When Sakayanagi unceremoniously prevented Katsuragi from taking the contract, the atmosphere in Class 1-A immediately turned tense.
Standing nearby, Hikaru and Ichinose watched as the shaved-headed student awkwardly retracted his hand, silenced by Arisu's words.
"You make a fair point, Sakayanagi," Katsuragi said, his tone stiff. "Go ahead and continue your speech."
Although his expression darkened, he didn't lash out. Instead, he stepped aside, moving to stand next to Hikaru and Ichinose, the three of them now waiting beside the podium as Arisu began her campaign speech.
"Thank you for your cooperation, Katsuragi-kun," she replied with a gentle smile.
With that, she leaned on her black cane and began her election speech.
Her speech was predictable—promising to unite the class, support her peers, and lead everyone toward a successful future.
However, Sakayanagi's naturally delicate and doll-like appearance, combined with her fairy-tale-like silver hair, effortlessly drew the attention of her classmates.
After all, who wouldn't be drawn to a beautiful girl?
When she finished, the classroom once again erupted into enthusiastic applause.
---
The next step was voting.
The students organizing the election began collecting votes and tallying them on the blackboard, under the names of Katsuragi Kōhei and Sakayanagi Arisu.
Watching with interest, Hikaru leaned toward Ichinose and whispered,
"Who do you think will win?"
"Hmm… I'm not sure. Both Katsuragi and Sakayanagi seem pretty popular."
Ichinose couldn't predict the outcome, but on a personal level, she found herself admiring Arisu more.
Despite her physical limitations, Sakayanagi was able to stand tall and command the attention of her peers—something Ichinose, as a fellow female student, couldn't help but respect.
"What about you, Hikaru?"
"I think… the result will surprise everyone."
Hikaru shrugged, watching as the votes were counted.
The numbers under Katsuragi's and Sakayanagi's names were rising at an identical pace—making it impossible to determine a winner just yet.
After about five or six minutes, the final count was announced.
"The votes are in."
A male student with glasses, who had been tallying the results, spoke in a tone filled with disbelief.
"Katsuragi Kōhei: 20 votes."
"Sakayanagi Arisu: 20 votes."
"That means… it's a tie!"
"What the hell? A tie?!"
"Seriously?! After all that, and it's even?!"
The tension in the classroom immediately shifted into a chaotic murmur.
Nobody had expected such an outcome.
Even Katsuragi, standing beside Hikaru, fell into deep silence.
"Should we… redo the vote?"
Someone hesitantly suggested.
But another voice quickly shut that down.
"And what if it's the same result again? Are we just going to waste even more time?"
"I-I didn't mean—"
"Then what did you mean?"
A student—clearly frustrated with the tie—snapped back.
Just as the argument was about to escalate, a deep voice calmly interrupted.
"Yahiko, sit down."
Katsuragi's words were firm and absolute.
"...Got it, Katsuragi-kun."
The short-haired male student—Totsuka Yahiko—immediately shut his mouth and sat down, clearly loyal to Kohei.
---
Katsuragi then turned to Sakayanagi and asked,
"Sakayanagi, what do you suggest we do about this tie?"
Sakayanagi smiled gracefully.
"I have no particular opinion on the matter. If this is the result of my classmates' votes, then I will simply accept it."
Her words, while seemingly polite, carried a clear message—she wasn't going to back down.
It was either they continued voting, or neither of them would take the position.
"You…"
"Excuse me."
Just as the tension threatened to rise again, Hikaru stepped forward.
"How about we pause the election for now?"
He looked between Katsuragi and Sakayanagi before continuing.
"We came here to discuss something important, and once we're done, you can resume voting."
"Depending on what we tell you, your classmates might even change their minds about who they want to vote for."
Katsuragi considered Hikaru's words before glancing at Sakayanagi.
After a moment's thought, he nodded.
"Fine. I'll go along with that."
Sakayanagi tilted her head, then smiled again.
"In that case, I suppose I'll agree as well. So, what exactly is it that you wish to discuss?"
She turned her attention to Hikaru and Ichinose, her eyes filled with curiosity.
"Take a look at this first."
Hikaru signaled to Ichinose, who pulled out the contracts.
She handed one to Katsuragi and another to Sakayanagi.
---
As they read through the terms of the contract, Katsuragi's expression shifted dramatically—his eyes narrowing in shock.
Sakayanagi, on the other hand, simply smiled.
Their reactions were completely different.
"So, this is what you wanted to negotiate," Katsuragi muttered.
"You're offering to sell us the school's hidden rules, with a contract preventing resale?"
"That's right, Katsuragi-kun," Hikaru confirmed, then turned to address Class 1-A as a whole.
"Today is only the first day, but the school has already revealed a lot of information. Haven't any of you noticed something strange about this place?"
"What do you mean?"
Despite his calm nature, Katsuragi's voice carried a hint of urgency.
"It means that our class has already figured out the school's secrets," Hikaru replied.
"And now, we're offering to sell that knowledge to those who haven't."
Sakayanagi suddenly began walking toward Hikaru, tapping her cane softly against the floor as she approached.
As she got closer, Hikaru could even catch a faint fragrance from her.
"You're saying that you've already solved the school's puzzle—and now, you're here to sell us the answer?"
Her piercing violet eyes locked onto Hikaru's.
"That's exactly what I'm saying."
Hikaru didn't break eye contact.
"Of course, we had to pay Private Points to obtain this information. Now, we're willing to sell it to you."
"And this contract serves as proof of our legitimacy."
Ichinose added, "With this contract, we can prove to both Sakayanagi and Katsuragi that our class obtained the hidden rules through official school channels."
"I see," Katsuragi muttered.
The contract bore the official school stamp—identical to the one on their acceptance letters—meaning it was authentic.
"I did notice some irregularities today," Katsuragi admitted. "But I hadn't considered that the school itself had set up a puzzle for us to solve."
He wasn't arrogant—he recognized that he had missed something.
"So, what's your price?"
Hikaru held up one finger.
"One million Private Points. Non-negotiable."
This was the price he and Ichinose had decided on earlier.
If they charged too much, Class 1-A might reject the offer and investigate on their own—which would completely undermine their strategy.
This price point was set to maximize profit while ensuring they retained control of the information flow.
"One million?"
Some students in Class 1-A voiced their doubts.
"How do we know you're not scamming us?"
Hikaru's gaze turned cold as he looked at the student who spoke.
"Because we obtained these rules through official school channels. And we paid three million Private Points for them."
He turned back to Sakayanagi and Katsuragi.
"That's why we're having you sign a contract prohibiting resale—because we plan to sell this information to all four classes."
"That way, you only pay one-third of the total cost."
"And isn't that a bargain?"
Now, it all depended on whether Class 1-A would take the deal.