In practice, I can issue tasks to my master.

Sakura Airi nodded groggily, then pressed on with a somewhat anxious question—

"Excuse me, is there any connection between you and Nangong? Why did he take the initiative to talk to me as soon as this mission appeared?"

[Nangong Cheng is the host's destined partner in this life, someone with whom the host is destined to be intertwined throughout their life. Therefore, this system will issue tasks to the host centered around him.]

However, Nangong Cheng is unrelated to this system; everything he does is a spontaneous act of his own volition.

"A community of shared future...what a romantic notion."

Sakura Airi already had a very good impression of Nangong Cheng because of his attitude towards her. Combined with the actual situation and the system's explanation, she chose to believe him without much doubt.

For a fleeting moment, she even thought of a name for her future child.

Nangong Cheng saw all of this.

Just as murderers always rush back to the crime scene immediately afterward, the mastermind behind the scenes also likes to observe the behavior of these beautiful girls after they obtain the system.

"It's time to launch the Idol Diva Project."

"The first step is to present yourself."

[Task issued: Before midnight today, send Nangong Cheng a selfie in the avatar of Shizuku and ask, "Which version of me do you like better, Nangong-kun?"]

[Task Reward: 100-500 points based on Nangong Cheng's evaluation of the selfie]

Confirmed and released.

Nangong Cheng glanced at Sakura Airi's flushed face, which looked like she had a fever, and then calmly waited for class to begin.

...

...

lunch break.

Nangong Cheng arrived at the canteen on time for the appointment.

As expected, Ichinose Honami was accompanied by several students from Class B, and her face was adorned with an impeccable sweet smile.

He truly lives up to his reputation as an archangel.

I really want to call her Mom...

“Nangong, I feel like you’re thinking about something strange.”

"That's right, I think you're kind of cute, Ichinose-kun, and I feel like I want to tease you."

"Huh?!"

The innocent, Tokyo-born girl had never heard of the cheesy, corny pickup lines from China before, and was completely taken aback.

Fortunately, their support from family and friends came through.

"Ahem! Nangong, you can't deliberately bully our little Fanbo, okay?"

Asako Amakura gently swayed her arm around Honami Ichinose's, speaking up for her friend.

Nangong Cheng gave a polite but slightly embarrassed smile.

I thought to myself, the friendship between girls is really amazing. They can become so close in just one day.

"Sorry, sorry~ I couldn't help myself~"

"So, do you have any questions? Actually, I feel that the document should have explained it very clearly."

It is indeed very clear.

It was so clear it was unbelievable.

We all enrolled on the same day and should have been looking forward to our high school life, but you're saying this school is actually a breeding ground for scourges.

"Thanks to Nangong, Hoshinomiya-sensei has already told us a lot about the school."

Honami Ichinose's smile carried a hint of melancholy; she was already worried about the power struggles that would unfold over the next three years.

This wasn't something she was good at, nor did she like it.

"If there is no other choice in this competition, I don't want to become your enemy, Nangong."

"So we discussed this before coming here—"

Ichinose Honami paused deliberately, her gaze fixed on Nangong Cheng's face.

"We hope that Class B and Class D can form a cooperative relationship... to be precise, a cooperative relationship with you, Nangong, and that girl."

Nangong Cheng crossed his arms in front of him, lowered his head, and showed a thoughtful expression.

He was curious.

I wonder what Hoshinomiya Chie's expression would be if she knew that her most promising student had made such a "rebellious" decision?

"I understand what Ichinose-san means. I will also pass on the message to Horikita, but—"

The cooperative relationship is actually irrelevant, because Nangong Cheng prefers to believe in the influence of the system rather than such a fragile relationship that can be shaken by interests.

Therefore, he chooses to issue a task in this situation.

"Everyone should understand that cooperation is predicated on both parties having equal strength or being able to mutually benefit from each other's needs..."

"So I can be responsible for providing information and even personally help you, but what kind of help can you provide for me, Ichinose-kun?"

[Task issued: Inquire whether Nangong Cheng has a girlfriend]

[Task Reward: 100 points]

[The penalty for failing the mission will be: publicly kissing Nangong Cheng to show sincerity in cooperation and that something even bigger is yet to come.]

"Personal points. If we're not mistaken, the Horikita you mentioned, Nangong-kun, is probably planning to advance to Class A through personal points, right?"

Before Ichinose Honami could answer, Amakura Asako, one of the friends and family members, spoke first.

Ryuji Kanzaki, who was standing to the side, nodded in agreement.

"That's right, that's exactly what we're planning."

Nangong Cheng readily admitted it.

At this point, it seemed like he was ready to agree to the cooperation, but Nangong Cheng didn't want his answer to sound so cheap.

"But if it's about individual points, I think Class A would be happy to team up with me to deal with Class B, so I can have it both ways, right?"

"..."

The two students from Class B fell silent instantly.

In the end, only Ryuji Kanzaki managed to squeeze out a sentence: "The students in Class A may not be as friendly as us."

Nangong Cheng simply smiled at this.

Students in Class A might indeed develop an arrogant sense of superiority after learning the truth about advanced development, but truly intelligent people would not think that way.

For example, Sakayanagi Arisu.

This character, portrayed as a clever and cunning but sickly little devil, must have already seen through the nature of the system. Perhaps she is still struggling with whether or not to get involved.

Looking ahead might be heaven or hell, but she certainly knows perfectly well what lies ahead.

What would you choose?

It's so hard to guess (not joking).

“Nangong classmate…”

Finally, after a moment of silence, Honami Ichinose spoke.

The girl's blushing is itself a long dialogue.

Beneath Nangong Cheng's smile, which seemed to hold a special meaning, and under the watchful and expectant gazes of the students in Class B, she spoke.

"Does Nangong have a girlfriend?"

Volume 1: Chapter 16, Ichinose Honami Wants to Know

Honami Ichinose's words surprised Asako Amakura and Ryuji Kanzaki, who were present.

"Fanbo? What are you talking about?"

Anyone with normal reading comprehension skills can understand what Ichinose Honami meant by this sentence based on the context.

Asako Netura seemed to be a rather emotional person; she appeared very anxious and confused.

"You really didn't need to go to this extent! If all else fails, we can rely on ourselves. There's no reason why Class A is necessarily better than us!"

Ryuji Kanzaki, standing to the side, also nodded with a serious expression, seemingly opposing Honami Ichinose's decision.

"Now everyone is on the same starting line. As long as we can keep up the gap in class points in the first month, it won't be difficult to overtake Class A if we work harder afterwards."

Nangong Cheng remained silent, only smiling quietly.

It's not surprising that the two students in Class B still held such naive and innocent ideas, since they didn't know the specific content of the exam.

Remember, Hoshinomiya Chie and Chabashira Sae fell at the very last step...

It has to be said that the dropout vote exam is really disgusting. Even Class B, which has a humanoid succubus like Honami Ichinose in this year's class, has been deeply persecuted.

Or rather, this kind of dropout exam could only harm one class in this cohort: Class B.

Because the leaders of this year's ACD class are all ruthless individuals, they would show absolutely no mercy when it comes to killing their own people.

To specifically criticize a certain man.

"Asako, Kanzaki-san..."

Honami Ichinose could completely understand her friend's thoughts, but she also had her own.

Aside from not wanting to accept excessive punishment for her mission, the reason she was willing to follow the system's will was naturally because she wanted to confirm something.

【Cash Exchange (Family Version): Points can be used to exchange for Japanese Yen at a ratio of 1:1000 with blood relatives】

[Note: Cash obtained in this way will be gifted in a perfectly legal manner.]

She chose this school not only because she wanted to start over in a completely unfamiliar environment, but also because it would relieve her family's financial burden by waiving all tuition and fees.

After all, you'll eventually choose a man to marry and have children with, so why not make a better choice now in line with the "trend"?

Judging from their first impressions, Ichinose Honami had a high level of affection for Nangong Makoto.

But she didn't know what impression Nangong Cheng had of her. Would it be inappropriate to be too enthusiastic if she did?

A girl with absolutely no dating experience found herself in a state of anxiety and uncertainty.

"That's not what I meant~ I'm just curious about the relationship between Nangong and Horikita."

"As for the cooperation, I think there's no need to rush it for now. How about we talk about it again in a month... What do you think, Nangong?"

The month was both a period of observation for the school and Nangong Cheng, and a final ultimatum she gave herself to make a decision.

Nangong Cheng smiled and nodded, cooperating with Ichinose Honami to skip the topic.

"I don't have a girlfriend, and Horikita and I are just ordinary classmates. The reason we acted together was because she was also investigating the school's secrets, and we hit it off and decided to cooperate temporarily."

"However, I was indeed a little startled by Ichinose's statement, since Ichinose seems to be the kind of well-behaved girl with strict family rules."

"But to be honest, I'm also quite curious about what kind of requirements Ichinose-san would have for a boyfriend."

Honami Ichinose also gave a polite yet slightly awkward smile, and her reply was equally impeccable.

"It's alright. If I really meet the right person, I definitely won't do nothing and miss out."

"As for the requirements... I guess I'll just go by feeling. It's hard to explain anything too specific."

The two didn't just keep chatting.

Since the lunch break is not very long, after eating and resting briefly, the afternoon classes will begin.

After finishing his meal, Nangong Cheng politely took his leave.

Honami Ichinose smiled at the questioning gazes of Asako Amakura and Ryuji Kanzaki.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

"Class B, sandwiched between Class A and Class C, is already in the most awkward position, so we must not let Class D become our enemy as well."

Watching Nangong Cheng's departing figure, Ichinose Honami seemed to be convincing both Amakura Asako and Kanzaki Ryuji, as well as herself.

"Therefore, we must win over Nangong Cheng."