Truth be told, Class A didn't need to fork over the full 20 million.
The invitee would surely have some points of their own, right?
Take Shimizu Akira, for example—he currently held 10 million points. If Class A could scrape together another 10 million, he could transfer immediately.
Yet, Shimizu remained skeptical of Class A's selection criteria.
Was it based on contributions to their original class?
But even standout performers from other classes would struggle to catch Class A's eye—after all, it was only the second month. The four classes hadn't even begun full-scale competition.
Even if Class A had such a mechanism, the bar would be unreasonably high.
Besides, he had zero intention of joining Class A—Sakayanagi Arisu alone was enough of a deterrent.
Naturally, he kept these thoughts from Kamuro Masumi.
(Last time, she kicked my shin. Next time, who knows where that foot might land…?)
"I'll do my best," he replied mechanically, ending the conversation.
Then, remembering he owed Kamuro 10,000 points, he promptly transferred the sum.
She ignored it completely.
(Now then… Should I sell this month's intel to all four classes?)
This batch, however, paled in value compared to last month's S-system revelation.
At best, he could sell it to one class—intel had a way of leaking the moment it changed hands.
Switching to his burner account, he was startled to find multiple messages from Sakayanagi Arisu:
[Sakayanagi]:You're online~ I've been watching you these past few days!
[Sakayanagi]:Monday's login was to check our reaction after the surveillance expired, wasn't it? What brings you back today?
[Sakayanagi]:Two days later… Planning another deal with the classes?
[Sakayanagi]:Last time, you made over 10 million, didn't you? Still not enough?
Shimizu stiffened—she'd deduced his four-class transaction.
[Tsuki Ao]:?
[Sakayanagi]:Still playing dumb? I observed something curious: nearly every student from all four classes ate the free meal plan these past weeks. That's proof enough they're strapped for points, no?
Shimizu conceded the point.
(Solid deduction. Tight budgets would force students onto free meals.)
[Sakayanagi]:This month won't be so easy for you. Your sudden return… Could a special exam be coming?
[Sakayanagi]:Ah, of course~ The last exam's final questions were impossible for first-years. Even our teacher hinted there were "other ways" to avoid failing—practically a blatant clue!
[Sakayanagi]:I've been pondering… What's the foolproof method to guarantee no one fails?
[Sakayanagi]:The answer? Past exams.
[Sakayanagi]:I tried buying them from teachers, but got rejected~
[Sakayanagi]:So I turned to second-year D-class—they weren't cramming, yet exuded absolute confidence.
[Sakayanagi]:A quick chat with a point-starved senior, and voilà! All of last year's exams—nearly identical to this year's!
[Sakayanagi]:Confirmed with the teacher too~ This special exam rewards up to 100 class points per class.
[Sakayanagi]:But you won't monopolize the profits this time. Because… I'm selling intel too.
Shimizu's pulse spiked.
Not only had she cracked the answer, she'd even uncovered the 100-point rule.
(For a brat, her IQ's terrifying.)
(Wait—she's selling intel?! Since when did this become a competitive market?)
(Does she even care about Class A's standing? Helping rivals strengthen goes against their interests!)
Unlike Sakayanagi, he felt no loyalty to Class D. But she was Class A's leader—why sabotage her own faction?
He couldn't tell if this was a bluff or genuine recklessness.
(Sakayanagi Arisu might genuinely lack allegiance. She'd sacrifice class interests for personal goals—her own agenda always comes first.)
Regardless, he couldn't play along.
[Tsuki Ao]:You've overthought my login. "Past exams" as the answer? Thanks for the tip. Selling intel to rivals? Screenshot saved. Should I forward this to Katsuragi Kōhei… or the entire Class A?
Unlike her, he operated from the shadows—her Achilles' heel was authority.
A leaked screenshot would erode her credibility, no matter how she spun it.
After a pause, Sakayanagi responded:
[Sakayanagi]:A screenshot? Do you truly think Katsuragi-kun would doubt me over this?
[Sakayanagi]:Even if they knew, they'd assume it's part of my master plan.
[Tsuki Ao]:Plan? Selling intel to enemies counts as a plan now?
[Sakayanagi]:Naturally. Letting you monopolize the intel trade, manipulating all classes—that's what truly harms Class A. I detest being led by the nose.
[Sakayanagi]:Besides, this exam isn't zero-sum. Even if all classes gain points equally, Class A's lead remains untouched.
[Sakayanagi]: Sharing intel extends an olive branch. Suppose each class gains 30+ points from a 60-point average—we trade minor gains for future alliances, prevent a three-class coalition against us, and profit. A triple win, no?
Her logic was alarmingly sound.
(So Sakayanagi fears Class A's dominance might trigger a three-class alliance against them… Hence the preemptive diplomacy?)
(A divide-and-conquer strategy?)
Historically, such scenarios were commonplace.
Class D's 64-point average was the lowest—other classes would score higher, capping their gains at ~30 points.
Rather than hoard this paltry sum, trading it for trust and leverage was a masterstroke.
With 950 class points, Class A could afford to be generous—synchronized growth across classes wouldn't dent their advantage.
(Sakayanagi's move is brilliant.)
(But… this just made the game far more interesting.)