After Kitahara had bought his lunch, he was about to pay when he noticed a purple-haired girl standing in front of the beer shelves.
He immediately knew who she was. Without thinking, he took out his phone, opened the camera, and slowly approached her.
She was just about to make her move. With practiced ease, she swiped a beer and replaced it with another one. Once she was done, she turned around and spotted Kitahara holding his phone.
"Hey, you. You saw that, didn't you?"
Kitahara glanced at the phone in his hand and said nothing.
But his meaning was clear enough.
"What do you want in exchange for deleting the video?"
"This isn't the place to talk. Let's wait until we're outside. Oh, and put that beer back. You're underage, so you can't drink."
"Tch, mind your own business." That was what she said, but her actions told a different story.
After they had paid, they went to a quiet spot, and Kamuro spoke first.
"Go on, then. What would it take for you to delete the video?"
I'll have to think this through. In the original story, Sakayanagi used this trick to keep ordering her around. Now it's finally my turn.
But I can't think of anything I need her to do.
Never mind. Since I've ended up in this world, I might as well change her fate.
After thinking for a moment, Kitahara spoke.
"Just promise you won't do this again, and I'll delete the video."
"That's it? No, pick something else. It feels like you're trying to trick me."
"What kind of logic is that?" Kitahara muttered.
"Ahem. Anyway, I'm Kitahara Seiichi, from Class 1-D."
His sudden introduction clearly caught her off guard, but she quickly recovered and said:
"My name's Kamuro Masumi, from Class 1-A."
"Then you should be able to trust me now, right?"
"Huh? Why?" Kamuro Masumi asked, looking confused.
How did someone like her get into Class A?
Kitahara replied helplessly, "You know what class I'm in now. If I lie to you, you can always come find me in my classroom."
"Hmph. Like I'd want to come find you," Kamuro Masumi replied haughtily.
"Right, right. Can you trust me now?"
"Hmph. Remember what you said."
Watching Kamuro Masumi walk away, Kitahara fell into thought.
That should keep Sakayanagi from getting leverage over her, right? But why do I feel like she's still going to get into trouble?
Never mind. I've done what I can. The rest is up to fate.
After returning to his dorm room, Kitahara received a message from the system.
[Received attention from Kamuro Masumi] [Received attention from Miyabi Nagumo] [Received attention from Horikita Manabu] [Received attention from Tachibana Akane]
Congratulations, Host. You have mastered Chinese cooking.
Huh? I can understand the first one, but what about the others? Did they find out what I did?
Probably. The Student Council has a lot of power, after all.
Time passed quickly, and the first month soon came to an end. Most of the students in Class D had spent the month enjoying campus life, carelessly wasting the 100,000 points they received each month.
Not just in their daily lives; in class, too, the teachers' hands-off approach had made chatting, sleeping, arriving late, and skipping class commonplace.
And before long, the day came when the points were distributed.
"What's going on?"
"You too, huh?"
"Why?"
The students of Class D all began talking at once, and soon the classroom was in an uproar.
"Everyone, return to your seats. Morning homeroom is about to begin." Chabashira-sensei walked up to the lectern.
"Teacher, my points for this month haven't come in. Weren't they supposed to be deposited on the first of every month?" Yamauchi Haruki—"Grandpa Yamauchi"—asked, raising his hand.
"No. This month's points have already been deposited." Chabashira folded her arms and spoke coldly.
"But..."
"Your points were deposited long ago. There's no doubt about that."
"The school didn't leave this class out by mistake, either."
"But they really haven't been deposited," Kanji Ike replied.
What a bunch of fools.
Kitahara Seiichi sat at the back, quietly watching the scene.
Chabashira-sensei, standing at the lectern, didn't rush to answer. Instead, she seemed to be waiting for something.
Sure enough, a message suddenly came over the intercom:
Kitahara Seiichi of Class 1-D is being commended for his outstanding performance during the first month and will receive 10 million points.
As the message played, everyone turned to look at Kitahara, who was sitting at the back. But inside, he was shouting, What the hell? These were points from the deal! Since when were they a commendation? And why broadcast this to the entire year? By the end of the morning, the whole school year will know.
"Haha, Kitahara boy, you're truly magnificent. It seems you figured out the school's evaluation system for the first month long ago." Koenji rested his feet on his desk, holding a mirror in one hand and a comb in the other as he styled his hair.
"Haha, Kitahara, tell them the truth."
There was no helping it. Kitahara could only stand up and repeat what he had said in the office.
After Kitahara finished, Chabashira continued:
"At this school, each class's performance and evaluation are reflected in the points deposited every month."
"So, as a result of this month's evaluation, you've lost all the 100,000 points you should have received. The number of points deposited into your accounts this month is zero!"
"Does that mean we're broke from now on?" Kanji Ike asked.
"Oh, and a reminder: Kitahara received 10 million points because he figured out the rules of this school on the very first day."
"What?"
"Then why didn't he tell us?"
"How am I supposed to survive this month?"
Someone in the class whispered.
"..."
So that's why he rushed out during our introductions. It must have been for this.
Even I only sensed that something was strange at the time. I can't believe he figured it out in such a short time.
Is this what defeat feels like?
Ayanokoji looked at Kitahara and thought.
Horikita stopped taking notes and kept her eyes fixed on Kitahara.
For a moment, silence fell over the classroom.