Classroom of the Elite: I Can Issue Master's Tasks

Volume One: Can I Call You Mom?

In a secluded spot that few people visited.

Ichinose Honami jogged to their meeting place, and the sight of her panting made Nangong Cheng shamelessly switch on his auto-aim.

Mm, those curves were flawless.

"Ichinose, you... I told you to take your time walking over. It's not like this Student Council spot is going to sprout wings and fly away."

"Ahaha... I just didn't want to keep you waiting too long, Nangong."

Ichinose Honami gave him a slightly sheepish smile.

The truth was that after receiving his message, she had spent ages debating whether to meet Nangong Cheng. According to the system, after all, any meeting could trigger a task.

Perhaps she really was being overly fussy.

After all, she was a "good girl" raised in that sort of environment, with that sort of upbringing. It was hard to accept the jarring, dramatic changes the system brought in such a short time.

But if it were one of those "bad students" or "bad kids" the adults talked about, Ichinose Honami thought they would probably accept something like the system without hesitation and eagerly complete its tasks.

To put it bluntly...

Even if she wasn't willing to do it, plenty of people would be.

That was why people said that everyone understood life's lessons, but understanding them alone was often not enough to live a good life.

Still, since she had chosen to come today, that choice itself meant she had already made her decision.

"Catch your breath first. There's no rush."

Meanwhile.

Nangong Cheng knew that Ichinose Honami was the sort of person who always considered others but hardly ever herself, so he could only let her catch her breath first.

"Th-thank you."

Once her breathing gradually settled, Ichinose Honami smiled, then asked with curiosity written across her face:

"Sorry for the wait... Nangong, was what you said in your message about a Student Council spot true?"

Nangong Cheng nodded.

After their earlier conversation in the cafeteria, he had never intended to actually make Ichinose Honami wait a month before approaching him about working together.

How many Points would that cost me?

It didn't fit his plan to give everyone an equal share of attention, either.

So this time, he had specifically used a Student Council spot to trick—no, invite—Ichinose Honami out.

"Yes, it's true."

"I heard you wanted to join the Student Council, but the president turned you down. Is that right, Ichinose?"

Ichinose Honami nodded, looking a little troubled.

"Yes. President Horikita said the Student Council wasn't accepting first-year students this year."

"But how did you find out about that, Nangong? I'm pretty sure I only mentioned it to my classmates."

Nangong Cheng smiled and snapped his fingers.

Looking straight into Ichinose Honami's eyes, he dangled the second piece of bait he had prepared.

"President Horikita called me in for a talk today because I sold information yesterday."

"She indicated that she wanted to invite me to join the Student Council. Then, probably to hint at how valuable the spot was, she mentioned rejecting applications from you and a student in Class A."

"But I believe in conserving energy. Unless it's necessary, I won't do something that sounds like a hassle just hearing about it, so I turned her down."

"President Horikita said she'd keep the spot open for me, though. That got me thinking: if it's my spot, can't I sell it to someone else for points?"

At first, Ichinose Honami was surprised that the Student Council president had actually invited Nangong Cheng to join, but his last two remarks made his real intention clear.

He wanted to sell her a spot on the Student Council.

Although she did want to join the Student Council, Class B didn't have enough points left to buy a spot. And even if they could afford it, why did she have to buy it from Nangong Cheng?

She asked him that quite directly.

"If Student Council spots can be traded, like you're saying, why wouldn't I just buy one directly from President Horikita?"

Nangong Cheng smiled.

Naturally, he had already prepared a thorough response to that reaction from Ichinose Honami.

"What if I told you I didn't want points?"

"You don't want points?"

Ichinose Honami froze for a moment.

That was certainly unusual.

Judging by how Nangong Cheng had sold information and what they had discussed in the cafeteria, Ichinose Honami had always believed he wanted to buy a place in Class A with Private Points and graduate from there.

That meant he should want as many points as possible, yet now Nangong Cheng was saying he didn't want any?

Then what did he want?

"Then what would you like me to give you in exchange for this Student Council spot, Nangong?"

"Since you chose to ask me out here to discuss this, I assume you believe either Class B or I can afford whatever it is you want. Am I right?"

Nangong Cheng nodded.

It was only at times like these that talking to smart people felt easy. They understood without needing everything spelled out.

"You're right, Ichinose. I asked you to meet me because I believe you can offer something worth this Student Council spot."

"Still... I can't say I'm certain you'll agree to this deal."

"Because this is admittedly a little..."

As he spoke, Nangong Cheng decisively issued Ichinose Honami a task.

[Task issued: There are many kinds of transactions in the world, but all are fundamentally exchanges of benefits. Nangong Cheng is now offering you a Student Council spot in exchange for fulfilling a wish he finds difficult to put into words.]

[Task reward: 2,000 Points]

[Penalty for failure: Record a solo mine-depth exploration video and send it to Nangong Cheng.]

Ichinose Honami's pupils trembled.

A reward of 2,000 Points.

The previous two tasks had both been "minor tasks" worth only 100 Points, but the third had taken such an enormous leap?

Something had to be wrong.

Although Nangong Cheng wasn't asking for points, the reward alone suggested this task wouldn't be easy to complete.

But then again...

One point was worth 1,000 yen.

In Japan, an ordinary family of three with both parents earning a stable income generally had an average monthly household income of between 300,000 and 500,000 yen.

But their average monthly expenses would rarely fall below 200,000 yen, and could easily be higher.

For a household like hers in particular, with two children and only a divorced single mother earning an income, merely balancing their annual budget was something her mother achieved at the cost of her health.

Although enrolling at Advanced Nurturing could ease a substantial portion of her mother's financial burden, it only made an awful situation a little less awful. The fundamental problem of their income remained unresolved.

So although 99 percent of the items in the System Shop were more worthwhile redemptions than Japanese Yen, money was what she and her family needed most right now.

Those complicated thoughts flashed through her mind.

Ichinose Honami took a deep breath, and determination gradually seeped into her smile.

"Please tell me, Nangong. If you don't, I won't know whether what you're asking is within my means, will I?"

Nangong Cheng nodded.

With the boost from his Beginner Acting skill, his expression became a pie chart of thirty percent awkwardness, thirty percent bashfulness, thirty percent apprehension, and ten percent anticipation.

"Um... What I want isn't actually a specific object. It's more that I'd like..."

"I'd like to be able to call you..."

"Mom."

As if on cue, a gentle evening breeze swept past, playfully blowing loose strands of hair across the girl's delicate face, which was now filled with astonishment.

Silence was Advanced Nurturing that day.

Please keep reading!

Volume One: Ichinose Is a Woman Who Could Be My Mother

At that moment, Ichinose Honami felt as though her brain had crashed like a computer infected with a powerful Trojan.

Wait, what had she just heard?

"Ahaha..."

"N-Nangong? What did you just say...? I don't think I caught that."

Without so much as a blink, Nangong Cheng repeated what he had just said, his expression and tone utterly serious.

"I said—I'd like to be able to call you 'Mom,' Ichinose."

Aaaaaaaaaah!!!!!

The girl couldn't help letting out a piercing shriek.

Internally, of course.

Ichinose Honami took deep breaths over and over, trying to calm her wildly agitated emotions. Her face had already turned as red as a monkey's backside.

"Nangong, you..."

"Are you sure you're not deliberately messing with me?"

She had expected this task to be difficult, but who could have imagined Nangong Cheng would make such a... bizarre, outrageous demand?!

Don't you realize we're the same age?!

How can you call me Mom?!

Ichinose Honami's reaction was exactly what Nangong Cheng had expected. After all, she was a two-dimensional beauty as innocent as they came. It was perfectly normal that she couldn't immediately accept the repressed real-world Valorant-boy routine of calling someone her own age "Mom."

"I'm not messing with you, Ichinose."

"This is how I truly feel... because I believe you're a woman who could be my mother."

Nangong Cheng's gaze was earnest and sincere, as though he were saying something perfectly normal.

"Maybe it's because I grew up in an orphanage... I always sense this glow of maternal warmth from gentle, kind women like you, Ichinose."

"If that offended you, please forgive my rudeness."

Ichinose Honami pressed her lips together.

Wait, explain yourself. How was a girl still in high school radiating maternal warmth?

"Nangong, I..."

She genuinely couldn't tell whether Nangong Cheng was pouring out his heart or deliberately teasing her.

But regardless, she was just an ordinary high school girl. How could she become a mother to someone her own age?

Even if he only meant a mother figure in a spiritual sense, or someone to lean on emotionally, this... this was still far too embarrassing!

"Ichinose, if you really can't accept this, that's all right. We can make it a normal Private Points transaction instead."

"Considering our relationship, I can give you a twenty-percent friends' discount this time. It'll be just 1.6 million Private Points, and I'll accept an IOU."

Nangong Cheng was still retreating to advance.

As for whether he would end up making a fool of himself...

He didn't believe Ichinose Honami would really reject a deal that was essentially all reward and no cost.