"As expected of the King who rules the second year, Nagumo-senpai truly has a thorough understanding of this school's rules."
Shikime Natsu let out a soft chuckle, his tone carrying a hint of teasing.
"Whenever you encounter a problem, your first reaction is to solve it with points. After all, everything in this school can be traded, right?"
Although Nagumo Miyabi couldn't see Shikime Natsu's expression from the other end of the phone, he could vividly imagine that punchable look on this first-year junior's face right now.
He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the anger in his heart.
"Cut the crap!"
Nagumo Miyabi shouted in a low voice.
"What exactly do you want to do? Just say it straight."
This feeling of being held by the short hairs made him feel extremely humiliated and furious. Since ascending to the position of Student Council Vice President, this was the first time someone dared to threaten him so brazenly—and it was a first-year freshman who had just enrolled not long ago!
In his previous few confrontations with Shikime Natsu, Nagumo Miyabi could be said to have fallen into a disadvantage. Whether it was trying to fish out Ichinose Honami's secrets in the Student Council or the incident in the elevator just now, he had basically been on the losing end.
He didn't expect to be caught by the tail so directly this time. How could Nagumo Miyabi, who had always thought highly of himself and aimed to surpass Horikita Manabu, not be angry?
"What do I want to do?"
Shikime Natsu asked back, as if he had heard an amusing question.
"What does Nagumo-senpai think I want?"
Nagumo Miyabi almost couldn't hold back from smashing his phone directly. God knows what you bastard want?! He wasn't a roundworm in Shikime Natsu's stomach!
"One hundred thousand points."
Nagumo Miyabi gritted his teeth and coldly quoted a number. Although he wished he could cut Shikime Natsu into a thousand pieces, he knew very clearly that the initiative was now in the other party's hands, and he had to stabilize the situation first.
"Haaah—"
The only response he got was a lazy yawn from Shikime Natsu.
"It's getting late, I'm so sleepy..."
Shikime Natsu mumbled, seemingly ready to hang up and go to sleep at any moment. That attitude of completely disregarding one hundred thousand points made the veins on Nagumo Miyabi's forehead throb violently. Does a mere guy who just enrolled look down on even one hundred thousand?
"Three hundred thousand!"
Nagumo Miyabi raised the price again, his voice already carrying the flavor of gnashing teeth.
"Goodnight, Nagumo-senpai. I wish you a sweet dream."
After speaking, Shikime Natsu made a gesture as if to hang up the phone again.
"One million!"
Nagumo Miyabi almost roared it out. One million personal points! Even for him, this was a huge sum of money. He didn't believe Shikime Natsu wouldn't be moved!
However, the other end of the phone fell into silence. There was no agreement, nor was there a rejection. Nagumo Miyabi's knuckles turned white as he gripped the phone.
This insatiable guy!
"Shikime! Don't be too greedy!"
Nagumo Miyabi warned in a lowered voice.
"One million is my bottom line! Leave some leeway in life so we can meet on good terms in the future—don't you understand this principle?"
"Oh my, what is Nagumo-senpai talking about?"
Shikime Natsu's voice sounded again, his tone full of innocence and confusion.
"Why can't I understand? What one million? What greed? I just want to share this interesting video with more people, that's all."
"After all, this records the precious scene of the Student Council Vice President caring for a classmate. If I were to enjoy it all alone, that would be too much of a pity."
"You—!"
Nagumo Miyabi was so angry he almost spat out a mouthful of blood. This bastard was clearly doing it on purpose! He knew very well that if this video really leaked out, it would be a fatal blow to him, who wanted to run for the next Student Council President.
Even if the school couldn't verify the specific extortion amount, just this kind of negative public opinion would be enough to ruin his reputation, perhaps even forcing him to resign from the Vice President position. And losing to a lower-grade brat would cause Nagumo Miyabi to lose his prestige among the second years!
"Name your price."
Nagumo Miyabi took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
"Exactly how much do you need for you to delete the video?"
Sensing that Nagumo Miyabi's patience had been worn down just about enough, Shikime Natsu stopped teasing him.
"Ahem."
A tactical cough.
"It's very simple. That number just now—double it."
"Also, regarding the matter of Class 1-D buying past exam questions, I want you to let it rot in your stomach, as if it never happened."
"Double it?!"
Nagumo Miyabi's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Two million points?! Isn't your appetite a bit too big?!"
Even though he was the ruler of the second year, this sum wasn't something he could just take out casually.
"Is it big?"
Shikime Natsu chuckled lightly.
"For Nagumo-senpai, who rules the entire second year, this little bit of money shouldn't be a problem, right?"
"After all, compared to the throne of the Student Council President and the chance to surpass Horikita Manabu, two million points... is really a bargain."
"..."
Nagumo Miyabi laughed out of extreme anger. What a 'bargain'! Two million would affect the tickets he would distribute to those guys when the time came. Even though Nagumo Miyabi had already gathered enough points for protection, two million was still cutting into his flesh.
However, Shikime Natsu was right. Compared to his ambition and future, these points were indeed nothing. As long as he could preserve his current status, any price was worth paying. Moreover, these points were just temporarily deposited with Shikime Natsu.
When he found a chance in the future, he would definitely claim it back with interest!
Nagumo Miyabi gritted his teeth and said, "One and a half million! That is the limit I can take out! As for the matter of the past exam questions, I can pretend I didn't see it."
Beep— Beep— Beep—
Before Nagumo Miyabi could finish his reply, the call was directly disconnected. Listening to the busy tone coming from the phone, Nagumo Miyabi was stunned.
Hung up? This guy actually hung up on him directly?!
"Bastard!"
Nagumo Miyabi slammed his fist fiercely onto the table, the anger in his eyes looking as if it were about to erupt. But he knew this wasn't the time to vent his emotions. Did he really think he had him cornered?
After hesitating for a moment, Nagumo Miyabi endured the humiliation and dialed Shikime Natsu's number again.
"Hello? Who is this?"
Shikime Natsu's lazy voice came from the other end, as if nothing had happened just now. Originally, Shikime Natsu had considered hanging up a few more times to see just how much importance Nagumo Miyabi attached to this video, but after thinking about it, he decided against it. Too much is as bad as too little; if he really pushed this guy into a corner and made him jump the wall like a desperate dog, that would be quite troublesome.
Nagumo Miyabi's voice sounded as if it were squeezed out from between his teeth.
"Two million. I'll pay!"
"Wouldn't it have been better if you were this straightforward earlier?"
Shikime Natsu smiled.
"I will temporarily keep that video in my custody until the midterm exams end. This is also to prevent you, Nagumo-senpai, from suddenly changing your mind and leaking the matter to the school. If you keep your promise, I will naturally delete the video when the time comes. Of course, if you dare to play tricks... you know the consequences."
Nagumo Miyabi snorted coldly.
"You'd best not forget your words either!"
"Of course."
Shikime Natsu spoke in a relaxed tone.
Just as Nagumo Miyabi was about to hang up, he suddenly remembered his original purpose for making this call. Damn it! Being disrupted by this guy, he almost forgot the main business!
Nagumo Miyabi said in a deep voice, "There is one more thing. What I told you before: stay away from Nazuna. Consider this an additional condition to the terms I just agreed to. Such a small request shouldn't be a problem, right?"
"Nagumo-senpai, I think you might have misunderstood something? That two million points was only used to buy that video; it has absolutely nothing to do with Asahina-senpai."
"Besides, Asahina-senpai and I are just having normal chat interactions. This has nothing to do with you, right? Asahina-senpai isn't your girlfriend, so what right do you have to interfere in her private life?"
"You—!"
Nagumo Miyabi was so angry he almost went berserk again. This bastard! Taking his money, yet still wanting to pick up his childhood friend?! Simply bullying people too much! Must he walk together with his childhood friend?!
"Then how about we have a contest? If I win, you are not allowed to approach Nazuna even half a step in the future! If I lose, I'll give you another one million personal points!"
"Oh?"
Shikime Natsu raised an eyebrow, unable to stop himself from lamenting in his heart. This Nagumo Miyabi is really rich and overbearing! Throwing around one million here and one million there; this level of lavish spending simply instantly killed the previous top big spender, Ryuuen Kakeru.
Sure enough, it feels best to shear the wool from a fat sheep!
"Bet on what?"
Shikime Natsu asked with interest.
"We'll bet on this midterm exam!"
Nagumo Miyabi said with overflowing confidence.
"You take the second-year exam paper, and I'll take the third-year exam paper. We compare scores! There are still two weeks until the midterms. Whether it's the second-year curriculum or the third-year curriculum, for our current progress, both require learning from scratch. How about it? Dare to accept?"
This provocation was quite direct. Although it looked fair on the surface—both contacting higher-grade curriculums from zero—Nagumo Miyabi, as a second-year student, had somewhat of an understanding of the higher-grade knowledge system, and might have even started previewing the upperclassmen's content long ago.
Meanwhile, Shikime Natsu, as a newly enrolled first-year freshman who hadn't even fully digested his own grade's curriculum, had to challenge the second-year curriculum. The difficulty involved could be imagined.
However, for Shikime Natsu, this was not a problem at all.
"Interesting."
Shikime Natsu's lips curled up slightly, revealing a confident smile.
"Since Nagumo-senpai is in such high spirits to send me money, then I would be disrespectful to refuse. I accept this bet."
"Hmph, don't celebrate too early."
Nagumo Miyabi hadn't expected Shikime Natsu to actually dare to agree. He couldn't help but snort coldly in his heart, hung up the phone directly, and then, with great heartache, transferred the two million personal points they had negotiated earlier.
Looking at the massive sum of two million that instantly appeared in his account, Shikime Natsu nodded with satisfaction. Making this money was truly effortless. If he thought like Horikita Suzune about shearing wool from the school, who knew how long he'd have to shear? It was better to learn from him and shear directly from the people around him—Ryuuen Kakeru, Nagumo Miyabi, shear them all.
After dealing with Nagumo Miyabi's matters, Shikime Natsu planned to sleep, but Kushida Kikyou called him. It was definitely for the solution; Shikime Natsu's demand to Nagumo Miyabi regarding the past exam questions was precisely for this potential client, Kushida Kikyou.
Now that Nagumo Miyabi's issue was resolved, the next step was to see what benefits Kushida Kikyou would grant him.
He answered the call.
"Good evening, Natsu~"
From the receiver came Kushida Kikyou's sugary sweet voice, carrying a few tentative probes.
"So sorry to disturb you this late."
"Does Kikyou have business with me this late?"
Receiving Shikime Natsu's reply, Kushida Kikyou quickly cut to the chase.
"Actually... I wanted to ask, regarding the midterm exam, is there really no other way? If Natsu knows any solution, could you secretly tell me? I really want to help everyone..."
Listening to these words, the corners of Shikime Natsu's mouth hooked up into an arc.
"A way? Of course there is."
He spoke leisurely.
"However... just like I said before, there is no free lunch in this world. Kikyou, what can you give me?"
The other end of the phone fell silent for a moment. Immediately after, Kushida Kikyou's voice became somewhat low, no longer sugary like just now, but revealing a chill.
"Stop being hypocritical. Just say what you want directly."
Legendary face-changing master.
"That's the way. The real Kikyou is a bit cuter."
Shikime Natsu chuckled lightly.
"My request is very simple... come make your request to me after you've grown your hair long."
"Long hair?!"
Kushida Kikyou's voice instantly rose several octaves, filled with resistance and disgust.
"Are you kidding me! Who knows how long it will take for me to grow long hair! And... I don't want to grow long hair like that bitch! Just thinking about it makes me feel disgusted!"
The person she hated most was Horikita Suzune. Asking her to grow long hair like that woman was simply more unbearable than killing her.
"This isn't up to you."
Shikime Natsu spoke indifferently.
"I can solve the problem of this midterm exam for you. In exchange, I want to see a long-haired Kikyou. As for whether you like it or not... that's your business. Anyway, I'm not in a hurry. Besides, aren't you already used to showing a smiling face to things you don't like? I just simply think that a long-haired Kikyou would be very cute."
"..."
Kushida Kikyou bit her lip hard, cursing Shikime Natsu bloody in her heart. What 'long hair looks good, short hair doesn't'—he just wants to treat her like a doll to manipulate. Disgusting!
But... if she didn't agree to him, she would have no way to solve this crisis. The Yamauchi Haruki trio were simply idiots; without the past exam questions, they would definitely be expelled.
To achieve her goal, this little sacrifice... endure it!
"Fine! I promise you!"
Kushida Kikyou took a deep breath, then revealed a smile, teasing slightly.
"But... if after passing the midterm exam, I don't grow my hair long in the future, what will you do?"
"I think... the clever Kikyou wouldn't do such a stupid thing, right?"
Shikime Natsu said meaningfully.
Kushida Kikyou's heart started, instantly understanding his meaning. This damn guy! He was threatening her! If she dared to go back on her word, the dirt he held on her could be exposed at any time, ruining her reputation!
"I got it!"
Kushida Kikyou said resentfully.
"So can you tell me the specific solution now?"
"It's very simple."
Shikime Natsu's tone was relaxed.
"That is—continue using those past exam questions."
"Hah?!"
Kushida Kikyou was stunned, and immediately burned with rage.
"Are you playing me?! Since it's already been discovered, what meaning is there in continuing to use the past exam questions?!"
If she really took those invalid past exam questions to tutor her classmates, and the questions changed completely during the final exam, then not only would she not become the savior, but she would become the sinner of the whole class! At that time, let alone increasing her popularity, she would probably be spat on by everyone!
"Don't be in such a rush."
Shikime Natsu explained unhurriedly.
"Although the transaction was discovered, as long as this matter isn't leaked to the school, the past exam questions remain valid. As long as I communicate well with the other party and make him shut up, won't all problems be easily solved?"
"Communicate?"
Kushida Kikyou was very skeptical.
"Are you sure it can really be solved? The other party is someone from the Student Council..."
"Of course."
Shikime Natsu said with overflowing confidence.
"I have absolute certainty."
"...Even if you talk terms with him, will the other party really keep the agreement?"
Kushida Kikyou was still somewhat uneasy. After all, one can never know another's heart; who knew if what the other party said was true or false? Just like herself—she didn't know how many lies she had told up to now.
On the contrary, although Shikime Natsu had an annoying personality, Kushida Kikyou had truly never seen Shikime Natsu lie.
"Rest assured, he doesn't dare."
Shikime Natsu's voice revealed a powerful confidence. If it were an ordinary transaction, Nagumo Miyabi might really rather lose some points to expel a few people just to demonstrate his deterrence capability. But now, with that extortion video in hand, Nagumo Miyabi absolutely dared not act rashly.
"...Okay, I believe you."
Since Shikime Natsu said so, Kushida Kikyou could only choose to believe him. Especially since Shikime Natsu just said 'he doesn't dare'—did this guy also catch hold of that Student Council Vice President's weakness?
"I hope you don't disappoint me. If I end up being spat on by all of Class D because of this... I definitely won't let you off either!"
"Of course."
Shikime Natsu smiled.
"Then I'll trouble you, Natsu-kun~"
Having obtained a satisfactory answer, Kushida Kikyou's voice instantly switched back to that sweet and cute 'Little Angel' mode.
"I'm looking forward to seeing Kikyou with hair down to her waist."
"Is that so? Then I will definitely show Natsu first when the time comes. Alright, it's getting late, I won't continue to disturb you, Natsu. Goodnight~"
Beep—
Before the phone hung up, Shikime Natsu faintly heard a cold snort. It seemed Kushida Kikyou was still very unhappy in her heart. But it didn't matter, as long as the goal was achieved.
Putting down the mobile phone, Shikime Natsu was just preparing to wash up and rest when the phone screen lit up again. This time, the contact was Ichinose Honami.
However, this time it wasn't a call, but a chat box.
Shikime Natsu hadn't expected himself to be so charming today that so many beautiful girls would take the initiative to contact him.
____
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