Houtarou Oreki Classroom of the Elite

Akane looked in Houtarou's direction.

As the president's right-hand person, she was grateful to Manabu for leading their class forward. Without his efforts to turn the tide, the class would have fallen behind long ago, instead of being far ahead as they were now.

However, the Student Council faced a crisis — they had nurtured a tiger that might turn against them.

Manabu had addressed this, saying there was still hope because he'd discovered a new student named Houtarou Oreki. He planned to recruit him into the Student Council. With his help, they might be able to continue opposing Miyabi even after graduation.

This was why Akane had initiated today's conversation.

It was frightening, though. Miyabi had been enrolled for nine months, weathering numerous school tests and developing a deep understanding of the rules. His strategic thinking had evolved considerably.

Yet Houtarou was just a freshman. Could someone so new really be that formidable?

She knew about Class 1-A's situation — on the day they learned about school rules, the board had awarded them an unprecedented 200 Class Points. No class had ever received such treatment. This year's Class A was clearly exceptional.

And at its core was Houtarou. He was the truly exceptional one. Perhaps only he could stand against someone like Miyabi.

Akane pondered this.

She felt a twinge of regret. With Miyabi controlling store rights, they'd have to accept his inflated prices if they wanted to open one.

She sighed softly, then heard Houtarou speak.

"Open a store? I have no intention of opening a store." He said, "The risks are too high. This school has a fairly high expulsion rate. If you recklessly borrow money to open a store, you might be expelled before paying off the debt — or right after. That would be wasted effort."

His words made Miyabi freeze.

What terrifying implications. Getting expelled before paying off store debt? Who exactly was he talking about?

The numbers ran through Miyabi's head: 15 million Points borrowed for the store, 1 million for store rights, 2 million for the buyout. The bubble tea store had cost 18 million total.

After entering school as a Class B student, he had invested considerable effort and money to elevate his class's standing. The class managed to gather only 8 million Points — 4 million for class funds and 4 million for the store.

This sum wasn't nearly enough. He'd had to borrow the remainder from other classes and teachers at high interest rates, leaving him with monthly payment obligations.

Though he could pay off everything in 7 or 8 months and claim 50% of the store's income, Houtarou's warning now haunted him. What if he were expelled after paying off the debt? All that work would be for nothing.

Unsettled by these risks, Miyabi's mood darkened.

"If you're not opening a store, why are you collecting so many points?" He demanded, his face stern. If this guy was trying to provoke him, he'd return the favor.

"It's simple — I'm depositing them in my account." Houtarou replied, "My class understood the school rules from the start. We know points are crucial, especially early on. Each freshman starts with 100,000 points, and they can't spend it all in the first month. So I proposed the store idea, had them sign agreements, and began collecting their points regularly."

"This is an information war. Once other classes grasp the school's true nature, they'll understand the value of points. When they realize their class is hemorrhaging points instead of gaining them, they'll act swiftly. Therefore..."

He displayed Kakeru's transfer to Miyabi.

"Class C students have collectively abandoned the store plan. As a result, their paid points are forfeit to me for breaching the contract." Houtarou concluded.

Miyabi's eyes widened.

So that was it.

Points were precious — no class would willingly transfer large sums to other classes each month. First-year students, being new and ambitious, wouldn't stay passive. Once class representatives were chosen, they'd inevitably terminate such agreements.

Had this been his plan all along?

"..."

Damn. Could first-years' money really be scammed this easily? Miyabi felt a pang of regret at missing such an opportunity.

And Houtarou — he was terrifying. He'd treated his classmates like ATMs from day one. Miyabi had only later discovered how the school could be exploited this way.

"Also." Houtarou fixed his gaze on him, "I didn't come to the student council today to open a store. I came to thank Vice President Nagumo for helping me discover how to earn 5 million points in three days."

"Hehe—" Miyabi burst out laughing upon hearing this.

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