This round of grilling Karuizawa Kei had earned Chihaya Rei a heap of Torture Points from her.
And Karuizawa Kei would become his long-term source of experience, too.
Because when he put Karuizawa Kei through special training... surely there'd be no shortage of opportunities to grill her?
This plan would not only help Karuizawa Kei grow, but also let him steadily earn Torture Points over time.
It was practically perfect!
Thinking about it put Chihaya Rei in an excellent mood. He couldn't help feeling that coming here today had been absolutely the right decision.
Afterward, Chihaya Rei told Karuizawa Kei she could go back.
She left soon after. She probably needed time to properly digest what had happened today.
Chihaya Rei himself wasn't in a hurry to leave Keyaki Mall.
Since he was already here, how could he pass up the chance to stop by an electronics store and buy a few Voice Recorders and digital cameras?
He chose the Voice Recorders with the longest battery life.
As for the digital camera, he picked out a small one that was easy to carry around. It even came with a strap so he could hang it around his neck.
He certainly wouldn't wear it around all the time. He could just take it out when he needed it.
Unfortunately, the store didn't have any he could wear on his head. After all, who could resist a man with a camera growing out of his head?
All told, the purchases cost him 250,000 points. If he hadn't earned 2.4 million points from Classes A, B, and C, he really wouldn't have been able to afford them.
It was Friday, the last day of the first week of school.
After classes ended, many students from Class D excitedly discussed where they would go over the weekend.
But after leaving the classroom, Chihaya Rei quickened his pace and headed for the infirmary.
Clearly, he wasn't feeling unwell. He was the sort who could hold a live performance, then get soaked in the rain afterward without catching a cold or coming down with a fever.
He had come to the infirmary, of course, to earn points from Class B's homeroom teacher, Hoshinomiya Chie.
She was also the infirmary's teacher.
"Knock, knock!"
The infirmary door was open. After confirming there weren't any other students inside, Chihaya Rei knocked to announce himself and walked in.
"Hm?"
At the sound, Hoshinomiya Chie looked up.
She stood behind her desk, holding the white coat she had just taken off. She wore a pale pink short-sleeved top and a gray pencil skirt.
"Hey there, student. School's already out for the day."
Hoshinomiya Chie looked at Chihaya Rei. Her voice was gentle, though her tone carried a hint of regret.
At the same time, her duties as the infirmary teacher compelled her to ask, "Are you feeling unwell?"
"I'm perfectly healthy."
As he answered, Chihaya Rei walked straight to the spot opposite Hoshinomiya Chie's desk.
He spoke evenly.
"Hoshinomiya-sensei, I'm here to discuss a deal."
"Which class are you in?"
Hoshinomiya Chie asked curiously, then chuckled. "Besides, I'm not really interested in trading points!"
"Why don't you go find another teacher?"
She had finally made it to Friday and earned herself two days off. She was planning to go drinking—drinking until dawn, in fact.
She didn't want some troublesome student interrupting her.
"Class D."
Chihaya Rei glanced at her coolly.
She really was Advanced Nurturing High School's resident drunkard teacher.
"What I want to trade has to do with Class D, too. That'll get you interested, won't it?"
Sure enough, after hearing Chihaya Rei's words, Hoshinomiya Chie's expression grew more serious. She clearly dropped the "I just want to get off work" act she'd been putting on.
"So you're one of little Sae's students!"
Her expression suddenly turned warm, and she put on a syrupy voice. "Actually, little Sae and I are best friends!"
"You can tell me anything related to Class D."
If Kushida Kikyo was still a green tea in training, Hoshinomiya Chie was the fully evolved version.
"Oh, right! You still haven't told me your name, have you?"
After Chihaya Rei introduced himself, he smiled and said,
"Sensei, you two seem more like frenemies to me."
[Torture Hoshinomiya Chie: 1,216 Torture Points gained]
"Huh?!"
Hoshinomiya Chie's eyes widened slightly.
She was surprised, and a flurry of speculation raced through her mind.
Had that awful woman, Chabashira Sae, told him something?
But on the surface, Hoshinomiya Chie reached out and dabbed at her eyes with her fair fingers. There were no tears, but she still put on a wounded expression.
"Boo-hoo, Chihaya-kun, how could you say something so mean? You're making wild guesses about my relationship with little Sae. You've really hurt me..."
"We've been the closest of friends since high school, and it's been seven years since we graduated!"
"Seven years!"
Hoshinomiya Chie emphasized the words earnestly, holding up a finger for emphasis, as if she and Chabashira Sae really did share a deep bond.
In reality, she'd hated Chabashira Sae for just as long as they'd been out of school.
They could have graduated together from Class A back then, but Chabashira Sae had ruined everything herself.
Chihaya Rei smiled and decided to get down to business.
"Hoshinomiya-sensei, I can get Class D's Class Points reduced to zero in this month's conduct exam. How many points are you willing to pay?"
"Wait, what did you say?"
Once Hoshinomiya Chie understood what Chihaya Rei was offering, her voice filled with surprise.
The next moment, she darted out from behind her desk and stopped in front of Chihaya Rei, her eyes practically glittering with excitement. Her earlier cute act had vanished without a trace.
He'd just shown Chihaya Rei what it meant to change faces without losing a bean.
"You know about Class Points?"
"And you can really get Class D's points reduced to zero?"
"I was the one who sold Ichinose Honami the information, and I still haven't told Class D any of it."
Chihaya Rei spoke slowly. He was also demonstrating his abilities and putting a bargaining chip on the table, giving Hoshinomiya reason to believe he could pull it off.
"..."
Hoshinomiya Chie opened her mouth.
Now she understood.
She knew that Ichinose Honami had spent 800,000 points to buy the school's concealed rules and the contents of the first exam from a student whose identity had been kept secret.
She just hadn't expected that person to be Chihaya Rei, standing right in front of her—and now approaching her of his own accord.
Hoshinomiya Chie couldn't help feeling annoyed and rattled.
Damn it, a student this capable should have been put in Class A! Why did he have to end up in that awful woman Chabashira Sae's class?
What were the school's interviewers doing? She wanted to yell at them.
But at least... it seemed this student not only had no intention of helping his class, he was even planning to stab them in the back!
Hoshinomiya Chie couldn't help feeling delighted. She hurriedly asked,
"How many points do you want?"
The fact that she asked meant Hoshinomiya was willing to accept the deal.
"Why don't you name your price first, sensei? I'm just an ordinary student. I don't really understand what points are worth yet."
Compared to Hoshinomiya's excitement, Chihaya Rei was much calmer.
At his words, Hoshinomiya Chie furrowed her brow slightly and fell into thought.
She did a rough calculation. In previous years, Class D had been left with around 300 to 500 Class Points after the first month's conduct exam.
Even if they took the lowest figure, 300 points, that would still amount to a full 1.2 million points split among 40 students.
Of course, that 1.2 million wouldn't all go to Chihaya Rei.
But an offer close to, or even exceeding, that amount would be enough to tempt anyone.
You had to be willing to sacrifice something to gain something. She also thought about her savings.
Hoshinomiya Chie took a deep breath, her eyes resolute, and made her offer without hesitation.
"If you can pull this off, I'll give you 1.5 million points."
"But I should make this clear first: it wouldn't be convenient to transfer that many points to you all at once. I can pay you 500,000 now and give you the rest later."
Hoshinomiya Chie had an explanation for this.
The school forbade teachers from interfering in the competition between classes—or at least, that was the official rule. A serious violation could even get a teacher fired.
But behind the scenes, the school tended to turn a blind eye.
That was why she had only dared to pull small tricks that wouldn't leave any evidence.
But if she made such a large deal with Chihaya Rei at the start of the school year, the school might suspect her.
"..."
Chihaya Rei looked at Hoshinomiya in surprise.
He didn't know how many points she'd be willing to pay for this.
He'd made her name a price because he was worried he'd ask for too little and she'd immediately accept.
He hadn't expected her to be so generous.
"Deal. And write me an IOU."
Chihaya Rei suppressed the corners of his mouth.
A delighted smile appeared on Hoshinomiya's face. "Oh, do you really not trust your teacher?"
"Of course I don't."
Chihaya Rei didn't hold back.
Out of the four homeroom teachers for this year's classes, the only normal one was Mashima Tomoya from Class A.
No wonder he'd become the Class A homeroom teacher.
Hoshinomiya Chie took out her phone and transferred 500,000 points to Chihaya Rei, then narrowed her eyes and asked,
"What if you take my points and fail to pull it off?"
"Do you really think you need to worry about that, Hoshinomiya-sensei?"
Chihaya Rei shot back, his tone turning casual.
"If I fail, I'll simply return the points. You won't lose anything."
"And if I can't pay them back, wouldn't that make me your best informant in Class D?"
But that was impossible.
How could this possibly fail?
Hoshinomiya Chie's eyes lit up when she heard that.
Chihaya Rei made such a good point.
"Mm-hmm! Then it's a deal, little Chihaya. I like you more and more."
In the blink of an eye, Hoshinomiya Chie returned to her sweet demeanor. She even tried to tempt Chihaya Rei further.
"If Class D's Class Points hit zero, I can introduce you to Honami from our class, too."
"Her name is Ichinose Honami. You've probably heard of her. She's beautiful and adorable, and definitely the most popular girl in the year."
"Not interested."
Unlike what Hoshinomiya expected, Chihaya Rei turned her down without hesitation, his words carrying a note of mockery.
"Trading your own student like that without asking her—you really are awful."
[Torture Hoshinomiya Chie: 2,516 Torture Points gained]
Hoshinomiya Chie gave an awkward little smile.
Even so, she left with a spring in her step, ready to go on a drinking binge!
All she had to do was spend her personal points to wipe out Class D's Class Points. It was a fantastic deal for her.
Chihaya Rei thought, You may think you're the one coming out ahead, but I'm the one making a killing.
After all, only he knew that he wouldn't have to do a thing. Class D's Class Points would hit zero all by themselves!
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