Ryunosuke let out a long sigh. He himself didn't expect the situation would become like this. It seemed with his presence at this school, many things no longer went according to the original plot. He thought to himself that he had to be more careful in the future.
While peeling an apple in his hand, Ryunosuke offered it to Suzune who was lying in the infirmary bed.
Suzune looked at him with a displeased expression.
"Why are you here?"
Ryunosuke shrugged resignedly. He couldn't possibly tell the truth that Suzune's older brother, Horikita Manabu—that high-prestige siscon—was busy handling Sudo's expulsion process so he couldn't come, and ended up paying him to watch over his sister.
Yes, Sudo was expelled because of Manabu's doing. Actually that incident didn't necessarily have to end with student expulsion, but Sudo had injured the Student Council President's younger sister. Manabu didn't let Sudo get away with it; he used 10 million personal points to force the school to expel Sudo.
At this school, points could buy anything, even expelling someone as long as the points were enough. Because Sudo had indeed hit first and the injury was quite serious, Manabu got a "discount" so 10 million points were enough to settle it.
Ryunosuke himself was paid about 50,000 points by Manabu to watch over Suzune. As someone who had many overseas debts, he certainly wouldn't miss this opportunity. However, in front of Suzune, he looked for another reason.
"As a classmate, it's natural if I'm worried about you, right?"
Suzune looked at him suspiciously. "That sentence doesn't sound like something that would come out of your mouth."
Even so, she still accepted the apple slices and ate them without saying thank you. Ryunosuke could only be patient; after all, he was working and had already received payment.
After a moment of silence, Suzune asked while pretending not to care, "Aren't you going to the student council today?"
"Who do you think I'm here because of? My classmate is injured, how could I have the spirit to work?" Ryunosuke answered casually. "Besides, you don't have a single friend... that makes me a bit uneasy."
Suzune glared sharply, but she couldn't argue. The reality was, even though she was injured defending the class, no one came to visit her except the people who took her to the infirmary earlier.
Suzune sighed, feeling a bit bitter. Her brother didn't acknowledge her, and she had no true friends. She felt her life was quite a failure.
Seeing Suzune looking gloomy, Ryunosuke asked, "What do you want to eat tonight?"
Suzune was stunned for a moment. "Are you going to cook for me?"
Ryunosuke stood up. "What do you want to eat? I'll buy it for you, consider it as repayment for the 400 Yen tonkatsu rice you bought back then."
"Then bring something worth 400 Yen too. That way we're even." Suzune answered with a complicated expression.
"You... no wonder you don't have friends."
"None of your business!" Suzune snapped while turning her face away. "I don't need friends..."
Shortly after, Ryunosuke returned bringing food. "Eat up. Tomorrow I'll visit you again. That wound won't heal in a week."
Suzune accepted the food and muttered thanks quietly, though still had time to be sarcastic, "It's not more than 400 Yen, right? If it's more, I won't reimburse you."
Ryunosuke shook his head. "You're really calculating. That 400 Yen issue is just an excuse; do you think I'd come visit you just for such small money? You're stupid but cute too."
Suzune's face reddened slightly, but she didn't argue. She knew it wasn't about the 400 Yen debt, but purely the kindness of others—something she actually rarely received or understood how to respond to.
◆━⊰✿✧✿⊱━◆
After his task was done, Ryunosuke went to Hoshinomiya Chie's office to collect his winning points. He knocked on the door and heard a lazy voice from inside telling him to enter.
Inside, Chie appeared to be lightly drunk. She leaned on the table with a wide smile that couldn't be hidden.
"It seems you're so happy you got drunk like this, Sensei." Ryunosuke said while sitting in front of her.
"Of course I'm happy! Hic... our class rose to Class A, my salary doubled! How can I not be happy? Hic!" Chie exclaimed while shaking her drink bottle.
Ryunosuke was interested. "Oh? So class rank promotion also raises teachers' salaries?"
Chie smiled mysteriously and began making circular motions on Ryunosuke's chest with her finger. "You want to dig for information? This secret must be paid for with points, Onee-san won't tell you for free~ Hic."
Ryunosuke fixed his sitting position. "No need, Hoshinomiya-sensei. Knowing that teachers' salaries rise when classes rise is enough for me."
Chie whined like a small child, rolling around in her chair. "Ah! Not fair! Ryunosuke-kun must buy my information! I've spent millions of points from my personal pocket! At least let me break even!"
"Oh, you reminded me. I came to collect the remaining payment, Sensei."
Instantly Chie fell silent. She sat up straight and tidied her face that had been messy from alcohol. She took out her phone to transfer points.
Ryunosuke received two point transfers:
2.1 million points (for making Class D's points below 100).
600,000 points (for bringing Class B up to Class A). Total: 2.7 million points.
As Ryunosuke was about to leave, Chie called him. "Ryunosuke-kun, are you interested in transferring to our class? You're too talented to stay in Class D. Our class—I mean, our current Class A—is the right place for you."
Chie stared at him with a hungry gaze. She felt it was a waste if talent like Ryunosuke was in Sae's class. She was even willing to pay the 20 million point class transfer fee to get this young man. To her, Ryunosuke was too terrifying if he became an enemy.
In just one month, Ryunosuke dragged Class B to Class A and made his own class's points zero. Chie misunderstood and thought Class D's zero points were purely Ryunosuke's sabotage, when in fact it was the result of the hard work of the "defective students" in Class D themselves.
Ryunosuke answered directly, "I won't spend 20 million points to transfer classes."
"You don't need to pay! Sensei will bear it. My personal savings are still quite a lot." Chie offered sweetly.
Ryunosuke began calculating in his brain. From Chie's words, he concluded that the salaries of Class A, B, C, and D teachers were very different. Through quick calculations based on comparing Sae's and Chie's savings, he guessed Class A teachers' monthly salaries could reach 2.4 million Yen.
"No wonder you're so generous, Sensei. Turns out the income is that big." Ryunosuke muttered enviously.
Chie was stunned. She shivered because Ryunosuke could guess her salary figure very accurately from just a few clues. Fear began to creep into her heart; this young man was no longer just a monster, he was an anomaly.
"I really don't want to be your enemy... Honami-chan will definitely be eaten up by a wolf like you." Chie said in a serious tone she rarely showed.
"Thank you for the praise, Sensei."
"I'm not praising you! So, how about that class transfer offer?"
"I'll consider it." Ryunosuke answered briefly before taking his leave.
He walked toward Arisu's place to collect one more debt. The smile on his face couldn't be hidden.
Currently, after adding payments from Manabu and Chie, and subtracting small costs for Masumi, his personal point balance had reached: 3,365,500 points.
If he added 900,000 points from Arisu soon, he would have 4,265,500 points.
But that wasn't enough for him. After knowing teachers' salaries were so high, his target began to shift. Why squeeze students who didn't have much money when there were rich teachers at this school?
Ryunosuke showed an evil smile that seemed to come from the depths of the abyss of death.
(Sorry, teachers... you're too rich, I can't resist not targeting you all.)