As for Miki, Kaoru wasn't actually worried—Shiho Manabe was keeping an eye on her.
As a minor ringleader of Class C's delinquents, she could control any incidents targeting Miki.
However, given Shiho Manabe's level of influence, she wasn't capable of rallying the other Class C students in their group to protect Miki while feeding false information to Ryuuen.
Kaoru could, of course, simply order Shiho Manabe to protect Miki Yamamura at all costs.
But that would expose Shiho Manabe and the others' identities, rendering their role as spies meaningless.
Worse, it would make them targets of ostracization by Ryuuen and his followers in their class.
There was even a risk that Class 1-C would designate them as cannon fodder in the next exam, forcing them to drop out in one fell swoop.
This outcome was obvious.
To avoid exposing Shiho Manabe's identity while still protecting Miki Yamamura, Kaoru had to resort to another method.
Truthfully, he shouldn't have met with Miki today—Ryuuen would likely find out soon, and his reaction would probably be sheer delight.
Yes, even knowing that Kaoru was aware of his scheme, Ryuuen wouldn't stop.
Because this was an overt stratagem, one that forced Kaoru to pay a price no matter what.
Saving Miki Yamamura would cost 400 points, while not saving her would still cost 100.
No matter what decision Kaoru made, Ryuuen stood to gain.
And besides—there were no surveillance cameras in the school building.
This place was practically made for him!
Kaoru could perfectly imagine Ryuuen's reaction—he would seize this opportunity to push him into an even more difficult dilemma.
As mentioned earlier, Kaoru could also have Sakayanagi sacrifice another group to protect Miki Yamamura.
However, this approach wasn't guaranteed to succeed and might simply result in someone else being expelled instead.
Unless the other two subgroups within the larger group were willing to cooperate, but even then, they would still lose points, and the outcome would remain unchanged.
Because of this, Kaoru had never seriously considered that option.
Instead, he had prepared another "gift" for Ryuuen and Nagumo.
...
Around 1 PM, while most of the dormitory residents were napping, Kaoru stepped outside and spotted Sato Keisaku not far down the hallway.
"Meeting at night would've been better. Someone might see us during the day," Sato remarked, offering some advice as the senior.
"Even if someone sees us, it doesn't matter. If anyone can report to Nagumo, then I'll have to take him seriously from now on."
Honestly, Kaoru was curious whether Nagumo had infiltrated the third-year students.
Sato suddenly remembered that the person before him was the student council vice president—someone who had driven Nagumo to the point of angrily offering a bounty.
This wasn't just any ordinary first-year.
In fact, he was more capable and cunning than most seniors.
Back when Sato was a first-year, he had never dared to act like this toward his upperclassmen.
"So, Mitoma-kun, what do you need me to do?" Sato asked.
"Talking here might disturb others. Let's move to the outer corridor."
The two descended the stairs and arrived at the school building's cloister.
A gray haze hung over the sky, and the treetops bore traces of snow.
A faint shadow of clouds drifted over the distant track field.
"I'd like to ask for your help," Kaoru said. "But don't worry—I'll compensate you for it."
Sato thought for a moment. "Do you want me to help raise your score or lower someone else's?"
"Can you do both?" Kaoru asked, surprised.
Sato shook his head. "No, I don't have that kind of ability. Even if you asked me to raise your score, I couldn't guarantee it."
He wasn't joking.
For Class 3-C, avoiding point deductions was already an achievement—winning first place in exams was practically out of the question.
"I had considered it, but I know that's asking too much. So just help me lower the scores a little."
"Is someone trying to get one of your people expelled?"
"No. I just need to make sure the other side understands the heavy consequences they'll face."
"I don't really know the details of your situation."
"Actually, you could strike a deal with Horikita."
Sato was taken aback.
He hadn't expected Horikita Manabu to be involved—or why Kaoru would suddenly bring him up.
"If Class 3-B plans to expel one of his people to close the gap, he'll have no choice but to consider protecting his own," Kaoru explained.
"But we both know only one large group can be last, and the expulsion penalty only applies if their score falls below the average." Sato Keisaku suddenly understood, as if a veil had been lifted.
"You're suggesting I sell the last-place position to Horikita... no no, have Horikita force the last-place rank onto me, so I can exchange it for his reward, is that it?"
"It's close to what you said. Horikita-senpai likely doesn't lack Personal Points—it just depends on how much you need."
Kaoru smiled faintly.
Whether this deal would succeed ultimately depended on whether Sato Keisaku was willing to consider it.
If this were first-year students, probably no one would agree to such a transaction, because while Personal Points could be exchanged, Class Points were much harder to obtain.
Sato Keisaku had also realized this and let out a bitter laugh.
"No wonder you asked me about the points this morning—you were already setting this up."
"Senpai, do you still intend to chase after Class A?" Kaoru asked.
Sato Keisaku fell silent for a moment.
"What if I still want to try?"
"You won't catch up. If you couldn't surpass Horikita-senpai in the past two and a half years, I don't think you can now." Kaoru paused, then added.
"Sorry, I might be speaking too bluntly."
Sato Keisaku waved his hand. "It's fine. Honestly, those of us in the lower classes know the truth. At first, we dreamed of defeating Class A, but eventually, we gave up."
Kaoru recalled the rumors about this school—most classes had their fates practically decided from the very beginning.
"To be honest, my greatest achievement here was defeating the original Class C, once coming within just over two hundred points of Ishikura and the others." Sato Keisaku suddenly chuckled.
"Heh, that was already a year and a half ago. Now I'm in Class C, and they're still in Classes A and B."
Kaoru understood their mindset.
Students who were just slightly behind would stubbornly push forward, clinging to hope, while students like Sato Keisaku, who saw no chance of success, tended to give up entirely at the last moment.
"Sorry, I got a little sentimental. You've given me a good idea."
Since he couldn't rise to Class A, he might as well make as much money as possible—after all, it could still be converted to cash later.
Sato Keisaku decided he would ensure his entire class left the school with money in hand.
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