of the school year showed they looked down on the lower-ranked classes. Kushida wasn't about to go begging them for help.

The alliance between Classes B and D might have fallen apart, but judging by the students in Class B, Kushida didn't believe they could help her.

That left only Class C. Class C had already shown her its methods and capabilities during the Sudo Incident, and, most importantly, it genuinely had a grudge against Class D.

So she had no choice but to approach Ryuen and pursue her goal. Once Ryuen learned what Kushida wanted, he agreed on the surface, but planned to use her.

Kushida thought helping him would prove her loyalty, but Ryuen didn't see it that way. He didn't intend to trust her even a little. To him, this cooperation was just a chance to get something for free.

Even without Kushida, Class D would have Sakura to help. After Chabashira announced the rules of the exam to Class D, Hirata asked for volunteers to compete. Other than Horikita, no one in Class D was willing.

Sakura pretended to be inspired by Horikita's courage, then raised her hand too, becoming one of Class D's competitors. She was assigned to compete last.

For Class A, the last competitor was Hashimoto Masayoshi, who was still listening to Sakayanagi at this point.

That meant that in the ninth and final round, Class A's Hashimoto, Class C's Ryuen, Class D's Sakura, and Class B's Ichinose would face off.

Ryuen had also gotten the missing 8 and 9 from Kushida. Next, he'd have someone deliver cards to her.

"What did that nasty guy tell you to pass along?"

Kamuro, who had also been leaning against the hallway wall, stood up and walked toward Ryuen.

"Tell Sakayanagi that I've got the 8s and 9s now. If she wants a head-to-head match with Ayanokoji, she can offer him a reasonable price."

It was all about making points. Whoever had points was fair game!

Sakayanagi had won so many points from those clubs. There was no way she'd spent them all, right?

She'd always wanted to compete against Ayanokoji, hadn't she? It wouldn't be chess this time, but it could at least be a substitute. Surely she could get something out of it?

"Ayanokoji? Who's that? Is there someone by that name at our school?"

Kamuro searched her memory carefully, but Ryuen's Ayanokoji didn't ring a bell at all.

"The one sitting in the first seat by the door in Class 1-D. He'll probably be strong, though I can't tell myself. It's no surprise you don't know him. Just pass the message along. That little shrimp will respond."