Check out advanced chapters on P@treon: [email protected]/CosmicKaminari
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However, Sakagami quickly composed himself.
He was actually very confident in his class.
He especially admired his student, Ryuuen.
Because, strictly speaking, both of them belonged to the type who'd stop at nothing to achieve their goals.
If it weren't for his tacit approval, Ryuuen wouldn't have become a leader so quickly.
So he picked up his phone and immediately sent a text message to Ryuuen.
{Ryuuen, how is the class doing recently?}
Hoshinomiya unconsciously hummed a tune, her gaze subtly sweeping over Chabashira not far away.
'Sae-chan, oh Sae-chan...'
'Our class was able to get this information smoothly this time, all thanks to your class's Shimizu-kun.'
'If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have pinpointed that second-year student whose points were at rock bottom so quickly...'
That's right, Hoshinomiya knew perfectly well—it was she who'd proactively contacted the second-year Yamamura.
In just a few words, she confirmed from the other party's evasive remarks that Akira had already mastered all the hidden rules.
A plan quietly formed in her mind.
But the ironclad school rule hung high—teachers aren't allowed to interfere with student actions.
So she didn't hesitate to spend eighty thousand private points to make Yamamura issue a gag order.
This transaction made it natural for Yamamura to "coincidentally" establish contact with Ichinose.
Thinking of the wonderful expression Chabashira might show when the truth was revealed, Hoshinomiya's lips unconsciously curved upwards, and a light hum escaped her nostrils.
'These eighty thousand points were truly worth it!'
On Thursday morning, Akira had just finished his physical training and returned to the dorm.
His sweat-soaked sportswear clung to his back, and he was reaching out to turn the bathroom doorknob when—
His phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket.
The name flashing on the screen made him raise an eyebrow—Ichinose.
"Shimizu-kun!" The female voice from the other end of the phone, though tinged with some hesitation, was more resolute. "You did it, didn't you?"
Akira's breath hitched, and his fingers gripping the phone tightened slightly.
'What is she referring to?'
The first thing that flashed through his mind was his secret alternate account identity.
'Could it be... I've been discovered?'
'Was it exposed because of the million-point transaction?'
'How is that possible... How did she find out?'
'Could it be... she deduced my real name from the ID "Tsuki Ao"?'
However, Akira quickly calmed down and asked blandly, "What are you talking about, Ichinose-san? I don't understand."
"That 1.3-second silence just now was suspicious." Ichinose's smiling voice came through the receiver. "It was you after all!"
"..." Akira's expression immediately became a bit conflicted.
"You were the one who instructed Yamamura-senpai to approach me, weren't you?" Her voice suddenly became lighthearted. "Shimizu-kun is truly... unexpectedly gentle."
The expected interrogation didn't come. Instead, he heard completely unrelated content, leaving Akira momentarily stunned.
'Yamamura? That second-year Class D student who sells information?'
His tense shoulders imperceptibly relaxed—at least his alternate account hadn't been exposed.
"Sorry, I really don't know what you're talking about." This time, he was genuinely confused.
"Heh, still going to play dumb? You really are something!" Ichinose's voice carried a hint of playful amusement. "On the second day of school, wasn't it me who took you to meet that Yamamura-senpai?"
"Indeed," Akira cautiously admitted.
"Then..." The tone on the other end of the phone suddenly became serious. "Shimizu-kun, you must have bought the hidden rules from her, right?"
Akira was startled.
'What's going on...'
'Why does the usually gentle Ichinose seem like a different person today?'
'She's not usually this perceptive.'
He weighed the pros and cons.
Since the other party had already seen through to this extent, deliberately concealing it further would only seem disrespectful.
"...That's right." He finally admitted frankly.
"As expected..." Ichinose's voice trembled slightly with sudden realization. "So you deliberately arranged for Yamamura-senpai to approach me and sell me that information at a low price, right?"
Akira suddenly understood something and earnestly explained, "It really wasn't me."
'I see...'
'Someone deliberately spent points to have Yamamura approach Class B...'
'And I just met that information peddler with Ichinose last week...'
'With such a coincidence, it's no wonder she'd misunderstand.'
A faint rustling sound of fabric came from the other end of the phone. "Shimizu-kun... it really wasn't you?"
"Given my personality," Akira lightly tapped the microphone with his knuckle, producing a clear sound, "if I were to help, I'd definitely tell you the answer directly. Why go through such a roundabout way and involve a third party?"
The other end of the phone fell into a long silence, with only a faint static sound crackling.
Just as Akira's thumb was about to slide towards the hang-up button, Ichinose suddenly chuckled softly. "Indeed... it's still you, Shimizu-kun."
"The reason is simple," her voice suddenly brightened, like the moon emerging from behind clouds. "The four classes are in competition with each other. You want to maintain your position, yet you can't help but lend a hand—so you chose this roundabout way, didn't you?"
'What's wrong with this girl? She can even come up with a reasonable explanation for this?'
Akira rubbed his forehead, a helpless sigh escaping his throat.
Even though he'd explained it so clearly, the other party's thinking was like a tangled earphone cord, stubbornly circling back to the starting point.
But on second thought—if one stood in Ichinose's position, this deduction seemed reasonable.
After all, all clues strangely pointed to him, almost like a carefully designed coincidence.
"Shimizu-kun, don't worry..." Ichinose's voice suddenly softened, with a slightly playful lilt. "I will forever cherish this secret in my heart."
"This is a promise between the two of us... Heh heh."
"If it weren't for your help, Class B would've been in a passive situation in the first month of the new semester..."
"...Please accept these eighty thousand points. Although it's not much... I'll continue to compensate you after I receive my points next month."
"Then—" Her speaking speed suddenly quickened, with a hint of urgency. "Goodbye, Shimizu-kun."
Without waiting for a response, the call ended abruptly.
Akira looked at the words "Call Ended" on the screen, then at the eighty thousand points immediately transferred by the other party.
For a long time, he fell into a rare silence.
Having been made a scapegoat so many times, he never thought he'd one day be credited for something he didn't do.
'So, which muddle-headed person does good deeds without leaving their name?'