Houtarou Oreki Classroom of the Elite

Suzune glanced at Houtarou.

The store opening was a ruse. The crux of the matter was that each participating first-year student would lose 50,000 Points, and if they unilaterally terminated the agreement, they'd owe 10,000 Points in compensation.

He explained that in the school's long history, this was the first time someone had conceived of opening a store and amassed enough Points to do so.

Did they really think there wouldn't be a contingency plan? Looking at it now, Miyabi's buyout of the store opening was that very plan.

Want to open a store? Certainly. But it requires his approval, and the price tag for that approval is 5 million Points. Hardly a bargain.

"W-why is there such a thing?"

Kikyō, angelic and oblivious, truly believed that Houtarou and Suzune wanted to open a store. The innocent girl looked at Miyabi in surprise, evidently hearing of this for the first time.

Her astonishment pleased him greatly.

Miyabi was the complete package — handsome, athletic, and academically gifted. Last year, he'd achieved a remarkable feat: leading Class B to Class A status. In one swift move, he'd opened a store, started a business, and brought his entire grade under his influence.

In essence, he was now both the Class A representative and the de facto leader of the second-year students.

Understanding the school's harsh rules, he recognized the importance of obedience to his directives. Under his leadership, the special exams had taken on a new character.

For each exam, representatives from all four classes would convene and collaborate, selecting strategies to maximize Point extraction from the school.

Indeed, "extraction" was the right word. The second-year students had united, turning the school into their personal ATM.

Yet, despite all these accomplishments, Miyabi had a weakness — one common to many young men. He was, quite simply, a young man in love.

As a handsome guy, he naturally favored cute girls. Despite having a childhood friend, Nazuna Asahina, in his class, she was too conservative for his taste, disapproving of infidelity.

This was quite demanding for him, so he could only string her along. He believed that once he became student council president — the highest position in the school — even Nazuna wouldn't be able to refuse him.

To his surprise, the first-year students were also impressive.

In Miyabi's view, a girl's beauty was paramount. Intelligence, foresight, or talent were bonuses, but not necessities.

These two underclassmen charmed him in their unique ways: Kikyō, with her angelic appearance, and Suzune, a cold beauty with raven hair that made his heart race.

After becoming Student Council President, he planned to invite both to join.

"Oreki-kun, you're from Class A, right?" Miyabi asked, his face gentle despite his inner excitement, "I'm the vice president of the Student Council. Your performance is impressive — I'd like to recommend you for membership. Our school's council is unique. Please consider it."

While lenient with pretty girls, Miyabi held boys to stricter standards.

However, his invitation to Houtarou was genuine.

He was the first to conceive the idea of opening a store for Points — an innovative move. He had also led Class B to success. These achievements had caught Manabu's attention, leading to Miyabi's recruitment into the Student Council.

These accomplishments showcased his excellence.

The store's concept and implementation were completed just three months ago, implying Miyabi had been at the school for nine months. Houtarou had developed a similar idea and collected Points even more directly, which impressed him.

Miyabi's store was, in fact, a joint venture. He gathered Points from his class, other classes, and even borrowed from teachers — a challenging feat. The store's monthly net income of 2 million Points was primarily used to repay debts.

However, the venture had its perks. Once the debt was cleared, he would own 50% of the store's income. In six months, he'd receive 1 million Points monthly — a significant windfall.

From Houtarou's perspective, whether through investment or borrowing, he could acquire a store within a year — an equally impressive achievement.

"Vice president?" Suzune finally noticed his title.

"Yes, Suzune." Miyabi nodded.

She fell silent.

Houtarou realized she had just connected that Miyabi was not only on her brother's Student Council but held the powerful position of vice president. She'd known this from earlier information gathering, yet struggled to remain quiet.

But her silence was understandable from a different perspective — Miyabi had addressed her as "Suzune", her given name. Only those with close relationships used it, like family members or Houtarou.

Suzune clearly disliked his overfamiliarity.

In truth, Miyabi was blameless. Houtarou hadn't introduced his surname, leaving him no choice but to use her given name. He remained oblivious to the cold shoulder he was receiving.

"Does opening a store cost that much money?" Kikyō, the innocent "angel", inquired.

Miyabi, valuing the "high-value little angel's" attention, promptly responded.

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