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Looking at Ayanokoji's thoughtful expression, Akira couldn't quite guess what he was thinking.
Who would only use one drink to dismiss someone they asked to be a wingman? At least a decent meal should be offered.
Moreover, Ayanokoji's abilities in all aspects were so strong. If he agreed to something, there was a very high probability that it'd be accomplished.
Akira couldn't help but say, "You're being used as a tool! You're too easy to appease. The cost of getting you to act is too low."
"A tool?" Ayanokoji gave Akira a strange glance, his eyes hiding some indescribable emotions.
Akira couldn't tell if he genuinely didn't understand or was feigning ignorance, but no matter what, he'd indeed helped him this morning. He wouldn't be like Yamauchi, dismissing someone with just a few hundred points.
"I'll transfer ten thousand points to you as a thank you," Akira said without hesitation. "This matter has been bothering me for several days, and at least you helped me figure out how many people are watching me."
"Ten thousand points?"
If Ayanokoji remembered correctly, this month each person could only receive a minimum of eight thousand points.
In other words, Akira, like him, had barely touched his points last month, aside from necessary expenses.
But even so, ten thousand points was by no means a small sum.
It also showed that Akira was genuinely grateful for his earlier reminder.
The drink Yamauchi had offered to buy him was only two hundred points. This amount was fifty times what Yamauchi had offered.
Later, Yamauchi even forced him to treat him back because he didn't keep his promise.
'Shimizu Akira is indeed a very good person.'
Ayanokoji silently came to a conclusion.
Last time he treated him to coffee, this time he invited him to run, he'd remind him not to be someone else's tool, and now he was even willing to offer ten thousand points as a reward.
He was quite different from Hirata, the universally recognized good guy in their class.
Akira's kindness seemed to be directed only toward people he was interested in.
Just like his attitude toward Horikita.
In Ayanokoji's eyes, Akira's abilities were extremely outstanding. He should've been a top contender for Class A.
If he could actively step forward and lead Class D, there was a high probability that he could directly contend with Class A.
But he, just like Ayanokoji, had no interest in the rise and fall of the class.
In a way, the two of them were quite similar.
"Let's go, change clothes and get breakfast. This meal is my thanks for you running with me."
"Okay."
The two returned to their respective dorms to change, then walked together to the cafeteria.
During breakfast, Akira casually complained that Ayanokoji's deliberate underperforming was too obvious, and suggested he randomly underperform next time. Ayanokoji listened as if suddenly coming to his senses, and nodded slightly.
However, Akira couldn't tell how much of that nod was genuine understanding and how much was perfunctory.
The noisy chatter in the cafeteria mixed with the clatter of tableware, adding a touch of casualness to their disjointed conversation.
Since there were no classes today, Akira returned directly to his dorm after eating.
At eight o'clock, three new pieces of intel were updated on time:
[1. Karuizawa Kei of Class 1-D will be officially dismissed by the boxing club president next Monday due to multiple absences.]
[2. Ayanokoji Atsuomi manages a secret educational institution called 'White Room.']
[3. Today at 6 PM, the school supermarket's daily necessities section will have a 20% discount.]
Akira frowned slightly. The information in the first piece of intel was quite unexpected.
Hmm? She only took one day off, right?
He clicked on his phone and pulled up the chat history. It was just a few days ago. She said she was tired and only took one day off.
'Did she not go to the boxing club these past few days?'
Akira twitched his lips.
Taking one day off was understandable.
But what's with taking several days off?
He remembered clearly that when he joined the boxing club, the president had made the rules very clear. You could take leave, but you had to explain the situation.
Unless there were special circumstances, you absolutely couldn't take more than three days off at once, otherwise it could be treated as a dismissal.
After all, there were only a few managers in the boxing club, but many members. If one person was missing, the remaining managers would have to shoulder double the workload, which was simply too much.
As for the second piece of intel, Akira only felt confused looking at it.
'"White Room" is what?'
'And who's Ayanokoji Atsuomi?'
But just by the name, he was probably related to Ayanokoji. This intel sounded unusual, and he didn't dare to ask Ayanokoji about it rashly, so he decided to put it aside for now.
The last one! This was the most practical piece of intel for today.
"So the supermarket's 20% off tonight. Perfect for stocking up," Akira muttered.
Although he had plenty of points, it was rare to encounter a discount, and he felt like he'd lose out if he didn't go shopping, so he decided to go on a shopping spree in the evening.
After reading the three pieces of intel, since it was the weekend and there were no classes, he decided to relax properly.
The laptop given by the President was still on the desk. Akira suddenly remembered that when he chatted with Sotomura last time, he said that "MyGO!!!!!" had released its second season.
"I need to watch it quickly."
He thought while opening his computer, searched for "MyGO!!!!!" resources on the video website, and casually bought a membership with points, deciding to rewatch from the first episode of MyGo. After all, it'd been a while since he last watched it, and rewatching from the beginning would be more enjoyable.
However, by the third episode, those dormant memories suddenly surged into his mind, and the direction of all subsequent plotlines instantly became clear in his head.
He remembered that the eighth episode had a particularly explosive plotline about to unfold.
"I wasn't here for the band anyway!"
When he watched MyGo, he wasn't there to see these band girls sing properly.
Instead, it was their tangled relationships and those famous "band breakup" scenes that truly captivated him.
After all, there were plenty of anime about bands. If he really wanted to listen to music and watch performances, he might as well rewatch K-On! and Bocchi the Rock! a few more times.
The scene of the girls arguing with their instruments flashed across the screen, and Akira nodded unconsciously.
He suddenly felt that the dramatic tension of this plot was much more interesting than a simple performance.
Just then, a knock sounded at the room door.
A questioning shout also came from the computer: "Why are you playing Haruhikage?!"
Akira paused, his gaze shifting from Soyo's instantly devastated expression on the screen.
'Who is it? Showing up on a weekend? And right when the key plot's happening...'
He didn't close the MyGo! playback page. He'd already seen it once, so he wasn't afraid of missing anything.
Thinking he'd just quickly deal with whoever was outside, he shuffled up in his slippers.
"Who is it?"
"It is me Dio"
(T/N: Ignore that)
A clear, slightly urgent voice came from outside the door. "It's me, Karuizawa Kei."