Chapter 049 ↦ The Serious Suzune Really Comes in Handy!

Miyabi realized his carefully crafted image was crumbling.

He didn't want to scare away Honami, the beautiful first-year student he'd just met, so he tried to salvage the situation.

"This must be someone trying to slander me — probably just a throwaway account post. You can't trust those."

"No." Honami shook her head, "This is a verified post from Class A's Oreki."

The forum hosted both students and staff. For certain information, real-name authentication was required, after which the user's verified information would appear next to their ID.

And this trending post came from such a verified account.

Damn. Houtarou had actually called him out using his real name? What about their bet?

When Miyabi had invited Honami over, he'd been carefully maintaining his image as a capable and excellent senpai. Even when he wanted to criticize Houtarou, he knew he needed to establish goodwill first.

But now, he had no choice but to defend himself.

"If it's Houtarou Oreki, then yes, we have some friction. He was collecting Points from Class C students and your classmates while I already held the shop permit. He complained about the price being too high and refused to buy it. But for him to spread rumors that I deliberately blocked him is excessive. I suspect he's doing this on purpose — planning to keep the Points other students already paid by making everyone think the shop plan failed, then terminating the contract."

Honami's delicate brows furrowed.

"So, Nagumo-senpai, you knew about Oreki's shop plan from the beginning?"

"Yes." Miyabi nodded, "I saw Class B and C students at my shop. Oreki was using my established shop's reputation to deceive other students."

"Then why didn't Nagumo-senpai warn any of us in Class B?" Honami looked at him with growing suspicion.

"..."

Ah. Now she understood.

He had shown her nothing but kindness from the start — sharing his shop experience, explaining cost-reduction methods, even teaching her the rules.

All of this demonstrated goodwill. It seemed positive.

But now Honami was looking at him with dawning realization.

If he were truly an upright senpai, why hadn't he warned the first-year Class B students when he discovered them joining Houtarou's doomed shop plan?

The contradiction was glaring.

Could it mean he had deliberately watched Class B students walk into a trap, just so he could play the hero and rescue them? What kind of person would do something so calculating?

Damn. Miyabi felt his image was plummeting in his kōhai's eyes.

"All I can say is, while I'm a senpai, I'm also Class A's representative. So many of my actions have to prioritize my class's interests. My class did buy out the shop permit, so it's only right that Oreki's group needs to pay Points to me if they want to open a shop."

So Miyabi's demand for 5 million Points for the Shop Permit was technically legitimate.

Honami knew some of her classmates had joined Houtarou's shop plan. Though she hadn't participated herself, she also hadn't interfered with her classmates' choices.

Now she realized the school's rules revolved around strength and Points. She wondered if it was acceptable to let the class lose Points monthly.

But it wasn't actually a major concern. Only 15 students from the class were involved in this plan, so the Point loss wasn't significant.

Moreover, if the plan continued uninterrupted, they would recover their Points plus 15% interest within a year. Everyone was investing rather than opening a shop — they were lending points to Houtarou, not becoming shop shareholders.

What truly concerned Honami was that they hadn't learned the school rules beforehand. Two weeks had passed, and everyone might have lost Points under this month's Behavioral Test Standards.

This needed attention. However, it was clear she should distance herself from Miyabi first.

"Then I'll take my leave." Honami said, preparing to withdraw.

"Wait!" Miyabi called out desperately, realizing she might never look at him the same way again, "I know this situation looks bad. But I hope you'll observe who I really am over time, Ichinose. And I must warn you — don't get close to Houtarou Oreki. He's not someone you should casually associate with. You're pure and kind, Ichinose — don't let him deceive you. At noon today, he deliberately provoked me with a bet: to earn 5 million Points in 3 days. He made me put up 300,000 Points. He's not a good person."

His image was already in tatters, beyond repair.

Was he now trying to drag Houtarou down with him?

"..." But Honami simply shook her head, "Regarding this point, Nagumo-senpai, I think you need to pay more attention. If this bet is real, then you've actually already lost."

With that, she politely took her leave, leaving behind a dazed Miyabi.

Though she remained courteous to the end, he could sense that this incredibly beautiful kōhai wanted nothing more to do with him.

In other words, he'd been added to her blacklist.

Damn. Since when had pursuing girls become so difficult? And since when could rejection happen so quickly?

For the first time, Miyabi found himself questioning life.

Still, he took out his phone to browse the forum...

| Breaking News! |

| First-year Class C's store investment plan fails after store rights are bought out. |

| Second-year Class A's Miyabi Nagumo demands ¥5,000,000 for store rights! |

| Nagumo, don't be so greedy — give the freshmen a chance! |

| by — ID First-year Class A Houtarou Oreki |

The post quickly went viral, gaining numerous upvotes. He ignored it.

However, the next post grabbed his attention — it was another one from Houtarou's verified ID.

| Special Report! |

| Despite Vice President Nagumo's shop blockade, we have secured Work Permit Rights from the school. |

| A 3-year Work Permit costs 100,000 Points per person and can be transferred if unused. |

| Contact numbers *****, ****, ***** if interested. |

| School Board's Work Permit contract attached below. |

| by — ID First-year Class A Houtarou Oreki |

The post included a photo of the contract, complete with an official seal.

The document stated that the School Board had agreed to sell Work Permit Rights for 1 million Points, and Houtarou had purchased them for 2 million Points. The rights were now at his discretion.

That was what the post revealed.

Miyabi nearly crushed his phone's screen in his grip.

"Son of a..." He suddenly stood up.

Now he understood why that irritating kōhai Houtarou had thanked him during their conversation at noon. Everything became clear!

While the school didn't prohibit part-time work, Miyabi had chosen to open a shop, spending Points to buy shop rights and exclusive rights. This had been his breakthrough in thinking.

But could this approach be taken further? Of course it could.

What Miyabi had pioneered wasn't just opening a shop — it was demonstrating how to creatively use Points to purchase privileges. If he hadn't opened his shop and tested these waters first, Houtarou might never have thought to use Points to purchase other school-prohibited activities.

And this prohibited activity was something every student across the country had experienced in middle school: part-time work.

Most families only provide their children with transportation money and modest pocket money. Students know that if they want more, they need to work part-time.

Everyone had faced this barrier — Advanced Nurturing High School's ban on part-time work. But now, Houtarou had used Points to transform this impossibility into possibility.

The appeal would be enormous. And that meant... damn.

Not only had he lost the kōhai girl, but his influence over the second-year students might crumble.

Miyabi had maintained control over the second-years by manipulating Points from the school. But if students could earn money independently, why would they need him anymore?

Was this the end of his power?

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Meanwhile, at the Student Council office...

After school, only Manabu and Akane remained, the lights still glowing. Both were accustomed to intense work, while other members had left after completing their tasks.

There was a sense of isolation, too. The other Student Council members had been bought by Miyabi, leaving them with limited support.

Still, Manabu's high work efficiency left him with some free time.

Like now.

"So it's like this after all... Houtarou Oreki. He's an interesting person." Manabu said.

"Hmm?" The purple-haired Akane looked up from organizing documents.

"Tachibana, tell me... How great can a person's insight be?" He asked, wiping his glasses.

"Insight, you say?" She didn't understand his meaning.

"Take a look at the school forum."

"The school forum?" She opened it, still confused, "Houtarou Oreki... this ID is verified. I know about Nagumo's shop rights... wait, the next post. Work permit rights? He actually thought of using Points to buy prohibited work permit rights."

She was surprised.

"Right." Manabu continued cleaning his glasses, "Houtarou Oreki is an interesting person. His insight is remarkable. Nagumo saw potential in shops, but Oreki saw something every student desires."

As Japanese students, everyone wants to work part-time to earn living expenses — this was undeniable.

After enrolling here, Manabu had inquired at the shopping district, learning that the school prohibited such activities. He'd assumed this was to keep students focused on the special exams used to guide them.

But now looking at it, his understanding of the school's rules was still insufficient. The Chairman's tolerance, fairness, and permissiveness toward students had a terrifying baseline.

However...

"Now Oreki will get busy."

As Student Council President, Manabu possessed insider information.

He knew the school would soon ban both Miyabi's schemes and these Work Permit Rights. After all, if students could freely earn money through part-time work, who would care about the school's special exams?

The school would certainly take action.

Just as this thought crossed his mind—

Ding ding.

A message arrived from Chairman Sakayanagi requesting his presence.

So, Houtarou… Good luck.

While he could help delay the inevitable, the final amount of Points earned would depend entirely on the genius himself.

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Was Houtarou very busy now? No. He was quite relaxed.

He had first posted to criticize Miyabi, partly to restore his own image by showing that the shop's termination was Miyabi's fault. The post also served as identity verification, letting everyone know who he was.

Then he had posted about transferring Work Permit Rights. This way, he didn't need to buy traffic — the post naturally attracted immediate attention. People who discovered they could now work part-time would contact him directly.

So was it really busy? Yes, but he had more than just a tool — ahem, he had a partner!

Suzune was frantically managing three phone numbers, communicating with students interested in buying Work Rights and collecting Points.

Meanwhile, Houtarou sat to the side, chin propped on one hand, enjoying the pleasant breeze through the open window while Suzune worked. She continuously collected Points and transferred them to his student ID's private account.

〖 Beep! 〗

At this moment, he noticed a system prompt appear.

〖 Congratulations on completing the Hidden Task — Flower Protection! 〗

〖 Task Requirement: Protect cute girls from harassment by pests! Dampen Miyabi's spirit by earning 5 million Points in three days. 〗

〖 Congratulations, host has obtained a special reward: Transparency! 〗

〖 Transparency: Unlimited times per day, can become transparent directly, but effect will be lost upon human contact 〗

The mission was complete.

Five million Points in three days — yet he had done it in less than one day and received his reward immediately.

However, Houtarou was puzzled.

While he was still making money, he wondered if Miyabi's arrogance had been crushed before the attack had even begun.

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