"No need. We've been here the whole time."
Voices came from the broken windows of the abandoned building as security personnel began jumping out one after another.
Masano knew the owner of the voice, Majima, quite well.
"Director Sakayanagi!"
"I know, Majima."
U Amakusa shrugged. "I've always trusted the school, Mr. Majima."
Majima whipped around to look at U Amakusa, his expression practically asking, What's the deal with you? Are you messing with me?
U Amakusa spread his hands. "Come on, Mr. Majima. It's always better to have a few extra safeguards, isn't it?"
This was U Amakusa's stage. He was going to send Kenichi Masano to prison anyway, so of course he'd squeeze every last bit of value out of him.
Besides, neither Majima nor Director Sakayanagi had stepped in to stop him just now.
"Amakusa, I understand that you've done the school a service by reporting this, but you went a little too far."
Director Sakayanagi was quite pleased with U Amakusa's performance, even though he'd committed a crime right in front of him.
The recording and footage would perfectly prove that this was a transaction. As long as the contents of the USB drive weren't illegal, there wouldn't be a problem.
After all, this school was all about the survival of the fittest.
Morality? They could talk about that after winning.
But what Director Sakayanagi hadn't expected was that U Amakusa would have absolutely no scruples.
He'd made Kenichi Masano take out a loan? A loan in school points? Was he treating him like an ATM?
And yet, it seemed perfectly reasonable. Doing whatever it took to gain more for yourself was exactly what this school wanted to cultivate.
U Amakusa sheepishly rubbed his head.
"Come on, I got a little carried away. Anyway, Director, since I did the school a service by reporting this, shouldn't I get a reward?"
Soon, the security personnel led Kenichi Masano away. Unless something unexpected happened, they would take him to the public security bureau in secret.
That left only U Amakusa, Mr. Majima, and Director Sakayanagi at the scene.
Of course, Director Sakayanagi had already sent people to investigate everything as soon as U Amakusa told him about it.
Still, he'd chosen to play along. He wanted to see what U Amakusa would do, and the result seemed to have met his expectations.
He'd managed to gain more for himself while staying within reasonable limits.
Kenichi Masano: This is extortion! Extortion!
"Don't worry. You'll get your share."
Majima had finally figured it out: U Amakusa had called him over just to watch the show.
U Amakusa had gotten points from Kenichi Masano and now he was getting points from the director. The number of points he had would soon reach a terrifying amount.
Was he showing off to me?
Would it have made any difference if I'd been there or not?
As Majima watched the mass of security personnel leave, he began to wonder what purpose he served.
"Now that everything's settled, I'll be leaving with Mr. Majima. I hope you'll surprise us again next time, Amakusa."
"Hey, hey, Director, don't be in such a hurry."
U Amakusa stood there, grinning as he rubbed his hands together.
Director Sakayanagi smiled. "Is there something else?"
"Director, I understand what happened with Kenichi Masano. He was taken away in secret to protect the school's reputation, right?"
U Amakusa stopped rubbing his hands and sighed.
"My love for this school runs deep. I've witnessed firsthand how wonderful Advanced Nurturing is. Even though I've been here for less than a month, I already consider this place home. But after something like this, I'm afraid I can't keep the things I have in my hands~"
The smile froze on Director Sakayanagi's face, and the corner of his mouth twitched. Was this kid threatening him?
As if that weren't enough, U Amakusa's sarcastic tone and words were unbearable.
He'd just used those things to extort Kenichi Masano, and now he was pulling the same stunt on him.
"Ah~ I gave that pervert a USB drive of funny videos just now. Well, I guess it doesn't really make a difference, does it? What should I do?"
"Two million Private Points." Director Sakayanagi reluctantly named his price.
"100 million Private Points."
"??????"
U Amakusa's outrageous demand left both men staring at him in disbelief. Majima's mouth even formed an "O."
"Amakusa, you certainly know how to joke."
Director Sakayanagi felt that playing along with U Amakusa's plan had been a mistake.
"At most, 3 million Private Points."
"Then how about 50 million? Sigh, I've already cut my demand in half. What more do you want, Director? Isn't the school's reputation worth more than a few Private Points?"
He really had no shame. This was blatant extortion.
"Three million Private Points. I can't go any higher. Having that many points in your first month would be far too much compared to the other students." Director Sakayanagi quickly waved his hands.
"30 million Private Points." U Amakusa held up three fingers.
"Amakusa, I'll add another 2 million Private Points. That should be enough, right? Being too greedy isn't a good thing."
By then, Director Sakayanagi's mood was visibly souring. Who could have imagined that one day he'd be extorted by a blond kid?
"Deal. Five million Private Points. Add the reporting reward, and that makes 10 million in total."
Without the slightest hesitation, U Amakusa immediately agreed.
"Wait, when did I say the reward for reporting would be 5 million Private Points?"
Director Sakayanagi seemed to have found an opening to strike back, and the corners of his mouth lifted.
U Amakusa pointed at Majima. "Mr. Majima said so."
Director Sakayanagi suddenly turned toward Majima, who'd been practically invisible for a while, and gave him a dangerous smile.
Seriously, man? What does this have to do with me?
When did I ever say that?
Majima frantically shook his head to show that he had no idea what was going on.
When the two of them turned back to U Amakusa, they found he had disappeared without a trace.
"Mr. Majima, I seem to recall that you were in charge of the previous class. Doesn't that mean you're due for a pay raise?"
"I think so... Director..."
"Fine. We'll talk about it after you've finished with this class."
Am I part of your little game too!?
Great. I can't believe I still have to deal with workplace bullying at my age.
In his desperation, Majima got angry for a moment—but only for a moment. He was angry, but didn't dare say anything. Who else could relate?
"Speaking of which, what exactly is U Amakusa...?"
Director Sakayanagi came back to his senses and grew serious.
"A Huben GK1 air pistol. It's not a toy gun. Guns are prohibited in this country, but hunting rifles and air guns aren't. You can own one with a firearm license. The Huben GK1 is an air pistol, but it can still be used for hunting.
"As for U Amakusa's identity... U Amakusa isn't his real name. His name is Yu Shinomiya."
"The Shinomiya Conglomerate!?!"
Majima sucked in a sharp breath when he heard that. He'd taken on one extraordinary student.
Meanwhile, U Amakusa had already made his escape, but his business wasn't finished yet.
He took out his phone and sent a message to someone. It was...
[Ichinose, what I'm about to tell you concerns the future of your Class B.]
Before you continue