Discussion with Ichinose

The moment he stepped out of the student council office building, the evening breeze rushed toward him, blowing away the stifling heaviness from inside.

Bai Mu lowered his head and opened his student terminal. Looking at the four classroom surveillance permissions for the different classes lying quietly in the backend, he could not help silently mocking the school's shrewd maneuver.

A classic case of giving a slap and then offering a sweet.

They had firmly drawn the red line around top-level, school-wide surveillance access, preserving the school's absolute authority and eliminating the risk of students monopolizing intelligence beyond control. Yet they had also deliberately made a one-of-a-kind exception for him, letting him taste the benefits. Most importantly, they had patched the loophole in the rules and completely blocked anyone else from following suit and exploiting it later.

From now on, there would be only one set of class surveillance rental permissions in the entire school—an exclusive, limited edition with no possibility of duplication.

It had to be said that Advanced Nurturing High School's administration had an iron grip on its bottom line.

But Bai Mu had not lost out in the slightest.

Though he had failed to obtain a god's-eye view covering the entire school, real-time classroom surveillance for all four classes was already more than enough.

Still, Bai Mu had never been one to think along conventional lines.

He had not the slightest interest in spying on the other classes. What he wanted most was to rake in a huge pile of points.

Without any hesitation, he tapped the screen and opened a private chat with Ichinose Honami.

[Bai Mu: I secured an exclusive permission for one month. It allows real-time viewing of the classroom surveillance feeds for all four first-year classes, A through D.]

Less than three seconds after the message was sent, the other side replied almost instantly. It was clear that Ichinose kept a close eye on class developments at all times.

[Ichinose Honami: !!!!!]

[Ichinose Honami: You can really view the live feeds from all four classes?? That's incredible!!]

Even through the screen, he could feel the gentle class president's utter shock. She was probably standing there with her eyes wide open, her face full of disbelief.

It was no wonder she had lost her composure.

For the freshmen, who were still relying on connections for information and fumbling through the situation with guesses, real-time surveillance was practically an official cheat code—a crushing advantage from an entirely different level.

Bai Mu kept it brief and continued typing, directly laying out his complete harvesting plan with clear logic and calculations at every step.

[Bai Mu: I plan to split up and rent out this surveillance access. The plan is simple.]

[Bai Mu: First, approach Class A and offer them access at a high price. Everyone in Class A is disciplined and highly conscious of the rules. They rarely lose points for violations, so they won't rent the surveillance to avoid deductions. They'll rent it to prevent their class's privacy from being watched, and they'll be fully willing to pay.]

[Bai Mu: As for Class C and Class D, leave them hanging for now. We'll open rentals to them after half a month.]

The school term had only just begun. Every student still had their initial 100,000 personal points, making this the period when everyone was at their wealthiest and had the strongest cash flow.

He had given Kikyo Kushida that information because he feared that even when Class D was at death's door, they still would not understand the school rules or realize the importance of surveillance. As for those 500,000 points, Bai Mu's attitude was simple: it would be best if he could get them back, but it did not matter if he could not.

First, he could ruthlessly harvest his opponents' resources, drain the reserves of Classes C and D, and widen the points gap between the classes. Second, he could continuously keep track of his opponents' movements, allowing Class B to retain an absolute intelligence advantage and sit securely above the fray.

Killing two birds with one stone—his calculations clicked away perfectly.

After Ichinose read the full plan, she was silent for two seconds before sending a string of admiring emojis, her tone full of genuine respect.

[Ichinose Honami: So that's how it is! You're so smart, Bai Mu! Harvesting Class A's resources in advance, then timing it to keep Classes C and D in your grasp—you can make money while protecting the class. It's killing two birds with one stone!]

Unlike ordinary students who could only circle around within the rules, every one of Bai Mu's moves was part of a long-term plan—precise at every step, never wasting effort.

[Ichinose Honami: Leave all the communication with the other classes to me! I have a wide network, and I can get in touch with the people in charge of every class. I guarantee the negotiations will be handled properly, without any mistakes!]

Looking at her reply volunteering to take on the tedious work, Bai Mu's lips curved upward slightly. He had to admit that Ichinose Honami truly was the most perfect classmate one could ask for.

She was gentle and kind, overflowing with responsibility, exceptionally skilled at socializing, and knew how to take the initiative to share the workload and cooperate with her teammates' plans. She never held anyone back, nor did she interfere recklessly with decisions. With her handling the external affairs, he could avoid countless troubles and focus on planning from behind the scenes.

[Bai Mu: Fine. Also, this month's surveillance rental costs 150,000 points. Count it as a shared class expense—the class funds will reimburse 150,000.]

Keeping public and private matters separate was Bai Mu's principle.

This permission could benefit him personally, but it could also benefit the class by avoiding risks, keeping track of the situation, and allowing every Class B student to profit from it. Naturally, there was no reason for him to shoulder the full cost alone.

The instant the message was sent, a transfer notification sounded from his phone.

[You have received a transfer from Ichinose Honami: 1000000PP.]

A full million personal points—swift and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.

Bai Mu raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised. He had said the reimbursement was 150,000, yet she had immediately transferred one million. That was sincerity far beyond the expected amount.

The next second, Ichinose's explanation followed, gentle and earnest.

[Ichinose Honami: This one million is a separate thank-you payment from the class! You've revealed key rules for the class, planned for our situation, and now you've secured exclusive surveillance access, helping Class B seize the initiative and avoid risks. Your contributions are too great. This is everyone's token of appreciation, so you absolutely cannot refuse! I've already discussed it with everyone, and nobody has any objections!]

Bai Mu looked at the screen, feeling both helpless and amused.

It had to be said that Ichinose was truly good at handling people. Her emotional intelligence was absurdly high.

She had not only resolved his monthly rental costs, but also used one million points to show the class's gratitude, win people's hearts, strengthen class unity, and thoroughly tie his interests to those of Class B, ensuring that he would willingly continue planning for the class.

It had to be said that Ichinose was exceptionally clear-headed. She understood very well that in this school, where interests came first, personal bonds were far more valuable than cold, hard points. As a class leader, the most fundamental principle for someone in authority was to be clear in rewards and punishments, decisive in their stance: when generosity was called for, one must never be stingy. Those who had rendered great service to the class and quietly covered for everyone had to be rewarded lavishly, so their loyalty could be secured and their support bound to the group. But if there were any bad apples dragging down the collective and flagrantly breaking the rules, they had to be removed without mercy or favoritism.

Bai Mu did not put on a show of reluctant refusal. He accepted the transfer openly.

At Advanced Nurturing High School, refusing points meant refusing resources and confidence. There was no need to pretend otherwise.

[Bai Mu: Received. Once the follow-up negotiations are complete, I'll give you access to all the viewing channels. We'll share all core class developments.]

[Ichinose Honami: Thank you so much, Bai Mu!!]

After ending the chat, Bai Mu put away his phone and strolled down the tree-lined path back to the dormitory.