I'm in a real religion, why are all the people who confess to me girls?

Ichinose then took out a small gift box from behind her back.

"Although I know it's a bit late to say this now, I still wanted to give it to you personally. Happy birthday, Tianyin!!~"

Chapter 400: Ichinose Honami's Growth

Amane received the exquisite gift box from Ichinose, her eyes sparkling. Contrary to expectations, Ichinose's Class D had recently suffered a major defeat.

She herself was also greatly affected by the rumors. Amane never thought that Ichinose would give her a gift. Putting aside whether Ichinose giving her a birthday gift at this critical juncture would cause gossip among her classmates, the embarrassing financial situation of Class D alone was enough to make people criticize Ichinose's behavior.

In Class D, Ichinose always acts as a personal savior. Everyone gives Ichinose points every month, and then Ichinose gives everyone their monthly living expenses, thereby controlling any overspending.

This approach yielded good results, accumulating millions of personal points in just a few months. Originally, Ichinose planned to accumulate 20 million points to prevent a situation from recurring where her classmates dropped out of school and she was powerless to help them.

As a result, Shibata squandered almost all of his accumulated points in order to win the special exam for privileged students, which led to Class D losing all of its class points and all its savings at the same time.

This month, Class D seems to be having a very tough time. Amane knew that Ichinose's situation was not optimistic, which is why she did not invite Ichinose to the birthday party.

When you invite someone over, you always tell them they should bring a gift. Even if you tell them it's okay if they don't bring a gift, they'll definitely feel awkward when they arrive and see that everyone else has given Amane a gift. Amane didn't mention her birthday to Ichinose precisely to avoid making Ichinose feel awkward.

I didn't expect that Ichinose would give her a belated birthday present today.

"I heard that your financial situation this month is not optimistic?"

Tianyin probed meaningfully, glancing at the gift in her hand. Just from the packaging, Tianyin could tell that the gift was worth more than 10,000 points and was an accessory.

Ten thousand points might only be a week's worth of expenses for Amane, but for Ichinose and the others, ten thousand points could last for three months if they were careful with their spending.

"Don't worry about that, Amane. Although we lost badly, we still have some points left. However, because of the sports festival, we probably won't know until November whether the points will increase. This period might be quite difficult for Class D. But I still have money to prepare a birthday present for you, Amane. Besides, the present isn't anything particularly expensive, hehe..."

Ichinose gave an embarrassed smile, seemingly ashamed that she hadn't been able to prepare a nice birthday present.

"It's okay, I like any gift you prepare, Ichinose. Can we eat now? The food you made looks delicious, Ichinose, I'm starving~"

Amane stared longingly at the table full of food, her expression like that of a little glutton, which made Ichinose cover her mouth and chuckle.

"It's nothing like what you're making it out to be, Tianyin. It's just some simple home-cooked dishes. Since you're hungry too, let's eat first. I'm starting!"

"I'm starting!"

……

After the meal, Amane lay happily on the cushion, her cute and lazy appearance reminding Ichinose of adorable animals like koalas.

Ichinose was quite happy to see Amane wolfing down her food at the dinner table, thinking that her cooking skills had improved. However, when Ichinose picked up a piece of stir-fried food and tasted it, she found that it still tasted familiar.

In the end, Shinobu could only attribute Amane's behavior to her being genuinely hungry.

As Ichinose washed the dishes, she would occasionally glance back at Amane, whose breathing was even and whose face looked comfortable. Just looking at that face gave her a sense of peace.

By the time Ichinose finished packing, it was almost 8:30. Amane sent a message to Horikita in advance, saying that she had some things to do and would be back at 9 o'clock.

Now that I've received the gifts and had my meal, it's time to leave... just kidding.

When Amane saw the steaming hot tea that Ichinose had prepared for her, she knew that the real business was just beginning.

"I remember you, Ichinose, seemed to have something to tell me, didn't you?"

If you're going to accept something from someone else and then take something from them, it would be too insincere to wait for them to speak first. So Tianyin broke the silence first.

"It's like this... I originally thought I could be frank with you, Tianyin, about this, but when the time came, I hesitated. Sigh, it seems I'm really not suited to be a class leader."

Ichinose sighed self-deprecatingly.

Amane narrowed her eyes. It seemed like Ichinose was making fun of herself, but it was just a warm-up for the next topic. If it were a private matter, Ichinose would probably say that it was inconvenient to bring it up because they were friends.

However, Ichinose said that she was not suitable to be a class leader, which was a veiled message to Amane to be prepared, as she would be discussing class-related matters next.

"No, I just think Ichinose is really great. You're gentle, beautiful, and have a great figure..."

"Oh dear, why are you suddenly praising me? Besides, this has nothing to do with the class leaders. Aren't you afraid that Horikita will cause trouble for you if he finds out about your glib tongue, Tenon?"

Ichinose smiled very gently.

Amane's smile faded considerably. After experiencing great ups and downs, Ichinose had become much more experienced. Amane could even see the shadow of Sakayanagi in Ichinose. No, Ichinose was a more dangerous person than Sakayanagi, because a smile hiding a knife is always something that is hard to guard against.

Sakayanagi's smile was deceitful and hypocritical; she could see right through it and had no interest in using such tricks.

Ichinose's words seemed to be joking about the relationship between Amane and Horikita, but in reality, they were testing who was in charge between Amane and Horikita.

It seems that what Ichinose wants to discuss is quite important, otherwise Ichinose would not have probed in such a roundabout way.

"That's a really scary thing. Ichinose, you don't know, Suzune has been keeping a close eye on me lately. If Suzune finds out that I met with you, Ichinose, I might have to sleep on the floor tonight."

Amane responded to Ichinose in the most innocent tone.

"Hehe, it's no wonder Horikita-kun is so vigilant, since you, Amane, like to get so close to other girls."

Here it comes!

Amane became extremely focused. At this point in the conversation, Ichinose had essentially circled back to the initial option and chosen to negotiate with Amane.

It seems that Ichinose is saying that Amane is getting close to other girls, but she is actually implying that she and Amane are also close. So the next step is to confront Amane.

The reason for giving up communicating with Horikita is probably because they were afraid that Horikita would refuse because of the close relationship between Ichinose and Amane.

Ichinose has grown to a remarkable level.

Chapter 401: You want to trade the most precious thing?

"I'm quite close to you, Ichinose, which is why I can't let Suzune know I'm here to freeload. Otherwise, something terrible could happen. By the way... Ichinose, what did you want to talk to me about?"

Amane had laid the groundwork for Ichinose and hinted that Horikita shouldn't know, which meant that Amane's presence here today, including her conversation with Ichinose, would not reach anyone else's ears.

"I'll definitely keep it a secret. As for what it is, it's actually related to the sports festival."

That's the charm of language.

The two parties reached a perfect consensus through tacit understanding, so that even if there was a recording, no one would be able to detect any hidden secrets in their conversation.

"Is it a one-man showdown?"

Amane chose to directly reveal the answer to Ichinose's mystery once again.

Ichinose wasn't surprised that Amane could guess such a simple answer; she simply nodded gently.

"Is there anything I can help you with? But... I feel like it would be more useful to talk to Lingyin about this than to me. Lingyin is in charge of the contestant list and planning, and even I have to follow Lingyin's arrangements."

As Amane spoke, she met Ichinose's gaze. Unfortunately, Ichinose showed no interest in what Amane was saying, or rather, it seemed that Ichinose did not intend to ask Amane to give them special treatment so they could earn some points.

"I do need help, but only you, Tianyin, can do it for me. But before that, although it's presumptuous of me, I still want to ask: I heard that you collect points in the upper grades, could you tell me roughly how many points you've collected?"

"Well, all I can say to that question is two words: 'many'."

"A lot" means there's no specific amount, and Ichinose bit her lip somewhat unwillingly.

It was this adorable gesture that made Amane want to get close to Ichinose and give her a big kiss.

However, since the two sides are still in the midst of negotiations, doing so would give Ichinose the upper hand in the conversation, so Amane could only try to control her impulse.

"Let me put it another way, Tianyin. Do you have ten million personal points? I have something very valuable that I want to sell to you."

A blush crept onto Ichinose's cheeks.

Upon hearing this, Tianyin was so frightened that she stood up immediately.

"Wait, Ichinose! You mean you want to exchange something precious for ten million points?"

Tianyin's eyes widened; ten million points was no small sum.

Even for Amane, it would be painful for her to spend ten million points, but the most important thing is not the number ten million points, but the precious thing that Ichinose mentioned.

Amane knew without a doubt that Ichinose wanted ten million points to sustain the class. With such a large sum of points, even if no individual points in Class D increased, it would be enough for the entire Class D to survive until graduation if they lived frugally.

Tianyin was not joking.

There are currently 39 people in Class D. The 10 million points, when divided equally among all students, amount to approximately 256,000 points per person.

If Class D only spends 5,000 personal points per month.

It is possible to endure the terrifying fifty-one months. There are still about 27 months left until graduation. In other words, if fully utilized, this money can allow a Class D student to spend more than nine thousand personal points per month until graduation. Nine thousand points is insignificant to Tianyin, but normally it is enough for students' daily expenses.

In other words, Ichinose plans to exchange something precious for enough points to last the entire Class D until graduation.

Are you kidding me? Just thinking about it is unbelievable.

Tianyin couldn't imagine what kind of thing could be so precious as to sell for ten million points. Could it be...?

"Yes, that item is extremely valuable, and I only have one chance to make a deal with it..."

Ichinose lowered her head, seemingly ashamed to meet Amane's gaze.

Tianyin's breathing became rapid.

Why did a perfectly normal meal turn into this situation?

What should Ichinose do if she really wants to make that deal? If she refuses, will Ichinose, in her shame and anger, do something as outrageous as Shibata?

If we agree... from Amane's perspective, exchanging 10 million points for Ichinose would be a huge profit. Once the transaction is completed, Amane is confident that she can completely control Ichinose.

But... can Amane really live with herself? Even if Amane thinks she has no conscience left, spending money to buy that kind of thing... if Ichinose has feelings for her, that's fine, but if it's just a transaction for the sake of a transaction, Amane would find it boring just thinking about it.

Now Tianyin is also facing its most crucial decision.

To agree or to refuse.

"May I ask first, Ichinose, why did you suddenly decide to sell that... If you need points, there's another way. I'd even consider borrowing them from me, even a million points isn't out of the question."

Amane's tone softened considerably; her immediate priority was to appease Ichinose.

She was afraid that Ichinose might do something outrageous, in which case she, as the person involved, would feel guilty for the rest of her life...

As for the request for the trade, although it's a bit of a pity, Tianyin still intends to refuse. On the one hand, such a large amount of points should be used in more worthwhile ways rather than simply to satisfy personal desires.

Although Tianyin has always been using points to satisfy its desires...

However, this time Amane still intends to stick to her principles, and on the other hand, Ichinose's deal cannot sway her.

She admitted that Ichinose was very charming, but compared to ten million personal points, it didn't seem that important.

What can you do with ten million points? You can use them to spoil a girl like Karuizawa who is always struggling to make ends meet. What Karuizawa can give back can completely satisfy Amane, and even exceed Amane's expectations.

So it's really not worth spending ten million points just for physical desires, and you might even get caught red-handed.

"There's nothing we can do. Even if you're willing to lend it, Tianyin, we can't guarantee we can pay it back. If we can't pay it back the first time, will you lend it a second time? Over time, the favors will accumulate, far exceeding Class D's repayment capacity. In the end, we'll either have to choose not to repay the debt or repay this favor during an important exam... In comparison, I still feel more at ease with the points gained from selling transfer class slots... Tianyin, what's wrong? You seem a little disappointed?"

Ichinose inquired about Amane with concern.

"So... the precious thing you're talking about refers to a spot in a transferred class?"

Chapter 402: An Unexpected Deal

Seeing the sudden look of disappointment on Amane's face, Ichinose blinked in confusion.

"This kind of thing should be considered extremely precious, right? It would be hard to find another item in the entire school that can match its rarity. What do you think it is, Tianyin?"

Ichinose tilted her head, her big eyes full of confusion. She couldn't imagine anything more precious than a tool that could transfer someone to Class A without any conditions.

"Ah...that's what I was thinking too, hmm..."

Amane turned her head to the side, trying to avoid meeting Ichinose's gaze. Honestly, who would have thought that the precious thing Ichinose spoke of was actually a prop used to transfer classes that had no value to her whatsoever, something that could neither be played with nor eaten?

Even if Horikita were given this thing, she probably wouldn't bother with it. Otherwise, she probably wouldn't agree to Koenji's request, promising that if Koenji could achieve ten consecutive wins and obtain this reward, the right to use it would be given to Koenji.

Horikita only cares about points. What kind of skill is it to promote someone to Class A? If you don't have the corresponding strength to be in Class A, you might fall back to a lower class one day. Besides, it's impossible for a member who joined halfway through to be trusted by the class. Only someone like Koenji, who is even less socially adept than Horikita, would take this kind of thing seriously.

For Kogenji, all he wanted was to graduate from Class A, and it didn't matter whose class it was.

Horikita, on the other hand, wants to lead everyone to Class A, because only in this way can she prove to Horikita Manabu that she and Horikita Manabu have the same strength, and that she has not disgraced her brother even though she came here.

Is this thing useful for Tianyin?

The answer is definitely no. If Horikita wants to be promoted to Class A, she will naturally promote Amane along with her. If Horikita cannot be promoted to Class A, even if Amane tries to use such a tool to make Horikita graduate from Class A, Horikita herself will probably not agree. Instead, she will feel that it is an insult to her efforts.

This is also why Tianyin has slowed down her points acquisition plan. The points she has accumulated are enough for her to eat, drink, and have fun until graduation. Even if she is expelled, she will be fine. This level is enough for Tianyin to live comfortably. There is no need to spend 10 million points to buy a thankless item to cover the daily life of Class D. This would undoubtedly affect her quality of life.

But deciding how to refuse is a rather difficult thing.

"I had a feeling that you were thinking something strange just now, Tianyin..."

Ichinose's serious, thoughtful expression, resting his chin on his hand, startled Amane. If Ichinose realized that she had mistakenly thought Amane wanted that, she would definitely get a severe beating from Ichinose.

"Ahem, um...aren't the props for transferring classes only available if you win all your matches? Is your class confident of doing that now?"

Amane quickly changed the subject, and sure enough, Ichinose saw Amane bring the topic back to the transaction and immediately focused her attention on it.

"Our Class D is far weaker than yours, so getting first place is unrealistic. But I have a way to get my hands on the items. It's up to you, Tianyin, whether you're willing to buy them."

When Ichinose mentioned "our Class D," her eyes were clearly filled with dejection. Just last month, Ichinose was a member of Class B, but in just one month, she had fallen from Class B to Class D. The entire class was so poor that they were practically destitute. This difference, like falling from heaven to hell, had already made the people in Class D lose their confidence. It was a wonder that Ichinose dared to take on this mess.