When Ren spoke, the noisy Class D went quiet. Kōenji Rokusuke, who always had a faint smile, felt his smile disappear. Kushida, standing next to Ren, was also stunned. She never thought a weirdo like Kōenji would have such a "cute" nickname.
"We meet again soon, Dragon." Kōenji quickly regained his composure, his smile returning as he walked up to Ren.
The two of them stood blocking the doorway. They both let out their auras, confronting each other, each trying to overwhelm the other and gain the upper hand.
Their auras were a mix of personality, background, and appearance. With similar backgrounds, similar heights, and equally perfect looks, neither could beat the other.
Kushida, caught between them, felt an intense pressure, like she was in the eye of a storm. She felt like she could be torn to pieces at any moment.
"I'm sorry, miss. I've startled you. Could I trouble you to show me your student card?"
Ren decided to stop the standoff. He relaxed his aura and spoke to the kind-hearted girl.
"Huh? Me?" Kushida jumped, startled at being suddenly addressed.
She had lost her usual confidence. She didn't know why he wanted her card, but she felt like she had no power to refuse.
(Transfer Complete: 88,888 points)
"Kushida-san, this is an apology. Please don't refuse."
After transferring the points, Ren waited for Kōenji to get a good look at his total point balance before putting his card away.
Kushida, having received the huge apology, felt her head spin. Happiness had come so suddenly. Seeing that this student was a "rich catch," she immediately put on a sweet smile.
Her voice became soft. "Katsuragi-kun, can we be friends? I want to be friends with everyone in the school. Please don't say no." Her voice got even softer when she saw her points were back in the six-figure range. I just love these rich guys.
"Of course, Kushida-san." Ren laughed and held out his hand. "Hello, my name is Katsuragi Ren."
Being rude wasn't worth 80,000 points. This girl, Kikyou Kushida, was the real reason he'd paid. She was helpful and had a warmth just like Honami's. He got the impression she was a natural at socializing.
A pretty girl with that kind of scary ability, ending up in Class D? She was probably a wolf in sheep's clothing. In other words... a natural information broker.
Kushida was just about to shake Ren's hand when someone else grabbed it. Kōenji wrapped his large hand around Ren's and began to squeeze.
"Dragon," he said with a smirk. "I don't think you came here just to make friends."
Sixty percent. Seventy percent... One hundred percent.
Even at full strength, Kōenji saw no change in Ren's expression. He let go. "Dragon, let's talk business."
"Let's go, little lion. We'll get some coffee," Ren said, lightly shaking his hand, which was a little sore.
The action looked casual, but it had a natural elegance. As he turned to leave, his eyes stopped on Kushida. He smiled faintly, raised his hand, and waved. "See you around, Kushida-san."
Hearing his words, Kushida, who had been annoyed that Kōenji interrupted her, smiled sweetly. Her clear eyes sparkled as she replied, "Yes, see you around, Katsuragi-kun!"
They didn't go to the coffee shop. Ren went straight to the school roof. Kōenji wasn't surprised and followed him. You don't discuss big things in a public place. This was clearly not a "small" matter.
"Dragon, what's the deal?" Kōenji wasn't against working with him. Their families' rivalry didn't matter here. And even if it did, it was fine as long as the profit was big enough.
Only enemy families don't last long. For businessmen, profit is always first.
It wasn't rare for two powers to be stabbing each other in public and drinking together at night.
"Here. Read it. Sign it when you're done."
Ren tossed a few pages of the plan and the agreement to Kōenji. He then walked over to the rooftop railing and looked down, his expression returning to its usual indifference. He acted as if he had no doubt Kōenji would agree.
Kōenji caught the papers. He ignored Ren's casual attitude and began to read through his rival's plot.
Yes, a plot.
He didn't believe Ren would be so kind as to share a money-making plan. It was definitely a trap for someone at the school. All he had to do was make sure the trap wasn't for him.
As long as it made money and didn't hurt him, it was fine. As for who the trap was for? It didn't matter, as long as it wasn't him.
"Huh. Chie Hoshinomiya? You pulled your homeroom teacher into this?" Kōenji was surprised to see a teacher's name, in addition to Ren's, on the signature line.
"So, how do we split the shares?" He didn't see any loopholes. It was a very profitable plan. He asked the key question.
"I get six. You get two. Hoshinomiya-sensei gets two."
"You mean you do nothing and risk nothing, but you take the biggest share?" Kōenji laughed.
The plan clearly exploited him. Even if it only exploited his money, which meant little to him, he still had to bargain.
"Do nothing? Little lion, you're funny. What are you doing besides putting up money? I'm doing everything else. Me taking six is not a problem." Ren didn't budge.
"We split it, four and four."
"Seven and one. I get seven, you get one. You know I can handle this alone."
"Hah. If you could, you wouldn't have come to me. Four and four."
"Seven and one. Take it or leave it. I can force it if I have to."
The two first-year students were like little business foxes, arguing back and forth. Both wanted a bigger piece of the cake.
In the end, Ren finally gave in a little. They changed the shares to five and three. Ren five, Kōenji three.
Kōenji took an elegant pen from his pocket and signed his name on the agreement, right next to Ren's.
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