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Sakayanagi sat in her seat in Class A, her fingertips lightly tapping her phone screen, a pleasant smile spreading across her lips.
Her logic was actually very simple. She'd rather suffer a small loss herself than let her opponent have their way.
In her opinion, if she could foil the other party's plan, even if she paid a price, it was a "huge profit."
Just like yesterday. She could've held onto the exam paper information for profit, but she chose to release it to all four classes for free.
Ultimately, it was just to ruin the other party's business.
The thought of that person possibly failing to make a deal made her let out a soft snort.
Yes, she'd won this round.
She herself hadn't noticed, but at some point, she'd quietly started treating that person behind the scenes as an opponent.
Although deep down, she was never entirely sure. Was the opponent she was going back and forth with really Akira?
But one thing was certain. The other party was definitely using a secondary account.
Acting with a main account would be too easy to expose.
'I'm still curious about his true identity.'
'Do other classes not care about this at all?'
Since the other party had dealt with all four classes, Sakayanagi didn't believe no one would investigate.
Especially Ryuuen. That vengeful guy, after having 3 million private points taken from him, how could he be indifferent to the identity of the "person renting out surveillance information"?
However, she was different from Ryuuen.
She did care about the other party's identity and disliked being schemed against in the dark, but more than these, she valued the game with the other party itself.
It was like playing a game of chess. Rather than being eager to see the opponent's face, she enjoyed the back-and-forth of placing pieces.
Most people who play games frequently have this mentality.
So, she decided to wait and see.
If others remained inactive, then it'd be up to her to make a move personally.
'Let's wait a few more days, no rush.'
The most important thing right now was to enjoy being the "winner." For example, by taking the opportunity to needle the other party a bit.
Otherwise, wouldn't all the effort of this week be wasted? After spending so many brain cells on strategy, she ought to have some fun.
Sakayanagi's fingertips tapped quickly on the screen, and the message was sent swiftly.
{What a pity. It seems you won't earn a single point this month.}
{You can't sell the exam paper information at all—after all, now it's almost worthless even if given away for free.}
She looked out the window at the sky, a smile playing on her lips.
All first-year classes now had the exam paper information, so this information naturally became a worthless item.
Information is such a strange thing. Sometimes it can be priceless, driving people mad. Other times it can instantly depreciate, becoming worthless. And she'd personally pressed the switch that made it depreciate.
This feeling of controlling the whole situation brought her more pleasure than immediately finding out the other party's identity.
That feeling of inner relaxation and satisfaction was almost more delightful than slowly sipping a cup of coffee in an afternoon coffee shop, watching the sugar dissolve slowly in the cup.
Her smile reached her eyes. After all, it was a "victory" she'd worked a week for, so this was naturally the deserved outcome.
{Is that so? By the way, you mentioned in your previous message that you asked the teacher, and they refused to give you the exam paper information? Is that information true?}
Sakayanagi looked at the message on the screen, a little surprised. The other party hadn't taken her bait from earlier.
'Is he admitting defeat?'
However, seeing as the other party proactively changed the subject, she was in a good mood. Her fingertips slowly tapped on the screen.
{Teachers are school authorities personnel, so of course they wouldn't reveal exam paper information, nor would they allow students to buy it.}
{Such matters can only be handled through transactions between students; otherwise, what would be the purpose of the school setting up this special exam?}
She didn't believe the other party wouldn't think of this.
Simply put, exam papers are never something that can be brought into the open.
Just as the school authorities never explicitly stated that the midterm exams would use old questions, these were all things students figured out themselves by analyzing, investigating, and asking upperclassmen. It was more like an unwritten rule, something everyone understood implicitly.
Teachers, of course, couldn't possibly sell exam-related information. That'd be openly violating the rules, and even this school wouldn't dare to do that.
What the school truly tests has never been "can you get the answers from the teacher."
Rather, it's the ability to think after discovering clues, the ability to negotiate with upperclassmen, or the teamwork ability to make information public.
Asking the teacher directly for answers? That'd be too naive.
She remembered what her father often said. Some things can be done behind the scenes; bringing them into the open is a different matter entirely.
She was well aware of her father's way of doing things.
After sending the message, her fingertips lightly tapped her knee.
Did the other party suddenly change the subject because she genuinely conceded, or was she plotting something else?
{Is that really the case? That's wonderful then. Thank you for the information.}
Sakayanagi was suddenly a bit puzzled.
At this point, why was the other party still asking such an irrelevant question?
She'd already blocked off the exam paper route. Logically, the other party should be completely out of options.
As she was thinking, a new message popped up.
{By the way, you were wrong again. Who told you I couldn't earn any private points?}
{? What information are you planning to sell? This month, besides the special exam, there's nothing else that can be traded, right? Tell me.}
{What I'm selling is naturally what you mentioned—the exam papers.}
'Still talking about exam papers?!'
She genuinely didn't understand anymore.
Since all classes had received free information, the exam papers had long become common knowledge. Now, he was saying he wanted to sell exam papers? What exactly did this mean?
But the other party's confident demeanor didn't seem like he was just bluffing.
{As a return for the information you just gave me, I can give you a hint.}
{I plan to sell these 'exam papers' for at least five million private points.}
"Five million private points for exam papers?!"
Sakayanagi looked at the string of numbers and almost thought she'd misread it.
She'd only paid twenty thousand private points when she bought those tattered exam papers from a second-year student.
This person actually dared to directly raise the price by 250 times?
What nonsense was the other party talking about! First-years clearly...
'Wait...'
A thought suddenly crashed into her mind, and the confusion in her eyes was instantly replaced by clarity.
The so-called "exam papers are worthless" was, in the end, only true for first-years.
There weren't only first-year students in this school.
'Is his trading target this time second-years? Or perhaps third-years?'
But a new question immediately arose. The upperclassmen already had access to their own year's exam paper information, so there was no need for them to buy it.
And the price was too outrageous! It was too expensive!
Five million private points for only five exam papers? Converting that, each paper would cost one million.
This could no longer be explained by "overpricing." It was clearly a losing business.
Could there really be someone willing to be such a fool?