On Anchoring the Scope of Surveillance Leases

Bai Mu paid no mind to Kikyo Kushida's actions. After all, it was merely an idle move. What mattered was that Manabu Horikita had finally made the call he had been waiting for.

Bai Mu raised an eyebrow and tapped to accept the call.

A deep, magnetic young man's voice came through the phone—steady and cool, instantly recognizable as student council president Manabu Horikita. Without any needless pleasantries, he got straight to the point, crisp and direct. "Bai Mu, come to the student council office after school. The student council has reached a final decision regarding the surveillance access rental permission you applied for."

The moment he finished speaking, he hung up immediately, so decisive it was almost domineering.

Listening to the busy tone in his ear, an amused smile flashed across Bai Mu's eyes.

Sure enough, what was meant to come would come eventually.

Ever since he had boldly submitted his application to rent access to the entire school's surveillance system several days ago, he had been waiting for the result. He knew perfectly well that such top-level access—touching upon the school's core control mechanisms and nearly monopolizing all intelligence throughout the campus—would never be approved so easily. The "review result" Manabu Horikita mentioned would most likely be a heavily reduced version of the authority he had requested.

But it did not matter. He had never expected to reach the top in a single step. Getting even a portion of the benefits would already be good enough.

The long school day gradually came to an end, and the dismissal bell rang through the campus right on schedule.

His classmates left in groups, either heading to the cafeteria for food or gathering to discuss the class's next moves. Ichinose Honami even turned back to invite Bai Mu to a small class get-together, but he once again declined with a smile.

Avoiding the bustling crowds, Bai Mu headed alone toward the student council building at an unhurried pace.

The evening sunlight spilled down gently, filtering through the leaves overhead and casting mottled shadows across the walkway. The campus still appeared peaceful and quiet, but only those at the center of the game could sense the surging undercurrents of conflict beneath the surface.

By the time Bai Mu arrived at the student council building, the corridors had already grown deserted. Most of the student council members who had been busy during the day had left, and the entire building was unnaturally quiet.

Bai Mu pushed open the student council office door as though he knew the place well. Sure enough, the spacious room was completely empty except for one tall, upright figure.

Manabu Horikita sat alone behind his desk. The sharp authority he carried during the day had faded somewhat, replaced by a hint of ease. He supported his chin with one hand, lightly tapping the desktop with his fingertips as he gazed at the sunset outside the window. His expression was calm, and his presence as steady as a mountain.

The entire office was silent. Without Akane Tachibana's orderly bustle or the complicated discussions of the student council officers, only the cool composure of a master chess player sitting alone remained.

Hearing the door open, Manabu Horikita did not turn around. "You're here. Sit."

Bai Mu did not stand on ceremony. He walked directly to the desk and took a seat, relaxed and natural, without the slightest trace of the restraint or unease an ordinary freshman would show before the student council president.

One sat in silence while the other faced him. There were no unnecessary formalities, and though the atmosphere was relaxed, an unspoken contest lay beneath it.

After a long while, Manabu Horikita finally withdrew his gaze from the window and turned toward Bai Mu. There was appreciation in his eyes, mixed with a trace of helplessness. He spoke bluntly. "I'll give you the final result directly. No beating around the bush. Your previous application for real-time rental access to the entire school's surveillance system has been officially rejected following a joint review by the school and student council."

Bai Mu had anticipated this outcome long ago. His expression did not change as he quietly waited for what came next.

Seeing how calm Bai Mu was, without even a hint of surprise or disappointment, Manabu Horikita silently praised him. An ordinary freshman would show at least some disappointment and unwillingness after having an application for such top-tier authority rejected. Yet this young man before him was frighteningly composed, unruffled by honor or disgrace, already far beyond his peers.

"I know what you're thinking." Manabu Horikita gave a light laugh and continued, "You probably guessed long ago that it would be rejected. In fact, from the moment you submitted the application, you never truly expected to obtain surveillance access for the entire school. You merely wanted to test the school's bottom line, right?"

Bai Mu neither confirmed nor denied it. He simply nodded faintly, tacitly admitting it.

That had indeed been his intention. One probe, multiple gains—he never engaged in meaningless contests.

"To be honest, your idea was bold, and your planning was far-sighted enough." Manabu Horikita's tone was sincere as he spoke with genuine admiration. "Monopolizing the school's information network, seizing control of every class's strategic lifeline, and profiting from information asymmetry—if you had managed to make that move work, the entire first-year game would have been under your control alone. No freshman class, in any year, could have possessed such courage and vision."

"But the school's bottom line is far higher than you imagined."

Manabu Horikita changed tack, his expression turning solemn again as he slowly explained the logic behind the rules. "The school-wide surveillance system is the school's final control trump card. It covers every sensitive area—dormitories, corridors, forest examination sites, private passageways, and more—and involves the privacy and safety of every student. If it were fully opened to a single student, it would directly create an intelligence monopoly that no one could restrain, allowing one person to hold everyone's secrets and movements across the entire grade. At the same time, the school would completely lose its absolute authority to restrain and deter students, and the school's entire order system would be fundamentally shaken. Every class faction would exert collective pressure. The school would never risk destroying its own foundations."

Bai Mu nodded slightly. Naturally, he understood this reasoning.

The rules of Advanced Nurturing High School made points all-powerful, but not mindlessly all-powerful. Every privilege exchange had an invisible bottom line—it could not completely shake the school's ruling authority and the foundations of its order.

Access to all-area surveillance had already touched that red line. Its rejection had been inevitable.

"However, the student council has not completely denied your application."

Just as Bai Mu thought this probe had come to an end, Manabu Horikita changed tack again and offered a compromise. It gave Bai Mu enough room to save face while also granting part of the benefits.

"Following a full review by the student council and approval from the school administration, we are granting you a limited privilege: you may rent real-time surveillance access to the classrooms of the four first-year classes. The rental period is one month, and the access will be exclusively yours, with no sharing permitted."

Seeing the faint helplessness on Bai Mu's face, Manabu Horikita could not help laughing. His tone carried a hint of teasing. "Don't think it's too little. This is already the highest level of surveillance access students can obtain at present, and the only loophole the school is willing to allow."

"Starting today, the school will urgently add a new rule explicitly prohibiting any student from applying for, renting, or trading any permissions related to the school-wide surveillance system. Simply put, this is an exclusive loophole for you. Once only—there will be no next time."

The instant he heard that, Bai Mu understood.

The school had truly handled this with exceptional shrewdness.

They had used a weakened version of classroom surveillance access to satisfy his test and give the student council room to maneuver, then immediately closed the loophole in the rules to prevent anyone else from following suit.

After all, the school encouraged students to use every possible method to climb higher within this school. There was no reason to stop their wild ideas.

"In other words, I'm the only student who will temporarily possess class surveillance access, and no one can replicate it afterward?" Bai Mu asked calmly.

"That's right." Manabu Horikita nodded in confirmation, his tone certain. "This review was both an opportunity for you and a trial run for the school's rules. With one application, you obtained a permanent school rule. No matter how you calculate it, you are not losing out in this deal."

Bai Mu shook his head helplessly, forced to admit that the other man had a point.

Although he had failed to obtain the ultimate trump card of all-area surveillance access, exclusive classroom surveillance was still far more valuable than it appeared.

The classrooms of the four classes were the core venues where each class plotted, discussed strategies, formed alliances, and laid out plans. Most plans for class confrontations, methods of internal competition, underhanded schemes against opponents, and internal conflicts and calculations would be decided in the classroom.

Possessing real-time classroom surveillance meant grasping the core movements of all four classes.

It was not quite a god's-eye view, but it was undeniably a top-tier intelligence advantage—enough for him to continue seizing the initiative and remain firmly in control in the upcoming class struggles.

"And the price?" Bai Mu did not dwell on the disappointment of his reduced authority and went straight to the most critical question.

There were no free privileges in the world. Every special authority at Advanced Nurturing High School came with a steep point cost.

Hearing this, Manabu Horikita gave an exact number. "A monthly rental fee of 150,000 private points, paid in full upfront. The authority will take effect immediately and last for thirty days. It will be automatically revoked upon expiration, with no renewal option."

The price was not cheap. For an ordinary freshman, it amounted to a month and a half of full basic points—enough to make most people back away.

"Fine." Bai Mu nodded decisively without the slightest hesitation. "Make it effective immediately."

Manabu Horikita watched his resolute manner, and the appreciation in his eyes deepened.

He did not dwell on gains and losses, nor did he wallow in regret. He assessed the pros and cons precisely and made decisions decisively. Such temperament and vision far surpassed that of most upperclassmen. No wonder his younger sister, Suzune Horikita, had always been at a disadvantage before him.

"I've already had the backend staff activate the authorization. Your student terminal has been synced with the permissions, and you can view the live classroom feeds of all four classes at any time," Manabu Horikita said evenly.

No matter how one looked at it, Bai Mu had come out ahead.

Not only had Bai Mu secured this one-of-a-kind privilege of accessing scarce intelligence, he had also successfully tested the school's limits on its rules and gained a clearer understanding of the student council's way of handling matters.