Horikita Manabu temporarily failed to understand what the other party meant by "a bottom-line bargaining chip that the four classes cannot refuse."
At least it could be confirmed that it wasn't an information trade.
As the other party said, information as a commodity can often only be sold once.
When attempting to sell it a second time, it may have already been leaked through other channels.
However, Akira wasn't a riddle-maker. He directly revealed the answer. "I plan to buy eight surveillance devices from the school authorities, covering the four first-year classes, and purchase the surveillance rights for those four classes."
"Surveillance devices..." Horikita Manabu paused slightly, then fell into a brief contemplation. After a few seconds, a flash of realization appeared in his eyes.
As the leader of Class A, he almost instantly saw through Akira's plan:
Firstly, at the end of each month, the school authorities would deduct class points based on surveillance records.
Key deduction items included tardiness, absenteeism, unauthorized use of mobile phones, and other behaviors.
Upon careful consideration, it would be found that most deduction behaviors originated from the records of the eight surveillance devices in each class.
Theoretically, if a class's surveillance records were "accidentally" missing, that class could achieve a perfect score of 1000 points in the first month.
Secondly, these surveillance devices would become an excellent source of information. The four classes were in competition with each other. Understanding their daily activities was equivalent to holding the strategic initiative.
Thirdly, assuming the other party successfully purchased the surveillance rights, they could resell them to the original class, or transfer them through auction to the highest bidder among competitors—the highest bidder wins.
Fourthly, continuously being under surveillance isn't a pleasant feeling. After all, no one likes being a criminal, and this invisible psychological pressure would gradually erode the mental state and learning efficiency of students in other classes.
It was evident from this that once Akira successfully purchased the surveillance system, no matter how stringent the conditions he proposed, the classes would be forced to accept them.
It could be said that the other party had completely monopolized the strategic high ground of the information war by the second week of school.
Horikita Manabu encountered a freshman with such an ingenious plan for the first time, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.
"...Indeed, a brilliant idea." He paused slightly, his gaze behind his glasses filled with inquiry. "How did you come up with it?"
"I noticed it on the second day of school," Akira shrugged casually. "Later, in the second week, I unexpectedly learned that points would be deducted based on surveillance at the end of the month, so I've been planning this ever since. Now I've just accumulated over a million points, so it's time to implement it."
Thinking about it carefully, this school was almost completely covered by cameras, with hardly any blind spots.
In other words, whoever controlled the surveillance controlled the source of information—especially the two crucial cameras in each classroom.
"The concept is indeed ingenious." Horikita Manabu pushed up his glasses, his tone calm. "But as far as I know, no student has ever made such a transaction with the school authorities. Strictly speaking, you're utilizing the school authorities' resources." He unceremoniously poured cold water on the idea.
"Precisely why I came to the President. I hope the President can speak for me," Akira looked directly at him, his tone frank. "Since this school advertises that 'points can buy anything,' the school authorities have no reason to refuse this transaction."
"...Heh." Horikita Manabu chuckled softly, a flash of light reflecting off his glasses. "I see. This is your true purpose for coming to the Student Council—to leverage my influence to pressure the school authorities?"
"After it's done, I'll pay you an additional thirty percent of the profits," Akira casually threw out his final bargaining chip.
This statement hit Horikita Manabu's weak spot.
As the Student Council President, the points he had at hand were indeed tight compared to Nagumo Miyabi, and this extra income was undoubtedly an irresistible temptation.
"Good, very good. You've done an excellent job... You've almost perfected every step." Horikita Manabu looked at him deeply, his eyes unable to hide his admiration.
This freshman was simply meticulous, every word precisely hitting the mark, successively throwing out conditions that he couldn't refuse.
Such astonishing initiative, coupled with exceptional intelligence, emotional intelligence, and strategy—let alone Class A, even if this school had an S Class, this person would probably be at the forefront.
Thinking of this, Horikita Manabu couldn't help but think of his sister.
Others were already aiming for the ten-million-point mark through surveillance by the second week of school, while his own sister was still treading water.
She probably didn't even have ten thousand points, did she?
The comparison was truly regrettable.
Horikita Manabu gently pushed up his glasses, a sharp light reflecting off the lenses. "Even without my intervention, the school authorities would most likely accept your proposal—after all, the purpose of this school is to stimulate students' potential."
His tone suddenly shifted. "However, directly buying out the surveillance rights is probably unrealistic. Not to mention your million-plus points aren't enough, even if you had a hundred million points, the school authorities would never agree. This kind of transaction would completely disrupt the competitive balance of the four classes."
"You want to profit by leasing surveillance rights? Wouldn't that mean extra income every month?" Horikita Manabu shook his head slightly. "That would mean your class would be in an unbeatable position from the start. The school authorities wouldn't allow such a monopoly to occur."
"The most likely outcome is," Horikita Manabu looked at Akira, "the school authorities will pay you a substantial lump sum of personal points under the guise of an 'innovation reward,' and then quickly issue a new regulation—completely prohibiting students from purchasing the right to use school equipment."
"Of course," Horikita Manabu leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice a few decibels, "there's another possibility: the school authorities might make an exception and agree to a short-term lease. However..." He raised a slender finger. "It won't be for more than a week at most. This is both the final concession and an indirect warning. After that, a ban on surveillance-related equipment is bound to follow."
Akira nodded thoughtfully. This judgment perfectly aligned with his own.
"So..." Akira naturally looked at him. "This is precisely when the President needs to mediate. If we can secure a lease permit, the profit will far exceed the school authorities' symbolic reward—after all, the points other classes can offer are always much more generous than the school authorities."
"Quite greedy, but I don't dislike your idea." Horikita Manabu snorted softly, yet he had to admit the other party's courage and ideas. "I'll try to negotiate, but don't expect to get too long a period—I estimate a maximum of one month's lease, with various troublesome clauses attached. This is already the limit."
"One month is enough." Akira's lips curved slightly. "Enough for me to earn my first pot of gold."
He quickly calculated in his mind—conservatively, this transaction would bring at least eight million points in profit.
"However, I won't accept that thirty percent cut." Horikita Manabu suddenly said seriously. "The Student Council won't profit in this way. This is the fundamental difference between me and Nagumo Miyabi."
He uncharacteristically showed a meaningful smile. "Shimizu Akira, do you think I can't see through your calculations? This time, what you owe me isn't a favor that can be easily repaid with points."
"It seems the President is indeed superior." Akira chuckled softly, slowly extending his right hand.
Their two palms met in mid-air, and a silent transaction was thus concluded.