Sakayanagi Arisu:You won't earn a single point from this month's special exam.
Sakayanagi Arisu:Even if I don't take a single point for myself, I can still give the intel to the other first-year classes for free—no problem at all.
Sakayanagi Arisu:As for the second and third-years? I don't even need to explain. They've long known about the exam loopholes. Your "intel" is worthless to them.
"Heh..."
Sakayanagi Arisu let out a soft chuckle as she stared at her phone screen, where no new messages had appeared in the chat for a while.
Unconsciously, she murmured three words:
"Checkmate."
Just like the decisive moment in chess when the opponent's king is cornered.
She carefully reviewed her logic again, confirming she hadn't misspoken.
The facts were clear—this time, she had obtained the key intel almost simultaneously with her opponent.
And as she'd said, there were so many benefits to disclosing the information publicly. She had no reason not to do it.
Sometimes, monopolizing an advantage wasn't the best move. Besides, letting the other classes earn an extra 30-odd class points was hardly a loss.
Right now, her priority was disseminating the intel to her class to further solidify her authority.
During lunch break, she gathered all of Class A and revealed both "the midterm's class point rewards based on average scores" and "the key clues hidden in the exam papers."
"As expected of Sakayanagi-san! Amazing!"
The first to applaud was a blond boy with earrings.
Sakayanagi glanced at him and immediately recalled his name—Hashimoto Masayoshi.
She remembered his last monthly exam scores—all in the 80s, meaning he'd aced everything except the trick questions.
He was decent in PE, too, and socially adept—she often saw him chatting with classmates, even making friends outside Class A.
In terms of academics and skills, he was top-tier among average students.
Her first impression painted him as a "jack-of-all-trades"—flatteringly, a versatile talent; less flatteringly, someone who excelled at nothing in particular.
"Sakayanagi-san, thanks to you uncovering this crucial intel, our class will benefit greatly this month." Beside her, Katsuragi Kōhei nodded in approval. "Under Class A's contribution system, this undoubtedly qualifies for the highest 'A-rank' reward. The class has decided to award you 200,000 points—since half the class fund is already in your hands, you may deduct it directly."
Since last month, Class A had implemented a reward system: major contributions to the class would earn corresponding personal point bonuses.
Katsuragi had modeled it after the school's class tiers, dividing rewards into A, B, C, and D ranks—worth 200,000, 100,000, 50,000, and 30,000 points, respectively.
Disclosing this intel definitely counted as a contribution.
After all, it would secure their class over 90 class points and give them a head start over rivals—an unquestionable A-rank intel.
Rewarding Sakayanagi with 200,000 points was only natural.
Katsuragi had learned from last month's mistakes—even if she was the class leader, deserved rewards couldn't be withheld.
"...Don't rush, Katsuragi-kun. I haven't finished." Sakayanagi shot him a sidelong glance, her lips curling faintly.
He seemed too pleased too early.
Then, she announced her decision to share the intel with other classes and explained her reasoning.
"...Allying with other classes? Does Class A really need to do that?"
"Isn't it better to keep this to ourselves? Staying far ahead is ideal, no?"
As expected, the decision was met with immediate resistance.
"I think it's fine? Sakayanagi-san isn't wrong—dominating too early might backfire."
"If the other three classes unite against us, even Class A would struggle."
"Besides, it's just 30-odd class points. Consider it an investment. Like Ichinose from Class B—we all know her character. Owing her a favor could pay off later."
This comment instantly swayed others.
"Ichinose-san? I'd trust her integrity."
"True. If we do Ichinose Honami a favor, she'll definitely repay it."
Sakayanagi's brow twitched imperceptibly.
She had anticipated a 50-50 split in opinions, but merely mentioning Ichinose Honami's name had tilted the majority in favor.
(So this is the benefit of maintaining a righteous image?)
(Class B's Ichinose Honami is more troublesome than I thought.)
Since over half the class supported the move, there was nothing left to debate.
She returned to her seat, tapping the desk lightly with a fingertip.
(With this, that "Tsuki Ao" person's so-called screenshots are now useless.)
Normally, she wouldn't bother explaining herself to the whole class.
But fearing Tsuki Ao might misuse the screenshots, she had no choice.
In a way, they had forced her to go public.
(Now, which class should I approach first?)
(Wait—aside from Class B's Ichinose, I know nothing about the other classes' leaders.)
Ichinose was popular across all grades, effectively Class B's public representative.
As for the others? She was in the dark.
Class A had never actively gathered such intel.
That said, her immediate goal was recruiting help—starting with Kamuro Masumi.
While Sakayanagi was brilliant, her frail physique made running errands impractical—not to mention beneath her.
What kind of leader dirtied their own hands? That's what subordinates were for.
What she valued in Kamuro was her skills.
Those seemingly petty "thieving" abilities shouldn't be underestimated—they might prove critical at a pivotal moment.
Besides, she had a bet with Shimizu Akira to recruit Kamuro within a week.
(But I can't blackmail her with the shoplifting incident.)
Shimizu had already resolved that—by purchasing the beer Kamuro tried to steal, he'd erased the theft entirely. Otherwise, she wouldn't have lost 100,000 points to him.
That said, Kamuro did have a weakness.
Namely—Shimizu Akira himself.