The senior girl sitting opposite them was clearly wary of the two uninvited underclassmen. She obviously didn't think these two, who looked out of the ordinary, would genuinely want to share a table or flirt with her; the girl accompanying them alone was enough proof, with her cuteness resembling a magazine model.
"Can I help you?"
But Natsukawa seemed oblivious to her guarded posture, his gaze calmly sweeping across the senior's face, finally resting on her meticulously applied, though seemingly cheap, makeup and eyeshadow.
"Senior, I heard... that past midterm exam questions are 'circulated' among you seniors?"
The senior's pupils contracted sharply, and she instinctively wanted to deny it, but Natsukawa didn't give her a chance.
"Senior, don't rush to deny it," Natsukawa's voice remained steady, yet carried the pressure of someone who saw through everything. "I can tell you're a smart person, someone who knows how to invest in herself." His gaze meaningfully swept over her carefully made-up brows and eyes. "This mountain vegetable set meal probably doesn't taste very good, does it? To endure this for so long, yet still spend so much effort on your appearance... Senior, you must be in great need of points, aren't you?"
He precisely hit the senior's sore spot. The last class of each grade never had many points each month. Her willingness to eat the worst food just to maintain her appearance either meant extreme vanity, or she had a compelling reason to maintain her image—for example, not wanting to appear too shabby in front of the other glamorous female classmates.
The senior's expression changed several times, her fingers tightening around her chopsticks. Natsukawa's words were like a needle, piercing through her carefully maintained facade. She was indeed very short on points. Every time those girls in her class discussed their boyfriends' new cosmetics and fashionable accessories, it felt like an invisible whip lashing her sensitive self-esteem.
"I... I don't know what you're talking about." She still wanted to struggle, but her tone had already weakened.
"Let's be frank, Senior." Natsukawa leaned back in his chair, his posture relaxed, yet exuding a stronger sense of pressure. "I need the five subject exam papers from the first semester of the first year's midterm exam. We can discuss the price."
He paused, observing the senior's struggling expression, then threw out an even more tempting condition: "And, Senior, you need to consider this carefully. The reason we found you is because you're the first Class D student I've met. You wouldn't want me to go looking for other Class D students, would you? And what if I happened to find your best friend, and your best friend just happened to flaunt her newly bought cosmetics in front of you with these easily gained points... when this could have been yours, Senior..."
He skillfully exploited the potential jealousy and exclusion among girls.
The senior's eyes flickered intensely; Natsukawa's words had undoubtedly struck a vulnerable chord within her. Imagining the few girls who were always together flaunting their newly purchased high-end cosmetics to her, while she had to scrimp and save just to afford basic skincare products, a hidden resentment surged within her. Her inner defenses were rapidly crumbling.
"...I don't have them, but I can find someone to buy them." She finally relented, but still wanted to negotiate for more. "And, helping you with this involves risk for me... It's not too much to ask for a service fee, is it?"
"Risk?" Natsukawa chuckled lightly. "If the school really wanted to intervene, they would have changed the exam questions at the source long ago. Would it be our turn to be trading here?" He lightly tapped his finger on the table, as if calculating. "How about this, Senior. We'll buy your exam papers for 1,000 points per subject. A total of 5,000 points, what do you say?"
"That's too little. Five subjects should be at least 20,000 points."
Natsukawa didn't even frown, directly shaking his head: "That's too high. Senior, our points don't just grow on trees either. Eight thousand points."
"Fifteen thousand! No less! Let me earn some hard-earned money."
"Twelve thousand. Senior, you need to think carefully. If you miss us, you might not find another buyer this generous. How about this, Senior, with this point amount as the baseline, I don't care how you buy them. Whatever amount you can cut down, I'll return 50% of that amount to you as a service fee, how does that sound?"
His speech was fast and clear, not giving the senior much time to think, forcing her to make a choice.
The senior originally wanted to haggle, but seeing Natsukawa's undeniable gaze, she finally gritted her teeth: "...Deal."
The deal was struck. Natsukawa deftly operated his terminal, first transferring five thousand points as a deposit. After the senior confirmed the transfer, her expression softened considerably, and she whispered, "I'll send you the papers before class this afternoon."
"Alright." Natsukawa nodded... The senior quickly finished her remaining mountain vegetable set meal and left. Natsukawa and Kushida also ordered their lunch at the counter and found a place to sit.
"Natsukawa-kun, is this... really okay?" Kushida asked softly, a perfectly natural worry on her face. "Buying and selling exam questions, if the school finds out..."
Natsukawa ate his lunch, his tone relaxed: "The school rules don't explicitly forbid buying and selling past exam questions, which means it's tacitly allowed. Moreover, from that senior's practiced reaction, this isn't the first time. If the school truly opposed it, they would have plugged this loophole long ago instead of letting it exist. This itself might be another form of 'ability' test—the ability to gather information and acquire resources."
His analysis was calm and thorough, leaving Kushida unable to refute it.
After eating, the two had barely left the cafeteria when Natsukawa's personal terminal received a notification. He opened it to see a compressed file sent by the senior, containing photos of last year's midterm exam papers for five subjects, with good clarity. Below it was a message:
「Exam papers bought for 8,000 points.」
A transfer record was also attached.
Natsukawa quickly scanned it, confirmed everything was correct, then transferred the remaining points. After a few taps on the screen, he forwarded the file to Kushida, who was beside him.
Kushida's terminal chimed. She took it out curiously and was stunned when she saw the file Natsukawa had sent.
"This is..." She looked up at Natsukawa, her eyes full of confusion.
"It's for you." Natsukawa's tone was casual, as if he had just given her a piece of candy. "You can do whatever you want with these papers. Share them with Hirata's study group, or anyone you think deserves help, it's up to you. Consider it... a gift to thank you for having this meal with me."
"However," he paused, looking into Kushida's eyes, a hint of deep meaning hidden within them, "don't mention that the source of these papers is related to me."
Kushida held her terminal, feeling as though the small device was burning her hands. A second ago, she had been subtly complaining in her heart about Natsukawa abruptly interrupting her lunch with friends. The next second, this 'heavy gift'—enough to gain significant favor and influence within the class—was thrust into her hands. This sudden 'generosity' instantly dispelled her previous trivial resentment.
She could almost imagine the popularity she would gain within the class by'selflessly' releasing these past exam questions at such a tense time.
Kushida, who had witnessed this whole event from beginning to end, now felt a mix of surprise, gratitude, and a deeper sense of apprehension swirling within her. She looked at Natsukawa's calm profile, feeling increasingly that this man should not be easily offended. She absolutely had to pull him to her side! She must not let him stand against her in any potential future conflict with Horikita.
"Natsukawa-kun..." Kushida's smile bloomed again. This time, it had less of a deliberate performance and more genuine sweetness. "Thank you so much! Don't worry, I know what to do~!"
She clutched the terminal tightly in both hands, as if holding a rare treasure, and her gaze towards Natsukawa, in addition to her usual caution and desire to win him over, now held an indescribable fervor.
Natsukawa took in her reaction, knowing that this "gift" had achieved its intended effect. He nodded faintly, saying nothing more.
The sunlight was just right, elongating their figures. These past exam questions subtly altered the delicate balance between them. Kushida Kikyo, this chess piece on Natsukawa's chessboard, had advanced another step in his predetermined direction.