The next morning.
Hiyori Shiina woke up. After washing up, a message popped up on her personal terminal:
『Kakeru Ryūen: Transfer that eighty million to me.』
『Hiyori Shiina: What are you planning to do, Ryūen-kun?』
『Kakeru Ryūen: Loan sharking!』
Symon piped up in her mind: "If I remember correctly, isn't your school prohibited from earning points through part-time jobs or business operations?"
"That's correct. He must have some kind of method."
Hiyori replied gently in her mind and sent that exact question as a text message. She soon received two replies from Ryūen:
『Kakeru Ryūen: I've asked Kazuma Sakagami. You can break the no-business rule for just 20 million.』
『Kakeru Ryūen: From the intel I've gathered, quite a few students lost all their points at the gambling tables last night. There's no shortage of borrowers. Invest 80 million points. With loan terms of 'nine-out, thirteen-in,' we'll recoup the principal in a year and still have 15 million in revenue. It's basically a surefire win.』
"Do you think it's feasible, Mr. Ghost?"
"It's certainly feasible," Symon said after a moment's thought, "but I don't recommend you do it."
"Originally, with this 80 million, the school gets cash and you get points. It's a win-win situation."
"Once you start lending to students, a good chunk of that 80 million will likely end up back in the casino's pockets. You'll be raking it in, but the school won't get a single drop."
"Put yourself in the school's shoes—they organized a special exam, intending to spend a little money to teach the students a lesson. But unexpectedly, thanks to a stroke of luck, not only did they not lose money, they even made a small profit."
"Just as they're about to celebrate, not only is their profit gone, but the entire first-year point economy collapses out of nowhere because of this, and a large group of students is saddled with exorbitant debt."
Reaching this point, Symon said with a laugh: "Your school is no saint. Be careful not to overplay your hand and lose everything."
Hearing this, Hiyori Shiina thought for a moment before holding her personal terminal and sending a message back to Ryūen:
『Hiyori Shiina: I wouldn't recommend doing that. While it might not be much, points and cash have different meanings to the school. It's best not to use these points before the exam ends.』
『Kakeru Ryūen: Is the school really going to miss this little bit of money?』
Symon casually retorted, "Don't act like 80 million isn't real money. That's half an apartment in Tokyo."
Hiyori Shiina was slightly taken aback by the comment, then a somewhat resigned smile appeared on her face.
When a certain ghost had secretly used her body while she was asleep last night, she had felt a slight sense of anticipation. She hadn't expected the tone to take such a sharp turn after he got his hands on her phone... so this was the reason.
He probably just wants a home...
With that thought, the girl set her terminal aside without replying further.
She took a hair tie from her pocket, held it between her lips, and stood before the mirror to tie her hair into a high ponytail.
After turning her lovely face to check her reflection, she finally left her dorm and headed for the buffet restaurant.
On the way—
"By the way, Mr. Ghost, have you ever thought about going home to visit?"
"Hm? Have I not mentioned it?" Symon seemed puzzled.
"What is it?"
"I'm not from this world, so there's no home to go back to."
"..., I see..."
Hiyori Shiina's steps faltered for a moment, but she quickly returned to her normal pace.
She now understood, more or less, why this ghost lacked a sense of security.
After all—she was probably the only thing this ghost had.
...
During breakfast, perhaps because the casino had stayed open so late the previous night, there weren't many students in the buffet restaurant, just a few scattered people.
But that had little to do with Hiyori Shiina.
Following Symon's wishes, she picked up a glass of soy milk and two meat buns.
In a corner of the restaurant, she found Airi Sakura with a familiar-looking blue-haired girl and greeted them softly:
"Airi, good morning. And this is?"
"Ah... Hi... Hiyori, good morning!" Airi Sakura flinched, grabbing the blue-haired girl beside her and stammering through the introduction of her friend: "This is my friend... Hasebe, Haruka Hasebe."
"Sorry, I put you on the spot." Hasebe raised a hand to her forehead, helpfully pulled out a chair for Hiyori, and only after the girl sat down did she introduce herself: "We've seen each other around, but I think this is the first time we're properly meeting. I'm Hasebe, Haruka Hasebe."
Hiyori Shiina smiled and nodded. "Yes, I know."
Symon sighed internally: "Birds of a feather flock together. The ancients truly did not deceive me. Also, it seems the boys in Class D are eating a little too well."
Hearing this, Hiyori Shiina nonchalantly glanced at the girl's chest, confirming that her bust was on the same level as Sakura's, before saying softly, "I saw you at the pool. It's just that everyone else kept their distance..."
Girls are creatures with a strict hierarchy; they would never stand next to an unrivaled foe. One Sakura was already enough to command awe; adding a Hasebe to the mix could only make others keep a respectful distance—it was a chasm that even Hiyori could not cross.
"Don't be like the boys," Hasebe said with a hint of exasperation, covering her chest with one hand. "Just enduring all those lewd stares is upsetting enough."
Hiyori Shiina smiled. "Actually, it's quite intimidating for other girls too..."
Hasebe nodded. "I can see that. Airi is probably the only one who could calmly become friends with me."
Airi Sakura waved her hands. "N-no, I've never cared about that sort of thing."
Symon's voice boomed: "Hiyori, did you hear that? That's the confidence of the strong!"
"Mr. Ghost, you shouldn't interrupt when girls are having a private chat."
"..."
____
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