The Farmer and the Snake (Seeking Everything)

"Where, where are you going, Ayanokoji?" Horikita Suzune asked, watching Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's retreating figure as he stood up and headed toward the classroom door.

"The restroom," Ayanokoji replied indifferently.

He really does love meddling in other people's business, Ayanokoji.

Watanabe Hayabara noticed Horikita Suzune seemed to be on the verge of standing up as well, so he asked, "Horikita, is there something you need to do too?"

Horikita Suzune's gaze fell upon Watanabe Hayabara, and she said slowly, "I feel like Ayanokoji is hiding something from me."

Watanabe Hayabara couldn't help but smile, offering comfort: "Horikita, aren't you being a bit too suspicious? Maybe Ayanokoji just really needs to use the restroom."

However, Horikita Suzune did not think so. She insisted, "No, I have a feeling he's going to see Chabashira Sae. We should follow him and see, Watanabe-kun."

Still love meddling in other people's business.

With that, Horikita Suzune stood up resolutely, ready to leave her seat.

As she walked out, she turned back to wave at Watanabe Hayabara, signaling for him to follow. Watanabe Hayabara hesitated for a moment, ultimately shook his head in resignation, and stood up to follow her.

The two left the classroom together and first arrived at the faculty office. However, when they pushed the door open, they found it completely empty.

Horikita Suzune was not discouraged. She seemed to have a sudden realization, turned around, and headed toward the rooftop. Seeing this, Watanabe Hayabara could only shove his hands into his pockets and follow her silently.

"Please sell me the points required for three students to pass," Ayanokoji said with a serious expression.

Upon hearing this, Chabashira Sae's eyes widened as if she had heard something utterly absurd. She suddenly burst into loud laughter, the sound echoing through the room and drawing curious glances.

"Hahahaha! What you're saying is truly interesting, Ayanokoji-kun. You really are a unique student; this is the first time I've encountered someone like you. To actually ask me to sell you points—this is completely beyond my expectations!" Chabashira Sae said between laughs.

Ayanokoji was not affected by her laughter. He remained calm and explained, "Teacher, didn't you say on the day of the entrance ceremony that there is nothing in this school that cannot be bought with points? Since that is the case, even a midterm exam should count as an internal school matter. Therefore, I don't believe my request is unreasonable."

Chabashira Sae listened to his explanation and nodded thoughtfully. "I see. Ayanokoji-kun, your way of thinking certainly has some logic to it. However, you might not be able to afford the price!"

"Then, may I ask what the price for one point is?" Ayanokoji asked unhurriedly.

Chabashira Sae pondered for a moment before saying, "That's a difficult question, as I've never sold points before. Hmm... I'll give you a special discount: 100,000 points per point. If you can pay on the spot, it's not impossible to sell them to you."

"Then, may I ask how many points they are short of passing in total?" Although Ayanokoji had expected an astronomical figure, he still asked with a glimmer of hope.

"Sudo is short 39 points in total, Haruki Yamauchi is short 27 points, and Ijuin Wataru is only short 1 point," Chabashira Sae replied while adjusting her ponytail.

Ayanokoji could not possibly afford 6.7 million points; even many upperclassmen couldn't scrape that together. This was an outrageous demand.

"Teacher, you really are cruel, or perhaps you're just joking. 6.7 million points—no one could possibly come up with that," Ayanokoji remained expressionless.

Before Chabashira Sae could respond, Horikita, unable to contain her impatience, rushed onto the rooftop. Watanabe Hayabara had originally been holding Horikita back at the stairwell to listen in, as he did not want her involved in such meaningless affairs. Seeing her rush up, he followed at a leisurely pace.

"Chabashira-sensei, you are clearly making things difficult for us! 6.7 million points!!"

Chabashira Sae looked toward the source of the voice. "Oh, it's Horikita! Hehe, you really are an interesting bunch. But 6.7 million points, not a single point less," she laughed.

"Can't you make it a bit cheaper, Chabashira-sensei?" Ayanokoji began to negotiate.

"100,000 points per point is already my bottom line. After all, I am taking a risk by selling these points to you," Chabashira Sae replied with a smile, showing no signs of backing down.

Watanabe Hayabara spoke up at this moment: "Give it up, Horikita. These points are something you cannot afford."

His words reminded Horikita Suzune of the situation. She trotted over to Watanabe Hayabara's side and grabbed his arm. "Watanabe, don't you have a lot of points? Can you help? I know I shouldn't be asking for your help, but..."

Watanabe Hayabara offered a polite smile. "Sorry, Horikita, I don't have that many points. I can't come up with 6.7 million." As he spoke, he pulled out his phone to display his balance to everyone. What came into view was 5.4 million personal points.

Ayanokoji showed no reaction to the amount Watanabe held. Horikita froze for a moment before forcing a strained smile, while Chabashira Sae wore a meaningful grin.

For some reason, the slightly disappointed Horikita Suzune suddenly reignited. She looked up at Watanabe Hayabara's glasses. "Could you trouble Watanabe-kun to spend points to save Yamauchi-kun and Ijuin-kun? Even though it's not fair to Sudo-kun, isn't this the best solution?"

"Is this the best solution...? You're wrong, Horikita. The best solution is to abandon them."

"But..." Horikita Suzune lowered her head again.

"Sorry, Horikita, I have no obligation or responsibility to do so. Besides, you shouldn't be meddling in this. It's not your fault; you don't need to take responsibility for it, do you? Even though the practice exams were your suggestion, your original intention was to help your classmates. And them? They didn't study, yet they treated your help as a lifeline. When they failed, they shifted the blame onto the person who tried to help them. It's a classic case of the farmer and the snake, isn't it, Horikita? They aren't worth saving. The kind of trash society needs to weed out is exactly this type. Horikita, saving Ijuin-kun is the extent of my effort. After all, Ijuin-kun's hard work was witnessed by everyone. A person may lack talent, but if they are willing to put in the effort, I believe such a person is worth acknowledging. Therefore, Horikita, I will only buy the points Ijuin-kun is missing."

"Alright." Horikita Suzune knew it wasn't her responsibility, yet she still felt a lingering sense of guilt.