However, Sakagami quickly composed himself. He was actually very confident in his class, especially in his student, Kakeru Ryuen. Because strictly speaking, both of them were the type who would do whatever it takes to achieve their goals. If not for his tacit approval, Ryuen wouldn't have been able to become the leader so quickly. So, he took out his phone and immediately sent a text to Ryuen.
Kazuma Sakagami: Ryuen, how is the class doing recently?
Chie Hoshinomiya hummed a little tune, her gaze sweeping over Chabashira.
(Sae-chan, Sae-chan...)
(Our class was able to get the information smoothly this time all thanks to that Kiyomizu-kun from your class.)
(If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have been able to lock onto that second-year student who was running out of points so quickly...)
That's right, Chie Hoshinomiya knew very well—she was the one who had proactively approached that second-year, Yamamura. In just a few words, she had confirmed from the other's evasiveness that Kiyomizu had already grasped all the hidden rules. A plan quietly formed in her mind.
But the school rules were absolute—teachers were not allowed to interfere with students' actions. So she had spent 80,000 of her own personal points to have Yamamura make a confidentiality agreement. This transaction made it logical for Yamamura to "coincidentally" establish contact with Ichinose.
Thinking of the wonderful expression Chabashira might have when the truth was revealed, Hoshinomiya's lips curved upwards, and a light hum escaped her nose.
(These 80,000 points were so worth it!)
...
Thursday morning, Kiyomizu had just finished his physical training and returned to his dorm. His sweat-soaked tracksuit clung to his back. He was just reaching for the bathroom doorknob when—BZZ BZZ—his phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket.
The name flashing on the screen made him raise an eyebrow: Honami Ichinose.
"Kiyomizu-kun!" The female voice on the other end, though slightly hesitant, was mostly firm. "It was you, wasn't it?"
Kiyomizu's breath caught, his fingers tightening around the phone.
(What is she talking about?)
The first thing that flashed through his mind was his secret alternate account.
(Did... she find out?)
(Was I exposed because of the million-point transaction?)
(How is that possible... how did she find out?)
(Don't tell me... she figured out my real name from the ID "Yue Qing"?)
But Kiyomizu quickly calmed himself down and asked flatly, "What are you talking about, Ichinose-san? I don't understand."
"That 1.3-second silence was very suspicious~" Ichinose's cheerful voice came through the receiver. "It really was you!"
"..." Kiyomizu's expression was a bit conflicted.
"You were the one who had Yamamura-senpai approach me, right?" her voice suddenly became light. "You're... surprisingly gentle, Kiyomizu-kun."
The expected accusation never came. Instead, he heard something completely unrelated, leaving him momentarily stunned.
(Yamamura-senpai? The second-year from Class D who sold the information?)
His tense shoulders relaxed imperceptibly. At least his cover wasn't blown. "Sorry, I really don't know what you're talking about," he said, this time genuinely confused.
"Heh~ Still playing dumb? You, of all people!" Ichinose's voice was tinged with a playful laugh. "On the second day of school, I was the one who took you to see that Yamamura-senpai, right?"
"That's right," Kiyomizu admitted cautiously.
"So..." the tone on the other end suddenly became serious, "you must have bought the hidden rules from her, right, Kiyomizu-kun?"
Kiyomizu was taken aback.
(What's going on...)
(The usually gentle Ichinose, why is she like a different person today?)
(She's unusually sharp.)
He weighed the pros and cons. Since she had already seen through this much, deliberately hiding it would be disrespectful. "...That's right," he finally admitted frankly.
"I knew it..." Ichinose's voice trembled with realization. "So you were the one who specially arranged for Yamamura-senpai to approach me and sell me that information at a low price, right?"
Kiyomizu suddenly understood and explained seriously, "It really wasn't me."
(I see...)
(Someone deliberately spent points to have Yamamura-senpai approach Class B...)
(And I had just met that information broker with Ichinose last week...)
(With such a coincidence, no wonder she would misunderstand.)
A faint rustling of fabric came from the other end of the line. "Kiyomizu-kun... it really wasn't you?"
"With my personality," Kiyomizu tapped the mouthpiece with his knuckle, making a crisp sound, "if I really wanted to help, I would have just told you the answer directly. Why go through all the trouble of having a third party handle it?"
A long silence followed on the other end, with only the faint crackle of the connection. Just as Kiyomizu's thumb was about to slide to the end call button, Ichinose suddenly let out a soft laugh. "As I thought... it's still you, Kiyomizu-kun."
"The reason is simple," her voice suddenly brightened, like the moon emerging from behind the clouds. "The four classes are competitors. You wanted to remain neutral, but you couldn't help but lend a hand—that's why you chose such a roundabout way, right?"
(What is with this girl? How can she come up with a logical explanation for that too?)
Kiyomizu rested his forehead in his hand, a helpless sigh escaping his throat. He had already explained it so clearly, but her train of thought was like a hopelessly tangled earphone cord, stubbornly circling back to the same point. But on second thought, from Ichinose's perspective, this deduction seemed quite reasonable. After all, all the clues strangely pointed to him, like a carefully designed coincidence.
"Don't worry, Kiyomizu-kun..." Ichinose's voice suddenly softened, with a hint of a playful lilt. "I'll treasure this secret forever."
"This is a promise between the two of us... hehe."
"Without your help, Class B would have been at a disadvantage in the first month of the new semester..."
"...Please accept these 80,000 points. I know it's not much... but I'll continue to compensate you after I get my points next month."
"Well then—" her speech suddenly quickened, as if in a hurry, "goodbye, Kiyomizu-kun."
Before he could respond, the call ended abruptly. Kiyomizu stared at the "Call Ended" on his screen, then looked at the 80,000 points she had immediately transferred. For a long, long time, he was silent.
He had been the scapegoat many times, but he never thought he would one day be the scapegoat for a good deed.
(So who is this brain-dead person who does good deeds without leaving a name!)
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