The rooftop of the Advanced Nurturing high school building was different from other schools; because it was equipped with wide-angle surveillance cameras, it was open for student use during the day.
However, almost no students ever came here.
The freshmen were busy experiencing their dream-like campus life, and the seniors wouldn’t specifically run up here to eat because of the school’s abundant indoor facilities.
When Mikage Touji arrived, Katsuragi Kohei was already waiting there.
His robust physique, cast in the shadow of the sun, gave off the impression of a man standing firm upon the earth.
“Yo, Katsuragi-san, sorry to keep you waiting.” Mikage Touji pulled out his phone as he approached.
“No, I only just arrived.
You are very punctual, Mikage-kun.”
Mikage Touji found a comfortable spot, leaning back against the railing.
He unlocked his phone, opened a memo, and handed it to Katsuragi Kohei.
Inside was the portion of intel he had deduced himself.
The parts discovered by Morishita Ai and Yamamura Miki, along with some scattered bits of information, were not yet written down.
“These are part of the truth regarding the school rules.
Take a look first.” He had already verified the authenticity of this intel with an upperclassman to ensure there were no errors.
“I understand.”
Katsuragi Kohei nodded solemnly and began to read.
As time passed, his expression became increasingly grave.
The content wasn’t long, but every line carried massive weight.
Mikage Touji turned away, gazing at the distant scenery.
Morishita Ai was currently pushing Yamamura Miki out of the school building’s main entrance.
Judging by the direction, they were heading toward the more secluded path behind the building; he had no idea what new antics she was up to now.
The small group of boys in the class led by Satonaka and Tsukishiro had finished their meal and were walking this way in a row, arms around each other’s shoulders.
Members of the brass band club were standing in a line by the shore with their instruments, playing toward the ocean.
‘Is that some kind of mysterious training method?’
Three minutes later, Katsuragi Kohei finished processing all the intel and let out a long sigh of relief.
When he looked at Mikage Touji again, there was a touch of admiration in his eyes.
“Could you tell me how you obtained this information?
To be honest, I only suspected some of it.” Katsuragi Kohei handed the phone back.
‘I’ve been waiting for you to ask that!’
Mikage Touji turned around to face the distance.
He deliberately lowered his voice, adding a hint of “pain” to his tone: “To tell the truth, Katsuragi-san, I didn’t discover these myself.
I simply found out that points can buy anything, so I went to ask the school if I could buy intel…
The answer was yes, but the price for the complete information was ridiculously high.
Because this info is too important, I had to…
discuss it with a few well-off classmates and an upperclassman I know.
We pooled some points together to buy this initial key information.”
Katsuragi Kohei praised Mikage Touji’s initiative without hesitation and followed up:
“A correct judgment.
How much did this intel cost?
How many points are needed for the rest?
“300,000 points.
The rest will cost 700,000.”
“One million in total?
I understand.”
Katsuragi Kohei immediately took out his phone and sent the information to the class group chat.
Mikage Touji also looked at the group chat.
In a place where Katsuragi couldn’t see, the corners of his mouth turned up wildly.
‘As expected, Katsuragi-san, you truly possess everyone’s trust…’
Because the revelation that only Class A could enjoy the graduation benefits was so explosive, the group chat was soon flooded with screenshots of frantic transfer records and urgent messages.
The notification pings for incoming transfers rang incessantly on Touji’s phone.
In just 20 minutes, the full one million points had been transferred into his account.
“Good!”
Mikage Touji’s fingers trembled as he turned off his screen.
He tucked the phone securely back into his pocket and said seriously, “I’ll go buy the remaining intel now.
I should be able to hand it over to you by tonight.”
“Do you need me to go with you?”
“No!” Mikage Touji refused sternly, speaking with righteous conviction.
“The students have just learned about the S-System, so their heads are probably a mess.
What you need to do now is quickly stabilize their emotions.
You must prevent anyone from leaking the S-System intel out of desperation, otherwise our class will be in big trouble.”
“That is indeed the priority.
I will notify them immediately.”
It was a moment of enlightenment for Katsuragi.
He immediately pulled out his phone, his fingers flying across the screen.
“Well then, I’ll leave this to you.
I’m going to buy the rest of the intel.”
“I’m counting on you!” Katsuragi Kohei implored in a heavy voice.
Mikage Touji, his plan a success, was biting his back teeth so hard they nearly cracked, desperately trying not to laugh.
He twisted the handle of the rooftop door, preparing to leave.
“Wait!”
Finally, Katsuragi Kohei couldn’t help but voice his doubt.
“Does Mikage-kun have no intention of leading the class?
If it were you, I believe our classmates would approve.”
The ability Mikage Touji had displayed was more than enough to conquer the students of Class A.
Although his behavior was sometimes baffling, it wasn’t a major issue.
At least based on the information Katsuragi currently held, the students favored Mikage Touji over himself.
Even he had to admit that in this opening round of school testing, he had been utterly defeated by Mikage.
“No, I have no motivation for that kind of thankless task.”
Mikage Touji looked back, using every ounce of strength to keep his face stiff, trying to make himself look cold and stern in the shadows rather than like someone about to burst.
“Katsuragi-san, you have the will and you’re prepared to take on the responsibility, so it’s best if you do it.
Katsuragi Kohei stared at Mikage Touji for a long time, momentarily speechless.
“I understand!” He nodded heavily and said in a deep voice, “Leave it to me.”
“If there’s nothing else, I’ll head out.”
“Right.
Be careful on the way.”
Katsuragi Kohei’s gaze was firm, a faint glint visible in his eyes.
He stood straight on the rooftop, watching Mikage Touji leave as if seeing off a like-minded comrade-in-arms!
Mikage Touji pulled open the door and stepped over the threshold.
The moment he was fully submerged in the shadows, he slowly and silently closed the rooftop door.
The corners of his mouth slowly hooked into a curve.
‘Can’t laugh…
I can’t laugh yet, I have to get further away…’
Biting his lip and pinching his thigh—his nails digging into the inner flesh—Mikage Touji walked quickly toward the stairwell.
He didn’t stop until he reached the shadows of the staircase landing, a spot where he was sure Katsuragi Kohei wouldn’t catch up.
A voice full of pride, the sound of a “plan coming together,” and the cackle of a successful scheme echoed through the hallway.
“Heh…
Hahahaha…
Gak-gak…
Ohhh yeah—!”
Mikage Touji clutched his stomach with one hand and pounded the wall with the other, laughing so hard that tears started to fly.
After finally calming his laughter, Mikage Touji took out his phone and dialed a number.
“Hey, hey, Morishita.
If we had a huge sum of one million points, how should we spend it?”
“Give me 800,000!”
“What kind of split is that?!
Even a divorce settlement isn’t divided like that!”
“You actually want to marry me?
No!
I respectfully decline!”
“What are you thinking?
You think it’s all yours?
Yamamura has a share in this too.”
“What?
You actually want to marry Yamamura Miki too?
Mikage Touji, you really are a total pervert!!”
Through the phone came Morishita Ai’s dead-serious scolding, mixed with Yamamura Miki’s panicked cries.