Chapter 163: Bargaining
A sudden special exam had initially offered a glimmer of hope, but in the end, it only led to deeper disappointment for Suzune Horikita.
Lying in the infirmary, she felt a swirl of anger and relief, comforting herself with the thought that she had, at most, lost thirty points.
However, the crushing weight of her debt soon returned, making her shoulders feel incredibly heavy.
When she later heard the official exam results, Suzune Horikita was almost resigned.
Despite earning 175 points, it was nowhere near enough to solve her immediate financial crisis.
Her debt was due and she was almost at her wit's end.
She pondered where she had gone wrong, but after a long struggle, she gave up on self-reflection and focused solely on the impending penalty.
Suzune Horikita already had a desperate idea.
Similar to the deserted island exam, she believed she could sell key information to other classes.
This would not only harm her opponents but also resolve her debt crisis.
Of course, she wasn't foolish enough to outright betray her own class.
She just needed an opportunity to quickly gather the necessary amount to repay her debt and perhaps even cover the million-point penalty.
However, Kaoru Mitoma rejected Suzune Horikita proposal.
"Why should I agree to negotiate terms with you?" Kaoru Mitoma found her request baffling.
Even if he did nothing, he would still control Suzune Horikita.
Once October arrived, she would owe him a two-million-point penalty.
"Because I don't have the money," Suzune Horikita replied bluntly. "Even if you spread the word that I owe you hundreds of thousands of personal points, I still wouldn't be able to pay you."
"No, your brother has the money" Kaoru Mitoma reminded her.
Suzune Horikita was stunned.
She had almost forgotten about her brother.
If Kaoru Mitoma were to spread the word, Manabu Horikita would undoubtedly be the first to know. And if his sister was humiliated at school, he would naturally step in to clean up the mess.
This was the last thing Suzune Horikita wanted.
She would rather agree to Kaoru Mitoma's demands than let her brother find out.
Frustration evident in her voice, Suzune Horikita said.
"If I default, I'll pay you a minimum of twenty thousand personal points each month, with a deadline of one year. If I can't do it, you can do whatever you want to me."
"No, I can help you ask the student council president for the two-million-point penalty," Kaoru Mitoma refused without hesitation.
Suzune Horikita clenched her fists, biting her lower lip, and said in a low voice.
"I said, you can do whatever you want to me... no matter what."
Kaoru Mitoma showed a faint smile. "Are you resorting to seduction now?"
Upon hearing this, Suzune Horikita breathing hitched, and she replied with resentment.
"I... isn't this more in line with your perverse tastes?"
In her perception, Kaoru Mitoma was undoubtedly a pervert, a lecher, an incurable foot fetishist and a lewd-eyed piece of trash.
Therefore, Suzune Horikita had always deliberately avoided being on his 'list'.
Selling her body to cater to a man was, for someone as upright and proud as her, undoubtedly a humiliation.
Since the last incident, she had deeply regretted it.
"But you don't really want to and I'm afraid that if I actually go through with it, you might bite off my thing" Kaoru Mitoma said seriously.
After all, it was his vital spot, and he wouldn't easily entrust it to someone unless absolutely necessary.
Suzune Horikita didn't fully understand his words but could guess a bit of the meaning.
Her pretty face flushed red and after a long while, she managed to say.
"I definitely won't resist, you can rest assured."
"I want to ask, do you remember the knowledge points from health class?" Kaoru Mitoma inquired.
"Of course, I almost got full marks in every subject..." Suzune Horikita realized belatedly, her cheeks slightly red.
"But this is not acceptable, I'm still a virgin."
"Didn't you say you will agree to anything?"
"Wouldn't you find it strange?"
"Strange about what?"
"We're not a couple, so doing such things is inherently wrong."
"If we become a couples, we can do it then?"
"I... that's not what I meant... this is something for married couples and I have no plans to get married yet."
As soon as Suzune Horikita finished speaking, she saw Kaoru Mitoma give her a very peculiar smile, which made her wonder if she had said something wrong.
"Your theoretical knowledge is indeed solid," Kaoru Mitoma chuckled.
"But it's of no benefit to me. Based on Class D current class points, you can give me 20,000 personal points a month, so your conditions are as good as non-existent."
A minimum of 20,000 personal points a month means a minimum of 240,000 a year, which might not even cover the penalty fee.
Suzune Horikita said earnestly. "You can bargain with me."
"Complete one item from the list with me every week until graduation. The agreement ends when you've paid off your debt and the penalty fee" Kaoru Mitoma added.
"If you can clear the debt by October, this agreement becomes void."
Suzune Horikita thought for a moment and asked.
"Can I specify what to do?"
"No" Kaoru Mitoma replied calmly.
Suzune Horikita was silent for a while, then said.
"You can't tell anyone, and everything must be done in your room."
"No" Kaoru Mitoma refused her again, "I have the right to choose any location, including the form of using you."
Suzune Horikita gritted her teeth, her chest heaving as she warned.
"My bottom line is that it's only you, you can't let anyone else join..."
"I never intended to let another man see a different side of Suzune."
As for his form of address, Suzune Horikita was mostly numb to it now.
Seeing his seemingly genuine expression, she couldn't help but feel relieved.
Since it wouldn't go "all the way," she might as well treat it as being licked by a dog.
At this moment, Suzune Horikita was still unaware that the actual "play" would far exceed the content of the health class.
She thought to herself that at most, she would let Kaoru Mitoma lick her feet again.
"Wait a minute, you're changing the subject too quickly. You haven't answered my previous question yet," Suzune Horikita said with a serious expression.
"Why did you withdraw from the exam?"
Kaoru Mitoma glanced over at Mio Ibuki, who was trying hard to eavesdrop on their conversation, wondering if her ears could pick up what was being said.
"The reason is simple. Like you, if I didn't withdraw from the exam, Class A would suffer heavy losses."
"I've seen how you checked in at the base," Suzune Horikita couldn't help but bring up the incident, as it had been bothering her for a while.
If it weren't for that, she wouldn't have been so keen on selling information.
"Right, that was for you to see. I was hoping all three classes would gather around to watch me" Kaoru Mitoma said.
"Luckily, you fell for it in the end, or all my efforts would have been in vain."
After Kaoru Mitoma explanation, Suzune Horikita fell silent for a long time.
Her last shred of hope was completely shattered, she had indeed been fooled again.
"Suzune, you have a phone, right? Do you carry it with you?" Kaoru Mitoma suddenly asked.
Suzune Horikita nodded.
At ANHS, a phone was equivalent to a student ID, so of course, she carried it with her every day.
"Since you have your phone with you, why didn't you call me?" Kaoru Mitoma finally posed the soul-crushing question.
Suzune Horikita thought for a moment and replied matter-of-factly.
"I forgot."
She had hardly ever used her phone before, usually preferring to read books.
Besides, she didn't have any friends to contact, so she rarely touched her phone.
"Do you have a Line account?"
"No."
"..."
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