As I approached the drugs' store, there seemed to be fewer and fewer people roaming around, which was a relief.
Most of them were probably upper classmen as I was not able to recognize any of their faces.
Just as I was going to enter the store, a familiar face made their exit.
At first, I couldn't think of anything about that, but after giving this some thought within that brief duration, it felt quite unusual to me.
I subconsciously blurted out their name.
"Ishizaki, huh?"
He is one of the lackeys of Ryuen.
As to why his presence was strange in this drugs' store, that's because, this store itself is a little bit specific, in regard to it's visitors.
Most of the people I could see around this store, were either upperclassmen, or adults working in this school.
Usually, the students prefer the main clinic that's located outside this mall, but when I was researching this mall, I came to find this hidden gem of a drugs' store.
It's not a written rule, but mostly adults frequent this store.
The only students I could see, were most probably in their third years.
You might ask, even if that's true, why is him coming here a strange thing?
These stores are open to everyone after all.
But, as I said, mostly working professionals of this school, come to this store.
From that fact alone, you can predict, exactly what type of medicines and tools, this store sells.
That's right.
You can find some really interesting types of 'tools' lined up right from the entrance of this store.
Moreover, if someone had to buy something like sleeping drugs, or such, this is the perfect place for them, which is the reason I came here suspecting that Haruka might have bought something from here.
Anyway, as I saw Ishizaki coming out of the store from one direction, I tried to hide behind a pillar near the store.
He had something in his hand, which he put inside his pocket, and left immediately without looking back.
Well, now that I have caught him, I can't let this matter go.
So, I entered the store with two questions in mind.
What did Haruka buy, and what did Ishizaki buy from this store.
As I went towards the counter, a middle aged woman was calculating the prices for a customer.
After that customer left, I went towards her.
The middle-aged woman at the counter had a warm, motherly appearance.
Her graying hair was neatly tied back into a bun, and she wore a pair of oval glasses that perched on the edge of her nose.
Her kind eyes, framed by a few laugh lines, gave off an air of experience and patience.
She was dressed in a clean, white lab coat over a modest, floral blouse, adding to her professional yet approachable demeanor.
As I approached, she looked up from her calculations and gave me a polite smile.
"Good afternoon. How can I help you today?" she asked, her voice gentle but firm.
"Good afternoon," I replied, trying to sound as casual as possible. "I'm actually looking for some information. It's a bit personal, so I hope you can understand."
"And what that might be?" Her tone turned to a playful one. And the air around her seamed to be changing.
I was a little taken aback.
"Actually, I want to know if there was any purchase made by two students named Haruka and Ishizaki." I asked with a little hesitation.
In this school, private point is the currency at every store.
So, when we are making a payment through our phones, our IDs with our names are recorded in the store's system.
Therefore, the store employees can check any type of purchase made by any students.
But, the problem is that, this middle aged woman is neither my aunt, nor has any obligation to reveal personal information to a brat like me.
And, thus I expected backlash from her at first, but to the contrary, she seemed quite pleased at my request.
The woman's eyes twinkled with a hint of amusement, and she leaned slightly forward, resting her elbows on the counter.
"Oh, you're curious about your friends' purchases, are you?" she said, her tone teasing. "Well, I must say, that's quite an unusual request. Why do you need to know?"
I hesitated, trying to come up with a plausible reason that wouldn't make me sound suspicious.
"I'm just worried about them. Haruka hasn't been herself lately, and I saw Ishizaki acting strangely. I thought maybe they bought something that could explain their behavior."
She studied me for a moment, then nodded, seemingly amused with my explanation.
"I understand your concern, but you must realize that I can't just give out customer information."
It seems like I didn't completely think this through.
Even if this lady is a mob character in the novel, I forgot that this is reality, and everyone either mob or main character, has their own motives and ambitions.
And this lady is old enough to understand inner workings of this school.
That's why she is aware of the battles that are being fought between students each day.
She must have seen this type of probing for personal information many a times before.
So, empty words of concern wouldn't work on her, is what I deduced.
She regarded me with a discerning look, her eyes narrowing slightly behind her glasses.
It was clear she wasn't going to give away any information without a little more persuasion.
"I understand," I said, adjusting my approach.
"It's just that, in a school like ours, you never know what might be happening behind the scenes. People have their own reasons for doing things, and sometimes those reasons can affect others. I'm just trying to look out for my friends, and if I can help them in any way, I'd like to do so."
Her smile widened, but there was a new glint in her eyes—a sharpness that hadn't been there before.
"You're quite the smooth talker, aren't you? Reminds me of some of the more... ambitious students I've seen over the years. But flattery alone won't get you what you want."
Now, I could see her true colors.
On the other hand, a few more customers also entered the store in the meantime, and I didn't want to stay there for too long.
It was quite the deadlock.
I wanted this information as soon as possible to make amends to my further plans.
Now then things have gone this way, there was one thing that hit my mind.
I took a deep breath, deciding to take a more direct approach.
"Look, I understand the position you're in, and I don't mean to make things difficult for you. But maybe there's a way we can help each other out."
Her eyes narrowed slightly, her interest piqued. "Oh? And what do you have in mind?"
There was one thing that was told at the starting of this novel.
Be it anything, as long as its within this school premises, everything can bought by points.
I leaned in a bit closer, lowering my voice. "Private points. I can offer you a substantial amount for the information. Enough to make it worth your while."
........
She raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued but still cautious. "How much are we talking about?"
"How about 10,000 points?" I suggested, testing the waters.
I myself, currently had only a little over 10,000 private points, so I couldn't offer any more than that.
She laughed, shaking her head. "HaHaHa! You must think I'm cheap. You want me to risk my job, for mere 10,000 points--"
"50,000 then." I said immediately.
It was a reasonable amount in my opinion, compared with just the two things I wanted to know.
She paused, her laughter fading into a shrewd smile.
"50,000 points, you say? Now you're speaking my language. But let's be clear, young man—if you want me to put my neck on the line, you'll need to transfer half of that upfront."
I retorted, "Hey hey, aren't you a little too greedy?"
She gave me a coy smile, not missing a beat. "Greedy? Perhaps. But information is a valuable commodity here, and discretion even more so. It's your call."
Realizing I had little choice, I sighed and pulled out my phone. "I have only 10,000 with me right now, that I can transfer to you. And the rest after I get the information, how about it?"
The woman considered my offer, her eyes narrowing slightly as she weighed her options. Finally, she nodded, a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth.
"Alright," she said. "I'll take the 10,000 points now and trust you for the rest. But remember, if you don't follow through, you'll regret it."
"Ah, you don't have to worry abut that, I would make a contract right away entailing about the details of our deal. Also there is one more thing I want to make a deal about. But that would be after I confirm the accuracy of this info.", I followed up with a reasonable suggestion.
The woman's eyes gleamed with interest as I mentioned a contract. "A contract, you say? I didn't expect you to be so thorough. Very well, let's start with what you've asked for."
I quickly transferred the 10,000 points, and she confirmed the transaction on her end with a nod.
"Now, let me retrieve the information for you," she said, turning to her computer once more.
Then, she showed me the two panels where the purchases made by Haruka and Ishizaki were mentioned.
As I scanned through it, thoughts regarding what happened so far ran through my mind.
Today, I caught a big fish due to pure luck, or should I say thorough investigation?
Well, whatever that might be, the big fish I am talking about is not Ishizaki.
I am referring to this drugs' store lady, whom I made a contract with.
In future, there would be many things with which, I would need her help.
And, thus, a new chapter begins.