Houtarou Oreki Classroom of the Elite

Masumi displayed a bewildered expression, while Arisu maintained her cuteness.

"Although maintaining Class A's status is important, I've had a thought." Houtarou said, "With 20 million points, you can avoid expulsion and move to any class you want. So, could we also 'buy' other people? No one has achieved this yet, but the school might compromise for such an unprecedented request. That's why it's crucial to be prepared."

This explained his current point-gathering efforts — for self-protection.

Arisu pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly.

His concerns weren't mere paranoia. While "live and let live" was a nice sentiment, one could still fall victim to others' schemes. Self-protection was indeed vital.

Simultaneously, she considered the class dynamics. Though it had split into the Katsuragi faction, she doubted that an honest person like Kōhei could shoulder all the responsibilities. To lead Class A effectively, it would have to be someone like her or Houtarou. His insight far surpassed anything Kōhei could muster.

Consequently, if a lower-ranked class were determined enough, they might actually manage to "buy" a representative from a higher-ranked class.

In a system where strength reigned supreme, couldn't Points be considered the ultimate power? And 20 million Points, while daunting, wasn't impossible to achieve.

For instance, teachers' salaries were also paid in private Points. While students might currently lack Points, teachers could have amassed significant sums. Arisu surmised that even teachers might be tempted to bend the rules.

"Being bought into Class D wouldn't just be interesting... it would be terrifying." She finally commented.

Indeed, transferring to Class D was universally recognized as a nightmare scenario. Due to her physical limitations, Arisu hadn't experienced much typical school life, and even at this institution, things felt largely the same. School life seemed unremarkable, which fueled her desire for excitement.

Yet, ending up in Class D wouldn't be exciting — it would be horrifying. The four classes — A, B, C, and D — were fluid, with the school initially allocating equal Class Points to new students. This meant even Class D had the potential to rise through the ranks.

However, the situation in Class D was disheartening. With multiple students like Haruki, the prospect of leading such a class seemed daunting. Anyone transferred there would likely face only two options: dropping out or amassing 20 million Points to escape.

Masumi, seated nearby, grasped Houtarou's motivation for accumulating Points. Yet, she wondered which class could afford to buy him, given that generations of students had failed to gather 20 million Points. Was this a genuine concern?

His money-making ability was undeniably impressive. She felt a twinge of regret. Had her quirk not been exposed yesterday afternoon and subsequently discovered by Arisu as a weakness, she could have continued collaborating with him.

This missed opportunity weighed on her mind. Even the delicious food before her had lost its appeal.

Meanwhile, Houtarou investigated the source of the transfer to his account. He mentally cycled through potential candidates, from Manabu to Suzune. To his surprise, the sender was someone unexpected.

It was Kei Karuizawa. After he had finished selling information to Class D, she had hugged him, seemingly recognizing him unilaterally. He suspected she might be connected to his superpower.

Intriguingly, her favorability towards him was at its peak, as evidenced by the note accompanying her transfer:

| Kei Karuizawa — Class D Student |

| I only learned about the school rules this morning. Kushida-san and Hirata-san explained during the class meeting. Then I thought, since you came to sell information, does that mean you're short on money? I spent some yesterday, but I scraped together 80,000 points. If you need points, I'll transfer them to you first. |

The 80,000 Points she had painstakingly gathered were now in his account. Despite knowing the challenges of Class D, she had given him almost all her points. The gesture felt significant.

After brief consideration, Houtarou selected her number. He initially prepared to enter 80,000, but then changed the amount to 30,000.

『Transfer 30,000 Points to Kei Karuizawa?』

Without hesitation, he confirmed the transfer.

For ordinary students, basic living expenses after enrollment — primarily due to accommodation costs — would likely exceed 10,000 Points initially. Kei had only learned about the school rules that morning, so she had already spent some Points the previous day.

In essence, she might have had less than 3,000 remaining. Yet she gave him all her other Points. This gesture felt too weighty. However, returning the entire amount would be somewhat inconsiderate.

After careful consideration, he returned 30,000. He planned to return the remaining 50,000 in another manner within a week.

Although he was embarking on the grand task of accumulating 20 million Points, he hadn't yet reached the point of needing to ask for help from the girls.

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"It seems you're aiming for the 20 million points route." Arisu said, "In that case, school life will become much more challenging. After all, this is a feat that no one in this school's history has ever accomplished."

"A feat, indeed." Houtarou replied, "And I've been considering a proposal. If 20 million points can buy students, couldn't we also buy the student council president? Or after gathering 20 million points, could we directly join the third-year Class A, where the student council president is, and graduate together?"

"Oh ho—" Arisu clapped her hands lightly, "I said this school has become interesting because of Oreki-kun. Aren't his ideas fascinating, Kamuro-san?"

She then looked at Masumi.

Masumi, however, looked back with a confused expression, seemingly not understanding.

"She probably hasn't grasped it yet. I'll inquire about the feasibility of these proposals." Arisu said with a slight sigh, "I originally thought this school was quite dull. But Oreki-kun, you've brought intrigue to this place."

Her expression suddenly turned cute, causing Houtarou to lean back 10 centimeters in his seat. Because...

'Sakayanagi-san, what terrifying schemes are you concocting?' He thought to himself, 'Couldn't you apply your wisdom to class competition and maintaining Class A's position instead?'

After finishing lunch, he opened his phone and searched for the GPS function. Every phone had one, and it seemed that after adding someone as a friend, you could also check their location.

He was looking for only one person: a top-tier beauty with long, straight black hair — Suzune Horikita.

The grand task of accumulating 20 million Points had to begin.

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