During the VIP exam, the school gave each student around 500,000 Points. He took half of that, leaving each student with 250,000 Points.
The Monkey Group finished early, allowing Class C to pool about nine million Points. They spent four million at the Sports Festival and another three million recently.
That's impressive — but it also means they're about to be bled dry.
Not to mention, Houtarou owns 270 of their Class Points. And after accounting for the resource agreement with Class A, Class C might not have enough left to survive next month.
It's a hopeless situation.
"Can't you at least let us keep half?"
After school that afternoon, Houtarou and Kōhei visited Class C.
Yōsuke, as Class C's representative, tried his best to negotiate.
Under their current agreement, Class A paid Class C 800,000 Points monthly — equivalent to 200 Class Points. This had become Class C's reliable source of income.
Now that Class A wanted to terminate this contract, Yōsuke was trying to preserve at least half the agreement.
This would mean receiving 400,000 Points monthly, ensuring each Class C student could have 10,000 Points for basic expenses.
But...
"That's unfortunate." Kōhei said, "We must consider our own class's interests. However, I can limit the test questions to the 6th edition of the third-year junior high textbooks. That's our best offer. If you can solve those, you won't need to buy our test papers."
Third-year junior high textbooks come in several editions. By specifying the 6th edition, he's essentially revealing the test's scope in advance.
"Our class can create our own questions." Suzune countered, speaking as Class C's co-representative, "We can exchange test papers with your class."
"I can help write the questions too." Rokusuke added.
Rokusuke — now he's a force to be reckoned with. Even though it's just a third-year test and Class A's students are capable, Kōhei clearly feels pressured by someone of his caliber.
He quickly glanced at Houtarou.
'Why are you looking at me?'
Naturally, Houtarou dislikes spending Points every month and would prefer to end the agreement.
But if Rokusuke writes questions, would someone from his side — like Arisu — need to write some too? Wouldn't that just turn this into a competition and complicate matters?
"Let's keep it simple." Houtarou said, "Our classes can make a bet. All classes must submit their test papers by 5:00 PM on the 24th. At 5:05 PM, our classes will exchange papers.
If Class C can earn at least 50 Class Points as a reward after receiving the test, Class A will reduce the monthly payment from 800,000 Points to 400,000. If Class C fails, the 800,000-Point monthly agreement ends completely.
My advice? Focus on studying. Constantly relying on these deals is a losing strategy."
| Suzune Horikita |
| Is that really how you feel? |
Houtarou suddenly received a message.
| Houtarou Oreki |
| Your class has been easy to exploit, but we've gotten everything we can from them. At this rate, I'm worried they won't even be able to protect my Points. |
| Now that Kōenji's joined, he's starting to honor our agreement. He'll actually help protect the Points too. We can have him assist with your tutoring — he's a genius, just as talented as Sakayanagi in my class. |
| The level of your struggling students is truly shocking; regular teachers wouldn't know where to begin. But Kōenji is different. Your underachievers might actually see results if they get free lessons from him. |
| I know Sakura and Karuizawa put in the effort, but they're not naturally quick learners. Have Hirata organize a study group with Kōenji as the teacher — it could make a difference. |
| After that, I'll send Kamuro from my class too — she seems to have hit a wall academically. Let's see if she improves. |
Oh. I see. That's just like you.
But why mention Airi or Kei by name? And is Masumi really that academically gifted?
As the end of term approached, the first-years — albeit reluctantly — were swept up in a studying frenzy.
All to avoid expulsion. While Kakeru's class returned to elementary-level basics, Class C organized their own study group. At Yōsuke's request, Rokusuke stepped up as teacher.
"You want me to be the teacher? Interesting... or rather, this challenge sounds interesting."
That's how he phrased it. Though it might have seemed like a thankless task, the students' stark lack of academic ability genuinely shocked him.
The challenge seemed daunting, yet perhaps that's what made it appealing. So, he began from square one.
⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟
After delegating his assignments, Houtarou experienced something rare — a Precognitive Dream. This one was peculiar.
Because...
"Another postcard from Kōenji."
Suzune, fresh from a business trip, had collected both mail and postcards from the mailbox upon returning home.
Houtarou noticed and read the postcard.
["I've conquered St. Forest Private Academy High School. The problem students here are quite interesting." — Rokusuke Kōenji.]
Accompanying it was a photo showing an older, golden-haired Rokusuke Kōenji with his students.
"Is this Kōenji?" Houtarou asked.
"Yeah, it's been years since he became a special teacher. But…" Suzune said, "I used to think he'd just take over the family business. Instead, he's used the family's resources to transfer between schools, becoming a teacher for troubled students."
Wait. So Rokusuke went from heir to corporate scion to a tough-love teacher for problem students? It sounds almost like he went rogue.
Houtarou had just thought of Airi as someone who tried hard without seeing results. With both her and Kei struggling with academics, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to benefit from a genius's tutoring.
But Rokusuke chose this path in the future?
It leaves him with mixed feelings.
⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟
And so time passed with extra lessons.
While Kōhei was occupied with the test paper situation, Houtarou's side had more free time.
His daily life fell into a routine — studying at school as a day student rather than boarding.
The school's amenities were excellent, making purchases convenient. With the hot weather making cooking feel like a chore, he usually ate dinner at school before heading home. Arisu didn't mind, since they typically had dinner together.
That evening, as Houtarou prepared to leave his phone in the dorm and head home, he received a message.
『 Maya Satō wants to add you as a friend. Accept? 』
Houtarou: "…"
Maya Satō — the girl who had confessed to him.
Houtarou recalled Honami's advice: Don't overthink it, stay calm. The more confessions you receive, the less they affect you.
Right. Handle it normally. He's used to this now and can stay composed.
So Houtarou accepted the friend request. Avoiding her would only suggest he cared, making things awkward.
But just as he was about to set his phone down, Maya messaged him.
| Maya Satō |
| Oreki-kun, I'm not good at studying. Could you tutor me a little? Want to go to the library after school tomorrow? |
| I thought for sure you'd reject me, but you didn't. I'm so glad. |
Houtarou: "…??"
So he immediately messaged Kikyō.
| Houtarou Oreki |
| Does accepting a friend request from a girl who confessed but was rejected mean you're sending her the wrong signal? |
⍟⍟⍟
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