Chapter 69: That's a Different Price!
Because Horikita Manabu wore glasses, his eyes and their gaze were completely obscured. As a result, Horikita Suzune failed to notice her brother's stare.
'Suzune actually chose to attend this school…'
Horikita Manabu thought silently, his expression remaining impassive.
Since he had no intention of recruiting first-year students into the Student Council, he hadn't reviewed their personal files. This was why he had only just discovered that his sister, Horikita Suzune, had become a first-year student at this school.
Soon, Horikita Manabu averted his gaze from his sister and turned it toward the handsome and dashing Shimizu Yuto.
'So this is Shimizu Yuto, the freshman who nearly reduced Nagumo's individual points to zero.'
Even though Horikita Manabu wore glasses, Yuto still sensed his scrutinizing gaze and smiled at him from the presentation stage.
Horikita Manabu silently pushed up his glasses and addressed the freshmen below. "As the Student Council President, I have finished my speech." Without lingering, he immediately stepped off the stage.
Tachibana Akane, the Student Council Secretary, stepped onto the stage. "This concludes the club orientation," she announced sweetly.
"Freshmen interested in joining a club are now free to approach the seniors and submit their applications."
"Yuto, I'm going to apply for the Student Council! See you later!" Ichinose Honami said urgently as she bade him farewell.
"See you later. Good luck," Yuto replied casually.
"Yup!"
Even after witnessing the cold and imposing Student Council President, Ichinose Honami's resolve to join the Student Council for experience remained unchanged and steadfast.
Yuto turned to look at Suzune, who had made no move to join a club. "Your brother is in the Student Council. Aren't you going to join?"
"...No."
"Is that so? Then I'm leaving."
Suzune looked at Yuto in surprise. "You're just leaving? You don't want to join any clubs?"
"Nope."
Yuto hadn't come to the gym to join a club; he wanted to get a general idea of the situation and see if there were any opportunities to earn points. With all the clubs busy processing freshman applications, they probably wouldn't accept a points wager from him right now.
So what was he still doing here? He'd rather head back to his apartment and see Airi and Chabashira-sensei.
Horikita Suzune also seemed to have no intention of joining any clubs. Her goal in coming here appeared to be seeing her brother, the Student Council President, Horikita Manabu.
Therefore, Horikita Suzune left the gymnasium with Yuto.
"Alright! I'm going to apply for the Basketball Club right now!" Sudo Ken strode aggressively toward Oda Ishikai, the Basketball Club president.
Sudo Ken had arrived at the gymnasium early to seek out the Basketball Club he was so keen on joining. He wanted to apply early, but the club president and orientation representative, Oda Ishikai, stated that they would only accept applications after the orientation concluded.
If Sudo Ken weren't so passionate about joining the Basketball Club, his hot-tempered nature would have likely caused a scene with Oda.
"Sudo-kun, we've already received your club application. Come by the Basketball Club tomorrow afternoon. We will personally assess your skill level to see if you're qualified to join us," Oda said in a professional tone.
"What? I still have to be assessed?" Sudo grumbled.
"Because the Basketball Club is a popular one, unlike others, our application requirements are much stricter!"
Oda Ishikai replied patiently, "Even if the new students pass the skills assessment, they will only be provisional members and won't be able to participate in basketball competitions yet."
"Tsk, what a pain." Sudo Ken clicked his tongue in annoyance.
Oda's expression darkened; he had now decided not to let this arrogant and rude freshman join the Basketball Club.
Just then, Oda's eyes lit up, still frustrated with Sudo. He quickly stood up and intercepted someone walking toward the gymnasium exit.
Sudo was puzzled by Oda's strange behavior. He was surprised to find that the person Oda had stopped was none other than Shimizu Yuto.
"Shimizu-kun, do you have any interest in joining the Basketball Club? I can make you a regular member right away!" Oda said enthusiastically to Yuto.
"Huh?" Yuto and Sudo exclaimed in unison.
Yuto was simply bewildered. Sudo, on the other hand, was seething with indignation and confusion!
"Why do I have to apply and be assessed to join the Basketball Club, and even if I pass, I'm only a provisional member? Yet you're offering to make him a regular member immediately!" Sudo shouted in protest.
"Because he is Shimizu Yuto, the remarkable player who made Vice President Nagumo sprain his ankle with his skills! That is why he qualifies to become a regular member of the Basketball Club immediately. Do you even have the skill and talent to make someone sprain their ankle?" Oda retorted, his voice dripping with disdain for Sudo Ken.
"Of course I do! Shimizu Yuto, let's settle this on the court!" Sudo directly challenged Yuto to a basketball duel.
"Wait a minute," Yuto said, waving his hand with a helpless expression. "I have absolutely no intention of joining the Basketball Club, so please don't drag me into your argument."
"However..."
Yuto flashed Oda a bright, refreshing smile. "I am interested in a friendly match against everyone in the Basketball Club. I wonder if you'd be open to a 750,000-point wager on a game of basketball."
Why 750,000 points?
Because that was all the points Yuto could spare at the moment... After renting an apartment for three years, Yuto's remaining balance was just over a million points.
His currently usable funds amounted to exactly 750,000, with only a negligible amount of change left over.
"Well? The Basketball Club should be confident in its own skills, right? Do you want to test your mettle against me?" Yuto urged.
Oda Ishikai thought to himself that this new student, Shimizu Yuto, was truly obsessed with points. After all, he had only agreed to the basketball match against Nagumo Miyabi because of the 1.15 million point wager.
"We can accept a 750,000-point bet," Oda said. "But the terms have to change. If you lose, you must join the Basketball Club."
"That's a separate price," Yuto replied.
"What do you mean?"
"It means the stakes for our sides won't be equal. If you win, I'll join the Basketball Club. But if you lose, you have to pay me 1.5 million points."
Yuto's outrageous demand made Oda's mouth twitch.
"Fine!" Oda agreed without a moment's hesitation.
Standing by, Sudo Ken was completely numb.
Oda had personally invited Shimizu Yuto and offered to let him become a regular member.
Shimizu Yuto had refused and instead proposed a massive 1.5 million point wager... and Oda had accepted it without hesitation!
'I would have joined the Basketball Club for free! Why wouldn't they choose me?!'
'Is this the gap between people?!'
In truth, the main reason Oda Ishikai was so eager to invite Yuto to join the Basketball Club was not just because of his basketball skills, but because of his relationship with Chairman Sakayanagi.
During yesterday's one-on-one basketball match between Shimizu Yuto and Nagumo Miyabi, Yuto had summoned the Chairman with a single phone call. This meant that Yuto and Chairman Sakayanagi shared an incredibly deep connection.
If Yuto, who had ties to the Chairman, joined the Basketball Club, he would surely secure the club greater benefits and additional class points. This was the primary reason Oda accepted the 1.5‑million‑point wager without a moment's hesitation.
"You're still recruiting, right? In that case, let's start our match at nine o'clock tonight," Yuto said.
"Fine. We'll meet at the same basketball court at nine. But let's sign the betting contract now, just in case you change your mind," Oda said to Yuto.
"...Alright."
Yuto signed the betting contract with the club president, Oda. With a beaming smile, he then turned and left the gymnasium.
Yuto's mission at the gymnasium was a success. He hadn't come here to join a club, but to see if he could earn some points.
"I should be bringing in 1.5 million points tonight, right?"
Hearing this, Horikita Suzune, standing beside him, spoke up. "Are you really that confident, Shimizu? Your opponent is a key player in the Basketball Club, you know."
"Don't let my appearance fool you. I'm actually pretty good at basketball," Yuto replied with confidence. "I've never lost a one-on-one match."
"How many times have you played a one-on-one game against someone?" Suzune asked.
"Including tonight's match, this will be my third."
"..."
You claim to be good after only three games?!
Suzune fought the urge to criticize him and left the gymnasium with Yuto.
"By the way, Horikita," Yuto said casually as they walked, "Since your brother is an upperclassman at this school, why did you need to ask me about the 100,000 points? Couldn't you just get that information from him?"
"..."
Horikita Suzune, who had been silent, let out a sigh. "The truth is, I only know that my brother is enrolled here. I haven't had the chance to look for him yet. I haven't even found out which class he's in."
Although she didn't know his class, Suzune had learned that her brother, Horikita Manabu, was the Student Council President, which was why she had come to the gymnasium.
"That's easy," Yuto said. "Just go to the main building and find him. It's not like you don't know what grade your brother is in."
"...I'm not mentally prepared to face him yet."
Yuto was completely thrown by her answer, torn between laughter and frustration. "Horikita, this doesn't sound like you at all. I thought someone like you would be the type to take immediate action."
"Shut up!"
Yuto's words seemed to have touched a nerve. Suzune glared at him. "What do you mean, 'someone like me'? You talk as if you know me so well."
"Even if I don't know you, I still know how normal people act. When a normal person hasn't seen a family member in a year or two, they don't just dawdle around—at the very least, they go over and say hello."
"My brother seems to be busy with Student Council duties right now. I-I can't go disturb him... I'll go find him tonight."
"Then I'll have to ask you to go ahead and ask him about the 100,000 points for me," Yuto added casually. "After all, a brother should be happy to answer his own sister, right?"
"..."
Horikita Suzune turned her head away. She didn't have the courage or the guts to ask Horikita Manabu any questions.
Though Horikita Suzune may have seemed like a proud, aloof snow fox, she was more timid than a little rabbit when facing her brother, Horikita Manabu!
"Goodbye!"
To prevent Yuto from seeing her awkward expression, Suzune turned and walked away resolutely.
Yuto also headed back to his private apartment.
Inside, Chabashira Sae and Sakura Airi were busy in the kitchen. The sight of their busy figures in aprons gave Yuto a warm feeling of finally being home.
"What's for dinner?" Yuto asked with a beaming smile as he walked up to them.
"We're having stewed vegetables," Sakura Airi replied, a smile on her face. "Chabashira-sensei says she's very good at making them."
Chabashira Sae, who was chopping ingredients, glanced at Yuto. Wearing an apron, she radiated a subtle, wifely charm.
"Shimizu, how was the club fair? Do you have any ideas about joining one?"
"Not at all~"
"Then why did you go to the gymnasium for the club fair in the first place?" Sae sighed.
She had hoped Yuto would join a club and earn class points for Class D. She hadn't expected him to go there only to come back without joining any.
"I went to earn points, of course! The Basketball Club bet me 1.5 million points," Yuto answered.
Sae's lips twitched.
'This brat is gambling with points again... Wait, what?!'
"Shimizu, how could you possibly have 1.5 million points to bet? Your student ID only has 750,000 left, doesn't it?" Chabashira Sae asked, astonished.
She had just deducted 100,000 points from Yuto's student ID card moments ago, so she knew exactly how much he had left.
'Could it be…' she thought. 'Did this brat manage to earn 1.5 million points before he even made the bet with the Basketball Club?'
"Well, you see, the Basketball Club..." Yuto explained his bet with Oda Ishikai, a beaming smile on his face. Chabashira Sae didn't know whether to laugh or cry, while Sakura Airi's eyes sparkled with admiration.
'Someone is willing to bet 1.5 million points just to invite my childhood friend to join their club?!'
'They have such good taste!'
As long as you thought Shimizu Yuto was amazing, Sakura Airi would conclude you had excellent judgment!
…
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