In fact, after the information is refreshed, they always want to attack me!

"Ryuen!" Ibuki Mio scratched her hair in frustration. "Shiina has already explained everything to me! Although I hate you, Class C really needs you right now!" She gritted her teeth. "I'll transfer 80,000 points to you, but you have to let her go!"

"Hmph~ Finally learned your lesson?!" Long Yuan sneered and withdrew his hand, just as his phone beeped with a transfer notification.

He stared at the screen for a moment, then suddenly smiled knowingly: "Alright, I can let her go."

"You..." Ibuki Mio was just about to breathe a sigh of relief.

"But!" Ryuen's tone shifted abruptly, his sharp gaze locking onto Shiina Hiyori. "Shiina, since you're so quick-witted, why don't you help me find out the identity of this mysterious person and who they really are! If you agree to my conditions, I'll let bygones be bygones."

Hiyori Shiina replied almost without hesitation, "I agree. After all, this is also a contribution to the class."

She tilted her head slightly, pondered for a moment, and then added, "Deduction requires intelligence, and I need more information. Tell me all the clues you know, and..." She paused, "...the people you think are most suspicious. Oh, right! Ichinose from Class 1-B is currently the breakthrough point; I'll investigate her later."

A glint of shrewdness flashed in Ryuen's eyes, and a dangerous smile curved his lips. "Alright... let's investigate that woman named Sakayanagi Arisu first." He lowered his voice, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth, "Her father is the current chairman of the board. That kind of status... makes it easiest to pull some strings."

......

Ryuen Sho just stared at Ichinose in front of him.

(Speaking of which, there's another possibility: the mysterious person might actually be her.)

(But it doesn't look quite like it.)

(Besides, coming to the student council at this time... Could it be that she's also...)

However, since he had already handed over the investigation of the mysterious man to Shiina Hiyori, he couldn't be bothered to think about these things anymore.

He personally leans towards the answer being Sakayanagi Arisu.

After all, he's my father, the chairman of the board.

......

When Sakayanagi Arisu came to her senses, Katsuragi Kohei was already standing in front of her.

"Sakayanagi-san, please hand over the class funds to me. According to the allocation, I'm holding 150 million points; you should have the same amount."

At a class meeting a week ago, all the students in Class A unanimously decided that each person would contribute three-quarters of their points as class funds.

The funds were divided equally between Katsuragi and Sakayanagi for safekeeping in case of emergency.

Faced with the need to rent surveillance access, the two and their classmates spent two full days discussing the matter before reaching a consensus that they must come up with 300 million to rent surveillance equipment.

Kohei Katsuragi volunteered to go to the student council to hand in the points.

"I understand..." After a moment of silence, Sakayanagi Arisu transferred all the points in her account.

Katsuragi stared at the numbers displayed on the terminal, his brows suddenly furrowing: "Wait... how come there's only 145 million? Where did the other 5 go?"

His voice suddenly rose, drawing the attention of several classmates around him. "Sakayanagi-kun, you wouldn't... have misappropriated class funds, would you?"

"Did you think the hidden information I obtained before was free?" Sakayanagi Arisu paused, slightly raising her chin, her tone laced with undeniable coldness. "I spent a full 5 points to buy it from a senior student. Doesn't that count as contributing to the class's expenses? Is there anything wrong with me using that portion of the class funds?"

Katsuragi Kohei was taken aback. He then realized that his earlier questioning was indeed somewhat arbitrary—at the beginning of the semester, Sakayanagi had indeed shared important information about loopholes in the school rules, and that information obviously could not have come from nowhere.

"...I see." His tone softened, even carrying a hint of apology. "I'm sorry, I didn't consider that."

He originally thought that, given Sakayanagi's independent and self-willed personality, he was likely to have misappropriated the class funds.

But now it seems that she was indeed acting for the class.

After a brief silence, Katsuragi coughed lightly, trying to ease the awkwardness: "Then each of you can send me another 1250 points privately! I'll cover your share, Sakayanagi."

Before Sakayanagi could respond, he turned and strode away, his back view slightly hurried, as if he was eager to escape the scene that had caused him to misjudge the situation.

Sakayanagi Arisu stood quietly, watching Katsuragi Kohei's figure disappear at the end of the corridor.

The calm, faint smile still lingered on her lips, but it quickly froze for a moment.

(That was a close call...)

Ms. Sakayanagi was sweating profusely at this moment.

What do you mean by using class funds to buy intelligence? That's just a completely fabricated excuse.

Actually, she just didn't know her place, since she lost to Shimizu Akira on the very first day of school.

During this period, she did subconsciously treat the class funds as a personal account.

I bought limited-edition black tea, acquired a new chess set, and even replaced the handle of my cane with the latest model... I must say, it's quite comfortable to hold.

Every expense was deducted from the class fund without question.

(So, who exactly is that mysterious person? Could it be Akira Shimizu?)

"There's still too little intelligence..."

Katsuragi should be processing the paperwork right now; perhaps he can bring back some clues.

After all, purchasing services through the student union will inevitably leave a trace.

A more direct option suddenly flashed into her mind: if she just sent a message to her father, who was the chairman of the board, the truth might be within her grasp.

Since the access was purchased from the school, the father must know something.

"Let's forget about it." She suddenly chuckled.

This game has only just begun, and she enjoys the thrill of uncovering the mystery herself.

Chapter 86: 084 Horikita Suzune: He got lucky with what my brother didn't get to use.

After school, Akira Shimizu and Suzune Horikita walked side by side to the second floor of the restaurant.

He was prepared to keep his promise and invite the other party to dinner.

The first floor is an affordable canteen for the general public, offering everyday set meals such as rice bowls and ramen.

The second floor is completely different, bringing together a variety of exquisite cuisines—Western restaurants, barbecue restaurants, and high-end sushi restaurants are all available, and of course, the points required for consumption are correspondingly higher.

Akira Shimizu then realized that he had never set foot on the second floor since enrolling in school.

These days, he has been eating all his meals in the spacious first-floor cafeteria.

"Is there anything you particularly want to eat?" Shimizu Akira asked, turning his head to the side.

Horikita Suzune pondered for a moment, then replied briefly, "Either is fine, it's up to you."

He naturally understood the underlying meaning of the word "whatever," but then he thought that, given Horikita Suzune's personality, she probably wouldn't speak with hidden meanings like an ordinary girl.

"Let's have barbecue then," Shimizu Akira quickly decided.

He has been intensifying his physical training recently and needs to supplement with high-quality protein, and Horikita has indeed been consuming very little meat these days.

Barbecue is undoubtedly an ideal choice.

"Okay." Horikita Suzune nodded in agreement.

For her, "whatever" means exactly what it says – she's open to eating anything.

The two sat down in a double seat by the window.

The modern ordering method is quite convenient—simply scan the QR code on the table with your mobile phone, and the electronic menu will appear on the screen.

Akira Shimizu scrolled through the screen, marveling at the meticulous categorization of Japanese barbecue.

The menu not only distinguishes between common cuts such as pork belly, tenderloin, and shoulder, but also includes specialized cuts such as upper thigh tendon, loin, and leg triangle meat.

Of course, the rarer the part, the more expensive the points required.

He casually selected a few recommended meat dishes and added a glass of mango juice to his order.

When settling the bill, I discovered that my own portion alone had consumed nearly four thousand points.

He then looked at Horikita Suzune's order and found that she had only selected two basic servings of pork belly.

"You've already ordered a lot..." Horikita Suzune keenly noticed his gaze and added softly, "We can always order more if it's not enough; it's not good to waste food."

"That's right." Shimizu Akira nodded in understanding.

Grilled meat tastes best when it's grilled and eaten fresh, so there's really no need to order too much at the beginning.

The waiter came over at the right time to start the grill for them, and the metal plate gradually heated up, making a soft sound.

One plate of grilled meat after another was served.

Akira Shimizu looked around and found that the store didn't have a lot of customers.

The few tables of guests were all couples, and judging from their school uniforms, they were probably second or third-year students.

Their interaction was particularly eye-catching—the boys thoughtfully used tongs to turn the meat slices, placing perfectly grilled pieces onto the girls' plates.

Accompanied by the sizzling sound of grilled meat.

The sounds of intimate laughter echoed softly in the restaurant.

Akira Shimizu withdrew his gaze and turned his attention back to the baking pan in front of him.

The metal plate was already emitting a faint bluish smoke, and the temperature was just right.

"I'll take charge of grilling the meat." He picked up the tongs and laid the pork belly slices on the grill.

The moment the meat slices come into contact with the high temperature, they immediately emit a pleasant "sizzling" sound, and the oil begins to slowly seep out.

Horikita Suzune placed her hands folded on the edge of the table and quietly watched his movements.

Her posture remained as upright as ever, maintaining a certain sense of ritual even in such a relaxed setting.

"Did you often eat barbecue before?" Akira Shimizu tried to start a conversation.

"Not often, only once," she replied briefly. "My brother thinks this kind of food isn't healthy enough."

The edges of the meat slices began to curl, releasing an enticing aroma.

Just then, a burst of laughter came from the next table.

A second-grade girl playfully pushed away the piece of grilled meat her boyfriend offered her: "Ugh, this is burnt!"

Akira Shimizu unconsciously looked in the direction of the sound, then quickly looked away.

He secretly observed Horikita Suzune across from him and noticed that her body was taut and her fingertips were unconsciously gripping the chopsticks.

"Is this your first time having dinner with someone of the opposite sex your own age? You seem quite nervous," Shimizu Akira asked softly.

"...The second time. The first time was when we were eating in the cafeteria. I wasn't nervous." Horikita Suzune paused for a moment before answering, her voice a few decibels lower than usual.

"Relax," Shimizu Akira couldn't help but laugh, "I'm not some dangerous carnivore, even if we're having barbecue this time."

"...I know." Her gaze drifted elsewhere, but her tense shoulders seemed to relax slightly.

"Give it a try." Shimizu Akira placed the first piece of grilled meat onto her plate.

Horikita Suzune gracefully picked up a slice of meat and dipped it in some sauce.

"Barely passing," she commented briefly.

"Looks like at least I can eat this." Shimizu Akira breathed a sigh of relief and picked up a piece for himself.

"You're using me as a guinea pig?" Horikita Suzune suddenly looked up.

"Otherwise what?" Shimizu Akira asked with a smile.

The moment the meat slice entered his mouth, he realized it was indeed overcooked.

Akira Shimizu immediately reached out and lowered the temperature of the baking pan, his movements slightly flustered.

This detail caused Horikita Suzune's lips to curl slightly upwards, although she quickly regained her indifferent expression.

"Remember next time," she suddenly said, "grill the beef brisket for only thirty seconds."

When Shimizu Akira looked up, he saw that Horikita Suzune had already picked up the pair of clips between the two of them and was intently flipping the newly placed slices of meat, her technique surprisingly skillful.

Akira Shimizu raised an eyebrow: "...Didn't you say you only went once?"

"One time doesn't mean you can't do it." Horikita Suzune's hands moved smoothly as she flipped the slices of meat in perfect arcs on the grill.

"Could it be that he trained to grill meat for his brother?" Shimizu Akira blurted out.

Horikita Suzune paused abruptly in her grip on the clips, then glared at him irritably: "Eat your meat and shut up."

This reaction made Shimizu Akira realize that he had guessed correctly.

He looked with interest at Horikita Suzune's slightly reddened ear tips, and wisely refrained from asking any further questions.

Horikita Suzune shook her head, her memories involuntarily drifting back to her junior high school days.

That time, she had to beg and plead with her brother to take her out for barbecue, and she even stayed up all night watching countless barbecue tutorial videos.

Throughout the entire process, her brother didn't let her touch the tongs at all; he simply and quietly placed slices of grilled meat into her bowl one by one.