"We have the Personal points. We don't need to limit ourselves to any specific class—we can collaborate exclusively with high-achieving freshmen. Even if we offer 100,000 Personal points per person, our total expenditure would only be 4 million points, which is entirely manageable."
Hearing Sakayanagi Arisu's words, everyone was taken aback.
"4 million?!"
Totsuka Yahiko found it hard to believe that a single Special Exam could cost so many Personal points!
Katsuragi Kohei was equally shocked.
He had witnessed Nagumo Miyabi's tactics before—this approach resembled the point-based strategy Nagumo had used against the former second-year students, which had forced several students to drop out.
He never expected Sakayanagi Arisu to be so decisive as well.
Was she really planning to buy out the entire first year?
If they secured 40 high-achieving freshmen, what would happen to the underperforming students in other classes?
Katsuragi Kohei swallowed hard.
If they followed her idea, it was highly likely that some students would end up expelled.
"I don't mind spending that many points,"
Matoba Shinji said cautiously, "but what if other classes start competing for students too?"
"Fufufu, Matoba-kun, are you worried we might fall into a trap set by someone with ulterior motives?"
Sakayanagi Arisu seemed to see right through his concerns.
Matoba Shinji made no attempt to hide his thoughts and replied bluntly, "I've heard that in auctions, people often drive up prices intentionally, forcing bidders to waste their resources."
If Class 2-A started offering 100,000 Personal points, someone might maliciously raise the bid to 200,000, trying to drain their valuable points.
"If someone tries to drive up the price, we'll simply drop out,"
Sakayanagi Arisu flashed a fox-like smile. "After all, we only really need a few C-rank students. If the others become too expensive, we can just purchase a handful of C-ranks instead."
Hearing this, Matoba Shinji had no further objections.
Sakayanagi Arisu had already considered this possibility and clearly had her own plans.
Knowing that was enough for him.
"What are your thoughts, Katsuragi-kun?"
Sakayanagi Arisu turned to Katsuragi Kohei with a cheerful smile.
It had to be said that Katsuragi Kohei was a relatively conservative leader.
His perspective was never as radical as Sakayanagi Arisu's, and his primary goal was simply to prevent anyone from being expelled.
Sakayanagi Arisu, however, was not content with that.
As an offensive-minded leader, her first instinct was to leverage their advantages fully—buying up high-achieving freshmen to block other classes, indirectly weakening their opponents, and seizing rewards in the process.
Even if her plan didn't succeed, she had a fallback option: a slow and steady retreat.
After all, compared to other classes, Class 2-A faced relatively little risk of expulsion.
Katsuragi Kohei let out a deep sigh before asking, "Does anyone else have any questions?"
By saying this, he had essentially tacitly approved of Sakayanagi Arisu's idea.
Of course, no one objected.
Sakayanagi Arisu easily gained the support of the majority, once again diminishing Katsuragi Kohei's influence.
If such scenes occurred a few more times, everyone would likely grow accustomed to following Sakayanagi Arisu's ideas, believing her words were always correct.
This is how authority is gradually built.
In response to everyone's agreement, Sakayanagi Arisu merely smiled faintly.
Before the class bell rang again, she turned to look at Kaoru.
"Fufufu, Mitoma-kun has been silent all this time."
The girl smiled amiably, though a hint of provocation seemed to linger in her eyes. "If you remain as quiet as before, you might soon lose footing, you know?"
Kaoru had been looking at his phone until now, finally lifting his head to glance at her.
Sakayanagi Arisu's smile resembled that of a smug little fox, her petite frame adding to her delicate appearance.
Her flat chest evoked a sense of endearment, and even when she mocked others, it was unlikely anyone would get angry.
Perhaps due to the earlier discussion, many eyes remained fixed on them, curious about what Sakayanagi Arisu was discussing with Kaoru.
Seeing the girl's triumphant expression, Kaoru kissed her.
Sakayanagi Arisu's smile froze, the entire classroom fell silent, and Kamuro Masumi beside them was nearly dumbstruck.
"Well done, Arisu."
Kaoru patted her head, as if encouraging his most capable little maid.
However, seeing her stiffened expression, the corners of his mouth eventually curled up slightly.
"Guh..."
Sakayanagi Arisu snapped back to reality, her face flushed bright red.
She had actually been kissed by Kaoru in public!
And what was with this head-patting gesture!
"Shameless!"
The girl glared at him, both embarrassed and furious, trembling with anger.
She no longer cared about appearances and stomped on his foot under the desk with her cane.
Kaoru grimaced in pain—when this young lady got angry, it really hurt.
Kamuro Masumi, witnessing this, silently gave him a thumbs-up.
Everyone pretended not to see—it was just playful banter.
They had often seen Kaoru and Kamuro Masumi fight before, though Kamuro Masumi was always the one who ended up worse off.
...
Although Class 2-A's policy was quickly decided, the other classes didn't seem to lag far behind.
Ichinose Honami enthusiastically invited first and second-year students to meet at the First Gymnasium at 4:00 PM today, using the OAA Integrated Forum.
Her intention seemed to be hosting a mixer, allowing everyone to get acquainted and find their partners.
There were many replies, quickly pushing the post to the top of the trending list. Likely, many would go to check it out.
However, Class 2-A showed little interest. Sakayanagi Arisu planned to send Hashimoto Masayoshi to observe, while Katsuragi Kohei had to attend the Student Council.
As Kamuro Masumi was packing her things, Kaoru suddenly called out to her.
"Masumi, can you do me a favor?"
"Just say it."
"Help me tail... help me investigate the new students."
Although Kaoru corrected his wording in time, Kamuro Masumi still looked at him as if he were a pervert, and her favorability seemed to drop.
"I'm not a stalker. If you want to tail someone, do it yourself."
Kamuro Masumi's tone was stiff. "Besides, I won't help a pervert."
"No, you've got it wrong, my good friend."
Kaoru's eyes were filled with sincerity. "If I were doing something bad, when have I ever not brought you along? You're the person I trust most."
Kamuro Masumi didn't blink.
She didn't speak either, her expressionless face seeming to regard a self-deceiving pervert.
"I... alright, as long as you're willing to help me, I can agree to one condition from you."
Under her gaze, Kaoru yielded.
Kamuro Masumi finally showed a satisfied expression.
She wouldn't help a pervert with tasks, but if this pervert was willing to pay extra, that was another matter entirely.
"You're not going to make me do anything weird, are you?"
Kaoru seemed somewhat uneasy.
Kamuro Masumi remembered how she had once scared him by making him walk around outside in women's clothing.
That idea seemed pretty good.
"Ahem, I'm not a pervert like you. Don't compare me to yourself."
That's what she said, but Kamuro Masumi believed she didn't have such twisted tastes.
Her thinking was simple.
"I need to be present for the Sakayanagi matter too."
Kamuro Masumi tried her best to act nonchalant.
She was just too curious about their progress.
However, Kaoru genuinely gasped at this.
Seeing his expression, Kamuro Masumi thought he didn't want her involvement and felt somewhat displeased.
"If you don't want to, then forget it."
"No, I was just thinking about when I could devour Masumi too."
"P-pervert!"
An enraged Kamuro Masumi repeatedly punched Kaoru several times, as if venting her frustration.
Yet anyone could see her poorly concealed blush, her delicate earlobes glowing with faint downy hairs. U
nder the shimmering light, red blood vessels flickered in and out of view.
If touched, they would surely feel intensely warm.
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