Returning the points

Back to the matter at hand, after they reached an agreement to cooperate, Yamashita said with a smile:

"Natsukawa, I'm glad to have made a friend like you. I never imagined you were that person. With your abilities, you're bound to shine at this school sooner or later! It's an honor to attend the same school as you!"

"Haha, there's no need to be so formal, Yamashita. Everything outside has nothing to do with this place. I'm sure there are others here with considerable influence outside, too. Here, I'm a student just like everyone else, and I'm glad to have met you!"

"There's one more thing I'd like your help with. Could you assess whether there are any leaders or students in the third-year Classes B and D who might make a similar deal with me, and discreetly ask around? Of course, in return, I can help any students who want to work for my Tianlong Company after graduation! Oh, you can pass that along to them, too."

"Yes, I'll keep that in mind! I'm happy to be able to help my classmates, too!"

Although Natsukawa had already lost interest in money outside, the power of capital was still considerable.

With Natsukawa's hints and promises, Yamashita immediately chose to help him.

With Natsukawa beating him to the punch, Koenji would probably lose quite a few sources of points now. Still, even if some people from Classes B and D chose to trade with Natsukawa, Koenji had other ways to acquire points.

He would probably deliberately befriend older girls and let slip that he was the heir to a financial conglomerate, cleverly making sure they knew so they would eagerly spend points on him.

As for whether those girls' hopes would come true, that remained unknown...

Natsukawa guessed they would not get their Cinderella endings. Koenji was a clever man, too.

If he remembered correctly, in the original story, after Koenji's first school year, Ayanokoji had secretly tipped off Miyabi Nagumo about his point trading. After such trades involving promises of outside money were banned, this was what Koenji had done.

Afterward, Natsukawa contacted Teacher Sakagami to serve as a witness and printed out the terms of his trading agreement with Yamashita.

Sakagami said approvingly:

"You have some interesting ideas, Natsukawa!"

What was with Sakagami's thoughtful expression, as though he believed in me? Want to move up a class? Give me something in return first!

I'm collecting these points to spend or to protect my target characters from unexpected trouble.

I paid real money for them.

After Sakagami left.

Natsukawa and Yamashita then exchanged contact information and parted ways as well.

Only then did he learn that this older girl was Inokari Momoko, who had appeared in the original story. She told him on the messaging app that she wanted to join his company after graduating.

She later became an important pawn Natsukawa planted among the third-years to keep an eye on Yamashita.

Since the school was holding a club information session that afternoon, Student Council secretary Ju Qian had also said that all new students had to arrive before five.

Students in Sakurajima had long since grown accustomed to school clubs during middle school, and each had experience joining one.

Sakurajima seemed to place great importance on developing students' interests outside their studies. Club participation even earned them extra credit on their graduation profiles, so most students would probably join one.

The Class C students were restless during afternoon lessons, chatting on their messaging apps and inviting classmates with similar interests to go to the gymnasium together that afternoon, watch the club information session, and choose clubs they liked and found interesting.

Natsukawa saw that his classmates were all listening absentmindedly, their heads lowered over their phones.

I can't be the good student here, either. Wouldn't that leave me at a disadvantage? If we're losing points, we should all lose them together. So he lowered his head and started playing on his phone.

Now that he had an enormous number of points, Natsukawa also chose to return the fifty thousand points he had borrowed from Chuto Rika.

Chuto Rika had been invited to go to the sports grounds with Manabe Shiho's little group.

When she saw Natsukawa's point transfer, she immediately replied:

〔Natsukawa? You're returning the points already? If you have something urgent to take care of, you really don't have to worry about paying me back so soon. The points I have left are enough!〕

Natsukawa typed a reply:

〔Thank you, Zhuteng. I've already taken care of my business, so I don't need the points anymore. Thank you for your help.〕

Zhuteng replied:

〔Really? You borrowed those points this morning and returned them this afternoon, so I'm a little concerned. If there's a problem, you really don't have to worry about the points. I'll do everything I can to help you, Natsukawa!〕

〔Really, I've already finished what I needed to do. Anyway, thank you for your help, Zhuteng!〕

Although Chuto Rika did not believe Natsukawa's explanation-after all, who needed help with points only to borrow them in the morning and return them that afternoon?-she was still very happy.

Because a thought had occurred to her. Could this be a test from Natsukawa?

Natsukawa is so outstanding. Surely he wouldn't squander his points that quickly?

I understand now! Natsukawa was testing me! He wanted to see whether I would readily lend him my points!

I passed the test. I'm one step closer to Natsukawa now!

Chuto Rika, Affection Rating +30

〔Natsukawa, have you decided which club you want to join?〕

〔It's hard to say. I'm not very fond of the hassle of joining a club. I'd rather be the kind of high school student who doesn't belong to one.〕

〔I see. But I think you're amazing, Natsukawa, so it's fine even if you don't join a club.〕

〔What about you? Are there any clubs you're interested in?〕

〔Manabe and the others invited me along. We'll probably choose whichever clubs interest us when we get there.〕

Although Sakurajima emphasized cultivating interests and hobbies through extracurricular clubs, allowing students to grow beyond their studies and even become professional athletes and the like.

Natsukawa had a transmigrator's habits etched into his bones. In short, why spend time outside of studying on club activities?

In the outside world, he had already almost reached the pinnacle of what ordinary people could achieve. Joining a club would serve practically no purpose for him.

Although he might meet some older girls, those who had never appeared in the story meant nothing to him...

Next, Natsukawa learned through the messaging app that Hiyori had also arranged to attend the club information session at the gymnasium with some companions that afternoon.

What should I do next?

Go to the afternoon club information session alone, "happen to meet" Ichinose, and win over my target?

In the original story, Miyabi Nagumo from the Student Council had tricked her once and learned about her dark past from middle school.

Although leaving things alone and waiting for Ichinose's dark past to be exposed would provide an excellent opportunity to win her over, Natsukawa felt he could succeed without that incident.

Natsukawa felt it was necessary to prevent such an incident.

Still, it was far too early for her to apply to join the Student Council, so that could wait.

Ichinose would definitely be surrounded by a large number of her classmates at the club information session, leaving no opportunity to be alone with her.

So Natsukawa turned his gaze to Ibuki Mio's back in the seat ahead of him.

After checking, he also discovered a change in her Affection Rating.

Target character: Ibuki Mio.

Current Affection Rating: 5

Huh? Why did it drop by another five points? Did I do something?