No Exclusivity

During lunch break two days later, Yuto received a message from Kushida.

"There's a new development. Meet at the usual place."

Yuto put down the book in his hand, rose, and left the classroom. He had been waiting for this message for the past two days. Sakayanagi, Ichinose, and Ryuuen had probably finished considering their options. Whatever their decisions were, they would give a clear answer. He had guessed at several possibilities—Sakayanagi might try to bargain him down, Ichinose might hesitate, and Ryuuen might ignore them outright. But exactly how things would proceed depended on their own judgment.

By the time he arrived at the cake shop, Kushida was already sitting in their usual spot. A cup of milk tea sat before her, and she held her phone in one hand. Her expression was more complicated than it had been two days ago, looking both excited and somewhat confused.

"What is it?" Yuto asked as he sat down.

"They all replied," Kushida said in a lowered voice. "But it wasn't quite what I expected."

"How so?"

Kushida handed him her phone. The screen displayed chat logs from the anonymous platform.

"Sakayanagi Arisu from Class A replied," Kushida said. "She's willing to pay six hundred thousand, one hundred thousand more than our asking price, but she has a condition."

"Exclusivity?"

Kushida nodded. "She said she wanted Class A to be the only class that knew this information. If we sell it to the other classes, she won't buy it. She also said that if the information is real, we could work together long-term in the future. She's willing to pay above market price for our intel."

Yuto did not respond immediately. Sakayanagi really was clever. She had recognized the value of this information at a glance and was willing to spend extra to secure an informational advantage. The long-term cooperation proposal also showed that she did not merely want this one piece of intelligence—she wanted to control this channel too. If they agreed, they would become her people from then on. The terms looked tempting, but in reality, they would be tying themselves to one tree.

"What about Ichinose?" Yuto asked.

"Honami Ichinose from Class B also replied," Kushida said. "She wants exclusivity too. She said Class B is willing to pay five hundred and fifty thousand and hopes for exclusive rights. Her reasoning is different from Sakayanagi's. She said that if Class B could learn how the point system worked in advance, they could better help their classmates and keep everyone from making unnecessary mistakes. She didn't say anything about suppressing the other classes. She only said she wanted her class to have more time to prepare."

"And Ryuuen?"

"Kakeru Ryuuen from Class C replied too," Kushida said. "He was very direct. He only said one thing: What information? Name your price. He didn't mention exclusivity. He just wanted to know the price."

Yuto lifted his glass and took a sip of water, his mind racing.

The leaders of all three classes had replied personally, and their attitudes were completely different. Sakayanagi wanted exclusivity to reinforce Class A's dominant position, which fit her usual style—creating advantages through information gaps and finishing her arrangements before others had even reacted. That was exactly what she was like in the original story. She liked placing her pieces on the board in advance, so that by the time her opponent realized what was happening, it was already too late. Class A's current standing owed much to her ability to plan. Ichinose wanted exclusivity so she could better look after her classmates. She always put her class's interests first, and her motives were far simpler than Sakayanagi's. She was not trying to suppress anyone else; she only wanted to protect her own people. Ryuuen not mentioning exclusivity showed that he was more pragmatic. He only cared about the value of the information itself, not whether anyone else knew it. His style was straightforward—if something was useful, he would buy it; if it was useless, he would not even look at it. Dealing with someone like him was actually the simplest.

"What do you think?" Kushida asked. "Sakayanagi offered six hundred thousand, and Ichinose offered five hundred and fifty thousand. Both are above our asking price. If we accept exclusivity, we can earn quite a few more points. And if we only sell to one person, there is less risk of the information spreading, so it will be harder for our identities to be exposed."

Yuto put down his glass.

"Reject them."

Kushida froze. "Reject them?"

"Yes. We don't sell exclusive rights."

"Why?" Kushida asked. "They're offering more, and an exclusive deal is safer for us. I don't understand why you'd turn it down."

"Exclusivity is indeed safer," Yuto said. "But if we only sell to one person, we can only make money once. And whoever we sell to, we'll offend the other two classes. If we sell to Class A, Classes B and C won't do business with us in the future. If we sell to Class B, Classes A and C will resent us too. There's no need to tie ourselves to any one class."

Kushida thought about it without speaking.

"And there's another issue," Yuto said. "If we sell exclusivity to Sakayanagi, she becomes the only person who knows this information. She can use it to arrange things during the exams and suppress all the other classes completely. In that case, the balance of the entire grade will be broken. Once Class A dominates alone, the other classes' points will shrink. Who will have the spare points to buy intelligence from us afterward?"

"What you care about is future business?"

"Yes," Yuto said. "I don't care who wins or loses, but I care whether this market can continue. If Class A crushes everyone else, then only Class A will be able to afford our information in the future. Then it becomes a buyer's market. The price will no longer be up to us—it will be up to Sakayanagi. So I can't let any class monopolize information. Staying neutral benefits us the most."

Kushida looked at him, her eyes carrying a hint of deliberation. After several seconds, she nodded.

"So you plan to sell it to everyone?"

"Not everyone," Yuto said. "We'll sell it to anyone willing to pay. But I won't create a monopoly. Everyone has the right to buy this information. We won't restrict buyers, and we won't grant anyone exclusive rights. First come, first served. One price for everyone. A fair deal. The unit price will be lower this way, but the total volume may be higher. And the benefit of staying neutral is that no matter who wants to buy intelligence in the future, they'll come to us. We won't become the subordinate of any class."

"Then what price do we set?"

"Still five hundred thousand," Yuto said. "Sakayanagi is willing to pay six hundred thousand for exclusivity, but we aren't selling exclusivity. If she's willing to pay five hundred thousand for a non-exclusive version, we can sell it to her. Same for Ichinose. Same for Ryuuen. If they don't want it, we won't force them."

"If we don't sell exclusivity, they might not buy," Kushida said. "Especially Sakayanagi. Someone like her probably can't stand having the same information as other people."

"Then let them decide," Yuto said. "We'll make the terms clear: the information is genuine and reliable, it isn't exclusive, and the price is five hundred thousand. Tell Ryuuen the price directly. Someone like him likes things straightforward. No need to beat around the bush."

Kushida thought for a while, then nodded.

She picked up her phone and began drafting replies. She replied to Sakayanagi first: "Thank you for your interest. Our information is genuine, but we do not sell exclusive rights. Every class has the right to purchase it, on a first-come, first-served basis. The price is five hundred thousand, non-negotiable. If you are interested, we can discuss the delivery method further."

Then she made slight adjustments to the same content and sent it to Honami Ichinose's chat.

Lastly, she sent Kakeru Ryuuen a more concise reply: "Insider information on the point system. Five hundred thousand. If interested, we can discuss further."

After sending them, she placed her phone on the table.

"Done. Sent."

Yuto nodded.

The two sat in the cake shop for a while without speaking. The shop was quiet, with only the occasional sound of Miki organizing tools behind the counter. Yuto leaned back in his chair and looked out the window. He wondered what expression Sakayanagi would have when she received that message. She would probably be a little surprised. After all, in Class A, few people refused her terms. But she would not be too angry either, because she understood that business involved both parties, and it was normal for sellers to have their own considerations.

A few minutes later, Kushida's phone vibrated.

"Sakayanagi replied."

"What did she say?"

Kushida looked at the screen and read aloud. "Interesting. If you don't sell exclusivity, aren't you afraid that after I get the information, I'll turn around and tell everyone else? After all, you don't restrict buyers."

Yuto did not hesitate after hearing that.

"Tell her: You won't."

Kushida was stunned. "Why are you so sure?"

"Because she's not that kind of person," Yuto said. "She wants exclusivity so she can hold the advantage herself, not so she can spread the information everywhere. If she got the information and told everyone, it would lose its value, and the money she spent would be wasted. And if she really spread it everywhere, she would be telling everyone that she bought our intelligence. She wouldn't do something that stupid. Sakayanagi Arisu is very cautious. She won't ruin her own reputation for a momentary thrill."

Kushida edited Yuto's words and sent them over.

A moment later, Sakayanagi's response arrived.

"An interesting seller. I'll consider it."

Kushida turned the phone screen toward Yuto.

"She says she'll consider it," Kushida said. "She didn't reject us outright. Do you think she's really considering it, or is she stalling for time to investigate us?"

"She's really considering it," Yuto said. "Sakayanagi weighs things over and over before making any decision. She won't agree on impulse, and she won't refuse because of a momentary dissatisfaction. If she says she'll consider it, that means she is seriously evaluating the pros and cons of this deal. We just wait."

Kushida nodded and took back her phone.

Just then, it vibrated again.

"Ichinose replied too."

"What did she say?"

Kushida looked at the screen, her expression softening slightly.

"She said: I understand your choice. If the information is real, I can accept five hundred thousand. I don't need exclusivity. I only want to make sure the Class B students can prepare in advance and don't suffer because they don't understand the rules. She also said she believes we're honestly running an information business and won't cheat her out of her points."

After hearing that, Yuto's impression of Honami Ichinose improved by several degrees. Unlike Sakayanagi, what she cared about was not suppressing others, but protecting her classmates. That motivation made her request purer and made her easier to work with. And she said she trusted them. In this environment where everyone was suspicious of one another, those words were rare.

"Tell her that's fine," Yuto said. "Have her pay first. Once we receive the points, we'll send her the information. Guarantee that the information is genuine and reliable. If she finds that it is false, she can get a refund."

"Pay first?" Kushida looked up at him. "Won't she worry that we'll take the money and deny everything?"

"She will worry," Yuto said. "But those are our rules. Information is the kind of thing that loses value once it has been revealed. We have to receive payment before delivery. There's no room for negotiation. If she doesn't trust us, she doesn't have to buy it. But based on what I know about Ichinose, she'll choose to trust us. Because at heart, she's someone willing to trust others."

Kushida looked at him for several seconds, then lowered her head and replied to Ichinose as he instructed.

This time, Ichinose's reply came even faster.

"All right. Then how do we make the transaction?"

Kushida looked at Yuto, waiting for his instructions.

"Tell her to transfer the points to the temporary account linked to the anonymous account. The platform should support point transfers. Once she completes the transfer and we confirm receipt, we'll send her the information."

Kushida worked her phone for a few moments, confirmed the transfer method, and sent it over.

"She says okay. She'll transfer it today," Kushida said, unable to hide the excitement in her voice. "So our first deal is really going to happen?"

"It doesn't count until the points arrive," Yuto said, though his tone was more relaxed than before. "We'll talk after they arrive. But Ichinose is someone who keeps her word. If she says she'll transfer them, she definitely will."

Kushida put away her phone and took a sip of milk tea.

"What about Ryuuen?" she asked. "He only replied with a question mark."

"Ryuuen is suspicious by nature. He won't hand over money easily," Yuto said. "Leave him alone for now. Once the deal with Ichinose goes through and word gets out, he'll come looking for us himself. By then, it won't be us asking him to buy. It'll be him asking us to sell."

Kushida nodded.

"Lin."

"Yeah?"

"Have you ever thought about what Sakayanagi Arisu would think if she found out the two of us were behind all this?"

"She won't find out," Yuto said. "As long as nothing goes wrong with the anonymous account, she'll never know who the sellers are. And even if she guesses, she won't have proof."

"You think she can't figure it out?"

Yuto fell silent for a moment. He knew Sakayanagi Arisu's mind better than anyone. In the original story, she was one of the smartest people in the entire school, capable of competing with Ayanokoji Kiyotaka in battles of wits. If she seriously investigated, she might very well guess that the seller was in Class D and even narrow it down to several people. But so what? Even if she guessed, she had no proof. As long as she had no proof, he was safe.

"She might figure it out," Yuto said. "But as long as we don't admit it, she can't do anything. And even if she knows it's us, she won't do anything. She's a smart person. She knows it benefits her to maintain a good relationship with us. After all, we have information she wants. As long as we can keep providing valuable information, she won't touch us."

Kushida looked at him, something indescribable in her eyes.

"You really have guts."

"I'm not that bad," Yuto said. "Since we're already here, we might as well do something big. I could live quietly and behave myself at school, but that's not the life I want."

Kushida smiled and said nothing more.

The two remained in the cake shop for a while longer, confirming the next steps. Ichinose would make the transfer by the end of the day, and once it arrived, they would send her the information. Yuto had already prepared the content: a detailed explanation of how class points and individual points were linked, as well as how the points would change after the first month. This information was not much of a secret to him, but for everyone else, it was a world-shattering revelation.

They would leave Sakayanagi alone for now and wait for her decision. Yuto judged there was an eighty percent chance she would buy, though she needed time to decide whether the information was worth it without exclusive rights. As for Ryuuen, they would ignore him for the time being and wait for him to approach them.

When Yuto left the cake shop and walked back toward the classroom, his mind was still turning over what had just happened.

Sakayanagi Arisu, Honami Ichinose, Kakeru Ryuuen. He had already made contact with the leaders of all three classes. Ichinose had been the most straightforward, Sakayanagi was weighing her options, and Ryuuen was watching from the sidelines. This opening was better than he had expected. He had learned about the personalities of those three in the original story, but actually dealing with them felt completely different. Sakayanagi's sharpness and speed of reaction were even faster than he had expected, Ichinose's decisiveness also exceeded his expectations, and Ryuuen's caution showed that he was not someone easily fooled.

He returned to the classroom and took his seat. During the afternoon lessons, he kept watching his phone. He barely heard what the teacher at the podium was saying. His mind was occupied with Sakayanagi and Ichinose. Just before school ended, his phone finally lit up.

It was a message from Kushida.

"Ichinose transferred it. Five hundred thousand points received."

Yuto stared at the words on the screen in silence for two seconds, then the corner of his mouth lifted.

His first pot of gold was in hand.

He sent Kushida a reply: "Good. Send her the information. Tell her thank you for her patronage, and she can contact us again if she needs anything in the future."

After sending it, he put his phone back into his pocket and leaned against the back of his chair.

Five hundred thousand points. Thirty percent would go to Kushida, leaving him with three hundred and fifty thousand. Including the points he had saved from the cake shop, he now had nearly four hundred thousand points on hand. That was enough money for him to make some arrangements in the upcoming exams. He calculated in his head that there were many things he could do next—place bets in special exams, buy low and sell high for profit, or even use the money to recruit useful sources of information. But those were matters for later. First, he needed to stabilize what was in front of him.

A short while later, Kushida sent another message.

"I already sent it to Ichinose. She replied that she received it and said thank you. She also said that if the information is genuine, she'll help us keep the source secret."