After taking the beating, Kaoru watched as Amikura Mako's anger melted away, replaced by a soft laugh.
The slight upward curve of her lips suggested she felt she had finally gained the upper hand.
"Are you that happy about it?" Kaoru sulked.
"Because this is the first time I've ever received a ring like this. Starting today, I'm going to wear it all the time."
Amikura Mako was no longer shy—why should she be? If this was all part of his long-planned scheme, she might as well face it head-on.
"If anyone asks, I'll just say you gave it to me."
Not to be outdone, Kaoru shot back, "In that case, I'll go around telling everyone you kissed me."
Remembering her earlier boldness, Amikura Mako's face burned, but she met his gaze with feigned composure.
"Say whatever you want. Not only did you tell me you'd 'take all,' but you also did something really awful to me before. I'm sure people will have the basic judgment to figure out who the real pervert is."
After a brief staring contest, Kaoru realized she wasn't joking.
His mood soured further—it seemed he had accidentally unlocked something in her, and now she was turning the tables on him.
Seeing that he didn't argue back, Amikura Mako's mood brightened even more.
Her fingers brushed against the ring—so he hadn't forgotten about her. He had even prepared one specially for her.
But why hadn't Ichinose mentioned it?
"Next time, don't touch my calf. Someone might see." Kaoru suddenly spoke up.
"W-What was I supposed to do? I didn't have a phone to contact you! Besides, no one saw!"
A faint blush reappeared on Amikura Mako's cheeks, and her voice grew quieter.
"Should we set a specific time or something?"
"Wouldn't it be bad if Honami found out?"
Kaoru felt a pang of guilt—his girlfriend's best friend.
The whole thing had an oddly sneaky undertone.
Amikura Mako paused, then a dazzling smile spread across her face.
She blinked, leaning slightly closer until her breath tickled Kaoru's face.
"What would happen if Honami found out?"
Thanks to their height difference, Kaoru caught a glimpse of her fair neck and the slight swell of her chest peeking from her collar, her skin flushed pink—irresistible.
Kaoru studied her for a moment.
Her lips curled in triumph, as if she believed she had complete control of the situation—maybe even eager to see him squirm.
The next instant, Amikura Mako felt a warm fingertip lift her chin, followed by the soft, tender press of lips against hers.
"Eh?" The girl stared at him blankly.
Kaoru licked his lips, as if savoring the taste, and smiled slightly.
"Now I've kissed you too."
Amikura Mako stumbled back several steps, her heart pounding wildly, her face burning as if on fire.
What had just happened?
Had she been tricked?
Th-this was too much! Taking advantage of her inattention to launch a sudden sneak attack!
"Y-you... you just kissed me?"
"Mako kissed me too just now."
"N-no, it's different... That was... my first kiss..."
"Even better. Mako's first kiss is mine."
Amikura Mako subconsciously puffed out her cheeks.
Honestly, she was getting angry, yet this guy was still grinning.
But considering the ring, she'd let it slide this time.
...
In the afternoon during free time, Kaoru returned to the boys' main building.
As he passed through the corridor by the entrance, someone knocked on the wall at the corner.
"Restroom."
After saying this, the boy turned and walked toward the other end of the hallway.
Kaoru followed the corridor to the restroom, then noticed someone making a gesture in a distant corner before turning to approach.
As expected, he saw Tonokawa there.
"You're really being cautious, even though Nagumo already knows I have people in your class."
Faced with Kaoru's slightly mocking tone, Tonokawa Sosuke didn't get angry but sighed instead.
"Are you planning to deal with Nagumo-kun, or help Kiriyama-kun against us?"
"Actually, Kiriyama-senpai made me an offer that's hard to refuse."
"What if we have a better offer?"
"So you're abandoning Nagumo to seek my support?"
"You'll be the next student council president, even if Nagumo-kun calls for an election."
"I can still get the president position after making him drop out."
"We can help you with that too."
"Your attitude changed quite quickly."
"Some people are already eager. Your identity can tempt quite a few."
At this point, Tonokawa Sosuke had essentially revealed their current predicament.
On one hand, Nagumo Miyabi was exploiting the Personal Points of their entire class, even the whole grade, causing growing dissatisfaction.
On the other hand, Kaoru's capabilities couldn't be underestimated.
Leaving aside the Shinomiya Financial Group for now, Tonokawa Sosuke shared Nagumo's suspicion that Kaoru possessed a substantial amount of Personal Points—enough to potentially buy over the second years.
"I don't really need to negotiate with you now. This exam might be enough to make Nagumo drop out."
Kaoru smiled. "Besides, I've already accepted Kiriyama-senpai's terms."
"To be blunt, even if Nagumo-kun ends up in last place, he has enough points to protect himself."
Tonokawa Sosuke said, "Compared to Kiriyama-kun, we better fit your requirements."
"What can you offer?" Kaoru seemed interested.
Tonokawa Sosuke didn't rush to answer, instead asking, "Do you know what's most needed for the graduation exam, Mitoma-kun?"
Kaoru thought for a moment. "Personal Points?"
"You clearly understand the value of Personal Points."
Tonokawa Sosuke laughed. "To many, Personal Points are only for transferring classes or saving expelled students—seemingly useless otherwise."
"But everything here can be bought with Personal Points."
Kaoru stated. "That's right. As long as the school deems it possible to provide, you can buy anything with Personal Points."
Tonokawa Sosuke said, "Take the previous sports festival for example—substituting players required Personal Points. And for future exams, especially the graduation exam, you'll need even more Personal Points."
Kaoru seemed intrigued: "How do you know what future exams will entail?"
"Just like how I'm telling you now, our seniors warned us about it before."
Tonokawa Sosuke smiled faintly.
Kaoru felt that he was deliberately holding back, but he didn't mind now and asked.
"Are you planning to bribe me with Personal Points?"
"Right now, Class 2-A can provide Personal Points to Nagumo-kun, but in the future, we might just as well offer them to Mitoma-kun. As long as we remain Class A, the flow of Personal Points will never stop."
"Isn't that placing too much trust in me?"
"Cross-grade influence isn't unheard of. With just a little effort from you, we can coexist peacefully for a year."
Tonokawa Sosuke felt he had shown enough sincerity—helping to expel Nagumo Miyabi from their class, supporting Kaoru's bid for student council president, and even offering Personal Points.
What better terms could there be?
Yet, Kaoru refused.
"I have no reason to help you. Nagumo's expulsion is already a foregone conclusion. You can't use an outcome as a bargaining chip—that's impossible."
Tonokawa Sosuke was stunned.
Wait, they hadn't even lifted a finger yet, and Kaoru was already certain Nagumo would be expelled?
"We can give you half of our class's Personal Points—half of everything!"
Kaoru shook his head.
Honestly, if he put on the [Black-framed Glasses] now and made the school believe he was Nagumo, he could submit a withdrawal application that would leave the real Nagumo utterly baffled.
"Why won't you agree?"
Tonokawa couldn't understand.
Kaoru smiled faintly. "I didn't say I wouldn't agree—just that your terms aren't acceptable."
Tonokawa's expression eased slightly. As long as there was room for negotiation, things were fine.
"First, I won't help you, but I also won't help Kiriyama-senpai. You can rest assured on that point."
If Kaoru remained neutral, that was acceptable.
A year should be enough to prevent Kiriyama Ikuyo from catching up.
Tonokawa nodded.
"Second, you must continue interacting normally with Asahina-senpai, no matter what objections Nagumo might raise."
Tonokawa's face twisted in bewilderment.
So the rumors about you two were true after all?
"Is there a problem?"
Kaoru raised an eyebrow.
"No, it's just… we never planned to do anything to Asahina-san in the first place."
Tonokawa felt a pang of guilt—some in their class had indeed been distancing themselves from Asahina Nazuna.
"Good."
Kaoru continued, "Third, if anyone wants to terminate the contract, you must agree—even if Nagumo opposes it."
"Contract?"
Tonokawa was confused.
"The contract binding your entire grade—the one where you hand over Personal Points to Nagumo."
Kaoru hadn't forgotten this.
Without it, Nagumo Miyabi wouldn't have such terrifying influence or an overwhelming stockpile of Personal Points.
To bring Nagumo down, they had to not only strip him of his revival armor but also cut off his supply of Personal Points.
Tonokawa's eyes widened in realization, then he nodded without hesitation.
After all, those points never benefited their class—they were just tools Nagumo used to exploit lower-ranked classes.
"Finally, until Nagumo is expelled, you'll follow my instructions. If anyone gets expelled in the process, I'll provide them with meaningful employment."
At this, Tonokawa's expression finally shifted.
He couldn't help but swallow hard.
Was this the allure of a major conglomerate?
No wonder people had been eyeing them resentfully lately, itching to act.
The offer was undeniably tempting.
"Those are my terms. Any objections?" Kaoru spoke calmly.
Tonokawa thought for a moment, then ventured, "Mitoma-kun… don't you need Personal Points?"
These conditions were more favorable than he had anticipated—there was actually no harsh treatment?
Could it be due to Asahina Nazuna's influence?
"Are you sure your class won't resent this?"
Kaoru smirked faintly. "Besides, in exchange for just a few Personal Points, I'd have to protect your position in Class A. That's hardly worth the effort."
Tonokawa Sosuke laughed awkwardly.
If you can't beat them, join them—no shame in that.
"None of this is a problem. We can offer you assistance."
At this point, Tonokawa had no choice but to side with Kaoru.
Still, he remained confident in Nagumo Miyabi's abilities.
Forcing Nagumo Miyabi to drop out would take at least half a year, right?
At the very least, a full semester?
Tonokawa Sosuke wasn't sure, but he knew he had to change the mindset of his entire class.
After all, many still instinctively followed Nagumo Miyabi.
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