Chapter 24: For the Sake of Gaming, Everything Is Worth It
Upon hearing Katsuragi Keima's words, Chabashira Sae's expression underwent a visible change, and her breathing seemed to quicken. In the depths of her heart, she harbored an incredibly intense craving for promotion to Class A.
She herself had once been a student in Class D. Back then, the gap between the four classes was nowhere near as massive as it was today, and the class Chabashira Sae belonged to had come within a hair's breadth of replacing Class A.
But in the end, they fell short at the final hurdle.
That incident was inextricably linked to Chabashira Sae herself, which was also the reason why Hoshinomiya Chie had always harbored a profound hatred for her. On the surface, Chabashira appeared to have given up, but in reality, her desire to ascend to Class A was stronger than anyone's.
And this was the first time a student had ever brought up such matters directly to her face.
However, Chabashira adjusted her expression in less than two seconds. "Ascending to Class A? For you in Class D, simply reaching the position of Class C could be considered a godsend. Even though you've discovered the truth of the S-System in time, these few days have been enough to open a gap between you and the other classes—"
"But the gap definitely isn't that large yet, is it?" Keima interjected.
If the students in the class hadn't learned about the S-System in advance, they likely wouldn't have sensed anything wrong until the 1st of next month, by which time their Class Points would certainly have been wiped out. But now, only a few days into the start of school, the points they had lost weren't that substantial.
This was also the moment when the gap between the classes was at its smallest.
"Interesting. Do you desire to ascend to Class A? You should know that graduating from this school is equivalent to a guaranteed career—but only on the premise that you graduate from Class A."
"I have no such desire. Which class I graduate from isn't within my scope of consideration. Right now, I'm only doing this so I can play games more effectively. Only when I have games to play do I have the motivation to do other things."
Keima pushed up his glasses, paused for a few seconds, and then continued: "I can improve the class's 'strength.' That is my advantage. Therefore, my request is to lower the transaction price."
Chabashira Sae stared at the boy before her.
'Can someone go to such lengths for the sake of playing games?'
But it was perfect. This year's Class D students were unique enough. Besides Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, he might also become one of her trump cards.
"Fine. I accept. Fifty thousand points a month. As long as you provide the full amount every month, your behavior of playing games in class will be regarded as a 'normal student behavior.'"
A meaningful smile appeared on Chabashira Sae's face. "But as a return for the discount, in the upcoming official exams, there must be no expellees from the class. Not only that, for every full academic year passed, the class rank must improve by at least one. If you fail, our deal will terminate. Furthermore, you will need to pay me back the previous price difference in its entirety."
Chabashira was curious to see how Keima would react.
"I cannot accept."
Without a single moment's hesitation, Keima rejected Chabashira Sae's proposal.
"As expected." For Chabashira, his reaction was within her expectations. After all, with such an additional condition, it was almost impossible for any student to agree—
"With that additional condition, fifty thousand is still too high."
"What?"
The smile on Chabashira Sae's face froze instantly. What Katsuragi Keima cared about wasn't the additional condition, but the fifty thousand points?
"If it's below twenty thousand, I can consider agreeing."
"You're actually haggling with a teacher?"
"Within the school rules, this is permitted, isn't it?"
"You'd better think this through. Once the agreement is reached, it is legally binding." Chabashira's gaze became stern.
"I know that, of course. Otherwise, the school's point transaction system would be useless."
"..."
Chabashira didn't answer immediately. She was silent for a few seconds, then nodded. "Fine. I accept. Twenty thousand points a month, with the additional conditions remaining unchanged."
"Mm."
Soon, Chabashira Sae and Katsuragi Keima finalized the transaction details. They included a note during the transfer to serve as archived evidence.
"From now on, my gaming will no longer be affected, right?" Keima confirmed one last time.
"Yes. But limited only to the act of 'playing games.'"
For Keima, being able to play games freely at this stage was the most important thing. As for the contents of the deal, he didn't care. Whether they truly reached Class A meant nothing to him. At the absolute worst, he would just have to compensate the points later.
In the meantime, he had plenty of time to maneuver—accumulating points and at least improving Elsie's academic ability. He might even find an opportunity to modify the terms of the deal again. For Keima, this deal was, at the very least, a temporary stalling tactic.
"Oh my! Isn't this little Sae-chan? What are you two chatting about?"
Just then, a gentle voice rang out from nearby.
Hoshinomiya Chie.
With a gentle smile on her face, she glanced at Chabashira Sae, then turned her head to look at Katsuragi Keima. "Oh, you're the Katsuragi-kun from Class D, right? I'm the homeroom teacher for Class B. What are you and your Chabashira-sensei talking about? She and I have been friends for over ten years, you know. We were once classmates, and now we're colleagues!"
Hoshinomiya Chie spoke as if she and Chabashira Sae shared an incredibly close relationship.
"This has nothing to do with you, and our conversation has already ended." Chabashira Sae merely glanced at Hoshinomiya Chie and then turned to leave immediately.
"Aww, what a pity. I thought you were talking about something interesting, like romance? Although school just started, for adolescent students, you must be longing for love, right?"
Hoshinomiya Chie watched Chabashira Sae's departing back with a smile, then focused her attention on Katsuragi Keima again. "Katsuragi-kun, are you interested in things like romance?"
"Not interested at all."
In the split second Hoshinomiya turned her head, Keima had already pulled out his handheld and started playing.
"I heard Katsuragi-kun really likes playing games~ If you're willing to come to our Class B, I, as a teacher, can let you play games as much as you want!"
"Really?"
"In this school, you can transfer classes by spending 20 million points."
"Then forget it."
"But if Katsuragi-kun wants to come to our Class B—maybe the students in Class B would be willing to bear part of the cost for you."
"I have no such plans for now."
"Oh dear, what a shame. But if Katsuragi-kun ever needs someone to talk to, you can come find me! I'm the school's counselor! And I have a very good relationship with your homeroom teacher; we're best friends!"
"Is that so? But to me, you look like you're somewhat angry with Chabashira-sensei."
Keima spoke slowly, his gaze still focused entirely on the screen.
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