Sakagami Kazuma stood at the classroom podium and cleared his throat. "Everyone, next Friday will be this semester's first exam. Students who fail to reach the passing mark will face expulsion, so please take it seriously."
"Kaneda, arrange for the students with better grades to hold study sessions for those with worse grades. I want to see your review results every day," Ryuuen messaged Kaneda from his seat.
As for why he had not asked Hiyori to organize the study sessions, it was because Ryuuen had noticed that she had looked terrible these past few days.
If she had merely been in a bad mood, Ryuuen could have used all sorts of methods to make the girl laugh. But when it came to physical pain, there was little he could do. Other than telling her to drink more hot water, he truly had no solution. Ryuuen had never set foot in a kitchen, so he could not do something like make ginger brown sugar water for his girlfriend like other men did. The only thing he could do was bother Hiyori less lately.
Girls on their periods were often overly sensitive. To Hiyori, Ryuuen's behavior looked like deliberate distancing, and it made her heart ache. Yet her pride would not allow her to ask him why, and Ryuuen was not the kind of person who would take the initiative to explain himself.
While fiddling with his Student ID Card, Ryuuen unexpectedly received a message from Horikita Manabu.
"Come to the Student Council after school. —Horikita Manabu (Student Council President)"
How presumptuous. He had even deliberately stated his position to hint that Ryuuen should not miss the appointment. Ryuuen was not surprised that Horikita Manabu had found his contact information, but he could not figure out why this third year student wanted to see him. Had his purchase of points from Mizuno Kosei been exposed?
After thinking it over for a while, Ryuuen still decided to visit the Student Council alone. Horikita Manabu was the Student Council President, after all. It would not be good if standing him up led to him causing trouble for Ryuuen in the future. Though Ryuuen did not think Horikita Manabu was the kind of person who would do such a thing, there was no harm in being cautious.
Dusk fell. Since Horikita Manabu had only said after school and had not specified a time, Ryuuen deliberately delayed until very late before heading to the Student Council. If Horikita Manabu had already left, Ryuuen would have a perfectly valid excuse—and might even be able to turn the tables.
Unfortunately, when he knocked on the Student Council door, Horikita Manabu was sitting in the Student Council President's chair.
"You waited this long without leaving. You're quite patient, President."
Horikita Manabu was the only one in the room, so Ryuuen casually sat down on the sofa and crossed one leg over the other. "Heh, your little lackey isn't here. Looks like you want to talk about Suzune."
Horikita Manabu tapped the desk twice with his knuckles. "Tachibana is not my lackey. She is the Student Council secretary."
"Whatever. It's all the same. Let's get to the point. I don't have time to chat with you."
With the Student Council President's little lackey absent, Ryuuen could not even get a cup of tea here.
"Are you close with Suzune?"
"Shouldn't you have investigated that already? Asking me now is redundant, isn't it?"
"I only know what is on the surface. I cannot know what happens behind the scenes, or what either of you truly thinks."
"You don't even deny investigating me, Horikita-senpai. Do you think I'll tell you?"
"Ten thousand points should be enough to buy some information from you."
"Oh? The Student Council President is quite generous. Why don't you just ask Suzune directly? Oh, right, I remember now. Your relationship with your own sister isn't very good."
That remark seemed to hit Horikita Manabu where it hurt. His gaze sharpened considerably.
"Don't look at me like that. It was easy to deduce that you two are siblings, and just as easy to deduce that you don't get along."
That was the truth. Horikita Manabu had not deliberately concealed anything, so it was easy for others to discover his sibling relationship with Suzune.
"What does the Student Council President want to know?"
Since Ryuuen had come all this way, it would be unreasonable not to make a little extra money. Since Horikita Manabu wanted to buy some information, Ryuuen would sell it to him. Even if the information was completely fabricated, Horikita Manabu would not go to Horikita Suzune to verify it. The initiative was in Ryuuen's hands; he even considered raising the price.
"Do you like Suzune?"
"I do. I like all pretty girls."
"Does Suzune like you?"
"She does. I'm so handsome—there isn't a girl who wouldn't like me."
Horikita Manabu frowned. Half of what Ryuuen said was true and half was false. He had not asked Ryuuen to tell the truth in the first place, and even if he had, Ryuuen might not have done so. But Ryuuen's words still held value for Horikita Manabu.
"There's been too much probing, Horikita Manabu." Ryuuen was a little thirsty and wanted to end the conversation quickly.
Calling an upperclassman by name was impolite, especially when that person was the Student Council President. Yet Horikita Manabu did not get angry over it. He still wore that stern expression. Though Horikita Manabu in the original story was cold and difficult to approach, he was actually an upright, warmhearted, and highly responsible person.
Probably a slightly tsundere sister complex, too.
"One million points. Stay away from my sister." Horikita Manabu tapped the desk again, then stood and sat opposite Ryuuen.
"The Student Council President really is generous. Don't tell me you've been embezzling funds. What a shame, though—I, Ryuuen, may love money, but I'm not short on this much."
Ryuuen immediately moved behind Horikita Manabu and placed his left hand on Horikita Manabu's right shoulder. "I'll offer ten million. Give Tachibana Akane to me!"
Ryuuen's palm tightened, wrinkling Horikita Manabu's shoulder with deep folds.
Horikita Manabu did not sit still and take it. He countered by grabbing Ryuuen's hand, staring straight into his eyes. "Tachibana is not a commodity, and you don't have ten million!"
He could now confirm that his purchase of points had not been discovered. Even if his negotiations with Horikita Manabu had broken down, he had obtained valuable information, so it was not a loss.
"Brother-in-law, aren't you being a little too controlling?"
Ryuuen shook free of Horikita Manabu's grip and returned to his seat.
The term Brother-in-law infuriated Horikita Manabu. This damned sister complex would one hundred and ten percent refuse to see Ryuuen and Suzune end up together.
"No deal?" As the ruler of the third year, Horikita Manabu had plenty of ways to deal with this junior. But he did not want to retaliate against someone for personal reasons. He had originally intended to transfer the points to Ryuuen from his private account.
"There is a deal." Ryuuen put on a smile, as though he had not been the one acting so aggressively just moments ago. Even Horikita Manabu found the sight somewhat hard to adjust to, and he could not help wondering whether Ryuuen had always been this slippery.
"State your conditions." Since there was room to negotiate, Horikita Manabu naturally wanted to continue. But if Ryuuen's conditions crossed his bottom line, the negotiation would still collapse.
"My condition is simple. The first year will hold an exam in one week. According to school custom, the exam questions are roughly the same every year. I want this year's exam to be rewritten, completely different from previous years' questions!"
Horikita Manabu hesitated for a moment. Ryuuen was not asking for the answers, and considering how Ryuuen had previously demanded points from Class D, it was easy to guess what he intended to do. Horikita Manabu could fulfill this request.
"Suzune does need to go through some things to grow. I can agree to your condition, and I hope you can keep your promise as well." Horikita Manabu seemed to relax.
"Of course. Merchants value integrity above all else," Ryuuen replied with a smile, thinking, I won't provoke Horikita, but if Horikita provokes me, that won't count as breaking the agreement.
Before leaving, Ryuuen kindly reminded Horikita Manabu, "Brother-in-law, don't forget to transfer one million one hundred thousand points to me."
With a grim expression, Horikita Manabu opened his Student ID Card. Spending one hundred thousand points to watch Ryuuen narcissistically praise himself was something Horikita Manabu decided to take to his grave.
Before you continue