As the black-haired girl with an icy expression stood up, a ripple of surprise passed through the students of Class D. After all, it was rare to see Horikita Suzune take the initiative to speak. Had she already figured something out?
"Horikita-san, did you notice something?"
Kushida's face tightened with urgency as she turned toward Suzune, trying to steer the conversation.
"Could you share it with the class?"
However, Suzune completely ignored her, her sharp gaze locked onto the boy standing at the podium.
"Hashima Hikaru-kun, what exactly is your objective? Just say it directly."
Ever since she discovered those two students observing Class D, Suzune had been piecing things together. If they were so concerned with Class D's Private Point spending, it was clear their goal revolved around points.
And now, this Hashima Hikaru from Class B had suddenly come to speak with the class—there was no doubt that he was the orchestrator behind those monitors, the one giving orders.
"Alright, no point hiding it anymore."
Hikaru maintained his calm smile. Since someone had already figured it out, it saved him the trouble of explaining things from scratch.
The other Class D students, however, were left confused. While most weren't particularly fond of Suzune's usual cold demeanor, hearing her bluntly question Hikaru's intentions made them more interested.
After all, Private Points were as good as money in this school. Anything involving them was worth paying attention to.
"Hikaru-kun, you mentioned something important earlier. Could you explain it now?"
Despite getting ignored by Suzune, Kushida didn't let it affect her demeanor. She kept her usual concerned, cheerful tone, pressing Hikaru for an answer.
"Yeah, just tell us already. If it's really that important, I'll make sure the class cooperates."
Hirata Yosuke, Class D's representative, spoke up seriously.
Since Hikaru's words clearly revolved around points, that meant this affected the whole class. It was something he couldn't ignore.
"Sure. Here, Hirata-kun. Hand these out to everyone. Let them take a look first."
Hikaru handed over the stack of printed contracts with a friendly smile.
"Once everyone has read through it, I'll explain further."
Upon hearing this, Hirata and Kushida stepped forward to collect the contracts.
However, the moment they saw the contents, their expressions changed.
"This is…"
"A confidentiality contract? There are hidden school rules?!"
Hirata's shock was evident. He had never imagined that this school had unwritten rules, and apparently, Class B had already learned about them.
"Honami-chan, is this what you and Hikaru-kun planned to talk about today?"
Kushida's face was filled with feigned surprise as she turned to Ichinose, who simply smiled and nodded.
"That's right. But don't worry, Kushida-san. I can guarantee that this transaction is completely fair."
"We purchased this hidden rule ourselves, and now we're offering to resell it."
"Hirata-kun, let's distribute the contracts to the class first and see what everyone thinks."
Having grasped the situation, Kushida quickly took the initiative. As Class D's "angel," her influence was significant, and she was quick to mobilize action.
"Understood."
Despite his lingering doubts, Hirata recognized the urgency of the matter. If these two from Class B were selling hidden school rules, then these contracts were the proof.
Before long, every student in Class D had a copy. Reactions were mixed—some students looked curious, others confused, and a few skeptical.
"One million Private Points?! Are you insane?!"
A loud voice broke the silence—Yamauchi Haruki.
He nearly jumped out of his seat after reading the contract.
"Is this a scam or something?!"
Seated next to him, Ike Kanji quickly chimed in.
"This is way too expensive! What even is this 'hidden rule'? Do we really need to buy it?"
"No way am I giving my points to some random guy! I've got club activities—don't waste my time with this nonsense!"
The red-haired athlete, Sudo Ken, spoke in an irritated tone.
He had only stayed behind out of respect for Hirata, but after seeing this so-called contract, he realized it was just a sales pitch.
Sudo didn't care about any of this—he just wanted to get to basketball practice.
"Hirata, I'm leaving. I'm not joining whatever this is. The rest is up to you guys."
Without hesitation, Sudo slung his sports bag over his shoulder, pushed open the classroom door, and left.
Seeing him go, Yamauchi and Ike also grabbed their bags, getting ready to follow suit.
However, just as they were about to leave—
Kushida called out to them.
"Yamauchi-kun, Ike-kun, are you really sure you want to refuse?"
Her voice was gentle, and her expression pitiful.
In just a few seconds, she had calculated the price breakdown—one million Private Points divided among forty students meant 25,000 points per person.
The more students who participated, the lower the individual burden. But the fewer that joined, the higher the cost.
"Well… it's not that I don't want to, but this is way too expensive…"
Yamauchi hesitated, glancing at his highly regarded classmate.
He had already spent over 60,000 points in just one week. If he had to pay more, he might run out completely.
"Can you at least wait a bit?"
Kushida smiled sweetly.
"I'll ask Hikaru-kun more questions. If these rules are really that important, then we should all work together for the class's future."
Her persuasive tone made the students hesitate, trusting her judgment.
Even Hirata followed her lead.
"She's right. Hikaru-kun hasn't even explained what the rule is yet. Let's hear him out first."
With his support, the class paused, looking toward Hikaru.
"Alright, Hikaru-kun. If you're really selling something important, explain it. How did you even acquire these hidden rules?"
Hirata's serious expression made it clear—this was his class, and he wasn't about to be fooled.
"Sure."
Hikaru's gaze swept across Class D, before briefly resting on Suzune.
She was still holding the contract, one hand on her phone, brows slightly furrowed.
"We obtained this hidden rule from the school itself. We bought it directly from a teacher."
Hikaru raised three fingers.
"And the price? Three million Private Points."
The class collectively gasped.
"That's why we're reselling it to you for just one million."
"As for why it's this price—just do the math. There are four first-year classes, right?"
Hikaru's calm smile made it all seem reasonable.
Unlike Class A, which required clever maneuvering, Class D was much easier to persuade.
Ichinose stepped in to reinforce his words.
"We even had the contract officially printed by a teacher. If you check the bottom, you'll see the school's seal."
At her suggestion, the students examined the stamp—it was the same one from their admission papers, lending credibility to their claims.
Hirata and Kushida quickly realized why the price was set at one million.
If Hikaru sold the same rule to all four classes, Class B would recover their entire investment.
Now, Class D had a choice to make.
Would they buy in—or risk being left behind?
Hikaru smiled.
"So? Have you all made your decision?"
~~~
Read 30 Chapters Ahead!
> patreon.com/HudaLin