Unexpected Gains

The afternoon sun was at its most intense, with warm breezes sweeping across the campus paths.

Hoshida No followed Ayanokoji around the corner, his pace suddenly slowing.

Under the shade of trees not far ahead, three figures were moving in a hurry, their posture revealing something distinctly suspicious.

Leading them was a young man with long, dark red hair, the ends resting casually on his shoulders. He wore his school blazer draped over his back, his shoulders swaying slightly as he walked, exuding a rebellious, ruffian-like air.

The student with short black hair beside him was somewhat stocky, yet he held another student's arms in a vice-like grip, a grin plastered on his face.

The boy being held had his school uniform collar askew, and he was being dragged by the two toward the back of the school building.

Hoshida No's gaze sharpened instantly, his fingertips subconsciously reaching for the phone in his pocket.

He knew all too well what kind of place lay behind the school building.

That area was surrounded by dense shrubbery and contained only an abandoned utility room—a blind spot in the surveillance he had discovered on the first day of school.

"Interesting." He murmured under his breath.

Lightening his footsteps, he pulled Ayanokoji to hide behind a nearby bulletin board, peeking out from behind the posters.

His phone screen lit up again; he switched to video mode, the lens peering over the bushes to precisely capture the backs of the three and the direction they were heading.

The long-haired man seemed to sense something and glanced back. Hoshida No immediately lowered his body, only raising the phone again once that gaze had swept past.

Ayanokoji leaned against the bulletin board, his eyes calmly watching the three figures disappear in the direction of the utility room.

He tapped his fingertips lightly against the wall and said, "The red-haired one is Ryuen Kakeru from Class 1-C. I hear he's already injured many students in his class. The one next to him is his lackey, Ishizaki Daichi. The one being held... seems to be from Class 1-C as well."

"You know them, Ayanokoji?" Hoshida No raised an eyebrow, asking while adjusting the phone's angle to film the entrance of the utility room. "Is Ryuen Kakeru trying to unify his class?"

"I saw them once while eating," Ayanokoji said flatly. "I heard that Ryuen Kakeru is demanding that everyone in the class hand over their points."

"In other words, this Ryuen Kakeru has the final say in Class C and holds a lot of personal points." Hoshida No confirmed directly, putting his phone away. "A surveillance blind spot, no one will notice if they throw a few punches. He certainly knows how to pick a spot."

On the other side.

"Just ten minutes late with the class fee, and you dare to hide from me?" Ryuen Kakeru's voice carried his habitual arrogance as his fingers twisted the boy's collar hard. "Class C doesn't keep trash. Do you think you can escape by hiding?"

The boy stammered, trying to defend himself, but Ryuen interrupted him with a shove that made him stumble, nearly crashing into the wall.

Hoshida No's expression darkened as he aimed his lens at the scene in the utility room.

His movements were covert, his fingers sliding quickly to adjust the angle, recording Ryuen's demeanor, Ishizaki's provocations, and the boy's suppressed expression one by one.

A "click" sound of a shutter echoed.

"Who's there? Come out!" Ryuen Kakeru's roar carried undisguised malice. He stopped his fist mid-air, his knuckles turning white from the force.

He whipped his head around, his sharp gaze sweeping across the bushes.

The branches and leaves of the bushes rustled in the wind. Hoshida No didn't answer immediately; instead, he swiped his phone screen rapidly to encrypt and save the video and photos he had just captured before slowly pushing aside the branches and stepping out.

Sunlight fell on his face through the gaps in the leaves, his expression blank.

"Ryuen-kun, no need to be so hot-headed." He shook the phone in his hand. Although the screen had gone dark, it felt like he was holding a ticking time bomb. "It's just a commemorative photo of 'class unity' and a recording of Ryuen-kun's highlight reel. Is there any need to be so loud?"

Ishizaki Daichi bristled instantly, clenching his fists as he charged forward. "Cut the crap! Hand over the phone, or I'll wreck you!"

He was tall and sturdy, bringing a gust of wind with him as he rushed over, his fist aimed straight at Hoshida No's face.

Hoshida No dodged to the side, his movement as light as a breeze, and took half a step back, ending up right beside Ayanokoji, who had followed him out.

Ayanokoji still had his hands in his pockets, his calm gaze sweeping over Ishizaki's fist. He didn't move, yet his presence inexplicably made Ishizaki falter.

"Ishizaki-kun, you'd better think clearly before you make a move." Hoshida No's voice turned colder. "Even though this is a surveillance blind spot, when I was recording just now, I already shared my real-time location with a reliable friend.

If anything happens to me, I'm afraid these videos and photos will appear on the school administration's desks immediately, won't they?"

Ryuen Kakeru's gaze was like tempered ice, staring fixedly at Hoshida No's phone before sweeping over the indifferent Ayanokoji. The malice in his eyes churned. "What exactly do you want?"

He knew that anyone who could appear here was definitely not a simple character, and he couldn't afford to gamble on the claim of shared location, even if there was only a ten percent chance it was true.

He hadn't yet fully conquered Class C. If evidence of him violently extorting classmates were exposed, not only would the authority he had worked so hard to establish collapse, but he might also face punishment—or even expulsion.

The boy being held took the opportunity to shrink into a corner, hugging his arms and shivering, not daring to make a sound.

Hoshida No's tone was blunt: "It's simple. An information trade."

He raised his phone. "I have the video from just now, as well as footage of you extorting classmates under the guise of class fees and punishing them with violence."

"Are you threatening me?" Ryuen Kakeru took two steps forward, an overwhelming pressure bearing down on them. His voice was very low, filled with grinding teeth.

"A trade, not a threat." Hoshida No emphasized. "1.2 million points, and I'll delete all evidence and never leak it. Furthermore, I'm only selling the information on this month's hidden deductions; how you manage the class afterward has nothing to do with me."

Ishizaki Daichi roared, "The hell you aren't! You're robbing us!"

"Robbery lacks technical skill." Hoshida No's expression remained unchanged. "Ryuen-kun is a smart man; you should know how cost-effective this deal is. 1.2 million points to ensure Class C doesn't get additional point deductions and to keep your current position secure—it's worth it, right?"

He paused, then added, "Besides, the evidence I have isn't limited to this. For instance, the classmates you injured hold quite a grudge against you."

Ryuen Kakeru's pupils constricted sharply. Although he didn't know what "additional point deductions" meant, he knew very well what he had done to the people in his class over the past few days.

Every day during class, they would look at him with venomous eyes. It wasn't impossible that some fool had already reported the matter and provided a statement.

He stared fixedly at Hoshida No for a full half-minute; the gunpowder-like tension in the air seemed ready to solidify.

Ishizaki was restless on the side, but he was stopped by a single look from Ryuen.

"Fine." Ryuen Kakeru spat out the word through gritted teeth, the malice in his eyes nearly overflowing. "Account number."

Hoshida No recited a string of digits, nodded as he watched the notification of the points arriving on his phone screen.

Right in front of Ryuen, he deleted the videos and photos from his phone, showed him the cleared records from the trash bin and the cloud, and even sent over the detailed breakdown of the hidden point deductions. "Pleasure doing business with you, Ryuen-kun. I hope that the next time we meet, you'll have adopted a more gentle management style."

After saying this, he turned his head to Ayanokoji and said, "Let's go."

The two turned and left, and from behind them came Ryuen's voice, suppressed to the extreme: "Hoshida No, was it? I'll remember you."

Hoshida No did not look back, merely waving his hand, his voice devoid of emotion: "You're welcome to trade again anytime."

The two walked side by side around the corner. Ayanokoji slowly spoke up: "Did you have videos of other students?"

Hoshida No turned, looking puzzled. "No, I just recorded that video in separate segments."

Ayanokoji realized what he meant. "So you were lying to him. Tell me, aren't you afraid that Ryuen Kakeru will realize it and come after you for revenge?"

"Revenge?" Hoshida No chuckled, pulling out his phone and giving it a shake. "I still have backups, and Ryuen Kakeru isn't the type to make a losing deal. What he needs most right now is to stabilize his class, not to have a falling out with me."

He paused, a flash of cunning, though not entirely obvious, crossing his eyes. "I didn't lie to him; the information I gave him was accurate. I just helped him filter out some useless data."

Hoshida No pulled out his phone and displayed his friend request QR code. "Besides, aren't you here too? At the very least, he won't be targeting only me."

The two added each other as friends, and Hoshida No transferred the 250,000 points they had agreed upon earlier.

Ayanokoji saw the 250,000 points arrive and silently accepted them; after all, it was just one more Ryuen Kakeru to deal with.