Ryūen Kakeru exuded the aura of a seasoned delinquent—more suited to back-alley brawls than a high school classroom. The cafeteria spectacle earlier had been proof enough.
Though Shimizu hadn't caught the exact words, the grabbing of collars and unfiltered curses painted a clear picture: this was no ordinary student.
The whole scene felt like a scripted good-cop-bad-cop routine.
His guess? Ryūen had tried to extract intel from upperclassmen but got shut down hard.
"Time to make my move..."
He'd sell the S System intel to Class C—but first, a test run with his burner account.
The immediate hurdle: getting Ryūen's contact info.
Thankfully, he'd befriended Ichihōse Honami—the social butterfly of Class B—on the second day of school.
Shimizu's fingers flew across his screen as "Tsuki Ao", crafting a carefully worded friend request.
Ichihōse accepted instantly—of course she did.
Tsuki Ao:"Student from another class. Want to buy intel."
Ichihōse Honami:"Eh? Who are—? I don't think I have anything valuable though... You can ask directly!"
Shimizu smirked. Typical Ichihōse—kind to a fault.
He waited a beat before typing:
Tsuki Ao:"Need Ryūen Kakeru's contact. Can you connect us?"
Ichihōse Honami:"Ryūen-kun? I don't have his direct line, but I know Class C students! Wait a sec~"
In under five minutes, a contact recommendation popped up. Even faster than expected.
Ichihōse Honami:"Here's Ryūen-kun! But... why do you need him?"
Tsuki Ao:"Thanks. 2,000 points sent as thanks."
Ichihōse Honami:"Ah! No need! It was nothing—"
Shimizu ignored her protest and dropped the real bait:
Tsuki Ao:"By the way—interested in the S System's secrets? You've noticed the school hiding things, right?"
Ichihōse Honami:"...Meaning?"
Tsuki Ao: *"I have full intel. Game-changing for your class. Price: 1 million points."*
He tossed his phone aside, indifferent to her response, and forwarded the entire chat log to Ryūen.
Silence.
Then—dual notifications.
Chabashira Sae's messages flooded in:
Chabashira Sae:"Followed your suggestion. Summoned those two at noon."
Chabashira Sae:"Class fund collection underway.班长 selection based on contributions."
Shimizu's brow arched. He'd casually proposed this last night—he hadn't expected her to execute it so meticulously.
He typed back:
Shimizu Akira:"Handle it as you see fit."
Shimizu Akira:"No need to report routine matters."
Shimizu Akira:"You're the teacher. I'm just a student."
He flipped his phone face-down.
The moment the bell rang, Kushida bounded onto the podium, hands clasped cutely.
"Everyone~" Her voice was honeyed. "Think of the class funds as supporting me or Hirata-kun! But—" A playful wink. "It's fine if you don't pick me! Just participate happily!"
Good-natured cheers followed.
Meanwhile, Hirata leaned against the doorframe, taking over seamlessly:
"As Kushida-san said, this is just a class activity. Vote freely. Whatever happens—"
A pause.
"—we want Class D to feel like home."
The room split into two currents.
After a night of reflection—and the dual influence of Hirata and Kushida's charismatic explanations—most students complied.
25,000 points wasn't trivial, but as a one-time fee, it felt like buying into the collective.
Yamauchi and Ike flocked to Kushida, grinning obsequiously as they paid up.
(Those two only opposed it yesterday because they hate Hirata, Shimizu mused.)
But not everyone played along.
Kōenji hummed, twirling his keychain, and strolled out.
Sudō followed, not even glancing back.
And then there was Karuizawa Kei's clique—giggling over karaoke plans, utterly ignoring the proceedings.
Until—
Karuizawa flinched under Shimizu's gaze, frantically typing.
Ding.
Shimizu's screen lit up:
Karuizawa Kei:"I'm NOT paying class fees! Don't get the wrong idea!"
A second message barreled in:
Karuizawa Kei:"...I'll transfer my monthly points to YOU on time! So don't worry!!"
The exclamation marks practically screamed her flustered resolve.