Manabu Horikita. The most outstanding Student Council President in Advanced Nurturing High School history.
According to Hiyori, the Student Council President approached her a few days ago, gave her a 1 million Point card, and instructed her to spread rumors.
So regarding Houtarou's earlier question about who gave Hiyori the courage to spread rumors about Suzune and the Student Council President's sibling relationship — wasn't she afraid of being investigated afterward?
She wasn't afraid because it was the Student Council President himself who gave her that courage.
"So, Oreki-kun had already deduced that the Student Council President was behind me?" Hiyori said.
And now she has become cheerful.
The 1 million Points from the Student Council President plus the Points Houtarou gave her can be quickly processed.
In total, she's acquired over 2 million Points, along with 200,000 Points monthly support and living expenses for one year after graduation — all incredibly tempting conditions.
For someone who wants to stay at this school and graduate with achievements, this is an excellent situation.
Her mood has naturally improved.
"I suppose so…" Houtarou said, "You're not stupid. You wouldn't take the blame voluntarily unless you knew it would benefit rather than harm you. And as you mentioned, looking at the final impact of the rumors — only Manabu Horikita's class would be damaged, while all other aspects would be positive.
As a Class A student, even if they only recognized the prestige of Suzune having the Student Council President as her brother, they would accept her transfer to their class. This solves her integration problem after transferring.
Additionally, as the Student Council President's sister, she can inherit the connections her brother established. This point is crucial. Considering these factors, I confirmed that Manabu was behind you.
Because in this school, besides me considering what's best for her, it could only be her brother."
Oh. So that's how he figured it out.
But if Suzune is actually his true soulmate, why would he stand up for Kei?
Hiyori couldn't help but wonder.
However…
"Then about the 200,000 Points per month… Does Oreki-kun want me to become a pet like Kamuro-san?" Hiyori asked.
Nothing comes without a price. Accepting Points definitely requires giving something in return.
The information she provided about Manabu being behind everything certainly couldn't be worth so many Points.
Hiyori, though friendless, possesses a keen eye for observing others. She's certain that Class A's Masumi is being kept as a pet. From information gathered through other channels, that girl receives 200,000 Points monthly from Arisu.
So she's getting the same treatment from Houtarou... she couldn't help but wonder about this.
After all, "I'm cute so please give me money" isn't something easily achieved. She needs to provide something in return.
Had he taken a liking to her appearance?
Hiyori is somewhat self-aware, knowing she's cute and adorable.
But Houtarou doesn't seem like that kind of lewd person. After all, surrounding him are the cute Kei, Honami, Arisu, the beautiful Suzune, and others.
Sighing slightly, Hiyori didn't think she could compete with them in terms of beauty.
Besides, if Houtarou wanted to, Kei would immediately take the initiative, right? Then there would be no need to pay.
So Hiyori speculated whether he was using the monthly Points to... train her like Masumi.
"More or less." Houtarou said, "But I don't want to do things for nothing. And you're not Kamuro. No need to be that dramatic. I'm giving you a total of about 5 million Points, and Shiina-san, I hope you can bring me an 11-fold return."
"..."
11 times?
Spend 5 million to get 55 million? And net 50 million? Does he think he's betting on the World Cup?
Hiyori silently complained.
However, she understood. Through her performance in the rumor incident, Houtarou had acknowledged her ability to act. He paid her Points in advance and now was asking her to work to earn 55 million.
But where would she find the money to give him?
"Next semester, new students will be admitted." Houtarou said, "I only want you to extract 55 million Points from the freshmen, and after that I won't interfere."
Hiyori: "..."
Oh. So that's what he meant.
She understood. Houtarou was packaging the freshmen and selling them to her.
He only wanted 55 million from the Points that could be extracted from the freshmen, though how much could actually be obtained remained unknown.
The Island Exam and the VIP Exam that followed were great opportunities to earn Class Points and Private Points — a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
The freshmen could also learn from the upperclassmen. Although seniors were asked to keep exam details confidential, after the freshmen completed their exams, the seniors often revealed they had taken similar questions in the past.
In other words, during their first year, freshmen enjoyed a newcomer protection period where the school provided many opportunities to earn both Class Points and Private Points.
So if one were to guide the freshmen and seize that opportunity, it would be possible to legitimately obtain a huge amount of Points from the school through them.
In other words, Houtarou is directing her toward the path of exploiting the freshmen. The Points obtainable might range from 40-80 million, and he wants to take 55 million of that.
He actually wants to take 55 million!
"Oreki-kun is really a bad person." Hiyori said.
"So you don't agree?" Houtarou said, "I can also choose to cooperate with Ryūen. Although he looks isolated, it's not like he's beyond redemption."
"No no no, unacceptable!" Hiyori quickly said.
Though Houtarou merely pointed out a direction to obtain a huge amount of Points, upon careful consideration, this approach is worth exploring.
This is also an opportunity for her.
Houtarou will take the lion's share, while she'll be responsible for all the planning and execution. She'd even need to handle arrangements with others and determine how to split the earnings...
But undeniably, even if he takes the major share of 55 million, she can still secure a substantial amount — at least 5 million to start with.
Then, if she can create similar point-selling agreements with Honami's class and split the profits, she might gather enough Points — 20 million — to move up to Class A.
This could be an opportunity to gain 10 or even 20 million in huge profits. She can't afford to miss it.
Moreover, if she can influence the first-year students, then by managing their Class Points, wouldn't she also secure a continuous stream of Points?
By graduation, she could become wealthy. At that point, she wouldn't need Houtarou's financial support anymore.
This vision of independence excited her.
Noticing her expression, Houtarou said, "Then I'll leave it to you. After the new students enroll, I won't provide any guidance on how to operate."
"Understood!" Hiyori nodded eagerly.
As she agreed, Houtarou checked the system prompt.
〖 Side Task: Earn 100 million in 300 days! 〗
〖 Task Requirement: Within 300 days, extract 50 million from upperclassmen and 50 million from freshmen! 〗
〖 Task Duration: 261/300 〗
〖 Task Reward: Astral Projection 〗
〖 Task Punishment: Kikyō will be crushed by Ichika Amasawa! 〗
〖 Task Progress: 0%+25% 〗
The system's task progress displayed a notable change.
The task was divided into two parts: extracting half of the target amount from upperclassmen and half from freshmen.
He had just contracted the freshmen to Hiyori, and when she agreed, the system updated its progress. The 25% increase clearly indicated the system believed she could complete the task.
However, since the freshmen hadn't enrolled yet and everything remained theoretical, the progress advanced only 25% and couldn't proceed further.
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